Alchemy laboratories often contained a vast amount of materials and research records, so they were typically built in hidden locations, with no direct access routes other than by specific magic. For example, Felicia used consecutive teleportation spells to reach hers. The tower was constructed in the middle of a mountain range, surrounded on all sides by natural barriers. The only entrance was at the top of the tall tower, making it impossible to reach without flight magic.
As Felicia's assistant, Alpha naturally needed to familiarize himself with her laboratory. She took him to the tower's summit and gave him a detailed tour from top to bottom. The tower had twelve levels in total—ten above ground and two below. The upper floors housed living areas, archives, and a few safe laboratories, while the underground levels consisted of storage rooms and hazardous experimental zones. Of course, these so-called dangerous areas were protected by magical barriers, ensuring that failed experiments wouldn't affect the other floors.
Despite its vertical structure, moving between levels was surprisingly convenient. Every floor was equipped with magical doors that allowed direct access to any other level. These doors, which looked like ordinary wooden ones, required only a twist of the handle to select the desired floor before opening it. This was a simple spatial transportation magic.
Alpha spent a good while fiddling with one of these doors, and Felicia let him. After all, remembering the function of each floor was useful. Soon, however, Felicia dove into her laboratory, focusing on processing the myriad materials she had recently acquired.
Raw materials had special uses when fresh, but most required processing to enhance their effectiveness and disguise their origins, making them more convenient to use or sell. Occasionally, she assigned Alpha some menial tasks. While she didn't expect much from this "magic-ignorant" demon, she found delegating chores like cleaning and cooking to him particularly helpful. Alpha seemed especially interested in experimenting with spices, perhaps a trait inherited from the fiery depths of the abyss. His affinity for flame-cooked dishes quickly enabled him to prepare meals that were at least edible within a few days.
With Alpha around, Felicia, who often forgot to eat or sleep while engrossed in research, suddenly realized how convenient having a "housekeeper" could be. When not helping with chores, Alpha spent his time in the archive room, learning human languages and history. Felicia also gradually gave him beginner alchemy books, intending to make better use of him in the future. Surprisingly, Alpha didn't resent this work. On the contrary, he seemed endlessly curious and energetic about everything. Felicia often found him reading in the archive room late at night when she got up to jot down a sudden idea.
A studious demon? That was promising! What Felicia didn't know was that besides reading the materials she provided, Alpha had already begun delving into spatial magic. For demons from the abyss, magic was an extremely advanced skill passed down through their species. In the abyss, such knowledge was tightly controlled by demon lords and dominant clans. But here, in the resource-rich archive of a six-element mage, nearly every type of magical knowledge was available. How could Alpha not be thrilled? To a highly intelligent humanoid demon like him, this mental treasure trove was an irresistible feast.
However, Alpha's lack of elemental perception, mana reserves, and control—being primarily a physical fighter—meant he could only study elemental magic theoretically. Without practical experience, his understanding remained limited. Spatial magic, however, was an exception. Years of studying summoning laws, combined with his experiences with teleportation arrays, made spatial magic much easier for him to grasp. Spatial magic relied on rules and calculations rather than vast mana reserves. As long as one could draw a proper formation, even a novice apprentice could activate a spell. High-level arrays required powerful energy sources, which could be supplemented with magical materials. Since summoning spells were rarely used in combat, they didn't demand much in terms of speed or space constraints.
A master planar summoner excelled in understanding various laws, exploiting loopholes, spatial and planar thinking, drawing formations, and maintaining a vast mental database of knowledge. Alpha quickly became engrossed in this highly technical branch of magic.
Felicia was relieved to have such a quiet, book-loving demon. Aside from when she needed him, she often forgot he was even there. Alpha had little presence, unlike Selvis, the noisy, incorporeal spirit.
However, ten days later, Felicia discovered Alpha's less endearing side. He had eaten all the roasted pig trotters she had stored! Those were meant for entertaining guests—something she rarely indulged in herself. Normally, a single purchase from the city would last her an entire year. Yet now, Alpha had devoured them all and had the audacity to ask for more!
Felicia realized that Alpha's demand was entirely legitimate. According to their contract, pig trotters were explicitly listed as his guaranteed food provision. If she failed to supply them, he could even demand the termination of their contract.
Ten days earlier, Felicia might have sent him back to the abyss without hesitation. But now, she had grown accustomed to his presence. Laundry was done, meals were prepared, and her living area was no longer a chaotic mess. Everything was neatly returned to its place. Most importantly, Alpha could fetch any magical material she needed, whether it was on the first basement level or the tenth-floor archive, saving her the trouble of stopping her experiments to search for things.
Felicia realized Alpha was an ideal assistant. He seemed genuinely afraid of being deemed useless and sent back to the abyss. Thus, he worked hard to learn, diligently completing every task she assigned. Was this obedience just a result of the contract, or was it Alpha's own nature? Felicia couldn't tell, as this was her first time having a servant demon.
"Maybe I'll ask my friends later if all servant contracts work this well," she mused. Regardless, Alpha's memory was remarkable. He remembered every label she created, even with her quirky handwriting, after being taught just once. Was this the advantage of a humanoid demon?
In any case, Felicia knew she couldn't do without him now. She didn't want to return to the days of frantically searching for misplaced items. For the first time, she felt grateful for signing the servant contract with Alpha—a contract entirely in her favor and written in his own blood. The only flaw? Food. No matter how low his demands were, Alpha still needed to eat. And worse, he had developed a fixation on pig trotters, showing no interest in other food. His sulky demeanor and growling stomach were impossible to ignore.
Still, things could have been worse. She could have promised him dragon meat. With that thought, Felicia decided it was time to restock and report back to her academy. Changing out of her laboratory robe and washing the purple dye from her hair to reveal her light pink locks, she finally stepped out of her lab.
"Selvis, watch the house," she instructed before turning to Alpha. "Come on, Alpha. Let's get you some food—and meet a few new friends."