Shopping (2)

Five years after the hero Himmel successfully defeated the Demon King, the first rays of dawn broke.

"Lady Frieren, it's time to get up... Ugh, you're still sleeping like this."

Lupa's voice, slightly panting from her morning workout, rang out at the doorway. She pushed open the door, her pink twin ponytails swaying gently with the movement. Her heterochromatic eyes glanced into the room, a hint of helpless acceptance showing on her face.

Linié followed quietly behind her, her deep blue eyes calmly scanning the room.

The scene in the room remained the same as always.

As usual, Frieren slid her upper body onto the carpet, her long silver hair spreading out like a cascading moonlight; her legs, however, remained stubbornly propped up on the edge of the bed, her nightgown rolled up above her knees, revealing her slender calves. Her cheeks were pressed against the carpet, a glistening trace of moisture on the corner of her mouth, and she was breathing evenly and deeply.

Because Frieren often slept with her head on the floor, Lowell bought a very thick blanket so that she wouldn't get cold or hurt her head while sleeping on the floor.

"Hmm..." Startled by the sound, Frieren mumbled in her sleep, unconsciously rubbing against the carpet, showing no intention of waking up.

Lupa sighed, helped Frieren up to sit on the edge of the bed, and gave Linié a wink.

Linié understood, and silently walked to the small table to the side, picking up a bowl of warm, honey-infused milk and oatmeal porridge.

She scooped up a spoonful with a small spoon and brought it to Frieren's lips.

Frieren's nose twitched, her eyes were still closed, but she obediently opened her mouth slightly and swallowed the food in small sips, like a sleepy cat being fed.

After all, they're quite skilled at it.

Lupa walked behind Frieren, knelt down, picked up a comb, and began to skillfully comb her messy silver hair, which had become tangled from her terrible sleeping posture. Her movements were gentle, as if afraid of hurting her.

Lowell sat up in bed, his black hair a little messy, and yawned loudly towards the window, his eyes vacant, as if his soul had not yet fully returned to its place and was in the difficult process of "booting up".

"It smells so good..." Frieren mumbled between swallows, it was hard to tell whether she was referring to the smell of the porridge or the fresh scent of sunshine and sweat emanating from Lupa.

A deep sleepiness made her weak all over. After feeding her the last spoonful of porridge, her head tilted to the side, and her entire weight leaned into Lupa's arms, who was braiding her hair behind her.

Lupa was slightly startled by her leaning against her, but quickly regained her balance and continued what she was doing, only a faint blush appeared on the tips of her ears.

Just then, Frieren seemed to suddenly perk up. She turned her head, tilted her face up, and her emerald green eyes, still hazy from just waking up, fell directly on Lupa's shapely chest, accentuated by her tight-fitting clothes.

It's very big.

"So soft..." she murmured softly, her voice still nasal from just waking up, then subconsciously looked down at her chest beneath her nightgown.

Very small.

She tilted her head, gestured with her hand in front of her chest as if comparing sizes, and a hint of confusion appeared on her face.

"Even though we're eating pretty much the same things, I'm eating way more..."

It's truly a heartbreaking story.

This inexplicable comparison seemed to dispel some of her sleepiness. Frieren blinked, then suddenly sat up straight from Lupa's embrace, patting her cheeks with both hands.

"Okay!" She raised her voice slightly, as if to encourage herself, with a determination to do something, "Lowell, let's go shopping!"

She wanted to dress herself up. At least, to get some new clothes.

The market in Nod-Krai was already bustling with life. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, haggling over prices, and children's laughter mingled together, filling the air with the scents of fresh bread, spices, and some indescribable atmosphere of "liveliness."

Frieren's initial goal was clear—to buy something to "dress up" herself. She stopped in front of a stall selling hair accessories and silk, picked up a hair clip inlaid with a silver-white gemstone, and examined it in the sunlight.

"Hmm, this color matches my hair perfectly." She seemed somewhat tempted.

But just then, her gaze was drawn to something at the next stall. It was a Dragon Skull that looked very old and even a little damaged.

It's clearly useless.

But.

"Boss, how much?" Frieren immediately put down her hair clip, leaned over, and pointed to the Dragon Skull.

"Oh my, Miss, you have a good eye! This is an antique unearthed from ruins in the far north! It's said that... this and that... this and that..." The stall owner immediately began enthusiastically trying to sell it to her.

Finally, Frieren left the stall contentedly, clutching the Dragon Skull that was even taller than herself, having long forgotten about the hair clip.

Next was a crystal ball at a fortune-telling stall by the roadside. Frieren stared at the crystal ball, which seemed to have clouds flowing inside, for a long time, her emerald green eyes sparkling.

"This... um... it'll work..." she muttered to herself, then pulled out her purse with a smirk.

Lowell followed behind her, watching Lupa and Linié gradually accumulated more and more tattered items in their hands.

--Besides the Dragon Skull and the crystal ball, there was a bundle of what was said to be "phoenix feathers," several fragments of pottery inscribed with undecipherable characters, and a rusty bell that looked like scrap metal...

But he said nothing, he just smiled and watched.

Occasionally, you might encounter a particularly unscrupulous merchant, in which case you can put your bargaining skills to good use.

In his past life, when he was in elementary school, his mother taught him how to bargain: no matter how much the price was, he should first cut it tenfold.

The results were outstanding.

After browsing for half a day, Frieren finally stopped in front of a general store selling everyday items. Her eyes fell on a pair of women's gloves hanging on the shelf.

The gloves are made of soft, light brown lambskin, with simple intertwined floral patterns embroidered in the same color silk thread on the fingertips and wrists. They look warm and practical, and the color is Pleasant Goat's pink.

She picked it up and tried it on; the size was just right.

"Okay, this one will do." She seemed to finally remember her original purpose and nodded.

Lowell paid again.

Frieren put on the new gloves, looked them over, then gave a satisfied "humph" twice, put her hands on her hips, and looked at Lowell with a little smugness on her face.

Seeing her like that, Lowell quickly put on a perfectly timed smile, one of appreciation and encouragement, his voice exaggerated but equally sincere:

"Congratulations to my Frieren! She snagged a pair of adorable and practical gloves in full! Her charm level has increased once again!"

His tone was full of genuine emotion, as if she had accomplished something extraordinary.

Upon hearing this, Frieren raised her chin even higher, and her smug hum grew louder, as if she had just accomplished a great feat. The sunlight shone warmly on her smiling profile and her brand-new gloves.

As for the strange "treasures" piled up in Lupa and Linié's arms, she seemed to have temporarily put them out of her mind.

After going in a big circle, I finally achieved my goal of going out today in a peculiar way.