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

Page 59

This left Philon with no other choice but to clench her fists, puffing out her tender face until it was round and chubby. Even though her face was already flushed with embarrassment, she kept glaring at him.

If we're talking about cuteness, then it is indeed quite cute, and not scary at all. Therefore, Ash didn't intend to compromise so easily and happily showed off his treasure to Frilian.

Frilian couldn't help but nod in admiration: "You really have some good stuff. I never expected that someone as cold as Philon could have such a cute phase."

"I think that's it~"

......

The two of them got together and chatted enthusiastically, but the price was... Philon just turned his back on them with a puffed-up face and ignored them all night.

The same thing happened the next day; Haita didn't say a kind word for them and forced the two of them to apologize to her one after the other.

Even so, she forgave Frillie but not Ash, because Ash was still unwilling to hand over the recording and inform the other party.

This led to Philon giving him the cold shoulder for several days, forcing him to decide that he shouldn't easily use this decisive tool unless it was absolutely necessary.

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In fact, it wasn't that Ash didn't want to talk about what he had been doing; it was just that he often failed to explain the situation clearly.

Aside from the magical city, he mostly went to the royal capital and the demon king's castle.

Because of the two great demons in the Demon King's castle, the corrupt sage Guval and the bloodstained war god Livale, one can teach him innovative magic and the other can teach him martial arts.

Moreover, the two of them are quite strong, and they might accidentally cause a lot of trouble outside. If he doesn't go there regularly, he won't be able to keep things under control. Of course, he also plans to improve himself, which is why he often goes to the Demon King's Castle.

If he went there unnecessarily, countless towns and villages around the world would probably suffer. Guval is at least focused on his research and doesn't usually go out unnecessarily.

However, Klivale was a berserker who always wanted to fight a worthy warrior. He even wanted to go to the Warrior's Village to see if there was anyone who could withstand his blows, but he chose to give up when a more worthy opponent came along.

Fortunately, he only occupied the Demon King's castle and did not declare that he wanted to become the Demon King, thus avoiding a lot of trouble to some extent.

However, compared to the Demon King's Castle, which remained unchanged, the cabin in the woods gradually changed from a warm and harmonious atmosphere to a heavy and tense one as time went by.

As time went by, Haita's body grew weaker and weaker, and he could even be heard coughing incessantly at night.

Magic can heal external injuries, but it cannot cure diseases at all, and it does nothing to help with aging. Not to mention Frilian and Ash, even Philon could clearly sense that Haita's life was about to come to an end.

This also made her anxiously question Frillie when she saw Haita fall and become bedridden:

"...Lady Frillian, is there still no progress on that magic book? Can't we speed things up a little?"

"I feel that the magic book... no, don't worry, I'll speed things up." Frillian said, but then seemed to remember something and silently shook her head, temporarily giving up on saying more.

In Haita's room, Ash sat on a chair by the bed, arms crossed, saying nothing.

Haita, who had fallen on the bed and needed to recuperate for a while, smiled as he looked at Haita, who remained unchanged.

"From now on, that child will depend on you."

"It's too early to say your last words now."

"...However, it should be soon."

"That's true."

"Sorry."

What topic?

“All sorts of things.” Haita slowly closed his eyes, his face showing little fear of death, only reluctance and longing.

In the days that followed, Philon practiced magic tirelessly, hoping to fulfill the promise he and Haita had made while he was away.

Using attack magic, he pierced through the rocks on the other side of the cliff on the back mountain, making himself a capable mage, so that Haita, who had practically become his grandfather during this time, could leave in peace.

Feeling that he wouldn't live much longer, Hyta was already thinking about whether he should tell Frilian the truth about how he and Ash had conspired to deceive her.

The Buried Frilian: A Thousand Years Later: Chapter Seventy-Nine: Even Until the End of Your Life, I Will Protect You (3K)

Because of Ash's special circumstances, Haita couldn't be sure how long he would take care of Philon.

Therefore, before Frilian left, he hoped that Philen would at least have the ability to keep up with one of the two, or that when he passed away, he would see that Philen was capable of supporting herself, so that he could leave in peace.

After all, just as Philon treated him like a grandfather, he truly regarded this little life, the last person he encountered in his life, as his granddaughter.

Ash was basically aware of his thoughts, so looking at the weak and exhausted old man on the bed, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly:

“I understand your wish, but you must have misunderstood something. At this point, I can’t abandon her. I can tell you this clearly. In the end, once she takes another step forward, she will be able to stand on her own. As an adult, she is capable of making a living, so there isn’t much for her to worry about.”

