Frieren 35

Title: Becoming the Disciple of the Omniscient

Ash might not know other demons, but the demon standing before him was one he had heard of. He was the Demon King’s confidant and deputy, the great demon known as the Omniscient—Schlacht.

Moreover, like Frank, he also possessed the magic of foresight.

Schlacht was an impatient person. Seeing that Ash seemed to grasp the situation and was used to dealing with people who could see the future like them, he nodded silently: “Next, I’ll teach you the magic of the future, a thousand years from now. Any questions?”

“Uh… no, wait a second. Frank actually has demon friends?”

“No, he and I have never met. We just reached a silent agreement on certain matters. Teaching you benefits both humans and demons, so he and I chose to help you.”

“Pushing me to become the Demon King? A coup?” Though Ash said this, he didn’t hold much hope in his heart.

Schlacht shook his head expressionlessly: “I won’t betray His Majesty the Demon King.”

“…Even though you’re training the next generation?”

“Those are two different things. This is preparation for after the current Demon King’s death.”

“Preparing for the Demon King’s death? Seriously? Are all you future-seeing types so abnormal?”

For these people who could see the future, aside from envy, Ash also felt confused and helpless.

He genuinely couldn’t understand what people like this were thinking. Moreover… a demon preparing the next Demon King in advance could be said to be unprecedented. It was far from normal for demons. They didn’t think about their race; they only thought about themselves. The next Demon King always rose to the throne purely through their own power.

“…You’ll understand later.” Schlacht didn’t respond. He closed his eyes silently: “But for now, become my disciple.”

“Wait… shouldn’t we discuss some terms first?”

“Humans have limited lifespans. Even if they avoid death, the future they can see is at most a hundred years. But I can see things a thousand years from now. So, I’ve already heard of your deeds in the future. You don’t need to worry.”

“…What am I like in the future?”

“If I tell you, it might cause new changes. Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“…Forget it.”

Though his opponent was cold, the truth was… no matter their personality, talking to someone who could see the future always felt strange.

Especially when the other party didn’t bother hiding that they’d seen the future and had experienced similar conversations in it.

In front of these two people who knew the future, Ash felt like his life was being orchestrated by overbearing parents… it was incredibly odd.

But he also knew why they chose him. If his life could go smoothly, Ash didn’t really have any complaints.

No… actually, there was one small thing he wanted to complain about.

For instance, when others reincarnated, they might already have a harem in their teens. Meanwhile, after decades of hard training, he was only fighting or training.

Since his reincarnation, the people around him were either a weird girl (Aura), aunties, an ancient elf, or an uncle.

The closest girl to him was a concubine in the emperor’s harem nearly a thousand years ago… and she was already someone else’s wife. A real girl—there wasn’t a single one!

Thinking about this, Ash wanted to pound his chest. But Schlacht only glanced at him before walking ahead: “Don’t think about weird stuff. Hurry up.”

“Huh? What? You know what I was thinking?”

“I don’t, but I know you better than you know yourself. It’s definitely something unimportant.”

“…Where are we going?”

“To the training ground you used to frequent. I’ll teach you Killing Magic and more advanced defensive magic, improved from the defensive magic decades from now, six hundred years later… Of course, these are all demon magics, and only we can use them perfectly.”

Schlacht hid nothing. He directly stated that the Killing Magic he wanted to teach was the Killing Magic—Zoltraak—from the Elder Sage of Corruption, Qual.

It was simple, efficient, and practical. Thus, it was later analyzed, imitated, and modified by humans, becoming a common attack magic.

Of course, the structural differences between humans and demons ensured that demons were stronger when using this magic. The humans’ “common attack magic” and the demons’ “Killing Magic” had fundamental differences… for no particular reason other than their physical makeup.

But this was no issue for Ash. And Schlacht had only one request—he wasn’t to teach it to anyone else.

As for the reason, perhaps he was worried about disrupting the future, or maybe there were other concerns. Ash didn’t know for sure, but he didn’t care much and agreed.

As a result, the following days once again repeated a routine no different from the past.

Since when his life had become like that of an ascetic, Ash himself wasn’t sure.

Compared to Frank, Schlacht seemed colder, but when teaching, he was extremely serious.

But aside from teaching magic, there were no extra words. The two didn’t even eat together, as Schlacht, who wore a mask, always found a secluded place to eat alone.

“…Are all demons like this? For some reason… it’s so weird.” Aside from Aura, whom Ash raised himself, this was his first real interaction with a demon, leaving him puzzled about this person.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

And three years passed just like that.

Ash planned his route in advance and, at the agreed time, arrived at the designated place—Ranier Forest.

But shortly after reaching his destination, Schlacht, who had been following him, suddenly vanished… Until the end, he didn’t leave a single word of farewell.

“…This guy, no matter how cold, isn’t this too much?”

Though his opponent was aloof, they had been together for three years. Parting so abruptly made him feel a bit regretful.

But… after feeling annoyed for a moment, Ash stepped into the forest without expectations. He was even prepared to see that uncle. Suddenly, an unexpectedly familiar figure appeared in his sight.

A petite elf in a gray cloak, simple white dress, and long silver hair was crouching lazily, picking at something in the bushes.

But when she noticed his gaze, the elf instinctively turned. Upon seeing who it was, she froze in place, shocked as if she’d seen a living ghost.