These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 85

"Sorry, Leif, I cut you off. What were you going to say?"

"Oh, it’s nothing. Ahem, Ray, you’re still so young. Adults drink things like this all the time!"

Leif’s quivering lips betrayed the truth behind her statement, but I decided to let it slide. Unfortunately, Ray showed no mercy, poking at Leif’s ribs with relentless curiosity.

Kids, honestly.

In case it wasn’t obvious, we were at a café.

Now, you might wonder why there’s a café in a fantasy world, but those who think that are third-rate. The second-rate see it and think, *“Oh, cafés exist here too.”* And the first-rate among us are the ones who introduce these modern conveniences in the first place.

Not that I plan on staying in this world; my goal is still to return to Earth.

Back to my previous thoughts.

The Southern District is the commercial hub, like a bustling downtown.

This district hosts major markets, auction houses, casinos, large performance venues, docks, trade markets, and much more. And that’s not even counting the café street and luxury fashion districts; there are so many unique shopping streets that you’d run out of fingers just trying to count them.

Naturally, the Southern District has the highest population flow of all four sections. Even the most dungeon-obsessed explorers need downtime, after all. The street next to our café terrace was teeming with people walking back and forth.

Watching all this activity while sipping my Americano, I couldn’t help but feel… it’s almost as if the Southern District belongs in another world.

Everywhere else feels medieval, but here? It’s like the Belle Époque. The air is vibrant, lively, and serene in the best way.

"Three days since we got back already…"

I murmured absent-mindedly.

It had been three days since our return, following the closure of the path that had opened on the second level and our mission to hunt down the Abyss cultists who had likely opened it.

Despite the chaos of the mission—an encounter with the Apocalyptic Cult, the death of a Master-level explorer from one of the five great guilds, and casualties exceeding half of the second-level explorers—our lives had returned to normal as if nothing had happened.

All thanks to two people: Viola, who took on the burden and shielded us as the expedition leader, and Fiona, who worked behind the scenes to get the City Hall and the League to pull us out early. Because of them, our team only had to attend one debriefing on the first day, and that was it.

Given all we did on the second level, it felt like we should be the ones standing in Viola’s place, but she assured us she’d handle it. Being dragged around for endless questioning was exhausting anyway, so it was better to avoid it if possible. We weren’t the kind of team chasing fame or trying to raise our profile.

*Slurp!* "Ahh, that’s the stuff. If you don’t want it, just give it here and buy something else. We’re loaded now."

This time, our team made a fortune. While riding the torrent, we grabbed anything valuable within reach, and we didn’t hold back.

We’d even gathered mana stones from Sentinel cores, the most expensive ones available on the second level. Since we had one more person than Arthur and Dayna’s team, we naturally ended up with a larger share.

Before the expedition, Leif had spent nearly all her money on gear and potions, but now her wallet was practically bursting.

"Alright then, Roman, you take it."

"Ah! B-but…"

Ray handed me her coffee, stood up, and headed to place a new order. Leif reached out to stop her but came up short. I looked at her to see if there was a problem, but she just fidgeted with her fingers, not saying anything important.

"Leif, aren’t you going with her?"

"No, I’ll just… stay and drink this."

You don’t need to clutch it like it’s a precious heirloom; no one’s going to take it.

"Here already?"

"Oh, hey, you’re here."

The seat Ray had vacated was quickly taken by Arthur.

"Where’s Blair?"

"He’ll be here separately."

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Arthur took a drink from the cup he’d brought with him, downing it in a single gulp, a true show of strength.

At the mention of Blair, Leif carefully spoke up.

"It’s a good thing Dayna was with us."

"…A small mercy."

Blair’s brother, Grant Dexter, had been killed by the professor. A man who had fought even Viola to a standstill; there was no way Grant could have survived that.

The news devastated Blair, but luckily, Dayna had managed to capture a fragment of Grant’s spirit from his remains. Thanks to her ability as a spirit medium, Blair got to exchange a few last words, a fleeting farewell to his brother.

