Frieren: Reincarnated As a Demon

Chapter 137: The Second Round of Exams· Ruins of the King's Tomb

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"Although I admit I provoked Ash on purpose, and he isn't that kind of person, his attitude... it's just infuriating!" Lawine fumed, rolling up her sleeves and slightly lifting her skirt as though ready to pick a fight with Ash again.

"You don't really mean that..." Fern, who had been about to speak on Ash's behalf, hesitated, her emotions mixed after hearing Lawine's outburst.

She had initially planned to defend Ash with a few kind words. However, Lawine's frustration didn't seem to stem from past grievances, but rather a personality clash—or perhaps something more complicated, like an emotional entanglement.

"Is this what Ash meant when he mentioned tsundere?" Frieren commented, refraining from her usual Frieren at Ash, instead observing Lawine with curiosity.

"Tsundere? What's that supposed to mean?" Lawine asked, frowning in confusion.

She didn't understand the term, but something about it made her feel it wasn't a compliment. After all, she simply didn't get along with Ash, but she acknowledged his skills. There wasn't a deeper conflict, was there?

Lawine pondered the idea briefly before shaking it off. She had no time to worry about such things because before she could vent her frustration at Ash, a blue bird from the Magic Association swooped in through the open window.

With a sharp cry, the bird dropped a scroll onto the table. The rolled-up paper unfurled to reveal the details for the second round of exams—the time, location, and the name of the examiner.

---

The sudden arrival of the blue bird disrupted the warm, lighthearted atmosphere in the room. The tension deepened as soon as they saw the examiner's name.

"Sense? Just our luck," Lawine groaned, clutching her head as though the name alone gave her a headache. Even Kanne's cheerful demeanor dimmed as she muttered, "It's hard enough passing the first round…"

Her dejected tone was almost pitiable, and if they had been alone, Ash might have teased her. But with everyone present, he chose to remain quiet.

Noticing their expressions, Fern asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Sense has handled four previous exams, and no one passed any of them," Lawine explained, her bitterness evident. She turned to Ash with a pleading look. "I heard you're close with her. Can't you ask her to go easy on us this time?"

"I respect Sense's decisions," Ash replied simply.

"But the meeting point is the Ruins of the King's Tomb! The exam will definitely take place inside," Lawine persisted. "My brother went there before. The Water Mirror Demon is said to lurk in the depths. It can create perfect copies of its opponents. Even you would have to fight yourself. Are you really confident you can handle that?"

"What are you even worried about?" Ash shook his head, a soft laugh escaping his lips.

"There's no such thing as perfect magic, and nothing in this world is absolute," he explained calmly. "Take the mercenary magician from the first round as an example. His suppression magic could limit magic power, but even that had its limits, right? Every type of magic has boundaries."

"But what if you aren't the boundary? How can you be so sure it has a limit at all?" Lawine countered, her skepticism clear.

"Because it's still a living creature, not a god," Ash replied confidently.

If the Water Mirror Demon could truly create flawless copies, it would already have been deployed to deal with the Demon King—or the demons would have used it to confront the Goddess.

Even though Ash's reasoning seemed sound, it was clear that not everyone was entirely convinced. After all, as far as Lawine knew, no one had ever successfully conquered the King's Tomb. It was said that no one had reached the limits of the mythical-era creature known as the Crystal Demon.

Ash sighed, shaking his head at their doubts. "Think about it," he said. "It was imprisoned as a gravekeeper at the bottom of the King's Tomb. Do you think it volunteered for the job? If its replicas were truly flawless, why would it have been confined there?"

"Uh... come to think of it," Lawine murmured, her brow furrowing, "isn't the King's Tomb an underground royal mausoleum built during the period of great unification?"

It wasn't until Ash's reminder that the pieces began to click. She frowned, mulling it over. If the monster's replicas were truly without fault, it wouldn't need to be confined to guard the tomb. The royal mausoleum had been meticulously constructed; it was far more likely that the creature had been imprisoned there after it was built.

Realizing this, she turned to Ash with a look of surprise. "Uncle… you're unexpectedly smart."

"That shouldn't be unexpected," Ash replied with a scoff. "And if you're going to compliment me, at least do it properly."

Lawine crossed her arms, a slight pout on her lips. "No, I just feel like I've lost somehow."

"Kids these days..." Ash shook his head dramatically before flipping open the book he had been reading earlier, clearly uninterested in arguing further.

Meanwhile, the others began discussing strategies for conquering the King's Tomb. Their low voices were filled with a mixture of apprehension and determination as they tried to prepare for the challenge ahead.

---

The Day of the Exam

The morning of the exam arrived, and Sense stood waiting at the entrance of the imposing royal tomb. Her small figure was dwarfed by the grandeur of the structure around her. The four massive entrances to the tomb were flanked by towering stone statues, each standing over twenty meters tall. The central figure depicted an old man holding a scepter, crowned regally—a clear representation of the tomb's deceased king.

As Ash approached, he couldn't help but feel amused at the sight of Sense standing alone amidst such grandeur. For a brief moment, he considered ruffling her hair in greeting, but he refrained, remembering the situation. Instead, he simply walked up and greeted her casually.

Sense lowered her head slightly, guilt evident in her demeanor. In a quiet voice meant only for him, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Master Ash... I already reported the exam details to Master Serie. When she found out you were participating, she refused to allow any changes to the content..."

Ash chuckled softly, brushing off her concern with a wave of his hand. "That's exactly what Serie would do. Don't worry about it. I'll manage."

His easygoing demeanor seemed to calm her nerves, and she exhaled, relieved. Turning to face the gathered examinees, Sense took a deep breath and raised her voice.

"The second round of the exam is to conquer the Ruins of the King's Tomb," she announced. "The only condition for passing is to reach the deepest part of the tomb. As you all know, I am a pacifist and dislike unnecessary conflict, so reaching the bottom is all you need to do to succeed."

Her words drew a murmur from the crowd, their unease evident despite her attempts at reassurance. Sense continued, carefully explaining the time limit: participants had until dawn the next day to complete the task. As she elaborated further, she began distributing small glass bottles containing tiny golems to each participant, briefly explaining their purpose.