Hollow Hope - TheCandyManCant - Highschool DxD (Anime) [Archive of Our Own] (2025)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

I went through the painstaking motions of chewing my eggs. Soul-deep exhaustion wasn’t something you could ever really get used to. Despite all the times I’d trained myself to near collapse in recent memory, I still hated being this tired, but it was necessary if I ever wanted to amount to anything. Things weren’t handed to you in this world. Well, not if you weren’t a Pillar Devil.

I sat back in my chair and let my head roll back overtop of it, closing my eyes and breathing deep.

Things could have been a lot worse for me. I wasn’t a Bael with their absurdly overpowered Power of Destruction like ninety percent of DXD fanfictions I had read before my rebirth, but Hole was far from a weak power. As I’d come to discover, it was horribly underestimated. Not to mention I could have been born into this world without guaranteed housing. This Abbadon estate I lived on with my half-sister was neither grand nor spacious, but it was ours.

Being from the Extra Clans, we did not hold much of any power politically, but as our distant relative Bedeze Abbadon had shown, we could rise to great prominence if we proved our strength. Unfortunately for me, I was not granted a chess piece able to grant phenomenal cosmic power like Bedeze. Because I lacked the connections to items the greater Underworld believed to be myths, I had to go about accumulating strength the old fashioned way.

So I trained. I used Hole’s unknown properties to cheat and grow stronger as fast as I could. I would need to be able to stand on my own feet when the uncaring machine that was Devil politics finally deemed me worthy of its notice. The only way to survive such machinations was to be so strong that the Pillars would do whatever they had to to get you on their side, but not so strong that they deemed it would be safer just to kill you. Of course, there was a third option.

“Brother,” an exasperated voice greeted.

I opened my eyes, slowly sitting up in my chair to greet the person standing across from me. “Sister.”

Kuisha Abbadon, my half-sister, was a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and eyes the color of a clear blue sky frowned as she looked at me, her eyebrows furrowed, judging. “Balthazar, it is past eight o’clock. Collect yourself.” Her tone was tired, disappointed.

The two of us never had the best relationship. That wasn’t to say we were openly hostile to each other or anything like that. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be here. We got along fine, we just didn’t mesh. We were different people with different goals, but we were still on good terms.

Due to our parents…unfortunate passing, Kuisha had been responsible for caring for me until I was old enough to take care of myself. In reality, she only cared for me for a few years until the memories from my previous life came to me. From there, I was able to care for myself and she busied herself with her own goals.

It was easy to determine why our relationship wasn’t a terribly close one. I was a bastard. I didn’t know the full story, but apparently some devil commoner caught my father’s eye one night. He didn’t think much of it until said commoner arrived on his doorstep a year or so later with me bundled up in a blanket. My father’s wife, Kuisha’s mother, did not take my appearance well. From there, the story gets foggy. Some Devil news outlets report that my father and Kuisha’s mother fought to their mutual death over me, my biological mother losing her life in the battle. Others say Kuisha’s mother committed suicide and my father followed her to the devil’s afterlife. Some more outlandish outlets even said an Old Satan Faction hit squad came after my father the day I was brought to the manor and killed everyone but me. I honestly didn’t know the true story, and Kuisha didn’t know either. She was older than me by a good bit. She was 16 when I was born, so she was studying abroad when the altercation happened and returned to find a partially destroyed manor with a crying baby in the kitchen sink. The three of them, both Kuisha and I’s parents, were gone. That was the important bit.

Whatever the story was, it didn’t change the fact that I was here now and that I needed to get stronger. If anything, the circumstances surrounding my birth made me more grateful to Kuisha than anything. She had many reasons to be rid of me one way or another, either sending me off to an orphanage or just outright killing me. Instead, she conferred the name Abbadon onto me.

We weren’t the most powerful house. As a matter of fact, we lacked standing of any kind. Even before our parent’s deaths, the Abbadon family’s political might rested solely in Bedeze’s hands, and that was only due to his standing in the Rating Games. Even that wasn’t anything substantial. Rating Games were good for showing off a Devil’s power both to the Underworld and the greater world, but they didn’t earn you political favors you could use to maneuver in the world at large. If you wanted that kind of power, you needed connections. Rating Games could open the door for you to make those connections, but only if you dominated in them the way Bedeze did. Kuisha and I’s parents were not nearly as strong as Bedeze, so they didn’t have any powerful friends before their untimely demise.

House Abbadon didn’t have many friends due to the fact the house was barely a house. We weren’t a Pillar family and there were now only three of us, one of whom was a bastard. Devils didn’t typically care about that sort of thing considering our low birth rates and sinful proclivities, but the enigmatic situation surrounding my appearance and my parent’s deaths had made it a hot topic of discussion at the time. I even had a fancy name the papers had used to describe me. ‘The Bastard of Abbadon’. Catchy, right?

Regardless, there were only three members of the Abbadon family, and only one of us mattered. Bedeze was strong, so he had connections, but we didn’t share those connections. I’d only met the man once when Kuisha brought me to formally grant me the Abbadon name. He hadn’t been overly pleasant to either myself or Kuisha, waxing on about some perceived slight our father had made against him. Then he left us to go play in the Rating Games. We hadn’t so much as received a letter since. Truthfully, I didn’t even know how we were related. Estranged uncle? Second Cousin twice removed?

Kuisha sat at the small table across from me, a plate of eggs already there waiting for her. She gave me a nod as she picked up her fork. “Thank you for cooking for me, Bal.”

I shifted in my seat to get more comfortable and closed my eyes again. “Don’t mention it, sis.” Fuck I was tired. Between my near-masochistic training regime and taking care of the house, I was beat. We weren’t wealthy enough to have servants, so I handled the cooking and cleaning while Kuisha handled all the more boring stuff, official inquiries and such. I hated paperwork.

“Bal,”

I opened one eye, seeing Kuisha glaring at me disapprovingly from across the table.

“You need to rest more.”

I sighed. “I get eight hours of sleep every night. I could rest once a week and still be fine.” Devil biology was kind of awesome like that.

“Then you need to cut back on your training.” Kuisha continued, setting down her fork to intensify her glare. “This is the fifth time this week you can’t even keep your eyes open at the breakfast table. What are you even putting yourself through for you to end up like this?”

“I need to work hard, sis.” I said, intentionally glossing over her question. “I can’t get peerage pieces until I’m a High-Class devil.” Oh, did I not mention that? Unlike how I had expected things to work in my first life, peerage pieces weren’t just handed out to every devil with a recognizable name. Pillar devils all received their sets when they reached a certain birthday regardless of their strength – 14 I think – sooner if you had the right friends, but I wasn’t a Pillar Devil, and my list of friends was vacant at the moment. As an Abbadon, it would be a lot easier for me to get a peerage set than if I was a commoner, but I’d still have to be recognized as a High-Class Devil first. That was one of the main reasons I was using such extreme methods to get stronger as fast as possible. The sooner I was High-Class, the sooner I could start trying out my theories about recruiting for my peerage.

I was fairly confident I could pass the test as I was right now, but I might draw attention to myself. I would rather wait a little longer to grow stronger than move too fast and put myself in a position where people are coming after me for various reasons and I have no time to grow stronger.

Kuisha sighed, rubbing her forehead. “There are other ways to become a member of a peerage than to be its King, Bal. I still don’t understand why you’re so hung up on this.”

Now it was my turn to sigh, sitting up in my chair. I really didn’t want to have this conversation again. “Ku, I don’t want to be a follower. I want to be the guy in charge. If, and that’s a big if, I was going to join a peerage, I’d settle for nothing less than the Queen piece. Call me arrogant if you want, but I know I’m worth more than a pawn.”

Memories from my first life had really soured my view of peerages. While a good chunk of the characters shown in the show had treated their peerages well, there were a not insignificant number of assholes that treated their peerages worse than dirt. Considering the characters shown in the show were the Underworld’s most ‘morale’ devils, I was willing to bet the exploitation and poor treatment was more common than not. Maybe not to the same degree as that Astaroth degenerate, but I wasn’t keen to be exploited at all.

The only scenario I could see myself willingly joining a peerage was extremely select. I would first need to receive the Queen piece for the immense power boost, something that wasn’t likely to happen as Queen pieces were saved for entities you’d only happen across once in a lifetime unless you were a lower ranked King. Second, the King would need to not be a low rank. I wouldn’t submit my future to someone whose position I was capable of surpassing on my own. Third, I would need to know the King well and trust them implicitly with my eternal future because that is what I would be giving them. Letting them put a peerage piece in me would mean that they would have sway over me for the rest of our respective lifespans, in essence, eternity. And finally, I would only join a peerage if I determined that I would be unable to accomplish the goals I set before myself on my own. My first life’s memories made me squeaky about the whole, ‘Give someone else dominion over your soul’ thing. I valued my freedom of choice too much for that. In other words, I was very likely never going to join a peerage.

Kuisha’s lips were pursed. She clearly wanted to press the issue, but we’d gone through this song and dance enough times for her to know I wasn’t going to budge on this. She picked up her fork and looked down at her plate, idly poking at her eggs. “I told you I’ve been meeting with Sairaorg Bae…with Sairaorg, right?”

I caught the slip on the now disgraced Bael’s name, but didn’t comment. My lethargy was gone. I was now razor-focused on every word that came out of my sister’s mouth. “You did.”

“He was given his Peerage Pieces before he lost the Bael heirship.” She looked up to meet my eyes. “He offered me his Queen piece.”

I smiled warmly. “That’s great, Kuisha. Did you accept?” I guess I didn’t butterfly that away after all.

I wasn’t one of Highschool DXD’s biggest fans, but I knew the main story beats. I knew Kuisha Abbadon was supposed to join Sairaorg Bael’s peerage sometime before the series started. While I couldn’t exactly stalk certain people without devil bodyguards smashing me, I had kept tabs on prominent figures from the anime like Rias, Sona and Riser through news reports and the Devil nets to keep myself apprised of where in the timeline I was and how long I had before things kicked off. I’d thought my existence in this world might have messed things up for Kuisha, but apparently not.

“I told him I needed some time to think, but I’ve made up my mind. I’ll be taking his offer.”

I smiled, wide and bright. I stood up and walked around the table. Kuisha stood as I walked up to her, momentarily surprised as I hugged her before slowly returning the hug.

The two of us didn’t do hugs too often. We were on good terms, but we weren’t as close as most siblings. I kind of blamed myself for that. Ever since my first life’s memories came back, I’d been absorbed in training, and Kuisha was sorting out feelings about the whole situation with me and our parents.

“Congratulations, Ku. I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you, Bal.” Kuisha said. I could hear the relief in her voice. Did she think I’d get pissed at her for joining a peerage because of my own feelings on joining one? She was her own person. I wasn’t going to tell her how to live her life. She seemed happy enough in the anime, so this was probably a good thing for her.

“So when is this happening?” I asked, pulling back.

“I’m going to meet with him this afternoon. I just need to pack a few more things.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You’re moving out?”

Kuisha fidgeted. “Sairaorg is living at his mother’s estate. It is large enough for his entire peerage. He doesn’t have all his pieces yet, but he shared his plan with me to have them all live under one roof.”

I nodded along. “Makes sense. What pieces does he have?” I was trying to keep my excitement at being the sole resident of the Abbadon manor to myself. Call me an asshole for seeing the opportunity presented by my sister moving out, but a private Devil manor complete with grounds around it… I might actually be able to start making moves now.

“His peerage is still small. He’s looking for knights, rooks and bishops.”

“No pawns?”

Kuisha shook her head. “He found someone that took seven of his pawns to reincarnate.”

That would mean he already had the Nemean Lion. From what I remembered, Sairaorg had his full peerage by the time the show started, so I likely still had a good chunk of time left to set myself up.

“You know…” Kuisha started hesitantly. “I was hoping you’d come with me to meet him today. It would be good for you to meet my future King and his peerage.”

I looked at her with a flat expression. “I know what you’re trying to do, Ku.” Sairaorg was still looking for pieces, Kuisha wanted me to meet her new peerage… It didn’t take a genius to figure out her angle here. She wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it. I supposed I appreciated that she wasn’t trying to trick me into anything, but it still wasn’t going to work. From what I knew of Sairaorg in this life and what I remembered from before, he was a good guy, but my sister was going to get his Queen piece. I wasn’t going to join his peerage unless I got that piece, and even then, I didn’t really want to join his peerage. It was a moot point though because I wasn’t enough of a bastard to steal my sister’s spot, so it wasn’t going to work out anyway.

She smiled connivingly. “What I’m trying to do is look out for you, little brother. You lose nothing by introducing yourself. Do it. Please? For me?”

I sighed, stretching my arms out over my head. “Fine. I’ll get ready. Do you need help packing anything else?”

Kuisha shook her head, a pleased smile on her face. “No. I will manage on my own. Meet me in front of the Manor at noon.”

I waved an acknowledgement over my shoulder as I left the dining room, leaving her to her breakfast.

It seemed I’d have to get dressed in something respectable today. Pity. I was looking forward to lounging around in sweatpants all day.

X

I stood on our home’s front porch, leaning against one of the support columns that held the balcony up. I’d abandoned my sweatpants and loose-fitting t-shirt in exchange for a rich blue suit and tie. I’d even run a comb through my blonde hair to make it nice and neat. There were dark bags under my eyes from the exhaustion I was forcing myself into, but I used some minor glamors to cover those up, making my blue eyes really shine.

If I was going to be meeting Sairaorg, I wanted to make a good first impression. While it was possible my presence and future actions in the world could butterfly away his reinstatement as the Bael heir, I wasn’t going to take that chance. Even if I did, he would still be a strong player all on his own. Being on his good side would only benefit me. Besides, he seemed like a nice guy and would be my sister’s King, so it would be pointless to be antagonistic towards him. I may be a devil, but I wasn’t a dick.

“Balthazar?”

“Out here, Ku.” I called back over my shoulder, gaze still fixed out over our meager lands. The manor wasn’t on the most valuable piece of Underworld property, but it could be a lot worse. We had a grassy plain that ended at a forest which spread to the end of the property. A stream flowed from a lake that sat at the back of the house all the way through the woods. We didn’t have a country’s worth of territory like the powerful families in Hell, but we were in a good position. Especially if this property would soon belong to only one of us.

I turned to greet my sister as I heard the door open behind me. Like me, she’d dressed up. She was wearing a dark blue, sleeveless dress. The dress lacked very much material to cover her chest, but this was a perverted anime world, so that was common, and it wasn’t like I was going to be getting any ideas. She was my sister for Satan’s sake. And unlike Satan, I wasn’t a siscon.

“Here,” I said, stepping forward to help her. She carried a large suitcase in each of her hands, hanging down by her sides. She let me take one of them, but shouldered me away with a grin when I went to take the other one.

“I’m not helpless, little brother.”

I chuckled back. “Forgive me for wanting to assist you, elder sister.”

“You are forgiven.” she said with a sharp nod, stepping past me and off the porch to try to hide her amused smile from me. I saw it anyway.

“You’re ready, then?” I asked, walking up next to her.

“I am. If there is anything I forgot, I will simply return to retrieve it.”

“Then let's be underway.”

“Yes, let’s.” A point of lightless nothing appeared as my sister raised a hand, rapidly expanding to envelop us both. The moment it passed over us it was gone, the light returning, our surroundings completely different. The grassy flatland of our estate was replaced by rolling hills, a massive mansion atop the hill in front of us.

Hole. Our Bloodline’s gift. While it was not as famed as the Bael Power of Destruction or feared in the same way as the Belial’s Worthless, Hole was a remarkably powerful ability. Those with rudimentary understanding of the power knew that it allowed us to create portals such as the one Kuisha had used to teleport us. Useful because it allowed you to teleport instantaneously, something not common in the supernatural world. It also allowed you to strike from multiple directions at once without moving by opening multiple portals around your foe. Hole could do all of this, but it could also do far more.

You see, Hole didn’t just make portals. From an outside perspective, that is what it appeared to do, but when you were the one using the ability, you were able to see the truth. Hole opened a ‘hole’ in reality, a pocket dimension if you will. By travelling into that hole, you could open another hole at a separate location and appear to have walked through a portal. Alternatively, you could merely open one connection to the hole in reality, placing an object inside and leaving it there, ready for you whenever you opened a hole to the same space. That was how I carried around all my weapons and snacks, I left them in my pocket dimensions, ready to grab should I ever need them.

Hole’s use did not end there, however. As I said previously, I wasn’t the biggest fan of Highschool DXD in my first life, but I did watch all of the fights because I enjoyed watching big magic battles. In Kuisha’s fight against Akeno, she was able to trap Akeno’s lightning in her power then send it back to her. I remembered this, and used it to experiment with my own power. Hole could store energy just as easily as it could matter. It could store light, lightning, fire…even pure Demonic Power.

There have been many studies over the centuries on the subject of how Devils grow in power. The majority of studies with the most accurate results all revolve around the Devil’s Demonic Power. By training and exerting yourself, your Demonic Power depletes, causing the overall capacity to grow. It was also discovered that younger Devils grew in power more rapidly than older Devils, the younger a Devil, the faster the growth. This was weaponized both during the Great War and the Underworld’s Civil War. Some parents would strap their children into magic circles that would artificially drain their power, causing their bodies to overcompensate and rapidly increase their Demonic Power. Many children subjected to such methods died, but those that didn’t were incredibly powerful before getting killed due to their lack of experience. Power is all well and good, but now knowing how to use it will get you killed.

But what does this have to do with Hole? How are the two related? Well, it has to do with my training. I knew that I would need to grow in power rapidly to survive this world, so I got to work the moment I realized what I could do with my unique power, being sure to do proper research and moderate myself so I didn’t accidentally kill myself.

For at least six hours a day, to a maximum of twelve to prevent overexertion, I created small Holes along my body – one on each of my arms and legs and one on my solar plexus. While these Holes were on my body, I forced my Demonic Power into them, keeping myself drained of power and fostering rapid growth. I was still young by Devil standards. By carefully keeping myself bereft of Demonic Power, I was multiplying my growth rate almost tenfold. This also gave me an extradimensional space full of demonic power that I could draw from should I ever need it. My own personal Devil battery. Or Devil nuke should I ever find myself in a situation where I needed to use all the power I’d stored up at once. It was unlikely, but the option was there.

The downside to all of this was I was always exhausted. That tended to happen when you shoved away all of your energy into an extradimensional space. When I first started out, I was irritable and snapped at Kuisha a couple times, but had since grown able to cope. I wasn’t used to the exhaustion, but I was able to function with it.

Speaking of my sister, she would probably slap me upside the head if she knew why I was always tired. She thought it was just the physical exercise and magic practice I did, which was certainly part of it, but she was not aware of the biggest reason.

As Kuisha and I got closer to the mansion, I was able to make out four figures on the front porch waiting for us. A burly man with black hair wearing a black tank waved as we approached, a wide smile on his face.

“It’s good to see you, Kuisha! Judging by the bags…”

“I have decided to accept your offer, Sairaorg.” Kuisha said, setting her bag down on the bottom step leading up the porch.

Sairaorg’s smile shined as he leapt down the stairs, holding his hand our to Kuisha. “You won’t regret this, Kuisha. Thank you for putting your faith in me.”

While the two of them shook hands, I looked around at the others, noticing they were also watching me. There were two men and a woman.

A shirtless, muscled man with brown hair and a goatee was leaned up against the wall. A blonde woman with red eyes stood at the top of the stairs, her hands clasped in front of her pink kimono. The third figure was sitting on the railing, his legs swinging back and forth, fiery orange hair spiked up away from his scalp. He tilted his head to the side as he inspected me.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Where are my manners?”

Suddenly, my view of the others was blocked as Sairaorg stepped in front of me, his broad shoulders encompassing me entire field of view. This man was large.

He stuck his hand out and said, “Sairaorg Bael. I’m assuming you’re Balthazar? Kuisha speaks highly of you.”

I sent an amused glance my sister's way as I took Sairaorg’s hand, her face was the picture of innocence. Why ever would I have assumed she’d tried to sweet talk Sairaorg into letting me into his peerage?

“All lies, I assure you.” I said, turning back to face Sairaorg.

He chuckled good-naturedly. “I suppose I’ll have to see for myself then. Let me introduce you to everyone.” He led me up the stairs, stopping to grab Kuisha’s other bag as we went. “That’s Ladora, Coriana and Regulus.” He pointed to the man with the goatee, the woman, and the smaller man in turn. Each nodding as they were named.

“It’s good to meet you all.” I said, nodding politely. “I am Balthazar Abbadon. With my sister joining your ranks, I expect we will be seeing more of each other soon.” Subtly, I looked around for others. I knew Sairaorg would have a full peerage by the time canon started, but I only saw himself, my sister and three others. It would seem he hadn’t found the rest yet.

“Your sister tells us you are skilled with magic.” the woman, Coriana, said.

I sent a half-lidded glare Kuisha’s way before responding. “I’m half-decent. I still have a long way to go though.”

“He is being modest.” Kuisha cut in, having walked up to my side. “I have seen him training.”

Seeing Sairaorg and the rest of his peerage’s attention on me, I did my best to deflect. “Yes, but you could still annihilate me, sister dear. That is why you are set to become a Queen.”

Kuisha frowned at me, noticing my subject change, but I just sent her a smug grin as my goal was accomplished and Sairaorg’s attention turned to her.

“I can think of no one better to stand by my side, Kuisha.” Sairaorg said with a dopey, genuine smile on his face. I had to hold back a snort as I saw my sister blushing. I had just acquired teasing material.

“I…I am honored you chose me, Sairaorg.” Kuisha said, attempting to compose herself. She saw the amused smile on my face and sent me a death glare. Thankfully for my continued existence, her attention was drawn soon after as Sairaorg held up a hand.

In a flash of fire, a glowing red Queen piece appeared in Sairaorg’s hand. Kuisha’s eyes locked onto it instantly.

Sairaorg scratched the back of his head, an anxious smile on his face. “SorryI can’t give you a big party with lots of fanfare. I’m…kinda broke right now. We can celebrate a little, but I don’t have the funds or the friends to hold a big reveal.”

The man looked legitimately ashamed of himself for that fact. Then again, he was among the Baels for years before being all but kicked out of the family. It was probably commonplace for Pillar Devils to have grand ceremonies for their Peerage members, both to welcome them and, more importantly, to show them off to the rest of the Underworld. Of course, Sairaorg seemed to only be thinking that Kuisha would be disappointed and think he didn’t value her. It looked like he really was a decent guy.

Kuisha looked away shyly. “I don’t mind, Sairaorg. I am just happy you chose me.” She stepped forward, parting the fabric of her dress where the giant boob window was.

I tactfully looked away, quietly chuckling to myself. So she wore the dress with a low cut front for practical reasons. Certainly not to show herself off to her new King. Oh yeah, all the teasing ammunition.

I was pulled from my thoughts as the fiery haired guy hopped off the railing and walked up to me. He looked to be in his mid-teens, but, thanks to my prior knowledge of this world, I knew that his appearance did not betray his true age.

“Regulus, right?” I asked, trying to drown out the sound of my sister gasping behind me. Sairaorg had just put the Queen piece in her chest.

“That’s me.”

I held out my hand. “Good to meet you.”

He made a humming sound as he shook my hand. “Are you going to join us as well?”

And like that, I had the attention of the other man and the woman. Sairaorg and my sister were still focused on the light show going on to turn her into his Queen. At least Regulus was direct.

“No.” I said honestly.

“Why not?”

“I want to make my own peerage. I’m working hard to earn my own Evil Pieces. Joining a peerage would set back my goals.”

Regulus pursed his lips, before nodding. “That’s a good reason. You’ll still hang out with us though, right?”

“My sister is your queen now. It’s inevitable we’ll cross paths frequently.”

Regulus nodded sharply. “Good. I want to fight you, but not now. Come back when you’re not tired. It wouldn’t be fun like this.” He walked around me to join Sairaorg where he was shaking Kuisha’s hand.

He could tell I was tired? I guess I wasn’t hiding it as well as I thought.

The gathering turned to Kuisha and Sairaorg, congratulating them both. Sairaorg took us all inside to where a table was set with a roast and some snacks. Everyone gathered around to dig in and celebrate their new Queen.

I hung back, conversing when prompted, but just letting them enjoy their moment. When the meal was over, Kuisha met me on the front porch.

She hesitated for a moment before pulling me into a hug. “Take care of yourself, little brother.”

“You too, big sis. And congrats again.”

She smiled, warm and genuine. “Thank you.”

I stepped back, hopping down the steps. I gave her a quick salute and said, “I’ll see you around.” Sairaorg had keyed me to the wards around this place. It wasn’t necessary, but it would allow me to maintain the illusion that it was. Since Hole didn’t transport you through the wards, but rather to a space that was offset from reality as a whole, it could bypass most wards like the simple array around Sairaorg’s new home or the ones on the Abbadon manor. I’d need to get around to improving those soon.

Taking a single step, I found myself back home. The house felt a little empty without Kuisha, but she was where she wanted to be, and I now had the ability to use it for what I wanted. I knew I could probably pass the High-Class test by now, but I wanted to train a little longer before taking it. Once I tested, I would be on the Underworld’s radar. I wanted to be as strong as I could be when that happened, letting me make my own decisions.

My sister was off on her own great adventure. Mine was just about to begin.

Chapter 2: 2

Chapter Text

It had been a couple months now since Kuisha joined Sairaorg’s peerage. In the first couple of weeks, she stopped by the manor a lot to grab things she’d forgotten or just to eat a quick meal with me, but as time went on, her visits became less frequent. I busied myself with my training and finalizing my plans.

With the house now more or less uninhabited by anyone but myself, I could be a lot less careful about hiding my activities. There was a hidden room connected to the basement through a secret passage that I’d been working out of when Kuisha still lived here. I found the place when I was younger. I’d been searching for a spot to start my research projects and noticed the wall stuck out further than it should. From there, it was just a matter of finding a way into the hidden area. I’d been using that area for a while now, but I didn’t need to hide down there anymore. I still did some work down there just because I already had a good workspace set up, but with Kuisha gone, I was spending more time upstairs.

Without having to hide my activities from my sister, I made a lot more progress than I would have expected. I still lacked actual combat experience outside of sparring with my sister, but I felt confident I could pass the High Class test with ease now. If possible, I wanted to reveal only my skill with Hole. I was an Abaddon. It was expected that I would be good with it. A large majority of devils born with bloodline abilities often over relied on it, never branching out or learning to use something different. I hadn’t, branching into various disciplines of magic and a small amount of weapon practice, but I would rather everyone think I had. I wasn’t in a strong enough position yet where I felt comfortable showing off my strength on the Underworld’s stage. Isolated and friendless as I was, it would be too easy for someone to sweep me up into their faction or peerage.

Unfortunately, the only way to gain the allies I would need to defend myself were to join a peerage, an option I wasn’t very inclined to choose, or passing the High Class test and getting my Evil Pieces so I could start recruiting for my peerage. I had no desire to join a peerage, whereas my plans for the future all revolved around the peerage I planned to recruit. I’d prepared as much as I could to recruit the individuals I wanted. All that was left now was to do it.

In preparation for this moment, I’d already done my research on how to apply to take the High Class test. I already had all the paperwork I needed to submit, it was just a matter of filling it out and sending it in.

Suppressing a sigh, I sat down at the dining room table and started pouring over the documents.

I hated paperwork.

X

I was sitting in a waiting room with a slew of other devil hopefuls, each aiming to receive their own set of Evil Pieces. The room was filled with a wide assortment of individuals. Young devils in expensive clothing, devils at least three times my age in clothes you’d see on a commoner. There were about a dozen of us. These were people who’d worked their whole lives to reach this point just like me, but many of them had been training far longer than I had. Where Pillar devils are handed their Evil Pieces, lower ranked devils or reincarnated devils have to earn them. Since most people in this world weren’t born with a Sacred Gear or a really awesome bloodline power, Hole was my eternal savior and I would always be grateful that it graced my humble self with its presence, they had to make do with nothing but a cna-do attitude and time.

We’d each passed the simple written test that covered basic Underworld history and were now waiting for the practical test. From what we’d been told, it would be a tournament-style contest of 1v1 matches. You didn’t have to be the last man standing to pass the test, you just had to impress the officials judging you. That would likely be easier if I could see said judges, but they were watching us through scrying.

Everyone looked to the door to the room as an official with a clipboard entered.

“Cleria Fall. Balthazar…Abaddon.” the official looked up at me as he read my name, clearly recognizing it. I got a few looks as I stood up, but paid them no mind. I was too busy sizing up the woman who would be my opponent.

She was older than me and a few inches taller with broad shoulders and short cut brown hair. It was hard to tell the exact age of a devil due to how we stopped aging after a point, but she appeared to be in her late twenties, so she had reached the point where she would stop aging. She could be 29, or she could be 290. There wasn’t any way to tell without tagging her with spells, which would probably not go over well before our match. Regardless of how old she was, I was confident I could beat her. With any luck, she would be the only opponent I had to fight.

The official led us down the hall, explaining the rules of our match as he guided us to where we would fight. No maiming, cease fighting when ordered, no outside assistance allowed – fairly simple and expected rules, but devils being devils, they had to be stated regardless.

The official left us as we entered a large arena. There were no spectators, but I saw several spell circles floating through the space. People may not have been present, but they were watching all the same.

“Hey!”

I turned from my inspection of the room to look at my opponent. “Yes?”

“That guy said you’re an Abbadon. That true?”

“It is.”

The woman grinned, smacking her fist into her open palm. “Good. I guess I’ll get to make a name for myself sooner than I thought. Hey, after I beat you, you wanna join my peerage? You’re cute enough.”

Well she certainly didn’t lack confidence, did she?

“As tempting as your offer is, I must respectfully decline.”

Her grin thinned into a line. “Think you’re too good for me, huh? This is why I hate you noble bastards, always looking down on the rest of us.”

“I assure you, that was not my intent. If I have somehow offended you, I apologize.” I didn’t really care what this woman thought of me, but I didn’t know who was watching. The New Satans were in charge of High Class promotions and were also big proponents of reincarnated devils and lower-bron devils being afforded the same opportunities as purebloods. I figured it was best to play nice lest I risk someone high up on the totem pole watching this fight and thinking I held prejudice against those without recognizable names. If I could get out of here without making any enemies or making too big of a splash, I’d be content.

My opponent opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by an announcement that echoed through the space.

“The match will begin in thirty seconds. Combatants, prepare yourselves.”

“I’m going to enjoy roughing up that suit you’re wearing, pretty boy.”

I frowned, narrowing my eyes at the woman across from me. I didn’t want observers to think I was prejudiced, but I also didn’t want to seem like a pushover. I couldn’t let Cleria’s taunts go unanswered.

“You will not land a single strike against me.” I said, clasping my hands behind my back and taking a relaxed stance.

Cleria snarled. “I’m gonna make you eat those words, bastard.”

The same voice that announced our thirty second began to count down from ten. Cleria settled into a boxer’s stance, glaring murderously at me. She was likely a melee combatant then. I would have preferred facing a ranged opponent, but I could make this work.

The sound of a gong rang through the space, signaling the start of our match.

Cleria’s wings exploded out of her back, beating against the air even as she ran across the ground, propelling herself towards me. A point of blue light spread across her right arm, coalescing into a hardened blue gauntlet. “Twice Critical!” Cleria roared, her power swelling to new heights as she lunged towards me with her gauntleted hand, aiming to smash her fist through my skull.

I hadn’t expected to fight a Sacred Gear holder during this little test. Cleria must have been a reincarnated devil.

Cleria’s fist closed in on me. There was a lot of power behind that strike. If it connected, I would probably have a bad time. Good thing it wasn’t going to connect.

Moments before Cleria’s fist would have smashed into my nose, a dark orb appeared in the path of her strike. Her fist sailed into the Hole I opened, passing through it and out of the paired Hole I’d opened directly beneath her chin.

Cleria’s head snapped backwards as her own Sacred Gear armored fist uppercutted her, causing her teeth to snap together with a sickening clacking sound. The force of the blow sent Cleria flying to the side. She rolled across the ground a couple times before coming to a stop. She lay in an unmoving heap, blood seeping out of her mouth.

I made a show of dusting myself off. I had not moved a single step since the ‘fight’ had begun.

“That concludes the match.” the voice of the announcer returned. “Balthazar Abaddon, please proceed through the door to your right.”

A section of the wall slid open in the direction, and I walked through into the hallway. There was someone there waiting for me.

“Balthazar Abaddon?” a dark-haired woman in a sleek suit asked as I approached.

“Yes?”

“My name is Sola Holt. I work for Satan Beelzebub. The judges have determined that you do not need to participate in further bouts. You have officially earned the rank of High Class. I will be conducting the ritual to provide you with your evil pieces. Please follow me.”

I was a little taken aback by how easy this had been, but I wasn’t going to complain. I had beat a devil who had trained and earned her way to this test the same way I had who also had a Sacred Gear, minor though it was,, and I beat her without taking a single step or even moving my arms.

Sola led me into a side room with a ritual circle scribed into the ground.

“Please stand in the middle of the circle.” Sola said, taking up a position in front of it.

After some quick analysis spells to make sure I wasn’t stepping into a trapped circle, I complied. If Sola was offended by my precaution, she didn’t voice her complaints.

The circle flared to life beneath me and Sola held out her hands. Popping sounds like a crackling campfire sounded around me as small flames burst into being, orbiting around me through the air. One by one, the flames stopped in front of me, condensing down into glowing red chess pieces – pawns, rooks, bishops, knights, and finally a queen. With a final pop, all of the pieces vanished, but I knew they weren’t gone. I could feel them, tethered to me.

I held up a hand, experimentally flexing my power. In a flash of fire, one of my pawns appeared. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I turned the small chess piece over in my hand. I had my own Evil Pieces. I could build my own peerage now.

“Congratulations, Mr. Abaddon.” Sola said, pulling my attention away from the pawn in my hand. “Your promotion will be announced at the conclusion of today’s test with the names of the others who passed. You are now free to leave at your leisure. If you are so inclined, you may also stay to watch the other matches.”

“Thank you for your help, Ms. Holt. I believe I will retire for the day.”

She nodded easily. “As you wish. I will escort you out of the building.” She guided me through the halls and out the front door, stopping at the threshold. “Once more, allow me to congratulate you.”

“Thank you again for your help.”

“Of course.” With that, she turned around and reentered the testing facility.

I stood on the steps for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Today was a good day.

A Hole opened up around me, whisking me home.

X

The High-Class test was almost too easy. I’d been in and out of the building in a couple hours. Sure, I embarrassed my opponent, but I would have thought there would be a more involved process. Sola had seemed rushed to give me my Evil Pieces and send me on my way.

Still, I couldn’t complain about the result. I had my Evil Pieces now, and I hadn’t revealed anything that was not already common knowledge. I did exactly one thing in my fight against Cleria, opened a Hole. The Abaddon could use Hole. What a wildly unprecedented eventuality! No one would gleen any new information about my capabilities from my High Class test, and I could not be happier about that. Today had gone almost perfectly.

Almost. A mutation piece or two in my set would have made this a perfect day. I ran a hand over the demonic chess set sat before me on the dining room table, gently brushing the pieces with my fingers. Sadly, all of my pieces were normal. I didn’t get a single mutation piece. I couldn’t be too upset about that fact though. Mutation pieces were rare, and I was already set up in a really good position. I had a private manor with private land. My full capabilities were still secret. I had my Evil Pieces. Today was a good day.

I received a ping through the manor’s wards.

I frowned. A letter had just been sent and was seeking permission to pass through the wards. I hadn’t received a single letter in my entire life. Why was I getting one now?

I allowed the letter to pass the wards, my curiosity too great to be denied. In a burst of bright orange fire, an envelope inlaid with gold trim appeared in front of me, floating patiently in the air. Who wasted money on gold trim?

After inspecting the letter for magical traps, curses and other unsavory surprises, I plucked it out of the air and looked it over. The envelope only had two words on it, my full name written in swirly script. Was that gold ink? Who would use gold ink?

Now beyond curious and tired of waiting, I tore the letter open and quickly read through it. I felt my good mood slowly erode as I progressed through the letter. Frowning, I set it down on the table.

Today was not a good day. Today was a fucking terrible day.

This… Well, I officially had no idea what to do about this. Why was Magdaran Bael inviting me to the Bael Estate for lunch?

Sairaorg didn’t have the same platform he once did as the Bael heir, but he had still announced that he’d taken Kuisha as his Queen. I’d followed the reaction on the Devil Net. As was always the case with the internet, the Devil Net doubly so, there was a fair helping of trolls shouting about how terrible Sairaorg and my sister were, but there was also a large amount of praise. The Abbadon name wasn’t a strong one, but it was a recognizable one. Combine that with Hole and my sister’s proficiency with both Hole and magic and people were saying that Sairaorg had chosen a good queen.

Of course, they wouldn’t say such things in public. He was still the disgraced Bael heir. Being seen openly supporting him could put you at odds with the Baels, the undisputedly strongest Pillar at present. Especially considering some of the other things that were said on the Net and by the more brazen news publications.

Magdaran Bael, the current Bael heir and Sairaorg’s half-brother had yet to acquire a single peerage piece. He was young, so that could be excused, but there were still questions raised both on the Devil Net and by certain news outlets about whether or not he was too indecisive and whether or not the Bael without the Power of Destruction would have made a better heir. Those were not the kind of accusations a devil would accept lying down, especially one who was, for all intents and purposes, Zekram Bael’s puppet.

Sairaorg was praised for taking an Abbadon as his Queen. Magdaran still had no peerage pieces and was under pressure from the wider Underworld and likely his own family to fill his peerage. A quick search on the Devil Net turned up a brief article about how ‘The Bastard of Abaddon’ had become a High Class devil. It seems the news travelled fast. Kuisha never took the High Class test before joining Sairaorg’s peerage, meaning I could now boast accomplishments she couldn’t. And, most annoyingly, for the first time in my entire life, I’d received an invitation to lunch, lunch at the home of the most influential Pillar in the Underworld.

“Fuck.” I bit out, supremely pissed off.

This was bad no matter how I looked at it. I was hoping I was wrong about Magdaran’s intentions behind this invitation, but I didn’t think I was that lucky. He needed peerage pieces. Zekram, his ancestor, headed a faction that toted pureblood devil superiority. I, a pureblood devil who shared a last name with his brother’s Queen, had just shown I was strong enough to be recognized by Devil society. He wanted me in his peerage.

From a political perspective, I couldn’t help but admire the move. This was not only an opportunity for Magdaran to silence his doubters, but also to snub his brother at the same time. If he were to reincarnate me, the Abaddon sibling who had passed the High Class tes, as his bishop, the story would then become that Sairaorg was over-valuing the Abbadon’s power by taking one as his Queen, something the Bael’s media machine could easily push out. At the same time, he would gain a powerful pure-blooded devil to serve under him, satisfying his obligations to the Great King faction.

It was a good move. The only problem was that it royally fucked me over.

I wasn’t going to accept his gracious offer, that was a foregone conclusion. Yes, the Baels held more power than I would likely ever be able to attain. By serving under them, my status would skyrocket overnight, but I didn’t want to be pulled into Zekram’s games. It would never really be my status, it would be the Bael’s, and I would be their good little lap dog that they showed off to all of their Pillar friends. Not to mention the fact that serving the Baels would mean joining the side openly opposed to the New Satans. I wanted to be as far removed from that particular drama as possible, not stuck right in the middle of it.

Then there was the fact that serving Magdaran didn’t satisfy the conditions I would need to agree to joining a peerage. Even if I could get him to agree to make me his Queen, I didn’t know Magdaran enough to trust him. I did know of Zekram both from my first life and the news in this life. I knew enough about him to know that I never wanted to find myself subservient to him, even by proxy, which I would be if I took Magdaran’s offer.

Finally, joining Magdaran, the devil that took Sairaorg’s heirship, after refusing Sairaorg’s offer would be akin to spitting in Sairaorg’s face, and by extension spitting in my sister’s face. I wasn’t going to do that.

I suppose I could take Sairaorg’s offer first, joining his peerage as a bishop, but I wasn’t too keen on that route either. He would definitely be a better King than Magdaran, but if he regained his heirship the way he did in canon, then I would still be subservient to Zekram. Not an attractive outcome.

That left me with sorting out the problem of how I was going to navigate the political minefield I found myself in without setting off any explosions. Refusing Magdaran could be taken as an insult to the Bael family which would royally fuck up all of my future plans. I had aimed to use Hole to open a secure shipping trade, something I wouldn’t be able to do if the most influential Pillar in the Underworld threw their weight against me to repay a perceived slight.

“Fantastic fucking timing this. I should have waited to take that stupid test until I had everything prepared.” I whined aloud. I had my peerage pieces, but I wasn’t ready to use them yet. I was planning to do some esoteric ritual to abuse Hole’s power to get myself some real heavy-hitters, but it seems as though fate had other plans. I had to deal with this Bael situation first, preferably in a way that didn’t have them hating my guts. I could just refuse the meeting, but that would definitely be taken as a slight. Noble devils didn’t like it when their ‘lessers’ didn’t come running at their call.

The silver lining here was that Magdaran had given me a week’s notice. I had seven days to try to figure something out.

My original plan for my Evil Pieces saw me acquiring my knight first. I had someone in mind who would make acquiring the rest of the people I wanted much easier. Their abilities combined with Hole would make it almost trivial to gather the others at my will, but that knight wouldn’t be much help to me at the moment.

Truthfully, no one I had intended to recruit would be able to get me out of this jam. When I was outlining my plan, I chose power, willingness to join and loyalty over ability to maneuver political shitstorms. I was seeing the folly of that decision right now. I needed someone who could help me navigate messes like this one. I wasn’t stupid, but I was far from experienced in politics, let alone devil politics where some of my opponents predated the medieval era.

I needed to reevaluate. I needed to find someone for my peerage who could stand on somewhat even footing with the likes of Zekram Bael and the New Satans, someone who could help me navigate the mess I found myself in and any future messes I would inevitably stumble upon.

The clincher was this person would also have to be willing to accept being reincarnated. It took a lot of careful consideration and planning to find candidates for my peerage that would both be boons to my peerage and be willing to actually join it. It was one thing to walk up to the greatest swordsman alive and offer them a place in my peerage. It was an entirely separate matter to appear when that swordsman lay broken and dying and give them the same offer.

Manipulative? Yes, but I was a Devil. It was practically synonymous with my race.

So was there even someone who fit all this criteria that I would be able to summon in less than a week? Or should I go back to square one and try to figure out a way to solve this on my own?

My mind wandered, settling on an individual I had briefly considered when initially making my plans, but discarded due to the uncertainty of whether or not they’d be loyal. If they would work with me, they were exactly who I’d need. The problem was I didn’t know if I’d be able to get to them in under a week. In order to recruit them, I would need to arrive at a very specific time. I wasn’t sure if I could pull that off on my own.

“Fuck.” I said aloud, scribbling a quick acceptance of Magdaran’s lunch meeting on the blank letter provided in the same envelope. A moment later, the letter burst into flames, sent back to the Bael heir. I was committed now.

Whether I could make this work or not, I was damn sure going to try. What did I spend my life training for if not establishing myself in devil society?

I headed to the basement where I’d set up my workshop. Kuisha never came down here even before she moved out. She said it was cold and dreary. That suited me just fine. It let me work on my future projects without her looking over my shoulder. I liked my sister, but I wasn't sure I trusted her with this. This was how I planned to elevate myself. I didn’t want to give it up to anyone.

After opening the secret passage I found when I was twelve and dispelling several illusions, my workspace was revealed to me. There were a slew of potions and thick tomes on shelves along each wall, but I ignored them all, heading directly towards an intricately drawn spell circle in the center of the floor.

I sat down in the center of the circle and began feeding it mana. Instantly, it flared to life, filling the space with an orange glow.

I’d been experimenting with Hole ever since I awoke in this world. At first, I’d thought it would only function like the portals from the game that first taught me how to think with portals. I quickly learned that was not the case. As I experimented more, I learned more. Up until I accidentally opened a Hole that connected to the Dimensional Gap.

I was trying to push myself to the limit, see exactly how far away I could place a Hole. There had to be a limit, and I wanted to know what that limit was. As I came to find out, the limit was only limited by one’s imagination. I should have expected that. Devil magic in general was powered by imagination. Whatever you dreamt of, you could accomplish given enough power and time. I’d imagined a Hole opening beyond the boundaries of the world, and I’d achieved that dream.

I shut the Hole the moment I realized what it was connected to. I even had a minor panic attack and refused to train for a few days. I could have very easily killed myself if the space of the Dimensional Gap had made it through my portal. I did a lot more research before attempting that again.

As I experimented further, I found I could reach even further beyond. I opened a Hole to a place beyond the Dimensional Gap. It was exhausting, I’d had to rest for a full week, but I’d done it. I didn’t know if I would be able to return if I stepped through, so I remained on this side of the portal. From what I was able to determine, the world I’d connected to was bereft of life. An expanse of endless desert scorched eternally by an uncaring sun. Not an ideal vacation destination, but it got me thinking. If I could reach past the infinite to the worlds beyond, who was to say I couldn’t reach past the infinite to find a specific world?

I spent the last several years poring over scrying and divining texts in between bouts of training. After a lot of hard work, I was able to construct this ritual circle and the accompanying ritual, allowing me to use Hole as a medium to scry beyond the Dimensional Gap. It took me another three months of searching to finally find a world I was interested in. It took me three months of careful searching to find the world where I could find the person I wished to reincarnate as my knight. Three months. I hadn’t even pinpointed their location, just found the right world. Although, the world they were currently in didn’t function by logical rules. Hopefully it would be easier to find the individual I was looking for now. After all, I only had a week to pull this off before I needed to meet with Magdaran.

I knew it was a desperate gambit, but I needed this to work. I activated the ritual, opening a Hole behind me connected to the pocket dimension where I stored all of the demonic power I had stored up over the years to supplement my training. This was not how I’d envisioned myself using this well of overflowing power, but needs must. If this worked out, it would be a worthwhile trade, more than worthwhile.

Holes appeared around me as I activated the ritual, throwing my perception beyond the bounds of reality, propelled forth on a current of demonic power stored up over my entire life. I was betting my life on this. I needed it to work.

X

It was raining.

The dark sky rumbled overhead. Choking all joy from the air. Maybe that was why she was so cold. It could also be her rapidly weakening hold on life, but it was at least partially the rain’s fault. The uncaring downpour had soaked through her cloak and dress. She’d lost one of her shoes, leaving her bare foot to slowly sink into the mud beneath her.

She hated rain.

Perhaps she should have spent her final moments lamenting her end, but she’d been through this song and dance before. She knew it would do no good. Things never went her way, not since she was a young, blind girl, too infatuated to realize she was throwing everything she’d ever cared for away for the sake of a bastard that would toss her aside on a whim with no regrets.

Her second chance was over before it had even begun. She’d been summoned to fight her master’s enemies, to earn a wish, to build a life. When she was young, she’d had everything she could have ever wanted. Time and again, she threw it away for that bastard. She’d thought she’d found a new home at his side, a new family. Then she realized it was all an illusion. Then she was tossed aside.

Witch of Betrayal? The title fit her well, but only because she had grown so used to betrayal. Everything she touched, everything she loved was brought to ruin. Anyone she put her faith in would abuse, harm and disappoint her. Even at this time, in this place, this was true. The man who’d summoned her here to act as his partner was too concerned with his own ineptitude to understand the future she offered him. She’d presented him with the power to achieve his dreams, her power, and he’d leashed her, too prideful to allow himself to be less than her.

She was enraged. Time and again, she’d given everything she was to another only to be abandoned when she needed help the most. Here she lay, dying in a muddy puddle, forgotten. It shouldn’t have been this way, but that was then that was true for her entire life. She should never have suffered as she had, but she chose to to aid those close to her. She should never have had to betray those nearest to her, but a spiteful goddess thought it would be amusing to watch her dance to its tune.

She had power, but that power had never been sufficient to grant her desires. She had her beauty, but that had only led to being used and discarded. Was it really so greedy, so unjust to ask for that which so many others were able to enjoy without suffering through the trials she had? The simplest of life’s pleasures had always eluded her. She would give up her power, her beauty, her legend if she could just be happy.

Moisture trailed down her cheeks. She told herself it was from the rain. She felt herself fading away, the last of her mana spent. In the end, she died with the same regrets as the first time, the same thoughts. She just wanted to be happy. Was that truly so evil?

The dark sky vanished. Her vision must have faded. It was time. She closed her eyes.

She gasped, her eyes flying open as energy, vitality flowed into her. She felt her form, moments from dispelling into nothing, stabilize.

Mana.

Disgusted at the state she found herself in, she waved her hand, drying her clothes and cleaning the mud that had dirtied her all at once. She sat up, looking around with a suspicious eye. She was no longer surrounded by trees. There was no sky. She was surrounded on all sides by darkness. The only break in the abyss was a figure sitting across from her. He was sitting with his legs crossed. Golden hair tumbled wildly down from his head. His eyes were blue like a gentle sea. Sweat beaded his brow. He was breathing heavily.

“Who are you? Where am I? How…how am I alive?” The moment the words left her mouth, she frowned. Perhaps she wasn’t alive. This is not what she experienced the last time she died, but it was possible she was sent somewhere else after failing to achieve her wish.

“My name is Balthazar Abbadon. I am a devil. You are currently within a pocket dimension of my making. You are alive because I am sustaining your form with my magic. I won’t be able to keep you here for much longer. Finding you was…far more taxing than I expected.”

She frowned. A devil? He was very upfront about that, but he did not look like any devil she’d ever heard of. He looked like a young man – handsome, unburdened by time. Perhaps that was one of his powers, a way to lure foolish maidens to their doom.

Regardless of whatever plot was certainly at play, she was certainly thankful this devil had deigned to impose on her when he did. She felt herself fading. Only his power was sustaining her form now, but it was hard to believe a devil was searching for her for reasons that would benefit her.

“What do you want?” she asked, cutting to the point.

“I need allies. I need…good counsel. I am not from your world. The devils of my world developed a method to reincarnate individuals of other races into devils, binding them to the service of the King that turned them in the process. I want to reincarnate you as a devil.”

She let herself think about that for a moment. “People, especially devils, in need of allies typically are embroiled in conflict. You want me to fight your battles for you.”

The devil took a deep breath, causing her to frown. She could feel the stream of mana flowing from him into her. It was slowly growing weaker.

“I’m young. By devil standard, I am very young. Older, more experienced devils, want to use me to further their own ends. I’m not currently fighting battles against anyone, but I do need help navigating hostile politics. And yes, it is inevitable you would have to fight for me.”

She didn’t answer, considering the devil across from her.

He let out a long sigh. “Look, I get that I have just appeared out of nowhere and you have no reason to trust anyone right now, least of all an admitted devil. Finding you was the single most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I can’t maintain this connection for much longer, especially with how I’m having to split my focus to maintain you at the same time. I’d love to be able to give you time to think about this, to ask all of your questions and receive your answers, but I can’t.”

He took a deep breath, features determined. “I need a strong ally, someone who will fight at my side and will help me make informed decisions. I need someone I can trust not to turn their back on me the moment a better offer comes along, because a better offer will come along, especially for you. I am fairly low-ranking on the Underworld totem pole. The moment those above me realize who you are, they will be tripping over themselves to give you more than I can offer. I’m asking for a lot of trust from you here, but I’m offering just as much if not more. If you agree to let me reincarnate you then leave me for another, stronger King later, I will have lost everything. I am quite literally betting my life on you. I can’t offer you anything other than my word that I will treat you well and ensure you want for nothing I can provide. I’m aware that may not be enough coming from a devil, but it’s all I can give.”

He cringed. She felt the stream of mana maintaining her lessen once more.

With grit teeth, he looked up at her. “I wish we had more time to talk and get to know each other, but I need your answer now. I can’t hold this connection much longer.”

She let his words play in her head, studying the face of the devil who’d appeared in her most dire moment.

He was a devil. It was clear that he was attempting to manipulate her, but she couldn’t sense any outright deception in his words. Most damning was his face. He would need to be an actor the likes of which she’d never heard of in order to fool her with what he now displayed. Dismay, regret, hopelessness – she had seen that look before in the mirror. She likely wore it herself not minutes prior as she lay dying. This devil had bet everything on her. If she were to take him at his word, and she strangely believed the devil whose entire species was known for untruths, he had moved across worlds to reach her. She lay dying in the mud, and who had come to her aid? It was not a man nor a god, but a devil. It was amusing in a self-depreciating way. She’d failed to achieve her wish through other means. Perhaps a change of tactics and of scenery was in order.

“Very well.” she said.

The devil blinked, tilting his head to the side. She couldn’t stop herself from giggling at the expression of pure, dumbfounded confusion on his face. It was cute.

“I’m sorry… What?”

“I agree. I will become your servant. You will need to continue sustaining me with mana, but–”

“That won’t be an issue.” he responded almost absentmindedly, still appearing as if he did not understand the happenings of the world. “Evil Pieces are capable of granting spirits and entities similar to them like yourself fully incarnated bodies.”

She froze, not daring to hope. “You…you can grant me a body?”

The devil grunted, pained. She felt the mana from the devil decrease again.

“I…can.”

Reincarnation. Something heroes from ages past fought to the death in the hopes of achieving, was just offered to her with very minimal strings attached. What was a devil lord but a Master of a different race?

“If you reincarnate me, I will serve you. Your goals will be my goals, your enemies my enemies.” She looked the devil in the eyes. If this devil sought her out across worlds, then he knew who she was, what she was known for. He had wagered everything on her. She had done the same before, and every time she had been disappointed, she had been destroyed. That would not be the case this time. Willing the devil to feel the sincerity of her words, she said, “And I will never betray you.”

The devil looked taken aback. For a creature known to be synonymous with subtlety and manipulation, he certainly wore his heart on his sleeve.

“I…thank you.” he said dumbly. He held up his hand. In a flash of fire, a glowing red chess piece appeared in his hand.

She looked at him with an amused grin. “Am I to be the Queen to your King, then?”

He sighed. “Devil society in my world has a bizarre fascination with chess. Each of the objects we use to reincarnate others is a chess piece with corresponding values and abilities.”

“Then next to the King, the Queen would be the strongest piece?”

He hesitated a moment before answering. “Yes.”

She was smiling. Why was she smiling? Why did she feel so warm in her chest? “How does this work?”

“I push it into your chest and it reincarnates you as a devil. You’re sure? This is your last chance to–”

“I am sure. You said you were weakening, and I feel the evidence of that. If we wait any longer, I will fade. That is an outcome that serves neither of us.” she said as she stood, walking up to the devil before sitting back down in front of him. “No more stalling.”

He huffed out a short laugh. “No more stalling.” He lifted the chest piece up, reaching towards her. She felt as it briefly halted as it came into contact with her chest before the devil applied more pressure and the artifact was absorbed into her.

She gasped, feeling foreign magic explode through her; power. It was like someone had injected lava into her veins. The flesh of her back tore and rapidly mended as two new limbs burst forth. Wings. She had wings. It was a conscious effort to control her breathing. It was…

Breath. She was breathing.

Hesitantly, she reached up, fingers lightly feeling her face, throat, chest. She had a pulse. She couldn’t turn immaterial. This devil had really reincarnated her.

She felt a rush of magic as the still sitting devil suddenly went slack, as if a mountain of tension suddenly left him. The void of eternal darkness around them was gone. They were in a space with walls and floors made of stone brick. Magical implements lined the walls. They sat together in a magical circle. Even were she not a mage, she would be able to easily recognize this as a laboratory.

The devil inhaled a deep breath as he sat slumped across from her, spent after whatever working he’d done to unite them. “Welcome to my home. Once more, I am Balthazar Abbadon, your new King. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Forgive me…but…” his head lolled to the side, eyes closing.

She was at his side in an instant, catching his collapsing form before he could fall to the ground. Slowly, carefully, she knelt, lowering the devil’s head onto her thighs. She gently brushed his hair away from his eyes, smiling down at the face of the devil who would be her new master. And wasn’t it a handsome face.

As she stared down at him, her mind wandered. He was young. He was desperate. He was unconscious. He would be so easy to take advantage of. She needn’t even work that hard.

A wicked dagger whose blade twisted at jagged angles appeared in her hand, the meager weight of the blade comforting her in this dreary space.

The moment the devil put that chess piece in her chest, she felt a connection form between them. There were likely fail safes built into the design of the artifact that changed her to prevent a servant from abandoning their master, but she could simply break the rules if she so desired. She had a body now. She had a whole new world to explore. She didn’t need this devil.

She ran her hand over his forehead, the sweat and dirt that marred his features was swept away by a minor cleansing charm. It would be easy to be free of him, even to bend him to her will, but that wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want to wander the Earth alone again. She didn’t want a mindless slave. She wanted a partner.

This devil had risked much to bring her here, saving her life in the process. Betraying him now would make her no better than the bastard that ruined her life.

The dagger in her other hand scattered into motes of light, but she felt its presence. If she ever required it, it would return to her side in a moment.

She laid a single hand on the devil’s forehead, rubbing gentle circles with her fingers, soothing magic bleeding out of her fingertips. In locating her, the devil had overexerted himself, stretching his power beyond what he was capable of. She couldn’t take all of the pain away, but she could at least ensure he rested well. And in the meantime…

A trio of shadowy ravens coalesced in the air around her, flying through the room’s only exit and down a corridor. When they ascended a staircase, the ravens split up, two of them flying within the building she had appeared in while the third nudged a window open with its beak and took flight outside.

Seeing through the eyes of her familiars, the woman frowned disapprovingly. The defensive wards in this manor were sorely lacking. She would see to that at once. A mage was strongest when they had prepared the battlefield in their favor.

With practiced ease, the woman wove magic with her free hand, still observing the manor and its surroundings through the senses of her ravens. The one she’d sent to the upper floors made an interesting discovery. Once she knew the layout of the whole manor and the immediate grounds beyond, she ordered her ravens to return, bearing the prize they’d found in their talons.

Her ravens returned just as she finished setting up the first layer of defenses for the home. The ravens gently set a small laptop down in front of her before flying out of the room, moving to keep watch for any intruders.

The woman pulled the laptop closer. Such interesting things; these computers. She hadn’t had much opportunity to use her new knowledge of them before her and her master’s…falling out. A link on the desktop caught her eye. It read, ‘Devil Net’.

The woman grinned. “Well hello there.” She opened a browser and began to learn, all the while layering defensive wards over the manor and massaging soothing magic into her new master’s forehead. She was a skilled woman. She could multitask.

Chapter 3: 3

Chapter Text

I groaned, feeling stiff and sore everywhere. Everywhere but my head strangely. It felt as if there was a soothing energy rippling out from my forehead like a gentle stream. Considering the pain the rest of me was in, it felt like heaven.

“Good morning, master.” a warm, amused voice spoke from above me.

My eyes shot open, revealing a smiling purple-haired woman in a black cloak. Her hood was pulled down, revealing her pointed ears.

“I hope your rest was pleasant.” she said.

I felt panic take hold of me. “How long was I unconscious?”

The woman’s smile turned to a small frown. “It had been close to twelve hours.”

I let out a sigh as all of the tension left my body. I didn’t miss my meeting with Magdaran. Locating my new queen had taken five days of nonstop effort. Add twelve hours on to that, and I still had a little time before our scheduled meeting.

A small hole opened next to my finger, allowing me to take stock of the store of demonic power I’d been hoarding for years. Over half of it was gone, used up in my frantic search for my queen. Years worth of power all gone in one desperate search. Eight years specifically. I was currently nineteen years old physically. I’d learned how to siphon my demonic power with Hole when I was seven. That left me just under four year’s worth of reserves left over. It cost me eight years worth of hoarded energy to locate Medea and transport her here. When I’d told her I gambled my life on her, I hadn’t been exaggerating. I was betting my future on her, and I had used up a significant portion of the demonic energy I intended to use as a trump card to find her. Locating Medea had cost me, but she’d agreed to become my Queen so I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Although, it was causing me to reassess some things. If every time I used this ritual would be that costly, I would need to think of something else to gather a peerage. I didn’t have years to save up additional power. I was already on the Bael’s radar. Still, things could be worse.

My eyes tracked up, meeting the purple irises of the woman above me. Things could be a lot worse. Wait a second… Was my head resting in her lap?

“That is a unique power. What does it do?” she asked, turning to look at the Hole I’d summoned.

“It’s my family’s magic. It's called Hole. The most rudimentary use is to create portals, but it’s more versatile than that. It’s how I was able to find you. Speaking of…” I slowly stood up, shaking off a jolt of shock as I realized that, yes, I had been sleeping with my head on her lap.

The woman across from me was frowning, almost pouting as she stared down at her legs where my head had just rested.

“Sorry,” I said, drawing her attention. “I didn’t mean to pass out before we formally met. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Balthazar Abbadon, bastard son of the House of Abbadon and your new King.”

The woman met my gaze and levitated from her sitting position to her feet. She stood several inches shorter than me, but I knew what she was capable of. I wasn’t going to let her stature fool me into thinking she was weak. She was a demigod for Satan’s sake. She was worth all of the demonic power I’d stored up over the years and more. Losing only as much as I had to gain her was a trade I would make a thousand times over.

“And I, as I am sure you already know, am Medea of Colchis, the Witch of Betrayal, and your new Queen, master.”

I held up my hand awkwardly as she addressed me. “Um… You don’t have to call me master. Just Balthazar or Bal is fine. I want my peerage to be a family. It’s hard to foster that kind of atmosphere if I’m forcing everyone to call me by titles.”

She chuckled, her lips pulling up into a conspiring grin. “How kind of you, master. In that case, I will address you as I like, master.” She seemed awfully content with herself.

Well, if she wanted to call me ‘master’, I wasn’t going to make a big deal of it. It felt a little weird for Medea of Colchis to call me that, but I chalked it up as a hold-over from her time in the Throne of Heroes, and as a Heroic Spirit.

“Thank you for looking after me while I was unconscious. I’d have liked to present a more capable front, but–”

“You needn’t worry about that, master. I took the liberty of familiarizing myself with my new surroundings while you were sleeping. This ritual you’ve created,” She motioned down to the magic circle beneath us. “Is quite extraordinary. I’ve already found several amateur mistakes you made that decrease its efficiency and impede its work, but that is expected for a young mage.” She clapped her hands together as she bounced in place excitedly. “Now that I’m here, I can help you fix those mistakes.”

“I would gladly welcome your assistance.” Lessons in how to improve my magic from one of the best witches to ever live? What possible reason could I have to refuse?

“Come on,” I said, motioning for her to follow me as I walked towards the door, suppressing a wince of pain as my sore body protested the movement. “I’ll show you around and give you the basic rundown of this new world you find yourself in, then I’ll bring you up to speed on the situation I find myself in and how it will affect you.”

“There’s no need, master.”

I turned around, confused.

An object levitated up into Medea’s arms which she then held up to show me. Was that my laptop?

“I explored the grounds and researched the world while you slept. I also found the letter you left in the dining room, but I believe I lack context about why a lunch with the Bael Heir would drive you to exhaustion trying to summon help.” Seeing my puzzled expression, she frowned. “Is there an issue with my actions, master?”

I snorted. “Not at all. You just surprised me with how much you got done while I was out. Since all of that’s out of the way, how would you feel about getting some food? You’ve just been reincarnated, why not enjoy it a little?”

Medea’s eyes widened slightly. “I think… I think I would enjoy that, master.”

I held out my hand invitingly. “Then let’s go.”

X

Medea shifted awkwardly in her seat, staring intently at the wall opposite her as I entered the dining room.

“Sorry that it took so long.” I said, setting a plate down in front of her. It wasn’t anything fancy. I just quickly made up some chicken curry, skills left over from having to cook for my family regularly in my first life.

“Thank you, master,” Medea said, hesitantly picking up her fork and poking at the food. She took a small bite and her eyes widened. Here pointed ears twitch up and down, so quick I might’ve missed it if I’d blinked. That was adorable.

“Good?” I asked.

Medea nodded, another bite already in her mouth.

“Well, I’m glad. Can I get you anything else? I don’t have much in the way of spirits, but I’m sure I could scare up some wine.” Neither Kuisha nor I were very big drinkers, but we kept a meager stock in the house in case we ever had to host guests unexpectedly.

“I… Red wine?” she seemed hesitant to ask.

“Coming right up.” I set my plate down across from her then left to retrieve the wine. I returned with a pair of wine glasses and a bottle, reading the label as I walked in. “1455 Pinot Noir. I have no idea what that means, but I’m hoping it means it's good.” I said, setting a glass down in front of Medea and uncorking the bottle.

I wasn’t a sommelier. I didn’t drink much, not at all really, so I didn’t know much about fine wines. There were a slew of people in the Underworld who obsessed over the stuff though. Collectors would fight tooth and nail over stock left over from prominent ancient cities and long-forgotten eras. A bottle from Rome was recently sold for a small fortune. I’d only paid attention because I was planning on setting up a business. I didn’t plan to trade in wine, but it didn’t hurt to keep my options open.

I poured us both a glass, then sat down across from Medea, digging into my own curry.

She took an experimental sip of the wine and a pleasant smile grew on her lips. I’d take that to mean 1455 Pinot Noir was good.

“When I agreed to become a devil’s servant, I would not have expected him to cook me meals nor serve me drinks.” Medea said, a small smile on her face as she took another sip of wine.

“I’m your King, but that doesn’t mean you should grovel before me. And if I want to do something nice for you to show my appreciation for taking my offer, then I’ll do it.”

Medea set her glass down, looking down at the plate of food in front of her. “I saw many things on the Devil Net. There are many Devil Kings who treat their peerage as a menagerie to show off to their political allies. Others mistreat their servants.” She looked up, meeting my eyes. “I suppose I should be grateful it was you who pulled me from the mud I was dying in.”

“I’m just glad everything worked out. I…” I trailed off, flexing my magic and looking around with narrowed eyes. The wards… Something had been done to them.

“Medea, did you improve the wards while I was unconscious?”

“Yes. The defenses around your home were not sufficient to defend us. I still need to improve them, but I believe they are now at least passable. Did I overstep?”

I shook my head, relaxing. “No, I appreciate it actually. Next time though, do me a favor and let me know. You’re welcome to work on whatever projects you want, just keep me apprised of them so they don’t catch me off guard.”

“I am your servant. Will I not be undertaking your projects?”

“You will, but I don’t want to be a King like those you read about. I’ll make sure you get free time, and when you have it, feel free to do whatever you want.” I winced. “I say that, but I’m going to need to monopolize your time in the immediate future.”

Medea was smiling. “You would not have summoned me if you didn’t need my help, and you were very clear about your intentions prior to reincarnating me.” A letter written in gold ink levitated up into the air to be caught between her index and middle finger. “I would assume your current troubles have something to do with this letter?”

I filled Medea in on the context she was missing regarding my current situation as well as a few gaps in her knowledge that appeared. She hadn’t had time to look up everything on the Devil Net, but she had a solid foundation to build from.

We were done eating now, our plates set off to the side. Medea was on her fourth glass of wine, though it didn’t appear to be affecting her all that much. I’d poured myself a glass, but only taken a few sips from it, I wanted to stay focused on the matter at hand.

“Unless my estimation is inaccurate, I do not see how the Bael heir could force you into his peerage.” Medea said, examining the letter in her hands as she gripped her chin in thought. “He clearly wants you, but he couldn’t take you by force without upsetting the New Satans.”

“But he could pressure me to join, right? His family has a lot of influence. If they take my refusal as an insult, they could make things difficult for us.”

“They do, but that just means you have to offer them something else to appease them.” Medea let the letter go. It drifted across the table to rest in front of me. “You told me you plan to open a trading business. What do you plan to trade?”

“Anything I can get my hands on really. I was planning on acting as a middleman for other merchants. With Hole,” I held up a hand and conjured a Hole to help emphasize my point. “I can bring shipping costs down to near zero.”

Medea made a considering sound. “I am not a businesswoman, but I imagine it would be easier to first establish yourself as an independent merchant before selling your services. With your ability to quickly and securely deliver a product, you should have an advantage in the market. Tell me, master, how common are magical items in this world?”

