Cherreads

Chapter 12 - 3

FanFiction.Net

Just In

Community

Forum

V

More

The Gamer's Guide to Freedom by The Dark Wolf Shiro

Anime X-overs & High School DxD/ハイスクールD×D Xover Rated: M, English, Supernatural & Fantasy, Words: 191k+, Favs: 5k+, Follows: 5k+, Published: Aug 19, 2020 Updated: Oct 2, 2021

2,363Chapter 3: Kuoh and or Bust

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The Gamers Guide to Freedom

Chapter 03: Kuoh or/and Bust

I... I have realised a slight flaw in the Pot of Greed.

I decided having more powerful healing potions would be useful before I went and did some more grinding, so I decided to use it...

Looking at the glass jar filled with a deep red liquid, I sigh as I dip a finger in and lick it.

Fine Wine

I was a bit thirsty at the time.

The Pot of Greed gives me what I want, not what I need or even what I think I want... I don't just say what I want, and then it makes it, and I wanted a drink more than I wanted a source of healing since I was thirsty and at full health.

I could have sworn the smiling face on the front of the jar grinned just a little wider as I poured it all out into a glass jar.

This wine better be fucking amazing.

Pouring some of it into a wine glass, I take a little sip before glaring at the glass in disgust...

It's fucking delicious.

...I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear the quiet cackling coming from the Jar.

- Later -

Focusing with a deep frown, I carefully visualise the creation of a small ball of fire floating in the palm of my hand, watching as the barely apple-sized orb starts to flicker into life.

Pushing my palm forwards, I watch it fly towards its destination, a simple wooden target shaped like a person. As it collides with them, the target bursts into flames and is slowly reduced to ashes.

My family already had a section of the dungeons beneath the castle set aside for magical practice, and it has wards to ensure the protection of both the castle and the caster.

My firebolt only hit it on the shoulder, so I'll have to practice my aim as well... I was aiming for centre mass.

Devil magic really isn't that hard, despite the old Kuro's troubles with it... but I've quickly realised that it isn't nearly as simple as Rias made it sound... but then, Rias was trying to explain it to Issei and Issei is a fucking idiot.

Imagination is important, and it does power a lot of devil magic... but it has its limits. No matter how much power I have, I'll never be able to just think up the Power of Destruction.

Knowledge helps the visualisation process, having the power to actually do whatever you are trying to imagine is essential... but it has clear limits.

After all, if it didn't have limits then every devil would be throwing around light magic, the Bael power of destruction and they'd all have Phenex regeneration.

Spell Created

Elemental Magic, Pyromancy Tree

[Fire Bolt]

A small ball of flame launched from the casters hand, causing fire damage to whatever it hits. Can cause lasting burn damage or ignite the target.[

Elemental Magic Proficiency]

The art of using magic to manipulate the elements and bend them to your will.

Trees Discovered – Pyromancy (Unknown)

Not even a novice, which I'm fairly certain is the lowest rank of proficiency. No upgrade quest either to help me get to novice level.

I'm still learning the ropes of this game, its mechanics are still a bit of a mystery to me... but if there's one thing I'm good at, it's games.

...it took me two days to work out how to make this spell, two days I had to skip grinding the first floors for more materials and experience.

And to be honest?

It's trash.

It's a really crappy spell.

The mp consumption is ridiculous for what it does, and I'm fairly certain that is tied to proficiency. I don't have the Pyromancy proficiency yet, so Pyromancy is difficult for me, I can't confirm that theory until I have increased one of my proficiencies, but for now, that's my guess.

I can use approximately eight firebolts if I slow them down and pace myself for the MP regen to kick in, seven if I need to spam them back to back... but its damage is trash.

It's a weapon that can work against ghosts, however, so I'll take it.

It isn't good enough that I'd try clearing the higher floors, but I've noticed that the monsters on each floor seem to change slightly every time I go in, and I don't trust it not to add a ghost or two to the earlier floors to screw me over.

I needed a weapon to actually counter them if I plan on using this dungeon until I head to Kuoh.

Isis has told me that to learn the Blacksmithing skill, I either need to track down manuals for it or a mentor to teach me the basics, so that has been put on hold for now.

I was hoping to craft better gear than the trash I've been picking off the undead, since if Skyrim taught me anything it is that you need blacksmithing to craft and improve the best gear in the game, but I have no leads on a manual nor do I know where I could get a mentor who I could trust.

Ugh, I have been doing way too much work lately... fucking DxD. All I want to do is sleep and relax, instead, I've spent my every waking moment, either grinding or studying to try and work out this irritating magic system.

