Attack

Zanze immediately inspected the other arrows.

The blood on all of them came from the same Demon, and the marks left by the arrowheads varied in depth. Some were stained with only a little blood, while others were almost completely soaked.

These arrows must have been repeatedly shot into Breda's own body so he could gain resistance to Lorenzo's arrows in advance.

Zanze sprang to her feet, used her long hair to pick up several arrows as evidence, and raced toward the exit as fast as she could.

The memory fragment was meant to weaken Lady Frieren, the monsters were there to occupy the others, and these arrows were meant to deal with Lorenzo. That meant the magic item that had suddenly appeared at the Saint Lomiu Festival had been a trap from the very beginning.

The monsters had left two or three days ago. If their target really was Frieren, there was probably even less time to prepare than she had imagined.

The atmosphere in Heiter's house was still perfectly peaceful.

The sun shone brightly outside, and the leaves in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze. By all appearances, today should have been an ordinary day, perfect for lying around at home and doing nothing.

Frieren held her teacup, looking glum. Unable to use magic, she felt as though she had traveled back from modern times to the Stone Age, and everything felt unfamiliar.

"Fern, bring me that grimoire."

Frieren pointed to the grimoires stacked on the other side of the table.

"It's right within your reach."

Fern was taking notes. Hearing Frieren's request, she looked up and glanced over.

"Normally, I wouldn't need to reach for it."

"Please don't treat magic as a tool solely for fetching things."

"Making life more convenient is part of what magic is for."

Frieren answered as though it were perfectly reasonable, then reluctantly leaned halfway across the table and dragged the grimoire in front of herself.

It was such a simple movement, yet she looked as exhausted as if she had made a long journey. It made one wonder whether her stamina was tied to her mana, and whether her stamina had dropped because she temporarily couldn't use her mana.

"How many days are left until the time Heiter set?"

"Four more days."

"I've already rested for three days. I should be able to use magic by now, shouldn't I?"

"No."

Fern answered without hesitation.

To keep Lady Frieren from secretly using magic when no one was looking, she had even locked her staff in a cabinet and kept the key on her at all times.

However, according to what Frieren had taught her before, a mage didn't necessarily need a staff to use magic, so Fern checked her mana status at regular intervals.

The strict precautions made one wonder if Frieren had committed a crime and been sent to prison.

"All right, Frieren, just behave yourself for a few days."

Heiter sat on the sofa nearby, smiling as he spoke to Frieren.

"You've already gotten off lightly. If an ordinary person suffered the same degree of mental shock, they wouldn't be able to use mana freely for at least a month. In a more serious case, they might even be left with permanent aftereffects."

After hearing that, Frieren could only lower her head in frustration and continue reading the grimoire in her hands.

Just then, however, a breeze blew in from afar, carrying the scent of grass and flowers. The birdsong and chirping of insects that had been audible before had vanished completely at some unknown point, and the few birds perched on branches in the courtyard suddenly took flight, beating their wings as though startled.

"Fern, close the window."

Frieren's hand stopped turning the page.

"What is it, Lady Frieren?"

Though puzzled, Fern did as she was told and got up to close the window.

"Monsters are approaching."

Frieren put down her grimoire and looked toward the forest.

Even though she couldn't use magic now, her ability to sense mana hadn't disappeared. Numerous mana signatures that didn't belong there had appeared deep in the woods, and their numbers were still growing.

The smile vanished from Heiter's face, and he grew serious.

"How many?"

"A lot."

The moment she spoke, a tremendous roar came from afar.

Immediately afterward, a great flock of birds burst from the forest into the sky in a panic. The previously still canopy began to shake violently, the disturbance sweeping closer from the distance as though driven by some invisible wave.

"We'll leave the rest to you and Lorenzo."

Frieren stood up and headed upstairs with Heiter.

"Lady Frieren?"

Fern looked at her in surprise.

"I can't use magic right now, and Heiter isn't suited to fighting head-on. We'd only get in your way if we stayed."

Frieren spoke as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Then she glanced at Heiter and continued.

"Besides, this is a good chance for you to prove in actual combat that you can hold your own, Fern."

Hold my own?

Fern unconsciously tightened her grip on her staff. Lady Frieren and Lord Heiter had always set holding her own as her goal. Once she achieved it, she could travel with Lady Frieren and Lord Lorenzo, and fulfill Lord Heiter's wish too...

At that thought, Fern looked at Heiter, only to see that he still looked worried.

Over the past few days, Fern had not been entirely oblivious to Heiter's condition. He sometimes stopped to rest while climbing the stairs, and his hand trembled slightly as he held his teacup... He was much like he had been before Lord Lorenzo treated him.

Lord Heiter had never mentioned these things in front of her, but precisely because they spent every day together, they were all the harder to conceal.

She could already faintly sense that Lord Heiter might have less time left with her than she had imagined. The treatment was undoubtedly still working, which meant Lord Heiter's body had grown so frail that even the treatment couldn't fully conceal it. At any moment, he might...

Fern lowered her head, unwilling to think about it any further.

So she had to give this battle everything she had!

"Lord Heiter."

Fern slowly raised her head.

"What is it?"

"I'll show you that I can hold my own now."

The worry on Heiter's face didn't vanish entirely, but he smiled nonetheless.

"All right. I'll be watching closely."

She was still afraid of losing Heiter, and still unwilling to accept the outcome that might come sooner or later.

But at least before that day truly arrived, she could let Heiter see with his own eyes that the child he had once brought back from the ruins was now capable of holding her own.

"There's no need to make such a big deal of it. With Lorenzo there to help, dealing with these monsters shouldn't be much of a problem."

As though completely unaware of the importance of the moment, Frieren offered Fern that untimely reminder.

"You really do have confidence in me. And next time, could you please be a little more mindful of the occasion when you speak?"