After hesitating for a moment, looking at him lying there on the rocking chair, so at ease and so old, Frieren still let out a sigh and walked over, then started rocking it for him from behind.
Inside the warm room in the middle of winter, everything once again returned to quiet.
With friends by his side, the fire burning strong, everything looked so harmonious and beautiful.
Only, when Himmel finally finished tidying up his appearance and came out, seeing those two young people, one yawning while rocking the chair, and the other occupying his rocking chair and sleeping so comfortably, he had no idea what kind of expression he should be making.
He even did not know whether he should interrupt this strange yet somehow harmonious atmosphere.
After a long while, suppressing that strange feeling, and with a somewhat wry smile, he lightly tapped the ground with his cane, making them put an end to this strange "grandchildren getting along" mode for the time being.
.
.
.
When the three of them walked out of the royal capital shoulder to shoulder, just after leaving the city gate, they saw two people, one tall and one short, already waiting by the wall outside.
Even though he was a drunken, meat eating priest, Heiter was still very tall, and despite fifty years having passed, his appearance had not changed much.
Only his face was full of wrinkles, giving him somewhat of a senile look, and his clothes, surprisingly, had not changed at all from before. Perhaps he had specially worn them for today, but Ash could not help teasing him, "You finally look a bit like a priest now, not like that drunk meat eating priest you were before. Should I say you have become steadier, or what?"
"Because I am the archbishop of the Holy City now," Heiter smiled and shrugged, then looked over the two of them and sighed without realizing it,
"You two really have not changed at all."
"A drunken meat eating priest becoming an archbishop?"
"Haha~ that is because I seem to be favored by the Goddess, unlike someone who seems to have offended the Goddess," Heiter laughed with great pride, really not looking like someone who was supposed to be highly respected.
"Offended her?"
"What? You have an idea? Do not tell me you did something rude to the Goddess."
"When I was little, I got drunk in the village and accidentally leaned on the statue and threw up all over it, does that count?"
"What do you mean does that count? You will definitely get divine punishment for that, right?", Even though Heiter was always getting completely drunk, hearing this still left him staring in shock.
Even the taciturn dwarf Eisen beside them could not help but sigh now, "A mystery that went unsolved for many years finally has its answer."
And compared to the two humans, the dwarf Eisen also had not changed much.
But Ash, while curiously looking at him, could not help saying, "You... got old?"
"Did I? Eisen looks exactly the same, doesn't he?", Frieren, who had not had time to speak yet, could not help but look over curiously.
Eisen closed his eyes and sighed with a bit of emotion, "There is not much change on the outside, but all the functions inside my body have already aged. I really am not as good as I was before."
"Is that so? But...", Only then did Frieren look at Ash and say in confusion, "He seems to have gotten a lot stronger again. No, wait... all of you got weaker, so why did Ash get stronger?"
"This is...", Ash was just about to think hard about a reason when Himmel suddenly took over with a smile, "That is because the differences in human constitutions are very large."
"Is that so?", Frieren tilted her head in confusion.
"Like Eisen here, who used to stand among the top warriors of mankind, didn't he once get bitten on the head by a dragon and be fine?", As the one who kept the team's mood up, Heiter also smiled and explained, "Normally that would be impossible, right? Human bodies really do differ that much, so Ash might be able to live another twenty years or something."
"Indeed, even if Eisen gets bitten by a venomous snake that can poison monsters to death, he can push through it with sheer will, and even if he is hit by a poison arrow that can knock out a dragon, he can still run around just fine. Other dwarves probably cannot do that at all."
"Right? Honestly, Eisen is sturdy to a disgusting degree," Heiter laughed and patted Eisen's helmet, then looked at Ash teasingly, "Your body. Is not disgusting like Eisen's now too, is it?"
"Well, it is fine, I guess?"
He answered vaguely and lowered his head, not knowing what he should even say at this moment.
Because, compared to the dull Frieren, they had clearly noticed something.
'But why do they all seem to have no intention of asking, and are even helping cover it up? Could it be that they are worried that now that they are old, even if they joined forces, they will not be able to deal with me?'
'No, that is definitely not it,' Even if the reason was not very clear, Ash was certain of that much.
With Himmel and Heiter's explanations, although Frieren was still a little confused, she believed that her understanding of humans was definitely far inferior to these two old men, so she did not think too much of it.
And she had never considered the possibility that they might be lying to her at all. After all, there really did not seem to be anything to lie about?
And so, after this small interlude, the group, carrying only simple luggage, set out on this journey, their final adventure.
Stepping lightly through the gentle morning light, leisurely crossing winding rivers, climbing rolling mountains, camping in quiet forests, then the next day, urged on by the dappled light filtering through the dense canopy and accompanied by a softly blowing breeze, once again continuing their unfinished journey.
And just like that, unhurriedly, the group spent about a week before arriving at the heavenly lake on the very peak of the mountain.
In the glow of the setting sun, a group of old friends reunited after a long time sat on the grass chatting, quietly waiting for night to fall.
"By the way, I just remembered something, Ash," Frieren suddenly seemed to think of something and turned her head toward the unchanged young man beside her, smiling as she said, "Didn't you make a wish last time, saying you wanted to watch shooting stars with a proper girl? And now, it is still just us."
"I guess that did happen."
"Fifty years, and you still did not find one?"
"I have been training all this time, but all the candidates were very strange. Compared to them, you all are more normal," It was only at this moment that he remembered that fifty years ago, he really did seem to have made some kind of wish.
But now that he thought about it, another dull fifty years had passed, and he felt bitter inside, yet he did not even know what he should complain about.
That depressed look made even Frieren stop teasing him. She shook her head with a wry smile, then together with Himmel, they wordlessly reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, silently comforting him.
