A Place for Them

When Genau arrived late from the end of the dirt road at the village entrance, it was already broad daylight.

His black robe was stained with the dust of his journey. Behind him followed a group of knights dressed in the dark brown uniforms of the Norm Trading Company; well, although they were knights, they were not riding horses.

Lowell leaned against the half-collapsed mud wall, watched him approach, and waved.

"Oh, you're here."

His voice was low, with a slightly lazy tone.

"Look how slow you are. If you had been any later, and I hadn't arrived, you wouldn't have been able to collect the body, you'd probably be visiting your best buddy's grave by now. And by the way, the village would probably be gone too."

Genau stopped a few meters away.

He first glanced at Gutkind, who was leaning against the broken wall, his face still pale but his breathing steady. His gaze swept over the torn robe on Gutkind's abdomen, which had healed, leaving only pale pink new flesh and dried bloodstains. Then, he turned to the several children huddled close to Gutkind beside him, their faces still wet with tears, but the fear in their eyes had mostly faded.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the four Demons who stood out abruptly in the ruins—the massive and silent Leifuerdi, the Nebel with eyes closed, the hand on his sword Zolida, and the cloud tilting its head, curiously observing him. The dusty stone rings on the wrists of the four demons were particularly conspicuous.

Genau's face showed no change in expression.

He paused for two seconds, then spoke, his voice steady.

"... You actually came."

He paused, seemingly choosing the right words.

"That's really good."

He walked over to Gutkind, knelt down on one knee, examined the wound, but did not touch it.

A few breaths later, he withdrew his hand and stood up.

"The Norm Knights will help with the aftermath, appease the villagers, and handle the follow-up."

He turned to the side, gestured to the silent knights behind him, and then seemed to prepare to leave.

He hadn't finished speaking.

A hand wearing a white glove gently patted his shoulder.

Methode was already standing beside him. She withdrew her hand, elegantly folding her arms in front of her, her face bearing her usual gentle yet serious expression.

"Mr. Genau."

She reminded her softly.

"Thank."

Genau's back stiffened almost imperceptibly. He didn't turn around or look at Methode, but stared at the empty, scorched earth ahead.

The air was silent for a moment.

"Thanks."

He forced out two words, his voice lower and harder than before.

"It's nothing. If you really want to thank me, go back to your hometown and visit. Your other good buddies probably miss you a lot too."

"Yeah."

Methode seemed satisfied. She turned her head, her gaze searching through the crowd, quickly settling on a certain corner.

Frieren was standing a little further away, holding a red apple she'd somehow produced, taking small bites of it. Her silver hair swayed slightly in the morning breeze, and her emerald eyes were half-closed, exuding a leisurely air that seemed completely out of place with the tense atmosphere.

Methode's eyes lit up instantly.

That usually gentle and composed mature woman's face softened and warmed at a visible speed, the upward curve of her lips became unusually soft, even taking on a dreamlike quality.

"Ah... Miss Frieren..."

She took half a step forward, her voice filled with undisguised, almost sighing pleasure.

"I never expected... to see you again so soon. Lady Serie said she had 'Future Prediction' and saw that something bad seemed to be happening in this area, so she sent us to help... but we're still a bit too late."

Frieren stopped eating the apple.

She shrank back slightly, her emerald eyes glancing at the unusually excited Methode, then quickly looking away, staring at the apple in her hand as if incredibly complex magical patterns had suddenly sprouted on it.

"... yes."

She gave a mumbled reply, the last syllable lingering on her lips.

"Goodbye so soon..."

Fern stood slightly behind and to the side of Frieren, her pale purple eyes glancing at the ecstatic Methode, then at her master, who was clearly uncomfortable and pretending to be engrossed in eating her apple. A small knot formed at the tip of her brow. She didn't speak, but silently took half a step forward, her shoulders slightly tilted forward, like a silent, thin but purposeful barrier.

Lowell ignored the subtle, eerie atmosphere that was playing out over there. His attention had already shifted back to the four new "troublemakers" he had acquired.

He stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Leifuerdi, Nebel, Zolida, and Yun.

"Alright, we can chat later."

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.

