After the social gathering ended, Stark didn't confess. Both of them tacitly chose not to pierce that layer of paper. Only occasionally did Sein catch glimpses of scenes like their fingers interlocking or the two of them sharing a sundae together.
Can you not let me see this?!
Sein always felt like he was being hunted down. What kind of life was this for an old man—forced to eat young couples' dog food?! No way!!!
...
After bidding farewell to the Fortress City of Frelich, Frieren and the others set off northward once more. Along the way, Frieren suggested making a detour to visit an old friend.
Seventy-nine years after Diego went missing…
—Northern Nations, Kula Region—
"Gets along really well with Diego Master? For real? There's actually someone in this world who can have a normal conversation with Master?" Stark was stunned by Frieren's words.
"Hey, hey, hey—what are you treating Dio as, some kind of natural disaster?" Frieren calmly retorted. "Are you really Dio's disciple? Besides, with us around, no matter how Dio is, he wouldn't be completely without anyone to talk to."
They chatted casually like that. Not long after, a village appeared in their sight. At the village entrance stood a large stone, and on the stone sat a white-haired dwarf elder in armor, a greatsword planted beside him.
It was Frieren's old friend—Old Man Voll.
"Old Man Voll, I came to catch up. It's been eighty years, hasn't it?" Frieren walked up to Old Man Voll and introduced him to the others. "See? Pretty cool, right? He looks exactly like a battle-hardened warrior."
Stark, always blunt, said outright: "He's way too old, though…"
Old Man Voll raised his head. His eyes narrowed as he scanned back and forth between them, as if struggling to make out who was in front of him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Frieren."
"…Right. Frieren."
"Are you still pretending to have dementia?"
Clang!
While chatting, Old Man Voll suddenly unleashed a sharp combat aura. Without warning, he struck toward Stark—the scabbard slashing viciously at Stark's shin.
If this connected, Stark would collapse in pain and be unable to stand for a while.
"Eh? Grandpa, what are you doing?" Stark's expression didn't change. He casually raised his battle axe in front of him to block the strike, then turned to Frieren. "Frieren, does he really not have dementia?"
"Oh my, this is impressive…" Old Man Voll withdrew his sword, his tone filled with astonishment. "It's been a long time since anyone blocked my sneak attack. You've had specialized training, haven't you?"
"And your axe is made with quite a few rare materials. Whoever crafted this axe put real care into it, huh?"
Stark nodded calmly. "Master would suddenly attack me out of nowhere, so now I can block sneak attacks pretty well."
As for the axe, it was the gift Diego gave him on his birthday.
"You're still using that underhanded fighting style." Frieren relaxed slightly upon hearing this and smiled. "But sorry to disappoint you—Stark is Dio's disciple. Back then, he was the blond warrior who blocked your strike and got along really well with you."
"Oh, I see. Got it. You're Dio. Long time no see. Welcome—make yourself at home." Old Man Voll showed a sudden look of realization and reached out to shake Stark's hand in greeting.
"This is completely not understanding at all?! I'm the disciple! The disciple!" Stark broke into a sweat. "Did Master really get along that well with Grandpa?"
Frieren nodded matter-of-factly. "Dio used to love this tactic too. He told us about it—how when he was little, he relied on his harmless childlike appearance and zero-mana body to trick demons over and over with this dirty method. He even gave them trauma. For a long time afterward, demons would avoid human children altogether."
[You know, Frieren—even the most excellent warriors can easily take fatal damage when completely off guard.]
[This tactic ends fights most efficiently. Skillfully exploiting your own advantages makes the enemy underestimate you. Caught off guard, even great demons can die easily.]
[This Dio started showing weakness at three, swept the coliseum with a deceptive appearance at four, and at five—under the dual influence of Heavenly Restriction and Scary Monsters—my appetite exploded. At six, hunger gave me courage. Using that, I ate… killed many demons stronger than me. It wasn't until seven, when Schlacht leaked my information, that I couldn't continue.]
"Stark, since you're already here, why don't you train under Old Man Voll for a while?" Frieren chuckled and spoke the irresistible magic words. "Until you've mastered it, we'll just stay in the village for now. Let's say… ten years to start."
