Magnificent!
The moment Frieren waved her hand and dispersed the mist, Flamme witnessed giant trees stretching out before her in a line, extending into the distance.
It was vaster than she had imagined. Without the interference of miasma and mist, the forest's full panorama was revealed—a verdant expanse connecting to the horizon. The scent of flowers filled the air, and replacing the city's clamor was the sweet chirping of birds. Aside from some blast marks scattered about, there was no sign of a battlefield atmosphere.
When she was little, her family only described the forest as a place with wolves and monsters, meant to keep children from wandering off. But seeing it today, it felt truly magnificent.
Dressed for travel and carrying her luggage, Flamme hadn't expected her first trip with someone outside her family would be to this mysterious forest.
"You managed to envelop this entire place with magic? Teacher, how much mana did you use?"
"A lot."
That was from a human perspective. In reality, Frieren's mana was bottomless. Not only was it practically inexhaustible, but her recovery speed was also top-notch. The mana consumed by unleashing many techniques at once would be replenished in mere seconds.
Constructing such a large-scale illusion within the forest wasn't difficult, and the careless demons hadn't even really noticed. Despite their seemingly triumphant advance, their subtle use of magic was inferior to humans, and certainly to her; they primarily excelled only in combat.
The observant Flamme looked around and murmured, "There are many residual mana traces, with Teacher's unique signature. It must be General Azart and those demons, right? Did they die here?"
"Yes."
It sounded as mundane as swatting flies.
"One day, I too want to reach a level where I can contend with Great Demons."
"That goal is too low, Flamme. I will help you achieve a realm unprecedented in human history. Set your sights on the world; the Demon King is the target you should pursue."
The red-haired girl was slightly taken aback. She initially wanted to ask if her teacher had reached the Demon King's level, but on second thought, it was truly hard to judge. It was difficult for those ranked among the strongest to determine a clear winner, and they probably didn't fully understand each other's relative strengths anyway.
While she pondered, the two ventured deeper into the middle section of the forest.
If the occasional paths and animal trails earlier were barely passable, here there were no conventional roads at all. Her vision was filled only with dense thickets, requiring a blade to clear the way forward. Even flight magic wasn't necessarily convenient, as the canopy high above was even denser. As they advanced, Flamme often felt the light dim abruptly, making it seem like one couldn't see their hand in front of their face, even in broad daylight.
"From now on, this will be your training environment. What do you think?"
"Honestly," Flamme admitted, "the fact that elves can live in the forest continuously is a form of resilience, I suppose. Anyway, I don't think I could endure it for too long."
Hearing this, Frieren nodded. "I strongly agree. But elves like me who venture out are definitely the minority. Don't worry, I won't make you stay in the forest all the time. Aside from daily lessons, I won't restrict my apprentice's activities."
"Provided I can pass through the illusion first?"
"Of course."
Feeling the challenge, Flamme's heart tightened. Although the illusion's surface structure seemed basic, it was not simple at all. The designer had hidden its complexities very deeply, compensating for any apparent weaknesses. Even a demon general had met his end here; passing its test would likely take her considerable time.
Half a day later, the two slowly arrived at the entrance of the elven village.
Millialdelle was sitting at the village gate encampment, drinking as always, a staff standing beside her like a guard's post. Seeing the silver and red figures approach, she instantly sobered up and couldn't help but ask, "Back so soon? Seems those demons weren't very tough, huh?" She casually signaled to her kin that it was safe.
"Yes, it went quite smoothly," Frieren replied. "There won't be any demon threats for a short while."
"Soon?" Millialdelle echoed.
The elves' conversation was eye-opening for Flamme. By her count, she and her teacher had been together for a full half-month already. During that time, Frieren hadn't exactly rushed. She spent a day wandering the shopping district, another day strolling along the city walls, claiming to experience the local customs as if she were a traveler from afar, only occasionally teaching Flamme some magic when she had downtime.
