Spring sunlight filtered through the window and spilled across his face.
Warm and comfortable.
Shane rubbed his lower back. He had stayed up until midnight working with Frieren, and it had exhausted him.
Fortunately, aside from a few scrapes and so fright, the townspeople hadn't suffered any serious harm.
"Phew—"
He let out a long breath.
What happened last night had deepened the shadow in his heart. He was genuinely worried about his safety now. What exactly was that madman in the hood planning? Had he done sothing to him?
Those questions had kept him restless all night.
He didn't want to beco a rootless ghost, and he definitely didn't want to turn into a puppet of flesh and blood.
"The Grand Library of Gostan City?"
He rembered that was the na the receptionist at the Adventurers' Guild had ntioned. If that place housed rare grimoires, then maybe it also contained texts like History of Magic or Chronicles of the Sages. He wanted to find out exactly who that mad sage nad Sharl was.
"Once I figure it out, I'll scatter your ashes to the wind."
Shane gnashed his teeth. Just as he was about to pack up and head out to find so food, he saw the pants he had taken off yesterday. He had almost forgotten the most important task.
The situation last night had been special. The blue attribute [Rootless Soul] he had extracted had been temporarily enchanted onto the pants. Now, he finally had ti to reforge it.
"Attribute Extraction."
With a ntal command, three blue points of light instantly appeared before him.
[Auto-Cleaning]
[Constant Temperature]
[Rootless Soul]
The pants, now stripped of their attributes, disintegrated and vanished.
He didn't care.
Focusing his mind, he rged the three points of light into one and activated "Attribute Reforging." A flash of eerie purple light shimred—and the reforging succeeded!
[Great Luck (Purple/Epic)]: You are the chosen child of fate. Luck stat MAX. Those around you are also affected to a certain degree.
Oh!
Shane's eyes lit up.
This attribute was amazing!
As long as he was lucky enough, swords and spears would have to curve around him. Another ans of survival secured!
But…
Staring at the small purple light, he hesitated. Such a powerful attribute—attaching it to equipnt or clothing felt like a waste. If he applied it to himself… what if…
Wait, what am I even thinking?!
Being able to get [Great Luck] is itself a sign of great luck. If I'm already lucky, there's no way anything could go wrong!
"Attribute Imbue!"
The light flowed, and a streak of purple energy descended onto his forehead. The [Great Luck] attribute was successfully enchanted.
And then, as expected, the unexpected happened—Shane fainted again.
This ti, he was experienced. In the instant before losing consciousness, he adjusted his posture so he wouldn't fall face-first, instead collapsing neatly onto the bed.
A comfortable faint.
Just as he was feeling proud of his quick thinking, a cool breeze brushed past him, and he suddenly realized sothing very important!
"Wait—my pants! I'm not wearing—!"
Before darkness swallowed him, the last thing he heard was the sound of his own teeth grinding—and soone knocking on the door.
Knock knock knock.
"Shane, are you awake?"
…
…
"Good afternoon, Shane."
"Hey Shane, want so sweet afternoon tea?"
Walking down the street, Shane was greeted warmly by everyone around him. Overnight, his and Frieren's nas had spread throughout the town.
Everyone was grateful to the two of them for saving the town.
The mayor had taken the lead in organizing a bonfire celebration for the evening to celebrate everyone's safety.
Now, the n were busy building the bonfire structure and hanging ribbons. The won gathered to clean vegetables and prepare dinner and drinks. The children ran around in white sheets, pretending to be ghosts, laughing and playing in groups…
Everything looked warm and full of life.
Shane wandered around, munching on an apple a strange girl had stuffed into his hands.
You know… saving the world actually feels pretty good.
After strolling around twice and eating three apples, two cucumbers, and a bag of chestnuts, he finally couldn't take it anymore.
Patting his round stomach, he had to admit—enthusiasm could sotis be a burden.
Sigh.
Standing in front of the inn, Shane hesitated.
The whole reason he had been wandering outside was to avoid Frieren.
This ti, he hadn't fainted as long as before. After all, he had only enchanted one purple attribute, and the ntal strain was far less than the three golden attributes last ti. So he had woken up after just two or three hours.
When he woke up, no one else was in the room, and the door was closed.
So he wasn't sure whether Frieren had seen anything she shouldn't have after knocking.
Logically speaking, Frieren was polite… she probably wouldn't, right? No, no, no—when has she ever considered whether it was convenient for others? She'd definitely just knock and walk right in!
Ah—this is so embarrassing. How am I supposed to face her now?!
Shane covered his face and sighed.
He wandered around until night fell and the town grew lively, but he still didn't see Frieren.
At first, he thought it was good—no awkward encounters. But then it started to feel strange. Where was she?
…
Inside the inn room.
Frieren lay lazily on the bed in a white nightgown.
Her legs were raised and casually propped against the wall, her head hanging off the edge of the bed upside down. In her hands, she held a grimoire, reading intently.
Her white twin-tails dangled in the air, swaying gently with her small movents.
She had already declined the mayor's invitation. For her, such lively celebrations weren't particularly necessary. Besides, she didn't think she had contributed the most during the town's crisis, so it didn't matter whether she attended or not.
Compared to that, lying in the room reading was far more relaxing.
Knock knock knock.
Soone knocked on the door.
Frieren kept reading, ignoring it.
Knock knock knock.
The knocking continued. She turned another page.
Knock knock knock.
The person outside was persistent.
Frieren closed her book and sat up.
Raising her hand, her staff appeared. With a light tap in the air toward the door, it swung open on its own.
Outside, Shane stood at the entrance, holding a full plate of desserts in his left hand and casually swinging two bottles of alcohol in his right, grinning foolishly.
"Knew you'd be here. Here—there were a lot of desserts at the party, so I brought you so."
Before Frieren could refuse, he walked in as if he owned the place, sat down, and shoved the desserts into her hands.
"…Thank you."
Frieren looked at the crystal pudding in her hands. Though her expression remained calm, her eyes clearly brightened as she stared at the dessert.
Shane didn't miss that detail.
He rembered very clearly—Frieren's favorite dessert was crystal pudding.
"Ahem, I also brought two bottles of good wine. The brewer said they were specially made for us. It's a cocktail brewed using the Glowcap Mushroom we picked in the dungeon. Supposedly… if you drink it, you'll see the Goddess."
Hearing that, Frieren finally showed interest.
She had traveled from the Central Lands to the southern continent for the sake of finding two good bottles of wine.
She had once promised Heiter that after he died, she would place two bottles of good wine before his grave.
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