Reversal

"I'll give it a try!"

Frieren's eyes lit up, and she reached out to take the bottle from Ruby's hand, ready to start chugging it down.

Ruby quickly grabbed her hand.

"No, no, no," she shook her head, pulling the bottle closer to her chest. "This potion is very precious. Although there's actually a matching spell that 'temporarily changes a person's personality,' this potion should be even more effective. I haven't figured out how to make it yet; a little bit should be enough."

"Oh."

Frieren responded but didn't insist. She picked up a clean glass of water from the table and handed it to Ruby.

"Pour a little more."

Ruby carefully uncorked the bottle, tilted the bottle, and dripped a few drops into the bottom of the glass.

The colored liquid fell to the bottom of the cup, quickly mixing and Swirl with the existing water, transforming into a hazy, shimmering pale color.

Frieren took the cup, and without hesitation, tilted her head back and drank it down.

She put down her cup and licked her lips.

"It doesn't taste like much."

A few seconds of silence.

Then, change began.

Frieren blinked. Her usually calm, emerald-green eyes suddenly rippled with a vivid, bright light, like the surface of a lake tossed with a pebble. The usual composure on her face, like a thin mist blown away by the wind, was quickly replaced by an almost exuberant excitement.

The corners of his mouth involuntarily turned upwards, forming a bright smile that was completely different from his usual expression.

"Lowell! Lowell! Lowell!"

She turned around, her voice a little louder than usual, filled with clear excitement, and reached out to grab Lowell's arm.

"Come on, let's change the script for the school anniversary celebration! You sit here, close your eyes, and act serious!"

Lowell was jolted by her tug and looked a little dazed.

"... ah?"

He looked at Frieren's incredibly bright eyes and the undisguised excitement on her face, paused for a moment, then did as she asked, sat down on the fallen log, closed his eyes, and pretended to be serious.

Frieren immediately went around to stand in front of him.

She didn't speak immediately, but first cleared her throat, stood up straight, and clasped her hands together in front of her, striking a slightly exaggerated, theatrical pose.

Then she spoke.

The voice was no longer its usual flat or slightly smug tone, but rather low and slow, deliberately drawn out, with a soft, almost hooking quality, each word clearly echoing in the forest clearing:

"Monk, you say all is emptiness, yet you keep your eyes tightly shut."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on Lowell's tightly closed eyelids, a sly smile curving her lips.

"But, if you open your eyes and look at me..."

She paused, her voice becoming softer and gentler, carrying a natural yet captivating charm unlike anything she usually possessed.

I don't believe your eyes are empty.

She whispered the last sentence almost into Lowell's ear, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe.

"You don't even dare to open your eyes to look at me, yet you talk about being detached from worldly desires?"

Lowell opened his eyes.

His expression went blank for a moment, then was quickly replaced by a complex mix of absurdity, amusement, and "what is all this about?"

"... ha?"

Seeing his expression, Frieren burst into laughter, laughing so hard she almost fell over, her long, silvery-white hair flying with her movements. She patted Lowell's shoulder hard, so hard that he leaned back.

"Isn't this the story you told me? Journey to the West! The Queen of the Women's Kingdom! How was it? Did I imitate her well? Did you like it?"

Her laughter was clear and loud, echoing through the quiet forest and startling a few birds in the distance.

Lowell raised his hand to rub his shoulder, which was numb from being patted. Looking at her laughing so unrestrainedly, he opened his mouth, but ultimately only managed to squeeze out two words:

"I... uh..."

"Stop 'uh'!"

Before he could answer, Frieren grabbed his wrist and yanked him off the log. Her strength was extraordinary, and her movements were ruthless and unyielding.

"Come play! This place is so boring!"

Before she could finish speaking, she pushed off with her feet, pulling Lowell into the air!

"Hey! Wait a minute--!"

Lowell only had time to let out a short gasp before she was pulled along, like two clumsy kites tied together, flying erratically into the sky above the forest.

"Haha! Fly!"

