After the Fall of the Demon Race, Reincarnated as a Demon Girl - Chapter 5

Renith planned to study these light-element magic particles first.

Compared to the dark magic particles unique to demons, researching Alegraya’s divine magic was far simpler.

Renith grabbed Philofu and placed her on her palm, examining her closely with Mage’s Eye.

“Hmm, as I thought—you’re very similar.”

Philofu was a product of Alegraya’s divine magic mingling with Renith’s own spells, making her essence highly comparable to the floating light particles in the air.

If Alegraya’s holy light was coffee and Renith’s magic was milk, then Philofu was milk mixed with coffee—except someone had spilled the coffee while pouring, leaving mostly milk with just a hint of coffee flavor.

The particles before her now, however, were more like trying to mix milk into coffee, only to realize the cup didn’t contain brewed coffee at all—just coffee beans.

There was a bitter note, but what she tasted was still milk.

These were pure magic particles, merely tinged with the aroma of coffee beans (holy light).

Renith gently opened the Codex in her hand and carefully withdrew a sheet of exceptionally smooth parchment from its arcane inner space. A faint, elegant glow of magic rippled across its surface.

“Treated parchment doesn’t contain dark magic particles, and Philofu was also formed from Alegraya’s power. That means this Codex can inherently carry a small portion of Alegraya’s divine magic—and theoretically, these magic particles as well.”

Come to think of it, every time Alegraya used her divine magic, there had been a faint trace of mana flow. Back then, Renith had wondered if Alegraya’s power was just another form of magic.

But after long observation, Renith realized Alegraya was merely borrowing magical energy to cast her divine spells. The essence of her power had nothing to do with magic—it was purely her own strength. As time passed, the auxiliary mana flow grew weaker and weaker until it vanished entirely.

Yet, a mystery remained: the mana flow Alegraya channeled was invisible. Even Mage’s Eye couldn’t track its particles.

That meant there existed mana particles in this world that Mage’s Eye couldn’t perceive.

Now, whether due to Alegraya’s blessing, the unique physiology of demons, or some other reason, Renith had detected them—the auxiliary magic particles that had once helped Alegraya wield her divine spells.

“If nothing goes wrong, I’ll create a system completely different from Alegraya’s, yet strikingly similar—Holy Light Magic.”

Renith touched the horn on her head. Perhaps this cluster of magic particles was a blessing in disguise.

“Philofu, time to work again…”

“Though I’d love to study this a bit longer…”

“But first, I should go greet our guests from afar.”

Her gaze pierced through the barrier, settling on the mixed mana signatures camped outside the Demon King’s outer city walls.

After organizing her materials, Renith walked toward the forest surrounding the outer city, lost in thought. Philofu trailed behind, dutifully transcribing the spells Renith had assigned her onto parchment with a specially enchanted pen.

Before long, Renith stepped through the outer city gates and reached the barrier’s edge.

Beyond it, she spotted two dark-green tents and three middle-aged men in worn leather armor sitting around a dead campfire, their faces etched with exhaustion.

“Lady Renith, I’ve finished copying this one!” Philofu fluttered over.

“Good work. Keep it up.”

Renith could sense a new spell taking form within the Codex—one no different from the others. Her hypothesis was correct.

Philofu nuzzled against Renith’s finger before darting back into the Codex’s dimensional space to retrieve the divine scrolls Renith had archived earlier.

“Now, let’s test it… Page 850, Holy Light Magic—Pseudo-Divine Art: Refracted Light.”

As soon as the words left her lips, ripples of light shimmered in the air, brushing softly against her face.

When she opened her eyes again, wrinkles lined her skin, her raven-black hair had faded to a pale gold, and her violet eyes now shone a clear sky-blue. The horns on her head were buried under particles of light, blending seamlessly into the surroundings—gone without a trace.

“The ambient light magic particles are abundant, but the cost is high. It won’t last long, and it’s still far from Alegraya’s divine arts. Still, five minutes should be enough.”

Judging by their attire, the three men were either adventurers or mercenaries—and neither type was easy to deal with.

Their faces bore the unmistakable despair of those with no way out.

Renith decided to approach them first and gather information about the past thirty years.

“Ahem…”

She adjusted her voice slightly, making it sound older and more weathered.

