Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Knock. Knock.

The sound echoed through the stillness of the room, persistent and irritating.

Aura's eyes fluttered open, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. The faint glow of sunlight filtered through a small hole in the kitchen wall, casting warm beams across the cold, barren space. For the first time all night, she felt warmth returning to her body, seeping into her chilled limbs and melting away the icy numbness.

She shifted slightly, savoring the fleeting comfort. Her chains clinked softly as she moved, a reminder of her imprisonment. For a moment, she thought of ignoring the sound and drifting back into a half-sleep.

But the knocking refused to stop.

Knock. Knock.

A sharp pang of frustration surged through her. Aura groaned, rubbing her eyes before dragging herself upright. The chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles dragged heavily across the stone floor as she stumbled to her feet, her patience already wearing thin.

"Whoever you are, just come in already!" she growled, her voice hoarse and laced with irritation. "I'm the one locked in here, not the other way around… right?"

She reached for the iron mechanism on the door, her fingers trembling slightly as she twisted it open. To her shock, the lock gave way effortlessly, the door creaking open without resistance.

"Eh?"

Aura froze for a moment, realizing this was likely because the binding magic from Flamme had worn off.

Not because she hadn't actually tried to open the door last night—she had only attempted to break it and gave up when that failed.

"So, now I can escape, and no one will stop me!" Aura's eyes lit up as she lifted the shackles on her hands and feet, bursting out the door. Though she couldn't use magic, with a demon's physical strength, she could likely outrun any human mage before they had time to react!

Even without mana, she could handle most mages using her superior strength.

As long as there wasn't a mage powerful enough to instantly subdue her, Aura could escape anywhere!

She opened the door, but then stopped short. A familiar white-haired elf stood in the doorway, extending her hand as if to knock.

Lucky for Aura, the person in front of her wasn't a mage strong enough to instantly overpower her.

But she didn't need to be stronger to subdue Aura.

Aura took a step back, her face showing despair.

"Going somewhere?" Frieren's voice was smooth, devoid of any real emotion. The elf didn't even seem surprised to see Aura standing there, shackled and unkempt.

"Aura," Frieren said again, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Aura's heart sank. The tone was familiar, the kind of playful mockery only someone who knew her well could wield. But the warmth of familiarity only made the sting sharper.

"Only five years," Aura muttered.

"It may not seem long to us, but it's still quite a while. Time has a funny way of passing, doesn't it?"

"What do you want, Frieren?"

"I've been in Kribi for a while now. You're the latecomer, Aura." Frieren looked toward the large city behind her. At first, she was amazed by human creativity, but after a while, she had gotten used to it.

Aura leaned against the doorframe, her gaze narrowing. "I didn't ask about Kribi," she said curtly, gripping the edge of the door. Without warning, she tried to slam it shut, but Frieren's staff shot out, jamming the door before it could fully close.

"Don't be so cold, Aura."

Aura peeked out warily from the slight crack she'd left in the door, her eyes gleaming with suspicion. "I'm asking why you're here. What do you want? More orders for me to follow? Is that it?"

Frieren shook her head slowly, her voice soft. "No, Aura. I told you before, I won't give you any excessive orders."

"I don't believe you! And why are you carrying luggage?!"

Frieren sighed, her expression shifting to one of mild embarrassment. "It's embarrassing to admit, but this is my first time in Kribi, and I didn't know the local prices. The money I saved ran out quickly, and since this city is all about magic, as a mage, I couldn't get any special treatment. I couldn't find a job."

"Can't find a job? Then leave! Why can't a broke elf with no job stay in Kribi? Do you steal and rob? Do you sleep in trash cans every day? It's disgusting that an elf clings to human cities—"

"That's not what happened." Frieren's voice remained calm, though her shoulders slumped slightly. "I found a mentor at the Magic Association and started working on a project under her guidance. She even let me stay in her home."

"Then why are you here with all your things?" Aura gestured pointedly at the luggage.

"My project didn't yield any results, and the association stopped funding it. When I was experimenting with magic, I accidentally burned down my mentor's house, so I was kicked out." Frieren lowered her head, her expression downcast, and her pure white hair swayed gently, looking pitiful.

Aura stared at her in disbelief, a mocking grin curling her lips. "You deserve it."

Frieren ignored the jab and raised her head slightly. "So I thought—"

"So, what do you want?" Aura demanded, cutting her off.

