In fact, the reason Sein didn't want to leave wasn't all that complicated, though the origin of it did go back quite a long way.
When he was a child, Heiter came here and even invited his older brother to go to the Holy City of Strahl.
For a rural priest in the northern countries, this was absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, rare beyond measure, the kind of chance people could only dream of. Heiter even said that Sein could go live in the Holy City as well.
Whether it was salary, living conditions, or social status, everything would undergo a qualitative leap. But, his brother refused this opportunity, one that no normal person could possibly turn down.
"I happened to hear it back then, standing by the door. Big brother chose to stay here for the rest of his life as a village priest so that after losing our parents, I wouldn't have to lose this hometown as well."
Sein watched the white smoke drifting before his eyes, and at the end of his words, a bitter expression surfaced on his face.
"How can you expect me to leave the village and abandon my brother just to chase some kind of dream?"
"I see. I understand."
"If you understand, then hurry up and leave. I can't—"
"I understand personally, but your brother definitely wouldn't agree with your way of thinking. And I can also understand why you might wonder how an outsider like me could reach such a conclusion. But think about it yourself. Didn't he actively try to persuade you to join us too?"
Ash calmly cut him off. As Sein stared at him in surprise, Ash looked straight into his eyes without expression and spoke in a low, reproachful tone.
"Your brother thought that much about you, yet you interpret his feelings differently. In a way, that can also be called a self-appointed, one-sided 'this is for your own good,' don't you think?"
"I—"
"Why have you never asked him what kind of person he actually wants you to become? And this constant look of regret you carry, does he really want to see you like that?"
Ash's words left Sein frozen. The cigarette in his hand slipped and fell to the ground.
Just as his lips trembled slightly, as if he still wanted to say something, the priest who had appeared beside them at some point strode over, face full of anger, and raised his hand to slap him.
"Sein! So this is what you've been worrying about all this time?"
"I just—"
"Don't lump me together with you! I have never regretted my choice back then, not even for a moment! And you? How long are you planning to keep regretting things?"
"Big brother…"
Sein stood there blankly, covering his face, staring at his brother who was shouting at him, his expression filled with disbelief.
At that moment, Ash quietly turned around and left, returning to Frieren and Fern, intending to give the two brothers some space to talk alone.
He had thought that the breakthrough he'd achieved so easily would naturally make Frieren and Fern look at him in a new light, but…
"You really have some nerve, saying other people are being one-sided with their 'this is for your own good,'" Frieren said, looking utterly speechless, "When you yourself once thought it would be better to have Fern adopted by someone else, remember?"
Fern also pursed her lips, clearly unhappy.
"Lord Ash, please reflect properly!"
"Why are you two bringing up things from when we were kids after all this time?"
'Why is it that when I lecture other people, I somehow end up hurting myself too? Shouldn't this be the part where I get praised instead? This is strange… really strange!', He covered his mouth, lowered his head in confusion, and felt so dejected he almost wanted to squat down on the ground to escape this harsh, decidedly unkind reality.
———
At dusk, by the river next to the church—
Ash lay on the grassy bank, staring at the setting sun while reflecting on life.
Suddenly, an unpleasant smell of smoke drifted over, followed by Sein's gloomy voice.
"You were right. I apologized to my brother."
"Is that so?"
"But don't misunderstand. He's a very gentle brother. From childhood until now, he's never once hit me," Sein let out a sigh filled with guilt, "But, I made such a gentle brother hit me."
"That's quite a peaceful family."
Comparing Sein's family to his own past with Aura, Ash couldn't help sighing inwardly at the difference between humans and demons.
Even though he was supposed to be a good person, he somehow felt that even a wine-and-meat priest was treated better than he was, and that was something he couldn't quite let go of.
Sein, sitting beside him and also gazing at the sunset, heard that and asked curiously, "By the way, you seem to have a younger sister too. How do you get along with her?"
"I'm naturally a very gentle older brother as well. When we were young, we relied on each other. She always rushed to do every bit of work. She was so sensible it made my heart ache. I couldn't even stop her."