"Frieren-sama, seven days at most!" Fern quickly pulled Frieren back to reality.
"…Fine."
Stark dazedly followed Frieren's instructions and went off to special training with Old Man Voll.
The next day…
"This is the Boundary of Nothingness. You've already grasped the true essence of martial arts. There's nothing more I can teach you." Old Man Voll closed his eyes tightly, hunched over as he slowly walked away. His voice grew fainter until it disappeared completely. "As expected of Dio—humans really do learn fast. But how has your physical condition actually regressed compared to eighty years ago…?"
"..."
Stark's eyes turned dead-fish. He let out a gloomy sigh and headed toward the rest cabin. "I told you—I'm the disciple. I'm nothing like Master at all, right?"
Knock knock knock…
"Fern, Frieren, Sein—Old Man Voll said my training is complete. We can leave…" The moment he opened the door, Stark froze. His heart clenched. He rushed forward. "Fern?!"
Fern lay on the bed, cheeks flushed red, sweating profusely, breathing heavily in short gasps.
Frieren sat on the stool beside the bed, tightly holding Fern's hand to give her a sense of security and ease some of her pain.
Sein had set up a pot and was boiling herbs, filling the air with a faint bitter scent.
Seeing Stark arrive, Sein looked up, scooped a bowl of medicine with a spoon, handed it to him, patted his shoulder, and instructed, "Perfect timing. Go on—feeding medicine is a boyfriend's responsibility."
Stark had no mood to correct Sein's wording. He carried the bowl anxiously to Fern's side and tentatively felt her forehead.
"She's burning up… What happened? She was perfectly fine and energetic yesterday."
Frieren lowered her head in embarrassment, squirming uncomfortably on the stool. In a tiny voice, she said, "Because last night when I was sleeping… I hogged the blanket…"
"…"
Stark's eye twitched. His expression went from unnatural to extremely unnatural. Finally, he sighed, helped Fern sit up from the bed, and carefully fed her the medicine.
"Nooo… Stark-sama…" Fern swallowed it with a flushed face, then lay back down and turned away, unwilling to face Stark. "…It's too embarrassing…"
"…Why? Is this really the time to care about that? Fern, your illness is what matters most right now!"
"I'll eat it myself…" Fern struggled, snatched the medicine from Stark's hand, and drank it in small sips, mumbling, "Stark-sama is a pervert…"
"Why?!"
Fern pulled the blanket tightly around herself again, shrinking inside and refusing to look at Stark's face.
This is way too embarrassing…
Frieren-sama and Sein-sama are still right here…
The thin-skinned Fern still couldn't accept being fed like this for now.
"Hehe…" Frieren smiled, stood up to give him her seat, and patted Stark's shoulder. "Fern has a fever. The way you're panicking right now… you look just like Dio."
"Eh?"
"That guy—Dio—he's terrified when someone important to him gets a fever. Last time I had a fever, he completely panicked and ran around in circles until he didn't even seem like himself anymore. It's one of his super cute points."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Huff… huff… haa…
What do I do, what do I do—Hori is going to die…
Diego stood in front of the sickbed, sweating profusely. He clutched his heart tightly, breathing hard, eyes wide with terror.
This morning, Diego received a call from Sota. The boy was crying hysterically: "Onee-chan is dying!" In seconds, Diego appeared at the Hori house.
The sight of Hori lying unconscious on the bed with a high fever gradually overlapped with a scene from his memory.
Medicine—she needs medicine!
The little dinosaur dragged the medicine box over. Diego began rummaging through it.
No—no, Sota already gave her medicine.
Then what? Get a doctor? Josuke Higashikata—right, Josuke Higashikata! His Crazy Diamond can heal!
Diego had completely lost the ability to think rationally. He had already forgotten that Crazy Diamond couldn't cure illnesses.
"Dio… why are you here?" Hori slowly opened her eyes. Her voice was soft. Seeing Dio right beside her, she struggled to sit up and forced a smile despite her condition. "I fell asleep lying down… my nose got stuffy."
"…" Seeing Hori conscious, Diego felt a slight relief. He took a deep breath and turned to leave. "I'll go grab the top doctor from SPW. Wait for me a bit…"
Slap!
