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

"Just kidding, don't make such a scary face..." Ash shrugged helplessly before looking at the young village chief who was observing him and said, "Anyway, since we're already here, there must be some more monsters around here recently. I'll help you clear them out since I'm just passing by."

"Thank you, Ash-sama! You are just as Grandma said, so kind and gentle!" Upon hearing this, the young village chief beamed and rushed over, happily hugging him.

He welcomed all of them, patting the pink-haired little girl's head and saying, "So good, so good~"

The two appeared quite intimate, which should have looked rather heartwarming, but Philon, standing to the side, coldly remarked:

"...Lord Ash, although I think it's unlikely, please allow me to confirm."

"What is that scary expression again..." Ash looked over cautiously, but then revealed a wary expression and shielded the young village chief in front of him.

"You wouldn't... be interested in children, would you?"

"...I was just being a little friendly with the kids, and you're already thinking all sorts of weird things? I've never done anything like that to you before, have I?"

"...Thinking back carefully, although you were quite cold when I was little, you were very gentle with me when it really mattered."

"Don't take things out of context. Even if I haven't really been cold to you right now, have I?"

......

The strange argument left Frillie and the village chief observing with great interest, simply as if it were something interesting.

But in the process, they soon arrived at the cave known as the sacred place.

A considerable number of wolf-like monsters had already gathered around, and they all swarmed over when they discovered the arrival of outsiders.

"...Since Lord Ash likes the village chief so much, you can handle everything here yourself." Philon pushed him forward with a hint of sulking.

"Kids these days, really... sigh."

He sighed helplessly, but the moment the wolves swarmed towards him, he charged towards them.

Philon, who had initially said she didn't want to get involved but was actually quite worried, was prepared to provide support. However... before she could even lower her wand, she witnessed a scene that left her speechless.

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

Ash, who shot out like a cannonball, didn't even draw his blade. Relying solely on his fists and feet, he swept away the pack of demonic wolves as if they were nothing.

Those demon wolves, known for their teamwork and whose sheer numbers were enough to intimidate most adventurers, were now as fragile as paper before him. Every punch he delivered shattered their hard skulls and any other part of their bodies instantly.

The scene before my eyes was the most direct illustration of the disparity in strength, like children playing, yet carrying an undeniable destructive force.

The overwhelming power disparity made the demon wolves tremble with fear, and all resistance was futile. Only the lucky ones could let out a mournful howl before they died.

And... they quickly abandoned their reckless attack and fled the scene.

This was the first time Philon had ever seen monsters scatter and flee so readily.

...Perhaps this is the biggest difference between mages and warriors. Mages have strong wide-range killing power and strong attack power, but their bodies are as fragile as porcelain, and there will always be a time when they can seize an opportunity.

However, when top-tier warriors are in battle and their entire bodies are filled with magic, they are virtually invulnerable to blades and spears. Even dragons cannot tear their bodies apart, leaving no opportunity for monsters to take advantage of them.

Therefore, she couldn't think of any other adjective to describe the scene before her, except for the massacre.

Like demons, monsters don't leave behind corpses when they die; only traces of battle remain. As a result, the pure white snow becomes pitted and uneven, with only swirling soil everywhere.

Even the blood on Ash's body gradually disappeared after its owner died, losing its form.

It was as if none of this had ever happened, leaving only a snowfield that had regained its tranquility, yet remained in disarray.

"—Wow! Amazing! Absolutely incredible!" Despite the scene being quite inappropriate for children, the young village chief clapped her hands and kept praising him, even offering an admiring smile: "As expected of Lord Ash! Truly remarkable! Even more amazing than the legends~!"

"...The differences between worlds are truly vast."

Ash's gaze briefly swept over the childish face, and a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

If a child in the 21st century saw this scene, they would probably be terrified and cry, but here, it has become a heroic feat in the hearts of children.

Is it really because the environment is full of dangers that even children admire violence so much?

Before he could think it through, the ground beneath his feet suddenly went black, and Philon, not far away, suddenly exclaimed, "—Up there! Ah...!"

Before the girl could finish speaking, Ash had already turned to the side and looked back, and the blade was drawn in the blink of an eye.

Neither Philon nor Frilian could see when the sword was drawn or when it was sheathed; they could only see a semi-transparent slash erupt from the blade, instantly cleaving a giant, upright wolf-like beast, as tall as a ten-story building, in two.

The behemoth didn't even have time to let out a dying scream before its massive body, cut in two, fell to Ash's sides with the force of its attack.

--boom! ! !

The two enormous bodies crashed to the ground, creating a terrifying rumble and a massive snowfall that made it difficult for Philon to maintain his balance; he collapsed to the ground.

However, amidst the breathtaking scene of snowflakes falling from the sky and blood raining down from above, Ash seemed completely unaffected, calmly turning around and walking towards the crowd.

His calm demeanor was as if he were casually breaking off a weed as he passed by; the speed of his attack far surpassed the speed of casting magic.

