Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1861

It was a fresh feeling.

The past came to mind.

The past, the questions and answers he had with the Master.

“When did magic begin? When did everyone start seeking new knowledge?”

To Wiggins’ question, which still showed signs of youth, the Master smiled.

“Well, no one can know that.”

“…Isn’t it in the history of the Round Table?”

“The Round Table has a long history. But that doesn’t mean that the entire history of magic is with the Round Table. A group is only formed when there are enough members to make up that group. In other words, when the Round Table was formed, there were already many people pursuing magic.”

Wiggins nodded.

“So, no one knows where magic started.”

“That’s right. Everyone wonders about it at least once, but no one has found the answer.”

It could be that magic is a gift from God to humans, or it could be a bait created by the devil to tempt humans.

It could be that someone who has received the blessing of a being beyond humans is performing miracles, or perhaps it’s just a natural principle that people are performing with their bodies, like science.”

Wiggins nodded silently.

The conclusion is that no one knows, and there is no way to know in the future.

“Then…”

“Hmm?”

Wiggins looked up at the Master.

“What do you think, Master?”

When the Master didn’t answer right away, Wiggins urged him.

“You said that everyone thinks about it at least once, didn’t you? Where do you think magic came from, Master?”

“Haven’t I already answered that?”

“That’s just the principle.”

Wiggins shook his head.

“Even if you haven’t found the answer, I think you would have organized your own thoughts, Master.”

The Master smiled faintly.

“A bright student is not bad, but a sly fox who tries to look into another’s stomach is always a burden.”

“…I apologize if I was rude.”

“It’s not rude.”

The Master said firmly.

“A teacher always wants to give a perfect answer to a student’s question. It’s a bit embarrassing to say, ‘I don’t know either,’ or, ‘You should think about it.'”

“Do you also feel such emotions, Master?”

“Am I not a human being?”

The Master looked at Wiggins.

‘They’re sparkling.’

Those with such eyes are bound to achieve something.

“Well, the answer I came up with…”

Normally, he would have glossed over it, but for some reason, looking at these eyes, he wanted to give a serious answer.

“I think magic came from alchemy.”

“Alchemy, you say?”

“That’s right.”

Wiggins tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“The history of alchemy is long, but the history of magic… no, isn’t the history of the Round Table older than the history of alchemy?”

“That’s the known history.”

The Master said with a smile.

“Just as the history of magic was not known to the outside world, only a part of the history of alchemy is known.”

Wiggins nodded.

He thought that could be possible.

“Then, was the first alchemy not for making gold, but for making something else?”

“Absolutely not.”

The Master waved his hand.

“It was gold. It was only gold. No, well, it could be something other than gold. It could be a jewel, or something more valuable.”

“You seem to want to find the beginning of magic in something more grand, but that’s not the case. The beginning is just desire. I want to have more. I want to get more. More! Even more!”

The Master’s voice grew louder.

However, Wiggins’ eyes, watching the Master’s reaction, were already narrowed.

“Are you saying that magic developed because of such desires?”

“That’s right. Is there a problem with that?”

“Isn’t it base?”

“Base?”

The Master smiled.

“What is base?”

The Master’s gaze followed Wiggins.

“Exploring the truth and chasing gold. Which one is more base?”

“Well…”

“Chasing gold?”

The Master shook his head.

“Look here. Desire has no right or wrong, no high or low. Desire is just desire.”

“There is no difference in the desires of a scholar who spends nights in the library pursuing the truth, or an explorer who digs into the ground to find treasure. It’s just a difference in direction.”

“You’re saying that desire is the same form, and its evaluation differs depending on which way it is directed.”

“That’s right.”

Wiggins tilted his head. It was hard to understand.

“To be more precise, what you should pay attention to is not the direction of desire, but desire itself.”

“Itself…”

“The driving force that moves humans is desire. Society educates people to use their desires in a good direction. But whether they are educated or not, the driving force is desire.”

The Master took a short breath and continued.

“What moves humans is the desire for sleep, food, and sex. That’s just the basic stage. Those who see the world and learn about life want more.”

The Master shouted passionately.

“For some, it’s money! For some, it’s knowledge! For some, it’s power! And for some, it’s truth!”

“Everyone must have started like that. At first, it was just a desire for money. But as they pursued it, they realized and learned, and that desire gradually changed. I want to know more. I want to understand more. And I want to realize more.”

