CHAPTER 109
CHAPTER 109
Demon Subjugation Detachment
“Hand over Miss Isolde. Then I’ll guarantee your lives.”
Idnia demanded that the demon subjugation detachment hand over Isolde.
‘What?’
‘Is this girl serious?’
The members of the detachment were flustered by Idnia, who boldly threatened them.
They had the numbers, while she was alone.
And she was just a first-year at that. Yet she spoke as if she could take them all on, making what was practically a threat.
“How laughable. Who do you think we are—”
“Igon. I’ll handle this.”
Among the demon youths, a large-built man stepped forward.
He was a head taller than most people, with a massive frame, but before Idnia in her Tyrant form, he looked like a child.
Even so, his spirit did not falter.
“No matter how big you are, flesh without refined battle aura is meaningless. Haaap!”
As he gathered strength, sharp horns like those of a bull sprouted from his head.
Aura enveloped his entire body, while powerful mana radiated from his horns, layering over it.
A layer of aura surrounded him, and above it, mana generated by the horns circulated.
He wielded two short forked blades in place of a magic staff.
‘Is he a ninja turtle or something? Oh, those double as magic staffs, don’t they?’
The weapons he held were designed to catch and twist an opponent’s weapon, much like Idnia’s black iron staff—a hybrid of self-defense weapon and magic staff.
“Beginner Magic Bullet.”
Idnia fired the same basic spell.
“Pathetic!”
The large man deflected Idnia’s magic bullet to the side and cast his own spell.
“Hellfire Chains! Bind!”
Glowing red-hot chains of hell emerged through portals from all directions and shot toward Idnia.
“Ah!”
Isolde screamed.
However—
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
Idnia threw out punch after punch, firing rapid magic bullets.
The portals and hellish chains shattered under the barrage, and the magic bullets scattered in all directions.
“What?!”
The large man rushed forward and thrust his forked blades at Idnia, but she blocked both with her black iron staff.
Though he attacked with both hands, Idnia held him off with just one staff.
‘This strength… This won’t work.’
A tail emerged from the demon youth’s lower back.
A sharp, barbed stinger gleamed at its tip.
But—
Creak…
“Huh?”
Overpowered by Idnia’s strength, the large man dropped to his knees.
“Ugh… what kind of strength…”
He tried to break free, but as Idnia pressed her staff near his neck, his collarbone began to crush—
“Ghk?!”
His body folded.
Idnia pinned him down with one hand and bent him backward, slamming him into the ground.
The demon youth tried to strike her with his stinger tail, but couldn’t.
If he loosened his strength even slightly, his collarbone would shatter under her pressure.
Instead of attacking, his tail wrapped around his own arm, reinforcing his grip so he wouldn’t drop his weapon.
The detachment members were stunned.
‘No way… Faizal?’
‘He can’t even use his stinger, so he’s using it to support his own grip?’
‘If he loosens his core to attack, he’ll be crushed to death, won’t he?’
They stared in shock as Idnia effortlessly subdued their comrade.
“Igon…”
“It’s embarrassing, but a fair one-on-one won’t work. Attack.”
At Igon’s command, the detachment rushed forward.
“Oh, then…”
Idnia flicked the forehead of the demon youth pinned under her staff.
“Huh?!”
He never expected such an attack.
‘N-no! Getting hit by that… it’s humiliating—’
Smack!
‘If I pass out from this, it’ll be humili—’
He lost consciousness instantly.
His eyes rolled back, and with a single flick, he fainted.
Idnia grabbed the unconscious Faizal by his horns and lifted him up.
“Uh…”
“What?!”
The charging demons faltered.
Idnia swung Faizal’s body like a weapon, blocking their spells.
Flaming arrows struck his body, charring his flesh and releasing the smell of roasted meat.
“……”
“Sorry, Faizal.”
“Is he dead? He’s not waking up.”
Normally, even if someone fainted, being burned would wake them—but Faizal remained unconscious.
Still, the detachment members were highly skilled.
Dungeons were meant for second-years and above, and these demon agents were even stronger—far beyond what a first-year should handle.
“Hup!”
A demon woman stepped back, her eyes gleaming, and melted into the darkness.
Suddenly, she reappeared beside Idnia and thrust a dagger at her neck.
As Idnia tried to block with Faizal, the woman swiftly withdrew her blade and formed a hand seal.
“Flame Spray!”
A burst of fire struck Idnia’s face. Even she had to close her eyes and step back.
“Got her!”
“Nice one, Rin!”
But the woman called Rin clicked her tongue.
Faizal’s tail had pierced her forearm.
“i-it’s itchy!”
