Obviously, I didn't upload yesterday, but I was really busy and didn't have the time to fix this chapter. It's nearly 2026, so next year, I'll be uploading daily until it's complete. New year, new me.
I'm also a very credible source, so that means it must be true. Also, show some love to my Eminence in Shadow book, I worked my ass off creating it.
***
"Sup, Heiter. Sorry for being late, I kind of got lost on where we were supposed to go," I said, patting the back of my head in an overly casual manner.
It was obviously not the greatest excuse. Still, he had not actually specified a location beyond "by dawn," and now that I thought about it, this was probably the most reasonable lie I could come up with on the spot.
"It's fine," Heiter replied calmly. "Frieren overslept anyway, so you are not the only one."
YES. Frieren, you absolute legend.
"Follow me. The rest of the crew is waiting," he said, gesturing to the right as he began to walk.
We moved in silence for a while. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. Normally I would find it boring, but this kind of silence was strangely comfortable. There was nothing pressing to talk about. No plans that needed refining. Taking down demons had become routine for me, about as normal as exorcising curses back home.
Honestly, my only real wish was to find someone who could actually push me. I was so far ahead of most opponents that it bordered on secondhand embarrassment. Not that I felt embarrassed myself. It was more like shock. Genuine shock that they looked at me and thought, yeah, I can take him.
It happened a lot with disaster curses. Demons too.
They were not bad, all things considered. They gave me a decent stretch and a good excuse to show off in front of people. But beyond that, they never really crossed the line into dangerous.
"Hey, Heiter. Is this the place?" I asked.
We had arrived at a clearing.
The grass was lush and green. Bushes and trees framed the area naturally, as if the land itself had decided this spot was important. It felt clean. Refreshingly so.
That alone made it unusual.
The Holy City was never like this. It was always crowded, always loud. People everywhere. And on top of that, I was the so called hero of the place, which meant attention followed me like a curse of its own.
I was used to it, though. Attention, expectations, people looking at me. I had lived my whole life like that. Not that I carried burdens or anything dramatic. I just existed loudly.
"You guessed correctly," Heiter said. "In two or three minutes, Eisen and Frieren should arrive."
"Hmmm. So what is the plan for taking down the demons?" I asked.
"I am not even sure if it is a demon," Heiter replied. "But high level monsters have been migrating through the area, and there are multiple sources of dense mana concentration. It is safe to say that this place is a death zone."
"A death zone…"
I pulled my blindfold up slightly, grinning beneath it. "I like it!"
If I had the chance to fire Hollow Purple at a bunch of small fry, I would gladly accept the opportunity.
"That was not exactly the reaction I expected," Heiter said with a faint smile. "But you are Gojo Satoru, after all."
Before I could respond, a familiar calm presence approached from behind.
"You two sure took your time," Frieren said, her voice flat as ever as she walked up to us.
"Haha! Sorry, Frieren. Couldn't interrupt the playboy over here having breakfast with his girlfriend," Heiter teased, nudging me in the ribs.
Hey. Hold on a second.
What was that supposed to mean? This was giving off the wrong impression. A very wrong impression. I did not care if he was technically correct in some abstract sense, this was still slander.
"She is not my girlfriend," I said quickly, though the damage was already done.
"Humans and their romantic pursuits," Frieren replied calmly. "I have never understood the reason for such fantasies."
Her voice was flat. Too flat. Like she was reading a textbook about strange human habits.
"Huh? Frieren, can't you be a little more jolly?" I replied, placing a hand on my hip. "I've never understood the reason not to pursue romance."
I thought that sounded wise. Or at least confident. There was a difference.
"Unless it is for reproduction, I cannot find interest in something like romance," Frieren said, tilting her head slightly. "Humans engage in many pointless activities despite their short lifespans."
There it was. That tone. That logic.
It was oddly entertaining, honestly. She reminded me of a kid declaring that boys were gross and romance was stupid and that she would never ever change her mind. The kind of statement born not from experience, but from pure certainty.
I was not saying everyone needed to be interested in relationships. People liked what they liked. That part was fine.
But dismissing it as useless simply because human lives were short? That was where I drew the line.
That logic was ridiculous.
"Frieren," I said, my tone turning serious though a smile crept onto my face anyway. "In that aspect, you are no better than a demon."
She blinked.
"It is the nature of a soul to seek pleasure," I continued. "Romance is simply one of the many ways humans do that. It depends entirely on the person. Some humans share your view. Others will disagree with you until their final breath."
Heiter let out a quiet laugh.
"Comparing her to a demon is a bit rude, don't you think, Satoru?" he said. "But I understand what you are trying to say."
He turned toward Frieren.
"Think about it like this. You spend decades gathering spells you will likely never use. Is that not pointless by your own logic?" Heiter said gently. "Not everything has to serve a practical purpose. Romance and love are not hobbies exactly, but they show that people do not live by logic alone."
Frieren went quiet.
"You got it exactly right, Heiter," I said, patting him on the back with approval.
"Wow," he replied, smiling. "Thank you for the kind words."
Frieren stared at the ground, deep in thought.
I put my hand on her shoulder.
"I'll teach you the ways of romance, and to understand the reason why people do it!" I said, trying to cheer her up.
"Is that a declaration of love?" she asked back.
***
Now was that worthy of your stones?
Can someone get a picture of Frieren in Santa's workshop, she's short and an elf, what can go wrong?