"Umm... could you consider my perspective a little? We humans can't really make promises with such a long timeframe. Let's leave future matters for the future, shall we?"
Fíliya spread her hands and looked at Serie.
"Is that so... Very well. It is merely a matter of a few decades anyway; it passes in the blink of an eye."
Serie rested her chin on one hand, thought for a moment, and nodded. Then, she placed the flowers she was holding by the edge of the pool.
"Then let us return to business. Regarding the matter of the First-Class Mage... Hmm, undoubtedly, from any perspective, I cannot find fault with you. However..."
Upon hearing that word 'however' come out of Serie's mouth, Fíliya's heart instantly sank. She wondered if there was some other troublesome matter waiting for her.
Fortunately, that was not the case.
"Once you become a [First-Class Mage], it means shouldering the most dangerous responsibilities. For example... subjugating Great Demons that pose a massive threat to humanity. Yet, you have consistently called yourself a 'Demon Lover' and have been mixing with those demons. I am curious... if you received a mission to subjugate demons, could you complete it properly?"
Serie's expression remained unchanged as she casually stirred the water in the pool with one foot, kicking up ripples.
"Hmm? You seem to have a misunderstanding about me. What I want to do has never been to protect or shield the Demon Race, but to lead them toward a new future and thoroughly remodel them. Hmm... if during this process there are stubborn individuals who refuse to accept this divine grace, I do not mind 'slaying' them."
Fíliya chuckled softly, her expression appearing exceptionally arrogant.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Serie raised an eyebrow slightly. No matter how long she had lived, something like 'Remodeling the Demon Race' was unheard of to her.
"This, I did not expect. To think you intend to do such a thing... Tsk, what an arrogant idea."
"Arrogance is my base color, you know? Besides, anyone capable of becoming a powerful mage appears arrogant in some aspect, don't they?"
"Heh, you are correct. A powerful mage ought to look [arrogant]... Things like Frieren are simply failures."
Serie was evidently exceptionally satisfied with Fíliya's answer. She looked into Fíliya's eyes and spoke slowly.
"Name a magic you want."
Huh?
Fíliya froze, suspecting she might have misheard something.
"Wait? Didn't you already give me a magic?"
Fíliya immediately voiced her doubt. After all, she had long ago asked Serie for a [Magic to Ensure Sound Sleep]—the same kind Sense has.
"Heh, you passed an extra trial, so naturally you can receive an extra reward. This is only logical. Therefore, I have decided to grant you another 'privilege'. Of course, this time you are not allowed to ask for boring magic. Ask for something serious, understand?"
As Serie spoke, her expression became very serious.
"Uh, I got it."
Fíliya swallowed, thinking that if she didn't follow the other party's instructions this time, she might really get to witness the angry side of the God of Magic.
"Umm... I want [Transfer Magic]."
After thinking for a moment, Fíliya presented her request to Serie.
[Transfer Magic] was also something she had always wanted. Its effect was to ignore learning conditions and directly transfer a magic one had mastered to someone else. Of course, after the transfer, one would truly forget the corresponding skill.
However, this side effect was not as great as imagined. Although the skill already mastered would vanish, the experience of learning and using it remained. If one were to learn it again, it would be much faster than the first time.
"What do you want that for?"
Serie frowned slightly, her face full of confusion.
After all, this [Transfer Magic] was something she used frequently. Whenever a First-Class Mage who passed the test sought some profound magic from her that was extremely difficult to master with a human lifespan, she would use this Transfer Magic to directly assign her own magic to that First-Class Mage.
In her view, this magic not only offered no help to one's growth in strength, but it would also consistently weaken oneself. Only a fellow like her—who took pleasure in collecting magic, lacked no time, and could quickly relearn the magic she gave away—would actively master such a skill.
Of course, her definition of 'quickly' generally referred to at least a hundred years or more.
"Hmm, I just feel I might use it. I don't have anything else I want at the moment. This doesn't count as a boring magic, right?"
Fíliya calmly maintained eye contact with Serie.
Hearing this, Serie fell into a brief silence, then snapped her fingers.
An old grimoire flew out from the large gate not far behind her.
"This is it."
"Hmm? So the [Transfer Magic] itself doesn't need to be transferred?"
Fíliya placed her hand on the cover of the old grimoire, stroking it repeatedly, looking very satisfied.
"Of course. It is not a particularly profound thing. A human with average aptitude could master it in about ten years."
"Is that so... then am I...?"
After quickly stowing away the grimoire, Fíliya looked at Serie with a playful gaze.
"Yes, you pass."
"Then can I leave directly?"
Hearing the news that she had passed, Fíliya's expression showed no fluctuation. She only thought of leaving quickly to go home and study the grimoire she had just obtained.
"Wait."
"Ah?"
Fíliya, having been called to a halt, stiffened instantly, then slowly turned around.
"You voiced a lot of dissatisfaction within my barrier during the first round."
Serie narrowed her eyes with ill intent.
"Eh? You're not going to settle scores, are you? I don't think I was wrong, you know? The selection criteria for First-Class Mages really should be corrected a bit."
"Rest assured, I am not that petty. I thought about it myself, and perhaps the selection criteria indeed have room for improvement. So the most important problem now is..."
The problem is?
A trace of curiosity emerged on Fíliya's face, for she clearly saw a hint of embarrassed crimson on Serie's face.
Huh? No, no, I must have seen it wrong.
Fíliya found this hard to believe, so she shook her head vigorously.
"Ahem, since you are already a First-Class Mage... the first job I give you is to assist me in interviewing the subsequent examinees. Help me as a reference."
Serie's expression seemed a bit unnatural, but Fíliya was certain that if she dared to point this out, she would likely suffer quite a bit.
Hmm, so she just wants me to be an assistant... Couldn't she just say so directly? Why go through so many twists and turns... It seems this [God of Magic], aside from her majesty, is actually a little bit [cute].
____
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