Lately the nights have been relentlessly busy. Probably because the body crafted by the goddess has finally regained function again—my soul keeps wriggling out like maggots, pouring out nonstop.
Tearing apart, leaving the body, getting stuck in the passage, squeezing into that body—repeating the process over and over.
While this body was still usable, I went to visit the four of them every day.
Gathering intelligence, creating little dinosaurs, watching over their lives, guarding against memory leaks, eliminating lurking threats.
The unknown pain of a soul being torn apart—it felt just like being quartered by five horses, the way Shang Yang was executed.
Who was I doing this for? Probably still for my own peace of mind. Humans are creatures who will go to any extreme for reassurance. I couldn't feel at ease about their lives; I couldn't be as detached as I told the little sprite.
What shocked me most was that Frieren had already recovered her memories—and she was trying to understand humans.
...
Perhaps everything happened just as Diego said: when the half-century meteor shower returned, all things in the world would replay.
The holy hero Alicia had died. The Southern Hero who had spent these fifty years masquerading as Diego Brando hunting demons passed away peacefully of old age.
The demons erupted into violence once more. The century-long terror of Scary Monsters was broken. The hand that had gripped the demons' throats vanished. The demons invaded human territory again.
[Diego Brando is already dead.]
That notion was firmly planted in the demons' minds.
When a chain smoker is forced to quit for half a century, no one can imagine how terrifying the withdrawal symptoms would be.
The demons' counterattack was swift and frenzied. Humanity was caught completely off guard. Vast territories in the northern countries fell. The central countries suffered constant demonic raids.
...
Sixty-one years after Diego disappeared…
"This is… a field of flowers created by magic?"
Diego clutched his head with one hand as he awoke in the middle of a blooming sea of flowers. The air was thick with the fragrance of blossoms, yet the spacious room was completely empty.
"…Serie?" Diego called out toward the empty space.
"Tch, no fun." From the shadow around the corner, Serie slowly stepped out. Her brows furrowed slightly as she gave a light laugh. "How exactly did you notice?"
"Childish brat…" Diego pursed his lips, tilted his head to the side, and asked with a grin, "Besides you, who else would fill an entire room with flower-field magic?"
"…"
Serie's silence filled the air with awkwardness. But Diego hadn't really expected her to answer anyway, so he changed angles and asked the question he truly wanted answered.
"…How long was I out?"
"This body has been lying here for eleven years. The flesh the goddess made really isn't durable, is it, Diego Brando?" Serie's lips curved outward slightly. You could tell she was in a good mood. And naturally, Diego's state of spirit descent hadn't escaped her notice.
"I owe you another massive favor… Lady Serie's kindness is something I'll never be able to repay in one lifetime—" His voice cut off abruptly as an angry Serie hit him with a normal attack spell.
Serie lowered the hand that had cast the magic, leaned back slightly, glanced at Diego, and sighed softly. "Keep clowning around and I'll kick you out."
"Sumimasen, kono Dio was wrong…" Diego instantly dropped into a kneeling slide, looking utterly aggrieved and successfully grossing Serie out.
"But I'm serious—how should I repay you? It's really troubling…" Diego rubbed his little paws together, then flopped backward and lay peacefully on the floor.
Serie sighed again. Her expression was no longer as calm as before; she seemed to be thinking about something.
Curious…
The World! The time that belongs only to me!
After stopping time, Diego inched over bit by bit until he was beside Serie, then pointed his hand at her head.
"Memory Spirit, investigate quickly."
[…Strange. In human thinking, isn't it only natural for an elder to take care of a junior? I remember this kid Diego acknowledged me as his only elder…]
Wow, Serie—you really are a good person. I swear I'll never secretly badmouth you again.
Diego wiped away nonexistent tears, returned to his original position before time had stopped, and restored his posture.
Time resumed flowing…
"…You don't need to repay anything. This is all Frieren's fault." Serie propped her chin on her hand. Her expression carried a hint of amusement as she gazed quietly at Diego, speaking calmly. "If she had been a little more useful, you wouldn't have been caught in the Demon King's self-destruct blast. These troublesome jobs wouldn't have fallen to me."
"No—it's all my fault. It has nothing to do with Frieren. I caused every bit of this myself…" Diego shook his head lightly, a faint smile curling at his lips as he rejected Serie's words. "Let's not talk about that anymore. Where are the four of them now? Are they doing okay?"
Serie's lips lifted slightly. Her voice carried a trace of dissatisfaction as she began recounting the story Diego didn't know.
"Let's start with the one you're most worried about. I've settled Alicia in a small cabin on the outskirts of the holy city of Strahl. Lately she's been appearing frequently in the wars in the southern countries, treating soldiers wounded in battle."
"Then there's Princess Elga. The last time she appeared in the public eye was during the war against demons in the north. Thanks to her, the fallen northern territories have been reconnected. But right now, she's gone silent."
"As for Mabel Lebel…" Serie unusually showed an exasperated expression. "You'd better see for yourself."
Diego waved his hand, clearly not surprised by the outcome. "No need. Her laziness is obvious. She's definitely holed up at home. Sleeping for eleven years—sorry about that…"
"Then what about Frieren?" Diego climbed up from the floor, shifting from lying to sitting. He lifted his head slightly.
"Who cares about her." Hearing Diego's question, Serie paused for a moment. Then her face showed displeasure. She huffed and answered, "That nosy Lernen has a report saying someone recently saw Frieren talking to herself a lot—like she was speaking to—"
"A nonexistent person."
...
Sixty-six years after Diego disappeared…
—Warrior Village—
In the pitch-black night, a blue beast darted through the forest with a bundle of daily necessities clamped in its mouth.
"Ehehe, with this I can stay holed up for another five years." Mabel—rarely venturing outside—wore her beast-fur robe as she made her way home along the mountain path.
While Mabel daydreamed about her future shut-in life, a small figure stumbled into her line of sight. She instinctively prepared to hide.
Wait—red hair. Isn't that Stoltz's little brother Stark? Did something happen?
Running out alone at night—did he fight with his dad?
Thinking this, Mabel pulled off the hood of her beast robe, revealing her human form, and intercepted the staggering Stark.
"Stark, what are you doing wandering around alone at night?" Mabel crouched down. Seeing how badly frightened the boy was, she gently stroked his head to comfort him.
Since Mabel was a total shut-in, the five-year-old Stark didn't recognize her. He stared bewildered at the stranger before him, sobbing and stammering out his story in broken bursts:
"Warrior Village… got attacked by demons… Big brother told me to run… Big sister, you should run too… The demons are right behind…"
When someone mentally and physically exhausted finally feels safe, they collapse into sleep. That was exactly what happened to Stark. He fell heavily to the ground, fast asleep.
Warrior Village… destroyed?!
Mabel's expression changed instantly. A chilling killing intent poured from her body as black mist swirled around her.
She gripped the Freeze God Sword, kicked off the ground, and raced toward Warrior Village at high speed. The air around her twisted under an invisible force.
...
War flames engulfed Warrior Village. Houses collapsed. The air was thick with the stench of blood.
"Ha… ha…" Stoltz clutched the wound in his stomach and stared fixedly at the great demon before him. His pure white cloak was now covered in mud and filth.
The great demon before him had curved horns on its head, a towering frame, and a battle axe that relentlessly harvested the lives of the remaining warriors.
Bam!
An extremely fast axe swing came at Stoltz. He blocked it with his sword, but the tremendous force drove him steadily backward, leaving a long drag mark in the dirt.
Crack!
The sword couldn't withstand the axe's power and developed fractures. Yet Stoltz no longer had the strength to dodge. He could only brace desperately. The moment the sword broke, death would follow.
"Brave warrior. An excellent block." Livale grinned savagely and increased the force in his hands. The cracks in the sword widened. He spoke plainly: "You must be the finest warrior in this village. It's been half a century since anyone could block even one of my axes."
"…Die!" Stoltz had no interest in chatting with the one who had destroyed his home. His condition was abysmal. His vision blurred. His arms trembled nonstop.
Just hold on a little longer… just a little longer… I have to let Stark escape…
"Don't be so harsh toward an old-timer. I just heard that coming here would let me fight to my heart's content, so I came." Livale chuckled lightly. His cold voice carried a chilling edge.
"I am the great demon Livale. I am also a warrior. By human classification of demons, I suppose I'd fall under 'General.' As the only one here who can even keep up with me, state your name."
"Warrior Stoltz."
"I see. Be proud, Stoltz. Standing before you is the strongest warrior among demons. Die with gratitude!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Livale stopped playing cat-and-mouse. With a slight flex of his arm, one axe blow severed Stoltz's sword.
Bam!
The ground was smashed into a huge crater by the giant axe. Dust rose and obscured Livale's vision, but his honed senses tracked Stoltz's position at all times.
