Yukinoshita residence, guest room.
Since the living room had already turned into a complete mess—and with an outsider present—the three Yukinoshita women didn't return there. Instead, they moved to the guest room.
It was just as luxurious as the living room, and no one would feel they were being treated coldly. But the atmosphere hanging over the room was strangely tense, making it hard for anyone to speak first.
Looking closely, Mrs. Yukinoshita and Yukinoshita Haruno, the actual owners of the house, were sitting together stiffly, backs straight, posture perfect. In comparison, Leo—supposedly the guest—looked more like he belonged here than they did.
Leo rested casually in his chair, sipping black tea at his own pace, completely relaxed—far more like the master of the house than the mother and daughters combined.
Only Yukino sat beside him, shoulders low, her mood visibly dim.
Seeing her like that, Leo set down his teacup.
"Still thinking about what happened in that fight?"
He saw right through her.
"...I should've won."
Yukino didn't deny it with her usual stubbornness. She just sounded… defeated.
From her perspective, she had the advantage from start to finish. She'd nearly cornered Sharon Holygrail completely, and she had been certain the win was hers.
But reality?
She was the one who fell for a fleeting opening, the one overturned and outplayed—so close to dying at Sharon's hands.
It shouldn't have happened.
And Yukino could only sink under that frustration.
Leo, however, cut through it mercilessly.
"That's just your misconception." He ignored Yukino's stunned look, continuing lazily, "I tangled with that woman for three whole years and never managed to beat her once. What made you think you could?"
"Sure, if you go all out now, maybe you're stronger than I was before my Servant Conversion trait awakened. But she already showed you the truth—having great power doesn't mean you can actually use it properly."
"You thought you could win because she made you think you could. She acted just convincing enough so you'd feel safe wasting your strength… until you left an opening."
"I can tell you with absolute certainty: even now, you can't beat her. Even if your raw power surpasses hers, her combat experience, counters, and strategy will drag you into defeat again and again."
Yukino bit her lip and fell silent.
Of course she hated hearing that. But she had lost. And nearly died. Saying anything now would only make her sound petty, too prideful to accept a clean defeat.
With her mother and sister watching, Yukino had no intention of making herself look pathetic.
So she swallowed the bitter taste of failure and whispered:
"That woman… Sharon Holygrail—she's human?"
You couldn't blame her for doubting.
Even ignoring her experience or strategy, Sharon simply didn't move like a normal human. She was more like a superhero.
Could a human casually shatter ice pillars?
Could a human move so fast they practically vanished?
Could a human leap between walls like a monkey or sprint across rooftops?
Could a human stomp hard enough to crack the floor and jump ten meters into the air?
Sharon did all of that with ease—completely unlike the priests Yukino had fought before at the unfinished amusement facility.
Compared to them, Sharon wasn't just trained—she broke the limits of what a regular human should be capable of.
And honestly, shouldn't it be impossible for a single human to fight a High-Class Devil one-on-one?
Leo himself had said before that it takes a whole team of exorcists to even attempt battling something like that.
So Sharon's existence was blatantly abnormal.
Leo glanced at Yukino's troubled expression and said:
"There are exceptional humans out there. They're not as weak as you think."
"Take Sacred Gear users. Most aren't that strong—they just have some special ability. But someone like you or Asuna… if a human fully mastered a Sacred Gear like yours, would they really be weaker than a devil?"
"And it's not just Sacred Gear wielders. There are also magicians who use Magic Formulas, and Senjutsu practitioners who can threaten devils just as easily."
Magic and magicians existed in this world.
Magic and magecraft used structured Magic Formulas or spell models to manipulate supernatural phenomena. Ancient magicians believed everything in the world followed certain laws. If humans could observe, calculate, and guide those laws, even ordinary people could reach the extraordinary.
So they created the systems capable of doing exactly that. And magic developed into a robust, powerful discipline—one capable of replicating miracles attributed to gods or the demonic power used by devils.
As for Senjutsu, that art manipulated the flow of life itself—disrupting or severing an opponent's vitality. Its origins stretched past recorded history, said to be something only immortals once mastered.
With all that considered, humans were hardly the insects devils thought them to be. Those who wielded magecraft or Senjutsu would never be powerless before a devil.
Sharon had just used an exorcist Magic Formula powerful enough to shake the entire battlefield. The threat to devils was obvious.
But Sharon wasn't a magician or a Senjutsu user.
She was something even stranger.
"The Church has a special organization. A place that trains… certain kinds of warriors."
Leo suddenly revealed something secret.
"Their purpose is to cultivate people who carry the blood of the hero—Siegfried."
Siegfried. Yukino knew that name.
The legendary dragon-slaying hero. The man who killed the evil dragon Fafnir, bathed in its blood, and became nearly immortal.
A myth to most people.
But Leo's tone made it clear—Siegfried had been real.
"That facility uses genetic engineering. They combined Siegfried's genes with several others to artificially create his descendants. Those warriors are born with potential far beyond normal humans. Calling them superhuman isn't an exaggeration."
Leo explained calmly while sipping his tea.
"There are quite a few humans with the genes of legendary heroes or powerful beings. They're still human, but stronger than most. That's why they can oppose devils or fallen angels."
His own half–exorcist lineage probably counted among them.
Leo mulled over that silently—until Yukino spoke.
"So that woman came from that hero-breeding facility?"
She finally understood where Sharon's superhuman physique came from.
But Leo shook his head.
"No. Sharon Holygrail didn't come from that place. The warriors there all have white hair. She looks nothing like them." Leo pointed out coolly. "She came from another facility of the Church… or rather, an experimental facility."
"Experimental?" Yukino froze.
Leo gave her a brief glance before speaking.
"There's never been a shortage of lunatics in this world—especially among humans. The more people uncover the mysteries of the supernatural, the more desperately they want to unravel it all and seize that power for themselves."
"Throughout history, the Church has always produced its share of heretics and fanatics. They believe that as long as their results benefit Heaven or God, violating doctrine doesn't matter."
"When people like that team up with greedy higher-ups, they start poking into forbidden realms."
"And one such group wondered: if we can create the descendants of a legendary hero… then couldn't we also implant the Demon Factor, and create humans with the power of devils?"
The room froze.
Not only Yukino—even Haruno and Mrs. Yukinoshita couldn't hide the horror on their faces.
They understood immediately.
"It seems you've realized it." Leo said calmly. "Yes. Sharon Holygrail is the result of that experiment."
"The facility was shut down long ago. The test subjects either died on the spot or mutated into half-human, half-devil monsters that the Church quietly erased."
"Sharon Holygrail might be the only successful case that ever survived."
That was why she was so strong.
Her body carried the Demon Factor. Her physique rivaled that of a devil.
"Maybe that's why she's so cold toward devils, so ruthless." Leo let out a sardonic smile—like he was talking about someone unspeakably foolish. "I don't know what she went through, but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant."
"For someone like her, hating the Demon Factor in her body… and hating devils… might be the only natural response."
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You can read up to chapter 74 on patreon.com/NiaXD.