A Mature Big Sister

"Oh, god! At a time like this, is that what matters? What matters is that I fell into a swamp and I'm about to drown!"

Sein delivered the long speech in one breath, faster than he had ever spoken in his life, afraid that if he slowed down, the swamp would pour into his mouth.

"You have to apologize first. Only then can I talk to you calmly and decide whether to save you."

Dugu Qing replied coolly.

Humanitarianism was a consensus, but procedural justice and his own feelings were important too.

"Agreed." Frieren nodded gently.

What gave this priest the right to say all adults were filthy? What was an intellectual big sister like her supposed to think?

Could it be that just because her age jumped from nineteen to twenty, a beautiful young girl had suddenly become filthy?!

Impossible! This was pure slander!

"Oh, god! Oh, god! What kind of people have I run into?!"

Sein put his hands in front of his face, his expression contorted as tears of despair fell.

How tragic his fate was!

As a child, he had given up his dream of adventure. He had never met a mature big sister, and had spent his days at the church living off others and waiting to die, losing hair every day from regret and drowning his sorrows in alcohol... He had accomplished nothing.

And now he had run into Dugu Qing and Frieren, this pair of Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix.

The two complemented each other perfectly, a match made in heaven. What a pair of smiling tigers, what a pair of bullhead sharks.

Their bluntness was enough to drive a person to despair!

"Hurry up and apologize. If you die, I'll feel very guilty, and that'll be another sin on your conscience."

The swamp had reached Sein's lips. Dugu Qing narrowed his eyes and urged him on with an air of elegance.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. Are you satisfied now?!"

Afraid it would really be too late if he didn't apologize, Sein opened his mouth, and sludge poured in as he struggled to get the apology out.

At that moment, Frieren finally remembered the magic for pulling people out of a bottomless swamp. She pointed a finger, successfully cast the spell, and pulled Sein out.

"I'm finally free. I never want to see you again."

Having escaped with his life, Sein didn't even take the time to clean the mud off himself. Without a word of farewell, he fled in a panic, leaving a footprint with every step.

"Damn it. I never should have saved him."

Dugu Qing stepped forward, ready to drag Sein back and throw him into the swamp again.

"Lady Frieren, have you finished gathering the herbs?"

Fern parted the undergrowth and slowly walked out.

"Yes. Let's head back!"

Carrying her bamboo basket, Frieren walked toward Stark.

Dugu Qing gave a quiet huff and abandoned the idea of teaching Sein a lesson.

The three found Stark again and continued on their way, looking for a large town where they could buy supplies.

Stark spotted some bright red wild cherry tomatoes by the roadside. Unable to resist, he reached out and picked one.

A venomous creature bit his finger. His skin stiffened, blood flowed from his nostrils, and his arms and legs went weak.

"Dugu Qing, help me."

Terrified, Stark called out to Dugu Qing, who knew Goddess magic.

Dugu Qing stopped and cast the Goddess's healing magic on Stark.

Stark recovered quickly, though he still needed a little more time before he could walk on his own.

Frieren suggested spending the night in the village they had just passed.

Dugu Qing nodded in agreement.

The four headed toward Sein's village.

Suddenly, the door of a house at the entrance to the village opened, and a middle-aged man who had lost all his money and been stripped down to his underwear was thrown out.

"It's that man from before."

The corners of Dugu Qing's mouth rose, and he was in a great mood.

Sure enough, bad people were bound to be punished. People who didn't know how to behave would run into trouble wherever they went.

"Hentai!"

Feeling physically sick, Fern turned away, hid behind Dugu Qing, and covered her eyes.

Frieren's eyes turned into little dots. "Oh, look who it is! It's that filthy adult who fell into the swamp earlier!"

Sein had just lost his clothes at the card table, only to run into people he disliked. Deeply ashamed, he squatted in a corner with his head in his hands, sighing.

"Hey, Dugu Qing, he looks like a dog!"

Fern stole a glance at Sein and pouted in disgust.

Seriously! He's not good-looking at all, and he's going around without clothes in broad daylight... That's too much.

"Hey! I'm Sein! A priest under the Goddess's protection! I know plenty of healing magic!"

Sein could endure Dugu Qing and Frieren's mockery.

But Fern, with her flowing purple hair, striking figure, and potential to become a mature big sister, had described him like that. Sein absolutely couldn't stand it; he had to make her see him in a new light.

Frieren used mana detection to examine Sein's mana. He really did have quite a lot; he was a fine priest.

If Sein joined the party, Dugu Qing would be able to fight without distractions during battles and save quite a bit of effort!

"We're an adventuring party on our way to Aureole. Would you like to join us?"

Frieren held out her hand and invited him directly.

"Have I convinced you?! As expected! My value is unparalleled."

Sein smiled smugly and hurried home to get dressed and compose himself.

Frieren followed Sein to his house and extended the invitation again.

Sein stole a glance at Fern at the back of the party and shook his head regretfully.

If Fern had been a mature big sister with a striking figure, he would certainly have accepted Frieren's invitation on the spot.

But as things stood, Fern... was too young. She still needed time to grow!

"I refuse!"

Sein waved his hand and headed toward the village church.

"Why?"

Stark chased after him, put an arm around his shoulders, and quietly asked.

"Because there's no mature big sister in your party..."

Sein smiled meaningfully and gave his reason without the slightest attempt to hide it.

"Who says there isn't? Of course we have a big sister."

Stark thought of Frieren, a beautiful girl over a thousand years old. Having lived for more than a millennium, how could she not be mature?

"Oh? You really do?"

Sein's eyes shone with startling brilliance as he looked around for the big sister who hadn't appeared yet.

Frieren heard him. A mature big sister—wasn't he obviously talking about her?

She put her hands on her hips, straightened her back, and chuckled. "Right here! Sein, I'm an elf big sister who's lived for many years!"

Sein's newfound enthusiasm instantly wilted. He smiled awkwardly, feeling that he had been deceived.

The kind of big sister he wanted had a supermodel figure, the kind he could bury his head in and be unable to breathe...

Frieren was petite, innocent, and cute. She wasn't a mature big sister at all!

Sein closed his eyes, looking aggrieved. "That doesn't count as a big sister."

Frieren froze for a moment, remembering how a blown kiss from her had easily knocked Himmel out years ago.

Surely getting a handle on one little Sein would be even less of a problem!

She touched her fingers to her lips and gently blew him a kiss.

A crow flew over Sein's head. He looked at Frieren awkwardly. "What are you doing?"

"That was a blown kiss! Is it still too early for a little boy like you?"

Frieren confidently closed her eyes and waited for Sein to beg to join the party.