Asclepius

"Didn't you say before that you weren't afraid of death?"

Frieren asked.

"Oh, that."

Heiter smiled candidly.

"I was just trying to look cool."

He admitted it so readily that, for a moment, Frieren didn't know what to say.

"When death is still a long way off, of course you can pretend you don't care. But once you truly realize you don't have much time left, you do get scared after all, and you can't help greedily wishing you could live a few more years."

Just then, Frieren seemed to remember something. Her hand stopped turning the pages, and she looked up at Lorenzo, who was sitting nearby, drinking tea.

"Speaking of which, does that Celestial True Magic of yours have any spells for extending someone's life or bringing the dead back to life?"

The question came rather suddenly. Lorenzo held his teacup and thought for a moment before answering cautiously.

"As far as I know, there is indeed magic for extending one's life. But bringing the dead back to life is another matter entirely."

At least, as far as the occult systems he knew from his previous life were concerned, truly resurrecting the dead was far beyond the reach of ordinary Magecraft. It was genuine "True Magic."

Of course, that didn't mean such a miracle had never happened.

For instance, to bring Mash back to life, Cath Palug, the "Fourth Beast," also known as Fou, had sacrificed his intelligence. Only then had he brought a life that had already faded back into the world.

But rather than a spell, that was a miracle that could happen only once in a lifetime. Even if it could be repeated, the price would certainly be more than an ordinary person could bear.

At that answer, however, the smile on Heiter's face faltered slightly. Even Frieren, who had been perfectly calm until then, couldn't help sitting up straight.

"You really can extend someone's life?"

"In theory, yes."

Besides the Greater Magecraft that drew on Pluto's power, Celestial True Magic also included a comparatively simple constellation spell: Ophiuchus, which corresponded to Asclepius, the god of medicine.

According to legend, Asclepius was an exceptionally skilled physician, capable of even bringing the dead back to life. Later, the Underworld fell into chaos because it was no longer receiving the dead, and its ruler protested to Zeus, king of the gods.

Fearing that humanity would escape death altogether, Zeus struck Asclepius dead with a thunderbolt. In the end, he raised him into the sky, where he became Ophiuchus.

For that reason, Ophiuchus represented powerful healing abilities in the system of Celestial True Magic.

"In theory?"

Heiter had noticed the subtle wording.

"Given my current mastery of Celestial True Magic, and what I can foresee of it in the future, I clearly can't use it to extend someone's life."

"But if it's just relieving the pain of illness, I can manage that."

Lorenzo looked at Heiter.

"Although I can't make you live longer, I can at least make the days you have left a little easier. You could call it a kind of magical end-of-life care."

Hearing that, Heiter looked down at his own gaunt hand.

"That's already quite remarkable."

"When can you start?"

Frieren asked from the side.

"The ritual will probably take a few months to prepare."

In his previous life, he could have cast the spell on the spot, and with the additional support of Mystic Codes and the relevant personnel, he would have been fully capable of extending someone's life.

But things were different now. He currently knew nothing about the data relevant to Ophiuchus and needed to spend time observing it before he could reestablish a connection.

"A few months? That's still fine for me."

With that, Heiter turned his attention back to the ancient grimoire in front of Frieren.

"Since you'll be staying here for a while, there's another thing I'd like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Frieren."

Heiter looked at her, his tone as gentle as if he were about to make an insignificant request.

"Could you teach Fern how to study magic in your spare time while you're deciphering this grimoire?"

"That's no problem."

Over the next few weeks, Frieren worked on deciphering the grimoire while teaching Fern about magic.

She covered almost everything, from the most basic mana perception to spell structures, casting principles, and mana control in actual combat.

Though Frieren usually seemed lazy, she was unexpectedly strict when she actually taught a student.

She would often bring out a huge stack of books from Heiter's study, pile them in front of Fern, and order her to finish them within a few days. Whenever Lorenzo saw Fern hunched over the table reading late into the night, he was reminded of his own painful experience learning Celestial Magecraft.

Astronomy, astrology, geometry, calendars, mythological genealogies, and all manner of intricate ritual theories gave him a headache even now when he thought about them.

So, watching Fern struggle in the ocean of knowledge, Lorenzo couldn't help feeling a trace of sympathy as someone who had been through it himself.

But only a trace. After all, he had already climbed out of that sea of suffering.

These days, all he had to do was observe the night sky and record the movements and mana fluctuations of Ophiuchus and the other celestial bodies.

As for the daytime, he had basically nothing to do, so he gradually fell into the habit of heading to the Holy City to wander around after breakfast.

Sometimes he visited the market to see the goods of this era, and sometimes he ducked into shops selling old books and magic items. At other times, he did nothing at all, simply sitting down at a shop along the street and passing the time watching the crowds go by. When he figured it was nearly time for lunch to be prepared at Heiter's house, he would head back on time.

It was the lifestyle of a complete "idler," simple and regular, and even quite pleasant.

By comparison, Fern, who spent every day reading, practicing magic, and answering questions, lived like a student preparing for an important exam.

Lorenzo occasionally felt that this seemed a little unfair, but the guilt usually lasted only until the food was brought to the table.

Then, one afternoon...

"Lorenzo, stop acting like you have nothing to do all day. Come study magic theory with Fern."

Frieren sat by the window, the ancient grimoire she had yet to finish deciphering spread open before her. She spoke to Lorenzo without looking up.

"Huh? Me? You've got to be joking, right?"

"Who's joking? During our travels together, I could clearly tell you don't know anything about magic. Your knowledge isn't even on Fern's level right now."

As though she had finally heard her teacher praise her, Fern quietly raised her face from the "mountain of books" she had been studying so diligently. A nearly imperceptible hint of delight appeared on her usually expressionless little face.

She even straightened her back a little. It was only a slight movement, but Lorenzo still noticed.

Frieren pointed to the space beside Fern, where a chair had appeared at some point. A stack of brand-new books also sat on the table.

"Basic Magic Theory," "Modern Spell Construction," "Mana Perception and Control," "An Illustrated Guide to Common Magic of the Northern Countries"...

Just looking at the titles felt like a huge hassle.

"How long do I have to read these?"

Lorenzo asked.

"One week."

Frieren answered.

"You mean one book, right?"

"All of them."

Lorenzo looked at Fern.

She took the initiative to pull a notebook filled with neat handwriting from the stack of books.

"I've already read these books."

She said earnestly:

"If there's anything you don't understand, Lord Lorenzo, you can look at my notes."

"...Thanks."

Lorenzo forced the word out with difficulty. Where had the cute, considerate Fern from before gone? This was downright two-faced.

His leisurely days were gone for good!