The Queen Class, Utaha Kasumigaoka

"Huh?"

Lin Luo pushed open the library doors and stretched, then stretched again, letting out a puzzled sound.

Somewhere deep within, he sensed a summons.

"Someone's summoning a Devil?"

"Looks like Koneko handed out my Flyer again."

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Heavy knocking echoed through the room.

Utaha Kasumigaoka curled up beneath her covers, her teeth chattering.

She looked at the security feed outside her door, but there was no one there.

Yet the knocking kept coming.

"C-could there really be an evil spirit?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka trembled with fear. She wanted to open the door and look, but she simply couldn't muster the courage.

Thud!

Thud! Thud!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As though growing impatient with her refusal to open the door, the knocking grew heavier and heavier.

The temperature throughout the room began to drop steadily.

"No, I can't let this happen!"

"Whatever's outside will get in sooner or later."

Utaha Kasumigaoka gritted her teeth. Drawing courage from somewhere, she rummaged through her desk and pulled out a Flyer.

The Flyer was perfectly ordinary, except for the intricate Magic Circle inscribed on it.

That was why Utaha Kasumigaoka had kept it for material for her novel rather than throwing it away.

"Whether you're a Devil or anything else, please come and save me."

Looking at the Magic Circle, Utaha Kasumigaoka unconsciously murmured to herself.

Hum!

The instant she finished speaking, the Magic Circle on the Flyer lit up, radiating a dazzling red glow.

Utaha Kasumigaoka jumped in fright and let go.

But the Flyer didn't fall to the floor. Instead, it transformed into a Magic Circle a full ten feet across.

The next instant!

A figure appeared before her eyes.

"Devils... really exist?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka stared at the black-haired, red-eyed Lin Luo, her pupils contracting sharply.

Although she had summoned him herself, seeing this legendary creature appear before her still felt unbelievable.

"Haven't you already seen one with your own eyes?"

As he spoke, a pair of Wings suddenly unfurled behind Lin Luo.

The Wings looked like a bat's, yet exuded an inexplicably sinister aura.

"..."

Utaha Kasumigaoka stared blankly at it all as her understanding of the world was reshaped.

Whoosh!

Lin Luo withdrew his Devil Wings and said:

"Hello, contractor. My name is Lin Luo. I have answered your summons. Please state your wish."

Lin Luo's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka.

He had recognized her the instant he saw her.

Good grief!

Just how many anime had been mashed together in this world?

Hearing Lin Luo's words, Utaha Kasumigaoka forced herself to calm down.

Although she hadn't fully revised her worldview yet, none of that mattered right now.

She asked cautiously, "Mr. Devil... could you help me get rid of the evil spirit outside my door?"

"Of course!"

Lin Luo agreed without hesitation.

The thing outside was merely a low-level Cursed Spirit, hardly worth mentioning.

Then!

Lin Luo strode over and pulled the door open.

"You opened the door!"

"You opened the door!"

A Cursed Spirit with a huge head, a tiny body, and ten eyes let out an excited roar at the sight of Lin Luo.

"So ugly!"

Lin Luo frowned.

"What did you say?"

The Cursed Spirit flew into a rage and was about to open its enormous mouth to taste this human.

But a bolt of blue lightning flashed past, shattering it completely.

"A fool that couldn't read the situation."

Lin Luo shook his head.

Low-level Cursed Spirits like this were weak and even had something wrong with their brains.

He had no idea which world they had come from.

After closing the door, Lin Luo turned toward the somewhat bewildered Utaha Kasumigaoka.

"Now that the problem's solved, shouldn't we discuss my payment?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka stiffened and instinctively asked, "What payment?"

Lin Luo smiled. "You didn't summon a Devil expecting a freebie, did you?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka shrank back and asked meekly, "Then what should I give you?"

Lin Luo took out the Queen Piece from among his Evil Pieces. "It's simple. Become mine."

"Huh?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka blushed. "You perverted Devil."

Chapter 4: The Queen Class, Utaha Kasumigaoka

"So becoming yours means reincarnating as a Devil and joining your peerage?"

After listening to Lin Luo's explanation, Utaha Kasumigaoka understood, though her gaze was complicated.

Did this guy even know how to explain things properly?

Lin Luo wore an expression that said she was the one who had misunderstood.

Although, fundamentally, what he had said wasn't wrong.

Once she joined his peerage, Utaha Kasumigaoka would be his servant.

Utaha Kasumigaoka took a deep breath and said, "All right. I agree."

"You're agreeing just like that?"

Lin Luo sounded surprised. "I was ready to threaten and bribe you after you refused."

"You seem to be thinking about something dangerous."

Utaha Kasumigaoka narrowed her eyes, then smiled.

"Actually, thinking it over, becoming a Devil doesn't sound so bad."

"After all, this world has Cursed Spirits and Devils, so other myths and legends could very well be real too. If I'd never known, that would've been one thing, but now that I've seen the truth of this world, I won't settle for being an ordinary person."

"And according to you, Mr. Devil, even the lowest-ranking Devils live for hundreds of years and can even stay young forever. That's something anyone would dream of."

Lin Luo: "..."

Her reasoning was sound and genuinely convincing.

As expected of a novelist, she had thought everything through in an instant.

Despite those thoughts, Lin Luo calmly picked up the Queen Piece. "Then I'll begin. It might hurt a little."

"Go ahead!"

Utaha Kasumigaoka nodded firmly, determination already in her eyes.

But after waiting for quite a while, she realized Lin Luo hadn't moved and gave him a puzzled look.

"Ahem. It's my first time. I don't have any experience."

Lin Luo coughed awkwardly, then began the procedure.

"Wait, why are you lifting my clothes? My esteemed Mr. Devil, are you really that impatient?"

"Relax, it's only a corner. It'll be over in a moment."

"Wait, slow down."

"Shinobu a little. Almost done."

At last, the Queen Piece fused perfectly with Utaha Kasumigaoka.

"Did it... work?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka held her shoulder, her voice trembling slightly.

"Probably!"

Lin Luo hesitated.

"Huh?"

Utaha Kasumigaoka's eyes widened, and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Mr. Devil, you're sure there's no danger, right?"

"Relax. Absolutely none."

Lin Luo answered decisively, "I guarantee you won't die."

"That's not the answer I wanted, you bastard Devil!"

After that shout, Utaha Kasumigaoka stiffened, her whole body beginning to tremble slightly as she felt an inexplicable power surge within her.

At the same time!

A dark red Magic Circle had appeared beneath Utaha Kasumigaoka.

[Origin: +1]

After glancing at the virtual panel, Lin Luo began observing her closely.

Come to think of it!

This was his first time watching the Reincarnation Ritual.

Every Devil reincarnated through an Evil Piece would be granted corresponding traits.