"Oh my, what a lovely child. She is nothing like you at all," Heiter cheerfully squatted down and looked at Fern with a kind smile.
But when he noticed the tomato in her hand with a bite taken out of it, he could not help turning to look at Ash and shake his head.
"This lack of manners must be something she learned from you, right?"
"Ah! Th-this…", Fern looked at the tomato, then looked up at Ash. She looked extremely troubled, but still honestly lowered her head to Heiter and apologized guiltily.
"S, sorry! I ate the tomato without permission."
"Huh? Ah! It is fine, it is fine, I was just joking. If you want to eat something, just pick it. No need to be polite," Heiter waved his hand with a surprised smile, then teasingly looked at Ash again, "I will correct myself. This child is completely different from you. She is a polite, good child."
"Uh… actually I wanted to say…"
"What?"
"That tomato… I actually picked it. Then I thought it did not taste good, so I gave it to Fern," Feeling that letting a child take the blame for him was not right, he hesitated for a moment before telling the truth.
This made Heiter's expression freeze. After a long moment, he could not help but drop that kindly old man act and strongly complain.
"Try acting like a person for once! You actually let a child take the blame for you?"
"No… that was your own misunderstanding."
"It was the child herself who said it!", Heiter shot back excitedly. Only then did Ash realize, thoughtfully, "That does seem to be the case?"
"This is absolutely your problem!"
"No, no, this is really a huge injustice. I never asked her to do that, and I definitely did not teach her anything like that," Ash spread his hands innocently, but even so, Heiter did not believe him at all.
"How could a normal child be like this and take responsibility for someone else on her own?"
"Probably she was influenced by my outstanding character and turned into a good child herself."
"How is that even possible! It must be… Cough! Cough! Cough!!"
"Hey now, look at you, why are you getting so worked up? Calm down first."
"You… Cough! You think… cough! cough! Whose fault do you think this is!"
Heiter, who was so worked up from complaining that he almost could not catch his breath and nearly dropped dead, kept patting his chest to steady himself, his eyes full of frustration as he looked at Ash.
Ash looked completely innocent, but he still patted Heiter's back, afraid he might really drop dead by accident.
Watching this scene, Fern could not quite tell for a moment whether their relationship was good or bad.
———
After they went inside and sat down at the very simple wooden dining table, Heiter still seemed unable to fully recover.
He held his forehead with one hand for a while, then kept shaking his head and sighing.
"I have been a bishop for so many years, playing the role of a steady person for so long, and you go and make me like this…"
"Were you actually just pretending to be well behaved?"
"Hey now, what are you saying to an old man? When you get older, you naturally become like this. Who is like you people?"
"Is that so?"
"I would like to say so, but actually I," Heiter stopped halfway and looked at Fern sitting next to Ash, as if he was concerned about something, and cut himself off.
"What is it?"
"No, it is nothing," Heiter smiled and shook his head, then looked at Fern again with curiosity.
"Come to think of it, Fern… right? What a lovely little girl. Being with Ash is such a waste, you know."
"N-no, it is not like that," Fern immediately put on a serious face and strongly protested, "And… please do not say bad things about Lord Ash!"
"That is right, Fern, that is the spirit. Go ahead and scold this wine and meat monk!", Ash nodded repeatedly and even incited her.
This made Fern turn her head to him with a troubled expression.
"Lord Ash, you too. Lord Heiter is a bishop, right? Saying things like that… I think it is very bad."
"Haha! What an interesting child," Like an old man teasing a favorite junior, Heiter laughed heartily. Then he almost leaned over the table, watching her and asking, "Fern, what is your relationship with this guy? Are you his daughter? But judging from how you address him… it does not seem like it."
"Eh? Me… me and Lord Ash?"
The sudden question threw Fern into confusion, because she herself had been thinking about it for a long time and still had not come up with an answer.
But now Ash reached out and put his hand on her head, thinking out loud.
"Actually, treating her as a great granddaughter or something is not a problem."
"Great granddaughter? When did you get married?", Heiter was startled.
"No, actually I want Fern to be your granddaughter."
"Be my grand… huh? Wait a second? You, what do you mean?"
His serious tone made Heiter not react at first. When he came to his senses, he immediately grabbed the cane beside him.
But Ash casually pulled Fern onto his lap in one smooth motion, completely restraining him so Heiter could not strike. He even laughed bitterly.
"What kind of elder are you? Using your own child as a shield?"
"What shield? You are such a grown man, how can your thinking be so dangerous? I am just trying to show my kindness in front of you."
He said it seriously, then even rubbed Fern's head and smiled.
"Right, Fern?"
"Y-yes… that is right."
Honestly, being used by these two adults as a convenient shield when they argued made Fern a bit troubled. She did not even know what to say.
But she did not protest. She just nodded with a troubled look and sat stiffly on his lap.
Seeing this, Heiter showed a thoughtful expression.
"Ash, as old friends, let us talk alone for a bit."
"What is it?"
"Something a bit serious," Heiter lowered his head and lightly pushed his rimless glasses straight.
"That really is rare," Ash did not care much. He casually nodded, then looked at the girl on his lap.
"Fern, go outside and play by yourself for a bit, okay?"
"Okay," Fern, being extremely well behaved, immediately nodded and with his help climbed down. She even trotted outside and thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
After the door closed again and the room returned to quiet.
Heiter did not speak right away. He turned and added a log to the fireplace, then turned back to Ash, who was looking around the room, and said thoughtfully,
"Even though I think it is unlikely, this child… you have not abused her, have you?"
"Uh… what are you suddenly talking about?", The sudden suspicion left Ash completely dumbfounded.
"No matter what, even if it is you, if you did that kind of thing to a child like this, I would get angry and kick you out right away."
"So what kind of person do you think I am?"
"I am joking. I do not think you are that kind of person," Heiter smiled and shook his head, then showed a puzzled expression.
"Honestly, I do not think you are the type to casually pick up a child. And… that child probably had a very miserable past, did she not?"
"You can even tell that?"
"Well, I am old after all. I have some experience reading people, and working in the church, I often encounter children like that."
"Is that so?", Ash nodded silently, but he was not sure whether he should say Fern's story directly.
But thinking about it seriously, there did not seem to be anything that needed to be hidden. Too much preamble also seemed unnecessary.
So after considering his words a bit, he said directly, "Do you know about the war that happened in the south before?"
"Of course. I heard it was very fierce. Many refugees fled here, and some even went to the north."
"This child is actually from the south, and she is also the descendant of an old friend of mine. Her family all died in the chaos of the war."
Fern's old family had actually been pretty well off. They were not nobles, but they never worried about food or clothing. The child was taught well, and they even hired a mage as her teacher.
But it seemed that her family in the past had only mentioned that her elderly great great grandfather knew a mysterious mage. As for Ash's appearance, it was only when she was dying and handed her the heirloom box that she saw the person who, for some reason, appeared on that heirloom. As for anything else, she knew nothing.
As for whether her parents and family were killed by rampaging soldiers or bandits, Ash did not say. He could not really ask about that anyway, so he did not know what Fern's family had told her.
The town her family lived in was located above a snowfield. Because of its height, it had a wide field of view and an advantage in both defense and offense, making it a strategic point that was often fought over.
Normally, if the snowfield fell, the townspeople would immediately evacuate. But this time the defeat came too fast, and the residents never got the message. There was no time to evacuate, which led to a series of tragedies.
After Ash finished explaining the general situation, the living room that also served as a dining room was left with only the crackling sound of the firewood.
After a long while, Heiter took two cups from the cupboard, filled them with alcohol, and drank his in one go. Then, as if pushing the limits of his lungs, he let out a long sigh.
"I basically understand the situation now. But you did not bring this child here because you want me to raise her, did you? My body is not what it used to be now."
"Why do you not consider quitting drinking first?"
"What are you talking about? If it were that easy to quit, I would not have been called a wine and meat monk by you all these years, would I?", Even at his age, Heiter shook his head stubbornly.
"What is the point of making things hard for an old man now? And besides, alcohol is the chief of all medicines. It is because I drink that I have lived until now, right?"
"As a bishop, is it really okay to spout nonsense like that?", That strange theory made Ash want to roll his eyes.
"It is fine. I would not say that to someone who would really believe it, but back to the main point," Heiter poured himself another cup, then teased,
"You and Frieren, those two unprecedentedly heartless people, suddenly coming to find me, I could tell at a glance something was going on. And now it really is about that child, is it not?"
"Wait, you suddenly started with a personal attack?"
"Is it not true? Even though Himmel, Eisen, and I live in different places, we have kept in touch by letters. Only you two have shown up once in fifty years, and there was no contact in between."
"So there is that too? Those guys are more proper than they look?", Ash was surprised inside, but on the surface he acted as if he had not heard anything and seriously brought the topic back.
"The thing we need help with is directly related to Fern."
This made Heiter, who had just returned to his kindly demeanor, smack his lips.
"Tsk! You really have the nerve to ignore my complaints and still make requests with a thick skin, do you?"
"You are an old man. Why are you nitpicking with me, a young man, over such trivial things?", He spread his hands, trying to ease the mood.
"If we are talking about age, you should be older than me."
"Who knows?", Halfway through, he changed the subject and lightly sighed, a sorrowful look appearing on his face, "But to be honest, even though my body is still strong, it cannot withstand the ravages of time forever. Of course, I know that even if I say this, you might not believe me."
"Really?", Heiter raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but in the next moment Ash laughed.
"Just kidding."
"I see. Then stay right there and do not move. Wait a bit for me," After a long silence, Heiter suddenly stood up and walked inside.
"What is it?"
"The cane does not feel right. I am going to get something made of iron. It will hurt more when I beat you with it."
"Wait, are you serious?"
Seeing the old man actually pull out a spiked club from the room, Ash was stunned and reflexively ran outside.
But Heiter, who had just been using a cane, was now holding the spiked club and moving swiftly, looking like he was about to make him bleed on the spot and die early.
However, when Ash ran outside and picked up the little girl who was watering the vegetable garden, Heiter was forced to stop. He instinctively hid the spiked club behind his back, afraid of letting the child see such a dangerous thing.
"W-what is going on?"
Fern, who was suddenly picked up and sitting on his forearm, looked at the two men who had burst out of the door one after the other, completely at a loss.
But even so, when she noticed Heiter sweating on his forehead, she still worried about the old man who had suddenly been running so fast.
"Lord Heiter… you were running in such a hurry just now. Did something urgent happen? Are you okay?"
"We were just seeing who could catch Fern first!", Ash smiled and casually made up an excuse for Heiter.
Fern, however, looked confused, 'This grandpa and Ash… they can even play something so childish?'
Heiter could probably guess what the child was thinking, but facing her innocent gaze, he could only go along with it. Not wanting to give this well behaved child a bad impression, he forced out a very stiff smile.
"H-haha… when an old friend comes to visit, I could not help but want to relive my youth a bit."
"I see. Having energy is a good thing."
Fern did not doubt it. She nodded slightly in agreement. Being held like this, she instead looked a bit embarrassed and unconsciously squirmed, looking up with a troubled expression.
"Lord Ash… you have already won now. Can you put me down?"
"No, look at that guy over there, his shoulders are still shaking. He is definitely not satisfied. I have to make him even more dissatisfied."
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