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Utaha sat on the couch, staring at the dazed-looking Asia.
"Master, is Asia okay?"
"She's just having a hard time accepting the fact that God is dead."
"Yeah... I still can't believe it myself."
Utaha twirled her hair with one hand, murmuring softly.
Whether back when she was human, or now—
That God had always been incredibly well-known.
Thinking about it, Utaha smirked. "But Master, what happened to those two holy sword users?"
Minato gave her a confident smile.
"As expected of my pervy Master~"
Utaha praised him with a grin. "When it comes to taking advantage of others when they're down, no one can compete with you."
"I'll just pretend that's a compliment."
"Pervy Master, do you even know what a compliment is?"
"Oh? That's not what you said the other night."
"..."
Utaha's face froze.
Damn it!
Ever since she gave herself to him, she couldn't sass him as freely anymore.
Minato went to the fridge, took out a slice of cake, and handed it to Asia. "You haven't eaten anything for dinner. You should have at least a bite."
She took it without thinking and started eating slowly, one tiny bite at a time.
But her eyes were still empty.
Even though she had reincarnated as a demon, she still prayed to God often.
Her devotion ran that deep.
But now… she just felt lost.
Creak!
Just then, the sound of the door opening echoed through the room.
"Lord Minato, please let us become demons."
Walking in were none other than Irina and Xenovia.
They rushed forward, and with a heavy thump, both knelt down in a textbook samurai-style bow, their foreheads almost touching the floor in front of Minato.
"You guys... you don't need to go that far."
Minato looked a bit helpless. "Didn't I already say I'd accept you before?"
"Thank you so much for your generosity..."
"Back then, we were just being stubborn."
Both girls looked up, eyes teary like a pair of abandoned puppies.
Asia snapped out of her daze a bit and said, "You two… you really shouldn't be making decisions like this in the heat of the moment."
"Why not? You became a demon too, didn't you?"
Irina smiled briefly, then burst into tears. "Besides, God is already dead, right?"
"We got branded as heretics by the Church just for asking questions about it."
Xenovia said, completely defeated, "So becoming demons or whatever… it doesn't even matter anymore."
Hearing this, the corner of Utaha's mouth twitched.
She'd actually interacted with them before over the whole maid outfit incident.
Even if they had been on opposing sides, she knew they weren't bad people.
It's just that their deep-rooted faith had been ingrained in them since childhood.
When that kind of extreme belief system collapses, it's easy to swing hard in the opposite direction.
Just like now.
Finding out their God was dead...
The two of them gave up on everything and chose to become demons.
In a way, they were almost… kind of cute in their simplicity.
In that moment, Utaha's respect for her Master deepened even more.
He had seen right through them in such a short time.
And carefully guided them to accept the truth that God was gone.
Which meant—
Recruiting two more followers was a piece of cake now.
Such a move… was truly devilish.
Wait, Minato is a devil.
Never mind then.
"Well, if you've already made up your minds,"
Minato pulled out two [Pawn] pieces.
"Let's begin the demon reincarnation ritual."
"Thank you, Lord Minato—no, we should say... Master."
"Please take care of us from now on, Master."
They both adapted to their new roles almost instantly.
"Alright, next, take off your tops."
"Huh?!"
"This is part of the demon reincarnation ritual."
"You serious? We have to do that?"
"That's right. Or... do you not want to anymore?"
Irina and Xenovia glanced at each other… then slowly nodded.
God's dead anyway.
Nothing really matters anymore.
They took a deep breath… and started taking off their tops.
"Is this... good enough?"
Irina crossed her arms over her chest, her voice a little embarrassed.
Even if he was her Master now, this was still super awkward.
"M-Master, what do we do next?"
Xenovia's voice trembled.
She might lack common sense, but she wasn't totally clueless.
Doing this in front of a man... she almost ran for it.
Minato didn't leave them waiting long.
He placed one Pawn piece on each of their bodies.
The brief contact made both girls shudder.
The next second—
Their skin rippled like water, and the devil pieces sank in.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Irina and Xenovia's eyes widened slightly as they felt their hearts pounding wildly.
At the same time, they felt an itching sensation in their lower backs and tailbones.
That must be... their demon wings and tails.
The two of them thought the same thing.
"....."