Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 157: Demon king that gained devotees

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Ash felt that Serie was always far too harsh on others. Even to Flamme, who she had raised her since she was a child, she was cold and sarcastic, rarely saying anything kind.

However, Serie was Frieren's elder—the one who had raised Flamme—and Frieren felt she had no right to speak out. Without arguing, she simply turned to leave.

But it was precisely that passive attitude that seemed to irritate Serie even more.

"You were fooled, and you didn't even bother to argue? It's unbelievable that someone like you could defeat the Demon King."

"...That wasn't just my strength." Frieren finally stopped and looked back. "Himmel, Heiter, Eisen, and I… without them, I couldn't have defeated the Demon King."

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd survive at all. When I first heard about it, I was sure you'd be killed," Ash interrupted, trying to lighten the mood. "After all, the Demon King is far stronger than the Corrupted Sage—completely out of our league."

"Honestly, I didn't think I'd survive either," Frieren admitted with a small smile. "At first, I thought I was doomed. But in the end, we won. How did we win?... Only the goddess knows. It was a miracle, but a miracle made possible only because of our teamwork."

"So you were lucky enough to find good friends, lucky enough to get the goddess's favor, and lucky enough to witness a divine miracle? Your luck is truly remarkable," Serie sneered, her tone sharp and biting.

"Yes, I am lucky..." Frieren began, but Serie cut her off mid-sentence with a cold, meaningful smile.

"—Next time, you won't be so lucky."

"...What's that supposed to mean?" Frieren's expression turned serious.

"The future Demon King has gained authority unlike any before him. He's not just ruling through fear—he's united both humans and demons alike under his banner. If you want to stop him again, you won't just be facing the Demon King. You'll be facing an entire army of the loyal and the devoted."

Serie glanced at Ash with a smirk, her words dripping with sarcasm as she mocked Frieren's so-called luck.

Frieren wasn't rattled by the ridicule, but the content of Serie's words couldn't be ignored.

"Serie, do you know anything about this calm we're experiencing now?"

"So what if I do?" Serie replied nonchalantly.

"Tell me."

"Why should I?"

"...This concerns the future of the world."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"...You hate peace, don't you?"

Seeing that pressing Serie further would be futile, Frieren sighed and stopped pursuing her. She paused, thinking for a moment, before asking, "If even you know this, then surely the senior officials in this country are aware as well, right?"

"...Who knows?" Serie responded, her tone infuriatingly ambiguous.

"So, the sudden military mobilization near the magic city—it's to prepare for the new Demon King's rise, isn't it?"

"Maybe."

"..."

No matter how Frieren phrased her questions, Serie's responses remained vague, always accompanied by her infuriatingly smug smile.

Finally, Frieren turned to Ash and said, "Ash, I swear, this woman's personality is worse than yours."

"—I won't let you say that about Serie!" Ash retorted immediately. "She works hard every single day. How could you insult her like that?"

"...??? Did you eat something strange today?" Frieren asked, baffled.

Ash's unusually protective attitude made her wonder if he'd been placed under some sort of spell by Serie or had ingested something odd.

"You're so rude," Ash said indignantly. "Do I need a reason to defend my master? Isn't it only natural?"

"...Haa..." Frieren sighed, utterly confused.

With a righteous expression plastered on his face, Ash suddenly stepped forward, firmly pressing his hands on Frieren's shoulders. He turned her around and began pushing her toward the exit, clearly intending to forcibly kick her out of the room.

At the last moment, Frieren, who looked numb, suddenly noticed something. Her gaze shifted to the flowerbed beside her. She abruptly stopped, turned sideways, and asked, "Wait a minute, these flowers… they're made with magic, aren't they? It's the magic the teacher loved, the one for creating a flower field. Didn't you say that was boring magic?"

Serie, who had been watching Ash attempt to push Frieren out with great interest, froze at those words.

For a moment, she was silent. Then, still looking at the flowers beside her, she replied bluntly, "To be honest, Flamme was a failure. She had such incredible talent but never reached my level. After her, I took in many disciples… but aside from Ash, all of them died far below my level of strength."

"You must regret what you just said, right?" Frieren asked. "You've taken in so many disciples, but deep down, isn't it more accurate to say you've always felt this way?"

"You're wrong," Serie replied. "Although I've said those words, I've never regretted accepting so many disciples. I don't know why. I only took them in on a whim, but I remember each of their personalities and their favorite magic clearly… even if they didn't leave their names in history."

Serie's stared at the flowers in front of her, and for the first time, she expressed her true feelings to someone who wasn't her disciple.

Ash, still in the process of pushing Frieren out, stopped and turned around, surprised. "Serie… you've always thought of me like that? Does that mean you even remember the magic I like?"

"Huh? Don't be so full of yourself. Of course, I don't remember, and I'm not interested. You're the exception—the one I regret. Now, get out of here with Frieren," she snapped.

Serie's expression of melancholy instantly shifted to impatience, and she spoke to him mercilessly, her words rapid-fire.

"It's really hard to be a good disciple these days with such a troublesome master," Ash said casually, completely unbothered by Serie's sharp words.

He simply walked back to his rocking chair, sat down, and resumed reading his book with a complacent expression, ignoring Serie's scolding entirely.

After all, facing Serie—a woman with such a strange personality—Ash felt that caring too much about her words would feel like losing.

But his carefree attitude only made Serie feel more irritated as she watched him from the side.

Even though she didn't need to consider his mood, her own mood seemed to sour further just from the sight of him.,

Frieren took it all in, smiled faintly, shook her head, and quietly walked away.

Shortly afterward, Richter, the merchant who had sold Ash his earth magic, entered the room. The moment he stepped in, he froze, overwhelmed by the oppressive magic power still lingering around Serie despite her efforts to suppress it.

Of course, Richter couldn't see the fluctuations of the suppressed magic power clearly.

But then his eyes fell on the source of the immense magic: a weak-looking blond elf.

And next to her was…

"…Why are you already here?!"

Richter recognized the legendary great magician instantly. While wondering whether he should say something, his gaze shifted to the boy lying casually in the rocking chair. Ash, looking far more comfortable than Serie herself, caught his attention.

Serie glanced at Richter and nodded dismissively. "Passed."

"…Passed? That's it? I haven't even said anything yet!" Richter stammered, feeling he should be happy but too confused by the sudden development.

Ash, still absorbed in his book, explained without looking up, "Serie's intuition is always accurate. Just trust her."

"Ha… ha…" Richter gave a half-hearted laugh, still baffled. He nodded at the two of them and then turned to leave the room.