Bellflowers and Unread Pages

Morning light spilled across the windowsill and fell on the open magic book.

Frieren sat at the table, her fingers brushing lightly over the edge of the ancient magic book.

Lowell came over carrying two cups of hot tea and set one beside her.

"Can you understand it?"

"Mm." Frieren didn't look up. "That woman always liked to write this way."

She turned a page.

The diagram of a magic circuit on the page glowed faintly, like a sleeping breath.

Ruby poked her head in through the doorway.

"Lady Frieren, are you going to teach me that today?"

"Which one?"

"You know... Flower Field Magic."

Frieren finally looked up and blinked.

"Didn't I already teach you?"

"Um..." Ruby scratched her head, her eyes shining. "What you did last time was so beautiful. I feel like I can't learn as fast on my own as I can practicing with you beside me..."

Frieren thought for a moment.

"All right."

She closed the book and stood up.

"Now?"

"Yes, yes, yes."

The open space in the backyard was spacious.

Frieren stood in the middle, while Ruby stood three steps in front of her, straightening up nervously.

Lowell leaned against the doorframe, a teacup in his hands.

"First," Frieren said, "don't think about 'making flowers appear.'"

Ruby was taken aback.

"Then... what should I think about?"

"The wind."

Frieren raised her hand, and a faint light gathered at her fingertips.

It wasn't a strong surge of mana, but a gentle, almost imperceptible ripple.

"Flowers aren't conjured." She looked at the light on her fingertips. "They're invited."

The specks of light scattered.

There was no explosion, no roar, only a gentle breeze blowing across the grass.

Between the tender green shoots, tiny pale blue flowers quietly bloomed here and there.

It wasn't a vast sea of flowers, just a small cluster swaying quietly.

Ruby held her breath.

"Bellflowers," Frieren said. "They like the morning breeze."

She lowered her hand.

"Give it a try."

Ruby took a deep breath and raised her hand, copying Frieren.

Mana gathered at her fingertips, brighter than Frieren's and less stable.

The specks of light scattered.

A somewhat stronger wind blew through, bending the grass.

But nothing appeared on the ground.

Ruby's face fell.

"I failed..."

"Your mana was too impatient," Frieren said. "Flowers don't like being rushed."

"Then what should I do?"

"Try again."

Ruby bit her lip and raised her hand again.

This time, she closed her eyes for a while.

When Himmel pushed open the door to the inn, Heiter was sliding his empty glass toward the innkeeper.

"Another one."

"You've had too much." Eisen sat beside him, wiping down his battle-axe.

"Clearing out monsters calls for a celebration too," Heiter said with a smile. "Right, Himmel?"

Himmel sat down at the table and unbuckled his sword.

"There were fewer monsters in the eastern forest today than we expected."

"Maybe some passing adventurers cleared them out." The innkeeper brought over a fresh ale. "There have been a lot more requests around the Royal Capital lately."

"Because of the rumors that the Demon King's Army is gathering in the Northern Frontier?" Heiter took the glass.

"Maybe." The innkeeper shrugged. "There are always people looking to make some money while they can."

Eisen put down his axe.

"Is Ruby still not ready to leave?"

"She's learning magic from Lady Frieren," Himmel said. "She said she wanted to stay a little longer and spend time with her family. There's no rush."

Heiter took a sip of ale and smiled meaningfully.

"Just spending time with her family?"

Himmel glanced at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Heiter looked out the window. "I just think the way that girl looks at you has been a little different lately."

Himmel smiled but didn't reply.

He picked up his cup of water and took a sip.

The water was warm and had a slight taste of the wooden barrel.

By evening, Ruby finally managed to make a small cluster of flowers appear in the backyard.

They weren't bellflowers, but three crooked daisies. She had never made that kind of flower appear before.

Still, she jumped for joy.

"I did it! Lady Frieren, look!"

Frieren crouched down and examined them closely.

"The roots are too shallow."

"...Huh?"

"They'll wither tomorrow."

Ruby's smile froze on her face.

Frieren stood up and patted her head.

"But you did well today."

With that, she turned and went back inside, leaving Ruby alone to stare at the three daisies.

