Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 124: Unfortunate Ubel

____

"Uh… let me ask you—what exactly is your definition of common sense?"

"It's just common sense. What else could it possibly be?" Frieren replied, looking at Ash with a mix of disbelief and mild disgust at his slowness.

As they talked, she walked alongside him back to the camp, her demeanor calm and unbothered.

It was clear that spending so much time together had dulled their sense of formality. Frieren, like Ash, seemed unaffected by the pressure of the ongoing exam, treating him more as a familiar teammate than anything else.

Ash, however, refrained from commenting on her uncanny ability to manipulate human behavior. Even if he understood it, it wasn't something he wanted to dwell on—it was just too awkward.

If he truly were the "uncle" Frieren claimed, then perhaps her assessment of the situation would have been accurate. But outwardly, he appeared to be a teenager, and humans tend to believe what they see rather than the reality beneath.

It was the same kind of human tendency that made him indulge in… less noble habits.

Although he was no longer human, he had been one once. Some instincts were hard to shake.

When Kanne returned to her resting spot, her thoughts were consumed by the peculiar dynamics between Ash and her best friend, Fern. These swirling emotions left her restless, unable to sleep.

Her mind kept replaying the earlier events. Ash looked barely two years older than her, and yet… the relationship between them felt anything but normal. She shouldn't have made that kind of suggestion. She shouldn't have let things go that far.

But she had.

"I did it! I even proposed it myself! What was I thinking?!" Kanne muttered to herself, clutching her head in frustration. "How am I ever going to face Fern again if this continues?!"

Lost in her chaotic thoughts, Kanne impulsively headbutted her best friend, Lawine, who had been sleeping peacefully beside her.

"Kanne! What are you doing?!" Lawine yelped, jolted awake by the unexpected attack. She sat up, glaring at her with a mix of shock and anger.

When Ash and Frieren returned to the camp, they found the two girls wrestling on the ground.

Frieren, as usual, didn't say a word. She merely glanced at the scene with a faintly amused but weary expression before lying down with her back turned, promptly falling asleep.

Ash, on the other hand, shook his head with a quiet chuckle. Ignoring the chaos, he flipped through a book under the moonlight, his expression calm. The two girls had been fighting like this since childhood, yet their bond only seemed to grow stronger with each skirmish.

And so, the slightly noisy night passed in a mixture of bickering and quiet moments.

---

Early the next morning.

Ash retrieved his toiletries from his personal space, helped the girls pack up, and prepared breakfast—grilled fish freshly caught from the river. As they ate, the group began discussing their strategy to capture the Meteoritic bird.

But Lawine, who had been unusually quiet all morning, finally reached her limit. Pointing at Ash, she burst out:

"—I've been feeling strange since I woke up! Why is he here? And why is everyone acting like it's perfectly normal for someone from another team to just blend in with us?! Why isn't anyone reacting to this?!"

"Well, well… Lawine, calm down," Kanne said, raising her hands in a placating gesture. "Uncle isn't a bad person. Just listen to him, okay? It won't be a problem… probably? Right, Uncle?" She turned to Ash with a hesitant look, seeking confirmation.

"...Why are you asking me?" Ash muttered, glancing at her with an awkward expression.

Frieren sighed, exasperation evident in her tone. "This guy doesn't need to do something like that. Trust me."

"Really?" Lawine said, her suspicion wavering for a moment. "Fine, let's set that aside for now." Her eyes narrowed as she turned to Kanne. "But Kanne… what happened between you and this 'uncle' yesterday? Why has your attitude toward him changed so much?"

"What happened? Nothing!" Kanne sprang to her feet, her face flushed as she waved her hands nervously. "Really… really! Nothing happened!"

"...Did something actually happen?" Lawine asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She turned her gaze to Ash and demanded, "Tell me, what did you do?"

"...Speaking of which, I need to go find the Meteoritic Bird soon," Ash said, standing up abruptly. "You two chat first. I'll head out."

Without waiting for a response, he quickly left the scene, avoiding the piercing gaze of the girls.

After all, even if he had accepted Kanne's invitation, how could he explain that he… had touched her belly? And Kanne certainly wasn't going to bring it up either.

Even as Lawine's sharp gaze shifted back to her, Kanne could only lower her head, pretending to be lost in thought to avoid the discomfort.

