Frieren: Attribute Hero Chapter 80: My First-Class Mage Grandfather

On the way to search for the [Academy Ruins], the two briefly discussed Shane's earlier experience.

"The magic taught in schools is divided into combat magic and vocational magic. As you saw, what I practice is combat magic that can [turning stones into projectiles]."

"Things like [Gem Embedding] belong to vocational magic."

"As for the magic you ntioned earlier, the one capable of teleporting people elsewhere, it doesn't belong to either system. It's a long-lost form of [Ancient Magic]. The principle behind teleportation is to scan and record matter, then reconstruct it at the target location to achieve long-distance transfer. According to my teachers, this kind of magic consus an unimaginable amount of mana and can no longer be replicated."

Ehre frowned slightly as she seriously explained her thoughts.

That kind of passion for magic reminded Shane of Fern when she was younger. Back then, whenever Frieren asked her questions, the little girl wore the exact sa expression.

"By the way, I should warn you."

"If you really were… um… teleported while naked, then the magic circle you used definitely malfunctioned. Maybe there wasn't enough mana during activation, or maybe the spell formation was damaged after aging for too long. In any case, you need to return to your original landing point as soon as possible."

Hearing her warning, Shane snapped out of his thoughts.

"From the sound of it, there'll be serious consequences if I don't go back?"

"Very serious."

Ehre nodded, trying hard to recall what she had learned in class.

"You may have experienced [Incomplete Teleportation]. In other words, your material transfer process was never fully completed. Right now, you are here, but not completely here. You left your original location, but you also never completely left it."

Ehre furrowed her brows, struggling to explain it clearly.

The terminology used in class for this topic was far too profound and obscure. She was worried that Shane, who wasn't a mage, wouldn't understand any of it.

"So I beca a superposition state?"

"A what state?"

"Oh, never mind. Keep going."

"That's basically it. Return to your original location and wait for the magic formula to stop operating. Then you'll return to your starting point and complete the result known as [Magic Failure]. Otherwise… the mont the magic formula stops, if your body cannot return to its original position, you'll be torn apart by space itself as a consequence of [Magic Failure]."

Right.

Even though he didn't fully understand the bizarre chanics behind the spell, he understood one thing perfectly well: he had to return to the spot where he'd twisted rope together to make clothes earlier, or he was going to die.

What a refreshing piece of news.

As the two talked, a gigantic stone pillar appeared before them.

The pillar was slanted into the ground, covered in cracks and moss. Behind it stood several similar pillars, so broken cleanly in half, others shattered into countless pieces… they had truly found the ruins.

Ehre stared at the scene in shock.

Shane's "branch pathfinding thod" had actually worked!

Could this really be so mysterious form of [Ancient Magic]…? I want to learn it so badly…

Walking through the crumbling ruins, Ehre reached out and touched one of the stone pillars that had long since lost its original appearance. Her heart was filled with emotion.

"Thank you. I fulfilled the promise I made to Grandpa. Now I can go back and tell him about it."

Only then did Shane learn that Ehre's grandfather loved researching ancient history and was extrely interested in the ruins of this "first magic school." According to historical records, the school's founder was very likely an elf…

Shing—

Shane activated his [Photographic Magic], turning the entire appearance of the ruins into a photograph and imprinting it onto the back of Ehre's map.

"Here. Your grandfather can see it with his own eyes now."

Ehre accepted the photo, unable to hide the admiration in her expression.

He even knew [Photographic Magic], a rare form of [folk magic]… What an incredible spell.

Was this the kind of genius Grandpa always talked about? Soone capable of mastering all kinds of magic with ease?

"You saved and helped . I should properly thank you."

"Hmm… leave your contact address. Once I return to school, I'll send you a certain amount of gold coins as paynt."

As she spoke, Ehre pulled out a small notebook from her pocket, preparing to write down the address.

At that mont—

Plop.

A dark brown lump of mud accidentally slipped out along with the notebook and fell onto the ground.

Shane's attention was imdiately captured by the blue text that appeared before his eyes.

[Debris of a Mana-Depleted Golem]

Status: Damaged

Attributes:

[Shape-Shifting (Blue/Rare)]: Alters the hardness of a target's material, granting it malleability for one minute. Once the duration ends, the material returns to its original hardness.

Evaluation: When I still had mana, you called Big Muscle Bro. Now that my mana's gone, you call Little Mudball. Humans really are fickle.

A blue attribute!

Shane was delighted.

Ehre bent down to pick it up, about to put it back into her pocket, when Shane stopped her.

"No need for gold coins."

"Adventurers help adventurers. Talking about money makes things feel distant."

"How about giving this lump of mud instead? I loved playing with mud as a kid. Seeing mud just makes feel nostalgic."

"..."

Ehre was stunned.

What kind of reason was that?

Still, seeing Shane's completely serious expression, she obediently handed it over.

Originally, the Debris of a Mana-Depleted Golem was supposed to be brought back for her grandfather to refill with mana and repair for reuse. But since Shane wanted it…

Still, repaying a life-saving favor with just a lump of mud felt completely inappropriate.

"One lump of mud isn't enough to repay saving my life. Hmm… how about this? My grandfather is a [First-Class Mage]. He can do many things. If there's anything you need, just ask. I can have Grandpa help you."

A First-Class Mage grandfather?!

Shane was startled.

He finally rembered who the girl before him was.

She was one of Fern's future powerful rivals during the [First-Class Mage Exam]!

That second-generation mage!

Wait.

Wouldn't that also an… the Great Mage Serie?

Shane tucked away the little mudball, rubbing his chin as he fell into serious thought.

Great Mage Serie stood at the absolute pinnacle of human mages and was also the founder of the [Continental Magic Association].

Born in the Mythological Era, nobody knew how many years she had lived. She was a true "ancient monster."

At the sa ti, she was Flam's teacher and Frieren's grandmaster.

Having lived from the Mythological Era until now, she definitely knew everything related to the [Sages]!

And the [First-Class Mages] who remained constantly by her side would inevitably have access to that information as well.

Ehre's favor had arrived at the perfect ti.

"If we're talking about sothing I need, then yes, there is one thing."

"I'm very interested in the history of the [Sages], especially the [Court Sages] from the era of the [Unified Empire]. So I'd like your grandfather to investigate a Great Sage nad Sharl from that period. Any information related to this sage, no matter what it is. The more, the better."

Just simple information gathering?

That sounded like a very ordinary reward…

Without trying to exploit the favor or demand anything excessive, he only requested sothing so simple.

What a respectable and trustworthy good person.

"No problem."