These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 105

"They said they’re closed."

I think we got there around 6 PM, but they locked up the moment we arrived.

Enigma, despite being one of the five major guilds, operated a guild house smaller than the Telema faction, and even that seemed poorly managed.

Enigma, to begin with, is a small guild with only thirteen members. The quality is unbelievably high, but in terms of size, it's fair to call it a small guild.

Except for one mandatory member who has to stay behind, everyone else is holed up in the Abyss, so it’s impossible for the guild house to be open all the time.

"So, for now, I’ll just recruit guild members and come back tomorrow."

"Got it."

After quickly relaying the message to Ray, who didn’t know the situation since she arrived late, I explained tomorrow’s plans.

"This ties into tomorrow’s plan—so, tomorrow, everyone has their own tasks."

Leif will go to Golden Intelligence to meet Costin and prepare for promotion.

Ray will contact her peers to recruit guild members.

And I will go to Enigma to finalize the contract and then join Ray.

"I think Leif will be the latest, so I’m using her as the baseline for timing. Once everyone’s gathered, we can go check out a guild house or something."

"But isn’t Leif going to have a hard time finding us, just like me?"

Ray has the sharp instincts typical of beastfolk, so even if we’re far apart, it won’t be hard for her to find us. Unless we’re in the Abyss, Ray’s instincts in the city are like a built-in GPS.

"That’s a bit of a concern. Anyway, since it’s also hard for me to find people, I’ll just set a meeting point and time."

"A demon magician can’t find people? Isn’t that a disqualification?"

"Nope, not at all."

Neither Meah nor Hecate are good at that either.

Finding people is something only second-rate demon magicians do for a living.

Anyway, with the time and place set, the meeting ended.

Alright, let’s disperse!

§

The next day.

I was already standing in front of Enigma’s guild house, where I had come before but had to leave empty-handed.

At first glance, it looked like just a three-story inn or a townhouse, but the plaque on the door confirmed it was Enigma’s place.

No bell... analog style?

I grabbed the door handle and knocked loudly with a *thunk, thunk* sound.

No response.

I checked the time again.

It was the mandatory opening time for guild houses.

Guild houses are required to stay open during certain hours for accepting requests or guild visits, and at least one member with decision-making authority must remain in the city. Usually, they only open the first floor, or sometimes separate buildings are constructed for external access.

But Enigma—this was just one building. No other options, it seemed...

*Creek*—

I pushed the door, and it opened.

Should I go in?

Cautiously, I stepped inside. A cold breeze brushed my skin, and I couldn’t sense anyone inside.

Is this really a place where people live?

The first-floor lobby had all the right features for a guild house: a request board and a small pub offering food and drinks.

But there were no traces of people anywhere. The accumulated dust suggested that this place hadn’t been maintained for quite some time. It wasn’t clear whether it had been abandoned or just left neglected.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

"There is."

What was that?

Where did the voice come from?

I scanned the surroundings, but I couldn’t feel anyone’s presence. Reflexively, I spread my magic.

However, before I could properly sense anything, something blocked my magic, causing it to scatter.

"How rude. Do you think it’s okay to spread magic in someone else’s house?"

"Oh, I’m sorry. It was a habit... I’ll apologize properly once I see your face."

"Ah, so you’re one of those types. You’re sneakier than I thought."

The voice, which had seemed so directionless, gradually revealed its source.

It sounded like it was everywhere, but it soon gathered in front of me.

"Alright, you’re good now. Apologize."

Huh?

Uh... is this correct?

"Are you... the one?"

I asked hesitantly.

And it wasn’t entirely unreasonable, considering what stood before me wasn’t a person.

Literally speaking.

It wasn’t a metaphor or simile.

It was, as it appeared, something that wasn’t a person—something like an object.

"Why, is this your first time seeing a flying book?"

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Isn’t it obvious?

I blankly nodded, and the book spoke.

