A week passed since Frieren began training Rumia to become a stronger mage and to further refine her control over mana. During this time, Rumia gained knowledge of magics that were different from those of her own world and this world, but it didn't hinder her from learning the spells that Frieren introduced.
Within that single week of training, Rumia's control over her mana improved dramatically. It wouldn't even be surprising if she could defeat Zero and the Six Arms all by herself now. Rumia's talent for magic was something she was born with, allowing her power to increase at an astonishing rate. In addition to her natural talent, she possessed the ability known as 'Amplification,' which could enhance her spells several times over, making them far stronger than her ordinary magic.
Frieren quickly took notice of Rumia's talent, which made her even more curious about her new student. At the same time, as the two spent more time together, Rumia discovered something surprising: despite Frieren's usually flat expression, she was actually much sloppier than she appeared, leaving Rumia speechless.
Because of this, Rumia gradually began tending to Frieren's daily needs and caring for her. Tuare would sometimes help out when she was around, but it was mostly Rumia who took the lead, carefully brushing Frieren's silver hair and helping her get dressed with gentle hands.
Clementine also met Frieren during that week and couldn't help but become curious about the elf girl her master had brought home. Initially, she assumed Frieren was just another new woman of Shido, but it quickly became clear that wasn't the case. Shido treated Frieren more like a friend than a lover, which solved Clementine's curiosity about their relationship.
With that cleared up, Clementine tried to get closer to Frieren, pestering her out of playful curiosity. However, it didn't take long before Frieren found Clementine's antics slightly annoying. In the end, Frieren simply threw Clementine high into the sky, letting her drop until she was about to hit the ground before stopping her fall at the last moment.
Clementine's face turned pale, all color draining from her as she trembled, having never felt so terrified in her life. Meanwhile, Frieren, who was lazily yawning with her usual calm expression, ignored the fact that she had just tossed someone into the sky like it was nothing, leaving Clementine's body cold with fear.
'She's dangerous.'
That was the only thought in Clementine's mind as she ran, tears welling in her eyes, hiding behind Shido while her legs trembled. She swore to herself then and there that she would never annoy this silver-haired elf ever again.
Frieren, on the other hand, simply didn't want Clementine bothering her, since Clementine reeks the smell of blood. She could tell that Clementine was a former killer that murdered hundreds to thousands of people so she didn't want someone like that near her despite Frieren also killing thousands of demons over the centuries.
Rumia and Shido were speechless at Frieren's actions, exchanging wry smiles before looking at the lazy elf, who was now pretending nothing had happened.
On the first night after Frieren joined their group, Shido was the one who cooked dinner, with Tuare and Rumia helping him as they prepared the meal together. When Frieren took her first bite of Shido's cooking, she froze for a moment, caught off guard by the taste. It brought back memories from her younger days, back when she was still learning under her master, feeling the warmth and quiet joy of discovering new spells and the small comforts of life as she traveled with her friends from the hero party.
When Frieren finally snapped back to her senses, a small, almost imperceptible smile crossed her lips, hidden from the view of the others. She whispered softly to herself,
"It's delicious."
She then continued to bring food on her mouth like a foodie trying various kinds of foods cooked by Shido.
Since he was surrounded by girls, Shido had also decided to prepare a dessert that night, which Rumia, Tuare, Clementine, and even Frieren ended up liking very much.
And so, the week of Frieren's first arrival passed in this warm, steady rhythm.
During that week, Shido and Rumia also accompanied Frieren to the Adventurer's Guild to register her as an adventurer. Although she would officially start at the lowest rank, with her power, it was clear that Frieren would quickly catch up to both Rumia and Shido before long.
...
"Let me check your status first."
Shido spoke to Rumia, who was waiting patiently for him to review her progress. They were currently in the backyard where Rumia and Frieren usually held their magic training sessions. Nearby, Frieren was sitting on a chair under the shade of a tree, completely relaxed as she sipped the tea Shido had made for her as she enjoy the beauty of nature.
