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

"You're supposed to be this child's father, right? Yet you're in a worse state than me...?" Frilian was speechless. She didn't even want to talk to him anymore. She just carefully observed him before taking out the headdress from the box.

Ash glanced cautiously at Philon, bracing himself for a scolding, and whispered in defense, "Believe me, Philon, I was planning to buy something... If possible, could I go buy something now?"

"No need, the dessert that Lord Ash just gave me is enough, and... I have this, and this too."

Whether it was unexpected or not, Philon was not angry at all; instead, she smiled and stroked the silver bookmark and headdress.

“Of course, the most important thing is that Lord Ash remembered to come back on this day, so I am already happy enough. I am also very happy that Lady Frilian wants to understand me.... Well, since Lady Frilian is hopelessly oblivious, I will be frank about this—thank you for wanting to understand me.”

"You didn't do it?" Frilian asked, looking surprised.

"It's alright. After all, Lady Frilian doesn't seem to understand human emotions. She only gets emotionally intense when she's with Lord Ash."

“…Because this is the guy I’ve known the longest, and the one who infuriates me the most.” Frillie smiled with a hint of helplessness, glancing at Ash, who at this moment just wanted to be invisible, and teased:

"Also, Philon, don't be too polite to this guy. If you're angry, you should be angry. Otherwise, this shameless person will just pretend nothing happened."

"It's alright, I know that... But even though Ash-sama is human, he sometimes seems a bit slow-witted. Did he catch that from Frilian-sama?"

"Don't talk about people like they have a contagious disease, okay?" The strange remark made Frillie shake her head slightly, her elven face showing a hint of annoyance. However, she unconsciously fixed her gaze on Ash, revealing a trace of confusion: "But then again, I feel like Ash is a little different from when I first met him... or maybe not? Is it just my imagination?"

"Of course it's your imagination. After all, you think we've known each other for so many years, it would be strange if nothing had changed."

"That's true."

Frillie stared at him for a while, but in the end she just shook her head and didn't pursue the matter any further.

But at this moment, Philon observed the two of them and became somewhat curious about how long they had known each other that Frilian said they were the longest-standing friends.

But... in the end, after finishing the dessert, she still couldn't bring herself to ask.

Because Frilian suddenly remembered what she had mentioned about desserts earlier, she stared suspiciously at the two who were eating alone behind her back, and turned around to blame them.

And so, as the soft, darkening sky gradually descended, the seagulls circled in the twilight sky with their smooth, long trails, uttering clear, melodious cries.

As the sun completely sank below the horizon, amidst the breathtaking sunset over the sea, she ultimately failed to ask the question she had been curious about.

Even so... at this overly lively birthday dessert party, enjoying cake twice in one day, surrounded by her favorite people, her smile never stopped that evening.

On her sixteenth birthday, the two of them created unforgettable memories for her... in every way imaginable.

And that very night, although Philon said he didn't need a gift, Ash still dragged Frilian, who looked reluctant and didn't really want to help him, to buy her a bracelet as a gift.

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

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

The next day, Ash, who did not intend to leave immediately, embarked on his journey with Frilian and Philon.

Along the way, Frilian would spar with Philon from time to time, helping her gain as much combat experience as possible.

However, unlike their usual aimless travels, this time Frillian led them very specifically to a village that Ash found quite familiar.

"This is..." Philen couldn't help but ask beforehand, even as she reached the village entrance, "Are you planning to collect strange magic again, Lady Frilian?"

“No, this time is different.” Frilian shook her head slightly, her expression more solemn than ever before. Ash, with a slightly strange expression, added, “This is for the corrupt sage Guval.”

"The corrupt sage Guval?" Philon asked, puzzled; the voice made Frilian turn to stare at her: "...Didn't you read the book on the history of magic I gave you?"

"this....."

"Combat experience isn't the only important thing in magic. I guess I'll read to you before bed."

"No, I can read it myself, I'm not a little kid anymore... Besides, why not just say it now?"

Frillie's treatment of her, which resembled that of a child, made Philon feel quite resistant. She even looked at Ash at the end and asked curiously, "Lord Ash, do you know who that person is?"

"The strongest mage in the Demon King's army, it is said that 4% of adventurers and 7% of mages have died from his murderous magic. Not only that, as a demon who is extremely sensitive to magic, he also has talents that are beyond human reach. He can see through most spells at a glance and find their flaws or even replicate them."

"So powerful? Then just how..." Ash's description moved Philon deeply.

Frillie, however, calmly said, "Yes, he was a complete monster. Back then, even the four of us working together couldn't gain the upper hand against him."

"In that case, wouldn't we be in a completely different situation now...!"

"Don't worry, that guy has been sealed for eighty years. His magic has been basically deciphered. We just need to deal with him immediately and everything will be fine. Although it would be a problem if he escaped... but don't worry, we will definitely not let him escape."

As Philon grew increasingly uneasy, the advantage of time allowed Frilian to reveal a confident smile and reach out to pat her head.

The Burial of Frilian: The Officially Beginning Journey: Chapter Four: Frilian's Procrastination - The Dark Clouds of Terror (4K)

The usually aloof Frilian's uncharacteristically confident statement greatly eased Philon's unease.

