"That half-dead expression..."
"Let me guess—"
"Agusheed, you were definitely thinking about Flamme again just now..."
While quietly listening to Eisen's stories of the past together with Himmel and the others—
Crouched by the campfire under the big tree, curled up on her old father's lap, Frieren quietly turned her head and asked.
A direct hit,
Not off by a hair.
But despite this, Agusheed's reaction to her words was complete silence.
From beginning to end, not providing a bit of appropriate emotional value.
But such an attitude didn't stop Frieren's chattering little mouth.
The white-haired elf holding a grilled skewer tightly turned to stare at Agusheed,
Her cute little face showing an expression of 'you can't fool me.'
"Hmph~"
"It definitely is—"
"Agusheed, don't underestimate my observation skills!"
As annoying as always...
Already somewhat regretting specially stopping at Count Granat's Territory to see her—
This was the strongest Grand Demon's true thoughts at this moment.
So...
Magic That Can Block Sound Transmission was activated by Agusheed as he lowered his eyes.
Originally quietly listening to the story while half-leaning against the tree behind him, he lowered his head,
Then extended his index finger, lightly tapping the white-haired elf's head.
After hearing Frieren predictably let out a light cry of feigned pain,
Agusheed reached out to pinch her little face, pulling and kneading her cheeks.
"Talkative."
The old father's evaluation was nothing more than this.
In no time, he raised his head under an extremely disdainful gaze—
Continuing to listen to Eisen's account of his strange experiences after escaping from his hometown destroyed by demons.
Encountering the Red Mirror Dragon, falling into a dungeon, inexplicably solving the maze...
Unexpectedly defeating the skeletal griffon sleeping in the maze's depths, obtaining precious magic tools and treasure chests—
Then traveling around the Central Lands with gold coins obtained from the maze...
"How heartless..."
"I'm about to leave, and you treat me with such an attitude..."
"Before this, we hadn't seen each other for almost four hundred years..."
Frieren held up her grilled skewer, protesting her old father's rude attitude before Agusheed.
Then...
Agusheed, thoroughly annoyed, gave her the cruelest punishment with a calm sideways glance.
He unquestionably placed a skewer full of vegetables in front of Frieren's mouth.
...
Frieren didn't like eating vegetables.
She especially hated onions—
And the skewer placed before her met all these conditions.
"Don't want to eat..."
Agusheed listened to Frieren's obviously dejected mumbling,
Watching the white-haired elf's face begin to wrinkle up, he remained unmoved.
'Eat.'
Agusheed's action of pushing the skewer forward silently expressed his meaning.
So Frieren could only comply.
"Wuu wuu wuu..."
"Don't want to eat onions." (chew chew)
"I hate Agusheed the most—" (chew chew)
She always said this, but had never truly hated Agusheed.
After struggling to finish the grilled skewer, Frieren still looked up undaunted.
To get her old father to finally pay attention to her, the white-haired elf finally brought out her trump card—
The result she had deduced from observing the route for so many days and asking the Heaven Vein Dragon about their destination.
"Agusheed..."
"This journey of yours is to specifically find someone, right?"
Interesting—
Frieren's words indeed caught Agusheed's attention,
Because he hadn't expected his daughter's little brain to be so clever.
"Tell me, how did you figure it out?"
Under Frieren's expectant gaze, Agusheed finally ended his cold verbal violence toward her.
"Hmph~"
Hearing Agusheed ask about the reason, Frieren's face immediately showed a 'praise me' expression.
She pointed her chin toward the Heaven Vein Dragon's direction, proudly laying out her entire logic.
"Because I asked the Heaven Vein Dragon about your destination this time..."
"—The Falbe region."
"I remember very clearly that when Himmel and we first set out a year ago, the Adventurers' Association's Continental Times published a news item:"
"Grand Demon—Bal the Tearless Tyrant was subjugated by an unnamed mage in the Falbe region."
"Correspondingly, a local mountain was also melted by Hell Inferno Release Magic."
"And as far as I know, besides you, among the mages still alive in this era who could accomplish this, only three remain—"
"Me."
"Minus."
"Serie."
"The Falbe region is the earliest place where Imperial Capital Love Story spread and distorted your image into 'Agusia'—"
"So you who wouldn't go there without reason could only be specifically looking for Minus or Serie."
Wrong process, but correct conclusion...
At times like this, should I continue to discourage her?
Looking down at Frieren proudly raising her chin, Agusheed rarely went against his conscience.
"Yes."
"Not bad, you guessed correctly."
Detective Frieren, having received her old father's confirmation, crossed her arms with an unstoppable upward curve at the corners of her mouth.