A stubborn hand grabbed Diego's wrist, holding him back.
Diego turned. Hori had her head lowered, breathing heavily, murmuring "Don't go."
"Where are you… going?" Hori's voice trembled.
[—Kyoko, sorry. Mom suddenly has work to do. I really want to stay with you, but Mom has to leave…]
"Where are you going?!"
Hori spoke again, her voice suddenly rising with a hint of crying. Tears fell patter-patter.
"I keep thinking… when will Dio leave us? Will the next time be the last time we ever see each other…?"
"I already know—Dio, you've been searching for a way back. But why? Isn't your homeland full of painful memories?"
"I know too… my weight alone can't compare to Frieren and the others. I don't want to, and I can't, stop Dio from going back. I want to support you—because we still have to find the Land of Soul Sleep!"
"But… I can't bear it… Don't go…"
"Live right here—with me, with little Jolyne, with everyone who cares about Dio. Please… don't leave!"
Hori threw herself at Diego, pressing his head against her chest. Her voice shook.
"Dio, listen—this is my heartbeat. Can you feel how hot it burns…?"
"At the very least… leave your mark on me. Like at the school opening ceremony. Don't leave me with regrets…"
As she spoke, tears welled in Hori's eyes—not from fear of what came next, but from reluctance.
"You're delirious from the fever. Just rest. Don't do anything until the fever breaks." Diego pulled his hand back and tightly embraced Hori. "No matter how despicable and lewd this Dio is, I'm not some trash who only thinks with lust. I can't lay a hand on a sick girl—especially not one whose entire heart is tied to me."
Diego smiled gently on the surface, continuously comforting Hori.
"I'm not leaving. Didn't I just say—I'm going to get a doctor? You'll be better soon…"
The words caught in his throat. He couldn't speak them.
[Mom, wait just a little longer—I'll bring the monk right away!]
His mind jolted. The familiar scene left Diego momentarily dazed. He lifted Hori, stumbled back, and carried her to the bed.
"This time I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you."
Diego held Hori's hand and gently lowered his gaze so no one could see his expression.
Scary Monsters!
Without Hori noticing, she had already been infected and begun transforming into a dinosaur.
That's right—I forgot…
This time is different. There's Scary Monsters now…
I can heal her myself. It can help someone with a fever endure the painful period of breaking the fever more easily.
After all, dinosaur thinking is simple. It doesn't dwell on complicated things—and it boosts immunity too.
Several hours passed. Diego silently stood guard by her side, watching her temperature. He picked up the thermometer and checked: 37.2°C.
Her fever had broken. The illness was mostly gone.
Relieved? Maybe a little. The knot in his heart seemed… slightly loosened…
But—is Hori a dog?! Why did she bite me!
Is this what they mean online by "Baby, you're such a soft, fragrant little cake"?
Diego covered the bite mark on his neck and thought to himself.
But on the other side of the world… is there really no one missing me, thinking of me…?
...
Meanwhile, in Morioh…
"Sota, aren't you going home?" Jolyne walked down the steps and asked Sota, who was sitting on the swing. "Didn't you say Hori-neesan had a fever?"
"Mm—" Sota hugged his knees and organized his words. "It's really hard to go back."
"Why?"
"I'm telling you—this isn't just a one- or two-day thing!!" Sota clenched his fists and vented like he was complaining. "But—really, it's so hard to stay there! Finally those two get some alone time, and I'm stuck in the middle like a giant light bulb!!"
"Eh… you mean…?" Jolyne stared at Sota with dead-fish eyes and made a train-going-into-a-tunnel gesture.
You mean Hori-neesan and Dio-oniichan finally being lovey-dovey?
"Exactly—!!" Sota covered his face and wailed in collapse.
Jolyne sweatdropped and tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Amazing…
Only realizing this now—what kind of situation is that…
Wait—you've been stuck between those two this whole time?
"Whatever, I don't care anymore. I'll just play outside and give them space. Dio-oniichan will take good care of Nee-san." Sota jumped off the swing, regained his energy, looked up at the sky, and pumped himself up. "This year's goal: 『Learn to read the room』!!"
"…Good luck."
By the way—how long are you planning to stay in Morioh?!
It's already been hours!