Emotional Knots

Inside the church.

The Priest picked up the Holy Emblem that Archbishop Heiter had given him when inspecting the countryside in the past.

That was proof awarded by the Holy City to the best local priests.

The words wanting to have Frieren take Sein away somehow wouldn't come out.

After all, he was just a country priest. Now the only thing he could pull out and show was this Holy Emblem.

Because there were many poisonous magical beasts in the nearby forest, many villagers were poisoned as a result.

Yet he, who possessed the Holy Emblem, was completely unable to eliminate the poison with a single spell like Sein could.

However, there was already a disciple with the identical talent in Frieren's party.

"Lady Frieren, I have returned."

Rienta entered the church and nodded to Frieren.

He and Sein had cast healing magic on each other, and aside from the names being different, both the form of expression and the healing method were basically identical.

"Sigh."

The Priest sighed, temporarily dismissing the thought of asking Frieren.

Subsequently, upon learning that they wanted to find a place to stay in the village and rest for a few days,

he very warmly arranged a house for the group.

He even refused Rienta's wish to pay for the cost of borrowing the house.

Saying whatever that was what he ought to do for saving his younger brother.

After staying in the village for two days and attending the Harvest Festival, the Priest suddenly sought out Rienta, saying there was something he needed his help with.

Rienta followed the Priest to the church.

Only then did Rienta learn, through the Priest's account, that it turned out he had argued with Sein.

And the Priest had even hit Sein.

Leaving the church, he searched for traces of Sein in the village tavern and gambling den while pondering the Priest's words.

The Priest repeated life every single day because he did not want Sein to become a mediocre priest like him.

Upon seeing Rienta, who possessed the identical talent and was also Frieren's disciple, he urged Sein to leave the village and become an adventurer.

Yet Sein said he could not do something like abandoning his older brother alone in the village and going out on adventures himself.

Moreover, the reason was very well-founded.

The Priest's Holy Emblem was personally issued by Heiter, who was the Archbishop, and back then he had even invited him to go to the Holy City to be a priest.

He refused on the grounds that he did not want Sein, who had lost his parents since childhood, to lose his hometown as well.

Since the Priest could do that much for Sein, Sein could do so too.

For this reason, ten years ago, when the friend nicknamed the Gorilla invited him to become an adventurer together, Sein refused.

It was precisely for this reason that the Priest slapped Sein across the face.

Judging from the starting point, both of them were doing it for the other person, but as for the result...

Just as he was thinking, Rienta indeed found Sein at a gambling den.

This was also what the Priest had told him.

Smoking, heavy drinking, gambling, and he liked older big sisters.

The first three points didn't matter, but Rienta could not agree with the last one alone.

The two found a quiet corner in a nearby tavern and sat down.

Rienta did not try to persuade Sein right away, instead starting to display his money-wielding power.

Cup after cup of wine filled the table.

Sein, who had just finished arguing with his older brother, was feeling gloomy, and seeing this situation he did not hesitate, picking up a wine glass and starting to drink.

Rienta would also turn eighteen years old around this year.

Hence, he also picked up a wine glass and tasted a sip.

Just as he expected, rather bland.

He put down the wine glass with little interest, not because he couldn't drink it.

On the contrary, having downed three cups in a row, Sein was already starting to get a buzz from the alcohol.

Seeing that the timing was right, Rienta cleared his throat and said to Sein, "Sein, go and become an adventurer."

"It was my older brother who had you come, right?"

"Then you should know the ins and outs of the matter by now too."

Sein spoke while picking up another cup of wine, but this time he was drinking it in small sips.

Seeing that Sein had already opened up, Rienta picked up his wine glass, clinked it against Sein's, and signaled him to continue.

Sein rolled his eyes at Rienta and continued, "Actually, after arguing with my older brother, I already figured things out."

Hearing these words, Rienta felt a trace of a bad premonition rise in his heart.

"What do you mean by figured things out?"

"It means I've already decided to become an adventurer."

Sein drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, then picked up another cup and began drinking in small sips.

He was accustomed to poverty, and since someone was finally willing to treat him, he prepared to drink a few more cups.

Rienta: "RL?!"

Seeing Rienta's shocked expression, Sein smiled and said,

"We just finished arguing, and my older brother even threw a punch, so I still have a tiny bit of lingering resentment in my heart. That's why I came out to hide for a while, planning to go back and apologize to him later, but I didn't expect you to arrive first."

Rienta: "..."

He wasn't doing it out of distress over the cost of the drink; it was just a small tavern in the village, so how expensive could a table full of wine be?

Mainly, the draft he had prepared for a long time to help the Priest persuade Sein was completely useless.

Rienta somewhat gloomily downed the wine in his hand in a single gulp and asked, "So, when are you planning to leave the village?"

"I'll decide after I ask around for news about the Gorilla."

Sein had already drunk four cups of wine in a row and couldn't drink anymore, and he had already started leaning back against the chair blowing smoke rings.

Seeing this situation, Rienta said rather helplessly, "And here I thought up all kinds of ways to persuade you."

"?What ways?"

Sein also looked at Rienta with some curiosity.

Rienta gave a dry cough and said with a rather strange expression, "Your older brother told me about your preferences: smoking, heavy drinking, gambling, and liking older big sisters."

"So I naturally started from these aspects."

Sein looked at Rienta speechlessly: "I can understand the first three since you have more money, but what are you planning to do about the fourth? There are almost none around here who meet that requirement."

Rienta: "?"

"You actually went and looked around here?"

"Ahem," Sein looked somewhat guilty and turned his head aside: "Never mind that, tell me your method first."

Rienta gave Sein a disdainful look before saying, "You know Lady Frieren who saved you, right? She is an elf, and she is over a thousand years old by now. Doesn't that fit your requirements very well?"

"..."

Sein rubbed his forehead speechlessly, not knowing how to explain.

An older sister was not an old sister.

Rather, she was someone who was sympathetic, gentle, and considerate.

You give a tap, and she understands what you want.

Moreover, as for Frieren, ever since the time they met in the forest,

where was there even a shred of a sympathetic older big sister?

She was clearly just a dull and clumsy young girl.

"It's a good thing you didn't go find Frieren, or else I might have given you a punch, Rienta."

Seeing that the matter was resolved, Rienta returned to the house they were borrowing.

After carefully checking Stark over and finding that he had completely recovered,

Frieren prepared to continue their journey and head to the Large Town.

Because the birthdays of Rienta and Fern were also coming up soon.

That was the reason she had been in a rush to head to the Large Town earlier, and not just to restock supplies.