Traveling Together
The group stayed for a few days.
Then...
After some tug-of-war, Methode got a seat next to her.
She stood before them, her hands elegantly clasped in front of her, a gentle and impeccable smile on her face, and gave a slight bow.
"Then please take care of me, Mr. Lowell, Miss Frieren, Miss Fern, Miss Liletta."
Frieren nodded, her silver hair swaying slightly with the movement.
Please give me your guidance.
Lowell waved his hand casually as well.
"Yes, please take care of me."
Fern looked at Methode, her pale purple eyes calm, her voice clear.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Methode- Date."
She paused, then added, her tone unchanged, but the meaning was clear.
"Also, you're not allowed to touch my head."
Methode's smile deepened, and her eyes crinkled.
"Okay, I will definitely try my best."
Liletta stood a little behind, her golden eyes watching them, but she didn't say anything.
Fern turned his head to look at her.
"Miss Liletta."
Liletta turned her gaze to Fern and then nodded slightly.
"... Please give me your guidance."
Methode's gaze lingered on Liletta for a moment, her smile gentle.
"Miss Liletta is very cute too."
She spoke sincerely, then sighed softly, with a hint of regret.
"It's a pity she's a bit too tall. I prefer petite girls, like Miss Frieren and Miss Fern... What a shame."
As if remembering something, her gaze drifted into the distance.
"Miss Yun and Miss Zolida were also very cute. It's a pity I only got to hug them for a short while before they left..."
She recalled Yun's "How interesting!" and Zolida's "..." expression.
Lowell raised his hand and pressed it to his temple.
"Teen killer, teen killer..."
He shook his head and lowered his hand.
"Anyway, it's good for you to stay with us while you're free. That guy will definitely be very happy to see you."
Methode blinked, a hint of curiosity in her expression.
"Huh? Could it be the legendary Linié Line?"
Frieren was taking an apple out of her bag when she heard this. She looked up and blinked her emerald green eyes.
"Has Linié become a 'legend'? But I guess I'm talking about Sein. That guy's got a thing for mature older women."
Methode's eyes lit up instantly, the corners of her mouth softened, and her voice was filled with undisguised joy.
"Miss Frieren praised me as a mature older sister... I'm so happy..."
Then, the smile vanished instantly, replaced by a calm, businesslike expression, and a nonchalant tone.
However, I'm not interested in men.
Lowell scratched his head and gave a dry laugh.
"Haha... Is that so? Well, that depends on his fate."
He turned to the other side. Genau had already packed his things, shouldered a simple bag, and was ready to depart with his partner.
"Hey, Genau," Lowell gestured to him, "Remember to deliver him to the border and the academy, don't send him to the wrong place."
Genau nodded, his black eyes sweeping over the four Demons stood quietly waiting, their wrists encircled by gray stone rings, without saying anything more.
"Good."
He turned and, together with his partner, walked towards Oysast. The four Demons followed silently, their figures gradually disappearing into the morning light, finally vanishing into the thin dust rising at the end of the dirt road.
Fern looked at the captain of the knights guarding the village. "This captain looks really strong. Isn't it a bit of a waste of his talents to guard this small village in this remote corner of the world?"
Lowell struck a pose. "This is not about seeking peace in a remote corner, but about ensuring tranquility for the people here!"
Fern: "..."
Methode looked in the direction they left for a few seconds, then turned back, her smile returning to her face.
"Alright, let's go then."
As if suddenly remembering something, she took out an exquisitely crafted silver emblem engraved with the Magic Association's insignia from her small leather bag and held it in her palm.
"Oh, Miss Frieren, Miss Fern. There's something I almost forgot to mention."
Her voice was steady and clear.
"Since you've recently met your contribution targets, Lady Serie says she can now 'transfer' the magic to you. Shall we find some time to return to Oysast?"
Frieren stopped eating the apple. Her cheeks were still slightly puffed out, and her emerald eyes turned to Methode. She blinked, then slowly swallowed the apple.
"Eh..."
She dragged out the words, her expression unchanged, but a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
"Compared to this..."
She tilted her head, her silver hair swaying past her shoulders.
"I'm more curious about what you said earlier, about you touching Serie's head."
A small, slightly mischievous smile curved the corners of her mouth upwards.
I really want to see what her expression was like back then.
Fern stood to the side, and upon hearing this, nodded slightly, his pale purple eyes lowering slightly.
"Indeed. It's hard to imagine that person... being patted on the head."
Methode put the emblem back into her bag and clasped her hands together in front of her again. Her expression softened, and there was a hint of rapture in it.
"Lady Serie is really kind to us apprentices."
Her voice softened.
"Although she never says it outright... I can sense it."
Lowell crossed his arms, looked at the gray sky in the distance, and clicked his tongue.
"Of course. She is to almost every one of her apprentices."
He turned his gaze back, his tone carrying a complex meaning.
"Serie... tsk. Take the matter of 'transferring' magic, for example, she doesn't have any desire for power. In the beginning, she probably only developed the Continental Magic Association to carry on her apprentice's legacy, and also to see more mages who like to fight."
"He 'transferred' the magic to his apprentices, leaving his 'Future Prediction' magic with only the least useful one: Prophetic Dreams... That future Serie, she's really spoiled."
He shook his head, as if sighing.
"While it's true that a wealthy person doesn't care how much money they have in their coffers—whether it's 10 billion or 1 billion, it might make no difference to them—being able to do what she does is truly unique. This is evident from the fact that almost every one of her apprentices deeply respects and admires her."
Fern listened quietly, then looked up.
"Eh... So, should we go back?"
She glanced at the road to the north, then looked towards the south.
"It's quite a long journey."
Lowell waved his hand.
Of course not.
His tone was firm.
"Anyway, Serie will be going to the Empire Eisberg in a while. We're going there too. Let's meet up then and talk, so we don't have to make two trips."
Methode's face showed clear surprise.
"Huh? Is that so? Lady Serie is going to the Empire? I've never heard of that."
Fern looked at Lowell, his pale purple eyes understanding.
"It's Future Prediction, isn't it? That's really convenient."
Frieren had finished eating the apple and casually tossed the core aside. The core traced an arc and landed precisely in a discarded earthenware pot some distance away.
She brushed the crumbs off her hands, her emerald eyes brightening as she looked at Methode, her tone light and cheerful.
"Okay, let's do it that way."
She extended her index finger and pointed it at Methode, her smile revealing undisguised anticipation.
"Methode, remember to pat her head in front of me. I want to make her laugh..."
Methode tilted her head slightly, then smiled, a smile that was gentle yet seemed to conceal something.
"Hehe... If Miss Frieren wishes, I will try my best."
The wind blew from the other side of the wasteland, swirling up sand that lashed against my legs.
Lowell stretched out his arms.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's go."
He started walking and stepped onto the dirt road heading north.
Frieren walked beside him, her steps light. Fern and Liletta followed. Methode brought up the rear, her steps unhurried, her face still bearing that gentle smile that kept her true thoughts hidden.
The group left the small village, which had just experienced turmoil and was slowly recovering, their figures gradually blending into the vast and desolate landscape of the Northern Plateau.