“Stop thinking about holing up indoors all day!”
Yakumo held his spoon and pointed it at Frieren in exasperation.
After eating more Western-style stews lately, he had gradually become accustomed to using spoons.
Of course, he hadn’t forgotten how to use chopsticks.
That was an ancestral skill.
He couldn’t abandon it.
“Now that you’ve finished your research, I’m going out to gather some materials.”
Frieren puffed her cheeks slightly while blowing on the hot food in her spoon.
“Are you coming with me, or staying here?”
“I’ll stay.”
“I want to organize what I’ve learned and compile it properly.”
“I feel like the flower-field spell has much more potential, so I want to see whether I can develop it further.”
“Also, I’ve got a few ideas about completely concealing mana.”
“I don’t know whether they’ll work yet.”
“I can only keep experimenting.”
Yakumo ate quickly.
He had already finished his meal while Frieren wasn’t even halfway through hers.
Only after Frieren slowly finished eating could Yakumo clear the dishes.
“Remember to leave early and come back early.”
“If you miss dinner tonight, don’t blame me for not making your share.”
“Hmph.”
“No matter what else I forget, I’ll never forget dinner.”
Frieren sounded extremely confident.
Of course, Frieren always sounded this confident.
And every single time…
She still somehow came back late.
Today…
Was no exception.
However, this time Frieren didn’t return alone.
There were three unfamiliar people beside her.
Strictly speaking, they weren’t completely unfamiliar.
Yakumo knew who they were.
He had simply only seen them through wiki pages and story material.
The Hero Himmel.
The priest Heiter.
And the warrior Eisen.
These were the other three members of the future Hero Party.
Now the entire party was assembled.
Still…
So this was when they arrived?
“This is the other mage I mentioned.”
Frieren introduced Yakumo to the group.
“Heiter, what do you think?”
Himmel looked toward the priest.
“Hmm…”
Heiter stared at Yakumo for a moment.
“His mana feels even weaker than Frieren’s.”
“Strange.”
“Maybe he’s the same type as Frieren?”
Himmel rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“But if Frieren recommends him, I imagine he’ll be fine.”
“I certainly can’t compare to Frieren.”
Yakumo extended a hand toward Himmel.
“I’m Yakumo, a mage. Nice to meet you.”
“I imagine you’re the person the Hero of the South was talking about.”
Yakumo turned toward Frieren.
“Frieren, did you tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“I don’t know anything.”
Frieren turned her head away.
She was very obviously guilty.
“Tch.”
“I knew you were unreliable.”
For some reason, clicking his tongue at Frieren was remarkably effective.
A couple of disapproving tsks were usually enough to make Frieren fall into a guilty mood.
Of course, afterward she would still go right back to doing whatever she wanted.
“Hello.”
“I’m Himmel.”
Himmel shook Yakumo’s hand.
“I’m going to become a Hero and defeat the Demon King.”
“Our party is currently looking for a mage.”
“We already invited Frieren.”
“Would you be willing to begin this journey with us as well?”
“I don’t see why not.”
Yakumo immediately brightened.
Traveling with this group would obviously be much better for gaining experience and leveling up.
“While I’m at it, I’ll tell you the message the Hero of the South wanted me to pass along.”
Yakumo sighed and shot Frieren another sideways look.
Frieren shrank slightly behind Heiter, fidgeted with her fingers, and muttered,
“Sorry…”
“That’s quite a heavy expectation to inherit.”
After hearing the message, Himmel didn’t become nervous.
Instead, a cheerful smile appeared on his face.
“If a senior like him fought so hard ahead of us, then what reason could I possibly have not to begin this journey?”
“Then please allow me to join.”
Yakumo answered with equal seriousness.
“I’m still a complete newbie, but I’ll do everything I can to contribute along the way.”
“Then we’ve finally found the mages we were missing.”
Eisen spoke.
“Can we start the journey to defeat the Demon King now?”
“We’ve already taken quite a large detour.”
Eisen was a dwarf wearing a horned helmet.
He wasn’t even half Heiter’s height.
A cloak completely covered his body, making it impossible to see anything beneath it.
Every now and then, though, Eisen would reach out and stroke his beard.
“Yes.”
“But the first thing we need to do is report to the king.”
Heiter seemed like the most composed person in the group.
“Right.”
“A Hero Party officially registered by the king can receive some starting funds.”
“That should at least last us until we reach our next destination.”
Himmel had apparently investigated all of this beforehand.
“Are we leaving?”
“Then I’ll pack.”
Yakumo had no idea how Himmel had convinced Frieren.
But she clearly wasn’t opposed to traveling with them anymore.
Frieren had a suitcase.
Normally, she never touched it.
It simply sat in one corner of the room.
This was probably the first time Yakumo had seen her use it.
Despite its modest size…
It held a surprising amount.
“Spatial magic?”
Yakumo raised an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
“Magic is amazing, isn’t it?”
Frieren continued packing as she explained.
“Although at your current level, studying this spell would probably take you quite a bit of effort.”
“Two or three years from now, though…”
“It might not take you nearly as long.”
Frieren finished packing.
“Let’s go.”
“Once we’re outside, I’ll put a barrier around this place.”
She had lived here for quite some time.
Perhaps even Frieren didn’t want to return someday and discover that the treehouse had collapsed.
The return journey was farther than Yakumo expected.
His stamina wasn’t particularly bad anymore.
The physical gains from the Ability Points he received during his beginner period had remained.
Even so, by the time they reached the royal capital, he was still noticeably tired.
“I never want to walk this far in one stretch again.”
Heiter clearly shared Yakumo’s opinion.
The priest looked even worse than Yakumo.
It was as though his soul were about to leave his body.
“Heiter really needs more physical training.”
Himmel patted his back while joking.
“The environments we’ll face later will be much harsher than this.”
“Didn’t the Goddess give priests a blessing for stamina?”
“If only she had.”
Heiter’s recovery was impressive.
After a short while, he was already capable of walking normally again.
“Then let’s go meet the king.”
“Once we’ve made our report, our journey as a true Hero Party officially begins.”
Himmel’s eyes were full of excitement.
It seemed that becoming a Hero had been his dream since childhood.
The king indeed granted the members of the Hero Party a formal audience.
He also gave them a long speech of encouragement.