Or trying to improve my nagas and ghouls, which has had decent success. Adding chameleon genes to the nagas gave them the ability to change their skin colour to better suit their surroundings, improving their stealth capabilities, and adding rhinoceros... which I definitely didn't poach, helped give my ghouls tougher skin.

But no horn, strangely enough.

I did learn something very interesting, however... by using the same animal repeatedly, I learnt a new passive skill from the process.

[Memories of Flesh]

Through the repeated experimentation with the flesh of different creatures, you have memorised the feeling of their flesh... and have taught your magic to mimic this feeling allowing you to replicate the effect without requiring the creature itself.

Flesh Mimicked – Rhinoceros (Thicker Skin, Tougher Bones), Chameleon (Colour Changing Skin)

...It's nice to know I'm not going to have to drive the Rhino into extinction just to get tougher ghouls.

Sighing to myself, I stretch slightly. I have time to do the lower floors of the dungeon again tonight... back to the grind.

...I loathe the early game so very much.

As I groan, Gadget pops out of my pocket, squeaking at me encouragingly. Nyx doesn't even look up from her self-grooming before she goes back to sleep.

- Later -

Collapsing onto my bed, I groan into my pillow.

We cleared the lower floors easily, but it was slow and time-consuming, fighting increasingly large hordes of skeletons and zombies.

Good news first, firebolt can take a weaker undead out in one or two hits, my ghouls improved endurance means that a lot of attacks don't even really phase them. I can spend less time healing, my Naga are becoming masters of ambushing and a lot of the time the undead don't even notice them until it is already too late, my hp is high enough that I don't need to worry so much about a single arrow killing me off any more.

Bad news, I've out levelled the first floors, and my experience gain has slowed to a crawl, ghosts can be killed by my firebolt, but they come in such large numbers that I can't take them all out, and they'll still beat me through pure numbers as I'm the only one in my party able to hit them and I'm tired as fuck.

All I have done for almost two weeks is study, grind, study some more, then wake up and do it all again.

I barely gained a single level this time, the lower floors of the dungeon are just not worth my time any more.

Kuro Dantalion, the Lord of House Dantalion

Race – Devil

Level – 13 (31%)

HP – 1500 [300 regen per five minutes]

MP – 3500 [400 regen per minute]

SP – 1500 [300 regen per minute]

STR – 10 (x10) = 100

END – 15 (x10) = 150

DEX – 10 (x10) = 100

INT – 35 (x10) = 350

WIS – 20 (x10) = 200

CHA – 25 (x20) = 500

LCK – 20 (x15) = 300

Stats – 0

I have no idea if these stats are even good, I need something to compare myself to, and the only other devil I have ever met is the strongest woman in the underworld, so she's not exactly a good choice.

...Which means Rias and Sona, plus their peerages, are my best bets to judge how strong I need to be.

Rias could be level twenty or level eighty, and I have no way of working it out until I see her.

I put so many points into Charisma simply because it has the best multiplier, but I need to remember... every devil is going to have the same multipliers as me. Hell, everyone who matters will have their own multipliers and when everyone has good bonuses, nobody does.

Hearing a knock on the door, I roll over with a sigh and sit up.

"Come in, Aria." I say after a moment, I don't need super senses to know who is on the other side, Helia works on a schedule, and she cleaned my room earlier, and the two farmers have never visited my room even once, why would they?

They deliver the food at the kitchens, so even if I order something it'd be Helia or Aria bringing it up to me... and Helia only comes here when called, on schedule or when I've sent for something.

Process of elimination.

As Aria enters, her eyes immediately run over me, locking onto my side where a skeleton warrior slashed me earlier, a large gash in my shirt with bloodstains around it. I healed it immediately after my first and favourite ghoul turned the skeleton into a pile of dust.

The pain was unpleasant, but the hp damage was trivial and healed seconds later.

"Lord Kuro... do you have a moment?" Aria asks as she walks closer, stopping a few feet away from me.

"This is one of the female trick questions where I have to listen to you no matter what I answer, isn't it?" I drawl as I sit up. "Sure, what is it?" I ask after a moment, even if I could send her away with a single word.

Aria basically raised old Kuro from my memories, the very least I can do is listen to her even if she's my slave.

"I..." Aria starts, before pausing to gather her thoughts. "I realise it isn't my place to question you, as you are the Lord of the house and I am simply your slave, but I am worried for you... you've spent every waking moment working recently, and it isn't like you. When you aren't reading or practising your magic, you are heading into the crypts with your horde of... creatures, and you don't return until nightfall." Aria says quickly, hesitance mixed with determination in her tone. "You've even skipped meals and naps, and you have been sleeping far less... it is my duty to ensure all your needs are met, but I cannot do that alone, I can have the greatest banquet prepared for you, but it does nothing if you simply take an apple and run off to study more."

