Chapter 1. Those Tranquil Days

Fern felt the warmth of the sun on her face.

Forcing her heavy eyelids open, she squinted into the bright morning light, then sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched. Dust motes danced in the air, twinkling as they reflected the rays of the sun. Perfect weather for laundry, she thought blearily.

Fern had been living in this house for some time now. At first, she’d found sleeping difficult due to the firmness of the bed, but by this point she could sleep soundly until morning.

She entered the hallway and peeked into the living room, then the kitchen. Not a soul in sight. Heiter must have still been asleep, then.

I should go draw some water, she thought.

Fern picked up a bucket and walked outside. The soft sunlight gently warmed her skin. Lilting birdsong rang pleasantly in her ears. This area was the picture of peace; they hardly ever saw any monsters.

She walked through the forest a short way until she reached the river.

Peering down into the water’s surface, she found a familiar face reflected back at her.

Violet hair cut in a neat shoulder-length bob, and gentle, sleepy-looking eyes.

Fern dipped her bucket in the river and collected water, as if scooping up her own wavering reflection.

“There we go…”

The handle dug into her small fingers. Once filled with water, the bucket was so heavy she could scarcely lift it. It was all she could do to carry it back to the house. As her small frame rocked unsteadily back and forth, water splashed over the sides of the bucket and seeped into the ground.

Somehow, she managed to get back home.

When she entered the kitchen, Heiter was just emerging from his bedroom. He walked slowly, leaning on his cane. He must have just woken up, his white hair was still disheveled.

When Heiter spotted Fern, he smiled at her fondly, forming deep wrinkles in his cheeks.

“Good morning, Fern.”

“Good morning, Master Heiter.”

Fern put the bucket down with a heavy thud, sloshing more water onto the floor in the process. But Heiter, evidently unbothered, went on smiling serenely and patted Fern on the head. His bony hand, with fingers like withered branches, moved lightly so as not to muss her hair. Fern felt a funny twinge in her chest.

“Thank you for fetching the water,” Heiter said. “It must have been awfully heavy for you.”

“No, it was nothing.”

“What a strong girl. Shall we wash our faces, then?”

Heiter made the bucket float with magic, and together they headed to the washroom.

Fern was an orphan. She’d had nowhere to go after losing her family in the war. So she’d simply let the current carry her, even as it dragged her down, drawing her ever closer to death.

That was when Heiter had called out to her.

“It would be a waste to die now, if you ask me.”

And so, Heiter took Fern under his wing.

He gave her warm food and a clean bed. He also taught her the skills she needed to survive on her own. Heiter’s kindness slotted perfectly into the hole left in Fern’s heart after her parents died.

I feel so safe when I’m with Master Heiter.

Somewhere along the way, another thought formed in the back of Fern’s mind: I want to find a way to help him, too.

“Can you see that boulder over there?”

Heiter pointed into the distance with the hand that wasn’t holding his cane.

Fern gave a small nod, trembling at the steep drop in front of her. The boulder was on the other side of a ravine. It was a little higher than where they stood and was easy to pick out, serving as a kind of landmark.

“If you can shoot through that boulder,” said Heiter, “you’ll be fully fledged.”

“Fully fledged…”

Fern steadied her staff, taking care not to look down.

Unlike the cane Heiter carried to support his weight, this was a staff for using magic. Heiter had passed it down to her. It was taller than she was, which had made it difficult to hold at first. Nowadays, however, she could wield it quite comfortably.

Fern took aim at the distant boulder.

A ray of light burst from the end of her staff. However, it only traveled a short distance before losing momentum and dissipating into the wind. It hadn’t even made it halfway to the boulder. Fern’s shoulders slumped.

“That was excellent for a first try.” Heiter gently placed a hand on Fern’s head. “If you keep working hard, I’m sure you’ll be able to pierce it in due time.”

“…Understood.”

“Ready for today’s lesson, then?”

With that, their daily training began.

When Heiter first started teaching Fern magic, they dealt only in folk spells without much practical use. Slowly, however, she started learning magic that could be used in combat, and now she spent most of her lessons studying spells to help her protect herself.

Though Heiter knew a great deal about magic, he wasn’t really a mage—he was a priest. He specialized in healing wounds, breaking curses, and so on. Thus, spells for combat were never really his forte. Even so, Fern had no complaints about his teaching and respected him deeply.

“Master Heiter. How can I make my magic fly farther?”

“You’ve got the basics down, so for now you just need practice. Keep casting the same spells. Eventually, your range will improve.”

“I understand.”

Fern did as she was told.

By repeating the same motions over and over, she developed a stronger grasp on the technique. She sharpened her mana control and learned to unleash spells neatly, without any waste. Her magic grew stronger and more precise. And sure enough, her range slowly began to grow as well. By the time she ran out of mana, her spell could make it about halfway to the boulder.

“You’re improving very quickly.” Heiter sounded impressed. “You have a real talent for magic, Fern. I’m sure you’ll be an amazing mage one day.”

“Do you really think so?”

Although her response was neutral, inwardly Fern was quite pleased. Every time Heiter complimented her, she felt warmth spread in her chest.

“I’ll work even harder at training, then.”

“That’s the spirit. But don’t overdo it. You have plenty of time.”

After that, they took a break; once Fern’s mana recovered, they resumed training until the sun began to set. By then, even the height of the cliff that had once terrified Fern no longer fazed her.

Fern and Heiter started walking home. They stayed together on the path through the dimly lit forest. Fern was very tired, having used a lot of magic during the day.

“Koff, koff…” Suddenly, Heiter went into a coughing fit.

Fern stopped by his side and looked up at him. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry. It’s just getting a little cold out.”

He smiled at Fern, trying to reassure her, but Fern didn’t feel better at all.

Heiter wasn’t in very good health. He always said he was fine, but he would sometimes start coughing all of a sudden, or stagger over to a wall and lean against it. His appetite had decreased of late, too. This wasn’t due to illness, but because of his age. Yet that also meant there was no cure. They simply had to accept the situation as it was.

“You have plenty of time.”

Fern remembered Heiter’s words from earlier.

Yes, perhaps that was true for her. But…how much time does Master Heiter have left?

Just thinking about it scared her.

When they got home, it was time to prepare dinner.

Since Heiter was becoming increasingly frail, Fern had recently started cooking most of their meals. She’d taken on the task solely to repay her master, but to her surprise, she found it quite rewarding. Perhaps, more than cooking itself, she simply liked taking care of people.

When the food was ready, they sat down at the table across from each other and ate. That was how they always shared their meals.

“Master Heiter, make sure you finish your broccoli, please.”

At Fern’s words, Heiter froze. He’d pushed all the broccoli to one side of his plate.

“Did you know, Fern? Broccoli has almost no nutritional value, so you don’t actually have to eat it.”

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“You’re on to my tricks, eh?”

Now and then, Fern couldn’t help wondering if Heiter was truly a priest.

“Why do you tell such obvious lies?” she asked.

“That’s just what adults do.”

“I don’t think other adults do that, Master Heiter. It’s not good to be a picky eater, you know. Please eat your vegetables.”

“You’ve become quite the outspoken young lady…”

Resigned, Heiter brought the broccoli to his mouth. He chewed slowly, his face despondent. Maybe I should come up with a way to make it taste better next time, Fern thought, much like a mother planning her child’s meals.

Soon, they finished their dinner.

Once the dishes were clean, Heiter began boiling water. He made flames with magic, and soon the pot’s lid was rattling as the water bubbled beneath.

“Would you like some warm milk, Fern?”

“Yes, please… Actually, no. I’ll have the same thing as you, Master Heiter.”

“Really? If you insist, but I’m not sure it’ll be to your liking.”

“It’s fine.”

“Very well, then.” Heiter briskly poured each of them a cup of coffee. The aroma of the roasted beans wafted through the room. “Here you are.”

He placed a mug in front of Fern with a soft clunk. It was filled to the brim with dark liquid. Fern blew on it lightly a few times to cool it down so she wouldn’t burn her tongue, then she took a small sip.

“…It’s bitter.” Fern scrunched up her nose despite herself.

“Ha-ha-ha. Perhaps you’re still a little too young to appreciate it.”

Heiter chuckled, clearly amused. Growing a little cross, Fern puffed up her cheeks and pouted.

She’d tried to imitate Heiter in her rush to grow up. Unfortunately, it seemed she had failed. There was no point trying to fake maturity.

“Here, I’ll add some milk and sugar. Then you should be able to drink it, too.”

“…All right.” Fern reluctantly handed her mug back to Heiter.

It wasn’t that being treated like a child bothered her, necessarily. It was just that she wanted to prove herself fully fledged to Heiter as soon as she possibly could.

That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about her.

Fern couldn’t get to sleep that night, perhaps because of the coffee.

She was wide awake, tossing and turning on her bed. Despite her best efforts, she didn’t feel sleepy in the slightest. Finally, she decided to get up. She perused the bookshelf, holding up her lantern to each spine. History of Magic, Herbology, Barrier Arts… They were all books Heiter had provided in the hopes they might aid Fern in her studies. But they all seemed far too difficult, and Fern didn’t feel like attempting any of them.

Maybe if I had something warm to drink, like warm milk…that might make me sleepy. With this thought in mind, Fern carried her lantern into the hallway.

As she walked toward the kitchen, she saw the door to Heiter’s bedroom cracked open, with light spilling out. Evidently, he was still awake, too. Fern peered through the gap in the doorway and saw him sitting at his desk, facing away from her and reading a book. His hunched shoulders moved slightly with each turn of the page.

It felt rude to spy on him in silence, so Fern went inside. Heiter turned around without rising from his chair.

“Oh dear, are you still awake?” he asked.

“I can’t sleep…” Fern put her lantern down on a shelf and approached Heiter’s desk. “What were you reading?”

“The grimoire of Ewig the Sage.” Heiter showed the book to Fern.

Fern had imagined a dense tome packed with tiny text, but it actually contained a great number of pictures. Fern couldn’t tell what any of them were supposed to be, though. It was hard to tell if some of the images were complex diagrams or simply stains on the paper.

“Is it…a picture book?” she asked.

“It’s a cipher. The pictures are used to make the contents harder to understand. As for what it says… Well, it’s likely nothing of any great import. I was just trying to decode it to pass the time.” Heiter closed the book with a light clap. “More importantly, if you can’t sleep, shall I tell you a story from my adventuring days?”

“Yes, please.”

Fern was already taking a seat on Heiter’s bed.

Heiter was once a member of the Hero Party that defeated the Demon King. He was a great priest whose name had been etched into history. Fern loved hearing the tales of his glory days.

He prefaced every story with a warning: “My memories are all quite silly, you know.” Nonetheless, he always seemed to enjoy speaking about them. Whenever Fern saw his face light up as he described an adventure, she found herself thinking, I’d like to go on a journey, too, someday.

“…And then we finally reached the innermost chamber of the dungeon. Everyone was bruised and battered, and we’d barely had anything to eat for a solid week. And when we found the treasure chest there, what do you suppose was inside it?”

“Maybe…gold and silver?”

“It was a grimoire for the ‘spell that polishes your nails till they shine.’ Since we’d come all that way, we tried it out. And then, even though we were all worn out with our clothes in tatters, we emerged from the dungeon with all our fingernails sparkling clean.”

Fern nearly burst out laughing. It really was a silly story. It was so silly and so fun that it was hard to believe this same party defeated the Demon King.

“I’d like to hear more stories about your travels,” she said.

“Yes, of course.”

Heiter went on in a hushed, unhurried voice, as if recounting a fairy tale.

He told her about the time they were nearly executed by the king, the first time they defeated a dragon, the time the party was almost wiped out…

Fern wanted to go on listening forever, but soon an irresistible sleepiness came over her, and her head slumped to one side. Catching herself, she sat up with a start, only for her head to start drifting downward again.

Unable to fight it any longer, Fern lay down on the bed. That way, she could keep listening to Heiter’s stories in comfort. But before long, her eyelids grew heavy, and then…

“Good night, Fern.”

She didn’t remember anything after those words.

When she woke up, she was back in her own room. She was lying in bed, with sunlight streaming in through the window onto her face.

She must have fallen asleep the night before while listening to Heiter’s stories. She’d even made him carry her back to her room.

As her memories cleared, she began to blush with embarrassment. At this rate, she would never be fully fledged.

Fern smacked her cheeks lightly, squishing her face.

I’m going to put extra effort into my training today, she decided.

After lunch, just as they were finishing up the dishes, there was a brisk knock at the door.

Fern wiped her hands with a towel and moved to answer it, but Heiter stood up first.

“I’ll get it,” he said.

When Heiter opened the door, he found an elderly lady with a hunched back, carrying a basket on one arm. As soon as she saw Heiter, she pressed a hand to her mouth, as if overcome with emotion.

“You haven’t changed one bit…” The woman clasped Heiter’s hand, words of gratitude already tumbling from her mouth, one after another.

This wasn’t the first time they’d had such a guest.

Back in the day, the Hero Party had helped people wherever they went. Sometimes, people they’d saved would come to give thanks, even many years later. While it had nothing to do with Fern, she always felt proud to see people holding Heiter in such high esteem.

“Please, come in and have a seat.” Heiter made room and beckoned the woman inside.

Fern promptly began preparing a pot of tea. She’d learned from watching Heiter that this was the proper way to treat a guest. By now, she was an expert at brewing black tea.

When Fern carried two mugs to the table, the old woman exclaimed in admiration. “Oh my, thank you, dearie! What a sweet little girl. A granddaughter, perhaps?”

“No, I’m Master Heiter’s, erm…” Fern tried and failed to finish the sentence.

What am I to Master Heiter, exactly?

To Fern, Heiter was her savior, her teacher, and essentially her adoptive parent.

But…how did Heiter think of her?

As Fern lapsed into silence, Heiter came to her rescue once again.

“Her name is Fern, and she’s my…well, my best pupil and apprentice, I suppose.”

“Oh, I see. Will you be a priest, too, little miss Fern?”

“Not exactly,” said Heiter. “She has great potential as a mage.”

“My, how wonderful.” Suddenly, the old woman took Fern’s hands and looked her directly in the eyes. “I’m sure you’ll grow up to be a splendid mage, dear.”

It happened so quickly that Fern was caught off guard. She mumbled a quick thank-you and fled back into the kitchen.

Once she was alone, she replayed Heiter’s words in her head.

“My best pupil and apprentice, I suppose.”

I see. So I’m Master Heiter’s apprentice…? She wasn’t sure if that felt right to her or not. It was hard to tell whether that single word really summed up their entire relationship. Heiter hadn’t sounded too sure, either, so she couldn’t take his words at face value. Still, she had to admit it had a nice ring to it.

After a while, Fern heard the front door open and shut. The elderly woman must have left.

Heiter came into the kitchen, carrying the now-empty mugs.

“Thank you for making tea,” he said. “It was delicious.”

“It was no trouble at all.”

Heiter placed the mugs in the sink. Then, abruptly, he addressed her in a formal tone. “Fern.”

Fern braced herself, wondering what in the world he was about to say.

“You have the potential to be an incredible mage.”

She’d heard those same words only a few moments ago. And many times before, too.

“But because I am a priest, there is only so much I can teach you. Someday, if a good mage appears before you, I hope you’ll ask them to take you on as a student right away.”

Why would he say that out of nowhere?

Confused, Fern nodded, and Heiter smiled gently at her like always.

Soon, summer came.

The soft warmth of spring gave way to harsh, glaring sunrays that mercilessly seared Fern’s skin. When she stood on the cliff across from the big boulder, a cool breeze would occasionally blow past, stealing some of the heat from her sweaty body. It felt so good that she couldn’t help rolling up her clothes each time the wind came, even though it was terribly unladylike behavior.

Of course, she was still training hard, come rain, wind, or sweltering heat. But the hot weather was hard on Master Heiter’s health, so recently Fern had been training alone. Since she was mostly just practicing the same spells over and over, it wasn’t really necessary for Heiter to watch her. In fact, Fern preferred for him to stay inside and rest rather than expose himself to such awful conditions.

Fern took aim at the boulder and unleashed her spell.

A flash of light streaked through the air.

“……”

Her magic was certainly traveling farther than before. But recently, her range had been slow to improve. How many years would it take for her spell to reach the boulder?

“I’ve got to work harder.”

Tightening her grip on her staff, Fern threw herself into her training.

Eventually, she ran out of mana and decided to rest in the shade of a tree. She placed her staff down beside her and leaned back against the trunk. As she sat idly waiting for her mana to recover, she heard a small drip above her head. It was the sound of a water droplet falling on a leaf. Drip, drip… The sound grew more insistent. Then, an instant later, a roar filled the air, like endless buckets of water being overturned in the heavens.

It was a sudden downpour.

Since she was tucked beneath a tree, Fern didn’t get soaked. The sky, which had seemed so clear earlier, was now covered with thick clouds. Fern drew her knees up to her chest and decided to wait for the storm to pass. An evening shower like this was sure to dry up quickly.

The scent of damp dirt seeped up from the earth. While the birdsong had ceased, a frog chorus rose up in its stead. The wind grew damp, carrying with it a slight chill.

A yawn escaped Fern’s lips. She was getting sleepy.

There was still time before sunset. She could afford to take a little nap. By the time she woke up, the rain would probably have stopped.

With that thought in mind, Fern quietly closed her eyes.

When she awoke, the last remnants of sunset had dyed the sky a brilliant red.

“…I overslept.”

Fern stood up and stretched. Her mana had recovered, but now there was hardly any time left for training. Unplanned naps never work out well, she lamented.

Thinking she could at least practice until the sun had set completely, she dropped her gaze to the ground.

“Huh?”

The staff she’d set there was missing.

She quickly scanned her surroundings, but it was nowhere to be found.

The blood drained from her face.

The precious staff Master Heiter gave me is gone… I lost it…!

Fighting down her rising panic, Fern looked around again with increasing desperation. This time, she noticed marks on the ground leading toward the forest, as though something had been dragged that way. If the earth hadn’t been muddy from the rain, she might never have noticed.

Perhaps the marks would lead her to her staff. Hoping against hope, Fern followed them.

The trail led deeper into the forest. The rain had left the air laden with the heady scent of wood, and there were puddles all over the path.

“Ah!”

Soon, Fern spotted her staff.

It was closer than she’d thought—but her relief only lasted a moment, for she soon noticed the large ratlike creature dragging it along. If she remembered right, the creature was a pest that gnawed pieces of wood, then used them to make its nest. At this rate, it would take her staff home and chew it up into little pieces.

“P-please give it back.” Fern ran over and grabbed the staff with both hands.

In response, the rodent raised all the fur on its body, still grasping the staff in its teeth. It huffed out a grunt, trying to intimidate her. Fern quailed a little, but she stubbornly held on, refusing to let go.

“Nngh…!”

It was hard to stand firm when the ground was so muddy. Still, she kept pulling for all she was worth, until finally the staff popped free from the rodent’s mouth.

“Wah!”

All of a sudden, Fern was gazing up at the sky.

Oh, look, the first star is out…, she thought absently.

An instant later, she fell backward onto the muddy ground with a splat!

Having lost the tug-of-war, the rodent skittered away.

“Ha-ha-ha. So that’s why you were covered in mud, eh?”

Heiter sat at the dinner table, laughing heartily.

“This is no laughing matter…”

Though she’d managed to recover the staff, cleaning it and her clothes proved more difficult. The mud clinging to her clothing was especially stubborn. If there’s a “spell that cleans every speck of mud off your clothes,” I’d give anything to learn it, she thought emphatically as she scrubbed away.

“Now, now. At least you found the staff, right?”

“But now there are bite marks on it.”

“I’m sure we can fix that up in a jiffy.” Heiter perked up, like he’d been struck with divine inspiration. “Oh, I know! Why don’t we go into town? We can get the staff repaired and do a little shopping while we’re at it.”

“Are you sure it won’t be too much walking for you? And what about my training…?”

“A short stroll won’t hurt. And you really must take a break once in a while, Fern.”

As much as Fern hated to miss a day of training, she couldn’t bring herself to rain on Heiter’s parade when he looked so excited.

“Yes, I suppose so,” she answered.

The very next day, Fern and Heiter called for a carriage and headed into town.

It had been a long time since they’d gone out shopping. There were rows upon rows of stalls selling all manner of meat and vegetables, with the merchants merrily raising their voices to compete for customers. On the tavern’s terrace, adults were drinking and chatting away cheerfully. Fern was a little taken aback by how many people there were, and how much noise they were making.

First, Fern and Heiter went to get the staff repaired. According to a craftsman at the shop, the marks could be buffed out in just a few hours, so they decided to go shopping in the interim.

Fern moved slowly, matching Heiter’s pace. As they walked, her eyes wandered over the many stalls lining the streets. She could see sparkling accessories, adorable little goods and sundries, expensive-looking medicines… She could get plenty of enjoyment just from looking at it all.

“Oh…” Fern stopped short. Her eyes were fixed on a red ribbon decorating a sales board.

“Hm? Do you want that ribbon?”

“No, we mustn’t waste money…”

“Children don’t need to worry about such things. Here, let me buy it for you.”

Heiter haggled with the merchant, handed over a few copper coins, and received the ribbon. Then he stooped down next to Fern and tied it into her hair.

The merchant helpfully brought over a mirror. Fern looked at her hair and saw the large red ribbon tied in a bow on one side.

“It looks wonderful on you,” Heiter said.

Fern felt a pleasant little twinge in her heart, just like when he patted her head.

After that, they went to a restaurant for a meal.

Fern ordered a hamburger steak, while Heiter requested a ruf-omelette. He explained that it was the Hero’s favorite food. Heiter’s eyes crinkled as he ate, as though he was revisiting a fond memory.

“What is your favorite food, Master Heiter?” asked Fern.

“Mine? Hm, I’m not sure… My favorite drink is booze, of course.”

“It is?”

Fern hadn’t known that. She’d never seen Heiter drink alcohol before.

…Or maybe I did, just once. Fern thought back to the day Heiter had saved her when she had been about to throw her life away. Had that been a bottle of alcohol in his hand?

“You don’t drink it anymore?” she asked.

“No, I gave that up. Although…they say that a little drink is the best medicine. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad once in a while, eh?”

Heiter’s throat bobbed a little.

Fern didn’t know much about alcohol. She’d been told that drinking too much was bad for your health, but she thought maybe a small amount could be good for you.

“Why don’t you try it? I want you to stay healthy, Master Heiter.”

Heiter looked a bit conflicted for a moment, then laughed the matter off. “No, I think I’ll abstain for now. I can drink whenever I want.”

“Really…? All right, then…”

After they finished their meal, they went clothes shopping at Heiter’s suggestion. He claimed that since Fern was in her “growing period,” they should be proactive about getting her new clothes. Sure enough, she had noticed that many of her outfits seemed short lately. They went around to various shops and bought plenty of clothes for the fall.

When they were done, they returned to the staff maker’s shop.

The staff looked brand-new when the craftsman returned it to them; the marks were gone without a trace, and they’d also improved its mana conductivity. This made Fern even happier than receiving the ribbon.

In the carriage on the way home, Fern felt an irresistible urge to sleep, and she dozed off leaning against Heiter’s shoulder. The carriage ride was too bumpy to get much rest, but Fern was surprisingly comfortable.

All in all, it was a very good day.

The next morning, Heiter collapsed.

“Ha-ha-ha. I must have picked up a cold in town along with our purchases.”

“This is no laughing matter…”

Heiter was resting in bed, a damp towel across his forehead.

Earlier, he’d taken a tumble. While he had stood up right away, he still had a terrible fever. If a seasoned priest like Heiter said it was only a cold, then surely he was right. Even so, Fern was worried.

