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

He had barely finished speaking when Frillie looked nostalgic. Ash, as if remembering something, rummaged around for a moment, then casually slammed a book onto the table with a "thud!"

"Here you are, the Vlamé Notes from the Faro Basin that you wanted."

This caused the three of them to freeze almost simultaneously, and even the air seemed to solidify at that moment.

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

When the book was casually tossed on the table, the room fell into a deathly silence, and everyone remained stunned for a long time.

After a long pause, Aize finally spoke slowly, still looking bewildered: "...What is this?"

"You should still be a long way from old age, how come you've already developed dementia? This is the Vlamé Notebook in the Faro Basin that you just mentioned."

"...No, why is it in your hands?"

"You just looked for it on a whim?"

"But...but Haita and I checked many ancient texts before..."

"If you're asking why I found it so easily... well, it's because I was there when Fulamed was hiding. Otherwise, how could I have found it?"

Ash spoke very casually to Aize, who was rarely moved.

But as soon as he said that, Philon showed an expression of disbelief, even more exaggerated than Aize:

"The Great Magician Vlame... isn't that the progenitor of human magic?! Lord Ash, what exactly are you...?"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? Actually, Vlame is my senior sister. Although she can be considered my master in some ways, she is my senior sister in terms of seniority."

"—Never heard of it!!"

This astonishing secret was suddenly revealed in a way she had never expected, causing Philon's eyes to widen in disbelief as she looked at Ash as if she had witnessed something incredible.

Her breathing became rapid and shallow, her chest heaving violently. She waved her hands in mid-air, finally slamming them on the table, the words seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth, a low, forceful reproach:

"—What else haven't you said! What you didn't say last time... now please say it all at once!"

"Actually, Frilian is my junior apprentice? Did I mention that?"

"No! By the way, how old are you exactly?! And did you and Lady Frillien know each other like that?!"

"Actually, I'm not quite the same as Frilian..."

.....

Faced with the girl's accusations, he was forced to reveal the excuse he had used on Frillie.

Philon listened with skepticism, but... he probably still believed the explanation that he was accidentally sealed away.

The two people beside him had completely different attitudes. Aize was still in a daze, while Frilian had an indifferent attitude and casually started flipping through the book he picked up.

The Burial of Frilian: The Official Start of the Journey: Chapter Nine - Target: Imperial Capital - The Decision to Accompany - Philon's Unconditional Trust (4K)

Although there were so many things to complain about about Ash casually tossing out the old friend's notes that he and Haita had been searching for for so long.

But when he noticed that Frillie had already started reading a book, Aize temporarily put aside his shock and asked:

"Is there any dialogue between the deceased and the text?"

“Yes, it is… It says that at the northernmost point of the continent, there is a place called Heaven, a place where souls rest in peace, a land of resting souls…” Frilian said while flipping through the book, “She also had conversations with her former comrades-in-arms, and that’s what the book says.”

"is that true?"

"...Who knows? After all, he's a very casual guy." Frillie's expression was somewhat subtle, while Ash, avoiding Philon's accusations, casually added:

"The real possibility is that they want Frilian to defeat the Demon King. After all, you've already been there, so why are you asking this now?"

"This..." Aize was speechless for a moment before muttering, "I haven't looked into it carefully... It seems like only the Demon King's Castle is there... But maybe I should investigate it thoroughly..."

"When she wrote this book, Vlame was only in her thirties or forties, and before that, she must have been in her twenties. She was far from reaching the peak as a magician. Even at her peak, she couldn't defeat the Demon King. How could she have seriously explored the core territory of the Demon Clan when she was so young?"

"...Perhaps there's some special method?"

"Who knows, but more than that... you want to talk to the dead?"

Ash didn't comment much on the speculation, but instead gave an ambiguous smile and glossed over it, looking curiously at the solitary dwarf.

"Actually... before you appeared, at the very beginning of our adventure, Frilian seemed rather sullen, as if she regretted something." Aize hesitated, glancing at Frilian holding the book, and let out a sigh.

“We heard that her friend from a long time ago died, so ever since then, Haita and I have been thinking that if there is a chance… we want to get her a chance to say goodbye to her friends from the past. After all, elves have such long lifespans, and almost everyone dies suddenly, right? Even if we don’t need it this time, there will be other opportunities in the future.”

"Is that so? But... how many times have I actually died?" Compared to the two people's thoughtfulness, Ash couldn't help but feel frustrated. It seemed that he had been mistaken for a dead person by Frilian countless times.

Frillian had no intention of comforting him. She closed her book, looked up at him, and said without any mercy, "...To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of you constantly jumping between life and death like this. Can you make a decision quickly?"