"That's a really good sister."
"Yeah. That's the kind of sister I hoped for."
"Huh? Hoped for?"
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"I-I see," Sein felt there was something there that bothered him, but after hesitating for a moment, he decided to let it go, "Anyway, I've decided. I'm going to become an adventurer. I'm going to chase after that guy."
"Is that so?"
"My goal on this journey is to find him, and together with him, fulfill that boring childhood dream of mine. So until then, I'll travel along with you guys."
"Is that so?"
"Isn't this the part where you're supposed to be moved? Why are you still so cold, just like before? At least give me the necessary emotions!"
"Because when it comes to that kind of thing, I'm genuinely not interested. Or maybe I'm a little interested. You could say I'm just accompanying kids and killing time between training sessions."
Ash answered casually, speaking his true thoughts in response to Sein's indignation.
That left Sein completely baffled.
"Seriously, why are you traveling in the first place?"
"I told you. I'm just taking a walk."
"Then why did you lecture me like that earlier, making me sound so awful?"
"No choice. I wanted to show off a bit in front of the kids too. Looks like it backfired."
He sighed dejectedly, and when Fern sat down on his other side, he closed his mouth and stopped talking.
After a moment of silence, Sein suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, where are you guys headed?"
"To the capitals of the two largest nearby countries," Frieren answered casually while flipping through her book, then sat down on the grass above Ash, "If possible, we're also planning to take a look at heaven."
"Heaven? Do you really need to go there on purpose? Don't you get there once you die?"
"Can Lord Sein go too?", Fern asked sharply, still tidying Ash's clothes and telling him not to wrinkle them, without even lifting her head.
That made Sein cautiously ask Ash, "Um... does this kid hate me?"
"Isn't that normal? An uncle like you isn't exactly popular with kids. You should learn from me."
"No! No! Right now you're just being taken care of by this kid, aren't you?"
Sein looked at the lazy Ash beside him, then at Fern, who looked slightly unhappy yet patiently continued to tidy Ash's clothes without a hint of irritation. Even after knowing them for a while, he still couldn't figure out what kind of relationship those two actually had.
In the end, he decided not to dig any deeper. He tilted his head up toward the sky, reached out toward the sunset, and murmured softly to himself, "Even if it's a bit late, I'll start moving now... grab onto the tail end of youth and dreams."
"What is this guy doing? So cringey," Ash glanced at him and couldn't help blurting it out.
Fern frowned slightly and softly scolded him, "Lord Ash, even if it's true, you shouldn't casually evaluate people like that to their face. That's very rude."
"Ash is really immature~ Adults are like me, hiding things in their hearts," Frieren said from above, flipping her book with a smug, schadenfreude-filled smile.
Even though both of them were criticizing Ash, their strange conversation made Sein's face flush red. He pulled his hand back, glared at the three of them in embarrassment and anger, and shouted, "Now I finally get it! Why you three are teammates!"
"By the way, Fern, I want grilled meat tonight."
"Grilled fish? Sure," Fern thought for a moment, then smiled, "We're leaving tomorrow anyway. Let's have a good meal before we go."
Ash completely ignored Sein's embarrassment. Fern easily ignored him as well, and Frieren kept her head buried in her book, clearly having no intention of responding to his complaints.
"Your personalities... are really something."
Even as an adult, even after being stripped down to just his underwear, Sein had never felt this embarrassed. Now, he forced the words out through clenched teeth, already starting to regret why he had just joined this strange team.
But now, it seemed he didn't really have any other choice.
This was the only party in the village, and their strength was clearly reliable, aside from their personalities, they didn't seem to have any other flaws.
So no matter how unwilling he felt, the next day, accompanied by the smiling send-off of the villagers and his brother, Sein left the village he had grown up in with the three of them, embarking on a journey that had been delayed by ten years.
After leaving the village, even with one more person, things didn't feel all that different from before.
They bickered noisily along the way, yet everything went unusually smoothly. Still…
"I'm just saying, don't you feel like this party is missing something really important?", Sein, walking at the front at an unhurried pace, suddenly asked seriously.
