Fortunately, Frieren didn't seem to care about their underlying motives. She looked at Takson's honest face, remembered his help with the herbs, and shrugged. She was young, by elven standards, and hadn't yet developed the deep-seated wariness of outsiders that plagued her elders.
"Since you helped me out," she said, "I suppose I can put in a good word for you with the chief."
"Really? Thank you so much!"
"Mmhmm." She nodded, then turned her gaze to Stell, who had been sitting quietly on the sidelines this entire time.
"Oh, right! I'm Takson," he said, realizing he hadn't properly introduced himself. "Sorry about that."
"Okay. Takson. I'll remember."
"And the violet-haired girl over there is Stell. She's my teacher."
"Teacher? Huh. So that's your relationship." Frieren's expression didn't change.
She knew little of human social structures, but she knew that in elven society, appearance didn't always equal age.
A master could look like a child. So, a giant man having a small girl as a teacher didn't strike her as particularly odd.
"Well, let's get going," Frieren said, picking up her basket.
"Right! I'll go tell Teacher!"
"No need," a voice said from directly behind him. "I am already aware."
"Gah!" Takson jumped, spinning around. Stell was standing right there. He hadn't heard a sound.
Frieren, watching from the side, blinked. She had seen Stell approach. The girl hadn't used magic, hadn't used stealth skills. She had simply... walked.
But her movements were so perfectly silent, so devoid of presence, that she had seemed like a ghost. If Frieren hadn't been looking right at her, she wouldn't have noticed her either.
"Teacher! Stop sneaking up on me like that!" Takson complained, clutching his chest. "Even after all these years, it still gives me a heart attack."
"Denial: I executed no stealth protocols. There were no factors present to induce a startle response."
"Fine, fine. My bad," Takson sighed, defeated.
Frieren watched the exchange with mild interest. Humans are weird, she thought. But entertaining.
"Reminder: The designated time has arrived. Preparation phase complete. Proceed to next stage."
"Teacher says we're ready to go," Takson translated helpfully.
"Okay. Follow me."
….
Outside the Elven Village:-
"Teacher, why did you want to come here?" Takson asked in a hushed voice.
"Answer: To initiate contact with the individual designated 'Frieren.'"
"But why her? She seems pretty normal to me."
"Explanation: The individual 'Frieren' is a critical asset."
"Critical? You mean like... for the future?"
"..."
Stell remained silent. They were currently waiting outside the village's main gate. Frieren had gone inside to speak with the chief, promising to be back "in a bit."
Stell had low expectations for that "bit." She knew about elven time perception. "A bit" to an elf could mean anything from five minutes to five years. Takson, however, took the words literally.
….
One Hour Later:-
"Teacher... you don't think she tricked us, do you?" Takson asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "It's been ages."
"Negative. The elven perception of time differs significantly from the human baseline."
"Eh? Serious? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"
"Answer: You did not ask."
"..."
Well, that's Teacher for you, Takson thought, rendered speechless by my irrefutable logic.
We waited for another thirty minutes.
Finally, a silver-haired figure emerged from the dense foliage.
"Okay, it's all good," Frieren said, strolling up to us as if she'd only been gone for a moment. " The chief had some stuff to do, but he gave the okay."
She paused, noticing the look of sheer exhaustion on Takson's face, the look of a man who had been standing around for hours with nothing to do. "Is something wrong?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. "It didn't take that long."
"Notice: Message received," I interjected, stepping forward.
"Addendum: Frieren, take this."
I held out my hand. A small, golden sphere, humming with faint energy, rested in my palm.
Frieren blinked, then took the object, turning it over in her hands curiously. "What is this?"
"Explanation: It is a special tool. A failsafe. In the future, when you face a crisis of survival, it will ensure you remain among the living."
Takson stared at the sphere. He recognized the energy signature. It reminded him of the magic I had used during the incident with the Black Dragon. He didn't say a word, but he understood. Teacher always has a plan.
"Is that so?" Frieren looked at the object, roughly the size of her palm. She couldn't sense any mana from it, yet she felt a strange power dormant within.
It must be some kind of magic, she concluded. She was already convinced I was a powerful mage, despite my lack of mana. My aura, my presence... it all screamed "power."
"So," she said, looking up at me with a small smile, "is this a gift between friends?"
"Correction: It is a loan. Once you have used it, I will come to retrieve it."
The destruction of the elves wasn't happening today. It might be years, perhaps a decade away. I couldn't stay here and wait for it. Takson was human; his lifespan was short. He didn't have ten years to waste sitting in a forest.
This sphere was my solution. A beacon and a shield.
"You didn't deny the 'friend' part," Frieren pointed out.
"..."
I remained silent. Frieren took that as a "yes."
She's weird, Frieren thought, pocketing the sphere, but she's nice.
In this era, Frieren was still young. She hadn't yet lived through the tragedy that would define her later years. She accepted my "insurance policy" as a simple gesture of goodwill.
My primary objective was complete. The beacon was placed. I had already scanned the interior of the village remotely; I had all the data I needed. Logically, we could leave now.
However, my sensors picked up a change in Takson's vitals. His heart rate had increased slightly. His pupils were dilated.
Seriously?
You claimed you weren't interested in the village, I thought, looking at my apprentice. But your body says otherwise. You are excited.
I considered the schedule. A brief detour would not impact our overall efficiency. As a teacher, satisfying a student's intellectual curiosity was an acceptable use of time.
"Notice: Lead the way," I said to Frieren.
"Okay."
Takson stayed quiet. He had noticed that Frieren seemed to understand my speech patterns perfectly well now, so there was no need for him to act as a translator.
Guided by the silver-haired elf, we stepped through the barrier and walked into the legendary, hidden Village of the Elves.
….
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