Aftermath

Himmel took a few steps forward, knelt down beside the fallen Lowell, and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Lowell?"

The instant his fingertips touched the fabric—

"Laugh!"

A cold, whistling sound came from the side.

Sam's figure flashed, his longsword gleaming coldly, aimed straight at Lowell.

On the other side, Linié's longsword, imbued with magic, had also slashed down, its target Lowell's neck. Her pink twin ponytails swayed gently with the movement, her small face calm and undisturbed.

The attack was fatal.

Himmel's pupils contracted sharply, and her left hand instinctively reached for her sword to block.

Just a split second before the sword tip touched Lowell's back--

"Stop! Stop!"

A shout, though weak in voice, but clear enough.

Lowell sprang to his feet, waving his left hand wildly.

"It's over! The order has been cancelled! Stop, everyone!"

The sword's edge abruptly stopped less than an inch from his back.

Sam sheathed his sword, took a half step back, stood with his hands at his sides, and his expression returned to its usual flatness.

"His Majesty."

He bowed slightly as a sign of respect, then stood silently to the side, as if the fatal blow had never happened.

The magic blade in Linié's hand vanished silently. Her pink twin ponytails swayed gently as she tilted her head, and her icy blue eyes turned to Lupa not far away. She watched her quietly for two seconds, making sure she was unharmed, and then lowered her arm, returning to her quiet, seemingly detached, standby state.

Several people gathered around.

Frieren walked up to Lowell, looked up at him calmly with her emerald eyes, and spoke in a flat tone.

"After causing trouble, you're trying to fake fainting?"

"What do you mean, faking fainting!" Lowell immediately retorted, but her eyes darted around for a moment. "I was... out of magic! Yes, out of magic! The sudden reversal was too much for my body!"

Ruby her hands on her hips, her fiery red curly hair still slightly frizzy from the intense battle and tension, her large turquoise eyes glaring at Lowell.

"That's outrageous! They almost killed us all! They've caused such a huge disaster; they need to make amends!"

Lowell blinked, glanced at Frieren, then at the sulking Ruby, and raised his hand to touch the back of his head—using his intact left hand. Then, his face instantly contorted into an expression of utter weakness, he clutched his chest with his left hand, and staggered.

"I... cough cough, oh dear... I... can't... take... it... anymore..."

He dragged out the melody, his voice weak and feeble, and his body went limp, collapsing backward once more.

"Bang."

He landed hard on his back in the pile of fallen leaves, raising a little dust.

Ruby: "..."

She walked over to Lowell, raised her foot, and gave his shin a light kick.

"Get up! You've already been exposed! Stop pretending!"

Lowell lay motionless among the fallen leaves, only letting out muffled groans from his throat.

"Hmm..."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks and kicked again.

"Stand up!"

Lowell slowly opened one eye, glanced at her, then closed it again, his left hand trembling as he pointed to his empty right shoulder.

"Cough cough! Cough cough! Look at this..."

His voice was even weaker, filled with gasps as if he might die at any moment.

"I'm so badly injured, my hand is broken..."

Ruby followed his finger to that spot. The broken cut had already been covered and repaired by the surging dark magic, and now it looked smooth, but an arm was indeed missing.

She opened her mouth, and the anger in her large, blue eyes subsided somewhat, replaced by hesitation and reluctance. She looked at Lowell's pale face, then at his empty shoulder.

Her conscience seemed to stir slightly.

"Well..."

Her voice lowered.

"That..."

"Yeah?"

A calm female voice broke in.

Ubel had also walked over at some point and was standing on the outer edge. Her green ponytail was a little messy, her face was expressionless, and her eyes calmly looked at Lowell lying on the ground, then glanced at his severed arm.

"Nobody would believe that."

Frieren stood on the other side, arms crossed, and replied, her emerald eyes clearly saying, "Keep making this up."

"The acting is exaggerated."

Lupa scratched his head, looked at his master, then at his own spear, the tip of which was still twisted, and muttered to himself:

"At this level, Master should be fine, right?"

Lowell lay silent for a few seconds, nestled among the fallen leaves.

Then, he let out a long, deep sigh, his frail appearance instantly vanishing. He raised his intact left hand and vigorously rubbed his face.

"I... really, you've seen right through me."

He propped himself up on the ground, sat cross-legged in the pile of fallen leaves, raised his left hand, and a tiny, solid black light shone from the tip of his index finger.

As if casually, he lightly touched the empty section of his right shoulder with his fingertip.

"Buzz..."