"You four... well, since you're following me, even if it's forced upon you, you still need to follow some rules. First, introduce yourselves, in detail. What are you each good at? Besides fighting and killing, what are your hobbies? I'll see how to arrange things for you, to make the best use of your talents..."

Leifuerdi spoke first. The four swords remained hanging silently at his sides, his voice calm and even, as if he were stating the weather.

"Swordsmanship. Divine Skill: Shattered Sword. Hobby: Killing."

Concise and to the point, without any embellishment.

Nebel clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.

"Mist-Summoning Magic. Creates and manipulates magical mist, which can be used to obscure vision and sense interference. Hobbies: Combat."

The wording is precise, with a touch of rigidity.

Zolida stood upright, his hand resting on the hilt of his knife.

"A combination of swordsmanship and wind magic. High-speed slashing, specializing in close to mid-range combat. Hobbies: Combat."

She is decisive and efficient, just like the impression she gives off.

Finally, it was Yun's turn. She blinked her overly round and clear eyes, raised one hand, and, like someone answering a question in class, spoke in a clear and cheerful voice:

"I... I can manipulate monsters! I can make them scout or help in fights! I also have Transformation Magic, I can transform into all sorts of shapes! My hobbies are killing and understanding humans! I'm incredibly curious about what humans are thinking! Why do they have so many strange habits!"

She spoke quickly and urgently, the ribbon on her leg fluttering with her slight, excited thumping, her face radiating a naive yet cruel curiosity.

After listening, Lowell raised his hand and pressed it to his temple.

"Tsk."

He uttered a clear syllable that indicated a headache.

"I love fighting, I love fighting, I love killing, I love killing while also learning about humans... Can't you Demons have some healthy and positive hobbies? Can't you grow flowers, raise plants, or learn to cook? Okay, so wanting to understand humans is one of your hobbies..."

The four Demons watched him silently, each with a different expression, but none of them clearly understood what "healthy and positive leisure activities" had to do with them.

Lowell sighed and began distributing.

"Those two who like fighting, Nebel and Zolida, right? Go find Wirbel. He's the captain of the Northern Border Magic Team now, and they're short-handed. Mist magic is perfect for disrupting vision and dividing the battlefield. Wind Blade Swordsmen are also excellent for surprise attacks and decapitations; they need vanguards. There are plenty of battles for you over there—fight demons, fight Demons, whatever you want, just follow the rules and don't kill indiscriminately."

Nebel and Zolida exchanged a glance, nodded, and offered no objection.

"As for you, Leifuerdi... you have a penchant for killing." Lowell looked at the silent behemoth. "You go too. The border isn't short of damned bastards. Monsters, Demons, and those heinous bandits and outlaws. Deal with the latter, don't hold back. If you achieve merit, and there are truly those scum who deserve to die, those who pollute the air even when alive, you can dispose of them. Eat them if you want, consider it a punishment more terrible than the death penalty. There needs to be a deterrent more cruel than the death penalty, so that those scum will think twice before committing evil deeds."

Leifuerdi's metal eye mask twitched slightly, as if he were "looking" at Lowell, and then slowly nodded.

"Finally, you..." Lowell's gaze fell on Yun, and the little girl immediately straightened her back, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "You want to understand humans?"

"Yes! I'd love to know!" Yun nodded vigorously.

Lowell gave a slightly exaggerated, approving look and raised a thumbs up.

"That's ambitious! The hope for the future coexistence of Demons and humans! It's good that you have this ambition. Go back and find Solitär; she's currently... well, at the academy. That girl is an expert on humans; her theoretical knowledge is absolutely solid. If you follow her, you can learn a lot... uh, about the 'interesting' side of humans."

His gaze swept over the four demons.

"Listen carefully. My decision to send you to the border and the academy isn't just to give you a place to vent your energy or satisfy your curiosity. I want you to try to integrate into human society. Not to pretend, but to try to understand, and even try to live like humans. Many Demons are already on the path of coexistence. Those who enjoy fighting, the border will be full of enemies, but your allies may be humans. Those who want to understand humanity should try to put themselves in a human's shoes and experience things from a human perspective."

