"The expressions of those two look a bit strange. Their faces both became weird. So sure enough..."
"Lady Frieren understands now?", A trace of surprise appeared on Fern's face.
"What are you talking about? I'm not an idiot. I might be a bit slow sometimes but I understand things. Just by looking at their expressions I could obviously tell."
Frieren pursed her lips a little unhappily, then looked at Ash with a troubled face and asked for help.
"Ash, I probably hurt that boy's pride, right? What should I do?"
"Uh... what do you mean?", Even Ash was confused by the completely unrelated remark.
"Teacher once said that when boys get angry for no reason, in many cases it's because they lost face in front of girls. Women often don't notice it because the sensibilities between men and women are different."
"Flamme often talks nonsense, but this time she actually said something right."
While calmly helping Fern sit upright, he rubbed his forehead and sighed helplessly.
"But Frieren... the situation you're applying that to is a bit wrong."
"Wrong? What's wrong? Where's the problem?", Frieren frowned.
"Isn't it because I gave them pudding that the boy felt his pride was hurt in front of the girl?"
"Did it ever occur to you... that they might actually enjoy that situation?"
"So... finding joy in suffering?", Frieren immediately seemed to understand and nodded thoughtfully, "That's true. Hardship can increase all kinds of feelings between people."
"That's correct! But that's absolutely not the case here!"
"Do you even hear yourself right now?"
"Of course I know what I'm saying! You're the one who doesn't understand what's going on!"
Even Ash couldn't help letting out a long sigh.
"Please don't make strange interpretations on your own and then look like you're convinced of them. What I mean is that when people eat together, sometimes sharing food might show they're short on money, but more often it's something people with a very close relationship do. It can even help deepen feelings further... you should be able to understand that explanation, right?"
"If you put it that way then I understand. I was wondering why human adults always feed children during meals. So there's that deeper meaning behind it," As soon as she heard that, Frieren suddenly looked enlightened.
Then she suddenly turned to Fern, scooped up a spoonful of pudding, and smiled as she held it out.
"Here, Fern. Let's eat together too!"
"Lady Frieren, you're not treating me like a child who needs to be fed, are you?"
"That's not it. I just want to deepen my bond with Fern."
"I don't want to do something like that in public... it's embarrassing, isn't it?"
Looking at the eager Frieren, Fern's face was full of trouble.
"Besides, even if you do that, I'm still going to say what I need to say."
Hearing that, Frieren fell silent for a moment since that had indeed been her intention.
Then she simply extended the spoon toward Ash.
"Ash... want some?"
"Thanks."
Ash truly accepted anything offered to him. He ate it in one bite.
But just as Frieren began to show a pleased expression, he smiled and corrected her.
"Although I ate yours, don't expect me to help you at critical moments. I don't want to get dragged into trouble either."
"So feeding people to deepen feelings was a lie after all?"
That ruthless statement of abandoning her after benefiting from her made Frieren's smile freeze instantly. She glared at him like she had been betrayed.
She stared at him with her eyes for a while, but Ash acted completely unconcerned.
At that point Frieren decided to go all in.
Quick as lightning, she snatched his pudding, swapped it with the one she had already taken a bite from, and then happily enjoyed the dessert before the meal.
However, this scene was seen clearly by Fern, who had originally planned to stay out of it.
Her eyes widened and her small mouth hung open. Her gaze fell onto Frieren's unchanged spoon, and an indescribable emotion suddenly rose in her heart.
Then Fern, who had just moved her chair back earlier, leaned her body from the side again. Her chest almost pressed against Ash's arm, making him clearly feel the softness and pressure.
But Fern stared at him with somewhat darkened eyes, her voice trembling slightly.
"Lord Ash... just now you and Lady Frieren... what did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, right?"
"No! Just now you and Lady Frieren had an indirect kiss!"
Although her eyes were dim, when she said this her voice gradually became barely audible. Her face turned completely red.
"Th-this is practically no different from directly kissing! How could you two do that!"
"I think it's very different. Besides, when you were little, didn't I also—"
He tried to ease the awkwardness with a casual tone, but Fern immediately denied it firmly.
"Absolutely not! I always fed myself!"
"Hmm... thinking about it seriously, that's true."
Fern when she was little had been obedient to a heartbreaking degree.
But now, looking at the girl who unconsciously pressed her overly developed figure against him without realizing it due to her anger, Ash couldn't help letting out a small sigh.
