Frieren: I Reject My Humanity!

Chapter 316 316: The Biggest and Most Malicious Joke

"Oh, you're awake."

That familiar, slightly impish voice made Frieren freeze.

The moment her vision snapped back into focus, she lunged — face twisted with fury — and fired a spell straight at her.

Fíliya flicked her wrist lazily and deflected it without a second thought.

"Still in battle-frenzy mode? Go ahead and rest a little longer, then."

Fíliya laughed softly.

Frieren stood there, bewildered. Maybe it was the sheer whiplash of it, or maybe she was simply too stunned — either way, she couldn't quite get her bearings.

"Honestly. Look around you."

At Fíliya's prompting, Frieren turned her head in a daze.

And there they were — her beloved student, her companions — Fern, Stark, Heiter, Eisen, Flamme… and Himmel.

Every single person Fíliya had killed. All of them, whole and unharmed, scattered nearby, breathing slow and steady.

The reason she had struck out the instant she saw Fíliya was because of everything she had endured before that moment. Starting with such hopeful expectation — then watching, with her own eyes, as everyone she cherished was cut down by Fíliya without effort.

No matter how complicated her feelings toward Fíliya had been, in the end, they had curdled into nothing but hatred.

And yet… she had been fooled after all.

"What exactly… are you playing at."

Frieren clearly hadn't fully pulled herself out of that state, so the words came out sharp and cold.

"Simple. Everything that happened was real — I just reversed all the deaths back to before they occurred. Easy enough to understand, right?"

Frieren let out a slow sigh.

"What about Serie."

"Ah, her situation is… not great. The vast majority of my attacks — she took them all on your behalf. Without her, I would have wiped you all out in an instant."

"So putting her back together… even for me, that's probably going to take a few years. Either way, I've already taken her in and kept her safe."

"Your exam, then. What exactly is the answer you wanted."

Frieren's mood seemed to have settled, at least a little. Some warmth had crept back into her voice.

"You know, don't you think using something like 'immortality' as an exam question is actually rather underhanded?"

Fíliya said it with an easy smile.

"It's like flinging open the doors of your own vault and announcing to the crowd that anyone can walk in and take whatever they want… but then, once they actually rush in and grab the gold and jewels, turning around and saying, 'See? This is how greedy and contemptible human nature truly is.'"

"Fair point. Knowing full well that longevity and immortality are temptations humans can barely resist — and still dangling them in the human world to stir up chaos. You're at least self-aware enough to know how low that is."

Frieren nodded in genuine agreement.

"Mm, so you all did well. When the question is unreasonable from the start, the right move is to turn in a blank sheet — and then band together and beat the examiner bloody. It's just a shame… that you couldn't quite pull it off."

Fíliya said it with a widening smile, and it was plain to see how deeply satisfied she was with the outcome.

"So what you were after was… that one moment, just now. Without some dramatic provocation, none of you would have steeled yourselves to actually come after me, would you? My goal, from beginning to end, was straightforward — I never hid it. Or did you get it into your head that I had some grand, world-shaking scheme?"

"I simply wanted every top-tier fighter on the continent to gather in one place and face me in a real battle. That's also why I chose to kill Fern first — if I couldn't make you furious, I'd never see any of you at full strength."

"Oh, shut up — you — you…!"

Frieren shot to her feet, fury blazing, and crossed the distance to Fíliya in three strides.

"Me?"

Fíliya kept that same unrepentant grin.

"You absolute wretch!"

She'd been holding back for so long — but in the end, Frieren couldn't find anything worse to say than that.

Instead, she slowly lowered her head and rested it against Fíliya's shoulder.

"It's… completely over now, right?"

"Yes. I promise — it's over. I'm sorry for the mess I caused."

Frieren drew a long breath, then continued.

"So. What happens now."

"Well… I'm thinking of severing the northern landmass from the rest of the continent, and sealing the Demon Race off from the human world for a few centuries or so. As for the human world — there'll probably be legends left behind about 'the great battle that split the earth and divided the seas.'"

"As for what happens to the human world after that — I couldn't care less, honestly. I'll leave you 'heroes who defeated the Demon King' to clean up the rest of the mess."

"Us?"

Frieren blinked.

"Of course. You have the renown of having defeated the Demon King, you're the finest warriors the human world has to offer, and you've proven you can resist even the temptation of immortality. With people like you guiding the human world… you'll bring at least a century or two of peace, surely."

"The world will belong entirely to humanity. Going forward, there will be no more Demon Kings, no more heroes — and no more God of Magic."

Frieren blinked slowly, head a little blank, feeling the sheer weight of information settling over her.

But Fíliya wasn't finished.

"As for the people I brought back — consider it my apology. But Frieren, mark my words: second chances do exist, but I'll only ever give one. I have no intention of being some all-purpose wishing machine, so if anyone is foolish enough to squander even a second chance, all I can do is laugh at them from afar."

"…Thank you."

Frieren breathed in slowly. She understood exactly what Fíliya meant.

"Speaking of which — Himmel is really something else. Stubborn as a mule. When I brought him back, I asked if he'd like to become a demon — that way he wouldn't have to worry about his lifespan anymore. But that man just bristled like a cornered dog and had the nerve to draw his sword at me."

"So then I asked if he'd rather become an elf… but after a few seconds of hesitation, he shook his head again. Do you know what he said?"

"…I don't."

"He said a second chance was enough. Can you believe it — this fool, turning down immortality freely offered by a god. Truly one of a kind. So —"

"So?"

Frieren blinked vacantly.

"So when that man dies of old age for the second time, make sure you call me. I simply must see the look on his face when he regrets it."

"You… are you really that petty."

Frieren shook her head, exasperated.

"Alright, that's enough talk."

Fíliya reached out and lightly tapped Frieren's forehead with one finger. Frieren crumpled to the ground at once, falling into unconsciousness.

At that moment, a figure approached from behind. Two arms wrapped slowly around Fíliya's neck, and a chin came to rest on top of her head.

"What are you doing…"

Fíliya looked at her with mild exasperation.

"A reward… for a good girl who kept her promise?"

Solitär laughed quietly.

"That doesn't count as a reward."

Fíliya fixed her with a peculiar look.

"Then what do you want?"

"Hmm… I'll have to think carefully about that. By the way — between you and Sense, who actually won?"

Fíliya asked suddenly.

"Hm? If you're curious, you can look for yourself."

Solitär pressed an index finger to her own temple, silently inviting Fíliya to read her memories.

"Tch. Fine, don't tell me then."

Fíliya pouted like a sulking child.

Then she heard it — a quiet set of footsteps.

She rose and turned toward the sound.

Sense stood there, watching her with an unreadable, complicated expression.

"I'm sorry… it was my idea to have Solitär hold you back."

Fíliya hastened to explain.

Sense said nothing. She had heard the entire conversation between Fíliya and Frieren from where she stood.

The reason Fíliya had kept her away from it all… wasn't hard to understand.

Even with the power to reverse death — Fíliya still hadn't wanted her anywhere near the danger?

Sense grasped it instantly, and the feeling it stirred inside her grew all the more tangled and difficult to name.

"In the end… I didn't manage to do anything at all."

Sense exhaled softly.

"Well… you'll have plenty to do very soon."

Fíliya stepped toward her quickly.

"Hm?"

Sense looked up, curiosity and anticipation both visible in her eyes.

"You know how I am — if no one's watching, I tend to cause trouble. So… will you stay here with me, Sense?"

Sense's eyes went slightly wide. She knew, of course, exactly what those words meant.

So what would she choose?

Hesitation? Impossible. For Sense, there had never been any other possibility.

"I will."

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