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

Instead, Ash pulled her onto his lap, and she curled up on his knees without any resistance, surprisingly obediently letting him stroke her hair.

After a long silence, Ariel, filled with self-doubt, murmured softly, "Was I... wrong? Even if I succeed in the end, will Lady Sariel blame me?"

Her voice was very soft, so soft that it seemed a gentle breeze could dissipate it. It contained a multitude of complex emotions: worry, fear, and deep self-doubt.

"Are you an idiot?" Ash asked, his hands still gently stroking the girl in his arms, but he gave her this blunt comment.

Upon hearing this, Ariel immediately looked up at him from below, her eyes filled with protest.

But he completely ignored Ariel's gaze and said to himself, "Since you already have meaning, pride, and beliefs in life, and things you must do no matter what, is there any need to be confused?"

"But....."

"If there's something in your heart that you absolutely cannot back down from, then there's no need to worry about other things, right? Even if Sally wants to protect the native species, will your feelings for protecting her change because of that? Or are you planning to just give up like this?" Ash stared into Ariel's eyes, as if trying to convey his beliefs to her through his gaze.

Ariel bit her lip: "...I will not give up."

"Then the answer is clear. There's no need to worry about any of this. After all, you knew what kind of person she was from the beginning, and based on that knowledge, you still wanted to rescue her, didn't you? As for her feelings, put them aside for now. This is your life, and you should be in control of what you want to do."

Ash's tone softened, and he gently patted Ariel's back, as if to encourage her.

"...You make it sound so simple." Ariel sighed softly, a bitter smile appearing on her lips.

"Isn't that the truth?" Ash smiled at her, a smile as warm as the winter sun, dispelling the gloom in Ariel's heart.

“Indeed…” Ariel nodded slightly, gazing intently at his face. Ash’s features were reflected in her crimson eyes, as if the whole world had shrunk to just him.

She quietly let him hold her, feeling his body heat seep through her clothes, a warmth that seemed to melt her.

Finally, she quietly lowered her head, a faint blush spreading across her fair neck, and unconsciously wrapped her arms around him, her fingers tightening slightly, as if afraid that the warmth would suddenly disappear.

I wasn't so strong for nothing after all, but... this doesn't seem so bad? — She thought to herself, completely accepting the fact that she was still a coward, and even instinctively craving this warm embrace that was gradually becoming familiar and hard to let go of.

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

The following day, Ash took Sophia and set off back to the human capital.

According to reliable intelligence, the elves and the kingdom will be holding a crucial meeting in the capital, which he had recently visited.

Meanwhile, Ariel was not idle either. Last night, she quickly gathered her elite forces—the 10th Army of the Demon Clan.

Although not as powerful as Ariel, whose punch could split mountains and rivers and cause a cataclysmic disaster, or a monster whose mere aftershocks during battle could destroy everything around her.

But among humans, these soldiers, each with an ability value exceeding 1,000, are all heroes, a realm that only a very few talented adventurers can reach.

The soldiers were all fully equipped and ready to be teleported at any time to directly control the upper echelons of the capital and then take over the human kingdoms.

As for Sophia, this girl was simply bored and full of curiosity about the outside world. She repeatedly assured Ash that she would not cause trouble, which is why she insisted on coming along.

"If you can lock them up, fine. If not... well, killing them once or twice is the same as killing them once. I don't believe they'll be the disobedient ones a third or fourth time. But you..."

Having just arrived in the alley via teleportation, Ash's gaze involuntarily drifted towards Sophia, who was already peering out to observe the human street.

"It's okay! I promise I won't do anything reckless! I won't bother you either, I swear~!" Sophia turned around, raised her hand and swore an oath, looking like a child eager to prove herself, her eyes shining with sincerity.

"...Alright then." Although he was still a little uneasy, he nodded reluctantly and decided to trust this capricious guy for the time being.

The two then walked side by side into the street and slowly made their way toward the royal city.

As Ash walked, he felt the back of his hand being brushed against the girl's delicate skin from time to time, once, twice... the frequency was too high, and this touch did not seem like an accidental brush.

He subconsciously turned his head to look, only to see the girl beside him looking like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. She quickly turned her head away, deliberately pretending to be nonchalant, looking elsewhere, and seemingly humming an unknown tune.

This left Ash completely bewildered, his face filled with confusion: "...What are you doing?"

"Huh? Mr. Ash, do you want to hold my hand?" Sophia looked at him in surprise, a hint of joy in her eyes.

