Chapter 29: Chapter 25: One Down
Sunday morning, Rowan walked downstairs with a yawn. He entered the kitchen, poured himself a cup of coffee, and as he made his way toward the living room with the steaming mug in hand, he heard some commotion coming from the game room.
Curious, he peeked in—only to be met with a surprising sight.
Bancho was on the couch, holding a giant controller in his hands, deeply focused on a game of Street Fighter.
"I didn't know he liked games," Rowan said, blinking.
Sora appeared beside him and replied, "He's practicing. He and Koneko are gonna play together in a couple days. He wants to be ready."
"Where did he get that controller?" Rowan asked.
"Oh, it's a regular controller. I just used magic to increase its size and make it more durable."
"Huh. Neat," Rowan said, then thought to himself, Oh yeah… magic. That thing I really need to work on.
Then he said aloud, "Hey, Sora, how come none of the quest rewards have been spells?"
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Are you being serious?"
"Yeah."
"Oh, so you're dumb."
"Excuse me?"
She deadpanned, "You dumbass. You're a devil."
"…And?" he asked.
"And you can create your own spells. Devil magic only requires creativity and enough magic to cast the spell. At your current level, you could create spells with enough kick to wipe out half a city."
Rowan facepalmed. "All this time I could've just been making my own spells?"
"Yep. I assumed you knew and were just choosing not to use magic. Personal preference or something."
"Better late than never, I suppose. I'll start working on it later."
He turned and headed back to his room, got dressed, and made his way to the front door. Today, he had planned to explore more of Tokyo—but just as he was about to step out, he felt the tug of a summoning.
Curious, he teleported to the contractor's location.
Rowan appeared in the living room of a small, single-bedroom apartment. Sitting on the couch, holding one of his business cards, was none other than Aika.
She looked up, eyes wide. "So not only did this work, but it summoned one of my classmates?"
Rowan smiled. "Well, this is an interesting turn of events."
She pushed her glasses up. "I'll say. So… you're a devil?"
"Yes, I am. But I'm curious—how did you get one of my cards?"
"Oh, I got it from some silver-haired loli that seemed like trouble."
In his mind, Rowan heard, "Hey! I don't look like trouble—I look adorable!"
"Adorably dangerous." , he replied mentally.
"Watch it!", she snapped back.
"All right," Rowan said aloud. "I'm here. So what's your request?"
Aika blinked. "Right, my request… I guess I didn't think that far ahead. I just kinda wanted to see if it would work."
She thought for a moment. "How about you just hang out with me for the day?"
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "What, like a date?"
Aika grinned mischievously. "Exactly like a date."
[System Notification]
Aika Affection: +5
"Nice.", Rowan thought.
"Alright, what first?"
"The gentleman is supposed to handle the details," she said in mock offense, then smiled. "No, but seriously—you decide."
Rowan thought for a minute. "Alright. Come with me."
Once they were outside her apartment, he made sure the coast was clear and activated a teleportation circle.
When the teleportation finished, they arrived at the top of Mount Tsukuba, overlooking vast valleys and forests.
Aika stared. "Holy shit. Did we just teleport to the top of a freaking mountain?!"
Then she saw a sign with the mountain's name. "And we're in the Kanto region? Holy shit... magic rocks."
Rowan chuckled. "Yes, it does."
He pointed to a rustic-looking building surrounded by small shops. "Shall we?"
"There's a market at the summit of a mountain?"
"Yep. And we're here to eat."
"Lunch at the top of a mountain… not bad. Lead the way."
They walked into the restaurant, a peaceful little shop with a wooden interior and traditional ambiance. They sat at the counter.
"Two house special miso ramen, please," Rowan said.
"Coming right up, sir," the owner replied.
As they waited, Aika asked, "So what's it like being a devil?"
"I don't know. What's it like being a human?"
She thought for a moment. "Touché."
"Well, for starters: once we hit maturity, we stop aging. We can live over 10,000 years, use magic without incantations or complex math, we're stronger and faster than humans, can see in the dark, have enhanced senses, and… there's almost no such thing as an ugly or average-looking devil."
Aika stared. "Wow. Rub it in more, why don't you?"
"I'm not rubbing it in—it's more like I'm making a sales pitch."
"A sales pitch?"
"Uh-huh."
"Care to explain?"
"We have these things called Evil Pieces. They were made to increase our race's population. Using them, we can turn others into devils."
She narrowed her eyes. "And you're considering me for this, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Since the moment you first spoke to me."
Their ramen arrived, and they both took a moment to eat the rich broth and noodles.
"Damn, this is good," Aika said.
Rowan nodded. Then Aika added, "So, you picked me because I guessed how big you were?"
Rowan laughed. "Kind of. It's more your observation skills that drew me to you. That kind of perception can be very useful."
"How so?"
He held out a coin in front of her face and, with a quick flourish, made it disappear. "Where's the coin?"
"Easy. Under my ramen bowl."
She lifted the bowl and revealed the coin.
"I moved my hands faster than the human eye should follow. So I know that's not how you figured it out. Tell me."
"It was only for a second, but I saw a ripple in my ramen broth."
Rowan grinned. "Sometimes devils have to fight. In battle, your observation and intelligence would be valuable. And I'm just guessing here, but I think you'll be a natural when it comes to magic."
Though I'm not guessing, he thought. In the series, she was revealed to be a natural magician when she started learning from Lavinia.
Aika was silent for a moment. "I'd like a detailed explanation."
"Of course. When you become a devil, your physical abilities will be enhanced. You'll become stronger, faster, more durable. Injuries will heal faster. Your senses will sharpen. Your lifespan increases to over 10,000 years, your aging stops when you hit physical maturity, and your looks get enhanced."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Remember when I said there are pretty much no ugly devils? After you're reincarnated, your appearance will shift slightly. Your skin becomes flawless, your hair smooth and silky—always. Over time, your body gradually changes to match your ideal of beauty. Want to be taller or more athletic?"
"Or if I want bigger boobs or a nicer ass?" she said with a mischievous smile.
"That too."
"Awesome. Alright, tell me the bad stuff."
Rowan didn't sugarcoat it. "You'll become my servant—not a slave. You'll be mine, but you'll have freedom. Think of it like being part of a family."
"Am I joining a harem?"
Rowan made a side-to-side hand motion. "Eeeeh."
"That means yes, Rowan."
"I ain't forcing you, but… let me finish. There's more. You'll be the enemy of the Church. Exorcists will try to kill you on sight. So will the Fallen. Light and holy magic can seriously hurt you. You can't go on holy ground or into churches. And, as far as I know, you can kiss heaven goodbye."
"Let's be real—that last part was probably a given anyway. Anything else?"
Rowan pulled out a stack of papers from who-knows-where. "If you say yes, this is your contract."
Aika skimmed the document and stopped when she saw the salary.
"There's… so many zeros. That's a yearly salary?"
"Yes, it is."
"And this part where it says, 'When I eventually get promoted to High-Class, I'll become a noble and get a piece of your land'?"
"You do."
She sighed. "Okay. I need a minute."
She carefully read through the entire contract. It was transparent—Rowan wasn't hiding anything. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Is there a way to undo it later if I want to back out?"
Rowan shook his head. "As of now, no. Anyone who leaves their master's service without becoming a noble becomes a stray… and gets hunted down."
"Yeah, I saw that in the contract. I just wanted to confirm. So it's all in… or nothing, huh?"
"I'm afraid so. Oh, also—it's not in the contract, but you can have your own room in my mansion. Rent-free."
"Oh, so we can just go ahead and add 'free boarding' to that?"
He laughed. "Pretty much."
After nervously tapping the counter and taking a deep breath, she said, "I'll do it."
"You sure? Once this happens, you'll live for me, work for me, and fight for me."
"I know. And I'm prepared. I've been thinking of ways to get you to teach me magic since I saw you use it. But this… this offers much greater benefits."
"All right. Let's head back to your place. Best to do this somewhere private. Don't want regular people seeing evidence of the supernatural."
They returned to her apartment. She sat on the couch. Rowan summoned his Evil Pieces and selected a Pawn.
The piece floated over to her, then sank into her chest—absorbed into her body, becoming part of her.
"That's it?" she asked.
"Yeah. What were you expecting?"
"I don't know. Intense pain? Transformation? Now I'm kind of wondering why i tried so hard to keep myself calm…"
"If it makes you feel any better, you're about to pass out for the next twelve hours while your body and soul undergo changes."
"Wait, wha—?"
She collapsed.
"Well, that went better than expected," Rowan said. "Had a nice lunch. Got my first peerage member. All in all, not a bad day. And now that I've said that, I've probably jinxed something. Oh well. That's a problem for future Rowan."
He picked Aika up and teleported back to his mansion.
---
Twelve Hours Later
Aika woke up in a comfy king-sized bed in a room that was clearly not hers. She reached for her glasses on the bedside table and put them on—only for her vision to become blurry and a headache to kick in.
She quickly removed them. Her vision was perfect.
"Oh… so that wasn't a dream. Sweet."
She hopped out of bed, feeling lighter, better than usual, like a weight had been lifted. In the bathroom mirror, she saw herself—subtly prettier. The Evil Piece had refined her: flawless skin, smooth, shiny hair, bright eyes, and a perfect complexion.
"Looking good," she said to her reflection with a grin.
She headed downstairs to the dining room, where Rowan, the silver-haired loli from before, and—most shockingly—a massive silverback gorilla in a shredded school uniform were eating pancakes.
She opened her mouth to speak, paused… then thought, Just roll with it, and took a seat across from Rowan.
"Morning. How'd you sleep?"
"Better than I thought," she said. "Thanks for the advance warning I'd be unconscious for twelve hours," she added sarcastically.
"Sorry. You're the first member of my peerage—this is all new to me."
Sora chimed in, "Yeah, the boss is kind of dumb."
Rowan flicked her forehead. "Just eat your breakfast."
"Oh, before I forget—take these."
He handed her a pair of glasses.
"Thought you'd probably feel strange without them."
"But I don't need them anymore."
"The lenses aren't real. It's easier than convincing people you don't need them suddenly."
"That's true." She put them on. "Huh. That actually feels better."
"So, what now?"
"Now, breakfast. After that, we'll go grab your stuff. Do I need to talk to any relatives?"
"None whose opinion matters. My parents died when I was a kid. My aunt paid for the apartment just to get me out of her house."
"Harsh… Well, you're part of my ever-growing bunch of misfits now. Welcome."
Sora and Bancho gave Rowan the finger without looking up from their pancakes.
Aika laughed. "I think I'll like it here."
[System Notification]
Aika Affection: +6
Current Affection: 22
Current Relationship: Perverted Master
Damn it, Rowan cursed inwardly. Beside him, Sora fought to suppress her laughter.
Rowan sighed in resignation and smiled. "Making progress, at least."
Then Rowan said, "Oh. By the way, either think or say the word status."
She raised an eyebrow but did what he said, and as she did, a transparent screen appeared before her eyes.
---
Name: Aika Kiryuu
Race: Devil
Age: 17
Titles: None
Affiliation: Rowan Bael
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Power Level: Low Class
Skills:
Scouter MK.1 (Type: Passive)
Description: Provides a 50% increase to perception and deduction.
Spells: None
Quest: None
---
"Holy shit, I have a stat screen!" Aika said.
Rowan said, "Yeah. Don't tell anybody—and I mean anybody—unless they're part of the peerage. It's something only we have."
"Thanks to the short one over here."
Sora flipped him off again, but Rowan ignored her.
"Okay, Cool, when will I get my first quest?" Aika said excitedly.
Sora responded, "Whenever I feel like it."
Rowan said, "Maybe get used to being a devil first, okay?"
Aika pouted and said, "Fine."
Then Rowan said, "I'll teach you how to use magic later, but I got shit to do. So for now, relax."
She nodded as Rowan left the house and teleported to Tokyo.