Time flowed through several seconds of silent, mutual staring.
“Who is he?” Eisen asked.
His tone was calm, but Luohan noticed that the hand hanging at Eisen’s side had its fingers curled slightly inward—a preparatory stance for drawing a weapon at a moment’s notice.
“Luohan,” Frieren said, stepping forward.
She reached down and pressed her hand over Eisen’s.
“He’s a Mimic I met during my travels.
He hasn’t harmed anyone.”
“A Mimic?” Eisen was momentarily stunned.
Memories of countless times he had rescued Frieren from the maws of Mimics surfaced in his mind.
His thick beard twitched slightly.
“Frieren, are you alright?
You realize he seems to possess intelligence, right?
That makes him a demon.”
“I’ll be careful,” Frieren said.
“Eisen, trust me.”
Eisen didn’t respond.
Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
His nostrils flared, and his beard moved in rhythm with his breath, as if he were discerning microscopic scent components in the air.
This was a near-feral sensory ability, a dwarven warrior’s instinct honed through long years of combat.
“There is the scent of blood, but it isn’t human blood,” he said, opening his eyes.
His gaze was like a blade, piercing straight through Luohan.
He took a step forward, his combat boots making a slight crunching sound on the pine needles.
“I don’t know how you’ve tricked Frieren, but I’ll be watching you.”
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Fern gripped her staff tightly against her chest in worry, but Frieren raised a hand to signal her not to move.
Luohan knew he had to speak up.
“I was a human in my previous life,” Luohan said, choosing his words carefully to ensure his behavior appeared non-threatening.
“Now…
I suppose I’m a monster, following Lady Frieren to find my own path.”
“A demon’s honeyed words—claiming to be human in a past life,” Eisen sneered.
His right hand was already hovering in a half-grip, as if he might draw his weapon at any second.
“It’s like a wolf saying it doesn’t eat sheep.
Frieren, when did you become so naive?”
“I’m not naive.” Frieren stared into Eisen’s eyes.
“I’ve placed a contract spell on him.
If he harms a human or lies to me, the contract will punish him severely.”
“Punishing him after the fact will be too late.”
“During our travels, I’ve been able to feel his heart.
He’s different from those demons who merely pretend to have feelings.” Frieren’s voice remained steady, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.
“I’ll keep him in check.
Trust me, Eisen.”
Eisen stared at Frieren for a long time.
The only sounds in the forest were the rustle of wind through the treetops and the gentle babbling of the stream.
Beside them, Fern suddenly looked at Luohan with puffed-out cheeks, leaving Luohan somewhat bewildered.
“Why?” Eisen finally asked.
“Why do you want to protect a monster?”
“Because he has the heart of someone who wants to be human again.” Frieren paused, her gaze drifting toward the distance.
“He is trying his best not to live like a monster.
Eisen, we’ve lived so long; how many ‘humans’ have we seen do things more cruel than demons?”
Eisen fell silent.
He turned his head to look at the ritual stones behind him, his gaze becoming distant.
Luohan followed his line of sight and remembered: those were the stones Eisen had set up to commemorate his lost family, and the culprits had been demons.
“If Himmel were still here, what would he say?” Eisen murmured.
“He would say, ‘Trust your comrade’s judgment,'” Frieren answered.
“He was always like that.”
Another long silence followed. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Eisen’s hand finally relaxed from its combat-ready grip, though the vigilance in his eyes didn’t entirely vanish.
“I won’t cut him down for now,” he said.
“But I’ll be watching him.
If he shows even a hint of a demon’s nature, I won’t hesitate.”
“Understood.
I won’t stop you when the time comes,” Frieren replied.
The atmosphere eased slightly.
Fern let out a secret sigh of relief, and Luohan felt the cold sweat on his back finally stop seeping out.
“Frieren, did you come here for a reason?” Eisen changed the subject, leading the group toward the dugout where he lived.
The interior was simple but sturdy.
The furnishings were sparse: a fireplace, a table, a pile of firewood, and several well-maintained weapons hanging on the walls.
“Eisen, is there anything you want me to help with?”
Eisen didn’t answer immediately.
He turned and rummaged through an old wooden crate in the corner.
The crate creaked loudly, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
“Ah, found it.”
He pulled out a piece of yellowed parchment and carefully spread it on the table.
Complex topographical markers were drawn on the paper, with one location circled in red ink.
“The Vohle Basin.”
“This is the location Heiter calculated before he passed.” Eisen pointed at the mark.
“The ‘Notes of the Great Mage Flamme’ are said to be buried somewhere in the Vohle Basin.”
Frieren leaned over to examine the map, her long white hair sliding off her shoulder.
“You know that almost everything on the market called ‘Flamme’s Notes’ is a fake.”
“But Heiter was certain about this location,” Eisen continued.
“He spent a long time calculating it…
He said the real thing might be hidden there.”
“That shitty priest, investigating so thoroughly.” Frieren closed her eyes.
Eisen was silent for a moment, stroking his long beard.
