A Hundred Girlfriends Who Really Love You... In Another World! 16 (Patreon)

"Nice to meet ya! My name is Flugel...! Conqueror of the stars!" A yellow eyed boy greets me, as soon as our eyes meet, a shock runs through my body. Is this some kind of attack...? No, I don't think so.

I nod. "My name is Frieren, it's nice to meet you too." Now it's time I ask him about what I really came here for. "Excuse me, but do you know where Reid Astrea is? I have important matters to discuss with him..." To think another Heavenly Blade would be born... History has long ago forgotten the second one, much less the first one.

He flinches. "Hey... why are you looking for him anyways?" He scratches his head. "If he seduced you and then dumped you, please be aware that my friend is a dumbass. He's the type of guy who would break even the heart of a beautiful silver haired elf girl, but he doesn't mean anything bad for it?" Beautiful...?

I shake my head. "That isn't it. I have been sent here to recruit him for the war effort." A Heavenly Blade would easily cleave through the Demon God, so it would be nice if he did indeed join us. "That is, if the rumours about him are true..." Well, we would never reject another soldier, but it would feel like a waste of time if he was just another common swordsman.

Flugel raises an eyebrow... "Rumors? If you're asking about the night of a hundred lays... Yeah, it was totally him. I had nothing to do with it!" I don't even know what you're talking about, so there's no need to scream.

I cross my arms. "I'm talking about his supposed genocide of the evil dragon race." The boy flinches, I'm guessing this is an uncomfortable topic for him. "There's no need to feel sorry for them, monsters are monsters." The evil dragons were a constant threat to the world, I'm glad they're mostly gone.

Flugel awkwardly scratches his head. "I guess so... To be honest I wanted to keep everyone out of the war, but Satella would probably rush in eventually." He sighs. "Damn it, aren't the witches enough trouble?" I wish there was no trouble at all.

I try to give him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, everything will turn out fine in the end. It's not like the world will disappear... Besides, the war will reach the Dragon Continent eventually, if no one stops Laplace." It is strange.

At first the so-called Demon God had been... humane with his actions, it truly seemed to be a battle solely for land and resources, a normal war, but then... Suddenly his tactics change, now he is nothing but a destroyed, he isn't even conquering land, he is just killing for the sake of killing. A demon through and through.

He hesitantly nods. "Yeah, you're right, but... They could die. I don't want the happy smiles of my friends to disappear like that." The war is ruining far more happy smiles, so it is what it is.

I shrug. "They would die eventually anyways."

////////

"I'm gonna get married to Satella once I come back! That's a promise!" I have a headache and Flugel has now decided to scream... What a pain, but I won't tell him to pipe it down, since we finally won.

Laplace is gone, dead. A few Demon Kings survived the conflict, but overall a happy ending has been achieved... Now Flugel gets his happy ending with my student. Everything is great.

I take a bite of my sugary bread, I should probably stop eating so much of this stuff though, it's bad for the heart, I think. I didn't tell anyone, but occasionally I'm feeling spikes of pain... This is one of those moments.

The girl in Flugel's lap squeals, she's my student, a half-elf named Satella. "Yes...! Well, we had already discussed this in private, but we decided to tell you guys." Cute. I want to meet cute babies of my student. I need to stop with this bread, even if tastes good though.

Hoshin claps, making Flugel even more embarrassed than he already is. "Hell yeah! This is the moment I have been waitin' for!" I don't get this man, why did he go through such lengths to get them together? Ah, whatever he has always been an admirer of the Sage. "You'd better make me the best man." That would be fair indeed.

Flugel awkwardly looks away. "My bad, I already gave that position to Farsale." So we aren't the first to learn of this...? Now I'm pouting, my student is way too mean, she needs to stop hanging around with Echidna, and Flugel needs to stop hanging around with Reid.

Hoshin lowers his head. "F-for real!? Ya didn't even give me a chance... Hell, how did ya even tell the bastard the good news!? He's back in Lugunica glazin' Volcanica or whatever." Through a letter, I imagine.

