Bab 118: Chapter 107.5: The Accumulated Feelings of Flyllen·The Moment of Parting
Chapter 107.5: The Accumulated Feelings of Fern ·The Moment of Parting
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At first, The Grandma just found it a little hard to believe that young people nowadays could be so outrageous and play so wildly. In the end, seeing Ubel being used as a tool, she unconsciously moved to the side, fearing she might get involved with them.
Or worse, she might be dragged into a strange dispute by this peculiar pair of individuals.
....
As the sun gradually set and the stone statue was nearly dealt with, Fern finally couldn't hold back anymore. She walked up to the two of them, staring coldly at Ash:
"…Master Ash, what are you doing? Are you bullying her? Can you explain this to me?"
"She wanted to hit me, so I subdued her. I was just afraid of being beaten and retaliated against, so I kept suppressing her like this... That's probably the situation," Ash replied nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry... I don't understand what you're saying. Can you explain it in detail?"
Ash smiled slightly and patted Ubel on the back of her head. "By the way, during this process... you were dealing with the statue, and I was dealing with her filthy heart. Teaching her the truth about revenge is also a way to enlighten her, so that she can let go of old conflicts and embrace a new life."
Although Fern looked visibly angry, Ash acted like a wise priest, providing what he believed was a clear explanation—at least in his mind.
This humiliation only strengthened Ubel's determination to take revenge someday, but she still managed to force a dark smile onto her face:
"…When you taught me this, I wanted to know from the beginning: would you forgive those who brought such humiliation upon you?"
"You still don't understand, Ubel."
"What?"
"You've heard of teachers who teach people how to do business, right? Although they teach others how to do business, why don't you think they run businesses themselves? Of course, some may have been in business, but among their students, there will always be those who surpass them. Do you understand what I mean?"
"…I don't know."
"What I mean is, I actually have high hopes for you."
Ash smiled kindly and stroked the hair of the girl on his lap.
Judging by his demeanor, he truly looked like a kind and virtuous elder, someone who sincerely hoped for the younger generation to surpass him.
But...it was hard to ignore Ubel's murderous expression.
Fern's expression on the side was equally icy, which made Sein and Frieren decide to stay out of it. They didn't want to be dragged into the mess and end up with more trouble than it was worth.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, the stubborn Grandma finally couldn't hold herself back. She clapped her hands and interrupted their strange conversation:
"We've already said this is the last commission... If you're still interested in where the gorilla warrior is, I'll tell you."
"——Of course I'm very interested! Come on, tell me, you stubborn old woman!"
Ash, still at the center of the storm, stood up without hesitation. With an urgent look on his face, he pulled the stubborn old woman aside.
The girl who had been sitting on his lap was unceremoniously thrown off when he stood up, rolling over and landing on the ground with a loud "Wow~!"
The treatment was so harsh that Ubel could no longer contain herself. She stared at his back with lifeless eyes, resembling a vengeful spirit.
This made Ash briefly wonder if he should be a little gentler with her. But…if he thought about it from the beginning, had he really done anything wrong?
He felt a bit uncertain and couldn't shake the feeling that he was in the right. After all, as a self-proclaimed feminist, wasn't he already doing the right thing?
Just like that, after a brief brainstorming session, Ash simply gave up on the matter concerning Ubel and happily turned his attention to the information about the gorilla warrior.
Although… in truth, he had no particular interest in the gorilla for the time being.
...
...
After gathering the necessary information, the group did not leave the village immediately.
They bid farewell to the stubborn Grandma and arrived at the village entrance, only to pause there and delay their departure.
Among them, Sein, who had learned the whereabouts of his best friend, did not show the joy he had felt when he first received the clue. Instead, he seemed somewhat melancholy.
There was a reason for this. Although the gorilla had initially headed north, following roughly the same route as theirs, the stubborn old woman explained that he had departed from this village, taking a fork in the road, and traveled to a trading city in the central part of the northern countries.
Their destination was the magic city in the southern part of the northern continent, while the trading city was located in the central region of the north.
In other words, to catch up with the gorilla, they would need to head east from here, which meant...
