Due to years of unrelenting warfare, Qual's research outpost — originally situated in the rear hinterlands of Gaderia Territory — had been relocated to the inner city.
Fortunately, it wasn't far from the Demon Special Zone, so Nanoda didn't have far to walk.
"Qual~"
She pushed open the door to the research institute. The clanging din from within — iron striking iron — swallowed her voice whole.
Qual stood at the centre of it all, leading the ten Demons who had followed him through everything, the lot of them bent over a spread of thin, iron-black sheets.
Each time his small copper hammer fell, it was as though magic had been laid into the blow — a curved depression appeared in the black sheet, sparks skittering off the surface. Blow by blow, the flat sheet was gradually shaped into a half-sphere bowl. Only then did the hammer hang suspended in the air.
"This old one has been caught up in a spot of research. Please forgive any slight discourtesy shown to my King."
Qual handed the finished half-sphere to an assistant nearby, then strode over in long, unhurried steps.
He dropped to one knee with great solemnity. Even kneeling, his massive frame brought him level with Nanoda's eye line.
"It's been a long time, Qual. What new trick are you cooking up this time? Is it related to whatever blew up when I got close to the city walls back then? Never mind the formalities — get up."
Qual's bearing was unchanged from before. He lifted his head, those fierce, blade-sharp eyes fixing Nanoda's image squarely within them.
"Somewhat similar. This old one has been experimenting with a new casing — sacrificing some of the destructive yield in exchange for greater portability. The previous weapon was Killing Magic Device No. 1. This one is No. 2."
Only after finishing his explanation did Qual slowly rise to his feet.
"More importantly — you must have something of greater urgency to bring to this old one."
"I'd love nothing more than to sit and reminisce, but yes — I need your help, and I need it quickly."
One had to admit: Qual was not merely a genius of magic. When it came to matters concerning the Demon Race, he was sharp, seasoned, and deeply shrewd.
And yet — in the pursuit of magic itself — this same creature teetered on the edge of madness, hurling himself forward without a shred of restraint.
At Qual's word, his apprentice-assistants cleared a patch among the chaos of the research institute, setting out an empty table and chairs for the two Demons to speak.
"You've heard about what happened to the Fortified City of Weise, I take it."
"Of course. That youngster has gone and done something rather significant." Qual stroked his thick beard and gave a slow nod.
"How much do you know about Macht's Mana-to-Gold magic?"
As she spoke, Nanoda lifted the arm — more than half consumed by gold — and set it on the table.
Qual's eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.
"I see. Mana-to-Gold magic — this old one has only ever heard of it. Never witnessed it in person. Without experiencing it directly, this old one cannot claim any certainty. My King — you would not object to this old one touching it, I hope."
The moment magic entered the picture, Qual's expression shifted into one of avid, almost gleeful fascination — though to any outside observer, those parted jaws revealing rows of sharp fangs looked far more like a threat.
"Go ahead. If you can, I'd like you to find a solution to the gilding as quickly as possible."
The next time she faced Macht, Nanoda had decided she would make some necessary preparations first — not simply charge in headlong as she had before.
What Macht had done this time — transforming all of Weise into a golden land in one stroke — carried, if anything, the flavour of a declaration of war made from a position of readiness.
Qual's large hand settled entirely over Nanoda's arm. A moment later, a golden current flickered briefly between them — and he yanked his palm away.
"Well?"
Qual opened his hand and studied his palm. His other hand worked ceaselessly at his beard. An expression of thoroughly humanlike discomfiture spread across his face.
"This old one attempted a simple probe. Mana alone cannot so much as scratch the gilded surface. The gold Macht generates is harder than the most advanced Defensive Magic humans currently possess — and it is entirely impervious to deeper analysis through mana."
Far from discouraged by the failure of his initial attempt, Qual fixed his gaze on Nanoda's golden arm with even greater burning intensity than before.
"My King — would you permit this old one to simply sever that arm and study it around the clock? That way, this old one might perhaps find a method of dispelling it within a shorter span of time."
"...Excuse me?"
Nanoda was not Jane. She did not possess anything close to that absurdly transcendent regenerative ability. She had never, in fact, tried severing an arm and letting it grow back.
Perhaps Paradox Magic could manage it?
But for Nanoda, constructing a paradox of that nature would be even more difficult than puzzling out the principles of Mana-to-Gold magic herself.
"To speak plainly — if this magic had been cast upon this old one's own body, there is a chance this old one could find a way to break it. However, even then, it would take a very long time. This old one must confess to being powerless in the short term."
Faced with Qual's somewhat helpless answer, Nanoda nodded with easy acceptance. She had more or less expected as much — it had been worth a try, nothing more.
Even Frieren — a genius of magic without peer — had spent over a century just to undo the gilding on a single arm.
Even Qual — inventor of Killing Magic, an equally formidable magical genius, and someone intimately familiar with the Demon Race's system of magic — could not possibly devise a dispelling method in any short window of time.
And if it truly came to waiting a century, or even a few decades — Frieren would probably stumble across the solution to the golden land problem somewhere along the road on one of her travels anyway.
Just as Nanoda was sinking into thought, Qual spoke up abruptly.
"May this old one raise a tangential matter?"
Nanoda glanced up and gave a small nod.
"Your return at this particular juncture has surprised this old one somewhat. Had a few more years passed, this old one might well have done as Aura did — and left."
"Then what was it that kept you in Gaderia during the ten years I was gone?"
Nanoda had always understood this about the Demon Race: they had no fixed allegiances. They pursued strength and power as a matter of instinct. Any sense of collective loyalty resembling what humans possessed was, as a rule, almost entirely absent.
"It was something you once said. You said that the Demon Race needed to coexist peacefully with humans. So this old one took it upon himself — in much the same way as this old one studies magic — to study humans a little."
Qual rested both hands on the table. Something seemed to cross his mind — something that amused him. A hint of genuine pleasure bled into his tone.
"This old one's conclusion is that humans are, in fact, remarkably useful. Previously, this old one regarded them purely as subjects for magical slaughter and experimentation. Looking at it now, this old one is prepared to revise that assessment somewhat. They are far more efficient than the Demon Race when it comes to gathering resources, and they work with considerable effectiveness. Thanks to them supplying materials, this old one's research has yielded results within a mere ten years."
"So after I disappeared, you continued your research and carried on cooperating with Gaderia in my stead?"
"You could put it that way."
"I did say — never underestimate humans. Otherwise you wouldn't have ended up sealed away back then, either."
Nanoda noticed it then — Qual had changed, just slightly. Only a fraction. But the Demon Race was not quite the immutable, unchanging thing one might suppose.
They were simply creatures who had buried themselves wholly in magic, and lacked the understanding of much else.
"You will be fighting Macht again before long, I imagine. Will you be taking this old one along? This old one would be most willing to accompany you."
"No need. Keep to your research. I'll leave Gaderia in your hands."
"As you command."
Having taken her leave of Qual, Nanoda decided to go find Jane — there was an experiment she wanted to run with her.
____
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