This Was What a Devil Should Do

"Are you at the estate?"

On the palm-sized magic circle, Sona Shitori's tiny figure floated in the air, and her cool voice drifted out slowly, clear as beads of jade falling to the ground.

"Yeah, I just got back." Leo shifted the magic circle into his hand and held up the girl's projection, smiling. "I should thank you for giving it to me as a gift."

"It was only a small token." Sona pushed up the glasses perched on her nose. "Something as important as your promotion to High-Class Devil deserved a more precious gift. But my family—including my sister—felt they shouldn't interfere too much with your growth. That would do you more harm than good, so they could only give you something from the human world. I hope you don't mind."

"How could I?" Leo shrugged. "It might seem like a small gift to you, but in the human world, it's worth a great deal."

An estate this large, located in Chuo Ward, Chiba City, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, was beyond the reach of ordinary wealthy people in the human world. Even having the money wouldn't be enough.

But for Devils, acquiring an estate like this was all too easy.

There was no need for illegal methods. They only had to instruct officials who had made deals with Devils to climb higher in the ranks to handle things, and acquiring land was a piece of cake.

Building an estate was even easier. With a Devil's power, they could construct one in a single night.

So for the heir to the Sitri Clan, this really was the smallest of small gifts. But for Leo, who had lived in the human world all his life, it was more than enough to satisfy him.

Sona could tell Leo wasn't just saying that to be polite, and she visibly relaxed.

"If there's anything else you need, just let me know." After saying that, Sona changed the subject. "So? Have you found a potential servant you like?"

"More or less." Leo nodded with a smile. "I just don't know if that girl and I are meant to meet."

"You mean the girl you mentioned before?" Sona's gaze shifted behind her glasses, and her expression turned serious. "Have you confirmed she has that power?"

"Almost certainly." Remembering something that had happened shortly after school started, Leo's smile widened. "If nothing unexpected happens, she should be close to awakening."

"Then you'll have to hurry." Sona warned him, "An ordinary human who has never encountered the supernatural could lose control once that power awakens, especially if she can't control it properly. That could have serious consequences. It would be best to make her your servant soon."

"I'm in no rush." Leo leaned back, completely at ease. "There's still plenty of time, and I don't know if she and I are meant to be. I'll wait and see for a while."

"As long as you know what you're doing." Sona nodded, then suddenly grew stern. "Recently, some people from another faction seem to have come to Chiba City. They may have been drawn here by the power that girl possesses, so be careful."

"People from another faction?" Leo's brow lifted, and he unconsciously sat up straight. "The Church? Or our neighbors in the Underworld?"

"The latter." Sona's tone was somewhat cool. "If it were the former, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to warn you."

The Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels had been at odds for a long time. Now that they had been reduced to relying on humans to survive, it was only natural that all three factions had established footholds and territories in the human world.

The Church was the strongest force in Chiba Prefecture, where Chiba City was located. The Devils and Fallen Angels had a much weaker presence there.

Leo had already dealt with people from the Church several times, and had clashed with them in Chiba City more than once. So if Church members showed up here, there would be no reason to make a fuss.

"Those ragged birds are eyeing this little patch of land too?" Leo murmured, the corner of his mouth curving into a dangerous smile. "Perfect. I haven't had much contact with those good neighbors of ours."

"Don't let your guard down." Seeing his expression, Sona couldn't help warning him. "The Three Factions are currently in a fragile ceasefire. There's no full-scale war, but small skirmishes happen constantly. Everyone is holding back because none of us wants to fight until we're all gravely weakened—or nearly wiped out—like before. Be careful not to let things escalate."

"Don't worry." Leo nodded. "As long as the ones who show up aren't someone with connections as powerful as yours, Sona, even if I kill them, their side won't make a big deal of it."

"But picking fights at random and acting without restraint could lower your standing with the higher-ups." Sona spoke sternly. "You've only just become a High-Class Devil, and both your background and your own circumstances are unusual. A lot of people are watching you. If you want to restore the Eligos Clan, you have to make a good impression. That's how you'll gain more people's support."

