Eleventh day of the winter journey, a valley at the edge of Vol Basin—
After another routine lesson,
Frieren didn't run home cheerfully to find Flamme as usual.
Instead, uncharacteristically, she tugged at the corner of Agusheed's coat,
Signaling for him to wait a moment.
Agusheed cooperatively stopped walking, his black coat fluttering in the cold wind.
He turned around and looked down at the hesitant little magic sprout.
Frieren was gripping tightly onto the corner of his dark coat, her knuckles slightly white from the effort.
"Agusheed, can I ask you a few questions?"
Having suddenly become interested in Space Displacement Magic—
But after studying it for a day without understanding even the basics, Frieren asked quietly.
Her attitude was rarely sincere and proper.
"How interesting. This is the first time I've seen you actively ask questions in class."
Agusheed looked down at this student who was usually absent-minded.
Then he touched her white hair and added:
"Hmm... what do you want to ask?"
"About demon magic."
Frieren looked up, meeting Agusheed's palm as she spoke.
"I understand. Go ahead and ask."
Agusheed nodded lightly, signaling for her to continue.
"In the demon magic system—"
Frieren took a deep breath, white mist scattering everywhere in the snowy ground.
"Setting aside artificially created magic like Killing Magic and Flight Magic,"
She paused, her emerald pupils looking at Agusheed with curiosity.
"Magic like Space Displacement Magic that's innately possessed and incomprehensible—how did you learn it?"
"You know, not only me, but even Flamme is completely confused about this—"
Frieren's voice was full of incomprehension.
After all, according to what she heard from Serie,
In terms of magical theory, Flamme wasn't inferior to Agusheed.
So why could Agusheed easily learn things that even Flamme couldn't understand?
Regarding Frieren's question, Agusheed didn't even need to think.
"Do you want to reference my experience?"
Agusheed first asked back, then slowly shook his head and frankly said:
"Although I don't want to discourage you, Frieren, referencing my experience won't work."
"Why?"
Frieren stretched her boots that were sunk in the snow while persistently asking.
"Because you don't know Severance Magic."
Agusheed calmly glanced at Frieren and stated the most direct reason.
"..."
Hearing about that damn Severance Magic again—
The white-haired elf's expression froze.
Her mouth twitched slightly, then she murmured incredulously in a low voice:
"Agusheed, don't tell me Severance Magic has even more incredible applications."
Agusheed reached out and caught a falling snowflake.
In front of Frieren, he silently split the snowflake in half in his palm.
"Although Severance Magic does have some applications you haven't seen, it's not because of that."
Agusheed continued:
"Let me ask you, Frieren, why can't you learn most demon magic?"
"Because I can't understand or imagine it."
Frieren answered without hesitation, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes.
"So the reason I can learn that magic is exactly opposite to yours."
Agusheed raised his hand, and an invisible slash cut through the snow-covered rocks in the distance.
The rocks split silently in half, the cut surface smooth as a mirror.
"Because Severance Magic can sever all things—"
"So while severing those magics, I can naturally understand them through this process."
Hearing such an outrageous answer, Frieren sighed disappointedly.
"More and more ridiculous. Your Severance Magic completely defies common sense."
"But this is my innate magic and talent."
Agusheed's answer remained calm, as if he had heard countless similar sighs.
"Then Agusheed, is it possible for me to learn your Severance Magic?"
After a brief disappointment, Frieren asked a question she herself thought was impossible.
"Yes."
Agusheed answered briefly.
"I knew there wasn't..."
Frieren wore an unsurprised expression, but just as she lowered her head—
She suddenly realized something was wrong with Agusheed's answer.
"Huh?!"
Frieren suddenly looked up at Agusheed in front of her.
"Agusheed, I think I just heard you say 'yes'?"
"Correct."
"I hope you're not comforting me or joking with me."
Agusheed's expression was very serious.
He calmly repeated the golden phrase he had always used to pressure Frieren—
"Frieren, you must understand that in the world of magic, there are no absolutes."
"No absolutes... then how specifically should I learn it?"
"Very simple. According to my calculations..."
Agusheed looked up at the increasingly gloomy sky, as if calculating something.
"Hmm, you'd just need to continuously endure my slashes for a thousand years without interruption, and you should barely be able to get started."
A thousand years...
Continuous slashing?
Could anyone really survive under such conditions?
Hearing Agusheed's ridiculous requirement, Frieren mercilessly complained:
"I think if I did that, I'd be buried much earlier than I'd get started."
"There's also a simpler way."
This time Frieren was somewhat skeptical of what Agusheed called 'simple.'
"It won't be another learning method that would kill me, will it..."
Frieren warily stepped back half a step.
"This method doesn't require you to endure slashes, but to observe slashes."
Agusheed explained to Frieren.
He lightly drew his finger through the air, leaving a silver trace that disappeared instantly.
"More precisely, observing 'Spatial Severance.'"
"What do you mean?"
"As long as you can capture the complete trajectory of 'Spatial Severance' by intuition at close range, then you can get started."
Agusheed spoke while condensing a slash at his fingertip that made Frieren's whole body tremble.
"Let me ask, relying purely on intuition to capture—how many times would I need to observe 'Spatial Severance' at close range?"
"Over a hundred thousand times."
A hundred thousand times...
Well, the number of slashes Agusheed normally used to level a mountain was more than this number.
"That doesn't sound like too many."
"Under normal circumstances, within a day, I can only guarantee that the first three 'Spatial Severances' can be executed with one hundred percent accuracy."
Given that Frieren didn't have a very clear understanding of 'Spatial Severance,'
Agusheed stated bluntly.
"This is the first time I've learned that you can't execute 'Spatial Severance' at will?"
"Of course... you must know that 'Spatial Severance' is my most lethal technique."
"So continuous use requires extremely high standards for my own condition."
Agusheed flexed his wrist, joints making slight sounds.
"What's the most you've ever executed at once?"
Frieren asked curiously.
"My record? Let me think..."
Agusheed closed his eyes to recall, and after confirming the number, he gave Frieren a response.
"Ten times."
He opened his eyes, as if recalling some unpleasant memory.
Even his brow showed a rare trace of fatigue.
"Just good luck."
Frieren heard Agusheed say this so modestly.
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Powerstones?
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