(˙o˙) It's Not That Simple (1)
The ten short days slipped by almost in the blink of an eye, spent in the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of that remote little village.
When the agreed-upon time came, Annie and the others' luxurious magic carriage naturally arrived at the village entrance right on schedule, where they made their final farewells to the villagers and the old Dwarf, Frou.
The farewell wasn't sad at all.
After all, good news lifted everyone's spirits. Old Frou had completely changed from his earlier dejected, worn-out state. He was now hale and hearty, and his face wore the rare, gentle smile he hadn't shown in years, as if the mist and chaos that had always clouded his eyes had finally been swept away.
And that wasn't all!
As the magic carriage began to roll away, he even waved his short, sturdy arms with all his might, calling out a loud farewell to Annie, Frieren, Ilena, and Fern as they set off on their journey.
His gaze lingered on Annie a little longer than on the others—longer even than it did on Frieren's—seeming to hold an indescribable affection and gratitude.
But whatever the case!
As the carriage gradually picked up speed, the little village that had borne the old Dwarf's centuries of devotion and longing, along with his small, white-bearded figure at the entrance, slowly fell behind them, shrinking into a tiny ink spot against the mountains and snowfields.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, the space-expansion spell maintained a perfectly comfortable temperature and humidity, allowing Ilena to go barefoot in her light witch's dress as she elegantly used a small magic mirror to tidy her "lustrous" silver hair and face.
Fern, meanwhile, had already begun planning their next route. Her fingers moved over the spread-out parchment map as she compared