Chapter 79: Solitär's Inquiry
Northern Continent · Oiseth
Late at night, two patrolling soldiers turned a street corner and came face to face with a slender figure.
"…Huh?"
"At this hour—who's that?"
They quickened their pace and soon made out her features:
blue-green hair cascading down her back, pale green eyes—
and a harmless, gentle smile.
"A little girl?"
"It's past midnight. Why aren't you home? What are you doing wandering around outside?"
Solitär paused, then lifted her gaze toward them, her tone polite and sincere.
"May I ask—out of what kind of state of mind did you decide to stop me?"
"—State of mind?"
The two soldiers exchanged glances.
What a strange question.
Combined with that unusual hair color…
Was she a runaway? A troubled girl?
"Ah… we don't mean any harm."
"We're city guards. We asked because we're worried about your safety."
"—Worried, is it?"
Solitär murmured, seeming to ponder the word.
"Ah, worry… I've already consulted other humans about that subject."
"To study it again would only waste time."
The two soldiers burst out laughing almost in unison.
"So she is a problem child…"
"Alright then, let's just take you—"
—Slash.
Before either of them could finish speaking, a massive sword appeared out of nowhere and cut them cleanly in half.
Their concern—
and their memory of Solitär—
were buried together on the spot.
Solitär continued forward at an unhurried pace, eventually stopping before a grand commercial residence.
Northern Jewelry United Chamber of Commerce
"People who live in a place like this," she said softly,
"should be able to teach me quite a lot about humans."
The next moment, the front doors creaked open.
A butler stepped out—skin shriveled, eyes vacant.
"Please, follow me."
Solitär nodded, smiling.
"So he's already become an empty shell…"
"No wonder—even Macht of Golden Land found this magic troublesome."
"It seems there's no longer any need for communication with anyone inside."
She followed the butler through a deathly silent hall and up five floors.
Everyone they passed went about their business mechanically, never once sparing her a glance.
As if she didn't exist at all.
Reaching the top-floor reception hall, she smiled at the tall, elongated shadow before her.
"Grausam, I must say—your mental magic truly is extraordinary."
"Is that so?"
Grausam turned from the window. His pale face showed not the slightest hint of emotion.
"I thought you'd find it tedious."
"Heh. Compared to Macht, who simply turns people into gold, at least your magic studies the human mind."
Solitär twirled her fingers lightly.
"Even I can't help but feel curious… What kind of state of mind does a human experience when a lost dream is restored, when they fall into eternal sleep within a beautiful illusion, imprisoned forever in endless unreality?"
Grausam tilted his head.
"Solitär, humans inside the Paradise cannot speak with you."
"And the Demon King didn't send you here to discuss such things."
"—That's true."
Solitär lowered her gaze.
"After all, your mental magic failed—rarely so, Grausam."
Grausam snorted softly, recalling the events of the Full Moon Ball.
The man who should have been corroded by mental magic and reduced to an empty shell—
"…Is he the Demon King's teacher?"
"Yes."
"The Demon King said it himself. Elias is the strongest demon he has ever known."
At that, Grausam's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression growing colder.
"The strongest demon…"
"So His Majesty's meaning is… that I should retreat?"
"Hehe, not at all."
Solitär laughed softly, her fingers dancing in the air.
"The Demon King said that although his teacher is the strongest demon, he is not the most perfect one."
"Because Elias, like those fragile humans, carries a long-held desire—"
"The pursuit of humanity."
"…Hmph."
Grausam let out a quiet sigh, a rare flicker of emotion crossing his face.
"A demon… pursuing humanity."
"That's hard to imagine."
"Are you sure it isn't just performance and disguise?"
"—Unfortunately."
"I've seen it with my own eyes."
Solitär lowered her head with a faint smile, recalling her first meeting with Elias.
"I merely mentioned wanting to speak with the villagers living alongside him, and he immediately sealed the entire village beneath a powerful barrier."
"I still remember the overwhelming magic that surged toward me—so full of threat that I truly thought I might die there."
"Eight years passed. He lived peacefully with the villagers. I've even heard he formed so-called bonds with the great mage Flamme, and with an elf."
Grausam remained expressionless.
"What is a bond?"
"Oh, you've asked the right person~"
Solitär brightened, pacing lightly around the room.
"I once asked a pair of comrades. They told me that a bond is a connection of human emotions."
"At the time, I didn't understand."
"But when I was about to kill them—and they tried to protect each other until their final breath—I understood immediately~"
Seeing Solitär's cheerful smile, a cunning glint flashed in Grausam's eyes.
"So that's a bond…"
"It sounds like a fatal weakness."
Solitär turned away quietly.
"Since you understand now, I won't disturb your grand plan any further."
"That said, confronting Elias head-on is a dangerous choice."
With those words, her slender figure vanished into the darkness.
Grausam lifted his gaze to the full moon.
Using so-called bonds to lure that man willingly into Paradise…
That might be a viable approach.
As for the chosen target—
It certainly wouldn't be the Valkyrie of the battlefield.
"Heh…"
"At the very least… before the auction."
---
Meanwhile, in the Holy City, Strahl—
The moment Carlile heard the name Grausam from Flamme's lips, her eyes ignited with fury.
"That Grausam—the one who killed my teacher—has taken over Miss Leiya's body and infiltrated the United Army?!"
"No! I'm going there right now—"
"—Calm down, Carlile."
Serie spoke evenly, analyzing the situation.
"Miss Leiya's status is special. Acting rashly will only provoke the military—and may even backfire."
"I sent Elias into the army precisely to restrain the enemy's plans."
"As long as he's there, the situation remains stable. The enemy won't dare act openly."
"And the true battlefield is not the manor."
Carlile looked utterly confused.
Flamme, however, understood immediately.
"But Master, we must act quickly."
"I have a feeling the Full Moon Auction in thirty days will be a critical turning point."
"—As expected of my disciple."
Serie nodded approvingly at Flamme, while Carlile stared blankly.
"Um…"
"What exactly are you all talking about?!"
Serie smiled faintly.
"Carlile, it's time to open Peach Blossom Spring once more~"
"Flamme, you should experience it too."
"I promise… you won't want to leave~"
---