Chapter 106

Chapter 106: Problem Girl Ubel

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Ash's swift movements successfully prevented Fern from seeing the gruesome scene at first. However, from the conversation happening nearby, Fern quickly pieced together what they had discovered.

Not at all pleased with Ash's overprotectiveness, she pouted and protested:

"Lord Ash, I understand your favoritism toward me because I'm from your country, but I'm not a child anymore. Could you please stop covering my eyes like this? I've seen murder scenes before."

"But this isn't good for a child's education," Ash replied calmly.

"I told you, I'm not a child anymore!" Fern retorted angrily, pulling his hand away.

However, when her eyes finally fell on the dismembered corpses before her, her face turned pale.

Even so, she didn't react much beyond that. Though clearly unsettled, she managed to hold herself together.

Ash couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions—relief that she had grown stronger, and sadness at the realization of why. He thought back to Fern's childhood, recalling the wars she had endured and the many corpses she must have seen along the way.

"I always feel a little sad..." he muttered unconsciously.

Fern, startled by his words, looked up at him. "What? Why? I'm not a child anymore, am I?"

For some reason, her defensive response made her look like a child caught in the act of doing something wrong, and Ash couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Sein, observing the exchange, found himself puzzled. Was Ash sad because Fern had grown up? Or was he mourning the dead bandits?

When the thought crossed his mind that Ash might actually feel sympathy for the bandits, Sein shook his head repeatedly. "No, that's impossible, no matter how I think about it…"

Ash raised an eyebrow, noticing Sein's reaction. "Why do I feel like you've just thought of something very rude about me?"

"...Was it really rude?"

"I don't know what you were thinking, but... forget it." Ash sighed, deciding not to press further. He wasn't so fragile as to be bothered by unspoken thoughts.

However, as their conversation continued, Ash noticed Sein squatting on the ground, cleaning up the corpses. He frowned. "What are you doing? Your hands will get dirty."

Sein glanced up briefly and shook his head. "You know, sometimes your focus on things is really off."

"But they're bandits, aren't they?"

"They're also dead," Sein replied without looking back. "When a person dies, everything ends. At least as a priest, I can offer them one final mercy."

"But they may have done terrible things in the past," Ash countered.

"That's just a possibility, isn't it?"

"...But the likelihood is high," Ash said, studying the scene. "Judging by the state of their weapons and the nature of the attack, they were probably killed in retaliation for a crime they committed. From that perspective, they deserved to die."

"Perhaps," Sein conceded. "But as a priest, I can't simply ignore the dead."

Ash sighed, shaking his head. "You're a priest who drinks, eats meat, and loves gambling, yet you draw the line here?"

"Even so, I'm still a priest," Sein replied firmly.

---

Despite his vices—drinking, gambling, and a fondness for flirtation—Sein remained steadfast in his principles.

His determination to bury the bodies surprised Ash. Seeing Sein's unexpected "passion" for his duties, Ash finally relented.

He raised his hand, casting a spell. The scattered remains lifted into the air and floated toward a small wooded area by the roadside. With a second spell, Ash blasted a hole in the ground, deep enough for a proper burial.

Even after the bodies were buried, Sein took the time to stack a small pile of stones to mark the grave. His meticulousness earned a quiet observer in Frieren, who eventually sidled up to Ash and whispered,

"...I thought you'd just watch from the sidelines."

Ash raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. "I'm just as surprised that Sein actually knows how to perform the duties of a priest."

"No," Frieren said, shaking her head. "I'm not surprised by Sein. I'm surprised by you. I thought you'd just sit back and watch until the end."

"Really? You must have a terrible impression of me. Remember to apologize later."

"Apologize for what?" Frieren retorted, her tone both curious and annoyed. Then, after a pause, she added, "Actually... I still don't understand you."

She glanced over at the purple-haired girl, Fern, who was imitating Sein's effort to build the makeshift grave. "Fern probably feels the same way."

Ash tilted his head, his tone turning slightly incredulous. "Do you know Fern?"

Frieren narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you underestimating me?"

"...No comment."

"What's with that expression?"

"It's nothing. Please don't mind it," Ash replied curtly, turning his attention elsewhere.

The conversation ended there, but Frieren continued to watch him, a mix of curiosity and frustration swirling in her eyes. More than ever, she found herself wanting to figure out what went on in his mind.

---

After the brief interlude, the group resumed their journey.

While Sein went into the village to inquire about his long-lost friend, Ash noticed someone unusual by the fence near the village entrance.

It was a young woman, her dark green hair tied into an elegant side ponytail. She wore a black dress that perfectly outlined her graceful figure, neither overly ostentatious nor excessively modest. It struck a perfect balance, displaying her beauty without being too revealing. The top of her dress was high enough to avoid being called low-cut, though her figure made it impossible not to notice her natural allure.

Her arms and thighs were adorned with bracelets and leg rings, which, rather than seeming out of place, added a unique charm to her appearance.

Her purple eyes, while inherently beautiful, were dulled by an indifferent, lazy expression—what one might call "dead fish eyes." Her demeanor, too, was anything but ordinary. She exuded an aura that was distinctly different from that of a typical magician.

"...She feels like a dangerous person," Ash muttered after observing her for a while.

It didn't take long for him to deduce that she was likely the one who had killed the bandits they had encountered earlier. After all, she was the only magician he had seen along the way.

The girl, however, seemed utterly uninterested in the world around her. She sat perched on the fence, idly playing with a ball in her hand, occasionally yawning as she stared into the sky.

