Return to the Lands Between

Magic City, Association Headquarters.

Compared to a few years ago, when the demon war raged and offensives reached the central regions, peace had finally returned here, with a profusion of shops even emerging.

The main hall of the headquarters still stood majestic and towering.

Its orderly style and intense mana reaction signified its status as a magical creation – a marvel built purely with magic, undoubtedly a miracle.

The residents living here had practically witnessed it rise from the ground up, right on the ruins of an ancient kingdom.

It was no longer a strange sight; after all, this was the abode of the Progenitor of Magic.

In the central courtyard of the main hall.

A grand mage bowed respectfully to Serie, who was admiring flowers.

The latter, however, paid him no heed, standing aloof from the world.

The atmosphere seemed to grow even more oppressive; the terrifying plume of her mana appeared to expand, threatening to engulf something.

Clearly, she disliked being disturbed when focused on something.

Yet, ever since she established the association out of interest, disturbances had become frequent.

"Master, there's a letter for you."

"Not more flattery or invitation letters, I hope? Forget those."

"It's a reply from that Lady Frieren."

Hearing this, Serie's eyebrow twitched as she accepted the letter.

Indeed, a single line of characters: "Thank you, Senior Serie. I will help with the association's development when I have free time. See you around. Also, this is my gift—"

The small envelope concealed a long string of mana rune script that floated in the air, primarily concerning healing-type magic.

Among them was a heavyweight:

Tears of Parting.

Even the Progenitor of Magic, with all her vast experience, showed surprise.

To escape death once when receiving a fatal attack – a truly formidable effect, equivalent to an extra hidden card.

[This is a miracle born to grant the dying enough time to bid farewell.]

[Tears are shed for the living, who need them far more than the dead.]

More importantly, it was simple and easy to understand.

All the spells, including Tears of Parting, had their formulas meticulously simplified, naturally suited for human mana.

Despite their extraordinary effects, they were easy to pick up – this was its greatest value.

Serie nodded. "A fine welcoming gift. In that case, I shall also send her a return gift from my ancient magic."

"Any other news about her movements?" she asked while writing in a grimoire, her movements as smooth as flowing water, effortless, requiring hardly any attention, as simple as breathing.

Unexpectedly, she heard more good news:

Frieren's persuasion had led many central nobles to willingly increase their investment in the Mage's Association.

In the blink of an eye, several more branches were about to be established.

Moreover, the new Honorary President herself already carried the effect of a golden signboard.

Now, the organization had two publicly acknowledged Mages of the Mythic Age, its credibility immense.

Furthermore, both presidents had brilliant track records, inspiring a strong sense of security.

No wonder the nobles were flocking to it.

After all, by sharing the risk and leaving a mark of influence with such a powerful association, wouldn't it be wonderful?

As long as they cultivated more mages, it would benefit everyone.

Although some royal courts had their reservations, they had no choice but to accept the current situation.

Powerful nations naturally didn't want a transnational organization controlling such elite resources as mages.

However, Frieren and Serie's deterrent power and appeal were simply in a league of their own.

They had to concede this area of contention.

The ongoing demon war was paramount, so the powerful nations had instead changed their strategy:

Support.

Since opposition was ineffectual anyway, they might as well offer staunch assistance, so they could place some of their own people – the same logic applied.

"A bunch of petty schemers."

After a cursory glance at the basic report, Serie lost interest.

The only thing that caught her attention further was perhaps that youngest mage, Fla—... never mind, they would meet again eventually.

No rush.

She continued to admire the flowers, enjoying a rare, peaceful, and beautiful day.

After a period of intermittent busyness, Frieren and her apprentice returned to the elf village, signaling a temporary conclusion to matters concerning the association.

At the entrance to the Elf Village.

Unlike the usual sight of guards, they were now clearing weeds and tilling the land.

The village chief was directing the work.

From time to time, people would cast spells to speed up efficiency, such as using simple plant magic to weave a fence, outlining a basic perimeter, followed by reinforcing the walls – effectively expanding the village by a circle.

He himself participated, carrying timber here and there.

Though he was the village chief, he looked as young as any other elf, with short golden hair and a tall, straight figure.

He greeted them from afar.

"You're back quite early. All settled so quickly?"

"Just some minor matters with the Mage's Association." Frieren pointed to the village entrance. "Are we finally expanding?"

"Yes. Some people visited human towns and found living in tree hollows too inconvenient. They plan to build new houses."

"They finally realized."

