Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 162: · There's no such thing as Free lunch

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In the end, this kind of situation couldn't be explained clearly, and Ash could only muddy the waters as much as possible. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be having much effect.

Lawine, speechless and embarrassed, turned her back and covered her face, as though trying to escape reality. Kanne, still fuming, directed her anger entirely at Ash, narrowing her eyes until they were nearly slits.

"Uncle... are you seriously a pervert with this kind of interest?" Kanne said.

"If you'd heard the whole conversation, you'd understand I was just a passive observer," Ash defended himself.

"You looked pretty happy to me."

"I wasn't particularly happy either…"

"You were forcing Lawine in the dungeon, weren't you?"

"That was her own doing. Do you even know the full story?" Ash started to explain, but as his gaze shifted to Lawine, who was now practically glowing red from embarrassment, he added in exasperation, "You specifically told me not to tell anyone… and yet you told it yourself?"

To be honest, Ash was utterly baffled as to why Lawine had shared such things. Lawine, still covering her face, mumbled weakly:

"Because… Kanne told me about her belly being touched… I couldn't just let it go."

"I don't even think those are on the same level…"

Even Ash couldn't help but cover his face at this point. He hadn't anticipated that teasing one of them would be like stirring up a nest of hornets.

But now, Kanne had clearly had enough.

"Uncle! You're not taking any responsibility for your actions, and now you're blaming Lawine-chan?!"

"But I'm just presenting the facts," Ash replied, though his voice betrayed a hint of regret.

Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch. He sighed inwardly and placed his hand on Kanne's head, patting it gently. "Anyway, how about I take you both back first?"

"...Do you really think we'll let you off that easily?" Kanne retorted, still glaring.

"Fine, how about I treat you both to something before we head back?"

Without waiting for a response, Ash grabbed Kanne with his left hand and Lawine with his right, forcibly escorting them away from the scene.

Although both of them protested at first, they eventually relented, following him reluctantly. After all, if Fern or someone else got involved, things would undoubtedly get more troublesome.

As the night deepened, Ash found himself out with two beautiful, young, daughter-like friends. The situation felt strange—wrong, even—but it also gave him an odd sense of excitement.

"...But when I think about it, isn't what I'm doing kind of inappropriate?" he muttered to himself as the girls enthusiastically ordered food, clearly intent on making him pay a hefty bill. A flicker of conscience made him shake his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lawine demanded, noticing his sigh. "Two beautiful girls are willing to spend time with you, and you're dissatisfied? What are you even sighing about?"

Her irritation flared further as she stomped on his foot under the table to vent her frustration at being misunderstood.

While the stomp didn't hurt much—how heavy could a magician's footfall be?—Ash worried that others might see and assume he had a… peculiar interest.

Still, his mind wandered briefly. But that underwear really is cute… not at all what you'd expect from her appearance. No, no, I can't be thinking such strange things…

"Kanne really is so gentle," he murmured, ignoring Lawine entirely as he rested his chin on one hand and used the other to affectionately stroke Kanne's head.

Kanne let out a cheerful "Hehe~" and smiled meekly, shaking her head in delight.

However, this display only made Lawine even more unhappy. She pursed her lips, glared at him, and resumed stomping on his foot, dirtying his shoes in the process. Her actions were like those of a child vying for attention—or perhaps even a sulking young wife.

"Alright, alright… Lawine is very cute too," Ash finally said, unable to ignore her anymore. He freed up one hand and began patting her head as well.

"...This perfunctory attitude? Who do you think I am?" Lawine muttered.

"What does it mean to be polite? I can't just give you a kiss… or a hug, right? If Fern saw me doing something like that to her friend, she'd probably stab me with a knife."

"I didn't say that! That's obscene!"

"…Yes, I'm vulgar, I'm a pervert…" Ash muttered sarcastically, even as Lawine, her white over-the-knee boots brushing against his leg, let out a small huff.

Her actions were so contradictory—pushing him away while simultaneously rubbing her leg against his back—that Ash couldn't tell if she was trying to tease him or genuinely scold him. Still, he thought wryly, if he pointed that out, she'd just get angry again.

Is this stubbornness or just arrogance? he wondered. Either way, it was troublesome, much like Serie's personality. Although the situation made him feel exasperated, it was also oddly amusing.

He sighed internally but kept his hands busy, patting both girls' heads to stop them from getting upset.

Even though the situation was strange and somewhat exhausting, it was… surprisingly entertaining.

At least, Ash thought with a wry smile, although he was complaining in his heart, his hands were enjoying themselves. It was a bittersweet feeling of both irritation and amusement.

Of course, he mused, if these two weren't his daughter's friends, he might actually enjoy the moment even more.

Unfortunately, his fun didn't last long. A familiar voice interrupted him from behind.

"I've always felt you should act more indifferent," came the voice of Denken, the old man with monocle glasses, as he approached. Walking beside him was Serie's second-oldest disciple, the white-haired and reserved Lernen.

Lernen, his gaze introverted and uncertain, bowed slightly when he saw Ash. "It's been a long time, Master Ash. You seem to be in good spirits lately."

Before Ash could reply, the girls' behavior shifted dramatically. Kanne and Lawine immediately straightened up, brushing away Ash's hands, and stood at attention.

"—Good evening!"

"Principal, long time no see!"

"Hello to you too, Lawine," Lernen replied with a kind smile. "You've made good progress, but there's still room for improvement. Don't let your guard down just because you've become a first-Class magician. And Kanne, work hard. In three years, I'm sure you'll succeed next time."

As the principal of the magic academy, Lernen nodded warmly at the two girls. After the brief greeting, he gestured for them to sit down and relax.

"…Why does Lernen treat them so well, yet shows me so little respect?" Ash grumbled under his breath.

"Because," Kanne whispered, sitting upright, "Lernen is the principal. He teaches us in person sometimes, and all our teachers are his disciples."

Lawine added in a serious, hushed tone, "And besides, you should show respect to your elders based on seniority, right?"

"…But in that case, shouldn't you be more polite to me?" Ash asked incredulously.

"No, you're Fern's uncle," Kanne retorted.

"Exactly. You're just a troublesome elder from a friend's family," Lawine agreed bluntly.

The girls' straightforward responses left Ash shaking his head in mock defeat.

However, Lernen's respectful attitude toward him subtly made the girls realize that Ash's social status was far higher than they'd imagined.

After all, it wasn't just that Ash seemed to have free rein around Serie. Even Lernen, the second-in-command of the Magic Association, treated him as a superior.

"Uncle… you're not secretly my grandfather, are you?" Kanne asked suddenly, leaning across the table and whispering with genuine concern.

Lawine pretended to remain indifferent, but the cautious look in her eyes—whether intentional or not—revealed she was anxiously awaiting his answer.

Ash sighed, hesitating for a moment before replying, "...No."

Though he had considered nodding for just a moment, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he shook his head instead, a hint of frustration creeping into his expression.

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Mission: "The Power Stones Ascent"

Objective: Climb as high as possible in the power ranking system and maintain the spot for a week.

Rewards:

Rank 1-5: 3 chapters a day

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Rank 13-20: 1 chapter a day plus 4 extra chapters

Punishment: If we fail to reach at least the top 20, you'll only get 1 chapter a day.

Current Ranking: 1-5