"You’re a beginner, aren’t you? You’ll see more interesting things while wandering the Abyss. Why are you so surprised already? Now apologize."

"I apologize for activating my magic carelessly."

"I’ll accept your apology."

Even though it was just a book, its floating presence felt dignified, as if I was addressing a person.

"Now, what’s your business?"

"Well, I was introduced, actually."

"Introduced? By whom? Ah, I see. You must be the one Hernan recommended."

"Yes."

"Hmm... I see. Well, I guess this makes sense. Our guild’s full, you know."

I knew.

Hernan had also told me that joining right away would be difficult, even with his recommendation.

Enigma’s roster is limited to 13 members.

One Pioneer, three Masters, and nine Experts.

In total, just thirteen.

This is a guild that only accepts elite members, with no one below the Senior rank.

That’s Enigma’s motto.

"You’re a Senior, right? If you’re coming in as an apprentice, then it’s fine."

If that were the case, I would have said I was bringing a recommendation letter, not an introduction.

"No, I’m here today to sign a lower guild contract."

"A lower guild contract?"

The book, which had been happily flying around, came to an abrupt stop. It was a response it hadn’t expected, and it showed its surprise.

"With us?"

There were still a few apprentices, but at most, there were only about 20 members in total. Twenty would be considered a small to medium-sized guild, but Enigma was so individualistic that they rarely worked together as one.

When they did work together, it was always for one reason: to take revenge for a guild member’s harm.

Even apprentices weren’t included in that, so would they really protect a lower guild?

That’s why, despite being one of the five major guilds, Enigma barely has any lower guilds.

Still, it wasn’t impossible, as it was based on the personal connections of the individuals within the guild, not Enigma itself.

For example, if I were close to a guild member and they died or were severely injured while fighting for our guild, then I would be supported. That would allow me to enter a lower guild.

"Did Hernan say you could join?"

"No."

"Right? Hernan isn’t strong enough to make that happen."

Hernan, despite being an Expert, was at a lower level compared to Senior members in terms of combat ability. His goal is to complete the second-tier leadership, so he doesn’t need anyone above Senior, but he’s not strong enough to back me either.

"So what now?"

"Actually, I’ve already signed lower guild contracts with a few other places."

"...A joint lower guild contract?"

It was the same reaction I had gotten from Frontier.

But that response was quickly shattered.

"With Frontier and Conquerors. Enigma is the last one."

"Huh?"

What’s this about?

It sounds interesting.

While other guild members were happily exploring the Abyss and pursuing their own goals, the book, living in the city and surrounded by boredom, expressed an exciting sense of interest.

"You... just wait. I’ll ask right away!"

Ask?

Who?

"Of course, the guild leader! Ah, I wonder if the guild leader will show up when he hears such big news."

Chuckling, the book flipped its pages quickly.

Only then did I realize what the book was.

It was an artifact.

A high-level relic that had absorbed the Abyss’s magic, at least an A-grade artifact.

*Scratch, scratch*

Even though there was no pen, words began appearing on the pages.

"Isn’t this cool? It’s a *Conference Without Borders* artifact."

Conference Without Borders.

The name sounded familiar, and surprisingly, it allowed

communication across the layers of the Abyss, bypassing the usual boundaries.

‘That’s an S-grade artifact.’

Real-time communication that ignores the constraints of space. From the words, it seemed that not just one-on-one communication but simultaneous communication with multiple people was possible.

Perhaps the reason Enigma restricts its roster to 13 members is that the artifact can only register that many people.

I was thinking of telling Filon about this when I heard the book’s voice.

"Alright, we’ve got an answer!"

"That was quick."

"Our guild doesn’t waste time."

Proudly declaring this, the book didn’t hesitate and immediately announced.

"Let’s finalize the contract! Want to pick the paper you want for it?"

With that, the book opened its pages, showcasing a variety of papers of different textures.

Hmm, this might be a little too... suggestive.