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

It could even be said that the Elven race's personality makes it unlikely that they will offend anyone outside, which is why their village has been able to survive to this day.

It is precisely because of this that their peaceful nature and tendency to mind their own business are indeed the secrets to their longevity, which is...

"So it really was you?" After thinking it over and over but still unable to figure out why, Frilian suddenly turned back to look at him: "--How about you honestly confess and then go and admit your mistake?"

"...What did I do?"

"Of all the troublemakers in the village, you're the only one I can think of."

"The country I defected to is far away from here, it couldn't be them, and all I've done along the way is sponge off my parents, I haven't done anything else, have I?"

"...living off one's parents?"

"He doesn't work and lives off the elderly in his family."

"...You actually did something like this?"

After the elves reached adulthood, they lived independent lives, which made Frilian extremely disgusted by his freeloading behavior. She even couldn't help but wonder, "So, now it's your grandparents coming to our door?"

"I think it's unlikely. Don't try to smear me for no reason. It was clearly your people who did something, wasn't it?"

"But we shouldn't have offended anyone."

"Really?"

"...If everyone were like you, we wouldn't have lived that long, would we?" Frillie glanced at him with a hint of annoyance as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

Ash, however, disagreed: "Who knows? Someone might hold a grudge against a lazy guy like you."

"Besides you, I can't think of anyone else who would hold a grudge against me."

"That's great, but rather than that... shouldn't we first consider how to solve the current problem?"

"I don't think we need to...after all, they've already come out."

It was during their conversation that the strange people, or rather, the demons, who had been hiding around the village, inexplicably abandoned their plan to launch a surprise attack and instead emerged from the surrounding area.

The Burial of Frilian: A Thousand Years From Now On: Chapter Twenty-One - Battle Against the Demon General

They had silently poured into the village from all directions, but upon noticing that the two people in the middle were mages, the demons stepped forward openly, no longer even bothering to conceal their presence.

However, the leader was not a mage, but a warrior who wielded a greatsword, wore heavy armor, and had two huge demon horns on his head.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by a group of demons, which immediately put Ash and Frilian on high alert. Even the sleeping elves in the village noticed these guys who were making no attempt to hide their presence.

"Damn it... Should we run away now?" Ash could sense that the leading demon warrior was quite powerful, which made him start thinking about how to escape from this place.

Upon hearing his words, Frillie couldn't help but turn around and glare at him: "So it was you who caused this trouble!?"

"No, I don't know, there shouldn't be any..." There shouldn't be any, after all, he used to live in the southern countries and had basically never encountered demons.

But speaking of offending people, elves don't seem to fit the stereotype. Could it be that humans hired demons to kill? Or did the demons discover their own carefree and undisciplined nature and want to kill the Demon King because they didn't want to serve him? But how many respectable demons would willingly serve the Demon King?

His strained expression as he tried to recall made Frillie ask suspiciously, "So it really was you?!"

"Huh? No, it shouldn't be...?" Ash himself wasn't quite sure either.

The demon general, Bazart of the Throne, who was over five meters tall and whose sword was larger than himself, spoke up in a deep, booming voice:

"Human mage... this matter has nothing to do with you!"

"Huh? It's not my problem?" Ash himself was a little surprised to hear this.

But Bazart looked impatient: "His Majesty the Demon King's order is to exterminate the elves; your life is of no concern to him."

"Really? Thank you so much." He looked at Frillie with delight and said happily, "You see, it's not my problem, it's yours."

"...Deserter, if you're going to leave, then leave quickly. Don't embarrass yourself here." Frilian didn't want to pay any attention to him at all, and just stared intently at Bazart.

"That's going too far. Do you really think of me as that kind of person?"

"How long have we known each other? How would I know who you are?"

"No...we've known each other for two years already!"

"Only two years, right?"

"...What should I do? I guess I should just leave by myself now."

Frilian's matter-of-fact words made him cover his face and look back at the demon general Bazart, who was wielding a giant sword.

The other party also seemed a little impatient at this point: "It's settled. Whether you stay or leave is your choice."

If it weren't for the current mission that prevented him from wasting unnecessary energy, Bazart would have preferred to simply cut them all down.

