Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 107: The Education of Ubel,

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After Ubel joined, the journey was still surprisingly peaceful.

It's just that Ubel would ask the three of them about Ash from time to time, trying to see if they could resonate with him to create some powerful magic without ever seeing his magic.

But Fern seemed to have misunderstood her intentions, so she basically didn't want to pay attention to her... and although Sein and Frieren could provide some information, it was only what they knew... which was not actually comprehensive.

However, even if it is comprehensive, it is meaningless, because the essential structure determines that there is no hope, and even the existence of Serie cannot be an exception.

However, the group was somewhat unlucky. After continuing to walk for a while after nightfall, they were still unable to reach the new village. As a result, they could only camp next to a small woods on the plain.

It was on a night like this that Ash was sitting by a newly lit campfire reading a book, and Fern was much closer to him than usual, staring at him with her cheeks puffed up, as if she wanted him to pay more attention to her.

But this silent gaze made Ash not know what to say, and he even instinctively wanted to avoid it.

Frieren obviously didn't want to be involved, so she read silently without saying a word.

Sein simply flipped through the holy books, pretending to be a pious priest. Ubel, on the other hand, smiled with great interest, stared at Ash with one hand on her chin, glanced at Fern, and said with a smile:

"It always feels like... a little animal trying to show its ownership~"

"....What are you talking about?"

"No~ I just think you are all very interesting, and..." Facing the serious look from Fern, Ubel looked at Frieren who was still reading a book on the side with a smile on her face, and said: "Fern gives people a very unfathomable feeling, and Frieren also gives off the feeling of a skilled old magician~"

"...Don't talk about old age." Upon hearing this, Frieren immediately closed the book, hugged her knees with her hands, and showed an unhappy expression.

"Ah? Isn't this a compliment?"

"I hate Word old." While speaking, Frieren turned her head to look at Ash who seemed to be in a trance. "By the way, I get angry when I think of this. Um... Ash is also annoying."

"Uh...why does this involve me at this time?"

"Because you talk the most."

"Is this the top of the hate list?"

The elf girl was very emotional in this regard, and even started to act like she was in a bad mood. Ash was caught in the crossfire for no reason, but he could only sigh and sit next to her, reaching out to touch her silver hair: "Good girl, good girl~ You are actually still young, so forget those things quickly~"

"Don't touch my head....and don't treat me like a child!"

Frieren stretched out her hand and pushed him away. Although she was still staring at him, her displeasure seemed to be stronger than before? Or... not as strong?

To be honest, he didn't quite understand it. He was just frustrated that Frieren was already an elderly person, so why was she still so troublesome?

Can't treat her as a child, can't treat her as an old senior? In the end, she just wants to be in the middle? She looks like a child, but she's an old woman, but she doesn't look like a young adult. Why is she so willful? - These weird companions made Ash couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Ubel, on the other hand, had been observing his every move throughout the process, and when her eyes swept over the remaining two magicians, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise.

It was only after she actually joined the group that she realized this was truly a treasure team. Except for the priest, she had no chance of defeating anyone in the group.

Although she hadn't taken action, her intuition told her that each of these three magicians was far more powerful than any magician she had ever encountered.

This realization led her to conclude that, while observing Ash, she should also take the opportunity to get to know Fern and Frieren better, to see if they could resonate and produce unique magic.

---

Continuing northward, although there was more time for personal conversations, the atmosphere within the group felt slightly off compared to usual.

But overall, there wasn't much difference…

Sein, who had been asking around along the way, finally learned from some roadside villagers about an old woman who called herself the Stubborn Grandma. She had a very close relationship with her best friend, a gorilla warrior, and was likely to know information about their destination.

To obtain this information, the group ended up being ordered around by the Stubborn Grandma. To avoid making things worse, Ash was assigned the task of delivering a letter.

When he returned from delivering the letter to the next village, he noticed the other four had followed the old woman deeper into the canyon.

This made him shake his head and sigh as he caught up. He glanced at Ubel, who had somehow become quite familiar with Fern and the others, and couldn't help but laugh. "...You've turned into free labor."

"Everything makes sense, and I've gained a lot of information," Ubel replied smugly.

"Really? Then keep working hard~"

Seeing Ubel's smug expression, Ash held back his laughter, patted her on the head, and quickly walked ahead of the group.

At the end of the canyon, they unexpectedly came across two moss-covered stone statues. One of them was…

"... Kraft??"

He looked at the statues more closely and recognized the elf depicted in one of them.

The old woman behind him was surprised when she heard his exclamation. "What? You actually know them? It's said they were heroes who saved the world a long time ago."

"That long ago? As expected of an elf, they can still survive."

He had never imagined that the monk Kraft had saved the world. However, when Sein overheard their conversation, he pointed excitedly at the other statue.

"That elf is craft, but what about this one? Who is this person?"

"The other one? That human has long since died, so how could he possibly know her?"

"Well, that's true…"

"But that human looks a lot like you. Could she be your idol? If you meet Kraft again, I'll ask him for you."

"No, it's just… there's actually a pair of stone statues like this in our village, so…"

Sein shook his head and began recounting a story from his past. He and his best friend, accompanied by Heiter, had once admired a similar statue.

To avoid being forgotten like the stone hero, his best friend had named himself the "Gorilla Warrior," and Heiter had nicknamed him the "Bearded priest."

"Speaking of which, what's the name of your best friend?" Ash asked. He had heard Sein mention his best friend many times and had even seen photos taken with magic, but he had never heard the man's name. His curiosity finally got the better of him.

The question left Sein stunned. "...Name?"

He stroked his beard and pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

At this point, even Ubel couldn't help but complain expressionlessly, "Is he really your best friend?"