In her childhood, a considerable number of elves simply lived in tree hollows or treetops.

Later, thatched huts and wooden houses gradually appeared.

Now, a trend towards universal housing was beginning – quite a sense of historical evolution.

Normal.

For even Frieren to feel the change, one could imagine how long the process had been.

Flamme nodded in agreement. "How can one live so naturally? The elf village used to be too primitive. Only now can it be considered..."

"Indeed. We elves rarely fight, but when it comes to daily living, we're not as good as you humans," the village chief said sincerely.

"Have you all been to the towns then?"

"Yes, Frieren. Thanks to you introducing some merchant caravans, some of us went out for a look and brought back many novel things. The outside world has changed a lot."

"That's good."

Previously, even when she and the village chief tried, they couldn't persuade everyone to proactively take a look outside.

Now, through subtle influence, they had become much more active.

After all, Flamme regularly went in and out, buying things for everyone.

Many of the novel goods were simply unheard of, inevitably making people curious about the changes in the outside world.

Of course, the elf village's activities were still limited to nearby small villages and towns, especially avoiding the demon-ravaged north.

The village chief took a deep breath. "I wonder what these changes signify?"

"Interaction leads to strength."

"Aren't you worried about them encountering demons outside?"

"Why are you acting like a fretful mother hen? Elves always need to go through training. Besides, I won't let their armies get too close."

"Huh?"

"That's a promise."

Frieren was very pleased with these changes, so she generously made this declaration.

If anyone dared to interrupt the elf village's upward momentum, even she, who disliked stirring up trouble in the real world, would strike hard.

After all, this progress had been long awaited.

In the past, getting a group of shut-ins to move was incredibly difficult.

She chatted a bit more with the village chief and learned that powerful elves had also appeared in other places.

Clearly, the demons' plan to attempt extermination had been met with a counterattack.

If they had succeeded in eradicating the elf village, it would certainly have caused a race to go dormant.

But the reality was that two top-tier grand demons, plus a mighty army, had suffered a disastrous defeat.

Who knew that Frieren would appear out of nowhere and deliver a heavy blow?

None of the main forces attacking the central regions survived; a 100% annihilation rate was a terrifying statistic.

Setting aside the subsequent series of impacts on humans, among the elven race, Serie had begun to be active, making major moves continuously.

The Mage's Association was a sharp tool.

Although Frieren and Serie hadn't even met, from the world's perspective, the two events were linked.

The demons' failed raid on the elf village had instead piqued the interest of old monsters within the race who usually didn't concern themselves with worldly affairs.

In any case, these two were now openly participating in the grand game.

With their encouragement and the changes in the overall situation, it naturally led some elves to try contacting the outside world, which made the village seem more lively.

"It truly is a good thing."

Frieren was very gratified.

At the same time, she saw Milliarde approaching Flamme with great enthusiasm.

She let out an exaggerated "Wow!" and said, "You brought so much wine! And this expensive red wine, grape wine... Did you rob a winery?"

"It was a gift. If you also join the association, maybe you'll get some too."

"Don't you try to trick me into being your laborer!"

The reunited trio greeted the village chief and headed home.

The other elves were still enthusiastically working on the expansion, clearly full of passion, looking forward to a village destined for a new look.

The first thing they did back home was, of course, a thorough cleaning, clearing away the dust accumulated during their absence, followed by preparing a grand meal.

"It's been banquets every day recently. Home-cooked food still tastes the best." Flamme affirmed the improvement in Master Frieren's and Sister Milliarde's cooking skills.

The quiet routine returned.

In the following days, she occasionally fell into slumber while simultaneously teaching Flamme soul magic, consuming time in two worlds, mainly dealing with the trivial administrative affairs of the Magic Academy.

The reconstruction work in the Liurnia region was in full swing, yet vigilance against the forces of the Altus Plateau was not neglected.

Therefore, noble armies were dispatched to the Grand Lift and the Ancient Ruins Cliffside respectively to prevent enemy surprise attacks.

The latter, due to its complex terrain and abundance of monsters, even required a trip from the Carian elite knights.

Overall, it was a perilous but ultimately safe endeavor.

From the Caelid direction, however, came bad news: Bloody Finger activity was increasing, and the corruption was spreading.

It was unknown if the two were related, but caution was necessary.

Therefore, Frieren increased her experiments related to the Scarlet Rot.

As expected.

In a world permeated by the will of the God of Rot, eradication was more difficult; there were always residuals.

