“Yo, Captain Alphons, I’ve finally returned from my scouting mission!” A blond man in armor spoke to a bearded man looking out the window, gazing at the ancient trees of the Black Forest.

“Good, proceed with your report, Claude.”

“There’s a village of demons not too far from here. Their population seems to be around 300. For protection, it seems they’ve tasked one of their warriors to act as a guardian. He seems to be the strongest in the village.” The blond man’s casual demeanor gave way to a cruel smile. “Though, of course, he will not pose a problem to us — or to me, anyway.”

“I see. Request the divine magic users from the capital, anyhow.”

“Of course, cap. And one more thing. There seems to be a human woman living amongst the demons in the village. What shall we do with her?”

“Hmph. A human amongst demons, you say? Do with her what you will. Just don’t let her go.”

“Nice, thanks!”

“Finally… this is our chance.” The bearded man turned around at his subordinate, meeting him with intense eyes and an ambitious grin. “We’ll be known as heroes. The Holy Church will have no choice but to recognize our achievements.”

Vice Captain Claude’s own innocent-looking smile held fixed across his handsome face, though he couldn’t ignore the gnawing itch in his right hand. How cruel was the world, forcing him to wait until his Captain would give the order.

***

Almost two years have passed since Helena’s departure. I was now eight years old. I had started to grow black wings on my back, wings I could materialize and retract at will, though any attempts on my part to fly were met with failure.

Were these the demon genetics of my unknown father? That ruled out the theory of me being the love child of my mother and some other demon in this village — as far as I knew, no one had wings like these in this village.

These two past years, I’ve been continuing training in both magic and swordsmanship while also going on sporadic adventures with Tavarius and Lucia.

One day not too long ago, Clara told me something during a morning of magic training with her and Lucia.

I had just finished succesfully casting the heroic-level ice spell [Blizzard] deep within the forest, transforming the spring’s fresh greenery into a harsh winter’s environment with howling winds hailing down the blizzard. My mother and Lucia kept themselves warm with a conjured fire.

“That’s it. I can’t be your teacher anymore, dear Luqa,” said my mother dejectedly, as if a puppy saddened by its owner’s departure.

“Wait, why?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“You’ve not only learned every expert-level offensive elemental spell, but you’ve also learned every single spell that I know. [Blizzard] is the best and most powerful spell I know.”

Excuse me?!

I stopped feeding the [Blizzard] spell mana out of utter shock.

I caught up to her many years of experience just like that?

“Hmm, nicely done, Luqa.” Lucia gave me a thumbs up.

“Good for you though, there are still a few spells in our spell tomes there you haven’t learned! And never stop practicing your magic! Keep perfecting your spells, experiment with modifying these spells, and keep on learning. Magic is not a static practice set in stone, but something continually evolving and changing over time through the efforts of generations of mages. You have the potential to be a legendary mage, Luqa. So become one!”

All of that certainly sounds exciting.

“And in the future, if you really want to,” she continued, “I’ll let you go to the university in the Republic of Zauberburg. Over there, you can keep on learning to your heart’s content.” She turned towards Lucia. “That goes for you too. You’re very talented as well!”

Magic university… that sounds even more exciting! I can keep on adventuring, eventually make money by selling rare monster parts in the human nations, and then use my savings to attend this university. Future plan formulated!

Since then, I continued never quit my daily magic training, practicing and experimenting with magic, as my mother suggested. This time with a focus on techniques such as double casting and spell fusion.

One day during sword sparring with Tavarius, I showcased one of the results of my training.

“Hah… hah… you’re getting much better Luqa!” Tavarius came after me with his wooden sword.

“Watch this, Tavarius.”

Double casting. Spell fusion.

“[Inferno] + [Magic Enhancement]; [Inferno] + [Body Enhancement]”

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“Woah, what the hell!” Tavarius stopped his advance, stepping back with a wary guard. My sword and I were coated with flames. I had manipulated my mana to enhance both my sword and my body and then manifested that mana as magical flames.

Call me… Fire Punch.

“C’mere, c’mere, Tavarius!” I sprinted after him, ready to hug him to death. I wouldn’t burn him… too much.

“No! Get the hell away from me!”

I never managed to catch him that day. Shame.

Recently, I had completely gone through our little library in our home, having reread every single book on that shelf at least once. Every single one of them was written in the human language, Voralten, with not a single one written in the demon language predominantly used in the village, Avestic.

One day, Tavarius, someone who couldn't read nor write Voralten, asked about the contents of the books I read. So I began to lecture him from time to time about some stuff I read, much of it being historical accounts.

And for some reason, others started to turn up to my lectures.

And that turned into me giving semi-regular lectures about history and mythology.

“So, by popular request, I’ll be talking about the Great Demon War,” I said to an audience of around 20 people, a good majority of them being children and adolescents. Tavarius and Lucia sat amidst this audience, though I didn’t know why Lucia was with them. She was as fluent in Voralten as me and she’s read some of these books too.

The audience warmly cheered at hearing the words “Great Demon War.”

“So we demons arrived on this continent more than 300 years ago, under the guidance of the Demon King Malachi. We were originally welcomed to live with special permission in the Norlaender Kingdom, but hostilities between demons and the other races flared up and spiraled into war. Some claim though that it was the Demon King’s goal in the first place to provoke a war… Either way, thus started the Great Demon War.”

