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

The sight before him made him suddenly stop in his tracks.

In the small square and in front of the houses, the villagers were all lying on the ground without exception. Some were curled up, some were stretched out, but none of them made a sound. They were still breathing, but it was as if they were asleep in an eternal dream.

He quickly looked around and soon realized that it wasn't just an isolated case in the square, but the entire village was shrouded in this sudden disaster.

There was no noise, no struggle, only deathly silence and countless sleeping figures.

The three people who arrived later noticed the scene, and their expressions varied.

The eerie slumber was terrifying, yet... Ash moved through it with an air of nonchalance, while Zain, though fallen, was still a priest, and he quickly bent down to check on the situation.

While looking around nervously, Philon couldn't help but grab Ash's sleeve: "Lord Ash... what's going on?"

"Curse it."

"curse?"

"...I'll read you the history of magic before we go to sleep tonight."

"—This time! I really will go see it! Really!"

The issue of children's treatment was brought up again, causing Philon to blush and earnestly promise.

"really?"

"Of course!"

"...You used to say I was incorrigible, but aren't you the same? I've told you so many times, but you still won't look at it yourself. Who do you take after?"

Ash shook his head with amusement, and casually ruffled her hair, making Philen purse her lips unhappily.

She felt that she was still being treated like a child, but if she puffed up her cheeks and got angry like before, it would be like admitting that she was a child.

How can I act more like an adult? —Philen endured the usual, yet particularly embarrassing, caresses, and couldn't help but cast a pleading look at Frillie.

Frillie chuckled silently, as if to say with her eyes: Remember to forgive me next time I accidentally make you angry. Then, after receiving a reluctant nod from Philon, she cleared her throat and explained:

"Among demons and monsters, there are many spells whose principles and methods cannot be known or broken by human magic technology, yet they can cause various abnormal states. These are called curses."

"...Is there really no way to undo this?" Upon hearing this, Philon immediately became anxious: "Is this village beyond saving?"

"No, it's only human magic that's ineffective... the goddess's magic is different."

"I remember that the goddess's magic is all in the holy scriptures, and in most cases only monks can use it...?"

"Yes, the goddess's magic is just like the demon's magic. Most of it is unexplained, and the principles are completely unclear. Even monks rely on that... the goddess's blessing? I think that's what it's called? And that's completely innate and cannot be changed later in life, so it's very difficult for normal people to use the magic in the holy scriptures."

After saying that, Frilian glanced at the guy who had broken into someone else's house and was eating the free dinner that someone else had prepared, but who had passed out before he could even eat it, and teased, "Of course, it's just 'difficult' to use. It's very rare to find one like Ash who is completely unusable."

"...I was just eating quietly, why are you bringing this up?" Ash looked up innocently, hoping at least to have a peaceful meal.

Phyllen sat down next to him and stared at him for a while before finally showing a helpless expression: "Lord Ash...is this someone else's food?"

"Since it has no owner now, it's mine."

"I'll cook if you're hungry. It's not really appropriate to eat someone else's food like this, is it?"

"Just a change of pace, and..." He swallowed the chicken in his mouth, glanced at the unconscious woman on the ground, and continued, "This curse is quite troublesome. They might not be able to get up. You should eat quickly. It will be more convenient for us to leave after we finish eating."

"Lord Ash, if you keep this up, I'm really going to get angry." Although his tone remained the same, Philon's voice had become stern.

But he simply waved his hand dismissively: "Just kidding. Even if it's to set a good example for you, I won't just leave."

"Normally, shouldn't we be offering help directly at this time? Why has it become me?... I can't accept this at all." The blunt words made Philon a little shy and a bit awkward.

Ash didn't intend to say anything more, but smiled and started eating other people's dinners on his own.

After a while, Zain, who had been checking on the villagers, came over, looking troubled.

"...This is a bit troublesome. I can't figure out what kind of curse it is, I only know that it's a very special curse."

"This is really troublesome? Ash, do you have a lot of knowledge about curses?" Frilian's eyes widened slightly, and she subconsciously looked at Ash: "What kind of curse is this exactly?"

"I've seen this among the monsters kept in the Kingdom of Esther. It must be the curse of the Chaos Flower subspecies."

"The Kingdom of Esther even has monsters like this...? Aren't they afraid of being devoured by monsters?" Frilian frowned involuntarily upon hearing his words.

Even if she didn't have the monks' help, she would probably be attacked and killed before she could find the other party.

Or even if it's a team of heroes, without the Sea Tower, facing a monster like the Chaos Flower would only result in total annihilation if they weren't careful.

Because... even though they are in the village, they are actually within the range of the Chaos Flower's curse.

Frillie could clearly feel that she was being attacked... but she had no way to defend against it.

Philon could also sense something was amiss, but... if someone hadn't pointed it out, he wouldn't have been able to figure out that he was being attacked.

Completely baffled by the curse and unable to pinpoint the source of the attack, Frillian turned to Zain, who was also struggling with the same problem: "Well? Do you have a way to break it?"

