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

"...Good heavens, you still want to go in under these circumstances?" The overly blunt answer made his lips twitch slightly, and he almost threw the guy out of the room on the spot.

However, Duncan also had his own principles, and a strange sense of security regarding his own safety and Mahat's actions:

"It's okay, if it were me... I'd probably still be able to get in."

"Is it because you are his disciple?"

"Yes."

Even though almost no one can come out alive, and even if they do, they are released as a show of force to prevent others from disturbing them, Duncan seems quite confident.

But this strange confidence made Ash unable to help but complain: "...Are you planning to have a romantic relationship with a demon?"

“I know it’s stupid, but my situation is different from theirs, and Mahat is wearing the Ring of Domination and is commanded not to harm the people of Veze.”

"...But in reality, the entire city fortress's control stone ring is destroyed, so the bracelet is completely ineffective. Under these circumstances, if you think you're special, aren't you just talking about feelings?"

Although Ash's rebuttal was reasonable and well-founded, the way he said it made Frilian and Philon's expressions turn quite strange.

I never thought anything of it before, but now... knowing that he is actually a demon, it's hard not to find his words strange.

As if remembering something, Philon quietly tugged at his sleeve, pulled him outside, and cautiously whispered in his ear:

"Lord Ash, do you know that demon named Mahat?"

"...So, we can be considered acquaintances?"

"Then he shouldn't attack you, right?"

"Well, we're all from the same race, so we can talk...?"

Faced with the girl's worried question, Ash inadvertently looked away, unable to admit that they had actually fought as soon as they met.

After all, if Philon was too worried, wouldn't that prevent him from entering the Golden Land?

"If we go in with Lord Duncan, will there be any danger?"

"It's alright. He takes special care of even the humans he knows, so it's impossible for him to have any greater hostility towards his own kind."

"Really?"

"Of course!"

He chuckled and reached out to put his arm around Philon's shoulder, then gently stroked her hair, which made Philon feel embarrassed and prevented her from asking any further questions for the time being.

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

Entering the Golden Land is far too dangerous; the golden statues of warriors and mages standing near the barrier are enough to prove this point.

Therefore, although Philon was somewhat worried, she still had no intention of following them in, and Frilian also did not intend to follow... After all, in this situation where the circumstances were unclear, if they accidentally encountered Mahat, they might become a hindrance.

However, standing at the edge of the barrier, looking at the small adventurer team that had been turned to gold, Philen couldn't help but ask:

"These people are no longer within the Golden Land's barrier, so why hasn't anyone come to rescue them? For example, with the goddess's magic? I remember that can remove all kinds of abnormal statuses?"

"Because the goddess's magic cannot have any effect on the goldification." Frilian, who was seeing them off, only glanced at it and said without thinking, "If it could be unblocked, this place wouldn't be like this now, and the empire wouldn't have to give up this city."

"That seems right... What about the Demon-Sealing Stone?" Philon suddenly remembered something, as if discovering a new continent, and asked, "Isn't that thing supposed to nullify all magic? That's an effect created by magic, so if it's the Demon-Sealing Stone..."

"That's true in the conventional sense, but this isn't magic in the conventional sense. Didn't I just say that? It's the pinnacle of magic that humans can never reach, beyond the scope of common sense. It's a domain exclusively belonging to the Great Demon Race."

"...Even the Demon-Sealing Stone won't work?"

"I'll say it again, if we could resist the goldification, this place wouldn't be like this now. The ever-expanding gold area could have been suppressed simply by scattering a ring of demon-sealing stones, couldn't it?" Freelian sighed, tapping on the man outside the barrier—a man turned into a golden statue... about to draw his sword for a bloody battle—and calmly recounted:

"Moreover, during the long war with the Demon King's army, countless heroes from these northern kingdoms alone were turned into gold. But hundreds of years have passed, and to this day, not a single one has been saved. All of them are still sleeping in the gold."

"So... the Demon-Sealing Stone is completely ineffective against this kind of magic?"

"That's right. The limit of the sealing stone is probably the limit of humanity. As for the warrior, it's hard to say, but the only magicians who can defeat the opponent should be Celie or Ash." However, even for Celie, apart from winning by overwhelming magic power, Frillie really didn't have any good strategies.

In terms of individual magical skill, Celia certainly cannot compare to the Great Demon, but Celia has mastered far too many spells and possesses overwhelming magical power.

It could even be said that someone like Celie, who could live from the mythical era to this age, must possess some special magic that could prevent the magic stone from being nullified.

At least the limit of the Demon-Sealing Stone is there; even Aura's Obedience Magic from the Great Demon Clan cannot nullify it.

“Speaking of which, if that’s the case…” Great Demons all possess unique and highly unconventional magic, so what is Ash’s magic? Philon couldn’t help but think of this and cast a curious glance at Ash, but could not ask directly because there were outsiders present.

But Ash didn't intend to say that... his gravity magic was still effective in that mine.

Humans cannot develop the Demon-Sealing Mine, but that's only a human problem. His magic can directly break through the interference and act on the Demon-Sealing Stone.

However, I wanted to eliminate any potential threats inside, so I pretended to be unable to use magic as well... Actually, I just wanted to take them for a walk.

Otherwise, there are many ways to leave the pit, and there is no need to obediently walk through the mine tunnel.

