Frieren: The Founder and the Elf Who Didn't Understand Love

Chapter 400 400: A Demon Who Doesn't Eat Humans Is a Good Demon

"Sit down." Solifra's voice cut through the air, laced with a gentle reminder. She had noticed the tremor in Aura's hands. She remembered all too well her own first encounter with Rhodes; the sheer, crushing density of his presence had nearly stopped her heart.

To a mundane human, Rhodes might appear as an unremarkable, common man. But to demons, who perceive the world through the raw, vibrating currents of mana, catching a glimpse of Rhodes was like staring into a bottomless abyss. It triggered a primal, inescapable instinct of absolute futility.

Such was the weight of the oldest and most powerful Great Sage in human history.

Prompted by Solifra, Aura sank back into her chair. She didn't dare reach for her food again; she simply stared at her plate, paralyzed. In her peripheral vision, she watched Rhodes stand to serve himself a bowl of soup and a slice of bread, his movements so natural, so effortless—as if he were sitting in his own kitchen.

Wait! It is his house!

As Rhodes settled back into the chair opposite her, a frantic internal monologue spiraled in Aura's mind: Why is he sitting across from me? Is he evaluating my threat level? Should I be obedient, or should I be even more obedient than that?

Rhodes took a sip of his soup, his gaze drifting lazily toward Aura.

She felt the weight of his eyes and turned to stone. Her breath hitched; she wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and vanish from the tapestry of reality. But Rhodes didn't look away.

Unlike Solifra, whose mana was laced with a strange, lingering echo of the Goddess's touch, Aura was a study in pure, unadulterated demonic energy. Her mana was weak, but it was pristine—untouched by the rot of age or the complex corruption of the forbidden arts. She was a creature of a dozen years, barely a child even by human standards.

But it was the light in her eyes that fascinated him. Fear, tension, cautious survival—and beneath it all, a hunger for life so intense it threatened to spill over. He had seen this look before. Centuries ago, when another demon had been dragged before him, he had seen the same spark.

Back then, he had seen a different path for their kind. Now, he was seeing it again.

Rhodes remembered the Aura of the legends—the Great Demon of the Seven Sages who had enslaved thousands and treated human life as nothing more than dust. If he had met that Aura, he would have extinguished her without a second thought. But this girl was a fragile, unwritten page. He needed to know which way the ink would flow.

"Aura," Rhodes said.

Aura jumped, her voice trembling. "Y-yes! Here!"

"Have you ever eaten a human?"

The room fell silent. Solifra set her fork down, watching the exchange in stillness. Aura's mind raced: Is this a trap? If I admit it, will he kill me? If I lie, will he see through it?

"N-no… I haven't," she stammered, then rushed to clarify, "I haven't killed anyone, either. At most, I've hunted wild beasts to keep from starving."

Rhodes kept his gaze fixed on her. The silence stretched until she felt the cold sweat pooling at her neck. She pressed on, desperate.

"I… I admit, I thought about it. When I was first born, I didn't understand anything. I saw human villages and my instincts told me they were food. But before I could do anything, a human mage discovered me. I couldn't beat him, so I ran. Then, I encountered Frieren-sama…"

The rest of the story was irrelevant—she had become a slave, and thus, a resident of the Association.

"And what do you think of humans now? Do they still look like food?"

Aura hesitated, choosing her words with agonizing care. "I… I haven't had much contact. Everyone I've met just wants to kill me. I… I don't know how to think of them."

Her voice grew faint, trailing off. It sounded like an evasion, but it was the brutal truth. The mages she'd encountered were all leagues stronger than her, and the adventurers she'd run into had hunted her like a stray cur. She didn't understand their hatred; she'd only been trying to survive in the woods.

Rhodes gave a slow, measured nod. "Do you believe it is the nature of demons to feast on humans?"

The question was a razor. Aura pondered it before deciding to risk the truth. "I don't know. At first, the urge was there. But… I met someone. I don't know if he was human—his aura felt like a demon's, but he was powerful. As strong as Frieren-sama. He didn't kill me. He told me the instinct to eat humans was a curse, and that if I wanted to live in this world, I had to conquer it. So, every time I saw a human, I fought that instinct with everything I had. Eventually… the hunger stopped."

She bowed her head, terrified of his reaction. The dining room was silent until Rhodes let out a soft, low chuckle. "Interesting."

Aura looked up, bewildered.

"Eat," Rhodes said, turning back to his meal. "The food is getting cold. Solifra's cooking is quite good."

He's not asking anything else? Aura wondered. But Rhodes had already moved on, eating with a calm, mundane rhythm. Solifra picked up her cutlery and followed suit. Aura hesitated, then slowly raised her spoon, taking a cautious bite.

This time, she ate slowly, stealing glances at the man across from her. Rhodes ate like any other person—no aura of majesty, no crushing weight of power. If she didn't know the truth, she would have dismissed him as a handsome, ordinary man.

And yet, this man made the entire demon race tremble in the dark.

Aura lowered her head, eating in silence. A strange realization washed over her: she didn't feel quite as afraid as she had moments ago. She was beginning to… adjust to the God-slayer.

As Rhodes stood to leave, he glanced at Solifra. "Take care of her."

Solifra nodded.

Rhodes walked to the door, paused, and without looking back, added, "Aura."

Aura straightened. "Yes!"

"Do your best to live."

The door clicked shut. The room returned to its quiet, domestic peace. Aura sat frozen, staring at the wood of the door, her mind struggling to comprehend the moment. The legendary God-slayer had just told a demon to "do her best to live."

It felt… strange. But it was a strangeness that calmed the frantic beating of her heart.

Solifra realized then that the newcomer would indeed be her colleague. While Rhodes hadn't explicitly stated it, she had served him long enough to recognize the shifting of the winds.

"Finished? Come, let me take you back to your room."

In the hallway, Aura followed Solifra's lead before speaking up. "That… man."

Solifra didn't stop. "Yes?"

"Were you… the same when you arrived?"

"Yes. Rhodes-sama asked me many questions, too. Though, I was a bit more… special than you."

"Special how?"

"You'll find out in time."

Aura nodded, satisfied for the moment. After a few steps, she spoke again. "I think… Rhodes-sama isn't as terrifying as they say."

"He is not terrifying," Solifra said, looking back at her with a serious expression. "But for those who provoke his anger? That is a different matter entirely."

Aura blanched, nodding vigorously. "Understood! I will never, ever make him angry!"

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