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Gentle sunlight passed through the gaps of the leaves—the warm breath of the afternoon air passed by the resting figures beneath the trees.
Lying in the grass was the hero’s party. Bruised and beaten from annoying monsters, they decided to take a moment’s rest. Exhausted from the fight, Eisen, Heiter, and Frieren lay flat in the grass.
Himmel, on the other hand, chose to sit and lean on a nearby tree. He sighed in relief; they managed to get out safely.
The battle was exhausting. A barrage of monsters suddenly came out of nowhere in the middle of the forest. Good thing Frieren was able to sense them before the group reached them.
The monsters weren’t that bad; it’s the amount that’s difficult. The fight left them gasping and panting, but nothing they couldn’t handle.
He relaxed his shoulders. Maybe he could have a nap? Just for a moment, the weather is nice today . Himmel took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
__
“Aaahh, to have a good drink right now…” Heiter bemoaned from his spot, staring at the sky.
Eisen grumbled, “You drunkard, I’m not carrying your ass when you blackout.
“Aww… Frieren, will you carry me?”
Frieren stared at him. “Tsk, corrupt priest,” she deadpanned.
“How about you, Himmel?”
“…”
“Himmel?”
Heiter sat up and looked around. He spots him on the tree nearby. “Oh, He’s asleep,”
“Let him sleep. He’s clearly exhausted.” Eisen sat up, “It’s almost night, might as well set up camp here,” and started to fix the space around them.
Heiter nodded and stood up, “I’ll get us some firewood.”
Seeing the others, Frieren also stood up, “I think there’s some food left from this morning, i’ll go check,”
__
Moments passed, and the sky turned golden. The hero’s party gathered in the campsite.
They sat around the campfire base, with Eisen setting it up. Heiter and Frieren sat at the side watching him.
Frieren was watching and looking around until she spotted him. “Huh, Himmel is still asleep,” she commented.
Heiter turned to look at him, “Hey, there’s something in his head.”
Curious, Frieren slowly crept up towards the sleeping figure.
Her eyes widened, “It’s a seed rat.” The tiny critter is lying directly on Himmel’s head, sleeping.
“Wait, really?” Heiter grinned and slowly walked towards her.
“Yeah, look.”
“THAT is SO ADORABLE.” Heiter smiled. “Eisen,” he called out.
“I wonder how he sleeps so perfectly still.” Frieren mused.
“I wonder why you sleep like a child.”
“Corrupt priest.”
“HA HA!”
Eisen made his way over them, “Quiet down, you two,” he scolded. But it’s too late, Himmel shifted. The sudden movement caused the seed rat to jolt awake. As if confused, the tiny critter looked around. As it scanned the area, it suddenly locked eyes with Frieren.
They stared at each other for a moment.
Big black eyes stared at emerald green.
“Hmm…”
The sudden break of silence shook the two out of their stupor. Taking this as a cue, the tiny critter jumped off Himmel’s head and climbed the tree behind him.
__
“Oh, so that’s where it came from.”
A muffled voice greeted him as he awoke. Himmel shifted; his neck hurt.
“Ow…”
“Oh, he’s awake.” someone said.
Himmel stretched and cracked his neck, opening his eyes in the process.
He was greeted by his party staring at him.
“What? Was my sleeping face that dashing to you?” He grinned.
Simultaneously, their faces changed. Frieren let out an exasperated sigh. Heiter laughed, and Eisen… His helmet blocked his face, but he could see an eye twitch. A small twitch.
“A seed rat was sleeping in your hair.”
“What?”
__
The sound of turning pages stopped.
She closed the notebook.
“What’s written inside?”
Frieren stared at the statue in front of her. A decade of memories flashed through her head.
“A most ordinary diary.” A soft smile graced her features, “the silly everyday life of his journey.”