In Frieren as a 1000 years old Demon

"...That hurts..."

"How rude to say such things while dancing with a lady."

"But you've already stepped on my feet seventeen times, and we're not even halfway through this court dance."

"Honestly... Remembering all these moves takes all my concentration...

So could you please stop mentioning such trivial details?"

"Your dancing is terrible. Is this why you avoid palace banquets, Furame?"

"Shut up..."

"I regret giving you these shoes now. You're completely unsuited for dancing."

The tranquil moonlight bathed the bickering dance partners.

After another smooth turn, Furame's white skirt once again landed on Agusheed's foot.

"Eighteenth time..."

He quietly counted the number of times he'd been stepped on, but seeing Furame showed no intention of stopping—

Agusheed fell silent, continuing the dance through repeated mishaps.

...

"This makes no sense..."

Frieren leaned against the railing of the distant clock tower, watching the two dancing under the moonlight.

"Just ten years have passed, yet how has Furame changed so much?"

Frieren patted her cheeks, her expression showing mental overload.

"Human thoughts are so hard to understand."

"And... among demons, there's actually an exception that even Furame can't bring herself to hate..."

Frieren sighed, growing increasingly confused about both humans and demons.

Without doubt, she instinctively disliked Agusheed as one of the Great Demons.

After all, the village and family that raised her were all killed by demons.

Furame was just like her.

Even now, Furame still harbors deep hatred for demons...

"Is this demon really as special as Furame claims?"

"A five-hundred-year-old Great Demon who's never killed anyone of another race—

Unbelievable."

Frieren muttered quietly, maintaining some skepticism even though Furame herself had said it.

"Nothing unbelievable about it..."

Behind Frieren, a petite yet imposing figure approached slowly.

"Demons born in the Mythic Age all have their peculiarities."

The newcomer spoke as if deeply familiar with the Mythic Age.

"It's Seri Ai—"

Frieren turned toward the voice, visibly surprised upon recognizing who it was.

Not just because she hadn't sensed Seri Ai's magical presence at all.

But mainly because she'd never seen Seri Ai voluntarily visit a human city before.

"Do you know that demon?"

Frieren didn't rashly ask why Seri Ai was here.

She figured even if she asked, Seri Ai wouldn't answer.

So she chose a question Seri Ai might actually respond to.

"I've survived since the Mythic Age as a Grand Mage, Frieren..."

"In this world, aside from the sacred texts left by the Creation Goddess, there's nothing or no one I don't know about."

Seri Ai instantly appeared on the railing beside Frieren, looking down at her curious expression.

She explained to this sole disciple whom Furame had once brought before her:

"Agusheed, a Great Demon born in the late Mythic Age—

Though part of the Demon King's army, he refused to follow the Demon King's orders."

"They say he possesses human emotions unlike other demons.

Unwilling to obey the Demon King's commands to slaughter other races."

"Out of curiosity, I sought him out myself one hundred fifty years ago to verify this..."

Seri Ai paused, seemingly recalling her meeting with Agusheed.

"So? Did he really possess human emotions?"

Seri Ai's deliberate pause successfully piqued Frieren's curiosity.

"The result..."

Seri Ai chuckled dryly.

Standing on the stone railing, she gazed at her disciple dancing with the demon.

"When I found him, he'd already forgotten the emotions he once had."

"My trip was wasted—no answers gained."

This response surprised Frieren. She glanced at Agusheed getting stepped on again by Furame,

Then at Seri Ai beside her, eyes narrowed with dangerous energy.

"You didn't kill him?"

"In your eyes, am I the type to kill when displeased?"

Faced with Seri Ai's retort, Frieren honestly nodded.

This rare display made Seri Ai, who usually considered her useless, give her an extra look.

"Fine, I am that kind of person.

But back then, I didn't kill him on a whim when displeased."

Frieren blinked, even more astonished.

"Why?"

Seri Ai flicked Frieren's forehead as she leaned in curiously.

