These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 73

“Me? The leader standing at the forefront of alchemy? I have a decent sense of humor, but you should focus on your mana.”

“Shall we decide on a method?”

“A method?”

“Each time the mana increases, I’ll ask a question. If you don’t want to answer, you’ll need to increase the mana amount again.”

“Oh…”

Costin seemed intrigued by my suggestion, letting out a brief exclamation.

“Fine. But it’s double.”

Costin flicked his fingers and reiterated.

“The mana you need to provide when refusing to answer will be double the usual amount.”

Will he still accept it?

Costin’s expression said it all.

And my answer was,

“Gladly.”

Of course, that meant yes.

As I answered, the mana from both of us was drawn into the mana concentrator.

First, my dark mana from Seir’s contract mingled with Costin’s brass-colored mana, which had yet to turn golden, inside the concentrator.

“…Demonic mana.”

“There was no condition for it to be your own mana.”

“Alright. At least you seem prepared for this.”

“I’ll give you the priority for questions.”

There was no reason to refuse.

I immediately asked.

“What does it mean to be sisters?”

“You’ve been fixated on that concept of sisters. It’s not a secret among alchemists, though.”

Though he lamented the waste of a good question, Costin began to explain.

Sisters.

It refers to a kind of sworn siblinghood.

However, unlike how everyone is called sworn siblings in the martial arts world if they have the same master or sect, the expression “sisters” used by alchemists is much deeper than that.

“Sisters mean comrades to whom one can freely give their blood. To alchemists, they are more precious than actual blood-related family.”

Costin smiled faintly, as if recalling something nostalgic.

He seemed to reflect on Lief’s mother.

“Even for me as a tribe leader, protecting Lief is a difficult task. So it goes without saying for you two.”

Even at the position of leader of the Golden City, he upholds his loyalty to his sister.

The only reason Costin protects Lief is that alone.

“Why? Does that seem strange?”

“…A little.”

At my words, Costin calmly elaborated further.

“For alchemists, blood holds importance in their desires.”

“Is it because of the Philosopher’s Stone?”

Blood signifies life.

In a creation I remember based on an alchemist, the Philosopher’s Stone was depicted as the materialization of the human soul.

If that blood represents life and even the soul, it sounds like a plausible interpretation...

“I don’t know.”

He simply denied it.

Costin was making irresponsible remarks.

Yet, there was a reason for that answer.

“It’s just that our great progenitor believed so.”

“Progenitor? Cordelia Ulstancraft?”

“Right. She left blood as a necessary material for achieving great aspirations. The problem is, no one knows what that great aspiration actually is. There are those who speak of the Philosopher’s Stone, those who talk about the Elixir, and those who mention entirely new substances that never existed in the world. Thanks to this, after the progenitor’s passing, the Golden City was split into various tribes.”

So the progenitor left behind an answer, but the interpretations of that answer differ, leading to the division into multiple tribes.

“So…”

“The answer to the first question ends here. As compensation for testing your resolve, I shared quite a lot since I felt it was a waste to squander such a valuable question.”

“…I acknowledge that.”

It was time for the next step.

The mana I poured into the concentrator thickened further.

It was double the initial amount.

For a typical alchemist, this would reach a level they would hesitate to pay.

“Now I’ll go first.”

Since I took the first question, it was now Costin’s turn.

“Explain your alchemy.”

It was a question intended to check a comrade's qualifications as Lief’s protector.

However, I had thought about this from the very beginning.

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“Mana…”

“If you double the amount, you can exercise your right to remain silent. Do you acknowledge that?”

Costin’s question implied that I wouldn’t answer at all.

§

“…That’s reckless.”

When considering it rationally, it was akin to a suicidal act.

Costin began to entertain the possibility that his calculations might be wrong.

Doubling the payment again.

That was a constraint not to be taken lightly.

Still, one might think the first time could be taken lightly.

After all, Roman, this mage, was still young.

The childish desire not to lose could be greater than the fear of shortening one’s life at that age.

'Being young is nice. Recklessness is also a privilege of the young.'

For Costin, who had already aged significantly, that was a faint notion.