Ash was completely confused: "?? You mean this?"

"I just can't do anything with you~ Well, let's hold hands then~!"

Although their conversation wasn't on the same wavelength, Sophia blushed to herself, a hint of shyness and awkwardness in her expression, like a young girl trying forbidden fruit for the first time. She quietly reached out and gently grasped Ash's hand.

She looked exactly like a young girl experiencing her first love, holding hands with her beloved for the first time, and in such an intimate way, as commonly known as lovers interlocking their fingers.

Although Ash had held her hand and led her along some roads when she was a child, this was the first time they had ever held hands like this.

Ash seemed quite calm about this, even a little speechless. He looked at Sophia and gently shook his head: "...You seem unusually excited, and why are you holding hands like this?"

"Because! Aren't we on a date?"

"...It's just a normal, serious matter to do something." Ash really couldn't understand this girl's thought process; how did she suddenly bring up dating?

"A lone man and a lone woman walking on the streets of a foreign land, what else could it be but a date? Ah! Are they planning to elope?!"

The misunderstanding that had been initiated without his consent was already deep enough, but Sophia took it a step further without saying a word. She moved right up to him, pressing her chest against his waist, and stared at him expectantly, her gaze filled with anticipation. This was a stark contrast to her usual cold and aloof demeanor.

However.....

"Stop thinking weird things." Ash's face darkened. He reached out and pressed Sophia's head, pushing the girl with the wildest ideas away. "We're not having an affair or anything, why would we want to go through the trouble of eloping?"

"Because... there are two troublesome guys on the way back~"

"You're saying this, that's basically the same person as your adoptive mother?" Ash was both amused and exasperated.

"...They're not exactly gentle people." Sofia wore a strange expression at the thought of Ariel and Spider-Man, as if recalling some terrible memory. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of her mouth twitched involuntarily.

"Stop fooling around, we have serious business to attend to. Be good, okay?" As he spoke, Ash gently pressed Sophia's head, like soothing an overly lively pet.

Just that was enough to make Sofia temporarily forget her troubles, happily grab his hand, and like a spoiled child, hug that hand and stick close to his side.

Her overly intimate gestures made it somewhat difficult for Ash to walk.

However... Sophia's overly voluptuous figure pressed tightly against him, making it difficult for Ash to complain.

Because of that soft and warm touch, even though he tried not to think about those strange things, he still felt incredibly comfortable. Moreover, she exuded a faint fragrance that made him unconsciously feel relaxed and happy.

The only problem was that the passersby around them were like nails drawn to a magnet, all casting strange glances at them. Some of those glances were filled with surprise, some with envy, some with curiosity, and some with obvious jealousy.

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

Although the two didn't do anything particularly strange and looked like an ordinary couple,... well, they weren't quite so ordinary after all.

Ash is decent-looking, but not overly so. Sophia, on the other hand, is a bit too exaggerated.

She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, but her skin was almost extremely white, as pure and flawless as the first snow of winter, and seemed to have a faint halo under the sunlight.

Her smooth silver hair was like moonlight woven together, with the ends seemingly carefully permed. The slightly curled strands fell casually over her shoulders and back, and with each sway, she looked like a fairy dancing in the air.

The clothes that should have been loose were stretched taut by her overly good figure, the full curves seeming to challenge the limits of the garment, making one worry that the clothes might burst at any moment due to the overflowing fullness.

Her smooth, fair thighs, without an ounce of excess fat, were supple and sensual. Her delicate skin shone softly in the sunlight, as warm and smooth as mutton fat jade. Yet her waist was so slender, like a willow swaying in the breeze, so delicate that it could be grasped in one hand. This contrasted sharply and alluringly with her full breasts and rounded thighs. It was a perfect fusion of mature charm and girlish innocence, perfectly embodying the word "pure desire."

Her angelic, pure face and devilishly sexy figure create an ethereal beauty that makes one wonder if she is a princess who stepped out of a fairy tale, possessing a charm that can captivate anyone at a glance.

This also caused passersby to unconsciously follow the two of them, and even feel jealous of Ash, who was clearly sticking to Sophia above.

The intense gaze made him glance at the girl standing too close to him: "...I shouldn't have brought you. By the way, have you really managed to shut down your vampire's natural charm?"

"What?! I've always listened to you when I was little, never used that kind of ability, and lived a law-abiding and upright life, haven't I? It's just that others are despicable!"

"...I guess so?"

