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

"...Alright, since you've said so." Philon took a deep breath, then puffed out her cheeks like a pufferfish, and said bluntly and angrily, "—To put it simply! I'm jealous! Extremely jealous!"

"Pfft—! Cough, cough!" Ash was taken quite far off by the overly direct remark, and he choked on his drink, spitting it out. He coughed and waved his hands, looking dumbfounded and frustrated:

"—Although I told you not to be so polite! But this is... a bit too blunt, isn't it?"

"Isn't this all your request? And besides!" Philon crossed her arms and turned her head away angrily, "It's because you treated me differently from others back then. When I was little, you even wanted to give me away, but you always took care of Miyu and the others... It's not fair! It's too much!"

“…This.” Ash opened his mouth, trying hard to recall the past, but he also felt guilty. He sighed softly, reached out and ruffled Philon’s hair, just like he did when she was a child: “The situation was different back then. I… just wanted to stay away from humans. But believe me, I was definitely thinking of your best interests.”

Philon's pupils trembled slightly, but he quickly straightened his face and slapped his hand away: "How many times have you said such nice words to other children?"

"No, this is the first time?" he solemnly assured, but before he could finish speaking and just as Philon's expression softened, Ilya immediately crawled onto his knees, staring intently at him with a pout:

"Ash actually dared to flirt with a girl right in front of me! No way! Ilya won't allow it!"

"...No, Philon is also a child I watched grow up."

"This..." Ilya said somewhat uncertainly, "So, in some way, she's my sister?"

"Both can be said to some extent."

Looking at the adorable silver-haired loli on his lap, he unconsciously uttered something that left everyone present baffled.

Chapter Seven: The Dragon Girl's Longing for Body Warmth - Her Killer Move Against Philon - A Forced Confession?

As soon as Ash uttered those two phrases, "to some extent," he began to regret it, wondering why he had said such a dangerous thing.

If he were an experienced driver... considering other issues and his overly intimate relationships with these girls, he might soon come to the conclusion that something inappropriate was going on.

However... Ilya, who was surprisingly clever in some things but surprisingly slow and clueless in others, blinked blankly and tilted her head in confusion:

"Two? Anything else?"

"Well..." Ash snapped out of his daze and realized he had been too blunt, so he quickly took a big gulp of wine to cover his embarrassment: "It was just a casual remark, don't mind it!"

"Was it really just a casual remark?" Philon narrowed his eyes sharply. "Lord Ash, what are you hiding now?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Ash waved his hands repeatedly, the liquid in the bottle in his hand sloshing out due to the large movements.

Just then, Miyu gracefully adjusted her skirt, sat down next to Ash, and suddenly spoke softly, "Mr. Ash seems guilty."

"No, no, absolutely not."

"Speaking of which, compared to this right now..." Philon didn't want to dwell on it for the time being, but instead looked at the silver-haired loli on his body, a subtle displeasure showing on his face:

"Lady Ilya, you're not really a child anymore. Isn't it inappropriate for you to pounce on a man like that?"

"Is there anything good about it?"

"Although I know you two have a good relationship, Ash-sama is also a man. If people misunderstand your reputation..."

"Because it's Ash, it's okay~?" Before Philon could finish speaking, Ilya responded with an innocent and bright smile.

The trust conveyed in those words made Philon's gaze toward Ash turn dangerous: "How wonderful, Lord Ash... another child who trusts you so much has emerged."

"...I guess this is what charisma is?"

"I don't deny that, but..."

Before Philen could finish speaking, another silver-haired elf appeared from behind the crowd and interrupted her, saying:

"—Let's just dismiss it, Philon. If you keep trusting him like this, you'll definitely get completely fooled."

"Another elf has appeared!" Ilya excitedly ran over as soon as Frilian appeared, and Melsin couldn't help but look her up and down curiously: "It looks so small..."

"You're too young, that's rude." Calling her old was unacceptable, and calling her young was equally inappropriate; Frillie retorted with a long face and a blank expression.

"Personality...unexpectedly sharp?" Melsin didn't seem to care, just nodded silently, as if gathering information about the elves.

Frillie, however, swept her gaze over the crowd, narrowed her eyes at Ash, and gave him a rather amusing smile:

"You said you like pretty older sisters, but the number and proportion of children you brought back this time are much higher than last time."

"What do you mean, 'little kid'... This is called youthful vigor. Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"

"You've been so stubborn all these years~ You still won't admit it~"

It seemed she quite enjoyed seeing him stubbornly refusing to admit it, and Frillie's mischievous grin widened considerably.

Frillie's wicked humor and Ash's embarrassed expression made Philon reluctant to continue making things difficult for her.

Despite the slight setback, the group of girls, driven by curiosity, decided to temporarily visit the castle.

After all, Ash no longer needed to leave immediately. The castle had many attractive features, and with Frilian already present, there was no need to rush to take them to see the dwarves who didn't drink alcohol.

It's too late anyway.

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

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

The daylight slowly faded away in its ordinariness, and Ash's life became... rich and colorful in every sense because of the arrival of these girls, but it was also often accompanied by small quarrels and laughter.

What surprised him most was that Philon and Miyu not only got along well but also seemed to have a deep connection. The two girls shared a unique pursuit in cooking... and their views on him were the same.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the castle's spire, bathing the entire building in a warm orange-red hue. Ash stood on the terrace, watching the girls playing in the distance. Though somewhat uneasy, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, he's still not quite sure what happened in that capital city after he left, or what kind of exchanges these girls had. He just hopes that Dorothyrion can perfectly fulfill the deal they initially made and successfully help him get through this.

It was during this peaceful and beautiful time that Melusin quietly appeared beside him, gazing at the distant sunset: "The sky is as beautiful as ever."

“Yes.” Ash instinctively replied, recalling lines that would appear in normal movies and TV dramas, and looked at the cold and delicate face of the silver-haired girl beside him: “However, you are more beautiful than the sky.”

"Huh...is that so?"

Of course!

"Well... of course, after all, I'm the strongest... Ah, no, you should be the strongest now."

Just as she subconsciously claimed to be the strongest, Melusin seemed troubled for a moment, then changed her words slightly with a smile, staring intently at him: "It's rare for you to say something like that. Are you lonely? Because I'm not lonely anymore?"

"...Actually, you're the one who's lonely, aren't you?" He couldn't help but laugh, ruffling Meloshen's hair. She, however, gave a resentful look and frankly replied without hesitation:

"Of course! Because I'm a dragon... so I'm very attached to body temperature at night, and I haven't been sleeping much lately, so my body temperature has dropped. Please warm me up tonight~"

The lovely silver-haired girl made such a request with a bright and frank smile, and Ash really had no power to refuse.

And so, that very night...

He had barely lain down in bed when a dragon girl appeared beside him, claiming her body temperature was dropping, but actually her body temperature was higher than his.

Melusin hugged him openly without any hesitation, her face beaming with a cheerful smile, and she kept rubbing her cheek against his.

"Hoo hoo~ As expected, your body temperature is the best~ Just like this.... just holding you makes my body temperature rise~" Melusen whispered in his ear.

This prompted him to gently stroke the girl's silver hair and tease her, "Is this really what you're doing, holding her like this, or what you intend to do?"

"You're so mean... You know everything, yet you still ask that on purpose." Melusin's cheeks flushed red as she stared at him intently, muttering softly:

"I really want to stay like this forever, holding you like this~ but I also want to do something....you know what I mean, Master?"

At this point, there was no room for feigning ignorance. Ash gently stroked the girl's cheek, but before he could continue, the girl on top of him kissed him on her own.

The first night of their return gradually felt incredibly long, and the mecha dragon girl was especially enthusiastic on the night of their brief separation.

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

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

As the morning sunlight streams through the castle's stained glass windows, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ancient stone slabs inside...

Ilya skipped out of bed, dressed in her cute pajamas, and like a happy little deer, she wandered through the rooms and soon found Ash's room.

Although Ash had locked the door, it was easily pried open... I wonder who he learned that from.

The moment she caught sight of her target, she pounced on the bed, sat on him through the sheets, and shook him vigorously while pressing her hand against his chest.

"Ash~ Ash~ Wake up! Where are we going to play today?" Her voice was clear and melodious, as if it could dispel all sleepiness.

Despite his reluctance, Ash opened his eyes, looked at the energetic Ilya on his body, and said helplessly:

"You little rascal, you have so much energy!"

Ilya pouted, dissatisfied: "I'm not a little one anymore, I'm already a fine young lady~"

"...Didn't I tell you a long time ago not to go to a man's room first thing in the morning?"

"Ash is different!"

"Thank you so much for your trust..." Luckily, he was fully in sage mode last night, otherwise, if she had sat on him, it would have been quite difficult to handle. He was so grateful, and then glanced at Meilushin, who always liked to sleep in and could hardly get up in the morning, and whose sleep quality had not been affected.

This gaze also caught Ilya's attention, noticing Melusin still holding his arm. Ilya was immediately displeased: "What's wrong? Melusin beat me to it? This lazy dragon actually got up earlier than me?"

"......"

At this point, perhaps it's best not to mention that she's been here all night? — Ash silently raised his hand and stroked Illya's hair, making her shake her head contentedly like a small animal, muttering to herself, "Maybe I should go back to sleep too?"

Before Ilya could even make a decision after thinking about it for a moment, Miyu gracefully followed her into the room.

She was wearing a neat dress, her hair was combed neatly, and she had a faint smile on her face.

"Good morning, Mr. Ash, Ilya." Her voice was gentle and calm, a stark contrast to Ilya's liveliness. She looked at Ilya and said solemnly, "Ilya, you shouldn't bother Mr. Ash like this... especially in the morning."

"Why? Ash and I are such good friends, what's wrong with that?"

"Because..." Miyu was a little embarrassed to say it directly.

This made her turn to look at Ash, and she cleared her throat: "Mr. Ash, you can speak."

"...Why me?"

"Isn't this the responsibility of the elders? Besides, didn't you tell me a long time ago that there are differences between men and women?"

"I think... Ilya is within the safe zone, yes, that must be it!"

Although this safe zone had long been breached, I still couldn't help but speak up for her when Illya's face seemed to be filled with cuteness.

"...When Mr. Ash taught me about the differences between men and women, was he using a double standard? Or are you planning to do something strange to Illya?" Miyu, who appeared aloof, sat silently on the edge of the bed and questioned him expressionlessly: "Because Illya is different from me, and her appearance doesn't grow up? Is that why she gets special treatment?"

Ash was speechless for a moment after Miyu's words. The fact that she had inexplicably gotten to know Philon's personality traits made him understand why the two of them got along so well, and he even had a stomachache.

If you get completely corrupted by Philon, and there are two people lecturing you all the time, then... what kind of hell of accusations would that be?

Just as his stomach was aching so badly that cold sweat was beading on his forehead, Ilya couldn't bear to watch any longer and said with displeasure: