Frilian: This Demon Isn't So Cold

"I want to be like my big brother when I grow up!" The boy skipped and jumped in front of Carlos, while his mother behind him gave Carlos an apologetic look, but her face was full of smiles.

"Then you must listen to your mother." Carlos was also happy to see the boy's excited expression.

The boy clearly didn't believe that statement: "Is it really okay to just listen to Mom?"

"How could that be? But it's important." Carlos smiled and patted his head. "As long as you understand why you're becoming stronger, I believe you can be like me."

It was a complete lie, but that's exactly the kind of guy Carlos wanted to be, which is why he chose to say that to the boy.

"Then what is the big brother doing this for?" The boy clearly did not understand the meaning of what he was saying.

Carlos didn't answer. He took a step back, bent down, put his hands on the ground, and then pulled out a finger to point to his back, signaling the boy to come up.

The boy seemed to realize what he was about to do. Having been completely outmaneuvered by Carlos, he plopped down on him, but Carlos underneath remained motionless.

After making sure the boy was seated properly, he began to do push-ups.

"You still have a long way to go!" Carlos said this in a tone that didn't sound like he was doing weightlifting at all.

"Hmph!" the boy retorted, shouting at his mother who was watching them, "Mom, come here too!"

"This..." The mother hesitated.

"If it's squats, I can even lift a huge boulder, so even with your mother, it wouldn't make a difference," Carlos said to the boy with a smile. "I'll show you later."

"That's amazing!"

The boy became even more excited, and his mother watched them play with a smile.

Carlos's movements were not affected in the slightest.

"Don't move around!" the mother gently scolded the boy who was fidgeting on top of her.

Listening to their conversation, Carlos couldn't help but smile; this was the reward he wanted most for doing this.

When the time was almost up, the boy got off Carlos.

"Thank you so much for today." The mother bowed to Carlos, taking the boy's hand with her right.

After a brief moment of confusion, the boy quickly bent down as well.

Carlos quickly replied, "It was nothing, and I've already received a very valuable reward from you."

The mother looked puzzled upon hearing this, while Carlos simply smiled and watched the mother and son.

"Remember to listen to your mother from now on," Carlos said to the boy before parting ways with them.

"Okay, I understand."

Whether the boy took those words to heart or not, Carlos watched them walk hand in hand into the distance.

Having done a good deed, Carlos felt quite pleased. He returned to the hotel and searched for Celia.

did not find.

This is normal.

Carlos didn't think much of it and started helping out as a waiter on the first floor.

The hotel's primary function is accommodation; meals are just a side service, so there are very few guests, and he quickly found himself with nothing to do.

Fortunately, Vlame and Seria's voices soon came from not far from the doorway.

"Really, don't use other people's money to buy things recklessly!" This was Vlame.

"This is my money, I can use it however I want." That's Celia.

"Ugh... I'm getting angry!"

"...Didn't you end up not buying it?"

Although Celia is the master and Volamere is the disciple, their conversation doesn't give that impression at all.

"Welcome back," Carlos said the moment they entered.

Celia's expression remained unchanged, looking somewhat dazed, while Volame's eyes darted around.

Ignoring, and unable to pay attention to, Vlame's expression, Carlos relayed Seibert's request.

"I refuse."

"what?"

Carlos thought Celia would agree, after all, this was the town she was going to live in, but he didn't expect to get this answer.

He thought to himself that he didn't know Celia well enough.

"Aren't you here?" Celia said. "You just need to go and help them."

"Me?" Carlos felt he was not qualified to replace Celia. "I know too little magic, and I don't want to kill, whether the other party is a demon or a human."

"Demons can only talk; they are still monsters at heart." Celia told Carlos not to regard demons as a species similar to humans.

Carlos knew what monsters were. Like demons, monsters also had horns, but unlike demons, they couldn't speak and their physical form was more like that of wild beasts.

But he is a demon himself, so what's the difference between that and killing someone when he was a human?

Celia looked relaxed, unlike Volamey next to her, whose little face was scrunched up with tension.

"I hope I can see it for myself." Carlos neither said he refused nor agreed.

"Then I'll teach you some magic first."

Celia's statement was as if she was certain he would return to protect the town.

That afternoon, many residents of [Tiyua] saw a spectacular display of sparks and lightning somewhere in the town.

The few mages who sensed the astonishing magical power emanating from that direction all headed towards the source, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mage himself. Unfortunately, they were all stopped by the guards at the entrance.

Even though they chose to continue waiting at the door, they ultimately failed to see Celia.

Early the next morning, Carlos left Tiyua and headed north alone, towards the area where demons were active.

Celia did not see him off, but Vlamé saw him off at the town gate.

"When are you coming back?" Vlame asked Carlos for the first time.

I never expected that the first task my master assigned me would end before it even began.

"I don't know." Carlos was initially confused, but after Vlame spoke to him, much of that confusion dissipated. "I hope you'll still be here when I come back."

"Then you'd better hurry, I don't want to stay here forever." Vlame showed the emotions typical of a child, but it couldn't be called being unreasonable.

"As much as possible."

Carlos nodded, said nothing more, and turned to walk north.

He only brought a few days' worth of dry rations, and nothing else.

Celia truly lived up to her reputation as someone who posed a deadly threat to him; every spell she displayed was incredibly powerful. After learning the spells with a devout heart, Carlos finally understood why Celia didn't mind teaching him magic.

It's not just a precipitous difference in magical power and skill, but also an absolute gap in combat experience.

He's never seriously fought a single fight...

In battle, how to combine the magic he has mastered, the various problems that may arise when using different spells in actual scenarios, as well as the most basic techniques, control over magic, and the level of control over magical power—all of these are things that Carlos needs to consider.

In conclusion, he decided to remain humble.