The Beginning of the Journey

After the funeral, those who came to pay their respects gradually left.

Lorenzo, Frieren, and Fern then went together to the burial site of the Heiter behind the church.

Frieren took out several bottles of wine that she had prepared beforehand and poured them on Heiter's tombstone. The rich aroma of the wine wafted in the wind. If he were still alive, he would probably be clamoring to have a sip.

After pouring out the last bottle of wine, Frieren squatted in front of the tombstone and neatly placed the empty bottle aside.

"I think I understand human emotions a little better now."

For her, decades was a short period of time that could almost be ignored.

Since the time spent together is so short and separation is inevitable, it seems more reasonable to avoid getting close in the first place.

But humanity doesn't refuse to begin just because the ending is predetermined.

Life is all the more beautiful because it will eventually end; and the choices we make are all the more precious because they are unchangeable.

"Alright, let's set off."

After the three of them paid their respects to Heiter in the cemetery for a while, Frieren finally stood up and spoke.

The wind blew over the cemetery, carrying the scents of wine and flowers into the distance. She glanced back at Heiter's tombstone. Even though she hadn't waited until after losing him to try to understand him, the separation was still heartbreaking.

Perhaps this in itself is part of understanding humanity.

"Lady Frieren, what is the goal of our journey this time?"

The three boarded a passing carriage, and Fern asked.

The Holy City is excellent in this respect. As the religious center of the continent, it is indeed very convenient in terms of transportation. No matter which direction you are going, you can find a carriage going in the same direction at the post station outside the city. If you are willing to spend more money, you can even hire a special caravan.

Unfortunately, they were out of money. The money they made from selling the Wind Demon Dragon scales had long been spent, and most of the compensation and rewards they received for killing Breda and its assembled monster army had been taken by Frieren during the three days Lorenzo was unconscious.

In just three days, that much money was reduced to barely enough to support three people on a trip for a while.

How did this spendthrift elf survive until now? It was only after witnessing Frieren's extravagant spending habits that Fern officially decided that he would never let Frieren manage the travel expenses again, otherwise they might be forced to beg on the streets one day because they didn't have enough money for the trip.

"I'm going to visit Eisen."

Fern was no stranger to this name.

The story of the hero Himmel, the monk Heiter, the warrior Eisen, and the True Magic Frieren has been heard even by children in remote villages.

It's fair to say that everyone in the world knows you.

Where does Lord Eisen live now?

"The Brete Region, east of the Central Lands."

As she answered, Frieren leaned on Fern's shoulder and flipped through the magic book.

The carriage swayed and rocked on the stone road, but she seemed completely unaffected, her gaze fixed on the pages of the book, only her hair occasionally brushing against Fern's cheek with the bumps.

"Lady Frieren, may I please have a seat?"

"Fern is capable of handling things on her own now; this little thing shouldn't be a problem."

"Being able to stand on your own doesn't mean that!"

Despite saying that, Fern didn't actually push Frieren away; she simply shifted her body slightly to make her more comfortable.

Why did you suddenly want to visit Lord Eisen?

Fern continued to ask.

Didn't you rarely take the initiative to visit others before?

"Since we've already visited Heiter, and I also visited Himmel during his lifetime, it would be unfair to leave Eisen out."

They really know how to treat everyone fairly. Speaking of which, the composition of the hero's team is quite representative, with humans, dwarves, and elves all represented, giving off a sense of pursuing "political correctness" in another world.

"How long has it been since you last saw Lord Eisen?"

Fern continued to ask.

"It'll only be a few decades, I guess."

Frieren did some mental calculations and realized that she hadn't seen Eisen since Himmel's funeral.

"Eisen is a dwarf, so decades isn't a long time for him..."

Frieren intended to gloss over it as usual, but hesitated after she spoke.

The Holy City was gradually being obscured by the distant hills, with only the church spires remaining on the horizon.

That's what I used to think.

After a moment, Frieren spoke again.

"I always felt that it wouldn't matter if I met him a few decades later, since dwarves and elves both live very long anyway."

"But after Heiter passed away, I suddenly felt that I should go and see him sooner rather than later."

Long lifespans do not mean never being separated; Himmel has long since passed away, and Heiter has also departed.

Of the four who once fought the Demon King together, only Frieren and Eisen remain in this world.

Are you prepared to personally inform Lord Eisen of the news of Heiter's passing?

"Um."

Frieren responded softly.

It's better to talk about these things face-to-face.

"What else?"

"By the way, ask him if he'd like to travel with us again."

"Is Lord Eisen still able to fight?"

"It should be possible."

Frieren thought for a moment.

"However, at Himmel's funeral, he said that he was too old to risk his life with an axe anymore."

"If that's the case, then he probably won't agree."

Lorenzo said.

We'll talk about it later.

Frieren answered quite frankly, clearly having no other backup plans whatsoever.

"Speaking of which, where has Übel gone? I haven't seen her for the past few days."

Lorenzo seemed to remember something and said to Fern.

"She's already gone out on training with Lord Zanze, saying she's preparing for the next First-Class True Magic User Exam."

"So fast?"

Lorenzo said with some surprise, "Zanze just took Übel as his apprentice, and he's already preparing her for the First-Class True Magic User Exam?"

I strongly suspect that she wanted to get rid of this disciple as soon as possible, which is why she made such a swift and urgent preparation. However, given Übel's strength, passing the First-Class True Magic User Exam shouldn't be a big problem... provided that there's no theoretical part to the exam.

"And that Übel guy even said that when we meet again next time she's First-Class True Magic User, I have to call her 'sir' and kowtow to her respectfully."

As she thought about it, Fern grew angrier, and her cheeks puffed up slightly.

"But even if Übel successfully becomes First-Class True Magic User, Zanze still won't be able to get rid of her, right?"

"Frieren suddenly said."

"The master-disciple relationship won't automatically end just because the student passes the exam. On the contrary, given Serie's personality, if there's a special relationship between True Magic, she'll definitely make sure they're paired up when missions are assigned in the future."

The carriage fell silent immediately.

"It's best not to tell Zanze about this, lest she lose all motivation to keep trying."

Lorenzo concluded.