Sweetness and the Everyday

The Imperial Capital was bathed in the glow of lights before the celebration.

Along the streets and alleys, magical light spheres floated under the eaves, casting a warm, stable glow that illuminated the stone pavement clearly. The shouts of vendors, the laughter of pedestrians, and the intermittent melodies of a distant band practicing blended into a buzzing background sound, full yet not jarring.

Fern looked at Frieren was walking ahead of him.

The elf carried a new stack of spellbooks and several oddly shaped magical artifacts, piled higher than her head, swaying as she walked. Her silver-white twin tails bobbed with each step, her emerald eyes gleamed with satisfaction behind the stack of books, and a smug smile played on her lips.

Frieren - Book-carrying version?

No, it's not the "I found a treasure" limited edition from Frieren.

She was almost completely buried by the stack of books, with only half of her face and the tips of her hair sticking up visible. Yet, she walked with steady and light steps, as if she were carrying not heavy knowledge, but a large, fluffy cloud.

Lowell admired it, nodding. "We could make a standee..."

"Lady Frieren..." Fern sighed.

Frieren struggled to peek her head out from the side of the pile of books.

"Kindness?"

"We're drawing the enemy out," Fern stated. "Is it really okay for you to be so relaxed?"

"Hmm..." Frieren blinked, her expression quickly shifting to a serious, thoughtful one, though the treasure in her arms somewhat diminished its persuasiveness. "Yes, that's right," she puffed out her chest, causing the stack of books to sway precariously, "I'm deliberately letting my guard down, creating the illusion of being completely unprepared, to lure those lurking in the shadows into making their move."

Lowell, walking beside her, smiled and reached out to steady the thick book on top that was about to slip off. With a casual wave of his other hand, the mountain of "trophies" in Frieren's arms vanished silently, stored away in another dimension.

"Alright, alright," Lowell said, "With so many fighters on our side, are we afraid of the enemy making a move? What we're afraid of is them not making a move."

Frieren's arms were suddenly empty. She clapped her hands in satisfaction, then put her hands on her hips.

"Hmph~ That's right, as expected of the Imperial Capital! Those things from earlier, and the ones we bought before, are all very rare items..."

Fern looked at his master's smug expression of "returning with a full load" and remained silent for two seconds.

"Okay," she finally said, accepting the explanation, but her gaze swept over Lowell before returning to Frieren. "But can we really read all of this? This is the third wave today; we just bought two huge piles."

Upon hearing this, Frieren tilted her head, her silver ponytail cascading down her shoulder. She pondered for a moment, then held up three fingers, her expression serious.

"It's alright. Although there's a lot in stock, it will take about three hundred years to read it all."

Fern helplessly raised his hand and gently pressed his temple.

"Lady Frieren's amazing sense of time is at it again..."

"Come on, Fern!" Frieren, however, had already regained her spirits. She turned and took Fern's hand, walking briskly towards the next lit stall. "Let's keep browsing... Patrol! There seems to be a stall over there we haven't seen before!"

Fern was pulled along by her and had no choice but to follow. She glanced back at Lowell, who gave her a "have a good look" look.

"Okay," Fern turned back, muttering softly, her pale purple eyes reflecting the warm streetlights, "Anyway, I'm rich now..."

Just then, light footsteps approached, accompanied by a sweet fragrance.

Ruby came running over, carrying a large bunch of candied hawthorns. The straw stalks were sticky with bright red fruit, and the glistening sugar coating shimmered enticingly under the light. Her face was beaming with a bright smile, and her fiery red curly hair bounced with her movements.

"Everyone, come and eat!" Her voice was clear and cheerful, with a childlike joy. "These candied hawthorns are delicious! Come on, Himmel, Master, Lady Frieren, Lowell, Lupa, Linié, Sense, Fern, Methode..."

She went through them one by one, but when she got to the end, there seemed to be too many people, so she simply handed the straw stalks to the middle.

"Oh dear, there are so many people! Anyway, everyone should come and try it!"

Fern was the first to reach out and take a bunch from the stick. She carefully took a small bite. The crisp sugar shell crumbled between her teeth, mixing with the slightly sour and sweet hawthorn flesh, the taste melting on her tongue.

Her pale purple eyes widened slightly, then closed with satisfaction, and she gently shook the hand holding the candied hawthorn.

"So sweet," she whispered, her voice filled with delighted admiration, and she seemed to brighten up a bit.

Himmel smiled and took a skewer as well, naturally offering it to Ruby's lips first. Ruby took the top one from his hand, chewing with her cheeks puffed out, her eyes curving into crescents.

Serie took a skewer and gracefully took a small bite. The sweet crunch of the sugar coating and the slight tartness of the hawthorn mingled in her mouth. Her golden eyes were calm and unwavering as she slowly chewed, her gaze drifting sideways to Lowell beside her.

Lowell was holding a skewer without any hesitation, and had already taken a bite of the second one, his cheeks slightly bulging from eating.

