These Demons Do it for Free-Chapter 99

I revealed the Senior badge that had been hidden.

"Do you have eight members? Is your roster complete?"

"Not yet, but we can gather them anytime."

"Your peers from the 864th cohort?"

As expected of the vice guild leader of a major guild, Leif quickly guessed.

"Even excluding those already affiliated with guilds, there are more than enough to make eight. Is that what you mean?"

"Exactly. And we can gather others beyond just our peers."

"The Telema Academy?"

"That’s one possibility."

"Then your main force is Meia, isn’t it?"

Ray and Leif looked surprised to hear that name come up here. Ray’s reaction was clear from her expression, and Leif’s from her shoulders tensing under her cape.

But for me, it was no surprise.

*It’s within expectations.*

I had figured that Conquerors would be well-informed about us. Not only did they have strong intelligence capabilities, but Conquerors also had something else.

*They have a demon warlock from Telema Academy.*

Hecate had informed me about the real members active within Telema Academy. Although there were many phantom members, as the dean once mentioned, five of them were genuine. If you exclude Hecate and Meia, who are based in the Academy, there are only three left, all of whom have dual affiliations, meaning the Academy is mostly in name only.

"Is that what you think?"

"Hecate can’t act, so the only one left is Meia."

*Can’t act?*

Hecate never explained it fully, but my suspicions were likely correct.

*It must be the price.*

Hecate, a demon warlock contracted to a demon too powerful for me to mark, likely had to pay a massive price to utilize her powers. I often forgot this, as she let me use her abilities freely, but the stronger the demon, the more they demand in return. Warlocks of such high caliber could only meet those demands by paying a steep price.

*But that’s a matter for later.*

I could deal with Hecate’s situation over time, as she wouldn’t venture into the Abyss like Meia. There was no rush.

"Meia is with a separate team for now, but I’m confident she’ll join if requested."

"Not bad. So, you’re looking after her as a fellow Academy member? From what I’ve heard, that doesn’t seem like your style."

"It’s more of a mentor-apprentice relationship, you could say."

"That makes sense."

Hecate and Meia. Both were somewhat renowned even among the elite Seekers, which seemed to pique Leif’s interest more than when I mentioned forming a guild with just the three of us.

*Perhaps it’s time to bring it up.*

My original plan had been to approach Frontier, Enigma, then Conquerors in that order, but switching it up wouldn’t hurt. My initial approach was to persuade them with promises, after all.

"We’d like Conquerors to accept our guild as a sub-guild."

"Oh?"

Leif’s round eyes, characteristic of a half-dwarf, narrowed.

"Is this a reward request, or are you proposing it as a guild-to-guild deal?"

"If it could be considered a reward, would it be possible?"

That would certainly simplify things, but Leif promptly cut off the thought.

"No."

He made it clear it couldn’t serve as a reward.

"We honor our commitments. It’s a rule within Conquerors. But the sub-guild matter is separate."

As the acting guild leader, Leif likely had the authority to grant permission on the spot, yet he refused. It must mean that a sub-guild didn’t align with Conquerors’ policy.

Personal rewards were handled personally. Perhaps if we had already established a guild, they might have accepted it as a guild-to-guild arrangement.

"Then let’s proceed with it as the latter."

"Good. If it’s a promising new guild, it’s worth investing in."

Although this approach seemed more straightforward, the real proposal hadn’t even been made yet.

"But there’s a condition."

"Let’s hear it."

"We intend to form sub-guild contracts not only with Conquerors but also with other guilds. Specifically, Frontier and Enigma."

Leif, who had been answering smoothly until now, showed a hint of irritation for the first time.

"That’s… hard to just accept."

Having a sub-guild reflects the pride of the main guild. It’s a declaration that the main guild is powerful enough to protect others and that they have the resources and influence to take on such a role.

But to share a sub-guild with other guilds? That implies a lack of confidence, as if one guild alone isn’t enough to support the sub-guild.

"Did you really think we’d agree to that? I’m holding back because of our prior debt, but remember, my patience isn’t limitless."

"We’ve already discussed this with Frontier and Enigma."

