Sacred Gears are mysteries created by the God of the Bible, and they dwell only in those with human blood flowing through them. Their abilities vary widely, ranging from things merely useful for daily life to actual weapons.
Some even existed that could cause massive destruction. The truly nasty part was that these Gears manifested completely randomly.
Of course, sometimes they never awakened. But if they did awaken or manifested imperfectly, it could have negative effects on the user or those around them.
In reality, there were many who died because their bodies couldn't withstand the manifestation of their Sacred Gear, or who were feared and persecuted, leading many to perceive them as almost curse-like items.
Moreover, it was impossible to control such suddenly bestowed power without a special environment or innate talent.
Precisely because of this, they were targeted—forcibly reincarnated by devils, or eliminated by Fallen Angels or Angels. From the perspective of those involved, it was an unbearable situation.
'Typical of the current pure-blood obsessed, aristocratic, lineage-obsessed upper echelons of the Underworld's devils,' the young man mentally spat with derision.
'Tch, forcing a kid to make a resolve like this... the current King hasn't changed a bit from the old days.'
He scoffed, thinking how foolish kings never seemed to change, no matter the era. The devils of the past, who were more meritocratic, had at least had some backbone.
"...But what will you do then? Retaliate? Don't get me wrong, but that shit will never end."
Repelling force with force just invites a stronger force to come your way. After that, it's just a cycle of repetition, a quagmire with no end until one side is dead. It might be different if there were some common ground, but without something capable of silencing the devils' upper echelons, it would likely never end.
'Well, that spear from back then... if it's the kind of legacy item I suspect it is, then there might be a possibility.'
Musing thus, he recalled that spear—the only one among the countless spears that had remained until the very end, and even now was protecting the boy from somewhere. That spear had that kind of power.
"...If they attack me, I'll certainly fight back. But I don't think anything I do will change their minds. At best, they might act nicer on the surface, but in the shadows and in their hearts, they'll say whatever they want. So they can just do as they please."
"Oh? Then why do you want power?"
Amused by the interesting answer from the boy, who looked about ten, the young man smiled and urged him to continue.
"So that if something happens again, next time I can properly protect what's important with my own hands."
"Protect, huh... That sounds simple, but it's a difficult path, you know? You got the resolve for that?"
Saying this, the young man thrust forward a spear made from a beast's bone that he'd produced from nowhere. The boy looked at the young man and the spear, his face showing a resolve befitting his age.
"I can't say I definitely do. Because I don't have the power or the knowledge for it right now. But... I need power to make that resolve."
Admitting his own inadequacies, yet determined not to run away and to face the challenge, the boy's desire for power made the young man think, 'This one probably won't drown in it.' He put the spear away.
"...Unfortunately for you, I... long ago, hell, in my previous life, had a bunch of things happen. I don't wanna get involved in troublesome stuff like countries or politics..."
Even as he said this, he looked down at the boy, who remained bowing his head without another word. The young man had no further obligation to help this boy. He'd already saved him earlier, even though he should have been unrelated. That was more than enough.
'No obligation... but maybe there's sentiment? 'A chance meeting, a bond from many lives' or some crap like that?'
A wry smile touched his lips as he acknowledged his own softness. Perhaps from the moment he saved the boy, this outcome had been decided.
Frankly, the fact that he'd taken a liking to the boy meant he probably never had it in him to refuse.
"...Well, if a kid's gonna bow his head to me like this, I can't refuse, can I?"
"Th-then...!"
At the young man's words, the boy lifted his face, his expression a mix of anxiety and expectation.
To the boy, the young man shrugged his shoulders and returned a wry smile.
"Yeah, I'll teach you. Not just spearman-ship, either. I'll give you everything I've got. And I don't wanna hear any 'I can't' shit, you hear me? If you're gonna do this, I won't tolerate half-assed efforts. I'll be thorough."
"Y-Yes! Understood!"
The boy straightened his back and replied to the young man's stern words.
Thinking, 'I gotta make this official,' the young man continued.
"And it ain't free. Since you're a devil kid, let's make a contract. I'll teach you how to survive. In return, you... Yeah, as a sort of live-in guest, you'll cover my food, clothing, and shelter. Talk your old man into it, or whatever."
"U-Understood!"
For the young man, who had been living as a bounty hunter, taking down random targets and hunting beasts and birds to survive, this reward didn't mean much. But he figured taking it easy and living a modern life for a while wouldn't be so bad.
The boy nodded with a look of resolve. In his eyes was a greedy determination not to let this chance slip away, to make it his own—another element the young man liked about him.
Then, the young man added something he considered important.
"Also, I hate stiff, formal shit. We can work on it later, but drop the honorifics. If I see respect in your actions, you can drop the formal speech."
"U-Underst-- Got it! Please take care of me, Master!"
"Jumping the gun, aren't ya? First, we gotta see if you can successfully negotiate with your folks. Well, doesn't sound bad. 'Master,' huh... nah, forget it."
The familiar title reminded him of his own former master, and perhaps feeling an ominous chill from the memory, he brushed it aside.
The young man spoke again, as if recomposing himself.
"Hey, kid. Speaking of which, what's your name?"
"Ah, I-I'm Leonhardt Pheles... My father is a devil, and my mother is a human. I'm a hybrid devil, and I also have a human name, Kurosaki Renya, I guess..."
'Whoa, hey, Mephisto Pheles's kid? No wonder he's getting targeted if he's a hybrid.'
Mephisto Pheles was a devil known for his contract with Georg Faust. Currently, according to the young man's memory, he hadn't gotten along with the previous generation Maous and kept his distance, serving as a director of the "Grey Magician" association, a gathering of magicians. He wasn't counted among the 72 Pillars, but he was one of the powerful "Extra Demons."
The boy was the son of an unexpectedly famous devil…