These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 96

"This whole system is kind of annoying, though. Only one recommendation per year? Does that make sense?"

"Ray, weren’t you always planning to go through the Hand assessment anyway?"

"...Yeah, but still, it just feels off."

Ray grumbled, expressing his irritation at the way things "felt." In any case, I had my recommendation, so I’d go through the Heart assessment. Ray had always been set on the Hand assessment. That left Leif.

"What about you, Leif?"

"Hmm… I think I’ll go with the Heart assessment as well."

"What? Do you already have a recommendation? I thought you were planning to head to the Frontier later."

"If I go through my teacher, it shouldn't be difficult."

"Ah… you mean the Sponsor."

"Not 'the Sponsor,' but Mr. Costin Vallaur."

"Same thing. He's still a sponsor."

We could apply for promotion and undergo evaluations at the district offices in both the inner and outer sectors of the city. Master-level evaluations, however, are only conducted at the Guild Headquarters, which doesn’t concern us for now.

So, we arrived at the Eastern District branch, where the Telemma School and the lodgings of Ray and Leif were located. Since most people flocked to the headquarters for its size and access to team members, this branch was quite deserted.

"What brings you here…?"

"We’re here to apply for a promotion."

"Oh! A promotion!"

The receptionist, seemingly intrigued by the rare promotion request, asked with evident curiosity.

"Did you bring a filled-out application?"

"An application form?"

"There’s no set form… Are you not from a guild? Please wait a moment and tell me your name, current rank, the rank you're applying for, and which assessment you're opting for."

Guild members seem accustomed to promotions and even have templates to speed up the process. While paper isn't prohibitively expensive, it’s still not as cheap as it is on Earth.

The receptionist, after jotting down my details, stamped the document with a loud *thud*.

"Alright. Your application has been submitted. Mr. Roman, you qualify for the next rank! Jumping from Novice directly to Senior… You must be quite the prodigy!"

"Ah, well, I guess."

Given that skipping two ranks isn’t common, the receptionist kept praising me, which made me feel a bit embarrassed instead of proud.

"Please handle it quickly."

"We need to verify the recommendation, so please wait a moment…"

"Rone, I’ll take it from here."

The voice was strangely familiar.

The man who approached the receptionist had a different look and demeanor, but I recognized him immediately.

"Instructor?"

It was Davenport, the combat instructor from the training center. At my unintentional exclamation, he nodded calmly.

"It’s been a while."

---

After the training center incident, I’d kept in touch with my peers but hadn’t spoken to the instructors. There was no real bond with them, and they didn’t see a reason to get close to me.

If there were exceptions, it would be the head instructor, Skyler, and Davenport, who was standing right in front of me now.

"I’ve been following your progress. Impressive, really—Chromatic Fiend, Evolver, Sentinel. Your reputation precedes you."

"Mr. Davenport, how have you been? Your language skills have improved."

"Working here, it was bound to happen."

"That’s the nature of dealing with people."

Davenport then continued answering my earlier question.

After the attack on the training center, all the instructors, including Skyler, either left voluntarily or were forced out. While some, like Skyler and Davenport, joined similar institutions within the Guild, others chose to retire entirely.

Davenport, who had been seriously injured, also considered retirement but ultimately joined the Guild. He even agreed to work at a branch office after being rejected by the headquarters.

The reason was simple.

"I felt I owed you a debt I had to repay."

Thus, he chose to work at the Eastern District branch. He even moved his residence there.

"Until now, I’d been heading to the headquarters, unable to offer much help, but here, I can do something."

It may not be a significant abuse of power, but having someone to support you is invaluable. Handling my work with priority or informing me of good opportunities can be highly beneficial.

"Anyway, a Senior rank, huh? You might want to be a bit careful about drawing too much attention."

Davenport knew about my teleportation ability, so he was concerned that I might end up in a dangerous situation.

"If I want to establish a guild, I don’t have much choice."

"A guild? Are you planning to form one with your peers?"

"Not necessarily, but I plan to offer them the opportunity."

"They’ll probably accept. That is, if they aren’t already affiliated with a guild. But do you really need a guild? Aren’t you with a school already?"

