One hour later.
After dining with Rias and the others, Roy arrived at an abandoned building in Tokyo's suburbs.
Per the invitation, this was one of Ajuka Beelzebub's bases in the human world.
Pushing open the door, several white-coated researchers chatted inside.
Noticing Roy, a woman radiating devil aura approached. "Lord Roy, good morning."
"His Majesty Ajuka awaits you on the rooftop. This way, please."
Roy nodded, following her to the elevator and up to the roof.
Unlike the dilapidated exterior, the rooftop was a meticulously designed garden, complete with flora and a sizable pond.
"First meeting, Red Dragon Emperor," a voice called. "I'm Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Underworld's Demon Lords."
Roy turned to see a man exuding a seductive charm. "Rias said you had business with me?"
He sat across from Ajuka, cutting to the chase.
"A private matter, but let's handle official business first," Ajuka said, handing Roy a certificate and a small box. "This certificate, made of special material, proves your Top-Class Devil status."
"The box contains Evil Pieces, standard for High-Class Devils."
Roy took the items, glancing inside the box.
Fifteen pieces: one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, eight Pawns.
The Queen piece, unlike the others, glowed vivid red.
"Mutated piece?" Roy asked.
"You're lucky. We recently produced a Mutated Queen," Ajuka said. "Sazeks and I pulled strings to reserve it for you."
"Don't know if I'll use it, but thanks anyway."
"No need. Your existence is vital to us," Ajuka said, snapping his fingers.
The table split, a stone tablet rising. "If there's no issue, register your identity."
"Fine by me."
Roy pocketed the box, injecting mana into the tablet.
A red glow bloomed, forming a handprint.
But Ajuka let out a surprised sound, touching the tablet.
A magic array flared, data streams flashing in his eyes.
Moments later, he stopped, his expression odd.
"Problem with registration?" Roy asked.
"…No problem. Maybe too smooth," Ajuka said, staring at Roy for seconds before speaking. "Red Dragon Emperor, do you know how this tablet registers identities?"
"Nope."
"As I thought. If you did, you wouldn't have exposed yourself so easily."
Ajuka snapped again, summoning another box of Evil Pieces.
He placed a piece on the tablet.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
A faint energy wave rose, the tablet resonating with the piece.
"This tablet, forged from Evil Piece materials, registers identities," Ajuka explained. "For reincarnated devils, registration requires resonance between the tablet and their Evil Pieces."
He fixed Roy with a meaningful look. "Red Dragon Emperor, where are your Evil Pieces?"
"In me, obviously."
"But you registered via devil bloodline directly. Know what that means?"
"You saw wrong."
Roy touched the tablet, unequipping [Pureblood Devil] and [Demon Lord Bloodline], leaving only [Soldier].
This time, the tablet resonated with his Evil Pieces, emitting a unique pulse.
"See? No issue."
"…"
Ajuka's eyes scanned more data, rechecking the tablet.
A second later, analysis complete.
Conclusion: Roy was a reincarnated devil.
"Fascinating," Ajuka said, clapping.
First time meeting someone like Roy.
Ten seconds ago, Roy's bloodline rivaled an original Demon Lord's.
Now, he was an ordinary reincarnated devil.
The shift was so drastic, Ajuka would've laughed it off if he hadn't seen it.
"I'm growing more curious about you."
"Not into guys," Roy quipped.
"Relax, my preferences are normal," Ajuka said, pulling a test tube. "I want some of your blood for research."
Roy considered. "Blood's fine, but I want payment."
Ajuka nodded. "Fair. What do you want?"
"Evil Piece creation tech."
"…You don't mess around," Ajuka said.
"Too much?"
"It's the cornerstone of devil society. Can't be shared lightly," Ajuka said. "Anything else you want?"
"Not right now."
"Got it."
Ajuka fell silent, thoughts racing, weighing Roy's trustworthiness.
After a moment, he spoke. "I'll give you the Evil Piece tech, but that's it."
"You'll need to source the materials yourself."
"Deal."
Roy agreed, opening his status panel and unequipping all entries except [Soldier].
He let Ajuka draw blood, then reequipped his entries.
"Anything else?"
"That's all."
"Then I'm out."
Roy waved, leaving the building.
As he prepared to head home, a ding sounded from his pocket.
Pulling out his phone, he opened a message.
[Soyo Nagasaki: Mr. Roy, are you free?]
---
Roy's villa, spacious upper floor.
Soyo Nagasaki sat on a sofa, nervously staring at her phone.
Unlike her school uniform, she wore a white short-sleeve top and a light high-waisted skirt, radiating youthful energy with her fair skin.
But her face was haggard, dark circles under her eyes from sleepless nights.
Ding!
Her phone chimed.
Soyo perked up, checking Roy's reply.
[Roy: Free. Where to meet?]
[Soyo Nagasaki: Can you come to my place?]
[Roy: Sure.]
Another chime, and a magic array bloomed nearby, Roy stepping out.