"I hope so." Leo spoke with a trace of sarcasm. "As long as those old fogeys stop bringing up the fact that I'm a hybrid, I'll be satisfied."

Sona said nothing more. There wasn't anything else she could say.

She knew perfectly well how much trouble a half-human, half-Devil would face trying to inherit a Pure-blood Devil family. Especially when his human blood came from an exorcist in the Church—it would only make those who viewed the Church as their sworn enemy even more displeased and opposed to him.

If this weren't about restoring a prestigious family that had died out, and if Leo himself hadn't shown some special potential, he would have struggled to become a High-Class Devil, let alone inherit the Eligos Clan.

Now that most Pure-blood Devil families had died out, the Devils truly needed new blood. So even though Leo was a hybrid, as long as he carried the bloodline of a Pure-blood Devil family, the Devil faction wouldn't give up on him easily.

Of course, there were bound to be opponents, and the older they were, the more likely they were to object.

They were inflexible, still clinging to the same old rules, which was why so many outdated customs remained in the Underworld.

To them, Leo's very existence was an eyesore.

Fortunately, Reformists held the most influence in the Underworld at present. The Four Great Satans were not hidebound; they were even vigorously introducing new policies and pushing for reform. They supported Leo's inheritance of the Eligos Clan. Otherwise, there would have been no way for him to inherit it.

This also involved the struggle between the old and new factions. Sona felt it would be better not to let Leo get too deeply involved.

"In any case, remember to be careful." Sona reminded him again, "Find trustworthy servants as soon as you can. They'll be strong supporters in your future."

At that, Sona seemed to remember something and pushed her glasses up again.

"Also, my sister asked me to ask you: when are you planning to fall in love?"

The sudden question caught Leo completely off guard.

"Huh?"

He was stunned.

What was with that bizarre change of subject?

"Don't look at me like that." Sona glanced at Leo. "You're already a High-Class Devil, and the Eligos Clan is about to rise again under your leadership. Plenty of people in the Underworld are concerned about the continuation of your family line."

Leo's mouth twitched, and a mass of dark lines seemed to hang over his forehead.

"Then please tell them I'm still young. They don't need to worry about that for me!"

Fall in love?

With who?

He was a Devil, not a succubus. Why spend all day worrying about romance?

Besides, if he fell in love, he'd have to comfort and cherish the other person, and spend a huge amount of time on her. What would be the point?

Wasn't getting stronger through training better? Or were the servants he'd gathered not obedient enough?

He wasn't going to fall in love. Not in this lifetime.

If he took a liking to someone, he'd tempt her, seduce her, make her sell her soul and give herself to him, becoming his possession. Then he'd have her comfort him, cherish him, and serve him...

That was what a Devil should do, wasn't it?

After lunch, seeing that he still had plenty of time, Leo went down to the estate's underground level.

There was an extremely spacious basement down there.

It was even larger than the estate aboveground, easily big enough to fit several soccer fields.

A closer look revealed obscure magic circles carved into the walls all around the basement, enclosing the entire space within a faint, transparent barrier.

This was a training ground Sona had prepared especially for Leo.

Ever since arriving at the estate, Leo had trained here.

"Whoosh!"

Leo spread his Devil Wings and flew into the air, stopping above the basement.

He closed his eyes and slowly stirred the Demonic Power within him, making a vast blaze of energy flare up around his body.

Demonic Power was the foundation of a Devil and the source of their strength.

Devils used their imagination to bring about supernatural phenomena, and Demonic Power was what made those phenomena possible.

When using Demonic Power, all they needed was a powerful enough imagination to make the supernatural phenomenon they envisioned appear.

Of course, that didn't mean a Devil could make anything they wished come true. The more complicated and powerful a phenomenon was, the stronger their imagination and the more skill they needed to manifest it. So the most common way Devils used Demonic Power was to imagine it as cannonballs, beams of light, and other such things, then fire it to inflict direct damage.

Leo was no exception.

"Hum!"

One brilliant magic circle after another abruptly unfolded behind Leo, forming a battery of cannons.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

In the next instant, countless Magic Bullets rained down from above, slamming into the ground and unleashing violent explosions and thunderous roars.