"Only in this way will the people around you in the future not look at you with suspicion or disgust simply because you are Demons. Killing and fighting can be means, but they should not be the entire purpose of living. Try to find some other hobbies and goals."

The four Demons listened quietly. Leifuerdi remained unmoved, Nebel closed his eyes, and Zolida's lips still curled slightly downwards, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Only Yun's eyes grew brighter and brighter, seemingly filled with eager anticipation for "integrating into humanity" and "finding other forms of amusement."

After Lowell finished speaking, he glanced at the four of them again, then suddenly clicked his tongue, as if he had discovered something interesting.

"Thunder, wind, clouds, fog..." He counted on his fingers, his expression somewhat subtle. "This combination... tsk, should we find rain, snow, sunset, frost, or something to make you a grand army of natural phenomena? Sounds pretty plausible."

Leifuerdi, Nebel, Zolida, and Yun exchanged glances, their faces showing obvious confusion, completely not understanding what he was talking about.

Lowell waved his hand.

"Alright, alright, it's not important, it was just a casual remark. Let's leave it at that for now."

He turned to Genau.

"Genau, I'll need you to 'deliver' these later. Give the ones going to the border to Wirbel, and the ones going to the academy to Solitär. Is that alright?"

Genau glanced at the four obedient Demons wearing stone rings, yet still exuding an aura that could not be ignored, and nodded.

"Can."

At this moment, Gutkind, who had been resting against the wall, coughed softly, attracting everyone's attention.

His face was still a little pale, but he seemed to be in much better spirits. He looked at Leifuerdi, and with difficulty, he forced a smile that was a mixture of pain and defiance.

"General Leifuerdi, right?"

Leifuerdi silently "watched" him.

"You're really strong," Gutkind said, catching his breath. "However, I don't think I lost. If I hadn't been distracted protecting the children, the outcome would have been very different."

He paused, a faint but clear light igniting in his eyes.

"Let's have another chance to compete later, once I've recovered."

After all, those who come to the Northern Countries to carry out missions are all war-crazed fanatics.

Leifuerdi for two seconds, his metal goggles gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"... but I can't kill you."

He stated it in a flat voice.

"No comparison."

Gutkind was taken aback, then found himself both amused and exasperated, aggravating his wound and causing him to grimace.

Beside them, Nebel and Zolida turned to Gutkind almost simultaneously. Nebel's hands remained clasped together, his voice calm. "We can fight." Zolida gripped the hilt of his sword, a sharp glint flashing in his single, exposed eye. "I'm ready anytime."

Lowell arranged the four Demons and turned around.

Somehow, Frieren found herself with Methode's arms around her head from the front.

Methode's arms were wrapped around her shoulders and neck, her cheek rubbing contentedly against the top of her silver hair. Frieren's entire face was buried in the other's chest, with only her pointed ears showing. As Methode rubbed against her, the tips of her ears twitched slightly, and she was holding a magic book that was clearly a bribe in her hand.

Her lower body was being held from behind by Fern.

Fern slipped his arms under her knees and pulled her backward with all his might. Her pale purple hair was slightly disheveled from the effort, her cheeks were slightly puffed out, and her lips were tightly pursed.

So Frieren was stretched into a horizontal line, suspended in mid-air, with forces acting from both ends.

She was still clutching a dark brown-covered magic book tightly in her hand. The pages rustled softly in the morning breeze.

"No...!"

Her voice came muffled from Methode's arms, drawn out and weak, sounding more like she was going through some kind of process.

"Yamete yo..."

She thought for a moment and then called him by a different name.

"Lowell, save me--"

Lowell watched this scene and remained silent for a few seconds.

He raised his hand to his mouth and coughed twice.

"Cough cough."

He shifted his gaze to the charred section of broken wall beside him, his tone becoming serious, even carrying a hint of detachment as if it were none of his business.

"It's about girls..."

"Lord Lowell!"

Fern's voice immediately rang out from behind Frieren, clear and steady, but with the last syllable slightly raised, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.

Lowell slumped slightly, sighed, turned his face back, and his expression became somewhat helpless and resigned.

Calling me won't do any good.

He spread his hands.

