Ice Pillar Cherry

The wind at the village entrance whipped up dust, carrying with it the desolation of parting.

Sein stood at the crossroads with his simple bag on his back, his face bearing his usual slightly casual yet earnest smile.

"Sorry, everyone." He glanced at the road leading northeast, then turned back to Lowell and the other two. "I've decided to go after that Gorilla guy... I don't want to regret it again. Besides, with Lowell around, it seems like we don't really need this half-baked monk, haha."

His tone didn't carry much sorrow or parting grief; it was more like a sense of relief after finally making a decision.

Lowell nodded calmly, as if he had expected this. He stepped forward and gently patted Sein on the shoulder.

"Yes, I understand." Lowell's voice carried its usual knowing tone. "What I initially wanted to do was simply pull you out of that 'what if' cycle. Now it seems you're an adventurer capable of choosing your own path. That's enough."

"Ha, yeah. You always say weird things, but you've really helped me a lot. You've redeemed my clothes from the card table five times already. I'll have to repay that favor another time."

"Yes, see you again sometime." Lowell waved.

"Take care." Sein turned around, waved to them with his back to them, and walked away.

Sein didn't turn around, he just raised his hand and waved, his figure gradually disappearing at the end of the road.

Lowell only turned back to Frieren and Fern after Sein's figure disappeared around the corner.

The wind of the wilderness blew past Sein, and for a moment only silence remained.

"It's so quiet when I'm alone."

Fern gazed in the direction Sein had left and murmured, "Lady Frieren's farewell was rather understated."

Frieren was looking down at an unidentified little blue flower growing in a crack in the roadside stone when she heard this, she looked up and blinked her emerald green eyes.

"Yes," she said calmly, "Although he calls himself a kid, he's an adult now. Unlike you, Fern, he can take care of himself; we don't need to worry about him."

Fern immediately puffed out her cheeks slightly, her pale purple eyes glancing at Frieren with displeasure. "You make it sound like I'm still a child. I've been the one taking care of you, Lady Frieren, the whole way here."

Seeing Fern's sullen expression, Frieren gestured to her waist, a look of remembrance on her face. "Not long ago, you were only this tall, like a little mushroom..."

"Lady Frieren!" Fern's cheeks puffed out even more noticeably.

Lowell watched from the side and couldn't help but chuckle, "Look, it puffs up when it's angry, a real little mushroom."

"What little mushroom?" Fern turned to Lowell, her tone protesting. "If you say that again, Lord Lowell, I'm really going to get angry. I'm not a child who needs to be taken care of anymore."

Lowell and Frieren exchanged a glance.

"Yes, yes--"

"I'm sorry."

Seeing the two of them coaxing her like a child, Fern gave a loud "humph," turned her face away, and emphasized softly but firmly, "I'm already a capable older sister who can stand on my own."

A few days later, at an inn during the journey.

Fern lay on the spread-out mattress, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat that dampened her purple hair, and her cheeks flushed an unnatural red. She was covered with a thick blanket, yet she still trembled slightly from time to time.

Frieren sat on the edge of the bed, holding a cup of warm water in one hand and gently placing the other hand on Fern's hand.

"Lady Frieren..." Fern's voice was weak, tinged with obvious embarrassment, "This is so embarrassing... Please let go..."

She tried to pull her hand away, but she was too weak to do so.

Frieren didn't move, but glanced at Lowell who was standing to the side.

Lowell winked at her and said, "I'll go look around for any usable herbs." With that, he turned and left the inn.

The door closed with a soft "click".

Seeing Lowell leave, Fern seemed to relax a little, but still muttered softly, "I already said... it's too embarrassing... Frieren... I'm not a child anymore, you don't need to do this..."

Seeing her weak yet still defiant appearance, Frieren not only didn't let go, but instead gently placed her free hand on the back of Fern's hand.

"How could that be?" Frieren's voice was softer than usual, her emerald eyes gazing quietly at Fern. "It's not just children who need support. What, don't you like your master holding your hand like this?"

Fern paused, her feverish eyes gazing at Frieren's face so close to hers. That usually expressionless face now seemed to radiate a faint, yet reassuring warmth. She finally gave up struggling, managing a weak smile, her voice barely a whisper, "Not bad... Frieren."

