Frieren 56

Title: Paving the Way, the Necessary Sacrifice

After joining the hero’s party under somewhat peculiar circumstances, some time passed, but… the exciting things Ash had imagined didn’t happen.

Indeed, as Frieren had said, there were no encounters with beautiful girls. Instead, life was quite boring and leisurely.

Rather than rushing to save the world, it was exactly as Ash had suspected from the start—essentially a sightseeing tour, traveling to various places and occasionally exploring dungeons.

Though this was far from a thrilling and intense story, it didn’t seem bad.

However… these leisurely days didn’t last long. Ash suddenly remembered something. One day, he briefly bid farewell to everyone due to urgent business, then flew back to the north, bringing Linie along.

He brought the child to observe and record—the fighting style of the Southern Hero, Frank.

As the strongest human warrior, Ash couldn’t replicate Frank’s ability to see the future, but his own close-combat skills were strong enough. Even without future sight, he could still stand at the top.

After finishing this, Ash sent Linie back, then parted ways with Frank. He planned to tour with Frieren and the others when not training, just to relax. However…

“Don’t rush off, how about a drink?” For some reason, Frank was unusually enthusiastic. He invited Ash to drink all night at a tavern, and in the middle of the night, after eating and drinking to their fill…

“My friend~ this is as far as I go. See you!”

Frank flung his cloak, turned, and left with a gallant smile. He waved without looking back as Ash watched him go, disappearing into the quiet night streets.

“Huh… that felt oddly strange?”

Ash finished the remaining wine in his glass, shook his head, and stood up again.

But before he could leave, he noticed a note beside Frank’s seat.

For some reason, Frank had left a letter. He asked Ash to go to his hometown. Apparently, when Ash was training with Schlacht, there was a letter left by Schlacht at the cabin where he once stayed.

“…These two rough guys are playing drama?” Ash was slightly surprised but didn’t think much of it. He leisurely traveled from the north back to the southern countries.

Following the directions, he found a parchment wrapped in a wooden box at the cabin.

The letter read:
First, when you read this, we are all already dead.
This isn’t a sudden change but a long echo of fate. To some extent, it can be called destiny.
This operation isn’t just for you but for the future of demons a thousand years from now. Though you’re young, you’re strong enough to defeat ordinary great demons, but now isn’t the time to ascend the throne.

In the demon world, the strong are revered. Without earth-shaking power, no one will submit. And the hero’s party and the newly formed human conquest forces will see you as a thorn in their side, swearing to eliminate you as soon as possible.
Thus, if you rashly ascend the throne when the Demon King falls, you’ll surely face total war from the entire world, including from within the demons themselves.

You need to calm yourself for a while and gather strength—this is a lonely and long journey. You must have extraordinary patience, build your power in silence, and wait for the right time… Remember.

“What the… is this?” Holding the parchment, Ash froze.

He understood the letter’s content. If he ascended the throne right after the Demon King’s death… if he couldn’t fight the entire world, he’d surely die. And he hadn’t yet reached the Demon King’s combat strength.

But what truly shocked him was… the two strongest beings after the Demon King and Serie were suddenly going to die?

Wait, now—are they already dead?

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

At the very moment Ash read the parchment, in the northern plains.

Schlacht’s sword pierced Frank’s back. Frank, also covered in wounds, drove his sword into Schlacht’s heart.

Almost simultaneously, both dealt fatal blows to each other. At the same time, by mutual agreement, they paused and parted temporarily.

“…Farewell forever.” Schlacht muttered, gazing at the sky. But he quickly shifted his gaze to the staggering man before him: “As expected… our true first meeting… was bound to end like this.”

“Hahaha… unavoidable… otherwise… that Demon King will always be the Demon King.”

In the future Frank saw, every time Frieren’s team defeated a truly powerful great demon, the outcome was always perilous… Though, in truth, they didn’t encounter more than three great demons.

Aura aside, Böse the Immortal from the Seven Sages of Destruction nearly trapped them in a magic barrier. Frieren had even resigned herself to death. But Böse ultimately died from underestimating them.

They couldn’t defeat the Elder Sage of Corruption, Qual. They could only devise a plan to seal him before losing.

Without sacrifices, without defeating enough great demons… they wouldn’t reach the Demon King.

And in this chaotic battlefield, all the other Seven Sages of Destruction were present, except for Aura, who couldn’t be found. They could easily destroy a nation.

But even with eight great demons surrounding one man, three of the Seven Sages of Destruction were still killed by Frank on the spot. Even he himself—ended with Schlacht.

This was the true meaning of “paving the way” he had mentioned, for both Frieren and Ash—now he fulfilled his promise.

Schlacht and Frank looked at each other wordlessly, but quickly gathered their last strength and clashed again, blood covering their bodies.

*CLANG!*

The clash of swords sparked a fierce blaze, and a shocking shockwave.

No one could count how many sword shadows intertwined.

Though both had already received fatal wounds, they seemed ready to start a fight to the death again. But in the next moment, it’s unclear who pushed whom—both fell together off the cliff.

“This… the necessary sacrifice?” As Frank fell, he muttered unconsciously to the blue sky.

“You could say that…” Schlacht, almost at the same moment, closed his eyes calmly.

At the same instant they fell, the cliff above collapsed, burying them under countless sand and earth.

Though they could see the future, both chose to compromise at this moment, accepting—the future they had foreseen countless times.

Or could it be called fate?