When Shido nodded, signaling her to proceed, Rumia took a deep breath and opened her status.
"Status."
Name: Rumia Tingel
Level: 41
Age: 15
Height: 157
Measurements (B/W/H): 81/56/82
Class: Mage
STR: D+ → D+
VIT: D+++ → C
AGI: D → D+
INT: C++ → B
CHA: B → B+
LUK: B →B
Threat Level: C+ → C++
Affiliation: Alzano Imperial Magic Academy
"You've become much stronger than before." Shido nodded in approval as he reviewed Rumia's improvements.
Rumia's eyes lit up, and before she realized it, she had subconsciously hugged Shido, a bright smile on her face. Although a bit surprised, a small, gentle smile appeared on Shido's lips as he softly patted her hair, letting her indulge in the warmth of the moment.
It only lasted for a brief moment before Rumia reluctantly pulled away, her face flushed red. Even though she was close with Shido, she still felt a bit embarrassed to have such close contact with him, especially hugging him like that, forgetting the fact that both of them shared a bath together before.
Her embarrassment only deepened when she remembered that Frieren was still there with them, calmly sipping her tea. The thought of her master seeing such an embarrassing side of her made Rumia's face grow even redder.
She could tell that while Shido didn't show it on her face, his body have some reaction towards her body. Rumia's face turned an even deeper shade of red when she felt something hot and hard pressing lightly against her stomach. Though inexperienced in many things, Rumia understood enough to know what it was.
The realization made her even more conscious of Shido, reminding her that he was a man after all, and it was normal for him to have such a reaction. Still, a small, shy happiness bloomed in her chest, knowing that he had reacted that way because of her.
"Thank you, Shido-san." Rumia's voice was soft, filled with gratitude as she looked up at him. She was truly thankful that she had become stronger because of his support.
"No, you've worked hard, Rumia," Shido replied, gently brushing her hair back with a warm smile. "It's all because of the effort you put in to become stronger."
"Shido-san…" Rumia murmured softly, her eyes dazed.
Right now, she was using Shido's real name since it was just the three of them. Shido had sent Clementine out to take care of something and Tuare was happily cleaning the house, ensuring no one would discover what they were doing in the backyard.
"What are you two doing?"
As Rumia and Shido were speaking, Frieren, who had been lazing on her chair, walked over with her usual flat expression, though there was a hint of curiosity in her emerald eyes.
"I'm just checking Rumia's current stats," Shido replied calmly.
Frieren peeked over, her gaze shifting to the floating display of Rumia's status, silently observing as she assessed her student's growth.
"Hm? So this is your power, huh?" Frieren said with mild interest as she scanned Rumia's stats. Her emerald eyes moved carefully across the display, but she paused, a small flicker of surprise crossing her face when she noticed that the stats even included their three sizes.
She slowly turned to look at Shido, her expression dubious.
Shido, however, simply looked back at her with an innocent face, as if he had no idea what she was implying.
Frieren's lips twitched, at a loss for how thick-skinned this man could be. In the end, she decided it wasn't worth arguing over.
Instead, her curiosity shifted toward her own stats. She had never seen them displayed like this before, and a small spark of genuine interest appeared in her eyes.
"How do you view your stats?" Frieren asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at Shido.
"Oh? You want to see your stats?" Shido raised an eyebrow while a small smile on his face.
"Yes. Is that possible?" Frieren's calm voice carried a hint of curiosity.
"Of course. You just have to say 'Status,' and a window will pop up in front of you."
"Interesting." Frieren nodded, her curiosity deepening. As an elf who loved to collect and discover things, especially magic spells, Frieren was also drawn to other mysteries, and the system Shido possessed was certainly one of them.
Right now, she found herself genuinely anticipating what her stats would reveal.
"Status."
Frieren muttered softly, and just as Shido had explained, a translucent window interface appeared before her eyes.