A subtle sound of magic flowing.

The pitch-black light, like living water, spread from the broken edge, quickly outlining the bones, filling in muscles and tendons, and covering the skin. The light flowed and solidified.

In just two or three breaths.

A perfectly intact right arm, with the same skin color as before and even the wrinkles in its sleeves restored, was reattached to his shoulder.

Lowell moved his newborn right hand, spreading and clenching his fingers, the joints making a slight "click" sound.

Ruby's eyes widened instantly, her earlier reluctance vanishing in a flash. She pointed at Lowell, her finger trembling slightly with anger.

"Hmph! You, you... you actually tried to fool us! Trying to gain sympathy by cutting off a hand!"

She stepped forward, her small face almost touching Lowell's, and raised her voice slightly.

"Speak! What should we do?! We need to calculate the costs of morale damage, combat losses, and the scare we had!"

She grew angrier as she spoke, turning to look at Fern, seemingly seeking support.

"Fern, don't you think so!"

Fern stood to the side, his pale purple eyes calmly sweeping over Lowell, then over the indignant Ruby, and finally, his gaze lingered imperceptibly between Frieren and Ruby for a moment.

She nodded gently, her voice steady and her words clear:

"That's only right."

She paused, then added, glancing at Ruby and Frieren.

However, if we trace it back to its origins...

Her tone remained unchanged, as if she were stating an objective fact.

"It Ruby you, Lady Ruby, who proposed and led the way in having Lady Lowell drink the potion. And it was Lady Frieren who first showed great interest and encouraged her to try it. For this, you two also bear corresponding responsibility."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Ruby's angry expression froze instantly.

Frieren, who had been crossing her arms, stiffened almost imperceptibly.

Almost simultaneously, the two slightly averted their gazes, neither looking at each other nor at Fern. The corners of their mouths, without prior agreement, turned down in a subtle, guilty expression, much like cats caught stealing snacks trying to get away with it—their expressions were remarkably synchronized.

Lowell, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground with a helpless look on his face, suddenly raised an eyebrow when he heard Fern's words.

He immediately turned his head, his gaze instantly fixing on the faces of Frieren and Ruby were perfectly in sync.

That look in his eyes was as if he had discovered a new continent.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Only the wind in the forest rustled softly through the branches and leaves.

Lowell slowly, very slowly, stood up from the pile of leaves, brushing off the bits of grass and dust that clung to him. He looked at Frieren, then at Ruby, and an uncontrollable smile began to spread across his face.

The smile grew wider and wider, eventually becoming an undisguised, radiant smile that mixed "I've got them on the hook" and "So that's how it is."

"Ha..."

He chuckled, shook his head, walked up to Frieren, and looked down at her slightly turned face.

"I knew it..."

His voice trailed off, tinged with undisguised mischief.

"Something felt off. Oh, so it was you two who egged me on..."

He then turned to Ruby, Ruby was staring down at the tips of her shoes as if a flower had suddenly sprouted from them.

"Ruby, wasn't it you who shouted 'atonement' the loudest just now?"

Ruby's ears began to turn red at a visible speed. But she still stubbornly held back, her neck stiff, and retorted in a low voice:

"So what! You were the one who ultimately decided to drink the medicine! I didn't shove the bottle in your mouth!"

"Yes, yes, yes," Lowell nodded readily, his smile widening, "I drank it myself. But—"

He then changed the subject.

"Who is it, waving that weird-looking bottle of potion around in front of everyone with that 'come try it, it's fun!' look on their face?"

"And who was it?" He looked at Frieren, Frieren gaze drifted even further, almost piercing through the tree trunk beside her. "The moment she heard 'new magic' or 'interesting,' her eyes lit up, she was the first to raise her hand to try it, and she even joined in the clamor for me to drink it too?"

Frieren's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only let out a barely audible "humph," turned her face to the other side, and her ear tips turned slightly red.

Ruby's face turned even redder, but she was still struggling:

"That's because you lack self-control! Look at Himmel, he's very composed!"

Upon hearing this, Himmel, standing a short distance away, gave a wry smile and scratched the back of his head. His clothes were covered in dust from the battle, making him look somewhat disheveled, but his eyes had regained their usual gentleness and clarity.

"Alright, alright, I have poor self-control, I can't resist temptation." Lowell raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but the smile on his face didn't fade at all. "So, I'm the principal offender, and you two—are instigators and accomplices. Is that right, Justice Fern?"

Fern nodded calmly.

That's a valid conclusion.

Ruby: "..."

Frieren: "..."