She's never questioned me before, she doesn't know how I'll react... which is why she fidgets slightly as I stare at her, considering my response.

Of course, she saw my horde, I haven't exactly been subtle but then... why would I? It is my castle, why would I sneak around like a thief? Still, she knows enough not to bother questioning me over my magic. When she has seen me being followed around by three skeletal rats for years, I suppose it is easy to ignore the growing horde.

"I can't afford to take it so easily any more, this world is full of monsters, and I can't risk being weak now that I am the head of the family." I say after a moment, leaning back with a sigh. "The world is changing, and the big players aren't going to let me sit behind the wards forever, father put us in the spotlight by opening negotiations with the Satans, and it is too late to try and stick our heads back in the sand." I admit, even if I got Serafall to leave me alone, I'd just be delaying the inevitable. War might be approaching, and I'd rather have allies and power when it arrives than by cowering in my castle. "I appreciate the concern, but time is not on my side."

I trust the Dantalion castle wards against most things... but this world has too many ridiculous monsters.

Fucking DxD.

"You are right, of course but you have been working yourself too hard, I've never seen you like this before, you are overworking yourself... and it shows." Aria says calmly, still slightly nervous. "You've been frowning and sighing far more, and you barely have an appetite. You are the last Dantalion, you need to take better care of yourself." she says, moving closer.

I haven't been... that bad?

Okay fine, I skipped a few meals to practice the devil magic, and I have been spending quite a lot of time in the dungeon. I'm a devil of sloth damn it, I shouldn't get lectured overworking too hard...

But then, my envy and greed are pushing me to get strong enough to steal the sacred gears in Kuoh, or at least the people with them.

I have been feeling stressed, but I feel like that can be explained by the fact that I'm in fucking DxD, a death world disguised as a softcore hentai disguised as a shounen anime.

"I... will take your words under advisement, but I can't afford to not be ready when it is time for me to go to Kuoh." I admit, shrugging.

"And I am not suggesting that you stop working, simply that you take better care of yourself." Aria suggests, smiling slightly as she stops in front of me. "How can you expect to be at your best when you are half-asleep and skipping meals?"

...I sleep almost nine hours a day, just how lazy was my old self that she thinks I'm skipping sleep like this? Also, it's not like I haven't been eating, I just grabbed something light for breakfast and supper instead of having the larger meals, only having full meals at dinner and lunch.

"Very well, if it will make you feel better." I agree with a shrug. Aria is my mother in all but name, and while Nyra Dantalion was the one to actually give birth to me, she wasn't exactly motherly.

+10 Affection with Aria for listening to her concerns [55/100]

[The Slave Master] – Aria [50]

You have a natural way with the slaves under you, building their loyalty and causing all but the harshest treated slave to grow fond of the collar around their neck. You slaves will very rarely attempt to flee you or disobey your orders unless they are treated incredibly harshly or ordered to do things they utterly despise.

What... is that?

Part of the Reputation System, Master!

When a reputation or affection score reaches one of the milestones, fifty and one hundred, you gain a reward based on the person you hit the milestone with. Perks, Skills, Items, it changes based on the person.

I gain rewards just by getting people to like me?

Oh dammit... I'm going to have to become the Harem King just for all the rewards.

Well, that and the fun that comes from having a Harem, Master

Cough, Cough, Sin of Lust, Cough, Cough

Well, you have a point there. If I'm stuck in this world, I might as well enjoy the one good thing it has, hot women.

"Thank you for sparing some time to listen to me, my lord..." Aria says submissively, bowing deeply drawing my eyes to the deep cleavage her revealing dress leaves on display.

On that note... maybe I should try and see how well my new perk works. Purely for scientific purposes of course.

"Aria, I'm going to call it a night, but I require a bath first, Helia will be doing her rounds now, so I want you to join me." I say calmly, watching her smile remain unchanged as I rise, shrugging off my shirt easily.

- Aria -

Watching Kuro, the boy she had watched over since he was barely a child, toss his shirt away with a lazy smile, she let her eyes move to his surprisingly well-defined chest. It must be a Devil thing as Kuro certainly didn't work out.

It was strange, she had seen him naked many times over the years... but this time it was different, the slight strain against his trousers gave that away even if the slight hunger in his eyes didn't... this wasn't her lazy charge getting her to clean him, this was her new Lord deciding he wanted her... and realising there was no one to stop him any more.

Kuro had always been attracted to her, but then he was also a pervert... she wore revealing clothes knowing his eyes would be glued to her body, when he wasn't watching Helia move around in her tiny metal bikini or even his own mother.

Her plan required him to want her, which was why she never brought up the small wardstones she found in her bedroom and bathroom after his father taught Kuro how to make the surveillance wards, if Kuro wanted to spy on her in her private rooms then that was just helping her out in the long run.