Even if their magical rules differed, it didn't stop her from further refining her methods.

Overcoming tough challenges was her essence.

Matters in the Lands Between were proceeding in an orderly fashion, with only one thing remaining:

The flower field magic requested from Serie was delivered.

The Progenitor of Magic possessed the most potent flower field magic, further improved by herself.

Although she grumbled, "To think you'd want this kind of thing," she also considered it "having personality."

After all, it was a compatriot whose strength was recognized; what magic they chose to exchange wasn't that important.

She had no complaints about such a murderously strong individual; like herself, they were the type who, once they had an idea, could deal with enemies ruthlessly.

Unexpectedly, the mage delivering the letter conveyed Serie's true attitude:

"Master is very fond of President Frieren. The incident where she annihilated the demon legion reminded her of the aura of the powerhouses from the Mythic Age."

"The Mythic Age was truly terrifying."

Flamme, who received the letter on her behalf, made this comment.

Both apprentices had complaints about their respective masters, the biggest commonality being their love for reclusive research.

After entering the critical phase of research on the Flower of Aeonia, the laboratory worked around the clock.

Frieren was already preparing for her next long slumber.

The reason was simple: a breakthrough in research.

On the 120th attempt to reverse the Scarlet Rot soil, the residual corrupt energy was finally eradicated.

Similarly, the experiment in the Lands Between was successful.

In the laboratory.

Surrounded by bottles and jars, the silver-haired girl carefully opened a sealed container, and without any protective measures, grabbed a handful of soil.

Everything was normal.

Flamme, hiding nearby, murmured, "I can't believe that was corrupted soil just now!"

"Using repeated blooming to absorb it is feasible, but the difficulty lies in the recovery step. Wearing it on my person will subject me to some corrupting influence."

"How can that be? It's too dangerous!"

Frieren spread her hands. "But haven't I been fine all along? Don't worry, I have plenty of power to resist the corruption. Besides, it has weakened a lot. What's important is that we've proven the feasibility of a research topic."

She carried the sealed jar to the upper level of the laboratory, where Milliarde was guarding another barrier.

Due to the critical importance of this experiment and the ease with which it could leak, three layers of seals had been prepared inside and out to ensure isolation.

The final line of defense was entrusted to the alcoholic elf – when not drinking, she was still reliable.

"That commotion just now was really exaggerated. As expected of you two." The elf girl, usually tipsy, was now full of spirit.

The terrifying corrosive energy moments ago had caused a veritable earthquake, making one think the place was about to collapse.

Milliarde wiped her forehead and asked, "How did it go? Finally done?"

"Of course."

This answer meant that the most devastating magic from the Northwind Fortress campaign had been made controllable.

The demons would have a tough time in the future.

However, they didn't know that Frieren was doing all this to repair the contamination in Caelid.

Although she would face interference from the God of Rot in the Lands Between, once the basic principles were understood, she wouldn't be easily disrupted.

That entity wasn't yet strong enough to directly affect her.

She could finally proceed with the Caelid-related plans with peace of mind.

Otherwise, facing the corrupted soil would be an arduous struggle, and it wasn't worth fighting for a region destined to become wasteland.

Now, she had ample reason to conquer.

"Anyway, I might enter a long period of slumber next. I'll leave matters in the village to you two. Milliarde, be more vigilant. Flamme, you can try taking on some nearby quests. But rest assured, if either of you runs into trouble, I can provide support at any time."

The two nodded, always trusting Frieren's actions.

Although she slept a lot even for an elf, she could react immediately if a situation arose.

Moreover, the village's combat strength was not what it used to be.

The elf village itself could handle most troubles on its own.

Understanding this as well, the silver-haired girl strode towards her room.

The remaining experimental materials were sealed and stored category by category.

After the one with the highest authority left, the core part of the underground laboratory would be completely sealed.

There wouldn't be any related projects for a short while.

In contrast, the turbulent Lands Between required her presence.

She needed to find the second Great Rune as soon as possible; only then would she have the initiative to claim kingship.

"This time, I'll be busy."

After a lazy stretch, Frieren combed her hair and smoothed her nightgown, then took a deep breath, lay down, and fell asleep.

She simultaneously enveloped her body with a barrier and deployed her wards.

As the magic activated, her consciousness drifted.

The radiance of the Erdtree entered her vision, its fluttering catkin-like motes the lingering warmth of past grace.

She had returned.

Beyond the fog, the Lands Between.

_____

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