Frieren 80

Title: You Tricked Me?!

Though the rain still felt cold, being gently embraced by Ash made Fern feel a warmth that seemed to rival all the warmth the world could offer.

This wasn’t an exaggeration. At least for her right now, even if she had to trade the affection of the entire world, she wouldn’t be willing to let go of this special attention.

The sadness and fear in her heart vanished without her realizing it. She had long forgotten her resistance toward Ash, born from her teenage feelings. Unconsciously, she returned his embrace tightly.

At that moment, Ash felt it wasn’t good to stay like this in the rain. He picked her up like he used to. The girl sat in his arms like a child.

“A-Ash-sama? T-this?”

The sudden height made Fern feel more embarrassed than panicked. She even worried that Ash, as a mage, might not be strong enough and wanted to get down to walk herself.

But… to her surprise, whether when she was little or now, the arms supporting her were always steady, without the slightest tremble.

“Let’s go home now. If we stay in the rain, you might catch a cold. And you haven’t eaten; you must be hungry. I’ve prepared a table full of food.”

“Since you say so…” At this moment, Fern, unable to refuse at all, obediently nodded.

Though she was taller now, making it hard for Ash to hold her while she sat in his arms, and Fern felt deeply embarrassed, she still quietly reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her face against his. Her expression looked relaxed and calm.

She even unconsciously closed her eyes in the pouring rain. No matter how fierce the wind and rain or how difficult the future, at least now she had someone she could fully trust, someone she could boldly show her weaknesses to… or rather, a place to indulge and act spoiled as much as she wanted.

When Ash gave up flying and quickly walked down the hill, finally returning to the cottage, the aroma of food wafted from inside as he opened the door.

Fern, starving, was just set down. When her gaze met Frieren’s shocked one, as if to hide her embarrassment, though reluctant to part, she quickly let go, jumped down, and hurried to the bathroom.

After a comfortable bath, the hungry girl ran to the dining table and ate voraciously, disregarding any ladylike image.

Meanwhile, Frieren sat at the dining table, propping her chin with one hand, looking at Fern, then at Ash, who was about to bathe. A surprised expression appeared in her eyes: “…You’re impressive. You actually managed to convince her to come down.”

“I won, right?”

“Indeed… Turns out you understand humans better than I do.”

“Why say it like that? If I were worse than you, wouldn’t I be an idiot?” Ash smiled lightly, shaking his head, and closed the bathroom door.

But when he came out, Fern had finished eating and even washed the dishes. Yet she stared at him with puffed cheeks, resting her head on the table.

“…What’s wrong?”

Her sudden change, like flipping a book, confused Ash, and he looked at Frieren. But Frieren just shook her head silently.

Fern, still resting her head on the table, mumbled voluntarily: “I thought Ash-sama cooked.”

“Is Frieren’s cooking that bad?”

“No! It’s just…”

“What?”

“From the mood, shouldn’t Ash-sama have cooked?”

“Don’t be too greedy. Learning to be grateful is most important.” Facing the girl’s dissatisfaction over something missing, Ash casually patted her head, pointing at Frieren, who was still studying and deciphering the magic book nearby, and said: “I’m already perfect enough. If I could cook too, what would happen to someone as flawed as Frieren?”

“Hey, isn’t that just tearing others down?” Frieren, unintentionally made the victim, glared at him. But she ignored it and continued teaching the child: “In short, that’s how it is. As a human, you need to learn gratitude to stay happy.”

“…But I still want to eat Ash-sama’s cooking.”

“But life needs some regrets, right~?”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Ash and Fern bickered lightly. The atmosphere became harmonious, and all the previous gloom vanished.

Frieren, ignored on the side, felt she should make Ash apologize for his earlier words. And… had she suddenly become useless here?

(And… maybe it’s better to ignore him and watch him age and die?)

She couldn’t help thinking that. After all, if not, she might die before a human from frustration.

Though she briefly considered ignoring Ash, after her anger subsided, Frieren, still grumbling, worked to speed up deciphering the magic book.

This scene made Ash feel guilty for tricking her. But he was more puzzled… why could Frieren, despite Fern being young and naive, be fooled for years without realizing?

If immortality magic really existed, could that sage have died? Didn’t they want to live longer? Or were they bored of living too long?

Though they might’ve been killed… if someone could live forever, wouldn’t this magic be fought over? How could it end up in Heiter’s hands? Or was Heiter the only one who knew about it? How slim were the odds?

But on second thought, Frieren still believed in the seduction magic Flamme taught her casually… She thought it was powerful and hadn’t noticed the issue for a thousand years.

(With that mindset, maybe I could trick Frieren for a thousand years with any excuse?)

Ash couldn’t resist wanting to try. How long would Frieren’s naivety last until she noticed something off?

But as he waited curiously, time slowly passed… and Heiter’s life faded gradually.

Fern, undoubtedly, had immense magical talent and an excellent teacher.

Thus, one and a half years after Heiter fell ill and could barely move—six years after Frieren arrived—Fern, at fifteen, succeeded in piercing the rock on the other side of the cliff.

She immediately ran back to tell the old man who was like her grandfather, making Heiter laugh heartily again.

And a few days later, Frieren finished deciphering the magic book.

But…

“…There’s no immortality magic here, nor magic to revive the dead. Not even a way to extend life.” Frieren placed the deciphered book directly on Heiter’s bedsheet.

Yet Heiter looked calm, even as if he’d expected it. He said casually: “…I see. The payment for deciphering it is in the desk drawer. Take it yourself.”

“…You knew from the start?”

“Because if it existed, that sage would’ve used it themselves.”

The overly logical answer left Frieren’s face bewildered: “Then… why?”

“Ask Ash.”

“Ash?” Frieren froze briefly. But she quickly recalled the scene six years ago, frowning: “Don’t tell me—you two tricked me?”

“Though that might be true, in this case, the one who got tricked is at fault.” Ash, standing by the door, defended himself first: “Who knew you’d actually believe it and work so hard to decipher it? I even told you not to push yourself too hard, didn’t I?”

“Back then, I thought you were worried about my health…!”

“What were you thinking? You’ve been lazy for years. Isn’t it fine to work a bit? I was just worried you’d get angrier after trying so hard.” Ash openly spread his hands, admitting his initial thoughts.

This made Frieren so angry she gritted her teeth: “…After all this, that’s your attitude?”

“Alright, I admit I was wrong… Sorry.”

Before Frieren could control her emotions, Ash openly bowed his head, admitting his fault.

Heiter was loyal too. He smiled, raising his hand: “Me too. If you want to vent, you can hit me.”

“…How could I do that? If I had to hit someone, it’d definitely be that jerk Ash.”

“By the way, I’m over a hundred too.” Ash pointed at himself. His words were reasonable, but his overly youthful appearance and shameless tone infuriated Frieren: “An old man like you, even if you died, it’d be considered ridding the people of evil.”

Though she said that… she only scolded coldly. Frieren didn’t do anything. After holding back for a moment, she finally calmed her anger and glared at them both: “…Be honest, what plan did you two make?”

“Nothing much. You wanted to settle debts… and the debt you really need to settle is, on the journey ahead, helping take Fern.” Ash spoke the truth with a smile.

Heiter added happily: “It’s not about teaching a student, since she’s already independent. She can definitely help you, right? At least now… you have no reason to refuse, do you?”

“…You really tricked me!”

“Haha~ Anyway, you need to leave tonight. After all, as you can see, I won’t last much longer.” Facing his annoyed friend, Heiter still looked very happy. He ignored her complaints, stating his own reason: “I don’t want the child to feel the loss of someone again. So, Frieren… I entrust her to you. This is my final request.”

“You should’ve said this to Ash, ah, no…?” Frieren only then realized something was off. But before she could correct herself, Heiter revealed the truth: “As for Ash, he agreed a year and a half ago.”

“You two are outrageous… How dare you decide this without us knowing.”

“Sorry…”

“But Heiter, don’t act cool now. Fern’s ready to part. What you should do before that… is say a proper goodbye to the child… and leave her as many memories as possible.”

While speaking, Frieren, who had sat back down, couldn’t hold back anymore. She bowed her head deeply, trying to suppress her emotions, but her voice and shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Her tears also kept dripping onto the back of her hand, truly showing her feelings now.

She didn’t just pity Fern, the child she’d cared for over six years. She was also overwhelmed with uncontrollable sadness because her old friend was about to die.

This outpouring of emotion made Heiter show a troubled expression. But he also smiled without regret: “Though you seem cold and heartless like Ash, you’re actually very soft… Frieren.”

“Don’t mind me…!” Frieren turned her face away reluctantly. Her trembling hands unconsciously gripped her skirt. But feeling the familiar touch on her head, she couldn’t hold back a complaining sob: “Ash too…! Stop touching my head~!”

“…Don’t complain. I also want someone to touch my head. Think about it, Heiter, at the end of his life, still says I’m heartless. Actually, I’m really sad too.”

Ash and Heiter smiled at each other, complaining about their old friend as usual.

Even at the end, Heiter laughed as always: “How dare you say that? Frieren’s crying, so show me your tears too.”

“No, no. At your age, whatever happens is good news. Why should I cry? Or do you have other regrets?”

“Of course. I still want to attend your and Fern’s wedding.”

“That’s a bit tough. How about I marry both of them tomorrow?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. Three wishes fulfilled at once.”

They joked as usual, and unknowingly, the sad atmosphere vanished.

This made Frieren unconsciously stop crying and trembling. She looked at Heiter’s face, now marked with signs of aging.

The energy and cheerfulness that radiated in his youth had, unnoticed, become gentle and restrained. Or it wasn’t wrong to say they had faded and dimmed.

But at this moment, she suddenly gained a new understanding of “aging”—it didn’t seem as heavy or frightening as she’d imagined.

Through daily interactions with Heiter, Frieren realized aging was a natural transition in life. Like the changing seasons, each stage had its own charm… not out of envy, but at this moment, she gained a new understanding of a concept she might never fully grasp.