Chapter 109
The Demon Subjugation Squad
“Hand over Izolde. Then we’ll let the rest of you live.”
That was what Idnia demanded from the demon subjugation squad.
‘What…?’
‘Is she serious?’
The demons were surprised that Idnia dared to threaten them so boldly.
They outnumbered her. And she was just a first-year student. Yet she spoke as if she could handle them all.
“You’re joking. Who do you think you are—”
“Igon. Let me take care of her.”
One of the demon youths, a huge young man, stepped forward.
He was at least a head taller than normal people and had a bulky body. But compared to Idnia’s Kingbreaker form, he still looked small.
Still, he wasn’t intimidated.
“No matter how big someone is, if it’s just fat without pure aura, it’s useless. Haa!”
The huge young man shouted and focused his energy. Sharp horns like those of a charging bull sprouted from his head.
Aura covered his whole body, and magical energy from his horns circulated on top of the aura layer.
He held two short sai-like weapons, which worked both as weapons and magic wands—just like Idnia’s iron wand.
‘Is he like a ninja turtle? Oh, wait, those are also magic wands?’
Then Idnia cast her usual spell.
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
The huge demon swatted it aside easily and cast his own spell.
“Hellfire Chains—Bind her!”
Chains glowing red-hot from hellish fire shot out from magic portals, flying toward Idnia.
“Ahhh!”
Izolde screamed in fear.
But—
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
“Beginner Magic Bullet!”
Idnia punched the air rapidly and fired multiple beginner-level bullets.
The portals and hellfire chains shattered under her barrage. The bullets scattered in all directions.
“What?!”
The demon charged and tried to stab Idnia with his twin sai weapons, but she blocked both with her single iron wand.
He was using both hands to strike, but Idnia easily stopped him with just one weapon.
‘This strength… I can’t win like this.’
Then a tail grew from the demon’s lower back. A poisonous stinger sparkled with sharp energy.
But—
Creak…
“Huh?”
The demon’s knees buckled. Idnia’s strength was too much.
“Ugh… What is this strength…?”
He tried to escape, but Idnia pushed her wand closer to his neck, pressing down on his collarbone.
“Gah?!”
She pinned him down and slammed him into the ground.
He tried to stab her with his poisoned tail—but he couldn’t. If he moved even a little, Idnia would crush his collarbone.
So the tail didn’t attack. It wrapped around his own wrist to give him strength, so he wouldn’t drop his weapon from the pain.
The rest of the demon squad was shocked.
‘Wait… is that Paizal?’
‘He’s using his tail to support his own hand? So if he attacks, he’ll die under her pressure?’
The demons couldn’t believe Idnia was crushing their teammate so easily.
“Igon…”
“I hate to admit it, but we can’t win one-on-one. Everyone, attack!”
When Igon gave the order, the demon squad charged.
“Oh well…”
Idnia gave Paizal a flick to the forehead.
“Eh?!”
He didn’t expect her to do that.
‘No… if I faint from this, it’ll be too embarrassing…’
Whack!
‘I must not—’
But he couldn’t stay conscious. Paizal fainted from a single forehead flick.
Then Idnia grabbed his horn and lifted him into the air.
“Wha—?”
“Ack?!”
The demon squad panicked.
They had cast magic at her, but Idnia swung Paizal’s unconscious body like a club to block it.
A fire arrow hit Paizal and burned his skin. The smell of roasted meat filled the air.
“…Sorry, Paizal.”
“Is he dead? He’s not waking up.”
Normally, even someone unconscious would wake from a burn, but Paizal stayed down.
Still, the demon squad members were all powerful.
Only second-years were allowed in the dungeon, and these demons were even higher-level. No normal first-year could handle them.
“Hup!”
One demon woman’s eyes gleamed. She jumped back and vanished into the shadows.
Suddenly, she reappeared next to Idnia and stabbed at her neck with a dagger.
Idnia tried to block using Paizal’s body, but the woman pulled her dagger back and quickly cast a spell.
“Fire Spray!”
Flames blasted Idnia in the face. Even she had to close her eyes and step back.
“Yes!”
“Nice job, Lin!”
But Lin clicked her tongue.
Paizal’s poison tail had stabbed her forearm.
“Ack! So itchy!”
“Don’t scratch it! That’s dangerous!”
Even demons were affected by demon poison. The others were horrified.