"With Ash in the vanguard, a mage, and a priest too," Frieren thought carefully, while Fern answered directly, "A thief, maybe? Lady Frieren always triggers treasure chest traps."
"No, I don't think a thief would help. What we're missing is simply an older sister type," Ash bluntly stated his thought, then quickly pointed at Sein before Fern could glare at him, "Of course, this isn't my idea. He's definitely the one thinking it."
"Of course! Normally every party has one, right?", Unlike Ash, who was trying not to anger Fern, Sein couldn't even take two steps before clenching his fists, tears welling up at the corners of his eyes as he spoke passionately, "Sexy! Mature! Older sister type! Not just me! Ash wants one too, right?"
"At a time like this, don't throw the topic at me. It's really hard for me to answer."
"Whatever Lord Ash is thinking, just say it directly! I won't get mad. Really. Go on!"
Fern stood there with her hands on her hips, staring at him sternly.
Already in a bind, Ash had no way to voice what he was really thinking. He could only casually put an arm around Frieren's shoulder as she passed by and laugh awkwardly.
"Isn't Frieren right here? How could I be thinking about some weird older sister type."
"Oh my? Ash, have you finally acknowledged my charm as an older sister?", Frieren looked up at him in surprise, mixed with a hint of pride, and couldn't help muttering to herself, "It was because of the flying kiss last time, right? Master really didn't lie to me. I really am a sinful woman."
"Ah, y-yeah... that, last time."
'Good grief. You really believe that? How does this complete lack of self-awareness even form?', Ash nodded stiffly, but inside he suddenly felt the urge to push Frieren off the narrow cliffside path so she could cool her head in the river below.
At that moment, however, Fern looked utterly shocked.
"Lord Ash... are you a lol!con?"
"I thought you were a companion. I never imagined you were this kind of heretic! You can even accept someone like that?"
Fern was simply ignorant of the truth, but Sein noticed Ash's pained expression and deliberately held back his laughter, pretending to sigh regretfully as he joined in the mockery.
Realizing that things were suddenly starting to spiral out of control. Ash endured everyone's stares, sighed quietly, and couldn't be bothered to explain anymore. He simply left them behind and strode ahead, wanting some peace and quiet alone.
———
In this season where warmth and cold intermingled, Ash walked along the narrow cliffside path. The lingering glow of the sunset brought a hint of springtime warmth, while the approaching night carried a biting chill.
The combination was unexpectedly comfortable, and his mood unconsciously lifted again.
Soon, he noticed something ahead, beneath the cover of mountain forests, a village lay hidden.
From afar, the stone-built houses were arranged in orderly layers, orange roof tiles glowing softly under the setting sun. It wasn't grand, but it had a quiet, rustic beauty unique to northern villages. However—
"It's so quiet."
As the first to reach the village, Ash noticed while observing his surroundings that an unusual stillness blanketed the entire place, as if even the wind slowed its steps here.
He wandered through it, a hint of doubt rising in his mind, until he rounded the stone buildings and arrived at the village's small square.
The sight before him made him stop abruptly.
In the small square, and in front of the villagers' houses, the villagers lay on the ground without exception. Some were curled up, others stretched out, but none of them moved. They were breathing, yet it was as if they were trapped in an eternal dream.
He quickly scanned the area and soon realized it wasn't just the square. The entire village was engulfed by this sudden disaster.
No noise. No struggle. Only dead silence and countless sleeping figures.
When the three behind him noticed the scene, their expressions differed.
The eerie slumber was chilling, yet... Ash moved through it calmly. And although Sein had fallen far, he was still a man of the cloth, and he immediately crouched down to check the situation.
Fern, nervously looking around, couldn't help grabbing the corner of Ash's clothes.
"Lord Ash... what is this?"
"A curse."
"A curse?"
"Before going to sleep tonight, I'll read you some magical history."
"T-This time! I'll really read it! Really!"
Being treated like a child again made Fern blush as she earnestly promised.
"Really?"
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