Stuck in the Mud

No chance! There was no way Frieren had hidden that Magic Tome anywhere! Unable to find the Magic Tome he wanted, Li Yan looked up at the sky and wept alone. His beloved magic had left him.

If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered with the behind-the-scenes boss strategy. I could have just killed the Red Mirror Dragon cleanly and been done with it. Then I could have casually put the Magic Tome into my Storage Alternate Space, and given Frieren another type of Magic Tome whenever she wanted. Now everything is ruined.

Li Yan felt a pang of regret. This was the most powerful magic that could allow one to see the beautiful things they wanted to see forever. Unfortunately, once it was missed, it was missed forever, and there was no medicine in the world that could bring it back.

Leaving the village, Li Yan, along with Frieren and Fern, continued their journey to clear their heads. They happened to pass by a village outside the Likair Gorge, where the villagers seemed listless. After some questioning, they learned that "ghosts" had recently appeared in the mountains, and many villagers had disappeared as a result. They discovered that the people they encountered were family members and friends who had been dead for a long time, and they could even talk to them.

Regarding the "ghosts" the villagers were talking about, Li Yan blinked and looked at Frieren. This situation was somewhat like Phantom Demon. His Junior Sister should have encountered one before, but he rarely encountered such strange Monsters.

"It's Phantom Demon, that cunning creature that can read memories. It can create phantoms of the people it cherished most in life to lure and prey on its prey." Just by listening to the villagers' discussion, Frieren had already identified the Monsters on the mountain. She knew that if it were Undead, the appearance of a corpse controlled by magic would not be the same as when it was alive, so it was highly likely that it was an illusion created by the Phantom Demon.

"Reading memories? That's truly a despicable Monsters."

Fern glanced furtively at Li Yan's location, growing increasingly disgusted with the Phantom Demon on the mountain. Monsters that reads other people's memories—unforgivable. Fortunately, the Phantom Demon only creates important people who are already dead, not important people who are still alive.

"So, now that we know, let's not go. After all, encountering the Phantom Demon won't put us in a good mood."

Frieren suggested this, as she hated encountering Phantom Demon. Every time, it was either Flamme, and even her senior brother would come out and confess his feelings to her. It was simply unbelievable. Perhaps the Phantom Demon saw her memories and thought her senior brother was really dead.

"Lady Frieren, you mustn't! We should help the villagers solve their problems."

Fern puffed out her cheeks and refused Frieren's suggestion. She wanted to learn from Himmel and help the villagers get rid of the Monsters that were bothering them.

"Indeed, Junior Sister, I'd like to see the Phantom Demon, even if it's just for a glimpse."

Li Yan was filled with anticipation. He hadn't seen a living Flamme for almost a thousand years. Even if it was just an illusion, or a deception, he would be happy to experience it.

"Ugh... okay then."

Frieren couldn't persuade the two against their insistence, so she picked up her staff and followed them up the mountain. Along the way, Frieren kindly reminded them, "If you encounter Phantom Demon, just use magic to shatter its illusion as soon as possible. Don't hesitate."

Fern nodded seriously. Frieren's eyes darted around as she looked at Li Yan's back. She was actually most worried about her senior brother. He hadn't seen their master for a thousand years. She was worried that he wouldn't be able to bear seeing their master's phantom.

Along the secluded mountain path, Li Yan looked around. As she ventured deeper into the forest, the fog grew thicker. Frieren's eyes flickered; she had already sensed movement and fluctuations in Mana around her.

"Frieren, Godfather?"

Fern was somewhat flustered; she, Frieren, and Li Yan couldn't locate each other because of the fog.

"Little Fern, you've grown up."

Behind the trees where the mist was thin, a man and a woman smiled tenderly at Fern and reached out their hands in Fern direction.

"Mom and Dad!"

Fern blinked, staring in disbelief at her parents appearing before her. She had witnessed their deaths when she was a child, and now, seeing them again, she couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes. Her staff trembled slightly. She knew that what she saw before her was an illusion created by the Phantom Demon, and she should kill it decisively. But as a child, how could she possibly bring herself to kill the illusion of her parents?

"Damn it! That's blatant cheating!"

A troubled look appeared on Fern's face. She had guessed it would be her parents on the way, and she thought she could face it bravely, but... she didn't expect it to be so difficult.

"Fern!"

A blazing ray of light pierced through the thick fog and struck the phantoms of Fern's parents. As the phantoms were shattered by the blazing light, they gradually dissipated, and Fern awoke from her daze.

"Are you alright? Those were just illusions." Li Yan patted Fern's head worriedly.

"No... it's nothing, Godfather, I just miss my mom and dad a little."

Fern hugged Li Yan's waist, tears streaming down her face. She now had the power to protect others, but her parents had already left her.

"Don't worry, your Godfather will always be with you." Li Yan gently stroked Fern's head, making him feel relaxed.

"Um..."

Fern leaned gently against Li Yan, like a little girl who had been bullied.

"Senior brother, have you seen Master?"

With the death of the Phantom Demon and the dissipation of the thick fog, Frieren, gripping her staff, couldn't help but ask a question.

"Hmm... I saw a lot of familiar people."

Li Yan's expression was complicated.

Seeing that her senior brother didn't want to say much, Frieren wisely stopped asking questions, after all, she had also seen her most unforgettable family and master.

After dealing with all the Phantom Demon, Li Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. As she left, Li Yan reluctantly looked back at the forest one last time. Her arrival here was not accidental, but deliberate.

In the Northern Countries, in the village of Alt Forest, Fern was bitten by a venomous snake and afflicted with an incurable poison. This poison could not be cured by ordinary healing magic and required Priest with profound knowledge of Goddess Magic to remove this troublesome toxin.

Li Yan, who intended to take Fern back to the Royal Capital Church, was stopped by Frieren. There seemed to be a village nearby, so there should be a permanent Church there. The Priest in the Church might be able to cure Fern's poison.

As they walked along the narrow path, a cry for help caught Frieren's attention. Li Yan, carrying the poisoned Fern on his back, glanced indifferently at the source of the cry for help.

"Shall we go take a look?"

Frieren glanced at Li Yan and asked, after all, Fern had been poisoned, and a choice had to be made between saving him and saving Fern.

Li Yan glanced back at Fern's face; her rosy cheeks had turned somewhat pale, clearly indicating that the snake venom had taken effect.

"Ten seconds!"

Li Yan up.

After parting the clumps of grass, a middle-aged man stuck in the mud came into view. His hair was brown, parted in the middle, and he had a short mustache, clearly indicating that he was over thirty years old.