Standing before the carriage was a young girl in a white dress, her back turned to the speeding vehicle. The coachman had no choice but to grit his teeth and slam on the brakes.
Clatter!
The carriage jolted violently. If Nanoda hadn't reached out to steady Aura, who was sitting across from her, the latter likely would have been thrown from her seat.
Nanoda immediately covered Aura's mouth, cutting off the string of curses the angry Demon was about to let fly.
Pulling back the curtain, Nanoda peered outside.
Amidst the panicked neighing of the horses, golden hair fluttered and spun in the air. A delicate, beautiful face came into view, framed by the swaying white dress. Combined with her slightly bewildered expression, she looked like a lost angel.
Sensing the commotion behind her, Lektire turned around.
"Ah, I'm sorry..."
Realizing she was blocking the way, Lektire curtsied to the coachman in apology.
In this late-autumn orchard, the ground was blanketed with withered yellow leaves. The branches were bare, long stripped of their once-abundant fruit. The carriage wheels creaked as they came to a halt atop the fallen foliage.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Lektire, who had been apologizing just a moment ago, could no longer suppress the pain in her throat and began to cough violently. She moved slowly, trying to pull herself to the side to clear the path for the carriage.
Her fit of coughing made her look incredibly frail.
The coachman stood there with a conflicted expression.
Nanoda hadn't expected to run into Lektire again. In her memory, the cute little girl who used to poke her bottom with a wooden stick had grown into such a sickly beauty.
"Hey, is that human brat trying to cut her life even shorter? She looks like she's on death's door anyway."
Aura struggled free of Nanoda's grip. She had nearly fallen because of that sudden stop; where was the dignity of the Seven Sages of Destruction?
At that moment, a steady yet hurried voice rang out.
Glück came running over, beads of sweat on his forehead.
"Father... cough, cough, cough..."
Glück stepped forward and supported the weakened Lektire. He led her to the side of the road, removed his coat, and draped it over her shoulders.
"Why did you sneak out again? Go back and rest properly. You must listen to the doctors."
Smelling the heavy scent of tobacco on Glück, Lektire gave him a tragic, weary smile.
"I just wanted to come out for some fresh air... You've invited so many doctors, but I haven't shown any signs of recovery at all."
Faced with this reality, Glück found himself at a loss for words.
"You'll get better. I have enough funds now to hire even better physicians for you. Believe in yourself... believe in... me."
This man, who had remained unfazed even when facing Macht, showed a flicker of sorrow for the first time.
The carriage door opened, and Nanoda stepped down, leading Aura with her. The coachman, who had intended to continue driving, stopped what he was doing. He was a high-level employee who knew how to read a situation; seeing the important figures leave the carriage, he simply focused on soothing the horses and waited patiently.
"It has been a long time, Lord Glück."
The moment Lektire saw Nanoda, a strange sense of familiarity welled up in her heart.
Seeing two members of the Demon Race descend from the carriage, Glück shielded Lektire behind him, his expression shifting to one of stern authority.
"And who might you be?"
"You certainly are forgetful. Didn't we meet once before at a ball? Gaderia, Aaron... do those names ring a bell?"
After studying Nanoda carefully, a look of realization finally dawned on Glück's face.
"You were Aaron's companion back then."
"Exactly. You may call me Nanoda."
Glück never imagined his intuition would fail him so completely. The broken-horned Demon before him overlapped with the figure he remembered wearing an evening gown.
Then again, how could an ordinary Demon travel so openly into human territory in a carriage?
"Have I met her before?" Lektire asked softly from behind him.
Nanoda offered a faint smile to the sickly, beautiful girl.
"We met a long time ago. Your daughter has grown up to be very beautiful... though it's a pity..."
"Enough. What is your purpose here? Macht told me long ago that Gaderia had chosen to cooperate with Demons, but seeing it with my own eyes is still quite shocking."
Glück's face remained impassive as he cut straight to the point, asking Nanoda for her intentions.
"Just as you promote Macht as a friend to humanity, Aaron and I wish to promote Aura of the Seven Sages of Destruction as an envoy of friendship and peace between Humans and Demons. We've come this time to consult your experience and seek your assistance."
As Nanoda spoke, Aura stood beside her, barely suppressed her dissatisfaction.
"I see... however..."
Promoting Macht and convincing the nobility had been trouble enough; Glück had no desire to help with this.
Right then, Nanoda suddenly turned to Lektire.
"Lektire, do you want to live?"
"Eh?"
Stunned, Lektire wondered if she had misheard. What was this Demon talking about?
Glück's planned polite refusal died in his throat.
"I'll ask you one more time. I may have a way to cure your unknown illness. Do you want to live?"
In an instant, Nanoda's words triggered a flood of memories in Lektire's mind, eventually settling on the image of a blunt young man with a shy smile at a ball.
Every day she choked down bitter medicine, burying her sorrow and tears deep in her heart. She had to maintain a constant smile for the person she loved most.
She didn't want to die.
She was still waiting for Denken to return. There were so many things she wanted to do. She didn't want to die yet.
The girl, who had always pretended to be strong, finally let her tears fall.
Her pale lips parted as she practically screamed the words.
"Please save me! I don't want to die!"
For some reason, the words of this broken-horned Demon named Nanoda seemed to possess a strange magic, making her want to believe from the bottom of her heart.
Looking into those grey eyes, half-hidden and half-revealed, Lektire suddenly remembered.
This was the Demon sister who had brushed away her pain under the tree all those years ago.
"...Shall we talk at my manor?" Glück sighed, seeing Lektire's reaction.
Nanoda smiled faintly.
In the original timeline, Denken would take the First-Class Mage exam in his old age just to return to Weise in the North. He would work with Frieren to liberate the Golden Land and defeat Macht.
The greatest motivation behind those actions was simply to visit the grave of his wife, who had died young.
Nanoda felt that Denken was a truly tragic character. He spent his youth struggling and striving, only to look back and find his beloved long gone. Because of Macht's actions, he hadn't even had the chance to return and sweep his wife's grave.
He buried that love deep in his heart until he was an old man, utterly alone.
Since she had met Lektire once before, Nanoda could not bear to let this tragedy unfold before her eyes.
____
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