"Please mind your behavior."
Artoria cast a displeased glance at Diablo. "Attacking comrades is going too far."
"Ah, my apologies, my apologies."
Diablo maintained his elegant demeanor and bowed sincerely to Shuna, Shion, and the others. "I merely sensed some doubt and chose to use certain methods to prove myself."
No one could really fault him for that.
After all, they had been the ones to question the Four Primordials in the first place.
Besides, Diablo had perfect control. He would never let anyone get hurt.
"If I've offended anyone, I offer my sincerest apology here."
"Pfft."
Carrera couldn't help but laugh at Diablo's over-the-top behavior.
"You mustn't be rude in front of Rin-sama, Yellow."
"Got it."
Carrera waved her hand lazily, clearly not taking Diablo's words to heart.
As members of Rin's Dependent, they could directly sense Rin's mood.
If their actions would truly displease him,
They wouldn't have done it to begin with.
"Enough."
Rin stepped in to stop the Primordials' antics.
He had never expected his Dependents to all get along perfectly.
That was unrealistic.
Moreover, the Four Primordials were demons to their core.
Rin had no intention of forcing human values onto them.
His only rule was this:
Do not harm comrades, and absolutely never betray your own.
"This will be the first and last time."
Rin warned, "Do not make this mistake again."
"Understood!"
Diablo lowered his head. "I will follow your will!"
The three women also voiced their resolve in unison, promising to integrate into the group as best as they could and never bring trouble to Rin-sama.
"Mm."
Satisfied, Rin nodded. "Congratulations to all of you on successfully awakening."
"All thanks to your gracious gift~"
"And now..."
"Primordial Black, Diablo."
"Primordial White, Testarossa."
"Primordial Yellow, Carrera."
"Primordial Purple, Ultima."
"Present ourselves to you!"
Led by Diablo and Primordial White, the four Demon Primarchs knelt in unison and offered a formal salute to Rin. "To our Lord, Demon Lord Rin-sama, we offer everything!"
"!!!"
As the four introduced themselves, leaving aside the younger monsters, the experienced Hakurou and Kaede were utterly shaken.
And not just the old couple. Treyni, Trya, Doris, and other fairies who had lived for thousands of years also visibly paled.
The five of them instinctively gasped.
"Primordials!"
"Demon Dukes!"
"Black, White, Yellow, Purple... the legendary Seven Pillars!"
To the beings of the Cardinal World, demons were like ghost stories from Rin's previous life.
And among them, these four, Primordial-class Demon Dukes, were the stuff of childhood nightmares.
Nation-destroying, genocidal horrors.
"Unthinkable..."
Kaede muttered, stunned. "That you would actually swear allegiance to Rin-sama..."
No, it should be said, as expected of Rin-sama. Even the Primordials, the incarnations of chaos, had been tamed by him.
Demons were indeed evil, but they valued contracts above all.
They didn't lie lightly, nor did they make vows they couldn't uphold.
Yet just now, the four had clearly sworn loyalty to Rin.
That meant they would serve him wholeheartedly. No betrayal, no regret, for all eternity.
"Your reaction is strange."
Ultima tilted her head. "It is our honor to serve Rin-sama."
Just seeing how these Primordials revere Rin left the others speechless.
Unfortunately, their loyalty was absolute, but it extended only to Rin. Only his words and thoughts mattered.
As for everyone else...
Sorry, they didn't register.
"Ogerpon?"
On the other side, Ogerpon peeked out from behind Snow Empress and Artoria.
After this evolution, Ogerpon had grown from a girl around 12 or 13 into a mature 16-year-old.
Yes, aside from her chest still being flat, the girl had clearly grown.
"You've grown, Ogerpon."
"Come here."
Rin beckoned her over.
He had always treated his first companion like a younger sister.
The girl ran over cheerfully, then jumped straight into Rin's arms.
"Mm-hmm, good girl."
Rin let her sit on his lap and gently stroked her hair. "Ogerpon has awakened too."
"Ogerpon is stronger now!"
She beamed. "I can protect Rin better now!"
'What... what kind of favoritism is this?!'
'Who is this person?! How is she receiving such special treatment from Rin-sama?!'
Diablo was green with envy. He too wanted to be patted by Rin-sama.
"Demons, such strange creatures."
Snow Empress, walking at the end, slowly circled the four who had stood up, then stood by Rin's side.
Her attitude was icy.
Snow Empress made no effort to hide her hostility toward the Primordials.
"That aura… are you a Fairy?"
Testarossa spoke with a composed smile. She raised her head, crimson eyes locking with Snow Empress's icy blue ones. Invisible sparks flew.
In the Cardinal World, Snow Empress was categorized as a Fairy.
And fairies restrained demons. Demons restrained angels. Angels restrained fairies.
That said, Testarossa wasn't the type to provoke just because of racial compatibility.
She simply disliked Snow Empress.
The reason was simple: their personalities.
Like Snow Empress, Testarossa was a cool, elegant older-sister type. Reserved, calculating, distant.
So...
'This one's annoying.'
Both women thought at the same time.
"A bit of an eyesore."
"Hey, are you really a monster?"
Carrera tilted her head, studying Artoria. "You smell like a human Hero."
Carrera was very interested. If possible, she wanted to spar with her right away.
A friendly match, of course. Nothing too serious.
And that kind of thing didn't violate Rin's rules.
"A Berserker?"
Artoria sensed Carrera's fighting spirit and responded with a smile. "I'll gladly accept your challenge anytime."
"Eh?"
You're willing to fight? Then we're good friends!
Just as Artoria had seen through Carrera's essence, Primordial Yellow had also noticed the exquisite martial prowess of the King of Knights.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)