These Demons Do it for Free

Chapter 32

"So, you're saying these guys attacked Roman and now they're trying to deny it?" "That's exactly right."

The captain of the guard, who had been listening to the conversation between Fiona and me, glared at the group of four rookie-robbers with such intensity, it looked like he might kill them on the spot.

What if he had believed their lies? What if, because of their connection with the Grand Duchess, he had turned on me and framed me as a criminal?

By now, that captain would probably be stripping off his uniform.

In the captain’s eyes, those four must look like assassins who tried to drag him into the abyss.

"Grand Duchess, please believe me. I will take full responsibility for this, conduct a thorough investigation, and reveal all their other crimes. I’ll ensure they receive the punishment they deserve." "Can I trust you?" "Yes! Captain of Guard Squad 17, Burden! I swear on my career!"

As expected from Fiona. She knows how to command respect.

While Fiona was disciplining the captain, I turned to the four who looked even paler than before and sneered at them.

It seems they thought their connection with the captain would save them.

But strong connections always fall in the face of even stronger ones. That’s how the world works.

'Consider this a valuable life lesson.'

The demons grumbled in disappointment that I didn’t deal with them personally, but I much preferred this outcome. After all, I’m not some psychopath who enjoys killing.

Plus, it’s cleaner this way.

Fiona, who had swiftly settled the situation, left the captain with a warning to stay vigilant and then approached me.

"Roman, I’m sorry you had to see this mess." "Not at all. They were just making baseless accusations."

Although they nearly succeeded.

But in the end, they didn’t.

Fiona’s expression lightened a bit, and she smiled warmly.

"Shall we move to a more comfortable place rather than stand around here?" "Well... wait a moment. Mea, is that alright with you?"

I turned to Mea, who had been quietly observing the situation from behind. After all, I was still under her guidance.

Realizing Mea’s presence, Fiona quickly introduced herself.

"Oh, I’m so sorry! I should have introduced myself earlier. I’m Fiona McManus, an apprentice explorer from the Sigun forces. Roman and I trained together at the academy. And you are?" "Mea. No surname. I’m from the Telema school." "Telema school...?"@@@@

Fiona squinted as if trying to recall something. It seemed she couldn’t place it.

Her eyes narrowed further until, at last, recognition dawned on her, and her eyes widened in realization.

"I remember now! Telema school... right. Sorry, it’s just been so long since I’ve heard that name..."

Fiona waved her hands frantically in apology, but Mea didn’t seem to care much.

"It’s fine. It’s a minor school." "Ah... sorry about that." "Let’s just move to another place."

Even with the Grand Duchess, Mea spoke casually, but Fiona didn’t seem to mind.

Her indifference to such authority—was this just an elf thing?

In any case, the three of us followed Fiona’s lead to a reception room.

Once we were seated, Fiona asked, "So, Roman, have you joined the Telema school?"

"No, not really. I’ve only applied for training."

"Hmm..."

An odd response.

I wonder if she’s still bothered by the fact that I turned down her suggestion to join Sigun that night. She must think that because I’m training with a minor school like Telema, I’ve become a target for rookie-robbers.

With Mea present, I quickly changed the subject.

"So, Grand Duchess, weren’t you supposed to be heading out on an expedition?"

"Originally, yes, but I decided to tour the three divisions of Sigun instead. If you had joined the expedition, I would have been there with you."

Right. Fiona is the Grand Duchess, possibly the future ruler of the city.

Though she’s third in line, no one knows what the future holds. It makes sense for her to solidify her support by touring the divisions.

But the way she mentioned me in her reasoning makes me think my guess was spot on.

"Haha..."

"Don’t worry. I was only joking. At first, I was disappointed, but now I think you made the right decision."

"Thank you for saying that."

Her gaze was warm, almost like that of a mother watching her son grow up, or perhaps a master watching a disciple leave to find his own path.

Fiona... is younger than me, though.

"By the way, Grand Duchess, have you heard anything about an undiscovered ruin?"

"An undiscovered ruin?"

They looked not at her, but at her heritage, her talent, her family.

Fiona’s hard work was overshadowed by the great McManus name.

So she made a vow.

She would be different. She would look not at someone’s name, or birth, or talent, but at their effort. She would remember the sweat and tears they shed in secret.

And she knew.

She knew the effort Roman had put in back at the academy.

It was the same now.

Even if she couldn’t see him, Roman was still working hard somewhere, just as he always had.

Not just today, but tomorrow. And beyond.

"...I need to train more."

She wasn’t ready to be surpassed just yet.

As soon as we left the guardhouse, we departed the Main Base.

If the ruins were real, we needed to reach them as soon as possible. And if they were a trap, we would need to help Theresea if she’d fallen into it.

So, we hurriedly left the Main Base, barely giving it a glance, and walked for a long while.

Mea’s gaze never left my face the entire time.

Once we reached a less populated area, Mea finally broke the long silence.

"Roman, what exactly are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Between us."

"Ahem."

"The Grand Duchess practically oozed honey when she spoke to you."

"It wasn’t that much."

"Could it be... is it that?"

Mea asked in a shaky voice, which was unusual for her.

I answered immediately.

"No. Absolutely not. Don’t even joke about that."

"Right. It wouldn’t be, would it? After all, she did say 'between us.'"

Mea quickly accepted my answer without any hesitation.

Well, that stung a little.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

I wondered what she was going to say this time. Then, completely out of the blue, Mea dropped a bombshell.

"Do you want me to teach you how to summon my contract demon?"

"Theresea! From now on, just trust this senior!" "Yes, yes." "That’s not enough spirit! Show more energy!"

Sigh.

Theresea let out a small, almost inaudible sigh that no one else could hear.

This senior is... really something.

Her energy level is too much... this pink-haired...

Before Theresea could complain, their companions intervened.

"It’s still daylight, Senior Priscilla. Please go easy on her." "Yes, you know how things are for Theresea." "Oh... that’s true. Ahem, alright. But! Once we get inside, you’d better give it your all! Understood?"

Why did it have to be this person leading the group?

Theresea answered with a mix of regret for not choosing Sigun and resignation.

"Yes."

She was already feeling drained, and they hadn’t even entered the ruins yet.

'Let’s just finish this quickly and go back.'

With Priscilla's energetic pep talk, the eight-member exploration team from the Blostma school entered the ruins.

A day passed.

Out of the Blostma exploration team, only two survived.