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

"But you didn't ask in the first place, did you? You only said that elves and humans wouldn't have a good outcome together, and I was just exchanging opinions with you on that point. I never said that I was with Frilian, did I?"

".........really."

It was hard to refute, but the elf uncle, still feeling something was off, unconsciously lowered his head and fell into complete silence, unable to hide his frustration.

Frillie, who had been warming herself by the fire, finally smiled and shook her head, saying, "You don't need to think too much about what he says. Most of the time, he's just bored and wants to have some fun... Actually, this guy is just a little mischievous, so don't take him too seriously."

"...Is it just a little bad?"

The strange way the elf was introduced left the old man somewhat bewildered.

At this moment, Ash squatted down beside them, found two pieces of wood, took out his dagger, and, under the curious gazes of the three, whittled some wood shavings and a wooden awl, then laughed:

"Anyway, as an apology, I'll teach you how to start a fire when you've lost your fire source and don't know magic."

"...Start a fire? With wood?"

"Of course! Look! Like this... it's done!"

He suddenly swung his hands, spinning the wooden awl at high speed several times, causing it to smolder and emit white smoke, charring the surrounding area. Then, after blowing on it a few times, the fine wood chips burst into flames.

This scene left everyone speechless.

"How...how did you do that? Why does rotating it and then blowing on it start a fire?"

"Rapid rotation and friction will raise the temperature of the contact point. When the temperature reaches the ignition point of the wood, that's it... Normally, you would need some tools, but you probably don't. Just rub it like I do."

"I see... I don't quite understand, but are you a genius?!" The uncle, who had initially harbored some resentment towards him, completely changed his opinion of him in an instant.

Meanwhile, Philon was standing to the side, clapping incessantly: "As expected of Lord Ash, he always comes up with some truly brilliant ideas!"

"...Indeed, despite being such an unconventional person, he can come up with strange inventions from time to time, and his mind is surprisingly sharp." Even Frilian admired Ash for always coming up with novel and inexplicably useful inventions.

"...Anyway, let me introduce myself first." Having seen too many similar cases, he didn't intend to offer any further explanation and instead extended his hand to the elf uncle.

"I'm Ash, and you?"

“Monk Kraft, it must be the guidance of the goddess that we met at this time.” As he spoke, Kraft reached out and grasped the goddess pendant hanging on his chest.

This made him feel slightly strange: "A goddess..."

Don't you believe me?

No, I believe it.

“What a surprise. You look at this like it’s scrap metal, with absolutely no respect… To be honest, I’ve never even met anyone more lacking in faith than you.” Kraft touched the pendant on his chest, his face full of astonishment.

But he shrugged nonchalantly: "It's not just what it looks like; in my opinion, that thing is no different from scrap metal."

"Then why..."

"Because the goddess dislikes me very much."

"How could that be? The goddess is definitely very gentle..."

"Not only can I not use the Holy Scripture, but healing magic only works on me occasionally."

"...In a way, that's quite impressive." The strange situation, which he had never heard of before, left Kraft silent for a long time before he finally showed a troubled expression: "What did you do?"

"I just drank too much when I was a kid and vomited on the statue of a god."

"When you were a child...? If it was when you were a child, shouldn't a normal goddess forgive you?" Kraft frowned unconsciously, staring at him hoping to get a more accurate answer.

"Let's put these unhappy things aside~ Speaking of which, apart from Frilian, I haven't seen any elves in a long time."

"...I haven't seen him in a long time either."

Seeing that he seemed reluctant to talk, Kraft didn't ask any further questions, and everyone introduced themselves.

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

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

The night passed uneventfully amidst the group's self-introductions.

That night, because Kraft's supplies were lost, Ash simply gave him his own bed sheet.

Frillie and Philon shared a table, Ash and Claft each had their own, and the group lay scattered on the wooden floor in front of the fireplace, but...

As night deepened, Frilian, who was not a proper sleeper, turned to one side, leaving Philon exposed to the cold air, causing him to curl up and shiver uncontrollably.

Ash, who happened to be practicing magic late at night, saw this and simply covered himself with the sheet that originally belonged to Philon.

"...He's still just a child."

Looking at the girl sleeping so peacefully, he unconsciously smiled and gently stroked her long purple hair until Philon gradually stopped trembling before continuing his cultivation.

His demonic body makes him less prone to fatigue, especially after he can transform into a demon. Maintaining this human state requires very little energy, and he can still be energetic even if he doesn't sleep for a week.

Therefore, he naturally does not intend to waste time sleeping unless absolutely necessary.

In reality, Philon had already woken up when he quietly covered her with the blanket... After all, there were still strangers in the room, but the familiar touch and movement on her hair made her choose to continue pretending to be asleep.

The familiar warmth in his palm made her unconsciously want to succumb to it and enjoy the feeling of being cared for by him... Before she knew it, she had forgotten to open her eyes.

As Ash gradually retreated to the side, sitting cross-legged to hone his magic, she unconsciously glanced at him with a complicated look in her eyes, and unconsciously clenched the still-warm bed sheet.

She simply couldn't understand why Ash, who was clearly quite strong, still needed to train so diligently every day, and also... whether she could truly help him.

Moreover, she couldn't understand why Ash would devote so much effort to studying magic and martial arts in order to fight against someone.

But whatever it is, she hopes that she can help this person someday. If she could make an extra wish, it would probably be... if we could stay together like this forever.

