Space-Time Magic — The Price of the Demon’s Promise
I stared at the others gathered in our cramped, sealed-off underground chamber and asked the question that had been burning in my mind since we first noticed the walls had gone perfectly smooth.
“There… really is a way out?”
“Yeah,” Seir answered without hesitation, her golden hair catching the faint light like liquid sunlight. “I can take us all out in one go.”
Her words landed in the middle of the room, and the reaction from the survivors was instant and mixed—half hope, half doubt. If I hadn’t already demonstrated spatial magic in front of them, someone would have called my boast empty. But I had. Still, the lingering suspicion in their eyes made sense. We were underground, in a floor that was basically a tangled knot of spatial distortions. Moving within the current floor was one thing. Leaving the Abyss entirely was another. And I knew it.
Yet I felt nothing but certainty.
Seir had already given me her word. She was the first demon I’d ever contracted with, the one who had granted me spatial magic—La Traviata—and guided me toward the role I was meant to play. If she said it would work, then it would work.
Most demonologists would be shaking by now, their hands trembling from the sheer cost of even one use of spatial magic. The technique was simply too powerful. But I wasn’t most demonologists. My skill level hovered somewhere below average—barely past the walking stage with a handful of universal magic I could actually cast. The higher the rank of the demon I contracted, the lighter the price became. Seir had told me exactly that. The stronger the contract, the heavier the value that came with it. And value had its own price.
“The burden of risk is too great,” Arthur Carlyle said quietly, his voice heavy with resignation.
“Better than staying here forever,” I replied.
…Let’s wait a little longer. Rescue might still arrive from outside.
We could still hold out. Arthur’s words echoed in my mind as I scanned the group one last time.
Amaya—brown-haired, dark-skinned—hurried over from the far wall, face tight with worry.
“It’s no good. The space is completely sealed.”
…Not even a single crack.
The worst-case scenario had arrived.
Closed space.
From now on, we would have to breathe the air we had left. Food and water were manageable—Leaf’s spirit magic could keep the water supply fresh, and with everyone here we could probably survive a week without eating. But air was different. It was the one thing even those who pushed beyond their limits with accumulated mana and hidden mysteries could not escape. It was the chain that kept us alive as living creatures.
“Hey, Yusglimt-san?”
“Y-yes!”
Leaf answered with obvious tension, her voice cracking like a recruit given his first order. She had pulled herself into a tight posture the moment Fiona called her name.
“Among the contracted spirits, is there any air spirit or wind spirit?”
“Ah… yeah.”
Leaf’s head dropped automatically, ears hidden beneath her hood drooping even further.
“It’s fine. This space is small. We can last a long time.”
“Forgot something? I burned through a lot of mana already, didn’t I? You’d better not think there’s enough for this whole space.”
“And the body explosion on top of it all…”
Damn, she was right. We had no way of knowing how much air we had consumed. Time itself was becoming impossible to measure. The only thing left to do was accept the grim truth that the air might run out any moment and we’d still be here.
So there was only one choice.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get everyone out safely.”
My words made every face in the room darken. Even the brown-haired girl who had been glaring at me the whole time narrowed her eyes sharply and looked away. Only Alessandra kept her gaze steady, curiosity burning in her eyes.
…People need to be gathered.
Arthur’s statement carried heavy resignation. While the rest of us hesitated, Arthur, Alessandra, and Fiona all moved to start rounding up the survivors.
Me? I was the weakest link. I didn’t have their influence, so I would just wait.
“You… really have to do this?”
“Huh?”
“Couldn’t we just wait a little longer? Maybe rescue will come after all.”
…True.
But the longer we waited, the fewer people we could save. Honestly, I hadn’t gotten any lesser contribution in the last raid. I had been the one to focus fire on the demon lord, but so had Alessandra, who handled almost all the summons single-handedly. Arthur had led the entire defense, offense, and support. Fiona had been crucial in the defensive line. And if I alone pulled off the escape from here?
That would be an overwhelming contribution that no one could deny, even if they wanted to.
‘Plus, everyone here would owe me their lives and turn into my personal connections.’
Was it really necessary? Not necessarily. But there was no reason not to.
“I can do it. So I’m going to.”
“You…”
“Ray, it’s fine. Someone has to do it anyway.”
We couldn’t stay here forever, right?
My words made Ray’s expression complicated. She opened her mouth as if she had something to say, then bit her lip hard.
“I’ll go last.”
“Ah, sorry, but the last one has to be with Teacher Fiona. She needs the mirror to keep the path open. If it cuts out while I’m moving, that’s it.”
“Fine, fine! Then—”
Ray spun around with dramatic flair, then muttered under her breath, voice shrinking.
