Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Aura prided herself on her clarity of mind. She had always observed the world through a pragmatic lens, weighing risks, assessing power balances, and ensuring her survival through careful calculations.

And right now, by all logic, the Continental Magic Association was thriving. Its influence spread like an iron web across the continent, its structure solid, its leadership unshaken. There was no visible flaw, no internal strife significant enough to hint at imminent collapse.

So... it was over.

"Goddamn future sight, what the hell could Schlacht have seen? In this situation, even if the Demon King came, there'd be no way to break the deadlock!"

Aura had already decided to give up. Her eyes were hollow, abandoning the dignity of a great demon. From now on, she decided to only strive to stay alive, even if it meant becoming a human's pet.

To survive, Aura would be willing to comply with any non-lethal requests!

But just as Aura was about to lose hope, the doorbell rang.

A crisp shuffle followed—the faint whisper of paper sliding across the wooden floor.

Slowly, she rose from where she had been seated, her movements sluggish, almost mechanical. She approached the door and bent down, picking up the envelope that had been slipped underneath.

It was sealed with an insignia she didn't immediately recognize.

Breaking the wax seal, she pulled out the folded parchment within. The elegant, flowing script inside was unmistakably human in style, refined and formal.

"Your Excellency Aura,

You are cordially invited to attend the upcoming Senior Mage Conference of the Continental Magic Association."

A second item fell into her palm—a small, silver-white badge.

Aura's fingers curled around it instinctively, and she recognized the weight and craftsmanship immediately. It was nearly identical to the one Zanze had shown her before departing—a badge that signified a high-ranking mage, one with authority.

Her eyes darkened as she read the invitation again.

A long silence stretched through the room.

Then, she let out a soft, disbelieving chuckle.

"Is this for real?"

She lifted the badge between her fingers, tilting it slightly so that the light reflected off its polished surface.

"They want me to attend?"

"Human mages even allow their test subjects to attend conferences now? This association really is doomed."

However, whether the Continental Magic Association was doomed or not had nothing to do with Aura.

She almost wished for the human mage organization to collapse overnight, and Aura would probably be the one pushing it over the edge.

Since the invitation to a meeting, whose purpose she had no idea, was addressed to her, Aura decided to go and see for herself.

"Time is..."

"Two in the afternoon?"

Aura put on her purple hat, opened the door, and peeked out, looking toward Frieren's residence.

She hadn't seen that white-haired elf today, probably off doing her so-called research project.

Perfect, it was the right time for Aura to go out.

Aura tiptoed out, closed the door, and swiftly made her way toward the Continental Magic Association headquarters.

——————

The closer she got to the Continental Magic Association, the more crowded it became, especially since it was lunchtime. By the time she reached the headquarters, it was nearly packed with people.

Aura, being small in stature, was squeezed among the crowd, feeling somewhat satisfied, as if surrounded by food.

Her purple eyes scanned the crowd, guessing the taste of every little snack.

People who brushed past Aura felt a sudden chill, but when they tried to find the source of the chill, all they saw was a small girl in a purple hat, staring at them with wide, clear, and cute eyes, showing no signs of hostility.

Of course, Aura wouldn't show hostility toward food.

Those unaware of the historical figure known as the "The High-Hatted Demon Reaper" or the "First President of the Magic Association" would simply smile at Aura as she stared at them. The more curious ones would even wave, wondering why this purple-haired girl had come to the Association. She looked young—not like someone with an official position, more like a student applying for an identification card or a loan.

Older mages, who might have met the first president more than ten years ago, now only felt she seemed familiar. After all, the mages from their generation had changed so much that even when they saw portraits of their younger selves, they felt strange. Not to mention, this young girl they hadn't seen in over a decade.

Perhaps some recognized her, but they only thought of her as a younger relative of the legendary president, perhaps a niece or something.

After all, the president had supposedly gone to some library to enjoy her later years, and the last time she appeared was five years ago. Only the young mages from the early years of the Kribi Magic Association had met her. Those mages had since completed their training and scattered across the lands.

Regardless of what others thought when they saw her, all Aura saw was food.

Even when she had held a high position in the Magic Association, she had thought this way. But back then, bound by Frieren's command not to harm humans, she had been unable to act on her urges. She had also gone without meat for so long that her cravings weren't as intense.

After gaining freedom from Frieren, Aura had wandered the mountains for years, devouring countless human and beast brains. She had gotten sick of them at one point, but after abstaining for a while, the craving had returned.

Aura wanted nothing more than to pry open these humans' skulls, see what they were thinking, and gulp them down in one bite.

Aura truly wanted to pry open the heads of these humans and see what they were thinking, then gulp it all down.

But she couldn't do that.

Although with her unrestricted magic, the human mages present would be like chickens and ducks to her, Aura was here on a mission. If she ate someone and caused a commotion, her grand plan to steal human secrets for the demon race would be ruined.

As she squeezed through the crowd toward the Magic Association's interior, she reached under her hat and scratched her head—tugging experimentally at the collar Serie had put on her horns.

It wouldn't come off.

The collar seemed to be made of an unknown material, and even the strength of a demon's body couldn't remove it... Using magic could destroy it, but that would alert Serie.

Aura had studied the magical runes in the collar. It was a simple structure, probably not with any complicated functions like synchronizing vision or hearing. It probably only detected magical fluctuations and sent her location to Serie.

"Well, if I secretly eat a person, Serie shouldn't notice."

Aura entered the meeting room, standing at the back, looking at the row of little snacks in front of her, biting her fingers and drooling.

This was a large conference, with hundreds of attendees. It seemed to be some sort of lecture. In addition to the human great mages and first-class mages in Kribi, there were some magic apprentices as well, young as could be, pretending to be calm and composed like the older generation of mages, but their eyes were darting around, looking for their idols in the magic fields they were studying.

To Aura, they were just a row of either old or young, either tender or chewy, little snacks.

Humans actually invited her here? What's the difference between inviting a wolf into a sheep pen?

If she hadn't been formally invited, Aura would have needed to put in some effort to get in. But now that she had the formal invitation, the magical wards at the entrance didn't react to her.

"That little one over there, white and tender, looks like it would taste nice."

Aura stood at the back of the meeting room, scanning for an empty seat while eyeing the magic users suitable for her next move.

"That hooded human mage... keeping his hood up even indoors? Clearly nervous. If I grab him and scare him a little, he'll probably spill the Magic Association's internal layout. If I can get him to reveal where the confidential documents are kept, even better. If not..."

"I'll kill him. Eat him. Clean up the leftovers. Burn the remains."

"Even Serie won't be able to tell."