Chapter 262

The expressions on everyone’s faces became rather complicated as they watched the scene before them.

Denken’s mouth twitched several times.

Before entering the Ruins of the King’s Tomb, he had confidently told Richter and the others that there was no way anyone capable of passing the first stage of the First-Class Mage Exam would fall for something as basic as a mimic.

Every examinee who had made it this far was an accomplished mage.

Reality had just slapped that confidence straight out of him.

And the person who had fallen for the trap was not some inexperienced novice.

It was Frieren—the mage from Hero Himmel’s legendary party, and the very person Denken had admired since childhood.

He had chosen the path of magic because he grew up listening to stories of Himmel’s party defeating the Demon King and had idolized Frieren above all else.

The overwhelming strength she had displayed during the examination had only deepened that admiration.

But now, watching his idol get swallowed by a mimic while crying about how dark and frightening it was...

Denken could practically feel the flawless image he had built of her cracking apart.

He stood there with his mouth slightly open, unable to find anything to say.

"Haah..."

Sense let out a long sigh.

Then she raised her voice.

"I hereby declare the second stage of the First-Class Mage Exam officially concluded!"

Not long after Sense’s announcement, Frieren finished opening every treasure chest in the chamber.

Unfortunately, she did not find a single grimoire.

Once she finally gave up, everyone prepared to leave the Ruins of the King’s Tomb.

Before departing, each person chose a single item from the treasure pile as a keepsake from the expedition.

Haruto was considerably less sentimental.

He simply took a portion of the gold coins.

He had only just arrived in this world, and the treasure could easily be exchanged for local currency. Whether he wanted to buy ingredients later or simply pay for food and lodging in town, money would obviously be useful.

Still, his greatest haul was undoubtedly the metallic mimics.

Even the enormous mimic standing over two meters tall ultimately failed to escape Frieren’s "deadly touch."

After Frieren confidently opened it and was predictably swallowed, it naturally ended up inside Haruto’s Gourmet Restaurant.

According to the examination schedule, the third and final stage would begin the following day.

Until then, every candidate who had passed was free to rest, resupply, and move around town as they pleased.

Haruto had originally planned to spend that time exploring.

Partly, he wanted to experience the customs and everyday life of this world.

More importantly, he intended to visit the local markets and see whether he could find any ingredients unique to this continent.

As far as Haruto was concerned, that was the part that truly mattered.

Unfortunately, the group had barely stepped outside the Ruins of the King’s Tomb when someone approached them.

It was Falsch, an active First-Class Mage.

He first gave Sense a slight nod, then turned toward Haruto.

"Lady Serie would like to meet you."

"I was specifically sent to invite you."

Frieren, who had not yet left, reacted slightly when she heard that Serie wanted to see Haruto.

She glanced at Falsch, then at Haruto, but said nothing.

Haruto was certainly full of mysteries.

It was hardly surprising that Serie would become curious about him.

"Serie wants to see me?"

Haruto paused for a moment before understanding.

Serie stood at the very pinnacle of magic in this world.

She had already been a Great Mage during the Mythical Era and was known as the Living Grimoire, a mage said to be closer to the Goddess than anyone else in human history.

She had clearly been paying attention to the second stage of the First-Class Mage Exam.

In that case, Haruto suddenly appearing inside the sealed dungeon and displaying powers completely outside this world’s magical system would naturally attract her attention.

What he did not know was how much Serie had already seen through.

Had she even realized that he came from another world?

Still, Haruto felt no fear.

He nodded calmly.

"Sure. Lead the way."

Haruto followed Falsch toward the headquarters of the Continental Magic Association.

Sense accompanied them.

As the chief proctor of the second stage, she needed to report the final results of the examination to Serie anyway.

After passing through several corridors, Falsch stopped before a heavy oak door.

He pushed it open and gestured for Haruto and Sense to enter.

Beyond it was a vast hall.

The space was imposing, though surprisingly restrained in decoration.

At the far end stood an elegant chair.

Serie sat upon it.

She had long golden hair and wore a white robe edged in flesh-toned trim with shorts beneath it, her bare feet visible. At first glance, she looked almost like an adolescent girl.

Standing on either side of her were two First-Class Mages—Lernen and Genau.

Both wore solemn expressions as their scrutinizing gazes settled on Haruto.

Haruto stopped in the center of the hall and calmly met Serie’s eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Serie."

"I’m Haruto. Professionally, I’m a Super Chef, and I also work as a Gourmet Hunter."

"A Super Chef? A Gourmet Hunter?"

An interested smile appeared on Serie’s face.

Her gaze swept over Haruto with unmistakable curiosity.

From the moment he entered the hall, her detection magic had already silently examined his entire body.

She could clearly sense that Haruto was extremely powerful.

The energy stored within him was unusual and far surpassed that of most First-Class Mages in this world.

Of course, that level of power was still nowhere near enough to threaten Serie herself.

What truly caught her attention was something else.

A faint sense of danger.

There was something inside Haruto that gave her the impression it could devour almost anything.

It was an existence she had never encountered before and could not analyze at all.

That unknown quality stirred a powerful interest within Serie, who had long since grown accustomed to understanding almost everything she encountered.

Her fingers even twitched slightly.

For an instant, she felt the urge to fight Haruto herself and see what exactly he could do.

But she quickly suppressed the impulse.

There was something else about him that interested her far more.

A secret capable of overturning everything people of this world believed they knew.

"So, Haruto."

Serie leaned forward slightly.

"You aren’t from this world at all, are you?"

"You came here from another world."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly tightened.

Lernen and Genau’s expressions changed sharply, and both stepped forward almost at the same time.

The existence of other worlds appeared only in fragmented records dating back to the Mythical Era, vague legends with no concrete proof behind them.

Neither of them had ever imagined that they might meet an actual visitor from another world during their lifetime.

Haruto blinked.

Then he scratched the back of his head and smiled in understanding.

"So you figured it out after all."

He nodded without hesitation.

"That’s right."

"I really am from another world. I’m not originally from this one."

Serie’s interest intensified immediately.

She had lived from the Mythical Era to the present day and had long since reached the summit of magic.

The spells, monsters, and mysteries of this world held fewer and fewer secrets for her with each passing century.

Very little could still genuinely capture her attention.

But the words another world opened an entirely new door.

An unexplored realm filled with things she had never seen and knowledge she had never encountered.

It awakened a curiosity within Serie that had been dormant for far too long.

She leaned forward a little more and spoke with characteristic bluntness.

"I’m extremely interested in these other worlds you’ve visited."

"I want to know everything you can tell me about them—their cultures, their systems of power, the places you’ve seen, everything."

"As for compensation, name whatever you want."

"If it’s something within my power, I’ll grant it."

Haruto agreed almost immediately.

"No problem."

Telling Serie about other worlds cost him nothing.

If he could exchange information for something useful, then this was an exceptionally profitable deal.

After a brief pause, Haruto met Serie’s gaze and stated his condition.

"My request is simple."

"I want to learn the magic of this world."

"So I’d like you to teach me."

Serie was essentially the only complete, living encyclopedia of magic in existence.

From basic elemental spells to advanced sealing techniques and even lost magic dating back to the Mythical Era, there was very little she did not know.

Learning directly from her would save Haruto an enormous amount of time.

More importantly, adding this world’s magic to his arsenal would give him entirely new options during his future journeys through other worlds.