"Are you at the manor?"
On the palm-sized magic circle, Sona Shitori's small figure was suspended. Her clear voice slowly emerged, possessing a limpid quality like rolling jade beads.
"Yeah, I just got back." Leon transferred the magic circle to his hand, holding up the girl's projection, and chuckled, "I have to thank you for giving it to me as a gift."
"It's just a small token," Sona pushed up the glasses on her face, saying, "For such a big event as your promotion to High-Class Devil, I should have given you a more precious gift. But my family members... including my older sister, all felt that interfering too much with your growth would only harm you, not help you, so we could only send you something from the human world. I hope you don't mind it."
"How could I?" Leon shrugged, saying, "To you, this might just be a small token, but in the human world, this gift is definitely not insignificant."
Such a large manor, located in a highly prized area like the central district of Chiba City, would be difficult for an ordinary rich human to acquire, even with money.
But for a Devil, acquiring such a manor was too simple.
There was no need for illegal means. Just by instructing a few officials who chose to trade with Devils to climb the ladder, acquiring some land was easy.
And building the manor was even simpler. With a Devil's power, it could be completed in just one night.
Therefore, for the future head of the esteemed Sitri family, this was indeed the most minor of tokens. But for Leon, who had always lived in the human world, it was enough to satisfy him.
Sona could tell that Leon was sincere, and her expression relaxed considerably.
"If you need anything else, you can tell me anytime," Sona said, then changed the subject, asking, "How is it going? Have you found any familiar candidates for your peerage yet?"
"More or less," Leon smiled and nodded, saying, "I just don't know if that girl is destined to be with me."
"That's the girl you mentioned to me before, right?" The look in Sona's eyes, behind her glasses, shifted slightly. She said seriously, "Have you confirmed that the thing is on that girl?"
"Pretty much, I guess?" Leon recalled an incident that happened shortly after school started recently. His smile deepened, saying, "If nothing unexpected happens, she should be close to awakening."
"Then you must hurry," Sona warned, "Ordinary humans who haven't been exposed to the supernatural, once they awaken that thing, are very likely to lose control due to improper manipulation, ultimately causing serious consequences. It would be best to quickly take her as a [servant]."
"I'm not in a rush," Leon said with a calm demeanor, "There's still plenty of time. It's not certain if she and I have that kind of fate yet, so I'll observe for a while first."
"Just make sure you know what you're doing," Sona nodded. Suddenly, her expression became stern, saying, "Recently, people from other factions seem to have arrived in Chiba City. The other party was very likely drawn by the power on that girl. You need to be extra careful."
"People from other factions?" Leon's brows immediately furrowed, and he subconsciously sat up straight, saying, "People from the Church? Or our neighbors in the Underworld?"
"It's the latter," Sona said with a hint of coldness, "If it were the former, I wouldn't bother to remind you."
The conflict between Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels has a long history. Now that they have been reduced to relying on humans to survive, it naturally resulted in all three factions having their own layouts and territories in the human world.
In Chiba Prefecture, where Chiba City is located, the largest faction is the Church. The power of Devils and Fallen Angels here is considerably weaker.
Leon had previous encounters with people from the Church, clashing several times in Chiba City, so if people from the Church appeared here, there was no need to be alarmed.
"Those feathered pests have their eyes on this small piece of land too?" Leon murmured, the corners of his mouth curving into a dangerous arc, saying, "That's fine. I haven't really dealt with those good neighbors much yet."
"Don't be careless," Sona couldn't help but remind him upon seeing his reaction, "Currently, the three factions are in a delicate state of truce. There are no major wars, but small skirmishes are constant. Everyone is very restrained because none of us want to fight again until we are severely weakened, or nearly extinct, like before. You must be careful not to escalate the conflict."
"Don't worry," Leon nodded, saying, "As long as the person who comes isn't someone with a deep background like you, Sona, even if I kill them, the other side won't dwell on the matter."
"But carelessly starting disputes and acting recklessly could lower your evaluation among the higher-ups," Sona said seriously, "You have just been promoted to High-Class Devil, and your background and self are very unique. Many people are secretly watching you. If you want to restore the Eligos family, you must perform well to gain more support."
