Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

FYI, The chronology for the previous omake chapter is set after Aura parted ways with Serie at the end of volume 1.

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When Aura suddenly launched a surprise attack from her kneeling position, Sasha felt that Aura was despicable. But considering Aura's personality, employing deceptive tactics to lower her opponent's guard was as natural as drinking water or eating food.

When Aura managed to overpower the orange-haired mage, Sasha breathed a sigh of relief.

'Yes, this is how it should be! This is exactly how things should go!'

'Master Aura is the goddess envoy, the strongest mage in existence. How could anyone be stronger than her...right? Right! Aura is...deeply favored by the goddess...'

Sasha used these lies that she knew were lies to hypnotize herself, trying to reassure herself.

But then, it happened.

The tide shifted in an instant.

But when the tide turned in an instant, when the seemingly invincible and unstoppable Aura was suddenly pierced by an invisible golden spear.

Sasha gasped. Another spear followed, and another—golden streaks of anti-magic that shattered the air like lightning, phasing through Aura's form with sickening precision.

Aura fell.

The great demon, invincible and unstoppable in Sasha's mind, collapsed to the ground, her mana drained to the dregs. No physical wounds marred her body, but the lifeless way she crumpled, struggling helplessly, was far worse to witness.

Sasha's legs trembled.

'No… no, no, no!'

The lies she'd clung to unraveled in her mind, leaving nothing but raw fear.

Without thinking, she cast a levitation spell and propelled herself forward, a desperate scream tearing from her throat.

"Master!"

She threw herself into the chaos of battle, heedless of the blinding lights and the scorching heat of the spells crashing around her. This fight was far beyond her capability, but she didn't care.

Landing between Aura and the charging orange-haired mage, she planted her feet firmly, raised her arms, and yelled with all her might:

"Run, Master Aura! Get out of here!"

The ground trembled beneath Sasha's feet as she unleashed her Harvest Magic, green sprouts bursting through the soil like desperate hands reaching for salvation. The vines surged forward, tangling toward Flamme. But with a single flash of Flamme's glowing staff, every last one of them was incinerated, reduced to a pile of ash in an instant.

Sasha's heart sank, but she didn't falter.

Gritting her teeth, she lunged forward and clung tightly to Flamme's staff with both hands, ignoring the searing heat radiating from the weapon. If it burned her alive, so be it.

Gritting her teeth, Sasha lunged forward and clung tightly to Flamme's staff, disregarding the risk of being burned alive or blasted apart by the magic cannon. She sought only to delay Flamme's magic for even a single second with her own body.

To protect her master. It was her duty. It was her purpose.

For Aura to survive, Sasha was willing to lay down her life without hesitation.

'Master... Master Aura... Please don't hesitate to sacrifice me. Just run! Escape as fast as you can! My life in exchange for yours—it's more than worth it...'

Her thoughts screamed louder than the chaos around her.

'Don't stay behind for the sake of a follower's life. Just go. Please!'

But as fear churned in her chest, a darker thought wormed its way in:

'What if… what if she actually does stay? What if Master Aura fights to save me? What if my sacrifice… means nothing?'

Unable to bear the uncertainty, Sasha cast a panicked glance over her shoulder, desperate to see what Aura was doing.

And she froze.

Aura… was scrambling away.

Not running, not flying—scrambling. On all fours.

She rolled, crawled, and clawed at the ground, putting as much distance between herself and Flamme as possible.

"Hold on, Sasha! Whatever you do, don't let gooooo!" Aura's voice trailed off as her figure shrank into the distance, disappearing with startling speed.

Not even the faintest sign of hesitation.

"..."

The silence was deafening. Both Sasha and Flamme stared in the direction where Aura had vanished, then exchanged glances.

After a long, heavy pause, Flamme finally broke the silence.

"Let go."

Flamme shook her staff lightly, but Sasha clung to the top of it with such ferocity that Flamme struggled to lift it.

"I won't. Even if I die."

Tears streamed down Sasha's face as she choked out the words. She didn't understand why this orange-haired mage hadn't simply killed her with magic, but the emotional blow Sasha had just endured left her unable to think about it.

Flamme tilted her head, her orange hair catching the faint glow of the embers still smoldering around them. "She's already a mile away by now," she said, her tone matter-of-fact. "At that distance, without knowing her direction, even I couldn't catch her. So let go. This is pointless."

"..."

Sasha ignored Flamme's explanation entirely, stubbornly clutching the staff as she wept softly, like an abandoned puppy.

Flamme sighed, exasperated, but as she looked down at the girl's devastated face, her own expression twisted with disdain. Her gaze flicked back to the horizon where Aura had disappeared.

"You saw it, didn't you?" Flamme said bitterly, her voice like a knife cutting through the quiet. "Demons are a heartless race. No matter how much you risk your life for them, they'll never feel anything for you in return."

Sasha's head jerked up at that, her bloodshot eyes glaring at Flamme with a fiery intensity.

"Aura isn't like that!" she shouted, her voice hoarse and raw. "She's not like the others—she understands human emotions!!"

Flamme barked out a short, humorless laugh. "And what do you know, little girl? How long have you even known Aura to be so sure she has feelings? Five years? Ten?" She leaned in closer, her piercing eyes locking onto Sasha's. "I've killed more demons than you've met humans. A demon might act kind to you, might even show you affection, but it's all a facade. They're masters of manipulation, and you're just another tool to them."

Sasha's grip faltered for a moment, but she tightened it again, her voice trembling with indignation. "I've lived with her for five whole years! How could I not know her?! Aura saved me—she saved all of us!"

