Chapter 138 – Farewell, Pudding
Three days later, at night.
Frieren walked into the inn, holding a cup of pudding, savoring it with complete satisfaction.
"Once we pass this town, we'll reach the southern continent. After that, it's going to be endless days of rough travel again… I'd better eat and drink my fill while I can!"
Muttering to herself, she strolled down the corridor, stuffing another spoonful of pudding into her mouth.
Just as she was about to head upstairs, she spotted Flamme pacing back and forth in the garden.
"Master Flamme? It's so late—why aren't you in your room yet?"
The moment Flamme turned around, her eyes immediately fell on the pudding in Frieren's hand—and the smudge still lingering at the corner of her lips.
"And you're any different, Frieren? The other three are already resting. Only you would go out in the middle of the night just to fill your stomach."
As she spoke, Flamme reached out and gently wiped the stain from Frieren's lips, her expression soft with affection.
"Hehe… Master Flamme, are you worried about Elias? Makes sense—he hasn't come back for three days. That's a bit suspicious."
"…That's true."
Flamme lifted her gaze to the star-filled sky.
"That guy was more eager than anyone to reach the southern continent… yet he's stayed behind in Hel City for three days without rejoining us."
"Could it be… something happened to him? Did the Hel Mercenary Corps—"
"Heh. That's impossible."
Flamme answered calmly.
"At least when it comes to combat, I've never doubted Elias's strength. I've never even imagined the possibility of his defeat."
"What worries me is… that something unexpected might have happened in Hel City."
"But until he returns, we can't move forward. Didn't that pig say it himself? The four of us have to head south together."
"Alright, alright~!"
Frieren cheered happily.
"Then I hope Elias comes back a few days later! That way I can eat a few more puddings before we leave!"
Flamme sighed helplessly and patted her head.
"That's enough for tonight. Go get some rest, Frieren. You'll have plenty of time to eat later."
Watching Frieren head upstairs, Flamme remained standing in the night breeze, feeling the chill.
She gazed silently at the stars—
Until a familiar presence suddenly made her smile.
"…Honestly."
"Frieren was just wishing you'd come back a few days later."
"—Then I suppose I'll disappoint her."
Elias stepped out from the shadows behind a tree and came to stand beside Flamme.
"Flamme… you've always liked looking at the stars. Is there some deeper meaning to it?"
Hearing his question, Flamme didn't look at him. She simply smiled faintly.
"Elias… when night falls and darkness blankets the world, don't you think the stars look like a field of flowers?"
"…A field of flowers again, huh."
Elias recalled their journey.
Most of the time, their carriage only stopped in towns or at waystations. Yet occasionally, in the middle of nowhere, Flamme would insist on stopping—
Just because she had glimpsed an unnoticed field of flowers in the distance.
To Elias, that kind of interest was even more boring than Frieren's strange magical gadgets.
So he chose to get straight to the point.
"Flamme, aren't you curious about what happened in Hel City?"
"…Elias, you were the one who asked me about the stars first."
"I take it back. What happened in Hel City is far more important than starry skies and flower fields."
"…Sigh, fine."
Flamme's tone turned almost resigned.
"Go on then. How many people did you kill, what new conspiracy did you uncover, and how did you spend three days cleaning everything up?"
"Unfortunately, Flamme…"
"You only got half of it right."
"I did uncover a new conspiracy—"
"But I wasn't able to resolve everything."
---
Elias recalled what had happened three days ago—
The city lord, Alden, lying in a pool of blood, crying and begging for mercy.
"After I wiped out the Hel Mercenary Corps, Alden realized the situation was hopeless. He said he'd take me to meet the mysterious figure guiding him from the shadows."
"But when we got there… as expected, it was a trap—set with fire magic."
"What?! Then Alden—"
"I saved him using Phantom Manifestation."
"But even then, Alden claimed he knew nothing about the trap. As for that mysterious figure… he knew even less."
"That person proposed the plan of 'manufacturing culprits' and granted the mercenary corps those marks to enhance their strength."
"The only thing he could confirm… was that the mastermind was human."
By now, an image had already formed in Flamme's mind—
Long, jet-black hair.
Combining that with what had happened in Theresa's village, she almost immediately reached a conclusion.
"Elias… among humans so closely tied to demons, aside from you, there's only one—"
"—Brutus."
"That elf mage."
"…Exactly."
Elias nodded faintly.
"After failing to control me, that guy has already interfered with us twice—deliberately trying to delay our journey."
Flamme nodded, her expression growing serious.
"It seems we underestimated his determination. He may already be planning something in the south… waiting for you to walk straight into it."
"We're about to enter the southern continent. The first major city is Lake Ring City…"
"Elias… I have a bad feeling about this."
"—Then we leave tomorrow."
Elias cut in calmly.
"Brutus may have moved sooner than expected, but we were bound to face him eventually."
---
Early the next morning, Elias, Flamme, and Robin boarded the carriage.
Frieren, meanwhile, was still sulking—
Carefully savoring her third bowl of pudding for the day.
"Seriously… Elias just had to come back out of nowhere. At least give me time to prepare!"
"At this rate, the next time I get to eat Mercury Pudding will be in Lake Ring City…"
After finishing, she wiped her mouth with a huff—
Only to turn around and realize someone looked even more reluctant than she did.
Theresa stood there, holding Hughes's hands, worry written all over her face as she looked at his pale expression.
"Hughes… are you really going to keep heading north? Why not come south with me?"
"I can't, Theresa."
Hughes shook his head gently.
"I'm truly happy to have met you again. But I've finally made it to the boundary between the two continents—how can I give up now?"
He pulled out a thick notebook and smiled as he showed it to her.
"Look—this is just from the southern continent alone. I've already recorded so much."
"If I keep going, traveling across the entire land, I'll complete this compendium… and help many more people."
"…Alright."
Theresa nodded softly and took out a small blade of grass, handing it to him.
"I just learned this from the sacred text—it's a defensive spell of the Goddess."
"If you ever face danger, it should help."
"…Of course, Hughes, I hope you never need to use it."
"Thank you, Theresa."
Hughes accepted it with a warm smile.
"And I hope you arrive safely at Lake Ring City… and find your family at the Sacred Library."