The relaxed air of the audience was replaced with an atmosphere of gravity. The story of the Great Demon War was always something I found a tragedy. Something I couldn’t read without imagining all the anguish both sides went through during those long twenty years.

“Quickly, the Norlaender Kingdom collapsed, overrun with demons, and the Norlaenders evacuated to the Voralten Empire to the south. Feeling threatened, the nations of the Nicaean continent united under the Nicaean Alliance, led by the Voralten Empire, to stand against the demons.”

“Every single one? No one tried to take advantage of the situation to back-stab their rivals or anything?” asked Tavarius from the front of the audience.

“No. Human accounts of the Great Demon War mention the deep fear every other race had of the demons. Back then, there were armies of countless demon mages, who used destructive magic to destroy their enemies with no mercy, as well as unbelievably strong warriors. The brutality the other races saw, as well as the power of the demons, made every single nation see the demons as a calamitous threat to their existence.”

I gazed at the faces of the audience. The children looked at me with awe-struck faces, while the adults looked on with pondering expressions. Of course. Our existence in this idyllic village was far removed from the harsh lives of our ancestors many generations ago.

“The turning point came with the rise of the Six Heroic Paladins. They were six individuals from the continent chosen to lead the struggle against demons — and they were each blessed by the Goddess Nicaea, the creator and guardian goddess of this continent.”

I recounted to them each of the Paladins.

Paladin Roland, the Holy Sword. A human knight, blessed with a holy sword, of unparalleled strength and courage. He often led the Alliance armies in large-scale battles.

Paladin Julian, the Holy Shield. A righteous man of the church, blessed with a holy shield. Known as a paragon of justice and a defender of the weak. Founder of divine magic.

Paladin Orson, the Sage. A human mage of great wisdom and insight. He laid many foundations for magic theory. Known for erecting Orson’s Wall, separating the demonlands from the human nations during the war’s end.

Paladin Yvette, the Protector of the Spirits. A mage of the elven race, a remarkably rare people that once ruled the continent eons ago. Renowned on the battlefield for her offensive magic capabilities.

Paladin Arnulf, the Weaponmaster. A warrior renowned for his mastery over many types of arms and weapons. A member of the Uralten race, a special sub-race of humans with much more longevity in their lifespans than other humans.

Paladin Renaud, the Fox. A ranger and skilled strategist, as well as a native Norlaender. His cunning plans and scouting missions were essential to the success of the Niceaen Alliance.

“What happened to them after the war?” asked an adult from the back.

“Many of them did not seem to have happy fates,” I said. “Roland and Julian died fighting against the Demon King Malachi. Orson died mysteriously not long after the war, and Yvette disappeared, said to have returned to the Hidden Forests of the Elves. Arnulf disappeared without a trace as well a few years after the end of the war. Renaud was the only one who seemed to have a happy ending. He ended up founding a noble house in the Voralten Empire.”

I felt almost sad for these Paladins. They had fought and struggled for years in a difficult war. Taking on the mantle of a Paladin, a heroic figure, someone that the people of the continent relied on. Only to end up with their fates. It was unfair.

“And the Demon King Malachi? What was he like? What happened to him?” asked Lucia.

Those are great questions. Questions I wish I had the answer for.

“Not much has been recorded by him. In fact, there’s only one account from a demon chronicler regarding the Great Demon War, and he himself was born after the conflict, so a lot of what I said has been from the viewpoints of non-demons. And about the Demon King himself…”

I pondered, trying to collect what I knew.

“Doubtless, we knew that he was a very powerful being, known for being cruel and merciless in the Great Demon War. He had four direct subordinates under him to whom he delegated power, and they were known as the Four Demon Generals. The Demon King was both a powerful user of magic as well as a strong warrior. In fact, much stronger than the Paladins on an individual level.”

“How did he die, then?” Lucia continued her inquiry.

“I… don’t know. All we know is that he died after a large-scale battle in which Roland and Julian died too. Maybe he succumbed to his wounds in a fight with those two Paladins.” I felt from the pit of my stomach that something was eluding me.

Yes. Those memories. I’m certain they have to do with the events of three hundred years ago. A ship departing an unknown lost continent. A king being tortured to death by my own hands. Were those memories from a demon during the era of the Great Demon War? A Demon General? The Demon King himself?

If so, why the hell are these memories so fragmented, so hazy?

***

In another village, populated with the tailed demons, a couple days’ journey from the village of Wehrau, a powerful demon had been born years ago. He now ruled over his home village with ruthless and arbitrary authority.

The jet-black-haired man stared at the men that bowed subserviently at his feet, each of them nervous at the presence of this man.

“Lord Demon King, there’s a village not far from here,” said an old tailed demon.

“Good. They’ll become my loyal subjects as well,” the powerful demon said, conjuring black flames in his hand. “They’ll rejoice at my return.”

It was only a few years after his birth that he realized who he was. A reincarnation of the most powerful demon that had ever existed. He remembered he was the Demon King Malachi made reborn.

“Elder, make preparations to leave by tomorrow. After all, a Demon King such as I needs a kingdom of subjects to rule over.”