Frieren 40

Title: An Unchangeable Miracle

In the morning, Ash, who was unusually relaxed, was learning from Frieren how to identify edible wild vegetables in the bushes.

Frieren, who had never asked why Ash appeared here at this particular time, suddenly remembered something. She looked up at him and asked: “This might be sudden, but Ash… are you afraid of dying?”

“Huh… isn’t that too sudden?” Ash turned with a puzzled look, but his expression grew serious: “If there’s something you want to do, tell me.”

“What’s that about? Don’t just raise weird flags, okay? I haven’t gone to a battlefield, you know??”

“Is that so? Then tell me when you figure it out… Anything’s fine.”

“I suddenly thought…”

“Already thought of something?”

“No… I’m thinking, is it okay if I get mad now and hit you while I’m at it.” As he spoke, Ash promptly smacked her head.

*SMACK!*

“That hurt?!” Frieren, caught off guard, covered her head with both hands. Still crouching, she looked up irritably: “…Why’d you hit me right after asking! I didn’t agree at all.”

“Good question. But if I asked you, would you agree?”

“Of course not!” Frieren answered without thinking, making Ash smile: “Then why should I wait for your answer?”

“Huh? That makes sense… No, then why did you ask?”

“To seem more democratic, obviously.”

In front of the annoyed girl, Ash earnestly explained his perspective, which she clearly wouldn’t approve of.

But…

“…Democratic?”

Not only his perspective but even his words were incomprehensible to Frieren.

“It means respecting others.”

“…Someone who respects others would hit them?”

“Not necessarily. Sometimes it’s to teach, like now.” Ash placed his hand on Frieren’s head, looking into her slightly dull and irritated green eyes, and said sincerely: “Though I know you’re worried about me, isn’t this approach a bit weird? It’s like I’m about to die any second.”

“It feels… sorry.”

“No… shouldn’t you retort or something?”

This girl, who was a bit too gentle compared to the past, made Ash feel uneasy.

He couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. He didn’t even have time to say anything else. He just ruffled her hair roughly. Suddenly, the sound of unhidden footsteps came from the distance.

He looked toward it and saw a middle-aged man with long hair, a beard, and two swords at his waist. Ash instinctively pulled his hand back.

Frieren followed his gaze, then observed his expression. She tidied her hair and asked calmly: “Someone you know?”

“Hmm~ it’s a bit hard to explain.” Ash stood, his expression slightly confused, observing his old friend he hadn’t seen in a while.

In truth, he wasn’t officially Frank’s disciple. Their relationship was better described as teacher and friend.

Initially, Ash trusted Frank completely. But the future Frank described was very different from what Schlacht had said. This left him unsure of their plans or… what these two were actually scheming.

“Long time no see, Ash, and Miss Frieren.”

Frank stopped in front of them both. With a smile, he shifted his gaze to Frieren, who had just stood up while holding Ash’s hand.

“…You told this guy about me?” Frieren asked Ash curiously.

Ash shook his head: “No, I don’t think I ever mentioned you.”

“Then…”

“Miss Frieren, could we speak privately?” Before Frieren could finish, Frank suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Seeing that he had no malicious intent, Frieren agreed without much thought.

Ash could only watch from the sidelines, wondering what was so secretive that it had to be hidden from him.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

At a spot far enough from Ash.

Frieren glanced at Ash, who was watching them from a distance. Then, with an uninterested tone, she said bluntly: “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I initially planned to invite you, but you’d definitely refuse, so I won’t bother.”

“What do you mean?… Is inner monologue a trendy thing in this era?”

“No. I just saw a future where you refused. And even if I spent time convincing you to join in defeating the Demon King, the outcome wouldn’t change… It’s better not to waste words.”

“……”

Those strange words made Frieren suspect this guy was indeed Ash’s friend. At the same time, she was too lazy to care about the other party further.

“It’s fine if I tell you; you won’t spread it anyway… I can actually see the future.”

“Is that so?”

“Haha, you don’t believe me at all.” Frank didn’t mind. He gazed into the distance with a smile and continued, as if talking to himself: “Though your future has new possibilities, soon, a young hero will come looking for you. He’s the one who’ll save the world… I’m honestly a bit annoyed.”

“I don’t see any annoyance on you…” Frieren showed a puzzled expression and countered: “More importantly, if I’m not mistaken, you’re the Southern Hero, right? The strongest human? Is he stronger than you? Does he defeat the Demon King alone?”

“Sorry, I misspoke. My fault for unconsciously giving all the credit to the team leader. It should be you all who save the world.” Frank flashed a meaningful smile: “None of you can defeat the Demon King alone, because it’s a miracle that can’t be replicated. Calling it a divine miracle wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.”

“…I don’t believe something like that will happen. Let alone the Demon King, plenty of great demons could defeat me.”

“True. Though your chances of winning are less than one percent, if it’s you all who go, the chance of victory is one hundred percent. No matter how the Demon King or Schlacht change their tactics, this outcome won’t change… It’s like a predetermined fate.”

“You can really see the future? Someone who sees the future believes in fate?”

“We can change many things, but there are still things we can’t change. Like a fate more absurd than destiny itself.”

Thinking of Schlacht and himself, despite being able to see the future, faced with this unchangeable miracle, they could only choose a middle path and compromise. Frank’s face now held only bitterness and… a conflicting sense of relief.