Frieren 32

Title: A Collaboration Between the Hero and the Future Demon King?

Just by facing him, Ash could already sense a powerful threat from this young man—Frank.

Even Frieren couldn’t compare to him. Serie, who was in a league of her own, didn’t count. Perhaps only Flamme, who was nearly fifty when Ash left, could match him.

(So young, yet already this strong?)

As Ash muttered to himself, the young man smiled and said something strange, even directly revealing Ash’s identity.

Was he… planning to exterminate a demon right here? On the street?

Though Ash felt he was no match for him, he wasn’t despairing.

Because he wasn’t just a pure mage. His magic was highly effective in both group battles and one-on-one fights. If they truly fought… his opponent might have to be prepared to sacrifice the entire street and drag everyone around them into hell.

After all, though Ash had returned to the past, his time spent learning wasn’t long. But… for a demon, his growth was astonishing.

Moreover, it’s worth noting that the normal increase in magical power relies on accumulation over time. But that only applied to demons and elves. Humans were different.

For example, the human before him was clearly a rare genius among humans. If Aura were still alive and had trained for over four hundred years, she might not be able to control this Frank, who was no older than thirty, with her special magic.

And Ash… was the same.

But the reason his appearance hadn’t changed, and no weaknesses were found, aside from Serie’s guarantee, was one crucial factor: his rate of improvement.

In terms of accumulating magical power, Ash wasn’t like demons or elves. Instead, he was more like a human—and an exceptionally talented one at that.

But clearly… his accumulation was still insufficient.

At least, in the face of this young man, who was more of a genius than Flamme, Ash would struggle to escape this place without using dirty tricks. Even if he did, success wasn’t guaranteed.

Though, if possible, Ash didn’t like killing innocent people at all. Whether human or demon, he didn’t want to kill without reason.

And his opponent didn’t seem crazy enough to ignore the people on the street. In fact… for some reason, he didn’t seem to have any malicious intent.

But since his opponent had already mentioned his demon identity, how could Ash not be on guard?

Ash’s hand under his cloak instinctively began gathering magical power.

Unlike the turmoil in his heart, Frank appeared very calm. He seemed to notice Ash’s wariness, gave an exasperated smile, and raised both hands to show he had no hostile intentions: “No matter how many times, you’re always so cautious. But trust me… I’m not your enemy.”

“…Easy for you to say, considering you’re ‘running your mouth’ in the middle of the street.”

“If I were truly hostile, I’d have chosen a secluded place or left this small town.” Frank refuted, then gave up convincing him from that angle and changed the topic: “As expected, I didn’t misremember. You built this small town four hundred years ago, didn’t you? And now you’ve returned from nearly a thousand years in the past.”

“…How do you know this? Mind reading? No… I wasn’t thinking about that. So—how do you know all this?”

The young man’s strange words piqued his curiosity about who this person really was.

After all, Ash had just been flung back here like a slingshot, accidentally thrown forward a few hundred years due to the Goddess’s resistance.

So, in the present, four hundred years later, he didn’t think anyone would know him or know so much about him.

…According to Ash’s own instincts, this strange human was highly suspicious.

His distrust made Frank exasperated: “You probably won’t believe me, but you’re the one who told me all this.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“No matter how many times, your wariness is always this high. In that case… how about I tell you one of my secrets instead?”

“…What?”

“Come with me. Oh, don’t worry. You can hold my weapons. I know you don’t kill people recklessly.” As he spoke, Frank genuinely handed over the two swords at his waist.

This action stunned Ash.

He took the two swords in a daze, but countless questions still swirled in his mind.

But after a moment’s hesitation, he decided to trust his opponent and his instincts for now. He followed Frank’s steps, leaving the small town and heading to a quiet village path on the outskirts.

Frank’s attitude toward Ash was like a reunion with an old friend, constantly looking at him with a gentle gaze.

When Ash frowned, feeling extremely uncomfortable, Frank smiled and said honestly: “Actually, I have the magic of foresight. I can see the future of others, including myself, and I’ve used it multiple times to see the future.”

“…Is that so? Sounds like we have a pretty good relationship?” It seemed only an ability like this could explain the current situation. Though shocked, Ash wasn’t entirely unable to believe these somewhat extraordinary words.

“By the way, I’ll become the Southern Hero, the strongest human, and you’ll become the Demon King.”

“…That’s impressive. Are we working together?”

“You could say that.”

“No… a hero and a Demon King working together? Is this a new story? I’ve never heard of it. By the way, what’s your goal? What do you want from me?”

“I don’t need anything… But you probably won’t believe that, right?” Frank sat on a wooden fence by the village path, gazing at the distant fields with an expression full of nostalgia: “If we didn’t meet now, we’d meet fifteen years from now… At that time, I’d truly set out to become one of many heroes.”

“And me?”

“At first, you did something world-shaking, and I planned to take you down.”

“Me? What did I do? By the way, did you succeed?”

“I was persuaded by you.”

“Huh??”

(Why would I, a demon, do something world-shaking, and why would a hero who wants to save the world be persuaded by me? Is my mouth that persuasive?)

Ash was once again bewildered. He felt his opponent was lying.

After all, from the moment they met until now… Frank was clearly the one dominating the conversation.