---

After putting some distance between himself and the camp, Ash wandered through the woods absentmindedly, flipping through a book as he muttered in frustration.

"Should I try to catch one myself or just take one? But without a birdcage, it'll be troublesome…"

"Ah…!"

Before he could finish his musings, a startled cry caught his attention.

Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure—Ubel, the girl with the side ponytail—standing at the entrance of a cave. In her hands was a birdcage, and inside it was the Meteoritic Bird.

Ash blinked, muttering under his breath, "...It's like the meat delivering itself to my mouth."

Ubel, clearly resigned to her bad luck, gave an awkward laugh. "Ha… haha… Can we just pretend you didn't see me?"

"I think that's a bit difficult," Ash replied, his tone casual but firm. "Unless you can give me a good reason not to take it from you."

"...Don't you already have a Meteoritic Bird? Was it stolen? Can't you just get it back?"

"No," Ash said with a sigh. "You won't believe this, but I forgot to close the cage when I was… playing with it, and it flew away."

"Ah?" Ubel looked at him, utterly confused. "...Playing?"

She couldn't fathom why anyone would find amusement in such a creature, let alone take it out to "play."

"Wrong choice of words," Ash corrected himself, sounding mildly annoyed. "I meant I was trading it." He gestured toward the birdcage in her hands. "Anyway, I'm empty-handed now. So, are you going to hand it over willingly, or do I have to take it by force? I'd rather not have to snatch it from you."

"Won't Fern get mad?"

"It's just a regular exam."

"...We're companions, aren't we?"

"You were the one who wanted to attack me first," Ash pointed out with a smirk, taking a step closer. "Now you're calling me your companion? Isn't it a little late for that?"

Ubel backed away, frantically trying to think of a way out. "Wait, wait! How about this? What are your conditions? Name them!"

"Conditions?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Even if you suddenly ask me that, I can't think of anything I need from you."

Ubel's face twisted in frustration. "—Are you kidding me? Look at me! I'm a beautiful girl! You can ask for anything, anything, and you don't have a single idea? Think harder!"

"...Your personality is awful," Ash said, shaking his head in disbelief. Her sudden outburst, likely fueled by wounded pride, caught him off guard.

Still, he added with a teasing smile, "I mean, I do like teasing cute kids, but the type I prefer is a bit different. I like someone mature, with a good figure… you know, the normal kind." He shrugged casually. "Yeah, that's about it."

"My figure isn't good? Are you saying Frieren's figure is better?"

"How is that possible!" Ash denied without hesitation. "She's too old, too small, and her personality isn't great either."

"I've always thought you two… were really good friends," Ubel said, though her smile faltered slightly.

"It's fine," Ash replied with a shrug, "but I'll still accept your proposal."

"You mean…?"

"Anything is fine, right? I have something I want you to do later."

With that, he walked away, leaving behind a meaningful smile.

"Ah… this isn't going to be a strange request, is it?" Ubel muttered nervously to herself.

Before she could think further, hurried footsteps echoed from deeper in the cave, followed by Fern's voice. "What's going on? I thought I heard Master Ash's voice just now."

"Hmm… what should I do~"

Ubel poked her cheek with her fingertip, feeling momentarily annoyed. However, she chose to stay silent and returned to the cave with a smile. For now, she decided not to mention Ash's presence. It would be better to wait and hear his request before seeking reinforcements.

After all, knowing his conditions might make it easier to respond.

---

The exam lasted only two days and was set to end at sunset. By noon, the teams had grown impatient. Whether confident or not, they began attempting to capture the Meteoritic Bird by force.

This led to meteorites streaking across the sky at irregular intervals.

The bird's loud and erratic flight patterns inadvertently helped Ash locate it. After carefully lurking in the shadows, he managed to catch an unfortunate Meteoritic Bird.

However, the bird's piercing cries didn't go unnoticed.

Just as Ash turned to leave, still trying to figure out how to quiet the struggling bird in his hands, he looked up and spotted Denken emerging from the bushes. Two companions followed closely behind him.

The trio's expressions were far from friendly, their hostility even more apparent than the night before. Denken's gaze locked onto the bird in Ash's hand, and after a moment, he spoke slowly:

"…Can you give us the bird as compensation for last night? Of course, I can also offer you a fair amount of money."

