Everyone in the Fortified City of Weise — including Lord Glück himself — had been transmuted into gold, save for Denken, who had been away at the time. With that, we lost all contact with Weise, along with whatever military support they could have offered.
Of Gaderia's two Great Demons, Qual must remain in the territory to hold the line against our enemies and continue developing new weapons. As for Jane — frankly, I suspect her magic would be countered by Macht's. I haven't been able to find any way around that problem." Aaron's voice carried the weight of someone who had long since run out of easy answers.
Qual had told him as much: Macht was the mightiest of the Seven Sages of Destruction. To challenge him recklessly — even with Aura still around, even with all three of them together — they still might not be able to match his Mana-to-Gold magic.
"Macht... that troublesome creature."
Nanoda drew the gilded arm out from beneath her black robes.
Aaron had privately wondered why she only used one hand. The moment he saw that arm — half-consumed by gold — he couldn't help but flinch.
"What in the world is..."
"Don't worry about it." Nanoda waved her good hand. "As I said — I can't dispel the magic, but as long as I get my hands on Macht first, it won't be a problem. And for the record: if he hadn't caught me off guard, I would have had him already."
"I see." Aaron nodded, gathered the documents from the table, and slotted them neatly back onto the shelf.
Nanoda stared at the golden arm in silence, as though some thought had caught her and refused to let go.
"No need to rush anything for now. Dinner — would you like to stay and have another meal at the manor?"
"No, thank you. I'd like to go see my little cabin. But — where's Yuna? I've been here this whole time and haven't seen her once."
Something had felt missing from the manor since she arrived, and only now did Nanoda realise what it was — that lively human apprentice of hers was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, her. She grieved for quite a long time after you disappeared. After that she threw herself into battle after battle, big and small. Things have been relatively calm lately, so half a month ago she headed back to the Continental Magic Association to sit the First-Class Mage certification exam."
Aaron chuckled, his voice brimming with the particular pride of a man boasting about his own child.
"If she hadn't reached out to the Continental Magic Association and brought those mages over to our side, Gaderia wouldn't have held on nearly as long. They say those mages all deeply admire Yuna's abilities."
"Is that so. Yuna's grown up."
As she turned to leave, Nanoda felt something quietly warm stir in her chest.
But ten years — for a human, how many of those could there be?
"Same as always — if there's anything you want to do, or any help you need, just come to me."
Aaron's voice drifted after her, lower than usual. Nanoda allowed herself a rare, small smile at the corners of her mouth.
...
The roads had changed somewhat, but memory guided her feet, and Nanoda found her way to the Demon Special Zone — tucked away in its quiet, out-of-the-way corner of Gaderia.
The farmland had been abandoned for years. It lay brown and black, long past mourning.
The Demon figures who should have been busy at work were nowhere to be seen.
The evening sun slanted low, painting the white walls of the empty houses in shades of red. Rusted farming tools leaned against the walls, spotted with decay.
The lounging chair — where some lazy someone used to nap with a military treatise draped over their face — sat empty.
Desolation. Only silence remained.
A bird's cry swept through the air and faded.
Nanoda realised, all at once, that even the quiet Demons — those who rarely spoke, who merely moved from place to place and went about their days — had made this place feel lively by comparison.
They were gone. The Demons were no longer here.
"Please set your mind at ease. Once the situation stabilises, I have no doubt that your beloved New Demon Association will rise to glory once more."
A figure dropped suddenly from high above, landing behind her.
"Lugner? What are you doing here?"
"?"
"Didn't you leave with your superior, Aura?"
"Lady Aura? Oh, she did invite me. But my teacher is Lord Qual now — and besides, you appointed me as Association President, didn't you? Naturally I would stay here, with my teacher and my duties."
As he said this, Lugner bowed to Nanoda with gentlemanly grace.
"More importantly — welcome back, my King!"
"You're really starting to sound just like Qual."
Nanoda didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
"Lugner — you've worked hard, these past years." Nanoda reached out and patted him on the shoulder.
At the praise, Lugner blinked — then immediately lowered his head. "I don't deserve such kind words."
He had never been complimented like that before. It felt strange, somehow — but not unpleasant.
Some Demons were still here.
...
After a brief exchange with Lugner in passing, Nanoda sent him off to get some rest.
By the time she reached her little cabin, she could see that ten years without anyone to tend to it had left the exterior looking rather worn. Dead leaves had piled up in front of the door, some crumpled into tight, papery fists.
The moon had quietly risen by now. Its light traced the silhouette of the cabin against the dark.
Looking at the black, lightless windows, Nanoda found herself thinking of the meals she had shared with Aura, Linie, and Jane — how those windows had always glowed then, one beam of light and three shadows moving behind it.
The night wind swept the dead leaves from the doorstep with a soft, rustling chorus.
Creak. Creak.
Nanoda climbed the long-neglected wooden steps and came to stand before the cabin door.
It wasn't locked. It hung slightly ajar.
She drew a slow breath, and pushed it open.
Squeak.
Just as she'd expected — nothing but darkness inside. Aura had taken Linie when she left. Neither of them was here anymore.
No lingering scent of stew. No familiar voices. Not a single point of light.
She was just about to step inside when footsteps suddenly sounded from within.
Then — something hit the floor.
Two red eyes ignited in the darkness like a pair of lanterns. Rapid footsteps rushed toward her.
Nanoda didn't move. She simply watched the shape hurtling through the dark toward her.
Jane crashed into her arms like a small wild creature.
Flying strands of hair carried a faint, distinctive sweetness of blood, tickling at Nanoda's cheek. Only then did she speak: "Is it you, Jane?"
The head buried against her chest gave a firm nod. Two hands pulled tight around the familiar presence, refusing to let go.
"It's Jane. Mother — you're finally back. Welcome home!"
Jane tilted her face up. Those cold red eyes, usually so sharp, were glimmering now, bright with something unshed.
"The books say that when a child finds their mother, they're supposed to cry sad tears. Is that what should happen now?"
The Demon girl's words had always lacked a certain register of feeling — and tonight was no different.
"You've got it wrong. It would be happy tears. But — I'd rather you didn't cry at all."
Nanoda freed one arm from the embrace and, just as she always had, rested her hand on top of Jane's head.
"Okay. Jane won't cry." Jane offered up a smile — one she had clearly been practising for some time.
It was something Nanoda hadn't expected. Someone was still waiting for her here, in this home.
"Jane — you're a good child."
"Then — will Mother tell Jane a new story tonight? It's been such a long, long time since Jane heard one."
"Of course."
That night, a single lamp came back to life inside the little cabin.
____
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