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83 years after the hero Himmel defeated the Demon King (78 years after the hero Himmel defeated the Demon King in the original story, 28 years after Simmel's death).

The bustling market entrance to the trading city of Balum.

The sun scorched the stone pavement, and the air was filled with a complex mix of spices, leather, and food.

Frieren stopped, her silver hair shimmering in the sunlight. Her emerald eyes swept over the bustling crowd, and over Lowell and Fern beside her. She announced calmly, "Well, let's split up and resupply our travel supplies."

Standing beside her Fern, who had now blossomed into a fifteen-year-old girl.

Her long purple hair was neatly combed and tied with that familiar red ribbon, and her pale purple eyes were calm as water.

She wore a fitted long black coat over a simple white dress, and black boots for easy walking. In her hand was a plus-sized wooden staff that someone had given her, making her appear even more composed and capable.

The little shimmer has evolved into a giant shimmer, and when it gets angry, it puffs up its cheeks like this: [○･`~´･ ○](◦`~´◦).

Upon hearing Frieren's suggestion to "split up and procure supplies," Fern slightly turned his head, his gaze calmly fixed on his master. His voice was clear and gentle, yet carried a hint of barely perceptible inquiry.

"Lady Frieren, although you said we would split up to purchase supplies, I'm actually the one buying the essentials like food, water, and daily necessities. You and Lady Lowell are doing absolutely nothing. May I ask what you specifically plan to purchase this time?"

Upon hearing this, Frieren's eyes narrowed into slits guiltily, her signature pointed ears drooped slightly, but a stiff, kitten-like smile remained on her lips as she tried to deceive him.

But a bead of sweat on her forehead became a silent informant, revealing her nervousness at having her "secret exposed," a stark contrast to her usual calm demeanor. The whole scene was filled with an endearing embarrassment, as if she thought, "I can't hide it anymore."

But she still forced herself to say, "Um... herbs and stuff..."

Fern instantly caught the subtle change in his expression.

Having spent so much time with Lady Frieren, this expression usually meant that what she was about to say was highly unreliable—she was most likely going to buy some strange things she would never normally need, such as a bizarrely shaped monster skull (Frieren: Bought it! Fern: What are you going to do with this?), or a mysterious potion that would only melt clothes (Frieren: Bought it! This is a good thing! Fern: Please take it back and return it immediately.), and all sorts of strange magic books...

Lady Lowell always took a laissez-faire attitude towards this, even making excuses such as "the medicine only dissolves clothing fibers, does not damage human tissue, and can avoid secondary damage caused by tearing and sticking clothing during traditional wound cleaning"? Well, maybe that sounds somewhat useful, but Frieren's strange smile when buying that thing clearly wasn't for this purpose.

Moreover, the spellbook isn't entirely useless.

"We replenished the herbs last week; enough to last until the next major town," Fern stated calmly.

"Tsk." Lowell next to him made a soft clicking of his tongue, touched his nose, and his gaze drifted to a roadside stall selling strange trinkets, as if he had suddenly become very interested in it.

Frieren, on the other hand, seemed like a punctured balloon; her shoulders slumped slightly, and her gaze wandered even more.

"Anyway..." Frieren tried to change the subject, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she waved her hand dismissively, "See you at the inn tonight." With that, she grabbed Lowell, who was pretending to admire the scenery, and quickly turned to blend into the crowd.

Fern watched the two figures disappear and sighed softly. He had to keep a close eye on Frieren... After all, travel expenses weren't something he could afford to squander.

Her slender figure seemed to possess a magical ability to minimize her presence, silently following behind. Using wooden crates on street corners, shadows at alley entrances, and even cats dozing by the roadside as cover, Fern skillfully tracked her target ahead.

Huh? Isn't this a jewelry store? Fern wondered, watching Frieren stop in front of a decent-looking jewelry shop by the roadside. Frieren, who often goes to sleep with her hair unwashed and needs Philon to dry it for her, has never seemed interested in dressing up...

She saw Frieren looking at the jewelry in the shop window with an unusual expression of distress and hesitation. Sometimes she would frown and touch her chin, sometimes she would unconsciously twirl a strand of silver hair with her fingers, her eyes wide open and her gaze extremely conflicted.

Lowell stood beside her with his arms crossed, whispered something to her, a hint of amusement in his eyes, which earned him a weak elbow strike from Frieren.

