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

"If that's the case, what are you still doing here? I have more important things to do now, and I don't have time to waste on you."

"Alright, see you later then. Also—Mr. Gluck, right? Have a pleasant trip!"

To avoid accidentally turning to gold upon touching the ground, Ash, who remained suspended in mid-air, had no intention of lingering. He waved his hand without looking back and disappeared into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

"What an interesting person. Aren't you going to pursue him?" Gluck looked up with a smile.

"He's flying too fast. If he really wants to escape, it won't be easy to catch. Maybe he's manipulating the reverse thrust of gravity? Normal flight magic wouldn't be that fast." Mahat only glanced at the sky before the gold beneath his feet spread out once more.

"Is that so? Well then it really is time to say goodbye, Mahart. These years have been a wonderful journey."

“That’s what I think too, Lord Gluck.” Mahat nodded with a smile, watching as the gold on Gluck’s body gradually spread over his head.

After Gluck was completely turned to gold, the goldification of the surrounding streets accelerated instantly, almost like encountering a tsunami of gold.

In just a few breaths, the entire city fortress was completely turned to gold.

The pedestrians on the street, unaware of what was happening, remained with the expressions of their daily lives from the moment before, when the magic transformed them into glittering gold statues.

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

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

The bustling city fortress, which was just moments before, fell into a deathly silence in the blink of an eye.

Every blade of grass, every tree, every brick and tile in the city, including the people, turned into glittering gold.

The only one still able to move is the instigator—Mahat.

He strolled through the familiar streets, his brow furrowed as he pondered something.

Before he could even get an answer, Ash, who had already left, returned and observed his surroundings from mid-air, asking curiously, "What's the result now?"

"...You really dare to come back, huh?"

"Don't be so stingy."

“...It’s hard to say.” Mahat closed his eyes as if he was sensing something. “In that instant when I was in the golden state, I did feel something, and I felt an indescribable emotion, but...it only lasted for a moment.”

"Really? Well, I guess I know." Ash was a little concerned about his emotions at that moment, but he knew he himself didn't know what he felt, so he didn't ask any more questions.

This was clearly an expression of having expected it, which made Mahat somewhat concerned: "What do you mean?"

"In your 600-plus years of life, you have never been exposed to anything related to emotions, living entirely in violence and killing. Now you have only been exposed to emotions for a mere 30 years... So, even a normal human being would not be able to understand emotions."

"No way? I think so?" Mahat frowned, seemingly unconvinced by the statement.

"No, think about it yourself... This isn't just a matter of time; it's that your worldview and values ​​have already been fixed before this point. It's like if a person is molded into a ruthless killer by their environment and external factors from the very beginning, there's basically no hope of changing them later."

"Basically? So there's still hope?"

"A little, after all, nothing is absolute, but at least from the current situation, you've failed."

..........

Having received the answer to his thirty years of hard work, which had essentially ended in failure, Ash, who had maintained a considerable distance from him throughout, quickly left the place after this brief conversation to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Mahat was left alone, wandering the streets, pondering the meaning of his words...

As for what will happen to Mahat in the end, Ash doesn't really care. After all, he doesn't have any way to avoid being turned into gold, so there's nothing he can do about Mahat now.

If Mahat continues to act recklessly, Celia will naturally stop him; there's nothing for him to worry about.

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

Now, let's look at the present.

More than forty years have passed since my last visit, and the Golden City is still the Golden City.

However, a huge barrier resembling an inverted bowl appeared on the outside, completely enveloping it... But since he was already a great demon, Mahat only needed magic to sustain his life. Eating was just a hobby, and he wouldn't die inside even if he had nothing.

"I remember it was a barrier set up by a group of first-level mages? Poor Mahat."

Looking at the golden fortress city from afar, Ash couldn't help but recall what happened there more than forty years ago.

He actually wanted to go and take a look, but with people from the Continental Magic Association guarding the area, he only looked at it from a distance and gave up on getting too close.

Aura was leaning against the car window, looking at the distant Golden City with a smug grin: "Serves you right~ This is the price for going against Lord Aura."

"Is that so? But this shouldn't have anything to do with Lord Aura, right?" Inside the flying carriage, Lina, still sitting on Ash's lap, casually revealed the truth while biting into an apple.

This made Aura's face stiffen, and then she glared at him fiercely: "Is this how I taught you, Linne!"

"Oh... I'm sorry, Lord Aura."

Although she had no idea what she had done wrong, Linne still lowered her head and admitted her mistake with a pitiful expression.

Ash felt that their conversation seemed to have happened around here before, but this time he simply patted Linne's head, silently comforting the straightforward child.

