These Demons Do it for Free

**Thud! Thud! Thud!**  
The sound of loud footsteps pounding the floor shattered the peaceful atmosphere of the Conquerors guildhouse.

"Ah... not them again."  
"Maji! Angie! Be careful, you’ll hurt yourself if you keep running like that!"  
"Leave them. The floor will get hurt before they do. If they’re Seekers, they’ll probably do something before they fall."  
"Are those the guests who came earlier?"  
"The ones who brought Dexker here?"  
"Yeah! I heard they're from the same school as Cattlelow?"  
"Ugh... demon warlocks. I’m not too fond of them."  
"Be careful with what you say. They’re the ones who returned Grant to us."  

Out of the 58 members of Conquerors, only about 15 remained in the guildhouse, Castra.  
The other 10 were out in the Abyss, leading the expedition under the direct command of Guild Leader Sullivan Evans.  
Including Grant Dexker, four members had recently died, meaning exactly half of the guild's strength—29 people—was currently in the Abyss.

This was the guild's original rule.

The top guild members, including Sullivan Evans, were the core team of 10 elite explorers.  
The remaining members could only go to the Abyss if the guild's core was not already present, ensuring at least 19 people stayed behind to protect the guildhouse.@@novelbin@@

In special circumstances, like the collaborative requests from the Seeker Alliance or mandatory missions, they could send more people to the Abyss.  
Grant and the three guild members who participated in the second-floor shutdown operation were part of such a mission.

Now, with just 15 members left in the guildhouse, along with the employed staff, the sounds of Maji and Angie running around echoed throughout Castra.

The staff members were generally too polite to speak freely, but the guild members didn’t hold back.

"Maji, Angie, come here for a second. How were the people from earlier? Oh, and I just brought some freshly baked cookies—come have some!"  

One of the guild members tried to lure the twins with chocolate chip cookies, but today’s twins weren’t easily swayed by a baited hook.

"We’re busy!"  
"We’re working."  
"What’s going on? I can help!"