Chapter 271

For a moment, Nick looked at Lasazar’s back and seriously considered attacking. Even a Prestige mage didn’t have physical stats high enough to withstand a to the head, and he definitely had enough negative emotions to fuel it.Then, reality reasserted itself, and Nick sighed. Even if he could gather the power and will to kill Lasazar, he doubted a master of Battle Magic would be caught off guard so easily, especially when entering a chamber that was apparently designed for demon-summoning purposes.

“Could you explain exactly what we are to do?” he asked instead of letting loose a string of expletives.

The corpulent man took a few more steps into the room before slumping. “Now, where would the fun be in that?” He hung his head low, in what was a pretty silly attempt at manipulation.

When that didn’t work, he sighed theatrically, “This is why I usually prefer second years to win. Kids these days don’t even give you the satisfaction of being scared.”

Nick watched him with half-lidded eyes, remaining perfectly still. If Lasazar wanted to act like a clown, he was free to do so, but he wouldn’t join in. Not when the stakes were so high.

“Alright, alright,” the older mage muttered, straightening up. “I don’t know what I thought I’d get from that stiff old man’s apprentice.”

Before Nick could do more than lift an eyebrow, Lasazar motioned with a hand, and the iron door shut behind him with a low thump.

“As you might imagine, we’re not going to summon a real demon from the depths of hell. Even ignoring how stupid such a thing would be, the Vice Tower Master would be alerted by the wards, and both of us would be vaporized before our call could be heard.”

Somehow, knowing that someone in the Tower seemed to have functioning common sense made Nick relax, even if that would come at the cost of his own life.

One run-in with a demon at Inari’s temple was all it took for him to see how foolish it would be to draw the attention of such a terrifying creature. No matter how desperate the situation, calling for the abominations was never a wise decision.

“But to learn anti-demon magic, you must not only learn the proper spells but also practice them in the right environment. You see, that has to do with the very nature of what we call demons,” Lasazar continued, taking on a lecturing tone, and Nick relaxed even more. As long as he knew what he was in for, he could prepare for just about anything.

“There is no such thing as a race of beings that share the same traits, much less a unified society seeking to enter our world. No, demons are a catch-all term for the extra-dimensional creatures that move through the lower dimensions. Each one could be called a species of its own, for how different they are. Still, there is a reason we group them together, and that is, they share a purpose, a desire that unites everything, from the lowest corrupted creature that has no personality left at all, to the greatest Demon Princes, whose passage risks collapsing reality itself.”

As he spoke, Lasazar took on a more serious cast, abandoning his cheerful demeanor for once. It reminded Nick that, despite this man seeming to be always cheerful, he was also one of the leading experts in war magic in the kingdom, and that Archmage Tholm had deemed him skilled enough to teach the basics of anti-demon magic to his own apprentice.

No pressure came from his rotund body, nor did he make any threatening move, but the air grew heavier, simply because his emotions echoed in the ether with the weight of a Prestige class.

“Demons are entities outside the Laws of Nature that the World itself rejects. They are far beyond anything we might understand as scientific or even magical, and they far surpass what any mortal could ever hope to comprehend. That is why corruption is the only possible outcome when encountering them, regardless of the offering. They will always seek a way into the material plane, longing to become enfleshed enough to promise anything and everything to those foolish enough to seek them.”

The crystal lamps that lit up the summoning chamber flickered, even though Nick didn't sense any magic happening.

It was simply a result of speaking in depth about such an abomination. The World rejected even the idea of discussing them, though they could do so safely within the Tower’s wards.

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That revelation made sense to Nick. It explained why, despite the traumatic experience with the demon in Inari’s temple, he’d only seldom spoken of it with the girls. It was something they should have discussed more, but they'd only brought it up when talking about their plans to explore every temple in the grassland to make sure no other taint remained.

It wasn't even an active effect, meaning couldn’t protect him from it. His mortal mind was just too weak to fully grasp such an existence, though Nick was pretty sure his being an Occultist explained how he could still focus on them.

