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

Page 144

"Luckily, I'm small; it would be troublesome if I were bigger."

Ash quietly hid the petrified girl in the neatly organized wardrobe, wiped the sweat from his brow, and then happily left the house, wanting to find a good place to read and, incidentally, fulfill his promise from the first round of exams by delivering magic books to them.

And on that same morning, at the same time...

At the top of the Magic Association's white tower, the atmosphere was anything but the relief and joy he felt; instead, it was unusually somber.

The blonde elf girl, Celia, was sitting cross-legged in the deep part of the conference room, on the only chair with her back against the stained-glass window.

On either side of the carpet in front of her stood four first-level mages, including Zanze, who were still stationed at the branch.

However, at this moment, the conference room was quiet except for the slight crackling sound of burning firewood in the side fireplace.

These were all renowned first-class mages, yet everyone present remained remarkably silent. This prompted Celia to survey the crowd with amusement, resting her chin on her hand. Ultimately, her gaze settled on Zanze:

"A total of twenty-three people passed the second round of the exam. That's too unusual, too many. It's almost like everyone passed... Zanze, although your proposed cooperative exam is good, since first-level mages do lack coordination these days, this exam has produced someone who is stronger than they should have been, completely disrupting the balance."

"...You mean Lady Frilian and Lord Ash, right?" Ellu's grandfather, an elderly man with a full head of white hair and a white beard, wearing a white cloak, asked as Lylene served him tea:

"To be honest, I don't think those two needed to take the exam at all."

"...It's all their fault, no, it's all Ash's fault! They made many people who weren't strong enough pass. If this continues, judging from the previous third round of exams, they will all die."

Seria, who was sitting rather awkwardly, ignored him and turned her gaze back to the only woman besides herself, teasingly saying, "Zanze, this is completely contrary to your expectations for a peaceful selection."

"......"

"You're not going to say anything again. Fine... I wasn't planning on making you apologize anyway. It's all Ash's fault, it's all Ash's fault."

"...Was it Ash-sama's fault?"

"What's wrong?" She rarely spoke, which piqued Celia's interest. "Speaking of which, you always protect Ash. Are you planning to speak up for him this time too?"

"...This was partly due to my unclear rules; Lord Ash didn't do anything wrong, but..."

"what?"

"What surprised me was that Lord Ash said something similar to what you said... You and Lord Ash are really alike."

"Similar? Hmph... How could that be? It's just that the more mature me is tolerating that reckless guy."

"...Lord Ash said something similar." Zanze, his mouth slightly agape, was no longer surprised.

The other first-level mages standing nearby could only smile wryly in silence, all somewhat baffled as to how these two willful individuals had managed to create a world-renowned authority.

While his strength is one thing, the fact that he acted so recklessly without getting into trouble suggests that... Ash has a problem with the kingdom, and Celie was quite assertive back in the Holy Capital, wasn't she?

However, Celia herself seemed somewhat unhappy at this moment:

"—Enough! Special cases require special measures. In any case, I will be in charge of the third exam. The real peace selection... In the past, you were in charge of the third exam, right, Laylen? Any objections?"

Finally, she looked at the old man beside her, but Lylene simply placed his hand on his chest and bowed slightly respectfully.

"This isn't the first time Lady Celie has acted willfully, so of course I have no objection... And putting aside Lady Ash, I'm equally unqualified to test Lady Freyland."

"Huh?" Celia crossed her legs in surprise.

"...It was obvious at a glance that Lady Frilian was suppressing her magic power. Her actual magic power was immense, even comparable to yours."

"What? Lylene, did you notice?"

"...Just a lucky break."

"Heh, you clearly said you could tell at a glance, and even now you've remained humble and composed..." Celia casually swung her foot and remarked offhand.

"For so many years, Frilian has been practicing that impractical skill, and has even dedicated her entire life to it. Even among the demons who are extremely sensitive to magic, apart from the Demon King, almost no one can see through it."

"...Although that's what you say, in reality, when the two sides are evenly matched, underestimating someone when you can't see through their abilities can be fatal. That's probably the main reason she chose this skill."

"But if she had properly trained in other magic, she would have been several times stronger than she is now, perhaps even able to fight Ash in his full power, or become a force to counterbalance that guy."

"...Lord Ash's complete state?" I didn't quite understand what he meant, but Zanze looked thoughtful.

“Although he’s an unpleasant guy, Ash is a truly talented bastard, and he’s now reached a peak that you can never reach.” Seria said as she stepped down from the chair. While Zanze silently draped his coat over her shoulders with his hair, she casually remarked as she passed Lylene:

"In contrast... half a century has passed since you became the first first-level mage, yet you are still a cowardly brat... which makes me extremely regretful; even if you are not at Ash's level, you have reached the level of being able to see through Frilian, but now your days are numbered; you will never have the chance to fight Frilian in this lifetime, will you? Even if... you have the chance to defeat her."

As Celia walked out the door, with a hint of regret and a distinctly barbed, even somewhat disdainful tone, she glanced back at Lylene before shaking her head and walking away.

"I really shouldn't have taken a human as my disciple... What a pity."

As it turns out, even that child couldn't see it. My magic flickered... So my talent is still not enough? Even though Ash is a demon, and he was so weak when we first met, he still saw my magic flicker—as she walked away with regret, Celia truly felt a deep sense of regret.

However, she was not only saddened by Lyleen's impending death, but also by the fact that in this final moment... Lyleen's efforts still could not match his talent.

After Celie left, none of the people present, who had been reprimanded by their impolite master, uttered a sound; they simply stood there in silence.

Laiern, who had been lectured, lowered his head, his disappointment barely concealed.

After a long while, as if finishing his thought, he slowly raised his head, breaking the deathly silence, and uttered a decision that surprised everyone present:

"I want to... kill Lady Frillian."

"...Why?" Zanze asked on behalf of everyone, puzzled. "To prove yourself?"

"I don't want that person to be alone in the future."

"...I don't understand at all."

"Among Lady Celie's disciples, only the legendary Grand Magician Vlame has left his mark on history. So when he dies of old age, there will be one less piece of proof of her existence... I don't want her to be alone in the future, so it doesn't matter if she leaves behind a bad reputation."

Lylene shared her unique insights with her juniors. The other two present seemed to understand but not quite, while Zanze's eyes widened slightly as he murmured to himself, "If that's how it is, I think... I can probably understand it."

"Really? You don't want Lady Celia to be alone either? Or..."

"..."

Zanze did not answer, but continued to think in silence; Lylene did not press for an answer either, but instead turned her gaze to the direction where Seria had disappeared.

The other two looked at each other, completely bewildered as to what they were talking about or what they had come to understand, but... as colleagues, they seemed to have no reason to stop them.

In reality, Lylene wanted to kill Frilian, but she never revealed her true reason, which only Zanze understood.

Lylene hoped to leave her name in history, to be remembered by Celie in the distant future, and to be occasionally recalled by Celie, rather than being completely abandoned in the long river of history.

Even if extreme measures are taken, all that will be left is a bad reputation.

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

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

After fulfilling his promise to others and reading outside for a while, Ash returned home to find Connie and Labigne chatting and laughing with Philon and the others.

The girls seemed to be eagerly awaiting the content of the third round of exams, hoping to pass all three easily as well.

"...I have a feeling I'll get lectured if I go in, so I'll go somewhere else today."

He had been avoiding Philon last night and left home early this morning. After thinking about it, he silently turned around and left again.

But just as he turned around, a bluebird flew down in front of him and dropped a letter.

He casually unfolded the document and took a look, and couldn't help but feel a slight headache, and just like that... he arrived at the Magic Association.

The top of the pristine white tower is adorned with an endless glass dome, bathed in gentle sunlight, resembling a unique greenhouse.

In this miracle where nature and architecture coexist harmoniously, the man-made pond shimmers and reflects the carefully arranged flowerbeds, surrounded by lush trees and various rare plants, weaving together a vivid ecological picture.

On one side of the straight passageway in the very center, a golden-haired elf squatted by the flowerbed, her eyes focused on a brightly blooming flower, where a colorful butterfly was fluttering.

This was supposed to be a beautiful scene, but unfortunately, the other party, without even looking up, turned to Ash, who had just arrived, and said in a somewhat surprised and displeased voice, "You really dared to come."

"Let's make it clear beforehand, I don't think I've done anything wrong."

"...You still want to say it's my fault?"

"Just telling the truth." He said nonchalantly, sitting by the bricks in the flowerbed. "It's all your fault, that's why I was forced to take that kind of exam."

"Wow, you're really bold! Are you prepared to bleed your wallet dry? Or have you finally entered your rebellious phase?"

"I've always felt that you're the one who's... cough, never mind."

He really wanted to say, "You're the one who's acting like a rebellious teenager," but considering his wallet, he chose to keep his mouth shut at this crucial moment to avoid being robbed again.

This attitude made Celia turn her head to look at her, and she narrowed her eyes: "...Being so concerned about your wallet is not like you."

"If you don't make money, of course you won't know the reason why daily necessities are expensive."

"Don't you dare lecture me like that!" Celia snapped, then, while casting a scrutinizing glance, added, "Ash, you're planning to start a war, aren't you? So you're trying to save money now."

"Whether or not we plan to start a war, saving money is still very necessary... Of course, you guessed right." He casually revealed the truth halfway through his sentence.

"Hey~ What if I want to stop it?"

"You wouldn't want to."

"...I mean, if."

"If there is such a 'what if,' then please forgive me."

Even when the object of his attention was Celie, Ash did not show the slightest sign of backing down on crucial issues.

This made Celia, who had just had a serious expression, immediately grin and break into a smile:

"Haha! Not bad, you're really good. You're worthy of being my disciple. You're ready to graduate."

"No, I also want special privileges."

"...I hate overly ambitious people. Didn't I say that a thousand years ago when Vlame brought Frilian to see me?"