I rested my head against the faint warmth and listened to its voice.

'I feel like this has happened before.' The vague sense of déjà vu scattered at the words that reached my ears.

'I see.'

'I... could actually go home.'

'I could go back.'

'I can go back...'

* * *

Deathbringer instinctively flinched back as he saw the Meister's crazed eyes.

"You know we have to go, right?"

"I know."

The Meister's violet eyes gleamed coldly under the workshop's blue lamp.

"But that's more important."

'Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have trusted him!'

Thinking that, Deathbringer quickly claimed the mana battery or whatever it was. His swift hands snatched it up, holding it like a hostage.

"Ah, let's hurry up and go!!"

"I'm not leaving until I figure out why it lit up!"

"It was sparkling from the beginning, so how are you supposed to figure that out!"

"What are you talking about! It wasn't glowing when I saw it earlier!"

"What the hell are you talking about! When I picked it up, it was spark—!"

CRASH!

NEIGH!

Just as they were about to continue their shouting match, a tremor struck the building, and the poor horse's cry echoed through the street.

"Whoa."

In the process, Deathbringer let go of the battery he was holding and almost dropped it. The falling battery was barely caught in his hand.

The battery's light grew slightly stronger.

"... You!"

Seeing that, the eyes of the Meister, who was regaining his balance by grabbing onto nearby objects, widened.

KRRR.

NEIGH.

A bizarre sound accompanied the horse's cries. The two, having barely regained their balance, instinctively turned their heads.

KRRK.

Beyond the open door, they saw a massive monster perched right where the horse had stood. It was so massive that the poor horse, trampled under its legs, couldn't put up a single struggle.

CRACK, RIP. A bright yellow beak began tearing flesh from bone, devouring the horse whole.

A Gryphon. A demon with the head and forelegs of a hawk and the lower body of a lion, and a monster that loved horses so much it had earned the nickname 'Horse Butcher'.

The two men's bodies stiffened completely.

'We're fucked...'

'Don't make a sound.'

They had no idea why that demon had suddenly appeared. But if it noticed their presence, things would turn out very badly.

They communicated only with glances and moving lips, sweating profusely.

CRUNCH CRUNCH.

The only saving grace was that the Gryphon wasn't turning its head this way. The Meister moved carefully, backing away toward the rear of the workshop. Deathbringer did the same.

Summoning all the focus they had ever used in their lives, they dodged the cluttered objects and quickly scrambled to a corner of the workshop.

'What are we going to do now!!'

'No, you should be thanking me. If it weren't for me, we would've been attacked by the Gryphon while riding the horse.'

'Attacked my ass! We would've joined the others safely!'

Perhaps because it had a hawk's head, the Gryphon was famous for its excellent eyesight.

Thus, after crouching and hiding behind a desk, they vigorously mouthed their words to each other. Afraid it might react to the sound, they couldn't dare to speak aloud.

'Shut up, intelligence deficit. There's no point talking about this topic anymore, so shouldn't we think about what to do next?'

'Nice change of subject just because you're losing the argument. Damn it.'

'I didn't change the subject because I'm losing—'

'Is there no back door here?'

'... No.'

'Shit.'

Despite feeling immense annoyance at each other, they suppressed those emotions in the face of a single goal. The Gryphon was simply that threatening a variable.

'Is that really the only exit?'

'Yeah.'

'Damn it, so we just have to wait until that thing leaves?'

'That's one option.'

But even if they wanted to come up with a countermeasure, there was no other way. Seriously, what could they, who couldn't even wield mana, do against a demon?

If it were humanoid... it would have been able to come inside, so maybe this was better. Correcting his own imagination, Deathbringer tried to peek his head out from behind the desk.

'You wanna die?'

And he was met with the Meister's eyes, wide and pale with contempt and annoyance. Getting grabbed by the collar was a bonus.

'Then how are we supposed to check what it's doing?'

'If you lack knowledge, just admit it. There are ways to look around a corner without sticking your head out, you know?'

Saying so, the Meister picked up an item right above the desk. It was a convex mirror.

'Sticking out your head or sticking out your hand, it's all the same...'

'The surface area is different, you idiot with no desire to pursue wisdom.'

Having lightly bickered, they focused on the mirror regardless. When the angle was adjusted perfectly, the convex mirror clearly reflected the Gryphon. In that brief time, the horse's body had been reduced to mostly bones.

'If we're lucky, it should leave soon.'

'Well, that's good news.'

It was unfortunate for the horse that had died in their place, but from the perspective of those whose lives were spared thanks to it, it was something to be grateful for.

The Meister withdrew the mirror, wondering whether or not he would have to pay the Lord back for the warhorse.

It was because the beast's head seemed like it was about to turn this way.

'Give me the battery.'

Instead, he held out his hand to use the time efficiently. Well, if they had to be stuck here until the Gryphon left anyway, shouldn't they be doing something in the meantime?

'Are you crazy?'

'What does it matter to you how I rightfully spend my own time?'

'He's crazy, for real.'

He emphasized his outstretched hand. At that, Deathbringer shook his head in exasperation and handed over the battery.