And just then, Agusheed proactively asked her a question.
"Since you guessed right just now..."
"Then guess again—who exactly am I going to find?"
—
"Serie."
Almost without hesitation, Frieren gave her answer.
Also the undoubtedly correct answer.
She looked at Agusheed's surprised expression, feeling her intelligence was insulted.
"Agusheed, don't treat me like an idiot..."
The white-haired elf turned her head away and murmured softly.
"You must still be looking for that Magic of Resurrection that most likely doesn't exist, right?"
Although she usually looked dazed,
Among those still alive now—
Except for the Demon King, no one understood Agusheed better than Frieren.
"Guessed right again..."
"Do you want any reward?"
After brief surprise, only calm remained in Agusheed's eyes.
He gently stroked the white-haired elf's head, giving the post-question prize as always.
Frieren knew
This was actually just Agusheed not wanting to say more about the Magic of Resurrection,
So he was using rewards to change the topic.
But at this moment, she became surprisingly understanding.
Knowing it concerned Flamme,
The white-haired elf very obediently didn't continue making unreasonable demands on this topic like before.
Following Agusheed's wishes, Frieren began thinking about what reward to ask for.
Attack magic... don't need...
Functional magic... don't really need either...
"Hmm..."
Touching her chin, she turned to glance at Himmel who had already stood up after Eisen finished.
After brief contemplation—
Frieren looked up and told Agusheed what reward she wanted.
—
Just at the moment her words fell,
Everyone present except Agusheed simultaneously froze.
Including Frieren herself.
It wasn't because Agusheed's magic failed and let Himmel and the others hear Frieren's words.
What made them freeze...
Was the gradually brightening night sky—
Tonight's meteors had arrived early.
So on the spacious mountaintop, everyone raised their heads.
Frieren asking her old father for magic that could fulfill one of Himmel's wishes,
Himmel, completely unaware of Agusheed and Frieren's conversation, about to take over from Eisen in storytelling,
Eisen, who had just sat down and picked up a Red Mirror Dragon meat skewer,
Drunkard Heiter, whose wine cup had never stopped from beginning to end,
The Hero of the South, who had maintained a smile throughout this warm atmosphere,
And Agusheed, whose thoughts of his deceased wife were stirred again by his daughter's answer—
Everyone witnessed the meteor streaking across the sky from one end to the other.
Brilliant, bright, full of hope.
Pioneering, advancing, future promising.
Various emotions and sighs appeared in everyone's hearts along with the meteor.
Until the tail flame disappeared...
Until the last meteor also vanished into the dark sky.
"Could see it very clearly..."
"From here, it's indeed very beautiful..."
Regarding that fleeting spectacle just now, Himmel praised sincerely.
The others' evaluations naturally echoed in agreement.
Raising skewers, lifting wine cups, laughing heartily—
Scanning his friends' reactions one by one,
Himmel finally fixed his gaze on Frieren.
She didn't have overly active behavior,
Just closed her eyes beside Agusheed, as if savoring everything just now.
"You all think it's beautiful too, right?"
Frieren slowly opened her eyes, softly asking everyone present.
The answers received were naturally all affirmative.
"Then—"
The white-haired elf, knowing everyone would soon part ways, raised her finger and smiled as she made her suggestion.
"Since everyone loves meteors..."
"Let's leave after watching the upcoming Half-Century Meteor!"
Upcoming...
Hearing this word, Agusheed seemed to remember some unpleasant memories.
He furrowed his brow slightly, tapping Frieren's head with a light sigh.
"The next Half-Century Meteor is still ten years away..."
"Are you planning to have them live here with you for ten years?"
Surveying everyone who similarly showed helpless expressions,
Agusheed struck down Frieren's unrealistic idea.
Ugh...
Ten years...
Having Himmel stay here that long really doesn't seem possible...
Getting the exact number, Frieren first drooped her head,
Then thinking of a solution, she raised her finger again.
"Then let's reunite on the Heaven Vein Dragon again in the next decade!"
"Consider it dropping by to see Agusheed too."
Under Agusheed's head shake and the Hero of the South's gentle smile...
Frieren ran to Himmel, Heiter, and Eisen's side.
She pulled all their hands together, back to back.
Facing Agusheed and the Hero of the South...
Standing in the center of the hero party, Frieren confidently proposed:
"Half-Century Meteor—"
"Let's all watch it together again in the next decade!"
—
Fifty-ninth year before the Sinseki Era, the first year of the hero party's departure.
The thirty-seventh day of Agusheed's search for Serie—
The Heaven Vein Dragon arrived in the airspace of the Village of Swords.
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Powerstones?
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