"Delicious."
I reach for another treat—an apple pie. I'm at a tea party with Lily, though it's mostly me eating and drinking.
"Glad you like it. It's Linie's favorite. I'm confident in my sweets."
Lily watches me, delighted, making me feel like a grandchild fed by a doting grandma. It should be the other way around, but her maternal aura flips it. She drops the formal speech, which suits me fine—easier to talk.
"You're petite but eat a lot. Are all elves like that?"
"Not really. I'm an adventurer. Sweets are vitality. Normal for us."
"I see. That's why Fern eats so much. Makes cooking worthwhile."
"…Yeah."
I nod, munching pie. No lie—sweets fuel adventurers' rootless, rough lives. As an elf, I may never taste something again, so I savor the good stuff. Fern's appetite is undeniable, but… best not dwell on it, or I'll get angry braids tomorrow.
"Fern mentioned you might leave soon. A week already."
"Yeah. I could stay longer, but Fern decides our schedule. If she says go, we go."
"You're close. I'm glad you like the village."
Fern's ready to move on. Troubling—I haven't picked my three grimoires. I'll be up late again.
"Where to next, Frieren?"
"Eisen's place. Been thirty years. Gotta visit."
"I bet he'll be thrilled."
"You know Eisen too."
"Linie relies on him. Says she's 'depending' on him, oddly."
"Weird demon."
I only know Linie by hearsay, but she's odd. I know why, yet don't fully get it. An exception, aptly named. Lily's strange too—familiar yet not, like I can't grasp our shared context.
"After Eisen, probably Freesia. Haven't decided beyond that."
I let it slip, masking gloom. Time moves fast with Fern—I'd still be dawdling alone. Catching up to others' pace is tough. As I muse—
"Why Freesia?"
Lily's question shifts the air slightly, a nuance I'd have missed before.
"Heiter's promise. Fern wants to go. I'd rather not."
I sip tea, answering plainly, honestly. Lily falls silent, pensive. She wanted this tea party for this.
"Got something to ask?"
I cut to the chase. I'm no Heiter at mind games. Fern says I need directness—irksome, but fair. I try to be straightforward with people now, or rather, I need them to be.
Lily, unaware of my quirks, stays quiet, sipping tea repeatedly. Then—
"Are you going to kill Aura?"
Her voice, now formal, is resolute. As expected. Her reaction to Freesia's name made it obvious. She wanted to talk about Aura alone.
"Yeah. Demons are beasts that don't reason. No need to spare them."
My answer, unchanged for a millennium, is cold, unwavering. Even after defeating the Demon King, it holds. Only something monumental could shift it.
"I see…"
Lily expected this, showing no shock, just silence. She might know my "Funeral" title, worrying for Aura—likely the whole village does. Foolish. Eighty years post-Demon King, humans are still deceived by demons.
"…That's what I'd have said before."
But I'm different now. Demons are still monsters, but—
"I won't strike Aura or Linie first. If they attack, that's another story."
Unthinkably lenient for old me. Talking to demons is a waste, yet I'm willing. Heiter's tales, Himmel's diary, this village's stories—I couldn't stay cold enough to ignore them. So unlike me.
"Mainly for Fern. She's fond of them. She's scary when mad."
That's the biggest reason. My masterly dignity's fading—killing them would worsen it. Fern's outgrown me, but I can't look pathetic. It's not just fear of her anger.
"Plus, I want to confirm something."
I need to know Aura's true intentions. All I have is hearsay. What's she thinking, planning? Demons lie—only Linie might be honest. It's my duty, as Funeral, as a Hero's Party member, to find out.
"Thank you, Frieren."
"Too early for thanks. I didn't say I won't act."
Lily laughs, as if my answer amuses her. I'm still a child to her, but it's not unpleasant—unlike Heiter.
"But is that okay? Even if Aura's changed, her past deeds remain."
I raise the inevitable—sin and punishment, inescapable for humans or demons. Demons may not care, but humans feel it.
"I didn't understand as a child, but the adults did. This village was ravaged by Qual, by demons. Those hurt by Aura likely won't forgive her."
She knew without me saying. This land suffered from demons—some villagers surely rejected Aura, despite Himmel. Like Flamme and me, I hate demons enough to eradicate them. Those ravaged by Aura in the Northern Countries feel the same.
"That's why Aura founded Freesia, I think. She'd never admit it."
Lily speaks for Aura, understanding her after fifty years. Redemption—a concept Aura, a demon, can't grasp, yet mimics, lying, deceiving, as if believing it'll become real.
"That's why I want her to live. Himmel would say the same."
Lily concludes. Live, even if unforgiven, for salvation. I can't affirm or deny, only say—
"Himmel would, huh? Always comes to that."
Her words beat me. Himmel would agree. His influence is endless. He'd better stop charming people, or I'd blast him with magic if he were here.