Of course, these lessons often had an enlightening effect. Thanks to her excellent teacher's guidance, Flamme progressed rapidly, already far surpassing the so-called magic apprentices of the city's nobility.
"Did you take an apprentice?" Millialdelle asked, noticing Flamme properly.
"Her name is Flamme. She's a child I happened to rescue, and she has good talent," Frieren introduced.
"Greetings, Lady Millialdelle," Flamme said politely. "My teacher mentioned you; she said you are one of the most powerful great mages in the elven village."
"Actually, I'm not good at fighting. I just have a lot of mana," the tipsy elf said, dismissing the compliment casually. "Everything's normal in the village. Feel free to move in. We don't exclude outsiders, especially the short-lived races. It's not like we'll be together for long anyway."
Despite the words, Flamme couldn't help but look slightly downcast. As for Frieren, after giving her old acquaintance a slightly reproachful look, she led her apprentice into the village.
Just as Millialdelle implied, upon hearing Frieren had taken an apprentice, the elves treated them courteously. They were curious about such a whimsical act on Frieren's part, but their interest faded as quickly as it appeared. Flamme had worried about being excluded as an outsider, but that wasn't the case, especially for a short-lived human.
From the elves' perspective, how annoying could a troublesome child be compared to mosquitoes? They'd all be gone after a single summer anyway.
Indifference. This was the feeling most elves gave off. They would never bother you, but expecting heart-to-heart conversations or deep connections was wishful thinking.
To Flamme, the village had quite a few inhabitants, yet it seemed to lack vitality. Perhaps on the elven timescale, it was bustling, but to human eyes, many residents simply lay still for long periods without moving much at all.
She followed Frieren into the workshop. Her eyes were met with a dazzling array of various vessels and materials. She watched as Frieren casually placed a large pile of related items purchased from the magic shop onto surfaces, not bothering to sort or categorize them.
She used whatever came to hand, having memorized the location and nature of everything anyway.
"Wait, don't you even label them?" Flamme asked. "I heard every mage needs to organize basic information and stick it on, like in the shops."
"Isn't it enough to just memorize it all?" Frieren replied. "Besides, you can understand what something is just by sensing it."
This high-level approach was beyond Flamme's current comprehension. Since that was the case, she joined in the arranging work.
Moments later, the desks, cabinets, and even the floor were cluttered with bottles and jars, along with some rather dangerous-looking monster materials. She couldn't begin to imagine how many potentially troublesome things were hidden among them.
"All set," Frieren announced. "Let's begin right away. With your current strength, you're ready to receive my blessing and be enhanced." Frieren had already calibrated the amplification of the Great Rune fragment over the past few days; it was ready for a try.
"Huh?"
"I've never been talking about mana capacity or muscle mass," Frieren explained. "The key is willpower. I am nurturing you to believe this and to feel you possess the aptitude that matches it. You are a genius, Flamme."
"No, no, I'm still far from ready!" Flamme protested. "Can't we be a bit more conservative?"
"Then how much time do you think the demons will give humanity?" Frieren countered. "Perhaps ten years—no, maybe next year they'll be at the city gates again, and you'll still be just as powerless."
After pondering for a moment, Flamme nodded resolutely. The red-haired girl closed her eyes, bit her lip, and stood rooted to the spot, looking both afraid and expectant, ready to receive the so-called blessed enhancement.
"You don't need to be so dramatic," Frieren said lightly. "In principle, I am strengthening your soul, which feeds back into your body for a comprehensive boost. It also increases your soul magic affinity, making you the human in this world best suited to soul magic."
"There might be some discomfort, but it won't hurt," Frieren reassured her. "Just concentrate, lower your guard, and accept the mana."
Since returning to this reality, Frieren hadn't spent a day not meticulously studying the power related to the Great Rune. Naturally, she understood the methods; enhancing a child whose body hadn't fully matured was trivially easy. After changing worlds, the fragment relied primarily on the user's blessing rather than the Erdtree.
That made things simple. Since Frieren possessed the most complete system of soul power and immense mana, choosing a target for the blessing was easy. Giving it to her own apprentice was the natural choice; the only key was whether Flamme would cooperate.