I closed my fist, dispelling the Hole above my hand. “That depends on what you’re talking about. Everyday items are fairly common among wealthier families, though the quality varies. As far as weapons, armor and the like though, there is far too much demand and far too little supply.”

Medea grinned like a fox. “I believe I have the solution to your problem, master.”

X

Medea outlined her plan to me then disappeared down into the basement. Since there was a shortage of magic items in the supernatural market, Medea thought that the two of us together could make an absolute killing. With her Item Creation skill, she’d make magical items, weak magical items by her standards, that we could sell. With Hole, I could reliably transport her products throughout the Underworld and beyond. We could open up channels to do business with other factions, but that was for the future.

For the present, Medea was setting up a workshop in the basement where she would make a few items as a proof of concept. I would then approach the meeting with Magdaran intending to use it as a meeting with a prospective business partner.

The plan worked because my business plans not only gave me a shield to politely refuse Magdaran’s offer to join his peerage, but it also would be the expected move. If a Pillar Devil invited you to lunch when you yourself were a low-born devil with big dreams, using the meeting to your advantage would be expected.

With any luck, I could make Magdaran so annoyed with my insistence that he help me with my business that he just threw me out. There would be little in the way of recompense from Clan Bael because I would have offered to let them aid me in my business pursuits. Of course, there was the possibility that Magdaran agreed to assist me, but an investment from him in exchange for a small percentage of earnings was worth not being reincarnated into his peerage. I’d still be free, and I could worry about getting the Bael’s fingers out of my business later.

I was feeling much better about this whole situation now. With a calmer head, I was realizing I might have blown things out of proportion after receiving Magdaran’s letter. I wasn’t true nobility, but I was an Abaddon, and our name meant something. If I was clearly displeased with Magdaran’s offer, there would have been pushback from other pureblood devils lacking status against letting him reincarnate me because that would set a poor precedent for other lower, near-noble houses, potentially turning them hostile to the new government of the Underworld.

This was why I needed a capable Queen. I needed someone to help me think things through without getting singularly focused on one aspect of a problem. Despite the power I’d burned to retrieve her, despite the panic that fuelled my desperate gambit, despite my initial doubts about whether or not she would stay with me, despite everything, I could not have been happier that I’d chosen Medea as my Queen. She’d held the position for less than a day and already, the wards around my house were improved, I had a plan to deal with the Magradan situation, and I had an avenue to market my business as something other than a glorified courier service. She was setting groundwork for the future, those weren’t the actions of someone looking to jump ship, but someone who was invested in our mutual success. I’d burned through power equivalent to eight years of my life to find her. I would do it over and over again to achieve this same outcome.

My Queen had also pointed out a rather important detail regarding my meeting with Magdaran that I had completely overlooked. I knew that accepting a position in Magdaran’s peerage would have been akin to spitting in Sairaorg’s face. It was one of the many reasons I had resolved not to join Magdaran. I knew that I wouldn’t be joining his peerage, but what would I think if I were in Sairaorg’s shoes and someone I’d thought I was loose allies with was seen having lunch with the man who stole my inheritance? Yeah, a bit of an oversight, that. I was just glad it was pointed out to me before I went to lunch with Magdaran. It would be far easier to explain things before our meeting than to make excuses after the fact.

While Medea worked downstairs, I went upstairs to shower and change into some nice clothes. After sending Medea a ping through the wards to let her know I was departing, I exited the manor.

I summoned a small Hole over my hand, flicking the point of darkness three times before letting it fade. I waited a beat, then opened a larger Hole that I walked through. Sairaorg’s estate was before me

A Hole opened in front of me before I even made it to the steps. My sister walked through it. She was wearing tight-fitting exercise apparel; sweat and dirt smeared her face.

“Balthazar,” she greeted, a cold look on her face. “I was surprised to receive your message.” Years ago, the two of us had worked out a bastardized morse code system so we could communicate with Hole. We could just speak to each other through our portals, but I didn’t know what she was up to and didn’t want to interrupt anything important. The three taps I’d sent her told her I was on my way to see her. “Tell me, brother, why did I hear of my dear little brother’s ascent to High Class from the Devil Net rather than from his own lips?”

I froze midstep, slowly panning to look up at her. Yep, she looked pissed. “Umm… It slipped my mind? I kind of found myself in a bit of a situation immediately after I got home. On that note, is your King available?”

X

Sairaorg frowned as his eyes scanned the letter I’d given him. Like my sister, he too was wearing athletic apparel and showed signs of recent exertion. It would seem that I interrupted a training session. After I showed my sister Magdaran’s letter, she immediately called her King. Sairaorg had invited me inside and bade me sit at his kitchen table. This was the first look he’d gotten at the letter.

“Thank you,” Sairaorg said absentmindedly as Coriana put a glass of cold water on the table in front of him. She was only wearing a sports bra and high-cut compression shorts. If the situation weren’t so serious, I would have been unable to stop myself from ogling her.

Coriana set another two glasses down in front of Kuisha and I, then left the room, leaving only Sairaorg, my sister and I.

Sairaorg sighed, weary, as he set the letter down. The boisterous grin he’d sported at our last meeting was not present. He looked tired, sad. “Dammit, Mag.” he cursed quietly.

“He wants to publicly embarrass you.” Kuisha said, eyebrows furrowed in fury.

“Not necessarily. He could just want someone at his side as capable as you’re proving to be at mine.” Sairaorg said quietly, like he was trying to convince himself rather than us.

“We need to prevent this.”

Sairaorg shook his head. “There’s not much I can do. I don’t have any friends any more. They all cozied up to Mag the moment he became the Bael heir. Short of taking Balthazar into my peerage…” he turned to look at me, “I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind?”

“Sorry to say that I haven’t.”

“Then there isn’t anything I can do.” Sairaorg said, sounding regretful, but resolute. “Magdaran has as much of a right as I do to petition you to join his peerage. The fact that he has more backing than I do just means his offer will be more…heavy-handed.”

Kuisha put her arm on mine from her seat next to me. “Bal, I know you’ve never enjoyed the idea of being in a peerage, but–”

“My Queen and I have already arrived at an acceptable solution.”

Kuisha withdrew her hand, shocked. “Your Queen?”

Sairaorg looked at me intently. “I was under the impression you’d only just passed the High-Class test.”

“You remember how I told you I had plans for my peerage, Ku? Well, I finally had an opportunity to actually act on those plans. I already reincarnated my queen, and depending on how things go during the meeting, we should be able to recruit my first knight a short time after my meeting with Heir Bael.” I wasn’t sure how Sairaorg felt about his brother, so I was using his title to be respectful. I doubted Sairaorg was the kind to care overly much about decorum, but I would be meeting with Magdaran personally soon. If a lowly, Pillarless devil like myself attended that meeting and talked to him like we were old buddies, I’d piss people off. Better to start practicing my kow-towing now.

As to the possibility of reincarnating my knight, I was pretty sure we could pull it off. Yes, summoning and reincarnating Medea had cost me over half of the demonic power I’d saved up over my life, but I’d been desperate, rushing. So long as the meeting with Magdaran went well, I would be able to take my time. With Medea’s help improving the ritual and the experience I’d gained from finding my Queen, we should be able to find my potential knight without sacrificing nearly as much of my saved power.

“You did tell me you had plans, but I didn’t know they were already in motion. You work fast, little brother.” Was that a hint of hurt I detected in Kuisha’s tone? Did she take me keeping the details of my plans from her as a slight?

“If you can’t recruit your knight until after the meeting, then how does that help you deal with my brother?” Sairaorg asked.

“Sorry, I could have phrased that better. My prospective knight has no bearing one way or the other on how we plan to handle the meeting. I will not be joining Magdaran’s peerage. Instead, I’ll be petitioning him for help with a business venture my Queen and I are working on. We decided that was the best way to go about this so everyone leaves happy. I’d rather avoid making any perceived slights against heir Bael.”

“Then why come here?” Sairaorg asked.

“I figured it was better that you hear all of this from me than for you to overhear Underworld gossip about how I was meeting your brother behind your back. I’d like to think we’re on fairly good terms, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that when all I had to do to stay on good terms was keep you informed of the situation.”

Sairaorg gave me a small smile. “I appreciate that, Balthazar, but I wouldn’t have held it against you. You have a right to act on your peerage’s behalf without justifying yourself to anyone.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to forget who my friends are in the process. I may not have accepted your offer to join your peerage, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand and appreciate everything you were offering me, Sairaorg.” If I didn’t have memories from my first life, I probably would have taken Sairaorg’s offer. He wasn’t the Bael heir anymore, but he was a strong devil all on his own. Being his bishop would have protected me from Underworld politics. Unfortunately for him, my goals required that I expose myself to that world while standing on my own two feet. Still, Sairaorg was a good guy. I wanted to stay on good terms with him if possible.

Sairaorg chuckled. “I wouldn’t have taken it personally, but thanks for stopping by anyway, and feel free to call me Sai. Your sister is my Queen. We’re gonna be around each other a lot.”

“Then you can call me Bal.” I stood up. “Sorry for interrupting your training, but I wanted to let you know what I was up to before there were any misunderstandings. I’ll get out of your hair.”

“Bal, wait.” I stopped as Ku called after me. She turned to Sairaorg. “I would like to meet my brother’s Queen. Would you mind if I accompanied him home?”

Sairaorg shrugged. “Go for it. I’ll let everyone else know where you are.”

“Thank you.” She stood, walking over to my side. “Shall we?”

“Do you want to shower first?”

“I can shower at the manor if I am so inclined.”

“Alright then.” I threw a wave Sairaorg’s way. “I’ll see you around, Sai.”

“Take care when you meet with Magdaran, Bal. He’s my brother, but he… Just be careful.”

I wanted to ask exactly what Sai was warning me about, but a glare from my sister kept my mouth shut. If there was something I needed to know, she’d tell me later.

Kuisha led me outside Sairaord’s mansion and I opened a Hole back home. As we emerged in front of the manor, I sent two pings through the wards. Medea and I hadn’t had time to discuss how to let each other know about unexpected guests, but hopefully she would understand that I had someone with me.

I led Kuisha into the house and into the dining room.

Rather than sitting down, Kuisha walked over to where Medea had been sitting this morning and picked up the wine bottle that was still on the table, swishing it gently in her hand. The bottle was almost empty.

“Bal, please tell me my absence hasn’t driven you to become a drunkard.” Kuisha said, a tired look in her eyes.

“My Queen and I were celebrating her reincarnation. This is not a regular thing.”

Kuisha shook her head and set the bottle back down. A third figure swept into the room immediately after, preventing me from having to continue discussing the topic of alcohol with my sister, a fact I was grateful for.

Medea was still wearing her dark cloak and purple dress, but she’d pulled her hood back up, hiding her hair and her ears. My sister looked her up and down with an appraising eye as she entered the room.

“Kuisha, allow me to introduce my Queen…” I trailed off.

Medea flowed into the room, extending a hand in greeting to my sister as she picked up her introduction where I left off. “I’m Caster. It’s good to meet you, Kuisha. I’ve been looking forward to meeting my King’s sister. He’s told me about you, but it's nice to put a name to the face.”

I held back a sigh of relief as the two women shook hands. It’s not that I didn’t trust my sister, but I really didn’t want anyone to know I’d reincarnated Medea of Colchis as my Queen. That would cause a significant number of issues. Judging by the way Medea introduced herself, it seemed she shared my position. That, or she was following my lead. Either way, I was grateful.

Kuisha’s eyes were narrowed as she held Medea’s gaze. “I wish I could say the same. Imagine my surprise when my brother told me he found his Queen today, not a week after passing the High Class test.”

Medea’s smile sharpened. “Oh? Well my King has been very busy recently. I’m sure he meant no offense to you.”

Kuisha’s posture was cold, confrontational as she said, “I took care of him as he grew. I know better than anyone how little he got out of the house, how few interactions he had with anyone who wasn’t me. Who are you, and what are your intentions towards my brother?”

“Kuisha…” I tried to cut in gently, heading off this brewing storm before it could coalesce.

Medea raised a halting hand towards me, not breaking eye contact with my sister. “Thank you, my King, I can speak for myself. Balthazar saved my life. He has nothing to fear from me.”

Kuisha pursed her lips. “See to it that doesn’t change. I intend to continue this conversation at a later date, but there are other matters to discuss.” She turned her back on Medea and walked back towards the table.

I felt tension bleed out of me. It would have been really ugly if my sister and my Queen decided to have it out in the dining room. I wasn’t sure what I would have even done in such a situation, hidden behind a chair most likely.

Kuisha sat down at the table. I sat across from her. Medea, though, remained standing. She stepped up behind me and laid a hand on my shoulder.

Kuisha’s shot Medea an irritated glare before focusing back on me. “You told Sai you’re planning a business venture? Tell me the details.”

“Well–” I started only to be cut off by Medea.

“Respectfully, this venture has the potential to be very lucrative for my King. If we shared every detail of our plan with you, it is very likely you would be able to take his ideas and beat us to the market.”

“You think I’d steal from my brother?”

“I think I need to protect my King from the possibility.”

“Can we call a truce here?” I asked, cutting into their staredown. “I understand we didn’t get off on the best foot, but we’re all on the same side here. Let’s get through the meeting with Heir Bael, then we can sort out whatever this is. Sound good?”

“I am perfectly content to put these minor insults behind us.” Medea said, smiling sweetly down at Kuisha.

Kuisha took a deep breath. “I wasn’t asking what you were trying to do to steal your idea, Bal, I want to know if being attached to it could give Magdaran political pull. Sai is a great King, but he has no interest in playing politics. He thinks he will be able to carve a future for us with pure strength. He trains even more than you do, pushing us to grow stronger with him. He’s right that devils value strength, but that alone won’t be enough.”

“What does this have to do with my business?” I said, watching my sister carefully. Growing up, I would occasionally catch glimpses of what I’d mentally dubbed her ‘plotting face’. She was definitely plotting something right now.

“I don’t need to know the details of what you’re planning, Bal, but I need to know if it will put Magdaran in a strong position politically.”

I shared a look with Medea. Her lips were pursed, considering.

Turning back to my sister, I said, “Depending on whether or not he agrees to help us, how much support he gives and how quickly we establish ourselves, it certainly could.”

“Then don’t let him help you.” Kuisha said, pressing on before either Medea or I could speak. “With Sai’s mother falling victim to the sleeping sickness, he was granted her estate and wealth. It isn’t as vast as a Pillar’s resources, but it eclipses what our house left behind for us. Sai put me in charge of his assets because he knows I will be able to use them more effectively than he can. Meet with Magdaran, make him an offer to partner with you. Give him time to think about it, then partner with us before he gets back to you. I know you, Bal. You only keep quiet about things that you believe can benefit from. I’d initially thought you were overestimating yourself…” She slowly looked up at Medea. “But I don’t think that’s the case anymore.”

“The whole point of offering him a stake in the business was to avoid pissing him off. This? This will be worse than if I’d refused to meet with him. Rather than mildly annoying him, it'll be akin to if I’d slapped him in the face.” I said, carefully controlling my expression. I think I had an idea where Kuisha was going with this, but I wasn’t sure.

“No less than he’d attempted to do to Sai by recruiting you.”

Medea’s voice cut in before I could respond. “I understand my King is your brother, but you are asking him to make a powerful enemy for no benefit. Magdaran Bael’s intent was to shame your King, not mine. Why should we do as you ask?”

Kuisha looked between the two of us as she spoke. “In the short term, you would have the Bael heir as an enemy, but in the long term? You’d have the Bael heir indebted to you.”

“You want to get Sairaorg reinstated as the heir.” It seemed I was right with my guess. My sister wanted her King to reclaim his lost title. It made sense. If Sairaorg became heir Bael once more, her own status and influence would skyrocket. She would be the Queen of the Bael Heir’s peerage. Further, she was a pureblood devil with a respected name and a bloodline power. If Sairaorg shared the crush she had for him, she was in a position to one day become Lady Bael.

Holding Kuisha’s gaze, I said, “While that would definitely be advantageous for a lot of reasons,” Debts and my burgeoning friendship with Sai aside, having my sister as head of the strongest Pillar in the Underworld and being part of the reason she got there would be an amazing position to be in. “I’d be taking on a lot of risk here. I’ve seen some grumbling on the Devil Net, but nothing that would suggest Sairaorg was in a position to reclaim his heirship from Magdaran anytime soon. My disrespecting him won’t do much to change that one way or the other. I could be at odds with the Baels for quite a while if I did what you asked, and there’s no guarantee you’ll even succeed.”

“Then help me, Bal. You stand to gain just as much from this as I do. With the Bael’s resources, we could restore our family’s position. We could elevate the house of Abaddon, becoming nobility equal to the Pillars.”

“I’m perfectly capable of seeing all the benefits to having my sister as Lady of the Great King Pillar. That doesn’t change the fact that this would likely take centuries to come to fruition when I have yet to even establish myself. I need myself and my peerage in a position where we’ll be safe before agreeing to make Magdaran an enemy.”

Kuisha grinned victoriously. “But you would be willing to support me against him?”

“I have to do what’s best for myself and my peerage. If, in the future, that includes weakening Magdaran to allow Sai to once more be heir, then I would do that in the future. I’m currently too weak and inconsequential to do much against him.”

Medea lightly squeezed my shoulder as she spoke up. “We will need a full peerage and independent wealth before we can reach a decision. We will keep your goals in mind, Kuisha, but for now, I believe it would be best if you left. My King and I have a lot to talk about.”

Kuisha frowned at the rather abrupt dismissal, but gave a jerky nod. “You can reach out to me at any time to discuss this. I’d also ask that you forward any prospective peerage members you yourself are not interested in. Sai is still searching for powerful people to reincarnate. It will be much easier for me to show him as the better option if he has a full peerage.” She stood, nodding to Medea and I. “Good luck with your meeting with Magdaran, little brother. I look forward to continuing our discussion, Caster.” Her parting words said, she left the room. Medea and I waited in silence until we felt Kuisha depart through the wards.

“What do you think of her proposal?” I asked. I’d gone looking for Medea for her input on matters such as these. It would be dumb not to ask her opinion.

“There are benefits and drawbacks to each path. With the ritual you used to find me, we do not need to concern ourselves with the Baels using their political might to prevent you from recruiting for your peerage, but it could benefit us to appear to be close to them. By doing business with them, we would have access to more information and trust than we would have otherwise. We could use that to aid your sister’s goal if we wanted.”

“And we’d be in a strong position regardless of whether her plans fell apart or not.” I supplied.

“There is that as well, master.”

I rolled my head back to look up at her with a raised eyebrow. “No more, ‘my King’?”

She smiled playfully. “You’re my King in public, and my master in private.”

I snorted. “If that’s how you want it, sure. So long as you’re happy.”

“What do you want to do, master?”

I drummed my fingers on the table as I considered my options. I didn’t want to make an enemy of Magdaran right now, so I wasn’t going to follow along with my sister’s plan. That was too shortsighted. I’d initially wanted to avoid working with Magdaran, but Medea was right. If I wanted to help my sister, being closer to her enemy would be the best way to go about it.

I jumped, startled as Medea’s hands came to rest on my head.

“You’re frowning too much, master.”

I sighed euphorically, closing my eyes and leaning into her touch as her fingers began caressing small circles into my head. Whatever she was doing right now had to be magic. It felt like she was literally massaging away the stress.

“Thanks, Medea.”

“Of course, master. Have you made up your mind?”

“We’ll try to get Magdaran to partner with us. It’ll help us build up the business faster and let us keep an eye on him. It might give him a minor political boost, but in the long term we’ll probably be able to get more out of being close to him then he’ll be able to get out of us. If Kuisha’s plans fall through, we’ll still be in a good position. While we’re building the business, we’ll need to build up our peerage. I have enough power stored up for at least one more trek out beyond the Dimensional Gap, but it would probably be a good idea to start looking for candidates locally as well in case this next jaunt eats through the last of my reserves. I have some ideas on that front, but they’ll take some looking into.”

“I have some ideas in that vein as well, but don’t worry about it right now. We can wait until your meeting with the Bael heir is concluded before making any final decisions. You still haven’t fully recovered from summoning me. Rest, master. I’ll wake you up with plenty of time for you to prepare for your lunch with Magdaran.”

I sighed again, feeling a sudden drowsiness come over me. “Thank you, Medea. I picked…the best Queen.”

Sleep claimed me. My worries could all wait for tomorrow.

Chapter 4: 4

Chapter Text

Intellectually, I’d known the Bael Estate would be large. The Bael family was the most influential in the Underworld, it would make sense that their wealth and lands would be equal to those of some weather factions. I was not ready for what that meant in practice.

The invitation Magdaran sent me had instructions for how I would arrive. The letter itself would serve as my transportation, pulling me to the House Bael at the scheduled time. What greeted me as I teleported was a massive castle the likes of which I’d never seen. The castle alone was the size of a large town, to say nothing of the lands beyond it. There were two women in formal maids apparel waiting for me. They greeted me and led me into the castle, through towering doors and into an entrance hall with marble floors and ceilings that were as high as skyscrapers were tall. We passed a number of guards and other staff who acknowledged me respectfully as they went about their work.

The maids led me through a maze of halls and corridors until we came to a small room on the third level with an attached balcony. The doorway to the balcony was lined with white flowers woven together. The room itself held a number of potted plants of various kinds – more flowers, saplings, even a cactus – there didn’t seem to be much of a theme to the collection.

I was relieved when I saw where we would be eating. There were only two chairs set at the table. We wouldn’t be in a grand dining hall with a large audience. I didn’t expect to be left alone with Magdaran due to security concerns, but I was glad this would be a somewhat private affair. It also showed me that Magdaran was the one calling the shots here. He might have been pressured to call this meeting by his parents, but he was the one I would be dealing with. That made things a lot easier for me.

“Please sit, sir.” One of the maids said, motioning to a chair as the second poured steaming tea from a pot into a cup. “I will inform Lord Magdaran that you have arrived. Please wait here.” She left while the second maid offered me hors d'oeuvres while I waited. I politely refused. After telling me to ask if I needed anything, the maid stepped away into the corner of the room. It would seem she, and likely the other maid, would be here for the meeting. Neither of them looked all that intimidating, but I imagined they were both incredibly powerful. Earning a place on the Bael family’s staff would secure a low-class devil’s future. It was probably highly competitive, meaning the maids were all highly capable and likely able to defend their charges, at least long enough for the guards to swarm any potential threats. I wasn’t planning on making trouble, so I hopefully wouldn’t have an opportunity to test that theory.

“Balthazar?”

I stood up and bowed as the maid returned with a young man walking in front of her. Magdaran appeared to be in his mid-teens. It was like looking at a younger, unmuscled Sairaorg, complete with the same black hair and purple eyes.

“Heir Bael, thank you for the invitation.”

“Please, none of that. You can just call me Magdaran. Feel free to sit. Our salad course should be here soon.” Magdaran said. He was soft spoken, polite.

I waited for Magdaran to sit across from me, then took my own seat. I took note of one of the maids standing just behind Magdaran while the other was behind me where I couldn’t see her. Perfect positioning to protect their heir and strike me from behind if the situation called for it. Or maybe I was making something out of nothing. I was a little stressed. I wanted this meeting to go well.

“Congratulations for your promotion to High Class, Balthazar. I watched the recording of your fight. It was impressive. It was the most entertaining from the test despite how brief it was.”

“Thank you. I was glad to receive my Evil Pieces.” Was he scouting for peerage members watching the High Class tournament? If so, I could have avoided all of this by testing at a different time. But it was what it was, no use whining now.

A man in a tuxedo entered the room with a tray. He set a small bowl of salad in front of Magdaran and I then left as swiftly as he entered.

“Lets dig in. Our chefs are some of the best around. I’m sure you’ll be impressed.” Magdaran said, picking up his fork.

I followed his lead, slowly eating my salad. It was good, but I wasn’t really here for the food.

“I imagine you’re wondering why I invited you here.” Magdaran said in between bites.

“I have a few ideas.”

“Then I’ll just cut to the chase. What would it take for you to agree to be my Queen?”

I was a little taken aback by the offer. I’d been expecting him to offer me a bishop. Still, that wouldn’t change my decision.

Choosing to be direct, I said, “I’m sorry, Magdaran, but I do not wish to join your peerage.”

He pursed his lips, setting his fork aside, salad unfinished. “I have a lot I can offer you. Will you let me try to change your mind?”

“You are welcome to try, but I am firm in my position.” I didn’t want to be rude, but leading him on and being insincere would just piss him off. It was better I was clear about my intentions here. If he wanted to try to convince me, he was more than welcome to, but nothing would come of it.

“Can I ask why?”

“There are a few reasons. The most important of which is that I plan to open a business venture. I will need to dedicate my time fully to that. I won’t be able to fulfill my duties in a peerage or regularly attend Rating Games.”

“A business venture?” He seemed intrigued.

“Yes, without saying too much, I plan to use Hole to facilitate rapid shipping and selling of select items.”

He frowned, pondering. “Hole is well suited to such, but if you’re planning to compete with other shipping companies, I don’t see how you could oust them. Simple teleportation is easy enough to use and everyone has access to it.”

“The main advantage is that I’ll be operating alone for at least the start. Without Hole, I would have to teleport every item individually. It wouldn’t be hard or cost me anything, but I wouldn’t be able to send nearly as many items in one day because it would be so time consuming. I’d inevitably have to start paying other people to help me. Since I can use Hole to open multiple, instant portals around the world simultaneously, I won’t have to worry about paying others to distribute my products when I can do it myself. From what I have been able to see, that is one of the largest obstacles to getting established. I can negate those initial costs completely, but I’ll need to work almost 24/7. I won’t have time for anything else.”

Further, after experimenting with Hole, I’d found I could open stable portals so long as I continued to sustain them with Demonic Power. Factories weren’t as common today as they were in the past, but there were still some that were operational. How much time and productivity would they save by being able to just push half-complete builds through a portal to the next part of an assembly line rather than teleporting each part individually. I intended to sell my services once I was established.

“What if I helped with your business?” Magdaran said. “I have independent wealth from some herbs and cures I’ve made. You wouldn’t need to handle all transport yourself. Provided I was interested in your product, of course. What did you say you planned to sell?”

I smiled. “I didn’t. I’ve been keeping that to myself for the time being.”

Magdaran seemed amused. “Well now I’m really curious. I don’t suppose you could give me a hint?”

“My Queen is a very capable woman. She will be my main supplier. That is all I am at liberty to say to anyone who is not a partner.”

Magdaran frowned, taken aback. “Your Queen? But you just passed the High Class test.”

“I’ve been working on recruiting my Queen for a long time. The final piece needed was, funny enough, the actual Evil Piece to reincarnate her.”

Our conversation halted as the man in the tuxedo returned, taking our salads away and leaving a piece of baked fish behind. It looked like cod, but there was something off about it. It could just be really high end cod. I bought the cheap stuff.

“If your Queen is your only source of supply right now, you’ll run out of things to sell quickly. That’s the downside to your higher distribution speed.” Magdaran commented, taking a bite of his fish.

“That’s true. It is also why I plan to try to sell my services.” I said. I was already aware of this. It was one of the main reasons I wanted to work as a middle man. It would be a lot easier for me to buy other people’s products then sell them rapidly to someone else than to make things myself. The simple fact of the matter was, I could transport far more than I could actually make use of. Another reason I wanted to sell my services, but I needed to show using my way was viable before people would even consider switching away from simple teleportation.

“While that would fix the problem, I doubt anyone would be willing to take you up on your offer. I’m not the most experienced, but what little business I’ve done has shown me that your colleagues will be very controlling of their stock and their profits. Your methods might be superior to thie own, but not so much so as to convince them to give you control over their distribution. It would give you far too much power over them.”

That…admittedly could prove to be an issue. Not as large an issue as it could have been before since Medea could produce magical items for me, but my original plan was to sell myself as a supernatural courier service. If I had no takers, it would be hard to work that way.

“With that said,” Magdaran continued. “I’d be interested in hiring you.”

That caused me to focus on him, a bite of fish forgotten. “In what capacity?”

Magdaran looked to the side, holding out a hand. One of the white flowers woven into the arch of the door to the balcony unwound itself, drifting through the air into his waiting hand. There was a small, happy smile on his face as he slowly twirled the flower between his fingers. “I’m a botanist. Not to sound arrogant, but I’m a very good botanist. I’ve already made several breakthroughs in medicine, minor though they may be, and I’m close to making advances in other areas. The problem with medicine is that it's more valuable in the sunlit world than the supernatural. We have magical healers. Humans don’t. Of course, finding people willing to transport small quantities of products to the mortal world is difficult because it isn’t profitable enough.”

Magdaran locked eyes with me. “I’m confident the projects I am working on currently will be profitable in the supernatural world, but I still need some time to work through some things. In the meantime, I suggest we help one-another. You would transport my goods. I would help you establish your business and supply you with a larger quantity of products to sell.”

That sounded pretty good actually. When I came here, I was planning on bartering percentage ownership of my business. This, a simple collaboration between two distinctly separate entities, was far preferable. “We’d need to go over the details, but I’m definitely interested in such an arrangement.”

Magdaran smiled, warm and pleased. “I’m glad. While I admit that I would be disappointed to leave this lunch without a new Queen, I would be happy to say I had a new friend at its conclusion. Returning to that topic, I recall you said there were multiple reasons you intended to refuse my offer. Your business and your own burgeoning peerage are clearly two of those reasons. Were there others?”

I took a bite of fish, slowly chewing to buy myself a moment to think. The fish was good, but the taste was far from my thoughts at present.

From this brief discussion with Magdaran, I was beginning to think I’d judged him wrong. In fairness to myself, all I had to go on were some cryptic words from Sairaorg and the letter he sent me, but he didn’t appear to be a manipulative, spiteful man willing to steal away his brother’s birthright for power. He seemed like a regular guy.

“Another fairly large reason is my relationship with your brother.” I said, carefully watching Magdaran’s face to gauge his reaction.

Magdaran froze, pinching the flower in his hands unconsciously. He quickly recovered, setting the white bloom down on the table next to his plate. “You and Sai are friends, then?”

I noted the use of his brother’s nickname, filing it away for later. “I don’t think we’ve spent enough time together to be called friends, but we’re on good terms. My sister is his Queen. If for no other reason than that, it serves us both to treat each other well.”

Magdaran was staring down at the flower on the table. “There are many reasons I wanted to make you my Queen, Balthazar. I saw your fight and wondered what else you were capable of if you could defeat a devil with a Sacred Gear so easily. You also have an older sibling around the same age as Sai, so I thought we might be able to get along better. You seemed interesting. But if I’m honest, your sister being Sai’s Queen was a pretty big reason.” He looked up at me, an almost apologetic look on his face. “I thought if our Queens were siblings, Sai and I would be forced to interact more frequently.”

“I’m…not sure I understand.” I said, not entirely following what he was saying. Was he trying to say he wanted an excuse to be closer to his brother? Hadn’t he taken the heirship from Sairaorg though? I would’ve thought he’d be at odds with Sai.

Magdaran sighed. “My relationship with my brother is…complicated. That is almost entirely my fault. I made several mistakes in the past pursuing… Well, it’s unimportant now. Suffice to say I have many regrets about our current situation and wanted to try to…if not fix things, at least make them better.”

Well this was certainly unexpected. I’d come to this meeting expecting to meet a little brat who hated his older brother and wanted everything to go his way. I hadn’t expected to meet a young man who looked more tired and regretful than happy. There was potential here.

“I won’t pretend to know the full details of your relationship with Sairaorg, but if you wish to…improve things between you, I’d be willing to help. If you and I will be working together going forward, then we’ll have a chance to get to know each other better. I was planning on giving my sister’s peerage preferential rates, so there’s opportunity there as well.” While a single conversation wasn’t enough to get to know someone, Magdaran looked like he didn’t exactly enjoy the current state of his life. Kuisha wanted Sai to get his heirship back and was willing to work underhanded to accomplish that goal, but there might be another way.

Magdaran had a soft smile on his face. “I think… I think I’d like that.”

Conversation stalled once more as the tuxedo guy returned, he had to be a butler, taking away our fish plates and leaving a small cake of some sort behind. This was probably the fanciest lunch I’d been to, complete with three courses and servants doting on your every need. Lunch to me was typically a sandwich or leftovers, but this seemed very informal by Bael standards. If this was casual, what did Magdaran consider formal? Differences in status came with vast differences in lifestyle.

“So tell me about your Queen, Balthazar. If you were ready to reincarnate her before receiving your Evil Pieces, you must know her from before, right?”

“Something like that.” I said with an amused grin. “She likes her privacy, so I hesitate to say too much, but we get along well and she enjoys using magic. She is one of the better mages that I’ve met.”

Magdaran made a considering sound. “High praise, but then she’d have to be impressive to earn your Queen piece much in the same way your sister caught my brother’s eye and you mine.” He fixed me with a sly grin. “I don’t suppose the cake has made you change your mind about accepting my offer? If you agree to let me reincarnate you, you have my word that it will be served at every meal.”

I chuckled, genuinely amused. “As delicious as it is, it regretfully has not changed my mind.”

“Shame. Well, even if I leave here without a Queen, I think this meeting was rather successful. I’m interested in working with you, but I need to consult some people first. Would you be amenable to meeting with me at a later date to go over details?”

Feeling our lunch drawing to a close, I said, “Of course. I will be very busy in the near future as I work to set everything up, but I will make time for you.”

Magdaran shook his head. “Don’t worry too much about it. My schedule is open. I can modify it to accommodate yours.” He stood, an action I copied, and walked around the table to extend his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Balthazar Abaddon. Thank you for coming. I will send you another letter when I am prepared to move forward on my end.”

“Thank you for having me. I look forward to your correspondence.” I said as I shook his hand.

“Until then.” He gave me a parting nod and left, one of the maids going with him.

The second maid stepped forward and requested I follow her. She escorted me back through the halls of the Bael estate until we exited out the front door. A teleportation circle spread out from under us, whisking us away to the center of a busy street. Were we in Lucifaad?

“Thank you for your attendance today, sir. I wish you a pleasant day.” With that, the maid teleported away, leaving me alone in the city.

I pursed my lips, considering how that had gone. From my perspective, it looked as if things couldn’t have gone much better, but I needed a second opinion. I held up my hand to open a Hole home, pausing as I saw a shop a short distance down the street.

I smiled, letting my hand fall as I walked towards the shop. I was in town anyway, so I might as well, right?

X

Balthazar had been gone for a while now. Medea didn’t like staying behind while he went to talk to the heir of the most manipulative pillar in the Underworld, but she knew that showing up unannounced would not reflect well on her master. Besides, he would be fine. She’d extensively researched the Bael pillar while he was sleeping and she felt she had a pretty clear picture of things. They wouldn’t want to push Balthazar too hard, at least during opening talks, and he was dealing with the heir instead of the lord, so that was an added layer of protection.

Rather than pace the halls waiting for him to return, Medea had decided to be productive. The most pressing issue, and the first she dealt with, was the wards around the manor. Now they were more than just passable. Using the Demonic Power her reincarnation had granted her, and wasn’t a new way to use magic just amazing, she’d created a territory that she would be confident repelling all but the strongest threats in. No one would be able to challenge them here.

With that done, she got to work setting up a workspace in Balthazar’s lab where she could craft magical items. She didn’t need a very impressive workspace to create the items she would be selling, but she would need such a space for when Balthazar found his new peerage members. She expected she would be tasked with providing them with equipment, a task she was happy to shoulder. As she’d come to learn, the Queen’s role in the peerage was the King’s right hand. She would be looked to to lead the peerage when Balthazar was indisposed and similarly have to shoulder certain political responsibilities. She would be ready.

Once her workspace was done, Medea didn’t really know what to do. She could get started making some minor magical items, but she didn’t have many materials. She could break some things down, but it was probably better to wait to go purchase raw materials. That left Medea with nothing to do until Balthazar got back. At least until she got an idea.

Balthazar had explained to her the method through which he summoned her. Using the properties of his bloodline magic combined with a ritual of his own design and a store of demonic power he’d cultivated over the years, he’d reached across worlds to find her. He’d spent his whole life saving up power and had used most of it to find her as she lay dying in the mud. If he hadn’t reached out, she would be dead.

Medea forced the dark thoughts away, focusing back on the ritual itself. It was impressive. Medea had already corrected several imperfections and flaws Balthazar had made when designing it, but for one so inexperienced, it was a masterpiece. Still, it was a costly ritual. Balthazar was older and more powerful than when he initially stored up the power he used to save her, so it would take less time for him to store up more, even less time if Medea contributed some of her own power as she was willing to do, but the ritual still carried risk. There was a possibility they would not be able to find Balthazar’s target as they searched through the infinite, using up their store of power and forcing them to wait until they’d stored up enough to try again.

They needed more allies, Balthazar needed to recruit more peerage members, but it was possible the ritual might fail, forcing them to wait. Balthazar had said he had ideas about recruiting new members ‘locally’, but he had, rightly, been focused on his meeting with Magdaran and failed to share them with Medea. She was confident he would, but for now, she was left exploring the only potential path available to her.

Medea left the manor, flying a fair distance away from the structure in case anything went horribly wrong. She was confident in her abilities, but she didn’t want the house to break by accident. That would be awkward to explain to Balthazar. Once she was far enough away to be confident the house wouldn’t be at risk while still being within the safety net provided by the wards she had painstakingly constructed, Medea called forth an item.

A thick hide of golden wool like a fluffy, shiny cloud appeared, draped over her hands.

Medea pursed her lips. She wasn’t certain this was going to work. She wasn’t able to make use of this item before due to her lack of knowledge surrounding the summoning of Phantasmal Beasts. She could manage her familiars just fine, even now the forests surrounding the Abaddon manor were thick with her spies, but greater monstrosities such as this were beyond her. Still, there was a chance she could actually make use of the hide now, albeit not a way she’d have ever thought.

Medea gently laid the hide down on the grass, spread wide in front of her as she knelt in front of it. She couldn’t summon the dead guardian when she was a Heroic Spirit, but she was a devil in a new world now. Things had changed.

Medea channeled magic into the hide, trying to find some purchase for her new magic, exploiting her devil magic’s reliance on her imagination to the fullest. She willed something to happen.

The hide remained in front of her, unchanged. Medea remained alone in the field, no great dragon appearing before her. But something had happened.

The hide disappeared into motes of energy as Medea flew back towards the manor, practically sprinting into the basement. She pulled some potions and ingredients off the shelves, making a mental note to tell Balthazar she’d used his supplies later. She found an open space on the ground and began etching a scrying circle into the ground. Once it was prepared, she activated it, projecting her awareness beyond the bounds of the Underworld into the mortal realm.

There were many peculiarities that had fascinated Medea about this new world she found herself in. Those first few hours she’d spent pouring through the Devil Net, she’d learned a lot, seen a lot. People from ages past were known to reincarnate in this world. The Age of Gods never ended. Gods walked among mortals with the mortals none the wiser. There was a startling lack of skilled mystical craftsman for a world where gods still roamed. When Medea had tried to find details about magical items, the most common results she found detailed one particular kind.

Sacred Gears. Powerful items created by the God – Ow! She was still getting used to that. Why could she say gods to refer to other pantheons but she couldn’t say God – Ow! Whatever.

Sacred Gears were powerful items created by that guy that bound to the souls of their human users. When their host died, the Sacred Gear would drift for a time before binding itself to another wielder. Sacred Gears varied in power. Some allowed mortals to challenge gods. Some Sacred Gears couldn’t protect a human from other humans. There was a large disparity in power.

The stronger Sacred Gears all had something unique about them. Some were important historical artifacts imbued with that guy’s power. Some were able to spawn entire armies. Some housed the captured souls of powerful creatures, lending the user the trapped creature’s power.

How interesting. Medea had seen from her research that the history of this world and that of her own were not identical. For one, the gods abandoned her world long ago. She had just discovered another, more minor difference that was far more personal to her.

It would appear that a certain dragon she’d met in life had found itself trapped in a Sacred Gear. How amusing.

Any further investigation would have to wait for later. Medea felt Balthazar return through the wards and rushed upstairs to greet him.

“Master!” Medea called, exploding out the front door. “The meeting, did it…” She trailed off, tilting her head in confusion. Why was he carrying so many bags?

“Hey, Medea!” He was happy. That was a good sign, right? “It went just about as well as it could have. I need to meet with my sister soon to go over some stuff with her, but that can wait a bit. I’ll fill you in first.”

“Master, what is all that?”

“This?” He hefted the bags up. “The Bael maids dropped me off in Lucifaad, so I figured I’d do some shopping. I got groceries and some basic materials so you can start making things if you want. Also…” He rummaged around one of the bags. “This is for you. I wasn’t sure what your favorite was, so I got one of the ones that has a bit of everything.”

Medea slowly reached out and took the dark box wrapped in red ribbon. She unwound the ribbon and opened the box. Chocolate. She tried one. It was good.

“Thank you, master.” Medea said, turning around to hide the red dusting her cheeks, and the two other chocolates she popped into her mouth. They were really good.

“Come on,” Balthazar said, “I’ll let you know how the meeting went.”

“Of course, master. I have something to share with you too.” Medea wasn’t sure how they’d be able to use the information she’d found, but they would be able to use it.

“Oh?” He seemed interested. “Well I’m all ears. Once we’re done filling each other in, let's take the night off. I bought some movies while I was in Lucifaad. Have you seen Dragonheart?”

Medea was taken aback. A movie? She knew what they were of course, but she’d yet to watch one. “No.”

“Then you’re watching it tonight. I’ll fill you in on the meeting while I make popcorn, then we can take the rest of the night off.”

Medea followed him into the kitchen. They discussed the various happenings and discoveries that had occurred during the day, then settled down on the couch in front of a TV, a bowl of shared popcorn in Balthazar’s lap.

Medea had never seen a movie before, and she loved it. The story, the characters, the humor, the surprisingly emotional conclusion – it was far more entertaining than she had expected when Balthazar told her they’d be watching a movie.

As the film progressed, Medea slowly inched closer to Balthazar on the couch until the two were sitting side by side. Near the end of the movie, Balthazar wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Medea leaned into him, thankful that her hood was blocking his view of her face.

It was a good night.

Chapter 5: 5

Chapter Text

Movie night with Medea was a much needed break from all the stress I’d felt for the past week. I went from the High Class test, to digging through the Blind Eternities, to going to a stressful meeting that turned out to be not that stressful at all. I was wound tight, and some time watching a good movie with good company was just what the doctor ordered.

We had a brief chat while the popcorn was popping about my meeting with Magdaran. She agreed with my tentative assessment of the situation. We were going to move forward with our plan to do business with him, but we’d still keep an eye out for any underhanded plays. After meeting Magdaran, I didn’t think he was the type, but it was possible he was a better actor than I gave him credit for, or that his family would try to pull something without his knowledge. I should be too small time for Lord Bael or Zekram to take an interest in at present, but a little caution never hurts.

It was a little ironic I’d bought a movie about a dragon considering what Medea had told me right before watching said movie. As for what we were going to do about it, I still wasn’t sure. She’d been able to locate a Sacred Gear holder somewhere in France whose Sacred Gear contained the Colchian Dragon that she encountered while traveling with the Argonauts, DXD’s version of said dragon anyway. We didn’t have much more detail at present, but she was working on getting more.

I’d never seen this specific Sacred Gear in the anime, so we’d be going in blind. It wasn’t exactly ideal, but metaknowledge couldn’t be relied on for everything. The question was whether or not we even wanted to approach the Sacred Gear holder to attempt to recruit them. I knew of many interesting individuals from the anime that we could recruit, but I’d held off on that for a couple of reasons.

For one, I didn’t have much in the way of offerings to convince people to join my peerage. That was one of the advantages of my scrying ritual and trips beyond the Dimensional Gap with Hole. I could find people in a position where accepting a deal to become a Devil would be considered a good option compared to their present circumstances. It was manipulative, but it was the only card I really had to play.

Another reason I hadn’t approached some individuals who would be easier to recruit was simply because I didn’t really like them. Issei Hyoudou would be the easiest person in the world to recruit. Tell him devils could have harems and that there were lots of hot devils and he’d throw his soul at you. I just… I didn’t think I’d be able to keep my sanity if I had to spend a lot of time around him. I’d actually considered telling Sairaorg about him for some goodwill, but I didn’t want that guy anywhere near my sister. I’d figure out something else for how to benefit from knowing the identity of the Boosted Gear’s holder. I had a lot of time left before canon started, so I didn’t need to rush things.

Then there was the fact that reincarnating some of the people I’d thought of would make me some very dangerous enemies. Did I want Sephiroth Graal? Absolutely. Did I want the entire Tepes Clan calling for my head? Not particularly.

On the other hand, I really did need more allies. So far, it was just Medea and I. The two of us were having to build a business from the ground up by ourselves. We needed help, and some extra power on our side wouldn’t hurt. I’d be able to afford making some enemies if I had a stronger peerage behind me, which would allow me to start making bolder moves. I would come to a decision when Medea came to me with more information than the Sacred Gear holder’s approximate location. For now, I had to meet with my sister.

Arriving in front of Sairaorg’s mansion, I followed the instructions my sister had given me and headed around the back of the house. Off in the distance behind the house, I could make out what looked to be a small coliseum-like structure. I opened a Hole and was there in a single step.

“I’m here…I think.” I said, opening another Hole next to my mouth.

“Fly up to the top. I’m in the observation area.” my sister’s voice responded.

I closed the Hole and manifested my wings, taking flight up the wall until I was over the structure.

The structure was built into a square with a large dirt field in the middle of the box shape. Currently, there were two giant monsters thrashing against one another in the field down below.

I paused in mid-air to watch the spectacle of a brown scaled dragon slamming a giant golden lion into the ground. The lion rolled to its feet and pounced, slashing at the dragon with its claws.

When Kuisha had told me she was overseeing some of the peerage’s training, I hadn’t expected this. The lion was obviously Regulus, but since when did Sairaorg have a dragon in his peerage?

Still watching the dragon attempt to burn the lion alive with fire, I slowly floated over to an elevated platform with a viewing box overlooking the field.

“Impressive, aren’t they?” Kuisha said with an amused smile as I landed next to her.

“I don’t even… Where’d the dragon come from?”

“You’ve already met.” Kuisha said. She sounded like she was enjoying my reaction far too much. “That is Ladora. The lion is Regulus.”

Sparing a moment’s glance away from the sight of a golden lion trying to pin a dragon to the ground, I turned to my sister and said, “Ladora can turn into a dragon?” Was that in the anime and I’d just forgotten it? To be fair, I never really knew most of Sairaorg’s peerage. The only ones that stuck in my memory were Regulus because he was the Nemean Lion and Kuisha because of Hole.

“His family’s magic allows him to tame dragons. After rigorous training, they can also learn to become dragons themselves. He has only recently unlocked this ability.” Kuisha explained.

“That is undeniably cool.” I said, more than a little jealous. Who wouldn’t want to be able to turn into a dragon?

“Wishing you’d been born a Buné, brother?”

“Hardly,” I said, giving her a flat look. “I may not be able to turn into a dragon, but this,” I created a Hole above my hand. “Is far batter.” Could Ladora reach through the Dimensional Gap to reincarnate the best Queen in the Underworld? No. No he could not.

“It’s good to see you, Bal. Judging by how cheerful you are, I would assume your meeting with Magdaran went well?”

I let out a sigh. “Down to business, huh? We can’t watch the giant lion and the giant dragon try to kill each other just a little longer?”

“You are perfectly capable of watching the lion and dragon try to kill each other while we talk. Now tell me what happened at the meeting.”

I leaned against the railing in the viewing box, watching as the dragon’s claws scraped harmlessly off the lion’s tough hide. “Nothing is set in stone yet, but It’s all but guaranteed Magdaran and I will go into business together.”

Kuisha’s expression went blank. “I see. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to reconsider that? Sairaorg’s wealth can support you just as well as Magdaran’s.”

“It’s not just money. Magdaran has some botanical stuff he wants to throw into the deal, and that’ll help me bolster my stock of goods a bit. Besides, I don’t think we need to take any overt action against him to accomplish your goal.”

Kuisha frowned. “What do you mean?”

“He didn’t offer me his bishop. He wanted me to be his Queen. We talked a little bit about the reasons he wanted me as his Queen and he said a big one was you being my sister.”

“How does that factor?”

“He said it would be easier to approach his brother to mend bridges if both of their Queens got along well. I think…” I shook my head. “This is speculation, but I think he’s regretting his decision to push Sai out of his position as heir. He didn’t strike me as a prideful, power-hungry guy. He just seemed tired of all the politicking. When we weren’t talking about hard topics he was a pretty cool guy.”

“Could it have been an act?” Kuisha’s entire focus was on me as she adopted a deep thinking expression. She totally missed Regulus grab Ladora’s tail in his mouth and use it to toss the dragon across the arena like a sack of potatoes. The lion pounced on top of the dragon and pinned it, letting out a triumphant roar.

I shrugged. “It’s possible. I didn’t spend an awful lot of time with him, but it felt genuine. I’ll probably be able to get a better picture of his feelings on the whole thing as I work with him on our business.”

Kuisha’s eyebrows were furrowed. She lightly tapped out a sharp rhythm on the railing. “This… If he really is having regrets, that would make things much easier for me. It would also be much better for Sai.” She laid a hand on my arm, then smiled and pulled me into a hug.

I was a little surprised, but accepted it easily enough.

“Thank you, Bal.” She pulled back, seeming genuinely happy. “Please let me know if you learn anything else while working with him. I am going to… Well, there’s a lot I’m going to do. I’ll see you later, little brother.”

Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, I gave her a two finger salute. “See ya, sis.” A Hole opened up at my side, I moved to step through it, pausing right before. I turned back around. “Ku?”

She turned around, surprised I hadn’t left yet. “Yes?”

“You said Ladora can tame dragons, right?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I did.”

“How does that work exactly? And how does his ability define what a ‘dragon’ is?”

“Is there a particular reason you’re asking?”

I pursed my lips, considering if it was really worth the risk of unleashing the world’s most unrepentant pervert on my sister. “Nah. On second thought, never mind. Have a good one!”

“Bal, wa–” Her words were cut off as the Hole closed behind me.

It probably wouldn’t work anyway. A dragon in a Sacred Gear was not the same as a wild dragon. And even if it could work, there was a difference between taming a dragon and taming Ddraig. It was probably best that I think of some other way to profit off of Issei Hyoudou.

I walked inside my house and headed to the dining room. “Medea?” I called, searching for my Queen.

A squawk drew my attention as a shadowy raven flew down from an unseen perch near the ceiling and landed in front of me on the table. The bird’s beak opened. “I’m in the basement.” Medea’s voice spoke through the raven. The bird’s beak closed and it flew back up to disappear somewhere in the ceiling.

I stared after the bird for a moment. That was a neat trick. Creepy, but neat.

I headed down into the basement, through the not-so-secret-anymore tunnel and into mine and Medea’s workshop. My Queen was kneeling in a small spell circle off in the corner, far enough removed to not interfere with the much larger circle in the center of the room for scrying beyond the Dimensional Gap. There was a golden animal hide laid out flat on the ground in front of her connected to the scrying circle.

“How is your sister, master?” Medea asked, focused on whatever she was doing, but still able to converse with me.

“She’s fine. I filled her in and she said she’s going to maybe change tracks with how she approaches her goal. We’ll need to give her more information as we work with Magdaran.”

“We expected that, but it’s good that your sister will not be implementing any of her more impulsive plans. Magdaran seems willing to work with you in good faith. It would be foolish to jeopardize that without good cause.”

“I agree, hence why I thought it was a good idea to go fill her in before she did anything rash. Did you have any success while I was gone?”

“I was able to ascertain a rough location, but I do not know exactly what to expect this Sacred Gear holder to look like. If we come face-to-face, I will likely be able to point them out to you.”

“What do you want to do, Medea? You’re the one with the most experience with this dragon.”

Medea chuckled lightly. The golden hide vanished into motes of light as she levitated to her feet. “My experience with this creature was with a different version of this creature, and it was a hostile encounter. I do not know if this world’s version of the Colchian Dragon will be hostile to me or if it will even be able to recognize me. I will follow your lead on this, master.”

I considered my options for a moment.

Until Magdaran contacted me, I had some free time. I wanted to use that time to recruit for my peerage because I was willing to bet I would be too busy to easily do so once we started building our business in earnest. I could just ignore the Sacred Gear and use my ritual to try to find my prospective knight. With Medea at my side, it would likely be significantly easier than when I’d tried to find her. At the same time, Sacred Gears were highly sought after in the Supernatural world. Leaving an avenue unexplored just didn’t sit right with me. I was able to justify leaving Issei alone because I could trade his location to another devil for a significant boon when the opportunity presented itself. The Colchian Dragon on the other hand? I didn’t have all the information. It couldn’t hurt to just take a look. If it didn’t work out, then I wouldn’t take them. I could trade the information later like I was planning to do with Issei.

“Did you have anything important planned for today?” I asked Medea.

She smiled, looking pleased. “I do not. Are we going to Paris, then?”

“The Sacred Gear is in Paris?”

X

“Oh! There it is!” Medea ran ahead of me, holding her sunhat down so the wind wouldn’t blow it away. She had a look of excitement on her face as she looked up at the Eiffel Tower. We’d both traded out our traditional wardrobe for this trip. Medea wore a violet sundress to go with her hat while I wore jeans and a red t-shirt.

“Can we go up there, master?”

I followed the finger she pointed to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Technically, we were here on business to learn more about a Sacred Gear user. Technically.

“When in Paris… We might as well.” I said, smiling as Medea clapped excitedly. My Queen ran up to me and wrapped both of her arms around one of mine, dragging me with her through the crowd towards the line for the elevator.

Medea shared facts about the tower and Paris as a whole with me while we waited in line, apparently she’d spent a lot of time with a search engine before coming here. When we were finally able to ride the elevators all the way to the top she rushed over to the railing, looking out over the city. I walked up behind her, silently enjoying the view.

“It’s beautiful.” Medea breathed.

“That it is.” I agreed easily, turning to look at her. The dress and hat she wore were a stark contrast to the imposing clothing she typically wore. It was nice to see her relaxed.

Medea saw me looking at her, and hunched in on herself, concerned. “Is something wrong, master?”

I smiled. “Nothing. I was just thinking about how beautiful you look in that dress.”

Medea’s ears twitched. Her cheeks reddened. “We… We should get going, Master.” She walked up next to me and took my hand in hers, refusing to look me in the eye as we headed back towards the elevators. I didn’t say anything, just enjoyed her company.

The ride down was faster than the ride up because we didn’t have to wait as long for the elevators. We walked away from the Eiffel Tower. I wasn’t leading us anywhere in particular. Medea was the one who would recognize the Sacred Gear User, but she was easily distracted.

“Master, the food from that restaurant smells good.”

“Ok. Let’s get something to eat.” I had already come to terms with the fact that we likely wouldn’t be accomplishing the task we’d set for coming here, but I couldn’t really bring myself to mind. I was just enjoying spending time with Medea.

We got a table in the restaurant Medea had been interested in near a window with a view of the Eiffel Tower. I ordered a sandwich while Medea ordered fish.

“We haven’t really had a chance to just talk, have we?” I asked as the waiter left to give our orders to the chef.

“I…guess we haven’t, master.” Medea said hesitantly, her happy smile dimming somewhat.

“How are you adjusting to life here? Any regrets?”

“No!” Medea denied immediately, and loudly, causing some people from nearby tables to look over curiously. I glared at them and they got the message to mind their own business. “I mean, I don’t have any regrets. I’m adjusting well. In fact, I already feel more comfortable than when I was summoned from the throne. This…you are much better than my previous master.”

“Well, I’m glad. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, let me know and I’ll see what I can do about it.”

“I have everything I need, master. I’m just happy to be here. I’m…” She looked down at the table, not meeting my eyes. “Thank you for saving me. I know how much it cost you.”

I reached across the table and gingerly took her hand, causing her to look up. “I would do it again and again. I got the better end of the deal by far. You are more than worth it.”

Medea opened her mouth, then closed it and looked away.

Wanting to give her space, I moved to pull back my hand, but her grip on mine was like a vice. I left my hand where it was and tried to move to more pleasant topics.

“So now that you have the opportunity, do you have any plans?”

She seemed confused. “Plans?”

“I told you I’d try to give you as much free time as possible. Is there anything you want to accomplish or do?”

“I…” She trailed off, a warm smile on her face. “I’m just happy to have a second chance. Everything… I have a chance to experience everything I couldn’t. I won’t let it go to waste.”

I wasn’t too sure what she meant by that, but I wasn’t going to press. She seemed content, and that was what mattered.

The waiter came back with our food, and the conversation turned to the various ways Medea had researched how fish were prepared in french cuisine. Her eyes lit up as she discussed it. I wasn’t sure if it was a true passion for her or if she was just glad to be able to enjoy things outside of fighting, but I enjoyed listening to her talk all the same.

When we finished our meal the waiter offered a dessert menu, but Medea wanted to go find a chocolate shop, so we left after I paid our bill.

We walked down the street once more, Medea pressed into my side, resting her head on my shoulder. It felt nice, being so close to her. I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot why we’d come to Paris in the first place. If the irritated venom in Medea’s voice when she spoke next was any indication, she had too.

“That man is the one who holds the Sacred Gear.”

I was immediately on guard, no longer relaxed as I had been moments ago. I followed her eyes to a figure walking down the street ahead of us. He had spiky black hair and wore a dark leather jacket. He walked down the center of the path, forcing people to part around him lest they run into him. Judging by that simple fact alone, I wasn’t too keen on inviting him into my peerage. I didn’t want to have to babysit anyone or put up with assholes if I didn’t have to. I would already need to deal with too many of those in devil politics without having to watch for potential problems within my own peerage.

“What do you want to do, master?” Medea asked. Her features were hard, focused. She was ready for a fight now.

“We’ll follow him. If we see a chance to talk to him alone, we’ll take it. Even if I decide I don’t want him, Sairaorg might.”

Medea didn’t say anything, just nodded in acceptance.

We followed the man through several city blocks. After almost thirty minutes of walking, he turned into a small courtyard with no one in it.

“I bet you two think you’re sneaky, huh?” the man said as he turned around to face us as we entered the courtyard behind him. He had a cocky grin on his face. It was only the three of us here.

“We were not trying to conceal ourselves from you.” I replied. “In fact, we were hoping to speak to you.”

“Talk, huh? You with Bolt’s outfit? You can tell him to save his breath. When I take a job, I finish it. I don’t care how much you’re offering to walk away.”

“I do not know anyone named Bolt, and I can assure you I have no idea what you’re talking about. If you are working I can come back later, but I would like to discuss potentially recruiting you into my peerage.”

The man’s grin faded instantly. “You’re devils.”

“We are. Before you–”

A shield of violet magic appeared in front of me moments before my own would have been raised as the man drew a crossbow and fired an enchanted bolt all in one motion.

Medea moved to follow up her shield with a counter attack when I stopped her.

“Caster! Wait.”

Medea did not look happy, but she reigned herself in. Magic crackled around her hand threateningly. “Attempt to harm my king again, and I will kill you.”

I laid a hand on her shoulder, still ready to fight, but preferring to leave this courtyard without confrontation. I didn’t know what this guy’s Sacred Gear did, I didn’t want to find out in the middle of combat. For all I knew, he had friends in the area. I didn’t want to be drawn into a large scale battle I hadn’t prepared for. “Clearly, you have no interest in accepting my offer. We will–”

“Hey, bitch, you greek?” the man said, staring intently at Medea. “I recognize the magic from some guys I do jobs for now and then. Why’d you join up with a devil? You need help getting rid of him? I’ll do it for a price.” He leered at her. “But I’d be willing to give you a discount if you get on your knees and–” He leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding a lash of fire.

“Insult my Queen again and I will kill you.” I warned, rage burning in my chest. One of the downsides of being a devil. The seven deadly sins tended to get amped up to eleven. It was time to leave. If we stayed any longer, either Medea or I would kill this idiot, and that might cause us problems down the line. From what little he’d said, I was guessing he was a mercenary, but he could also be aligned with the Greek supernatural. It was better not to tangle with this.

The man grinned, drawing a machete in his other hand. “Did I touch a nerve, pit bitch? Why don’t you–” He was cut off as, with a flash of brilliant golden energy, a scaled black helmet appeared around his head, black like coal with seams of gold accenting it. It had no faceplate, leaving his shocked expression visible. A faraway voice spoke through the helmet, distorted but still understandable.

“Medea, kill this fool and I will be in your debt. I have suffered from his presence for too long.”

Neither Medea, I nor the man moved for several seconds. I saw the man’s eyes widen when he made the connection.

“Medea?” he said breathlessly, staring at my Queen.

Well shit. Now we had to kill this bastard.

I didn’t want to let this fight drag on. We were in the middle of a crowded city on Earth. There was no telling who could stumble upon us or who would come looking when they felt a supernatural battle taking place. The man may also decide to flee. I wanted this over now.

As the man settled into a fighting stance, his eyes flicking between the two of us, a Hole opened behind his neck. Before he could react, an arrow rocketed out of the Hole and tore through his neck, the power behind its flight strong enough to carry it clean through the man’s neck to scatter against the concrete beneath him.

In my experiments with Hole, I tested quite a few more…inventive methods. The pocket dimensions opened with Hole had gravity, so could I open a Hole within the pocket dimension to abuse that? The answer was yes. I had several pocket dimensions that were filled with nothing but falling weapons, all imbued with a minor charm to make sure they fell they way I wanted them to. They fell down into a portal connected to one directly above, falling infinitely until I changed the destination of the other Hole which I could open wherever I chose.

Yep. I could pull off a bastardized Gate of Babylon. Granted none of my weapons were noble phantasms and I didn’t have Ea hidden up my ass, but it was still cool. It was another way for me to use Hole to hide my other abilities.

“Let’s clean up the body and…” I trailed off, refocusing as the man reached up, still standing. He was glaring murderously at me.

He growled something, but it came out as a gurgle so I couldn’t make it out. The helmet on his head flashed with golden power. Suddenly, the mortal wound in his neck was mended, leaving him hale and hearty.

My eyes narrowed as he laughed.

“That the best you got, spawn bitch?”

This was why unknown Sacred gears were a pain in the ass. Did it just let him heal from mortal wounds instantaneously, or was it more than that?

The man rolled his shoulders as he looked at my Queen. “Hey, Medea, I don’t know what this scum did to force you into this, but I can–”

“Caster, curse him into oblivion.” I ordered as four Holes opening up around him to match the four appearing near me.

Medea didn’t need to be told twice, a dozen magic circles appearing in front of her, all sending dark energy at the man.

He rolled backwards, dodging most of the spells, but several still landed. The effect was immediate, he slowed down, weary. The arm holding his machete hung low, burdened by the weight where before it was held high. That was all the opening I needed.

I conjured four glowing red chains of fire, sending one through each of the Holes near me. They emerged right on top of the man, winding themselves around his wrists and ankles, knocking his weapons from his hands. I moved the Holes into the air as the chains snapped taut, forcing the man to be suspended and spread eagle in the air. He struggled against the chains, but Medea continued firing curses into him, weakening him further until his struggles ceased.

Before there could be any more surprises, a large Hole opened to swallow the man and his bindings, sucking him away to a pocket dimension. Another, smaller Hole opened to send away the remnants of the arrow, the bolt he’d shot at me, as well as the machete and crossbow he dropped when the chains took him to get rid of evidence.

“Good job, Caster. Let’s go deal with this bastard.” I opened a Hole next to us and we both stepped through. Darkness surrounded us, illuminated by bright glowing chains of fire restraining the Sacred Gear holder.

“Can’t…kill…me…I–”

Medea waved her hand and a bundled up cloth flew forth from her, wrapping itself around the man’s mouth to gag him.

“What do you intend to do with him, master?”

“He knows who you are. He needs to die before he spreads that around. We just need to find a way to kill him that he won’t heal from.”

The man’s helmet thrummed with power and the same voice from before spoke once more. “His weakness is that which defeated me in life. Put him to sleep. He will no longer be able to regenerate.”

Even weakened as he was by Medea’s curses, the man’s eyes widened as he started to panic, renewing his efforts to thrash against my chains. It didn’t last long as Medea cast several spells. Soon, the thrashing ceased as the man hung limp in my chains, unconscious.

A relieved sigh emanated from the helmet. “Thank you. Of all the undeserving wielders I have had over the years, he has been the worst by far. As I said before, Medea, I owe you a debt.”

I narrowed my eyes at the helmet. Even after we killed the wielder, we still had a problem. The Sacred Gear would go to another wielder, and the dragon housed within it knew Medea was alive. It was possible, likely even, that the Sacred Gear would take so long to reform that by the time its next wielder awakened it I’d be strong enough to deal with the extra attention, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

Medea looked skeptical. “I would have assumed a dragon I had a hand in killing would be less willing to help me.”

“Killing?” the dragon sounded surprised. “You did not kill me. It was after you and the Argonauts…” A low, rumbling laugh came from the helmet. “Now I see. That is why you felt so strange to me. You are not the Medea I knew. Tell me, how has reincarnation treated you? Two wielders ago I also encountered Jason’s reincarnation in Germany. He too was unable to recall all of his memories.”

I shared a look with Medea, seeing the same thoughts whirring through her mind. Things just got a lot more complicated.

The dragon knowing Medea was alive was one thing. The dragon knowing that something was strange about the Medea who served as my Queen was an entirely separate matter. I didn’t know the exact mechanics by which legends in this world reincarnated, but if there was a way to prove their reincarnation, it would be easy to tell that Medea wasn’t from this world. That would lead to questions about where she came from and how we met, which would inevitably lead back to the ritual I’d devised, the ritual I wanted no one outside my peerage to ever learn about.

“Since you have this bastard of a host good and trapped, would you mind hearing me out for a bit? I have a request I would ask of you.” the helmet continued, seemingly oblivious to Medea and I’s concern.

“I don’t see why not.” I said cautiously, keeping an eye on the unconscious man whose head the helmet was affixed to lest the soul trapped in the Sacred Gear try something. “But first, tell me how your Sacred Gear works in detail.” It might lie, but the information it had given so far seemed to be genuine, the man was too panicked to make me think the helmet had been lying.

“It is simple. As Medea knows, in life, I served as protector for the Golden Fleece. I spent so much time in proximity to the ram that I was changed by its presence. In time, I learned how to mimic its power. I could only affect physical injuries, but that was all I cared about at the time. It wasn’t until the Argonauts bested me that I learned how deadly curses could be. I was killed before I could learn to purge myself of them.

The dragon sniffed proudly. “So long as I was able to concentrate, I could summon the Golden Fleece’s power to heal nearly any wound. Since it was an ability I needed to focus on, I couldn’t use it while I was asleep. That was how I was killed, a craven coward crept into my cavern and slew me while I slept. It is much the same with the Sacred Gear I was trapped in. The user can consciously heal from any injury as if the Golden Fleece itself was wrapped around their body. Only one individual who has wielded me could use me to heal others. A nun. She was the only one I liked. The rest have been morons.”

That was a very potent power. While at first glance it may not seem as impressive as the ability to double your power to infinity like Ddraig, having an on tap connection to a Golden Fleece-like healing effect was incredible. I doubted that many of this Sacred Gear’s wielders died in battle. Actually…

“What is the name of your Sacred Gear?” I asked, not wanting to continue referring to it mentally as ‘the Sacred Gear’.

“Perfected State.” the dragon grumbled. “I would have chosen a much more impressive name, but I didn’t get much choice regarding this arrangement. Do you have more questions, or may I now make my request?”

I shared a look with Medea, silently asking if she wanted to ask anything. This dragon was directly connected to the version of her that lived in this world. If she wanted to learn about that Medea, this was probably the best opportunity we’d have.

Medea met my eyes and shook her head.

I nodded in understanding and turned back to the helmet. “What is your request?”

“Destroy me. I despise this prison and would be rid of it.” the helmet said, bringing me up short. I had not expected the dragon to want to die.

“I already owe you for dealing with this idiot I’m attached to, but I think this is the best chance I will have to be free. If anyone can figure out a way to destroy a Sacred Gear, it would be you, princess of Colchis. Do this for me and I will tell you the locations of all of the treasures I hoarded in life and those my wielders accumulated during theirs. My hoard is the least I could offer you for this service.”

