"What a headache."
Glück stared at the newspaper in his hand — the headline announced the coronation of a new Emperor. He exhaled a slow plume of smoke, then rested the cigarette on the rim of the glass ashtray. His fingers interlaced, propping up his chin, and for once, that perpetually unreadable face of his wore the faintest shadow of worry.
"It's been a long time since I've seen that expression on you," Macht said.
He set the freshly brewed black tea down beside his lord and took his place at Glück's side — as attentive as any household steward.
"Macht. How long have we known each other?"
"Six years. Six years, five months, and twenty-seven days, to be precise."
"You remember that with an uncomfortable amount of accuracy."
Glück offered a dry aside at Macht's memory and turned his gaze back to the ribbon of smoke curling up from the ashtray.
"These past years, now that the Demon threat has faded, the Empire has been quietly sweeping through the border territories it doesn't consider its own. Most of the lesser noble houses have been disposed of in the shadows. But among all of them — one territory was spared. Care to guess which?"
"You mean Gaderia?"
Macht replied without inflection. Working for Glück all these years had given him a rough understanding of noble bloodlines — the closer a house was to the Imperial capital, the purer its ties to the Imperial family. Most border lords were minor nobles of diluted lineage, or noble in name only, with no royal blood to speak of.
"Correct. You once told me that Gaderia harbors Aura and Qual — both of the Seven Sages of Destruction — along with two other Great Demons whose names I don't even know. I suspect that's the reason Gaderia has managed to survive this long. But now, the fragile, unspoken peace between the Empire and Gaderia is about to shatter."
"Because of the new Emperor?"
"'Reclaim the treasonous Gaderia. Unite the borderlands. The new Emperor of the Northern Empire.' What do you make of that headline?"
"It will win hearts easily enough," Macht said.
Even Macht, who had never fully grasped the nuances of human feeling, could see the political weight behind it.
"So — shall we lend them our aid? Give the order, and I will act."
Macht extended one hand. The Domination Stone Ring hung from it, catching the light. As far as he was concerned, Gaderia's fate was irrelevant — what bound him here was simply the promise he had made to Glück, long ago, on the road.
"No. We wait and watch. If we move rashly, the noble houses in Weise I've been keeping under my thumb won't necessarily fall in line."
"Then just get rid of the ones who object," Macht said, unbothered.
"And who would manage things if I did? They're not good people, no — but they're still useful."
"Your human social structures are remarkably complicated."
Macht shook his head and said nothing more.
"Honestly," Glück continued, "I've always thought that Gaderia — or rather, the Demons living there — lack any real ambition. With the strength they have right now, carving out a piece of the Northern Empire would be no problem at all. Even with a Hero in the picture, it's not as if he's stationed in the North every single day."
In truth, Glück envied Aaron. Gaderia had the power to overturn the board entirely. His own ambitions, by contrast, depended entirely on a single Macht to realize — here, in Weise.
"May I step away for a moment? Something personal has come up."
Macht, who had been watching Glück in quiet silence all this time, spoke up without warning.
Glück paused a beat, then said, "Go." He didn't ask anything further.
---
An orchard on the outskirts of the Fortified City of Weise.
"Mm-ngh~"
A young Demon with a pair of small horns stood on her tiptoes, one pale arm stretched as high as it would go, fingers splayed wide, straining desperately toward the fruit hanging just out of reach on the branch above. So close — always just a fraction too far. Her blue-green hair swayed back and forth with the effort.
A tall shadow fell over her from behind. A long arm reached up and plucked the fruit from the branch without any particular effort — one step ahead of her.
"What are you doing here?"
Macht held the fruit out to her and asked the question with his usual blank expression. It had been two years since he'd last seen this particular... kindred.
Solitir took the fruit, cradled it in both hands, and gave him a brilliant smile.
"It's been a while, Macht. I only came to check on how the plan is progressing. Spending too long alone on that desolate shoreline — it does get dreadfully dull."
The smile faded as she said it, replaced by a carefully arranged look of wounded grievance.
"Everything on my end is proceeding without issue," Macht replied, completely unmoved. "What I'm curious about is you — if you're interested enough to come all this way, why not follow my example and try peaceful coexistence with the humans yourself?"
For him, even the reunion of old acquaintances stirred nothing. His face remained as composed and distant as ever.
"You know how it is — I'm a very timid creature." Solitir tilted her chin up and met his gaze with exaggerated sincerity. "I'm nothing like those ones who fight tooth and nail for Demon pride and glory. I prefer spending time alone with vulnerable humans — talking with them, getting to know them deeply, studying them."
She looked at him steadily. "But putting myself in the middle of a crowd, on display like some rare specimen for them to gawk at — coexisting that way? No. That's not something I'm willing to do."
"I see. Then I'll be going."
Macht turned and made to leave without another word.
"What a dull creature you are."
Solitir watched him go — not once did he look back. She raised the fruit in her hand, let the small fangs at the corners of her mouth show, and bit in.
Sweet juice burst across her tongue and filled her mouth. Solitir's eyes curved with quiet pleasure.
She had come this time only to observe Macht — to see what had changed in him since he returned from his travels and placed the Domination Stone Ring back on his hand. What she found was: nothing. No change whatsoever. Which only made her look forward to that day all the more.
---
Northern Empire. A dim, secret chamber.
Five figures in black knelt on the floor, foreheads nearly touching the stone. Standing before them were the two most powerful men in the Empire at this moment.
"I hadn't expected the Empire to have cultivated something like this alongside its shadow operatives."
Duke Wolf, white mask in place as always, stroked his chin and looked over the kneeling assassins with undisguised fascination. When his gaze met their dull, lifeless eyes, something like excitement crept into his voice.
"Practically indistinguishable from the Demon Race. These are the killers trained specifically to eliminate Mages?"
The Prince — now Emperor of the Northern Empire — gave a measured nod.
"Father had them trained in secret, for the purpose of eliminating powerful Mages. In terms of pure capability, each one is worth a hundred shadow operatives. They are among the finest assassins in existence. A good number were already dispatched by Father to the Central Lands and Southern Lands for covert operations. What remains here, hidden within the palace — is only these few."
"Magnificent. I didn't think it was possible to produce weapons like these." Wolf propped one hand against the side of his mask — a posture that looked almost theatrical, touched with a streak of genuine madness. "Not a trace of mana from any of them — and yet that killing intent of theirs... it brings back memories."
"Memories?" the young Emperor asked, not quite following.
Wolf caught himself and snapped back to attention with a short, dismissive wave of his hand.
"Never mind that — more pressing matters first, Your Majesty."
He reined in his excitement in an instant. The Emperor felt a flicker of irritation at the deflection but said nothing. He raised one hand and directed the command at the five assassins kneeling on the floor.
"By the order of the sole Emperor of the Northern Empire — infiltrate Gaderia Territory, and kill the Great Demon residing there: Aura."
____
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