Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Heyaa... this is the double chapter I promised today, kinda longer than usual chapter but enjoy (>‿◠)✌

I decided to just change the japanese honorofic like "-sama" to just normal one like "lady/lord" since the setting is medieval europa to make it sound better.

Don't forget to vote this fanfic if you like the story. Each vote gives me more motivation to continue writing this story. There will be a bonus chapters for each 50 stones reached (ง︡'-'︠)ง

And I really like reading all your comment, please comment more hehehe~

————————————

In the dark cave near Etwas Mountain, a demon child with light-colored hair, slightly messy, sat on a jagged rock formation, receiving a report from his two demon subordinates who had just returned after being attacked by Aura. His small frame contrasted with the authority he exuded, a presence that commanded respect from those around him.

His black sclera and white eyes gave him a distinctive and somewhat mysterious appearance, unusual for a child his age. Those eyes, sharp and observant, seemed to pierce through the darkness, reflecting the faint light emanating from the distant cave entrance. Unlike other children, he wore a small mask under his nose, partially covering his mouth, which added to his enigmatic aura. The mask was adorned with subtle markings that glowed faintly, a sign of his connection to dark magic.

He donned a simple yet flowing cloak, designed to allow freedom of movement. The cloak, made from a dark, lightweight material, shimmered slightly in the dim light, suggesting an enchantment for protection. It had small, modest shoulder coverings instead of metal pauldrons, a design choice that emphasized agility over brute strength. Underneath, he wore a lighter, dark coat with a hood that had tiny holes to accommodate his growing horns. The horns, though still small, curled slightly, hinting at the power he would one day wield.

"So, what did you find at Elderschatten Forest, and where's your other companion?" Schlacht's voice, though youthful, carried a chilling edge that made his subordinates uneasy.

One of the demons, a tall and gaunt figure, hesitated before answering. "Lord Schlacht, we found an elven village there, but before we could take action and report our findings, we came across two human children. One of the children was carrying Alaric's head in his hands, so we attempted to ambush them with an unfamiliar spell similar like magic cannon."

The other demon, shorter and stockier said disdainfully. "That fool Alaric was too engrossed in his experiments to understand humans and was killed by a little human girl—how embarrassing." 

"Hmm… Alaric is dead? An elven village? Two human children?" Schlacht pondered for a moment, his mind racing as he connected the pieces of information. Alaric's death was of little concern to him, but the existence of an elven village piqued his interest.

"Can you describe the two human children in more detail? Was one of them an orange-haired human and the other an elf with golden or white hair?" Schlacht inquired further, his gaze piercing as he studied his subordinates.

"Of course, Lord Schlacht. One of them does indeed have orange hair and possesses a type of magic attack we have never seen before—very strong and precise, quite different from the usual human magic."

"As for the other one, she is not an elf, but we are certain she is a demon like us. However, we do not understand why she is so determined to protect the human child." The demon's confusion was evident, but Schlacht's mind was already working ahead, trying to make sense of this information.

"Oh, that must be Flamme," Schlacht muttered to himself, his thoughts now focused on the other figure. "As for the other one, a demon? What are her characteristics?"

"She has purple hair and eyes. Her hair is gathered in two large pigtails tied at the shoulders. The remaining hair in the pigtails is sectioned off into three braids."

"That demon is too strong. We almost got killed just from one of her attack. If not for our unique magic, we would not survive."

Schlacht's mind raced as he processed the description. 'Hmm, isn't that demon Aura? Isn't she not born yet?' A voice of his own doubt echoed in his mind, but he kept his expression impassive.

'Do you know her?'

'I know… But I need to verify it further.'

"Alright then, since the existence of the elven village has been confirmed, I will ask Basalt to prepare a force to attack the village and kill all the elves until none remain. As for that demon and human little girl, just let them be."

"Yes, Lord Schlacht," the two demons responded in unison, bowing before him.

Schlacht's eyes glinted with a sinister light as he continued, "I hope that village is Frieren the Slayer's village. By killing her, the Demon King will not lose to that hero party." The thought of eliminating a potential threat to the Demon King filled him with a twisted sense of purpose.

——

"Please, don't kill me!"

When Serie brought the dusty and disheveled Aura back to the ancient tree city, Aura clung to her leg, having somehow regained her mobility.

Tears and snot flowed profusely, sticking to Serie's thigh. This was a sight Serie was not accustomed to. Though she originally had no intention of killing, Serie was briefly tempted to simply eradicate this bothersome presence from the world. The idea of erasing this "disgusting tumor" seemed tempting, but she stopped herself.

But then she thought, this tumor is benign and and will not cause any harm.

