Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 6: The Broken Routine

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Ash's nonchalant response made it clear he wasn't concerned about Aura, leaving the old village chief bewildered. The chief stood there, unsure of what to say.

But Ash paid little attention to the chief's confusion. He stood up and walked toward the village, not even glancing back. "Don't worry too much. That girl will come out if she's really hungry."

"Is that so?" the chief asked, still uncertain.

"Yeah, that's it," Ash replied with a shrug, offering no further explanation as he headed toward the room the villagers had built for him and Aura the previous year.

Along the way, villagers greeted him warmly with smiles. Inside the house, food had already been placed on the dining table. The middle-aged woman responsible for cooking was just about to leave, but when she saw Ash, she smiled and nodded.

"The weather's getting colder lately. Master Ash, Master Aura—you should enjoy it while it's hot."

"Thanks," Ash responded with a slight nod. He sat at the table and began eating his meal in silence. He didn't bother calling Aura. After all, she would get irritated if disturbed.

The meal was simple—rough bread, homemade cheese, freshly roasted meat, and fresh vegetables. It wasn't anything special, but it was a significant improvement from the savage life they'd lived in the past.

Ash ate quietly, his face expressionless, but his eyes reflected a sense of contentment. He seemed satisfied with the current situation.

However, as he enjoyed his peaceful meal, dusk quietly spread through the room, casting a sense of unease, like the calm before a storm. Outside, a gentle breeze began to blow, rustling the leaves, as if nature itself was whispering something ominous.

Ash was well aware that problems would inevitably arise from the coexistence of humans and demons, but when those problems would manifest—no one could say. For now, he pushed those thoughts aside, choosing to immerse himself in the quiet, enjoying this brief moment of peace.

But the problem he had been dreading arrived one late autumn afternoon. It wasn't quite what he had expected, though.

...

That afternoon, the sunlight was soft and warm, carrying a slight chill in the air. The sky was a deep, brilliant blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily by. In the distance, farmers were busy with the harvest, while nearby, cows and sheep grazed leisurely. Occasionally, the chirping of birds and insects filled the air.

Everything was so peaceful that Ash couldn't resist lying down on a stack of wheat, basking in the sunlight, drifting into a nap.

However, just as he was dozing off, he felt a sharp kick on his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Aura standing over him. Now eighteen, she hadn't changed much from her younger years. She frowned down at him, her expression serious.

"Don't sleep. Something's wrong," she said.

Ash groaned, still half-asleep. "What do you mean?"

"The demon wolf that was working with the hunter... it's been killed."

"...Yeah?" Ash replied, still processing the information.

He sat up from the ground, unsure whether the cause of the disturbance was human, monster, or the work of demons. The wind, carrying the scent of wheat and flowers, also seemed to bear the faint smell of blood.

His ears quickly picked up the distant sound of horse hooves and panicked shouts, prompting him to stand and face the direction of the commotion.

Not far away, a group of cavalrymen, their weapons stained with blood, galloped in from a field. Judging by their flag, they were soldiers of the Kingdom of Telton, enemies of the Kingdom of Tad, where they now stood.

The cavalry, fully armed, had been patrolling the borders in a guerrilla manner, defending against wild beasts from the surrounding forests. Now, however, they had launched a surprise attack.

On the spear of the lead cavalryman was the familiar body of Julius, a young hunter and war orphan who, like many, had fled here to escape the ravages of war. He had only recently begun his journey as a hunter.

"You've always wanted to escape the war… yet even now, you cannot escape it. How pitiful."

Ash narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a calm sigh. He took the sword that the village chief handed him, the man's hands trembling as he did so.

Unlike Ash, the village chief was visibly anxious and panicked. "M-Master Ash… please, protect us!" he pleaded desperately.

"…I can only do my best," Ash replied quietly.

In the brutal wars of the Middle Ages, there was essentially no bottom line. Of course, war in general rarely had one, but in this era, the lack of restraint was even more glaring. Victorious armies frequently indulged in rape, looting, and massacres.

Massacring border villages created terror, disrupted the enemy's economy, and weakened their will to fight, making it a common tactic. Soldiers often found a disturbing kind of satisfaction in such acts.

None of this was particularly surprising, but the presence of demons and other foreign creatures in the village made the situation more dramatic and unexpected.

"Why are there demons in this village? And why so many monsters…?" muttered the officer leading the cavalry sweep, visibly displeased as he noticed the demons and wild beasts on the edge of the village, along with Aura standing right next to Ash.

The magician beside him glanced at the magical presence of the man standing in the village. Sensing the faint magical energy, he smirked smugly.

"Don't worry, Lord Maynard. That demon and the magician next to him seem inexperienced. The monsters are nothing special—just average creatures for this area. We'll overwhelm them easily with numbers."

"...Are the demons keeping humans captive, or are humans keeping the demons captive?" the cavalry commander, known as Maynard, murmured absently. He didn't dwell on the matter for long. Swinging his sword down in a decisive gesture, he shouted, "Kill them all!"

"Devour them," Aura commanded coldly.

Having experienced many battles in the forest, Aura showed no fear. Her voice was steady as she ordered her puppets into action.

The cavalry's iron hooves trampled the fields, kicking up a cloud of dust as they charged. In response to Aura's command, the beasts near the village surged forward in a massive wave, rushing to meet the cavalry head-on.