The True Identity of the Demon 2
Liliana channeled the magic she had been building up within her and unleashed it into the world with a single word.
(<Wind Scythe>)
As she chanted in her mind, a fierce gust of wind erupted around the monsters. The razor-sharp blades of wind mercilessly tore through the bodies of the creatures baring their fangs at Liliana and the others.
“Whoa… That’s brutal…” Petra muttered in stunned amazement. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation or mercy in Liliana’s wind magic. It was as if the most skilled swordsman had effortlessly cut down monsters with a single slash—but she was doing this on a massive scale, in every direction.
To use offensive magic effectively, you need to know the position and movement of your enemies. In other words, it’s impossible to hit enemies that aren’t in your line of sight or whose presence you can’t sense. The monsters were shrouded in miasma, making it difficult to pinpoint each individual location.
Yet Liliana was doing exactly that—she was launching attacks while simultaneously sensing the presence of every monster in all directions. In other words, it was as if she had 360-degree vision, allowing her to wield multiple weapons instinctively and reflexively. This wasn’t something that could be done with ordinary mental strength; it required an enormous amount of magic power and superhuman reflexes.
Unconsciously, Petra wiped the cold sweat from her brow.
She had been shocked before when Liliana used the highest-level light magic to annihilate monsters, but now Petra was even more astonished.
The technique Liliana had used during the monster stampede required tremendous amounts of magic, mental energy, and physical strength, but it didn’t demand precision. However, the wind magic Liliana was using now was different. It didn’t require as much magic as the highest-level light magic, but it demanded incredible mental strength, concentration, and the stamina to sustain it. This was something that could be improved with effort to some extent.
But natural combat ability—now that was something that couldn’t be acquired through effort alone.
The monsters roared, foam dripping from their mouths. Despite their injuries, some of the stronger ones charged straight toward the source of the magic—Liliana. Even if they couldn’t see her, they could sense where the powerful magic was coming from.
But Liliana wasn’t there.
(<Whirlwind>)
The bodies of the six monsters that had charged into the condensed space of Liliana’s magic were stretched and torn to pieces. The localized wind magic, which mimicked a tornado, shredded the monsters into chunks, and then the magic was released as soon as they were reduced to nothing but flesh.
Wind Scythe and Whirlwind continued to cut down monsters everywhere.
The nearly thirty monsters that had surrounded them were reduced to lifeless corpses by Liliana in just a few minutes.
(<Purification>)
Finally, Liliana used light magic to cleanse the miasma. Unlike the highest-level light magic she had used previously, Purification didn’t cause the monsters’ bodies to disappear.
The swift and decisive nature of the fight left Petra astonished, but Tania was even more shocked, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her face had gone pale. For a six-year-old, it was impressive that she hadn’t fainted.
“Well, what can I say… You’re as amazing as ever,” Petra remarked, her voice carrying a hint of exasperation in the now-silent forest. After confirming that it was safe, she lowered the barrier that had been protecting her and Tania. Liliana, still invisible, spoke to Petra through telepathy.
“<By the way, what brought you to this place at such a late hour?>”
“I heard reports of monsters appearing here yesterday, so I came to check it out.”
Petra glanced down at Tania, who was clinging to her waist, looking slightly troubled. Tania, who couldn’t hear Liliana’s voice, tilted her head in confusion. Petra thought for a moment and then asked, “So, why did you come here?”
“Well… Tania started studying magic.”
“Yeah, I know that.”
Tania’s eyes sparkled with pride as she declared this. However, studying magic didn’t explain why she was in the forest at dusk. Petra looked down at Tania, urging her to continue. Tania puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
“Don’t you get it? Tania started studying magic! In today’s lesson, the teacher taught us how to become stronger. She said I needed safflower, juniper, and burdock.”
Tania’s tone implied that this explanation should be more than sufficient, but Petra still didn’t understand. Seeing the confused look on Petra’s face, Tania’s voice rose in irritation, teetering on the edge of a tantrum.
“So! Tania came here to gather those herbs.”
“At this time of night?”
“...Because…”
Tania puffed her cheeks in frustration. Seeing this, Liliana quickly deduced the situation. Most likely, the teacher had explained how to become stronger to Tania. However, increasing one’s magic power is not something recommended for someone like Tania, whose body and mind are still in the developmental stages. Not only is the act of increasing magic power itself inadvisable, but consuming large amounts of those herbs isn’t recommended either, as Liliana recalled from her readings.
(Safflower promotes blood circulation, while juniper and burdock have diuretic and blood-purifying effects, she remembered.)
Liliana drew on her knowledge from her previous life. The likely intent was to improve the circulation of magic power within the body. However, juniper is known to affect the kidneys. As people age, kidney function naturally declines, and overburdening them can quickly lead to kidney dysfunction. This can result in conditions like uremia or heart failure, potentially even death in the worst-case scenario.
While there might not be a problem if used in herbal teas or aromatherapy, the impact on the body when used in magic to maximize the effects could be severe. In this world, there is no such thing as dialysis, so the warnings likely stem from practical experience.
Petra, seemingly having reached the same conclusion as Liliana, didn’t bother hiding her exasperation.
“You know, if you keep doing things like this, it’ll kill you.”
“But—!”
“No ‘buts’! I’m telling Ben. You’re too young for a magic tutor.”
“Why?! Petra, you’re not even Tania’s big sister!”