She staggered back as intense itching spread.
“Don’t scratch! That’s dangerous!”
The demons were horrified—even their own poison affected them.
“Hm. So that’s the effect.”
Idnia brushed her face and looked at them.
Even after taking the flames head-on, she wasn’t seriously harmed.
‘Ordinary students wouldn’t have survived that. What should I do? Hmm?’
At that moment, Isolde signaled to Idnia.
It was a hand signal used in wizard ball—touching her forehead and spreading four fingers downward.
‘A wild pitch?’
Then Isolde threw a stone at Idnia.
It was a flash ball.
“……”
Idnia lifted Faizal and swung him like a bat, striking the incoming flash ball.
It exploded among the demons, releasing a blinding flash.
“Gah!”
“Damn it!”
They shut their eyes in shock.
“This is bad! Defensive positions!”
Igon prepared a powerful spell, ready to counterattack at any moment.
‘Come. Descendant of Tyrant Yurik. You may be the Empress Dowager’s daughter, but for our general’s ambition, you must die here!’
He steeled himself to strike.
But…
It was quiet.
“Huh?!”
“Faizal?!”
When they opened their eyes, Faizal lay battered on the ground.
And Isolde, who had been among them, was gone.
“Isolde?!”
“Damn it! She was the target!”
Igon realized that during the flash, Idnia had taken Isolde.
“What should we do? Chase them?”
“…No. Let’s withdraw for now.”
“But without Miss Isolde, the beacon installation—”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not the only academy student who can cooperate with us.”
With that, Igon’s detachment opened a portal and retreated.
Idnia and Isolde stopped at a distance, far from the demons.
Idnia suppressed her Tyrant Art and concealed her form.
“Phew… Are you alright, Miss Isolde Polchen?”
“I’m—”
“What? Are you injured?”
“How could I possibly be alright?! What are you, exactly? That form—?!”
“Ah, that’s my true form after releasing the Tyrant Art. It’s the result of diligently training in the hereditary martial arts of the Betelgeuse ducal house, descendants of Tyrant Yurik.”
“Hereditary martial arts? No, but… those demon agents were incredibly strong…”
Isolde had always considered herself a prodigy in magic.
Yet every one of the demon agents surpassed her.
What they wanted from her wasn’t her magic—it was her academy brooch.
The protective barrier granted by the academy system itself.
‘I thought I was unmatched among my peers… but every one of those agents was stronger than me. And yet Idnia faced them all without retreating…’
Recalling the battle, Isolde let out a small laugh.
The image of Idnia in her Tyrant form was strangely amusing.
‘But that terrifying appearance… surely my brother wouldn’t like that. The entire social circle would be shocked.’
Imagining Idnia in a dress again, she laughed.
“Are you alright? You seem unable to control your emotions. Were you drugged or something?”
Idnia looked concerned at Isolde’s fluctuating emotions.
“Idnia Katche Betelgeuse… how is a first-year like you even here?”
“I heard you entered, so I bought an entry permit from Professor Magram. No matter how talented you are, I thought it was too dangerous for a first-year.”
“You’re a first-year too.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m rather sturdy.”
That was an understatement. She had taken direct attack magic without so much as a singed eyebrow.
The aura of her Tyrant Art was simply too strong, repelling magic before it could reach her body.
“So. Why are you here, Isolde?”
“That’s… haah. You’re asking even though you already know, aren’t you? Yes. I’m working with the demons.
Congratulations, Idnia. You’ve caught a demon collaborator within the academy. You’ll be hailed as a hero, and I’ll be disgracefully arrested.”
“……”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“No, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not that obsessed with reward points. I already have plenty. I’m not going to trade you in for more.”
“What? But…”
“And the Empress Dowager the demons mentioned—that’s my mother. The former Saint, Flora.”
“…What did you say?”
Isolde couldn’t process what she had heard.
The former Saint Flora had become the regent Empress Dowager of the demons.
And she was Idnia’s mother?
That revelation far surpassed anything Isolde was dealing with.
Yet Idnia spoke of it so casually that Isolde felt overwhelmed.
“The demons here are probably part of the Empress Dowager faction—more precisely, subordinates of the demon general backing her and the second prince.
What I’m asking is why you’re working with them.”
Idnia spoke coldly.
She revealed something that could be her own weakness without hesitation, then questioned Isolde—making her words carry immense weight.
“They’re trying to plant beacons. To create an entrance to this ruin from outside the academy. But when doing so, even the most skilled mage would be overwhelmed by the dungeon’s chaotic power. The only thing that prevents that is the protection from our brooch and our contract with the academy. So…”
That was all Isolde could say.