Undoing his belt, he let his trousers drop, stepping out of them in just his boxers. The thin silk undergarments struggling to restrain the growing bulge as Kuro walked towards his en suite, causing her to quickly follow behind.

Moving ahead of him, she turned the taps for the massive bath, more of a small pool really, watching as it promptly filled up. Magic had its advantages, and the Dantalion's had spent hundreds of years improving everything they could get their hands on in their castle.

Turning back to her Lord, her master and owner to be exact, she waited until he was right in front of her and reached up, gently and slowly lowering her dress as she exposed inch after inch of her perfect pale skin.

One would think that slaves wouldn't have access to things like skin-cream, but they'd be wrong, Kuro's grandfather liked his slaves to look beautiful, and the rules he put into place were never removed.

Letting the dress fall, she paused for a moment as the straps fell to her waist, a pair of small, but incredibly perky breasts hanging freely as Kuro's eyes moved down to them, a smirk growing on his face.

Pausing for a moment, she carefully pushed her chest out, her breasts bouncing slightly as she did, before she moved her hands down to her waist and gripped her dress again, giving it the little push it needed to get past her ass and finally fall to the floor so she could step out of it, wearing nothing but a small green thong.

She always dressed sexily in case of wardrobe malfunctions, she still had all her sexy clothes from her old plan to seduce Kuro's father after all, and there was no need to let them go to waste.

Turning around, she bent over at the waist, her ass barely hidden by the thin green string sticking out towards him as she reached back and hooked her fingers under it, ever so slowly pulling them down.

As the thong was pulled passed her slit, she heard a hum of appreciation as she exposed herself to the boy... the man she had all but raised.

Slowly turning back around, she took a step forwards, her hardening nipples brushing against his bare chest as she slowly lowered herself down to her knees, staring up at him as she reached forwards and grasped his boxers, waiting just a moment for confirmation before she pulled them down.

She thought they were doing a bad job of restraining his slowly hardening shaft... but as it flopped forwards, slapping against her forehead, her eyes widened in shock... it had definitely done a good job of holding this beast down.

Part of her wondered what magic Kuro used to make himself bigger than he used to be, likely the same magic that gave him the chiselled six-pack and the clear muscle definition that didn't have a few weeks ago. The rest of her wrote it off as Devil nonsense.

If this was simply a case of her joining him to clean him like the good little slave girl she was, she should get up straight away and move to the already filled pool, but then this wasn't about that... and they both knew it.

Remaining on her knees instead, she nuzzled the hard cock slightly with her cheek as he reached down and stroked her long hair slightly, smirking his usual lazy smirk.

Standing up, she deliberately brushed her breasts against his manhood with a slight smirk of her own.

"Shall we, my lord?" Aria asked as she turned around, her rear pressing against his rock hard shaft for a moment before she started moving, walking into the pool with an enticing sway to her hips.

"Father said I was too old to have the servants clean me... but then he isn't around any more." Kuro drawled easily as he joined her.

"Mhmm... as the Lord of the house, the rules are whatever you decide they are. I read that your father changed the rules greatly when he took over, he would have no right to complain about you doing the same." Aria agreed calmly.

Kuro's grandfather, Lord Izan was a lascivious man, who picked dozens of woman to serve as his personal pleasure slaves, he also hated and looked down on almost every other race and got himself killed trying to capture Gabriel as his sex slave.

He actually managed to best Gabriel herself, but was slain by Michael himself, which marked the retreat of the Dantalion's from the great war.

Lord Iaxes's personal journals were simply sitting around in the library for anyone to read, which was how she knew so much. She had hoped to use them to help learn how to better seduce Iaxes, but the information was still useful.

Izan had not only been an incredibly powerful devil, perhaps not to the level of the current Satans but when he had time to prepare for a battle he was almost unbeatable, he also had a mindset very similar to the Old Satan Faction.

Iaxes hadn't mourned his father since, despite his immense power and skill, Izan was a tyrant even to his family, and Iaxes both feared and hated him.

Iaxes's hatred of the degeneracy so common in devils came from his hatred of his father, and it was why he had tried so hard to teach Kuro the importance of honour and fighting his devil nature...

Looking over her body with a lazy grin, Kuro took a seat at the other side of the pool, his body half-submerged in hot water, bubbles covering him.

"Well, Aria... come see to my needs." Kuro drawled in amusement, his eyes lingering on her chest as she bowed, approaching him.

Fortunately for her, he appeared to have failed.

- Kuro -

Leaning back in the warm water, I squeeze my right hand gently, enjoying the slight moan coming from Aria as I grope her firm ass, her breasts pushed against my side as she gently strokes my shaft.

