No matter where I looked, the room was buried in books and documents. It smelled a bit musty too, and felt quite dated. Specimens of creatures I'd never seen were on display, and incomprehensible things were preserved in formaldehyde. It had the feel of a research lab. When I looked at some nearby documents, they were in devil script, as expected. Well, that was obvious when I thought about it.
I took out from my backpack the magical tool I always used for translating grimoires. It was one of the translation magic tools I'd received from Lord Mephisto, shaped like glasses. When I wore these to read text, they'd tell me the meaning of any characters registered in my head. There were so many different scripts in this world—magical script, Nordic runes, devil script, and more. Translation-type magic and tools were essential for magicians.
"Um, innovate? System, mobile phone... This must be documents about the game Lord Beelzebub is running."
This was definitely the place where he managed his independently developed game. Of course there would be documents about the game here. This research lab-like room was probably also a place to develop that game. Which meant the chances of underworld Evil Piece-related materials being in this room were low. Finding what I was looking for might be extremely difficult.
For Lord Beelzebub, "games" were probably just one of his hobbies. He was one of the Four Great Maou, and even if he was enjoying his hobbies, he must be a busy person. Plus, he probably had other hideouts besides this one, and I assumed he'd entrusted the main management to other devils or humans. Would he really leave detailed information about the King Piece in a place like this? Even the information Cleria found apparently wasn't conclusive.
That meant a place where ordinary researchers couldn't enter. Maybe he kept underworld information there. Ahh, the danger level just keeps rising. I somehow lifted my sinking spirits and turned my gaze to the ceiling.
In the original story, Lord Beelzebub was on the top floor, where he spoke with Rias and her group. So his private room in this hideout was probably near there. I wasn't certain it would be there, but that was the most likely possibility. But that Maou's private room probably wouldn't be easy to enter no matter how I thought about it.
"...For now, should I try going up?"
At the very least, I should check it out. If it seemed impossible, I'd have no choice but to comb through documents in the research labs. Maybe I'd find information about the pieces mixed in like Cleria did. It was wishful thinking, but right now I had no choice but to cling to that hope.
But what if I couldn't obtain information about the King Piece? How could I restrain the Old Devils? If I spread information about the King Piece to the underworld without solid proof, even Emperor Diehauser might be judged for throwing the underworld into chaos. They might even demand he give up his champion's seat as a condition. He might do it for Cleria's sake, but she would definitely blame herself for the rest of her life. If things got truly desperate I'd have no choice, but I really didn't want that result if possible.
"Sigh... it would be nice if I could use the elevator to go up. Not that complaining helps."
There was no need to make a room near the top floor. When I checked the map I'd photographed, the rooftop seemed to be an open-air garden. They probably wouldn't put documents in a garden, so it was likely on the floor below that. I'd built up my stamina so I still had energy, but the mental fatigue was greater. I was honestly terrified.
"This is one floor below the rooftop."
The spell on the door to enter the floor seemed similar to the one on the fourth floor. Relieved by that, I concentrated my awareness on my Sacred Gear. Since the procedure was the same as before, I could smoothly annihilate the spell's construction. It was kind of a sensory thing, but once I annihilated something once, I somehow understood "so that's how it works." Like that feeling when I'd been training to erase Azazel-sensei's light power. I didn't really get it, but it felt like it had become "established"... Well, a lot of it was thanks to my partner guiding me.
I slowly opened the door and looked around inside the floor. The silent, hushed corridor was dim, with sunlight faintly filtering in from distant windows. I calmed my trembling body by gripping my Sacred Gear and walked straight down the deserted hallway.
Somehow, the room felt far away. On the previous floors there had been rooms scattered about, but this floor seemed to just have walls continuing. The scenery reflected in the windows was changing, and the building's sense of distance was accurate, so this floor must just be built this way. I'd experienced Cleria's barrier magic and the stray magician's spells firsthand, so I didn't let my guard down.
"...Huh, it's open?"
And when I'd walked to the end of the corridor, I finally found a door to enter a room. But rather than relief, what arose in me was confusion. The room's door was slightly open. I tried sensing presences through my partner, but somehow that room's interior was hard to confirm. Maybe they'd just forgotten to close it, or maybe someone was there.
I came to the door to check more carefully. What I learned was this: first, the spell on this door was completely different from the magic on the previous doors—it was constructed on an entirely different level. My cheek twitched involuntarily. The formula was so complex that even I, a magic amateur, could tell before even trying that I couldn't handle it. What the hell was this? I couldn't understand it at all.
