The young dragon tries to conquer the world

　It must have been a human. The Horned Sword Deer King didn't even get a good look before he saw the little girl kick the Iron Claw Bear. "Braised bear paw!" Then he heard a crisp cracking sound. The Horned Sword Deer King guessed that the Iron Claw Bear's spine must have broken. The Iron Claw Bear's thick body collapsed helplessly to the ground. The Horned Sword Deer King suppressed the urge to run away, tensed his limbs, and assumed a running posture while looking towards the Iron Claw Bear. A little girl dressed in strange clothes appeared on the Iron Claw Bear.

　The little girl, wearing pure white boots, stood on the brownish-brown fur of the Iron Claw Bear. Her long, thin, white-gold tail swayed gently behind her. The little girl was staring at the Iron Claw Bear's paws with an OVO expression, as if she saw not furry bear paws, but tender, juicy braised bear paws and stewed bear meat. After sucking her saliva with a silly look, the little girl jumped off the Iron Claw Bear, grabbed the back of its neck with her tail, and started to walk away on her short legs.

　"Venom hotpot!" The Horned Deer King, seeing that the crisis had passed and was about to leave, heard the death knell.

　The Horned Deer King wished he hadn't stayed to watch the spectacle, while the young girl's crimson-gold pupils were already fixed on them. It's easy for a herd of deer to regroup after they've dispersed, but it's not so simple for them to regroup and then leave rhythmically.

　"Meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow, meow." The tenderest part of the venison was cut off for the boss to eat in a hot pot. The foreleg was grilled over charcoal. The hind leg and ribs were cut up and put into the pot to stew. The liver was quickly cleaned, sliced, and served to the boss and the others.

　"Meow, meow meow, meow meow meow." The bear paw must be scalded. Where's the honey? Quickly bring the honey over. And bring the heart of that big mole (Nether Abyss Dragon) too. Not this piece, that's the tail of the big yellow croaker (Thunder Dragon). If the boss wants to eat it, you can use our secret sauce stewing method. It's the big piece over there.

　"Meow, meow meow meow, meow meow meow." There are still carrots and potatoes, but no onions. Should we use scallions? Oh, add some frost-covered tomatoes for seasoning. Yes, finally add the chopped nightshade mushrooms and sea worms. Sprinkle more chili on the roasted deer leg. The boss likes it.

　At the stove, the Melalus carefully used kitchen knives to remove the fascia from the surface of the horned deer's liver. After washing it in the river, they sliced ​​it thinly and placed it on a plate in front of the young girl and Lanmei, along with a dish of wasabi and soy sauce. Although this horned deer liver didn't have the creamy aroma of the elf deer's liver, perhaps because it lived in the forest for so long, it had no bitterness at all, and its texture was smooth and bouncy, making it a very good choice as an appetizer.

　The little girl sat obediently in front of the tree stump. The Melalus were busy making venison hotpot and braised bear paws. Watching the venison and king mushrooms bubbling in the pot, the little girl was in a very good mood. Her petite body swayed happily back and forth. Lanmei mixed the wasabi soy sauce, picked up a small piece of liver, rolled it in the soy sauce, and put it to the little girl's mouth. The little girl opened her mouth and took a big bite of the liver. Her pink tongue rolled up and licked the chopsticks clean. After chewing it carefully for a couple of bites, she swallowed it.

　The young girl and Lanmei quickly finished the liver in front of them, taking turns eating it. At the same time, the roasted deer leg was ready. The roasted deer leg, which was longer than the young girl's arm, was sprinkled with cumin, chili and sesame, and was emitting steam. This temperature, which would be enough to burn the mouth of most creatures, was no different from ice for the young girl.

