As he kept flipping through the pages, Leo couldn't help clicking his tongue.
While Yukinoshita Yukino and the others were soaking in the hot springs after a full day of grueling special training, Leo stayed behind in his tent. Sitting on the bed, he carefully reviewed the list of servant candidates in his hands.
"They really are generous, aren't they… those big families."
Just counting candidates from the major devil bloodlines alone—excluding disciples, students, and other outsiders—there were already more than twenty names.
Vassago, Gamigin, Beleth, Sallos, Purson, Bifrons, Furcas, Balam, Andrealphus… one after another, families ranked among the Seventy-Two Pillars all had descendants on the list. There were even people from the Extra Demon Families.
Even Astaroth and Glasya-Labolas—two families directly related to the current Maou—had representatives listed. Though none were from the main line, even branch members appearing here was enough to show how much importance they placed on Leo.
"It's a shame there's no one from the Sitri House or the Gremory House."
Leo felt a trace of regret.
Compared to the other families, he naturally trusted the Sitri House and the Gremory House more. If someone from either family had appeared, he would have leaned toward choosing them without much hesitation.
Unfortunately, neither house was particularly populous. Although both were riding high thanks to producing a Maou, they were clearly facing a shortage of successors. Sending someone out to become another person's servant simply wasn't realistic.
"Still, they're honest about it," Leo thought. "No one to spare, so they didn't force it. Not like some families trying to send disciples or students instead."
That, at least, earned some respect.
He glanced over the profiles of those disciples and students. They weren't completely worthless. Anyone sent out by a pureblood devil family was never going to be mediocre, and Sirzechs would never allow filler candidates to take up Leo's servant slots. That would only hinder his growth, not help it.
Their backgrounds varied. Some were geniuses chosen from among common devils, others were descendants of purebloods whose bloodlines had thinned and who'd suffered unfair treatment. But without exception, they all had decent potential.
None of them had the kind of top-tier potential that could rival a Longinus wielder—no family would ever give up someone like that as a servant—but they weren't low-potential dead weight either. Every single one sat at medium potential. Some leaned lower, some higher.
Even so, Leo wasn't impressed by those at the upper end of medium potential.
"They're still not on the same level as Asuna or Utaha."
Yuuki Asuna and Kasumigaoka Utaha were also medium potential, but they were clearly in the very best tier of it—close enough to high potential that the difference was negligible.
Compared to them, even the standouts here fell short. The gap between medium and high potential was still very real, and none of these candidates could compare to Asuna or Utaha.
That went for the pureblood devils as well.
And this was only comparing potential. Once other factors were taken into account, there was no contest at all.
After all, Yukinoshita Yukino and the others were protagonists in their own stories. That status alone made them special in a way that raw potential couldn't explain.
Even if their potential were lower, Leo believed that given the right opportunity, they would soar, transform completely, surpass countless more "talented" geniuses, and reach heights others could never touch.
That kind of special quality mattered more to him than simple numbers.
Because of that, even if someone with equal potential to Yukinoshita Yukino showed up, Leo would still have to think carefully about whether taking them in was worth it.
If he had to choose between someone with lower potential but protagonist-like qualities, and someone with higher potential who was completely forgettable in the original story, he would lean toward the former—as long as they didn't clash too badly with his preferences.
Unfortunately, most of the names on Sirzechs' list were people Leo had never even heard of. They had no presence in the original story at all. How were they supposed to move him?
If their potential were truly exceptional, that would be one thing. He didn't expect them to match Yukinoshita Yukino or Mahiru's high potential, but as long as they weren't too far below Asuna and Utaha, he would seriously consider them.
But with a gap this wide, he just couldn't muster any interest.
"Huh?"
Leo froze mid-page, his casual flipping coming to a halt.
His expression turned strange as his gaze locked onto a single entry.
At the top right corner of the page was a photo—a beautiful young girl.
She wore an aristocratic outfit reminiscent of a Western princess's dress. Her looks were doll-like, delicate and cute. Golden curls were tied into twin drill-like ponytails, and between her brows was a hint of confidence—and arrogance.
Her name read:
"Ravel Phenex."
Right.
A member of the Phenex family—the sacred beast lineage responsible for producing Phoenix Tears.
Ravel Phenex, the eldest daughter of the Phenex family. She was the fourth child of the current head, with three older brothers above her. A true descendant of the phoenix, her bloodline was exceptionally pure. A genuine noble young lady.
While her status didn't quite match that of Rias or Sona Sitri, she wasn't from a branch family either. In terms of standing, she wasn't far behind them at all. Among the entire list of servant candidates, only a handful could compare to her.
Her background was exceptional—and her strength and potential were no worse.
Just being a direct Phenex heir with pure phoenix blood already put her above nearly everyone else on the list.
An Immortal Body. The ability to produce Phoenix Tears.
