The Great Proposal Operation

The college's living room was warmed by the afternoon sun, with fine dust floating in the air, quiet and peaceful.

Ruby sat cross-legged on the thick carpet, her fiery red curls bouncing with her excited gestures, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"Hmm... Ruby's wedding is definitely going to be super cool, the kind that will blow your mind!"

She clenched her fists, her face beaming with a girlish, dreamy longing.

"For example... at the start of the ceremony, my Himmel and I will ride the legendary Pegasus, swooping down from the clouds, accompanied by hymns and a rain of flower petals! Or, at the crucial moment of exchanging vows, we'll use our combination attack— 'Starlight Burst of Love and Justice'! With a boom, the most dazzling magical fireworks will explode in the night sky, illuminating the entire continent!"

"For example... the opening of the ceremony, no slow, drawn-out music! It should be a 'bang!' with our best combination magic, blasting open a dazzling rainbow bridge of fireworks! Then, my Himmel and I will descend from the sky, with enormous wings woven from light magic unfolding behind us!"

"... Then, at the climax of exchanging vows! Himmel and I will simultaneously raise our swords and staffs! Like this—'In the name of love and hope! Unite! Ultimate Holy Sacred Sword Blazing Ripple!' Boom!! Magic and sword light intertwine to form a pillar of light reaching the heavens! Leaving everyone speechless! Hehehe..."

She became more and more excited as she spoke, almost to the point of dancing with joy.

Himmel sat on the sofa beside her, her blue eyes filled with indulgent laughter, listening quietly to her whimsical, childlike ideas, occasionally nodding in agreement, as if to say, "Hmm, that sounds wonderful."

Frieren curled up in a large armchair opposite, her chin resting on her knees, her emerald eyes half-closed, like a cat basking in the sun.

Listening to Ruby's enthusiastic plans, she casually interjected, "You two are getting married? You've only known each other for ten years..."

Ruby immediately turned her head, puffing out her cheeks. "Ten years is long enough! We're not elves, how many decades does a person have in their lifetime? Sigh... come to think of it..."

As if suddenly remembering something, she leaned closer to Frieren with curiosity. "What was Lady Frieren and Lowell's wedding like? It must have been very special, right? Was it held in some ancient elven holy land? Or did they use some kind of lost, grand magic?"

Frieren blinked, her tone completely flat. "No."

"Huh?" Ruby froze, her eyes wide. "Huh? Huh? Huh?" she uttered a series of incredulous monosyllables. "What's going on? How can there be no wedding?"

"Neither elves nor Demons have the custom of holding weddings," Frieren explained, her voice still calm. "Their long lifespans make this kind of formal contract seem... well, and..." She seemed to want to say something, but was interrupted before she could finish.

Ruby abruptly interrupted her, her little face filled with shock and the excitement of "discovering a major secret":

"And... could it be... you two haven't officially confirmed your relationship yet? Has Lowell not confessed to you?" She seemed startled by her own guess, her voice rising involuntarily.

Frieren pressed her index finger against her fingertip, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hmm... I think so? And it seems like they mentioned it the first time we met." She spoke slowly.

"Love at first sight!? What is that!? What did he say!?" Ruby's face flushed slightly, a mixture of excitement and gossip.

"Hmm... I remember he said he was 'desiring me' back then," Frieren said casually.

?

"Huh? What's this? That's perverted!?"

Ruby was shocked, as were everyone else in the room; the air was thick with shock.

The silence of the crowd was deafening.

Was Lowell always this... straightforward?

"This... no, no! Uh... well, I heard it from Lady Frieren, so the context might be wrong! She was probably joking! Is there anything else? Any other confessions?"

Frieren tilted her head, seemingly not understanding why Ruby so agitated. "It's not important. A wedding or confirming a relationship, if you want to see it, I can do it now..." Before she could finish the sentence "I'll play with you for a bit," Ruby covered her mouth.

"No! This is important!" Ruby interrupted her excitedly, her fiery red curls almost standing on end, turning to look for Lowell. "Lowell! Tell me! Have you really never even said 'I like you' to Frieren?!"

Lowell, who had just come out of the kitchen carrying a bag of hot cocoa, paused, a very unnatural look flashing across his face, and mumbled, "Ah? Uh... this..."

Ruby her arms, puffing out her cheeks. "Look! That 'uh' says it all! I just... can't believe it! You've been together for so long! How can you not even have this!" She was getting anxious for them.

Frieren, however, remained calm, picking up a cookie. "I told you, it's not important..."

"No!" Ruby objected loudly, her voice brimming with a girlish insistence on romance. "It has to be a ceremony! How about this... Lowell, you confess now! And then, Frieren, listen carefully! Right here, right now! It has to be formal, sincere, and full of love! Lady Frieren, listen carefully, no interruptions allowed!"