　O~O

　The little girl took a bite, stuffing her mouth full of venison. The crispy crust crackled in her mouth, and the overflowing juices quietly trickled from the corners of her lips. In addition to the roasted venison leg, the bear and venison stew was also ready. Large chunks of venison and vegetables floated on the clear broth. The carrots and potatoes, soaked in the broth, were so soft that they couldn't be picked up with chopsticks. They could be easily slurped down the throat and into the stomach with just a gentle suck. The moon mushrooms and sea worms mixed in the broth also deepened the flavor and texture of the soup.

　"Oh, your meal is as plentiful as ever today. Well, does this child want to learn my skills today?"

　"Meow, meow, meow." The boss is still eating. Oh right, why don't you come and eat some with us? There's a lot of food today.

　To be honest, Aize was also incredulous when he first saw this strange group: three demi-humans, or rather, beastmen, but they seemed quite intelligent; a girl whose race was unclear, either lizardmen or something else; and finally, a little guy who appeared to be a hybrid of dragon and human.

　Can dragons really interbreed with humans?

　Aize had seen many dragons and demons, but given the size of the dragon, it seemed impossible, neither side could possibly be right. Then Aize thought again, since the dragonman's child had been born, it could only mean that the one was a true warrior, whether from the perspective of love or sacrifice.

　When Aize first met them, he also considered them to be spies of the demon race. However, after observing them carefully for a while, Aize dismissed this suspicion. First of all, what kind of demon spy would come to such a deserted forest area? Secondly, judging from their behavior, Lanmei was somewhat Zen, the little girl looked silly, and the three black cats did not have any strong combat power. Unless they were idiots, who would send such spies?

　After a few days of peace, Aize was surprised to find that the orcs were the first to come to him. When he saw the three orcs coming to his door together, Aize thought that the little guy had encountered some danger, so he subconsciously assumed that the three orcs had come to ask for help. So he immediately grabbed the battle axe that was placed aside.

　This action terrified the Melalurus. The timid Melaluru even tried to escape using earth magic. Fortunately, the Melaluru captain was there, and after some explanation, Aize understood that these black cats called themselves the Melaluru clan and had come to exchange things with Aize that couldn't be gathered in the forest. Although Aize was puzzled as to why the Melalurus needed so many spices and cooking utensils instead of weapons like swords for self-defense, considering the two carefree girls with the Melalurus, Aize suddenly felt he understood a bit more.

　To the Melalu's regret, Aize didn't have the habit of storing spices. Although he lived longer than most humans, Aize didn't have a strong appetite. The Melalu thanked him with drooping ears, and as they were about to leave, Aize said he didn't have any. However, he did point out the direction of the town and some rules to the Melalu. Since humans and demons were on opposite sides, the Melalu wrapped themselves up tightly in cloaks and hoods when they went down the mountain, so that from the outside they looked like adventurers who had been traveling through the wind and rain.

　"Thank you all for your hospitality. If I may ask, do you still have that kind of wine we had last time? Although the food was exceptionally delicious, that wine was also unforgettable. I never forgot it after just one sip."

　"Meow, meow meow, meow meow." You mean Daiginjo·Dragon Slayer, right? There's still one bottle left from the batch of Daiginjo·Dragon Slayer we brewed before, I'll pour you some.

　Looking at the crystal-clear wine, Aize couldn't help but wonder when he had become a drunkard like Haita. But he had changed, too. After all, even Frilian had taken on an apprentice. It wasn't hard to understand why he had changed. Besides, he was a dwarf, so for him, liking to drink was a return to his true nature.

　Just as Melalus and the others were toasting and exchanging drinks with Aize, the young girl and Lanmei glanced over and then turned away. In fact, whether in the New World or the Old World, apart from ancient dragons like the Black Dragon who have a clear hostility towards humans (of course, that's taboo), most ancient dragons don't care about humans. There are dragons like the transparent-looking Mist Dragon, the reclusive Vaal Hazak, the almost invisible Huihui who lives thousands of meters in the sky, and even the Primal Silver Dragon that lives in harmony with humans. Of course, these ancient dragons are not simple to harm if they want to.