Frieren glanced around the crowded street, where strangers moved like a tide, indifferent and unrecognizable. In this vast, bustling city, Aura was the only familiar face. Gathering her courage, Frieren looked up, her green eyes shimmering with a vulnerability Aura had never seen before.

"I want to stay with you," she said softly.

Aura's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. "Why should I take you in?"

"Because…" Frieren hesitated, her voice faltering as she glanced at the bustling crowd once more.

Frieren looked up, her silvery hair hiding her green eyes, which showed sadness. Her green eyes reflected Aura's image as she lowered her head, her voice almost pleading, showing a side of her that she had never revealed to anyone before—

"I have nowhere else to go…"

Aura's eyes flickered. This was the first time she'd seen Frieren so vulnerable. Frieren had shown weakness before, but it had always been a front, her strength apparent. This was the first time Frieren had lowered her head in front of her.

Such a beautiful elf, such pure white, such a touching begging posture—who could resist?

Click—

The sound of the lock turning broke the silence.

Frieren's face lit up with a glimmer of relief and hope as the door creaked open. She bent to pick up her luggage, ready to step inside—but a hand shot out, pressing firmly against the doorframe, halting her.

Confused, Frieren looked up, her hopeful expression meeting Aura's smirking face.

Aura loomed over her, her eyes gleaming with mischief. A slow, deliberate grin spread across her lips as she mimicked Frieren's earlier tone with exaggerated sweetness:

"I~ have~ nowhere~ else~ to~ go~~~"

Pfft—

Aura pointed at Frieren's pitiful appearance with one hand while clutching her stomach with the other, laughing hysterically.

"Hahaha, hahahaha, hahahahahaha—"

"Frieren, you… you too… you also show this expression… Do you actually think this will work on me? Begging for pity? Hah, I'm dying over here!" Aura leaned against the doorframe for support, gasping for air between bouts of uncontrollable laughter.

Frieren's pale face turned an alarming shade of blue, and then—like a dam breaking—red flushed from her neck to her cheeks in one swift wave of humiliation. Her hand gripped her staff tightly, the soft leather creaking under her white-knuckled hold. For a moment, her sharp elven ears twitched, betraying the simmering frustration beneath her composed demeanor.

'What was I thinking?' she thought bitterly, staring at Aura's doubled-over form. How could she have believed for even a second that this purple haired demon, who had barely begun to grasp the meaning of human empathy, would suddenly turn kind?

Demons don't change. No matter how much they understand humans, no matter how much they act like they've adapted… a demon is always a demon.

'To think that I once believed I could make this demon good through persuasion—how could I have been so arrogant!!'

As the mentor said... when dealing with demons, only fists and staff will make them obey.

Frieren's expression changed rapidly. Perhaps humans couldn't stay calm in the face of such intense emotional shifts, but elves could do it easily.

The humiliation and anger of being mocked by Aura, the impulse to strike her, and all the emotions that disrupted Frieren's thoughts—were all forgotten.

Frieren once again showed Aura a gentle smile.

—Elves don't hold grudges.

"Aura," Frieren interrupted, her tone calm, her smile serene, her outstretched hand now demanding rather than pleading. "Give me money."

"You ask me for it, so I'll give it to you. Who do you think you are, stupid elf, begging for food... uh, wait... wait!!" Aura tried to mock her again, but suddenly found that her body was out of control. She handed over all the valuable gold and silver coins she had scavenged from the ruined human city and placed them in Frieren's hand.

"Thank you, Aura, this money will be enough for me to live on for a while."

Frieren bent slightly and politely thanked her.

"Damn it! Damn it! Frieren, you promised! You promised you wouldn't use obedience magic on me again! You liar..."

"Ah, did something like that happen?" Frieren tilted her head innocently as Aura glared at her, and after a long pause, she suddenly realized, "Oh, it did happen."

"Sorry, Aura. Forget everything that just happened."

"You!... Frieren, what are you doing here?"

Aura wanted to shout at the white-haired elf for her shamelessness, but as soon as Frieren gave her the command, she forgot everything that had just occurred. She stood at the door, dazed, staring at the shackles on her arms and legs. The thought of escaping earlier had also faded from her mind. Finally, Aura's attention shifted back to Frieren, and she asked the same question as before.

Even the movement of trying to retreat and close the door was exactly the same.