Frieren's lips curled into a smile, "Lowell would hold my hand like that too. After I recovered from my illness last time, he mustered all his strength, saying things like 'I can't cram at the last minute anymore,' and spent many days studying the Goddess's Holy Scripture with a heavy heart."

"Really...?" Fern was somewhat surprised, finding it hard to imagine the scene. "Even the lazy Lord Lowell... would act like this."

"I'm the same way," Frieren boasted.

"So you've also read the Holy Scripture?"

"Uh..." Frieren's eyes darted around, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of silver hair that fell onto the sheets. "Well... you see, Lowell knows it, so I don't need to watch it anymore..."

"Really..." Fern closed his eyes helplessly, but a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

After a while, the door was pushed open, and Lowell walked in carrying several extra-large mushrooms and a large stove used for brewing medicine. He saw the two children, one big and one small... no, the two little ones, still holding hands on the bed, and a knowing, gentle smile appeared on his face.

"I'm back." As he spoke, he skillfully set up the stove, dumped all sorts of medicinal herbs and the large mushrooms into the small pot, added water, and lit the fire.

Then, holding a spoon, he deliberately made an exaggerated, evil wizard-like expression on his face, stirring while chuckling in a low voice. "Heh heh... like this... like this... and like this again... hehehe... the secret potion, Fern, is almost ready!"

Fern watched Lowell's performance with half-closed eyes. She strained to focus, glancing weakly at the suspiciously colored broth bubbling in the pot, and muttered, "... Lord Lowell, you look... like an evil old witch from a fairy tale brewing poison..."

Without looking up, Frieren gently patted the back of Fern's hand. "Ignore him. He always acts silly at times like this."

Lowell regained his composure, chuckled, and continued stirring the medicine pot, "Magic is sometimes so amazing... I can even use magic that grants immortality, but to deal with some diseases, I still need these flowers and herbs to help."

A few days later, Fern was completely cured.

The group sat down to rest on the grass in a secluded valley. In the center of the valley grew a very peculiar tree— the Ice Pillar Cherry.

It doesn't bloom with tender petals in the warm Bloom, but rather condenses life into an almost miraculous form of ice. Thousands of slender branches hang down, devoid of any green, replaced by countless long, sharp, and translucent icicles. They are like waterfalls Frozen in an instant, or like trees growing crystal skeletons from within themselves. In the thin winter sunlight, the dark branches outline the clear contours of the icicles, and light flows and refracts coldly within them, shimmering with an otherworldly, silent, and dazzling cold light.

This beauty is full of contradictions: it has the graceful drooping of cherry blossom branches, yet its texture is as cold and fragile as ice crystals; it is enormous and magnificent, with an overwhelming visual impact, yet because of its extreme transparency, it seems as if it will shatter at any moment, making people hold their breath.

"Of all the flowers that Bloom in winter," Frieren looked up at the colossal ice tree, her emerald eyes reflecting shimmering icy light, "This is probably my favorite."

Fern's face had regained its former rosy glow. She stood quietly to the side, nodding gently, "Yes, you're so beautiful."

Lowell gestured with his chin to several familiar, extra-large mushrooms under the tree. "Look, those are the big mushrooms I used to bring down your fever a few days ago, we found them here."

Before he finished speaking, Frieren's eyes lit up and she started running, making light "humming" sounds as she ran towards the fattest mushroom on the hillside.

She crouched down, gripped the mushroom stem with both hands, and muttered to herself, "Hey... whoosh..." Her movements were serious and slightly clumsy, a departure from her usual lazy demeanor.

"Ah!"

She finally managed to pull the mushroom off the ground, but due to the excessive force, she lost her balance and fell backward.

The anticipated collision with the ground did not occur; instead, it landed safely in a safe embrace.

Frieren cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly. "Ahem."

"What are you coughing about?" Lowell's voice, tinged with laughter, came from above. "If I weren't here, you'd be 'Rolling Down the Mountain' now."

"No way..." Frieren pointed with her finger.

"Lady Frieren, please be more careful next time you pick them."

"I understand now." Frieren quickly regained her composure, a hint of smugness on her face. "Hehe. I can use it next time I'm sick."

"That's true, but I don't want it to happen again."