"I have my own difficulties too, but how about this," With a hint of trouble, he spread his hands, "I'll fully open the castle's library to you, and arrange the best mages to teach you. When necessary, I'll also continue to help... how about that."
"'When necessary' has far too much wiggle room. If it's necessary, you'll have to answer. How about that?"
"I'll answer as best as I can."
"Then, it's a deal."
After all, what she wanted was only the newest and most comprehensive knowledge. Solitar did not push too hard, and with a softened smile, she extended her hand toward him.
And the moment these one-large-one-small hands clasped together, it signaled that yet another great demon had joined Ash's plans.
She was a strange one, but at times like this, it was better not to dwell too much on such issues.
———
In the royal capital, Solitar gradually became another resident great demon, while Ash himself was not in the capital every day. From time to time, he even took everyone north to the Demon King's Castle.
He moved Aura's undead army over there, had Linie study under the Blood God of War Rivale, while Aura and Solitar learned from the Sage of Corruption Qual. As for himself, he studied on both sides, pushing development at full throttle in both directions.
Between traveling back and forth between the royal capital and the Demon King's Castle, studying, working, and occasionally teasing Linie, time passed rather quickly. In the blink of an eye, it seemed Frieren's birthday was almost here.
If he accidentally missed Frieren's birthday, what would happen?
Ash figured she would be very angry, Frieren would add insult to injury, and most importantly, he personally had no intention of missing it.
So, on a certain morning after calculating the timing, he casually said he was heading out, that he would probably be back in a few months or a year, then simply packed his things and walked straight out of the study.
When they heard his voice, Aura was still lying in the rocking chair, lazily swaying without any intention of getting up, casually waving her hand.
Solitar, lying on the table reading, only gave a slight nod, not taking the matter to heart at all.
Only Linie, squatting on the floor and picking through a crate of fresh apples, looked over at the last moment, biting into an apple and speaking indistinctly, "Be careful on the road, Ash-sama. If it's convenient, bring me some apples from the central lands when you come back."
"Don't eat apples all day long. Eat some meat once in a while. How are you supposed to grow taller like this?"
"But isn't this what Ash-sama likes?", Linie tilted her little head in confusion. Hearing that, Ash instinctively stopped, turned back helplessly, and firmly denied it, "No!"
"But Aura-sama said so."
"She lied to you. And I want you to grow taller, you know."
"But my body has already set, so I can't grow anymore, and...", Linie turned her face slightly away, only revealing the real reason at the end, "I like eating apples."
"Then just say that! Don't casually use my preferences as a shield! What if someone who doesn't know hears it and really misunderstands?"
"Sorry. Then... next time I meet people, should I say Ash-sama likes big ones?"
"Don't say that!"
"Why?"
"I'll be treated like a pervert!"
"Then what should I say?"
"Just be normal."
"Likes normal ones?"
"That's not the normal I meant. I mean... forget it. Just don't say anything at all."
"Is that so? You could have just said that from the start. Ash-sama is really troublesome."
Linie took small bites of her apple with a blank expression, her words as tactless as ever.
'Is this child spoiled rotten by Aura and me?'
'Do I need to properly educate her later?'
With a numb expression, Ash held his forehead with one hand, pondering the root of his repeated failures at education.
If he had not been in such a hurry, Ash definitely would have properly educated this tactless little kid.
Unfortunately, he had suddenly remembered Fern's birthday.
Time always slipped by without notice. Being able to remember at the last moment was already lucky, so pressed for time, as he was leaving, he casually snatched an apple from Linie and stuffed it into his pocket, then flicked her forehead with his finger.
As the expressionless l0li cried out in pain and clutched her head in grievance, he left behind the words, "Reflect on yourself properly!" and stepped onto the window ledge outside the study without looking back.
As for everyone's indifference toward his departure, he did not really mind.
It could not be helped. For demons, going out for a few months or a year was about the same as ordinary people going out to play for a weekend.
Ash was already used to this sense of time. After sighing gloomily over Linie's personality, he shook his head and flew out from the royal capital's window ledge.
———
Based on the map obtained beforehand and the rough route learned from Frieren's side, Ash quickly locked onto two targets and, quite accurately.
Along the way, who knew how many flying monsters he had worked to death by catching them mid-route. After only a week, Ash returned to the Central Lands and discovered his targets in a small port city built against the mountains, like a jewel set into the azure coastline.
"As expected of me, hit it in one go~"
After indulging in his pride for a moment, he quickly showed a relieved expression:
"But... the time buffer really isn't enough. Today seems to be Fern's birthday. If I guessed wrong, I'd miss it entirely."
The city air carried a faint scent of seawater. The street buildings were all built of stone, with roofs painted entirely orange.
And among the continuous rows of residential houses, the familiar purple-haired girl was standing at a narrow crossroads for some reason, staring intently at the silver-haired twin-tailed elf walking farther and farther away, puffing out her cheeks like a pufferfish without saying a word.
That interesting and adorable face made Ash quietly sneak over. Taking advantage of her inattention, he reached out and gently poked her.
Psh~
With the sound of air leaking out, Fern was startled badly, reflexively jumping back and immediately pulling out her staff.
"Wait! Wait! Calm down, it's me!"
"Ash-sa...?"
The voice that had accompanied her since childhood made Fern's movements slow instantly. When she truly saw who it was, joy surfaced on her face without her noticing.
But then she immediately thought of something, puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, and stared at him like she was interrogating a criminal, "What... isn't this Ash-sama who likes to deceive people? You actually remembered me? What an honor. Truly. An. Honor."
"Uh... why did you repeat it twice?"
"Because it's important!"
