Frieren: Dominating Aura From the Start
Chapter 89: Would You Mourn for Me?

"She probably wouldn't want me to stand in front of her grave mourning…"

After a moment of silent prayer, Agusheed stood up—

Listening to Kraft's prayers and the sound of rain outside the Great Barrier of Isolation.

He silently gazed at his wife's gravestone, lost in thought under the gloomy sky.

"If it were Flamme…"

"Rather than sadness, she'd probably prefer me to smile more here, wouldn't she?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he took in the Hero of the South kneeling at the back and Kraft with his palm pressed to the Spell book—

Agusheed lowered his head, the petals of the Mirror Lotus swaying before him in the wind.

"But I can only disappoint her…"

"There's no way I can force a smile in a world without her…"

In the drizzling curtain of rain—

The sorrow lingering before the grave brought back many deeply buried memories for Agusheed.

The day he helplessly watched Flamme die in his arms;

The trip they took together to choose this graveyard;

And—

Agusheed raised his head, gazing at the gloomy sky with a dazed look and a silent sigh.

And…

That funeral where she planted the seed of sorrow in my heart—

He vaguely remembered it was a rainy night much like this one.

—

The eighth year of life in the imperial capital, the first year of the final phase of the deciphering work—

Because nothing unexpected or difficult had occurred during this time,

Agusheed's progress in deciphering had been smooth lately.

After finishing daily lessons with Frieren, he would return to their small house in the imperial capital and start cooking—

Listening to the "signal of returning home" and the sound of Flamme's footsteps drawing closer…

He should have greeted his wife, who was returning from her teaching, as usual,

—If Flamme hadn't slowly embraced him from behind.

Because he was too familiar with her every word and deed, even without seeing her face,

Agusheed still knew exactly what she was sad about.

"Agusheed…"

Behind him, Flamme hugged his waist tightly, her brows lowered in sorrow.

"I'm here."

Agusheed could clearly feel—

After he spoke these words, Flamme's breathing became a little more rapid.

And the sorrow in her voice deepened further.

But Flamme didn't cry.

Of course, she wouldn't cry.

She was the progenitor of human magic, humanity's first Grand Mage—

How could she possibly cry?

So Flamme only felt sadness, and her heavy mood seemed enough to drown Frieren, who was secretly peeking from the living room.

Her greatest reaction was merely hugging Agusheed even tighter.

Heavier…

Tighter—

Until Agusheed gently placed his hand over hers.

Feeling the sorrow of the wife clinging to him from behind, the strongest Grand Demon softly asked:

"What happened?"

Agusheed could almost look down on everything in this world with composure,

Because he possessed absolute power beyond the comprehension of all mortals—

Even now,

He could still, as he once did, crush the entire empire single-handedly.

So he simply asked Flamme quietly, inquiring about her troubles.

But even someone as strong as Agusheed could not control everything.

Such as emotions.

Such as death.

And Flamme knew this very well, so she chose silence.

Holding her husband without a word—

Finally, the strongest human Grand Mage slowly spoke in her heavy mood.

"Agusheed…"

There was no trembling in her voice, only a calmness that even Agusheed hadn't expected.

"I…"

Flamme's voice grew lower and lower, until it finally vanished into silence.

"My disciple has died."

This was the first time in their eight years of life in the imperial capital,

That Agusheed and Flamme had faced the passing of someone close to them.

—

The funeral was held at dusk,

Because the body of that court mage had been brought back to the capital at dusk.

A state funeral—

It was the empire's highest honor for one who had sacrificed himself for the empire.

Many people attended.

But the court mage's funeral was quiet.

Even the emperor who stopped by briefly didn't break that silence.

Nobles, colleagues, family—

One by one, those who knew the deceased arrived, then left.

Until in the end…

The only ones who remained were Flamme and Agusheed.

Agusheed held an umbrella, silently accompanying his wife in the cold, rainy night.

Flamme gazed silently at the gravestone drenched in rain.

And Agusheed likewise gazed silently at her figure shrouded by the rain.

Just like that, for a very long time—

Until Flamme finally broke the silence of that rainy night by speaking.

"Agusheed, do you remember him?"

She was referring to her disciple, the court mage lying quietly beneath this gravestone.

Agusheed's response was a nod—"Of course."

This wasn't a lie—

Because Agusheed clearly remembered everything about this deceased court mage.

Tuleha Kalabian

The first court mage of the Unified Empire, Flamme's fourteenth disciple.

He specialized in Flame Shaping Magic—

Straightforward and blunt, unrestrained in his actions.

His thinking was jumpy, impulsive—a fool who often caused trouble in class.

His favorite catchphrase:

"I want to die gloriously like the heroes of imperial history—"

Born in a poor family, he was kind-hearted, a true good man.

Of course, though his kindness often ended up causing trouble for others.

Only twenty-six years old—

While out on a patrol mission, in order to cover the evacuation of villagers—

He died together with three Demon Generals in an unnamed mountain valley.

Agusheed knew how much Flamme cared for each of her disciples.

And when his wife was occasionally lazy, he would substitute for her in teaching a few classes.

So not just Tuleha, but he was fully familiar with every student's details.

But that was all.

—Looking at his husband's face, which showed almost no emotion.

Flamme wanted to say something but ultimately said nothing.

After staring at the gravestone for a long time—

She turned her head to look at her husband, asking quietly:

"Agusheed, can you feel my emotions right now?"

No—

But it's just that he couldn't feel them…

"I know you're sad now, but I can't make myself feel that sadness."

Hearing his reply, Flamme was not surprised.

She moved closer to Agusheed, lifting her head and meeting his gaze.

"Then Agusheed, what do you feel about Tuleha's death?"

No answer.

Or rather, Agusheed knew the answer Flamme hoped to hear.

But he couldn't say it against his heart.

So in the end, Agusheed gave his wife the coldest, most cruel response.

"I feel nothing, Flamme."

Without pause, Agusheed looked down at his wife's face and continued:

"Demons do not possess sorrow."

"So when facing another's death—"

"Sadness, pain, grief, or mourning… I can't generate any corresponding emotions in my heart."

Flamme didn't avert her gaze or show any sign of disappointment at Agusheed's words.

In the glittering rain of that night—

She asked her husband, for the first time, a question he could not answer.

"Agusheed…"

"If one day, the dead person lying beneath the gravestone—"

"Is me—"

"Would you mourn for me?"

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