Frieren's laughter echoed high above, carrying a childlike joy. She seemed to have completely forgotten about controlling direction and altitude, relying solely on instinct to drag Lowell wildly through the treetops, startling flocks of birds and causing the leaves to rustle in the air.

"Oh ho! Flying! Ho ho!"

Lowell was being pulled around in the air by her, struggling to steady himself, his expression full of helplessness.

"Frieren! Slow down! Watch where you're going!"

"Hey! Look! What's that over there?"

Suddenly, Frieren's eyes lit up, and she pointed to a faint, colorful patch in the woods below.

She immediately changed direction, grabbed Lowell, and swooped down in that direction.

However, just as they were about to reach it—

She discovered that it was just a small patch of wildflowers blooming in a forest clearing, with various colors dotting the green grass.

"Ah!"

She seemed to have seen something extremely terrifying or filthy; the bright smile on her face froze instantly, replaced by an undisguised expression of disgust and terror. She slammed on the brakes, her body swaying violently in the air due to inertia, almost throwing Lowell off with her.

"Flowers! I hate flowers the most!"

She announced loudly, her voice filled with clear disgust, as if those quietly blooming wildflowers were some deadly poison. Without another glance, she grabbed Lowell and flew back the way they came at an even faster speed than before, as if fleeing some plague.

"Hurry, hurry!"

Lowell was bewildered by her series of illogical actions and could only let her drag him along, leaving him disheveled in the wind.

Back in the open space, Frieren landed with a thud, released Lowell's wrist, and the fear on her face had vanished, replaced by an overactive excitement.

She started running around at the edge of the open space, kicking pebbles on the ground and reaching for leaves overhead, humming a cheerful tune. She even ran around the area several times, like a frolicking husky, showing no sign of stopping.

Lowell stood there, raising his hand to tidy his wind-blown hair and clothes, looking at Frieren was lively and energetic, completely different from her usual self, and remained silent for several seconds.

Then, he slowly turned his head and looked at Ruby, who was squatting on the ground next to him, laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight and clutching her stomach.

"... What's going on?"

His voice was filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Haha..." Ruby tears almost streamed down her face. She wiped her eyes and gasped for breath, "I... I guess... her quiet personality became outgoing and lively, and then her love for flowers turned into a strong dislike for them?"

She looked at Frieren, who seemed to have taken a great interest in a tree and was trying to climb it without using Flight Magic, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"This contrast... hahaha... it's so interesting..."

Fern stood to the side, his pale purple eyes following the leaping silver figure, the corners of his mouth noticeably turning down.

"... How long is this going to last? Lady Frieren looks so strange."

Ruby finally managed to stop laughing and thought for a moment.

"It shouldn't be long, right? Neither the stone slab nor the bottle has a specific time written on it... Half an hour? An hour? Anyway..."

Her eyes darted around, then she looked at Fern, a mischievous smile returning to her face.

"This looks like so much fun, Fern, you should try it too..."

"Absolutely not."

Fern answered immediately, his voice steady, but his refusal was firm and left no room for negotiation.

She could almost picture herself becoming that excited and jubilant, and how embarrassing she would be. Just thinking about it made her ears burn.

"Sigh... alright." Ruby sighed, feigning regret, but the smile in her eyes didn't fade. She turned to Lupa beside her, "Well, Lupa? You should be fine, right? Why don't you give it a try?"

Lupa was watching Frieren, who was trying to use magic to stack stones into strange shapes, when she heard this and looked away, thinking for a moment.

"Hmm... I should be fine, right?"

She was fairly confident in her personality and felt that no matter how things turned out, it shouldn't be too outrageous.

She imitated Frieren, took the cup, poured some water, and tilted her head back to take a small sip.

Then, she put down the cup.

The change happened almost instantly.

Lupa's smile and carefree cheerfulness vanished as quickly as the tide receded. She stood there, her hands clasped awkwardly in front of her, her fingertips gently fidgeting with the hem of her dress. Her peach-pink twin ponytails seemed to have lost their vitality, drooping softly over her shoulders.

