RMGCFW — Chapter 117 - The Old Fogey Who Was Beaten into a Shut-In for Centuries
"Did you memorize everything?"
"Of course."
"The path of magic can't be learned overnight, not even ordinary folk magic. Memorize the content first, and over the coming period, I'll do my best to teach you these spells." Frieren settled calmly onto the bed. "As payment, I'll give my all in teaching you."
"Yeah." Banxia nodded, then caught himself. "Wait — that won't do."
He'd saved this white-haired elf twice. Getting brushed off in one go wasn't going to fly.
Frieren: "..." (=ω=)
"The magic lesson was agreed upon right from the start, when I pulled you out of that mimic's mouth. The reward for saving you from that monster a second time can't just get lumped in with it."
"...Then what do you want?"
"Hmm..." Banxia looked the white-haired elf over.
Frieren sat on the bed, a trace of weariness showing in her round face and green eyes, her pointed ears drooping listlessly. Today had been eventful, enough to wear out an old fogey who hadn't done much of anything in decades.
"I haven't decided yet."
"Then tell me once you have. Best if you wait a few decades. Let me rest first..."
"A normal human isn't even guaranteed to still be in the world after a few decades." Banxia couldn't help but sigh at that. This elf's sense of time was something else entirely compared to a pure-blooded human's.
"Fine. We'll talk once you've figured it out." Frieren waved a hand, the universal gesture for shoo, don't bother me.
"All right. I'll figure it out soon." Banxia nodded.
This elven old-timer had no fixed address, and there was no telling when they'd meet again. If he let the debt slip, he'd be taking a serious loss.
As the saying goes, an elder in the house is a treasure. Living long means seeing much.
This elven old-timer surely had plenty more prized spells on her, just waiting for him to dig out.
He was already turning to leave when something occurred to him, not huge, but not nothing either. "Frieren, are you seriously planning to stay cooped up in this forest for the rest of your life?"
He knew through his future sight that the white-haired elf would eventually go to subjugate the Demon King. But right now, she had completely checked out, no desire to set foot outside whatsoever.
If she'd fought major battles against monsters, those would have been recorded. It wouldn't be the case that nobody knew this elf was actually a powerful mage.
He also knew full well that Frieren's hometown had been destroyed by demons, and that she harbored deep hatred for them.
So what had happened to make a thousand-year-old mage set aside her vengeance and go into seclusion?
Even his future sight hadn't shown him that.
Well, to be plain about it, he just hadn't read that far in the manga before reincarnating.
"...Why do you ask?" The white-haired elf didn't follow the question.
"Just a small curiosity of mine." Banxia kept his expression neutral. "After the slaughter the Demon King ordered back then, the elves who survived should all harbor deep hatred for the demon race."
Frieren didn't deny it. Instead she asked, calmly, "Is that question the reward you want?"
"No chance. If you don't want to talk about it, forget it." Banxia turned to go.
At that, Frieren's mouth curved into a small cat shape.
"...It's fine to tell you."
"If it's fine, why were you trying to use it to settle your debt?" Banxia stared at her. "What a cunning elf!"
Frieren ignored that. She said quietly:
"The reason is simple. I can't defeat the Demon King."
"You've met the Demon King?" He was genuinely curious, what was the Great Demon King who had ruled over demons for a millennium actually like?
"No." The white-haired elf shook her head.
Banxia thought it over for a moment and understood what she meant.
"So, over these years, you encountered a powerful monster. One that even defeated you. And that's why you believe you can't beat the Demon King?"
"That's correct." Frieren nodded.
"...Is that monster still alive?"
"Alive."
"Location?"
"...You seem very interested in this monster."
"This monster beat my beloved teacher into a shut-in for several centuries. As her disciple, it's only natural that I go make trouble for it."
Frieren showed no sign of being moved.
"That was several centuries ago... While I was out hunting monsters, I encountered a Great Demon known as one of the Seven Sages of Destruction. In just an instant, I lost the ability to fight..."
Even now, recalling that moment, Frieren still had no answer for it.
If a single Great Demon among the Seven Sages of Destruction was already that difficult to handle, the Demon King who ruled over all of them didn't bear thinking about.
"Oh?" Banxia's eyes lit with interest. "And then?"
"Then I ran away."
"...That's it?"
"That's it."
"Wait!" Banxia stopped her. "What about the details?!"
"I told you, I lost the ability to fight in an instant..."
"A spell that could strip you of your ability to fight that quickly, was it a curse again?"
"Yes." Frieren gave a small nod, then looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "By the way, you've been like this since the labyrinth. Why does it feel like you already know me? Could it be..."
"That's right. Exactly what you're thinking." He had no idea what the elf was getting at with that could it be, but Banxia played along smoothly.
"...I never imagined you were actually Master's descendant." Frieren murmured it with something like wonder, then immediately caught herself.
"Wait, that's not right. I watched Master get buried into the earth with my own eyes. In all that time, I never once saw her get together with any man."
Master's ultimate flame magic, this young man knew it too. He'd called out her name on their very first meeting, and his words carried a familiarity that didn't belong to a stranger. Then there was his absurd mana that no pure-blooded human should possess, and all those strange skills and techniques, every single one of them required accumulated time.
Never mind how young he looked. Even if those things appeared on an elderly person, it would stretch credibility.
But... if they appeared on the progenitor of human magic, that would be a different matter entirely.
"Could it be that Master's soul research actually succeeded?" The urge to sleep was gone. Frieren stepped in front of him, rose onto her toes, and poked his cheek with one finger.
"...Doesn't quite seem like it, though. Even if Master's soul truly reincarnated, she wouldn't choose a male body... would she?"
"..."
Faced with such a rude gesture, the hot-blooded young man gave it a firm bite.
"Whoa, " Startled, Frieren yanked her hand back and wiped her finger on her clothes.
"Ahem. Back to business." Banxia cleared his throat. "Who was the Great Demon that defeated you back then, Frieren?"
"...A Great Demon among the Seven Sages of Destruction named Macht. Macht possesses the strongest curse magic — Magic to Turn All Things into Gold — which can transform anything, including living beings, into gold at will."
"Interesting." Banxia glanced at the white-haired elf, who was clearly making get out of my room faces at him. "So Macht is the one who beat you into a shut-in for several centuries."
"Don't worry. If I run into Macht, I'll avenge you."
"..."
Frieren could tell the young man wasn't talking big.
Recalling how he had handled that mythological monster earlier, this person might genuinely be capable of defeating the Seven Sages of Destruction, the most elite Great Demons under the Demon King's command.
---
➤ Next: Retrospect (Chroma)