“You’re saying there is a way out?” “Yeah.”

The people around me responded with mixed reactions to my bold claim.

If I hadn’t already shown them teleportation magic, they would’ve probably dismissed it as nonsense. But I had already demonstrated the ability to manipulate space. Still, their doubts remained, because spatial magic was unheard of in most places, especially down here in the underground, where space itself was already distorted.

Moving within the underground might be feasible, but getting outside was another matter entirely.

But I was confident.

After all, I had already received confirmation.

Seir said it was possible. And if Seir said it could be done, it would work.

For an ordinary demon warlock, one use of teleportation would have left them trembling. Considering the rarity of spatial magic, the cost for even a single instance would be enormous.

Objectively, my abilities as a mage were below average. I’d just started building up magical power, barely able to manage a few basic spells.

The stronger a mage, the lighter the price for their contract with a demon. That’s what Seir had told me. As a mage’s rank rises, so does the worth of their time. The day of a great mage is not the same as that of an apprentice.

So, if I were to value myself, as an apprentice at best, how much would my time be worth?

“The risk is too high.”

Arthur spoke with a heavy tone.

“It’s better than staying here.” “…Maybe we should wait a bit longer. Rescue could come from outside.”

We could still manage for now. Arthur made that suggestion just as Amaia and the brown-haired guy, who had gone to scout the area, returned with grim expressions.

“It’s no use. The space is completely sealed.” “…Not a single crack.”

The worst had come to pass. We were trapped.

From now on, we’d be stuck breathing the limited air in this enclosed space.

Food and water weren’t the immediate concerns.

Water could be summoned by Leif’s spirit magic, and we could last about a week without food if needed.

But air—that was different.

Air was something no amount of magical energy or manipulation of mysteries could overcome. It was a limitation tied to all living things.

“Miss Yousglimpt?”

“Ah, yes!”

At Fiona’s call, Leif answered, clearly on edge and standing at attention like a nervous recruit.

“Do you have a contract with a spirit of air or wind by any chance?” “Ah… no.”

Leif’s head dropped in disappointment.

“That’s fine. Given the size of this area, we have a bit of time.” “You’ve forgotten? I’ve burned a lot of magic already. You might want to reconsider how much air we really have.” “And don’t forget about the corpse explosion.”

We were trapped with no clear idea of how much air we had left. We might run out of air at any moment.

If that happened, we’d just have to accept it.

So, there was only one choice.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get everyone out safely.”

My words left the others in a somber mood. Even the brown-haired guy, who had been so hostile toward me, frowned and turned away.

Only Alejandra looked at me with clear interest, as if she had been waiting for something like this. I was starting to understand why Fiona acted so wary whenever Alejandra’s name came up—it was like a cat lowering its tail around a predator.

“Let’s gather the others.”

Arthur’s voice carried an air of resignation. He moved to round everyone up, with Alejandra and Fiona following suit.

As for me, I wasn’t as influential as those three, so I just waited.

“Do you really have to do this, Roman?” “Huh?”

“Can’t we just wait a bit longer? Maybe rescue will come.”

“…That’s true.”

But we’d gain so little by doing that.

Sure, I’d already played a key role in taking down that psycho and helping defeat the necromancer, so my contribution wasn’t small. But it wasn’t just me who played a big role in taking down the boss. Alejandra had handled the summons on her own, Arthur had led the charge, and Fiona had done her part with defense.

But if I was the one who got us out of here?

Then my contribution would be undeniable—no one could argue otherwise.

‘And everyone here would owe me as a benefactor.’

Did I have to do this? No, not really. But there was even less reason not to.

“I can do it, so I will.” “You…”

“Ray, it’s fine. Someone has to do it.”

We couldn’t stay here forever, could we?

Ray’s expression became conflicted.

She looked like she had something more to say, but in the end, she just bit her lip.

“I’ll go last.” “Ah, sorry, but Fiona and I have to go last. We need the mirrors to stay up. If we lose the connection while teleporting, that’s the end.” “F-fine! Then second to last!”

Ray stormed off, grumbling in a smaller voice.

“…Then third! Deal? No more changes!”

This really was a fun team.

§

The survivors were either sitting against the walls, too exhausted to move, or gathered in the center of the cavern, possibly afraid of more collapses.

Arthur had gone to the center, while Fiona and Alejandra were calling out to the others in the opposite direction.

“Fiona.”

A girl around Fiona’s age with long dark blue hair poked her in the waist.

Without even looking at her, Fiona said the girl’s name.

“Theresia! Where have you been? Why are you only showing up now…?”

Theresia bent her finger toward the few straggling trainees standing awkwardly behind her. They had just joined up with the main group.

Fiona hadn’t met them before, but she had heard that there were other attackers besides the necromancer. Theresia had probably protected them from those assailants and brought them here.

Fiona sighed, realizing there was no reason to scold her friend now that the others were safe.

“Good job. I’m glad you’re safe. I knew you would be, but… what about Shawn?”

“I didn’t see him.” “…I see.”

Shawn was the last member of Fiona’s team, and not nearly as skilled as the other two. It seemed he hadn’t survived the attack.

Unlike with Theresia, Fiona’s bond with Shawn had been formed specifically for this training, so there wasn’t much time to mourn.

“I was wondering, did you see any other paths or escape routes on your way here?”

“No. Getting here was the best I could do.” “I thought so…”

Fiona felt a wave of despair wash over her. In the end, they had no choice but to rely on Roman.

Roman had been both a joke and a student to Fiona, who half-jokingly referred to herself as his teacher.

Was it really right to let her student sacrifice himself so they could survive?

Especially when their relationship had never been that pure from the start. She hadn’t taught Roman out of any desire to help him—she’d mainly wanted to annoy Alejandra.

Fiona tried not to show bias, but she had to admit she disliked demon warlocks. They gained power without effort.

Even though they paid a heavy price, she couldn’t help but find it distasteful how easily they wielded their power.

But if someone was willing to use their power, gained at the cost of their life, for the sake of others—didn’t that mean they had earned it?

'If only my master were here…'

“Fiona.” “Huh? What?” “They’re calling us.” “Oh… let’s go.”

Her steps felt heavy. She wondered if the others felt the same way.

“Is there really a way out?” “…Yes. I think so.” “You think?”

Theresia tilted her head, but Fiona didn’t say anything else.

However, their march didn’t last long.

“Looks like everyone’s here.”

Arthur’s voice made Fiona glance around.

Including Instructor Davenport, there were 16 of them left.

Out of the original 45 trainees, subtracting the 9 who left early, only 36 remained. Not even half had survived.

'So many…'

Before, she had felt bitter about the large number of casualties. Now she felt like there were too many left.

If Roman were to make 30 round trips with his teleportation spell…

Even if the cost was just one year of his life each time…

'That’s 30 years.'

Roman had hinted that his price wasn’t lifespan, but whatever it was, it would be a heavy toll.

“We’re going to escape from here.”

As Fiona’s thoughts grew heavier, Arthur continued speaking.

“Did you find a way?” “As expected of Arthur Carlyle… Large guilds are on another level…” “Maybe some secret magic of the Alexandria school…”

Those who had only recently joined the group started muttering excitedly about the possibility of escape.

“No. Neither I, nor Alejandra, nor the Grand Duchess could find a way out.”

Arthur’s words left them puzzled.

If not them, then who?

Davenport was too injured to help. Theresia, the future head of the Blastoma school, perhaps?

Who was going to do it?

“I will.”

Roman stepped forward, standing beside Arthur.

From here on, it was Roman’s job to explain.

“I’ll use teleportation to get us out. One by one, back and forth. So, right now, deactivate all your passive magic defenses or any other spells. If our magic overlaps, the accuracy will drop.”

Despite Roman’s explanation, there was still a lot of confusion.

Could they really trust him?

Wasn’t there a risk of getting stuck in the middle of a teleport?

And what if he suddenly demanded a steep price or something?

Their distrust of demon warlocks was clear, and it made Fiona feel like they were insulting her.

She raised her hand, about to speak, but someone else acted faster.

“I’ll go first.”

Alejandra swept her sleepy gaze over the doubters, then smiled at Roman.

“It’s fine, right? If I go first.”