"And you still attacked?"
"What's the problem?", The girl tilted her head calmly as she asked back, instantly leaving him completely at a loss.
"You! I..."
He opened his mouth, wanting to scold her, but didn't even know where to start. In the end, he could only hold his forehead with one hand and sink into his own frustration.
But it was at this moment that Frieren finally showed a faint smile.
"Still, being able to see you again, I'm actually quite happy, truly."
"Ah... yeah..."
"What's wrong? Shouldn't you be saying something right now?"
"No, it's just... my head's a mess. Let me sort things out first..."
His carefully imagined plans had been completely thrown off, and Frieren's overly unpredictable emotional swings and actions left him squatting on the ground, struggling to organize his thoughts and everything that had happened from just now.
Frieren, on the other hand, clearly hadn't thought that far. With that same smile, she spread her arms open, just like he had earlier.
"Don't think about so much for now. Come here."
"Huh, what?"
"A touching reunion hug. I remembered correctly, didn't I? You said something like that before, and you seemed pretty excited just now too."
"Well, yes, that's true, that is true, but..."
"What's there to be dissatisfied about? Hurry up and come over, let's get this over with. My arms are getting tired."
"Ah! Okay, I'm coming..."
Urged again by Frieren, who was suddenly starting to sound impatient, Ash remembered his original intention and walked forward anyway. While wondering how her memory could be this good, he squatted down and hugged the girl who had her arms open.
Feeling the softness and smallness that hadn't changed in the slightest even after a thousand years, he didn't even have time to reflect before Frieren reached up and started stroking his head instead.
"Huh? What? What is this?"
"I don't know. Humans seem to like doing this, so I tried it. You're happy, right?"
"To be honest, I'm not happy at all. If I think about it seriously, this is completely different from what I was expecting."
"What? It's been a thousand years and you're still that willful?", Compared to the stunned Ash, Frieren was the one who became dissatisfied first.
But just like Ash, she also had far too many things she wanted to complain about.
To be honest, at the start, Ash really was quite moved by this reunion after a thousand years.
At least when he first saw his long-lost friend, he truly wanted to hug her. But, what followed completely exceeded his expectations.
Now with Frieren stroking his head in a way that was clearly something an elder would do to a younger person, his instincts kicked in. He complained reflexively, then placed both hands on Frieren's shoulders and pushed her away, speaking seriously.
"Wait a second, Frieren. Isn't this whole process a bit wrong?"
"Process? What process?", Frieren looked completely confused.
"I'm the elder here. And also, normally, when facing illusions from an illusion demon, wouldn't anyone hesitate? Why do you look like you didn't hesitate at all?"
"If a mage hesitates, they might die by accident, right?"
Compared to his indignation, Frieren looked like this was perfectly natural.
"But I'm a mage too! If I reacted even a bit slower, I could've died as well!"
"It's fine. You're not someone who dies that easily."
"What kind of 'it's fine' is that?"
This strange trust left him at a complete loss as to where he should even begin complaining.
There were simply too many things to complain about. In the end, Ash suddenly thought of something and asked,
"Let's put all that aside. Your illusion demon was me?"
"Sometimes it's Master, sometimes it's you... how should I put it. Even though I didn't know either of you for very long, the impression was definitely deep."
As she spoke, Frieren's expression wasn't the girlish sentiment he'd imagined. Instead, it was oddly complicated, like she'd been haunted by something strange.
At the very end, she even sized him up and added, "Also, I've pretty much gotten tired of hearing you and Master beg for mercy. Not begging properly is actually kind of refreshing."
"What kind of image do I have in your mind?", He'd meant to tease her, but now Ash himself felt a bit hurt.
Holding his stomach to ease the vague ache, he let out a long sigh and changed the topic.
"We've known each other for over ten years at least. With Flamme, it was decades. That's pretty long no matter how you look at it, right?"
"If you add it all up, it's actually not that much time."
"Alright, I don't even want to complain about that anymore."
"Is that so? But you're done asking now, right? Then it's my turn."
"You? Wait, I'm not finished yet."
"Then hold it in for now. And... squat down."
As Frieren rolled up her sleeves, she gestured for him to squat in front of her, instantly putting him on guard.
"What? You're not... planning to hit me, are you?"
"That's right. You're too tall, hitting your face would be inconvenient, so could you squat down first?"
"Of course not! What are you thinking? Who would ever agree to that kind of request?"
That oddly polite yet clearly not-polite-at-all request made him jump back three meters on the spot.
Frieren, however, said expressionlessly, "If you think about it carefully, it's very reasonable, isn't it?"
"How? Just because you asked nicely?"
"You disappeared without any explanation, making Master and me think you were dead. In the end, Master even regretted not being able to find you. And for the first half-century after you disappeared, I couldn't sleep properly at all. Getting punched a few times over that wouldn't be excessive, right? That's what Serie said."
As she spoke, Frieren stepped closer to him little by little, then stopped in front of him and looked up.
"But before I actually do anything, I want to hear your explanation."
"That was force majeure," Unable to explain the truth, he could only avert his gaze awkwardly.
"What exactly happened?"
"Something like falling into a magic trap outside the imperial capital and getting frozen. Also, just so you know, I only woke up about a month ago."
"A month?"
Frieren narrowed her eyes slightly, examining the fluctuations of magic power around him.