She raised her eyes, her gaze shifted for a moment, and finally settled on Linié's face beside her.

Linié's icy blue eyes calmly met her gaze.

Lupa's cheeks flushed visibly. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then swallowed it back. Her eyes darted away for a moment, but she finally mustered the courage to look at Linié again.

Her voice was soft, tinged with obvious hesitation and shyness, a stark contrast to her usual crisp and clear tone.

"Linié..."

She paused, her fingers clenching the hem of her dress.

I... I like you.

Linié blinked, her pink twin tails swaying gently as she tilted her head. She looked at Lupa, whose face was flushed and whose eyes were darting around, a very subtle hint of confusion flashing in her icy blue eyes.

"Huh...?"

She uttered a questioning syllable, then began to think about it very seriously.

"If their personalities were reversed, Lupa would like me now..."

She tilted her head.

"Lupa... hate me before?"

Fern watched this scene, his pale purple eyes calmly analyzing it.

"Hmm, probably not," she said softly. "I think it's that my personality changed from straightforward to shy. And then my feelings went from... well, more reserved, to more directly expressed?"

Linié listened, thought for a moment, then nodded, her expression returning to its usual calm.

"I see."

She looked at Lupa and responded clearly in her soft, monotone voice:

"Mmm, I like Lupa too."

Lupa's face flushed even redder, almost burning up. But upon hearing Linié's reply, a bright light instantly shone in her heterochromatic eyes, a mixture of shyness and uncontrollable joy.

She seemed to have summoned all her courage, taking a small step forward to close the distance with Linié, her voice barely audible:

"Then... kiss me..."

Linié: "Ah..."

She seemed surprised by the directness, her icy blue eyes widening slightly.

But the next second, she naturally tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes cast a light shadow on her fair cheeks.

"Mua..."

Lupa looked at Linié's face, which was so close to hers and waiting quietly, and a blush spread from her face to her ears and neck. She seemed to hesitate for a very brief moment, and then, as if she had made up her mind, she closed her eyes, stood on tiptoe slightly, and quickly touched Linié's lips.

Divide at the first touch.

"Ah--!"

Fern let out a short gasp almost simultaneously, his pale purple eyes widening instantly, and for the first time, a clear expression of shock and embarrassment appeared on his face.

She raised her hands and covered her eyes tightly, as if she had seen something she shouldn't have seen, something too stimulating, and her ears turned bright red.

"This is too... too erotic...!"

Her voice leaked from between her fingers, tinged with an unusual panic.

Lowell raised his hand to his forehead, sighed deeply, and turned his face away.

"I really don't know if Lupa made a loss or a gain..." he muttered softly, his tone complicated. "If you say he lost... it was only a matter of time. If you say he gained..."

He glanced at the scene where they had kissed and immediately separated, both standing motionless, while Lupa's head was practically steaming, yet he still tried to hold Linié's small hand.

"I feel that once she recovers, she'll want to find a crack in the ground to crawl into, lock herself in, and never come out again."

"Ha ha--!"

Ruby was laughing so hard she collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach, gasping for breath, tears streaming down her face, and could only pound the ground with her hands.

Himmel stood a little distance away, watching the two girls. The gentle smile on his face faltered, turning into a slightly awkward, dry laugh. He raised his hand and scratched the back of his head.

"I have a feeling... I shouldn't be watching this..."

Lowell nodded in deep agreement.

"Yes... it's a girl's thing..."

He and Himmel stood together, forming a male duo.

"Tsk."

The group waited for a while.

On the other side of the open space, Frieren seemed to have finally exhausted her excessive energy. She stopped running around aimlessly, stood under a tree, leaned against the trunk, and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.

She blinked, the excited, radiant smile on her face slowly fading, and the jubilant light in her eyes gradually subsided, returning to her usual calm and indifference.

She raised her hand and rubbed her temples, looking a little confused, as if trying to recall what had just happened.

After a while, she raised her head, looked this way, and blinked her emerald green eyes.

"Eh..."

She uttered a syllable indicating sudden realization.

