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

"Don't talk nonsense, I'm the one who saved you, okay?"

"And... what did you just call me?"

Recalling his taunts and comments as he watched the spectacle while she was being devoured, Frilian instantly straightened her posture and stared intently at him.

Did I say anything?

"...He's already quite old."

"What's wrong now?"

“You actually called me old again…” Frillie suddenly turned her head and stared at him: “Third time’s the charm, no next time—no! This is the third time!”

"Huh? What? What, the third time?"

"You called me an old woman twice before!"

"Is there?"

"Yes!" Frillie nodded vigorously with great certainty.

This left him speechless: "Why are you making such a fuss over something so trivial? Are you that vengeful?"

"Wait a moment, I'll show you what I'm capable of..."

"What do you want to do...?"

Seeing the girl seemingly brewing something, Ash unconsciously became more vigilant and prepared to run away at the slightest change.

The next moment...

"Waaaaah... Waaaaah~!!"

"Huh? W-what???"

Noticing that she had finished her preparations, Ash had already taken two steps back, but the wailing behind him made him freeze in place, turning around blankly.

The girl who had just been so determined to teach him a lesson was now hugging her knees, shrinking into a corner, and crying loudly.

He was completely taken aback, unconsciously stopping his escape. He stared blankly for a long time before looking at Vlame, who had appeared beside him at some point and also looked astonished, and asked, "What's wrong with her...?"

"I don't know, you two are probably closer, right? What's going on?"

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? You're the master, can't you just appease me?"

"...I don't care if you made me cry."

Vlame clearly didn't want to get entangled, so he left after saying that.

This left him standing there, unsure whether to leave or stay. He pondered for a long time, one hand on his forehead, before finally flicking her long ear: "Frilian, I admit I was wrong... Can I please not say you're old anymore?"

Even though he had been forced to back down, Frillie shook off his hand and started crying even louder.

This forced him to give up, and he simply wanted to leave the vicinity first. Who would have thought that the other party would follow him like this... even crying as she walked, which made her only able to ignore this strange guy by reading a book.

This process lasted for three days and three nights, and she cried until she had no tears left, but she still showed no sign of stopping.

"You need to think of something! It's all your fault, isn't it?"

The incessant weeping for three days made Vlame cover his ears in anguish and urge him on.

Even Celia, who had been living deep within the ruins and had never ventured out, was unusually irritated by the constant weeping echoing within. She finally emerged, giving him a sidelong glance and issuing her final ultimatum:

"If you don't resolve this, I'll throw you and her out together."

"I didn't cry, why are you even scolding me..."

"—It's all your fault!"

"But I... sigh, never mind..."

Still wanting to argue, he finally decided to hoist Frillie onto his shoulder and quickly leave, wanting to avoid making it impossible for him to stay here any longer because of her.

There was nothing I could do; besides myself, there were only three other people in these ruins.

One person was made to cry by himself, and the other two are still blaming him. If he doesn't deal with this guy who's crying so badly for no reason, he probably won't be able to come back.

But... I had only just left the ruins and gone outside when I saw the sky.

The girl he was carrying on his shoulder stopped crying as soon as he put her down on the grass. She crossed her arms, raised her head, and revealed a smug smile that was completely different from her usual expressionless demeanor.

"Hmph~ How about that? Now you know how powerful I am, right?"

"..."

What's wrong with this girl? Can I hit her? Sure? Surely I can! — Watching her stop crying instantly and turn from sorrow to joy so quickly, Ash was dumbfounded, his eyes twitching slightly, and his fists hardening involuntarily.

.......

.....

...

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Differences in Perspectives

Ash was already itching to punch someone, but Frilian noticed his clenched fist.

But she wasn't afraid at all. She even stopped smiling and solemnly warned, "What's wrong? You want to hit me? Ash."

"What? You still think I'm not good enough..."

"If you do it now, I'll cry for three more days."

There was no sense of oppressive threat whatsoever; Frillie merely stretched her head slightly, giving a strange warning with a blank, expressionless face.

