Hero of the South

In a small town.

Fern straightened her wind-blown clothes, her pale purple eyes sweeping over the town's wooden archway before gazing at the narrow but clean streets inside.

"Another request to clean the statue of Lord Himmel."

Her voice was steady, revealing no emotion.

"I've received quite a few requests like this lately."

Frieren jumped out of the car, landing lightly. She clutched the commission she had just received from the Village Chief, her emerald eyes fixed on the words, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Hmph~"

She let out a short, clearly excited sound, handed the letter of authorization to Fern, and pointed to the reward section.

"The reward this time is 'magic that can scratch your back'!"

She looked up at Fern, her eyes sparkling.

"Isn't that interesting!"

Fern took the power of attorney and examined it carefully. Her pale purple eyelashes drooped, then lifted again.

Hmm.

She commented, her tone as calm as ever.

"It doesn't seem to be of much use."

"Hmph~"

Frieren immediately puffed out one cheek, reached out and took back the letter of authorization, hugging it to her chest as if protecting some precious treasure.

"Fern really doesn't understand the fun in this kind of magic at all!"

Fern blinked.

"I really can't understand it."

She stopped arguing and turned to Lowell.

"The location for the commission is in the north plaza. Let's go."

Lowell, who was looking up at the sky, said "Oh" and followed the two.

The town is small, and at this time of day, there aren't many people on the streets. Occasionally, residents wrapped in thick clothes hurry by, casting a few indifferent glances with a hint of curiosity before quickly looking away.

We arrived at the square quickly.

It's called a square, but it's really just a slightly open space in the center of town, with evenly paved stone slabs on the ground and hardy, withered grass growing in the gaps. A statue stands in the center.

Fern paused for a moment.

She looked at the statue, a hint of doubt flashing in her pale purple eyes.

The statue is not tall, nor is it made of expensive bronze, but rather of local grayish-white stone, and the carving technique is also rather rough. However, the figure's posture is captured very well - a warrior, standing with one hand on his sword, the other hand outstretched as if pointing the way. His face is somewhat blurred by the erosion of time, but the determination between his brows is still clearly discernible.

The problem is...

"Huh."

"Fern said softly."

"Who is this middle-aged man?"

She turned her head and looked at Lowell.

"Not Himmel."

Lowell also looked at the statue. He stared at it for a few seconds, his dark eyes showing no emotion, and he simply let out a soft "Ah".

"It's Hero of the South."

He said the voice wasn't loud.

"The Hero of the South. A hero from the Southern Lands."

"This is the first time Fern has met him, isn't it? I've told you a little about his story before."

Fern thought for a moment and nodded.

"Hmm... that's true. I'd only heard of him before. When I heard 'hero,' I instinctively assumed it was Himmel."

Lowell smiled, his gaze returning to the statue.

"It was Himmel who defeated the Demon King. But there are many heroes."

He raised his hand and pointed at the statue.

"The Hero of the South. In his time, he was known as the 'Strongest of Humanity being.'"

Fern tilted his head slightly.

Is it really that exaggerated?

"He deserves that title." Lowell's voice was steady, as if stating a distant fact. "For humanity at that time, the greatest threat was the 'Seven Sages of Destruction,' centered around the Northern Countries, who had long dominated key locations across the continent."

"And Himmel and we repelled Aura —well, although Aura later turned to the light. We killed Grausam. Then, it is said that Himmel and his men defeated 'Böse the Undying' themselves."

He counted on his fingers.

"Only these three. That's enough for us to handle."

"Of the remaining four, apart from Macht from Golden Land, the other three... were all defeated by him before."

The square was quiet, with only the faint whistling of the wind passing through the cracks in the buildings.

Fern listened quietly, her pale purple eyes fixed on the greyish-white stone statue.

"The Human-Demon Thousand-Year War," Lowell continued, his tone flat, "Because Flamme developed human magical technology, Human race to gain the upper hand at one point, even nearly annihilating the Demons. But in the end, the Demon King Discal turned the tide, single-handedly killing many legendary human powerhouses, Human race almost crippled at that time."

"And the Hero of the South's record..."

"In just one year, they crushed the Demon King's Army's frontline forces and fought their way to the northernmost tip of the Northern Plateau, the core area of the Demon King's Army's supply route."

"There, he was besieged by Scharlach, who could Future Prediction, and seven other 'Seven Sages of Destruction.' He died in battle."

His voice was flat.

Even so, he still managed to take down three Seven Sages of Destruction and perish together with Scharlach.

Fern's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She didn't say anything.

Lowell turned his head and looked towards the edge of the square. There sat an old man in worn clothes on a small stool, with several simple puppets in front of him that looked like those of Scharlach Hero of the South. The old man's fingers trembled, and the puppets made simple movements in response to his indistinct whispers. There was no audience, only himself and the stone statue opposite him.

"This area," Lowell said, his gaze sweeping across the empty plaza and the not-so-tall buildings in the distance, "Was one of the areas liberated by the Hero of the South when the Demons ravaged the land."

"Because the body of the Hero of the South was never found, the legend of his endless battle with Scharlach still exists."

"However, the opponent was a man-eating Demons. He's probably beyond repair, his remains reduced to dust."

A moment of silence followed.

Only the wind and the old man's whispers.

After a while, Fern raised her head. She looked at Lowell, her pale purple eyes reflecting the gloomy sky.

"Since you think so highly of the Hero of the South," she asked softly, "Why didn't you help him back then?"

Lowell remained silent for a few seconds.

He raised his hand and touched the back of his head.

Hmm.

He spoke, his tone carrying a rare hint of deliberation.