Of course, that was a lie.

"Hmm?"

"Leif, you’re aware of our close ties with Frontier, aren’t you?"

"I did wonder. Why approach us instead of them?"

"Consider this the answer to your question."

"Was it because of the second-floor operation? I did find it strange when you so readily accepted our people for the mission. Who came up with the plan? It wouldn’t be Viola Parlatier… was it Kirantel? She’s a clever one in Frontier, I’ll give her that."

As expected of someone as perceptive as Leif, the vice guild leader of Conquerors, he started piecing together his own theories.

Although I had only vaguely heard of Kirantel, Leif quickly assumed she was behind it.

"So Frontier must have deemed you valuable enough. They concluded that your team is worth the protection of three Pioneers, right?"

"I’ll leave that to your interpretation."

Leif snorted, as if he already knew the answer. He seemed almost certain.

"Tell me, then. What are you hiding? I need to understand why both Parlatier and Kirantel would rate your worth equivalent to three Pioneers. Without that, we can’t accept this proposal."

In other words, if he knew the reason, he might agree.

The three of us had discussed sharing our information, and we had a basic consensus.

I answered without hesitation.

"Two people."

"Hmm?"

"The answer to your question. Only two people in Frontier know our secret. Enigma… well, as you know," I trailed off, implying that Enigma was simply too unpredictable to rely on.

Leif nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"Are you certain?"

That those two wouldn’t reveal your secret to anyone else?

I nodded without hesitation.

"Absolutely."

Arthur has proven his loyalty, and Viola has safeguarded our lives.

I trust them.

I’ve learned firsthand how fragile and sometimes irresponsible it can be to trust people, yet still.

"And so?"

"If Conquerors needs to know the secret, only two of you should be informed. One of them must be your guild leader, Sullivan Evans."

"Ha!"

Leif let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Bold."

Though he said that, he didn’t appear particularly annoyed.

"What if we decide not to accept your proposal?"

"There won’t be any change."

However, while Conquerors is busy recovering from its recent losses on the second floor, the external situation will continue to shift.

Our guild is effectively a middle ground.

Caught between guilds too entangled to cooperate or compete freely, we could serve as a pivotal point.

A sub-guild shared by three of the top five guilds.

What do you think the other guilds will do with such a connection? Won't they try to create a new playing field?

As Fiacra said, guilds are naturally rivals.

"And how do we know you’ll keep it down to two people?"

"There should be an artifact in your vault—a Binding Parchment, correct?"

"You’ve thought this through."

The Binding Parchment, a B-rank artifact, doesn’t impose any heavy penalties.

The only effect is that if one party breaks the contract, the other is notified of the betrayal.

It’s simple and weak, but it’s considered nearly impossible to bypass. Officially, there hasn’t been a case where the binding has been broken undetected.

"After all, Conquerors is far stronger than us, so there’s no way we could resist any penalty imposed. The only consequence would be to test your guild’s trustworthiness."

The credibility that Conquerors has built up over the years.

That trust itself would serve as the penalty.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Leif, who had been speaking confidently up until now, fell silent.

After a moment, he looked toward the door and called out loudly.

"Maji! Angie! Stop eavesdropping and come in!"

The door creaked open.

"You caught us."

"Sorry."

"The timing was…"

"We missed it."

"Forget it. Just bring the Binding Parchment from the storage room," Leif said, glancing at the twins.

The twins, caught off guard and still surprised, rushed over, set down the tea and snacks, and replied.

"Of course."

"Deputy guild leader."

"He said two people, didn’t he?"

"We’re perfect for it, aren’t we?"

"And hey, we’re twins, so we could count as one person."

Leif grabbed the collars of the twins, lifting them easily despite their squirming protests.

"Stop talking nonsense and go get the Parchment, you brats."

With a quick motion, he tossed the twins back toward the door, their complaints fading into the distance.

After they left, Leif returned, now looking as serious as a businessman about to finalize a contract.

"Let me add one condition on our side."

"I’m listening."

"Once we learn your secret, we’ll send a representative from our guild to join yours."