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

He probably accepted this somewhat subtle explanation. After a moment of annoyance, Connie stood next to him again, but still looked a little wary, as if afraid that he would touch his stomach.

This made him chuckle, but he simply patted her head and pulled a piece of candy from his pocket: "...Want some?"

"...I'm not a child." Despite his complaints, Connie took the candy and asked, puzzled, "Why does the old man carry candy?"

“A child was crying just now, so I bought some... It would be a waste to lose the extras, so I carried them with me.” He looked back at the book in his hand and answered without turning his head.

"...So you really think I'm a child?" Connie muttered dejectedly, but still peeled off the candy and put it in her mouth, letting the sweet taste spread on her tongue. Then she quietly leaned towards him, watching the book in his hand from the side, and asked in confusion, "Uncle, are you waiting for someone too?"

"I didn't have any plans with anyone today, but you must be bored waiting here all by yourself, right? So I'll keep you company for a bit until Rabinhere shows up."

"Hey~ This uncle is quite gentle~"

"I've always said this... you just don't believe me."

"Now I believe it~" A smile unconsciously bloomed on the girl's face.

The two leaned against the railing and started chatting... Although Connie mostly complained about Rabinha, she seemed quite happy, so Ash listened quietly.

And not long after... the familiar silver-haired girl appeared from below the steps.

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

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

I've arranged to meet my childhood friend in front of the Magic Association, and I'm in a pretty good mood right now.

But when Rabindranath saw Ash, this outsider, also appear there, his expression froze for a moment:

"...Why are you here too?"

"Just keeping Connie company..." Ash glanced at the girl who always seemed angry, and said nonchalantly, "Your attitude towards your elders is just too terrible, no matter how you look at it. How about showing a little respect to your elders?"

"Of course I respect my elders, but only if they are worthy of respect."

He was fine with everyone else, but when it came to Ash... Rabine's tone always carried a strong sense of hostility.

Now that things had come to this, Ash no longer hoped that the girl could easily change her attitude towards him, and habitually lowered his head to look through the book in his hand.

It was precisely this attitude that made Rabindranath stomp hard on the floor tiles and approach him, saying unhappily:

"...What? If someone says that to you, shouldn't you say something in response?"

"It's too much trouble. Forget it, I don't want to argue with you."

"You bastard...you're really infuriating!"

Rabindranath was so angry at being given the cold shoulder that he stomped his feet.

Connie stepped forward and said with an awkward smile, "Speaking of which... you're even cuter than usual, Rabind?"

"...This outfit?"

Rabinhae, looking dejected, slightly lifted the hem of her skirt.

Unlike the blue Gothic Lolita outfit she wore for the exam, she was now dressed in a pure white dress.

The white dress and light blue short jacket are cleverly combined, creating a fresh and elegant look. She also wears a white sun hat with a flowing blue ribbon, giving the impression of a gentle breeze on a summer morning.

Overall, she seems more like a gentle and noble young lady than before, but unfortunately... her actual personality is straightforward and strong-willed, and her words and actions are like a boy's.

"I'm afraid the only way to act like a young lady is to stay silent," Ash muttered after observing for a moment.

"Did you say something?" Rabindranath, with his unusually sharp ears, heard his muttering and couldn't help but glare at him sideways.

"It's nothing, I just feel like we're not a good match."

"Do you think I wanted this? I hope it wasn't because my three older brothers came back from the capital with a whole bunch of Qiqi clothes, and Mom was so excited... that she just had the maid change me into them."

"That's wonderful, Miss."

"...Don't think I don't know you're actually a powerful figure, right? My grandfather told me to be polite to you, and my older brother also hopes I can get along well with you."

His casual remark immediately drew a rebuttal from the girl, who seemed to grit her teeth.

But he didn't care, he just muttered to himself:

"The capital city? It seems your family has had considerable ties with the empire in the past."

"Isn't the Magic City something the Kingdom seized during the Demon War, taking advantage of the situation to occupy parts of the southern part of the Empire? Of course, my family has many relatives with nobles in the Empire. After all, the Kingdom itself didn't prohibit this, did it?"

"...Yes, but I think it would be best if your brother didn't go to the Empire again."

"What do you mean?"

She certainly wouldn't care if someone else said that, but Ash's identity had always been mysterious. At least, given that his family held a considerable position in the magical city and Rabine vaguely knew a little about him, she couldn't help but feel puzzled when she heard him say that.

"A judgment made based on the current situation." He offered his advice casually without looking up, a knowing smile on his face.

"Really?...I'll tell Grandpa when I get back."

"Hmm...that's good."

The girl's frankness surprised him, and he looked up a second time.

It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't looked, but just one glance made Rabine unhappy: "What is that strange pause and look?"

"...I thought you wouldn't listen to me."

"I'm telling you, even though I hate you, I do know you're capable."

"How about you try to please me a little? It'll definitely be beneficial."

"Tell me what the benefits are first?" Rabindranath grinned mischievously and extended his hand directly to him.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a piece of candy, and placed it on her, causing Rabinhee's expression to freeze for a moment: "What? This... do you take me for a child?"

