Back at the camp, the massive bonfire had long since been lit. Towering flames roared upward, radiating heat and light, providing ample illumination for the area.
The Underworld had no sun, and no moon either. The sky above was pitch-black, devoid of any natural light source, so the bonfire was the only thing keeping the camp visible.
Of course, even without light it wouldn't really matter. Most creatures in the Underworld had night vision, devils included. But once night fell, the temperature around the camp dropped sharply—by more than twenty degrees—bringing it close to freezing. Even devils felt the chill, so lighting a fire for warmth was necessary.
Under these conditions, Yukino and the others returned, completely worn out.
Only Leo was nowhere to be seen.
That alone made the girls grind their teeth in frustration.
"He actually ran away. How shameless," Yukino said through clenched teeth.
"Where could he even go at a time like this?" Asuna analyzed seriously, clearly not ready to give up on getting payback. "He didn't just hide in a tent, did he?"
"If he were hiding in a tent, we'd spot him instantly," Utaha snorted, irritation dripping from her voice. "He's not that careless."
"With senpai's strength, he'd be fine anywhere," Mahiru said helplessly. "He probably went back into the Ancient Battlefield."
The girls exchanged looks. Knowing Leo, that was entirely possible.
After all, he wasn't afraid of ghosts at all—and they'd just had a bad experience there. Even if they knew he was hiding in the Ancient Battlefield, none of them would dare go back.
Thinking about that only made them angrier.
Just then, a bat flew in from the distance and transformed into a humanoid shape in front of them.
They immediately recognized it as one of Leo's familiars.
The familiar pointed toward a nearby tent, making the girls pause.
"Is it telling us to go over there?" Asuna asked, looking at the tent.
"That tent hasn't been used, has it?" Utaha said after observing it for a moment.
"What's inside?" Mahiru grew curious.
"Is he hiding there? Did he send a familiar to call us over?" Yukino said, already striding forward as she spoke, marching toward the tent with obvious momentum.
The others immediately followed, clearly ready to settle accounts with Leo together.
But when they lifted the tent flap and stepped inside, the sight that greeted them made all of them freeze.
The interior of the tent was completely empty—no equipment at all. Only a pool had been constructed in the center of the ground.
Several statues stood around it, continuously spraying water inside. Thick steam rose from the surface, making it immediately obvious what it was.
"A hot spring!" Asuna exclaimed first, her voice filled with surprise and excitement.
The others' eyes lit up as well, their earlier anger instantly replaced by delight.
"Why is there a hot spring here?"
"This doesn't look like something that was already here."
"It must've just been built. The bricks are all new."
Yukino, Utaha, and Mahiru all spoke in turn.
"This must be the 'surprise' he mentioned, right?" Yukino quickly pieced it together.
And she was right.
Leo knew very well that this round of special training was intense. For the sake of the future, he had no intention of going easy—he'd already decided to push his servants hard. The next month was going to be rough for them.
They were still girls. Even after reincarnating as devils and gaining much stronger bodies, training in a place like the Ancient Battlefield was taxing. Their bodies might hold up, but mentally it was another story.
So, to reward his servants after a full day of grueling training, Leo had his familiars build a hot spring here, letting the girls relax both body and mind.
Once they realized this, the lingering resentment toward Leo finally began to fade.
"At least he had the sense to prepare something like this," Utaha muttered. Her snort had softened into something closer to a huff—most of her anger was gone.
"I can't believe we get to soak in a hot spring here."
"There are bathing supplies too."
Asuna had already started testing the water temperature, while Mahiru noticed stools, soap, and wooden buckets tucked into a corner.
Everything needed for bathing was ready. All that was missing were the people.
After a full day of training, their clothes were in tatters. Dirt, sweat, and grime coated their pale skin, turning it gray.
Girls naturally cared about cleanliness. During training, they hadn't had the luxury to worry about it—but now that a hot spring was right in front of them, how could they resist?
They felt filthy. Sticky. Uncomfortable.
No—extremely uncomfortable.
"So… should we go in?" Mahiru asked cautiously.
Why hesitate?
Because a certain guy might suddenly pop out at any moment.
"He wouldn't be hiding somewhere to peek, would he?" Utaha said bluntly, not hiding her distrust of Leo.
"If it's the president… he probably wouldn't do that," Asuna said, though her tone lacked confidence.
"He wouldn't peek," Yukino said after thinking it over, shaking her head.
"And why do you think that?" Utaha asked skeptically. "I don't see him as a gentleman."
"He's obviously not," Yukino replied calmly. "But knowing him, if he wanted to watch, he'd just come in openly. There'd be no need to sneak around."
"After all, he's always saying we're all his, and that whatever he wants to do with us is only natural."
"I trust him more to just lift the curtain and come in to soak with us."
The tent went silent.
Painfully so.
Because… she wasn't wrong.
At least, based on what they knew of Leo, that was entirely possible.
"Isn't that even more worrying?" Mahiru muttered.
The girls exchanged uneasy glances.
"He's not actually going to come in, right?"
"Should we block the entrance?"
"What would that do? If he really wants to come in, even sealing the whole tent with a barrier wouldn't stop him."
Utaha, Asuna, and Yukino began discussing countermeasures, trying to think of a way to prevent it.
But no matter how much they thought, they couldn't come up with anything reliable. In the end, they hesitated, too afraid to enter the hot spring.
Finally, Mahiru bit her lip and made up her mind.
"If senpai really wants to do something… we wouldn't be able to stop him anyway. We might as well follow our hearts."
She remembered the conversation she'd had with Leo on the day she became a devil.
"You're not going to do anything weird to me, are you?"
"Maybe. Who knows—maybe one day I'll feel like it."
"You're pretty straightforward. Aren't you afraid you'll scare me away?"
"A devil scaring people away—isn't that normal? If you're already a devil, why worry so much? Living according to your desires, doing whatever you want—that's what a devil is."
Mahiru remembered clearly that it was after hearing those words that she accepted the Evil Piece Leo offered her and reincarnated as a devil.
Which meant that from that day on, she'd already accepted the reality of becoming Leo's servant—and the possibility of a future where he might do as he pleased.
What truly moved her, though, was another line.
"The one who'll stay by your side through the long years ahead won't be your parents. It'll be me—and the companions under my command, servants just like you."
That was what sealed her resolve.
If he was someone who would accompany her through the long years ahead, someone who would give her the recognition she needed… then so be it.
At worst, she'd consider it a servant's perk for her master.
Mahiru's cheeks flushed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she began to undress.
More than anything, she really couldn't take it anymore—she was just too dirty.
Seeing that their underclassman had already started undressing, the other girls looked at each other, then sighed.
"Well… we are servants."
"And after seeing this hot spring, there's no way we can pretend it doesn't exist."
"If he dares to come in suddenly, we'll settle accounts with him later."
Yukino, Asuna, and Utaha each convinced themselves in their own way, then followed suit, shedding their clothes and revealing bodies stained with dust and mud.
Naturally, they didn't step straight into the hot spring. Instead, they grabbed wooden buckets, rinsed off the grime, and only then eased into the water.
"Haa…"
The next moment, they all let out a long sigh, their expressions relaxing.
"So comfortable," Asuna said happily, clearly the biggest bath lover among them. "It feels like all of today's fatigue just melted away."
"Look—the wounds are healing," Utaha said, raising her arm. The cuts and scrapes vanished at a visible rate, making her click her tongue in amazement. "This water wasn't brought in from outside, was it?"
"It can heal injuries too?" Mahiru blinked. "Did they add Underworld medicinal herbs or something?"
"Probably. Even hot springs with healing properties wouldn't work this fast otherwise."
"The water's coming out of those statues. Maybe it's something they're doing."
"Well, it is devil stuff. Being weird is normal."
The girls began chatting happily, full of praise and affection for the hot spring.
Only Yukino remained quiet. For some reason, she hadn't said much since they got in, keeping silent.
"What's wrong, Yukino?" Asuna noticed quickly and asked, puzzled. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"It's nothing," Yukino replied coldly, completely unlike the others basking in bliss. "I just don't feel like talking."
Her overly cool and gloomy attitude left Asuna and Mahiru confused.
Only Utaha raised an eyebrow, her gaze drifting downward toward Yukino's chest—then she smiled.
Like a fox that had just stolen something tasty.
"It's okay, Yukino," Utaha said gently. "You're still growing. There's still plenty of room for improvement."
One sentence was all it took.
Asuna and Mahiru instantly understood.
"W-Who even cares about that?!" Yukino snapped, as if someone had stepped on her tail.
"Oh? You don't care?" Utaha narrowed her eyes, smiling. "Then why have you been sneaking glances at us this whole time—especially me?"
As she spoke, she deliberately pushed her chest forward, sending exaggerated ripples through the water.
The sight was devastating.
"You did that on purpose!" Yukino clenched her fists.
"I'm just showing you a role model," Utaha teased. "Giving you motivation to grow. This is about feminine charm—you should take it seriously. You don't have to beat Asuna, but at least don't lose to Mahiru, your junior."
Asuna and Mahiru immediately flushed, instinctively sinking lower into the water.
But Yukino still caught a glimpse of their pale curves—and nearly spiraled into self-doubt.
Among the servants, Utaha was clearly the most developed, followed by Asuna. Even though Mahiru was a first-year, she didn't lose to the upperclassmen at all. If Asuna weren't so obviously the type who'd never leave her future kids hungry, even as a second-year she might not beat that angel.
Only Yukino…
She might as well change her name to Yukinoshita Flat-no.
Normally, she didn't think about things like this. But now that they were all naked together in the bath, there was no avoiding it.
The cruel reality made her dizzy, feeling like the world was unfairly targeting her.
"My mom and my sister are both so big… so why am I—" she muttered bitterly.
Asuna and Mahiru quickly tried to comfort her when they saw she was about to shut down.
Meanwhile, Utaha hummed smugly, as if she'd just scored a small victory.
Outside the tent, the night echoed with voices and occasional laughter from the men's camp.
Perched atop a tent, Leo smiled faintly. Four wings spread from his back as he leapt into the air, flying off toward the Ancient Battlefield.
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You can read up to chapter 177 on patreon.com/NiaXD.