Chapter 52 – Flamme's Invitation
"Strahl… as expected of a central metropolis. It's still blazing with lights even at night."
Walking down the street, Elias glanced at the rows of shops and restaurants, commenting as he observed them.
Beside him, Flamme walked with her hands clasped behind her back, smiling leisurely.
"It is lively, yes—but I still prefer the quiet, peaceful life of the village."
"Really now…"
Elias's gaze paused for a moment.
"I thought you chose to live in the village to keep an eye on me—or to teach Frieren."
"Well… you're not wrong~"
Flamme chuckled, quickening her pace and leaving her back to the ever-dense demon.
But lately, she had begun doubting those reasons herself.
Eight whole years had passed, yet Elias had never once shown the bloodthirsty nature of a demon.
As for Frieren, her only problems were… domestic. A bit lazy, a bit whimsical.
When it came to magic training, aside from the occasional bout of idiocy, she really didn't give Flamme much to worry about.
The true reason Flamme still stayed in that village…
was because she hoped its tranquility might slowly heal the wounds she carried from the battlefield.
And she knew very well—
that the environment had remained peaceful only because of that cold, aloof demon.
"Elias… thank you."
Flamme turned and looked at him, her expression sincere.
"Whether it's for the village… for Frieren… or for letting me intrude on your life these past years."
Elias stared back into Flamme's earnest eyes, trying to decipher their meaning.
"…so this is called sarcasm?"
Flamme: (≖_≖'')
"Elias…"
"Not everyone is like you and Master—where every sentence somehow counts as an insult."
"Yes, I've learned plenty of sarcasm from her… but at least right now…"
"Can't I express what I genuinely feel?"
Elias thought quietly.
Ah—this must be what humans call 'being sincere.'
"I understand, Flamme."
"But your way of thanking me… is dragging me around the streets aimlessly?"
"Sigh…"
Flamme let out a long breath, inwardly lamenting Elias's utter cluelessness.
He claims to carry the resolve to become human…
Yet knows nothing about ordinary human life.
He puts all his hope into magic alone.
Should she call it laziness?
Or just pure stupidity?
Maybe… this was the perfect chance to teach him—
what ordinary human life actually feels like.
"Come with me, Elias~"
Flamme lightly tugged on his sleeve and pulled him into a small storefront beside them.
The cramped space was completely empty—save for a curtain, a long bench, and a strange box set on a stand.
"This is a new shop that opened in the city. A Magic Self-Service Portrait Studio. Very trendy~"
"Magic… self-service… portrait… studio?"
Elias's slow, uncertain tone made it painfully clear he had absolutely no idea what any of those words meant when put together.
To him, it was nothing but a string of suspicious sounds mashed into a sentence.
Ten seconds later, he was still standing stiffly in front of the curtain, staring blankly at the square-shaped magic device opposite him.
"So…"
"You're telling me this device creates the so-called magic portrait?"
"—Exactly."
Flamme smiled, happily taking on the role of tour guide.
"They say it's from the southern continent. It's called a Magic Image-Capturing Box."
"You just shout the spell 'Brain Dumpling!' at it, and it captures an instant of your image!"
Elias rubbed his chin.
"Hm… I feel like I've heard of something like this before… It should be called a camera, right?"
"Don't just stand there spacing out! Come on, Elias—say the spell with me!"
"Braaain dumpliiiing~~~!"
—Click!
A flash of white light burst out, stabbing straight into Elias's eyes—
and decades-old memories surged up from the depths of his mind.
"No… this box…"
"I remember… this thing…"
---
Three thousand years before...
Ruins of a southern-continent city
After inspecting the residual magic traces, Aivis sighed in disappointment.
"Unfortunately, this wasn't a demon attack. Just humans killing each other again."
"Strange?"
Serie stepped over shattered tiles.
"Sometimes humans are just short-lived demons. More people in history have died at the hands of humans than demons, you know…"
Elias stayed silent.
He simply raised a hand toward a collapsed house beside them and used high-grade levitation magic.
"There are two survivors here."
He pulled out a woman and the infant she'd been shielding with her own body.
But then they saw the condition of her legs—crushed beyond recognition.
"No saving her," Serie declared.
"To healing magic, she no longer counts as 'a complete person.'"
"H-Honored ones…"
The woman's breaths were weak and broken.
"Please… save my daughter…"
"And if… possible… draw a portrait of me… I want her to remember what her mother looked like…"
But none of them had even the slightest artistic talent.
If they drew her, she'd probably end up looking like some kind of eldritch creature—which would defeat the purpose entirely.
Even Aivis looked helpless.
"Magic that records images never developed since it has no combat use. Even if I start creating one now… I won't finish in time."
But then Elias stepped forward.
With only faint scraps of memory from his past life, and his overwhelming ability to manifest imagination—
He summoned broken wood and shattered glass from the rubble.
Disassembled, reconstructed, refined.
Then infused it with light and shadow magic.
And created a square box.
—Click!
A flash of pure white.
A small sheet slid out—
showing the woman's fragile but relieved smile.
"So this… is magic…"
"Thank you… my daughter will… remember me…"
After she passed, the three delivered the baby and the photo to an orphanage.
In their haste, the newly invented camera was left behind as well.
---
"Elias…"
"You could at least try to smile?"
Flamme shoved a newly developed portrait in front of his face, pouting.
"Look at this! I'm smiling so brightly!"
"And you— why do you look like someone owes you money?"
"Oh… a smile?"
A spark lit in Elias's eyes.
"I vaguely remember… there was another feature…"
He focused and channeled magic into the square device.
"Alright, Flamme. This time—perfect."
Flamme eyed the demon warily, then turned to the box and spoke:
"Brain dumpling!"
—Click!
Ten seconds later, Flamme stared at the new photo with a complicated expression.
"Elias… please explain…"
(''≖≖)…(≖≖'')ノ☐
"This bizarre, creepy smile is…?"
(''≖‿≖)…(≖_≖'')ノ☐
"—A filter."
"I added a filter function."
Flamme: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"…So you used magic to forcefully alter the final image."
"What a despicable trick…"
Completely speechless, she sneaked a glance at Elias—
Wait.
Was that… a smile?
Did he actually smile just now?
Does he only smile when he's plotting something shady?
Or was this an unconscious smile even he didn't notice?
Flamme quietly tucked away the photo.
"Elias, haven't you realized?"
"Hmm? Realized what?"
"You're… kind of different lately."