Seventy-eight years after Diego disappeared. This was the day before Mabel parted ways with Frieren…
"The team's vanguard? You mean Stark?"
Frieren sat beside the campfire, asking with a surprised expression.
"Mm. You and Fern are both mages, right? Without a vanguard in the party, it's going to be really hard to reach the Demon King's castle on the Northern Continent. The moment you get closed in on, it's over."
Mabel set up a pot over the campfire. As she spoke, she began cooking meat stew. She lightly bit her lower lip, eyes narrowed slightly—utterly adorable.
"Shh, don't wake Fern. Just the two of us sneaking some food, hehe." Mabel pointed at Fern lying in her sleeping bag, scooped out two bowls of meat stew with a ladle, handed one to Frieren, and placed the other in front of herself.
Munch munch… "I thought… you'd go find him yourself." Frieren lifted the bowl of stew, spooning it into her mouth bit by bit. From the corner of her eye she glanced at the large pot still full and asked in confusion, "There's still so much left. Should I wake Fern so we can all eat together?"
Hearing this, Mabel shrank back, instantly entering food-guarding mode. She glared fiercely at Frieren and let out a low growl: "Agemasen! Absolutely not giving! If I give some to Fern, that means I get one less bowl!"
"Hey hey hey, who exactly did you pick up this food-guarding habit from…"
Seeing Frieren reach out as if to say more, Mabel hugged the pot to herself and devoured the entire stew in a whirlwind.
"Burp—" After eating and drinking her fill, Mabel suddenly realized what a shameful thing she had just done. Her face flushed red instantly. She wiped the food residue from the corner of her mouth and frantically waved her hands in explanation. "N-no, I just…"
Unable to come up with a good excuse on the spot, Mabel decided to change the subject and returned to Frieren's original question: "I'm too embarrassed. I'm not a qualified master after all—I hit Stark. So it's better if you two go bring him along."
"He's in a village next to the Lykel Canyon. I was worried about him, so every once in a while I'd sneak over to check on him."
"…I see. Don't worry about it. This is all Dio's fault."
The night passed without incident. The next morning…
Fern rubbed her sleepy eyes, stretched, and prepared to crawl out of her sleeping bag to wash up. During the movement, she bumped into a basket.
"Hm? What's this?" Fern pulled the basket out from inside her sleeping bag. It was stuffed full of snacks, with a note placed on top.
These are the sweets I secretly bought for little Fern with my pocket money behind Frieren's back. Eat them quietly—don't let her find out! I'll handle things with Alicia. Feel free to be a bad kid for once ^_^ —Mabel, who loves sleeping in.
Fern zoned out for a moment. After hesitating, she reached in and took out a piece of cookie. Nervously glancing at the nearby sleeping bags—
Frieren in front of her had bedhead exploding in every direction, sleeping utterly shamelessly and soundly. And the nocturnal creature Mabel—needless to say—even with the sun shining directly on her face, she was still sleeping deeply.
Crunch…
Sorry, Frieren-sama.
The snacks Mabel-sama gave are really delicious.
Fern blushed as she became a bad kid for once.
After hastily tasting one piece, she hurriedly ran off to prepare breakfast.
...
Seventy-eight years after Diego disappeared…
—Central Countries, Lykel Canyon—
Because Frieren had taken a liking to the see-through-clothes magical book in the Red Mirror Dragon's nest, and since the Red Mirror Dragon had already eaten several adventurers and posed a danger to the surrounding area,
the two decided to subjugate the Red Mirror Dragon. But its scales were extremely hard and easily blocked Fern's ordinary attack magic.
Due to various factors, finding a vanguard for the party became the top priority. Following the address Mabel had given them, the two made their way to the village. With the help of an old lady, they met Stark.
Stark sat in front of a canyon that had been split open by a massive slash. A bruise from being punched marked his forehead. His hair was bright red—looking from afar like a tomato.
Beside the rock he sat on rested a sharp axe, clearly crafted from extremely rare materials.
"…Master sent you, right? Who are you two?" After signaling the old lady to leave, Stark narrowed his eyes and began sizing up the pair in front of him. "You're the ones who attacked the dragon, aren't you? Don't provoke it too much—it's dangerous."
