บท 114: Chapter 105.5
Chapter 105.5: Trying to Show His Claws to the World?
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"A large number of people died due to negligence in battle, yet you didn't leave a single flaw... You truly are a veteran warrior." As Ash picked up the sword with his toes and handed it back, Master Fulu took it with a weathered smile, resting it beside him. "Welcome... Frieren, Ash. Stay as long as you like."
"I want to stay for ten years," Frieren replied without hesitation, then added with a mischievous grin, "Please ask the village chief to recommend a job for me."
Before she could say another word, Ash grabbed her by the back of her collar, dragging her unceremoniously into the village. Without even glancing back, he stated firmly, "Don't cause trouble. Fern will get angry."
"Ash, you're such a disappointment," Frieren quipped, pretending to pout. "I can't believe you've compromised with a child."
"Then go convince her yourself," Ash retorted flatly.
"...Never mind," she said after a brief pause. Crossing her arms over her chest with mock dignity, she added, "It's the responsibility of adults to indulge a child's willfulness occasionally."
Ash didn't bother to look back as he kept walking, replying casually, "You're shameless. Weren't you saying something completely different just now? And now you're changing your tune?"
"Why don't you say it?"
"Stop messing around," Ash sighed. "All you're doing is creating trouble and giving people something to gossip about."
"That's because you lack confidence," Frieren shot back.
"If you're so confident, go ahead," Ash challenged.
"That's exactly why I let you handle it—because I'm not," she admitted with a smirk.
The two continued bickering as they walked, their banter as familiar as an old routine. Fern, already used to their antics, chose not to intervene. Instead, she politely bowed to the old man at the entrance before hurrying to catch up with them.
Through the village chief's introduction—and with Master Fulu's influence—the group quickly found short-term jobs in the village. They were even offered free lodging in a guesthouse usually reserved for traveling merchants.
---
Having traveled frequently, each member of the group carried their own bags and bedding, though most of the time these items were stored in a portable alternate space they had created. Like their magical tools, they only retrieved them when needed.
After setting up bedding for herself, Ash, and Frieren in their new quarters, Fern began assisting with simple tasks around the village. One of her assignments involved using magic to pull radishes from the ground—a job as straightforward as its name implied.
While working, Fern couldn't help but strike up a conversation with one of the villagers, asking questions about the area.
"This village used to belong to another country before it was peacefully incorporated into the Kingdom of Ester. What was it like back then?" she asked, curious.
The villager, busy carrying bamboo baskets, looked at her quizzically. "I wouldn't know much about that," he admitted. "This land was already part of the Kingdom of Ester before I was born. But the older generation often says life is much better now than it was before."
"Better how?" Fern pressed.
"Taxes are lower now," the villager explained after a moment of thought. "In the past, people starved to death because they couldn't pay their taxes. That doesn't happen anymore."
"Why? A small drop in taxes wouldn't make such a big difference, would it?"
The villager smiled faintly and gestured toward a golden wheat field in the distance. "It's not just about the taxes. The kingdom sends special magicians to sow unique wheat and potatoes, and they cast strange magic from time to time. All we have to do is harvest the crops."
Pointing to the expansive field, he continued, "Look at that magnificent wheat field. The yield is far greater than anything we had in the past. While most of it goes to the kingdom, they're generous with famine relief when times are tough."
"...I heard that the population of this country has increased six or seven times over the past century. Is that because people no longer starve to death?" Fern asked.
"I don't know if that's the main reason, but it's part of it," the villager replied thoughtfully. "It could also be because people from other countries often flee here. Even in our village, there are people who escaped from the southern countries in the past."
"There are even people from the southern countries here?" Fern was surprised that people from her homeland had fled so far north, all the way to this kingdom. Her gaze drifted unconsciously toward the direction of the capital, and a deep sense of respect swelled in her heart.
"The king of this country must be someone as gentle and powerful as Master Ash," he murmured.
"Although I do think this kingdom is impressive... is Ash really your standard for a powerful person?" Sein asked with a chuckle, amused by the unusual comparison.
Fern ignored him entirely, leaving Sein to shake his head and turn his attention to the nearby villagers. With curiosity, he asked, "Is Master Voll a member of this village? Why does he stay there at the entrance all the time?"
"Master Voll has a house in the village, but he mostly keeps to himself. He's very old now, barely able to speak clearly," the villager explained. "Still, he has protected this village for a long time—from demons, monsters, rebel soldiers, and bandits. No one really knows why he does it."