Those two traits alone were enough to make her stand out far above most candidates. Even if someone surpassed her in raw potential, taking these abilities into account, almost anyone would be tempted.
Leo's strange expression wasn't due to temptation, though.
"Wasn't I just thinking that everyone on this list was a nobody from the original story? And now this… this is a big one."
Ravel Phenex was anything but insignificant. She had plenty of screen time in the original story. Before the protagonist even became a High-Class Devil, she had already been his manager, handling his affairs. After his promotion, she became his servant, serving as his core strategist and military adviser, helping him command his entire servant team with remarkable tactical and strategic ability.
She was exceptional—both intellectually and practically.
Leo never expected her name to appear on this list.
"Looks like the Phenex family really wants to invest in me."
He clicked his tongue in amazement.
In the original story, the Phenex family had been drawn in by the Red Dragon Emperor's potential and optimistic about his future, which was why they allowed their eldest daughter to become his servant.
Now Leo had appeared out of nowhere—with a special mutated trait, the world's second-strongest Longinus, Zenith Tempest, and a lineup that already included two Longinus and two Sacred Gears just a step below that level.
It wasn't surprising that the Phenex family felt tempted to make the same kind of move.
"A phoenix, huh…"
This time, Leo truly was tempted.
In terms of ability and potential, she might not surpass Yuuki Asuna or Kasumigaoka Utaha, but she was as pure a pureblood devil as they came. Combined with the Phenex family's unique traits and her rare strategic mind, she was more than qualified to catch his interest.
In terms of original-story importance, she could even be considered one of the heroines—certainly more significant than characters who barely counted as side roles.
And since Leo knew the Phenex family well from the original story, he felt reasonably at ease with them. While they didn't earn the unconditional trust he had for the Sitri House or Gremory House, foreknowledge went a long way.
All of it together was more than enough to make him consider taking her as a servant.
Still…
"Does this count as stealing someone else's future?"
Leo scratched his head.
If he took her in, the original protagonist would probably lose a crucial strategist and core servant.
But then again—
"She's being offered to me on a silver platter. If I'm already tempted, backing out would just be stupid."
Leaving aside Ravel Phenex's personal value, befriending the Phenex family itself—as Sirzechs had suggested—was clearly more beneficial than harmful.
With that in mind, Leo studied her profile even more closely.
That was when he noticed something unexpected.
Ravel Phenex was still free. She wasn't anyone's servant yet.
In the original story, before her formal appearance, she had joined her older brother's servant team at his request, becoming his Bishop. She was allowed to accompany the team, protected from combat, observing battles and participating in strategy planning.
By this point in the timeline, she should already have become her useless brother's servant.
Yet according to the file, she hadn't joined his team at all.
"That's perfect. That clears my last concern."
If she had already accepted a Bishop piece, Leo wouldn't have been able to take her.
Under the Rating Game rules, Kings could exchange pieces—and servants—with one another, but only using the same type of piece.
Leo's two Bishop pieces were already used.
Yukinoshita Yukino and Mahiru—both Longinus hosts—were his Bishops. There was no way he would ever trade them away.
But since Ravel Phenex hadn't yet accepted a Bishop piece, there was still room.
"A Rook piece would probably suit you better."
Leo murmured to himself.
For a pureblood devil, the Bishop piece—focused on magic—would normally be ideal. But the Rook piece fit a phoenix just as well.
Phoenixes governed fire, wind, and life. Their flames could scorch dragon scales, and even if reduced to ashes, they could revive instantly. Their offense and defense were already terrifying.
With the Rook's reinforcement, her flames and Immortal Body would become even more troublesome to deal with.
"And if she can make Phoenix Tears too… that would solve a huge problem."
Leo had already been thinking about finding a way to get Phoenix Tears. Recruiting Ravel directly would be like bringing the manufacturer under his own banner.
Why worry about supply after that?
One thought after another flashed through his mind, until Leo finally made his decision.
"It's her."
He spread a magic circle across his palm and sent a call request to Sirzechs.
—
Devil Capital, Lilith.
Inside a modest room, Sirzechs put away the magic circle in his hand and smiled.
"As expected… he chose the Phenex family."
The result didn't surprise him at all.
In his eyes, the most likely candidate on that entire list was the Phenex family's young lady.
Anyone with eyes would be drawn to that surname. The Phenex family was simply too gifted by nature.
But that wasn't the most important part.
Now that the Phenex family's daughter had been chosen, negotiations between him and the current head of the Phenex family could finally be brought to the table.
"I've fulfilled my promise—helping the Phenex family get selected. Now it's their turn to listen to my request."
Sirzechs gazed out into the night sky and spoke softly to himself.
"I can only help you this much. The rest is up to you, Rias."
The next morning arrived.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
You can read up to chapter 181 on patreon.com/NiaXD.