Frieren 86

Title: What to Do If a Greater Demon Pretending to Be Young Proposes to You?

The flying monsters controlled by Aura, carrying their group under the escort of the Magic Knight Corps, soared past the fortress city now turned to gold.

During the process, Ash, still in the sky, exchanged a brief glance with Macht, who sat by the city’s fountain, seemingly deep in thought.

No words were spoken, just a fleeting look, then they parted ways.

Macht gave the impression he’d been sitting there for the past forty years. Ash didn’t know what Macht was thinking, only… (Why hasn’t this guy broken the barrier? Why does he keep sitting there?)

Ash couldn’t fathom why Macht kept musing there. If he wanted to leave, the barrier shouldn’t easily contain him.

Was it that Macht couldn’t or wouldn’t? Or did he enjoy the feeling of being confined?

Ash truly didn’t understand. He even hugged Linie in his arms tighter, feeling that no matter how he thought about it… compared to cold gold, this soft, warm girl was far better!

Just as he thought this, Aura, sitting opposite, gave him a disgusted look and said maliciously: “…Ash, somehow, your face looks super perverted.”

“Not perverted at all! It’s a look of affection! Your eyes are the problem. Go to a church to get them checked.”

“You, Ash, daring to talk about affection. Truly shameless.”

“You’re the last person with the right to say that to me.”

Honestly, if he weren’t holding Linie, Ash would’ve wanted to teach Aura a lesson.

But as he considered setting Linie down briefly, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the forest below.

It was a girl in a white dress, with waist-length teal hair and small demon-like horns on her forehead.

Her body was petite. Her beautiful, slightly childish face bore a gentle, harmless smile. Rather than a girl, she felt somewhere between a little girl and a young woman. Noticing Ash’s gaze, she raised her hand… and waved at him cheerfully.

This seemingly innocent and elegant demon girl… Ash happened to know her.

She was a great demon unknown to humans, leaving no trace in human history—Solitär.

Though humans didn’t know of her, Aura clearly did, and upon seeing Solitär, she showed disgust again: “That old hag, always pretending to be young…”

“Aura-sama, you have high standards.” Linie casually tossed her eaten apple out the window, discreetly wiping her hand on Ash’s clothes.

Realizing this, Ash immediately showed annoyance and swatted her small hand: “Linie! Who taught you that? It’s so rude!”

“Sorry, Ash-sama… But there’s nothing here to wipe my hands on…” Linie lowered her head sadly, covering her hand with a frustrated expression: “And didn’t you say a girl’s image is important? So…”

“…A girl’s image isn’t just about appearance. Behavior is part of it too.”

How to properly educate this child and make her an outstanding woman? …Honestly, Ash was nearly giving up. Turning back to the demon girl on the ground, he couldn’t help sighing: “By the way, how old is Solitär?”

“Why not ask her yourself?” Aura looked uninterested.

“Good point. Since we’ve met, I’ll say hi.”

After a moment’s thought, Ash actually jumped from the sky carriage toward Solitär, under Aura’s shocked gaze.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the forest near the barrier, a figure shot from the sky like a meteor. At the last moment before hitting the ground, an invisible force gently supported him, letting him hover briefly before landing lightly.

Throughout, only the strong wind from his landing scattered leaves, leaving no crater in the ground.

This scene, shifting from extreme turbulence to harmonious silence, made Solitär clap delightedly and praise: “The last time we met… was before the Demon King died, right? It hasn’t been eighty years. You’ve grown again, Ash. I’m so pleased.”

“Solitär, I’ve always had a question.”

“What?”

“How old are you?”

“…That? Hmm~ eight hundred?” Solitär tilted her small head with an ambiguous smile, giving a casual, uncertain number.

“No, I remember you said you dislike war because your friend died in a war started by the Demon King to understand humans. But the Demon King who just died ruled for over a thousand years and never started wars before, so…”

“Ugh, how mean~ How dare you guess a girl’s age like that. Has Ash entered a rebellious phase too?”

Ash’s analysis made Solitär feign displeasure, showing a puzzled smile.

