Gazing out at the verdant grass and trees beyond the white window, the young girl sat listlessly on the sickbed. A bouquet of white flowers sat in an exquisite black-glazed vase by the bedside; much like those flowers that withered and were replaced daily, the girl was extremely fragile and delicate.
Lektire stared blankly at the flourishing scene outside, lost in a trance.
Her body grew weaker by the day, her time consumed entirely by medicine. It was as if the heavens were being exceptionally unfair to her.
Unable to ever dance at a ball again, a girl who should have been in the prime of her youth was now wasting away day by day.
A sudden illness had struck a few days ago. She was sick, and gravely so.
The door opened, and Glück walked in, bringing Macht with him.
"Ah, Father."
Snapping back to reality, Lektire revealed a faint smile on her somewhat haggard face, adding a touch of pitiable sorrow to her original beauty.
Even Glück, who was usually indifferent to everything, furrowed his brows.
He had already lost his son, and this time, he was about to lose his daughter. Even as the Lord of a city, he remained helpless.
"I have already invited many famous human doctors, but none of them have a method for a radical cure. Macht, do you have a way to cure her?"
"Regrettably, I am not familiar with medical principles, and the Demon Race does not possess the concept of getting sick."
Macht shook his head. He could see the mana within Lektire slipping away along with her life force, bit by bit.
Humans were truly fragile.
"Father, it's alright. It's not my first time being sick... Cough, cough, cough..."
The strands of hair resting on her shoulder slipped down as Lektire covered her mouth and coughed violently.
She knew that Glück had silently sacrificed a lot for her. Since she had been frail from a young age, one could tell just from the doctors visiting daily and the expensive medicinal ingredients—expenses that a border noble like Glück should not have been able to afford.
"I will find a way to cure you."
More than tenderness, Glück's eyes held a steely determination. After speaking, he turned and left.
"Lord Glück." At the doorway, Denken hurried over.
"Go keep her company and talk to her," Glück said, patting Denken on the shoulder.
Nodding, Denken pushed the door open and entered.
"Are you feeling any better? Is the medicine prescribed by those doctors working? Don't worry, you will definitely get better."
Denken sat at the head of the bed. He stared straight at the floor, his expression wooden, appearing somewhat afraid to look at the haggard Lektire.
"Mm... Thank you for worrying about me." Lektire smiled gently. She wanted to reach out and stroke the somewhat despondent Denken to comfort him, but she shied away and pulled her hand back.
"There will definitely be a way... Don't give up, Lektire. When you recover... I..."
Denken's hand unconsciously gripped the bedsheet tightly.
"It's okay. With you here accompanying me, I already feel much better," Lektire comforted him softly.
I will find a way to get more money, find you better doctors, obtain a status worthy of you, and then take you as my wife.
He did not say it out loud, but Denken swore it silently in his heart.
The two of them continued to chat idly about nothing in particular.
*
Glück returned to his office. He immediately took out a cigarette from his bosom. Macht, standing to the side, raised a finger to conjure a small flame and lit the cigarette.
"Macht, next, I will arrange for you to integrate into the Empire's noble circles. Change their perceptions and let everyone know about the cooperation between Weise and you."
"That sounds truly interesting."
Macht showed great interest and amusement.
"At the same time, I need you to help me summon some more famous physicians from various places... Money is not a problem."
Having cleaned up most of those nobles, Glück had received a large sum of wealth from Aaron.
"As you wish. So, who is the first noble we shall visit? Before that, you had best provide me with some necessary intelligence; I will do my best to build friendly relations," Macht said slowly.
Glück exhaled a cloud of smoke and spoke slowly.
"Gaderia. Aaron."
"Why choose him first? Usually, one visits the big shots with high status first." Macht found it somewhat strange.
"Heh, although we kill nobles to attract the Empire's attention and arouse suspicion, for Gaderia to maintain independence from the Empire and survive all these years, it must possess secrets that the Empire dreads. So this time, I want you to go and take a look."
Flicking the ash from his cigarette, Glück continued.
"Rest assured. Fulfill my requests, and in the end, you will understand those emotions."
"Then leave it to me... By the way, would you like a cup of black tea? I bought your favorite tea leaves."
"Hmph. To be precise, that is what I used to like," Glück corrected him.
*
A few days later, the Gaderia Lord's Manor received a letter.
To whom it may concern:
In a short while, I will delegate my most capable assistant to come and conduct an exchange with Gaderia.
He is a very understanding fellow.
You should be able to recognize him easily.
He is a Demon.
—Glück
Not long after the letter reached Aaron's hands, Nanoda was invited to the Lord's Manor.
"What happened?"
Recently, Nanoda had asked Qual to spare some time every day to lecture everyone on his insights into magic. Although they couldn't understand much of it, they gained something nonetheless.
Nanoda had barely managed to learn the most basic, straight-line Version 1.0 Killing Magic.
Just as she was thinking of practicing her magic some more, she was taken away by the messenger sent by Aaron.
After finishing the letter Aaron handed over, Nanoda raised an eyebrow.
"Weise is sending a Demon envoy for an exchange?"
"Correct. I should have thought of it earlier. To be able to assassinate nobles so easily without leaving any human evidence, it could only be with the assistance of a powerful Demon. Looking at it this way, Glück intends to push the Demon assisting him into the light. What a bold fellow," Aaron mused.
"Isn't this a good thing? This way, cooperative Demons will walk in the public eye. In the future, Gaderia can also open a Demon Special Zone openly and legitimately."
Nanoda was certain that Glück would eliminate his political enemies and eventually ensure Macht gained recognition.
"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Then it seems the main issues are the reception, and hiding you guys well."
"Why hide? I'm even counting on poaching that Demon over to our side."
"Are you sure you have the confidence?"
Even though Weise was an ally, Aaron did not want to expose Gaderia's trump cards too early.
"No, but I really want to recruit him."
"From your tone, do you know him?"
"I have some clues."
"Is he a Great Demon?"
"Correct."
"Was he famous in the past?"
"He is called Macht of El Dorado."
"Ah?!"
Aaron had heard this name when he was a child. Even in the Northern Empire, seeing this name was enough to make people tremble with fear.
Valhart, one of the three great knights of the Northern Empire who was once world-renowned, was still a golden statue to this day.
____
👻🔥P- Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Read 40 chapters ahead on all series.
✅ Get exclusive content and updates.
Help us hit our targets:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 free chapter for all
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 bonus chapters (all stories)!