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

Just as the two were about to pass by Philon, Philon silently raised his hand to block their way, saying expressionlessly:

"Lord Ash, do you think this is the first time I've met you? Or... do you think I'm some kind of idiot who's easy to fool?"

"...So it really won't work?"

Under the girl's cold gaze, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh before casually pulling Frilian in front of him and using her as a front-mounted armor.

He even went so far as to place his hands on Frillie's shoulders to hold her in place, rested his chin on her head, and said seriously:

"—If that's what you're going to say about me, then you might as well say Frilian too!"

"...Why did you drag me into this...?" Frillian didn't struggle, but her face fell, and she wore a helpless expression.

Philon was even more frustrated: "...Why are you resisting to this extent this time?"

"Because you don't think you're wrong, ultimately it's Philon who called me an old man who should apologize to me."

"Why do you act like a child?"

"I just wanted to say no to unfair treatment, and I also managed to get an ally along with me!" As he spoke, he grabbed Frilian's hand and lifted it up for her.

This made Frillie's lips twitch slightly; for a moment, she didn't know how to condemn this forceful behavior that was determined to drag her down completely.

"...And now you're making it sound like I'm in the wrong? I haven't even said anything to you yet, and we were even working, while you were secretly going out to meet someone else...!" Philon puffed up her cheeks like an angry pufferfish, and pouted angrily, "—Enough! I will absolutely not interfere in Ash-sama's affairs anymore~!"

With that, she angrily grabbed Connie and quickly left, leaving the two of them alone in the courtyard.

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

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

The courtyard suddenly became quiet.

After a long while, Frilian, whom he had used as a forward-deployed armor, sighed softly and looked up sharply at the culprit behind her, saying:

"...Why are you pulling me along?"

"I'm too lonely being alone. I hope you can keep me company during this tough time."

"Honestly, Ash, this isn't the first time I've felt that you're terribly selfish."

I'll accompany you next time.

"...Never mind, we're friends, so we shouldn't be too fussy."

.......

Unable to guarantee that she wouldn't anger Philon, Frillie was easily persuaded by Ash, without even realizing she had contradicted herself.

The two sat side by side in silence on the swing in the courtyard, staring blankly at the sky.

After a long while, Frillie seemed to remember something, and casually asked while looking at the sky:

"Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered... that kid named Connie said that the first-level mage you were dating seemed to respect you a lot. According to the description, he seems to be the same person we met at the Magic Association?"

"Yes, it's Zanze."

"Tell me the truth!" Frillie abruptly turned to look at him, her expression more serious than ever before. "Do you hold a high position in the Continental Magic Association? Could you just get us all a Level 1 Magician certificate?"

"...Let me be frank, Celie is the founder of the Magic Association, so you tell me, is my status high or not?"

"A lie? Celie??" Remembering Celie, who tore up her master's will a thousand years ago and scoffed at her master's ideals, Frillie couldn't help but frown.

"You're kidding me, right? She's going to come out and teach humans?? You were so against it before?"

"...If you think I'm lying to you, you can go find her yourself."

"...Fine, I believe you."

Unable to come up with a reason for deception, Frillie weighed her options and decided against verifying it... After all, she and Celie didn't get along, otherwise they wouldn't have been apart for a thousand years.

But after thinking about it carefully, she couldn't help but ask, "Since it's Celia, you should ask her for a favor, shouldn't you...?"

"—Could you please think about me? If I really wanted to become a Level 1 Mage, would she happily agree?"

How will you know if you don't try?

Why aren't you going?

"...To be honest, when you said Celia was the founder, I didn't even want to participate anymore." Frillian looked reluctant and frustrated: "Because she definitely wouldn't let me pass."

"What did you just tell me? How will you know if you don't try?"

"Hmm, I guess I should just pretend I didn't say anything..."

Although they were not exactly the same, they shared some similar stances, which made Frilian quickly give up on saying anything more to him and was forced to accept the status quo.

The two of them just looked at the sky and chatted.

After a long while, when Connie, who had changed into Philon's clothes, made a face and left, the two were finally able to return indoors.

Although Philen was angry and wouldn't speak to him at all, she still carefully tidied up his bedding and belongings in his room, allowing him to lie on the bed with a touch of emotion—training his magic as usual.

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

The next day, Philon still wouldn't speak to him, but Connie came to visit again, bringing along a new companion, another friend of Philon's from the past.

But no exception, another person, like Connie, harbored considerable prejudice against him and had no intention of speaking to him at all.

Philon was angry for several days and didn't speak to him for several days, but slowly resumed their usual communication... Although at first it still felt like they were arguing, he was busy leaving the magic city from time to time.

Time flew by during this period... In the blink of an eye, the time for the first round of the Level 1 Mage selection exam arrived.

