Chapter 63

However, these are not things that Xiu Er would pay attention to.

After this brief interlude, the master and apprentice returned once again to their journey to the "Spirit Village"...

Episode 41: First Encounter with Frieren- Fictional Character Apparel

The Spirit Village.

The place where the elves have lived in seclusion for generations is unknown to most people; they have only heard similar legends from their fathers or elders.

And this mysterious place is precisely the current travel destination for Xiu Er and his apprentice.

The Spirit Village is hidden deep within this lush forest.

Xiu Er stood in front of the forest entrance. He didn't go in immediately, partly to avoid getting lost, and partly to be on the safe side. He planned to scan the forest path beforehand.

"Scanning...100%"

"Exploration complete. Map generated and ready to view at any time."

The scan was over, and the golden eyes that had been glowing for over ten seconds dimmed.

Upon seeing this, Takuson understood that his teacher had completed his task.

"So, teacher, is the Spirit Village really inside?"

"[Confirmed] The investigation results show that the Elf gathering place is located deep in the forest, and a large number of individuals suspected to be of the Elf species are gathering there."

"..."

"[Supplement] Based on the analysis of the terrain, there is no record of outsiders reaching the elf settlement."

Looking at the lush sea of trees in front of him, it was larger than any forest Takuson had ever seen before.

No wonder, the Spirit Village is just a name that exists only in "stories". Story creation tools

The reason is that virtually no one has actually been there.

"Teacher, shall we go in now?"

It was already late, and three months had passed since the master and apprentice had experienced the incident of Xiu Er summoning the Alatreon.

Throughout the long journey, the group maintained a good routine—or rather, a routine specific to Takuson.

Due to the changing seasons, the air temperature has now reached a rather cold level.

Takuson's daily training has made him incredibly strong, so much so that he can go shirtless in the snow without any problems.

The physical body is quite amazing, isn't it?

How could mere cold weather affect a well-trained body!

His clothes remained unchanged, just as before.

How did Takuson cope with the cold weather before he started exercising?

That was of course Xiu Er, who directly cast Magic he had been fortunate enough to acquire on him: [Maintain Target Temperature].

So, even in the past, this is how we've always gotten by.

And Xiu Er.

As Ex-Machina, he is not affected by the ambient temperature, so as to whether he feels cold?

Sorry, no.

"[Notification] It's time to depart."

"Oh, here it comes."

Having nothing to do, Takuson was doing some simple exercises to warm up when he heard Xiu Er's call and hurriedly put away the tools he had put out.

"Has the address been confirmed?"

"[Confirmed] Coordinates have been determined"

"Why not use that convenient 'Teleportation Gate'?"

"[Negative] The purpose of this trip is not to 'explore' the gathering place of the elf species; the real target is an individual elf."

Originally, I thought the teacher just wanted to visit Takuson, the Spirit Village. But when he heard that the other party only wanted to see an elf, his expression turned a little surprised.

"Do you know that elf?"

"[Negative] The target individual and I have never had any contact."

"Hey, do you know what that elf's name is?"

"[Answer] Frieren." (Fictional character merchandise)

"Frieren... I've never heard of her."

Takuson stroked his chin. Since his teacher would make a special trip to see this person, there must be something special about him, right?

Although he had never heard of it, he did not question Xiu Er's decision.

"Does the teacher want to see that elf about something?"

"[Negative] Nothing happened."

"..." Fictional character merchandise

Well, it seems my teacher has her own reasons.

For the rest of the time, Takuson didn't ask any more questions, but silently followed behind Xiu Er, strolling through the seemingly easy-to-get-lost sea of trees.

[Question] Are you Frieren?

An elven girl with long silver hair was squatting at the foot of a large tree, looking at the two people in front of her with a puzzled expression.

She also had a basket with many things she had picked hanging in her hand.

Frieren had simply gone out of the village to gather materials as usual today, and everything was peaceful as usual.

But now, the sudden change of events startled her. The stranger who came from outside knew her name even though it was the first time they had met, and seemed to be coming for her.

"It's me, what's the matter?"

At this point in time, Frieren is still quite naive. Since Xiu Er and his group did not show any malice, she did not suspect that they had any bad intentions.

While answering the other person's questions, Frieren subconsciously observed their appearances.

The tall, black-haired man was human, and he was carrying a Battle Axe on his back that was longer than her entire body. He seemed to be a warrior who was more physically strong.

Furthermore, there's the seemingly dominant purple-haired human girl. (Outside of battle, Xiu Er always maintains her Fake Demoness.)

To be honest, Frieren vaguely sensed something from the other person: the way the other person spoke and the expression on their face were a bit strange.

However, she didn't take it to heart. Maybe the other person just had a strange personality.

"[Answer] Nothing."

"..."

Frieren's eyebrows twitched slightly, but her expression didn't show much emotional fluctuation.

Do you only come to me when you have nothing to do?

What a strange person.

Seeing the other person's self-righteous attitude, seemingly unaware that there was nothing wrong with what they were saying, Frieren felt helpless.

Meanwhile, Takuson, who was standing behind Xiu Er, was already filled with a strong urge to complain about the conversation.

Teacher, you're such a good conversationalist!

Well, thinking about it, this is indeed the style of the teacher I remember, but it's a bit difficult for strangers to accept.

"Cough cough!"

Takuson coughed a few times on purpose to attract the attention of the two men.

"Your name is Frieren, right?"

Since I can't rely on my own teachers, I have no choice but to take matters into my own hands.

When Takuson interrupted, Xiu Er said nothing, but remained silent, waiting for his apprentice's performance.

"Hmm, didn't I already answer that question?"

"So you're looking for me because you have nothing better to do?"

Remembering Xiu Er's words, "It's nothing," Frieren's impression of the master and apprentice pair became strange.

"Of course not. We came here to visit after learning that the legendary Spirit Village really exists."

"Really? You want to go see the village?"

Frieren found this reason to be more convincing than the purple-haired girl's answer.

"But that won't work. Outsiders need the village chief's permission to enter the village."

"Oh, is that so? That's a real shame."

Takuson said with a regretful expression, then he noticed the basket on Frieren's arm.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Gather the necessary materials and go back to do some interesting experiments."

As she spoke, Frieren picked out something unusual from the weeds beside the tree roots in front of her.

"Do you need my help?"

"Well, it's not necessary, but I can help if you'd like."

She didn't mind the other party's help; for Frieren, such a small matter was nothing to worry about.

After receiving an affirmative answer, Takuson did not hesitate. He rolled up his sleeves, went to Frieren's side, and prepared to help with the work.

But before they could even make a move, they were stopped by the other party.

Can you tell the difference?

"Haha, no way."

Seeing the other person's eyelashes slightly lowered and their speechless expression, Takuson felt a little embarrassed.

After all, the other party meant well, and Frieren wouldn't blame them. Since they didn't know how, she would just teach them.

"Then I'll teach you how to tell the difference."

"Thank you so much!"

Xiu Er casually found a spot to sit down and quietly observed the exchange between Takuson and Frieren.

He did not choose to join them; the initial conversation was not intentional on his part, that was simply the truth.

Arriving in the Spirit Village and meeting Frieren was entirely unintentional; he simply wanted to see this future great Magic.

At this point in time, Frieren still seems a bit immature, but that makes sense, considering that Frieren had experienced the annihilation of a village afterward.

Because of the prophet of the Demon race, the "elf" race will suffer a massacre by the Demon within a few years or a decade, and the elves will become an endangered species as a result of this massacre.

As for that prophet, Xiu Er wasn't actually worried that the other party would know about his affairs.

Now, after his battle with Sariel, he has a general understanding of the world's combat strength.

Even if that Demon prophet had indeed made plans for his own existence, he was confident that he could break them. He had already obtained the relevant methods for countering "Magic" from Sariel.

Therefore, of all the major events he knows of right now, the Demon' massacre of the elves is the most important.

Looking at the Golden Orb that had reappeared in his hand, Xiu Er already had a plan in mind.