"I am the mage Frieren, and this is my disciple Fern." Frieren gave a brief self-introduction while continuously observing the disciple Dio had trained.
Impressive aura. Dio really did train Stark properly.
Hearing the name Frieren, Stark froze for a moment. His mood visibly sank. He lifted his head slightly and asked cautiously: "How… how is Master doing right now? It's already been three years since I ran away… I haven't gone back to see the master who took me in even once…"
Frieren and Fern exchanged a glance. They stared at Stark with strange expressions and didn't answer the question.
"Don't misunderstand. It's just… Master cries really easily, like a little kid. I'm a bit worried… whether she'll get bullied when I'm not around." Stark awkwardly rubbed his nose, then laughed. "Hahaha, what am I even saying? Master is so strong—why would she need me to worry about her…"
"Stark-sama, since you're worried about Mabel-sama, why don't you go back and see her?" Fern asked, puzzled.
Stark fell silent for a moment before slowly explaining the reason he had run away from home:
"…I was five when Master took me in. Master is a hopeless shut-in. She can't cook, can't do chores, can't take care of children, and has zero experience teaching disciples.
You could even say it's a miracle she can take care of herself. She doesn't have any of the cool, heroic image of Freeze God Sword Mabel from the stories of subjugating the Demon King.
But even someone like her would force herself to learn things she's bad at for my sake. Even though she hates going outside, she'd often take me to eat super-sized berry sundaes.
I respect Master deeply. But right now, no matter what, I can't go back. I still haven't overcome…"
"Overcome what?" Frieren asked curiously.
"Uwaaaahhhh… Frieren, save me!" Stark abandoned his serious demeanor and switched to Mabel's signature crying style. Tears streaming, he knelt on the ground. "Master… doesn't want me anymore!"
"The same kind of hopeless case as Mabel-sama…" Fern's tone carried unconcealable shock.
Two hopeless cases appeared in the same year.
"Master is great in every way, except… I don't know why, but whenever it's time to train me, it's like she becomes a completely different person. It's terrifying! Until I overcome that feeling, I don't dare go back to see Master—"
Click click click…
The travel chest Frieren had brought suddenly began shaking violently. A small turquoise dinosaur covered in the word "Dio" roared as it burst out.
It charged furiously and headbutted Stark right on the forehead, interrupting his attempt to cling to Frieren's clothes and cry. Stark was instantly knocked flat on his back. The dinosaur wore an expression of disappointment, roared a few times, then transformed back into the Lotus Ring.
"Diego-sama?!"
"That familiar force… it's Master—!" Stark instantly became excited. He picked up the fallen ring and clutched it tightly, glaring at Frieren. "Don't joke around, you stinky old hag—you witch! How did you turn my master into a ring?!"
"Stinky old hag, huh… You really are cut from the same cloth. The first time I met Dio, he called me that too." Frieren lowered her head dejectedly and murmured, "Stark, when exactly did you notice that Master seemed like a different person during training?"
"Huh? Probably around…"
...
Time fast-forwards to twelve years earlier—the day Stoltz entrusted Stark to Mabel.
Five-year-old Stark woke up in bed and stared blankly at the trembling big sister in front of him.
"Eek! Y-y-you're awake!"
"Big sister, where is this?"
"Ahem ahem, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Mabel. Starting today, you're my disciple!"
"Huh?… Master?"
After living together for a while, Stark gradually recovered from the pain of his hometown's destruction. Seeing the timing was right, Mabel hurriedly dragged Stark to the training ground she had built overnight.
"Clang clang clang clang!"
Mabel removed the hands covering Stark's eyes. What appeared before him was an arsenal of warrior weapons. Almost every weapon available on the market had been stuck into the ground, forming an encirclement.
"Stark, go pick the weapon you like best."
Though Mabel said this, the Freeze God Sword standing conspicuously in the very center of the weapon pile occupied an especially large space. A flower wreath even hung from the sword—impossible to miss.
A little further forward, a bit more forward—eh eh eh eh, too far, a little more to the right of the Freeze God Sword—eh yes yes yes.
Stark walked straight up to the Freeze God Sword. Under Mabel's extremely expectant gaze, he slowly reached out.
"Master, I've chosen."
"Ah, what can I do… I knew you'd pick the Freeze… war axe?!!"
