Frieren!

Here's today bonus chapter, enjoy~~

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From sunrise to sunset, the stars and moon shifted in the sky. It took Serie only half a month to bring Frieren from the vicinity of the elven homeland to Kribi. However, Aura took a full six months to walk back.

Most of the time was spent finding her way. For demons, ten years pass in the blink of an eye, but for humans, it's enough time for a child to grow into an adult. The same goes for human cities and travel routes.

In ten years, the buildings that used to serve as landmarks had changed significantly, and the old caravan routes that Aura had once relied on had been abandoned and replaced by new roads, confusing her sense of direction.

It took Aura a lot of effort to find an old elf village that had been secluded for many years in the ancient and deep forest with no one living there. 

During these six months, she had been disguising herself and concealing her whereabouts in order to prevent Serie from publishing her facial image in magic associations across the continent and issuing arrest warrants around the world. Aura expected a bounty on her head or at least a public outcry from the association, given her abrupt departure and the chaos she might have left behind.

However, to her surprise, there was no such reaction from the Continental Magic Association. It was as if her disappearance was like a pebble entering a stream—creating ripples that were quickly smoothed over by the current before anyone could notice them.

The new testing regime she had implemented was not abandoned; instead, Serie firmly promoted it. Although the stringent new standards initially caused anxiety among human mages, eventually, some exceptionally gifted individuals managed to pass the challenging tests and became First-Class Mages, quelling any disputes.

It turns out that Flamme is not the only human mage with extraordinary talent in this era - this makes Aura feel uneasy.

There is also the position of President of the Continental Magic Association. Regarding the sudden disappearance of the previous president, the Magic Association announced that "President Aura has been overworked for many years and is in poor health. She also wants to consider promoting younger generations, so she has handed over power." This official statement was carefully crafted to avoid scandal, and it seemed to placate the public and the association's members.

The new president of the Magic Association is Zanze. Upon taking office, Zanze demonstrated her capability and commitment to continuing the work Aura had started. She heard that a new first-class mage was appreciated by Serie and wanted to keep her as vice president. However, the mage declined, choosing instead to fight on the frontlines against demons. Despite declining the position, this mage occasionally returned to the association's headquarters, seemingly waiting for someone.

——None of this has anything to do with Aura.

Now she is just a traveler who wanders aimlessly with a white cloth wrapped around her head to cover her horns.

It took Aura half a year to walk back to the place where she was hit by Serie's magic explosion. From there, using the crater as a focal point, she spent another half-month searching for traces of the elven homeland's presence.

And today, after months of wandering and waiting, she, who had been waiting patiently, finally saw the elf she had been dreaming about -

Frieren!

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Elderschatten Forest, Northern Plateau

Under the layers of lush ancient trees with verdant green, the branches are intricate and maze-like. The dense canopy and tangled underbrush create a labyrinthine effect, making it easy for even a deer to vanish from sight in an instant. The forest seems like alive with subtle movements and sounds, yet it feels isolated, a hidden world away from prying eyes.

Amidst the green leaves, a purple figure remained hidden, barely noticeable. Aura, crowned with grass, held her breath, and peered at the white figure in the distance through the gaps in the wood, just like a jackal hiding its body and observing its prey before hunting.

After not seeing her for ten years, Frieren is still the same as usual, with white hair and a cold expression, like a person with facial paralysis and mental problems.

She was currently examining some unknown herbs on the ground, unaware of the sinister, purple-haired demon lurking nearby.

This was expected.

Compared to the Mana concealment abilities Frieren would develop in a thousand years, she could now suppress only a tenth of her power, while Aura, due to the effects of obedience magic, was suppressed to zero. Even the best mages couldn't detect her presence before she revealed herself.

"Well, there are no other elves here - she left the village alone." Aura looked around, closed her eyes and concentrated, carefully sensing the traces of mana around her.

The color perceived by mana only belongs to the elf, Frieren, without any other colors.

"Frieren!" Aura stepped into the open, knowing that for obedience spell to work, the target must be aware of the caster's presence. Otherwise, she could have hidden among the soldiers and used obedience spell on Frieren secretly.

Although this wouldn't change her fate, she might have escaped before Frieren issued any commands.

"Aura!" The elf on the opposite side stood up after hearing the familiar voice and looked in the direction where the voice came from. From a distance, her eyes lit up and a hint of surprise appeared on her cold face.

She waved and greeted Aura from a distance.

'Does this elf really think I'm her friend? Today, I'll show you the fruits of my ten years of hard work!'

"Frieren, kill yourself!" Aura smiled evilly, stretched out her finger towards Frieren, pointed in the air, and a dark light flashed at her fingertips and reached Frieren's body in an instant.