Ash's skill at concealing his aura was extremely sloppy, so she could easily see through the disguise to the truth underneath.
Normally, things from a thousand years ago would be forgotten by most people, but for long-lived races like them, events from years ago were still vivid.
In the past, he'd only been at the upper limit of what a mortal could reach. Now, he had completely surpassed the limits of a normal human lifespan. In terms of total power, even demons would need hundreds of years of bitter training to reach that level.
Judging by his past rate of training, reaching this stage should have taken forty or fifty years.
Even though his appearance hadn't changed, he must have already reached old age, around seventy years old.
After making this rough judgment, and having left the elven village and come this far, Frieren had more or less understood the limits of human lifespans. She realized that her old friend before her was nearing the end of his life.
'Why lie like this? Hide your age? Don't want me to worry? Thought I can't see through it?'
A wave of sorrow rose in Frieren's heart. Even the fist she had unconsciously clenched, intending to hit him on behalf of Master and herself, gradually loosened without her realizing it.
Under the weight of sudden guilt, Ash, who had deliberately said such an absurd number, had already prepared himself to be hit and even squatted down cooperatively.
But just as he did, he saw a lonely smile on Frieren's face.
That strange smile left him confused.
"What's wrong?"
"If I think about it carefully, it's not really your fault. And being able to see you again now already makes me very happy," With a gentleness she had never shown him before, Frieren gave a shallow smile and once again placed her hand on his head.
Naturally, this overly abnormal behavior only made Ash, who had braced himself to be beaten, feel uncomfortable all over.
Forget goosebumps. He was even starting to suspect she might be plotting something.
Even now, Frieren still seemed somewhat dull when it came to human emotions, with many things she didn't understand.
But when her hand rested on Ash's head, she could clearly see the wariness on his face.
That made her recall their time studying together. With a trace of nostalgia, she smiled softly and shook her head.
"What are you thinking about? Aren't we friends? How could I really hit you?"
"....."
'When did this girl learn to say such nauseating things? She was bombarding me with magic just a moment ago, wasn't she?? Where does she get the nerve? Did she learn this from me?', As soon as he thought that, something felt off.
Because even he wouldn't be able to lie so blatantly with a straight face.
That thought led him to genuinely wonder if Frieren might be sick. Before he realized it, he'd already reached out and placed his hand on her forehead.
"What are you doing?", Frieren said, speechless.
"Doesn't seem like you have a fever. Did you eat something weird this morning? Or get hit by some strange curse? Should we go to a church?"
"..."
'How troublesome. Should I just punch this guy after all?', Looking at Ash worrying about her head, Frieren, who had just decided to be a bit gentler with him, felt her fist starting to harden again.
But soon, she let out a long breath, barely suppressing her irritation, and forced out a smile.
"By the way, why did you know I was here?"
"That's a sudden topic change."
"Do you actually want me to punch you?"
"Of course not..."
It wasn't that he really wanted to be punched. He just felt like maybe he could get punched.
But wanting to get punched just for the sake of it was definitely wrong. So he shook his head repeatedly and, under Frieren's curious gaze, hesitated before saying,
"You probably won't believe this, but before I came, I didn't even know you were here."
"No... I believe you."
'There's no way he could know. Probably he's just hiding how long he searched for me. Sigh, he has that side to him too sometimes...', Frieren's gaze softened unconsciously.
"Really?"
"Of course. Aren't you my uncle-in-discipline?"
"Uh, that's the first time I've heard you call me that. But stop it already, this is making me uncomfortable."
"Alright, alright. What do you want to eat? I'll treat you."
"Anything's fine. I'll eat whatever you eat..."
'It has already been a thousand years. Even the most stubborn elf would change eventually, so has Frieren become gentler too?'
With that thought, and a faint sense of time slipping away, Ash followed the silver-haired elf, planning to freeload here for a while longer.
———
Compared to Ash, who had spent this period following two bug-level figures and living in luxury, Frieren was a complete ascetic.
Behind this mountain, what she lived in was just a small wooden cabin she'd built herself.
The cabin's frame was made of thick logs, its surface covered in mottled moss and the marks of time.
The interior walls were extremely primitive, mostly retaining the wood's original appearance. Upon entering, a fresh scent mixed with the faint aroma of wood greeted the senses.
Though the interior wasn't spacious, it was neatly arranged. Every piece of furniture reflected simplicity and practicality.
On a wooden table made from a single log that had been cut and polished, there were candles and quite a few books. On a nearby wooden dining table sat several earthenware bowls and plates, some holding wild fruits freshly picked from the forest.
In the corner was a wooden bed laid with soft animal pelts. In the cabinet beside it were a few simple clothes and basic daily necessities.
"You're clearly very strong, so why do you live so... primitively?", While looking around the room, Ash casually grabbed some grape-like wild fruit from the table and tossed it into his mouth. The moment he bit into it, his entire face scrunched up.
"So sour! This tastes awful!"
"You're supposed to eat that mixed with other wild fruits. Also, I'm not interested in money."
"But living a bit better wouldn't hurt, right?"
"By the way, you're human. At this age, shouldn't you have gotten married long ago? Let me see your children too."
Squatting by the stove as she started a fire, Frieren looked at him with anticipation.
"Honestly, I'd really like to give you one to see, but the only normal girl I ever came into contact with was the emperor's consort. And no matter how you put it, a married woman is—"
"So you really did climb in there on purpose back then?"
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