"Money?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Do you think people taking this kind of exam care about money? Sure, some might, but no one's going to throw away their chances in the exam for it"

The allure of becoming a first-class magician was far greater than any monetary reward. The privileges alone were enough to make people give up family heirlooms or top-tier magic they had developed themselves. Money simply couldn't compare.

"…I thought so," Denken admitted, his tone resigned. "Although I'd prefer not to resort to this, it seems I have no other choice."

Time ticked by as Denken raised his wand, pointing it at Ash with clear intent. His companions readied themselves as well, their stances tense.

"I know you're powerful," Denken continued, "but I'm not weak either."

"Indeed," Ash replied, his tone calm. "Even without the privileges you're chasing, your strength is on par with an ordinary first-Class magician. And you have two interesting friends with you…"

Denken smirked, confidence flickering in his eyes. "Even if it were the magician Frieren facing the Demon King, I'd still have confidence in a one-on-one fight! And you're holding the Meteoritic Bird with one hand. That must have drained a lot of your physical and mental energy, hasn't it?"

Denken said this but was in no hurry to attack. Instead, he retreated and maintained his distance. It was evident that he intended to rely on the Meteoritic Bird, which, despite being the size of a sparrow, had strength and endurance comparable to a dragon, to exhaust more of Ash's physical strength.

His two companions also quietly spread out to both sides, even though they knew Ash's physical abilities were exceptionally strong.

However, as magicians, they believed that even when facing a top-tier fighter, maintaining distance would provide an opportunity for victory. What they didn't know was the full extent of Ash's magical capabilities.

Perhaps he was using magic to enhance his physical strength, which might explain why he was taking this exam.

"I think kicking someone when they're down is hardly the mark of a good person," Ash remarked, shaking his head as he began to walk toward them at a measured pace. "You even use your numbers to bully the weak. Truly despicable. You were clearly trading partners built on mutual trust and benefit before, but now you've turned hostile. The world truly is unpredictable."

Ash didn't appear to notice their intentions, nor did he seem inclined to seize the initiative. Instead, he shook his head with mock regret and continued, "To be honest, Denken, I thought you were smarter than this. I didn't expect you to make such an unwise decision in the end."

"...I admit I've been a bit too impatient," Denken replied, his tone both firm and resigned. "Your strength far surpasses what I initially expected. But I have my reasons for not backing down."

In this dangerous battlefield, every team was like a frightened bird, constantly on edge and desperate. After finally locking onto a target carrying the all-important Meteoritic Bird, how could Denken simply let go of such a fleeting opportunity?

In a test where the mortality rate exceeded 50% in previous years—and where total annihilation was not unheard of—every participant was prepared to risk their life for success.

For Denken, this was likely his only chance. With time running out, he had no choice but to challenge Ash, even if...

Even as he treated Ash as his enemy, Denken maintained a distance of over fifty meters. Yet, despite this gap, he felt an overwhelming pressure—a suffocating presence he could not ignore.

It was as though a sharp blade had pierced his chest, pressing against his heart and making it difficult to breathe.

There was only one way to describe Ash: a true strong man.

The last time Denken had experienced such oppressive pressure was in the presence of his teacher, the strongest of the Seven Sages—Golden land Macht.

"Enough talk," Denken said, shaking off his hesitation. "Please… hold on to the Meteoritic Bird!"

Fearing his fighting spirit might waver, Denken acted decisively. Dozens of golden crosses materialized around him.

"——Light of Judgment!"

As the words left his mouth, dazzling beams of light erupted forth.

At the same time, Laufen, who had circled behind Ash, pressed her hand to the ground, seizing the moment while Denken distracted him.

A tidal surge of countless rocks erupted within a radius of several meters, rushing toward Ash with immense force, nearly in tandem with the golden light.

Meanwhile, Laufen's wand transformed into a luminous whip that stretched toward the sky and silently descended toward Ash's head.

In that moment, the encirclement was complete. It was not merely a pincer attack from the front and back but a comprehensive, multi-directional assault. Physical and magical threats converged, with even the sky becoming a vector of attack.

The three attackers allowed themselves a moment of relief. After all, it was nearly impossible to conceive of a way for Ash to survive such a meticulously coordinated offensive. Surely, there was no way for him to escape unscathed.