Their search for information related to the Goddess's Stele had never stopped.
But today, they finally made some progress.
They found a dwarf named Kisel, who mentioned that in the village he once lived in, there had been a book related to the goddess.
Dwarves, while not immortal like demons or elves, often lived up to three hundred years. So it wasn't surprising that places where dwarves had settled would hold some ancient texts.
Unfortunately, as Kisel explained, his old village had been destroyed by monsters long ago. He had escaped only by sheer luck.
Coincidentally, the replica of the Hero's Sword in Himmel's possession had been forged by Kisel himself—commissioned by a noble from the imperial capital when Kisel had just become a blacksmith. That sword had ended up in Himmel's hands, journeyed with him, and seen countless adventures.
As a child, Himmel had once defeated a monster to save a traveling merchant. In gratitude, that merchant gave him the sword. Perhaps that moment was what first inspired Himmel to become a hero.
Kisel originally wanted to take the sword back and offer Himmel a finer one, but Himmel had refused.
"This sword is already my partner. I'll take it with me all the way—to the day we defeat the Demon King and bring peace to the world."
That was what Himmel had said.
In the end, Kisel gave up on his initial plan and instead offered to reforge and sharpen the blade, which had dulled from years of battle.
Following Kisel's guidance, the group arrived at the ruins of the old dwarven village, now completely overrun by monsters.
And what followed was a brutal fight.
Sitting on the ground amidst the aftermath, Eisen panted as he adjusted his breathing.
"That was rough… One wrong step and we'd all be dead."
Himmel's arm was injured, the left side of his cloak soaked in blood—a grisly sight.
Heiter was treating the wound.
"Did you see that move I pulled off just now? Pretty flashy, huh?" Himmel grinned despite the pain.
"I can't believe you managed an attack like that with your arm so badly injured," Heiter replied, exasperated.
"Even I broke into a sweat just watching," Eisen added.
At that moment, Aesc emerged from behind a collapsed building and jogged over to them.
"Yo! Looks like you guys are done here?"
By the time she arrived, Heiter had already healed most of Himmel's injury, though the bloodstain on his cloak remained—and Aesc took notice.
"…Why do you look like a mess?"
"What mess? I look dashing even with injuries, thank you very much."
Aesc didn't press further. She simply lifted a hand and brushed it across Himmel's cloak. A soft white glow enveloped her palm—and in an instant, the blood vanished, leaving the fabric as clean as if freshly laundered.
Himmel smiled warmly.
"Thanks, Aesc."
"No problem."
Aesc had been absent earlier because she'd gone off to deal with a more dangerous target.
Aside from the horde of monsters, the village had been occupied by a red dragon, who ruled the nearby area.
So they'd split up before entering: the dragon was Aesc's target, while the rest would handle the monsters.
Given that she'd earned the title Dragonslayer back in the Surface World (though not quite on Fergus's level), Aesc had a clear advantage against dragons.
After clearing the area, they finally made it into the village chief's house.
Incidentally, Frieren had to be dragged there—by Aesc.
"But it's a red dragon! Its materials are incredibly rare and valuable for research!"
"Do you understand what's more important here, Frieren? The priority isn't harvesting dragon parts—it's solving the mystery of the goddess magic that brought you to this timeline! And besides… you're going back to the future soon. Even if you did get the materials, you wouldn't be able to take them with you."
"Ugh…"
Fortunately, the chief's house was the best-preserved building in the village.
Books were delicate and often destroyed by monsters acting purely on destructive impulse—especially by dragons, who could incinerate them with a single breath.
"Don't tell me it's another bust," Eisen said, pulling a book from the shelf, sounding drained. "I'm really getting tired of these dead ends."
"Heiter, didn't you say the goddess only hears the prayers of devout followers like you?" Aesc was flipping through a book, then shelved it and grabbed another. "Then hurry up and pray we actually find something this time."
Heiter sighed, smiling wryly.
"…Goddess above, please bless us…"
Almost as if on cue—
"Ah! Found something. There's a section about the Goddess's Stele here," Frieren called out.
Himmel, Eisen, and Aesc all looked at her—then turned slowly toward Heiter, who now stood proudly with hands on his hips, practically begging for someone to punch him.
"Alright, alright," Aesc said. "Let's see what the book says."
They all gathered around Frieren as she read from the text, hoping for a breakthrough.
"Well?" Himmel asked. "What's it say?"
"It says… the method to return to the future is in the Chronobird Chapter of the holy scripture."
"So we just need to use the magic described in that chapter?" Eisen asked.
It sounded simple—but…
"It's not that easy," Aesc said, shaking her head. "The holy scripture doesn't contain any actual magic spells. It's made up of myths and divine commandments passed down from the goddess. The methods for goddess magic are hidden in them as extremely long and cryptic codes. The spells clergy use today are only possible because countless generations managed to decode them."
Heiter added, "Even now, many priests dedicate their entire lives to unraveling the mysteries of the scripture."
Eisen frowned. "So most of it's still unsolved?"
"Exactly," Heiter said. "According to records from the Holy Capital, only about three percent of the goddess's magic has been deciphered."
Himmel's expression turned grim.
"So if this book is accurate… that means the Chronobird Chapter contains the spell that can send Frieren back to her own time?"
Eisen looked to Heiter. "How long would it take to decode something like that?"
Heiter rubbed his chin, thinking it over.
"It depends on the spell. Normally? Two or three decades. For longer or more complex ones, it could take generations. Maybe even centuries."
"That long…" Himmel murmured.
"And there's another problem," Heiter added, resting a hand on the scripture, his voice growing heavy. "The Chronobird Chapter—also known as the Blank Chapter—has existed in the scripture for fifteen hundred years. In all that time, no one's ever found a single usable spell in it."
The mood in the room instantly dropped.
"…We probably won't need that long, right?" Eisen looked toward Aesc. "I mean, the two greatest mages in the world are standing right here. Surely you two could figure it out faster? Especially you, Aesc. If you can share memories with your past self, then this kind of spell should be your specialty."
"Stop putting all your hopes on me! I'm not Doraemon!" Aesc snapped. "Some things are just impossible. Divine-level magic like this… there's no way it can be cracked in anything less than a few decades."
"Even I can't wait that long…" Frieren's voice dipped low, her eyes downcast. "By the time we're done decoding, my original time might have already arrived…"
"…Wait. That might be a solution too," Eisen said, as if something had clicked.
"That's the perk of being long-lived."
"…Eisen."
Frieren looked up, a smile slowly blooming across her face.
In her mind, memories drifted past like clouds.
"I want to return to my time… It might not seem like it, but… after our journey ended, I learned a lot. I gained many things that I now hold dear. I don't want to lose them."
Eisen looked at her deeply—then lowered his gaze with a wistful, almost relieved sigh.
"…So you've finally found somewhere you belong."
"It's not that heavy," Frieren said, smiling softly. "I just want to go back. That's all."
Everyone looked at her like they were seeing her in a new light.
"…That's not like you, Frieren," Himmel said, his eyes clear as the sky, though something unreadable glimmered behind them. "Sounds like future-you is on another cheerful, aimless journey with her companions, huh?"
He stood up from his chair.
His voice was calm—but firm.
"I've decided. After we defeat the Demon King, we'll start deciphering the scripture."
It was so sudden that everyone blinked.
"…It'll be too late by then," someone said.
"I know."
His words were quiet—but resolute.
"That's why I'm making the decision now."
Heiter and Eisen exchanged a glance—then sighed in recognition.
"Ah… so that's what this is."
"You're always like this… casually making these huge decisions."
"Frieren," Himmel asked, "When you were studying the stele in the future… was there any inscription carved on it?"
Frieren froze.
Then, the memory surged up.
The fresh carving at the base of the stele—the one Fern had pointed out. The one said to be part of the Chronobird Chapter…
"…Himmel…"
"No need to say it."
Himmel met her gaze—and understood.
"The magic that sent you back was the spell we spent decades decoding and engraved on the stele… for you."
"…I have a feeling I'm going to be very busy after we defeat the Demon King," Aesc muttered, scratching her head with a sigh.
"Hard work suits you," Heiter said with a grin, slapping her on the shoulder. "Besides, Frieren can't help with decoding—would mess with the future. You're our only hope."
"…Fine. Think of it as payment," Aesc groaned. "For dragging me along on this happy, idiotic little adventure."
She sighed again, but there was a faint smile on her lips.
"And besides… after this journey's over, I have no idea what to do with myself. Having a clear goal doesn't sound so bad."
She flipped through the book.
"…According to this, the spell can only be activated while touching the Goddess's Stele."
"So we're heading back there again?" Eisen groaned.
"Can I stay and house-sit?" Heiter offered.
Aesc: "It's not even a house."
Himmel: "Nope. We share the hardships and joys as a team."
Eisen: "And when exactly have we shared joy?"
...
Unnoticed, the silver moon had risen high into the night sky, wrapped in a blanket of stars.
"Ugh… I'm exhausted…"
Trailing at the back of the group, Heiter looked miserable, his breathing uneven. He kept wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
"Seriously, Heiter, your stamina is pathetic," Aesc said, pausing to glance back. "You're almost two meters tall, and you've got less stamina than me and Frieren—two girls. Don't you find that a little embarrassing?"
"Hey, I'm a priest, okay? Low stamina is totally normal."
"Yeah? And Frieren and I are delicate little mages."
At that, Heiter's expression twisted oddly.
"…What kind of 'delicate' mage can punch a war boar to death with one hit?"
...
There was an awkward five-second silence.
Then Aesc turned to Himmel, raising her left hand.
"Himmel. Come hold my hand."
"Okay," he said cheerfully, walking over and grabbing her hand.
The next second—
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! You saying I'm as brutish as a war boar?! I'll KICK YOU INTO NEXT WEEK! You think I won't?! I swear, if Himmel weren't holding me back right now, I'd—I'd let you personally experience what it feels like to have your brain smashed out with a single punch!"
…Himmel, in truth, wasn't even trying that hard to hold her back.