join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter
A tall wooden gate stood before their eyes.
Around the wooden gate were interconnected wooden fences.
The villagers used this method to prevent sneak attacks from wild beasts.
"The wheat has been sown, and the harvest depends on the weather from now on."
At the stone house by the entrance of the Village, villagers gathered in twos and threes under the shade of the eaves, chatting.
"Is this the destination Village?"
Fern brushed back her hair and asked curiously.
"Is Mistress Frieren here to collect Magic?"
"No."
Frieren looked around, and after confirming it was the place in her memory, she walked towards the crowd.
"This time it's for something else."
Frieren said, giving Yulian a faint glance.
Yulian's face stiffened, and he immediately pretended he knew nothing.
"Is that Mistress Frieren?"
Seeing the group approach, an old man with white hair slowly stood up.
"It is I—"
"And you are?"
Frieren paused hesitantly.
Yulian, standing behind Frieren with Fern, had a look of anticipation, ready to watch a good show.
Yulian was very curious if Frieren knew that the old man before her was the child who had peeked under her skirt back then. He wondered what Frieren's reaction would be.
"Hehe, I am the Village chief here."
The old man smiled.
Frieren nodded lightly.
She didn't remember knowing any villagers here.
Even if she did, they should have been buried long ago.
But all of this seemed unimportant.
"Do you know where Qual's seal is?"
Frieren asked.
It was good that he knew; it made things much more convenient and saved a lot of trouble.
"I do."
"Come with me."
The Village chief squinted his eyes and set off to lead the way.
[Are you sure Qual has been taken away by you?]
[Certain, certain! I personally saw him onto the ship!]
Yulian asked Flenna uneasily, and only felt relieved after getting a definite answer, then followed.
"Qual is?"
Walking on the mountain path, Fern asked in confusion.
"The Elder Sage of Corruption, nicknamed Qual."
The Village chief replied with a faint smile.
"I don't know him..."
Fern was embarrassed.
"The Greater Demon who invaded here back then, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, the Elder Sage of Corruption."
Frieren explained.
Then she raised an eyebrow again and asked the Village chief strangely.
"Don't you hate him?"
"Back then, he burned, killed, and looted in the Village."
Frieren was greatly shocked that the Village chief spoke of Qual with such a relaxed attitude.
However, before the Village chief could answer, Yulian retorted.
"There was no burning, killing, or looting at all, alright!"
The Demon King Army back then was built by him personally!
It was absolutely, absolutely impossible for them to attack innocent civilians!
At most, they implemented curfews and controlled entry and exit to the Village!
The fighting and killing only happened with human Mages and armies!
"Qual was actually a pretty good person too!"
The Village chief smiled bitterly.
"Although it sounds a bit unconventional—"
"But I'm telling you, under the rule of the Demon Race, our lives were better than under the rule of the Kingdom—"
"Mistress Frieren, do you believe that?"
"That's impossible."
Frieren immediately retorted!
"The Demon Race only sees humans as food. Even if they treat humans well, it can only be temporary."
"It's similar to humans raising pigs and sheep, just for future slaughter."
"Hehe—"
"Perhaps!"
The Village chief appeared very calm, as if he had already guessed Frieren would say this.
What a strange person.
Fern quietly glanced at the old Village chief leading the way in front of her, feeling a bit confused.
She always believed that people like Yulian in the Demon Race were definitely a minority, and just like the various countries in the Southern Nations, profit and slaughter were the main themes of the Demon Race.
Good brother!
Yulian, on the other hand, was a bit moved, feeling as if he had discovered a bumper harvest in the experimental field he had worked so hard on for many years.
For a moment, it actually boosted Yulian's confidence quite a bit!
Frieren was not interested in chatting with the Village chief anymore, but Yulian became interested.
"Then Village chief, why do you think life would be better under Demon Race rule?"
Yulian quickly stepped forward and stood side by side with the Village chief.
This startled the old Village chief.
"Sir, you wouldn't be an official from the Kingdom, would you?"
The Village chief's body visibly trembled, his expression as if he wished he could slap himself.
"I.."
"He's not—"
Frieren ruthlessly interrupted Yulian.
"Just an adventurer like us."
"Is that so?"
The old Village chief confirmed again uneasily, and only let out a sigh of relief after seeing Yulian nod affirmatively.
"The Kingdom's taxes are too heavy—"
The old Village chief's expression was complex.
"And under Demon Race rule, not only were there no taxes, but because the war disrupted farming, they even gave us a lot of food."
"And something even more outrageous!"
"Can you believe it?"
The old Village chief nervously scanned his surroundings, and even though he knew it was impossible for anyone to be on the mountain at this hour, he still looked fearful.
"What?"
Frieren found it unbelievable.
"What, what!"
Yulian asked curiously.
This was the first time he had heard someone say these words.
And all of this seemed to be his own doing!
"After Qual was sealed by Mistress Frieren and the others back then, the first thing the King's army did after taking back the Village was to seize food."
"I don't know how many people starved to death that time!"
The old Village chief gritted his teeth with a chilling heart.
Fern and Frieren's beautiful eyes were full of disbelief.
Yulian was the same!
Yulian never even dreamed that those noble classes would be so outrageous!
They didn't even spare the life-saving food!
What's more, that food was given by the Demon King Army!
"I know Mistress Frieren doesn't believe it, but it's all old history now."
The old Village chief waved his hand casually, as if this made him feel better.
"Actually, under the Kingdom's rule, although life is a bit tough, it's still better than staying with the Demon Race."
"After all, everyone is fundamentally of different races—"
"Sigh..."
"There's still no sense of belonging."
Yulian couldn't believe that the young boy who had lifted Frieren's skirt back then would have such life insights at this moment.
"We're here."
The old Village chief stopped at an open space on a mountain top, not waiting for the emotional crowd to respond.
Yes, an open space.
"Qual... where is he?"
Frieren looked around in confusion, finding nothing but lush green trees.
The wind blew, carrying a faint scent of flowers.
"This—"
The old Village chief's body shook, and he looked around, but unfortunately, he found nothing either!
"Could it be that he broke the seal and is ambushing us nearby?"
Fern nervously summoned her staff and guarded her surroundings, but besides the occasional birds flying across the sky, there were no other living creatures!
Frieren gave Yulian a meaningful glance.
Yulian was already prepared to act and feigned surprise as well.
"Could it be that Sir Hero happened to resolve Qual when he came last time?"
The old Village chief said uncertainly.
"Thirty years ago, Sir Himmel would come to the Village almost every few years..."
"Himmel?"
Frieren was slightly surprised and fell into thought.
If it was Himmel, that possibility did exist...
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter