"The goddess probably favors me quite a lot. It's just that after the Empire counteroffensive, that holy sword was probably already pulled out."
"Really?", Frieren froze for a moment, unable to believe it, "Could the target be you?"
"I hope not."
"Who else could it be besides you?"
"To be honest, I've been thinking about that too."
"Isn't it obviously you?"
Even Frieren couldn't help slamming the table at the way he pretended not to understand.
But the conversation fell into another deadlock, because even though Frieren wanted to say something else, she could no longer find the words.
———
Although the mood relaxed a little because of Ash's joking, that heavy reality still stood in front of them like a massive stone. They could neither cross it nor avoid it.
Frieren stared at the cup of tea in front of her for a long time. Then, for who knew how many times today, she took the initiative to break the silence.
"Maybe from the very beginning, you shouldn't have gotten involved with that so-called kingdom."
"What are you talking about? Not to brag, but at least over ten million people received protection because of it and escaped war and famine. Even if it might fail in the end, at least millions or tens of millions of people survived because of it. What's wrong with that?"
"I know... That's why even though you're a demon, I never truly doubted your qualifications to be king," Even admitting that was embarrassing for her, but it really was what Frieren thought.
Whenever she remembered how she had praised the Wise King so much and even repeatedly praised him in front of him, Frieren's expression gradually became strange.
The look was so odd that even she couldn't control it.
Her face twisted from the mixed emotions, making even Ash shudder a little when he saw it.
"What kind of expression is that?"
"It's all your fault."
"What did I do now?"
"Any! Way!", Since it was too embarrassing to say, she skipped over it and mercilessly questioned him again, "What happens after you die? Can the demons under you really continue coexisting with humans? Won't it become a new hell on earth? In the end, if you just waited another few thousand years and kept gathering strength, with your—"
"It's not like I never thought about that," Ash interrupted her, "But even if we can wait, Fern and the others can't wait that long."
"Fern?", The sudden mention of that name left Frieren confused for a moment.
"I really don't want them to die in front of me. I want to break humanity's lifespan limit."
"That kind of thing isn't..."
"Maybe the only way is through the goddess. If we gather the world's power, collect the world's magic, gather all the mages and warriors in the world, maybe we could fight the goddess. Of course, I still want to solve it myself, but only after the situation is completely stabilized will I have time to do those things. That's why I attacked the imperial capital ahead of time."
"Ash, why do you, a demon, think so much like a human? You won't even accept death? More importantly, if that's the case, why did you approach humans in the first place?"
Frieren stared at him in surprise. Her brows were furrowed, filled with confusion and an irritation she couldn't describe.
"It just happened before I realized it. And how can things that already happened be changed? Rather than complaining about the past, it's better to think about how to solve future problems."
"You'll die!"
"I know."
"Your thinking... is no different from a fantasy," Even though she didn't want to pour cold water on him now, Frieren still directly spoke the cruel reality out loud.
But Ash only smiled lightly and calmly said, "Even if it's a pathetic fantasy, that's fine. At least I don't want to give up before even trying. Besides, you probably heard before that when Fern was little, I promised her I would never abandon her again and never leave her alone."
"That might be the goddess herself. Not someone we can fight," Frieren pressed both hands against the table and seriously stressed it again, "You will die."
"There are many things in this world more important than life. I don't want to lose important things or break the promises I made because of my own weakness."
"Whether it's Fern or Sense, even Ubel wouldn't want you to take this risk," Frieren's voice gradually carried a trace of pleading, "Even I... feel the same."
"That's why I never told any of you about this plan. Though I ended up saying it now. But like you said, since it became something I had no choice but to say, I guess this only counts as... confessing?"
"Haa!", She no longer wanted to lecture him, and she understood she couldn't persuade him anyway. Frieren let out a long sigh before asking, "Do you really have a chance?"
"Who knows? Whether it's disgraceful methods or dirty tricks, I have to try something. Whether it's for them, for the promise from before, or something else, even if the one standing in front of me is a real god, there's no reason to just give up, right?"
"..."
Looking at Ash, who still wore a smile while his eyes remained firm as ever, Frieren's emotions became a tangled mess, and for a while she didn't know what to say.
She silently struggled with herself. The blame and objections she had wanted to spit out now felt bound by something invisible, unable to leave her mouth.
