Instinct

Sitting on my throne and looking down at the black swirl of dark energy above my open hand, I still wasn't sure what I could do with it. This was why Tatiana was currently explaining a bit more about dark magic to me, something that was possible even if she couldn't actually teach me how to use it.

"As I said before, as I am not able to use dark magic myself, I cannot promise you that what I say will be of any help, but I will try my best."

Seeing her resolved face, which looked exactly like all her other kinds of faces, my ears focused up, intent on not missing anything that she had to say about the subject.

"Dark magic is mostly known to be a kind of magic that brings with it nothing but fear and despair. There are very few users of dark magic in Terros, as those who use it openly get condemned, often executed, as it is regarded as an affront to the goddess herself."

'That sounds a bit troublesome. Though I suppose it doesn't matter much as I would get condemned for being a demon anyway.'

"From what I know, most people who dabble with dark magic use it to cast curses, inflict devious ailments upon their enemy, or, just like you use it, to use it as a concentrated force of energy. What is a bit interesting about that kind of application is that although it's hard to control it, it has the added benefit of disregarding a big part of the inherent magical defenses that all beings have."

'...huh?'

"That's the primary reason why it's an element of magic that is often favored by demons, as not only are we immune to the incredibly adverse side-effects of using it, but it is extremely lethal when used as an offensive tool."

"I see."

Nodding a bit to show that I was following what she was saying, which I kind of was, while at the same time consciously ignoring her mentioning the adverse side effects, she continued on.

"So for you to start creating your own spells using darkness magic, I would advise you to start off by learning how to manipulate it a bit more freely. After that..."

"Like this?"

Clenching the fist in which the dark swirl had continued to spin, I directed the dark magic that slipped through my fingers into the air. A second later, I focused my consciousness on the energy that was still part of me and made it go to the white-haired woman in front of me, making it coil around her body like a playful snake.

"T-that's right."

Withdrawing the black energy back into my body, not wanting to waste valuable DE for nothing, it couldn't be helped that I was so focused on the matter at hand that I completely missed the fact that she had stuttered.

****

[Tatiana's Pov]

'Master is truly extraordinary...'

Even since the day he arrived in this world, I had always thought of the man now experimenting with his dark magic while sitting on his throne to be remarkable.

From the guidance I had received from the goddess, I hadn't expected him to be able to make any real progress for at least a couple of weeks, as that was the time it should have taken him to even begin to accept the reality.

However, that had not been the case. No, far from it. It hadn't even taken him three days before he went out on his first hunt, and although I knew that he had only been hunting slimes, it was still ridiculous.

All this time his eyes had never stopped to look at the present, for his gaze was still firmly attached to the future.

And now, he was showing me something absolutely absurd, as he was playing with the dark magical energy as if it was simply another part of him. As if it was something natural to do.

Which it most certainly wasn't.

Even for demons, it took years and years to even begin starting to manipulate dark magic, due to its complex structure and illogical nature. So seeing him mold it into different shapes, from shadowy snakes to tetrahedrons, it was impossible for me not to react.

The main reason why it was so hard was that to manipulate dark magic, one needed to be intrinsically aware that it shouldn't exist.

It wasn't enough to consciously know that darkness actually couldn't be real, as it was simply the absence of light, it had to be an ingrained part of one's beliefs, while at the same time demanding that the user could actively go against the laws of the world in order to conjure it.

And Aldric was for some reason able to do so, even though I knew that he hadn't understood even the slightest part of the books he found in the library. He was doing this purely by instinct.

That was the part of him that surprised me the most. The insanely developed instincts that he had, the inherent, subconscious part that allowed him to somehow always adapt to his circumstances despite him not having an idea how or why.

It was to the point where I had even begun to have thoughts that he might actually have a chance to survive this ordeal, in spite of the odds being so heavily stacked against him.

The demon king event as a whole was designed with the sole goal of the demon king dying, but it was also important that the demon king struggled with all his might. Just like the previous demon kings, Aldric would also grow up to become immensely powerful, powerful enough that no single human, dwarf, or elf would be able to stand up to him.

However, the goddess' design still involved him not getting strong enough to survive, as that would go against the purpose behind his current existence. And yet, I somehow felt like if there was someone who would be able to reach that level, Aldric might be the one to do so.

Not because he was a genius, nor because he was an exceptionally hard worker, though he did try very hard, maybe even to a fault. No, the biggest reason why he might be able to reach a point that no previous demon king had reached was because of his instincts, and the way he kept his eyes on his goal.

That being said... I still knew that he was fated to die, no matter how much I wanted to believe otherwise. I had already seen so many like him come and go that it would be foolish to think of him as any different, all while being stuck in this cursed tower, where I was condemned to spend the rest of my days due to pay for my sins.

Just like his future was already set in stone, where he would die for the unity of Terros, I would be staying right here in this tower like always, unable to do anything about it except for acting as a spectator.

"Maybe this will work...!"

Yet, when he mumbled and his pale face lit up a bit in happiness over making some progress, I also couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from rising a bit.

Even if my role in this world wouldn't change, I would at the very least get to see how far he could go with my very own eyes.

That was both the duty as well as the privilege that I had been punished with.

****

[Aldric's Pov]

'I need to get myself something to wear...'

With my army lined up before me, right outside of the goblin village, feeling the chilly morning air caress my skin, I still felt a bit self-conscious about the fact that I had nothing to wear on my upper body.

'But there is nothing I can do about it for now.'

Right now, there was a bit more of a pressing matter on the agenda. A matter which deeply involved the goblins numbering more than two hundred in front of me, the tens of large birds circling above them, as well as the dozens of fairies hovering in the back.

With me in the front, I had the three commanders that I picked for each different troop, consisting of Gob, Pii, and a bird of prey that I picked at random due to me being unsure who was who.

'I should probably try and find some time to focus on structuring my troops.'

Although the goblins had learned a lot from the Gobba tribe and were now at least standing in rows, there was still no doubt that my army wasn't exactly expertly trained. However, that would have to be a project for another day. Today, I focused on something else.

The last time we ventured out I hadn't been able to squeeze out a speech to motivate my subjects, but this time I wanted to make sure I at least said something. And something I said.

"Some of you may die."

And then, I blanked on the rest of the speech that I had tried my best to remember, a quote from my previous life.