Ash, who would normally be the first to comfort Philon, was surprisingly quiet at this moment, as if he were lost in thought.

But there's nothing he can do... He can't say anything right now.

After all, the person they were worried about had been released more than seventy years ago. The defensive magic that specifically countered the corrupt sage Guval was also thoroughly understood by Guval on the very first day it was discovered, and it took him a while to deduce the evolved form of the killing magic.

When Ash dealt with Aura's murderous magic, his Gravity Lightning could break it in one strike. This was a newly created magic that incorporated Guval's magic, specifically designed to counter murderous magic. Of course, the same-frequency defensive magic, which was created to defend against murderous magic, could also be shattered in almost a single strike.

In terms of the speed of magic updates and improvements, Guval completely surpasses humans. To Ash, Guval is essentially the cornerstone of a future peaceful world, and there's no way he'd just hand it over. Therefore, at this moment, silence is the only option.

But it was precisely his act of secretly hijacking Guval more than 70 years ago that prevented Frilian's confidence from lasting long.

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

Upon arriving in the village, the old man, who had been chatting, was puzzled for a long time when he saw Frillien, the striking silver-haired twin-tailed elf, before finally revealing a surprised expression:

"You...you wouldn't happen to be Lady Frillian, would you?"

"...You know me?"

Returning to a place after eighty years, and finding a human who could recognize her was a rather rare experience for Frillie, and she couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.

But when the other party admitted it, the old man looked a little embarrassed and explained:

"Because Lord Simmel was worried about the seal of the corrupt sage Guval, he came here once thirty years ago."

"...What a kind old man." Frillie remarked softly. Seeing her lack of tension, Philon, after feeling relieved, couldn't help but offer a word of guidance:

"Lady Simmel arrived thirty years ago. Why has Lady Frilian been dragging this out for so long? If you're so confident, why don't you resolve this quickly? Wouldn't that relieve everyone's anxiety? Or perhaps the analytical and countermeasure methods weren't prepared fifty years ago?"

“...No, actually it was ready about fifty years ago.” Ash added at the right moment, “If you’re wondering why it took so long, there’s no particular reason—it’s simply because this guy is lazy.”

"Well... I did want to do it, but thirty years have passed before I knew it. There's nothing I can do about it, right?"

The undeniable facts surprised Frillie, who surprisingly refuted them, but instead spoke ambiguously and vaguely.

After all, she felt somewhat guilty for causing these people so much fear over the decades.

But... she's just so lazy! Even if she feels guilty about dealing with such troublesome matters, she'll naturally put it off for as long as possible, only dealing with it when absolutely necessary.

Knowing full well about her procrastination, Philon stared at her ear and sighed helplessly:

"So it really is a racial issue? Like when I forgot to clean for a week, and the trash in your room from a week ago just sat there untouched?"

“No, Philon, this is a misunderstanding on your part.” Ash interrupted her rebuke with righteous indignation.

"Huh? That was just an accident?"

"No, actually, let alone a week, she could easily put off cleaning the room or washing the blankets for 5 or 10 years."

"...Are all elves so unclean? So lacking in a sense of time...No, this isn't just a matter of lacking a sense of time, is it?" The unexpected information greatly shocked Philon.

"Of course not. It doesn't matter if other elves' houses are damaged, but they will still deal with messy rooms. As for hygiene, it's just that Frilian is lazy, not a racial issue."

"...Lady Frillien? What do you say?"

The unbelievable information made Philon narrow his eyes and stare at Frilian, who had no room for rebuttal and could only lower her head silently, trying to get away with it as if nothing had happened.

This made Philon so angry that he puffed out his cheeks and was about to lecture her.

Fortunately, the old man who had been listening to their conversation, leaning on a cane and carrying a straw hat on his back, finally couldn't help but interrupt with the strange awkwardness he had shown from the beginning:

"Wait a minute... Lady Frilian, are you planning to break the seal on the corrupt sage Guval and destroy him?"

“That’s the plan.” Frilian quickly picked up the conversation, and even gestured to Philon as if to show goodwill: “—Now that I have an excellent disciple to assist me, there will definitely be no problem!”

"That's really...congratulations..." The old man nodded slightly with a troubled expression, but when Frilian finally realized something was wrong, he awkwardly said, "Um...didn't Lady Simmel mention that?"

"whats the matter?"

"Guwar had the demons break the seal and take him away more than seventy years ago... that is, before the Demon King was defeated."

"—They took them away?!"

The unexpected information caused Frillie's previously composed expression to freeze instantly, her mouth agape for a moment, unable to close, as she exclaimed in surprise for the first time in front of Philon.

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

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

Unable to control herself, she cried out in surprise, feeling the chill coursing through her body. Frillie took to the air and flew to the back of the village in a flash.

But the cliff edge, which should have been a sealed place, is now empty and devoid of anything, with only a few traces of ruin left from the battles that took place there.

Their hearts turned ice-cold in an instant.

"Really... there's nothing there..." Frillian muttered to herself, rubbing her eyes repeatedly, trying to find clues that she had been under an illusion, or that she had missed something or misremembered the place.

"Lady Frilian... what should we do now?" Philen tugged at Frilian's sleeve anxiously.