"Aura, I've decided, I'll cover for you! You can boldly go and deal with humans without any worries!"
During dinner, Nanoda suddenly spoke up, causing Aura to nearly spit out a mouthful of thick soup.
"What happened?"
Linie tilted her head, looking somewhat confused.
And so, Nanoda told the gathered Demons about the Aura debut plan that she and Aaron had formulated.
"That sounds like a lot of fun. Jane wants to go too."
"No, I'm afraid you'll get kidnapped by humans."
Besides Nanoda, the only one left who held a certain degree of goodwill toward humans and was relatively close to them was Jane, who had been tamed by humans a thousand years ago.
However, the current Jane was more like an overgrown child. Having stayed alone in the tower for so long, she had age but no life experience.
"Mmh..."
Seeing Jane looking a bit disappointed, Nanoda comforted her.
"How about I tell you a new bedtime story tonight?"
Nodding her head, Jane went back to focusing on eating her dinner; she was truly very easy to coax.
"What about the agreement regarding Qual?" Aura was somewhat dissatisfied.
Compared to the somewhat troublesome Nanoda, she was more willing to choose Qual. Although the old guy was a bit rigid, he also hated humans just like she did.
"Qual is researching a major project, so I will personally escort and protect you. With me around, are you still worried?"
In truth, Nanoda had another thought in mind. Going together with Aura would allow her to conveniently supervise Aura, and at the same time, get an understanding of the current situation among the nobles of the various human kingdoms.
"Alright, it's not like I have a way to refuse anyway."
"Sorry, Aura, this is all for the future of the Demon Race. I will definitely ensure that these deeds are passed down among the Demon Race in the future, spreading the prestige of Aura of the Seven Sages of Destruction far and wide!"
Nanoda pressed her hands together expressionlessly, pleading.
This bout of flattery made Aura feel very comfortable, causing her to hmph twice.
A week after the preparations for the Aura debut plan began.
Aaron had already mapped out the diplomatic route. This journey was estimated to take a long time; it had taken Macht several years of effort to gradually earn the trust of humans. Of course, this didn't rule out Glück's maneuvering during that period, otherwise, it would likely have been even more difficult.
Withered yellow leaves fluttered everywhere; they were the letters of winter, telling everyone in Gaderia that yet another harsh winter was approaching.
The horses snorted, and the coachman reached out to gently stroke and soothe them.
"Lady Nanoda... are you leaving again?"
Nanoda and Aura sat in the carriage. As they drew back the curtains, the first thing they saw was Yuna's face full of reluctance, and Aaron standing behind her, his head wrapped in a cotton hat.
The first time she had left Gaderia was still in the summer. The fierce battle with the Hero was already several years in the past.
She couldn't help but sigh at how fast time flew by. Yuna had also grown from a young girl into a graceful young woman.
"How about this, Yuna: why don't you and Nanoda make a promise for when she returns?"
As he spoke, Aaron gave Nanoda a look.
As if understanding his meaning tacitly.
"Sure, I also think that's a good idea. Yuna, how about we think of something to promise together? When I get back, I'll go and fulfill it with you."
Nanoda also revealed a faint smile.
Fidgeting for a moment, Yuna immediately mustered her courage and spoke.
"An adventure! I want to go on a real adventure and fight side-by-side with Lady Nanoda! Last time, I wasn't able to help at all..."
Yuna was referring to the incident a while ago when she went with Nanoda to deal with the Demon Race army inside Böse's barrier.
Her wish was unexpectedly simple.
"Is that so? Then it's a promise. During this time, Yuna cannot slack off on her magic training either. You are my strongest disciple, after all."
Because Yuna was her only disciple, Yuna was the strongest; there was absolutely no flaw in that logic.
"Mhm!"
Yuna nodded vigorously, looking to be in a much better mood.
"In my hometown, there is a custom of linking pinky fingers when making a promise. Want to try it?"
Looking at the pinky finger Nanoda extended, Yuna linked hers with it without hesitation.
The two linked fingers and swore their vow.
Amidst Yuna's waving farewell, the two Demons began their journey.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Outside was the rhythmic sound of horses and the carriage.
Aura, who had been silent all this time, spoke up.
"Making promises and such is truly stupid. It's only a departure of two or three years at most. That human named Yuna always makes that expression; it was the same last time."
"Last time?"
In truth, Nanoda still didn't know that after the Hero had arrived, Aura had directly slipped away, and had even secretly peeked at her for a period of time afterwards.
"Uh, what I mean is, there's no need to make such a meaningless promise, right?"
Looking at the expressionless Aura, Nanoda shook her head.
"You still don't understand humans, especially their complex thoughts and emotions. The concept of time for humans and the Demon Race is not the same."
"Humans are very fragile, yet powerfully contradictory creatures. Sometimes, a single promise can bring them hope and strength. Their lifespans are extremely limited; at the very least, I want to leave behind some good memories for this disciple during the prime years of Yuna's youth."
Aura's expression didn't change at all, and she spoke in a dismissive tone.
"I still cannot agree with your attitude toward humans. I'm also not very interested in that thing called a 'disciple.' Human emotions are certainly somewhat interesting, but compared to human smiles, I much prefer the look of their despair."
Nanoda thought that if compared to a Demon's instinct or killing humans in obedience to a superior's orders, this was somewhat in poor taste.
"You are still the same as always. Please, when you interact with the nobles, at least pretend to have an amicable attitude. Consider this an attempt for the new future of the Demon Race."
"I know, I know~ I naturally have my ways. Just watch my performance."
The biggest reason Aura agreed to Nanoda's plan was actually that she was somewhat unwilling to be outdone.
If Macht could do it, Aura, who was also one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, could do it too!
She, the great Aura, would certainly be more popular than Macht!
This was the confident charm of one who commanded an army of tens of thousands. Of course, those soldiers were headless and 'voluntarily' followed Aura.
"But speaking of which, where is the first place we are going to visit?"
Aura was also not very familiar with human territories. In the past, she just led her army and killed wherever they went, never caring about what place she had arrived at.
After arriving in Gaderia, apart from her usual mana training, she had never paid attention to such things either.
Fortunately, Aaron had arranged everything for Nanoda beforehand, and had even prepared a detailed map.
"The Fortified City of Weise."
Currently, Macht was still on his way back from his tour, and only Glück was present within the territory. Aaron decided to give them a taste of their own medicine by having Aura first go to the fortified city to scout things out.
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