"Still no good?"
On the back hill, within a pitch-black cave, a calm voice tinged with a hint of regret drifted out from inside, as a great volume of Mana dispersed from the cave mouth like steam.
Nanoda had finished the day's training, and, holding up her hair—which had already grown to heel-length and was slightly split at the ends—she walked toward the light.
Yuna's orphanage needed to purchase new furniture and facilities, so today no one was around to comb her hair; Nanoda simply gathered it up with a couple of careless grabs and headed out.
She made her way back to her little home, which had been patched and repaired more times than she could count.
Nanoda was fairly content with her current life.
A few years back, Aura—who had spent a long time hiding out to avoid the Hero—had also returned to Gaderia.
Pushing open the door, she saw Aura, apron on, just passing by the dining table, where a plate of fruit had already been set out.
"It's not mealtime yet. No eating."
Leaving those words behind, she hurried back to the kitchen.
Nanoda shook her head helplessly.
Lately Aura's words really had grown less and less courteous. She remembered that when Aura first came back, she hadn't received any punishment—she'd even pointed right in the faces of Macht and Qual, flaunting her status as First Apostle.
Grabbing an apple from the plate, she munched on it as she went upstairs.
Home sweet home—no golden nest nor silver could ever beat one's own humble kennel.
Flopping her whole body down onto her own bed, Nanoda closed her eyes and felt the softness of the mattress.
There was a reason Nofi loved to sleep.
Her mind drifted back to the morning's training, and before she knew it she had fallen into a deep sleep.
When she woke, Nanoda realized Jane was already standing outside her door.
When exactly had it started? Becoming this unguarded—in the past this would absolutely have been a disqualifying bad habit. Or perhaps this was simply the proper attitude to have when facing a truly peaceful life.
She opened the door to find Jane standing there, somewhat hesitant.
"Let's go eat together."
"Mm." Jane smiled and led Nanoda downstairs.
"Lady Nanoda! I'm back!"
To her surprise, Yuna was waving her arms downstairs, calling up to Nanoda on the staircase.
"I thought you'd be keeping the orphanage children company."
"With Uncle Aaron and Uncle Hend there, of course I had to come see you."
"It's only one day. There was no need to make a special trip."
"I also wanted to take the chance to try Lady Aura's cooking."
"Then let's eat together."
Aura, setting out the cutlery and dishes, looked utterly indifferent, and turned to order around Linie, who was of a lower rank than her.
"Go bring the dishes out for me."
"Oh." Once again she'd had no chance to get into the kitchen today; Linie looked a little dejected.
Aura's secret-recipe stew, steamed hamburger steak, fried dough balls, fresh chive-and-egg stir-fry, sweet-and-sour fish fillets, plus a pitcher of mixed fruit juice.
"Today's vegetables were all just picked from the Demon Special Zone, and the meat was freshly slaughtered at the market—give it a taste," she went on, and so forth.
Aura looked utterly confident; when it came to cooking, in this house, if she claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
"Delicious."
Came the unanimous verdict.
Halfway through dinner, Yuna suddenly set down her knife and fork, leaving a large piece of hamburger steak half-cut on her plate.
"Lady Nanoda, look outside, quick!"
Following Yuna's pointing finger, all four demons shifted their gazes to the window behind Nanoda.
In the night, the dim horizon was torn open, and several beams of light began to climb from the distant surface of the earth!
For a moment, everyone set down their meals and, without thinking, walked toward the outdoors.
Yuna was curious about what it was.
Nanoda, meanwhile, probed with her Mana Perception and found that it was not magic.
Aura found it familiar and fell into thought.
Jane and Linie followed along behind.
"That's..."
The first few beams of light had already reached the zenith, their radiant, heavy brilliance trailing soft, delicate tails, followed by one magnificent streak after another.
Watching each beam of light slash across the sky, Nanoda didn't know what elaborate rhetoric could ever do it justice; all her words condensed into a single one: gorgeous.
"It's a meteor shower!"
Yuna was the first to cry out, as excited as if she were still a child, her emerald-green eyes brimming with the radiance.
When she was very young, she had heard her Father say that in the Northern sky, beams of light would occasionally streak across the heavens on quiet nights, and people called those beams the meteors of the sky.
A half-century meteor shower.
The wondrous sight told of in people's tales had now descended upon the land of Gaderia.
Her head chasing after each meteor that appeared from the horizon and fell back to it, Linie felt dizzy and dreamlike.
Jane reached her palm upward, as if she wanted to grasp the meteors in the sky.
"How many times is this for me now?"
Aura counted on her fingers; she alone seemed unmoved.
"Time really does fly. Is it already this time again?"
Even as Nanoda marveled at the beauty before her own eyes, she secretly steeled her resolve: that spell had to be completed as soon as possible.
—
Meanwhile, within the city of Gaderia,
"Hey, Zari, it's raining!"
"What?! Vincent, don't you dare trick me! I was just about to hang my clothes out overnight!"
Hearing the magically amplified voice coming from the neighboring window, Zari hurriedly led his wife and children out to gather things up.
"...? Where's the rain?" As the burly, rough man looked all around, and when he raised his head, he—just like his wife and children—froze on the spot.
Watching from the second-floor window, Vincent, sipping his nightcap, gave a mischievous grin; teasing his old buddy now and then wasn't so bad.
The Demon Special Zone,
The demons merely glanced up once before burying themselves back into their work.
Lugner and Qual sat in the office chatting, both casting sidelong glances at the light beyond the window.
Inside the orphanage,
They had been arguing over who was truly the best deputy director in the children's hearts.
Hend and Aaron, in the middle of an arm-wrestling match, were dragged outside together by a crowd of clamoring children.
"Oh, a meteor shower. Never thought I'd get to see it again in my lifetime. The last time was probably back when I'd just learned to use a blade."
Hend, uncharacteristically, grew tender; at his age now, even swinging a sword had become more than he could manage.
A young girl beside him tugged at his arm and whispered, "I'll bring you wine for the rest of your life."
"Hahahaha, I give up arguing. Having this child is enough for me. I'll admit you have the better relationship with the children!"
Aaron tapped the cane he leaned on, his bald head gleaming a few shades brighter under the radiance of the meteor shower.
"Honestly, how did I end up watching this last meteor shower with you of all people?"
What a cursed bond—whether it was Glück or Hend, every one of them flaunted it in front of him, an old bachelor.
"Still, it really is beautiful."
"Yeah."
The two aged old men shared a smile.
At the fortress of Weise, not far away,
Glück and his family stood watching on the wide balcony.
Macht stood expressionless in the shadows, silent.
In the Kinton territory, some distance off,
Hermet paused his late-night work; his limbs somewhat weak, he suddenly caught sight of the meteors beyond the window.
"So it's already been this long."
His head full of white hair, tears welled up in his eyes for no apparent reason, and he silently made a wish upon the meteors: may Kinton recover once again, may the people of Kinton once more live happy lives.
At the Continental Mages' Association,
Serie gazed listlessly at the sky within a magic mirror.
In some unknown place,
The Shadow Warriors, out on the move, noticed the anomaly at the edge of the sky and all went into hiding.
Then, a plain steeped in the scent of blood,
A four-armed demon, trembling all over, was struck down to the ground by another four-armed demon.
And at the very last,
On a hillside,
Standing on the soft green grass,
Standing shoulder to shoulder with the companions of the past,
An old man spoke to the elven girl: "Frieren..."
The light of the meteors illuminated the darkness, and also obscured the original starlight.
—
One year after that spectacular, grand half-century meteor shower had passed,
"Lord Hero Himmel has passed away."
Yuna, who was combing Nanoda's hair, stated the fact.
"When did it happen?"
"Just yesterday."
"So it really did..."
"I remember when I was little, I stood in front of him to protect you, Lady Nanoda. Who'd have thought that now..."
Yuna trailed off, leaving her words unspoken.
"That is the fate of humans. As a Hero, he has already fulfilled his duty. He can rest now."
