Chapter 343: Glass Cannon-Type Magician
The atmosphere in one of the rooms at the Magic Association was a little awkward.
Evan and the other disciples, the least senior under Serie, stood as if awaiting judgment, their gazes fixed on the new assistant at the center of the room, their expressions complicated.
It was a young girl, a few years younger than the youngest member of their group.
She had beautiful, long, silvery-white hair, emerald green eyes, and those signature long elven ears. She wore the standard apprentice robes of the Magic Association, but the material seemed to be more exquisite.
The cuffs and collar were embroidered with small patterns, which, if they remembered correctly, seemed to be the same type as those embroidered on Senior Sister Flamme's robe.
The other person's name was Frieren.
She was the only direct disciple of Senior Sister Flamme, and Lord Kurts and Master Serie occasionally gave her some pointers.
Now, she had been assigned to accompany them on their second, and even more dangerous, mission: to capture the other two counts on the list and escort them to the palace.
The mission was inherently more dangerous than the last one. After all, given their previous commotion, the nobles in the capital, unless they were fools, would have strengthened the defenses of their residences and might have even set up traps specifically targeting mages.
They had originally thought that, with the unfathomable strength of Senior Flamme in charge, the process would be difficult, but at least their safety would be guaranteed to some extent.
But who would have thought that Senior Flamme would be temporarily transferred by Lord Kurts to carry out an even more important mission!
"Ahem." Evan, who was the de facto leader among them, broke the silence with a forced smile. He tried to force a friendly smile, but it came across as somewhat stiff. "Miss Frieren...? I look forward to your guidance on this mission."
The others exchanged glances.
The hesitation in addressing her revealed the awkwardness in everyone's hearts.
According to the general hierarchy of the Magic Association, Frieren was a disciple of Flamme, and Flamme and they were both disciples of Serie, so they were considered to be of the same generation.
So they should have been the other seniors, but the Magic Association didn't care; they only looked at strength.
With her talent and the fact that she was often personally guided by two founding masters, her strength must be stronger than theirs.
It was said that before she became a disciple of Master Flamme, she had already single-handedly killed a demon general.
Logically speaking, someone with such strength and talent should have been noticed by Teacher Serie and taken as a disciple long ago, but unfortunately, the other party was the disciple of Senior Flamme.
The reasons behind this were quite intriguing.
Nevertheless, looking at Frieren's youthful face and slender figure, a question couldn't help but arise in their hearts.
Can she do it?
It should be noted that the number of experts gathered in the capital at this moment was not small, and there must be quite a few in those counts' mansions.
Frieren nodded first, as if to say hello, and then asked directly, "What is your action plan?"
Her directness startled Evan for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and simply explained his plan.
"The target's mansions are located in the heart of the noble district, only one block apart. We've already gathered information on the general layout of both mansions and the guards' patrol patterns. We plan to infiltrate them, just like last time, and tie up both counts directly. This will allow us to operate consecutively, but..."
Legolas added, "Given that our last operation alerted them, both sides will be on high alert this time, and the risks will be far greater than last time."
There were definitely more guards hidden inside the mansion, and they may have even hired experts who specialized in dealing with mages.
"The strength of the few of us, to be honest, in a direct confrontation, we'd probably struggle even to protect ourselves. I wonder if you are confident in dealing with any formidable enemies that might appear?" Legolas's tone carried a hint of nervousness.
The plan itself was fraught with risk, and its success hinged on the support of high-end combat capabilities.
Last time, it was thanks to Miss Flamme's timely intervention that everyone was spared from being caught on the spot.
Faced with Legolas's blunt question, Frieren blinked her emerald green eyes and answered very frankly, "If it were a level one mage or a seasoned high-ranking warrior, I probably wouldn't be able to beat them either."
A suffocating silence filled the training room.
Evan's jaw tightened slightly.
Sister, are you really that honest?! Don't you even know how to say a few polite words?!
Frieren seemed completely oblivious to the fact that everyone was on the verge of collapse, and continued to analyze in her indifferent tone. "My magical methods are more offensive, and I haven't learned about defensive magic from Teacher Flamme yet."
"Given ample preparation distance and casting time, most mages are no match for me, but once a seasoned warrior manages to close the distance, I'll certainly struggle to fight back."
Frieren had a very clear understanding of her current strength.
Her magical talent was undeniable, especially in offensive magic. With Flamme's careful guidance and Olivia's occasional pointers, her strength was among the best of her peers and even among the entire group of magicians.
However, she had a very typical weakness: she was a pure, standard glass-cannon magician.
Her magical power was immense, and her destructive power was astonishing, but in close-quarters defense and against sudden attacks, she was far inferior to her teacher, Flamme.
Not to mention those like Lady Serie and Lord Olivia, who had already honed themselves to a terrifying level of near invincibility and were completely unafraid even when powerful warriors got close.
Frieren knew very well that once a warrior of equal caliber successfully closed the distance, her defeat was almost inevitable.
Those heavily guarded counts' mansions had no shortage of warriors skilled in charge and close combat.
However, looking at her temporary teammates whose faces had turned ashen, she thoughtfully added, "Of course, if the opponent is of average strength, or just numerous, it's not a big problem."
Everyone: "..."
That second half of the sentence offered absolutely no comfort! Their real headache was precisely those formidable opponents!
Looking at Frieren's composed expression, Evan forcibly suppressed the overwhelming sense of powerlessness within him and asked in a dry voice, "Then...in your opinion, should we continue this operation?"
"Of course we'll continue," Frieren replied without hesitation. "We have no reason to give up."
"But—" Sia couldn't help but whisper, "Couldn't you at least arrange a bodyguard for us? Or let us train for a few decades before we go on a mission?"
Her words drew the attention of several humans, including Evan.
Truly worthy of being called an elf. They can talk about decades in the blink of an eye.
Decades later, when they'd all become old men, what missions would they still be carrying out? They might as well just find a place to retire.
"Don't worry," Frieren spoke again, her eyes filled with confidence, not blind arrogance, but a certainty based on some trump card. "Just prepare according to the plan."