Good news: the Empire has wiped out the Witch of Rebellion and the remnants of Anhadi. In exchange, the Southern Lands will grant the Empire free garrison rights over parts of its border regions, and the fame of the Northern Empire now spreads across the entire continent.
Bad news: the Empire has lost two Marquises — the greatest tragedy since the death of the previous Emperor. Is this a collapse of morality, or a distortion of human nature? Undercurrents seem to be stirring within the nation.
On the story behind the fall of the Kingdom of Ert: the latest investigation by the Continental Magic Association suggests a wild Great Demon may have emerged — a major crisis looms over the Central Lands.
The innocence of the free city of Gaderia, a city where Humans and the Demon Race coexist: the fortress city of Weise, and Macht — bound by the Domination Ring — stand as guarantors of Gaderia's reputation.
The Marquis's untold scandalous affairs: a slave trade suspected of violating Imperial law, courtesy of a philandering hypocrite.
The Church of the New God and the Goddess's Order now stand in total opposition — is a war without gunsmoke about to begin?
Authentic magical relics of Flamme, the legendary Human Great Mage, have surfaced in a small nation in the Central Lands, drawing crowds of Mages to the region.
In memory of the tenth anniversary of the Hero's death, a moment of silence for all.
…
Lugner flipped through report after report of rumors his agents had gathered from all over, and the worry weighing on him finally faded away.
The Continental Magic Association still stood on Gaderia's side, and Weise had weathered the attacks from the anti-Demon faction among the other Northern nobles.
The door swung open, and a tall figure strode in.
"Hasn't the King come back yet?"
Qual grinned, baring his shark teeth, looking in good spirits.
"He's probably still on the road. According to the reports, nothing's wrong."
Lugner tossed a stack of documents onto the desk without changing his expression.
"Heh heh, this old fool can hardly wait to show off his masterpiece."
Qual had won a decisive victory in his battle against the Marquis who'd invaded Gaderia, and the new magic weapon he'd invented had proven its worth in the field — a first step toward the promise he'd made to Nanoda.
"Ah, found you! It really is Qual!"
As the voice entered the office, the grin on Qual's face twitched, ever so slightly, back into a tighter line.
Years as a lord had taught Lugner to read a room while keeping his own face perfectly still, and he caught that small detail.
He realized it: Qual was actually afraid!
Something that could frighten the Sage of Corruption, a Great Demon among Great Demons!
Lugner unconsciously pushed up his square-framed glasses and got a clear look at the newcomer.
Little Übel, clutching a staff made of ironwood, ran up and grabbed the hem of Qual's white coat!
Qual turned his head, stiff and awkward.
"Why do you keep following me?"
Beside them, Lugner instantly settled in to watch the show — a human girl who'd lived barely ten-some years could make Qual, a thousand-year-old Great Demon, afraid.
"I told you already — I'll keep following you, keep watching you, keep learning about you, until I understand and master Killing Magic and the Defensive Magic that goes with it!"
Little Übel looked practically on fire with enthusiasm.
Übel had always thought she was already quite impressive for her age.
She'd mastered Severance Magic and Ordinary Offensive Magic, and her Mana reserves outstripped every other kid her age who studied magic.
Yuna had always praised her as a prodigy.
But after fighting Solitär and meeting powerful Demons like the Grand-Master and Qual, Übel had developed an inexplicable sense of inferiority.
She never wanted to feel as helpless as she had that night again — facing a Great Demon's casual, crushing blow, she'd used everything she had just to block a single strike.
"Qual! I want to become stronger."
"That doesn't mean you have to keep tailing this old fool everywhere. Just come by when this old fool is teaching the Demon Race their lessons."
Qual recalled the terror of being dominated — stalked, really — by Übel.
When he went out early in the morning to search for magic materials.
When making magic tools, when teaching magic to the Demons under his command, when strolling and resting by the farmland, at lunchtime, while browsing the general store, while researching human culture in the library, while buying street snacks to pass the time, while watching the sunset in the evening, while cultivating his Mana at night, while writing research reports and drinking coffee late at night, even while lying in bed in the middle of the night — every single time, through some transparent window, a pair of eyes would be quietly watching him!
Today he'd deliberately taken a long detour with Flight Magic before returning to Gaderia, and he'd still been spotted.
If this had happened in the old days, he would have unleashed Killing Magic at full power and wiped out every last bug lurking in the shadows.
But Übel was the King's grand-disciple, so Qual couldn't do that — and besides, the free city forbade Demons and Humans from harming each other.
"It's only by understanding what kind of person you are, by grasping how you think, that I can learn your magic."
This was how Übel learned magic — entirely by feel and imagination. Aside from spells like Severance Magic, which suited her instincts so perfectly she could pick them up instantly, whenever she set her sights on a spell she wasn't naturally good at, she resorted to this method of cling-and-pester-until-I-understand-you.
Some bespectacled young man with countless clones would become her victim, somewhere in the future.
"I'm a Demon... not a human."
"Didn't the Grand-Master say that Demons and Humans can sometimes understand each other?"
Watching Qual's flustered discomfort and Übel pressing him step by step,
Lugner felt like he was watching an elderly old man being pestered relentlessly by an unruly little brat.
"Ahem. Übel... I still have work to do."
Lugner watched Qual's expression darken further and further, genuinely worried the Demon might lose his temper and tear the lord's manor apart.
Don't be fooled by the Demon Race's usual blank, expressionless faces — most of them didn't have good tempers at all; they were arrogant and easily provoked.
"Anger" was one of the few emotions Demons displayed openly.
Only fear of higher-ranked Demons, of absolute strength, could compel them into submission.
Now here was Qual, being harassed by a human child separated from him by a chasm of strength, and the Great Demon's dignity lay scattered all over the floor.
"This old fool... will be going now."
Qual reached out to push Übel's hand away, but pulled back at the last moment. He turned and walked off, letting Übel keep her grip on his white coat as she followed close behind.
Once the human and the Demon had left, the office settled back into its usual quiet.
"How amusing. And how unbelievable, too."
Lugner felt he'd truly changed. The old him, who'd once made mastering Blood Magic his entire world, now found himself enjoying these small, everyday moments.
Lord of a human domain.
He thought he finally understood why Lady Aura liked gathering so many subordinates and ordering them around.
Power fascinated not just Humans, but Demons as well.
…
Outside the lord's manor,
"You're Übel, aren't you? This old fool happens to have a real method to make you stronger. Want to give it a try?"
"Yes, I do!"
Seeing Übel agree without hesitation, Qual flashed a devilish grin.
"Come fight this old fool, then. Real combat is the best way to study magic."
Feeling the overwhelming Mana radiating from Qual's entire body, Übel's eyes shone with admiration.
____
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