When they reached the edge of the forest the villagers had mentioned, Shichen stopped.
"Shichen-sama, what is it?" Fern asked.
"Be careful in a bit," Shichen warned.
"Boss, why?" Stark asked.
"That monster takes the form of the person you cling to most. It reads your memories and tempts your heart. Don't get fooled."
"It's all fake—just attack," Frieren said indifferently.
"I'll be fine," Fern replied.
"I… I'll be fine too…?" Stark didn't sound very confident.
"Remember—it's fake. Just kill it. Don't let yourself get stuck on that emotional hurdle," Shichen added, then led them into the woods.
It was only a small forest, but it was the shortest route from the village to the next area. If they detoured, it would cost them an extra day or two.
If they hadn't run into Shichen and the others, the villagers would have been helpless.
The village was far from the city; information didn't travel, resources were scarce. Losing one or two days meant they might miss the market and be unable to sell goods in exchange for supplies—basically no different from waiting to die.
They'd pinned all their hopes on Shichen's group. Under normal circumstances, they'd never have the money to hire a mage from the big city.
The woods were eerily silent—no sound at all, like time had stopped.
Shichen couldn't sense any living presence nearby, aside from the trees.
As they walked, Fern suddenly stopped. The movement immediately caught Shichen's attention.
"Fern, what's wrong?"
"Heiter-sama…" Fern stared blankly ahead.
"So it's appeared…" Shichen murmured.
"Shichen, I'm seeing two of you," Frieren added.
"What? You're seeing me? That's not right—aren't you supposed to see the dead?" Shichen thought Frieren was joking.
"It's real. He's smiling so brightly—disgusting."
"…Your butt itching again?" Shichen said reflexively.
"He actually said the same thing!"
"What? You can tolerate that? Blow it up already."
"No problem."
Frieren raised her staff, gathered magic, and fired a blast straight ahead.
Shichen couldn't see anything—only watched as trees up front were blown apart and torn up by the roots, leaving a clean trench that ran all the way to the forest's edge.
"Bro…"
The monster hadn't been affected—it had even gotten to Stark.
"Fern, don't hesitate. It's fake, not the real Heiter. Kill it with magic."
"I know."
Fern snapped back to herself and raised her staff toward the front, mana gathering…
But she still didn't release it.
"Stark, don't get tricked either. Where's your axe? Go chop it!"
"But… that's my brother… he looks so real."
"He's fake!"
"Even if he's fake…"
"I knew you wouldn't be able to do it."
Shichen sighed, then lifted a hand. A barrier expanded outward with him at the center, covering the whole forest.
At the same time, the true form of the monster appeared right in front of them: a demon-like thing draped in a black cloak, reeking of filth and evil.
"This is—!" Fern finally woke up completely.
"Eek—!" Stark jumped in fright.
"This is what it really looks like. If you'd hesitated any longer, you would've met the people you just saw—for real." Shichen's voice turned sharp.
"Sorry…" Fern apologized immediately.
"Boss, sorry."
"There's nothing to apologize for. This was exactly what I expected."
Shichen didn't dwell on it. He flicked his hand, and a strand of holy flame shot out.
In the blink of an eye it landed on the monster, and before it could even react, the fire spread and wrapped it up completely.
"GRAAAH—!"
It screamed in a warped, inhuman way. Shichen didn't hold back—he simply watched as it burned down to nothing, not even ash left.
"All right, it's done. Let's go back," Shichen said, clapping his hands once and turning to leave.
Frieren followed as if nothing had happened.
"Shichen-sama…" Fern hurried after him, grabbing his hand, voice small and timid.
She felt like she'd done something wrong—she hadn't helped at all, hadn't followed Shichen's instructions, and had made him worry.
"We'll punish you when we get back," Shichen said.
"…Okay."
"So strong…" Stark remained where he was, staring at the empty space ahead in disbelief.
That tiny flame had erased something that terrifying. Boss was insane.
What kind of fire even was that?
"Why are you just standing there? Move," Shichen called back, irritated.
"Oh! Coming!" Stark scrambled after them.
On the way back, Shichen didn't say a word. Fern hugged his arm tightly, thinking he was angry. She kept her head down, not daring to speak, thinking about how to make up for his worry.
But Shichen wasn't angry at all. Fern and Stark's reactions were exactly what he expected.
They were still young. Seeing someone they longed for—fake or not—of course they couldn't bring themselves to strike. Not everyone could stay perfectly rational.
Anyone who claimed they were "rational" was usually someone who hadn't faced the real thing yet.
If Shichen ever met someone he longed for, he might not be able to strike either. The only reason he could stay calm was that the monster's ability didn't work on him—he couldn't see anything.
So he didn't blame them at all. If anything, he was happy.
That was the reaction a normal person should have.
Stark aside, Fern was still young—she could make mistakes. Because he was right there. He could protect her anytime.
The only thing that surprised him was that Frieren had seen him. That made no sense.
Weren't you supposed to see the dead?
Unless… Frieren had nobody she cared about?
He didn't think she was joking.
Which left only one possibility:
He was the person she cared about most—and since he shouldn't exist in this world the way he did, the monster had taken his shape.
And even if it copied his face, it dared to say "your butt itching again."
Dying that fast was getting off easy.
Shichen used holy flame because he wanted it to suffer a little before it died—holy flame was a bane to evil things.
Back in the village, Shichen told Frieren and the others to go home first. He took Stark with him to inform the villagers that the monster had been dealt with.
That long trench Frieren had blasted through the forest was proof he'd left behind.
He could repair it, but leaving it there would reassure the villagers even more.
After he told them, the villagers still didn't quite believe it—so they all went to the forest to check.
Shichen couldn't be bothered. He and Stark went back.
In the little villa, Fern was alone in the living room, waiting for them.
Her expression was weak and guilty, pitifully apologetic.
"Boss… I'm going back to my room. I'm not hungry. No rush," Stark said, sensing the atmosphere and immediately fled.
After he left, Fern timidly walked up to Shichen, looking up with teary, aggrieved eyes.
"Shichen-sama, I was wrong…"
"You were wrong? About what?"
"I shouldn't have hesitated… even knowing it was fake…"
"Is that all?"
"And I should've listened to you—acted decisively, not wavered."
"Anything else?"
"And… I shouldn't have made you worry."
"So you did know I was worried." Shichen sighed.
"…Mm." Fern nodded weakly.
"As long as you know your mistake and fix it, that's enough. Honestly… it's not so bad that you hesitated." Shichen lifted a hand and gently ruffled her hair in comfort.
"Hm?" Fern looked up at him, confused.