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

"That seems to be true... So this is what a man's responsibility is, right?" After a moment's thought, he gave a different answer with a smile.

This answer brought a smile back to Philon's face, but he couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you keep emphasizing to Lord Yubel that you were a champion of gender equality?"

"How can you and Yubel be the same?"

"What's different?"

“Everywhere is different; ultimately, Philon is special.”

Ash's unthinking response was also his honest opinion.

However, this casual answer caused Philon's eyes and expression to involuntarily narrow slightly.

Although the air was still cold, a warmth far greater than before welled up in her heart, causing the temperature of her cheeks to rise uncontrollably, and even her heartbeat to accelerate involuntarily.

She didn't understand why she suddenly couldn't look at that familiar face anymore, and instinctively looked away, only occasionally pursing her lips and secretly glancing at the person beside her whose expression remained unchanged.

As if sensing this subtle emotion, snowflakes gently drifted down from the dim sky at that very moment.

The lightly falling snowflakes added a touch of romance and dreaminess to this moment.

The girl tried to calm herself down, but the throbbing in her heart was like a flame touched by a snowflake; instead of being extinguished, it burned even more fiercely.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but was afraid of breaking this delicate balance, so she could only hide all her emotions in her heart, letting them accumulate quietly like snowflakes.

As for Ash... watching the snowflakes automatically drift away from his nose, he didn't think about anything, and just smiled at the girl beside him:

"If the snow is heavy enough tonight, let's rest a bit tomorrow, build a snowman or something, and then continue our journey?"

Clearly, he hadn't noticed Philon's subtle change.

However, Philon didn't get angry. She simply took a deep breath and buried that feeling deep in her heart, letting those words take root and sprout like a seed. At that moment, a bright smile appeared on her face, and she nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Let's build a huge snowman together!"

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

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

Back in the cabin.

Frillie had already laid out the bedding for the two of them and was staring blankly at the snowflakes outside the window when Ash appeared beside her, and she smiled and said, "You have an unexpected gentlemanly demeanor."

"...Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"It must be cold."

"What do you think?" He extended his hand, which had been exposed all along, and Frilian casually took it, her eyes widening in surprise as she exclaimed:

"Wow, this is probably a record-breaking temperature. It really is colder the further north you go!"

"...To be honest, what exactly is your relationship?" Yubel squatted by the fireplace, looking at the two of them, and couldn't help but ask.

“Friend,” Frillie replied without hesitation.

This stumped Yubel: "...Would normal friends act like this?"

"Indeed... so they're very close friends? No... more like occasional close friends, right?"

Even Frilian herself seemed a little unsure of what to say, so she had Yubel tap her head lightly with her fingertips before finally giving up on paying attention to this incomprehensible situation.

In fact, not only Yubel, but even Zain was somewhat confused. However, his strength was that he didn't care if he didn't understand, so he simply came to their side with a cheerful attitude, looking out the window and sighing:

"I just finished cleaning, and now it's snowing!"

"Hopefully there won't be a blizzard, otherwise it'll be quite troublesome." Ash silently withdrew his hand from Frilian's.

"Normally it wouldn't be that bad, and this time we don't need to cross any treacherous mountains, so even if it snows a little, it won't matter."

Frillie answered with a smile, and then...

On the morning of the second day, everyone was caught off guard by the sudden blizzard.

With snow falling heavily and the wind howling, building a snowman is out of the question; any trip would be a nightmare.

As expected, everyone was trapped in the village... Fortunately, this time they were in a village with plenty of supplies, so there was nothing to worry about.

There was still a considerable amount of time before the Level 1 Mage assessment, so they weren't in a hurry at all, and a look of relief appeared on Zain's face.

After that, time slowly passed.

Everyone was busy with their own things... At least Ash was really busy, and he would disappear for a few days every now and then.

In the blink of an eye—the cold wave is about to pass, and it's the last night before everyone sets off again in spring.

At the table in the village tavern, in front of Zain, was the person discussing the future with... Ash.

There was no other way; it was just the two of them in the whole team, so they would often get together to drink and chat about their older sister.

But this time, unusually, they weren't talking about the older sister.

Chapter Twenty: A Frilian-Style Understanding: Ash, the Root of All Evil? A Frail Girl Not Treated as a Human Being?

With an unprecedentedly serious expression, Zanin took several puffs of his cigarette before looking at the boy opposite him and hesitantly speaking:

"Ash, what do you think of me...?"

"There's nothing to worry about at all." He had barely opened his mouth when Ash interrupted him, his expression one of inner turmoil:

"Didn't you emphasize from the beginning that you only joined us to catch up with that gorilla? Or... are you planning to regret it for another ten years?"

"...Indeed, but you are quite decisive and tactless when it comes to this kind of thing."

"What's wrong with that? Being indecisive is bad, isn't it?"

“It’s normal, that’s definitely how it is, but…” Despite finding his words very reasonable, Zain couldn’t help but smile bitterly and exhale a long puff of smoke: “No matter what, isn’t this a bit too cold? If I hadn’t known you for so long, I would have thought you were a heartless and emotionless guy.”

"I've said it before, when you should make a decision, make it decisively to avoid chaos; if you hesitate, you'll inevitably suffer." He waved his hand dismissively to dispel the smoke, saying casually:

"Life is a journey of repeated encounters and reunions. As long as you are alive, there will probably be another chance to meet. So there is no need to be sad. Next time we meet, just let me hear your story again."

"My story? Ah, I remember now..." Zain was taken aback at first, then recalled the events of their first encounter and couldn't help but chuckle, "Seriously... next time, could you please not just stand by and watch the show, but hurry up and save me?"

"That depends on whether your story is interesting or not." Ash smiled and raised his glass, while Zain clinked glasses with him with a hearty smile:

"—Need I say more? That gorilla and I are destined to become heroes who will go down in history! Let's just call that gorilla 'Gorilla,' but I'll have its name carved into the base of its statue so you can all worship it!!"

"Really? Well... I'll look forward to that day. When it comes, please introduce me to a mature and sexy older sister."

"...A mature and sexy older sister?"

"how?"

"Uh, well... oh well, never mind."

Zain opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated for a long time before finally choosing to remain silent.

Ash just looked confused, which made Zain feel inexplicably anxious and frustrated, but he didn't know how to vent his feelings.

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

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

Zain couldn't stand Ash's attitude and his relationship with Philon.

Although he should have been an outsider, he couldn't help but feel anxious and impatient. Just watching from the sidelines, he couldn't help but feel anxious for them.

So, as Frillie immersed herself in the sea of ​​books in the bookstore, enjoying her last night alone...

Zain suddenly rushed in, shouting, "Frilian—!!"

"Huh? Wh-what?" Frillie, who was engrossed in reading, was startled by the sudden sound and turned her head in surprise.

"...You saw it the other day, right?" Zain took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but his voice was still filled with excitement: "Ash and Philon, they were holding hands, and Philon had his other hand in Ash's pocket!"

"Yes, yes... what's wrong?" Looking at the drunken monk who had suddenly started acting crazy for no apparent reason, Frillie couldn't understand what he was trying to say at all: "Are you drunk? Or are you putting your hand in someone's pocket... is that illegal in this country? Or is holding hands illegal?"

"No—!" The strange guess made Zain excitedly wave his hand and slam it on the desk: "I'm leaving soon, so I really can't stand this anymore!"

"So you've decided to leave after all?" Frilian nodded slightly, then smiled. "But... how about it, Zain? Have you regretted it all this time?"

"Not at all, the trip was really enjoyable."

"So didn't we say from the beginning that you should just come with us? But... why do you seem a little unhappy? Is there something you're having trouble saying?"

"Because—that's not what I want to talk about right now!" Facing this guy who, for some reason, was just as inexplicably strange as Ash in his focus, Zain's face showed no smile, and he couldn't help but almost break into anger, slamming his hands on the table and letting out a near-desperate cry:

"After hearing what I just said, you don't have any other thoughts?!"

"...What did you just say?"

"It's not a matter of breaking the law!"

“It’s not illegal, then…” Frillie tried hard to recall the way the two of them walked, and immediately her smile disappeared, replaced by a serious expression: “I understand, I’ll work hard to earn some money.”

"....ha?"

"Once I've made some money, I'll buy Philon a dress with pockets!"

Frillie sighed and finally made her decision, intending to start saving up some money on her own again.

Zain was stunned, speechless for a moment, before finally asking in astonishment, "......What kind of topic is this?"

"Didn't you mean to say that it's uncomfortable not having pockets? And to subtly criticize me for not working hard enough, for not choosing the right clothes for Philon?" Frillie shook her head, but said with a strange hint of smugness.

"Actually, I'm not as slow-witted as you all say. I can still tell at this level."

"...Did you figure it out?"

"Of course, I have actually made a lot of progress over the years."

Frillie couldn't help but puff out her chest proudly, genuinely pleased with her progress, having already grasped the clues.

After all, she certainly wouldn't have noticed these details before... At least, it would have been very difficult for her to discover what was different about others and what key points needed to be grasped.

But Zain's expression seemed to be unable to look her in the eye, and he was inexplicably in pain, as if he had swallowed a fly or was constipated, but all the words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't say anything.

His expression was so pained that even Frillie felt a pang of sympathy, and she smiled, tiptoed, and patted his head.

"...You wine-and-meat monk, although you look like this, you're actually happier than I am about my growth. That's quite rare."

"Is this... a happy expression on my face?"

"Tears of joy, right? I heard Ash say that people sometimes feel like crying at the beginning, so when they are happy, they may occasionally show a painful expression because they are too happy. That's called... right, extremes meet, isn't it?"

Frillie tried hard to recall what Ash had said, and she was proud and pleased with herself for her progress to the point that she could even apply what she had learned to other situations.