"…What should I do?" Sein muttered, sitting at the fork in the road at the village entrance and staring at the paths that branched off in two directions.
This wine-drinking, meat-loving priest now displayed a rare moment of sadness.
Ubel, however, seemed puzzled. "Why are you so worried? It's just a choice between two options. You can easily make a decision, can't you?"
"Just shut up... I've never met anyone worse at reading the mood than you."
Ash slapped Ubel lightly on the head, pushing the peculiar girl behind him.
To be honest, whenever he looked at her, he often wondered whether she was the demon or if he was the demon.
Though no one knew why he had just shooed Ubel away, everyone's eyes were fixed on him, as if he had said something out of place.
In the end, however, they remained silent. Only Fern broke the awkward atmosphere with a sigh and a shake of her head.
"...The sun is about to set. We should stay in the village for the night. It won't hurt to decide tomorrow."
"Hmm? The sun isn't setting that much yet. If we hurry, we might make it to the next—" Ash began, but Fern interrupted with a heavier tone:
"——Master Ash, come with me. I have something I want to discuss with you."
"Why? Normally, you're the one who's most concerned about time. After all, when it comes to situations like this, you should make a decision quickly to avoid confusion. If you hesitate now, you'll only suffer later. Instead of agonizing over it, it's better to decide immediately, which is good for everyone. Otherwise, you'll—"
"Master Ash! Now is not the time for your reasoning... While what you're saying does make sense, right now—please just shut up and come with me, okay?"
Fern forced a smile, but the lack of warmth in her eyes made Ash inexplicably want to flee the scene.
Unfortunately, before he could act on that impulse, Fern firmly grabbed him and dragged him away.
The others at the scene remained silent.
Frieren simply patted Sein on the shoulder before following Fern and Ash, with Ubel trailing behind.
Sein, left alone, continued sitting on the stone, staring at the fork in the road. Blowing smoke rings, he remained silent for a long time.
...
As night fell, the air grew noticeably colder.
Sein went to the village chief to borrow a vacant house, while Ash accompanied Fern to buy ingredients for dinner.
When Ash returned with the ingredients, Fern, who had been in charge of selecting them, sighed and began to lecture him:
"Master Ash... can you be more tactful when speaking and consider other people's feelings?"
"I was thinking about it, so that's why I came to that conclusion, right?"
"…So you dislike Lord Sein?"
"Why would I? Isn't he quite interesting?"
Ash's response was straightforward, and Fern could see that he bore no ill intentions. What he had said before did seem to make sense, after all.
But it was precisely because of this that it gave her a headache.
She wanted to say more, but Ash smiled and used one hand to pat her head gently.
"But Fern has grown up, and now she knows how to care about other people's feelings. How amazing~"
"…Please don't treat me like a child; it makes me feel sleepy... Wait, wait a minute!"
Before she could finish, Ash suddenly grabbed her hand, causing her to shrink back instinctively.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Of course, I want to see if your hands are cold. What else could I do?" Ash didn't let go, instead feeling the warmth in his palm and nodding. "They're really cold… Your skirt doesn't have pockets, so how about putting your hands in my pockets?"
"…Isn't that a strange posture?"
"It does seem a bit strange. Why not one hand holding mine while the other is in my pocket?"
"Well... thank you."
Standing on his left side, Fern hesitated for a moment before softly saying, "Thank you." She then stretched out her left hand, allowing him to hold it, and quietly slipped it into his pocket without making a sound.
Although the posture was still a bit odd, the warmth transmitted from his palm made Fern unconsciously smile. Her heart also felt inexplicably warm, and she found herself quietly watching his profile from the side.
It was just a gust of cold wind, but she couldn't help but look at him carrying a large bag of food, his hands exposed to the chill. She said worriedly:
"Master Ash... why don't you let me carry some of it for a while?"
"No need~ I'm not at the point where you need to worry about me yet."
"But... if I let you do all the work and things, I'll..."
"These are things adults should do. You don't need to worry about them."
"…I'm not a child anymore."
