"Come on, Uncle, what are you going to do now?"
Kanne looked at Richter, only to see him immediately deploy an omnidirectional Defensive Magic without any blind spots.
"Just as I thought... Well, to avoid this pervasive water mist, using full-coverage [Defensive Magic] is your only option. But how long can your mana hold out, Uncle?"
Kanne looked at Richter with a smile.
"Tsk..."
Richter clicked his tongue. He truly hadn't expected to be driven into such a pathetic state by a brat. Thus, he decided he couldn't let this drag on. He needed to seize the initiative, attack proactively, and subdue this girl quickly.
But the instant Richter dispelled his Defensive Magic, his entire body was encased in a layer of ice, leaving only his head exposed to the air so he could breathe.
"Heh... I didn't expect you to choose the worst possible answer, Uncle. You were so arrogant before, but it turns out you're nothing special."
The corners of Lawine's mouth curled up.
"I don't recall ever saying this was a 'duel' between you and Kanne, right? In fact, the ones fighting you have always been the two of us."
As she spoke, Lawine rushed directly in front of Richter, then launched a flying kick, knocking the towering human ice sculpture to the ground.
"Tsk... A combination of water and ice? Indeed, there is no pairing with better synergy than that. I lost."
Lying on the ground, Richter turned his head away in annoyance. Although he had been humiliated by a young girl, he was frank enough not to stubbornly argue further.
Kanne and Lawine's tactic was very simple: Kanne would constantly attempt to wet the surrounding area, ensuring Richter got soaked. As long as there was water on Richter, Lawine, as an [Ice Mage], could easily subdue him.
One could say that from the moment Kanne learned to create water, the outcome of this battle was already determined. Even if Richter had kept using [Defensive Magic] to isolate the water, it would have only stalled for time. Using full-coverage [Defensive Magic] meant he was destined to be the one whose mana ran dry first.
...
"Um... Thank you, Fíliya."
Although they had only known each other for a short while, Kanne was still very grateful to the person who had taught her to [Create Water]. After all, this was a technique she hadn't been able to grasp despite years at school.
"Save the thanks. Give me back the book."
Fíliya waved her hand.
"Eh? But... there's still a lot I don't understand..."
"Heh heh, the first time is free, subsequent uses require payment. If you want to continue reading, prepare your remuneration."
As Fíliya spoke, she snatched her grimoire directly back from Kanne's hands.
"Eh? ...But, what kind of remuneration? Is money okay?"
Kanne's tone was somewhat urgent; it was obvious she really wanted to look at that grimoire again.
"Hmm, let me think..."
Fíliya held her chin, though she didn't immediately put the book back into her bag.
"Answer one question for me, Miss Kanne."
Fíliya suddenly looked at Kanne with an unusually serious expression.
"Oh... Yes!"
Under Fíliya's scrutiny, Kanne's body subconsciously tensed up, and she even straightened her back instantly.
"Why do you learn magic?"
Fíliya asked.
"Eh? Because... because magic is interesting..."
Kanne answered subconsciously, but she blushed quickly, suspecting her answer was a bit too childish and surely wouldn't satisfy Fíliya.
However, the situation once again deviated from her expectations. Fíliya looked very happy and patted her shoulder vigorously again, hitting hard enough that Miss Kanne felt a bit of pain.
"Not bad, not bad. I am very satisfied with that answer. There is no answer more persuasive than 'it's interesting.' This book is yours; read it as much as you like."
Chuckling lightly, Fíliya stuffed the book directly back into Kanne's arms. Miss Kanne was left completely stunned by this development.
"So... what should we do with this guy now?"
Lawine stomped viciously on Richter's body a few more times before looking toward Fíliya.
"Just bring him down. Everyone is probably tired of waiting."
Fíliya spoke casually.
"Hmm?"
Kanne and Lawine exchanged a glance, then looked down in unison. They were suddenly startled—when had so many people gathered below the high ground?
...
At this moment, the crowd of mages sat around Miss Fíliya like obedient children, forming a large semicircle. Even Mr. Ice Sculpture had been thawed out by some kind soul.
"Cough cough... Anyway, I have something to say. Please listen quietly, everyone."
Fíliya looked around the circle and began her speech.
"Don't you guys think this test is hilarious? That damned proctor actually chose something like the [Stille], a subject that relies heavily on luck. He's basically trying to force us to fight each other! He's not doing anything remotely decent."
Fíliya took the lead in roaring with righteous indignation.
"So what? He is the proctor and has the qualification to decide the exam topic. No matter how unreasonable the topic is, we have no right to refuse."
The glasses man whom Fíliya had angrily rebuked earlier slowly raised his hand to speak.
