Face-to-Face

"...So strong..."

Theresia stared at the scene before her in shock. As a mage herself, she could better appreciate the difference between them.

If she had faced so many Blood-Swallowing Pythons herself, she might not have been able to kill even half of them, no matter how hard she tried.

Most importantly, the world of magic was built on imagination. A caster could not use magic to accomplish what they could not imagine. Theresia could not imagine a future in which she wiped out the Blood-Swallowing Pythons, so she was bound to fail.

"Of course she is..."

Glenn had also noticed the figure making such a spectacle in the sky. Once he recognized her, he clicked his tongue excitedly. The tension he had felt eased without his even realizing it, and he even felt the urge to have a drink.

"That's Frieren, the mage from the Hero Party."

"Frieren!?"

Theresia cried out, and surprise appeared on Reno's face as well. Both of them looked toward Frieren.

"So she really is an elf, just like in the stories. She looks almost exactly like the statue in the city. Do elves really not age? That's amazing..."

"It really is Lady Frieren..."

Compared to Theresia, Reno was, for some reason, even more excited.

"It really is Frieren... But didn't she leave a couple of days ago? What's she doing here?"

After a brief moment of delight, Galan came to his senses, and the question sprang to mind.

From what he knew of Frieren, she could only be here because she had forgotten something she needed in Rogley, or... had she gotten lost?

"That can't be it... Didn't she have a map...?"

He didn't know why, but Galan had an inexplicable feeling it was the latter.

After dealing with the monsters in the village, Frieren turned her gaze to the large horde at the entrance.

She slowly descended from the sky and came to the hut where the others were.

Her magic just now had been so overpowering that the already battered ceiling had collapsed completely, leaving all four of them with plenty of debris and dust on their heads.

Galan shook his head, dislodging the little wood chips prickling his scalp.

"Can you still fight? I'll leave the rest to you. That took quite a lot out of me."

Her face remained unreadable, and people who didn't know her often thought her a little expressionless.

"Lady F-Frieren?"

Reno seemed excited, and his voice began to tremble.

"Do you remember me? Fifteen years ago, in the Noah Mountains, you saved me from a monster."

Frieren looked at Reno. After studying him for a moment, her bright eyes widened a little, seemingly in surprise.

"I forgot..."

"...Huh?"

Seeing how visibly awkward and disappointed Reno was, Galan couldn't help a wry smile.

He had guessed that would happen long ago, and as for himself, that went without saying...

"...You're... the apothecary who sold me Wolf-Tail Grass in Rogley, aren't you?"

Suddenly, Frieren turned and took a close look at Galan, plainly uncertain.

"Huh? Yes, that's me. You actually remember me?"

He answered in surprise.

"I sensed a familiar presence earlier. It really was you."

When he confirmed it, a proud smile appeared on Frieren's face, as though remembering someone was a great accomplishment for her.

Hey, we only met a couple of days ago... And come to think of it, you've met Glenn once too. Don't you remember him at all...?

"Now's not the time to catch up."

Glenn's words brought everyone back to the present.

He stood in the ruined doorway, the Black Sword held before him, ready to spring into action.

By now, a vast horde of monsters had surrounded them, packing the area around the house so tightly that nothing could get through. They bared their fangs and growled at the group, weapons in hand, itching to attack.

"Let's go, Galan. Theresia, remember to support us!"

He hurled the Black Sword with all his might, and the tremendous impact blasted a gap in the horde. Amid cries of pain and a commotion, the monsters that failed to dodge were crushed and battered, their bodies covered in wounds. Immediately afterward, a towering figure descended from above, landing among the monsters like a god of slaughter.

Glenn's great hand pulled the greatsword from a monster's corpse, and he swung it like a windmill, carving out an empty space around himself as though nothing stood in his way. The monsters that had been about to close in no longer dared make a move.

He doesn't look that old, but he's forty already, and he still loves playing the hero.

Galan silently griped as he raised his long saber and followed him.

The sharp blade sliced through the air, severing an incoming weapon outright before the monster's shocked eyes.

This alchemical long saber was a token the previous commander of the Shadow Warriors had given the original owner of this body before departing.

Forged by the finest craftsmen in the Empire, it had been enchanted with Incorruptible Magic and Indestructible Magic, and was highly resistant to curses and heat. It was a truly formidable weapon; how could such shoddily made arms hope to compare?

Slash—

Having dispatched one monster with ease, Galan pushed hard off the ground with his right foot and charged into the horde. Together with Glenn, he split the densely gathered monsters apart.

"Flame of Judgment!"

Raging tongues of fire poured from Theresia's wand, gathering into a fire dragon that shot forward and set swathes of monsters ablaze. Before long, they burned to ashes, becoming charcoal-like dust that scattered through the air.

With Frieren there to make her feel safe, she held nothing back, unleashing all her mana to cast the most destructive elemental magic at her disposal.

Seeing the brilliant flames the girl had unleashed, Frieren showed a hint of surprise.

Amid the chaos, a massive Griffon Hound tore open the armor on Glenn's back, exposing the solid, well-trained muscle beneath.

In the intense fighting, sweat mingled with blood from his wounds. Yet the middle-aged man pressed forward rather than retreating. He rolled backward, pinning the Griffon Hound beneath him, then plunged his sword into its throat. The muscles in his arms rose and fell as he swung the heavy Black Sword with all his might, like a ferocious lion.

The alchemical saber was coated in thick monster blood, and Galan casually flicked it clean onto the ground.

After several consecutive battles, his reaction speed and ability to adapt in combat had improved markedly, and he had also gained some understanding of how monsters fought and behaved.

Sure enough, real combat experience was immensely beneficial to improving his strength. Galan could clearly feel himself growing more adept at fighting.

He stepped back until he was pressed tightly back-to-back with Glenn. It was their first time fighting side by side, yet the instant they leaned against each other, they felt an indescribable sense of reassurance.

"Here they come."

"Ha!"

A murderous Griffon Hound stood before each of them. These canine monsters were exceptionally vicious, and once they had picked out prey, they would bite and refuse to let go until they had killed it.

They stared intently at the two men before them, pacing as they searched for weaknesses.

"Boom—boom—"

Around them, amid a series of booming explosions, the remaining ordinary monsters were eliminated one by one by Theresia's fireballs and Reno's Holy Spear.

Glenn and Galan had cleared out every monster in the vanguard near the house, so the rest could not get anywhere near the three behind them.