Since becoming a tribe leader, the challenge he had forgotten dripped into Costin’s heart like raindrops.

“Perhaps it was my mistake to ask such a heavy question from the start. Your turn.”

Roman immediately threw out the question he had intended to ask before.

“Did Cordelia have a sister?”

“Cordelia’s sister?”

Though Roman asked the question, the stronger doubt was expressed by Costin in return.

“The concept of sisters probably arose after the progenitor left behind her words about her aspirations, right? At least that’s what I know. And the progenitor was a solitary daughter. There couldn’t have been any sisters.”

Even after just two questions, Costin began to view Roman as increasingly strange.

“You keep asking bizarre questions.”

“Every question is necessary.”

“Then it’s my turn again. You…”

Before Costin could finish, Roman’s actions were faster.

Mana infusion, doubled.

With this, Roman had added mana equivalent to 14 times the initial amount he had submitted to the concentrator.

The amount of mana both sides initially submitted to the concentrator was about half the total mana of a typical regular-level mage.

So, Roman was now consuming the mana equivalent to seven regular-level mages.

That total surpassed the mana of two average senior-level mages.

Such a level of mana was critical for an alchemist.

Especially for an alchemist contracted with a high-ranking demon, it wouldn’t be strange if he dropped dead right then.

'Transference through a mark? Cost exchange? Either way, it must be burdensome.'

Before Costin could dwell on these thoughts, Roman’s next question shot through the air.

“Who is Lief’s enemy?”

“You already know. The Shadows of the Trees (L'ombre des arbres). The cult of the Abyss that calls themselves ‘the Shade’. Their goal is the resurrection of the World Tree. I don’t know the details. However, unlike other elves, they will likely view Lief as nothing more than a tool to be used as long as she is alive. After all, she is a half-elf. Their strength... think of it as more than five guilds combined.”

Costin didn’t get another turn for questions.

Roman poured mana into the concentrator as if it were his right to ask, rather than a privilege.

“Then why didn’t you protect Lief from the start?”

“To hide the trees, you must hide in the forest. I attract too much attention.”

Roman, who had been pouring out mana without hesitation, suddenly stopped.

His expression, as he ceased to infuse mana, was closer to disbelief than despair.

Costin removed his hands from the concentrator, and with a resigned expression, he explained the reason for Roman’s situation.

“The mana concentrator has limits, you know. It’s already full.”

“So…”

Before Roman could suggest bringing another concentrator, Costin stopped him with an open palm.

“Enough. This is sufficient.”

He had seen enough resolve.

He also confirmed that Roman, as an alchemist, had the ability to wield this level of power.

“My eyes were mistaken. I apologize.”

Am I merely considered regular-level?

How foolish must Roman have felt regarding that assessment?

An alchemist capable of handling this amount of mana without even a grimace, Costin knew only one such person.

Hecate Clay, the leader of the Telema school and the current greatest alchemist of Les Lemen.

Based purely on his raw mana, Roman had already surpassed the senior level.

'Neza. Your daughter indeed has an eye for men.'

How terrifying genetics can be.

For both mother and daughter to find someone like this, Costin couldn’t help but click his tongue internally.

“Ask. This is the last question. I swear by the progenitor of alchemy that I will answer truthfully.”

“How much value does that vow hold?”

“Everything as an alchemist.”

Roman fell silent.

Time passed as he quietly gazed at Costin.

It was a moment to discern whether Costin’s recent statement was true or not.

And when that process ended, Roman asked.

“Can you say you are on Lief’s side?”

“Of course.”

“More than anything else, more than anyone?”

“Indeed. As long as the blood flows in my veins.”

“Then…”

Roman reached into his robe and pulled out a small vial, revealing it in his hand.

“This is the legacy Cordelia left behind. I want to use this.”

At those words, Costin could no longer remain seated.

He abruptly rose and leaned forward, peering closely at the vial in Roman's hand.

“This... is the progenitor’s legacy?”

Costin’s intuition flared.

Perhaps this moment could be the beginning of a new sect within the Golden City that had been dormant for centuries.