These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 101

Moreover, if they had been saved by such a great favor, Conquerors would certainly need to show their worth in return.

Knowing her father’s nature, bringing them in as a sub-guild was probably more about the gesture than a debt being repaid. She had thought it would be fine to use the sub-guild status to repay the favor and eventually integrate them into the main guild.

If necessary, she would even consider briefly leading a team to the Abyss, maybe even once or twice, as a form of repayment.

That was, until the next part of the conversation came up.

*“Of all places, Frontier...”*

Her father, too, had been too accepting of the idea.

She wondered what her father was going to say to the guild leader, Sullivan Evans, who had entrusted his position to him.

*“No. Is that why he entrusted it to me?”*

Roman was Conquerors’ benefactor, after all.

If Leif, the vice guild leader, and a Master-ranked Seeker, were to personally test Roman, it might seem strange. But if she were the one entrusted with it, despite her age, it could be justified.

The Senior and Expert ranks were close enough to be interchangeable.

It was a plausible choice for someone to take on the test. And if Roman passed, she would be sent to meet them, making it an excellent excuse to get acquainted.

*“But, since he’s a benefactor, maybe I should be lenient.”*

Despite thinking that, Svetlana continued preparing her gear.

"Wow~ Lana, this is too much. You’re full-on equipped with all your main gear."

"Does that mean the lion is going all out, even when hunting a rabbit?"

"Lion? Hmm, wouldn’t you say Lana’s more like a bear?"

"Let’s correct that. A bear gives it its all when raiding a beehive."

"…Quiet."

And a bear would just blindly go for the honeycomb using its thick skin.

Svetlana quietly complained in her mind while responding to the twins’ playful teasing. She removed one piece of equipment, deciding that A-rank gear was unnecessary for a test duel.

"But what could the secret be?"

"We don’t know."

"Those two from Frontier must know—their names are Parlatier and Carlisle, right?"

"That’s what I think. They’re peers. Maybe the Frontier connections started there…"

"Wait. Who?"

Carlisle? Arthur Carlisle?

Svetlana froze as her hand, which had been about to place an artifact down, stopped mid-motion.

She couldn’t ignore that name.

*“Of all people.”*

The name Arthur Carlisle was like a thorn in her side.

Before Arthur became a recognized next-generation prospect outside of Frontier, she had been in the same exact position.

Arthur Carlisle, the youngest disciple of Pioneer Viola Parlatier.

Svetlana Gromadine, the former disciple of Pioneer Sullivan Evans.

In fact, they had even shared similar origins, both starting as pureblood members of the guild.

Arthur’s parents had died during an Abyss expedition, making him a sort of adopted child to Viola. Svetlana, on the other hand, still had her father alive and well—and he was the second-in-command of Conquerors.

And in the end, Svetlana had failed.

She had earned her Seeker license at the age of 18 and had been active for seven long years. Despite that, she had still failed to break through the Master rank.

At 20, she became a Master, but her achievements paled in comparison to Viola’s, who had ascended to Pioneer by the age of 30.

And though Arthur had only become a Seeker at 22, he had reached Master rank in just two years and had already secured a Pioneer position by 30. It was a humiliating result when compared to her own.

She had once been the center of attention as the future Pioneer, but that had quickly shifted to Arthur.

As a result, she had become something of a forgotten figure.

Viola, who had stepped away from Abyss exploration and settled in the city, had nurtured Arthur into the prodigy he was now.

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And that was why Svetlana couldn’t lose to him.

Not Arthur himself, but even his connections.

*“Maybe…”*

Svetlana tightened her grip on her weapon.

---

**Training Room**

The training room, which would serve as the battlefield for the test duel, already had Roman and his group waiting.

While Svetlana had to prepare her gear, Roman didn’t need to do so because he was already in top condition.

Conquerors had offered supplies, like scrolls that Seekers typically carry, but Roman had declined.

As per their agreement, Svetlana had only been accompanied by the twins up to this point, and now she was entering the training room alone.

Upon entering the training room, Svetlana used one of her artifacts, "Light of the Deep."

It was a lens that helped her determine whether an artifact was of Abyss origin.

*“Only one artifact?”*

The orb attached to her staff was all she had.

The weak reaction from the spellbook coiled around her waist indicated it was likely made from Abyss materials, or perhaps it was a regular spellbook with Abyss magic erased and replaced by something else.

Soon after, Svetlana’s second artifact automatically activated.

C-rank artifact *“Demon Needle”*.

As the name suggested, it was a needle used to detect magical power.

Although it was rated as C-rank due to its requirement to be inserted into the body, the pain and sensory distortion it caused were worth noting—it was actually comparable to a top-tier B-rank artifact in terms of functionality.

Svetlana implanted it into her left arm, feeling the pain gradually spread from there.

With it, she could sense the magic around her, including Roman’s power level.

*“Basic magic is at the Novice level.”*

However, that was not all.

Roman was a demon warlock, and his strength wasn’t solely determined by his inherent magical power. It depended on the demon he had contracted with and the cost he could afford for that contract.

The duel wasn’t a life-and-death fight, so there wouldn’t be any great cost. Still, it was certain that his true abilities would exceed his basic magic.

However, demon magic was still ultimately limited by the warlock’s own skill.

Svetlana estimated Roman’s abilities.

*“Middle-tier magic, the kind Senior-level magicians usually use, should be his base.”*

While she couldn’t rule out the possibility of him using higher-level magic if he chose to push his limits, at his current stage, his magical ability would fall within the Senior range.

"Shall we begin?" Roman’s soft question triggered her competitive instincts.

Despite clearly preparing herself, he remained calm. He might have assumed that, because it was a test duel, he’d get some leeway, or that he could win with relative ease.

Neither thought was acceptable to Svetlana.

"You can start whenever you’re ready."

Her emotionless, professional tone carried a faint chill.

*“Come at me.”*

She gripped her lance and shield tightly, grounding herself firmly on the floor. Her focus sharpened as she prepared to fight, her long years of training coming to fruition.

With her full gear on and ready to defend with all her might, she could block even the stomps of a Seismic Drake from the Fifth Floor.

Her enhanced senses, aided by her artifact, picked up every subtle shift in the air, every minor disturbance in the environment.

Svetlana was already envisioning dozens of ways she would win.

*“How will you come at me?”*

Filled with the confidence of inevitable victory, she waited.

Roman, unflinching, answered with a single word.

"Ah?"

Thwack!

An unexpected blow struck.