Setting Off
The next morning.
At the entrance of the hotel in Oysast, the morning light was just beginning to break, and a cool breeze carrying the moisture from the lake swept across the street, swirling up a few fallen leaves.
Kanne and Rabiñe had already packed their bags.
"Then we'll head back to the academy." Kanne waved, looking a little reluctant. "We really learned a lot from this exam, especially from Frieren. She taught us so much, she was like a teacher to us."
"Yes, goodbye." Rabiñe stood beside her with his arms crossed, nodded, and spoke with his usual straightforward tone.
"You too." Lowell waved to them.
Frieren blinked. "Goodbye."
Fern looked at them. "Goodbye."
As the two figures disappeared around the street corner, Lowell's gaze shifted to Ubel, who stood to the side with his hands behind his head, looking relaxed.
"And you?" he asked, "Going back to the academy? Or traveling with us?"
Ubel lowered her hand, her green ponytail swaying gently as she tilted her head, a familiar faint smile on her face.
"I'd never want to travel with you."
She chuckled softly.
"I still prefer the feeling of being free. Hmm... but if it's just traveling alone with my darling Fern, I might consider it..."
As she spoke, she reached out, her fingertips brushing against Fern's cheek, a mischievous smile on her face.
Almost simultaneously, Fern raised one hand, palm facing outward, and placed it steadily a few inches in front of Ubel's fingers, making a clear and calm "stop" gesture. Her pale purple eyes looked at her, expressionless, but the meaning was clear.
Ubel's hand froze in mid-air before he naturally withdrew it.
"And," she looked at Lowell, her smile unchanged, "Is there any way to contact you? Otherwise, if I use 'that trick,' I won't know where to find you, which is too inconvenient."
Lowell scratched his head.
"Uh... you probably won't need your abilities."
He thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out something. It was a flat, round, black pebble, about the size of a thumbnail, with an extremely subtle dark luster on its surface and a cool touch.
"Alright, here you go. Just input your magic and you can talk to me. As long as we're still on this continent, it should work. But this thing is pretty hard to make, so don't break it or lose it."
Ubel took it, examined it in her palm, then flipped it with her fingers, disappearing somewhere. She looked up and smiled at Lowell.
Don't worry. I'm not like you.
After saying that, she turned around, waved casually at the three of them with her back to them, and strode off in another direction.
Their steps were light and quick, without the slightest hesitation.
Lowell watched her retreating figure, showing no sign of lingering, and opened his mouth to speak.
"Hey, you're leaving already?"
Ubel didn't turn around, but simply raised his arm and waved it behind him. His cheerful voice drifted on the wind.
"What, do you want a hearty hug, 'old father'?"
Lowell was taken aback, his expression quite interesting.
"I... never mind."
He waved his hand, his tone slightly annoyed.
"Let's go, let's go."
Ubel's figure quickly blended into the few pedestrians on the morning street and disappeared into the distance.
Fern quietly waved in that direction.
A morning breeze blew by, making the streets seem a bit deserted.
Fern lowered his hand, turned to Lowell and Frieren, and his tone returned to its usual calm.
"Then, shouldn't we set off for the Northern Plateau, Lady Frieren, Lady Lowell?"
Upon hearing this, Frieren's emerald eyes brightened, and she gently clasped her hands together in front of her, a hint of excitement on her face as she prepared to set off.
"Okay! Ready to go..."
"Wait, wait, wait."
Lowell's voice interrupted her.
Frieren turned to look at him, puzzled.
Lowell raised his hand, gently tapped his temple with his finger, and looked at her with a somewhat helpless expression.
"Frieren, the Sword Village. We should go to the Sword Village."
Frieren blinked.
Immediately, the elation on her face faded quickly, replaced by a belated realization, and she let out a soft "Ah."
"Oh, right."
She spoke softly, her eyes darting around for a moment.
"You're the one who always remembers the important dates... I forgot."
Lowell sighed, reached out, and tapped her smooth forehead lightly with his knuckles.
"You really don't remember anything."
Frieren raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, her expression unchanged, her tone matter-of-fact.
"You'll remember anyway."
Fern stood to the side, listening to their conversation, a hint of curiosity flashing in his pale purple eyes.
"The Sword Village"?
She repeated the name softly, looking at Lowell.
"What kind of place is it? What are we supposed to do there?"
Lowell smiled.
You'll see when you get there.
At the end of the street, an early morning freight wagon slowly drove by, its wheels making a rhythmic rumbling sound as they rolled over the stone pavement.
Oysast is fully awakening in the early morning; more windows are opening and more smoke is rising from chimneys.