The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

I barely managed to catch Seoha as she collapsed, holding her steady before speaking.

“Demon King, take off your coat.”

“I refuse.”

“If you don’t want to end up tied up next to that mage idiot, you’d better hand it over while I’m still being polite.”

Laying Seoha on the bloody, monster-strewn road was out of the question. Reluctantly, the Demon King, his face sour, handed over his coat.

After carefully laying Seoha on the coat, I dusted myself off and stood. Nearby, the mage’s face was turning red from blood pooling upside-down. I flashed him a cheerful wave.

“Mage Idiot~! How’s the air up there?”

“Hey!!”

“It’s ‘Guild Master,’ remember?”

The mage began struggling as if his life depended on it. I recalled what the Demon King had said upon entering the gate: You’re just a moth throwing yourself into the fires of hell, little mage.

“Do Haun.”

“What.”

“There is a pigeon perched up there.”

“Oh, right. That thing.”

On top of a seven-story shopping mall sat the enormous chicken-pigeon. I briefly considered stopping the teasing and going straight for it.

“…Huh?”

That plan changed when I noticed something odd. The chicken-pigeon wasn’t moving its head randomly—it was following the movements of the mage.

Experimenting, I twitched the chain binding the mage. The chicken-pigeon’s head moved in sync.

“What the—?! Why is this happening?!”

“Whoa!”

“‘Whoa’? Stop it already!”

Laughing at his panicked cries, I sent a bright smile his way.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: (૭ ᐕ)૭?

“Argh!! Damn it!!”

As the saying goes, You reap what you sow.

The mage was reaping the harvest of his past mistakes. Smiling mischievously, I said,

“Mage, looks like that thing thinks you’re a toy.”

I swung the chain to the side, eliciting a scream from the dangling mage.

“You know, like one of those cat toys. It probably thinks you’re one of those.”

I swung the chain again, and the mage let out another screech. By now, the Demon King was enthusiastically mimicking the chicken-pigeon’s head movements.

Why, Demon King? No, forget it. Thinking about it won’t help.

“Mage, what should we do? If I toss you over, that thing might come after you.”

“Stop! Please, stop it!!”

At his desperate scream, I halted my teasing.

“What do you want?! Guild Master, what do you even want from me?!”

“Take some requests.”

“I’m an office worker! I work from 10 AM to 10 PM!!”

“Great, you have time before 10 AM, after 10 PM, and on weekends.”

“That’s not how it works!”

“Sure it is.”

What’s the problem, magician?

“Even the Hero, who only gets Mondays off, takes requests. And the Northern Grand Duke, who moonlights at the Hero’s shop, takes requests too. So why shouldn’t you?”

The great archmage gawked, his jaw hanging open.

“…When did you get so many members?”

“Not long ago.”

“…”

Covering his face with his hands, the mage looked utterly defeated.

“Demon King, do you have any magic for oaths or vows?”

“I do.”

“Good. Cast it on me and that idiot. We’ll make sure he doesn’t run off this time.”

The mage let out a pathetic whimper.

“Of course… Guild Master shows no mercy to poor office workers…”

“The chicken-pigeon count has increased from one to three, so shut up.”

The mage, apparently not wanting to become bird feed, clamped his mouth shut.

[Forbidden Covenant (Lv. ??), Target: ‘Godslayer’ and ‘9th Circle Archmage’]
[Principal (A): Godslayer → Agent (B): 9th Circle Archmage]

The message popped up, and I pouted.

“Forbidden Covenant, huh? The Northern Grand Duke’s magic was way simpler than this.”

“I am the Demon King.”

“…Right.”

What more could I expect from him? I had long reached enlightenment when it came to the Demon King’s eccentricities.

Turning to the mage, I announced my long-held wish with a flourish:

“9th Circle Archmage, you will open a portal for me anytime, anywhere, whenever I want!”

“You really see me as a glorified portal shuttle, don’t you, Guild Master?”

“Want to quit your job and dedicate yourself to requests instead?”

“I’ll serve you faithfully, 365 days a year, Guild Master.”

[First Covenant has been established.]

I nodded in satisfaction while the mage swallowed his frustration.

But wait… first covenant?

“Demon King, how many of these can we make?”

“Up to three.”

“Why so many?!”

“It’s perfect.”

At the sound of flapping wings, the mage’s face turned ghostly white. Smiling sweetly, I lightly tugged on the chain.

“For the second covenant, you’ll take on a request at least once every two weeks. Consider it charity work for capitalism’s poor, downtrodden soul.”

“Oh, how generous of you!!”

[Second Covenant has been established.]

Now for the third…

Glancing at the rooftop of the seven-story building, I realized the chicken-pigeon count had risen to five.