"Aren't you curious?"
"He's never told anyone. And ever since the village became part of the Kingdom of Ester, such threats hardly ever happen anymore. But Master Voll still stays there, sitting alone at the village entrance... like a guardian Angel. He's been there for as long as I can remember, even since I was a child."
"A guardian angel..." Sein murmured, gazing at the old dwarf's solitary figure in the distance. A pang of melancholy struck him, and he sighed softly. "It feels a bit lonely, doesn't it?"
Even Fern, who rarely agreed with him, nodded silently as she stared at the old man's back.
---
That night, while the rest of the group was asleep, Ash sat at the entrance of the village, practicing magic as usual. Opposite him sat Master Voll, their silent company broken only by the occasional rustle of the night breeze.
For a long time, neither spoke, as if the quiet was enough. But then, after an indeterminate amount of time, Master Voll slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the young man across from him—a boy who felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
"Ash," the old dwarf began, his voice gravelly yet gentle. "Why do you push yourself so hard?"
Without even lifting his eyes, Ash replied casually, "Why do you stay in this village, where almost no one knows your past?"
"I've said it before," Master Voll answered, his tone carrying a hint of nostalgia. "I'm just protecting my wife's beloved village. But you… You're already strong enough. Why do you still train and do such strange things?"
"Strange, huh?" Ash mused, not denying the claim.
"It doesn't feel like it's been that long since we last met, has it?" Voll asked, his weathered eyes narrowing slightly.
"It's only been a dozen years," Ash replied. A small smirk tugged at his lips as he added, "And you killed my monster."
Master Voll chuckled softly. "At that time, I thought I'd end up fighting you... No," he corrected himself, shaking his head. "I thought you'd kill me."
Ash sighed, his expression softening. "You're too much. I'd never kill a friend just because of a monster."
"But what you were doing back then... it was dangerous," the dwarf said gravely.
"I suppose it was," Ash admitted with a faint shrug.
"Are you sure you won't harm the village?"
"Nothing in this world is certain," Ash replied calmly, his tone as devoid of emotion as the old man sitting before him. "If this village stands in the way of my goal, I can only eliminate it."
"If you destroy this village, I will find a way to bring you death," Master Voll responded without hesitation.
"Can you really do that?"
"No matter how hard I try, these old bones are no match for a young man like you." Master Voll didn't feign bravado, but his resolve remained unshaken. "Still, I have a promise to fulfill—one I made a long time ago. I won't live many more years, but until my last breath, I'll keep that promise."
"Keeping a promise..." Ash repeated, his words carrying an air of emptiness. He paused briefly before continuing, "I remember your wife was human. She's been dead for over three centuries. After all, you've been guarding this village for nearly 400 years. Have you ever thought of giving up?"
Master Voll looked at him with the same unwavering calm. "What about you? Why do you engage in such dangerous pursuits?"
"There are many reasons," Ash replied vaguely.
"Then just give me one," Master Voll pressed, his sharpness catching Ash off guard.
Ash hesitated but eventually answered, "I had a hard time as a kid. So I thought—if I'm going to live like this, I might as well bare my claws and leave my mark on this world. Something like that."
"Did it work?"
"...Partly," Ash admitted tersely.
The conversation lapsed into silence, and Ash closed his eyes, retreating into his magic cultivation. But after a long pause, something stirred within him.
"Speaking of promises," Ash began suddenly, "after all these years, do you still remember what your wife looked like?"
Master Voll was silent for a long time before answering, his voice tinged with both honesty and melancholy. "To be truthful, I can no longer remember her face, her voice, or even her eyes. But despite that, I still remember that there was something important I wanted to protect. That's why, even if I have to fight an old friend, I have no regrets."
"Is that so?" Ash said softly. He couldn't help but think it strange—to cling to a promise even after forgetting the person behind it.
As if reading his thoughts, Master Voll shifted the subject. "Ash, you're with Frieren again this time. What are you doing? Dragging her into something strange? Or are you finally planning to defeat the Demon King?"
"...Defeat the Demon King?" Ash repeated, startled.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ash quickly brushed off the question, though a moment of hesitation lingered. The Demon King had been defeated long ago. It was impossible for Master Voll, even in this isolated village, to be unaware of that fact.
Had he truly forgotten? The matter of the Demon King—and perhaps even the memory of his wife?
