Echoes

Five days after the banquet, Lowell left the Imperial Capital with Frieren, Fern, Methode, and Liletta.

There was no grand farewell; it was just an ordinary morning as I stepped out of the city gates. The sun was shining brightly, and the green of the distant fields appeared vibrant in the morning light.

No way.

Ruby and persuaded, and managed to keep Serie for five days.

She came up with one excuse after another. She missed her master, asked him to stay with her for a few days so she could experience the local customs and culture of the Imperial Capital... In the end, she even said, "I can't eat without my master." Each time, Serie would give her a look that said, "You're such a fool," but in the end, she didn't actually leave.

Five days is the limit.

On the morning of the sixth day, Serie grabbed Ruby by the back of her collar, who was still trying to Ruby for time with the excuse that "my master abandoned me last night," and threw her into a magically powered black carriage.

Himmel naturally followed and sat down next to Ruby.

Then, Serie did go back.

The carriage door closed, the carriage started moving, and it drove smoothly along the official road into the distance, soon becoming a small black dot on the horizon.

Lowell stood outside the city gate, looking in the direction where the black dot disappeared, and crossed his arms.

"... What can we do?"

He spoke in a low voice, as if talking to himself.

"And we can't just follow Serie around like a shadow."

He turned around and walked towards Frieren and the others who were waiting not far away. His steps were casual, and his expression relaxed, as if he had truly let go.

"Let's go," he said. "Let's set off for Ende..."

Frieren nodded and followed naturally. Fern walked on her other side, with Methode and Liletta half a step behind.

The group walked along the official road in the opposite direction from the carriage.

After walking a distance, the outline of the Imperial Capital gradually blurred behind me.

The official road was wide, with neat rows of roadside trees on both sides. At this time of year, the leaves were a deep, vibrant green, rustling in the wind.

As Lowell walked, he suddenly raised his hand and grabbed his hair hard.

"I just can't figure it out..."

He spoke, his voice clear on the quiet official road.

"I just don't understand!"

Frieren turned her head to look at him.

"Then don't think about it anymore. You can't figure it out anyway, so why bother?"

"No! Your logic is flawed!" Lowell lowered his hands, hugged his head with his arms, and ran his fingers through his hair. "That's why you need to think! Once you understand, you won't need to think anymore!"

He stopped, turned around, and faced Frieren. His face showed a mixture of frustration and confusion.

"But no matter how I think about it, something just doesn't feel right... It's kind of starting strong but ending weakly?"

He gestured, trying to organize his thoughts.

"You planned an assassination and gave up just because we were fully prepared? If it were a small-scale operation, that would be one thing, but this was an assassination attempt on the strongest mage on the continent!"

He turned his head and began counting on his fingers.

"I was originally thinking that some big shot might appear and slap Himmel Ruby, and then Serie would be in a tough fight. I'd then yell, 'Heroes always come last!' and save the day. Or maybe some random person would break through Brugge's protective barrier and directly threaten Serie, allowing Himmel and Lupa, the two ace warriors, to say something like, 'Your speed is inferior to mine,' or... the enemy would see Serie is well protected and attack me first. Everyone would think Serie would be attacked, but then suddenly someone would chop off my head, everyone would be shocked, and then another one would grow back, mocking the mastermind to their face..."

He lowered his hand, his shoulders slumped.

"I've thought about it from so many levels, even up to the atmosphere, but the other side is at level zero? And hasn't even made a move?"

"Isn't this a waste of all my planning? Don't you agree, Frieren..."

He stopped before he could finish speaking.

Because he suddenly realized that he could no longer sense Frieren's magic.

Not only Frieren--

He turned his head and looked to his side.

The spot where Fern had just stood was now empty. Only the dust on the official road swirled slightly in the wind.

Methode and Liletta are also missing.

The official road was quiet. The wind rustled through the leaves, and birdsong could be heard in the distance.

He was all alone.

The sunlight was bright, illuminating the empty official road until it appeared white.

"... well?"

He uttered a short syllable, as if he hadn't reacted yet.

"Frieren?"

There was no response.

Only the sound of the wind.

Lowell stood still. His gaze swept across the deserted road, over the quiet woods on either side, and over the azure sky above.

There were no magical fluctuations, no signs of spatial distortion, no sounds of battle. Nothing at all.

The four people who were just walking together have been gently erased from this world as if by some invisible eraser, leaving not a trace.

How could someone do something like that without him even noticing?

He looked down at his palm. He clenched his fingers, then relaxed them.

Then, he raised his hand and pressed it against his temple.

"... You're here."

He spoke in a low voice, his tone eerily calm.

"What kind of magic is this... spatial magic? Impossible, there were no fluctuations of spatial magic just now."

He lowered his hand, raised his head, and looked back at the empty space in front of him.

"Furthermore, Frieren and the others are not to be trifled with; if attacked, they would certainly fight back."

"How could you do something like that without me even noticing?"

He remained silent for a moment.

A few seconds, or maybe longer.

The wind kept blowing, and the leaves kept rustling.

Then, Lowell took a very, very light breath.

"That's really..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

On the top of the head, at the temples on both sides, beneath the skin, came a clear, subtle cracking sound of bone growth. Dark, curved, sharp points pierced the skin and hair, slowly growing and extending, gleaming with a cold, hard, inhuman luster in the sunlight.

