Faking an Injury

"Probably three or four hundred years!"

Dugu Qing provided the standard answer from the book.

"Voll is four hundred years old. I want to have a good talk with him before he dies."

Frieren brought up a rather heavy topic.

Voll is four hundred years old and has guarded this village for hundreds of years for the sake of his deceased wife.

This act of upholding a promise because of a loved one is timeless and deeply moving.

Frieren desperately wanted to talk to Voll, to learn about his story with his lover, his perseverance and commitment...

"There aren't many people left who can reminisce with Ms. Frieren. Taking a detour like this once in a while might not be so bad."

Fern gave Frieren a rare moment of recognition.

Frieren closed her eyes with a sense of relief, looking forward to seeing her friend whom she hadn't seen for many years.

"In that case, I'll stay here for about ten years."

Without even opening her mouth, Frieren threw out her trump card.

Fern said firmly and resolutely, "I'll stay for a week at most."

Ten years—how many decades does one have in a lifetime?

Ten years later, Fern will be over puberty, what's the point of dating then!

The four people crossed a small bridge and a stream, entering the village.

Frieren walked slowly forward.

From afar, you can see the golden tree at the village entrance, and on the stone next to it sits an old dwarf warrior wearing a red battle robe and armor.

"Grandpa Voll."

Frieren's voice was invigorated as she strode forward.

Before coming, she was always worried that Voll had died like everyone else. She never expected that her old friend would still be alive and well. It was truly touching!

Voll his eyes closed and a short sword beside him, For remained unmoved even upon hearing Frieren's voice.

Frieren turned around, looked at Dugu Qing behind her, and introduced him:

"How about it? You look like a battle-hardened veteran, pretty cool, right!"

Dugu Qing nodded slightly.

Stark covered his mouth slightly and muttered to Dugu Qing, "He's practically half-buried, can he still be called an old soldier?"

Fern coughed softly, Stark quickly covered his mouth.

With his eyes closed, Voll spoke in a deep, aged voice.

Who are you?

"I'm Frieren! Are you going to keep pretending to be senile?"

Frieren gave her name.

Voll opened his eyelids slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

My disguise has been seen through! Since that's the case, I have no choice but to pull myself together and meet up with my old friend whom I haven't seen in years.

As it happens, Stark has a very sharp tongue, so it's a good opportunity to teach him a lesson with my sword.

Old Voll picked up the black sword and struck it down heavily.

A short body, weak arms, a short Battle Sword, slashing through the air, unexpectedly missed its mark.

The black sword that was supposed to land on Stark struck Dugu Qing's calf instead.

Dugu Qing blinked, remaining motionless, unsure of the old man's meaning.

Voll coughed awkwardly, feigning profundity.

"Most deaths in battle are due to carelessness. Even skilled warriors can easily suffer fatal wounds if they don't realize they need to defend themselves. If I had drawn my sword just now, your leg would be gone."

The old man, with the air of someone who had been through it all, lectured Dugu Qing.

Frieren couldn't help but exclaim, "Your tactics are as despicable as ever!"

A look of understanding flashed in Dugu Qing's eyes. So he had been the victim of a despicable and shameless sneak attack!

Fine! Since that's the case, I'll abandon all pretense of martial ethics.

To deal with good people, use the same tactics they use.

To deal with bad guys, use their tricks.

Here comes the art of staged accidents.

Dugu Qing murmured as she looked at Voll, her gaze faltering for a moment before she fell straight backward, landing perfectly in Stark's arms.

His body was tense, his eyes were half-closed, he stopped breathing, his skin was stiff, and his face was as white as paper; he had completely lost all signs of life.

Stark checked Dugu Qing's breathing and exclaimed in surprise,

"Dead?"

Upon hearing this, Frieren, Fern, Sein, and Voll were all dumbfounded.

Fern stomped his foot angrily and waved his hand forcefully.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Dugu Qing is physically strong, how could he possibly be killed?"

Frieren narrowed her blue eyes. She could accept that Sein had been suddenly beaten to death, but who was Dugu Qing?

That's the chosen one, possessing the Overlord's Power, capable of drawing the Holy Hero’s Holy Sword!

How could he have died so easily?

"Could my strength have increased again? Impossible! I'm already four hundred years old."

Old Voll looked at the Battle Sword in his hand with a sense of existential disbelief.

Only the elderly Sein recalled the scene where, when the old men in the village were short of money, they would stand by the roadside and stage accidents to earn some spare cash.

He gasped, realizing Dugu Qing's plan. He was astonished to find that the seemingly aloof Dugu Qing also possessed such a childlike heart.

We have to lend a hand!

"Hey! You old man, you've gone too far! You actually killed my dearest friend, my brother! I will never forgive you."

Sein clenched his fists, channeling his inner Oscar-winning actor, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Voll, as if he were about to charge at him and fight him to the death.

"This..."

Voll looked at Sein, drenched in sweat.

He was already old and his mind wasn't working well; he would forget things from time to time. Now that he had encountered an unexpected situation, he was even more at a loss.

Does this mean I have to give away all the money I have left for retirement?

I won't forgive you unless you treat us to barbecue.

Dugu Qing quietly woke up, clutching his chest, and struggled to get up, as if he would immediately die if Voll refused.

Upon hearing Dugu Qing speak, Fern, Frieren, Stark all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Barbecue? Fine! I've got more than enough retirement money anyway."

Looking at Dugu Qing, Voll realized that the other party was joking with him, and readily agreed.

"I want some juice!" Stark seized the opportunity to add insult to injury.

"I see."

Old Voll reluctantly agreed.

"When I eat barbecue, I also drink red wine, cocktails, whiskey, brandy, sparkling wine..."

Sein also took the opportunity to make exorbitant demands.

In the end, out of consideration for Dugu Qing and Frieren, Voll had no choice but to sign a series of unequal treaties and bring everyone home.

Take out the stored charcoal from the warehouse.

Dugu Qing and Fern took out the meat stored in the Ice Room, cut it, and marinated it.

Voll lights the charcoal, places the skewered meat on the grill, and sprinkles it with spices.

Moments later, the golden-brown grilled food was quickly taken out of the oven, and its aroma filled the room.

Dugu Qing and Fern sat together, Frieren and Voll sat together, Stark and Sein sat together, quietly enjoying their meal.

After finishing her meal, Frieren left the room satisfied and began looking for suitable work in the village, intending to stay there for ten years.

Fern, who was following behind Frieren, hurriedly reminded her.

You can only stay for a maximum of one week.

The client posted a task, asking Frieren and Fern to collect carrots.

The two used magic to easily pull the carrots out of the ground, put them into a bamboo basket, and completed the task.

Voll called over Stark and made him carry large boulders as he raced along the mountain road, giving Stark a good lesson.

This not only gave Stark some training, but also allowed him to vent his anger at Stark for speaking ill of him.

Dugu Qing strolled through the village, found a waterfall, sat on a blue stone, and continued to research advanced applications of Transformation Magic.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Frieren gained a lot from her conversation with Voll, understanding the meaning of perseverance. She waved goodbye to Voll and embarked on her journey once again.