"I'm ready, Teacher," Flamme said, steeling herself. "Please begin."
After taking a deep breath, Flamme watched the silver-haired girl cup an arcane golden fragment in both hands. It glowed with a brilliant, dazzling light. The next moment, it burst forth with light, enveloping Flamme's body entirely.
Frieren held the Great Rune in one hand and lightly tapped her apprentice's forehead with the other. Instantly, Flamme felt a warmth flow through her meridians; her soul resonated joyfully, seemingly eager to ascend to a new stage. Following instructions, she completely embraced this power. Sure enough, a large amount of soul energy poured into her body.
Whoosh!
Though an internal power, it radiated outwards, becoming a fierce wind that swept through the entire workshop, nearly lifting Flamme off her feet. But Frieren was still unsatisfied and continued channeling excess soul energy into her. Frieren had no shortage of this soul-strengthening material, and using it didn't affect her personally, as in a sense, her true self constantly emanated powerful soul energy passively.
As Frieren increased the flow, the gale, infused with mana, surged upwards, rushing towards the heavens outside the workshop. The villagers frequently glanced over. Even with the elves' typically lazy disposition, they couldn't help but pay attention because the commotion was truly significant. Why was there such a big event right after Frieren had returned? However, they were also quite used to Frieren conducting loud experiments.
The workshop storm lasted only moments before quickly subsiding. The initially faint, dispersed soul energy wasn't wasted; Frieren recalled it all at once and slammed it into Flamme's forehead with a final thump, pushing the energy within her to its absolute peak!
BOOM!
As an explosion echoed within her mind, Flamme opened her eyes. Her vision was filled with the aftermath of the gale—tables, chairs, bottles, and jars lay shattered and scattered, nothing left untouched. Simultaneously, an unending stream of power surged within her body. Subconsciously, she tested it.
"It's Homing Soulmass! I did it!" Flamme exclaimed, recognizing the spell she had just instinctively cast.
"Yes," Frieren confirmed. "Honestly, by this world's standards, soul magic is somewhat my semi-system, semi-exclusive magic, making it difficult to teach others directly. So, I simply granted you the affinity, solving the problem easily. But the fact you could use it immediately based on only my few prior words shows you have great talent."
"I'm... a little tired..." Flamme admitted. Despite seeming fine on the surface, she had actually consumed a lot of energy and couldn't be very active for a while.
"That's normal," Frieren said. "Maintain your meditation now and sort through your power. Don't let too much energy disperse. Relax, I will guide you carefully. It gets much simpler from here."
Flamme nodded cautiously and actively began accepting the mana flow Frieren guided. Even without understanding the specific principles, she knew this was a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Under the red-haired girl's focused concentration, guiding the mana went smoothly.
Actually, this guidance step wasn't strictly necessary; Frieren had only done it out of concern about potential rejection reactions. However, it turned out to be a better fit than expected—truly tailor-made. After all, it was a custom blessing designed specifically for her disciple, sharing the same soul school foundation.
Currently, Flamme knelt on the ground, meditating with her eyes closed. She shouldn't be disturbed for now.
"What a mess," Frieren sighed as she looked around the devastated workshop. The commotion had been quite large; nearly everything she'd just bought was wasted. She'd have to restock later. But she wasn't angry at all. Such things often happened during experiments.
Anyway, she now had an apprentice to run errands. That's right, Flamme, you already have a new task.
It proved her research approach regarding the Great Rune was correct. And Flamme had instantly displayed talent seen perhaps once in a millennium, encountering a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. The combination pushed her basic attributes to the level of an average mage, equivalent to more than ten years of training for a normal person—and ten years for a genius, at that.
Aside from lacking knowledge of some basic spells, she was practically no different from a battlefield mage already.
Of course, as her teacher, Frieren aimed for a much higher standard for her student. She hoped Flamme could become humanity's mainstay against the demons, protecting them through these difficult times and paving the broad highway to an era of humans and magic. As for herself, she could just continue her research.
