'So cold!'
Euphemia's body trembled.
She instinctively looked down and saw the Evil Piece sinking into her body as if her body was water.
"It seems... really easy."
A blush spread across her cheeks.
For a moment, she had let her imagination run wild about putting the piece in.
Then soon, she felt her body changing.
Her heartbeat accelerated, her breathing grew heavier, her flesh and bones, her cells and blood, all began to transform dramatically.
"Mmnn..."
Euphemia's pupils contracted, feeling an intense itch in her tailbone and back.
"Something... is... is about to burst out."
She gritted her teeth slightly, the skin on her back writhing.
The next moment,
A pair of bat-like Devil wings burst from her body.
A long tail also emerged, constantly swinging on the ground.
"Haah!"
Euphemia finally sighed in relief, sitting weakly on the sofa.
But what followed was an unprecedented sense of power.
She instinctively threw a punch.
Bang!
The air exploded, creating a white air burst.
"So... so amazing."
Euphemia opened her mouth slightly, instinctively saying: "With such power, probably not even my sister has it."
"Alright, get used to the power."
Ayato waved his hand, the light of a magic circle appearing: "Let me introduce you to two companions first."
Hum!
The light flashed.
CC and Lihua slowly appeared.
Seeing CC, Euphemia wasn't surprised, but the moment she saw Lihua, her pupils contracted slightly.
"You are, the Empress of the Chinese Federation."
"You know me?"
Lihua blinked and smiled: "But it doesn't matter. Now we're all just Master's servants."
"Ah...?"
Euphemia was somewhat confused.
'The Empress of the Chinese Federation was also Master's servant?'
'Sure enough!'
'Becoming Master's servant... I'm the one who's reaching above my station.'
"Lihua, she just became a servant. You can teach her the basics."
"Yes, Master."
Lihua nodded, then looked at Euphemia, surprised: "Master, it seems she hasn't received the blessing yet."
Euphemia asked curiously: "What is a blessing?"
"It's..."
"Ah!"
Euphemia's eyes widened.
'Was this blessing... proper?'
'How could it be... so...'
Before she could come to her senses, she saw Ayato's eyes getting closer and closer.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Let me give you the blessing now."
"Mmpphh..."
Euphemia's body stiffened.
'So this was a blessing?'
A warm power started flowing through her body.
…
Night fell like water.
As the Vice-Governor of Area 11, Euphemia's residence was naturally very large.
It was more than enough to accommodate Ayato and the other two.
So everyone was given a room.
"The Balance Breaker of the Boosted Gear... seems not very difficult for me."
Ayato sat in a chair, his entire body covered in crimson armor.
"This probably has to do with Ddraig's soul being gone."
"At this rate, mastering the so-called Juggernaut Drive should just be a matter of time."
Ayato murmured softly, his expression very calm.
In fact,
Even Ddraig had been defeated by him.
This Longinus enhanced him, but not significantly.
At best, it just diversified his methods.
The only thing that interested him was the Boosted Gear's auxiliary ability.
If developed properly...
It could probably raise the power of all his servants another level.
"Oh my, Ayato-sama, unusually doing serious work?"
Just then, CC appeared in Ayato's view.
Unlike usual,
CC's green long hair fell naturally, her bangs level with her eyebrows.
Her attire was very classical, indescribably elegant and noble.
Her eyes seemed to hold a century of vicissitudes, yet also the sensibility of a young girl.
Paired with her eternally young doll-like face, it gave off an indescribable aura.
It was the first time Ayato had seen CC dressed like this.
Stunned for a moment, Ayato smiled slightly: "Why the change of image?"
"All because of you, Ayato-sama..."
CC came before Ayato, giving him a look: "First the Empress of the Federation, then the Princess of the Empire. Maybe you like such noble ladies."
Ayato didn't reply, because his nose was filled with a faint fragrance.
It's a new perfume scent.
Then...
Looking down, the corner of CC's mouth curled up.
"Ayato-sama, let me see this Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker armor."
"Look by all means, but why are you touching?"
"This way I can feel the texture of the Sacred Gear."
With the two whispering, the red armor disappeared.
...
The next day,
Early morning.
"Ah... choo."
Just stepping out of her room, Euphemia let out a heavy sneeze.
Last night, she had insomnia.
She didn't know Devils well enough.
To be closer, she had deliberately placed her master's room next to hers.
But all night, there was the sound of CC's voice.
The most embarrassing thing was that she actually...
'Ahhhhh!'
Remembering the look in the maid's eyes when she changed her bedding this morning, she wanted to bang her head against the wall.
'How could I be so depraved?'
"Ah... choo."
Another sneeze, and the door next to hers opened.
Out came Lihua.
The dark circles under her eyes matched Euphemia's perfectly.
Seeing her, Euphemia actually smiled.
'It seemed I had overthought things.'
'The so-called Devils... weren't so shallow.'
"You didn't sleep well either?"
Lihua yawned again, patted Euphemia's shoulder, and said: "Apparently, new servants are like this. Once we learn the magic to block our hearing, it'll be much better."
"..."
Euphemia's expression froze.
'It was so bad that we needed to block our hearing?'
'Had I been too hasty in becoming a Devil?'