"What's this guy up to?"

Daemon had not yet fully comprehended the situation.

He wasn't overly concerned when he learned that the head of the Mercenary Guild had dug up some information.

With his power, he could easily suppress the Mercenary Guild, so he thought if someone came to rescue the captive, he could easily thwart them.

But the person outside was not of that caliber.

A wizard who had hidden their appearance with a robe and had taken down all the soldiers.

The magic they wielded was unremarkable, but the mana seeping from their body indicated they were no ordinary wizard.

They were concealing their true power.

Therefore, even Daemon couldn't rashly intervene.

Daemon clicked his tongue in frustration.

"I'm going to hear it from the leader when I get back."

Not only the soldiers at the mansion but also the rebel soldiers he had brought were down.

He had brought only the most agile and skilled soldiers as his elite force.

However, they were no match for that wizard.

Each fallen comrade was a painful loss for the rebels.

Still, he couldn't make his move.

There could be hidden allies, and victory over that wizard was uncertain.

A necromancer fights with an army prepared in advance.

This kind of battle was unfavorable.

Even if he couldn't save the soldiers, it was right to prioritize his own safety.

It was Daemon's oversight.

He had erred by not anticipating the appearance of such a skilled adversary and by creating an opening from trying to handle things quickly.

"It's better to plan for the future."

There was no benefit in engaging with such an opponent.

It was best to remain safe until the dust settled.

"Death Knight."

As Daemon manipulated his mana, he commanded.

"Bring the head of the Mercenary Guild to me."

He sent a command to the Death Knight in the underground prison through mana.

He planned to escape swiftly, avoiding confrontation with the intruder.

The battle was a victory as long as the others didn't get information about Ephomos from him.

Daemon made his exit through the back.

He waited for the Death Knight behind the mansion.

But something was off.

The Death Knight did not arrive.

It was well past the time he should have been there.

"Huh..."

He could tell that things had gone seriously wrong.

Had the underground prison already been breached?

"I can't just stay put."

Daemon's arrival here was his own action.

Not even Aryandor, the leader, nor the other executives were aware of it.

Ephomos was unrelated to the rebels and so he acted alone.

He must not get caught here.

Daemon's capture alone would deal a great blow to the rebels.

Daemon clenched his jaw with regret.

"I should have killed him immediately after he got captured."

Not executing Jack instantly was his blunder.

His arrogance had been in trying to take the man back to the Rebels to extract information.

Daemon made a decision.

He must flee first.

The core of the Death Knight remained intact.

However, its lack of response indicated it was certainly bound by some restraint.

Someone was knowledgeable about necromantic magic.

They had acted discreetly to avoid detection.

Then, there was no point in fighting; the odds were against him.

But Daemon didn't intend to just run away.

At the very least, he had to eliminate the one who held the information.

He reached into his pocket.

Inside, there was a single black orb.

Daemon placed the orb on the ground and began to chant.

"Rise, the dead... entwine and rise once more."

His mana was drawn into the soil.

"Death Golem."

Bones began to rise, weaving together from the ground.

Daemon observed the forming golem and commanded.

"Kill the head of the Mercenary Guild."

In the underground prison...

"Heh heh heh... Kuhuhuhu... I thought I was a goner for sure..."

Jack was a mess of tears and snot as he clung to Robert.

"Don't stick to me, damn it. We've got to get out of here, now."

Robert, clearly irritated, pushed Jack away with his foot.

Luna and I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

Jack didn't seem to have any serious injuries.

A small bruise on his face and marks on his arms from being tied up were all that was evident.

I took a look around the prison.

It seemed to be somewhat tidied up.

The Death Knight was immobilized, and the soldiers were all downed.

All we had to do now was escape.

"So, now we..."

Boom

That's when it happened.

As I was about to speak, a deep rumbling resonated through the prison.

"What's that?"

The ceiling shook, and dust began to fall.

There had been a large impact from outside.

I could hear someone running quickly toward the prison.

"Rudy!! Are you there??"

"Rie?"

Her voice echoed down the staircase.

"Hey!! Get up here!!! There's big trouble!!"

Rie sounded incredibly urgent.

At her call, we all rushed outside.

There stood Rie, with a scowl on her face.

"What's going on?"

