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

It was through these human villages that Ash learned about the structure of this world, and now they are among the southern kingdoms.

This place is quite far from the northern continent, the stronghold of the demons.

Therefore, only scattered demons are here, and the demon threat they face is much smaller, which also leads to wars breaking out between the countries here from time to time.

Everyone wants to annex the other, but no one can swallow the other. They are constantly waging war against each other, and the recent fighting seems to be quite intense, resulting in two war orphans being stranded in this remote village.

...It was those two orphans who came to escape the war who gave Ash a lot of information about the outside world.

"Humans, no matter which world they live in, ultimately all enjoy killing each other, don't they?"

In his spare time from practicing magic, Ash looked at the wheat field in front of him and briefly reflected on the current state of his country, but he quickly put those boring philosophical questions out of his mind.

The setting sun cast its light on the golden wheat fields beside the building. As the wind blew across the land, the wheat rippled like waves, like a golden ocean rising and falling in the breeze.

Everything in sight was so peaceful that it didn't seem like a border village in a war-torn country. It was so peaceful that it made people want to be lazy. Ash lay down on the grass by the village, leaned against a tree trunk, and quietly closed his eyes, wanting to take a good nap.

Unfortunately, before he could fall asleep, in his hazy state, he heard a hesitant, aged voice beside him:

"Lord Ash...it's almost dinnertime, and Lord Aura is still in his room. This is the third day already. Why don't you go and check on him?"

"It's alright, a demon won't starve in three days. She's probably just focused on studying magic." He turned around and saw the elderly village chief with a hesitant expression.

He found it more interesting than Aura's secluded research into magic, which he found fascinating about human interest in the demon race.

This is not surprising, though. They have now reached a wonderful understanding with the village, and for the time being, no one can leave the other... Moreover, humans cannot live without them—or rather, they cannot live without Aura.

Chapter Six: The Broken Daily Life

Ash's nonchalant attitude meant he simply didn't want to deal with Aura anymore, which left the old village chief in a dilemma, hesitant to speak.

He didn't pay much attention and stood up, walking straight into the village without turning his head, saying, "Don't worry about it, that guy will come out on his own if he's really hungry."

"is that so?."

That's how it is.

He shrugged nonchalantly and offered no further explanation, heading to the room that the villagers had voluntarily built last year.

The villagers we encountered along the way all greeted us with smiles.

Inside the house, food was already laid out on the dining table. The middle-aged woman who was cooking was about to leave, and he nodded with a smile as he watched.

"The weather has turned cold lately, so Lord Ash and Lord Aura should take advantage of the warmth."

"Thank you."

Ash simply nodded slightly and sat down at the table to eat alone in silence, too lazy to call Aura... after all, disturbing him would only make that guy throw a tantrum.

Simple food was laid out on the rough wooden dining table.

The rough bread, homemade cheese, freshly roasted meat, and fresh vegetables were not exactly delicious, but they were still much better than the primitive life of the past.

Ash quietly enjoyed his dinner, his face expressionless, but his eyes revealed a sense of satisfaction and tranquility, suggesting he was relatively content with the current situation.

However, amidst this peaceful and serene atmosphere, dusk quietly crept into the depths of the room, subtly revealing a sense of impending storm.

A gentle breeze began to blow outside, rustling the leaves as if nature were whispering something to the world.

He now understands that coexistence between humans and demons will inevitably lead to some problems, but when those problems will occur... no one knows.

Therefore, he didn't think too much about it and remained immersed in the peaceful dinner, enjoying this moment of tranquility and peace.

The problem he feared finally occurred one late autumn afternoon, but... the problem was not quite what he had imagined.

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

On a late autumn afternoon, the sunlight became soft and warm, and there was a slight chill in the air.

The sky was a deep, clear blue, with a few white clouds drifting leisurely by. In the distance, farmers were busy harvesting, while nearby, cattle and sheep grazed peacefully, accompanied by the occasional chirping of insects and calls of birds.

Everything was so peaceful that Ash couldn't resist lying on a haystack made of wheat, basking in the sun and taking a nap.

However... in his half-awake state, he was inexplicably kicked on the shoulder.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw Aula, who was already eighteen years old but hadn't changed much from before.

She looked down at Ash, her brows furrowed: "Don't sleep, something seems wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"The dire wolf that cooperated with the hunter was killed."

"....Yeah?"

As he sat up from the ground, pondering whether it was the work of a human, a demon, or the demon race... amidst the wind carrying the scents of wheat and flowers, a pungent smell of blood seemed to waft through the air.

His ears quickly picked up on the distant sound of horses' hooves and panicked shouts, causing him to stand up abruptly and look in the direction of the sound.

A troop of cavalrymen, their weapons stained with blood, rode from the fields not far away.

Judging from the flag, it was the military insignia of the Kingdom of Telton, an enemy of the Kingdom of Tad they were currently in.

To defend against attacks from wild animals in the surrounding forests, the cavalrymen who launched the surprise attack entered the vicinity of the border in a guerrilla-style manner, but were fully armed.

On the spear of the leading cavalryman hung the familiar young hunter Julius, a war orphan who had fled to this place to escape the chaos of war and had only recently completed his apprenticeship.

"You always wanted to escape the war, but even after coming here... you still couldn't escape it in the end? How pathetic."

Ash narrowed his eyes slightly, calmly sighing, and casually took the longsword that the village chief tremblingly handed over.

Unlike the others, the village chief was completely unable to remain calm, and said anxiously, "Lord Ash... please, please protect us!"

"...I can only do my best."