Unfortunately, its light was currently out.

'Don't make a sound. If you make a sound and the Gryphon notices our presence, I'm throwing you right at it.'

'Hah. Try it.'

He was well aware that they shouldn't make a sound. The Meister scoffed, accepted the battery, and inspected it.

Even if the light was off, it wasn't as if there was nothing to investigate, so his eyes immediately grew serious.

'Obnoxious...'

This was... the battery he had inscribed with the same formula as the last one—the one that had flashed when he was smoking with the half-and-half hair guy—on a whim.

While Deathbringer cursed him, the Meister calmly analyzed the object. It was astonishing. To think that writing a formula with a track record would show hope once again.

Once could be a coincidence. But twice was worth paying attention to. And if it happened a third time...

'You said it sparkled when you picked it up earlier, right?'

'Yeah.'

'Hmm.'

The Meister fell into thought.

The only differences from the moment he saw it when he came in were whether it was up high or fallen on the ground, and the timing.

In other words, the cause lay in one of those two things, but realistically, the latter couldn't be the variable. On the other hand, the former...

'Was falling the answer?'

The Demon Knight had also witnessed it glowing when he caught what had been dropped, and this time, the one who picked up the dropped item saw it too.

Let alone recalling what they had seen just after that, this was indeed the only answer. Just in case, he held the thing up high—though not higher than the desk, lest the Gryphon see it—and tried dropping it.

'Are you insane?!'

The person next to him was appalled. TOSS. Before the battery could hit the ground, the Meister snatched it out of the air.

Its light had returned.

'If you have the time to mistakenly think I'm acting recklessly, then keep an eye on the situation instead.'

'... Ugh. You and your damn mouth.'

He pushed his glasses up with his middle finger and confirmed his hypothesis. Falling was related to this. The reason? He didn't know. He would have to figure it out from now on.

'... Did it succeed?'

Then Deathbringer casually threw a question at him. Even if he was an infuriating companion, curiosity was still curiosity.

'If you count a success without an established intermediate process as a success.'

However, he hated labeling something accomplished half-assedly as a success. The Meister wanted to research it further right at that moment, but considering the situation, he only did what he could.

For example, what happens if he repeated the dropping, or whether the mana was gathering properly. He checked those sorts of things.

'Once the intermediate process is established... can people without mana use mana too?'

'Let's correct that to 'being able to handle devices that require mana', shall we?'

'You really love to nitpick.'

'Oh, if I were you, I would have despaired at a life equipped only with a wagging tongue and not the brains to match, and aimed for my next life early on.'

In the process, another argument broke out... but as expected, thanks to the anger suppressant known as the Gryphon, it didn't escalate into a fight. It was a harmony achieved by a demon.

'...'

'...'

Even if their best compromise was sharply raising both middle fingers at each other.

'Anyway, yes. Once the mechanism is figured out, mass production becomes possible... so it could probably become widely available.'

'Explaining it after already offending me as much as possible doesn't really...'

'I have to answer what was asked. If not at a time like this, when else would your ignorant brain fill up on knowledge?'

'Ah, fuck.'

Deathbringer pondered. Would it be okay to smash this bastard's head in after the Gryphon left? It was a seriously tempting urge.

'Whatever, the Gryphon is gone—'

At that moment, CRASH! The building shook with a loud noise.

FLICKER. The lamps on the ceiling went out once before shining again.

What was that? Flustered, Deathbringer and the Meister hurriedly picked up the mirror. CRASH! At the same time, another impact struck their surroundings.

"We're doomed."

"If you make a sound— Wait?!"

CRASH!

Seeing the Gryphon trying to shove its head through the doorway, the Meister finally stood up. CRASH! The Gryphon, intending to eat them, kept slamming its body against the building, trying to push its head through the hopelessly small door opening.

"Looks like it knew we were here from the start."

To summarize, they were thoroughly cornered.

FLICKER.

The lamps blinked unsteadily.

* * *

'But... what happens if I go back now?'

* * *

"Save me! Save me!!"

"Aaaaargh!!"

"Attack! I said attack!"

"Don't scatter, Tony!"

"Gaaaah!"

Screams echoed from all directions, and explosions and flames erupted everywhere. The procession of people who had been evacuating in order was now a jumbled mess without any semblance of order. There was only utter chaos.

"Step back! Step back!"

"Run! I said run!"

"Hwaaak!"

"Hurry!"

"Keep going, run!"

Even so, they had a reason why they had to quell this chaos. The soldiers who rushed over grabbed people and pushed them backward as if throwing them.

"Fire!"

THWIP-THWIP-THWIP.

Meanwhile, the dozens of arrows that flew through the air delivered a stinging warning to the Harpies waiting for an opportunity.

"Support her!"

And then, a knight appeared. A superhuman who enhanced their entire body with mana or added sharpness to their sword leapt into the battlefield.

"Cover the knight!"

Just because she was a knight didn't mean she had the ability to slice a demon to death with a single strike. But she wasn't so weak as to only be able to keep Gremlins at bay like the soldiers either.

