After thinking for a moment, Izumi slowly nodded.
He had accepted—though he still had no idea what Michael was planning.
But even if he didn't, Izumi wasn't scared in the slightest.
With Michael's arrival, the rest unfolded smoothly. The three major forces sat down, began discussions, and drafted a series of contracts. Finally, under the witness of humans, the Magician Association, and the Mercenary Guild, the three powers officially signed their peace agreements.
As for Izumi being invited to the signing ceremony…
Well, he was basically just there as a decorative witness.
The conference ended without any issue.
There was no betrayal from Vali, no ambush from the Khaos Brigade like in the "original story."
Izumi didn't know why, but he simply chalked it up to this world being different.
With the peace treaty completed, the three factions clasped hands, agreeing to unite against outside threats.
After everything was settled, a grand banquet began.
To celebrate the birth of the alliance, the Devils hosted a reception right in the academy's gymnasium.
While Izumi was quietly eating and drinking by himself—since Asia had been called away by Michael—Le Fay and her older brother approached him.
Izumi raised a brow in curiosity.
"Do you two need something?"
Even as he asked, his gaze didn't drift toward Arthur at all. His eyes remained fixed on Le Fay the entire time.
Arthur pushed up his glasses and examined Izumi from head to toe before speaking.
"I am Arthur Pendragon, and this is my little sister, Le Fay Pendragon."
"Izumi-kun, may I ask—have you ever come into contact with our family's holy swords?"
"We sense a very familiar aura from you."
It was Le Fay who had noticed that aura first. Had it not been for his little sister, Arthur wouldn't even have realized it.
Izumi blinked, then nodded.
"I have, though what I touched… wasn't a holy sword."
With that, Izumi summoned the Spear that Shines at the End, holding it openly in front of them.
The moment the spear appeared, everyone around felt the divine aura it emitted, turning their heads in Izumi's direction.
Arthur and Le Fay stared at the spear in pure disbelief.
"Th–This is…!!"
"Rhongomyniad, ring a bell?"
Izumi smirked mischievously.
The siblings stiffly nodded.
Ring a bell? How could it not? This was the holy lance of King Arthur, long lost in this world—yet here it was, perfectly intact, shining before their eyes.
No wonder they had sensed such familiarity from Izumi.
Before they could ask further, Izumi casually stored the spear away…
And then, with a flash of blue light, a sword appeared in his right hand.
"How about this one? Familiar too?"
The aura flowing from the blade sent shivers down their spines—warm, nostalgic, and yet different.
Izumi's grin widened.
It was Caliburn—the "Curry Stick."
A moment later, Izumi's left hand lit up, revealing yet another sword—similar to Caliburn, but undeniably different.
"Look, I have this one too."
Le Fay and Arthur's eyes followed instinctively.
"T–That's… the Sword in the Stone!?"
"No way! Wasn't it broken!?"
Their exclamations echoed throughout the entire banquet hall.
Izumi ignored their shock and continued projecting weapon after weapon.
The Unfading Lake Light.
The Sword of Promised Victory (rotation form).
The Radiant King's Blade...
One by one, treasures related to King Arthur materialized around Izumi.
The siblings watched as they piled up on the floor, their souls leaving their bodies.
What on earth was wrong with this person?
Why did he have so many Arthurian weapons??
And they didn't doubt a single one.
The aura flowing from each weapon resonated with their very blood.
Especially Arthur—
His own holy sword was practically vibrating inside him.
Izumi watched their expressions twist into existential despair and laughed proudly.
"See? I've got all sorts of things related to your family."
"Pretty impressive, right?"
The siblings exchanged a dead-eyed look.
Impressive?
He was absurd. Outrageously absurd.
Izumi laughed heartily, reaching out to ruffle Le Fay's hair.
"So, how about it? Want to join my party?"
"I'll let you borrow the holy lance whenever you want. And I can project dozens of weapons for you to hug while you sleep."
"As long as you become my teammate, I can give you all of that."
Izumi openly revealed his sinister motive.
The whole reason he displayed so many treasures…
was to recruit a middle-school mage.
Looking at Le Fay, Izumi found himself liking her more and more.
With a little styling, she could easily pass as a Mahō Shōjo—a black magician girl.
If it were Le Fay, he could even craft a proper magical-girl transformation device for her.
The thought alone made his heart race.
Aaaah… so exciting!
Le Fay, however, was stunned.
Why was he suddenly trying to recruit her?
Arthur was also frozen.
Are you trying to seduce my little sister???
Yet strangely… Arthur felt like this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
He must have gone crazy.
But when he reconsidered—after all, he had long been fighting on the frontlines with Vali.
There was no guarantee he wouldn't be killed one day.
If he left his precious little sister with Izumi…
Arthur found himself wavering.
Meanwhile Le Fay spoke up timidly:
"Izumi-senpai… Are you really inviting me to your party?"
"You're being serious?"
Izumi nodded.
"Super serious. My party still needs a mid-lane mage. So? Want to join?"
"I'm sure your onii-san wouldn't say no."
He smiled as he said that, his eyes drifting toward Arthur.
Arthur fell silent.
He wanted to agree… but couldn't bring himself to say it aloud.
Le Fay saw her brother's reaction and immediately understood what he was thinking.
Taking a breath, she nodded decisively.
"Okay! I don't mind. I'm just a temporary member in Vali-taichō's team anyway."
"But if I join your party, I have one condition."
Izumi's interest perked up.
"Oh? Let's hear it."