Like a child throwing a tantrum, Fern glared at him angrily.
To avoid further provoking her, he could only play dumb and scratch his head, "Oh my~ even if you praise me like that, I don't know what expression I should make~"
"That's not praise!"
"More importantly, shouldn't a normal, long-awaited, touching reunion involve a heartfelt hug?"
"No way. I don't even know someone as irresponsible as Ash-sama!"
With a sulky expression, Fern ignored him as he spread his arms and quickly walked ahead.
"Is this a rebellious phase? Or is she really angry? She's almost sixteen though. Humans these days really grow up so fast."
Following after her, he sized Fern up, unable to help muttering in a voice he himself could hear.
Compared to when he left, not even a full year should have passed, yet Fern had already grown taller than Frieren. Especially her chest...
Even if Frieren teamed up with Linie, Solitar, and Aura, four against one, they probably still would not win.
Her waist-length purple hair flowed down like a cascading violet waterfall, adding an indescribable mystery and elegance to her delicate face.
Outside her white dress, the black robe looked plain at first glance, but cleverly concealed her proud curves, adding an extra layer of mystery and allure instead.
Time flew by. Without realizing it, the snot-nosed, innocent little girl from before had quietly grown into a flawless beauty.
To some extent, she was even developing in the direction of his preference... the mature older-sister type.
But watching a child he raised gradually become an older-sister type instead made his fantasies about that type fade.
It hurt him like a knife twisting in his heart.
Because he had even started worrying that he might stop liking older-sister types because of Fern.
Just like how people with an older sister rarely become sister-con, and people with a younger sister usually are not little-sister-con either.
"Sigh! Life is truly unpredictable..."
Looking at the girl's graceful back, he let out a long sigh, then quickened his steps, tidied his mood, and gently patted her head with a touch of emotion, "You've really grown up, Fern."
"W-What are you saying? You left without permission, and now you're acting like you care so much... Ash-sama really is awful," Even though she softened for a moment, Fern still shot him a cold look full of dissatisfaction.
To be honest, that deliberately cold expression did have some of that mature older-sister vibe.
But being treated differently by a child he had watched grow up only left him feeling a little hurt.
Seeing this, Fern's expression eased slightly, "What is it with that face. Are you actually reflecting this time?"
"Yes. And by the way, I did say I had important business."
"What important business could you possibly have? Aren't you basically idle?"
"Don't judge by appearances. I'm actually always worrying about the world, and working for world peace on the side."
"When did Ash-sama become so full of lies?"
Even though he was trying to tell the truth, Fern put one hand on her hip and sighed deeply, "You used to be more honest."
"In reality, I think I basically never lied to you, from when you were little until now."
"Hmph! I don't believe it. Ash-sama is completely treating me like a child."
"Hold on a second."
Seeing the sulking girl, he raised his hand to signal her to stop and spoke seriously, "I didn't toy with you, but... in reality, you are still a child, right?"
"I'm not! The way we look, people would definitely think we're..."
"From the vibe, probably a father and daughter?"
Ash chuckled, trying to ease the tension with humor.
"Ugh!"
Fern's cheeks flushed slightly. She was clearly embarrassed and helpless at the comparison, and the sound she made while puffing her cheeks showed even more dissatisfaction.
"Looks like my maturity and steadiness haven't been properly recognized."
Ash put on a deliberately aggrieved look, but his eyes were gentle as he brushed her cheek and smiled with relief:
"But no matter what, seeing how much you've grown really makes me happy."
"Ash-sama is always like this... so... so unfair!"
The familiar touch on her cheek made it impossible for Fern to maintain her last bit of dissatisfaction. Only embarrassment and frustration remained.
"Unfair?"
"Sneaking off, then coming back and pretending to be gentle... do you think I'm some woman who's easy to fool?"
"I don't think I was pretending... but, woman?"
"What! Say it. I won't get angry!"
Even though she said that, her expression already clearly showed her displeasure.
Ash was not stupid. Naturally, he smiled and nodded vaguely:
"It's nothing. Just that you've grown up into a fine young lady. Touching your face like that really isn't appropriate anymore. Yes, I'll reflect on it."
"B-But... if you put it that way, sometimes... it's not completely unacceptable?"
"It's acceptable again now?"
"A-Anyway! Hurry up and follow me! Frieren-sama is already getting far ahead!"
Seeing his surprised expression, Fern immediately turned away, as if trying to hide her current look, and jogged toward the direction where Frieren had disappeared.
Even Ash felt that something was a bit off about Fern's slightly unusual behavior.
But considering their respective positions, he forcefully shook his head, not letting himself think too deeply for now, and quickly followed after her.
———
Fern quietly followed behind the completely unaware Frieren, her sneaky appearance clearly that of a novice tailer.
At least Ash found it hard to judge her actions. Just as he was about to raise his hand and call out to Frieren ahead, Fern suddenly grabbed him from behind a wall, dragged him over, and pinned him against it.
Looking at his confused face, Fern immediately lowered her voice and said anxiously, "What are you doing?"
"Doing what? No, honestly, I have no idea why you're being so sneaky."
"Is that so? I guess I haven't explained yet..."
Fern paused for a moment, then explained with a hint of indignation:
"You know that when we travel, I'm the one in charge of all the daily necessities, right?"
"It was always like that. I know."
"But today, Frieren-sama suddenly shook her head and said we should split up to replenish supplies, and she even had a suspicious look on her face! She's definitely planning to buy some weird stuff!"
"Like what?"
"Strange bones, or potions that only dissolve clothes. Completely useless! And that potion is expensive too!"
Fern complained endlessly about Frieren, clearly hoping he would join in condemning her.
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