Wrapping Up

The wind in the forest quieted down, and the afterglow of the battle gradually dissipated. Damaged trees lay scattered haphazardly, and the ground was scorched black, mixed with traces resembling cooled lava.

Lowell stood up, brushed the last bits of grass off his clothes, looked around at the messy area, glanced at the various expressions on the faces of the people around him, and cleared his throat.

"Well... since I'm the one who caused this trouble..."

He paused, his tone returning to its usual amiable manner, but with a subtle, obvious hint of guilt, as if he intended to get away with it.

"Alright then, Frieren and Ruby, you two will be in charge of using Flower Field Magic to restore the damaged flowers and plants. As for me, I'll go to the academy and find a few people who know 'tree planting' magic to replace the trees."

He stroked his chin and thought for a moment.

"Honestly, Adonis would be so much more useful in a situation like this. It's a shame he's not around. Hmm... Yamato should be able to handle it, even though it'll exhaust him to the point of questioning his existence. But whatever."

His gaze shifted to the spear in Lupa's hand, its tip noticeably bent and looking rather pathetic. His expression became even more subtle, and he coughed twice.

"Ahem, here. This weapon, damaged to this extent, would take me all night to repair. I'll return it to you tomorrow."

Lupa responded and readily handed over the twisted spear.

Lowell took it and weighed it in his hand.

It's about the same weight and feel as when I gave it to her; it's very well maintained.

It's a pity I broke it myself. Oh well, it can be repaired anyway.

He stored the spear in his storage space.

Then, he looked at Ubel had been standing quietly a little distance away.

"Uh..." He touched his nose, his eyes a little unfocused, "That last move... did you use it?"

Ubel nodded, her green ponytail swaying gently with the movement, her expression calm.

"Of course. Otherwise, how could we possibly cut through our Demon King's troublesome armor?"

Lowell scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Okay. After dinner tonight, before you rest, I'll redo that for you... Ugh, this is such a hassle..."

Ubel nodded again, without saying anything more.

Lupa, standing beside her, blinked, her heterochromatic eyes filled with curiosity, glancing at Ubel and then at Lowell.

"Hey, Master, Ubel, what are you talking about? What's used? What do you mean by 'redo it'?"

Lowell opened his mouth, seemingly hesitant, and glanced at Ubel's face.

Ubel, on the other hand, was quite composed, even managing a faint smile as usual.

"It doesn't matter," she said calmly. "Isn't this 'senior sister'?"

Her gaze swept over everyone present— Frieren, Himmel, Lupa, Linié, Fern, Ruby, and Sam.

"Everyone here is on our side. I'll speak first."

"My magic is the magic of 'Nothing Is Uncuttable'."

"Originally... its activation condition was that it could only cut through 'things I thought could be cut'."

"For example, a tree can be cut by a saw, an axe, magic, or many other things. So, in my understanding, a tree can be cut, and that's when my magic will work."

"And like a diamond," she raised her hand, her fingertips pointing outwards, "I believe it cannot be cut, so my magic cannot cut it."

"But there are other possibilities. For example, if something is a rope with the hardness of a diamond, then in my mind, it will first be perceived as a rope. A rope can be cut. Therefore, my magic can cut it."

"However, this is the normal state. Defensive Magic can easily defend against it. After all, Defensive Magic is specifically designed for Defensive Magic. In my understanding, using magic to cut through a structure specifically designed for Defensive Magic... is completely unthinkable."

Her gaze shifted to Lowell.

"But Lowell demonstrated it to me with ease... cutting through Defensive Magic with magic. Cutting through diamonds with magic. Cutting through many things I previously thought were 'impossible to cut' with magic."

"After his demonstration, my perception changed. My magic became 'truly Nothing Is Uncuttable magic'."

"But soon, a problem arose. This attack was far too powerful."

"During one practice session, it sliced through several layers of Defensive Magic erected in front of me. Afterward, the aftershocks sliced through walls, palaces, an entire mountain range in the distance, and something else on the horizon, which I don't even know how far away it was."

She raised her head and looked up at the distant, azure sky.

"I have absolutely no control over this move. Once the attack is launched, it will continue cutting along its initial trajectory until its magic power is exhausted, or until it encounters something it can't cut through? But probably not."

"If it weren't for that," she withdrew her gaze, looking at Lowell's now-recovered right shoulder, "If we had deliberately lowered our bodies, so that the magic, upon striking him, would have followed its trajectory towards the sky..."

She gently shook her head.

"Who knows how much will be destroyed, or how many people will be affected?"

"I'm a pacifist, you know."

"Therefore, it needs to be sealed. My magic, in normal times, is just that ordinary ' Nothing Is Uncuttable defeat should I unseal it. Just like just now, if I had only used the ordinary 'Nothing Is Uncuttable magic,' neither 'Defensive Magic' nor 'the Demon King's body' could have been cut through."

She looked at Lowell.

"However, I don't know how to use sealing magic. He simply left me a way to manipulate and break the seal myself when he placed it on me."

"Like the barriers left behind by Flamme. Ordinary people don't use them, but they can manipulate them using the 'barrier manipulation magic' she left behind."

After listening, Lupa was stunned for a long while before letting out a long "Oh," her heterochromatic eyes gleaming.

"That's really... ridiculously strong."

Ubel smiled, a smile with a familiar, mischievous glint in it.

"Of course."

As she spoke, she took a step closer to Lupa, reached out her hand, and traced her fingertips toward Lupa's cheek.

"So, you guys owe me a favor, Lupa. Come on, let me touch you, consider it interest..."

Lupa instinctively shrank back, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

"Eh..."

Linié, who had been standing quietly behind Lupa, silently took half a step forward, blocking Ubel's hand and Lupa's path. She raised her icy blue eyes, calmly looking at Ubel, her expression unchanging, but her meaning clear.

"Don't want."

Ubel's hand froze in mid-air, then he naturally withdrew it, his smile unchanged, and he didn't insist.

"Alright, alright, still possessive of your food."

Seeing this, Lowell quickly took over the conversation, trying to get the atmosphere back on track.

"Okay... then it's settled."

He clapped his hands, looked at everyone, and tried to put on a relaxed expression.

"Also, dinner tonight is on me. We'll go to the best restaurant in Nod-Krai, eat the best food, drink the best drinks, and soak in the hot springs! Consider it a way to soothe your wounded little hearts after being frightened and forced to fight with me today..."

His voice trailed off, until it was almost a mutter, as he glanced at Frieren and Ruby.

Frieren was squatting to the side, examining a wildflower that was half-burnt but still stubbornly clinging to life. Hearing this, she looked up, glanced at him with her emerald eyes, said nothing, then lowered her head again, her fingertips glowing faintly as she began to try to guide the flower's life force with Flower Field Magic.

Ruby crossed her arms, snorted, and turned her face away, but the corners of her mouth seemed to curve slightly.

Himmel smiled, walked over to Lowell, and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's not easy to scam you out of a meal normally, so I'll gladly accept. Perfect timing, I'm hungry after the fight."

His voice was cheerful, and his eyes were clear; the deep-seated inferiority complex he had previously displayed was completely gone. Only the dust and signs of battle made him look somewhat disheveled, but also added a touch of authenticity to his battle-hardened appearance.

Fern sighed softly and began to tidy her somewhat disheveled clothes and hair. Her pale purple eyes held little emotion, but her movements were as steady and meticulous as ever, with a hint of anticipation for the delicious food and hot springs.

Sam silently walked to a tree a little further away, sat down against the trunk, and began to examine his precious longsword, as if the fierce battle just now was merely routine training.

Linié quietly walked back to Lupa's side, took out another red apple from somewhere, and started taking small bites. Her icy blue eyes occasionally lifted up and swept over Lupa's profile.

As dusk approached, the light and shadows in the woods stretched out softly and slowly. The wind rustled through the bare branches, carrying the faint sounds of distant town bustle and the scent of cooking smoke.