"I'm not a pet!"
"Don't sweat the small stuff."
"That is not small stuff!"
"Kids these days really love nitpicking," Compared to the girl who was getting worked up and arguing loudly, he looked completely calm. He shook his head and gave them one last chance.
"So? Are you agreeing or not? If you miss this chance, you might not pass the exam. Are you fine with that?"
"I…"
"We agree!"
Kanne was still hesitating, but Lawine gritted her teeth and chose to swallow her pride for now.
Before they started, though, they made him wash his hands clean of grease.
Only then did the two girls, full of humiliation, close their eyes and lean their heads forward, letting Ash rub both of them at once with a thoroughly satisfied smile.
From the beginning, when they fought and no one stopped them, to now, when they were forced to bow their heads, Frieren simply carried her role as spectator to the end. Seeing this scene, she only shook her head with amusement and did not bother to interfere.
Under his skillful hands, the two pretty girls' faces turned bright red. Maybe it was from embarrassment and anger mixed together.
But for the sake of passing the exam, they temporarily sacrificed their hair. Only when they truly could not take it anymore did they shove his hand away and glare at him furiously.
After enjoying the feeling of being pampered by two at once for a while, even if it was forced, Ash was in an excellent mood. He even smiled and nodded.
"Since you sincerely want to know and have paid the appropriate price, it's fine to tell you. The answer is actually very simple…"
"What?"
"Hurry up and say it!"
The two girls craned their necks, unable to hold back their anticipation.
"Mm! I'll just show you on the spot. I'll only demonstrate once, so watch carefully."
He stood up, picked up the cage from the ground, and casually opened it.
The three of them stared without blinking, afraid of missing even the slightest detail. The Meteoric Iron Bird shot out of the cage with a blast of shockwave.
But the very next moment after it flew free, Ash did not use any special magic, nor any clever trick. Just as he had said, he simply and directly slapped down.
Boom!
Faster than the bird itself, his palm cut through the air with a roaring sonic boom, like a spike in volleyball, smashing the bird straight into the ground and forcefully creating a huge crater.
In that instant, Kanne and Lawine were completely thrown into chaos by the wild shockwave.
Only Frieren stood there, letting the strong wind brush past her face. She chewed her meat with a numb expression and muttered, "I knew it. There's no way he'd be that kind."
"W-What is that supposed to be?"
"How are we supposed to copy that?"
Kanne and Lawine practically exploded. Realizing they had most likely been taken advantage of for nothing, they grabbed their wands and rushed into the dust, ready to fight him to the death.
At this point, it was not about whether they could win or not. It was about pride.
But as they looked around in the dust, unable to find him, Frieren's helpless sigh came from behind them.
"Stop looking. He slipped away already. You were played."
"WHAT?"
"THAT DAMN UNCLE!"
The girls' furious shouts echoed into the sky when their search came up empty.
Meanwhile, hearing their rage behind him, Ash casually tossed the Meteoric Iron Bird back into the cage and left the scene briskly, pleased with his haul.
It was true that he wanted to get along better. But the urge to tease Fern's friends, who felt half like daughters and half like mothers, along with the extra bit of enjoyment that came with it, was something he really could not resist.
———
After eating and drinking his fill and having his fun, Ash did not take a nap. Instead, he headed to the safe zone at the edge of the barrier.
By the dried-up riverbed in the safe zone, Sense had set up a table and chairs and was elegantly sipping black tea. She had just taken a sip when she noticed movement in the bushes and unconsciously shook her head.
'The candidates this year really are not impressive. It has not even been that long, and someone has already given up,' She could not help sighing about the ongoing lack of talent.
But when she saw the familiar figure stepping out of the bushes, she almost spat out her tea.
"L-Lord Ash? Why are you..."
"I want the roster of candidates and their profiles. You definitely have them here, right?"
"Huh? N-No, no matter what, I can't give that to an examinee."
"It's fine. I won't show it to anyone. I just want to understand their magic and see if there are any interesting spells... that I want."
These candidates, who had the potential to become first-class mages, could be considered the forefront of human magic.
If he could take this chance to get hold of the spells they specialized in, that would not be bad at all.
Faced with his shining eyes, Sense's mouth hung open for a long time. She could not say a word. Only one thought remained in her mind.
'Lord Ash really is not ordinary when it comes to being willful… He's just as reckless as Lady Serie.'
"What's wrong, Sense?"
"W-Well… Lord Ash, the moment you stepped into this area, it counts as surrendering," Sense pressed her lips together slightly and spoke with difficulty.
"It's fine. If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, no one will know."
"It's not just me here. Look over there."
With a light sigh, she pointed toward a distant hill.
The chief examiner of the first round, Genau, was standing on that hill, overseeing the entire test site.
But when the two of them looked over, he suddenly rubbed his eyes painfully as if sand had gotten in them. He seemed completely unable to pay attention here. Soon after, he disappeared from sight, as if he truly had not noticed anything.
Seeing her colleague pretend not to see anything and throw the problem entirely onto her, Sense was stunned.
"He just dumped the problem on me?"
