It was an ordinary afternoon.
Heiter collapsed.
When he woke up again, he could no longer get out of bed.
Fern began locking herself in the forest, practicing basic attacks day and night, trying to break the "target rock" Heiter had set for her.
The little girl grew quieter by the day.
Shane and Frieren both noticed, yet there was nothing they could do.
"Don't make that face, Frieren…"
Lying in bed, Heiter forced out a smile. But on his emaciated face, reduced almost to just cheekbones, the smile looked worse than crying.
"Aren't you a priest? There's really nothing you can do?" Frieren sat beside his bed, brows tightly furrowed.
"Even priests have things they can't do. Besides, by human standards, I've already lived a long life."
Sotis, Shane truly admired Heiter's calm acceptance of life and death.
"So, deciphering the grimoire was just an excuse, wasn't it?"
"..."
Heiter fell silent.
"There's no record of Resurrection Magic or Immortality Magic at all. It was just an excuse to make stay and teach Fern, right?"
Hearing Frieren's words, Shane glanced at her in surprise. "You actually figured it out…"
"Don't treat like an idiot, the two of you."
At that, Heiter looked at Frieren seriously and apologized sincerely.
"I'm sorry, Frieren. This was all my idea. Please don't hold it against a dying old man. I just… couldn't put my mind at ease…"
The smile faded from his face, finally revealing his vulnerability.
"That child is so timid, yet so sensible. I truly don't want her to go through the pain of losing family again… So, Frieren, as the longest-living elf, can you take her in?"
Frieren said nothing.
This wasn't a promise she could make lightly.
A human life, to an elf, was but a fleeting mont. And yet, even in that brief span, the weight of a life was imasurable.
Beside them, Shane looked at the two and let out a deep sigh. "Heiter, from the very beginning, you had Fern practice long-range magic to increase the chances that Frieren would accept her, didn't you?"
Frieren didn't like traveling with others. Her party had no vanguard, and in that situation, bringing along another mage would only double the danger.
But if Fern specialized in long-range attack magic, it would be different. They could reduce their reliance on a vanguard and protect each other.
From the very start, he hadn't only been thinking about Fern—he had been thinking about Frieren too.
But this old man was just too stubborn to admit it.
Frieren was smart. She understood Shane's words instantly.
That made her previously calm tone carry a hint of anger.
"Are you still trying to deceive , Heiter?"
"Just like with Fern—you kept deceiving that child, thinking she understood nothing. But do you know? She already prepared herself to say goodbye to you."
"And the sa goes for . You don't think I can understand the bond between you and Fern. You think I wouldn't get it, so you planned to push everything onto without even asking."
As she spoke, her voice choked, and tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
"What an irritating, pretentious man you are."
"Be honest with Fern… and with too…"
Heiter was stunned.
Looking at Frieren crying, his emotions tangled into a ss.
Yes… Frieren had changed so much. She was no longer the cold elf who once rejected Himl without hesitation.
She was learning to face her emotions honestly.
And what had he done…?
She was right. What a pretentious, irritating man he had been.
"Perhaps Himl and I… did sothing quite cruel."
"I'm sorry, Frieren…"
Seeing both of them finally speak their true feelings, Shane let out a long breath of relief.
He quietly stepped out of the room and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
If people just learned to speak openly, it would save so much trouble.
...
Inside the room.
After his solemn apology, Heiter finally laid out everything in his heart to Frieren.
He carefully went through every detail, instructing her:
Fern likes a clean environnt—she can't stand stains on her clothes.
Fern likes sweets—she gets cranky when she's hungry.
Fern is very polite—she dislikes all rude behavior.
Fern loves fluffy little animals…
Frieren sat by his bed, listening attentively.
After a long while, Heiter finally finished. Afraid she might forget, Frieren looked especially focused.
Seeing this, Heiter smiled and gently patted her head.
Only to have Frieren mutter and brush his hand away without rcy.
"Hahaha… Frieren, Himl once made a bet with ."
"Another one of those pointless gas between n?" Frieren retorted.
"Haha. He bet that when I died, you still wouldn't understand what it ans to be companions, and that you wouldn't shed a single tear for . I bet that you would cry your heart out."
"When you et Himl again soday, make sure to tell him… I won."
After he finished speaking, Frieren fell silent again.
"Don't say things like that at a ti like this, you stinky priest."
Heiter didn't mind at all.
"Frieren, can you grant one last request?"
"Haven't I already agreed? I'll take good care of Fern. Whether you want to be like her mother or anything else, I'll do my best."
Heiter smiled. "I believe you can do it, Frieren."
"But that's not what I want to say."
"What I want to say is this: [Compared to those who have already left, I care more about the feelings of those who are still alive. I hope you can carry the beautiful mories of the departed and live your own life.]"
"Frieren, our journey has already ended. Go and begin your own [new journey]."
...
Splash—splash—
Frieren poured the two bottles of cocktail brewed from Glowcap Mushroom over Heiter's gravestone.
The faint blue liquid trickled down along the stone, drop by drop.
In the end, Heiter never got to drink this "wine that lets you see the Goddess."
But there was nothing to regret.
After all, he was probably already chatting with the Goddess now.
Shane thought silently.
After their final farewell, the three of them walked through the cetery.
Gravestones of all sizes stood there—whether they once belonged to great legends or ordinary people, after a hundred years, all would grow old, die, and be buried without exception.
Ti was truly rciless.
"Ti really flies. When we first t Fern, she was just a tiny little thing. Now she's already as tall as you, Frieren."
At his words, the two girls stopped curiously and compared their heights.
"You're right…"
Frieren looked a bit dejected.
"Mr. Shane, on the other hand, hasn't changed at all."
"Really?"
Following Fern's gaze, Frieren carefully examined Shane as well.
"You're right… Maybe he's the kind of person who still looks young even at eighty—a baby face."
Shane was speechless.
But because of Fern's words, for so reason, a strange feeling suddenly stirred in his heart.
He turned back to glance at Heiter's gravestone, then raised his hand to touch his face.
It really hadn't changed much.
What was going on?
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