Thinking this, Frieren looked at the Great Rune fragment still in her hand. As expected of a main fragment of the Elden Ring, it was the most stable, its effects powerful, handling the enhancement task with ease.
She had prepared various contingency plans in case things went wrong, but fortunately, they weren't needed. The silver-haired girl let out a long sigh of relief. The one who had been most nervous during the process was the initiator; if anything had gone wrong, it would have been a terrible sin.
"Teacher, I've sorted it out," Flamme announced, standing up energetically. The mana she released was comparable to a junior mage, clearly having surpassed the apprentice stage.
The next moment, her mana signature continuously shrank, becoming like a thin, almost imperceptible column of smoke, giving the impression of an ordinary, non-threatening apprentice. Had she learned mana concealment just through observation during the enhancement?
"You did very well," Frieren praised. "Keep it up."
"I can suppress it even more!" Flamme declared proudly.
"No need," Frieren advised. "Shrinking it further will negatively affect your mana growth. It's unnecessary at this stage."
"When can I start learning magic?" Flamme asked eagerly.
"Using magic now would actually cause the residual energy nourishing your body to settle prematurely," Frieren explained. "It's better to strengthen your physical constitution first to accommodate even more power. Therefore, you'll become a warrior first."
"Huh?"
"Don't be surprised," Frieren said with a knowing look. "When you get on the battlefield, enemies who realize you're actually a battle mage will die before they even have time to be surprised."
Coming from Frieren, who had personally demonstrated how a mage could effectively charge into the thick of battle, this statement was very convincing. Hearing it, Flamme nodded. Fair enough, building a solid foundation was never wrong. In short, she would listen to her teacher and work towards becoming an all-rounder like her as soon as possible. A true Mage.
Moreover, the girl had a premonition: even if she couldn't actively practice magic right now, something was still evolving within her. Those basic soul manipulations she'd just learned felt like they would naturally reach a higher level over time.
However, the immediate first task was to clean up the disaster zone that was the magic workshop.
The two looked at each other and shared a small smile, knowing full well they had a busy time ahead of them. Their shared training life was about to begin, destined to be filled with hardship and sweat. But Flamme was prepared. She would absolutely not fail Frieren's expectations; she was determined to become humanity's strongest mage. She also had to change the current situation of humanity's decline. They must repel the demons and promote magic throughout the land—a task that perhaps only humans, who seize every precious day, could truly accomplish.
...
The elven village remained as tranquil as ever. Spring passed, replaced by the constant chirping of summer insects. Fortunately, the dense, concealing trees offered a rare coolness against the heat.
The arrival of the new member, Flamme, didn't cause much of a stir among the villagers. For them, life went on quietly, day by day. But subtle, almost imperceptible changes gradually began to affect them.
Frieren and her apprentice, practicing magic diligently all day, inevitably attracted attention. Some of the more restless elves, perhaps bored with their usual routines, also joined in. Some started learning martial skills from Frieren, others picked up magic alongside Flamme.
Together, they cleared an area on the village outskirts, establishing a proper training ground, making the usually quiet village surprisingly lively.
Frieren was also happy to strengthen the village's overall power, especially when even Millialdelle participated enthusiastically, boldly declaring she would be Flamme's sparring partner.
So you have absolutely no self-awareness about 'bullying the weak,' huh? Frieren thought wryly. That said, the battlefield is inherently full of variables. One couldn't afford to complain about being ambushed, surrounded, or overwhelmed by stronger opponents. Frieren decided it would be a good experience, so she let her apprentice face off against her old acquaintance for the time being.
"The rule is simple: whoever gets injured first loses." Frieren looked between the two eager combatants and announced, "Begin."
Boom! Boom!
The elven mage, Millialdellel, struck first, launching beams of magic light at incredible speed. Flamme, having learned only the basics so far, hastily threw up a defensive barrier. She barely managed to block the attacks, but the surrounding ground became heavily pitted from the impacts.
