Gawain Lenard the Sword God.
Jane Ursula the Mad Witch.
Ford Zesshi the Grand Mage.
Raphael Noel of the Thousand Songs.
The Indestructible Immortal, Dom!
These were my allies, as well as the members of the Hero Party.
Gawain and Ford were friends of mine from the Eastern Kingdom. We attended Ainzlark Academy together as well.
Jane Ursula was a Fairy—an extremely crazy one at that.
Her specialty cut across Magic Mechanics and Soul Magic
Still, Jane's knowledge of Mana was deep, and she sought even more knowledge to the point of obsession.
To be honest, I felt a strong sense of comradeship with her because of our joint interests.
It was too bad that Emilia often stared daggers at me whenever she found me talking with Jane for too long.
Still, as friends, we certainly had fun moments.
Raphael Noel was a member of the Dwarven Race. His nickname was due to the multiple sounds he made whenever he built something.
>CLANG!<
>SHIIIIIIIII<
>KRIIIIIIIII<
From hammering, to drilling, to sawing. His hands were extremely gifted, and his works were immensely valuable.
I was happy to have him as an ally since he brought many of my theoretical innovations to life.
He once brought up the issue of Automatons—Golems that could function independently.
At that point in time, it was impossible, but... with the way Automatons had already become so widespread among everyone in the Eastern Kingdom, I was certain Raphael was able to achieve his goals.
Emilia Vindiel was not a member of our team, as she soon returned to the Elf Capital once our assignments as delegates ended.
I also had the pleasure of making three other close friends who weren't members of the Hero Party.
If it hadn't been for them, I would not have reached the heights I did.
That, though, would be a story for another day.
****************************
The battle against the Demons was fierce.
Even with the joint forces of all our Kingdoms, we were at a stalemate.
And that was simply because of one critical factor.
—MIASMA
It was a unique kind of Mana the Demons possessed.
Since Demons had not been very active before the war, we had very little information on them.
Demonic Energy was a new phenomenon, so it took us some time to figure it out.
Miasma corrupted everything that had Mana. It devastated the lands, killed a good number of our allies, and it didn't stop spreading.
It was at that point that we came to the realization—
"If we don't find a way around this, it could truly mean the end."
As a result, we began pooling our heads together to figure out the solution.
However, no matter how hard we tried, it was a tightly shut door. Even I couldn't figure the concept out completely.
But, was that really surprising?
I was merely an Inept individual who was gifted with an amazing intellect and a strong interest in Magic.
Even with Elven Magic, as well as the other kinds, I had to study them carefully and learn how they worked.
Miasma was a different ball game altogether. There was indeed no way I could figure out its mysteries.
And so, the problem festered.
With every second wasted, more of our forces died.
If nothing was done, the war would drag on for much longer—causing more despair.
'I-I have to do something!'
The thought of watching Emilia writhe in pain as Miasma consumed her body sprang up in my head.
My parents were already dead, but I still had family in the Eastern Kingdom. I also had allies—close friends.
We had already come this far. There was no way I was going to let everything go up in smoke.
Which was why... I made a bold step.
It was one of the most reckless moves I ever made, but, desperation drove me crazy.
So crazy, in fact, that I ventured into the heart of our misfortune.
—The Nation of Demons!
There were two reasons for my decision to venture in alone.
One was the fact that I was Inept, so exposure to Miasma had no reaction on my bodily system.
While it gave me a terribly intense feeling of fear, I could manage it.
The second reason was that my allies were all vulnerable to the effects of Miasma. They also wouldn't let me go on my own.
So, I secretly stole away into the night... and invaded the settlement of Demons—all by myself.
I wasn't terribly strong—but Gawain taught me some Martial Arts, and I picked a few things along the way.
Plus, I had a few Items that I could utilize—though most would be nearly useless before Demonic Energy.
Still, I believed that if I could get closer to the source and observe the Demons... I could find the solution to everyone's problems.
How foolish I was.
"You're a pretty dumb human, you know?"
Not long after I arrived in the land infested by Demons, I was caught by a Crimson Demon.
It was a monster above monsters, and from its grin, I could sense my end.
I shivered in my boots. All my Martial Arts were rendered useless in an instant, and I was completely at the monster's mercy.
"Well, I suppose having a pet like you will be somewhat fun."
************************
Two years.
I spent two years with the Crimson Demon.
Was it hell?
Did I suffer?
Did I regret every moment of my stay there?
The answer was... no.
Karlia, the Crimson Demon, was a Succubus.
She belonged to the minority race of Crimson Demons, but she actually despised violence.
It was one of the reasons why she lived on the outskirts of the Demon Settlement.
Her black hair and purple eyes echoed forbidden pleasure, and this Demoness was quite the seductress.
She had a unique ability—her Original Magic—that allowed her to increase the natural abilities of both herself and anyone she had sexual relations with.
In essence, some form of 'Dual Cultivation.'
She had quite a number of visitors, even though she lived away from everyone else.
Many would come to have their abilities enhanced by her, in exchange for a fee.
To be honest, I felt she was ripping them off, since she was enjoying both the sex and money.
Her abilities also increased, as a result, basically causing her to profit in more ways than one.
I served as a caretaker under her for those two years.
As a result... I was able to learn all about Miasma.
