A Heater

It's been a few days since we said goodbye to the Three-Headed Dragon.

Fern knelt behind Frieren, her fingers running through her long, silvery hair.

The movements are smooth and rhythmic.

It was a three-strand braid, a tight, meticulously styled three-strand braid—commonly known as "the three-strand braid that Fern wears when she's angry."

Frieren sat in front of the mirror, her head swaying slightly with Fern's movements. Her emerald eyes were still misty with sleepiness, the corners of her eyes glistening, reflecting the cold morning light of the northern fortress city of Havis outside the window.

"No, I'll apologize, I won't do it again..."

The voice was soft and weak, drawn out with little strength.

"Don't braid my hair into a three-strand braid just because you're angry..."

Fern's expression remained unchanged; she simply carefully parted another strand of hair into the braid, her fingertips tightening their grip. The outline of the three-strand braid became increasingly clear and solid under her hands.

Lowell leaned against the doorframe, watching this scene, a slight smile creeping onto his lips.

"Frieren won the bet and can sleep in this morning," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice, "But the price is this hairstyle."

He shook his head, feigning impartiality in his assessment.

"Neither loss nor gain."

Then he straightened his back, pointed to his chest with his finger, and a big, undisguised smug smile spread across his face.

"Only I've won big! I don't have to pay any price, and we can sleep in together!"

Fern continued braiding her hair, but merely raised her eyelids and glanced sideways in his direction.

His gaze was calm, his pale purple eyes showing no emotion, yet it made Lowell's smile falter for a moment.

"These past couple of days, I don't know why, I haven't felt like cooking for Lord Lowell."

Fern said in a flat voice.

Lowell immediately stood at attention.

"Miss Fern, please make sure you take this to heart!"

He spoke earnestly and took half a step forward.

"My treat! I'll treat you all to a soak in the hot springs! Hehe, I remember there are some pretty good hot springs around here in Havis!"

Fern then let out a soft hum through his nose in response, and the pressure on his hand subtly loosened slightly.

"Then I'll make one more, even if it's a bit much."

Frieren kept staring longingly at Fern through the mirror. Once Fern had tied her hair tie and finally adjusted the taut three-strand braid, Frillie immediately turned around and looked up.

Her bright green eyes were wide open, still glistening with tears, making her look exceptionally innocent.

"That makes Fern feel a little happier, right?"

Fern looked down at her without saying a word.

After a two-second pause, she turned her face away slightly, lowering her voice, but it was still clear enough.

"I want to eat it."

Frieren's eyes lit up instantly.

"Lowell!"

She called out, her voice crisp and clear.

Lowell immediately responded, decisively.

"Purchase!"

The scene shifts, and the group has arrived at Havis's largest restaurant.

As noon approached, the restaurant was filled with the warmth of voices and the aroma of food, which kept out the chill from outside.

Several empty plates were already laid out in front of Frieren. She was busy devouring a large plate of hamburger patties that had just been served, her movements fluid as she cut the meat and steadily putting it into her mouth. When ordering, she didn't forget to add the restaurant's signature Mercury Pudding —after all, this was a rare find in a metropolis with such a wide variety of desserts.

Lowell's meal was relatively simple: a baked pudding drizzled with honey and a huge cone of ice cream, supposedly "bigger than his face." He slowly scooped up the ice cream, his gaze fixed on the other side of the table.

The plates were stacked up in front of Fern.

It wasn't just one or two dishes, but a variety of foods. Golden and crispy fried fish fillets with mashed potatoes, stews drizzled with rich meat gravy, roasted vegetables sprinkled with herbs and cheese, a small basket of freshly baked, steaming garlic bread, and even a cream cake garnished with berries.

She ate slowly and deliberately, maintaining her usual refined manners, but at a considerable pace, chewing each bite carefully with a focused and satisfied expression.

Lowell stared for a moment, the ice cream scoop hovering in mid-air.

"... Fern?"

He spoke, his voice clearly questioning.

Fern swallowed the stew in her mouth, picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, and then looked up at him. Her pale purple eyes were clear and calm.

"How?"

She countered with a casual question.

"Ruby taught me the magic of 'eating whatever I want without gaining weight.' I want to try it."

Lowell blinked.

"... Does such magic really exist?"

He muttered to himself.

"Magic is a world of imagination... but it should at least conform to the law of conservation of energy..."

He shook his head, as if giving up on arguing, sighed, and scooped a large spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

"Forget it, it's a world of swords and magic after all, and people like Mayer, Joule, and Helmholtz can't interfere."

The three continued enjoying their lunch.

Frieren finished the last bite of her hamburger steak and began her attack on the Mercury Pudding. Lowell's cone of ice cream was empty. The plates in front of Fern were also emptying one by one.

