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Inside the wooden cabin at the foot of the snowy mountain, the warm firelight danced, dispelling the cold for everyone.
"Monk, Kraft."
By the fireplace, Yulian softly repeated Kraft's words.
"Mm-hmm..."
"A Warrior Monk, a devout follower of the Goddess."
Kraft grinned.
"May I ask who you all are?"
"I am the warrior Yulian..."
Yulian patted his chest, then pointed to Fern beside him to introduce her.
"Mage, Fern."
"As for the red-haired young man beside you, his name is Stark..."
Yulian glanced at the unconscious Stark beside Kraft and introduced him.
Seeing Kraft nod, Yulian's gaze shifted to Frieren, who lay quietly on a small bed in the wooden cabin.
"She is the Mage Frieren."
"Frieren..."
Kraft repeated Yulian's words, then asked Yulian,
"Were they unconscious on the road?"
"Mm-hmm, they were probably frozen unconscious by the cold weather."
Yulian blinked and nodded.
"Are you also an elf?"
Yulian noticed Kraft's pointed ears in the firelight.
He should have noticed earlier, but Yulian had been too tired to realize it.
It wasn't until Kraft turned his head, his gaze lingering on Frieren for a few breaths, that Yulian, curious, scrutinized him and discovered this detail.
"Yes..."
Kraft smiled, seeking confirmation from Yulian.
"Frieren also seems to be an elf?"
From his angle, he could only see a slight profile of Frieren; her ears were not visible.
However, thanks to elves' seemingly inherent good looks, Kraft could sense it.
"Yes, a long-lived elf."
Yulian smiled, and seeing the fire was getting low, he added some nearby wood.
The wood had been gathered by Kraft before Yulian and his companions arrived.
However, as he said, after gathering the wood, he realized he had lost his tinder...
"I haven't seen another of my kind in two or three hundred years, probably."
Kraft withdrew his gaze from Frieren lying on the bed, a hint of emotion in his voice.
"Elves are indeed rare."
Yulian became somewhat taciturn.
The scarcity of elves, besides their weak desire for reproduction and low fertility, also had a major reason: the former Demon King's order for demons to slaughter elves.
Peace-loving elves were no match for the bloodthirsty demons, so with most of their already small numbers lost... gradually, their presence on the continent became unseen...
"Mm-hmm..."
Kraft nodded lightly, then opened the conversation.
"Where are you all headed, if I may ask?"
"Our destination is the Land Where Souls Rest..."
Fern spoke softly.
Thanks to her fondness for Frieren, Fern's opinion of Kraft improved slightly after learning he was an elf, and she began to converse with him.
"You're going to the Land Where Souls Rest?"
"That's a journey to Paradise..."
Kraft was slightly surprised but still exclaimed admiringly.
"I didn't expect you all to be even more devout than I, a Warrior Monk!"
Devout?
Fern lowered her head in thought.
Yes, believing in a place never seen, trusting in its existence.
In a way, it could be considered devotion to the Goddess.
After all, it meant believing that the Goddess truly existed and would praise her in Paradise.
"Your clothes are dry."
Yulian handed the thin clothes to Kraft.
"Thank you, you've been a great help!"
Kraft gratefully took the clothes and then burrowed into the blankets.
"It's nothing."
Yulian replied casually, walking to the window of the wooden cabin and looking out.
Outside, the sky was almost completely dark.
"Are you worried about food?"
A cheerful voice sounded from beside him.
Yulian turned around to see Kraft already standing behind him.
How strange... Yulian muttered inwardly, glancing at Kraft's shadow before sighing in relief and replying.
"Just curious..."
He didn't get to say the words "that's all" before Kraft gently placed his broad, warm hand on Yulian's shoulder.
"No need to worry..."
Kraft smiled faintly.
"I have a batch of supplies not far from the cabin; there's enough food in there to last us through this winter."
"Would you be willing to come with me to retrieve the food?"
Looking at the sky gradually darkening outside, Kraft's voice was full of tenderness.
The feeling of iron-blooded tenderness left Yulian speechless.
"I..."
"Fern, remember to take good care of Frieren and Stark!"
"If the fire gets low, remember to add more wood!"
Looking back at the brightly lit small wooden cabin, Yulian shouted loudly.
Then Yulian turned and followed Kraft up the mountain path.
Yulian didn't know why he had agreed to Kraft; after all, the food in his spatial rings had just been replenished.
Two full spatial rings of food would easily last them through the entire winter.
But an agreement was an agreement.
Perhaps he was just a helpful person by nature.
Yulian murmured.
"We're here!"
Kraft's joyful voice came from ahead.
"Here?"
Yulian quickly took a few steps forward and indeed found traces of wooden crates buried under the snow.
"Come on, give me a hand!"
Kraft grinned, jumped into the snow, and handed up a wooden crate.
"Ah... okay!"
Yulian dazedly took the wooden crate and placed it on the ground beside him, then another crate, and another.
Some crates were large, some were small.
They seemed to contain different goods.
There were even a few large sacks.
"Are you a traveling merchant?"
It wasn't until all the goods were beside him that Yulian, panting, complained.
"Mm-hmm..."
"After all, a long life always offers the right to choose infinite paths."
Kraft smiled faintly.
He felt like there was a hidden meaning in his words?
Yulian stared at Kraft, puzzled.
"As a demon, haven't you also chosen to live peacefully with humans and become a companion?"
Kraft's lips curved slightly. Without waiting for Yulian's reply, he hoisted most of the goods in one go and began walking down the mountain.
"You found out after all..."
Yulian shrugged, carrying the remaining goods and following.
"You probably discovered my demonic identity the moment before we entered the cabin, didn't you?"
Yulian said, his tone devoid of surprise.
"You also found out that I found out, haha."
Kraft's hearty laughter came from ahead.
"After all, if I were in your place, shirtless like that..."
"I wouldn't like others to see me in that state."
Yulian smiled, pressing his lips together.
"I suppose you were worried I might be a threat to them?"
Kraft paused slightly.
"No, that's not it."
"I don't think you would harm them, after all, you are companions."
Kraft's lips curved slightly.
"I just feel it's my duty to help those who need it, to the best of my ability."
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