Connecting all the clues, Fíliya couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of respect for the slightly stooped old man before her.
She was now very glad she had the patience to listen to Denken's story. After all... the story's viewing experience was actually quite good.
At the same time, Denken's image in her heart transformed from an 'old geezer with some skill' into an 'admirable Pure Love Warrior.'
"What kind of person was Lektire?" Fíliya asked Denken with a smile.
Denken was slightly puzzled, unsure why Fíliya had suddenly taken an interest in his wife. He then revealed a thoughtful expression; fortunately, this contemplation lasted only the span of a single breath. After all, that person's voice, appearance, and personality had long been branded into his heart, with no possibility of ever fading.
"Unlike her frail body, Lektire's personality was relatively lively. She would cherish every moment she was allowed out of bed."
"Every time I was beaten miserably and looked wretched during my sparring sessions with Macht, she would snicker on the sidelines. But afterward, she would lean in with great concern, trying to apply medicine to me... even though I told her many times she didn't need to, I could never win against her stubbornness."
"She loved lively events like balls, so she pestered me to teach her how to dance... but actually, I wasn't good at dancing either."
"I remember one time I fell asleep in the study. When I woke up, I found a coat draped over my back. When I questioned the maids, the answer was that no maid had entered my study... Then I went to confront Lektire, and she admitted it was her doing right away... She really didn't know how to cherish her own body at all."
Recalling those bits and pieces of memory, Denken's mouth seemed to have a switch flipped, and he kept talking incessantly.
Under normal circumstances, Miss Fíliya would have lost her patience long ago. She definitely would have given this old guy a kick and then angrily scolded, 'That's about enough, is there no end to this?'. But right now, Miss Fíliya was willing to show a bit more patience.
"What about her personality?" Fíliya slowly pressed for more only after Denken's narration paused.
"Just like most noble ladies who are innocent of the world's ways... she always held the most benevolent imagination toward others. Even if you told her the human heart is sinister, she wouldn't believe it... But perhaps that was for the best. Anyway, in her situation, she didn't have the opportunity to suffer for it in that regard."
"Hmm... is that so? Then why is she buried here? Does your Glück family not have something like a 'Family Cemetery'?" Fíliya continued asking.
"Of course we do... But on her deathbed, she specifically requested to be buried here... The Family Cemetery is truly a bit too cold and lonely," Denken said, taking a deep breath.
Is that so...
Fíliya looked at the tombstone before her, her expression taking on a tinge of sighing sentiment. To refuse the Family Cemetery and choose to be buried together with the majority of commoners... From this point alone, one could imagine what kind of girl this 'Lektire' was.
Alright... since she was already here, she might as well do a good deed.
Fíliya made up her mind and then looked at Denken.
"Denken, if you could see 'Lektire' one more time, what price would you be willing to pay?"
Denken did not respond immediately. Instead, he stood frozen in place, as if he dared not believe what he had heard.
"Hurry up, I'm asking you a question."
Under Fíliya's urging, Denken finally snapped back to reality.
"I am willing to pay with my life..." Denken answered in a solemn tone.
"Uh... it doesn't need to be that heavy... Let's make it this: you must remember you owe me a favor, okay? When our travels reach The Empire, you have to facilitate things for us."
As Fíliya spoke, she unleashed her [The Other Shore]. Hmm... wasn't this magic meant to be used at times like this?
Although it was still very taxing, Miss Fíliya could now maintain [The Other Shore] for a period using her own power. After all... the current her had already touched the realm of 'Unity of Heaven and Man.' Every minute and every second, with her breathing, her mana reserves would naturally increase. The result was that she was becoming stronger with every passing second.
...After the barrier of [The Other Shore] expanded, Denken turned directly into a wooden statue.
In that boundless sea of flowers, a figure from memory clearly stood. Only, that person's face was no longer sickly and pale, but full of healthy color.
"What are you staring for? Hurry up... I can't maintain this magic for too long. If you have anything to say, go say it quickly!"
