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

"...Yes, you're alright, but..." Celia's face was full of speechlessness, her two small, red hands hanging in mid-air, her eyes looking at him as if she wanted to strangle him on the spot, she gritted her teeth and said, "—My hands are about to get blisters!"

......

...

..

(PS: The last chapter won't be until around midnight.)

The Burial of Frilian: A Thousand Years Later: Chapter Fifteen - Celia Refuses to Be a Freeloader

Celia's whispered curse made Ash glance at his reddened hands, then silently look away, pretending nothing had happened, and change the subject:

"...Ah, speaking of which, can roasted lamb leg still taste good after it's frozen?"

"I haven't tried it myself, so I don't know, but I know you're in for a world of hurt if you don't give me an explanation today." Having lived for thousands of years, Celia smiled, showing no intention of ending the conversation so easily, forcing him to surrender: "Okay... actually, I feel like I'm burning my hands."

"Am I not afraid of getting burned?!"

"People say that old people have thick calluses on their hands and are not afraid of pain."

"Ah, what a coincidence... I've also heard that demons are thick-skinned and not afraid of being hit." Seria's face broke into the brightest smile she'd ever shown:

"How about we change today's lesson to a magic defense class, the kind where I attack and you run away?"

"I reject!"

"Tell me your reasons."

"Because you'll definitely use this opportunity to settle personal scores!" He pointed at Celia as he backed away, trying to reason with her to stop her revenge. "And think about it! Celia, your obedient disciple worked so hard to cook for you. Shouldn't you be touched at this moment?"

"Well-behaved? Haha! Haha! You're really funny! Although I don't know how you have the nerve to say those two words, I'm genuinely touched now. As a reward for guessing correctly, here you go..." Celia's hands, following the emergence of dark flames, grinned with a ferocious smile: "—Hellfire!"

Boom——! !

The makeshift barbecue stalls outside the ruins were instantly engulfed by fire.

Ash managed to escape in the chaos, but Celia, still harboring resentment, unleashed a barrage of attacks.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding forests were completely destroyed.

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

Another half month has passed in the blink of an eye.

After finishing the meal that Celie had reluctantly prepared, Ash decided to go out to explore the neighboring elf village that Celie had told him about, in order to find out what powerful elves still existed in this era. He wanted to see the elves of this time.

"Seria, I'm going on a long trip, so you don't need to prepare my meals for a while."

"...Am I your mother? I've always wanted to get rid of you, you freeloader who never does any work! Rather..." Celia on the throne first showed displeasure, then a look of joy appeared on her face: "—Now that you're out, don't come back!"

"Don't say that! A teacher for a day is a mother for life. In my heart, you are—Waaah?!"

Before he could finish speaking, a powerful hurricane interrupted him, blowing him out of the hall.

Using magic to lower his weight, he rolled over, getting covered in dust but without sustaining any injuries.

He stood up easily, dusted himself off, and couldn't help but complain, "Wasn't I studying diligently? To be kicked out like this is a bit much, isn't it?"

However... Seria, deep inside the main hall, completely ignored him, leaving him feeling awkward. He then carried the large bag of ancient magic books he had taken from Seria and leisurely left the place temporarily.

On his way to find the elven village, Ash hadn't found any elves yet, but he did encounter someone who looked vaguely familiar.

But... thinking about it carefully, he felt that he shouldn't have had any acquaintances five hundred years ago, right? Although it would be the same five hundred years later.

The newcomer had long orange hair that covered half of her face. She looked to be a woman in her early thirties. After a brief moment of doubt, he immediately remembered that he had read a lot about her in the information he had researched, because... she was the woman who would become the progenitor of human magic in the future—Volame.

And now...

“You…” Vlame stared at him, seemingly sensing something amiss: “Why are you staring at me?”

"Ah... cough... You're Volame, right? I've heard of you."

"Have you heard of me?" Vlame, who had always kept a low profile, frowned upon hearing this and became more vigilant, even secretly preparing some magic.

After all, this chaotic world is full of all sorts of dangers. Even the most powerful mage could be killed by a dagger from behind if they are not careful.

"Don't get me wrong, I heard Celia mention your existence?"

"...Master?"

"To be honest, I am your junior brother."