"I hope so," Leon said somewhat sarcastically, "As long as those old guys don't bring up the fact that I'm a half-blood again, I'll be satisfied."
Sona stopped talking, finding it difficult to say anything further.
She naturally knew how much trouble it would cause for a half-human, half-devil to inherit a pure-blooded devil family, especially when the human bloodline came from a Church Exorcist. This would undoubtedly make those who regard the Church as their sworn enemy even more unhappy and opposed.
If it weren't for the matter involving the restoration of a long-extinct noble family and Leon himself showing some unique value, it would have been difficult for him to become a High-Class Devil, let alone inherit the Eligos family.
With most pure-blooded Devil families having become extinct, the Devils truly needed fresh blood. Therefore, even if Leon was a half-blood, as long as he carried the bloodline of a pure-blooded Devil noble family, the Devil side wouldn't easily give him up.
Of course, opponents certainly existed, and the older the existence, the stronger the opposition.
They were inflexible, still adhering to old rules, which is why the Underworld still has many outdated practices.
Leon's existence, to them, was undoubtedly a glaring eyesore.
Fortunately, the dominant voice in the Underworld currently belongs to the reformists. The current Four Great Satans are not stubborn old-timers; they are even vigorously promoting new systems and striving for reform. They are supportive of Leon inheriting the Eligos family. Otherwise, Leon would not be able to inherit the Eligos family at all.
This also involved the struggle between the old and new factions. Sona felt it would be better not to let Leon delve too deep into it.
"In short, remember to be careful yourself," Sona instructed again, saying, "Subdue trustworthy [servants] as soon as possible. They will all be strong supporters for your future."
As she spoke, Sona seemed to remember something and pushed up her glasses again.
"Also, my older sister asked me to ask you: when are you planning to start dating?"
This sudden question almost made Leon fail to react.
"Huh?"
He was bewildered.
What kind of inexplicable topic shift was this?
"Don't look at me like that," Sona glanced at Leon, saying, "You are already a High-Class Devil, and the Eligos family is about to re-emerge under your command. Many people in the Underworld are concerned about the continuation of your family's next generation."
The corner of Leon's mouth twitched, and a bunch of black lines appeared on his forehead.
"Then please tell them that I'm still young and they don't need to worry about that aspect!"
Dating?
Dating what?
He was a Devil, not a Succubus. Why should he constantly worry about such rosy matters?
Besides, if he really dated, he would have to coax the other person, care for them, and spend a lot of time on them. What was the point of that?
Wasn't cultivating and becoming stronger better? Or were his subdued [servants] not obedient enough?
He would never date. He would never date in this life.
If he truly fancied someone, he would go and corrupt her, tempt her, make her sell her soul, give her body and mind to him, become his possession, and have her coax him, care for him, and serve him...
That was what a Devil should do, wasn't it?
After lunch, Leon saw that he still had plenty of time and went to the basement of the manor.
There was a very spacious underground room here.
The spaciousness of the basement even surpassed the manor above ground, easily being able to fit several soccer fields.
Upon closer inspection, hidden magic circles were carved into the surrounding walls of the basement, enveloping the entire space in a faint transparent barrier.
This was a training ground Sona had prepared specifically for Leon.
Since arriving at this manor, Leon had always trained here.
Swish!
With his Devil wings spread behind him, Leon flew up into the middle of the basement, hovering there.
He closed his eyes and slowly mobilized the magical power within his body, allowing a powerful aura to ignite around him.
Magical power is the foundation and source of strength for Devils.
Devils manifest supernatural phenomena through their imagination, and the means to achieve this is magical power.
When using magical power, as long as one possesses a very strong imagination, the envisioned supernatural phenomenon can appear.
Of course, this does not mean that a Devil can make wishes come true. Because the more complex and powerful a phenomenon is, the more intense imagination and advanced technique are required to materialize it. Consequently, the most common way Devils use magical power is to imagine it as projectiles, beams, or other objects and fire them out to cause direct destruction.
Leon did the same.
Buzz!
A series of brilliant magic circles suddenly unfolded behind Leon, transforming into turrets.
Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!...
The next moment, countless magical power projectiles rained down from above, slamming into the ground, causing intense explosions and roars.