"Shut up. A clone has no right to speak."
Fíliya glared at him coldly again.
"What about me? I also think Little Glasses makes a lot of sense, you know?"
Übel also slowly raised her right hand.
"You shut up too. Green-hairs have no right to speak."
"Eh? But Fíliya, you have green hair too."
"Then, anyone present other than me who wears a side ponytail, has green hair, and is named [Übel] has no right to speak."
Fíliya added several supplementary conditions in one breath.
"Hah? Doesn't that limit it just to me... Fíliya is so cruel, what did I do wrong..."
Übel began to draw circles on the ground in grievance, though unfortunately, Fíliya didn't find this guy pitiable at all.
After ignoring Übel, she continued speaking.
"Anyway, everyone, I have a bold idea. Since this heartless proctor likes to watch us fight, we should insist on uniting and cooperating... After all, there are plenty of Stille inside this barrier; they are just hard to catch... And I happen to have a method to capture a large number of Stille, but it requires everyone to cooperate with me."
Hearing Fíliya say she had a way to catch the Stille, everyone became serious. After all, everyone who came to the City of Magic to participate in the First-Class Mage Exam hoped to pass.
"Cooperate how?"
"Good question!"
Fíliya snapped her fingers, then pointed her hand at Wirbel.
"This young brother Wirbel has a magic very suitable for capturing the [Stille]. It's the kind where one catch equals one hit. Pity he's a poor unlucky jinx who hasn't encountered a single Stille in a full day and a half."
When Fíliya reached this point, she shook her head with great pity.
"Tch... The 'unlucky jinx' part was unnecessary!"
Wirbel roared in annoyance.
"Mm, so, the first step of my method is... for all teams present to disperse and take action. Everyone go find the Stille. Once you find one, contact [Wirbel] to catch it."
Fíliya continued speaking, but someone immediately expressed doubt about her words.
"Contact... how do we contact him? If everyone splits up to look for the [Stille], we will definitely be far apart. We don't have any means to contact each other."
This time it was Fern who raised her hand.
"I naturally considered that point. Edel, come here."
As Fíliya spoke, she beckoned to Miss Edel, who was crouching in the front row.
"Eh?"
Edel was obviously a bit surprised, but she obeyed Fíliya's summons and walked to her side.
"I... what can I do?"
Edel asked curiously.
"Use that magic on everyone. The one we played with this afternoon."
"But... to spread it to everyone, I'm not enough on my own... We need at least one more person who knows [Mental Magic], and their level can't be low."
Edel said with some hesitation.
"Relax, I've already prepared the candidate for you. Frieren, it's your turn. Come here quickly."
As Fíliya spoke, she beckoned to Frieren as well.
"..."
Frieren was a bit unhappy, seemingly feeling that Fíliya was treating her as a convenient tool, but she only complained internally and walked to Fíliya's side very quickly.
"How about it? This white-haired elf is a jack-of-all-trades. She has high attainments in Mental Magic as well."
Fíliya pushed Frieren in front of Edel.
As for why she didn't do it herself, it was naturally because she had other plans.
Next, Edel explained the principle of the magic she and Fíliya had researched during their spare time to Frieren.
Watching this scene, perhaps only Miss Ehre felt a trace of sourness in her heart.
Because she hadn't expected that, just by utilizing a moment of rest today, Fíliya had actually developed a new magic with Edel... Didn't this prove that the [Compatibility] between these two was very good?
"I see... It is indeed a very interesting magic."
Frieren immediately revealed a smile. This fellow was that easy to satisfy; once there was some novel and interesting magic, she would smile immediately.
Thus, Frieren and Edel began to cast the spell together. Immediately, a wave of marvelous faint blue light merged into the bodies of everyone present, then slowly faded away.
What happened?
This was Kanne's subconscious thought, but she didn't open her mouth.
Hah? Wait a moment, Kanne, how can I hear your voice? You clearly didn't open your mouth...
Wait... there are other people's voices too...
More and more people realized something was wrong, and their eyes went wide in succession.
The people present were all capable mages, so they immediately understood the function of this magic.
This magic... if it could be used in the military...
The train of thought of the Imperial Mage Denken seemed to link directly to a strange place.
Wait! This magic won't expose one's inner secrets, will it?!
And this thought, full of maidenly vibes, obviously came from Miss Fern.
Relax, this magic can only convey the information you intend to broadcast. It won't infringe on any of your privacy.
Fíliya immediately explained to Fern.
So, what is the name of this magic?
Frieren, acting as the main "server," asked with a face full of excitement.
"Umu, for now, I have decided to name it... [Squad Voice]."
____
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