Lowell came over and offered Ruby a piece of candy.

"Don't be discouraged. The first time she learned, the flowers she made didn't even have leaves."

"Really?"

"Really. It was just a bare stalk with a flower bud on top that wouldn't bloom no matter what."

Ruby couldn't help laughing.

She put the candy in her mouth, and its sweetness melted on her tongue.

"Lowell."

"Hm?"

"Has Lady Frieren... taught a lot of people magic?"

Lowell thought for a moment.

"Not many. She thinks it's too much trouble."

"Then why is she willing to teach me?"

"Probably..." Lowell looked inside, where Frieren was opening the magic book again. "It's because of the way you looked at the flower field."

Ruby didn't quite understand.

But she didn't ask again, only carefully touched the three daisies.

Their petals were soft and warm with life.

One afternoon, Himmel's party took a request to clear monsters out of the sewer.

The pay was good, but the conditions were terrible.

The stench of rot filled the dim passage, and slimy wastewater lay underfoot.

Ruby pinched her nose and used magic to light an orb.

"Why do monsters always like places like this...?"

"Because no one wants to come here." Heiter walked in front, carrying a lantern. "So they're safe."

"Until we show up," Eisen said.

Himmel walked ahead of Ruby and slightly to one side, his hand never leaving the hilt of his sword.

The sewer was quiet, with only the sound of dripping water and their footsteps.

Too quiet.

"Something's wrong." Himmel stopped.

Before the words had left his mouth, the wastewater on both sides suddenly burst apart.

Several slippery monsters, like giant leeches, lunged out.

They were faster than expected.

One monster charged straight at Ruby.

Ruby hastily raised her hand, but her mana was thrown into disarray by her nerves, and the protective spell she was trying to form came half a second too late.

And in that half second—

Himmel's sword had already swept across.

A flash of steel cut through the monster, cleaving it in two and splattering thick bodily fluids.

But another monster lunged at Himmel's back from his blind spot.

"Left!" Ruby nearly shouted.

Without looking back, Himmel instinctively dodged to the right.

At the same time, Ruby finally completed her spell.

It was neither an attack nor a defense.

It was a beam of intense light.

Pure, dazzling light erupted in the sewer, illuminating every corner in an instant.

The monsters let out a series of hisses, and their movements visibly stiffened.

In that instant of hesitation—

Eisen's axe came down.

The battle was over in seconds.

The glowing orb gradually dimmed.

The sewer returned to darkness, with only the lantern light flickering.

Himmel caught his breath and looked at Ruby.

"That light just now..."

"S-sorry!" Ruby lowered her head. "I was so nervous that my attack spell didn't take shape. That was all I could think of..."

"No." Himmel cut her off. "It came just in time."

He walked over to Ruby, crouched down, and looked carefully at her face.

"Are you hurt?"

"...No."

"Good."

Himmel stood up and reached out naturally, helping her straighten the bangs that had been mussed during the fight.

The gesture was quick, so quick it was almost like an illusion.

"Next time something like this happens," he said, "remember to protect yourself first."

Ruby nodded blankly.

Her cheeks were a little hot, but fortunately, it was hard to tell in the dim light.

Heiter whistled from a distance.

Eisen had already started collecting the monsters' cores.

"Let's go." Himmel turned around. "The job's not done yet."

Ruby hurried after him.

Her heart was beating a little fast, though she didn't know whether it was because of the fight or something else.

That evening, Ruby practiced in front of the mirror in her room.

She raised her hand and imagined a gentle breeze.

Specks of light gathered at her fingertips, then scattered.

This time, five daisies bloomed on the ground, and their roots seemed to have grown a little deeper.

She gazed at them for a long time, then carefully picked one and pressed it between the pages of the notebook she carried with her.

On one of its pages, she had written down some meanings of flowers.

Daisies: innocence, purity, and—

Love hidden deep in one's heart.

She closed the notebook and held it to her chest.

Outside the window, the moonlight was beautiful, and a faint floral fragrance drifted on the breeze.

The journey to defeat the Demon King continued.

But now and then, she could stop for a little while.

For the people who mattered, and for the things that mattered.