"Were you just waiting for me?" Shichen didn't answer right away. He looked at Heiter quietly.
"Yeah." Heiter smiled and nodded. "Meeting Fern was a coincidence, but I knew you'd come see me before I left."
"You know me pretty well."
"We lived together for ten years."
"Yeah…"
Shichen's gaze settled on Heiter's wrinkled face—he could still vaguely see traces of the man he used to be.
Memories surged up.
Ten years… No one else had spent that long with him.
"So… can you?" Heiter asked again.
"It's not impossible, but…" Shichen looked at Fern—her eyes were full of sadness—and asked, "What do you think?"
"Me?" Fern glanced at Shichen, then at Heiter, her small face lost and confused.
"Fern." Heiter's tone was gentle, his words slow and careful. "Shichen-nii is a very good person. If you follow him, you won't go wrong."
"But…" Fern hesitated.
To suddenly follow someone she'd just met—when she was still so young—her mind was a mess.
"I can't take care of you for much longer," Heiter continued. "I can't leave you behind without worrying. Only if you go with Shichen-nii will I be at peace. Only then can I leave with no regrets."
"Heiter-sama…" Fern bit her lip, her eyes turning wet.
She'd understood this for a long time. Even though she was little, an orphan matures faster than ordinary children.
She just hadn't expected it to come so soon.
If she didn't want Heiter to worry—if she wanted him to leave without anything weighing him down—then she had to be strong.
"I understand." Fern agreed.
Heiter turned to Shichen with a relieved smile. "Shichen-nii, she agreed. I'm counting on you from here on."
"Feels like we're forcing her," Shichen scratched his head.
"Of course we are," Heiter joked. "Who knows what bad things you'll do to her once she's with you."
"Oh, shut up…" Shichen rolled his eyes. "If you're that worried, why hand her to me?"
"What choice do I have? There's no other option. I'll just have to make do." Heiter spread his hands, shrugged, and looked helpless.
"If you're going to say that, then I can't let you have it that easy."
"Hm?"
"Fern." Shichen looked at her, his expression serious.
"Yes, Shichen-sama."
"I can agree to Heiter and take you with me—but you have to satisfy me too."
"…What do you mean?"
"An interview." Shichen smiled faintly.
"An… interview?"
"That's right. If you don't meet my standards, I won't take you."
"Standards…" Fern tensed, her little face tightening with anxiety.
If she couldn't go with Shichen, Heiter would never be able to relax. That couldn't happen.
"I understand. I'll definitely meet your standards."
"Good." Shichen nodded.
Heiter, meanwhile, could only shake his head with a helpless smile. "Shichen-nii, you…"
Heiter knew Shichen was mostly putting on an act—there was no way he wouldn't grant his final request.
Looks like he was going to train Fern.
And honestly, that was fine.
If Fern followed Shichen, she'd never worry about food or shelter, and life would be easy.
But that wasn't what Heiter wanted. He wasn't handing Fern over so she could be raised like a pampered daughter.
She needed the ability to stand on her own.
…
So Shichen and Frieren stayed for the time being.
Beside the cabin, Shichen built a bedroom for the two of them, becoming Heiter and Fern's neighbor.
Heiter was overjoyed that Shichen and Frieren stayed. It was like he'd regained his vitality—his old face looked practically radiant.
Fern saw it clearly, and she decided she had to pass Shichen's "test" so Heiter could truly feel at ease.
But after two days, Shichen and Frieren still hadn't asked her to do anything. She didn't even understand what that "interview" was supposed to be.
On the third day, after lunch, Fern thought Shichen would take Frieren for a walk through the forest again.
Instead, he called out to her.
"Fern, are you free later?"
Fern paused mid-dishwashing and looked at him, puzzled.
"If you don't have anything, want to keep me company for a bit?" Shichen asked with a smile.
"Okay." Fern nodded.
After she finished washing up, Shichen took her out—without Frieren or Heiter.