"Sigh, never mind... I'm not like these cold-blooded elves. I've lived here for two years, so I've developed some feelings for them."

“Is that so? Then—kill them!!” A cold glint flashed in Bazart’s eyes, and he raised his massive sword without hesitation.

The surrounding demons also sprang into action instantly, either unleashing magic or charging forward with their blades.

Meanwhile, the villagers, who had been awakened, nervously gathered their weapons or attempted to retaliate with magic.

At that moment, Ash drew his military knife and stepped forward, saying, "Leave this big guy to me, you can handle the rest yourselves."

"Really? Thank you, that's a huge help." Frillie was a little surprised, but still silently raised her hand.

In an instant, lights of various colors illuminated the entire village.

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

"Foolish, utterly foolish." Bazart looked at the unhurried boy approaching, and at the blade in his hand. A look of contempt appeared on his face behind the mask: "A mage actually wants to fight a warrior with a weapon? Seeking death?"

"No, you've probably misunderstood. This is for the purpose of reaping life after using magic, so I've tentatively named it Reaper No. 7."

"...What and what?"

Don't worry about it, it will be over soon.

"You...are you underestimating me?!"

Although he was not very famous among the many generals and his strength was not very strong, he was still a general. Being treated like this in this village made Bazart furious.

"No, it's not that. It's just because..."

"—Go to hell!!"

His voice, so devoid of any sense of urgency, made Bazart not want to listen any longer. Driven by his surging emotions, he raised his greatsword and slammed it down at him.

A massive sword blade, accompanied by a whistling sound, hurtled through the air.

But Ash was fearless, ignoring the huge size difference between them, and swung his blade upwards to deliver a slash, dominating the enemy's attack.

Bang! The two collided violently, instantly scattering intense sparks.

Unable to withstand the immense force, Ash's body was uncontrollably pulled backward, his legs carving two furrows several meters long into the ground.

"...The transformation was very successful, but even after transforming into a warrior, it's still not wise to fight this kind of monster head-on."

To test the magic of the Great Demon Clan of the Mythical Era, which he temporarily called "Reaper Mode," he muttered to himself as he transformed into a warrior, staring at his hands gripping a military knife.

The area between his thumb and forefinger was already covered in blood from the impact.

The difference between mages and warriors in this world lies solely in using magic to strengthen their bodies and using magic to attack opponents. Therefore, the mode switch should perfectly make him a warrior, but... he still seems to be no match for his opponent.

But Bazart didn't understand any of this. Although he only instinctively took half a step back, seeing this scene made him feel as if he had been greatly humiliated.

"Mere humans...mere mages—!!"

With a roar, Bazart exerted all his strength, causing the greatsword to whip up a strong wind in mid-air and draw an arc as it cleaved straight down toward his head, determined to split him in two.

But he neither dodged nor avoided, and instead stomped his foot hard on the ground.

The earth trembled violently, and purple gravitational lightning scattered in all directions.

The ground within a six-meter radius suddenly shattered, as if an invisible, heavy object had suddenly crashed down on it.

The trajectory of the greatsword's attack, which had entered the range, also shifted, narrowly missing his clothes before crashing to the ground like a cannonball.

—BOOM!!!

The already overburdened earth instantly and completely crumbled.

The Burial of Frilian: A Thousand Years From Now On: Chapter Twenty-Two: Alternating Offense and Defense

The giant sword, as large as a man named Bash, slammed down, causing the earth to tremble and crack under the influence of abnormal gravity.

Despite the unusual gravity affecting the dust and causing it to fly at strange heights, some rubble still exploded in all directions, even hitting Ash and causing him to wince in pain.

This scene was witnessed by Millie, who had just rushed out of the room; Millie had been worried that he would be easily killed, but now she saw this shocking sight.

Ash's past seriousness and diligence towards magic, and his current trust in it, filled even this elf with admiration.

It is precisely this spirit of diligent study that allows him to have the energy and confidence to cast this strange spell while maintaining absolute faith in his magic. Even if the slightest carelessness could result in being cut in two, he will not back down an inch.

Of course... that's her perspective.

No one noticed that cold sweat trickled down Ash's ears, and his body stiffened slightly.