Seeing this scene, Heiter could not help showing a nostalgic expression and smiling as he adjusted his glasses.
"Isn't this nice too. If you fail this time, you still have another fifty years to look. And if you still cannot find anyone, if we are still alive then, we will go with you again," Himmel also stroked his beard and comforted him, "It is fine. Since we are seeing shooting stars again, take the chance and make another wish now."
"Forget it. It is useless anyway. Making another wish now would just make me feel more empty."
"Is that so? But, I think this is not bad," Himmel gazed at the sky with a smile, "This really brings back memories. Being with you all feels like going back to the days when we traveled together."
"Although out of all of us, I am the most reliable one," Frieren raised her face with a smile and praised herself without any restraint.
"You? Haha!", Himmel only smiled kindly, not bringing up her dark history of always getting bitten by mimics, and instead looked at the first shooting star streaking across the sky, letting out a long sigh to himself, "Thinking about it now, in all those beautiful memories from the past, you were always there."
"Saying it like that is a bit sad, isn't it? Shouldn't this be a happy time right now?", Hearing that, Ash shook his head and casually patted that bald head.
"You really have no respect for the elderly," Himmel sighed with a bitter smile, but did not brush away his hand, instead looking up at the sky and murmuring,
"Frieren, thanks to you, I was able to experience this wonderful adventure one last time."
"Hm?", Frieren did not say anything and only looked over curiously.
But Himmel suddenly lowered his voice again toward the young man beside him, "And Ash..."
"What?"
"From now on, Frieren and the humans, I will leave them to you. Please take good care of them."
"That is suddenly a pretty big scope."
"You can definitely do it."
"What? Wait, why?"
"Just a hunch," Himmel smiled without answering.
But everything seemed to be understood without words. And from beginning to end, Himmel did not look at the others, only gazing out at the dark night sky.
Their conversation was heard only by the two of them, and by Heiter sitting next to Himmel. The other two were immersed in the magnificent view in the sky, that seemed to cleanse the soul.
Perhaps reminiscing about the past, or perhaps thinking about something else.
———
After fulfilling the promise from half a century ago, everyone returned to the city together with laughter, but... before they could even part ways again, on the first night back in the city, Himmel passed away in his sleep. As if his wish had been fulfilled and he had no more attachments, sinking into eternal rest with a smile on his face.
For the departed hero, the kingdom held a solemn funeral in the grand cathedral of the royal capital. Fully armed soldiers served as the honor guard, and Heiter personally presided over the ceremony.
The people in the city who had once received his help also came on their own to see him off. Low and solemn funeral music echoed through the cathedral, filling it with an atmosphere of sorrow and reverence.
From the crowd came the sounds of quiet sobs and heavy sighs, every face filled with reluctance to part.
Even Frieren, perhaps because she had once been saddened by thinking Ash had died, lowered her eyes this time as well, revealing an indescribable sadness, and whispered so softly only she could hear it, "So, human lifespans really are short."
Even after so many years, had there finally been a change in this elf? Ash glanced at Frieren but did not speak.
His gaze quickly returned to the old man in the coffin who had passed away with a smile, and he let out a sigh similar to Frieren's, "Human lifespans... really are short."
The sight of old friends withering one after another like leaves in the wind made Ash understand Serie's long past of rarely associating with humans even more.
When he unconsciously looked at Heiter, he even felt that it might not be long before he attended his funeral too. Maybe it would be better to leave after this and not come back again? Such a thought could not help but surface.
When Heiter stepped down from the host's position and stood beside Ash, having handed it over to the local bishop, he heard Ash's sigh.
It really did not sound like something a human should be saying, but it made Heiter smile and give his own answer on behalf of his departed childhood friend and dearest companion,
"Ash, you are wrong, I think a lifespan like this is just right, and at least I believe that Himmel's end was definitely a happy one."
"If that really is the case, then that is good."
Ash nodded vaguely, not sure if he was convinced, which made Heiter emphasize his tone, "It is definitely the case. Because at the end, we were all by his side. He must have had no regrets. If it were me, I would not have had any regrets either."
"Let's not. I do not want to attend two funerals in one day."
"Haha! Just joking. After all, I am not like you. The Goddess still takes good care of me."
And so this heavy, sorrowful funeral gradually came to an end amid Heiter's jokes that did not fit the atmosphere, and his old and weak laughter.
———
After resting one night in the royal capital, everyone gathered again at the city gate the next day, but compared to before, one person was now missing.
The church's carriage was already waiting there for Heiter.
But before boarding the carriage, Heiter turned around and seriously looked over the three of them, showing a kind smile completely different from how he used to be,
"Let me take a good look at you all one more time. This should be the last time we meet."
"Is something wrong with your body?", Frieren showed clear worry on her face, but Heiter smiled and said, "Probably punishment for drinking for so many years."
"That really is divine punishment."
Just like how Heiter always said he was disgusting, Eisen was also especially merciless toward Heiter.
But neither of them minded jokes of this level.
Heiter only laughed loudly and turned to get on the carriage, telling them to bring some wine to his grave if they ever went to the Holy City.
This open attitude toward death puzzled Frieren, but the reason Heiter gave was simply...
"We are the hero party that saved the world, you know. After we die, we will definitely have big feasts in heaven, and that is why I fought together with you all in the first place~"
With a joke as his final words, Heiter, smiling in contentment, closed his eyes in the carriage and departed as everyone watched him go.
"Heaven, huh?"
Ash muttered softly on the spot, making Frieren hear it and laugh, "Putting aside a drunken priest like Heiter, someone lazy like you, who even climbs over walls like a hooligan, should not even think about it, especially since you threw up on the Goddess's statue."
"No, I never thought about that."
"Is that so? You actually have that much self awareness?"
"Of course."
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