The Journey Back

Problem solved.

On the way back, the dirt road was bleached white by the afternoon sun, and the wind was light, lazily swirling a few withered leaves.

Lowell walked at the front, his steps slow and deliberate, his hands behind his head. He looked up at the sky and then pursed his lips.

That's it?

His voice sounded a bit listless.

"I was a little nervous, thinking you might not be able to handle it. A swarm of dragons, a swarm of dragons... wyverns, right?"

Frieren walked beside him, her silver hair gleaming in the sunlight. She was looking down at a magic book she had just acquired from the village.

"Isn't it great that we don't have to fight?"

She didn't even look up, her tone indifferent.

Lowell chuckled and lowered his hand from behind his head.

"That's great... it saves effort."

He scratched his head.

"But that Three-Headed Dragon we raised before... well, fundamentally speaking, it might have been more of a lizard. I'd rather call it a dragon. These flying dragons..."

He smacked his lips and shook his head.

"Tsk, it's far from it. Compared to a real dragon, it's like a winged lizard."

Fern followed a few steps behind, staff in hand, the tip occasionally lightly tapping the pebbles on the path. Hearing Lowell's words, she looked at him with her pale purple eyes.

"Yeah."

She thought about it.

"It does feel... not too difficult to deal with. Similar to the monsters I faced when I first arrived in the Northern Plateau."

Lowell nodded.

"That's exactly it. If this counts as a 'dragon,' then the others we encountered before would also be dragons, all of them could be called dinosaurs, just Allosaurus and Pteranodon. Simply calling these things 'dragons' is a bit of an exaggeration."

He shrugged.

"I was overthinking it. If a real dragon horde were to attack the village, forget about saving the houses; the ground would probably be ripped up several layers deep."

Liletta, who had been walking silently towards the back of the group, spoke up. Her golden eyes were fixed on Lowell's retreating figure, and her voice was flat.

"It's not difficult, but compared to the useless reward for that commission, it's far inferior. Why bother taking it?"

Lowell didn't stop walking. He turned around and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow and showing a hint of surprise before turning into a smile.

"Huh? You're asking this kind of question now?"

He turned back and continued walking forward, a hint of approval in his voice.

"A good trend."

He stepped over a small puddle in the road.

Why...?

He drew out the melody.

"On one hand, it's just a convenient way to do a good deed. On the other hand..."

He turned his head and glanced at Frieren, who was still focused on flipping through the magic book beside him, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

"A reward for the commission—maybe my Frieren will like it. Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?"

Frieren had just turned to a page in the booklet when her fingertip stopped. Her emerald eyes widened slightly as she stared at a line of old text on the page, and a smug smile slowly crept onto her lips.

"Hmph~"

She brought the page closer, her nose almost touching the paper, and made a soft, pleasant sound in her throat.

Methode walked at the back of the group, her posture still elegant and composed. She kept looking at Frieren, and seeing the satisfied little girl's expression, her smile deepened instantly, and her eyes curved into crescents.

Ah~

She sighed softly, her voice filled with undisguised affection.

"Miss Frieren is so cute with her hands on her hips..."

Her gaze slid from Frieren's smug profile to her small frame, which was slightly arched with joy and still clutching the book pages. Her eyes were so gentle they seemed to be overflowing with tenderness.

"Even though he's not standing with his hands on his hips right now, this pose still..."

Frieren stopped turning the pages of the book.

She slowly raised her head, shifting her gaze from the magic book to the source of the sound— Methode. Her emerald eyes blinked, meeting Methode's unusually bright eyes, which seemed to say, "I want a hug."

"..."

She didn't speak, but silently closed the old booklet in her hand, hugged it to her chest, tilted her silver-white head slightly towards Lowell, and quietly took half a step, trying to use Lowell's figure to block some of the overly intense gaze from behind.

Lowell noticed the subtle movement beside him, looked down at the silver-white head that was almost touching his arm, and then glanced up at Methode behind him, whose smile was becoming increasingly radiant.

He didn't speak, but subtly shifted his position to shield Frieren even more completely. At the same time, he raised his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat forcefully.

"Cough!"

The sound was deliberately amplified.

Fern walked diagonally behind, taking in everything. Her pale purple eyes calmly swept over her, from her master trying to hide, to Lowell blocking her way, and then to the smiling Methode behind her. Then she said nothing, simply gripping her staff tightly and continuing forward steadily.

Liletta watched the silent interaction between the group, a hint of confusion flashing in her golden eyes. She seemed unable to understand the complex meaning contained in those few words and actions.

She thought for a while, then finally decided to give up thinking, look away, and look ahead at the road.

The dirt road stretched forward, winding through barren hills. In the distance, the shadow of the village, which had just escaped the dragon's calamity, was slightly distorted in the afternoon heat.

The wind blew again, carrying the scent of dry grass and dust from the wilderness.

The group walked in silence, the only sounds being the rustling of boots on the hard ground and the occasional soft rustling of pages from old booklets being blown by the wind.

As Methode looked at Lowell's back, which almost completely blocked Frieren's view, the overly bright smile on her face finally subsided, returning to its usual gentle and elegant curve. She gently shook her head, but the smile in her eyes did not fade.

"Really..."

She whispered something with a smile in a voice only she could hear.

Then she started walking and followed.

Under the same sky, in another distant place.

The sunlight, filtered through the dense canopy, dappled across the thick layer of decaying leaves on the ground.

"First-Class Mage Edel, you've met her before, Duncan. She's an expert in Mental Magic." Lairen's voice was clear in the quiet forest. "I asked her to accompany me this time to investigate this area again. The information she has will definitely be helpful to you."

"Really? We're actually quite familiar with each other." Duncan's response was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Extend your hand, and I will pass on my memories to you." Edel extended her hand, palm facing upward.

"Kindness."

Duncan reached out and touched Edel's palm. A faint, milky-white halo emanated from Edel's palm.

"Alright, that completes the handover of the mission. Your task is to maintain and manage the barrier of the Golden Land. Remember not to do anything unnecessary," Lairen said.

Duncan did not respond, but simply withdrew his hand.

Lairen turned around, preparing to leave with Edel.

"... Duncan, give up, you can't do it." Before walking a few steps away, Edel couldn't help but turn back and add, her voice low.

"I understand," Duncan replied, his face expressionless.

Edel turned around and walked side by side with Lairen into the deeper shadows of the woods.

"He's planning to die." Her voice drifted over.

"I'm a little envious," Lairen replied, her footsteps fading into the distance. "After all, I can't disobey Serie's orders. The Demon King's Army's last and strongest Seven Sages of Destruction, Macht of the Golden Land, went alone to this perilous place, just to save his homeland that had already turned to gold. He's just like a hero from a fairy tale."

The wind swept through the forest, carrying distant sounds before scattering them away.