Frieren 39

Title: Peaceful Times

In Frieren’s wooden cabin, the two enjoyed lunch together happily, chatting casually throughout the afternoon.

Afterward, as night fell, they took a walk together in the forest.

Ash also shamelessly crashed for the night on the cabin’s floor.

The next morning, Frieren brought him to a vast hill not far from there.

Among the continuous hills, the expansive land seemed covered in a sacred veil, with countless white flowers blooming everywhere.

The sea of flowers was breathtakingly vast.

And in the midst of this floral expanse stood a gravestone, engraved with Flamme’s name.

“This sea of flowers… you created it with magic, didn’t you?”

Gazing at the beautiful scenery before him, Ash saw the familiar name on the gravestone, his eyes unconsciously falling on the girl beside him.

“You know, Teacher’s favorite magic was the five-element magic that could create a beautiful sea of flowers… So I often come here to use it.”

“But I remember you weren’t interested in magic like that before.”

“True.” Frieren nodded slightly: “But in the end… when Teacher was near death, I asked her to teach me this magic.”

“Why?”

“Why? It’s… how do I describe that feeling… I don’t know.” Frieren looked at the gravestone, slightly furrowing her brow, showing a puzzled expression: “I just… wanted to learn it?”

“Is that so?” Nodding thoughtfully, Ash couldn’t help but ask: “By the way, Frieren, what’s your favorite magic?”

“Maybe the magic that creates a beautiful sea of flowers?”

“I’m asking about your favorite magic, not Flamme’s.”

“Maybe that’s it too.”

“Just like that, and you still say you love magic.”

“What’s wrong with liking everything?” Frieren, pestered by his questions, grew a bit annoyed and turned the question back: “Then, Ash, what magic do you like?”

“It’s not that you can’t, it’s just… hmm, for me, Gravity Magic.”

“Why?”

“It’s my go-to for survival. If I hadn’t mastered it, my troublesome little sister and I would’ve died long ago.”

“Speaking of which, you have a little sister…?” At this, Frieren’s expression grew a bit somber: “I wanted to ask, Ash.”

“What?”

“How did it feel when you learned your sister died?” Even now, Frieren still couldn’t understand the tears she shed a thousand years ago. Unconsciously, she looked to him for help.

“…How does it feel when your sister dies?”

In truth, Ash now knew Aura was still alive and even successful. So when asked this, his expression turned a bit strange.

Frieren, sharply noticing this, showed a guilty expression: “Sorry, forget it… You two supported each other all this time; you must have a deep bond, right?”

“…Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“…Don’t worry about it.” Ash looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, just trying to hide the odd expression he couldn’t hold back.

And Frieren, unexpectedly wise at that moment, patted his shoulder without saying a word.

After a long silence, Ash suddenly spoke again: “By the way…”

“What?”

“On your table, there’s a lot of weird magic. That’s not Flamme’s magic, is it?”

“I collected them from various places when I had free time. And…” Perhaps recalling something interesting, Frieren’s smile returned: “Two hundred years ago, a treasure chest I opened, though identified as a mimic monster, actually had a magic book inside, you know?”

“After all, that one percent chance isn’t impossible.”

“Right~?” Frieren’s long ears twitched up and down as she tilted her head proudly.

This amused Ash, and he laughed: “So, what magic was in it?”

“Magic that makes your body emit a pleasant fragrance.”

“Huh… is that useful or not?”

“The scent varies depending on the person.”

“Hmm… if your body’s dirty, it could be an emergency fix, right? And if it’s different for everyone, that’s pretty interesting, isn’t it?” Ash stroked his chin, pondering for a while before giving a vague response. This made the corners of Frieren’s lips curl up further: “Right~?”

“…If you think about it, you could actually look for magic you truly like. It doesn’t have to be combat magic; as long as it’s interesting and you like it, that’s fine.”

“Like… regular stuff, I get it. But if it’s too specific, it feels a bit hard to grasp.”

“It’s fine. You’ll definitely figure it out.”

Looking at his still-innocent old friend, Ash’s eyes sparkled with a warm smile. He casually patted her head.

“I… can too?” Frieren, sensing the “warmth” in his gaze, froze in place. After a moment, she snapped out of it, swatted his hand away, and said irritably: “I thought you’d matured, but… don’t just pat my head; you’ll mess up my hair!”

“It’s fine.”

“How so?”

“At least my hair isn’t messed up.”

“You… you really haven’t changed at all.”

Though her tone was a bit rough and she complained, Frieren herself didn’t know why, but the corners of her lips couldn’t stop curling upward.

Though it was just trivial, unimportant things, she unexpectedly… felt very happy.

She even couldn’t help but think that maybe she really could follow his advice and try finding magic she truly liked.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

And so, the peaceful time continued like that, and five days passed in a flash.

The promised person—the Southern Hero—finally appeared on the ruined hill.