Goings-On at the Inn

The guest room was peaceful and serene in the evening. The fire in the fireplace crackled softly, casting a warm glow throughout the room.

Frieren lay sprawled on the large bed covered with a soft plush blanket, her silver twin tails loosely spread out. She was intently flipping through an ancient book she had smuggled from Serie's study, her emerald eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge in the flickering firelight, occasionally unconsciously wiggling her raised leg as she read.

Linié straddled her lower back, her pink twin tails cascading down her shoulders. Her small hands were gently massaging Frieren 'Frieren shoulders with a precise, mechanical touch. Her movements seemed to be executing a pre-programmed sequence, but thanks to her excellent Imitation abilities from her "Mimicry Magic," the force and movements were just right.

"Mmm..." Frieren made a satisfied nasal sound, like a cat being stroked, comfortably squinting her eyes, forgetting to even turn the pages of her book, her body completely relaxed, almost sinking into the soft bed.

Lowell leaned back in his armchair by the window, watching this scene with a slight smile. His gaze shifted to Linié, who was meticulously "working," and he suddenly spoke, his voice gentle. "Linié."

Linié continued moving, raising her deep blue eyes, as unfathomable as a calm lake, to look at him. "Yes."

"Speaking of which," Lowell tapped his fingertips lightly on the back of his chair, as if he had suddenly thought of an interesting topic, "Do you want to become stronger?"

Linié tilted her head, her pupils shifting slightly as if processing the meaning of the question, before calmly replying, "Yes."

"Well then," Lowell said in a consultative tone, with a hint of guidance, "Test the power of your axe tomorrow. For example, find some training tiles and see how many you can split with a full-force blow. Then, train with Lupa; train what she trains for. Try to see if the Demons's body can also become stronger through this basic, human-warrior method. Having combat skills alone is ultimately limited if your strength, speed, and stamina can't keep up."

Linié listened quietly, then nodded. "Okay." Her thinking was direct and efficient; she usually accepted suggestions that could improve her survival or combat abilities.

She paused, her deep blue eyes fixed on Lowell, and posed a very practical question based on her recent observations of the principle of "equivalent exchange": "If Linié is obedient, will there be apples?"

Lowell was taken aback at first, then chuckled, "You're getting more and more knowledgeable about 'trading.' Yes, of course."

"Okay." Receiving an affirmative answer, Linié said no more and continued to massage Frieren with her earnest and meticulous care.

Frieren felt completely comfortable from the massage, and a long, languid murmur escaped her throat, "Mmm..." She almost Melt into the bed, and the ancient book in her hand slipped to the pillow.

Just then, a series of slightly hurried footsteps, accompanied by soft panting, came from outside the guest room door.

"Knock knock!"

A knock sounded, and before there was a response from inside, the door creaked open.

A red head, covered in dust and a few bits of grass, peeked in—it was Ruby.

Her small face was streaked with black and gray, and her carefully styled red curly hair looked somewhat messy, as if she had just rolled in the grass. The cuff of her mage's robe was even torn in a small patch, making her look quite disheveled.

Her emerald eyes darted around, and after taking in the scene inside, she stuck out her tongue and slipped in like a startled little animal, gently closing the door behind her. Her emerald eyes still held a hint of lingering fear and a touch of grievance.

The eyes of all three people in the room fell on her.

Frieren slightly lifted her eyelids from the comfortable massage, her emerald eyes sweeping over Ruby 'Ruby appearance. Her tone was calm and even, yet incisive. "Did you get a lesson from Serie?"

Ruby blushed Ruby, scratching the ash off her nose somewhat embarrassedly. This action made the ash on her face even more smudged. She stammered, "Uh... hehe... it wasn't really a lesson... it was more like a practice session... and then my master suddenly decided to teach me a new spell, the process was... a little bit intense... and when I was testing it myself, I accidentally blew something up..." Her voice trailed off, her eyes darting around, clearly trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation.

Then, as if remembering something important, she ran a few steps to Lowell, looked up at him with her little face upturned, clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture, and looked at him expectantly. "Um, Lowell!"

"Hmm?" Lowell looked at the little face covered in graffiti and had a bad feeling.

"Master said... you absolutely must go and fight her..." Ruby a mournful face and a pleading voice.

Lowell paused, his hand resting on the back of the chair. "No... what does this have to do with me?"

Ruby put on an even more pitiful expression, pouting her little mouth high. "Master said... if I can't get you, I'll... I'll... Lowell, help! Look how pitiful I am! I'm being bullied by both sides, it's so miserable... help me..." She tugged at Lowell's sleeve and shook it gently.

Looking at her pitiful expression, as if saying "I'm doomed if you don't go," Lowell was both annoyed and amused. He glanced at Frieren, who was lying on the bed, seemingly unconcerned and even sighing comfortably, then looked at Ruby in front of him, her hands clasped together and her big, watery eyes Ruby. Finally, as if giving up the struggle, he stood up resignedly.

"Alright, alright, stop making that face." He brushed off non-existent dust from his robe, his tone tinged with resignation. "I'll go. That woman, Serie..."

As he walked towards the door, he turned back to Frieren on the bed and said, "I'm off. You guys can wander around the city for the next few days, just remember to let Himmel and the others know."

Frieren didn't even lift her head, only uttering a muffled syllable through her nose. "Mmm." She buried her head deeper into the pillow, as if all the disturbances of the outside world were irrelevant to her, and only the massage and the magic book were eternal.

Ruby's Ruby Lowell agreed, her little face breaking into a bright smile as she fawned over Lowell, "Lowell, you're the best! I'll show you the way! But... what do you mean by 'a few days'?"

Linié remained straddling Frieren's back, her deep blue eyes watching the two depart, before continuing to provide the elf beneath her with a precise and steady massage. Silence returned to the room, broken only by the soft crackling of the fire, the occasional turning of pages, and Frieren's satisfied, almost inaudible moans.