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

Even though Ash declined the valuable items, a large amount of things continued to be delivered, to the point that the guest rooms gradually became too full to accommodate everyone.

Fortunately, he didn't intend to stay here for long, and Alice's relationship with him had obviously grown closer. Although she was still a bit arrogant, she seemed to want to be with him all the time, but she was also much more well-behaved.

When he touched her hair, she seemed more genuinely happy than resistant, but she didn't act like she did before... as if she was looking for a more appropriate time, or perhaps she had finally calmed down and was shy.

And so, about a week later... Alice seemed to have entered a state of being neither close nor distant again.

He simply reached out to touch Alice's hair, but she blushed and pushed him away forcefully, then scolded him sharply, leaving him completely bewildered.

With a hint of unresolved girlish angst, he went for a stroll outside and when he returned, he discovered that... Alice had chased away the maid and secretly taken his underwear from the laundry room.

It wasn't due to a sudden dissatisfaction with his desires after what happened before, because Alice, who often did his laundry, would do this from time to time along the way.

But what could he, as an elder, say? He could only pretend he didn't see it... Could that be considered a form of kindness?

But Luo Qixi had already arrived at the laundry room, peeking out half her head to observe the girl inside.

For some reason, Ash felt that she was looking at the girl inside with a gentle gaze... like an experienced senior watching over a clueless junior, which really made him dumbfounded.

"However, Alice behaved like that when she was twelve years old. Are children in this world really precocious?"

Ash quietly left, pretending not to see anything, muttering to himself, but he was no longer quite sure at what age a normal person would exhibit such behavior.

At least Philon and Linne never acted so strangely when they were children... So, is it really Alice who is the strange one?

On this sleepless night filled with anguish, Ash carefully avoided Alice, fearing a sudden attack from the girl whose condition was unknown.

And so he spent the night in trepidation, sensing that Alice had the energy to do such things again, and that she must have recovered quite well.

So, I seriously considered whether it was time to leave.

On the morning of the second day, he went to the refugee camp headquarters again.

After a quick search, it was discovered that Silphie was not on the missing persons list, but like her parents, she had probably returned once and then disappeared.

On the message board, only a brief message was left saying that everything was fine.

"Well... that's fine too. Everyone has a bright future." Ash looked at the words above but didn't say anything more.

Luo Qixi, who was worried that her second apprentice would follow, looked at the message and listened to Ash's murmurs, but a look of loneliness unconsciously appeared on her face:

"Does this mean we'll really be able to see each other again?"

"Definitely."

"...You really dare to say such baseless things." Luo Qixi shook her head slightly, somewhat helpless.

"Because it's better to think about it this way."

“That’s true…” Luo Qixi smiled softly, but unconsciously leaned closer, her gaze focused on the message board, below Xilufei’s message, the handwriting slightly faded with the passage of time:

"It seems she's hoping that you or I will leave a comment after seeing this? Should we write something too?"

"Forget it, it's fine as it is." After a moment's thought, Ash's words made Loki hesitate: "...Is it really okay?"

"Since it's about time for me to leave, you can try writing something if you want."

Ash spoke these somewhat abrupt words with remarkable calm.

Luo Qixi nodded subconsciously, but didn't immediately react. When she came to her senses, she tilted her head slightly and asked:

"Leaving means...where are we going next?"

"...What are you talking about, Loki?" Ash smiled helplessly. "Our trip is over, isn't it?"

"Is it over?...Yeah, but...I feel a little lonely."

Luo Qixi murmured in a daze, silently following him out of the tent.

At this moment, a gentle breeze blew by, and she gently tucked her long, azure hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, behind her ears, making the sadness and loneliness on her face even more apparent.

"Don't make that face, Master." Ash turned around at the sound of his voice, smiled bitterly, and sighed softly, "It's not like we're going to be separated forever and never see each other again."

"So...where are you going next?"

"Well, take a short trip to the ancient ruins, study the teleportation magic circle, then go to the capital to kill Darius. During this process, we should be able to find the coordinates of the Boundless Realm, and then it's time to challenge the god."

"Darius? Boundless? God and man?"

Luo Qixi was shocked by these suddenly appearing terms, one more astonishing than the last, especially the term "human god," which made her feel uneasy: "Human god... what is that?"

"The last god of this world... the true god, is different from me and that dragon god in terms of titles."

Why would you do something like that?

"There's a bit of a personal grudge."

"...Can't we put it down? It must be very dangerous, right?" Luo Qixi unconsciously took a step forward, tilting her head back nervously, her young face full of worry.

"No, because besides personal grudges, I also have to go see him."

"...What exactly do you want to do?"

"I've said it before, haven't I? I want to go back to my hometown, and... actually, I also plan to liberate my hometown from the hands of God." He seemed a little embarrassed after saying this, and under Luo Qixi's stunned gaze, he smiled and waved his hand.

"Well, to put it nicely, it's about saving the world, but actually it's just something that other people asked me to do. Is it their dream? I only got involved a little bit, and I'm actually quite self-centered, so I can't really say I want to be a hero or anything."