　"Aize, wake up, Aize, wake up."

　"Um, cough cough, where, where is this?"

　Hearing a familiar voice calling him, Aize rubbed his head and sat up in bed. "This is your home, Aize. You've finally done something befitting a dwarf." Still feeling dizzy from the alcohol, Aize staggered to his feet. It was already dusk. Looking at the long shadow cast by the setting sun next to his own, Aize finally came to his senses. After straightening his clothes, the three of them sat down at the table. Philon took out his staff and used the magic he had gained from helping the residents with the pumpkins—the magic that could conjure hot tea—to hand Aize a steaming cup of tea.

　After thanking him, Aize carefully took a sip. "Frilian, long time no see." His throat was a little dry from just waking up, but after drinking the hot tea, Aize felt his drunken mind clear up considerably. Aize thought carefully for a moment before remembering that after he got drunk, he was taken home by the Melalus.

　"Yeah, Aize, I've come to play with you."

　Aize picked up some firewood and threw it into the fireplace to light it. The warm firelight illuminated the entire room. Aize slowly said, "Your attitude doesn't seem like it's been thirty years since we last met."

　Frilian looked at Aize calmly. "It's only been thirty years. By the way, why have you suddenly taken a liking to drinking? It seems dwarves inevitably enjoy drinking after all."

　"I met some fun guys and we just had drinks together. By the way, I might be able to introduce you to them; those two are really talented."

　"talent?"

　"Well, the younger one is more talented than me in terms of warrior skills, while the other one, who should be her older sister, has a very high aptitude for magic. In my opinion, she is probably no less talented than you."

　"Oh, that's really interesting."

　Frillie took some bright red, sweet berries and put them into the teacup in front of her. After taking a sip, she said, "Aize, is there anything you'd like me to help you with?"

　this

　By now, Aize had almost recovered from his drunken state. Looking at the steam rising from the hot tea, he said, "Frilian, you asked Haita this question too, didn't you? It's too early for you to be there for me in my final days. But speaking of which, I do have two things I'd like to ask you for help with."

　Philen, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from the beginning, also looked at Aize curiously. Aize put down his teacup and said, "The first thing is to help me find a magic notebook left by the great mage Vlame. It is said that the book is currently in the Fol Basin. The magic notebook records the method of communicating with the dead."

　"The notes of the great mage Vlame, most of the notes that can be found now are fake, and the methods of communicating with the dead are definitely lies. Besides, I don't really want to see him."

　Although Frilian's tone remained calm and even, Aize could still detect a slight fluctuation in it. "You want to understand Simmel, right? That's why I discussed it with Haita before deciding to help you. Besides, magic was made up in the first place, wasn't it?"

　"I see. What about the other thing?"

　"Another thing is related to the friends I just met. I think they are perfect for traveling with you, and they are also traveling, so it would be great to travel together, just like when I fought the Demon King with Simmel and Haita."

　The next day, Aize brought Frilian and Philon to the place where the young girl and Lanmei lived. As Aize expected, the young girl and Lanmei were not there. Melalus and the others were processing wild boar meat in front of the stove.

　Melalu skillfully cut the wild boar in half along its spine, then removed the whole piece of meat and placed it on the cutting board. With a flash of the knife, the meat was quickly minced into rice-grain-sized pieces. Melalu then added chopped spirit mushrooms and ghost onions, and finally seasoned it with salt and pepper before shaping it into the appropriate size.

　On the other side, Meralu ground the large mantis shrimp, feather crab, and multi-finned salmon she caught in the river into a paste. Because seafood sauce and dragon breath wine were added during the blending process, the pork and rat meat still retained its original elasticity even after being ground into a paste. In addition, there were cleaned water celery, cabbage, and bracken, which Meralu also cut into thin strips.

　"Lady Frilian, Lady Aize, are they eating so much? The ingredients we prepared clearly already exceed their weight!"

