Deciding One's Own Fate

Leo contacted Sona Shitori in the morning, but it wasn't until the afternoon that she finally got back to him with a definitive answer.

"My sister agreed. She will send the peerage members over tomorrow, and I'll have her send them directly to your place."

When Sona Shitori told Leo the result, her voice carried an indescribable sense of exhaustion.

That wasn't physical fatigue, but mental exhaustion—what people call being "tired of heart."

Leo could easily imagine what Sona Shitori had been put through from morning until afternoon—a full six hours of being pestered by her sister-complex demon king sister, and just how drained she must have been.

"You've worked hard, Sona."

Leo replied with a mix of sympathy and gratitude.

Given Sona Shitori's spirit of self-sacrifice, Leo decided then and there that he would definitely have to repay her with a grand gesture in the future.

"It's a small matter. If you have any other needs, feel free to contact me at any time."

Sona Shitori sighed as she said this, then ended the communication and used the magic circle in the basement to teleport a large stack of books over.

These were all books related to swordsmanship and sword techniques. Some were detailed guides on modern kendo, the kind that could teach someone step-by-step how to wield a sword properly. Others were legacies of various famous schools passed down from ancient times, and some were knowledge seized from the church during long-standing conflicts—after all, the church's exorcists were the most skilled at close-quarters combat and were the most frequent users of swords.

Many of the legendary holy swords passed down through history were currently in the hands of the church, which was always training qualified wielders for them. Therefore, the books Sona Shitori sent also contained records and usage methods for various holy swords, which were undoubtedly treasures for Asuna Yuuki.

Consequently, Leo had Yukino Yukinoshita bring Asuna Yuuki over so she could take charge of these books.

"Th-this many...?!"

Asuna Yuuki looked at the pile of books, which formed a small mountain, and couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not asking you to read them all." Seeing the pale look on Asuna Yuuki's face, Leo chuckled. "Just finish the books related to holy swords first, then read some that explain basic sword techniques. As for the rest, which record the sword arts of various schools, you can read them at your discretion. If you feel they don't suit you, or if you're not interested, you don't have to read them."

"Is that so?" Asuna Yuuki's complexion improved significantly. Although she still looked a bit pained, she nodded and said, "I'll do my best."

At this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita spoke up.

"Have you two forgotten something?" Yukino Yukinoshita said suddenly. "Unlike me, who lives alone, Asuna is only here in Chiba as a guest with her brother. She isn't in a situation where she can just stay here to study books whenever she wants."

"Her home is in Tokyo, and her school isn't here either."

"She hasn't been heard from all night, so her brother and family must be running around in a panic by now. Is this really the time to be thinking about how to study?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Asuna Yuuki snapped back to reality and fell into a state of panic.

"Oh no! I completely forgot about that!"

Poor Asuna Yuuki had woken up today first struggling with the incident of encountering a monster last night, and then having her mind thrown into chaos by the fact that she had been reincarnated as a devil, to the point where she had forgotten all about her family from start to finish.

She had been lost, unsure of what to do next, and could only drift along with Leo's arrangements for the time being. But now, upon careful reflection, she realized she had no right to make these decisions herself.

Her family had no idea what she had been through. Even if they did, they would likely think she had lost her mind. She wasn't in a position to stay here and comfortably live as a devil; her brother must still be looking for her, and she had to return to Tokyo, return to her family, and go back to studying at her former elite school.

Just as Asuna Yuuki was falling into a panic over this, Leo spoke up.

"I've already considered this," Leo said nonchalantly. "Don't worry, I've already arranged for someone to contact the Yuki family. I'm preparing to set a time to meet with Asuna's parents and have a proper discussion about their daughter's future."

Yukino Yukinoshita and Asuna Yuuki both turned to look at Leo in unison, stunned.

"Leo has already contacted my family?"

Asuna Yuuki was somewhat shocked.

"When did you do something like that?"

Yukino Yukinoshita was equally surprised.

"I gave the order while Asuna was still unconscious." Seeing the shock on both girls' faces, Leo smiled dismissively. "Since Asuna has become my peerage, how could I possibly let her have any worries?"

"As my peerage, she shouldn't be too far from us. Even if the actual distance between Tokyo and Chiba isn't far, it's ultimately inconvenient if we aren't operating in the same place."

"That's why I've already used my connections to get in touch with the Yuki family."

Do not assume that just because Leo is a noble of the underworld, he lacks background or influence in the human world.