A common cold had to be difficult for someone of Heiter’s age. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have collapsed.

“I’ll be fine, really,” he insisted. “More importantly, shouldn’t you be training today?”

Normally, Fern would have started training long ago. And while the idea of leaving Heiter alone made her anxious, even if she stayed, the most she could do for him was change out his towel.

In the end, she headed out. She trained the same way as always: shooting spells toward the big boulder. But today, her range was worse than usual. Her spells only grew slower and shakier with each attempt.

She was too concerned about Heiter to focus properly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the fear from her mind. Trying to forget only made things worse. In the end, she didn’t get much done.

The next day was more of the same.

Heiter’s health didn’t seem to be improving. It had been three days since he got sick, and his fever still hadn’t gone down. At night, Fern could hear him coughing through the wall, and she felt her heart begin to fray at the edges.

“A cold can last quite a while when you get to be my age,” said Heiter. “It’s perfectly normal.”

But Fern didn’t know if she could believe him. And so, on the morning of the fourth day since Heiter’s collapse, Fern made up her mind.

“Master Heiter. I’m going out to train now.”

“All right. Do your best, as always.”

When she left the house, Fern went in a different direction from the cliff by the boulder where she always trained.

The night before, she’d read the herbology book, hoping to find some way to help Heiter. As she struggled through the intimidatingly dense text, she eventually discovered an herb that was effective against colds and happened to grow in their region. According to the book, it was abundant in areas of high elevation.

Luckily, there was a mountain nearby. If she left first thing in the morning, Fern was sure she could find the herb and be home by sundown. And so, she skipped her usual training session and went to look for the herb instead.

This meant breaking her promise with Heiter not to go too far on her own, but hopefully he would overlook her transgression if she brought him the healing herb.

Fern ventured through the forest, staff in hand, traveling east as fast as she could.

In no time at all, she was at the foot of the mountain.

She started up the trail. The steep incline chipped away at her stamina very quickly. Beads of sweat trickled down her face and dripped from her chin. The summer sun beat down on her accusingly, and her staff felt like lead in her hands.

She slowly worked her way up the slope, taking periodic breaks. Eventually, when she was halfway up the mountain, she decided to stop and have lunch. She’d told Heiter that she would eat her meal outside today. They were already eating separately so she wouldn’t catch his cold, so he hadn’t been suspicious.

Fern sat atop a boulder and munched on her bread. Although it wasn’t a particularly tall mountain, the view was beautiful.

“Oh…!”

When Fern glanced downward, she spotted the herb she was looking for growing on the side of the mountain. It was a long, narrow plant with tiny yellow flowers.

What a stroke of luck. She hadn’t expected to find it so soon.

Fern put down her things and slowly descended the slope. She moved cautiously, making sure she didn’t slip. Each time pebbles tumbled away beneath her feet, her anxiety grew.

Somehow, she made it safely down to the area with the herbs.

She pulled up four or five of the plants and put them in her pocket. Then, with her goal accomplished, she climbed back up the slope. It would be so nice to know how to use flying magic at times like these, she thought.

Once she reached the spot where she’d left her belongings, she collected them and started back down the mountain path.

All that was left was to head home.

About an hour had passed since she descended from the mountain.

“Where in the world am I…?”

Fern was now thoroughly lost in the forest.

She regretted not planning her route back more carefully. On her way out, she’d simply had to head toward the ever-visible mountain, so there was no risk of losing her way. It hadn’t occurred to her how difficult it would be to walk straight back through the forest without any landmarks to guide her.

The sun was still high.

I just need to keep walking. If she didn’t make it back before sundown, Heiter would worry.

Since she’d traveled east to get to the mountain, that meant she had to go west. Using the position of the sun to make a rough guess, Fern started walking again.

The scenery around her never seemed to change. She’d been walking since morning, and her feet were starting to ache.

Clunk. The top of her staff knocked against something.

Seconds later, that something dropped to the ground beside her.

Fern stopped and turned around. When she saw what had fallen, she nearly screamed.

It was a beehive.

Bzzzzzz. There was an ominous hum of wings, then a swarm of bees flew out from the hive.

Panicked, Fern fled as fast as she could. She didn’t want to get stung. Forgetting the pain in her feet, she ran for all she was worth.

After a while, Fern started slowing down. That should be far enough, she thought—and immediately tripped on a branch and fell flat on her face.

“Oof!”

The front of her body hit the ground hard. Weeds tickled the tip of her nose.

Fern all but peeled herself off the ground, rising slowly and carefully. Noticing a sting of pain, she looked down and saw that her knee was scraped and bleeding.

The one-two punch of pain and exhaustion nearly broke Fern’s spirit.

“…I’ve got to pull it together.”

Steadying herself, Fern stood up. Then, slowly, she started walking again.

Her journey home didn’t get any easier after that. She hit her head on branches, got her clothes stuck in bushes, tripped on rocks and fell… They say misfortune comes in threes, but she felt like she’d more than doubled that by now.

Still, she’d found the herb. If she could bring it to Heiter, it would be well worth all the trouble. With that one thought in mind, Fern forced herself to keep walking.

Finally, when the sun had set and the moon had begun its ascent…

She finally, finally made it back to a familiar path.

She’d missed sundown by a long shot. It was already getting dark. Still, she’d somehow made it this far. Before long, she would be back home, safe and sound. And then she would give the herbs to Heiter.

Yes, the herbs…

“Huh?”

Fern felt around in her pocket. No matter how she searched, her fingertips couldn’t find what she was looking for.

Maybe I put them in a different pocket, she thought. Stopping in her tracks, Fern searched every pocket she had. But the herbs were nowhere to be found.

“……”

She didn’t even want to entertain the thought, but…she must have dropped them.

When had it happened? When the bees were chasing her? When she fell? When she forced her way through a thicket?

She could think of any number of possibilities.

Fern was overcome with despair. She had neither the will nor the energy to turn back now. All she could do was keep trudging toward home.

Heiter sat up in bed and touched a hand to his forehead.

His fever had gone down. Better yet, his body—which had felt heavier than a sandbag these past few days—was more or less back to normal. His throat was still a little scratchy, but the pain had eased at last. It seemed the worst of his cold was finally over.

Heiter heaved a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. Now she won’t have to worry about me anymore…

Heiter stood up and stretched. A satisfying cracking sound issued from his spine.

The sun had just about set.

Fern must be done with her training by now. She should be returning home any minute.

Heiter headed to the living room and lit a lamp. Since he’d finally recovered from his cold, he decided to make dinner for a change and went into the kitchen. Though his hands had grown shakier with age, he managed to make a pot of stew just fine.

Now he just had to wait for Fern.

Thirty minutes passed, then an hour…and still, Fern didn’t come back.

Heiter left the house and used his cane to walk to the cliff overlooking the boulder where Fern usually trained. Perhaps she’d simply lost track of time. But there was no sign of her. He checked a few other likely spots, such as the river where they washed laundry and the rocky area where Fern liked to meditate, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Where could she have gone…?”

For the time being, Heiter headed back home.

If she doesn’t show up soon, I’ll have to start searching more seriously. But the moment that thought entered his mind, he heard a sound at the door.

Heiter went straight to the entryway. Fern was standing just inside.

Relieved, he touched a hand to his heart. “I was worried, you know. Where have you been all this…?”

He trailed off as he noticed the state Fern was in. Her clothes were completely covered in dirt, and there were leaves sticking out of her hair.

“What in the world happened? You look awfully worn out…”

“…Have you recovered from your cold, Master Heiter?”

Puzzled by the strain in Fern’s voice, Heiter answered anyway. “Well, yes. As you can see, I’m right as rain now.”

“I see… Thank goodness.”

With that, the exhausted Fern began to explain.

She told him how she’d gone searching for herbs, gotten lost, and then dropped the herbs somewhere along the way.

When she finished, Fern hung her head. A few of the leaves in her hair fluttered to the floor.

“Master Heiter…”

Fern clutched her clothes tightly with both hands. It was a surprisingly childish gesture for someone who always tried so hard to act mature.

“I…want to get stronger.” She spoke haltingly, her words quiet yet full of conviction. “I want to hurry up and become fully fledged…so that you don’t have to…”

Heiter gently placed a hand on Fern’s lowered head. “Not to worry, my dear. You’re already doing a wonderful job.”

As he gently patted her, he could feel the tension drain from her body.

It didn’t matter that Fern had dropped the herbs, and wouldn’t have even if he was still sick. The truth was that Fern had already given Heiter plenty of strength to go on living.

“Now, then!” Heiter spoke brightly to dispel the last of the gloom. “You must be hungry, hmm? Let’s have dinner, shall we?”

“…All right.”

Fern raised her head. At last, her expression began to soften.

Heiter’s stew was scrumptious.

The pillow-soft potatoes and carrots settled perfectly into Fern’s empty stomach. Her hunger coupled with bone-deep exhaustion caused her to shovel spoonful after spoonful into her mouth, as if in a trance.

When she happened to glance up, her eyes met Heiter’s. He was gazing at her and grinning from ear to ear.

“…Is there something on my face?” she asked.

“No, no. I’m just happy to see you enjoying my cooking so much, that’s all. For an old man like me, there’s nothing more nourishing than watching a child gobble up food.”

Hearing that only made Fern feel strangely self-conscious, and she found it difficult to keep eating with him watching her. But something else was bothering her even more.

“Aren’t you angry with me, Master Heiter?”

“Angry? Why?”

“I lied to you and went farther away than I’m supposed to. You must have been worried sick.”

“Oh, that’s no big deal. You made it home safe and sound, so why should I be angry?”

As she sighed in relief, something occurred to Fern. “…Actually, Master Heiter, do you ever get angry?”

“Why, of course I do. During our journey, I lost my temper all the time.”

“Really? I find that hard to believe…”

“Well, the others were all so hopeless, it was hard not to get fed up with them.”

For all his bluster, Heiter looked happy as he reminisced about his traveling companions. Fern found herself smiling along with him.

“Fern.” Once they finished the stew, Heiter called to Fern, his tone oddly formal. “If you ever go on a journey of your own, you really ought to have companions with you.”

“You mean…” For a moment, Fern felt a sinking feeling in her chest. “Because I couldn’t handle it on my own?”

“No, no.” Heiter smiled, still fondly thinking of the past. “Because life is much more fun with someone by your side.”

Fern giggled.

He’s certainly right about that.

Chapter 2. How I Became A Hero

“I knew you weren’t cut out for this.”

A voice dripping with disappointment spoke from above.

The boy lying flat on the ground forced his limbs to move and managed to clamber to his feet. He was clearly exhausted, covered in dirt from head to toe, and the blisters on his palms had burst. His face, still somewhat soft and childlike, was bruised where he’d been hit with a wooden sword.

His name was Stark, and he lived in a village of warriors.

Still out of breath, Stark picked up his wooden sword again.

He raised his head to meet the sharp, narrow gaze of the man standing over him—his father. He was glaring down at Stark, his expression harsh and reproving. Stark felt his wrath and irritation with painful clarity.

Though his hands were shaking, Stark gritted his teeth. “I—I can still…”

“You’ve already made the extent of your abilities very clear. Don’t disgrace yourself any further.” Stark’s father turned his back and started to walk away. Then, without sparing his son a glance, he paused and added one more cold remark: “A real warrior knows when to admit defeat.”

Just like that, Stark was left alone. With the last of his strength gone, he let his shoulders drop and fell to his knees, hunkering down like an abandoned puppy.

“Boy, he really kicked your ass, huh?” said someone from behind.

Stark turned around and saw a pure white cape fluttering in the breeze. It was his older brother, Stoltz.

“Elder Brother…”

Stoltz knelt in front of Stark and looked him in the eyes. Then he patted him on the head. “Are you okay?”

“…No. It’s hopeless. At this rate, I’ll never be able to fight monsters or demons…”

“Don’t worry.” Stoltz smiled. “You don’t need to rush to get stronger. If any monsters or demons attack you, I’ll…”

Clunk. The carriage jolted. One of the wheels must have gone over a rock.

Stark, who’d been sleeping in the back, woke up with a start.

“…Just a dream.”

He sat up and yawned, stretching his arms to loosen up the stiffened joints. His back ached from sleeping on the hard wooden surface.

The horse-drawn carriage was traveling down a road that ran alongside a ravine. Above, the clear blue sky stretched in all directions. It was probably around midday, and Stark was getting hungry.

Usually, he’d be preparing lunch with his master by now, but those days were over.

Stark had just left his master—Eisen the warrior—a few days ago. They’d parted on bad terms: Stark didn’t have the courage to fight monsters, and Eisen had grown impatient with him, so they’d argued. In the end, Eisen struck him, and Stark all but ran away with his tail between his legs. The spot where his master had hit him still stung.

Stark didn’t intend to return to Eisen. He was too ashamed. Besides, his master must be utterly fed up with him now. Instead, he’d wandered around aimlessly until a father and son working as horsekeepers picked him up on their way to the nearest village. He was now riding in their carriage.

“That’s it, just hold the reins nice and loose. Don’t be nervous.”

“O-okay.”

Voices drifted back to Stark from the front of the carriage.

Stark turned around and sat up on his knees. Poking his head out from the pile of hay, he could see the man and his young son sitting side by side. The little boy was holding the reins.

“What do I do if I want to stop?” he asked.

“Just pull. Uh-oh, don’t do it right now, though. We can practice some more later.”

“Is it hard?”

“Nah, it’s real easy. You’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

Evidently, the man was teaching his son how to steer a horse.

Maybe snippets of their conversation were to blame for Stark dreaming of his own father. He was a little envious of their easy back-and-forth.

Just then, the father noticed Stark. “Oh, good, you’re awake. We’ll be arriving at the village soon.”

“All right. Thanks.”

When the man kept squinting at Stark’s face, Stark began to feel uncomfortable and furrowed his brow.

“…Why’re you staring at me?” he asked.

“You’re Mr. Eisen’s apprentice, aren’t ya?”

“Uh…yeah. How’d you know?”

“Thought so. Seen you walking around with him before.”

While Stark might not be memorable on his own, Eisen was a member of the Hero Party that had defeated the Demon King. Their epic journey had finished decades ago, but the group was still famous around here.

“You running some errands?” asked the man. “How come Mr. Eisen’s not with you today?”

“…Please don’t talk about my master. We got into a fight.”

“Going through a rebellious phase, eh?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Wonder if my son will be the same someday…”

“You’re not even listening to me…”

The carriage clattered over a bridge leading across the ravine. Sometime after that, a few houses came into view, and before long, they had arrived at the village.

Stark thanked the man and his son for the ride and hopped down from the carriage.

“Let’s see…”

Might as well get some grub first, he decided, and set off.

It was a small village, but there was an inn and a tavern. It might be a nice place to stay for a while. He could find a job and earn enough money to get by. Surely even Stark could manage a little farmwork.

There was just one problem.

“This village seems kinda gloomy…”

Everyone he saw was scurrying around as if they feared for their life. The villagers all had their mouths sealed in a grim line, and the atmosphere was unnaturally quiet. There were no children playing in the streets, no women gossiping by the well—not a hint of hustle or bustle.

“Was there a funeral today or something?” Stark tilted his head in confusion.

As he stood there perplexed, an elderly man walked up to him. “Are you an adventurer, lad?”

“Huh? No, not really…”

“Hrm. Well, it don’t matter much. I wouldn’t stay in this village long if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“It’s coming, that’s why.”

“What is?”

The second Stark voiced the question, the old man’s eyes went wide, and his lips trembled. Then he staggered backward and sank to the ground.

“Huh? What’s going on, old man?”

“It’s here…”

“Come on, what’s here?!”

As if in answer, a great roar came from somewhere behind Stark, shaking the very ground beneath his feet. Screams rose throughout the village, and the elderly man fled, still on his hands and knees.

Stark had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. Slowly, holding his breath, he turned around.

A dragon had landed right in the middle of the village.

It had smooth crimson scales and claws that looked sharp enough to slash through iron. It towered over nearby houses. So this is what the old man meant, Stark thought.

I’d better run for it.

How unlucky could he be? The thing had shown up the second he arrived. There was no question of who would win if he tried to fight the beast. Luckily, the dragon hadn’t noticed him yet. He still had time to run and hide somewhere safe.

But just then, Stark caught sight of something: a little boy and an old woman, cowering right next to the dragon.

Stark stopped mid-stride. What would happen if he left them there? They wouldn’t escape unscathed, that was for sure. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone else who could fight.

Inexperienced as he was, Stark was still a warrior.

These villagers were complete strangers to him; he didn’t even know their names. But Stark couldn’t bring himself to abandon them. Fighting the urge to flee, Stark ran toward the dragon. He grabbed the axe from his back and stood right in front of the beast, staring it down.

“I’ll take you on,” he said.

The dragon emitted a low growl as it glowered down at Stark. Its powerful breath struck his face, hot enough to scald his skin. Up close, it seemed even larger. Stark began to regret his decision to stay.

The dragon’s pupils narrowed to slits. It raised its front leg, and its huge talons glittered balefully, blotting out the sun.

It was going to strike.

Yep. I’m dead.

Stark sensed his impending demise.

But instead of attacking him, the dragon merely struck the nearest house. For a while, it went on menacing Stark, its eyes never leaving him. Then it took off into the sky as if its work was done.

Sweat poured down Stark’s skin. He was gripping his axe tighter than he’d realized, and his legs were shaking. He’d truly expected to die.

“I-I’m alive…”

Finally, he let his shoulders slump. He didn’t know why the dragon had spared his life, but somehow, he’d survived. What he did know was that he never wanted to go through something like that again.

Stark shouldered his axe. Turning around, he saw the old woman comforting the sobbing little boy. They were both unharmed, but their expressions remained uneasy. The little boy, especially, was trembling with terror.

“It’s all right, we’re all right now…,” said the woman, stroking the boy’s hair. Still, he kept crying.

Stark walked over to them and knelt down to look into the boy’s eyes. “The dragon went away. You’re safe now.”

“But…it might come back…,” said the boy, sobbing even harder.

Stark was flustered. He’d only made things worse. Had his scary face frightened the boy?

“H-hey, c’mon, don’t cry. The dragon’s not gonna…”

Just then, Stark remembered the dream he’d had in the carriage.

His younger self had been curled up in a ball, grumbling after a harsh training session. His older brother Stoltz’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Don’t worry.”

For just a second, the boy in front of him blurred into that memory of his younger, feebler self.

What was it my brother said to me back then?

Stark searched his memories as he placed his hand gently on the boy’s head.

“It’s all right,” he said as firmly as he could muster. “If the dragon comes back, I’ll get rid of it for you. So you don’t need to worry.”

The boy sniffled and gazed up at Stark. “…Really?”

“Yeah. I’m stronger than I look, y’know.” He grinned broadly.

Just like that, the boy’s face flooded with relief and admiration. The old woman next to him broke into a smile, too, and gave a deep bow of gratitude.

“Thank you so much,” she said. “I don’t know how we can ever repay you…”

“It’s fine, no big deal.”

“By the way…who are you, kind sir?”

Stark stood up. Glancing around, he realized that the other villagers had emerged from their hiding places and were gazing at Stark imploringly. Just like the little boy, they must have been afraid that the dragon would come back.

Wanting to reassure them, Stark raised his voice. “My name is Stark. I’m…the top apprentice of Eisen, the greatest warrior in the world.”

Shouts and cheers rose from the crowd. Hope spread from person to person, like ripples across a pond. It seemed to revive the villagers, bringing light back into their eyes.

“We’re safe as long as Sir Stark is here!” one of them cried.

And just like that, a triumphant mood overtook their fear. The villagers, who had been cowering just moments ago, all crowded around Stark, showering him with praise. Instead of a funeral, it now felt like he’d stumbled upon a festival.

Stark smiled back at the grateful villagers. But inside, he only had one thought: Now what am I going to do…?

Stark opened the door to the tavern, making the bell above jangle and clang.

It was almost dinnertime, and it was crowded inside. Lively chatter filled the space, and servers bustled around with plates and tankards. Stark found an open spot at the counter and sat down.

Behind the bar, the tavern keeper, a man with his white hair neatly smoothed back, came over. “The usual all right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Stark was already a regular here. The tavern keeper relayed his order to the cook in the galley, and Stark took another look around the place. He found no trace of the gloominess he’d sensed when he first arrived. Everyone was happily enjoying their meals.

A waitress carried a tray over to Stark and placed a meat pie and a cake before him.

“Huh? I didn’t order any cake…”

“It’s on the house. After all, today marks one year since you first came to our village, Sir Stark.”

“Oh yeah? I didn’t realize.”

Has it been that long already? Stark marveled at the swift passage of time.

“You hear that, everyone?” bellowed a red-faced man sitting nearby. “It’s been exactly a year since Sir Stark showed up!”

Immediately, the other customers dropped their conversations and turned to look at him.

“Now that’s a real special occasion. Time to celebrate!”

“We couldn’t drink and be merry like this if it weren’t for Sir Stark.”

“A toast to Sir Stark, hero of the village!”

“Cheers!”

The other villagers raised their tankards and glasses. Stark felt his stomach twist as he forced a smile.

A year had passed, and the dragon was still living nearby. Nothing had changed since Stark arrived. But his presence had brought an air of peace to the village. The villagers believed that, as long as Stark was around, the dragon wouldn’t attack them.

Well, all except for one.

“Harrumph… All this fuss over one snot-nosed brat.”

A dour voice instantly soured the cheerful mood. Stark looked over to see an old man at the far end of the counter. His brow was creased unpleasantly, and he was nursing a beer as if each sip tasted worse than the last.

“C’mon, Mr. Vance,” someone said. “No need to be rude. Sir Stark protected our village from the dragon, y’know.”

“Poppycock. For all we know, the dragon left on a whim.”

“Then why has it stayed away for a whole year?”

“Here’s a better question: Why hasn’t that little brat gone out and killed it yet? The answer’s plain as day. It’s ’cause there’s nothing special about him, and that’s the truth.”

The other villager frowned. “Stubborn old man,” he muttered, clearly at a loss for a better comeback.

The celebratory mood had now cooled considerably, but the customer who’d raised the toast walked over to Stark with a friendly smile. “Don’t you mind him none, Sir Stark. That old man’s just gone grouchy from being alone for so long.”

“S-sure.”

Stark felt guilty. The old man, Vance, was completely right. Stark didn’t believe for a second that he could beat the dragon. But he wasn’t brave enough to admit the truth, either.

Stark had no idea why the dragon hadn’t attacked them yet, but the fact was, he’d now become a beacon of hope for the village. And now, there was only one thing he could do: work as hard as possible to turn his lie into the truth.

Stark’s training began at the break of dawn.

He went to a sheer cliff outside the village and faced it with his axe in both hands. Then he took a deep breath, focused his strength just below his navel, and prepared to attack.

Finally, he jumped toward the cliff face and swung down his axe with all his might.

An ear-splitting boom echoed through his surroundings. Ripples raced across the surface of the nearby lake, and all the birds in the surrounding trees took flight at once. He’d left a deep gash in the cliffside, and pebbles came crumbling down from above.

Stark heaved a sigh.

“Still not enough…”

He doubted he could pierce the dragon’s tough scales with his current strength. His attacks still needed more force.

Stark continued his training all morning. He trained his muscles and swung his axe over and over. Soon, it was nearly lunchtime.

As Stark sat down on a nearby boulder to take a short break, he spotted a boy’s face peering out of the bushes.

“Stark!”

It was the child who’d nearly been attacked by the dragon a year before. He’d been attached to Stark ever since, and often visited him while he was training.