“You want me to kill you?” Medea asked, studying the helmet.

“Death is preferable to this. I am a slave, forced to serve bumbling idiots, each more annoying than the last. I no longer feel the sun on my scales. The air blowing against my face as I fly. The pleasant feeling one gets after consuming a wild deer. I am not alive. I am just not fully dead.”

“Give us a moment to discuss this.” Medea said, fixing me with an intent look.

Understanding her desire for privacy, I opened another Hole and took us back to my manor where we could talk without fear of prying eyes. I doubted the unconscious man would be able to escape my Hole, and the dragon within his Sacred Gear didn’t seem all that keen on helping him even if he woke up and tried. We appeared on the front porch, looking out over my lands.

“What do you think, master?” Medea asked, watching me closely.

“If I were stuck inside a Sacred Gear for thousands of years, I’d probably want a way out too. That’s not to mention the offer of telling us the location of its hoard. It's possible it was raided at some point between now and when the dragon died, but if it wasn’t, that would go a long way to helping us set up our business with Magdaran.” If we could figure out a way to grant this dragon’s request, then I saw nothing but positives.

Medea pursed her lips. “What if there was another option?” She held out her hand. With a flash of violet energy, a wicked dagger whose blade zig-zagged back and forth appeared in her hands.

My eyes widened as I saw the blade, slowly looking back up at Medea. She was plotting something. “What are you thinking?”

“I have been curious about Sacred Gears since I first heard of them, wondering how they function and if I would be able to replicate them. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to…experiment. The dragon wishes to be free, and I believe I can free it, truly free it. While I could likely unmake the Sacred Gear, I might be able to even keep it intact while freeing the beast, leaving it inert for me to study. So long as the magic that binds it is not too powerful, I am confident I can do it. If I can sever the function of Perfected State, the dragon within would likely be freed, not killed. We went to Paris seeking a peerage member, master. This is an opportunity to both give me something to study and accomplish that task.”

I was silent for a moment as I considered it. Having a true dragon in my peerage would be an amazing boon, let alone a fairly famous one like the Colchian Dragon that served as the Golden Fleece’s protector. With that being said, there were downsides to doing this as well.

“A dragon in my peerage would be a great boon, but not if it puts you at risk, Medea.” I stepped closer to her, wrapping my hand around hers clasped around Rule Breaker’s hilt. “Devils, angels, dragons, gods – there are too many powerful beings to count in this world that need magically enforced contracts to function. Treaties, trade agreements and even something as minor as devil contracts with their mortal clients all rely on the immutable nature of contractual magic. If they learned you can break those contracts, let alone unmake Sacred Gears with the same power, they’ll all come after you.”

“I know. There is a reason I have not used Rule Breaker since you reincarnated me. I will only use it as a last resort, but this is too substantial of an opportunity to let pass. In my world, we killed the Colchian Dragon. I wanted to put it to sleep and sneak past, but Jason wanted the glory. It took all of us to best that dragon. It was strong enough to fight on equal footing with all of us at the same time. I don’t know if this world’s dragon is its equal, but if it is even half as strong it will be a great ally for us.”

There wasn’t a much better pitch to consider a new recruit than hearing they’d done battle with multiple demigods and other legendary heroes all at the same time. And Medea wanted something cool to play with. Who was I to deny her that?

“Okay,” I said. “If the dragon agrees to keep the method used to free it quiet and be reincarnated, we’ll see if you can break a Sacred gear.”

A Hole opened next to us and we both stepped through.

“Come to a decision, then? Will you destroy me?” the black helmet spoke as we joined it. The man it was affixed to still hung limp from my chains.

“What is it you really want?” I asked. “Do you want to die, or do you want to be free?”

The helmet was silent for a moment. “I want to be free, but the only way to be rid of this prison is to die. My soul is bound to it. That binding cannot be severed.”

Keeping my face carefully blank, I said, “If we were able to sever that binding, freeing you from the Sacred Gear, what would you offer me?”

The helmet’s silence stretched on even longer this time. “If you are truly capable of this,” it said, a suppressed hope slowly building in its words. “Then I would do just about anything you ask. You desire my treasure? Have it. Do you desire my service? It is yours. In life, I served as the Golden Fleece’s protector. I would gladly serve as your protector if you freed me.”

“Would you be willing to become a devil?” I asked.

A barked laugh came from the helmet. “If you get me out of this thing, I will happily let you shove whatever kind of chess piece you want in me, little devil. If Medea willingly follows you, then you can’t be too bad of a master.”

That was about as clear an acceptance as you could get.

“If we do this, you cannot tell anyone how we did it.”

“Done. Get me out of here already.” The dragon sounded anxious, its anticipation building.

I looked at Medea and nodded.

She walked forward, a wicked dagger appearing in her hand as she approached the restrained man who held Perfected State. “I don’t know if this will hurt you or not, but you should prepare for the possibility.” She reared her hand back, a wave of power pulsing out from her. “Rule Breaker.” She stabbed her dagger down into the dark scale helmet.

There was a great explosion of violet light as the dagger sunk into the helmet. The eyes of the restrained man snapped open, a guttural scream tore forth from him, muffled though it was by the gag still in his mouth. The light continued to build. Medea wrenched her dagger down as if she was prying something open. The man’s screams cut out. His entire body went limp once more, suspended by the chains.

Medea reached forward, her other hand still gripping Rule Breaker’s hilt. She grabbed the underside of the helmet and pulled. Slowly, the armor piece lifted away from the limp man’s body. With a final heave, the helmet came free from the man’s head. Medea lifted the helmet high above her head, Rule Breaker still embedded in it. She twisted the blade sharply.

There was a crashing sound like a shattering mirror and a primal roar filled the space. A dark-scaled head emerged from the helmet in Medea’s hands, followed by a massive, long serpent-like body that slithered up into the air. Black scales mixed with flakes of gold as a serpentine dragon flew up from the helmet.

Joyous laughter echoed around us as the dragon’s tail emerged from the helmet. The dragon flew overhead, weaving in and out of its own long body as it flew. Medea removed Rule Breaker from the helmet, letting her dagger fade into motes of energy as she cradled the helmet in her arms. There was a large crack right down the middle of the helmet where Rule Breaker had penetrated it, but it was otherwise intact.

“I. AM. FREE!” a triumphant voice reverberated through the air. The dragon slowly lowered itself down, its body coiling in the air behind it as it lowered itself to our level. “Medea, devil, thank you. You cannot hope to understand the hell you just freed me from. What is your name, devil?”

“Balthazar Abaddon,” I answered, not shrinking under the dragon’s gaze. “And what is your name, dragon?”

“My name… No, it has been too long. I am to begin again as a devil. A new life requires a new name. I think I will go by…Coal. Yes, it fits. I like it! You may call me Coal!”

“It’s good to make your acquaintance, Coal.”

“And I yours, Balthazar Abaddon. Thank you for freeing me. As agreed, my hoard is yours and I shall serve as your guardian. Use your Evil Piece on me, then send me to a place with open skies. I long to feel the rush of the air on my face once more.”

I held out my hand, intending to summon a Rook. I frowned, hesitating.

Evil Pieces were an exemplary invention. They could reincarnate other races into devils. Each piece was limited with how strong an individual it could reincarnate with the strength of the pieces themselves corresponding to the strength of the King. The pieces matched the point value of the chess pieces they were modeled after well. The Queen was 9, the Rook was 5, Knights and Bishops 3, and Pawns 1. Next to the Queen piece, the Rook could reincarnate the strongest individuals…unless the intended individual was too powerful for the Rook piece to reincarnate. If I were even a little more powerful, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but it was what it was. 6 Pawns was more than worth reincarnating the Colchian Dragon into my service.

6 Pawns appeared floating in the space above my hand. The Pawns drifted together, melding together into one piece as they floated towards the dragon. The Pawn pressed into the great dragon’s snout, melding into its body.

The dragon’s body curled around itself, shrinking down, a deep rumbling sound slowly morphing into a very human sigh. With a final flash of red energy, a humanoid figure appeared in place of the dragon, demonic wings spread wide behind its back. Hair like soot stood at wild angles on the figure’s head. He had a fair face and young feature, like he was in his mid-to-late teens. The newly reborn devil grinned at me, showing off sharpened canines and shining golden eyes as he said, “This is a stark improvement over my previous accommodations. I hold to my word. I will tell you where I hid my wealth, but first, I would like to see the sky.”

With him reincarnated and now bound to me, I saw no reason to deny his request. He’d been stuck in a soulcage for thousands of years. He deserved to stretch his legs a bit. I opened a Hole at my side. Treasure hunting could wait. “This’ll take you to my estate. Try to stay near the house please. It has far greater protections than the rest of the property, and I’d like you to stay a secret if possible.” I didn’t think anyone would be trying to scry on my lands right now, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Easily done. Thank you, master.” He ran towards the whole, his body elongating into a serpent-like dragon as he leapt through.

“You don’t need to call me…master.” He was already gone. I fixed Medea with a distinctly unimpressed look. She was trying, and failing, to hide her laughter. “I blame you for this. This is your fault.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean, master. Now I’m going to go study a priceless artifact. Ifyouneedmecallbye!” Medea finished all at once, dashing through the Hole, Perfected State’s unert form clutched tight to her chest.

I shook my head, amused despite myself. I turned and followed my Queen and my newest peerage member through the Hole back home. The sight of a massive serpentine dragon spinning through the air in ribbon-like motions greeted me. Medea was nowhere to be seen, likely already in the lab poking at the remains of Perfected State.

My peerage had grown. The Colchian Dragon was a superb addition. And if his hoard had managed to survive unpillaged these last millenia, I’d have a good bit of funds to work with. Either enough to set up my business or eliminate the need for it altogether. The original intent behind it was to make money after all. I’d still probably go through with it if for no other reason than to foster a relationship with Magdaran, but it would be nice to be financially secure.

But I could sort all that out later. I’d let my two peerage members enjoy their activities first.

Chapter 6: 6

Chapter Text

Coal was rich. It made sense. He lived for thousands of years. While he didn’t do as much plundering as other dragons due to his role as the Golden Fleece’s guardian, he still managed to amass a substantial collection of treasures. It only took me a day to gather everything with Hole’s help, securing all the treasure Coal happily gave me for freeing him from Perfected State. He didn’t so much as cast a forlorn glance at the treasure as we transported it, far too happy to just fly around the manor while I moved everything, uncaring about his former wealth. Wealth that now belonged to the House of Abaddon, to me. Evidently, being trapped in a Sacred Gear while idiots abused your power for millenia had a way of changing your outlook on life.

The amount of capital available to me grew by a factor of ten-thousand overnight. I still didn’t have nearly as many resources as a Pillar family, but that would come in time. I put the money to work as well as I could with a lot of input from Medea. We’d bought a couple run-down storefronts in less-busy parts of large cities, even managing to secure a spot in Lucifaad, albeit not in an area with a lot of foot traffic. We already had crews working to fix those shops up. They’d function as our brick-and-mortar locations once we got up and running.

A larger portion of the money went to purchasing more land. The Abaddon Estate wasn’t very large. We had enough room for privacy, but not for much else. More powerful families held territories large enough to hold multiple large cities on them, able to collect taxes from the citizens that lived there. I wasn’t going to be opening up a village any time soon, but I saw an opportunity. Due to how out of the way our estate was, the lands around it were all fairly cheap by property standards. I bought up a significant portion of land, over quadrupling the size of my lands. Unfortunately, my rapid expansion caused the price on additional acquisitions to rise as the government arm that catalogued who owned what property realized what I was doing. I stopped buying when they jacked the prices up, but I’d acquired more than enough by then to be content.

I was also making plans to build several structures on the land, a training area similar to the one near Sairaorg’s house as well as a small castle atop a large hill I planned to move into upon its completion. Maybe I was vain, but I wanted a castle. The Bael’s castle spoke to something in me, and I was copying their homestead. It wouldn’t be the size of a large village like theirs, but it would be large enough to accommodate all potential members of my peerage and host guests should I choose to. Besides, big, opulent houses were a status symbol in devil society. It was an investment, not a wasteful purchase. Anyone who said otherwise was unable to see the advantages of hosting potential allies in a grand castle, impressing them with your impeccable homestead selection. Construction hadn’t begun yet because I wanted someone I trusted to oversee the crews while they worked and all such individuals were currently indisposed, but the plans had been drawn up by a reputable contractor Kuisha got me in contact with. I was pleased with how things were progressing.

I’d expected Magdaran to contact me by now, but there was still only silence. I wasn’t sure what was holding him up, but the extra time gave me time to get all of this done and store more demonic power in my pocket dimension. If I still hadn’t heard from Magdaran in the next couple of days, I would be attempting to recruit my knight.

In the meantime though…

I headed down into the basement, stepping over open texts and avoiding smudging spell circles etched into the ground. I stopped at the bottom of the entrance to a smaller room Medea had completely taken over, leaning against the wall as I watched my Queen.

Medea didn’t even notice me, too embroiled in her work. The now inert form of Perfected State sat in the middle of a spell circle. Medea frantically moved around it, casting minor spells and taking notes. She’d spent every spare moment she had down here messing with that helmet. She still helped me with the matters of the estate and buying up property, and movie night had become a nightly tradition that she was always excited for, but whenever Medea wasn’t with me, she was down here fiddling with that helmet. It may have been a bit hypocritical coming from me, but I was beginning to think she needed to get out of the house.

“Made any progress?”

Medea jumped in place, startled. She shoved the book in her hands onto a nearby table haphazardly, brushing some dust off her dress. “I’m sorry, master! I didn’t notice you enter.”

“Don’t worry about it. I can tell you’re enjoying working on the helmet. Any progress?”

Medea’s eyebrows furrowed, an irritated expression settling over her face. “It’s so aggravating! It doesn’t follow any established rules of magically imbued items. It’s more akin to a spirit than an item, which doesn’t make any sense because it’s tangible! I expected that this would be simple with an inert Gear, but it's nearly impossible! If I didn’t have the sample then it would be even worse. I know I’m making progress, but at the rate I’m moving it’ll take years before I have something viable to even try to test and–”

“Do you want to go on a date?” I cut in before I got cold feet. She seemed like she needed a distraction, so now was as good a time to ask as any.

Medea froze in place, slowly turning to look at me. “A… What?”

“A date. Do you want to go on a date with me, Medea? I like you. I think you’re great. I think you’re beautiful. And I want to go on a date with you.” I put it as clearly as I could.

“I…” She sprinted past me and up the stairs, shouting distractedly over her shoulder. “I’ll go get ready!” She was already gone.

I stood dumbly in the basement, alone save for a cracked black scale helmet in a spell circle. I hadn’t exactly meant we’d go right this second, but it wasn’t like I was doing anything important right now.

A Hole opened at my side, transporting me to my bedroom so I could change into something nicer. I guess I’d better think of a good date idea quickly.

X

Medea was practically radiating happiness as she walked at my side, holding my arm against her chest with her own and resting her head on my shoulder. She’d dressed up in a sundress similar to the one she’d worn in Paris, but she left the hat behind this time, letting her hair spill out behind her, showing off her pointed ears. I’d dressed up in black pants and a red button up shirt. I’d even combed my hair.

I wasn’t prepared to go on a date right now, so I’d brought us to Lucifaad. The last time I was here, it was a struggle to leave. Everytime I went to open a Hole home, I saw another shop that I stopped at ‘on the way home’. I was hoping Medea and I would find something to do while we walked around.

“It’s close to lunchtime. Do you want to sit down somewhere or try something else?” I asked, ignoring the looks Medea and I were attracting. It wasn’t strange for devils to openly display affection in public, but it was typically far more lustful. Medea’s display of genuine joy was an uncommon sight.

“I want to walk more. Everyone needs to know that you’re mine, so we’re going to walk around and let them see us.”

I chuckled lightly, shaking my head at the answer. “Walking it is. I’m sure we can find a stand or stall somewhere with something we can eat on the go.”

It was easy enough to find a cart selling skewers with cubes of different types of meat. When I went to take our order, Medea snatched them away first. We continued walking. She would eat a cube, then hold the stick up to my mouth, letting me take one. She seemed to be having fun, so I didn’t put up any protest. The food was good, and the company was better, so I had nothing to complain about.

I looked around, trying to get my bearings. I saw a street sign and realized I recognised the name. “Our shop is on this street.” I observed. “Do you want to go see how the remodelling is going?”

Medea hummed an assent, and we started walking down the road. It took us a while to get there. The road connected to Lucifaad’s center, but it was a fair distance removed from it. We finished our skewers about half way there and contented ourselves to walk in silence.

The building was three-stories tall, which was part of the reason I’d chosen this location as opposed to one closer to the middle of the city that was only a single level. We would have more space to work with and since this would likely be our headquarters since it was located in Lucifaad, the extra space struck me as more important than being a short distance closer to downtown. The windows weren’t boarded up anymore, but the building was still locked up tight.

I was surprised to see that Medea and I weren’t the only ones inspecting the building. More surprising, was who the other party was.

“Magdaran, I didn’t expect to see you here.” I greeted the Bael heir. The same two maids I’d met when we had lunch stood behind him.

His face lit up when he saw me. “Balthazar, what a coincidence.” His eyes tracked over to the purple-haired witch dangling off my arm.

“Magdaran, allow me to introduce my Queen Caster. Caster, meet heir Bael.” I introduced them.

Medea let go of my arm long enough to curtsy politely and say, “It is a pleasure, heir Bael.” before she was once more stuck to my side like glue.

Magdaran looked terribly embarrassed, blushing and waving his hands in front of himself. “That’s not necessary. Please just call me Magdaran. It’s good to meet you, Caster. Balthazar spoke very highly of you.”

Medea had a pleased smile on her face. “My King exaggerates my better qualities.”

“I’m not so sure. If you caught his eye, you must be special.”

“So what brings you here, if you don’t mind me asking?” I asked.

Magdaran motioned to the building. “I heard you had purchased several failed shops and were in the process of renovating them. I wanted to see them for myself. I assume this is for the business we discussed?”

“It is. I happened into some funds recently that allowed me to start to get the foundations set.”

“I’m glad things are progressing well, and I apologize for keeping you waiting. I didn’t expect things to take as long as they have on my end. I should have my preparations concluded by next week. I will write to you at the start of the week whether I am ready or not to keep you updated.”

“No need to worry. I’m not in any major rush to get things going. It’ll still be a while before the renovations are done anyway.” Besides, another week would give me ample time to search for my prospective knight, potentially recruiting them.

“Is that why you’re here? To see how the renovations are coming along?”

I wrapped an arm around Medea’s shoulder, pulling her against my side. “We’re actually on a date. We stopped by because we were in the area.”

Magdaran’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

I waved off his concern. “Don’t worry about it. It was good to see you, Magdaran.”

“It was good to see you as well, Balthazar. I will get out of your hair so the two of you can enjoy your day. Caster, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure was mine, Magdaran.” Medea said with a shallow bow.

Magdaran hurried away down the street, his maids following silently behind him.

“Your assessment was right. He seems nice, if a little shy.” Medea commented as we watched him leave.

“Yeah, not at all what I was expecting from him to be honest. If I’d known he was such a relaxed guy, I probably wouldn’t have panicked and summoned you.”

“Remind me to thank him for scaring you the next time we see him. I am very happy to not be dead, and even happier to be with you.”

“I’ll need to thank him too. You’ve been with me less than a month but I already can’t picture the house without you in it.”

Medea wrapped her arms around my side, laying her head against my chest as she hugged me. “You say the sweetest things, master.”

“Speaking of sweet, I want some dessert. How would you like some ice cream?”

“Yes!”

We headed back the way we came towards an ice cream shop I noticed on the way over and each bought a vanilla cone. A short walk later, we found a small park filled with trees flowering unnatural colors and giving off mystical light – supernatural flora. We sat down on a bench and ate our ice cream. Medea had a whole half of the bench to herself but elected to press herself up against my side. I wasn’t going to complain, I enjoyed her closeness. I just wrapped my arm around her hip and enjoyed my ice cream.

Medea finished her ice cream and rested her head on my shoulder, looking out at the park. There were young devils children chasing each other between the trees while their parents rested nearby on blankets or lawn chairs. We weren’t alone, but the immediate area around us was empty, affording us some privacy.

“I’m having fun.” Medea said.

“I’m glad. I am too. Sorry it took so long for me to ask you out for a first date. I’ve wanted to practically since I reincarnated you, but I thought it was best to give you some time to adjust. That, and we were dealing with the Magdaran situation and finding Perfected Self.”

“You’re wrong. This is our second date. Paris was our first.” She looked up at me with narrowed eyes. “Don’t steal my Paris date from me, Balthazar.”

I raised an eyebrow at her, amused. “So I’m Balthazar now? Not master, not king?”

Medea huffed cutely. “Depending on how tonight goes, you might just graduate to ‘honey’.”

That brought me up short. I was tense as I looked down at Medea. “Tonight?”

She smiled slyly, leaning in close so her lips brushed my ear as she whispered, “Freeing Coal made me so tired. I’ve been feeling low on mana recently. Do you think you could help me, Balthazar?”

All of a sudden, I found myself breathing a lot faster than I had been a second ago. “Is there anything else you want to do in the city today?”

Medea frowned, pulling back slightly. “Not really. Why–”

“Good.” I growled, hooking an arm under her legs and picking her up in a bridal carry. She let out a small shriek that quickly turned into a laugh. A Hole opened in front of us and we were gone from the city.

Medea’s laughter cut off immediately when she realized where I’d brought us. We were in my bedroom at the foot of the bed.

“You can’t say things like that without giving me ideas, my Queen.” I said, drawing her attention back to me. “If you–”

Medea hooked a hand around my neck and pulled my head down to capture my lips in a fiery kiss. She pulled back with a gasp, eyes intense. “Shut up and get naked. I’ve waited too long for this.” She mashed her lips back into mine, her hand literally tearing my shirt open, sending buttons flying around the room. Her shoes joined them as she kicked them off her feet.

Medea let out a yelp as I broke our kiss and tossed her onto the bed. I shrugged my way out of my ruined shirt and knelt at the edge of the bed, taking hold of medea’s legs and pulling her towards me. I pressed my lips into her calf, kissing my way up her leg, hiking her dress up as I went.

Medea shimmied on the bed, struggling to pull her dress further up, watching intently as I drew closer to my goal. My objective was blocked, covered by lacy black fabric. Medea had worn lingerie on our date.

I looked up, holding Medea’s gaze as I lowered myself down, gently kissing the fabric over her. She was mewling, bucking her hips up towards me. I grinned, reaching forward to grab the waistband at her hips, dragging her panties down and off in one swift motion.

I fell back on her instantly, licking and sucking, exploring her with my tongue.

Medea’s hands found my hair, holding me against her as she squirmed. “I want you. Please… Please.”

I raised a finger to her entrance, tracing light circles, gently teasing her open. She was sopping wet.

Medea growled, a frustrated sound. She pulled herself back away from me. Her dress was flung away. A black lace bra soon joined it in a heap on the floor. Medea moved to the edge of the bed, pulling me up to devour my lips. She rose with me as I stood, her hands finding my belt and unfastening it.

“I've waited too long already. I will not wait any longer.” Medea almost snarled, a fiery intensity in her eyes.

My pants fell to my ankles, my underwear pulled down a moment later, freeing me.

Medea descended upon me, kissing, stroking and sucking. She held eye contact with me as she took me into her mouth, slowly sliding all the way to the base. She started humming. I twitched as I saw stars.

Medea pulled off me, a sultry smile on her lips as she gently stroked me. “Is it good, master? Do you– Eep!”

I didn’t let her finish, sliding out of my shoes and pushing her back onto the bed. I loomed over her, staring down at her. The curves of her body. Her soft flesh. Her gorgeous hair scattered against the sheets, framing her beautiful face. I wanted her. I was taking her.

I leaned down next to her ear as I lined myself up, gently pressing against her sex. “You wanted mana. I’m going to give it to you.” I slammed myself inside her.

Medea let out a pleasure filled scream, her arms and legs winding around me, pulling me tighter against her. “Yes! Do it! Give it to me. Give me everything!”

I mashed my lips into hers, my tongue prodding at her mouth until it opened, inviting me in to taste her tongue as I slammed myself in and out of her lower lips. Medea raised her hips up to mine, meeting me with each thrust. I could have stayed like that forever. Alas, I was but a man.

I broke our kiss, gazing deep into her eyes. “I’m going to cum, Medea. You’re going to make me cum inside you. Take it all.”

Her walls tightened down on me, her legs pulling me even closer. “Give it to me! Give your Queen what she deserves!”

I bottomed out inside her, grunting as I came.

Medea tightened down around me like a vice, her arms and legs pressing me against her body, refusing to let me go.

After I was spent, I gingerly placed kisses along her neck, working my way up to her mouth. Her lips met mine. Where before it had been carnal, filled with lust. Now, it was tender, slow.

I slowly pulled myself out of her and laid down at her side.

Medea’s hand rose to touch my face, tracing circles on my cheek. “I almost died to meet you.” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wonder if I did die and I somehow ended up in the Christian heaven.”

I took her hand, guiding it down to my mouth and laying a kiss on it. “Heaven can’t have you. I would raise an army and storm the Golden Gates if they tried to take you from me. This is real. You’re here with me, and I am never letting you go. You’re mine.”

Medea’s lips pulled up into a small smile. Moisture was gathering in her eyes. “You say the sweetest things, honey.”

“So I’ve graduated to ‘honey’, have I?”

“You have.” Medea’s smile turned predatory. “We should celebrate.” She swung a leg over mine and rolled me onto my back, straddling me.

We didn’t get much sleep that night.

Chapter 7: 7

Chapter Text

“Is everything ready?” I asked Medea. She’d been painstakingly inspecting the ritual circle for a good minute now.

She ran a finger over a runic script before nodding, satisfied. “Everything’s ready, master.” She’d been alternating between calling me master and honey since our post-date mana transfer session. “I improved everything I could, and I will be here to assist you should you need it.”

“Thanks, Medea. You’re the best.”

I walked into the center of the circle and sat down, taking a deep breath to center myself. Holes opened in the air around me, connecting me to the pocket dimension where I stored my power and acting as guides for the ritual.

“Let’s see if we can’t find a lost knight.”

X

A young woman sat on dark sand, legs hugged to her chest as she stared dispassionately out over an ocean of unmoving water. All around her was shadow. Sharp rocks jutting unnaturally out of the ground formed a rough perimeter around her beach, serving as a natural barrier to keep things away. The sky was one long shadow. No light could exist here. It would be eaten in but a moment.

Wanting to see something different from the sight she’d witnessed for eternity, she flicked the water’s surface, watching the water gently ripple before settling once more.

How long had she been here now? It was so hard to keep track of time in this place. The perpetual darkness didn’t help, but that was only part of the problem. The very foundations of this world were fundamentally wrong. Time seemed to flow impossibly slow and impossibly fast simultaneously. Time didn’t work the way it was meant to. As far as the woman could tell, she’d spent three eternities in this place. At least, that was the only way she could measure the time.

The first eternity followed immediately after she’d found herself trapped here. She’d run from the threats she was incapable of fighting without her weapon. She’d plotted and planned, trying to find a way to escape. She’d had hope.

It felt like that time lasted forever. It felt like no time at all.

The second eternity started when she lost that hope. It became clear that no one was coming for her, that she’d been forgotten. She wandered, searching for a haven of relative safety in a world whose very existence was the antithesis of ‘safe’.

She’d wandered forever. She’d wandered for but a moment.

The third eternity began when she found her haven, her sanctuary where she could hide from the things in this world that would destroy her, where she could continue persisting without complications. Her small beach, safe from monsters made of shadow and despair intent on devouring her.

She felt like she’d always been here. She felt as if she just arrived.

She was different now. She knew that. She knew why she changed. It was a byproduct of this place, it had left its mark on her. She knew how she changed, but she wasn’t sure when that change had taken place. She didn’t think it happened during the first eternity. She’d still had hope then.

It probably happened sometime during the second eternity, the wandering eternity. That was when she stopped feeling any trace of joy. That was when she lost hope, when she accepted this was her home now.

She had already been here forever. She would remain forevermore.

The woman flicked the water again, watching the ripples until the water settled once more.

The ripples lasted forever. They faded in but a moment.

She was so lonely. No one deserved to suffer in this prison, but she desperately wished someone was here to share it with her. Maybe the endless time would pass faster if she had someone to talk to?

She reached down to flick the water again but stopped. The water had disappeared. She looked around. She was still surrounded by darkness, but her haven was gone. The safety provided by the wall of jagged rock had abandoned her. The water, her sole means by which to break the monotony of what her life had become, was gone.

The young woman frowned, standing up to take a look around. The water and the rocks were gone, but there was something wholly new in their place.

Was that a person? How…? When did he get here?

“Hello,” a man with blonde hair said. He wore red and black. He was sitting with his legs crossed.

She walked forward, sitting down in front of him. “Hello.”

“My name is Balthazar Abaddon. Can I ask your name?”

“I’m Aqua.” She frowned. “How did you get here? Are you trapped too?” She knew it was wrong, but Aqua was glad someone else was here. She could talk to someone. She’d been so lonely.

“I am not trapped. I came here looking for you.”

She was surprised. “You… Did Mickey send you?”

“No. I came here of my own volition.”

The hope that had just begun to bloom in her chest was squashed, mercilessly snuffed out. Of course Mickey hadn’t sent him. He’d abandoned her, consigned her to eternal exile.

“Why were you looking for me?”

“Before I answer that, I would offer you a gift. You are no longer where you were, Aqua. This is a different world, one where I make the rules. As such, I can do this for you.” He lifted a hand up. A small point of darkness appeared above it. That was strange. Aqua knew she’d been changed by this place. Was the darkness how he was changed?

“What is that?” Aqua asked.

“A path. A road to recover something you lost.”

Aqua was confused. Something she’d lost? She hadn’t lost anything since she became trapped. She didn’t have anything to lose. What was he…

Aqua’s eyes widened. She didn’t know how she hadn’t felt it before. There, at the edge of her awareness, a presence she hadn’t felt in so long.

Aqua tried to crush down her hope, knowing it was pointless. There was no way. It couldn’t be…

Hesitantly, almost fearfully, she raised her hand. Aqua gasped as her fingers closed around a familiar hilt, one she had not held for an eternity.

Her keyblade. She was holding her keyblade.

The man in front of her lowered his hand, the small point of darkness fading as he did. “Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Balthazar Abaddon. I am a devil. I possess the power to reach across worlds. I used this power to find you.”

Aqua couldn’t look away from the key in her hand. She was afraid. If she looked away from her most prized possession, would it still be there when she looked again?

“How is my keyblade here?”

“I opened a connection from this pocket dimension we are currently in to the world where you lost it, allowing you to call it to you once more. As I said, I have the power to reach across worlds.”

“Why return my keyblade? You said you were looking for me. Why search for me?”

“I returned your keyblade as a gesture of goodwill. As for why I sought you out, I want you to return to my home with me.”

Aqua was silent, staring down at the keyblade in her hands. Her grip on the hilt was tight. Afraid, she blinked. The keyblade was still in her hands when she opened her eyes. She closed her eyes for longer this time. The keyblade was still there when she opened them.

Aqua looked up at the man claiming to be a devil. “Why do you want me to go with you?” She looked back down when she was done speaking. Her keyblade was still in her hands.

“The devils of my world have created a method to reincarnate people of other races into devils. Those devils become part of the peerage of the devil that reincarnated them. I want to reincarnate you into a devil. I want you to join my peerage.”

“Will you take my soul? I remember stories about devils stealing souls.” She hadn’t heard one of those stories in a long time, but she’d replayed them in her head over and over again just as she had every other story she could remember in an attempt to pass the time.

“No. I will not take your soul. If you do not agree to join me, I will send you back to the beach where I found you. With your keyblade, you will likely be able to find a way home.”

“They didn’t come for me.” Aqua said, gently running her fingers down the length of her keyblade, still not quite sure it wouldn’t disappear.

“I’m sorry.” the devil said.

Aqua looked up at him. “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you sorry? You came for me. My friends all left me to wander in that place. You didn’t.”

“I am still sorry you were left in that place for so long. If you would like, I can send you home. Not to the place I took you from, but to the place where you were before.”

Aqua frowned. She should want to go. She should be happy to finally be offered a chance to return. That was what she wanted, right?

Aqua found she couldn’t feel happy. She could once, but that place sucked the joy out of her. Maybe she’d be able to be happy again if she went home. Didn’t she have unfinished business? Didn’t she have things she still wanted to do in that place? She couldn’t rightly remember. It was all so long ago. Her memories of that place were tainted by the misery of this one.

Aqua looked up at the devil. “You came here for me. Why would you just let me go if I decided not to come with you?”

“Because you were trapped in a place worse than Hell. You spent so long there that you lost part of who you are. I’m not a moral being. I’m manipulative and willing to use force to get what I want, but you didn’t deserve what happened to you. I would only wish your experience on my worst enemies. As to why I would let you go after expending the effort to come here? I want willing servants. Recruiting someone into my peerage who is unhappy with their position will only cause me problems later.”

“What is a peerage?” Aqua asked, finding herself curious. The devil had used the term, but it was unfamiliar to her. His earlier explanation was not very detailed.

“A peerage is a group of devils who all serve the same devil King. The group can have any number of members from two to sixteen. The positions in the peerage are modelled off of chess pieces due to the items we use to reincarnate others being magical chess pieces.”

“Does your peerage already have other devils in it?”

“It does.”

“How many?”

“There are three of us. Myself and two others that serve me.”

“What chess piece do you want me to be?”

“I want you to become my Knight.”

“What would it mean if I joined your peerage as your Knight?”

“What specifically do you want to know?”

“If I joined your peerage, what would I do?”

“I would give you freedom to do as you please, but when I needed you, you would have to carry out my orders, and it is inevitable you would need to fight on my behalf.”

“I was a good fighter before, but that was a long time ago. I don’t know if I’m that strong anymore. Would you still take me as I am?”

“I would.”

“Why?”

“Many reasons. For one, your abilities are very powerful and mostly unheard of in the world I come from. For another, I have expended a large amount of energy to find you here and I do not want to leave empty-handed. Finally, I think you deserve a second chance. Maybe becoming a devil isn’t your idea of a way to start over, but I extend the offer all the same.”

