Elves have a different sense of time than humans.
For them, a year is like a week to humans, but when it comes to relationships, that perception doesn’t hold true.
Elves are only slow to perceive the flow of time; in interactions and building friendships, they can sometimes develop feelings faster than humans.
This morning, Ethan was swinging a large woodcutting axe with consistent force.
All other physical training had already been completed.
To his surprise, Frieren had gotten up early, which was rare.
Not long after the sun rose, she was already sitting on a chair by the wooden hut, watching Ethan practice with a slight sway.
She didn’t disturb Ethan.
She waited until he finished training and cleaned himself up before speaking to him.
“Ethan, I’m thinking about something.” Seeing her secretive expression, Ethan looked at her curiously.
“What is it?” “You need a magic wand,” Frieren said.
“Huh?” Ethan blinked.
Was she serious?
Normally, mages need a wand as a medium to cast spells, like an outlet for their magic.
High-quality wands can even improve the efficiency and power of their spellcasting.
But none of that applied to Ethan.
His “magic wand” was his own body.
This goes back to the two passive skills he had acquired earlier.
Under Frieren’s tutelage, his meditation efficiency had improved significantly, boosting his mana capacity and recovery rate.
But what he hadn’t expected was a “side effect” he hadn’t even considered: as mana flowed and expanded within him, his body was gradually imbued and transformed by it.
This was a subtle influence, leading to a very high mana conductivity in his body now.
There were both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantage was that his control over mana was growing stronger.
The disadvantage was that his magic resistance had also decreased to a certain extent, making him more susceptible to magical influences.
The biggest advantage was that he could cast any spell without a wand, and the power would even be greater than when he used one.
If he were purely a mage, this would be a significant limitation.
But fortunately, he was also a warrior.
With his high mobility and strong physique, his overall defensive capabilities were no less than before, and likely even better.
For this situation, Frieren’s proposed solution was to research defensive magic.
Defensive magic would perfectly compensate for the shortcomings of his physical body, though it did consume a lot of mana.
Fortunately, this was a problem all mages faced; he wasn’t alone.
“I know what you mean, but you should still bring a wand,” Frieren’s swaying stopped.
She slightly lifted her head and looked directly into Ethan’s eyes.
“How does my magic appear to you?” Mana sensing was a magic Ethan had learned only after meeting Frieren.
He had learned it quickly on his own, without even using notes.
In his mana sensing view, Frieren’s magic was barely above that of a typical novice mage.
“It’s the same as before, no different from a normal mage.” “You are not just a mage but also a warrior.
How many people know you are both?
A lack of information can be deadly to an enemy.” Her reasoning was so sound that Ethan had no desire to argue.
In other words, he could pose as either identity when needed, luring enemies in with different personas to make them misjudge the situation.
Therefore, he had to learn Frieren’s mana suppression technique until he could suppress it to the level of a normal warrior, deceiving anyone he met for the first time.
When an opponent thought he was a mage and approached within his attack range, they would face his sharp woodcutting axe.
When they thought he was a warrior and kept their distance, he would raise his hand and unleash a mana cannon barrage.
“Damn, who said elves were innocent?
This Frieren is clearly not innocent, she’s incredibly cunning!” But this kind of cunning could be incredibly effective against demons.
“Is this the way of survival for mages who have lived for over a thousand years in this world?
I have learned a lot.” “Let’s put off today’s magic training for now,” Frieren got off the chair, her face showing a kind smile like an elderly person preparing for a stroll.
“We’re going to the royal capital to buy a wand…
and by the way, you can buy one for that little girl too.” Ethan nodded.
Frieren really had thought of everything.
He had completely forgotten about that.
It was time for second-year students at the junior magic academy to have their practical magic sessions.
As Übel’s temporary guardian, he had the right to visit the child at the academy.
Many parents also chose this time to buy their children carefully selected magic wands.
“Sigh, I’m such a negligent guardian.” “Alright, let’s go to the magic shop I always visit.” “Doesn’t the shopkeeper already know you?” “Hmph, of course.
Now, the shopkeeper even says they’ll secretly let me know when Serie visits.” “So how many times has Serie visited?” “It’s only been a year, so of course she hasn’t visited again.
That old lady is very busy.” Elven perception of time…
Frieren looked up at Ethan.
Ethan understood and walked in front of Frieren, crouching down.
Once her small, soft body climbed onto his back, he quietly cast a buff on his legs.
“A magic that makes running faster and consumes less stamina.” By the way, because the name was too long, it was shortened to the simple “High-Speed Movement Magic.” Although the effect seemed simple, to develop this magic from scratch, he and Frieren had discussed everything from the principles of flight magic to the principles of gravity magic.
It had taken them quite some time to develop it.
It could only be said that developing magic was not something ordinary people could do, even if it seemed simple.
However, all the effort was worth it.
With this buff, Ethan could reach the royal capital in ten minutes even while carrying Frieren.
They deactivated the buff outside the city and entered normally, heading straight for the magic shop.
As they approached the street, both Frieren and Ethan felt they had miscalculated.
There were more people than they had expected.
As mentioned before, children’s parents also needed a brand-new magic wand suitable for their child, with requirements for both appearance and mana conductivity.
So, most people were there to place orders.
“Uh, sorry, folks.
Magic wand orders are already backed up for three months,” the shopkeeper said, looking numb.
This happened every year, so he was used to it.
“That’s fine, we’ll just pick out something ready-made,” Frieren knew the situation.
Since everyone else was custom ordering, there weren’t many people buying ready-made wands.
“Just give me a common one that’s easy to carry and won’t get in the way,” Ethan stated his requirements directly.
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”