“Yo. Here to watch again?”

“Uh-huh! Are you taking a break?”

“Just a quick one.”

As the boy walked over, he noticed the gash in the cliff. “Wow! If you keep that up, d’you think you’ll split the cliff in two and make a valley one day?”

“Guess they’d have to redraw the maps if that happened.”

Stark was mostly joking, though if given a few days, his master Eisen might actually pull off such a feat.

“Warriors really are the coolest.”

“Don’t stop there. I can take a few more compliments.”

“Okay, um… What incredible brute strength! You can’t be human! You’re like a monster!”

“Is it just me, or was that more of an insult?”

This kid was awful at paying compliments. But rather than scold him, Stark just ruffled his hair.

“Hey, cut it out!” the boy said playfully before slipping away from Stark’s hand. “So how’d you get strong enough to break boulders and stuff?”

“Hrmm. I dunno what to tell you… It just kinda happened, I guess.”

“Whaaat?! So you came up with a training regimen all by yourself?”

“Nah, my master showed me what to do at first. He taught me how to hold an axe, how to swing it properly, and all that stuff. But y’know what…?” Stark thought back to a few years prior, when he and Eisen had only just met. “Believe it or not, my master really sucked at teaching…”

“Watch closely now.”

As he spoke, Eisen stood before two enormous boulders. The warrior had carried them here on his back, even though each was twice as large as the still-young Stark. The boy often wondered where all that power was hidden in his master’s small, stout frame.

Eisen stepped up to one boulder and hefted his axe. Then he swung it down in one fell swoop.

Ker-rack! Eisen had broken the boulder in two, as easily as if he were chopping wood. The two halves toppled to either side with a whump!

“All right, your turn,” he said.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Stark was only ten years old; there was no way he could pull off a move like that. In fact, most grown adults would struggle to split a boulder with an axe.

“Not ready for the boulder yet, eh?” asked Eisen.

“Of course not. It hasn’t even been a month since I picked up an axe. That’s like asking a baby who just learned to walk to run across water.”

“I could run across water when I was only a wee lad.”

“Well, you’re not normal, Master.”

“That so…?”

Eisen stroked his long beard and lapsed into silence. His face was already quite stiff, and having half of it covered with facial hair only made it even harder to tell what he was thinking.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to start with something soft?” ventured Stark.

“Hrmm?”

“In my village, we would cut bundles of straw and such.”

“Straw, eh…? I see.”

“Yeah. Wait, why am I the one teaching you? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

Eisen was a skilled warrior, that much was clear, but Stark was beginning to suspect that he might not be quite as good an instructor.

“Don’t think I have any straw.” Eisen sighed in resignation and started walking home. “Guess we’ll cut veggies instead.”

“Veggies…?”

Just as Eisen said, once they returned to his house, Stark wound up cutting vegetables—but with a kitchen knife, not an axe. He chopped green onions and carrots into little pieces on a cutting board. He was the one who’d suggested they start with something soft, but veggies weren’t really training material, and he felt the task wasn’t doing much beyond possibly improving his cooking skills.

“Hey, Master. Is this really part of my training, too?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I just figured it was getting close to lunchtime. Besides, what you really need now is to build muscle. You’ve gotta eat lots to make your body big and strong. That’s our first order of business.”

“Huh. Okay then…”

So his master really did have a reason. Stark felt a little relieved.

They added the chopped vegetables to a pot and let them simmer for a while. When the vegetable soup was ready, the pair sat down at the table and had a slightly early lunch.

Eisen expertly brought the spoon to his mouth through the small opening in his beard. He ate silently and steadily, without commenting on the flavor. As usual, Stark found it hard to endure the lengthy silence. He was debating whether to start a conversation when Eisen abruptly beat him to the punch.

“Stark.”

“Yeah?”

“What’s the most important thing when it comes to training?”

“Uh…” Stark tilted his head and thought for a while. “Willpower, I guess?”

“Nope. The answer is motivation and persistence.”

“How’s that any different from willpower?” Stark decided not to point out that Eisen had listed two things, not one.

“Fine. Willpower works, too.”

“Um, okay then…”

“Just like magic is a world of imagination, an unyielding spirit is what builds a body of steel. So you need motivation and persistence, and lots of it. With a strong enough spirit, you can withstand even the toughest training. That doesn’t mean you can keep pushing yourself till you drop, though.”

This was a surprisingly deep lesson. It might be idealistic, but it sounded strangely convincing when Eisen said it. And it also struck a nerve with Stark. He lowered his gaze and grimaced.

“But I’m a coward who fled from danger and left my family behind. I’ll never have a strong spirit…”

“I’m a coward, too.” Eisen looked Stark straight in the eyes as he spoke. His tone held neither pity nor sarcasm; he was simply stating a fact. Somehow, Stark found this deeply reassuring.

“Oh.”

The conversation ended there, and Stark and Eisen resumed eating.

When they had finished the soup, Eisen stood up briskly.

“Right. For this afternoon’s training, you’ll do a thousand squats with a boulder on your back.”

“Oh, c’mon! Willpower can only get you so far…”

“Well, he was still a great master, when all’s said and done.” Stark smiled a little wistfully.

The boy suddenly looked anxious. “D’you ever wanna go back?”

“To my master? Hrmm… Honestly, it’d be kinda awkward at this point. He’s probably not mad at me anymore, but…”

“Oh…”

The boy’s face was still clouded. Maybe he was afraid that Stark would abandon the village and go back to his master.

“Don’t worry. I’m not gonna leave this village till I beat the dragon.”

At that, the boy heaved a big sigh of relief.

It was definitely lunchtime now. Stark paused his training and went back to the village.

Parting ways with the little boy, he headed to the usual tavern. But just as he was opening the door, he heard a pained groan from nearby. Stark paused and looked around for the source of the noise. Soon, he found an old man vomiting in the alley behind the tavern.

It was Vance. He’d probably had too much to drink. Stark had seen Vance drink himself into a stupor several times before. Still, he didn’t want to ignore the old man’s plight, so he walked over to him.

“You all right?”

Stark rubbed Vance’s back. The man was old, and his body was thin and bony.

“Yeah, thanks… Ugh, it’s you.” As soon as he recognized Stark, the old man pushed his hand away, wiped his mouth clumsily with his sleeve, and glowered. “I’ll not abide favors from a charlatan.”

“C’mon. Isn’t that a little harsh?”

“Why not go defeat the dragon right now, then? Because you can’t do it, I expect. You’re just some brat who’s let all that praise go to your head… But you can’t…fool… Blergh…”

The old man vomited again. He was so alarmingly drunk that Stark began to worry.

“Maybe you should hold off on the booze a little. I mean, you’re not young anymore…”

“That’s none of your concern.”

“What’s going on out here?” said the tavern keeper, emerging from the back door.

Vance tutted, obviously annoyed at the interloper. He turned his back on Stark. “Forget it. I’m heading home to do some work,” he said before staggering away.

“Was Mr. Vance giving you a hard time again?” asked the tavern keeper.

Stark shrugged. “Just a little.”

“Sorry. Don’t take it personally, okay?”

“You don’t need to apologize for him.”

“No, I suppose not, but…” The tavern keeper looked conflicted.

Not for the first time, Stark noted how considerate the tavern keeper was toward Vance. He never complained when Vance sat at the bar all day long, and Stark sometimes saw him lending an ear to Vance’s endless stream of complaints.

The tavern keeper pressed a hand to his forehead. “…Thing is, Mr. Vance lost his wife to an illness some ten years ago. He’s been wallowing in despair ever since, and he’s quick to anger, too. Used to be a right friendly fellow, if you can believe it.”

“I had no idea…”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about, mind. And it’s been better’n a decade now. I think it’s about time for him to move on.”

With that, the tavern keeper went back inside.

It was a tragic story. Despite Vance’s harsh attitude, Stark felt sorry for the old man. He, too, knew what it was like to lose a family member.

Just as Stark was wondering if they might make amends, a strong wind whipped through the alley.

Stark turned his gaze up to the sky. “Looks like rain…”

By nightfall, Stark’s prediction had come true.

A storm arrived—and a bad one, at that. Late in the afternoon, the wind had whipped into a frenzy, and heavy rain began to fall as evening set in. Dark clouds covered the sky, punctuated by occasional flashes of lightning. Stark wrapped up his training early and hunkered down in his room at the inn.

The rain only grew stronger as the night wore on. It would probably continue for some time.

As Stark lay there listening to the steady patter of raindrops against his window, he heard a voice calling outside.

“Where are yooooou?!”

Stark jumped out of bed and glanced out the window. He could see a few small lights bobbing in the gloom. People holding lanterns were running around the village.

“What are they doing…?” he wondered.

Did a horse run away or something? It seemed pretty serious.

Growing concerned, Stark left his room. He battled with the wind to pry open the front door and push his way outside. In a matter of seconds, his clothes were completely soaked through.

Stark caught a young man jogging past. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, Sir Stark! Well, it seems Mr. Vance still hasn’t come home…”

“The old man?”

“Yes, sir. He was still out hunting when the storm hit… We’ve all been looking, but no one’s seen hide nor hair of him yet.”

“Damn, that’s not good. I’ll help.”

“That’s very kind, sir. But there’s one problem…” A shadow passed over the boy’s face. “Mr. Vance is probably out in the forest. We’d like to send people to check, but there are landslides just beyond the village… If someone got caught in one, they’d be a goner for sure.”

When it rained, the ground grew unstable, and landslides were common. The area near the forest was especially fraught with steep slopes and ripe for a major disaster.

Vance was probably stuck out there somewhere. Perhaps falling sediment had blocked his path, or he was injured and couldn’t move, or worse… At any rate, they had to find him quickly.

“I’ll go,” said Stark.

“No, you mustn’t! It’s too dangerous, even for you, Sir Stark…”

“It’s nothing compared to a dragon. I’ll be fine.”

Stark borrowed the boy’s lantern and took off toward the forest.

He couldn’t stand idly by when a villager’s life was in danger. Besides, Stark felt a certain obligation to Vance. Maybe the villagers wouldn’t have clashed with the old man so much if Stark had simply admitted he was right.

Stark’s boots pounded the muddy ground as he made his way into the dark forest.

“Helloooo?! Mr. Vaaaaance!”

Stark bellowed at the top of his lungs so his voice wouldn’t be drowned out by the roaring wind and rustling branches.

It was easy to underestimate the forest, but it was several times larger than the village. And at night, it was pitch black. The lantern’s light was all Stark had to see by as he ran through the darkness.

His clothes had grown heavy with rainwater, and it was quite cold out. Stark’s strength was draining faster than he’d expected. Would he really find Vance by running around alone in the forest like this…?

Just as anxiety began to cloud his thoughts, the sky lit up.

The flash was accompanied by a terrible boom, like a cannon being fired.

“Whoa!” Stark’s heart leaped into his throat.

A lightning bolt must have struck nearby. The rain was likely to douse any flames, but it still sent a shiver down Stark’s spine.

He pressed a hand to his chest. His heart was still pounding.

At last, fear began to set in. Stark could barely see a thing, and a landslide might occur at any moment. This might be easier than fighting a dragon, but his life was still on the line.

Maybe I should give up and go home.

The villagers wouldn’t blame Stark if he came back empty-handed.

But…if Eisen was in this situation…or Stoltz…

He knew they’d never abandon someone who could still be saved.

So Stark started running again. His legs still worked just fine. It was much too soon to give up.

One hour later, he finally found Vance.

“Old man!”

Vance was lying at the bottom of a slope. He must have slipped and fallen.

Stark put the lantern handle between his teeth, freeing up his hands, then carefully made his way down the slope. It was steep, but not too high. There was a good chance the old man had survived.

“You alive, old man?” Stark shook Vance.

He groaned and opened his eyes. “Ugh, you again… Damned brat…” Judging by the faintness of his voice, he was quite weak.

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry to disappoint. Are you hurt?”

“…I think my leg is broken. Other than that, I’m fit as a fiddle.”

“Got it.”

Stark found a decent-sized branch and made a makeshift splint to stabilize Vance’s leg. When he gripped Vance’s arms to lift the old man onto his back, his blood froze. The man’s body was as cold as ice. Stark had to get him back to the village, and fast.

He climbed up the slope, carrying Vance on his back and ignoring his creaking knees. Stark, too, had lost most of his energy while running through the wind and rain. He spurred his exhausted body on, heading toward the village as quickly as he could.

“Why…did you rescue me…?” Vance’s voice was raspy. “You could’ve left this old geezer to die… It’s not like I’ve got any family to miss me…”

“That doesn’t matter. I know you don’t wanna die out here.”

“Harrumph… You don’t have the slightest idea how I feel.”

“Sure I do. My whole family’s dead.”

“……”

Talking with the old man’s weight on his back was exhausting. Even so, Stark had something he needed to tell him.

“Truth is, most of what you say about me is right. I’m not brave enough to fight the dragon, and I’m probably getting a big head from everyone praising me, too. I never got a word of praise from my pops, or from my master, either.” Stark jumped from rock to rock, crossing the roaring river. “Everyone in this village is really nice. I’ve been keeping the truth to myself ’cause I don’t want to disappoint them, but maybe I took it too far.”

Vance didn’t say anything at first. Then Stark heard him take a small breath.

“…You’re a strong lad, eh.”

“Huh?”

“Growing up like that, it’s a wonder you made it this far without becoming bitter and turning your back on the world. You’re strong… Not like me.”

Perhaps the old man had misunderstood him. “It’s not like everyone’s been cold to me my whole life,” Stark said. “My older brother was real nice, and my master wasn’t cruel, just strict. It hasn’t been all bad.”

“…I see.”

“But still…I appreciate the compliment.”

Vance snorted. “You might just be strong enough…to beat the dragon…after all…”

“…Old man?”

Vance’s head slumped against Stark’s shoulder. His weight felt a little heavier than before.

Fearing the worst, Stark caught his breath. “Hey, old man? You okay? Hey… C’mon! Stay with me!”

“Pipe down! Let me sleep.”

“…Sorry.”

Thank goodness. He’s still alive. And with enough energy to be rude, too.

Stark stopped talking and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Soon they would be out of the forest.

“That’s right. Sir Stark carried Mr. Vance back home safely.”

The tavern keeper placed a platter of fruit in front of a customer seated at the counter.

This particular customer had reserved the whole tavern for the day. He and the tavern keeper were the only ones there.

“It’s truly impressive, especially at his age. Even that stubborn Mr. Vance has taken a liking to him. If you were to poll the village, Sir Stark’s approval rating would surely be one hundred percent.”

“…I see. He’s getting on all right, then.”

“Why, we’d be happy to have him stay here forever. But I s’pose it wouldn’t be right to keep such a valiant young lad in our tiny village. I bet, with a journey under his belt, he’d grow into an outstanding warrior.”

“No doubt about that.”

“Speaking of which… Are you sure you wouldn’t like to see him, Sir Eisen?”

Eisen picked a grape from the platter and popped it into his mouth through his beard. “Just came to hear how things are going. No need to see him face-to-face. I’m sure Stark doesn’t want to talk to me, anyway.” Eisen swallowed the grape and sighed. “…No, that’s just an excuse. Truth is, I’m too ashamed to show my face in front of him.”

The tavern keeper smiled. “Sir Stark doesn’t resent you at all, you know.”

“Only ’cause he’s such a kind soul. But that’s not the problem.”

“If you say so…”

Eisen silently ate the rest of the fruit on the platter. When he finished, he placed his payment on the table and stood up. “Now, as for the fact I was here, if ye could…”

“I know, I won’t tell him. This is the fifth time you’ve come to check in, after all.”

“Much appreciated.”

The tavern keeper started to comment on how bashful the warrior was, then thought better of it. He should probably mind his own business. Still, just before Eisen left the tavern, he called out to him.

“Sir Eisen.”

“What?”

“Do you think Sir Stark can defeat the dragon?”

Eisen’s expression never changed, but the tavern keeper could have sworn he saw a smile behind his beard.

“’Course he can.”

Stark paused and looked back down the path he’d traveled.

The village where he’d stayed for three years was still in sight. It would be peaceful there now, even without him. The dragon that had threatened the villagers for so long had already been defeated—at Stark’s hand.

Walking ahead of him, Fern called back over her shoulder. “Is something the matter, Sir Stark?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just wanted to check on the village.”

“If you miss it that much, you’re free to turn back.”

“Nah, I don’t… Well, I guess I do miss it a little. I lived there for three whole years.”

It had been a fulfilling time, even if the villagers’ kindness sometimes made his stomach churn with anxiety. Maybe he should have stayed there and relaxed a little longer.

“But I made up my mind to go with you guys. Besides, this party needs a warrior, right? I can’t turn back now.”

Fern’s expression softened. “Very well. We’re counting on you.”

“Yep, just leave it to me… Though maybe you guys could back me up next time, instead of letting me fight all on my own.”

“Wimp.”

“You’re so mean!” Stark said, casting a teary-eyed look at Fern.

Sometimes it was hard to tell if the two of them were friends or enemies.

Then, once they’d finished their exchange, the two of them hurried after Frieren.

Chapter 3. Together

The morning air was cold, and a little damp.

The sun had only just begun to peek over the mountain ridge as twelve-year-old Lawine walked through the forest. She had slipped out of the house half an hour earlier, and now she was making her way along an animal trail, following faint traces of mana.

Pushing her way through a thicket, she came upon a lake. The water’s surface was perfectly clear and quiet, without a ripple in sight.

Next to the lake, a little girl stood by herself.

The girl held a staff at the ready, watching the lake’s surface as if lying in wait for her prey. She was around Lawine’s height, with her hair tied in pigtails to either side of her head like the droopy ears of a dog.

Her name was Kanne. She was Lawine’s childhood friend, and they went to the same magic academy. Since she seemed to be concentrating deeply, Lawine decided to stay quiet and watch her for a while.

Then, all at once, the mana rising off Kanne sharpened. Despite the lack of wind, the surface of the lake rippled, and water lifted into the air all on its own.

Sploosh!

A second later, the newly formed pillar of water flew straight into a nearby cliff. The resulting splash sprayed Lawine in the face, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut.

This was Kanne’s specialty: Reamstroha, or water manipulation magic.

After that, Kanne repeated the same process several more times, moving lake water with magic, then using it to strike the cliff. Evidently, this was some kind of training.

Lawine had been watching for a while when she noticed the sky starting to darken. It would probably rain soon. Guess now’s as good a time as any, she thought, and walked over to Kanne.

“Damn, looks like you’re really in the zone.”

“Eek! You scared me, Lawine.” Kanne turned around so quickly that she nearly dropped her staff.

“Good thing it was only me who popped out. If it was a monster, you’d be dead meat.”

There was a reprimand hidden in her words: You were slacking off on mana detection. Kanne’s grimace told Lawine she’d hit the nail on the head.

“Stop trying to scare me. Besides, I’m sure I could handle any of the monsters around here.”

“Like you’ve ever fought a monster before.”

“Neither have you, Lawine.”

“Gimme a break. I’m sure I could handle any of the monsters around here.”

Lawine mockingly echoed Kanne’s words, but she wasn’t lying. She was confident in her abilities.

Kanne scrunched her nose and glared at Lawine. “How’d you know to find me here anyway? I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”

“I’ve seen you head into the forest before. Besides, I could tell you weren’t getting much sleep lately.”

“So now you’re stalking me. Got it.”

“I’ll kick your ass, I swear.”

“What, you wanna go? Let’s go.” Kanne put up her fists and assumed a fighting stance.

Fine, let’s do this. But as Lawine drew closer, her eyes fell on the nearby cliff face. The spot that Kanne had been targeting with her magic had a deep indent, like the rock had been scooped out with a giant spoon. On closer inspection, the surface of the hole was surprisingly smooth.

This wasn’t the result of a few days of training. Kanne must have been at it for at least a week, maybe even longer. All on her own, without telling a soul.

“……”

“Wh-what? Why’d you go quiet all of a sudden?” asked Kanne.

Lawine turned her gaze back to the other girl.

She had followed her out of simple curiosity, eager to find out what she was so intent on hiding. But instead of some big secret, she’d discovered that Kanne was putting in an unexpected amount of effort. The two of them weren’t exactly competing over ability or test scores, but Lawine still felt like she’d lost.

“…Forget it,” she said. “It wouldn’t be any fun to beat you right now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kanne’s shoulders sagged.

Just then, Lawine felt a drop of water land on her nose with a plunk. She looked up and saw that it had started raining. “Let’s head back. You’ve done enough for today, yeah?”

“Just so you know, I’m really quite strong when I put my mind to it.”

For a bluff, she sounded surprisingly confident.

“Huh. Not very convincing.”

“You don’t believe me, do you? Fine, watch this.”

Kanne lifted her staff again. Then she focused even more intently than before, honing her magic.

Suddenly, Lawine sensed mana above the lake. She looked over to see a ball of water about the size of a crystal ball—and growing bigger by the second. It appeared to be absorbing the rain. While at first it was small enough to hold in one hand, it soon grew too big to wrap both arms around, then big enough to swallow an entire human whole, and then…

It’s still growing?

Lawine’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

Finally, when it was roughly the size of a shed, the giant ball of water dropped toward the lake as if it had only then remembered the laws of gravity. When it hit the surface, Lawine heard a rumble and a massive splash. Excess water sloshed out of the lake in waves reaching up to her ankles.

Even a seasoned mage would be no match for something like that if it were dropped on their head.

“Damn.” Lawine looked at Kanne’s smug grin and gave her an honest compliment. “That’s pretty crazy.”

“Right?” Kanne puffed out her chest proudly.

“So, how’s your mana?”

Kanne’s triumphant expression faltered. “…That used up the last of it.”

I knew it, Lawine thought. She could barely sense Kanne’s mana at all anymore.

“What’re you gonna do about practice today?” she asked.

“Good question… I guess I could skip.”

“See ya later, then.”

“No, wait, I was just kidding. I’ll come, I swear. Don’t ditch me!” Kanne half jogged after her.

Lawine thought about the next few years as she walked. No doubt they would be taking the mage selection exams sooner or later. The highest of them all, the first-class mage exam, was said to be so brutal that participants regularly died.

Right now, Lawine still couldn’t imagine herself as a first-class mage. But if she stayed with Kanne, whose magic was a good match for her own, and if they kept training…

“Hey.” Lawine stopped and turned to Kanne. “Starting next time, lemme come with you.”

“Huh? You want to train, too, Lawine? Why?”

“Whaddya mean, ‘why’?” Lawine hesitated a moment, then pressed on. “’Cause I’m afraid you’re gonna croak if I’m not with you.”

“You making fun of me?”

“Maybe.”

Kanne’s face flushed with anger. Lawine stuck out her tongue.

“I hate you, Lawine.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Lawine went right back to walking.

The two of them kept sniping at each other all the way home, but Kanne never refused her.

After that, training together became their morning routine.

Just like that, a year went by.

“Today, I want all of you to defeat a monster.”

The magic academy instructor stood with her back to a cliff. In front of her were a dozen or so students, Lawine and Kanne among them.

The air was tense. This was understandable. Most of the students had never fought a monster before.

They were on the Leud Plateau in the northern lands, about to begin a practice exam—a monster subjugation test.

The weather was clear, and a forest spread out below the cliff. It was early autumn, but a dry wind was blowing, and it was unusually chilly, thanks in part to the high elevation. Clouds drifted across the sky like thin strands of cotton.

“The quota is one monster per person. You may use any method you like. Feel free to form parties, but if you work together to defeat a monster, the credit goes solely to whomever deals the finishing blow. You have until sundown.”

