So it started with discrimination from a god. That’s pretty malicious for a transcendent being that knows all and can do all.
“We have gotten very off track, so let’s go back.”
“It’s because I asked about magic, sorry.”
“It’s all right master. It’s only natural to have questions.”
Unlike other demons, the demon king had a great thirst for knowledge. Is that what also drove the demon king to desperately seek the magic given to everyone but demons?
First, get magic to stand on equal footing. That was all they could do to get demons out of slavery.
“The demon king was the slave of someone called a sage.”
“Sage?”
“It’s what a scholar mage was once called. The demon king would sneakily rummage through magic books to build up knowledge.”
“Which then made it possible to use magic?”
“No. Like I said, demons can’t use anything other than the darkness attribute. And sages researched the other six attributes, so the demon king could not put that knowledge into practice.”
“I guess because the way to use magic energy is different.”
What’s important in magic is aptitude and magic energy. And knowledge helps.
Some people use magic based on feeling alone, but by deepening their understanding of it, they can improve its efficiency. That’s where knowledge comes in.
Magic can be used when someone first learns their aptitude, and the way to use magic energy varies depending on the attribute. Without knowing how to handle your attribute, you can’t use magic now matter how hard you try.
This was probably malicious intent on part of that god. There was never any intention to let demons use magic.
Teaching everyone but demons how to use those six attributes meant demons couldn’t use magic. Even if they had the knowledge, it didn’t apply to them, so it was pointless.
This god most likely did this precisely because demons can only use darkness magic. Very malicious.
“With no other options, the demon king focused on gaining knowledge. Struggling desperately to change that situation.”
“I can understand how the demon king felt, grasping at straws but still being unable to use magic.”
It must have been despairing. There’s no way the demon king didn’t hate that unchanging world.
If nothing was done, demons would’ve stayed slaves forever.
“It was pointless. Even after years of accumulating knowledge, there was no information about darkness magic.
Nothing changed. Well, the demon king’s position did. The sage found out about the demon king rummaging through magic books, and asked for the demon king’s thoughts.”
“The demon king wasn’t punished?”
“Not that I heard, so maybe not?
The sage was at a deadlock when it came to magic research. Without knowing what to do, it reached a point where even the opinion of a slave was worth listening to.”
The sage must’ve been pretty troubled, to ask for a slave’s thoughts. Maybe this sage had no colleagues around to share knowledge.
When someone is doing research alone, it’s nice when things are going well, because there’s no one to bother them, but once they reach a dead-end and there’s no one to consult, it can become a tough battle.
And this sage was struggling alone.
“The sage valued the demon king’s opinions, and was happy that research advanced a little. It seems the demon king was treated better than most slaves.”
“Because the sage got what was at the time the most important thing.”
“Yes. But that did not change the fact that demons were enslaved. There were some who were liked by their masters and received good treatment, and the demon king was just another one.”
“I see…”
That was all years of effort brought. The struggle to learn magic changed nothing, and the demon king became an obedient slave.
That was what that god wanted.
“Had it gone on like this, the control by humans and elves would have gotten tighter.”
“But it didn’t?”
Humans and elves used to be the two strongest. But now, the power of humans and elves is diminishing and races like dwarves and beast people are on the rise.
They all have their countries, and despite some differences, there’s a balance of power.
“That god made one miscalculation.”
“Miscalculation?”
“Yes. Demons were oppressed and robbed of their freedom… And there was a god who took pity on them… No, the demon king.”
“There were other gods? And that pity was aimed squarely at the demon king?”
It’s one thing to feel that way about the whole race, but apparently this god felt something about the demon king.
“This god was called… Mirabel.”
For a second, I can’t process what Durandal says. Why is Mirabel being brought up here?
“Mirabel?”
“My former master had the same reaction. He was really surprised when Mirabel’s name came up.”
“Takeshi too?”
If he was surprised, there’s a good chance he was like me. He was also reincarnated into this world by Mirabel.
“Mirabel gave the demon king knowledge. What the demon king longed for the most, the knowledge the demon king dreamed of.”
“Knowledge about darkness magic.”
“Exactly. This was when the demon king first learned of darkness magic, and that it was the only attribute demons could use.”
At last, demons had magic.
I thought the demon king would just use knowledge to develop the darkness attribute, but no. Magic research was just that hard.
It was very hard to research new spells of the other six attributes at first, but at the time, there was no darkness magic. It was close to impossible to find a new attribute from nothing and develop spells.
In my old world, there were scientists who made revolutionary discoveries, so it was not impossible, but the odds were very low.
“After checking that this darkness attribute could actually be put to use as magic, the demon king started to secretly share it with other demons.”
“After checking. Prudent.”
The oppression was caused by a god. Demons were excluded, creating prejudice.
Since that all happened because of a god, the demon king couldn’t just take the information given by another god at face value.
“It took years, because the demon king had to make sure humans and elves did not find out.
They knew where they stood, so they just shared information and waited.”
If someone acted right after getting this information, demons would’ve been weeded out and it would’ve ended there.
Humans and elves could never allow slaves to use magic. They would crush the source of this information before it spread, and eradicate demons before they became a threat.
“The demon king first moved to free demons when the humans and elves learned of the darkness attribute. But the information had spread too far and wide.”
“I can guess what happened next. They all started using magic and revolting.”
“Correct, master. First they rebelled against their masters keeping them in check, but they gradually gathered around the demon king, and began a revolt against humans and elves.”
“And that brings us to the war that is still going?”
“That’s it.”
It started with discrimination by a god.
Demons who wanted to be freed from slavery, and humans and elves who wanted to control them.
The war that started with the goal of liberation turned into a fight for survival of entire races.
This was not unheard of in my old world.
Off the top of my head, there was the Third Servile War led by Spartacus, that ended with the Roman army crushing them.
“But why did Mirabel teach magic to the demon king? She just felt like it?”
That’s something that stuck out to me.
If my fears are correct, I won’t know who to believe anymore.
“There wasn’t much information about that, so I also don’t really know. The demon king only said it was atonement.”
Ah, I see. Mirabel made a mistake a long time ago.