That unconscious reaction touched Fern's sensitive nerves again.
"Lord Ash! Why are you sighing while looking at me right now?", Fern demanded unhappily, her tone carrying a hint of grievance.
That forced him to look toward his companion across the table.
"Frieren..."
"Oh my, this is really delicious~"
Frieren directly pretended to be ignorant. She calmly ate her pudding and studied the menu, thinking about what to eat for dinner.
Ash immediately gave up relying on this completely unreliable person.
He also ignored Ubel's observing gaze.
After thinking for a moment, Ash placed both hands on Fern's shoulders and forcibly pushed her back upright in her seat.
Then—
"Ah! What are you doing?"
Ignoring Frieren's dissatisfied shout, he directly snatched the menu from her hands and handed it to Fern.
"Anyway... let's eat something first, alright? My treat. Order whatever you want!"
"I won't be persuaded that easily—eh, this..."
Fern was about to object, but when she saw the prices on the menu she couldn't help frowning.
It's not even a birthday. Isn't this a bit too extravagant?"
"I have money."
"Even so! I'm already an adult now. Using your money in a situation like this really isn't appropriate! And no matter how many times I have to say it, please don't treat me like a child!"
Fern had a strange level of stubbornness about independence.
Even when using Frieren's money she felt better than using his.
With that said, the earlier dissatisfaction seemed like it might grow again.
But right then, Frieren, who had leaned over to look at the menu, suddenly spoke.
"Birthday? Now that I think about it seriously... isn't it almost Ash's birthday?"
"Huh? Is it—Ah! That's right!"
Fern froze briefly, then suddenly remembered.
Because she had been so focused on preparing for the exam recently, it missed her mind.
Seeing that sudden realization, Ubel looked surprised.
"Heh~ Fern actually forgot his birthday? I thought you'd be counting the days on your fingers waiting for it."
"Because every year on Lord Ash's birthday, he disappears without a trace..."
Thinking about it made Fern look at Ash resentfully.
"Not even once... really not even once have I celebrated Lord Ash's birthday."
"Is that so? But my master and I did celebrate Ash's birthday before."
Frieren looked surprised while casually mentioning it.
The moment those words came out, Fern immediately shot her a dissatisfied glare.
"Lady Frieren, are you showing off to me?"
"Why would I show off about something like that?"
"Is this the calm confidence of the strong?"
"I really have no idea what you're talking about... don't look at me with such a scary expression."
This strange dissatisfaction, as if Fern even treated her like a rival, left Frieren feeling extremely confused.
She even turned to Ash for help.
But... As usual, their friendship was completely useless in situations like this.
.
.
.
Once the meals were served, the slightly tense atmosphere finally eased.
A huge sundae plus two small cakes instantly made Fern temporarily forget her earlier worries.
Normally she lacked much expression on her face, but at this moment she showed a very girlish smile.
"Hehe~"
Frieren looked at the mountain of steak in front of her. She also forgot her troubles and couldn't help lifting the corners of her mouth.
Ubel, meanwhile, had the same three desserts as Fern in front of her.
"You really like copying other people," Ash said gloomily.
Ubel shook her small spoon proudly, "I discovered that the more I understand someone, the harder it becomes for others to detect my presence."
"Then maybe you should try copying Frieren next?"
He pointed at the mountain of meat in front of Frieren.
But Ubel only glanced at the pile, which looked like at least twenty pounds of meat, and showed a very strange expression.
"If someone actually ate that much, wouldn't they die?"
"How rude of you. That amount wouldn't kill anyone."
Frieren glanced at her, complained briefly, then quietly picked up her knife and fork and began cutting the meat.
She placed it into her mouth and immediately praised its taste.
Watching this scene, Ash rested his chin on one hand and sighed.
"Sigh... what even is this."
"What is it, Ash? Do you have some complaint too?"
"Not really... I've just always wondered something. Dwarves don't drink alcohol and elves eat tons of meat. What kind of situation is that supposed to be?"
"So how long are you going to cling to that stereotype that dwarves should drink and elves should eat vegetables?"
Frieren looked at him sideways and complained indistinctly.
After saying that she ignored him completely and continued eating, not bothering with this guy who had strange stereotypes about her.
Ash didn't bother arguing either.
He just felt slightly depressed that this world was completely different from the fantasy world he had imagined.
And at the same time...
"Why aren't there any normal beautiful girls? They're all such strange people."
He glanced at the three of them and sighed even more deeply.