"...Ash."
"What now?"
"You don't seem like a good person, but neither are you a bad one. Still, I'm glad I could meet you again at the end of my life."
"You said the same thing to Frieren eighty years ago, didn't you?" Ash retorted.
"Then I'll tell Frieren the same thing again when you leave," Master Voll replied without a hint of irony.
"...You really are something else," Ash muttered under his breath. He glanced at the old man, who had closed his eyes again, standing as still as a statue. Ash couldn't fully grasp what was going through his mind.
After a moment of inner deliberation, Ash chose not to press further. He paused his training, letting out a sigh as he looked up at the starry sky above.
The night sky, unchanged for thousands of years, stretched endlessly before him. As he gazed at it, a question weighed heavily on his mind.
More than three hundred years from now, would he still be able to remember Fern?
To be honest, even he wasn't confident.
But now, Ash no longer regretted his decision to take in Fern.
Even after all these years, he had unknowingly forgotten what his original friend looked like.
And this feeling now wasn't because Fern was the descendant of that friend.
---
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Frieren and Master Voll seemed to be enjoying their conversations about the past. When They finally departed, he mentioned dreaming of his wife for the first time in years, as if their discussions had brought some part of her back into his memory.
...Though no one could say whether he managed to recall everything about his wife through that fleeting dream.
Even so, the dream left Frieren in high spirits as they departed from the village.
However, once they were far from the village, she suddenly turned to Ash, her expression dimming with frustration.
"Ash... Master Voll, I think he really doesn't have much time left."
"Is that so?"
"He's forgotten everything about his wife," she said softly.
"The average lifespan of a dwarf is about 300 years. He's already lived past that by a wide margin," Ash replied matter-of-factly. "It's hard to imagine him holding on much longer."
"...Won't you be sad, Ash?"
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the eternal constants of life. There's no point in being sad over something inevitable," Ash said calmly. Then, as if shifting the conversation, he added, "But what about you? Do you still remember what Flamme looks like?"
"...Honestly, it's a little blurry." Frieren, who had been leafing through her book as they walked, unconsciously twisted a page, her expression tinged with sadness. "Maybe one day, I'll forget what you and Fern look like too."
"Then just make new friends when the time comes," Ash replied with a light smile, patting her head. "Let go of the past properly, so you can move forward."
"...That's easy for you to say," Frieren muttered, her frustration bubbling over. She swatted his hand away, glaring at him before quickening her pace to walk ahead.
Ash blinked, genuinely surprised, and turned to Fern. "What's her problem? Isn't that a perfectly reasonable statement?"
"...This is Master Ash's fault," Fern said with a sigh. "You should apologize properly later."
"My fault?" Ash asked incredulously, pointing to himself. He instinctively turned to Sein. "You're a priest, aren't you? You comfort people all the time. Surely you understand—that's the most practical advice I could give."
"Sometimes, Ash, I don't know what's wrong with you," Sein replied, scratching his head with a wry smile. "You're supposed to be smart, but you somehow manage to say the worst possible thing at the wrong time."
"I understand it might not be pleasant, but wouldn't it be better to confront the issue instead of avoiding it? This way, we focus on finding a solution."
"...But is there really a solution to something like that?" Sein didn't argue further. He just shook his head and smiled bitterly, leaving the topic to drop naturally.
---
Frieren remained sullen as they traveled, while Sein occasionally stopped to ask villagers about the whereabouts of his best friend, the self-proclaimed "gorilla warrior," who had reportedly passed away ten years ago.
His real name was unknown, and the peculiar nickname made it easier for some villagers to recall details about him. As they continued north, however, they stumbled upon a grim scene: scattered weapons and broken, lifeless bodies littering the main road.
"Is this... bandits?" Frieren crouched to examine the bodies, her sharp gaze quickly assessing the situation. "Judging by the damage, it looks like the work of a magician. And quite an advanced one at that."
"I thought this country was supposed to be safe. Why are there still bandits?" Sein muttered as he began collecting the bodies, the sight stirring unpleasant memories of his homeland.
Ash glanced at him, shaking his head. "What are you talking about? No matter how safe a country claims to be, no era is free of crime. It's impossible to completely eliminate criminals. Banditry is a business, after all. It's not surprising that people resort to it."
As he spoke, Ash caught sight of Fern nearby, and his instincts kicked in. He reached out to cover the boy's eyes before he could see the corpses sprawled across the road.
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