Grilled Fish
On the other side of the forest.
"What an arrogant Demons!"
At the same time that Rienta used [Long-range Detection Magic] to locate Frieren and her companions, she also discovered two Demons flying in the air, brazenly using [Long-range Detection Magic].
After leaving the cabin in L996 Rienta, he realized it was already late at night.
In his memory, he hadn't stayed in the cabin for very long.
Furthermore, the teleportation point for that guy wasn't the same place where he originally entered the cabin.
Rienta then chose to use [Long-range Detection Magic] to locate Frieren and the others.
But to his surprise, he discovered Frieren and her group shortly after casting [Long-range Detection Magic].
Oh right.
And those two Demons in the sky.
Before he could even make a move, a mist suddenly enveloped the entire forest, blocking the [Long-range Detection Magic].
Moreover, booming sounds continued to emanate from the location where Frieren and the others had been.
This undoubtedly indicates that Frieren have already engaged in combat with the Demons.
Rienta frowned, her anger from her failed attempt to make a cup in the cabin still lingering.
What's the meaning?
There are clearly two Demons, why don't they deal with me, who is alone, first, instead of going after Frieren, Fern, and Methode?
Um.
It must have been my Mana aura that frightened them.
I don't know how well Methode has mastered Mana Suppression, but Lady Frieren and Fern are much better at it than I am.
That's why the two Demons chose to go to Lady Frieren's place first.
That's right, that's exactly it!
Rienta was very satisfied with the choice of these two Demons.
But he quickly realized what was happening and began to move at top speed toward the location where Frieren and the others were, even using [High-Speed Movement Magic].
'Lady Frieren, please spare the demon!'
On the other side.
"It seems Methode has already engaged in combat with the enemy."
"Fern, the battle is in your hands now."
Fern looked at Frieren with some confusion and asked, "Why are you giving it to me?"
Frieren explained earnestly, "We're on a mission for First-Class Mage. Fern is First-Class Mage, after all."
"..." Fern said with a hint of helplessness, "Lady Frieren, at a time like this..."
Before she could finish speaking, Frieren interrupted Fern.
"No problem, it's an opponent you can defeat."
After saying that, Frieren pointed to Fern's side.
Fern's expression hardened, and in the instant he turned around, a [Defensive Magic] was successfully cast.
A male Demons appeared in the mist.
He held a Zen staff with several rings hanging from the top, which jingled as he walked.
Seeing that his first attack had been blocked, the male Demons looked at Frieren with some surprise.
The forest has been completely enveloped by its [Mist-Summoning Magic], blocking both sight and [Detection Magic].
Logically speaking, his attack should never have been blocked.
But the human woman with long purple hair blocked the way, seemingly after a reminder from the person next to her who didn't seem to have much Mana.
That's interesting.
The male Demons continued walking towards Frieren and her companion, his staff flashing with a faint light as two beams of Mana energy shot towards them.
Frieren didn't move; she just watched quietly.
Just as the two beams of Mana were about to reach Frieren and her companion, two Defensive Magic were suddenly cast.
Just like before, the attack from the male Demons and Fern's [Defensive Magic] canceled each other out, turning into specks of light and disappearing.
"Huh?"
Seeing that the attack had been blocked again, the male Demons did not stop, and uttered a soft, unintelligible sound.
"See?" From what I've seen so far, Frieren is quite satisfied with Fern's performance.
Fern's expression was serious, and his Staff was already pointed at the male Demons walking towards the two of them.
"That was just a coincidence. I was only able to react because Lady Frieren pointed in the direction. I didn't sense the attack at all."
"Its strength surpasses mine."
Upon hearing this, Frieren said softly, "I don't think so. After all, there aren't many First-Class Mages like Fern who are so loyal to the basics."
After saying that, Frieren looked at Fern, a smile playing on her lips, and continued, "Dumb tape, Fern, you can definitely win."
Fern glanced at Lady Frieren out of the corner of his eye, feeling somewhat relieved.
Since the start of this attack, she has been caught off guard by enemy attacks twice already.
Saying that the opponent's strength is above hers is by no means an understatement.
But at this moment, Lady Frieren's trusting gaze and words gave her a boost of confidence.
The male Demons in front of her stared intently as he approached her.
The male Demons lowered his eyes, gazing indifferently at the two people who were talking.
It doesn't care about the content of the conversation.
At this moment, all it wanted was to quickly deal with the two mages in front of it, and then join forces to deal with the human male who had given it an ominous feeling.
He walked towards the two of them step by step.
The withered branches on the ground rustled under his footsteps, their sounds mingling with the clinking of the ring at the top of his staff.
'Ding-ding, dong-dong.'
'Click, click.'
'Click, click.'
The fire crackled and sizzled as Genau sat in front of the church, his gaze fixed on Stark, who was returning from fishing.
Stark carried two fish, each about thirty centimeters long, his tone tinged with excitement.
"I caught a big fish! How about it for a midnight snack?"
After a moment of silence, Genau replied softly, "I won't, Methode will be angry. She said eating late-night snacks is unhealthy."
"Oh, okay, then I'll eat it myself."
Before returning, Stark had already prepared the fish, so now he could simply place it on the fire to roast.
He reached out and stirred the fire to make it burn brighter, then placed the skewered fish aside and began to grill it.
Normally, when Rienta was around, he never worried about things like dinner.
Even if she gets hungry at night, Rienta's Personal Space always has plenty of food on hand.
It seems to be a cold dish called something like 'cold beef' or 'braised meat'.
Five ants in total.
Of course, every time they ate, Rienta would also have him deliver a portion to Fern and Frieren.
Although I always get a scolding for it.
Afterwards, Rienta even said that criticism didn't matter, the most important thing was that Fern had accepted the midnight snack.
He felt that what Rienta said made a lot of sense.
But why am I always the one who delivers them?
Tonight I only ate some hard bread, which is far from enough for a soldier's appetite.
Stark held a stick, poking at the fire, his tone tinged with a hint of melancholy.
I always get a little hungry around this time.
After saying that, Stark turned his head and solemnly instructed, "Please don't tell Fern."
"Um."
Genau responded softly, then said with a hint of empathy, "It seems you've had a tough time too."
The fire crackled and popped, and for a moment, both men fell silent.
Genau closed his eyes to rest, Stark stared at the grilled fish that was gradually turning a golden brown.
Thanks to the intense heat of the fire, the fish was quickly grilled.
Stark picked up a piece, ate it, and mumbled something indistinctly:
"Um, Genau."
The aroma of grilled fish tantalized Stark's taste buds; with a light bite, the crispy fish crackled and popped.
Then, Stark continued, "You know about the Demons who attacked the village, right?"
Upon hearing this, Genau nodded, but Stark was engrossed in grilling the fish and didn't look at Genau.
Seeing this, Genau paused for a moment, then said softly, "Demons who can use the Four-Sword Style are quite rare."
"[The Divine Skill Rewerdi], the Demons who killed my partner, also used the Four-Sword Style."
By this time, Stark had already finished most of the grilled fish in his hand. Upon hearing this, he turned his head and looked at Genau.
"What an exaggerated name!"
"However, it's not as good as Rienta's..."
P. S.: Do you guys have any suggestions regarding the protagonist's title?
My initial idea is something like 'Qingyuan Miaodao Zhenjun', 'Changshi Wanfa Xianjun', or 'Mingyang Huangyuan Yushi Zhenjun'.