She raised her hand, intending to cast a destruction spell that would quickly end Aura's pitiful state. However, as she looked down at the demon clinging to her, she hesitated and lowered her hand. Instead, her fingers gently brushed against Aura's head, specifically the nearly broken left horn.

"Does it hurt?"

"Tss... It doesn't hurt." Aura lied, her voice wavering.

"I didn't mean to break your horn, just tell the truth."

"It hurts, it hurts so much!"

"Then why didn't you say so?"

"Why should I?"

"I'll heal you."

"Why would you heal me?"

"Because I'm a kind elf."

"..."

"Don't you think so?"

"Yes, yes, you are right. Please help heal my horn."

"But are you a kind demon?"

"..."

"Are you, Aura?"

"I'm not."

"Good. Now, does your horn still hurt?"

"Why would you help me if I'm not a good demon?"

"Because you are a foolish demon."

'A foolish demon who is so stupid that she can't apply what she has learned even though she finally understands some of the human emotions.'

Serie removed her hand from Aura's horn. The damaged keratin had renewed, but it was still a bit soft, needing some fixation to prevent it from growing crooked later.

Serie was proficient in all the world's magic. Though she didn't know the magic of resurrection, her expertise in healing bones was extensive.

"You're not going to kill me?" Aura covered her horns and looked at Serie in surprise.

"Not necessarily."

"…What do you mean?"

"I won't kill you, but someone else might."

"Who?"

"Zanze."

"Why did she want to kill me?"

"Don't you remember what you did when you left?"

"Didn't I just tap Zanze's head to see if she was asleep? I thought she was sleeping soundly. Could it be that she wasn't asleep?"

"She wasn't."

"...oh."

——

Even Aura herself didn't know how she survived.

Being blasted off the cliff by Flamme was partly due to Flamme's surprise attack, but also because Aura sensed Serie's sudden appearance.

She truly feared this ancient elf.

Or rather, all demons feared Serie.

If demons pursued the pinnacle of magic, then Serie was the embodiment of that pinnacle. Her very presence represented an apex of magical power that transcended their understanding.

The demons' pursuit of magic can actually be regarded as a kind of belief, but it is certainly a pleasant surprise if the god worshipped by all people in a religion is proven to exist. But if this god worshipped by everyone is full of malice towards the believers' race, then faith will instantly turn into fear.

The more the demons pursue magic, the more they understand Serie power, and the more they realize the depth of fear.

And Aura, as a great demon, and the creator of magical miracles such as "Obedience Magic: Auserlese", felt this grandeur even more in Serie's presence. Just by reading some magic books by her side and hearing bits of her words, Aura realized that Serie's understanding of magic was entirely different from that of humans and demons.

To her, meeting Serie was like meeting a god.

Even if Serie wanted to kill her, she couldn't muster the thought of resisting... Well... It's not that she didn't resist at all. Aura's tongue was quite poisonous. She could certainly disturb Serie's thoughts before dying.

"Unexpectedly, even defensive magic couldn't block that spell."

The spell Serie used to incapacitate her wasn't sophisticated. It simply used a huge amount of magic power to accumulate, forcing the defensive magic to consume an equal amount of magic power. Serie's mastery allowed her to amass such vast amounts of magic that even the most formidable defensive spells faltered under the pressure

With Serie's bottomless magic, it was indeed an extremely effective tactic.

Aura had learned a crucial lesson from this encounter. She now understood that sheer magical power could be a decisive factor in overcoming even the most resilient of defenses.

The next time she encounters a mage using defensive magic, she can use the same tactics. With her five hundred years of magic power, there are very few human magicians who can fight against her.

However, if Aura, who has mastered such a deadly move, wants to use it, she must escape from Serie, which is almost impossible.

'Escaping from Serie once was already a miracle. If this old elf catches me again, I probably won't be able to escape her sight for the rest of my life.'

Aura was clearly pessimistic.

The last time she was caught by Serie, Serie had at least given her the position of an assistant, but she did not cherish it and left on her own initiative. She didn't know what cruel fate she would face next.

She only hoped that Serie would retain some humanity or elfnity? And some sympathy for Aura, who has a human appearance, and not let her do work that will tear her apart both physically and mentally.

"Aura, from now on, you will be Zanze's assistant."

'Yeah, you might as well kill me.'

Aura felt uneasy. With Serie's reminder, she finally understood how dangerous it was when she casually hit Zanze on the head during her last escape.

Due to the natural disparity in muscle strength between demons and humans, what was a slight knock for the demons would be a heavy blow enough to break bones for humans.

It was precisely because of the different perception of power that when Aura knocked Zanze unconscious, she did not even think that she was hurting Zanze, and therefore the obedience spell's prohibition didn't activate.