After finishing the last piece of garlic bread, Fern gently put down her cutlery, placed her hands folded on her knees, and sat up straight.

She lowered her head slightly and looked at herself.

Then, she reached out and, through her clothes, carefully pressed her abdomen. Her fingers pressed lightly, then released.

Then, she turned slightly to the side, glancing at her waist out of the corner of her eye, and subtly raised her hand to touch her cheek.

The movements were subtle, with a childlike earnestness, even a touch of cuteness.

After completing this silent examination, she sat up straight again, her eyes gradually widening.

A small, delighted smile involuntarily curved upwards at the corners of her lips.

"It really works! I didn't gain weight at all!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but the joy in it was clearly discernible.

Frieren had just finished her pudding when she heard this. She looked up, her cheeks still slightly puffed out. She swallowed her food, her emerald eyes looking at Fern, and blinked.

"Wow... this looks interesting."

Her tone was filled with pure curiosity.

"But where did all the food go?"

It's not surprising that elves Never Gain Weight, since that's always been the case; the food they eat is directly converted into magic and stored in their bodies.

But what about humans?

Lowell, who had been leaning back in his chair, closed his eyes upon hearing this.

He didn't make any big movements, just sat quietly, as if sensing something invisible.

After a few seconds, he hummed in response, his eyes still closed, but his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Hmm... um?"

He uttered two syllables indicating confirmation and doubt, then opened his eyes and looked at Frieren.

"Frieren, touch Fern."

Frieren: "?"

A clear look of doubt crossed her face, but she still did as she was told, reaching out her hand to Fern beside her. Her fingertips lightly touched the back of Fern's exposed hand.

The next second--

"Eh...!"

Frieren out a short, soft gasp, her fingers immediately pressing completely against Fern's hand, grasping it firmly.

"Fern felt warm all over."

As she spoke, she reached out with her other hand and placed it on Fern's arm.

Fern: "?"

She was taken aback by Frieren's actions, then raised her hand and touched her cheek, then her neck, this time not to check her weight, but to carefully feel her body temperature.

"Huh..."

She sensed it herself.

The skin temperature was noticeably higher than usual. It wasn't burning hot like a fever, but rather a continuous and gentle warmth emanating from within, like someone who had just been in the sun or had come from a very warm place.

"It's very warm, what's going on?"

Fern looked at Lowell, his eyes questioning.

Lowell stroked his chin.

"It probably converts food into 'heat' in a physical sense and dissipates it?"

He speculated, his tone uncertain.

"Hmm, as expected, I couldn't escape the law of conservation of energy... um..."

He seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes darted around, and he muttered something under his breath.

"This 'eating without gaining weight' magic... 'Life Return'? Tsk, back in the day I had such wild imaginations, Luffy revived himself so many times by just eating, if Big Mom had learned Life Return, wouldn't she be invincible? He could just grab a bite of food halfway through a fight and be back to full health... Kaido might not be able to do it, he regenerates health quickly, he needs to be paired with someone with high defense."

Fern listened quietly to the latter half of his rambling, which she couldn't understand at all, her pale purple eyes fixed on him until he stopped on his own.

"... You're saying things that are hard to understand again."

She commented that the voice was flat.

Then, she felt Frieren not only holding her hand, but also pressing her whole body against her. Her silvery head rested on her shoulder, and her arms wrapped around her, like a cat finding a source of warmth, comfortably squinting her eyes.

"Hey, no!"

Fern shifted his shoulders, a faint blush rising to his face, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

"This is very embarrassing, Lady Frieren..."

"Don't want."

Frieren refused decisively, but instead hugged her even tighter, nuzzling her cheek against her shoulder.

"It's as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring... Fern is so warm, like a heater..."

Fern tried pushing again, but with little force. Frieren didn't budge, and instead made a satisfied, almost cat-like purring sound.

After a second or two of stiffness, Fern's shoulders slowly relaxed.

The blush of embarrassment on her face hadn't faded yet, but the corners of her mouth pursed up and curved upwards. Her pale purple eyes were lowered as she looked at her master, who was clinging to her like a piece of chewing gum. A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes, mixed with a subtle sweetness of being needed and relied upon.

"There's just no way to deal with Frieren..."

She spoke softly, her voice softening, and let Frieren hold her without pushing her away.

Outside the window, Havis cool winter sunlight streamed through the glass, falling into the warm interior of the restaurant and casting bright spots of light on the checkered tablecloth.

At the table, the silver-haired elf held the purple-haired girl in his arms, as if embracing a human-shaped heater, his eyes half-closed in contentment.

The man opposite them looked at them, smiled, picked up his water glass, and took a sip.

The restaurant was still filled with the sounds of people talking and the soft clinking of cutlery, creating a calm and peaceful background.

This one table was particularly warm, in every sense of the word.

From the inside out.