"So, where did Aura run off to this time?"
Nanoda had meant to come back and tell Aura the good news about retaking Kinton, only for that girl to go and pull another vanishing act.
"You mean that junior who keeps shouting 'this time I'll definitely win'—the one who can't really lose all that easily?"
Curled into one corner of the sofa, hugging her knees, the little one gave her head a couple of shakes.
"And who might this be?"
Looking at the little l0li before him, Aaron guessed that she must be a member of the Demon Race that Nanoda had brought back from her travels.
"Nofi." A slender arm lifted, and the teacup that had been sitting on the table floated up, settling steadily right in front of Nofi—without spilling a single drop.
"I see. As for Lady Aura, all we know for certain right now is that she's probably headed off to the Central Lands. I'll have to send people to search out her exact whereabouts."
"No need. It's not as if she's some stray animal—she'll come back on her own."
Savoring a slice of cake for the first time in ages, Nanoda had come to feel more at ease about Aura.
Judging by how Aura was these days, she shouldn't stir up any trouble too serious.
"More importantly, what became of the ownership of the Kinton Territory in the end?"
The moment a professional matter came up, Aaron grew solemn as well. He picked up the coffee on the table, took a gulp, and organized his words.
In Nanoda's eyes, Aaron opened his mouth and then went utterly still—as if someone had hit the pause button, freezing him in place.
Feeling that something was off, she turned her gaze to the side of the sofa.
There she saw Nofi clenching her teeth, like a small wild beast under threat, all but baring her fangs in a snarl.
Following the direction of Nofi's trembling gaze, Nanoda only then belatedly noticed that uninvited guest.
The first thing to catch her eye was that signature orange-gold hair—a setting sun laced with pure gold, dreamlike and carrying an aloof, romantic beauty.
Long, narrow eyes, golden pupils, and skin as fair and flawless as a finely polished sculpture.
She was wrapped in a white Grecian-style gown fastened with an emerald clasp, her lotus-root-like legs bare and her five toes pressing against the floor, utterly untouched by dust.
"That territory belongs to the Continental Magic Association."
That legendary elf now stood right here, her words carrying a domineering, irresistible force.
"Serie."
The familiar name slipped from Nanoda's lips. Right now she was more tense than she had been the very first time she met the Hero.
So this had come to pass after all.
That mythical old elf Serie, who holed herself up in the Association day in and day out—
even without ever setting foot outside, she always managed to know everything happening in the world, and remained perpetually in a state of watchful observation.
Even when the Demon King had ignited a war, this elf had never once lifted a finger—so much so that many beings in the world nearly forgot such a figure even existed.
What Nanoda had done in Gaderia had inevitably drawn Serie's attention; she simply hadn't expected the other party to come in person.
"I was wondering who it could be. So she's that Serie."
Nofi seemed to have recovered somewhat. She hooked her hands and pulled a cushion up in front of herself, shrinking into the corner of the sofa as she spoke.
"You know her too?"
Nanoda grew ever more curious about Nofi's age.
"Since we come from the same era, shouldn't you know better than I do? I've only heard tales of her deeds. Even before I went into seclusion, I never once saw her appear."
Nofi shifted her slightly uncomfortable body a bit.
"Actually, I don't really go out much either."
Having finished her hushed exchange with Nofi, Nanoda fixed all of her attention on Serie.
If it came to a fight with this old-timer, just how much of a chance would she—hailing from the same era—actually have?
"Why did you come in person?"
Rather than continuing to discuss the territory's ownership, Nanoda was more curious about Serie's true purpose.
A territory like Kinton was perhaps something Serie wouldn't care about at all; her mind should hold only the Continental Magic Association and the advancement of magic.
Right now, both sides had concealed their Mana, unable to see through each other.
As Nanoda sized up Serie, Serie was sizing up Nanoda in turn.
"I merely wanted to see with my own eyes just what sort of person the master that child chatters about every single day really is."
Those golden eyes of Serie's seemed able to see through everything, staring at Nanoda until it made her skin crawl a little.
"For just that?"
"As I thought—I can't see through you."
It was a remark that left one utterly baffled.
Serie went on: "Let's make a deal, Demon Race."
"And the terms? Elf."
Nanoda yielded no ground in momentum, either.
She knew that, unlike Serie's usual unshakable, seemingly transcendent-of-the-mortal-world exterior, deep within her heart she had always retained her emotions.
Nanoda had always regarded her as an elderly, obsessive-compulsive old woman who clung stubbornly to her own inflexible path of magic.
Since it was Serie herself proposing this, it naturally wouldn't be some lie meant to dupe her.
"An alliance between the Continental Magic Association and Gaderia. I can grant you ownership of the Kinton Territory, and the Association will maintain its former wartime support for Gaderia. The coexistence of Humans and the Demon Race that you're promoting in the North—we'll help promote it as well."
Serie spoke this long string of words very slowly, each one landing with weight.
"Since this is so advantageous to us, what's your condition on the other end?"
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; Nanoda wanted to know the price.
"Only one. Do not hinder the advancement of magic."
It was a concise reply, one that made her doubt her own ears.
"Then, in your view, what exactly counts as an act that hinders the advancement of magic?"
"That, you'll have to grasp for yourself."
She really did feel this elf was something of a riddle-speaker, holding a whole belly of words back and refusing to say them.
"In the current state of things, I'll do nothing."
After adding that one line, Serie fell silent, those sharp eyes awaiting Nanoda's answer.
"In that case, I have no reason to refuse either."
Having weighed it in her heart, Nanoda gave her reply.
"But the Kinton Territory will have to be handed over to your Association's management for the time being. I still need to consult the wishes of the people who originally lived there."
At this, Serie fluttered her jet-black, lovely lashes once and nodded.
"If you take an interest in magic, you may come to the Magic Association to find me. Any magic you need, you can exchange it with me."
Leaving that line behind out of nowhere, Serie vanished from where she stood.
The scenery all around began to distort, and Nanoda's head began to ache.
"Hey! Are you all right?!"
Aaron's somewhat frantic voice reached her ears, and Nanoda instinctively reached up to rub her head.
As her vision refocused, before her was a cup of black tea that Aaron had brewed for her, the pale-red liquid reflecting her rather dazed expression.
"Aaron, where on earth did you get this tea?"
"Huh? The Continental Magic Association gave it to Yuna a while back. Since I saw Yuna wasn't drinking it, I just took it to use… don't tell me this tea—?!"
"It's fine, it's probably not poison—I was just schemed against a tiny bit."
There was absolutely something Serie had secretly slipped into it.
This old-timer actually resorted to underhanded tricks!
Nanoda swore she would never again eat anything from the Mage's Association.
Curled up on the sofa off to one side, Nofi jolted awake. Staring at the empty teacup, her expression uncertain, she said, "Did I just have a nightmare?"
____
👻🔥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