Ash initially thought she might ignore him entirely, but as he continued to watch her, she suddenly noticed his presence. Without a word, she stood up, walked over, and sat down beside him.

She leaned closer, studying him from bottom to top, her curious gaze uncomfortably close.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked, his tone calm but wary.

"...You," the girl said with a lazy smirk, "you actually stood there, behind someone, and called them dangerous?"

"I should say it face-to-face, then? Besides, it's the truth, isn't it?"

"There are things you can say and things you can't, especially in front of the person in question. In the end, it's just—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ash nonchalantly slapped her face, pushing her back and knocking her off the fence.

The girl lay sprawled on the lawn behind the fence, her calves still resting on its edge, caught completely off guard by Ash's shove.

"...It's also black," Ash muttered absentmindedly.

From his angle, he accidentally caught a glimpse under her skirt, which startled him slig

htly. Showing an unusual sense of consideration, he leaned down and pulled the hem of her skirt to cover the skin exposed to the sun.

Then—

Bang!

Without warning, an invisible slash cut through the air, striking Ash's arm.

However, the attack merely tore his sleeve before dissipating into magic particles, leaving his skin unscathed. The girl, still lying on her back with her legs in the air, froze mid-reaction. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared in disbelief at Ash's intact arm.

Ash, unfazed, asked calmly, "What are you doing attacking a gentleman? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

The girl sat up awkwardly, her expression a mix of indignation and amusement. "That's my question! What kind of gentleman pushes a girl's legs over and then runs away? And you looked quite serious about it too."

"First of all, I didn't look seriously. It was a quick glance," Ash countered, his tone matter-of-fact. "Second, I pushed you away because Fern and the others are in the village. What if they saw me chatting with someone suspicious and my reputation took another hit? If they weren't coming out soon, and if I weren't a warm, kind person, you'd already be dead."

"Haha~ Really scary," the girl replied, her tone playful. She patted the hem of her skirt and squatted beside him, resting her chin on her hands. A faint smile played on her lips as she teased, "But you're not a gentleman. That's not something a kind and gentle person would say, right?"

"Being kind and gentle doesn't mean letting others walk all over you," Ash shot back, his voice steady.

"More importantly..." The girl's tone shifted as she scrutinized him. "Why is your hand okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it should have been cut off," she said, her eyes narrowing.

Ash smirked. "What a coincidence. I thought it wouldn't be cut off."

Her brows furrowed, but Ash's sunny expression didn't falter. His demeanor was almost unnervingly carefree, like a boy basking in the light of day.

In the world of magic, imagination was everything. Yet, imagination alone wasn't enough—it required precise techniques and exceptional control.

The girl's cutting magic was undeniably advanced, the kind that even Frieren might praise. But the defensive spell Ash had cast on himself was even more refined, surpassing the upper limits of ordinary magic. It was a clash of techniques, where the stronger imagination won out.

For the girl, this was unprecedented. She stared at him, momentarily stunned, as if unable to process what had just happened.

When Ash turned away, seemingly dismissing her, she suddenly burst into laughter. "Haha! You're hilarious! Absolutely hilarious! You call me dangerous, but you're clearly more dangerous than I am! You dismiss my abilities, yet you make me powerless—how absurdly funny!"

Her laughter subsided, but her mischievous grin remained. She licked her lips seductively, her red tongue gliding over her thin lips. After a moment, she extended a hand toward him, her expression bright and playful.

"I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ubel. What about you, bro?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "You just tried to cut off my hand, and now you're introducing yourself?"

"Didn't I already apologize by showing you my underwear?"

"That's your idea of an apology?"

"Well, you did forcibly push me over and then ogle me, didn't you? In that case, even if your hand had been chopped off, it would've been your own fault. Honestly, I'd say I showed you mercy."

The girl—Ubel—kept smiling at him, and Ash found himself unable to refute her.

In this world, where human life was often treated as worthless and death could come from even the smallest conflict, her playful provocation felt oddly out of place.

"What a pity," Ash said coldly, his tone laced with disdain. "You're no match for me. So it's not you showing mercy—it's me showing mercy to you." His gaze flicked to the hand she still held aloft. "By the way, aren't you tired of keeping your hand up like that?"

"Isn't it you who refused to shake hands?" Ubel shot back, her tone teasing. "Or do you enjoy making a lady stand there like this? Or maybe..."

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe you want to take another look at this?"

Ubel playfully swung the hem of her skirt, her smile deepening as she watched him.

Ash met her gaze without flinching. After a brief pause, he nodded indifferently. "If you're that eager to show me, I don't mind taking another look."

"Haha~ You're really something else," Ubel laughed. "But do you think I'd actually let you see it again?"

"The human heart is hard to predict, and I don't like uncertainty," Ash replied flatly.

"So you're giving up?"

"No," he said, his tone calm and matter-of-fact. "I'm just helping you resolve the uncertainty—like this."

As Ubel continued to toy with her skirt, Ash, clearly annoyed, reached out and lifted it himself with an expressionless face.

The sudden chill under her skirt left Ubel frozen in place, her playful demeanor replaced with stunned silence. Taking advantage of her momentary shock, Ash clasped her still-extended hand.

"I'm Ash," he said coolly. "It's been a pleasure spending time with you. You've fulfilled your duties, so you can go home now."

"...Kill you?"

After a long, awkward pause, Ubel tilted her head, her lips curling into a drunken yet menacing smile. Magic surged around her as she unleashed a flurry of invisible slashes, the attacks cutting through the air like blades.

However, Ash's protective magic nullified each strike effortlessly, turning the attacks into harmless particles of light that dissipated in the air—just as before.