Conclusion

Duncan for a few seconds, as if gathering his thoughts, before slowly speaking.

To put it simply:

He raised his eyes and glanced at the people around the table.

"At this moment, I am absolutely unable to defeat Macht, or find a way to break the magic of turning Diagoldze."

Frieren blinked, then immediately turned to look at Lowell beside her.

"Okay, go ahead, Lowell," she said curtly, as if to say, "Go get a glass of water."

Fern, sitting on the other side of Frieren, turned her pale purple eyes to her master upon hearing this, and calmly reminded her:

"Let them finish speaking, Lady Frieren."

Duncan looked at Frieren's matter-of-fact expression, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He spoke again, his tone returning to its previous flatness.

"Even so," he continued, his voice steady, "At least for now, I haven't lost."

Frieren tilted her head slightly, her silver hair sliding to one side with the movement.

"What's the meaning?"

"Lowell, Frieren," Duncan, looking at the two of them, "You both know how powerful Macht is, so you must be a little surprised that I'm still alive."

Frieren nodded.

"Really."

Fern let out a soft "Eh," her pale purple eyelashes drooping slightly as if she were thinking quickly.

"Huh? Why? Hmm, indeed..." She raised her eyes and looked at Duncan, "Only now do I realize that although Mr. Duncan is Macht's disciple, since Macht has already turned the entire Weise to Goldification, they should be enemies. Its perception couldn't possibly have failed to sense Mr. Duncan's magic power, yet it didn't kill Duncan..."

"Indeed," Duncan continued, his voice flat. "In fact, I went into the Golden Land to see my wife in Weise. But he spared me. At least for now, he doesn't intend to kill me."

Frieren crossed her arms, her emerald green eyes fixed on him.

"You're very confident."

Duncan shook his head.

"That's why I had to say it," Duncan looked up, a hint of helplessness in his voice, "I need to explain it slowly."

"Let me start by talking about the current situation in Golden Land and Macht."

"Fifty years ago, the Continental Magic Association sealed Macht in this Fortress City Weise. Although the sealing was successful, the Continental Magic Association was passive in its follow-up actions and took no further steps."

"Lairen conducted an investigation of the Golden Land in her personal capacity, Edel handed over her investigation records to me in the form of her memories. Let's begin with this information..."

He raised his right hand, palm up, fingers loosely clenched in the air.

"Let's start with this intelligence."

He finished speaking.

The light inside the cabin seemed to dim for a moment. Not that it actually darkened, but rather the air seemed to distort slightly, creating ripples like water.

Immediately afterwards, a semi-transparent magical light screen, shimmering with a pale blue glow, slowly unfolded above the center of the table. The screen was initially blurry, like a fogged mirror, but quickly became clear and stable.

The image appeared on the light screen--

The corridor of the Continental Magic Association was well-lit. Edel sat on a bench against the wall, her head drooping and her hair a little messy. Her hands were on her knees, her fingers unconsciously curling, her expression a mixture of grievance and resignation, like a cat that had given up struggling after being soaked by the rain.

Methode stood before her, a gentle, almost dreamlike smile on her face. She extended her gloved hand and gently placed it on Edel's head, stroking it tenderly, one stroke at a time.

Edel didn't flinch or look up; she simply let herself be touched, her whole demeanor exuding an air of "giving up resistance" and grievance.

The people at the table. "..."

Methode looked at the light screen, her blue-violet eyes crinkling into a smile, and the corners of her mouth curving into a pleasant arc.

"Hehehe..." she murmured, her voice brimming with undisguised joy, "Is this also part of the intelligence? It seems Miss Edel... really enjoys me patting her head."

The image on the light screen changed.

Outside a bakery, a warm yellow wooden sign is painted with a simple wheat ear pattern. The air seems to carry the aroma of freshly baked bread. The sunlight is bright, shining brilliantly on the stone pavement.

Kanne stood in front of the shop, holding a loaf of bread in both hands. The bread was shaped like a cat, with a round face, upright little ears, and eyes and whiskers made of jam, making it look adorable. She stared at the bread, her eyes sparkling, and the corners of her mouth turned up high.

