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

Having received the answer to his thirty years of hard work, which had essentially ended in failure, Ash, who had maintained a considerable distance from him throughout, quickly left the place after this brief conversation to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Mahat was left alone, wandering the streets, pondering the meaning of his words...

As for what will happen to Mahat in the end, Ash doesn't really care. After all, he doesn't have any way to avoid being turned into gold, so there's nothing he can do about Mahat now.

If Mahat continues to act recklessly, Celia will naturally stop him; there's nothing for him to worry about.

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

Now, let's look at the present.

More than forty years have passed since my last visit, and the Golden City is still the Golden City.

However, a huge barrier resembling an inverted bowl appeared on the outside, completely enveloping it... But since he was already a great demon, Mahat only needed magic to sustain his life. Eating was just a hobby, and he wouldn't die inside even if he had nothing.

"I remember it was a barrier set up by a group of first-level mages? Poor Mahat."

Looking at the golden fortress city from afar, Ash couldn't help but recall what happened there more than forty years ago.

He actually wanted to go and take a look, but with people from the Continental Magic Association guarding the area, he only looked at it from a distance and gave up on getting too close.

Aura was leaning against the car window, looking at the distant Golden City with a smug grin: "Serves you right~ This is the price for going against Lord Aura."

"Is that so? But this shouldn't have anything to do with Lord Aura, right?" Inside the flying carriage, Lina, still sitting on Ash's lap, casually revealed the truth while biting into an apple.

This made Aura's face stiffen, and then she glared at him fiercely: "Is this how I taught you, Linne!"

"Oh... I'm sorry, Lord Aura."

Although she had no idea what she had done wrong, Linne still lowered her head and admitted her mistake with a pitiful expression.

Ash felt that their conversation seemed to have happened around here before, but this time he simply patted Linne's head, silently comforting the straightforward child.

Chapter 86 What should I do if I get proposed to by a young, ghostly loli (a demon)? (5K)

The flying monster controlled by Aura carried everyone, under the protection of the Magic Knights, as they flew from the sky over the golden fortress city.

During this time, Ash was still in the sky, and his gaze met that of Mahat, who was sitting quietly by the pool in the city, seemingly lost in thought.

Neither of them spoke, only exchanging brief glances before they parted ways.

Mahathir gives the impression that he has been sitting there for over forty years, and it's unclear what he's thinking...

Why isn't this guy trying to break the barrier? Why is he just sitting here like this? Ash completely doesn't understand why Mahat is just standing there in a daze. If he wanted to leave normally... it shouldn't be that easy to trap him in this barrier, right?

Is it that he can't or doesn't want to? Or does he like the feeling of being locked up inside?

Ash really couldn't understand this. He even tightened his embrace around Linne, feeling that no matter how he thought about it... compared to the cold, hard gold, the soft, warm scent of a little girl was definitely better!

He had only thought that for a moment when Aura gave him a disgusted look and maliciously insulted him: "...Ash, I felt like you just made a rather lewd expression."

"—Not vulgar at all! That's a gentle look! There's something wrong with your eyes; you should go see a church soon."

"How dare Ash talk about gentleness? He's utterly shameless."

"You're the only one who has no right to say such things to me."

To be honest, if he didn't still have Line on hand, he would have wanted to teach Aura a lesson right now.

But just as he was pondering whether he should put Linne aside for now, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the forest below.

She was a girl wearing a white dress, with long, waist-length blue hair and a pair of small, ghost-like horns on her forehead.

She was very small, with a delicate, slightly childlike face and a gentle, harmless smile. In fact, she gave off a feeling somewhere between a loli and a young girl rather than a young girl. When she noticed his gaze, she raised her hand and waved happily at him.

She looks like an innocent and elegant little ghost... Ash happens to know her.

She is an unknown demon race member, Solitiel, who is not recognized by humans and has left no trace in human history.

Although humans were unaware of her existence, Aura clearly recognized her, and upon seeing Solitaire, she immediately displayed that same look of disdain:

"That old guy, he's always pretending to be young..."

"Lord Aura, you have high standards." Lina casually tossed the apple she had finished eating out the window and then discreetly wiped it on Ash's clothes.

When he noticed this, he immediately wore an expression of suppressed headache and slapped her small hand away: "Line! Who taught you to do this? It's so rude!"

"I'm sorry, Ash-sama... but there doesn't seem to be anything here to wipe my hands..." Lina lowered her head pitifully, covering her hands with a dejected expression. "Besides, didn't you say that a girl's image is important? So..."

"...A girl's image is not just about her outward appearance; her behavior is also part of her image."

How exactly should he raise this child to become an outstanding lady? ... To be honest, he had basically given up by now, and turning back to look at the little ghost on the ground, he couldn't help but sigh, "Speaking of which, how old is Solitaire?"

"Why don't you just ask?" Aura looked uninterested.

"That's right, I just happened to run into you, I'll go say hello."

After a moment's thought, he actually jumped off the carriage in the sky right before Aura's astonished eyes and landed in the direction of Solitaire.

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

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

In the jungle near the barrier.

The figure, hurtling down from the sky like a shooting star, seemed to be gently lifted by an invisible force just before hitting the ground, lingering leisurely for a brief moment before gracefully landing on the ground.

Throughout the entire process, the only thing that happened was the strong wind that accompanied the falling leaves, which stirred up the fallen leaves but did not leave any dents in the ground.

