Frieren 33

Title: The Cycle of Tragedy

Ash’s bewildered expression, fully observed by Frank, made him unable to hold back his laughter: “Haha! As expected, you’d make that face. But… I’m not lying to you, because you’re absolutely right.”

“…Stop talking in riddles. Can’t we discuss something more concrete?” Ash felt his patience wearing thin with this guy.

At that moment, his opponent calmed down and spoke slowly: “This will be a bit long. First… when you were still a human general, the thing you hated most was using children as bait and forcing them onto the battlefield. That’s why there were no kids in your army, right?”

“So what? Is that not allowed?”

“I hate that kind of thing too.”

“Of course, you’re a hero.”

“But I’m only a hero.”

“What do you mean?”

“So I can’t change this situation.” Though he had just laughed, Frank’s hands unconsciously clenched tightly, his words revealing a helpless sorrow: “Even if the Demon King is defeated, even if all demons are wiped out, this situation will never change. As long as humans exist, human nations will use this method to wage war… At least in the future I’ve seen, there’s no change.”

“On the contrary, once the threat is gone, internal human conflicts will only worsen, right?”

“Exactly. Your judgment is spot-on.”

“…Do I even need to say it? You can figure this out just by thinking about it.”

In fact, compared to the humans Ash knew before, the humans in this world seemed far crueler.

At least in the ancient times he knew… there was no period where most nations on the planet quietly adopted the tactic of sending their own children to the battlefield as bait.

But in this world, not to mention the southern nations free from demonic threats, even the northern nations directly facing demonic threats, in their occasional internal wars, would arm many children and send them to the battlefield as bait and psychological warfare tools. It was… disturbingly common, a signature tactic of theirs against humans.

This made him wonder: were the humans in this world really the same kind of humans he once knew?

Why did their leaders collectively adopt such inefficient, foolish, and immoral actions? Didn’t they know children were the potential of the future? Or did they not care? Or were the nobles and kings here so utterly shortsighted and unethical? Was this some kind of invasion?

But the traditions of the nations in this world were not something Ash could meddle with. Discussing the evils of nations on a village road felt like being back in modern times, debating world affairs beside a barbecue stall. It was… bizarre.

The discussion suddenly expanding to the world made Ash’s expression turn a bit strange.

But Frank looked deadly serious. As Ash wondered whether to end this topic and get to the point, Frank continued: “Wars between humans won’t subside just because the demons fail. They’ll only worsen until a great, unified nation emerges, and even then, it’s only temporary.”

“Hah…” Ash said wearily, “A hero can’t swing his sword at his own kind? And in the end, you’re just a hero, not a king, so you can’t change all this… Is that what you’re saying?”

“Exactly. I can’t change this. Even if it happens right in front of me, it’s hard for me to stop it. This isn’t the world I hoped for… But I’m only a hero— you’re different.”

Finally, Frank revealed his true purpose: he hoped Ash could become a deterrent for those nations.

With the threat of force, Ash would prohibit nations from abusing children.

If possible, he would unite the demons and northern nations, gradually take over the world, become a ruler alongside humans and demons, and bring true peace to the world—truly breaking the cycle of tragedy.

Yes, the cycle of tragedy.

Whether this world was a game of the Goddess or not, every so often, a new Demon King would rise to bring a world-ending crisis to humanity, and a new hero would save the world time and again.

The holy sword bestowed by the Goddess could sometimes be drawn by someone, sometimes not. But the outcome never changed.

There would always be a world-ending crisis. There would always be someone to save the world. But there would always be the next destruction and salvation. As if an invisible rule bound both sides. Neither could eradicate the other. But every so often, both sides would slaughter each other.

And the reason he didn’t choose a human was because… Frank had no choice.

He was a hero; he couldn’t swing his sword at his own kind.

Not just because of his identity—his own morals wouldn’t allow it either. So he couldn’t help a human become king. Human nations wouldn’t grant power to a hero either.

At least in this world, heroes had no authority. At best, they’d receive some financial aid and freedom to act. But human laws would bind them tightly.

To him, Ash was a very special demon. He had a near-eternal life, unbound by laws or morals, yet possessed a morality many nobles lacked.

This, after Frank witnessed the child wars with his own eyes in the future, convinced him—he had to stop this cruelty and eradicate it from the world.

Ash, listening to his words, didn’t know what to say. He felt the scope had suddenly become too vast: “…Even if you say that, how do you plan to help me? You’re going to be a hero, right? And you’re not planning to be a human villain, are you?”

“Correct. So in that regard, I can’t help you. But I can train you in the way that suits you best.”

“But I…”

“I know. Your knowledge as a mage is already sufficient. You have an incredible magic teacher. But you’re still a bit lacking as a warrior.”

“…You even know that?” By now, Ash was no longer surprised; he felt a bit numb.

“At the same time, I can see the future. That means I can tell you all the experiences you’d spend years summarizing in the future and the shortcuts you haven’t found… Though I’d love to teach you how to see the future, it’s not something that can be taught so easily. Otherwise, there’d be a bunch of future-seeing demons and humans. But making you the strongest mage and warrior in the world—that’s possible.”

“…You can even do something like that?”

“Of course. As the Southern Hero, the strongest human in the future, I can promise you—come with me, my friend!”

At the end of his confident words, Frank suddenly stood, extending his hand to him with a boldness far beyond his years.

But Ash only stared at the hand, tilting his head slightly, sinking into confusion. He felt this situation and its development were far too distant from what he’d imagined, right??