Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 115: Relatives and friends "fall out"?

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"Yeah, that's Sense," Ash replied without hesitation.

Frieren turned to face him, her expression suddenly serious. "Tell me the truth! Do you have some high status in the Continental Magic Association? Can you just hand out first-class magician certificates like they're candy?"

Ash hesitated for a moment before responding, "...If I'm being honest, Serie is the founder of the Magic Association. Do you think I have a high status?"

"Liar! Serie?" Frieren's brows furrowed as she thought of Serie—the same Serie who had once shredded her master's suicide note and mocked her ideals thousands of years ago.

"You're joking, right? That Serie? The one who was so vehemently against teaching humans? And now she's out there mentoring them?" Frieren's disbelief was palpable, her frown deepening as she tried to reconcile the thought.

"...If you think I'm lying, you can go and find her yourself," Ash said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"…Forget it. I believe you," Frieren replied, sighing.

Unable to think of a reason for Ash to lie, she weighed the pros and cons and decided against verifying his claim. After all, her relationship with Serie was less than amicable—they hadn't seen each other in over a thousand years for good reason.

But as she mulled it over, a thought struck her. "Since it's Serie, wouldn't it make sense for her to help me?."

"——Wouldn't it be easier for you to become a first-Class magician if she agreed to support you?" Frieren ventured.

"So, How would you know unless you try?" Frieren Added.

"Why don't you go and ask her for me?" Ash countered

"...Honestly, the moment you said Serie was the founder, I lost all interest in participating," Frieren admitted, her reluctance plain. "She's definitely not going to let me pass."

"What was it you just told me? 'How can you know unless you try?'" Ash teased with a smirk.

"Well… just pretend I didn't say anything," Frieren muttered, quickly dropping the subject.

Their positions, while not entirely the same, were close enough that Frieren resigned herself to the situation, unwilling to argue further.

---

The two continued to sit side by side, gazing at the sky and chatting idly.

It wasn't until much later that Kanne, now dressed in Fern's clothes, reappeared. She made a face at Ash before storming off, allowing the two to finally head back inside.

Though Fern was still angry and refused to speak to him, she quietly helped tidy up Ash's bedding and supplies, ensuring he could rest comfortably. Lying on the bed, Ash couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic—it reminded him of the days when he used to practice magic tirelessly.

---

The next day, Fern remained silent, her anger lingering. However, Kanne returned, this time bringing along another friend of hers.

Predictably, the newcomer shared Kanne's prejudice against Ash and had no intention of speaking to him.

Fern's anger persisted for several days, and she continued to avoid talking to him. Slowly, though, she began to resume their usual interactions, albeit with an awkward air between them. During this time, Ash remained busy, often leaving the magical city for various tasks.

---

Time passed quickly, and soon the first round of the first-class magician selection exam arrived.

The venue was abuzz with anticipation. At the top of the stairs behind the podium stood a middle-aged examiner. Ash recognized him vaguely but couldn't recall his name—he had only seen him twice in the ten years since becoming a first-level magician.

The examiner scanned the scattered crowd below before announcing the rules:

"This exam is a group battle. There are 58 participants in total. Each group will consist of three people. If someone is left without a group, that's just bad luck… After all, luck is a part of strength. If you're left alone, you can't blame anyone else."

As he finished speaking, the examiner's gaze briefly flickered toward Ash before quickly looking away. It was a subtle glance, but Ash caught it. The groups were assigned via magic bracelets, and the examiner moved swiftly, as if trying to avoid suspicion.

Ash glanced down at his silver bracelet. The number engraved on it read:

"Twenty...? Is this some kind of covert operation? A deliberate targeting? Or just my bad luck?"

For a moment, Ash doubted his life choices.

Frieren, noticing his predicament, peeked at the bracelet and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

Ash turned to her, touched. "Frieren, are you willing to trade places with me—"

"Nope~" Frieren cut him off with a sweet smile. "I just wanted to remind you that the exam is supposed to be fair and just. So, even though we're friends, I won't show any mercy. This time, it's all about individual strength~"

Frieren interrupted his thoughts with an excited smile. "To be honest, I wasn't interested at first, but now… I'm actually looking forward to it."

"...You really are my best friend," Ash muttered, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Ahh, no need to say it out loud," Frieren replied with a teasing grin.

There was a certain satisfaction in her demeanor, as if the accumulated resentment between them had finally found an outlet. The prospect of seeing others deal with Ash seemed to excite her.

This made Ash turn toward Fern, his last hope for some semblance of support.

After confirming their respective numbers, Fern spoke in a businesslike manner, "I'm looking forward to a fair competition with Master Ash."

"...What exactly are you looking forward to?" Ash asked, his voice tinged with wariness.

"To showing you my growth," Fern declared confidently.

"I've already seen it…"

It was rare to see Fern so spirited, and though Ash wanted to sigh at the situation, he couldn't bring himself to say anything discouraging.

Still, the realization that his companions had seemingly become rivals—each targeting him in their own way—left him grappling with the fickleness of human nature. It was a sobering thought, though not enough to truly dishearten him.

At first, he considered finding an excuse to bow out gracefully. But seeing how invested they all were, he felt it wouldn't be right to simply give up.

Hoping for a glimmer of humanity, Ash turned to Ubel, who was watching him with a faint smile.

"Ubel, we may have had some misunderstandings at first, but I treated you well later… didn't I?" Ash asked, clinging to his last shred of optimism.

"Don't you understand~?" Ubel's half-closed eyes gleamed with a malicious glint as she smiled knowingly.

It was clear Ubel intended to use this opportunity to settle old scores.

At that moment, Ash fully grasped the reality of his situation. Perhaps it was karmic retribution for his usual antics, but his companions were not only intent on handling the matter impartially—some seemed to be outright targeting him.

"As expected… Well, I'll just keep you company for a while," Ash muttered, resigning himself to his fate. "After all, I don't like losing either."

Even though the others had partners and he didn't, Ash didn't see it as a major issue. Like Frieren, he found himself growing intrigued by the challenge.

After all, his goal wasn't something as small as this exam—it was the world itself. If he couldn't handle this, he might as well give up and go home early to hug the thigh of the rich loli, who was undoubtedly watching from the sidelines.