On her way home from school, the sky was overcast, looking like it might rain at any moment.
Jeanne Alter had been looking forward to walking home beneath the afternoon sunlight—something she rarely got to experience, given that classes ended shortly after three. Yet it seemed the heavens weren't in a cooperative mood today, covering her anticipated sunshine with thick, gloomy clouds.
It had still been sunny when she stepped out of the classroom, yet after dealing with that soccer incident, the sun had vanished completely, as if to mockingly say, "Oh, you're done for the day? Guess I'll clock out too."
Beep beep!
Car horns echoed incessantly along the streets.
Standing at a bustling intersection, Jeanne Alter frowned slightly. After spending so long in that previous world, suddenly being thrown back into a crowded modern city made her feel unusually irritated. The relentless noise and bustling crowds made her want nothing more than to set the whole place ablaze.
Ever since gaining Jeanne Alter's Saint Graph, she'd had a growing urge to burn things…
Suddenly, her eyes flickered sharply. Sensing something unusual, she turned her gaze toward a girl dressed in a rather eccentric outfit—straight out of an anime—handing out flyers nearby.
Before long, the girl reached Jeanne Alter, holding out one of those flyers.
"Please take this!"
Jeanne Alter silently accepted it, eyes tracking the girl as she moved away. Surprise gradually crept into her shining, golden eyes.
That girl… is she...?
She glanced down at the flyer in her hand. It was roughly the size of a small card, featuring exaggerated text reading "Your Wishes Come True!", accompanied by a peculiar-looking magical circle.
Every inch of the flyer practically screamed "suspicious" and "creepy."
Jeanne Alter figured anyone seeing this flyer would think the same thing: just a prank from someone with too much free time, or perhaps some strange cult propaganda.
Claiming they can grant people's wishes so blatantly—what do they think this is, a dragon summoned by seven magical balls? Even Shenron needed people to run around collecting Dragon Balls first, but you think a single flyer can do the same?
An ordinary person would probably sneer at this flyer and toss it aside without a second thought. But Jeanne Alter quickly noticed something: the magic circle on the flyer was actually quite well-designed. If activated, it genuinely could summon something.
The magical energy is already stored in it… so all it needs is a powerful desire to activate. Even ordinary people could use it, huh?
Should she try it? She was actually feeling a bit curious.
Of course, her curiosity wasn't about fulfilling any wishes—rather, she was interested in finding out who was distributing these flyers.
Not long after, Jeanne Alter returned to her apartment in Kuoh Town. It was a modest two-bedroom place, fully furnished by the previous tenant, ready to move into immediately.
Still, I'm not sure about using someone else's furniture… I'll replace everything later. It's not like I'm short on cash. But first, I need to research which brands are reliable…
Furniture replacement could wait. For now, Jeanne Alter eagerly sat beside the coffee table, pulling the flyer out of her schoolbag.
"Alright… what kind of wish should I ask for?"
When it came to wishes, the first things that came to her mind were her family's health, and perhaps a world without disease and suffering…
Honestly, even she wasn't sure if the latter wish came from lingering traces of Nightingale's Saint Graph or if it was genuinely her own heartfelt desire.
Yet as these wishes flashed through her mind, the flyer remained utterly inert, suggesting either her wishes weren't strong enough—or deep down, she didn't believe the flyer's creator could fulfill them.
She had to come up with something else…
But the thing was, she already had the [Holy Grail]—an omnipotent wish-granting device. If she truly had a wish worth granting, wouldn't she have already used the [Grail] instead of waiting until now?
Jeanne Alter stared down at the flyer resting on her lap, rubbing her chin thoughtfully, brows knitted tightly.
After a while, an idea suddenly struck her.
"Oh? Maybe this wish will work…"
Almost immediately, the magical circle on the flyer burst into brilliant red light, illuminating the entire room in an eerie crimson glow.
Jeanne Alter raised an eyebrow and released the flyer from her grasp—but instead of falling, it floated upward, burning away in mid-air. The flames then expanded, forming a large magical circle nearly two meters in diameter on the floor.
At a glance, Jeanne Alter recognized it as a summoning formation. Something was about to cross through space, entering this world via that circle.
For Jeanne Alter—who could casually manipulate time—this summoning technique was amateurish at best. She barely glanced at it, already spotting more than a dozen improvements she could easily make.
Moments later, tiny starlight particles rose from the circle's center, swirling and merging together, gradually shaping themselves into a small figure before Jeanne Alter's eyes.
The light eventually faded, the circle vanishing entirely.
Standing in its place was a petite girl with shoulder-length silver hair and jewel-like golden eyes. A black cat-shaped hairpin adorned her hair, enhancing her doll-like cuteness.
Yet despite her adorable appearance, the girl's expression was utterly devoid of emotion—like a perfect ice sculpture.
Only after the magic had completely dissipated did the girl politely bow to Jeanne Alter, her face remaining as blank as ever.
"Hello, my name is Toujou Koneko. I'm the devil who has answered your summoning to grant your wish."
Koneko slowly raised her head, but as her eyes locked onto Jeanne Alter, a faint hint of surprise flickered through her expressionless golden gaze—something Jeanne Alter immediately caught.
"What's wrong? Is there something odd about me?"
Only at Jeanne Alter's words did Koneko realize her brief slip-up. She quickly explained, "It's just… you're wearing a Kuoh Academy uniform."
"Oh, right… that makes sense." Jeanne Alter had been so preoccupied with testing out the flyer that she hadn't even changed out of her uniform yet. "Now that you mention it, you're also wearing a Kuoh Academy uniform. I suppose that makes us schoolmates."
She studied Koneko briefly. "Toujou Koneko… Can I call you Koneko?"
Koneko nodded slowly, her face remaining emotionless. Interacting with someone so stoic could be exhausting, but Jeanne Alter had known her personality well beforehand, so it didn't bother her.
"Alright, Koneko… you said you were a devil?"
Instead of answering verbally, Koneko simply nodded again. Then, without warning—
Snap!
A pair of jet-black wings abruptly unfurled from Koneko's back, their bat-like appearance lacking membranes but bearing sharp, sinister-looking points reminiscent of scythes.
Simultaneously, a dark, otherworldly magical aura radiated outward, confirming beyond doubt that Koneko was something inhuman.
Although Jeanne Alter clearly sensed the ominous magical presence, her outward expression betrayed nothing. She hadn't forgotten her current disguise—a simple, ordinary human girl.
She was extremely confident in her ability to conceal her own power. After all, in the world of Frieren, she'd spent centuries alongside Frieren herself, mastering the art of hiding and controlling her magical aura. While she might not fool every being in existence, people like Koneko and Rias certainly wouldn't see through her.
"Oh! Those wings are real? So these are what devil wings look like?"
Her excitement wasn't entirely faked—she genuinely found this interesting.
She'd visited numerous worlds before, yet only in Axel had she encountered actual devils. However, neither Vanir nor Maxwell had devilish wings—only those succubi had small, bat-like wings.
As for Chaldea, only Mephistopheles and the Demon God Pillars could truly be called devils, and neither had wings to speak of.
Speaking of Mephistopheles…
"Are wings all you have?"
Jeanne Alter tilted her head curiously. "What about horns? Don't devils usually have horns?"
"…We don't have those," Koneko replied flatly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she scrutinized Jeanne Alter, sensing something peculiar about her.
"Really? In most stories, devils typically have both horns and black wings… though sometimes they have black feathers instead."
Koneko's golden eyes flickered slightly, her doll-like face tightening just a bit. "Black feathers… those belong to fallen angels."
"Fallen angels? Like Lucifer?"
"Lord Lucifer is a devil. He has no connection to fallen angels."
"That's odd. I remember Lucifer originally being named Lucifer Morningstar, God's favorite angel."
"You've been deceived."
If an actual devil said so, it must be true.
Having introduced herself earlier, Jeanne Alter now returned the favor.
"My name is Jeanne. Feel free to call me that."
Koneko blinked slowly, testing her words carefully. "The same name as the Saint?"
"I'll kill you," Jeanne Alter responded with an amiable smile.
Koneko, entirely unfazed, silently raised her small fist.
"You wouldn't win."
Jeanne Alter had to suppress a laugh. Unlike Light Yagami, she had no trouble hiding amusement.
"You really are strange," Koneko murmured.
"Strange?"
"Most humans seeing a devil for the first time get scared or nervous. But you don't seem frightened at all… and you keep asking odd questions."
Jeanne Alter gave her an incredulous look. "Scared? Nervous? Of someone this cute? Why would I ever be scared of you?"
"You're human. I'm a devil."
"So what? If I became a devil, even your boss would have to call me 'Big Sis.'"
"Impossible. You wouldn't even beat me, let alone a Maou."
Hmph! Jeanne Alter smirked inwardly. I'm above squabbling with flat-chested brats.
After some banter, Koneko asked seriously, "So, what wish did you summon me to grant?"
Jeanne Alter's lips curled into a wicked grin as she stared directly into Koneko's eyes.
"My wish… is to burn that arrogant god to ashes!"
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T/N: hmmmm damn too late girl he's dead