"Good… so strong…"
Watching Diego fly backward, Mabel rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Staring at Yamada Ryo's cold face, she was utterly shocked.
"Did you see that? In terms of hand-to-hand combat, she actually suppressed Dio so much he couldn't even fight back."
It had to be said—when Yamada Ryo wasn't speaking, her aura and looks were still quite deceptive.
"She might be even stronger than the Demon King. Looks like this world is more dangerous than we imagined." Sui's interest was piqued as she chimed in. "And I've never seen anyone suppress their magical power until it's almost completely gone."
"Seriously, stop joking about other people!" Alicia leaned forward, puffing up her cheeks as she lightly punched Sui and Mabel with her fists.
Sui scratched the back of her head, stuck out her tongue, and squinted with a smile. "Sorry, sorry!"
After being scolded, Mabel behaved much better. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the silent Frieren and asked with concern,
"Frieren, what's wrong?"
Frieren was staring blankly at Diego. Her hand tightly clutched the clothes over her heart as she felt her heartbeat pounding wildly, as if this unexpected reunion had nailed her in place.
Thump! Thump!
"I don't know what this feeling is…"
Frieren said softly,
"But… my heart is beating faster and faster…"
Pat pat…
Sui and Alicia both gently stroked Frieren's head. Their eyes were gentle, the corners of their mouths curved in smiles, carrying a hint of encouragement.
"Hah!"
Mabel gave Frieren a push from behind, moving her a few steps closer to Diego.
Frieren looked a little lost. Everyone had wanted to see Dio again, right?
Why were they giving this chance to her?
Why were they letting her go first?
She turned back to look at the three of them in confusion, only to be met with three beautiful, smiling faces and eyes full of encouragement.
"Do your best!" Alicia cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone, silently expressing her support.
Sui let out a relieved hum, one hand on her hip, head slightly tilted—as if looking at a daughter who had finally grown up.
"Go on. Haven't you already been unable to hold back your longing?"
Mabel waved her little fists, repeatedly gesturing for Frieren to punch Diego.
"Hit Dio hard for me!"
The wind blew past. Frieren came back to her senses and gradually understood what the three of them meant. She took a deep breath, looked forward, and met Diego's gaze.
She slowly said,
"I came to see you, Dio."
At the same time, the moment Diego was sent flying, the corner of his eye had already caught sight of the four people who had arrived.
The World!
The World appeared. Diego grabbed its arm and forcefully stopped his backward momentum in midair. With a sharp sound, he steadied himself and half-crouched in front of everyone.
His messy hair hung in front of his eyes. Diego's pupils trembled continuously as his dynamic vision confirmed the identities of the people before him.
Sniff sniff…
"Not fake..." Diego slowly stood up. His gaze stayed fixed on the four of them, showing no sign of moving away. "They're the real deal."
He reached out, wanting to touch the people in front of him to confirm they were real, yet afraid it was just his own hallucination. His hand stopped in midair.
Until Diego's eyes met Frieren's.
He heard those words.
"I came to see you, Dio."
The familiar voice and the gaze that couldn't be faked made memories surge like a tide. Diego couldn't help but respond, "Frieren..."
Hearing that, Frieren's eyes reddened. She could no longer suppress the emotions in her heart and threw herself into Diego's arms.
A sweet fragrance rushed over. A white figure entered his vision.
Diego instinctively reached out and hugged Frieren, letting her cling tightly to him.
The gradually tightening embrace confirmed the reality before him.
"I understand. It's a little too late..." Frieren buried her head in Diego's neck. Tears fell in large drops, soaking his clothes as she choked out in a muffled voice, "If only I could have… realized my own feelings earlier..."
Diego quietly listened as Frieren poured out all the longing and grievances she had held for so long. His other hand hovered in the air, unsure what to do.
Frieren's crying grew louder, even carrying a faint tone of blaming herself.
"...You must regret it, right? If you could have a more outstanding mage, you would have already gone to the Land of Soul's Rest——"
Diego reached out and pressed a finger to Frieren's lips.
"Shh!"
"Dio..."
Frieren sniffled and looked up at Diego, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"Crying really doesn't suit Frieren at all." Diego reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of Frieren's eyes. His voice was soft. "But Frieren… I don't have even a tiny bit of regret."
"Thank you for being willing to be the mage in my party.."
Diego lowered his head and hugged Frieren tightly.
"Dio.."
Boop..
A pair of hands wrapped around him, holding Diego's head.
Frieren's lips had already pressed against the side of Diego's face.
It was a single moment, yet also the result of eighty-one years of waiting.
Afterward, Frieren let go. The corners of her eyes were still curved with lingering tears as she confessed, "...I missed you so much! Not just a little! I missed you so much I never want to be apart again!"
"Then I'm number one in missing you... No... I admit defeat." Diego responded softly.
At that moment, Sui, Mabel, and Alicia could no longer hold back their own impulses. They all rushed forward together.
Sui's eyes were red as she buried her face against him and complained through tears, "You orc-face bastard… do you know how hard it was for me to find you after you suddenly disappeared? Serie wouldn't tell me anything. I couldn't find any news about you anywhere..."
Mabel punched Diego in the chest. The blade of the Freeze God Sword was already fully exposed in the air—the Heart Seal had been completely lifted. "Liar! Dio, you're a huge liar! You said you'd take care of me for life, but the money you left under the bed ran out long ago, and you never came back..."
Alicia cried with tears in her eyes. "That's too much. You clearly promised you would never lie to me. You didn't keep your word at all. I clearly didn't want to forget Dio at all… so why did you delete my memories..."
For a moment, Diego was at a complete loss. All he could do was keep apologizing and soothing their emotions.
"Sorry. It's all my, Dio's, fault..."
...
Diego looked down on noble bloodlines and mocked orthodox heroes. He boasted that he wouldn't lose to anyone, even against the great mage Serie or the Demon King.
To the him of the past, as long as he could reach the Land of Soul's Rest, he would stop at nothing. Whether it was kidnapping Frieren, using Mabel's feelings, holding Sui's gratitude over her head, or weaving a cage of lies for Alicia—all of it served his own interests. All of it was to kill the Demon King, to "become number one," to see that figure who had already passed away.
But in this moment, Diego clearly felt that the Land of Soul's Rest he had sought for half his life… had become unimportant compared to the four people before him.
"That kind of thing… doesn't matter anymore, does it..."