Even so, Millialdelle wasn't satisfied with her opening salvo, even looking a bit embarrassed.
"Aldê," Frieren critiqued immediately, "your attacks aren't fast enough. They were all precisely defended by the barrier. Look more carefully before you strike."
Then, turning her attention to her student, she advised, "Flamme, maintain your rhythm. Don't just try to counter with magic. Look for differences between you and your opponent, find an opening, and launch surprise attacks."
While watching the spar, Frieren offered her running commentary.
"Hey! Why criticize me but guide her—Frieren, you're playing favorites!" Millialdelle protested.
"If you drank less and worked harder usually, I'd be willing to teach you some other, more interesting magic," Frieren retorted coolly. "But you're far too lazy. Start practicing the fundamentals properly first. And also, don't get distracted."
Storm Stomp!
Suddenly, Flamme stomped fiercely on the ground. The technique kicked up a swirling gale carrying sharp ice shards. The wave of oncoming frost first attempted to freeze the area around Millialdelle, slowing her movements, followed immediately by a terrifying shockwave that forcefully pushed the elf back. At the very critical moment, Millialdelle managed to block the brunt of the aftershock with a hastily erected defensive barrier.
Close call! Millialdelle thought. If I hadn't reacted in time, I would have lost right there. Why are her reflexes so incredibly fast?
"You even taught her martial skills?" Millialdelle exclaimed aloud towards Frieren. "Honestly, both master and apprentice are complete oddballs."
"Focus," was Frieren's only reply.
After Frieren's sharp reminder, Millialdelle finally shed her underestimation of the apprentice and began consciously focusing on maintaining distance. Meanwhile, Flamme took the offensive, wielding her staff and sending a cluster of Homing Soulmass flying out towards the elf with a whistling sound. Although the quantity and intensity of the soulmass were far inferior to her teacher's version, their harassing capability was surprisingly strong, forcing the experienced elven mage to frequently dodge and cope defensively.
"Sister Aldê, can you only focus on one type of magic at a time?" Flamme, who hadn't spoken much until now, couldn't help but exclaim, finding this seeming limitation utterly unbecoming of a powerful mage, almost disbelieving it.
Called out so directly, Millialdelle flushed beet red with a mixture of shame and anger. She suddenly ramped up her mana output dramatically, unleashing a massive, swirling fire tornado. It was a fire magic similar in nature to Frieren's own, possessing powerful elemental destructive force over a wide area, suitable even for large-scale battles, and clearly cast by someone with more than enough mana to spare. Flamme had no choice but to weave around desperately and dodge to avoid being severely burned.
Neither contestant worried too much about accidentally going too far, nor did the observing elves nearby fear any collateral damage, mainly because everyone knew Frieren was watching and would intervene instantly if necessary.
Crack!
Moments later, cracks finally appeared in Flamme's strained defensive magic, shattering one after another under the relentless assault. Competing purely on mana-fueled elemental attacks wasn't working out for her. Her current, still-developing power meant the gap between her and the veteran elven mage was simply too vast. But that didn't stop her from using her brain to devise countermeasures. Teacher had repeatedly said there would be plenty of opportunities to fight long-lived races with huge mana reserves in the future; she absolutely had to learn how to handle these kinds of mana disparities.
Flamme used Storm Stomp again. This time, it wasn't meant as a surprise attack. Instead, she openly poured an immense amount of her remaining mana into it, raising a powerful wave of frost that briefly managed to suppress and push back Millialdelle's fierce flames.
The opportunity was fleeting, lasting only an instant.
In that brief moment, Flamme's staff condensed a blade of pure magic—a Carian Slicer. She thrust out its ethereal edge, and a slender blade of shimmering light, suddenly extending dozens of meters long, pierced straight through a momentary gap in Millialdelle's defense—
Thump!
Caught completely off guard by the sudden, long-reaching attack, Millialdelle managed to dodge away with a desperate roll at the last second.
