...
The next morning.
By the time daylight arrived, the campfire had already gone out without a sound. All that remained was a patch of scorched earth, quietly proving that warmth and light had once existed there.
A train rumbled in from the horizon and stopped at the border camp. The doors slid open, waiting for its passengers.
Leo's group had finished packing. Under the conductor's guidance, they completed the necessary procedures one by one, boarded the train, and prepared to leave the Underworld.
"So we have to take a train on the way back too?"
Yuuki Asuna sat down in her seat, sounding a little surprised.
"Only this time," Leo said as he sat across from her, stowing his luggage. "There has to be a proper entry and exit on record. Once this trip is fully logged, it'll be much easier next time. You'll be able to apply to jump here directly using a magic circle."
"That's good to hear."
Mahiru sat beside Asuna and spoke softly. "If there's such a convenient way to travel, spending time on a train really does feel inefficient."
"I kind of like it this way."
Kasumigaoka Utaha folded her arms as she sat next to Leo. "Jumping straight here with a magic circle is convenient, sure, but it just feels like you've arrived somewhere unfamiliar. You don't really get the sense that you've crossed into another world."
"Being able to enter the Underworld while still alive already feels unreal enough,"
Yukinoshita Yukino said calmly from Leo's other side. "Either way, at least we're finally going back."
Yeah. Finally going back.
Even though they had only been in the Underworld for a month, Yukinoshita Yukino, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Yuuki Asuna, and Mahiru all deeply missed life at the manor.
They had already come to see it as home. During the month-long special training, they had stayed in the camp the whole time, hardly a comfortable experience.
So it was no surprise that they couldn't wait to return.
"I wonder what Leo-sama's manor is actually like."
While Yukino and the others chatted among themselves, conversation was also happening on the other side of the train.
Ravel, Ram, and Rem were seated together, looking out the window as they talked.
"You used to live in the human world, right?"
Ravel sat alone on her seat and took the initiative to speak to the sisters across from her.
"Yes."
Ram nodded expressionlessly. "The Oni village where Rem and I lived was in a remote part of the human world. No towns nearby, just mountains and forests."
"But that was ten years ago,"
Rem continued, her voice dimming as if she'd remembered something painful. "After Tiamat-sama saved us and brought us to the Underworld, we never left again."
At first, they lived together with Tiamat in the Familiar Forest.
Later, Tiamat decided that keeping the sisters away from civilization for too long wouldn't be good for their mental health. That was why she bought a residence for them in Luciferd and had them live there instead.
They had left the human world at seven years old.
Now, returning after ten long years, they were both seventeen.
"So what do you plan to do after you go back?"
Leo had overheard them and turned around. "Do you want to visit the Oni village?"
To his surprise, both Ram and Rem shook their heads without hesitation.
"The Oni are already extinct. The village was burned to the ground that night."
Ram's tone was calm. Cold, even. "Going back would just mean looking at ruins."
"I've almost forgotten where the Oni village even was,"
Rem said quietly, just as detached. "There's no point in returning."
Their status in the village had always been unusual: one a recognized prodigy, the other a recognized failure. But regardless of which, neither of them felt any attachment to that so-called homeland.
It was unavoidable.
Because they were born with only one horn, the sisters had nearly been disposed of at birth. Even though Ram quickly displayed astonishing talent and power, causing the Oni to abandon that plan, their feelings toward the Oni were never warm.
For Ram, that was already bad enough. For Rem, it was worse.
She had grown up surrounded by contempt, disdain, and fear. If Ram hadn't protected her, she would have been "dealt with" long ago.
In her normal state, she was seen as useless. Once she transformed, she was uncontrollable. To the Oni, Rem was nothing more than a ticking time bomb.
It was easy to imagine what her life in the village had been like.
Given that, it was only natural that Ram felt no fondness for the Oni either, especially when her little sister had been treated that way.
Because of this, neither Ram nor Rem felt any lingering attachment to the Oni village or the Oni as a whole. Even knowing their people were gone, they felt no sadness, let alone any desire to return.
As for the ones responsible for wiping out the Oni, Tiamat had already taken care of them. There was no revenge left to pursue.
The entire existence of the Oni could be left behind.
"I see."
Leo nodded. "Then how about trying a human school?"
If Ravel, Ram, and Rem were interested, Leo didn't mind pulling a few strings to get them transferred into Sobu High.
"If they transferred to Sobu High, things would get lively really fast,"
Utaha remarked with a hint of amusement.
Whether it was Ravel or the twin sisters, all three were strikingly beautiful, each in their own way. If they transferred in, the so-called five unattainable flowers would probably turn into eight.
In fact, from certain perspectives, these three might become even more popular than the current five.
Ravel and Rem had angelic faces and devilish figures. Ram lacked the curves, but she was Rem's twin, and that alone pushed her appeal through the roof.
"If a certain perverted blonde loser saw you, you'd probably end up as the new heroines in her next work that very night."
