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

Page 137

However... even after receiving his praise, Zanze's expression was inexplicably like he had swallowed a fly, and he lowered his head again, full of frustration: "I would rather not have this strange growth."

"Whether good or bad, growth is growth. It shouldn't be defined arbitrarily, because growth shouldn't be defined."

"...Although what you said seems to make sense, you're just talking nonsense, right?" Even though Zanze, who knew him well, didn't want to pay attention to him, he still looked up at him with displeasure in his eyes when faced with this strange fallacy.

Even when his words were exposed, Ash retorted with righteous indignation: "Even so, don't you think it makes a lot of sense? As long as it makes sense, isn't that enough?"

"...I don't think so at all."

"When you understand this, you will definitely become a mature adult like me."

“...I’m an adult, but you’ve been treating me like a child without my consent…” Even though Zanze wouldn’t normally say anything to him, he couldn’t help but criticize him now: “In the end, is this really maturity? It’s just being willful…, isn’t it?”

Even mature and reliable adults sometimes want to relax.

"But normally, adults should try their best not to cause trouble for others..."

"You should talk to Celia about this first, and I think... she definitely won't be on your side."

"..."

The strange example left Zanze speechless.

Perhaps she felt it was troublesome and didn't want to argue with him anymore... or maybe she simply didn't want to deal with him anymore.

Zanze's previous somewhat sophistical statement was clearly influenced by Ash, and combined with the current conversation, it made Philon, who was still leaning on his shoulder, poke his forehead with her fingertip:

"Lord Ash, shouldn't you also reflect on your actions?"

"I can't think of anything I should reflect on."

"...At least you've corrupted Lord Zanze."

"That's because she's exceptionally talented, not because I'm wrong."

"Master Ash...!"

"...Okay, maybe I have a problem."

As the girl on his shoulder puffed out her cheeks, Ash silently turned his head away, reluctantly admitting that he might have had some negative impact on Zanze.

Even though he admitted it, the two girls still showed a rather disapproving expression when he mentioned "a little."

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

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

After resting for a while and catching their breath, the two girls got off him.

The three of them also told him at this time that the group had originally been divided into several teams to explore the royal tomb together, and that the teams of Connie, Labiner, and Duncan were also with them.

They had only been in the maze for a short time, and although no one should have stepped on any of the traps, a series of strange mechanisms were activated, forcing the group to separate in the chaos. No one knew where the others had gone, but the three of them stayed together, sticking close to each other.

When describing the encounter with the trap, the three men kept their eyes fixed on him, making him stand with his arms crossed, looking completely absorbed in his own thoughts, showing no intention of offering any explanation.

The three of them couldn't do anything about him, after all, he was the one who solved the biggest problem, and he had just saved them... Although they were almost crushed to death by the trap he activated, whether that counts as a life-saving grace is debatable.

The long-awaited run inevitably soaked their clothes with sweat, causing Philon and Zanze to become subtly concerned with their scents, and they would occasionally sneak a sniff at their clothes.

This tacit understanding caught the attention of Frillie, who was resting against the wall. She wiped the sweat from her brow and observed for a while longer... Although normally she wouldn't care about other people's business, Frillie was, after all, a child she had watched grow up, and she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity:

"...Philan, why are you all sniffing your clothes? Are you having a contest to see who smells the strongest?"

"—?!"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy corridor instantly fell silent. The atmosphere, which had been filled with relief and a touch of unease after surviving the ordeal, suddenly became inexplicably heavy, with an indescribable awkwardness and tension permeating the air.

Zanze's mouth was slightly open, unable to speak, while Philon stared intently at Frilian with a flushed face, his shoulders unconsciously hunching and his fists clenched unconsciously at his thighs.

Seeing this, Frillie was startled, realizing she might have said something she shouldn't have, but she couldn't understand why Ash was angry. She quickly looked to Ash for help, her face contorted with distress as she secretly tugged at his sleeve.

"Ash, hurry and help me..."

"But isn't that completely your fault?"

"Why?" Even Ash was saying this, making her feel betrayed. She opened her arms wide in agitation.

"What did I say? Did I do something wrong? Or was I just running the fastest? But it's always been like this, isn't it? I can't just get used to it and then get angry now, can I?"

"...You really are worse than me, aren't you?"

As he subconsciously made a sarcastic remark, Ash couldn't even understand why she could say such things so calmly.

At this moment, Philon's expression gradually turned cold: "Lady Frilian... I will have a serious talk with you about this matter when we get back."

"Sigh..." The sudden, solemn announcement of his impending lecture made Frilian feel wronged. She quietly moved closer to him, tilted her head back, and whispered indignantly, "Ash... it's all your fault."