　Philen's conversation also drew Melalu's attention. "Meow, meow meow meow, meow." This isn't what we eat, but it's what we eat too. We're waiting for the boss to come back. Have you had breakfast yet? We can make you some extra.

　“We haven’t eaten yet, so we’ll have to trouble you. Thank you very much.” Aize said to Melalu, then led Frilian and Philen to sit down to the side. Frilian asked curiously, “Is this a special restaurant in the forest, or some strange group?”

　"They're one of those interesting people I was talking about, but the three of them seem to be taking care of the other two. But usually the other two go out hunting. Oh, they're back."

　As soon as Aize finished speaking, a young girl in a blue and white sailor uniform and Lan Mei in a light green dress appeared next to Melalu. Lan Mei was holding more than a dozen eggs in her arms. Judging from the patterns and size of the eggshells, they seemed to be dragon eggs of the Ark Dragon. Behind the young girl, she was actually holding a granite dragon. It was called a granite dragon because of the teardrop-shaped patterns on its body.

　When the Melalus saw the young girl and Lanmei return, they immediately ran up and took the prey from the young girl and Lanmei. Then they threw themselves into the tense process of making the food. The Melalus separated the yolk and egg white of the dragon egg, and after smearing the pan with mushroom pork fat, they fried the egg white mixed with carrot and sea worm bits into a thin but quite chewy omelet. Then they pinched out the filling space in the omelet, and put in the egg yolk, shrimp, meatballs and chopped vegetables one by one. Then they put the finished dish in the frying pan and covered it with the lid.

　The most difficult part of making this shumai dish is the proportion of various fillings. In Melaloo's shumai, the ratio of pork is 8:5, shrimp is 5:5, egg yolk is 5:5, and the ratio of vegetables is the same. In other words, the ratio of each ingredient is 8:5, which is the golden ratio of flavor. In this way, the flavors of each other will not be masked, but will instead be harmonized.

　In other words, the "perfectly proportioned shumai" (a type of steamed dumpling).

　As Melalu finished preparing the perfectly proportioned shumai, Aize and the others noticed that the little girl and Lan had returned. Frilian looked at the two in surprise, seemingly understanding why Melalu had prepared so much food. Philen happily said, "Xiaoguang, Miss Lan, what are you doing here?" Then she rushed over to hug the little girl.

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　Volume 1: 395 - Let's march towards the Demon King's Castle!

　"Uuuuuuu~"

　"Purple sweet potato!"

　Before Philon could even pounce on the little girl, he was stopped by the cautious-looking Lanmei. Lanmei reached out her slender hand and pinched Philon's cheek. Philon's already chubby face looked even more plump when pinched by Lanmei. Lanmei looked at Philon, who was staring at her helplessly, and a smile appeared on her lips. Then she reached out and poked Philon's cheek with her finger. This action made Philon's chubby cheek look even more like a swollen pufferfish.

　"Hmm," Lanmei nodded slightly. Although it felt nice to poke, it still couldn't compare to the smoothness of a young girl's face.

　Actually, the origin of all this can be traced back to the three months they lived in the Granz Strait. Because of the mission, Frilian and Philen often went to the shore to clean up the ruins of the sailboats. Over time, they became friends with the young girl and Lanmei who lived on the shore. Frilian and Philen also explained the identities of the young girl and Lanmei to the villagers, and the residents of the town gradually accepted that the young girl and Lanmei were not demons or bad people.

　However, during this joyful time, Philon had an "inappropriate" thought: to try to fight for "custody" with Lanmei. Of course, the main reason was that the little girl was too well-behaved and cute. Not to mention Philon, even Frilian felt that this little one was too cute. Another reason was that Philon thought of the time when Frilian taught her. Philon suddenly understood what it was like to have a little sister, and liked her even more.

　Unfortunately, the final result of the battle between Philon and Lanmei was that Lanmei, with her unparalleled advantage, took the lead and defeated Philon.

