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

"Don't worry about it, it's just a feeling." Compared to the elf's strange expression, Ash's face was full of smiles. He even slapped Frilian's hand away and took the initiative to touch Philon's hair, feeling the similar yet slightly different textures between his hands:

"...This is probably what it feels like to have two daughters, right? Surprisingly nice?"

"How many times have I told you not to touch my head...! You incorrigible bastard... you're really infuriating!"

For a moment, Frillie forgot her troubles and couldn't help but want to kick him because of this guy who repeatedly ignored her request not to be touched on the head, and now even tried to take away Philon's right to touch her head.

Although Philon didn't object to them patting her head, the current situation made her feel somewhat complicated as she watched their strange behavior... and she felt utterly helpless towards her two guardians.

But in any case, this strange atmosphere... at least greatly alleviated the terror and oppressive atmosphere brought about by the corrupt sage Guval and the likely mastermind behind it all.

Chapter 5 Warrior's Village - A Complete Victory Over the Village Chief - I Still Need Philon to Protect Me (4K)

Amidst some noise and a bit of distress, the group quickly bid farewell to the village, where there was no longer any need to linger.

Not long after, they arrived at a village of warriors that was famous throughout the country. However, it was precisely because of its fame that it almost became one of the places where the blood-stained war god Livale sought a worthy opponent.

"...In other words, it's the place where Livale almost wiped us out." He muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping over the village of warriors, who were rumored to be extremely martial and had some strange obsessions and rules.

This village is far from the hustle and bustle of the world, isolated from all others, with only winding paths leading travelers or occasionally lost hunters into it.

The village is scattered yet harmonious, with most of the houses being adobe houses, but they are clean and orderly, yet orderly to the point of being almost obsessive-compulsive.

However, the ground beneath the buildings is paved with stones, and the land within the village, enclosed by wooden fences, is basically just the soil itself. It happened to have rained last night, and the roads throughout the village were incredibly muddy.

Even in this environment, all the men in the village wore pure white cloaks, but none of them dirtied their cloaks, and they seemed to cherish them very much.

Only one middle-aged man, who had a knife scar on his right eye and was clearly a one-eyed man, was wearing a black cloak. Judging from his demeanor and imposing appearance, he was obviously the village chief.

But in terms of strength... to be honest, they only managed to escape a disaster.

Although the villagers, as a whole, weren't weak, they were far inferior to Livale; their strength levels were simply not in the same league. Furthermore...

"Are all the people in this village obsessively clean?"

"—This is a soldier's honor, and it's only right to avoid tarnishing it." The village chief clearly heard his mutterings, turned sharply, and said sternly:

"You're a soldier too. You need to keep yourself spotless in battle and in life to prove your excellence. Don't you understand that? By the way... what kind of mess are you in?"

"Just wandering around?"

"This is outrageous! Aside from your strength, don't you have any pride as a warrior?!"

"That's a really bad thing to say."

Ash was indifferent and didn't bother arguing with him, but Philon couldn't help himself and stepped forward, complaining:

"What honor of a warrior? What does this have to do with Lord Ash? Lord Ash is a mage! It has nothing to do with warriors."

"A magician? Impossible!" The village chief dismissed it without a second thought, as if he'd heard a joke.

"Look at yourself! Even if you're a novice mage and can't see his sharpness and battle-hardened aura, you should at least be able to see the calluses on his hands! That's not something any mage would have! It's definitely the result of wielding weapons for a long time!"

"Calluses from wielding weapons...?"

The other party's confident statement made Philon turn his gaze to the military knife he always claimed was for self-defense, and to his hands, which were indeed rather rough for a mage.

The girl's suspicious gaze brought a subtle smile to Ash's face: "Well... how should I put it? Actually, I'm a mage, but I also picked up martial arts along the way, so I'm kind of a warrior, though not as good as you guys~"

"Learning martial arts halfway through life?" Upon hearing this, the village chief frowned and his face turned angry. "Are you belittling us?!"

"What do you mean?"

"Despite being a warrior and having reached a considerably high level, you so blatantly disregard the dignity of warriors...!"

"...You have a really strange obsession with strange things. Why don't you just do whatever you want?"

Ash was truly speechless at the sight of the village chief, who was unusually strict and even got angry in this strange place.

Frillie, however, found the other party troublesome and casually suggested:

“Your understanding of warriors is completely different, and you can’t convince each other with words… Since neither of you can convince the other, why don’t you just fight?”

"—Lady Frillien!?" The strange suggestion almost made Philon jump, while Ash waved his hand dismissively, "Let's not bully her..."

“Bullying people…?” The village chief, Eustace, showed an anger far greater than before.

He felt as if he had been severely underestimated by this young man.

But Ash shook his head and sighed, thinking of him: "You were a little better when you were young, but you're already in your forties or fifties, right? Fighting like this at this age is really something."

In this world, the profession of warrior is basically similar to that of athlete. Unlike magician, who becomes more sought after as they get older, the peak age for warriors is usually in their twenties.

By the time one is in their twenties, or at most thirties, the human body is no longer at its peak, and various physiological functions will gradually decline, including muscle strength, endurance, and reaction speed.

This is a natural law in biology, and it is clearly the same for humans in this world, such as the dwarf Azer of the Hero Squad.

Although Azer could live for a considerable time, he had passed his prime and his health was declining, so he naturally had no choice but to retire. The same reason why the hero Simmel basically retired after ending his adventure was also similar.