“Even the most powerful Archmages tread carefully when dealing with True Demons. Interacting with them is always dangerous, regardless of the circumstances or preparation, and the conversation never ends up satisfying our questions; if anything, they seem to take great pleasure in leaving us with more. This means we don’t have a complete picture of their existence, especially since Lesser Demons—those agents they can send to the material plane more easily—never seem to hesitate to kill themselves if they feel truly trapped. But most experts agree that they crave enfleshment because living within their lower dimensions dulls everything. Life cannot be experienced there, and the passage of time is just something to keep track of for out of curiosity, rather than a constant. Here, however, they can experience so much more, and they don’t mind that to do so, they have to destroy this layer of reality.”

A dark thought crossed Nick’s mind, and once he’d had it, he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Does that mean there are entire dimensions they’ve already plundered? That once could support life, and now they are barren and lifeless?”

Lasazar met his eyes, conveying his seriousness with a single look. He nodded lightly, “Indeed. We have proof of only two such layers being devoured by them, but that's more than enough for us to enforce the protection of our world from them. The ether, the layer where mana originates, seems to be immune to their presence, and despite the tremendous power it offers to those who can access it, it doesn’t interest them much. Some speculate that their home layers are even more powerful, which would explain why they dwell there, despite the ether being closer to the material world.”

Nick filed that in. It made sense with what he knew, but he would need to think about the implications later when he wasn’t about to participate in something potentially very dangerous.

“Now, then. That is a basic understanding of what demons are. But you should know, not all demons are as dangerous as others. True Demons, those that pull the strings and whose presence makes reality shake, are so dangerous that countries mobilize their best and brightest to prevent their approach, but they are also very rare, while Lesser Demons are much more common and weaker.”

Nick nodded along. He’d known that much, having felt the difference between the one that had possessed the mothman and That Which Corrodes on his own skin.

The possibility of something even greater than the latter, a Demon Prince, made his skin crawl. Such a being would likely be on par with a god, but not bound by their followers’ faith or a domain.

“It is commonly understood that Lesser Demons inhabit our world, in relatively small quantities,” Lasazar continued, snapping Nick out of his thoughts.

“What?!” He asked, eyes widening.

His teacher nodded grimly, “Indeed. It is an unwelcome surprise to all who learn of it, but they are simply too faint a presence to detect from afar, and unfortunately, mortals have a terrible tendency to seek extraplanar help for their troubles. Most of the time, religions suffice, but in some cases, they don’t, and even weak mages can manage a basic demonic summoning if they come across a grimoire or a demonic artifact.”

That was not encouraging. Nick had known since the Purification Ritual that Lesser Demons could hide among people, but for it to be an accepted fact and considered impossible to prevent, made him very nervous.

“Then, there are demonic creatures. Usually, it’s monsters who come across some dark mausoleum or object, but similar beings exist on different planes as well. That is what we are here to call. A demonic summon, a creature that exists on a different layer but has been corrupted. You will need to face it directly to understand what you're up against if you truly want to learn anti-demon magic.”

Nick wanted to explain that he had already faced a True Demon and that he would greatly appreciate if they could skip this part and go straight to the actual spells. However, he couldn't say that without also explaining where it happened and the circumstances surrounding it.

And really, if Lasazar was so unworried, maybe it wouldn’t be that bad?

“Alright,” he sighed. “What do I have to do?”

The older man smiled, regaining some of his usual jolliness, and motioned for him to step aside. “For this first summon, I will handle everything, as I don’t want you to accidentally lose control and risk calling something more dangerous. But from the next time, we will work together.”

With that, Lasazar extended his hands toward the center of the chamber and began murmuring something under his breath.

With his air sense, Nick should have been able to listen and understand him, yet he found himself failing to grasp the meaning of the words.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION

Your Trait has protected you from a

Lines carved into the stone glowed with a sinister light, and the mana thickened until even Nick began to feel uneasy.

Then, when it seemed like it couldn’t grow any more, it shifted. Something about it felt familiar, something he had almost forgotten, but which suddenly came back to him, and Nick knew an unnatural creature was about to be summoned.

The ether throbbed in rhythm with the mana until the summoning completed its course, and a tear in the fabric of reality briefly appeared before the Tower’s wards intervened and closed it.

But it wasn't fast enough to stop a single creature from crawling out of it.

It was hideous, almost misshapen, with too many legs and long, wet hair. It reminded Nick of a guinea pig, but five times larger, with three bloodshot eyes and clearly corrupted by something.

A struck it before it could do more than blink, but aside from screeching in annoyance at being pushed back, it simply righted itself, baring bloody fangs at him, unaffected by his spell.