Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Aura, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction from a thousand years in the future, possesses magical power far exceeding that of this era. Her abilities and knowledge are a testament to the advancements in magic over the centuries.

If not for the numerous binding commands placed on her by Frieren upon their first encounter, Aura would probably have become the demon who caused the most casualties to humans in this era. Her potential for destruction was immense, and without these constraints, who knows what she would do.

But there are no ifs.

The moment the command "do not harm humans" took effect under the compliance magic, it meant Aura could no longer be an enemy of humans. This binding command was absolute and left her with no choice but to comply.

Even though she had far greater mana and unparalleled magical skills compared to Flamme, fighting her still came at a great cost.

It wasn't that Flamme could injure her; aside from the unexpected cutting spell at the beginning, Aura bore no wounds on her body.

Her injuries were entirely from her soul, the excruciating pain of having her spirit torn apart after defying the compliance magic. Each time she tried to resist the command, the magical backlash was a torment that ravaged her very essence.

Malice and anger could only numb the pain for a while, but when those emotions subsided, the pain, intense enough to overwhelm her consciousness, flooded in. Aura's fierce determination and sheer willpower were the only things keeping her from collapsing entirely.

Aura forced herself to stand until she disappeared from Flamme's sight. Every step felt like her legs were made of lead, but she pushed through, knowing that showing weakness could mean her end. The moment she was out of view, she collapsed, her body giving out from the unbearable pain.

But she couldn't stop; she feared Flamme would hear the commotion and chase her down, so she crawled several miles despite the pain in her head. Her vision blurred and her limbs trembled with every movement, but the instinct to survive drove her forward. She knew that if Flamme caught up to her now, in her weakened state, she wouldn't stand a chance.

Finally, Aura couldn't hold on any longer and passed out. Her consciousness faded as the pain overwhelmed her, and she crumpled to the ground, utterly exhausted and defenseless.

Before losing consciousness, she managed to cast a magic barrier around herself. Although it was just a simple barrier, it was enough to defend against common attacks from monsters. It provided a semblance of protection in her vulnerable state.

Even if a human mage found her while she was unconscious, the barrier's breach would force her awake.

However, how long she could stay conscious after waking was uncertain.

Aura fell into a deep sleep. Her body and mind desperately needed rest, and for now, she surrendered to the darkness, hoping that the barrier would hold and that she would have enough strength to continue her journey when she awoke.

For the first time in a long while, she had a dream.

She dreamed that she returned to the demon territory and was received by the Demon King.

The Demon King highly praised her efforts in hindering the development of human magic within the Continental Magic Association, to the extent that even the Omniscient Schlacht was inferior to her.

Thus, she succeeded Schlacht as the Demon King's confidant, assisting him in expanding his territory. They strategized together, their plans meticulous and ruthless, each step taken with the goal of demon supremacy in mind.

One day, the Demon King, afflicted by a mysterious curse, was on the brink of death.

Before his death, the Demon King transferred all his powers to Aura.

Aura has become the being with the most mana in the world.

Under her Spell of Obedience: Auserlese, even the strongest human mages could be controlled due to the priority rules of the obedience spell.

After using obedience magic to kill Serie, an elf from the mythical era, the demon territory expanded to an unprecedented scale under Aura's rule. Serie's defeat was a significant victory, a testament to Aura's unchallenged power.

Because of her magic, Aura made the demons more united than before the Demon King, and no country in the world could resist the demons anymore.

One day, word came that a hero named Himmel was leading a party to challenge the Demon King.

Aura sent the Seven Sages of Destruction and Schlacht to intercept them, but they were defeated by the hero.

Finally, Aura faced the hero's party herself.

In the face of her boundless mana, no one should have been able to resist her Auserlese.

But when Aura stood before the hero's party, a white-haired elf stepped forward and lightly said:

"Aura, commit suicide."

What the hell?

Where did this short elf come from!

Who do you think you are? Do you want me to commit suicide just because I want to?

I am a great demon with the magic power of a Demon King. It is impossible...