From start to finish, it took less than a second. Philon's heart was in her throat, and she hadn't even had time to relax yet.

"Is this Lord Ash's true strength...?" Philon murmured unconsciously, staring blankly at the familiar figure. The shock in his heart was indescribable and could not be calmed for a long time.

The Burial of Frilian: The Officially Beginning Journey: Chapter Thirteen - The Lying Little Girl, The Monk in the Swamp, Philon's Obedience is a Miracle (9K)

The giant beast that leaped out of the ravine beside the cave was killed instantly, a scene that left Philon speechless.

The young village chief, who had just gotten up from the ground, ran over quickly with shining eyes and threw herself into Ash's arms:

"...Lord Ash actually killed the Mountain Lord with a single blow...! You really should marry me~ And then—let's stay here together forever, okay~!"

"...What nonsense are you spouting..." The strange proposal left Ash completely bewildered.

But the young village chief said in a serious tone, "You don't know, but our village has a tradition that if you kill the mountain lord, you have to marry the village chief!"

"Killing the mountain lord means marrying the village chief??...Are kids these days already spouting nonsense with such a straight face?"

Ash, returning victorious, was unexpectedly entangled by the young village chief, who took advantage of his age.

This young girl, who lost her mother at a young age, now only wants to keep this incredibly strong man in the village to protect it, and keeps acting spoiled:

"—I'm serious! And children don't lie! Believe me~, Ash-sama!"

"...I don't mean to criticize you, but what nonsense are you spouting? I knew your grandma before your mom was even born."

"You're definitely not a conservative person, right? So age isn't a problem! As long as there's love, that's all that matters!"

"...Shouldn't this be the other way around, with the older person saying it?"

People in this world are generally precocious, especially this... young girl who lost her mother at a young age and was forced to inherit the position of village chief at an early age, seems to understand the importance of force even more.

Although he could understand why the other party valued strength, and he let the other party hang it on his body, he couldn't help but cast a pleading look at Philon.

It was that pleading look that brought Philon back to his senses immediately.

"...Stop bothering Lord Ash! Being persistent is not the behavior of a lady!"

She strode forward, grabbed the little girl by the back of her collar, and forcibly ripped it off. Ignoring the little girl's struggling and protesting, she looked at Ash with curiosity and asked, "The holy sword here hasn't been drawn yet. Could it be... Lord Ash, that even someone as powerful as you can't draw it?"

“No, he just hasn’t tried,” Frilian, who had been slacking off, pointed out the problem at this moment: “He thinks the goddess doesn’t like him, so he’s never gone in from the start.”

"Is that so? Perhaps the goddess simply wants to test you? Hurry up and give it a try!"

"I think that's unlikely. Right now... the remaining dire wolves don't pose a threat anymore. The matter has been resolved, so let's hurry back."

Philen looked on with anticipation, but Ash just chuckled, patted her head, and walked past her without a second thought, heading towards the village. He showed no interest in trying anything, as if the holy sword held no allure for him.

This left Philon feeling quite regretful, but Frilian hurried after her... Of course, Frilian didn't think much of it; she just wanted to find a place to warm up as soon as possible.

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

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

After helping the village of swords, they naturally received a warm welcome from the villagers and even stayed at the home of the young village chief.

At the grand banquet organized by the villagers, the young village chief still couldn't forget about getting married, and sat on the side acting cute and charming.

Unfortunately, Ash was a decent man and could never agree to the young girl's marriage proposal. He dismissed the village chief's actions as childish whims and repeatedly rejected them.

Then... he, who had so nonchalantly refused during the day, secretly came to the cave in the sacred realm late at night.

A seemingly simple broadsword was stuck in a protruding rock in the cave, with some rust on it.

But considering that it has been stuck here for at least several thousand years, it is not incomprehensible. Moreover, it is quite remarkable that a mere rock could prevent heroes from pulling it out.

However... when Ash tentatively reached out, a semi-transparent barrier immediately appeared at the entrance of the cave, ruthlessly blocking him out.

"...As expected, even after all these years, the barrier here still won't let me in."

He murmured to himself and silently took a step back.

At that moment, streaks of purple lightning appeared on his body.

Compared to the past, these smaller gravitational lightning bolts seemed to distort the surrounding space.

After Ash set up an additional barrier, they hovered for a moment before surging out all at once.

—BOOM!!!

The earth cracked under relentless pressure, and the invisible barrier left by the goddess was forced to shrink inward, even creating countless ripples, seemingly on the verge of breaking.

However... no matter how much the thunder lashed out, the translucent barrier never appeared, and the feeling of it being truly broken through never materialized.

"Even after twenty years, it still looks like it's about to break, but there's no sign of it actually breaking at all... It truly deserves to be called a barrier bestowed upon the Holy Land by the Goddess. Like those stone tablets, it's a miracle rarely seen in the world."

As Ash stepped forward, the invisible gravity forced the barrier to shrink backward.