Chapter 81: Temporary Separation: Aura Just Wants to Be Willful
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Feeling deeper understanding from Heiter, Frieren realized that she and Fern should probably be complaining about their unusual jokes, but…
She let it be. At least, for now, they could joke freely. Watching the two chat so cheerfully, though she still found their humor odd, she simply looked on with a slight smile, a mixture of tolerance and a little helplessness.
After Ash finished speaking with Heiter, he left the room alongside Frieren. Later, Fern entered the room herself, sitting beside Heiter's bed with a smile, chatting and laughing with him...
The time that followed was filled with warmth and joy.
But as Heiter himself had sensed, only half a month later… his life quietly came to an end.
On a bright morning, he passed peacefully in his sleep. Frieren, discovering him first, quickly informed the others of the sad news. Fern, overwhelmed, threw herself into Ash's arms, sobbing uncontrollably as he comforted her.
Heiter, having once been a bishop, had requested that his funeral be modest. Besides the three of them, only a handful of villagers and a few priests from nearby attended. His grave was placed simply in the city cathedral's cemetery. Despite his notable past, his tombstone was a humble stone marker, unadorned and unpretentious.
After the brief funeral, the three stayed a little longer. Frieren approached the tombstone and poured some wine she'd brought six years earlier, fulfilling a promise she made with Heiter when Himmel passed.
Then, the three packed their things and set off together. But about two months later, after Fern's emotions had fully settled, Ash used an important errand as a reason to part ways for a while, planning to return in time to celebrate Fern's birthday.
After all, no matter how he looked at Frieren's long, meandering journey, he just couldn't bring himself to follow obediently the entire way.
But his sudden departure left Fern quite upset.
"...It feels bad. He just leaves so casually… I'm the one unlucky enough to be left behind," she complained, her cheeks puffed up in irritation as she watched him fade into the distance. Frieren, watching Fern's reaction, was equally upset and couldn't help silently blaming Ash for being so inconsiderate.
But Fern, too focused on Ash's retreating figure, missed Frieren's displeased look. Watching him disappear from view, she silently swore to herself that she'd be very cross with him the next time they met.
Over the years, Ash had often left for various "important errands," his reasons always seeming casual—yet they had grown accustomed to his coming and going.
...
Each time Ash left, he either traveled to the magical city or set out to find the demons. Since he often went among the demons, he naturally couldn't reveal his exact destination or purpose to them.
Although he'd promised to protect Fern, he couldn't follow her for the rest of his life. Besides, with Frieren around, he felt reassured enough to leave them occasionally.
In the heart of Ester Kingdom's royal capital, under Ash's covert control, two demon girls—one older, one younger—were beginning to live without much concern about being discovered.
If you ask why, it's naturally because everyone in the royal city has been instilled with loyalty to Ash from a young age. Through scientific education, systematic training, information management, and other methods over the past eighty years, loyalty has been thoroughly ingrained. And to ensure obedience, they have also voluntarily accepted binding magic, so even if they saw something unexpected, it wouldn't be an issue.
As Ash entered the audience hall, he spotted a pink-haired girl with two horns, sitting arrogantly on the throne. Holding a scale in her hand, she was casting obedience magic on a man who was pinned to the ground by knights, unable to move.
Despite the years, she hadn't grown taller or changed in appearance, but Aura looked entirely qualified as a beautiful queen. Her bust was quite impressive, and while she remained petite, it was manageable—but her personality, that was another matter…
"Oh~ Isn't this my brother? Here again today? Lots of work to do, huh?" Aura, on the throne, noticed Ash instantly and flashed a bright, teasing smile.
There were already plenty of people loyal to him, but Ash still felt obligated to handle the core aspects. Now, facing her teasing, he just wore an expression of hidden irritation as he ascended the steps. "…Have you never thought about sharing the workload?"
"No, not at all. This is your responsibility, after all~" Aura replied, stretching her arms wide, her face gleaming with triumph.
"Even if everyone in the entire royal city has been educated to be loyal to you and could willingly accept obedience magic, it's still thanks to me casting those spells that you can feel at ease. In other words… no matter how you think about it, I'm already the biggest contributor, right?"
"…Even so, you—you… Oh, forget it."
He had intended to encourage her to make a bit more effort, but considering Aura's character, he gave up immediately.
But his disdainful look, and the decisiveness with which he abandoned the topic, hurt Aura's pride. She dismissed her attendants, quickly rushing down and frowning as she stopped in front of him. Standing on tiptoe, she looked up at him directly. "—I've felt for a long time that your attitude toward me has been far too rude, don't you think?"
"So?"
"You… do you think I'm a fool?"
"Absolutely. But that's not the point." He ignored Aura's increasingly dangerous gaze, reached out to grab her horn, and gently pushed her away.
"It's been so many years—you should have a little self-awareness by now, right? Even if you are a demon, you ought to make some progress."
"You—you actually look down on me that much…!"
"That's not it."
"…Really?"
"I just think you're stupid, but you're actually quite useful, so I can't really say I look down on you."
"—Go to hell!"
Without hesitation, he answered, and a chilling aura immediately filled the air. Aura raised her hand in an instant, casting a lethal spell.
A dark purple beam of light surged out, but Ash's light blue diamond shield blocked it effortlessly. Watching the decorations around him blown away by the shockwave, he gathered gravity lightning in his right hand and swept it outward forcefully.
The beam of dark magic instantly dissipated, vanishing in a flash of light.
Aura, who had thought this move might have some effect on Ash and had never anticipated such a poor outcome, stamped her foot angrily.
"—What? You said you were kind enough to teach me this magic, yet you have something even better?"
"It's just ordinary gravity magic."
"No! That's definitely not normal! Normally, it wouldn't just be defeated so easily!"
"You could actually tell? You've improved, Aura." Ash stepped forward, patting Aura on the head with a satisfied smile.
"Isn't it normal? If I don't guard against you, who knows what you'd pull?"
"…Where's that brotherly bond you promised me?"
"You're the one who said, 'Okay.' Wouldn't it be wrong not to keep a little distance?"
"I never thought… you'd be so heartless!"
"You're hardly one to say that to me, right?"
He gently pushed Aura aside and headed toward the study, which had once belonged to the king but had now become his private sanctuary.
Aura, who had been full of indignation a moment ago, quickly regained her composure as he turned away. She took out a handkerchief and rubbed the spot on her horn he had touched, muttering in irritation, "Clearly, trying to play the brother-sister card still isn't very effective. Is guilt-tripping him completely useless?"
"Honestly, how long do you think I've known you? And you're still using these tricks on me? What exactly are you plotting?"
Ash glanced at Aura out of the corner of his eye, feeling exasperated. He couldn't fathom why this girl, despite her good looks and figure, had such an unusual personality. A normal demon should have been… well, a little less like this.
Was it his fault? Had he somehow corrupted her when she was young? Even now, he still felt a pang of regret.
With that thought, he sat down at his desk and opened up the important documents that required his attention for the kingdom.
Aura, however, perched herself right on the desk, swinging her legs back and forth, whining petulantly, "Ash, I'm bored~ Stop what you're doing!"
"...Tell me what?"
"Find me something to do."
"Give me a massage if you're so bored."
"No, that's even more boring."
"Then practice your magic."
"Already did."
"...Then keep going."
"No! I'm sooo bored! Come on, talk to me!"
This pink-haired demon girl was as demanding as ever. She slapped his papers away and leaned onto the desk, staring at him intently, her stubborn willfulness showing in her eyes.
Ash sighed deeply for what felt like the hundredth time while dealing with this peculiar girl.
"I'm not saying this to be harsh, Aura, but you just…"
"You are talking about me!" Before he could even finish, Aura interrupted, displeased. Dealing with this headstrong girl always took patience, but he simply nodded and said, "…Alright, yes, I'm talking about you."