Learn magic

Second Army Commander Yan Ke: "Our troops are currently resting and reorganizing in the Yilan Forest. Tomorrow, we will continue advancing north. So far, we haven't encountered significant resistance. Report concluded."

Third Army Commander Mo Yinti: "Yesterday, our troops attacked the Haifei Kingdom, but we met fierce resistance and progress has been slow. We're preparing to change our strategy and send assassins to infiltrate the royal palace for an assassination mission. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me a few more days. I will surely complete the task. Report concluded."

"Understood. I leave it to you," Emperor Ba said slowly.

Fourth Army Commander Ji Nuode: "Our troops are currently in a standoff with the Xiustan Kingdom's army. With Lord Ding'er's support, the battle is in our favor, and breaking through the Xiustan Kingdom is only a matter of time. However, I've received intelligence that the Hero Team has arrived in the Xiustan Kingdom, which might pose a threat to us. Report concluded."

"You mean those yellow-haired brats calling themselves heroes? Ding'er alone is enough to handle them. This time, we've only deployed half our forces to invade the human realm, and the results are already impressive. Humans are nothing but a bunch of arrogant, inferior creatures. Thousands of years ago, they drove us here, and we've been biding our time ever since. Now, it's time to take back the world that belongs to us," Emperor Ba added.

"Yes! Long live the Moro Empire!" everyone shouted in unison. The other army commanders continued reporting their respective situations to Emperor Ba.

"Do you need me to go, Your Majesty?" Ernis, who happened to be passing by, chimed in playfully.

Emperor Ba: "Not for now. Our forces are sufficient. If I sent you, I'm afraid nothing would be left standing wherever you went."

"Fine, I can be gentle too, you know. If there's nothing for me to do, I'll be off then," Ernis said, turning to leave.

Emperor Ba watched her retreating figure and mused to himself: (That woman is more trouble than anyone. Better to keep her in the demon realm.) Ernis, though a female demon, was the top of the Three Demon Generals, nicknamed the Goddess of Calamity. Her strength rivaled even Emperor Ba's, and she did as she pleased in the demon realm. A bewitching enchantress who had lived for thousands of years, her beauty captivated both demons and humans alike. She was one of the earliest generals to join the demon army and a relative of Emperor Ba. When he went into seclusion, she would act as the temporary leader of the demon realm.

In the Holy Capital of Tianlai, I was once again accompanying Bona and her father to deliver goods today. As we passed a national library, I thought there might be books about magic inside. I tugged at Bona's skirt and barked toward the library.

"You want to go in? It's full of books, you know—you can't read them," Bona said to me. I let out a whining whimper, rolling around in front of the library entrance and refusing to leave.

"Alright, after we finish helping Dad with the delivery, I'll bring you to the library," Bona reluctantly agreed.

"Woof!" I barked happily.

After delivering the goods to the merchant guild, Bona and I returned to the library. Inside, rows of bookshelves stretched far into the distance. There weren't many people, but everyone was quiet, much like libraries in the real world. I followed behind Bona, carefully scanning the bookshelves, hoping to find something related to magic.

"Little White, what do you want to look at?" Bona asked me. I glanced left and right, then suddenly spotted a book titled Introduction to Magic on a shelf. I jumped up, grabbed it with my mouth, and barked at Bona.

"You want to read this one? Okay, let's look at it together," she said. We settled at a table, and Bona flipped through the pages slowly while I watched intently. In this world, magic could be cast either by chanting incantations aloud or by drawing magic circles. High-level practitioners could cast spells without chants, but all magic required the caster to have mana. Chanting was out of the question for me, so I decided to learn how to draw magic circles. Bona and I continued studying the book's contents. After a while, Bona said her dad was probably waiting for us and that we should head back. Reluctantly, I left the library with her.

At night, when everyone had fallen asleep, I snuck out of the house and ran to a nearby forest. Recalling the magic circle I'd memorized that morning, I tried drawing it in the sand with my paw. Once it was complete, I stood in the center of the circle, silently reciting the incantation in my mind, hoping to activate the magic through mental focus. After a few seconds, the pattern on the ground began to glow—it worked! I continued focusing, imagining the magic taking effect. The light grew brighter. This was a beginner-level spell that enhanced physical defense. Though there were no enemies around to test it on, I could feel my body growing stronger. Even if someone slashed at me, I'd probably be fine. Next, I drew a second magic circle and followed the same steps, silently reciting the incantation. The circle glowed, and a sword materialized out of thin air—amazing! I could use magic now! I was so excited I couldn't speak. After the spell ended, I let out an ecstatic howl like a wolf: "Awoo~" I'd really become a magic dog! Haha!