A frustrated Rias

This was undoubtedly supernatural power.

No one present was a fool. They had already realized something.

But at that moment...

One man showed no fear at all. Instead, he grew thoroughly excited.

"Hahaha! It seems Vermouth wasn't entirely lying to me. You must be someone from that world, sir."

Renya Karasuma sat upright in his chair, rubbing his cane with both hands. With his eyes lowered, he said, "We could actually work together."

"If you kill me here, all you'll get is the organization's wealth."

"But if we cooperate, you'll gain access to my influence. With our combined strength, even overthrowing this country wouldn't be impossible."

The moment those words left his mouth...

The other code-named executives secretly admired him.

As expected of the boss. Even in a situation like this, that was what came to mind.

"You talk too much."

Lind shook his head.

"So there's no room for negotiation."

Renya Karasuma tapped his cane against the floor. "Don't think you're the only one with supernatural power."

"Kill them for me, and I'll offer you a hundred sacrifices."

"Deal."

Accompanied by that sinister voice, a hulking figure with a hideous face materialized out of thin air.

"Hiss!"

Rum and the others' pupils contracted, and they all instinctively sucked in a breath of cold air.

As ordinary humans, they felt their blood almost freeze beneath that sinister aura.

But soon...

Delight appeared on their faces.

The boss had actually kept a trump card like this hidden.

They were saved.

“A Curse Spirit, huh...”

Lind's gaze flickered slightly.

He had already noticed this Curse Spirit when he arrived.

He hadn't expected it to have ties to Renya Karasuma.

Still, it made sense.

This was a world where all sorts of things were mixed together, after all.

Renya Karasuma had lived for nearly a century and possessed considerable influence.

It wasn't all that surprising that he could come into contact with something like this.

"Sir, I'll give you one last chance."

Renya Karasuma said sinisterly, “Otherwise, once Lord Curse Spirit eats you, it'll be too late to—”

Boom!

An explosion erupted from the ground, instantly reducing the Curse Spirit and the earth beneath it to ash.

The conference room fell silent.

Both Renya Karasuma and the other executives wore blank expressions.

Their brains had crashed, no longer capable of functioning.

“A mere Intermediate Curse Spirit.”

"And you dared show it off in front of me?"

Lind spoke calmly and gave a light snap of his fingers.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

Several beams of magic shot out in every direction, blasting everyone except Rum into heaps of mangled flesh.

Thud!

Pale-faced, Rum dropped to his knees.

Seeing this, Vermouth stepped forward, ready to have a proper talk with him.

She believed...

There would be no need for torture.

Chapter 18: A frustrated Rias

Lind's Mansion.

In the living room.

“Master, Rum didn't hold anything back. All of the organization's funds are now in my hands.”

Working on a laptop, Vermouth reported, "There are also some fixed assets. Should we sell them?"

Lind asked, “Would keeping them cause any problems down the line?”

He preferred solving problems once and for all.

He had no desire to get stuck with problems that clung to him like glue.

They were far too troublesome.

"All the paperwork is legitimate. There won't be any problems."

"All right, then keep them."

Lind nodded and began laying out his next plans.

"We have more than enough money now."

“So I'm planning to open an Exorcism Agency. All of you will be employees.”

Akemi Miyano said in surprise, “I didn't realize you were so kindhearted, Master. You even want to help ordinary people deal with Curse Spirits.”

Lind: “...”

"Don't read too much into it. I just want you to get some actual combat experience."

"Hehe."

Akemi Miyano stuck out her tongue.

Looks like... I completely misunderstood.

Sure enough, my master might not be a bad person.

But he definitely isn't a good person, either.

Shiho Miyano agreed. “Master is right. As Demons, we really should improve our combat abilities.”

Although Akeno Himejima had been sparring with them lately...

They lacked the sense of urgency that came with a real battle.

That simply wouldn't do.

Listening to their conversation, Vermouth began quickly searching online for a location.

With ample funding behind her, she soon settled on a storefront.

As for renovations and the like, money naturally made those no problem either.

Next...

It was time to do something they enjoyed.

Akemi Miyano fled in embarrassment once again.

Then, as if compelled by some mysterious force, she returned to the door and began eavesdropping.

The next day.

Morning sunlight spilled through the gap in the curtains.

Lind opened his eyes and looked at Vermouth and Shiho Miyano lying on either side of him.

After a few encounters together, the two women had grown accustomed to each other's presence.

In fact...

Their rivalry had ultimately worked to his advantage.

"Master, don't pay attention to that Witch."

"Hmph, mine are bigger than yours."

As if sensing Lind's gaze, Shiho Miyano and Vermouth murmured softly.

Lind shook his head in amusement.

He picked up his phone and began typing a message.

He now had two more Familiars.

He would have to ask his childhood friend to give them some special training again.

[Rias: It hasn't even been that long, and you already have three Familiars.]

[Lind: Yeah. Pretty lucky, aren't I?]

[Rias: Don't tell me they're all women again?]

[Lind: Congratulations, you got it right.]

Looking at the messages on her phone, Rias felt a tightness in her chest.

How long had Lind even been in the human world?

Less than a week, all told.

He hadn't even started school yet, but he had already acquired several Familiars.

"Whew!"

She took a deep breath.

Then she began typing a reply.

[Rias: When are they coming?]

Lind sent a reply, then went to take a shower.

Looking at the message...

Rias muttered to herself.

"Why didn't I notice before? He's a complete womanizer."

"And he wants special training, too. What does he take me for?"

The Occult Research Club.

"That's the situation. These are the spells I've prepared for them."

"Understood, President Rias."

Naturally, Akeno Himejima carried out Rias's orders to the letter.

But...

Akeno Himejima gave her a puzzled look. "President Rias, something seems a little off about you."