{Present, Gremory Estate}
"He can live in any of the dozens of rooms you had built," I explained to Sirzechs as we teleported back to the Gremory estate. "There are so many that every future member could take one for themselves, and we'd still have dozens left empty."
That was just how big he had designed the manor, and I was grateful for it.
"Are you sure about Bova spending some time at Tannin's mountain?" the Satan asked. "I thought you'd be bringing him with you."
That had been the plan, but the dragon had unfinished business back home, and Tannin mentioned there were quite a few things Bova needed to learn. So, I let him stay at the mountain for a few days.
"I can teleport to him if needed," I said, having already left an Asura Mark on him.
"That's true," the Satan nodded as he sat down in his office, the place we had just teleported into. "So, will you be actively pursuing more peerage members, or focusing on something else for now?"
That was a good question. I had a lot of things to work on.
"I had some of the people you four sent start setting up farms for herbs," I told him. That was the priority. "We've even replanted some herbs that were once thought extinct, and we're growing them in larger numbers. I'll be looking after that for now and setting up a production line for potions."
I had money, but I still needed skilled alchemists to make it work. The Baels were helping, but I had to stay involved if I wanted this to succeed. For now, actively searching for peerage members wasn't an option.
"There is one person I'm interested in asking to join," I added. Probably the last guy of the group. The rest I had in mind were girls. But this guy was different—a Longinus user and the perfect fit for a knight. "Though I doubt he'll agree easily."
The Satan raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
"Longinus users aren't easy to convince."
That piece of information made his eyes widen. He froze for a second, staring straight at me.
"A… Longinus user?" he asked. "Where did you even find another Longinus user?"
Well, I couldn't reveal that. Mainly because I hadn't found him yet, I just know he exists. And when I do, I might have to deal with a faction outside the devils—and that wouldn't be simple.
"That's a secret for now," I answered. "All I'll say is it won't be easy."
He watched me for a while, probably amused that I had managed to find not one but two Longinus users right after waking up. Maybe also because his sister's peerage was weak in comparison, and he wanted to help her.
Not that it was my problem.
"Anyway, I thank you for keeping your promise." I extended my hand instead of bowing or anything like that. "I should get going."
I was now the Lord of two houses. It wasn't a rank equal to a Satan's, but it was still respectable and powerful. I couldn't just go around bowing my head to show respect.
He shook my hand with a smile, something he often had on his face.
"I do hope you'll share a little more in the future," he said. "And thank you again, regarding Rias' situation."
"It was a deal with equal benefits." Which was a lie. On the surface, anyone could see I was losing out. But looking deeper, I had Sirzechs somewhat indebted to me, Rias fully indebted, and even the Gremory house owing me.
I didn't see Grayfia around, but since Millicus was home and was being taught about Gremory family traditions, I figured she was busy regarding that.
With that, I teleported out of the Gremory estate and into my own territory. But I didn't teleport straight to Ingvild. Instead, I went to the Valefar mansion—specifically, into my study there.
The mansion was maintained by the maids, but I'd kept certain rooms restricted. No one was allowed to enter them without my permission, not even for cleaning. This study was one of those rooms.
The reason I came here was simple: I wanted to try out my newest reward.
[Vial of Dragon Flame]
So far, my main offense and defense came from the bracelet I wore. It was good, mostly because of its shaping ability, but nothing too special against superior weapons or stronger defenses.
The ability to change shapes was amazing, sure. But beyond creating blades with decent hardness and adjustable sharpness, it didn't offer much else. That's why this vial mattered.
I could wait for some future weapon or armor to show up, but I needed power now. I'd found plenty of weapons in the treasury, but none of them were as versatile as the bracelet.
Which is why I did what I did.
Opening the vial, I poured the reddish-orange fluid over the bracelet I had just taken off my wrist.
[The ability 'Dragon Flame' has been added to the Bracelet of Shapes.]
[Dragon Flame: An exact replica of the fire produced by Greater Dragons. The flame fully surrounds the item, adding fire damage and burn effects to anyone it strikes. Beings that are weak to dragons or take extra damage from them will take additional damage from the flames. Dragon Flame does not harm the wielder and can be ignited or extinguished with a thought.]
This is amazing!
And it didn't stop there.
[Because of the integration of the ability, the Bracelet of Shapes has evolved into the Bracelet of Imagination.]
[Bracelet of Imagination (Soulbound): An evolved form of the Bracelet of Shapes. Three times more durable, with 35% damage resistance against elemental magic, as well as blunt, cutting, and piercing attacks. The bracelet can now fully cover your body when used as armor. Its shape can be anything you imagine, though its color will always remain black.]
[Soulbound items can only be used by the one whose soul it is bound to.]
I couldn't help grinning like an idiot as I read the description. Immediately, I tested it.
The bracelet shifted, steel threads bursting out like a symbiote latching onto a host. They wrapped around me, forming the medieval armor I had pictured.
One thought later, short spikes grew around my knuckles.
Another thought, and the spikes ignited with orange-yellow flames roaring to life.
This bracelet was incredible.
A thought extinguished the fire, another broke the armor back into a bracelet. Then I imagined it as a rapier. In an instant, the bracelet morphed into a sword in my hand.
The rapier lit up in fire, confirming what I suspected: the transformation speed was only slightly slower than my thoughts. Still faster than most people's reaction time.
By the time someone had their sword halfway out of its scabbard, I could swap between shapes and weapons.
Finally satisfied with the bracelet—now easily the strongest item in my arsenal—I decided to head back to the Barbatos Manor.
A little tired from the trip, I was hoping for a shower—and definitely the cookies Ingvild had baked. What I didn't expect was to walk in on two girls staring at each other.
"Uh, hey?"
Never had I seen Ingvild and Serafall looking at each other like that. Their expressions were complicated—sad, but also annoyed at the same time.
"What's… up?"
Did I teleport at a bad time? Because seriously, what was this?
"Faiser!"
Weirdly enough, both of them snapped out of it the moment they saw me. If anything, it felt like I'd imagined those looks, considering how quickly they jumped off their couches with smiles.
"I didn't expect to see you here, Serafall." Total lie. She'd been coming around every other day. Honestly, probably more often than she went home.
"It took you a while," Ingvild said with a soft smile, her eyes flicking past me. "How did it go?"
That got a smile out of me too. I ignored what I'd seen earlier. "Well, we've got a new member in the peerage."
Her face lit up immediately. "Really?"
"Yes." I knew she'd be happy. She'd once told me she wanted the peerage to grow, and now it was finally happening. "He'll be here in a month or so. I made him my rook, but for now he's staying at the mountain to handle a few things."
"Makes… sense." Serafall nodded knowingly. "He may be the youngest, but he's still Tannin's son. He'll need some time to settle matters at home."
With that, I dropped onto one of the couches. Spotting some macarons and another pastry-looking thing on the table, I couldn't resist grabbing one.
"Did you make these?" I asked, and Ingvild practically jumped to her feet.
"I did!" she said brightly. "Wait, let me get you some tea!"
Before I could tell her to relax, she'd already rushed into the kitchen, leaving me and Serafall behind with matching smiles.
Since we were alone, I glanced at the Satan. "Aren't you skipping work a little too much?"
"Well, I am responsible for most of the domestic issues," she grinned. "And for that, I need to check around the neighborhood. Which is what you could say I'm doing."
There was no winning against her, so I didn't even try.
I leaned back on the couch and waited for Ingvild to bring the tea.
While waiting, I heard something—a ring, like a phone notification.
"One second," Serafall said, pulling out something that looked exactly like a phone.
I almost forgot Devils used phones too. Just way more advanced, with far more functions than human ones.
"Huh?" As she scrolled through the notification, her face went pale. "This…"
She shot to her feet. "I have to go!" Not said—announced.
"What's wrong?" I asked, watching her hesitate. "Sera?"
She pressed her lips thin, clearly debating whether to tell me or not.
"What is it?"
Finally, she gave an answer. "It's… the vampires. They're at war."
Huh?
"How does that involve us?" I asked, not seeing why she looked so grim.
"Because," her frown deepened, "the Old Satan Faction is behind it." She paused, then added, "Rizevim is behind it."
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{A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters. }