Chapter 58: Five hundred years later, another wish on a shooting star
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The adventures of Frieren and her companions continued, and when they reunited with Ash, they noticed his lingering sadness. Rather than sharing in his quiet reflection on past losses, the expressions of the team members grew increasingly serious.
"What's wrong?" Frieren noticed his somber mood, so different from his usual demeanor, and couldn't help feeling concerned. "Did you hear about it too? The news of the Southern Hero's death?"
"Yeah." He looked off into the distance, sighing as if lost in thought. "Life is truly… unpredictable."
"It really is."
Frieren observed his slightly sorrowful figure and felt a sudden urge to talk to him more, realizing that they'd always had a close connection. Feeling an unexpected annoyance at this thought, she gently patted his shoulder. "Um… my condolences?"
"…It's surprising to hear you say that."
"Oh really, who do you take me for?" Frieren's voice held a hint of irritation.
"Haha, sorry, sorry! Just kidding." He chuckled, reaching over to ruffle her hair.
Of course, she quickly swatted his hand away, fixing her hair with a look of mild annoyance. "How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my head?"
"I'll remember next time."
"...I can't believe you."
"Because all I'm doing is trying to remember."
"No wonder you're a wall-climbing scoundrel who never learns from his mistakes!"
"Isn't it a little harsh to call me that? I haven't done anything untoward."
Without missing a beat, he lightly tapped her on the head before she could protest and swiftly moved away, settling down beside the fire.
Nearby, the dwarf warrior Eisen had an unusually serious look on his face. "Ash, you've heard, haven't you?"
"About the Southern Hero?"
"That guy… the strongest of us all, and now he's gone. Do we honestly have any hope?"
"Don't say that, Eisen." Heiter, the wine-loving Priest known for lifting everyone's spirits, had a faint tremor in his hand as he poured himself a drink. But with his usual resilience, he tried to cheer them up, raising his voice with a somewhat forced smile. "Sure, he's gone, which is a tragedy, but he took down four great demons. He left behind accomplishments beyond anything we could have imagined. And because of him, people like us now have a chance to defeat the Demon King, right?"
"...But is there really anyone else who could match his strength?"
The death of the Southern Hero had sent shockwaves through the entire human world. Even Eisen, usually steady as a rock, felt like he'd lost his foundation. His hands, hidden under his cloak, were shaking slightly, just like Heiter's. He felt a gnawing uncertainty about their ability to face such an overwhelming enemy.
Sensing the growing unease, Heiter glanced over at Ash, hoping to lighten the somber atmosphere. "Hey, isn't it about time you officially joined us, Ash? If you're with us when it really counts, I think we'll all feel a lot better."
"Saving the world's not my thing," Ash replied, smiling as he waved his hand dismissively. Eisen sighed, not the least bit surprised.
"Give it up, Heiter. If he were the world-saving type, he wouldn't be wasting his time hanging around with us."
"Even if Eisen is impatient, maybe it's not such a bad idea to pick up the pace in light of what's happening," Frieren said, her expression tinged with worry. She'd never been one to fret over time, but the Southern Hero's death left her uneasy about their own progress.
Still… even though they all shared the same thought, it didn't change their journey's course.
In the first year of their travels, despite encountering such devastating news, their pace did not noticeably increase.
After all, it wasn't just Himmel who preferred a slower pace. Frieren had set out on this journey partly because she thought she'd never see Ash again and wanted to try understanding humans.
However, as unreliable as the group might have seemed, Ash himself would always disappear for months at critical times. So, he had no room to criticize their lack of urgency.
...….
Ten years flew by, and, unexpectedly, this somewhat shaky team managed to defeat the Demon King. But Ash had no idea how it happened.
Around two months before the decisive battle, he'd been summoned by an unknown great demon named Solitär who had been arranged by Schlacht, to lift the seal of the corrupt sage, Qual. He'd taken Aura with him for the task, only to return once it was all over.
