The Pot

The next day at noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the wind carried the faint fragrance of wildflowers by the roadside.

As for why they set off at noon, that's thanks to Frieren and Ruby. The two, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, had another "wake-up battle" this morning, which ended with Frieren's complete defeat.

After packing up, the group left Bonie Village and embarked on the road leading to the heart of the empire. The dirt road under their feet was relatively flat, and the wheels of their vehicles kicked up a fine layer of dust.

Lowell walked beside Himmel, then suddenly remembered something and turned to look at him.

"Speaking of which, Himmel..."

"What's wrong, Lowell?"

"I remember you once boasted that you'd be able to slay a 200-meter-long snake with a single sword strike," Lowell said with a mischievous smirk. "And now, have you done it?"

Himmel smiled and scratched the back of her head.

"Perhaps. But I've never seen a snake that long before." He gazed at the distant, undulating mountains, gesturing with his hand, "Even the Imperial Prison Dragon isn't that long..."

Fern, who was walking a little behind, blinked her pale purple eyes upon hearing this.

"On my way back to the inn last night, I overheard passersby talking," she recalled. "They said, ' Himmel once killed a thousand-meter-long serpent with a single sword strike, saving the entire village...'"

Ruby was drinking water from her water pouch when she heard this and choked on it. She quickly put down the pouch, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and her emerald eyes widened in surprise.

"Puff--!"

She put down the water pouch, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and stared wide-eyed at the water pouch.

"It's become a hundred times!"

Himmel's smile faltered, and he scratched his cheek.

"Haha... a thousand meters, that's really a bit..."

Lowell crossed his arms, giving him a knowing look.

"Don't be afraid. When in doubt, consult quantum mechanics."

Frieren was walking ahead, stopped, her silver hair swaying gently in the breeze. Her emerald eyes gazed at the old road sign, half-buried in the ground, standing at the bend in the road ahead.

"We've arrived in the Farbel Region."

The lettering on the road sign was faded, but the words "Falbe" were still barely legible.

Fern followed her gaze and looked further into the distance.

"There seems to be a village that has been attacked ahead."

At the end of the road, the outline of a village could be vaguely seen. But a few wisps of black smoke rose incongruously from between the rooftops, standing out starkly against the clear sky.

Ruby her hand and squinted.

"That's true." She lowered her hand and turned to look at Fern. "Fern has a good eye."

The group quickened their pace.

The closer you get to the village, the clearer the scene becomes. Several houses near the road show obvious signs of violent damage; the wooden doors are crooked and the window panels are broken. A section of the fence along the field ridge has fallen, and the vegetable garden has been trampled into a mess. In addition to the smell of burning, there is also a faint, faint stench of demons in the air.

In the open space in the center of the village, a group of villagers gathered, most of them with worried expressions. As they saw this group of people dressed in various clothes, clearly adventurers, approaching, the villagers whispered among themselves, a hint of hope flickering in their eyes.

A blonde girl emerged from the crowd. She looked about sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a simple linen dress with mud splattered on the hem. She walked up to a few people, stopped, took a deep breath, and then spoke.

The voice was clear and crisp, but the tone was flat, as if reciting a text that had been practiced many times, even with a strange, song-like rhythm.

"As you adventurers have seen, these monsters on the continent are trampling our land and encroaching on our lives."

She placed her hands together in front of her, her posture upright.

"Respected adventurers, I sing your praises of your strength, and hope you will lend us a helping hand."

After she finished speaking, her face remained expressionless; she simply waited quietly for a response.

Ruby and tilted her head to look at Lowell.

"... What's this called again? Lowell."

Lowell stroked his chin, scrutinizing the girl's serious expression.

"... The NPC who issues the quest is utterly emotionless; it's like lines straight out of the Adventurers Guild charter," he commented, then, as if remembering something, a flicker of realization crossed his eyes. "Hmm... wait a minute. That way of speaking sounds familiar."

He took a half step forward, carefully examined the girl's face, and then looked at her unusual light golden eyes.

"I remember, about eighty years ago? When we passed through this area, we did rescue a little girl from a group of Saber-toothed Tiger monsters, and even taught her a few words... Was she your grandmother?"

The girl's expression, which resembled reciting a text, cracked instantly. She paused, her eyes widening slightly.