Upon hearing this, Frieren put down the cookie, turned her emerald eyes to Lowell, and quietly looked at him with a blank expression, as if she were truly waiting.

All eyes were on Lowell.

Himmel tried to maintain a gentle expression, but a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his barely suppressed laughter. Heiter couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. Eisen silently raised his hand to cover half of his face.

Lowell looked at Frieren's clear, emerald-green eyes, which were quietly gazing at him, waiting for her to continue. His face showed a variety of troubled and thoughtful expressions. Of course, he was indeed racking his brains.

I'm confessing my feelings?

Let me go and kill Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

Forget it, I can't take them down; our combat capabilities are on completely different levels.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, repeating this several times.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he cleared his throat and forced what he thought was a sufficiently sincere expression onto his face:

"Frieren."

"Look," he pointed to his left foot, "This is my left foot."

He then pointed to his right foot, "This is my right foot."

Then, pointing to himself, he said in an epic, solemn tone, "And this... is my love for you, to the ends of the earth..."

Frieren blinked, her face expressionless—neither moved nor disgusted—she simply looked at him calmly, as if waiting for, "Oh, and then?"

Lowell stood frozen in place; the air was so quiet you could almost hear the dust settling on the ground.

A few seconds later, as if he could no longer bear the extreme embarrassment, he suddenly clutched his head and let out a defeated growl, "Ahhh! I can't do it!!"

"Pfft, hahaha!" Heiter was the first to burst into earth-shattering laughter, pounding the sofa armrest incessantly.

Ruby fell over, pointing at Lowell: "Idiot, idiot! Who confesses like that! Lady Frieren, reject him! Let him try again! Frieren, learn from me, 'You're a good person, but we're not suitable'..."

Eisen's shoulders trembled even more violently. Himmel turned her face away, coughed lightly, and barely managed to maintain her composure.

Lowell scratched his head in frustration, glancing across the living room. He was thankful that Lupa was still training and not there, otherwise he would have been utterly humiliated.

I can die, but I cannot let society die.

I'd rather die for Frieren, but not in front of my apprentice.

He pondered deeply once more.

He tried to recite with deep affection. "Frieren, your silver hair is my eternal moonlight..."

He attempted to quote a proverb from a magical tome. "Just as magic is conserved, so too is my love for you..."

Potatoes can be turned into mashed potatoes, corn can be turned into mashed corn, and I can be turned into my favorite mashed potatoes...

"I just ate a peach. What peach? It's 'I'm doomed to love you.'"

Without exception, each attempt was more awkward than the last.

This only earned her more laughter and a slightly bewildered look in Frieren's eyes.

Finally, he seemed to give up struggling, then had a sudden inspiration.

He leaned close to Frieren's ear and whispered in a very low, almost coaxing tone, "Frieren, I'll buy you a magic book..."

Frieren, who hadn't reacted much until then, suddenly brightened up in her emerald green eyes.

She nodded without hesitation, her voice filled with clear pleasure. "Okay!"

Lowell, as if grasping at a lifeline, straightened up, hands on hips, and triumphantly announced to Ruby and Heiter, who were laughing the loudest at him, "Look! She said yes!"

Ruby's laughter stopped abruptly, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Huh? Huh? What did you promise? We didn't hear anything!"

Lowell said matter-of-factly, "She agreed to marry me, didn't she, Frieren?" He looked down at the elf beside him.

Frieren, beaming with delight and still basking in the joy of receiving her new magic book, nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

"You... you're cheating! You're rigging this!" Ruby, jumping up and down in anger. "We didn't hear a formal confession! This doesn't count!"

Lowell smiled and ignored her protest.

He dropped his joking expression, took a deep breath, and knelt on one knee in front of Frieren was still basking in her delight.

This natural yet solemn gesture gradually calmed the laughter in the living room.

He took out a ring that he had prepared beforehand from his pocket.

The ring setting is made of Mithril, entwined in the shape of vines, supporting a blooming Mirror Lotus. The petals are carved from some kind of extremely thin silver-white gemstone, which gleams with a warm luster in the sunlight, as if it has condensed moonlight and morning dew.

He took Frieren's right hand and gently placed the ring on her middle finger. The size was, of course, perfect.

"You're still so easily fooled..." Lowell looked up at Frieren's eyes, which were inexplicably brightening, his voice lowering, carrying a gentleness that had come with age and a hint of helpless laughter, "Just like before, Frieren..."

He paused, looked into her emerald green eyes, and said clearly and slowly:

"It's a little late, but I love you. Please stay with me forever and marry me, Frieren."

Frieren glanced down at the delicate ring on her finger, then looked up at Lowell. She smiled gently and nodded.

"OK."