The Name of an Enemy
The campfire crackled, lighting the faces of everyone gathered around it, each wearing a different expression. Before long, Lowell returned to the room.
"Speaking of which, Lupa," Lowell asked her, "do you know who destroyed your village?"
"Of course! I'll never forget him as long as I live!" Lupa's voice grew somewhat agitated. She clutched the blanket tightly, her knuckles turning white, as if she meant to strangle the phantom. "Mother hid me in a pile of firewood... I watched with my own eyes... that bastard killed her like he was crushing an ant...! I'll never forget what he looked like!"
She gasped for breath, her mismatched eyes burning in the firelight as she described the figure from her nightmares, word by word. "A demon, unusually tall, with blond hair, black eyes, brown skin, huge, twisted demon horns, and saw-like teeth... He was wrapped in heavy chains and wore nothing on his upper body..."
With every feature she named, the room grew quieter. Before she had even finished, Lowell gave a slight nod and turned to Frieren, looking for confirmation.
Frieren was blowing on her hot soup in small breaths. Feeling his gaze, she raised her head, her green eyes calm and untroubled, as if searching through an ancient archive. She picked up the account in a matter-of-fact tone. "The Corrupt Sage, Qual, right?"
"That's right." Lowell confirmed Frieren's assessment, his voice still carrying that lazy air, as if he couldn't be bothered. But what he said made Heiter and Eisen sit bolt upright. "It's most likely him."
"The Corrupt Sage?" Heiter took a sip of soup. "You two know him too?" The well-traveled priest sounded incredulous. How was it that these two seemed to have crossed paths with every troublesome demon?
Lowell rubbed his head. "We do. Qual isn't officially counted among the Seven Sages of Destruction, but he's strong enough to stand alongside them. If you don't count Aura's scales, he's much stronger. Even among demons, his mana is one of the most vast, complex, and profound, and..."
He paused, his tone growing slightly weightier as he stressed the danger. "The most troublesome thing about him is his original Killing Magic. The magical defenses of conventional mages, priests' holy light barriers, and even a great deal of top-tier magic-resistant equipment can hardly withstand it. Its properties allow it to pierce right through them. That guy's talent for magic is truly on a monstrous level. He's a genuinely, exceptionally difficult greater demon to deal with."
Silence fell. Only the faint crackle of burning wood could be heard. Eisen tightened his grip on the haft of his battle-axe, and Heiter's face grew somewhat grave. Ruby instinctively hugged her staff closer as well. Her usual impishness had vanished, replaced by the tension of facing a truly formidable enemy.
Just then, a clear, resolute laugh broke the silence.
"Hahaha!" Himmel brushed the blue hair from his forehead, his face breaking into his signature smile, a blend of confidence and fearlessness. "No matter how strong an enemy is, if they're blocking our path, we have to face them! That's what our hero party should do, right?"
His gaze swept over his companions before settling on Lowell, full of trust and a hint of challenge-like eagerness. "Besides, Lowell, you could defeat even Qual, couldn't you?"
Lowell looked into Himmel's clear blue eyes, and a smile touched his lips. "I could. But... would you let me do it?"
"Of course not!" Two voices answered almost at once.
Himmel and Ruby exchanged a glance, each seeing the same determination in the other's eyes. Himmel smiled. "This is our journey, our battle. If we relied on Mr. Lowell to step in whenever we met a strong enemy, wouldn't our titles as heroes and our resolve be a joke?"
Ruby nodded vigorously too, her little face flushing with excitement. "That's right! The great Ruby wants to beat those bad demons with her own hands too! How could I keep hiding in the back?" She seemed to have come to regard avenging Lupa as part of her own mission.
Their fiery spirit lifted the somewhat heavy atmosphere. Heiter chuckled and patted the wine flask he had resisted drinking from all evening. "That's the spirit! But don't come crying when the time comes! He's someone even Lowell calls 'troublesome.'"
Eisen gave a low "Mm" in support, but his eyes remained grave. He was clearly considering how to deal with that kind of penetrating magic.
Lupa looked at the people before her and listened as they offered, not merely to humor her but in all sincerity, to shoulder her bitter blood feud, even treating it as a chance to test themselves.
She opened her mouth, and tears once again welled up beyond her control. But this time, they were no longer born of despair and sorrow alone. Mingled with them were inexpressible gratitude and a stirring in her heart... the feeling of having found others on the same path. She wiped her tears away fiercely and said in a thickly nasal but unusually resolute voice, "Thank you... thank you all..."
Frieren quietly finished the last mouthful of soup and set down her bowl. She looked at the impassioned Himmel and Ruby, then at Lupa, whose expression was complicated. Finally, her gaze fell on Lowell, and she blinked. She seemed already to foresee the two of them arguing endlessly on the road ahead over "who gets to challenge Qual first" and "what flashy moves to use."
Lowell caught Frieren's look and smiled softly. There was a touch of indulgence in that smile, as if to say, "let them be," and a barely perceptible understanding of youthful passion. He turned to Lupa, his tone returning to its usual easygoing manner. "You heard them? Quite a few people are eager to help you get your revenge. So your first priority now is to stay alive and get stronger."
He stretched and leaned lazily back against the wall. "Get a good rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, you can first learn how to find mushrooms in the wild that are edible and don't taste too awful."
The overly practical change of subject stunned Lupa for a moment. Then she smiled through her tears and nodded vigorously. "Yes, Master!"