Gold

At dusk, in a sheltered spot on the cliff, stands a neat little wooden house, untouched by the Goldification.

This was prepared for the barrier manager. Although Duncan said he didn't need help, they stayed here anyway, though they didn't know what Lowell said to him in the end. Duncan spent the night in the Goldification house.

Fern sat on a fur-padded stool by the fireplace, holding a cup of hot water in both hands. Steam rose and wafted up, warming her chin. She didn't drink, but simply watched her reflection shimmering in the cup.

After a while, she looked up and saw Lowell sitting against the wall opposite her.

"Lord Lowell."

Lowell, who was resting with his eyes closed, twitched his eyelids upon hearing this and opened them a crack.

"Kindness?"

Fern's gaze shifted to the firelight.

"This Golden Land, Goldification... can you undo it?"

Lowell did not answer immediately.

He was silent for a few seconds, then leaned back, the wooden chair creaking slightly.

"... cannot."

Fern turned her head, her pale purple eyes looking at him with a hint of confusion.

"Eh? I remember you said something back in the snowfield..."

"It's different, Fern." Lowell's voice was lower than usual. "Macht's 'Diagoldze' magic isn't Mental Magic or anything like that; it's a 'curse.' You... should be able to sense it, right?"

Fern's hand holding the cup tightened unconsciously, a few fingers gripping it more tightly.

The water in the glass sloshed.

"Yes." Her voice was steady, but her speech was a fraction slower. "Although this hut is some distance from the Golden Land, my magical perception can only define this Golden Land as pure gold nuggets. There are no signs of life, no magical fluctuations, nothing at all, just like a... vast natural gold mine."

She paused, raised her other hand, and rubbed her temple with her fingers. A tiny bead of sweat had appeared there.

"Not feeling well, are you?" Frieren's voice came from beside her. She sat on the low cabinet near the door, leaning against the wall, one leg bent, chin resting on her knee, her emerald eyes looking at Fern. "It's alright, I'm the same."

Fern turned his face away.

"Eh? Frieren too..."

"Human magic and Demons are worlds apart," Frieren said, her tone flat, as if stating common sense. "But most Demons magic is still magic. This 'Diagoldze' magic, however, is more like a curse. It's magic used by Demons or monsters, whose principles haven't yet been deciphered, capable of putting people to sleep, petrifying them, or altering the form of living beings or objects."

She turned her head and looked at Fern.

"You can't sense the current Macht, right?"

Fern nodded.

"Yes. I couldn't sense his presence at all."

"Because even perception can be interfered with by the gold," Frieren added. "That gold itself is like an incredibly thick barrier, isolating, covering, and assimilating everything inside."

Fern took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She lowered her head and looked at her reflection in the glass.

"Hmm, indeed... so incomprehensible... I can't even imagine how to fight such a being. If it weren't for the two of you beside me, I probably would have been forced to turn and run away by this silent pressure long ago."

"Don't count me in," Frieren said immediately, her lips curling down in a slightly disgusted expression. "I can't beat that guy."

Fern raised his eyes.

"Well?"

"Macht of the Golden Land," Frieren repeated, her voice flat, "I can't beat him. The only ones who can beat him are Lowell or Serie. Even Himmel or Ruby are the same... I can't win."

Fern paused for a moment, as if slowly weighing the weight of those words in her mind. Then, she looked at Lowell again.

"Hmm, that strong... Then, since you can defeat Lord Lowell, why can't you break this curse? You are also Demons."

Lowell let out a short sigh. The sound was so soft that it almost blended into the crackling of the firewood.

"I am Demons..." He seemed to be thinking about how to explain, "But I don't understand this."

He sat up straighter and turned his gaze to the leaping flames in the fireplace.

"Whether they are Demons or monsters, they all have something they are naturally good at. Macht dedicated his entire life to his area of expertise, so how can I possibly counter it?"

He paused, then continued.

"Moreover, one of the most fundamental things... magic is a world of imagination. The idea of 'restoring gold to human form' is simply not something I can visualize. After all, as I said before, even imagination needs to be aligned with each person's constitution or level of magical adaptability."

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, a faint smile that carried a hint of helplessness.

"A crucial point is that, in my understanding, gold is composed of the element with the chemical symbol Au and atomic number 79. If I were someone like Ernest Rutherford, I probably could have found a way. But right now, I can't."

Fern listened, her pale purple eyes gazing at him silently. The firelight flickered in her eyes, reflecting a thoughtful glimmer.

She thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Hmm... I don't know the person you mentioned. But, although you said you're not someone who wants to or can't control everything, I also remember you saying you greatly admired Mr. Duncan. As for this matter, was it that you didn't realize it at the time, or was there some other reason that prevented you from stopping it before it happened? With your 'Future Prediction,' if you wanted, you could have prevented the birth of the Golden Land, right?"

Lowell remained silent for a moment.

The silence lasted longer than before. A spark popped from the firewood in the fireplace with a soft crack.

"Oh, this..."