"Is that so..."
"He was a hero."
"Mm, yes. He was."
Yuna gathered up Nanoda's long hair, coiling part of it up at the back into an O-shape, with the remaining hair falling just a bit above her waist.
Somehow it gave off a distinct sense of déjà vu of a certain blue dimwit goddess.
Yuna looked this way and that, seemingly dissatisfied, and braided a few twisted braids on either side of Nanoda's earlobes.
"By the way, Lady Nanoda, are you going to attend the Hero's funeral?"
"Hm?"
"Tomorrow is when Lord Himmel's remains are to be formally laid to rest. You two both fought against each other and fought side by side, after all. Wouldn't you like to take one last look?"
"You want me to rush all the way to the Southern Kingdom now?"
"For you, Lady Nanoda, it should be no problem, right?"
"That may be true, but..."
Nanoda found herself somewhat swayed by Yuna's words.
She had originally thought the Hero would be a big nuisance, but unexpectedly he had instead been of considerable help to her.
"Fate really is a curious thing."
With a sigh, she decided to go see for herself, to send off this hero who had been both foe and friend.
This, too, was a choice made out of her human feelings.
"Remember to let everyone know for me. I'll be off now."
"Take care on the road, Lady Nanoda."
—
At noon the next day,
Nanoda, having dispersed all her Mana and concealed her broken horn, strode brazenly into the Holy City of the Southern Kingdom.
With just a single line about coming to pay her respects to the Hero Himmel, and after her Mana was checked, the gate guards let her pass right through.
It showed just how great Himmel's influence was in the Holy City.
Walking along the streets, she found people everywhere; many seemed to have traveled great distances just to catch a glimpse of the legendary Hero, to send off the hero named Himmel.
"Um, excuse me."
At the voice that suddenly came from behind her, Nanoda turned to look with perfect composure.
It was a man who looked like a peddler, not very old, with a small tuft of beard, appearing quite shrewd.
"Um, are you Lady Frieren of the Hero's party?"
"Huh?"
Having been entirely unflustered before, she was indeed caught off guard, startled into a blank by this question.
"You must have the wrong person. Although I too have come to pay my respects to the Hero, I am not an elf."
Nanoda waved her hand in denial.
"But this silver-white hair, and those somewhat pointed ears..."
The man, however, followed after her.
"An elf's ears are longer and pointier still. My appearance is merely a family trait, just a bit different from ordinary people."
Nanoda offered the explanation calmly and unhurriedly.
"My apologies. I'd only heard of them, never actually seen one, so I thought I'd truly run into the legendary elf lady."
"Then I'll be on my way."
Under the gaze of the peddler-like man, Nanoda walked straight toward the cathedral of the Goddess's Order.
Once Nanoda had completely vanished into the crowd, a group of people—each looking different in dress and station—emerged from the street behind the peddler.
"Why is she here?"
"No idea." The peddler shook his head, then added, "The commander said it—we can't touch her."
"We all know that. You keep gathering intel in this area; we'll go check elsewhere."
After no more than a passing exchange, those people scattered again and went their separate ways.
Once he saw there was no one familiar around, the peddler-like man suddenly covered his mouth; beneath his palm was a hearty grin.
"How fun~" came a barely perceptible voice tinged with mockery.
At almost the same moment,
Nanoda whipped around to look back, but aside from the surging crowd, she saw nothing else out of the ordinary.
In her intuition, she seemed to have sensed something that flickered past in an instant.
Then several powerful presences drew Nanoda's gaze back into the cathedral filled with bouquets of flowers.
Carefully hiding herself among the crowd, she slipped toward the packed cathedral entrance using the blind spots.
Nanoda barely managed to see the scene inside the cathedral.
An old man in ornate clerical robes, a Dwarf in a simple overcoat topped with an iron helmet, and that elf in white short boots.
Frieren.
Their first secret meeting.
Frieren still wore that frost-like expression, betraying no joy, anger, or sorrow; holding her staff, she simply stood frozen in place, gazing at the crystal coffin beside her, covered in fresh flowers.
