"Yes. Monsters occasionally appear around here, so unless there's something special going on, I won't leave lightly. After all, if something happens while I'm gone, that'd be trouble."
"Then, if you want to go further, you can leave here and see the outside world. Of course, that's just a suggestion," As he said this, he added one more line at the end, "By the way, unlike you, I'm very good at fighting humans and humanoid creatures, so you can come at me without holding back."
"Then… I won't hold back!"
"Yeah. Come on."
Facing this overly young youth, Ash merely gave a light chuckle and beckoned with his hand, and then—
The outcome of the fight was still completely one-sided.
Even though Ash slowed his movements and restrained his strength, fighting with equivalent physical abilities, Stoltz, who lacked experience fighting people, was still knocked down amid a series of dull thuds of fists landing solidly on flesh. Unfortunately, he fell straight to the ground, splashing mud everywhere.
His face was swollen and bruised as he lay flat on his back in a muddy puddle, staring up at the sky, unable to get up for quite a while. His once pure white cloak was already filthy, hardly showing any white at all, and the sword in his hand had disappeared at some point without him even noticing.
Yet, feeling the same frustration he'd felt as a child when he'd been knocked down by his elders, along with the earthy smell carried by the night wind, he stared at the bright moon overhead and let out… a heartfelt laugh.
"Haha! Haha! Amazing… truly amazing! I really am still far from it… I'm still a long way from the strong ones of this world."
Even though his opponent had clearly held back, it was still an utterly irredeemable defeat, and that unexpectedly ignited a fierce fighting spirit in Stoltz.
With admiration, he turned his head to look at Ash's departing back, genuinely regretting that he couldn't have seen him in his youth, at his absolute peak. He also resolved that once he got back, he would properly share today's long-missed joy of a crushing defeat with his younger brother.
———
The next day, since there were no sightseeing spots here, nor any magic books or ruins, the three of them didn't stay long. After repeated attempts by the village chief and villagers to persuade them failed, they left the village amid regretful farewells, planning to go find the dwarf warrior Eisen to hang out.
Along the way, even Fern could clearly feel the overly intense gazes behind them, and she couldn't help but mutter, "That's really wonderful, Lord Ash… The people in that village like you so much, and even the girls don't mind that you're over ninety years old. That's really wonderful!"
"What's so wonderful about that? They only like my exterior, not my inner self. How could I be happy about that?", Noticing Fern's unhappiness, Ash tried to crack a joke to change the mood.
But Frieren didn't read the atmosphere at all, wearing an expression that clearly said "what nonsense are you talking about," as she bluntly remarked, "If they really understood how dark your inner self is, then even if you're strong, those girls who worship strength probably wouldn't like you."
"Nonsense. Even if I don't look like it, I'm actually quite gentle and very popular with kids. Maybe someone even has a crush on me."
"That's impossible, Lord Ash. Give up!"
Unlike usual, Fern made this judgment without any hesitation at all. When she glanced sideways at him, her expression was unusually serious and solemn, as if she truly believed this from the bottom of her heart and wanted him to think so too.
"You were so straightforward and cute when you were little… why now… are you so cruel and heartless?"
"Give up," His wounded mutter made Frieren smile as she patted his shoulder, "Life becomes painful precisely because there are too many unrealistic fantasies."
"You say that like you really understand."
"I do understand," Frieren glanced at Fern beside her and muttered softly, "Because… I also think Fern was cuter when she was little, but now she's become so scary. Really…"
""Sigh!""
The two of them, strangely in sync at the weirdest moments, ended up letting out a big sigh together.
The overlapping sighs reached Frieren and Ash's ears, and they couldn't help but exchange a smile at this rare moment of mutual understanding.
But that only made Fern puff out her cheeks in displeasure, "What is it with you two… are you deliberately mocking me? Isn't it because you two always mess around? Otherwise, why would I get angry for no reason?"
""Sorry… thinking about it seriously, it's really all Ash's (Frieren's) fault!""
Under Fern's reproachful gaze, the two who had just silently acknowledged each other as close friends once again spoke in perfect unison, only the target of their blame was slightly different.
This left Fern both annoyed and amused, to the point that she couldn't even tell whether their relationship was good or bad anymore.
And so the three of them continued chatting as they passed through the forest.
.
.
.
About three days later, beside an unremarkable cave at the foot of a mountain… a dwarf warrior wearing a familiar horned helmet and a red cloak came into view.
