The three, accompanied by Venelana, passed through the teleportation magic circle and appeared directly in the vast main garden of the Häagenti mansion in the Underworld, while Alear asked the maids to take the girls' luggage to the rooms where they would be staying and left with Venelana for the office to work, leaving his two new servants in the garden....
Mio walked a little, her pink eyes wide as she looked around with genuine surprise.
"...This is..." she murmured, slowly turning her body to take everything in. "I never imagined the Underworld would be like this. It feels... so human. The plants, the flowers, the scent of the air... it's almost like a noble garden from the human world, just more beautiful."
Maria let out a soft giggle beside her, closing her eyes for a moment as she deeply inhaled the air of the Underworld. A nostalgic and satisfied smile appeared on her lips.
"Ah, that's right! Mio-sama never had any interest in this place, right? The Underworld is practically the same size as the human world, you know? But with a much higher percentage of land and fewer oceans. That's why there are so many different regions: forests, mountains, huge cities..." She opened her arms, taking another deep breath. "Ahh... I missed this air. It's good to be back."
Mio looked at Maria, remembering something.
"That's right... you lived in the Underworld for quite a long time, didn't you? It must be strange coming back after spending so long on the run."
Maria simply shrugged, still wearing a soft smile.
"A little. But it's good to be back....."
Mio fell silent for a few seconds, absorbing the environment around her before turning her gaze to Maria with a more serious and curious expression.
"So... what should I know about the Underworld now that I'm actually going to live here?"
Maria thought for a moment, deciding to better explain the situation of their new master—well... what little she knew, at least. Better than nothing, right?
"Well, the most important thing right now is Alear-sama's status," she began, her tone becoming more serious, though still light. "He is an Archduke. That's the highest title among the nobles of the Underworld. As the Lord of two ancient and powerful Noble Houses (Häagenti and Gäap), he has enormous influence, even if the Häagenti family has been in decline for some time and Gäap had been extinct until he awakened the family trait and took the position as its lord. Almost no one would dare challenge him openly now. That means that as long as we are under his protection, almost no one will try to attack us directly. At least not openly."
Maria winked at Mio with a small smile.
"In other words, we can finally breathe a little, Mio-sama~. That's why I said it was a good offer. No more running from city to city like scared rats."
Mio absorbed the information in silence, her distant gaze processing everything. After a moment, she slightly frowned, a strange and complex expression appearing on her beautiful face.
"So... he doesn't have anyone else? Family, close relatives...?"
Maria shook her head, her tone softer now.
"As far as I know, no. The Häagenti family was practically extinct before he awakened, and Gäap too. He's the last one. Maybe that's why, when he said he wanted us to be part of his family... it felt so genuine. It wasn't just a political offer. He really has no one left."
Mio fell silent, biting her lower lip. Her chest tightened in a strange way. A confusing mix of relief, pity, and something warmer and more possessive rose within her. But before she could process it properly, Maria casually continued:
"Ah, but he does have a fiancée, right? One of the current Four Great Satans. Serafall Leviathan. They've been engaged for a while."
Mio's heart gave a painful leap, her face turning pale.
A Satan...? A fiancée...?
She clenched her hands at her sides, not understanding why that feeling was so strong. From the moment he appeared and saved them, something had blossomed in her chest—it was like a warm light amid the despair and constant darkness they lived in. And the more she thought about him, the stronger that feeling became. The reason she had accepted so quickly to become his servant, despite all her pride... was it that? Did she want to keep that beautiful feeling all to herself? Did she not want to share that light with anyone else...?
Maria, who had been closely observing her expression, immediately noticed the internal conflict. A mischievous and teasing smile appeared on her lips.
"Uwaaah Mio-sama, your face is changing color every second. Are you jealous? Already? That fast" she teased, stepping closer and poking the arm of the crimson-haired girl. "No need to be like that. Nobles can have multiple wives, you know? It's super common. You can still be one of them! And I can help you, you know? I'm good at this~"
Mio turned even redder, almost exploding from embarrassment and irritation.
"M-Maria!!! Stop talking nonsense! I'm not... I'm not jealous! Who said I want to be his wife?!" she exclaimed, her tsundere voice loud and defensive as she slapped the succubus's shoulder.
Maria laughed softly, easily dodging the slap.
"But you're making that classic 'I don't want it, but I do' face~ It's way too cute. Relax, Mio-sama. If you really like him, I'll support you one hundred percent. After all, we're a family now, aren't we?"
Mio huffed, crossing her arms beneath her ample chest and turning her face away, clearly too embarrassed to continue the subject, so much so that she abruptly changed the topic to escape the awkwardness.
"Forget that..." she muttered, arms crossed. "What else should I know?"
Maria smiled, noticing Mio's obvious attempt to escape, but didn't push further.
"Alright, I'll tell you everything I know, Mio-sama~, but I don't want to just stand here. It's more fun while we explore the place. Alear-sama said we should make ourselves at home...."
"I'm fine with that...."
The two began walking slowly through the vast garden of the mansion, exploring the surroundings as they talked. Over the next hour, Maria explained everything she could in a light and organized manner, without leaving out the most important points. Until then, what Mio knew about demons was only the basics—especially the fact that they had a low fertility rate, something she considered extremely relevant—and about the [Evil Pieces] as a solution to that problem. Fortunately, their master hadn't needed to explain that earlier because of this....
This time, she talked about the 72 Noble Houses and their hierarchy, about the Four Great Satans and the current balance of power, about the main factions, and also about the Moderate Faction that Mio's father, Wilbert, had founded, which had lost much of its influence after his death....
Mio listened attentively, asking occasional questions, her gaze shifting from Maria to the beautiful scenery of the garden. Little by little, she began to absorb the reality that her life had changed permanently.
After finishing the most essential explanations, the two stopped in front of the mansion's main entrance. A uniformed maid received them with a polite bow and guided them to the rooms that had been prepared.
When they entered the mansion, both Mio and Maria were left speechless.
The interior was absurdly luxurious. Polished marble floors, crystal chandeliers glowing with soft magical light, fine carpets, ancient paintings on the walls, noble wooden furniture carved with intricate details, and an air of old opulence that contrasted with the simplicity of the house they had lived in in the human world.
"Is this... for real?" Mio murmured, looking up as they climbed the stairs. "It feels like a palace..."
Maria let out a low whistle, impressed.
"Seriously... Alear-sama wasn't joking when he said he was rich."
The maid led them to a spacious room on the second floor, an extremely luxurious space with two king-size beds separated by an elegant bedside table, a large wardrobe, a balcony overlooking the garden, a private bathroom with a whirlpool bathtub, and fine curtains that filtered the soft light of the Underworld.
"This will be the room for both of you, if it pleases you...." said the maid with a bow. "If you need anything, just call."
As soon as the maid left, Mio threw herself onto one of the beds, sinking into the soft mattress with a long sigh.
"...I feel like I'm dreaming," she murmured, staring at the ornamented ceiling. "Yesterday we were running for our lives... and today we're in a mansion like this."
Maria flopped onto the other bed, laughing softly.
"Yeah... it almost feels unreal. But it's nice, right? We can finally rest for real."
Suddenly, she remembered something and quickly got up, her violet eyes shining with curiosity. She ran to the large noble wooden wardrobe and opened the double doors with a dramatic motion.
"Uwaaah~ Look at this!"
Inside the wardrobe, all their clothes were perfectly organized. There were school uniforms, casual clothes, dresses, lingerie, and Maria's more revealing and sensual outfits, carefully hung or folded.
Maria let out a dramatic sigh of relief, grabbing a very short and transparent black nightgown with both hands and holding it against her body.
"Thank the heavens! My sexy clothes survived! I was so afraid they had thrown everything away or burned it for being too perverted. Alear-sama's maids are very competent—I need to thank them later... This is my personal treasure!"
Mio, still lying on the bed, turned her head and snorted with a mocking expression, crossing her arms beneath her ample chest.
"Seriously, Maria? The first thing you do when you see the wardrobe is celebrate your perverted clothes? You really have no shame..."
Maria turned to her with a mischievous smile, waving the provocative nightgown in the air.
"Shame? What for? Life's too short to wear only boring clothes, Mio-sama~ Besides..." She approached Mio's bed with light, bouncy steps, sitting on the edge with a conspiratorial look. "Now that we're Alear-sama's servants, you need to start using your charm too, you know? He saved us in such a cool and manly way... You turned completely red when he healed you. No point denying it!"
Mio blushed instantly, sitting up quickly on the bed.
"W-What?! I did not turn red! And what's this about 'using my charm'? I'm not a succubus like you!"
Maria giggled, leaning forward with a mischievous and playful smile, just like she always did when she wanted to tease.
"But you're beautiful, Mio-sama! Big breasts, slim waist, firm butt, gorgeous red hair... If you use that embarrassed tsundere look a little and approach him in a cuter way, I'm sure Alear-sama will fall for you in no time! I can teach you some techniques! Like 'accidentally' bumping into him, or pretending to be scared at night so you can sleep in his bed... Classic!"
Mio grabbed a pillow and threw it at Maria's face, her own face completely red.
"Cut it out, you pervert! I'm not doing any of that! And stop imagining me doing those embarrassing things!"
Maria dodged the pillow, laughing while holding her stomach.
"But I'm serious! Alear-sama is strong, handsome, rich, and on top of that said we're part of his family... If you don't act fast, other girls will show up and steal him! I saw the way Venelana-sama looks at him... and there's that Satan fiancée too. Doesn't Mio-sama want to be number one in the harem?"
Mio covered her face with her hands, mortified, but she couldn't completely deny it. Her heart still beat faster just remembering Alear's calm smile when he said they were part of his family.
"...Idiot..." she murmured through her fingers, her voice muffled. "I'm not... I'm not thinking about that..."
Maria simply smiled sweetly and mischievously, knowing she had planted the seed.
________________
(A/N: Ok, I have to say… I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Seriously, developing Mio and Maria was insanely fun. I think I managed to give both of them a lot of spotlight without losing the pacing of the story, and most importantly, the dialogues flowed really well. That exchange between proud tsundere Mio and teasing Maria practically wrote itself. It was one of those scenes where you just let the characters talk and… it works.
And being completely honest? I think I nailed both of their personalities. Mio has that perfect mix of pride, embarrassment, and confusing feelings, while Maria remains that light, mischievous, slightly chaotic succubus, but still caring—just like in the anime.
Now, about the future…
The next chapters are already starting to take shape in my head. We'll probably have: the encounter with the Bael family and the Phenex family, the evolution of Innovate Clear—which still has a LOT of hidden potential—and, perhaps the most interesting part… the summoning of a Servant.
And here comes the big question…
Who do you think fits best?
Oda Nobunaga, Saber Alter, Jeanne Alter, Ishtar, Tomoe Gozen… As you can see, I already have my favorites… but I'm still deciding which one will be the first to be summoned.
Anyway, I think this chapter was a great breather after the previous tension, but it also planted several important seeds (especially emotional ones 👀).
See you in the next chapter.
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