Creating a calamity is not a simple matter of imagination; it requires fuel.
When I first synthesized the Monster Creation spell to bring the Blazing Black Dragon into this world, the mana cost was astronomical. Based on my current data, in this entire world, only Serie possessed a natural mana pool deep enough to even attempt such a feat.
I had originally created it simply to test a hypothesis, pulling the data from a video game in my previous life. I had replicated its abilities, its elemental instability, and its behavioral patterns flawlessly, before instantly subduing it and sealing it in a golden sphere. That sphere had been loaned to Frieren as a failsafe against the demons.
Since my Main Unit had subsequently wiped out the demon leadership, the failsafe was never needed. The sphere was returned. And now, the contained calamity served perfectly as the final hurdle for these aspiring First-Class Mages.
Before arriving at Äußerst to assume my role as examiner, I had made a brief detour. I had returned to the Elven Village.
Thanks to the barrier I had established a millennium ago, the village had survived untouched. The forest was pristine, and the faces of the elves wandering the settlement were largely the same ones I had recorded a thousand years prior.
I had asked them about Takson.
Their response had been entirely unhelpful.
"Takson? Ah, the loud human boy who came with you and Frieren. Did he not just leave a few months ago?"
To an elf who never left the confines of their hidden forest, a thousand years was a rounding error. They had no contact with the outside world, no concept of human history, and no knowledge of what had become of the "Battle-Crazed Saint."
I had left the village without disappointment. It was merely a logical inquiry that yielded a negative result.
Back in the present, at the edge of the testing grounds, the tactical meeting had concluded. Frieren lowered her staff, having finalized the sequence of the next scouting run.
The mages didn't want to waste time dwelling on theories; they needed practical data.
Seeing that their consensus was reached, I raised my hand. The golden portal shimmered into existence once more.
"Notice: The portal is open. Next candidate, proceed."
…
The Past:
The wooden carriage rocked gently as the wheels bumped over the uneven dirt road.
We were a month into our journey toward the Elven Village.
The impending reality of my departure hung in the air, but the initial shock had passed. It had taken Takson only a few days to adjust his mental state. He had accepted the fact that I was leaving, and that he could not follow.
Both he and Flamme had initially been intensely curious about my destination, this concept of "Outside the World." They had suspected for a long time that my origins were not of this earth. My complete lack of mana, my bizarre abilities, and my inorganic features were proof enough.
But when they asked for the truth, I simply declined to answer.
I do not lie, but I am under no obligation to explain the mechanics of the multiverse to natives of a single dimension. Recognizing my silence for what it was, they politely dropped the subject.
Inside the carriage, the afternoon sun filtered through the small window, casting warm squares of light on the wooden floorboards.
"Query: Takson."
I broke the comfortable silence. Takson, who had been staring out the window, immediately snapped to attention. Flamme looked up from her grimoire, closing it softly to listen.
"Yes, Teacher? What is it?"
"What are your operational parameters post-departure?"
"Uh... hmm?" Takson blinked, struggling to translate my phrasing.
"Addendum: What are your plans after I leave?"
"Ah... that..."
Takson's broad shoulders slumped slightly. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his large, calloused hands.
The truth was, he hadn't thought about it. Since the day I pulled him from the rubble of his hometown, his entire life had revolved around me. He had trained to impress me. He had fought to protect me. I was his compass.
"Did you... have a mission for me, Teacher?" he asked, a spark of hope in his eyes. If I gave him an order, a quest to complete, a goal to strive for, he would dedicate the rest of his life to fulfilling it.
I shook my head. "Negative."
The spark died. Takson let out a heavy sigh, looking lost. The realization that he was about to be completely untethered, left to navigate the world without his guiding light, was a heavy burden.
Seeing the gloomy aura suffocating the giant warrior, Flamme decided to intervene.
"You know, it's funny," she said, leaning back against the wooden wall of the carriage with a teasing smile. "Stell-neechan never worries about me."
Her sudden comment successfully drew both of our attention.
"I'm the youngest in the party," Flamme continued, her green eyes shifting to Takson with a mischievous glint. "But she never asks about my future plans or worries about how I'll survive. It seems Stell-neechan trusts me completely."
She paused, letting the implication hang in the air.
"But you, Takson-niichan... she had to ask you directly. I guess we know who the real problem child of the group is."
I processed Flamme's statement.
Flamme was independent, magically gifted, and possessed a stable psychological profile. Takson was emotionally dependent, prone to fits of rage regarding demons, and lacked long-term planning skills.
"Affirmative," I nodded, validating Flamme's assessment. "My concern for your autonomous survival is significantly lower than my concern for Takson's."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Takson bristled, his face flushing red. "Are you saying I'm a burden? I can take care of myself!"
"Oh, really?" Flamme giggled.
Before Takson could glare at her properly, Flamme shifted her weight. She reached out, grabbed me by the waist, and effortlessly pulled me backward onto her lap.
Despite my chassis being constructed of high-density alloys, my overall mass was calibrated to mimic a human female of my size. For a healthy, growing girl like Flamme, pulling me onto her lap was no difficult physical feat.
I did not resist. My sensors indicated no threat, and the ambient temperature was comfortable. If she wished to use me as seating furniture, I had no objections.
Flamme wrapped her arms around me, using my body as a physical shield against Takson's indignant glare. She hid her face behind my shoulder, though I could easily detect the smug smile on her lips.
"I'm sure a mature, steady, and independent adult like Takson-niichan wouldn't get upset over a little joke, right?" she teased from behind her violet-haired barricade.
Are you serious?
….
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