Chapter 113 – A Big Revelation
"Robin, someone like you wouldn't understand."
"In the history of magic, a single accidental discovery can change the entire world."
Frieren lifted her head toward the Goddess Monument, as if gazing upon the Goddess herself.
"When humanity first received the sacred scriptures, people thought they were just ordinary books."
"But when someone finally succeeded in deciphering them, the faith of the entire world was transformed."
"And then what, Frieren?"
Robin asked flatly.
"Don't tell me you're planning to change the world with a stone slab and a pig."
Frieren closed her eyes and spread her hands, as if trying to block out his ignorance through sheer willpower.
"Robin, to you, I'm just copying inscriptions and talking to a pig."
"But in the pursuit of magic, people have done things far more absurd than this."
"You probably can't even imagine it, can you?"
She opened her eyes again, smiling faintly—but still not looking at him.
With that same quiet smile, she walked past him and left behind a single sentence:
"Someone who can't even imagine… could never understand the subtlety of magic."
Her figure disappeared into the darkness of the cave.
Robin snorted.
"Pursuing magic…"
"Changing the world…"
"What's there to study about a broken stone and a lazy pig that eats and sleeps all day?"
But just as his words fell—
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something strange.
The pig.
The pig had just—
…rolled its eyes at him.
"…Huh?"
Robin froze.
For a split second, he could have sworn—
That pig had understood him.
Robin rubbed his chin, staring at the pig in confusion.
The pig simply wiggled its rear, turned around, and flopped back down into the flower field to sleep.
"…Strange."
"Guess I'm just tired."
---
Half a month later, on a bright and pleasant afternoon, Elias sat in the garden, leisurely sipping fresh flower tea.
"Snort… huff… grrhk…"
He raised his head slowly.
"That sound is… a pig?"
"Snort huff grr…"
Another snort.
He didn't even need to try locating the source.
With a disturbance this bizarre—
Who else could it be?
"Snort snort huff!"
The sound drew closer, climbed the steps, passed through the back door—
And stopped right in front of him.
Elias blinked.
"Frieren… is the pig nose and pig ears some new fashion trend?"
She didn't argue. Instead, she calmly removed the pig snout and spoke in her normal voice.
"You remember this pig nose, right? I begged you to buy it for two silver Strahls."
"I don't remember. Items without value don't deserve space in my memory."
"…Fine."
She puffed her cheeks slightly.
"This pig nose translates human speech into pig language."
"Oh~ How astonishing~"
"Elias!"
"Could you not—"
"Alright, continue."
Frieren then removed the pig ears as well.
"And this… I created myself. A magical tool that allows one to understand pig speech."
"It's only a prototype, but the reverse-engineering of the magical structure is sound."
Elias looked puzzled.
"Don't tell me you've spent the last half month on this?"
"It was necessary!"
She firmly placed the pig ears onto his head.
"Talking to myself would look strange."
"So, Elias, help me test it. When I speak, pay attention to whether the mana flow remains stable."
"…And what exactly am I supposed to hear?"
Elias wiggled the pig ears.
"Your voice? Or a pig's?"
Frieren answered instantly:
"A pig's."
"…No, wait."
"It should be my voice."
"So is it a pig or you?"
She saw the amusement in his expression and took a deep breath.
"Fine. It should be my voice, transformed into pig sounds, then back into my voice."
"If you can hear my complete voice, it proves the pig ears work."
"As you command."
Elias nodded theatrically.
Frieren put the pig nose back on and spoke:
"Grrh… come… huff… have a… snort… big… melon!"
Elias remained expressionless.
"Regrettably, Frieren."
"Aside from scattered pig noises, I only heard: 'Come have a big melon.'"
"…Are you sure?"
She frowned thoughtfully.
"What about the mana flow?"
"Overall stable, but lacking precision in the finer details. Just like your speech—fragmented. It needs more refinement."
"So you intend to spend the remaining half month on this?"
Frieren removed the pig ears from his head and replied calmly,
"I have my reasons."
She turned to leave, but Elias called after her.
"Wait."
"So what was the full sentence you meant to say? 'Come have a big melon'—what was the rest?"
She turned back with a bright smile.
"Elias is a big idiot."
---
Refining the magical tool proved far more difficult than creating it.
Frieren poured nearly all her time and energy into it. After relentless effort, she managed to raise the pig ears' comprehension rate to seventy percent.
But it wasn't enough.
In language, a thirty percent loss of information was fatal.
Yes, she could compensate through repeated confirmation—but magic, to her, was meant to simplify complexity.
She wanted perfection.
Yet only five days remained before her bet with Robin expired.
It clearly wasn't enough time.
Even Elias noticed her growing agitation—she would gulp down her meals and sprint back to her room at top speed.
It reminded him of distant memories from school days long past.
On the eve of the final day, Frieren pushed the comprehension rate to eighty percent.
Her face, however, was filled with frustration.
She didn't even appear at breakfast.
Elias calmly wiped his mouth.
Extending his hearing into her room, he heard her miserable groan:
"I've given it everything…"
"And it's still only eighty percent…"
"When I modified the pumpkin spell before, it was so easy…"
"Are pig ears as mysterious as human hair?"
Elias silently acknowledged:
Pig structure was indeed surprisingly similar to humans.
For Frieren to reach this level within a month already demonstrated immense talent.
The remaining twenty percent…
Would require time.
Or something beyond time.
"No! I have to try one last time!"
As she steeled herself—
Elias sighed softly.
And flicked his fingers.
Moments later, a scream echoed through the house.
"It worked!!"
"One hundred percent… it actually worked!!"