Frieren: Attribute Hero Chapter 16: The Goddess's Monastery

Using blood as a sample, Frieren cast [Tracking Magic], and faint, chaotic footprints gradually appeared on the ground.

Those pale blue magical footprints twisted and overlapped, leading deeper into the forest.

"There are two… no, three people."

Frieren crouched beside the prints, studying the disordered traces as she tried to reconstruct what had happened.

"One person is badly injured. Another is supporting them. And the third… seems to be an elderly person."

"Is there an old man in the caravan?"

At Frieren's question, the rchant uncle shook his head without hesitation and pointed at the driver. "There were three wagons in the caravan, each with two people. Aside from us, the other four are all young."

Hearing this, Shane fell silent for a mont.

He had no doubt in Frieren's magic or her combat experience. So sothing must have happened that they didn't know about.

"Frieren, have there been demons in the southern lands that look like a human?" Shane asked.

Frieren shook her head. "Because the southern lands are so far from the Demon King's castle, after the Demon King was defeated, powerful demons rarely appeared here. Only scattered monsters show up from ti to ti."

"And I don't think these are demon footprints. If they were, the other two wouldn't have left footprints at all."

Shane nodded. He'd been too tense—he'd forgotten the demon habit of eating humans.

Since it wasn't the worst-case scenario, things were manageable. There was still a good chance the missing caravan mbers could be found.

"The forest is dense, so that giant bird monster can't fly in here. But we can't rule out ordinary beasts. Stay close. Don't get separated."

Shane took the lead, following the magical trail deeper into the forest.

The rchant uncle and the driver, who had no combat ability, stayed in the middle. Frieren walked at the rear.

The group of four moved slowly.

The southern forest was full of insects and small creatures. Shadows occasionally darted past their feet.

Shane walked ahead with his sword, staying highly alert.

But after a long ti, they still saw no sign of anyone. As the moon climbed higher through the treetops, Shane began to feel sothing was off.

A few minutes later, he raised a hand to stop everyone.

"This is the fourth ti we've passed this crooked tree."

Hearing that, Frieren walked around the tree once, resting her chin on her hand as she thought.

"My [Mana Detection] hasn't sensed any monsters nearby, and I haven't noticed any illusion-type magic circles, so…" she paused, then continued, "Did we get lost?"

"…."

Shane pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Is there any magic that can guide you in the right direction after getting lost?"

"Magic is a world of imagination. How could soone imagine the correct direction while being lost? If you could imagine it, you wouldn't be lost in the first place…"

Right.

The logic of magic really was… oddly reasonable in an unreasonable way.

After thinking for a while, Shane clapped his hands.

"In that case, there's only one solution."

He sheathed his sword in one smooth motion, stepped forward, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted from deep in his chest:

"Hey—! Is anyone there—?!"

"Anyone there—?!"

"There—?!"

"—?!"

"—!"

His voice echoed through the silent night forest, startling flocks of birds into flight.

Even the rchant uncle beside him was stunned.

"Hey, won't that attract— attract—"

Shane waved a hand dismissively.

"No need to worry."

"We've been walking in circles here and nothing's attacked us. That ans it's relatively safe. Frieren also said there are no demons nearby—and even if there were, we have her."

So he decided to gamble on his [Great Luck].

Sure enough, a miracle appeared.

A small yellow light flickered in the depths of the forest.

It swayed gently as it slowly approached them.

As it ca closer, Shane finally saw clearly—it was a lantern.

The one carrying it wore a priest's robe. His face was aged, his back slightly hunched, and he limped as he walked, but his presence was calm and steady.

"Greetings, travelers."

"My na is Beryl. I am a priest practicing asceticism here. It's a pleasure to et you."

"The forest at night is dangerous. Would you like to co to my place and have so hot tea to warm yourselves?"

Huh?

Those lines felt strangely familiar. Shane suddenly had the odd sensation of not knowing what era he was in.

Following the priest's tone, he tested, "Sir, we're looking for lost companions. Have you seen four young travelers pass by?"

"Companions… what a word filled with beautiful mories," the old man sighed. "Back then, I also had many companions—until I took an arrow to the knee… Ah, no need to dwell on the past."

"Co with . The people you're looking for are this way."

Seeing things unfold like this, Frieren blinked, then glanced at Shane with a hint of approval in her eyes.

So this was the effective thod for dealing with getting lost.

————

The "house" the priest ntioned was actually a monastery.

Very old-fashioned. Very simple.

There was no massive bronze bell, no statue of the Goddess—only thick moss covering the stone walls like a wool blanket. When the priest pushed open the creaking wooden door, they saw four young n resting in the courtyard, so sitting, so standing.

The rchant uncle rushed in first.

He carefully checked each of his companions, patting one, examining another, repeatedly expressing his relief that everyone was safe.

The priest stood watching them, a gentle smile on his face, his expression full of kindness.

Shane, however, felt puzzled. The monastery wasn't small, and it was lit—so how had they circled the forest so many tis without noticing it?

As if reading his thoughts, the priest explained:

"Because wild beasts often appear in the mountains, I set up a barrier around the monastery."

Hearing this, Frieren frowned slightly. "I didn't detect any traces of [Magic Barrier]."

The priest smiled. "You're a mage, aren't you? This isn't an ordinary magical barrier. It's the Goddess's barrier."

"The Goddess's barrier?"

"That's right. I've spent my entire life interpreting the 'Heaven and Earth Paradise' chapter of the Scriptures. A few years ago, I discovered this barrier within it. It has defensive power comparable to [Magic Barrier], and it can hide everything inside from detection—even [Mana Detection] can't sense it."

As he spoke, he opened the Scriptures in his hand—a text recording the deeds and commandnts of the Creation Goddess. Countless priests throughout history had tried to interpret its chapters and extract divine magic from it.

Now, the page of the "Heaven and Earth Paradise" chapter was filled with dense annotations.

The priest gently caressed the text, a trace of pride appearing on his aged face, his voice devout and firm.

"This is the most perfect barrier created by the Goddess."

Shane nodded unconsciously. It really was perfect.

Then suddenly, he froze.

Because he saw a line of information appear on the Scriptures in the priest's hands:

[Goddess's Barrier]

Type: Magic Barrier

Effect: Provides a powerful protective barrier and conceals everything within it

Status: Not Learned