"Lord Ash, why are you looking away?" He looked away inexplicably when faced with his gaze, causing Philon, who knew him well, to narrow his eyes.

"Ah~ Duncan!" He quickly changed the subject without even looking at Phyllenhaal, and casually patted Duncan's head: "How do you take care of your hair? You still have so much left!"

"What? You're having hair loss problems?" The sudden head pat and the strange question left Duncan bewildered, and Ash was equally confused by his counter-question, but now he could only bite the bullet and admit it:

"Uh? Well, actually, I have a friend who cares a lot about this."

"Then I'll tell you the hair care secret when we get back... But in return, I'll be asking you for help later too."

"Alright! Let's not delay any longer, let's get going!"

As he abruptly changed the subject, he pushed Duncan and followed him through the barrier as it opened.

But just by glancing back, he noticed that the way Philon and Frilian were looking at him seemed a little off.

The change in Philon's lips seemed to say: When you come back, explain yourself properly, what exactly is your purpose?

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

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

The Golden Land Great Barrier comes with many functions, and cognitive impairment is just the most basic one. Moreover, its range is too large and its effect is not very strong. Even warriors with some skill would find it difficult to deceive.

Because these barriers are primarily designed to enhance their ability to isolate demons, humans can occasionally find a way to slip inside even without an administrator opening a hole.

Even so, the Magic Association did not specifically strengthen its ability to isolate humans.

After all, they have no obligation to take care of those reckless individuals... Although it sounds cruel, human life is truly worthless in this world.

Walking along the golden forest path, Ash admired the shimmering golden forest spectacle and the statues of adventurers who had intruded into the barrier, all the while saying without turning his head:

"Be careful, in this golden land, a moment of carelessness can cost you your life."

"...While you're right, I'm the manager, and this is my hometown. Shouldn't I be the one saying this?"

"That's true." He nodded silently, but then suddenly stopped halfway through.

"What's wrong?" Duncan thought he had discovered something, so he instinctively became more alert and took out his wand, assuming a fighting stance.

But he just stared silently ahead, a thoughtful expression on his face: "Speaking of which... which way should we go?"

"What...? You...you didn't know the way?" Duncan was dumbfounded, his tone filled with disbelief.

"This is my third time here, but it's my first time walking on the ground. To be honest... all forests look exactly the same, how could I possibly know the way?"

"Then why were you walking in front???"

"unconsciously."

"........"

Duncan fell silent at the overly casual answer.

"What's wrong? You don't recognize him either?"

"........ This way, and I'll walk in front from now on, so please follow me closely."

Duncan sighed, feeling somewhat uneasy about the trip, but refrained from saying anything more at this moment and silently walked quickly ahead.

The two continued on their way, but the surrounding silence became increasingly unsettling; in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, it seemed that only their footsteps and breathing could be heard.

There were no chirping insects, no bird calls, no howls of wild animals, and no human sounds.

The whole world seemed to be shrouded in a magic that turned everything into gold, falling into an eternal slumber. Even Duncan felt a chill run down his spine from the excessively quiet environment.

Moreover, when the two arrived at the open city gate, they witnessed firsthand the bloody and spectacular "golden bamboo forest" in the square at the city gate.

To be precise, they were actually a series of upward-pointing golden spikes that pierced the abdomens of countless intruders, leaving them hanging there in their pierced state.

Among this group were mages and warriors, each with a face etched with the terror of impending death and eyes revealing deep despair.

Just seeing the lifelike expressions of fear on these people's faces, and their current predicament, is enough to make one hesitate to approach.

Judging from Mahathir's power, it's very clear that these people were brought here specifically to intimidate others.

"...Mahat's taste is really terrible." Ash casually patted the golden pillar next to him.

"Indeed...it's really a perverse sense of humor."

"However, this can reduce casualties, which is a kind act in a way. After all, most people would probably be scared and run away if they saw those things, even if they foolishly barged in."

“That makes sense... We should avoid entering the city and just go around it from the side.”

Duncan wasn't planning on causing trouble for himself. Although he wanted to take a look at the city where he had lived for many years, their current destination was their hometown... and his wife's grave.

Therefore, before being discovered, he immediately turned around with Ash and left the city again.

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

In fact, they had already been discovered by Mahat when they entered... although the entire Golden Country was far larger than a city.

But Mahat's detection capabilities are incredibly precise and vast, capable of covering entire regions, including cities.

Even a mage like Frilian would have a hard time escaping his detection... so if it were Duncan, no matter how hard he tried to hide, he wouldn't be able to escape.

So leaving the city can only be considered as avoiding stimulation.

Although the lifelike golden statues of the numerous residents near the city entrance froze everything in the moment before the disaster, and in a state where no one noticed any anomalies, Ash felt as if he had entered a giant wax museum and wanted to go inside and observe for a while.

After leaving the city fortress and bypassing it, the two flew a considerable distance before finally spotting an ordinary village.

The intersection was just an ordinary fence, and the flowers and plants inside were nothing special. The only special thing was that everything had been turned into gold.

But compared to the situation in the fortified city, there wasn't a single person here... Just as Duncan said, this has only spread in recent years.

However, under the shadow of that tragedy, all the residents of the surrounding villages had long since fled, and no one dared to live next to the Great Demon Clan, resulting in the absence of the Golden Statue.

As Ash looked around curiously, he suddenly heard Duncan mutter to himself from ahead, "Nothing has changed."

"what?"