Leon had long been aware that Ajuka Beelzebub was secretly keeping an eye on him.
It couldn't be helped; his "Peerage Transformation" trait required a connection to an external medium to take effect. Evil Pieces happened to be the perfect medium for this characteristic. It would have been strange if Ajuka Beelzebub, the developer of the Evil Piece system, didn't pay attention to him.
On the day he received his Evil Pieces and awakened his mutated trait, Leon had been summoned by Ajuka Beelzebub for that very reason. Strictly speaking, Ajuka was the first person to learn of the existence of his "Peerage Transformation" and the unique nature of his specific set of Evil Pieces.
During that audience, Leon had chosen to reveal the full truth to the Maou. He did this to exchange transparency for the attention of the Devil world's higher-ups, ensuring he would receive more resources and support.
Thanks to this, Leon had leaped from an obscure nobody to a key figure of interest for the underworld. Much of this was due to the maneuvering of the current Maou Beelzebub.
Had it not been for the Maou's protection, Leon had no doubt that when Yukino Yukinoshita—a Longinus possessor—was exposed within his territory, other devils would have schemed. Even if they couldn't snatch her openly due to official rules, they certainly would have used underhanded tactics to spirit away his intended servant.
Thus, in this world, background and factional influence mattered just as much as raw power.
At a stage where his own strength was still insufficient, having a Maou backing him was an absolute blessing.
Of course, perhaps because of this, Leon had been targeted by the Old Maou Faction, who viewed him as Ajuka Beelzebub's man. Yet, in the Familiar Forest, it was also because of Ajuka's influence that Tiamat, the Chaos Karma Dragon, held him in higher regard. Seeing his potential, she had granted him the opportunity to gain a truly exceptional and satisfactory servant.
One could call it a cycle of cause and effect; how one viewed it depended on their perspective.
However, Leon hadn't expected Maou Beelzebub to ask Sirzechs to personally deliver a reminder.
"You should be well aware of the situation you're in right now, shouldn't you?"
Sirzechs spoke as he saw Leon fall into deep thought.
"I have a general idea," Leon nodded. "Rias and Sona have told me as well. I've likely been flagged by the Church, the Fallen Angels, and even Heaven."
He didn't mention whether certain factions within the Devil world were also watching him in the shadows. To the strongest Maou standing before him, such a topic might be a bit too sensitive.
But Sirzechs clearly knew better than anyone.
"Actually, after the news reached the Underworld, the upper echelon expressed great concern and offered several suggestions. I felt you wouldn't be able to accept them, so I turned them down on your behalf."
Sirzechs didn't elaborate, but Leon understood immediately.
In all likelihood, some people wanted to abuse their authority for personal gain, hoping to extract something from him, only to be blocked by Sirzechs or Ajuka.
"On the Devil side, we are watching over things for you. At the very least, those people won't dare to cause trouble openly," Sirzechs' expression grew more serious. "But as for Heaven and the Fallen Angels, even if we intervene, we can't necessarily block all the malice directed your way."
"'Zenith Tempest,' 'Incinerate Anthem,' and 'Absolute Demise'—having three Longinus gathered around a single young devil is bound to draw attention no matter what."
"Especially regarding the Fallen Angels. The Governor General who founded Grigori is utterly obsessed with the Sacred Gear system created by God. It's said he has trained many powerful Sacred Gear users under his command, including multiple Longinus possessors."
"The emergence of your group will undoubtedly pique the interest of that Fallen Angel Governor."
Leon was already well aware of this, but hearing it directly as a warning from the strongest Maou still placed an immense amount of pressure on him.
Azazel, the Governor General of the Fallen Angels, held a pivotal role in the original story. Leon knew enough about him to feel he could handle being targeted, but now he realized it was best not to be blindly overconfident.
While that man was forward-thinking, incredibly capable, and the world's foremost expert on Sacred Gears, he was also the Governor General of the Fallen Angels—a twelve-winged, high-tier Fallen Angel.
His strength rivaled that of the Maous, and if he utilized the fruits of his lifelong research, he could even contend with Super Devil-class entities. He was certainly not someone the current Leon could oppose.
What if the Governor truly harbored ill intentions?
What if he unexpectedly chose to use force instead of talking things out?
If that happened, Leon would likely have no choice but to surrender.
Thinking of this, a sense of unprecedented urgency rose in Leon's heart. He had been far too lax about this matter until now.
"In your opinion, what should I do?" Leon looked up, meeting Sirzechs' gaze to ask for guidance.
"The best way would be to return to the Underworld. That way, anyone wanting to move against you would have to think twice," Sirzechs mused for a moment. "But that would only make your situation more passive. Besides, there are people in the Underworld eyeing you as well."
"Therefore, I can give you two choices."
Leon braced himself and listened intently.
"The first choice is for your group to remain in the Human World. I will give you a way to contact the four of us directly. If you encounter any danger, you can call for help at any time."
Sirzechs continued.
"However, this isn't without risk. Communications can be jammed, and it takes time for us to reach you. We wouldn't be able to provide immediate assistance."
The four Great Maous as personal bodyguards?
It sounded like it would provide a great sense of security, but as Sirzechs said, it wasn't foolproof. If an enemy prepared for it, they could easily intercept them before help arrived.
Furthermore, leaving his life entirely in the hands of others didn't suit Leon's personality. Thus, he ruled out the first option.
But if he rejected that, what else could he do? Would he really have to leave the Human World and return to the Underworld?
"Then... what is the second choice?" Leon frowned and asked.
"I know you want to stay in the Human World," Sirzechs said with a smile, seemingly guessing Leon's reaction. "So, for the second choice, you can stay here, but we will send people to protect you."
"..."
"Serafall's 'Knight' is already with you, isn't she?"
"How about we send a few more people over? They can protect you while providing guidance for your training. What do you think?"
Leon was genuinely surprised. "Is that possible?"
He made no effort to hide his excitement. Although he would still be under protection, having powerful experts nearby to guide them at all times made this choice far more attractive. If he became strong enough, all dangers would naturally be resolved.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Sirzechs laughed happily. "You are all children with immense potential. You may become the pillars of the Underworld in the future. We only hope you can grow as quickly as possible."
To Sirzechs and the others, the emergence of Leon and his peerage was a series of pleasant surprises. Having three Longinus possessors appear among devils at once meant that if they all matured, the future of the Devil race would be stronger and more stable.
Specifically regarding Leon, his Longinus was the second-ranked high-tier Longinus in the world. If fully developed, he would be no weaker than the Maous in the future. Not to mention, he had that absurd trait that allowed him to grow stronger simply by recruiting talented servants.
Based on this trait, Sirzechs and the others were already planning whether to send some of the Devil world's rising stars to the Eligos family to become part of Leon's peerage. This would not only boost Leon's strength but also build positive relationships between Leon and existing Devil factions, creating a mutually beneficial bond.
Because of this proposal, even some pure-blood devil families were tempted. If they could send their own scions to the Eligos house to become Leon's servants, wouldn't that mean they had instantly won over three Longinus possessors?
Furthermore, if they could arrange a marriage alliance with the Eligos family, they could turn this high-potential peerage into their own people. Considering this, even those who hadn't originally intended to use underhanded means to acquire the three Longinus were now shamefully interested.
Word of this had reportedly reached the ears of the head of the Sitri family, driving that old father into a state of anxiety.
Therefore, this current wave of trouble might not be entirely a bad thing for Leon.
The only question was, what would Sona think about it? She would probably be anxious too, wouldn't she?
The more Sirzechs thought about it, the more amused he became. But then, thinking of his own sister's future, he felt a bit of a headache.
"Perhaps I should go talk to Father and suggest he pick a new son-in-law?" Sirzechs felt a sudden spark of inspiration, giving rise to a dangerous thought.
"Then I'll have to trouble you," Leon said. Unaware of what the Maou was thinking, he only felt the other man's gaze suddenly turn a bit strange. While puzzled, he gave his definitive answer.
"Don't worry. I will have it all arranged for you."
Sirzechs gave Leon a deep, lingering look and smiled.
Originally, Sirzechs had intended to send some of his other servants to act as guards and mentors. But now, he wanted to change the selection. Since he was choosing "family," then by all rights, someone from the family should be the one to go, shouldn't they?
"I hope the Sitri Patriarch won't blame me," Sirzechs whispered to himself before leading Leon out of that pocket dimension.
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