"But you didn't ask in the beginning, did you? You only said that elves and humans being together won't have a good ending, so I was just exchanging opinions with you from that angle. I never said I was together with Frieren, right?"
"That's true."
It was hard to refute, yet it still felt strange somehow. The elf man could not help lowering his head, and amid his barely concealed gloom, he fell completely silent.
Frieren, who had been warming herself by the fire the whole time, finally smiled at this moment and shook her head, "You don't need to think too deeply about what he says. Most of the time he's just bored and looking for some fun. He's really just a bit bad, that's all. You don't need to take it too seriously."
"Just a bit bad?"
Such a strange way of introducing someone left the elf man completely confused.
At this moment, Ash directly squatted down beside them. He picked up two pieces of wood, pulled out a dagger, and under the curious gazes of the three, shaved off some wood shavings and carved a wooden spindle. Smiling, he said, "Anyway, as an apology, I'll teach you how to make a fire when you've lost your fire source and can't use magic, alright?"
"Make a fire? With just wood?"
"Of course. Look. Like thisssss... there!"
He suddenly spun his hands, rotating the wooden spindle at high speed and rubbing it hard. White smoke rose from the contact point, the surrounding wood turning black. After blowing on it a few times, the fine wood shavings immediately burst into flames.
The sight left everyone completely stunned.
"How.... how did you do that? Why does spinning it like that and blowing make fire start?"
"Rapid rotation and friction raise the temperature at the contact point. When it reaches the ignition point of the wood, it catches fire. Normally you'd need some tools, but you probably don't. You can just rub it directly like I did."
"So that's how it is. I don't really understand it, but are you a genius or something?", The man, who had been full of resentment toward him earlier, instantly changed his impression of Ash completely.
Fern also clapped enthusiastically at the side, "As expected of Lord Ash. You always come up with really amazing ideas!"
"It's true. Even though he's so unserious as a person, he still manages to come up with strange but useful inventions from time to time. His head works surprisingly well," Even Frieren felt a sense of admiration for Ash's knack for constantly producing novel and oddly practical ideas.
"Anyway, let's properly introduce ourselves," Having encountered too many similar situations, Ash no longer planned to give extra explanations. He smiled and took the initiative to extend his hand toward the elf man.
"I'm Ash. And you are?"
"Warrior Monk Kraft. Being able to meet you at a time like this must be the guidance of the Goddess," As he spoke, Kraft reached up and held the Goddess Church pendant hanging on his chest.
Seeing this made Ash feel a bit uneasy.
"The Goddess, huh?"
"You don't believe?"
"No, I believe."
"That's surprising. You look at this thing like it's scrap metal, with no sense of reverence at all. To be honest, I've never seen anyone with less faith than you," Kraft touched the pendant on his chest, his face full of surprise.
Ash, however, spread his hands casually, "It's not just how it looks. To me, that thing is no different from scrap metal."
"Then why—"
"Because the Goddess hates me thoroughly."
"How could that be? The Goddess should be very gentle."
"Not only can I not use holy scriptures, but healing magic only works on me occasionally."
"In a way, that's pretty impressive too," This unheard of situation left Kraft silent for a long time before he finally showed an awkward expression, "Did you do something?"
"I just drank too much as a kid and threw up on a statue."
"As a kid? If it was when you were young, the Goddess would normally forgive you, right?", Kraft frowned unconsciously and stared at him, hoping for a clearer answer.
"Let's put those unpleasant things aside," Ash waved it off lightly, "Speaking of which, aside from Frieren, I haven't seen an elf in a long time."
"Same here. It's been a long time for me too."
Seeing that Ash did not really want to talk about it, Kraft did not press further, and the group simply continued with their introductions.
———
The night passed quietly amid everyone's introductions.
Because Kraft had lost his supplies, Ash simply gave him his own blanket.
Frieren and Fern shared one, while Ash and Kraft each had their own. They lay scattered on the wooden floor in front of the fireplace. However...
Late at night, Frieren, who slept with no regard for posture, turned over, exposing Fern to the cold air. Fern curled up from the cold, shivering nonstop.
By coincidence, Ash, who was still practicing magic late into the night, noticed this and directly covered her with the blanket draped over himself, which originally belonged to Fern anyway.
"She really is still a kid."
Looking at the girl sleeping so neatly, he smiled unconsciously and gently stroked her purple hair. Only when Fern gradually stopped trembling did he return to his practice.
