Year 27 of the Era of Trials.
The footsteps of two figures echoed down the long corridor.
Fíliya, who thought she could remain silent, finally gave in to the prolonged boredom and couldn't help but speak up.
"Old man? Old Man Lernen? Tsk, can't you pay a little attention to me? Hey, hey! A beautiful young maiden is trying to talk to you."
Fíliya felt annoyed looking at his utterly emotionless face. She secretly resolved to make this old man break character, no matter what.
"Old man, I saw Ehre."
No response.
"Hey, old man, Ehre said you speak in riddles."
No response.
"Ehre said you have that old-man smell."
"Ehre said she hates her grandpa the most."
...
Finally, under Fíliya's relentless assault, Old Man Lernen had no choice but to glance at her.
"Lady Fíliya, there is no need to invent lies to provoke me. I know my Ehre's disposition very well."
Tsk. Fíliya clicked her tongue, but seeing that the old man was finally acknowledging her, she didn't continue making things up.
"Say, Old Man Lernen. Does Lady Serie really want to see me? It's not that you've got a problem with me and just made up an excuse to lure me here for a beating, is it?"
Fíliya's expression was teasing, and her tone was drawn out.
"Lady Fíliya, I believe your concerns are unnecessary. No one would dare fabricate a decree from Lady Serie, myself included. Also, please mind your words and actions during this meeting. Do not make any presumptuous moves."
Lernen's tone was also calm, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"Yes, yes, I'll be on my best behavior."
Seeing that he was completely unfazed, Fíliya could only nod helplessly.
"That would be for the best."
With that, the two tacitly quickened their pace.
Soon, they were standing before a massive set of doors.
"Lady Serie is inside."
The old man said, stopping in his tracks.
"Eh? Aren't you coming in with me, old man?"
The young woman gave the old man a surprised look.
"Watch your words."
The old man didn't answer Fíliya's question, instead repeating his earlier warning.
The young woman shrugged, indicating she understood.
Then, the stone doors opened automatically, and her gaze immediately darted through the gap.
Oh... so that's Lady Serie, the "Living God."
The mana rushing out like a tidal wave was truly terrifying, but Fíliya couldn't help but feel that this god of magic, who had lived since antiquity... didn't seem to possess any dignity whatsoever.
That lazy posture, sitting cross-legged with one hand propping up her cheek, looked just like herself when she hadn't slept well.
And those two pointed ears were silent proof of this god's race.
An Elf... Her features are just as the books described.
A smirk formed on Fíliya's lips as she stepped inside.
Just as she was about to half-kneel in greeting, Serie suddenly spoke.
"Lernen, you come in too."
The old man, who was preparing to stand guard silently outside the door, was startled at first, then complied.
Whatever Lady Serie's intentions were, he only needed to obey.
The Living God, the creator of the Continental Magic Association, Serie finally turned her gaze to the young woman before her, whose expression was now solemn.
"Oh? This is quite a surprise. From Lernen's and Sense's reports, I thought you'd be the type to do as you please, someone more arrogant."
Serie looked at Fíliya with great interest, and Fíliya was equally curious about Serie.
First was Serie's voice. Fíliya had thought the god of magic's voice would be more ancient, but it was, while rather androgynous, undoubtedly a young voice.
"Hmm... I'm quite surprised myself. I didn't expect Lady Serie to summon a Second-Class Mage like me... As for my current behavior, it's naturally the result of playing to my audience. Humans always behave differently depending on who they're with."
"Oh?"
Serie raised an eyebrow slightly, then looked at the old man beside her.
"Lernen, are you also like that?"
"...Ahem..."
The questioned old man, for a rare moment, did not immediately answer his master's question, but let out a series of very subtle coughs.
Clearly, this was a reminder to the girl who wasn't keeping her promise.
However, this action caught Serie's eye, sparking new curiosity.
It was the first time she had ever seen this side of her disciple.
"Lernen, your mana is slightly disturbed."
Upon hearing this, the old man's body tensed instantly, and his mind raced, as if he had become several decades younger in a flash.
Then, the old man replied.
"This disciple believes he is consistent inside and out... Lady Fíliya is quite an anomaly among humans. I believe Lady Serie need not pay her words any mind."
To this, Serie said no more and looked at Fíliya again.
"Fíliya, I have some questions for you."
"Mm."
Fíliya nodded slightly, indicating she understood.
"Why were you able to save the First-Class Mage, Blei, during the previous Second-Class Mage selection?"
Serie asked.
And Fíliya's answer was exceptionally swift, as if she had prepared it long ago.
"Because I foresaw the death of Lord Blei, so I intervened in that test."
"Oh?"
Serie's curiosity was piqued once more. She could clearly sense that the young woman before her possessed no ability related to foresight. So, why would she say she "foresaw" Blei's death?
"Any mature mage understands that a battle between mages is never just a clash of mana, but a fight that combines elements like experience, skill, on-the-spot reflexes, knowledge, techniques, and mana. Setting aside the unquantifiable factors for a moment, in my theory, I simplify a duel between mages into two things: 'stats' and 'mechanics.'"
"Which of these two elements is more important? That's a difficult question with little meaning, but... the one that can decide a match more quickly, even achieving an 'instant kill,' is definitely the mechanics."
"The Third-Class Mage, Übel, uses a magic that can 'cut almost anything.' Although her own rationality and common sense prevent this magic from reaching its true potential, it was unfortunate that Blei's 'Immovable Cloak' was ultimately made with a fabric-like texture... While its physical durability and defense against mana are undeniably powerful, cloth is still cloth."
"Magic is a world of imagination, and imagining 'cloth being cut' is far too simple."
"Therefore, I foresaw the death of the First-Class Mage, Lord Blei."
Seeing the smile appear on Serie's face, Fíliya instantly understood that her answer had likely satisfied this god.
So she took the liberty of adding some of her own interpretations.
"Speaking of which, I've always felt Lord Blei's philosophy was misguided. He chose to hone his defensive abilities to the extreme, but that is a very dangerous path."
"How does one demonstrate 'powerful defense'? The answer is undoubtedly to withstand attacks. But in the world of magic, withstanding an attack is itself an extremely risky act. Because the types of magic in the world are virtually infinite, the price of trusting too much in one's own defense is often being instantly killed by a magic that counters it."
"So, stacking armor is a dead end. In the world of magic, there is no such thing as an invincible barrier. Any shield claimed to be 'unbreakable' is destined only to be 'broken.'"
Serie looked at the young person before her, an appreciative glint appearing in her eyes unconsciously. But there were still a few things she wanted to confirm, so she pressed on.
"Then, Fíliya, in your view, is Blei's magic 'utterly useless'?"
Hearing this, Fíliya raised an eyebrow. She understood that the god of magic wanted to probe her 'inner character.' After a moment's thought, she replied.
"No, quite the opposite. Although I am not optimistic about the path of 'focusing on strengthening defense,' I have great respect for Lord Blei himself. A personality that focuses solely on defense makes one wonder if he has something incredibly important to protect, leading him down such a single-minded path in his magical research."
"As the saying goes, 'A king has a king's talents, and an artisan has an artisan's.' In my view, while a magic focused on strengthening defense is meaningless in a duel between experts, in a large-scale defensive war against the Demon Race, it would certainly reduce humanity's losses drastically... From that perspective, Lord Blei's magic is, of course, not meaningless."
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