Facing Macht
Evening.
Inside the Barrier.
Dunkel led the way.
Frieren and Fern followed on either side.
Rienta and Stark followed at the end.
They are heading towards Fortress City of Weise located in the very center of the Golden Land.
Based on Dunkel's account and information from Frieren's memory analysis.
This region is the domain of Glück and his family.
Macht is different from other Demons.
It attempts to understand human emotions.
According to the timeline...
Macht likely arrived in the Fortress City of Weise some time after accepting the invitation from the Demon Chancellor [The All-Knowing] Schlacht to besiege [The Hero of the South] and successfully completing that mission.
He also became the magic advisor to the Gluck Family.
Subsequently, the Gluck Family used the [Dominion Stone Ring] to issue two commands to Macht.
The people of Weise will forever be subject to you.
We must never harbor Malice towards the people of Weise.
This is why Dunkel tried to negotiate to remove [Golden Land].
He was originally one of the survivors of Weise.
His wife was from the Gluck Family.
Because of his control over the Dominion Stone Ring, Macht never made a move against Dunkel.
Perhaps, this is also because Dunkel learned magic from Macht from a young age.
Not long after.
Rienta and her group of five arrived at the glittering Gluck Estate.
Macht stood to the side of the doorway, one hand on his chest, bowing slightly to Dunkel.
"We've been waiting for you for a long time, please come in."
Having said that, he led everyone into the manor.
As they walked down the corridor, Macht turned his head and asked, "May I ask who these guests are?"
"They are all my friends, don't neglect them."
Dunkel walked calmly at the front, appearing more like the master of the mansion than Macht.
Macht's half-step-back movement was also similar.
It has always positioned itself as a magical advisor.
"I see."
After hearing Dunkel's explanation, Macht stopped, turned around, looked around, and then fixed his gaze on Frieren.
It was still that impeccable aristocratic etiquette.
Place one hand on your chest and bow slightly.
Welcome, dear guests.
"Nice to meet you. I am Macht, serving as the magic advisor to the Gluck Family."
Macht, being Demons, is over two meters tall.
Even when she was bowing, she was still considerably taller Frieren.
Frieren raised her head, looked at Macht, and said calmly:
"This isn't our first meeting; we fought each other Six Hundred Years Ago."
Macht bowed even lower.
Over the course of six hundred years, it has experienced countless battles.
Even though the creature before it was a rare elf, it had absolutely no recollection of this incident.
Long-established etiquette tells it that it should apologize first in this situation.
Please forgive my past rudeness.
Seeing this, Frieren chuckled, "Is that so? You really don't remember anything at all."
Before Macht could answer, Frieren added a casual remark.
"How about I help you remember?"
After those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the corridor instantly froze.
Macht no longer made a conscious effort to maintain that aristocratic demeanor.
He straightened up and quietly looked at Frieren, his own immense Mana beginning to flow.
Demons never suppress their magical Mana, and Macht is no exception.
Frieren remained unaffected by the overwhelming Mana and stood still.
But Fern and Stark, who were following behind, immediately drew their weapons and aimed them at Macht.
Rienta stepped forward and looked directly at Macht.
Its own Mana soared into the sky without any concealment.
One purple, one blue—two Mana collided in the long corridor.
Visible Mana ripples even appeared in the void.
The clash between the human and the demon has surprisingly reached a stalemate.
On one side is Macht, the strongest of the Seven Sages of Destruction of the Golden Land who has cultivated for over a thousand years.
On one side is Rienta relies entirely on her own efforts.
Macht never expected that in a simple contest of Mana, he would be evenly matched with this human boy in front of him.
At the center of the Mana clash between the two, Frieren smiled slightly and took two steps back.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense.
Dunkel, who was walking at the front, turned around and spoke up to stop the others.
"Stop, Macht, we're not here to fight."
Upon hearing this, Macht withdrew his Mana, bowed to Dunkel, and said apologetically, "I'm very sorry."
Led by Dunkel, the group continued toward the reception room.
Yes, the Golden Reception Room.
Everything—mounts, tables, the ground—was gleaming with gold.
Macht poured everyone a cup of tea using standard teaware.
He then said to Dunkel, "Please have some tea. It's freshly brewed."
Seeing Dunkel staring at his teacup in silence.
Macht picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said:
"These are all tea utensils that Mr. Glück once cherished, and I have deliberately preserved them in their original state."
Dunkel stared blankly at the steaming teacup on the table.
Upon witnessing this scene, Rienta curled her lip in disdain.
What's wrong?
When Dunkel visited before, Macht never served tea?
Now I'm speechless because of a teacup.
Rienta coughed lightly and gave Dunkel a wink.
Tell him not to forget that his purpose in coming here was to gather information.
Dunkel nodded and began to chat with Macht.
Seeing this, Rienta nodded in satisfaction, then leaned closer to Frieren and whispered:
"Lady Frieren, how are you?"
Fern and Stark sat together, both looking terrified.
They were truly frightened by Macht's sudden outburst of Mana.
This is Macht, the strongest of the Seven Sages of Destruction of the Demon Clan, from the [Golden Land], who is said to have cursed countless people with Demons [Magic That Turns All Things to Gold].
Even though I knew beforehand that Rienta could undo the Golden Transformation, I was still a little scared when I actually faced her head-on.
Frieren didn't answer Rienta, but instead looked at Fern and Stark with great interest.
"Didn't I tell you not to get angry later?"
Both Fern and Stark were speechless.
Before she arrived, Frieren did indeed tell them not to be angry.
But they never expected that the reason Frieren said those words was to provoke Macht.
The plan was clearly to gather information, and then wait for Serie and the other First-Class Mage arrive so they could discuss a solution for those people who had been Golden Transformation within the Barrier before taking action against Macht.
Who would have thought that Frieren's first meeting would be so hostile?
Rienta directly confronted Macht head-on.
Seeing this, Frieren smiled and patted Rienta on the shoulder.
"Well, Rienta is here, and besides, there is something I do want to confirm."
Finally, Frieren looked at Macht sitting opposite her.
Macht, holding a teacup, sat down opposite the group with an air of nonchalance.
He first apologized to Dunkel, who was sitting in the main seat, and then looked at Frieren.
What do you want to confirm?
"That's really concerning."
"So, have you reached a satisfactory conclusion?"
Frieren said nonchalantly, "Well, the conclusion is that I really can't beat you one-on-one."
Macht, however, seemed quite nonchalant about it, taking a sip of tea without responding.
Frieren paused for a moment, then added casually:
"Also, I now know that you're not invincible."
Macht placed the teacup on the table, making a 'clink' sound.
After glancing at Rienta, he remained silent for a moment before looking at Dunkel.
"Lord Dunkel, and who is this?"