The Buried Frilian: A Thousand Years Later: Chapter 86 What to Do When a Young-Looking Demon Girl (Great Demon Clan) Proposes to Me? (5K)

The flying monster controlled by Aura carried everyone, under the protection of the Magic Knights, as they flew from the sky over the golden fortress city.

During this time, Ash was still in the sky, and his gaze met that of Mahat, who was sitting quietly by the pool in the city, seemingly lost in thought.

Neither of them spoke, only exchanging brief glances before they parted ways.

Mahathir gives the impression that he has been sitting there for over forty years, and it's unclear what he's thinking...

Why isn't this guy trying to break the barrier? Why is he just sitting here like this? Ash completely doesn't understand why Mahat is just standing there in a daze. If he wanted to leave normally... it shouldn't be that easy to trap him in this barrier, right?

Is it that he can't or doesn't want to? Or does he like the feeling of being locked up inside?

Ash really couldn't understand this. He even tightened his embrace around Linne, feeling that no matter how he thought about it... compared to the cold, hard gold, the soft, warm scent of a little girl was definitely better!

He had only thought that for a moment when Aura gave him a disgusted look and maliciously insulted him: "...Ash, I felt like you just made a rather lewd expression."

"—Not vulgar at all! That's a gentle look! There's something wrong with your eyes; you should go see a church soon."

"How dare Ash talk about gentleness? He's utterly shameless."

"You're the only one who has no right to say such things to me."

To be honest, if he didn't still have Line on hand, he would have wanted to teach Aura a lesson right now.

But just as he was pondering whether he should put Linne aside for now, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the forest below.

She was a girl wearing a white dress, with long, waist-length blue hair and a pair of small, ghost-like horns on her forehead.

She was very small, with a delicate, slightly childlike face and a gentle, harmless smile. In fact, she gave off a feeling somewhere between a loli and a young girl rather than a young girl. When she noticed his gaze, she raised her hand and waved happily at him.

She looks like an innocent and elegant little ghost... Ash happens to know her.

She is an unknown demon race member, Solitiel, who is not recognized by humans and has left no trace in human history.

Although humans were unaware of her existence, Aura clearly recognized her, and upon seeing Solitaire, she immediately displayed that same look of disdain:

"That old guy, he's always pretending to be young..."

"Lord Aura, you have high standards." Lina casually tossed the apple she had finished eating out the window and then discreetly wiped it on Ash's clothes.

When he noticed this, he immediately wore an expression of suppressed headache and slapped her small hand away: "Line! Who taught you to do this? It's so rude!"

"I'm sorry, Ash-sama... but there doesn't seem to be anything here to wipe my hands..." Lina lowered her head pitifully, covering her hands with a dejected expression. "Besides, didn't you say that a girl's image is important? So..."

"...A girl's image is not just about her outward appearance; her behavior is also part of her image."

How exactly should he raise this child to become an outstanding lady? ... To be honest, he had basically given up by now, and turning back to look at the little ghost on the ground, he couldn't help but sigh, "Speaking of which, how old is Solitaire?"

"Why don't you just ask?" Aura looked uninterested.

"That's right, I just happened to run into you, I'll go say hello."

After a moment's thought, he actually jumped off the carriage in the sky right before Aura's astonished eyes and landed in the direction of Solitaire.

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

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

In the jungle near the barrier.

The figure, hurtling down from the sky like a shooting star, seemed to be gently lifted by an invisible force just before hitting the ground, lingering leisurely for a brief moment before gracefully landing on the ground.

Throughout the entire process, the only thing that happened was the strong wind that accompanied the falling leaves, which stirred up the fallen leaves but did not leave any dents in the ground.

This scene, which transformed from extreme turmoil to tranquil harmony in an instant, made Solitaire clap her hands in delight:

"It seems like it's been since the Demon Lord was still alive? Not even eighty years yet, right? You've grown so much, Ash. I'm so happy!"

"I've always had a question for Solitaire."

"what?"

"How old are you exactly?"

"...This? Hmm~ 800?" Solitaire gave an ambiguous smile, tilting her head cutely, and casually gave an uncertain number.

"No, I remember you said before that you disliked war because your friend died in a war that the Demon King started in an attempt to understand humanity. But I remember the Demon King who died just before that reigned for over a thousand years, yet he didn't wage any wars before that. In other words..."

"Ugh, how annoying~ How could you guess a girl's age so casually? Has Ash really entered his rebellious phase?"

His analysis made Solitaire feign displeasure and put on a troubled smile.