Frieren 37

Title: Frieren’s Palliative Care?

The reunion after a thousand years initially left Ash genuinely moved.

At least when he first saw his old friend, he truly wanted to embrace her. But… the subsequent developments were completely beyond his expectations.

Now… having his head patted by Frieren, an action clearly meant for someone older to do to someone younger, Ash instinctively complained. He placed both hands on Frieren’s shoulders, gently pushing her away, and said seriously: “Wait a second, Frieren, isn’t this process a bit off?”

“Process? What process?” Frieren looked confused.

“I’m the older one. Besides… wouldn’t a normal person hesitate when facing an Einsam illusion? Why didn’t you hesitate at all??”

“As a mage, if you hesitate, you could die, right?”

Compared to Ash’s frustration, Frieren’s expression seemed perfectly reasonable.

“But I’m a mage too. If my reaction’s a bit slow, I could die as well!”

“It’s fine, you’re not someone who’d die that easily.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…”

This strange trust left him unsure where to begin complaining.

There were too many things he wanted to gripe about. In the end, Ash suddenly remembered something and asked: “Putting that aside, your Einsam was me??”

“Sometimes it’s Teacher, sometimes it’s you… How should I put it? Though I didn’t know either of you for long, you both left a deep impression.”

As she spoke, Frieren’s expression was more like someone bothered by something strange rather than the youthful sentiment Ash had imagined. Her expression was very odd.

In the end, Frieren even looked at him and added: “…Besides, I’m tired of hearing you and Teacher begging for mercy. You not begging is quite refreshing.”

“…What am I in your eyes?” Though he intended to tease her, Ash now felt a bit hurt himself.

Holding his stomach to ease the ache, he couldn’t help but sigh and change the subject: “Anyway, we’ve known each other for over ten years. For Flamme, it was decades. That’s a long time, isn’t it?”

“In reality, if you add it up, it’s only a little time.”

“…Alright, I don’t want to complain about that anymore.”

“Is that so? But you’re done asking, so it’s my turn, right?”

“You? No, I’m not done talking!”

“Hold on, then… crouch down.”

Frieren, rolling up her sleeves, instructed him to crouch in front of her. This instantly put Ash on guard: “What? Don’t tell me… you’re going to hit me?”

“Correct. You’re too tall; it’s not easy to hit your face. So, could you crouch down first?”

“Of course not! What are you thinking?? Who would agree to a request like that?!”

Her words, somehow polite yet not entirely so, made Ash immediately retreat three meters.

But Frieren only said expressionlessly: “If you think about it, it makes perfect sense.”

“How so?? Because you asked?”

“You disappeared without reason, making Teacher and me think you were dead. In the end, Teacher died with regret for not finding you. And for the first half-century after you vanished, I couldn’t sleep soundly… Hitting you twice isn’t too much, is it?… Serie said so.”

As she spoke, Frieren, who had walked closer, paused in front of Ash and looked up: “But before I actually do it, I want to hear what you have to explain.”

“…It was just circumstances beyond my control.” The truth was hard to voice, so Ash could only look away, a bit embarrassed.

“What actually happened?”

“Maybe outside the imperial capital, I got caught in a magical trap and was frozen… By the way, I only woke up a month ago.”

“…A month?”

Frieren slightly narrowed her eyes, observing the fluctuations of magical power in Ash’s body.

Ash’s technique for hiding his aura was quite ordinary. So, she could easily see the truth behind his disguise.

Normally, most people might not remember events from a thousand years ago. But for those with long lifespans, events from years past remained vivid in their minds.

Back then, Frieren was only at the peak of mortal humans, but now she had fully surpassed the limits of a normal human lifespan. Her total power would require centuries of intense training for a demon.

Based on her training speed in the past, reaching this level should’ve taken about forty to fifty years.

Though his appearance hadn’t changed, Ash must already be at an advanced age, around seventy years old.

After making this estimate, Frieren, who had left her elf village until now, understood the limits of human lifespans. She knew her old friend before her was nearing the end of his life.

(Why is he lying like that? Hiding his age? Not wanting me to worry? Does he think I can’t see through his disguise?)

A sadness welled up in Frieren’s heart. Even the fists she instinctively clenched to teach him a lesson on behalf of her teacher and herself loosened unconsciously.

With a sudden pang of guilt, Ash, who had deliberately mentioned an absurd timeline, prepared himself to be hit. He immediately crouched down.

But as he did, he saw a sad smile on Frieren’s face.

This strange smile made him ask in confusion: “…What’s wrong?”

“When I think about it… it’s not really your fault. And now that I can see you again, I’m actually very happy.” With a gentleness she’d never shown before, Frieren gave a faint smile and patted his head again.

However, as expected, this overly unusual action made Ash, who was ready to be hit, feel uncomfortable. More than getting chills, he even suspected whether Frieren had some hidden malicious intent?