"What a bother. Cleaning this up is going to be such a hassle."
Tongues of flame licked at the ivy clinging to the old church walls. Amid the burning interior, Hans patted out the last of the fire smoldering on what little clothing she wore and smiled.
The Imperial Prison Dragon that had been lurking beside the stone stele now hung its head low. Its great fleshy wings were riddled with holes, and those eyes — each the size of a human skull — could no longer open. A massive wound at its throat gushed blood in a steady column. More air escaped through its shattered fangs than entered. It was barely clinging to life.
The frantic dragon-cries that had been raging outside the barrier had gone quiet.
Now the only sound left in the church was the click of Hans's high-heeled sandals.
"What a shame — such a pleasant journey, ended by my own sudden betrayal."
She glanced down at the monk lying in a pool of blood, her tone laced with mockery.
There was no response. The short monk had slipped away quietly not long after the fighting began.
"Humans really are so much more fragile than Imperial Prison Dragons."
For a demon, losing merely an arm was nowhere near a fatal condition. Faced with the monk — drained of blood, all expression gone from his face — Hans felt the same as one might watching a favorite toy break beyond repair. Her interest evaporated on the spot. She turned her gaze upward, toward the barrier overhead.
"The idiot who stirred up the dragon pack outside has probably been dealt with too, I'd imagine."
She strolled toward the Imperial Prison Dragon, which was already dissolving into Mana particles and fading away, and came to stand before an ancient stone stele carved over with a great many unfamiliar characters.
Leaning in for a closer look, Hans wore a rare expression of surprise — followed swiftly by one of undisguised revulsion, muttering to herself:
"This gives me an inexplicable chill. What on earth is this thing?"
Simple strokes and lines — shapes more like symbols — combined to form characters unlike any writing system she knew.
This was a script that even someone who had lived for several centuries had never encountered. And yet, woven through it, there seemed to be some inexplicable power.
On instinct, Hans recoiled from the stele.
She stood there, wrestling with herself for a moment.
Curiosity won out over instinct.
She reached out a hand, intending to make contact and feel out its secrets.
Her fingertips were a hair's breadth from the surface.
The cracked and crumbling dome above the church suddenly caved in. A figure drenched in blood plummeted through the debris, smashing clean through the already-wavering barrier in a single blow.
With a thunderous crash, Nanoda landed near the spot where Hans had ambushed the monk.
Her hand frozen in midair, Hans spun around.
The reek of blood. An overwhelming Mana unlike anything she had ever sensed. Even the ambient Mana that had been drifting free since the Imperial Prison Dragon's death was now flowing toward that demon, drawn in like a tide.
Instinct screamed again — but this time it was not revulsion. It was fear.
Whatever this was, it surpassed even the Demon King Hans had once served.
Facing the coordinated assault of the nine remaining Imperial Prison Dragons, Nanoda had gathered enough Mana and then unleashed the full force of the Paradox Magic she could wield — the paradox of stillness and motion. The result: Severance Magic layered upon Paradox Magic. With her swift and nimble technique, in the same span of time it had taken Hans to finish off one Imperial Prison Dragon, Nanoda had finished off all nine.
The moment those Imperial Prison Dragons' oppressive Mana dissipated, Nanoda had sensed something off about this old church.
"Well, fancy that. I didn't expect us to meet again…"
Once she made out who it was, Hans was startled to realize — this was the very girl who had passed by her party some time ago.
Nanoda caught sight of the monk's body on the ground. She felt that familiar Mana. Her brow furrowed immediately.
"Of all the rotten luck. Paths crossing like this…"
"Have we met before? Other than that one time?"
Hans was genuinely puzzled. This fellow demon who had appeared out of nowhere was speaking as though they were old acquaintances — old enemies, even.
They had only crossed paths once, a little over a year ago.
And while Hans was certainly fond of betrayal, she had not yet made a habit of betraying fellow demons after working alongside them.
At that, Hans dropped the disguise.
The buxom, imperious woman shimmered in a cascade of iridescent Mana light and was replaced by a grey-haired, heavily muscled male demon.
Most striking of all was the chipped horn — one of his two ram-like horns had a piece broken off.
"Paths crossing like enemies… I'm sure there's some misunderstanding here. Look — we're the same kind, you and I."
Hans pointed to the horns on his head. The will to survive had stripped away any need for magical concealment.
