Data from an Illusion

The morning light failed to dispel the weariness in the hotel room. Even as the sun rose high, nearing noon, Lowell and Frieren's room remained closed and lifeless.

Lupa, still radiating heat after a long morning of intense training, returned to the inn with Linié. Looking at the unmoving wooden door, she sighed helplessly and knocked, "Master, Frieren, it's time to get up, it's almost noon."

A rustling sound came from inside, followed by Lowell's drowsy, indistinct reply, "Next time, for sure..."

Then came Frieren's soft, dreamlike voice. "Two more... hours..."

Lupa put her hands on her hips and knocked on the door a few more times, but there was no response from inside, as if the previous response had been just her hallucination.

She shook her head, ultimately unable to resist the urge to bang on the door or tempt with desserts like Ruby. She could only helplessly say to Linié, "Fine, let's go have lunch first. Looks like we won't be able to leave until noon."

Inside the restaurant, Solitär was already seated, a glass of clear spring water in front of her. She seemed to have no need to eat, but was watching the simple meal prepared by the villagers with great interest, her fingers occasionally tapping lightly on the table, as if recording some data.

Seeing Lupa and Linié enter, she blinked her pale green eyes and gave a friendly smile, "Good morning, Lupa, Linié Lowell, and Frieren, are you still not up?"

Lowell told him not to call her "Demon King" but to address her by her name, and she readily complied.

"Hmm," Lupa sat down and picked up a piece of bread. "I tried calling, but they wouldn't budge. Master and Frieren... are rather capricious."

Solitär nodded thoughtfully, tapping her chin with her fingertip. "I see. Is this the specific manifestation of 'sleeping in'? Even with a clear schedule, it's delayed due to subjective inertia... A very interesting example of a procrastination mechanism. Lowell does this too, so it seems it's not an isolated case, but rather some kind of... commonality?" She analyzed the observed phenomenon earnestly, like a curious student.

It wasn't until lunch was almost over that Lowell, yawning, lazily led the still sleepy-eyed Frieren, whose silver hair had a few tufts sticking up, into the dining room. Frieren's eyes lit up a little when she saw the food, and she quietly sat down at the table, taking small bites of her bread, looking like she was saying, "Do not disturb, I am eating."

Finally, the group lingered until the afternoon sun became somewhat lazy before officially bidding farewell to the village and resuming their journey. Rustan and Rosaline stood at the village entrance, waving vigorously until their figures disappeared around the bend in the mountain road.

As they moved further from the village, the silence of the wilderness enveloped them once more. Lowell slowed his pace, walking alongside Solitär who followed quietly beside him, and casually asked, "How was yesterday's wedding?"

Solitär immediately turned her head, her pale green eyes sparkling with researcher-like excitement, and said in a brisk pace, "Ah~! A fantastic experience! We've collected a wealth of valuable data! Human wedding customs, peak emotional expression, group interaction patterns... all very interesting! Especially Miss Rosaline's final look, full of 'love' and 'happiness,' it was truly... impressive."

She changed the subject, a naive smile playing on her lips, "Such pure and intense positive emotions, if we could instantly destroy and distort them, observe their collapse and transformation into negative forms... then the data comparison would certainly be more valuable for research. Just thinking about it makes me look forward to it..."

Lowell was not surprised at all. He clicked his tongue and said in a calm but undeniably admonishing tone, "I knew you would think that. But you can't. You must try to see humans as a race equal to your own, not just as objects of observation."

Following the rules will allow you to collect richer and more consistent data in the long run. There's nothing wrong with your thirst for knowledge; it's like anthropologists studying the social behavior of apes—they're curious too. But I'm asking you to treat them as equal, complex, intelligent beings. You'll find that the information contained in everyday trivialities is no less valuable than in extreme situations.

He paused, then looked at Solitär, "As for that 'reaction' you're curious about... what you really want is just 'to know the outcome,' right? Not to create that outcome yourself."

Solitär her head, thought for a moment, then nodded, her eyes clear. "Yes, that's right. The process is just a means; the authenticity of the data and the result itself are the goals. If the 'result' can be directly observed, there's indeed no need to repeat unnecessary experimental steps personally."

"That makes things easier." Lowell stopped. "My 'Future Prediction' includes the scene you just imagined. Through Mental Magic, you can 'experience' that consequence as if you were there. For you, this is essentially the same as the key 'data' you could obtain through your own actions."

Solitär's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had discovered a new continent, her face beaming with pure joy. "Really? This is so efficient! Please do this!"

"Okay." Lowell nodded and instructed Lupa in front of him, "Lupa, carry her on your back."

"Huh? Oh, okay, Master." Although Lupa was a little confused, she immediately turned around and squatted down.

Solitär is naturally lightweight; in fact, Lupa prefers to train by carrying the heavy stone statue of Qual on her back.

Solitär nestled obediently on Lupa's back, closed her eyes, and wore an expectant expression, as if preparing to receive a precious data transmission.

Lowell extended a finger, its tip shimmering with barely perceptible magical energy, and gently touched Solitär's forehead.

In an instant, Solitär's body trembled slightly, her eyes completely glazed over, losing focus, as if her soul had been ripped away, and she had fallen into a deep illusion. She lay limply on Lupa's back, her breathing becoming steady and slow.

Lupa steadily carried her on his back, adjusted his posture, and continued forward with the group. Linié glanced quietly at Solitär, who was lost in the illusion, a hint of curiosity flashing in her deep blue eyes, but it quickly returned to calm. Frieren, on the other hand, was indifferent to the little incident behind her; her attention was drawn to a rare blue berry growing tenaciously near the snow line by the roadside, and she was wondering if it was edible.

"Hmm... What you can't have always seems more alluring. Let her see more of this non-existent future, give her a taste of it, and she'll understand humanity better too. I'm such a clever person."