"It's actually quite fun..."

His voice returned to its normal tone, but the last syllable still carried a faint, lingering echo of excitement.

Lowell walked over to her, knelt down, and looked at her.

"How are you feeling? Are you dizzy? Is there anything bothering you?"

"No," Frieren shook her head, speaking honestly, "I just felt... I seemed to have a lot of energy just now, and everything seemed to want to move. Now it's gone."

She paused, looked at Lowell, and smiled a familiar, slightly smug smile.

"Hmph... Come to think of it, I do have a unique charm when I look like that. Hahaha."

Lowell looked at her face, which had returned to normal, smiled, and reached out to ruffle her slightly messy silver hair.

"Hmm... she's quite 'charming.' She almost pulled me apart."

A while later.

In the center of the open space, Lupa and Linié, who had been standing motionless like two statues, finally stirred.

The blush on Lupa's face receded quickly like the tide. She suddenly opened her eyes, her heterochromatic pupils initially blank, then as if she had suddenly remembered something, her pupils contracted sharply.

"Ah... Ahh!"

She let out a series of short, shrill screams filled with shame and despair, clutched her head with both hands, and knelt down, burying her face deeply in her knees. Her exposed ears and neck turned bright red again with alarming speed, even more so than before.

"What did I do! That wasn't me, it was the potion! It was the potion's fault!"

Her voice was muffled, and she was curled up in a ball, wishing she could disappear on the spot.

Linié stood beside her, looking down at the curled-up Lupa, her icy blue eyes calm and still. She raised her small hand and gently patted Lupa's trembling shoulder, then calmly stated in her soft, even voice:

"Look, Lupa is trying to shirk responsibility again."

"No! That wasn't me!" Lupa suddenly raised her head, her face still flushed, and retorted loudly, but her eyes darted away, not daring to look at Linié or anyone around her.

Himmel watched this scene, and a hearty smile returned to his face. He clapped his hands and walked to the small wooden table where the cups and medicine bottles were placed.

"The effect seems quite interesting, and there doesn't seem to be any downside."

"I'll give it a try!"

As he spoke, he readily took a new cup and poured a little liquid into his mouth.

Ruby got up from the ground, brushed the grass clippings off her body, and looked at Himmel with bright, expectant eyes.

"Hey-hey..."

Himmel put down her cup and smacked her lips.

"It really doesn't have much flavor..."

His words came to an abrupt halt.

The usual gentle smile on his face, full of confidence and even a touch of just the right amount of narcissism, melted and disintegrated quickly, like ice and snow under the sun.

Instead, there was an empty, gray expression, as if all luster had been lost in an instant. The sapphire-like eyes dimmed, and what was reflected within them was no longer the sky and trees, but a kind of unfathomable self-denial.

Slowly, almost unconsciously, he bent his knees, leaned forward, and finally landed on all fours, in an almost crawling, humble posture, on the ground covered with fallen leaves.

His head was bowed low, his forehead almost touching the cold earth.

"... ah..."

A faint, almost imperceptible breath, as if squeezed from the deepest part of the chest, filled with endless pain and despair.

Why am I even alive...?

His voice was hoarse and trembling, every word brimming with an overwhelming sense of self-loathing.

"I am the lowest of insects... worthless... ugly... superfluous..."

He raised his head slightly, revealing half of his pale face, his eyes unfocused and vacant.

"Let me die... Now, right now... I don't deserve to breathe this air..."

Ruby: "..."

She was stunned for a moment, then--

"Ha ha--!"

A burst of laughter, louder, more exaggerated, and longer than ever before, suddenly erupted, almost shattering the silence of the forest. Ruby hard she fell backward, lying on the ground, kicking her legs wildly, pounding the ground with her hands, tears streaming down her face, completely unable to breathe, only able to let out a series of gasps of "hahahaha".

Lowell raised his hand and rubbed his temples vigorously, feeling the veins on his forehead throbbing merrily.