“…Then second to last.”
“Ah, that’s mine.”
“Aaaah! Then third! Okay? No more!”
She was really a fun team to have.
The survivors were either slumped against the walls, exhausted, or clustered together in the center in case the whole chamber collapsed.
Since Arthur had already gone to the center, Fiona herself moved to the opposite side, calling out to the people.
“Fiona.”
A girl with long, deep-blue hair poked Fiona’s side with her finger.
Fiona didn’t even look at the finger—she just said the name.
“Theresa! Where have you been? Why only now…?”
Theresa bent the poking finger sideways. At the fingertip, several wide-eyed new recruits stood awkwardly.
These were the first ones to arrive late.
Fiona had never met them personally, but she had heard that besides demonologists there were other raiders among them. Probably these were the new recruits she had protected and brought with her from one of those attacks.
Her scolding about arriving late vanished in a single sigh.
“Haa… you did well. I’m glad you’re all safe. I was sure you’d make it, but… Shon?”
“Didn’t see him.”
…Right.
Shon had been the final member of Fiona’s team. His skill was lower than the others, but he hadn’t survived this raid. Unlike Theresa, who had joined for the training center, the team bonds here had been short-lived. There hadn’t been enough time for mourning to be sweet.
“More importantly, Theresa. On the way here, did you see any other passages? Or any escape routes?”
“No. We only made it this far.”
…As expected.
Fiona looked defeated. In the end, we really had no choice but to rely on me.
It was a rather ordinary lesson, yet Theresa had become my disciple. Roman himself had called me “Teacher” in a mix of seriousness and teasing.
Was sacrificing their lives to survive really the right thing?
Especially since my connection with Roman wasn’t pure to begin with.
Honestly, I had taught him more to interfere with Alessandra than anything else. I tried not to discriminate, but when I really thought about it, I disliked demonologists. They got their power too easily. I knew they paid a price, but the way they strutted around with that effortless strength still rubbed me the wrong way.
But if someone was willing to give their own life to obtain that power and use it for others rather than themselves…
That power would never be obtained lightly.
‘If only Master had been here…’
“Fiona.”
“Eh? What? Did someone call?”
“From over there.”
“Ah… let’s go.”
Our steps felt heavy. I wondered if everyone else was feeling the same weight.
“Is there a way out?”
…Yeah. Probably.
“Probably?”
Theresa tilted her head.
But Fiona didn’t answer. The path ahead simply refused to continue.
“Everyone’s gathered.”
Arthur’s voice cut through the silence. Fiona scanned the room quickly.
Sixteen people total, including Instructor Daytonford. Of the forty-five initial new recruits, we had lost nine dropouts, leaving thirty-six. Half of them had not survived.
…Too many.
Earlier I had felt bitter about the heavy toll, but now the number itself felt heavy. Taking round trips into account, Roman would need at least thirty spatial movements.
Even if one use shortened life by only a year…
‘Thirty years.’
Roman had hinted that his price wasn’t exactly his lifespan, so it wouldn’t be exact. But he would still have to pay an equivalent price.
“From now on, we’re leaving this place.”
Even as my thoughts deepened, Arthur’s voice continued without pause.
“Have you found a path?”
…As expected, Arthur Carlyle… even the great guilds are like this…
“It must be the vision magic of the Alexandria School.”
Because they had joined late, the newcomers who hadn’t known the details were excited and started speculating wildly.
“No. I can’t do it either. Alessandra, the grand duke’s closest aide, or Blostm School’s next headmaster Theresa—impossible.”
Arthur’s words made everyone’s eyes widen.
Who could it be if not the three of us?
Instructor Daytonford, barely able to breathe because of his injuries?
Theresa, Blostm School’s next headmaster and grand duke’s right-hand woman?
Who?
“I will do it.”
I stepped forward and stood beside Arthur.
The explanation from here on was my responsibility, not his.
“I’m using spatial magic to get us out. One at a time. So from now on, cancel all autonomous mana shields and constant-effect magic. Overlapping magic fields will drop accuracy sharply.”
Even Arthur’s calm explanation didn’t quiet the uneasy reactions.
Could we actually trust a demonologist’s magic?
What if it stopped in the middle and we got stuck in a spatial gap?
What if the “cost” he mentioned suddenly became too expensive?
That instinctive distrust toward demonologists made them look at me with suspicion.
To Fiona, it felt like they were insulting her.
Fiona raised her hand immediately, but someone faster reached Arthur first.
“I’ll go first.”
Alessandra swept the skeptical gazes with her usual lazy eyes and gave me a gentle smile.
“It’s fine, right? I can go first.”