Stark

At the edge of a rift that appeared to be man-made, a red-haired young man was playing with two children.

"Grandma!"

The children ran over when they saw the old woman.

The three of them walked toward the red-haired young man, who had stayed where he was—the man the old woman had called Stark.

Stark watched the three approach, his expression somewhat serious, and said:

"Are you the ones who attacked the dragon?"

"Don't provoke it too much. You'll put the village in danger. Dragons are more dangerous than you imagine."

With that, he lifted the long hair from his forehead, revealing a scar as big as his palm.

"The scar on my forehead is from when I once fought a dark dragon..."

"That's not such a serious injury, is it?" Frieren interrupted the red-haired young man calmly.

Stark lowered his hand and looked at Frieren. "Master sent you, didn't he? Who are you?"

"Frieren, a mage," Frieren replied.

Stark's gaze sharpened, and he called to the old woman, who was talking with her grandchildren in the distance:

"Grandma, you should go on ahead."

Meeting the old woman's slightly questioning gaze, Stark continued, "It's all right. They're acquaintances of my master."

After watching the old woman leave with the two children, Stark said coolly:

"Master must be pretty angry, huh? I left without saying anything, after all."

Frieren didn't answer. Instead, she asked:

"Stark, why haven't you defeated the dragon? You shouldn't have any reason to stay in the village, should you?"

Stark replied, "Can you tell me what you want first? If you're here to make me go back, I'm sorry, but I refuse."

"Because our party needs a vanguard. First, we need you to help us defeat the Red Mirror Dragon. I need a grimoire in its nest."

Hearing that, Rienta understood a little why Frieren had made that decision when she saw the Red Mirror Dragon.

Stark frowned. "Why?"

"It's just a hobby. There's no other reason." Frieren quietly watched her former party member's disciple.

Stark remained unmoved and said just as forcefully, "We're talking about a Red Mirror Dragon. You can't just challenge it on a whim."

"True." Frieren took a step back and said, "An idiot praised the magic I collected. How's that for a reason?"

"Praised your magic..." Stark fell silent for a moment, then said, "That's a pretty boring reason."

The corners of Frieren's mouth lifted slightly. "Yes."

Stark paused, then continued, "Master sent you to invite me, didn't he?"

"I can join your party, but Frieren, are you sure you can handle that dragon if I join you?"

"As long as you can hold him off for thirty seconds," Frieren replied calmly.

Rienta: "?"

Looking at the perfectly serious Frieren, Rienta hesitated to speak but ultimately said nothing. Thirty seconds was enough for Frieren to chop that dragon into mince, wasn't it?

The corners of Stark's mouth slowly lifted. "I see. Thirty seconds."

Then he calmly asked, "Do you really need me for that?"

"What on earth is this guy talking about?" Fern stared at Stark, somewhat speechless.

"So that's how it is." Frieren sighed and asked, "Stark, how much experience do you have fighting monsters?"

"Zero."

The image of an expert that Stark had tried so hard to maintain crumbled under Frieren's question.

He lunged forward, threw his arms around Frieren's leg, and wailed, "Save me, Frieren!"

"When I first met the Red Mirror Dragon, I tried to face it, but I was so scared I couldn't move a muscle. That thing cuts through houses as easily as chopping vegetables. It's not an opponent any human could beat!"

"Although it spared my life, he never came back after that, and I ended up becoming a hero instead."

"Everyone in the village is so nice. How could I possibly leave?"

Fern looked at Stark, who was clinging to Frieren's leg, with utter disdain and said:

"Lady Frieren, this guy is beyond help. Let's find another vanguard."

Stark clung even tighter and mumbled, "Don't give up on me!"

Rienta's eyelids twitched, but he patiently waited for Frieren's decision.

Frieren looked at the wailing Stark and said softly, "No, he can fight the dragon. He can do it."

"That sounds like you're encouraging a child." Fern looked at Frieren helplessly, then turned to Rienta, who was standing silently nearby.

Rienta could tell Fern wanted him to try to persuade Frieren too.

But Rienta only shook his head and gestured with his lips for Fern to look at Frieren, who was walking toward the rift.

Frieren stretched out her hand and felt around the edge of the rift, confirming her suspicion.

She prepared to leave with Rienta and Fern, saying without looking back:

"Stark, I'll give you one night to think it over."

"You should understand that things can't go on like this."

The three wandered around the village for a while. As evening approached, they found a restaurant and ate.

The owner had also heard that Rienta and the others had gone to see Stark.

Hearing the owner and his wife both praise Stark, Fern was a little puzzled.

"A lot of people look up to Stark."

"Yes." Frieren cut off a piece of steak and put it in her mouth. "Because he looks very kind."

"Kind?" Fern was unconvinced. "All I saw was how much of a coward he is."

"I won't deny that he is a coward," Frieren said teasingly, "but when Fern first fought a monster..."

Fern stopped moving her knife and fork and stared at Frieren with a puffed-up face.

"...I'll forget about that." Unable to withstand Fern's puffed-up face, Frieren admitted defeat.

Seeing this, Rienta asked, "Lady Frieren, did Stark make that rift?"

"You noticed too, Rienta?" Frieren calmly ate her food. "He did. Stark is the disciple Eisen mentioned."

Rienta and Fern were both taken aback. They remembered how Eisen had declined Frieren's invitation to join her and recommended his disciple instead.

Understanding Frieren's plan, Rienta nodded and said no more, focusing on the food in front of him.

After the meal.

As they walked down the street, Frieren grumbled, "Honestly, Fern was so innocent and cute when she was little..."

A series of booms interrupted Fern's transformation.

"What's that sound?"

Frieren had already turned toward the inn. "It's probably Stark. If you're interested, you two can go take a look."

"I'm going to bed."

Rienta and Fern exchanged a glance and hurried in the direction of the sound.

At the same rift as before, Stark swung the long-handled axe in his hands, sending streaks of axe light slashing into the ravine.

Rienta: "..."

No wonder the dragon didn't come to bother the village. With a warrior chopping at the mountain here every night, the Red Mirror Dragon would have to be out of its mind to come.

Stark also noticed the two of them arriving. He stopped striking at the rift and looked at them.