Lake Town

After Frieren and Fern had mastered the "Projection" and "enhancement" Magecraft, Lorenzo began to teach them more advanced Magecraft.

Unfortunately, their learning progress in these Magecraft was far from satisfactory, probably because they had been immersed in the True Magic of this world for too long, and it was difficult for them to change their mindset in a short time.

To Lorenzo's surprise, Fern, with the aid of the Volumen Hydrargyrum in his calculations, learned even faster than Frieren.

Nevertheless, the only things they could fully master were "Projection" and "enhancement," and they couldn't even perfectly apply "conversion."

Time waits for no one; after staying in one place for more than a month, it's time to set off again.

But when they stepped out of the hotel, they found that the roadside was already lined with residents who had come to see them off.

"Lord Stark, please take care on your journey."

Take these breads with you on the road.

"It's very cold up north, so I've prepared some warm clothes for you."

"You must come back to visit again if you have the chance."

Thanks to Stark, they even received a farewell party with people lining the streets when they left.

For more than a month, Stark was almost never idle. Whenever anyone in town needed help with anything, he would rush over to lend a hand if they were short of manpower.

He would diligently spend most of the day moving goods, repairing houses, harvesting fields, and even setting up the venue before a wedding.

Although not everything is done perfectly, who wouldn't like such a helpful and kind person?

Over time, almost all the residents of the town came to know this red-haired soldier.

"Stark is really popular."

Frieren nodded, her voice filled with satisfaction.

"Lord Frieren."

"What's wrong?"

Please don't try to stuff all the snacks you received into your suitcase when no one is looking.

Frieren stopped abruptly, still holding two bags of pastries that she had just transferred from Stark.

The greedy sprite's plan to monopolize the delicious treats has failed miserably!

And so, the four of them left the town amidst a chorus of farewells.

They soon entered the Northern Countries.

Although the border city of "Val" had closed its gates, this naturally could not stop their group. Although Frieren was somewhat reluctant, after she revealed her identity, the city lord held a grand farewell ceremony to celebrate Frieren's return to the battlefield.

"There seems to be a small town near a lake ahead; we can resupply there."

Fern looked at the map in his hand and spoke to the remaining three.

After entering the Northern Countries, the distances between towns became significantly greater.

Sometimes, you might walk along the road for days without finding a suitable place to rest. If you don't plan your supplies in advance, you might have to rely on Frieren to gather wild vegetables and Lord Lorenzo to cut down trees and make fires to survive.

It's best to avoid that kind of thing as much as possible.

Fern glanced at the markings on the map and continued.

"Most of the town's residents rely on fishing for a living, so they should be able to buy smoked fish that's easy to preserve."

"Fish--"

Stark's eyes brightened slightly. They had been eating dry bread and cured meat for several days in a row, and even he was starting to miss freshly cooked hot food.

"Anyway, let's go there first."

Lorenzo glanced at the map and then addressed the group.

"We need to replenish our food, medicine, and fuel for keeping warm. It would also be good to buy a few more local maps."

The Northern Countries have complex terrain, and many roads are temporarily closed due to snow accumulation and monster activity. Relying solely on this somewhat old map, they might end up on an old, impassable road.

The four continued forward in the direction marked on the map.

In the afternoon, the woods gradually receded to both sides, and a vast lake appeared at the end of the road.

The clear lake water reflected the azure sky, and several unidentified water birds flew close to the surface, their wings occasionally skimming the water and leaving ripples that spread outwards.

A small town was built along the lake, with numerous wooden houses stretching along the shore and fishing boats of all sizes moored at the dock.

The timing is perfect; the sun is setting, the wind is gradually subsiding, and half the trees along the lake are bathed in red light. Fishermen moor their boats ashore, carrying the bass they've caught after a hard day's work, and scatter them under the river trees to sell.

This alone makes it hard to believe you're in the northern region where monsters are rampant; it feels more like a secluded paradise.

Fern stopped and gazed at the shimmering lake in front of him.

"So beautiful."

"Um."

Frieren nodded slightly.

For someone who has lived through so many years, such a scene is not uncommon, but seeing it still makes one want to stop and linger for a while.

"I can smell grilled fish."

Stark clearly didn't have the same leisure to appreciate the scenery as the other two; his attention was entirely focused on the aroma of food wafting from the town.

"Then let's go in quickly."

As you enter the town along the leaf-strewn road, the aroma of grilled fish becomes even stronger.

Along both sides of the road, there were many stalls selling the catch. In addition to freshly caught fish, there were also smoked fish, dried fish, and pickled fish in wooden barrels.

The most eye-catching of all was a stall where fish were being grilled over charcoal.

Cleaned fish are skewered with wooden sticks and neatly arranged beside the charcoal fire. The fish skin has been roasted to a golden brown and crispy, and the oil drips slowly from the surface, sizzling in the charcoal fire.

"You must be tourists from out of town. Would you like to try some grilled fish? It was just caught this morning from the lake!"

The stall owner, while fanning the charcoal fire with a palm leaf fan, warmly greeted the group.

"Give me four."

Stark said without hesitation.

Please ask about the price first.

Fern stopped him in time; after all, she had truly experienced the wickedness of human nature over the years.

Selling inferior goods as superior ones, engaging in forced buying and selling, deliberately inflating prices, and even secretly installing magnets under the scales to charge for two kilograms when you only bought one—

There are far too many similar incidents; they can't afford to be careless.

Don't worry, it's not expensive.

The stall owner smiled and quoted the price.

After confirming that the budget had not been exceeded, Fern took out a few copper coins from his purse.

The grilled fish tasted really good.

The skin is crispy, while the fish meat inside remains soft and tender. The simple salt and spices perfectly mask the fishy smell of the lake fish without compromising its original sweetness.

"It's currently the autumn fishing season."

The stall owner continued fanning the charcoal fire.

"At this time of year, the fish in the lake swim in groups to the waters near the shore, so you've come at just the right time."

Oh, by the way.

The stall owner seemed to remember something and said to the group.

"The town is holding a fishing competition soon, would you like to try your luck?"