He had lived in Chiba for fifteen years, operating in the shadows as a devil for that entire time. From a young age, he had taken on tasks for the devil side to rank up to a high-class devil. He had accepted countless summons and fulfilled countless wishes, accumulating a deep and formidable foundation.

Many of the big shots in Chiba who had risen to prominence in recent years were actually his clients. They had either been incredibly ordinary people or once-fallen figures with a burning desire to get ahead—desires that were all fulfilled by Leo's hand.

With Leo's abilities, clearing obstacles for them or creating favorable conditions for them to climb the ladder was simple beyond measure. By deploying a series of "dimensional reduction" tactics like suggestion, hypnosis, and brainwashing, these people couldn't fail to achieve their goals even if they wanted to.

To fulfill these wishes, those big shots had paid a significant price. Now, their lives and fortunes were firmly held in Leo's hands, and they could be fully considered his network and background in the human world.

Therefore, Leo only needed to utilize a fraction of his connections to reach the Yuki family and bring them to the negotiating table. Asuna Yuuki's brother had also been pacified, so he wasn't currently panicking over Asuna Yuuki's disappearance.

"I will make your family agree to have you transfer here, just like us, to attend Sobu High School," Leo said to Asuna Yuuki. "By then, you will be living here directly as well."

Hearing this, Asuna Yuuki felt a mix of nervousness and anxiety.

"Will it work?"

Her family was not the type to be easily swayed, especially her mother, who had already mapped out her entire life. It was basically impossible for her to suddenly change plans and let her transfer to a "countryside" place like Chiba.

Thinking of her mother's overbearing personality, Asuna Yuuki couldn't help but feel that this was an unlikely task to accomplish.

However...

"Are you lacking confidence in me, or are you overestimating your family?" Leo said with a faint, enigmatic smile. "It is true that the Yuki family has significant influence, and your parents are no simple characters, but in my eyes, they are ultimately just ordinary humans."

Struck by Leo's words, Asuna Yuuki suddenly realized that this master who had appeared in her life was a devil, wielding supernatural powers beyond human imagination.

Faced with such power, ordinary people like her parents would have absolutely no ability to resist, would they?

Could she consider this a major backing that would allow her to stand up to her family?

Asuna Yuuki's feelings were inexplicably complex.

It wasn't just Asuna Yuuki; even Yukino Yukinoshita felt a sense of realization.

She had previously been worried that her living at Leo's house would be exposed, leading her family to come and settle scores. But after seeing Leo force her sister—the so-called perfect superman—to return empty-handed and slink away, she realized that the influence of her family was nothing compared to a high-class devil from the underworld like Leo.

If not for his consideration of her feelings, Leo might have already used his demonic power to brainwash the Yukinoshita family to avoid having to deal with them later.

As for the Yuki family, her master probably wouldn't resort to crude methods like brainwashing to achieve his goals, right?

Then how did he plan to persuade those two?

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but feel a bit curious.

"In short, I will arrange everything. You don't need to have any worries at all. Go do what you want to do most right now, and make yourselves stronger until you can decide your own destiny."

Leo waved his hand at the two, dismissing Yukino Yukinoshita and Asuna Yuuki.

The two silently picked up the books on the floor and left the basement, lost in thought.

Strong enough to decide our own destiny... is that it?

A thousand thoughts swirled in the hearts of the two girls as they left Leo's sight.

Leo spread his wings, flew into the air, summoned the wind and clouds, and once again entered a state of training.

Chiba City, a rather quiet area.

In this region near the central district, there stood a magnificent church.

The exterior of the church was simple, but the interior was solemn and glorious. The chapel, in particular, occupied a vast area, and the statue of Jesus located at the very back was ten meters tall, filled with majesty, causing a solemn atmosphere to flow throughout the entire hall.

Whether it was because the area had been cleared in advance or not, the massive chapel was completely empty at this moment.

Until... Haruno Yukinoshita arrived.

"Welcome to Chiba Church, Miss Haruno Yukinoshita."

A charming nun greeted Haruno Yukinoshita as she entered.

It was none other than Sharon Holygrail.

"So you're the one who sent the letter to my place, saying you had something important to discuss with me?" Haruno Yukinoshita looked at this nun, whose temperament didn't quite fit the role, and said, "In this day and age, you still use letters to invite people? And it was delivered silently without anyone noticing. Are churches these days so old-fashioned yet impressive?"

"I just wanted to have a talk with you," Sharon said with a bright smile. "Talk about something related to your sister."

Haruno Yukinoshita frowned, then immediately smoothed her expression.

"Then I'm all ears."