"Lord Ash, this is a public place. I don't want to scold you again."
Fern stopped eating her dessert and elegantly wiped her mouth.
"But... you already said your rude thoughts out loud. So when we go back, please explain yourself properly."
"No, wait... the ones I said were strange definitely didn't include Fern."
"So that means it includes me?"
Frieren raised her head expressionlessly and glared at him.
Fern lightly elbowed him several times as he silently ate meat and soup.
"Lady Frieren is going to sulk now. This is your problem, please solve it quickly."
"...."
'Why do I have to take care of so many people just because I made a small comment?'
'Besides, it is the truth, right?'
While tasting the delicious flavor of beef spreading in his mouth, Ash felt strangely troubled.
At that moment, diners nearby suddenly began discussing some recent national news.
The mages present couldn't help stopping their conversation and listening.
The general situation was that recently the kingdom had added three new legions at a border fortress not far from the Magic City.
They were all elite troops that had received excellent training and used standardized defensive magic equipment. Their main composition consisted of heavy infantry and both light and heavy cavalry.
Relations between the Empire and the Kingdom of Oisast were not good.
Small-scale conflicts occasionally happened along the border, though both sides had been restraining themselves.
This sudden reinforcement would definitely make the situation more tense.
"Is a war starting?"
Fern, who had been in a good mood eating dessert, suddenly showed a worried expression.
Ubel smiled as if it had nothing to do with her.
"Wars happen every day. But... if the two biggest countries start fighting, that would be interesting~"
"After the exam we'll need to hurry to meet the king. If the human side falls into chaos first, things will definitely become troublesome," Frieren, still worried that the demon race might be secretly gathering strength, became rare and serious.
Only Ash didn't comment on the matter at all.
After all, this was exactly what he had arranged when he visited the royal capital recently.
———
The next day, close to noon—
In the courtyard of Ash's house, he sat alone on a swing, gently swaying.
In his hand was a magic grimoire collected during the exam, specifically about high-speed movement magic.
If one couldn't reach the peak level with this magic, the trajectory would still be obvious.
And if the opponent was a strong enemy who became alert and spread their mana around like a spider web, it would become very difficult to find an opportunity to attack.
Therefore, aside from the first use, it was difficult to achieve results a second time.
Its speed was extremely fast but the consumption was also enormous. Even Laufen herself couldn't use it many times.
After experimenting with it himself, he now only hoped he could completely master the magic.
But... The corner of his clothes kept being tugged.
"Stop reading~ Come help me already!"
Yesterday Frieren had watched the drama from the sidelines. Today she wore a miserable expression and kept pulling his clothes, trying to drag him away.
"Did you forget what you told me yesterday?"
He turned his head with a clearly annoyed expression.
But Frieren had learned to lie with a straight face. With an expressionless yet strangely serious tone she said,
"Actually I already regret it. So help me first, will you?"
"Do you even believe what you just said?"
"Give me a chance."
"Ask Fern. Will she give you one?"
"That's exactly why I came to you."
Yesterday she had been happily watching the show.
Now Frieren was lowering herself and pleading with him with a bitter face.
The reason was simple.
After returning last night she hadn't bathed or washed her feet before jumping straight onto the bed and sleeping comfortably.
"This is entirely your own fault."
After hearing the explanation, Ash pressed a hand against Frieren's face and pushed her away coldly.
"You're only easy to talk to when you need something."
"Who told you not to take care of hygiene properly? And this morning instead of fixing it quickly you just slept until now again?"
"I know it's all my fault... but! Yesterday I did help you successfully change the topic. So help me today."
"Tell me specifically what she's doing now."
"She's been puffing her cheeks and ignoring me..."
"Is that so? Today is really peaceful."
That overly peaceful way of being angry made him look up at the sky and sigh lightly.
Then he looked back down at the book in his hands.
His attitude made Frieren freeze for a moment.
Then she grabbed his hand, complaining as she forcefully dragged him back inside, making him participate in mediation work, until the entire refreshing morning had been wasted.
That made Ash realize that reading quietly at home was probably impossible.
So he simply took the book and walked out into the streets.
———
After Ash left, the entire house became much quieter.
Only after confirming that he had gone did Fern finally approach Frieren with an unprecedented troubled expression and ask for help.
"Lady Frieren, what present did you prepare for Lord Ash's birthday? Could you go pick one with me?"
"Ash's present? Just buy something casually in the city, isn't that fine?"
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