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

Many new buildings have sprung up, and the streetscape seems to have changed slightly, but in reality, it's only been fifty years, and for a city of this era, the changes wouldn't be too significant. The direction of Simmel's house...

"—Oh no, I don't remember anything at all!"

He had only been to the place once before, 50 years ago, so he couldn't remember it clearly and got lost in the streets and alleys.

The capital city also had a barrier prohibiting flight, which made him start to worry. He even wondered if he should cast some magic into the sky to attract attention and see if he could get the attention of someone he knew...

"Are you... Ash?" A strange and aged voice came from behind him, causing him to turn around instinctively.

"Hmm...? Who are you?"

He turned around and saw an old man with a bald head, a long white beard, a blue cloak, and a cane standing behind him, looking at him with the same curiosity as he was.

"You could be...?" He hesitated, looking at the mole near his eye, before tentatively asking, "Simmel—?!"

"Haha~ Your surprised expression is just as amusing as Frilian's." Simmel stroked his overly long beard with a kind smile.

"No, wait a moment..."

"what?"

"—You're a head shorter than Frilian now, aren't you? Have you finally stopped being human and become a dwarf??" Looking at the old man who was almost as tall as Azer, Ash couldn't hide his shock and blurted out the comment.

After all, even if a normal person gets shorter as they get older, they shouldn't get this short. The current Simmel is half a meter shorter than before, which can really be called a mutation in some ways.

This utterly shocked expression made Simmel chuckle.

"You really haven't changed at all; you still don't speak tactfully at all. But isn't this a bit too much to keep saying it like this?"

"No...this is definitely not normal!"

“It would be abnormal if you didn’t change at all,” Simmel said with a smile, looking him up and down.

"It really brings back memories. Seeing you and Frilian reminds me of the adventure fifty years ago, even though you were never there when it mattered most, it was like you were just dropping by."

"Well... after all, I'm quite weak."

"...Really? Even if Aize were at his peak fighting you now, he might not be able to win in hand-to-hand combat alone, right?"

"Is that so?" He didn't give a direct answer, his ambiguous expression revealing confusion.

Simmel murmured with a touch of emotion, "Even though Azer has grown old, you show absolutely no signs of decline... No wonder you are a great mage from the mythical era, capable of creating even this kind of magic."

"Indeed...that's amazing."

"By the way, how old are you now?"

"Well... a little over a hundred?"

"Really? That's really... By the way, let's not just stand here chatting. Come to my house and have a chat."

Upon seeing his long-lost friend, Simmel was overjoyed and had no intention of discussing those unpleasant topics. With a broad smile, he led him through the streets and alleys toward the house that had remained unchanged for fifty years.

The two kept talking throughout the journey, but Simmel also revealed that Frilian had not visited them even once in the past 50 years.

Why is this? Well, it's because...

"...Every year at our gathering, it's just the three of us. It's like you two made a pact not to come even once... We're starting to wonder if you've forgotten about us."

"Uh, no... that's not true... really."

Simmel's complaints, tinged with resentment, left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, and he awkwardly turned his face away.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but twenty-five years ago he had thought of coming here to say goodbye to Celia, but was coldly rejected.

Humans are different from us; their lives are as fleeting as a night-blooming cereus. What's the point of having the best relationship? It's just a waste of time and an unnecessary source of trouble. Don't go! — This thought unconsciously came to mind when he saw Simmel's appearance.

But looking at his elderly friend, he couldn't help but ask Celia: If that's the case, why did you teach so many human students?

However, he was also able to understand Celia's words when faced with this old woman who was already as frail as a candle in the wind.

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

As a hero who once saved the world, Simmel's home was simpler than one might imagine; it was just an ordinary house.

Simmel, like an old man, lit a fire in the fireplace and sat down first in the rocking chair, which he had also wanted to try... No, Simmel was already a genuine old man.

"...What's wrong? Do you want to try it too?" Simmel, who was gently rocking in the rocking chair, seemed to notice his interest in it and tentatively asked, "How about I get up?"

Chapter Sixty-Three: Simmel's Silent Trust - Frilian: Humans are so strange!

Ash seemed to really care about the rocking chair, so as Simmel spoke, she actually braced herself on the chair with both hands, ready to give him her place.

He looked like an old man disciplining his willful grandson, which made Ash quickly step forward and push him down, vehemently denying it:

"No need, no need. I was just curious and didn't intend to sit. I was just reflecting on things. You're just an ordinary old man now!"

