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

"Is that so..." What should he do? He had just eaten apple pie with Linne and a lot of macarons with Aura before coming here, so how could Philen be living in such poverty? He didn't know how to face Philen for a moment. He searched his pockets and found only an apple that he had taken from Linne when he came here, which was still not spoiled.

There wasn't much else to offer, so he quietly handed over the apple: "Anyway... how about an apple first?"

"Huh? Why are you suddenly giving me an apple?"

"...Because all I happened to have on me was an apple..."

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what this has to do with anything, and... if I smell something, why do you still smell like apples? Did you eat apples recently and then rub apple juice on yourself?"

Even though the clothes had been washed, at this moment, being so close, Philon wrinkled her little nose and smelled the faint scent of apples, unconsciously revealing a puzzled expression.

It's worth mentioning that during her childhood, whenever Ash returned from long absences, her clothes would often smell of apples.

But Ash didn't seem to eat apples much, which fueled her intense curiosity about this unsolved mystery that had haunted her since childhood.

However, what could Ash say? Faced with the girl's probing gaze, he could only turn his face away silently, trying to avoid the topic.

But this appearance only made Philon seem more suspicious... and even his curiosity was completely aroused.

The Burial of Frillie: The Official Start of the Journey: Chapter Two - Who's Going It Alone? - A Terrible Gift? (4K)

While Ash remained silent and avoided his gaze, Philon, who had been worried that Frilian was eating alone, momentarily forgot his dissatisfaction with Frilian and stared straight at him, asking in a low voice:

"Lord Ash, what's with the apple smell on you? Why won't you look at my face?"

"What's going on..." Ash was caught off guard by being questioned about the smell of apples, leaving him both amused and exasperated. He quickly made up an excuse:

"Because Philon has become so beautiful after not seeing me for a year, I'm a little afraid to look at her."

Do you think I look like an idiot?

"...No, that's not true." She was just acting like a lovestruck young girl a moment ago, so why is she so difficult to deal with now? Was it just my imagination after all? —Ash thought to himself, relieved, but awkwardly changed the subject:

"Speaking of which, Frilian went to the tavern. Shall we go up and check on her?"

“We can catch up later, but please answer me now!” Philon stared intently at him, completely no longer caring about Frilian.

This insistence on getting to the bottom of things forced him to hesitate and say, "...Okay, actually I have an apple orchard in the north. Every year when I part ways with you, I go there to take care of things."

"Huh? An apple orchard? Really?... Something feels really suspicious."

"Really? I do have an apple orchard! I'll take you to see it next time I'm in the north, okay?"

"But if that's really the case, what's the point of hiding it?" He didn't seem to be lying, but the content made Philon feel very uneasy.

"Well... I just don't want you to suddenly find out that you're actually the daughter of a farmer, and that your mindset has suddenly turned sour because of your sudden wealth."

"Am I... really that bad at mentally? In your eyes, am I really that bad?" This sudden revelation struck Philon as unbelievable.

"Isn't it just a matter of being prepared for the worst? But after I die, I'll be yours! Don't worry!"

He smiled and patted Philon on the shoulder, but his words made Philon look displeased: "...Don't say such unlucky things, I'll get angry!"

"Are you already angry?"

"That would make me even angrier!"

"......"

So, what should I say now? — He was speechless for a long time, and when he looked ahead again... Frillian had already disappeared without a trace.

It was obvious that during their conversation, they finally lost track of Frillie completely.

Upon realizing this, Philon couldn't help but look up at him and complain, "...It's all Ash's fault! Lady Frillian has definitely gone to eat dessert by herself! We can't just waste travel money like that! And I haven't had dessert in months!"

"There's no need to be so concerned about this kind of thing, is there?" Although he felt a little wronged, as an adult, he naturally wouldn't argue with Philon about these things. Instead, he simply reached out his hand to her: "She can eat hers, and I'll treat you to yours."

"....real?"

"No... why should I, an adult, be suspected for asking for a dessert?"

"That's true... I'm sorry, we've been living rather poorly lately with Lady Frillien... without realizing it..."

Philon had initially wanted to complain about Frilian's extravagant spending, which had forced them into poverty, but the thought of being able to eat desserts made her temporarily forget about it and happily grab his hand:

"—Thank you, Ash-sama! Let's go get some dessert! Before that cunning Frilian-sama returns!"

"Well, let's go together."

He felt like she had suddenly turned into a child again—the girl's expectant expression made him smile. He stroked her purple hair and led her around the city to look for a dessert shop.

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

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

While searching for a dessert shop, Ash also planned to see if he could run into Frillie along the way.

Unfortunately, before Frilian could even meet them, the two had already spotted a dessert shop that looked to be doing quite well.

When Ash generously suggested ordering whatever she wanted, Philon hesitated before ordering a small cake, and then happily enjoyed it with a knife and fork.

"Mmm~~ So sweet, so delicious~!"