Flamme's gaze darkened, and her lips curled into a bitter sneer. "She deceived me for twenty years."

Sasha froze. Her breath hitched as Flamme's words hung heavy in the air. Slowly, she raised her tear-streaked face to meet Flamme's unwavering stare.

"..." Sasha finally stopped sobbing. She lifted her tear-streaked face, her bloodshot eyes staring at Flamme.

"…Who are you?" Sasha whispered, her voice barely audible.

Flamme's expression hardened, her eyes cold and unyielding. "The executioner sent to make Aura atone for her sins."

Sasha shook her head violently, her tears falling anew. "Aura has no sins! She hasn't done anything wrong!"

Flamme's hand tightened around her staff, her knuckles whitening. "That demon has slaughtered more humans than you can comprehend, and you still defend her?"

"She was protecting the village!" Sasha yelled, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "Those people wanted to pillage it—they deserved to die!"

"Bandits, were they?" Flamme said calmly. "Even so, they were still your own kind. At most, they'd steal some property, but they wouldn't take lives. Demons, on the other hand, devour humans."

Sasha's lips twisted into a bitter smile, a humorless laugh bubbling out of her throat. "They wouldn't take lives…?" Her voice trembled with a dangerous edge, her hands trembling as she spoke. "Heh… haha…"

She lifted her gaze to Flamme, her eyes blazing with raw fury. "Where were these so-called 'kindred' of mine when my parents were butchered by bandits? Huh? Where were they when I and others were sold into slavery? When so many starved to death while the rich laughed in comfort?" Her voice rose with every word, her body trembling as if the memories themselves were tearing her apart.

"When we finally rebuilt our village from the ashes—barely surviving—and monsters came to destroy it all over again, where were they then?!" Sasha's breath hitched, but her voice grew louder, defiant and filled with despair. "It was Aura who avenged me! It was Aura who freed us from slavery! It was Aura who turned us into real people again, who helped us defend our village against monsters! So what if she's a demon?!"

Sasha's voice broke as she screamed, her tears falling freely. "Humans eating humans isn't rare! So what if she eats people? At least she only devours those who prey on others! That's more than I can say for most of humanity!"

Sasha's voice grew hoarse as she yelled, trembling with emotion.

Flamme, hearing her tirade, didn't grow angry—instead, she laughed.

"Haha—"

"What's so funny?!"

Flamme lowered her head and raised a hand in apology, her green eyes glinting with something that wasn't quite amusement. "Apologies. That was rude of me…" She took a deep breath, calming herself, her fingers brushing against her lips as if to stifle another laugh. "I just confirmed something I'd hoped to know."

Sasha stared at her, bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Flamme studied the girl's tear-streaked face for a moment before continuing. Her tone softened, "As a courtesy, I'll tell you something good. Some news you'll like."

Sasha's grip loosened slightly as she blinked up at Flamme, her grief momentarily stalled by curiosity.

"She knew," Flamme said quietly, "that I wouldn't harm a human. That's why she left you behind."

Sasha's eyes widened. "Really?!"

Her face lit up, hope blooming where despair had once taken root. The girl's expression was so bright, so painfully earnest, that Flamme felt a pang deep in her chest. She sighed inwardly, her gaze drifting away.

'You're such a sinful woman, Aura.'

Before Sasha could say more, Flamme's lips curled into a faint, bittersweet smile. "At the same time…" she began, her voice turning thoughtful, "I need to revise something I said earlier about demons."

Sasha tensed, her hopeful expression faltering slightly.

Flamme continued, her gaze distant as though speaking more to herself than to the girl in front of her. "Most demons would abandon anyone else to save themselves. They wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice a thousand lives if it meant their own survival." She paused, her voice lowering. "But Aura wouldn't. She's… a special kind of demon."

"Who are you?" Sasha finally asked, her voice tinged with suspicion. Her grip on the staff tightened again, as if bracing herself for an unwelcome answer.

Flamme hesitated for a heartbeat, then met Sasha's gaze with unwavering intensity. "Aura's disciple," she admitted simply, her words landing like a stone in a pond, sending ripples through Sasha's mind.

"…So am I!" Sasha blurted out, the words spilling from her lips before she could think. Her voice carried a desperate pride, as if clinging to that truth would somehow close the growing gap between her and Aura.

Flamme raised an eyebrow, surprised by the girl's conviction. "Is that so?" she murmured. Her tone wasn't mocking, but there was a weight behind her words that made Sasha squirm.

Flamme stepped closer, her amber eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Sasha's mana flow. She reached out a hand, not to touch, but to feel. A faint, unrefined current of mana pulsed around the girl—weak, like a flickering flame, yet oddly vibrant. It wasn't the mana of someone trained in combat, but there was something strikingly familiar about it.

'This structure…' Flamme's thoughts trailed off as she let her own mana flow freely. She extended her fingers, allowing the mana to ripple outward. It brushed against Sasha's mana, and the two resonated faintly. Flamme's eyes widened ever so slightly.

'Aura's teaching.'

The patterns were unmistakable. The foundation, the flow—it all bore the mark of the demon who had once taught her.

Flamme's gaze lingered on Sasha, the lines of her face softening as a bitter realization crept over her.

'Aura's mark is already etched onto this girl.'

Sasha fidgeted under Flamme's intense stare, unsure of what the mage was thinking. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked hesitantly.

Flamme didn't answer immediately. Instead, she let her hand drop, the faint glow of her mana dissipating. A heavy sigh escaped her lips.

'This child… she'll never forget that demon for the rest of her life.'

Flamme sighed deeply.

'Aura, oh Aura...'

'What a sinful woman.'