Seeing Denken's stupefied appearance, Fíliya directly reached out and shoved the old guy. She thought to herself, 'You're a person with one foot in the grave, why are you spacing out like a young kid?'
Thus, as if his physiological functions had been restored, Denken slowly walked toward that figure.
Under the illumination of the moonlight, Miss Fíliya lay prostrate before the guest room window, looking dispirited.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you encountered something interesting?" Solitär stood beside her, sharing the moonlight with Fíliya while voicing her query.
"Mm... that is true, but I'm worried about something else now." Fíliya cupped her cheeks in her hands, continuing to gaze at the moonlight outside the window. "Are Aura and Linie asleep?"
"Yes, sleeping very soundly. So what on earth are you annoyed about? Can't you even tell me?" Solitär's curiosity seemed to have been piqued.
Sigh...
To this, Fíliya only sighed lightly. The reason for her worry was actually quite strange to speak of. She hadn't expected that fellow Denken to explode with such massive emotional fluctuations, causing her [Emotional Points] to skyrocket all at once.
That goal she originally thought she would have to struggle over half her life for—it had only been two or three years, and she was already close to achieving it. With just a few more random events later, she estimated she could save enough points to exchange for that... [Magic to Transform Humans into Demons].
So then... after she really exchanged for that magic, what exactly should she do...?
What distressed her was precisely this.
This was also something she hadn't thought through. She originally assumed that after spending half a lifetime of painstaking effort to exchange for the magic, she would have figured out how to use it. But now, the closer she got to that goal, the more at a loss she felt. After all, everything happened a bit too fast; she indeed needed more time to think.
"It's rare to see you so depressed." Seeing Fíliya sigh again, Solitär couldn't help but curiously reach out and poke Fíliya's cheek.
"Sigh, you'll understand when you reach my age. These are all adult troubles." Fíliya spoke in an old-fashioned tone, then draped one arm around Solitär's shoulder, completely disregarding the other party's look of disdain.
The next day, since she couldn't show her face in Weise anyway, a bored Miss Fíliya quickly bid farewell to Lord Glück and Frieren's party, taking Solitär and the others to embark on their journey once again.
However, before leaving, Fíliya made a special trip to the dungeon to see Macht one last time.
"It seems Lady Fíliya is leaving?" Inside the cell, Macht looked at Fíliya with a calm expression.
"Ho, nice environment. You can even brew tea to drink." Fíliya glanced at Macht's living conditions and subconsciously voiced a retort.
"So, does Lady Fíliya have any matters to instruct this humble one with?"
"No, just behave yourself from now on. Continue to linger on in this city and contribute to humanity... I just have something I'm curious about and want to verify."
As Fíliya spoke, she extended her arm. Of course, she had already turned that hand of hers into gold.
"Hm?" Macht was somewhat puzzled upon seeing this.
"Restore my hand."
Macht was silent. He raised an eyebrow slightly, then did as asked, restoring Fíliya's hand to flesh.
"Ha! I knew it!"
Watching this scene, Fíliya excitedly kicked the iron bars in front of Macht. "You guy, since when did it start?" Fíliya questioned repeatedly.
"Mm... during that battle with you." Macht answered quite honestly. He, who once could not restore humans, had already taken a step forward.
"Is that so... It seems I really am a good teacher; I guarantee mastery of what I teach... So, to perfectly master this magic, one really must find a balance between protection and destruction...?" Fíliya muttered to herself with a look of excitement.
"Regarding this point, it seems I owe you a debt of gratitude," Macht also said at this moment.
"Hah? You're really funny. I chopped off one of your hands, and you still want to say thank you? ...But you do indeed owe me a favor, so... if I ask you to help with a small matter in the future, you wouldn't go so far as to refuse, right?" Fíliya looked at Macht with narrowed eyes.
"Of course. If there is anywhere this humble one can be of service, Lady Fíliya need only give the order."
"Oh, I'll remember those words." Fíliya nodded with satisfaction, then slowly withdrew from the dungeon.
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