In medieval warfare, there were basically no bottom lines. Of course, in reality, it's hard to find any bottom lines in war, but it was more obvious in this era... The victors' acts of rape, plunder, and massacre were all too commonplace.

Massacring enemy border villages and towns can create panic, damage the enemy's economic foundation and social order, thereby weakening the enemy's fighting will and strength. It is a very common method and can also make soldiers feel happy, as the name suggests.

None of this is surprising, but... their appearance in the village as a different race adds to the contrast and drama.

"Why are there demons in this village, and so many monsters..." The officer, who was leading more than thirty cavalrymen to sweep through the area, noticed the demonic beasts and wild animals near the village, as well as Aura right next to Ash, and his expression turned rather grim.

Meanwhile, the mage beside him was observing the villagers who clearly possessed magical abilities but whose reactions weren't very strong, and couldn't help but smugly remark:

“It’s alright, Lord Maynard. That demon and the mage beside him look like greenhorns. These monsters are also of average strength, just common species around here, and can only win by sheer numbers.”

"...Are the demons raising humans, or are the humans raising demons?" The cavalry commander, known as Maynard, muttered, not bothering to care about such matters, and swung his sword down: "—Kill them all!!"

"Eat them."

Having experienced many battles in the forest, Aura remained fearless, coldly issuing orders to the puppets.

The iron hooves trampled across the fields, raising a cloud of dust, and the herds of beasts surrounding the village swarmed out.

Chapter Seven: The First Bloodbath

As the cavalry and the beasts charged toward each other.

The villagers were in complete disarray, some searching for weapons to help, others frantically trying to escape.

However, Aura ignored them. After all, regardless of victory or defeat, she couldn't stay here any longer. So she just looked at the puppets rushing forward and frowned, saying:

"Hey Ash, why should I fight humans to protect them? Shouldn't I just run away?"

"Don't bother me, Aura, I'm thinking about this too."

Ash only wanted to develop steadily, but he accidentally got caught up in a human war... This strange situation left Ash helpless, and he could only sigh with one hand on his forehead, lamenting that life is always full of surprises.

Even if Aura is right, he can't just pack up and leave... after all, they've lived here for several years.

Even during their conversation, the village, which reeked of blood, was filled with wails, screams, and battle cries, echoing around it like a real battlefield.

He silently raised one hand, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment. The blood that had been splattering in mid-air suddenly changed its parabolic trajectory and began to fall linearly.

The knights, who had gained the upper hand in the battle against the beast horde thanks to their enchanted armor that rivaled heavy armor, had their warhorses collapse almost simultaneously, unable to bear their weight, and falling to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Gravity was altered over a considerable range, though the actual change was not significant, but it unexpectedly had a remarkable effect on horses carrying people in a charge.

The villagers, who were not wearing any armor, seized the opportunity, and with somewhat heavy steps, rushed forward, grabbed makeshift weapons, and stabbed at the gaps in their armor. The smaller horde of beasts, also affected, attacked their helmets.

In an instant, screams of agony filled the air.

But compared to his men, the cavalry leader of this group who infiltrated enemy territory was the elite of the elite. When his horse fell to the ground, the cavalry captain Maynard rolled over and steadied himself in a half-kneeling position.

"Waaaaah!!" the villagers shouted in fear, and swung their hoes at his head.

But Maynard simply raised his hand and snapped the hoe in half, then with a backhand slash, easily cut the villager who had run ahead in half at the waist.

"That's impressive, but... we still have to get rid of him." Despite the fact that an acquaintance was dying right in front of him, Ash remained unmoved. He simply drew the best sword in the village and strode forward.

Maynard then assumed a fighting stance, preparing for close combat.

He was also wearing armor while riding a warhorse to protect himself from stray arrows. The mage, who was unable to get up due to the weight, noticed this and struggled to remove his helmet and try to remove his gauntlets under the pressure.

At that very moment, Ash suddenly stopped, twisted his waist slightly to gather strength, then canceled the spell and threw the longsword out.

Under the influence of the repulsive force, the blade moved faster than expected. Maynard stared intently at the longsword, instinctively raising his hand to block, but suddenly froze.

The longsword, which kept spinning, swept past him with a "whoosh!" and pierced straight into the forehead of the army mage who had just removed his helmet.

With a splatter of blood, the mage, who had instinctively looked up, stared blankly, not even understanding how he had died, before collapsing with his head tilted back.

Maynard, who was stunned and turned around, found his mask stained with his companion's blood, and his face began to contort in pain.

"—You bastard!!"

"You're fighting me while wearing armor, and yours is extra heavy armor, which means... I have the advantage this time." Ash pressed down with one hand, concentrating his magic to maximize the effect of gravity.

"Huh—?!"

Maynard's feet suddenly sank, and his body gradually bent under the weight. He was clearly unable to withstand the pressure and was forced to plant the blade in the ground, barely managing to keep himself from falling.

Ash nodded in satisfaction and pulled out a long, sharp armor-piercing spike from his waist.

In this world, many human soldiers are heavily armored, so this thing is surprisingly useful... We hadn't had a chance to use it before, but it's come in handy now.

"Don't worry, I'll end your life soon." He gestured, intending to stab the man directly in the neck.

He knew the routine of using magic to suppress his opponent and then finishing them off with a fatal blow perfectly. However, just as he reached out to stab them, his hand suddenly went empty.

The armor-piercing cone was snatched away in an instant and, in the blink of an eye, accurately pierced his neck.

The speed was so fast that he didn't have time to react, and Aura, who was not far away, also stared in astonishment.