Serie swallowed the food in her mouth and spoke in a slightly indifferent tone.

"... Is this your 'proper preparation'?"

Lowell swallowed the fruit, took another bite, and mumbled, "The banquet hall isn't that big, the secret passage has been found, and I've notified Duncan; they'll be providing support outside..."

He swallowed the food in his mouth, and his voice became clearer.

"Right now, besides luring the snake out of its hole, there really aren't any other good ideas. And—"

He turned his head and looked at Sense, who was quietly eating candied hawthorns beside him. The brown-haired girl had droopy eyelids and was taking small bites of the candy shell, like a squirrel eating.

"--Didn't Sense agree?"

Upon hearing this, Sense looked up. She nodded, a strand of brown hair slipping from her shoulder with the movement.

"Indeed." Her voice was steady, without much inflection. "The arrangement is quite reasonable. Our combat strength is sufficient, but mages still make up a large proportion of our forces. If we could fight in the open air, our advantage would be even greater. Compared to the banquet hall, this place," she glanced across the brightly lit streets and the open square, "Is more suitable for mages to fight."

Serie finished the rest of the candied hawthorn in a few bites, then casually tossed the bare wooden skewer aside. The skewer traced an arc before landing precisely in a trash can a few steps away.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Boring," she commented. "In the end, the whole assassination attempt on me is a joke. If it were really going to be an assassination, I sat alone on the top of the tower last night and didn't sense any signs of anyone watching me."

Frieren didn't participate in the conversation. She quickly finished her skewer and began to scan the surrounding stalls. Soon, as if she had discovered a new continent, her eyes lit up, and she pulled Fern toward a stall selling magic books and groceries.

A little while later, she returned carrying a stack of books with old covers and varying thicknesses, her face showing the familiar elation of discovering a "treasure."

"Lowell!" her voice was light and cheerful, with a hint of urgency. "Come on, we've basically bought all the spellbooks, let's go check out that other place! They seem to have a lot of ancient magical artifacts over there!"

Lowell responded and naturally put away the stack of books as well. He glanced at Serie, who was standing with her arms crossed, wearing an indifferent "whatever" expression, but her gaze seemed to be momentarily drawn to a stall selling glowing trinkets not far away.

"Let's take a look around then," Lowell said casually. "There's still plenty of time."

The procession started moving again, dispersing into the bustling night market.

Lupa and Linié walked a little behind. Lupa also held a string of candied hawthorns, but she ate slowly, her eyes always alert, scanning her surroundings. Linié was perched on her back, her pink head resting on her shoulder, also holding a string of candied apples, but instead of hawthorns, she was nibbling on them, her purple eyes half-closed, like a lazy cat. Occasionally, when a pedestrian approached, Lupa would slightly turn to the side, keeping a distance.

Methode and Liletta walked side by side. Methode's blue-violet eyes gently fell on Ruby, who was skipping and hopping ahead, and she only took a small bite of the candied hawthorn in her hand. Liletta didn't take any snacks at all, but just followed quietly, her golden eyes looking particularly clear under the lamplight, observing the street scene and the flow of people.

Schritt pulled out her metal flask from somewhere again, taking sips as she walked, a slightly tipsy look on her face. Wolf walked beside her, no longer carrying his longbow, but instead a cloth bag filled with groceries—bought from the deli stall they had passed earlier. Gazella, meanwhile, was huddled around a stall selling antique coins, whispering something to the vendor, his fingers tapping over several coins with the shrewdness typical of a merchant.

Iris, arm in arm with Lutine, pointed to a roadside stall selling handmade hair accessories, chattering about which ones were pretty. Lutine, being pulled along, remained expressionless on her gloomy face, but didn't pull away, her gaze occasionally lingering on a large, intricately crafted hairpin. Lore, eyes closed, walked steadily, protected by Kleis on the inner side, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding noise. Sein walked on Kleis's other side, holding a biscuit given to him by someone, eating it while chatting quietly with Kleis about past anecdotes, occasionally letting out a soft laugh.

Fern, pulled along by Frieren, weaved through the various stalls. Magic lamps, magic scrolls, strangely shaped ores, amulets supposedly possessing special effects, pottery shards imprinted with ancient runes... Frieren's eyes gleamed under the lamplight as she picked up each item, examining it carefully while muttering to herself. Fern followed beside her, taking over items when she couldn't carry them all, or stepping closer when she tried to haggle the price down, subtly applying pressure with her calm, pale purple eyes.

A night breeze swept through the streets, carrying the scents of food, spices, and faint floral fragrances. Celebration banners fluttered gently under the eaves, and occasionally, in the distance, towards the palace, a small, experimental magical firework would burst open with a bang, scattering tiny specks of light before quickly dissipating into the deep blue night.

The tense atmosphere seemed to be diluted by the sweet candy coating, the warm lights, and the hushed sounds of bargaining, Melt into an ordinary yet lively night in the Imperial Capital.

It's like the most ordinary yet most worthwhile nighttime stroll in a long journey.