“Kill Frieren?” Was that guy out of his mind?
However, Ethan didn’t reject him right away.
Instead, he raised his eyebrows slightly, feigning surprise.
“I’m Frieren’s companion now.
Even if it’s only for three days, she was here first.
There’s no reason for me to betray her.” The blond man whistled.
“No denial.
Looks like you really can do it.” “…” Ethan said nothing.
In the other man’s eyes, this was an admission.
Actually, Ethan was thinking, ‘How would I know I could do it?’ He was just a warrior who started later in life, not trained intensely or focused enough, yet this stranger was praising him so highly.
It was strange.
“Frieren is indeed high-ranking as a mage, but she’s still just a mage.
Her physical defense is incredibly weak.
If we can catch her off guard and launch a surprise attack, even warriors like you and I can easily take her head,” the blond man said casually, with extreme confidence in his tone.
“If you can do it, I can give you things you can’t even imagine.” “Tell me, why do you want to kill her?” Ethan asked calmly, showing a hint of confusion that was very obvious to the other man.
“Don’t the Central Kingdoms need mages like Frieren to defend against the remnants of demon attacks?” “Hah, demons…” Ethan saw clear disdain on the man’s face, but he didn’t explain.
Instead, he changed the subject.
“This is a deal.
I’m not asking you to act right now, but to cultivate a certain friendship with her so that when she lets her guard down, you can make your move.” Ethan felt this guy had some serious issues.
If a little bit of imposing presence could convince people to obey and do his bidding, there wouldn’t be so much conflict in the world.
However, just as he was about to refuse, the blond man suddenly lowered his head and whispered in his ear: “Don’t you want to know where your missing parents are?” Ethan was stunned for a moment.
His parents in this world, well, honestly, he didn’t care much about them.
If he could find them, he’d bring them back and fulfill his filial duties.
If not, it wouldn’t matter much to him.
The key was the lack of emotional connection.
His only thought was to do what he could.
But he instantly realized he should give the reaction the other man wanted.
A boy who grew up without parents by his side would have an unimaginable longing for family.
Unfortunately, Ethan’s situation was a bit unique.
So, he shivered all over and froze in place, carefully controlling his muscles.
His muscles began to tremble slightly, and he turned to the blond man like a robot, a complex expression of shock and joy appearing on his face.
“You know where they are?” “Of course, I do,” the blond man said with a smile.
“They are living well now, but they can’t return here for the time being.” At this point, Ethan put on a suspicious expression.
“No, how can I believe that you really know?” “Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to act now.
It’ll be at least a few years…
maybe more than a decade, before we have any connection with you.
You can continue to get along well with Frieren.
The better your relationship, the more advantageous it will be for our plan.” He patted Ethan’s shoulder.
“I’ll let you see them.
It doesn’t matter if your mission is successful or not.
That’s not just wordplay.” “Sir, what should I call you?” Ethan’s expression shifted, and his voice suddenly became hoarse and low.
The blond man’s smile widened.
“You can call me Löwe .” Löwe left, disappearing at the end of the road.
Ethan remained in place, his face a mixture of conflicting emotions.
Finally, a determined look appeared, and he walked directly into a roadside bar and drank heavily.
Only after he left the bar tipsy did the people hiding in the shadows finally depart.
Presumably, his performance made them believe he intended to cooperate.
…
Back at the inn, Ethan immediately knocked on Frieren’s door and started chatting with her.
However, the topic had nothing to do with what happened during the day.
At the same time, he took out a piece of paper and wrote down his encounter that day.
Of course, he didn’t stop talking, but his volume wasn’t deliberate, still appearing a bit drunk.
Frieren understood almost instantly and quickly read the text.
The paper instantly turned to ash and disappeared into the air.
[They’re from the Empire, aren’t they.] Next, she quickly wrote in the air with her magic, making Ethan stare in astonishment.
[Heh, magic messages in the air, pretty impressive, right.] Ethan continued to make small talk, but he closed his eyes and quickly jotted down notes.
Then, he also made a few movements with his fingers, and almost identical text immediately appeared in the air.
Ethan: [Like this?] Frieren showed no emotional fluctuation, seemingly unsurprised by Ethan’s speed in learning magic.
Frieren: [The Northern Alliance, a magical empire deep within demon territory.
The person you met should be from there.
But which specific faction, we don’t know yet.] Ethan: [So the question is, why do the Empire’s people want to kill you?] Frieren: [I don’t know.
But their methods are characteristic of people from the Empire.] Ethan: [They don’t act directly and expect me to cooperate.
It seems your strength really makes them very wary.] Frieren: [Not exactly.
It’s just that outside the Central Kingdoms, there’s the Continental Magic Association.
To the Magical Empire, the Association and they have conflicting ideals and are sworn enemies.
So, they won’t act against me within the Central Kingdoms’ territory.] So that’s why the other party didn’t threaten him with Übel.
The Continental Magic Association had a strong deterrent effect on them.
At least for now, they didn’t intend to openly confront the Association.
Ethan: [You don’t seem surprised at all.] Frieren: [In what way?] Ethan: [Aren’t you afraid I’ll hide this and actually do what they say?] Seeing this line of text, Frieren smiled.
She moved her slender fingers in the air a few times, but then seemed to realize something and rewrote a sentence: [Would you do that?] Ethan: [Of course not.] Frieren: [Then it’s fine.] Ethan: [The ability to pass magic down to future generations, does that really give you the right to place such great trust in me?] Frieren was taken aback.
She looked at Ethan, and a complex look flashed in her eyes that he couldn’t understand.
[Because…
this is Flamme’s dream.
As her disciple, I just felt I had to do something.] The reason felt a bit forced, but it was understandable, and they had only known each other for less than four days.
It wasn’t appropriate for him to ask too deeply.
It was just that Frieren accepted him so quickly, so quickly that he wondered if he had known her in a past life.
Or, was Flamme’s dying wish truly so important that Frieren could cast aside all pride?
Or, did the Hero of the South say something else that made Frieren act this way?
Ethan sighed inwardly.
He still wasn’t familiar enough with her.
He would wait.
Frieren, after five or ten years, he would eventually figure it out.
He was only thirteen, with plenty of time to outlast her.
His encounter with Lev from the Empire was just a small interlude in their lives as master and disciple.
From that day on, they never once encountered anyone from the Empire again, as if they had completely vanished from this world.