Chapter 52: The Sudden Truth
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The thought of reuniting with Frieren, joining the hero team, and spending time together made Ash so eager that he left the kingdom almost as soon as everything was in place, departing even faster than when he'd arrived.
After working, struggling, and striving for so long, he figured a bit of relaxation wasn't too much to ask.
After all, while certain duties awaited him, he couldn't let work consume every day; otherwise, he feared he might actually become a stereotypical demon. Though, he mused, most demons wouldn't be caught dead working for themselves.
Still, with that anticipation driving him, what had taken three months to arrive took only two on the return as he flew tirelessly at high speed.
Originally, he expected it would take another month to track down Frieren, but…
He quickly found leads using Frieren's distinctive, rare, and eye-catching elven features as a beacon and was surprised to discover that the hero team she had joined hadn't even left her original country.
Thus, within three days, he spotted the familiar figure in a village, though to his bewilderment, Frieren was using magic to help farmers pull up radishes.
The petite, silver-haired elf with a fairy-like appearance and youthful look noticed him almost immediately as he stood there, astonished. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she hurried over.
"Ash, why… are you here?" Frillian asked, her face filled with curiosity.
"Well… I heard you finally set out, so I thought I'd come to check on you," he replied.
He couldn't exactly admit, 'I just wanted to see what the Royal Hero Team was like,' so he offered a vague smile and patted her gently on the head.
"Really? Thank you… but I'm fine. The question is, where have you been all this time?" she asked, smiling unconsciously, her face alight with the joy of seeing him again. She'd thought she might never see him again, believing his time was running short, so this meeting was more than she'd expected.
"Me? Ah~ Actually, I… just found a warm, pleasant place."
"Retirement?" she asked, hesitating.
"Huh? Retirement?"
"Uh… I mean, preparing for future retirement."
Feeling as if she'd tread on sensitive ground about his age, Frieren awkwardly tried to cover it up.
Normally, Ash wouldn't have been fooled by such an attempt, but he didn't pay it any mind. Instead, he scanned the area around them with curious eyes, hoping to spot her intriguing teammates.
However, instead of the imagined group of beautiful heroines, lively young girls, or wise women, there was a young man with an indeterminate age approaching them.
…
The man, with green hair slicked back, wore narrow-framed glasses and a black priest's robe trimmed in gold. He approached slowly, watching Ash with a hint of curiosity.
Once closer, he looked to Frieren before speaking.
"…It's unusual to see you smiling at someone like that, Frieren," he commented.
"Just a friend… no." Frieren paused, choosing her words carefully before adding seriously:
"Ash is a good friend I've known for a long time… and we share a lot of complicated history," Frieren finally introduced him with a serious tone.
"Eh? Why so formal all of a sudden? Are you feeling okay?" Ash, unused to her earnest words, looked a little uncomfortable. Placing a hand on her forehead as if checking her temperature, he mumbled with a faint grin under her annoyed glare, "Doesn't feel like you're sick..."
"—As I suspected, he's just an acquaintance," Frieren quickly swatted his hand away, immediately regretting her earlier thoughtfulness. When it came to someone like him, worrying about hurting feelings was simply wasting her energy.
"Haha~ You two really do seem to have a good connection," the bespectacled priest remarked, chuckling as he watched their dynamic. Then, turning his gaze to Ash, he noted, "But considering you're a friend of Frieren, it's not surprising… you seem quite powerful yourself."
"Well… I'd say I'm decent."
"No, no—your magic aura is vast. Yet, before getting close to you, it's barely detectable. Such fine control of magic is not something you see every day," the monk continued, adjusting his glasses with a look of sincere admiration. "Especially at your age; it's hard to imagine the level you could reach in the future."
"Really? Thanks… and hey, you're pretty strong yourself. Have country priest always been this impressive?"
"Country priest?" The monk gave him a surprised look, and Ash, noting his expression, felt a subtle idea forming in his mind.
"Huh? Wait a second… don't tell me…"
"Hm?" The bespectacled priest blinked at Ash, puzzled at first. Then, catching on, he smiled slightly and clarified, "Ah, no, I'm not from this village. Allow me to introduce myself—I'm Frieren's companion, one of the heroes on the journey to defeat the Demon King. You can call me Heiter."
"Is that so…?"
"What's the matter? Am I not what you expected?" Heiter asked, noticing Ash's expression of disbelief.
"No, it's just… isn't the priest in the hero's party usually, well… a woman? And maybe… older?" Ash replied, looking genuinely dismayed.
Heiter chuckled wryly at Ash's remark. "Ah…, yes, but wouldn't ordinary women find it difficult to meet the rigorous demands of becoming a priest?"
"Are you serious?"
"You didn't know?"
"How could I? It's not like I've ever visited a church or studied with a priest!" Ash insisted, looking at Frieren for validation.
At this point, Frieren, feeling slightly embarrassed by his ignorance, nudged him lightly with her foot. "If you're just here to stir up confusion, maybe you should head back."
Ash protested immediately. "Wait, Frieren! Didn't Flamme say that only women could be priest in the hero team? She even claimed it was an old tradition and suggested I should consider becoming a hero myself!"
Frieren raised her eyebrows, her expression a mix of surprise and amusement. "Ah… yes. Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember that conversation. The teacher did say that—but if I recall, it was mostly a ploy to lure you into the role."
"Why? Why would she lie about something like that?" Ash looked genuinely troubled, his voice a mix of frustration and betrayal.
Frieren sighed as if recalling a long-buried memory. "Back then, weren't you always sneaking around, fascinated with the emperor's concubines? You even tried climbing the palace walls to get a glimpse. So she assumed you had a preference for older women and figured a story about priest heroines would appeal to you."
"…What?"
The revelation hit Ash like a ton of bricks, leaving him utterly speechless. He couldn't have predicted that all these years, such a strange and deeply misguided assumption about his preferences had shaped Flamme's attempts to influence him.
Whether it was about "older sisters" or whatever else, he knew one thing: being mistaken for someone interested in other people's wives was simply too much!
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GUY'S GIVE ME POWER STONES