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

"Before that, how about a French breakfast, fruit toast and iced milk? And while you're at it, how about some Orleans chicken wings from your hometown?"

"I...I...I won't be..."

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll eat your share too." Ash said as he walked outside.

This made the kneeling girl hesitate for a moment, then she quickly got up and hurriedly chased after him, shouting with humiliation, "--Wait! I really will eat first!!"

......

The first morning after the Holy Grail War ended, starting with teasing Joan of Arc, was surprisingly refreshing despite some unexpected events. However, the atmosphere in the hall was unusually oppressive.

The mother and her two daughters sat quietly at the dining table. The mother, Aoi Tohsaka, looked at her two daughters, forcing a smile on her face, but the smile was full of bitterness and sorrow.

Rin's expression was very gloomy, and Sakura also kept her head down, looking unhappy and not saying a word.

"What's going on? So early in the morning... Ugh!?" Before Jeanne, whose emotions always shifted very quickly, could finish speaking, Ash swiftly reached out and covered her mouth, whispering in her ear, "Have some decency, these two children's father just died."

"I...I know! Don't talk in my ear!! It's disgusting! -- Please don't come any closer!"

Joan of Arc trembled as if startled, then shoved him away abruptly, covered her ears, and glared at him fiercely.

For some reason, even though their relationship should have been better than before, her words became even more venomous.

Deeply hurt, Ash reluctantly nodded in agreement and stepped forward... The three people at the table almost simultaneously turned their gazes toward him.

“Brother…” “Mr. Ash, thank you for protecting me…” “Big brother! What happened yesterday…”

"Whoa..." The three of them spoke in unison, their voices blending together and making it difficult to hear clearly. Ash looked at them with an expression of utter disdain.

He silently took out a wad of cash from his pocket and stuffed it into Joan of Arc's hand.

"What's wrong? Your allowance?"

"It's fine as pocket money—but I have to go out for a bit now, so you'll be in charge during this time!"

After saying that, he added, "You can stay as long as you want, but I have urgent business to attend to and I have to go now!" Without waiting for their reaction, he quickly left his home.

The two little girls, the teenage girl, and the young woman were left standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Ash was helpless. One husband had died, and two fathers had died. What could he say? It had nothing to do with him, right? He couldn't very well take the blame himself, could he?

He wasn't familiar with the family of three except for Sakura, so he naturally didn't want to get too involved.

And so, Joan of Arc, slow to react, was left there...

This left Joan of Arc all alone over there. Not only did she miss out on French breakfast and Orleans chicken wings, but she was also affected by the gloomy expressions of the three people in the house, which made her unable to eat a normal breakfast and even want to curse.

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

Germany, within the territory of the Einzbern family, a winter city shrouded in snow all year round.

A year later, Ash set foot on this land again, but everything seemed to remain in the past. Compared to the beginning, the wind and snow were still there, and the familiar cold air rushed towards him.

He navigated the route with ease, just as effortlessly as before, directly using the coordinates from the past to reach the edge of the castle.

They then silently broke through the castle's barrier and easily entered the boudoir of the silver-haired girl... well, the silver-haired loli.

The room, which was as spacious as a palace, was devoid of any decorations and lacked any sense of life.

Only a striking red bed stood out in the empty space.

The wood in the fireplace crackled and popped, adding a touch of peace and warmth to the room.

Against the backdrop of white noise, and under the warm and soft firelight, the whole room felt quite peaceful and comfortable.

In this tranquil atmosphere, little Ilya was wrapped alone in a thick down comforter.

Perhaps disturbed by a nightmare, she suddenly opened her eyes wide, and a look of terror instantly appeared on her face.

Immediately afterwards, she sat up in a panic, her body trembling slightly uncontrollably, and instinctively hugged the rabbit plush toy in her arms tightly... as if it were her only support at that moment.

The presence of that rabbit plush toy surprised Ash slightly, because if he remembered correctly, it was one of the many gifts he had given to Ilya.

But now, he simply shook his head, cleared his mind of distractions, sat down on the edge of the bed, and slowly began to speak:

"...What's wrong, Ilya? Did you have a nightmare?"

"—?!" The young girl, startled awake from her nightmare, turned her head sharply to look.

The initial wary expression instantly transformed into a delighted smile upon recognizing the person beside the bed: "Mr. Fairy!?"

"...Good morning...no, is it evening here? It should be good evening?"

"Fairy...you're lying!" Ilya ignored his greeting, and after a brief silence, she puffed out her cheeks, which were flushed from just waking up, and shouted angrily as if she were being difficult: "—You promised to come see Ilya!"

"So here we are, aren't we?" Ash spread his hands helplessly.

"But we agreed it wouldn't be long!"

"It's only been a year, hasn't it?"

"This has been going on for a very, very long time!!" Ilya, indignant, pounced on him, swinging her two little fists and pounding his thigh repeatedly.

"You know, for a person who is hundreds of years old, a year is not that much different from a few days for a child, you know?"

"—Liar! You're so deceitful! Mr. Fairy is a liar who loves to lie~! Ilya hates Mr. Fairy~!"

After a few light, painless punches, the young girl, having vented her anger, crossed her arms and turned her face away angrily.

However, despite saying she hated it, the glances she kept stealing from the corner of her eye clearly said: I'm angry, hurry up and coax me!

What to do, this child is so cute! Kids are definitely the best! I want to kiss, hug, and lift her up high...! Hmm! Jeanne is too old for this, but it's not strange for this child to do this, right? — Ash, feeling charmed, felt that if he were to have a daughter, she should definitely have one like this, and subconsciously wanted to reach out and hug this adorable little one.

Ke Cai instinctively reached out, but his reason compelled him to press his hand back down.

"Ahem..." Ash cleared his throat, trying to make his expression serious, and said solemnly, "...If Ilya dislikes me, I'll be a little hurt, so I apologize?"

"...Really?" Upon hearing this, Ilya's previously tense lips curled up slightly, revealing her adorable smile again. But then, as if remembering something, she put on a mature demeanor and asked, feigning anger, "Are you reflecting on your actions?"

"of course."

"You made a promise? You won't lie to me again?"

"I always reflect on my actions after apologizing."

"Great, then... Ilya forgives you! You're still Ilya's best friend!"

His earnest words brought a bright, innocent smile to Ilya's youthful face, which was surprisingly heartwarming.

Clearly, she is still too young to understand... there is a significant difference between reflecting on one's mistakes and not repeating them.

Ash looked at the cute little girl in front of him, but a wave of distress welled up in his heart.

Thinking about her parents' situation and her current predicament, a faint sense of guilt began to creep into his heart.

Although his parents' deaths shouldn't be directly related to her... at least he wasn't the one who caused them, the connection isn't entirely nonexistent. So... what is his stance? And how should he arrange things for this child?

Chapter Eleven: Lolita Mom? The Sharp-Tongued Lolita (Kallen) Kidnaps Illya

Ash's slightly troubled expression caught Ilya's attention.

"What's wrong, Mr. Fairy? Have you run into some trouble?" The young girl's clear eyes were filled with curiosity and worry.

That innocent gaze, however, was like a sharp sword, piercing straight into Ash's heart, stirring up a faint sense of guilt.

"...I have a bit of a headache..." Ash frowned slightly, his voice tinged with helplessness.

"Does your head hurt? How about this...?"

Ilya briskly stood up from the bed, a bright smile blooming on her little face. She reached out her small, delicate hand and gently patted Ash's head.

"What a nice kid," Ash thought to himself, gently stroking Ilya's soft, fluffy silver hair with a smile. He asked softly, "I'm fine. But you, did you have a nightmare?"

"Ah, listen to me, Ilya had a nightmare. Ilya turned into two strange big cups."

As the topic shifted, Ilya tilted her head, trying hard to recall the scene from her dream, her little brows furrowing slightly, making her look quite adorable.

As Ilya continued to recount her story, Ash realized that the events in her dream were far more complex than simply turning into a strange, giant cup.

Because she became the Holy Grail, and when her mother appeared in the dream, she looked very strange, constantly muttering her own resentment, her own desires and hatred.

"...Ilya is so scared, she wants to scream but no sound comes out, and Mom has become so scary too... completely black... Kiritsugu wants to kill me too..."

Ilya's voice trembled slightly; the terrifying scene from her dream still haunted her even now.

Ash could only stroke her hair with a troubled expression: "It's just a dream, don't worry, there's nothing to worry about."

"But...why was that dream so real...."

Feeling the long-lost warmth in her hair, Ilya's body gradually stopped trembling, but her face still showed lingering fear.

Seeing the young girl's pitiful and helpless appearance, he continued to gently stroke her while trying to change the subject: "You'll forget about it after a rest, right?... Or rather, people generally become gloomy if they don't see the sunlight for a long time."

"Sunbathing?" Ilya tilted her head. "Speaking of which...Ilya has only sunbathed with the Fairy?"

"...Are you a vampire?" Ash teased, trying to lighten the mood. Ilya waved her little hands haphazardly, looking a bit aggrieved. "Because~! It's always snowing here! Even when it's not snowing, it's always cloudy!"

"It's strange, why would the Einzbern family choose to settle in such a strange climate?"

Ash nodded slightly, lost in thought.

He tried to recall, and soon found the answer about the place in Irisviel's memory.

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

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

The Einzbern family, as fervent seekers of the Holy Grail, have been on their path for ten centuries since they embarked on this quest.

They severed all ties with the world, like walking corpses forgotten by time, recklessly employing every means possible, all for that unattainable Holy Grail.

Until the day their tragic wish was fulfilled, they could not accept spring... and thus they endured a long winter of a thousand years.

Perhaps it's because they're stuck in this stagnant world all day that their circumstances and environment don't allow them to seek new ways of survival?

In the end, however, they had only created a container for hope.

The Holy Grail was created only after cooperation was sought, which also created many competitors.

Those who considered themselves the rightful owners of the Holy Grail also became one of its providers.

"...Even among magicians, these people are considered strange, aren't they?" Ash murmured softly, but then he thought of something else.

It was precisely because of this unwavering commitment that they poured all their advanced technology and funds into the child, Ilya.

That's right. Despite the presence of Kiritsugu Emiya, there was still an insurance policy in place for Illyasviel. From birth, she had been constantly adjusted and implanted with various magic circuits, allowing Ash to clearly see the surging magical power within her.