The three men immediately jumped to their feet at the sound, weapons drawn and aimed in her direction.

“Who’s there?!”

One of them—a middle-aged man—stepped forward, holding a steel longsword defensively.

Renith extended a hand from within the barrier, gently pushing the blade aside before stepping fully into view.

She offered them a kindly smile.

“As you can see, a mage. My name is Anna, from the Mage Tower.”

Even with her introduction, their wariness didn’t fade.

Understandable. In the middle of nowhere, a stranger appearing out of thin air could easily be a murderer or worse.

“Your robes confirm you’re a mage, but surely you understand—we don’t trust you.”

Renith narrowed her eyes, pulled up her hood, and nodded.

“Fair. But I’d like to know why you’re camped outside my master’s territory.”

The leader hesitated, exchanging hushed words with his companions while Renith idly swept dust off a nearby tree stump with magic and sat down, playing with her hair.

Their discussion was predictable—whether she was who she claimed, if this was some misunderstanding, whether they should tell her their objective. No need to eavesdrop.

The leader sheathed his sword, though the other two kept their grip on slightly outdated crossbows.

“Respected mage, I am Kurou Borg. This is my brother, Gran Borg, and our comrade, Tanst.”

Renith nodded, and Kurou continued.

“Apologies for intruding. Months ago, our employer detected intense mana fluctuations in these western woods—likely some treasure manifesting—so they sent us to investigate.”

“Ah, mercenaries. Well, I won’t hide it. Three months ago, my master conducted an experiment, and some mana leaked out. Your employer must’ve sensed that. No treasure here.”

She gestured to the empty space behind her—the barrier’s location, invisible to outsiders.

“But you said ‘another treasure’—what did you mean? I’ve been secluded too long and lost track of time. What’s happened out there?”

Pretending to rummage through her robes, she produced a low-grade healing potion, placed it on the ground, and slid it toward them.

“A healing potion. Drink it, and within twenty minutes, your wounds will mend. I won’t ask for answers without compensation. Once we’re done, this is yours to keep—or sell.”

Gran swallowed hard. Magic potions weren’t cheap. Selling it would bring a tidy sum, but keeping it could save their lives in this line of work.

“Brother!”

Gran urged Kurou, who nodded. The benefits were clear—this mage was clearly wealthy.

Of course she is. All mages are.

“Lady Mage, ask away! If I know it, I’ll tell you everything!”

“Thirty years ago, a light fell here. Many came searching for treasure, but none found anything.”

That must’ve been when Alegraya and I fell.

“Good. Next question—why dare you venture so deep into this forest?”

Kurou hesitated, sensing something odd, but answered anyway.

“Lady Mage, fifty years ago, this was a dense forest. But now, aside from this stretch, there’s hardly any trees left. Walk a few miles, and you’ll be out of it.”

Renith realized her slip but didn’t care. Even if conflict arose, these men were no match for her.

“Second question—how has technology progressed? When I left, they’d just begun laying ‘train’ tracks, fielding military ‘flintlocks,’ and building coal-burning ‘factories’…”

“We’re not scholars, but they say ‘light bulbs’ have spread through cities these past years—some revolutionary ‘technology.’ And the military’s new weapons—those armored ‘tanks’ engraved with magic runes—even archmages fear them.”

Before Kurou could finish, Gran cut in excitedly:

“Line up those ‘tanks’ in trenches with ‘machine guns,’ and they’ll wipe out an army swinging swords! Way better than ‘flintlocks’—”

Gran rambled on, clearly fascinated. Renith listened quietly.

So technology has advanced rapidly.

“Last question—what’s the human political landscape? Is the Teslute royal family still in power?”

Kurou faltered, glancing at Tanst for help.

Tanst stepped forward with a polite bow.

“The Teslute royalty still exists, but they no longer govern. The Chosen Ones invented a ‘presidential system.’ Rumor says they’re the real rulers… but since the capital’s had no uprisings, it’s hard to say.”

Renith tossed them the potion and turned to leave without another word.

That last detail was likely true. If there’d been no rebellion, the Teslute royals must’ve been powerless to resist.

Heh… How much has changed? In the blink of an eye, the world’s been remade.