Requests were settled. Portals were sorted. All that was left…

I yanked the chain, dragging the mage right up to my face.

“And for the third covenant…”

“Guild Master, I’m about to pass out from blood rushing to my head. Could you please make it quick?”

“Sure, I’ll let you go.”

Grabbing the mage by the collar, I slyly released the chains.

| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Demon King, give me a strength buff.

A notification confirmed that the magic had been applied. With my Godslayer title sealed, the only authority I could currently use was Saintess. There was technically another temporary title I could use in tandem, but…

Anyway, the Saintess’s powers weren’t enough to throw the mage where I wanted to.

Where?

“AAAAH!! CRAZY GUILD MASTER!!”

Toward the cluster of chicken-pigeons.

“Now, get to work.”

[Third Covenant has been established.]

With the flapping of wings, crimson magic circles filled the sky.

BOOM—!!

Lightning struck, frying the chicken-pigeons. Watching the spectacle, I turned to the Demon King.

“What happens if someone breaks one of these covenants?”

“Their tongue will be cut out.”

“…!!”

Wow. Just… wow.

I instinctively checked to make sure my tongue was still intact. Well, I’m the Principal, so there’s no way I’d lose my tongue, right?

Classic Demon King—his magic was crude but effective.

Screeeech!!

A loud cry made me look up. One of the chicken-pigeons was plummeting at high speed.

“Ugh, that crazy mage! If you’re going to handle something, do it properly!!”

Grabbing Seoha in my arms, I turned to call for the Demon King—only to see him already holding a black spear that had appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the spear at the falling monster.

Thunk!

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed, chilling to the bone.

The monster’s death scream pierced the air as its massive body twisted mid-fall, crashing down near us.

Thankfully, we weren’t crushed.

Unfortunately, we weren’t spared from the spray of blood as its body merged with the ground.

“…”

Silently, I wiped the blood splattered across my cheek. The Demon King, brimming with pride, glanced at me and asked,

“How was that, Godslayer?”

“It was absolutely horrendous, Demon King.”

“Horrendous…!!”

What’s with that look?

Ignoring the Demon King’s incredulous stare, I turned my gaze skyward. The crimson sky was now crowded with those grotesque chicken-pigeons, far more than the five that had been there moments ago.

| 9th Circle Archmage |: We’re doomed1!!! Absolutely doomed1!!!!

Yeah, seems like it. Good luck with that, you fool.

*****

There was one crucial thing that Do Haun, the guild master of Return, had overlooked in her glee at capturing the 9th Circle Archmage.

“Safety of citizens is our top priority.”
“Killing the monsters comes first.”

She was still inside the gate.

At the forefront of the response were two figures who didn’t exactly get along—Do Hajun of Return and Woo Mahan of Hwarang.

The two glared at each other briefly before both clicked their tongues in irritation and turned away.

The only way to close the Level 1 gate that had appeared in the middle of the city was to take down all the core monsters. Given the unprecedented scale of the gate, the number of core monsters was likely staggering.

The stakes were high. If they didn’t act quickly, the damage would be catastrophic.

They had two priorities: rescue the citizens trapped inside the gate and close it before it could further consume the city.

Even the two who were infamous for their antagonism shared the same thoughts in this moment.

But something was off.

The streets were littered with the corpses of monsters. But no matter how hard they looked, there wasn’t a single trace of the citizens who were supposed to be there.

It was as if they’d vanished en masse.

Tension crackled between the two as they kept their guard up, wary of their eerie surroundings. Then, a sudden gale whipped through the area, causing both to grimace and look toward the sky.

“…!!”

Amid the crimson sky, something glowed an even darker, bloodier red.

For Do Hajun, it was an unfamiliar sight. For Woo Mahan, it was something he’d seen before. His face turned pale as he shouted,

“A Returnee!!”

“…?”

Woo Mahan, forgetting to scan their surroundings, broke into a full sprint. Do Hajun hesitated, then followed instinctively.

“Hyung?!”

“Hain-ah! Cover this for me!!”

Even while fleeing, Woo Mahan didn’t forget to delegate the mess to his younger brother.

The sight of endless monster corpses greeted them as they ran, blood painting the path they followed.

How long had they been running?

“Woo Mahun…?! Hey!!”

“Hyungnim?”

“You little punk!!”

Slaaap!!

The resounding slap echoed through the empty city as Do Hajun froze mid-stride.

“Hyungnim! What was that for?!”

“Because you deserved it! I told you not to mess around with stuff like that!!”

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about!!”

Do Hajun had heard rumors that the guild master of Hwarang had a younger brother.

But…

“…Haun-ah?”

“Oppa?”

Do Hajun’s stunned gaze landed on his bloodstained younger sister, Do Haun.

“Haun-ah!!”