Grant’s spirit would become one of Dayna’s summoning spirits, a fortuitous gain for her, though she hadn’t sought it.

"Poor Blair…"

"We got revenge, at least."

"Which only makes it harder."

If the one responsible had still been alive, Blair might have channeled his grief into a drive for vengeance.

But the professor who killed Grant had his tongue ripped out and was finished off by Viola. The Abyss cultists had tried to remove Viola as a factor by leading her down to the third level, but ultimately, that only led to his own death.

If he’d managed to set up a proper killing field on the second level, they might have succeeded in wiping us all out, but in the end, that failed too—mostly due to our team’s actions. The professor had witnessed my use of space magic. Did he dismiss it as mere incompetence and ignore it?

*“It’s unsettling, but Viola confirmed she destroyed his head and body completely.”*

Unless he was a necromancer like Zegan.

"Move it! Make room!"

Lost in thought about the past, I barely noticed Ray shoving Arthur aside to reclaim her spot.

Once seated, she leaned forward and nudged Arthur, who moved over, before he asked his question.

"What’s the plan from here? The professor took care of any witnesses, but with Zegan’s case, we should be cautious."

I recalled Viola’s advice. Since the Undying Zegan could resurrect, my secret would eventually get out; she had told me to find a powerful protector in the meantime.

"Isn’t it enough that we’ve got the teacher’s support?"

"The leader of Golden Wisdom? Golden Wisdom is a multi-headed dragon, with Circulus as its central branch holding more decision-making power. Even with a leader on our side, they’d likely remain neutral. They might even covet your strength."

"A double-edged sword, then?"

"Exactly."

Arthur nodded solemnly.

The situation had grown complex.

As it stood, the Telemma School couldn’t protect me effectively. As much as I appreciated Hecate and Mea, it was an undeniable fact.

Some might think the alliances among my peers could provide protection, but they were only bridges; they couldn’t represent the full strength of their factions. The Alexandria School, where Alejandra, the headmaster’s daughter, studied, and the Frontier Guild, which became a clear ally through this ordeal, were better bets.

As for Fiona, although a Grand Duchess, her two elder siblings prevented her from representing the Grand Duchy entirely. Her status as third in line merely reflected her position within the family.

"Maybe I should join a guild."

Enigma had tried to recruit me too, though the recommendation was a bit dubious.

"Or maybe I should head down into the Abyss? It’d keep me out of the action, wouldn’t it?"

"Ray…"

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? I do have ideas, you know."

Ray looked annoyed by the look of admiration Leif was giving her.

As out of character as it was for Ray, it was actually a solid idea…

"For now, I think I’ll focus on training rather than diving into the Abyss."

"Training?"

"Out of nowhere?"

Having never heard of this plan before, Leif and Ray leaned in, curious.

"Don’t you know that real battles are

the best training?"

"Right! We all made incredible progress! We’re even double-casting now!"

We had become accustomed to double-casting, simultaneously conjuring two spells. Though I still needed focus for *Ghost*, my third magic…

But my decision stood firm.

"That’s exactly why I need to refine my abilities. After what we faced, I realized we might not survive a real threat at this rate."

The professor’s *Power Word Kill* spell.

When he uttered that fatal word, the three of us might as well have been dead.

If not for Viola, even if we survived, we would have been incapacitated, an easy target for the professor’s next strike.

"And we need new equipment."

I had finally received word yesterday.

Blostema had agreed to send the Chromatic Fiend’s hide.

"So, Arthur, do you know any good leatherworkers?"

---

Viola sat confidently with her feet propped up on the desk, meeting the icy glares from across the room with a steady chin held high.

"So, you’re going to question me? Even after I brought back the professor’s head?"

"It’s not a question, exactly. Just a need for further clarification," a voice replied.

"Aren’t those the same thing?"

Viola shot back, a note of irritation in her voice. After a brief pause, she addressed the person directly.

"Grand Duke."

In response, the man seated across from her, the Grand Duke himself, offered a slight smile.