Even so, she, like Connie, casually popped the candy into her mouth, but couldn't help but remark, "...A grown-up like you, still carrying candy around, you're surprisingly childlike?"

"No, this was to comfort a lost child this morning, since the child had been crying non-stop."

"...Huh?"

"what?"

"I thought you would kick a crying child."

"...Seriously, what kind of person do you take me for?"

“You damn old man.” Rabine gave the standard answer without hesitation, which made Ash’s expression slightly subtle.

Connie chuckled and once again acted as a peacemaker: "Well, well, Uncle, you're probably used to it by now, right?"

"I'm used to it, but I'm still not used to this guy being dressed like a lady yet speaking so vulgarly. But how should I put it? It feels... surprisingly interesting."

"Interesting...? Where? By the way...you're not some weirdo with strange interests, are you?" His indescribably troubled expression made Rabine think of something strange, and he instinctively took two steps back as he spoke.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Second Round of Examinations - The Tomb of the Fallen King - Fighting All of Them with One Person

Although his words might have sounded a little strange, being so bluntly avoided still hurt Ash a little.

However, he hesitated for a moment before finally choosing to remain silent and say no more.

After all, whether you deny it or admit it at this point, the result will be the same: unnecessary misunderstandings and making things worse. So it's better to say nothing and let the rumors dissipate on their own.

"Ha, ha..." Rabine and Ash's strange attitude towards each other left Connie somewhat bewildered, chuckling awkwardly, but still trying to change the subject, he enthusiastically invited them over:

"Speaking of which...we're almost at the point of going to find Philon and Frillie, aren't you coming home with us, Uncle?"

"No, no... I need to run away from home for a while, don't worry about me." He instinctively refused, but Connie didn't give him a chance to refuse, and just pulled him towards his home: "--Uncle is such a grown man, don't act like a child and run away from home~!"

Rabindé didn't want to deal with him at first, but seeing how resistant he was, he couldn't help himself... He and Connie dragged him along and forcibly took him home, despite his reluctance to go home.

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

At first, Ash was thinking about when to find a good place to slip away, but...

On their way, the two stopped to buy some snacks as a thank-you gift for Frillie, but he saw the two of them picking out bread inside the bakery and dessert shop right there in front of it.

"Oh... Philon! We've come to play with you!"

Connie abandoned Ash and rushed forward to grab her hand, shaking it excitedly.

"Connie, what are you doing here... Lord Ash—?!" Philon paused for a moment, then subconsciously nodded, but then noticed Ash at the entrance, who was covering his face and trying to escape. His expression instantly tightened.

Frillie approached him expressionlessly, staring up at him blankly: "Ash... is there anything you want to say to me?"

My pecs are bigger than yours! What can I say? Forced to run away from home over such a trivial matter... I can only say it's not worth it! Life is not worth it! —Although I really wanted to say that and refute their attitudes towards me, there were more than just Frillian and Philon in the room. If I said that out loud, I would probably be killed instantly.

Helpless, Ash could only bow his head and apologize: "Although it wasn't what I wanted, I did see something I shouldn't have seen, so I'm sorry."

"...What shouldn't I have seen?" His seemingly harmless yet inexplicably problematic statement caused Frillie to grab his collar, her eyebrows furrowing in displeasure. "What do you take a young girl's innocence for?"

"A girl...?"

Do you have any objections?

"....No."

Although she is a thousand-year-old woman, judging from her appearance and whether she has been married, she should indeed be considered a young girl, right? — He thought to himself, but then silently turned his head away, avoiding Frilian's threatening gaze. He was really worried that if he said she was old, she would burst into tears and make a scene for three days and three nights.

Connie glanced cautiously at the two of them, sensing that something was off about their atmosphere: "Um... what happened?"

"It's nothing, just the usual little tiff between Frilian and Philon." Ash smiled and touched Frilian's hair.

As expected, after just one touch, Frilian casually slapped it away and, as usual, gave a warning.

At that moment, Philon leaned closer, standing on tiptoe to get as close to his eyes as possible: "Lord Ash... please tell me honestly, where did you go yesterday?"

"...a friend's house."

"Friends? What friends?"

"It's okay, everyone else's parents are home."

"So, women?"

"...So perceptive at a time like this..."

Philon usually seems a bit dull, but at this moment he was unexpectedly sharp, which made him look at Connie.

Connie, who had initially felt that Philon's words were like a wife checking up on him, was now full of curiosity: "Does the uncle have any other friends?"

"Someone from the Magic Association, perhaps?" Philon speculated further. Frillian, seemingly amused, stroked her chin and tentatively suggested the only first-class mage she knew who was also on good terms with Ash: "Seria shouldn't be... Could it be that Zanze?"

"...Oh my, these cookies look good, Rabinha, can you buy me some?" He picked up a cookie, pretending to be very interested, and looked at the only girl who hadn't joined the conversation and was still choosing a thank-you gift.