Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Flamme was growing frustrated. She ordered the caravan to stop abruptly, entered the cage herself, and personally secured shackles onto Aura. Then, gripping Aura's round, chubby cheeks, and sternly threatened her. Only after this did she leave the cage feeling satisfied.

The caravan resumed its journey.

Until nightfall, there was complete silence. Flamme, exhausted, fell asleep in the carriage.

But by midnight, Aura started acting up again.

This time, Flamme heard it herself without waiting for her subordinates to report.

Creak—creak—creak.

A faint, gnawing sound, like a rodent chewing through a hard shell.

She lifted the curtain and looked, grinding her teeth as she said:

"Stop using your teeth!"

...

"I said, stop gnawing on the cage with your mouth, Aura!!"

Aura tilted her head, biting the iron cage bars with her white and hard teeth. The steel could not withstand the scraping of her teeth and had already bitten a hole in it.

In the time it took Flamme to shout, Aura glanced at her briefly, then increased her speed. In the blink of an eye, she had bitten through the bars and was trying to get out of the cage.

Of course, her head passed through, but the horns got stuck.

"Of course," Flamme muttered through gritted teeth, storming toward the cage. She pushed Aura's head back with a forceful shove, causing the demon to yelp in protest. "You're really as same as ever."

She turned to her subordinates, who had gathered nervously nearby. "Reinforce the cage. Use steel plates. And coat the bars with paralyzing poison juice if you have to!"

"Milady," one of them hesitated, "we don't have poison juice on hand—"

"Then FIND IT," Flamme snapped.

The men scrambled into action, but Flamme wasn't finished. She turned back to Aura, who was rubbing her stuck horn with a pitiful expression. Her sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight, and Flamme knew that reinforcing the bars alone wouldn't be enough.

"Bring me an iron gag," she ordered.

"M-Milady, we didn't prepare for that—"

"Then get one forged at the nearest city. I don't care if it takes all night. MOVE!"

By dawn, the subordinates returned, hauling a custom-forged iron gag. Flamme inspected it, running her fingers over the reinforced edges before casting her own magic to strengthen it further.

She approached the cage, the gag glinting ominously in her hands. "Open your mouth," she commanded.

Aura shrank back, shaking her head vehemently. "You can't be serious!"

"Yes." Flamme replied, grabbing Aura's chin with one hand. 

"No, no, no—wait!" Aura pleaded, trying to squirm away. "I'll do anything! I promise!"

"And I want you to open your mouth, Aura." With a firm tug, she forced Aura's mouth open and fitted the iron gag into her mouth.

When it clicked shut, Aura whimpered, her words reduced to muffled protests.

Flamme stepped back to admire her work. Aura now sat bound hand and foot, her fingers immobilized by thick cloth wraps, her legs shackled tightly. Chains secured her to the cage's floor, and the iron gag left her unable to open her mouth.

"There," Flamme said with a triumphant smirk. "Now you can't cause trouble."

Aura glared at her, tears pooling in her wide eyes. She let out a muffled whimper, her body curling into a defeated ball at the edge of the cage.

Satisfied, Flamme pulled a black cloth over the cage, plunging Aura into total darkness. "Maybe this will finally make you behaved," she muttered before walking away.

——————

When Aura opened her eyes again, she found herself in Kribi.

Flamme had traveled day and night, crossing several city defense checkpoints and fending off multiple inquiries from guards, all of which she had managed to dismiss with the highest-level badge from the Continental Magic Association.

Finally, within the set time limit, they arrived at Kribi City and reached the headquarters of the Continental Magic Association.

Otherwise, even the owner of the highest-level badge would have been unable to withstand the public condemnation from the countries she had crossed, ignoring wartime restrictions.

At last, Flamme, with Aura in tow, arrived before the owner of that prestigious badge.

Aura opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a golden-haired elf sitting cross-legged on a large stone throne.

The actual supreme authority of the Continental Magic Association, a legendary mage of the mythical era who had earned the trust of human kingdoms through her personal power—Serie.

