Frieren: I Reject My Humanity!

Chapter 264 264: The Instant

Hm?

As Miss Fíliya led Sense to the dance floor, she suddenly noticed something interesting.

"Well, if it isn't the star-crossed lovers."

Though they were still several meters away, Fíliya recognized the two familiar figures at a glance.

Dancing together, wrapped in an embrace, were the tavern waitress Iris and... the librarian, Miss Lutine.

Amidst her panic, Lutine hesitated before giving Fíliya a nod in greeting, but the other woman was clearly not as composed.

The moment her eyes met Fíliya's, Iris was visibly flustered. She quickly grabbed Lutine's wrist and fled towards the exit as if escaping.

"Tsk, tsk..."

Fíliya didn't go after them, simply standing her ground and letting out a sigh of lament.

"What's wrong?"

Sense was a little puzzled. She didn't understand why those two girls would turn and run the moment they saw Fíliya.

"Sigh... I just find this whole farce rather amusing. People who are risking their lives for a 'God-Slaying' actually dare to steal a moment of leisure to enjoy a ball... Of course, we don't have the right to mock them, either."

"Oh... so those two are 'Warriors in the Shadows'?"

"Mhm, something like that. Anyway, let's not worry about them."

After saying this, Fíliya formally extended an invitation to Sense.

"You won't step on my shoes, will you?"

Sense looked at Fíliya with a smile.

"Umm... I'll try my best?"

Fíliya's face showed a lack of confidence.

While it was true she had learned the simple dance steps, it had been a long time since she'd last tried. She wondered if she'd already returned that skill to Solitär. Stepping on Sense's shoes on an occasion like this would be a bit too much of a mood-killer.

Fortunately, such an unromantic event did not come to pass.

As the two danced, they continued their conversation.

"This feels so nostalgic. The little girl who used to just follow me around calling me 'Sister Sense' is suddenly taller than me in the blink of an eye."

Sense's tone was filled with emotion, but Fíliya's feelings were completely different.

"Mmm... if other people heard you say that, they'd think you're very old, you know."

"Is that so... Are you going to start disliking me then?"

"How could I... I think I have a bit of a strange quirk. I tend to easily fall for... hmm, people who are older than me."

Fíliya was smiling, but her expression suddenly turned to one of shock. She abruptly stopped dancing and looked at the spot behind Sense.

"Serie?"

Fíliya's tone was full of doubt, and the name she called out made Sense jump in fright, who quickly spun around to look behind her.

But... there was no one there.

...Just as Sense turned back, about to question Fíliya for playing such a childish prank.

Fíliya had already thrown herself into her arms, whispering into her ear.

"I'm sorry... Sense... Sister."

...Strange, this was all too strange.

Sense only felt her heart descend into turmoil. She didn't understand why Fíliya would do this. Her actions, her tone, her form of address... it all gave Sense a terribly ominous feeling.

Just as she was about to press for an answer.

"His Majesty, the Emperor, has arrived!"

A loud announcement came from the entrance of the banquet hall. The moment the voice rang out, everyone, whether on the dance floor or in the main hall, stopped what they were doing and rose to look towards the entrance.

"Let's go... the main event is about to begin."

Fíliya used this moment to lead the astonished Sense back to Serie's side.

The Emperor of the Empire, surrounded by a throng of officials, walked into the banquet hall and, in a calm voice, gestured for everyone not to stand on ceremony and to continue enjoying the evening as before.

After giving his instructions, the Emperor's gaze fell upon Serie's group, and he began to walk slowly towards them.

As the Emperor of the Empire, it was only natural for him to come and have a meeting with the supreme leader of the Continental Magic Association.

"Hmm... so this is the Emperor of the Empire. I feel... he's so plain."

Fíliya muttered under her breath.

In her eyes, this Emperor lacked the proper bearing of a monarch, looking more like a harmless, neighborly uncle.

His looks were average—not particularly handsome, but not bad either.

His build was average, matching the average height for men of the Northern Nations.

His gaze was neither gentle nor arrogant, but still very average, as if he held no strong desires for anything.

Fíliya had certainly not expected such a person to be the Emperor of the Empire.

Could it be...

In that instant, a possibility occurred to Fíliya.

Could the man before her be a body double? But there seemed to be no need to use one, right?

Curious, Fíliya shot a questioning look at Serie.

Serie gave her a slight shake of the head.

Oh... not a double. So it's really him.

This is truly...

Thinking this, Fíliya quickly moved forward to Serie's side.

[I'll act as your close-quarters guard... If there's any danger, it should be at this very moment.]

Fíliya made the request to Serie, and this time, Serie did not refuse her.

Thus, Fíliya followed half a step behind Serie as they moved to meet the Emperor.

Fíliya felt that something was off.

She had no interest in the so-called Emperor a short distance away, so her attention naturally spread to her surroundings.

Yes, that feeling of being locked on by the surveillance of the Goddess's Magic was growing stronger and stronger.

This gave Fíliya a premonition that she and Serie were walking straight into a vortex of killing intent.

And with every step they took, the rotational speed of this crimson vortex of killing intent increased by another notch.

After a few more steps, this feeling had reached a critical point, as if a divine weapon had been drawn to its absolute limit, ready to be unsheathed in the next instant.

[Wait, something's wrong. Stop. We can't take another step.]

Fíliya immediately warned Serie, believing that Serie must have sensed it as well.

But what happened next was beyond Fíliya's expectations....

She clearly hadn't lifted her leg, but judging by the pattern on the carpet beneath her feet, she had already taken a step forward.

...Did the process of me taking a step just vanish? No... I didn't get that feeling of a time-skip... And these guys definitely can't master time-skipping techniques, or they would have used that ability to make their move long ago.

Wait...

Fíliya instantly thought of a possibility.

It wasn't that she and Serie had taken a step forward.

It was that the tectonic plate of the entire Empire... had shifted back a single step relative to them.

...Just how much mana would that cost... Fíliya was shocked, but she immediately had another thought.

To go to such great lengths... just to make her and Serie move forward one small step, just to get them to a specific position... what on earth for?

But she had no more time to think. Without even a breath's interval, at least ten slashes from four different directions were already upon her and Serie.

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