Happy Birthday, Part 1

Another week passed, and Frieren had learned to ride the Black Lightning Bicycle. Every day, she tried out new ways to play with it. When Li Yan brought out his latest creation, she looked incredulously at the Black Lightning beneath her and couldn't help comparing it to his new work.

What Li Yan had spent a week developing solved a problem that had troubled humanity for countless centuries. It was a miracle that even human magic could not accomplish.

"Its name is the Flying Pink Miracle!"

Li Yan appeared riding a pink bicycle fitted with wings. Frieren and Flamme drew closer to examine it. The Black Lightning, which Frieren had once treasured, had already fallen out of favor. It leaned alone against a tree as a withered leaf drifted onto its seat.

"Is this like the Black Lightning Bicycle?"

Frieren asked curiously, her eyes moving up and down the Flying Pink Miracle.

"Of course! This is an epoch-making flying machine made with the full power of my brain. It fulfills humanity's most primal desire. Not only can two people ride together, but you can also fit a little darling weighing no more than thirty kilograms in the basket at the front. Three people can fly at once."

Li Yan introduced it word by word. This Pink Miracle was a new-generation bicycle he had made based on Boonie Bears: To the Rescue. Building an armored vehicle was too complicated, so he could only make something easy and fun to play with first.

As for materials, as the Earl's eldest son, anything to do with money was no problem at all. No matter how expensive or hard to find the materials were, saying "My dad is the Earl" was enough to solve every problem.

In this world, Li Yan really wanted to say, "What is money? I don't care about it at all. To me, money is just dirt."

"Can I try riding it first, Senior Brother?"

Frieren looked hopefully at her senior brother, Li Yan, and gently poked his arm with her little finger.

Flamme watched with a smile. Although she had also learned to ride the Black Lightning and wanted to try the Pink Miracle flying bicycle her godson had developed, she suppressed her desire when she saw Frieren's eager expression. As an adult, she needed to be ready to protect her disciples whenever danger arose.

"Not this time, Junior Sister. I'd really like to let you try it first, but I haven't test-ridden it yet, so I can't guarantee it's safe."

Li Yan gently refused. Though the Pink Miracle looked cool, he still had no idea whether it could actually fly. Besides, he had another small purpose for this trip.

"All right, then."

A little disappointed, Frieren puffed out her cheeks and squatted on the ground, watching Li Yan climb onto the Pink Miracle.

"Godmother, sit on the back. I'll take you for a test ride!"

Li Yan eagerly invited Flamme aboard. Watching from the side, she blinked, then happily sat on the Pink Miracle's rear seat and slipped her arms around his waist as naturally as could be.

Frieren's already puffed-up cheeks swelled even more. She looked at Li Yan with some dissatisfaction and complained, "You jerk, Senior Brother! You just wanted to take Master for a ride first."

"Mhm-hmm."

Frieren squatted on the ground, puffing out her cheeks as she drew circles and cursed him. Li Yan paid her no mind and sped off at full speed with Flamme aboard.

The Pink Miracle raced across the ground. Once it reached a certain speed, Li Yan increased his mana output. Magical gas shot from its tail, and the propeller began to spin. The bicycle lifted off.

"Woo-hoo! We're flying!"

Li Yan let go of the handlebars and spread his arms, enjoying the swift air rushing past him as he flew. The breeze was wonderfully refreshing. Against the dusk, the Pink Miracle flying through the sky was a sight as beautiful as any.

At least, to Frieren and Little Fool, it was indeed a beautiful sight.

"Little Fool, get on. Let's catch up."

Watching the Pink Miracle fly toward the back mountain, Frieren suddenly remembered that her senior brother had recently set up something special there. It seemed to be a birthday present of some kind.

Frieren took Little Fool on the Black Lightning and raced after them. With its mana output at full power, it darted through the forest like a black phantom.

"How beautiful. Flying through the sunset sky, it's as though we're right next to the setting sun. We can even touch the clouds."

Flamme couldn't help marveling. As a great mage who knew no flight magic, she had a certain longing for it. It was a common spell among the Demons, but as far as humans were concerned, no one had learned it yet.

"I never thought I'd actually get to fly in my lifetime."

Flamme leaned against Li Yan's back, resting her head close to his shoulder as she gazed joyfully at the setting sun.

Feeling the soft warmth against his back, Li Yan licked his lips. "Making you happy is what I should do, Godmother. But the sunset in the sky isn't the only surprise. There's one on the ground, too."

The Pink Miracle flew toward a clearing on the back mountain, gradually slowing down. Like a cloud floating in the sky, it slowly descended.

When the Pink Miracle was only ten meters above the ground, Flamme was utterly stunned by the beautiful sight before her. These past few days, she had been so absorbed in researching magical experiments and teaching Frieren new attack magic that she had neglected to go outside altogether.

She remembered that the back mountain had once been a forest with a small clearing. Now it had become a sea of flowers.

"The whole mountain is covered in flowers... all kinds of flowers."

From the sky, Flamme gazed at the flowers covering the back mountain, and her eyes grew moist. Magic had been her greatest love throughout her life, but her favorite had always been the Flowering Magic her parents had taught her as a child.

"Look more closely, Godmother. The flowers can write, you know."

Li Yan offered the friendly reminder as the Pink Miracle gradually climbed higher. Looking down from the sky, she saw that clusters of multicolored flowers spelled out "Happy Birthday."

Flamme could no longer hold back her tears. They slid down her face and fell onto Li Yan's shoulder. Expecting her to be delighted, Li Yan turned around in surprise. "Godmother, why are you crying?"

Li Yan asked anxiously. He had only wanted to make his godmother happy, not make her cry. If he was going to make her cry, this wasn't the way to do it. At the very least, he had to try a different way.

"I'm happy. What's wrong with that?"

Flamme wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a soft huff as she rested her face on Li Yan's shoulder. Looking at the beautiful sea of flowers on the back mountain and those special words, "Happy Birthday," she couldn't stop her heart from pounding.

"Looks like we didn't come for nothing."

Frieren gazed at the sea of flowers before her and couldn't help marveling. A flower field this beautiful must have taken a lot of seeds. Her senior brother was always able to come up with things their master liked, though Frieren liked them too.

"So beautiful."

Sitting on the Black Lightning's rear seat, Little Fool gazed at the beautiful scenery before her and marveled from the bottom of her heart. In the sky, the Pink Miracle suddenly descended, tracing a distinctive, beautiful streak of color.