Tania’s eyes welled up with tears at Petra’s words, and she finally threw a tantrum. However, perhaps because she was still scared from the monster attack, she clung to Petra and refused to let go. Petra looked up at the sky in frustration. She let out a small click of her tongue, but luckily for Tania, she didn’t seem to hear it.
Watching the two, Liliana realized that this conversation was going nowhere, so she made a suggestion to Petra.
“<If it’s not too much trouble, perhaps you could send the young lady home via teleportation?>”
“Young lady…?”
Petra’s voice dripped with incredulity. Liliana referred to Tania as a “young lady,” but there was only a one-year age difference between them. Petra barely managed to hold back from saying something like, They’re practically the same age.
Still, she couldn’t argue with Liliana’s suggestion.
“Yeah, I think I’ll do that. I’ll take her back home. What about you?”
“<I’ll finish investigating here and then return to the manor. What about you? Will you come back here after dropping off the young lady?>”
Petra didn’t hesitate. She nodded immediately.
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
“<Understood. I’ll be waiting.>”
“Thanks.”
After watching Petra teleport away with Tania, Liliana dispelled her invisibility spell and began investigating the surrounding area.
Monsters are born from miasma. While the source of the miasma remains unclear, the prevailing theory is that the invisible miasma particles floating in the air gather in one place, becoming concentrated enough to be recognized as miasma.
(But there’s one thing that still doesn’t add up)
Liliana thought to herself. Whether monsters are formed directly from miasma or whether animals become monsters after being exposed to miasma is still an unresolved question.
“These monsters seemed to have higher intelligence. If animals become monsters after being exposed to miasma, it’s possible that animals known for their intelligence fell victim this time.”
Though the definition of intelligence is vague, in this context, it would be reasonable to define it as the ability to think logically. This means one indicator could be the ratio of brain weight to body weight. By that definition, humans, as well as elephants, dolphins, gorillas, crows, wolves, and bats, are considered highly intelligent. On the other hand, lions, mice, and moles have relatively small brains compared to their body weight.
If she recalled correctly, Proahen Forest was home not just to wolves but also to crows and bats.
“<Magic Detection>”
First, Liliana decided to check the surrounding area for any traces of magic or cursecraft. Normally, the spell she was using would only detect magic, but she had modified the formula so that it would also respond to curses powered by magical energy.
While she could cast spells without incantations, Liliana had learned that using incantations reduced the amount of magic required. The basic principle was to convert magical energy into spells through a formula and use incantations to make up for any shortfall in magical energy. However, this fundamental principle was only documented in highly specialized magical texts.
The spells Liliana cast, drawing from the knowledge of her previous life, were often simplified, with the amount of magical energy required reduced to the bare minimum.
Furthermore, due to Liliana’s vast reserves of magic, she could often cast spells that typically required incantations without needing to recite them. The problem, however, was that no one besides Liliana could comprehend the "knowledge from her previous life," meaning they couldn’t understand the formulas she used.
As a result, if Petra or Ben wanted to replicate Liliana’s magic, they would first need to observe her spells and then translate them into a formula they could understand.
(This isn’t going as smoothly as I’d hoped. There doesn’t seem to be any sign of a curse that could have created the monsters)
Liliana sighed softly and invoked, “<Gathering>.” Instantly, the scattered fragments of the monsters, cut or torn apart, began to gather at her feet. As a precaution, she set up a barrier around the remains and concentrated her magic once more.
“<Reconstruction>”
The concept was like assembling a three-dimensional puzzle at the molecular level. She categorized substances with the same genetic sequence into groups, and within those groups, she further classified particles that shared the same magical energy into subgroups. By analyzing not just the genetic sequence but also the cellular and tissue structure, she aimed to reconstruct the original form of the monsters.
Ordinarily, no one should be capable of performing such a spell. It was a technique reserved for the Demon Lord, the head of the demons. Not only did it require an enormous amount of magical power, but the spell’s formula was also considered forbidden, and thus, it hadn’t been studied.
But Liliana had a way of making the impossible things possible. What she was doing wasn’t the taboo of eternal youth and immortality or resurrecting the dead. It was more like reconstructing an ancient creature from fossils—just a far more intricate version of that process.
Of course, this wasn’t something just anyone could do. Especially in a case like this, where nearly thirty different monster carcasses had to be sorted and reconstructed—it was an insane undertaking. But Liliana didn’t hesitate as she executed the spell.
“If some parts are unclear, I’ll just reconstruct what I can.”
Maybe that would reveal something useful. During the battle, the miasma had obstructed her view, so she could only grasp the monsters’ rough shapes.
Within a few minutes, Liliana finished the reconstruction. Naturally, only the external forms had been restored, and there was no risk of them coming back to life. Although she had put up a barrier just in case, her fears proved unfounded. Liliana let out a sigh of relief.
“There seem to be many wolf-like monsters. Besides that, I see crows, hawks, and... oh, even a rabbit.”
As Liliana inspected the reconstructed monsters one by one, she suddenly felt the air shift and instinctively tensed. But the moment she sensed the familiar magical energy, she relaxed.
“You’re back sooner than I expected.”
She greeted Petra, who had just appeared, with a gentle smile.
Petra, having appeared, alternated her gaze between Liliana and the reconstructed monsters, her sharp mind working at full speed—until she finally grasped the situation.
“...Have you decided to stop being human?”
Her exasperated words echoed through the forest, which had now returned to silence.
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