Chapter 84

"Good morning, Alex-sama. You must have been working late last night."

As soon as I stepped out of the research building, Elicia murmured this. She had been peeking out the window late at night, apparently taking turns with Yurii and Selena to keep watch over the research building.

"Good morning. Elicia, thank you for the night watch..."

I yawned and replied, still feeling sleepy.

Last night, I talked a lot with Maren, who had become my friend. I didn't get any information about demons, but I did gain a lot of knowledge about summoning magic.

However, there were topics we didn't want to discuss. One of them was Maren's homeland.

A homeland she wanted to save so much that she would even borrow the power of a demon... I hoped today's summoning experiment would succeed, but at the same time, I felt it might end up being a disaster, which made me feel conflicted.

The chances of success are low, but if something happens, I'll do my best to handle it... and with Elicia's holy magic, the worst-case scenario should be avoidable.

"By the way, Elicia, did you talk to Yurii and the others?"

"Yes. We exchanged reports when we switched shifts. They didn't notice anything unusual—well, yesterday, Selena got caught by a smooth-talking merchant while looking for a shop and bought another strange mask."

"Again... well, it's fine to let her enjoy shopping."

"But, it's a concern if she keeps adding more strange masks. So, I told her to be careful... Other than that, there was no progress in the search for a shop. According to Yurii, the rent on this island is quite high, and it's hard to find a good place."

"I'll join them as soon as possible to help."

"Please don't worry about us. You've just made a friend, after all. Besides—"

Elicia changed her expression and looked around.

"At dawn, someone was sneaking around this research building, seemingly concerned about it. They looked like a student."

"A student?"

"Yes. Moreover, they were a bearer of the holy emblem. They left immediately when I turned to look at them."

It could be the Holy Order... I don't know if they were investigating me or Maren.

"I thought about getting permission from the intelligence department to search, Alex-sama."

"That's right... There are many things here that are skilled in magic. Some might be able to see through our shadow wheels, so let's not do it."

"Understood. However, this Elicia remembers the smell and presence. If they come again, I will act without hesitation."

"I appreciate that. Anyway, we should be more careful..."

"We will continue to be vigilant."

"Thanks."

As I said this, the sound of a door opening echoed from behind. I turned around to see Maren just leaving the research building. In her hand was a bottle of black powder, which she had been carefully checking earlier to generate dark magic.

"Sorry, Alex. I was worried if the mixture was correct... so it took longer."

"Don't worry about it. Shall we go?"

Maren nodded and we headed for the holy magic research building.

It was a clear, refreshing morning, but Maren's face was somewhat gloomy.

"Maren, are you feeling unwell?"

"No... I'm fine."

Maren said this, but her gaze kept flickering to the bottle.

She lacks confidence, I guess... Indeed, it's hard to believe that a demon can be summoned. Even if the amount were increased, the magic would dissipate quickly.

A question came to mind. Why is she so focused on summoning a demon that requires dark magic?

If it were another type of magic, someone could lend her their power to summon. For example, if she summoned a creature with holy magic, it might be stronger than a demon. Fenrir, whom she summoned yesterday, is one of the strongest among summoned creatures. There should be no need to focus on demons.

I couldn't help but ask Maren.

"Is it really necessary to summon a demon?"

"Yes, it has to be a demon."

Maren nodded without hesitation.

"Why?"

"Just... as I said before, because they seem strong. I want to protect my homeland with them."

Is that really all there is to it?

I'm curious, but if she doesn't want to talk about it, I won't pry.

By the time we reached the holy magic research building, Maren waved to an old man reading a book in front of the building. He was dressed in a robe and had a white beard.

"Professor Redos! I'm going to summon today, so please watch over me!"

"Is it you again? I admire your dedication, but no matter how hard you try, humans can't summon demons."

The man, apparently Professor Redos, closed his book. The holy emblem on his hand indicated he specialized in holy magic.

It seems Redos always watches over Maren's demon summoning.

Maren, determined to summon, drew a magic circle on the ground. Once it was done, she opened the bottle and poured the magic powder into her palm.

"Let's start."

I nodded, and Maren began her incantation.

"Come forth, come forth—come from the place where light does not reach... demon!"

A black mist began to gather in Maren's hand.

"Really... If only I had a student as dedicated to holy magic as you..."

Redos yawned. Everyone, including me, expected her to fail.

But something unusual happened.

The dark emblem on the back of my hand, the Abyss, began to leak magic.

"–!?"

I quickly restrained my hand to stop the magic from flowing, but some of it had already been absorbed by the black mist.

The black mist started to expand rapidly.

"Huh?"

It was different from usual—Maren must have felt it too, as she let out a gasp.

Did it absorb dark magic from my emblem?

I don't understand what's happening, but Maren might be in danger if this continues.

I cast a dark wall around Maren and the surroundings.

"Leave it to me."

Elicia, sensing the abnormality, scooped up Maren and moved her away from the scene.

"Ah!"

But even after Maren was gone, the black mist continued to expand.

Finally, Redos spoke up.

"This ominous magic... Could it be that the summoning actually succeeded!?"

Redos, who seemed to have seen a demon before, reacted quickly.

He pointed his hand at the black mist and released light.

"Holy light—banish the darkness!!"

The holy magic Redos launched was as fast as a meteor, large, swift, and precise. It was the first time Alex had seen such powerful holy magic.

However, the black mist enveloped Redos' light and then suddenly expanded and exploded.

The darkness was banished—no, that's not right.

As the black mist cleared, a giant black wolf was revealed.

The comic adaptation of this work started in the December issue of Dengeki Daioh, which was released yesterday!

The artist is Mr. Kajiro Abe!

It's a full-color opening, so I hope you will take a look!