Seeing that it was about time, Heiter spoke up to signal everyone present to begin a collective moment of silent prayer, after which they could come forward one by one to offer the Hero their final blessings.
Eisen closed his eyes,
Frieren simply kept gazing at the motionless Himmel within the coffin.
Heiter recited the words of prayer, bestowing blessings upon the departed Hero.
"Boo-hoo-hoo."
Sobbing soon began to fill the hall; some even clasped their hands together into fists, kneeling on the ground and wailing loudly. People raised the bouquets in their hands and came forward one by one, presenting them to the hero of them all.
More and more people came to the cathedral, wave after wave; many, even after praying up close, still stood at the edges, reluctant to leave.
Himmel had helped many people; they had found happiness because of the Hero, and now these very people were weeping for the Hero.
Heiter had to maintain his dignity and could not cry.
As a strong warrior, Eisen too held back his tears.
Frieren said not a word, only watching with a calm expression.
A discordant voice suddenly arose—no one knew from whom—and the thrust of its words was suddenly aimed at the innocently indifferent-faced Frieren.
"Why does she look like nothing's wrong at all?"
"They were companions together for so long."
"How cold-hearted."
The words began to turn out of line.
Off to the side outside, Nanoda frowned slightly; such behavior was practically a desecration in front of the Hero. How could they blame the Hero's companion for being cold-hearted? They had saved humanity together—and besides, she was an elf.
Frieren lowered her head, seemingly unable to understand why those sharp words were being aimed at her.
Just then, Heiter suddenly burst out laughing, giving Eisen beside him a pat: "Hahahaha, everyone, am I not also laughing heartily in front of my dead friend? Compared to cold-hearted, I'd be the one who deserves to be called cold-hearted, wouldn't I!"
Beside him, Eisen also put on a stiff smile. "Me too."
The people of the Holy City did not know Frieren, who traveled everywhere, but as for the High Priest of the Goddess's Order, they knew his goodness well.
"Lord Heiter, really now."
"What a joke to make in front of the Hero."
"That mischievous Lord Heiter."
It seemed everyone took the earlier words as a joke, and after Heiter drew the attention away, the atmosphere suddenly turned around.
"Why? We only traveled together for a mere ten-odd years. We hadn't even come to truly know and understand one another yet."
As her eyes trembled, tears surged uncontrollably from Frieren's eyes.
Seeing this, Heiter and Eisen—one tall, one short—embraced her, patting her back in comfort. They too were grieving, but right now Frieren grieved even more.
Frieren suddenly understood that for elves, ten years, even decades, were terribly brief, but for humans it was an entirely different span of time.
Had she known it would be like this, she would have gotten to know one another a little more back then.
Without Frieren having to say it, Nanoda could guess her heart's voice.
A slow-witted elf who realized things too late—and perhaps it was precisely because of such innocence and genuine feeling that she was so endearing.
Within the transparent coffin, Himmel, his eyes tightly shut, lay serenely among the bouquets, and the Sword of the Hero that had accompanied him for nearly his entire life was laid upon his chest, like a medal of honor.
The gentle light of noon spilled over the aged Himmel, as if to soothe the coldness from his body and guide him toward the continent of heaven.
The Hero Himmel had departed forever.
But so long as someone still remembered him, his spirit would never be forgotten by humanity.
"Himmel, if there is a next life, may you still find happiness."
Nanoda did not know whether there was an afterlife in Frieren's world, whether that resting place of souls Frieren had always been seeking truly existed.
She simply hoped, from the bottom of her heart, that good would meet a good end and evil would meet its retribution.
Having prayed for Himmel from afar in the manner of an otherworldly church, Nanoda then turned and left.
An era had drawn to a close, and Frieren's journey was about to begin.
Nanoda too had her own thoughts and goals. At some point—she didn't know when—beyond just living a peaceful life, she had grown greedier: she did not want those around her to leave so easily. She would guard her own peace, and the peace of everyone she held dear.
____
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