"Let me treat you to a meal—"

Frieren raised the gold and silver coins she had just obtained and invited Aura.

"Sure."

When Aura heard the word "eat," her empty brain, which had forgotten part of her memory, reacted immediately. The hunger she hadn't satisfied by sneaking food in the kitchen the night before flooded her mind. At that moment, under the influence of both forgetfulness and hunger, Aura's fear of Frieren vanished.

As for what Frieren wanted to do to her, Aura didn't care.

Should I care?—even that thought was forgotten.

Frieren reached into her bag and pulled out a peculiar purple hat. It was tall and slightly worn, clearly a memento of some kind. She dusted it off before gently pressing it onto Aura's head. The demon flinched slightly at the touch but didn't resist.

Frieren's lips curled into a faint smile as she adjusted the hat's brim. "It suits you," she muttered, half to herself.

With one hand gripping her luggage and the other firmly clasping Aura's cold, shackled hand, Frieren began to walk toward the city center.

The clinking of Aura's chains echoed softly as they moved through the bustling streets of Kribi. The sound drew attention, as did the sight of the pair: a tall, white-haired elf, her long ears peeking from beneath her hood, walking hand-in-hand with a disheveled, vacant-eyed girl wearing a strange hat.

Kribi was a cosmopolitan city, tolerant of other races like dwarves and the occasional elf. Still, the sight was unusual enough to invite whispers.

"Is that a custom of the elves?"

"Maybe she's her servant? No, look at the shackles..."

"Where do you think she's taking her?"

"That purple haired girl looks familiar..."

Most averted their gazes when Frieren's sharp green eyes glanced in their direction, but the murmurs lingered.

Frieren didn't care. She walked with quiet confidence, ignoring the stares and focusing only on her destination: the nearest restaurant.

When they arrived, Frieren selected a quiet table by the window. She ordered without hesitation, rattling off a list of dishes that made the waiter raise an eyebrow. Soon, the table was filled with a colorful array of plates: fresh vegetables, vibrant fruits, steaming stewed meat, golden mashed potatoes, and a tempting assortment of desserts.

Aura stared at the feast, her purple eyes wide. Her hands trembled as she reached for a fork, the hunger in her stomach overtaking everything else. She didn't wait for Frieren to start eating—she simply dug in, shoving food into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

Frieren didn't touch her own plate. Instead, she rested her chin in her hands, her elbows propped on the table, watching Aura with an unreadable expression.

The demon ate with such ferocity, crumbs scattering across the table, her cheeks puffed with food. Her hair, once so wild and untamed, seemed duller under the restaurant's warm light. Her movements were clumsy, almost childlike in their desperation.

The more she looked, the more Frieren felt that this purple-haired demon was so stupid.

In her memory, Aura had always been clever, knowledgeable, and resourceful. But the one in front of me now is just a stupid woman who would forget everything as long as she was fed.

'Is it my own memory that automatically beautifies the image of Aura?'

Or had she changed, growing up… After the destruction of the elves' village, Frieren's mentality changed almost overnight, and even her height seemed to have increased a bit.

Her perspective on things was no longer the same.

The Aura who had taught her magic, the kind and reliable only friend, the powerful demon who had traveled a thousand miles to save her on the battlefield—now, all that luster of memory had faded. What remained in front of her was this... still shameless, still despicable, still infuriating Aura, as if nothing had changed.

Frieren blinked.

It seemed like it had been like this from the beginning. Aura had never been a noble person. She was just a demon who was too stupid to do anything bad.

Frieren asked:

"Is it delicious?"

"Delicious."

"Don't you want to thank me?"

"You should do it."

"True."

"Uh?"

Now it was Aura's turn to be astonished.

Although Aura believed herself to be a noble, high-ranking demon, worthy of being served by human servants, the humans she had encountered didn't seem to think so. Her obedience magic couldn't work, and she couldn't "convince" others to recognize her.

But today, Aura finally met a servant who was willing to serve her willingly.

'Frieren... when did I turn her into a slave?'

Aura tentatively reached out her hand and softly issued a self-destructive command to Frieren, but when Frieren remained unmoved and frowned, asking what she was doing, Aura quickly lowered her head, pretending nothing had happened, and continued eating.

"You were going to do something bad again, weren't you... eh, never mind... we just met today. We'll talk about it later." The dishes were served, and Aura stopped the waiter. "Bill."

