Wasteland

The next morning, the four packed their belongings and said goodbye to the family.

The man stood with the children at the hotel entrance, waving to them. The youngest girl stood on tiptoe, waving until their figures became tiny dots at the end of the dirt road.

We left the inn and ventured into the wilderness.

The wind was still blowing, carrying sand. The sky was gray, and the clouds hung low.

After walking for a while, Lowell suddenly spoke.

"Hurry up."

As he spoke, he took larger strides, and his pace noticeably increased.

Frieren and Fern exchanged a glance, asked no further questions, and immediately followed. Liletta brought up the rear, her pace quickening in sync, her conjured boots clattering loudly on the hard earth.

As Fern increased his flight speed, he looked at Lowell.

"The magic probe detected nothing, Lord Lowell. Is it 'Future Sight'?"

"Yes, my 'Future Sight' are only partially activated; it usually alerts me when people around me are in danger." Lowell nodded, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "If we hurry, we can probably save them before that guy attacks the carriage."

Fern stopped speaking, gripping his staff in his hand, and floated forward even faster, his long, pale purple hair being pulled straight back by the wind.

It took about fifteen minutes to get there.

A horse-drawn carriage appeared at the bend in the dirt road ahead.

It was an ordinary horse-drawn cart, the horses pulling it pawing restlessly, puffing out white steam. The driver, a middle-aged man, was gripping the reins tightly, his face pale, his eyes wide as he stared ahead.

There was something standing in front of the carriage.

It was very tall, nearly three meters. Its bare upper body had clearly defined muscles, with only a tattered strip of cloth tied around its waist. A leather shoulder guard was draped diagonally over its right shoulder, its edges worn. It had two horns on its head, curving backward. Its long hair was loose, interspersed with coarse, animal-hair-like strands, and its beard was thick, also bearing inhuman characteristics.

Its lower body has centaur-like limbs with large hooves that are deeply embedded in the ground. Its skin is covered with dark, twisted stripes or tattoo patterns, giving it an overall untamed, wild appearance.

It held a broad-bladed sword in its hand, the edge gleaming coldly.

It was raising its sword, pointing it at the man in the carriage.

The man had loosened the reins, his hands shielding his body, his body shrinking back, and short, sharp gasps escaping his throat. A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing the terrified face of a little girl.

"Gah!"

The monster let out a short roar, and the blade slashed down—

"Call out!"

A solid white beam of light tore through the air and struck the sword precisely.

"Clang!"

The loud bang of metal colliding.

The monster's arm jerked, the sword was deflected, and its entire body was pulled back two steps by the force, its hooves carving shallow furrows in the dirt road.

It steadied itself, and its three eyes—one on its forehead and one vertical pupil—all turned toward the direction from which the attack was coming.

Fern held her staff horizontally, the white light at its tip still lingering. Her face was expressionless, her pale purple eyes calmly locking onto her target.

Without any pause.

"Whoosh--!"

Three more magical beams shot towards the monster's head and chest in a triangular formation.

The monster howled, its broadsword flashing in front of it, leaving a blurry gray shadow.

"Clang clang!"

Three sharp cracks, sparks flying. The beam of light was deflected, but the impact forced it back again, its hooves sinking deep into the ground.

The man in the carriage reacted quickly, scrambling off the carriage and rushing towards the terrified little girl inside. He then turned and ran desperately towards Lowell and the others. He stumbled and nearly fell several times, but he held the child tightly in his arms the whole time.

The monster glanced at the fleeing man, its three eyes gleaming even more menacingly. Ignoring the carriage, it turned to Fern, letting out a low growl, and stomped its hoof down heavily—

The ground tremored slightly.

Its massive body suddenly lunged forward, much faster than it appeared, closing the distance in just a few steps. It raised its broadsword high, bringing with it a heavy gust of wind, and slashed horizontally at Fern in mid-air!

Fern was prepared. Just before the sword was about to strike, magic surged beneath her feet, lifting her body upwards and gracefully dodging the attack.

The wind from the sword swept past her feet, fluttering the hem of her robe.

But at that moment—

"Gah--!"

The monster tilted its head back and let out a longer, more piercing howl.

The muscles of its lower body suddenly tensed and swelled, and a shockwave burst forth from beneath its hooves. Then, its massive body lifted off the ground and floated upwards!

Although the movements were somewhat clumsy and the ascent wasn't particularly fast, it was indeed flying.

Fern's pupils contracted slightly.

She hadn't expected this seemingly pure warrior enemy to be able to fly. As she maintained her casting posture, her figure momentarily froze as magic flowed through her.

The monster seized the opportunity. It climbed to a height similar to Fern's, raised its broadsword again, and this time slashed vertically downwards, the blade aimed at Fern's head, the force heavier and more ferocious than before.

The distance was too close; there was no time to dodge.

Fern immediately held his staff horizontally, the staff glowing with purple light, and a honeycomb-shaped Defensive Magic circle instantly unfolded above his head.

Just a moment before the sword's edge struck the magic circle—

A dark shadow rushed up from below.

"Clang--!"

The sharp clang of metal striking metal was so intense it made one's eardrums ache.

Liletta gripped her sword with both hands, blocking the monster's broadsword. Her blade pressed against the guard of the monster's sword, a relatively weak point. The two swords clashed, sending sparks flying.

The impact caused both of them to fall diagonally downwards simultaneously.

"Bang!"

It crashed heavily back to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

The monster swayed after landing, and Liletta used the recoil to slide back two steps, kneeling on one knee, her sword still held horizontally, her golden eyes fixed on her opponent through the dust.

Fern adjusted his posture in mid-air and pointed his staff downwards.

"Whoosh--!"

The magical beams rained down like a sudden downpour, no longer aiming for a fatal blow, but rather to block the monster's movement, forcing it to parry and creating opportunities for Liletta.

