Chapter 16: The Temptation of the Demon

When Hayna came back from the tavern's basement, she felt as if she was almost full of dust.

When she went down, she was actually very nervous and apprehensive. Hayna always felt that there might be some sort of trap, mechanism, or curse in this basement—there might even be a Familiar being raised, or one could possibly see synthetic beasts in jars.

But to her disappointment, after cautiously exploring for half a day, she found nothing at all.

There wasn't even the kind of altar filled with the smell of blood and various limbs described in novels. Aside from a few areas with signs of habitation, there was dust everywhere. The most numerous items placed around were various bottles and barrels of alcohol which she did not recognize.

The double bed in the corner, perhaps due to poor ventilation and lack of sunlight, was damp and musty. She even felt a bit of sympathy for those Demon Scholars—their quality of life was too poor.

The "Alchemy Cipher" that Aiwass wanted, she had found quite effortlessly.

It was a book that looked like a textbook, about the thickness needed for a mandatory course lasting one semester. It was only about two fingers thick and one and a half palms long. Unlike a textbook, it had a unique dark red leather cover that felt like cowhide.

It looked very expensive.

At least... worth ten White Coins, right?

Perhaps even more, but this price was enough to make someone think about stealing it.

Aiwass lacked life experience—carrying such an item outside, one would certainly attract attention. Even a thief completely ignorant of the Transcendent world and Taboo knowledge could easily judge its value from the material of the book.

And this evil female Magician, she must also cherish this book.

Because the book was placed on the bedside desk, next to it was a cup filled with clear water—the few places in the basement where there was no dust.

It was evident that the dangerous bald female Magician was just reading this book before they arrived.

In the empty space of the basement, Hayna did see a ritual circle. To make room, it seemed that the residents had moved the barrels into the corner, even stacking them two high, to clear an area with a diameter of only about five steps.

Inside the ritual Ring, ten names of unclear meaning were inscribed. In the middle were also drawn strange geometric patterns, of which she could barely make out the symbol meant to represent "moon."

Above the ritual circle, there wasn't any blood or severed limbs either.

She only saw an empty swaddling cloth, quietly lying in the very center of the ring. Just in case, she did not lift the cloth.

But to prevent the ritual from running automatically, she first used the Sword in her hand to cut all the ritual lines, thoroughly destroying the ritual circle before daring to start investigating.

This was also the method taught in school—if you come across a ritual arranged by the followers of Transcendence Path, don't walk into it casually, nor take anything out of it. First, take a sharp object that has been Blessed or Cursed, and gently cut along all the lines. For instance, for a circle, simply make a cut at any place; if it's a triangle, make three cuts, if it's a hexagram, make six cuts.

Hayna remembered these teachings very clearly.

Because while learning this information, she had the excited illusion that she was fighting against Demons. She had carefully studied techniques for countering various illegal Transcendents, even techniques for combating Demons.

But it was not until she was about to graduate that she learned from her colleagues... in fact, more than ninety percent of Inspectors might never see a living Demon in their lifetime. If they did see one, the chances were they wouldn't have the opportunity to brag about it alive.

Because a Demon wouldn't appear on its own. When a Demon's summoner dies, the Demon gets banished.

This meant that when you find a Demon alone, the evil Magician who summoned the Demon must be nearby—and has most likely already noticed you. But you haven't been able to find them.

And when you really encounter such a formidable enemy, it's generally up to the white-gloved ones of the Supervisory Court. It's not their turn to act.

So Hayna fell into a very frustrated mood.

Despite possessing a great deal of specialized knowledge, she essentially could not apply it at work.

In most cases, the work involved checking taxes, various forms of identification, maintaining public order, inspecting hygiene, safety hazards and prohibited items—tedious, overwhelmingly busy, and completely lacking any sense of adventure.

Even in most cases, there was no need to draw the Sword. Ordinary stupid thieves and thugs could be stopped in their tracks just by her shouting. And for those who could not be stopped by a shout, at least a numbers game was in play—facing a formidable enemy alone with no quick victory was a serious rule violation, punishable by solitary confinement.

And once the numbers were in, the Sword was even less necessary. In such situations, engaging the criminals in close combat could actually make it hard for teammates to intervene. It was better to use guns for a cleaner resolution.

As a result, the Rhythm Tactics tested during the hiring process were actually of no use at work.

Hayna was quite dissatisfied with this.

—Had she known that the work at the Supervisory Bureau was so dull, she might as well have joined the military as a Sky Cavalry member!

Her Gryphon had been going through two months of processing, and she still hadn't seen a single feather!

Hayna had dreamed that once her gear and Gryphon arrived, she would show off at school, riding her Gryphon, clad in armor, sword in hand. She would undoubtedly look amazing, and her classmates and juniors would surely come to admire her, and the teachers would definitely use her as an example to instruct those younger ones—