While the priest was giving him emergency treatment, Ash swept his gaze across the surroundings, over the corpses scattered all over the ground, and realized that out of the entire squad, only the two of them had survived. Even so, this was already extremely fortunate, because out of the entire platoon of more than thirty people, fewer than ten were left alive.
This made him fall into a slight daze, staring blankly at his hands, once again stained full of blood.
When he slowly pulled his gaze away from his hands and looked up, everywhere the wind and snow reached, there were nothing but bodies buried by the sudden heavy snowfall.
Snow and blood together painted a scene that was both beautiful and cruel.
"So this is… real war?", Ash murmured, not knowing whether he was relieved that he was still alive, or whether he was moved by this shocking sight, stirring some deeper emotion.
But no matter what, to this war itself… none of that really mattered.
In the conflict between the Kingdom of Tade and its neighboring country on the snowy plains, due to the heavy losses suffered by the mage corps and Ash's especially outstanding performance, he was promoted directly from squad leader to battalion commander.
And after that… the second, third, fourth, fifth times… these continuous, large and small clashes, broken yet unending, went on for a full five years.
The constant warfare did not kill him. As a demon, he was instead tempered by the flames of war, and unexpectedly became a general of the Kingdom of Tade.
However, even though the war came and went in fits and starts, as early as the second year he had already scraped together 1,000 souls and made his first wish, wanting to become the strongest. Which failed.
Wanting Demon King–level magic power and combat strength? Also no good. Wanting all magical knowledge was likewise denied. It seemed the number of souls was far from enough to invoke a miracle of that level.
With no other choice, while cursing under his breath, he also realized that this system really was basically an equal exchange. And that exchange might not even be all that equal, at least not for him.
So with only 1,000 souls, there was very little he could do. After that, he could only continue gathering souls, then make a wish to obtain complete knowledge of gravity magic.
And over the next four years, he continuously studied the complete gravity magic training system from the mythic age bestowed by the miracle, and amid this protracted war, kept refining his own magic.
Spending three years sweeping across the battlefield, he once again gathered over a thousand souls, earning a second chance to invoke a miracle.
This also made him decide that he would no longer stay in this kingdom, which no longer had any knowledge worth learning, nor continue this meaningless war.
.
.
.
"Life really is unpredictable."
After retaking the snowy plains that had fallen some time ago because he had gone to support another front, Ash stood amid the familiar yet unfamiliar wind and snow, looking at the frozen bloodstains beneath his feet, and couldn't help but sigh.
The woman who had survived with him from the original squad, with a vicious scar still left on her neck, his adjutant and the captain of the magic guard, Cassie, turned her head in curiosity, puzzled, "What did you say, Lord Ash?"
"Their main force took heavy losses this time. The troops borrowed from the neighboring country basically all stayed here. They should behave themselves for quite a while."
"I think so too, but... are you planning to continue the offensive?"
"No. I'm about ready to leave as well. Bart, you should probably go home too, right?"
"Huh? Lord Ash, what do you mean by that?"
"I'm leaving this place. But before that, I can help you secure a pretty substantial reward. Added to my own money, you should be able to buy that big house in the capital you've always wanted, and let your daughter and your mother live the life they dreamed of, right?"
"N-no, wait, Lord Ash? I don't quite understand?", The suddenness of it all left Cassie stunned, momentarily doubting her own ears.
Ash continued on his own, "I'm leaving here. This war doesn't belong to you or me… of course, if you still plan to stay, I won't stop you."
"They won't let you resign, will they?"
"I already submitted my resignation. Even if they don't approve it, I'll leave anyway. Now… what about you?", He turned back to look at the woman who had followed him for five years, yet he couldn't be sure what choice she would make.
Cassie wasn't a beneficiary of this war, but she was a victim of this drawn-out conflict, because… both her father and her husband had been forcibly conscripted, and no one knew where they had already died.
So when faced with Ash's question, after a long silence she gave a bitter smile and shrugged, "If you're planning to leave, how could I possibly stay here?"
"Is that so?"
"Are you planning to go north?"
"How do you know?"
"Because… you're a demon, right?"
"What, you figured it out?"
"I had a slight feeling, but I could never be sure. And your appearance has never changed. You're still that same youthful look from the very beginning. Some people in the kingdom have also started to suspect your true identity."
"I've heard about that too, more or less. So now I have no choice but to leave. Also…", Already planning to go and no longer caring about this at all, Ash smiled and looked at the woman with the strange expression, "Are you planning to report me now?"
"How could I possibly do something like that?", Cassie gave a bitter smile and touched the scar on her neck.
"If you hadn't knocked that cavalryman away back then, my head wouldn't be on my shoulders anymore. And now I'm realizing that demons don't seem to be quite the same as the rumors say."
"No, you can't think like that. The only one who's different is me. If you see a demon, either run or kill them. That's my final advice to you."
"So… aside from you, they're all dangerous?", Cassie asked, not entirely convinced.
"Of course. They're extremely cruel and merciless. Even demons themselves have to be wary of each other. I'm just… a very special case."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
"...."
"...."
The conversation suddenly fell into silence. There was no helping it. Neither of them was particularly good at chatting.
After a long while, Cassie finally couldn't help asking, "You gave all the money to me. What are you going to do?"
"It's fine. I'll still keep some travel expenses."
"Then… will we be able to meet again?"
"Honestly, the way you're saying that sounds like something a heroine in a story would say. But I like young girls, you know? Married women and aunties are a bit. If possible, could you ask your daughter to say it instead?"
The slightly melancholic mood of parting was broken by Ash's joking smile, making Cassie laugh and shake her head again and again.