"At that moment, I was just an incompetent husband..."

Fern paused for a moment in his dragging motion.

She turned her head, revealing half of her pale purple eye beside Frieren's waist, and looked at Lowell. Her gaze was calm, but it clearly said, "What strange things are you saying?"

"..."

Her lips moved, but she finally uttered the comment, "Flat-chested."

"What a strange metaphor!"

Methode nuzzled Frieren's hair again, then released her arm.

Frieren lost her upper body support and fell backward, but was caught steadily by Fern and helped to stand up.

Methode stepped back half a step, elegantly folding her hands in front of her lower abdomen, her face regaining its gentle and composed smile, as if she hadn't been the one who had been clinging to someone and rubbing against them just moments before.

"Hehe..."

She chuckled softly.

"In short, we can't make things difficult for Miss Frieren."

Her gaze drifted to Fern, then quickly returned, the corners of her mouth curving into a deeper smile, tinged with understanding and tenderness.

"We can wait until Miss Fern is not around."

Lowell's eyebrow twitched.

"The more I listen, the more it sounds like an affair."

He crossed his arms and glanced sideways at Methode.

"Shouldn't you wait until I'm not around?"

He shook his head, let out a long, affected sigh, raised his hand to his chest, his expression fell, and his voice was filled with deep sorrow.

"Alas, my Frieren... just abandoned me like that..."

Frieren had already straightened up and was tidying her disheveled silver hair and robes. Hearing this, she raised her head, glanced at Lowell with her emerald eyes, and curled her lips downwards.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her eyes lit up.

"Okay, okay."

She held up the dark brown magic book in front of her, her expression instantly shifting to a triumphant, treasure-showing look, the previous "cry for help" and "helplessness" vanishing without a trace.

"Look!"

She turned the pages of the book, her fingertip pointing to a line of ancient Elvish script, the sound clear and crisp.

"A magic trick that ensures no eggshell gets into the egg white when cracking eggs! Amazing, right?"

Lowell immediately lowered his hand from his chest, and the mournful expression on his face Vaporize instantly. He took two steps closer, bent down to look at the pages, his eyes widened, and he let out an exaggerated exclamation of admiration.

"Oh!"

He straightened up, clapped vigorously, and looked at Frieren with undisguised, shining admiration.

"Such useful magic! My Frieren is simply amazing!"

He opened his arms wide, his voice brimming with emotion.

"As expected of my Frieren, so many people love her, even exchanging such a precious magic book for the chance to hug Frieren..."

Fern stood to the side and slightly behind Frieren, quietly watching this scene.

Her pale purple eyes darted back and forth between her master's smug pose with his hands on his hips and Lowell's exaggerated expression of praise.

Then, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"... Lord Lowell."

Her voice rang out, steady and clear, like smooth pebbles in the cool morning air.

"Praising Lady Frieren at such an inopportune time is not good for her education."

Frieren was happily flipping through her magic book when she heard this, and she stopped turning the pages.

She turned her head to look at Fern behind her, blinked her emerald eyes, and showed a mixture of confusion and "What are you talking about?" on her face.

"What does Fern take me for?"

She mumbled something under her breath, her voice indistinct.

Methode stood to the side, watching them, and gently covered her mouth with her hand.

"Perhaps she's Miss Frieren's mother."

She smiled as she looked at Fern's young face, which, though still somewhat childlike, always tried to maintain a serious expression, and her eyes softened considerably.

"Miss Fern is very cute too..."

Fern's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

As she watched Methode's "interested" smile move toward her, her pale purple pupils contracted slightly, and she took a half-step back, her back almost touching Frieren's.

"... Don't come any closer!"

Her voice was a little faster than before, and although it was still steady, a clear refusal could be heard.

"I'm not Lady Frieren..."

The morning light completely bathed the small village.

The wind still whips up the dust and sand of the wasteland, sweeping across the scorched earth, past the silent knights, past the people with their varied expressions, and past the newly recruited Demons.

In the distance, the surviving villagers, with the help of the knights, began to cautiously emerge from their hiding place to clean up the mess, with occasional low sobs and conversations.

A new day begins, bringing with it a host of new troubles.