After this brief explanation, the teacher looked around at the students. “Any questions?”

“I have one.” A female student raised her hand. “If credit goes to the person who deals the finishing blow, does that mean we’re allowed to steal kills from each other?”

“Yes, that is one possible strategy. I encourage you to be both cunning and cautious.”

The student who’d raised her hand nodded, looking satisfied.

“Anyone else?”

Another student’s hand went up. “What do we do once we’ve defeated a monster?”

“You don’t need to do anything, really. Just be sure to stay alive, I suppose. I’ll call everyone together once the sun sets. You may report your success at that time. Until then, I’ll be watching from the skies.”

In other words, she’d know if they were lying.

The teacher was a second-class mage. In the world of magic, fifth-class mages and higher were considered full-fledged, so this woman was fairly powerful. Even if she’d long since retired, using mana detection to keep an eye on her students would be a piece of cake.

Of course, that also meant they could expect a certain amount of protection. If a student’s life was in danger, their teacher would come flying to the rescue, literally. Several of the students seemed to realize this, and the tension in the air relaxed ever so slightly.

The teacher looked around at the group again to confirm that there were no more questions, then clapped her hands.

“Well then, let’s begin,” she said, before using flying magic to take to the air.

Now, what’s my first move?

Lawine began by observing her surroundings. Most of the students stayed put and watched the others, or began talking to their classmates about forming parties. Only a few took off down the cliff right away. Either they were confident that they could defeat a monster alone, or they were already planning on hiding out and stealing someone else’s kill.

Lawine, too, was sure she could handle the assignment alone. While she’d never actually fought a monster, she was almost certainly strong enough to become a full-fledged mage. Still, she questioned whether working alone was the wisest course of action. Lawine knew that overconfidence could easily lead to death in a dungeon or on a battlefield.

If she wanted to ensure her success, it would be best to team up with someone else.

And in that case, her choice was obvious.

“Miss Lawine?”

Just as she was about to step forward, someone called out to her.

She turned around to find a girl standing before her. She wore an incredibly ornate outfit and held a high-quality staff. Her hair, curled in tight ringlets, completed the picture of a prim young noblewoman. And that’s just what she was. Her name was Luisa, if Lawine recalled correctly.

“Would you do me the honor of forming a team?” she asked.

“With you?”

“Indubitably. I’m quite confident in my battle prowess, but it’s ever so frightening to go alone… Thus, I thought perhaps I might find someone to fight by my side. I can think of no better partner than you, Miss Lawine. Together, we could surely take out every monster in the area as we please.” Luisa held out her gloved hand. “Shall we?”

Despite her polite tone, the look in her eye made it clear she was more than confident. Luisa’s grades were indeed nothing to sniff at. If Lawine wasn’t mistaken, they were quite good, in fact. She was one of the best-performing students both in the classroom and on the field, and she’d been the first to reach the goal when they practiced flying magic. She would make an excellent partner—there was no doubt about that.

But Lawine’s plan remained unchanged. “Sorry, you’ll have to ask someone else. I’ve already got a partner in mind.”

Lawine turned to leave…

“Is it Miss Kanne, perchance?”

…but stopped when Luisa guessed correctly.

“With all due respect,” Luisa continued, pressing a hand to her cheek in a show of concern, “I daresay it might be prudent to stay away from her in this particular instance.”

Lawine’s eyebrow twitched. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I know Miss Kanne’s abilities quite well. She specializes in water manipulation magic, no? It matches your own magic splendidly, and the two of you always seem perfectly in sync, too.”

“Only ’cause I match her pace.”

Lawine’s response came automatically, driven by a strange competitive instinct.

Luisa paid it no mind as she continued. “However, Leud Plateau has precious few sources of water, so I’m afraid Miss Kanne won’t be able to fight to her full potential… I, on the other hand, could help you defeat monsters with the greatest of ease. We shall earn top marks from the teacher, I am sure of it.”

That last part seemed to be Luisa’s true motivation. So that’s what she’s after.

“Sounds like you really did your research. I’ll admit, I’m a little impressed.”

“Well, then…”

“But I’m still not gonna change my mind.”

“…I don’t understand.” Luisa tilted her head, looking sincerely puzzled. “Miss Kanne performed rather poorly in our most recent flight practice, and she doesn’t come from nearly so fine a pedigree as yours, Miss Lawine. Why must you so stubbornly cling to a mage who requires water to fight?”

Lawine was starting to get irritated, and only partly because of Luisa’s allusion to her elder brothers.

“…Did you know the human body is sixty percent water?” she said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“That means Kanne could easily rip a human body to pieces if she felt like it. Try going toe to toe with her sometime. I bet you’ll regret it.”

A hint of horror flickered across Luisa’s face. However, she quickly cleared her throat and regained her composure. When she spoke again, her voice was dripping with disappointment.

“It seems I’ve overstepped. Allow me to graciously bow out. I do hope you’ll forgive me.” Luisa used flying magic to float into the air, then headed down the cliff.

By now, most of the students were in the forest. Lawine clicked her tongue, realizing that she was getting a late start.

“Graciously, my ass. What a waste of time,” she said.

“You sure you didn’t want to team up with that girl?” asked Kanne. Evidently, she hadn’t left yet either. Judging by her expression, she’d overheard the whole exchange.

Lawine began to feel awkward. “Definitely not. I can’t stand people like her.”

“What was that ‘sixty percent water’ thing all about, anyway…? I can’t do anything like that.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Then why’d you say it?”

“…I was pissed.”

“How come?”

“Doesn’t matter, I just was.”

“But I’m curious now. C’mon, tell me.”

Lawine looked away, a little embarrassed. Her reply was almost too quiet to make out. “…’Cause she made fun of you.”

“Wait, what? But you say mean things to me all the time, Lawine.”

“I’m allowed, okay?”

“I don’t know about that…” Kanne scratched her cheek, conflicted. Then shifted her gaze toward the forest. “All right, let’s go, then.”

The forest was full of tall coniferous trees, and visibility was better than they’d expected. It shouldn’t have been too hard to find a monster in these conditions. Unfortunately, the prissy girl’s comment about the lack of water proved correct. Even after thirty minutes of walking, they’d yet to detect a single river or lake. It was true, then, that Kanne was at a disadvantage.

“If only it would rain,” she grumbled.

Lawine looked up as they walked. The sky peeked through the gaps in the canopy, as blue and clear as could be. “Forget it. I doubt we’ll get a drop.”

“But we’re pretty high up, right? They say the weather changes fast on mountains.”

“Pray as much as you want. Just don’t get distracted and cause problems.”

Kanne puffed out her cheeks. “I was just being positive. You don’t need to be so mean about it.”

“Your mind is always wandering. We need to focus.”

“I swear I’m not slacking on my mana detection, geez. And if we’re ‘in action,’ then you’d better watch your tongue, Lawine.”

“Why’s that?”

“Don’t you know? Communication is key on the battlefield. Lots of mages die because of friendly fire. Besides, what if I get so depressed I can’t fight?”

“Don’t be stupid.”

Kanne looked even more indignant at that.

Though she didn’t voice them, Lawine had her reasons for writing off Kanne’s concerns. First, she knew Kanne was tough enough to survive a few insults, and that she wasn’t petty enough to start attacking Lawine from behind. In their current circumstances, even unintentional friendly fire seemed very unlikely. Lawine was confident that she and Kanne could work well together—hell, you could even say she trusted Kanne. Shutting her down with a quick “don’t be stupid,” was definitely the right choice.

“Lawine, you jerk.”

Some thanks I get, she thought.

“If you were gonna be this cold with me,” Kanne continued, “you should’ve just teamed up with that other girl.”

“No point harping on it. We already made our choice.”

“Not necessarily. We could still split up, you know.”

This proposition caught Lawine off guard a little. She lapsed into silence.

Noticing this, Kanne grinned mischievously. “Ooh, or do you need me that bad, Lawine? No matter what you say, you always end up following me around like— Ow, ow, owww! Stop, you’re gonna rip my hair out!”

Lawine released her grip on Kanne’s dogear pigtails.

“Ouch…” Kanne rubbed the side of her head, tears in her eyes. “Seriously, you better watch your back…”

“It’s your own fault for having hair that’s so easy to pull,” Lawine blurted out absurdly. She hadn’t been able to come up with anything better.

She was rewarded with an even angrier glare from Kanne. “You’re the worst.”

“Hey, wait…”

Kanne turned away and started to walk off alone. Lawine hurried after her.

Now she’d done it. Maybe I went too far this time… Lawine felt guilty for a moment, then wrote it off. No, this is normal for us. They had fights like this almost every day. In fact, sometimes Lawine felt like they argued every time their eyes met. I’m amazed neither of us has gotten tired of it yet, she thought absently.

But even if arguing was normal for them, they were in the middle of a test—and it was their first time fighting monsters, to boot. Lawine doubted that Kanne would really try to hurt her, but it might be best to get back on her good side, just in case.

I hate the idea of apologizing to her, though… As Lawine wondered what to say, Kanne suddenly stopped short.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lawine.

“Look…”

Lawine peered over Kanne’s shoulder.

A dilapidated old house stood before them. The walls were covered in ivy, and the windows were long since broken; it was clear nobody lived there anymore. Too curious to pass it by, Lawine and Kanne ventured closer.

The door was wide open, and it looked like the place had been ransacked. Once inside, Kanne gasped.

“A monster’s been in here…”

There were huge claw marks on the wall. The gashes were as deep as if they’d been made with a giant axe, and light leaked through them from outside. It was safe to assume an attack this powerful must have been the work of a monster.

Both girls tensed immediately.

They hadn’t detected any mana, but it was possible a monster was masking its presence to sneak up on them. As Lawine and Kanne left the house, they pressed closer together, now on high alert.

Eventually, they reached a clearing and spotted a few more abandoned buildings. It seemed this had once been a village, and there were signs people had been living there quite recently. While they didn’t know for sure why the villagers had left, it seemed likely that monsters were involved. It wasn’t uncommon for people to abandon a village to escape the threat of monsters or demons, a fact that was all too easy to forget in a big city like Äußerst. Lawine had heard that the area near the northern border was even more dangerous. Himmel the Hero might have defeated the Demon King, but the world was still far from peaceful.

That was why they had to practice fighting monsters.

Shortly after leaving the abandoned village, Lawine and Kanne both came to a stop.

“Lawine.”

“I know.”

Their exchange was quick and quiet. They’d found a monster.

It looked like a wolf, and a vicious one at that, but it was a good deal larger than an ordinary wolf. At the moment, it was preoccupied with eating some small animal.

Luckily, it hadn’t noticed them yet. They had the perfect opening for a surprise attack.

Lawine silently readied her staff and filled it with mana.

Crackle, crackle…

The moisture in the air clumped together, making a crunching sound as it froze into spearhead-shaped fragments of ice.

Lawine’s preferred magic was Nephtear, a spell that shot ice shards.

All she had to do was aim carefully and hit her target, just like always. The only difference was that her target was now a monster.

Lawine held her breath.

Just then, the monster’s ear twitched, and it turned toward them.

She saw its mouth dripping with blood, and the sharp fangs within…

For a moment, Lawine’s focus was blurred by fear.

Before she had a chance to think, she let loose her ice shards, but they only grazed the monster’s hide and failed to land a fatal blow.

I missed…!

“Awooo!”

The monster howled and charged straight toward them. It was able to accelerate far quicker than a human. Lavine shot another round of ice shards, but she didn’t have time to aim properly, and they didn’t even graze the monster. It would soon be upon them.

This was bad.

She could see the sharp fangs right before her eyes.

Just as the image of a violent death bloomed in her mind, the monster’s attack was blocked by a barrier. It was Kanne.

“Lawine!”

Her voice brought Lawine back to her senses.

Lawine quickly cast Nephtear again. And this time, the ice shards shot straight through the monster’s head. The beast collapsed into a pile, then turned into dust and quickly dissipated. Lawine watched in silence until every last trace of the monster was gone.

If I was alone, I could’ve died…

“You all right?” Kanne sounded worried.

Lawine turned around, only for Kanne to shoot her a teasing smile.

“Yikes, look at you. Were you really that scared?”

Lawine wasn’t very expressive. Had the fear shown on her face? Or maybe Kanne had just wanted to make fun of her. Judging by the other girl’s smirk, she guessed it was the latter.

Even so, Lawine knew what she had to say. “Sorry. Thanks for saving me.”

Kanne’s eyes went round with surprise. Apparently, this wasn’t the reaction she’d been expecting. She hesitated for a moment, then put on a much kinder smile. “I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”

When she saw Kanne’s expression, Lawine felt the tension leave her shoulders.

Together, they made their way farther into the forest.

Once they found a monster for Kanne to defeat, they would both pass the test. As frightening as their last battle had been, they shouldn’t have any trouble as long as they stayed calm. With some effort, Lawine pulled herself together.

Still…

She thought back to the huge claw marks in that first abandoned house. The monster they’d just defeated had big claws, too, but it hadn’t seemed strong enough to rip through a wall like that. There had to be another one somewhere nearby.

Something even bigger, and stronger.

About an hour later, they encountered their second monster.

It was similar to a wolf, like the first. By the time Lawine and Kanne saw it, it had already detected their presence, and they wound up staring each other down. The monster drooled eagerly and gave an intimidating growl.

“I’ll freeze its feet,” Lawine said in a low voice. “It moves fast, but I barely sense any magic. I should be able to stop it in its tracks. Then you finish it off in one blow.”

“G-got it.” Kanne clutched her staff tightly. Her voice was strained.

“Don’t freak out on me now.”

“What?! I’m not freaking out at all.”

“Your hands are shaking.”

“Yeah, with excitement, duh.”

Seeing that Kanne was calm enough to bluff, Lawine sighed in relief. “All right, let’s do this.”

Lawine sent magic flowing through the earth. Like shadows stretching in the westering sun, a thin coat of ice crept across the ground’s surface. When it reached the area beneath the monster’s paws, it froze all four of the creature’s limbs at once. Noticing the change, the monster began thrashing violently.

“Now.”

“I’m on it…!” Kanne readied her staff.

The water spell Reamstroha wasn’t the only magic Kanne could use, of course. She’d learned many fundamental spells at the magic academy. One of those was especially well-suited to combat, readily usable for beginner and advanced mages alike, and powerful enough to have sent countless mages to their deaths throughout history.

“Zoltraak.”

A flash of light pierced through the monster.

Though she hadn’t hit any vital points, the strike proved fatal. The monster slumped to the ground helplessly, glaring at the two girls even as it lay dying. They probably didn’t need the ice trap anymore, but Lawine kept it in place just in case.

Kanne leveled her staff at the monster. But after that, she simply stood there, not making any attempt to finish it off.

“What the hell are you doing?” asked Lawine.

“J-just give me a second…”

Kanne took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing herself. Though monsters preyed on humans, she must have felt reluctant to take a life purely for the sake of practice.

She was either very kind, or very naive.

How are you gonna make it in the real world as a mage? Lawine wanted to ask, but she kept her mouth shut. She was in no place to criticize anyone.

“…Okay.”

Kanne focused her gaze on the monster. Evidently, she’d made up her mind.

She sent mana into the tip of her staff. Then she took aim, ready to deal the finishing blow—when a blast of light shot out from the trees and engulfed the monster right before her eyes.

“Wha…?”

Lawine and Kanne were both dumbfounded.

It all happened so suddenly that it took some time for the truth to set in. Their prey had just been stolen out from under their noses.

“Who’s there?” Lawine shouted toward the source of the blast.

After a moment, a set of all-too-familiar ringlets bounced out of the bushes. “Good day to you, Miss Lawine.”

The culprit held up the hem of her skirt and crossed her legs in a delicate curtsy. It was so ridiculously prim and proper that Lawine almost forgot to be angry for a moment.

“You’ve got some nerve strolling out to greet me after stealing our kill.”

“Why, thank you for the generous compliment.”

“Not a compliment, dumbass,” Lawine snapped back.

Just then, Kanne cut in. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Why, Miss Kanne,” Luisa replied, “I do so beg your pardon. You were simply dillydallying for so long that I couldn’t help but step in. Really, even if it is a monster, it seems awfully cruel to leave the poor thing fatally injured without striking the finishing blow, wouldn’t you agree?”

“But I was just about to—”

“Besides,” Luisa went on, speaking over the other girl, “couldn’t you have easily manipulated the water in its body to kill it instantly?”

“Wait, what? How?”

“So that was a lie.” Luisa’s expression cooled instantly. “I knew it.”

It was then that Lawine guessed why Luisa had appeared out of nowhere and stolen their kill.

“Look, I’m sorry I lied, okay?” she said. “You don’t have to hold some big grudge over it.”

“I’m doing nothing of the sort.”

“Then why did you follow us around and wait for Kanne to use her magic?”

“I did no such thing. I only happened to be passing by, that’s all.”

“You better keep on walking, then. We’re out of here.” Lawine turned to leave with Kanne in tow.

“Wait just a moment.” Luisa’s voice was low, and it left no room for argument. “I’m afraid I cannot ignore such slights to my honor.” She held her staff at the ready.

Lawine sighed, turned around, and did the same. “Ugh, what a pain in the ass.”

“Y-you’re going to fight?” Kanne was struggling to keep up with the situation.

“Not my fault. It’s clear she won’t take no for an answer. Besides, it’s pretty normal for mages to fight each other during the exams. Might as well get some experience in while we can.”

“Oh, c’mon. It doesn’t have to be right now, does it…?”

“Fine, you talk her down, then.”

“No way. She’s not going to listen to me.”

“I can hear you both quite clearly, you know,” Luisa declared.

A flash of light flew at the pair.

Lawine managed to block it with barrier magic, but there was no getting out of a fight now. Kanne seemed to sense this, too, and reluctantly readied her own staff.

Luisa let loose another attack. Lawine decided to focus on defense and start gathering information on their opponent.

Her attack pattern was pretty straightforward. She mainly used beams of light. They could be fired in quick succession, and Lawine figured they’d be pretty dangerous if they made contact, but they weren’t as strong as Zoltraak, the standard offensive spell. It was probably Luisa’s specialty, a unique kind of magic. It didn’t look like she was manipulating anything in their environment. The only thing Lawine could conclude about the spell was that it allowed Luisa to shoot a lot of beams of light.

On the other hand, Luisa knew all about their abilities. Even two against one, they weren’t really at an advantage. If they had any shot at winning, it would be…

“Kanne, handle defense for a bit.”

“Got it.”

Lawine gathered her mana and sent a layer of ice creeping along the ground, just as she’d done to capture the monster a little earlier.

…Unfortunately, Luisa’s clothes seemed to have defense magic built in, and the ice cracked and fell away without her so much as lifting a finger. Lawine got the feeling it wasn’t a complex rune, but it was clearly enough to block any low-powered magic.

“Damn. She’s got some nice threads, I’ll give her that.”

“Isn’t that the outfit they were selling at the magic shop in town?” asked Kanne.

“…You’re kidding, right? That thing cost more than a horse.”

“Wow, very bougie…”

“Oh dear, do you really have time for chitchat?” Luisa cut in, doubling the intensity of her attacks.

She was now completely setting the pace of the battle. If this went on much longer, Lawine and Kanne would be in serious trouble. The situation was especially hard on Kanne, who was still handling defense. They needed to come up with a counterattack, and soon.

As Lawine racked her brains for a solution, Kanne leaned over and spoke quietly into her ear. “Hey, I might have an idea…”

Once Lawine had heard her suggestion, she thought for a moment, then nodded. “All right.”

Lawine and Kanne split up.

Luisa stopped attacking for a moment, then took aim at Lawine. She must have concluded that Kanne wasn’t much of a threat with no water around.

In response, Lawine went on the offensive. Blocking the beams of light, she sent ice shards flying at her opponent. It was a simple brawl, albeit with magic instead of fists. Though they were evenly matched in ability, Luisa seemed to have more mana to spare, and her attacks were clearly more numerous. At this rate, Lawine was going to lose.

Luisa sneered, no doubt certain of her victory. “You seem to be having a spot of trouble, hmm? If only you had teamed up with me at the beginning, none of this would have happened.”

“Oh, shut up. Like I give a shit.”

“…You know, Miss Lawine, I’ve wondered for a while now whether I ought to say anything, but don’t you think it would be prudent for you to speak with a little more propriety? After all, you’re blessed with such great talent and an excellent family…”

“What the hell does that matter?”

“I think it matters very much.”

Suddenly, Luisa closed the distance between them. She’d been attacking from a distance up until now, and the move caught Lawine by surprise. She braced for an attack, immediately deploying a barrier spell. But instead, she was hit with an intense flash.

“Nngh!”

Lawine was briefly blinded.

It was so bright, it felt like the sun had appeared directly in front of her face. Though she immediately shut her eyes, she lost her bearings for a moment; the next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Even worse, she’d dropped her staff.

I screwed up big-time.

She’d assumed Luisa’s magic could only be used to attack. Clearly, it could be adapted in other ways, too. The spell had something to do with light. Maybe it could produce a light source, or manipulate refractions, or something like that.

As Lawine’s vision swam back into focus, she saw Luisa standing over her.

“Talent and lineage never lie, you know. Even the famous Himmel was only able to defeat the Demon King because he was chosen by the Sword of the Hero.”

“…You don’t know a damn thing, do you?” Lawine sat up slightly, one corner of her mouth quirking into a lopsided smirk. “Himmel the Hero grew up in an orphanage.”

Luisa’s expression twisted.

“…Very well.” She held the end of her staff against Lawine’s throat. “I suppose I shall have to shut that impudent mouth of yours by my—?!”

Her words cut off abruptly, replaced by a strange, gurgling sound.

Glub, glub.

Water was covering Luisa’s face, filling her mouth and nose. She tried to push it away in a panic, but her fingers only passed uselessly through the liquid, unable to remove it.

Kanne’s strategy had succeeded.

Luisa must have known this was Kanne’s magic, but from the confusion on her face, it was clear she had no idea where the water had come from.

Lawine stood up and retrieved her staff.

“You should give Kanne more credit. Rivers and lakes aren’t the only kinda water she can control.”

Kanne was standing behind Luisa with a canteen. The lid was off, and she was holding it upside down, so it was clearly empty. The contents, of course, were now clinging to Luisa’s mouth and nose.

“Time to take a little nap.”

Lawine struck Luisa with a weakened version of her signature spell, Nephtear. Luisa was too busy drowning on dry land to dodge or block the attack. It hit her head-on and knocked her unconscious, just as Lawine had intended.

Once Luisa was out cold, Kanne and Lawine hid her deep in some bushes so she wouldn’t be attacked by monsters.

There was only an hour left until the end of the test. Crimson streaked the western sky, and the temperature was starting to drop.

Kanne still hadn’t successfully completed the assignment. By this point, they might not even find a monster in time, let alone defeat it. They moved quickly as they searched, spurred on by the light of the setting sun at their backs.

“I’m thirsty… Lawine, gimme some water.”

“What, again? You drank it all already, dammit.”

“Nnn… Guess I’ll just have to tough it out, then.”

Kanne looked drained and dispirited. She must have used up more stamina than Lawine realized. Come to think of it, they’d just fought two monsters and one mage in rapid succession. No wonder she was so tired.

Truth be told, Lawine was fairly exhausted herself. She barely had enough strength or mana left to defeat another monster. She wanted to find at least one before she ran out of strength completely.

“Hey, can we take a little break?” asked Kanne.

“No, there’s no time. We’ve got to keep looking.”

“But if we don’t keep up our strength, we might not be able to beat a monster even if we find one, you know?”

She had a point. And yet…

“If we find another wolf monster, we should be able to take it down without too much trouble as long as we stay calm. Better to keep moving, even if we have to push ourselves. We wouldn’t have much time to rest, anyway.”

“Maybe so, but still…”

“Quit wasting your breath and keep moving. Don’t slack on mana detection, either.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They lapsed into silence.

Then, less than five minutes later, Kanne piped up again.

“Hey, should I be thanking you for all this?”

“What now?”

“I mean, you already finished the assignment, so you don’t really need to try anymore. You’re just doing this for my sake, right?”

Now that she mentioned it, that was true. Lawine was surprised to find she hadn’t even thought about it. It was embarrassing to admit, but she had no reason to lie.

“Well… Yeah, I guess.”

“I thought so. Let me say it now, then. Thank you.”

Since they were constantly fighting, it felt a little weird to hear Kanne express sincere gratitude right to her face.

“Save it for when you actually beat a monster, okay?”

“Oh, you’re right. I take it back.”

“I mean, you don’t have to take it back…”

“My thank-yous don’t come cheap, I’ll have you know.”

“Well damn, okay then.” Lawine almost let herself smile.

A moment after their exchange, they encountered a monster.

It appeared on the path ahead of them. This was clearly a different sort of monster from the wolf types they’d fought thus far, and it was a little smaller. With white fur and enormous ears, it looked like a giant rabbit. It was as still as a statue, with its paws tucked under its body; Lawine couldn’t tell if it had noticed them or not.

It certainly didn’t look dangerous, but there was something unnerving about its glittering red eyes.

“What should we do?” Kanne asked in a whisper.

It was risky to fight a monster they knew nothing about, but they couldn’t afford to pass up this opportunity.

“Let’s go for it.”

The two girls readied their staffs.

As they did, the rabbit monster’s ears twitched. Then there was a loud boom! like something had exploded, and it disappeared without a trace. A second later, a breeze ruffled Lawine’s bangs. All that remained in the monster’s place was a cloud of dust and a fresh hole in the ground.

Rather than teleportation magic, it seemed the monster had used raw physical power to jump…and it had done so with terrifying speed. Lawine hadn’t been able to follow its movement at all.

“…Kanne, get ready to defend.”

“Right…!”

It would be too optimistic to assume the creature had fled.

The pair stood back-to-back, eliminating their blind spots.

Even without seeing her face, Lawine could tell from Kanne’s breathing that she was nervous. She must have understood the gravity of the situation, too.

They had probably misjudged their opponent.

Lawine was already weighing their chances if they tried to run. There were too many unknowns with this monster. At any rate, it wasn’t an opponent they should be fighting in their current, weakened state. They had to get away as soon as possible.

As she was calculating an escape route, Lawine sensed magic above her head.

An attack? She glanced up immediately, but the approaching figure wasn’t a monster at all.

“That creature is too much for you to handle.”

It was their teacher from the magic academy.

Lawine remembered now. She’d said, “I’ll be watching from the skies,” before starting the exam. Evidently, she’d come to rescue them. Lawine felt a wave of relief come over her, even as a chill ran down her spine. Just how dangerous was that monster, if it had necessitated the teacher’s intervention?

“Run away, please, both of you. This was an oversight on my part. I didn’t realize one of those things was living around here. I won’t deduct any points from your score for this.”

There was still time before sunset. It would be best to leave this in the teacher’s capable hands and search for another monster. The two of them did as they were told and hurried away.

As they ran, Kanne grimaced. “That must’ve been a really scary monster, huh?”

“Seems like it… Sorry, I made a bad call there.”

“It’s fine. Our teacher came to the rescue.”

After a while, they slowed to a halt.

Lawine wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced around. They’d found themselves back in front of that same abandoned house. They’d been fleeing so blindly that they’d wound up retracing their steps.

“I guess this is far enough.”

“Uh-huh. The teacher’s probably taking care of it as we speak.”

“…Yeah.”

Though she was retired, their teacher was a second-class mage. They doubted she’d be bested so easily.

The sun was already setting. It would be dark in less than ten minutes. Without an incredible stroke of luck, it would be impossible to find and defeat a monster now. They began to consider calling it quits and getting some rest.

Just as Lawine was beginning to feel guilty that she’d taken the first kill…

Boom! They heard another sound like an explosion.

Before Lawine could throw up a barrier spell, the monster’s attack struck her.

“Lawine!”

“Dammit all…”

The rabbit monster had slashed her shoulder.

It now stood in front of the two girls, reared up on its back legs threateningly. Its forefeet had giant claws—no, they were practically scythes attached directly to its legs—and they were dripping with blood.

Lawine swallowed hard.

She hadn’t expected it to catch up with them. As much as she hated to consider it, the monster must have defeated their teacher. And now, a creature strong enough to take on a second-class mage had come all this way just to slaughter them. To top it all off, they were already exhausted.

Quite frankly, this was the worst-case scenario.

“Shit… This might be the end of the line for us,” muttered Lawine.

“Don’t say stuff like that!”

“Well, I can’t see us getting outta here alive.”

“If we beat that monster, I’ll say ‘thank you’ for real, okay?”

“How much do you think your thank-yous are worth, exactly?”

“Like…a merkur pudding, maybe?”

“…That’s cheaper than I thought.”

Lawine let out a short, exasperated sigh. Suddenly, she felt like an idiot for getting so serious. She almost snorted.

“Well,” she said, “guess we might as well give it our best shot.”

Lawine steeled herself. If they were going down, they might as well go down fighting.

The monster hadn’t attacked yet. It seemed to be waiting for them to make the next move. How convenient. Lawine took advantage of that time to think, searching desperately for any chance at victory.

At last, she found one—a tiny glimmer of hope.

“Kanne, run back to the abandoned village. And then…”

The moment they finished discussing their strategy, the two of them took off running.

The monster crouched, preparing to jump. Then there was another boom! as it made an explosive dash to attack.

Lawine cast a spell to protect herself as she ran, but she could feel the force of the attack even through her barrier. The very air around her was vibrating. As long as she could see them coming, it wasn’t so difficult to defend herself from attacks. The problem was what to do if she ran out of mana. The more powerful a barrier, the more mana it cost. She would probably run out after three or four more strikes.

They had to make it to the village before then, or all would be lost.

Lawine and Kanne both ran as fast as they could. They squeezed out every last drop of strength and mana in their bodies and kept going, heedless of the branches that caught their clothes and the attacks that grazed their cheeks.

After an agonizing chase that probably lasted no more than three minutes, the two of them finally reached the abandoned village.

Water was essential to everyday life. But the Leud Plateau lacked any major water sources. So where did the villagers who once lived there get their water?

A well, of course.

“There!”

The two of them spotted an old well.

Lawine defended against the monster’s attack with all her might.

Then, before the next one came, Kanne poured her mana down to the bottom of the well.

They were ready to put their plan into action.

“Reamstroha.”

Water gushed up from the well.

The liquid pillar writhed like a giant serpent as it soared toward their opponent. Sensing that the tables had turned, the rabbit monster fled at full speed, but Kanne’s spell wasn’t about to let it escape. The pillar sped along the ground in a torrent, mowing down dilapidated buildings as it chased down its prey. Then, at last, the water caught up and swallowed the monster whole.

“Nice work.”

Lawine used the last drop of her mana to freeze the pillar of water, monster and all.

Now that it was trapped in ice, the monster’s mana shrank and shrank. Finally, it ran out completely, and the creature turned into dust and vanished.

“We…we beat it.” Kanne sank to the ground.

Lawine collapsed at almost the same time. They were completely drained of mana now, not to mention strength and stamina.

“Damn. I can’t move.”

“Me neither…”

They lay on the ground together, with their arms and legs splayed out wide, gazing up at the resplendent red sky. The sun was just barely visible behind the mountain ridge. It would set in a matter of seconds. Somehow, they’d made it in the nick of time.

“Who d’you think gets credit for the finishing blow on that one?”

“I don’t even care anymore.”

“Yeah, fair enough.”

Lavine cast a sidelong glance at Kanne. “Hey.”

“What?”

“Wasn’t there something you wanted to say to me?”

“Hmm, I dunno… Was there?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“Was it… ‘Great work out there, my little Lawine’?”

“Like hell it was.”

“Ow, ow! You’re gonna rip out my hair! Stop pulling!”

Just then, they heard footsteps approaching.

Immediately, both girls sat up.

Their teacher stood before them. She’d survived. She was visibly wounded, but none of her injuries seemed life-threatening. Maybe she’d gotten lucky and the monster had only knocked her out.

At any rate, she was staring at Kanne and Lawine like she’d seen a ghost.

“Did you two…defeat that monster…?”

The pair nodded, and their teacher fell silent.

Maybe she didn’t believe them. How could two students, who were fighting monsters for the first time in their lives, take down a creature that had escaped a second-class mage? It was only natural that she would have her doubts. But Lawine didn’t care if the teacher believed them or not. It wouldn’t change the facts. The fact that she and Kanne had worked together to beat the odds was surely more valuable than any teacher’s assessment.

Finally, their teacher spoke.

“I must admit…I didn’t think you two were capable of taking on that monster,” she said quietly. “But I have no doubt you’re telling the truth. You’ve completely surpassed my expectations…”

She believes us! Kanne looked at Lawine happily. But when it became clear their teacher wasn’t finished, she quickly straightened up and turned to face her again.

“Perhaps the two of you can make it to the heights I was never able to reach.”

An achievement even their teacher, a second-class mage, couldn’t attain.

“Perhaps you’ll make it to the pinnacle of all magic…and become first-class mages.”

Lawine’s heart thudded. She still didn’t think she could become a first-class mage on her own. Surely Kanne felt the same way.

But if we’re together…

Lawine could picture it: she and Kanne, becoming first-class mages, side by side.

Chapter 4. The Wandering Scales

“Hmm. So another new hero has appeared, then?”

“Yes, Lady Aura,” replied a demon with the appearance of a young man.

Seated on her throne with her legs crossed, Aura narrowed her eyes at him.

Though it was midday, the throne room was dark and gloomy. The walls were blackened, and spiderwebs hung from the ceiling. Aura’s throne alone was polished to a shine—a display of her authority.

The run-down castle was located deep in a forest in the northern lands. It had once been occupied by humans, but Aura and her army had seized control of it, making it into a demon base. Generally, demons were individualists who lived solitary lives. However, particularly powerful demons sometimes formed organized groups.

Aura the Guillotine was one of several great demons known as the Seven Sages of Destruction who served directly under the Demon King. She, too, had several demon subordinates, one of whom was currently giving her a report.

“The hero’s name is Himmel. He’s traveling in a party of four, all told, heading for the Demon King’s Castle.”

“And is he strong?” she asked.

“We’re not sure of his precise strength just yet, but I am told he has defeated many demons already.”

“I see.”

There was more than one hero in the world. The Seven Sages of Destruction had once joined forces to fight the Hero of the South, but Aura had never heard of this Himmel person. She figured he must be rather new, and yet many demons had already lost to him.

“Younger demons are such weaklings these days.” Aura picked up an apple she’d left on her armrest and bit into it with a crunch.

It didn’t matter to her how many of her brethren were slain. Even if her own subordinates were killed, she wouldn’t have felt even an inkling of sorrow or outrage. That was simply the nature of demons.

“Do you demons have no hearts?!”

Once, a human had said those words to Aura just before dying.

She knew that calling someone heartless didn’t mean that they were literally missing an organ. Demons lack emotions like compassion and guilt—that was probably what the human had wanted to say.

Utter foolishness, Aura thought. If anything, the very existence of compassion, guilt, and other such feelings was a fatal flaw for any living thing.

Young demons sometimes killed far stronger adventurers, and more often than not, it was because humans were swayed by emotions. They took pity on a childlike demon pleading for its life and decided to spare it, only to be killed as soon as they turned around. It was a common tactic used by weaker demons, yet humans fell for it with surprising regularity.

Everyone knew that demons ate people, and yet they still let themselves be fooled. The only explanation was the fatal flaw known as feelings.

Bored of her snack, Aura tossed the half-eaten apple to the floor. Immediately, a demon in the form of a young girl peeked out from the shadows. She picked up the apple and started nibbling away at it on the spot. Seeing this, the male demon who had been reporting to Aura was compelled to scold her.

“Do not stoop to scavenging, Linie.”

“…As you wish, Lord Lügner.” The girl threw the apple away and vanished back into the shadows.

Ignoring them both, Aura rested her chin in her hands thoughtfully. “Hmm. A hero, eh…”

The Demon King’s Castle was at the northernmost point of the continent. To get there, the hero would have to cross through the northern lands.

“Lügner. Where is this hero now?” Aura asked.

“In the Krute Wetlands in the central regions.”

Opening a map in her mind’s eye, Aura connected the Krute Wetlands to the Demon King’s Castle. Himmel and his party might pass through this very area, or at least nearby.

A wicked smirk played across Aura’s lips. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“About what, my lady?”

“I’m going to add the Hero Party to my army of corpses.”

Auserlese: a spell that forces obedience.

This was the magic that Aura had spent her life studying and perfecting. It weighed the target’s soul against her own on a scale, and granted the soul with more mana control over the other. Since Aura had an immense amount of mana, there was never any question of who would win. Indeed, she’d remained undefeated for the past several hundred years.

Most of those she enslaved were humans.

Though she saw humanity on the whole as foolish, that didn’t mean she believed all of them were weak. Some were even quite strong, like the Hero of the South. To Aura, humans were useful for more than just eating.

A veteran warrior who had never lost a battle, a monk who defeated a dragon barehanded, an assassin employed by nobility, one of the three great knights of the northern lands, a prince who fought on the front lines and led his men to many victories…

Aura used Auserlese to turn every one of them into her puppets, then beheaded them to ensure they became mindless soldiers. She considered them invaluable assets in battle. In a way, one might even say that Aura quite liked humans. It was just that her fondness for them was closer to the affection one felt for one’s livestock than that of one person toward another.

So, how powerful was Himmel, really?

If it was true that he had defeated a great number of demons, he and his party must be fairly skilled. Aura looked forward to adding them to her undead army.

There was some distance yet between the Krute Wetlands and Aura’s base. It would be better to wait for them to pass by than to go out and try to track them down. Until then, she would focus on refining her techniques and expanding her army, as always.

She saw no need to do anything else.

“Lady Aura.”

Lügner entered the throne room as Aura was sitting idly in the faint moonlight.

“We’ve confirmed the Hero Party’s location,” he continued. “I’m told they are currently staying in Granat County.”

“Oh, really? How long has it been since they left the Krute Wetlands, again?”

“A year and a month.”

“They traveled faster than I expected.”

A demon’s lifespan was far longer than a human’s. Thus, their sense of time was quite different as well. From Aura’s perspective, a year was nothing.

“Though their current location is quite convenient,” she added.

“Yes, my lady. I believe we are fully prepared to invade.”

The demons were already planning to attack Granat County. Aura had been hesitating because of the barrier surrounding its capital city, but now that she had increased the size of her undead army considerably, she believed it wouldn’t be too difficult to capture the region.

“How long do you suppose Himmel will stay there?” she asked. “A year, perhaps?”

“I cannot say for certain… But considering his pace thus far, I believe he may leave tomorrow or the following day.”

“Oh, that soon? He really ought to take things slower.”

“I am sure they wish to make haste to defeat the Demon King.”

“Ah, yes, of course. Well then, I suppose we should take care of them for His Majesty’s sake as well as mine.” Aura stood up, stretched, and looked out the window. “We’ll bring Granat County down tomorrow. And Himmel and his friends, too, while we’re at it.”

“As you wish, my lady.”

Deep in the forest, a single flower bloomed.

Soft sunlight filtered down through the trees onto its vibrant green leaves as they shook in the gentle breeze. Its red petals were especially eye-catching. While it was a common flower, it stood out bright and bold amidst the weeds growing thickly all around it.

Then, all of a sudden, the flower was crushed under a man’s boot.

The man was a human soldier, clad in armor and carrying a sword. Dozens more followed—hundreds, maybe even thousands, stomping on the flower one after another. None of them noticed it. In fact, there wasn’t a brain between them to consider such things. That was not merely a turn of phrase, either. Every one of them was literally missing their head.

Their armor and weapons clanked and clattered as they tramped through the woods. The putrid smell of death lingered in their wake.

This was Aura’s undead army: the countless corpses she had enslaved with Auserlese.

Once they were through the woods, the army marched onward toward a plateau with a picturesque view. Aura floated above with flying magic and gazed at the scene with satisfaction.

“What a lovely sight,” she said.

“Agreed,” Lügner commented beside her.

“It’s such a shame we can’t simply stomp the city flat with this splendid army. Isn’t there any way we can break through that dreadful barrier?”

“I’m afraid Flamme’s magic is beyond our current comprehension. It would be nearly impossible to dispel it from the outside.”

“To think we can’t break a barrier made by some long-dead human mage… How very irritating.”

“…Quite so, my lady.”

“Well, no matter. We have other ways.” Aura sighed and turned to look back at their base. “Who did you leave in charge of the castle?”

“Draht.”

“Who?”

“A young demon who just joined our ranks recently. He specializes in making magic thread…”

“Ah, yes, that does ring a bell. Is he strong enough?”

“He can be a bit overconfident given his lack of experience, but I am sure he could kill an average human adventurer instantly. He should be enough to defend the base, at any rate.”

“Well, I should hope.” Aura returned her attention to the front lines.

Just then, her mana detection picked up something.

There was mana concentrated right between her undead army and Granat County. She sensed four people in all. They seemed to be standing still, waiting to intercept Aura’s army.

“My, is that the Hero Party?” she mused. “How nice of them to give us such a warm welcome.”

“What shall we do, my lady?”

“Hmm, I’d rather like to meet them in person… Really get a good look and judge them for myself, you know?” Aura smirked. “Once I add them to my undead army, I’ll never see their faces again, after all.”

With that, Aura and Lügner descended.

They moved ahead of the undead army and landed face-to-face with the hero and company.

Aura’s eyes alit on a human with hair the color of a clear lake. He held a sword and watched them with open hostility. This one must be Himmel the Hero, she thought. Aura’s instincts, honed over hundreds of years, told her that he was a strong adversary. The claim that he’d slain many demons must have been true, then. Two of his companions, a human who appeared to be a priest and a dwarf holding an axe, looked fairly formidable as well.

Even so, they wouldn’t stand a chance against the undead army. There simply weren’t enough of them. Aura’s confidence remained unshaken.

But the final party member gave her pause.

“An elf? What a surprise. I thought you’d all gone extinct by now.”

Aura watched the white-haired elf with great interest.

Her mana was refined to a terrifying degree. Aura had heard that elves lived even longer than demons. This one must have trained for many long years. Even so, the actual amount of her mana was nothing special. As long as Aura had Auserlese on her side, this elf posed no threat to her whatsoever.

“I take it you’re Aura the Guillotine,” the elf said coolly, undaunted by the army of corpses. “Turn back now.”

“And if I refuse?”

The elf leveled her staff at Aura.

Her eyes were cold. It wasn’t the kind of gaze one directed at another person; it was more like how one might look at a beast. Clearly, she had no qualms about killing a demon. But the feeling was mutual.

Fool, thought Aura. If I used my magic, this would be over in an instant.

But that wouldn’t be any fun.

“Let’s see what you’re made of, then, shall we?” said the demon.

Aura’s soldiers stepped in front of her with a brisk clatter and charged at her foes.

Frieren. Evidently, that was the elf’s name. As Aura hung back, protected by her soldiers, she heard the elf’s friends call out to her.

This “Frieren” was quite strong.

Aura’s soldiers were powerful, despite being puppets, but the elf’s magic scattered them. Her attacks were bold and magnificent, yet remarkably precise. No average demon would stand a chance against her. However, if she continued using such flashy magic, she would run out of mana soon enough. Either she was aiming to end the fight as quickly as possible, or she was simply in a panic and reacting to the army haphazardly. Either way, the battle would be over before too long.

The only other oddity was Himmel.

His skills with the sword were clear even from a distance—yet for some reason, he kept hesitating to go on the offensive. Several times, Aura saw him deliberately miss a soldier’s vitals or pass up an obvious opening for a finishing blow. In that respect, the dwarf with the axe was doing better than the hero.

At first, Aura assumed it was a problem of human nature.

Even those humans who fought bravely against the undead army hesitated to attack when faced with the corpses of their comrades. It was a habit shared by most of their kind. But Himmel was holding back against all the corpse soldiers rather than singling out particular individuals.

Aura had never seen a human fight like that before.

Since they had the advantage, she found herself watching him raptly.

“Lady Aura.”

When Lügner spoke to her, Aura tore her gaze from Himmel.

“I believe it would be unwise to expend any more soldiers here,” her subordinate continued. “Shall we send the hero and his party to their graves now?”

“…Yes, you’re right.”

She had let herself have a little too much fun.

They still had to attack Granat County today. She should do as Lügner suggested, but first, there was just one thing she wanted to know.

Aura strolled forward. The soldiers parted around her like a sea of the dead, clearing a path straight toward Himmel the Hero.

The hero’s party was still at a clear disadvantage. Aura’s army had successfully split them up, and each one was surrounded by a deluge of the dead. It was only a matter of time before they fell. Himmel, especially, was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. Concluding that he was no longer a threat, Aura stepped even closer.

Putting her army’s assault on pause for a moment, Aura addressed the hero.

“Why aren’t you fighting with your full strength?”

Himmel leaned heavily on his sword, using it like a cane to support his weight. He was covered in wounds and could barely stand.

It was a truly disgraceful sight. Perhaps her initial impression had been false, and he wasn’t quite so strong after all. On the other hand, it was almost impressive that he’d fought so poorly and still managed to survive. Even now, it was difficult to say whether he was strong or not.

Himmel furrowed his brow quizzically. “Because I don’t want to hurt them unnecessarily.”

“Why? Is there someone you knew in the undead army?”

“…No. But it doesn’t matter if I knew them or not. It’s a matter of respect.”

“I don’t know what you mean. You don’t want to hurt them out of respect? Don’t humans normally reserve such concerns for the living?”

“They shouldn’t.”

“Well, they do.” Aura gestured at the undead army. “Can’t you tell? All these people are long dead.”

Himmel seemed to bristle slightly. Had she angered him?

But it only lasted for a moment. Then the hero’s face clouded with sadness.

“…Right. Of course.” Himmel gazed at Aura with eyes full of pity. “Demons don’t mourn the dead.”

Mourn.

Aura knew the word, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around the concept.

Lügner had told her about something similar once: that humanity had a practice of dressing up the dead and burying them in the ground. Was that what Himmel was talking about?

“What’s the point, anyway? Humans do love to waste what little time they have.”

“It’s not a waste.”

Himmel slowly raised his sword.

“By grieving the dead, we carry on the hopes and feelings of those we’ve lost. That’s how humans construct their history. And as long as that continues…” A glint of determination flared in Himmel’s eyes. “…humanity will never lose.”

“…!”

Something about the hero changed.

He’d been gasping for breath like a cornered animal just a moment ago, yet he now carried himself like a noble warrior. Something had shifted inside him.

Aura knew, at least in theory, that extreme rage or hatred could draw out a human’s potential in the heat of battle. But the energy she sensed from Himmel didn’t seem rooted in those feelings. It was more like a sense of duty…or perhaps righteousness?

She didn’t know for sure. All she knew was that alarm bells were blaring in her head.

Aura immediately summoned the Scales of Obedience to her hand. There was no more need for talk. She would end this here and now.

“Auserle—”

Just as she moved to measure Himmel’s mana against her own, a flash of light knocked the scales from her hand.

