"No, that really was a misunderstanding!", As far as his personal tastes were concerned, Ash felt he absolutely had to clear things up properly.
But Frieren looked like she didn't know what to do with him anymore, "Alright, alright. Anyway, that empire is probably already destroyed, so it doesn't really matter if you just say it, right?"
"No, I'm serious. What I like are normal pretty girls."
"At your age, you're still thinking about an old cow eating tender grass?"
"But men will always like eighteen-year-old pretty girls."
"That's really awful."
"What? What's wrong with that, or is it because you're too old yourself, so—"
"Second time. There won't be a next time."
Just a moment ago she had been joking with him in a relaxed tone, but the instant age was mentioned, Frieren's face went stiff. She seriously held up two fingers, leaving him dumbfounded for what felt like the umpteenth time that day.
"Wait... you're still keeping count?"
"Of course."
"That's holding a grudge way too hard, isn't it? It's been a thousand years! Shouldn't it have reset by now?"
"No. There won't be a next time. You remember that too."
She'd been smiling just moments ago, but when it came to age, Frieren absolutely refused to budge. Her small face cold, she emphasized the importance of it seriously.
At this point, even Ash could only raise both hands and surrender, forced to give in.
Only then did Frieren gradually put away her serious expression, the corners of her mouth lifting with a hint of satisfaction, before she busied herself preparing lunch.
Despite the slightly odd little interlude, lunch here was nothing more than wild vegetables, mountain mushrooms, and simple smoked meat.
But at the table, the two chatting and laughing together were more harmonious than ever before.
As if the long passage of time had never created even the slightest distance between them, everything felt as though it had returned to a thousand years ago.
———
Inside Frieren's wooden cabin, the two happily shared lunch together and then leisurely chatted the afternoon away.
Later, under the cover of night, they wandered together through the mountain forest.
Ash shamelessly spent the night sleeping on the wooden floor of the cabin.
By the next morning, Frieren led him to the wide hills not far away.
Between the endlessly rolling hills, the vast land seemed draped in a sacred veil, countless white flowers blooming across it.
As far as the eye could see, the sea of flowers stretched without end.
And right in the center of that flower sea stood an upright stone monument, with Flamme's name clearly carved upon it.
"This sea of flowers, you made it with magic, didn't you?"
Gazing at the magnificent scenery before him, then at the familiar name on the gravestone, his eyes unconsciously shifted to the girl beside him.
"You know, right? Master's favorite magic was the Fivefold Magic that creates beautiful flower fields... so I often come here to use it."
"But I remember you weren't interested in that kind of magic before."
"That's true," Frieren nodded slightly, "But in the end, when Master was about to die, I asked her to teach it to me."
"Why?"
"Why? No... how should I describe that feeling? I don't know," Frieren looked at the gravestone, faintly furrowing her brow, her expression troubled, "I just... wanted to learn it, I guess?"
"I see," He nodded thoughtfully, then couldn't help asking, "By the way, Frieren, what's your favorite magic?"
"The magic that creates beautiful flower fields."
"I mean yours, not Flamme's."
"Probably that one too."
"And you still say you like magic."
"Can't I like all of it?"
Being pressed like this made Frieren a little unhappy, and she even shot back, "Then what about you, Ash? What magic do you like?"
"It's not that it's wrong, just... hmm, for me it'd be gravity, I guess?"
"Why?"
"The magic I relied on to survive at the beginning. If I hadn't learned it, that troublesome little sister of mine and I would've died a long time ago."
"Speaking of which, you have a sister too," At this topic, Frieren's expression darkened slightly, "I was thinking, Ash."
"What?"
"When you found out your sister had died, how did you feel?", Even now, she still couldn't understand the feelings she'd had when she cried a thousand years ago, and unconsciously she looked to him for help.
"How did I feel when my sister died?"
Now that he knew Aura was still alive and even doing quite well, being asked this made his expression gradually turn complicated.
Noticing this keenly, Frieren instead showed a guilty look.
"Sorry, let's forget it. You supported each other all the way here, so you must've had a very deep bond, right?"
"Probably."
"Probably?"
"Don't worry about it."
He tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, staring at the sky, just trying to avoid letting her see the awkward expression he couldn't quite suppress.
At this moment, Frieren was unexpectedly considerate. Without saying anything, she simply patted his shoulder.
After a long silence, Ash suddenly spoke again.
"By the way..."
"What?"
"Those strange spells on your desk, they're not Flamme's, right?"
"When I have free time, I collect them from all over. And...", Perhaps thinking of something amusing, Frieren's smile returned, "Two hundred years ago, I opened a chest that was identified as a mimic, but there really was a grimoire inside, you know?"
"Well, one percent doesn't mean zero."