I sigh. "Farsale will bring a good reputation to the marriage, he is a king after all." I smile, thinking about the Divine Dragon. "Besides, it is truly a blessing that Volcanica shall safeguard that kingdom... He has a good heart." Soon all the evil that slumbers in that country shall be rightfully wiped out.

I'm truly glad I have met Volcanica, I always heard stories about him, ever since I was young and... I'm glad he's living it up to every single one of them. A true hero, a true hero who is much older than me at that.

Hoshin snorts. "Whatever! I'm gonna be a king too! Fuck you guys, I'm gonna make a country!" That's... I don't think deciding to create a country is a good dream to follow, not exactly easy. 

I raise an eyebrow. "That seems... Have you put thought in it? Well, anyways, I don't recommend pursuing that path. Even if you succeed, it would crumble a few years from now." A dark estimate, but one that could very likely come true.

He shakes his head, a grin on his face. "Nah, I've been thinking about this for a while, so I' ain't throwin' the towel before I even start..." He chuckles. "And my country won't crumble. Trust me, four hundred years from now, it will still be standin'." So what?

I'm glad Hoshin has gone from a suicidal man to a man who smiles so much, but four hundred years is... I won't say it's nothing, but it's also not that much... I will probably forget about it eventually.

Satella giggles. "So Hoshin's delusions aside..." She looks at me. "Can you attend my wedding! Please!" 

"No." Why did I just say that? "Sorry, but I'll be busy hunting down the remnants of Laplace's army." I could do that later though... No, I don't want to go to her wedding. I don't know why, but it's not a good idea.

Satella pouts. "Oh... Okay. Then... hopefully you come to see us after you're done!" Of course I will. I just need... what? Fifteen years to fix this mess? Then I can go see my student again and...

I smile towards his direction. "Keep working hard, Flugel." The amazing Great Sage who throughly crushed Laplace. My best friend.

///////

"I... don't know how to say this Frieren, but... you came too late." Volcanica booming voice reaches my ears. "The Witch of Envy has been defeated, but... Flugel, Echidna, Reid, Farsale, Hoshin... They have all passed away." Oh.

I nod. "I see, that's too bad. I came here as fast as I could, but I was busy." In the end I had to show up before the fifteen years were up. Just fourteen years passed... Well, at least Satella isn't dead, just sealed.

Weird, I'm feeling pain for some reason. "I'll guess I'll go say hi to Shaula and Atoferatofe and then go hunt on Belzerg." A pretty tough Demon King had show- My heart is hurting, I know I should have stopped eating that stupid food.

Volcanica sighs. "Frieren... Just slow down a little, spend some time with Shaula, she needs you." What are you talking about she will be fine, I'll just leave for a few more years and then I'll come back to see her again. She needs to learn how to deal with this.

I grasp my heart. "Volcanica, that doesn't matter right now..." I'm panting, my vision is going blurry. "I can't breathe for some reason, I think there's an attack going on." Maybe a new witch has awakened her authority?

Volcanica raises an eyebrow. "An attack...? Oh, I forgot you were so young... This isn't an attack Frieren." It's either that or too much sugar on my blood, the last option is way too embarassing to be the case. "Just go... go see Shaula, go see Roswaal, go... spend some time with everyone." I...

I still can't stop panting. "Volcanica, I have to tell you a secret...!" It's time I finally reveal it.

He nods. "Tell me. I'll listen to you for however long you want." It won't take too long though...

I'm blushing out of embarrassment. "Flugel got me addicted to sweets, and now I think I'm having a heart attack. Please use your healing breath on me." There, I admitted it... My teacher is gonna laugh herself to death over this.

For some reason, even though my whole body is sweating, even though I'm trembling and sweating, even though snot is coming out from my nose and tear from my eyes, even though my heart is about to explode... Volcanica doesn't do anything.

Can't he see I'm in need of help right now!? I genuinely think I'm about to die... I can't even concentrate my mana to cast a healing spell, is this really what a heart attack is? Am I really dying? I wan- I don't want to die.

He finally speaks up. "Frieren, go eat something nice and sweet with Shaula." Didn't he hear what I said!? That's what caused my problem in the first place! "Then... it's gonna hurt even more after that, but after a while the pain will stop hurting as much." That's not how a heart condition works!

He continues. "Just don't... don't ever let the pain away. Never ever forget it, don't forget the name Flugel no matter what... And then maybe in a thousand years someone will get you addicted to sweets again." I take back what I used to think.

This dragon is an idiot. I don't need to bother with Roswaal or whatever, I just need... I need to go.

////////

"It is a pleasure to meeeeeet you Lady Frieren." A man dressed like a clown bows to me, he looks scarily similar to the pupil of my pupil, and yet... He looks scarily different. And most importantly...

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean meet? Don't play pranks on me Roswaal." He was a young man when I left Lugunica, and it has only been... what? Seventy years? Eighty? He should be an old man, but that's it.

His eyes widen. "Oh... do you...?" And then he shakes his head. "I beeelieve there is a misunderstanding here. I'm Roswaal C. Matters, the man you knew waaaaaas my beloved grandfather." Ah, that makes sense.

I nod. "I see, sorry if I sounded rude for a moment. Can you please take me to see him? I obtained a few new books through dungeon diving, and I want to share them." I might as well help with his education, now that Echidna is... gone.

For some reason a tense silence enters the room. It reminds me of that day, back in the tower, that day that was decades ago and yet I haven't forgotten it yet. Why did I forget my first meeting with Flugel? Why did I forget his first Yin spell? Why did I forget what was the first sweet he bought me? If I forgot all that, then why do I remember that day in the tower?

It doesn't matter, what matters right now is seeing Roswaal, but... His descendant shakes his head. "My apologies, but my grandfather passed away a few years ago." Oh... Sorry Echidna, I couldn't teach your student much.

I begin laying down. "I see." Ah, the floor is kind of nice. I guess... But this isn't helping much, my head is still feeling dizzy, and I still feel like vomiting, and I still feel my heart beating fast, and I still, and I still, and I still...!

Roswaal C. Matters raises an eyebrow. "Excuuuuse me, but what exactly are you doing Lady Frieren...?" Dying probably. Stupid Volcanica, couldn't even bother to fix my condition... And I don't want to stop eating sweets.

I try to smile, but I can't for some reason. "My apologies, it's just that I have too much sugar on my blood, so sometimes I feel dizzy. I heard laying down was good in these situations..." Maybe I should look for a doctor...? But the last time I felt something like this was way back in the tower. 

He nods. "Very well, take your time... But could you visit Lady Beatrice? I think... I think you two could help each other." Who?

I raise an eyebrow. "Who's Beatrice...?" Some creation of Roswaal I never met?

He sighs. "She's... maybe her meeting you would only make things worse, so don't worry about her Lady Frieren." I wasn't worrying about her in the first place, you're the one who mentioned her after all.

Well, I should probably go.

/////////

I sigh. "Himmel, stop dashing towards trouble." The blur has finally ended. For some time I... My condition got better, but now it's back for some reason. Whenever I look at my new comrades a bad feeling pops up in my chest.

He grins. "It's fine! You're the only one here who actually falls for the traps in dungeons!" Great, now I'm blushing... Give me a break! Of course I'm falling for them, if no one fell for traps people wouldn't make them anymore.

My eye twitches. "Whatever. We shouldn't even be in a dungeon anyways... It's a waste of time right now." I'm all for dungeon spelunking of course, but we are in the middle of a war...

For the people who are my comrades, I imagine they don't even remember what Belzerg was like before the Demon King. Annoying little monster, annoying little pest...! If only Flugel and I had killed him all those years ago...

