A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Throughout history, the continent's greatest strategists, military leaders, and commanders have attempted to form magical units.

The goal was to gather mages and elevate them into a formidable military force under their command.

“If we gather mages into an army, they could rival the might of any knightly order!”

The first fool to think of such an idea diligently executed his plan.

He roamed the continent, collecting anyone who could cast even a passable spell, promising them the world.

From resources and shelter to fulfilling the deepest desires of mages—everything was on the table.

Dozens of mages banded together to form a single group.

And thus, the Womb of the Demon was born.

Of course, it wasn’t called the Womb of the Demon from the start.

“It was called the Tower of Wisdom,” or so the stories go.

But later historians would name it the Womb of the Demon.

Why?

Because the things those damned mages did there gave birth to a demon and twelve Balrogs. The name was inevitable.

The nameless demon—called "nameless" simply because the humans of that time were too overwhelmed to name it—swept through three surrounding territories, creating an undead legion and earning the title "Father of the Dead."

The twelve Balrogs who served it, as befitting creatures born for battle and war, fought relentlessly.

It may not have reached the level of myth, but it remains a legendary tale of history.@@novelbin@@

And the demon still exists.

In the end, knightly orders from across the continent, each claiming to be the best, mobilized to drive out the demon known as "Father of the Dead" or “The Last Door of Life.”

The demon fought and fought again, eventually retreating to the depths of the Demon Realm.

That’s the history of how the demon, known as the Father of the Dead, coiled itself deep within the Demon Realm.

[Eternal and immortal, possessing an undying body and soul, that demon could never be killed by human hands.]

That’s how the demon was described.

One would think a lesson had been learned from this, but even after that, many tried to organize mages into groups.

Some even succeeded—though the outcomes were far from pleasant.

Rebellions, rampant spellcasting, and unchecked chaos—mages killing each other without needing any external provocation.

“They are uncontrollable and unstable elements.”

That was how the Empire unofficially described mages, leading to a period of witch hunts and anti-magic persecution.

Today, most people avert their eyes, trembling in fear and reverence when they see a witch.

The same goes for mages.

So, what lesson can be drawn from all this?

‘Mages are capricious, unruly, and unpredictable troublemakers.’

Yet even so, some secretly sought connections with mages or established positions like Court Mage within their kingdoms.