His demon body did not tire easily. Especially after being able to demonize, maintaining a human form consumed very little energy. Even if he did not sleep for a week, he would still be full of vigor.
So unless it was necessary, he naturally did not plan to waste time sleeping.
In fact, Fern had already woken up the moment he quietly covered her with the blanket. After all, there was still a stranger in the cabin. But the familiar sensation and movement in her hair made her choose to keep pretending to sleep.
Because the familiar warmth in his palm made her unconsciously want to sink into it, enjoying the feeling of being taken care of by him... and without realizing it, she forgot to open her eyes.
Only when Ash gradually moved aside and sat cross legged to temper his magic power did she unconsciously sneak a look at him, her gaze complex, while tightly gripping the blanket that still retained warmth.
She truly could not understand it, 'Lord Ash is clearly quite strong, so why does he still work so hard to train every single day? And also... Can I really be of help to him?'
She also could not figure out who Ash was preparing to fight, to make him pour so much effort into studying magic and honing his warrior skills.
But no matter what it was, she hoped that one day she would be able to help him. And if she could make an extra wish, it would probably be tha, 'It will be nice if we could stay like this, together, forever.'
Although Fern did not look directly at Ash, the gentleness and expectation she felt flowed clearly from the subtle movement of her fingers gripping the blanket and from her gaze.
Even with his eyes closed, Ash could sense something. But since Fern did not say anything, he naturally could not understand why she was secretly looking at him, as if she were expecting something.
'Could it be that she wants me to pat her head again? She really is a kid. I just did it not long ago, didn't I? Still, that's unexpectedly cute,' He could not help smiling, then sat back down beside Fern and gently stroked her smooth purple hair again.
This immediately eased the unease she had been feeling.
'As expected, Lord Ash really understands me. He definitely won't leave on his own later, right?', The gentle stroking made the corners of her mouth lift unconsciously. She quietly grabbed the hem of his clothes and fell asleep amid an indescribable sense of security.
Only after she had completely fallen asleep did Ash withdraw his hand and, in the vast winter night, continue his never ending practice.
The next day, morning light did not pour into the room as expected.
The sky was still gloomy, and a "woo~ woo~" sound kept coming through the gaps in the doors and windows.
Ash, who had not slept at all during the night, pushed the door open and took a look. Outside, the world was still covered in thick snow.
The blizzard had not weakened just because the night had passed. Snowflakes were still falling endlessly, like infinite white gauze pouring down from the sky, dyeing the distant mountains, trees, and everything within reach into flawless white. It was so beautiful that he could not help sighing in admiration.
"Just like I imagined, it's so pea—"
BANG!
Before he could finish, a hand slammed the door shut from behind.
Then, as he lowered his head in frustration, Frieren popped up from below him, angrily lifting her face and glaring up at him.
"Stop spacing out and admiring things for no reason. You might not be cold, but we're about to freeze to death!"
"Sorry!"
"Well... you didn't mean it, so forget it."
She had planned to scold him properly, but seeing his rare honest apology, Frieren silently returned to the fire.
The group spent some time warming themselves and chatting, then soon went outside together to retrieve Kraft's carriage, which had accidentally sunk into the deep snow.
The free and abundant supplies were more than enough to help the four of them endure the cold.
Even though there was now an extra Warrior Monk they had only just met, because of faith and racial reasons, Frieren and Fern were able to get along well with him. As for Ash, he could get along with almost anyone he talked to. Communication was never a problem for him.
———
The days that followed passed like flowing water.
Under the influence of the northern cold current, the blizzards came and went, rarely stopping completely. As a result, the group was trapped there.
Compared to the others, Ash, who was both a mage and a warrior and possessed flight capabilities far beyond what human mages could achieve, would use the excuse of exploring the surroundings whenever the blizzard briefly subsided, leaving for a few days at a time to visit the royal capital and the Demon King's castle, which were actually not that far away.
Human flight magic was basically a crude imitation of demon flight. Not only did it consume enormous amounts of energy, it also lacked mobility, and its control was far inferior to that of demons.
That was why, even though the group were all mages, they never used flight to avoid the blizzard or to travel quickly. Even when they were about to be left behind earlier, Frieren had never flown.
Ash could control his body while flying through the blizzard, but under those wind speeds, Frieren and the others would simply be blown away unless they covered their entire bodies with protective magic.
But fully wrapping oneself in protective magic consumed an enormous amount of magic power. Under normal circumstances, even when facing an attack, the barrier was only briefly deployed over the point of impact.