"You misunderstood. I just meant that if there's a chance, I'd like to introduce my daughter and my mother to you. They've always wanted to meet you, to thank you in person for taking care of me."
"Forget it. The difference between human and demon lifespans is pretty huge. Getting to know one more human doesn't do me any good."
"But if demons are really like you said, wouldn't you be very lonely?"
"You get used to it. Aren't all demons like that?"
"But you're not a normal demon, are you?"
"That's true, but… I'll probably still get used to it."·
He smiled with a trace of melancholy, but didn't say anything more. Cassie didn't know what to say either, and only lowered her eyes in regret.
.
.
.
That night, the two of them drank a great deal of wine together, and the next day, under his arrangements, Cassie completed her discharge from the army.
On that same day, Ash parted ways with her on the snowy plains.
Standing there, watching the familiar figure gradually disappear into the distance, Cassie couldn't help murmuring to herself, "Lord Ash, you're really pitiful."
'Pitiful? Me? Why? Because I'm an outcast?', the familiar voice behind him drifted on the wind to his ears, leaving him somewhat puzzled.
But he didn't care about that anymore. He simply went on his way in silence, and after leaving Cassie's line of sight, he had the system manifest the goddess's miracle once more, heading to the world five hundred years in the past.
———
On the vast snowy plains, a human figure abruptly appeared, slowly descending from midair and landing in the snow.
"What the hell, still this place? But… I've heard that the magic user closest to the goddess, Serie, is in the south. There are suspicious spots everywhere. Hmm, looks like I'll have to spend some time searching."
Ash pulled out a map with numerous markings on it, looking troubled.
Even though there were far too many suspicious points, for now he could only check them one by one. And fortunately, as a demon, he had more than enough time.
The world five hundred years ago wasn't all that different from the present.
At least in Ash's view, technological progress during this period was close to nonexistent. Magic, on the other hand, was extremely underdeveloped, clearly because humans had not yet begun to widely study magic.
And so he trained while searching for Serie's whereabouts, and then—
.
.
.
[Half a Year Later]
Deep within abandoned ruins, meticulously assembled from towering stones and weathered by countless years yet still standing firm, a faint beam of light pierced through the dust of time, illuminating a corner at the far end.
There, piled layer upon layer, were massive numbers of books, taller than a person. And at the very end of this sea of books, his gaze finally caught sight of the long-awaited target.
Seated on a gigantic stone high-backed chair like a king's throne was a long-eared elf woman with golden hair, unexpectedly petite in build. She was slouched in a very unrefined posture, propping her cheek with one hand, and gazing with great interest at him as he slowly approached from below the steps.
"You're Serie, right? The magic user closest to the goddess on this continent."
"You're really interesting. This is the first time I've seen a demon like you. And what's more," Serie grinned, looking him over with an amused smile, "You know exactly who I am, yet you still dare to appear before me? Are you here to challenge me?"
"No. I'm here to become your disciple."
"Ridiculous. A demon asking me to take him as a disciple? Even though I'm an elf, broadly speaking I'm still on the human side, sworn enemies of demons. And you come to me to ask for instruction? Is something wrong with your head? No, you don't even have horns, so there must really be something wrong. We're completely hostile, different races."
"What you say makes sense. But I think I'm quite normal. Also, at the very least, I'm very sure that you don't actually want world peace."
"Oh?", His confident statement made Serie unconsciously narrow her eyes.
"If you did, you could have achieved it long ago."
"You talk like you know me very well."
"I've done some research."
"I can tell. You've killed a lot of people. Why should I teach you magic?"
"Honestly, I've been troubled by that question myself."
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"I figured I should at least try first."
"Very good. I like you," After a long silence, Serie slapped her thigh and laughed heartily.
"What kind of demon my teachings will create, I'll be looking forward to it."
"Uh… it feels a bit strange for me to be the one asking this, but isn't this a little strange?", Even though he had expected something like this after his prior investigation, the reason still left him somewhat dumbfounded.
"It's interesting, isn't that enough? Go on, tell me the magic you want. Anything is fine."
"Anything?"
"Then, immortality magic."
"How could there possibly be magic like that?", The words had barely left his mouth when Serie shot back with a flat stare, "If that were possible, would humans still die?"
"Right. Then," He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, recalling the biggest problem he had faced on the battlefield: his body was too weak for a mage.
So he asked, "Is there magic that can make my body as strong as a warrior's?"
"There actually is, from the mythic era. The magic you want."
"Really?"
"Really. It allows a mage to freely convert magic power and unleash combat strength on par with a warrior. You could say it's extremely practical magic, and in critical moments, the element of surprise works very well. It's just that..."
"Just that?"
"I don't know it," After a long pause, she spread her hands bluntly, almost making Ash want to punch her, "No, wait a second? Aren't you supposed to know everything?"
"I've mastered almost all human magic. But almost isn't all. And this magic wasn't invented by humans in the first place. It was created by a great demon. I've studied it for over a thousand years and still couldn't succeed. But I can pass all of my research results to you through 'magic transference.'"
Magic transference meant giving up a magic entirely in order to directly hand it over to someone else. Even if the magic was incomplete, Serie could still pass it on.
Ash had wanted to complain some more at first, but since it was the magic of a great demon, there was nothing he could really say.
After all, any unique magic mastered by a great demon was, by its very nature, something humans could not learn. Because, magic used by other races and magic used by demons were fundamentally not the same thing.
Humans, including elves, merely tried to imitate the effects of demon spellcasting. The casting processes themselves were completely different paths, and many couldn't be reproduced at all.
Put simply, even if one could research the principles, without a demon's magical organs, and for a great demon, even more so, their uniqueness was something humans could never recreate.
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