Beside her, Rabiñe also held a loaf of bread shaped like a rabbit, with long, drooping ears.

Edel stood opposite them, looking at the bread in their hands with a serious expression that suggested she was "somewhat interested but still hesitant."

"Yes," she commented, "Very cute."

Kanne held up the cat-shaped bread, a big smile spreading across his face.

"Hehe, right! I bought the cat one, Rabiñe's is the rabbit one. These are the bakery's new products!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Rabiñe, standing beside her, expressionlessly opened her mouth, aimed at one of the rabbit bread's long ears, and took a big bite.

"Click."

A crisp, soft cracking sound, like the crust of bread breaking.

She chewed a few times, swallowed, and then spoke, her voice flat:

"This bread is delicious."

Kanne's smile froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at the missing ear of the rabbit bread, then at Rabiñe's calm face, her lips trembling slightly.

"You... you... you... hesitate a little longer before taking a bite! My poor little bunny..."

Rabiñe ignored him, raised his hand again, and took another bite of the rabbit bread's other intact ear.

Now the rabbit bread has completely lost its ears, looking like a bald, round ball.

Kanne let out a mournful cry and knelt down, reaching out to hug Rabiñe's waist, burying her face in her stomach, her voice muffled and tinged with sobs.

"You should cherish this lovely food a little more..."

Edel shifted her gaze from them to the window of the bakery on the street. The window displayed more animal-shaped breads: bears, birds, and pigs.

She frowned slightly and muttered to herself:

"Hmm... there are also bear designs... It's so hard to choose... which one should I pick..."

Just then, a figure walked into the frame from the side.

It was Lairen. He was well-dressed and walked with a measured pace. He walked to the bakery window, glanced at the animal-shaped breads, then raised his hand, pointed to the window, and said to the clerk inside:

"Give me five of each of those new loaves of bread."

Edel turned her head sharply, her eyes wide with shock.

"Rich people!"

She blurted it out.

Frieren, watching this scene from in front of the light screen, curled her lips downwards.

"... Is this really part of the intelligence?"

Methode's gaze was completely drawn to Rabiñe and Kanne; she gently clasped her hands together and rested them on her chin, her eyes sparkling.

"Miss Rabiñe and Miss Kanne... are also very lovely..."

Upon hearing this, Fern, who was sitting nearby, subtly shifted his body closer to his master.

Almost at the same time, Frieren also leaned closer to Lowell, resting her shoulder against his arm.

Duncan looked at the screen, his face expressionless, and calmly explained:

"'Memory Transfer' is a very delicate magic; it's difficult to precisely target the range of deliverables. What comes to mind first are always those particularly vivid fragments. There's nothing I can do about it."

Methode raised her hand, her fingertips gracefully touching her lips, her voice tinged with a pleasant nostalgia.

"Hehe... It seems Miss Edel really enjoys me patting her head. It's gratifying to have it become a 'memorable' memory."

Lowell crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he recalled Edel's "wronged but obedient" appearance in the light screen.

"Are you sure it's because you 'like' him that he left such a deep impression on you?"

The images on the light screen continued to flow.

The scene shifts to a more private room, like a study or a reception room. Edel sits on a soft chair, holding a large wicker basket piled high with various animal-shaped breads.

She looked down at the basket, then looked up at Lairen sitting opposite her, her pale golden eyes still showing a hint of disbelief.

"Are you really going to give all of these to me?"

Lairen sat relaxed in the armchair opposite her. He chuckled softly at her words.

"Compared to the rewards I intend to pay you and your family later, these things are nothing, Edel, First-Class Mage."

Edel blinked, hugged the basket tighter, and muttered softly:

"Another request... Does the Continental Magic Association really have this many requests? Oh well, it's better than being trained by Lady Serie. What is it? Lairen, First-Class Mage."

Lairen shook her head.

"No, this is a personal commission on my behalf."

Edel sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Whatever happens, I hate work."

"I'm truly sorry," Lairen's tone remained gentle, but her eyes became more serious, "Among the current First-Class Mages, apart from that esteemed person whose whereabouts are currently unknown and whom I have no way to persuade, no one's spiritual attainments can match yours."

Edel tilted her head.

"That lady? Oh, Ruby, right? Besides her..." She thought for a moment, "I remember there was that strange woman, Methode?"

In front of the light screen, Methode's smile became even brighter; she even raised a hand, her fingertips elegantly touching her lips.

"Oh dear, you remembered me~"

Inside the light screen, Lairen nodded after hearing Edel's words.

"As for Methode, while she might possess some abilities, she can't be considered an expert in Mental Magic. Besides, you said she's 'strange'... actually, compared to most first -First-Class Mages, her personality is quite normal."

Edel looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then nodded with some sympathy.

"Really? You've had it tough too, Lairen."

"No, I don't think so. I actually enjoy it quite a bit, because maybe I'm the most abnormal one."

In front of the light screen, Frieren looked at Lairen's smiling face, pursed her lips, and muttered softly, "He does know I'm weird, huh?"

Lowell patted her head.

In the scene on the screen, Edel had already picked up a cat-shaped bread and was nibbling on the ear. As she ate, she asked:

So, what is delegation?

"An Investigation of Golden Land."

Edel stopped chewing. She slowly put down the bread in her hand, looked up and stared at Lairen.

"Huh? The Golden Land? How could I possibly be of any help? You should know that human Mental Control Magic only works on humans and similar creatures, right?"

She spoke a little faster, with an air of argumentation.

"So-called human Mental Control Magic generally only works on humans and similar creatures. This is because the way Demons are born and their mental structure are completely different from humans. Therefore, human Mental Control Magic is ineffective against Demons."

"As a human, I can neither fathom the thoughts of Demons nor resonate with them. In this state, it is impossible to control their minds."

"Ordinary Demons are all the same, let alone Macht from the Golden Land..."

Lairen listened quietly to her finish speaking and nodded.

"Yes, I know. But your task is not to control the Demons."

As he spoke, he took something out of his pocket and placed it on the small table between the two of them.

Edel's gaze fell on the stone ring, and she narrowed her eyes.

"Ah..." she uttered a short syllable, "Is it that one... the one the Continental United Academy gave to the Demons?"

"Indeed." Lairen held the stone ring in her palm. "Made by the sage Ewig in the mythical era, it's the only magical artifact in the world capable of controlling Demons. This is a replica, and most of the Demons at the Continental United Academy wear replicas as well."

He raised his eyes and looked at Edel.

"It is said that Lord Gluck of Weise once used the Dominating Stone Ring to control Macht because he coveted Macht's 'Diagoldze' magic, which could create endless wealth."

"But strangely, Macht is still wearing the Dominating Stone Ring. So I think... the stone ring itself has some kind of malfunction, or the spell has undergone some unknown change."

Edel took the stone ring, twirled it in her hand, and ran her fingertips along its cool surface.

"I see," she murmured, as if talking to herself, "You want me to repair the stone ring on Macht's body."

"Yes," Lairen nodded, "I think this will play a key role in defeating Macht."

"... Don't put pressure on me. What if we fail? How do you plan to handle it?"

Lairen's smile faded slightly, but her eyes remained calm.

"Why do you think I've lived to this age?" he countered calmly. "It's because I know when to give it my all and when... when to let go. When that time comes, I'll run away with you."

Edel stared at him for a few seconds, then clicked her tongue and looked away. She picked up the cat-shaped bread again, took a big bite, and chewed.

"... Countless heroes, even one of the three great knights of the Northern Countries, were turned into gold by Macht. You say you'll successfully escape with me... that's really hard to believe."

She swallowed the bread in her mouth, patted the crumbs off her hands, and let out a long breath.

"Oh well, what can I do? I'm First-Class Mage now."

She picked up the gray stone ring, held it in her hand, and tightened her grip.

"And..."

She glanced at the adorable breads of various shapes overflowing from the basket in her arms, her lips curving upwards slightly before she quickly flattened them.

"... This bread is delicious."