In the ninth year since the Hero Himmel's passing.
Darkness, a chill damp, a splitting pain as though her skull were being torn in two, that all-too-familiar sensation of rending, of being peeled apart.
Stray thoughts crowded in. Would this magic really succeed? Reviewing the past—since coming to this world, had she not become somehow different from her usual self? As if she were becoming something no longer herself…
With a sigh, Nanoda broke off her training.
Even accustomed to it as she was, she couldn't stop herself from wondering where this pain—which she thought of as a wound to the soul itself—truly came from.
"Is it because I've gotten old? It does seem to be happening more often."
Nearly fifty years had gone by since she'd come to this world. Counting the years of her previous life too, it seemed she was almost at the point of celebrating her hundredth birthday.
Though she'd always called herself a Great Demon of the Mythical Era, that was only her body's age. In a sense, among the Demon Race she was actually quite "young."
A Great Demon of the Mythical Era with a mental age of barely a century, surrounded by demon subordinates who were two or three hundred years old—some over five hundred.
"Or is it because of the magic?"
Nanoda shook her head and decided to go out and clear her mind.
"Well then, let's go grab something to eat."
She suddenly found herself craving Gaderia's food street. The grilled skewers at that little stall never got old, no matter how many she ate.
Lately Aura had been staying in Kinton's domain, so the cooking at home was all handled by Linie…
"Ugh… looks like I'll be mooching meals all over the place again this month."
She pulled the hood of her black cloak up, and Nanoda vanished from the spot. In the instant the fine gravel scattered into the air, she was already standing not far from the mouth of the cave.
…
The market streets were crowded and lively. A figure in a black robe, hood drawn low, walked down the main road; a few stray strands of white hair slipped free and drifted, faintly visible.
It was a rather suspicious getup. Some outsiders cast subtle, probing glances her way, but recalling Gaderia's peace and its local customs, they shook their heads in the end and relaxed.
Many of the locals, on the other hand, only smiled and said nothing, wearing the look of people long past being surprised.
Now and then a patrolling guard passed by. They would fix her with a hard stare at first, then just as quickly let her be—yet their previously loose bearing turned unusually solemn.
"The city's as steady as ever today," Nanoda murmured to herself.
After passing a few more familiar corners, she reached that little grilled-skewer stall.
A roadside stand unchanged for decades—no sign, no nameplate, a tent-front thrown up wherever there was room, its sparse-looking tables and chairs packed with customers.
The fragrance of meat grease mingled with spices told passing pedestrians this was a very good grill house indeed.
"Hey there, welcome! Would you like something already cooked, or would you rather grill your own?"
Seeing someone approach, the young man greeted her warmly. His hands flipped nimbly over the grill, and he freed one to point out the few remaining seats.
"Huh? Auntie… no, I suppose I should say granny now? Did the stall change hands?"
That stout old woman with the head of white hair had become a young man a size smaller than her.
"I could've sworn it was still her last month."
"This getup… so you were one of Ma's regulars. Sorry, sorry—some things happened, and from now on I'll be the one running this stall. But don't you worry! I inherited her craft, and I guarantee the taste is exactly the same as before!"
Seeing Nanoda's confusion, the young man scattered spices as he explained.
"Your ma, she…"
Nanoda pushed down the rather unpleasant thought rising in her mind and listened patiently as he spoke.
It seemed he wanted to give Nanoda time to brace herself—or perhaps he needed it himself.
After a stretch of obvious heaviness and silence.
"She's gone traveling."
"…?"
"Whew. Ma's ancestral home was originally further north. A war long, long ago destroyed everything except the Northern Empire, and she was forced to move here. Gaderia back then… well, you know how it was—far less free than now, or rather, downright chaotic."
He drizzled on a little more clear oil.
"There were plenty of hard times, but she finally managed to build a decent life. Still, she's gotten old… just half a month ago she passed the craft and the stall down to me, then rented a spot with a caravan heading north through the Merchant Guild."
"Before she left she told me: if any regular came asking, I should say she'd set out on a journey to seek her homeland."
He sprinkled on chopped scallions and seasoning powder, brushed on the sauce, and plated it all neatly.
"Well, it's not really any great matter. I just hope things go smoothly for her… ah, one moment—"
The young man scooped up a big platter of freshly grilled skewers he'd just finished, rushed it off in a flurry, then dashed straight back.
"One order of grilled bird eggs, one of lettuce, plus one order each of the other meats, right? Ma made a special point of you before she left. Rest assured—I guarantee it's still that same good flavor Ma used to make!"
"Is that so."
Nanoda nodded and watched the young man work with patience.
The aroma of grilling meat, the chatter of customers, the searing heat of the stove, the sizzle of turning fat.
A sudden stillness.
The Mana of the world drifted slowly. Those factors—formless, spread invisibly across all creation, imperceptibly fine—warped and condensed by slow degrees, taking shape as threads thin as a spider's web.
Peace within, an incomparable steadiness. Her thoughts were clear and yet clouded at once.
The Mana was tempting Nanoda to touch it, to master it, to adjust it.
"Mm."
"Something wrong, ma'am?"
"No, it's nothing. Truly a very peaceful life. Peace."
Nanoda came back to herself with a jolt—she'd nearly slipped into the state of a training fanatic again.
"That's right, and it's all thanks to you and everyone else. There we go—your skewers, same as always. If they're no good, you don't pay."
Nanoda grabbed the platter, piled nearly high enough to hide half her face, and picked a corner with hardly anyone around to sit down.
She hesitated, but in the end kept her hood on—after all, her appearance did draw a bit too much attention.
Picking up a skewer, she began to sample it on her own.
No sooner had she swallowed than she snatched up several more and dug in with gusto.
Halfway through, Nanoda paused.
"As I thought… the taste isn't the same as back then. But it's not bad, either."
Looking at the half-eaten grilled bird egg in her hand, Nanoda found herself remembering a certain dusk many years ago.
"Honestly, I really have gotten old—always fond of looking back on the past for no reason."
Just as she was starting to find plain eating a little tiresome and thinking of fetching a drink, a stir ran suddenly through the chatter of the customers around her.
A small wooden keg of foam-topped beer was set down on her table.
A familiar voice rang out, carrying a hint of coldness.
"Boss, mind if I have some too?"
Nanoda looked up, and a smile—surprised yet faint, there and not there—crossed her face.
"How is it you've taken to eating human food too?"
"Same as with magic. Everything's worth a try."
Lugner pressed one hand to his chest, bowed slightly, and then sat straight down across from her.
____
👻🔥Read More on P@treon: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Zenless Zone Zero: Rewriting Fate in New Eridu — now up on The_Mikudayo
📚 Walnut-chan = 40 chapters ahead + you keep the translations moving
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone