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

The two elves chatted about the goddess as they gradually returned to the small house not far away.

"...Is it really meaningful to place all your hopes on a completely unknown entity? Well, I could never place them on me anyway, and I don't need anyone's praise."

Ash muttered to himself as he kicked the monster's skull as easily as kicking a watermelon, then calmly watched the two disappear into the distance, covered in blood.

For him, the best way to avoid being forgotten is to ensure that the people he knows live on for a long time.

Unfortunately, the biggest obstacle to achieving immortality for humanity today is not entirely a lack of exploration of magic.

Although it's not really enough, even if it were, it wouldn't matter, because those are—the privileges of goddesses.

Just like those sacred spells, time magic, and the path to life are all monopolized. At least according to the scriptures, if heaven really exists, all those souls belong to the goddess. Wouldn't stopping death be going against the goddess?

That's why, in order to gain enough power to go against the goddess, he had long ago used the system to make wishes and transform the souls he had harvested on the battlefield in the past to strengthen the limits of his body.

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After discussing the goddess with Frilian for a while, it was time for Kraft to part ways with the three of them.

"...I don't think this is goodbye forever. Let's meet again in a few hundred years." With a calm smile, Kraft gave Frillie a deep look before turning and walking away.

When faced with her long-lost kinsmen, Frilian merely nodded slightly, appearing unusually indifferent.

This prompted Philon, who had received the pendant from Kraft, thanked him, and enthusiastically said goodbye, to launch into a lecture:

"They're clearly from the same race, Lady Frilian, at least say something at the end, right?"

"Forget it, Philon." Ash casually reached out and habitually placed his hand on Frillie's head, shaking the small girl as he explained:

"For elves, this separation from humans has happened countless times. If it's not someone important, Frilian would hardly have any emotional fluctuations."

"...Thank you for explaining, Ash, but I've said it several times already, don't touch my hair. Could you please show me a little respect?" Frillie looked annoyed, glanced at him, slapped away his impolite hand, and then started tidying her messed-up hair.

Upon hearing his explanation, Philon became curious: "...Lady Frilian is so cold to people, is it because she has lived too long?"

"That's not entirely true, because some elves have good personalities, but she clearly belongs to the bad kind."

"That may be true, but Ash-sama... it's because you always treat Frillie-sama so casually that we've known each other for so many years, and we're always having conflicts."

Ash helped answer, but Philon, while agreeing with him, unconsciously started talking about him as well.

This delighted Frillie, who proudly tilted her head back, ready to kick him while he was down. But at that moment, Philon turned and scolded, "Of course, Lady Frillie too! You should also work on your personality!"

"Ah, yes..."

The smile that had just appeared on Frillie's face instantly turned into embarrassment.

It was precisely because of these two guys, neither of whom had particularly good personalities, that Philon was finding it difficult to keep up with their lectures.

On the way across the mountains, she acted like a worried old mother, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around to constantly lecture the two of them.

The two of them had already gotten used to it and kept their heads down, hurrying on their way in silence... after all, such lectures would make things pass faster.

As for why they didn't refute it... Felene's words were basically correct. Ash, who hoped Felene would become a good kid, naturally didn't intend to argue. As for Frilian, she was simply used to being told that.

However, before they could cross the mountain range, night had already fallen.

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at night.

The three of them wrapped themselves in their sheets and huddled together inside the makeshift fortress that Ash had created by using magic to raise the earth.

Philon sat next to Frilian on the left, while Ash, at Philon's request, sat next to the cold-sensitive Frilian on the other side, allowing her to fall asleep peacefully with a comfortable and content expression.

The firewood in front of them crackled and popped, accompanied by the occasional sparks, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Finally, with no outsiders around, Ash was "sharing a room" with a young mature woman and a big loli, and the atmosphere was quite warm... Normally, this should be a happy thing, but unfortunately, one of them was Frilian and the other was Philon, so Ash didn't feel any excitement at all and just quietly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The next day, quite casually, they dragged the still sleepy Frillie out of bed... After all, they had to leave the mountains where snow and wind still occasionally broke out after the cold snap had passed.

However... before they had walked for very long, after being fed by Philon, Frillie caught up with the two in a half-dreaming state. She was still unsteady on her feet when she fell to the ground, face down in the snow.

At that very moment, the sky, which had just cleared up yesterday, was once again blanketed in heavy snow – the blizzard had unexpectedly stopped for only a day before striking again.

"Sigh...when will this girl ever actually get up early?" Ash turned around and looked at the old loli who was soon buried in the snow. He couldn't help but sigh as he walked over and picked her up from the snow.

This scene made Philon frown: "--Lord Ash, you should just carry her on your back at this time. Besides, it's precisely because you always carry her like this that it's not good for Lady Frilian's growth! It will make Lady Frilian habitually lazy!"

"No... why are you making it sound like I'm spoiling a child? She's already over a thousand years old. No matter how much you hope for her, she won't grow any older."

Ash shook his head in annoyance, then shook the snow off Frilian in his hand before sighing softly under Philon's somewhat displeased gaze, "In the end, wasn't the back meant for you? Rather than having you two mages walk slowly, it's more convenient for me to carry you. Or... are you planning to switch with Frilian this time?"

"Huh? Me? Me... I just..." Philon instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he noticed that Frilian was curled up in his arms, seemingly sleeping very comfortably, and couldn't help but feel envious. He hesitated and said, "If... if Ash-sama is really alright... is that alright?"

"Of course."

He chuckled and nodded, then turned around and squatted down on the ground.

After only a short while, that familiar—both intense and gentle, like the soothing warmth of spring water—once again gently enveloped his back.

But he didn't say anything. Feeling the warmth of being surrounded from the front and back, he unconsciously quickened his pace in the wind and snow.

This time, on this familiar yet unfamiliar white wasteland, the people who were isolated from the world yet closely connected became three.

Even while carrying one in his arms and another on his back, Ash remained agile and nimble, gliding across the snow like a swallow, his speed even surpassing the usual pace of the three of them.

And it was during this rapid journey that Frilian gradually fell into a comfortable sleep, occasionally opening her sleepy eyes in her dreams, and with a lazy yet trusting air, gently guiding Ash through the raging blizzard.

Before noon, a village hidden deep in the mountains gradually came into view of the three of them.

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It should have been just a village, but this village, hidden deep in the mountains and covered in snow, displayed an unexpected scale and defensive capabilities.

Surrounded by a ring of stone walls that, though not towering, are exceptionally sturdy, the entire village resembles a miniature, fortified city.

Inside the village wall, there are also many stone watchtowers, which shows that the residents here attach great importance to security and have made careful arrangements.

It was only when they arrived near the village that the wind and snow gradually stopped. To avoid attracting unnecessary attention or misunderstanding, Frilian and Philon gracefully jumped off Ash's back.

The three of them crossed a small bridge and passed through the city gate guarded by several guards dressed as hunters. A pink-haired little girl then came into view.

She stood not far away, her clear, watery eyes sparkling with curiosity and innocence, as if she were full of interest and anticipation for the arrival of these three outsiders.

"You've finally arrived, Lady Frilian." The young girl stood on tiptoe, trying to appear taller, and when she noticed Ash, she looked surprised: "And... Lady Ash! You're still alive! Welcome back to the Village of Swords!"

"...What? You know me? Speaking of your clothes..." Ash couldn't help but ask curiously, "Are you the current village chief?"

“Yes, I am the 49th generation…hereditary; by the way, your magical images are also hereditary, I can always see them in the living room.” As she said this, the young village chief bowed her head respectfully: “Although Lady Frilian is very unreasonable, she clearly said she would come in fifty years but never showed up, but you came twenty years ago, which was a great help, thank you very much!”

"...I just happened to be passing by, don't worry about it."

"Even so, you're still amazing! More reliable and better than Lady Frilian! If it weren't for my age and my husband, I would want to marry you! Really, Lady Frilian is too much!"

The young village chief was saying strange things, and while Philon was still dumbfounded, she suddenly changed her smile and explained, "These are the last words of my grandmother, the village chief from two generations ago."

"Oh...Is that so? I thought..." Philon patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

As for Frillie, who seemed to have been scolded by everyone in her last words, she looked indifferent: "Although it was a promise, I also said that it wouldn't be a problem to come back eighty years later."

"But a promise is a promise, and... Lord Ash came even though we didn't agree, how can you do this!"

"But as a village that has guarded the hero's sword for generations, self-defense should be a piece of cake, right?"

"Even so, a promise is a promise!" The young village chief looked troubled and turned to Ash for help, "Lord Ash, could you please tell me about this person as well?"

"It's no use. If her laziness were so easy to solve, she wouldn't still be this lazy now."

Even when asked for help by a cute little girl, he could only squat down, pat the little girl village chief's head, and persuade her to give up her meaningless pursuit.

He himself found it difficult to say that his previous visit was actually just an attempt to break the sacred domain barrier containing the holy sword.

Philon, who had remained silent until now, couldn't help but ask, "Lord Ash, what exactly is this agreement you're talking about? And what about this village...?"

"Ah, didn't you know? Actually, just like what Frilian said before, this is the village that guards the sword of the hero; in the sanctuary nearby... actually, in the nearby cave, there is a sword of the hero that is said to have been given by the goddess. And that sword will attract monsters that fear it and want to destroy it. That's why Frilian promised to come back in half a century."

"But it was Ash-sama who arrived last... As expected of Ash-sama! He's so gentle." Philon listened to his words and unconsciously revealed a proud smile, as if he was praising not only Ash-sama but also himself.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she thought about it for a moment and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Wait, isn't that wrong? Lord Ash, I remember..."

"Throughout history, heroes from all walks of life have tried to draw the sword of the hero, but no one has ever succeeded."

"No, no... In the stories I heard, the hero Simmel was supposed to have the Hero's Sword, right?"

"That was made up by someone else."

"Ugh?"

"Those in power like to create gods, so they made up a perfect Simmel, it's that simple." He casually revealed the difference between the story and reality, which made Philon fall silent... Moreover, she didn't quite understand the meaning of doing so.

At this moment, Frillian looked at Ash and teased, "It's really unexpected that you would come all the way here to protect this village... Could it be that you've taken a liking to the village chief?"

"...When I arrived, one of her feet was already buried in the ground."

"I remember being quite good-looking when I was young?"

"Indeed." He nodded in agreement instinctively.

But before he could finish speaking, Philon, who had just been praising him, instantly turned and glared at him: "Lord Ash—!?"