Sophia's growth can be described as diligent and hardworking. Although she often acts without thinking, she is generally quite obedient. This makes him feel a little emotional when he looks at the girl next to him.

Although it was strange, the child did have some good points in her personality—thinking of this, he unconsciously reached out and patted her head again, a relieved smile on his face: "Come to think of it, you're really quite good too~"

"As a woman?" Sophia blinked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"...How could that be? I was talking about as a child."

"Hey~ I'm already this mature?" Sophia deliberately puffed out her proud breasts, revealing a mischievous smile, but it made him feel awkward continuing to discuss this overly developed girl, so he silently looked away: "More importantly, we should be infiltrating. If you keep acting like this, won't we be discovered immediately?"

"I didn't do anything, so how could it be my fault?" Sophia protested with a sulky expression.

"Ah, yes, yes, let's leave it at that." Ash didn't want to get entangled with her any further on this matter. After all, arguing with Sophia was sometimes like getting caught in a tangled mess, the more you pulled, the more complicated it became.

Although Sophia's intertwined fingers and arm-hugging made walking a little inconvenient, he immediately used spatial teleportation to take Sophia away from the street and disappear from everyone's sight in order to avoid attracting more attention.

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

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

Before Ash returned to the demon realm for a short rest, or rather, after having some fun with Ariel, he headed back to the capital...

The defeat and death of humanity's strongest warrior caused panic to spread uncontrollably, shrouding the entire kingdom in a gloomy atmosphere, with unease permeating every street and alley.

In this time of widespread anxiety and turmoil, the Kingdom and the Divine Word Church were forced to announce the emergence of a successor... the hero, hoping to stabilize the precarious situation, like trying to grasp the last straw in the darkness.

And at that very moment... in the royal palace's reception room.

The elven high command and the kingdom's royal family sat upright, engaging in a crucial meeting.

The atmosphere, however, was as heavy as the sky before a storm, pressing down on everyone's hearts, and worry was clearly written on everyone's face.

"I'm sure you two elves have heard that the demons have been making moves lately. According to the intelligence from Harlins, a monster called the Primal Demon seems to have reached some kind of secret agreement with the Demon King. Their goal is to completely exterminate humans and elves."

The first to break the silence was the white-haired king, who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies. Deep wrinkles etched his face with age, and his brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with worry. He continued slowly:

"This demon is utterly outrageous. He dared to openly break into the capital and slaughter a team of heroes in broad daylight. Now, our morale has suffered a huge blow, and I'm afraid it won't be long before the demons seize this perfect opportunity to formally declare war on us." The king's hoarse voice echoed clearly in the quiet reception room, each word like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of everyone present.

"To avoid war, we tried our best to reconcile with the demons, to engage in dialogue with them, and to seek the possibility of peace. Unfortunately, our abilities were limited, and we were ultimately unable to stop it from happening..."

Sitting next to the elven chieftain Podimas was a petite young girl, the chieftain's only daughter, the adorable twin-tailed elf Philimes. She gently bit her lip, paused halfway through her sentence with a heavy tone, and then lowered her eyes, continuing with self-reproach, "If I had done better, perhaps Julius wouldn't have ended up like this..."

"Please don't say that. Everyone knows this was inevitable." The king shook his head gently and sighed again. "Now that it has happened, we should think about how to deal with it. And, fortunately, a new hero is about to appear."

As the king spoke, he reached out and patted the somewhat shy blue-haired boy beside him.

This young man—Shurein, as Julius's younger brother, bears a resemblance to Julius, but he lacks Julius's striking presence. He gives off an ordinary feeling, like a degraded version of Julius, but he seems quite gentle.

At this moment, he scratched his cheek with a hint of embarrassment, then tried to straighten his chest to appear more reliable, and replied:

"I cannot become a great hero like my brother, but I hope to inherit his ideals and never compromise with those evil forces! I will do everything in my power to protect our country and our people!"

"If you're willing to work hard, you'll definitely catch up with Julius someday." Potimas nodded calmly, but his eyes were cold... Clearly, he was just saying it and didn't have much hope anymore.

He had just finished his polite pleasantries and was about to say something more...

Bang! ! !

With a loud bang, the door that was originally tightly closed was suddenly kicked open.

The enormous sound exploded in the reception room like a thunderclap, instantly shattering the previously solemn atmosphere and replacing it with chaos.

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

As the door was violently kicked open, a strange and chilling voice, like a biting wind, ruthlessly entered this room that should have been heavily guarded.