"...If you were really that self-centered, how could you possibly do something like that, especially for someone else's dream?"

Luo Qixi frowned slightly, a hint of distress in her eyes, but then she gently bit her lip before revealing a clear smile: "In the end, I really am not as good as you."

"Suddenly... what are you saying?"

"I admire you very much." Luo Qixi expressed her feelings very frankly.

"...Do you yearn for it?" He stroked his chin, seemingly unsure of what to say. "That's a bit of a tricky way to put it......confessing?"

"No, why would I confess to my own disciple? That would be too weird."

I'm someone who goes on adventures in search of encounters, so different from you. But perhaps that's why, in my eyes... you truly shine. If I weren't your master, I definitely...

—Luo Qixi tilted her head slightly, explaining with a gentle smile, but her words seemed to hide a hint of unhappiness.

But after a short while, she gently took his hand, her gaze fixed directly into his eyes, a very gentle smile blooming on her face:

"But be careful! If you succeed... be sure to let me know, okay? I'll definitely be waiting for you."

"Of course, I definitely need to be prepared before I set off."

He nodded in agreement without hesitation, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to the side behind him. He said helplessly, "How long are you guys going to keep eavesdropping?"

"Hmph, we were listening openly and honestly!" Alice showed no shame at being caught; instead, she strode up to Ash and stared directly into his eyes.

"—Ultimately speaking, the responsibility for suddenly wanting to leave should lie with you, right?"

"Well, I just... came along by chance, but I overheard something..." Shizuka seemed to have some common sense, and there was a hint of embarrassment on her face behind the mask.

"...I've already explained the reason, but this time it shouldn't be too long, I'll come back to see you."

Ash, looking somewhat troubled, reached out and patted Alice's head.

She didn't push him away, but instead pouted, revealing a very unhappy expression: "—I understand! But I can't accept it!"

"That's life... it's always a recurring cycle of meeting and parting, hmm... let's put those grand pronouncements aside for now." Seeing her disbelief, Ash didn't intend to elaborate. Instead, he took out a small bottle from his pocket and smiled.

“Last time, we were in a bit of a rush on the road, and I have a bad memory, but I’ve made sure to prepare a gift for your birthday that I didn’t get recently.”

"A golem?"

"A specially made, limited edition Saint Seiya anime girl!"

Ash proudly introduced the object in his hand.

The bottle contained a golem dressed in female-style armor. Although golems themselves have no gender, they were simply presented in a female form.

"What a corny name!" Ellie commented without any mercy.

"But he's not bad looking, is he?" Ash asked with a smile.

"Hmph, that's all there is to it," Alice retorted stubbornly.

.....

Even at the very end, Alice still looked unhappy.

Although Ash promised her he would return, and that they would definitely reunite as long as they were both alive, the sense of loss in her heart still lingered.

Alice did not stop him or try to stop him; she simply asked for a hug after accepting the gift.

Because she already knew the purpose of his journey, she had no way to stop him and chose to believe that he would definitely come back.

Then, on the very next day, in the clear, cloudless morning.

Ash had packed his bags early, and his figure looked particularly lonely in the warm yet faintly melancholic courtyard.

Alice and Loki stood quietly to one side, the air around them seemingly frozen, with only a gentle breeze blowing, carrying a few fallen leaves that swirled in the air, as if telling a story of parting sorrow.

Alice's eyes reddened slightly, and she bit her lip tightly, trying hard not to cry.

Luo Qixi lowered her head slightly, her long, azure hair swaying gently in the morning breeze, concealing her slightly forlorn expression.

Shizuka stood not far away, silently watching all of this, her face behind the mask showing some complex emotions.

Ash didn't say much, but simply pulled Alice into a tight embrace and gently stroked her head.

He then hugged Luo Qixi, and surprisingly refrained from touching her head, despite her unhappy expression.

Finally, when he looked at Shizuka, she hesitated, then shyly raised her hands: "Can I have a hug too? Although I don't mind..."

"What are you hugging me for? You have to come with me!"

Before she could finish speaking, Ash interrupted her, grabbed her by the back of her collar, and lifted the girl, who was awkwardly unsure whether to put her hands down or not, away.

His figure gradually faded into the dawn light. Alice and Loki stood there, reluctant to leave, their eyes following Ash's retreating figure until he disappeared at the end of the road in the distance.

Just then, a lone bird flew overhead, letting out a long cry that pierced the silent sky filled with sorrow.

This trip has now truly come to an end.

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

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

At Kyrie's request, Loki decided to stay and temporarily serve as a guest of the Alice family as a Water King-level mage to assist in the reconstruction of the territory.

After all, she didn't have a specific travel goal. Perhaps at some point in the future, she will go on another adventure somewhere?

Alice, on the other hand, intended to help her family overcome their current difficulties, which goes without saying... Shizuka originally planned to stay here and wait for Ash to return.