Otherwise, why didn't he go to the north to continue ridding the people of evil? You know, the demons in the north have never stopped wreaking havoc. In the Golden City, Mahat killed the demon general who was causing trouble everywhere, and Solitaire also went to conquer a fortress. And that was only a year or two ago, when the hero's party had just finished their adventure.

If he could maintain his peak for a while longer, and become even stronger in his thirties or forties, would Simmel's personality prevent him from gathering his companions to deal with the corrupt sage, and would he leave that enormous scourge untouched?

There's nothing we can do about it; the limits of human capability always arrive unexpectedly quickly and early.

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

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

Even the bravest cannot escape their limits, and neither can the village chief before them.

Although Eustace, as the village chief, has stepped down to a less prominent role and his son is now in charge, he remains full of confidence.

"Even though I'm old, I'm still the village chief of the Warrior's Village! I'm more than capable of dealing with a young man like you. Even if you lack physical strength, my experience and awareness are enough to turn the tide."

"...Young man? Actually, I'm a bit older than you look?"

"Could he be over twenty?" Eustace was taken aback when he looked at Ash, who looked no older than eighteen or nineteen, somewhere between a teenager and a young adult, and tried to guess as much as possible.

Ash hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, "...Okay, just kidding. Actually, I just turned eighteen this year."

"...This guy is shameless, Philon, don't follow his example."

"Don't worry... I absolutely do not want to become like Lord Ash."

As soon as he said that, both Philon and Frilian showed obvious disgust on their faces, and they seemed to understand each other perfectly.

This hurt Ash somewhat, but he pretended nothing had happened and looked at the man opposite him:

"I'll duel with you, but if I win, you'll have to provide accommodation."

"And there are free meals too." Even though she was struggling financially, Frillie couldn't care less about him at this point and quickly added another condition.

"Lady Frillien?!" Feeling that the village chief was quite strong, Philon immediately became anxious: "What if Lord Ash gets injured?"

"It's not that bad, don't worry." Frilian had a lot of confidence in him and pulled her aside.

The village chief glanced at the two men, then drew his sword and pointed it at him: "I can agree to lodging and food... but I won't be responsible if you get hurt later."

"I should be the one saying that. Also, if possible, could you provide drinks?"

"Of course, no problem. It's only right that the strong enjoy special privileges... Drinks will be plentiful! But the condition is that you defeat me!"

"Let me make this clear beforehand: if your clothes get dirty later, I won't compensate you."

"Draw your sword! Let me see what you're capable of before you dare to spout such nonsense." Eustace assumed an attack stance, looking like he was about to teach this young man a lesson.

But Ash, who was much older than him, didn't even bother to make a move, waving his hand and saying, "Let's forget it... that would be too much of a bully. My body, when infused with magic, is comparable to most weapons."

“…Ridiculous!” Eustace didn’t trust him at all, but still stomped his foot and rushed forward, ready to use the blade of his sword to slap his hand and teach him a lesson.

Those moving at such speeds are almost impossible for ordinary people to see.

Even Philon was completely unable to react at close range, making her unable to even bear to watch the battle.

But as the distance between them closed and Ash's left hand entered attack range, in the next instant when Eustace was certain that he couldn't dodge—Eustace's worldview was completely overturned.

There was a muffled, sharp "bang!"

A silver light flew from his hand, shaking and vibrating, flying more than ten meters away before finally landing in a puddle not far away.

The battle ended just like that, so easily.

It was only when that thing landed that Philen realized it was Eustace's sword that had been knocked away.

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

Eustace, who had been so aggressive earlier, remained in his attack stance, but he was completely stunned, as if he had lost his soul, and did not move an inch.

Because he never clearly saw what Ash's movements were, he only felt a tremendous force coming from the sword... probably from being slapped directly onto the sword.

Even so, he could no longer hold the sword, and the weapon in his hand flew out under the irresistible force.

The villagers who had gathered around were also frozen in place, their previous chatter turning into utter astonishment... the change was so swift and bewildering.

Eustace stood there, lost in thought, for several seconds before stiffly looking down at his empty hands, then at the boy in front of him. He seemed completely dazed, as if he were already questioning reality.

But Ash smiled at this moment: "Mr. Village Chief, your clothes didn't get dirty, and I got food and lodging. Now it's a perfect win-win situation."

"You...no, who exactly are you?" Eustace's face was filled with unconcealed shock, making it difficult for him to even speak clearly.

"Speaking of which, why haven't I introduced myself yet? My name is Ash, and that's all... But I have many masters, one of whom is the Southern Hero."

"The Hero of the South? The legendary strongest?!" Eustace looked doubtful upon hearing the name: "But wasn't he a figure who died more than eighty years ago?"

"Yes, actually I'm over ninety years old."

"...Are you kidding me?" Eustace was speechless for a moment, but Ash stroked his non-existent long beard and said earnestly, "If you really want to know, it's probably because of a magical experiment that has kept my appearance unchanged."

"Magical accident?"

"Anyway, shall we chat over drinks? Or are you planning to back out?"

"H-How is this possible! Please come with me!"

Eustace shook his head vigorously, showing no intention of backing out, and was about to lead everyone to a nearby house reserved for guests.

But Philon, who had just been terrified, quickly walked over, grabbed his hand, pulled him to a corner, and stared at him expressionlessly, her cheeks puffed out in anger.

"—Lord Ash, are you lying to me?"

"Really? What is it?"

"You are clearly a soldier!"

"To be precise, I am a mage, but I am also a warrior."