"Hmm... a ceiling that is not unfamiliar at all."
Fíliya felt as though she had slept for a very long time, but that grand dream had obviously been quite rewarding for her.
The instant she opened her eyes, she sensed the changes within her own body. This feeling of incomparable clarity and freedom made her want to jump straight out of bed. Unfortunately... there seemed to be a few too many people gathered around her right now, and even she had to consider her image somewhat.
"What is this? Everyone gathering in my home one by one... are you planning to stage the grand finale here?"
Fíliya smiled as she looked at the crowd.
Hearing Fíliya speak up on her own initiative, many revealed expressions of relief.
"See, Ehre? I told you Fíliya would be fine," Übel said, patting Miss Ehre on the shoulder, though she was immediately met with a look of disgust.
"Especially you, Übel. When did I allow you into my house?"
"Huh? But I was worried about Fíliya too... And why are you only targeting me?!" Übel crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Fíliya with a somewhat aggrieved expression.
"Heh."
Fíliya merely offered her a single scoff in response before turning her head to look at someone else. Indeed, her hand was currently being tightly gripped by Sense.
"...It is probably because you also have green hair. While 'like repels like,' your magic also heavily counters Sense's," Wirbel analyzed, addressing Übel.
"Eh? Then aren't I being treated unjustly? I can't decide my hair color or anything."
"By the way, why are you guys here too? Are we that close?"
After shooting a reassuring look at Sense to put her at ease, Fíliya immediately shouted toward the few figures on the periphery of the crowd. Hearing this, everyone turned their gazes in that direction in unison.
"That may be true, but if even the examiner has disappeared, where else could this old man's group go? Besides, haven't we eaten together? We count as acquaintances, tentatively speaking, do we not?" Denken spoke slowly.
"Hah? Does eating together once make us acquaintances... As a great noble, you sure set your standards low, old man..."
Fíliya shook her head, but she effectively accepted Denken's words and didn't pick any further thorns.
"Right, how long was I out?"
Fíliya met Frieren's gaze and immediately asked the question she should have asked right at the start.
"Less than a day... Hmm, conquering the Ruins of the Royal Tomb was yesterday's affair."
Frieren gave a timeframe first, but feeling she hadn't been clear enough, she added the explanation afterward.
"Mmu, as expected of the City of Magic; the level of the Priests is just different. I was about to become loose parts, yet they healed me in such a short time... and left no aftereffects whatsoever."
"It wasn't a Priest," Sense suddenly spoke up.
"Eh?"
Fíliya paused, then looked at her older sister.
"When I rushed out of the Ruins of the Royal Tomb holding you, Lady Serie was already waiting in front of me..."
"Hah? That fellow Serie... er, does Lady Serie even possess healing abilities...? Well, I suppose that's nothing to be surprised about."
"Therefore, Fíliya must also thank Lady Serie," Sense exhorted with a solemn tone.
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
As Fíliya spoke, she sat straight up and limbered up her body. She felt incredibly energetic right now, and for some reason, she had gained a very strange perception ability out of thin air.
Moreover, this ability was different from Mana Detection; it was a more marvelous sensation. For instance, right now, even without looking at the reactions of the people around her, she could know all their emotional changes. Even how the blood flowed beneath their skin, the texture of their muscles, the degree of wear on their joints... in short, every minute detail of their bodies was completely visible to Fíliya at a glance.
"Hmm? Denken, you have quite a few ailments on you, old guy... But these are caused by natural aging and bad habits; they aren't injuries or curses, so I guess a Priest couldn't help you either? I feel you need to seek help from pharmacology."
After observing her surroundings for a moment, Fíliya abruptly dropped this comment on Denken.
"...I will keep that in mind."
Denken raised an eyebrow slightly, then bowed slightly to Fíliya.
"Alright, alright, if there's nothing else, everyone get going. Hanging around here one by one is dragging down the air quality."
As Fíliya spoke, she pinched her nose with one hand and waved the other to start shooing people away.
"Tsk, this woman really has no conscience at all. Forget it, seeing her like this, there's truly nothing to worry about. Let's go."
Wirbel spoke and turned directly to walk out the door. With him taking the lead, the others also slowly left the room after bidding farewell to Fíliya.
"Wait. Frieren, you stay."
Seeing that the white-haired elf with twintails also intended to exit the room, Fíliya immediately called out to stop her.
"What is it? Do I not pollute the air?"
Frieren smiled and returned to Fíliya's side.
"Well, strictly speaking, elves can't be associated with 'polluting the air' no matter what, right? You are the darlings of nature... let's not talk about this useless stuff. I have something to ask you."
"Ask away."
Frieren sat on the stool by Fíliya's bed and nodded obediently.
"What exactly is the principle behind that move of yours?! I still find it inconceivable. Why could it suppress someone to the point of immobility without any warning?"
"Hah?!"
Frieren's eyes widened, her expression a bit stunned. She hadn't expected that Fíliya held her back just to ask about this.
However, it wasn't incomprehensible. Since Fíliya had successfully killed her copy, Fíliya had definitely experienced that magic firsthand... Frieren was just surprised that Fíliya had also caught this battle-maniac mindset.
"How can I casually reveal the secrets of my trump cards? I'm not telling you."
After a moment of surprise, Frieren reacted immediately, looking at the fellow before her with a mischievous smirk.
"Unless... you tell me first how exactly you killed me. Just what did you... comprehend during your battle with me? I feel you have the scent of a 'metamorphosis' about you."
"Heh heh, since you have asked with such sincerity, I shall show great mercy and answer you. Actually... I'm not clear on it either. I don't even remember much of what happened at that time. I definitely felt I touched upon a profound threshold, but I can't quite say what it was specifically. Anyway, I also need to spend some time sorting through the harvest."
"Is that so."
Frieren merely nodded upon hearing this, saying nothing more, though her eyes maintained contact with Fíliya's.
"Um, thank you."
Frieren finally spoke up.
"Did you see the person you care about most?"
Fíliya chuckled lightly, instantly understanding why Frieren said that.
"Yeah... Even though the journey is only halfway through, suddenly having the feeling that a wish has been fulfilled is truly wondrous," Frieren's tone was very emotional.
"So are you going to give up on the journey? That would be too unfair to Fern, wouldn't it?"
As Fíliya spoke, she rested her elbow directly on Frieren's shoulder, leaning in toward her at the same time. After all, since she and Frieren had now become people who had taken each other's lives, naturally, they had become quite a bit 'closer'.
Sense, watching this scene from the side, frowned slightly but ultimately said nothing.
"I won't... I will continue traveling. I still have many confusions that haven't been answered."
Frieren rolled her eyes at Fíliya and said with a smile.
____
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