The Most Troublesome Demon
In the fifth year of his apprenticeship, upon learning that the Demons in the Northern Theater were becoming increasingly rampant, the Hero of the South resolutely left the Royal Capital with his two-handed sword.
Before leaving, the Hero of the South did not invite Li Yan to go with him, nor did he invite Frieren to join his party as a mage. He silently bid farewell to Li Yan and Macht and embarked on his journey of no return alone.
Has he looked into the future recently?
Li Yan asked Macht this question.
"I don't know, but when he went there, he seemed to have a look of resignation to his fate."
Macht's answer made Li Yan rub his temples with a headache. Although he also had the ability to see the future, he usually only used it in battle. He didn't want to see the future at all, because knowing the future would be very painful for an Immortality like him.
The joy of life lies in anticipating each unknown tomorrow. If we knew the future in advance, we would only lose our hope and motivation for life. Moreover, the future is not static, but rather a variable entity. Trying to change things based on fragments of knowledge about the future can easily lead to many changes in its trajectory. It is better not to look at the future and instead enjoy ordinary leisure and entertainment.
Unable to obtain any useful information from Macht, Li Yan looked at Frieren, a lazy teacher who was engrossed in reading various herbal texts and had decided to take a vacation because she found teaching too tiring.
"Junior Sister, did the Hero of the South talk to you about anything before he left?"
Li Yan moved closer to Frieren and reached out to smooth her somewhat messy white hair.
Frieren tilted her head and rested it on Li Yan's lap, thinking thoughtfully for a moment, "He seemed to have said he was going to die, and told me not to tell you, that he didn't want you to know about his death."
"Everyone dies. To knowingly go to conquer the Demons realm knowing he will die—if Flamme knew, he would probably call him foolish, and he would also call me foolish for taking on such a fearless disciple."
Li Yan's face showed a hint of dejection. He knew that no matter how much effort he put into training and teaching the Hero of the South, he might still perish together with Schlacht in the future. Although the Seven Sages of Destruction no longer had Macht to restrain them, and there was no small fry like Aura, the Demons was not without strongmen even without Macht. Schlacht would look for Demons who could replace Macht to participate in the operation to besiege the Hero of the South.
He also said that he originally wanted to invite me to join the expedition to defeat the Demon King, but seeing how much you doted on me, Li Yan, he hesitated to speak up. After all, in the future he envisioned, even with me by his side, it would be impossible to defeat the Demon King.
Frieren calmly counted on her little finger as she spoke. Li Yan blinked slightly. If he were to bring Frieren along, he would probably have to set off to fight the Demon King as well. He wouldn't allow his Junior Sister Frieren to be killed by the Demons.
The future seen by the Hero of the South did not include his own existence. This was a fact that Li Yan had known from the beginning. This was a contingency plan left by Schlacht to guard against future perception. He had a three-layered magical seal that shielded him from all prying eyes from all directions. That's why the Hero of the South said when they first met that he could not see the future in which Li Yan was.
The unseen future has its own unseen reasons, and it was precisely because of this that the Hero of the South did not mention the matter of going to defeat the Demon King together.
Li Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He had a headache. The restlessness of the Demons race and his disciple's determination to fight the Demon King meant that this battle had to be brought forward.
Facing the All-Knowing Schlacht, the Demon King's confidant who can control and see into the future a thousand years in advance, Li Yan felt a surge of anticipation. Warrior's competitive spirit never dies out. Although he is usually leisurely and lazy, it is only to better nurture the fighting spirit within his body.
Seeing the dejected look on Li Yan's face, Frieren gently reached out and stroked Li Yan's face. Although it had only been a few years, she knew all too well how much Li Yan cared for his disciple, the Hero of the South.
He also asked me to pass on a message to a young hero who will one day defeat the Demon King.
Frieren squinted her eyes, thought for a while, and then slowly spoke in the tone of the Hero of the South: "The road ahead of you will surely be opened, by me, the strongest Hero of the South among humankind."
Li Yan smiled slightly. "This certainly fits the style of the Hero of the South; he's the kind of guy who selflessly dedicates himself to humanity."
Standing silently to the side, gazing out the window, Macht gently shook his head. "Although the Hero of the South is very strong—even I couldn't defeat him in a one-on-one fight— the Demon King of the Demons Race isn't so easily defeated. Among the Demons, there's Schlacht, who can see the future; the Great General, hailed as God of War; Miracle Grausam who can alter others' memories. They are all formidable opponents."
"Defeat the Demon King? Isn't that just sending our heads to the Demons? What a pity, a human with such great strength, but not so bright, meow." Aura said lazily, sprawled on the sofa. Compared to a pet cat, she was only missing a Cat Tail.
"Line, give Aura's bottom ten slaps."
Li Yan bluntly ordered the zookeeper who served Aura to discipline Aura.
Upon hearing Li Yan's order, Line hesitated for a second before beginning to gently pat Aura's buttocks like a monk striking a wooden fish.
"Meow, Line, you betrayed me, meow!"
Aura spoke with a hint of resentment, but when she saw Li Yan's gaze sweeping over her, she could only feign pitifulness and expose her belly, hoping to get away with it.
Ignoring the idiot Aura, Li Yan gazed at the sky Royal Capital and fell into thought. Neither Schlacht nor the Demons general hailed as God of War were people Li Yan was particularly wary of. However, Li Yan was somewhat concerned about the guy known as the miracle Grausam.
In Solitär's memories, Grausam never revealed his true appearance. He changed his appearance and body shape time and time again, disappearing from human sight, just like a spy from a previous life. No one had ever seen his true face.
Even among his own kind, he remained in a state of concealment, and the Demons were not interested in Grausam's appearance. Fortunately, few Demons imitated Grausam's method of achieving longevity.
The most terrifying Demons are the Seven Sages of Destruction of the Demons, who lurk in the shadows and never show themselves. Like a dog that bites without barking, Grausam is such a demon. When everyone had forgotten him, he reappeared on the battlefield in a different form, inflicting heavy losses on the unsuspecting human army.
Compared to the cunning old man like Grausam, the God of War seems rather insignificant. He's a reckless man who enjoys charging into battle and dancing wholeheartedly on the battlefield. This kind of guy is the type of Demons Li Yan likes the most.
Schlacht cannot see a future person who does not exist, so he does not pose much of a threat to Li Yan. However, this is not because Li Yan underestimates him, but because he has valued him highly since a thousand years ago. If it weren't for him, how could Li Yan have researched magic to prevent him from predicting the future a thousand years ago?
To deal with this opponent who Foresee the Future, Li Yan had made many plans. Because he had prepared many backup plans, Li Yan was not particularly concerned about Schlacht. He had too many trump cards prepared for Shurahat.