After burying their companions, the other villagers also prepared to leave one by one. But before that, Ash and Frieren left first, and for some reason Flamme, who had taken Frieren in as her disciple, went with them.
"Speaking of which, Frieren."
With Frieren on his back, seemingly completely worn out after burying the dead, Ash suddenly remembered something and turned his head while they were on the road.
Hearing the oddly cheerful tone in his voice, Frieren, slumped against his back, instantly went on guard.
"What?"
"You've become Flamme's disciple, right? Then doesn't that make you my grand-disciple? In that case, shouldn't you be calling me Master Uncle?"
"You didn't forget that I taught you magic too, did you?"
"Then how about this? I call you grand-disciple, you call me by my name, and we each go by our own rules?"
"No matter how I think about it, I'm the one getting the short end of the stick. I'm not doing that."
Frieren turned her face away outright, not wanting to bother with his proposal at all.
Flamme, walking beside them, pressed a hand to her forehead, clearly not wanting to get involved in this strange conversation.
But just as Ash was about to press the issue again, three cloaked demons suddenly appeared by the side of the road.
They had originally been hiding themselves, but upon seeing that the three of them were all mages, they took the initiative to reveal themselves, just like Basalt before, and demanded that they put down the elf.
"Demons are like this. Despicable and crafty, yet they take ridiculous pride in magic. They absolutely won't sneak-attack a mage, and they always want a fair duel..."
Flamme lectured the two of them in an extremely crude manner, talking to herself as she spoke. In the middle of it, she even set Frieren down from Ash's back, looking as if she were about to surrender, while continuing unhurriedly, "Because when it comes to magic, they have absolute confidence and trust in the spells they've honed over many years. In other words, shit-level arrogance and self-righteousness!"
At the end of her words, Flamme suddenly raised her hand, releasing a burst of golden light without any warning.
A nearby hillside exploded in a flash, turning into a crater over twenty meters in diameter.
After finishing all that, she turned back calmly, neither pleased nor angry, and looked at the two of them.
"They really are top-class, outstanding mages. But no matter how first-rate you are, a tiny lapse can still get you killed. That's how extreme this profession is. A mage's body is far weaker than a warrior's. If you're careless, even a child could stab you to death with a knife."
"So that's why you were hiding your magic power all this time?", Ash asked, looking at the aura now swelling around her, "But how long have you been hiding it? Don't tell me it's always been like that?"
"That's right. Using the enemy's misjudgment of magic power to deceive and kill them, to sully noble magic, that's my most despicable tactic."
"I'm just saying, aren't you a bit strange? You just said 'shit magic,' and now it's 'noble magic' all of a sudden?"
When she lowered her gaze at the end, the dim look in her eyes made Ash understand that those words were meant for herself, not for the vanished demons.
"I like magic. But I also hate magic."
"Hah!"
"Anyway, let's head back for now, shall we? Since I've taken in a disciple, I should at least inform my master."
Flamme ignored his dumbfounded look and walked ahead on her own.
With a hint of helplessness, Ash hoisted Frieren back onto his back and followed after her.
And after being attacked again and again, the only thing they could really be grateful for was that their direction wasn't the same as Millie's. The demons had come from the opposite direction as well, so there was no need to worry about the villagers' or Millie's safety.
———
As dawn broke, a gentle fish-belly white spread across the sky, and gauzy mist curled above the winding river.
The three of them walked along at an unhurried pace.
Although Flamme said they were going back to report to her master, the journey itself was remarkably leisurely, like sightseeing rather than traveling, without the slightest sense of urgency.
Along the way, they would sometimes stop in fields bursting with flowers, enjoying moments of peace and beauty. Other times, they climbed atop massive boulders to gaze into the distance, taking in the surrounding green mountains and clear waters.
Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows. Compared to traveling, their journey felt more like a simple trip.
During this process, Flamme taught Frieren as they went. Ash stayed to the side and shamelessly picked up lessons as well, which gave Flamme a bit of a headache, along with some odd misgivings.
In the end, she put those worries aside and taught both of them together.
It took the three of them a full half year to slowly cross the border and reach the neighboring country. There was no helping it. They barely walked more than a few steps each day.
As they were about to reach the ruins where Serie lived, they arrived at a flower field beside the ruins and decided to rest there for the night before going in. After all, the inside definitely wouldn't be cleaned up, so staying outside was just as good.
This flower field stretched as far as the eye could see, like a carefully woven tapestry spread beneath the blue sky and white clouds.
Sunlight filtered through sparse clouds and bathed the flowers, making it feel like a fairy tale. But Frieren was clearly uninterested. She stepped straight onto the flowers without a second thought.
"By the way, why is there such a huge flower field here?", Ash casually plucked a bouquet of flowers and looked at Flamme in confusion.
"This?", Flamme swept her gaze over the sea of flowers and smiled, "It was a gift I gave my master a long time ago."
"Serie has such a girly heart?"
"No. Master doesn't seem to like it very much."
"Then what was the point?"
"I like it quite a bit."
"Doesn't suit you at all."
"I know. But this was the first spell my parents taught me when I was little, and it's what made me fall in love with magic," Looking over the flowers, Flamme showed a trace of nostalgia, "This field is big enough. Maybe even in the future, after I'm gone, it can keep Master company. That's what I was thinking."
"...."
Frieren, who had never joined their conversation, listened with her eyes slightly widened, but she couldn't really understand it.
So she turned her head toward Ash and asked in confusion, "I think I understand Master's motivation. But what about you, Ash? Why do you like magic so much?"
"Survival, I guess. And also," He toyed with the flowers in his hand, showing a bit of helplessness, "My little sister. She has deep and urgent expectations of me."
"Then you can't let your sister down."
"No, I think it's better if I do."