"It seems so... But this is the responsibility of a man, right?" He thought for a moment and gave a different answer with a smile.
This answer made Fern smile again, but she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you always emphasize to Ubel that you're a feminist?"
"Why do you and Ubel always say the same thing?"
"What's different?"
"Everything is different. After all, Fern is special."
The response came without hesitation, and it was also what Ash truly thought.
However, this casual answer made Fern's expression and gaze freeze slightly.
Although the air was still cold, her heart inexplicably surged with a warmth far greater than before, causing her cheeks to heat uncontrollably, and even her heartbeat to accelerate involuntarily.
She didn't understand why she suddenly couldn't continue to look directly at that familiar face. Instead, she instinctively averted her gaze, only pursing her lips from time to time and secretly glancing at the person next to her, who still looked completely normal.
As if reflecting this subtle emotion, the dim sky began to gently drop snowflakes at this moment.
The lightly falling snowflakes added a touch of romance and fantasy to this moment.
The girl tried to calm herself down, but the throbbing in her heart was like a flame touched by snowflakes. Instead of being extinguished, it burned even more vigorously.
She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated, afraid to upset the delicate balance between them. Instead, she hid her emotions deep within, letting them quietly accumulate like snowflakes in her heart.
Ash, on the other hand, was oblivious to her inner turmoil. Watching a snowflake land on his nose, he smiled at the girl beside him.
"If the snow gets heavy tonight, let's take a break tomorrow and build a snowman or something before we leave," he suggested casually.
He clearly hadn't noticed the subtle changes in Fern.
However, Fern wasn't angry. She took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions and allowing his words to take root in her heart like a seed. With a bright smile, she nodded vigorously.
"Yes! Let's build a big snowman together!"
---
Back at the Cabin
When they returned to the cabin, Frieren had already spread out the bedding for everyone and was gazing out the window at the falling snow. When Ash appeared beside her, she smiled and remarked, "You're surprisingly gentlemanly at times."
"…Why are you saying that all of a sudden?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Is it cold?" she asked, her tone light.
"What do you think?" Ash stretched out his hand, which had been exposed to the cold for a while. Frieren casually took it in hers, her eyes widening slightly in surprise as she sighed.
"Oh~ This might be a record-breaker. It really gets colder the farther north we go."
"…What exactly is your relationship?" Ubel, squatting by the stove, asked bluntly, glancing between the two of them.
"Friends," Frieren answered without hesitation.
Ubel frowned in confusion. "…Is this what normal friends do?"
"Well… maybe we're very good friends? Or maybe we're friends who are only good friends occasionally?" Frieren added, sounding unsure herself.
Ash lightly tapped Frieren's forehead with his fingertips, giving up on trying to make sense of the situation.
Even Sein, who had just walked in, seemed puzzled. However, his strength lay in not caring about things he didn't understand. With a cheerful mood, he joined them by the window, looking out at the snow.
"I just cleaned up, and now it's snowing again," he sighed.
"I hope it doesn't turn into a snowstorm. That would be troublesome," Ash said, pulling his hand away from Frieren's.
"It's not a big deal," Frieren replied with a smile. "We're not crossing steep mountains this time, so even a little snow won't hurt."
---
The Next Morning
In the early hours of the next day, everyone woke up to a sudden snowstorm.
The sky was a blinding white, the wind biting and relentless. Traveling was out of the question, let alone building a snowman.
As expected, they were trapped in the village. Fortunately, this time they were in a place with plenty of supplies, so there was no need to worry about food or shelter.
With ample time left before the first-Class magician assessment, no one felt rushed. Even Sein, who usually carried a sense of urgency, seemed relieved.
---
As the days slowly passed, everyone busied themselves with various tasks. Ash seemed especially preoccupied, occasionally disappearing for a few days at a time.
Before they knew it, the cold wave began to subside. On the last night of their stay, marking the end of spring, they prepared to set out again.
At the village tavern, Sein sat at a table, discussing the future with Ash.
There was no one else in the team he could share such conversations with. The two of them often ended up drinking together, talking about their older sister or other shared topics.
But this time, they weren't talking about that.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone