The Wreath

The sun had already sunk behind the Holy City's closely packed rooftops, and the vendors lining the streets had begun lighting their lamps.

Lorenzo brought Fern to the cathedral, where they waited for Frieren as arranged.

They didn't have to wait long. The silver-haired elf came over from the other side of the square, carrying several grimoires in her arms and a pack on her back that was noticeably fuller than when she'd left.

"Just how much did you buy?"

Lorenzo couldn't help asking when he saw her like that.

"Not much. Compared to everything I wanted to buy, this is very little."

Frieren answered quite naturally. In other words, she'd shown restraint. It was hard to imagine how much she could have bought if she'd let herself go.

"Do you still have the money for Lord Heiter's wine?"

Fern immediately asked the most important question.

"Of course."

Frieren took out the pouch of money she'd set aside beforehand. It seemed that, absorbed as she was in grimoires, she hadn't completely forgotten Heiter's request.

The stall selling Saint Lomiu Fine Wine was in the square beside the cathedral. By the time the three of them arrived, a long line had already formed.

"Waiting in line is the worst."

Before Lorenzo or Fern could say anything, Frieren, the only long-lived one among them, began to complain.

"But aren't you the one with the most time to spare?"

"That's exactly why I hate waiting in line even more. Think about it: since I have a nearly infinite lifespan, doesn't that mean I'll have to wait in nearly infinite lines in the future?"

There was no necessary connection between an infinite lifespan and waiting in line an infinite number of times. It was like thinking of penguins whenever Antarctica came up, and Antarctica whenever penguins came up, then deciding that ruling the penguins meant ruling Antarctica.

The logic made no sense at all.

In the end, they had to wait an hour before they finally got the wine. The line had looked intimidating, but it had only taken an hour after all. At some amusement parks, a single ride could have a wait of three hours or more without a fast pass.

All anyone could say was that magic really did change lives.

Just then, night fell completely, and the great bell above the cathedral rang out. The noisy square gradually fell quiet.

An elderly monk in a white robe walked onto the raised platform in front of the cathedral and used the flame he carried to light the sacred fire at the center of the altar. He was probably the new archbishop who'd succeeded Heiter. Had he been one of Heiter's old subordinates? Had he ever brought him wine to drink...?

As prayers rose, the flame gradually brightened. Countless golden sparks rose from the altar and flew like fireflies to every corner of the Holy City, as though a Spirit Bomb were being "dispersed."

The lamps that had long been prepared along both sides of the streets were lit one after another, starting at the cathedral, crossing the square, following the main road, and finally extending all the way to the distant city gate.

The golden lights formed a bright river in the darkness, illuminating the whole Holy City as if it were daytime.

This was usually when people offered prayers for blessings. Sure enough, people in the streets closed their eyes and began to pray.

Fern clasped her hands before her chest too, holding the wreath she'd prepared for Heiter between her palms.

"What did you wish for?"

Lorenzo asked once the prayers were over.

"I can't say. If I tell you, it won't come true."

Fern shook her head solemnly, though judging by the way she gripped the wreath, her wish wasn't hard to guess.

The musicians in the square began playing the festival's final piece, and the crowd slowly dispersed toward the city gate to the music.

The Saint Lomiu Festival had finally drawn to a close.

The three of them left the Holy City along the brightly lit streets. By the time they returned to Heiter's house, it was late at night.

Heiter stood at the door with a coat over his shoulders, looking as though he'd been waiting for quite some time.

"Welcome back."

"Lord Heiter, please hold out your hand."

Though a little puzzled, Heiter did as she asked. Fern took the extra wheat-ear wreath she'd received from inside her clothes and carefully tied it around his wrist.

"May Saint Lomiu's mercy be with you."

Imitating the tone of the young monk that morning, she said solemnly:

"Happy festival, Lord Heiter."

Heiter froze for a moment, then a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Happy festival, Fern. This gift is even more precious than fine wine."

"In that case, does that mean we don't have to give you the wine?"

Fern looked at Heiter hopefully.

"That won't be necessary. A precious gift and festival wine don't actually conflict."

Heiter answered at once.

"He's still a monk who drinks and eats meat, all right."

That was Frieren's assessment from the side, and Lorenzo nodded in wholehearted agreement.

Fern could only take out the two bottles of wine with a helpless look.

"Make sure you don't drink too much."

"Of course I know that."

Some time had passed since the Saint Lomiu Festival. Everyone had finally recovered from the so-called "festival withdrawal" and returned to their usual peaceful routine when Frieren suddenly proposed a new plan.

"I think I recently found a new dungeon. Want to explore it? I can teach Fern some dungeon skills while we're there."

She placed an open old book on the table.

"A dungeon?"

Fern immediately put down the magic textbook she was holding and leaned over.

A faded map was drawn on the page.

The Holy City lay in the center of the map, and an abandoned chapel was marked in a forest to the northwest. Beneath the chapel was a large network of underground structures represented by dotted lines. It didn't look small.

"Where did you find this?"

Lorenzo asked.

"In one of the grimoires I bought at the Saint Lomiu Festival."

Frieren answered. Was this what it meant to be an expert? Who would have thought she'd actually find a hidden gem?

"I went to look around the entrance yesterday."

Frieren pointed to the chapel on the map.

"The spell sealing the entrance is still intact, there are no signs of recent human activity, and the monster readings in the dungeon aren't very strong. It's perfect for Fern's first field exploration."

"By the way, Lady Frieren, what's inside a dungeon?"

Fern asked Frieren. Everything she knew about dungeons came from books; she had no real idea what an actual dungeon was like.

"Every dungeon is different."

Frieren said.

"Some dungeons were originally tombs of ancient royalty, some were workshops built by mages, and others were just natural caves that gradually became dungeons after monsters moved in."

"But there are a few things they usually have in common."

"What are they?"

Fern asked.

"Monsters, traps, hidden rooms, and treasure chests."

That really was an extremely brief introduction. It was practically like she'd just said a sentence.

"You'll know when you see one for yourself, Fern."

Heiter encouraged her from the side. He really did seem comfortable entrusting Fern to Frieren and Lorenzo.

"If even Lord Heiter says so, then I'll go too."