Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 142: Ash being willful- again

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Fern, the tallest of the three and well-accustomed to running away, held her wand with a terrified expression, shaking her head nervously.

Meanwhile, Sense, a noble lady and magician who had hardly ever exercised, looked like she was paddling in place as she ran, her movements uncoordinated and clumsy. Her breath came in short gasps, and she appeared on the verge of collapse.

At that moment, she seemed completely drained. She opened her mouth to call for help, but only a strained gasp escaped her lips. Her wide, desperate eyes turned to Ash, silently pleading for assistance, her expression so distressed it looked as though she might burst into tears.

The magic-nullifying crystal, capable of blocking nearby magic and renowned for being the hardest mineral, was completely unusable by ordinary humans when magic was ineffective. Its immense magical energy was almost impossible to harness. While brute force could theoretically break it, doing so would likely cause an enormous explosion.

This thought frustrated Ash. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Fern, who happened to be within arm's reach, hoisting her onto his left shoulder. Then, with his right hand, he grabbed Sense and tucked her under his other arm.

Even with both of them hanging off him, Ash strode forward at an impressive pace. Amid the surprised cries of the two, he quickly overtook Frieren, who had been running ahead of them.

"Ah..." Frieren stopped abruptly, stunned by what she was seeing. After a moment of hesitation, she shouted, "Hey!" and leaped toward Ash at the bottom of the slope. Clinging tightly to his neck, she glared at him with a mix of disbelief and exasperation. "...What are you doing?"

"I'll die if I fall!" Frieren said flatly, wrapping her arms tighter around his neck.

"You're always so good at running away. How could you fall? Honestly, I've never even seen you trip," Ash replied, his tone tinged with irritation.

"Even so, something unexpected could happen!" Frieren snapped. Despite his frustration, she clung stubbornly, hanging off him like a pendant. Confident in his balance, she refused to let go.

And so, with a resigned sigh, Ash became a makeshift means of transportation for the three of them, trudging along with their combined weight.

Chased by the rolling magic-nullifying crystal, Ash sprinted for a considerable distance before they finally reached a fork in the road.

The moment Ash charged into the fork, the three girls turned back to see the Magic Sealing Stone continuing down another path. Unconsciously, all three let out relieved sighs.

"Thank goodness we had Ash," Frieren said, her voice a mix of amazement and lingering fear. "Otherwise, I don't think we'd have made it in time. If I'd fallen, I'd have been crushed for sure. This labyrinth even has something like that! How fascinating~"

Sliding off Ash's back, she dusted off her clothes and gave him a thumbs-up. Though there was a hint of relief on her face, her excitement from the ordeal was more evident than anything else.

"...I don't find it fascinating at all. Getting crushed to death without being able to resist would be far too tragic," Fern muttered, her fingers trembling slightly even after they were out of danger.

Sense, still limp like a doll, let Ash hold her by the waist as she glanced at his hands. A flicker of gratitude crossed her expression as she murmured, "I feel the same. This truly is an unconquered labyrinth, and it's filled with hazards meant for magicians. For a tomb from the great unification period of the empire, it's not surprising that there are things like this here..."

"When we started, didn't you boast that, as a first-class magician, you could handle even the most desperate and troublesome situations?" Fern interjected, her tone sharp with resentment. "And yet, you ran with us. In the end, you still relied on Lord Ash to save you." Her glare turned to Sense, her frustration clear. After all, she was the one who had chosen this treacherous examination site.

"...Even so, after meeting Master Ash, I've often found myself facing things that even a first-class magician wouldn't be able to handle," Sense admitted, her expression gradually returning to its usual blank demeanor. She glanced up at the girl perched on Ash's shoulder and added seriously, "Besides, haven't you always been by Ash's side? You should be the one to listen to such words."

"Sense...you've grown up," Ash said with a satisfied smile, clearly impressed.

However, despite receiving his praise, Sense's expression twisted slightly, as if she had just swallowed a fly. Lowering her head, she muttered with a hint of frustration, "I'd rather not have this strange kind of growth."

"Growth, whether good or bad, is still growth. It shouldn't be defined so casually, because growth itself cannot be defined," Ash replied, his tone suddenly philosophical.

"...Even though what you're saying sounds reasonable, it's just nonsense, isn't it?" Sense, already familiar with his twisted logic, couldn't help but glare at him, her eyes filled with displeasure.

Ash, undeterred, countered with a righteous tone. "Maybe it is nonsense, but doesn't it make sense? As long as it makes sense, isn't that enough?"

"...Not at all."

"Well, when you finally understand this, you'll definitely become a mature adult like me."

"...I'm already an adult, but you still treat me like a child," Sense retorted, unable to hold back her irritation this time. She added accusingly, "Honestly, are you really mature? You're just being willful...aren't you?"

"Even mature and dependable adults need to relax sometimes," Ash said with a shrug.

"But normally, adults should try not to cause trouble for others."

"If that's the case, you should talk to Serie about it first. I'm sure...she wouldn't be on your side."

"..."

The strange example left sense speechless.

Perhaps she felt the argument wasn't worth pursuing, or maybe she just didn't want to deal with him anymore. Either way, Sense's earlier attempt at twisted logic—clearly influenced by Ash—had already drawn attention. Fren, still lying on Ash's shoulder, couldn't help but poke his forehead with her finger.

"Master Ash, don't you think it's time to reflect on yourself?"

"I don't think there's anything I need to reflect on."

"...At the very least, you've led Master Sense astray."

"That's just her natural talent. It's not my fault."

"You grown-up...!"

"Alright, alright. Maybe I've made some mistakes," Ash said at last, turning his head slightly as the girl on his shoulder puffed up her cheeks in protest. Reluctantly, he admitted to having influenced Sense in some less-than-positive ways.

However, even with this half-hearted acknowledgment, both girls still looked far from satisfied with his choice of words.

---

After taking a brief rest to recover from their ordeal, the two girls finally climbed off Ash's shoulders. They took the opportunity to explain that they had originally been part of several small teams assigned to work together on the attack on the king's tomb. Other teams, including those of Kanne, Lawine, and Denken, had been with them as well.

But shortly after entering the labyrinth, things had gone awry. Although no one had triggered a mechanism intentionally, a series of strange traps had been activated, throwing the entire group into chaos. The commotion had forced the teams to split up, and no one knew where the others had ended up. Somehow, these three had managed to stay together, following each other closely throughout the confusion.

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Note: You're giving power stones like crazy, I have to think of a different deal for next week, or I'm definitely going to die!

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Mission: Reach for the peak

Objective: Reach 1,000 power stones before the end of this week.

Status: Mission Completed.

Reward: 3 chapters a day next week.

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Extra Mission: Power Surge

Objective: For every 400 power stones beyond 1,000, unlock 1 extra chapter.

Current power stones: 1570

Extra chapter unlocked: 1 Extra chapter