Chapter 44 — From a Fleeting Spark
After the Great Sage Aivis passed away…
Elias returned from the central seas and once again resumed his journey to search for the magic that could turn demons into humans.
The last time he passed through the Korithi Region must have been sixty or seventy years ago.
In those decades, the city's famous mango shaved-ice shop had closed down.
It was now replaced by a drink stand selling strange beverages that made the tongue go numb.
He wondered briefly—
That young man who peeked at Serie bathing back then… is he still alive?
Getting punched into the next district by her must have been something he bragged about for a lifetime.
With that nostalgic thought, Elias left the city.
He stepped off the carriage at the familiar mountain path and continued forward on foot.
If his memory was correct, just up ahead was a village—
a village where a silver-haired girl once risked her life to protect the children.
Serie had predicted that the girl, blind to her own mediocrity, would eventually die in terrible agony at a demon's hands.
He had never doubted Serie's foresight.
Not then.
Not now.
"Stop right there."
A low, cold voice called out from behind.
Elias chuckled.
So… the girl must have died.
The village likely overrun, and now bandits loitered around freely.
A village, huh…
Heh.
Most likely it no longer even existed.
Elias ignored the voice.
Foolish, fearless bandits weren't worth his attention.
"Didn't you hear me, demon?! I said STOP!"
"…Hm?"
Elias slowly turned around—
and what he saw was… unexpected.
Eyes burning like wildfire.
Silver hair as firm as forged steel.
A posture like unyielding grass—
even though her face was weathered with deep wrinkles.
"You're… still alive?"
"If I'm not mistaken, your name was Ai—"
—KRAAASH!!!
A cage of roaring flames swallowed Elias whole.
The earth beneath him melted into molten lava, firestorms tore the sky apart, and the heat surged like the breath of hell itself—hot enough to melt the far-northern glaciers.
Elias reached out and touched the drifting cinders.
The scorching sting confirmed it—
"This isn't an illusion…"
"This is the actual Ultimate Inferno Barrier."
"But Ailemira… is this how you treat an old benefactor?"
A voice drifted from the blazing skies, cold and sharp:
"A demon mimicking human speech…"
"You think knowing my name lets you pass as human?"
"The moment you stepped onto this mountain, your human disguise was shattered."
Elias laughed.
The girl who once couldn't ignite a single blade of dry grass—
now effortlessly saw through his illusion
and greeted him with an ultimate-tier fire spell.
So… miracles do favor the weak after all?
He thought of Serie.
And smirked.
Even you were wrong, old dwarf.
—SHHHP.
Elias sliced through the inferno with a casual gesture and stepped behind the silver-haired elder.
"Serie would never have imagined you'd become a mage this powerful."
"…!"
At the mention of Serie's name, Ailemira's entire body jolted.
She instantly dispelled her spell and whipped around.
"You…"
She squinted hard, digging through her memories.
"You're that expressionless guy from back then?!"
Elias: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"…I really didn't help much back then, but is your only impression of me seriously just 'expressionless'?"
"By the way—my name is Elias."
"I remember now."
Ailemira nodded gently.
"So you really were a demon… No wonder your appearance hasn't changed in all these years."
"Then what now? Aren't you going to kill me? I am a demon, after all."
"Heh…"
Ailemira's lips curved into a smile.
"If you were someone who needed killing, Lady Serie would have handled it long ago."
"Fair point…"
Under Ailemira's guidance, Elias returned to her village.
The village that once had only a dozen surviving children—
was now bustling, alive, and thriving with hundreds of people.
The old, crumbling wooden huts had become sturdy stone houses.
People moved about with purpose and energy.
Elias couldn't help but sigh.
"Impressive."
"I've seen century-old cities fall overnight.
But you… you managed to protect this village for decades.
I'm genuinely impressed."
"But what I truly want to know is—
with no talent for magic, how did you…"
Ailemira smiled knowingly and headed toward the forest.
"Please, come with me."
They stopped in the familiar clearing.
Elias's brows rose slightly when he saw the still-standing, long-dead grass stalk.
"It hasn't disappeared after so many years… You protected it with magic?"
"Yes."
"To remember."
Ailemira lowered her gaze.
"The truth is… even on the final day of the trial, I still couldn't ignite it."
"No matter how hard I tried, all I managed—was a single spark.
A tiny flicker that vanished instantly."
"Three months later, I succeeded in creating my first flame…
and soon after, a second magic tome arrived—『Basic Fire Magic』."
"From then on, hope lit my heart.
I threw myself into magic with everything I had."
"And every few years—whenever I broke through—
another fire magic tome would mysteriously arrive."
Elias's eyes darkened.
"Don't tell me…"
Ailemira's face bloomed into a soft smile.
"The sender was always anonymous.
But I knew.
I knew it was her."
"She never acknowledged me as her disciple…
but in my heart, she has always been my teacher."
"A few years ago, when I finally mastered the 『Ultimate Inferno Barrier』 in my twilight years… the tomes stopped coming."
Elias sucked in a sharp breath.
That stubborn dwarf…
Cold on the surface, harsher than anyone—
yet secretly doing so many things completely against her own philosophy.
He could even imagine Serie's smug grin each time she secretly mailed a new tome.
Heh.
When it comes to being a tsundere… no one beats her.
"Lord Elias…"
Ailemira's voice softened with age.
"I am already an old woman.
Soon, I will leave this world."
"Before I die, I no longer hope to meet Lady Serie again."
"But please tell her—
I, Ailemira, will forever be grateful."
"It was she who made me believe—
that even someone as mediocre as me had the right to pursue magic."
"Even if it cost my entire short life."
---
Some Time Later — The Throne Room:
"She truly said all that?"
The golden-haired elf on the throne stared coldly at the black-clad demon below.
"It was already eight years ago.
I can only recall the general gist."
"Eight years…"
"Then she must already be…"
Serie abruptly stopped.
Elias raised an eyebrow, a knowing smirk forming.
"Old dwarf…
that sparkle at the corner of your eye—
don't tell me that's the legendary tear?"
"You saw wrong."
Serie stood and walked toward the inner hall.
"She and I only met once.
She wasn't my disciple.
Why would I grieve for a stranger?"
"Is that so?
Then I'll be leaving."
As Elias turned away, the great hall doors slowly closed behind him.
When she was finally alone—
Serie stood by the window.
And gently rubbed her eyes.
"…A human disciple, huh."
"Maybe miracles…
aren't limited to just one."