Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!

At the moment the obedience magic activated for the third time, an unprecedented pain exploded in Aura's head.

Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!

She almost screamed as she propped herself up, crawling away from Frieren like a wild beast, desperately trying to escape this little elf who might issue another absurd command at any moment.

Obedience magic wasn't a wish-granting magic. Although you could give any command based on your wishes, whether the command could be fulfilled depended on the ability of the one obeying.

Otherwise, Aura could just order a random soldier to kill Frieren. Could she expect that soldier to suddenly possess the power of a demon king and kill Frieren in one strike?

Similarly, no demon had ever been able to understand humans in thousands of years.

For demons, who only mimicked humans to hunt them, understanding humans was as impossible as humans understanding what insects thought.

What happens when someone is given an impossible order under obedience magic?

Aura had never considered this before.

But now, she was experiencing it firsthand.

Her head felt like it was going to explode!!!

Huff, huff, huff, huff—

Aura's lungs made a tearing sound, burning as if they were on fire. Her legs ached from the frantic running, her muscles growing weary, but she didn't dare stop.

She could only do her best to get away from Frieren.

Huff—Feeling... a bit better.

Maybe the effect of the obedience magic weakened with distance, or she was gradually adapting to it.

Aura finally had the ability to think through the pain.

"Damn you, Frieren, I will never, ever forgive you!!!"

"Next time we meet... No, there won't be a next time."

Aura's face twisted with malice. Her hatred burned, and her killing intent peaked as she nearly shouted:

"I will never appear before you again in this lifetime!"

Swoosh—

Facing Frieren head-on was impossible.

No rational demon would do something as foolish as hitting a stone with an egg.

Even though her magic power was stronger now, Frieren could kill her with a single command due to the obedience magic.

As a wise and courageous demon, Aura would always make the most intelligent decision.

"Running away... is the only option."

"I'm sorry, Demon King!" Aura clasped her hands together, apologizing to the unknown whereabouts of the Demon King.

"For weak Aura to survive, you must die at the hands of the future Frieren."

She had tried.

Then gave up.

Those esteemed demons like Elder Sage of Corruption Qual, Böse the Immortal, and the Demon King himself... there were many whose names she couldn't remember who would die at Frieren's hands in the future. Aura would remember their bravery and continue to live on.

As for dying with Frieren due to the obedience magic, Aura simply couldn't do it.

It was entirely a matter of strength, not attitude.

After doing her prayer, Aura calmed down.

Upon reflection, her future was still quite free.

Though she couldn't break the obedience magic, as long as she stayed far away, the world was vast, and the chances of encountering Frieren were slim. As long as they didn't meet face-to-face, Frieren couldn't issue another command.

With this shift in perspective, her path suddenly opened up.

Then, there was another important issue.

She was hungry.

Her body was exhausted.

She was almost collapsed on the ground.

Aura looked around. She had run out of the forest and onto a main road. There were human footprints and wagon tracks on the dirt road, indicating it was a well-traveled route between towns.

"How far did I run?"

In her impression, the order to "understand humans" had put her consciousness in extreme agony. To escape that pain, her survival instinct had driven her to run, activating her will to live, running frantically until now, her body nearly at its limit.

With the physique of a demon, being so physically drained that she couldn't even breathe deeply meant she'd run over ten kilometers.

"No matter, as long as there are humans, there will be food. With a demon's recovery ability, a half-full meal and an hour or two of rest should be enough to recover."

Aura struggled to get up, limping along the main road bit by bit, stopping occasionally to rest and catch her breath, pushing herself forward with sheer willpower.

"Wait, there's a troublesome issue."

She suddenly realized something, looking around but finding no suitable cover.

Rip—

Aura tore off the red long skirt tied at her waist, leaving only the ultra-short white skirt underneath. She then tore the long skirt along the seam, getting a piece of cloth as tall as two people.

Hiss—

Carefully, Aura wrapped the red cloth around her horns, making sure no keratin was exposed, then wrapped the cloth around her head, covering her purple hair as well.

Just like some conservative traditional human attire, Aura concealed all the demon traits on her body.

"Horns are really troublesome."

As soon as Frieren recognized her demon identity at a glance, Aura realized that her two pairs of horns were a clear sign of her demonic nature to other races.

It was easy to identify her without any close examination.

When she roamed the demon territories, it didn't matter, but now, alone and hiding in human lands, those horns were very conspicuous.

"It would be convenient if I sawed them off—just kidding."

Aura chuckled. Few demons appreciated humor, and she didn't quite understand it either, but she had observed it in humans. Demons spent their lives imitating humans more precisely, and she was no exception.

Sawing off her horns would be very painful; they had nerves inside, much like human teeth. The outer keratin was insensitive, but the inner growth layer was extremely painful to touch.

She wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary.

Step, step, step—

Her footsteps continued, though she occasionally leaned on trees along the road to rest, Aura's pace was not slow.

However, after walking for an hour or two, she still hadn't encountered anyone.

This dashed Aura's hopes for a hearty meal.

"Huh? Isn't that someone?"

Suddenly, turning a corner, she saw a small figure with orange braids lying by the roadside.

"Dead?"

