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

"Ah...it seems so?" Frillian sighed to herself, staring at the flames before her with a slightly emotionless tone. "Human lifespans are really short. They die of old age before they even get to know each other."

"I'm not kidding... just how slow are you to warm up?"

What does "slow to warm up" mean?

"Slow to warm up is... never mind." Ash felt that humans were a little different from her in that regard, so he simply ended the pointless conversation and asked, "Anyway, may I ask when you plan to teach me magic?"

"Let's take a short rest."

"Let me confirm first, how long is your 'one'?"

"Thirty years?" Frilian didn't think much of it and casually gave a timeframe that seemed about right: "Thirty years is about the right amount of time. By then, you'll have adapted to this village and be able to start studying properly, right?"

"Are you serious?" he asked, dumbfounded, while Frillie looked on in confusion: "Why would I lie?"

"...What should I do? I suddenly feel like hitting someone."

"Huh? Do you have violent tendencies?" Frilian subconsciously moved away from him, and even regretted arranging accommodation for him.

Her clearly wary expression made him struggle to suppress his surging emotions, barely managing to refrain from hitting her on the forehead.

"That's not it! What's strange is you—! Normally, I could have mastered C programming from beginner to dead in thirty years!"

"What language is that? It sounds so strange."

"........"

He couldn't explain how C language worked. In short, he was speechless for a moment, and just covered his face, starting to worry about the next conversation and life in this village.

Although he was also an immortal being, he still couldn't get used to the concept of time that was so different from the past.

But since he was already there, he wasn't willing to leave just like that, so he made a forced agreement during the meal that he would start learning magic the next day.

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

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

The next day, the appointed time arrived.

He was preparing to have Frilian teach him magic, but when she didn't come, he went directly to Frilian's hut. Upon opening the door, however, he saw...

".....What about this?"

The silver-haired elf's lower body remained on the bed, while its upper body had fallen off, with its cheek resting on the floor... It was literally propping itself up with its face, and just looking at it made him feel a little embarrassed.

After a moment of stunned silence, he still squatted down next to Frillie and reached out to poke her cheek:

"Wake up, Frilian, the sun has already risen."

"..."

"Hey."

"..."

"do you died?"

Frillie didn't give any response at all, which gave him a headache, so he flicked her long ear with his finger.

However... there was still no response.

"...Even so, you still don't want to wake up? Then there's nothing we can do." After a moment's thought, Ash simply reached out and grabbed her ankle, lifting her up like that.

This elf, whose age is unknown and whose size is like that of a little girl, was being lifted up upside down.

Under the influence of gravity, the pure white skirt flipped upside down, revealing the girl's simple white panties, just like her clothing.

"...I've always wondered why underwear exists in this era. Wait, shouldn't I be wondering why this elf isn't reacting even though its underwear is showing? Are all elves like this?"

Staring at the plain, unadorned fabric, he felt no sense of sensuality whatsoever, only a growing headache.

The fact that the elf remained completely still no matter how much he shook it made him even more suspicious that there was something wrong with the elf population.

However, as soon as he said this, a speechless voice came from the side: "...No, it's just that Frilian simply likes to sleep in."

"Is this really that simple? This is the first time I've ever seen someone so sleepy." He turned his head and saw an elven girl, dressed simply but draped in a dark cloak, who looked more mature than Frilian, standing in front of the door.

"Is this the first time I've met someone? A newcomer?" The girl observed him curiously.

"I guess so. My name is Ash. What's yours?"

"Hello, Miliearde."

"Really? Your name is a bit too long. Could you just call me Millie?"

"It's not long, is it? It's your name that's too short."

"By the way, do you know magic?"

"Huh? Isn't this topic jumping a bit too fast?"

"I think it's alright."

“But before we talk about that…” Millie tilted her head, looking at Frillie, who was being held upside down by his ankle and had her eyes tightly closed, and couldn’t help but ask, “Before that, shouldn’t we put Frillie down? Her face is all red.”

"His face is flushed red; he should be awake by now, right?"

"She's awake, but doesn't want to get up."