"Is there a problem?" Stark timidly glanced at the war axe in his hand. Memories of his strict father's training back in his hometown surfaced, giving him an inexplicable aversion to swords.
"Why?! War axes aren't cool at all. They're heavy and clumsy to swing. How can they compare to the Freeze God Sword? Look, look!" Mabel anxiously drew the Freeze God Sword and performed a beautiful sword flourish. Ice magic extended from the blade, forming various gorgeous patterns.
"How's that? How's that? Now you want to pick the Freeze God Sword, right?"
"…I don't want the Freeze God Sword."
Don't want the Freeze God Sword?
Don't want the Freeze God Sword.
Don't want… the Freeze God Sword!!!
Crack…
Mabel's heart shattered.
Why does everyone reject the Freeze God Sword? Back then Dio killed the Flame Dragon and didn't want the Freeze God Sword. Blocking wyverns didn't require the Freeze God Sword. Now even when I've taken a disciple, no one wants the Freeze God Sword…
Looking at Stark's expectant eyes, Mabel nervously rubbed her fingers together.
What do I do… I didn't expect him not to pick the Freeze God Sword. I don't know how to use a war axe.
Harboring this thought, Mabel—who had only prepared a Freeze God Sword teaching plan—canceled that day's training session and went to bed to sleep deeply.
When you encounter difficulty—sleep it off!
Shoo…
A figure stood before the sleeping Mabel and slowly extended a hand toward her forehead.
"Memory spirit, transmit my techniques to this person."
"As you wish."
The next day, evening.
The setting sun woke the nocturnal creature Mabel.
Today Mabel felt like something about her was different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it—until she steeled herself and tried to imitate the way Dio had once swung a war axe. Only then did she realize the issue.
"Flash Heaven Strike!"
Boom boom boom…
After the earth-shaking rumble, Mabel stared in disbelief at the massive crater before her. Her mouth hung slightly open. She slowly raised her hand, betraying her unsettled emotions.
Did I do this?
Ehehe, I'm so amazing! Succeeded on the first try~
"Whoa, Master's amazing! I want to learn that!" Stark's eyes sparkled. His small hands clapped together excitedly.
"Hmph hmph, follow Master and learn."
In the days that followed, Mabel's life basically repeated this same process.
Through the spirit-possession state of Dio transmitting memories, Mabel taught Stark. After training came mealtime and relaxation, then sleep—followed by another round of memory transmission.
Since all of Mabel's war axe techniques came from Dio's memories, she inevitably displayed Dio-like behavior during training.
This was an unavoidable quirk.
In terms of combat, it would be more accurate to say Stark was Dio's disciple rather than Mabel's. The training methods were essentially determined by Dio's memories.
...
"That's why Stark felt that Master seemed like a different person during training." Frieren answered Stark's confusion and laid out her full conjecture. "Stark, was there anything strange before you got hit?"
"…Actually, there was one thing. I heard noises coming from Master's room and thought a thief had broken in, but when I checked, there was nothing." Stark scratched his head anxiously. "So it really isn't that Master got angry and hates me, right?"
"And before she hit me… Master scolded me too…"
[What are those tears supposed to mean? Do you think crying can protect the warrior village? Protect the big brother who risked his life to save you?!]
"Hmph hmph, you weren't hated. Mabel wasn't angry either. The real reason you got punched is—you graduated." Frieren patted Stark's head and praised his hard work.
"Because you were able to notice Dio's intrusion. As far as I know, the number of people who can detect Dio's actions can be counted on one hand. Stark, you're really impressive."
"I suppose Dio didn't want to be discovered yet. So he transmitted the memory of punching you to Mabel and drove you away."
Having had her own memories altered, Frieren easily understood everything. Only Fern and Stark were left completely confused.
"Then why did Master hit me so hard? Look—there's even a scar on my forehead." Stark lifted his bangs to show them the mark.
"Stark… you resisted the monster-hunting training, didn't you?"
Thinking of how the Red Mirror Dragon was still alive, Frieren quickly guessed the reason.
"How much combat experience do you have against magical beasts?"
"Zero! Sparring with Master is no problem, but every time it comes to actual monster-fighting training, I can't help but run away…"
"No wonder you got beaten so badly…"