With such a spell in place, I would've had to give up on entering this room. Yet the door was open. As if inviting me to enter. What should I do? My wariness was showing maximum values, thinking this might be a trap. Maybe this room was an intruder elimination trap, bait to lure out those who'd target Lord Beelzebub's research materials. The moment I opened the door, boom. I'd die if I opened this door, wouldn't I?
My opponent was a Maou. Moreover, that Ajuka Beelzebub. A transcendent being on par with Sirzechs Lucifer, the one said to possess the ultimate technique "Kankara Formula" that controlled all phenomena through equations and formulas. When Siegfried tried to recruit him to his alliance, he was the type to look amused and go along with the conversation before casually rejecting it. He had a bit of a sadistic streak, slightly enjoying watching Rias and her group get nervous.
He probably understood games well too, and this door felt like a "mimic"—something bad that would happen if you opened it. If something like that appeared at my level, I'd definitely get hit with instant death magic. Damn it, what a mental attack! What an attractive trap! If they really just forgot to close it, then I'm just being an idiot for thinking all this!
"Ugh, should I enter or not enter? ...No, wait. Calm down, me. If this is a mimic-style death trap, there should be a proper room of Lord Beelzebub's somewhere else, right? So wouldn't it be safer to search other floors first? But if this is the real thing and they notice they forgot to close it and shut it, it'll be too late... No no, in that case, couldn't I just quickly check the other floors? Alright, then let's immediately head down to the floor below—"
"...I thought you'd come in if I left the door open, but you have quite a troublesome personality."
"I mean, it's that Ajuka Beelzebub. I don't really understand what the Maou is thinking."
"I've been written about as mysterious in gossip, but this is the first time someone's said it to my face. Well, compared to the other Maou I might be... no, isn't the problem that the other Maou besides me are too easy to understand?"
"Ahh... I can't deny that."
Lady Serafall was a Maou magical girl who made her own anime. Lord Falbium was smart but would say things like "if you work, you lose." Lord Sirzechs could work seriously, but he'd start collecting things like Satan Red or video compilations of Rias sleeping. I could very well imagine Grayfia having a hard time at home.
Now then... belatedly, who exactly was I having this conversation with? There was no one in the corridor. If there was a presence, it was coming from the door I'd been so wary of. In other words, there was someone inside. Moreover, they clearly recognized me, and they were definitely at least final-boss-level like Azazel-sensei's class or higher. Because my ability should be properly activated.
My stomach hurt terribly. The cold sweat running down my back wouldn't stop. Judging from the voice, it was a man. And from the words "the other Maou besides me," I wanted to cry. Hey, why are you here? Why are you here at exactly this moment? Moreover, it seemed like the door was deliberately left open, so my intrusion was completely exposed. The one person who absolutely shouldn't notice had noticed me.
"...I'm sorry, I intruded into your home without permission. I truly apologize. Please don't kill me."
"You immediately took a submissive stance."
I'd be as submissive as needed. I'd abandon my pride and prostrate myself before this person. A beautiful young man with light green hair slicked back and blue eyes. He wore a bewitching and mysterious atmosphere, and since he wasn't in the underworld or a public place, he was dressed in casual clothes. There was no heavy pressure like intimidation, but just having his gaze directed at me created a tension that made my heart tremble. I'd experienced this with Mil-tan too, but the phrase "feeling like my soul had left my body" existed for times like this.
This was his hideout, so there was nothing strange about him being here. Even so, why did he have to appear at this exact timing? Why did I keep encountering people I hadn't planned to meet? And with incredibly formidable opponents at that, no joke.
"Well, standing and talking in front of the room is awkward. Come in, you won't die from opening the door."
"Eh... Y-yes. Thank you very much, Lord Ajuka Beelzebub."
They say the world is wide, but maybe it's actually pretty small—I found myself looking into the distance. And so I ended up encountering one of the devil's top leaders, a Maou.
"By the way, may I look inside you a bit? You seem to be carrying something quite interesting."
"Um, by interesting thing, do you mean..."
"The Sacred Gear you're still wearing. You used it when entering this floor too."
The Sacred Gear's effect had been completely seen through. Wait, what should I do about this?! Should I give Lord Mephisto's name? No, but wouldn't it be politically problematic for a human from the "Gray Magician" to enter a Maou's hideout without permission? Lord Mephisto said I could give his name if discovered, but it was best if that didn't happen. I'd planned to flee immediately if noticed, but I never imagined being found by the Maou himself. At my bloodless expression, Lord Ajuka wore a knowing smile.