“…A high-dimensional evolution of desire, then.”

“You’re talking nonsense. I thought you were a good student.”

“As I said, there is no such thing as evolution in desire. It’s just that the direction is different. There is no high or low between the desire of someone who wants to eat more delicious food and the desire of a researcher who wants to look deeper into the other side of the world. There is only whether it is more intense or not.”

Wiggins frowned.

He felt like he understood, but it was difficult to grasp.

“Why are you learning magic?”

“Because I want to know.”

“That’s a lie.”

“What you want is power, and higher honor, and better treatment. And a mix of other small desires. Inside you.”

Wiggins couldn’t answer.

“One of them is the desire for knowledge. Humans are not that simple. All of that is complex.”

Wiggins quietly looked at the Master.

At some point, their conversation had drifted a little away from where magic came from.

“Master.”

A dry voice came from Wiggins’ mouth.

“Why are you telling me this story?”

“Well, why would I?”

The Master twisted his lips.

“Maybe it’s the desire to draw the first line on a clean canvas. And maybe it’s the heart of a parent who wants you to be a little more honest with yourself.”

“But the words that come to my mind now are different, Wiggins.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Reach the truth.”

The Master said, staring at Wiggins.

“Those who are not honest with themselves seem unable to grasp what is in front of them. Ask yourself why you are learning magic. If you can give a ‘real’ answer to this question someday, different from now, you will be able to surpass me and leave your name in history.”

“…Someone like me?”

“Of course.”

The Master smiled and turned his body.

“I’ve taken too much time. Go back now. I’m a busy person.”

Wiggins couldn’t take his eyes off the Master’s back as he walked away.

“A different answer…”

Wiggins chuckled.

‘My answer has already changed, Master.’

But that answer would not be the answer the Master wanted.

Because Wiggins was no longer the naive and enthusiastic young mage he was back then.

The Master told him.

To reach the truth.

That must have been sincere. Those who cannot reach the truth themselves want even their disciples to obtain the truth.

But…

‘There is no truth that I can reach.’

And Wiggins no longer pursues the truth.

What meaning does that have for him?

The secrets of the world? The laws of the other side?

That’s ridiculous.

That has no meaning. Knowing a little more about the hidden side of the world doesn’t change anything. It’s just self-satisfaction.

What he wants is no longer the truth.

‘What I want is…’

Wiggins slowly moved his steps.

As he slightly turned his head, the remains of the destroyed and dismantled buildings came into view.

The past.

The traces left by those who reached the pinnacle of magic.

The history that must continue as long as the Round Table exists, and the place that another person would have to step into and obtain someday.

All of that was destroyed by Wiggins’ hands.

But Wiggins felt no guilt, no regret.

‘How can someone who is afraid of destroying things move forward?’

If he felt guilty, he could just leave something even better for the Round Table.

What he had to do now was to accept everything. And to deny everything. And to reinterpret everything and make it his own.

“Master.”

Thud, thud.

Wiggins moved his steps.

His body was already half crushed and tattered. There was no way that only illusion magic existed in this terrible dungeon. Numerous traps and numerous attacks. Wiggins, who had broken through all of that, finally reached the proper place where he should be.

A pure white sphere emitting a dazzling light.

That was the core that made up this dungeon.

Everything of those who created this dungeon was contained there. In other words, a record. A record that had been kept from the past to this place for a long time.

“I no longer want the truth.”

Wiggins wore a twisted smile.

As the Master wanted, he could now give a different answer.

“What I want is just power.”

Whether it was fear of the approach of a fallen mage, or whether it was rejoicing that someone who could properly use it had finally appeared, an incomparable light was emitted from the pure white core.

That light.

Wiggins moved his steps, facing the light that seemed to blind him.

And then…

Thud.

His hand was placed on the core emitting light. Dazzling light creates a dark shadow. Behind Wiggins, who stood in front of the core, a pitch-black shadow was cast long.

Whoooom.

As he deployed several spells, the lights emanating from the core twisted grotesquely, and soon began to create a tremendous amount of letters in the air.

It was literally a flood of letters.

Extremely complex rune characters filled the world.

Looking at that treasure trove of truth, Wiggins smiled with joy.

“It will take some time to interpret everything.”

But…

The moment he devoured all of this.

He would be standing in a completely different place than he was now.