Stark's Birthday

Stark stood off to the side, feeling that Dugu Qing had stolen all the attention and left him looking like some random nobody by the roadside.

He badly wanted to ask: Is this physical examination of yours really proper?

"Thank you. There's something wrong with your heartbeat. I can listen to yours too."

Returning the courtesy, Dugu Qing looked politely at Frieren.

Listen to Frieren's heartbeat? With his head pressed against... What a brazen thing to say! Who would have thought that Dugu Qing, who looked so pure and innocent, would actually...

Frieren, please strike at once and send Dugu Qing flying with a kick!

Stark clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, waiting for Frieren to fly into a rage so he could teach Dugu Qing a lesson while he was at it and show off his might.

"Sure! Come by my room when you have time."

The corners of Frieren's mouth curved upward. She readily agreed, then turned and walked away with light, graceful steps.

According to medical knowledge, the more slowly a heart beat, the healthier the body.

Frieren had always been single and didn't have the appropriate equipment. As far as she was concerned, letting Dugu Qing examine her wasn't against the rules or the law, so there was nothing wrong with it.

She actually agreed?

Stark sucked in a breath, his astonished gaze shifting between Frieren and Dugu Qing.

Do these two fools even know what they're saying?!

Could they really be conducting a physical examination? Was theirs an ordinary doctor-patient relationship, and had he been overthinking it?

The unusual sounds woke Fern from her light sleep. She rubbed her leg against Dugu Qing and sat up nervously.

"Sorry, I fell asleep while counting your heartbeats. Should we start over?"

"No need. The ground is cold. Let's keep shopping!"

"Mm."

Dugu Qing and Fern left, chatting and laughing.

Stark watched the two of them walk away, bewildered. Could it be, perhaps, that he really had been overthinking it?

Forget it, forget it.

It's not a big deal anyway. I should think about how to spend my birthday tonight!

When he had celebrated his birthday with Eisen in the past, he had never gotten to eat the currywurst, white sausages, grilled sausages, fried pork cutlets, or chocolate cake he wanted to buy.

Now that he was financially independent and had no one to restrain him, it only made sense to celebrate properly.

Snacks, here I come!

That evening, Frieren prepared an extra-large meat patty for Stark and told him about the custom in Eisen's hometown.

Stark had always been troubled by never receiving birthday presents, believing he was an unfortunate person who had never received his family's or his teacher's birthday wishes.

Now, hearing Frieren explain that an extra-large meat patty was the best birthday present for a warrior who had worked hard, he finally let it go.

It turned out he wasn't an unfortunate person, but a lucky fool who had been surrounded by love without realizing it.

The memory of his brother standing at the stove frying a meat patty, and the sight of Eisen busy in the kitchen, warmed his empty heart.

Sorting through and reinterpreting his memories stirred many feelings in Stark. His eyes softened, and he was deeply moved.

Even the snacks he had spent half the day carefully picking out by the roadside no longer seemed as appetizing.

He took a bite of the meat patty. The patty he had eaten countless times took on new life and tasted utterly delicious. "It's good."

"I'm so jealous of you all! You know your birthdays and can buy the snacks you want to eat."

When Fern and Stark celebrated their birthdays, everyone joined in, but Dugu Qing didn't know his own birthday and still had to give presents every year. It was very depressing.

"Huh! There are people in this world who don't know their own birthdays?"

"Dugu Qing's parents died when he was very young..."

Fern quietly reminded Stark, who had only recently joined them.

Stark had always thought he was the most unfortunate person in the world, but he hadn't expected there to be someone even worse off: someone whose parents had both died when he was little, who had grown up alone in the forest, didn't even know his own birthday, and had never once eaten a birthday cake. How miserable.

Sure enough, being a hero isn't something an ordinary person can do!

I'd better stick to being the vanguard!

When Dugu Qing brings the end times to an end, I can coast along with the party, become world-famous, and leave a name for myself through the ages, just like Master Eisen.

Honestly! How famous does a person need to be? I should be content.

Outside the window, the night sky stretched vast and wide, its stars brilliant and its moonlight bright and clear.

The night passed in warmth.

The next day, the four continued on their way, heading for the unknown world.

Deep in the woods, the sunlight was gentle.

Dugu Qing, Frieren, Fern, and Stark stopped to eat in the forest.

After the meal, Frieren carried a bamboo basket on her back as she gathered herbs in a clearing to prepare for dinner.

"Hey, is anyone there?!"

A rough voice came from up ahead.

Frieren strolled forward and found a young man who had fallen into a swamp.

He had a thick head of long blond hair, wore a navy-blue monk's robe, and had a dull, vacant look in his eyes and a somewhat gloomy air.

He looked like someone with a wonderful dream but no chance to pursue it, stewing in silent frustration every day and consumed by inner turmoil.

Sein looked at the demure Frieren and saw at once that she wasn't from a nearby village, but an adventurer. With some sadness, he introduced himself.

In fact, what he had wanted most to become in the past was an adventurer too...

But then, some things happened, and he betrayed his dream...

"Why are you telling me all this?" Frieren thought Sein was a little strange.

"The village I live in is about to hold a harvest festival. My older brother sent me into the forest to pick some wild vegetables, and I accidentally fell into the swamp."

Pulled down by gravity, Sein gradually sank into the sprawling mud.

In the blink of an eye, the swamp had risen to his chest. He reached out helplessly, hoping Frieren would come to his rescue.

The disaster had come without warning. If Frieren had to touch Sein directly to save him, it would trouble her greatly.

Not everyone in this world was as pleasing to the eye, as exquisite and beautiful, as Dugu Qing.

Though Sein was in distress, his looks and bearing, to be honest, weren't particularly impressive, and were even a little off-putting. He also had a goatee on his chin, and his hands were covered in filthy mud.

Frieren didn't want her fair, delicate little hands sullied by the swamp. She sat down on the grass and searched for a suitable spell, looking serene.

"Even at a time like this, what are you still waiting for?!" Sein's mouth drooped, and he was so aggrieved that he nearly cried.

"Your hands are dirty." Frieren made no attempt to hide her disgust.

"This isn't the time to worry about that. Besides, adults are all dirty."

His body was sinking fast, and Sein was nearly in tears with anxiety.

Frieren hesitated. Should she reach out and pull Sein straight out?

If she did that, her hands, clothes, and boots would definitely, definitely get dirty!

"Hey, sir, please don't slander adults. The one who's dirty is you, who fell into the swamp, not every adult."

Dugu Qing pushed through the undergrowth, walked over to Frieren, and gave her a calm look.

The moment Frieren saw Dugu Qing, her heart settled, and she continued searching her mind for a suitable spell.

She had learned so many spells that, when she actually needed one, she had to take her time searching and remembering...

"If you mean to speak for all adults, that's conceited and arrogant, grammatically incorrect, and logically confused. Please apologize immediately to the people you've offended."

Sein's words had implicated everyone, greatly displeasing Dugu Qing, who had to correct him and defend the dignity of all adults.