I've never seen Lady Frieren with that expression before... Could it be that she actually enjoys dressing up?

Hiding in the shadows around the alley corner, Fern observed patiently. Hmm... if it's just about buying some jewelry, that's fine, much better than buying strange bones and potions.

I should probably go back and do my shopping soon...

Just as she was about to leave, she saw Frieren turn to a passerby and ask, "Excuse me, where can I find a good dessert shop?"

Fern's pale purple eyes widened instantly.

How cunning! Lady Frieren! Are you planning to eat it all by yourself? I haven't had any dessert in days!

The person being asked for directions replied, "Try asking at the underground tavern over there."

Frieren thanked him and walked straight in the direction the passerby had pointed. Lowell, like a camera with no story to tell, followed after her.

Fern's heart skipped a beat. No, no, no... the underground tavern didn't seem like the kind of place where she could find out about a legitimate dessert shop... She had no choice but to continue following them.

Pushing open the heavy-looking wooden door of the underground tavern, a strong odor wafted out. Inside, the tavern was dimly lit, and a group of burly men wearing simple armor, revealing hideous tattoos, or with scars on their faces and fierce eyes, were shouting loudly, drinking, and playing drinking games. A dangerous atmosphere permeated the air, as if I had stepped onto the set of Fist of the Fist of the North Star.

Frieren acted as if she hadn't seen him, and pulled Lowell straight to the bar. Fern quickly shrank behind a huge barrel, his heart in his throat, swallowed hard, and his face was full of tension.

Frieren asked the bartender, a man with a burly face who was wiping a huge wooden glass, "Excuse me, where's a good dessert shop in town?"

"Huh!? Are you underestimating us!?" Before the bartender could answer, a burly passerby, his face flushed and his voice booming, leaned over, grinning to reveal a missing front tooth, and patted the bartender's chest forcefully. "Young lady! There are mountains of delicious dessert shops in this city! You've come to the right place and asked the right person!"

I told you this isn't the place to ask about dessert shops... huh?

Upon hearing the first sentence, Fern thought nothing of it, but upon hearing the latter, Fern felt that the tone was a bit off.

Another passerby with a mohawk turned around, grinning wickedly. "Hehehe...! Hehehe...! What kind of dessert shop are you looking for? A retro cake shop? A modern candy shop? Hehehe... I'll tell you everything!"

Fern: "..." They actually found out? This really is a place to ask about dessert shops?

Frieren nodded, a hint of delight in her eyes, and said, "Oh, he looks quite rugged, like a roughneck, but he knows a lot."

Passerby B smugly shook his head. "Of course! Desserts are a vital source of energy for us adventurers, replenishing our strength and soothing our souls!"

Fern peeked out from behind the barrel and watched as the group of fierce-looking, burly men enthusiastically listed the names of various dessert shops, even arguing about which shop's cream puffs were the best. Philon felt completely bewildered.

So you're an adventurer? Your appearance can't be simply described as "rugged"... You could easily become a bandit, it's terrifying.

After gathering the information, Frieren thanked them and left the tavern with Lowell, who had watched the show to his heart's content. As they left, the burly men waved goodbye, wishing them a delicious dessert.

Fern breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed. She thought to herself: Looks like she's going to the dessert shop next...

However, Frieren headed in the direction of returning to the inn.

Fern pushed the wooden crate by the roadside, hiding behind it, and watched Frieren and Lowell enter the hotel.

"Oh no, I haven't bought anything yet."

As the setting sun painted the sky orange-red, Fern returned to the inn carrying bags of necessities.

Frieren and Lowell were nestled in the armchairs by the window, watching the lights outside gradually come on. Hearing the door open, they said without turning around, "Too slow."

Fern put down his things. "I'm so sorry, I had doubts about you."

Frieren then turned her head, blinking her emerald eyes. "What... Anyway, let's get ready and go get some good food."

Fern asked with some concern, "Is the travel expense... all right?" She clearly remembered Frieren asking about the dessert shop earlier. Even though desserts were much cheaper now than when they were supposedly luxury items, they were still not exactly cheap.

Upon hearing this, Frieren's face revealed a slight hint of smugness. She put her hands on her hips and gave a smug "humph~": "I've moved my secret stash of money to a new place, you know~" Clearly, she was still resentful about Fern finding her hiding place last time.

Fern: "..." So they changed the hiding place after all.