"Because at the time, I found his desire to regain his emotions interesting, so I let him go."

"But now it seems my casual decision back then has led to disaster..."

In the ten years I spent studying Mythic Age magic, he quietly stole my disciple away...

Seri Ai watched Agusheed's hand resting on Furame's waist.

She had no doubt that given another chance, she'd have reduced Agusheed to ashes back then.

"Led to disaster?"

Frieren thought for a moment, then pointed toward Furame and Agusheed.

"Do you mean he's staying with Furame to harm her?"

Thud—

A gentle fist knocked Frieren's head as Seri Ai shook hers in disappointment.

"Fortunately, no—"

Rubbing her head, Frieren was about to protest to this old woman,

When she suddenly realized something odd about Seri Ai's words.

Frieren froze, replaying Seri Ai's statement in her mind.

Confirming she heard right, her lips parted slightly in delayed shock.

Seri Ai said... fortunately?

Meaning she believed if that demon truly intended to harm Furame—

Even she couldn't save Furame?

This... seems too exaggerated?

"Don't understand why I said it's fortunate he doesn't intend harm?"

Seri Ai propped her chin on one hand, watching the dancing pair reach their finale without turning back.

"In terms of pure mana capacity and magical theory, this Great Demon isn't much stronger than Furame."

"But in actual combat... Furame could never defeat his magic."

That Great Demon... surpasses Master in power?

Even with Seri Ai's personal confirmation, Frieren struggled to believe it.

Seeing the disbelief flicker in Frieren's eyes, Seri Ai chuckled.

"Don't believe me? Then you haven't seen Agusheed's magic.

Or you have but didn't realize what was special—"

Seri Ai's laughter only deepened Frieren's confusion.

"His magic is wh—"

The young elf began to ask, then suddenly recalled events from hours earlier.

—Back then,

Her instinctively cast [Annihilation Thunder Release Magic] was severed just before hitting Agusheed—

By something that appeared without warning...

Even cutting off a lock of her hair.

Since Frieren sensed no mana in that attack,

She hadn't considered it magic.

But now with Seri Ai's hint, Frieren understood.

It must be magic that can't be recognized as [Magic] by mages.

Recalling how Agusheed's magic felt against her hair...

"Slashing?"

Frieren tentatively asked Seri Ai.

Seeing Frieren deduce the answer so quickly, Seri Ai lowered her raised hand.

"Correct. His magic is slashing."

"More precisely, [Magic That Severs All Things]"

"Sever... all things?"

Frieren repeated the key words uncertainly.

Hearing her doubt, Seri Ai confirmed:

"'Severing all things' isn't exaggeration. From what I've seen, it can even cut space."

"And—his slashes cannot be defended against."

Seri Ai's words left Frieren utterly shocked.

"Undefendable?"

Magic that defies magical principles actually exists?

Seri Ai nodded, showing she wasn't just scaring Frieren:

"Since you've seen his magic, you should now realize—

Mages can't sense any mana from his slashes."

"When [Magic] can't be recognized as magic, defense becomes impossible."

Seri Ai spoke gravely to Frieren:

"Currently, Agusheed's magic is the most lethal attack magic I've seen—

Only [Decayed Sage] Guwal's [Killing Magic] matches its efficiency in slaughter."

Frieren suppressed her astonishment at the [Slashing Magic],

Returning to the original question:

"If he doesn't intend to harm Furame, what did you mean by 'led to disaster'?"

"Hmph..."

Not Frieren's first time seeing Seri Ai laugh.

But the first time seeing the millennia-old Seri Ai laugh in anger.

"Frieren, know why I'm here?"

Despite Seri Ai's visibly darkening aura, Frieren couldn't resist asking:

"Why?"

Then she saw Seri Ai produce what appeared to be a letter on parchment.

"Furame invited me here with this letter."

Seri Ai read aloud the handwritten invitation at the letter's end:

"She said—"

"To attend her wedding."

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