— — — — — —
About ten minutes later, Ryo finally saw Euclid—hands and feet restrained by magic suppressors, and, for good measure, a gag stuffed in his mouth.
"…Is this how you usually handle prisoners?" Ryo asked, giving Ajuka a strange look. He was starting to question the overall vibe of devil culture.
"Certain pre-set measures can be activated through incantations," Ajuka replied calmly.
As he spoke, he removed the gag from Euclid's mouth and flicked his fingers, laying down several spell patterns across the man's face. Once he finished, he said, "All set. We can talk safely now."
"Right…" Ryo shook his head, then took a moment to size Euclid up.
To be fair, the guy wasn't bad-looking. Silver hair, gray eyes, tall, well-built. Tsk, tsk… so he really is Grayfia's brother.
"..."
While Ryo was appraising him, Euclid was doing the same in return.
"So that's it… you were the variable we failed to account for?" Euclid said calmly, as if he weren't currently a prisoner at all.
But in truth, he cared—a lot. If not for Ryo suddenly appearing out of nowhere, their plan would have been flawless. With the Progenitor Power, both Sirzechs and Ajuka should have died, and the Old Satan faction would have risen straight to the top, taking control of the devils.
They had calculated everything… except Ryo Yagami. They hadn't expected someone who could face Ophis head-on and win. Worse, they had gathered some information about him beforehand—but no one paid attention. Everyone had been too focused on the established powerhouses to bother with a newly emerged Fallen Angel Governor.
That oversight had cost them dearly.
"You don't seem all that bitter about losing," Ryo said, amused.
"Failure happens," Euclid replied with a wry smile, like a small-time investor who'd just lost everything in the stock market.
Ryo's lips curled slightly. "Planning a comeback?"
Euclid didn't answer. He simply lowered his head, ignoring the question.
That was answer enough.
People with backing tended to be like this. So what if the assassination failed once? He could always start over.
You might stop him once—but not forever. That quiet confidence spoke volumes.
"Not bad. You've got guts," Ryo said with a faint, knowing smile before turning to Ajuka.
Behind Euclid, Ajuka was finishing up a teleportation spell linked to the Underworld—designed to allow someone from there to arrive directly through space transfer. It was a one-time setup with strict limitations, naturally. Ajuka wasn't the type to take unnecessary risks with himself or his allies.
Just as Ryo looked over, Ajuka completed the final stroke.
"As expected… it worked," Ajuka said with certainty. "Shall we begin?"
"Go ahead." Ryo gave a small nod.
Ajuka clasped his hands together. The magic circle on the ground began to glow with a soft white light.
The light grew brighter and brighter, until it outshone the sun—and then, a figure emerged from within it.
Silver hair, sharp eyes, a high ponytail. A striking, resolute woman stepped forward.
Grayfia Lucifuge.
The former head of one of the six Lucifuge families, who had stepped down after becoming the Maid of Lilith, passing the position to her younger brother. In the Underworld, she was known as the "Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation."
But right now, her expression was cold—her eyes sharp with restrained anger, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
The moment she stepped out of the circle, she barely spared Euclid a glance. Instead, she walked past him and knelt on one knee before Ryo.
"Grayfia greets Your Majesty."
"…Your Majesty?" Euclid froze, clearly thrown off by the title.
He had rarely seen his sister address anyone like that. The only exception had been the Devil Progenitor, Lilith.
But Lilith was female. Ryo was not.
Unless…
Ajuka, standing to the side, let out a playful whistle, then lowered his head slightly, watching Euclid with undisguised amusement.
The look in his eyes made it clear that he was enjoying the show.
Euclid's heart skipped a beat. A strong sense of unease crept over him.
Could Ryo actually be connected to Lilith?
"Grayfia?" Ryo prompted.
"Yes," she answered immediately.
Seeing how respectful she was, Ryo didn't feel much like making things difficult for her.
Well… it helped that she was easy on the eyes.
"You already know what happened, right?" he asked, even though the answer was obvious.
"Yes." Grayfia's voice was steady. "My younger brother leaked critical strategic materials, attempted to assassinate a Satan, and provided support to the terrorist group Khaos Brigade. I've received a full report from the judicial authorities."
She paused, her tone softening slightly.
"I will make him confess. I ask that Your Majesty grant me a chance to make amends."
Before Ryo could respond, Euclid suddenly exploded. "Sis, what are you saying?!"
"I don't want their damn pardon! I didn't do anything wrong! Why are you so set on serving as Lilith's maid?! We don't need to bow to anyone—she doesn't even see us as living beings."
"Silence."
Grayfia shot him a cold look.
Euclid opened his mouth, but in the end, he lowered his head, intimidated.
He feared very little—but his sister's anger was one of them. That icy expression of hers was like a bucket of cold water, snapping him halfway back to his senses.
"Oh? A freedom fighter, huh?" Ryo said, eyebrows raised.
Euclid had laid it out plainly—if anything, he'd even toned it down.
To a being like Algol, devils weren't even worth as much as pets. At least pets took time and effort to raise. Devils? A single breath of her aura could mass-produce them. To her, they were no different from air—just air that multiplied on its own.
So Ryo had a pretty good idea of how she viewed devils.
That said, he didn't believe she treated Grayfia the same way. That sharp-tongued, beauty-loving Algol might have a rough mouth, but her personality wasn't bad. She wasn't the type to mistreat her subordinates.
"If the kid genuinely thinks this is unfair… sparing his life isn't out of the question," Ryo said casually, resting his chin on one hand.
For Grayfia's sake, keeping a troublesome "pet" around wasn't a big deal. He could always let it loose to bite the Devil Council now and then.
Didn't Euclid refuse to be a pet? Fine—Ryo would make him one anyway.
That was just the kind of man he was.
"Your Majesty, please give me a moment."
Grayfia suddenly spoke up and stood.
Ryo glanced at her but said nothing, simply watching.
She walked over to Euclid, crouched down in front of him, and said calmly:
"Euclid, I'll ask you this once."
"Do you really want this so-called 'fairness' you keep talking about… or do you just want to possess me?"
.
.
.