"If I become a teacher one day, I definitely won't be as lazy as you."
"Is that so?"
Serie lifted her brow slightly. "Frieren, I'll remember you said that."
"Huh? Where's Mut? Where did he go?"
Seeing the two elf magic users about to start bickering again, Himmel hurriedly stepped in to change the subject.
"Mut? He said he was going into the nearby mountain forest to forage some wild fruits. Judging by the time, he should be back soon."
"I see." Himmel nodded, not too worried about the young companion.
After all, the Voll Basin was located in the Central Lands, where the number and danger of wild monsters were far lower than in the Northern Nations.
In Himmel's view, Mut might not be highly skilled, but he was certainly capable of handling such a safe environment.
And sure enough, just as Gut had predicted, shortly after they mentioned him, Mut came strolling back, his steps light and cheerful.
"Everyone, look what I found!"
Mut beamed as he showed them his stuffed jacket. He opened it up to reveal a bundle of colorful wild fruits and proudly declared:
"The Voll Basin is really abundant! I just wandered into the foothills, and I found all sorts of wild fruits I've never seen in my homeland."
"Their colors are vibrant and their skins smooth and plump. Most didn't even have bite marks from beasts or bugs."
"I brought back the unfamiliar ones and those that looked the best. With fruit this pretty, I bet they taste amazing!"
However, the group's reaction wasn't quite what Mut expected.
They weren't delighted, nor did they show indifference as if it were a common sight. Instead, their expressions leaned toward... surprise?
Gut picked up one of the fruits he recognized and examined it carefully in his palm.
If he remembered correctly, he had eaten one of these shortly after arriving in this world. The flesh was so sour it brought tears to his eyes, and after eating it, his mouth had gone numb for days.
As for the other fruits...
Gut hadn't eaten them before, but the gaudy colors alone were enough to suggest they were probably not safe.
Unlike Gut's silence, Frieren's actions were more straightforward.
The elf crouched in front of the jacket and began tossing out the vividly colored wild fruits one after another.
After tossing nearly half of them, she paused to wipe off a pale red fruit, returned it to the pile, and resumed her tossing spree.
"Um... Frieren, isn't this a bit wasteful?"
Watching his carefully selected fruits get discarded so casually, Mut couldn't help but speak up.
"Wasteful?"
Frieren looked up at him and pointed to the discarded fruits. "Even if Heiter were right beside me, I wouldn't eat these."
"In a way, Mut, you really are 'lucky.'"
"On your first try picking wild fruits, you managed to collect nearly every toxic plant species in the Voll Basin."
"Especially this one," Frieren said, pointing at a tiny pale green fruit. "These usually only bear fruit in autumn or winter. Finding one in summer is extremely rare."
Mut: ...
Because the Voll Basin was the final resting place of her teacher Flamme, Frieren had lived and studied here for a long time. Naturally, she was familiar with the local flora.
Fortunately, Mut had picked quite a lot. After throwing away the poisonous ones, five edible fruits remained—just enough for one per person.
With Mut's permission, Frieren distributed the remaining fruit.
She gave the biggest and sweetest one to Mut as thanks, even if his foraging skills were... abstract. After all, he had worked hard to gather them.
Next, she handed the smallest, most astringent, and wrinkled one to Serie.
Serie didn't mind at all. Smiling, she accepted the fruit and even thanked Frieren.
"Thank you so much, Frieren. Finding a fruit like this out of all those must've taken effort."
"Of course," Frieren nodded. "But for you, it's worth it."
"I really appreciate that."
As for the remaining three fruits, they were all more or less the same. Frieren handed two to Himmel and Gut, keeping one for herself and munching away.
Gut tried to swap his fruit with Serie's, but she waved him off.
Instead, Serie cast a spell that enveloped her wrinkled fruit in a glow. Though it still looked shriveled, it somehow seemed tastier afterward.
Frieren, meanwhile, summoned her staff and fired a blast of magic at the pile of discarded toxic fruits, vaporizing them to prevent any travelers or animals from eating them by mistake.
After finishing their snack, the group gathered to discuss their next steps.
Mut announced he'd be heading to the nearby Duke Region, where he planned to hire adventurers to escort him home.
Now that he had gotten the answers he came for, it was time to reunite with his mother—and prepare for a dose of fatherly "love."
"Hiss..."
Just thinking about how much "fatherly affection" had accumulated during his absence made Mut wince.
With concern for his own backside, Mut turned to his idol and asked with pleading eyes:
"Um, Sir Himmel, could I trouble you to write a letter for me?"
"A letter?" Himmel tilted his head.
"Yes, a letter to my father. If possible, could you write a few kind words about me? Maybe something like I'm reliable, or that I have potential?"
"If not, I'm really going to suffer when I get home..."
The group chuckled. Himmel didn't hesitate to agree.
Yet among them, one remained quiet throughout the conversation.
Frieren stood at a slight distance, struggling to find the right moment to speak—because she planned to say goodbye.
Himmel noticed the hesitation in her expression. He stepped closer and gently said:
"Let's go, Frieren."
"Tears don't suit our partings. As long as we continue our journeys, we'll meet again."
"Besides, we have a promise to watch the Meteor Shower together, remember?"
"Yes."
Frieren smiled. "Then let's part with a smile."
"Goodbye, Himmel."
"Goodbye, everyone."
"Never again, Serie."
"Click-click," Serie teased.
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Powerstones?
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