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

He helped Nona enroll in school and also helped Lokishi achieve her dream of becoming a teacher at the magic academy.

The two girls even became master and apprentice, but... they still argued from time to time.

He also stayed at the magic university for a while, and then used spatial magic to quickly travel to various parts of the world to see the people he had met before.

Then, taking advantage of the difference in the flow of time, he temporarily went to the next world he planned to visit before dinner, the world where the Holy Grail War had taken place.

But as soon as he got home, he discovered that... Abby, Meloshen, and Illya seemed to have gone to find him instead.

Chapter Six: The Girls Who Travel to Another World - The Appearance of the Girls Raised from Childhood

The moment Ash returned to that modern city, he keenly realized that only a week had passed since he last left.

As someone who adheres to the principle of "borrowing and returning," he naturally chose to return the borrowed Bible to Karen as soon as possible.

However, things did not go as smoothly as he had hoped.

He had expected to be praised, but when the silver-haired nun saw his Bible in such a pitiful state, her face instantly darkened, and she dragged him into the confessional without saying a word.

There, Ash not only received a severe scolding, but was also asked to apologize.

Unable to bear such humiliation, he impulsively pinned the sharp-tongued nun to the stage, spanking her while committing another act of blasphemy.

After thoroughly "bullying" Kallen, Ash ignored the nun's incessant curses behind him and temporarily returned to his home in this world.

He thought he could enjoy a peaceful time, but as he teased Joan of Arc and Little Black, bullied Kama, and enjoyed Irisviel's service, he found that there seemed to be a few people missing from his home.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that just yesterday, Abby, Melusin, and Ilya had followed Abby, who had quietly entered the second stage, to find him—at least that's what their letter to everyone said.

But upon closer inspection, he discovered that Miyu had also disappeared, apparently having discovered their actions and left with them.

Fortunately, he found evidence of this in Miyu's additional comments, so there's no need to worry about Miyu's safety.

This gave him a headache and a sense of crisis.

Although he wasn't good at spatial tracking, he could roughly guess what might happen based on these clues.

So, without lingering, driven by a sense of crisis, he decided to temporarily return to another home, that is... his hometown home.

The medium through which Abby opened the "door" was the magic book he had given her, which he had obtained from Haita and which was said to have been unearthed from some ruins.

In a way, this is like a different kind of "home invasion," except this time it's his own woman who ran off to his hometown.

The situation was somewhat delicate. He had a premonition that if he didn't go back, things might get out of hand at home.

Although he wanted to spend more time with Xiao Hei and Jeanne, he had to readjust his time difference and planned to return before going to bed that night. So, after dinner, he hurriedly left his room under the pretext of taking a walk.

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

In the capital of the ancient empire, which had recently changed hands, the streets were gradually returning to their former prosperity as policies were relaxed and production was encouraged.

On the bustling streets of the capital, four lolis and girls dressed in strange costumes attracted particular attention.

Abigail wore an elegant wide-brimmed hat, her gothic skirt swaying gently with her steps; Melusin wore a white and blue dress that complemented her aloof appearance; Ilya and Miyu both wore classic black and white sailor uniforms, their long black and white hair making them look like sisters, standing out in the crowd.

"Is this Ash's hometown?" Ilya stood on tiptoe, curiously examining the city gate built of huge stones, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Vendors pushed their wooden carts past them, the ceramic pots on the carts making a crisp clinking sound, which further fueled the girls' excitement about this otherworldly journey.

Abby, who was already in her usual state, suddenly stopped, her azure eyes reflecting the golden roof of the imperial court in the distance:

"The Key to the Gate is resonating... I can sense Ash's presence; it's very strong in that castle."

"...You said the same thing about the strange wooden house last time." Melusin muttered somewhat dejectedly, clearly doubting the accuracy of Abby's high-pitched cry.

"And is it really okay to walk around like this?" Miyu asked anxiously, pressing down on Illya as she tried to touch the bread stall. Her brow furrowed. "We're looking too conspicuous..."

However, before she could finish speaking, a patrol of guards noticed them and quickly surrounded them.

The captain, frowning and gripping his sword hilt, asked sternly, "Halt! Who are you? Why are you dressed so... suspiciously?"

"Oh no, what do we do? What are they saying? They seem angry." Ilya looked around, gesturing wildly as she tried to show that she wasn't a suspect.

"What? These guys?... They're even openly using code words?"

The mainland uses a unified language, and the unfamiliar speech, apart from that of spies, shadow warriors, and other special agencies, is basically unremarkable. This made the captain of the guard feel challenged, and he instantly drew his sword.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and just as the guards were about to swarm forward and seize the four girls...

The space in front of everyone was suddenly torn apart, and a figure abruptly appeared between them.

"—Everyone, step back."

"What... Ah! Lord Ash?!"

The guards froze instantly upon hearing this, then knelt down on one knee in unison, the clanging of their armor creating a synchronized sound.

Ash raised his hand slightly: "They are my guests, there's no need to be nervous."

The captain of the guards broke out in a cold sweat and quickly bowed his head, saying, "It was my fault!"

Ash waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately retreated like a tide. Pedestrians on the street also bowed their heads and saluted, not daring to look directly at him.

"Ash!" Ilya was the first to react, her eyes lit up, and she pounced on him.

He sighed helplessly at the lively girl, and even ruffled her hair: "Hey, don't get so excited..."

"What? You really did run off here." Melusin put her hands on her hips, her tone cold, but her eyes flickered slightly. "Master, it's a bit much to run back to your hometown without a word, isn't it?"

"...I also have all sorts of situations."

"Mr. Ash, where did you go? You said you'd be back for dinner, and then you suddenly disappeared." Miyu, now a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair, said coldly, her delicate face carrying a hint of resentment.

"No, it's only been a week..."

He wanted to offer some explanation, but the facts were undeniable, so he could only surrender: "Sorry, there were some unexpected issues, which is why it took longer than expected. But you guys are really bold to actually venture into this world..."

"It's all because you never come back!" Ilya puffed out her cheeks and said angrily, "Abby said she could find you, so of course we had to come and see."

“Mr. Ash…” Miyu stood awkwardly to the side, recalling what had happened earlier. “Have we caused you any trouble?”

"It's not that troublesome." Ash's expression was slightly subtle as he decided to leave first. "Let's go somewhere else first, after all, it's not a good idea to chat on the street."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the surrounding scenery instantly changed.

In an instant, everyone was transported from the street to the magnificent palace hall.

"Wow..." Ilya's eyes widened as she looked around. "This is Ash's old castle? It's even more magnificent than mine!!"

"Well... after all, it's the royal court of an ancient kingdom with a history of thousands of years."

"Is Ash an emperor? A prince?"

Recalling the attitude of the people on the street earlier, Ilya, who was still holding him in her arms, suddenly looked expectant, clearly longing for the kind of prince and princess story.

"...Well, well, let's just call him king for now."

Although he doesn't directly manage this place, nor has he gone through the process of ascending the throne or anything like that, a demon king is still a king... right? — With that thought in mind, he nodded vaguely.

Melosin nodded absently, "The King...?"

"what happened?"

“I’ve said it before… I was once a knight loyal to the king, even though I was the king of fairies.” Melusin murmured, then shook her head vigorously and smiled at him: “Now that you are also a king, you’ve become a knight of the king again.”

"Ah...cough...indeed."

The Demon King's Knight? That seems a little tricky. — He had a feeling that the current situation was somewhat difficult to explain.

Of course, perhaps the more crucial thing is to find a way to send these girls back.

Otherwise, what if your own house really "explodes"?

Although that's what he thought, the four girls were all very interested in his hometown, and he really couldn't bring himself to say that he wanted to send them back. After all, he had said before that he would take them to visit it if he had the chance.

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

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

Despite his fear that his house would explode, Ash also didn't want to show favoritism or anything like that... Helpless, he could only silently instruct people to prepare desserts and plan to take the group of girls on a tour first.

If they eat something good first, they won't care too much about being away for a week, right?

However... things don't always go so smoothly.

"Wow, you're getting your stock up really fast!"

As soon as he led the group into the Royal Garden, he saw the familiar drunkard—the elf Millie—lying on the table, eyeing them with ill intent.

"...Drinking in broad daylight." Ash looked disgusted and didn't even bother to say anything more to her.

Camille just looked puzzled and asked, "What are you talking about? Don't I do this every day? And why should I consider whether it's day or night when I'm drinking?"

"You're the president of the Holy Staff Court, after all. You should consider the implications."

“I’ve been like this for a thousand years~ Nobody cares~” Millie waved her hand dismissively.

"......"

Ash felt uncomfortable if he didn't talk to her, but it seemed pointless to do so, which made him rub his forehead and feel a headache coming on.

At this moment, Abby couldn't help but tug at his sleeve out of curiosity and asked, "Mr. Ash, who is this person? What are you talking about?"

"Ah~ I just said to her when I saw her drinking every day, don't pay attention to it, just ignore it. After all, you can't really deal with alcoholics."

“Drunkards…” Miyu sighed softly upon hearing his words. “Mr. Ash, you haven’t forgotten that you’re a drunkard yourself, have you? How dare you speak of your own kind like that…”

"Don't talk about me like that, this is my country! I should be the one to define what an alcoholic is!" Ash retorted stubbornly.

"What a capricious king... Mr. Ash." Miyu smiled helplessly, but her gaze was full of doting affection.

I feel like the roles aren't right. I raised her, so why does it seem like she's always the one taking care of me now? —Even though she's being so understanding, Ash can't feel happy. He even feels like his authority as an elder is waning.

Ilya, however, kept a stern face, raised her hand seriously, and began to lecture:

"Being willful isn't good, Ash. Miyu too, we can't let him have his way too much, or he'll become extremely willful."

“I don’t think Mr. Ash is that kind of person,” Abby said quietly with a smile.

This made Melusin nod slightly and say, "It doesn't matter if you're willful, because I will always stand by Master's side... whether as a knight or as a partner."

"—Although I don't understand, you're definitely loved! With such a large harem, the empire's future looks promising!" Millie, who had been curiously observing them, took a sip of her drink and interjected playfully, "Although the empire might not necessarily live as long as you do."

"Shut up....."