In Frieren as a 1000 years old Demon

Click—

Hearing the "signal of homecoming" sound.

Furame slightly curled her fingers and gently closed the magic guidebook spread across her knees.

The magic power flowing between the yellowed pages quietly vanished with the sound of the spine closing.

Tucking a stray strand of light red hair behind her ear, Furame looked up toward the doorway.

"You're back—"

The warm trailing note of her voice hung in midair as Furame deliberately stopped speaking.

Because standing at the doorway was only the solitary figure of Agusheed.

There was no trace of Frieren to be seen.

"Where's Frieren?"

Furame set down the magic guidebook and slowly walked to Agusheed's side.

After looking left and right without finding Frieren, she asked puzzledly.

"She's still in the castle on the Celestial Vein Dragon's back. She locked herself in your room—at the very least, she seemed unwilling to come down with me."

Answering Furame's question,

Agusheed's fingers pausing involuntarily as he loosened his collar.

"Hmm...did you scold her again?"

The fabric brushed past Furame's palm as she naturally took the coat Agusheed removed and hung it on the wooden coat rack.

"Just appropriate verbal guidance."

Agusheed rolled up his shirt sleeves, the veins on his pale wrists shifting with the motion.

"And after a whole year, she hasn't even touched the basics of flight magic. She deserves some proper pressure."

"This is..."

He paused mid-sentence, his steps toward the kitchen hesitating slightly at the threshold.

"Necessary guidance."

Furame sighed in distress, lightly holding onto Agusheed's arm.

She said helplessly to him:

"You shouldn't hold her to my standards. That's too harsh for her right now."

Stopping at the kitchen doorway, Agusheed told Furame:

"You've been spoiling her too much all along, Furame."

"If she continues like this, sooner or later she'll die at the hands of the Great Demons due to inadequate skills."

Furame released Agusheed's arm and picked up the apron resting on the wooden cabinet.

"But she's just a child right now. She'll understand gradually in the future."

Agusheed raised both arms, letting Furame wrap the apron around his waist and adjust its position.

"That's exactly why we must do this. At her age, I had already become a Great Demon."

"And Frieren...though she's lived for centuries, her mentality remains completely immature and far too naive."

"She utterly lacks the 'mindset' a powerful mage should possess."

"Rather than pinning hopes on her future self, it's better to make her realize this sooner."

"If she never comprehends this, then even if she lives another thousand years, she'll just remain an ordinary mage with a millennium's worth of magic power."

After tying Agusheed's apron and smoothing out the wrinkles,

Furame slightly raised her eyebrows at his words.

She placed both hands on either side of Agusheed's face, smiling as she looked at his ever-calm expression.

"Were those words just now expressing concern for Frieren's future?"

"No. It's only because of you."

"Because of me?"

"If she died inexplicably, you'd grieve over it, wouldn't you?"

Love me, love my dog?

Hearing Agusheed's words, Furame didn't know whether to feel happy or disappointed.

But when Agusheed turned to enter the kitchen, Furame unconsciously spoke up.

"But you shouldn't have chosen today. Have you forgotten? Today is that child's..."

Here, Furame's voice suddenly stopped as if remembering something.

"What is it?"

Hearing Furame's voice cut off mid-sentence, Agusheed turned back to look at her.

"No, nothing—"

Furame shook her head as she spoke.

Several months ago, she had actually told Agusheed—

That today was Frieren's birthday.

But now it seemed he had completely forgotten...

Hoping he'd prepare a birthday gift for Frieren was probably too much to ask.

But this was normal, after all.

Agusheed had always been forgetful about things unimportant to him.

Fortunately, she'd had the foresight to prepare two gifts in advance.

Hmm...she could give Frieren one birthday gift under his name.

That should help ease the tension between her husband and foolish disciple.

"Then I'll leave dinner to you as usual. I'll go retrieve Frieren from the Celestial Vein Dragon."

"Bring her down after cheering her up. And tell her classes resume tomorrow."

Agusheed added without turning around.

"Understood—"

Furame responded softly. Halfway out, she added for good measure:

"Remember to make extra crystal puddings."

Frieren loved those desserts most.

Hmm...if she let her eat more, she probably wouldn't sulk anymore.

After these instructions to Agusheed, Furame left the cottage intending to personally retrieve Frieren.

Then she cast flight magic and soared toward the Celestial Vein Dragon.

It didn't take long before Furame arrived on the dragon's back.

The Celestial Vein Dragon turned its head, rainbow light refracting through the clouds from its neck scales.

Its massive pupils quietly observed Furame for several seconds before looking away again.

Furame stepped onto its shoulder with a gentle smile.

She reached out to touch the gleaming dragon scales.

"Sorry for the trouble my child has caused you."

After this brief exchange with the Celestial Vein Dragon, Furame headed toward the castle she and Agusheed had built together.

Stepping onto the stone bricks inside the castle, she ascended the staircase leading to the second floor.

After several turns, Furame finally stood before her own room door.

╮(╯_╰)╭

Knock knock knock—

"Frieren, are you still sulking?"

"Grand Mage Furame has come to deliver your birthday present."

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