“What?!”

An attack? Where did that come from?!

Aura whirled to face the source of the light and found Frieren holding her staff.

How could she have shot the scales from so far away, while still fending off the undead army? Unless it was mere coincidence, this elf was far more skilled than Aura had suspected. But surely she would have heard of a mage who could pull off a feat so impressive.

Aura clenched her teeth. She’d made a grave miscalculation. It was Frieren she should have been watching, not Himmel…

But there would be time for such regrets later. Right now, she had to kill the hero standing in front of her.

Even without the Scales of Obedience, she could still fight. And besides, her opponent was wounded. He couldn’t possibly get the best of her.

Aura started to cast an attack spell. But before she could finish, Himmel was upon her. He moved quickly and cleverly, closing the distance between them. Where did he find the strength?! Aura didn’t even have time to ponder the question before his sword slashed her, cutting deep.

“Ngh…!”

“Lady Aura!” Lügner shouted.

Blood sprayed from her shoulder. This was a fatal wound. Worse, she’d lost her chance to counterattack.

Mana leaked from the opening in her body at an alarming rate. She was in serious trouble. Her strength was rapidly draining away. If this went on, she would be killed. Her only option was to retreat.

But how could she flee, tail between her legs, from a mere human? She was one of the Seven Sages of Destruction! It was a ridiculous notion. And yet…

She placed her pride as a Sage of Destruction and her desire to live on the scales in her heart, and they tipped toward the latter.

“You’ll pay for this…!” Aura cried as she fled the scene, leaving her undead army behind.

A week had passed since Aura’s battle with the Hero Party.

Aura and her subordinates had made their base in a cave deep within the forest. It was dark and damp inside, with the perpetual plink, plink of water dripping somewhere within.

Aura leaned against the rock wall and gazed outside listlessly. It was bright and sunny, despite her dull and dreary state of mind. Just beyond the cave’s opening, Draht and Linie were sparring. Linie appeared to have the edge in close combat and was keeping Draht on the defensive.

After a while, Lügner returned from his reconnaissance.

“I bring news, my lady,” he said evenly. “The undead army we left on the plateau has been annihilated. The Hero Party is heading toward the Demon King’s Castle with all four members intact.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What shall we do next?”

“There’s nothing we can do, really. Let’s just rest for a while.”

Aura lay down on the dirt. As she moved, the wound she’d received from Himmel throbbed painfully. It didn’t seem likely to heal anytime soon. What’s more, she’d lost most of her army and even the castle they’d been using as a base. Thanks to that, she was stuck holing up in this cave in the middle of nowhere. In their sorry state, she and her subordinates could barely hope to bring down Granat County, much less get revenge on the hero and his companions.

Still lying down, Aura muttered, “Why do you suppose I lost?”

Lügner gave no response.

Instead, Linie, who had just finished training and returned to the cave, spoke up innocently. “Because you let your guard down?”

Standing nearby, Draht froze.

Lügner looked as calm as ever, but he cleared his throat and shot Linie a scolding glare. “Linie. Be quiet, will you?”

“Oops… I’m sorry.” Linie hung her head.

Aura didn’t get angry, however. She didn’t have the energy. And besides, it was the truth.

But if letting her guard down was the reason she’d lost, then if she had only been more careful, she would surely have won. For a prideful demon like Aura, that was a little easier to accept than if she had been bested in strength or mana.

“I won’t make the same mistake twice,” she said. “Next time, I’ll kill them for sure.”

“A laudable sentiment, Lady Aura.”

Aura huffed and turned away. She had no desire to speak to anyone else for a while. She closed her lips and eyelids alike, intending to take a light nap.

But then she sat up straight.

“Lady Aura, I detect mana nearby,” said Lügner.

“Yes, I’m well aware. Why must humans be such hasty creatures, I wonder?” Aura grumbled as she stood up.

Humans had entered the range of her mana detection. Judging by their number, they must have come here to track down and eliminate Aura and her subordinates. Unfortunately, the humans far outnumbered them, though they didn’t seem to know the demons’ location just yet. They must have had mages among them, too. If Aura stayed put, it was only a matter of time before they tracked her down.

“Lügner. Take care of it,” she said.

“Might I ask what you had in mind, my lady?”

“Just get rid of them. Or have you forgotten your role as an Executioner?”

Clearly, she had no problem passing off the dirty work to others. Perhaps it was the obedience-inducing magic she practiced, or perhaps she had always been like that. At any rate, while Lügner maintained his usual composed expression, he was inwardly conflicted. He knew as well as Aura that violence was the easiest way to resolve a matter. In this case, however, it wouldn’t be quite so simple.

“…Pardon my impudence, my lady, but I am not certain we can repel them in our current condition. I believe it would be best to retreat.”

“You would have me flee from humans yet again?”

“For now, it is more important to gather our strength.”

Aura scowled but gave up arguing. She couldn’t deny that they were short on military might.

“Did you have someplace in mind?”

“I suggest we go north. The Northern Plateau is overrun with monsters and unsafe for human habitation. It will make an excellent place for us to hide.”

“As long as we can settle down, I don’t care where it is.”

“Let us be on our way, then.”

And with that, Aura and the others left the cave.

It took half a year of traveling through heavy snow to cross the mountains.

Since heading north would bring them closer to the Demon King’s Castle, they were also at risk of crossing paths with the Hero Party. They’d taken a roundabout route to minimize the possibility, but it seemed they’d gone a bit too far. The dry northern wind was dreadfully cold and fierce.

As they passed through a winter-blighted forest, Aura remembered something.

Come to think of it, I know someone who lives on the Northern Plateau.

“What in the world…?” Lügner stopped short, a hint of wonder in his voice. Linie and Draht looked warily at the unusual sight before them.

There was a ghost town at the edge of the forest.

At least, it was a ghost town in the sense that it had no living inhabitants. But there was something that made it quite different from Aura’s mental image of a typical ghost town.

The entire village had been turned into gold.

The people and houses alike gleamed with an inorganic luster. Even the ground itself was golden. There wasn’t a spot of dirt or tarnish; every surface reflected the dazzling sunlight like a mirror.

Clearly, this place had been transformed by magic, and Aura only knew of one mage who could use such an extravagant spell.

“What do you want?” said a nearby voice.

A man was standing behind Aura and the others. His gaze was fixed disinterestedly on the ground, as if he’d been standing there idly for ages. Aura hadn’t even noticed him until he spoke up, despite how close he was. His mana control was remarkable.

“Macht.”

This was Macht of the Golden Lands: an eccentric demon who despised conflict, and the strongest of the Seven Sages of Destruction.

Aura couldn’t possibly hope to defeat him, especially in her current state.

“Nothing, really,” she said. “We’re just passing through, that’s all.”

“I see. Then get lost already.”

The last time Aura had seen Macht was when the Seven Sages of Destruction had gathered to defeat the Hero of the South. Naturally, Aura felt no fondness or excitement at their reunion. She would have preferred to keep moving. However, the idea of turning back right after being told to “get lost” irritated her.

“It’s such a shame,” she said.

“What?” asked Macht

“You have all this power, yet you avoid conflict. You really ought to use your strength to the fullest. I suppose this is what they call a waste of talent.”

“To the fullest, hmm? Maybe so. Shall I start by ridding myself of this nuisance?”

Lügner, Linie, and Draht immediately readied themselves for battle. But Aura didn’t move. She knew Macht wasn’t short-tempered enough to turn against a fellow Sage of Destruction for no good reason.

“Enough with your empty threats.” Aura cast a glance around the village. “Diagoldze is a spell that can turn anything into gold. Why settle for a tiny village like this one when you could use it on an entire city? Have you no interest in loftier achievements?”

“What would I stand to gain from such nonsense?”

“You could show off your strength—to humans and demons both.”

“That would just attract unwanted attention.”

“Why, you just have to do it so thoroughly that no one dares defy you.”

“And what would I do after that, then?”

“After that? You could simply do whatever you please.”

“I’m already doing just that.” Macht narrowed his eyes. “Say, what happened to that horde of zombies you’re always dragging around?”

“If you’re referring to my undead army, then you’re very much mistaken. I’ll thank you not to lump them in with those nasty old things.”

“Either way, you’re just controlling corpses, right?”

“The magic system and precision involved are completely different. Perhaps you should stop underestimating me.”

“That’s quite the ego you’ve got there.”

The contempt in Macht’s tone only fueled Aura’s annoyance.

Behind her, Lügner was silently signaling “we should leave” with his eyes. Aura was well aware, but still ignored him. Her pride as a member of the Seven Sages of Destruction wouldn’t allow her to accept this mockery.

“You say you’re doing as you please already… So what is it you want to do, exactly?”

Thus far, Macht had calmly parried each of Aura’s barbed remarks, but this time he paused a moment before answering.

“I’m looking for something,” he said.

“And what is that, pray tell?”

“Something you’ll certainly never find.”

“…Are you insulting me?”

“And what if I am?”

Aura didn’t answer, and Macht refused to continue.

A frigid silence followed.

The two demons stared at each other unwaveringly, watching for any movements. Neither initiated combat, nor was there any change in their mana. Yet the air was so thick with tension that it felt dangerous even to breathe.

As a general rule, the Sages of Destruction would never attack one another. But Aura knew perfectly well that demons were fickle creatures. There was no telling what might incite Macht to turn on her.

The thread of tension between them pulled tighter and tighter. A bead of sweat dripped down Aura’s temple.

“Let’s not,” said Macht at last, breaking the silence. “I doubt killing you would bring me any closer to understanding guilt.”

“…You really do get on my nerves.” Aura sighed, a little annoyed with herself for feeling relieved.

Macht had always possessed a deadly calm, as sharp as a knife, that seemed to glitter in his eyes. That same coldness, possessed by many demons, lent itself well to incredible violence. No matter how much he disliked conflict, Macht was still a demon himself. This short encounter had made that painfully clear to Aura.

And yet, something he’d said struck her as strange.

“You mentioned something about guilt,” she said. Aura knew the meaning of that word, too, but only in theory. She had never experienced guilt for herself, nor would she ever truly understand the concept. “Is that what you’re looking for? Are you interested in humanity for some reason?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“No need to be rude.”

“Enough.” Macht turned on his heel and walked away from her.

Left behind in the village of gold, Aura stood for a while, unmoving.

“Lady Aura?” said Lügner.

She turned around at the sound of his voice.

With a strangely sincere expression, Lügner implored her. “Let us make our base someplace far from here.”

“I never want to see him again, either, thank you very much.”

After that, Aura spent a long time quietly convalescing, changing her base from time to time.

Five years passed since her battle with the Hero Party, then ten, and soon it had been nearly half a century. During that time, Aura had avoided contact with humans as much as she could. She was still far from completely recovered and had gathered only a paltry number of soldiers to rebuild her undead army. For the time being, she still needed to lie low.

There was just one problem.

“I’m so terribly bored.” Aura bit back a yawn.

At the moment, they were staying in a deserted manor deep in the mountains. It wasn’t so small as to be stifling, but compared to the castle where they’d made their base before, it was hard to ignore how far they had fallen.

Aura rocked back and forth in a creaky wooden armchair as she thought.

The past half century had been somewhat eventful. Most notably, Himmel the Hero had defeated the Demon King. Since Aura completely lacked any notion of loyalty, she didn’t particularly care that the Demon King was dead. However, the change meant she no longer received orders like “destroy such-and-such village,” leaving her with even less to do than usual.

“Lügner.”

“Yes, my lady?” Lügner stepped up beside her.

“I’m bored.”

“Yes… I can see that.”

“Got any ideas?”

A flicker of frustration registered on Lügner’s face at her careless question. It was far from the first time she’d made such an unreasonable request.

“Well, I suppose you could do some mana training…”

“I’ve done tons of that today already. Or are you trying to say I’m slacking off?”

“No, certainly not,” Lügner responded quickly. He’d chosen wrong, it seemed.

It was true that Aura was training quite diligently. Her dedication to magic was virtually unmatched—even among humans. Even though demons were monsters that lied and devoured humans, their diligent pursuit of magic was unquestionably sincere. Lügner held deep respect for Aura as a mage, and that was why he put up with her occasional selfish demands.

Even so, as he watched Aura sprawled lazily across an armchair, barely suppressing a yawn, he had to admit he was not entirely impressed.

“Forget it,” said Aura, abruptly sitting up.

“Where are you going?” asked Lügner.

“Out for a walk.”

“It would be troublesome if someone saw you…”

“Relax, I won’t be gone long. Keep an eye on things here, will you?” Without even turning her head, Aura sauntered outside.

When the door slammed shut, Lügner let out a sigh. “…She really is a handful at times.”

Lügner sank into Aura’s armchair, and it creaked beneath his weight. As if summoned by the sound, Linie and Draht emerged from a neighboring room. They both tended to avoid Aura when she was in a bad mood.

“Lady Aura’s been like that all the time lately.”

“She must be vexed because she can’t use her power as much as she’d like. Or perhaps she’s still hung up on having lost to the hero and his party.”

Lügner motioned for Linie to bring him a bottle of wine from the kitchen. They’d stolen it from a passing merchant they’d slain. It was neither particularly good nor bad, but Lügner drank it sometimes to dull his boredom and irritation.

“At any rate,” he said, “demons may live for a long time, but we are hardly immortal. I do hope she recovers her full strength soon.”

Lügner brought the glass of wine to his lips. As he did so, his eyes met Draht’s. The younger demon opened his mouth as if to speak, only to clamp it shut again.

“Draht. If you have something to say, why don’t you go ahead and say it?”

“…With all due respect, then…” Draht looked at Lügner steadily. His eyes brimmed with arrogance, just like any young demon who had yet to test his power. “I don’t understand why you continue serving Lady Aura the way she is now. She might be a Sage of Destruction, but that doesn’t mean a damn thing if she can’t fight. If you’re afraid of retribution, why don’t you just kill her as soon as you get the chance? Now that the Demon King is dead, there’s no one left to punish you.”

Lügner smiled. “Yes, that is how a demon ought to think.”

Taking this as affirmation, Draht began to smirk.

“But you don’t know the first thing about how the world works,” Lügner continued.

Draht’s expression soured as if he’d been doused in cold water.

“She’s still a Sage of Destruction, even in her weakened state. No matter how proud I might be, I cannot imagine that an assassination attempt would succeed.”

“But…!”

“What’s more, Auserlese is by far the most powerful spell I have ever seen. Only another one of the Seven Sages, or perhaps an exceptional human mage, would stand a chance of surpassing Lady Aura in mana…” Lügner rose from the armchair and looked down at Draht. “And even those precious few would still fall to her obedience magic if they were made to expend enough mana fighting her undead army. Do you see now, Draht? Lady Aura will never lose unless she lets her pride get the best of her. If you wish to be on the winning side, simply wait quietly for her to recover.”

“…I understand.” Draht nodded reluctantly.

But there wasn’t quite enough fear in his face for Lügner’s liking.

“…I’m sure you realize that Auserlese works on demons as well,” he said. “If Aura senses that you intend to rebel, she might very well use her magic to control you completely. Then again, given her foul mood of late, perhaps not. She might simply choose to take your head off on a whim.”

Draht swallowed hard. Noting the dismay in his eyes, Lügner sat back down.

That ought to dissuade him from any assassination attempts, at the very least. It was better to nip trouble in the bud before it got out of hand.

Lügner quietly sipped his wine.

As Draht slinked into the shadows glumly, Linie ambled up to him.

“Someone got in trou-ble.”

“Shut up.”

Snap. A small twig broke underfoot.

Aura was walking along an animal trail. She went wherever the wind took her, wandering as aimlessly as the clouds drifting across the sky.

She went up a hill, hopped over a stream, and stepped across overgrown roots. Eventually, she emerged onto a properly maintained path, scoured with what looked to be recent wagon tracks. She’d known there was a village nearby, but she’d never realized there was a path through the woods here. Humanity was attempting to expand its borders once again.

The prospect put Aura in a gloomy mood. As much as humans were a valuable asset to her, they were an eyesore when they multiplied too much.

“Maybe I should wipe them out while I’m here.”

Even in her current condition, Aura would have no difficulty destroying one little village. However, dealing with the aftermath would probably be more trouble than it was worth. She decided to hold off on attacking them until her strength was restored completely.

Forgetting about the village for the moment, she went on walking in silence. After about an hour, the sun began to set, giving off a copper glow as it slowly sank behind the mountains.

Aura emerged into a clearing in the woods. There was a large, flat boulder in the middle.

“Ah…”

Atop the boulder sat a human.

He was still young enough to be called a boy. As he sat, he gazed absently up at the sky. Aura hadn’t noticed him at first because his mana was barely detectable; he didn’t seem to be an adventurer or a mage. Most likely, he was an ordinary resident of the nearby village. He seemed to have noticed her as well, and slowly turned his head.

Guess I’d better kill him.

Aura walked toward the boy. And then…

“Is someone there?” he called out.

“…?”

What a strange thing to say. The boy was looking right at her, yet it was as though he couldn’t see her at all.

On closer inspection, his eyes were a cloudy shade of white. Perhaps he really couldn’t see.

“Maybe I’m just imagining things…” The boy tilted his head and frowned.

So he was blind. If he couldn’t see her, then there was no need to kill him. Besides, it would be a waste of time and energy to snuff out such an insignificant life. Aura turned to leave.

She walked a few steps…then stopped.

A waste of time, yes. But maybe this was a perfect way to kill some time. If he couldn’t see her, he wouldn’t know she was a demon. Even if he figured it out, she could just kill him on the spot.

Besides… Aura thought back to her encounter with Macht.

It had been years now, but she still remembered it clearly. It was obvious that Macht had taken an interest in humanity, even if he denied it. Why would a strong demon like him care about such a weak species? It was a mystery to her.

Perhaps if she spent some time talking to this boy, she might figure out what Macht was thinking. It wasn’t that Aura wanted to understand Macht, of course—not knowing simply annoyed her. Either way, she had nothing but time on her hands. There was no reason not to spend a little of it on something silly.

So she turned and spoke. “Hey, you.”

“Whoa! Wh-who’s there?” The boy jumped as if startled.

“You can’t see me, can you?”

“Erm, n-no… I lost my eyesight to an injury when I was little.”

“I’m surprised you made it all the way out here, then.”

“Well, I have a cane.” The boy ran his hand gently along the stone surface on which he sat, until his fingers brushed a cane resting against the boulder. “Sorry, who are you?”

“Just an adventurer passing through.”

“An adventurer!” The boy’s face lit up. “That’s amazing. My dream is to be an adventurer when I grow up.”

“Even though you’re blind?”

“That’s what everyone in the village says, too…but I’m sure I can do it if I try hard enough. My father always says that you shouldn’t give up on something before you even try.”

“Is that so…”

“Um, my name is Will. What’s yours, miss?”

“It doesn’t matter. Call me whatever you’d like.”

“R-really? Okay, then.” Will’s hands fidgeted restlessly. Maybe he was still wary of her.

“And what are you doing out here, Will?”

“Erm, well, I was listening to the birds.”

“Birds, you say?”

“Uh-huh. There are plenty of wild birds out here, so you can hear lots of songs.”

Aura listened carefully. Sure enough, she heard a mix of not-so-distant birdsong. “What’s the point of listening to that racket?”

“The point…? I don’t know, I just listen to them. It’s nice and soothing.”

Aura couldn’t understand what he meant. She didn’t feel anything when she heard a bird sing. What Will was describing must be a result of his human sensitivities.

“I really like hearing birds sing,” he continued. “Did you know the calls they make are like lyrics? It’s how they tell other birds they’re looking for love, protecting their turf, stuff like that. This time of year is the breeding season for a lot of different birds, so you can hear even more songs than usual.”

Will dove into a lengthy explanation, even though Aura hadn’t asked.

“Birdsongs aren’t just pretty, either. Some birds sing while they’re flying, but that can be really exhausting or make it easier for predators to target them. No matter how nice it sounds to us, for the bird it might be a matter of life and death.”

Aura watched him curiously. Topic aside, no human had ever spoken with her so breathlessly before, and his attitude sparked her interest.

Generally speaking, humans reacted to Aura with either hostility or fear. But this boy was simply rambling to her about something he liked. It was a novel experience for her, and rather amusing.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Listen to me going on and on.” Will’s cheeks turned bright red.

“No, it’s all right. It was quite entertaining, in fact.”

“Really? I’m glad. Oh… But maybe you could tell me about yourself, too, if you’d like? I really love listening to adventurers’ stories and—”

Just then, a bell rang in the distance. It came from the direction of the village.

“Oh no!” Will’s face clouded. “I have to go home already…”

“Really? What a shame.”

Aura would have liked to observe him a little longer. Should she really let him leave like this? She briefly considered abducting the boy, but she suspected it would cause him to lose the very spark that made him so interesting. And in that case…

“If you come back here tomorrow, I will tell you some stories of my adventures,” Aura suggested.

“Really? But miss, aren’t you just passing through…?”

“I can stay a little while longer. I’ve got plenty of time, after all.”

At that, Will’s sightless eyes sparkled with excitement.

This ought to stave off my boredom for a little while, at least.

From that day on, Aura and Will met every evening around dusk. They sat atop the boulder together and talked until they heard the village bell (which was apparently a signal for the villagers to return home). When Aura improvised tales of her so-called adventures, Will listened with comically rapt attention. He didn’t seem to suspect that Aura was a demon in the slightest.

Still, once in a while, he would get curious and ask her questions.

“So where do you live?”

“How long will you be staying?”

“Are you always alone?”

Whenever he asked such things, Aura either made up a lie or changed the subject. Fortunately, Will could talk about wild birds for hours on end, so it was easy enough to distract him.

“There are some birds that can mimic sounds, you know,” he said.

“Are there?”

“Uh-huh. They copy the calls of other birds. They use it to impress girl birds or imitate predators to stop them from attacking.”

“Now that sounds rather familiar.”

Imitating an enemy to stop them from attacking—that was exactly what demons did. Weaker ones, especially, tended to use that strategy.

No, perhaps strong demons were the same. They might use words to deceive humans or communicate with other demons, but in many cases, they didn’t really understand the meanings of the words they used. In the end, perhaps a demon’s speech was nothing more than a complex animal call mimicking that of humans.

“Are there any birds that imitate human speech?” she asked.

“Yes, supposedly there are. They live really far away from here, though.”

“I’m amazed you know all this. You can’t read, right?”

Will scratched his head sheepishly. “The truth is, my mother taught me most of it. She was really smart and taught me about all kinds of living things. I’m trying to make sure I never forget anything she taught me.”

It was clear from the way he spoke that Will had strong feelings about this “mother” of his.

“Besides being really smart, my mom was also a super-strong mage.”

“She was? Is she not anymore?”

“Oh, um… No.” Will’s face darkened. He’d been babbling on as usual just a moment ago, but now the flow of his words faltered. “…My mother died five years ago.”

“How?”

“She was killed by a demon. My mother and father both fought to protect the village. The other adults all worked together, too, but none of them could beat the demon.”

“And yet you survived.”

“My parents helped me escape. But the demon’s attack was so intense… That was when I lost my sight, too.” Will put a hand over his eyes. There was no hint of sadness on his face; he just looked exhausted. “Why did the demon attack our village, I wonder?”

The question wasn’t directed at Aura specifically. It sounded more like a sweeping lament, as if he were bemoaning the misfortune of the whole world.

“I’ve no idea. It might have wanted to eat humans, or just test its strength. It could even have attacked on a whim, for no real reason at all. Humans will never be able to understand how demons think.”

“How can we look alike and speak the same language, yet still not understand each other?”

