Two days after the wolf monster attack, Phoenix and I entered the forest.
"Firestorm RUN"
The medium flames approaching around two meters high are completely incinerated.
Should we rest here? I heard it's not a big forest. Probably the deepest part by now.
Don't know what's happening, but I should conserve strength.
"Engy! More coming!"
"Ugh, damn..."
I expected a lot of monsters, but there's even more than that.
It was like this traveling with the heroes too, but they handled most back then.
Phoenix is working hard, but honestly, it's brutal.
After taking down the visible monsters again, I rest a bit as dusk starts setting in.
Can't proceed in the dark forest. But camping out here too...
As I think that, a voice calls from the darkness.
"Oh? There were survivors?"
Seeing his form, it clicks.
"You're...a demon."
"Hm? You could tell? Have we met before?"
"Anyone could tell."
The demon man appeared soundlessly, leaning against a tree as he looked my way.
Two curved horns on his head, tiny bat-like wings on his back, the model example of a demon anyone would recognize.
I recall Roots looked almost entirely human.
"I see, I see. So you did this?"
The demon gestures at our surroundings. Littered with the monster corpses Phoenix and I defeated.
"Yeah, pretty much. What were you doing out here?"
"Well, I love seeing the terrified faces of humans. So I brought strong monsters here, planning to use this forest as a foothold to attack human villages and towns but...ahh, you killed all the powerful monsters I received from that person."
Thanks for the honest reason, super easy to understand.
Who's "that person" has me curious, but beating this guy should resolve the forest disturbance.
"I'm pretty pissed now, you see? I'll kill you!"
"No worries. I've got similar thoughts!"
Seeing the demon take a combat stance, I unleash magic.
He's fairly fast, but not as much as the heroes or demon king's son.
Well, I had an idea from seeing him with Magic Eye.
"RUN RUN RUN"
Dodging one Firestorm, my consecutive shots both hit as he lets his guard down.
"Gwaaah! You! How can you shoot magic so fast!?"
"Ever heard of computers?"
"Compu...!?"
Does he know how a computer works? Broadly divided into three: the processing control CPU, memory storage, and input/output devices like keyboards.
That probably makes no sense, so a bit more.
You know how everything can be represented as 0s and 1s? Internally, computers process all information as numbers called binary.
Binary uses just 0 and 1 to express things. Binary 00, 01, 10, 11, 100 correspond to the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 we commonly use.
Why only 0 and 1? Because electrical signals can only input and output 0 or 1 states.
More precisely, 0 and 1 are abstracted representations for humans. Actually, high/low voltage differences and such recognize 0 and 1, or ON and OFF.
For example, 5V as ON, 0V as OFF.
Extreme example, but lining up 0 as white and 1 as black makes a picture. Increasing assignments creates color.
Omitting a lot, but you probably know clicking an app icon launches that app.
At that time, the program comprising the app itself and other elements gets loaded into memory.
The CPU reads the program commands and processes them in sequence.
All this stems from combining simple 0s and 1s, though the processing itself is enormous.
What I'm getting at is, yes. My exchange with Io, the village chief's daughter.
It started on seeing Io's magic, with chanting, activation, everything being slow. But that was good.
My magic eyes saw the magical power flow, attribute conversions, the process of creating a spell.
And she showed me magics of different types and attributes. So I wondered—
What exactly are magic and magical power?
First, magic clearly exists in this world, that's just how it is. No point worrying about it.
Magical power, non-existent on Earth, allows magic here.
It may correspond to science on Earth.
What bothered me was spell chanting needed to use magic.
In this world, chanting enables magic use for those with magical power. Obviously.
Chanting is a systematized method graspable by anyone with some magical power.
The originator who created spell chants likely could use magic without chanting.
I hear advanced magicians can use simple magics without chanting.
Meaning they learned the process into their body through repeated use. Like typing without looking at the keyboard.
But I lack experience and talent. Even hero Melt chanted for powerful magic.
So what did I do? I broke down magic. Used it countless times. Chanting slowly, focused on each part every time.
Kept watching with Magic Eye. Separated the conversions, timing, shape, everything.
Piece by piece, the enormous yet shallow laws.
But I hit a wall trying to integrate the meaningless magical power jumbles.
Here my only heroic skill, language comprehension, appeared.
It translates the otherworld language into words I know.
Magical power. Of course non-existent on Earth. And trying it worked.
So for me, that skill became the CPU.
I organized the magical power data into understandable form. Simple example, fire attribute is 00, water is 01.
Finally, I macroized the finished laws into my skill Magic Macro.
A macro registers procedures to execute easily when needed.
One spell macro takes time and concentration, but compile—translate—once and just execute after. Aka chantless use.
But with little magical experience and knowledge,
I've only macroized beginner Fireball and intermediate Firestorm.
No time either. —Well, for now anyway.
"Computer. Don't know it? RUN"
"Gwaaah!"
The demon man burns from three more Firestorms and dies.
"So, case closed?"
"Indeed. Well done, Engy. But one thing I must say."
"What is it? I'm in a good mood. Ask away."
Things went well, I easily beat a demon. I was pumped up.
Beside me, Phoenix says pretentiously.
"The forest is burning!"
And I notice too. Got too excited shooting! It's really burning!
"Why the drama! Say it quicker!"
"You should normally notice."
I don't have magic to extinguish this fire, or power left.
As I think up excuses for the pioneered land, we hurriedly leave.
A voice calls from somewhere.
"Oh~? Leaving already?"