"Nothing beats home, huh?"
"Stop spouting nonsense and unpack already!"
"Got it, Lady Aura!"
Himmel's carefree remark upon returning home is met with my sharp retort, but for some reason, Linie responds instead. These two are as laid-back as ever. At this rate, unpacking alone will drag into the night. There's cleaning, shopping—endless tasks piling up, and yet I'm already dreading it all. But then I notice something.
The house is spotless… Lily's work, no doubt.
Despite years away, there's barely a speck of dust. No way a quick sweep could achieve this. It's definitely Lily's doing. She's always been peculiar like that. Saves me the trouble, though.
"Something wrong, Aura? Tired from the journey?"
"Don't lump me with you. I'm just worn out from all the commotion."
Himmel, oblivious as ever, tosses out that carefree line. He hasn't changed a bit—except maybe for the worse, grating my nerves even more. Sure, I'm tired, but not from the road. It's the chaos since we got back. The moment we arrived, Lily greeted us, and the village erupted into a festival-like frenzy. Himmel probably saw it coming. I'm the one stuck dealing with it. All this fuss for a mere few years' absence? Don't these people have better things to do? Linie, of course, reveled in it—probably more celebrated than me.
"Everyone's just thrilled you're back. Quite the triumphant return, huh? Back in the day, I was a big deal too. Especially after slaying the Demon King—"
"Uh-huh. How nice for you."
I tune out Himmel's nostalgic ramblings as usual. Clinging to past glories now that he's old and gray. Or maybe he's always been like this. The villagers cheering him would rethink their praise if they saw him now. Humans are such fools.
"Himmel, Himmel! Let's train already! I've gotten stronger, you know!"
Linie, brimming with impatience, grips her sword, eyes locked on the garden outside—our old training ground. The sight must've sparked her instincts. Almost demonic, in a way.
"No way! I've told you before, I'm too old to swing a sword!"
"Ugh… you sound just like Eisen. Boring."
Himmel chides her, flustered. Not like him at all. Linie did mention Eisen saying something similar. They're old, sure, but Himmel's probably just dodging training with that excuse. His cunning only sharpens with age.
"…Fine. I'll watch, that's it."
"Really?! I love you, Himmel!"
"Exploiting an old man, huh?"
Himmel caves to Linie's enthusiasm, reluctantly agreeing. He's always been soft on her. It's the same routine as with Heiter. Typical. I've seen this exchange too many times to care.
"I'm heading out to shop. Don't break Himmel's nose, Linie."
"Okay!"
"Just watching, right?"
Time to handle the shopping. Lily's cleaning saved some time, but I can't waste it. No idea how long we're staying, but we'll need food. With that order to Linie, I head out as usual—
The town's changed a bit…
Glancing around, the familiar streets feel slightly off. Just a few years, yet the human world shifts so fast. Things vanish, new things appear. Even in the Holy Capital, I've felt it. Humans are such a restless race. A few years do this—what about a decade? Fifty years? I'm not Linie, but I might get lost.
Then, I stop. A statue stands unchanged. A hero from decades ago, nothing like the Himmel now. Back then, his beard looked ridiculous. Maybe age suits him better. The scales in his hand, though—why not a sword? Just to spite me, probably.
"Sis, what're you doing here?"
"…Stark. Nothing. Just shopping."
A familiar voice calls from behind. Turning, I see Stark, straw hat and all, barely changed despite being over fifty. Small as ever. Unlike Himmel, I'd never mistake him, even after fifty years.
"Man, you haven't aged a day, Sis. Still stunning."
"Yeah? Keep talking nonsense, and I'll tell Lily."
"That'd be trouble. You're the same as ever."
He's reminiscing too, spouting his usual lines. Mocking me, probably. Pointless lies I see right through. I hit back with my usual threat, but he's unfazed. Getting sly with age, huh?
"This statue's the same too, right? Did you know? The Hero had it built for you."
"For me? What? It's just his hobby."
He must've noticed me staring. Stark starts blabbering about why this statue exists. Makes no sense. Himmel forced this thing to be made for himself. He's been leaving statues everywhere since our adventuring days, claiming it's to preserve his "dashing looks" for posterity. I've seen more than a few.
"Maybe partly. But he told me, in secret, it's so you wouldn't be alone if it stood here."
"Hmph. Typical Himmel. Meddling as always."
There's more to it, apparently. Classic Himmel, cooking up something sentimental. Alone? That's just loneliness, right? What a joke. For a demon like me, that's meaningless. It's just how we are. Fifty years together, and he still doesn't get that I'm not Frieren.
"But wasn't it a secret? Why spill it now?"
"Statute of limitations, you know? Don't tell the Hero, please."
"From a skirt-flipping brat to this, huh?"
"Nah, I can't compare to you or the Hero."
Stark grins, all theatrical. He's come a long way, honestly. Now the village chief, doing well enough. His kids are grown, even has grandkids. Human generations move so fast. Staying chief past his prime is odd, but that's their custom. Outsiders find it weirder that he and Linie act like siblings than a human and demon being together.
"…I'll say it now, but I wanted to be a priest because of you, Sis."
"What? Weren't you copying the old chief?"
Stark's sudden confession throws me. Old humans and their random nostalgia—must be a habit. Why would he mimic me to become a priest? I thought he was following the previous chief, a priest himself. Stark used to idolize adventurers, clinging to Himmel. Then he switched to priesthood, but what's that got to do with me?
"Remember when I went to the Holy Capital to see a trial?"
"Yeah, Heiter dragged you along, right?"
Now that he mentions it, I recall. Heiter took him to the capital once. No idea what he found fun about it. I don't even remember if he watched my trial.
"I begged to go. Your presence there—I'll never forget it. Like a goddess."
So he did see it. Not exactly thrilling, but it left an impression on him. A goddess? Flattering, maybe, but it feels like mockery to me.
"That's why I wanted to help you. Didn't quite work out, though."
It meant something to him, though. Admiration, wanting to emulate someone. He wanted to be like me. What a strange guy. What's the point? It was meaningless in the end—he quit priesthood the moment he married Lily and had kids. That clearly mattered more.
"Good thing you didn't. Spared you dealing with that sleazy monk."
"Maybe so."
Definitely the right call. Sticking with priesthood would've meant babysitting that lecherous monk. No way that's worth it. Being village chief is far better. He seems to agree, nodding. I'm already planning to snitch to Heiter when—
"Hey, what're you doing here?"
Another familiar voice. No need to turn—it's Lily. Stark reacts faster than me. Their pecking order hasn't changed, it seems.
"Lily! Oh, just ran into Sis. Catching up."
"Sis too, huh? What're you up to here? Where's Linie?"
"Shopping. Linie's training at home."
"Same old, same old."
Lily's gentle smile hasn't changed. Her appearance has aged like a human's, but the resemblance is clear. She gets the whole picture from my brief words—especially about Linie, whom she understands better than I do. Linie won't admit it, but Lily's definitely the big sister.
"Stark hasn't changed either. Just talking about his skirt-flipping days."
"…Dear?"
"Oops, forgot about work! Catch you later, Sis—take your time!"
Stark senses the shift and bolts, smooth as ever. Probably a regular move for him. Lily's not buying his "statute of limitations" excuse.
"Such a child sometimes."
"Like Himmel."
"Maybe so."
Lily sighs at Stark's vanishing act. I can't disagree. Those two have always been trouble together, stirring up nonsense. Just brats—Himmel's "little punk," right? Age hasn't changed that dynamic. Stunted growth, maybe.
"What're you up to? With a bouquet, no less."
I turn the question on Lily, noticing the flowers in her arms. Not unusual—she makes a living growing flowers here. Always loved them, even as a kid. Perfect job for her. Maybe she's delivering them? But then—
"Visiting the old chief's grave. It's his memorial day."
Not quite. Or maybe half-right.
A grave visit. A human custom, honoring the dead. Burning or burying, they cling to those gone, raising tombstones like keepsakes. A concept I, a demon, can't grasp. Heaven's easier to understand—my submission magic uses souls, but I can't track where they go after death. Graves, corpses—they're just objects. Demons turn to dust when we die. Nothing remains. Nothingness.
Yet humans see it differently. They believe, they cling, like they worship an unseen goddess. Offering flowers carries meaning—not in their language, but the act itself.
I recall Himmel saying something similar once. A silly sentiment, but I'll follow his lead. He's still a hero, even old and worn.
"Here. Take this for me."
I conjure a single Blue Moonweed with magic and hand it to Lily. Not a field of flowers—just one. Only Himmel would ask for a whole meadow. This should do.
The old chief loved this flower, and so does Lily. She tried cultivating it, breeding it, but never succeeded. Maybe it's fated to fade. Still—
Lily freezes, staring at the Blue Moonweed in my hand, like Himmel earlier.
"What? Something wrong?"
Did I mess up the magic? No, it's fine. My words, then? No, that's not it. Lily's like Himmel—maybe more so—in understanding demon logic. She knows I'd never join a grave visit. It's meaningless to me. No point in fooling her.
"No… your magic's just so beautiful. Even more than before."
It's simpler than that. Typical Lily. I remember now—she gave me a white flower when we first met. That sparked my flower-field magic. Since then, she's always begged me to show it off.
"The magic's the same as always."
"Maybe I got it wrong. I'll let the chief know you're back."
But the magic hasn't changed. Yet it seems different to her. Strange. With a joyful smile, Lily leaves to talk to the chief's soul—wherever it is.
"Still crazy about flowers, huh?"
Only Lily and Himmel would gush over my magic like that. Such oddballs. Humans never change. I've wasted enough time—time to finish shopping.