"Well, it’s…"

The Cult of Destruction and the Professor’s involvement had been revealed in Viola’s report, so there was no harm in sharing part of my plan with Davenport.

The Cult of Destruction may have information on me. Since there's a high chance they’ll attack, I intend to join a sub-guild under the Pioneers’ Guild for protection.

"Hmm, if you exclude directly joining that organization, this does seem the best option."

Even if I joined directly, the risk wouldn’t be any less. I couldn’t expect to constantly have strong allies capable of confronting the Professor with me.

Only the Pioneers seem capable of matching the Professor. Perhaps other elite individuals could help, but they are rare and incredibly busy.

A powerhouse like the Professor is like a natural disaster—a nuclear bomb.

If a nuclear bomb exploded in a city, it would devastate the entire nation. Imagine a bomb hitting Seoul. It would wipe out half of the infrastructure and essential personnel.

So, to prevent such a disaster, nations build interception systems and form alliances with other nuclear powers. As long as you survive, you can retaliate.

The ability to retaliate matters. If you escape the immediate threat, you still have the potential for countermeasures.

Running away would work, at least. With the three of us, my teleportation would be enough to escape. Ray could deflect most of the magic.

"Joining as a Pioneer’s apprentice might be safer."

"Like Arthur?"

"Yes. It would ensure your protection."

"But I’d be limited in my freedom."

"Then I suppose that’s your choice. Just consider it, and not necessarily with Viola Parlatier."

Our conversation concluded, and we returned to the matter at hand.

"The recommendation check is done. The assessment… I suppose I could substitute for the official evaluation?"

"Is that okay?"

"Usually, the branch head would do it, but with them absent, a bit of flexibility is fine. I’m an Expert too, after all. Senior isn’t something just anyone can handle."

Just as Davenport was about to wrap up the evaluation, his expression suddenly shifted, as if something serious had happened.

"Why…?"

"Mr. Davenport?"

"...This is complicated."

Davenport frowned, then looked at me apologetically.

"I’m sorry. I overlooked something. There was an issue."

"An issue? What kind of issue?"

"Roman, you were assigned a designated evaluator."

"A designated evaluator? What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. Some rare cases require a designated examiner, which I didn’t expect here."

Clearly puzzled, Davenport admitted he’d never encountered this before.

"I don’t know who it is, but it’s best to go to the Guild Headquarters."

"How annoying."

"...Only a select few have the authority to assign a designated assessment. Either the Guild’s high-ranking officials, those with special privileges, or members of the Ten Council. I’d assume it’s likely Viola Parlatier."

Davenport speculated it might be Viola since she’s the only one with a connection to me, but I doubted it. Viola didn’t seem like the type to fuss over minor details.

Then, who could it be?

"I guess I’ll find out when I get there."

"Ah, let Ray know, too. He’s likely going through his assessment as well."

"Of course. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful."

"Don’t mention it. I’ll see you next time."

As I left, Leif, who was waiting while swinging her feet like an impatient puppy, rushed over.

"Already done? Does this mean you’re a Senior now?"

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Not yet. Apparently, I need to go to the headquarters."

Well, I’d planned to go there anyway to establish a guild.

After telling Ray to join us later, Leif and I headed toward

the inner sector.

Upon arriving at the Guild Headquarters and registering for the promotion assessment, I noticed the process was expedited, far more than with Davenport.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, I found myself in a luxurious reception room, clearly reserved for VIPs. Whoever summoned me here must be important.

With a curious mind, I watched the door open, bracing myself for whoever walked in.

A man with hair almost white with a silvery sheen entered, his sharp, elongated eyes accompanied by a faint smile that seemed to carry a mocking undertone.

He saw me and raised an eyebrow, then approached the head seat with a dignified, refined stride.

And then he spoke.

"It’s my first time."

A somewhat unpleasant opening line, followed immediately by another.

"Seeing her boyfriend."

"...Excuse me?"

"Ah, you don’t know? Let me introduce myself. I am Fiacra McManus, the next Grand Duke."