"Ah, I see. You can relax. This is my personal curiosity. When I see something interesting, I want to analyze it. It's a habit of being a technician, so I don't intend to harm you. I've been told by—as well."
"Huh?"
"More than that, this is the human world. I'm not here as a Maou politician, but just as an operator of a 'game,' a single devil enjoying a private hobby. The main participants in my 'game' are humans. This building is a playroom for them. Humans might wander in by mistake."
"...Is that okay?"
"What is? Entertainment and hobbies are important. I don't want to bring boring barriers into enjoying 'games.'"
Lord Ajuka lifted the corner of his mouth and smiled, looking amused. Did this mean he was letting me go? He didn't seem angry, and he was in a sense the type to do what he wanted without pretense. He'd stir things up if they seemed interesting, but he wouldn't engage in meaningless lies or games.
"Well then, I suppose your concerns are resolved."
"Whoa!?"
That really was sudden! As Lord Ajuka said that, he pointed his index finger at my chest area and activated a small magic circle. Characters inside the circle moved around at incredible speed as multiple magic circles deployed. I had no idea what was happening. Everything he did was too high-dimensional, too abrupt to follow. As expected of one of the Four Great Maou, a member of the "going my way" group.
Come to think of it, I felt like I'd seen this scene in the original story. It was probably the scene where he analyzed Hyoudou Issei's Evil Piece. I wasn't a reincarnated devil, but he was probably directly examining my Sacred Gear. Azazel-sensei also looked super happy when examining my Sacred Gear, so maybe it was interesting to technical-minded people.
"Hm, so it was the 'Ruin Longinus Scarlet' when I wondered what Sacred Gear it was."
"You know about it?"
"It was a Sacred Gear just like his. Half out of amusement, half thinking it might be a good way to tease him, I'd looked into it before."
Is my partner treated like some kind of joke Sacred Gear?
"However, something quite interesting is happening. The Sacred Gear's original power is distorted—no, this is affecting even the boundary with the system itself. Is it like a bug caused by an irregularity extreme enough to alter the ability itself? I've never seen a phenomenon like this before."
"Um, what do you mean by that? A bug, is there something wrong with my Sacred Gear?"
"Not wrong per se. You and your Sacred Gear are twisted from an outside perspective, but conversely that's functioning well. ...If the power extends to the 'concepts' that constitute this world, it could affect the system too. The possibilities are unknown, and there are branching points from derivation. Then it wouldn't be impossible to annihilate even the laws of this world and create new formulas. The possibility of creating one from zero—"
He was saying something that sounded incredibly difficult, but I couldn't understand the meaning at all. Annihilating laws, what did that even mean? It really did seem like he just wanted to analyze it, exactly as he'd said. Still, my Sacred Gear was distorted? What was wrong with it? It was a convenient ability, but it didn't particularly hinder me. Should I be happy that I got approval from a transcendent being that it was "functioning well"?
While confused by Lord Ajuka continuing to mutter to himself, I decided to wait quietly for a while. He seemed to be enjoying himself, and I didn't want to upset the Maou. He was kind of like Azazel-sensei, but the direction felt slightly different. In the original story, I think he said he didn't get along with sensei. Though they were both technicians.
Azazel-sensei liked researching and developing existing things. Lord Ajuka liked creating things that had never existed before, right? Simply put, Azazel-sensei was good at writing fanfiction, while Lord Ajuka was good at writing original novels. Or maybe... hmm. That feels wrong too somehow.
"Have you ever dived inside your Sacred Gear?"
"Eh, dive? No, probably not... Wait, diving into a Sacred Gear is only possible with the type that has souls sealed in it—"
"Ah, you know well. Then, here's some advice. If your Sacred Gear ever calls to you, think carefully about whether to listen to that voice."
"Calls? Does my Sacred Gear have something sealed in it?"
"Nothing is sealed in the Sacred Gear itself. However, it will change depending on the direction your Sacred Gear heads. Basically, it's up to you to decide. Rather than me intervening, you pushing forward with the method you discover would suit that Sacred Gear better."
Diving inside a Sacred Gear. This was probably what Hyoudou Issei did with the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet in the original story. I'd learned about it in Azazel-sensei's Sacred Gear class too. It was apparently only possible with types like Ddraig and Albion that had souls sealed in the Sacred Gear. But my Sacred Gear shouldn't have any divine beast or demonic beast types sealed in it. Azazel-sensei told me that, and the Maou just told me now too, so that must be correct.
Lord Ajuka seemed satisfied and lowered the index finger he'd been pointing at me, and the multitude of floating magic circles disappeared simultaneously. I patted my chest area, but felt no particular discomfort. True to his earlier words, he really did just examine it and finish. My partner's condition showed no particular changes either.
I felt like he'd said many things that bothered me, but even if I asked what they meant, he probably wasn't the type to tell me. He said rather than him intervening, I should do what I wanted. Which meant just continuing as before was fine? When I tried asking my partner, I felt a crimson thought that seemed to say "isn't that fine." Partner, aren't you getting a bit too casual with me?
"Now then, that was quite an interesting thing to see. It was worth taking the time, so I'll specially listen to your story."
"Listen to my story?"
"Judging from your reaction, you deliberately snuck into a place you knew was operated by me, a Maou. You didn't seem to be investigating the 'game,' and rather it felt like you came to investigate the underworld. I thought you came here because you wanted information held by me as a Maou."
When Lord Ajuka snapped his fingers, a magic circle deployed on the table. From it appeared two steaming tea-like beverages. He sat elegantly on the sofa and looked at me, signaling me to sit across from him. Who would've thought I'd end up sitting face-to-face with a Maou? Life really is unpredictable. Since I couldn't not drink the tea he'd specially prepared, I hurriedly sat down on the opposite sofa.
I was startled when he suddenly analyzed my Sacred Gear, but I never imagined I'd get him to listen to my story as compensation. Still, while I understood him taking an interest in his own hobbies, was it really okay for him as a Maou to listen to my request seeking underworld information? Moreover, the information I was seeking was top secret even in the underworld. It wasn't something to be given to a human child.
Should I instead ask him to save Cleria and the others? No, that would probably be difficult too. Even as a Maou, he was forced into a back-and-forth with the Old Devils politically. He was working hard not wanting to snuff out young potential, but actually moving in this incident right now would probably be difficult. If a Maou approved of romance between a devil and clergy, the underworld would be thrown into chaos too.
Even so, this was definitely a chance. I might be able to gain the cooperation of Lord Ajuka Beelzebub, creator of Evil Pieces and one of the Four Great Maou. I didn't know if it would go well, but at this point I'd just honestly say everything. With my brain, I definitely couldn't do things like negotiations or bargaining with this person. So it was worth a shot. Maybe he'd show me a different new path.
"It will be a bit long. Is that still okay?"
"If it's a bit, I have time."
"...The information I seek is about Evil Pieces. That's why I came to the hideout of Lord Ajuka Beelzebub, the underworld's greatest technician who created Evil Pieces."
At my words, Lord Ajuka narrowed his eyes and quietly listened while drinking his tea. I couldn't read his inner thoughts, and couldn't grasp anything from his expression either. Even so, I'd properly convey what I'd witnessed. Suppressing the anxiety within me and mustering my courage, I continued speaking.
Today's Mil-tan 2wei!
"Ah, you're that big person who's been coming to the church a lot lately!"
"That's right. Mil-tan comes to consult with the church pastor."
"Your name is Mil-tan? My name is Shidou Irina! The pastor you're consulting with, is it maybe my papa?"
"Yes. Pastor is a good person who seriously considers Mil-tan's worries. So you're the pastor's daughter?"
"Ehehe, yup, that's right! Papa can solve any problem!"
The dreaming-of-becoming-a-girl Mil-tan had met a girl with dreams.
"So what kind of problem do you have, Mil-tan? If you'd like, I'll help Papa by consulting with you too."
"Yes, daughters who work hard to help are admirable. Mil-tan is consulting with the pastor about how to become a girl."
"Eh, being a girl was something you could become?!"
Shidou Irina received a shock as if struck by lightning. Because Mil-tan's eyes were so clear, even though young, she realized this wasn't teasing. That Mil-tan's wish was serious.
"But can you really become a girl?"
"Mil-tan believes it's possible."
"I see, then it's fine. Papa always says during prayers that 'the faithful shall be saved.' Papa never lies, so if Mil-tan believes it, he'll definitely solve your problem. Because he's my best papa!"
Shidou Touji's hurdle was raised in various senses to the point where he wanted to cry, thanks to his beloved daughter.
"Alright, I'll think about it for Mil-tan too! Hmm, a way to become a girl... Maybe Issei would know? That hospital brother said he'd teach me various things when I go to elementary school, and maybe the teacher would tell me if I asked..."
"Daughter is a kind child. Mil-tan is thinking of trying the method the pastor taught when consulting the other day. Please look forward to it."
"Wow, as expected of Papa! Hey, Mil-tan. When you figure out how to become a girl, I'm curious so please tell me too."
"Of course."
And so, Mil-tan made one small encounter.
***
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m /Well_being