As Aura thought this, she found herself holding a sword.

With a click, her vision flipped. The world spun around her, and everything turned upside down.

Her head fell to the ground. She could see her own body standing headless, the sword still clutched in its hand.

"Ha!!!" Aura woke up, clutching her neck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found no blood. Her head was still firmly attached to her shoulders.

What was that dream about?

As Aura tried to understand the dream's meaning, she wondered if even with the magical power of a Demon King, she couldn't escape that short elf's command.

Aura clenched her fists in frustration. Just as she was about to get up and escape further, she realized she was being carried on someone's back. The gentle sway of movement and the faint scent of the forest filled her senses.

'Ah, it's another short elf, no wonder my barrier didn't trigger.'

Serie carried Aura on her back as they walked along the green and quiet mountain road. Her steps were steady, and her demeanor calm, as if carrying a demon was just another day's work. She noticed that the demon behind her had woken up and glanced back.

"Awake?"

"Um."

"Had a nightmare?"

"None of your business."

Serie coldly turned back and continued walking.

In her sleep, Aura had been muttering curses like "short elf," "dwarf," and "runt."

Just from the resentment in her tone, it was clear she had suffered a lot in her dream.

The foul-mouthed purple-haired demon struggled behind Serie:

"Let me go!"

"Can you walk?"

"Fast as lightning!"

Thud!

The moment Serie let go, Aura fell to her knees, collapsing like a pile of mud in front of Serie.

"Uuuu uuu—"

Serie picked up the scattered demon parts again and carried them on her back.

She had noticed from the first moment she saw Aura that the demon's soul had suffered serious trauma. Even after waking up, Aura could maintain consciousness, but she had no way to control her body.

"Aura, you always like to call others short, but aren't yourself short?"

"I've never called you that. Leave me alone."

"You have."

"No."

"In your mind."

"Didn't you say you can't use mind-reading magic?"

"Sometimes I do."

"..."

"Am I short?"

"I won't dare to do it again. Please, Serie, don't abandon me!"

Aura clung to Serie's back, her horns bandaged, unable to move a single finger. If Serie left her, Aura would likely die, devoured by wild beasts in the forest.

Aura pleaded pitifully, sobbing for mercy.

Serie remarked, "This time, you seem more human than before."

"But don't put on an act in front of me. You know that elves are just like demons and have no mercy."

"Oh."

The demon behind her was very well behaved. If Serie hadn't been deeply aware of Aura's shameless nature, she would probably have thought that she had turned over a new leaf.

In silence, Serie kept walking, Although she was an elf who was so old that no one knew how old she was, her limbs were still as flexible as those of a young person.

This was a type of spell Aura hadn't seen before. She could feel herself and Serie blending into the wind, moving at an extremely fast speed.

Aura also guessed Serie's destination, which should be Kribi, the headquarters of the Continental Magic Association. She had just escaped from there, only to be caught and taken back.

Aura's purple eyes remained fixed as she observed the elf's flowing golden hair. After a long moment, she spoke:

"Hey, why do you always save me? Is it for your disciples?"

"Yes."

Aura recalled that every time she was injured and unconscious, Serie would come to her aid. Aura could not think of any other reason except that Serie wanted to train an enemy to serve as a whetstone for her disciple Flamme.

As for Serie herself, it seemed that, despite not officially acknowledging it, Aura was practically like a disciple to her, even though she was a demon. Despite her wicked nature, Aura had contributed significantly to Serie's magical research.

For the time being, just acknowledge that Aura is her disciple. She came to save Aura because the warning magic she placed on Aura's body gave the news that she was in critical condition.

"Elves... are truly cruel," Aura murmured, her eyes dimming after hearing the answer she expected. Despite being a high-ranking demon, she had become a mere tool for Serie to train her disciple. Even though demons generally lacked a sense of shame, Aura still felt a pang of discomfort.

Serie glanced at Aura, who seemed sad for no reason, with a puzzled look.

"Huh?"