"…"
Fresh from a brawl with a pack of Imperial Prison Dragons, her combat instincts were still surging. Nanoda's killing intent refused to stay contained.
In Nanoda's hands, Paradox Magic could not be wielded with the same fluid ease as when the Other used it.
"Leave. This church — and that stele — belong to me now."
Nanoda made no effort to hide the contempt in her voice. By now she was certain.
This demon was the "Wolf" from a thousand years ago.
He had been killed by her once during the assassination of Aaron. He had then miraculously revived, become Emperor of the Northern Empire, challenged her to a duel, and ultimately been destroyed.
The reason Nanoda despised him: he was an utterly deranged demon, one consumed by an obsession with betrayal.
The territorial war between Gaderia and Duke Mannier in the future. Abel's betrayal. The Imperial House's military campaign. Even the dragon disaster that first struck Gaderia — none of it was untouched by "Wolf's" scheming hand behind the scenes.
Nanoda desperately wanted to deal with him right now. Her reason told her she could not.
If "Wolf" disappeared — if the chain of cause and effect were severed — then everything that came after would never happen.
Her bond with Gaderia, in a sense, owed itself to the very dragon disaster "Wolf" had engineered.
Much as she loathed him, Nanoda chose to let him go.
But then another thought struck her. Meeting Wolf now — what if, a thousand years hence, he recognized her? Could that small act here ripple out and change the future?
She had been in too much of a hurry to examine the Goddess's stele inside the church, and had carelessly overlooked this problem. Mainly because she hadn't imagined something this unlikely would ever happen.
She shoved the stray thoughts aside and suppressed the surging impulse within her, then issued her final ultimatum.
"Starting now, forget everything you have seen in this place. Then leave. Immediately. Otherwise, I will deal with you the same way I dealt with those Imperial Prison Dragons."
As she spoke, Nanoda reached up and pulled her hood forward, hiding her expressionless face from view. Better late than never — she hoped.
"Are you perhaps… looking for subordinates? What do you think of me?"
As far as "Hans" was concerned, the Great Demon standing before him had the power to become the next Demon King — and then some, surpassing every predecessor before her. Hans made no move to leave. Instead, he screwed up his courage and asked. If he could shamelessly grovel and attach himself to her, he would have a supremely powerful backer.
"I have no interest in keeping a lunatic fixated on betrayal. Sooner or later, out of curiosity and sheer appetite for it, you'll choose that path anyway."
Nanoda's words brought Hans up short.
That really did sound exactly like something he would do. He had, after all, once betrayed the Demon King himself, Hans thought inwardly.
"You seem to know me remarkably well."
At that, Hans let out a quiet sigh, turned, and walked toward the church doors. As he passed Nanoda, his expression was blank. He said nothing more.
The ivy on the stone pillars charred and crumbled under the flames. The sound of Hans's footsteps grew fainter and finally disappeared.
When she felt Hans's Mana vanish entirely from the range of her Mana Perception, Nanoda let out a slow breath.
"What's the matter? You look like someone who just stepped in something unpleasant on the way out. Does that fellow really bother you that much?"
"I just didn't expect to run into him again."
"I sensed the killing intent you were hiding. A thousand years from now — was it you who killed him?"
"More or less. But never mind that for now — let's go take a look at that stele and see whether it really is the one the Goddess left behind."
Nanoda was eager to return home. A full year had already passed in this era from a thousand years ago, and she had no idea how much time had elapsed back in her own.
According to the Other, the time displacement caused by Return Magic was uncontrollable. A year spent here might translate to mere minutes there — or it might be a century.
Nanoda surrendered control of her body to the Other.
The Other walked unhurriedly to the stele, gave it a brief once-over, and declared with full confidence: "No question about it. This is a Goddess's stele. That disagreeable Mana couldn't be anything else."
"So I can finally go back?"
"Indeed." The Other gave a nod — then shook the head. "I didn't expect we'd be parting so soon. Truthfully, I've rather taken a liking to you. Is there anything you wish to ask? Before you go, I can do my best to answer."
For a being of eternal life, a single year was genuinely brief — little more than the blink of an eye.
For Nanoda, it had been a journey that felt just a little long.
Sharing one body, squeezed in together — once she had grown accustomed to it, Nanoda found, at the moment of parting, that there was something she would miss.
She looked at the Goddess's stele and drew a slow, deep breath.
She asked the question that had troubled her for a long, long time.
"Will you tell me? Why did you want to become human?"
"Because it seemed interesting."
The answer came almost before the question was finished.
"That's it? What kind of reason is that?"
"I know, I find it strange myself. But over the long years, it's simply what I wanted to do."
Nanoda asked one more question.
"Then why did you choose me to inherit this body, and then fade away alone?"
"…" A brief silence. The Other seemed to be thinking it over. Then: "Perhaps it wasn't I who chose you. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure of the reason myself."
"Someday, the future version of me will surely attempt the paradox of becoming human. And then… well, since you were once human yourself, you should already know — humans are not an immortal race."
Nanoda gave a small nod. In any world, that was true of humankind.
"Birth, aging, sickness, death — joy, anger, sorrow, delight. That is what it means to be human. I believe… the future version of me must have become one."
When those words were spoken, Nanoda finally understood.
The Other felt her surprise and broke into a smile — revealing two small, endearing little fangs.
"That's right. To die as a human being — that is the final step in my future self's journey of becoming human."
"You're as much a lunatic as he is."
Nanoda let out a long sigh, her emotions difficult to name. "If you believe your future self has already become human — then what has all of this been for? Everything I've done?"
Only now did Nanoda realize: what she had understood as "becoming human" — living peacefully alongside humankind — had been a misunderstanding all along.
From the very beginning, this human-obsessed lunatic had planned everything out.
"Hmph. Do you know who I am? A Great Demon of the Mythical Era, surviving to this day… though perhaps your appearance, too, is one thread in the paradox of becoming human."
At last the Other brought the subject to a close.
"Now then. Do you have any more questions?"
Nanoda shook her head. "No. None."
"Then let me give you one final lesson."
"A final lesson?"
Nanoda had an uneasy feeling about that phrase.
"Choose now. Of all the paradoxes I have used along the way, I can forcibly implant one into your soul using Paradox Magic."
"That way, you — talentless as you are when it comes to magic — would be able to wield one new Paradox Magic in addition to the paradox of stillness and motion. Not a bad deal, is it?"
As the Other described it, this was something akin to Serie's gift of magic. Nanoda could choose any one type of Paradox Magic she didn't know, and have it forcibly installed.
Nanoda was immediately thrown into agonized indecision.
Gaining one more paradox would certainly be useful — the problem was that she could only choose one.
"Can I just have all of them?"
"No. Do you want your soul damaged even further? Forcing in every paradox I know all at once — you wouldn't survive it." The Other gave a dismissive wave.
"Hmm…" "Hmm~" "Hmm…"
After a very long time wavering, Nanoda finally made her decision.
"I choose…"
Upon hearing Nanoda's answer, the Other burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! What a delightfully interesting choice."
A sharp pain tore through her mind — or rather, her soul. Out of nowhere, a new block of memories settled into place. It was the knowledge of how to use the new paradox — so thoroughly embedded that even her body carried the corresponding muscle memory.
"Knowing it doesn't mean you can use it fluently. Not just this paradox — the paradox of stillness and motion as well. Keep training both when you get back."
If she was being honest, the Other was a genuinely good teacher. Were it not for Nanoda's limited magical aptitude, sharing a body like this, she might have been able to learn one more paradox on top of it.
That was why the Other called Nanoda a magic dud.
For Nanoda's part, though, after what could only be called a final lesson, this was already more than enough.
"All right. It's time for you to go home. Last of all — what I want you to know is this: my wish will be fulfilled in the future. You owe me nothing. Go and enjoy your new life."
"Arrogant creature."
This demon was utterly convinced that in the future, becoming human was a foregone conclusion.
Nanoda had imagined the Other might be a tragic soul endlessly chasing after humanity — but the Other was not tragic at all. Just arrogant. An arrogant lunatic. A human-obsessed lunatic.
"Time is short, and yet this time together has been quite enjoyable. I'll overlook your insolence."
With that, the Other placed a hand on the stele and intoned: "Fiaraltor."
White light poured forth from the characters etched into the stele and wrapped itself around Nanoda entirely.
Return Magic activated.
In the final moment before she departed, Nanoda said this to the Other:
"In my eyes, you are already human enough. Thank you."
____
👻🔥Heey! Walnut-chan for more chapters!🔥👻
🔥 New history: Danmachi: Summoning Ruri Gokou, And other Chuunibyou Brats
Help us reach these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 universal bonus chapter