"Let's go."
Takeyo extended his hand toward Yuuma, a gesture that had become familiar between them over the past few hours.
"My lord... would you be willing to call me by that name instead?" Yuuma asked, her cheeks flushing slightly as she gazed up at him. "Yuuma Amano, I mean."
Her eyes held depths of emotion that hadn't been there before, not just the manufactured devotion of a manipulator playing a role, but something far more genuine. Faith. Yearning. Perhaps even the beginnings of love, though that last element remained complicated by her transformation.
"Hm? Why that name specifically?" Takeyo asked, activating the power of his fifth incarnation even as he spoke.
"Because..." Yuuma hesitated, her blush deepening. "Because that's the name I was using when I first met you, my lord. It feels... special now."
The two figures vanished into the spatial fissure, her words lingering in the dimensional crack for just a moment before that too disappeared.
In Takeyo's modest villa, two figures materialized instantly in the living room.
"Your primary duty from now on will be as a maid in this household," Takeyo said, studying Yuuma as she gazed at him with unwavering devotion. "Do you understand?"
The abrupt shift in her identity still felt somewhat surreal to him. He'd never before experienced the peculiar sensation of being the object of someone's absolute faith. The transition had happened so quickly that it created a faint sense of cognitive dissonance.
"By the way, just call me Master or Takeyo-sama," he added after a moment's consideration. "The whole 'my lord' thing makes me feel like some kind of religious cult leader."
Though on second thought, Gautama Buddha technically did qualify as one of the most successful spiritual leaders in history. In the cosmology of Mondaiji-tachi, Buddha existed as a double-digit entity, a being of immense cosmic power, comparable to figures like the God of the Bible at the absolute pinnacle of divine authority.
"Understood... Master," Yuuma said, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips as she smiled with genuine warmth.
"Don't just stand there staring at me," Takeyo said, shifting uncomfortably under her intense gaze. "Go clean the rooms or prepare dinner or something."
Having lived alone for so long, aside from occasional weekend housekeeping services, he found constant observation deeply uncomfortable. The weight of her unwavering attention felt almost tangible.
"Yes, Master," Yuuma practically purred, licking her hand again with a coquettish expression that bore no resemblance to the innocent facade she'd maintained earlier.
Of course, she could easily switch back to that pure, naive schoolgirl persona if the situation required it. The transformation would be seamless, as natural as breathing.
Takeyo couldn't help but notice that the hand she'd just licked was the same one that had been in contact with him moments ago. This behavior ventured well beyond simple religious devotion into territory that could only be described as... obsessive. Potentially even disturbing, if he was being completely honest with himself.
"Finally! Time for some quality studying!" Takeyo announced with genuine enthusiasm once Yuuma's burning gaze had finally departed.
Without her intense scrutiny, he could resume his magical education in peace. He retrieved Ajuka's crystal orb and restarted his studies with renewed focus.
The advanced courses proved considerably more challenging than the foundational material he'd mastered earlier.
"Compatibility and Coordination Between Fairy Magic and Alchemy... Comparative Analysis of Nordic Magic and Wizard Magic Systems..."
"Deployment and Application of Multiple Seal Magic Circles... Comprehensive Application of Magic Characteristics... The Transfer Process of Soul-Type Artifacts..."
The complexity was exhilarating. Learning genuinely brought him joy, not the shallow satisfaction of trivial entertainment, but the profound fulfillment that came from genuine intellectual growth. The feeling of becoming more complete, more capable, more powerful through knowledge was deeply reassuring. True security didn't come from wealth or status, but from possessing the power to protect everything that mattered.
"He really did trust me with all of this," Takeyo mused, a slight frown crossing his features as he discovered a particular subject. "The Possibility of Magic and Sacred Power Working Together."
His frown deepened. "Did he not worry at all about what I might learn? Or was he hoping I'd piece together the message that the God of the Bible has died?"
That revelation hung in the air, heavy with implications.
While Takeyo immersed himself in his studies, Yuuma observed her new master from a distance.
"Ah,~ how sacred, how wise, how full of charm and intelligence," she whispered reverently. "This is my lord,~"
The passion and absolute belief she'd once directed toward Azazel had been completely transferred onto Takeyo. The conversion was total, consuming, without reservation or doubt.
"Oh! That's right!" Yuuma suddenly remembered something crucial. "According to my lord's will, I must become a qualified maid!,"
Being useful to her lord represented the entire meaning of her existence now. She had to complete her assigned task perfectly. Failure was simply unacceptable.
She quickly pulled out her smartphone. Despite being a fallen angel, she had no qualms about utilizing useful human technology. The device proved invaluable for modern living.
"This one!" she exclaimed, eyes lighting up as she found exactly what she needed.
The article title read, "How to Develop Into a Perfect Maid."
"Perfect! That's it!" Yuuma declared enthusiastically.
Though she wasn't yet a perfect maid, she would become one eventually. That goal would guide her every action from this point forward.
Yuuma Amano set this objective for herself with absolute determination.
