When the four of them regrouped, Miss Fern immediately began to inspect the items the two had purchased. Soon after, Fíliya and Frieren were met with a scolding from Miss Fern that was like a sudden squall, leaving them unable to even lift their heads under the barrage from Miss Purple Eggplant.
But in the end, Fern could only swallow the rest of her anger, as she had to admit the fault was her own for sending them.
"I knew I shouldn't have let those two go shopping..." Miss Fern thought.
But it was already late, and their small party was in a hurry to leave the city... As for returning the goods, they could only give up on the idea.
"At least these two bought enough food..." Miss Fern mocked herself inwardly.
"So, Lady Frieren, did you hire a carriage?"
Fern asked, looking at Frieren.
"Mm... about that, all the carriages in the city were already rented out."
"Huh???!"
Fern was, after all, still a child. When something unexpected happened, she was bound to get nervous.
"Yes, it's fine... Fíliya and I actually took on another quest on our way back. It's a commission to escort a merchant. That young merchant has his own carriage, so not only will we earn a fee, but we'll even save on carriage money."
As Frieren spoke, she placed her hands on her hips, her expression exceptionally proud, as if to say—[Aren't you going to praise me already?].
"Weren't you just doing what needed to be done...? Lady Frieren, how can you be so arrogant about it?"
Fern shot Frieren an annoyed glare.
"Eh? But didn't I save you the carriage fare, Fern?"
Frieren was taken aback.
"What do you mean, 'saved me'? You saved us! And it's only because you were too late to rent a carriage that you had to think of this remedy, right? You make it sound like you planned this all along..."
Fern looked utterly shocked.
"Then… then what do we do? Didn't we already check out of the inn and agree to leave tonight...? How can there be no carriage...?"
"And you too, Fíliya, going along with Lady Frieren's nonsense."
Fern glared furiously at the two unreliable people before her.
Fíliya scratched her head awkwardly. Even for a sharp-tongued person like her, she couldn't squeeze out any witty remarks in this situation.
It had to be said, Fern had quite an imposing aura when she was angry. No wonder even Frieren was afraid of her... Thinking of this, Fíliya quickly pretended to look at the surrounding scenery.
"Alright, since the carriage problem is solved, let's get going."
Seeing that the two before her had a reasonably good attitude about admitting their mistake, Fern didn't say anything more.
The party of four began to set out on their journey again under the cover of night.
The first day of their departure was uneventful, but on the afternoon of the second day, an unexpected situation arose as expected.
At that moment, the entire party was sitting inside the carriage. They had been chatting away when they suddenly felt the whole carriage shake violently, followed by a strange sensation of weightlessness.
"What is this..."
After managing to steady herself, Miss Fern leaned against the carriage window and looked outside. She felt her field of vision getting higher and higher, and in an instant, the ground was far below her.
"Oh... sorry, I was zoning out."
Frieren apologized with a sincere expression, then continued.
"Bird-type Monsters are very good at concealing their mana... If you're not careful, you'll fall into their trap..."
Frieren continued to explain. Fern and Stark exchanged a silent glance, finally understanding the situation completely.
"So you're saying... we've been grabbed and lifted into the air by the claws of some kind of huge, bird-type Monster..."
Stark's voice trembled slightly.
"Yes. The reason it hasn't attacked us immediately is that this kind of Monster likes to carry its prey high into the air, then drop it to its death before eating."
Frieren explained calmly.
"Uh... so what should we do now?"
The young merchant who had been driving the carriage, their client for the escort, asked with a terrified expression.
"Hmm... it's a bit troublesome. Just killing the Monster would be simple enough, but how to land afterward becomes a problem. At this altitude, Flight Magic might not be effective. We could all be dashed to pieces."
Frieren remained expressionless.
Knowing full well that this white-haired elf had a habit of making such[ominous predictions], the group couldn't help but see a trace of helplessness in each other's eyes.
"By the way... Lady Frieren being unreliable is one thing, but Fíliya, you didn't notice the Monster approaching either?"
Fern looked at Fíliya, puzzled.
"I did notice it, but I saw Frieren sitting there as calm as could be, so I thought she already had a plan ready. That's why I didn't say anything."
Fíliya spread her hands helplessly, her expression full of resignation, because this was her true thought.
The strongest person here was undoubtedly Frieren. And during that time, Frieren looked completely confident, showing no concern at all for the approaching Monster.
Of course she saw no need to point it out... Who knew the white-haired elf was actually just spacing out.
"Uh..."
Fern was at a loss for words.
Frieren, however, scratched her head and then spoke again in a slightly apologetic tone.
"My apologies... I really was zoning out just now."
As Frieren said this, she felt her words weren't apologetic enough and was about to stand up and give everyone a proper bow.
Fern quickly reached out to stop her.
"Stop with all that nonsense for now... By the time you finish apologizing, Lady Frieren, we can go form a party in the next world... Just think of a plan, quickly!"
"What do you think, Fíliya?"
The five people present could be split into two groups. One consisted of the nervous Fern, Stark, and their client, the young merchant.
The other, naturally, was Fíliya and Frieren. The two of them were discussing the current situation in a very casual tone, as if nothing was wrong.
"Hmm... it is a bit tricky."
Fíliya rested her chin in one hand, feigning a thoughtful expression, then suddenly seemed to have an idea and immediately looked at Fern.
"So, Fern, your chance to be tested has come."
"Huh?!"
Fern was dumbfounded. Did this mean she wanted her to come up with an idea?
What a joke... Isn't this a life-or-death situation? How can these two still be so flippant...
"Eh?"
Wait.
Fern finally realized it with a start.
If the situation was really that dangerous... Frieren and Fíliya couldn't possibly be this relaxed.
In other words, these two already have a plan. They're just messing with everyone, aren't they?
Tsk... I'd expect this from Fíliya, that's just her personality.
But Lady Frieren, when did you become so mischievous?
___
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