Chapter 63: Himmel's Silent Trust· Frieren: Humans are Really Strange!
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Seeing how Ash kept glancing at the rocking chair, Himmel, as if understanding his thoughts, placed both hands on the chair and began to move it aside to make room for him.
Himmel looked every bit like a grandfather lecturing a stubborn grandchild, so Ash quickly stepped forward and gently held him back, firmly denying, "—No, no, I'm just curious. I don't actually want to sit down. At most, I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic. After all, you're just an ordinary old man now!"
"Haha, what nonsense," Himmel chuckled, shaking his head with a warm smile. "I might still be quite charming for my age, but yes, I'm just an ordinary old man now. However, it seems you haven't changed a bit."
"...That's true," Ash admitted with a nod.
"By the way," Himmel continued, "you're here for the promise we made fifty years ago, aren't you?"
"Of course."
"Well, so is Frieren. She arrived three days ago, though I haven't seen her since. Apparently, she left town to retrieve something—heaven knows where she's gone." Himmel sighed but smiled, adding with a teasing glint, "Even though you two have been pretty heartless, never once visiting us, I'm relieved you're not so heartless as to forget our agreement."
"Uh, sorry… I've just been really busy lately…" Ash muttered, feeling slightly guilty about the long absence, as though his old friend's transformation into a dwarf had been kept a secret on purpose. He felt a pang of remorse.
"Haha! I'm only kidding. Don't take it so seriously," Himmel reassured him, his smile kind. "To be honest, though, we did worry we might never see you again in this lifetime… It's a blessing to have this chance now. Just being able to see you again brings us such joy."
"Is that really enough to make you happy?" Ash murmured, feeling a bit unworthy of such warmth, even though he wasn't human at all.
Himmel just looked at him with that same gentle, nostalgic smile, reminiscing before he returned to the matter at hand. "When Frieren came, I wrote to Heiter and Eisen. They've been in the country for the past few years, and they'll meet us at the city gate tomorrow morning."
With an elderly slowness and calm, Himmel added, "So, tell me what you've been up to these past fifty years. It's a rare chance to catch up for an old man like me. After all, you don't have any other commitments here, do you?"
"Well… I really don't. I've mostly just been training," Ash admitted with a slight shrug.
"I can tell," Himmel said, nodding. "You've made remarkable progress in every respect. But…"
"But…?"
"No… it's nothing."
If you're already approaching the end of your life, why push yourself so hard? And while a human's appearance can be fixed, can the body itself remain unchanged forever? Why do you continue to improve?
Himmel didn't voice these questions but instead gently shook his head and looked at Ash with the warmth of an elder observing the younger generation. With a soft smile, he said slowly:
"You're our friend… So, we've always been a bit curious about what's been going on between you and Frieren during this time."
"Yeah?"
Ash found the sudden emphasis on friendship a little unexpected. Coupled with Himmel's previous unspoken question, it felt as though something deeper lingered beneath the surface. But… since Himmel hadn't pressed further, Ash felt no need to explain. After all, there was nothing worth celebrating in his answer.
With that thought in mind, he murmured with a hint of reluctance, "...Nothing too interesting has happened to me over the years. Does it really matter?"
"Oh, it's fine, just tell me~"
"Well… are you familiar with the Continental Magic Association?"
"Ah, yes. I've heard of it. That was founded by your master, wasn't it?"
...
Unable to turn down the warm encouragement, Ash found himself recounting a story he could share—about the time he unintentionally knocked down a notable figure in a sparring match. The memory, though embarrassing, held a trace of humor, and he couldn't help but laugh at it now. He also shared a bit about his more recent activities, and as the hours passed, the two of them kept talking until evening, eventually heading out together to a tavern for more drinks and conversation.
As for Frieren, who had supposedly arrived before him… he never saw her, nor did he know where she'd gone.
…
The next morning, sunlight streamed softly into the room, filling the cold winter living space with a gentle warmth. The smell of firewood burning lingered in the air, bringing a cozy comfort to the house.
Ash, having stayed at Himmel's place, settled himself in the rocking chair by the fireplace after washing up. The rhythmic creaking of the chair and the crackling of the firewood beside him created such a soothing atmosphere that he began to understand why Himmel loved this chair so much. He, too, soon lost himself in the peaceful rhythm, his eyes drifting shut.
