"It's already been nearly half a year."
"Thanks to everyone working together, we managed to survive the long winter of the Northern Lands."
Kraft sat on a tree stump outside the cabin, carving a piece of wood with a small knife in hand.
Shane sat beside him.
While eating the walnuts Fern had prepared for him, he watched the three people on the roof clearing away the snow.
Stark smashed apart the thick snow with a shovel, while Frieren and Fern used Floating Magic to slowly push the larger chunks off the rooftop.
They were preparing to leave the hunter's cabin.
"I really didn't expect the winter in the Northern Lands to last this long," Shane sighed.
"Your destination is the Northern Plateau and the Demon King's Castle, right? The winters there are far harsher than here. Be careful. If you underestimate it, you'll die."
"Yeah. Frieren ntioned before that during the war against the Demon King's army, the thing that killed the most adventurers wasn't the demons, but the extre cold of the Northern Lands."
As he spoke, Shane turned toward Kraft.
"By the way, are you really not coming with us? We really could use a monk."
Faced with Shane's invitation to join the party, Kraft shook his head.
"Sorry. There's sothing I once promised to do."
"I see..."
"But don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for any news regarding the Saintess of the End, Tot."
Shane nodded.
'Ugh... finding a healer really is difficult.'
After putting everything in the cabin back in order, restocking enough firewood, and leaving behind so smoked at wrapped in waterproof oil paper, the group finally left the tiny cabin they had lived in for so long and slowly walked onto the main road.
"Then I'll head this way."
Kraft chose a different direction from Shane's group.
Holding the wing-shaped wooden pendant in her hand, Fern quietly thanked him.
At first, because Kraft had misunderstood and attacked Shane, she had stayed angry at him for quite a long ti. But after spending so much ti together, she realized he was soone just as devout as Heiter.
Stark also thanked him. During this period, he had genuinely received a lot of guidance.
Kraft smiled at the two of them before turning his gaze toward Shane.
"Shane, I hope we'll et again soday... the only one who still rembers ..."
Then he looked toward Frieren.
"You have wonderful companions. Cherish them."
Frieren glanced at Shane beside her before replying,
"Then let's et again a few hundred years from now, Kraft."
Kraft walked off alone down the road.
The others also turned and continued northward.
Along the way, Frieren curiously asked Shane,
"What did he give you at the end?"
Fern and Stark also leaned closer.
All of them had seen Kraft hand Shane a package, but none of them knew what was inside.
"A gift for . Why are you all so curious?"
"Of course we're curious," Stark complained. "Guys don't usually exchange gifts, right?"
"That's just you, Stark."
"Hey—"
Urged on by everyone's curiosity, Shane opened the package.
Inside was a grayish-green cloak. Fastened near the collar was a leaf-shaped brooch intricately inlaid with silver veins.
Simple.
Elegant.
Very elven in style.
After seeing it, Frieren looked slightly surprised.
"This is traditional elven clothing."
"In elven customs, there's a tradition of gifting cloaks to friends departing on long journeys. It seems Kraft considers you a worthy friend."
Shane smiled.
He directly swung the cloak over his shoulders with a flourish.
Honestly, Kraft had excellent taste. Swordsn and cloaks were a perfect match. Shane had already looked handso and sharp before, but after putting on the cloak, he looked even more tall and heroic.
The most magical thing was that the cloak's color wasn't fixed.
Under the shadows of trees, it looked like a dull gray twilight color. But under sunlight, it transford into a deep leafy green. And when Shane started running, the cloak shifted into soft rippling shades like flowing water.
Such a magical phenonon imdiately turned Fern into a little fangirl as she showered it with praise.
Even Stark sighed in admiration. It was just too cool. The envy in the boy's eyes was practically overflowing.
Only Frieren remained expressionless.
The elven girl glanced back in the direction Kraft had left, a faint unease surfacing in her heart.
Gifting cloaks to friends departing on long journeys.
That was indeed an elven tradition.
But besides blessing a friend, it also carried another solemn aning: guiding the soul and helping it rember the road ho.
'Could I just be overthinking this?'
Frieren turned to look at the three laughing companions.
Hopefully.
Dark clouds slowly gathered overhead, and snowflakes once again began drifting down.
The sky gradually darkened as well.
Shane looked down at the map in his hand.
Worry appeared in his eyes.
The surroundings were nothing but barren snowy mountains. There was no place for them to rest here.
"Mr. Shane."
Fern tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the side.
Frieren was walking forward with her eyes closed, swaying unsteadily like she was about to fall asleep.
Shane sighed helplessly.
The old lady's internal clock really was punctual. It was ti for bed again.
Just as he was thinking that, Frieren stepped crookedly and started falling sideways.
Shane reacted instantly and caught her.
The elven girl directly collapsed into his arms, her breathing gradually becoming steady as she peacefully fell asleep.
"What do we do..."
Fern looked worried.
Falling asleep in the snow was dangerous.
"I'll carry her."
As he spoke, Shane handed his backpack to Fern before lifting Frieren onto his back and carrying her securely.
Fern pulled a blanket from the backpack and draped it over Frieren.
The three continued onward.
Then, suddenly—
Stark, who was leading the way ahead, abruptly stopped.
The battle axe on his back instantly fell into his hands as he took up a combat stance.
Fern was startled.
Mana Detection hadn't sensed any demons nearby. Was it a beast?
Then they saw it.
A slender figure slowly appeared before them.
It was an incredibly beautiful woman.
She walked out from the snow with breathtaking looks and graceful steps, dressed in a pure white gown. Her long aqua-blue hair dragged through the snow behind her in winding trails.
Soon, she arrived before Stark and smiled softly.
"It's quite rare to et adventurers here. You all must be exhausted, right? Then please, co rest in my ho~"
As she spoke, she slightly turned sideways and gestured invitingly.
Stark did not move.
Even the usually polite Fern did not respond to the invitation.
Because all of them had seen the horns on the woman's head.
"My, my, have I been seen through?"
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