"Are you at the mansion?"
From the palm-sized magic circle, Sona's small projection hovered in the air. Her cool, even voice drifted out, clear and calm like falling glass beads.
"Yeah, just got back." Leo shifted the magic circle into his palm, holding up the image of the girl with a smile. "I should thank you for giving it to me as a gift."
"It was only a small token." Sona adjusted her glasses and said evenly, "For something as significant as your promotion to High-Class Devil, you deserved something far more valuable. But my family—including my sister—felt it would be better not to interfere too much with your growth. That would only do you more harm than good. So, all I could send was a little something from the human world. I hope you don't mind."
"Mind? Not at all." Leo shrugged. "To you, it might be a modest gift, but in the human world, this is anything but small."
After all, a mansion this large—right in central Chiba City, where every inch of land costs a fortune—was something even most wealthy humans couldn't obtain. Money alone wasn't enough.
But for devils, acquiring such a property was child's play.
No need for illegal means either—just a few words to the right officials eager to trade favors for power, and securing land became effortless.
Building the mansion was even simpler. With the power of devils, something like that could be completed overnight.
So for the next head of the Sitri House, yes, this gift was "small."
But for Leo, who'd lived his whole life among humans, it was more than enough.
Sona could tell his gratitude was genuine, and her expression softened slightly.
"If you need anything else, just tell me anytime," she said, then shifted the topic. "So? Have you found any potential servants yet?"
"More or less." Leo smiled. "I'm just not sure if fate's going to play along with that girl or not."
"The same girl you mentioned before?" Sona's eyes sharpened behind her glasses. "Have you confirmed she really has that thing?"
"Pretty much," Leo replied, recalling an incident that happened right after the new semester began. His smile deepened. "If nothing unexpected happens, it should awaken soon."
"Then you'd better hurry." Sona warned, "For an ordinary human who's never been exposed to the supernatural, awakening that kind of power could easily lead to loss of control. It might cause serious consequences. You should turn her into your servant as soon as possible."
"I'm not in a rush," Leo said lazily. "There's still time. I'm not even sure if we're really fated for that kind of bond yet. I'll observe her for a while first."
"As long as you know what you're doing." Sona nodded, but her expression suddenly turned serious. "Lately, it seems other factions have entered Chiba City. They're likely drawn by that girl's power. Be careful."
"Other factions?" Leo's brow rose, his posture straightening slightly. "The Church? Or our lovely neighbors from the Underworld?"
"The latter," Sona said coolly. "If it were the Church, I wouldn't have needed to warn you."
The centuries-long conflict among devils, angels, and fallen angels had only cooled into an uneasy truce. Now, since all three sides relied on the human world to survive, each had carved out territories and networks across it.
In Chiba Prefecture, the Church's influence was the strongest, while devils and fallen angels had relatively weak footholds.
Leo had crossed paths with the Church more than once, even clashed with their people a few times in Chiba City. If they showed up again, it wouldn't be anything new.
"So those feathered pests have their eyes on this patch of land too?" Leo muttered, a dangerous grin tugging at his lips. "Perfect. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting our 'good neighbors' yet."
"Don't underestimate them," Sona cautioned. "The three factions are in a delicate ceasefire. There's no large-scale war, but skirmishes still happen. Everyone's being careful—we don't want another disaster that leaves us on the brink of extinction. Don't be the one who starts something big."
"Relax." Leo nodded. "As long as it's not someone with a background as heavy as yours, I can kill whoever shows up and nobody will make a fuss."
"Acting recklessly could hurt your reputation with the higher-ups," Sona said sternly. "You've just been promoted to High-Class Devil, and your lineage makes you stand out. Many eyes are on you. If you want to restore the Eligos House, you'll need to act properly and gain more support."
"Sure, sure." Leo smirked faintly. "As long as those old geezers stop bringing up the fact that I'm a half-breed, I'll be perfectly happy."
Sona fell silent.
She knew too well what it meant for a half-human devil to inherit a pureblood devil house—especially when the human half came from a Church exorcist. To those who viewed the Church as their mortal enemy, the very idea was intolerable.
If not for the fact that Leo carried the bloodline of a once-prominent house now long extinct—and if he hadn't proven himself valuable in unique ways—he'd never have become a High-Class Devil, let alone the heir to the Eligos House.
With most pureblood devil families already wiped out, the Underworld desperately needed new blood. Even if Leo was mixed, the existence of pureblood lineage within him made him too valuable to discard.
Of course, the opposition was still there—especially among the older generation, stuck in their ancient ways and clinging to outdated customs that should've died centuries ago.
To them, Leo's very existence was an eyesore.
Fortunately, the Underworld was now led by reformists. The current Four Great Maou weren't conservative fossils—they were actively pushing for reform, even supporting Leo's inheritance of the Eligos name. Otherwise, he would never have been allowed to take the title.
Still, Sona thought, it was best not to let him get dragged too deep into the politics between the old and new factions.
"Anyway, just be careful," Sona said again. "And make sure to gather loyal servants soon. They'll be your greatest support in the future."
She paused for a beat, then adjusted her glasses again as if remembering something.
"Oh, and my sister asked me to check—when are you planning to start dating?"
"...Huh?"
Leo blinked, completely thrown off.
What kind of topic switch was that?
"Don't look at me like that," Sona said, giving him a sidelong glance. "You're a High-Class Devil now, and the Eligos House is being revived under you. A lot of people in the Underworld are... interested in the continuation of your family line."
A dark line of exasperation ran down Leo's forehead.
"Then please tell them I'm still young and they can stop worrying about my love life!"
Dating? Seriously?
He was a devil, not an incubus—why should he care about that sappy stuff?
Besides, being in a relationship meant wasting time sweet-talking someone, coddling them, spending hours trying to please them. What was the point?
Wouldn't it be better to train and get stronger? Or focus on recruiting obedient servants?
No, he wasn't going to fall in love. Not in this lifetime.
If he liked someone, he'd seduce her, tempt her, make her offer up her soul—and then her body and mind would belong to him. She'd be the one pampering him, protecting him, serving him...
That's what a devil should do.
After lunch, with plenty of time to spare, Leo descended into the mansion's underground levels.
The basement was massive—far larger than the mansion above, easily big enough to fit several football fields.
On closer look, countless intricate magic circles were etched into the surrounding walls, forming a faint, transparent barrier that enveloped the entire space.
This was the private training ground Sona had prepared for him.
Ever since moving into the mansion, Leo had been using it to train.
"Whoosh!"
Unfurling his devil wings, Leo soared into the air, hovering mid-space.
He closed his eyes, slowly channeling his demonic power until waves of energy flared around him like a burning aura.
Demonic power—the core and essence of every devil.
Devils could bring supernatural phenomena into reality through imagination, and demonic power was the fuel that made it possible.
With enough focus and will, whatever a devil imagined could be made real.
Of course, that didn't mean devils could make anything happen on a whim. The more complex and powerful the effect, the greater the imagination and skill required. That's why most devils used their demonic power in the simplest way possible—by turning it into projectiles, beams, or blasts for straightforward destruction.
Leo was no exception.
A deep hum filled the air as countless brilliant magic circles unfolded behind him, transforming into floating cannons.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In the next instant, a storm of demonic blasts rained down, exploding against the ground below with thunderous force.