"Haha, what are you talking about..." Simmel shook her head repeatedly, revealing a kind smile: "Although I'm still so handsome even as I get older, I'm actually just an ordinary old man now. It's just that you haven't changed, right?"

"...That's true."

"Speaking of which, you're here because of the Sixth Promise from fifty years ago, right?"

"of course."

“Frilian too, but she arrived three days ago, and we haven’t seen her since. It seems she went out of town to get something? I wonder where she went.” Simmel sighed helplessly, but then smiled and teased:

"Although you two are heartless, never once coming to see us, it seems that you are not so heartless as to have forgotten this promise."

"Uh, sorry... I've been really busy lately..."

This was probably a retaliation. Ash felt guilty for not coming back after he had said that Ash had switched to being a dwarf. Ash was now somewhat ashamed.

"Haha~ Just kidding, don't take it so seriously. But to be honest... we were actually a little worried that we would never see you again in this lifetime... We never expected to have the chance to meet again. Just that alone is enough to make us happy."

"Is this enough to make you happy...?" The more he said this, the more Ash felt like he wasn't human... even though he really wasn't.

But Simmel did not launch another attack. Instead, with a kind smile and a look of nostalgia and reminiscence, she returned to the main topic:

"Speaking of which, when Frilian came, I had already written to Haita and Aize. They have been in this country for years and will meet at the city gate tomorrow morning."

Having lost the vigor of his youth and speaking more slowly, Simmel added at the end, "Let's talk about what you've been busy with for the past fifty years. It'll help pass the time for this old man. You don't have anything else to do here, do you?"

"Well... no, really... I've mostly been exercising."

"I can sense that you've made significant progress in all aspects, but..."

"but?"

"No... it really is nothing."

If you're already nearing the end of your life, why exercise like this? And while a person's appearance may be fixed, can the state of their body truly remain unchanged forever? Why are you constantly on an upward trajectory?

—Simmel didn't ask these questions aloud, but gently shook his head, then looked at him with the kind eyes of an old man looking at a younger person, and said slowly with a smile:

“You are our friend... so we have always been curious about your past with Frilian.”

"is it?"

Why emphasize the point about friends at this moment? — Ash felt that this seemed a bit abrupt, and considering the question he had only half-spoken about earlier, he could tell that something was off.

However... since Simmel didn't press the matter, there seemed to be no need for him to bring it up again at this point, since this wasn't something to celebrate.

With this thought in mind, he pondered with a hint of annoyance, "...Nothing interesting has happened to me over the years, so is that alright?"

"It's okay, it's okay, tell me about it~"

"Hmm, do you know about the Continental Magic Association?"

"Oh, I've heard of it. Was it founded by your master?"

........

Unable to refuse his earnest request, Ash was forced to talk about the only part he could discuss.

In other words, he accidentally kicked the real person while challenging the dojo... a past event that left him feeling quite helpless yet somewhat amused.

After that, Ash talked to him about what he had been doing lately, and they chatted until night fell. Then they went to a tavern to drink and talk.

As for Frillie, who was supposed to arrive first... we didn't actually meet her, and we don't know where she went.

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

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

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed obliquely into the room, casting a warm and soft glow over the cold winter living room, while the air was filled with the unique warmth of burning firewood.

Ash, who was staying at Simmel's house, washed up early in the morning and lay down in the rocking chair by the fireplace.

With the chair gently rocking and the crackling of firewood beside him, everything was so peaceful that he could roughly understand why Simmel liked this rocking chair.

He himself unconsciously immersed himself in this comfort, closed his eyes, and began to sway freely.

But... not long after, the living room door was slowly pushed open.

A voice, still easily recognizable and deeply nostalgic even after half a century, followed from behind:

"You are... Ash?"

He groggily opened his eyes, only to find the owner of the voice standing before him.

Frillie stared at him, completely dumbfounded. "Why... are you here? And what are you doing here...?"

"Hmm? Ah...you want to try it too?"

"no--!"

Seeing him quickly stand up to offer the invitation, Frillie couldn't help but reflexively refuse it outright.

It should have been a long-awaited reunion, but looking at him in the rocking chair, so relaxed and content like an old man, he looked just like the house's owner, Simmel.

This made her realize... even if this guy's appearance hasn't changed, he must have really aged, right?

Although she didn't know what elderly humans should look like, she could roughly discern something from Simmel's condition, but...

How old are you exactly now?

Even though she didn't want to ask, she subconsciously blurted it out.

"Hmm... a little over a hundred, one hundred and one?"

"...So, it seems that humans can really live longer if they're a little lazy?"

"No, this is still within the normal range... probably."