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

Philen couldn't refute this point either, and could only urge them silently: "Instead of this, let's go in quickly. I've never been here before... I heard that Lady Frilian said that there is a heaven in the room."

Her words immediately drew everyone's attention and piqued their interest, completely diverting their focus.

But walking at the very front... was Frillie.

"...Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since I first came here." Frillie gently stroked the door, her heart filled with emotion.

"Indeed, it seems like a hundred years have passed since the last time."

Even here, a hundred years have passed, but a hundred years have also passed in this world, leaving Ash standing before the dark gate, his heart filled with a sense of melancholy.

Unfortunately, he didn't dwell on the past for long before Melusin, driven by curiosity, pushed open the gate to the Demon King's Castle.

On both sides of the road, there were apple trees everywhere, and many of them were already bearing fruit.

"This is... the Demon King's Castle?" Completely different from the cold and terrifying streetscape he had imagined, Philon's lips twitched slightly. "Why are there apple trees everywhere? And why do they bear fruit in this far northern region?"

“This is a special variety that Lord Ash improved in the apple orchard. It tastes very good, and the outer barrier also keeps out the cold.” Linne said as she went forward to pick one, took a bite, and then shared one with Ash and Aura.

But at that moment, Philon stared at Ash through gritted teeth: "You really... have an apple orchard!"

"Right? I didn't lie, did I?"

I wasn't complimenting you!

"I think so too... cough... let's hurry up and get to the castle."

Ash cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed, and quickly walked ahead.

"He's supposed to be the Demon King, but he's growing apples... Mr. Ash, how adorable!" Abby caught up quickly with a smile, her eyes shining as she suggested beside him, "Mr. Ash, I want to grow potatoes! Let's make some super delicious potatoes together!"

"Are you thinking of using it as a condiment when eating flatbread? That sounds good! Let's have flatbread for lunch, and hmm, besides the gravy and mashed potatoes... how about replacing the white sugar with honey?"

"Wow! That's great! I want to try it! Ah, bacon! I can't do without bacon!"

.......

As the two talked, they walked further and further away, and Abby's happy laughter lingered for a long time.

Linne followed at a leisurely pace, muttering to herself, "Give her some food and she's all she wants. What a useless woman."

"You, who ask Ash for apples every day, have absolutely no right to do so." Upon hearing this, Aura glanced sideways and couldn't help but click her tongue. She didn't want to get too close to this apple weirdo. If it weren't for the fact that everyone around her knew her, she would have pretended not to know Lina.

The others quickly followed, eager to see what the Demon King's Castle and Heaven were really like.

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

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

In traditional perception, the Demon King's Castle should be gloomy and terrifying, but apart from its dark outer walls, the interior of the castle appears...ordinary, gorgeous, and somewhat childish.

It's considered ordinary because it doesn't contain any terrifying objects like human specimens that you might imagine.

It is magnificent because it contains many relics of the previous Demon King, including precious treasures and legendary weapons.

As for its childishness, when sunlight flooded into the dark corridor like a tide, the originally gloomy and terrifying hallway was now covered with a plush carpet that Solitaire had requested, the walls were covered with graffiti murals of poor taste by Aura, and the niches were filled with strange collectibles from Ash's collection.

"This place is... so amazing?"

Abi tried hard to compliment, but didn't know how to comment. Her little hands were still gently touching the runes on the wall, and her eyes were full of curiosity.

Ilya looked around excitedly, "It feels completely different from what I imagined! It doesn't have that eerie and scary feeling at all! Hmm! I like it!"

Melusin, meanwhile, carefully observed the surrounding buildings and said softly, "These runes seem to contain powerful magic; they must be used to reinforce the castle and defend against enemies, right?"

“That’s right. The Demon King’s Castle has stood for countless years. These runes and buildings are the crystallization of the wisdom of our ancestors.” Ash said with a look of reminiscence.

Upon hearing this, Miyu couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ash, since you know it's the crystallization of our ancestors' wisdom, why cover it with such strange things? Why not protect its original appearance?"

"...It's not all mine, so why bother keeping it exactly as it is? In the end, seniors are meant to be surpassed!"

"Your respect for your seniors has vanished so quickly..." Philon said with a troubled expression, trying to persuade him, "Lord Ash, even if you're acting, at least go all the way, right?"

"No, I've become the Demon King, why would I do such a thing?"

"...Then why did you pretend to be so respectful to your seniors just now?"

"Make a good impression on children."

“If that’s the case, there’s no need to give up so quickly. After all…” Philen sighed, turning his gaze to Miyu, who shook her head and, as if on cue, picked up the conversation:

"...The best thing you should do is stay away from the children. Staying away is the best care you can give them."

