He did not stay by the sickbed for long. Ash left Heiter's room.
In the living room, Frieren sat blankly at the dining table. Her expression looked far gloomier than those two men's.
Even though she had just come back from outside, her whole body drenched and water still dripping down, she showed no intention of tidying herself up at all, just sitting there spacing out.
Watching this, Ash could not help but shake his head. He casually grabbed a towel and tossed it onto her face, instantly plunging her vision into darkness, and then—
Frieren, whose mood had already been bad, immediately yanked the towel off her face and glared angrily, "I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now! Don't do this at a time like—"
"You're an adult. You should understand that taking care of your body comes first no matter what, so you have the energy to do anything else. What if you catch a cold like this? Magic can't cure a cold."
"I know that already. I don't need you to tell me," Frieren turned her head away irritably, but she still took the towel and went to the bathroom. Before closing the door, however, she suddenly spoke again without looking back, "Fern is still up on the mountain. Go check on her. It would be bad if something happened."
"You don't need to tell me that. I know. But... I'll bring Fern back down later. After you finish bathing, remember to make some food. Preferably something that child likes."
"You still don't understand her."
"What do you mean?"
"At least right now, I don't think she'll come down so quickly."
"But I'll bring her down," He shrugged lightly, grabbed an umbrella, and opened the door, stepping straight into the wind and rain.
His exit was quite dashing, but under the heavy storm, the moment he opened the umbrella, the medieval thing was immediately rendered useless, cold rain slapping wildly against his face.
"In rain this heavy, and she's still working so diligently. That child really is..."
He wiped the rain from his face, muttered a complaint, then simply rose into the air, vanishing from the spot like a flash of lightning.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived at the back mountain, at a bare cliff on the edge of the forest.
And there, the purple-haired girl with hair reaching her waist stood right at the edge of the cliff, ignoring the fierce wind and heavy rain, staring intently at a protruding rock on the opposite side.
With single-minded focus, she repeatedly fired ordinary offensive magic adapted for humans from what had once been killing magic, shooting again and again at the distant boulder.
Yet no matter how many times the light shot out, because of insufficient control and mana, it quickly lost its force and dissipated in the wind before ever reaching the jutting rock.
Ash watched from the side for a while, then could not help stepping forward. He reached out and placed his hand on Fern's head, trying to dissuade her.
"Take it slowly. You can't succeed right now."
"No. Whether it's you or Lord Heiter, you don't have much time left. If... if Lady Frieren really doesn't make it in time, then at the very least, I need to let you see that I already have the ability to live on my own," The girl turned around, facing the pouring rain, looking straight at his face without averting her gaze.
The firmness in her words did not look like something that could be shaken.
This made him squat down slightly so they were eye to eye. He gazed into those eyes, clear as water, thought for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curved into a gentle smile as he spoke slowly.
"This is a secret between us. You can't tell anyone else. Not even Frieren."
"What?"
"Actually, I'm different from Heiter. I'm very special. My body can support me seeing your future, watching over your life, all the way through. So, even until the very end of your life, I'll protect you."
"Is... that so?"
"Of course. I can swear it to you here. No matter what the future holds, no matter how our relationship changes, I will never leave you."
There was an unquestionable firmness in his voice, and deep warmth in his gentle eyes. Fern froze, her eyes widening slightly.
Even though those words had no basis, she found it hard to doubt them. Or perhaps she did not want to doubt them.
After that, Ash said nothing more. He simply continued to gently stroke her head, and she felt the tension in her body begin to loosen under his hand, softening to the point that she almost wanted, like in the past, to throw herself into his arms.
Before she could make up her mind, Ash, just like before, gently pulled her into his embrace, making her once again... unconditionally fall into that warmth.
Even though the rain was still cold, just being lightly held in Ash's arms made Fern feel a warmth as if she were wrapped by the entire world.
This was no exaggeration. At least for her right now, even if she were offered the world's favor in exchange, she would absolutely refuse to give up this special affection.
The sadness and fear in her heart vanished without her realizing it. She had long forgotten the resistance she once felt as a young girl, and instead unconsciously held him tightly.
It was during this that Ash felt staying like this in the rain was not ideal. Just like in the old days, he picked her up, letting the girl sit in the crook of his arm like a small child.
