These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 72

Doors lined the long hallway at irregular intervals.

Those must all be laboratories or dormitory rooms.

Among them were rooms with glass windows facing outside, filled with instruments that I couldn’t identify just from looking in.

The dragonkin's office was at the end of the hallway, just beyond the door I saw directly in front of me when I first exited the elevator.

From this, I realized the dragonkin’s position.

Using the innermost room as an office meant she was the head of that department.

The eight tribes that share the Golden City.

The leader of one of those tribes was the dragonkin before me.

“Sit.”

As expected of an alchemist.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

The dragonkin’s office was filled with strange instruments that bubbled, froze, and swayed, engaging in processes whose purposes were hard to discern.

Even when assessed with magic, it didn’t seem particularly impressive.

“What is that?”

I blurted out my thoughts.

Having met only selfish individuals, I wondered if this dragonkin had something similar.

As I tried to find a way to introduce myself, surprisingly, the dragonkin answered matter-of-factly.

“A humidifier.”

“...That?”

It’s boiling and freezing, though.

“The ice is for storage. I can’t be bothered to replace it separately.”

…That makes sense.

“Um… Miss, could we get an introduction first...?”

Eventually, Lief, unable to take it anymore, stepped in.

For Lief to take the initiative, perhaps that was a part of the larger picture to help her overcome her shyness.

“Didn’t she tell you?”

“Introductions should be made by the individual.”

“Uh, yeah.”

The dragonkin replied with a sense of obligation to Lief’s words, pulling something from her pocket and putting it in her mouth.

Then she snapped her fingers, and with a crack, a flame ignited on whatever she had in her mouth.

“Hoo...”

Smoke filled the room.

I momentarily furrowed my brows and turned my head, but surprisingly, the smell wasn’t bad.

It was undoubtedly a cigarette.

Rather than a sense of discomfort, it felt like a refreshing sensation clearing my head.

In this cleansed mind, the dragonkin’s voice resonated.

“I’m Costin Balaur.”

“I’m Roman.”

“I know.”

Cutting me off, Costin took another drag from the cigarette and abruptly said, “The Quintessentia will love this.”

“Quintessentia?”

What kind of alchemist is that?

At my question, Lief whispered beside me.

“They're one of the tribes of the Golden City.”

“The official tribe name is Adepti Quintae Essentiae. They aim to create entirely new substances that never existed in the world, and they have quite an interest in demons, who are extra-dimensional beings.”

Costin continued, exuding the air of a know-it-all.

“Conversely, we don’t like demons.”

Was that why he had started with such a preamble?

Costin looked at me with a face mixed with displeasure.

“Lief, come closer.”

“Ah, yes.”

Though Lief pulled away from him, it wasn’t enough for Costin, who grabbed Lief and pulled her to sit beside him.

“Good.”

“Sir?”

“Anyway, I’ve heard about you two. An alchemist and a lion beastfolk.”

As his gaze shifted from me to Ray, Costin let out a thoughtful hum.

His eyes, which had a somewhat judgmental vibe, scanned Ray from head to toe.

It was a strangely sticky feeling gaze that made Ray flinch and shudder.

“This one... is better than expected.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Impressive. Still needs more refinement, but the potential is on par with Lief. While the upper part is lacking, the lower part is almost perfect right now.”

Costin’s explicit gaze turned what should have been a mere evaluation of training into an assessment of physical appearance.

However, there was no lust in Costin’s eyes.

Instead, he seemed like a critic admiring a piece of art.

Even so, the feelings of the person receiving that gaze were another matter.

“Ugh...! What are you saying?!”

Ray shot up and yelled.

However, Costin didn’t flinch and continued his evaluation.

“I like it, but... it’s weak.”

“Huh?”

“Even at a high level, it’s at the senior stage. Considering potential, you could reach expert level quickly, but you’re not there yet. The same goes for that alchemist beside you. You might feel like you’ve contracted with a high-ranking demon, but your skills barely rank as regular. Before you can use alchemy to eliminate your enemies, you’ll collapse first.”

Costin’s criticism was sharp.

Or rather, it was more like he was praising us highly.

After all, Ray and I were mere novices just starting out.

Yet to compare Ray to the senior level and me to the regular level shows a cold, unbiased analysis.

There was one blind spot, though.

Costin’s assessment ultimately could not escape the experience of the single entity known as Costin Balaur.

Using alchemy and then self-destruction?

At least that didn’t apply to me.

“If that’s your judgment, then I’m even more disappointed.”

If I hadn’t met Viola before encountering Costin, I might have been overwhelmed by the pressure he emitted.

But I had just seen Viola, a living natural disaster, in person.

Even though Viola had backed down after Arthur’s persuasion, citing the drawbacks of being an alchemist, she initially recognized me as a worthy opponent.

A pioneer against a novice.

At least that meant she had realized more from me than this Costin before me.

Whether it was empirical or intuitive, it didn’t matter.

The clear fact is this:

Costin is inferior to Viola.

“I was hoping for something from the tribe leader of the Golden City, but I don’t know if I’ll get what I want.”

At my provocation, Costin’s expression became even drier.

It wasn’t that he was angered; it was simply a change born from a lack of thoughts.

As if he had heard such remarks so often that they had become commonplace.

“That’s a weak provocation.”

“It might be so. But I’m sincere.”

Costin and I locked eyes in silence.

“Sincere?”

Costin scoffed at that.

“You don’t understand the weight that Lief’s identity carries.”

“No, I do.”

I understand it better than anyone else.

If my secret—that despite being an alchemist, I can use space magic freely without paying a cost—were to be publicly announced, I would become a target.

Alchemy without a cost approaches omnipotence.

You don’t even have to use your own mana or calculate complex magical formulas.

Honestly, I was lucky.

The only reason I could still move around like this is sheer luck.

There might be some effort involved.

I thought it was beneficial to trust those who would protect my secrets, and they kept their loyalty as I expected.

To protect my secret, they did their utmost to help me.

Even so, I believe it was luck.

If discovered, I would likely face the same torment as elves who seek the high elves and covet my power.

In that sense, we were of the same kind.

Whether desired or not,

Our team consists of those who are all being pursued.

“It’s for your benefit.”

To separate Lief and protect her.

As a leader of one of the tribes in the Golden City, it wouldn’t be too much trouble to protect one person.

After all, he is one of the eight leaders who manage the colossal organization that is the Golden City.

Even if the elves were to make a commotion, as long as he securely locked the massive walls of the Golden City, their options would be limited.

Terrorizing the Golden City would mean turning the entire city into an enemy.

“If you refuse something, I’ll have to check if you’re even qualified to refuse.”

After crushing the cigarette, Costin returned with something from beside the humidifier.

“It’s a mana concentrator.”

Just hearing the name made it clear what the device was for.

“After saying that much, you won’t back down in fear, will you?”

There appeared to be two places to input mana in the mana concentrator.

Was he suggesting some kind of mana tug-of-war?

I smiled.

At this point, he must be lacking confidence.

I placed my hand on the mana concentrator without hesitation.

“By the way, what’s your relationship with Lief, Costin?”

“Don’t you know?”

Lief hadn’t said anything separately.

She only mentioned him as the teacher who trained her.

“We’re sisters. Lief’s mother and I are.”

Sisters?

Lief’s mother is human.

That’s an undeniable fact.

But how could she be sisters with a Draconian like Costin?

In that moment, rather than distrust, it was like a realization striking me.

Cordelia had written it in the book she left behind.

For my sister—