Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Lawenberg Mountains, Town of The Ancient Tree

Aura's job as a librarian ended sooner than she had imagined. About a month later, the mountains of magic books piled up on the ancient tree had gradually disappeared.

Although every day, mages from various countries, as well as merchants and nobles from different channels, continued to send new magic books to the Town of the Ancient Tree, the amount was no longer enough for Serie to spend ten minutes reading.

Serie didn't even bother to glance at these scattered magical conjectures or uncreative magical theories. Her insatiable hunger for knowledge had outpaced the world's ability to provide it. The tomes now arriving were like stale bread to someone accustomed to a feast.

Only necessary maintenance personnel remained in the Town of the Ancient Tree, and the rights were opened to all human mages, allowing any mage facing a bottleneck to come to the underground tower to read ancient and modern magical knowledge in search of a breakthrough.

As for Serie, along with a few mages who closely followed her, they left the Town of the Ancient Tree and headed to another country. The change was a strategic move to seek out new knowledge and opportunities to advance their understanding of magic. Serie's entourage consisted of the most dedicated and talented mages, those who shared her relentless pursuit of magical excellence.

Zanze was one of these mages. Her dedication and skill had earned her a place in Serie's inner circle. She had proven her worth time and again, and her presence was a testament to her abilities.

And Aura was forced to be one of these mages. Bound by circumstances and her unique abilities, she found herself part of Serie's traveling group. The journey promised new challenges and opportunities, but Aura couldn't shake the feeling of being a reluctant participant in a game whose rules she barely understood.

"The average level of human mages is still too weak. Many theories cannot be implemented, including the theory of simplifying magic to a level that all humans can learn. Without enough powerful human mages to showcase their magical paths and collect data to improve them, these theories will remain just theories."

Serie explained to Zanze the difficulties encountered in promoting human magic. 

Serie wasn't very concerned about this. For her, it didn't matter how many human mages there were. She only needed to see the pioneering magical innovations presented by the few mages at the top of the pyramid.

As for the other ninety percent, the human mages without talent who spent their whole lives circling the entrance to the path of magic, they couldn't contribute to clearing the forest maze of magic and naturally were not of interest to Serie.

However, by promoting magic and expanding the base, perhaps we can find gold in the sand, potentially increasing the number of great mages at the top of the pyramid who could expand the field of magic.

Serie estimated that the probability of this happening wasn't high because humans with magical talent could get started no matter how difficult the theory was, while humans without magical talent would not be able to reach the top even if the magic theory was simplified.

Talent is never just a ticket to admission.

But she was still willing to try.

This was just some casual entertainment that Serie used to kill time in her endless life.

——

Kribi, a large city near the capital of the Unified Empire, was chosen by Serie as her new base.

As an elf who has lived for who knows how many years, even if Serie didn't actively maintain it, there were still many high-ranking and powerful individuals in human society with countless connections to her. These connections spanned generations, making her influence subtle but pervasive, woven into the very fabric of the empire.

In the outskirts of Kribi, far from the bustling center, Serie acquired an abandoned church. Although it was old and dilapidated, it was not low or narrow but grand and magnificent. With some renovation, it became a splendid private palace.

This was Serie's new residence.

It was also her place to collect information on new mages from various places.

"Those people, find a way to measure their magic level."

Serie tossed a pile of documents to Zanze. all of whom were famous human mages. In return for helping Serie perfect her magic theory, she was willing to give the visitor any magic that they wanted. This promise was a powerful lure, drawing in talent from all corners of the empire.

For these mages who have devoted their lives to magic research, if the goddess in mythology appears before them and promises to fulfill a wish, they will definitely wish for a magic. It may be the breakthrough in magic research they have been pursuing all their lives, or the incredible magic that changes fate and causes miracles.

In the field of magic, Serie was second only to the goddess. Any magic that had appeared in this world could be found with her. For mages, Serie's promised reward was akin to a wishing machine. Her palace became a beacon of hope and ambition, a place where dreams of magical prowess could be realized.

However, not everyone could earn Serie's approval. The standards were high, and the path to recognition was fraught with challenges.

"Lady Serie, what level of magic do I need to reach in order to be recognized by you?"

"It depends on my mood."

"Eh, then how am I supposed to explain their levels to you? Abstract concepts are hard to quantify."

"Just rank them relatively. If it's just a comparison, it's simple, right?"

"I'll do my best."

Zanze sighed as she left Serie's palace, realizing she had a troublesome task ahead. The weight of the documents seemed to press down on her shoulders, each name representing a potential prodigy or a complete waste of time. The thought of sifting through all of them was daunting, to say the least.

She glanced at Aura, who looked bored beside her, and felt a surge of irritation.

Since Aura became her assistant, her workload hadn't decreased. Instead, because Aura was always slow and clumsy, Zanze always had to deal with inexplicable troubles.

This demon, with all her supposed power, was more trouble than she was worth.

"You come with me and be an examiner."

"Huh, me?"

Aura had a dazed look on her face, drooling from the corners of her mouth.

Just from that expression, she didn't seem like someone who could be entrusted with important tasks.

——

"How can we compare the level of magic?"

Zanze walked out of the interview room with a troubled expression.

The two mages who were just interviewed were unwilling to admit defeat to each other, and both thought their magic was more powerful.

But they followed completely unrelated magical paths. One specialized in illusion magic, while the other excelled in weapon enchantment. Their foundational approaches were entirely different, so how could they be compared?

"Lady Serie is really something. Could it be that she herself cannot tell the difference, so she just threw this troublesome matter to me?" Zanze mused, frustration evident in her voice. 

She didn't believe Serie's claim that she decided a mage's qualification based on her mood.

