Chapter 99: Frieren's Paradise
The sapphire at Elias's fingertips shot forward like a bolt of lightning, streaking straight toward Frieren's pendant!
The instant the two gemstones collided, an explosion of dazzling violet light erupted!
In that split second, Elias flashed forward, appearing right before his opponent.
Grausam met his gaze at point-blank range, his expression unchanging.
"Lord Elias,"
"You should know—this level of magical resonance isn't enough to destroy a mental spell."
"But it is enough," Elias replied calmly,
"to let me step inside and see for myself—Frieren's Paradise."
As his words fell, the radiance from the gemstones engulfed them both.
The two figures vanished together into the depths of the mental world.
---
Elias and Grausam stood side by side on a gently trembling hillside.
Villagers screamed as they rushed out of their houses, until the ground finally stopped shaking.
Grausam spoke evenly, admiration laced into his tone.
"As expected of Lord Elias."
"Using magical resonance to create instability and slip into the paradise itself…"
"Even I wouldn't have thought of that."
Elias lifted his gaze toward the center of the village—
toward the conspicuous five-story building standing tall among the houses.
"I was just curious," he said quietly.
"What kind of life Frieren dreams of."
"What her true wish looks like."
"I see," Grausam smiled faintly.
"Then allow me, as the master of this paradise, to guide you."
"Rest assured—at least in this world, Frieren cannot see us."
The two dark silhouettes descended the hillside one after the other, entering the flat farmland below.
"—Hah!"
A booming shout suddenly drew Elias's attention.
There stood a man with jet-black hair and a body packed with muscle.
Thick arms bulged with strength as he hoisted a massive pumpkin with one hand and placed it onto a wagon.
Elias stiffened.
A sharp sense of dissonance tore through him—
yet he still recognized that face.
"…That's the village chief."
At that moment, a woman wearing a headscarf approached him with a gentle smile.
Under the blazing sun, she took out a handkerchief and softly wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Look at you," she chided warmly.
"It's scorching out here. Your hair's soaked through."
The village chief smiled back at her.
"When we were young, wasn't this hair what you liked most?
Now you're complaining?"
"Still joking even when you're exhausted~"
Elias watched the scene in silence.
So this was it.
Was this what Frieren wanted to see—
the village chief healthy and strong, growing old together with his wife?
Such an absurd, fabricated sight…
And yet she remained completely unaware.
Grausam seemed to read Elias's thoughts and chuckled softly.
"The beauty of Guide to Paradise lies precisely in its beauty."
"Every regret can be mended here."
"Every wish can be fulfilled."
Elias let out a quiet scoff.
"…Disgusting."
"Achieved through deception, is it?"
Hearing the sarcasm in Elias's voice, Grausam did not bother to deny it.
"Of course," he said plainly.
"Deception is the instinct of our demonkind."
"From the very instant she entered Paradise, Frieren has been deceived by the entire world."
"What she sees, hears, feels, and thinks—"
"all of it pulls her deeper and deeper into a vortex of happiness, beyond her control."
"Until, at last, she sinks completely into it…"
"And begins to deceive herself."
Elias let out a helpless sigh.
Self-deception, huh…
Honestly, that suited Frieren a little too well.
He walked into the center of the village and looked up at the five-story building.
Through the bright glass windows, he saw rooms piled high with gifts—
in one of them, the clutter even spilled out onto the balcony.
There was no need to guess.
They were all the various magic tools Frieren loved to collect.
So this was her complaint…
That three floors weren't enough,
and she wanted to add two more?
What a greedy elf.
Elias was still mulling this over when—
Click.
The door opened.
"—Heeheehee, hahaha~!"
The white-haired elf burst out cheerfully, a long string of kites in her hands.
Elias watched coldly, irritation simmering beneath the surface.
That grin of hers was practically splitting her face.
Was she really that happy?
Then, in the very next moment—
"Master Flamme!" Frieren shouted upstairs with a bright smile.
"And Elias too!"
"Come out already!"
At once, the scene before Elias twisted into something deeply unsettling.
Flamme appeared dressed like a gentle mother, her hair neatly pinned, her expression warm and kind.
Elias froze for half a heartbeat—
then instantly snapped back to clarity.
A mother, huh…
He had never once imagined Flamme taking on such an appearance,
or playing such a role.
Hard to even judge what to make of it.
But to his horror—
that wasn't the worst part.
A man stepped into view.
Pink sweater.
Black-framed glasses.
Eyes bright like bells,
a smile warm as sunlight itself.
Elias: (…)
At that moment, he had only one thought—
Destroy this world with his own hands.
Grausam's voice drifted over faintly.
"Lord Elias, no matter how unbearable it is to watch yourself like that, I suggest you don't interfere."
"Otherwise, her mind might collapse~"
"…Oh? Is that so."
Elias replied lightly, forcibly suppressing his urge to annihilate everything.
So in the end…
It had to be Frieren herself?
But the way she looked—so indulgent, so at ease—
she'd practically claimed this place as her home.
And yet—
Elias noticed something.
When Frieren looked at the false him,
there was a faint, subtle flicker in her eyes.
That was—
Soon after, Elias followed the trio out of the village and onto a vast open plain.
A gentle breeze rose.
Frieren's kites soared into the sky.
Elias himself held the string for her.
Flamme clapped and cheered from the side.
As the kites climbed higher and higher, Frieren shouted joyfully:
"Form into an apple!"
At once, the kites rearranged themselves into the shape of an apple.
The fake Elias immediately clapped in delight.
"That's amazing, Frieren!"
"Look how high the apple's flying!"
The real Elias: (…)
You've got to be kidding me.
That ridiculous magical toy—
Was Frieren really imagining that he would happily play along with something like this?
The kites shifted into different shapes in the sky, laughter ringing across the fields.
And at that moment—
Once again, Elias saw that familiar look on Frieren's face.
A look he knew all too well.
"Grausam," Elias said quietly.
"Are you sure this is fine?"
"…Hmm?"
Grausam glanced at the three figures in the distance.
"Are you trying to trick me, Lord Elias?"
"Up until now, Frieren has been completely enamored with this world."
"Is that so?"
"I'm seeing something different."
Elias's voice was calm, steady.
"Every time I take Frieren shopping in the Holy City, or out on an expedition—when it's time to head back, she always wears that same expression."
"…And what does that mean?"
Elias let out a low chuckle.
"You still don't get it?"
"Frieren," he said coldly,
"is already preparing to go home."