"Whoa~ Miyu actually said it!" Illya exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Mr. Ash, it's alright~ I will be your companion... Yes, Demon King and Witch, companions forever~" Abby clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her beautiful blonde hair had turned silver-white at some point, and the smile on her face carried an evil aura that seemed to be about to burst forth.

The most troublesome guy has appeared! — This thought unconsciously came to everyone's mind when they heard Abby's voice, and even Ilya subconsciously moved away from Abby.

Anyone could run away, but Ash couldn't back down or leave Abby when he was trusted so much. Of course... he had no intention of running away either.

He smiled helplessly, walked over and patted Abby's head, and said with a smile, "Abby is indeed the most reliable~ If we get targeted by malicious people in the future, we'll rely on you, Abby."

"Ah~ Don't worry, leave it to me~ Hehe.... Hehehe."

Abby nodded happily, a broad smile on his face, but the laughter carried a strange, chilling quality.

"If he's a demon king, what kind of bad people could he possibly encounter?" This question lingered in the girls' minds, but for the time being, no one delved into it further.

Only when the witch Abi stepped down and the adorable Abi returned did the girls resume their sightseeing tour of the Demon King's castle.

They admired the exquisite murals in the spacious hall, browsed through old books in the ancient library, and chased colorful butterflies in the garden. Their laughter echoed in every corner.

At this moment, Ash sat in a rocking chair in the courtyard, gazing at the peaceful scene before him, as if immersed in memories of the past, or perhaps filled with emotion about his present life, squinting slightly in the cool breeze blowing in his face.

Sitting on the armrest of the rocking chair, Frilian seemed less lively than the other children. She was just browsing through the magic books she had borrowed from the library. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked at Ash beside her and tilted her head, saying, "Ash, I suddenly remembered something."

"what?"

"I remember you said something like... that you became the mastermind behind the scenes because of some agreement with someone? And that you controlled the kingdom?"

"Don't put it so harshly... what mastermind?" Ash glanced at Frillian beside him, his face full of displeasure.

"I think I've heard something similar before? Who exactly was the agreement with?" Philon couldn't help but feel curious.

The moment this topic was brought up, it drew curious glances from both Aura and Line.

After all, even if they had never heard of the specific people and events involved... or rather, they had never asked about the details before.

This caused the girls from another world to look at him with the same eyes they had for him.

The girls' overly intense gazes made Ash chuckle: "Aren't you all planning to go see the legendary heaven next?"

"It's alright, there's still time." Frilian closed her book and looked at him intently.

Aura also stepped on the rocking chair leg to stop him from rocking back and forth: "Hurry up and tell me."

"Alright, alright...you guys are really curious, but let me think where I should begin?"

He gently stroked Linne's pink hair in his arms, sorting out his unknown past.

Initially, he came to the Demon King's castle with the goal of "building peace with his death".

After that, he launched countless wars, gradually laying the foundation for world peace.

Thus, there will be no more wars in this world, nor will there be any restrictions imposed by goddesses.

And all of this... in the beginning, was nothing more than a verbal agreement between the Southern Hero and Shurahat, based on trust and a consensus reached for the future of their respective races—an agreement without any binding force.

Of course, all of this was not entirely due to these two people. The experiences of Philon, a descendant of his original friend, were also one of the reasons he embarked on his journey.

Along the way, he met many people who unconsciously solidified his goal of changing the world.

Although at the beginning, apart from the two who perished together but could still see the future, no one believed he could really do this, believed he could end this endless blood war.

"Thinking about it carefully, it has been quite a long journey. But if I were to talk about the initial opportunity... it should be more than a hundred years ago, when I first met the Hero of the South, right?"

Ash raised his head, gazing at the rare azure sky of the far north, which seemed to bless his return, and slowly recounted his past.

This experience, like listening to the person involved recount a fairy tale that happened to them, or rather... having the person involved tell a little-known myth, made the girls hold their breath, afraid of disturbing the beginning of the story.

As for the legendary heaven, they decided to go see it tomorrow, because everyone already had their own answer to the question of that legendary heaven, and this sealed past was unknown to others.

Ash, meanwhile, quietly recounted the past while contemplating the future.

After that, for the long, eternal years, it is unlikely that there will be any significant ups and downs.

But even now that everything has settled down, it's not an epic finale, and that's not a problem, because... countless ordinary and beautiful daily routines will certainly keep his eternity from being boring.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that his initial study of magic, his becoming the Demon King, and his replacement of the Goddess were all for this kind of future.

Given that, what reason does he have to complain?

Looking at the girls beside him, their eyes filled with curiosity, and as the confusion faded, Ash, recounting his past, couldn't help but smile once again.

Regardless of what others say, this is a time for him to be happy.

Because what comes next can be considered later, at least for now... At the end of this long journey, he fulfilled his promise to everyone and created a brand new—glorious era.