On the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, Eiseberg, in the village of Luvina.
Beside a gently flowing stream, a little girl doing laundry stared absentmindedly.
Her dull gray eyes blinked slowly.
She was staring dazedly at a couple cooking outdoors not far from her.
It wasn't because she envied their fine clothes—
But because the older girl sitting on a large rock by the river was waving a skewer of grilled fish at her.
After checking there was no one else nearby, the little girl pointed at herself.
And once Flamme nodded in confirmation—
She had no idea why this noble-looking couple would greet her so warmly.
But the vigilance from a childhood as an orphan—
Kept her frozen in place, ready to run at any moment.
Seeing the little girl refuse to approach no matter what—
Flamme glanced at the delicious grilled fish in her hand.
Then turned to look at her husband's blank expression.
"Agusheed," she declared with certainty.
"It's your fault. That stiff face of yours scared her."
Agusheed sighed and calmly refuted:
"I don't think I'm the one who scared her—"
"If anything, the suspicious-looking one is you."
He looked toward the wary little girl still standing in place.
Spotting a few wild berries and half a piece of black bread tucked beside her faded skirt—
Agusheed picked up a grilled fish and stood up under Flamme's gaze.
He pointed to the berries at her waist, then to the grilled fish in his hand.
"We're short on fruit for lunch. Can we trade for some?"
His tone was cold and awkward—
But the little girl seemed to accept it.
As the smell of grilled fish wafted toward her—
She gulped and gave a firm nod.
The trade was smooth. Agusheed and Flamme gained a handful of wild berries.
The girl, meanwhile, ran off with the fish and stopped about twenty meters away.
"See? Clearly it was you who scared her,"
Agusheed commented flatly after the demonstration.
Flamme sighed, realizing she had worse rapport than her demon husband—
And leaned against his shoulder.
Agusheed handed her another grilled fish and asked softly:
"Why the sudden urge for a picnic?"
"Normally, on days off, you love supervising Frieren's magic practice around now."
Flamme took a bite of the mouthwatering fish and answered in contentment:
"Frieren keeps complaining I don't give her enough vacation, and today I just wanted to be alone with you—"
"So, to have the best of both worlds, I came up with the brilliant idea of a picnic."
Agusheed lightly shook his head at her inexplicable joy.
It sounded like a flimsy excuse—
But somehow perfectly in character for Flamme.
He picked up one of the wild berries they traded, not caring about its appearance or type.
The taste was as sour as expected.
"Flamme, is there something about this village that interests you?"
He glanced at the ordinary village in the distance and the unremarkable little girl nearby.
Flamme tilted her head, seemingly not catching his meaning.
"You picked this spot for the view, right?"
He bit into the berry again.
"But I don't recall us ever coming here before."
"So… what's the real reason you had to visit this place?"
Caught red-handed, Flamme sighed.
"I feel like I have fewer and fewer secrets from you…"
She sat up on the rock, kicking her legs lightly.
Agusheed said nothing, quietly watching her.
Half a minute passed in silence—
Flamme, flustered by his gaze, nudged his shoulder.
"Actually… there's no special reason."
She rested her head on her hand and looked toward the distant smoke rising from the village.
"A few days ago, I stumbled upon one of Serie's travel journals while sorting old books."
Agusheed raised an eyebrow and set the berry down.
"Did it mention some unique scenery around here?"
Flamme nodded slightly, eyes landing on the simple river before them.
"In the Mythic Era, according to her notes—"
"When the sun reached its highest point, the river would be enchanted by a mysterious magic."
"If you infused it with mana, it would record the image of the mage."
She paused, absently twirling a strand of hair.
"Of course, the spell probably faded after all these years…"
"But for some reason, I just wanted to see it."
Agusheed followed her gaze—
The quiet stream showed no trace of magic.
"You wanted to leave your image here… why?"
It was a question Flamme expected. She chuckled softly.
She turned and looked at her unchanging husband.
"Because I want to be remembered."
She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek.
"Just like when I put up statues of myself while traveling—"
"I want my appearance and story to live on."
Agusheed said nothing, silently watching her.
He was about to turn away—
But her next words froze him.
Flamme looked gently at her oblivious husband, legs swinging lightly.
"I don't want you to be alone in the future."