Frieren: Understand Humans, Aura!

Aura wasn't sure how she fell asleep the previous night.

Despite Frieren's command to "learn how to smile like humans" which had lasted all day, Aura still felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh, with no sign of it stopping.

Could it be that she hasn't learned it yet?

Was a human smile different from the expression she had now?

She couldn't understand what was missing.

Even when Aura felt tired and wanted to sleep, her body kept shaking with suppressed laughter, making it impossible to fall asleep.

It was not until the proprietress kindly gave her some red wine and Aura got herself drunk that she finally fell into a deep sleep with difficulty.

But in the morning, sAura was abruptly awakened by her own laughter. It started quietly, a giggle in her sleep, but quickly escalated into uncontrollable laughter that left her gasping for breath, her face flushed with the effort.

The situation was becoming dire; this was no longer just a desire to laugh but a curse that threatened her very life. If she didn't find a way to stop, Aura feared she might suffocate to death.

Desperate for relief, she remembered the wine from the previous night and staggered downstairs, her laughter echoing through the quiet inn. She could barely manage to ask for more wine amidst her uncontrollable, creepy laughter.

As she approached the bar, she noticed that the other guests had fled, likely alarmed by the strange and unsettling sounds she was making. The proprietress, pale and nervous, handed her a beer, her hands trembling slightly.

Although the drink was different from the red wine she'd had before, Aura gratefully accepted it, hoping it would have the same numbing effect. She drank deeply, downing it in one go, and felt the laughter finally begin to subside. She took a moment to breathe, panting heavily as the alcohol dulled her senses and quelled the overwhelming urge to laugh.

As she took another swig of the beer, Aura felt a peculiar pleasure welling up inside her.

Maybe it was because she was laughing all the time that her mood unconsciously improved, or maybe it was because of the alcohol that numbed Aura's nerves. In short, she was very happy now.

She was so happy that she didn't feel any fear when she saw Flamme standing in front of her with a staff in her hand.

Aura nonchalantly patted the chair next to her, gesturing for Flamme to sit down.

She even offered her a drink.

"Want a drink?"

"...Sure."

Flamme, although frowning, set her staff aside and took the beer, sitting next to Aura.

ith a quick flick of her hand, a soft magical light shimmered over the beer mug, confirming that the drink was safe and free from any toxins or harmful substances.

Only then did she take a sip.

Aura, looking every bit the drunken mess, leaned heavily on the table. Her movements were slow and uncoordinated as she wrapped an arm around Flamme's shoulders, her voice slurred as she began to reminisce about the past:

"You've been my old friend, Flamme. The last time I saw you, you were still so small. I didn't expect that when we met again, you had already become a first-class mage."

"How did you know I'm a first-class— never mind, that's not important."

Flamme warily brushed off Aura's hand that was around her shoulders, staring at Aura with burning eyes, and found that she had no hostility.

Strange, were they really this close?

Without saying a word, Flamme took a sip of the beer in his hand, which tasted mellow.

She didn't plan to expose the truth now, but to follow the demon's actions to see what her intentions were.

But after waiting for a while, Flamme heard nothing more from Aura, who seemed to have dozed off again.

She nudged Aura's shoulder, then shook her, and finally gave her a hard kick, confirming that the drunken demon had indeed passed out.

"I thought I'd get some information about her whereabouts from you! And here you are, getting drunk and passing out!"

Flamme slammed her hand on the bar, taking a big swig of beer, her mood dropping when Aura still didn't react.

She wasn't in a hurry to kill this demon because Flamme was confident in her own abilities. She wanted to hear more from this demon.

Although she knew that her current thoughts were ridiculous, the purple-haired demon was the only clue Flamme had about Aura's whereabouts.

Regardless of whether the purple-haired demon was listening or not, Flamme continued to mutter while drinking:

"Since you know me, you should still remember the other human woman who protected me back then, right?"

"If you know where she is, can you tell me?"

"I also find it ridiculous. After all, I need to ask a demon like you about the whereabouts of a human."

"But think about it carefully. Every time I met her, you were there too. Could it be that you two are rivals?"

"For the past ten years, I've been looking for her. I went to the Lawenberg Mountains as you told me, but I found out I was deceived."

"But you seem to know Aura well. Could it be that you weren't lying and I just arrived too late?"

"Later, I went to the Magic Association, hearing that the president was also named Aura. I thought it was her, but I never got to meet her. Maybe it wasn't her after all."

"Tell me, could it be that Aura is already dead? Have I been searching for someone who doesn't exist for ten years?"

"Even so, I still want to find her, even if it's just a trace of her ever existing."

With her beer nearly finished, Flamme stared blankly at the circle of transparent liquid at the bottom of the mug, her face slightly flushed. It was difficult to tell whether the redness was from the alcohol or the embarrassment of laying bare her thoughts in front of someone she considered an enemy. The room was quiet except for the soft clinking of the empty mug as she set it down on the bar.

She closed her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed as she whispered to herself:

"How foolish, huh..."

"Haha...hahahaha...hahahahahaha..."

As she brooded over her embarrassing confession, a burst of laughter broke the silence. Flamme turned around sharply to find the purple-haired demon, laughing. The sound of her laughter was infectious, but it had the opposite effect on Flamme, whose face transitioned from a deep flush to a sullen shade of blue.

"Are you mocking me?

I actually believed a demon could understand my feelings.

I guess I'll have to chop off your horns after all."

"Horns? What horns?"

By now, Aura had sobered up enough to hear Flamme's question.

She reached out her hand and touched her head in confusion, and sure enough, she touched her exposed horns. Her hat had gone missing at some point.

'No wonder those humans ran away without even asking for money when I bought beer before.'

'So that's what happened.'

Aura, now completely sober, gave Flamme an awkward smile.

——————

Can you guest what will happen next? (≧▽≦)

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