"Why? I can see your underwear!" As he spoke, he continued to shake the girl hanging upside down in his hand, like a rabbit being casually picked up.

Millie, however, pointed out the problem with a blank expression: "She's never left here, so she's a bit slow on the uptake, and you're no different from a three-year-old in our eyes."

"What a hassle... What a strange person."

“Indeed, as a human being, she might be a bit strange.” Millie glanced at Frillian in his hand, then quickly looked back at his face. “But as a human being, your behavior is also a bit strange, isn’t it?”

"By the way, do you know magic?"

"...We've come full circle again?"

"Because this is very important."

"You're really interesting."

"Can we not change the subject?"

"Hmm... Anyway, let's put her aside for now?"

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

In the end, Ash casually tossed Frillie back onto the bed, temporarily ignoring the girl who, even with her skirt exposed, still refused to get up.

Chapter Eighteen: Emperor's Wine - Frillie's Regret

After giving up on waking Frillie, Ash followed Millie out of her room, Millie's wine cellar... no, her residence.

Just looking at the densely packed wine barrels inside the stone house gave him a chill down his spine.

"...Why is there so much alcohol here?"

"Hmph~" Millie didn't answer his question, but instead took out a bottle of wine and proudly introduced it: "Do you know? This is Emperor's Wine~?"

"do not know."

"Emperor's Wine is a wine offered to the emperor of a vast empire that rules over most of the continent, you know?" Millie explained to herself with a sly smile, and handed over the wine directly: "This is a supreme nectar, don't you want to try it?"

"Want to try some? Then... I'll treat you first!"

He opened the bottle in confusion, but suddenly pinched the elf's mouth shut, pouring the drink into her mouth as if to refuel her. The next moment...

"Pfft!!" The elven girl choked and spat out a mouthful of wine.

In an instant, the entire room was filled with the smell of cheap alcohol.

Just smelling it makes one doubt the quality of this wine.

Millie, her face covered in alcohol, glared at him resentfully: "...You actually made me drink this awful stuff again...You brat, have you ever drunk Emperor's Wine before?"

"My sister usually has a similar expression to yours when she has some kind of wicked idea."

Although he didn't quite understand why Aura was so emotional when all the other demons were expressionless... was it really his doing?

Even now, he still can't figure it out, while Millie looks annoyed: "...Did someone beat me to it?"

"And then? It really tasted awful?"

"Regardless of the taste, this is truly precious! And it's practically Emperor's Wine!" Millie emphasized angrily.

This made him hesitate for a moment, and he still looked hesitantly at the wine in his hand: "...If you put it that way, I'm a little interested."

"Quickly, give it a try!"

"...Won't people die?"

"Didn't you just force-feed me? Do you think I'm dead?"

"That's true."

He nodded slightly, not paying much attention, and then tilted his head back and drank it down.

There was no smoothness on the palate; a bitter, unpleasant, and pungent taste instantly assaulted his throat. The acidity was excessively high, and the pungent aroma was off-putting. Just drinking it was unpleasant, causing him to involuntarily frown: "This is awful..."

"Yes, I think so too. That's why I had a stone tablet carved before I came to this village, praising the taste of the Emperor's Wine."

"...Your personality is terrible, even worse than this wine."

"Thanks for the compliment, but you don't look much better." Millie nodded nonchalantly, offering an approving smile. "I think we might get along well."

"...I just wanted to learn magic."

"It's alright, there's still plenty of time."

"Don't apply human time to me."

"Alright, then we'll officially begin in a few years..."

"Goodbye to the New Year! Today! Now! Right now!"

He couldn't stand the elves' sense of time, so he grabbed the elf in front of him and shook her until she couldn't take it anymore and was forced to surrender.

However... even after agreeing, Millie's slow pace made Ash a little anxious and frustrated.

After much urging, I reluctantly made the preparations... which meant eating breakfast and mentally preparing for the lesson, but the magic I was going to teach was—to make the wheat grow better.

This magic seemed utterly useless to him, which infuriated him. He chased after Millie, who had somehow managed to escape, intending to tie her up and teach her properly.