Erii: A Journey Through the Heavens Begins with Frilian

Twenty-eight years after the death of the hero Simmel.

The Central Kingdoms, villages on the Granz Strait.

"Is this the first time you've seen the ocean?" Frillie asked, turning around.

Behind her, Erii held her shoes in one hand and her skirt in the other, her bare, delicate feet hopping around on the soft sand like she was playing hopscotch.

Her childlike excitement infected the others, and Philen couldn't help but take a deep breath of the cool, fresh air, a rare smile appearing on her face.

"The beach used to be much more beautiful. When the sun shone, the sea would sparkle and every grain of sand would look like shining gold. But ever since the number of shipwrecks has increased, the quality of the seawater has deteriorated," said the village chief who was leading the way. "I'll have to trouble you all this time. Leave your accommodation to me."

"Philan, what's on the other side of the sea?"

Erii suddenly stopped and pointed to the distant horizon where the sky met the sea.

Philon replied, "We are located at the northern end of the Central Kingdoms. If we travel by land, we are separated from the Northern Kingdoms by mountain ranges. If we look at the other side of the sea, it should also be the territory of the Northern Kingdoms. On the map, this is a huge bay."

Erii gazed into the distance, silent.

Philon's answer is probably correct.

A year ago, while traveling with her brother to attend the Sheqi Hachika Conference, as the car was driving on a winding overpass, she glimpsed a halo of "glass" through the gaps between the tall buildings—a fleeting glimpse of Tokyo Bay.

So, Erii wrote in her notebook: What's on the other side of the sea?

At that moment, Genji remained silent for a long time before finally saying "freedom".

Erii didn't understand back then, but now, embraced by the sea breeze, she vaguely understands.

"I'm trapped in this little house, and my brother is trapped in the whole world." Erii bent down and picked up a handful of sand, her eyes filled with a resolute determination.

……

The four arrived at their destination.

A beach backed by a cliff, with the best viewpoint for the village at the top of the cliff, but the sea area in sight is occupied by a large number of damaged and sunken ships. The eroded hulls are broken and tossed about by the waves, and the seawater is also polluted.

Due to the terrain and ocean currents, ships that have wrecked nearby are often transported to this area by the sea. Unfortunately, this place is a shallow, recessed structure, and over time, it has become the shipwreck graveyard we see today.

"It's impossible to clean it up with just manpower," the village chief said with a wry smile. "The New Year celebration is just over a month away, and everyone wants to watch the most beautiful sunrise here."

He took out a spellbook from his pocket and bowed sincerely to Frilian, saying, "So, I'm begging you, this is my reward."

"Volamere's work?!" Philon exclaimed in surprise.

"We will do our best," Frilian replied, accepting the gift.

Only after receiving a reply did the village chief leave with peace of mind.

"Fake. All of Vlamed's notebooks in the world are forgeries," Frillian said calmly.

Grand Magician Vlame, the progenitor of human magic, the founder of human magical history, and the core driving force behind the progress of human magic.

He was also Frilian's mentor.

Many years ago, Frilian's village was destroyed by the demons. She survived and was taken in as an apprentice by Vlame, whose ideas and words deeply influenced Frilian.

"Then why did you take on this commission?" Philon asked.

"Because someone is in trouble." Frilian gazed at the sea, her memories surging with the waves.

"I don't think you're acting entirely out of goodwill." Philon has always been keenly perceptive of subtle emotions.

Even after being called out, Frillie remained calm, saying, "It's also for my own sake."

She lowered her eyes, thinking to herself, "If it were Simmel, he would definitely do that."

"There's only a little over a month left, is that enough time?" Philon frowned.

"It's a bit urgent, I'll have to work overtime, so I probably won't be able to sleep in." Frilian looked at Erii with a slightly resentful expression.

According to their normal walking pace, they should have arrived here two months ago.

However, Erii was like a curious child the whole way, wanting to try everything she saw, and she was always happy to help others.

During that time, I did a lot of things like helping a little girl find her lost cat, eliminating vicious bandits for the villagers, and dealing with a nasty monster that dared to breathe on me.

Frillie was somewhat dazed.

Because it felt familiar, the same thing happened to the hero's team back then. They could have cleared the level quickly, but they were delayed by all sorts of trivial good deeds along the way, and it took them a full ten years to kill the Demon King.

"It's my fault too," Frilian muttered.

Erii wanted to have a panoramic view of the mountains, so she took us to climb the highest mountain along the way. Then, under the pretext that the environment was quiet and suitable for rest, we lived in the valley for a month.

In reality, he was completely absorbed in the magic book he had obtained in the previous maze.

"Who would have thought this would happen?" Frillian said. "Let's begin."

After saying that, she took the lead in waving her wand and casting a spell, moving pieces of wood and debris from the sea and piling them on the beach.

Philen imitated and did the same.

Many ships sank, and progress was slow. By the time the sea turned a mesmerizing dark red, not even one percent of the progress had been completed.

"Winter has arrived." The evening sea breeze seeped straight to the bone, and Philon shrank his neck.

boom!

With a wave of her wand, Frilian set the pile of wood ablaze, dispelling the chill.

"Eri, what are you doing?" Philon asked in surprise.

Erii took off her backpack and her shrine maiden clothes, handed them to Philon, and then ran and jumped into the sea.

Even the sunset glow seemed to take on a slightly more enchanting and ambiguous quality because of her.

"Swimming? No." Frilian quickly guessed what Erii wanted to do.

Whoosh whoosh~

Erii was like a fish in water, swaying freely in the sea.

After swimming to the very edge of the shipwreck area, she turned around, looked around, and then took a deep breath.

Word of Power: A Dustless Land!

The wind element surged forth, but it expanded steadily under her careful control.

Meanwhile, Erii slowly moved towards the coast.

Buzz—Whoosh—

Seawater, shipwrecks, fish, and shrimp were all excluded from the ever-expanding area, pushed towards the beach by this irresistible force.

"This is... an artificial tide?" Philon's eyes lit up. "Eri isn't stupid~"

With that, the master and apprentice flew up the cliff to avoid being swallowed by the seawater surging onto the beach.

For an ordinary hybrid, let alone pushing this immeasurable amount of seawater, even the continuous repulsion would be extremely difficult.

Erii remained calm and, in one go, brought two-thirds of the sunken ship to land.

Splash—

Seawater crashes against the cliffs and flows back into the sea from both sides, leaving behind mountains of garbage.

Such an incredible feat left Philon with her mouth slightly agape.

"That's enough," Frilian called out. "Leave the rest to us."

She was worried that Erii would overexert herself and harm her health, after all, she knew that Erii was a particularly honest and straightforward girl.

That night.

After the three of them had hot soup and bread, they checked into a small inn arranged by the village chief.

"Thanks to Erii, it will be finished in another week." Frilian was in a good mood, no longer having to work from dawn till dusk.

So she took out a magic book, preparing to study by lamplight through the night.

"So what's next?" Philon poked his head out from under the covers.

"Winter is coming, and we can't travel in the snow," Frilian thought for a moment. "Let's stay here until after the New Year. Dwarves have long lifespans, and Azer can wait."

She glanced at Erii, who was enthusiastically packing her backpack, and asked Philon, "What's wrong with her?"

"She's going out to sea with the fishermen tomorrow, saying she wants to see whales," Philon replied, gradually getting used to Erii's whimsical style.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Frillian asked again, her lips unconsciously pursing.

Philon said, "She said she could manage on her own... Why does it give me the illusion that a child has grown up and become independent?"