As for how serious Zanze's injuries were, whether he had suffered permanent brain damage, or had simply become a vegetable - Aura, who knew little about human fragility, had no idea.

This made Aura's heart full of regret.

"Goddess, please bless Zanze, let her just die quietly. If she dies, all the faults can't be traced to Aura. Boohoo—"

In the empty great hall, Serie had already left, telling Aura to wait there.

Aura knelt obediently in a corner of the hall made of huge stones, with her back to the main entrance of the hall, motionless. She looked so well-behaved, not like a sinister and cunning demon, but like a small animal that could be raised at will.

This is of course because Aura is kind-hearted.

It's definitely not because Serie said before she left: "If you cause trouble again, I'll pull out your horn and stick a metal hook in your brain to hang you up."

Footsteps approached from behind Aura.

From the sound of the footsteps, it was clear the person was small, even shorter than Serie.

Among all the mages Aura knew, there was only one with this body type, and that was Zanze.

The person seemed to notice Aura hiding in the corner and paused, then approached her.

Aura, with her heightened senses, could barely contain her trepidation. Her heart raced as she imagined the worst.

She closed her eyes, frantically apologizing to Zanze in her mind.

'Zanze, please just die quietly. As long as you can't seek revenge, it's fine—'

'Zanze, please just die quietly—'

'Zanze, please die…'

'Please die…'

"Aura, is your horn injured again?"

The human behind her didn't notice Aura's strange expression but first noticed her somewhat asymmetrical horn.

Slightly using magic to sense it, she found clear signs of a previous break on the left horn.

Zanze's hand gripped Aura's left horn.

'It's over, it's going to be broken.'

Aura's heart cried out in despair. The importance of horns to the demons was similar to their dignity to humans, and a demon whose horns were broken would always be looked down upon.

Aura was about to become an incomplete demon. Boohoo…

To her surprise, Zanze wrapped bandages around Aura's horn with surprising care. The bandages were stretched tight between the two horns, carefully adjusted to slightly realign the asymmetrical left horn to a more normal angle. Zanze tied a knot with precision, ensuring it would remain secure and not loosen.

"Keep this bandage tight," Zanze instructed. "Your horn is still growing. The misaligned horn should correct itself in a few days."

"Huh?" Aura responded, bewildered.

"Why are you looking at me with such a surprised expression?"

"You… like me?"

"A little," Zanze admitted, "since I unintentionally took credit for your work."

"What credit?"

"The promotion of human magic that Lady Serie mentioned has nothing to do with me."

"But it has nothing to do with me either."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Zanze stared into Aura's unwavering eyes, recognizing the demon's steadfast nature. Despite the tumultuous circumstances, it was clear that Aura was not one to admit to errors, even when they led to unintended advancements in human magic. It was a classic move from Aura, never one to easily concede or accept blame.

'Typical Aura style.'

She compromised a bit:

"We both have bandages wrapped around our heads, so we're even."

"Why do you have bandages on your head too?"

"I don't know who hit me from behind in the middle of the night. Isn't that terrible, Aura?"

"Who hit you? That's so pitiful."

"You don't know?"

"I have no idea."

"..."

'Refusing to admit it, another typical Aura trait.'

Zanze rolled her eyes and decided not to pursue the past conflict anymore. She was here for the work handover. Although she had an idea to promote magic among all mankind, it was just an idea after all. It would take some time before it could be put into practice.

But Lady Serie said this wouldn't take long.

However, whether this "not long" was from a human or an elf's perspective was unknown.

Zanze hates demons, but at least for the future where everyone can become a mage, she is willing to give up her prejudice and get along well with Aura.

As long as she didn't mind the past mistakes of this demon.

As long as Aura cooperated…

"From now on, we are in a superior-subordinate relationship." Zanze declared, extending her hand to Aura, inviting her to shake it.

Aura stared at the hand that Zanze extended to her in confusion, as if she didn't understand the meaning of this etiquette, and tilted her head:

"Oh, that hasn't changed. Zanze has always been my slave."

"..." The veins on Zanze's forehead were exposed. She was known for her good temper among human mages, which was probably why Lady Serie let her be responsible for the contact with Aura.

She glared at Aura maliciously:

"Do you know that Lady Serie has given me the power over your life and death?"

"Please feel free to order Aura to do anything—"

Aura put her head under Zanze's hand, pushed it upwards, and touched Zanze's palm, as obedient as a harmless cat.

"This is a handshake... Whatever, it's the same." Zanze muttered, rolling her eyes.

Non-violent non-cooperation—so typical of Aura.

Even Zanze, who has always been known as a good girl, couldn't help but want to bully the purple-haired demon.