“It’s said the notes record a way to speak with the dead.
On that day thirty years ago, you said you wished you had gotten to know Himmel better.
So Heiter and I discussed it…
We wanted to help you find this method, to give you a chance to speak with Himmel.”
Frieren’s finger paused on the map.
“Eisen…
at this point, I don’t particularly want to see him.”
“Don’t misunderstand, I’m not pitying you,” Eisen interrupted her, his tone gruff.
“I just think both of you were too pitiful.”
His voice trailed off.
Frieren looked at the map, silent for a long time.
“Didn’t you want to help me?” Eisen spoke up slowly.
The flickering lamplight cast soft shadows across Frieren’s face.
“Eisen,” she finally said, “you’ve learned to be quite clever.”
“Only thanks to Heiter.” Eisen rubbed his beard, appearing a bit sheepish.
“This forest is huge.
Heiter’s calculations only gave a general area.”
“Inside a large tree.
Let’s go.” Frieren tucked the map away.
Luohan naturally didn’t object.
This was a great opportunity for him to scavenge for items.
Thus, the group caught a carriage to the Vohle Basin and began their search for Flamme’s notes.
During the search, they lived in the wild, though it was made much more convenient thanks to magic.
Every day, the four of them split into two groups to search the areas Eisen had designated, looking for the combination of ruins and a giant tree that Frieren had described.
Frieren and Fern formed one group, while Eisen “proactively” requested to pair up with Luohan.
He claimed it was to improve efficiency, but Luohan could feel that it was because Eisen still didn’t trust him.
During the search, Luohan also practiced his Floating Magic to try and control his flight.
When his mana ran out, he would go down and trek on foot with Eisen to train his physical body.
“You fly so slowly; your search is too inefficient,” Eisen said coldly from the side.
“Even I know that magic is an embodiment of imagination.
You’re using it too rigidly.”
“Huff…
Right, I see it now.
Thank you, Eisen.” Luohan was panting.
Eisen’s walking pace was too fast for him to keep up on foot.
He had fallen into a rut with his magic training.
Just like Ubel’s cutting magic in the original story, imagination was the most important thing.
“I don’t need your thanks.
Just find it faster.” Eisen was blunt.
He paused, then added, “If it weren’t for Frieren’s sake…”
Despite his words, Luohan noticed that Eisen didn’t truly hate him.
When Luohan was searching on foot, the dwarven warrior would occasionally stand to the side with his arms crossed and wait, observing with those sharp eyes and occasionally tossing out one or two precise pointers.
“Your stride is too sluggish.
Use your core to drive the movement.”
“Watch your footing when climbing.
Keep your eyes and feet in sync.”
The days passed one by one.
Luohan even found skeletal remains and a staff next to one of his “kin” in a tree hollow—likely the leftovers of a victim.
The Mimic was split in half by one strike of Eisen’s axe.
After the kill, Eisen gave Luohan an expressionless glare that made him break into a cold sweat, though Eisen did casually toss the staff to him.
Luohan checked the item.
It was only Green quality.
According to the item quality ranks of White, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, and Red in the “Crossover World,” this was an entry-level staff.
Though it wasn’t incredibly powerful, it allowed his casting speed and power to increase slightly, which was better than nothing.
Out of respect for the previous owner of the staff, Luohan gathered the fragmented bones and buried them.
As he knelt to pat the dirt into a small mound, he didn’t notice that Eisen’s gaze toward him had softened slightly.
Luohan’s Floating Magic also improved at a slow but steady pace through this day-after-day practice.
One day, when the data on the panel in his mind showed [Floating Magic reached Lv.
2], he felt something fundamental change when he used the spell.
The “feel” of his mana control became much more fluid and agile.
His Agility attribute also reached 3 points thanks to Eisen’s pointers during the long days of searching.
Between him and Eisen, a strange, tense sort of tacit understanding had formed.
Eisen still didn’t fully trust him.
Every time Luohan did something slightly reckless, the dwarven warrior’s gaze would become as sharp as a blade.
Luohan knew that Eisen was observing—observing whether Luohan was truly “trying his best not to live like a monster.” Having a clear conscience, Luohan didn’t mind the scrutiny.
“Your flight is steadier today than yesterday.” Once, after Luohan had nearly exhausted his mana and landed from the air, Eisen suddenly spoke.
Luohan was leaning against a tree, preparing to take a drink of water and rest.
He blinked at the words.
“…Thank you?”
“It wasn’t a compliment,” Eisen said with a stiff face.
“Just stating a fact.
Let’s go.
It’s time to head back for the day.” Eisen turned and led the way back.
This was the first time during this period that Eisen had given positive feedback on Luohan’s progress.
Luohan looked at Eisen’s back and smiled.
Everyone in the Hero Party was so awkward.
There was Heiter, who made up excuses to have Frieren decipher grimoires just so Fern could keep up with her.
And then there was Himmel, who loved Frieren so much but never managed to ask her to continue traveling with him or confess his feelings.