What Magic Can Offer

“What a waste. I thought you had agreed to keep her alive.”

“She wasn’t as weak as I thought. You can’t just play around with demons. Anyway, why do you want to talk to a demon so badly?”

“It’s a fundamental step in my research.”

“Research? What exactly are you trying to achieve?”

“... Haven’t you ever wondered what a demon is?”

“What? Even I can answer that! A demon is a demon, what else do you need to know about them?”

“Actually, Peter, there are many questions I’d like to solve through my research. What is a demon is just the first of them. Where do demons come from?”

“They were created by Mendax.”

“But Mendax was defeated, wasn’t she? So why are they still in this world? Shouldn’t Mors have just gotten rid of them?”

“(What are you trying to imply?)”

“(Nothing~)”

“We humans can’t rely solely on Mors’ goodwill. She has blessed us so many times, maybe dealing with demons is our responsibility.”

“If demons are a race of beings with human-level intellect, then why do they insist on this war against humans? It’s not like they need to kill us to feed, they seem to do it purely out of hatred for humanity.”

“Do you really believe it would be possible to make peace with demons, after everything that’s happened? Just thinking about that possibility disgusts me.” Peter clenched his fists.

“Humans and demons coexisting in peace, that sounds like a bad joke.”

“I don’t think it could happen either. The purpose of my research is to better understand what demons are, how they are created, and what their purpose is in this world. Maybe that way, we’ll find the root of the problem and eliminate them all at once.”

“Looking at it that way… Maybe your research really is important... Woah~” Mamiko began to yawn loudly and slowly started dragging herself across the floor.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m a little tired. Could you carry me back, please?”

Peter felt a little hesitant about the request. “You’re not going to start with any weird talk, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not like Naoko. I have no interest in boys to begin with…”

“...” The boys just watched Mamiko’s statement in silence.

“Ah! Ehhh~! Forget it! Forget what I said!” The flush rose up Mamiko’s cheeks.

“It’s fine, I guess that makes things easier.” Peter knelt down. “Come on, I’ll carry you on my back.”

Mamiko leaned over Peter’s back, lightly holding onto his shoulders. Her slouched posture made her look like a doll being carried.

“Hey, wait a second.” Magdalena returned to her human form. “I liked that idea. Mi Romeo, I want you to carry me like that too.”

“R-Really?”

“I’m not going to say it twice.”

Reaper had no other choice. The two of them began crossing the forest, carrying the girls on their backs.

“So, how exactly did you not die back then?”

“Hmm, I don’t know if you’ll understand… Have you ever studied anything about magic?”

“I have a basic idea of how it works.”

“I learned through practice.”

“I’m already tired just thinking about how much I’ll have to explain, but here goes. Just like magic is a manifestation of your soul, humans also emit what’s called Spiritual Energy. It’s an energy that exists beyond the physical world and can take many forms.”

“Isn’t that what people call mana or chakra?”

“I’ve never heard anyone call it that, but anyway, it’s probably the same concept. There are four categories for the ways magic can be used.
Channelers are humans who can project spiritual energy outside of their body and turn it into matter or another type of energy. From what I’ve seen, Peter is an channeler, converting his spiritual energy into fire.”

“An channeler… Hmm...”

“Transmuters are humans who can transform their body or something they’re touching into another material, or simply alter its properties like size.”

“I think that’s Edward’s case, he can expand his own bones outside his body.”

“Interesting. The next category is Manipulators. As the name suggests, it’s about manipulating an object or some specific type of matter, but without being able to produce it. You need to link your spiritual energy to what you want to manipulate. That’s my case.”

“Huh? But shouldn’t you be a transmuter? I’m sure I saw you altering your body to look like a doll.”

“And that’s exactly the point I wanted to get to. There’s no rule saying you can belong to only one category. You can alternate between two or even three.”

“So that means…”

“Yes, I’m both a manipulator and a transmuter.” The doll Mami skipped ahead of the group. “I can manipulate my doll collection and at the same time, I can transform my body, transferring my soul into the doll’s body while they take on my real body.”

