Twenty-eight years after Hero Himmel's death.
Central Countries, Vaal, the fortress city of Riegel Canyon.
A sturdy city, as its fortress name suggests. The three of us stare up at its massive gate—the northern checkpoint we must pass to proceed. Yet, we're stuck, barred by guards. Not just us—adventurers, even merchants, face the same.
"If we can't pass here… Freesia's a real threat to neighboring countries," Frieren says calmly, unfazed by the delay.
Barely into our journey together, she's hard to read. The issue: Freesia, Aura's demon-led nation.
"Because it's a demon country?" Fern asks.
"Partly. But it's the humans flocking there causing this," Frieren replies, glancing pointedly.
I know Freesia's a demon nation. Demons are terrifying—Master drilled that into me. Aura and Nee-chan are exceptions. Fern's thoughts? Unclear. Anyway—
"Those are refugees," I note, seeing people like us, stranded. Not adventurers or merchants—refugees, by their worn clothes. Fleeing war or poverty, drawn to Freesia's promise of salvation.
"They're lured by Freesia's rumors. Guards are on edge, fearing unrest," Frieren explains.
"They're seeking hope in Freesia," Fern adds.
Freesia's rumor: a paradise where humans and demons live equally. They're desperate enough to believe it. I sense a gap between Frieren's cool analysis and Fern's empathy. Why?
"If Aura planned this, she's remarkable. Probably the demon who understands humans best in history," Frieren says.
"Is Aura that impressive?" I ask.
"Stark-sama, you're so simple. I'm jealous," Fern quips.
"Harsh!"
Fern casually calls me an idiot. Scary. Why's she so tough on me? Still hung up on my "indecent" label? Frieren's cryptic warnings don't help. Can I survive this party?
"Getting into Freesia will be tough," Frieren says.
"True, but Eisen-sama's plan should work," Fern replies.
"If it does. Worst case, dropping Fern's name might get us through. Aura's oddly soft on her," Frieren teases.
"Frieren-sama…" Fern glares.
"Kidding. But saying Stark's here for Linie might draw her out," Frieren adds.
"Why me! Stop it!" I protest.
"Linie-sama might actually make it work," Fern agrees.
I scream at being dragged in. I'd be done for—Linie might toss me off a cliff, no longer a kid. Aura saved me last time, but no guarantee now. Maybe I'll bring apples, her favorite.
"For now, we're stuck here. Shame," Frieren says, barely hiding her glee.
"You sound happy, Frieren-sama," Fern notes.
"Not true. I'll secure a place to stay. Free time for now. Dismissed."
Her excitement betrays her words. Where's her earlier calm? Ignoring Fern's sarcasm, she darts off. I'm stunned.
"Frieren's so free-spirited," I mutter.
"Always is," Fern replies.
"Rough for you, huh?"
Sympathy for Fern—she's more master or parent than Frieren, despite her millennium of life. Such a kid.
"Plans? I'm grabbing food," I say.
"Can I join?" Fern asks.
"Together?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No, just…"
"Let's go."
Fern walks off naturally. Scary. I expected rejection. Regretting not being refused, I trail behind her.
"Nostalgic… Jumbo Berry Special."
I muse over the parfait before me. We're at a counter, post-meal, now on dessert. Tension made the food tasteless, but I'm calming down.
"You've been here before?" Fern asks, curious.
"As a kid with Master. Couldn't finish it, so we shared."
Fern, the source of my tension, seems fine now—not upset. It sparks memories of childhood with Master at this shop, his regular spot. The Jumbo Berry Special's taste lingers vividly. But—
"Something's off… Mine's smaller, right?"
It's tiny. I could blame growing up, but Fern's is clearly bigger. An optical illusion?
"That's 'cause you're grown, kid," the owner, Master, says wistfully.
His vibe convinces me.
"Right… that's adulthood."
"Here's to growing up," I say, as Fern starts eating, unfazed by my sentiment. I dig in too—the taste unchanged. I was wrong. But—
"Stark-sama, can I ask something?" Fern says, turning.
"Huh?"
Her gaze stuns me, but more shocking—
(She's done already?)
Her Jumbo Berry Special—gone. Impossible. Hers was bigger. How? I'm dumbfounded.