“What happens if I don’t like being in your peerage? Can I leave?”

“Once you become a devil, you will remain a devil. The only way you would be able to leave my service would be for me to trade you to another peerage where you would serve a different King. Some devils treat their peerages well. Others treat them as little better than slaves.”

“How do you treat your peerage?”

“Like family.”

Aqua looked down at her keyblade, laying her palm on the blade. How long had she spent on that beach, silently begging her friends to come for her? Had they come for her? No. A devil was her savior. Not her friends, but a creature from hell. If their positions were reversed, she would have done anything to save them. But she clearly didn’t matter as much to them as they had to her. Once. No more.

“I don’t want to go back. They didn’t come for me. I…I have nothing left there. You came for me. It wasn’t my friends that saved me, it was you. You gave me my keyblade back. I’ll go with you.”

“Are you sure? You can’t undo this choice.”

“I know. I…” Aqua frowned. “I want to start over. I want to figure out who I am again.”

The devil remained silent, a complicated expression on his face.

“How do I become a devil?” Aqua asked him.

The devil was silent a moment longer before he lifted his hand. A glowing red chess piece appeared on his hand. “I push this into your chest. It will turn you into a devil.”

“I’m ready.” Aqua said, moving closer and leaning towards him.

The devil lifted the chess piece up, hesitating a moment before pressing the chess piece into her.

Aqua gasped as she felt.

X

I watched Aqua closely as we emerged from my Hole. She was looking down at herself in wonder. The darkness imbued into her arms was still present. Her once ocean-blue hair was bleached. She spun around, peering behind her to look at her new wings. She hadn’t smiled once while I was talking to her. The first trace of anything akin to joy I witnessed was when I’d put my Knight in her and she’d been reincarnated. That place really messed her up. I think I underestimate just how much it would have affected her. I’d need to watch her and let Medea know to do the same.

Still, the ritual had been a success. A resounding success. With Medea’s improvements to the ritual as well as her assistance performing it, it was much easier to pull off. I'd only spent half of the energy I was expecting. I had enough left over that I might be able to try for another peerage member right now, but it would be a close thing. Considering Aqua had yet to settle in, I would probably postpone any further searches for a while, giving me time to build up more power reserves. There were plenty of local prospects I could consider if I needed any peerage members in the near future, but for now, I felt we were strong enough.

Aqua stopped inspecting herself, as she noticed the third figure in the room with us. “Hello. Are you one of the people in Balthazar’s peerage?”

Medea nodded. “I am Balthazar’s Queen. My name is Medea, but please call me Caster.”

“I’m Aqua. Please call me Aqua.”

An amused smirk tugged at the corner of Medea’s lip. “I think you and I will get along.”

Aqua started looking all around us. “Where are we?”

“We are in the basement of my home.” I said, stepping up next to Medea. “The house itself is set on my lands which are in the Underworld, the home of Devils. We are far removed from your world now.”

Aqua frowned, a furious scowl taking over her face. “Not far enough.” With a flash of light, her keyblade appeared in her hand. She closed her eyes, pointing her keyblade in front of her and slowly spinning around in a circle.

Medea shot me a questioning glance, but I just shrugged. I didn’t know what Aqua was doing either. Seeing I held no answers, Medea’s attention once more focused on Aqua, curiously studying the keyblade in her hand.

All of a sudden, Aqua’s eyes snapped open. She stabbed her keyblade forward. A thin beam of golden light shot forth from the tip, stopping in the space where I’d opened the Hole I pulled Aqua through. Aqua turned the blade in her hands and I felt an explosion of power burst out from her.

“There, now I can leave the past behind.” Aqua said, letting her keyblade hang at her side before scattering into motes of light. She turned to me. “I’m sorry, but could I get some food? I… I was stuck there for a long time and–”

“Say no more. Medea, could you take her upstairs? Let her raid the pantry. I’ll cook something in a second.” I wanted to check something first.

Medea walked up next to Aqua, placing a hand on her back and guiding her up the stairs. It didn’t escape either mine or Medea’s notice when Aqua flinched slightly at the contact, but she quickly relaxed, seemingly almost relieved. Medea and I had a silent conversation with our eyes over Aqua’s shoulder. We were going to need to take things slow with her.

As the two of them disappeared down the hall, I walked over to the space where Aqua had used her keyblade. Curious, I tried to open the Hole I’d made connecting the two worlds.

My eyes shot wide. I… I couldn’t open my Hole. Aqua had somehow locked me out.

I frowned, staring off after her. Maybe I’d underestimated what a keyblade could do. I’d originally set out to recruit Aqua specifically because I knew her keyblade could likely work in tandem with my powers, but this… I hadn’t expected this.

That wasn’t to say that I was angry about Aqua’s actions. If anything, they were good. Her world had several nasty things I would rather not have coming to play here. Locking it away from our world was for the best. As a matter of fact, it was probably best that I ask her to lock the portal I pulled Medea from too to lock out that universe’s nasty stuff. I’d been relying on the Dimensional Gap and Great Red to keep any unsavory consequences from catching up with me, but Aqua’s power added another layer of security. I had actually written off a couple of potential peerage recruits because I didn’t want to risk anything from their worlds following them through the portal I opened to retrieve them. If Aqua could lock the worlds behind me, I’d need to reconsider some of those potential recruits. One of the initial figures I wanted to be my knight stuck out most prominently in my mind. Without having to worry about that world’s problems coming here…

I would also need to keep in mind that she could do more than I’d initially thought and not let myself be caught off guard when she pulled out a cool ability again.

Could she…

The largest limiting factor keeping me from easily using my ritual at present was the power cost. Scrying a location wasn’t very intensive, especially after the improvements Medea had made and providing her assistance to the act itself, but opening a Hole through the nothingness between realities was a separate matter. Opening and sustaining that Hole was difficult. If Aqua could easily lock a Hole, she might be able to hold one open. Between my ability to use Hole, Medea’s expertise and Aqua’s keyblade…

It was something to discuss with my Queen. I saw potential here.

I turned to head up the stairs when a small Hole appeared next to me.

“Are you busy, Bal?” my sister’s voice spoke from the other end.

“Hi, sis. Oh, I’m doing good. How are you?” I replied.

Kuisha sighed heavily. “If you want me to open with time with small talk every time I contact you, I will remember that for the future. Now, are you busy?”

“Depends? I just finished something, but now I need to spend some time with my Knight.”

Kuisha was silent, but the Hole was still there.

“Ku?”

“Your Knight.” Kuisha said, her voice sounded strained.

“Yes…?”

“Your Knight that I am only learning about right now?”

“Hey! I reincarnated her today. Like, less than fifteen minutes ago. I had no opportunity to tell you.”

“Fine. If your new Knight and Queen are up for it, Sai wanted me to invite you all to a party tomorrow. He wants you to bring your peerage over so everyone can get to know each other better.”

Oh… This wasn’t going to make her happy.

“Can I bring my Pawn too?”

My sister was silent again.

“Ku?”

“Let me guess, you reincarnated your Pawn thirty minutes ago.”

“No. He’s actually been here for a little over a week now.”

Silence.

“Ku?”

“It’s like we lack a method to communicate with each other whenever we want. Why do you not tell me these things? Not one but two additions to your peerage is something you should share with me if not to let me know what my brother is up to, then for no other reason than to help me plan.”

“Well you’ll meet them tomorrow! Actually, you might not meet my Knight. I’ll see how she’s feeling. What time did Sai want us over there?”

“Noon. Try not to reincarnate anyone between now and then.” The Hole closed before I could get another word in.

Okay, now she was just being dramatic. Maybe I had been reincarnating people faster than almost any other devil alive, but that was because all three of them were people any devil would kill to have in their peerage.

…At least, they would if they knew who any of them were and what they could do. Secrets I intended to keep hidden for as long as possible. I knew the truth would come out eventually, Coal especially would be hard to hide, but if I had a full peerage filled with strong individuals when the secret broke, I’d consider myself in a good position. There was safety in numbers after all.

I headed upstairs. I found all three members of my peerage in the kitchen. Medea was pulling out pots and pans to get ready to cook something. Aqua, meanwhile, sat in front of the kitchen table, every snack we had in the house arrayed in front of her. Coal stood next to her, waxing on about how the only real snack food we had was the venison jerky and how she should try that first.

Aqua seemed a little overwhelmed.

“Let her breathe, Coal.” I said gently as I entered the room.

“I am merely trying to shield our newest member from your poor taste in sustenance, master. Meat is all one truly needs.”

I sighed fondly, turning to Aqua. “Sorry about him. If any of us are bothering you just let us know and we’ll give you some space.”

Aqua shook her head, looking up at me with a soft smile. “It’s okay. I… I like the noise. I like having people to talk to. Could you keep talking to me?”

Medea and I made eye contact, having a silent conversation.

“If that’s what you want, then I have no reason to refuse. What would you like to talk about?” I asked.

“We shall discuss the many flavors and joys associated with the consumption of meat!” Coal grandly declared.

“No we shall not.” Medea firmly denied without turning around, still gathering vessels to cook in.

Coal’s shoulders slumped, a disappointed frown on his face.

“How about…” Aqua began slowly, eyes flicking between us to watch our reactions. “This… You brought me to a new world, right? I’ve been to other places before, but this feels new. Will you tell me about it?”

“Absolutely,” I said easily, walking up next to Medea so I could help her prepare a meal. She had all kinds of ingredients out, leading me to believe she was going to make a bunch of different things and see what Aqua liked. “To begin, this world is made up of various…”

Medea and I took turns explaining the broader strokes of our world and our place in it to our newest peerage member with Coal enthusiastically inserting comments at certain points. Aqua spoke rarely, only to ask a short question before going back to munching on crackers and jerky.

She seemed…not happy, but content. Whenever there was a break in the conversation, she would frown minutely until someone started speaking again. It seemed she just enjoyed the sound of our voices. After spending so long trapped with no one around, I imagined it was nice to have people to talk to again.

Once the feast Medea and I made was done, we all sat around the table and conversation transitioned to ourselves. We more formally introduced ourselves, explaining who we were, where we came from and what brought us together. Aqua only made a single contribution to the discussion.

“My name is Aqua. I am… I was a Keyblade Master. I want to leave my past behind me. To forget it just as it forgot me. I look forward to a new future with all of you.”

X

“Aqua, if you are not feeling up for this, then–”

“No, I want to come. You said your sister is there, right? I haven’t been to a party in… I want to go.” Aqua said, resolute in her decision.

Medea walked up beside me, squeezing my hand. She gave me a shallow nod, and I understood her meaning. She would keep an eye on Aqua while at the party.

I gave my Queen a grateful smile and turned back around to the assembled members of my peerage. “Well then, I guess it's time to go.”

With a wave of my hand, a large Hole swept over us, transporting us to Sai’s estate.

“Bal!” a boisterous voice greeted us. Sairaorg was walking towards us. Behind him, his entire peerage as well as a figure I didn’t recognize worked to set up several tables laden with refreshments. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too, Sai.”

He turned to my peerage behind me. “It’s good to meet all of you. I’m Sairaorg. Bal’s older sister is my Queen.”

Medea nodded politely. “It is good to meet you, Sairaorg. I am Caster. This is Aqua and Coal… Coal? Oh.”

Sai and I turned to follow her gaze. Coal was striding away from us with a purpose, his eyes fixed on something. A figure walked away from where Sai’s peerage was gathered, heading directly towards Coal.

“Regulus?” Sai said quietly, confused.

Regulus and Coal stopped just across from one-another and sized each-other up.

“I know you.” Coal said.

Regulus nodded. “I know you, too.”

They knew each other? I…admittedly was not aware of that fact. I guess the secret that I had reincarnated the Colchian Dragon was already no longer a secret.

They stared at each other for a long moment, breaking the silence together. Almost as if they’d rehearsed it, as one they said, “I want to fight you.”

Regulus nodded contentedly. “Good. There is a training field behind the house. Come with me.”

Sai and I stared dumbly at their backs as the duo completely disregarded everything and everyone but each other as they began walking away.

“Um…” Sairaorg began uncertainly. “I was going to offer some appetizers, but I guess we can go watch them spar? I know Regulus will be okay, but will Coal–”

“Coal will be fine.” I assured him, inwardly chuckling. A dragon that can regenerate from almost anything and a lion that is almost impossible to hurt. What a pair. I’d have to be an idiot not to want to watch an unstoppable force meet an immovable object. “Let’s go watch.”

Sai gathered up his peerage, much to their confusion, and we all started following the two Pawns ahead of us.

“It might not be a formal introduction, but Bal, this is my new bishop Misteeta.”

Misteeta was a small youn man who hid behind the cowl of his robe. I saw some green hair poking out, but he didn’t say anything to us. He seemed shy.

Sairaorg continued on without missing ambeat. “Bal’s peerage, this is the rest of my peerage. This is Coriana and Ladora, and that up there is Regulus. And this is my Queen Kuisha.”

“Hey, sis.” I greeted her with a wave.

“Little brother,” she spared me a glance before turning to my Queen and Knight. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Aqua. Caster, it is good to see you again.”

“Likewise.”

We made small talk as we all headed up to the arena.

Regulus and Coal hadn’t waited for us. The moment they entered the arena, they were on each other, throwing punches and kicks. Regulus was proving to have the advantage, but I attributed that to the fact that Coal’s experience was not as vast as Regulus’s was. Coal hadn’t had as much time as Regulus had to learn to fight like a devil.

The rest of us rushed to find seats so we wouldn’t miss anything. I kept an eye on Aqua, but Medea sat right next to her, keeping her company and sharing a quiet conversation with her. She was well looked after.

“So, brother,” Kuisha said as she sat down next to me. “That is your new Pawn you elected not to tell me about.”

I sighed. “I was busy, Ku. I was buying up land and getting some construction started. It slipped my mind to let you know I recruited someone else.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Not that I’m obligated to do so or anything.”

She shook her head. “Is it really too much to ask for you to keep me up to date on how you’re doing? I just want to know what’s going on in my little brother’s life. I worry.”

“Which is fine, and if you want me to let you know when I get new peerage members I will, but cut me some slack if I get distracted focusing on something else and it slips my mind.”

“I guess I can agree to that.” She focused back on the fight. Regulus was pushing Coal back towards the edge of the arena. “He seems…enthusiastic.”

I chuckled. “Don’t sugarcoat it, sis. He’s getting his ass handed to him right now. Give it a minute, he’ll even the odds.”

She looked intrigued. “How many Pawns did it take to reincarnate him?”

“Six.”

Her eyes widened slightly, looking down at my Pawn with new respect in her eyes. “Regulus took seven.”

“Enough!” Coal’s roar of frustration drew all attention down to the field. Regulus backed away from him, hands still up in a fighting stance. “This is not how you nor I desired to test ourselves, Regulus. Let us dispense with the charade!” Golden energy surrounded him in an aura as his form elongated.

Regulus grinned, roaring in challenge. The sound continued, growling deeper and more powerful as Regulus’s orange hair gave way to a golden mane.

Kuisha gasped in her seat next to me as a black dragon with seams of gold running through its scales faced off against a golden lion.

“A dragon.” Kuisha breathed, unbelieving.

I smirked at her. “Yep.”

Like a striking viper, Coal descended on Regulus. His teeth scraped against the lion’s hide, leaving no visible damage. Regulus used the chance to swipe at Coal with his claws, leaving deep gashes in the dragon’s throat. Golden light poured out of the wound, healing it almost as soon as it was made.

Yeah, these two were the perfect combatants for each other.

Kuisha looked at me with a suspicious expression. “This was why you asked me about Ladora’s power to tame dragons, wasn’t it?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, deciding how I wanted to play this. In the end, I realized I didn’t want to lie to my sister if I could avoid it. “No.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “No?”

I nodded. “No.”

“You expect me to believe you are plotting to acquire another dragon?”

“Believe what you want, but understand that I want nothing to do with that dragon.” The idea of Issei even being near Medea made me want to murder something.

But then, Issei wasn’t the only one with a dragon-themed Sacred gear around was he? Saji should be in that same area, right? I’d need to check later if Sona had already reincarnated him. Saji I would feel comfortable letting around my sister. Maybe I’d even move to reincarnate him myself. I’d have to discuss it with Medea.

“You’re plotting something.” Kuisha said suspiciously.

“I’ve found myself doing that a lot these days.”

“It’s okay to take a break, you know? In fact, you should take breaks. Are you at least sleeping now? Or has the fact that I’m no longer there to force you emboldened you?”

I considered that for a moment. I had been getting more sleep recently. I was still storing power in my pocket dimension, but I was much stronger than when I was younger. I could siphon less power for more gain, allowing me to actually rest now. And I had Aqua now, I might be able to open a Hole to another place with very minimal power consumption. I would be getting much more opportunity to rest in the future. But…my nights were now occupied with other activities.

“Yes and no.” I said non committedly, watching as Regulus pounced into the air, digging his claws into the dragon flying above him and holding on in an effort to tear Coal out of the sky. Coal whirled around, trying to dislodge the lion, but Ruguls held firm, digging his teeth into Coal’s scales.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what I said, sister.”

“That is not helpful, little brother. Are you taking care of yourself or–”

“Hello, you two!” Medea said. She and Aqua had walked up behind Kuisha while she was focused on me.

Kuisha did not look pleased at the interruption. She turned to greet them, pausing as she looked at Medea. Medea winked at her and I had to suppress a sigh. Kuisha turned to me with wide eyes, rapidly looking between Medea and I. “You–”

“Aqua wanted to meet her King’s sister, so I thought I’d bring her over.” Medea said innocently, completely steam-rolling Kuisha. “I’ll leave you two to get to know each other while I have a word with my King. Come on, honey.”

Aqua stepped forward and held a hand out to Kuisha, a small smile on her face. “It’s good to meet you, Kuisha. Caster has told me many good things.”

“Has she?” Kuisha said through grit teeth, suppressing a growl as I took Medea’s hand and let her guide me away. Aqua took my chair and started having a quiet conversation with my sister. Kuisha, being the polite individual that she was, engaged Aqua in conversation, but she shot Medea a scathing look over her shoulder as we departed.

“Please don’t antagonize my sister so much. I’d like for you two to get along.”

“But, master, it’s so fun.”

I sighed. “Just please keep it to where she won’t hate your guts. Family dinners will be really awkward in the future if you two can’t sit at the same table.”

“Family dinners? My, how forward of you, master. You take a maiden’s body and already seek to lay claim to her heart as well?”

I tugged on her hand, pulling her back into me so I could lean down next to her ear. “If I don’t have your heart already, I will claim it. I won’t stop until you gladly surrender it to me.”

Medea chuckled. “You make such sweet promises, honey.” She turned her head around and pulled me into a brief kiss.

Medea and I sat down just as Coal slammed Regulus into the dirt of the arena, dislodging the lion and allowing his wounds to heal. Coal zipped up into the sky, spinning around and rocketing back down. His great maw opened wide and superheated orange fire poured forth. Regulus regained his feet and glared up challengingly at Coal, allowing the fire to wash over him. When the flames faded, he stood undamaged. He leapt up once more, beating his paw against Coal’s snout and driving him into the ground. He followed up his attack by slashing his claws into his downed foe. Coal gave as good as he got, winding his body around and striking his tail towards Regulus like a whip, sending the lion flying across the arena.

“I’ve got something to run by you.” I said, to Medea as we watched the two supernatural monstrosities tear into each other.

“I’m listening.”

“I know where some powerful Sacred Gear holders are. One of them has the potential to have infinite power, but I do not want to recruit him.”

“Is he tied to a powerful organization or is it him personally you don’t like?”

“The latter. The guy is an irredeemable pervert. Not the fun kind either. The, ‘I’m going to peep on this person I’ve never met while they’re changing and then giggle while taking pictures’ kind.”

“I was about to argue the many virtues of perversion, but I can see you really do not like this man. What do you intend to do?”

“I briefly considered telling Sai where he is, but then that would put him around my sister.”

“I can see the problem.”

“What do you think I should do?”

“There are a couple of things we could do. If he would be a good fit for Sairaorg’s peerage, we could wrap him up in so many geas contracts that he cannot so much as think of your sister. Or, we could find another devil to give him to. What Sacred Gear does he have?”

“Boosted Gear.”

Medea didn’t let what she thought of that reveal show, simply watched Regulus’s jaw latch onto Coal’s tail as he thrashed about, trying to whip the dragon back and forth. Coal’s flexible, serpentine body made it very difficult for Regulus to get any leverage.

“Sairaorg only has one Pawn left, leaving his strongest unused piece to be his Rook. The Boosted Gear might be too powerful for him to reincarnate.”

“Well, the only other devil I know is Magdaran. I could reach out to others to see if they’d be interested in trading for information, but then they’d wonder where the information came from.”

Medea turned away from the fight. Coal was trying to chew through Regulus’s mane while the lion frantically tried to break free. “Where did the information come from, Balthazar? You know a lot. I have not pried, but I am curious.”

I met her eyes, holding a hand up and opening a small Hole. “In an infinite multiverse, our lives will exist as someone else’s stories. I was an avid reader once upon a time.” It didn’t go into deep details about where I got my knowledge, but it was the truth.

Medea smiled warmly as she leaned towards me. “I think I understand. Thank you for trusting me.” She pressed a light kiss into my temple, weaving her fingers through mine as she took my hand. “What became of Boosted Gear in this story?”

“Rias Gremory reincarnated him to try to get out of her engagement to Riser Phenex.”

Medea made a considering sound. “Lucifer’s sister?”

“The same.”

“There is potential there.”

“I agree. There’s also potential in giving him to the other Satan’s sister, but I don’t know if I want to attract the Satan’s attention just yet.”

“Do you know of other Sacred Gears you would be interested in?”

“A few. I know where Absorption Line is. That was one I was considering telling Sairaorg about. Its holder is a good guy. I also know where to find Sephiroth Graal, but it would attract the same attention giving Boosted Gear to the Satans would.”

“Allied to a strong organization?”

“Unwilling, but yes. They aren’t the largest players in the supernatural, but people would notice if they disappeared.”

“We’ll put plans for their complete and utter destruction to the side for a moment, at least until you can fully fill me in. I imagine you do not want to let this conversation drag on too long while we are here, even through the privacy wards I set up around us, but we will be returning to that subject at a later date.”

“Understood. Thanks for setting up the wards by the way.”

“Of course. Does this sudden fascination with Sacred Gear holders mean Aqua will be the last person you intend to recruit as you recruited me?”

I pursed my lips. “That’s something else I wanted to talk about. I may have thought of a way to better do that which united us. If it works, there’s at least one person I want to go for soon. We’ll need to talk more about the details later.”

“I look forward to it. It sounds like it will be an interesting conversation.”

On the field below, Coal let out a cry of pain as Regulus pinned him down on his back, batting at him with his claws to open new wounds as fast as his healing mended them.

“Yield!” Regulus bellowed. “I have won this bout!”

“I yield!” Coal shouted. Regulus ceased his assault immediately, still standing on Coal’s body. The two great monsters stared intently at each other.

A deep, rumbling chuckle shook Coal’s body. Regulus’s shoulders rose and fell as he began to chuckle.

Both monsters threw their heads back and laughed. Brilliant golden light shined so bright as to be blinding as their forms both shrunk down.

They had both returned to their humanoid devil forms. Their clothes were wrecked, shirts missing and pant legs torn, but neither one of them could control their laughter as they threw their arms around each other.

“Brother!” Coal shouted, pure joy in his voice. “The years have not dulled your edge, I see!”

“Nor have you weakened, brother!” Regulus replied, just as loud. “I am pleased to see you whole! It was a stroke of luck that my master found me when he did, allowing me to escape from my eternal prison. I feared you would dwell forever within that accursed helmet.”

“I am free now, brother. That is all that matters, and my word binds me to speak no more on how I escaped.”

Regulus pulled back, clapping Coal on the shoulder. “I don’t care how you were freed, only that you were. Come! There is meat!” They threw their arms over one-another’s shoulders, marching out of the arena and back towards the tables, already boasting about their exploits since their last meeting.

I felt really stupid as I watched them leave the arena. “Did you know they were brothers?”

Medea looked at me, confused. “Did you not?”

I shook my head numbly.

Medea giggled, patting me on the head. “There there, master. It seems glimpsing the infinite will leave you with the most peculiar blindspots. Don’t you worry. I will be here to make up for your shortcomings.”

“Well that was certainly something!” Sai said, walking over to us with Kuisha and Aqua at his side. “You continue to surprise me, Bal. I thought finding Caster as fast as you did was fluke, but then you found two more interesting peerage members in as much time? One of whom happens to be the Colchian Dragon? Well, now I think there’s something going on. Hey, Bal,” He had an eager grin on his face. “Watching that fight made me want to stretch my legs. You want to spar?”

Chapter 8: 8

Chapter Text

Sairaorg had an eager grin on his face as he awaited my answer.

Hesitantly, I said, “I don’t know if–”

“What a wonderful idea!” Medea cheered from my side.

I shot her a scathing look. She smiled innocently at me.

“Great!” Sairaorg cheered, pulling off the jacket he’d been wearing, leaving him in a black tank top. “Let’s go!” He leapt down to the other side of the arena. There was no magical assistance or flight in that jump, only pure strength. The man was strong, that was for sure.

Kuisha had an encouraging look on her face as she laid a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Bal. Sairaorg won’t hurt you.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Thanks for the support, sis.”

Kuisha sighed. “Of course I believe in you, but he is older than you and has been training all his life.”

My wings shot out of my back, lifting me up into the air. I was staring at Sairaorg across the field as I said, “So have I.”

As I drifted down to the arena ground opposite Sairaorg, my mind wandered.

I didn’t have to agree to this fight. I’d been keeping my power hidden my whole life in the hopes of staying under the radar. While it would amuse my peerage and likely improve my relationship with Sairaorg to go through with this, I could just walk away, but I didn’t want to.

I wanted to fight him. Sairaorg was a devil prodigy. He didn’t inherit any special devil power. He wasn’t like Vali where he lucked into having a Sacred Gear while still being a devil descended from the big L himself. He was, by all accounts, the failure of the Bael family, yet, in canon, he built himself back up and reclaimed his birthright with nothing but hard work. I wasn’t sure exactly how his present self measured up to the man that Issei fought, but I would bet my left sock he was already at the pinnacle of High Class, perhaps even further beyond it. He might be knocking on the door of Ultimate Class.

I’d been training my whole life, but I’d never tested myself before. I knew I was far above other High Class devils after my showing in the High Class test, but I didn’t know how wide that gap was. I wanted to find out.

“Hey, Sai?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t go easy on me.”

Sairaorg grinned, slamming his fist into his open palm. “If that’s what you want. I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt though.”

“I will do the same.”

Sairaorg barked out a laugh. “I love your confidence, Bal! It makes me think you’re gonna show me something you’ve got hidden up your sleeve. Well, if you really want me not to hold back…” He adopted a well-practiced stance, his grin fading as he focused for a moment. All at once, power exploded around the arena. Sairaorg’s form was wreathed in a pearl-colored aura that radiated strength. Touki. That enigmatic, spiritual frustrating ability.

“Here I come, Bal.” With no further warning, he exploded towards me, rearing his fist back to strike. He was fast. Unfortunately for him, fast wasn’t enough.

A Hole swallowed me, sending me to the connected Hole high in the air. Sairaorg followed me through the Hole, moving too fast for me to close it in time, but he did not emerge from the same Hole I did.

I’d experimented to exhaustion with Hole. I could perfectly control every aspect of the ability. Its size. Its reach. Its destination. Just because a Hole connected me to one point one moment didn’t mean I couldn’t instantly chain it to an entirely separate Hole, sending Sairaorg to a different point.

Sairaorg blitzed through the new Hole I opened inches from the ground, smashing into the dirt beneath him with enough momentum to crater the soil. The impact didn’t hurt him. He was on his feet the moment he hit, but I was prepared.

All around the arena, Holes drifted through the air. You couldn’t walk or fly five feet without brushing up against one. I held my hands out at my sides. Magical flames came to life in the air around me.

In the stands, I saw Kuisha’s eyes wide in disbelief. Were she to attempt this, she would likely either fail or only be able to hold it for a short time. Hole was a potent ability, but the more complex you got with it, the more intensive it was to use. The difference between myself and my sister was that I was far better with our family’s power than she was. From a young age, I’d used it to siphon my own power. Years ago, I discovered how to use Hole to reach across realities. Breaching the Dimensional Gap and the bout of nothingness beyond was far more difficult than anything else I had ever done. Compared to that, what I was doing now was child’s play.

“If I wreck your training area, I’ll help fix it.” I called down to Sairaorg. The next moment, the air was full of steel and fire, raining down from every direction as I launched fire spells through Holes and sent weapons suspended in my pocket dimensions flying at him.

Sairaorg’s body was a blur, expertly dodging around the tears in reality around him, avoiding fire and batting away steel even as it came through the Holes all around him. He was spectacular.

I was smiling. I felt the adrenaline. I felt the thrill of the challenge. This was fun.

Wanting to limit Sairaorg’s absurd mobility, I clapped my hands together, pulling on a trick Medea had taught me. A dark mist seeped out from me, expanding into the space around me. I conjured dozens of Holes around me to absorb the mist, spreading it all around the arena.

Sairaorg saw the mist, attempting to dodge back away from it, but a Hole opened behind him choked the last haven of safe air with fog. The effect was immediate. Sairaorg slowed down, his muscles fatiguing under the weight of the curse. Still, it didn’t put him down. It didn’t even slow him all that much. There was a noticeable drop in his ability to dodge my attacks. Some hit him now, but they deflected off of his skin, leaving little to no damage behind. The man was durable.

He flew up towards me. I opened a Hole in his path, connected to one at my side. I sent a torrent of fire through the Hole at my side. The one in front of Sairaorg erupted in all directions like an omnidirectional volcano. He was forced to back off and take a wide berth around it.

I opened more Holes, using the trick again and again, but, even hampered by my curse, he was still agile enough to dodge around them. I couldn’t hit him with them because he was just too fast.

I’d need to try something else.

X

The corner of Medea’s lip pulled up in a pleased grin as she watched Balthazar fight. It was always pleasing to see the fruits of her labor manifest. Balthazar was a natural at magic, a gift of his devil heritage most likely, but he did not coast along on the current of his potential as most did. He strove for more, always pushing, combining his raw power with a sheer-minded determination to succeed. It was one of the things that made her quite taken with her new master. Seeing that same intensity in his eyes when he pursued his strength directed at her set her aflame. She doubted she would ever tire of it.

“They’re…very strong.” Aqua said from her seat at Medea’s side. She had been watching the fight with wide eyed fascination.

“Yes, they are.” Medea commented.

On the field below, Sairaorg, even weakened as he was by the cursed mist Balthazar had employed, was attempting to catch Balthazar in one place long enough to strike him, always slipping through a Hole before Sairaorg could reach him. The disgraced Bael heir seemed to lack much in the way of ranged options. Perhaps that was why he had reincarnated Kuisha as his Queen? With an Abbadon at his side to transport him with Holes, he would not need to worry about closing the distance to his opponent. Contrarily, fighting that same ability as he was now put him at a distinct disadvantage.

“How is…Sairaorg?”

Medea nodded at Aqua’s shy question. She’d heard many names in the short time they’d been here. It was natural she would have a hard time remembering them.

“How is Sairaorg not hurt? I’ve seen him hit by spears, but they left no damage.”

“Touki.” It was not Medea who answered, but Kuisha, sitting on Aqua’s other side. “He has managed what no pure-blood devil before him has and managed to manifest his life force to enhance himself. It magnifies all of his physical characteristics including his durability. It is very difficult to damage him while he uses the technique.”

“I wouldn’t be able to take those blows.” Aqua said. “Maybe if I was wearing my armor I’d…” Aqua trailed off, a sad frown on her face.

“There is no reason to feel inadequate.” Kuisha comforted her with a smile on her face. “Sairaorg has trained for a long time to become as strong as he has.” She turned back to the fight, her smile thinning into a line. “Which is why I am confused that this fight is still going on. I don’t remember Bal ever showing any of this to me.”

Medea saw the opportunity to needle Kuisha, but she let it pass, she had other concerns at present. Aqua was still frowning, drawn off in her own little world as she stared longingly at nothing.

She missed this armor she once wore then? Well that wouldn’t do. This would be remedied as soon as the opportunity presented itself. For the present…

“I believe some refreshments are in order.” Medea cut in with a smile, reaching into the bag at her side and retrieving a box wound with a ribbon. The box was far too large to have actually fit in the bag, but Aqua didn’t seem to notice her little trick. Kuisha watched her with narrowed eyes, but Medea paid her no mind. She opened the box and offered it to Aqua.

“Cupcakes?” the Knight asked, tilting her head to the side cutely.

“I made them a few days ago. Hopefully they’re still good.”

Aqua picked up a cupcake and took a small bite. “They’re good!” she said, feverishly finishing her cupcake and taking another.

Potions and paltrices were one of Medea’s specialties. They required extensive knowledge and immense skill. Next to mastering such a complex discipline, learning to bake and cook was child’s play.

A thunderous boom sounded from the arena, drawing all attention back to the fight.

Sairaorg was picking himself up from the ground, clutching at a smoking point on his chest. Balthazar hovered in the air above him, hands held at his sides, a fist-sized Hole open in front of each of his hands.

Medea absentmindedly picked up a cupcake and took a small bite as waves of crimson power drifted away from Balthazar’s body. It seemed he was starting to get serious.

X

Sairaorg was good. No, that wasn’t fair to him. Sairaord was a fucking shounen protagonist stuck in someone else’s story. Seriously, Boosted Gear or not, how did Issei beat this guy? He was fighting me without Regulus, and the only reason he hadn’t landed a hit on me was because Hole was completely busted, not to mention a perfect counter to a martial artist. If he had landed a hit on me, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to recover in time before he started to ground-pound me into submission. I was tough, but I wasn’t ‘tank a hit from spare protagonist’ levels of tough.

This wasn’t even mentioning the fact that he looked like I hadn’t even scratched him. Slowed down as he was by my curse, I’d managed to land several good hits on him with my weapons and fire spells alike. Aside from a singed tank top, I had nothing to show for it.