“If we could, then demons and humans wouldn’t have been at war for a thousand years.”

“But the war ended.”

“And then your village was attacked, and you lost your sight.”

“Maybe the demon had its own reasons.”

“Such as?”

“I have no idea, but…” Will hung his head uncertainly.

Aura found this exceedingly strange. It sounded almost as though Will wanted to coexist with demons—even though they’d attacked his village, killed his family, and even stolen the light from his eyes.

“You don’t hate demons?” she asked.

“I mean… I guess I do. But I don’t want to believe that all of them are bad. I think there must be some good demons, too.”

“Hmm. I’m not sure I agree.”

“No, there must be. The world is so big and vast.” Will said it reverently, like a prayer.

Good demons. The concept was almost enough to make Aura laugh out loud. But Will was completely serious. This wasn’t the ignorant complacency common to humans, either; it was more like an unshakeable conviction. Aura was more curious about Will than ever.

But if a demon that tried to understand humans was a “good demon,” did that mean that one who wished to coexist with humans even as he gave orders to destroy human villages—such as the Demon King—was a “good demon” in Will’s eyes?

Will was surprisingly erudite for his age. He knew many things that even Aura had never heard, despite her five hundred years of life. Every time she casually voiced a question, he gave her an immediate response. It was something she had never experienced talking with her fellow demons.

Generally, she assumed humans like Will would want to become scholars or professors. Yet Will’s only ambition was to become an adventurer, and he had no intention of changing course.

“I really don’t think you’re cut out for it…,” she said.

“But I want to do it anyway. Lately, some of the other villagers have even started rooting for me. I think it’s because I’ve been training so hard.”

“Is that so…?”

From what Will told her, it sounded like the villagers were all quite fond of him. When she pointed this out, he smiled sheepishly and said, “They’re all really nice people.” She could tell that he and the villagers shared a strong bond of mutual trust.

“I’ve been studying magic lately, too,” he said. “Right now I’m learning ordinary offensive magic.”

“Oh? Can you use it?”

“No, not at all… It seems like I don’t have my mother’s gift for magic.”

“Well, that’s no good. And even if you did manage to cast it, how are you going to hit a target you can’t see?”

“Yeah, I might just have to keep focusing on physical training…”

Frankly, Aura didn’t see how that was going to help him, either, but she kept that to herself. Speaking the truth and antagonizing him would only get in the way of her daily entertainment.

“But you’re a mage, right, miss? Are you strong?”

“Very much so.”

“How strong exactly? As strong as a first-class mage?”

A first-class mage… Since Aura had been living in seclusion, she had never heard the term before. However, from the sound of it, she assumed it must refer to some sort of ranking system for human mages. It was easy enough to play along.

“If you must know…I’m even stronger than a first-class mage.”

“Really? That’s so cool…” Will sighed in admiration. “I wanna get really strong, too.”

This last part was more of a quiet murmur. He might have been muttering to himself, but his tone was one of powerful determination. No doubt he was voicing a genuine desire straight from the heart.

“I’m sure you will, if you work hard enough.”

Unlike Will, Aura didn’t mean what she said in the least. But as always, Will took her words at face value and smiled affably.

“You’re really nice, miss. Even if you act kind of arrogant sometimes.”

“Well, I have reason to. You’re my junior, after all.”

“…How old are you, miss?”

“You’re better off not knowing.”

“Right… A lady has to keep her secrets, huh?”

Will chuckled. Aura nearly laughed, too.

Secrets, he says…

How would this boy react if he knew the person he was talking to was actually a demon? Her heart raced with curiosity, but she decided not to act on it.

For now, at least.

“I’m told Himmel the Hero has died.”

“Oh, really?” Aura was draped over the armchair when Lügner gave his report.

It was raining outside the abandoned manor. Drops pelted the window, and a bit of rainwater leaked in through the ceiling. It had only been about a year since they arrived, but perhaps it was time to consider moving on.

“What was the cause of death?” she asked.

“Old age, most likely.”

“I suppose even Himmel the Hero can’t beat time.”

Aura felt no joy at the death of the human who had once soundly defeated her, nor was she disappointed at losing the chance for revenge. However, the memory of her ill-fated battle against the hero and his party still left a certain bitter taste in her mouth. It was difficult to forget the feeling of defeat.

“What of the rest?” she asked.

“How do you mean, my lady?”

“You know, the rest of his party. There was an elf, a dwarf…”

“Ah, yes… I believe the other three are still alive. But they haven’t made any major moves since they defeated the Demon King.”

“Glad to hear it. If they’re alive, I can still kill them anytime.”

Frieren, as an elf, would have a very long life. On top of that, she was an exceptional mage. She wasn’t likely to die anytime soon. And as long as she lived, they might meet again. This time, Aura would be sure to defeat her.

She stood and flexed her hand open and closed, filling it with mana experimentally. Then she smiled.

“Finally.”

Meeting with Will was nothing more than a way to kill time for Aura. Still, it was one of the more interesting pastimes she’d found in her long life. She’d even concluded that conversing with humans could be quite rewarding.

Maybe this was the reason Macht had taken an interest in humanity. She still didn’t fully understand, but she didn’t feel the need to pursue the matter further. And so, there was no need to carry on with the farce any longer.

Her power was back.

It had taken more than half a century to regain her condition from before the battle with the Hero Party. She no longer had any need to convalesce. It was time to go back to business as usual. She would follow her instincts, killing people and gathering more strength.

For a start, she might as well attack the nearby village. She wanted to start rebuilding her undead army right away. Villagers wouldn’t make for much of a fighting force, but they would be better than nothing.

First, though, perhaps a light snack.

Aura set out for the usual place at the usual time. Her steps were swift and easy; she was intoxicated by the feeling of her full power coursing through her veins once again. The red sunset reminded her of a sea of blood.

What should she say to Will in their final conversation? How would he react when he found out she was a demon? While it was a shame she wouldn’t be able to talk to him anymore, that couldn’t be helped. After all, Aura was a demon, and Will was a human. No words could ever compel their two races to coexist in harmony.

Soon, she arrived at their meeting place.

“Hmm?”

Will was nowhere in sight. He always arrived before Aura. But this time, he wasn’t there.

Perhaps I got overexcited and showed up too early, Aura thought. She decided to sit on the boulder and wait. But Will never arrived.

“…How odd.”

The sun was already hidden behind the mountains, and a full moon had emerged to hang low in the sky.

Come to think of it…

Aura hadn’t heard the bell that always rang at sundown. Perhaps something had happened in the village.

Aura stood up and used flying magic to float above the trees, then headed for the village. After a short while, she sensed mana nearby.

“Now, who could that be?”

It wasn’t the mana of a human, but that of a demon, like Aura. And this demon was in the village.

Aura was close enough now to see the vague outline of her destination, although she couldn’t make out much detail in the dark. She slowly descended until she landed in the center of the village.

The stench of blood struck her at once.

The village had fallen. Every last house had been destroyed, and humans were lying all over the place. They were all dead, their bodies torn to pieces.

It was quiet. There didn’t seem to be a soul left alive.

Aura heard footsteps behind her. The mana she’d sensed was drawing closer. She turned to face the source.

“Aura the Guillotine, is it?” said the demon.

Two horns protruded from his helmet, and he wore rugged armor from head to toe. He carried an enormous axe in both hands; the weapon looked to be over three times Aura’s weight.

She’d seen this demon before. He must be somewhat famous.

…Oh yes, I remember.

He was a demon general: Größe the Battleaxe, a powerful warrior who specialized in armed combat instead of magic.

As Aura stared at him silently, Größe spoke up.

“What a surprise. I heard you had gone missing—I thought you must be dead.”

Aura averted her gaze and looked around the village. It was truly a tragedy, at least by human definition. Adults and children alike had all been slaughtered. It was a thorough and ruthless rampage, befitting a demon.

“Was this your territory?” he asked. “My bad, then.”

Many of the corpses were holding weapons; they must have fought back against Größe. Several of the weapons looked to be broken, though. Had they been struck by his axe, or simply smashed against his armor? Either way, their resistance didn’t seem to have done them much good.

“A few of ’em got away. I’m guessing a squad of mages or warriors will come from the next village over to try and deal with me.”

Automatically, Aura looked around for Will. She didn’t see his body anywhere nearby, at least. Had he gotten away? No, she doubted that a blind little boy would have made it out in time.

“So I’m gonna head out. What about you?” asked Größe.

Aura turned back to face the other demon.

“Let’s see…” She put a hand to her chin.

For a moment, all manner of thoughts ran through her mind—but her demon’s instincts overruled them all.

Aura produced the Scales of Obedience in her hand. Then…

“Auserlese.”

Hers and Größe’s souls were placed on the scale. General or not, his skills were limited to physical combat; his mana was hardly impressive. Naturally, the scales tipped in Aura’s favor.

Größe’s body stiffened. She sensed his alarm from within his helmet.

“Wh…why…?”

“Why, you ask?” Aura smiled lightly, like a child playing with a toy. “As it happens, I was just looking for some strong new soldiers.”

Größe resisted, but he quickly fell still. Normally, Aura would remove her victim’s head to make them into a mindless puppet, but demons turned into dust when they died. Since Auserlese was clearly working, she should be able to leave his head attached without issue. She could always discard him if he put up a fight.

Her task completed, Aura sighed and looked up at the full moon.

“It’s my lucky day.”

Although she was a little annoyed that her prey had been stolen, that was hardly a big deal.

She’d secured better spoils than expected. Now that Größe was her puppet, he would serve her well in battle. And he’d said something about a squad of mages or warriors possibly on their way. If she could add them to her undead army, they’d be far more useful than untrained villagers.

All Aura had to do now was keep adding to her army. Eventually, she’d build up enough might to take down Granat County once and for all—the target she’d given up on that fateful day.

“Größe, bring me a chair, will you?”

Aura wasted no time in giving her new pawn an order. Größe dragged a chair out from the wreckage of a house and carefully pulled it up behind Aura.

Aura sat down and crossed her legs with smug satisfaction. Sitting amidst the countless corpses, she eagerly awaited the arrival of the band of mages or warriors.

Suddenly, she heard a bird call out nearby. It was a low, plaintive song.

Will once told her the name of this bird. What was it called again…?

Aura had already forgotten.

Chapter 5. Journey’s End

A horse-drawn carriage trundled along a road that seemed to go on forever.

It was a carriage intended for transporting people, not the type that a farmer or street vendor might use. The interior of the box-shaped guest cabin was designed such that two people could sit on either side facing across from each other. Though not particularly spacious, it was still a luxurious way to travel.

Currently, the carriage held two passengers.

One was a white-haired elf, the other an elderly woman.

They sat facing each other, gazing out the window without much conversation between them. Outside, a verdant green meadow spread in all directions. There wasn’t much in the way of tall vegetation, so the view was quite clear. Whenever the wind blew, the soft grass swayed in ripples, rustling with a shush-shush sound.

“It’s been a while since I took such a leisurely trip,” the old woman said.

She was thin, with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. However, she carried herself with the quiet resilience of a tree that had withstood many long years of wind and rain. Her spine was straight and strong as she sat, and her eyes were full of deep insight and ambition.

This was none other than the great mage who would one day be spoken of in legends: Flamme.

“Really? I think we went on one just recently…”

“How many years ago was that now, Frieren?”

The elf whom she called Frieren had the appearance of a young girl, yet the presence of someone far more mature. She thought for a moment before responding to Flamme’s question.

“About ten years ago, I’d say. That royal family in the north sent for us, remember?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right. When we went to put up a barrier in preparation for a demon attack, was it? I must say, I really outdid myself with that one. No one will be breaking through that barrier for a thousand years at least.”

Flamme gave a chuckle from deep in her throat.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing much. I was just thinking that ten years ago really must seem ‘recent’ to an elf like you. When your life is all but eternal, I suppose ten or twenty years can probably pass in the blink of an eye. What a bizarre concept.”

Frieren narrowed her eyes a little. “You’re hardly one to talk, Master.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“A barrier that won’t break for a thousand years? Most people would have to be either extremely overconfident or downright delusional to say such a thing. But you can actually make it happen. The idea that a human who only lives a few short decades could accomplish such a thing is much more bizarre, if you ask me.”

“That’s pretty high praise. Flattery will get you nowhere, you know.”

“I’m just stating the facts, that’s all.”

“You cute little bugger.”

Flamme seemed to be in a good mood.

She was always so easygoing. Even now, Frieren still sometimes felt like there was something elusive about her master—or perhaps she was simply beyond comprehension. Flamme was more obsessed with magic than anyone, and though she hated demons with a fiery passion, her fury never once showed on her face. Yet, somehow, there were times when she demonstrated an almost childlike innocence.

All in all, she was a very mysterious person.

“By the way, Master…”

“Mm?”

Frieren’s tone was casual. “Where is this carriage taking us, again?”

Truth be told, Frieren didn’t even remember when she’d gotten into this carriage with her master, much less where they were going. She just blinked and found herself here. No matter how hard she tried to remember, her memories of boarding the carriage were hazy and out of focus.

“Oh, you forgot, did you?” Flamme smiled indulgently. “Well, it’ll come back to you sooner or later.”

“……”

If Flamme said so, then it was probably the truth.

But Frieren still wasn’t satisfied, so she tried to discreetly detect the mana around her. It was possible that she was under a spell that would make her hallucinate or alter her memory. Perhaps she was overthinking it, but she wouldn’t put it past Flamme to do something of the sort.

However, her search came up empty. She couldn’t find a single trace of magic.

“You never let your guard down, even at times like these, eh? You really are an excellent mage. I’d expect no less of my apprentice.”

Apparently, Flamme had caught on, despite her efforts to be inconspicuous. Frieren felt a bit embarrassed.

“Wow, I’m honored to receive praise from Her Highness Flamme the Great Mage.”

“I wasn’t poking fun at you or anything. That was the right thing to do. But there’s no need to think too hard about things right now. Just relax and enjoy the carriage ride.”

“…All right, then.”

Frieren wasn’t quite satisfied with that, but it was exhausting to keep thinking up other possibilities, so she decided to trust Flamme’s words.

“I’m not sure how to enjoy it, though… What should I do, exactly?”

“Good question. Shall we reminisce a little, perhaps?”

“Reminisce…” Frieren thought back on the years she’d spent with Flamme. “I can’t say I have many fun memories.”

“Come on, there’s got to be something.”

“But you only ever taught me how to fight, Master.”

“Well, that’s what you needed most. But surely it wasn’t all bad, right?”

“Hmm…”

Frieren crossed her arms and thought a while.

“…Which time was that mock battle, again?”

This was twenty years ago now.

“Whoever incapacitates the other wins.”

Flamme stood imposingly with her hands on her hips, giving a simple explanation of the mock battle rules.

The two of them were alone in the middle of a quiet forest. Frieren’s training mainly consisted of increasing her mana pool, but sometimes they had sparring matches like this, too. Thus far, Frieren had lost every single time.

“Give me everything you’ve got, Frieren.”

“I intend to. Are you sure you’re up for this, though, Master? Didn’t you stay up all last night studying magic?”

“A little lack of sleep will be the perfect handicap.”

“Oh, really.”

As Flamme covered her mouth to hide a yawn, Frieren immediately started shooting spells at her. It was a very basic attack, nothing more than throwing hardened balls of mana at the target. But since Frieren already boasted an immense pool of mana, it could be very powerful in her hands.

However, Flamme blocked the barrage with a bare-bones barrier spell. She hardly even batted an eye.

Don’t try to fight your opponents head-on. Flamme’s own words echoed in Frieren’s mind.

For a moment, Frieren stopped attacking.

“You giving up already?”

“Of course not.”

Frieren hid behind a tree. Suppressing her mana to keep from giving away her location, she snuck around to reach Flamme’s blind spot. Then she attacked with magic. Frieren repeated this process over and over: a hit-and-run method that was meant to gradually wear her master down. Her strategy was to drag out the battle so that Flamme would eventually tire of blocking all her attacks and give her an opening.

Flamme scratched her head, looking mildly peeved.

“Pretty simple strategy. Not bad, though.”

Then she broke into a run, trying to close the distance between herself and Frieren. She must have gotten a rough idea of Frieren’s position from the direction of her attacks.

Fine, then. Frieren started running, too.

She fled from Flamme, throwing in the occasional attack as she went. They continued this game of tag for a while. When they reached a certain point in the forest, Frieren spun around and unleashed a volley of attacks.

Even Flamme had to stop chasing her and focus on defense. Knowing full well that Flamme would block all her spells, Frieren slowly pushed her master back step by step.

Soon they were out of the forest. And then—

“That’s as far as you go.”

She’d cornered Flamme at the edge of a cliff.

There was nowhere to run now. Flamme glanced at the cliff behind her.

“So you ran away to lure me here, hmm? Not much I can do in this position.”

If she took just a few more steps back, she would plunge off the side of the cliff. Even so, Flamme still didn’t lose her usual calm attitude. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying this, as if she was delighted to see her pupil’s improvement.

Frieren gathered mana at her fingertips, intending to deal the finishing blow. Then Flamme raised both hands in the air.

“…What are you playing at?”

“You got me. I lose. If you shoot at me from such a short distance, even I’d be in danger of losing my life.”

Frieren narrowed her eyes in irritation.

“Whoever incapacitates the other wins.”

Repeating the rules of the mock battle in her mind, she spoke coolly. “I’m not falling for that. You’re just trying to get me to let my guard down again, aren’t you? I’m sick of hearing you beg for your life, Master.”

“Huh. Look at you, learning your lesson. You used to fall for that all the time.”

“Well, not anymore.”

She was going to clinch this right here and now. Frieren steeled her resolve and started to use a spell of binding.

Just then, Flamme’s lips quirked into a sly smile.

“How about this, then?”

Zwoosh! Flamme unleashed a slashing magic attack. Frieren guarded herself immediately, but the attack wasn’t aimed at her. Flamme had cast the spell beneath her own feet.

Why would she do that…? Frieren was still frozen in confusion when the surface beneath her master began to collapse.

“Wait…!”

Flamme was going to fall. Frieren immediately moved closer to pull her back from the ledge. Though her hand managed to reach her master, the two of them began to fall together instead.

The ground was coming toward them at a terrifying speed, the wind whistling in her ears and all around her body. And yet, Flamme spoke.

“You better hurry up and save me, Frieren. At this rate, your beloved master is going to die.”

“Don’t plead for your life with such a high-and-mighty attitude…”

Frieren readjusted her posture in midair and looked at the ground.

Flying magic…wasn’t an option. That was a demon specialty. Frieren might be able to use it in a hundred years, but for now she didn’t know how. So what was she supposed to do?

After some hesitation, Frieren held onto Flamme and fired magic at the ground. She adjusted the strength of the spell and then used it again, over and over. The idea was to use the recoil to slow their fall speed and negate the impact.

In the end, Frieren’s plan worked out well enough. However, it didn’t completely kill their momentum, so she still hit the ground hard on her backside. Flamme, meanwhile, managed to land gracefully.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

Frieren rubbed her rear end as she stood up unsteadily.

Really, of all the reckless things to do… Frieren turned to give her master an earful, but Flamme was nowhere to be found.

Don’t tell me… By the time Frieren realized, it was already too late.

“I win.”

A rope made of magic wrapped around Frieren’s body. Her arms were bound tight to her sides. She couldn’t move them an inch, no matter how hard she tried, nor could she break the rope with magic.

It was then that Frieren understood.

Flamme had used herself as bait to create an opening.

“…That’s not fair.”

“Which is why I won.”

Flamme was unrepentant.

“What would you have done if I hadn’t saved you?”

“I could’ve managed on my own somehow from a height like that. Your mistake was getting flustered by an unexpected turn of events, and underestimating my abilities.”

Frieren was at a loss for words.

It was an underhanded strategy, to be sure. But the more cowardly the method, the more effective it was. Frieren had learned this all too well from Flamme, who spent her entire life deceiving demons.

As Frieren wondered whether the day would ever come that she could best her master, the bonds around her came undone.

Flamme patted Frieren’s head to placate her.

“Listen, Frieren. When you fight demons, you have to be completely ruthless. But kindness is also absolutely necessary if we’re ever to establish an era of peace. You may have lost the mock battle, but it still wasn’t wrong to try and save me.”

“…What should I have done, then?”

“Just do it better. That’s all.” Flamme turned away. “Now let’s go home and eat.”

With that, Flamme started walking home. Frieren brushed the dirt off her backside and followed her master.

“Nope. No good memories there.”

“Come on, that was a great story!” Flamme protested.

It certainly was a good lesson, at least. Frieren would probably never forget it.

“But I still don’t think you could call that a fun memory.”

“Well, what exactly do you consider fun, then? Sticking your head in a mimic?”

“It’s not like I enjoy getting chomped on by mimics, you know. But if there’s any possibility that there might be treasure inside, you just have to open it, even if there’s a ninety-nine percent chance it’ll be a mimic.”

“You’re a strange one.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Frieren countered.

Despite the cutting response, Flamme just snorted and laughed it off.

“What about you, Master?”

“What about me?”

“What do you consider fun?”

“Hmm.” Flamme crossed her arms and looked pensive. “I guess I have fun when I’m studying magic.”

“You do tend to hole up in your room for days on end.”

“Even I was surprised that one time when I didn’t sleep for a whole week.”

“I think you’ve gone far beyond the bounds of ‘fun’ at that point… I like magic, too, but not that much.”

“Well, what about the time you said, ‘I’m going to go find a few summoning materials,’ and didn’t come back for a whole year?”

“It was just one year.”

“From a human perspective, an outing that takes a year could probably be called a journey, you know.”

Frieren tilted her head.

Although she rarely noticed significant differences between their races while living with Flamme, their sense of time was the one thing that never seemed to align. For instance, when it came to boring chores like cleaning her room or washing the sheets, Frieren would readily try to put them off for five or ten years. This frequently led to a scolding from Flamme.

“I have to wonder how you lived in a whole village of elves,” Flamme grumbled presently.

“The same way I do now, really. There are just a few minor conflicts because I’m living with another race.”

“What did they do about cleaning, hmm? No matter how long you live, surely your room gets dirty at the same rate.”

“Oh, everyone cleans up properly before things get too dirty.”

“…So being a slob is just part of your personality, not because you’re an elf.”

“I suppose so.”

“If you’re aware of that, you ought to improve yourself.”

That was a harsh reality check. Unable to refute it, Frieren just pressed her lips together and pouted quietly.

The last thing she wanted was another lecture. Trying to change the subject, Frieren searched for something else to say instead.

“Oh, that’s right…”

Suddenly, she remembered something.

“You did teach me something that wasn’t about fighting.”

“Did I? When was that?”

“Yes. Although I doubt it’ll be very useful…”

This was when Flamme was still much younger.

While Frieren spent the majority of each day training, she took classes sometimes, too. Naturally, these were all taught by Flamme. There was a lot to learn, from lessons aimed at a deeper understanding of magic forms to instructions on strategy.

“Just being strong isn’t always gonna be enough.”

That day, Frieren was taking a class in the room Flamme used for research.

“Our mortal enemies are demons, but there are bound to be times when conflict arises between humans. At times like those, you’ll need diplomacy, not magic. If we try to solve everything with military might, then this world will never see a peaceful era.”

A peaceful era—Flamme used this phrase quite often. She was probably referring to a time when the war with demons would be over. How many thousands of years from now would that be? It sounded like a far-off future even to Frieren.

“You should at least have a few basic negotiation skills. But you don’t know humans very well, and you’re not exactly good at navigating delicate social situations.”

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

“And so…” Flamme grinned cheekily. “I’m going to teach you a secret technique that’ll allow you to easily win over anyone you wish.”

