Solitär

"Long time no see, Macht," the girl in the dress said with a smile.

Opposite her was Macht, but between the two—no, between the two demons—was a transparent white barrier.

"Because of the barrier, you can't hear what I'm saying, right?"

"The Frieren the Slayer has begun analyzing your memories." The girl looked at a magic book.

"While you probably won't be interested, that guy is one of the most powerful mages among the human forces."

The girl continued talking to herself.

"The number of spells in this world that could potentially kill you can be counted on one hand."

"Without a doubt, she is one of them."

The girl had no idea how Frieren had run away from Macht hundreds of years ago.

"About a century ago, you wanted to achieve coexistence between Human race and Demons, and I was determined to see how that ended."

"Therefore, I'm here to help you."

The girl placed her hand on the barrier.

"However, I've always been a coward."

"I worry a lot, and I'm afraid of failure."

"I'm not so smart as to despise humanity."

White smoke rose from the girl's hands, as if she were being repelled by the barrier.

"I see."

"I know that even a mage of your caliber, at the pinnacle of their art, cannot decipher the reason for this barrier... Different countries and ethnicities, with their intricately interwoven magical theories, have created this barrier. It was constructed by many great human mages; it is the Crystallize of their wisdom."

"The barrier is built upon the foundation of human magical theory; without this knowledge, brute force alone is absolutely insufficient to break it."

"This is a barrier that no ordinary Demons could possibly break."

"However," she stretched out her hand and pointed at the barrier, "Unless you're Demons like me, someone who enjoys studying humans."

"It will take about two months to complete the analysis."

The girl put her hands together, made a cute gesture, and stuck out her tongue.

Macht watched her silently, his magnificent gold coat still draped over his left shoulder.

The country girl watched as the purple-haired girl packed her suitcase and threw out a bunch of random treasures, and her heart ached.

The earthy girl and the purple-haired girl sat at the table eating, surrounded by some "people"—golden people—who were either talking or drinking.

"Ah~ The Protective Barrier Formation of the Kamm Clan, who make a living by sealing Demons in the Southern Lands, is a barrier theory created based on the Principle of Irreversibility. It was once used for the defense of the Unified Empire, the highest masterpiece of Court Magic, the Great Barrier of Separation..."

"That completes the analysis."

"They've managed to blend magical theories with completely different origins and techniques together like art."

"I can't bear to ruin it."

The barrier shattered into pieces.

Like a woman's heart that has been broken.

I just said I couldn't bear to ruin it.

Macht stared expressionlessly at the shattered barrier.

"Next, the battle for the coexistence of humans and demons will begin." Solitär her hands together in front of her chest, fingers interlaced and pointing upwards, making a polite greeting gesture.

"It seems your magic perception was correct. That Demons analyzed the barrier; it appears he felt there was no need to hide it anymore."

"Such a powerful magical reaction... there must be a Demons there that can rival Macht."

"The area of Goldification has expanded. Let's retreat."

"Solitär, what are you doing here?"

Macht sat by the fountain.

"Don't tell me you came to save me out of some sense of kinship."

"Macht." The girl smiled sweetly, her hands behind her back, looking just like the girl next door. "Have you found those feelings we used to discuss?"

"..."

"I see. It seems you haven't found it yet. Things are unfolding exactly as I predicted back then."

"We both want to understand humanity, yet we follow completely different philosophies."

"However, I don't dislike your inquisitive nature."

Solitär also sat down by the fountain.

What are you trying to say?

The golden coat was still draped over Macht's left shoulder.

"I want to tell you that experiments will always fail. But as long as you keep repeating these failures, you'll eventually get the answer."

"Macht, continue your experiment."

"I hope you can prove that the coexistence of Demons and humans is nothing but a pipe dream."

I will do my best to help you.

"... Whatever you like." Macht glanced at the stone ring in his hand.

"Lord Duncan, please protect Frieren. She is in a crucial stage of memory analysis and cannot wake up for the time being. You go first, I will cover your retreat."

"I'm so sorry to have dragged you all into this."

The girl in the dress appeared in front of the purple-haired girl.

"Don't be so tense, I don't want to fight you. I just want to get to know you. Oh, right, since this is the first time meeting a stranger, I should introduce myself. I am the Great Demons Solitär, nice to meet you."

"The nameless Great Demons."

The purple-haired girl remembered what Frieren had said before—if you encounter an unnamed Great Demons, don't hesitate, run away immediately. The Great Demons' powerful magic is invariably the result of years of honing their skills; if they've lived for so long without any record of it...

It could only mean that all the humans who encountered them had already perished.

The purple-haired girl looked at the girl in the dress who had her hands clasped together and a pure smile on her face.

"Huh, you want to run away? No way~ You've misunderstood me. I've just been living in secrecy ever since. I've never killed anyone~"

"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Come on, let's chat..."

I want to know more about you...

Swish!

The Killing Magic was unleashed instantly, but as the smoke dissipated, it was blocked by Solitär's honeycomb-shaped Defensive Magic.

"Please stop joking, you smell strongly of a corpse."

"Ugh, how annoying! So what is this anyway...? Solitär always washes herself thoroughly after killing someone... Solitär very clean..."

"That's impressive, you didn't hesitate at all. You've been trained very well."

"Are you wondering why I can Defensive Magic? It's because I enjoy learning about humans, just like humans like cats and dogs and want to understand them, right?"

"You are an excellent mage. Can you tell me your name?"

Where is your hometown?

"They look like people from the Southern Lands."

"Your master is Frieren?"

"Your hair accessory is so cute! Did Frieren give it to you?"

"Your staff looks great too. Do you maintain it yourself, or do you have someone else do it?"

How old are you?

"You're so beautiful! Do you take care of your skin?"

The purple-haired girl didn't speak, but simply pointed her staff at her.

"--I'm sorry, I haven't spoken to humans in a long time. It must be hard to answer so many questions at once. Let's take it one at a time."

The tip of the purple-haired girl's staff gleamed faintly.

But 0.01 seconds later.

A sword that appeared out of nowhere pierced her shoulder.

"Eh..." The purple-haired girl looked at her shoulder.

Countless ancient-looking swords appeared in the air.

"If I see you attempt to attack again, I'll cut off your hands, rendering you incapable of fighting."

Answer my question, I want to understand you.

"Sigh... cutting off my hands isn't so bad... I can answer questions as long as I have a mouth..."