Fifty-ninth year before the Sinseki Era, the first year of the Hero party's departure.
On the morning of the fifth day of Agusheed's journey to find Serie:
Hero Himmel awakened from a full night's sleep.
Slowly rising from the floor—
He silently focused his gaze on the tall figure sitting on the bed's edge not far from him.
—Agusheed
If his expectations were correct, this figure that made Himmel feel immense pressure just by looking at it...
Was the father Frieren had spoken of.
Surveying his surroundings as much as possible—
After discovering that Eisen and Heiter on the floor beside him were not in danger, merely sleeping as well, Himmel quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
As the first of the three to wake, Himmel didn't make the foolish choice to continue 'pretending to sleep.'
Knowing that his every move was certainly under observation from that figure, he calmly straightened up.
Without making any sound to disturb—
Himmel simply sat quietly on the floor, watching Agusheed ahead, who hadn't even raised his head.
He sat familiarly beside the sleeping Frieren—
And the white-haired elf seemed to know this even in her dreams.
Like a child who hadn't grown up,
Even without opening her eyes, both hands tightly embraced her father's waist.
Although the blue-haired hero also hoped that one day the unromantic white-haired elf could embrace him like this,
Watching all this, he felt no jealousy in his heart.
Because...
This was the first time Himmel had seen Frieren sleep so peacefully beside someone.
But that made sense—
How could a son-in-law be jealous of his own father-in-law?
Under Himmel's gaze—
Agusheed seemed not to resist the white-haired elf's behavior...
Or rather, he appeared quite accustomed to it.
Agusheed's hand never stopped, gently patting Frieren's back in a regular rhythm.
Over and over, with gentle movements.
In Himmel's eyes, this was completely an old father coaxing his little daughter to sleep.
On any other day, Himmel would have smiled at this warm and happy scene.
If—
He hadn't seen those undoubtedly demonic 'horns' on Agusheed's head...
Completely unprepared for this, Himmel couldn't move his gaze from that most distinctive feature of a demon.
A demon.
The 'father' Frieren spoke of—
Was a demon.
And undoubtedly, absolutely a top-tier Grand Demon of unreasonable strength.
Himmel was very clear.
He could see this pair of 'horns' because Agusheed had never intended to hide this fact from the beginning.
Yes, he naturally had no need to hide...
Because that silent, invisible pressure that almost made Himmel unable to breathe—
Was the reason for his supreme arrogance!
If it were in the past, facing such a Grand Demon—
Even if trapped in a cage, without weapons at hand,
Even knowing he couldn't win, that even escape was a fantasy—
Himmel would never sit here like this, waiting to be slaughtered.
But this time was different...
This time, Himmel only sat silently, making no movement.
Not only because his absolute trust in Frieren prompted him to make such a choice,
More importantly, what truly calmed Himmel's restless heartbeat—
Was the look in Agusheed's eyes when he gazed at Frieren's sleeping face with a peaceful expression.
For a moment...
The blue-haired hero couldn't think of any words to describe that gaze.
Gentle, doting...
Sad, nostalgic...
Why?
Why would such contradictory and complex emotions appear simultaneously in one person's eyes?
Especially... in the eyes of a cold-blooded, tearless demon?
Himmel didn't know, and he himself was confused by this.
Wait...
He's looking at... not just Frieren...
Long observation made Himmel confirm this thought again.
That's right, the sadness and nostalgia emerging from his eyes...
Wasn't directed at the sleeping Frieren—
But at that deep red earring she had never removed...
That earring seemed very important to him.
But—
For a demon, aside from their own life...
Could there really be something that would make them show such a sorrowful expression?
Realizing this, Himmel fell into confusion again.
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
The sound of the old but sturdy clock's hands echoed in the room.
Like a bell before judgment—
Making one's throat unconsciously swallow, breathing heavier.
Himmel, carrying a series of incomprehensible confusions,
Sat quietly on the floor in such an environment, leaning against Heiter and Eisen behind him.
Seconds felt like months, days like years...
Ding—
When the old clock's numbers slowly stopped at VIII,
Under Himmel's extremely tense gaze—
Agusheed finally slowly moved his sight from Frieren's sleeping face,
Then slowly settled it on his own face.
Their gazes met.
The cold look from his future father-in-law (as he thought) made Himmel want to turn his head away somewhat awkwardly.
Because under these eyes, the blue-haired hero felt he had no secrets left.
Completely, utterly exposed before Agusheed.
And Himmel's feeling was undoubtedly correct—
Because the first thing he heard Agusheed say was an answer to the confusion in his eyes.
"No need to be confused..."
"Whether about my identity or my recent sentimentality."
Agusheed, who had anticipated and understood all of Himmel's current doubts, spoke flatly.
His hand rested on the deep red teardrop-like earring on Frieren's ear.
With an extremely cold yet calm tone, he provided answers to all of Himmel's confusion.
"As you can see, I am undoubtedly a demon, and moreover a Grand Demon who has lived for over a thousand years."
"As for my recent sentimentality, it was merely because I saw a relic my wife left for my child and became somewhat lost in thought."
Under Himmel's gaze, Agusheed set aside Frieren's hands that were wrapped around his waist,
Then slowly stood up, introducing himself with arrogance and desolation.
"My name is Agusheed the Destructive—"
"I am the strongest Grand Demon who has survived from the mythical age until now, long forgotten by humans and even history."
Without giving any chance to respond—
Under Himmel's astonished gaze, his future father-in-law delivered his own show of power.
This was directed at one person alone, from the world's strongest mage—
Absolute intimidation!!!
Undoubtedly, Himmel would faint again before this peak power of the world.
—It should have been so.
At least Agusheed had initially intended exactly that.
But the small hand that gently hooked around his palm made Agusheed's action pause.
"Papa..."
With eyes tightly closed, her small face wrinkled—
Like having a nightmare, the white-haired elf unconsciously reached out and grabbed her old father.
In unreasonable dependence and security, Frieren murmured softly.
So—
Agusheed lowered his eyes, gently caressing his little daughter's cheek.
Under Himmel's relieved gaze of being 'saved,'
The intimidation disappeared.
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Powerstones?
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