"...To be honest, what is Philon in your eyes?" Haita asked a very abrupt and strange question, which made him pause for a moment: "Philon? A child, right? What else could he be?"

It's truly a child I've watched grow up; even if Ash wanted to become something else, it would be quite difficult.

“Haha…Indeed, in our eyes, that child will always be a child.” Considering the actual situation, Haita couldn’t help but laugh, but then said meaningfully, “But children will grow up and one day they will become graceful young women, while you will not grow old. In a little while…at least in appearance, you will become peers.”

"It's just appearance, isn't it?"

"If she could still see you as her father when she was little, but she grows up to be like you, can she really continue to see you that way? I think it would be very difficult. What do you think about that?"

Ash's situation was unusual, which made Haita sit up in bed and adopt a serious posture, as if a grandfather was guarding the door for his granddaughter.

Ash was puzzled by this strange attitude: "What are you thinking about all day? Of course it's your brother, right?"

"No blood relation."

"That's the older brother from next door."

"The older brother next door... took care of me since I was little, what is that?"

"...Let me think about it."

"We can put this aside for now. She'll look like she's in her twenties later. What about you?"

"The neighbor's little brother? Oh dear! Don't think about such nonsense." No longer wanting to dwell on this issue, he waved his hand to interrupt Haita's strange speculation, stating firmly:

“No matter what, I am an elder. I believe that although she seems a bit rebellious, she definitely respects me in her heart and will treat me as an elder when she grows up.”

"Even if that's what she thinks... what about you? Haven't you always wanted to find a proper girl to watch shooting stars with? Philon is already quite cute now, and she'll definitely be even cuter when she grows up, right?"

"...So, what kind of person do you take me for? How could I possibly harm a child I've watched grow up? Even if I were to lay a hand on a demon, an angel, or an old elf, I would never do anything to Philon, would I?"

His old friend's absurd suspicion made him give an affirmative answer without hesitation, almost to the point of swearing an oath on the spot.

In fact, besides the fact that we see things from childhood to adulthood, there is another very real reason... the difference in lifespan, which is the fundamental issue.

Just like they had encountered before on their adventures, there was a case of a dwarf marrying a human wife.

The result was that the human wife passed away early, while the dwarf husband remained there guarding the grave and the village, and it was unknown how many more years he would have to do so.

Races with different lifespans should never unite, no matter how you look at it; this is a lesson history has taught them.

Even if there were no issues with the union, he would still see Philon grow old... which seemed unavoidable.

Thinking of this, Haita didn't say anything more. Instead, he sighed with a hint of helplessness, looked back at the ceiling, and said softly:

"Then from now on... let me pray for you in heaven."

"Don't think too much right now, just live your life honestly."

"Haha, that's true..."

With a weak laugh, Haita closed his eyes, causing Ash to look away from him and gaze out the window.

At this moment, even the heavens must be taking pity on this elderly man who is over a hundred years old and still has to worry about things. Outside, the wind and rain are raging, and the raindrops are constantly pattering against the window, giving one a rather surreal feeling that the end of the world is coming.

But Ash remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking:

"However... no matter what, you don't need to worry too much. No matter what happens in the process, or how Philon views me, I will protect her until she dies peacefully in her old age—not for you, but because I can't bear to see the child I watched grow up die an unnatural death."

"That's...better than anything else, but I feel really bad for you."

"Forget it, this is my choice."

"Really? Well... thank you, I'll leave the rest to you too."

......

Their conversation ended abruptly there, and afterwards, only the whooshing sound of something scraping through the cracks in the window could be heard inside the room.

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Ash didn't stay by the bedside for long before leaving Haita's room.

In the living room, Frillie sat blankly at the dining table, her expression much more somber than that of the two men.

Even though she had just come back from outside and was soaking wet with water droplets constantly sliding down her body, she didn't feel the need to tidy herself up at all; she just sat there in a daze.

Ash shook his head repeatedly at the sight, and then casually grabbed a towel and threw it at her face, instantly plunging her into darkness. At the same time...

Already in a bad mood, Frillie ripped the towel off her face and glared angrily, saying, "I'm not in the mood to argue with you right now! Don't do it at a time like this..."

"You're an adult now, you should understand that you need to take care of your health at all times so that you have the energy to do other things. What if you catch a cold? Magic can't cure a cold."

"...Of course I know that, you don't need to tell me." Frillie turned her head away unhappily, but still obediently took the towel and walked to the bathroom. However, before closing the door, she suddenly said without turning back:

"Philan is still on the mountain. Go check on her. It would be bad if something happened to her."