With one bite, Philon's face seemed to melt, revealing an expression of happiness that seemed to overflow.

Ash, who was watching her with his chin resting on his hand, couldn't help but find it amusing. He even smiled and took out a tissue to wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth.

"W-What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like I'm a child..." Recalling how she had been treated like a child before, Philon's cheeks flushed slightly as she protested, muttering softly, "...I'm not a child."

"I just want to take care of Philon, is that not allowed?"

"...It's not that it's impossible...I'm just a little shy, though I don't dislike it..." His casual words, devoid of any lie, made Philon lower his head in embarrassment.

But he just kept shaking his head, saying helplessly, "When you had a fever before, didn't I always help you wipe your body? We used to sleep together all the time, didn't we? What are you being shy about now?"

"—That kind of thing happened so many years ago, please forget about it quickly!"

The sudden re-bringing of an old story that he had almost forgotten caused Philon to blush deeply. He puffed out his cheeks in anger and embarrassment, repeatedly punching Philon's shoulder with his fists.

However, the action wasn't particularly forceful, and it didn't seem powerful at all. Instead, it was quite cute and even had a hint of coquetry, which made Ash apologize while happily touching her even after being hit... This made Philen finally understand why children sometimes seem helpless when faced with doting parents.

Of course, compared to those children, her feelings were more complicated, but... surprisingly, she still didn't dislike them.

As she endured Ash's delighted gaze, sullenly finished her cake, and walked out of the dessert shop...

Beyond the city horizon, the sun has already set over the sea, and the earth and ocean seem to be coated with a layer of gold leaf.

"Oh no, it's already this late... and I haven't bought anything..." After enjoying her dessert, Philon stood frozen at the store entrance, finally remembering the work she was supposed to do when she and Frilian parted ways.

"It's fine to buy it tomorrow, let's go back and meet up first?"

"That's all we can do for now... I wonder if Lady Frilian has finished eating." Philon accepted his suggestion, sighed softly, and could only temporarily put aside his worries. To avoid worrying Frilian, he quickly led Ash toward the inn.

Not long after, I arrived at a hotel room with a view of the ocean from the balcony – it was practically a sea-view room.

As soon as Philon entered the room, he saw Frilian sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the sunset outside the window.

But when Philon stepped into the room first, Frilian only muttered a quiet complaint with a blank expression: "So slow."

"Sorry, I ran into..." Philen was about to say that Ash was right outside the door, and was about to scare her, when Frilian suddenly said somewhat awkwardly, "Never mind... how about we go get some dessert together once in a while?"

"Huh?" So it wasn't that she wanted to eat alone, but that she wanted to take me with her? But then... — Philon's expression froze for a moment.

"Let's go!"

For some reason, Frillie, whose limbs were swinging wildly and whose behavior seemed unusually suspicious, didn't notice Philon's strangeness. She simply left with those words and walked quickly outside with a mysterious smile.

Oh no, this atmosphere... it seems like I ate alone with Philon, while Frilian sneaked around and didn't eat anything? -- It's not easy to say, since I just ate alone with Philon, and Ash, with a subtle expression, disappeared in a flash before Frilian even showed up.

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

Located in front of a coffee shop on the coast, the seaside seating offers views of the sunset over the sea and the coastline, and even the city streetscape below.

Philon and Frilian sat facing each other, and Frilian, who had been acting mysteriously all day, gazed at the beautiful scenery where the sunset, the ocean, and the city intertwined, and couldn't help but sigh with relief:

"The scenery here is really nice, and it's highly recommended."

"...I feel so sorry, Lady Frillien, that I actually doubted you, even..."

"Doubt me? Even what? What did you do?" Frillie looked bewildered.

"No...please don't mind." Philon stiffly turned his face away, trying to avoid her gaze.

These lines and actions brought a nostalgic smile to Frillie's face.

"You've really been influenced by Ash. You know how to avoid other people's gaze when you have something you don't want them to know."

"Is... is that so?"

"Speaking of which, although it's a bit sudden, but... has Ash ever given you anything before?"

Remembering the birthday gift she had secretly bought for Philon, Frillie tentatively asked him about it to make sure she wouldn't make a mistake.

"It is indeed quite sudden. Hmm, as for the gift... you've seen it before, haven't you?" Philon paused slightly, then took out a silver leaf bookmark from a small box in her pocket, gently stroking it with a smile as she murmured:

"When I was little, I really liked this when I saw it. I only glanced at it a couple of times before Ash bought it for me. And even though it's a bookmark... it's such a treasure that I've never used it as a bookmark even once."

"Really? He has such a sensitive side."

"Speaking of which, it seems like Lord Ash and Lady Frillien have known each other for a long time, haven't they? What did he give Lady Frillien?"

“It has been a very, very long time indeed…” Frilian nodded gently, rummaged around on her person for a while, and said, “Found it, found it.” She pulled a gold ring out of her pocket.