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

"......"

"What? That expression?"

No, please don't mind it.

At the end of the conversation, he silently turned his face away, not intending to comment on Frillie's remarks.

But Frilian looked up at him... Over this period of time, she wanted to figure out what this person was thinking even more than before.

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

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

After a brief hiatus, the group resumed their journey.

While Zain went to the village as usual to inquire about his close friend's whereabouts, Ash noticed a strange mage by the fence at the village entrance, a type that had been rarely seen on the road in recent years.

The girl's deep green hair was tied into a unique side ponytail, and her black dress perfectly outlined her graceful figure.

Image: "Yubel", Location: "Images/1724783190-100409035-112059010.jpg"

Image: "Yubel 2", Location: "Images/1724783202-100409035-112059010.jpg"

Neither overly flamboyant nor deliberately concealing, it oscillates between exposure and subtlety, showcasing an indescribable balance of beauty... At least the bust height of that dress is significantly higher than that of a low-cut top, so even though Ash has a good figure, you can hardly see anything.

Her arms and full thighs were adorned with bracelets and leg rings, respectively. These accessories did not look out of place at all; instead, they added a unique charm to her.

Her purple eyes, which should have been quite beautiful, were unfortunately lifeless, carrying a distinct air of languor and indifference. Her aura was also unlike that of a typical mage; clearly...

"...He seems like a dangerous person."

After observing for a while, Ash was basically certain that it was the other party who had killed the previous group of bandits.

After all, she was the only mage they had encountered along the way.

But he only muttered that to himself before yawning and sitting down on the fence not far away, gazing at the sky in a daze.

Just as he was thinking about whether he could practice his magic a little while they were in the village buying things and asking questions, the girl not far away noticed his presence. She quietly sat down next to him and leaned over to observe him from below.

"What are you doing?"

"...You, actually talking behind someone's back and saying they're dangerous?" The girl looked him up and down with a malicious smile.

"I should have been there in person, and that's the truth, isn't it?"

"There are truths that can be said and those that can't, especially in front of others. In the end... waah!"

Before the girl could finish speaking, Ash slapped her across the face and then flipped her over the fence.

Caught off guard, the girl lay sprawled on the lawn behind the fence, only her calves dangling over the edge.

"...It's black too."

Because of the angle, Ash was slightly surprised to accidentally notice the view under her skirt. He then considerately pulled down her skirt to cover up the exposed area in the sunlight.

Immediately afterwards...

—Bang! !

Without any warning, an invisible slash suddenly swept across his arm.

However... it only cut through the clothes before being bounced off the skin of the arm, turning back into magical particles and dissipating like starlight.

This made the girl, who had fallen to the ground and was practically upside down, forget what she was going to do next. She slowly opened her eyes wide and stared in disbelief at his perfectly intact hand.

But Ash calmly retorted, "...What are you doing to a gentleman? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"Is this my problem? After all, would a gentleman push a girl aside and then... look at her so intently?"

"First of all, I didn't look at it carefully, I only glanced at it." Having nothing better to do, he countered with seemingly logical arguments:

"Secondly, I pushed you away just because Philon and the others were in the village. What if they saw me chatting with strange people and my reputation dropped again? Besides, if it weren't for them, they should have come out soon. I'm a kind and gentle person, and you would already be dead."

"Haha~ That was really scary, but..." The girl slowly sat up, patted her skirt, and squatted down beside him, resting her chin on her hands and staring at him with a faint smile: "You're acting like you're not a gentleman. This isn't the kind of thing a gentle and kind person would say, is it?"

"Being kind and gentle doesn't mean you'll let others bully you."

"...More importantly, why is your hand alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think it should be possible to cut it off."

"What a coincidence, I just thought—it definitely wouldn't be cut off."

Faced with the girl's eerie smile, Ash responded with a bright and cheerful smile, just like a sunny and cheerful young man.

Magic is a world of imagination, but that imagination also depends on the spells and magical manipulation skills created by the individual.

It was obvious that the opponent's cutting technique was exquisite, even Frilian couldn't help but praise it, but the defensive technique that Ash set up on his body was... even more ingenious.

It even exceeded her imagination, the upper limit of what the technique could improve. Of course, it's also possible that the clash of their imaginations resulted in neither of them winning.

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

Astro's answer was natural and unprecedented, leaving the girl stunned for a moment.

Even though Ash was ignoring her, she couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Haha! Funny~! You're so funny! -- You're clearly more dangerous than me, yet you say I'm dangerous? You think I'm no good, and you actually make me no good... Really~ so funny~!"

As she spoke, the girl's red tongue licked her thin lips alluringly, and after gazing at him with a dazed look for a long time, she suddenly reached out her hand to him, revealing a radiant smile:

"I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yubel, and what's yours, buddy?"

"...You were just about to cut my hand, and now you're introducing yourself?"

"Didn't I show you my underwear as an apology?"

"That's what you showed me?"

"Come to think of it, it was all because you forcibly pushed me down and then looked at me openly, right? ... But in that case, even if someone cut off your hand, it's your own fault, and you could even say I showed mercy, right?"

The girl, Yubel, looked at him with a smile, and he... really couldn't refute her.

At least in this world, human life is worthless; you could die in any random contest, but...

"Too bad, you're no match for me, so it's not that you're holding back, it's that I'm holding back." He merely glanced coldly at the hand still hanging in mid-air: "By the way... doesn't your hand get tired of being held up like that?"

"Isn't it because you haven't been holding hands? Or are you just going to watch a lady keep her hand outstretched, or..."

"or?"

"Young man, would you like to take another look at...this?"

Yubel casually swayed her skirt gently, her gaze fixed on him, but her smile deepened without her realizing it.

Faced with this scrutinizing gaze, he merely pondered for a moment before nodding nonchalantly and saying, "If you insist on showing it to me, I don't mind taking a look."

"Haha~ You're really funny~ But do you really think I'll let you see it?"

"Human hearts are the hardest thing to guess, and I don't like uncertainty."

"So you just gave up?"

"No, I just want to lend you a little help and remove the uncertainties—like this."

While Yubel was still swaying her skirt, he really found her annoying and, without any expression, simply lifted it up casually.

The sudden chill beneath her skirt froze the girl in front of him, and he finally grasped her still-hanging hand:

"I'm Ash. I'm glad you could keep me company. You've done your job well and you can go home now."

"...Shall I kill you?"

After a long period of stiffness, Yubel tilted his head and revealed a somewhat broken—grim and terrifying smile, with a surge of magical energy appearing around him.

Invisible slashes rained down on him, raining down upon him.

However......

Even if the cutting trajectory is not visible, Ash's own protective magic is enough to turn the magic into specks of magical particles and dissipate in mid-air—just like before, his attack had no effect.

During this process, the trident-shaped wand appeared in Yubel's palm and suddenly stabbed towards his face with her movement, but... Ash did not get up from the fence at all, he just flicked his finger.

Bang-!

With a sound like metal clashing, the wand transmitted a power beyond Yubel's imagination, flying out of his hand and spinning into the air.

In an instant, Yubel, completely disarmed, finally gave up his anger and lowered his hands as if resigned to his fate:

"You... really are an extraordinary monster."

"Thank you."

"What?" Yubel narrowed his eyes.

Ash shrugged dismissively: "Of course, it's all aspects."

"...I'll kill you, okay?"

"You can't do it."

"To be honest... this is the first time I've ever been this angry."

Yubel said this, saying he really had no way to deal with him, but he sat down next to him, and for some reason, the gloomy smile returned to his face.