Lynn took Avrora's hand and pulled her up from the cold, hard floor.
New follower, acquired.
But…
This clearly wasn't the right place to conduct a reincarnation ceremony.
Lynn didn't plan to engrave a Blessing for Avrora just yet.
Besides…
Lynn sensed the presence of an old acquaintance.
Natsuki?
His eyes revealed a bit of surprise.
Why is Natsuki-chan here?
Lynn was curious. "Natsuki-chan, aren't you going to come out and say hello?"
As soon as Lynn spoke.
Akatsuki Gajou, who had just relaxed a little, tensed up again.
Someone else?!
His expression twitched.
Can we catch a break?
One after another.
First the Lion King Organization, then the Black Death Emperor Faction, and now someone new?!
Gajou felt his jaw ache just thinking about it.
Although he'd already expected trouble after getting involved with the Fourth True Ancestor,
This was… more than anticipated.
But… the newcomer.
Seems like someone Lynn is familiar with?
With that thought, Gajou's nerves settled somewhat.
Yes…
He's the adult here.
After witnessing Lynn's strength firsthand, Akatsuki had developed deep respect for him.
And.
In a way, Lynn was also Nagisa's savior. Gajou was truly grateful to him.
Elsewhere.
Yukari paused slightly when she heard the name "Natsuki-chan."
Natsuki Minamiya?
Yukari was a bit surprised.
The Witch of the Void?
What is she doing here?
That Natsuki-chan…
Yukina blinked, feeling a little confused.
Same name as Sensei Natsuki?
After Lynn spoke, the underground mausoleum briefly fell into silence, followed by space distorting with a low hum.
Soon.
A young girl dressed in gothic black appeared with an expressionless face.
When Natsuki Minamiya saw Lynn, she frowned. "Why are you everywhere?"
Lynn shrugged. "Wherever there are promising recruits for my Peerage, of course I'll be there."
Natsuki: "…"
She fell silent for a few seconds before muttering, "A mad devil, obsessively recruiting followers…"
Thinking about the absurd number of girls in Lynn's Peerage, she felt her eye twitch.
Sometimes she really wondered—
Was Lynn truly building a Peerage for strength… or was it for some other desire?
After all…
Besides those with actual ability, hadn't quite a few seemingly ordinary girls been reincarnated as devils?
Thankfully—
With the Blessing system Lynn used, Natsuki knew he wasn't just gathering pretty vases.
But—
This time, it looked like his target was the Fourth True Ancestor…
Natsuki's gaze drifted to Avrora standing behind Lynn. The corner of her mouth twitched. "So she's your target this time?"
"Obviously."
Lynn didn't hide anything.
Upon getting confirmation, Natsuki's face twitched even harder.
"You're the first one I've seen recruiting a vampire as a Peerage member."
True Ancestor.
In the vampire world, this title meant ruler, symbol of supremacy, and strongest being.
Recruiting such an existence into a Peerage would no doubt stir up a major diplomatic crisis.
At the very least.
The other three True Ancestors wouldn't stay silent.
Even if they themselves didn't react, their subordinates definitely would.
As leaders of their race, they'd be forced to respond.
To maintain internal cohesion, and as a show of force to external threats.
Natsuki immediately grasped the severity of the situation. She opened her mouth to speak, but upon seeing Lynn's calm smile, she stopped herself.
If she could think of this, how could Lynn not?
He just didn't care.
Thinking back to how the Old Maou Faction had been crushed, Natsuki shook her head and chuckled self-deprecatingly.
She was overthinking it.
That faction had Demon Kings backing them, yet they were crushed underfoot by Lynn.
No matter how strong the True Ancestors were, they were just Maou-class to devils.
To Lynn, they were no real threat.
Well…
Maybe he'd even use this chance to recruit another high-quality Peerage member?
As Natsuki recalled the Chaos Bride, her expression turned odd.
That's definitely going to happen, isn't it?
Knowing Lynn, there was no doubt.
In that case…
No point worrying. Better to worry about the safety of those True Ancestors instead.
But…
Thinking of her task, Natsuki's expression turned stiff.
With Lynn here, could she still maintain balance?
Her precious black tea!
Natsuki groaned inwardly.
"Is it really Natsuki-sensei?"
Yukina looked at Natsuki in surprise, her eyes wide.
The teacher at Shuchiin…
Wasn't she supposed to be just a normal person?
When Natsuki heard "Sensei," her expression jolted, and for a second she thought she was still at Shuchiin.
Thankfully, she snapped out of it before saying anything awkward and looked back.
Seeing Yukina, she was momentarily stunned. "Student Yukina…"
Natsuki sensed devilish energy from Yukina and fell silent.
Then she looked back at Lynn, her tone filled with disbelief. "Yukina just transferred here, and you've already done this?"
Yukina scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Yeah… she walked right into the trap herself…
Lynn shrugged and motioned with his chin toward Yukari. "You want to ask them?"
Natsuki followed his gaze and saw the short-haired blonde elf with pointed ears.
The moment she saw that face, Natsuki's brow rose. "Lion King Organization?"
"Yo!"
Yukari placed a hand on her hip and smiled. "Didn't expect our first meeting to be in a place like this, Witch of the Void."
Natsuki remained expressionless. She looked at Yukari, then at Yukina, and finally rested her gaze on the Snowdrift Wolf beside her.
Piecing it all together, she quickly realized what was going on.
"Student Yukina… is the shrine maiden trained by your Organization?"
Yukari didn't deny it, simply shrugging.
"So…"
Natsuki's voice turned strange. "So you're offering the shrine maiden you trained to a devil?"
"What do you mean, offering to a devil?"
Yukari frowned, crossed her arms, and responded, clearly displeased. "That's a harsh way to put it."
Natsuki sneered. "Isn't it?"
Yukari answered firmly, "Lynn saved Tokyo. Yukina was moved and offered herself willingly to serve as his shrine maiden. What's wrong with that?"
"Or…"
"Are you trying to question a shrine maiden's devout gratitude?!"
Yukika: "...."
(To be continued.)