Frieren, full and satisfied, had gone back to her room to read manga.
Shichen's Gate of Babylon was stocked with more manga and novels than she could ever finish.
Honestly, he couldn't understand her obsession. She'd been reading for ages and still wasn't bored.
At least switch to games once in a while.
Maybe that was the magic of modern-day fantasy.
As for Heiter, his legs weren't what they used to be, so he stayed in the study reading.
And besides—Shichen was specifically looking for Fern.
Once outside, Shichen kept walking with Fern, deeper and deeper: through trees, through brush, farther into the woods.
Fern followed silently on her short legs, staying close behind—no complaints, no questions.
Shichen didn't walk fast. He kept a steady pace and led Fern all the way to the edge of the forest, to a cliff.
He sat down on a rock and waited until Fern stood beside him.
He didn't speak. Fern didn't either—she just quietly watched him.
After a long while, Shichen finally asked, "You don't have anything you want to ask me?"
Fern shook her head lightly.
"Sigh. Are you scared of me?"
"No." Fern answered.
"Then why don't you try to get closer to me? If we're going to live together later, we need to get along."
"But… I haven't passed Shichen-sama's interview yet."
"Oh." Shichen realized. "You're afraid that if you fail my interview, you won't be able to stay with us?"
Fern nodded.
"Then can't you be a little more proactive? If you please me, maybe I'll just pass you on the spot."
"…You won't." Fern replied quietly.
"Ha. What a little blockhead. But… that's not a bad thing."
"Not a bad thing?"
"Yeah. You don't need to force yourself to cling to someone or lower yourself for approval. Just be yourself." Shichen reached out and ruffled her hair.
Fern didn't refuse. She narrowed her eyes a little, staring at him with confusion.
"Don't get it? I mean you don't need to bend over backwards. Just respond normally. Follow your own heart—don't let other people push you around."
"Push me around? Did Shichen-sama push me around?"
"Pretty much," Shichen said. "You understand that my 'interview' is me testing you—and I'm using the fact that you want Heiter to feel at ease. You feel like you have to do something."
"…Then what should I do?" Fern asked blankly.
"Nothing special. Just don't let yourself be coerced. Do what you want. And especially once you're with us—don't bow your head to anyone."
"Will I be able to go with you, Shichen-sama?"
"That depends on what you can do."
Still ruffling her hair, Shichen looked across the cliff. On the other side was a huge boulder.
"I noticed yesterday—you were blasting spells at that rock, right?"
"You saw that?" Fern blinked. She hadn't noticed him at all.
"Don't worry about me. Tell me: why were you doing it? Training magic?"
"I'm not sure."
"Not sure?"
"Heiter-sama taught me magic, so… I practiced." Fern answered honestly.
"You don't like magic?"
"It's… okay."
"Just okay, huh. That's fine. I'll make you like magic." Shichen grinned.
"Like magic? What's there to like about it?"
"Because magic is interesting. And more importantly—because I'm the one teaching you."
"Shichen-sama… will teach me magic?"
"Not yet." Shichen shook his head. "Depends on what you can do."
"What I can do?"
"Punch through that rock." Shichen pointed. "That's your test. If your magic can pierce that boulder, you pass my interview—and Heiter will truly be able to rest easy."
"Make Heiter-sama rest easy… why?" Fern didn't understand.
"Because you'll be strong," Shichen said simply. "It means you can stand on your own."
"Stand on my own…"
Fern whispered it, lifting her gaze toward the boulder across the cliff. Her eyes gradually hardened with resolve.
"Shichen-sama… if I pierce that rock, you'll take me with you?"
"That's right."
"I understand. I'll do it."
"Good. I believe in you."
From that day on, Fern trained her magic even harder.
Her fundamentals were solid, her spellwork was clean, and she had real talent—her strength improved every day.
Shichen already knew what she was capable of.
What he hadn't expected… was that she succeeded two years later.
Two years earlier than he remembered.
Was it because her goal was clearer now?