[Sinseki Era — Year -21]
[Central Lands · Duke Region]
"Knock-knock~"
Rhythmic knocking sounded from the door—light at first, then growing firmer and more urgent.
In the soft bed of the inn, Serie, her head buried beneath a pillow to block out the morning sun, frowned in irritation.
As the knocking continued without pause, she finally gave up on sleeping in. Yawning, she dragged herself to the door and opened it for her disciple.
"Good morning, Master."
"These flowers are for you."
"Thanks to you, I didn't sleep well at all."
"Come in."
Serie glanced at the bouquet Gut handed her. Seeing that it had no particularly special meaning, she accepted it without much fuss.
Carrying the flower, Serie walked over to a cup of water in the room and stuck it in casually.
However, Gut, following behind her, froze in place.
There was already a flower in the cup—delicately emitting fragrance. And it was a Mirror Lotus, known for symbolizing eternal love and companionship.
"???"
A chill crept up Gut's spine.
Wait a second… even I haven't dared to give her that flower yet!
He remembered seeing Mirror Lotus among the flowers at that little girl's stall last night, but he didn't dare offer it to Serie. In this world, giving that flower between a man and woman of similar age was practically a confession.
And it definitely wasn't part of the inn's standard decoration or a guest service amenity.
This was just a modest town inn, not a luxury hotel. Even if it was some kind of courtesy, they wouldn't use a flower with such loaded meaning. And it would've been in a vase—not just stuck in a drinking cup.
No, this flower had to have been given to Serie by someone—and not only did she accept it, she was even keeping it alive in her room.
And there's no way she would have bought it for herself. Knowing Serie's personality, that was even less likely than it being a welcome gift from the inn.
Gut pointed at the Mirror Lotus in the water and gave his teacher a look, silently begging for an explanation.
Arms crossed, sitting on the bed, Serie easily picked up on the question in his eyes. Her playful mood—and a hint of spite for being woken up—led her to spin a very specific tale:
"You mean this Mirror Lotus? Someone I bumped into last night gave it to me."
"Huh?!"
Gut was stunned, but quickly recalled that Frieren didn't know the meaning behind the Mirror Lotus, so he held onto a shred of hope and pressed further.
"Master, do you know what this flower's language symbolizes?"
"Of course I do—eternal love or eternal companionship."
"Then why would you accept one from a stranger—?"
"I had no choice. She helped me out, and those eyes were just so sincere… I doubt anyone could've said no to her."
Gut: "I…"
His face went through an entire palette of expressions, lips twitching like he wanted to speak, but reason always reined in emotion before the words left his mouth.
Noting that it was time to end the joke, Serie clapped her hands, pulling his attention back.
"Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore."
"That Mirror Lotus was given to me by a little girl. About waist-high, maybe a little taller."
"After we split up last night, I got a little lost in town."
"The buildings have changed so fast. Just forty or fifty years ago, I remember walking these streets, and now… so much has changed."
"It hasn't even been that long…"
Last night—
After parting from Gut, Serie walked along the main road, relying on memory.
Though the surrounding buildings had changed a lot, major landmarks and roadways usually didn't shift much over a century.
So, while she was a bit lost, she wasn't completely lost.
She kept walking confidently—until she found herself in front of a row of small, shadowy homes.
"Wait a minute…"
"Did I go the wrong way…?"
These buildings looked nothing like inns—too plain, too small.
Realizing she might've made a mistake, Serie squatted down, waiting for a local to pass by and give directions.
The area, however, was eerily quiet.
It used to be lively, she was sure of it.
After a long wait, just as she was about to resort to magic to locate her companions and head to the tavern, someone appeared—a little girl.
"Eh?! Big sister, why are you squatting here?"
Startled, the girl instinctively stepped back.
Realizing she may have frightened the child, Serie summoned a small flame to gently illuminate her face, calmly explaining she was just a traveling magic user.
Once reassured, the girl enthusiastically offered to guide her.
Having already been lost once, Serie gratefully accepted her "local guide's" help.
Along the way, she asked, "Has the inn in town moved? I could've sworn it used to be in that direction…"
"Eh? Sister, did you visit our town a long time ago?"
"Not that long—forty or fifty years, maybe."
"Forty or fifty years isn't long?! Oh, right… you're an elf."
Kids in towns near the Holy Capital knew at least a little about elves.
"Your memory isn't wrong," the girl continued. "That used to be where the inn was—over thirty years ago."
"But then a bunch of monsters attacked the town and destroyed many buildings."
"The inn was one of the ones destroyed. So they rebuilt it elsewhere, and the old site became a shelter for local orphans."
"Wait, does that mean you—?"
"Yes, I'm one of them. I used to live in a nearby village… until the monsters came."
"I'm sorry."
Serie hugged her gently.
"It's okay, big sister."
"Your hug is really warm. Here, this is for you."
The girl pulled a Mirror Lotus from her pocket and offered it with a sincere gaze.
"This was given to me by a kind man who bought all my flowers and hugged me."
"He said he hoped this small warmth would bring eternal companionship to my side."
"Now, I'm giving it to you—to thank you for your warmth."
"I hope I can also be someone who will always accompany you."