"Lord A-Ash? Th-this?", The suddenly raised viewpoint made Fern feel more embarrassed than panicked. She was even worried that Ash, as a mage, might not be able to hold out and wanted to get down to walk on her own.
However, to her surprise, whether in her childhood or now, the arm supporting her had always held steady, without the slightest tremble.
"Anyway, let's go back first. Staying in the rain like this would be bad if you catch a cold. And you haven't eaten yet. You must be hungry, right? I've already prepared a whole table of food."
"If you say so," At this moment, Fern could not bring herself to object at all and obediently nodded in compromise.
Even though she was taller now, sitting in his arms made it hard for him to hold her, and she felt extremely shy, she still quietly reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her face against his cheek. Her expression was more relaxed and at ease than ever before.
She even closed her eyes unconsciously in the heavy rain. No matter how strong the wind and rain were, no matter how rough the future might be, at least for now she had someone she could trust completely, someone she could rely on without restraint, showing her weakness... or perhaps indulging in her desire to be spoiled.
———
When Ash gave up flying and hurried down the mountain, finally returning to the small house, the moment he opened the door, the smell of food wafted out from inside.
Fern, starving, had just been put down. When she met Frieren's surprised gaze, she seemed to want to hide her embarrassment. Though reluctant to part, she hurriedly let go of him and jumped down, quickly running into the bathroom.
After a comfortable bath, the hungry girl rushed to the dining table and ate heartily, caring little for proper manners.
Frieren, meanwhile, propped her chin with one hand at the table, looking from Fern to Ash, who was about to go bathe, her eyes filled with surprise.
"You're unexpectedly impressive. You actually managed to persuade that child to come down."
"So I win, right?"
"Indeed. As expected, compared to me, you understand humans better."
"Listen to you. If I were worse than you, wouldn't that make me an idiot?", Ash chuckled and shook his head, then casually closed the bathroom door.
When he came out, however, Fern had already finished eating and even cleaned up the dishes. She was now lying on the table, puffing out her cheeks and staring at him.
"What's this?"
Her mood had flipped like turning a page, leaving him puzzled as he looked to Frieren. Frieren only shook her head, saying nothing.
Fern, still lying on the table, muttered on her own, "I thought the food was made by Lord Ash."
"So it's because Frieren's cooking is bad?"
"No! It's just..."
"What?"
"Atmosphere-wise, shouldn't it have been Lord Ash cooking?"
"Don't be so greedy. Learning to be content is important in life," Faced with the girl's dissatisfaction over this minor imperfection, Ash casually patted her head and pointed at Frieren, who was still studying and deciphering a grimoire, saying,
"I'm already perfect enough. If I could even cook, what would someone as flawed as Frieren do?"
"Hey, that's not fair to drag me into it!", Frieren shot him a sidelong glare, having been innocently caught in the crossfire. He ignored her and continued lecturing the child.
"Anyway, that's how it is. In life, you have to learn to be satisfied."
"But still, at a time like this, I really wanted to eat something made by Lord Ash."
"But life needs a few regrets~"
Ash and Fern bickered back and forth, the atmosphere unexpectedly harmonious, completely dispelling the earlier gloom.
Frieren, who was being ignored at the side, could not help feeling that she should make him properly apologize for what he had said earlier. And also... had she suddenly become surplus here?
And... maybe she really should not care about him. Watching him grow old and die might be nice too? She could not help thinking that, after all, if she did not, she might be angered to an early death by this guy, possibly dying even earlier than a human.
Although she had briefly thought of leaving Ash alone, after her anger passed, Frieren still pushed herself, with complaints in her heart, to speed up the deciphering of the grimoire.
Seeing this, Ash could not help but feel deeply guilty about deceiving her along with Heiter. What he could not understand was Fern being young and not knowing better was one thing, but why had Frieren been fooled for years without noticing anything wrong?
If there really were a magic of immortality, would that sage have died? Or did he simply not want to live anymore? Or was he tired of living too long?
Even if he had been killed, if immortality existed, would others not have fought over it? Would it really have ended up in Heiter's hands? Or was it something only Heiter knew about? How small would the chance of that be?
But then again, she still believed in the seduction spell Flamme had once taught her on a whim, still thinking it was very effective, without realizing the problem even after a thousand years.