"Huh?"
Frieren was completely baffled.
Whether it was what her master was trying to express or what Ash said, it all made her suspect that she really didn't understand human emotions after all.
But at this moment, Flamme noticed her mood. With a sigh, she patted Frieren's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. It's not just you. I don't understand what he means either."
.
.
.
The next day—
They left the flowerbed and went deep into the ruins, arriving at the familiar hall.
The blonde shorty elf, Serie, sat on the throne in the deepest part as usual, looking bored out of her mind.
When they entered, Frieren followed Flamme's example and knelt on one knee.
At that moment, Serie broke into an interested smile and looked toward Ash, who was sitting cross-legged to the side flipping through a book.
"Hey, you over there. See that? That's what a proper disciple should look like."
"Can you not pick a fight out of nowhere? You don't even like these tedious formalities yourself, do you?", Ash shot back without even lifting his head, his eyes still on the book.
"Who says that? Etiquette is what I value most!"
"Then how about you stop putting your feet on the chair and sit properly first?", Ash glanced up at Serie, who was sitting without sitting properly, standing without standing properly, and not even squatting properly. He couldn't even be bothered to complain more.
"Tch! You're surprisingly sharp at times," Being disliked by her own disciple made Serie click her tongue, "Who do you think's been feeding you while you've been here?"
"More importantly, are you really going to let Flamme and Frieren keep kneeling there?"
"I have no problem with it. I'm the elder, after all. You're the one responsible for this situation. What, feeling guilty now?"
"Not at all. I'm not the one kneeling, and I'm not the one being knelt to. This has nothing to do with me."
"Where did your morals go?"
"Can you not suddenly expect so much from someone as young as me?"
"Forget it. I'll kick you out later. For now...", Serie paused mid-sentence, then turned to the two still kneeling and smiled in a way completely different from how she treated Ash.
"Time really flies. A disciple I took in on a whim is already bringing me a grand-disciple?"
"She's Frieren," Flamme said with a smile and a nod.
"An elf? Very strong. I like her. Say what magic you want. I'll teach you one."
"Is it the one Ash mentioned before... transference magic?"
"That's right. I have almost every kind of magic. As long as you say it, I can let you have it in an instant."
"Give it to Ash."
"What?", Serie froze for a moment, then looked at Ash in dissatisfaction, "You didn't threaten your grand-disciple, did you?"
"Exploring magic itself is the most interesting part. That's why I said I didn't want it at first. Ash took the initiative and said that if I didn't want it, he could have it."
"You really have no shame," Frieren's explanation made Serie roll her eyes at Ash.
He replied calmly, "Opportunities are for the brave."
"Forget it. I'll deal with you later," Serie couldn't be bothered with him anymore and shot a sideways glance at Flamme, "This disciple of yours isn't good. Not ambitious enough. Lacks that kind of inexhaustible drive."
"I think—"
"You're even worse. Your ambition is too big. I hate that too."
Ash had just opened his mouth when Serie cut him off with a single sentence.
The obvious difference in treatment made Ash too lazy to complain anymore. His deflated expression almost made Frieren, who was half-kneeling beside him, laugh.
But since the occasion was rather formal, she forced herself to hold it in.
Ash wasn't the type to just take losses quietly either. He grabbed a few more books from the side and headed out on his own.
"I'm heading out first. You can keep chatting. I'll be back around mealtime."
"Don't come back. I'm not making dinner for you!", Serie waved her hand as if shooing away a cat or dog, looking completely unwilling to let him freeleloader back.
Seeing this, Flamme couldn't help but smile.
"Master seems to really like this new disciple."
"How does it look like that? You're not even forty yet, are you? Going blind already?"
"No, it's just a feeling... something feels similar."
"That's being blind, isn't it?", Serie rolled her eyes at her, almost too lazy to deal with this disciple who had somehow also started misbehaving. She muttered while unconsciously looking toward the door, "Is it really that guy's fault?"
She said that, but going after him now would probably be too late. She could only let it go for the moment and decide to give him a proper scolding when he came back. That guy who was always doing whatever he wanted... and just like herself, didn't follow any rules at all.
Of course, she didn't care. She was the elder, after all. Elders could ignore such things. But juniors couldn't, right?
But while she thought that way, Ash had no intention of going back at all.
Because with a well-behaved disciple returning, his own constant misbehavior would definitely be used for comparison. Going back would just mean getting lectured by an elder about how good other kids were. With that in mind, and having already gotten new magic books, Ash had no intention of returning anytime soon.
Although it was a bit of a shame he couldn't mooch off them, it also saved him from some trouble without him realizing it.
But not paying attention to what was happening inside, when the master and disciple came back out, he noticed a strange smile on Frieren's face.
No matter how much he pressed her, Frieren refused to give a reason.
So he stopped bothering, ignored the girl who looked like she was expecting something, flipped through his book on the side, and muttered,
"People these days... honestly... never mind."
"By the way, Ash, has this ruin been fully explored?"
"Probably not. Serie isn't interested, and I'm lazy."
"So that means there might be treasure waiting for us?"
Ash didn't even want to respond at first, but Frieren, after talking to herself and getting her answer, suddenly regained interest in exploring the dungeon.
"Us? Did you just include me without asking?"
"You don't want to go? There might be magic books even Serie hasn't found."
"Let's go!"
In just an instant, Ash, who had been about to firmly refuse, was tempted.
He closed the grimoire in his hands, stood up, and took the lead.
Frieren couldn't help but smile, "You really do like magic."
"Can't help it. I'm curious about the unknown, and it's necessary for survival."
"And your sister's expectations too, right? But come to think of it, I've never heard you talk about your sister before."
"She's a troublesome one. Better not bring her up."
"I see. Then let's go."
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