Aura ate furiously, her mind filled with malicious thoughts. Though she couldn't bring herself to end her life alongside Frieren under the influence of the obedience magic, with Klebi's prices, she could eat enough to bankrupt Frieren, sending the elf out of the city. That was something she could do.

As long as Frieren didn't have as much money as she did.

"Frieren, where did you get this money? It seems so familiar."

"I found it."

"... You're so lucky."

"Right?"

Aura couldn't figure it out. How did she end up finding money on the ground like this?

Aura watched Frieren's expression shift as she stared down at the coins in her hand. The elf's green eyes were distant, her lips pressed together tightly, and her face looked almost on the verge of breaking.

"Why do you look like you're about to cry after finding money?" Aura asked, tilting her head with genuine confusion.

"I'm not crying," Frieren replied, her voice quiet but strained.

Aura leaned back, crossing her arms with a smirk. "I know. Elves don't cry. You're not like demons. You don't even bother imitating human tears. What a useless race."

Frieren's gaze flickered toward her. "Aura."

"What?"

"Forget the expression I had earlier."

Aura blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in Frieren's tone. The elf's voice was soft but firm, and her hands rose to cover her face. Her slender fingers trembled slightly as she shielded her emotions from view, but Aura could still catch the way her shoulders subtly tensed.

Frieren felt herself unraveling, despite her best efforts. Why had she let such a trivial thing affect her? Watching Aura devour her meal so carelessly—her movements clumsy and ungraceful—it shouldn't have mattered. It shouldn't have stirred anything in her.

But it did.

Memories swirled in Frieren's mind, unbidden and relentless. She thought of Aura back in the Elf Village, a time when she were introduced Aura to her little sister, Elsa. She thought of the moments when Aura protecting her from demons and humans alike. And she thought of the moment she'd released Aura from her obedience magic—the day they had parted ways, believing they would never cross paths again, and instead be a mortal enemies.

It hadn't even been that long ago. So why did this feel like a lifetime? Why did the sight of a living, breathing Aura sitting across from her, eating without a care in the world and peacefully, make her chest ache so unbearably?

Was it the desperation she had felt during her search for Aura? The endless days of following rumors and clinging to the faintest hope that Aura might still be a good demon? Frieren's heart had hardened over the years, yet this moment—this simple, stupid moment—threatened to undo everything she had built to protect herself.

And after all the search, her hope not betraying her. Aura's really a good demon, she never attacked any innocent since they parted away.

Her eyes stung, and she bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.

Aura narrowed her eyes, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "You think I'll just forget because you told me to? Who do you think you are?" she scoffed, leaning forward on the table. "Frieren, even after all this time, do you really think your obedience magic still works on me? Hah! You're deluding yourself, silly little elf."

Aura's voice grew louder as she spoke, her bravado building with every word. "You think you've got me cornered, don't you? 'Oh, look at me, I'm Frieren, the pathetic elf who thinks she can still command a being like me!' Hahaha!"

She stood abruptly, planting one foot on the table with exaggerated confidence. Her chains rattled loudly, drawing stares from nearby diners, but Aura didn't care. She jabbed a finger toward Frieren's head, laughing like a villain in one of those human fairy tales.

Frieren, however, remained silent.

The elf's hands slowly lowered from her face, her expression eerily calm. Without a word, she reached for her staff, which leaned against the table beside her.

The moment Aura saw the movement, her laughter cut off as if someone had flipped a switch. Her face paled, and her purple eyes darted toward the staff with a flicker of panic.

"I—I was just joking," Aura stammered, her bravado crumbling in an instant. She hurriedly pulled her foot off the table and sat back down, clutching her utensils like a scolded child. "You really can't take a joke, huh?"

Frieren didn't respond. She simply placed her staff back where it had been and returned to her seat.

Aura, now unusually quiet, turned her attention back to her plate. She ate slowly this time, stealing occasional glances at Frieren. Despite her fear, there was a hint of curiosity in her gaze, as if she were trying to decipher what had caused the elf to act so strangely.

The two sat in silence, the faint clinking of chains and utensils the only sound between them. For all her bluster, Aura didn't dare speak again.

And Frieren?

She stared out the window, her green eyes distant once more, as if she were miles away. The ache in her chest lingered, but she pushed it aside. She had no time for such feelings—not now.

Not when the person she had once considered her enemy, her mentor, and her friend sat alive in front of her, pretending everything was normal.