"...It's possible, but it's very troublesome. It requires rituals and some props. If possible, it's more convenient to directly address the source of the curse."

"Can we find the source of the curse?"

"I'm fairly confident about the general direction... or rather, this is the only way for now."

Zain shook his head with a bitter smile, because he lacked both the necessary tools and the time to perform the ritual.

There was no way around it; the village was currently within the curse's range, and it was still in effect. Even he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't faint while slowly preparing the items and performing the ritual.

After all, the goddess's blessing only gives him resistance, not immunity.

Using the goddess's magic to dispel the curse was far too troublesome, so after confirming the plan, everyone immediately headed towards the forest next to the village.

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

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

Because the distance was quite far and their actual location was not very clear, the sky gradually became completely dark as they traversed the forest.

As night fell, being mages and monks, their physical strength was not much different from that of ordinary people, so they could only rest for a while in order to prepare for battle.

Ash had just finished lighting the campfire to ward off the chill of the night when he felt a tugging at the corner of his clothes.

He instinctively turned around and saw the purple-haired girl behind him, already drowsy and barely able to open her eyes, still trying to keep her eyes open, uttering indistinct, anxious words: "...Lord Ash...what should I do? I think I...can't hold on much longer..."

"Go to sleep if you're sleepy." Facing the uneasy girl, he smiled as usual, reached out and placed his hand on her head, gently stroking it: "Don't worry, I'll wake you up when you're comfortable."

"...Then I'll leave it to you...I'll make...Ash-sama's favorite...breakfast...tomorrow..."

With just a simple reassurance, the unease on the girl's face vanished, and she unconsciously revealed a relieved smile, uttering murmurs that sounded like delirium... Although she lost consciousness before she could finish speaking, her body slumped down beside him.

Even though he had fallen asleep, that hand... just like during those restless nights of his childhood, still gripped his clothes tightly and never let go.

This scene caught Zain's attention, and he couldn't help but show a surprised expression: "...This child trusts you too much. In this situation, he doesn't even doubt you and is actually at ease?"

"...To be honest, I sometimes worry about Philon. I bet he'll be foolish enough to make excuses for Ash whenever he tries to fool me." Frilian, who was taking a short break nearby, glanced at the girl and couldn't help but shake her head repeatedly.

"What? Are you envious?"

"Maybe a little... but more than that, I'm worried about what will happen to the child if you die; just thinking about it gives me a headache; after all, even though I have a good relationship with Philon, I don't think I can replace your place in her heart."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" Ash shook his head and chuckled at the strange concern.

"Everyone is irreplaceable in someone else's heart. I can't possibly replace you in her heart, can I? Thinking about this kind of thing is completely meaningless."

"...Really? It seems so." She watched Ash cut off a corner of his clothes, carefully placed Philon by the tree, wrapped him in a sheet, and cast a protective spell on his back.

Although she was still somewhat worried about the future, she couldn't help but smile teasingly: "But it's rare that you can say something so reasonable."

"...What kind of role do I play in your heart?"

“Well…” She tilted her head and thought for a moment, but didn’t give an answer. Instead, she looked at Zain and asked, “Speaking of which, Zain, can’t your magic temporarily awaken Philon?”

"It's a bit difficult. Without the necessary rituals and props, it can only awaken... for about 5 seconds at most?"

"Then let's not use it now."

"I think so too."

Looking at the sleeping girl, Zain, who was still awake, had a furrowed brow.

There was no way around it. Even knowing that Frilian was very strong, he still found it hard to feel at ease in such a situation... After all, he hadn't yet established a deep friendship with them that allowed them to trust each other under these circumstances.

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

After Philen fell asleep, the three of them did not rest for long. In order to avoid the situation becoming irreparable, they forced their tired bodies to quicken their pace and cross the jungle again in the night.

Zain, leading the way, diligently searched for the source of the curse, his voice tinged with barely suppressed tension, and said without turning his head:

"—We're almost there! The reaction is very close! It's in the vicinity!"

"I see... Well, Zain, if you find the monster, wake me or Ash... You're a monk, fighting isn't your forte..." Freyland, who was clutching another corner of Ash's robe, her eyes closed as she walked, seemed about to collapse, her head bowed as she gave her final words of advice:

"Don't fight it alone... Me or Ash, anywhere is fine... Even if it's just for five seconds... we can definitely manage..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zain turned around in surprise. Before he could say anything, Frilian collapsed like a kite with a broken string.

Just before she actually fell to the ground, Ash, with lightning speed, caught her in his arms and placed her under a tree, creating a protective barrier, while complaining:

"...Really, if you couldn't hold on any longer, why didn't you say so sooner? Otherwise, I would have had to set up the barrier twice."

"Uh... um???"

Zain looked at his complaining face, opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated for a long time, wanting to say something but not knowing how to say it. After a while, he suddenly realized the root of the sense of unease that Ash had brought him.