In recent years, aside from the day the war broke out, nothing had stirred Serie's emotions.

But at this moment, Serie was smiling, a faint smile, but enough to show that her mood was good.

Aura kneeled in the center of the vast palace hall, while Flamme stepped back, leaving Serie the time to observe Aura and make her final decision.

Serie descended from the stone throne and walked up to Aura. She pressed her hands on Aura's horns, and rubbed her fingers on them. Serie could felt the demon's body trembling beneath her touch, bringing her an immense sense of pleasure.

"You've been caught again, Aura."

Serie's melodic voice carrying a faint trace of mockery.

"Uu—uu—"

Serie's fingers slid through Aura's purple hair, touching the broken horn beneath. The broken horn wasn't short, and it was long enough for Serie to grip with one hand. However, it had been hidden beneath Aura's unruly, voluminous hair.

Looking down at Aura's pleading eyes, Serie said:

"Didn't you say you'd escape to somewhere no one could find you?"

"Uu—"

After observing Aura's horn, Serie crouched down to match her gaze, her golden eyes peering into Aura's, seeing something deeper.

"It's barely been any time since we last met, and yet you've changed so much," Serie murmured, her voice dropping into something akin to fascination. "Even your eyes look gentler... softer. There's a light in them I don't remember. Have you been tamed, Aura?"

"Uu—uu—"

When Aura simply cried without answering, Serie stood up, looking down at her mockingly.

"Why are you so pathetic this time that you can't even speak?"

"Uu—uu—"

Aura continued to cry without answering.

"Oh, it's because the gag is still on."

Serie then pretended to realize, waving her hand. An unknown spell quickly broke the lock on Aura's gag.

As soon as Aura could open her mouth, she stopped crying and glared at Serie.

"You did that on purpose!" she spat, her voice sharp and accusing.

"I did," Serie replied calmly, her lips twitching in amusement as she admitted it without a shred of hesitation.

"..."

"Don't you have something to say when you see me?" Serie asked, tilting her head as though she were genuinely curious.

Aura hesitated, her pride warring with her desperation. Finally, she choked out, "Please, don't kill me, Serie! I'm useful! I'll do anything!!"

Serie's expression flattened, a faint sigh escaping her lips. "Not that sentence—"

"Huh?"

Aura blinked, her tears brimming again. Trying to appear even more pitiful, she leaned forward, her elbows dragging against the cold stone floor as she reached out toward Serie's leg. But Serie was quicker, stepping back gracefully, avoiding Aura's touch as though she were dodging a clumsy attack.

Shaking her head, Serie's voice took on a scolding tone. "Do you remember what you said the last time we met?"

"What?" Aura's brow furrowed, confusion clouding her tear-streaked face.

Aura shook her head, unable to recall.

Serie's lips curved into a mischievous smile as she raised her voice, mimicking Aura's tone from their last encounter:

"The-next-time-we-meet, I-will-kill-you~~"

The ridiculous imitation hung in the air for a moment before Serie's composure crumbled. A loud, genuine laugh burst from her lips, her body shaking with mirth. She pointed at Aura's face, her golden eyes alight with glee as she clutched her stomach.

Pfft~

Today, Serie had witnessed something she had never seen in her life!

You could never imagine that a demon's face could show such an embarrassing expression!

It was pure joy—so joyful~ In Serie's memories, the only time she had felt this happy was when she saw the goddess' magic.

But today, Aura gave her the same pleasure.

After what felt like an eternity, Serie finally calmed, wiping at her eyes as her laughter subsided. She straightened, forcing her expression back into its usual mask of seriousness, though a faint smile still lingered.

Addressing the waiting Flamme outside, Serie waved her hand dismissively. "Take her down. I've approved the research project you applied for last time. Lock her up in the room that was approved earlier."

——————

Happy new year 2025 my lovely readers !!!!

2 more chapters before the much awaiting reunion between Frieren and Aura. I promise it will be a very long chapter, maybe around 8,000-10,000 words~~

How about accelerate it by helping me vote this book???