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

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"...I can walk by myself!"

"Your knee is bleeding?"

"--None of your business!" Despite being a little unsteady on her feet, and after being reminded that she had spoken too excitedly, she accidentally pulled at the corner of her mouth and the wound on her face, which was still painful, Rabine's dissatisfaction with Ash still made her turn her face away angrily.

After all, she couldn't understand why the guy who had caused her such shame was still so calm.

She even blatantly and rudely ignored her own feelings... It made her feel like an overly self-conscious fool, and her emotions were teetering on the brink of collapse.

However... to her surprise, Ash did not leave, but instead stared at her with a slightly confused look.

This inexplicable pause felt like a gentle force, lightly touching her tense nerves, causing her to unconsciously purse her lips, yet still utter words that were somewhat insincere, and as usual, tinged with a bit of barb:

"What's wrong now? Normally you would just leave right away, wouldn't you?"

"Okay, okay... I'll be going now. Be careful, and remember to break the bottle if you can't handle it."

Although he wanted to say something more, he nodded under the girl's displeased glare and quickly left the scene.

That resolute departure, without the slightest pause or hesitation, yet the final words of advice carried a clear worry, causing Rabinha to involuntarily reach out her hand, wanting to hold him back, but then, driven by pride, slowly lower it.

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

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

The dimly lit corridor returned to its tranquility.

Before they knew it, only Rabindranath was left, his heavy breathing sounding quite tired, and the occasional sounds of him pulling at his wounds and gasping for breath.

"I...I'm such a nuisance." She squatted on the ground, hugging her knees tightly with both hands, as if this could give her a little warmth and comfort.

"The uncle is much better than I initially thought, but I still..."

Her words were filled with regret and self-blame, because she realized that her words and actions might not have been appropriate.

However, her strong sense of pride prevented her from showing weakness at this moment.

Although she had long regretted saying those words, her pride wouldn't allow her to take them back, and even if she did, no one would listen.

She even wanted to stand up again and leave, but the depletion of her magic and her physical injuries prevented her from doing so.

A person, covered in wounds, was abandoned in this perilous dungeon... He wanted to give up but couldn't, and even getting up was difficult.

This series of factors almost overwhelmed the strong-willed girl with feelings of unease and regret, but she could only bite her lower lip tightly, trying her best not to let herself show any weakness.

But just as Rabinha was feeling uneasy, with tears welling up in her eyes and on the verge of sobbing, an unexpected figure broke the surrounding tranquility.

Ash, the person she thought had left, had actually returned.

His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, each step seeming to strike Rabinha's heartstrings, making her heart beat faster.

"W-what?! Weren't you already leaving? Why are you back to laugh at me?!"

Did I accidentally say something like that again? What am I doing? To be honest, she really felt like crying.

But Ash simply squatted down in front of her, bringing his gaze level with hers, and smiled helplessly.

"That's something you would normally do. You look quite badly injured right now, it wouldn't be right to just leave an adult like that."

"...Only now are you talking about adult responsibilities..."

"How could it only be now? Actually, I've always felt quite responsible."

"...I don't believe a grown man like you."

......

Actually, Ash initially thought that he should just leave this awkward child and let her experience the harsh realities of life.

But before they'd gone too far, he felt it wasn't quite right... After all, why should an adult argue with a child so much? It was rather lacking in manners, wasn't it? And their relationship was... somewhat special? Anyway, they weren't complete strangers.

Therefore, he didn't take it too seriously. He just patted her head and, amidst her dissatisfaction, casually reached around her knees and picked her up in his arms.

"—Hey! Wait, wait a minute? You're here..."

The sudden movement startled Rabine, causing this strong-willed and competitive girl, who was usually so boyish, to utter a surprisingly girlish voice for the first time.

"It's not appropriate for you to be lying on my back like this, so... well, just think of it as me molesting you and you can't resist... okay?"

"In that case... there's no other way..."

Perhaps it was her earlier regret that made her hesitate for a while, but she still accepted his kindness in a whisper that was almost inaudible to anyone but herself. When he looked down at her in surprise, she closed her eyes tightly in embarrassment and avoided his gaze.

Under normal circumstances, Ash might even tease this strong-willed girl a little... After all, it's precisely because she's so strong-willed and a bit arrogant that teasing her would be even more fun.

It's a pity that the other person is already like this; it doesn't seem appropriate to tease them any further.

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

Holding the suddenly docile Rabine in his arms, Ash walked through the narrow passageway to a spacious hall.