"Foothold!"

At the knight Dietrich's shout, a soldier dropped his weapon and took a knee. His hands were clasped over his bent knee, and the moment Dietrich stepped on them, he hoisted her up as if throwing her.

The soaring knight redirected the mana enhancing her body into her sword, adding cutting power to the blade.

SLASH!

SCREECH!

The face of the Harpy that had been diving toward the soldiers was slashed diagonally by her sword.

The demon's body writhed in agony and plummeted, having lost its balance.

"Dodge! Move!"

The soldiers at the landing zone retreated in perfect unison, while soldiers elsewhere advanced instead, pushing back the Gremlins and other demons.

"Push, push forward! Push the demons back!"

This was all to protect the knight who had fallen alongside the Harpy.

While those who stood surrounding the Harpy in place of the retreating soldiers kept the Gremlins at bay, the knight who had landed raised her sword.

"Surround it!"

Furthermore, while Dietrich dealt with the Harpy's struggling and prevented it from taking flight, the retreating soldiers raised their spears toward it.

Spears thrust from all sides pierced the Harpy several times. Of course, a few spears snapped right off from the demon's thrashing.

"Keep stabbing!"

A demon doesn't die in one strike. The people who knew this continued their assault, and the knight kept drawing the Harpy's attention, enduring being scratched by its claws a few times.

"A Gargoyle is coming!"

"Knight, fall back!"

"I'll leave it to you!"

However, if another demon that was difficult for the soldiers to handle alone approached, the situation would change.

The knight slowly backed away through the opening the soldiers had made. It couldn't be helped that the Harpy wasn't dead yet. Since its stamina was almost entirely depleted, she had no choice but to trust that the soldiers could handle it somehow.

"Aaaaargh!"

"Damn it, where did so many of them come from!"

"Aaaaaaaargh!!!"

But there were far too many demons swarming them. Pushing back the people who had run over after somehow dodging the demon attacks, a few soldiers wept.

"Annihilate my enemies!"

Fortunately, there was someone here who could lessen their burden.

The moment the Archmage, who had scraped together every bit of mana he had, unleashed his magic, many of the demons that had been harassing the soldiers amidst the crowd were pierced by mana and killed, or suffered equivalent injuries.

"Hurry and save the people!"

The soldiers, accustomed to cooperating with Mages, quickly began rescuing the fallen. It was the grim task of regretfully passing over the dead and hoisting up those who still drew breath to send them to the rear.

"... Looks like the city is going to fall."

"Don't say such ominous things!"

"Look at reality. Whether a city emptied of its residents and filled with demons is classified as ruined or not."

"That may be true, but there's a certain mood to maintain, isn't there!"

Maintaining a mood was useless. Surging Blue Coral ignored the Head Mage's words and manipulated his mana.

Manipulating mana while suffering from internal injuries was quite agonizing, but since he wouldn't actually die from it, it didn't matter.

"Are you going to be alright?! If you suffer from recoil even one more time here, you'll surely...!"

"I'll die. But can you really say that in front of the people who have already died?"

Besides, as long as he didn't cancel the magic midway or miscalculate the formula, there would be no recoil. He would be fine.

He cast additional offensive magic while assisting those whose mana control was unstable. The Archmage had checked the formula for him, so there was no chance of failure.

A massive mana arrow manifested and intercepted a flying Gargoyle. The Gargoyle's body, its heart cleanly blown away, plummeted to the street.

"Enough of that; just prepare your next spell quickly. More demons are coming."

"What? More?"

"If you have a problem with it, complain to the Lord. Ask him why his checkpoint inspections were such a joke."

Of course, the Lord would likely fire back. In a city where they hadn't seen a single demon follower in the past 70 years, and only peaceful merchants passed through, who would have suspected them?

He had to admit that. That was exactly why the Magic Tower had readily accepted the deal too.

"And while you're going to tell him, pass along that since there are two Great Sages here, one knight is plenty. Tell him we don't need reinforcements, so stop sending knights."

"You meant I should go tell him now?!"

'If not now, when else would you tell him?' Instead of saying that aloud, Surging Blue Coral vomited the rising blood without holding it back.

"Aaaaargh, Great Sage!!"

"Sir Surging Blue Coral!!"

The surroundings fell into an uproar. It wasn't a particularly important matter.

"You're being loud. Shut up and do your jobs."

"Yessir."

"Gather your mana!"

Rather, realizing that this area had stabilized, Surging Blue Coral turned his attention elsewhere.

"... I wonder how the west is faring."

Among everything, his biggest concern was, of course, the west.

Even the southern gate, which had two Great Sages, the Lord, and several knights, was in this state. How would the west be, which had none of that? Moreover, that side was close to the direction the demons were flying from.

For some reason, Surging Blue Coral didn't want to imagine it.

It was obvious, since the conclusion drawn would be far from good.

"I just hope they can at least avoid everyone getting killed."

Instead, he prayed.

That the luck to dodge the demons' claws would bless as many people as possible.

* * *

'... What's going to happen to Bemurhen now?'