Of course, although this protective magic was extremely costly, its defensive power was also astonishing. A single ordinary attack spell could pierce through five two meter thick earthen walls, leaving a massive hole more than three meters in diameter.
In terms of raw power, even tank cannons were worthless compared to human attack magic after the evolution of killing spells. You would need battleship main guns to compare, at least when it came to penetration during large scale destruction.
Precisely because of this excellent defense and excessive cost, fully protected flight was unrealistic. Brief protection could not provide warmth either, so using flight as a means of avoiding the cold was simply not an option.
And when the blizzards finally seemed about to pass, and the group was about to part ways and set off once more.
"By the way, Frieren," Sitting on a wooden stump at the edge of the forest, carving a Goddess pendant out of wood, Kraft suddenly looked at her as they passed by and said, "You're different from Ash. You just don't believe in the Goddess, right?"
"Though that guy is hated pretty thoroughly, in that sense he almost makes me believe in the Goddess' existence a little."
"Haha! You'd actually make a pretty good missionary, then," Kraft unconsciously looked toward Ash, who was beating up passing monsters to practice his martial skills.
That strange evaluation left Ash speechless.
"I'd rather not have that kind of weird ability."
"But have you heard about my story?", Kraft smiled and turned his gaze back to Frieren.
"No. Why? Are you famous or something? And what does this have to do with believing in the Goddess?"
"No. I just wanted to say that since we're both elves. No matter what great deeds or justice we once accomplished, they'll all be forgotten by everyone as time passes. Everyone who knew will disappear as well," At that moment, an indescribable loneliness filled Kraft's eyes.
That slightly strange statement piqued Frieren's curiosity, "You think the Goddess will remember? So that's why you believe in her?"
"That's right. After I die, I want to receive praise from the Goddess in heaven. 'Well done, Kraft. Your life was wonderful.' That's my only wish in believing in the Goddess," As he slowly spoke while touching the pendant on his chest, an indescribable longing showed on Kraft's face.
He softly expressed his sole expectation of the Goddess, then finally looked at Frieren with a heavy tone, "To have one's life path remembered by no one is simply too cruel. That's why I truly believe in the Goddess' existence. Without her, I would be at a loss."
"Your faith is surprisingly utilitarian," Ash could not help interjecting, feeling a bit disillusioned with the Warrior Monk who had seemed so devout until now.
But as soon as he said that, something else came to mind, "Come to think of it, Heiter seemed to have similar thoughts."
"Ah, right! Heiter said he wanted to eat and drink his fill in heaven and then get praised by the Goddess," Frieren also recalled their old friend, remembering scenes from the orphanage Heiter had funded. She could not help laughing.
"That booze loving monk drank while saying things like, 'The Goddess will definitely praise an honest and pure person like me.'"
"What's wrong with that?"
"You actually think there's nothing wrong with it?", Frieren stared at him in disbelief, "You people who believe in the Goddess are really strange."
"We've all walked long lives to get here, Frieren," Although deeply faithful, Kraft was not a fanatic. He did not have strict expectations of what believers should be like, and he spoke especially seriously now.
"If there were no Goddess, I'd surely be at a loss. He was probably the same, using that belief to face the death that would one day arrive."
"Instead of thinking about what happens after death, why not just find a way not to die?", Ash casually pressed the monster in front of him into the ground and calmly turned his head, "Entrusting your hopes to someone else, is that really your choice as an elf?"
"You're young, Ash. I used to be as spirited as you. But in the end... only the Goddess will remember everything."
"I won't be praised."
"Haha! That's true. But you're human, so you don't need to worry about being forgotten," Halfway through his sentence, Kraft looked at Frieren and said gently, "You're different, Frieren. If you don't believe in the Goddess, then I'll praise you in her place. I'll remember your story."
"Just like someone who shares the same faith," Kraft's words made Frieren once again recall a past conversation with Heiter at the orphanage he sponsored.
After saying something similar, Heiter had praised her past efforts to hide her magic power. Remembering that, she smiled helplessly and shook her head lightly.
"No need. I already have other people who praise me."
"Is that so? Even though Ash is a bit of a bad person, you've got a good friend, Frieren."
"No, the one I was talking about just now wasn't him," Frieren glanced at Ash, then shook her head with a laugh, "Though he did praise my magic a long time ago. Lately, when I wake up early, Fern praises me together with him."
"Sounds like you really do have good friends," Kraft smiled and nodded, swallowing whatever else he had wanted to say.
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