But… his quiet was soon interrupted as the living room door creaked open, and a voice from behind, familiar even after half a century, spoke:
"Is that… Ash?"
Dazed, he opened his eyes, blinking as he saw the speaker. Frieren stood there, looking both surprised and intrigued, staring at him.
"Why… are you here? And what are you doing...?"
"Hm? Ah… do you want to give it a try too?"
"N-no—!"
Seeing him quickly stand up and offer her the chair, Frieren's instinctive response was to turn down his invitation.
It was supposed to be a long-awaited reunion, but watching him lounge so comfortably in the rocking chair, he looked just like Himmel, the elder of the house. It suddenly struck her… Even if Ash's appearance hadn't changed, he seemed, in some intangible way, to have aged, just like Himmel.
Though she didn't fully understand what old age should look like in humans, she felt it in the resemblance to Himmel's demeanor.
And without meaning to, she found herself asking:
"How old are you now?"
---
"Hmm...a little over a hundred. One hundred and one?" Ash answered, reclining comfortably in the rocking chair.
"...It turns out that if humans are a little lazy, they can really live longer, right?" Frieren replied, crossing her arms as she gave him a sidelong glance.
"No, this is still within the normal range...probably," Ash responded with a shrug, looking genuinely uncertain.
"Is that so?" Frieren raised an eyebrow at him, observing his relaxed demeanor with an odd expression.
Truthfully, she had mentally prepared herself this time for the possibility that Ash might not make it here—or that he might even be gone by now. She had steeled herself countless times, bracing for the worst. Yet every time she thought him lost, Ash would reappear, alive and well, seemingly undeterred by the years passing by. It was a relief each time, but also exhausting.
Noticing her expression, Ash couldn't help but tease, "What's with that look? Are you hoping I'll die soon or something?"
"How could I? I just...I thought maybe this time I wouldn't see you again."
"It's not that I want you gone," she continued, looking away, "but you keep vanishing and reappearing—it's exhausting to think you're lost, only for you to pop back up like this."
She crossed her arms, contemplating something, then remarked, "Come to think of it, isn't this Himmel's house? Why are you in his chair?"
Ash laughed. "He went to his room to fetch a hairbrush, probably to neaten himself up. He told me to feel free to sit in it until he gets back."
"Uh-huh. Just so we're clear, you didn't get into a fight over the chair with him while I was away, did you?" she asked, half-seriously, before a thought made her frown. "Wait a second...isn't Himmel bald?"
"I didn't ask. Bald men can be quite persistent about these things. I think I remember him saying that," Ash replied, shrugging.
"...I don't get it. Humans are truly strange," Frieren muttered, shaking her head in mild confusion. She sat opposite him, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin in one hand as she fixed him with an unhappy stare. "So, what have you been up to for the last fifty years? Word is you were so extreme you didn't even bother visiting anyone."
Ash blinked in genuine surprise. "Is that my fault? I thought you'd come to visit. Do you know how sad I was thinking you didn't?"
"Alright, I'm sorry, okay? I was...busy." She bit her lip, frustration creeping into her voice. "It's strange, but forty-nine years flew by without me noticing... Wait, no—hold on."
She narrowed her eyes in displeasure as realization dawned on her, sensing Ash's usual playful trap.
But before she could say more, he waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it, forget it. I'll let it slide this time. Let's just move on, shall we? But hey, I wouldn't mind if you helped push the chair a little while you're at it."
"Are you a grandpa now or something? And by the way, you have no right to be lecturing me on visiting."
Realizing she'd been tricked, Frieren's face showed reluctant resignation. But, after a sigh and a moment's hesitation, she stood up, moved behind him, and began to rock the chair slowly.
In that warm, firelit room, a sense of peace filled the space. Friends reunited, the crackling of the fire mingling with the faint creak of the chair as Frieren gently rocked Ash. For a moment, all felt serene and timeless.
When Himmel finally emerged from his room, he paused in the doorway, a slightly baffled smile on his face. Seeing the two of them—Ash nodding off contentedly in the chair, and Frieren almost drifting herself as she rocked him—he was unsure what to say.
With a blend of amusement and helplessness, he tapped his cane on the ground gently, breaking the odd, yet somehow perfect tranquility that had enveloped them all.