After that, no one else passed the exam.
Serie had clearly let her personal feelings affect her judgment.
That said, the people who came afterward really weren't suited to pass anyway.
There might have been one or two lucky ones among them, but unfortunately, Frieren had already irritated Serie so much that she'd lost her composure.
How much older was she than Frieren?
She was literally Frieren's teacher's teacher.
And yet she had just called Frieren "big sister."
Where was she supposed to put her dignity after that?
The worst part was that she couldn't back out or cheat. She had just given her word, and she was far too proud to take it back.
So all she could do was swallow the loss.
She was already planning how to get even later.
After the exam ended, Serie still couldn't leave right away. She had to grant each mage who passed one spell of their choosing.
She basically possessed every spell in the world. Whatever magic someone wanted to learn, they could learn it from her.
And she couldn't refuse just because of someone's personal reason for wanting a spell.
There was no need.
No matter what their motives were, it wouldn't affect her.
Fern, on the other hand, didn't need to learn anything from Serie. Everything Serie knew, Shichen knew too.
If Fern wanted to learn magic, she could just ask Shichen directly.
At this point, the two of them no longer needed to hold anything back between them.
Serie was going to be tied up for three more days, not only teaching spells but also taking care of various matters, since after that she would truly set off to roam the world.
So Shichen and the others had to stay three more days as well.
They'd already seen everything there was to see in the city. There was nothing new left, and no familiar faces around. Since Frieren and the others had already finished the exam, it was perfect timing.
So for those three days, Shichen stayed in the inn and rested with them.
Real rest—not sleeping all day, but lying around eating, watching movies, and doing almost nothing.
The only exception was Stark, who kept working every day to become a true Horn-Breaking Maniac. He left early and came back late, every single day.
When he returned, he was drenched in sweat and looked exhausted, but his eyes were brighter than ever.
Clearly, his progress was going very well.
During those three days, Shichen also continued sneaking around with Übel behind Frieren and Fern's backs.
He had to admit, it was thrilling—there was just a wall between them, Frieren and Fern were watching a movie, and he was fooling around with Übel.
To heighten the thrill, he even deliberately lowered his own sensory awareness.
At one point, Fern had almost caught them.
But unfortunately for her, Shichen's acting was excellent, and Übel didn't want to be discovered yet either.
It still wasn't time. The impact wouldn't be maximal yet.
Those three days really had Shichen multitasking like mad, because on top of all that, he was also keeping Elaina company.
After three days, Elaina still hadn't even left the city. Modern society had far too many fascinating things in it.
Shichen had only taught her the basics, but everything she saw with her own eyes was still completely unfamiliar, so of course she wanted to understand it all.
That was part of the meaning of travel—to see, to grow.
And so three days later, Serie finished all her responsibilities and came to the inn.
"What are you all doing?"
The moment she entered Shichen's room, her eyes were drawn to the large screen.
She had never seen anything like it before.
More importantly, there were actually moving people inside it. Was this some kind of magic projection?
"It's a movie. Haven't you seen one before?" Frieren asked matter-of-factly as she ate potato chips.
"A movie? Did Shichen make this? Of course I haven't seen one!" Serie replied irritably.
"It's fine, it's not too late to start now. I can make room for you. Come on, little sister Serie~"
As she spoke, Frieren shifted over and opened up a bit of space, wearing a maddeningly smug smile.
Serie's face darkened. She ignored her completely, walked to Shichen's bed, climbed right on top of it, and lay down in his arms.
"Serie, what are you doing?!" Frieren immediately got annoyed.
Fern also looked over, seemingly casual but clearly paying attention.
"Watching the movie," Serie said flatly, grabbing Shichen's hands and placing them over her stomach so he had to hold her.
"Who watches a movie like that?"
"I do now."
"You—!"
"Serie-sama, that's not really appropriate, is it?" Even Fern couldn't help cutting in.
"What's inappropriate about it?" Serie asked back.
"It'll bother Shichen-sama, and he won't be comfortable."
"Doesn't he look pretty comfortable to me?" Serie turned and glanced at him with a smile.
Fern had no reply.
Because Shichen really did look perfectly comfortable. He was grinning like he was enjoying a show.
He truly was treating it like a show. He had no intention of interfering in their quarrels, because if he did, they'd just turn around and gang up on him.
As long as it stayed at the level of petty bickering, it was no big deal. There was no need for him to step in.
Besides, he also had Elaina to keep company.
Elaina contacted him telepathically all day long. She asked about everything she saw. At this point she was even asking him about license plates.
It was nonstop.
He was starting to wonder if she was deliberately picking random topics just to talk to him.
Even while drinking milk tea, she'd comment on the flavor, tell him which one she liked better, and what she wanted to try next time.
All of it was trivial.
She had simply gotten used to telling him everything.
Except when she was asleep.
Though even before sleeping, he would talk with her until she got drowsy.
It really did feel like he was taking care of a child.
Shichen honestly didn't know whether he'd have this much patience with his own child once he and Mio's baby was born.
If it was a girl, he thought he probably would.
If it was a boy, that was a different story.
A daughter was someone to cherish.
A son was someone to shape.
So being a little stricter would be fine.
"No! I want that too!"
Frieren couldn't stand it anymore. She flipped over onto Shichen's bed as well, shoved Serie aside, and sprawled herself over him.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Serie immediately started fighting her for position.
"That spot doesn't belong to you alone!"
"But I was here first!"
"So what!"
"Don't push it!"
"I'm your big sister!"
"The hell you are. That was just a bet. The fact that I'm your teacher's teacher is real."
"Hmph! I don't acknowledge you as my teacher's teacher!"
"Then I'm still your senior, you little hatchling!"
"What did you call me?!"
The word "hatchling" struck straight at Frieren's sore spot.
"Hmph! I'm just telling the truth!" Seeing Frieren upset made Serie even happier.
"Don't push it!"
"You started it!"
"You're the one acting ridiculous."
Originally, everyone had been lying on separate beds, comfortably watching a movie in peace.
But then Serie showed up and lay on top of Shichen, and that just wouldn't do.
If she got to lie on him, then naturally nobody else could stay lying where they were.
"Alright, alright. Can't you two just watch the movie quietly?" Shichen finally stepped in.
He easily lifted both of them and set one on each side of him, then wrapped an arm around both.
Perfect fairness.
"I can't even hear the dialogue."
"It's obviously Serie's fault!"
"It's you!"
"Why do you start fighting like children the moment you see each other? That's enough. No more arguing. Watch the movie properly."
"Hmph!" The two of them glared at each other, but stopped.
"Shichen-sama…" Fern pouted miserably.
She had wanted to fight for that position too, but she didn't have the same standing as the other two. There was no way she could compete with them, so all she could do was watch.
Now both of those two had gotten special treatment, and that made her even more unhappy.
"Ahem. Fern, don't be upset. Everyone gets a turn. It'll be your turn later, alright?" Shichen soothed her.
"Really?"
"Why would I lie? I'd love to have you lying beside me."
"Then that's fine~" Fern immediately brightened.
"Well then, if everyone gets a turn, do I have a chance too?" Übel asked.
"No way!" Fern rejected it instantly on Shichen's behalf.
"Oh dear~"