"Well..."

She opened her mouth, a slight embarrassment at being exposed appearing on her face, but she quickly tried to straighten up and coughed twice.

"Ahem, are you gentlemen the heroes who saved the village back then? Then I won't recite those lines."

Her voice returned to its normal, clear tone with a slight local accent, and she spoke a little faster.

"Grandma said that speaking like this makes it easier to get help... Anyway, could you please help us clear out the monsters in the area?"

She seemed to suddenly remember a key step in the process, and added.

"Oh... right, I have the payment!"

She turned and pointed to a house that looked fairly intact at the other end of the village.

"Grandma told me, 'If you're lucky enough to run into your benefactors again, just give them that old, useless magical tool from home, and they'll definitely help you...'"

She suddenly covered her mouth halfway through her sentence, her light golden eyes widening in surprise.

"Oops, I accidentally blurted out the truth!"

She quickly lowered her hand, straightened her back, and put on that serious expression again, though her ears were a little red.

"I mean, I have a precious family heirloom magical artifact that I wish to offer to the Elf Mage! Um... please forget what you just said."

Everyone was speechless. "..."

Only the wind blowing through the broken eaves made a soft whistling sound.

Frieren had been listening intently since earlier. Her emerald eyes gazed at the girl, a look of interest on her face.

"What kind of magical tool is it?"

The girl visibly relaxed when someone responded. She turned and ran back to the room, returning a short while later with something in her hand.

It was a teapot. The material was neither pottery nor stone, and the whole body was a dark brown color. However, the surface was decorated with gorgeous and complicated reliefs. The pattern was some kind of ferocious, dragon-like creature. At the spout, a wisp of ominous black aura, visible to the naked eye, was slowly flowing and swirling.

The girl reached out and handed over the pot, which was emitting an ominous black aura, her expression serious.

"If you put this pot next to your pillow while you sleep, you're guaranteed to have very, very terrifying nightmares."

Almost the instant she saw the black aura, Fern instinctively took half a step behind Frieren, her pale purple eyelashes drooping slightly.

"It's such an ominous thing; just looking at it makes me uncomfortable..."

Frieren didn't flinch; instead, she moved closer, carefully examining the carvings on the pot and the layer of black mist, her emerald eyes filled with inquiry.

"Really?" she asked, her tone purely curious.

The girl nodded, her face full of certainty.

"Grandma is definitely right."

Frieren blinked, a naive yet inquisitive expression on her face.

Why are you so sure?

The girl was taken aback by her question, then frowned, seemingly finding the question a bit odd. She thought for a moment, then answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Because no one has actually tried it yet."

She glanced at Frieren, then at the others, and added, her tone even more matter-of-fact.

"Who would deliberately seek out nightmares? Everyone's terrified and has wanted to get rid of it for ages..."

Her voice stopped abruptly again, she covered her mouth a second time, and her eyes widened even more. After two seconds, she lowered her hand, cleared her throat forcefully, and tried to salvage the situation as a last resort.

"Ah, no, no! I mean, this magical tool is extremely precious. I've always kept it carefully, hoping to leave it to a destined mage! How could ordinary people like us be worthy of using it!"

Frieren looked at her trying so hard to make amends, nodded calmly, as if she had completely accepted the explanation.

"I see."

She reached out and took the ornately decorated pot, emanating an ominous black aura, from the girl's hand. The moment her fingertips touched the pot, the black aura seemed to ripple slightly.

"Make a deal."

She held the pot in her arms, looked down at it, and a satisfied smile curved her lips.

Lowell watched as Frieren happily put the pot into her magical space, then looked at the girl who had breathed a sigh of relief because the "transaction was successful," and finally gazed at the traces left by the monsters in the distant fields.

He scratched his head.

"... Okay then. It's on the way anyway."

He turned to the people behind him.

"Let's go, let's get to work. The sooner we finish, the better we can reach the next town before dark."

Ruby raised her hand, her turquoise eyes sparkling.

"Oh! Watch this!"

Himmel smiled and placed her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"Hmm. Let me stretch my muscles too."

The group walked towards the fields.

The girl stood at the village entrance, watching their retreating figures, and muttered something under her breath.

"Grandma was right after all... If we give away that unlucky pot, they'll help us."