Now, one combatant had her powerful spell interrupted, leaving her momentarily vulnerable. The other, Flamme, was nearly out of mana and had to resort to mid-range combat, relying on her Carian Slicer. Blades of light flashed back and forth between them, stirring up clouds of dust and sending out rumbling shockwaves. Watching them, it seemed a clear winner wouldn't be decided anytime soon.
In reality, the mere fact that an experienced elven mage like Millialdelle was taking this long against a relative novice apprentice already indicated she wasn't going all out or taking it entirely seriously. Although Millialdelle still firmly held the upper hand overall, Flamme's occasional sharp counterattacks and unexpected tactics were clearly causing her some trouble.
"Teaching her battle arts worked out quite well," Frieren murmured to herself, quite satisfied with how Flamme was applying her lessons in actual combat. Storm Stomp was one of the battle arts Frieren herself often used back in the Lands Between.
It was excellent for creating distance, perfectly complementing a mage's typical fighting style, and it also dealt elemental frost damage. That's why she had taught it to her apprentice early on. Since Flamme wasn't yet suited for simply cramming endless amounts of magic theory and spells, focusing on practical battle arts seemed like a better approach for now.
It just proved that truly talented individuals learn quickly by analogy, picking up almost anything rapidly. Flamme had already successfully integrated the battle art into her own nascent fighting style. Combined with her Homing Soulmass for ranged pressure and Carian Slicer for close-quarters threats, she could already pose a significant danger to unprepared opponents. Her overall strength was still far lacking compared to seasoned fighters, of course, but the essential foundation was firmly laid. It just needed to be built upon, step by step. And Frieren had absolute confidence that Flamme didn't lack the talent for it.
Dong!
With a final loud bang, one of Millialdelle's magic beams broke through the last remnants of Flamme's defense on the other side. However, Millialdelle expertly pulled back her power at the last instant, merely pushing the girl backward onto the ground rather than injuring her seriously. Apart from falling down and scraping her skin, drawing a little blood, Flamme was unharmed. She was just seeing stars and feeling dizzy, unable to stand up immediately.
Seeing this, Frieren casually cast a Great Heal spell, and Flamme's minor scrapes and dizziness vanished instantly. Rubbing her head as she sat up, Flamme murmured, "Teacher, when can you teach me that spell? Then I could practice constantly without ever worrying about getting injured!"
"Not for a long time," Frieren replied. "Even among the most difficult healing spells, that one is considered one of the absolute hardest to master."
"Hey!" Millialdelle interjected, puffing her chest out. "Why aren't you two praising my performance?" She eagerly sought some commendation for her 'victory,' but was met only with identical, teasing looks from both master and apprentice. The unspoken message hung heavy in the air: Did you really do anything worth boasting about? An older, experienced elven mage took this long just to handle a brand-new apprentice? Really?
"So, you see, you need to work hard too," Frieren added pointedly towards Millialdelle.
Understanding the atmosphere perfectly, Millialdelle pouted slightly and said, perhaps a bit defensively, "Heaven knows what kind of monster apprentice you've picked up and taught, Frieren. It's completely absurd. At this rate, this kid probably won't even need ten years to graduate and surpass me!"
Turning away, she added, "Alright, alright, I get it. I'll come train here more often. And maybe I'll check out some of your more... interesting magic while I'm at it." With that, she walked over to the other side of the training ground and started mingling with the other elves gathered there, clearly trying to regain some lost confidence by sparring with the group of typically lazy elves in battles that better matched their relaxed energy levels.
"Teacher Frieren," Flamme asked once they were alone, "how long do you think I'll need?"
"...At most 8 years," Frieren estimated after a moment's thought. "Then you should go get some real experience active on the battlefield. After all, just learning theory here is ultimately useless. Besides, I can't always be here sparring with you; most of the time, I'll probably remain asleep."
Actually, Frieren thought internally, to pass this time quickly for myself, I just need to intermittently use 'game magic.' A different thought followed immediately. Thinking about it carefully, it really is about time I started preparing for matters back in the Lands Between.
____
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