The Statue

After they traveled the last stretch of forest path, the town's low walls of earth and stone came into view. A dozen or so guards stood sparsely along the top, their armor old and their weapons less than fine. They stared tensely toward the forest, their faces showing a mixture of resolve and barely concealed fear. Clearly, the commotion caused by Aura's army passing through had long since put the town on alert.

When they saw Himmel and his companions emerge from the forest, they first raised their weapons warily. Then they made out the traces of battle on the group and their extraordinary bearing, especially Himmel's handsome face, which had already gained some fame around the Royal Capital.

The captain of the guard was a middle-aged man with a scar on his face. He froze for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He hurried forward, his voice trembling with excitement. "H-Heroes! You really are the heroes, aren't you? Did you just come from that way? Those demons..."

Himmel elegantly brushed back his slightly tousled blue hair and gave them a refreshing, reassuring smile. "It looks like we made it in time. We've already dealt with them, so there's no need to worry."

The captain and the guards behind him breathed a collective sigh of relief, their tense shoulders sagging. The captain was so excited that he could barely speak. "Thank goodness! We... we can't thank you enough! We had already resolved to live or die with the town... I never imagined... never imagined the heroes would..."

Himmel stepped forward and gave the captain a familiar pat on the shoulder, getting straight to the point in a casual tone. "Hahaha, that's right. So, I was wondering, does the town have a reward for us? We did put in a great deal of effort, after all."

The captain clearly froze, apparently not expecting the legendary hero to ask for a reward so bluntly. But he immediately recovered and nodded vigorously. "Of course we do! We must! Without you heroes, the entire town would surely have been wiped out! What would you like? Anything we can provide!"

Himmel rubbed his chin, his smile as bright as ever. "Hmm... just providing us with food and lodging would be enough. Also, if you have any magic books, no matter what kind of magic they contain, that would be even better. Would that be all right?"

"Th-That's all?" The captain froze again, but hurriedly agreed. "That's easy! I'll go report to the mayor right away! He'll surely have a bronze statue cast in your honor to commemorate your kindness!" With that, he hurriedly called for the guards to clear the way and led the group into town.

Ruby skipped along beside Himmel, her little face full of pride. "Oh, not bad! We're heroes now, hehe..."

Heiter rubbed his growling stomach and laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Free booze! I can drink to my heart's content tonight! I wonder if this town has any special good liquor!"

Eisen followed silently behind, his gaze sweeping over the town's simple but fairly tidy streets. Frieren and Lowell walked at the back. Frieren's attention seemed to be drawn to the aroma of flatbread roasting at a roadside stall, and her steps unconsciously slowed. Lowell, meanwhile, wore a lazy expression that seemed to say, "Finally, we can rest." The two demon girls, Linié and Mina, were expressionless as always.

By afternoon, however, the feast they had envisioned had yet to materialize.

In the small square at the town center, Himmel was surrounded by a worried-looking craftsman holding a drawing board. At times, the hero held his sword aloft in one hand, posing as though gazing toward the future; at others, he planted the sword on the ground and rested both hands on its hilt, posing as a thinker; then he sat on a chair brought over for the occasion, knees bent and one hand covering his head, striking a deeply melancholy pose...

"Hmm... would this pose make me look too frivolous? This one's a little too serious, though. That won't do..." Himmel thoughtfully rubbed his chin as he studied the paper in the craftsman's hands, covered in rough sketches. "How can I perfectly capture my good looks and my sense of responsibility as a hero?"

Sweat beaded on the craftsman's forehead, and he was close to snapping the charcoal pencil in his hand. Yet he didn't dare show the slightest disrespect to his savior, so he could only force a smile uglier than a grimace. "H-Hero... with your looks, you'd look good however you pose... Why don't we settle on one for now?"

At the entrance to an inn not far away, Frieren leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, her green eyes on the figure constantly changing poses in the center of the square. She had been in that position for nearly an hour.

"Lowell," she said in a flat voice, "do we have to wait for him to finish posing?"

Lowell sat on the steps beside her, playing with a dried leaf. At her question, he chuckled. "Haha, it's interesting, isn't it? Let's see how many poses he can come up with. Humans are always creative in their obsession with 'leaving their names in history.'"

Ruby sat sulking on the threshold, her cheeks in her hands and her little mouth thrust into a pout. "Hmph... stupid mayor, looking down on me! He's only making a statue of Himmel, even though Lady Ruby helped too! Ruby's magic is really powerful!"

Heiter, on the other hand, was in high spirits. He had produced a small flask from who knew where and was happily sipping from it. "Hahaha... don't be like that, Ruby. Free booze is already plenty good! Look at this town, it's not exactly wealthy. Besides, let Himmel have the spotlight!"

Ruby said, "Hmph... I wanted to strike a cool pose too... and let everyone know how amazing Lady Ruby is!"

Three hours passed.

The setting sun dyed the sky orange-red, and Himmel was still agonizing over the details of the statue with the craftsman.

"How about this? Raise the sword a little higher and make my gaze more resolute? Or this? Turn sideways to show off my perfect jawline..." Himmel was still brimming with enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, the gloom at the inn's entrance had grown almost tangible.

Frieren's stomach gave a clear growl, for who knew how many times that afternoon. At last, she could bear it no longer and cried out, "Ah! I'm hungry!"

Ruby couldn't take it anymore either. She jumped up and chimed in, "Waaah! Me too! I'm starving! Himmel, you posing idiot!"

Himmel was standing on one leg in a crane pose when the two of them startled him with their shouts.

Ruby grabbed Himmel's arm and started shaking it. "Stop posing! Food! Food is the most important thing! The statue isn't going anywhere!"

Heiter hurriedly put away his flask and came over to smooth things out. "All right, all right, Himmel. Nothing's more important than food! You can think about poses tomorrow!"

Eisen had also come over at some point and stood silently to one side. Though he said nothing, his eyes clearly conveyed, "If we don't go eat soon, there may be violence."

Himmel looked at his companions gathered around him and finally gave an awkward laugh, dropping his pose. "Ahaha... you're right, you're right! Food first! The statue... we'll discuss it tomorrow! Tomorrow!"

The craftsman looked as though he had been pardoned. Nearly in tears, he hugged his drawing board and hurried away.

The group finally headed for the mayor's residence. Hunger had temporarily triumphed over the pursuit of "eternal handsomeness."