Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Greetings from Five Hundred Years Ago

____

Under the gray sky, a light drizzle moistened the town nestled below the snowfield—a town Ash himself had once built.

Thanks to the silver mines in the snowfield, the town had grown increasingly prosperous. Yet, on this rainy day, the residents hurried about with an air of melancholy, evoking memories of the town's early days some five hundred years ago.

Walking along the town's most ancient street, Ash took in the familiar sights, scenes that vividly brought back memories. But… he didn't feel any desire to linger here.

The events that had happened in this place seemed insignificant now. The only thing he truly remembered was that this was where he'd met his friend Cathy for the first time.

Ash had always had few friends, and now only Frieren remained… and he wasn't even sure if the elf Millie was still alive.

"Life is so unpredictable… It probably was always going to end up like this, but would you have still chosen to die together if you'd foreseen it?" His friend's passing left him with a profound, indescribable sorrow.

This feeling had unconsciously drawn him back to this familiar street before he would go to rejoin the Brave Team… much like the pull people feel to return to their hometown. And to him, in a sense, this town felt like the village he'd once had, a place he could almost call home.

Though, maybe the old friends he once had here no longer existed.

"Even so, there's nothing here that interests me now. Sigh… Come to think of it, even if I'm stronger than before and capable of more, what's the point in becoming the Demon King in the future?"

Ash didn't have much ambition for power. Rather than the sense of accomplishment from a high position, he preferred a carefree, leisurely life.

His greatest wish was simply to protect those he cared about, but… old friends were like leaves in the wind, forever drifting away.

By now, it felt as if there was nothing left to lose. He could go out and make new friends, but… the demons were too peculiar, and humans… they perished far too quickly.

"…But I think I finally understand what Cathy meant back then." Ash muttered to himself as he looked up at the gray sky, though he could no longer recall what his first friend even looked like.

Five hundred years had passed for the world, though it felt like only a few decades to him.

Just as he was about to leave, the faint melancholy urging him to never return, a nearby window suddenly opened.

"You… Could you be… Ash?"

"Huh?"

The unfamiliar voice made him turn his head, puzzled.

The speaker was a boy he'd never seen before. Yet, strangely, the boy looked even more shocked than Ash did at the mention of his own name.

"…What?"

"You… No, you're really… Mr. Ash?"

"That's right, my name is Ash. And you are?" Ash looked at the hesitant boy, frowning slightly.

The boy's expression was nothing like that of Frank or Schlacht, those who had mastered the magic of seeing the future.

But, if that were not the case, then this was indeed a bit of a mystery.

"Oh, ah… I'm Anderson! My mother is…"

The flustered boy blurted out all his family's names, but when he noticed Ash still seemed baffled, he nervously invited him inside.

…

Anderson led Ash into the living room, then headed to his parents' room. After searching carefully, he found an intricately carved wooden box hidden deep within the closet.

The wooden box was clearly enchanted with protective magic, with its magic stone regularly replaced. It had also been treated to resist corrosion, and its materials were of the finest quality.

Inside the box lay a palm-sized magical artifact. When opened, it revealed his portrait… or rather, a magically preserved image of him, dressed in a military uniform.

It was unmistakably "taken" 500 years ago.

The artifact housing the image showed signs of frequent repair, bearing the unmistakable aura of centuries gone by.

"Could this be… something left by Cathy? No, that can't be."

The familiar image tugged at memories of the past, recalling when the portrait was first made. But now, Ash found himself questioning if he was under some sort of mental enchantment.

After all, five hundred years had passed, countless generations had come and gone for humanity.

Seeing Ash's disbelief, Anderson grew even more excited. "Are you really Mr. Ash?! You actually exist?!"

"…No way, this…?"

"I don't know! I don't know anything more, but my grandma told me to do this! She said if I ever met the person in the picture, I must greet him. And then…" Anderson thought hard, then looked directly into Ash's eyes and spoke slowly:

"'We will meet again. Even if it isn't me, as long as my bloodline continues, someone will remember your existence.' That's what I'm supposed to tell you."

"Uh… what does that even mean?"

"I'm not sure either, but that's what it says here, and it's exactly what my grandma instructed." Anderson lifted the red cloth under the artifact, revealing the very words etched beneath.

For a moment, Ash was at a loss for words, feeling reminded of his old adjutant from his days as a general. As he traced a finger over the box, he shook his head slightly, saying, "...You actually did something like this. But what's the point? By the way, how have you kept this box so well preserved until now?"

"Well, uh… Actually, my dad and grandma told me that if I ever faced a problem I couldn't solve, I should find the person in the picture, and he would help us somehow… So, we made sure to take good care of it over the years."

"…So, you all think of me as some kind of failsafe against disaster?"

Anderson confessed this truthfully, leaving Ash somewhere between laughter and exasperation.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel a deep nostalgia, as if recalling that final moment before their parting.

Although he had intended to leave right away, he was invited to stay at the boy's house for the night, where he was warmly welcomed by Anderson's family.

According to Anderson's father, Cathy had once hinted that Ash might one day be magically preserved, allowing future generations to encounter him, a powerful mage. It seemed she had ultimately chosen to settle here, perhaps hoping he would return.

Ash found this notion troublesome, but he chose not to refute it.

After staying for a short while and leaving behind some funds for future upkeep of Cathy's resting place, he said a temporary farewell to her descendants.

Yet, as he looked back and saw Anderson and his family waving to him from afar, he couldn't shake the feeling that he might somehow meet them again.

Though it would likely be with their descendants.