How could it be so casual?

After all, unrecognized or improperly assessed mages could cause a significant chaos if their abilities were misrepresented.

'Uh...it seems like these are not a problem in front of Lady Serie.'

"But I have more things to consider than Lady Serie."

How could she distinguish the relative levels of mages and recommend those relatively stronger to Lady Serie?

Zanze furrowed her brows in distress, feeling the weight of her responsibility. The problem wasn't just assessing magic level—it was about ensuring the right individuals were chosen for the right roles.

"What about Aura? That lazy demon must be in a very bad situation as well."

Thinking this, Zanze walked towards the interview room designated for Aura, only to meet Aura coming out, looking unusually nonchalant.

"You're done?"

"Yes, I'm done," Aura replied with a shrug, her tone relaxed.

"Impossible, so quickly?" Zanze questioned, skeptical of the efficiency.

"Why not?" Aura responded, unfazed by the skepticism.

"Because—"

'I interviewed the same number of people as you did.'

Zanze widened her eyes in disbelief.

For the purpose of splitting the workload, she and Aura were each responsible for half of the mages visiting today. There was no situation that one side has less workload and the other side has more.

Aura also stared back at Zanze, unable to understand why this human was so slow. Wasn't it just to determine the level of the mages, a matter that required hands? Did she really have to chat with them one by one?

"Did you hide your identity well?"

"My horns are well hidden."

Aura pointed to the hat on her head. It was still the familiar wide-horned hat with purple lace. The decoration was so gorgeous and complicated that it perfectly hid Aula's two big horns.

Coupled with Aura's facial expression which was no different from that of other people, no one would suspect that she was a demon.

Unless—the weirdness in thinking is exposed.

"How did you conduct the assessment?"

Zanze's heart skipped a beat as she hurriedly asked.

"With this."

Aura raised the staff in her hand, a seemingly innocent gesture that belied the chaos she had evidently caused.

Zanze, already apprehensive, pushed open the door to the interview room. The sight that met her eyes confirmed her worst fears. The room was in disarray—chairs were overturned, scattered across the floor, and torn robes lay in a heap. The pungent smell of burnt magical residues permeated the air. It was clear that the mages who had been interviewed had fled in a panic, unable to withstand whatever had transpired.

"Aura!!" Zanze grabbed Aura by the collar, lifting her up, looking her straight in the eye with a burning gaze.

"Didn't I tell you not to expose your demonic identity?! You know this would cause a lot of trouble."

"I didn't expose myself."

Aura tilted her head, not understanding what Zanze was worried about.

"I was just conducting a normal assessment to judge the levels of these human mages."

"Is this how you assess them?" Zanze demanded, dragging Aura back into the chaotic interview room. Her tone was stern, laced with disbelief.

"Is there a problem?" Aura still didn't understand.

"Expressing hostility right away and attacking humans recklessly—only demons would do that!" Zanze's frustration was evident as she tried to make Aura understand the severity of her actions.

"If I don't attack, how do I judge their magical levels?"

"What?"

"First, release magical suppression. Those who can't stand up are inferior. Then, attack them. Those who can react and block are passable. Those who can block my first attack and counterattack are good. Finally, those who can harm me in any form are excellent."

"...Is this your testing method?"

"Yes, this is the way the demons distinguish themselves. It's very convenient. But this time, not a single one was passable."

"Why didn't you assess their knowledge? Some mages with deep magical research might have low combat levels due to long-term non-combat activities." Zanze pointed out, trying to understand why Aura hadn't considered other factors.

"You mean, there are mages in the world who claim to be proficient in a certain magic, but cannot use it fluently in reality? Zanze, you should know that this is impossible."

"Hmm..."

This time, Zanze couldn't refute Aura. She was left grappling with the realization that Aura's unconventional methods, though extreme, had their own twisted logic.

How is it possible that you can't use it fluently but claim to be proficient in it?

Every magic needs to be practiced personally to understand the flow of magic and comprehend how the magic circle described in books affects reality when constructed with actual magic.

Every master of magic theory will repeat a single magic spell thousands or even tens of thousands of times, and then find the correction points through a large number of trial and errors, so that they can be sure to update a magic spell.

There are mages who are powerful but not good at magic theory, relying solely on their instinctual mastery of magic. These individuals can wield formidable magic, yet struggle to articulate or understand the principles behind their abilities.

However, it is impossible for a mage who excels in magic theory but cannot execute practical combat to be truly effective. Such a mage would be unable to perform fluent magic perception and execute magical attacks and defenses in real situations. Their theoretical knowledge, though profound, would be rendered useless without practical application.

'It seemed that what Aura said... made some sense.' Zanze thought, reflecting on the validity of Aura's approach.

"Don't worry, Zanze, you know I can't hurt humans." Aura said, her tone nonchalant.

"...That's truly unbelievable." Zanze replied, her disbelief evident.

"What?" Aura asked, genuinely puzzled by Zanze's reaction.

Although it was hard to agree with such a rough method, Zanze's rational analysis told her that Aura's approach was indeed highly efficient and precise. 

Combat was the best standard to test a mage's level.

'——How could that idiot Aura say such a sophisticated thing?!'

Zanze couldn't help but lower her head and admit:

"Aura, you are very wise."

"Right, I'm very wise." 

Aura grinned.

Everything Aura had said was nonsense.

She simply enjoys the pleasure of torturing humans.

This is the nature of demons.

So is lying.

——————

Hello dear readers, author here's.I have already written 20 advanced chapters, but they are still rough and have not been edited at all. Should I create a P-A-T-R-E-O-N and publish these unedited chapters there? Let me know your tought.

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