Frieren was not perplexed by Fíliya's calm and composed demeanor. After all, she had lived for so long; what kind of eccentric hadn't she met? So she simply watched Fíliya in silence before asking.
"Did you fight with the Demon Race?"
"Yes, that's right."
"That's strange. The remnants of the Demon King's army should be concentrated in the Northern Nations, but this is the central region of the continent. Even if there were a few stray demons, they couldn't possibly be powerful, let alone strong enough to gravely injure an expert like you."
Frieren furrowed her brow. This was precisely what she couldn't figure out.
"Eh? I'm actually just in my early twenties, you know? Still a fledgling youth... Why would you think I'm strong?"
Although she had received praise from her 'great senior,' Fíliya's mood remained largely unmoved.
Instead, she was curious. Her body was still very weak, and she had only recovered a tiny bit of mana. How could she possibly look like a 'strong person'? How on earth did Frieren figure it out?
"A vague feeling."
Frieren gave her answer.
Well, that couldn't be helped. Fíliya sighed; things like feelings were always so esoteric, they didn't really need to follow logic.
"Mmm... Alright, I suppose I do think I'm pretty strong."
So Fíliya decisively admitted it and continued to add,
"I did indeed fight a powerful demon, and it was in a place very far from here."
"Then... how did you get away?"
Frieren pressed on.
"Well, I have a trump card for survival that can teleport me to a safe location. But this magic has significant limitations. The miserable state I was in before was an aftereffect of the spell."
Fíliya's expression was composed. Of course, she couldn't tell Frieren the truth, but she was well aware that a lie woven entirely from fabrication is full of holes and difficult to maintain. Only a half-truth is truly deceptive.
"I see... powerful spatial teleportation magic, is it? How interesting."
Frieren nodded. She was curious about the magic Fíliya mentioned, but curiosity aside, even Frieren understood that it was incredibly rude to rashly inquire about another mage's trump card, so she didn't press further about the magic.
"And what about that demon?"
"Mm, it's dead. It was supposed to be a mutual destruction, but thankfully, I was a step ahead."
Fíliya said with a light laugh, her expression serene and her posture completely relaxed. Even if interrogators from The Empire were present, they wouldn't be able to detect the slightest flaw in her expression.
In this respect, she had truly learned some of the essence of the Demon Race. It was precisely this masterful skill in lying that demons used to deceive countless humans.
"Is that so."
Frieren nodded. Although a trace of doubt still lingered in her mind, the girl's performance was indeed impeccable. She had no reason to question her further. Besides, she was certain that the girl before her was a genuine human, not some disguise or illusion.
"Well, since the questioning part is over, shouldn't we get to know each other? Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet."
Fíliya said, placing a hand on her chest.
"My name is Fíliya. I'm a Second-Class Mage affiliated with the Continental Magic Association."
As she spoke, Fíliya looked at the two young people behind Frieren.
"Hmm, Miss Purple Eggplant and the red... Mister Tomato?"
Almost the instant their eyes met, Miss Fíliya had already given nicknames to the two people opposite her who were of a similar age.
"Frieren."
Even though the other party already knew who she was, Frieren stated her name again out of politeness.
At the same time, the two young people behind her saw this and came closer.
"I'm Stark, a warrior."
The red-haired boy introduced himself with enthusiasm. It was clear he wanted to say more, but after getting a glare from Miss Purple Eggplant, he immediately opted for a shorter introduction.
"My name is Fern. I'm currently a Third-Class Mage, and also Lady Frieren's apprentice."
Oh... Frieren's apprentice... Doesn't that make her my junior?
Fíliya looked at Fern, the smile on her face growing ever brighter.
But this overly brilliant smile scared Fern, who subconsciously took two steps back, hiding behind Frieren and tightening her black mage robe.
"Oh? Was I just shunned?"
Fíliya found this particularly amusing.
"Miss Fern... You see, both of our names start with 'Fí,' you know? Isn't that fate? Don't hide so far away. I think we'll get along great."
"Fern?"
Frieren, puzzled, turned to look at Fern. She thought, This child isn't usually this shy, is she? Or did Fern sense something from Fíliya?
The minds of children are so hard to understand, Frieren thought.
Faced with Fíliya's enthusiasm, Fern hesitated for a long while before slowly stepping out from behind Frieren.
"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me. I just felt a sudden chill for no reason... I have nothing against you."
Miss Fern said with an apologetic look on her face. It seemed she genuinely felt that her stepping back was rude.
"Wow... what a good kid, to actually be reflecting on it."
Watching Fern's reaction, Fíliya found her even more interesting. At the same time, the name 'Fern' caught her attention.
"Fern... Fern?"
Wait... Miss Fíliya suddenly recalled that she had seen this name somewhere before. That's right, in the records room at the Magic Association's headquarters.
She thought quickly, and then her eyes lit up.
"Oh... Fern, no wonder that name sounded so familiar. I saw your name in the records a few years ago. Fern, the continent's youngest Third-Class Mage, and you passed the exam with crushing scores. Truly worthy of being Frieren's apprentice!"
Hearing Fíliya's words, not only Fern herself but even Stark, who was standing beside her, widened his eyes.
He thought, Is this person's memory a little too good? She can still remember a name she just glimpsed in passing a few years ago?
But Frieren showed no reaction to this, because her memory was also excellent. For a long-lived species like the Elves, a good memory is a very basic quality, not something worth boasting about.
Miss Fíliya ignored Mister Tomato's slightly exaggerated reaction and continued speaking as if to herself.
"I'm a little curious, Fern. Since you could pass the Third-Class Mage test with such overwhelming scores, passing the Second-Class Mage test shouldn't be difficult. Why didn't you choose to take it?"
She scrutinized Fern with a curious gaze.
___
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