I am back – Chapter 204

What’s the best way to convince someone that magic is indeed magic?

In modern society on Earth, not only technology has advanced but also playthings have significantly evolved. I’m not just talking about computers or gaming consoles, or the internet.

The toys that children play with are no longer roughly carved from wood; they are mass-produced plastic products from factories, and even items like hula hoops, jump ropes, and bicycles are now all manufactured in bulk with specific designs. Plus, they’re lighter and much more fun to play with.

The same goes for human craftsmanship. Back in the day, street performers’ sleight of hand has gradually become more specialized and refined, to the point where nowadays there are “tricks” that the average person wouldn’t even suspect unless they knew the underlying principles beforehand. Moreover, considering the advantages of technological advancements, it’s tough to claim that “this is magic” just from a card trick.

For the same reason, the magic tricks that have appeared on TV, like levitating, body splitting, or easily escaping from chains, tend to elicit questions like “How did they do that?” rather than “Is that magic?”

So what’s to be done?

Of course, it seems obvious, but showing something that “modern technology can never replicate” is the key.

And implementing such things with magic isn’t exactly a walk in the park either.

Not that it’s easy, though.

I am a genius who has created new forms of magic that have never existed before.

Blue light flowed from the tip of my index finger onto the stone slab. With my finger touching the stone, it appeared as though the light was emanating from the LED lamp rather than from my finger.

However, even so, the sight of the blue light spreading along the finely carved grooves on the stone, starting from my fingertip, would have required extreme delicacy even if it were created with modern technology.

My mom was staring wide-eyed at the stone.

Did she think it was a souvenir purchased somewhere?

In a sense, that wasn’t entirely incorrect. While it was more precious than a typical souvenir, rich people do buy luxury items as mementos, after all.

Like watching a game load, the light spreading across the slab moved slowly at a constant pace, gradually coloring all the intricately engraved grooves a shade of blue.

Just that would indicate how extremely detailed the patterns carved into this stone were. Whether hand-made or machine-engraved, creating something like this would have required precise craftsmanship.

But this stone did more than just shine.

As I verified that the stone was illuminated and removed my finger, light shone from where my finger had been.

The shape was reminiscent of an inverted cone, almost like light projected from a projector.

I slowly placed the stone slab on the table between my mom and me.

She blinked as she looked at the device at my fingertip.

Before she could even ask what this object was—

Just like a video projected from a projector, an image started to flow from the conical light.

But it wasn’t merely a projector-like image.

It was a three-dimensional image, something akin to a hologram, that modern technology had yet to perfectly recreate.

“Ah…!”

And such a sound escaped my mom’s lips.

The image showcased none other than me.

Not the current me, but a version of myself that the Goddess had created once before, closely resembling my original appearance.

There I was, dressed in Irrelaysia attire, with a holy sword at my waist.

My mom shifted her gaze between me and the figure that appeared in the image, nodding several times, her curiosity battling with her desire to see that vividly lifelike representation.

Soon, the version of me in the image began to move.

At first, I walked slowly, then began to pick up speed until I was running.

Drawing the sword from my waist—

I slashed at beings that were imprinted in my memory. Demons and monsters, the Demon Race. And the Demon King’s henchmen.

Enemies that I had once faced alongside my companions.

Though, of course, it was an image somewhat detached from reality. Living beings don’t just die easily when struck by a sword. The holy sword can slice through those lower demons and monsters effortlessly, but entities with a certain level of strength can also fend off the holy sword’s attack. Though they usually end up horrifically beaten immediately after.

That said, I couldn’t show my mom such a brutal image.

The depiction of me continuing to fight gradually shrank. As if filmed from a distance.

Around me stood my companions.

There were no sound effects. No music. If this were a promotional item for the Kingdom or something commemorative, perhaps those elements would have been included.

But since this was meant to convince, that was unnecessary.

My mom was staring at this object with her mouth slightly agape.

Would she believe that it’s magic? Or might it merely appear as some novelty item conjured by a strange child using newfound technology? I couldn’t tell. Mom… I had lived my whole life with her, yet I still didn’t know her thoughts completely.

But the fact that she was entranced, mouth agape, as she watched the image, conveyed one thing to me.

The version of me in the image kept running. Fighting, winning, and fighting again.

Of course, I knew we had nearly cut out all of the negative aspects from this video. But simultaneously, I could also guess how my other self viewed me.

I was simply fighting, yet my companions regarded me as a true hero.

I had come to understand this feeling a bit after watching the video with my older sister one-on-one last time.

This was an item to persuade my mom, yet it also served as a tribute to me.

“……”

“……”

Both my sister and I held our breath, gazing at our mom.

Eventually, I entered the Demon King’s castle. Battling fiercely alongside my companions as I advanced to the Demon King’s stronghold.

The first to fall was Dana due to her waning magical power. She had dealt a significant blow to the Demon King, but that was it. Arna supported Dana. Pia, with a pained expression, healed the small wounds that decorated Dana’s body.

Next to fall was Kalia.

Just as the Demon King was about to strike me, she jumped in and received a fatal blow. Pia rushed to Kalia, healing her with all her might. Yet Kalia’s wounds looked anything but good.

Taking advantage of the gap, Arna charged in and fired an arrow. The bow, crafted from branches of the World Tree and blessed with Divine Power, was quite deadly to the Demon King. The already bloodied Demon King, having taken damage from the holy sword, knelt before the arrow’s strike.

However, the Demon King still wasn’t dead.

He remained alive, plunging his remaining right hand into his own chest.

With a spine-chilling smile, he pulled out something dark and viscous from his opened chest.

It was less like a heart and more akin to a lump of tar, a ghastly substance.

Seeing that, I charged straight at the Demon King.

“……Ah!”

My mom let out a gasp as she witnessed my form rushing towards the exploding, darkened body of the Demon King.