She couldn't help recalling the days in the elf village. If she had properly taught Ash back then how a long-lived race should face gains, losses, joy, and sorrow through endless years, maybe things would be different now.
But Frieren also understood that her own calm attitude toward life was mostly a compromise with the irreversible passage of time.
That detached attitude only hid two things underneath: helplessness and acceptance of reality.
And Ash, this young demon, clearly refused to accept such a fate.
That difference troubled Frieren even more.
However, while her thoughts drifted, the corner of her eye caught an unusual presence.
Because of the anti-magic stones interfering, magic detection had become useless, and she had never noticed the figure quietly standing by the door.
"Ah," The moment her eyes landed there, Frieren's expression became complicated.
At the same time, Ash, who had been focused on the conversation, also noticed something strange about her. He subconsciously turned around and finally discovered the girl standing by the doorway.
———
Not long after those two started talking, Linie had driven the three of them out so she could take over the bed, using the advantage of being a warrior.
The upset Fern had then brought everyone over to seek justice, but since the two were discussing something, they didn't want to interrupt.
At first they planned to leave, but the content of the conversation made it impossible for the three of them to move away. As the conversation continued, the expressions on their faces quietly changed as well.
Just as that indescribable feeling quietly climbed into their hearts, Frieren's final glance suddenly made them all shiver, instinctively wanting to back away.
But before they could even take half a step, Ash had already turned around to look at them, making them freeze in place as if rooted to the ground.
"I-Is it over already? Um... sorry, Lord Ash. I... I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Fern lowered her head guiltily, bound by manners and etiquette. Her face was pale, and complicated emotions flickered in her eyes.
She had clearly heard their conversation just now. Those heavy topics about life and death, promises, and the future left her mind completely blank, unable to sort anything out.
"I really didn't expect you to have thoughts like that. How should I put it, you're cooler than I imagined. I seriously got charmed there~", Ubel pretended to stay calm while looking at him. It seemed like she repeatedly weighed her words in her mind before finally trying to brush it off in a teasing tone. But in the end, she still couldn't help adding, "But challenging the goddess and stuff, you should forget that. That's the creator. There's no way anyone can win."
"Of course. I was just joking with Frieren earlier. If you got charmed, then you lost," Ash laughed and patted Ubel's head, following along with her words as he tried to brush the topic aside.
Then he avoided Fern's gaze and walked toward the room on his own.
But when Ubel brushed past him, she showed a troubled expression and quietly muttered to herself, "I may be dumb, but I'm not dumb enough to believe that, right?"
Meanwhile, Sense silently followed behind him and lightly tugged on the corner of his clothes.
"Lord Ash."
"What is it?"
"It's better not to do this. It's too dangerous."
"A man's problems should be handled by the man himself."
Ash gave a helpless laugh and reached out to stroke her hair, gently petting it like he usually did with a cat.
But Sense only tilted her head up and silently looked at him with pressed lips, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin.
Because just like Frieren, she understood that although this man sometimes seemed to have a bad sense of humor, he was far more serious than expected, and once he decided something, he would never compromise.
So even trying to stop him was meaningless. She could only wear a bitter expression before helplessly turning her gaze away.
Not long after, Fern finally sorted out her thoughts. She quickly walked over and used the excuse of having serious business to directly drag him away.
———
On the castle watchtower, the mage on duty had been driven away. Fern's expression didn't look very good as her beautiful purple eyes stared straight at him.
"Lord Ash."
"What is it?"
"No matter what decision you make, I will support you, but... I hope you remember this. If you're gone, there's no way I can keep living."
"To be honest, Fern, those words are really heavy..."
"Yes... sorry. I'm that heavy," Even though Ash looked troubled, Fern silently lifted his hand and held it tightly in both of hers. She looked straight into his eyes and softly spoke the thoughts in her heart.
"But... to me, you are that important."
Regarding her feelings for Ash, from childhood until growing up, Fern had actually never hidden them very much.
And that had a lot to do with how they first met.
At the beginning, it had originally been a peaceful day. The sky was blue like gemstones, and clouds floated in the air like marshmallows.
She was happily playing in the courtyard with her friends. Their laughter was bright and cheerful. But then the enemy nation invaded without warning and destroyed the town where her family had lived for generations.
Panic spread rapidly and instantly covered the entire city. She helplessly watched everything around her collapse in an instant, crying while searching for her family, only to be separated from them by the chaos.