"...Don't be so unreasonable, okay? Do you think I like being treated like I'm about to die?"

"Stop arguing. Since the person is still alive, let's just leave it at that..." Thinking about the situation in the Demon King's Castle, Aize hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and sighing, "Next time, when is it really possible to see the dead again? Maybe we can try our luck and avoid any regrets."

“Compared to this, Aize, I feel there’s something more dangerous up north.” Frillie frowned, her voice heavy with concern, as she spoke of the Corrupted Sage and the possible mastermind behind it all, despite the fantastical notion of talking to the dead.

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

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

The distressing news was brought up once again, and the atmosphere in the cave became somber.

After a long silence, Aize finally spoke:

"...As expected, you still have to go to the North, even if it's not for the ethereal Soul Sleeping Land."

"Hmm...it is indeed necessary to go north and investigate."

"However, venturing deep into the demon realm is too dangerous. If possible, it would be better to have the two great northern powers investigate." Aize stroked his long beard and offered the safest advice:

"It's hard to say about that emperor's situation, but the Kingdom of Esther has had three generations of world-renowned wise kings. They will definitely listen to your advice, since you once saved the world."

"The king of the Kingdom of Esther? Hmm, he is indeed impressive." Even Frilian couldn't help but admire the three generations of kings mentioned.

"How exactly did they teach them? Three generations of kings were all exceptional, one in a million. They were able to lead a country to continuously improve its national policies and grow stronger for nearly a century, while also thoroughly implementing the will of their ancestors. I really want to see it if I have the chance."

There are many monarchs in various countries who are not fond of pleasure and are diligent in their duties. Kings who can thoroughly implement their policies and improve their country's strength the fastest in the world are all famous figures in history.

It's something that even Frilian, who has lived for so many years, has never seen three such visionary and brilliant rulers in a single country.

While this was a self-praise, the mention of excellent education... just hearing Ash's voice sounded inexplicably jarring, and he unconsciously lowered his head, rubbing his throbbing temples.

This caught Philon's attention, and he couldn't help but ask curiously, "Lord Ash, it seems you don't quite like that king?"

"...Should I say I don't like it or what? I wouldn't say I don't like it..." After all, he was the one in charge behind the scenes, so what could he say now?

At that moment, Aize suddenly looked at Ash and said earnestly:

"Ash, if you don't have anything urgent to do, how about you protect them as a warrior? You just need to meet the kings of the Kingdom of Esther and the Empire, and you'll be almost at the capital. That should be quick, right?"

"...The capital city?"

Aize's words made him unconsciously fall into deep thought.

Normally, it's extremely difficult to go to the capital and meet the emperor, who has always lived a secluded life and tried his best to avoid assassination attempts. For an outsider like myself to infiltrate and capture the king first... following Frilian seems like a pretty good opportunity.

If I could bypass the layers of guards and reach the capital city directly, then taking down the emperor would be no problem at all. The biggest problem would be how to avoid involving Frilian and Philon.

But you can think about this problem slowly along the way. Anyway, you can make a decision on how to proceed once you arrive at the cabinet.

On this long and narrow supercontinent, the northern part is almost larger than the central and southern parts combined. However, the time it takes to travel to the southern part of the north is not unacceptable to him.

After all, they are now located on the edge of the central region, very close to the north, and they should indeed spend more time with Philon from time to time.

Therefore, after a long period of thought, he finally came to his answer, smiled at the three people who were staring intently at him, and even slammed his hand on the table with an air of duty:

"Of course I can! One of you is a child I've watched grow up, and the other is an old friend. I simply can't refuse!"

“Thank you for your kindness, but…” Seeing his serious expression, Philon unconsciously narrowed his eyes: “…Lord Ash, you’ve been thinking about this for a long time, haven’t you? What have you been thinking about? Can you tell me?”

"Uh, an apple??"

"...In your heart, are we not as important as apples?"

"Ah, no, that's not it..."

"Hmm~~~~~"

He realized he had said the wrong thing and given the wrong excuse, but before he could correct himself, Philon was already staring at him, his cheeks puffed out in dissatisfaction.

This made him glance at Frillie beside him, however...

At this moment, Frillie truly did not disappoint him... She kept her head down, looking at her book, completely avoiding eye contact with him, as if afraid he would drag her into the mess.

As for Aize...

"...You two have such a good relationship."

He simply remarked something and then quietly drank his tea, showing no intention of getting involved.

So what followed was almost as difficult as I had imagined.

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

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

evening.

Since Aize's cave had never considered the possibility of guests visiting or even staying overnight, the three of them naturally had no choice but to leave.