Übel was sensible from a young age.
Ethan had always known this, but seeing Übel, only five years old, follow her teacher into the academy without looking back made him wear a somewhat lonely expression.
He, a grown man who had lived nearly forty years across two lifetimes, also experienced the feeling of parting with a child.
If the child cried and clung to him, unwilling to leave, he’d think she was too young and worry about how to correct her.
But when a child was excessively sensible and independent, he felt a strange loneliness, an odd sort of self-inflicted sadness.
Ah, being a parent isn’t easy.
Übel’s life ahead would surely be exciting, and he, too, would welcome a new life.
He felt a thrill at the thought of the mage from the Hero’s party, undoubtedly the protagonist of this world.
After all, this girl was a bit too strong in combat, but he had no idea precisely how strong.
Magic ranks were determined purely by exams, and Frieren wasn’t even considered a 9th class mage at the Continental Magic Association.
So, could he say she couldn’t defeat a 9th class mage who had passed their exam?
Therefore, he had to approach everything cautiously.
There were no do-overs in the real world; death was final.
Watching Übel’s back disappear around the corner of the school building, Ethan turned and left, relieved.
He was going to find Frieren.
Little did he know, behind the school building, Übel’s tears were streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Yet, even so, she didn’t make a sound, only her face turned red, and a suppressed sob escaped from deep in her throat.
The supervising teacher was taken aback.
She had seen countless children cry as they said goodbye to their parents and knew how to comfort them, but Übel made her feel helpless.
This child was terrifyingly sensible.
Was she brought here by her father?
No, her brother?
It must be the latter, as he seemed too young.
The teacher initially thought Übel didn’t have a very good relationship with her brother, which was why they separated so readily.
But upon closer inspection, it was clearly a sign of deep affection.
In order not to worry her brother, even though she desperately wanted to cry, she held it in until she could no longer see his back.
Only then did her tears pour out.
The teacher reached out to pat the child’s head but missed, as Übel didn’t stop walking even while crying.
Step by step, she moved forward resolutely.
“Ah, Übel-chan, wait for me!” The teacher quickly followed, and Übel left a deep impression on her mind.
A child like this, even without exceptional talent, would undoubtedly achieve great things in the future.
Even more so, this one was a gifted student assigned to a Level 1 dormitory.
She could already anticipate Übel’s future.
… After wandering the capital for some time, Ethan reached his first conclusion.
The capital, there are so damn many people here.
And from a quick chat with random passersby, it seems like the capital is always this crowded.
Wow, that’s a bit exaggerated.
Thinking about it, his meeting with Frieren was scheduled for the evening, so he wasn’t in a rush.
It wouldn’t hurt to look around.
Besides being the capital of the Central Kingdom, the city also served as a tourist destination.
Since the Hero Himmel’s death, his former residence had even become a tourist spot, as he had no descendants to inherit it.
Ethan also followed the trend and visited Himmel’s old residence.
It was very ordinary, aside from being the house where the Hero had lived for decades, it was completely unremarkable.
This was vastly different from his own personality.
It was said that Hero Himmel was an extremely narcissistic person.
He had only died a little over ten years ago, and people who remembered him were still everywhere.
After a brief look from the outside, Ethan decided to leave.
He felt there wasn’t much to see in the capital, so he might as well return to the inn to meditate.
Just then, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.
The gaze wasn’t intense, nor was it malicious.
At first, it felt like a casual glance, but Ethan knew he was being watched.
He didn’t alert them; instead, he continued his stroll as if nothing had happened, curious to see how long this gaze would follow him.
For the next half of the day, Ethan fully embraced his role as a street wanderer, gravitating towards where the crowds were.
He even bumped into Frieren once, but upon seeing her from afar on the street, Ethan casually changed direction.
He couldn’t lead this gaze to Frieren.
Finally, as sunset approached, Ethan arrived at a corner of the central plaza.
He should have been here earlier, but it was too crowded then.
Now, people were eating or heading home.
Although there were still many people, he could find a quiet spot for a conversation.
Sitting down on a bench, Ethan let out a breath and looked straight ahead.
There stood a statue of the four members of the Hero’s party.
In Ethan’s opinion, it perfectly captured Frieren’s appearance.
“It’s really nice, this statue.
So lifelike,” Someone leaned against the back of the bench unexpectedly and praised it.
“If you could offer that praise while facing the statue, I might grudgingly believe you genuinely find it beautiful,” Ethan commented expressionlessly.
“Oh, young man, you’re mistaken.
I come here every day to look.
No one knows the Hero’s party better than I do.
This statue is a perfect replica.” Ethan turned his head.
Before him stood a tall, blond man with his long hair tied back in a ponytail.
He looked to be in his twenties, with a carefree expression.
“Do you need something from me?” Ethan asked suspiciously.
Since this person had revealed himself and hadn’t attacked directly, he likely wanted to talk.
“Ethan, from an unknown mountain village, parents missing, only grandmother to rely on.
You’re good friends with the Üffie Tailoring Shop family, and today, you’re sending the youngest daughter of the tailoring shop, Übel, to enroll in the Junior Magic Academy.” Ethan frowned.
“Tell me your purpose.” This was his first time leaving his village, and he was being targeted by a strange person who had seemingly investigated him thoroughly.
Such an approach meant his intentions were far from simple.
“Please don’t get agitated.
I mean no harm.
I just need your help with something.” The blond man chuckled.
Looking at his face, he seemed as frivolous as a spoiled young master who flirted with respectable women on the street every day.
“Frieren, you know her, right?” It seemed he didn’t know yet that he had become Frieren’s disciple.
“You must be the warrior recently discovered by that mage.
Your strength is indeed not to be underestimated.
However, you’ve only known her for three days, haven’t you?” Ethan immediately grasped a piece of information.
These people only knew they had interacted three days ago but had no specific intelligence.
They only dared to observe from a distance, not approaching closely…
which meant they were wary of Frieren’s senses.
“We have a better deal for you,” the blond man whispered into Ethan’s ear.
“I know this is a difficult request, but I hope you can help us kill Frieren when the time comes.” What is this person saying?