Frieren: Attribute Hero Chapter 84: The Countess

Morning arrived.

The dew had only just faded away.

Shane and Stark stood in line, handing over the spoils from their "wild harvest."

Fern gave Shane an approving smile, then imdiately turned toward Stark with a completely serious expression.

"Mr. Stark, I already taught you before that mushrooms with overly bright colors are poisonous. Ones like these can't be picked. Did you properly rember that lesson?"

"Sorry————"

Stark looked utterly helpless. There were simply too many kinds of mushrooms, and they all looked alike.

Seeing his defeated expression, Fern sighed.

"Co on. I'll go with you one more ti. This ti, make sure you morize them properly. Otherwise, next ti I'll add poisonous mushrooms to your soup."

"Please don't do that————"

Watching Stark trudge behind Fern with his head lowered while trying desperately to identify different mushrooms, Shane suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

Mushrooms really were impossible to tell apart.

Even he couldn't distinguish them clearly.

Smiling, he shook his head.

Although the sun had already been up for quite a while, Frieren still hadn't woken up.

The lazy elf had wrapped herself tightly in a blanket like a cocoon and was currently leaning against a tree, indulging in a second round of sleep.

Shane gently nudged her.

The elf girl didn't wake up. She rely smacked her lips in her sleep, apparently dreaming about sothing delicious.

He increased the force slightly.

"Frieren———— Frieren————"

"Mmn?"

The girl slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze wandered blankly, her expression dazed and unfocused.

"If you don't get up now, I'm seriously considering using [Electrocution]."

"?"

Frieren looked speechless.

Still, Shane's joke successfully scattered the haze of sleep lingering in her eyes.

"Hey, Frieren. We've searched most of the forest these past few days, but we still haven't found any trace of Aura. Sothing about this feels off to ."

"The Undead Army is massive. It's difficult to hide sothing that large. Logically speaking, we shouldn't be unable to find them."

"And judging from the traces outside the Count's domain, battles should happen here frequently. But we've been here this long and haven't encountered a single clash———— so I think Aura may have changed tactics. She's no longer fighting head-on."

After hearing Shane's words, Frieren thought quietly for a mont.

"Based on my experience fighting Aura, she isn't the type of opponent who plans things carefully."

"That's exactly what worries the most. If sothing abnormal happens, there's usually a reason behind it. If soone who prefers direct confrontation suddenly starts using strategy and tactics, then whatever they're planning definitely isn't simple." Shane paused before continuing, "So I plan to visit the nearby villages and gather information."

He already had a vague suspicion in his heart.

Just like in the original story, Aura might resort to the despicable trick of pretending to negotiate peace while secretly infiltrating the city.

Shane didn't know exactly when she would carry out that sche.

Originally, he'd hoped to find her and kill her before she could even attempt it.

But now, it seed that wasn't going to happen.

In that case, they would have to prepare to intercept the "peace envoy."

Afterward, they could simply follow the trail upward.

That wasn't impossible either.

Leaving Fern and Stark behind in the forest to continue searching for traces of the Undead Army, Shane repeatedly warned them:

"Only investigate. Do not act recklessly. Do not engage the enemy on your own."

Only after making sure the two understood did Shane and Frieren head toward the village closest to the Count's main city.

Low stone houses stood scattered throughout the settlent, with thin streams of smoke curling from their rooftops.

It was currently lunchti.

The two walked along the village path, intending to ask a villager about the situation.

Unexpectedly, two guards approached them first.

"Apologies, adventurers, but this village is not receiving outsiders today. If you need food, we can provide it free of charge, but please leave as soon as you've received it."

Shane and Frieren exchanged glances.

Not receiving outsiders?

What was going on?

Just as the two stood there in confusion, a gentle and graceful voice sounded from behind the guards.

"That won't be necessary."

"Milady————"

The beautiful woman addressed as "Milady" appeared to be under forty years old. Her clothes were elegant without being extravagant, and there was even a little dirt staining the hem of her dress.

A faint smile rested on her face as she waved toward the guards, stopping them.

The guards clearly respected her greatly. They nodded and stepped back without another word.

The beautiful woman smiled at Shane.

But the mont their eyes t, the smile on her face froze for an instant.

A flash of sorrow passed through her eyes before disappearing completely.

Then she smiled gently once more.

"I am the wife of Count Granat. My apologies. My guards were only concerned for my safety. Please don't take offense."

The Countess.

That was perfect!

In an instant, a battle plan targeting Aura ford in Shane's mind.

"Greetings, respected Countess. We are adventurers passing through this region, currently investigating information related to the Undead Army. Would you happen to know anything that could help us?"

Frieren looked slightly surprised at how directly Shane asked the question.

Yet the Countess standing before them seed even more surprised than Frieren.

"They really do look alike..."

"Hmm? Madam, what did you say? Alike to what?"

"Oh, forgive ."

The Countess smiled and shook her head before stepping aside and gesturing toward a nearby house.

"I happen to have the information you're looking for. Let's sit down and talk."

The place the Countess brought them to was an orphanage.

The children had just finished eating lunch. Under the care of two attendants, they lined up obediently and climbed into bed, preparing for their afternoon nap.

The Countess gazed at the children with extraordinary tenderness in her eyes.

"More than ten years ago, Aura set her sights on this city and wanted to claim it as her nest. Ever since then, her Undead Army has attacked the city from ti to ti. But what she never expected was that the people of this city would be just as resilient and stubborn as its barrier."

From the Countess's explanation, Shane learned:

Up until three months ago, battles occurred roughly once every ten days.

But exactly three months ago, the conflicts suddenly stopped.

"Now, they avoid combat entirely. They've even requested peace negotiations."

Hearing that, Shane froze.

Had the demon envoy already entered the city?!

"Countess, demons cannot be trusted." Frieren's voice turned cold. "Any fantasy of understanding them is foolish."

The Countess smiled faintly after hearing that.

"Please don't misunderstand. My husband is not a fool. We naturally understand the cunning nature of demons. The negotiations are rely a façade. How could we possibly allow them to succeed?"

Shane relaxed slightly.

"In other words, no demon envoy has entered the city yet, correct?"

"Correct."

Perfect.

Everything was still in ti.

"In that case, Countess... would you be willing to persuade Count Granat to allow the demon envoy into the city?"