There hadn't been any footsteps, or Aura would have noticed her from afar.

The girl on the ground wore a white wrapped long dress, dirty from rolling on the ground, with torn edges. She seemed to have fled from somewhere, looking extremely bedraggled.

Aura turned her over, revealing her face. By human standards, she was quite cute, even with the dust, her delicate face still eliciting sympathy.

Anyone would want to help her.

But what did that matter to Aura, a demon?

"Looks like she's dead. Time to eat."

Aura removed the veil covering the lower half of her face and lifted the orange-braided girl's hand to her mouth.

As expected, she bit into her own wrist instead.

"Of course, it doesn't work."

Aura winced, wiping the blood from the two holes in her wrist, staring longingly at the orange-haired girl.

She had hoped to outwit the obedience magic, but it was clear that even if she didn't believe it, how could she deceive a soul-based magic?

She could hear the girl's heartbeat. No matter how she tried to ignore it, the command "do not harm humans" prevented her from biting into a living human.

The obedience magic twisted her will, turning her desire to bite off the human girl's hand into biting her own wrist.

"Then I'll have to try another method."

Aura turned the girl's body over and began to undo her clothes.

——

The little girl woke up from her coma, her last memory being the destruction of her hometown and her desperate escape, surviving alone.

When she finally emerged from the jungle and reached a road frequented by humans, her body had reached its limit. Tripping over a rock, she fainted.

"I should... I should have fainted by the roadside. I wonder if any kind-hearted person saw me and helped me."

The girl consciousness gradually returned. At this moment, even opening her eyes felt difficult, and her first sense to recover was her hearing.

Crunch, crunch—

The sound of some creature gnawing on something hard echoed near her, similar to the rapid, delicate chewing of a rodent.

"What's that?"

The girl opened her eyes and saw a strange person with their head wrapped in cloth, hunched over and gnawing on something. The red cloth covering the person's head also draped over their body, but from the occasionally exposed smooth legs, it was clear they were female.

"Hello..."

"Hello."

The girl's throat was extremely dry, and her voice was hoarse.

Relieved by the stranger's response, she felt reassured. Such a non-hostile reply likely meant the person wasn't dangerous.

Water—I need water first.

Having roughly confirmed the surrounding environment was temporarily safe, the girl responded to her body's primary desire. She remembered carrying a bamboo tube with drinking water and some dried food.

"Huh? Where's my water? And my food? Why are my clothes in such disarray? Did someone undress me?"

She glanced at the stranger who had been eating nearby all along.

"Huh? Did someone rummage through your clothes and take your water and food? I've been by your side the whole time and didn't see anyone do that."

Aura took a sip from the bamboo tube and chewed on a piece of hard bread, responding with a puzzled expression.

The girl stared at the water and food in Aura's hands for a long time before speaking:

"Is what you're holding yours?"

"I found it."

"..."

"Are you very hungry and want to eat?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

A long silence followed, with Aura still nibbling on small pieces of bread, washing them down with water. She kept staring at the girl with her purple eyes but didn't make any further moves.

Finally, the girl couldn't hold back and asked:

"...So, are you planning to share any with me?"

"Why should I share with you?"

"Then why did you ask if I was hungry?"

"Just curious."

"And after satisfying your curiosity?"

"That's it."

How can someone be so shameless!?

Struggling to her feet, the girl didn't show resentment or anger. She calmly bore her exhausted body and began walking along the road.

In dangerous situations, one should never test human nature. Given her current state, even if she wanted to confront this strange person, she couldn't win. Better to ignore it and consider the food lost.

The girl considered herself unlucky!

Crunch, crunch—

Aura squatted by the roadside like a little hamster, quickly gnawing on a piece of bread and then taking out another. She watched the girl stagger away with interest.

When the girl had walked over a hundred meters, Aura finally spoke up:

"You're going the wrong way."

"Huh?"

"I just came from that direction. If you want to go to the town, you should go this way."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I forgot."

"You did it on purpose!"

"I did it on purpose."

Aura nodded. She had a unique quality that other demons didn't possess—honesty.

When humans suspected something, she would admit it outright, unlike other demons who would make excuses.

She toyed with humans openly and fairly.

"You!!!"

The human girl seemed furious, but even so, she didn't throw stones or spit at Aura. Quite the restraint.

Aura gleefully observed her expression.

What could a mere human girl do to her, no matter how angry? No human mage had ever impressed Aura. As one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, she wielded a magic that could overpower those with less magical ability. No human could surpass her five hundred years of accumulated magic in their mere hundred years of life.

Among human mages, only one made all demons tremble—the legendary founder of human magic, Flamme. The barrier magic she left behind a thousand years ago was still unbreakable by demons.

It was a level of magical achievement beyond imagination, a divine gift of magical talent.

Sigh—come and hate me, nameless human girl. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to threaten me. Your suffering will only become my spiritual nourishment.

"What's your name?"

Hmph, it doesn't matter if I tell you. Even if you had a hundred years, could you catch up to me, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction?

Who do you think you are? The founder of human magic, Flamme?

"Aura."

"I'm Flamme, and I will never forgive you, Aura!!"

"..."

After a long silence, Aura awkwardly asked:

"Can we make peace?"