Midday

The next day at noon, Fern carried a wooden tray with enough food for three people on it as he walked towards the room.

Her steps were a little lighter than usual, and she hummed a soft tune, a hint of relaxation after finishing lunch.

When she reached the door, she stopped humming and knocked on the door.

"Lady Frieren, Lady Lowell, it's time to get up."

I waited a few seconds.

There was silence inside the door; there was no response.

Fern was not surprised at all. She grasped the doorknob, turned it gently, and pushed the door open.

Then, Fern saw the scene inside the house.

She stood at the doorway, holding the tray.

In the center of the room, near the table, a small hill rose up.

It wasn't a pile of mud or stones. Instead, it consisted of leather book covers of various colors and ages, oddly shaped magical artifacts gleaming with metallic or wooden luster, several scrolls half-open, and a few robes folded crookedly and embroidered with magical patterns.

These things were piled high, almost touching the low ceiling. At the top of the "mountain," to one side, jutted out a rounded curve wrapped in a white nightgown.

It's Frieren's butt.

Her upper body was buried in this "mountain of treasures," her long, silvery hair scattered messily between the spines of the books and the gaps in the magical tools, revealing only a small part of her shoulders and back. Her lower body was kneeling, her buttocks sticking up, in a posture of collapsing from exhaustion halfway through the exploration, and she looked to be sleeping peacefully.

The rustling sound of fabric rubbing came from the other side of the bed.

Lowell poked half his head out from under the messy blankets, his hair sticking up in all directions from sleep. He squinted, adjusting to the light streaming in from the doorway, and looked at Fern, his voice heavy and hoarse from not having woken up properly.

"Ah... Fern..."

He let out a long yawn and raised his hand to rub his eyes.

"It's already noon? Sleeping in is so comfortable..."

Fern shifted her gaze from the buttocks beside "Mountain" to Lowell, her pale purple eyes calm and unwavering.

"Let's not talk about that now."

Her voice was steady as she gestured with her chin towards the "mountain" in the center of the room.

"Lady Frieren, what's going on?"

Lowell looked in the direction she was pointing, blinked, and then a smile that was a mixture of helplessness and "I knew it" appeared on his face.

"Hahaha..."

He chuckled dryly, sat up in bed, and scratched his messy hair.

"Last night, we went to the magical tool shop and the magic bookstore, right...?"

He shrugged.

"I bought so many without even realizing it. We're rich now, after all; Frieren can't resist anything interesting... I couldn't resist either and bought a few."

Fern stared at the pile of "spoils" that could fill half a small warehouse, and remained silent for two seconds.

"... Hmm."

She finally uttered only a single syllable, carried the tray into the room, and placed the food on the only relatively tidy small round table.

"Never mind. Anyway, I have plenty of travel money, and I can take everything with me."

She turned around, walked to the "mountain," looked down at Frieren's exposed calves and protruding buttocks, and then looked up at her upper body buried in the pile of books.

"But," she asked, a clear hint of confusion in her voice, "Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

Lowell had already gotten out of bed and was slowly putting on his coat. Hearing this, he thought for a moment and a smile curved his lips.

"Probably..."

He dragged out his words, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"They slumbered in an ocean of happiness."

Fern raised his hand and gently pressed his temple.

"... In short."

She bent down, reached out and supported Frieren's shoulders, carefully pulling her out of the pile of books. Her movements were practiced, clearly not the first time she had done this.

"Lady Frieren, wake up."

"Hmm..."

A muffled, sleepy nasal sound came from the pile of books.

Frieren stirred, her silver-white head bobbing up several slipped magic books as she broke free from the "mountain." Her emerald eyes were still wet, a faint red mark remained on her cheek from the pages, and her hair was a mess, resembling a bird's nest.

"Ah... I accidentally fell asleep last night..."

Her voice was weak and feeble, and her body swayed as if she was about to fall to one side again.

Fern immediately stepped forward, supporting her with her body, and helped her slowly walk to the bedside to sit down. Then, she naturally turned around, picked up the comb that had been prepared beforehand, stood behind Frieren, and began to comb her long, messy hair.

The movements were delicate and gentle.

Silver-white hair flowed through her fingertips, carefully divided into three strands. The braiding method was similar to yesterday, but the feeling was different. Yesterday's three-strand braid was tight and solid, exuding a "I'm angry" force. But today, Fern's fingers moved through the hair with a gentle touch, creating a soft outline for the braid, and the knots were positioned at just the right tightness.

Soon, a neat and tidy three-strand braid was finished. Fern tied the end with a light purple hair tie and gently smoothed the braid.

Lowell, already dressed, came over to take a look.

"Ah, this hairstyle is..."

Frieren seemed to sense it too. She raised her hand, her fingertips touching the smooth braid at the back of her head, the corners of her mouth slowly curving upwards, and her emerald eyes brightening slightly.

"Hmph..."

She turned her head to look at Fern behind her, a hint of smugness in her smile.

"Looks like the food is working well!"

She held up five fingers.

Yesterday's hairstyle was a "three-strand braid when angry," with five sections, and it was braided quite tightly.

He then folded up another finger.

"Now it's Fern's 'happy three-strand braid,' with four sections. It's not as tight as when she's angry, it's very comfortable and looks great!"

Lowell nodded in agreement.

"It looks more comfortable after the treatment than yesterday."