“Hm. So that’s what it does.”
Idnia casually brushed soot off her face and looked at the squad.
Even after being blasted in the face, she seemed barely hurt.
‘If this were any other student, they’d be dead. What do I do now…?’
Then Izolde gave her a hand signal—one from Wizard Ball games.
She touched her forehead and held up four fingers below her eyes.
‘A curveball?’
Suddenly, Izolde threw a stone at Idnia.
It was a Flash Ball Curve.
“….”
Idnia swung Paizal like a bat and smacked the curveball.
It flew into the demon squad and exploded with a blinding flash.
“Gah!”
“Ahh!”
The demons screamed and shut their eyes.
“This is bad! Everyone, get into defensive formation!”
Igon prepared a powerful counterattack.
‘Come, descendant of King Yurik! Even if you’re the Empress’s daughter, for the sake of our General’s plan—you must die here!’
He steeled himself.
But…
It was quiet.
“Huh?!”
“Paizal?!”
When they opened their eyes, they saw Paizal’s burned body lying on the ground.
And Izolde was gone.
“Izolde?!”
“Oh no! She was the real target!”
Igon realized it—the flash attack was to help Idnia kidnap Izolde.
“What do we do, Igon? Do we chase them?”
“…No. Let’s retreat for now.”
“But without Izolde, the beacon plan—”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s not our only option.”
With that, Igon and the demon squad opened a teleport gate and left.
Meanwhile, Idnia and Izolde had escaped and stopped far away from the demon squad.
Idnia suppressed her Kingbreaker Aura and hid their presence.
“Whew… are you okay, Lady Izolde Folchen?”
“Okay?!”
“Are you hurt?”
“Do I look okay?! What are you?! What was that form?!”
“Oh, that? That’s my true form when I release the Kingbreaker Aura. It’s the ancient martial art of the Betelgeuse royal family, passed down from King Yurik.”
“Ancient martial art? But those demons were all stronger than me, and you beat them all….”
Izolde had always thought she was the best in her year. But the demon squad was far beyond her—and Idnia had defeated them all.
They hadn’t wanted her, but her academy brooch, which gave her a protective shield.
‘I thought I was more gifted than anyone else my age… but they were all stronger than me. And Idnia… she overwhelmed them.’
Remembering Idnia’s powerful form, Izolde laughed a little.
The way Idnia looked—like a majestic warrior—made her laugh despite herself.
‘But with that terrifying appearance… I don’t think my brother would like it. And the nobles at parties would faint from shock.’
She imagined Idnia in a fancy dress again and giggled more.
“Are you alright? Your mood keeps swinging. Were you drugged or something?”
Idnia was worried about her emotional ups and downs.
“Khh… Idnia Kache Betelgeuse… How are you, a first-year, even here?”
“I found out you came, so I asked Professor Magram to sell me an entrance permit.
Even if you’re talented in magic, this place is dangerous for a first-year.”
“But you’re a first-year too!”
“Well, as you saw, I’m pretty tough.”
That was putting it mildly. She had tanked all kinds of magic without even getting burned.
Her Kingbreaker Aura was so strong, most magic didn’t even touch her skin.
“So… why are you here, Izolde?”
“…Ha. You already know, don’t you? Yes, I’m with the demons.
Congratulations. You’ve caught a traitor in the academy. You’ll be hailed as a hero, and I’ll be dragged away in shame.”
“…….”
“What? Why are you silent?”
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not interested in school credit or rewards.
I already have plenty of ‘store points.’ I’m not going to trade your life for more.”
“Huh? But…”
“Also, the ‘Empress’ the demons were talking about? That’s my mother—Saintess Florain.”
“…What?!”
Izolde couldn’t believe what she heard.
Saintess Florain had become the demon empire’s Empress Regent?
And she was Idnia’s mother?
That was a much bigger twist than anything she had expected.
“And the demons who came are probably from her faction—supporters of the second prince and the demon general.
My question is—why were you helping them?”
Idnia asked firmly.
She had casually revealed dangerous secrets, but now her voice was cold and sharp.
Izolde hesitated, then explained.
“They want to bury beacons here. So they can create an entrance to this ruin outside the academy’s control.
But this dungeon’s chaos would destroy any magic, unless stabilized.
That’s where our brooches and student contracts come in. That’s why… they needed me.”
She had no choice but to say it.