Lupa was still squatting there, covering her face, but she opened her fingers a little to peek at Himmel, who was in an extremely humble posture and speaking in an extremely desperate tone. The shame and indignation on her face had faded a lot, leaving her only dumbfounded.

Frieren blinked, her emerald eyes glancing at Himmel, who was laughing so hard Ruby was almost breathless, and calmly analyzed:

"Hey, this must be a reversal of narcissism. From super narcissistic to super insecure."

Fern finally lowered her hand from her eyes. She looked at Himmel, who was radiating an intense "want to die" aura, and a clear silence flashed in her pale purple eyes. She walked to the small wooden table, picked up the glass bottle containing the colored potion, uncorked it, and made as if to pour it on the ground.

"Let's call this 'Embarrassment Potion'," she said calmly, but with an undeniable resolve. "For everyone's mental and physical well-being, let me destroy it."

"Hey--No!"

Frieren immediately stopped her. She stood up from the ground, walked over a few steps, took the bottle and cork from Fern's hand, and carefully put the cork back on.

"How fun!" Her bright green eyes sparkled, her face showing undisguised interest. She turned to Lowell, handed her the bottle, and said with anticipation and encouragement, "Lowell, drink up! We're just waiting for you!"

Lowell looked at the bottle handed to him; the colorful liquid inside rippled gently with Frieren's movements.

He glanced again at Himmel, who was still lying on the ground muttering "Let me disappear," and at Lupa, though calmer now, still had bright red ears and dared not look at anyone.

"... No," he opened his mouth, trying to struggle, "I don't think I need to..."

"Drink up, drink up!" Frieren pushed the bottle forward again, blinking her eyes. "Let's see what you'll turn into, it'll be really interesting!"

Lowell looked at Frieren's rare expression of childlike curiosity and anticipation, and remained silent for two seconds.

In the end, he sighed and took the bottle.

"Okay... just one bite."

He uncorked the bottle, tilted his head back, and carefully poured a small sip from the air into his mouth.

The liquid slid down my throat, and it didn't really have any particular taste.

He put down the bottle, tightened the cork, and casually placed the bottle on the wooden table next to him.

Then, he stood still, waiting for things to change.

Everyone else in the open space, including Himmel who was Ruby weakly, the curious Frieren, the helpless Fern, Lupa who was peeking through her fingers, Linié who was calmly observing... all eyes were on him.

A few seconds of silence.

The wind in the woods seemed to have stopped, and the birdsong had ceased.

The helpless and indulgent expression on Lowell's face was gradually covered and replaced by something else.

The corners of his mouth began to slowly, little by little, widen to both sides.

That wasn't his usual gentle smile.

It was an almost tearing, chilling arc, intertwined with undisguised excitement.

His lips curled up high, revealing a glimpse of gleaming white teeth. The muscles in his face became stiff and defined, as if he were wearing a frozen, malevolent mask.

He turned his neck, his gaze, like tangible, cold tentacles, slowly sweeping over everyone in the open space.

Ruby, exhausted from laughing and not yet fully recovered, was Ruby.

Then came the curious-looking Frieren.

Then there was Fern expression was calm but whose eyes were slightly narrowed.

Lupa, who was secretly watching, had forgotten her shyness and her expression was somewhat frozen.

Linié, who still had no expression, but whose body had leaned forward almost imperceptibly by half a step.

Finally, the blow landed on Himmel, who was still on all fours but had already raised her head and was looking at him blankly.

His gaze lingered on each person for a moment, as if evaluating, weighing, and selecting.

The warmth in his gaze vanished, replaced by the pure, predatory scrutiny of a predator eyeing its prey...

An interest that sends chills down your spine.

The sinister smile on his lips deepened.

The wind in the open space seemed to have stopped.

The birdsong in the woods had also disappeared sometime ago.

"Not bad... so many powerful individuals..."

The figure standing by the wooden table, grinning menacingly, scanning the crowd with icy eyes, silently exuded an extremely ominous aura that sent chills down one's spine.

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a twisted sense of admiration and longing, the last word deliberately emphasized, enunciated clearly and coldly:

"[Perfect Warrior]."