Aria was right, I was overworking myself... I need some rest and relaxation if I want to be at my best, and this was exactly what I needed.

Aria is up to something, without the past Kuro's respect and affection for her I can tell that. I don't think it is anything bad for me... her obedience is at 100 after all, but she is certainly up to something.

She was too happy over being used for my pleasure, but it isn't lust on her part. 'Kuro' was a virgin, but I didn't die a virgin.

She's enjoying my touch, but there's more to this than that...

Hm, I will keep a close eye on her... a very, very close eye on her.

"That's it, my Lord... just relax and enjoy yourself. The rest of the underworld can wait a little longer." Aria whispers into my ear as she dances her surprisingly soft fingers along my length, placing kisses on my face, deliberately avoiding my lips.

I suppose she thinks kissing would be more intimate than a handjob for whatever reason.

Seeing no reason to edge myself, I just let go with a light grunt as Aria coos, my seed clouding the waters.

"Damn... I needed that." I admit with a satisfied sigh as she smiles at me.

"As I have said, it is my duty to ensure all your needs are met, My Lord... you simply need to call on Helia or me whenever you need any relief." Aria says calmly, stroking my chest gently.

"...I'll keep that in mind."

- Next Day -

"My Lord... a letter has arrived for you, from Lady Serafall." Aria says promptly as she enters my office, drawing my attention away from the grimoire I was reading. Wardcrafting is complicated as fuck, and this grimoire was making my head spin anyway.

I have managed to make a couple of working wards so far, using a few of the Jet stones I got... I used five stones and destroyed three by accident, so I only managed to make two working ward stones.

I only managed to get a single extra Dreadstone, and if this is how hard it is to make a common wardstone, then I am not risking my rare gems until I am better at this shit.

"Got it, just leave it on the desk." I order as I close my grimoire and put it back in my inventory. The good thing about Aria and Helia is that they know very little about magic, so they don't question anything they see and just explain it away as devil magic.

Picking the letter up, I skim through it before I groan to myself.

I'm not surprised she managed to get everything set up so quickly... but I would have liked a little more time to prepare. My home in Kuoh is ready, and she has arranged for a meeting between me, Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory.

Well, I wanted an idea of the levels of people, and this is a good opportunity to find out, especially if they bring their peerages along.

I have a list of things I need to work out, One... how strong is everyone in comparison to me? Two, have Issei and Saji (I'm like 60% sure that is his name) already been recruited? Three, if so, then where is Asia right now? Has she already met Issei? Fourth, where are the dungeons in Kuoh? Fifth, are Rias and Sona gonna be a problem?

I can probably work out most of those in this one meeting, and I'll be close enough to use the mini-map to find the dungeons as well.

"Thank you, Aria... and you Helia." I say with a small smile, even as I move my chair back and let Helia move from beneath my desk. Aria wasn't kidding about Helia being willing, and as she wipes at her mouth, she bows to me deeply and moves back to the corner of the room to await further orders.

She doesn't even mention the Naga in the other corner, my 'bodyguard'. I'm 99% sure I won't be attacked here, but let's not take any chances.

The nice thing about being a Devil Lord is that I can just say, this is my naga guard, and my slaves think nothing of it.

Somehow I don't think they will be so easy to explain to the other devils. At the end of the day, Fleshcrafting is my unique magic, and they can question me all they like, they aren't getting answers.

Three days, Sunday in human world terms, which makes sense since those two are playing student for some baffling reason. Rias is stuck in a marriage she doesn't want, and instead of acting like a devil, she is role-playing as a student in the human world.

Sure, it works for her in the source material, but that's because of shounen anime protag nonsense and the power of friendship.

Realistically, she wasted her time playing student and had no right to win, even Riser is supposed to have won a load of rating games basically by himself. He seems like an asshole, but he is an asshole who knows how to use his powers, and I have to assume he trained for his fire magic even if the regeneration is a lot more instinctual than my Wardcrafting.

That being said, my Wardcrafting is a lot more versatile than regeneration, and if I was good enough with my wards, I could almost certainly make a ward that gave regeneration to myself and my allies as long as we were under it.

Would it be as powerful as his own? Probably not until I get really, really good with them, but it is still something I can do.

Which makes my wards better than his regeneration, since I could also make a ward to imprison him and just negate his regeneration.

After all, what use is regeneration if you never actually take damage? Some form of stasis ward would leave him trapped and helpless without triggering his automatic bullshit regeneration power.

It's not like I'm expecting to have to fight him, I just like to have a plan for if I do.

- Sunday -

Power levelling is both hard and costly when you aren't sitting on your ass and playing with a controller.