Almost simultaneously, the air around him suddenly became heavy.

It wasn't that the wind had stopped, but rather that something more fundamental—light, sound, even the floating dust—seemed to be suppressed and frozen by an invisible force. Beneath his feet, the solid surface of the official road silently sank, forming a clear, neatly edged shallow pit, with cracks spreading outwards like a spider web from the pit's center.

The surrounding trees and leaves were still. Not that they didn't sway, but even the slightest tremor was taken away from them.

The sunlight fell on him, but seemed to be swallowed up by something, casting a blurry, distorted shadow around him.

He stood there, head bowed, his black, tousled hair falling down and obscuring his eyes. Only his Demons horns were fully visible in the air, signifying the breaking of some kind of boundary.

The momentum was rising at an almost terrifying speed.

The air was trembling. Not metaphorically, but with a tangible, subtle hum.

Then he spoke. His voice was much lower than before, and he spoke very slowly, each word seeming to be squeezed out little by little from some deep, suppressed part of him.

"It's so hard to control myself."

At the same time, on another road.

The magically powered black carriage moved smoothly. The interior was spacious, with seats upholstered in soft fur and cushions that were plush. The scenery outside the windows swept past at a steady pace.

Serie sat leaning against the window, elbows propped on the frame, chin resting on her palm, gazing outside. Her golden eyes were half-closed, unfocused.

Ruby sat opposite her, leaning forward, her hands gripping the edge of the chair, a sweet smile on her face.

"Master~ Where should we go next? How about we stop by the magical ruins to the north? I heard there's been a new discovery there!"

"Boring," Serie uttered two words indifferently.

"Then... how about we try the most famous dessert shop in the town to the west? My treat!"

"Ruby, do you want to die?"

"Haha..." Ruby chuckled dryly, her fingers unconsciously fidgeting with her clothes. "Don't be angry, Master, you're the best..."

She scooted forward, her voice softening even more, with a sticky, lingering tone.

"Ruby so long~ Of course she's reluctant to part with her greatest and most beautiful Master~ This is absolutely not because she's worried about any vague assassination attempt, but simply because this disciple's admiration and longing are pure!"

Serie didn't speak, but simply looked away and back out the window, as if she couldn't even be bothered to offer a comment.

Ruby's smile faltered slightly; she blinked her turquoise eyes and subtly tugged at Himmel's sleeve beside her.

"Haha... Ahaha... Right, Himmel?"

Himmel, sitting next to Ruby, scratched the back of his head upon hearing this. He glanced at Serie's expressionless profile, then at Ruby 'Ruby desperate attempts to signal him, and gave a somewhat awkward smile, somewhere between "yes" and "no."

"Is that right...?"

Serie closed her eyes, gave a soft hum, and ignored the two of them.

The carriage fell silent, with only the rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling over the road and the occasional chirping of birds outside the window.

Ruby quietly breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in her seat, and stuck her tongue out at Himmel. Himmel smiled at her and gently patted the back of her hand.

The carriage continued its journey.

A few more minutes passed.

Without warning --

--boom!!

A massive, deafening explosion, the sound of metal twisting and breaking, mixed with the clatter of wood shattering, erupted suddenly!

The black carriage shattered into pieces in an instant! The sturdy wood, the enchanted metal frame, and the soft leather lining all turned into countless fragments that scattered in all directions!

At the very instant the explosion rang out, Serie's body floated upwards like a weightless feather. Her robes remained perfectly still amidst the flying debris and shockwaves.

Himmel reacted with astonishing speed. In the instant the carriage collapsed, he had already wrapped his left arm around Ruby's waist, and his right hand was on the hilt of his sword without drawing it. He simply carried Ruby with him and floated backward smoothly as if blending into the air current, maintaining an absolutely safe distance from the flying debris, and landing without raising much dust.

The three landed almost simultaneously on the grass beside the official road.

Where the carriage once stood, only a mess of fragments remained, along with a shallow, neatly shaped dent.

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

In the middle of the official road stood a person.

A boy with white hair and fair skin, dressed in a white suit. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with regular features but lacking any striking characteristics; he was the type who would be easily forgotten in a crowd. Only in the depths of his golden pupils was there no warmth that belonged to "humanity," only an empty indifference that took everything for granted. He wore a blue teardrop-shaped ornament on his right ear, which shimmered slightly in the sunlight.

"Oh dear, this is a real violation of my rights!"

His voice was clear and bright, but he spoke very quickly, with an unsettling, garrulous tone.

"I am traveling on this road that carries the dreams and rights of countless travelers, enjoying the sacred moment of my peaceful journey. Why doesn't this carriage notice? Doesn't it know that this infringes upon my inviolable and absolute right to 'enjoy a peaceful journey'? Why don't you pay attention? Don't you know that this will affect me? Why do you people always so naturally and unconsciously infringe upon the inherent rights of others? This is simply incomprehensible!"

He took a small step forward, his right hand on his chest, as if making some kind of announcement.

"Based on your egregious violation of my 'right of peaceful passage,' I, Regulus Kornias, the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, the one who reigns supreme over 'Greed' —the most easily satisfied and most fulfilled man in the world—exert my right to 'correct' you. Remember this, you imperfect beings."