Chapter 13: The Miracle of the Goddess: The World Five Hundred Years Ago
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That night, the two drank heavily together, and the next day, with Ash's help, Cathy was officially discharged from the army.
On the same day, Ash parted ways with her on the snowy plain.
As Cathy stood there, watching the familiar figure gradually fade into the distance, she couldn't help but sigh, murmuring to herself, "Master Ash… you're so pitiful."
"Pitiful? Me? Why? Because I'm an outsider?"—the familiar voice echoed in her mind, leaving her slightly puzzled.
But he didn't dwell on it. Ash quietly walked away, and once he was out of Cathy's sight, he commanded the system to recreate the goddess' miracle—transporting him back to the world five hundred years ago.
…
On the vast, snow-covered plains, a figure suddenly appeared, slowly falling from midair into the snow.
"What the hell? I'm still in this place? But... I've heard that Serie, the magician closest to the goddess, is somewhere in the south. Although that's a bit suspicious... Well, it looks like I'll have to spend some time finding her."
Ash, looking a bit troubled, pulled out a map full of markings.
Although there were too many uncertainties, for now, he could only search one place at a time. Fortunately, as a demon, he had all the time he needed.
The world five hundred years ago wasn't very different from the present.
At least, from Ash's perspective, technological progress during this time was minimal. Magic, in particular, was extremely underdeveloped, and it was clear that humans had not yet widely learned its secrets.
So, as he continued searching for Serie, he practiced magic, and after six months…
Deep within the abandoned ruins, constructed from towering stones that had weathered the ages yet still stood strong, a faint beam of light cut through the dust of time, illuminating a distant corner.
There, stacked high in endless layers, were mountains of books, taller than a person, and at the far end of this ocean of knowledge, he finally found his long-sought goal.
On a massive stone throne, resembling that of a king, sat an elf woman with long golden hair and a surprisingly petite figure. She lounged in the chair in a rather indecent posture, one hand resting on her chin as she gazed at Ash, who was slowly descending the stairs, with great interest.
"You must be Serie, the magician closest to the goddess on this continent," Ash said.
Serie grinned, her eyes full of amusement as she looked him over. "You're certainly interesting. This is the first time I've seen a demon like you. Even..."
Her playful smile grew wider. "You know who I am, yet you dare stand before me? Are you here to challenge me?"
"No," Ash replied calmly. "I'm here to become your disciple."
"Ha! How ridiculous! You want to become my disciple?" Serie laughed, leaning forward. "Even though I'm an elf, I'm still considered human in the broad sense. I'm completely irreconcilable with demons. How dare you ask me to be your mentor? Is your head screwed on right? Wait, you don't even have horns! There must be something wrong with you. We are entirely different races, hostile to one another"
"...What you said makes sense, but I still think I'm normal. Besides—at least I know very well that you don't really want world peace, right?"
"Oh?" His confident words made Serie narrow her eyes.
"If you wanted it, you could've made it happen a long time ago."
"You speak as if you know me well."
"I've done some research."
"I can see you've killed plenty of people. So why should I teach you magic?"
"I've thought about that, actually."
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"We have to try first, don't we?"
"…Very good, I like it." After a long silence, Serie suddenly laughed and clapped her legs in delight. "Let's see what kind of demon I can create by teaching you."
"Uh… Even though I expected something like this, isn't it still a bit strange?" Ash asked, bewildered by her reasoning.
"It's interesting, isn't that enough? Just tell me what magic you want. Anything at all!"
"Anything?"
"Yes."
"That immortal magic."
"—How could such magic exist?" Ash blurted out. Serie rolled her eyes and retorted, "If it did, would humans still die?"
"…That's true." Ash closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the biggest issue he faced on the battlefield—his body wasn't strong enough as a magician.
"Is there any magic that can make my body as strong as a warrior's?"
"In the Age of Mythology, there really was magic like that."
"Really?"
"Yes, it allows magicians to freely convert magic power to achieve the strength of warriors at the same level. It's a very useful type of magic and can deliver unexpected results in critical moments. But…"
"But?"
"I can't do it." After a pause, she spread her hands dramatically, making Ash nearly want to hit her. "Wait—don't you know everything?"
"I've mastered almost all human magic, but not all of it. Moreover, this magic wasn't created by humans—it was invented by a great demon. I've studied it for thousands of years but still haven't succeeded. However, I can give you all of my research through 'transfer magic.'"
Transfer magic was a process that allowed someone to directly pass on knowledge to another person at the cost of losing it themselves. Even if the magic was incomplete, Serie could still transfer it.
Ash wanted to complain, but since it was the magic of the Great Demon Clan, he couldn't say much.
After all, the unique magic mastered by any major demon clan wasn't something humans could easily learn. The magic of demons was fundamentally different from the magic of other races.
Humans, including elves, could only attempt to imitate the spellcasting effects of demons. But the spellcasting processes were completely different. Many aspects of demon magic were altered to the point where they couldn't be reproduced by humans.
To put it simply, even if humans could figure out the principles behind demon magic, they lacked the magical organs that demons—and especially great demons—had. Humans would never be able to fully replicate their unique powers.