　However, by the time they parted, Fellen had already raised the little girl's affection level to the point where she could shake hands with her without any problem. This resulted in Fellen and Fellen having almost no money left after the little girl and Lan left the Granz Strait, as they had spent all their money on snacks for the little girl.

　Now that he has seen the little girl again, in addition to the joy of reunion, Philon couldn't help but want to increase his affection for her and hug her. However, Lanmei will intervene.

　"I didn't expect you two to know each other. I was going to introduce you to each other, but now it seems there's no need."

　Seeing that she couldn't break through Lanmei's defenses, Philen had no choice but to give up and sit back down next to Frilian. Actually, Philen had grown up to be much taller than Frilian, and Philen thought that taking care of Frilian felt a bit like taking care of a younger sister. But Philen always felt that she was playing the role of a mother, not an older sister.

　Seemingly realizing that Philon's gaze was somewhat impolite, Frilian immediately looked at Philon. Philon hurriedly picked up the cooked vegetable soup and carefully took two sips, explaining to Aize, "We met when we were carrying out a quest in a village across the Granz Strait. Speaking of which, the reward for the quest was apparently the notes of the great mage Vlame."

　Frilian picked up a perfectly proportioned shumai from in front of her and put it in her mouth, chewing it slowly. "But that notebook is fake too. I did see the sunrise I missed before, and it was really beautiful." As Frilian spoke, her eyes then drifted to the three black cats.

　"Meow meow meow, meow meow." Just call us Melalu. We are all the boss's subordinates. It was the boss who gave us the courage to survive.

　If there was anything different about this meeting compared to the last one, it was the presence of these three black cats that she hadn't seen before. Frilian squinted at the black cats who were gulping down wine from their bottles, thinking that they called themselves Meralu. That was how they introduced themselves when they first met. Moreover, Meralu seemed more like a racial name. And the Meralu's cooking skills were so amazing, could it be that they actually possessed some kind of magical power?

　"The New Year's Festival when Haita got drunk? I remember that because of my own problems, I couldn't go. Haita cried in bed for a long time. You've finally learned to enjoy the New Year's Festival."

　"Oh, so that's what happened back then."

　Upon hearing this, Frillie swallowed the witch's apple cider she was holding and nodded slightly. Just then, a hissing sound suddenly came from the steamer beside them. Hearing this, the Melalus immediately skipped and hopped towards the steamer. Philon asked curiously, "What have you been doing now?"

　"Meow meow meow meow!" A cosmic shumai!

　The Merallus put on gloves and grabbed the sides of the steamer. The three Merallus together lifted the huge steamer in front of the little girl. The steamer was so big that its diameter was even longer than Philon's arm span. When Aize saw the steamer, he couldn't help but swallow. The Merallus had just made it very clear that this dish was called the Cosmic Shumai. Aize wondered if it contained a whole shumai.

　The Melarurus, of course, had no idea what Frilian and the others were thinking. The little girl, drawn by the aroma, arrived at the steamer. The Melarurus, running around, quickly found a straight wooden plank and placed one end against the steamer. Then they moved a stone to place under the plank. With meows filling the air, the Melarurus, one by one...

　Grasp the wooden board, and soon, with the help of leverage, the Cosmic Shumai will appear amidst a cloud of steam!

　As Aize had predicted, a huge shumai was lying in the steamer. The shumai's skin appeared to be transparent, but it was actually tough and tightly wrapped the filling without breaking. Moreover, the filling could be seen from the outside. This time, Meralu did not choose the method of separating the seasonings in the appropriate proportions for the golden ratio shumai. Instead, she made the filling with pork, moon mushroom, emperor truffle, granite dragon meat, and mutton. She first grilled it on charcoal until it was 80% cooked before wrapping it in the shumai for cooking.

