Inside the mansion, within a vast reception hall…
"Guest, please enjoy some tea."
"Guest, please have some sweets."
Ram and Rem placed a cup of black tea and a plate of snacks in front of Leo respectively, then stepped back behind Tiamat, standing as though they were her personal maids.
The two of them remained expressionless the entire time. Leo's arrival didn't seem to spark even the slightest curiosity. Their gazes lingered on him only briefly at the beginning before they stopped paying him any attention at all.
As for Ravel, she had been completely ignored from start to finish.
No—ignored wasn't quite right. It wasn't that the sisters were being rude; they were simply indifferent to both Leo and Ravel.
Compared to them, it was obvious that Ram and Rem cared far more about Tiamat. Most of their attention stayed on her, as if they were ready to respond the instant she gave an order.
Tiamat, seeing this, looked a little helpless.
"I've told you two so many times already, haven't I? You don't have to treat me so carefully," she said with a wry smile. "I'm not actually making you into maids. And yet you went and changed into maid outfits anyway. I even told you to change back, and you refused. Honestly…"
Ram and Rem looked completely used to her exasperation.
"Ram only wishes to repay Lady Tiamat for saving our lives," Ram said calmly. "Even though we know Lady Tiamat doesn't need it, this is all we can do."
"Rem feels the same," Rem added softly. "Whatever my sister does, Rem will do as well. Please don't mind such a small thing, Lady Tiamat."
They spoke in nearly identical tones. If not for the slightly different wording, they might as well have been echoing each other.
"…Forget it. I can't argue with you," Tiamat said, sighing. Thinking back on how many times this exact scene had already played out, she gave up entirely. "Saving the two of you back then was purely a coincidence. I never expected anything in return. If your situation weren't so special, I would've entrusted you to someone reliable long ago, instead of keeping you here to watch over an empty house."
As she spoke, Tiamat turned her gaze toward the silent Leo.
"Like I told you earlier, there's an extremely dangerous power hidden inside these two—especially Rem. Once her horn is activated, her strength skyrockets instantly, and she loses control. That's why I didn't dare hand them off casually. I could only keep them by my side for the time being."
At those words, Rem's eyelids lowered slightly. For the first time, a hint of emotion appeared on her face.
Ram remained expressionless, but it was as if she had already guessed something. Her eyes began drifting toward Leo from time to time, observing him closely.
Under those circumstances, Tiamat finally revealed the sisters' last secret to Leo.
"Honestly, I know better than anyone that keeping Ram and Rem by my side isn't a good thing for them."
"It's not just because my life as a dragon is completely incompatible with theirs. More importantly, their condition needs to be handled by someone capable and trustworthy if it's ever going to improve."
"That's why I've always been introducing High-Class Devils to them—hoping they could be reborn as devils."
Only then did Leo and Ravel finally understand why Tiamat had been so eager to "sell" the sisters off.
One reason was the huge difference between her lifestyle and theirs. The other was that both sisters had serious problems of their own.
Rem's issue was already clear: once she activated her horn, she would go berserk and lose control, unleashing terrifying power. Back in the Oni village, only Ram—the naturally gifted divine child—had been able to stop her.
But after the Oni village was destroyed, although Tiamat managed to save both sisters, Ram had also been severely injured in that battle. Her horn—the source of her power—had been severed, drastically weakening her strength and leaving her dependent on others to supply her with power.
In that state, Ram could no longer stop Rem when she went out of control. In fact, she needed help herself just to get by.
That was why Tiamat had no choice but to keep them close—constantly supplying power to Ram, while also restraining Rem whenever she lost control and helping her return to normal.
"But if someone could turn them into devils, both problems would be solved," Tiamat said, laying out her plan.
"A devil reincarnation ritual using Evil Pieces can grant new life to the target even when they're on the brink of death, reviving them entirely."
"So if someone used Evil Pieces to reincarnate Ram as a devil, her horn would be restored, her full strength would return, and the issue of her needing outside support would disappear."
"At the same time, the trait granted by the Evil Pieces would strengthen Rem herself, allowing her to control her power better and reduce the chance of losing control."
That was the real reason Tiamat had been trying to pass these Oni twins on to someone else.
"Unfortunately, reincarnating them is incredibly difficult," Tiamat said, looking at Leo with clear anticipation. "Over the past ten years, I've found quite a few promising devils, but none of them succeeded."
"If even you fail… then I truly won't know who else could help them."
It was obvious that Tiamat had very high expectations for Leo.
That made Leo's gaze toward her turn a little complicated.
"So you already believed I could help them," he said dryly, "yet you still made me find the Tablet of Destiny before you'd even consider handing them over?"
He was speechless.
Wasn't this just freeloading with extra steps?
"I just thought highly of you. That doesn't mean I was guaranteed to give them to you," Tiamat replied with a smile. "You're not a special case either. Everyone I brought here before helped me in one way or another before earning a chance. Asking you to find something for me isn't exactly unfair, is it?"
Even though becoming devils would benefit Ram and Rem, they were still people she had saved and kept by her side for ten whole years. Tiamat couldn't just give them away casually.
At worst, she could continue taking care of them herself. Why rush to make them someone else's servants?
That was why, despite searching for a suitable master for them all this time, Tiamat had never intended to give them away for free.
