"How very interesting. I never imagined you'd harbor such an ideal. If you can achieve it, you will undoubtedly be recorded in the annals of human history."
Macht said with some emotion, then added.
"I just don't understand, why would you share your ideal with me?"
"Well, because..."
At this, Fíliya suddenly stood up from her chair and looked directly into Macht's eyes.
For a moment, Miss Fíliya felt a little annoyed. She had stood up, yet she was only at eye level with the man sitting before her. It wasn't like she was short; she was at least a head taller than Sense and Solitär... It was this guy's height that was abnormal!
After complaining to herself, Fíliya's expression became serious once more.
"Macht, I want to ask you, are you willing to pledge your loyalty to me?"
Fíliya said this with a straight face. If anyone else had seen her like this, they would probably find it quite strange.
"..."
Macht's expression clearly conveyed surprise, but he didn't speak.
"Are you surprised? You've pledged loyalty to a human once before, to that lord of Weise. Wouldn't pledging loyalty to me be the same?"
Fíliya's tone changed from serious to frivolous; it was clearly too much to ask for her to maintain a serious demeanor for long.
In response to Fíliya's words, Macht simply wore an expression as if he were reminiscing about something.
He knew very well that the loyalty Fíliya spoke of was not on the same level as the deal he had made with the lord of Weise.
And so, he spoke.
"I am not a demon with any sense of loyalty. I barely even listened to the Demon King's orders. For a demon who acts purely on interest, does his loyalty truly have any meaning?"
Macht said calmly.
"So that's a polite refusal, then?"
Fíliya chuckled. She never expected Macht to agree anyway; the invitation was just a malicious joke on her part.
"If I were to agree to pledge my loyalty, would you dispel this barrier and let me go?"
Macht asked again, an unconscious smile touching the corners of his lips.
"That's still not possible. Whether you regain your freedom or are destroyed, that will have to wait until after Weise is restored to life. You cannot leave before then."
Fíliya said, her tone firm and decisive.
"Yes, so it truly is meaningless. Pledging loyalty... what a malicious joke."
Macht said with self-deprecation.
"Yes. So, with the jokes aside, let's talk about something serious."
Fíliya sat back down in her seat.
"Please, go ahead."
Macht looked at her cooperatively.
"What is the principle behind your Gold Transformation Magic (Di Agolze)? Can you explain it to me?"
Fíliya asked very directly.
In the world of mages, directly asking about the secrets of another's magic was, under any circumstances, extremely impolite. But Fíliya felt that when facing a demon like Macht, there was no need to abide by any rules. She wanted to ask, so she asked.
Macht was clearly taken aback by Fíliya's question for a few seconds.
After thinking for nearly a minute, Macht finally answered in a serious tone.
"I do not know. You may not be aware, but for us of the Demon Race, using magic doesn't require understanding its principles, nor does it follow any logic. The way the Demon Race learns magic is completely different from your human systems. To me, magic is as natural as breathing, as simple as blinking. I honestly don't know how to make humans, who need to build theoretical frameworks to learn magic, understand the magic of our Demon Race."
Sigh... You've committed the sin of pride, you know that?
After hearing Macht's words, Fíliya's annoyance became more pronounced.
Although Macht's tone was very calm and didn't express any contempt for humanity, to Fíliya, it undoubtedly felt like arrogance.
But she had no way to refute his point, so she could only complain to herself.
So annoying! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Fíliya knew, of course, that the Demon Race were the darlings of magic, who didn't need to struggle to learn it like humans did.
She had asked Macht directly hoping he might offer a new explanation, but in the end, he didn't.
Still, this was fine. Fíliya felt her fighting spirit ignite. So you're the leader of the Seven Sages of Destruction, are you? I refuse to accept this. I will decipher your Gold Transformation Magic and prove you wrong.
But how exactly would she do it? Empty boasts wouldn't be enough.
Fíliya was lost in thought, and then she sighed.
In this situation, it seemed the only way was to become the subject of the experiment herself. That's right. To completely decipher this Gold Transformation Magic, it was probably impossible without experiencing it firsthand.
"It seems you're quite confident in your magic."
Fíliya said slowly, her eyes narrowing.
"As of now, no human has been able to withstand my magic."
Macht continued in that same calm yet infuriating tone. Although his Gold Transformation Magic had been successfully countered by that powerful Elf, he didn't think a human could do the same.
"Is that so? Then bring it on."
Fíliya said, extending her left hand directly toward Macht.
Macht was completely baffled by this, having no idea what this human intended to do.
So, Fíliya had to clarify.
"I have a favor to ask of you."
"You can just ask me directly."
"Hmm... Turn this hand of mine into gold. Using your Gold Transformation Magic."
Fíliya said with a casual expression.
"...Please retract this dangerous idea. I've said before that I have no desire to make an enemy of Solitär."
Macht continued to advise Fíliya in a calm tone.
"What are you talking about? I want to decipher your magic... Don't worry, it's just turning one hand to gold. If it comes to it, I'll just chop it off at the shoulder and find a priest for limb regeneration."
Fíliya tried to dispel Macht's hesitation. Although she said that, her pride would never allow her to resort to such a cheap trick.
I must decipher this magic with my own true abilities! Miss Fíliya made this resolve.
"..."
Macht's lips moved slightly, as if he still wanted to dissuade her, but then he considered that Fíliya had indeed provided a fail-safe plan... Besides, he was very curious about what Fíliya was planning to do.
In the end, he used his Gold Transformation Magic.
Without even a single breath's pause, Miss Fíliya's left hand was turned to gold, rendered immobile.
This made Fíliya gasp.
She hadn't expected it... this magic... truly had no casting time at all. Even though she had been on high alert, she was still unable to resist it. Just as Solitär had said, this magic was far too overpowered for combat.
It seems... to resist this golden transformation's corrosion, I'll need to constantly cover my entire body with some sort of curse-immunity magic...
Fíliya thought, making a preliminary judgment as she experienced the sensation of being turned to gold.
___
🔥 New stories are available now! 🔥
✅ Access up to 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories!
✅ Receive exclusive content and updates!
Help us hit our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan