According to Eisen, the one capable of making such a huge commotion should be his warrior apprentice, Stark.
Before this, Eisen had already recomnded him to Frieren as the party's [vanguard].
The three of them had co here precisely to recruit this new companion.
After confirming the direction, the three stepped into the lush mountain forest together and headed toward the place where the smoke and dust had risen.
There were a few narrow paths in the forest, trampled out by nearby villagers, so the road was still fairly easy to walk.
But as the saying went, "Distance can be deceiving." Although it had looked close from their high vantage point earlier, once they actually started walking, it felt as if the distance was at least several dozen kiloters.
Whoosh—
The two mages flew lightly up onto a high slope, then calmly turned around and waited for Shane.
The corner of Shane's mouth twitched. He rolled up his sleeves and started climbing the rock face...
After an unknown amount of ti, Frieren suddenly stopped.
"Be careful. There are traces of residual magic here."
Shane placed a hand on the hilt at his waist and looked around, but there was nothing suspicious nearby.
At that mont, a crisp, childish giggle ca from the bushes ahead.
Shane raised his eyes and saw that behind the shrubs, the phantom of a tiny little girl had suddenly appeared. She stood beneath a large tree, smiling with innocent brightness. In front of the little girl was an herb gatherer carrying a bamboo basket on his back. He was looking at her with gentle eyes, his expression loving and entranced.
The little girl reached out her hand and sweetly called, "Papa," then pointed behind her.
The "papa" she spoke of wore a smile on his face and obediently walked, step by step, in the direction she indicated.
The scene looked deeply eerie.
"It's a [Phantom Ghost]," Frieren reminded them in a low voice. "It's using an illusion to lure a human in."
Hearing that, Fern imdiately summoned her staff and aid at the phantom.
She had read records of this type of monster in Magical Ecology. Phantom Ghosts were cunning and greedy, skilled at creating hallucinations. Once they latched onto soone, most people would willingly sink into the trap and never be able to break free again.
She did not hesitate.
A clean, precise magical attack shot out. The little girl's phantom shattered instantly, leaving only a cloud of black magical particles in the air, slowly dispersing into the wind.
"No—"
The herb gatherer let out a sudden cry of grief. Staring at the empty space ahead, tears imdiately poured from his eyes.
"Don't leave us... Let see you one more ti... Just one more ti..."
Shane frowned slightly.
Had the other party known from the very beginning that he was trapped in an illusion?
Frieren's calm voice sounded beside him.
"Most people lured in by [Phantom Ghosts] are willing victims."
"They read the target's mories and show them phantoms of important people from those mories, as they were in life. Many people, even knowing it's only an illusion, still find it difficult to resist the temptation... They really do love toying with people's hearts."
Using the mories buried deep in people's hearts?
As expected, demons were vile creatures.
The rescued herb gatherer thanked them through his tears. Yet when he left, he kept looking back every few steps at the direction where the little girl had vanished.
Seeing that, Fern could not help tightening her grip around the pendant at her neck, the one that held the [Keepsake Photo].
She did not dare imagine it.
If a [Phantom Ghost] took the form of her father, her mother, or Mister Heiter, would she end up like that poor herb gatherer, willingly bewitched...?
"Lady Frieren, have you encountered Phantom Ghosts before?"
"Of course."
"Then, when you faced the phantom of soone important..."
Frieren's tone remained calm.
"I never hesitated even once."
"..."
The young girl looked toward Shane again.
Shane smiled indifferently.
"I have the [Occluncy] attribute, so it's very difficult for ntal-type magic to harm ."
Fine.
In a certain sense, both of you are [invincible] people.
"We still can't relax."
Frieren's voice rang out again.
"We need to look for the [Phantom Ghost] eggs."
"Eggs?" Fern asked in confusion.
"[Phantom Ghosts] may leave eggs behind in places where they successfully feed in order to reproduce. They have to be cleaned up as well. Search the area carefully and see if there are any pitch-black eggs about the size of a soup pot."
The three began carefully checking the bushes, earthen slopes, and the areas near tree roots.
In the end, after searching for a while, they found nothing.
The three had no choice but to continue onward.
The sun gradually tilted west.
Finally, after trekking nonstop for most of the day, they successfully reached the place where they had first seen the smoke and dust rising.
A boy was sitting there.
He had distinctive short hair that faded from reddish brown, with a few black highlights mixed in on top of his head, loud and full of personality. He wore a fiery red cropped jacket, tight bandages wrapped around both arms, and held a massive battle-axe in his hand.
It was Stark.
Shane and the others went forward and took the initiative to greet him.
At first, Stark's attitude was quite friendly. But when he heard Frieren explain Eisen's recomndation, as well as their invitation for him to join the party and travel to the [Northern Plateau] with them, the boy's expression imdiately changed.
"This is just an excuse Master ca up with to have you drag back, right? Give up. I'm not going back."
"I believe I've already explained myself clearly," Frieren said in a flat tone.
"You two are old acquaintances. It wouldn't be hard for you to conspire together."
"..."
"Besides, I'm not qualified to go adventuring at all. I don't even dare fight the thing attacking the village... How could a coward like be worthy of saving the world?"
"Are you talking about the dragon occupying the area beside the village?"
The mont he heard the word "dragon," Stark beca a little agitated, and his tone turned impatient.
"In any case, I'm not going ho, and I'm not going with you to so Northern Plateau Demon King's Castle either. Go invite soone else."
Frieren looked at him for a mont and did not force the issue. She rely gave a small nod.
"I understand. We'll be staying in the village for three days. If you change your mind, you can co find us anyti."
With that, Frieren turned around with Fern and headed toward the village at the foot of the mountain.
Along the way, Fern could not help muttering quietly, "Lady Frieren, are you giving up already...? Mister Eisen..."
Shane, however, did not hurry to leave.
He walked over beside Stark, sat down heavily, then, under Stark's astonished gaze, reached into his backpack and rummaged around for a while before taking out a giant strawberry ice cream.
"?!"
The mont the ice cream was taken out, the magical ice fra wrapped around it began to slowly lt.
It was the [magic that keeps ice cream fresh] that the dessert shop owner had specially cast, allowing the ice cream to remain cold all the way here.
"Mister Eisen asked to bring this to you."
Hearing that, Stark froze.
He stared blankly at the strawberry ice cream. A mont later, he looked at Shane again.
"Who are you?"
"..."
Shane silently grumbled to himself. How rude. He was miles apart from the sensible and adorable little Fern.
However, he did not particularly mind.
"Let formally introduce myself. I'm your future adventuring companion, Shane."
"I haven't agreed."
"Your master said you definitely would."
"Heh... Are you that close with my master?"
"I wouldn't say we're that close. Mister Eisen only taught for a few days."
"Taught you?!"
Stark instantly grew agitated, his voice rising several notches.
"You're that old man's new apprentice? He clearly said I was his only apprentice!"
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