He clapped his hands and looked out the window at the still relatively bright sky.

"Alright, let's begin today's request! Even though it's free, it's still a good deed to rid the world of a menace while I'm passing by..."

"Miss Liletta and I have already cleaned it up."

Fern calmly interrupted him, putting away the comb as she walked to the round table and began setting the table.

Lowell: "... Huh?"

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Fern.

Fern picked up a soft piece of bread, broke it open, spread jam on it, and did so slowly and deliberately.

"What time do you think it is now?"

Her tone remained unchanged; she was simply stating the facts.

Lowell scratched his head.

"Alright... but it's best not to do that next time. It's better to wait for Frieren and me, otherwise, what if we encounter some powerful opponent..."

"I will pay attention to the magic intensity."

Fern took a bite of bread, chewed, swallowed, and then continued, his gaze sweeping over Lowell.

"Besides, doesn't your clone look like that?"

Lowell choked for a moment, then scratched his head.

"That's how it is in theory, but... well, let's be safe, let's be safe."

He tried to explain.

"What if my clone gets mistaken for a random nobody and killed on the street...?"

His voice trailed off, and he seemed to realize that his reason was a bit far-fetched, so he eventually gave up.

"Okay, I can't make this up anymore. Anyway, let's play it safe, we're not in a rush."

Fern glanced at him, then at Frieren, who had already picked up a spoon and started working on the stew, and nodded slightly.

"Okay, I'll be careful."

Frieren ate a few bites quickly, her face regaining some energy. She swallowed the food, her emerald eyes turning to Lowell, a clear expectation shining within them.

"Then, the commission is complete!"

She announced it in a lighthearted tone.

Let's continue soaking in the hot springs.

Fern was drinking soup when she heard this and paused. She put down her spoon and looked at Frieren.

"Hmm, it feels a bit indulgent, Lady Frieren. You've been soaking in the hot springs for seven days in a row, haven't you?"

"What does it have to do with anything?"

Frieren didn't seem to mind and scooped out another spoonful of stew. The meat was tender and the vegetables were sweet.

"It'll get cold again after we leave here, and who knows how long it will be before we find the next hot spring."

As she spoke, she put another spoonful into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out slightly, and she squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

Looking at her master's matter-of-fact expression, Fern thought for a moment and sighed softly.

"... Okay, fine."

She gave in and continued eating her lunch.

"Then, I'll go call Miss Liletta after I finish eating."

Lowell also sat down at the table and picked up a piece of bread. He looked at Fern, as if remembering something.

"How has she been these past few days? Besides... um, helping with the cleanup requests?"

Fern put down his spoon and thought seriously for a few seconds.

"Hmm... I feel a bit... detached from desires?"

She chose a word.

"Every day she just memorizes and writes down the rules you gave her, and then she's very... obedient? Although the instructions aren't issued directly from the Dominating Stone Ring, she does whatever I or Frieren asks of her, rarely asking questions or refusing."

Lowell took a bite of bread, chewed slowly, and nodded.

"Hmm... it's pretty good. It's about what I expected."

He took a sip of water.

"As for the Demons, although there are already quite a few Demons in the academy, most of them were actually recruited by Solitär and the others. I personally recruited very few."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"It seems that Demons still have many advantages over humans. They have no family ties and their desires are simpler. Individuals like Liletta, who originally worked alone, can easily adapt to the rules and become controllable once given a clear framework and instructions."

"Many Demons are like blank slates, lacking the concept of parents and education, forced to face life and death alone from birth. Naturally, they resemble wild beasts, adhering to the law of the jungle: the strong prey on the weak, and survival of the fittest."

"They can speak human language, so deception becomes a necessary survival skill—because unlike Human race children, they are not born with protection, food, or living within rules. When they are weak, they can only rely on instinct and everything they can use to survive, so what they learn in the process of survival becomes their worldview."

"You can tell from Aura's words like 'Show off your power!' that she's like a little kid, always showing off her strength. She's just a terrifyingly powerful brat who doesn't care about human life. But once she's in shackles, she becomes quite adorable. Many Demons are like that. As for those like Lugner and Linié who love fighting, with proper guidance, they can become valuable allies."

"And like Mina back then..." He looked at Frieren, "Remember her?"

Frieren was dipping bread into the last of the gravy on her plate when she heard this, and nodded, giving a mumbled "Mmm".

"I heard she passed the Second-Class Mage exam a few days ago," Lowell continued, a slight smile playing on her lips. "And the exam specialization was Flower Field Magic. Now she's often seen helping people at the academy plant flowers and conjure flower wreaths..."

He picked up his water glass and took another sip.

"It's great, they've become excellent florists. It's wonderful to see them find their place."

Fern listened quietly, her pale purple eyes fixed on Lowell. Only after he finished speaking did she speak softly.

"Hmm... indeed. So, is it Lord Lowell's wish that humans and Demons coexist?"

Lowell's hand, holding the cup, froze in mid-air. He thought for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the cold northern sky outside the window before returning to the half-eaten lunch in front of him.

He smiled, a smile that was somewhat casual, yet seemed to carry a hint of something else.

I guess so.

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and continued eating his bread.

The room quieted down, broken only by the soft clinking of cutlery and the gentle, contented sounds of Frieren taking small bites of her food.

The light from outside filtered through the curtains, casting a narrow ray of light on the floor.

And so another day continued, just like any other.