This scene, which transformed from extreme turmoil to tranquil harmony in an instant, made Solitaire clap her hands in delight:

"It seems like it's been since the Demon Lord was still alive? Not even eighty years yet, right? You've grown so much, Ash. I'm so happy!"

"I've always had a question for Solitaire."

"what?"

"How old are you exactly?"

"...This? Hmm~ 800?" Solitaire gave an ambiguous smile, tilting her head cutely, and casually gave an uncertain number.

"No, I remember you said before that you disliked war because your friend died in a war that the Demon King started in an attempt to understand humanity. But I remember the Demon King who died just before that reigned for over a thousand years, yet he didn't wage any wars before that. In other words..."

"Ugh, how annoying~ How could you guess a girl's age so casually? Has Ash really entered his rebellious phase?"

His analysis made Solitaire feign displeasure and put on a troubled smile.

"...No, I'm actually quite big."

"You're big for humans, right? But to your big sister, you're still a little brother~" Solitaire stood on tiptoe and smiled as she patted his head.

This strange behavior gave him a headache: "...What are you doing?"

"Ah? Isn't this a gesture of care?"

"Care?"

"I've always liked you, Shurahatto. I went with you to break the seal on Guval and persuade Guval to listen to you... It's all because of me, I really like you, okay?"

Solitaire gently placed her hands behind her back, tilted her head slightly, and looked into his eyes with a smile as she spoke, revealing the real reason why she had helped him subdue the corrupt sage Guval when the Demon King was being defeated by the hero's party.

However, the thought of being liked by such a dangerous person made him silently take a step back: "...Let me confirm first, what kind of liking is this? It's not the kind of liking that wants to kill me, is it?"

"How could that be? Besides, I'm a pacifist. And most importantly, your eyes... they have a mix of human and demonic qualities. I really want to study you closely."

"...Let me go of the mutual slaughter and dissection stuff."

"So what are you talking about? I'm not that kind of violent maniac. My affection is closer to the goodwill humans feel towards each other. And... I see my goals reflected in yours, which means—we are truly kindred spirits!"

Solitaire, who longed for the coexistence of humans and demons, clasped her hands together in front of her chest as if offering a prayer, and gazed into his eyes with heartfelt sincerity.

But this only made him feel troubled. Without showing any emotion, he took two steps back again, waving his hand with an awkward but polite smile:

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're trying to say. Anyway, let's calm down first, okay? We can sit down and talk it over calmly another time. I have some things to take care of right now, so I'll have to go..."

"—Hey, this is great! Although I initially thought it wasn't appropriate to just show up at someone's house, since you've invited me, I certainly can't refuse!"

"Wait a minute? You invited me? Me? When did this happen?"

"Just now, didn't you want me to come to your country with you, sit down together, and witness a new path that has never been seen before?"

"...I was just being polite. How did you come up with so much from my imagination?"

Ash's mind went blank; he never expected that such polite words could be used in this way.

But Solitaire simply clasped her hands together in front of her, swaying gracefully, revealing a sweet and charming smile:

"What are you saying~ A gentle person like you, big brother, would surely not have the heart to see a pitiful and helpless little demon like me wandering alone in the wilderness, right~?"

"Brother... no, a little demon over a thousand years old?"

This ancient demon, who looked like a little ghost, had a sweet voice that left him momentarily unsure whether to criticize her for pretending to be young or to criticize her for calling herself "older sister" just a moment ago. He thought, "Are women's words really deceitful?"

But thinking about his goal, he didn't mind having another powerful helper, even though the other party was a very strange guy... but it seems there aren't many non-strange people among the Great Demon Clan.

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

After the initial troubles, Ash ultimately chose to compromise.

He hadn't wanted to get close to the barrier before, but now, since he was already there, he came to the edge of the barrier with Solitaire, wanting to study it for a while.

However.....

"Ah~ This barrier is... the culmination of the wisdom of the world's most outstanding human mages, a complex convergence of magical theories from different countries and ethnic groups, truly amazing~"

With just a light touch of her hand, Solitaire immediately had her answer, but her face still wore that endearing smile: "Thinking about it this way, without this kind of knowledge, it would be impossible to open it, which is why he has been locked up here all this time."

"No, Solitaire, your statement is too absolute."

"what?"

"Your magical theories are flawed, or rather, the knowledge you've acquired is too commonplace... This is probably a problem caused by hiding it for too long, which has made your thinking rigid."

"Too mainstream...too rigid?" Solitaire tilted her head dramatically with a smile.

Ash, quite casually, patted the little ghost girl on the head, flicked the barrier in front of him with his finger, and said:

"Understanding before breaking down is the common idea, and it is indeed necessary before a certain level is reached. However, if a certain limit is exceeded, it becomes meaningless to try to understand the magic itself."

"Use overwhelming force to break through the barrier directly? But a barrier of this strength shouldn't be able to be broken through by force, right?"

“More than forty years ago, Mahat’s magic easily broke through my defenses, and he certainly didn’t understand human protective measures. The Corrupted Sage was the same in the past, easily destroying those protective spells. Do you think they needed to understand them?”

"this....."

"Furthermore, according to the intelligence I obtained from the Magic Association, this barrier has been under constant erosion and has been forced to expand outwards. What used to be just a city is now being swallowed up, even the surrounding forests. It is clear that this barrier cannot restrain the ever-spreading gold, and this is not even something that Mahat did intentionally."