“Isn’t that, like, super strong? If you transfer your soul outside your body, doesn’t that mean you become immortal?”

“Of course not. On the contrary, I become an easy target in their bodies, which is why my efforts go into controlling them as precisely as possible.”

“You know, you could’ve just summed it all up with ‘I can switch places with my dolls.’”

“Is that the reception I get when I stop being lazy and put in the effort to explain something?”

“Relax, it was just a joke. That classification system is kind of familiar to me—no wonder you’re called hunters.”

“We’re called mercenaries.”

“What’s the last category?” Peter was dying of curiosity.

“Oh, that’s the Summoners. Their magic consists of summoning objects or 'creatures' to fight alongside them. They’re kind of a mix between Emitters and Manipulators.”

“That’s Arya’s category, right?” Peter was sure his question was rhetorical, but Mamiko’s silence proved him wrong.

“Which category do necromancers fall into?”

“They're not the same thing as summoners. Their magic isn’t like that of a normal human, it doesn’t come from their spiritual energy—it’s as if they’re consuming energy from somewhere else to fuel their summons.”

“From somewhere else, huh? Those mysteries surrounding necromancers are also something I’d like to investigate. And with that said, I have one last question.” Reaper paused his walk, his gaze cold and filled with mystery. “...Which category do demons fall into?”

“...What kind of crap are you talking about? Demons don’t use magic.”

“They don’t? Then what were those sonic waves that demon shot? I was hit by one, and I can assure you it felt like some kind of magic.”

“Only humans use magic. However, the stronger demons can use demonic energy, but I wouldn’t say their techniques can be called magic.”

“So if a human uses magic it’s simply called spiritual energy, but if it’s a demon it becomes demonic energy? What exactly is the difference?”

“...”

“Come on, Mamiko, tell me—what differentiates the spiritual energy generated by humans from demonic energy?”

“...I don’t know. I really… don’t know.”

“How about we think a little deeper? What exactly sets humans apart from demons? After all, demons seem to seek a human-like appearance as they grow stronger—why do they do that?”

“.........”

“Mi Romeo, go easy, you’re scaring her.”

“I-I’m not scared! … But those questions of yours, they really are tough.”

“As you can see, Mi Romeo’s research isn’t just some trivial curiosity.”

“Think about it—if spiritual energy is something generated by the human soul, then shouldn’t demonic energy be generated by a demon soul?”

“W-What? That possibility…”

“That’s just a theory I developed with the help of Mi Giulietta, but it’s something that’s been bothering me. Maybe humans and demons are more alike than we think.”

“It doesn’t matter if they have a soul or not,” Peter interrupted, “The way they act—that’s not something a being with a soul would do. It’s pure cruelty.”

“(Peter, don’t be a hypocrite. Humans can be just as cruel, or even worse, when they want to be.)”

“(Mi Romeo, you’re the one being hypocritical. Deep down, you wish you could be as positive as he is.)”

“(Well… that’s true.)”

“Just thinking about all of this, I feel like I’ll need to rest even more once we get to Corvocitta.”

“Hey, aren’t I already carrying you on my back?!”

“I’m still tired…”

“If you get tired so easily, then why did you accept this mission?”

“It’s not like I wanted to be here, but since Yoru personally gave me this mission, I couldn’t refuse.”

“Is her persuasion really that good?”

“I never wanted to become a mercenary. This job is exhausting and dangerous, I don’t like risking my life on every mission.” Mamiko’s cheeks turned red. “But let’s just say Yoru has a way of wrapping me around her words.”

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Peter asked innocently.

“Eh? Ehhhh? How dare you say that so casually!!!” Mamiko hammered little scolding punches onto Peter’s head.

“What’s the problem? If you really like someone, what’s wrong with saying it out loud? You’re just being true to your feelings.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“I know it’s not, but even if she calls you an idiot and rejects all your advances, if the love is true then you have to fight for it!”

Once again, Peter found himself thinking about Lana. Despite the distance and all the time without seeing her, his love for her still burned intensely in his chest.