Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 153: The end of the second round

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The next group of arrivals, following Sense, turned out to be familiar faces to Ash.

In addition to Ubel and Kanne, the captain of the Northern Magic Team, Wirbel, who had escaped alongside them, also showed up.

Kanne had barely stepped into the ruined hall at the deepest gate when she spotted Ash, who was casually teasing the bound replica.

The sight immediately incensed her, and she rushed forward, shouting:

"—Uncle! That's too much! You ran off with Lawine in your arms and ignored us! Do you have any idea how hard it was for us to escape?"

"What are you even talking about? This is an exam. How could I help you all the time? I only stepped in because Lawine couldn't pull out her bottle in time," Ash replied, exasperated, as he flicked her forehead with his finger.

Kanne winced, covering her forehead as she took a step back. She looked like a scolded puppy, making a dissatisfied "woo~" sound.

"Even so, Uncle, you're definitely biased~! It would've been fine if you'd just rescued her, but why did you have to carry her so far?"

"...That's not how it was. You should focus on the exam, right?" Ash muttered, avoiding eye contact. In truth, he'd found shy Lawine amusing, which was why he had carried her for so long, but explaining it was too troublesome. He looked away and tried to change the subject.

However...

"Think about it seriously. Lawine was much more honest at that moment. Something must have happened between you two... I can feel it!"

Though Kanne might not have a good read on most people, her instincts about her childhood friend's personality were spot-on. She stared at Ash, scrutinizing him intently, as though willing him to confess.

But could he admit to such a thing? No matter how he thought about it, there was no way. He feigned ignorance and said instead:

"Shouldn't the exam be your priority right now?"

"Changing the subject, are we?"

"It's just business."

"But Uncle, you're not an examiner. You're a candidate like us, aren't you?" Kanne countered, hands on her hips as she leaned forward slightly, a righteous tone in her voice.

"As a member of the Magic Association, I have an obligation to maintain the fairness of the exam!"

Before Ash could respond, Ubel, who had been quietly observing the scene, cut in:

"Well, at least we only have to deal with Sense now. That's lucky~" She eyed the restrained replica, her lips curling into a sly grin. "Alright, let me handle it."

Seeing her expression, Ash immediately knew Ubel was confident in her abilities.

Though Sense's strength far surpassed Ubel's on paper, her cutting magic had a very high upper limit. Sense's hair, which most magicians couldn't touch, might actually be vulnerable to Ubel's unique magic.

Ash's past conversations with Sense also confirmed that Sense viewed Ubel as a natural enemy, further convincing him of the potential match-up.

Still, Ash reached out and firmly pressed a hand on Ubel's head, pushing her away from the bound replica.

"Forget it. Just go over there," he said flatly.

"Ah… you're saying that now?" Ubel raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Didn't you just talk about maintaining fairness and justice in the exam… as a member of the Magic Association?"

"We've known each other for so long. Isn't it a little too formal to bring that up now?" Ash replied, shaking his head.

"You're bringing this up now? You definitely only follow the rules when it's convenient for you," Ubel retorted, twirling her wand with a teasing smirk.

Ash shrugged off Ubel's playful accusations, maintaining his calm demeanor.

"…So what if that's the case? No one loses anything, and everyone gains a little convenience. What's wrong with that?"

"You really have quite the nerve," Ubel replied, shaking her head in mock disbelief. "You don't even seem embarrassed about being called out. Still, it's just a clone. Why bother keeping it around? What's the point of protecting it?"

"I just think it's wasteful to get rid of it," Ash responded casually.

"Wasteful...? Don't tell me you're someone with… unusual interests in monsters? No, wait—" Ubel's voice turned more incredulous as she continued, "Is it possible you've got strange feelings for Sense? Did the real one reject you, so now you're settling for the clone? That's… that's extreme, even for you." She couldn't hide her horror at the thought.

Kanne, frowning, jumped to Ash's defense. "That's ridiculous! Uncle isn't like that. He probably just doesn't like seeing humanoid creatures destroyed."

"You give him too much credit," Ubel muttered. Her tone was skeptical, and her expression said she was unconvinced. She turned back to Ash, giving him a pointed look.

Ash ignored the exchange, avoiding any further involvement in the bizarre assumptions. Instead, he silently gestured for the three of them to move along while he stayed behind with the restrained clone.

He didn't have any strange motivations for keeping it. It was simply…

"…It's not what you think. But if you really consider it, isn't this like a ready-made life-sized figure? It saves a lot on decorations," he murmured, justifying himself in a way that likely would have caused even more confusion if said aloud.

As he reached out and cast a sealing spell, the stone-like texture of the clone hardened completely, preserving it as a statue. Ash couldn't help but feel a pang of regret about having destroyed the other clones earlier.

With a collection of petrified clones, he thought, he could have created a truly unique display in his room. Not to mention, it would have saved him a fortune on decorations.

---

Ash had carefully formulated his plan. After the exam ended, he secretly took the petrified Sense's clone, along with the Water Mirror Demon, for himself.

The Water Mirror Demon was quietly sent to the capital for study, but Ash, worried about how it might look if others saw the petrified clone, chose to stash it discreetly in his own home. He hid Sense's replica in his closet, planning to transport it later when things settled down.

"Good thing it's small," he muttered as he arranged the space. "If it were any bigger, this would be a real headache."

After ensuring the statue was securely hidden, Ash wiped the sweat from his brow, left his house feeling accomplished, and headed off to find a quiet place to read. He still had to deliver the magic book he had promised to the other candidates from the first exam round.

---

While Ash was enjoying his morning, the atmosphere in the Magic Association's White Tower was anything but pleasant.

The mood in the grand conference room was tense, its air heavy with unspoken pressure. Serie, a blonde elf with an authoritative presence, sat cross-legged in the lone chair at the back of the room, her back framed by a large, elaborately painted French window.

Four first-Class magicians, including Sense, stood on either side of the carpet that stretched across the room.

The silence was so profound that the faint crackling of firewood in the nearby fireplace became the only sound to fill the space, amplifying the solemnity of the gathering.

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Mission: "The Power Stones Ascent"

Objective: Climb as high as possible in the power ranking system and maintain the spot for a week.

Rewards:

Rank 1-5: 3 chapters a day

Rank 6-12: 2 chapters a day

Rank 13-20: 4 extra chapters

Punishment: If we fail to reach at least the top 20, you'll only get 1 chapter a day.

Current Ranking: 1-5