"How much do you know about Aura and Linie?"
"Up to Himmel's death, mostly. After, barely."
Tea continues, tension gone. Lily's relieved I won't attack outright. The topic stays on Aura, but I engage—it's something I need to know: her actions post-Himmel, unwritten in the diary.
"Aura changed after Himmel's death. Or maybe stayed the same."
"Stayed the same?"
I question the contradiction. Unchanged, yet changed?
"I remember clearly. A month after the Era Meteors, Aura and Linie visited."
"They didn't live here?"
"Aura was freed by then. They wandered aimlessly. Linie begged to return, so Aura reluctantly did."
I recall—Himmel freed Aura half a year before his death. I assumed they stayed, but no. Freedom was her goal. She lived in the Holy Capital with Heiter then, but that aside. Free, she had no reason to stay. Maybe embarrassment, as Lily said. No excuse to return without servitude.
The Era Meteors catch my ear. I know their meaning better than anyone.
"We felt more pity than joy. Aura learned of Himmel's death here."
I'm speechless. She didn't know Himmel was gone. Learning it here, a month later. My last talk with Himmel resurfaces, a painful memory I avoid. It connects.
(Himmel's friend he wanted to introduce…)
I'm stunned at my own dullness. Friends? Me and Aura? Impossible, even now. Then, I'd never have guessed. Himmel's entirely to blame.
(So that's why she told Heiter…)
Her words to Heiter, calling me a reaper. Now I understand.
(Because of me, she missed Himmel's death.)
She declined the meteor trip, missing Himmel's passing. If it was just Heiter and Eisen, maybe not. My presence made her refuse. I get it—I'd have done the same. Neither of us could know the outcome.
(She might hate me. Unfairly, but…)
It makes sense. Demons shouldn't care, and her grudge is misplaced, but I'm not heartless enough to dismiss it. I'd hate her in her place, even if it's my fault.
"I'll never forget Aura's state. They left for the capital right after. She rarely returned since."
Lily continues, mirroring my thoughts. Himmel's funeral ended two weeks after his death, so we didn't meet. Lucky—ignorant, we'd have fought to the death.
"We heard years later Aura started a cult-like religion. My husband Stroh left to help, admiring her and the old chief. Our kids were grown, so he wanted to repay her. Not sure if he's useful."
"Stroh did?"
"Yes. I stayed—I'd be no help. I just keep this house."
Lily's eyes hold resolve and loneliness. That's why she stays, keeping the house ready for their return. Stroh's the same, differently.
"Six years ago, Aura visited to give Fern grimoires. Just passing through, no stay. Linie returns yearly, but not Aura."
Six years ago—when she visited Heiter for scriptures, stopping to gift Fern grimoires. Her attachment to Fern is intense. Something struck her. She didn't linger, unlike Linie.
That's why this house feels frozen. No residents return. Like someone's heart, unable to accept loss.
"Why doesn't Aura come back?"
I ask bluntly, foolishly. Fern would scoff at my tactlessness. I'm irritated—at myself. I know why, yet ask, hoping Lily's answer differs. Stubborn.
"It's too painful. It reminds her of Himmel."
Her reason matches mine.
The flower field spell.
Flamme loved it, my link to Himmel. I avoided it, recalling her. But now—
"Your time with your master was happy."
Himmel taught me, by my side.
"It's okay to remember, Frieren."
"It's okay to remember. Himmel would say that."
He saved me, letting me recall. Aura hasn't learned this simple truth, like I once hadn't. With Himmel gone, someone must tell her. That someone—
"Frieren…?"
"Nothing. Just tribal hatred."
My face betrayed me. Lily looks concerned. This feeling—only a heartless, stubborn elf like me would understand.
"But do you really trust Aura? Demons lie. She might deceive you."
A final, petty jab. A pointless question with an obvious answer.
"Yes. I trust her, lies and all. She's my sister."
Lily's instant reply renders my words useless. Deceiving humans so completely transcends demonkind. Beyond my comprehension.
"Only she'd have humans pleading for her."
She's truly an outlier, called "sister" by humans. Some demon mimic tried that too—maybe jealous or imitating.
"Please look after Aura."
"No promises. I'm a liar too. Ask Fern."
I eat pie, dodging. I'm a liar like her, deceiving demons my whole life. Fern's better—Aura trusts her, not me. I'm not jealous.
"Right. I'll ask Fern to look after our village's liar."
Lily smiles, relieved, thinking of absent family.
Days later, gossip spread of an elf throwing a tantrum at the village exit, dragged off by a girl.
Author's Note: This episode wraps up Frieren's arc for now. Next, Eisen's visit. This chapter focused on Frieren reconciling the diary with reality and learning Aura's unknown past. It also clarified her growth and stance on Aura and Linie. The next episode returns to Aura's past. Stay tuned!
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