"So? Are you going to hurt me?"
"Answer: No."
"See? Then it's fine. I believe you because we're friends."
"..."
I was speechless.
How could she be this trusting? It defied all tactical logic.
But there was nothing to explain. I truly had no intention of harming her. In fact, I had just expended a significant amount of energy to ensure her survival.
In the original timeline, the destruction of this village was the tragedy that shaped her. If I prevented it, she might retain this innocence forever. But that wasn't a bad thing.
However, her lack of caution was a liability. I needed a way to instill a bit of wariness in her.
Having finished my work, I decided it was time to regroup with Takson. I tracked his coordinates and began walking. Frieren fell into step beside me, munching on her fruit and making small talk.
"Query: Frieren, do you wish to hear stories of the outside world?"
"Eh, not really," she mumbled. "But I guess I'll listen if you're talking."
It was a lukewarm response, but she didn't say no. Stories of the outside world held a mild attraction for a sheltered elf, even one as lazy as her.
"Acknowledged. Request accepted. Engaging storytelling module."
"Does your way of talking ever change?"
"..."
I ignored her question and began my tale.
As I spoke, the mechanical device on my head shifted and expanded slightly. A soft, melodic tune began to play from it, background music perfectly suited to the story I was telling.
Frieren's eyes lit up. She didn't ask where the music was coming from; she simply assumed it was another one of my strange, wonderful spells.
And so, accompanied by a cinematic soundtrack and the voice of a machine, we walked through the peaceful village, heading toward my apprentice.
The Elven Village was not large. It didn't take long for Frieren and me to locate Takson, who was wandering aimlessly near the edge of the settlement, admiring the architecture.
We regrouped, and at my apprentice's enthusiastic request, I continued the story I had started earlier.
I wove tales of other worlds, of wars between gods, of games that decided the fate of nations, of spirits and spacequakes. Originally, my intent had been to select darker, grimmer narratives. I wanted to instill a sense of caution in Frieren, to show her that not all strangers are friends and not all endings are happy.
However, with Takson listening in with sparkling eyes, I found myself softening the edges, shifting the tone from "cautionary tale" to "epic adventure."
The result was... mixed.
Frieren listened intently, munching on a piece of fruit. But she didn't seem scared or wary. She was simply entertained. To her, these were just interesting stories, devoid of any lesson.
Mission failed, I noted internally. Changing an elf's nature is not a short-term project.
Whatever. It was time to go. My preparations were complete. The barrier was active. The insurance policy was in place. I had no logical reason to remain here.
Well, except for Takson.
"Query: Takson, are you satisfied?"
"Ah, yes!" he beamed, looking around one last time. "The Village of the Elves... it was really something. The people here are so calm, so sincere. It's different from the human cities."
He launched into a detailed recount of everything he had seen, his eyes shining with excitement.
Despite his size, a towering wall of muscle standing nearly two meters tall, and his grim profession, in moments like this, he reverted to a child. He looked like a boy excitedly telling his parent about his day at school.
I understood the psychology behind it. I had data on human familial bonding.
I had long since realized that Takson viewed me as more than just a teacher. To him, I was a guardian. A surrogate mother.
It was... illogical. My physical appearance was that of a young girl, perhaps in her mid-teens. He was a grown man. The visual disparity alone should have made such a dynamic impossible. And yet, the data was undeniable.
"Affirmative," I said, cutting his rambling short but not unkindly. "Your verbal report indicates a high level of satisfaction."
"Addendum: Are we ready to depart?"
I didn't mind waiting a little longer to indulge his curiosity, but efficiency demanded we stick to a schedule.
"Yeah," Takson said, shouldering his heavy axe. "I've seen what I came to see. I've met elves I never thought I'd meet. I'm happy. You don't have to wait on my account, Teacher."
"..."
"Notice: Frieren," I said, turning to the silver-haired elf. "We will depart in 148 seconds."
I had been monitoring her reactions as well. My analysis indicated she was indifferent to our departure. This was typical for her species. For an elf, a meeting and a parting were just blips in an endless stream of time.
"Is that so?" Frieren said, tilting her head. "You're leaving already."
"Will you come back?"
I paused. To an elf, "coming back" could mean next week, or it could mean in a hundred years.
"Affirmative. There is a 99.5% probability that I will return to this location."
"I see," she said, a small, faint smile touching her lips. "That's good."
I detected a hint of... retention? A desire for us to stay?
Perhaps it was the novelty of a "new friend." She didn't want the interesting event to end just yet. I understood. Elves weren't emotionless; their emotional processing speed was simply calibrated to a different scale than humans. Serie was the anomaly; Frieren was the standard.
"Farewell."
With that, Takson and I walked out of the village.
I didn't ask Frieren to join us. My goal here hadn't been recruitment. I had met her, I had secured her future, and I had gathered my data. That was enough.
Besides, given her current mindset, the probability of her accepting an invitation to adventure was low. She was content here, in her slow, peaceful world.
….
The return journey began in silence. The dense canopy of the forest slowly gave way to open sky.
"Teacher, what's the plan now?"
It was Takson's habit. Whenever one mission ended, he immediately looked to me for the next. It wasn't that he lacked a mind of his own. It was simply that when he traveled with me, he was content to surrender control. My strength was his absolute safety net.
"Answer: The City of Magic."
"The City of Magic?" Takson blinked. "Sounds like a place crawling with mages."
"Affirmative."
"Let me guess," he said with a knowing grin. "You want to go there to learn new spells, right?"
It was a logical assumption. Based on his understanding of my personality, "magic" was the only thing that truly piqued my interest. To him, I was a collector, obsessed with gathering knowledge.
However, my response was not what he expected.
"Correction: I have currently cataloged only 38% of the Magic City's library. While completing that data set is a priority, the primary objective is a meeting."
"Huh?"
Takson stopped walking. 38%? When did she do that?
I had never mentioned visiting the city before. To his knowledge, we had been nowhere near it. But he pushed the confusion aside. He was more curious about this "meeting."
"First Frieren, and now someone else?" he asked. "Who is it this time?"
"Answer: Serie."
"Serie? Who's that?"
"Explanation: The ruler of the City of Magic. An elf who has existed since the Age of Myths."
Another elf? Takson thought. Teacher seems really interested in elves lately.
But then, a different thought crossed his mind. Wait. She knows an elf from the Age of Myths? Actually... that makes sense. Teacher is an angel of the Goddess. Of course she would know the ancient ones.
I watched the gears turning in his head. I could practically see the misunderstanding solidifying into fact. As usual, I didn't bother to correct him. If he didn't ask for clarification, I wouldn't volunteer it. That was our rule.
I stopped walking.
"Vector Gate"
A golden rift tore open in the air before me. I didn't wait for him. I stepped into the light.
Takson, snapping out of his thoughts, quickly jogged to catch up, following me into the portal without a second of hesitation.
….
If you want to read 20+ chapters ahead and unpublished fanfics you can check out my patreon or just take a visit.
[P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N]
http://patreon.com/Kazuma_trash
&
you can join my discord server: https://discord.gg/5Y7uZ2kN2Y
Or in short just click in join via invite link in your discord and enter this code: 5Y7uZ2kN2Y