The monster swung its sword to block the beam of light, its movements slightly slowed by the impact. Liletta seized the opportunity, lunging forward and thrusting her sword tip straight at the side joint of its knee.

The monster raised its hoof to kick, but a beam of light struck its hoof, causing it to stagger.

"Laugh!"

Liletta's sword pierced the joint gap, not deep, but enough to make it lose its balance.

The monster howled in pain, its body tilting to one side. Fern's beams followed in quick succession, three in succession striking its vertical pupil in the center of its forehead.

"Puff!"

Dark liquid spurted out.

The monster's howl abruptly ceased. Its massive body froze in place, swayed, then collapsed forward, crashing to the ground with a dull thud. The broadsword slipped from its grasp, clattering to the side, and its entire body began to dissipate.

The dust settled slowly.

Fern landed gracefully, her breathing slightly rapid, but quickly regained its steady. She looked at Liletta.

Liletta had already sheathed her sword and stood up straight, flicking off a bit of dirt from the tip. Her expression remained as calm as ever, as if the lightning-fast interception just now was merely a casual act.

The man who had been holding the little girl finally reached Lowell and Frieren, his legs giving way as he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his face deathly pale. The little girl buried her head in his arms, sobbing softly.

Fern walked up to Liletta.

"Thank you very much, Miss Liletta."

She spoke earnestly, then paused.

"It may be presumptuous of me, but may I ask why you saved me?"

Her voice carried a clear hint of doubt. Usually, in situations like this, Lowell would give the order before Liletta would act. But just now, it was clear that Lowell hadn't spoken.

Although the question was somewhat strange, she didn't believe that Liletta considered her a companion.

Liletta looked up at her, her golden eyes direct.

"Because every time I help you, it seems like your feelings towards me improve; I can sense it."

Fern blinked.

The answer was straightforward, even a bit too practical. But after thinking about it, she nodded.

"I see." She nodded slightly. "Anyway, thank you very much, Miss Liletta."

Frieren walked over to the monster's dissipating corpse and examined it.

"Although this monster looks like a demon and has animalistic features, it should actually be considered Demons." She turned to Fern, "Demons aren't all humanoid. This kind of being, like Qual, is of the same type, possessing some characteristics of 'beastmen' or 'barbarians.' Fern probably thought it was a flightless demon, which is why it flew high into the sky, right?"

Fern nodded.

"Yes, I misjudged."

"Compared to Demons, most humans' flying ability is more like 'floating in the air' than truly flying freely. While not all Demons are particularly skilled in aerial combat, most are better than humans," Frieren continued, her tone casual and explanatory. "When fighting Demons, it's best to do so on the ground. I don't think I've told you this before. Most Demons are handsome to deceive humans. And those who are ugly are generally stronger."

"However, even if they are strong, there are still quite a few with this level of strength in the Northern Plateau. This is just the beginning."

Fern nodded again.

"Yes, Lady Frieren, I will be careful."

She suddenly remembered something and looked at Frieren.

"I remember Lord Heiter mentioning before that you suggested we take the sea route because 'the monsters in the Northern Plateau are very strong,' right?"

Frieren tilted her head, her silver hair swaying past her shoulders.

"You remember this too?"

Fern's lips curved into a slight smile.

"Of course."

She turned her head and looked at the lone carriage on the distant wasteland, then at the father and daughter sitting on the ground, still shaken.

"So, Lady Frieren," she said softly, her voice clear in the wind, "We're protecting someone else's homeland. It feels really good."

Lowell walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder.

"Yes, and it's mostly Fern who does the work, accumulating good deeds and striving to achieve sainthood as soon as possible..."

Fern turned to look at him.

"From which legend is that, Lord Lowell?"

Lowell raised an eyebrow, a look of surprise on his face.

"Huh? Didn't Fern say I was talking nonsense?"

Fern smiled, her pale purple eyes gazing at him.

"I get interested sometimes too."

Lowell's eyes lit up, and he immediately became interested, clearing his throat.

"Then let me tell you. It's said that in the far East..."

He began to speak, his voice echoing across the empty wilderness.

Frieren walked over to the father and daughter, knelt down, and looked at them calmly with her emerald green eyes.

"Can you still walk?"

The man caught his breath, nodded quickly, and stood up while holding the child.

"Yes, I can walk! Thank you, thank you, gentlemen..."

Frieren waved her hand, stood up, and looked at the carriage. The horses were still tethered, pacing restlessly.

It must be said that this horse was quite calm; normally it would have run away in fright long ago.

"The car still works. Take the essentials and come with us for a while to the next town. Well, give us a ride, that'll be your payment. It's a fair trade."

The man thanked him profusely, then took the child and went to tidy up the carriage.

Liletta walked back to Lowell's side and stood quietly, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

The wind continued to blow, stirring up dust that swept past the carriage and the few people standing on the wasteland.

Fern listened to Lowell's "legends," a faint smile remained on her lips. She nodded occasionally, asked a question now and then, but her gaze would frequently drift towards the father and daughter who were tidying up the carriage.

The sky remained overcast and gray.

But the road ahead is still long.

They rested for a while, and once the father and daughter had finished packing, they set off again. The carriage followed behind, its wheels making a rhythmic sound as they rolled over the dirt road.

Liletta remained at the back, her lips moving again in a low, monotone recitation, her voice barely audible and carried away by the wind.

"I swear to treat the weak with kindness. I swear to bravely stand against rape..."

Fern was walking diagonally ahead of her, and upon hearing this, he turned around and glanced at her.

Then he turned back without saying anything.

His pace seemed to slow slightly, and he was a little closer to the person behind him.

The wasteland stretched out before them, without end.

But with someone to accompany you, the road doesn't seem too long.