The biggest difference between the human world and the Underworld was that when night fell in the Underworld, there was no moon. In the human world, a silver moon hung high in the sky, adding an extra touch of beauty to the night.
It was a cool evening. The night breeze swept through the streets in steady waves, making pedestrians pull their coats tighter and quicken their steps on the way home.
That level of wind, however, was nothing more than a pleasant breeze to devils like Leo and Ravel. Even standing atop a high-rise, their clothes and hair whipping loudly in the wind, neither of them felt the slightest chill.
"It's a beautiful night," Leo said, gazing at the moon as his clothes fluttered wildly. He looked relaxed, almost leisurely. "Makes you wonder if things will go smoothly tonight."
Standing beside him at the very edge of the rooftop—one step forward and she'd fall—Ravel pressed one hand to her skirt and the other to her hair, then asked calmly, "Why are we waiting for Kaguya Shinomiya here?"
She didn't quite understand.
"Didn't you say this street is part of her daily route home after school?" Leo nodded toward the road below, hands in his pockets, completely at ease.
"But there's no need to wait on the street, is there?" Ravel frowned slightly. "If you want to see her, Leo-sama, wouldn't it be easier to go directly to her house?"
The Shinomiya Family's main estate was packed with experts, with exorcists from the Five Great Clans stationed there year-round. But Kaguya didn't live at the main house. Instead, she stayed in a standalone Western-style mansion far away from it.
Given her situation, if she had remained at the main estate, conflict would have been inevitable. The family didn't like her either, so once she entered high school, she moved out.
And that mansion didn't have nearly as many experts guarding it.
"So," Ravel continued, "wouldn't it be enough to just walk in?"
Leo shot her a glance and chuckled. "You think I should just barge in?"
"Shouldn't you?" Ravel said matter-of-factly. "With your strength, Leo-sama, as long as you don't run into a Maou-Class existence, you'd be unstoppable here. Forget her house—even the Shinomiya main estate wouldn't be able to stop you."
"If you gave the order, even the Shinomiya Family and the Five Great Clans wouldn't dare make things difficult over a mere treasure."
"So whether you meet Kaguya Shinomiya or not doesn't really matter. Make the Shinomiya Family submit, and your goal is achieved."
Leo stared at her in silence.
For a moment, Lady Phenex's evaluation of her daughter from the original story surfaced in his mind.
"Ravel's true nature is domination—ruling the world through force and intellect. It's a path that easily breeds resentment."
Exactly. Despite her delicate looks and graceful demeanor, Ravel was, at her core, a proud and willful conqueror.
In the original story, after becoming the protagonist's servant and chief strategist, she supported the entire team with her outstanding tactical mind. Yet her style remained aggressive and domineering, favoring bold strategies that flipped battles on their heads. She was the complete opposite of the cautious and meticulous Sona Sitri.
Because of that, Lady Phenex had once warned the protagonist:
"If you rely on Ravel too much, you'll inevitably fall into domination. How you rein her in—don't get that wrong."
Thinking back on it, Leo almost wanted to complain.
"Wow. And I didn't get a single word of advice," he thought. "No wonder I almost forgot all about this."
If Ravel hadn't just revealed her true colors, he might have been fooled by the obedient young lady act.
What Leo didn't know was that Lady Phenex had considered warning him—then decided against it.
She had already looked into him thoroughly. On the surface, he seemed carefree and flippant, but in reality, he had a strong sense of self and wasn't easily influenced by others.
Especially by bad influences.
Where others relied on ironclad willpower to resist temptation, Leo was different. He wasn't a rock—he was cotton. He looked soft and easy to grasp, yet could deflect any force effortlessly, staying true to himself.
After becoming a devil, he really had let himself go—but only in personality, not in humanity.
He wanted to enjoy life and freedom, but not at the cost of others. Minor mischief was one thing. Truly vile acts made even him uncomfortable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have wiped out so many terrible people after being summoned by them in the past.
Lady Phenex had only met him once, but she knew exactly what kind of person he was. That was why she hadn't said anything.
She believed that even her own daughter would have a hard time influencing someone as free-spirited as Leo—and with his strong personality, she wasn't worried he'd lose control of Ravel either.
Unaware of all this, Leo kept his expression neutral despite his inner grumbling.
"Do you know about the attack we suffered from the Old Maou Faction?" he asked suddenly.
"Of course." Ravel paused, then nodded. "You, Rias-sama, and Sona-sama were attacked in the human world and turned the tide completely. The nobles have been talking about it nonstop. Only my idiot brother would miss something like that."
…Did she just casually insult Riser?
Whatever. He kind of deserved it.
"The leader was a remnant of Trix House," Leo continued. "He brought members of the Old Maou Faction and directly assaulted Kuoh Academy. He never once considered the possibility of failure."
He looked at her.
"Because he thought his strength was enough to crush us."
