"Eh... is that so."
Ehre nodded obediently.
"Alright, that's enough idle chatter. You two focus as well. As long as we casually find a single Stille, we'll catch it first... After that, we'll have the confidence to either hide and avoid combat or make other arrangements."
Wirbel took the lead at the front of the team, and neither Fíliya nor Ehre had much more to say about it.
However, by the time night fell and a crescent moon rose high, casting silver ripples across the distant lake surface, the three still had nothing to show for it.
"Seriously...? Are we really this unlucky?"
Even someone like Wirbel, who didn't believe in 'luck', began to doubt his life choices. After all, throughout the entire daylight hours, their three-person team hadn't seen even the shadow of a Stille.
"Mm, the area covered by this barrier is quite huge, isn't it? Dozens, maybe a hundred kilometers? And the Stille is such a small bird... it's possible not to run into one at all. It's fine, we still have a whole day left. Our luck is bound to turn."
Miss Ehre sat on a rock by the roadside to rest, offering Wirbel some comfort in passing.
"Hehe... this is the karmic reward for not doing good deeds, you know. Ehre, remember what I said? You absolutely have to stay away from boring guys like him. See? Haven't we been infected by his bad luck?"
Miss Fíliya delivered her sarcastic remarks with a mocking expression.
"Tsk... You woman, you act like it doesn't matter. Do you have a better idea?"
Wirbel glared back at Fíliya, refusing to show weakness.
"Mm... not at the moment?"
Fíliya tilted her head slightly, looking innocent.
"Tsk, if you don't, then cut the sarcasm... Ehre, give me something to eat."
After grumbling, Wirbel turned and walked toward Miss Ehre. Fíliya closed her eyes again and began to rest her mind.
A short while later, a rustling sound slowly approached her. Even without opening her eyes, Fíliya knew who it was.
"Ehre?"
"Mm... um, aren't you hungry, Fíliya?"
Miss Ehre sat beside Fíliya, asking carefully.
"Of course I'm hungry."
Fíliya answered casually.
"Mm... here, I'll share this with you."
Miss Ehre smiled and handed a piece of bread to Fíliya.
"Mm..."
Fíliya looked at the half-piece of bread in her hand and raised an eyebrow slightly. She actually had her own rations, but since Miss Ehre had taken the initiative to share, she was naturally happy to accept.
"Thanks."
Fíliya said, then began to eat.
"Mm... um, Fíliya, you're a bit strange today..."
Miss Ehre looked at Fíliya's profile, her tone filled with doubt.
"Mm? Strange how?"
Fíliya asked back.
"I just feel you're so... quiet. Like you have something on your mind. You keep zoning out and closing your eyes from time to time..."
Ehre slowly voiced her observations of Fíliya.
"Oh, that... it's because I'm in a magical duel with someone."
Fíliya suddenly looked at Ehre with a mysterious expression.
"A magical duel..."
Miss Ehre blinked blankly, seeming unable to comprehend what Fíliya meant.
...Meanwhile, on the other side of the vast forest.
"I wonder how things are on Fern's side. It's that child's first time teaming up with strangers... I don't know if she can cope."
Frieren sat cross-legged on the grass. Looking up at the massive barrier above, which resembled a giant glass dome, she couldn't help but sigh. Then, she fixed her gaze forward. A few meters away, two little frenemies were wrestling.
"Kanne, Lawine... at a time like this, stop arguing. Resting well and conserving stamina is the best strategy, you know?"
Frieren tried to persuade the two girls who were tangled together. Although the three were teammates, Frieren always felt like a parent looking after children.
Mm... but this feeling wasn't bad to Frieren. After all, in contrast to these two actual children, she certainly appeared much more 'mature'.
"Tch... I'll let you off this time."
"That's what I wanted to say!"
It seemed the two girls listened to Frieren. After all, following the earlier incident, Frieren had clearly become the backbone of their trio. Just an hour ago, the girl named Kanne had almost been killed by a monster circling in the sky, and it was Frieren who had acted decisively to save her.
"Frieren... do you have a plan for catching that 'Stille'? We've encountered it several times today, yet we're still empty-handed."
Kanne and Lawine sat on either side of Frieren. Although these two often wrestled over trivial matters, their anger came and went quickly.
"Mm, through these observations, I've already come up with a method... but let's talk about it tomorrow. As you saw just now, in this forest, night doesn't mean safety."
Frieren spoke calmly.
"Mm... true enough. If you hadn't stepped in earlier, I definitely would have died..."
Kanne said, her tone sounding fearful.
"Heh, isn't it because you don't work hard usually? With your half-baked skills, you'd be better off hurrying home."
As her rival, Lawine naturally wouldn't miss this chance to mock Kanne.
"Mm... sorry. I'm indeed not as amazing as Lawine and Frieren... I'm dragging you down."
This time, Kanne was quite honest, hanging her head dejectedly.
"Huh??! You... why... su... suddenly so honest... Tsk, I... I didn't mean you were that bad..."
Seeing Kanne look so pitiful, Lawine suddenly became incoherent.
"...Mm, I can't understand them at all... These two kids have wrestled several times in one day, so I thought their relationship was terrible... but looking at it now, they seem to cherish each other... Human emotions are truly hard to understand."
Frieren silently observed the conversation between the two human girls.
"Tsk... forget it, let's not talk about us... Hey, Frieren, is something wrong with you?"
Lawine suddenly changed the subject, pointing directly at Frieren.
"Mm? Is there?"
Frieren showed a puzzled expression.
"There absolutely is! Since this afternoon, you've been zoning out from time to time, and looking up at this broken barrier every now and then... You're definitely planning something."
Lawine looked at Frieren with a tone of absolute certainty.
___
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