When the dust settled, Stoltz was half-crouching. His arms hung limply. He panted heavily. A terrifying axe wound gaped across his chest. The broken sword lay scattered beside him. He looked moments from death.
"Why resist so stubbornly? Is it for that fleeing human child? Is it worth going this far for him?" Livale kept smiling, a stark contrast to the wounded Stoltz. His mood was excellent as he kept asking questions to break Stoltz's mental defenses.
"You could have escaped by yourself, couldn't you?"
"You demons wouldn't understand. As an older brother… how could I abandon my little brother and run away alone just to save myself…"
Livale didn't understand the concept of family bonds. He simply stepped forward one pace at a time until he stood beside Stoltz, raising his battle axe high like the Grim Reaper come to claim a life.
Stoltz no longer had the strength to resist. Just as the axe was about to fall—
In the face of death, he smiled.
I've bought enough time. Stark… you have to live…
Clang!
"…Found you, Bloodstained War God Livale!"
!!!
Stoltz's eyes snapped open. In his blood-soaked vision, Mabel—wielding the Freeze God Sword—had blocked Livale's strike. Livale himself had been frozen into an ice statue by the sword's ice magic.
"Lady Mabel…"
Crack crack crack…
The ice statue suddenly shattered. Livale shook off the shards, stared at Mabel with blazing battle intent, and grinned.
"Freeze God Sword Mabel. Looks like I hooked a big fish this time. Too bad there's no Scary Monsters coming to save you now."
"You bastard—you destroyed my home!" Mabel laughed. Then she spun around, grabbed Stoltz, and bolted.
"Lady Mabel?"
"I-I'm sorry… I don't have the courage to fight him at all. Back when we subjugated the Demon King, I already lost to Livale. The Freeze God Sword has no effect on him."
Mabel's body trembled nonstop. Sweat rolled from her forehead as she tried to escape from Livale.
Behind her, Livale closed in step by step. With a burden in her arms, Mabel couldn't shake him off. Finally, gritting her teeth, she set Stoltz down beneath a tree.
"If you still have any strength left—run while I hold Livale back." Mabel raised the Freeze God Sword once more and engaged Livale again.
[Mabel, you're strong. If only you could overcome the fear in your heart…]
Creak creak creak…
The ice of the Freeze God Sword extended, forming a massive scythe.
What are you talking about—I'm not strong at all… Miss Elf, Miss Frieren—anyone, please come save me!
Whoosh!
The giant battle axe came down and easily shattered the ice scythe formed by the Freeze God Sword.
"Damn it! General or not—I'll just fight anyway!!" Mabel ignited her fighting spirit. The Freeze God Sword extended again, forming an irregular massive ice blade.
The Freeze God Sword carved a wound across Livale's face. Attacks rained down like a storm, yet every one was blocked by Livale's battle axe.
Until—
Thorns sprouted from the ring on Mabel's ring finger and stabbed deep. Her pupils instantly turned into vertical dinosaur slits.
"You did well, Mabel."
...
When Mabel woke again, Livale had already fled wounded.
According to Stoltz, at that moment Mabel had seemed like a completely different person. Her moves were ruthless and cunning.
The Freeze God Sword kept changing shape. After blocking Livale's horizontal slash, it sprouted blades at lightning speed and severed Livale's arm in one stroke.
"…When Livale saw the situation turning bad, he fled immediately." Stoltz—lying in bed wrapped head to toe in bandages—spoke with deep apology in his voice. "I'm truly sorry. If I hadn't been on the verge of death, Lady Mabel wouldn't have had to give up killing Livale."
"Ehehe—" Mabel coughed twice, then showed an extremely smug grin and boasted shamelessly, "After all, I'm a member of the hero party that defeated the Demon King. Driving off Livale was easy. Next time I'll kill him for good."
Although she couldn't remember the fight with Livale clearly, one thing was certain: I beat Livale!
I'm the best! Livale can eat shit!
"By the way, Lady Mabel—may I ask you for one favor?"
"What is it? I'm in a great mood right now. As long as it's something I can do, I'll agree."
"You've probably already met the child Stark. I'd like you to hide the fact that I'm still alive and take him as your disciple.
He may be timid, but he trains diligently every day and has excellent concentration. I hope that one day he can become as brave as you.
And I firmly believe that he will surely grow into an outstanding warrior."
Stoltz bowed deeply in earnest request.
"Eh? Ehhhhhh—!!!"