Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 165: Clingy Linie

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Having followed the Bloody God of War for quite some time, Linie's close combat skills were well-honed and protected. With the additional presence of the Royal Guards, she shouldn't have to worry too much about her safety.

However, the biggest issue was that this child was often disobedient. Still, with the war looming on the horizon, Linie's appearance alongside the herd of beasts could be considered a strong backup force.

After all, Aura had only entrusted control of the Undead Army to Linie and Ash—no one else could effectively communicate with them.

This situation had bothered Ash for a while, but he decided to stop dwelling on it. Instead, he teasingly asked, "…You know my birthday is coming up soon. So, what are you planning to give me this year?"

"A gift…?" Linie thought for a moment before bending her knees slightly. Without hesitation, she removed her seductive black stockings in front of him, revealing her snow-white, delicate feet. She then handed him a small piece of pink fabric.

"Master Ash, here."

"…What??"

"Underwear," Linie replied, tilting her head. A big question mark seemed to hang in her violet eyes, as if she couldn't understand why he didn't know what it was.

He took it reflexively, his mind blank, before his frustration erupted. "—I know what it is! What I don't understand is why you're giving me this! Do I look like a pervert to you?!"

"The previous human showed you theirs, didn't they? You seemed happy then. So, wouldn't it be better for you to have one you can look at every day?"

"Thank you!" Ash snapped sarcastically, holding the warm piece of fabric in his hand, his blood pressure steadily rising as he struggled to figure out what to do with it.

Linie, mistaking his sarcasm for genuine gratitude, gave a small smile and extended her hand expectantly. "Just give me the apples from the Central Kingdom as a souvenir."

"—I wasn't actually thanking you!"

"Master Ash is a liar."

"I am not lying!"

"Then please explain how that's true."

"…Why are you the one getting upset?"

Looking at the pouting girl, Ash felt as though he were the one being wronged.

After grumbling internally for a moment, he placed the underwear aside and habitually pulled Linie onto his lap, intending to have a proper talk with her.

However, Linie turned her face away with an expression resembling a disgruntled cat, clearly unwilling to cooperate.

Ash sighed in defeat. "…So, why are you still upset?"

"Master Ash was clearly very happy when he looked at other people's underwear."

"Don't say things like that—I'll be considered a pervert."

"And you didn't bring me the apples you promised."

"…Believe me, there's no difference between apples from the Central Kingdom and those from the North. So, stop obsessing over this apple nonsense."

I should lecture a child, but instead, why I'm I comforting her? Ash thought, rubbing his temples in frustration. He couldn't make sense of the situation, and it gave him a headache.

After learning about the situation in Aura's capital from Linie, Ash felt less worried about the other side.

The only thing that concerned him now was Aura being a little upset that he wouldn't be back for his birthday this year. But, as usual, he planned to feign ignorance and let it blow over.

Since both he and Aura were born on the same day—or rather, since the date had likely been randomly chosen for both of them—he figured it wasn't too serious. Demons didn't typically have the concept of birthdays anyway, so this tradition was entirely something Ash had introduced to Aura.

Linie now understood the idea of birthdays, but what she gave him as a gift was… difficult to put into words.

Seeing Linie again wasn't a common occurrence, so Ash decided to stay at the lord's mansion that night. Of course, he did force her to put her underwear back on. After all, if he actually accepted such a gift, his reputation would be completely ruined.

The next day, it was almost time to head to the front line to assess the situation.

However, since the war hadn't officially started yet, it could be delayed for a day or two. When Ash woke up, he noticed something strange—Linie, who had been sleeping in a separate space, had somehow crawled into his bed without him noticing and was now half lying on top of him.

The door, which had been securely locked the previous night, was now violently dismantled, the frame and lock tossed aside, leaving him utterly speechless.

"…What do you even do all day?" Ash muttered, exasperated, as he lightly slapped her on the butt.

"Woo~!" Linie, still half-asleep, responded reflexively by biting his neck with a small whimper, like an irritated kitten.

Ash froze, staring blankly at the ceiling as if questioning his entire life. He could feel her warm saliva dripping down his neck, and the situation felt inexplicably… bizarre.

It wasn't until Linie finally woke up that Ash was freed from the strange predicament.

For the first time, Linie had acted independently, though her excitement about wandering around the city didn't last long before Ash gave her a stern scolding. Despite this, she still seemed overjoyed and insisted on exploring.

"Having an affair with Master Ash…" Linie muttered while walking ahead, swaying her body and her two cute ponytails. After only a few steps, she turned around with a puzzled expression and asked, "What should I do in this situation, Master Ash?"

"…At this point, I'm not even going to bother correcting your terminology. At least call it a date or something," Ash sighed. "Even though it's just an adult accompanying a child on a shopping trip."

"Compared to that, what's that over there?" Linie asked, pointing to a white tower in the distance.

"…Changing the subject, huh?" Ash shook his head helplessly before glancing in the direction of her slender finger. "That's the Magic Association. A troublesome old wom works there. It's better to stay away, or it'll cause a headache."

"Is Aura-sama a troublesome person?"

"…If you say that to her face, she'll definitely lose her temper."

"I understand, but I'm saying it behind her back right now."

"…I sometimes wonder if you're the one calling me troublesome behind Aura's back too?"

"Don't I usually say it directly to your face?" Linie retorted seriously.

Ash could only sigh, covering his face with one hand. "…Who taught you this kind of behavior?"

"From Aura-sama and Ash-sama…"

"—I'm absolutely not like that. Apologize to me immediately."

"…Sorry," Linie said, lowering her head in mock frustration.

Her "frustration," however, didn't last long. Almost immediately, she pulled an apple out of his pocket, wiped it on the inside of his shirt with practiced ease, and began eating it, her expression as blank as ever.

There wasn't any specific reason—she simply had an obsession with apples. She ate them in every situation: when she was happy, upset, irritated, or depressed.

When Ash wasn't around, she used her sleeves to clean the apples. But when Ash was present, she preferred his clothes, regardless of the situation. To her, eating apples was an unshakable ritual.

Seeing her start eating the apple right after apologizing made Ash feel it was insincere… though, in fairness, it wouldn't have been sincere even if she hadn't eaten.

"Why is there not a single normal person around me…" Ash sighed. However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that wasn't entirely true. At least Lawine, Kanne, and Sense were relatively normal.

Hearing his complaint, Linie suddenly turned toward him, looking particularly well-behaved. She extended the apple she was eating toward him and said in her usual monotone voice, "…Master Ash, do you want to eat too?"

Ash stared at her, completely at a loss for words.

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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: 1 chapter a day plus 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