Guess it was time to field test some stuff.

A small Hole the size of my fist opened in front of each of my hands as I focused my power.

Sairaorg saw I was trying something and leapt up towards me, how wings beating against the air to help him dodge around Holes I opened in his path to send him away. His reaction times were unreal. He’d almost made it to me when a cacophonous boom like ten overlapping lightning strikes shook the arena.

Sairaorg grunted in pain, blasted backwards through the air to smash into the wall of the arena, leaving a small crater. He stumbled his way out of the crater, holding his chest. There was smoke drifting up from where he’d been struck. I grinned.

I’d spent a lot of time trying to push Hole to its limit. My accidental jaunt to the Dimensional Gap was the result of one such test, but it wasn’t the only of its kind. When I’d opened that Hole, I’d been testing the range of my power. This attack that actually seemed to hurt Sairaorg was a result of testing other limits.

I knew from watching Kuisha practice that Holes could vary in size. They could be large enough to swallow a person or small enough to only allow a rock to pass through. I wanted to know exactly how small and big I could make my Holes. Large Holes were…hard. Anything past the size I used to transport my peerage around became exponentially more difficult, with a Hole even double that size requiring ten times the power and tiring you out ten times as quickly. That wasn’t to mention that they were slower. Focusing that power took time, time you could use to just open a regular sized Hole and attack that way. Large Holes simply weren’t worth it.

Small ones though… Those were fun.

It was a lot easier to open a small Hole than a large one, although I had to work at it for a while before I got good at it. Smaller ones were a matter of precision rather than power. Precision could be trained much easier than power.

As much as I tried to push the limits of my power and grow in strength, I couldn’t make them too small to be visible to the naked eye. I’d tried really hard to do so. Maybe I’d be able to at some time in the future if I kept training, but that was just beyond me right now. The best I could manage was a Hole the size of a spider’s eye.

What use is a portal that small? You can’t transport anything through it, right? On the contrary, you can. You see, you don’t need to have two Holes of the same size connected to each other. I could take five minutes to create one as large as a house and pair it to a normal sized Hole. The clincher was you couldn’t send something through a larger Hole that wouldn’t fit through the smaller one, which was why Kuisha never bothered with ridiculously large or small Holes, just ‘normal’ sized. She didn’t think it was worth the effort to make a smaller Hole she couldn’t transfer an attack or an ally through. She’d been thinking too rudimentary. Spells, weapons, people – those weren’t the only things you could send through Holes. I’d discovered at a young age that I could use my Holes to siphon away my demonic power to help myself grow stronger. Pure, concentrated power. Energy.

It was crude, akin to hitting something with a rock depending on how you looked at it, but I could shove my power into my Holes and have it shoot out the paired one on the other side. I could tailor the amount of power I sent through, making the attack lighter or stronger. If I shoved a bunch of pressure through a fist-sized Hole on one side and it was forced to shoot out of a much smaller Hole on the other side, as small as a spider’s eye for example, the force of the attack would magnify immensely as the attack was all forced out of a smaller opening all at once. It was the same principle as a rifle really. Give the energy nowhere to go but out and you get a really nasty punch. So far, this little trick was the only thing I’d been able to actually hurt Sairaorg with.

And I hadn’t put everything I had into that strike.

A tiny Hole owned behind Sairaorg, knocking him into the dirt as I struck again. Dozens of miniscule Holes opened around him and battered him from all angles as I rapidly sent power into the Holes in front of my hand, switching their pairing between all of the miniscule ones orbiting in the air around Sairaorg with every new attack even as the Holes orbited around him. No strike came from the same direction.

He was curled in on himself, arms held up protectively to weather the assault. I wasn’t sure if he was waiting for me to tire, but that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. One of the advantages to this attack was that it cost me barely anything to use. Couple that with its destructive potential and it was an amazing spammable. I’d just never had a chance to use it against someone who deserved to face it. The girl in the High Class test might have actually died if I hit her with this. Sairaorg was hurt, but he looked more determined than anything else.

Man, I felt inadequate. Here I was, going as close to all out against him as I could without actually hurting him, and he was still on his feet, still rearing to go. The man had a Longinus Sacred Gear that he was the user of because of the weird circumstances surrounding his resurrection of Regulus. He was handi-capped and I still couldn't put him down without serious injury. If I threw caution to the wind and powered up every strike to its limits I was confident I could do it, but it might cause lasting damage or outright kill him. Sairaorg was a cool guy. I didn’t want to do that to him.

The attacks batting Sairaorg to and fro halted. He flew backwards through the air away from the Holes I’d sent around the arena. One by one, every Hole winked out, leaving only Sairaorg and I in the arena.

Sairaorg’s eyebrows were furrowed. “You’re good, Bal. If I’m honest, you’re better than most I’ve gone up against. I wasn’t expecting that.”

“I’ll take that as the complement it is, but I will also point out that Hole is a hard counter for you. Which is why,” I was going to regret this. “I won’t use it for the remainder of the fight.”

Ever since I was young, even as I worked to use Hole to its fullest potential, I tried to find avenues to fight without it. There were methods to lock away someone’s power in this world, the Beliel’s power of Worthless was just one of the more popular ones. I needed to be able to fight without my greatest weapon.

With Hole, I was beating Sairaorg back to a near-sure victory, albeit without his Sacred Gear. Without Hole… I could beat Rias Gremory. I could beat Sona Sitri. I was confident I could overcome Riser Phenex’s Immortality. But all of them were minor threats. They were still young. Rias hadn’t risen to her canon heights. Beating them wouldn’t be much of an accomplishment. I needed to see where I stood in relation to actual threats. With Hole, I’d fared very well against Sairaorg, but he wasn’t facing me with his full strength despite my request. Regulus and Coal were still off on their own somewhere and that wasn’t likely to change. Sairaorg was fighting me without his greatest trump card while I used Hole with reckless abandon. Without it, I wasn’t sure how well I would fare against him.

Let’s find out.

Only one Hole was left beside me. I used it to retrieve a spear from my pocket dimension before the Hole closed, the last I would use in this fight. Why was my weapon of choice a spear? Simple, I wasn’t a close-quarters fighter. I’d trained with weapons over the years, but I’d found I had more skill with spears and polearms than bladed weapons or even maces. As far as I was concerned, the further I was from my opponent the better. I could stab someone through a Hole with a spear and retract it without fear of someone grabbing my hand, or, failing that, just drop the spear and pull a new one from another Hole before my opponent could stop me. The same wasn’t necessarily true for a sword.

Sairaorg watched me intently as I lowered myself to the ground across from him. “Do you still want me to fight seriously?”

“There wouldn’t be a point to this otherwise. Just no permanent injury please.”

“That goes without saying. This is a spar. I know you were holding back from hurting me earlier, and you can trust me to do the same.” He grinned. “I’m still gonna pay you back for all the bruises I’m gonna have though.”

I settled into a defensive stance with my spear. “Give it your best shot.”

The ground cratered under Sairaorg’s feet as he launched himself towards me, the pearl-colored aura of his Touki flaring around him.

When I was younger, I tried everything I could think of to grow more powerful. I knew of Touki’s existence, and I knew the broad strokes of what it was, but try as I might, I couldn’t figure out how to unlock it. I trained myself beyond exhaustion, I meditated, I did everything I could think of to achieve it. Even still, I was never able to. I gave up, looking at other avenues to enhance myself in a similar way to Touki. My solution likely wasn’t as good, but it had the benefit of being something I knew more about than Touki. It was also magic. When you were born into a race whose talent for the arcane was limited only by their power and imagination, that made things much easier. And since this particular magic was blatantly stolen from her home, Medea was able to help me improve it even further since I’d reincarnated her into my peerage.

Streams of verdant energy like electrical wires spread out over my body, encompassing my arms, legs, head, everything. The veins of energy shone bright like an emerald as Sairaorg closed the distance to me. When my preparations were made, I moved to counterattack.

Long before Sairaorg would reach me, I thrust my spear forward. A beam of orange energy shot forward from the tip. Another advantage to long weapons. Their length made them similar to staves. They weren’t as good a spell focus as a staff would be, but they were certainly easier to channel magic through than a sword would be.

Sairaorg easily weaved around my attack and kept bearing down on me. Before I could launch another one, he was on me.

He dodged my initial thrust and moved to strike with his fist. I spun away from his strike, sweeping my spear in front of him to conjure a wall of fire between us. I pushed the wall forward.

Sairaorg exploded through the fire wall, the white corona of his Touki flaring bright. The fire hadn’t affected him at all. The flame wall had the unintentional side effect of blocking his movements from my field of view. The first thing I saw emerge was a fist headed straight towards my head.

A resounding boom shook the arena. The remnants of my flame wall scattered under a shockwave of force. Sairaorg and I stood in the center of the field, him wreathed in pearl-like light, my skin lit from beneath by emerald lines of energy. Sairaorg’s fist had impacted my forearm with enough strength to create a shockwave around us. This man had spent his entire life training. He was empowered by his herculean life force via his Touki. And yet, I took the blow without so much as flinching.

I saw Sairaorg’s eyes briefly widen in surprise before he was spinning away from the butt of my spear as I swung it around towards him, trailing red energy as it went.

Sairaorg leapt up into the air, narrowly avoiding the crackling bolt of red energy that shot out of my staff. I used the opening to leap back away from him.

I was beyond ecstatic. I hadn’t known for sure how powerful my Reinforcement was before now. It had just taken a strike from a man who trained his entire life to be a martial art’s master and I had barely even felt the hit. My Reinforcement worked. Still, I had no illusions about how a close quarters battle between us would go.

Sairaorg had trained for his entire life to become a master martial artist. For a significant portion of that life, he had been heir to the Bael Pillar. As such, he would have had access to the greatest teachers available. I would not be able to beat him in melee. While I had trained a lot in this life, half-remembered lessons from a black belt in karate from my first life was not nearly enough to equate to the instruction Sairaorg would have received. I needed to keep my distance, another reason I liked using a spear. My weapon would make it harder for him to close the distance on me.

That was what I thought anyway.

Sairaorg charged me head on, barrel-rolling through the air on his wings to avoid several more spells shot from my spear. When he grew too close, I thrust my spear forward. Sairaorg punched my spearpoint away, soaring past its effective range and in far too close to me. I blocked his first punch, but he was a better fighter than me and I was caught flat-footed by his maneuver.

I doubled over as Sairaorg’s foot buried itself in my stomach. My arms barely came up in time to absorb the punch heading for my head.

The blow sent me flying across the arena, rolling to a stop in a kneeling position, the butt of my spear digging into the dirt to help me steady myself. I didn’t feel any damage, but I definitely didn’t enjoy being knocked around.

Sairaorg didn’t give me any time to breathe, already charging towards me.

I couldn’t fight him on his terms. He would win. I’d trained to use weapons, but I was a mage first and foremost. Sairaorg, on the contrary, was a brawler, a damn good one at that. I needed to change things up.

I shot up into the air, my spear held high above my head, an orange energy building within its tip. I aimed it down at Sairaorg as he flew up towards me. He was already moving to dodge another energy beam when something new emerged.

A translucent, orange-hued spectre nearly identical in shape to myself shot forward from my spear, rearing back to strike Sairaorg. It wasn’t a Shadow Clone, but it was the best I could figure out how to make without any proper instruction.

If Sairaorg was surprised by its sudden appearance, he didn’t show it, merely rolling through the air and punching his way through the spirit as he continued charging towards me. The spectral copy scattered into motes of energy as Sairaorg plowed through it.

I’d honestly expected that to slow him down at least somewhat. I needed to try something else. I gathered my power, preparing to meet Sairaorg in the air.

An explosion of power beneath me pulled my attention from the fight. Sairaorg whirled around as well. Were we under attack?

There, standing on the field below us, were Kuisha and Medea. Kuisha had a deep frown on her face. Medea looked exceedingly pleased.

“That’s enough, I think.” Kuisha called up to us. “We still have yet to give our guests anything to eat, Sai.”

Sairaorg’s Touki faded instantly. He floated up next to me in the air, holding his head and chuckling. “Sorry about that, Bal. I kinda got carried away.”

I huffed, irritated at the interruption, but pleased with the fight all the same. My Reinforcement slithered back down my skin as I took Sai’s offered hand. “That was fun. I haven’t been able to test myself against another devil like that in…ever. We need to do it again.”

“Oh, we will. Next time I might even break out some of my other tricks for you. Now, come on! There’s food!”

X

By the time we made it to the tables out in front of Sairaorg’s home all the salami and beef was gone. Coal and Regulus sat a short distance away, passing a very expensive looking bottle back and forth as they boisterously conversed.

Sairaorg had taken Aqua under his wing. I didn’t know if he saw how much she was floundering or was just trying to be a good host, but he showed her around to the various dishes and led her through short conversations with each of his peerage members. When they got to Coriana, Sairaorg left her. Coriana and Aqua sat down together and seemed lost in their own little conversation. I kept an eye on her just in case, but Aqua had a small smile on her face the entire time they were speaking, so I let it be. The more friends she made the better as far as I was concerned. I wasn’t a therapist, but more people around her couldn’t hurt.

Ladora had wandered over to where Regulus and Coal were still drinking heavily and joined in. He didn’t contribute much in the way of conversation, but the mythical beasts didn’t seem to mind his presence.

Medea had somehow cornered Misteeta when no one was looking. She loomed over the guy and seemed to be interrogating him. Misteeta was looking around for help, but he hadn’t started actively running yet. If things got too out of hand, I would step in, but as it was I was letting Medea have her fun.

“That was…quite a showing, little brother.” Kuisha said, sitting down at the table next to me.

I lifted my glass towards her. “The product of many years of hard work, sister dear.”

Kuisha was frowning, not meeting my eyes. “So you have been working on that for years? I thought it was just the fire magic. The green veins, the mist, the spirit copies – I’ve never seen those, and I would guess there is more you didn’t show, isn’t there?”

I slowly nodded, watching her reaction closely. She seemed…sad?

“Why did you never tell me, Bal? Did you think I wouldn’t help you? When did you even have time to learn all that? Someone had to teach you.”

“I didn’t really have a teacher for anything outside of fire magic,” She would know as said teacher had been her. At least at the start before I started experimenting. “For everything else… I just used my imagination.”

Kuisha barked out a short laugh. “So my little brother is just a prodigy able to fight a devil twice his age to a standstill.”

“Sairaorg wasn’t going all out.”

“But neither were you, brother.” That sounded more like an accusation than an observation.

“Ku, what do you want me to say here? Are you mad I didn’t tell you about this? If so, I’m sorry you didn’t know, but you knew I was training. I needed to be strong to achieve what I wanted in the Underworld.

“And what is that, Bal? Every time I have asked you what you desired out of life you’ve always said you wanted to get stronger. You never had an end goal. What is your end goal?”

“At first it was security. Now…” I had only three peerage members, but I would pit them against almost any peerage in the Underworld and be confident they would succeed… Once Aqua was better anyway. Discounting that, I had more land to my name now than most minor nobles. I had plans in place to generate wealth and potential avenues to generate riches. Combine that with some potential trades for favors, and I would be a force to be reckoned with. I could elevate my house to be equal to Pillar houses. Once my business started to succeed, I could probably apply right then and there for a Barony, but I had ideas to reach far higher. “I’m going to make House Abaddon great.” I finished my thought.

Kuisha was silent for a moment. “Where do I factor into your plans, Balthazar?”

“What do you mean?”

“One of the main reasons I sought Sairaorg out was to protect us both. After losing his heirship, he does not have as much influence as he once did, but even still, he was strong enough to shield us from those who would abuse our ability to use Hole. I wanted us both to be safe. I…” She looked up at me regretfully. “I did the best I could when you were younger, but our parents did not leave me enough to give you a great childhood. Even then, we had far too much attention on us. I burned through the treasury to appease lords waiting in the wings to take you away from me. You were young, held great potential, were impressionable and a subject of intrigue. You were valuable in many eyes.”

I was frowning, glaring at nothing. “Did anyone hurt you to get to me?”

She laughed shortly. “Nothing so dramatic, brother. I gave them each a large sum of money and they lost interest. You were a curiosity, but not one worth rejecting a bride to be on their way.”

“Do you remember the names of these individuals?” I would have a few choice words for these individuals when I was fully established. Perhaps even something more impactful than words.

“I kept a ledger. I will make a copy and give it to you.” She shook her head. “But we’ve drifted away from the original topic. Where do I fit into your plans, Bal? Is there a place for your sister in the new, Great House of Abaddon?”

“Ku, you shouldn’t even need to ask. Yes, there is a place for you. I thought you were happy with Sairaorg. If I knew you’d only joined to–”

“No,” she waved me off. “While shielding us was a large reason, it was not the only reason. I have ambitions of my own, and Sairaorg…”

I smirked. “Easy on the eyes, isn’t he?”

Kuisha glared at me. “You’re one to talk. Tell me, are you enjoying you and your Queen’s nighttime activities?”

“Very much, yes. How are things going with Sai?”

Kuisha sputtered, not expecting me to so easily weather her throwing my sex life in my face. Joke’s on her. Medea was hot. She was capable. I really liked her. She and I were sharing a bed. I was not ashamed of that fact.

“I… I am taking things slow.” Kuisha said, a nuclear blush heating up her cheeks.

“Don’t take things too slow, Ku. You deserve him. He’s just good enough to deserve you too. But don’t wait too long. He may not be in as poor a position as we once were, but it is inevitable that people will offer him marriage contracts that he will have to seriously consider for your collective future. Even if he didn’t inherit the Power of Destruction, his children still could.”

Kuisha frowned. “I don’t want him to think I am using him for his position. It’s more than that.”

“Then sit him down and have a conversation with him. Outline everything very clearly and make him a part of the plan. Tell him why you joined, how you want him to be heir again and to be at his side when he does. Boom. Done.”

Kuisha sighed. “Plans change, Bal. I’m glad you have a path now. I’m happy you’re standing on your own feet, but I can’t plan for everything. If the two of us ever–”

“Nope.” I cut her off.

She frowned at me. “Bal, take this seriously. It’s impossible to predict where we will be in–”

“Ku, you’re not clued in on a lot of what I’m planning. I’m sorry if that hurts, but I have things in the works that I can’t trust with anyone without magically enforced loyalty to me. My peerage will keep it to themselves even without the magically enforced loyalty. They all owe me even beyond the more obvious, but I can’t talk about why. If things go the way I want, I will be as independent as a strong devil can be. I’ll be able to pick my friends and tell others to fuck off because people will owe me favors, but I won’t owe them. I’m not going to let myself be pulled into a situation where the two of us are at odds.”

“You can’t promise that, Bal.” She sounded resigned. “I hope that is the case. I hope things work out for both of us and we can be strong allies, but I won’t hold it against you if–”

“It won’t happen, Ku. You’re my sister. You’re the only family I have left. Sorry if I kept things from you, but I didn’t do it because I don’t want you around. I’m overly cautious, almost to a fault. That’s why Caster’s good for me. She’s been the main driving force behind a lot of the more risky plays I’ve made that have paid off. I wouldn’t have recruited Coal or had the opportunity to do so without her input.”

Kuisha followed my gaze, watching as Misteeta was now slowly sliding away from Medea only for her to follow him. “Who is she?”

I took a sip of my drink, trying to be casual when I said, “Caster? She’s a witch. We met a little while ago and she agreed to be my Queen.”

Kuisha huffed. “I know you better than you think, Bal. Many devils will look at a name like ‘Caster’ and attribute it to some strange quirk, be it to appear mysterious or some deeper personal meaning. If it were just her using the name, I wouldn’t have picked up on anything, but you feel like you’re hiding something every time you say it. It sounds forced, like you want to call her something else. It’s an alias. Who is she really?”

“Not my secret to tell. I may be her King, but I don’t rule her life. Just… Keep this little discovery to yourself please?”

“I won’t tell the entire Underworld that my brother is hiding something. Even if we weren’t siblings, we are firm allies. What benefits you will likely aid me in the future.”

Medea looked over her shoulder, finally realizing she was being watched. Misteeta used the opening to flee, disappearing around behind the house. Medea walked over to us, sitting down at my side and leaning over to kiss my cheek. “Hi, honey.”

“Hi,” I said, taking her hand in mine.

“Were you talking about me?”

“We were.”

“Good things?”

“I told her you’re a secret and that she shouldn’t tell anyone about you.”

Medea frowned, turning to look at Kuisha. “You’ve determined my identity?”

Kuisha was looking at Medea like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “No. I only know that there is more to you than you wish for others to know.”

Medea grinned. “Most would be able to surmise as much, but they would also fail to uncover the truth.”

Kuisha’s eyes narrowed minutely. “Challenge accepted.”

Before any more words were exchanged, I felt a ping of magic. I turned to my side, seeing Medea watching me intently. She’d felt it too.

I reached through a Hole, picking up the gold-inscribed envelope that had landed on my kitchen table, having to be allowed through the wards before entering the premises.

“What is that?” Kuisha asked.

“Letter from Magdaran.” I said. Suddenly, she was hyper-focused on the envelope.

I tore it open and unfolded the paper, reading through its contents. Medea leaned over my shoulder to read through it with me.

“What does it say?” Kuisha asked. She’d been tapping her foot while we read through it.

“Mag’s having trouble getting things set up. His parents aren’t helping him because they think his ‘side project’ is a waste of time, so we don’t have any of the Bael’s influence helping us like we thought we would.” I explained, running through potential solutions in my head.

“We could cut ties, master.” Medea said. “While working with him would be preferable, with our stores and the items we intend to sell, we are now in a better position than he is. We would be helping him more than he would be helping us.”

“True, but I think it’s best if we work together. While we don’t have the Bael’s economic backing, the Bael name should still open up a lot of doors.”

“It would be easier for me to unseat Magdaran if he was unsuccessful in his endeavors.” Kuisha pointed out, watching my reaction.

“I don’t think that’s the right play. I could be wrong, but I really don’t think he likes being heir. If we give him something that he actually enjoys to focus on, he’d be more willing to vacate his seat.” I countered.

Medea made a considering sound, taking the letter from my hand, looking over its contents closely. “The main issue he cites is his inability to secure permission to trade with factions beyond the Underworld. That and supplies.”

“I have an idea for supplies.” I said, thinking of the potential synergy inherent in mine and Aqua’s powers when used in tandem.

Medea smirked. “And I have an idea for the permissions. Master, you remember our earlier discussion about a certain pervert. I believe I know how best to make use of that information.”

Kuisha looked between the two of us, an expression of utter befuddlement on her face, “What?”

Chapter 9: 9

Chapter Text

Serafall Leviathan was a busy woman. Try as she might to enjoy herself, she found her days were more often filled with stress and chaos than not. Meet with this faction to chide them for over-reaching. Apologize to that dignitary for a young idiot from one of the Pillars trying to reincarnate someone important’s daughter. While her fellow Satans saw to the maintenance and operations of the Underworld, Serafall found herself used for damage control on most occasions. It was tiring. It was also tedious, filling her schedule with unexpected trips across the world at the drop of a hat and meetings booked out for a month.

Needless to say, it was really hard to get a meeting with her, not that many even tried. Sure, she was a Satan, but people didn’t see her in the same light as Sirzechs and Ajuka. Part of that was due to her own efforts to appear approachable, both to the denizens of the Underworld and beyond, but it was also because she didn’t share their reputation. She was one of the strongest devils alive, but she wasn’t a Super Devil. If someone sought her out, it was almost always to deal with some foreign problem or to petition her to make moves on their behalf, because surely a Satan had time to do what they couldn’t be bothered to do themselves. It was aggravating.

That was why Serafall was surprised when her secretary told her of another request for a meeting some two weeks ago. She recognized the name of the requestor, or at least his family name. Abaddon – a once great house that boasted powerful and influential figures during the Great War. Many of those number were killed with almost all the rest following during the Civil War. There were few Abaddons left, three if Serafall remembered right.

One of these she had the unfortunate pleasure of crossing paths with at semi-regular intervals. The strongest Rating Games competitors would appear at functions her status required her to attend, forcing her to interact with Bedeze far more than she would have preferred. The man was an insecure weasel, always pouting when he wasn’t crowned the best at everything he attempted, but refusing to make any effort to change that fact. Serafall knew why he was rated so high, and it certainly wasn’t due to his own hard work. No, it was that King piece in his chest. Even with it, he couldn’t hope to match her, yet he chatted her up whenever he had the opportunity.

For that reason alone, Serafall had considered rejecting this request for a meeting almost out of hand. Her experience with the last of the Abaddons was limited to Bedeze, and she hadn’t liked what she’d seen. After looking further into their situation, she saw that the other two, Kuisha and Balthazar, had been estranged from Bedeze for some time. If her sources were to be believed, the two had next to no contact with Bedeze growing up.

Serafall wasn’t sure what Balthazar wanted, approaching her for a meeting out of the blue, but she saw an opportunity. Bedeze was firmly in the Old Satan Faction’s pocket, what with the fact that they had given him all of the power he was so fond of. House Abaddon, while practically nonexistent these days, was once a strong power. Its name still carried weight in certain circles. If Serafall had a chance to pull what remained of the house into the New Satan Faction, she would secure some favor with certain undecided Pillars that valued purity and legacy.

So Serafall agreed to meet with Balthazar and his Queen as the young man had sent forward in his request. She received a second letter shortly after her acceptance wherein the young Abaddon thanked her for agreeing to meet with him and didn’t stir up any fuss about being told to wait for two weeks. That was a point in his favor. Most devils Serafall had interacted with would have taken it as a slight, but she really was just that busy.

The meeting drifted from Serafall’s mind as she found herself embroiled in sorting out a minor dispute over borders with the Greeks. Then a case where a minotaur had been murdered with seemingly no cause by a minor Pillar’s spare heir. The lord of the Pillar in question obviously claimed no fault, but that didn’t help Serafall appease the angry tribe.

She didn’t like using the fact that her people were in one of the strongest positions seen in the supernatural as a stick to threaten people into compliance, but she found herself doing that more and more these days. People were less likely to make trouble if they thought it would invite true involvement with the devils. Hell was feared for a reason. Even lacking its Super Devils, there were few factions that could field nearly as many capable fighters. Evil Pieces had weighed the scales in their favor all those years ago when the current Beelzebub made them. Serafall made a mental note to get Ajuka something nice.

Serafall reclined back in her office chair, slowly spinning in a circle as she was finally able to catch her breath. After a full week of running around, she’d had a full hour to herself today. It was bliss. She’d have considered cancelling the Abaddon kid’s meeting with her to rest some more if he hadn’t been patient enough to wait in the first place. Repaying that kindness with unprofessional behavior wasn’t how she did things. No matter how much she really wanted to right now.

Serafall sent a pulse of power through the magic circle on her desk. One of her secretaries had just used it to inform her the Abaddon and his Queen were here. She’d sent a message to tell them to come up.

She sat up straight in her chair, rolling her head around her shoulders to get the kinks out as she reestablished her front of power and professionalism. She was the current Leviathan, and she would act like it. At least in front of people she didn’t know well enough to be herself.

The door to her office opened, permitting two figures to enter.

A young man with golden hair and eyes like sapphires swept into the room. He wore a black suit and tie with a crimson red shirt. He walked several paces into the room, pausing a few feet from the threshold to bow. “Satan Leviathan, thank you for taking this meeting with us. I am Balthazar Abaddon and this is my Queen Caster.” His purple-haired Queen stepped up beside him, gently pinching the hem of her dress as she curtsied at his side. There was something familiar about the pointed ears and cunning gaze of the Queen, but Serafall was having trouble putting her finger on it.

Serafall shook her head, motioning for the two of them to rise. “That’s not necessary. Come in and have a seat.” As they approached, Serafall looked them both over with a keen eye. This young man hadn’t said much about why he had requested a meeting aside from ‘a potential business opportunity’. She’d done her due diligence on that. Balthazar had bought up several failed storefronts and had renovated them over the course of the last few weeks. There was talk that Magdaran Bael had made inquiries on their mutual behalf. Serafall was still trying to figure out where she fit into all of this though. Why come to the Satan of Foreign Affairs if you were having issues with your business? None of the Satans really had a hand in that, not one they could wield for favors anyway.

“I’ll admit I was surprised to receive your request. Hearing you had a Queen so soon after your High Class test was another curiosity.” Serafall looked at the Queen, seeing her smile assuredly, like she knew something Serafall would kill to know. “Tell me, Mr. Abaddon, why are you here?”

Balthazar sat down in the offered seat in front of her desk. “I would like to trade something with you.”

Serafall raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat. “You would, would you? What exactly are you hoping to get out of this?”

The Queen spoke, her words sharp and precise. “Significant discounts on all territory surrounding the Abaddon lands. Your assistance securing permits and rights to trade beyond the Underworld. And a further favor. Forgive my bluntness, Lady Levithan, but I believe it is best we cut right to it.”

Serafall’s pleasant demeanor was gone. She’d taken this meeting to hopefully have a productive conversation with a young man who had nowhere to go. The addition of an Abbadon into the New Satan’s faction would have been a good boon, but it wasn’t worth entertaining…whatever this was. Balthazar was reaching far too high thinking he could walk up to a Satan and start making demands.

She fixed the Queen with a flat, unimpressed look. “Is that all? I don’t know what you think you have that I’d even be interested in let alone something worth all of that in addition to further favors, but–”

“We know the location of the current host of Boosted Gear. He has yet to awaken the Sacred Gear.” the Queen cut her off, a cunning grin on her face.

Serafall’s mouth snapped shut, her eyes narrowed as they flicked between the King and Queen. Neither flinched under her gaze. The Queen looked smug. The King looked confident. Son of a bitch. They were being serious weren’t they?

X

I could see the exact moment Serafall Leviathan started taking us seriously. She’d been aloof and only half-here before. Now, she was razor-focused on both of us.

“Why bring this information to me?” she asked slowly. “I imagine reincarnating The Red Dragon Emperor would go a long way to helping you accomplish all of what you’ve asked for on your own, not to mention you would have them for yourself.”

“The current Red Dragon Emperor and I are incompatible.” I answered diplomatically. “I feel my peerage already has great enough talent that I can do without. After discussing it with Caster, we decided it was best to use this information to our advantage, securing our peerage’s future and perhaps making a powerful friend in the process.”

“Friendship? Is that what you call walking into my office and making demands?”

Medea held her head high as she answered that question. “When compared to the value of having The Red Dragon Emperor reincarnated into an eternal devil servant, we’ve asked for a pittance. We would have approached this conversation very differently if we wanted to squeeze everything out of you that we could.”

She was right too. We’d gone back and forth with each other on how to handle this conversation. There were benefits and drawbacks to both paths. In the end, we decided it was better in the long term if we sacrificed some short term gain to gain Serafall’s favor. From what I remembered of her, she was loyal to those who did right by her. She was also one of the most powerful and influential devils in the Underworld, so having her in my corner in case I ran into any serious opposition would be a benefit all on its own.

Serafall leaned into her desk, resting her elbows on its surface. “And what makes you assume I would even want The Red Dragon Emperor? I have been intentionally selective with my peerage. I don’t plan to change my stance anytime soon.”

“We’d assumed you would give The Red Dragon Emperor to your sister, Lady Leviathan.” I said.

She looked my way. “You would agree to that?”

Medea smiled wide. “We intend to trade the information to you. What you do with it once it is yours is your own prerogative. So long as you uphold our deal, we will be satisfied.”

Serafall’s eyes flicked between the two of us. “Who am I dealing with here? You both keep talking and it's distracting. Are you in charge or are you letting your Queen run things?”

Medea and I shared a look. She gave me a shallow nod.

I turned back to Serafall and said, “My Queen is more experienced in negotiations than I am. I trust her to handle this on my behalf.”

Serafall immediately turned to Caster, looking her up and down as if trying to unearth a secret. “What specifically are you hoping to get out of this?”

“As we said, we want…”

Medea and Serafall bargained back and forth. Medea trying to squeeze as much as possible from the Satan, Serafall trying to give up the least amount possible. I was glad I’d decided to let Medea handle this one. Serafall would’ve walked circles around me. There were points where I was afraid Serafall might tell us to leave only to relax as she relented, Medea having called a bluff she’d made.

In the end, Medea secured the permissions we needed, an expansion equal to over 40 times the current size of my land for pennies on the dollar and a future favor that would not work counter to Serafall, the Sitri Clan or the New Satan Faction.

Medea spent a full five minutes inspecting the contract Serafall set in front of her before finally passing it over to me, giving me a nod of approval. I trusted my Queen, and if the contract had something that she’d missed, I would certainly miss it.

I signed the contract and passed it back to Serafall.

Serafall tossed the contract aside, forgotten as she fixed me with a serious look. “Where is the Red Dragon Emperor?”

“His name is Issei Hyoudou. Ironically, he and his parents reside in Kuoh Town, Japan.”

Serafall’s eyes narrowed. “You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

The professional demeanor the Satan had maintained for the entirety of this meeting melted away as she groaned, laying her head back in her chair. “You mean to tell me So-tan could’ve found this guy on her own?”

“If she knew what she was looking for, almost certainly.” I tried, but I doubted I fully succeeded in keeping the amusement out of my voice. For a walking apocalypse, Serafall honestly didn’t seem all that bad. Granted, I had yet to be on her bad side or spend too long in her presence, but my first impressions weren’t terrible.

“That girl is getting mandatory Sacred Gear detection training.” Serafall grumbled to herself. With a sigh, she sat up, stretching her neck. “You know, Balthazar… You don’t mind if I call you Balthazar, right?” At my nod, she continued. “When I got your request for a meeting, I thought you wanted to try to leverage support for whatever business it is you’ve been setting up. I wasn’t expecting you to drop a Longinus in my lap.” She pursed her lips, inspecting me. “It’ll be interesting to see what else you get up to. Now, not to kick you out of my office, but I need to go secure The Red Dragon Emperor. Once he is reincarnated, I’ll set everything up to get you your land and permits.”

“Of course,” I said, standing up with Medea. “Thank you for your time, Lady Leviathan. I am glad we could both walk away from this meeting happy.”

Medea and I left Serafall’s office, then the building itself. I opened a Hole to take us home.

Medea had barely taken a step before I was on her, pushing her back into the wall of my bedroom. She let out a surprised gasp that was quickly muffled as I claimed her lips with my own.

