I Stayed Loyal When My Teacher Was Betrayed

20 – Proof 9

A situation where they were separated from their teacher due to the side effects of teleportation magic.

Before feeling perplexed by this incredibly awkward situation, I could only focus on the situation in front of me.

“Well, it’s convenient. I was going to take care of that guy myself.”

“Shall I help you, Leader? The two of us should be more than enough to wipe out such a guy.”

“Let’s do that. There’s no reason to waste any more time anyway.”

Frea, a girl who spoke assertively, and Mist, another girl.

Based on what I’ve seen so far, Frea is considered a witch, while Mist is regarded as a shrine maiden.

In short, a combination of a healer and a magician.

As soon as they noticed me, they immediately approached me.

With their staffs gathering magical power.

At that moment.

“But before that…”

“Huh? Why, Leader?”

Frea paused for a moment, still maintaining her magic.

She looked at me and spoke in a cold voice.

“Hey, demon, do you have any intention of coming under our command now?”

“… What?”

The same thing I heard from that Sigrun girl earlier.

Upon hearing this, I could tell that her persuasion wasn’t merely spontaneous, but rather had a purpose.

“It would be difficult for you to defeat the two of us anyway. Besides, your exhausted comrades have already been eliminated by our Valkyries.”

“…”

Her words felt firm yet convincing.

Then, she extended the hand that wasn’t holding the staff towards me and said,

“I grant you a chance to live, just like you served that witch. Swear loyalty to me. In return, I will not only guarantee your life but also treat you well as a fellow comrade.”

Her words carried a sense of mercy.

In response, I maintained silence for a while.

Appearing deeply contemplative.

As if pondering over this issue seriously.

And, facing me, Frea spoke again.

“There are no traps or tricks within this offer. It’s simply a judgment of your worth as a servant. Please don’t reject my intentions and meet a worthless death.”

Speaking with a considerable amount of sincerity.

-Twitch-

In a calm voice, I spoke to her.

“Is this really… saving him?”

“Of course. I promise on my name… on Freya’s name. If you swear loyalty, I promise to give you an appropriate reward.”

“Sigh…”

A small sigh escapes my lips.

-Squirm…

Then, I replied to her in a calm voice.

“…Alright.”

*

Freya makes an appeal to the demons.

In response, Mist speaks with a voice mixed with some concern.

“Do we really need to go this far, leader? Even if he’s a target for elimination, if we spare him, it could be used against us…”

“I will explain if that happens. Anyway, he is a warlock. He can only act according to his master’s will. If, now that he is free and without an owner, he becomes mine, there won’t be a problem.”

“Sigh… I can’t believe this. What’s so special about him? Even if he’s a demon, he’s still a man. We could take him to a discreet place later and spend some intimate time…”

“Mist. You’re talking too much today. Just shut up for a bit.”

“Tsk…”

Freya retorts coldly to her comrade’s words.

Mist brushes back her fluttering hair and clicks her tongue softly.

But…

At this moment, Freya also knew.

Mist’s words were not entirely wrong.

No matter how much she explained, this incident could become an issue for higher authorities, and she could face some disadvantage in the future.

But even so, she persisted.

It was to persuade herself to gain possession of a powerful warlock.

The longing for a power that was only natural for a witch. That was what the rational Freya was talking about.

But what her emotions were suggesting was slightly different.

In reality, the real reason she was willing to take this risk and acquire the warlock.

It was because… he resembled her too much.

A puppet moved not by his own will, but by others’.

Even in the face of adversity, smiling on the outside.

An appearance that doesn’t show any signs of distress, even in painful situations, simply smiling and brushing it off.

A position that requires disguising oneself and showing maximum kindness even in inconvenient and annoying circumstances.

Freya saw this aspect of him.

The sight of Valkyries moving about while deprived of their freedom.

Her own reflection.

“I don’t want to let that guy die like this… No matter how much of a demon he may be… I want to at least give him a chance to choose for himself once.”

Thinking this way, Freya reached out her hand towards the demons.

A faint smile appeared on her lips, which were fluttering with her hair.

And regarding this,

The demon responded in a calm voice.

“I understand.”

“!”

The demon’s seemingly telepathic response to her thoughts.

He calmly knelt down, placing the staff he had been holding on the ground,

and sensing her concealed joy, Freya spoke to him.

“You thought well. If you agree, we will immediately begin the contract as master and servant…”

At that moment,

*Rustle!*

“…Huh?”

An unsettling sound came into her ears.

A hint of doubt grazed Freya’s face.

“What is this?… This sound…”

As she contemplated this doubt, she belatedly realized what it was.

Ever since earlier, her hair had been restlessly swaying.

A subtle sensation as if her body was slightly floating.

The moment she began questioning these facts.

That guy…

The demon,

firmly gripping the staff planted on the ground,

spoke in a calm voice.

“I knelt down because…”

“?”

“To gain momentum!”

-Zap!

As soon as those words ended, lightning struck from both sides of them.

It was a tremendous bolt of considerable size, but it didn’t seem to affect them at all.

“What… what is this?”

“What are they doing…?”

At that moment.

A fist-sized hunk of metal appeared before their eyes.

Strangely, the object, which seemed to be created by demons, was just floating in the air without anything particularly special about it.

But…

-Pow!

“!?”

“Huh?”

A flash flickered before their eyes for a split second.

Along with an unimaginable shock, they were hit directly without any chance to defend themselves.

“What on earth…?”

“I’ve never even heard of this kind of magic…”

An attack with an immense destructive power that seemed incomprehensible in its execution.

The two master-level adventurers were rendered incapable of fighting in one strike.

As he looked at their appearance, the man…

A deep smile started to form on the demon’s face.

*

The phenomena of electricity and magnetic fields were essential in operating modern society.

On the other hand, in this world where knowledge of modern physics was lacking, electricity was considered just a type of lightning.

Besides abstract concepts materialized as lightning strikes, there was no known or developed field.

Perhaps a thousand years ago, such knowledge definitely existed, but now it was in an unattainable state.

And now, I succeeded in using such “lightning” to both lull the two individuals in front of me and deliver a precise strike.

While avoiding direct attacks and reducing suspicion,

Magic carefully prepared while buying time with the appearance of talking and contemplating in a dictionary.

Setting up magnetic field areas on both sides, launching an attack by dropping an iron lump at the center of it, firing shots from the magnetic field.

Railgun.

It often appeared in various comics and is currently being used as a weapon.

The successful development of it here, blowing away the combination of a wizard healer that could have been quite annoying depending on the situation, was a success.

After achieving victory like that, I approached the two guys who were immediately knocked down.

“Ugh…”

“What… on earth is this?”

They were lying there completely battered, like walking wrecks.

Looking at their bodies scorched black, with scattered broken parts, I calmly spoke.

To give an accurate response to her previous words.

“I appreciate your concern, but I don’t intend to change my master yet. Until I repay the favor, I can’t give up my position as their servant to anyone.”

“…Favor?”

Freya made an unexpected expression for a moment.

Then, there came a small laughter from her mouth.

“Heh…hehe…”

“…”

“Was it… just a misunderstanding? I thought you resembled me… that’s all.”

“I don’t particularly think I have fierce-looking eyes like yours.”

“…Sigh…”

“It was a joke. If you have something to say, feel free to do so if you want to know why we tried to eliminate us.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. There are other ways to find out.”

Perhaps Bernier didn’t know, but the teacher might have already sorted out the situation to some extent.

As much as I can obtain information from that side, I was thinking of taking care of this leader in advance.

Feeling a bit bitter about how naturally he had such thoughts now.

And then…

“I… will tell you.”

“!…”