Chapter Twelve: The Person Who Praises - Excessive Pampering? - The Massacre in the Sword Village (9K)

Although Philon's gaze did not meet Ash's directly, her tenderness and expectation were evident in the subtle movements of her clutching the sheet and in her eyes.

Even with his eyes closed, Ash could sense something... but since Philon didn't say anything, he naturally wouldn't understand why Philon was peeking at him, as if expecting something.

Does he want to pat her head again? What a child! He just patted her head, didn't he? But it's surprisingly cute though~—he couldn't help but smile, then sat back down next to Philon and stroked her soft purple hair.

This immediately eased Philon's unease.

As expected, Ash-sama understands me. After this... he definitely won't leave without permission, right? — A gentle caress made the corners of her mouth unconsciously turn up, and she secretly grabbed the hem of her clothes, falling asleep in an indescribable sense of security.

Ash only withdrew his hand when she had completely fallen asleep, and then continued his uninterrupted practice in the vast winter night.

The next day, the morning sun did not shine into the room as expected.

The sky remained overcast, and a constant "whooshing" sound emanated from the cracks in the doors and windows.

Ash, who hadn't slept a wink all night, pushed open the door and glanced out the window. The world outside was still covered in thick snow.

The blizzard showed no signs of abating as night passed; snowflakes continued to fall, like an endless white veil cascading from the sky, painting the distant mountains, trees, and everything within reach in a flawless, pure white hue—a beauty that compelled him to exclaim in admiration.

"Just as I imagined..."

Bang——! !

Before he could finish speaking, a hand slammed the door shut behind him.

Then, as he dejectedly lowered his head, Frilian, who had emerged from below him, angrily looked up and glared at him:

"—Stop making these unnecessary complaints. You may not be cold, but we're all freezing!"

"Feel sorry....."

"Well... it wasn't intentional, so let it go."

She had originally intended to give him a good talking-to, but he surprisingly apologized honestly, which led Frillie to quietly return to the campfire.

The group sat by the fire, chatting, and soon went outside to bring back the carriage that had accidentally gotten stuck in the snow.

The free and abundant supplies were enough to help the four of them get through the bitter cold.

Despite having a newly acquainted monk, Frilian and Philon were able to get along with him due to differences in faith and race. As for Ash, he could talk to almost anyone who could speak, so there were no communication problems at all.

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

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

In the days that followed, time flew by like water.

Under the influence of the cold front from the north, the blizzard continued intermittently, thus trapping the group in the area.

In contrast to the others, Ash, who is both a mage and a warrior, and possesses the ability to fly—a feat unattainable by human mages—would use the excuse of exploring his surroundings to leave for a few days during the lulls in the snow to visit the royal capital and the Demon King's castle, which were not actually that far away.

After all, human flight magic is basically a clumsy imitation of demonic magic. It is not only extremely energy-intensive to use, but also lacks maneuverability, and its control is far worse than that of demons.

That's why, even though the group were all mages, they didn't use flight to avoid the blizzard or to travel quickly... Even when they were almost left behind, Frillie never flew.

Ash can control his movements while flying through the blizzard, but Frillie and the others would be blown away by the wind at that speed unless they activate protective magic to defend their entire bodies.

However, if one were to completely envelop oneself in protection, the consumption of magic power would be enormous. Therefore, under normal circumstances, even if attacked, one would only briefly deploy one's defenses on the attack surface.

Of course, although this protective magic consumes a lot of resources, its defense is also amazing. A single normal attack spell can pierce through five two-meter-thick earthen walls, creating a huge hole with a diameter of more than three meters.

In terms of actual power, tank cannons are utterly insignificant compared to the attack magic used by humans after the transformation of killing magic; only battleship main guns can compare... at least in terms of penetrating power during large-scale destruction.

Because of their excellent defense, the energy expenditure was also too great. It was unrealistic to protect their entire body during flight, and short-term protection could not keep them warm, so they naturally could not take such measures to avoid the cold.

Just as the blizzard seemed to be passing, the group was about to part ways, and it was finally time to set sail again...

“Speaking of which, Frilian.” Kravt, who was sitting on a wooden post by the forest edge, carving a goddess pendant out of wood, suddenly looked at Frilian as they passed by and said, “You’re different from Ash; you simply don’t believe in goddesses, right?”

"...Although that guy was thoroughly despised, that makes me almost believe in the existence of a goddess."

"Haha~ Then you could make a pretty good missionary." Kraft unconsciously looked at Ash, who was beating up a passing monster to practice his martial arts.

The strange comment left Ash speechless: "...I'd rather not have that weird ability."

"But have you heard about me?" Kraft smiled, then looked at Frillian again as he spoke.

"No, what's wrong? Who are you, some celebrity? And what does this have to do with whether or not you believe in goddesses?"

"No, I just want to say that we are all elves, so... no matter what great deeds or justice we have accomplished in the past, they will be forgotten by everyone over time, and everyone who knows them will disappear."

At this moment, an indescribable loneliness filled Kraft's eyes.

This somewhat strange statement piqued Frillie's curiosity: "You think the goddess would remember? So you believe the goddess?"

“Yes, I want to receive praise from the goddess in heaven after I die: Well done, Kraft, your life was wonderful... This is my only wish in faith in the goddess.”

As he stroked the goddess pendant on his chest and spoke slowly, an indescribable expectation was on Claf's face.

He whispered his only hope for the goddess, but then looked at Frillie at the end and said earnestly: