Chapter 22 – The Creation of a Worthless Spell
The smug little grin on Frieren's face said everything.
Elias instantly understood.
Of course.
That word — "old fossil" — she'd pulled straight from his private journal.
The same insult he'd once used to describe Serie.
"Unbelievable, Frieren…" Elias muttered darkly.
"You do realize that reading someone's diary is a gross invasion of privacy, don't you?"
Frieren: «(･ω･)»
"I only meant to read one page," she said with suspicious innocence, "but the content was so juicy that I… couldn't stop myself."
She began gleefully reciting.
"For example… oh, this part was my favorite—"
"'Year one since Flamme left — I miss her.'"
"'Year two — still miss her, miss her, miss her!'"
"'Year three — thinking about her again, can't stop missing her—'"
Frieren's eyes sparkled as she leaned across the table.
"Elias! Who would've thought—behind that icy, heartless façade—you were secretly pining for my beloved teacher!"
Elias: (≖_≖'')
"Frieren," he said stiffly, "stop exaggerating. Those were objective records of daily events—factual notes only."
"Uh-huh, sure…" Frieren rested her chin in her hands, half-lidded eyes glinting with mischief.
"For something you objectively recorded, you certainly sound emotionally invested. I guess you're even slower on the uptake than I thought."
"Please," Elias sighed, defeated.
"Spare me your cryptic insinuations. Whatever you're implying, I don't get it."
"Fine, fine~" she hummed, twirling her spoon and finally scooping up a bite of pudding.
"I'll pretend I didn't see anything."
She swallowed with satisfaction, then added sweetly,
"…Including the part about you wanting to become human."
–––
That night, while Frieren slept sprawled upside-down on the bed, Elias stood alone on the balcony, leaning on the railing as he gazed at the silent streets below.
"To spend a lifetime chasing something… even if it costs your life, huh."
Her words echoed in his mind.
He had to admit it—
He and Conrad were the same breed of lunatic.
The only difference was that humans lived short lives.
He just happened to endure a little longer.
When he mocked Conrad's foolishness back then…
had he, unknowingly, been mocking himself too?
Perhaps the boy was right.
He really was slower than he'd ever realized.
–––
The next morning, outside the village valley.
The wind howled through the narrow gorge, tugging at cloaks and hair.
Yonas stopped walking and turned to them with a solemn bow.
"Lord Elias, Miss Frieren, I'm afraid this is as far as I can go."
"At the deepest part of this valley lies the nest of the monster Stormbird."
"Thirty years ago, my father died trying to retrieve one of its tail feathers."
Elias nodded silently.
So that was it—
the Stormbird's feather must have been the final ingredient needed to complete the Human Hair Magic research.
Yet the valley…
He closed his eyes, feeling the currents of mana that lingered in the air—an aura achingly familiar.
Yes. This was the very gorge where, eighty years ago, he had slain the Black Dragon and gone into seclusion.
Could his lingering mana have attracted the Stormbird to make its nest here?
If so, then he had brought Conrad both hope… and death.
How unpleasantly ironic.
Still, no matter what, all the obsessions of the living and the dead alike—
would find their end today.
"Let's go, Frieren."
Their figures disappeared into the rocky gorge, swallowed by shadow and wind.
"Frieren," Elias asked as they walked, "did Flamme ever teach you about avian-type monsters?"
"Hmph—being underestimated again," Frieren huffed.
"What, do you think all I can do is fiddle with magic trinkets?"
"I'll have you know," she declared proudly, "I'm the great mage who defeated the Transcendent Demon, Missol!"
Elias: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"Frieren, I shattered his body into pieces. You just took the head afterward. Since when does that count as your victory?"
Frieren: «(=ω=)»
"Can't you just let me have this one?"
"Fine," Elias said dryly, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Since you're so brilliant, why don't you tell me the characteristics of bird-type monsters? Consider it a test of Flamme's teaching."
Frieren straightened, cleared her throat, and raised a finger.
"Ahem! First of all—bird-type monsters can fly!"
Elias: …
And the sound of the wind in the canyon drowned out his sigh.
(≖_≖'')
"Frieren, don't tell me you stopped walking just to make me praise you?"
"Can you at least say something that normal people don't already know?"
Frieren blinked, thought for a moment, then blinked again.
«(･ω･)»
«(-ω-)»
«(･ω･)»
"…Nope, that's all."
Elias: Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ
"Frieren, are you kidding me right now?! The only thing you know about bird-type monsters is that—they can fly?!"
«(／_＼)» "Pardon my ignorance!"
Elias shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as if trying to erase the absurd scene from memory—but that catlike pout of hers refused to leave his mind.
"Fine, Frieren. Listen carefully. I'll only explain this once."
He straightened his tone like a stern teacher lecturing a hopeless student.
"To be classified as an avian-type monster, merely having wings and flight isn't enough. That's the bare minimum requirement."
"Compared to other types, bird monsters are far more agile—and far more cunning."
"They're adept at suppressing their mana signatures, making ambushes from above or behind."
"And most importantly, common bird-type monsters rarely act alone. They move in flocks, using coordinated attacks to overwhelm their prey."
Frieren's ears perked up. "Then what about the Stormbird?"
"Hmph. Now that's a good question." Elias smirked slightly.
"The Stormbird is a large-class avian monster. It's territorial—so unlike others, only one ever nests in a given region."
Frieren suddenly stopped, eyes widening. She pointed toward the end of the canyon.
"Then today must be… an unusual case."
Elias followed her gaze—and froze.
At the clearing ahead lay an enormous nest.
And inside it… were two massive, deep-green Stormbirds.
Doing something that made the phrase "nesting season" painfully literal.
Without hesitation, Elias reached out and covered Frieren's eyes.
"Children aren't allowed to see that."
Frieren: «(=_=)»
"So… are we going to break them up, or wait until they're finished?"
——BOOM!!!
"…Never mind. They're finished."
–––
And so, the two successfully retrieved the Stormbird's tail feather.
It was slightly singed, but still perfectly usable.
Three days later, in the familiar little barbershop, under Yonas's watchful gaze—
Conrad's lifelong research finally reached its conclusion.
The "Hair-Growth Elixir"—a potion that could regrow hair with a single application—
was born in Elias's hands.
Yonas gazed at the tiny glass vial, awe and melancholy mingling in his eyes.
"So this… this was my father's life's work. All that time and effort, and it fits in one small bottle. Somehow… it feels unsatisfying."
"Not at all!"
Frieren jumped up, patting him on the shoulder with a bright smile.
"Just like magic itself, the joy isn't in the result, but in the process—the creation, the discovery, the journey."
"And besides," she added gently, "what may seem like a worthless spell to one person… might be a precious miracle to someone else."
"…I see." Yonas's expression softened, a hint of relief crossing his face.
"If that's true, then perhaps my father—wherever he is—can finally rest easy."
"He definitely can!" Frieren nodded firmly.
As she and Elias turned to leave, she suddenly stopped at the doorway, flashing a playful grin over her shoulder.
"Yonas, next time I'm in the area, I'll stop by for a haircut!"
Yonas watched them walk off into the distance, their figures shrinking into the light of sunset.
"Next time…" he murmured, his smile tinged with wistfulness.
"…will that be another thirty years from now?"