Chapter 56 - Fern in the elf village.

We continued traveling for two days. We stopped a few times to camp, but our “camp” was nothing more than sitting on the ground to rest and eat something. We had nowhere to lie down.

“How are you feeling? Are you okay?” Ryuu asked, looking at me.

“To be honest, my legs are killing me. I feel like they’re about to break,” I replied, stopping. Then I sat down on a nearby rock to rest. I looked at the tree, which was already quite close.

“Let’s keep going. We’re not far anymore. We’ll get there in five hours at most.”

“But it’s already getting dark. Are we going to arrive at night? Do you think that’s okay?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I’ve visited the village at night several times. Usually, at least one of the elves is awake.”

“I see…” I smiled and stood up. “Then let’s keep going.”

Ryuu smiled at me and held my hand. The moment I touched her hand, I felt my body grow warm and fill with energy. I had felt this before, back when Heiter had infused mana into my body.

Is she doing that?

My legs still hurt, but I feel better. I’m full of energy.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome. Let’s keep it like this for a while, alright?”

“Okay.”

And so, our journey continued.

When it began to grow dark, we arrived at the forest that surrounded the tree. As we reached its entrance, I felt a little afraid to move forward, since I could hear strange sounds coming from within.

Ryuu gently patted my head.

“It’s alright. The only monsters in this forest are wolves and other animals used for food. There’s no need to be afraid.”

“A single wolf is enough to kill me. That’s dangerous.”

“But I’m here. It’ll be fine.”

After some time, Ryuu managed to convince me to move forward. I hugged my backpack tightly and walked on, looking in every direction. I couldn’t see anything but darkness.

I started tripping over roots and rocks.

“Can you see well?” I asked. “I can’t see anything.”

“Oh, I forgot about that. This should make things easier.”

As she said that, a light appeared floating in front of us, illuminating everything around.

However, what I saw wasn’t just trees, rocks, grass, and leaves.

I also saw a person staring straight at us.

I was startled and fell backward—their eyes were terrifying.

“Hm? Is that you, Lyuu?”

“Ryuu, do you know her?” I crawled behind Ryuu.

“Ryuu? Who is this?” the strange person asked. She was small, but she looked very dangerous.

Well, I say she’s small, but she’s still taller than me.

“She’s a friend of mine. She came here to speak with the queen.”

“She’s human?” the girl asked, staring straight at me.

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at her.

“Yes, she’s human. Don’t worry—she’s just a child, like you. She can’t even use magic.”

“I see.”

“But what are you doing here?” Ryuu asked.

“Nighttime is the best time to hunt wolves. They like to come out at night. I was hunting and sensed your presence. I got worried since your presence is quite powerful.”

Ryuu’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s strange… I didn’t notice your presence approaching us. Maybe I wasn’t focused enough.” Ryuu laughed softly. “Come on, Fern. Will you come with us, Lyuu?”

“I’ll continue hunting. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fern.” The elven girl smiled at me.

I nodded and said nothing.

####

POV: Frieren

It was night, and I was lying in my room, staring at the ceiling while thinking about what to do. That was when Serie suddenly entered my room with some rather surprising information.

“Ryuu has arrived at the village, but she brought a human with her.”

When I heard the word human, I felt a little nervous. However, since Serie didn’t seem nervous, I supposed everything was fine.

Who is this human? Is it someone she knows?

Hearing my unspoken question, Serie answered.

“It’s not a human I know, but it’s not someone who poses any risk to us. It’s just a child.”

“A child?” I frowned. “What is Ryuu doing with a human child?”

“I don’t know. She told me the child came here to see you and that the child was very close to Heiter.”

Heiter? Have I heard that name before?

No, I’ve never heard it.

“Heiter? Who is that?”

“Oh, right—you wouldn’t know him since you were asleep before he was even born. He was a very powerful human who studied your magic. I met him a few times in the past. He even lived in the elven village for some time. He was a human… acceptable.”

A human who lived in the elven village? I had never heard about this before. Why didn’t she tell me earlier?

“He lived in the village? When did that happen?”

“When he was still young. After some time, he returned to Orario and became an adventurer. That’s all I know about him.”

“And where is he now? Is the child his daughter?”

“He died recently. And the child doesn’t seem to be his daughter, but rather someone he helped.”

“Are you sad to learn that he died? You knew him, didn’t you?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m sad…”

“Hmmm… I see. Alright, I’ll go talk to this child. Do you have any idea why she’s here?”

“She said she came to speak with you. That’s all. It may have something to do with Heiter’s death.”

“But I didn’t even know him…”

“Go and talk to her.”

“You seem curious.”

“...” Serie looked away.

She’s definitely upset about finding out that the man named Heiter is dead.

Did she like him… or something like that?