Otherwise, she could've gone straight to Ajuka and the other Maou. With talent like theirs, was she really going to have trouble finding someone willing?
"Now, it all depends on whether you can actually reincarnate them," Tiamat said, turning to the sisters. "That's the situation. This isn't the first time, so you don't have any objections, right?"
Ram and Rem exchanged a glance, then looked at Leo together.
"If possible, Ram would like to continue serving Lady Tiamat and doesn't want to be handed over," Ram said honestly. "But continuing to trouble Lady Tiamat like this isn't right. And this is also for Rem's sake, so… Ram has no objections."
"Rem feels the same," Rem said with her eyes lowered, sneaking a glance at Ram before continuing. "As long as my sister can recover and we stop causing trouble for my sister and Lady Tiamat, Rem is willing to be reincarnated as a devil."
After a brief pause, they continued, one after the other.
"But Ram will only stay together with Rem, serving the same master."
"But Rem wants to stay with my sister, serving the same master."
"If you're unable to take both Ram and Rem at the same time…"
"If you're unable to reincarnate my sister and Rem together…"
"Then we can only ask you to leave."
They spoke the final line in unison.
Their tone wasn't forceful or dramatic—just calm and detached. Precisely because of that, no one doubted they meant every word.
Ram and Rem had no objections to becoming devils. As long as Tiamat introduced the candidate, they were willing to try.
Their only condition was that they wouldn't be separated. Whoever came had to take them both, or they would leave empty-handed.
That was exactly why every devil who had tried before had ultimately failed.
"Well?" Tiamat asked with a smile. "Want to give it a shot?"
Leo didn't answer immediately. Instead, he picked up his tea, took a sip, and then stood up.
Ravel's gaze followed her master. Ram and Rem also turned their eyes toward him without realizing it.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Leo looked toward the space where his Evil Pieces were stored.
There were ten pieces left in total: one Queen piece, one Knight piece, and eight Pawn pieces.
At that moment, the Queen piece showed no reaction. The Knight piece glowed brightly.
But the brightest of all were the eight Pawn pieces.
As the magic circle spun into existence in Leo's palm, two Pawn pieces flew out.
Seeing this, Tiamat and Ravel aside, Ram and Rem both frowned subtly.
Pawn pieces?
Weren't those the cheapest Evil Pieces?
It wasn't that Ram and Rem looked down on Pawns. Although Pawns were the lowest-ranked Evil Pieces, their trait was Promotion. Once they entered a battlefield recognized by the King piece as hostile, they could transform into any other piece, gaining that piece's trait—including the Queen.
In other words, any Pawn had the potential to temporarily become a Queen, acquiring all Evil Piece traits and receiving the maximum possible boost.
Even so, that didn't change the fact that Pawns were still the least valuable Evil Pieces.
In the past, someone had once used eight Pawn pieces at once and still failed to reincarnate Ram and Rem.
And that was for a single person.
Trying to reincarnate two people at the same time? Eight Pawns wouldn't even come close to being enough.
There had even been cases where someone used a Queen piece—worth the equivalent of nine Pawns—along with two Rook pieces, each worth ten Pawns, all on Ram and Rem together… and still failed.
Unless it was a Mutation Piece, what could just two Pawn pieces possibly accomplish?
"Take them."
Leo clearly saw their doubt, but didn't explain. He simply tossed the two Pawn pieces over.
Ram and Rem caught them reflexively. After a moment of silence, they pressed the pieces against their chests.
"Bang!"
The Evil Pieces shattered instantly, breaking into countless particles of light that flowed into their bodies.
"…This is—"
Ram and Rem's eyes flew open.
They could clearly feel a surge of demonic power being born within them.
"Reincarnation… succeeded?"
As that unbelievable thought crossed their minds, something even more shocking happened on Leo's side.
[Trait: Servant Conversion is now active...]
[Acquired basic feedback—demonic power (large amount).]
[Acquired advanced feedback—Sacred Gear (enhanced).]
[Acquired additional feedback—race (perfect).]
[Trait: Servant Conversion is continuing...]
[Acquired basic feedback—demonic power (large amount).]
[Acquired advanced feedback—Sacred Gear (enhanced).]
[Acquired additional feedback—rank (Ten Wings).]
The instant he received this information, only one thought flashed through Leo's mind.
Damn. No wonder Tiamat praised their potential so highly. These were two top-tier servants.
Stronger.
The moment that thought settled, the demonic power inside Leo exploded outward, swelling at a terrifying rate.
This was a far more violent and intense enhancement than anything he had experienced before.
Vast demonic power ignited around him as purple flames, the shockwave carrying tangible force as it blasted everything around him away.
Leo's demonic power—already boosted once before when he took Ravel as a servant and raised to the upper tier of Ultimate-Class—smashed straight through the bottleneck this time, jumping from eight wings to ten wings.
"Whoosh!"
His devil wings unfurled behind him, slowly transforming from eight wings into ten.
At the same time, Leo's body was gradually reshaped by a mysterious force, undergoing subtle but profound changes. Deep within him, Zenith Tempest was nourished once more, receiving another enhancement after Ravel's Servant Conversion. Its power rose dramatically.
Just like that, Leo closed his eyes and immersed himself in the transformation of his body…
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can read up to chapter 194 on patreon.com/NiaXD.