Strax remained silent for a few seconds. His gaze, previously curious and playful, became more attentive... not serious, but present. He wasn't the type to be easily shaken, but he recognized when a sentence was too heavy to be ignored.
"Give up?" he repeated slowly, testing the word with the bitter taste it might carry. "You don't seem like someone who gives up on things, Frieren. At least, you don't seem like it."
She smiled slightly, but it was a sad smile. One that seemed to exist only to soften the weight of everything she couldn't say.
"Precisely because of that. I'm tired of fighting, I spent years and years sitting on that throne holding a kingdom on my back," she brought the cup to her lips, but did not drink. "You took me out of that, and you even revived me."
Strax leaned back, crossing his arms. He analyzed each word as if they were ancient runes written in living magic.
"And now? Are you going to throw it all away and enjoy your freedom?"