On either side of the entrance to the next passage, just as the gargoyles were about to transform, several orbs of light appeared beside them and instantly blasted the gargoyles and the wall behind them together with a dense barrage of killing magic.

Amidst the deafening roar, he strolled through the dust and smoke, yet his steps remained perfectly steady.

His leisurely stroll caused Rabinha to stare at him in a daze... for a long while before she finally let out a soft murmur:

"Uncle, you're really amazing..."

"It's okay if you praise me a little more, okay?"

"Hmph... I don't want to." Although still not very polite, the girl's attitude had clearly changed drastically from before. She asked unconsciously as soon as she finished speaking, "Seriously, you're already this strong... why are you still taking the exam?"

"Because I still want that kind of privilege."

"...No, if you're already this strong, what do you need special privileges for? I'm starting to wonder if you're planning to kill a god or conquer the world..."

"Actually, I do want to conquer the world." He casually mentioned one of his goals.

"Huh??" Rabindranath was dumbfounded, as expected. "Why??"

"There are all sorts of reasons, right? First, there were some of my own thoughts, then there were some friends' last wishes, and then there were future plans... That's about it. Anyway, there's no way to stop now."

"Even a friend's last wish has come to mind..."

Although he spoke quite earnestly, Rabinha's brow furrowed slightly, completely taking his words as another casual lie he was making up to tease her.

No, thinking about it carefully, it seems like the uncle really hasn't lied to me about anything? But no matter what, it can't be serious, right? — Rabindranath looked up at him, pondering for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what the uncle was thinking. In the end, he could only shake his head and give up on caring.

Moreover... before they had gone very far, they unexpectedly encountered Yubel, Viabell, and Connie, who were being chased by Duncan, Lichta, and a tall female mage clone.

When the three of them saw him, they all looked at him with anticipation. Ash, of course, silently turned around and left with Rabine, leaving them completely dumbfounded.

Rabinha, still in his hands, stared wide-eyed: "...You really don't plan to make a move?"

"They don't seem to be in any real danger, and ultimately, excessive involvement isn't good... I've said that before."

"I thought you would take special care of Connie."

"I like Connecticut, but excessive pampering is not good for a child's growth."

"......"

This casual remark about liking something made Rabinh hesitate... but she quickly gave up saying anything more.

After all, she understood that there was definitely no strange meaning behind it.

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The two ventured deeper underground, encountering many people along the way. These people were either being chased by clones and monsters, fighting against them, or escaping traps.

Ash ignored all of this until he reached the deepest part of the cave, where he encountered Duncan's team again, along with the voluptuous female mage and Ellu and others.

It was in a crowded place that the shame welled up in her heart again, which made Rabine stubbornly get off Ash.

However, there happened to be people with the holy book present, who enthusiastically stepped forward to help with the treatment. After all, more people mean more strength, because...

"Zanze's clone is guarding inside right now..." Duncan, with a frustrated expression, carefully observed the cloned girl standing deep inside, in the center of the desolate earth, pressed against the wall.

Etilu, who had just made a deal with him, and his two companions were also there.

Seeing the familiar clone again made Etilu point at him in frustration:

"—Didn't we agree that you would take care of that guy? Why is he still around?"

"You only said you were dealing with it, but I did intend to help you keep her here so you could escape smoothly, didn't I?"

"This is fraud! This is shoddy workmanship!"

"Think about it yourselves. You've come all this way so smoothly. All you have to do is get through Zanze. I even helped you get through Zanze's clone once. Isn't that a huge win?"

"But you still haven't solved the problem, and that guy is a monster!"

Aidilu found it hard to deny his point of view, but she wasn't swayed by him either, and Zanze's figure was even more intimidating.

Even if they just stood there, Duncan, who was recognized as the strongest player besides Ash, had no chance of winning, and the same would be true even if this group of people were added.

But just when everyone was at a loss and couldn't think of any way to defeat Zanze, Duncan suddenly turned to Ash and suggested, "Speaking of which, you want all kinds of magic, right?"

"...Are you also planning to make a deal?"

"What about Wind and Flame Magic, and the Light of Judgment?"

"Although I really want to say that I am a person of principle, how can I be bought off like this? What about my reputation? But..." Ash lowered his head with a hint of distress: "My reputation and principles are not always that important. What's important is that everyone can go back happily... But Duncan, is this really okay? Even if you pass this way now, there will be a third test later. You might accidentally die."