"Junior brother? Master has taken on a new disciple?"

"Is it weird?"

"That's strange." Vlame nodded without thinking, casting a scrutinizing glance at him: "Given Master's personality... she shouldn't accept disciples so easily. What exactly does she see in you?"

"Perhaps it's sincerity and diligence?"

"...Although it's not really my place to say it, my master isn't the type to accept someone as a disciple just because they're sincere and hardworking."

"And she has a rather rude personality. She even knocked me out of the house when we went out. I really hope she can understand the importance of respecting the elderly and caring for the young."

"......"

Vlame remained silent, simply observing him in silence.

Judging from his appearance, Ash was not suspicious at all, but there was something strange about his aura.

What bothered her most was Ash's aura; it clearly gave her the feeling that he had killed many people.

Could it be because it was the first time she had seen someone who had killed so many people, so their aura was a little off? To be honest, she couldn't be sure right now.

Out of caution, she didn't say anything more, but silently walked away from Ash, intending to verify with Celia later.

Ash watched Vlamé depart until he disappeared from sight, his smile gradually fading, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"...The concealment techniques that Celie taught me are really useful. If I had met this person from the beginning, I would definitely have been exposed, right?"

Although the two did not fight, he could sense from their auras that Vlame was definitely the strongest human he had ever seen... even though the other party seemed to be hiding his aura.

However, since the other party had already avoided him, he naturally didn't intend to think too much about it and happily headed towards the village according to the map that Seria had given him.

He hadn't been away from the ruins for long when he gradually realized that Seria giving him the map... and telling him the address of the elven village, might be a way to get him out of there? To prevent him from living off his parents there?

The Burial of Frilian: A Thousand Years From Now On: Chapter Sixteen: The Gap Between Reality and Ideal - First Encounter with Frilian

After a long and arduous journey, Ash finally found the legendary elven village using a map, but...

"Isn't the difference between this and what I imagined a bit too great?"

Deep in a remote primeval forest, a hidden elven village seems to have been forgotten by time.

It lies quietly in a vast and secluded area, surrounded by dense and boundless ancient trees. Sunlight filters through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows and shimmering light, draping this land in a mysterious and slightly desolate veil.

The elves' stone houses are scattered haphazardly across this open space. Their exteriors are not ornate, but the interiors... are just like their exteriors, lacking any rustic beauty and simply plain.

The roof of the stone house is covered with moss and vines, and the years have etched mottled marks on them, as if telling a story of wild growth in the past.

The doors and windows were small and somewhat dilapidated, but no one bothered to repair them.

The scattered elves were dressed very simply, even somewhat like refugees... If it weren't for their relatively clean clothes, these villagers, dressed too plainly, would have been no different from refugees; they looked like ordinary medieval villagers.

They all looked listless, busy with their own things, and there were no children or elderly people present... although he couldn't tell if there were any.

Celia, the loli elf, already had a quirky personality that was enough to shatter Ash's perception of elves.

After all, elves in stories are usually very beautiful, and typically possess attributes like elegance, but in reality...

"...Why is there such a big difference between reality and the story? The village is dilapidated and lacks any aesthetic appeal. These guys are simply dream crushers!"

As he complained about his shattered dream, he glanced around and noticed a small elf in the crowd, who seemed to be the strongest among them.

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

The elf had a graceful figure, with a head of smooth silver hair that cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, shimmering with a soft and mysterious luster like moonlight.

Her delicate, long ears exude extraordinary spirituality and elegance, while her deep, bright emerald eyes are unforgettable.

Despite being only about 1.5 meters tall, she possesses an indescribable petite and delicate beauty, and her every move exudes agility and cuteness, making people feel affection for her involuntarily.

...Well, actually that was just his imagination, a beautified version of the elf images he had seen in stories.

In reality, although the elf had waist-length silver hair, long ears, and emerald eyes, she was extremely small and flat-chested.

Image: "Flillian", Location: "Images/1720864461-100409035-111887007.jpg"

His only redeeming quality is that he's actually quite cute... but the other person is a little girl, and he's not into little girls, so it's definitely not what he expected.

Just as he was feeling frustrated, the elf seemed to notice his gaze, walked over, and frowned.

"...Who are you? Why are you sighing at me?"