The demon Gargo was no longer at peace.
It was because of that creature that came every day.
That index finger! Damn the magician of that index finger!
“Have you been well today? How is your body?”
And so, the magician of the index finger, Yuric, came to Gargo’s residence located outside the lake as usual today.
Seeing him appear as expected, the demon’s face twisted rapidly. Although he reluctantly accepted the request for instruction, he never imagined he would come every day like this.
And today, he wished he wouldn’t come at all, but unlike the lazy second son, this one was overly diligent… When did I ever think I would miss that worm-like second son!
Nevertheless, demon Gargo cooperated with the magician of the index finger for the future. Of course, he knew this wasn’t the same magician of the index finger he had met before, but the magic of the index finger was undoubtedly the same. Gargo thought this human might be the successor of that magician of the index finger from back then.
Although Gargo always wore a distressed expression, he diligently fulfilled whatever Yuric desired. Living among humans, his mind had unknowingly developed a slave mentality. He realized that if he did what humans wanted, life became much easier. …Of course, that stability was shaken since Yuric appeared.
“Then, I will entrust my hopes to you again today.”
Gargo told the magician of the index finger about the demons’ magic and history.
In truth, his knowledge wasn’t something to boast about. His magic was just basic theory built on instinct, and his history didn’t deviate much from the average level of his kin.
Yet, those things were very fresh to the magician’s perspective.
“Long ago, humans were slaves to the demons. Even from our perspective as demons with lifespans of a thousand years, it was an incredibly long period spanning several generations. And the rebellion by humans began roughly two thousand years ago. They learned our magic while living beside us and attempted independence using it.”
This was the history of the entire continent, not recorded in history books.
“The struggle continued for a long time. At first, we didn’t take it seriously. After all, they were just humans. We had enslaved them for thousands of years.”
“And this is how it ended up.”
“Honestly, many still don’t care much about it. Everyone is obsessed with internal struggles among our kin. The great demon continent is truly a sea of struggle. We keep killing each other and keep being reborn.”
“How do the demons reproduce then?”
“There are queens ruling over different regions. They continuously produce demons. To expand their power, they give birth to stronger demons and fight their kin.”
Yuric nodded and wrote down everything Gargo said.
“Do you know Sir Wigrad, the Head Court Mage of Rheinburg?”
At this, Gargo’s expression changed slightly.
“Of course, I know him. His joining the side of humans was quite a shock to us. He was a special attendant to Her Majesty the Queen. As a result, quite a few demons have crossed over to humanity.”
“Even you?”
“I’m not like that. I grew tired of the struggles among my kin.”
“Then why did Sir Wigrad join the side of humans?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care either.”
“…I see.”
After the history lesson, it was time for the magic lesson.
“Word Magic is similar to demon magic. However, human magic has evolved. Instead of word magic, they use circuits. Ironically, the demons struggled with modern human magic. We don’t use circuits.”
As a result, the demons couldn’t easily penetrate the boundary magic repeatedly improved on the southern front. Because they couldn’t interpret the magic, even if they understood the circuits, deciphering such complex boundary magic would certainly take decades.
“But your index finger magic is close to word magic. It can’t be interpreted with modern magic. So, it’s best to give up. Stop bothering me.”
“Still, I must try until the end. If we can’t control it, the demons on the human continent will die. Including you.”
If another human had said this, he would have dismissed it as nonsense, but the magician of the index finger was different.
Gargo, who had experienced index finger magic, knew it was possible.
…He didn’t show it outwardly, but Gargo was genuinely scared. He feared this peaceful life might crumble.
Though it had already fallen apart significantly, Yuric was still a human who would eventually leave. If he could endure until then, the demon could reclaim his former life.
‘Yes, I’ll just endure this guy’s whims until then.’
With less desire for struggle, he felt fear of death more intensely than his kin.
He didn’t want to die. He preferred a peaceful life without conflict… Even though his kin mocked him for being weak, it didn’t matter. Those who mocked him were all dead, and he was still alive.
Lessons and sparring alternated every other day.
The next day, Yuric arrived as usual, and together with Gargo, who looked like he wanted to die, they went down to the underground training room.
They called it sparring, but for demon Gargo, it was just standing still. This was training to control the index finger.
Yuric tried to understand the flow of mana entering the index finger.
‘It’s difficult to fully comprehend the index finger magic right away. Then, let’s approach it the modern way.’
So, he also experimented by adding circuits to the index finger. Actually, he didn’t expect much, but this method turned out to be far more effective than trying to control the index finger magic itself.
However, sometimes Yuric couldn’t stop the convulsing index finger, which stabbed into demon Gargo’s body. Of course, that was an unavoidable accident.
“Ugh. Damn it… Human! Control it quickly!”
The hard index finger tore through even defensive magic like paper. If it were offensive magic, he might have managed to block it, but the stabbing index finger couldn’t be stopped no matter what.
Fortunately, Gargo was a demon with remarkable recovery abilities. Otherwise, if he were human, he would have died from numerous finger holes all over his body.
Moreover, Yuric gave him a potion, apologizing and urging quick recovery. Though demons didn’t care much about taste, his potion was disgustingly bitter.
Every time the index finger stabbed him, intense curses and murderous intent surged, but the demon forced himself to swallow them down. Otherwise, the index finger would go berserk.
“Oh, I’m really sorry. Please calm down. Otherwise, you really might die!”
Yuric’s words sounded like a threat to Gargo.
The demon wanted to run away. He already painfully realized he couldn’t handle the human in front of him… Running from struggle only led to this!
‘But where to…?’
Human Yuric was incredibly diligent and tenacious.
No matter where the demon Gargo went on the continent, he would stand out. Someday, this human would find him.
‘Why did you run away back then? You thought of me as a bug? Was I that scary?’
If he pierced his head with the index finger…
‘But he isn’t completely shameless. With this much help, he won’t pierce my head.’
Thanks to the training with demon Gargo, Yuric slowly started to feel how to use the index finger.
It was like a massive river. Until now, Yuric had only tried to block it, but that was impossible with his capabilities.
‘I am… a modern magician. Not an ancient one.’
Yuric decided not to resist the flow but to subtly change its direction.
Using circuits, modern inventions!
But it wasn’t simply using circuits.
It meant adding a new spell on top of the index finger.
Normally, casting a spell on top of another spell was absolutely forbidden. If the circuits entangled, it could lead to a major disaster. But what if the two spells had fundamentally different principles?
Coexistence of word magic and modern magic.
Yuric thought that might work.
While training, he designed circuits in his mind. Normally, he would draw and verify each circuit on paper, but now he couldn’t afford to. His entire body was focused on controlling the index finger magic. A slight relaxation would make the index finger create another hole in demon Gargo’s body.
Amplification, oscillation, modulation, demodulation, filtering, logic…
Countless types of circuits swirled chaotically in his mind.
Yuric repeated combinations and dissections frantically to achieve the best results.
Each training session, demon Gargo sensed something unusual happening with Yuric’s index finger.
Despite disliking struggle, he was born with a magical heritage. Seeing the circuits of modern humanity densely filling the index finger magic, Gargo couldn’t help feeling a sense of wonder.
“What did you do?”
“Given my current capabilities, I concluded that controlling the index finger is impossible. Then, I considered dispersing it.”
“Dispersing?”
“Distributing the mana of the index finger throughout the body. If I spread out the condensed mana in the index finger throughout my body, I judged there would be a possibility of control.”
Releasing mana externally would be counterproductive. It would deplete all the mana in his body instantly. So, he changed his approach.
“There’s a risk of explosion.”
“That’s an unavoidable problem. Everything can’t be perfect. And if the amount is too much and uncontrollable, the magic will automatically break down. It’s a safety mechanism.”
Yuric was no longer controlled by the index finger magic.
Or rather, he integrated his entire physical body with it.
“Thank you. Thanks to you.”
Finally, Yuric achieved a significant breakthrough.