I pushed myself deeper into the dungeon than ever before in the two days I had, and it cost me, not deeply but enough to convince me that heading to a more fertile land like Kuoh was a good idea.

Aside from me having to use all my own healing potions to save myself from pissed off ghosts, I lost all but one of my ghouls and two nagas before I retreated.

I remade them of course, and then made it, so I had ten ghouls and ten nagas but that cost more time and more resources, I'm completely out of adult women captives, and while I have quite a few adult men, they explode if I try to make a naga out of them.

No, I don't know why and yes it was a bit of a surprise when I found out.

All my losses got me was a bit more loot and two levels, barely. Ghosts give good exp, but they are a pain in the ass to kill since all my abominations can do is tank for me while I toss fire bolts at them. It's slow and ineffective, and eventually, I'm stuck waiting for my mp regen while ghosts attack me, and my ghouls take the hits.

But that means I can't heal them without losing more mp, which means I can't attack, which means we take more and more damage. I'm sure I can make a type of abomination that can deal damage to ghosts, I just need the right materials for it.

Unfortunately getting my hands on something capable of magic is a bit more complicated than getting venomous snakes or even a rhino.

Waiting in the conference room, Serafall had made for my new home, a rather extravagant eastern style manor. Apparently, it was already here before but the family who owned it, the Yamaoka family, fell into deep debt, and then things went... morbid. Double murder-suicide morbid.

The father went all psychotic after losing his job, murdered his wife and daughter with the family sword then killed himself.

Serafall just bought the place and had the crumbling manor restored to its full glory in less than a week (it was recent but the place was falling apart due to disrepair).

Do I care that I'm living in a murder/suicide house? No, I'm a fucking Necromancer. Besides, I can guarantee that more people died in my castle than here.

It's on the edge of the town, a nice walled-in estate with a decent amount of land around it, but not too much... which is nice since it means I have less to cover with wards. Before I came here, I used more Jet to make more common wardstones, and the first thing I did after arriving here was start warding.

Nothing special at the moment, just detection and surveillance wards. I've set up the system to control the surveillance wards in the basement, and I've got one of my nagas using it for now.

They don't speak as far as I can tell, just hiss sometimes, but they are surprisingly intelligent. Also, they don't really sleep from what I've been able to tell, so setting a couple of them inside the surveillance room and the rest in the grounds should help me make sure no-one I don't want gets into my home.

Even without me being on the surveillance myself, my detection wards alert me to the approaching people, four devils approaching up the main path, two more powerful than the other two. One feels... off, that is probably Akeno which would explain the hints of Holy I am getting from her.

My wards aren't good enough to give me more details than that yet, but they are still rather useful...

My home has no defences yet, but I had to use all but one of my wardstones to make the surveillance and detection wards cover all my estate and a little further (just a street or two in the direction of the town and some of the surrounding woodlands).

Having stronger wards that cover less area is actually nice, because I can essentially use extra wardstones as relays to expand the range. It's a bit complicated to tie them all together, but it means I can see everything in and around my lands from the safety of my basement.

I'll ward the security room separately later when I have more gems I can turn into wardstones.

Right now, I am not risking my Dreadstones with how many Jet stones I turned into useless shards, and these are just shitty common gems... I usually destroy one or two before I get a working wardstone.

A rare gem would be much harder to turn into a wardstone, and I only have two... which means I'm basically guaranteed to destroy them both for the moment. Obviously, that is not brilliant, so I need to wait until I am better at wardstone crafting before I try.

Or until I have more rare gems, I can risk which is the more likely scenario thanks to this...

[Wardstone Crafting (Apprentice)]

You are an apprentice at the art of forging wardstones, by taking rock and carving runes onto it.

Upgrade Quest

Craft 25 Wardstones [05/25]

Craft a Wardstone from a Rare or better Gemstone [0/1]

I need to make a rare wardstone, but I'm willing to bet my success rates are legitimately terrible at this point, so I need more rare gemstones.

Once this meeting is over, it's back to the grind.

But first... time to meet my peers.

- Bonus Scene – The Future Abomination Harem King -

Life was good for Issei Hyoudou.

Sure, he didn't have a girlfriend, and he was still a virgin... and he was one of the perverted trio that was already almost universally hated at Kuoh Academy... but things were looking up for him.

Heading towards his favourite spot, he snuck under the fence he and his friends had... adjusted a couple of weeks earlier with a smile, heading towards the hole to paradise.

After today, he wouldn't need to spy through a tiny hole to see his beloved Oppai any more, but he wanted one last look at the blessed paradise on the other side of the hole...