Belzerg would be a better place, Belzerg would be a less bloody place... It isn't fair, I gave up everything for this and still... No, I didn't give up anything that important, it was just a few years.

Besides, how long ago was the Laplace War anyways...? Three hundred years ago...? I don't remember. Maybe I should go visit Volcanica soon, catch up and talk about older times, I heard that's a nice thing to do.

Himmel grins. "This isn't a waste of time, we are getting stronger by doing this after all... How don't you know that? Old hag." I'm killing this brat, no one will find or mourn his body, that I swear!

Before I can give him much needed justice, Heiter, the bastard, laughs. "You know Himmel, you won't get far in your goal if you call her that." Indeed, I shall kill him way before we fight the Demon King.

He laughs back. "I suppose so." And then he sends me a smile. "Sorry about that, you're as beautiful as they come... What they say about the Witch of Envy doesn't matter." I don't care for some minor prejudice.

Still, I smile back. "It's fine Flug-...!" I want to-! I lay down. "Sorry, sugar problems again." You think this would have stopped after so many years, but I suppose there are far worse fates out there.

And while Himmel and Eisen rush to my side, worried expressions on their faces, Heiter sighs. "This again? I already told you, there's nothing wrong with your blood or body or whatever." What would you know?

I glare at him. "Shut up, shitty Axis Order priest." If the goddess Aqua is real, I hope she's filled with shame... And Eris definitely doesn't pad her chest! Stop insulting my religion damn it!

He chuckles. "Frieren you... are truly an idiot." No, I'm actually pretty smart.

////////

"Why!? Why am I such a fucking idiot...!" Himmel is crying his heart out over a dead body. "If I wasn't such a fool, if I wasn't such a weakling then...!" That dead body belongs to our party member, it's Einsen.

Heiter is crying too. "I...! Why can't I heal him!? Even though I keep trying he's not getting up! Get up already damn it!" Sorry, but reviving the recently dead is only something very few people can do, and we won't have enough time to look for them.

I'm feeling again, my condition, but I fight through it and put my hand on Himmel's shoulder. "You're not weak, you're the Sword God, and one day you shall become a Heavenly Blade." At least if he keeps working hard.

I then look at Heiter. "And you... you did your best. Sometimes bad stuff happens, but... He was always gonna die anyways." I took Flugel's tactics that kept everyone alive for granted. 

The battlefield is a terrifying place, but it can't be helped. Einsen was a brave man, but he will be remembered... No, he won't. He was never nearly as strong as Himmel, for all intents and purposes he will be forgotten. I... want to go see Volcanica.

While both of my party members give me strange looks, I swallow nothing. "I... think we should take a break. This party isn't strong enough to defeat the Demon King. Let's take fifteen years to train." I turn around, I'll come back after fifteen years, I'll come back after fifteen years, I'll come back after...!

Himmel grabs my hand. "You...!" And then he releases it. "See you in fifteen years."

///////////=

The gigantic dragon roars. "Who are thee who steps forth on the tower!?" I'm glad to see Volcanica again, it's like a weight from my chest has been lifted... It's a pretty amazing thing.

I shily smile. "It's me, Frieren! I skipped a bunch of floors with magic... Sorry, I'll go down to say hi to Shaula and Atoferatofe later." I miss them to, but I want to speak with him first.

He repeats himself. "Who are thee who steps forth on the tower!?" I'm Frieren!

He repeats himself. I'm Frieren!

He repeats himself. I'm Frieren!

He repeats himself. I'm Frieren!

He repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself, he repeats himself.

It's only been a few hundreds years. Don't do this to me...! "Volcania. It's me, your friend Fieren... We went through a journey to stop Laplace remember? I told you were my hero remember? You told me to go get sweets with Shaula remember?" Please don't do this to me.

He repeats himself. "Who are thee who steps forth on the tower!?" I... I don't want this, I don't want to become like this! I don't want this...! Just die already...! I don't want to forget that day in the tower, that's all he left me...!

I need to learn more about people.

////////////

"Sorry, Himmel died." Huh? 

I raise an eyebrow. "How? There's no way he died training right?" Is Heiter lying to me? Is this a mean prank? He's always pulling mean pranks, but this isn't funny. I came back early this time, not even two years have passed.

He nods. "We never even trained. There's no way Himmel and I could just sit back while the Demon King's forces rampaged and raped around. We just didn't argue with you, because we didn't want our separation to be messy." Oh, that makes sense.

I nod back. "Understood, well I need to lay down now. My condition is acting up again." I just let Flugel die again... I don't even remember Flugel, but I know he was similar to Himmel, and now Himmel died, and now, and now, and now...!

He sighs. "Frieren... I won't let you disrespect the man who loved you like that." I wouldn't disrespect Flugel, I wouldn't disrespect Hoshin, I wouldn't disrespect Farsale, I wouldn't disrespect Echidna, I wouldn't, I wouldn't, I wouldn't...!

He continues. "You don't have high levels of sugar in your body or anything stupid like that. You're hyperventilating because a beloved friend of ours passed away, and you weren't even here to say goodbye." But... I came back early.

I did.

I vomit. "Argh...!" What do I do!? What do I do!? What was I supposed to do!? What do I do!? I'm still vomiting, why can't I stop vomiting!? Why is Heiter not doing anything!? Why is he just watching!? Stop watching, stop watching me!

I fall down, and I hit my head on the floor. "Die...! Just die already! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!" He's holding my head now. "Why can't I die!? I should have died! Die...! I don't get it! Why didn't someone explain it to me!? Why...!?" Give Himmel back. Give him back.

Heiter is still holding me. "Just... just keep grieving Frieren. This is what happens when you ignore your emotions for four hundred years." Ignore my emotions!? Like a stupid fucking idiot like you would get it.

I'm crying, I don't wanna cry...! "I didn't grieve! I didn't! I can't! I can't think about it...! Why did I even care about that stupid war!? Why do I even care about this stupid war!? I should have stayed longer with Flugel, I should have stayed longer with Himmel." But I didn't, now I'm gonna forget him too.

Just like that day, even snot is running down my nose. "Why did he take it away from me!? I wanted to keep those memories! But he only left me with the news of his passing! Why did he only left me with that!? He was supposed to save everyone, just like he always did...!" And now...! And now...! "I don't want to! I don't want Himmel to fade away too! I don't wanna remember only this day...!" That's why...

Why can't I just die already? Why am I still here? To beat the Demon King? Is that really it? What even is the point of that? Flugel didn't get to live a peaceful life even when he won, Himmel didn't get to live a peaceful life even when he lost. A few years from now a new Demon King will show up, like they always, always do.

I know what I need to do. "My student is waiting for me." I need to save the Witch of Envy.

The priest sighs. "Frieren... can't you just stay here? Please?" I...

I need to save the Witch of Envy, she's an half-elf who will live long after all, then I can apologize to Shaula and everyone else. Sorry.

///////

"You're an old man now..." After so many years, I'm finally meeting Heiter again. I'm glad I got here in time, before he passed away too, I don't know what I would have done if he was dead already...

He sighs, he's always doing that around me. "Hello Frieren. Should I assume the Witch of Envy is free once more?" No, I can't save my student, I tried and failed. And I refuse to join the Witch's Cult either.

I look down. "I couldn't save her... I just came here to die with you." Finally. I'm tired of staring at that tree, I'm tired of staring at that tower, I'm tired of staring at everything from afar.

He smiles. "I see, that's comforting, I guess... But can I ask a favor of you first Frieren? Before you come with me?" I immediately nod, I'll do anything. "I... have a little girl I'm taking care off. Please raise her until she's big and strong... She eventually wants to attend one of the big Magical Academies, but I can't teach her magic... Please help her with that." Seems easy enough.

I smile. "Okay, then after she gets into an academy I'll kill myself." Just a bit more, for my old dying friend.