Chapter 388: The Plan Against Frieren
In a conference hall at the top of a mage tower, sunlight filtered through glass windows, falling on the group of people sitting around a round table.
Twelve people, from six southern kingdoms. Each was an important figure capable of causing an earthquake in their respective nations with a stomp of their foot.
Some held important positions in Court Mage Corps, some controlled the decision-making power of a kingdom's magic academy, and several proudly wore First-Class Mage badges issued by the Continental Magic Association on their chests.
This was the proof of the highest honor for a mage on this continent, signed personally by Serie.
Yet ironically, the one they were currently plotting against was none other than the disciple of the lineage that issued these badges.
"Things are developing a bit too fast. I fear the Magic Association already knows the news," said an old man sitting at the end of the table. His robe looked very plain, but a First-Class Mage badge hung prominently around his neck.
His voice carried obvious hesitation. He stared fixedly at the magic scroll spread out before him—the content of which was the immortality magic rune he had studied for thirty full years without deciphering.
"What? Thinking of quitting now?" A middle-aged female mage sitting opposite him let out a short sneer.
Her gaze fell undisguisedly on the Association badge on his chest. "A dignified First-Class Mage certified by the Continental Magic Association participating in a plan against the founder's disciple lineage, and now you want to back out? That is truly—"
She didn't finish, but the sarcasm in her unspoken words was sharper than any direct insult.
The old man's face flushed slightly. He opened his mouth to retort, but any words seemed so pale and powerless the moment he appeared before this group again.
Even the other two mages wearing First-Class badges lowered their heads in silence.
They had enjoyed the honor and benefits brought by the Association, yet now, due to their desire for immortality magic, they were participating in a plan against that Lord. It was truly shameful.
"If you could have figured out that rune, we wouldn't have resorted to this," another voice came from the other end of the table.
The speaker was a gaunt old man. His hair and beard were completely white, his eyes sunken, and a faint aura of decay lingered around him—a sign that his life force was nearing its end.
He didn't have much time left. Everyone present knew this well, and it was precisely this reason that made him the most fanatical promoter of the entire plan.
"Thirty years," the gaunt man continued. "You have studied that rune for thirty years, and the result? Aside from confirming you can't decipher it, what progress is there?"
The old man gripped his staff tightly. He wanted to say the rune's complexity exceeded imagination, that no one had deciphered it in all these years, that what they were doing was like hitting a stone with an egg—but ultimately, he said nothing.
Because he knew these excuses were meaningless.
He was already seventy years old. For a human mage, this age far exceeded the limit of most.
He had lived until today relying on his comprehension of Holy Magic and precious herbs obtained by chance in his youth. But now, he was dying too.
If he didn't obtain the complete immortality magic, he would turn into a pile of dust within ten years, perhaps less.
So he sat here. Even knowing how terrifying the power of the God-slayer was, he had no choice, just like the promoter of this plan.
"This plan is just the beginning," the old man sitting at the head of the table finally spoke.
He was the oldest among them, but also the strongest. He dabbled in Holy Magic, Elemental Magic, and even Life Magic.
Thus, his fame was frighteningly huge. Mentioning his name was enough to receive extraordinary treatment in any country; even in the Kingdom of Ersten, the current King would have to greet him personally.
Unfortunately, he was not immortal and still couldn't escape the limits of lifespan.
"Capturing Frieren is only the first step. We have also laid out corresponding plans for that elf named Ela."
"As long as we move fast enough, before they can react—"
He didn't finish, but everyone understood the unspoken words.
Over the years, they had researched the Magic Association, the God-slayer standing at the pinnacle of the world, and his elf partner deeply enough.
In that Association, the existences truly worth fearing were few.
Rhodes himself went without saying; he was an existence who had slain gods, the progenitor and pinnacle of all human mages on this continent.
Serie was equally untouchable. She had lived for over two thousand years and mastered countless lost ancient spells. Rumors said she alone could destroy a kingdom.
So, they could only target the mages of the Association.
According to their investigation, among so many mages in the Magic Association, only two were truly cared about by Rhodes and Serie.
One was Flamme—Rhodes's only disciple and also Serie's disciple, another legend among human mages, said to possess talent and strength comparable to ancient legendary mages.
But Flamme had been missing for five hundred years, her fate unknown.
They had consulted countless ancient texts and finally concluded: she was likely dead.
After all, she was human.
Even with powerful magic, human lifespan ultimately had its limits.
The other was Ela—the elven disciple Serie accepted a thousand years ago.
Elves had no lifespan limit. Ela was still active across the continent today, and legends about her could occasionally be heard.
She was one of the people Rhodes and Serie truly cared about; there was no doubt about that.
But Ela wasn't easy to deal with.
As an elf, her perception of danger far exceeded other races, and her strength was equally unfathomable. Although there were no definite combat records, being accepted as a disciple by Serie and taught for a thousand years explained everything.
So the scale of mages targeting her was even larger; they just hadn't found a suitable reason to act yet.
Therefore, they locked onto Frieren—Flamme's disciple, Serie's grand-disciple.
In terms of magical strength, although she was powerful, judging from gathered intelligence, she should be far inferior to her teacher and grand-teacher.
Moreover, she had been solitary all these years, maintaining almost no contact with the Association. She was the perfect candidate to start the plan.
As for the demon beside her... who could have expected that a request originally designed just to create contact opportunities would turn into such a perfect excuse due to the accidental exposure of that demon?
Harboring a demon.
Even if the Magic Association wanted to intervene with this charge, they would have to weigh the pressure of public opinion. After all, the hatred between humans and demons had spanned thousands of years.
"What about that woman in the Association, Solitär-Flamme?"
Someone raised this question, and the conference hall fell silent for a moment.
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