"Good morning, Mr. Roy," Soyo said, taking a deep breath and approaching, familiar with the routine. "Sorry for dragging you out so late."
"No biggie. Devil work's mostly nocturnal," Roy said, his gaze sweeping her tired face. "What's the commission? Not Shoko again, is it?"
"…Yeah."
"You're persistent."
"I want to help Shoko," Soyo said.
Roy's million-yen reward didn't just save Shoko's family.
With their situation eased, Shoko's attitude toward Soyo softened, less cold than in the source material.
This shifted Soyo's goal from reforming CRYCHIC to helping Shoko escape her struggles.
"I hesitated a lot," Soyo admitted. "After that priest with the knife attacked us, I've had nightmares about him."
"I was scared meeting you might bring more psychos."
"But… I want to help Shoko."
Her expression hardened. "She saved me from loneliness, gave me friends, warmth."
"Now she's at rock bottom. I can't sit by and let her face it alone."
"Mr. Roy, I want to know her troubles and how I can help."
"Touching speech," Roy said, eyeing her thoughtfully before shaking his head. "But it's her private matter. I can't spill."
"…Figured it wouldn't work."
"You're an ordinary human. This isn't your fight," Roy said. "With me around, Shoko's fine. No worries."
"?"
What's that mean?
Soyo paused, recalling the attack.
Facing that knife-wielding priest, Shoko was unfazed, even dragging Soyo with surprising strength.
After Roy's rescue, Shoko mentioned his name casually, like they were close.
Soyo hadn't thought much of it, assuming a deal.
But Roy's words sparked suspicion. "Mr. Roy, what's your relationship with Shoko?"
"She didn't tell you? She was my maid."
"What?!"
The bombshell stunned Soyo.
Calming down, she got an idea. "Mr. Roy, need another maid?"
"Villa's enchanted now. Cleans itself."
"…How about a cook?"
"You're really going all-in to see Shoko," Roy said.
"I'll work for free—even pay to work at your place. Please!"
"…At that point, I'll give you a shot."
Seeing her desperation, Roy pulled out an Evil Piece.
"What's this?"
"A tool to turn you into a devil," Roy said, explaining its effects. "Shoko's no ordinary human. She's got powers and serious strength."
"To help her, you need power."
"I won't make you strong for free. Power comes at a cost."
"Take this Evil Piece, and you're mine—body and soul."
"Plus, becoming a devil drags you into conflicts. Peace won't come easy."
"If you still want to help Shoko, I'll respect your resolve and grant you power."
"I…"
Soyo hesitated.
Helping Shoko meant becoming inhuman and facing dangers.
For a lifelong human, it was a steep ask.
But memories of forming CRYCHIC with Shoko flooded back.
Head buzzing, Soyo grabbed the Evil Piece. "I want to be strong. Be Shoko's hero!"
"Good look in your eyes."
Roy smirked, activating the Evil Piece to merge with Soyo.
He pulled a Telekinesis entry from his vault and granted it to her.
[Entry granted successfully. View target panel?]
[Soyo Nagasaki]
[Race: Human]
[Strength: Level 2]
[Entries: Soldier (White), Instrument Mastery (White), Telekinesis (Blue)]
Buzz!
A surge of telekinetic energy erupted from Soyo, her aura spiking.
Like Shoko days ago, the sudden power overwhelmed her, telekinesis spiraling out of control.
Crisp cracks echoed as walls fractured, nearing collapse.
"Bit of a rampage," Roy said, stabilizing the area with magic.
Unlike Shoko, who'd trained pre-Telekinesis, Soyo's control was weaker.
With Roy's Senjutsu, she adapted quickly.
"Phew, that was intense," Soyo exhaled, sensing her changes. "This is a devil's power? So strong."
"Mr. Roy, what do I do next to help Shoko?"
"Start by warming my bed."
"Huh?"
Soyo froze. "M-Mr. Roy, what's that mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Roy gave a sly glance, snapping to project a memory clip on the wall. "You want to reconnect with Shoko and help her? This is the fastest way."
"!!!"
Seeing the clip's intimate scene, Soyo's eyes widened. "Wait! What's going on?"
"I told you, becoming my dependent means body and soul. Shoko's the same."
"But…"
I didn't know it meant that!
Soyo opened her mouth, speechless, falling silent.
Too late to play dumb—she'd jumped into a pit.
"Heroes can't back down," Roy said.
A magic array flared, teleporting them to his room.
Another array summoned Shoko.
"!?"
Seeing Roy and Soyo, the freshly teleported Shoko blinked, mind blank. "Roy, what's this?"
"Just made a deal. Soyo's my dependent devil now," Roy said. "You two know each other. Perfect chance to bond."
He patted the bed.
Shoko got it instantly.
Since opening up to Roy, she'd been in similar setups.
Glancing at the dazed Soyo, she reached for her waist.
With Rias and the others gone, she'd set the pace as the senior.
---
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