Destroying wall after wall Richard stumbled into a room far away from the pillar.
There he sat on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Let's take a break."
Cyril went towards a chair in sight and sat Myra there, who stayed completely quiet the whole journey.
Rose walked closer to them and sat down nearby. Hugging her knees with one arm, she let her damaged hand rest on the floor.
"Who was that?"
"The archdemon or the knight?" Richard spoke as he recovered.
"Both."
"I am not too interested in knights, but I can tell you a bit about the demon."
Richard's eyes brightened up as he sat up straight.
Though he was met with the sights of Rose's messed-up hand and Myra's bloodied body.
"...Let's get you fixed up first." Richard took another deep breath and got up on his feet.
...
Cyril lightly nudged the butterfly on his shoulder, observing the state of her body.
She wasn't hurt, right?
"Don't worry. Morpho can't hide it from me, she is in good health."
Rhamn rebuked the butterfly plenty, so Morpho was currently keeping quiet with her wings drooped lower.
Giving a relieved sigh, Cyril looked at the two girls nearby.
They were in a slightly better state now that a professional mage had cast a few spells.
"I am not a healer, so that's all I can do." Richard patted his hands and stepped aside from them, his face losing a bit of color.
"That's plenty..." Myra whispered, her narrowed eyes lacking any energy.
"Was she really hit that hard? It's as if a dark cloud is hovering above her. It's a bit unusual."
Cyril gave Rhamn a side-glance.
It looks like the archdemon was really outside her expectations.
"So what can you tell us about that demon?" Rose asked, a spark forming in her eyes.
"Cosmas is an archdemon the Empire faces most often. He is particularly troublesome due to his innate ability. He seems to have complete control over space itself." Richard stared into the distance, a similar spark in his eyes as well.
"It's fascinating. He can appear anywhere, anytime, at a moment's notice. He can open gateways seamlessly connecting two places even at a great distance. Some rumors even say he once expanded the space within a room, making the inside bigger than the outside."
Richard raised his hands, a spark turning into a flame.
"And I suspect he can do much more! If only we could analyze that ability and adopt it into our spells, just how useful would that be!" He began energetically pacing around the room.
"Professor," Cyril coldly called out.
"...Forgive me. It's an occupational hazard."
"That sounds like a troublesome demon. The Empire should get rid of him as soon as possible." Rose wearily shook her head.
"People above are not stupid, naturally, but there is a secret to it. I think it's fine to tell you."
Rose sat up straight, and Cyril crossed his arms, interested.
After a second Richard whispered. "Whenever an archdemon gets killed, another will inevitably take his place. Cosmas is not the first archdemon with this ability, and he won't be the last, I bet."
Rose's eyes sparked with intrigue, while Cyril frowned. Myra kept her head low, not reacting.
"I am really curious how they work, such fascinating creatures..." Richard continued.
"Is he some kind of demon fan? Usually his face is only filled with nothing but boredom, but right now he is very expressive."
Perhaps that is a quality of a professor, to be interested in the unknown.
Before Richard could speak more, a loud boom was heard from the direction they came, followed by unusual quietness.
The group waited for a few seconds in silence before Richard spoke with a frown, "I've recovered enough, let's get out of here."
He walked to the middle of the room and aimed his hand towards the ceiling.
After a magic circle, the pattern of which was obscured, the metal ceiling was reduced to dust, reaching all the way towards the surface.
Then he cast another spell, and a stairway of blue light appeared, leading all the way up. "This way."
Rose began climbing, while Cyril walked towards Myra. She tried to stand up herself, but her lame leg made it difficult.
"You shouldn't walk." He said and reached out his arms to grab her.
Myra's eyes twitched for a moment before becoming blank, letting herself be carried.
"Put her over your shoulder at least! Why give her a princess carry?"
Ignoring Rhamn's angry comments, Cyril headed up.
Richard climbed after him.
...
With Myra staying completely silent the whole way, Cyril slowly reached the surface. The sun momentarily blinded him as he climbed out.
Next his ears picked up the sound of screaming, explosions, and blades tearing through flesh.
"What is this...?" Myra mumbled, her voice soft.
Standing on top of the flat area surrounding the Tower, Cyril saw smoke over in the city and winged demons flying in the air.
Demon corpses were placed all over the ground.
A group of guards nearby was in the process of fighting ghouls. Plenty of spells were thrown in the sky, coloring it in different shades.
But their skirmish was not comparable to what was happening a certain distance away from them all.
A tornado of fire engulfed an area near the Tower. Occasionally flashes of light came from within, brightening the fiery red.
Rose stood there with a blank expression, observing all of the chaos.
"Demons never attacked like this before..." Richard walked up to them with a frown.
Myra lightly struggled in Cyril's arms. "Let me stand up."
In a moment, supported by Cyril, Myra stood on the ground. In her eyes was a terrible glare as she observed their surroundings.
Morpho switched to sitting on Myra's arm that held on to Cyril's shoulder.
The group stood there watching the chaos for a second longer.
Soon another ominous sound jolted them awake.
From the hole they came from, a quiet whistle emerged, followed by a deafening boom shaking the ground.
"We can't stay here. Let's re-enter the Tower. The upper floors should be safe." Richard warily looked around before moving.
Cyril, about to go with him, suddenly felt a bony hand pat his other shoulder, bringing out an alarm within him.
That's not Myra!
"Hello again, everyone." A distorted, sharp voice with not a shred of hostility within.
Cyril, bringing Myra with him, dashed forward and turned around.
There stood Cosmas the archdemon with a polite smile on his face.
Richard hastily cast a spell, and a barrier engulfed the students.
Cosmas put his hands behind his back, not moving a single step.
"Don't be so nervous. I am not going to hurt you, why should I?"
The group replied with silence, warily observing his actions.
The archdemon clicked his tongue and turned to look at the tornado of fire. "I am here to waste some time, and it's boring on my own. The Butcher isn't one for conversation."
A few seconds of wary silence passed again.
"What are you waiting for?" Asked Cyril.
The others turned to look at him in surprise.
What? I am trying to get information.
"They are just cowards, don't mind them."
Cosmas's smile turned wider as he looked at him. "I refuse to answer, try another question."
"..."