Time flies — and just like that, fifteen years had passed since Nanoda first crossed over.
The Northern Lands.
Three or four years had gone by since the upheaval within the Northern Empire's royal family.
After a great deal of turmoil, the Empire — which had been on the verge of splintering apart — had managed to survive, held together by an illegitimate son of the late Emperor.
And yet, because of the previous Emperor's warmongering and his subsequent assassination (both of which were, in truth, tied back to Wolf), the imperial family's standing among the common people had plummeted.
Most of the Empire's power had been carved up among the great noble houses of the Imperial Capital. The new Emperor who had been propped up on the throne was less a ruler and more a mascot for imperial unity — a mouthpiece for the nobles pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The truth of Yuna's identity as an imperial princess had since been confirmed. After losing their Emperor, the Empire had dispatched soldiers to search for the lost princess.
A princess and a court Mage who had loved each other in secret — the child born of that union had once been a stain the Empire kept carefully hidden. But with no Emperor left, those nobles who had always clung to imperial authority suddenly remembered her existence and thought to bring her back.
All that would be needed was to marry her off to another noble family and have her produce a new imperial heir. On those terms, the Empire was not unwilling to accept her return.
But in keeping with Yuna's own wishes, Gaderia had kept her true identity concealed.
"That past is behind me. I'm a member of the Free City of Gaderia now. Gaderia is my home — not some imperial family that never once cared about me. Besides, titles like 'imperial princess' just don't really... suit me, do they?"
The girl smiled brightly. To her, learning magic freely and being together with Aaron and Nanoda mattered far more than anything else.
The Southern Lands.
A new faith — the New Divine Order, distinct from the Goddess's Order — had begun to rise, spreading outward from the Southern Lands. Under the banner of seeking the Lord and the Son of God, its followers had expanded aggressively, and it had already grown into a formidable force.
The believers of the New Divine Order all wore white robes embroidered with a red cross as the symbol of their faith, spreading the teachings of the new deity they venerated through various scriptures of different content.
The Goddess's Order had even dispatched emissaries to engage in dialogue with them. Those emissaries, originally sent to draw the faithful back into the fold, mostly ended up converting themselves upon making contact with the New Divine Order — becoming devoted believers of the new god.
From that point on, the continent gained yet another new faith. The Goddess's Order was no longer the sole dominant religion.
The Central Lands.
The Continental Magic Association — a newly established mage organization backed by the nations of the Central Lands — had grown with remarkable speed after securing that support.
And why had so many nations thrown their weight behind it? Because standing behind the Continental Magic Association was Serie.
At present, counting Mages from First Class all the way through to the ninth rank, the Association had gathered nearly two thousand human Mages within its ranks.
A thousand years ago, Mages of any real renown could be counted on one hand. Now, they were sprouting up like mushrooms after rain.
Humanity's magic had entered an age of rapid advancement.
Lerne, the chairman of the Continental Magic Association, had returned from his stint in military service.
Not long after, he received Serie's seal of approval.
Even Serie had been moved to praise the magical golems that Lerne crafted.
His golems were not only formidably powerful — they also possessed a degree of independent thought, capable of exhibiting behavior indistinguishable from that of a real person.
He had achieved his long-held ambition: becoming the Association's first universally recognized First-Class Mage, and earning the title of the Association's strongest human Mage.
"You have barely managed to step inside my idea of what a First-Class Mage should be. As for becoming a truly powerful Mage — you still have a very long way to go."
From her throne, Serie rested her head on one hand, legs crossed, one bare foot raised and pointed lazily in the direction of Lerne, who was half-kneeling on the floor.
"I will keep training and keep improving — always!" Lerne answered with earnest resolve.
"Mm. Not bad. I do wish you'd been born twenty or thirty years earlier, though — the battlefields back then were nothing like they are now. You would have been forged so much stronger, and you'd have had far more opportunities to truly shine."
Serie let out a faintly wistful sigh. This disciple of hers was genuinely talented — it was just a shame he'd had no grand stage on which to prove it.
"For me, being allowed to call myself your disciple is already the greatest honor I could ask for." Lerne offered a quiet smile.
"You certainly know what to say."
Her tone was flat as ever — but the corner of Serie's mouth curved, ever so slightly, upward.
The Free City of Gaderia.
Nanoda was in the middle of a planning discussion with Lugner about the future development of the Demon Special Zone.
By all appearances, the Demon Special Zone needed little in the way of expansion — aside from further improvements to its infrastructure and perhaps opening a few entertainment venues, there was not much else to be done.
The Demon Race had a notoriously low birthrate. The five-hundred-odd demons living there now were still five-hundred-odd demons.
As for demons outside the Zone — the Hero's deterrent kept them well away from causing any trouble.
Nanoda had actually entertained the idea of drafting a family-planning policy, then thought better of it. She had a feeling that ordering demons to reproduce would produce absolutely no results whatsoever.
It was right around then that Linie came rushing in from outside.
"Lady Nanoda — Lord Aaron has something important he needs to discuss with you."
Her words came out in a quick, clipped rush — flat and uncolored by emotion.
Linie ran in clutching a letter in her hands. Once she'd come to a stop, her two pink twin-tails swayed back and forth.
She held the letter out to Nanoda.
"A letter?"
"Aaron said you can read it first, then come speak with him about it."
Lugner added from the side, "The Demon Special Zone's management doesn't really need any major changes — I can handle things here on my own. You should go ahead and read that letter."
Nanoda nodded, broke the red wax seal on the pure-white envelope, and drew out the letter inside. Within was a single sheet of paper trimmed with a gold border.
[To the Lord of Gaderia, Mr. Aaron Gaderia:
On the 6th of next month by the Imperial Calendar, a wedding ceremony for my daughter will be held in the Fortified City of Weise. You and your companions are cordially invited to attend. Whoever comes, whatever their station — Weise will welcome them.]
The letter was signed: Glück. It was a wedding invitation.
Reading it through, Nanoda felt a full storm of thoughts blow through her head at once.
Lektire was getting married?
The image of that slender young girl — golden hair, white dress — floated up in her mind.
Nanoda had always been quite fond of Lektire. She had this gentle, soothing presence about her; spending time with her always left you feeling somehow healed.
Come to think of it, it had been several years since she'd last seen the girl. By now she must be around the same age as Yuna — that in-between stage, neither quite a girl nor yet a grown woman.
"Time really does fly. I've gone and made it just in time for her wedding banquet."
Nanoda laughed and shook her head.
Ever since she'd become a demon, her sense of time had grown strangely blurry. She used to measure life in days — now it was months, sometimes years, before she noticed them passing.
Inside Aaron's office.
"So — what do you think?" Aaron held up the invitation and gave it a little wave.
"We're going. Everyone comes. And I'm sitting at the bride's table!"
Nanoda — ever the devoted shipper — broke into a gleeful grin.
____
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