Thinking about it like that, he could probably make up any excuse and deceive Frieren for a thousand years too. He could not help wanting to try it, just to see how long it would take for her dullness to notice something was wrong.
But while he waited curiously, time slowly passed... and Heiter's life gradually faded.
At the same time, Fern undoubtedly possessed remarkable magical talent, and she also had quite capable teachers.
Thus, a year and a half after Heiter collapsed and could barely move, in the sixth year since Frieren came here, the fifteen-year-old successfully pierced the rock on the other side of the cliff.
She immediately rushed back to tell the old man who treated her like a grandfather, making Heiter burst into hearty laughter once more.
And just a few days later, Frieren also successfully completed the full deciphering of the grimoire.
Only...
"There is no magic for eternal youth and immortality here. There is no magic to revive the dead, and not even any method to extend one's lifespan," Frieren placed the deciphered grimoire directly on Heiter's bedsheets.
Heiter, however, was unexpectedly calm, looking as though he had already anticipated this. He casually remarked, "I see. The reward for deciphering it is in the desk drawer. Take it yourself."
"You already knew?"
"Because if there were, that sage would have used it himself, right?"
Such an obvious answer left Frieren looking confused, "Then... why?"
"Go ask Ash."
"Ash?", Frieren froze, then instantly recalled the scene from six years ago, her brow furrowing, "Don't tell me, you two were both plotting against me?"
"While that might be the case, isn't it the fault of the one who got fooled?", Ash, standing by the doorway, defended himself in advance.
"Who knew you'd really believe it and work overtime deciphering it? I even told you not to push yourself so hard, didn't I?"
"At the time, I even thought you were worried about my health!"
"What are you thinking? You've been lazy for so many years. Isn't it good for you to put in a little effort? I was just worried you'd get even angrier the harder you worked," He spread his hands frankly, admitting his original thought.
This made Frieren grind her teeth in anger, "At a time like this, that's your attitude?"
"Alright, I admit I was a bit wrong. Sorry."
Before Frieren could completely lose control of her emotions, he readily bowed his head to apologize.
Heiter was also very righteous, smiling as he raised his hand, "Me too. If you need somewhere to vent your anger, you can hit me as much as you want."
"How could I do something like that? If anyone's getting hit, it's definitely Ash, that bastard."
"By the way, I'm actually over a hundred years old too," Ash pointed at himself, his words sounding quite reasonable. But with his overly youthful appearance, it came off as shameless, making Frieren so angry she nearly choked.
"Someone like you, even if you died, it would count as ridding the world of a menace."
Even though she said that... it was only a cold scolding. Frieren did not actually do anything. After holding it in for quite a while, she finally suppressed her anger and glared at the two of them.
"Explain yourselves honestly. What exactly were you two scheming?"
"Nothing much. You wanted to repay a favor, but the favor that really needed repaying was on the journey afterward, helping take Fern along," Ash smiled as he spoke the truth. Heiter added cheerfully,
"This isn't making you take an apprentice. She can already stand on her own now, and she should be able to help you quite a bit, right? At least now, you don't really have a reason to refuse."
"You really were plotting against me!"
"Haha~ Anyway, you should all leave tonight. As you can see, I won't be able to hold on much longer," Facing his frustrated friend, Heiter remained cheerful, ignoring her complaints as he stated his reason.
"I don't want that child to experience losing someone again. So Frieren... I'll leave that child to you. This is my final request."
"Shouldn't you be saying that to Ash? Ah! Wait!", She realized the wording was off, but before she could correct it, Heiter revealed the truth.
"Ash said it a year and a half ago."
"You two are just too much... deciding things on your own and keeping it from us."
"Sorry..."
"But Heiter, don't try to act cool now. Fern has long been prepared for farewell. What you should do before that... is properly say goodbye to that child. Give her as many memories as possible."
As she spoke, Frieren sat back down in her chair, but could no longer endure it. She lowered her head deeply, trying to suppress her emotions, yet her voice and shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Tears kept falling down her cheeks onto the backs of her hands, completely betraying her feelings.
It was not only heartbreak for Fern, the child she had cared for for six years, but also sorrow at the impending death of an old friend, overwhelming her beyond control.
This collapse of emotion made Heiter show a troubled expression, yet he also smiled with a hint of fulfillment.
"Even though you look cold on the outside, and seem as heartless as Ash, you're actually very gentle Frieren."
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