I tugged at her dress as I turned back to look up into her eyes. “You just negotiated with the Leviathan for me. You just got the better of a Satan. I think you deserve a reward, don’t you?”

Medea held me against her, hands roaming over my back. “You’ll be equal to a Baron with the land from the negotiations. I definitely deserve a reward for that, master.”

“You’re right. You do.” I leaned in to steal another kiss, pulling back and kissing her cheek, then making my way down her neck, dragging her dress down with me as I slowly descended to my knees.

Medea was panting as she shimmied her dress off, dropping her underwear with it. She widened her stance to allow me access, watching me with hungry eyes.

I stared into eyes as my tongue reached out to caress her. She hissed, her hands grasping the back of my head and pressing me into her. Her scent assaulted my nose, fluids already leaking onto my chin.

“Your Queen did so good today, master. She…She did so good for you. Give…ah…Give her her reward.”

I looped my arms under Medea’s legs. She let out a surprised gasp as I hefted her onto my shoulders. I carried her towards the bed, lapping at her all the while.

Medea fell backwards off of me and onto the bed. She flipped over onto her front as I pulled my suit off, looking over her shoulder at me expectantly. “Master, I’m ready for– Oh yes!” she screamed as I joined her on the bed and pushed inside her. She pushed back into me, matching my rhythm.

No more words were shared. We moved with one-another through different positions, different intensities. What started hard and carnal turned tender and loving then switched right back to carnal after a brief reprieve.

We celebrated my Queen’s achievement for many long hours.

X

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” I said, watching Aqua intently.

Aqua really hadn’t been with us for all that long, only a few weeks all told. In that time, she hadn’t spent a lot of time alone. That was partially because Medea and I wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure she was adjusting well and partly because she sought out company herself at every opportunity.

If she was alone for too long, she’d track one of us down. When Medea was locked away in her lab she would join me in the living room where we’d play chess or some other simple board game. She really enjoyed them. When I was busy, she would find Medea and the two of them would disappear into Aqua’s room in the manor and remain locked away for hours at a time. When we were both occupied, she would track down Coal to fly with him. She had wings now. She could fly under her own power, but she seemed to really enjoy flying on Coal’s back as the dragon’s fluid body flowed through the air.

Coal didn’t seem to mind. If anything, Coal seemed to enjoy it just as much as she did. He would undertake daring maneuvers to make the experience more thrilling for her and fly at maximum speed, causing Aqua’s bleached blue hair to blow wildly behind her.

On the rare occasion that all three of us were occupied, Aqua would still find one of us, just quietly sitting off to the side while we went about whatever had us occupied. She had a designated seat both in my office and in Medea’s Lab, and there was a lawn chair out in the field where Coal and Regulus would spar. I’d keyed Sairaorg’s Pawn to our outer wards and Sairaorg had done the same for Coal. Coal and Regulus got together every couple of days or so to beat each other into the ground. The two of them held nothing back, and they both loved every minute of it. They were having fun and were both about as indestructible as one could be, so Sairaorg and I didn’t see an issue with it. Aqua even accompanied Coal over to Sairaorg’s manor now and again to sit with his peerage while they watched Coal and Regulus fight.

That wasn’t to say they fought all the time. Some days they’d just change into their monstrous forms and lay down in the sun, chatting. On those days, Aqua could occasionally be found laying on Coal’s scales staring up at the sky while she listened to his and Regulus’s conversations.

“I’m sure.” Aqua said, eyes determined. “I know you all have been looking after me, but I’m… I’m better. I want to help. You freed me from that nightmare and all I’ve done so far is eat your food and sleep in your house.”

“Aqua, you don’t owe me anything. You’re my Knight now. It’s my responsibility to look after you.”

Aqua smiled warmly at me. She’d been smiling a lot more recently. “Thank you, but I do owe you. Let me help. I’m ready.”

I shared a look with Medea.

Medea smiled, walking up to Aqua. “Well, if you’re sure… But something’s wrong.”

Aqua frowned. “Something’s wrong?”

Medea nodded seriously. “Yes, you’re underdressed.” Medea waved her hand.

Aqua gasped, looking down at herself as gleaming dark-hued silver armor encased her form. Emblazoned on the armor’s chestplate was a dark sword with a ruby affixed to its pommel – the symbol Medea and I had adopted for our business and House Abaddon as a whole.

Aqua was stuttering, trying and failing to speak as she ran her hands down her arms, feeling the armor tailor-made to fit her. She looked up, seeing a full-length mirror Medea had produced from thin air for her to inspect the armor.

“Do you like it?” Medea asked. “Smithing has never been my strong suit, but magic metals are easy enough to form even if you have to cheat a little. The armor is almost entirely made from mithril with traces of other materials to enhance it. I layered several protective enchantments over it as well as a few others. You will be able to summon it and send it away with a thought.”

Aqua closed her eyes. The armor vanished before appearing just as quickly as it left. “Where…where does it go?”

“It’s tied to its own pocket dimension. Whenever you send it away, it will be stored on an armor rack within that pocket dimension until you need it again.” I explained. Medea had approached me when she’d completed the armor about an idea she had to store it. Working together, we found a way to link objects to specific Holes I opened, letting the user retrieve them whenever they needed them without needing me to open a Hole. I say working together, but really all I did was let Medea poke and prod at my magic while standing there. She figured out how to make use of the ability all on her own.

The armor Aqua now wore represented a significant investment. Mithril existed here but it was very rare. Part of the reason Medea had held off on making the armor was because of how valuable the material was. Once our meeting with Serafall went as well as it did, she decided it was time to pamper Aqua a bit. I had no issue with my Knight being better protected, and if things went as I hoped today, we wouldn’t have to worry about materials again.

“I…I don’t know what to say.” Aqua breathed out in disbelief.

“Don’t say anything yet. I’m not done.” Medea said proudly. A long box appeared in her arms that she held out to Aqua.

Hesitantly, Aqua unlatched the box to uncover the contents. Her hand wrapped around an engraved hilt as she lifted a thin rapier with a full hilt from the box. The metal in the sword gleamed just as bright as that in the armor.

“The sword is tied to the same pocket dimension as the armor.” Medea said as Aqua stared in awe at the sword. “A sheathe will appear for you to wear it at your hip with a thought. It is just like summoning and dismissing the armor.”

Seeing Aqua still silent, I said, “I know you have your Keyblade which is honestly going to be impossible to match, but I thought it would be a good idea for you to have a regular sword as well. People will expect a Knight to have some form of knightly weapon with them, so if they see the sword, they won’t keep looking for something else. It’ll keep you safer.”

Keyblades weren’t known here, but anyone with any mystical sense would be able to notice the magical beacon that appeared whenever Aqua summoned it. I didn’t want her to get into any fights for a long time, at least until she was better mentally, but I wanted her to be prepared. If she was forced to pull out her Keyblade to defend herself, it might draw all of the wrong kinds of attention to her. Medea agreed with me when I brought up the issue and made the sword after the armor. With this, Aqua had an alternative means of defending herself.

“This is too much.” Aqua finally said. “I can’t–”

“I certainly hope you can.” Medea cut her off with a hard look. “I made those for you. I would be upset if they were left to collect dust.”

Aqua held the rapier in both hands, pinching the flat of the blade as she looked between us, looking supremely uncertain. “I… Thank you.” she said finally. She abruptly turned away, wiping at something on her face. A black sheath appeared on her hip. She slid her new rapier into the sheathe to rest at her side as she turned around. There was some moisture on her cheeks. “Thank you both so much.”

“We can postpone this if you want to try out your new–”

“No,” Aqua cut me off. “I want to help. I owed you before. I owe you even more now. I’m ready.”

“Well, alright then. Let’s try this out.” I sat down in the center of my ritual circle. Medea sat down behind me and laid her hand on my shoulder. I reached beyond the infinite, feeling for the world I’d found this morning. Scrying wasn’t overly taxing on my power, so I could look without difficulty. Finding the right place was difficult, but Medea’s assistance made it almost trivial. With aid from my Queen we quickly found what we were looking for.

I opened a small Hole, feeling an immediate, titanic drain. Scrying wasn’t power-intensive, opening a connection beyond the bounds of reality that pierced the Blind Eternities was.

Aqua’s Keyblade appeared in her hand. She thrust it forward. A beam of golden energy pierced the Hole above my hand. Instantly, the drain on my energy faded. The Hole was no longer consuming my power to sustain itself. Just as she’d been able to lock away her own world, Aqua was able to unlock others.

I grinned. “We can consider this little experiment a success.”

“It works?” Aqua said, shocked joy writ on her face.

“It works.” I confirmed, standing. I held a hand down to Medea to help her up. “Do you want to explore?”

Medea took my hand. “But of course, master.”

We strode through the Hole as I expanded it, Aqua at our side. I felt the change as we entered our destination. The air was thinner, damp. Even with my devil’s eyes, it was hard to make out our surroundings. It was pitch black here. I raised my hand to summon a flame. Medea snatched my hand in the dark. She shook her head at me, motioning ahead.

Even in the darkness, I could make out the walls surrounding us, uneven and rough. Off in the direction Medea motioned there was an orange glow separated from us by a bend. Fire.

I frowned. It seemed this place had visitors. If it was who I expected…

“Aqua, thank you for helping. You should leave now.” I said quietly, making eye contact with Medea. She nodded in understanding. She flicked her hand towards the Hole, flexing her magic.

Aqua looked between the two of us, her bleached hair the easiest thing to see in this darkness. “You’re going to fight, aren’t you?”

“It is very likely. You don’t need to be here for that. We’ll come get you once it’s over.” I said. I didn’t want Aqua to be here for this. She’d spent far too long trapped on her own in the Realm of Darkness for me to be comfortable letting her fight to kill so soon. Even then, from what I remembered of her, she was a good person who avoided violent outcomes with anything that wasn’t a Heartless if possible. Granted, the Aqua I returned from the Realm of Darkness with was vastly different from her canon counterpart, but it would be irresponsible of me as her King to force her to fight right now. She needed to recover first.

Aqua’s lips thinned into a determined line. She shook her head. “No. This… This is why you saved me. You came for me because I could be useful to you.”

“You’re already helping, Aqua. You brought us here. You don’t need to prove anything to me.”

“Don’t send me away. Let me help.” Aqua was practically pleading with me.

I looked at Medea, but she just pursed her lips. She didn’t know what to do here either. Before either of us could think of something to say, a fourth figure threw itself through the Hole behind us.

“I’m here!” Coal shouted, desperate. “Don’t start without me, master!”

I sighed as Coal’s voice echoed off of the walls around us. In the direction where the orange glow originated, I heard surprised shouts.

So much for the element of surprise. Medea had signalled him just in case we encountered a greater force than we expected so we’d have backup, but I didn’t expect him to stumble out of the Hole and announce our presence to the entire world.

“We have not started yet, Coal, though I thank you for informing our adversary of our whereabouts.” Medea said dryly.

Coal froze in place, slowly looking towards the advancing torchlight. “Heh, sorry, master.”

“It’s alright, Coal. Thank you for coming.” I turned back to Aqua. There wasn’t much time now. “Aqua, I–”

“Don’t send me away. Let me help, Balthazar.” Now she was pleading with me. I had no idea what to do. I was hoping the cavern would be clear so we wouldn’t run into this problem, but I’d known it was a possibility that it would be occupied.

Coal walked up next to Aqua and slung an arm over her shoulder. “Don’t worry about her, master. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

I looked at Coal. His expression was serious. He gave me a sharp nod.

“Alright,” I said, deciding to trust my Pawn. “Follow my lead. Be ready to fight, but let them strike first.” They knew we were here already, so there wasn’t much point in trying to set up an ambush.

The four of us stood in a line as a large party turned around the corner. There were over a dozen short, green-skinned creatures with long ears carrying various small weapons. Goblins. At the head of the group was a dark-robed figure carrying a staff. His hair was white like starlight, skin dark like shadow. A drow.

He sneered as he saw us. “Who are you! How did you find this place!” he demanded.

“I am the new lord of this cavern and its riches. You are trespassing. Leave now and I will show mercy.” I called back.

The man threw his head back and laughed. “Kill that delusional human.”

The goblins spread out in front of him, but I paid them no mind. I raised my hand above my head, unleashing a stream of fire from it. Hissed shrieks reverberated around the walls of the cavern around us as the giant spiders that had skittered across the ceiling to strike us from above were either incinerated or fled from my magic.

“I gave you a chance,” I said, a savage delight burning within me at the look of pure terror now visible on the once cocky drow’s face. “Coal, Caster, have fun.”

“You’re so good to me, master.” Medea said, levitating off the ground as magic circles appeared in the air around her.

“Follow my lead, Aqua.” Coal said over his shoulder to Aqua, moments before he charged straight towards the line of goblins. Aqua followed right on his heels, her rapier singing forth from its sheath.

The drow held his hands up, attempting to cast something at my Knight and Pawn, but Medea’s magic slammed into him, forcing him to throw up a hasty shield that shattered after one blow. He was outmatched and he knew it. He turned and fled. He looked over his shoulder, watching as Aqua and Coal tore through his goblins and Medea atomized what remained of his spiders. When he faced the front once more, I was directly in front of him.

The drow came to an abrupt halt, gagging. I twisted the spearpoint in his chest and he convulsed. His staff fell from slack fingers as he went limp. I kicked him off my spear and stored it away in its pocket dimension again. I’d asked Medea for a spear like Aqua’s rapier, but she hadn’t given me one yet. She said she had something special she was working on and to be patient, so I was being patient.

I was confident my peerage could dispatch some spiders and goblins on their own, so I turned and looked beyond the cave, towards stone ruins that glowed with faint magic.

“Is this it, master?” Medea asked, gently landing on the ground at my side.

“It is.”

She grinned. “I think it’s safe to say our material problems are now a thing of the past.”

“That they are. You’ll need to shield this place though. I don’t want anyone in this world realizing what is here or what we’re doing with it, and there are some very strong forces in this world.”

“Please, master. They’ve never faced me. I’ll set up a territory with wards so potent no one will even realize they’re there.”

“Thanks, Medea. I have the best Queen.”

“As you keep reminding me, though it does bear repeating.” She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Are you going to try to recruit your other Knight while I work?”

That was the original plan when we came here, but I hadn’t known for sure that we’d encounter the drow and his party. “I don’t know if Aqua is up for it. Even if she is, I don’t know if they’ll say yes.”

“Coal is looking after Aqua. She seems more pleased with herself that she was of use than broken because of her actions, but I will keep an eye on her. If the Knight refuses, then you can at least say you tried. Give them a means to contact you should they change their mind as their inevitable end draws closer.”

“Manipulative.”

She chuckled. “Honey, you’re a devil. You approached me when I was dying in the mud. Is this really so much worse?”

“Do you resent me for that? Approaching you when you were at your lowest, when you had no other option?”

“Of course not. I would’ve done the same. You told no lies and outlined your intentions clearly. Besides, the results speak for themselves.” She pulled me into a short kiss before backing away. “I need to get to work. Let me know what the Knight says.”

I gave her hand a parting squeeze as she levitated away, heading deeper into the cavern, small globules of light illuminating her path. It would take some work, but once we got this place squared away we’d be able to use it to become titans in the supernatural market back home. Mithril was very hard to come by in DXD. This mine, though it had been mined extensively many centuries ago, had a wealth of the priceless ore. Between Serafall’s backing and the riches of the Lost Mine of Phandelver, the future was looking bright.

Speaking of bright…I had a Knight to try to recruit.

X

A hooded man stood atop a tower stretching high into the sky. Pale skin highlighted dark veins snaking away from his glowing orange eyes. He stared out over the city beneath him and the lands beyond. His enthralled army patrolled the city streets, readying themselves for another offensive.

He was weary. This most recent campaign had drained him more than any before it. He resisted. He would continue to resist, but the pull of the band around his finger was so unbearably strong. Its will chipped away at his own. With each passing day, his resistance grew that much weaker.

How much longer now, he wondered, before it wouldn’t be enough? He had already been fighting for decades. Could he hold for decades more? His home was not ready. He needed to buy more time. He would buy more time.

“Hello, Talion.”

Talion turned, seeing a young man in strange clothing. Golden hair stood up from the man’s head. A human had somehow made it through his armies to the heart of his tower.

“You should not be here.” Talion walked past him, throwing open the doors of the tower. If this man had made it here… Talion relaxed slightly upon seeing a dark orb still sitting in its place on a pedestal in the center of the room.

“You have nothing to worry about, Talion. I am not here to steal from you, least of all that cursed thing.”

Talion turned back to the young man. “Then why have you come? Who are you?”

“My name is Balthazar Abaddon. I am a devil. I am here for you.” Leathery wings sprouted from the man's back, fire gathered in his eyes.

Talion’s eyes narrowed as he drew his sword. He was unfamiliar with the nature of the creature in front of him, but he had bested worse. “You will return to your master a disappointment if not in pieces.”

The man smiled softly, holding up his hands placatingly. “A misunderstanding. I do not serve your enemy. I am my own master. I come from a place far from here, and I want you to return with me.”

Talion did not sheathe his sword, but he held it at his side, nonthreatening. “I have never heard of a devil. What manner of creature are you?”

“My world is very different from yours. The humans are far more advanced and the denizens that lurk beneath their notice are far more plentiful. I am one such denizen. Many would consider my kind to be similar to your enemy, and they would even be right by certain metrics, but I am not like those of my kind who delight in causing suffering. I am not benevolent. I will not seek to right the wrongs of the world. They are not my problem. I will not actively contribute to them, but my first priority is to myself and those under me.”

Talion scoffed. “A selfish fiend, then.”

The man adopted a considering expression. “That is…not an inapt descriptor I suppose, but I like to think I’m better than that.”

“What you think doesn’t matter. Begone before I remove you, fiend.”

“I can free you from your bondage, Talion.” the devil said suddenly.

Talion glared at the creature. “Doubtful. Were I to even believe it, I would assume your ‘freedom’ would come gilded in new chains. I would exchange one leash for another.”

“You would be bound to me, but not in the way you are to your enemy. He seeks to corrupt you. I would not. You would be subservient to me like any vassal to a lord, but you would have freedom you have not known for years.”

Talion raised his sword, tip aimed at the creature. “I warn you once more, fiend; leave. You will not receive another chance.”

The creature sighed. Holding up his hands and moving them slowly, he retrieved a folded piece of parchment from his clothes. He crouched down and set it on the ground in front of him. “This is a summoning flyer. If you change your mind, channel your power into it, and it will call me to your side. Thank you for your time and your patience, Talion. You may not believe me, but my respect for you is boundless. No matter what you choose. I wish you the best.” A point of pure darkness rapidly expanded out from behind the creature. He backed into it and the point collapsed in on itself, taking the creature with it.

Talion sheathed his blade, staring down at the paper left by the creature. He turned, leaving the parchment where it lay as he returned to the top of the tower. He would worry about the devil if he appeared again, but he had more pressing concerns at present. He was expecting an attack. After weathering it, he would lead his armies once more into the lands of Mordor on a new campaign. He had to buy more time.

The ring on his finger glowed, humming with dark power that sought to twist his mind. Talion centered himself, focusing on the task at hand.

He would buy more time.

X

“How’s it going?” I asked, sitting down next to Medea on the stone floor.

“I am making progress, but this place is large. It is taking me longer than the manor did.” Her eyes were closed, focused. Even still, she continued speaking. “Should I rise to welcome our newest peerage member?”

I frowned. “He refused.” I was disappointed, but I would respect the man’s wishes. If anyone deserved to chart their own course, it was Talion. More selfishly, reincarnating someone, let alone Talion, against their will was a recipe for disaster. I wanted willing vassals, not potential knives in the back.

“Did you leave him a method to contact you?”

“I did.”

“Then that is all that can be done. You expected this outcome.”

“I did. This was why I didn’t want to reach out to him. Before Aqua, a refusal would have been beyond costly. Now that I have her to help, I don’t need to even touch my stored power to reach out. I can approach others that I initially discarded because of their potential to say no.”

“Do not use any of that power.” Medea said, peeking an eye open to look at me. “I have a plan for it.” She closed her eyes again.

I raised an eyebrow. “Can I ask what that plan is?”

“A surprise. One you’ll like. Back to the topic at hand, you will find other peerage members. If the Knight changes his mind, then he will be a strong ally. If he does not, then there are others you have told me about.”

“True enough.” I looked around, watching as Medea’s magic seeped into the stones around us. “Can I help you in any way?”

“You can sit and talk to me. It gets lonely and repetitive doing this for hours at a time.”

I shifted so my back was to hers and leaned into her. After a moment, she leaned back into me so we were supporting each other. “So once this place is good and secured, I was thinking…”

I outlined my plans for the mine and the immediate future to my Queen while she created her territory and layered wards over our new mithril mine. I wasn’t sure if she was fully listening to what I was saying or if she was too focused on her work, but she’d asked for company, and I was more than willing to give it.

Chapter 10: 10

Chapter Text

Aqua closed her eyes, arms held out at her sides as the wind beat against her face.

“Great feeling, isn’t it?” Coal asked from beneath her, his voice deep and powerful. If she didn’t know the dragon as well as she did, his voice might scare her. As it was, it was just comforting, a reminder that she was here, that this was real, that she was free.

“I’m jealous. You get to do this whenever you want.” Aqua said.

Coal rumbled beneath her as he chuckled. “You have wings now, Aqua. You can fly on your own just as well.”

“But I can’t fly this fast. Do you not like flying with me?”

“I never said that, now did I?”

The two lapsed into silence. Aqua enjoyed the feel of the air on her face, in her hair, the rushing in her ears. She felt alive.

“How are you feeling?” Coal suddenly asked.

“I feel great.” Aqua opened her eyes to look down at the dragon. “Why?”

Coal made a considering sound. “Hold on.” He banked downward, rapidly descending until they were hovering just a few feet off the ground.

Frowning, Aqua let her wings out and flew in front of him to get a look at his face. Golden scales split through the black like veins. His golden eyes were sharp as they peered at her. Her entire body was barley as long as his snout. He was massive. Aqua sometimes forgot how powerful her friend was.

“I want to know how you are feeling. After the mine… I don’t know if you’ve killed before, but I know you’ve been going through some stuff. I had a few users while I was imprisoned that freaked out after their first kill.”

Aqua frowned, looking away from the golden orbs in front of her. “I… Is it wrong that I don’t feel anything about it?”

“No, it isn’t, but I think you should still talk about it, and I’m willing to listen.”

Aqua’s armor vanished with a thought. She idly ran a hand over her arm, feeling the skin that appeared to be shadow. “When I was…trapped, it was hard to feel anything. That place…it grates on you. It erodes your ability to perceive and feel until you’re nothing but a husk. I don’t even know how long I was there. It felt like forever and a moment all at once all the time. I can’t explain it.”

Aqua sighed. “Like I said, it was hard to feel anything there. I forgot what happiness and joy felt like. I’ve finally started to learn all of that again, but there’s other parts that I don’t think I’ll get back. I don’t feel guilty about the goblins or the elf. Maybe I should, but if anything, I only feel a little regretful that I don’t regret it. Maybe that’s because my emotions are still muted, or maybe I broke a little in that place in a way that can’t be fixed.”

“You aren’t broken, Aqua. Not feeling bad about killing someone trying to kill you doesn’t make you a remorseless murderer.”

He huffed. “When I was stuck in the Sacred Gear, everything I felt was second hand. It was rare that I felt anything in the first place, but even when I did it was never me, it was always secondhand from my wielder. I’m still getting used to being the primary source for physical feeling again. I was millenia old when I was put into that Sacred Gear. You were a young adult that suffered something worse than what I did. You are not weak, Aqua. You’re not broken. And personally, I think it’s a good thing you aren’t regretting killing those goblins or that prick of an elf. Our master is dedicated to our well-being. I've seen that in his every action since he reincarnated me, but it is likely we will have to fight and kill for him again. You not hesitating to kill will save your life and potentially mine, so if you’re okay, then I say that’s great.”

He sighed. “I’m not very good at this stuff. Look, if you need someone to talk to, I’ll be here, but I think you’re doing just fine.”

Aqua smiled. “Thank you, Coal.”

“Now that that’s dealt with, do you want to do some barrel-rolls?”

Aqua flew up onto his neck, holding on tight as the dragon soared into the air.

X

“Lord Magdaran, a letter for you.”

Magdaran set aside his trowel as he turned to face the maid. “Thank you,” he said as he took the envelope. On the envelope’s face were the words, ‘Bael and Abbadon Trading Co.’ with a dark sword and a magenta flower crossed in an ‘X’ beneath them. It was from his business partner then.

Magdaran sat down on a bench in his greenhouse as he read over the letter. Balthazar was receiving too many requests for special orders to the point that Caster was booked out for months.

Magdaran sighed as he set the letter aside. Business was a good thing, but this was overwhelming. Respecting his wish to remain out of the spotlight, Balthazar had given Magdaran an administrative role while he and Medea dealt with negotiations on his behalf. That meant the majority of his job was scheduling and poring over contracts.

Busy though he was, Magdaran found he enjoyed it. He didn’t have to leave his home except to go to the main office in Lucifaad on occasion, and outside of that he could spend his time developing new species of plant both to sell and for his own personal enjoyment. Magdaran was still trying to figure out where Balthazar had managed to find all of the never-before seen flora that he kept gifting to Magdaran in vast quantities. He likely used the same method by which he somehow secured a Mithril Mine. Pantheons would jealously hoard such a thing. The fact that Balthazar had found one and that it was so secure no one could find it despite many efforts to ascertain its location was astounding.

Of course, the hidden mine gave Magdaran a massive headache because everyone seemed to think that he was actually the one who controlled it and that Balthazar was just covering for him. It made sense. From an outside perspective, the Heir to the Bael Pillar would be a far more likely culprit for such a discovery, especially considering its continued mystery. Even Magdaran’s own father didn’t fully believe his son wasn’t hiding the mine from the rest of his family. He’d already had many discussions with his father about ‘the good of the family’.

Magdaran would be very annoyed if he thought Balthazar was using him, but he knew that wasn’t the case. Balthazar came to him seeking help. Magdaran did everything he could to build their business venture together, but he was stonewalled at every turn by everyone from trading authorities to his own family’s contacts. He’d expended a large portion of his own wealth in those endeavors and came up with nothing. Balthazar could have left him behind then. It would have been the correct business choice. Instead, Balthazar made him a partner in a venture that Magdaran had next to no part in building. Sure, he contributed with his plants, many of which were now flying off the shelves as Balthazar's new samples allowed him to create paltrices usable en masse by devils, but Caster and Balthazar were the true driving force behind their business. If he could repay them by doing some tedious clerical work on occasion, he was happy to do so.

Magdaran had never cared very much about money, but now he had more of it than he knew what to do with. He opened some charities, enjoying the work he was able to do through them for devils whose only crime was to be born outside the Pillars.

Magdaran set Balthazar’s letter aside, pulling another out of his coat. He smiled as he ran his hand over the small, inelegant scribbles on the page. His brother’s handwriting.

Another boon of working with Balthazar. His business partner, his friend, had told him he’d put in a good word with his sister. Magdaran hadn’t expected much, but he received a letter from his brother some weeks ago. Since then, they’d been exchanging correspondence. They had yet to meet face to face, but it was a start, an avenue to repair a relationship Magdaran had destroyed in his misguided pursuit of… He didn’t even know what he was trying to accomplish anymore. Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been worth what he achieved.

Still, he had a chance to mend bridges now. Sairaorg seemed to be doing well and was opening up more in his letters. When Magdaran felt the time was right, he would invite his brother to lunch. Not at the Bael Castle. No, he wouldn’t put Sai through that. Somewhere public, small, where neither of them would be uncomfortable. Magdaran just wanted to see him, to apologize in person. But that was for the future.

Magdaran sighed as he stood up. He fussed over his plants until he was sure they would be alright, then left the greenhouse. He had some work to do for Balthazar, scheduling conflicts to resolve and the like. The young Abaddon was practically handing him money for nothing, so Magdaran would be remiss if he didn’t do the occasional favor that Bal asked of him.

X

Balthazar Abaddon, a source of both great fortune and unending headaches for Serafall Leviathan.

Issei Hyoudou was exactly where Balthazar had said, holding exactly what Balthazar promised he’d hold. With the Red Dragon Emperor in her possession, Serafall held up her end of the deal.

In the ensuing weeks, Bael and Abbadon Trading Co. had exploded in popularity, boasting items that would take a master crafter months to make appearing on the shelves in a day. Potions and elixirs sold in large quantities defying all logic and reason. And that was just the storefront.

Balthazar Abaddon had purchased up all of the land around him and formally started construction on a number of projects on his lands. He was now officially the Underworld’s newest Baron, Lord Balthazar Abaddon, the youngest devil in history to claim the title. Granted he had a lot of help getting there, but he’d still done it. He’d pawned off one of the most powerful Sacred Gears around for little more than her favor and walked away happy. Now more than ever, Serafall needed to bring him in line with the New Satans.

The land, the permits – they weren’t worth the Boosted Gear, yet Balthazar had still left happy. His Queen, the one handling the negotiations, had seemed far too pleased with herself once everything was concluded. Serafall was still trying to figure out who that lady was. There was no doubt in her mind that she was important somehow, be it because of a Sacred Gear or something else. She seemed older than she appeared, but that wasn’t much to go on at present. Still, Serafall was quietly seething at the Queen.

Part of the deal she’d made ensured Serafall would handle things for them just enough for anyone paying attention to know Balthazar had her backing, but not enough to make him seem subordinate to her. He was a free agent with a Satan’s protection. If he wouldn’t have garnered attention for churning out mithril goods like he had an inexhaustible supply of the stuff, then having her backing would do the trick.

It was infuriating. Representatives from the Pillars were coming to her demanding that she share the boons of the mithril mine she’d apparently discovered and was hiding from the rest of them. Diginitaries from other factions had come with the same demands, speaking vague threats about consequences were the devils to hoard the wealth for themselves. She had the more bold of those dignitaries barred from ever working in the Underworld again. They’d be replaced by their respective factions shortly, but it did give her a small reprieve to think of what to do.

Balthazar Abaddon was a diamond in the rough. His Queen was…someone important. Serafall was convinced of that much even if she hadn’t been able to put together why she was important yet. She’d also heard rumblings about Sairaorg Bael complementing the strength of Balthazar’s Pawn, though not going into great detail about the man. That wasn’t even mentioning the mine.

Boosted Gear, the Queen, the mine, maybe the Pawn – there was a pattern forming here. Either Balthazar had some way to locate incredible boons or he was the luckiest devil she had ever crossed aths with in her very long life. She could not afford to alienate him. If she could convince him to give her and her allies some discounts on his products, both magical items and a steady stream of regular mithril ingots that Ajuka had been practically salivating at the prospect of getting his hands on, all the better.

She needed Balthazar on her side. She doubted she’d be able to make him subordinate to her with that Queen beside him. If anything, she seemed to be the one making the plans that he followed. He probably set the course and had the ideas, but Serafall would bet it was the Queen that made the plans that achieved Balthazar’s aims. Serafall wouldn’t be able to bring Balthazar under her with the Queen in the picture, and removing the Queen would make an enemy of the man she was trying to make an ally.

No, she was already on semi-good terms with him after their meeting. She would build on that, try to make him more open to the idea of working with her. The golden goose had walked right up to her and announced itself. She’d be an idiot to not take advantage, but she would save that for tomorrow. She had something important to do today.

A magic circle expanded out from Serafall that whisked her away from her office. She appeared with a flash of light in a small room, sparsely decorated with a number of chairs and a couch.

“Magical Girl Levi-tan is here!” Serafall cheered as she appeared, holding two fingers up in a ‘V’.

“Satan-chan!” a young man with brown hair yelled, eyes widening in excitement as he saw her. She noted the way his eyes immediately tracked down to her chest and stayed there.

“Sister,” Sona Sitri said, teeth clenched. Oh, she did not look like she was having a good time. Tough.

When Balthazar had told her that he was ‘incompatible’ with Boosted Gear’s host, she’d initially wondered what he meant. Then she met Issei Hyoudou herself. He was…interesting.

Issei yelped in pain, clutching at his red knuckles.

Sona retracted the ruler she’d just brought down on his hand. “When you are interacting with a woman, you will look them in the eyes, Issei.”

“But–” he flinched as Sona brandished the ruler threateningly.

“So-tan!” Serafall cheered, leaving forward to pull her sister into a hug. “I’m so happy to see you! I got you that present you wanted!” Serafall gave Sona just enough space to breathe so she could see the chess piece Serafall summoned atop her hand. A red rook positively brimming with demonic power sat atop her hand, frequently sending crackles of red energy off into the air.

Finding a mutation rook for her sister hadn’t been too difficult. The New Satan faction did a good job of cataloguing who received Evil Pieces when and whether or not any of their pieces mutated. Convincing the prior holder of this mutation rook to trade it to her had been an entirely separate matter. It had cost her a lot to get this piece, but her So-tan was worth it.

Sona looked hesitant even as she clearly desired the piece. “Sister, you don’t have to–”

“Ah, ah!” Serafall cut her off, wagging her finger chidingly. “I already told you, my little sister is worth it! So you’re gonna take this and that’s that. As for you…” Serafall slowly turned to face Issei.

The young man shrank in on himself as Serafall bore down on him.

“What did we agree about my So-tan, Issei?”

“Kaichou is off limits! I can have as many women in my harem as I want except for Sona!” he yelled, primal terror alight in his eyes.

Satisfied, Serafall nodded and stepped back, grabbing her sister’s hand. “Come on So-tan! We need to do that silly ritual to trade rooks so you can reincarnate your new unwaveringly loyal dragon.” Issei frantically nodded his head as Serafall shot him a glare over her shoulder.

Difficult though the Red Dragon Emperor appeared to be, Serafall couldn’t think of a better servant for her sister. As far as the Underworld would be concerned, Sona had found Issei on her own. The fact that Issei lived in her territory would only lend credence to that story. Sona could use the reputation boost associated with the discovery.

Of course, Balthazar and her knew the truth, but she was willing to bet she could kick some concessions his way to buy his silence. If her guess was right, He likely had other peerage members lined up already. Hopefully they wouldn’t be as large of a headache for her as Issei had been.