The group investigating Allen, the branch president, was doing so for money.
Someone had paid them a million dollars to dig into him.
They didn't know who.
The client had wired the funds and the target's details to their account, tasking them with uncovering any suspicious behavior from Allen.
Then, they were to send their findings to a secret email address.
Morpheus didn't know who owned the email, but his first suspect was Wesker.
Wesker had already been suspicious of Allen—or rather, Morpheus posing as Allen—believing he was making moves behind Umbrella's back.
Hiring investigators made sense.
Why not use Ada Wong? For one, Wesker likely didn't want her near Umbrella's true secrets. For another, she was too conspicuous. If she investigated Allen, it might tip him off.
So, Wesker recalled her and sent others to probe Allen covertly.
Morpheus had no proof his guess was right.
But he trusted his instincts.
If science wouldn't cut it, he'd lean on the mystical.
He performed a divination on his theory, and the results confirmed he was mostly correct.
Wesker was behind it.
Clever move, Wesker. Morpheus hadn't seen that coming.
He decided to erase the investigators' memories of their capture and his involvement, then released them to continue their probe of Allen.
He instructed Allen to resume his normal routine, acting as if nothing had happened.
That should be enough to fool Wesker.
After handling this, Morpheus made time to visit Kuoh Academy to check in with Rias Gremory about Sirzechs and Serafall's progress on investigating the devil behind Umbrella.
Rias said she couldn't currently contact her brother but trusted his strength. He'd likely uncover details about the devil soon.
"Once his investigation wraps up, I'll let you know immediately."
"Thanks for that," Morpheus said with a slight smile, appreciating her effort.
Rias suddenly spoke up. "There's something I'm really curious about."
"What?" Morpheus looked at her.
She said, "My brother says your power rivals that of a Satan, yet I've never heard of you."
Lately, she'd researched every notable powerhouse in the human world.
She even looked into historical figures.
But Morpheus was nowhere to be found. He was like a ghost who appeared out of nowhere, utterly baffling.
Taking the opportunity, she voiced her curiosity.
Morpheus smiled. "What if I'm not from this world?"
Rias wasn't shocked. Her expression even suggested she'd suspected as much.
Morpheus noted, "Looks like you already had your suspicions."
Rias nodded. "I did, but it was just a hunch. I didn't expect you to actually be from another world."
"But you don't seem surprised at all."
Morpheus added, "It's like you've met someone like me before."
Rias nodded again. "You're right. I've met someone similar—an actual otherworlder."
"No, more precisely, a Satan from another world."
"A Satan from another world?" Morpheus's interest piqued. "What kind of person?"
Rias explained, "His name is Satan Jacob, a Satan from the world of Ente Isla. He once tried to conquer that world but was defeated by the Hero Emilia. On his subordinates' advice, he crossed worlds and came to Japan."
"He aimed to rebuild his domain here, starting in Japan."
"But we devils found him and brought him to the Hell. He's currently a guest there."
Morpheus immediately recognized who she meant.
It was Maou Sadao from The Devil Is a Part-Timer!.
Or rather, his true name, as Rias said was Satan Jacob.
That name was ripe for commentary.
Satan, obviously, needed no explanation.
But Jacob was intriguing.
The name appeared in the Bible, tied to two figures.
One was Zebedee's son, brother of the apostle John, known as "James the Greater."
About seventeen years after meeting the Lord, this quiet apostle became a church leader.
The Bible notes, "King Herod attacked the church, killing James, John's brother, with a sword."
James became the first martyred apostle.
Legend says those who falsely accused him, seeing his fearless joy, believed Christ was with him. One judge was so moved, he died alongside him.
The other Jacob was one of Jesus's twelve disciples, the first bishop of Jerusalem, also martyred there.
The name Jacob carried weight.
A Satan named Jacob?
That was worth a chuckle.
But knowing Satan Jacob's story, the name wasn't so strange.
He wasn't born a Satan. As a young, weak demon, his clan was wiped out by a brutish demon, leaving him near death.
Unwilling to die, his tears caught the eye of a passing archangel, who healed him and taught him about the human world.
Before leaving, the archangel gave him a purple crystal, naming him Satan and instructing him to plant and nurture it.
Over the next two centuries, Satan used this knowledge and his ability to absorb others' magic to grow stronger. He unified the chaotic Demon World, establishing a merit-based demonic society.
But demons thrived on magic fueled by "fear" and "despair."
After unifying the Demon World, peace diminished these emotions, causing magic to dwindle. Only enough remained for demons to survive another five hundred years.
So, Satan turned his sights on the human world.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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