"Exactly, right?", As Frieren lifted her head smugly, her long ears bobbed up and down with the motion.
Finding it amusing, he chuckled, "So, what kind of magic was inside?"
"A spell that makes your body give off a pleasant scent."
"Uh... so is that useful, or not?"
"The type of scent differs from person to person."
"Hm... If you're dirty, it could be useful in a pinch, right? And if everyone smells different, that sounds kind of interesting?", He rubbed his chin and thought for a long while before giving this vague response, making the curve of Frieren's smile rise even more.
"Right?"
"Thinking about it, you could try looking for it yourself. A magic you truly like. It doesn't have to be for combat. What matters is that it's interesting, something you personally like."
"Like... I understand ordinary liking, but something that specific feels kind of hard to grasp."
"It's fine. You, of all people, definitely can," Looking at his still somewhat clueless old friend, warmth shone in Ash's eyes, and he casually reached out to pat her head.
"I... can too?", Noticing the warmth in his gaze, Frieren froze in place for a moment before snapping back to her senses, swatting his hand away irritably.
"I thought you'd become more composed, but... don't touch my head when you feel like it. You'll mess up my hair, won't you?"
"It's fine."
"How is it fine?"
"At least my hair's not messed up."
"You really... haven't changed at all."
Though her tone was a bit rough and clearly teasing him, Frieren herself didn't know why she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from lifting.
Even though they were all trivial things, somehow... it felt pretty nice.
She even found herself thinking that maybe she really could listen to him and try looking for a magic she liked.
And so the leisurely days continued on quietly, five days passing by in the blink of an eye.
At last, the person they had agreed to meet, the Southern Hero, appeared atop that desolate hill.
———
That morning, with rare free time on their hands, Ash and Frieren were learning how to identify edible wild plants among the bushes.
Frieren, who still hadn't asked why he was here at this time, suddenly seemed to think of something and looked up at him.
"Though it's a bit sudden, Ash, are you afraid of death?"
"Uh! That's way too sudden, isn't it?", Ash turned back, dumbfounded, but her expression was unusually serious.
"If there's anything you want to do, tell me."
"What's with this situation? Don't suddenly raise weird flags for me, okay? I'm not even heading to a battlefield yet, am I?"
"Is that so? Then tell me when you think of something, anything is fine."
"I was just thinking..."
"Did you think of something?"
"No... I was thinking that right now, maybe I'm allowed to get angry and hit you," As he spoke, Ash gave her head a loud smack.
"That hurts!", Caught completely off guard, Frieren clutched her head with both hands, still squatting there, and complained indignantly.
"Why hit me right when I'm asking something? I didn't agree to that at all."
"Good question. But if I asked you, would you agree?"
"Of course not!", Frieren answered instantly without a second thought, making Ash smile.
"Then why would I wait for your answer?"
"Huh? That sounds like... no, wait, if that's the case, why ask at all?"
"Because it makes me look more democratic."
Facing the girl's frustrated expression, Ash earnestly laid out this opinion that clearly wouldn't be accepted.
But—
"Democratic?"
Forget the opinion, Frieren didn't even understand the word.
"It means respecting other people's wishes."
"Does someone who respects others go around hitting them?"
"Not necessarily. Sometimes it's for education. Like now," He placed his hand on Frieren's head, looking into her dull yet resentful emerald eyes, and spoke seriously, "I know you're worried about me, but isn't this way of doing it kind of strange? It makes it feel like I'm about to die any moment."
"Somehow... I'm sorry."
"Wait, shouldn't you be hitting back right now?"
This was different from before. The girl was clearly being far too gentle, making Ash uncomfortable all over.
He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, and before he could say anything else, he just roughly ruffled her hair.
At that moment, unmistakable footsteps sounded in the distance.
Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man with long hair and a beard, twin swords at his waist, and instinctively withdrew his hand.
Frieren followed his gaze, then glanced at his expression, tidying her hair as she asked calmly and curiously, "Someone you know?"
"Yeah, it's a bit hard to explain," Ash stood up, wearing a slightly troubled expression as he observed his long-separated friend.
In truth, he'd never formally become the man's disciple. Their relationship was probably best described as both teacher and friend.
He had trusted him quite a bit, but the future Frank spoke of differed greatly from what Schlacht had described, leaving him unable to grasp what either of them was really planning, or... what they were calculating.
"Long time no see, Ash. And Miss Frieren."
Frank stopped in front of them, smiling as he looked at Frieren, who had just stood up while holding Ash's hand.
"You told this person about me?", Frieren looked curiously at Ash, but he shook his head.
"No, I don't think I ever mentioned you."
"Then—"
"Miss Frieren, may I speak with you alone?", Before Frieren could respond, Frank suddenly cut in.
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