Upon noticing that familiar figure, even Frieren couldn't help but smile knowingly, her tone lifting more than usual.
"Eisen, I came to play with you."
"..."
The dwarf warrior, with his back to them, seemed to still be praying to a pile of stones. Only after hearing the familiar voice did he open his eyes with a hint of helplessness, not even turning his head as he said, "That really doesn't sound like the tone of someone you haven't seen in thirty years."
"More like you just saw each other yesterday," Ash chimed in at just the right moment. Frieren looked a bit puzzled, "Wasn't it just thirty years?"
"Yeah, just thirty years. By the way, Ash showed up too?", Eisen turned around in surprise, looking at the two who almost never appeared, an astonished expression forming on his face.
"How rare. Neither of you showed up for all these years, and now you both come together to see me?"
"We happened to pass by, so of course we'd check in on an old friend. That's what I thought," Ash said with a smile, glancing at the stone pile. Frieren nodded without thinking, "Yeah, that's what I thought too."
"You two are the most heartless ones, and now you're saying things like that," Eisen's face lacked expression and his tone was calm, but his words carried a hint of teasing.
Those words made Fern glance at the two of them, "Heartless…? Well, Lady Frieren is a bit cold, but Lord Ash… hmm, yes, he really is quite heartless too."
"Why? I should be a bit better than Frieren, right?", Ash had barely voiced his dissatisfaction when Fern looked up and glared at him.
"Aren't you usually off managing your apple orchard? By the way, when are you planning to leave?"
"Well… things have been running smoothly lately, so there's no big problem—"
"Then I'll leave the vanguard to you, okay?"
"I guess… should I say that's fine, or that it's not…", Unsure whether he might have urgent matters later, he nodded vaguely, then immediately looked at Frieren, "Actually, with your level, having a vanguard doesn't seem that important, does it?"
"That's not quite true. If we run into something like a dragon with very high magic resistance, it can still be quite dangerous."
"Don't think that saying it like that will make me believe you and willingly go be the vanguard. What's the real situation?"
"If we try a few times, we can deal with it, but if possible, I'd still prefer to have a warrior like Eisen or you. Especially someone like Eisen, who's fine even if bitten by a poisonous snake or injured by a poisoned arrow. It's very convenient. After all, we don't have a priest, so it's best if the warrior can handle those problems themselves."
Frieren calmly described her overly harsh requirements… which were, of course, just her ideal expectations. Reaching that level in reality was extremely difficult.
Hearing these conditions, Eisen closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm old now. I can't meet your demands anymore."
"Weren't you able to before, by relying on willpower? Does willpower weaken with age?"
"Willpower doesn't change, but the body really doesn't work anymore. Willpower isn't actually that useful," Her strange expectations made Eisen look particularly troubled.
"Huh? You can't?"
"I was just saying that back then, and you actually believed it?"
"B-because… normal warriors definitely couldn't do that, right?", The truth revealed after so many years left Frieren staring in shock.
Seeing how she had never doubted it made Eisen's conscience sting a little. Dealing with mages who didn't understand the hardships of warriors clearly gave him a headache, and he couldn't help but say,
"I feel kind of sorry, but… if you came to fulfill my dying wish or something like Heiter, it's still far too early. Also, my body isn't the same as when I was young. I already told you that thirty years ago when I refused you. Really… give up."
"Hold on a second," Hearing this, Ash couldn't help but interject, "Actually, Himmel only died a little over twenty years ago, not thirty. You two both remembered it wrong."
"That kind of thing isn't important. Whether it's twenty-something years or thirty, for humans it's all quite a long time."
Eisen looked at him, then glanced at Frieren. His words seemed to carry some deeper meaning.
But Frieren, who always had trouble grasping unspoken implications unless things were spelled out clearly, didn't catch it at all. She just nodded thoughtfully, "That's true. No wonder Heiter said we were heartless just because we didn't keep in touch for a few decades."
"From the sound of it, you still don't seem to be reflecting on it at all."
Seeing that she hadn't understood the deeper meaning, Eisen didn't plan to explain further. He simply followed the flow of the conversation, shook his head, and walked toward the cave, saying without looking back, "Anyway, come in first. I'll still prepare some tea and such."
"Since you put it that way, I won't hold back~", Ash cheerfully followed him inside.
But hearing that, Eisen turned back in confusion, "The last time you came, did you ever hold back?"
"Listen to yourself. Is there even anything here for me to hold back on?"
"Bread? Cured meat?", After a long silence, Eisen listed the only two things inside that might have some value.
"I'm not trying to criticize you, but Heiter at least had alcohol. You're a dwarf, at least drink some alcohol. Even if you don't drink, I want to."
"Your prejudice against dwarves has lasted all these years and you still won't change? Most dwarves really don't drink."
The two of them argued like this as they walked into the cave, leaving Fern behind with an increasingly strange expression on her face.
Only Frieren seemed completely used to it as she followed them inside.
Before entering the cave, Fern couldn't help but harbor some complaints about Ash's remarks, feeling that even between close friends, such bluntness was a bit too harsh.
But once she actually stepped inside, she realized that while Ash really hadn't been polite, he also hadn't exaggerated anything.
Because the inside of the cave was completely, utterly primitive.
The surroundings were bare rock walls, with a few simple carved niches cleverly holding flickering oil lamps that added a touch of warmth to the dark space, along with some basic daily necessities.
But most of the clutter inside consisted of handmade earthenware.
The furniture was clearly homemade as well. The dining table and wardrobe were both put together on the spot, crudely assembled from available materials.
The workmanship… could only be described as so-so. If you tried to sell it, probably no one would want it. Even scavenging discarded items by the roadside might yield something better… at least those would likely have been properly sanded to avoid splinters.
If she had to describe it, in Ash's view the overall setup was like those short videos where someone kicked out by their wife digs a temporary shelter in a cave. The only difference was that other people dug through dirt, while Eisen dug through rock.
While Eisen went to pour the tea, Fern, encountering a dwarf for the first time, couldn't help but ask in a low voice out of curiosity, "Lord Ash, do dwarves all like such a primitive style?"
"Who knows? Probably. After all, if this guy wanted to make money, even though his body isn't at its peak anymore, the vast majority of warriors still wouldn't be a match for him."
"You make it sound like I'd go rob people," Hearing this, Eisen shook his head as he walked over. While handing out the teacups, he couldn't help but ask, "By the way, I heard from the kid earlier... you're running an apple orchard now?"
"Yeah. I'm actually a farmer."
"I almost forgot that you know quite a bit of agricultural magic," Staring at the tea leaves in his cup, Eisen said softly, "But somehow… it doesn't suit you."
"I farm pretty often, actually."
"I can't picture it."
"My dream is to run vast fields of wheat."
"Wasn't it an apple orchard?", Eisen looked up with a laugh, "And you just came up with that dream, didn't you?"
"Caught me? Oh my~ how embarrassing~"
"If you could actually feel embarrassed, I'd really like to see what that looks like," Seeing his obviously fake shy act, Eisen couldn't help but let out a long sigh, then looked at the quietly sipping Frieren and said calmly, "Frieren, like I said earlier… if it's like Heiter and you're thinking of seeing me off at the end, it's still too early."
"You two, one's unreliable and the other's stiff, yet you've really kept up proper correspondence all this time," Frieren smiled lightly with a hint of nostalgia, tilting her head a little, "But don't you have anything you need our help with? Ash and I are both here. There must be things that are inconvenient for you as a warrior."
"Then, I want to see the notes of the great mage Flamme."
"Flamme's notes?"
"I remember they're somewhere nearby, in the Voll Basin," Eisen said slowly, "If possible, I hope you can help me find them."
As soon as he finished speaking, Frieren showed a nostalgic expression.
Ash, on the other hand, seemed to think of something. After rummaging around for a moment, he casually went "Thud!" and tossed a book onto the table.
"Here, the Flamme notes from the Voll Basin you wanted."
That made all three of them freeze almost at the same time. It was as if even the air itself had solidified.
———
When the book was casually thrown onto the table, the room fell into complete silence, and no one could regain their senses for quite a while.
After a long moment, Eisen finally spoke in stunned disbelief, "This is?"
"You should still be a while away from old age. Did you already get senile? This is exactly what you just asked for, Flamme's notes from the Voll Basin."
"No, why are they in your hands?"
"When I felt like it, I went and looked for them."
"B-but Heiter and I checked so many records just to—"
"If you're wondering why I could find them so easily… that's because I was there when Flamme hid them. Otherwise, how would I know where to look?", Facing the rare sight of an emotionally shaken Eisen, Ash spoke as casually as ever.
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