Slaying the Red Mirror Dragon

The Wille region of the Central Countries.

Dugu Qing, Frieren, and Fern traveled on foot.

Whenever they came across a freight wagon, they hitched a ride north, until they reached a village.

The villagers told Frieren that the Ghost Abduction Incident had recently occurred in the village. Several villagers had disappeared one after another after seeing their dead loved ones.

They asked Frieren to investigate, offering a Grimoire as a reward.

Frieren guessed that the undead might be behind it and calmly accepted the task.

Dugu Qing, however, thought the reward was too meager. He could neither eat nor drink it, so he lay in bed and slept in.

Fern pushed open the door and woke Dugu Qing. Treating him as she did Frieren, she took his hand and led him out of the inn.

Dugu Qing followed Fern reluctantly. Though he looked troubled, he ultimately did not pull away.

He let Fern hold his hand as they went on their way.

The three followed a path into the forest where the incident had occurred.

A hazy white mist spread through the woods, drifting in wisps through the air and veiling the scenery both near and far.

Frieren activated Detective Magic and slowed her pace, ready to summon her staff at any moment to deal with danger.

Fern held Dugu Qing's hand and quietly edged closer into his embrace.

Dugu Qing pulled himself together and looked around warily.

Suddenly, Heiter's familiar voice rang out in the quiet forest.

"Fern! You've been a good girl, haven't you?"

After a long time spent adventuring, Fern's mind had become as steady as iron. Even so, seeing her loved one appear left her somewhat dazed, and she wanted to look at him a little longer and remember the past.

"Fern!"

Frieren feared that Fern would become lost in her memories and be exploited by the phantom.

Her green eyes turned cold, and she was about to shatter Heiter's phantom when Himmel's figure appeared as well.

He had short, tousled blue hair, soft features, a warrior's outfit, and a white cloak. He was as bright and handsome as Frieren remembered him.

"Magic that toys with memories? I hate this kind of violation of sovereignty most of all."

Dugu Qing snorted softly and raised a hand, aiming at Heiter as lightning surged from his palm.

Dorothea's figure appeared in the air, ethereal as smoke.

She had an incomparably beautiful face, straight legs, and a full figure. She wore a long violet-blue dress with a slit, and her long white hair cascaded over her shoulders. Noble and elegant, she was as beautiful as a heavenly maiden.

"Who is she? Dugu Qing's...?"

Fern stared blankly at Dorothea, temporarily forgetting Heiter as she racked her brains to guess the identity of the peerless beauty who had suddenly appeared.

A childhood friend? A friend who had appeared out of nowhere? Or the daughter of a relative or friend?

Surely she couldn't be the woman of Dugu Qing's dreams!

Oh, heavens!

"Mom! I didn't expect to see you again."

Dugu Qing talked tough, but now that he had actually seen his mother, his heart filled with sweetness. He relaxed and prepared to spend some more time talking with Dorothea.

They could chat, talk, and catch up.

If there was enough time, Dugu Qing even planned to have hot pot with his mother...

"Dugu Qing! Your mom is so beautiful."

Now that Fern knew who Dorothea was, she breathed out softly.

Thank goodness! So the person Dugu Qing couldn't stop thinking about was his mother!

She had almost cried from anxiety just now...

"That's Dugu Qing's mother? I thought she was his teacher!"

Frieren admired Dorothea's breathtaking beauty, looking a little entranced herself.

"Frieren, do it!"

But the phantom Himmel standing to the side suddenly spoke.

Hearing him, Frieren hesitated no longer. She summoned her staff and launched a decisive magical attack.

A purple Mana Bullet streaked through the air and shattered Himmel's handsome phantom.

The mist in the forest vanished, and sunlight streamed down.

Fern and Dugu Qing steeled themselves and shattered the phantoms.

Watching Heiter's phantom fade away, Fern felt a little sad.

Dugu Qing rested a hand on Fern's shoulder with an easy air.

"Don't be sad. Once you reach Aureole, you'll see each other again."

Fern came to a realization. She nodded vigorously, her spirits renewed. "That's right! Aureole is our destination!"

On a mountain path by the Riegel Strait.

Dugu Qing, Frieren, and Fern reached the end of the path.

A Red Mirror Dragon lay sprawled in the open valley below.

Its body towered like a mountain, and its scales glinted with a cold crimson light. Each scale resembled polished red jade, radiating a fierce pressure that warned against underestimating it.

In the lair behind the Red Mirror Dragon, treasures were piled as high as a mountain, gleaming in a multitude of colors.

At a glance, Frieren even spotted the cover of a Grimoire she liked in the Dragon's Nest.

"Let's kill him!"

Frieren looked down at the massive dragon without a trace of emotion.

"Mm."

Fern rose, raised her staff, and activated a Magic Circle. Aiming at the Red Mirror Dragon, she launched an attack from extreme range.

The Mana Bullet shot across the sky and struck the Red Mirror Dragon, exploding with a boom.

It sent smoke billowing into the air.

A moment later, the smoke cleared.

The Red Mirror Dragon opened its clouded eyes, raised its enormous body, and flew toward Fern, blotting out the sky as it opened its gaping maw before her.

"Dugu Qing!"

Frieren was carrying her suitcase and was not ready to fight. If Dugu Qing had not been there, she would already have been preparing to flee.

Fern looked at Frieren in surprise, wondering why she didn't act herself.

Was it that time?

"I absolutely won't allow a dragon to stand higher than me."

Dugu Qing's gaze sharpened, and he summoned the Clear Radiance Sword with a backhand motion.

His red-clad figure flashed, bright as snow, and shot into the sky. His blade tore through the Red Mirror Dragon's iron-hard scales.

It severed the dragon's head.

The Red Mirror Dragon's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. Before it could struggle, it was split in two and crashed to the ground with a boom, falling off the cliff.

"One-shot kill!"

It was Frieren's first time seeing Dugu Qing use a sword, and she was deeply shaken. For a moment, she seemed to glimpse Himmel's incomparably powerful figure from days past.

"He's so strong. As long as Dugu Qing is here, any enemy will be swept aside and defeated."

Fern gazed at Dugu Qing, who looked like an immortal in the air. She clasped her hands, hearts shining in her eyes.

Dugu Qing looked at the dust below and wiped his blade. Seeing not a single crack on the Clear Radiance Sword, he couldn't help curling his lips.

"A fine sword!"

In the ravine below, the dust settled.

The Red Mirror Dragon's severed head and body lay on the ground, gradually disappearing.

Looking at the Grimoires in the Dragon's Nest, Frieren happily grabbed her suitcase and rushed down into the valley.

Dugu Qing had thought there would be gold in the Dragon's Nest!

He hurried after her and rummaged through the Dragon's Nest.

What met his eyes, however, were swords, armor, Grimoires, red wine, and Red Ore. He was bitterly disappointed. It was all worthless stuff, so he stood to the side dejectedly.

Frieren happily dusted off the Grimoires and put them in her suitcase, then dug through the remaining pile of things, searching for treasure.

"Lady Frieren, you can only take three at most! Any more, and they won't fit in the suitcase."

Fern followed Frieren and thoughtfully reminded her.

"I know."

Frieren remembered how, last time her suitcase had filled up, she had been forced to clear out old items and ended up sorting through everything.

It had taken her a whole month to finish, so she readily accepted Fern's advice.