Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 148: Lifting the skirt with a look of disgust

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The threat disappeared in an instant, with a simple yet elegant slash. Lawine, still on the floor, stared in shock at the spot where the replica had vanished.

After a long moment of stunned silence, she turned to the oddly familiar figure beside her and asked, "Why… why are you here?"

In contrast to her astonishment, Ash sighed softly as he looked at the girl, who had now reverted to her blue Gothic Lolita outfit. Sheathing his sword, he squatted down beside her and said helplessly,

"Lawine, is that really how you're going to speak to your lifesaver?"

"…I didn't ask you to save me," Lawine muttered, turning her head away. Still, she couldn't help feeling awkward and eventually whispered in an almost inaudible voice, "…But thank you."

"You're welcome, but honestly, I didn't really want to help you," Ash replied bluntly.

"—Ha, haha?!" His unconcealed attitude made the silver-haired girl instantly furious. She lunged at him, shouting, "What's with that attitude?! You saved me just to humiliate me?!"

"Didn't you just say you didn't ask me to save you? And I didn't want to save you either. Isn't this, in some sense, a two-way agreement? Why are you angry?" Ash responded with a calm expression.

"I don't want any kind of agreement with you! If you didn't want to save me, then you shouldn't have saved me!"

"…Although what you're saying makes sense, you're misunderstanding me." Without changing his expression, Ash stretched out his hand, pressed it against the face of the girl grabbing his collar, and firmly pushed her away. "I said I didn't want to help you because I'm still in the middle of my exam. But I couldn't just sit back and watch when you were in real danger. So I had no choice but to step in."

"…Hmm."

The sudden shift in tone left Lawine stunned, her anger fading as she stared at him blankly.

Finding her quick mood swings amusing, Ash couldn't resist teasing her further. "But you know, other people offer their family magic as thanks when I help them. Shouldn't you show some appreciation too?"

"My family doesn't have any inherited magic. We only have ordinary magic," Lawine replied defensively.

"You misunderstood. I wasn't asking for magic. I was talking about gratitude. I'm not saying you need to repay me, but maybe you could at least act a little like Kanne."

Ash wasn't trying to sound cold. He genuinely hoped Lawine would show a bit more kindness and gentleness when she visited his home. It would make the atmosphere more pleasant and allow him to read in peace.

But…

"…The same as Kanne?" Lawine's expression froze for a moment at the mention of the name.

"Isn't that a reasonable request?" Ash asked.

"—Reasonable? How can you ask me to act like that girl who always wears those belly-baring outfits?!" Lawine shouted, her voice rising.

To Ash, his suggestion had seemed perfectly normal, even generous. He couldn't understand why her reaction was so extreme.

Lawine, on the other hand, looked like an enraged lioness. Her chest heaved with anger, each deep breath causing her to tremble slightly. Her flushed face and sharp, fiery eyes hinted at a battle between her anger and reason.

Ash was utterly baffled. "No… What's wrong with Kanne? I think she's a good kid. Why are you so upset?"

"…Pervert!" Lawine hissed through gritted teeth, practically spitting the word out.

"Kanne isn't a pervert."

"—I'm talking about you!" Lawine yelled, her voice rising even higher as she jabbed her finger at Ash.

Ash lowered his eyes in thought, rubbing his chin as he muttered in annoyance, "…Did I really save an ungrateful person?"

"…Forget it!!"

Faced with his behavior of not only seeking repayment for a favor but also standing on a moral high ground, Lawine glared at him fiercely. Her cold gaze, filled with disgust and shame, made her look at him as though he were a bug. Her emotions intertwined and seemed ready to overflow.

Clenching the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands, her fingertips turned white from the pressure. She gritted her teeth, suppressed her shame, and slowly lifted it, revealing a breathtaking sight.

"People like you… are the worst! I will never forgive you!"

"…"

Lawine's words were laced with determination, each one seeming to be squeezed out through clenched teeth. Ash, however, looked at her in utter surprise.

He had no idea what he had done to make Lawine so angry that she would reveal this private side of herself in her fury.

---

Inside the dungeon's dark corridor, dimly lit by flickering candles and magic stone lamps, the silver-haired girl in a Gothic Lolita outfit lifted her skirt. With a look of disgust, she revealed not only light blue fabric but also her well-defined, pale, and flawless belly, her toned abs clearly visible.

For a moment, Ash couldn't help but wonder if Lawine intended to show him this as some sort of twisted revenge before killing him—wouldn't that make things easier on her conscience?

He stared blankly, utterly confused for a long time. Finally, facing the girl's cold, murderous gaze, he let out a puzzled response:

"What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Are you secretly in love with me? Is this your way of seducing me? Because I don't have any strange interests. At least don't look so cold—it makes me feel like I'm a real bug…"

"—Why are you pretending to be a gentleman?! Didn't you want to touch my belly?!"

"When did I ever say that?"

"You said 'same as Kanne!' You said it!" Lawine shouted, her shame and anger evident as she nearly bit through her words.

"I'm sorry, I think you misunderstood. What I meant was… your attitude toward me has always been terrible, and I was hoping it could be just a little better—like Kanne's."

Observing her carefully, Ash considered his words as he explained, "After all, Kanne didn't let me tell anyone about those things, and I haven't heard her mention them to anyone else. I don't know if she even knows you'd misunderstand this much…"

"In other words…?" Lawine's shoulders trembled, and her hands, still holding up her skirt, quivered. Her face flushed a deep red, nearly glowing. Tears of humiliation began to gather in her eyes. "All of this… was my misunderstanding? It was all my fault…?"

"Ah, don't say that. At least I appreciate your… gratitude. But, you should probably put your skirt down before you catch a cold."

With one hand, he gently pressed the hem of her skirt down while the other patted her smooth belly.

At that moment, Lawine jumped back as though electrocuted. She clutched her stomach with both hands, tears welling in her eyes.

"—Didn't you say it was all a misunderstanding?! You're lying, aren't you?!"

"How could that be?" Ash responded innocently. "I just figured, since you already lifted your skirt, it'd be a waste not to. You'd be angry in the end anyway, right? And… well, it doesn't feel bad," he added, glancing at his palm and nodding to himself.

"Stop recalling the feeling, or I'll kill you…!"

With her teeth clenched and the sudden appearance of frost around her, the temperature in the corridor dropped sharply as Lawine's rage erupted.