In the capital city of the kingdom where they had first set out, a grand triumphal parade was held to celebrate the victory of the brave team over the Demon King.
As the people of the royal capital lined the streets, cheering with flowers in hand, Ash casually blended into the crowd, enjoying the free drinks without drawing attention to himself.
But…
"Hey!" Before he could even take a sip to celebrate, the silver-haired elf, Frieren—who hadn't aged a day—stormed over, slamming her hands on the table and nearly causing his wine glass to topple.
"W-what?" he asked, startled, looking up at her. "What's wrong? It's a rare moment of celebration, but you look so serious."
"…You ran off in the middle of the battle, and now you're here eating and drinking for free?"
"I'm old, and my body isn't as agile as it used to be. There was really nothing I could do," he replied, coming up with an excuse. Frieren's fierce demeanor faltered, and her expression softened slightly, a hint of awkwardness appearing. "Is… that so?"
"Eh? You… forget it." Not wanting to bring up the sensitive topic of age, he quickly changed the subject and smiled.
"By the way, congratulations! You've successfully defeated the Demon King and become heroes. Everyone's celebrating you. I heard they're even planning to make a statue in your honor?"
"…Humans are so fickle. They were reluctant to give us even ten copper coins when we set out, but now they're being generous."
"Well, isn't it nice to enjoy free drinks?" Heiter, who had obviously had more than a few, plopped down across from Ash, holding a beer with a flushed face.
"Exactly! Anyway, the result was good, so isn't that enough?" Himmel chimed in, also sitting down next to Ash with a drink in hand.
However, Ash couldn't help but notice that Eisen, a dwarf, was eating bread but hadn't touched any alcohol, prompting him to ask: "I've been meaning to ask this—you're a dwarf. Why don't you drink?"
"...How many stereotypes do you have about dwarves?" Eisen, who had been silent until now, looked up and glanced at his companion, who was on the verge of getting drunk, while chewing on a piece of bread. "Heiter is a priest, but he loves to drink. Isn't that stranger?"
"True… The longer you live, the more unusual things you come across."
"Isn't that something an old man would say?" Heiter laughed, throwing an arm around Ash's shoulders.
"Yeah, let's think about something cheerful," Ash replied indifferently. Just then, Frieren tapped him on the back of the head and pointed to the sky. "Ash, look! There's a half-century meteor tonight."
"Hm?"
Following the elf girl's gesture, Ash looked up to see the vast night sky, where countless points of light began shifting from deep blue to a distant purple, piercing the quiet darkness as the festivities wound down.
"Oh~ It's so beautiful! But… I feel like I've seen this before?" He widened his eyes in awe, then rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face.
"Ah… I remember now. I saw it when I was a kid."
To this day, he clearly recalls that night, sitting with Aura at the entrance of a cave, entranced by the breathtaking meteor shower. He had made a wish then—when I grow up, I'll never watch shooting stars with Aura again!
Now that wish had been fulfilled… yet hadn't. After all…
The people watching the meteors with him now were quite an odd bunch. The drunk Priest still had his arm draped around Ash's shoulder, making it feel less like a romantic night under the fireworks and more like watching them with good friends. The night sky was beautiful, but his heart felt cold.
"I don't wish for a beautiful girl anymore… Please, at least let me watch shooting stars with someone serious next time."
As the meteors filled the sky, Ash gently shrugged off Heiter's hand and suddenly remembered the rumor that wishes made on shooting stars are highly effective. After five hundred years, he couldn't resist… making a wish upon the stars once more.
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[T/N: I saw a lot of comments hating this fic because it introduced two 'OC' characters named Frank and Schlacht.
The Funny thing is they aren't even OC's Frank is The Hero Of South, His name was Frank Because The Frieren Series didn't mention his real name and Schlacht Is Demon King's Confidant.
Like even if you haven't read the manga you just had to Google it.
Like hating for no reason.]
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[T/N: Oh yeah by the way power stones would be appreciated]