"No... This isn't my fault. He's always had people call him that and has always referred to himself that way. After so many years, the name Gorilla Warrior is so deeply rooted in my mind that I honestly can't remember his real name."

Sein looked embarrassed as he tried to defend himself.

But honestly, if others hadn't witnessed his persistent search along the way, they might really doubt whether his relationship with this friend was close enough to call them best friends.

Ash didn't continue teasing and instead observed the statue, nodding unconsciously. "This statue is well-preserved."

"It's a stone statue, after all~" Ubel smiled, resting her forearm on his shoulder and staring at his face from the side. "Why, do you also want to be someone like this? A hero who saves the world? Talk to me about it."

"Actually, a long time ago, there was also a stone statue of me in the south."

"Hey~ really?"

"Let's put that aside for now," Ash replied, brushing off her curiosity and turned his attention to Sein and asked,

"Even if we know the nickname, what's the point if the real name has been forgotten? Isn't this putting the cart before the horse from the start? Instead of using a strange name to make others remember you and avoid being forgotten… wouldn't it have been better to carve the name directly on the base of the statue? That way, the name would remain in history, and the glory you created could be preserved as well."

"...You actually thought of that?" Sein's mouth fell open, stunned. He looked at Ash, then at the intact statue, and after a long pause, he cast an incredulous look at him. "Are you… a genius?"

"No... Actually, I'm more confused as to why you and your friend didn't think of it. You wanted people to remember you so badly, yet you didn't even bother to put your names on the statue. And now, you've forgotten your best friend's name."

"I told you when we first met that he's a simple-minded, muscular gorilla, didn't I?"

"What about you?"

"...Speaking of which, this is the last task from the Stubborn Grandma. Once I finish this, she'll tell me where that guy went—let's get to work quickly~!"

Sein very deliberately pretended not to hear, bent down to wet a rag, and silently started cleaning the statue.

The others just shook their heads at the sight, choosing not to comment. Without saying a word, they quietly stepped forward to help clean the statue. For the moment, they didn't even know how to complain about the two of them.

---

Just like before, Ash didn't participate in the delicate chore. Instead, he stood by and watched alongside the Stubborn Grandma.

Seeing this, Ubel sat down next to him, her ever-present smile unchanged. She looked at him curiously and asked, "You're not going to join?"

"If I were to clean that kind of stone statue... if I used too much force while wiping, it might break."

"Oh, that's really scary." Ubel placed her index finger on her lips, nodding as if something had come to mind. "Come to think of it, you're a magician, but you have such great strength? It seems you've undergone warrior training as well?"

"You have it, too."

"It's just some basics, and it's within the scope of a magician~" Ubel elegantly superimposed her left leg on her right leg and asked with a smile, "But, by the way, your companions are probably going to leave soon, what do you think?"

"Why should I answer your question?" Ash responded calmly.

"So~what if I let you see my panties again?"

"I've seen it twice, what else is there to watch?"

"Today's style is different from the previous ones~" Ubel's cheeks blushed slightly, and she lifted the hem of her skirt slightly.

This reluctant look seemed quite tempting, but in fact—she had already made preparations in secret and would call for help immediately if he really dared to make a move.

However, Ash had no intention of taking direct action as he had done before.

On the contrary, he showed a little surprise, stared at Ubel, and said, "Ubel, you..."

"What~?" Ubel asked calmly.

"Are you a nympho?"

[Note: Nympho- A woman with very strong sexual desires]

"——Huh? ...No!" Ash's inexplicably serious gaze almost made Ubel's mouth twist with anger. Although it was a test by herself, she couldn't help but grit her teeth and tell the real purpose: "This is just a test! If you really want to see it, I will call for help!"

"But if I really lift it up, won't I see it again? Are you really okay? Don't care?"

"Hmm... you really didn't expect that." He observed the girl's expression gradually stiffening and her head turning away for a while, then grabbed her ponytail and manipulated her to look at him again.

"You, you obviously have a very good talent for magic, so don't always let your impulses control your actions... Although I understand that you are an overly emotional and irrational guy, after all, even the use of magic is almost the same."

"You already understand everything, why are you still talking about this now?"

"I just want to tell you that being too eager for revenge or being blinded by anger and hatred will not have a good result. Even if you want to deal with me, please calm down. After all, when will revenge end? Why not be more generous and forget the past conflicts?"

"....Although you look like a role model and what you said seems to make sense, why are you grabbing my hair and saying this?"

Ubel forced out a somewhat scary smile.

"Isn't this convenient? It's like... yeah, it's just like a handle."

"Hey…?" Ubel tried to keep a smile that was about to break, and in the next moment, she punched him in the face: "——Go to hell!"

However.....

Before her fist landed, Ash had already grabbed her wrist, then he held her ponytail with one hand and controlled her wrist with the other, pinning her down on his legs.

"——Ah! Let...let me go!!" She tried to struggle, but to no avail.

"No~ You've walked into this trap yourself, so you can't blame me."

Ash pressed Ubel on his lap, patting her upper exposed, smooth, fair back with one hand, and resting his elbow on her soft hips with his other hand. He rested his chin on his hand and looked at the busy crowd in the distance, yawning lazily.

"....It's such a nice day today, the sun is shining, the blanket is warm, and the cushion is soft...why don't we find a place to take a nap later?"

"...."

Ubel was treated as a free self-heating blanket that also served as a support pad to relieve elbow pressure. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't get free. She wanted to seek help but was hesitant... After all, she looked too miserable now.

Next to the two of them, the stubborn Grandma opened her mouth wide and looked at them with a shocked expression...it was really shocking to them from the very beginning to the very end.

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Happy New year!!