But just thinking about being tormented by this crying for another three days made Ash's hand, which was raised high, freeze in mid-air for a while before slowly lowering it.

He pressed his hand against Frillie's head, rubbed it vigorously, and even revealed a slightly twisted smile:

"I'm not trying to be mean... but you're acting a little more like an old person, okay? What kind of threat is this? Or are you just a mentally immature child?"

“...It’s happened again.” Frilian stared at him expressionlessly.

"Hey, why are you counting again?"

"what happened?"

"...Is this a threat?"

"No, this is a warning. There's no third time. If it happens twice more, you know what will happen."

"........You win."

"Then hurry up and take your hand away."

Seeing his retreat, Frilian became smug and slapped his hand away.

He was resentful of being defeated in this way, but... there was really nothing he could do about it.

After all, this guy is probably much older, yet he was able to swallow his pride and cry for three days and three nights, which made him a bit mentally exhausted.

"Ha... whatever, I can't be bothered with you, I'm going to study..."

Forced to lower his raised hand, he turned back in frustration, while Frilian, unfazed by his provocation, followed him without keeping her distance.

After that, the four of them stayed in the ruins for about a month before Ash packed his bags again and left temporarily with Frilian and Vlame.

Of course, he also carried a new magic book, and as for why he didn't leave it behind...

There was nothing he could do; Celia preferred to be alone and daydreaming, and even if he pestered her relentlessly, she might not be willing to teach him. On the contrary, Vlamé was very willing to teach him, so he naturally chose to follow her.

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

Three years later, when the group returned to visit Celia, who seemed like a lonely old woman, living alone at home, it was already past that time.

Despite not having changed his appearance over the years, which should normally make people suspicious of Ash, Celia has been helping him cover up his identity.

Although it was just a random excuse, saying that an experimental magic to preserve youth was cast on him; because it was an experiment and only succeeded once, and it just so happened to succeed on him, it allowed him to always look like a teenager.

Although it was never used again, supposedly because the success rate was too low, no one doubted him since it was Celia who said it.

As Celia watched Ash browsing through his collection of books, "updating" them once again, she couldn't help but smile, and from her throne, she questioned him:

"Ash, you... are you the kind of guy who'll side with whoever feeds him?"

"I just like knowledge."

"Am I your master?"

"What does it matter? Since Vlame and Frilian both have magic I don't know and are willing to teach me, and I'm willing to learn, isn't that a win-win situation?"

"What win-win situation? You're the only one who wins! In the end—the generations are all messed up, you bastard!" Celia raised her hand and threw a book at him without thinking.

But he caught it red-handed, and casually put it into his bag, then helplessly spread his hands and said, "If you don't teach me, what can I do?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't teach you, it's just that I taught you last time, can't you wait a little while?"

"A period? Fifty years?"

"Thirty years, I think. Before that, I want to be alone for a while."

"...Then I might as well go to Volamey."

"It's only thirty years, and you can't even wait that long?"

"A mere thirty years..."

Seria knew he was a demon and didn't care about thirty years, but he didn't know how to correct her strange perception of time; at least he couldn't just wait thirty years.

But Ash now understands that it will probably take some time to correct this, so he's too lazy to argue with her about it anymore.

Meanwhile, Frillie stood to the side, speaking in a serious tone:

"Ash, you should learn to take it slow. Don't always act like your master, rushing around like something is rushing you even when there's nothing important. That's why humans don't live long."

"...I've already said, these are two different things..." He really didn't want to dwell on this topic anymore, but he still couldn't help glaring at Frilian.

At this moment, Vlame also smiled bitterly and said, "Frilian and Master, you are elves, so your actions are different from ours; but it's not that moving too fast causes a shorter lifespan, but rather that human lifespan is limited, and we are closer to death than you, so we simply can't afford to delay and have to act faster."

"I understand that, isn't it just Frillie who doesn't?"

Having traveled far and wide, having lived since the age of mythology, Celia shook her head and turned her gaze to Frilian, who had lived in the secluded elven village since childhood.

"..."