Thinking of that person, Utaha's expression turned subtly complicated.
"A human school…"
Ravel looked tempted, but hesitant.
"If you come, you can transfer into our class and sit next to me,"
Mahiru said with a smile.
Ravel and Mahiru were the same age. If Ravel transferred to Sobu High, she would naturally be a first-year.
Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuuki Asuna, meanwhile, looked toward Ram and Rem.
They were in the international class. Normally, transfer students without prestigious backgrounds wouldn't be able to enter that class even if they joined as second-years.
But that was only under normal circumstances.
With Leo's connections spread throughout Chiba, getting Ram and Rem into the international class would be trivial if he wanted to.
If that happened, the twins would become classmates with Yukino and Asuna.
Unfortunately, Ram and Rem didn't seem particularly interested in human schools.
"We are Leo-sama's servants, and we serve as his maids,"
Ram stated plainly.
"Compared to going to school, Rem and my sister would rather fulfill our duties at the manor."
That was their answer.
"That's fine."
Leo thought for a moment, then nodded. "School is just school anyway. Utaha and I are already third-years. We'll graduate next year. If you don't want to go, then don't."
"Ravel, you can think about it carefully. If you're interested, just tell me later."
What worried Leo more was whether they would even be able to live normal school lives going forward.
Their identities were already exposed. Multiple factions, including the Hero Faction, were watching them closely. On top of that, the world order was bound to change drastically.
The hidden world was heading toward an unprecedented period of reform and turmoil.
If that happened, Leo doubted they'd even have the chance to attend school properly anymore.
If so, there was no reason to force Ram and Rem into Sobu High.
"By the way,"
Yukino looked at Leo and Utaha. "Have you decided what you'll do after graduation? University? Or taking time off to work?"
Everyone's gaze immediately shifted to the two of them.
"I plan to continue on to university,"
Utaha answered without hesitation. "My life plan is to attend university while continuing to write."
Even now, she had no intention of giving up writing.
Love Metronome might be headed for cancellation, but her passion hadn't faded. If anything, encountering the supernatural world had given her even more ideas and inspiration.
She had already decided: if Love Metronome really did end, she wouldn't write romance anymore.
She would write a fantasy novel based on what she had seen and experienced.
"I probably won't continue school,"
Leo said instead, giving a completely different answer.
"This year, I'll officially debut as a new-generation devil. I want to focus all my energy on the Rating Game, aim for strong results, restore the Eligos family, and redevelop our territory."
In other words, after graduating high school, Leo would most likely return to the Underworld and shift his focus there.
As for the human world, he could hand his territory over to another High-Class Devil, or entrust it to servants like Yukino, whose families were already based in Chiba.
If, after his graduation, one of his subordinates advanced to High-Class Devil and wanted independence, he wouldn't oppose letting her inherit what he'd built and manage Chiba's devil affairs.
That said, it wouldn't be easy.
Although Yukino and the others had grown tremendously in strength, according to Underworld records, they were still firmly Low-Class Devils.
Devil society enforced its hierarchy with extreme strictness. Promotion required not just power, but accomplishments.
Strong performances in the Rating Game. Personal moments of brilliance that demonstrated potential. Contributions through achievements or successful devil business operations.
All of these factors influenced how the higher-ups evaluated a devil.
Only when they deemed someone qualified would a promotion notice be issued.
That was how Leo himself had advanced, accumulating results through steady devil business, barely meeting the power requirements, and finally being promoted to High-Class Devil.
Only then had he been granted his Evil Pieces and debuted as a King.
Hyoudou Issei shared a similar dream: debuting as a devil, becoming a High-Class Devil, and building a harem using the Evil Pieces he received.
"Come to think of it… I haven't asked them yet whether they want to become independent as High-Class Devils in the future."
The thought struck Leo suddenly, and his gaze swept across the girls.
Independence as a High-Class Devil didn't mean they would stop being his servants.
If their master ever needed them, even servants who had become Kings could be summoned back to fight at his side.
That was true for ordinary servants, and even more so for Leo's.
Because of the Servant Conversion trait, their reincarnation bond would exist forever. Their souls still belonged to him.
Because of that, Leo wouldn't oppose his servants becoming independent.
He just didn't know whether they wanted that.
If they didn't, even after becoming High-Class Devils, they could remain by his side as servants and refuse to receive Evil Pieces.
"For now, it's too early to think about that,"
Leo pushed the thought aside. "I'll ask them when the time comes."
Although his servants far surpassed ordinary Low-Class Devils in both potential and strength, aside from Ravel, every single one of them was still officially Low-Class.
Independence was something to consider after they reached Mid-Class Devil.
What mattered now was life after returning to the human world.
"There'll probably be a lot of reactions to our return,"
Leo murmured, thinking of all the eyes watching him.
The train began to move, heading toward the hollow opening in the sky ahead.
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You can read up to chapter 204 on patreon.com/NiaXD.