"Calling someone a problem to their face feels a bit rude, doesn't it?"
"Sorry," After muttering that in slight frustration, Sense lowered her head with a troubled look, "I do want to help you, but if Lady Serie finds out, she'll definitely be angry."
"Think about it. Who treats you better, her or me?"
"That's not really the point. And the rules…"
"If Serie finds out, I'll handle it for you. And rules are meant to be broken," He pulled over a chair and sat beside her, smiling as he gently patted her head, "We're the ones who make the rules. We shouldn't be the ones bound by them."
"Is it really okay for you to say something like that?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"The rules have already been set. As a rule-maker, breaking them yourself feels a bit…"
"Hey, look at this. Your hair's starting to split at the ends. When we get back, I'll wash it for you. I may not look like it, but I'm actually pretty good at that."
"If it's just looking, then I suppose it's not impossible."
Being patted like a small animal and faced with his refusal to leave without getting what he wanted, along with his smooth offer of exchange, Sense could only show a slightly troubled expression and finally nod in resignation.
Seeing his delighted smile, she let out a small sigh.
"You really are… just as willful as Lady Serie."
"Wait! You're saying that about your superior, and right in front of me too? Isn't that a bit rude?"
He protested firmly, making her unable to resist responding.
"I'm an adult too. And I don't want to hear about manners from Lord Ash, who constantly changes and ignores the rules."
"Well… Hmm. Are you in a rebellious phase? You used to be cuter."
"I'm an adult now. But…", She frowned slightly, then gave a faint smile, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For calling me cute."
"Ah! Correction. I was joking earlier. You're just as cute as ever."
An honest kid really is the cutest. And she's the quiet type too, almost like a fluffy little animal, he thought to himself, nearly unable to resist hugging her.
"I kind of want to just tie you up and take you home."
"Please don't say things like that, Lord Ash. It puts me in a difficult position."
"Did I say that out loud?"
"Yes," Sense nodded gently, then smiled helplessly, "That's also a joke, right?"
"No. I'm fairly serious."
"Huh? What does that mean?", The girl tilted her head deeply, looking confused.
"Ah! Let's leave that for now," To keep the topic from drifting too far and to avoid being seen as strange by his cute junior, Ash ended it with a smile and silently took a sip of tea.
However, that silent sip made the girl beside him look slightly uneasy. After hesitating, she spoke.
"Lord Ash…"
"What?"
"The black tea you're drinking…"
"Tastes good. What blend is it? I'll buy some next time."
"That's not the issue," Sense seemed unable to say it clearly.
"What? Is it expensive? I'll pay you back. Why are you being stingy?"
"That's… the cup I was drinking from," Sense pressed her pink lips together and quietly pointed out the problem.
"Ah? R-Really? Hmm… I guess there was only one cup here," He froze solid for a moment, then silently placed the cup back and pushed it toward her, lowering his head awkwardly, "I feel a bit sorry."
"Huh? Lord Ash, this time it wasn't on purpose?"
"Of course not. What kind of person do you think I am?"
"I…"
"Alright, you don't need to say it. I don't want to know."
To protect his fragile heart, he cut her off before she could answer.
She stared blankly for a while, then let out a resigned breath and quietly went to the tent behind to fetch the candidates' documents.
This was clearly the biggest inside job imaginable. It was the complete opposite of the clean and upright speech Ash had given on his first day back at the Magic Association.
But…
'If it's Lord Ash, there's no helping it,' She organized the documents while comforting herself.
As someone who often followed Serie around, Sense was already used to the habitual willfulness of both her master and her senior.
She had resisted a bit. But if he refused to listen, there was nothing she could do, right?
With a bit of helplessness and a rare faint smile, the girl brought out a new cup and some desserts from her luggage.
The two of them sat in the safe zone, enjoying afternoon tea and sweets while chatting, tossing the rules aside and savoring the peaceful afternoon.
———
When night fell, Ash did not stay to eat Sense's lunchbox. Under her gaze, he left the safe zone for the time being. After all, if he ate her meal, she would go hungry.
As for himself, he naturally planned to eat someone else's.
And he had already chosen his targets.
Although the Magic Association did not force registered mages to submit their spells, many had revealed their magic during various rank exams. Those spells had been recorded by the Association, though normally never leaked.
Of course, the current situation was far from normal. As a fellow examinee, Ash now knew their signature spells inside and out.
But he had no intention of using this improperly obtained information to pass the exam. Instead, he sought out the mages he was interested in and, just like he had done with Kanne and Lawine, began promoting his method for catching the Meteoric Iron Bird.
First, he tempted them with the shortcut to passing the exam. Then he talked about how becoming a first-class mage would grant them the "privileges" they dreamed of. He also promised to give them a decent spell in exchange after the exam.
After this round of persuasion, combined with a small display of strength, he successfully obtained their self-developed magic manuscripts.
Then, he taught them the method and swiftly left, leaving everyone stunned.
Having paid the price for their greed, and with his promise of an equivalent spellbook afterward, those chosen could only accept their misfortune for now.
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