After watching Frieren leave, Fíliya finally turned her gaze toward Sense.
"Mmh, I know Big Sister Sense is the best and has the broadest mind. You wouldn't throw a tantrum just because I chatted a bit more with someone else, right?"
Fíliya tugged directly on Sense's arm and shook it, her tone becoming incredibly soft and wheedling.
Faced with this, Sense could only silently take a deep breath, thinking to herself, I haven't even said anything yet, and you've already blocked off every avenue for complaint.
But what could she do? She could only comfort herself.
Perhaps having a younger sister was just this headache-inducing.
"Is your body really okay?" Sense looked at Fíliya with gentle eyes.
"Of course. I could run a few thousand meters right now. Look."
As Fíliya spoke, she began to roll around on the bed. This display finally elicited a laugh from Sense.
"It seems there really is no problem."
"There was never a problem to begin with. If you don't believe me, you should at least trust Serie's ability, right?"
Fíliya stopped her rolling, sat up straight, and shrugged.
"That is true. Since Lady Serie personally intervened, there surely won't be any hidden injuries left behind."
Sense nodded seriously, but before long, the expression on her face dimmed again.
"I'm sorry for placing you in such a dangerous situation. Actually, I realized there might be hidden dangers in this test, but I..."
Sense seemed to want to explain something, but Fíliya pressed a finger directly against her lips.
"What are you doing, Sense? Being naggy isn't like you."
"...Maybe being someone's older sister just makes one prone to nagging." Sense's eyes darted away slightly.
"Sigh, what are you blaming yourself for? Although the process was dangerous, wasn't the ending quite good? No one died in battle, and your reputation as a 'Pacifist' wasn't ruined either."
As Fíliya spoke, she slowly rested her head on Sense's shoulder.
"But, you were fighting such a dangerous battle, and I could only let you fall into danger from across a wall..."
"What kind of talk is that? You are the examiner; this is what you are supposed to do. If you had actually come in to help me, that would have been a dereliction of duty. Besides, given the situation at the time, you coming in wouldn't have been much use. The worst-case scenario would be the two of us dying together in a lovers' suicide inside."
Fíliya's tone was very casual, but it set off a massive wave in Sense's heart.
Sense was astonished. She was shocked that after hearing Fíliya say the phrase "worst-case scenario is a lovers' suicide," she actually felt... that didn't seem too bad.
But immediately after, she felt a sense of powerlessness.
This worrying little sister of hers was truly growing too fast... Fíliya had already surpassed her, so what qualification did she, as the older sister, still have to "protect" her?
Thinking of this, Sense couldn't help but fall into a state of anxiety.
But just as she was frowning in deep thought, Fíliya seemed to notice something. She pinched Sense's cheek, forcing her to look up at her.
"?!" Doubt welled up in Sense's eyes.
"Sit over here." Fíliya patted a spot on the edge of the bed.
Sense did as she was told subconsciously.
"Shoes off." Fíliya continued to issue orders with feigned anger.
Sense once again obediently took off her shoes. Seeing Fíliya with such an angry and serious expression, she suddenly became nervous, retaining not a shred of dignity as an "older sister."
Immediately after, Fíliya pounced directly, pinned Sense by the shoulders, and pushed her down beneath her.
"..."
Her long hair, spread out like a spiderweb, showed not a single strand willing to offer resistance.
"Listen well. If you keep blaming yourself endlessly like this, I'm going to get angry. You have only one mission right now."
"...What mission?" Sense asked timidly, though a trace of unsuppressible excitement was hidden in her tone.
"Mmh... sleep with me for a while longer."
As Fíliya spoke, she lifted the quilt and covered both herself and Sense, burying their heads inside.
*
The next day, Fíliya and Sense arrived at the Palace in the deepest part of the Magic Association.
Fíliya watched Sense go to report to the God of Magic, then waited in the rest area.
Before long, Sense returned and began to explain the rules of the third test to Fíliya and the other mages who had arrived on time.
"Because the number of people who passed the test this time is simply too high, Lady Serie has decided to conduct the selection personally... You need not worry; this test is very safe, and there will be no combat trials... But... Lady Serie is quite willful, so be mentally prepared. That is all... Go in and meet Lady Serie in order... First is Fíliya. Lady Serie has named you to go in first."
After a simple explanation, Sense nodded directly at Fíliya.
In response, Fíliya slowly nodded back, then turned to wave at a few acquaintances before walking straight in.
"What's going on? Is it my imagination? I feel like the examiner named 'Sense' is in a particularly good mood today? She's completely different from the day we conquered the labyrinth."
Kanne looked at Sense's figure with a face full of confusion.
Then, she received a kick to the shin from Miss Lawine beside her.
"None of your business. Don't think about what you shouldn't think about, and don't ask what you shouldn't ask," Miss Lawine warned.
*
Fíliya walked into the courtyard of the Palace and saw the elf with long orange hair at a glance. At this moment, the God of Magic was soaking her feet in the pool water, holding a white flower in her hand.
"Fíliya, do you know what power you have obtained?"
Serie turned her head to look at Fíliya and asked the first question directly.
"Mmh... actually, I don't really understand," Fíliya confessed honestly.
"That is a forbidden magic that even the mages of the Age of Gods failed to lay a finger on—'All-Disintegrating Magic,' or perhaps it should be called 'World-Destroying Magic.'"
Serie looked at Fíliya with a solemn face, but Fíliya didn't appear particularly nervous.
"Eh? Sounds cool... Could I use that to kill you, Serie?" Fíliya asked with a look of curiosity.
"You... I am speaking to you seriously; can you be a bit more solemn?"
"I am very serious, too. I'm really curious. Serie, you have countless types of Defensive Magic on you—resistance to mind control, direct damage mitigation, prevention of curse invasion—you have everything. So, can that thing I touched kill you or not?"
"Tsk... Of course it can, provided you can hit me," Serie said grumpily.
"Wow, that's awesome! Have I actually mastered a means of deicide? I'm amazing."
After receiving Serie's affirmation, Fíliya immediately became excited.
"Heh... then why don't you try it? Based on my understanding of you, you should have fired a shot of 'World-Destroying Magic' directly at me by now."
Seeing Fíliya's playful, smiling face, Serie provoked her directly.
"Mmh... that's a bit difficult for me. In fact, I tried it when I was free, but I couldn't recreate the feeling from that time at all. Although I used it once at the brink of life and death, I just can't reproduce it afterwards no matter what."
Fíliya spread her hands as she spoke.
"That is quite normal. If it were that simple to master, the mages of the Age of Gods wouldn't have flocked to it in vain... But in the world of magic, as long as you break through zero, it means it will inevitably become one. I believe that if you settle down for a hundred or two hundred years, you will definitely be able to use 'World-Destroying Magic' freely."
"Uh... isn't your concept of time a bit too jumpy? I am a human, you know? I won't live that long." Fíliya retorted helplessly.
"Hmm? I said I was serious. I look forward to the day you can freely use 'World-Destroying Magic.' To that end, I spent quite some time searching through my library. I have prepared all the means to forcibly extend a human's lifespan. Rest assured, I will definitely help you extend your life. When you are about to die of old age, remember to come find me... Tsk, back then I wanted to help Flamme extend her life too, but she refused with some nonsense about dignity. You won't disappoint me, right?"
Serie looked at Fíliya with a face full of expectation.
In response to this... Fíliya could only sigh silently, thinking that the brain circuitry of this God of Magic was indeed not something a normal person could keep up with.
____
New Story: ZZZ: Mr. Ethereal Does Not Want to See a Tragedy
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan