As the priest administered emergency treatment, Ash surveyed the corpse-strewn ground, realizing only he and one teammate survived their squad. They were lucky; of the thirty-plus in their company, fewer than ten remained.
He stared blankly at his blood-soaked hands, lost in thought.
Shifting his gaze upward, he saw a snowstorm burying the fallen in a cruel, beautiful tableau of snow and blood.
"This is true war, isn't it?"
Ash murmured, unsure if he was relieved to be alive or moved by the shocking scene, stirring deeper emotions.
But in the grand scheme of this war, such thoughts seemed trivial.
In the Tadd Kingdom's conflict with its neighbor on the snowy plains, the mage corps suffered heavy losses, but Ash's standout performance elevated him from squad leader to commander.
Then, through the second, third, fourth, and fifth battles, intermittent conflicts stretched over five years.
Continuous warfare didn't kill him; as a demon, he was tempered by it, unexpectedly rising to a general in the Tadd Kingdom.
Though the wars were sporadic, by the second year, he collected 1,000 souls and made his first wish: to become the strongest.
It was denied ofc.
Wishing for Demon King-level mana and combat power or all magical knowledge also failed, as the souls were far insufficient for such miracles.
Frustrated, he realized the system was essentially equivalent exchange, and not exactly fair, at least for him.
With only 1,000 souls, his options were limited, so he wished for perfected gravity magic knowledge.
Over the next four years, he studied the complete gravity magic system from the mythical era, granted by the miracle, refining his magic in the prolonged war.
Three years of sweeping battlefields let him gather another thousand souls, earning a second miracle opportunity.
This convinced him to leave the kingdom, which had no more knowledge to offer, and abandon the meaningless war.
"Life is so unpredictable."
After retaking the snowfield, lost earlier when he supported another front, Ash stood in familiar yet alien snow, gazing at frozen bloodstains, sighing.
His surviving teammate from the original squad, now his deputy and magic guard captain, Kathy, bore a ghastly neck scar. Curious, she turned. "What are you saying, Lord Ash?"
"Their main force is crippled, and their borrowed troops are mostly gone. They'll stay quiet for a while."
"I think so too, but are you pushing forward?"
"No, I'm done here. Kathy, isn't it time you went home?"
"Huh? Lord Ash, what do you mean?"
"I'm leaving. Before I go, I can secure you a hefty reward, plus my money. That should buy the big house in the capital you and your daughter and mother dream of, right?"
"Wait, Lord Ash? I don't understand." His sudden words made Kathy doubt her ears.
Ash continued, "I'm done with this war. It doesn't belong to us. If you want to stay, I won't stop you."
"They won't let you resign, will they?"
"I submitted my resignation long ago. If they don't approve, I'll leave anyway. What about you?" He looked at the woman who'd followed him for five years, unsure of her choice.
Kathy wasn't a beneficiary of this war but a victim. Her father and husband were conscripted and died somewhere unknown.
Facing his question, she shrugged bitterly after a long silence. "If you're leaving, how can I stay?"
"Is that so?"
"Are you heading north?"
"How'd you guess?"
"Because you're a demon, right?"
"You noticed?"
"I had a feeling but couldn't confirm. Your face hasn't changed, still that youthful look. Some in the kingdom suspect your true identity."
"I've heard whispers, so I have to leave." Smiling, unconcerned since he was leaving, he looked at her odd expression. "Are you going to report me?"
"How could I?" Kathy touched her neck scar, smiling wryly. "If you hadn't knocked that cavalryman away, my head wouldn't be on my neck. And now I see demons aren't quite like the rumors."
"No, don't think that. I'm the exception. With demons, run or kill them. That's my last advice."
"So, except for you, they're all dangerous?" Kathy seemed skeptical.
"Absolutely. They're cruel and ruthless. Even demons must be wary of each other. I'm just a special case."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
The conversation fell silent. Neither was great at small talk.
After a while, Kathy asked, "You gave me all your money. What about you?"
"I'll keep some travel funds."
"Will we meet again?"
"Honestly, that sounds like a heroine's line in a story, but I prefer younger girls. Married women and older ladies are a bit much. Could your daughter say it instead?"
His teasing broke the somber farewell mood, making Kathy shake her head, laughing. "You misunderstand. I just meant if there's a chance, I'd like you to meet my daughter and mother. They want to thank you for looking after me."
"No thanks. The lifespan gap between humans and demons is huge. Knowing more humans does no good."
"But if demons are as you say, doesn't that make you lonely?"
"You get used to it. Isn't that how demons are?"
"But you're not a normal demon, are you?"
"True, but I'll probably get used to it."
He smiled wistfully, saying no more. Kathy, unsure what to say, lowered her eyes regretfully.
That night, they drank heavily together, and the next day, Ash arranged Kathy's discharge.
On the same day, they parted ways on the snowfield.
Standing still, watching her familiar figure fade, Kathy murmured, "Lord Ash, you're so pitiful."
Pitiful? Me? Why? Because I'm an outsider? Her voice carried on the wind, puzzling him.
But he didn't dwell on it, walking away. Once out of Kathy's sight, he invoked the system's miracle to travel to the world five hundred years ago.
On the vast snowfield, a figure appeared, slowly descending from midair.
"What's this? Still here? But I heard the mage closest to the Goddess, Serie, was in the South. Too many suspicious spots, though. Looks like it'll take time to find her."
Ash, troubled, pulled out a map with numerous markings.
Despite the many leads, he had to check them one by one. Fortunately, as a demon, he had time to spare.
The world five hundred years ago wasn't much different.
To Ash, technological progress was nearly nonexistent, and magic was far less developed, as humans hadn't yet widely adopted it.
He trained while searching for Serie, and half a year later, deep in a ruined, intricately built stone relic, enduring through ages, a faint light pierced the dust, illuminating a corner.
There, towering stacks of books, taller than a person, filled the space. At the end of this sea of books, his gaze found his long-awaited target.
On a grand stone high-backed chair, like a throne, a petite, golden-haired, long-eared elf woman lounged inelegantly, hand on cheek, eyeing him with interest as he approached.
"You're Serie, the mage closest to the Goddess on this continent."
"You're interesting. First time I've seen a demon like you." Serie grinned, sizing him up playfully. "You know who I am, yet dare to face me? Here to challenge me?"
"No, I'm here to apprentice."
"Ridiculous. A demon apprenticing under me? I'm an elf, broadly human, at odds with demons. You want to learn from me? Something wrong with your head? No horns either, definitely an issue. We're completely opposed races."
"You make sense, but I think I'm normal. And I know you don't want world peace, do you?"
"Oh?" His confident words made Serie narrow her eyes.
"If you did, you'd have achieved it already."
"You talk like you know me."
"I've done some research."
"It shows. You've killed many. Why should I teach you magic?"
"I'm troubled by that question too."
"Not afraid I'll kill you?"
"Gotta try first."
"Very well, I like you." After a long silence, Serie slapped her thigh, laughing heartily. "Let's see what kind of demon I can train."
"Uh, this might sound odd coming from me, but isn't this a bit weird?" Despite prior research and some expectation, her reasoning stunned him.
"It's fun, isn't it enough? Name the magic you want. Anything goes!"
"Anything?"
"Immortality magic."
"No such thing." She rolled her eyes at his request. "If it existed, would humans still die?"
"Then, wait." He thought, recalling his battlefield weakness as a mage: a frail body. "Is there magic to make my body as strong as a warrior's?"
"There was in the mythical era, exactly what you want."
"Really?"
"Really. It lets mages convert mana into warrior-level combat strength. Very useful, especially for surprise attacks, but..."
"But?"
"I don't know it." After a long pause, she shrugged candidly, nearly provoking Ash to lash out. "Wait, don't you know everything?"
"I've mastered nearly all human magic, but not all. This was invented by a great demon. I've studied it for a millennium and failed, but I can transfer my findings to you via transfer magic."
Transfer magic meant giving up a spell entirely to pass it to another, even if incomplete, which Serie could do.
Ash wanted to complain, but since it was a great demon's magic, he had little to say.
Unique great demon magics were inherently beyond human learning, as demon and other races' magic were fundamentally different.
Humans, including elves, mimicked demon spell effects, but the casting process was completely different, and many couldn't be replicated.
In simple terms, even understanding the principles, humans lacked the demonic magical organs, especially for great demon magic, which was utterly inimitable.
(PS: The original work notes this, emphasizing that killing magic is an exception. It's highly efficient and simple, making it accessible even to humans, with a low usage threshold.)
Ash initially expected some bizarre test for apprenticeship, but it was surprisingly simple.
He easily became Serie's apprentice, gained a mythical-era great demon's magic, and stayed to study her vast collection of books.