Without answering, Rie reached out her hand.

"Over..."

"Gravity!"

Astina was floating, using her telekinesis.

In front of her was a massive entity.

It was a monster resembling a large face, formed from intertwined skeletons, with several arms jutting out, moving in bizarre ways.

Moreover, its size was so immense it nearly rivaled the mansion itself.

"What is that?"

"I don't know. It just appeared and started smashing everything."

The half-demolished mansion was visible.

"Astina's been keeping it from moving toward the village but..."

I removed the mask covering my face and rolled up my sleeves.

"We can't just leave it be."

"I'll help!"

Luna also took a spellbook from her bag.

Just as we prepared to confront the situation...

"Hm?"

The giant creature turned its body.

"...Why does it seem to be looking right at us?"

"It does seem to be... doesn't it?"

"What?"

As we stood perplexed, a strange noise emanated from the creature.

"Graaaaah...!"

The monster suddenly pivoted and began advancing towards us.

It closed the distance rapidly.

"Why is it suddenly coming at us?"

"I don't know! Just block it!"

I asked, and Rie, frowning, began to manipulate her mana.

A small flame burst from Rie's hand, which she hurled at the approaching monstrosity.

I was also moved to act, channeling my mana.

"Finger of the Demon!"

A colossal pillar burst forth from the ground, an attempt to stop the monster in its tracks.

Boom

Rie's spell hit the creature dead-on, causing a significant explosion.

The pillar I had conjured was placed precisely in the monster's path.

"Graaaah...!"

Yet, it proved futile.

The creature seemed unaffected by Rie's magic, and the pillar I erected broke like a twig against its movement.

As we prepared to cast another round of spells, Robert, standing beside me, reached out his hand.

"Stop. Don't waste your mana."

"What?"

He glanced over at Luna and Rie.

"Luna, Rie. Take Jack and get to the back."

"What?"

"But we can also..."

Robert frowned at the two of them.

"You won't be of help. And can't you see what that monster is targeting?"

The rampaging creature, having been indiscriminately destroying, now turned its focus towards us.

It had a target among us.

The most likely candidate was Jack, given that the enemy didn't even know who we were.

"Just protect Jack. And..."

He then turned to look at me.

"Rudy Astria, follow me."

"Me?"

In Robert's grasp was a staff of indeterminate origin.

It was of a peculiar length, neither long nor short, about the size of a human arm, white and without any adornment.

Staff in hand, Robert lunged towards the monster.

Without a second thought, I followed Robert towards the creature.

As Robert charged, the monster moved its arm to knock him away.

"Huh!"

Robert targeted the arm moving towards him, pointing the staff's tip forward like a blade.

The tip of the staff illuminated brightly.

With that illuminated tip, Robert stabbed at the monster's arm that was trying to hit him.

Zzzt!!!

Upon contact with the staff, the monster's limb disintegrated.

One of its giant arms decomposed upon mere contact with the staff, with neither a forceful impact nor an explosion.

"What in the..."

I watched, my eyes wide in shock.

Robert, having destroyed the arm, descended to the ground and then looked up to shout.

"Astina!!!!! Stop its movements!"

"Understood."

Astina responded to Robert's call to action.

After hearing her reply, Robert turned to look at me.

"Rudy Astria, did you see that?"

"I saw it."

"I'll breach the monster with this staff. You go in and smash the core inside."

"There's a core inside it?"

"Didn't I tell you during the lesson? A core exists. We can't hold back such a massive body, so we must aim for the core."

I nodded at Robert's explanation and opened my mouth to speak.

"Understood. But..."

"What's wrong? Out with it."

"What is that staff?"

I pointed to the white staff in Robert's hand.

"It's my staff for handling monsters like this one."

Robert said, tapping the staff lightly.

The sight felt like that of a teacher instilling fear in students with a ruler.

But this was a staff?

It looked nothing like the staffs I was familiar with.

There were no mana stones in sight, nor did it seem to be a conduit for casting spells.

Many questions arose, but now was not the time for them.

Robert looked at me and opened his mouth to speak.

"Then, do you think you can do it?"

I smiled slightly.

"Is there another option? If my teacher instructs, I act."

Robert snickered at my response.

"Then follow me."

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