章 34: Disaster In Elven Village
Aura now understood the feelings of the humans devoured by demons.
It was indeed hopeless.
No wonder the humans being eaten showed much richer expressions than those killed outright...
Aura's demonic instincts usually made her feel happy when she thought of the desperate scenes on the faces of humans. But now, feeling that same despair herself, she couldn't muster any joy.
Aura gritted her teeth, seething with anger.
Sure enough, even if it was an elf she had never seen before, as long as it was related to Frieren, she hated it very much!
Out of Aura's sight, Frieren looked at the tooth mark left on one horn, and then glanced the other smooth and flawless horn.
For some reason, Frieren felt an urge to leave a matching bite mark on that horn as well.
————
Aura had walked around the village once already.
The elven village was larger than she had imagined; she had met about forty elves by now.
There were males and females, old and young, though Aura had difficulty distinguishing them. To discern an elf's age, Aura had to rely on subtle cues in their eyes and the maturity of their speech, a skill she was slowly developing during her visit.
Frieren had already taken Aura to meet the older elves in the village, introducing her with a mix of pride and nonchalance.
As for the rest of the elves, Frieren didn't want to pay attention to them!
Having decided this, Frieren decided to take Aura to end this one-day trip to the land of elves, but things did not go as she wished.
"Look over there, a human who's not an elf!"
As they continued through the village, they encountered a group of five or six little elves blocking the path ahead.
Even elf children shared a common trait with most young creatures: they were energetic and highly active.
When they saw Frieren and Aura wandering around from a distance, they swarmed over.
These little guys are probably only the size of a five or six-year-old human, with slender limbs, long ears, and are very adorable. They are very curious about the new friends that Frieren brought back to the village.
As they got closer, they saw the horns on Aura's head and suddenly stopped.
"A demon..."
Then he turned and ran away.
"Ah! It's a demon, run!"
"Aura is a good demon."
Frieren, though impatient with the lively little elves, couldn't tolerate Aura being slandered and loudly protested.
Hearing the words "good demon," the little elves finally stopped. They looked at each other, feeling that Frieren would not lie to them.
Driven by curiosity, they swarmed back.
"Why do you say she's a good demon?"
"Aura is very kind!"
"So the good demons are just as powerful as the bad demons?"
"Aura knows magic!"
"Eww—"
The little elves made a dismissive sound, clearly unimpressed. Magic wasn't a big deal to them; many elves in the village knew magic, and it was a common part of their daily lives.
After all, they are a long-lived race. Even if their magical talent is not high, they will at least be exposed to some magic in their lengthy lives, making it a mundane skill rather than a marvel.
Seeing that the little brats were not interested in magic, Frieren rolled her eyes and said loudly:
"Aura can build mud forts!"
"Yay!!!"
This time, the little elves responded with enthusiastic cheers, their previous indifference replaced by genuine excitement. They crowded around Aura, their eyes sparkling with anticipation.
She recalled the first time she met Frieren. At that time, Frieren did ask her to play in the mud with her. Under the influence of the obedience spell, she had thrown herself into it wholeheartedly, building elaborate structures out of mud and earth, much to Frieren's delight.
Seeing the little elves' approval, Frieren became proud, smiling and said exaggeratedly:
"Aura can do anything!"
"Really?"
"Every wish I made to Aura has come true!"
"Um... then can Aura take care of that mess?"
One of the little elves pointed in the direction where they had been watching. There was a pool of black stuff there, which looked like the excrement of some large monster. It was unpleasantly pungent, and when the wind blew, the foul smell drifted over, causing the little elves to wrinkle their noses in disgust.
Even in the village, the little elves had their duties and didn't shirk them because of their age. Their job was to help with simple tasks, including cleaning up any messes or garbage that accumulated.
The pool of dirt was causing them trouble, and seeing Frieren, a big elf, they hoped to get some help.
"No problem (￣ω￣)" Frieren squinted her eyes and looked at the large pool of black stuff from a distance. She couldn't see it clearly, but she was very confident.
She patted her chest and assured:
"Aura can eat..."
"No, wait!"
Aura, looking horrified, quickly covered Frieren's mouth from behind. Her heart raced with panic at the thought of what Frieren was about to say. If Frieren really finished that sentence, her life in the true sense would end there.
Frieren broke free from Aura's hand and pouted in dissatisfaction:
"You don't want to help with that? You're really stingy, Aura."
"If you can do it, then go ahead."
Veins on Aura's forehead were exposed, and her fists were as hard as rocks. Frieren was probably the only one in the world who could make a demon so angry and lose their composure.
"Fine, I'll do it."
Frieren raised her staff, and sparkling mana gathered at its tip.
With a boom, a high-temperature beam incinerated the dark filth, scraping off a layer of the ground along with it.
However, the impact of the explosion was obviously faster than the high-temperature burning, and the splashed dirt stained the elves watching nearby. The onlookers yelped in surprise, their once pristine clothes now smeared with dark grime.
Aura put up the shield in advance and also helped Frieren who was nearby to block the attack.
Because of Frieren's previous inability to adapt to the characteristics of demon magic, Aura anticipated the current situation and reacted quickly.
————
"We got kicked out."
Frieren sat on a branch, swinging her legs, looking somewhat dejected.
The process of introducing Aura to the other elves hadn't gone as smoothly as she had hoped, and in the end, they were driven away by the other elves.
Frieren looked at Aura, who was standing uncomfortably, with a look of pity in her eyes:
"They really don't like you, Aura."
"It's obviously they don't like you!"
Aura gritted her teeth and gained a new understanding of the shamelessness of this stupid elf.
In her five hundred years as a demon, the only person who could make her so angry was Frieren!
"Is it me?" The white-haired elf tilted her head, looking utterly confused.
But Frieren wasn't concerned about who had angered the other elves. She turned to Aura and quietly asked:
"Aura, am I mastering the spells you taught me?"
"...Yes."
Damn it! Frieren's application of every demon magic technique was reaching perfection; even among demons, Aura had never seen someone with such a talent for magic!
"Am I strong?"
"Yes."
Aura could tell that Frieren had already reached the level of a first-class mage among humans.
"Seeing how strong I am must make you happy, right, Aura?"
"..."
'I'm not, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!'
Seeing Frieren grow stronger, especially by mastering demon magic, pained Aura deeply.
Every time Aura met Frieren, she was much stronger than before. It wouldn't be long before she approached the level of the Great Mage Frieren from Aura's memory.
When Frieren becomes a Great Mage, capable of deciphering the Spell of Obedience: Auserlese on Aura, that would be Aura's end.
Frieren would realize that all of Aura's actions weren't because she was a "good demon," but because she had no choice but to follow orders.
At that point, the orders Frieren gave would no longer be innocent but carefully crafted binding spells.
'I am afraid that even my ability to think will be taken away.'
Aura's face was full of worry. Just thinking about such a possible future made her feel that living would be worse than dying.
——————
Some of you might be asking where the demons' invasion is. You must think I've forgotten, right? Of course, ye— no, how could I forget, hehe (≧▽≦) Well, I'm too lazy to explain outside of the story, so let's just wait until the story unfolds itself.
Please vote this book if you like the story. Each vote gives me more motivation to continue writing this story. There will be a bonus chapters for each 50 stones reached (^_^)
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