A moment later, the colossal monster was utterly reduced to ash. Not a single fragment of its core remained. Sensing the fluctuations in the pocket dimension becoming unstable, Ethan didn't linger and left immediately.
Returning home, he found Zest sitting in the living room, looking rather stiff and nervous. Seeing how obedient and well-behaved the bunny-girl was, Ethan decided to take her in and grant her the Knight piece.
The status of artificial lifeforms in the Underworld was awkward, even though Zest wasn't much different from a regular devil, save for her mixed lineage. Once reincarnated with an Evil Piece, her identity issues would be resolved. Humans, fallen angels, and nekomata all counted as devils after reincarnation; an artificial lifeform would be no problem at all.
However, before performing the ritual, there were other matters to handle.
With Zolgear dead, Akeno Himejima reported the news to the Underworld authorities. Then there was the issue of Lars and the Naruse couple. Now that Zolgear was gone, Mio's foster parents no longer had to live in hiding, and Lars didn't have to fear being hunted.
After some discussion, the Naruse couple chose to return to the Underworld, back to where they had started, to continue their previous work. Although the war between the three factions had ended, there were still many orphans. Without the support of a Devil King, they might not be able to save everyone, but they wanted to do their best. They had considered staying in the human world, but Mio Naruse now knew the truth of her birth. They believed Mio wouldn't care, but they worried about others, and they noticed Mio had grown accustomed to her current life and didn't want to disrupt it.
Lars, who had been conflicted about his future, decided to join the Naruse couple when he heard they were returning to their old roots in the Underworld.
After seeing the three of them off, Maria pulled Ethan to meet Sheera and Lucia. He had seen the mother and daughter briefly earlier, but time had been tight. Looking closely now, Ethan realized Maria was a carbon copy of Sheera. Although the former Succubus Queen had a petite and cute build, her voice was incredibly seductive, and every movement she made radiated an overwhelming erotic charm.
Sheera wasn't trying to seduce Ethan on purpose; it was simply in her blood. Since she was currently in her "loli" form like Maria, if she were to transform into a long-legged, big-breasted silver-haired mature woman, Ethan would likely find his heart racing. Actually, even now, looking into those moist, lustful eyes, he felt a certain urge rising.
Lucia, compared to Maria and Sheera, seemed somewhat cold. Her figure appeared plain—neither a petite loli nor a curvaceous beauty. At first glance, she gave off a "frigid" vibe, lacking any of the typical succubus traits. Toward Ethan, who had saved them, Lucia was respectful and much softer, but Ethan still found it strange. Her personality seemed to be a complete departure from her mother and sister. Ethan didn't overthink it; there was no rule saying a succubus couldn't be cold.
Under Maria's lively chatter, the group had a pleasant conversation. Sheera didn't mind the ambiguous relationship between Maria and Ethan at all; in fact, there was a faint glint of approval in her eyes. Lucia seemed like she wanted to say something, but Sheera stopped her. Eventually, Ethan arranged for them to stay there before taking his leave.
Calming the fire in his heart and suppressing his wicked thoughts, Ethan found Rias. He mentioned taking Zest as a familiar and then handed over the biological manufacturing tech and the fusion of technology and magic he had looted from Zolgear. Ethan had no interest in these things; they were useless in his hands but could be valuable to the Gremory family for research or trade.
Rias was pleasantly surprised by the data. If she weren't busy, she would have dragged Ethan back to her room to "reward" him—though whether it was a reward for him or for her was debatable.
After Rias had successfully stoked the fire Ethan just tried to put out, he found Zest, licking his dry lips. The busty bunny-girl agreed to the reincarnation immediately upon hearing about it.
Ethan couldn't monitor her thoughts, so after the ritual, he asked curiously, "Didn't you ever think about being free and seeing the world on your own? If you want to leave, I'll let you go."
"No, I want to be your servant," the bunny-girl replied, her face flushing so red that even her dark skin couldn't hide it. She said shyly, "I'm envious of the relationship Mio and the others have with you. And now that I'm alone, I don't know what else to do."
Zest had been built to follow Zolgear's orders since birth. With Zolgear dead, she was lost. She didn't even know the meaning of her own existence. Despite her cool appearance, she was the submissive type—and a bit of a ditz. It was this personality that had convinced Zolgear she would never betray him, which was why he kept her by his side out of all the "Zests" he created.
Ethan narrowed his eyes at her until she grew fidgety, then said, "Envious? You really think Mio and I have a normal master-servant relationship?"
"Huh?" Zest didn't quite catch his meaning, her large eyes looking at him innocently.
"Zolgear wasn't a good master, but even a normal master and servant wouldn't have the kind of feelings we have." Ethan felt it was better to be clear with this ditzy bunny-girl. "Rather than master and servant, it's more like we are lovers." He paused, then added, "Of course, I don't officially recognize the 'lover' status yet."
As long as that annoying "cuckold" template hadn't fully vanished, he wouldn't officially commit. Zest thought his words were contradictory but nodded obediently. Ethan then briefly explained his relationship with Rias and the others, eventually explaining the Dual Cultivation ability.
Zest probably hadn't seen much of the outside world, so she knew nothing of Ethan's reputation. Fortunately, she understood basic common sense regarding men and women.
"So... so I also have to have sex with you—"
"Ahem, Dual Cultivate."
Zest tucked her long, straight legs together on the edge of the sofa and changed her phrasing. "I am willing to Dual Cultivate, if it is with Master Ethan." She was just a lowly, pitiful bunny-girl; having found a kind, strong, and handsome master, what more could she ask for? Though they hadn't known each other long, Zest felt Ethan was a good person to entrust her life to—aside from having too many women.
"Okay, spend the next few days getting used to the environment. I'll talk to Rias about what to assign you later."
Ethan originally thought about having Zest serve him tonight, but decided to give her some time to adjust. Zest wasn't like Yubelluna; she couldn't just find things to do on her own. If she had that kind of initiative, she wouldn't have been so anxious, nor would she have relaxed so visibly after Ethan accepted her.
After dinner, Ethan went to the bathroom with Yuki Nonaka. After enjoying a "breast-press" back scrub from the beautiful girl, he looked at "Little Ethan" standing tall and pondered his plans. The Zolgear business was finally over. Aside from notifying Basara Toujou, there wasn't much left to do. Oh, he still hadn't learned the mental control and psychokinesis magic, but that couldn't be rushed. Dual cultivation, however, was a priority. Maria was reuniting with her family, so she'd be busy. Mio had been unconscious the whole time, so tonight might be her turn.
Thinking of this, Ethan looked up at Yuki, who was draped over him, her eyes misty and her breath coming in short, heaving gasps.