“Does such a thing really exist?”

“Indeed, it does. But don’t abuse it, now. The more you use it, the less effective it becomes.”

Flamme stood in front of Frieren. She was downright exuberant, as if she was about to reveal some special trick up her sleeve.

“Listen. First, you put your left hand on your hip, and press your right index finger to your lips, like this. Go ahead, you try it.”

Obediently, Frieren imitated Flamme’s pose.

…It felt fairly idiotic.

“And then, you do this.”

Mwah! She threw a kiss with her right hand.

“……”

“……”

“What was that?”

Flamme lowered her hand and looked deadly serious.

“A seduction technique.”

Seduction… Although she understood the meaning of the word, it felt like a completely foreign concept to Frieren.

“If you use this move, even the most obstinate of humans will no doubt do whatever you say.”

“Really? I don’t get it at all…”

“How well it works can vary depending on the individual. Also, it doesn’t work on little kids.”

Frieren’s brow furrowed. She felt like she was being treated like a child herself. But getting worked up about it would be like admitting that she was a child, so she decided to be mature and act like an adult about it.

“All right. I’ll test it out if I get the chance.”

“Be careful. It can be too powerful for some people.”

“If you say so.”

Thus, Frieren acquired the “thrown kiss” technique.

“I can’t believe you remember that.”

Flamme stared at Frieren in amazement.

“I still haven’t tried it on anyone, though.”

“Save it for when you really need it,” Flamme said, nodding. “It is a secret technique, after all.”

Her tone sounded somewhat joking.

Then Flamme’s expression softened with fond nostalgia. She closed her eyes and spoke quietly, as if to herself. “Seduction, eh… That was a long time ago now.”

A long time ago? It’s only been a few decades.

Although… Frieren thought, studying Flamme more closely. Her master had aged considerably since they first met. Her body was wasting away, and she had all but lost her former youthful glow. And yet, it seemed that perhaps “aging” wasn’t so terrible as Frieren assumed. She could tell, somehow, just by looking at Flamme’s face.

What did it feel like to grow old, anyway?

Frieren might very well go her whole life without ever understanding that concept. She wasn’t particularly envious of this. All she knew was that it must be very different from how she experienced the world.

“We certainly went through a lot together, didn’t we?” Flamme mused.

“I was right, though. None of those memories were very good.”

“Perhaps not. It’s been almost fifty years since we met…but looking back now, it feels like the time flew by so quickly.”

“Well, of course. It’s only been fifty years, after all.”

“Right. Only fifty years.”

Flamme chuckled softly.

Just then, the carriage came to a stop, sending Frieren’s body tipping forward.

Had they reached their destination? When Frieren looked outside, all she saw was the same endless meadow as always. There weren’t any buildings in sight, let alone a village or town. Why did we stop in the middle of nowhere? she wondered.

“All right, I’m getting off here.”

“What?”

Flamme opened the door and stepped down from the carriage.

When Frieren moved to follow, her master held up a hand to stop her.

“No, not yet. You’ve got someplace to be. Why would you get off here?”

“What do you mean…?”

“Just stay on the carriage, all right? Trust me.”

“But where are you going, Master?”

“You’ll figure it out eventually.”

With that, Flamme closed the door almost forcefully. Then the carriage started rolling forward again.

On the other side of the window, Flamme smiled gently.

“See you, Frieren.”

“Ah…”

Frieren pressed against the window, watching Flamme fade into the distance.

When she was finally out of sight, Frieren slumped back in her seat.

For some reason, she felt like she’d been left behind, even though she was the one who was still moving on.

Where was this carriage going, anyway? She still couldn’t remember. The quickest solution would be to ask the driver…

“Oh well, it’s fine.”

Flamme would never steer her wrong. If she said that Frieren would figure it out eventually, then Frieren just had to trust her.

Frieren leaned against the wall and decided to take a nap for now.

“…up. Wake up, Frieren.”

As Frieren dozed, she heard a voice calling to her.

Ker-clack, ker-clunk. Her body was being rocked back and forth. The carriage was still moving, then; they must not have reached their destination yet. So who was calling her name?

Frieren cracked her eyes open and saw a young man peering down at her. He had cobalt blue hair, a bold gleam in his eyes, and a beauty mark above one cheek.

Himmel the Hero was sitting directly across from Frieren, gazing at her gently.

Frieren blinked a few times. She remembered parting ways with Flamme, then taking a nap. What happened after that, again?

…No, wait.

Flamme had passed away almost a thousand years ago.

So that must have been a dream.

What a strange dream it was. With a faint nostalgic feeling lingering in her chest, Frieren closed her eyes again.

She hadn’t slept enough just yet.

“Hey, don’t go back to sleep. Wake up, Frieren.”

Himmel shook her gently by the shoulders, calling to her again.

“Mmgh… Just give me five more years…”

“That’s way too long.”

“Ha-ha-ha. You’re always such a sleepyhead, eh?”

“Not even a hibernating bear sleeps that much.”

Other voices chimed in cheerily.

Slowly, reluctantly, Frieren awoke and sat up.

Three familiar faces were looking at her. Next to Frieren was a priest with slicked-back hair and glasses. Across from her diagonally was a bearded dwarf wearing a simple helmet. Heiter and Eisen, respectively. The whole Hero Party was in the carriage together, making for a rather cramped ride.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

Himmel beamed brightly at Frieren.

“All right, I guess… I dreamed about my master.”

“Your master was the great mage Flamme, right? So you were dreaming about a long time ago.”

It wasn’t that long ago, Frieren started to say, then felt a wave of déjà vu. She’d just had a similar exchange with Flamme in her dream. Somehow, this seemed so funny to her that she couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Oh? You seem to be in a rather good mood.”

Heiter leaned over, putting his face close to hers. Immediately, she smelled booze on his breath, then caught a glimpse of a bottle in his sleeve.

“You’re drunk, aren’t you?”

“Me? I’m cone sold stober.”

He was clearly quite intoxicated already.

“You sorry excuse for a priest. Don’t come crying to me when you get sick.”

“C’mon, won’t you take care of li’l old me?”

“Maybe I’ll just leave you outside.”

“That’s shooo mean!” Heiter wailed, then proceeded to fake a few sobs. Watching him, Eisen heaved a sigh.

“Honestly, you drink every time you get the chance. I don’t know how you can call yourself a man of the cloth.”

“Aww, you’re too kind.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Ha-ha-ha!” Heiter laughed loudly. One minute he was fake-crying, the next he was in a fit of laughter. What a busy fellow.

Considering that they were on a mission to defeat the Demon King, the mood was almost absurdly light. But that was nothing new. This was the normal state of affairs for the hero and his party. Scoff as she might at their ridiculousness, Frieren found she didn’t mind this relaxed atmosphere in the least.

She cast a casual glance out the window.

An endless meadow stretched in all directions. The horizon drew a stark line between two colors: deep blue sky and soft green grass.

It was the same view she’d seen in her dream.

Hmm? Frieren furrowed her brow.

“Hold on…”

“Hmm?”

“Where is this carriage taking us, exactly?”

There it was again. That feeling.

The same thing had happened in her dream. In the end, she never did figure out where they were going. And even now, in reality, Frieren still couldn’t remember their destination.

It was a very odd sensation. It felt like she’d be able to remember any moment now, if only she thought hard enough. It was right at the tip of her tongue, but try as she might, she still couldn’t recall.

“You know, don’t you, Himmel?”

“Of course,” Himmel responded evenly. “This carriage is…”

But then it happened.

Suddenly, Heiter violently threw open the carriage door. He leaned his whole upper body outside, as if he couldn’t hold back a moment longer. And just as Frieren was wondering what in the world was going on…

“Bleeeergh…”

His liquor came back up.

Wow. Frieren wrinkled her nose in disgust. What had possessed him to drink inside a moving carriage, anyway? I warned him, too…, she grumbled inwardly.

“Oh no, this is terrible! Now Heiter won’t get to heaven…”

Himmel trembled, his expression terribly serious, then finally shouted aloud:

“Because he’s already heavin’!”

“……”

“……”

“Bluuugh…”

Silence fell in the carriage, broken only by the empty echoes of the wheels clattering and Heiter retching.

Eisen glanced over at Himmel.

“Was that a pun, just now?”

“Yeah. I was hoping you might laugh a little.”

“It wasn’t very funny.”

Eisen rubbed Heiter’s back with practiced motions. Meanwhile, Himmel’s shoulders slumped sadly at the lack of response to his valiant attempt at humor. He looked over at Frieren.

“Frieren, I forget. Do you have a spell to make water?”

“I can make shaved ice…”

“Well…close enough, I guess. Use that, please.”

Himmel produced a handkerchief from his pocket and unfolded it. Frieren used her shaved ice spell over the cloth surface.

“Here, Heiter. It’s not water, but it’ll have to do.”

Heiter accepted the mountain of shaved ice balanced on the handkerchief and munched on it morosely.

“It’s so cold…and there’s not even any syrup…”

“Beggers can’t be choosers.”

As Heiter stuffed his cheeks with the flavorless shaved ice, Eisen went on silently rubbing his back.

Having done all he could do, Himmel settled into his seat.

“Honestly… If it weren’t for all the drinking, you’d be a perfect priest…”

“Well, at least he didn’t puke inside.”

“I don’t even want to think about that.”

Himmel’s whole body shuddered. Then he turned back to Frieren.

“Sorry, what were we talking about again?”

Where is this carriage taking us? That was the question Frieren wanted answered, at least until Heiter’s little incident completely killed her interest. It wasn’t like she needed to know that badly, anyway. She’d find out when they got there.

“Nothing important, really. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure? All right, then…”

Although Himmel didn’t look entirely convinced, he didn’t press the subject any further.

“So, why did you wake me up, anyway? Did you need something?”

“No, not really. I just wanted to chat with everyone, including you.” Himmel answered in a cheery tone, then glanced sidelong at Frieren. “Should I not have bothered you…?”

“I would’ve liked to sleep a little more.”

“Sorry about that.”

Himmel lowered his gaze sulkily, like a scolded child. Frieren felt fully justified; it was a grave sin indeed to have interrupted her nap. Still, it was hard not to feel a little guilty when he looked so forlorn.

Fine, then. I’ll show him how graciously a mature woman handles things. Frieren let out a sigh.

“But I suppose I don’t mind keeping you company.”

Himmel’s face brightened, like clouds clearing away to reveal a sunny sky.

“Oh, good! Then for starters, let’s revisit the topic of the bronze statue they made of me in that last town. It was just marvelous, wouldn’t you agree? For one thing…”

“Never mind, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Himmel protested. Eisen shook his head wearily, while Heiter’s face was taking on the pallor of a zombie.

And so, they went on with their rambling conversations.

They didn’t discuss anything particularly important; Frieren would probably forget the whole thing by tomorrow. If she was going to kill time like this, surely it would’ve been better spent looking for spellbooks, practicing magic, or even just napping as she’d originally intended. Still, it certainly wasn’t boring.

Even if the topics they talked about were meaningless, there was still something satisfying about it.

“…And so, the spell I found a while ago that lets you do handstands ended up being really useful.”

“You really do love magic, don’t you, Frieren?” Himmel was smiling warmly.

“Not particularly. I only like it somewhat.”

“But you know a lot of different spells, don’t you?”

Heiter raised his head when he heard Himmel’s comment. He was only now starting to recover, having been down for the count for a while now.

“There are many kinds of mages, but I don’t know anyone who’s as passionate about collecting spells as you are, Frieren…”

“I wouldn’t say I’m passionate. I just collected magic as a hobby for a few hundred years without really interacting with anyone else.”

Himmel stared at Frieren, looking flabbergasted by her casual response. Meanwhile, Heiter and Eisen exchanged doubtful glances.

“There she goes again with that ridiculous sense of scale…”

“Elf jokes are hard to understand.”

“I wasn’t making a joke, though…”

Himmel looked at Frieren somewhat worriedly. “Don’t you ever feel lonely?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m content as long as I can take my time collecting magic.”

“That sounds like the life of a hermit.”

“Most elves are the same way,” she responded. “Oh, except for…”

One member of her race came to mind.

Frieren’s master Flamme once had a master of her own. She was rough and arrogant, yet her exceptional abilities as a mage far surpassed even Frieren’s. Her name was Serie.

Unlike Frieren, who’d been alone for hundreds of years, Serie took on many apprentices. She was driven by ambition to “raise strong mages,” not out of any fear of loneliness. Even so, Serie probably wouldn’t want to live alone in a secluded place, devoting herself to pursuing her favorite hobbies—the life of a hermit, as Himmel described it.

“No, I guess not everyone is like me.”

“It sounds like you’re thinking of a specific example, no?”

“There are lots of unique individuals out there, even among elves. I haven’t met any others in so long, I’d almost forgotten.”

Although it had been a long time since she thought about Serie, the memory didn’t leave her feeling nostalgic in the least. They weren’t on particularly friendly terms, despite both being elves. In fact, Frieren had a sneaking suspicion that Serie strongly disliked her…or maybe just didn’t approve of her. Not that it mattered to Frieren either way, of course.

“I’m glad to hear it, though.”

Frieren blinked at Himmel. “Hear what?”

“That you weren’t feeling lonely for hundreds of years. You live so much longer than the rest of us, so I’m sure you’ve had more than your share of farewells. And there will probably be many more to come, too… It’s a fate I can’t even begin to imagine.”

Himmel’s gaze was tinged with sorrow.

“I do worry sometimes, you know. What if making fun memories or wanting to be around someone will only end up hurting you in the long run? We’re leaving a lot of weight on your shoulders, whether we intend to or not.”

“Hm…? I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Ha-ha, sorry, sorry. I was just getting a little sentimental, that’s all. Don’t worry about it too much.

“But still…” Himmel paused and put a hand to his chin in a dramatic pose. “Don’t I look extra handsome when I’m waxing poetic?”

“You look ridiculous.”

“Ah-ha-ha…”

Ker-thunk!

The carriage came to a stop.

In that moment, an indescribable sense of loneliness suddenly welled up in Frieren’s heart. It was the feeling of something ending, like the setting sun sinking into the dark. As she searched inwardly for the source of this feeling, Himmel furrowed his brow regretfully.

“Well, I’d better get off now.”

Involuntarily, Frieren’s hands resting on her lap clenched tightly.

“Why would you get off in a place like this?”

There was nothing outside but that seemingly endless meadow. It was the same situation as when she parted with Flamme in her dream.

“There’s someplace I have to go.”

“…I see.”

Frieren felt a little sad—only a little—to say goodbye, but then again, parting ways with someone always happened so quickly that it was almost disappointing. This time would be no different. Besides, it wasn’t as if this was their final farewell. They were just getting off the carriage at different stops, that was all.

So they would surely meet again.

Frieren pushed down the mix of emotions swirling in her chest.

“All right, then.”

Himmel smiled slightly, his expression peaceful.

“By the way, Frieren. Sleeping is great and all, but having a rowdy conversation about silly things wasn’t so bad either, right?”

“Sure. It was a decent way to pass the time.”

“That’s a relief. As long as you’re having fun, then I’m happy.”

Himmel opened the carriage door and stepped down onto the dirt road.

“See you later.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The door closed, and the carriage began moving again.

Frieren quietly peered out the window, watching Himmel. He was just standing there calmly, watching their carriage as it went on its way. As the distance between them grew, a flurry of thoughts, like Wasn’t there something I was supposed to tell him? and Maybe I should have tried to talk to him more…, flitted through Frieren’s mind.

This isn’t like me, Frieren thought at last, and pulled her gaze away from the window to shake off the uncharacteristic mood. Then Heiter spoke up.

“Well then, shall we carry on with another absurd conversation?”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Very much so, thanks to you all. Now I can drink again.”

“You’re going to drink more? You sorry excuse for a priest…”

“Well, I learned my lesson about drinking inside a carriage, at least. I’ll wait until after I get off.”

After I get off. The words cut through Frieren’s chest like a draft of cold air.

“…So you’re disembarking before me, too, Heiter?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. It’s a shame, but alas, that’s just how it is.”

“That’s how it is, huh…?”

This wasn’t much of an explanation. Still, she suspected she had no choice but to accept it.

Frieren was slowly beginning to understand the nature of her current situation. The one thing that she couldn’t seem to figure out was where this carriage was headed. She still couldn’t even begin to guess.

“What about you, Eisen?”

“I’m planning to ride for a while yet.” Eisen’s eyes crinkled kindly. “So you’ve finally started to care about that sort of thing, too, have ye?”

“What sort of thing?”

“Oh, never you mind.”

“I must say, it’s getting rather gloomy in here.” Heiter raised his voice, trying to liven up the mood. “Let’s try and have some fun, shall we?”

“Right you are,” Eisen agreed. Frieren nodded, too.

Drunkard though he was, Heiter could be considerate when it was needed most. He paid close attention to the people around him. This impressed Frieren, as it was an ability that she utterly lacked. No doubt there were many other times when Heiter’s indomitable cheer had helped them all immensely without her even realizing it.

“You’re a real gem, Heiter.”

“What? Where’d that come from?”

“It’s a compliment. You ought to be grateful.”

“It was so sudden, I’m mostly just confused…” Heiter scratched his head, then broke into a grin. “Well, I guess I’ll go ahead and take the compliment, then. Thank you.”

“You can get more excited about it, you know.”

“All right, all right.”

Laughing it off, Heiter smoothly changed the subject.

They talked about people they had met on their journey, the delicious meals they’d had in the towns they visited, and monsters that were particularly tough to defeat.

Then the topic shifted to the early days of the party. When they were just starting out, they hadn’t yet learned to work well together, and struggled to complete even simple dungeons that they would breeze through now. They came close to total annihilation on more than a few occasions. Each time they got caught in a dire situation, they barely managed to make it out alive on sheer desperation. Now, though, they could look back on those stories and laugh.

“Yes, that was it. And then you still wound up getting stuck inside a mimic. I could hardly believe it.”

“Well, you were all but useless yourself thanks to your hangover at the time, Heiter.”

“Really, the only ones who managed to fight properly in that dungeon were Himmel and me.”

“Says the guy who wandered off and got completely lost on his own.”

“I didn’t notice that you weren’t behind me anymore.”

“The warrior is supposed to be the vanguard of the party…”

“Well, we still made it out just fine in the end.”

“Really, when you get down to it, we wouldn’t have even gone into that dungeon to begin with if Himmel hadn’t insisted on making a detour.”

“True enough. It’s all Himmel’s fault, really.”

“He certainly dragged us around all over the place…”

“Yes, he does take the most pointless side trips.”

The three of them nodded in agreement.

Quiet chuckles and soft sighs filled the carriage with a gentle warmth.

“…It’s just about time now.”

As Heiter spoke, the carriage came to a halt.

“Are you going to drink again once you get off?”

“Of course. Why, I’ll be swimming in the finest alcohol.”

“Just don’t throw up again.”

“I won’t.”

Heiter stepped down from the carriage and gave a satisfied smile.

“Well then, please continue to enjoy your journey.”

“Mm-hmm. I think I’ll do just that.”

The carriage lurched back into motion. Heiter waved and went on watching the carriage until he was out of sight.

Finally, only Frieren and Eisen were left in the carriage. It was far from spacious, even just for two passengers, yet it still felt bleakly empty inside.

“It’s awfully quiet now.”

“Yep.”

“You’re staying on for a while, right, Eisen?”

“Sure am. But I’ll probably still end up getting off before you do.”

“Yes, I know.”

Frieren rested her elbow on the window frame and gazed absently out the window.

“Why does everyone always get off so soon?”

“You know the answer to that already, don’t ye?”

“More or less. I just wanted to say it anyway.”

Eisen gave her a somewhat worried look. “Don’t go getting all sad now.”

“Do I look that depressed to you?”

“Just a little. But there’s no shame in that, lass.”

“You say that, but you don’t seem to be bothered at all, Eisen.”

“I just hide it better.”

“…I see.”

The clatter and clunk of the carriage wheels filled the silence.

Still, it was very quiet.

Times like these could be nice, in their own way. But it still felt like something was missing, somehow.

“It’ll be all right, Frieren.”

“What will?”

“There’ll be new passengers on this carriage soon enough. Even if I get off, you can just have ridiculous conversations with them instead. And even if they leave, too, one day, someone new will get on sooner or later. It’ll never end.”

“New passengers? Like who?”

Eisen wordlessly hooked a thumb over his shoulder. There was nothing there but a wall, of course. He probably meant for her to look outside the carriage…in the direction they were headed.

Frieren cracked the door half-open. She leaned out a little, careful not to fall from the still-moving carriage. The wind stirred her hair as she cast her eyes farther down the lengthy road.

Far in the distance, she could see people.

Standing with a mage’s staff in her hands was a girl with purple hair. Beside her was a redheaded boy with a large axe strapped to his back. They seemed to know each other; although she couldn’t tell what they were saying, the boy would sometimes comically overreact to the girl’s words, or the girl would smack him lightly with her fists. They seemed to get along quite well.

Even farther down the road was a grown man who stood alone, smoking. He was staring vacantly up at the sky, letting out puffs of smoke. There was a certain air of pathos about him.

And even farther than that, she could see someone else standing there, although she couldn’t tell their age nor race nor gender. And beyond them, even farther down yet, was someone else…

These must be the people who would one day board the carriage.

Frieren’s heart began to pound.

It was a premonition.

Something was waiting for her on this road, something that encompassed fortune and misfortune alike.

She didn’t feel excitement, nor did she feel dread.

Frieren only had one thought…

I want to see where this endless road takes me.

Just then, a strong wind blew, sending her twin ponytails whirling up high.

The scent of grass enveloped her entire body.

“Please wake up.”

Frieren’s eyes fluttered open.

She was inside a carriage. A young man had opened the door and was looking right at Frieren. He was the carriage driver, and he looked rather put out. Perhaps he’d tried to wake her up several times already.

Frieren sat up in her seat and stretched. The gentle rocking of the carriage must have lulled her to sleep.

It felt like she’d been dreaming for quite a long time.

She couldn’t remember what the dream was. But she felt a lingering feeling, something like loneliness, a wistful nostalgia.

“Are you awake now? Then please come out already. We’re here.”

“Where is here, again?”

“Still half asleep, are you?” The driver sounded exasperated. “The Royal Capital.”

Frieren hadn’t been back to the Royal Capital in half a century.

She walked down the main road where, fifty years ago, the city had held a parade to celebrate their triumphant return from defeating the Demon King. At the time, people showered her in praise wherever she went, but no one seemed to remember her now. Personally, Frieren preferred it that way.

The city had changed along with the people, too. There were more tall buildings now, making the streets seem more densely packed than before.

Frieren had come to the Royal Capital because she wanted to retrieve the black dragon horn to use for a summoning. She was fairly sure it was still with Himmel, who lived here. When she remembered that she’d left it with him after finding it in the Demon King’s Castle, she decided to pay the Royal Capital a visit.

Besides, it was almost time for the half-century meteor shower.

She’d made a promise with the other members of the Hero Party fifty years ago to see it together.

It had been half a century since she’d seen all of them, too.

“This way, I think…”

Frieren wandered deeper into the city, heading for Himmel’s house. Although she’d thought herself familiar enough with the area, all the new buildings were throwing off her sense of direction.

Then, as she followed her memories from fifty years ago…

“…Frieren?”

Someone called her name.

Right away, she knew exactly who it was.

She even felt a strange sense of nostalgia, even though it had only been a mere half a century since they last met.

Thinking back on that narcissistic hero who was always taking absurd detours, Frieren turned around.

Afterword