"He's very strong, I admire him. But..."

"Firstly, I hate fighting. If I were to appear in the sights of any organized Demons at the time, there would be endless trouble. I don't care about Discal, but as for other Demons... who knows how many overconfident individuals will try to cause me trouble."

"Secondly," he paused, "My 'Future Prediction' wasn't complete. In the 'predetermined future' I saw at the time, even if I wanted to help him, I would only be stopped by Discal. At that time, I couldn't defeat him quickly."

He looked at the statue's blurred face.

"Discal's absence from the battle to besiege the Hero of the South was a precaution against me. As for Frieren... she doesn't need to go, and I absolutely won't allow her to go. Compared to saving the world or saving others, I'm not that noble. I'm selfish; I only want Frieren. I have no intention of sacrificing myself or my loved ones for others."

Fern listened quietly, Frieren smiled.

"The Hero of the South and Scharlach," Lowell continued, his voice lower, "Two people who could Future Sight. In the end..."

He paused for a moment.

They all chose what seemed to be the worst possible future.

Fern blinked.

"The worst possible future?"

"For them personally, it's a dead end." Lowell nodded. "In Fern's eyes, most Demons are bloodthirsty beasts, right? That's mostly true."

He looked at Fern.

"But there are also... fanatical individuals like Scharlach. Sam is loyal to me, and while Solitär is extremely conscious of her life, she also considers the continuation of the Demons; they are essentially the same."

Fern thought for a moment and then softly hummed in agreement.

"So," she asked, "the Hero of the South and Scharlach both knew and chose their own deaths?"

"They know," Lowell answered crisply.

"From countless 'possibilities,' they all chose this one. Because if the number of attackers is too small, the Hero of the South can win. If there are too many, like the Demon King leading the attack himself, he can avoid battle in advance."

"In the end, it was Scharlach who chose to bring seven Seven Sages of Destruction, sacrificing three of Seven Sages of Destruction and his own life, to exchange for his life."

"The Hero of the South accepts this condition."

The wind picked up, stirring up sand and dust from the ground.

Fern remained silent for a moment.

Then, she said softly.

"Hmm... that's really amazing."

Lowell smiled.

"It's all in the past," he said, his tone returning to its usual affable tone. "Now, when you mention him, just remember what he told me to make sure I delivered to Himmel."

He looked at Fern.

"This is also... one of the reasons why I traveled with Himmel in the first place. First, to keep an eye on him and prevent him from dying prematurely due to some accident. Second,..."

"This is the legacy of the 'strongest' hero of the previous era, entrusted to the next."

He said, "Tell the heroes who come after me, I, the Strongest of Humanity Hero of the South, will pave the way for them, even if my name is eventually forgotten in this wind."

Frieren had somehow joined in, still clutching the power of attorney in her hand. Upon hearing the last sentence, her emerald eyes brightened, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

"He's handsome, isn't he?"

Fern looked at his master, then at Lowell, and nodded very seriously.

"Yes, he's very handsome," she said.

"Um."

Lowell rubbed his hands together, stepped forward, and faced the gray stone statue.

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on the past. Time to get to work."

He raised his hands, fingers spread, and gently pressed down on the statue.

"Silk--"

He read it in a low voice, his tone light and almost playful.

"Intertwined."

There was no light, no sound.

But on the surface of the statue, the accumulated dust, bird droppings, and rain stains began to peel away at a visible speed. It was as if countless invisible and skillful hands, holding the softest brushes and the finest cloths, were simultaneously wiping every inch of the stone statue. From the hand holding the sword, to the outstretched arm, to the blurred yet resolute face, and to the wrinkles of the weathered armor.

The dirt peeled off, revealing the original, slightly rough, grayish-white color of the stone.

Soon, the entire statue was transformed. Although the stone itself was somewhat weathered, it was at least clean, and under the gloomy sky, it exuded a simple and serene aura.

Fern watched, a knowing glint in his pale purple eyes.

"So it turns out that even statues can use magic."

"Hmph~"

Lowell withdrew his hand, crossed his arms, and a hint of smugness appeared on his face.

"The magic for cleaning bronze statues can only clean 'bronze' statues. But my silk threads are a universal tool, replacing manual labor. Haha, convenient, isn't it?"

He turned around, clapped his hands, as if brushing away non-existent dust.

"Let's go, let's go collect our payment."

Frieren followed immediately, her steps light and quick.

"Let's go~ Magic book~ Magic book~"

She clutched the power of attorney, her emerald eyes curving into crescents, clearly filled with anticipation for the "tickling magic."

The three turned and walked towards the town.

After taking a few steps, Frieren suddenly stopped and turned around.

She looked towards the edge of the square.

The old man who had been playing the puppeteer had stopped at some point. He looked up at the statue that had just been cleaned, his cloudy eyes reflecting the grayish-white stone. Several townspeople who had been hurrying along with their heads down had also stopped and stood a short distance away, just like the old man, simply watching quietly. No one spoke, and no one approached.

Frieren watched for a while.

Then, she turned around, took a few quick steps to catch up with Lowell, and naturally reached out her hand, hooking her fingertips around his fingers hanging at his side.

She muttered something softly, in a voice only he could hear. Her emerald eyes blinked, a faint, sly smile flashing within them.

"... This guy even said he could see the future."

She pursed her lips, her tone carrying a slight, teasing tone, though it was unclear who she was referring to.

"What will eventually be forgotten?"

She turned back and took one last look at the clean, gray-white stone statue and the figures who stood silently by.

"Look."

"He's doing well, isn't he? People still remember him."