Meanwhile, Takeyo had fully entered his learning trance, completely unaware of Yuuma's intense observation or her newfound life mission.
Time always seemed to fly during study sessions. Hours passed like minutes when his mind was fully engaged.
However, something eventually pulled him from his focused state.
"ROOOOAR!"
A wave of dragon aura erupted from somewhere not far away, powerful enough to make the air itself tremble with pressure.
"That presence... it's the Red Dragon Emperor!" Takeyo's eyes narrowed as he immediately recognized the signature energy.
It seemed something had gone seriously wrong with Issei Hyoudou.
[Eighth Incarnation: Krishna!]
Switching to his eighth incarnation, Takeyo expanded his sensory perception to its absolute limit, quickly locating the source of the disturbance and assessing the situation surrounding the Red Dragon Emperor.
"This situation is..." Takeyo shook his head slowly, a mixture of exasperation and sympathy crossing his features. "Looks like you're still unlucky as ever, Issei."
"Yuuma, I need to step out briefly," Takeyo called toward the kitchen where his new maid was working. "Stay here at home."
Without waiting for her response, Takeyo took a single step forward and vanished completely from the villa.
"I look forward to welcoming you back, my lord," Yuuma murmured respectfully, dropping into a half-kneeling position as if he were still present to see her devotion.
Using the power of Vamana the Dwarf, Takeyo arrived at Issei's home in an instant, materializing in the boy's room.
"Well..." Takeyo sighed heavily at the scene before him.
Issei Hyoudou lay in a pool of his own blood, his life rapidly fading. The wound was catastrophic, fatal, by any reasonable medical assessment.
According to his current injuries, even if Rias used her Devil chess pieces to attempt reincarnation, there might not be enough time to save him. The damage was simply too extensive.
Strictly speaking, Issei was already technically a corpse at this point. Even the Sekiryuutei, Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, was beginning to separate from his host's body, preparing to depart as the divine weapon mechanism dictated. That was why dragon aura had leaked out, creating the disturbance Takeyo had sensed.
"You should return to your host," Takeyo said calmly, addressing the departing dragon spirit directly.
"Huh? Are you kidding me, kid?" A trace of disdain flickered in the emerald-like eyes of the Red Dragon Emperor's manifestation.
Ddraig's tone made his skepticism clear. In this situation, even the most powerful healing magic would prove useless. Unless this boy could somehow produce Phoenix Tears, an incredibly rare and expensive healing elixir, right this instant, the host was beyond saving. And what were the odds this random kid possessed such a treasure?
Besides, Ddraig had long wanted to break free from this exceptionally weak host. If this particular host awakened properly, he might have a chance, but as things stood, Ddraig felt certain he would lose his eternal rivalry with the White Dragon Emperor if he remained with Issei Hyoudou. Better to find a more suitable wielder.
Of course, if this host did somehow manage to awaken his potential, Ddraig would naturally fulfill his duties as both sacred gear and combat partner. But until then...
"I said," Takeyo repeated with slightly more emphasis, "you can go back now."
Ddraig prepared to ignore this foolish human entirely and continue departing.
However, in the next instant, the dragon spirit froze completely.
Behind Takeyo, a silver phantom materialized, enormous, majestic, radiating incomprehensible power!
[World Dragon: Kurma!]
While Takeyo couldn't yet use the full authority of his incarnations' powers, he could certainly manifest their presences. And sometimes, presence alone carried tremendous weight.
"What?! This phantom is...!" The Red Dragon Emperor, who had been about to depart from his host and follow the sacred gear's mechanism to transfer to the next suitable wielder, felt his dragon soul tremble violently.
"This is!.. This is one of the phantoms that appeared in this town that day!" Ddraig's entire being shook with primal recognition.
This was the overwhelming pressure of a higher-dimensional dragon crushing a lower-dimensional one. The difference in their existence was so vast that resistance was meaningless.
"Um..." Ddraig swallowed nervously, his previous arrogance completely evaporated.
Without further protest, the Red Dragon Emperor obediently returned to Issei Hyoudou's body, settling back into the Boosted Gear as if he'd never attempted to leave at all.
Takeyo's decision to use this ability so directly stemmed from a simple reason: he'd just triggered a high-level sign-in notification.
[DING!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a plot sign-in! Sign-in level: Diamond!]
[Sign-in plot: The Combination of Red Dragon and White Dragon]
[Sign-in plot description: The handshake between the Red Dragon Emperor's host and the White Dragon Emperor's host.]
[Sign-in time limit: 1 year.]
The moment Takeyo had perceived Issei's situation, this notification had appeared. That alone provided sufficient motivation to intervene and force the Red Dragon Emperor back into his dying host's body. After all, if Ddraig departed now, completing this particular sign-in objective would become exponentially more difficult.
With the dragon spirit secured back in place, Takeyo could now focus on the more pressing matter: preventing Issei Hyoudou from actually dying.
The night was far from over, and the complications were only just beginning.
☆☆☆
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