"No...? Can't you be a little reasonable? What did I do?"

"Why didn't you just tell me what their situation was from the beginning?"

"If I say anything now, I'll be resented too! So... please don't drag me into this for no reason."

Finding it troublesome, he walked ahead on his own, keeping as much distance as possible from her to avoid any unforeseen trouble.

But Frillie, still puzzled, couldn't help but follow. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and she couldn't help but frown and ask, "Why is that? I really can't understand it."

Ash stopped helplessly, turned around, a smile on his lips, and reached out to press his hand on Frilian's head, as if to soothe a willful child, or as if to treat her as an immortal, and shook her casually, saying, "It's okay, sometimes, being like this is what makes you interesting; just be like this, don't worry about it too much."

"...If you don't want to talk about it, fine, but you even mock others... You're the worse one!"

Frillie slapped his hand away in annoyance, muttering to herself as she tidied her messy hair. Although she still had many questions and worries in her mind, she was forced to put them aside for the time being, because...

"There's definitely something interesting waiting for us. Let's cheer up and set off together." With her hair neatly combed, and filled with longing for the possible grimoires deep within the dungeon, she strode ahead, focusing all her attention on exploring the labyrinth.

The speed at which she regrouped surprised all three of them. Philon, who had originally planned to go back and have a proper talk with her, naturally followed quickly.

Just as she was about to follow, she suddenly remembered something, turned to Ash, and grabbed Frillie's hand: "Wait a moment, Lady Frillie."

"What is it now...?" Frillie turned around cautiously, feeling inexplicably guilty, like a child being scolded.

This attitude made Philon shake his head: "I'm not criticizing you, I just want you to treat Lord Ash."

"Ah, for that level, just spit a little and wipe it off, right?" Frillie, whose suitcases were all at Ash's house and who hadn't brought the Holy Scripture with her, gestured for Ash to squat down when she heard this.

It's unclear whether he truly intended to slap her across the face like parents would with their own children, but when Philon saw this, he stood there dumbfounded for a long while, then instantly pulled her back:

"—Wait, wait a minute!! What...what do you want to do?!"

“Just kidding, actually I brought this with me.” Frillie casually pulled a roll of gauze from her bag.

"...Why didn't you bring the Holy Scripture, but brought this instead?"

"If we find something good, we can use gauze to make a backpack."

"...What kind of strange skill is that? Please bring your holy book next time!"

"But I only know very simple goddess magic, which has almost no healing effect..."

........

Even if Frilian was joking, as expected, Philon immediately launched into a lecture.

Ash naturally didn't get involved, silently following behind them with Zanze. However... Zanze's gaze kept drifting to the wound on Ash's face, as if he had already recognized what caused it.

The Burial of Frilian: The Officially Beginning Journey: Chapter Thirty-Six - The Devoured Frilian - Strange Trust - A Slash Emerging from Despair

With numerous defensive spells attached to his own hair, which possessed extremely high manipulability, Zanze, as the one who compiled this spell, was well aware of what would happen if he launched an attack.

This made her hesitate for a long time, and she couldn't help but slightly part her cherry lips:

"...Lord Ash, that wound on your face......did I do it?"

"Ah...yes, it's your clone." Ash waved his hand dismissively, but Zanze lowered his head guiltily: "...I'm sorry, if only I hadn't come in, or if I had brought the Holy Scripture..."

"It's alright~ You're an examiner, you're just here to check things out, and you shouldn't get involved in the affairs. In the end, as Frilian said, this kind of minor injury can be fixed with a little saliva."

"......"

She didn't speak, only stared blankly at me.

He seemed to be hesitating about something, so Ash quickly explained, afraid that he might be misunderstood as a strange person: "No... don't stay silent at this time! I was just saying this, I didn't really want you to put your saliva on it."

"....real?"

Why doubt at this time?

Zanze's skeptical look made him feel a dull pain in his chest, as if stabbed by an invisible sword.

Although he understood that he was considered a strange person, he still hoped to leave behind some lasting reputation.

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

After a brief interlude, despite nearly losing her life there, Frillie's passion for the dungeon remained incredibly strong.

Walking ahead, touching and looking around, his actions showed no sign of learning from mistakes; he looked exactly like a student on a field trip.

"...Lady Frilian really loves dungeons." Philon, who was no longer angry, watched Frilian tapping on the wall and couldn't help but sigh.

Despite keeping a safe distance from him because he was covered in sweat, Ash explained under the curious gazes of the other two girls:

"This guy has loved exploring treasure chests for a long time, but recently, because of something Simmel said, he started exploring the entire dungeon as if he had discovered a new world, instead of going straight to the depths."