"Tch…"
Watching Frieren change clothes right in front of her without any reservations, Fíliya had no desire whatsoever to [admire the view].
She just felt it was a bit troublesome. After all, the only [hair-related] magic she knew consisted of two spells.
One was the magic to make hair clean and shiny again after it got dirty.
The other was the magic to dry hair after washing it.
What she lacked was... automatic hair-combing magic, or rather, automatic hair-styling magic.
After all, she herself always wore her hair loose. In the mornings, she just ran a comb through it casually and was done—no need to change hairstyles.
"What a blunder... Sense is the best at hair-styling magic. Why didn't I think to learn it from her?"
Fíliya lightly patted her cheeks. In that instant, she felt immense regret.
But there was no helping it; a promise was a promise. So Fíliya could only stand silently behind Frieren and begin manually combing her hair with a comb.
After a short while, Frieren was the first to stop her.
"What... are you doing?!"
Looking at her new look in the mirror, Frieren felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"Hm? Of course I'm braiding your hair. How about this single ponytail? It gives off such a neat vibe, like a girl next door."
Fíliya said with a beaming smile.
"Doesn't it feel weird...?"
Frieren's voice lacked confidence.
"No, I think it looks great."
Fíliya quickly added.
"Forget it... let's just go with the usual..."
Frieren bit her lip lightly.
"Uh... do you really have to force me to admit [I don't know how to do twin tails]? If it's really no good, let's just call Fern over."
Fíliya spread her hands.
"Fine... then just like this..."
Frieren ultimately chose to compromise.
Finally, after handling all the trivial matters, the group also quickly settled breakfast.
Fíliya led Frieren and Fern toward the Continental Magic Association. As for the red-haired Tomato Boy, he very sensibly said, "Since it's the Magic Association, this warrior won't go join the fun," and ran off alone to play elsewhere.
...
Upon arriving at the Magic Association headquarters, Fíliya first dealt with greetings from colleagues she hadn't seen in a long time before leading the two behind her slowly into the grand building.
She guided Frieren and Fern along the way until they reached the registration desk for the First-Class Mage exam.
Then, they encountered their first crisis.
"To participate in the First-Class Mage selection exam, you must first hold at least a Fifth-Class Mage qualification... Please show your proof."
The clerk at the front desk said this to Frieren.
After those words left her mouth, Frieren froze in place for a good several seconds before turning toward the door in a huff.
"Leave the exam to you, Fern. Anyway, as long as there's one First-Class Mage, it's fine... I'm not taking it."
Frieren said sulkily, but she was quickly dragged back by Fern and Fíliya together.
"Frieren... I can't do it alone..."
Fern grabbed Frieren's hand and said.
"But there's still Fíliya... You two can look out for each other."
Frieren still didn't turn back.
"That won't work. The First-Class Mage exam is extremely brutal. Even I can't guarantee Fern's safety. At a time like this, you definitely need a powerful and mature senior mage by your side to fully protect Fern."
Fíliya clearly knew the right medicine to prescribe. The moment the word [mature] left her mouth, Frieren immediately turned back with a grin, abandoning her desire to escape.
"Ehehe... mature..."
Frieren's lips curved into a silly smile. This made Fern helplessly glance back at Fíliya, as if complaining—Isn't this girl too easy?
"So the problem is... that front desk said you need at least Fifth-Class qualification to take the First-Class exam... but since I've never taken one... what do we do?"
Frieren tilted her head slightly toward Fíliya, clearly asking her to figure something out.
"Heh heh, now it's time to test connections. Come on, Frieren, give me that [Holy Emblem]."
Fíliya held out her hand toward Frieren.
So Frieren obediently handed over the [Holy Emblem] again.
Then, Fíliya turned and walked toward the front desk.
"Little miss, do you recognize me?"
Fíliya leaned over the counter, saying arrogantly.
"I recognize you. You're Fíliya, the one in charge of the Association's library. You've been working at the Association since you were very young—you're my senior... By the way, in terms of age, I'm probably much older than you. I just lack magical talent, so I can only work as a front desk clerk."
The front desk girl said calmly, even adjusting her glasses. Clearly, she was a bit displeased with Fíliya calling her [little miss].
"Uh... ahem, since you recognize me, come take a look at this."
Fíliya coughed lightly to cover her awkwardness, then immediately displayed the [Holy Emblem] in front of the clerk.
"Could you explain what this is? As far as I know, this pattern doesn't match any mage qualification proof."
The clerk remained utterly unflappable.
"See? You don't recognize quality when you see it. Let me tell you, this is the [Holy Emblem], an ancient high-level mage proof with even more prestige than our First-Class Mage certification. Prestige—you get it...? So don't worry about the details, just register Frieren's name."
Fíliya explained earnestly, but the clerk silently adjusted her glasses again, not buying Fíliya's pitch.
"Hm... Considering you're in charge of the Association library and responsible for appraising ancient relics, a senior like you... of course I believe you. But I don't have the authority to decide this on my own... so..."
"So?"
A massive question mark appeared on Fíliya's face, while she selectively ignored Frieren's mocking [Can you handle it?] from behind.
"Could you bring a superior with more [prestige] to vouch for you? If any First-Class Mage guarantees it, I can register this Frieren."
The glasses-wearing clerk's lips curved into a smile.
"Hiss..."
Fíliya leaned back slightly and took a deep breath. She marveled at the clerk's [watertight] response—what an excellent corporate drone.
Did the Association give the clerks some massive training while I was away? she wondered subconsciously.
"Fíliya?"
Just then, a voice that tugged at Fíliya's heartstrings entered her ears. The moment she heard that familiar timbre, her heart nearly skipped a beat.
Turning around, she met Sense's gaze, who had just come down from the second floor.
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
We're handing out that '25% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 180 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan