What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

Although he would never like to kill innocent people indiscriminately, whether they were humans or demons, he did not want to engage in meaningless killing.

And the other party didn't seem crazy enough to ignore the residents of the street, and... for some reason, they didn't seem to have any malicious intent.

But how could he not be on guard when the other party revealed their demonic identity?

—Ash's hands, beneath his robes, had instinctively gathered magical power.

In contrast to the turmoil churning within him, Frank appeared remarkably calm. Seemingly sensing his wariness, he gave a troubled smile and raised his hands to indicate he meant no harm.

"No matter how many times, you remain just as vigilant, but please believe me... I am not your enemy."

"...Wow, you're quite the talker. You were just spouting nonsense on the street."

“If there were real hostility, I would choose a remote place, or leave this town,” Frank retorted, before giving up on trying to persuade him on that front, and instead said:

"If I remember correctly, you built this town more than four hundred years ago, right? And you have now returned from nearly a thousand years ago."

"...How do you know this? Mind reading? No...I wasn't thinking about that just now. So—how do you know this?"

The other person's strange remarks made him curious about who this person was.

After all, he had been bounced back like a slingshot, and the goddess's counterattack had been accidentally bounced back for hundreds of years before it arrived at this point.

Therefore, more than four hundred years later, he doesn't think anyone would recognize him or know so much about him.

...In Ash's own opinion, this strange human was utterly suspicious.

Frank was also troubled by his distrust: "You may not believe it, but you told me all of that."

"I really don't believe it."

"No matter how many times, you're always this vigilant. So, in exchange... shall I tell you a secret?"

"....What?"

"Please come this way first. Ah, don't worry, you can keep the weapons. I know you won't kill people indiscriminately." As he spoke, Frank actually handed over the two swords at his waist.

This move completely baffled Ash.

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

But after hesitating for a moment, he chose to trust the other person and his own intuition for the time being, and followed him out of the town and onto a deserted village road in the suburbs.

...........................

Frank treated Ash like a reunion with an old friend, gazing at him with gentle eyes.

Frank, with a smile, frankly stated as he frowned, clearly uncomfortable:

"Actually, I possess the magic to foresee the future. I can see the future of people, including myself, and I have used this magic to peek into the future countless times."

"...I see. It seems our relationship is pretty good?" It seems only this kind of ability can explain the current situation? Ash understood this, and although he was surprised, he wasn't completely unable to believe this somewhat unbelievable statement.

"By the way, I will become the strongest hero of the South, and you will become the Demon King."

"...That's really impressive. Did you work together?"

"It can be said like this."

"No... the hero and the demon king team up? Is this some new story? I've never heard of it before. By the way, what is your purpose? What do you want from me?"

“I don’t need anything… You probably won’t believe me, will you?” Frank sat on the wooden fence by the village road, gazing at the farm in the distance, a nostalgic expression on his face.

"If I don't meet you now, then it will be fifteen years later... at that time I will truly set off and become one of the many heroes."

"And me?"

"Originally, I planned to punish you for creating something that shocked the world."

"Me? What's up? By the way, you succeeded?"

"You've convinced me."

“Huh??”

Why did he, as a demon, commit such a sensational act, yet this hero who wanted to save the world was persuaded by him instead? Was his persuasive skills really that good? — Ash was once again bewildered by him, feeling as if the other was deceiving him.

After all, from the moment they met until now... it's clear that Frank has been in control of the conversation.

The Burial of Frilian: A Thousand Years From Now On: Chapter Thirty-Three - The Cycle of Tragedy - Come With Me!

Frank took in Ash's bewildered expression, which made him burst into laughter:

"Haha! I knew you'd make that face, but... I wasn't lying to you, because you're absolutely right."

"...Stop with the riddles, can't we get down to something more practical?" Ash felt his patience was about to run out.

At this moment, the other party calmed down again and slowly began to narrate:

"This is a long story. First of all... when you were a human general, what you hated most was treating children as cannon fodder and forcibly conscripting them into the battlefield, so there wasn't a single child in your army, right?"

"What's wrong with that now? Is it not allowed?"

"Actually, I hate this kind of behavior too."

"After all, he is a hero; it's understandable."

"But I am just a hero."

"What do you mean?"

"So I can't change this situation." Frank, who had just been laughing, now found his hands clenching unconsciously, his words revealing a helpless sadness.

"Even if we defeat the Demon King, or even wipe out all the demons, this situation will never change. As long as humanity exists, human nations will continue to wage war in this manner... At least in the future I foresee, this will not change."

"Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that once the threat is gone, the internal struggles among humanity will only become more intense?"

"That's right, your judgment is very accurate."

"...Does it even need to be said? You can figure out this kind of thing just by thinking about it."

In fact, compared to the humans I knew before, the humans in this world seem much more cruel.

At least in the ancient times he knew of... there was no period in which the vast majority of countries on the planet would tacitly adopt the tactic of sending their own children to the battlefield as cannon fodder.

But in this world, not to mention the southern countries that are not threatened by demons, even the northern countries that directly face the threat of demons will send large numbers of children to the battlefield in their internal wars from time to time, simply arming them and using them as cannon fodder and tools for psychological warfare. In fact, it is very common, and it is a tactic specifically designed for humans.

This made him wonder if the humans in this world were really the same kind of humans as the humans he used to be.

Why would their leaders collectively engage in such inefficient, foolish, and unscrupulous behavior? Don't they realize that children are the future's potential? Or do they simply not care? Or are the nobles and king here particularly lacking in foresight and principles? Is this some kind of cutthroat competition?

However, he certainly couldn't control the traditions of the world's nations. Discussing the evils of countries around the world on the village road made him feel as if he had returned to modern times and was talking about the world order at a barbecue stall, which was... very strange.

.......................

The sudden expansion of the discussion to the world made Ash's expression somewhat subtle.

Frank, however, seemed inexplicably serious, and just as he was wondering whether he should end the topic and get straight to the point, he continued:

"The war between humans will not end because of the defeat of the demons; it will only intensify until a unified nation emerges and temporarily quells it."

“Ha…” he said wearily, “A hero can’t wield a blade against his own kind? He’s still just a hero, never a king, so you can’t change that… Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“That’s right, I can’t change these things. Even if they happen in front of me, it’s hard for me to stop them. That’s not the world I want… But I’m just a hero. But you are different.”

At the end of these words, Frank finally revealed his true purpose, which was... to make Ash a deterrent to the nations.

Use violence as a deterrent to prevent the persecution of children in various countries.

If possible, unite the demons and the northern kingdoms, then gradually rule the world, becoming the common ruler of both humans and demons, bringing true peace to the world, and truly breaking the cycle of tragedy.

Yes, it's a tragic cycle.

It's unclear whether this world is a game of the goddess, but every so often, a new demon king appears, bringing a world-ending crisis to humanity, prompting new heroes to save the world time and time again.

The holy sword bestowed by the goddess can sometimes be pulled out by someone, and sometimes no one can pull it out, but the outcome will never change.

There will always be a crisis of world destruction, and there will always be someone to save the world, but there will always be another world destruction and another salvation. It is as if there are invisible rules binding both sides. Neither side can kill the other, but every once in a while, the two sides will also carry out a massacre against each other.

The reason he didn't choose humans was because... Frank simply had no other choice.

He is a hero; he would never lay a hand on humanity.

Not only is he constrained by his status, but his own morality also prevents him from doing so. Therefore, he cannot help humanity become king, and human nations will not grant heroes the same rights.

At least in this world, heroes have no rights. At most, they can be given some financial assistance and convenience, but human laws will bind them tightly.

In his view, Ash was a very special demon race, with near-eternal life, free from the constraints of law and morality, yet possessing a morality that most nobles lacked.

This convinced him, after witnessing the war waged by the children's army firsthand in the future, that he should stop this atrocity and eradicate it from the world no matter what.

Ash, after hearing his words, was somewhat at a loss for words, feeling as if the scope had suddenly broadened considerably:

"...Even if you say that, how do you plan to help me? You're planning to become a hero, right? And you don't plan to become a human criminal, right?"

"That's right, so I can't help you with that, but I can train you in the way that's best for you."