By the time she finally reunited with her family, they had already been injured in the disaster. After that, everyone spent their days in fear, and one by one, they left her.
This was absolutely not the childhood she had once imagined. Her life should have been full of laughter and sunshine, not like this.
Yet no matter how earnestly she prayed in her heart for the conflict to end quickly, praying that her family could return to that peaceful and ordinary life, fate seemed to enjoy tormenting people. God never answered her prayers, and her family all lost their lives in that terrible disaster.
And when she faced all those disasters, when despair once filled her heart and she wandered near death again and again, even wanting to kill herself, Ash suddenly barged into her life.
———
Ever since that man entered her world as though arranged by fate itself, and gave her salvation from body to soul during those days wandering the wilderness, Fern carefully and sincerely nurtured that special feeling every single day.
It was like an extremely delicate glass craft, as though gently carved by the hands of fate itself. If she casually spoke it aloud, it felt as though it would instantly shatter into pieces and disappear without a trace.
Revealing those feelings undoubtedly required great courage. But just imagining that she could perfectly convey those long-hidden emotions to this special person caused a happiness she couldn't describe to quietly rise in her heart.
"Ever since I met you, I changed because of you, I started longing for a place to belong again. Meeting you saved me and made me wish to see someone again," To stop him from escaping, Fern tightly held Ash's hand against her chest. Gathering courage unlike anything before, she looked into his eyes and gently spoke the feelings in her heart, "Lord Ash, you are the most important and irreplaceable person to me. I care about you more than anyone else, value you more than anyone else, so, please, don't go looking for death!"
"So you really think I'm trying to get myself killed," Ash blankly looked at Fern. An indescribable emotion rose in his heart, but he lowered his eyes and deeply sighed before shaking his head with a laugh, "Let me make this clear first, I have no intention of seeking death."
"But your opponent is the goddess!", Fern's voice trembled, and her eyes were full of worry.
"That doesn't change anything."
"Fern... I have to say this. You are also someone extremely important to me," Ash placed his hands on her shoulders and softly called her name. His voice was as gentle as it had been on that first night, "So trust me. I won't leave you, and I won't let everything turn into nothing."
Even though he sounded completely certain, Fern knew he was not lying to her.
However, the worry in her eyes did not lessen even a little, because she also understood that those words basically meant he had no intention of changing his mind.
That made her endure the pain in her heart while showing an expression close to tears.
"Why? I don't need immortality at all. I only need you to stay by my side!"
Eternity had never been what she wanted.
It wasn't that she had never dreamed about it at all, but she did not want to take that kind of risk. The risk and reward were completely unequal. At least she didn't think she could afford to lose. She only wanted to spend ordinary and happy days together with Ash, watching the sunrise and sunset together, feeling the warmth of everyday life together... That kind of plain and boring life was enough for her.
"You were just saying earlier..."
"That was family love! So... so no one can stop birth, aging, sickness, and death. Normally everyone accepts the death of family members, right? It's painful, but there's nothing anyone can do about it. Everyone can accept that. So why won't Lord Ash accept it?"
Even though she had gathered all the courage in her life earlier, when she thought about the lifespan difference between them and what he planned to do, no matter how unwilling she felt, Fern still gritted her teeth and forcibly denied it, but...
"Even so, I still don't want you to die in front of me. And I don't like hearing 'there's nothing anyone can do about it,'" Ash's answer still did not change. He only smiled and confidently said, "As for you, stop worrying like an old mother all the time and have a little more faith in me."
"I'm not a mother. I just hope you can stay healthy beside me."
"Aren't I healthy right now—"
"You're lying. You clearly have injuries right now."
Fern stared tightly at him, her eyes full of pain. If she hadn't seen that he didn't want to talk about it, she would have already asked.
"So you noticed? I don't think I changed at all."
"Of course. Because I've always been watching you," Fern quietly gazed at Ash. That look was filled with feelings that nearly overflowed.
"Honestly, hearing you say that is a little scary," Looking at Fern's stubborn appearance, where she had tried to hide it but completely failed, warmth rose in Ash's heart, though he also found it a little funny.
He gently stroked Fern's hair and softly said, "Alright, stop worrying. I'll be careful. I won't let anything happen to me."
———
[NEW FANFIC: "Marvel: My First Template is Minato"
Hope you all will add it to your collection and give it a try. Let me know your thoughts in the review. Try to put it up in the rankings guys~😉 Have a great day~]