Ravel's pupils shrank.
She knew exactly where he was going with this.
"There are countless strong beings in this world," Leo said, his voice carried by the night wind. "Even Maou like Sirzechs-sama surpassed the Maou-Class long ago. And that's just scratching the surface."
"Among the top ten strongest in the world, plenty of god-level existences don't even make the cut."
"In the three major factions alone, Maou-Class fighters aren't rare."
"In the devil world, aside from the Four Great Maou, there are top-ranking Rating Game participants with Maou-Class strength. And that's not even counting the ancient elders of the great families who may still be alive."
"Heaven has the Four Great Seraphs and countless top-tier angels. Grigori has its Governor-General, Deputy Governors, and the six fallen angel leaders—any of them could be Maou-Class."
"And then there's the Old Maou Faction, the Hero Faction, the Church…"
Leo turned back to her.
"So tell me—do I really have the strength to act without restraint here?"
The question left Ravel deep in thought.
She wanted to say yes.
Even if the world was full of powerful figures, how likely was it that they'd show up here?
And Leo had already completed the Balance Breaker of Zenith Tempest. Even against those monsters, he could hold his own.
If things went south, he could just retreat. Who could possibly stop him?
Underestimating an eight-winged Ultimate-Class Devil wielding the world's second-strongest Sacred Gear would be ridiculous.
As long as no one above Maou-Class intervened—or multiple Maou-Class fighters ganged up on him—there was nowhere he couldn't go.
But Ravel knew that wasn't the answer Leo wanted.
He understood his own strength better than anyone. He wasn't arrogant, but he wasn't going to belittle himself either.
Even if the Five Great Clans mobilized their elites, he wouldn't fear them. At worst, he'd withdraw calmly.
Not fearing danger didn't mean ignoring it.
"Strength is just your foundation," Leo said casually. "It's a means to an end—not an excuse for blind confidence."
"Before fully understanding your enemy's methods, any accident is possible. Even if the odds are low, walking straight into it is just stupid."
"The Five Great Clans have protected this land for generations as humans. That alone proves they have real methods."
"And for the Shinomiya Family to secure their protection? That's no small feat either."
"Don't be fooled by appearances."
"So instead of risking the Shinomiya main estate, why not be patient and choose the simpler approach?"
His meaning was clear.
There was no need to show off.
Since the Tablet of Destiny was in Kaguya Shinomiya's hands, approaching her discreetly was enough.
Waiting on the street also had a reason. Leo suspected her mansion might not be as unguarded as it seemed.
In her story, Kaguya's father wasn't indifferent—he was afraid. Afraid she wasn't his child. Afraid the woman he loved had been unfaithful. He was so terrified of the truth that he couldn't even bring himself to do a DNA test.
So he kept his distance, pretending not to care, all to protect her. If he showed too much concern, countless eyes would turn toward her—and danger would follow.
Under those circumstances, Leo doubted Hayasaka Ai was her only protection.
There might be people guarding her that even Kaguya herself didn't know about.
Even if that wasn't a serious threat to him, the question remained—
Why not choose the easier path?
Waiting by the road was far safer than walking into a potential ambush.
That wasn't cowardice. It was simply weighing the pros and cons.
"Do you understand now, Ravel?" Leo asked.
She thought for a moment, then nodded.
But from her expression, Leo could tell—she understood his reasoning, yet still believed her own approach wasn't wrong.
From her perspective, ruling through strength and intellect was only natural.
"I hope she really gets it someday," Leo thought.
He wasn't expecting an instant revelation. He didn't have protagonist-level talk-no-jutsu.
Still, he wasn't worried. This kind of thing could be handled slowly, subtly. Once Ravel was influenced by him and those around him, her mindset would change naturally.
He had time.
And patience.
"Looks like it's time to get to work," Leo said, turning his gaze toward the far end of the road.
A luxurious limousine rolled into view, its golden emblem gleaming under the streetlights. Whoever was inside was clearly someone of status.
"That should be the car we're waiting for," Ravel said, pointing toward it.
"Yeah. The target's inside," Leo replied.
His Magic Detection had already spread out. He raised an eyebrow, a faint smile forming.
"Just like I thought. Nothing should ever be judged at face value."
He had noticed something… unusual.
"I'll take the lead, Leo-sama," Ravel said.
She didn't have his level of perception, but she didn't hesitate.
"Go ahead," Leo replied, curious to see what she could do.
Ravel smiled, her eyes igniting with flame.
This was her first battle since joining Leo's servants.
She had to make it count.
Flaming wings burst open behind her—not the wings of a devil, but those of a phoenix.
The Phenex family was different from other devils. As masters of flame, they preferred wings formed from fire rather than demonic wings.
With a beat of her blazing wings, Ravel leapt from the rooftop, transforming into a streak of fire as she flew straight toward the limousine.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 188 on patreon.com/NiaXD.