Behind the podium at the top of the hall's steps stood a middle-aged examiner whom Ash vaguely recognized but whose name he had forgotten. He had probably only seen him twice in the ten years since he became a first-level mage.

The examiner scanned the scattered crowd below and announced the exam rules directly:

"This exam is a team competition. There are a total of 58 participants, in groups of three. If one person is left out, it's just bad luck... After all, luck is also part of ability, so you can't blame anyone else if you're left out."

After the examiner finished speaking, for some reason he seemed to glance at Ash's face briefly, then, as if worried about being discovered, he quickly looked away and assigned the groups using his magic bracelet.

However, the words engraved on Ash's silver bracelet were...

"Twenty...? Is this some kind of shady deal? Or is it deliberate targeting? Or am I just unlucky?"

Ash stared at the words on the bracelet and momentarily questioned his existence. Frilian, who was peeking over, noticed the number and couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder.

This touched him deeply: "Frilian, you're willing to switch with me...?"

"No~ I just wanted to tell you that exams should be fair and just, so even if we're friends, I won't go easy on you. Let's see how we perform this time~"

Frillie interrupted his sentimentality, revealing an enthusiastic smile: "To be honest, I wasn't interested at first, but now... I'm somewhat looking forward to it."

"...You really are my best friend."

"Ah, do I even need to say it!"

There are quite a few grudges between them, and Frillie is quite interested in getting others to deal with him if given the chance.

This made him look at Philon beside him with a sense of hope.

After confirming each other's numbers, Philon said in a serious tone, with a businesslike air, "I am very much looking forward to competing fairly with Lord Ash."

"...What are you expecting?"

"Let me show you how I've grown."

"I've already seen it..."

Philon was unusually interested, which made him want to sigh, but he couldn't say anything discouraging.

Although he felt that his two companions had become his rivals, and were clearly targeting him, which made him fully appreciate the fickleness of human relationships and somewhat depressed... but it was nothing special.

Although he originally thought it wouldn't be a big deal to just find an excuse to give up, they were all so interested that he felt it wouldn't be good to just give up directly.

However, still wanting to see the glimmer of humanity, he turned his last hope to Yubel, who was watching him with a smile.

"Yubel, despite the initial misunderstandings, I haven't treated you badly since then... I guess that's how it is?"

"You don't understand, do you?" Yubel opened his half-closed eyes and gave a malicious smile.

Undoubtedly, they intend to take this opportunity to settle old scores.

Now he finally understood reality. It was probably retribution for not doing good deeds in his daily life. His companions not only intended to handle things officially, but some even seemed to be targeting him.

"As expected... I'll play along for a bit, after all, I don't like losing either."

Even though the other person had companions while he didn't, it didn't matter at all. In fact, just like Frilian, he felt that things had suddenly become interesting.

After all, his goal is the world. If he can't even do this much, he might as well give up and go home, and go cling to the thigh of the rich loli (Zanze) who's watching from the sidelines.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Are you here for an exam or a picnic?

Faced with these girls who were determined to seek revenge and vent their grievances, Ash could understand to some extent that it was related to his usual behavior.

But he doesn't intend to change. After all, it's better to change others than to change himself.

"Fine... Anyway, it's definitely your fault for bullying a lonely old man like me. Even if not for your own sake, for the sake of justice, I have to teach you a lesson." At the end of the brainstorming session, he declared with righteous indignation.

only.....

"This person... how dare he say such a thing?" Frilian looked at him coldly, her disdain in her eyes was more obvious than ever.

Philon, with an almost identical icy gaze, couldn't help but shake his head:

"...Lord Ash's personality really needs some correction. He should at least learn to be gentler with girls, otherwise he wouldn't have been unable to find a partner for so many years."

"Although I knew you were shameless, I never imagined you could lie to this extent... Hmm, my understanding of you has deepened once again." Yubel smiled broadly, his hands behind his back. "However, let's get to know each other better in the exam room~ Whatever you did to me before, I'll make sure you receive the same treatment, okay?"

"Of course, no problem... Since you insist on doing it this way, I can only follow the rules. However, in the end, it's uncertain who will be the prey and who will be the hunter."

Seeing the girls either looking at him differently or full of fighting spirit, he returned their defiant gazes with the same defiant look.

At this moment, the group of relatives and friends completely broke apart.

Although their goal should be to pass the exam and become a first-class mage, it seems like they have more grudges between them?

Just as everyone was following the examiner and preparing to leave, Philon suddenly looked at him and said solemnly:

"I don't need Lord Ash's mercy, but... if you can't become a first-level mage, I'll be very angry and won't speak to you for a week!"

"...So the result is that they gave me all the most troublesome tasks?"

"Of course...you said it yourself, a man should be responsible, right?" Philon raised his head, revealing a mischievous smile: "So, Lord Ash...let me see your sense of responsibility~"