“…No, I’m mature enough.”

“Only among humans. To your big sister, you’re still a little brother~” Solitär stood on tiptoe, smiling as she patted his head.

This odd action gave Ash a headache: “…What are you doing?”

“Ara? Isn’t this a gesture of affection?”

“Affection?”

“Big sister always liked you~ Schlacht told me to go with you to release Qual’s seal and convince Qual to obey you… That’s because I, your big sister, really like you~”

Solitär gently clasped her hands behind her back, leaning slightly forward. She looked up with a flower-like smile, revealing why she cooperated with him to subdue Qual when the Hero Party defeated the Demon King.

But being liked by someone this dangerous made Ash step back discreetly: “…Let me clarify, what kind of ‘like’? Not the kind where you want to kill me, right?”

“No way~ And I’m a pacifist. Of course, it’s your eyes that matter most. That mix of human and demon emotions, I really want to study you~”

“…Mutual killing and dissecting, forget it.”

“That’s why I said, what are you talking about? I’m not cruel. My liking is more like human goodwill. And… from your goals, I see mine. Meaning—we really think alike~!”

Solitär, longing for human-demon coexistence, clasped her hands in front of her chest as if praying, gazing at him with deep emotion.

But this only troubled him. Ash stepped back two more paces, waving with an awkward but polite smile: “Sorry, I don’t quite get what you mean. How about we calm down? Next time we have a chance, we can sit and talk slowly, okay? I have some business now, so I’ll—”

“Haaa~ great idea. Though I thought visiting someone’s home was rude, since you invited me, I can’t refuse~”

“Wait? Invited? Me? When?”

“Just now. Didn’t you want me to visit your country, sit, and witness a new path never seen before~?”

“…That was just polite talk, okay? How do you imagine so much?”

Ash, unprepared for his polite words being twisted like this, felt his head buzz.

But Solitär only clasped her hands in front of her chest, swaying lightly, showing a sweet, fragile smile: “What are you saying~ A gentle guy like big brother wouldn’t bear to see a poor, helpless little demon like me wandering alone in the forest, right~?”

“Big brother… no, a thousand-year-old little demon?”

The sweet voice of this old demon girl left him unsure whether to comment on her pretending to be young or her calling him big brother. Was this woman’s mouth truly deceitful?

But considering his goals, Ash didn’t mind another strong, albeit weird, ally… Though it seemed no Greater Demon wasn’t weird.

After a bit of frustration, Ash gave up.

Originally not wanting to approach the barrier, now with a ‘since I’m here’ mindset, he went with Solitär to examine it briefly.

However…

“Ara~ this barrier is… a crystallization of the greatest human mages’ wisdom. Magical theories from various nations and races, intricately woven, truly amazing~”

Solitär touched the barrier and instantly knew the answer. Yet her face kept a cute smile: “Come to think of it, without knowledge in this field, it’s impossible to break. That’s why he’s still trapped here.”

“No, Solitär. Your words are too absolute.”

“What?”

“There’s a flaw in your magic theory. Or your knowledge is too general… Maybe hiding too long has rigidified your thinking.”

“Too general… rigid?” Solitär tilted her head with a wide smile.

Ash casually patted her head, flicked his finger at the barrier, and said nonchalantly: “Understand then destroy is normal thinking. It’s needed if you haven’t reached a certain level. But past a certain threshold, understanding the magic itself is pointless.”

“Break the barrier with sheer force? But a barrier of this level shouldn’t be penetrable by force, right?”

“Forty years ago, Macht’s magic easily pierced my protection. He surely didn’t understand human protective magic. The Sage of Corruption was the same, easily shattering it. Do you think they needed to understand it?”

“That…”

“Also, from Continental Magic Association info, this barrier is constantly eroding and forced to expand. It used to be just a city; now even the surrounding forest is engulfed. Clearly, it can’t contain the spreading gold. And this isn’t even Macht’s deliberate action.”

Ash casually patted Solitär’s head again, then kicked the barrier beside him, continuing: “The point is, though magic is a world of imagination, it needs a foundation. If I think I’m omnipotent… do you think magic can do that?”

“The magic’s foundation can’t even form. That’s too imaginative without basis. If that worked, magic wouldn’t need research or training. Just self-hypnosis would suffice. A mad mage might truly believe their imagination is real and become invincible.”

Solitär smiled, spreading her hands. Ash kicked the barrier hard again: “Same logic. If I had Aura bring a mage and use illusion to break their mind, hypnotizing them to 100% believe their magic could pierce this barrier, would it work?”

“Definitely not.”

“The reverse is true too. They and you think you can trap Macht, but can you really?”

“…What you say makes sense.” Solitär paused, then asked, puzzled: “But then, why doesn’t Macht leave?”

“From my prior interaction, he might enjoy staying inside. He’s a moderate among the Demon King’s forces. Maybe not being disturbed and enjoying peace suits him. Don’t you see he’s not constantly attacking the barrier, even just to drain its energy?”

“So… he has no intention of leaving?”

Hearing this, Solitär’s smile widened. She unconsciously stared at him, nodding repeatedly: “Following you was the right choice. Your knowledge and magic theory are truly different from an old-timer like me. No wonder Schlacht the Omniscient valued you. I finally understand.”

“…And then?”

“You want to be the Demon King, right?” Solitär looked at him, showing a sweet, eerie smile: “I’ll support you. I’ll find ways to remove all barriers between demons and humans for you. In return—be my partner~! Entrust everything to me, and I’ll give everything to you.”

“…That suddenly feels heavy.” Ash shook his head, stunned, then smiled, getting an idea: “—How about this? A middle ground. I agree to the start and end, but skip the middle.”

“Ara? A unique way to compromise. But I think my appearance is pretty good.”

“Body shape? Chest?”

“The latter, especially. But I prefer mature women.”

“That’s a bit tricky. But no problem, I know the saying ‘love grows with time’~”

“…Let’s head back for now.”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

As a serious adult, Ash knew there’s no such thing as good fortune falling from the sky.

So, he rejected her without hesitation and flew back to the carriage without looking back.

“Interesting guy. Anyway… I’ll keep observing him.” Solitär narrowed her eyes, pondering briefly, then smiled and followed.

The carriage, originally with three, gained another Greater Demon looking like a petite girl after Ash’s brief trip.

Honestly, Ash felt the women’s bodies in this carriage could easily make people misunderstand his sexual orientation.

(Why are all their bodies petite like little girls? I remember, besides demons with monstrous forms, there are plenty of female demons with mature bodies. Why are all the ones coming to me little girls? Truly bizarre.)

Ash crossed his arms, closing his eyes in thought.

Aura, sitting opposite, stayed silent for a long time before finally kicking his shin: “What’s with this person? Why are you pretending to sleep without explaining?!”

“Don’t blame him too much. I followed him voluntarily.” A faint smile appeared on Solitär’s lips: “And long time no see, Aura. Wasn’t our last meeting three hundred years ago? You’ve gotten cuter.”

“Forget human pleasantries. I haven’t changed in three hundred years.”

“Hmm~ so hostile. Ash, my sister-in-law’s a bit tough to handle, huh?” Solitär looked at him, smiling.

This made Aura’s gaze shift to her: “Sister-in-law…?”

“Don’t look at me now, okay?” Ash sighed, holding his forehead with one hand, avoiding their gazes as best he could: “I’m not close with Solitär either. She just said it herself. Ignore her.”

“Ugh, rejected again. So sad.”

“So. Turns out there’s a woman who keeps pestering you, huh? You’ve grown. A woman bothering you enough to come to your house.”

Solitär and Aura gave completely different reactions, as expected.

Solitär, sitting beside him, even tugged his sleeve. When Ash looked, she showed a sad expression: “Is… this what they call heartbreak?”

“…Don’t show a sad face and call it heartbreak.”

Facing these weird demons, Ash’s mental state was exhausted. He even felt like he was dealing with Fern as a child.