　Of course, this also requires a certain level of charcoal fire. The charcoal must be heated until it turns white before grilling. Only in this way can the meat filling be cooked through inside and out, instead of burning the outside while still bleeding inside.

　At the same time, a suitable amount of egg yolk and oil are added to the shumai wrapper, and it is made with cold water. This not only ensures that the shumai wrapper can wrap the entire filling without collapsing, but also ensures that the shumai wrapper is fluffy while maintaining its elasticity.

　Looking at the enormous shumai in front of her, the little girl stood happily in front of the steamer, her mouth watering at the thought of taking a bite and enjoying the mouthful of meat filling and aroma. Philon and Frilian were still discussing whether the little girl would cut it open with a knife and eat it with a fork, mixing the wrapper and filling together, or scoop out the filling with a spoon and eat the wrapper along with the filling. Lanmei, noticing the little girl wasn't holding any utensils, was also curious about how she would eat it.

　Then they saw the little girl slightly raise her head, her ponytail sway gently a few times, and then she suddenly buried her face in it!

　"Pfft!" That was the sound of a young girl biting open the soft yet tough shumai wrapper, but to Frilian and Philon it sounded more like the sound of a young girl stabbing into it.

　"Eh~"

　"what!"

　Two gasps rang out, one from Philen and the other from Frilian, though Frilian's voice was much softer than Philen's. Aize stared wide-eyed at the daring little girl. Philen rushed over to pull the girl out, while Frilian prepared to conjure shaved ice to cool her down. But as they got closer, they realized the girl hadn't actually buried her face in the shaved ice; she'd just bitten off the dumpling wrapper and filling together.

　"Ham~ Ham~ So good!"

　For such a large dish, as long as you're generous with the seasonings, the taste won't be bad, so the young girl generously praised Melalue. Seeing the young girl eating happily without needing utensils, Lan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Philon. She had just seen Philon intend to hand the young girl utensils. After their eyes met, Philon didn't back down; instead, she quickly turned to look at Florian, her eyes seeming to say, "Lady Florian, you can do it too! You must surpass Hikari!"

　Frillie sighed softly, ignoring Philon who was pouting beside her, and continued to eat the golden ratio shumai. She had to admit that Melalu's cooking skills were really high. She had never eaten such dishes before. The little girl was completely immersed in the deliciousness of the cosmic shumai. Lanmei watched the little girl with a smile, feeling very satisfied.

　Like a silkworm on a mulberry leaf, the little girl ate the outer skin and the filling of the shumai bite by bite. Then she took out her spoon and scooped the meat filling into her mouth one spoonful at a time. The little girl eating seriously looked no different from a human child. Of course, this did not mean that the steamer in front of the little girl was big enough to hold six of her.

　Aize and Frilian were no longer surprised by the little girl's appetite. Instead, they drank the witch's apple cider that Melalus and the others had brought and chatted about their previous adventures. Soon, the little girl had eaten almost half of the filling. She looked at the spoon in her hand and then at the shumai in the steamer. Since the spoon was bigger than her mouth, her mouth was covered with sauce and filling. She raised her arm to wipe it clean, but Lanmei was quick to grab her arm and wiped it clean with a handkerchief, thus saving the little girl's beautiful dress.

　The little girl licked her lips, seemingly thinking about how to eat next. Then she replaced the spoon in her hand with a knife and fork, picked up the knife and cut the remaining shumai into small pieces evenly, then used the fork to pick them up and put them into her mouth. Philon looked at Lanmei with a smug look, as if to say that the little girl also used the fork she had chosen. However, this action made Lanmei a little confused about what Philon was doing.

　"Youth is wonderful. I'm too old. If I could still wield an axe, traveling with you would be a good thing."

　“Aize, if you’re using Xiaoguang as the standard, I think no one on the entire continent can compare to her. Besides, the purpose of the trip is just to collect magic. To be honest, such a trip is long and boring. Aize, are you suggesting that Xiaoguang and Miss Alan travel with us?”

　"Don't you think it would be great to travel with Hikari and Miss Aran? At least you won't have to worry about food, and you'll even eat better than most adventurers. I've also heard that Hikari and Miss Aran are traveling here to collect delicious food."

　"I've heard Miss A-Lan mention this before, but let's not talk about it now. When do we..."

　"Shall we go and find the notes of the great mage Vlame over there?"

　Aize glanced at Philon, who was playing with the little girl, and said, "Let's set off tomorrow. The exact location of the notebook was deduced by Haita after sorting through the records left in the Holy City related to Vlame. The real location of the notebook is somewhere in the Fol Basin."

　"That stinky monk, he actually investigated so thoroughly."

　"In that case, how about inviting Hikari and the others to come along? Frilian, I feel like you don't mind." Meeting Aize's gaze, Frilian neither nodded nor shook her head.

　"A magic notebook? Sounds delicious?"

　“That’s not food. It’s a book left behind by a great mage from ancient times. It seems to contain a method for communicating with the dead. Wait, could it be that Lady Frilian was also from that era? Cough cough, would you like to come along?” Philon explained.

　The little girl shook her head upon hearing this. She had no interest in anything that wasn't food, and talking to dead people didn't seem like a fun thing to do. Since the little girl wasn't going, Lanmei had no intention of going with her either.

　The next day, Aize, Frilian, and Philon traveled by carriage to the Fol Basin to search for the notes of the great mage Vlame. After getting off the carriage, the three looked at the endless forest in front of them. Aize surveyed the surroundings and said, "Frilian, tell Haita in your heart that you know where the notes are."

　"Well, let's find a big tree first."

　"A big tree? Could it be that the Great Magician Vlame's notebook is hidden in a big tree?"

　"I've been to this place before, and I really miss it."

　Philon looked at Aize with a puzzled expression. She didn't recall Frilian mentioning this place. Aize stroked his beard and said, "Frilian is the top disciple of the great mage Vlame."

　As they talked, Frilian's thoughts seemed to drift back to the time when she was first taken in by Vlamé, a thousand years ago.

　A thousand years ago, Vlamé planted a sapling in the Fol Basin with Frilian, entrusting it with protecting this land. However, Frilian felt that by the time the sapling grew, the things it was meant to protect might have already been missed. Vlamé, on the other hand, added defensive magic to the sapling while telling Frilian that things might not be so. The sapling would always exist and protect this place, even a thousand years later. Even if he was no longer there when the sapling grew up, Frilian would definitely still be there.

　“One day you will make a big mistake and start to want to understand humanity. When that time comes, come here and your master, the great magician Vlame, will come to help you.”

　After searching all morning, the three of them did not find the great tree they remembered. After all, a year had passed, and a thousand years is enough to change many things. During their break, Frilian used magic to conjure a bunch of sour grapes and handed them to Aize. The sharp-eyed Philon spotted a great tree that had swallowed up the ruins to the west and immediately called them over to take a look.

　When they arrived, Philen discovered that the tree was actually protected by a barrier. Frilian remembered that it was the magic set up by the great mage Vlamem. Thinking about her memories of Vlamem and the tree, Frilian said softly, "So you knew I would come here a thousand years ago? Heh, in the end, I still couldn't escape my master's grasp."

　As Frilian spoke, she placed her palm on the tree. In a burst of magical light, Frilian successfully opened the barrier and retrieved the magic notebook hidden within. The notebook contained Vlame's discovery, and when Frilian opened it, she happened to turn to this page, which contained the secret of how to communicate with the dead.

　"...At the far northern edge of the continent, I arrived at a place known to the world as Heaven, a place where souls slumber, Aureol. It is a place where many souls gather. I spoke with my former comrades. I believe this great discovery of the century will lead to a leap forward in the study of souls..."

　"It sounds incredible, could it really be true?"

　"Who knows? She's always been a very easygoing person."