[The spacetime that might exist] Detoxification

Sein stood on the street corner, watching Varos's figure disappear into the depths of the alley.

The smile on his face slowly faded, and he raised his right hand, his fingertips gently pressing against his temple. His brown eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the dense cluster of rooftops in the distance.

"... this magic."

He muttered to himself, his voice tinged with a sense of helplessness after confirming the news.

"As expected, it's Frieren."

He lowered his hand, shook his head, and a somewhat complicated smile appeared on his lips.

"Goddess is really capricious."

Deep in the alley, in an empty little wooden house.

The door was gently pushed open from the outside and then quickly closed again. The wooden hinges made a dry, creaking sound, which was particularly clear in the silence.

Frieren and Fern squatted in the corner. Redhead lay on the ground, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. The wound on his left shoulder had stopped bleeding, but the surrounding skin was an unnatural bluish-purple, the color slowly and stubbornly spreading outwards.

Fern raised his head, his pale purple eyes looking at Frieren.

Can it detoxify?

Frieren knelt beside the red-haired man, her finger hovering about an inch above his wound. A faint green halo emanated from her fingertip, enveloping the darkened skin. The halo swirled for a few seconds before she withdrew her hand.

"No," she said calmly, "It's a poison I've never seen before."

Fern pursed his lips.

"Then let's go to church..."

"No," Frieren interrupted her, her gaze sweeping over the thin door of the cabin. "It's too far, and we're being sniped. Taking the main road would be suicidal."

"Furthermore, the enemy who detected me from the opposite direction used the Goddess's magic. If it were just a misguided monk, that would be fine, but we can't rule out the possibility that the enemy has connections with the church."

Fern noticed Red Hair's increasingly pale face, and his fingers unconsciously curled up.

"Then what should we do...?"

Frieren remained silent.

The cabin was quiet, with only Red Hair's suppressed, intermittent breathing and the faint sounds of a bustling market several streets away.

A few seconds later, Fern spoke again, his voice more steady than before.

"Antidote."

Frieren turned to look at her.

"The archers who attacked the red-haired man should have carried antidotes, right?"

Frieren blinked.

Who knows?

"When there's an adventurer among our companions who uses poison, the party usually keeps an antidote on hand to prevent accidental injury. Lady Frieren taught me this."

Frieren looked at her for two seconds, then nodded slightly.

"... Yes."

"Then why didn't you say so sooner?" Fern asked. "Frieren must have known about this possibility."

Frieren looked away.

"If that happens, you'll make a huge scene, won't you?"

Fern nodded, his expression matter-of-fact.

"Of course."

"But we're in town." Frieren turned back, her gaze landing on Fern's face. "We need to find another way."

"But if this continues, Red Hair might die."

"Fern," Frieren called her name, her voice soft but with an undeniable calm, "I know. But this isn't the wilderness; this is the Imperial Capital, the empire, the greatest magical civilization in human history."

"I cannot allow you to fight here. This is also for the sake of our lives. If civilians are accidentally injured, even just incidentally, everyone here will become our enemy. The Empire's mages are extremely skilled at fighting humans; they are far more terrifying than you can imagine."

She extended her hand to Fern, palm up, making a "calm down" gesture.

"Take a deep breath and let me finish..."

Fern looked at her outstretched hand, then raised his eyes to look at Frieren. Her expression was calm, even too calm, like a thin layer of ice covering deep water.

"Lady Frieren," she began, her voice completely flat, "Don't you believe in my strength?"

Frieren's hand froze in mid-air.

She looked at Fern, her emerald eyes slightly narrowed, as if trying to discern something.

"At least," she finally said, uttering each word slowly, "I don't believe in you now."

She lowered her hand, leaned forward slightly, and closed the distance a little.

"Fern, do you know what state you're in right now?"

Just then--

"Squeak."

The door to the cabin was pushed open from the outside.

Fern moved almost the instant the door hinges clicked. She raised her right hand, and her staff appeared out of thin air, its tip instantly glowing with a dangerous, concentrated white light, which she pointed at the doorway.

"Don't do it."

Frieren's voice rang out at the same time, calm but with a clear tone of disapproval.

The figure at the doorway became fully visible.

Sein stood there, one hand still gripping the doorframe. He scanned the room, pausing on Frieren's face before landing on the red-haired man lying down, and finally looking at the lingering white light at the tip of Fern's staff.

A smile appeared on his face, a natural smile that carried a hint of familiarity from a long-awaited reunion, and a touch of "I really can't do anything with you guys."

"Long time no see, Frieren," he said, his voice cheerful. "I thought I'd never see you again after that parting."

Frieren released her grip on Fern's hand and smiled.

I did say 'goodbye'.

Sein walked in and closed the door behind him.

"While I'd love to hear what trouble you've gotten yourselves into this time," he said, glancing at the wound, a soft white light emanating from his palm—more intense and stable than Frieren's had just emitted—"it seems there's no time to waste. Let me see..."

He squinted and moved closer.

"Hmm," he muttered, "That's really pathetic."

Frieren watched his healing movements and asked, "Can it be cured?"

Sein didn't even look up; his attention was entirely on the wound. The white light seeped into the blackened flesh, slowly fighting against and dissolving the bluish-purple toxins.

Who knows? Let's give it a try.

Fern had already put away her staff. She stood slightly behind and to the side of Frieren, looking at Sein's focused profile. A hint of confusion flashed in her pale purple eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. She tilted her head slightly to look at Frieren, her eyes questioning.

Frieren noticed her gaze, turned her head, and explained in a low voice that only the two of them could hear:

You didn't notice at all, did you?

Fern shook his head gently.

"During my escape, I sensed Sein's magic," Frieren continued, her voice low but clear, "So I ran in the direction he might be. I also deliberately released my own magic so Sein could sense it—since we're already being tracked in reverse, it doesn't matter if we don't conceal our magic. And Sein shouldn't be the enemy's target, so there's no need to worry."

She glanced at Sein, who was concentrating intently on expelling the poison.

"This is the best place to safely reunite with him."

Fern listened in silence. Only after Frieren finished speaking did she ask softly, "Finding Mr. Sein... was it just a coincidence?"

"It was a coincidence." Frieren nodded, her emerald eyes reflecting the soft white light emanating from Sein's healing. "But a mage needs to be calm enough to make good use of this chance opportunity."

She paused for a moment, letting her words settle in the silence.

"Fern, you didn't even notice Sein was so close. How can you say you're calm right now?"

Fern's body swayed slightly.

Then, she slowly lowered her head, her hands hanging at her sides gently clenching into fists, then slowly relaxing. Pale purple eyelashes fell down, casting a small shadow under her eyes.

"... Yes." She lowered her head, her voice devoid of emotion, but her shoulders slumped slightly.

"I'm so sorry, Lady Frieren."