"Do you ever want to flip Frieren-sama's or my skirt?" she asks.
"Nope!" I blurt, baffled by her nonsense. Did she eat too fast and lose it?
"Good! I knew it. I'm relieved. You're normal. Sorry for calling you indecent," she says, grabbing my hand.
Her relief suggests I passed some test. What does she think of me? I'm sweating—after the "pervert" incident for touching her hand. She notices and lets go. Isn't she the indecent one? I won't say it—too scary. Why skirt-flipping?
"Kids do that, not me… Wait, I did once," I admit, recalling.
"Stark-sama?" Fern's icy stare returns.
"No, wait! Nee-chan forced me! Said little boys have to! Never did it to anyone else!" I plead.
"…I'll forgive you. Linie-sama probably wanted you to do what was done to her."
"How do you know so much about Nee-chan?"
Her cold gaze softens, but I'm desperate. It was just Nee-chan's orders—meaningless to me. Aura caught us; Nee-chan got scolded hard, moping for days. Enough for a kid to swear it off. Fern gets it instantly. She's weird—Frieren's disciple through and through.
"But adults want to flip skirts too. Even Hero Himmel did," Fern insists, leaning closer with an old book.
"Did I do something wrong?" I ask, lost. I glance at Master for help, but he just wipes glasses, eyes closed. Adulthood, huh? Himmel flipping skirts? Nonsense. What's her point? The book—a scripture?
"No, Himmel-sama's diary. Read it while we're here. It'll help," Fern says.
"Is this required for the party? Not some cult, right?"
It's worse—Himmel's diary. Why does she have it? Why make me read it? Her serious look screams cult recruiter. Did I join the wrong party?
"No, it mentions Aura-sama and Linie-sama. You should know before Freesia," she explains.
"Oh, them…"
Now I get it. She could've said so sooner—skip the skirt nonsense. Maybe it's vital to her. Indecent, after all? Anyway—
"Frieren and Aura—did something happen?" I ask, seizing our alone time.
"Why think that?" Fern counters.
"Obvious. She's dodging Freesia hard."
"She's terrible at lying," Fern sighs.
She knew but avoided it. Only Frieren's oblivious. Cool-headed usually, but bad at hiding her feelings.
Fern, seeing the chance, explains concisely: Frieren and Aura's history, tied to Himmel's story.
"Sounds like Frieren's pretty heartless," I say.
"That's Frieren-sama," Fern agrees.
Even hearing it secondhand, Frieren seems cold. Fern feels it too. Master mentioned it jokingly, but it's true.
"Got it. I don't want to fall off a cliff clueless. I'll borrow the diary. Sorry to Himmel," I say.
It's worth reading. I take it from Fern, feeling guilty for Himmel.
"Let's apologize together. He'd forgive us," Fern says.
"Right, that's our journey's goal. Meeting Monk Heiter too."
"Yes. He'll be happy with you along, Stark-sama."
Her unexpected reply reminds me: apologizing to Himmel is our journey's end. Heiter, Fern's parental figure, awaits. It's her big goal.
"Looking forward to it… But mine's still smaller, right?"
"Come back with the missy, kid," Master says.
"Thanks for the meal."
I'm excited but still childish. Master sends us off. I'll return post-journey with Fern for another Jumbo Berry Special—hoping mine's bigger then.
"Could've used Frieren-sama's name from the start," Fern says, overwhelmed by the crowd seeing us off.
I agree. We're passing the checkpoint, cheered by locals. Frieren's hero party status got us through instantly. Their legacy's immense.
"I thought it'd be useless. Maybe forgotten," Frieren says, visibly deflated.
She hoped to delay Freesia for magic research. Pity, but Fern says no coddling. I get her "forgotten" comment—Master's a hero too, but often unrecognized.
"Eighty years since the Demon King's fall. A human would be ancient," I say casually.
"Ah," Fern gasps, freezing.
"Huh?" I mimic, confused.
A chill hits—instinct screams to flee. My legs won't move. Frieren, back turned, is still. The calm before the storm.
"You said it, Stark," she says, her last coherent words for a while.
For three days and nights, Frieren wails publicly. Fern and I scramble to console her. Departure delayed.
Thus, a new legend was born for the hero party's mage.
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