Which was why he felt his heart break as he finally arrived, only to find the sacred place defiled... heavy planks of wood nailed into the wall covering the hole that he used to get a sneak view of the Kendo clubs girls dressing room. He had timed this perfectly, Rin should be getting undressed right this moment... and it was taken from him at the last moment.

He didn't even need to guess which bastard had done this... Shirou Emiya, that god damn wannabe hero of justice. An unpaid janitor was more like it, of course, he'd fix up a hole if anyone told him about it.

Maybe he even got a hug from Murayama as a reward... that bastard.

Despite this setback, he didn't let his hopes fade as he snuck away... because while he wanted to see Rin's naked body, why just see Oppai when he'd be touching it soon?

You see, he had been given an offer by one of the girls who didn't hate him so much that she wouldn't speak to him at all.

Aoi might have fairly small Oppai, but he was a man of culture... any Oppai were still Oppai, and all Oppai were fantastic. Besides, she also had one of the greatest asses in Kuoh.

She offered him a date and even promised to let him touch her breasts as much as he wanted to if he did him a favour.

All he had to do was steal someone's clothes while they were in the shower, and while he didn't really want to touch guy clothes, it was worth it. He just threw Shinji's clothes in the river anyway and made sure he had nothing else he could change into.

Watching him flee the school holding his bag above his dick was pretty funny even if he had to see guy ass.

Heading to their meetup point, he quickly ate a mint to help with his breath and tried to straighten his hair.

Spotting Aoi waiting by the gate, he rushed over with a broad smile.

"I did it! So now I get a date, right?" Issei said quickly as she smiled at him, running a hand through her curly brown hair.

"Mhmm... here you go." Aoi said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a fairly large wrinkly brown fruit. "One date, as promised."

"Bwah- Waht?"

As his brain attempted to reboot from its blue screen, it started to occur to him that he might have been played for a fool.

"What's wrong? It's a very nice date, just like I promised." Aoi said with a smile.

"But... but- you said I'd be able to touch your breasts? You said I could squeeze and even lick them if I wanted to." Issei said in protest as her smile grew into a wicked smirk.

"Ooh... right. I almost forgot." Aoi said nodding as she reached back into her bag as she pulled out a packaging.

Handing it over, he stared at the wrapped chicken breast dumbly even as he heard her giggle.

"By the way, Shinji is looking for you, something about a video of you sneaking around carrying a load of clothes?" Aoi mentioned as she walked away to join her friends, bursting into laughter as she did. Whether it was the way she tricked him or the fact that he was crying slightly, she found so funny he didn't know...

This... this wasn't fair.

Hearing Shinji shout his name, he tossed the chicken aside and fled the school as fast as he could.

Today had been terrible, he was played for a fool, the hole of paradise had been blocked, and the girls would be on guard for any attempts to make another one, and he didn't even get his promised Oppai...

There was no way things could get worse.

In his haste to get away from the scene of the crime, he failed to notice the slight shimmer as he ran through the park, a pair of silted yellow eyes following him.

The Naga hissed to herself, slithering away unseen. She was just on scouting duties, after all, no need to attack the target just yet.

- Bonus Scene – Pride of a Phoenix -

Leaning back in his seat, Riser groaned to himself as he read the letter from his father. His father, Rakul Phenex, and Lord Gremory had pushed the marriage forwards... again.

Before it was meant to be until Rias had turned twenty-one originally, but they were constantly pushing it closer and closer. They were immortal, so why were they rushing this so much? What were a few years to a pair of lords that had been around during the great war?

And no doubt Rias would blame him for this.

Rias spent a lot of time blaming him for her every trouble, for taking away her freedom. He doubted she'd ever even considered that he was just as caught off guard by this when their parents finally revealed when Rias turned thirteen.

He never asked to be engaged to her, the contract was signed when she was born, and he was barely three years old... and yet Rias needed someone to blame for all her troubles, and it was always him.

He had accepted that it was going to happen, he was the third son of a noble family, marrying for the sake of an alliance was practically expected of him, but then he actually met his betrothed...

Rias Gremory was already a cute young woman even at the young age of thirteen... he knew right then that she would be a true beauty when she was older, not like it was a surprise with Venelana as a mother...

Then she opened her mouth, and she was suddenly far less cute, everything he had heard about her told him she was the darling daughter of the Gremory House, friendly and loving...

He saw none of that as the spoiled brat shouted and screamed at him as if he had personally arranged this.

So he gave her space, even as their fathers tried to push them together, and even as years passed, as the teenage brat 'grew up', she never changed.

When she turned sixteen, their fathers forced them to go on a 'date', despite Rias making it clear that she despised him... he'd been the perfect gentleman despite her bitterness and insults, despite her belief that he was a beast of a man who could only think with his dick.

His reward was a video of her throwing her drink in his face posted on the Devilnet for all his peers to see.

And naturally, he was the bad guy in the court of public opinion... Rias was the beautiful darling little sister of the Satan Lucifer, he was just some third son. The video hadn't been close enough to record sound, so it was assumed he had made some crass suggestion to the innocent girl...

He'd simply complimented her on her dress.

Sirzechs Lucifer glared at him so hard when he took her home that he was convinced he was going to die, and Grayfia Lucifuge hadn't been much better. Like he'd ever be dumb enough to try anything on the Satan-damned little sister of Lucifer. His position as a member of the House Phenex could only protect him so much, and he was arrogant (he could admit that), he wasn't suicidal.

Rias Gremory was the bane of his existence.

But if he let her break off their engagement... it would not only embarrass him but embarrass his entire family. Rias was practically a celebrity herself thanks to Sirzechs boasting about her to everyone who would listen and most people who wouldn't... if Rias found him so terrible that she'd defy her family to get out of marrying him then his reputation would be stained forever.

His family's reputation would be besmirched simply by association.

He didn't want Rias, he had a harem already... and yes, she was beautiful, but she'd never bed him, she'd made that clear... and even if it would be his right once they were married, forcing himself on a Satan's little sister would be a wonderful way to prove that no, Phenex's weren't that immortal.

Not that hate-fucking Rias Gremory wouldn't almost be worth it. She'd look amazing on her back, legs spread for him, even as she glared and spat insults at him as he took her purity and filled her up... and then Sirzechs would kill him because she cried to him.

He had fantasised over her, and her Peerage members Akeno and Koneko, both for their bodies and their talents... and while he'd love to make that mocking half-fallen shut up and... apologise for her every sugar-coated insult, to put that acidic mouth to better us as she knelt before him... and then Rias would go to Sirzechs, who would erase him from existence for putting the disrespectful bitch in her place.

Koneko was less irritating, even if her constant quiet accusations of 'Ecchi' made him want to show her what real Ecchi looked, and felt, like. She'd make the cutest sounds as he pounded her tight little pussy from behind, pulling her tails... and then he'd die to a fucking Satan.

No amount of pleasure was worth his disintegration. Why couldn't he have been engaged to a girl who didn't have an overprotective Satan as an older sibling?

He also considered adding them to his own Peerage, each member of Rias's Peerage had the potential to be amazing... then he realised that they were an under trained bundle of mental issues that he wanted nothing to do with.

His Peerage wasn't as strong as it could be... but they also didn't have the countless issues every single member of Rias's Peerage had. A half-fallen who just wouldn't use the Light magic that could make her a powerhouse? A Nekoshou who was terrified of her own powers? The Dhampir with a powerful sacred gear that was too afraid to leave his room? He didn't know what Kiba's problem was, but he was sure he had some deep trauma or daddy issues.

And Rias didn't seem to even try and fix them, instead of coddling them... a spoiled princess playing house with a bunch of broken dolls.

Yubelluna had been a gift for him on his thirteenth birthday, the daughter of two reincarnated devils who had a great talent for Explosion magic, she'd been recruited as his Queen, and she was happy where she was.

"MmMmmm."

Smiling to himself, he stroked her silky purple hair as she bobbed her head. Rias just didn't get it, seeing him as a degenerate for treating his Peerage like a harem... almost every male devil did the same, even her own father had a Peerage of beautiful women.

Ravel had been added to his Peerage because his parents wanted her to get some experience in rating games before they thought she was ready to have her own Peerage... despite rumours that she was a part of his harem, he was basically just babysitting his baby sister, even if she was impressively powerful herself.

Marion and Burent were maids of the Phenex family, and most of the rest had been recruited from the Phenex family lands, none were in his Peerage by force.

In truth, Ravel had gathered most of them, after she decided his Peerage needed filling out, since he had never been that interested in building a peerage as he had won most Rating Games single-handedly and had no real interest in joining the higher level Rating Games like his brother had.

So many devils had harems... and he was the villain for having one of his own? Rias was so... unreasonable.

Groaning, he let himself go as Yubelluna sucked harder, smirking up at him as he started to cum, his seed flooding her mouth.

Holding in place, she waited a moment before she pulled back, audibly gulping with a smirk before she opened her mouth, moving her tongue around to show how empty her mouth was.

"Will that be all, my king?" Yubelluna asked, her eyes lingering on his still hard shaft.

"For now... but send Ile and Nel up to my room, would you?" Riser 'asked', making her bow deeply, her breasts bouncing slightly as she did.

Honestly, Rias had an overly high opinion of herself... he had his life set, why would he want to ruin it by wanting a wife who literally despised him?

He was the bigger victim of the two, stuck with her for a fiancée.

More Chapters