The three arrived at an elevated open-air platform on the edge of town, where a dessert shop offered a stunning view overlooking the entire city of Balum at night. A cool evening breeze carried the faint sounds of the distant market.

After they were seated, Frieren pushed the menu toward Fern: "Order what you like."

Fern glanced at the menu and said directly, "Lady Frieren would like to eat... 'Mercury Pudding,' is that right?"

Frieren nodded. "Yes. And you are... a strawberry sundae?" As she spoke, her gaze couldn't help but drift towards the picture that read "Limited Edition Honey Mille-feuille."

A faint, genuinely happy smile appeared on Fern's face. "Lady Frieren knows me very well. However, today I'd like to try this new lava cake." She paused, then looked at Lowell, "Lady Lowell, as always, very sweet watermelon juice with a not-too-sweet cheesecake?"

"Hmm, you really understand me. It's a pity we don't have such a big cylinder here." Lowell nodded with a smile, then added to the waiter, "Also, add a large portion of honey mille-feuille and three strawberry caramel tarts."

Frieren's eyes lit up for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and took a sip of water. Fern watched all of this, his smile deepening.

"Is there... anything special about today?" Fern asked softly. "It's not my birthday."

She always gets treated to a nice meal on her birthday, which isn't surprising, but not today.

Lowell, sitting to the side, chuckled and interjected, "It's the tenth anniversary of you and her becoming master and apprentice. This guy almost forgot; I had to remind him several times." He patted Frieren's head beside him.

Frieren seemed a little embarrassed, swatting away Lowell's hand. Her gaze darted around, and her fingers unconsciously fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth. "... Don't say it out loud."

Fern was taken aback at first, then her smile deepened, and warmth filled her eyes. "It's a day like this... I don't even remember."

Frieren took out a delicate little box carefully wrapped in soft cloth from her purse and handed it to Fern: "Here, a gift for you." Inside was an exquisitely crafted silver butterfly hair ornament, its wings inlaid with tiny pale purple gemstones, perfectly matching Fern's hair color.

Lowell also took out a neatly packaged long box. "Here, for me." Inside was an equally exquisite and delicate crystal butterfly ornament.

Fern accepted the gift, holding it carefully. "Thank you so much, gentlemen. It's such a beautiful hair ornament..." She examined it closely, then noticed a small crack in the base of the ornament. With a gentle press, she found a folded piece of paper tucked inside.

Fern unfolded it curiously and read aloud softly, "'By accepting the gift, you implicitly agree that Lowell and Frieren may sleep in late and wake up late every day, and are exempt from shopping and housework responsibilities'...?"

She raised her head and looked at Lowell with calm and scrutinizing pale purple eyes.

Lowell's smile froze, and he coughed twice. "Uh... this... Frieren, look at the idea you came up with..." He tried to shift the blame.

"No, you wrote the note." Frieren immediately distanced herself, focusing intently on scooping a spoonful of the freshly served pudding.

"No." Fern's voice was calm and firm.

Lowell slumped his shoulders, let out an exaggerated sigh, and slumped onto the table. "Sigh... the plan failed..."

Frieren, meanwhile, was already contentedly eating her pudding, as if everything that had just happened was irrelevant to her. Only the slight swaying of her toes hinted at her good mood.

Under the night sky, the lights of Balum City resembled scattered stars. Fern looked at her master, who was focused on enjoying the desserts, and Lowell, who was pretending to be dejected, and gently touched the brand-new butterfly hair accessory on her hair, a gentle smile curving her lips.

She picked up a small spoon and cut into the lava cake in front of her. Warm chocolate sauce flowed out, just like the warmth in her heart at that moment.

"So, what is the purpose of our trip this time?"

"Who knows, Lowell said something like, 'The plot is about to start, we need to be a camera and watch the plot unfold,' he always says some inexplicable things."

"Indeed. Also, does Lady Frieren celebrate these kinds of anniversaries often?"

"Lowell always remembers things like 'the anniversary of our first meeting,' 'the anniversary of the first interesting magic I learned,' 'the anniversary of the first delicious dessert I ate,' and so on... Compared to that, the master-disciple anniversary seems rather normal. Although I don't remember these, he's always the one reminding me," Frieren said softly, vaguely changing the subject, "Hurry up and eat, the ice cream on the cake is melting."

"Yes, Lady Frieren," Fern replied with a smile, scooping up a spoonful of cake and putting it in her mouth. The sweet taste was just right.