Conflict in the Earl's Domain

Lügner turned his face slightly. The wave of mana grazed the flesh beside his ear, severing a lock of golden hair.

His eyes turned cold. The beast in his heart roared, eager to kill everyone around him.

But he remembered Aura's instructions before he had set out: to raze this city to the ground, kill every human within it, and flaunt the demon race's glorious martial prowess.

Lügner forced down his anger and looked at the nobleman beside him, putting on a genteel manner.

"Granat Earl, did you send her?"

Granat Earl's most cherished son had died on the battlefield fighting demons.

He wanted to wipe out the demons more than anyone, but they were in a busy part of the city, with too many civilians around for a battle.

Granat Earl restrained himself and looked at Lügner expressionlessly.

"I do hate you. I want nothing more than to kill you, but I'm not stupid enough to openly send someone to attack an envoy who came for peace talks."

"An envoy who came for peace talks?" Fern sounded as though she had heard the most absurd thing imaginable.

Humans were actually going to negotiate with man-eating demons. Such a thing had never happened in history!

"Enough nonsense! We came to destroy monsters in accordance with humanity's will, yet you attacked a hero who slays demons. Shouldn't you get on your knees and apologize?!"

Dugu Qing was furious.

Frieren, who fought demons to defend humanity, had been walking peacefully down the street when soldiers from her own side had ambushed her, yet Fern and Stark had been indifferent.

Everyone even thought Frieren was in the wrong, as though they were about to punish her and throw her into prison at any moment.

He had to use absolute force to awaken the oblivious Fern and Stark, crush the enemies on every side, and awaken slumbering justice.

"Damn it! How dare you insult the Earl like that!"

The soldiers looked at Dugu Qing, anger surging.

Granat Earl was their commander and a noble of high standing, while Dugu Qing was a mere commoner. Demanding an apology from a noble was, in the eyes of the soldiers who revered rank, an unforgivable offense; even dying a hundred times would not be enough to atone for it.

The two sides stood ready to fight. Dugu Qing's grin grew ever more unrestrained as the Overlord's Power surged through him, poised to erupt.

"Enough." Granat Earl had originally intended to throw Frieren into prison.

But Dugu Qing was too beautiful, with long ears and a thunderous temper. One look was enough to tell he wasn't the sort to meekly let others bully him.

A real fight would only damage the Earl's domain and cause heavy casualties. It was better to settle the matter peacefully and see the guests out quickly.

"We are holding peace talks for the sake of this city's residents. Please do not interfere in our politics. Likewise, I will not pursue your offenses any further."

"My lord Earl!"

Seeing that Granat Earl intended to let the four leave, the soldiers gripped their spears tightly in alarm.

"Peace talks! Do you know that monsters use nothing but deception..."

Granat Earl's attitude was decent, so Dugu Qing magnanimously overlooked his offense and wanted to warn him.

Monsters were no different from animals. They were merely emotionless beasts who knew only deception and slaughter, treating humans as food...

These peace talks had to be a deception aimed at Granat Earl...

"Dugu Qing."

Watching Dugu Qing explain the demons' brutality to everyone, just as she herself had done years ago, Frieren remembered how Himmel had stopped her when she tried to kill a demon girl years before, hoping to resolve the hatred between the two races.

No matter how hard Frieren tried to persuade him, Himmel wouldn't believe her and insisted on taking the girl in.

In the end, when the demon girl slaughtered the family that had adopted her, Himmel finally saw the true nature of monsters.

Some things could only be learned through experience, not explained.

A thousand words and endless arguments could never outweigh hard facts.

"Dugu Qing, let's go."

Frieren reached out a slender hand and took Dugu Qing away.

Hearing this, Fern felt a faint, barely perceptible rift open between her and Frieren.

She didn't know what she had done wrong. Her eyes reddened slightly, and her chest felt tight with an inexplicable heaviness. She could only hurry after them.

"Finally, it's over. I'm starving."

Stark breathed a sigh of relief, scratched the back of his head, and followed at the rear of the group as they headed for the inn.

"An elf, white hair, a loli! I remember now. She's..."

Watching Frieren walk away, Lügner seemed to see himself fleeing in panic after she had beaten him years ago.

Afterward, Frieren had become more and more famous, becoming the person who had slain the most demons in history and defeating the Supreme Demon King who ruled them.

The demons called her "Frieren the Slayer," and her renown was at its peak.

He remembered now. He remembered everything.

The humiliating memories of the past and the pain he had deliberately forgotten all came flooding back.

Lügner clenched his fists as a powerful fighting spirit welled up within him.

Everyone knew that a mage's combat strength depended on the amount of mana they possessed.

And now, in Lügner's eyes, the mana Frieren gave off was nothing special, far inferior to Lady Aura's.

She must have relied on Himmel and gotten incredibly lucky to achieve so much and become the person who had killed the most demons!

This time, he would show humans all over the world that Frieren, who had saved humanity, was nothing special!

Ha!

Imagining Frieren defeated by Lady Aura, Lügner felt immense satisfaction, his gaze bloodthirsty.

The Northern Inn, dining room.

Stark picked up the menu and ordered a tableful of dishes, venting the frustrations he had suffered while working lately on the food as he wolfed it down.

Dugu Qing had calmed down. He looked at Frieren curiously.

"Frieren, why did you stop me just now?"

Frieren gazed calmly into the empty space ahead, her eyes devoid of emotion.

"To be honest, they wouldn't listen. We just need to use magic to blow the monsters to pieces once their true colors are exposed."

Dugu Qing thought about it. True enough, there was no point in saying more.

Swords were better than anything else.

For now, he would let those damned monsters jump around and work their schemes!

When they thought they had succeeded, he would bring them to an end.

"Frieren, when you fought that monster just now, should I have protected you?"

Fern wore a conflicted expression. After hesitating again and again, she finally asked the question that had been troubling her.

"Either way is fine. I'd be happy if you protected me. But you're a beginner, so it's perfectly normal that you couldn't adapt to a sudden situation. Don't take it to heart. Dugu Qing and I were both beginners once too."

Hearing Frieren comfort her like that, Fern's guilt gradually subsided.

All right!

This time, she had let Dugu Qing "play the hero and save the beauty." The next time Frieren was in danger, she would make sure to keep Frieren safe behind her.

Like a mother.

"It's normal for a beginner to freeze in fear. I've heard there are even people who get so scared they run away when something happens!"

Dugu Qing understood Fern too.

Stark, who was busy eating, choked when he heard that and felt that Dugu Qing was taking a jab at him.

Damn it! I really want to argue back!

The next time he saw a demon, he would use all his strength to blast the demon to pieces!