Late autumn had passed, and it was now deep winter. Several more months went by, but unfortunately for this group secluded by the coastline, they had no opportunity to feel the changing of the seasons.
These days had been incredibly fulfilling for Fíliya, allowing her to enjoy a period of peaceful, everyday life.
Every day, she would discuss magic with the two Greater Demons, and of course, there were also various sessions of joking and lighthearted banter.
From time to time, she would collaborate with Solitär on new research, and at other times, she would enjoy a massage from Linie. Life was truly pleasant.
And so, on this day, while Fíliya was still immersed in meditation, a figure slowly walked into her room.
"What's taking so long today? Aura can't wait any longer; she's clamoring for dinner."
Solitär had crept up beside Fíliya.
At that, Fíliya opened her eyes.
"Hm? Am I really that important? You can't start the meal without me?"
The moment she saw Solitär, a smile immediately appeared on Fíliya's face. Although she was smiling almost constantly, it was clear that Solitär would never tire of seeing her smile.
"It's just a bit surprising. Aren't you usually quite eager? Why are you so focused on meditating today? It's not like you. Or perhaps... have you finally gotten tired of it?"
At the end of her sentence, Solitär's tone clearly carried a hint of coldness.
"Tsk... Solitär, you really are an insecure one."
Seeing Solitär like this, a playful glint instantly lit up in Fíliya's eyes.
"..."
Solitär didn't respond, because she knew the person opposite her was absolutely right. She was indeed a person who lacked a sense of security; otherwise, she wouldn't have secluded herself in a place like this alone.
The demon named Solitär was afraid of far too many things.
She feared death, feared change, feared having things, and feared losing them even more.
"What's wrong? I was just teasing. Why are you making that bitter-melon face again? It's strange, you know? You've been like this a lot lately... Did you catch a cold? Hmm... speaking of which, can demons even get sick? That sounds like a new research topic. Here, let me see."
Fíliya said this and got up from the floor with an excited look on her face, then walked over to Solitär's side.
She first touched Solitär's cheek, then slowly moved her hand upward and felt Solitär's forehead.
"Hmm... I don't get it at all. Your forehead is ice-cold. Can demon body temperature not be measured by human standards?"
Fíliya muttered to herself. In response to Fíliya's touch, Solitär just watched silently, not saying much of anything.
Knock, knock~~
It wasn't until two soft knocks came from outside the door that Solitär and Fíliya both looked toward the entrance.
It was the sound of Linie knocking on the doorframe, clearly intended to attract their attention.
"Lady Aura says she's starving to death, so she sent me to check..."
Linie's tone was a bit troubled, and after speaking, she gave Solitär a slight bow. The girl was taking her role as a maid very seriously.
"Hmm... let's go. They've already sent someone to hurry us. We can talk later."
Fíliya said this and took Solitär's hand, about to pull her along.
She could certainly tell that something was off with Solitär. In fact, ever since she had returned, as time went on, Solitär had been acting stranger and stranger.
And Solitär's dazed expression, which always seemed a beat behind, only eased slightly when Fíliya held her hand.
Although both of them had questions they wanted to ask the other, in that moment, they tacitly chose to remain silent and went downstairs with Linie.
...Late that night, Fíliya was meditating as usual when, just then, she sensed a fluctuation in Solitär's mana.
Fíliya understood that Solitär was intentionally letting it out for her to notice. Which meant... Solitär's expression these past few days really did mean something was on her mind. That was fine; usually, worries could be resolved just by talking about them.
With that thought, Fíliya broke her meditation and slowly got up.
When she reached the roof, Fíliya saw Solitär waiting for her not far away.
She subconsciously glanced up at the sky.
"Hmm, it's a starless night, and even the moon is just a tiny crescent. A gloomy night like this really brings the mood down to rock bottom."
Fíliya walked over and sat down close to Solitär.
"I never realized... you could be so troublesome. What exactly are you worrying about? Can't you just tell me directly?"
Fíliya whispered.
Solitär didn't answer, merely looking at Fíliya's left hand.
"Have you been researching this the whole time?"
It seemed that this form of conversation, answering a question with another question, often occurred between Solitär and Fíliya. Fortunately, neither of them minded it.
"Isn't it obvious? For me, this thing is the biggest problem right now. If I don't solve it, my quality of life will plummet... Not being able to move my left hand is pretty annoying."
Fíliya said slowly.
"So, do you have any leads?"
Solitär continued to ask.
Because Fíliya had already demonstrated miracles before her more than once, Solitär was beginning to believe that Fíliya definitely had a way to solve this gold transformation.
"Of course... look."
As Fíliya spoke, she instantly turned her golden left arm back into an arm of flesh.
In response, Solitär's expression didn't change at all, because Fíliya had already shown her this before. She also knew that Fíliya couldn't maintain this "resistance" for long, let alone permanently break free from the curse.
Just as Solitär was about to ask another question, Fíliya immediately began her demonstration again.
She gave up her resistance, allowing the golden corrosion to return.
Once the gold transformation had spread across her entire arm, she would begin to resist again.
After the gold transformation receded, she would stop resisting and let it return once more... She repeated this process, continuing it for several minutes.
Solitär watched all of this with a blank expression, feeling only confusion.
At the very least, she couldn't see what Fíliya was trying to show her, so she had no choice but to ask.
"Fíliya, what are you trying to do?"
"Hmm, it's simple. I just want to prove one thing... It's perfectly normal that you wouldn't notice, since this hand isn't attached to you. It's hard for you to feel it."
Fíliya said with a smile.
"I've been trying this operation constantly lately. First, to repeatedly experience that feeling of 'being turned to gold'. And second, because I've discovered... that when my left hand is turned to gold, there's absolutely no sensation of being dragged down by a heavy weight."
"Even though my hand has been turned to gold, its weight is almost no different from my original arm of flesh... It's just that I can't move it at all. Solitär, do you know what this means?"
Solitär's eyebrow twitched slightly. It was clear that she had instantly understood Fíliya's meaning.
___
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