These Demons Do it for Free

Chapter 18

“What are you doing?! Are you insane?!”

Ray came rushing over, shouting at the top of her lungs.

It had been risky, sure.

If I’d been even a second later, we both would’ve been cooked alive by that electricity.

“Well, it worked out, didn’t it?” “That’s not the point...! Never mind, we’ll talk later.”

That sounded a bit ominous.

But Ray was right—this wasn’t the time to be chatting. We needed to focus on the situation at hand.

Because of my interference, the enemy was probably on high alert now.

“Ray, can you do it?” “...As long as I can get close.” “It won’t be easy. He saw what you can do.”

Fiona was right.

The necromancer had seen my teleportation.

If he had any sense, he’d be ready for it.

This brief lull was likely because he needed time to prepare.

“I’ll create an opening.”

Arthur, who had approached quietly, spoke with determination.

It seemed he was set on making up for his earlier mistake.

“It’s alright.”

But Arthur didn’t need to push himself.

'There’s someone else who can fill that role.'

The three people who had yet to act—Leif, Amaia, and the brown-haired guy.

I had already told them to keep watching and step in when the time was right. Leif, at least, having worked with me before, would likely understand my plan.

“Fight like you did earlier.” “...Got it.”

Arthur, sensing that I had a plan, immediately nodded in agreement and gave orders.

“Alejandra will handle the summons. Use wide-area attacks to prevent them from disrupting us. The Grand Duchess and I will provide support. We’ll assist the instructor up front and keep the necromancer from interfering with the others.”

The short ceasefire was over.@@ancer, having gathered his strength, reestablished his defensive formation, while we realigned our strategy with the addition of my presence.

It was time to see who would win.

The flames, riding the wind, signaled the start of the battle.

Swords and mirrors flew through the air, blocking and intercepting the necromancer’s spells.

Magic clashed violently.

The bursts of power collided, adding new colors to the flaming battlefield.

“This isn’t easy...”

No opening was in sight.

The necromancer had shifted to a purely defensive strategy, waiting for us to exhaust ourselves.

And, unfortunately, his tactic was working.

“Guh!”

Our frontliner, Davenport, took a counterattack and collapsed.

When the anvil falls, the hammer has nowhere to strike.

The advantage had shifted to the necromancer.

At least, that’s what everyone thought.

Splaasssh!

Suddenly, from the corner of the chamber, a torrent of water surged, followed by a figure clad in steel dropping into the battlefield.

Thud!

The corpses scattered around the chamber began to bloat.

The prelude to an explosion.

Magic surged to try and stop it, but it was too late.

As Ray’s Argentus struck Jegan, the chamber filled with explosive force.

§

My ears were still ringing.

That was one hell of an explosion.

I watched quietly as the others worked to assess the situation and regroup.

The attackers had been dealt with. Now all that was left was to find an exit.

We should be able to get out of here soon—I was beginning to feel relieved when—

“We’re screwed.”

Arthur collapsed beside me, muttering in despair.

“What do you mean?”

We took care of the necromancer. All we had to do was find an exit or wait for someone outside to rescue us, right?

“We’re completely isolated.” “How’s that a problem?”

So what if the passage is blocked? Can’t we just blast through the ceiling with magic?

“The exit’s blocked. The central passage we were using collapsed with it.”

Even after Fiona’s explanation, I tilted my head in confusion. Alejandra chimed in.

“You still don’t get it? This place was already spatially unstable. It was probably turned into a dungeon. That necromancer was practically at the level of a lich. He must’ve tampered with the place from the inside.” “So?” “If we mess with it too much, the whole underground area might go berserk, like it did when they first started messing with it.” “At worst, the whole dungeon could collapse and crush us.”

So, to summarize:

The underground level was already unstable due to the Abyss’ influence.The place was partially turned into a dungeon, making it a ticking time bomb.The main passage is blocked from the explosion.If we mess with it, the dungeon might collapse and crush us.We’re screwed.

Yep. We’re really screwed.

“If air and supplies are cut off, that would be the worst.” “So what, we just wait and hope for the best?” “For now, we should check the situation outside. I left some mirrors outside, so I can still get a look. Thankfully, our connection isn’t broken.”

Fiona summoned one of her floating mirrors and began manipulating it with her magic.

The mirror flashed to reveal the outside world.

“Looks like there’s been fighting out there too.” “Of course. It wouldn’t be good for the commander or instructors to help us.”

“Grand Duchess, how far can you extend your view? I’d like to see further outside.” “Unfortunately, not too far. Actually, this is right above us.”

While the three figureheads of the group discussed their opinions, I kept my gaze fixed on one thing.

Fiona’s mirror.

The image it showed of the outside.

'Seir.' [Yes, contractor?] 'Is it possible?'

Teleportation. The magic that borrows Seir’s power of movement wasn’t true teleportation. There were conditions.

I had to see the destination.

Even though Seir created the structure of the spell, it was still up to me to execute it. I couldn’t move to a place I couldn’t perceive. And there was likely a distance limitation I hadn’t yet tested. Even though I had a lot of energy, my physical limits would prevent me from exceeding certain boundaries.

But what if I was just moving to the space right above us? Even if I couldn’t see it directly, what if I could confirm the destination through a mirror?

[It’s possible.]

Perfect.

Now let’s review the problem.

If we interfere too much, we could cause even greater damage.

But those three leaders were stuck.

'So, why not just leave without interfering?'

I approached the three people who had yet to find an answer.

Surrounded by the remaining trainees, who were listening for guidance, I made my declaration.

“There is a way out.”