That night—
While Yukinoshita Yukino and the others ended their day of special training and entered the hot spring tent exhausted to soak, Leon remained in his own tent. Sitting on his bed, he leafed through the list of peerage candidates.
"Those big shots are truly generous..."
As he flipped through the pages, Leon couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
Excluding the outsiders like disciples and students, the number of individuals on the list from the major Devil families alone exceeded twenty.
Vassago, Gamigin, Berith, Seere, Purson, Bileth, Furfur, Furcas, Balam, Andrealphus—individuals from families belonging to the Seventy-Two Pillars appeared on the list one after another. There were even people from some of the Extra Demon families.
Even Astaroth and Glasya-Labolas—the houses of the current Devil Kings—had members on the list. Although they were from branch families rather than the main line, it was still enough to prove the importance they placed on Leon.
"A pity there's no one from the Sitri or Gremory families."
Leon thought with some regret.
Compared to other families, Leon was naturally more willing to trust the Sitri and Gremory houses. If someone from those two families had been included, he would certainly have been more inclined to choose them.
Unfortunately, neither the Sitri nor the Gremory family was particularly populous. Although they were currently at the height of their prosperity due to having members serving as Devil Kings, both families were showing signs of a generational gap. Naturally, they couldn't afford to send anyone out to serve as another person's peerage member.
"Those two families are honest folk. Since they have no one available, they simply gave up, unlike the other families who tried to send disciples or students."
Leon glanced at the data for the disciples and students, noting that they weren't without merit.
Anyone sent out by a pure-blooded Devil family could not be a mediocre person. Sirzechs would not allow anyone to push a filler candidate onto Leon; that would only waste Leon's peerage slots and hinder his growth rather than help it.
While these individuals came from various backgrounds—some were geniuses selected from commoners, others were descendants of pure-blooded Devils with diluted bloodlines who suffered unfair treatment—they all possessed impressive potential without exception.
Naturally, there were no candidates with high-tier potential comparable to Longinus holders; families wouldn't give such people away as servants even if they had them. However, there were no low-tier candidates used as fluff either. Every single one was a talent with mid-tier potential, ranging from the lower end to the higher end of that bracket.
But even those at the higher end of mid-tier potential didn't quite catch Leon's eye.
"Even though they are at the top of mid-tier, they are still a far cry from Asuna and Utaha."
Although Yuuki Asuna and Kasumigaoka Utaha also had mid-tier potential, they were undoubtedly among the most elite of that group—the kind that was barely distinguishable from high-tier potential.
In contrast, even if these candidates were the best of the mid-tier, they were still significantly far from high-tier potential and could not compare to Asuna or Utaha.
This wasn't just true for the students and disciples, but for the pure-blooded Devils from the major families as well.
And this was just a comparison of potential. If other factors were included, there was even less of a contest.
After all, Yukinoshita Yukino and the others were the heroines of their respective stories. This status made them inherently special in a way that couldn't be explained simply by potential levels. Leon believed that even if their potential was low, giving such a person an opportunity would allow them to soar instantly, shedding their old selves to surpass countless geniuses and reach heights others could only dream of.
This "specialness" was undoubtedly more important than mere potential—at least in Leon's eyes.
Therefore, even if someone with potential equal to Yukinoshita and the others appeared, Leon would have to carefully consider if taking them in was worth it. If he were faced with a choice between a "heroine" figure with lower potential and an obscure character from the original work with higher potential, as long as the former didn't clash with his preferences, he would be more inclined to choose the former.
The majority of people on Sirzechs' list were individuals Leon had never even heard of—characters who didn't even have a bit part in the original story. How could they possibly move him?
If their potential was truly staggering, it would be another matter. He didn't expect them to have high-tier potential like Yukinoshita or Shiina Mahiru, but as long as they weren't too far from Asuna or Utaha, he would give them serious thought. But with such a large gap, he truly had little interest.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, Leon, who had been flipping through the list nonchalantly, stopped.
His gaze rested on one specific person. He let out a soft sound of surprise, and his expression gradually turned strange.
Upon closer inspection, the upper right corner of the page Leon was looking at featured a photo of a beautiful girl. She was dressed in noble attire resembling that of a Western European princess. Her features were as delicate and cute as a doll's, and her golden curly hair was tied into drill-like twin tails. Her eyes carried a hint of confidence and arrogance.
As for her name—
"Ravel Phenex..."
Yes.
She was from the House of Phenex—the sacred beast family that produced the Tears of the Phoenix.
Ravel Phenex was the eldest daughter of the Phenex family and the fourth child of the current head of the house. She had three older brothers and was a descendant with extremely pure Phoenix blood—a genuine high-born lady.
While her status didn't quite match Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri, who had been chosen as the next heads of their respective houses, Ravel wasn't from a branch family either. In terms of social standing, she wasn't far behind Rias or Sona. On this candidate list, she was at the very top; few could compare to her.
In addition to her special status, her strength and potential were also not lacking. If nothing else, the fact that she was a legitimate descendant of the House of Phenex with pure Phoenix blood was enough to place her above almost everyone else on the list.
An immortal body and the ability to produce Phoenix Tears—even counting only these two traits was enough to elevate her above countless others. Even if someone had higher raw potential, most people would only have eyes for her given those unique advantages.
Of course, the reason Leon's expression was so strange wasn't because of her utility, but because of the person herself.
"I was just thinking the list was full of nobodies who never appeared in the original work, and then a big name suddenly shows up."
Ravel Phenex was no nobody. She had plenty of screen time in the original story and could even be considered one of the heroines. Before the original protagonist was promoted to a High-class Devil, she was already his manager, handling his chores. After his promotion, she became his servant, serving as the core strategist helping him command his entire peerage. She displayed brilliant tactical and strategic talent—a person of exceptional intellect and ability.
Leon had not expected her name to appear on this list of candidates.
"It seems the Phenex family really wants to make an investment in me."
Leon marvelled at the thought.
In the original work, the Phenex family was attracted by the potential shown by the protagonist, the Welsh Dragon, and was very optimistic about his future, which was why they allowed their daughter to become his servant. Now, with Leon's sudden rise to fame—possessing a unique mutation and "Zenith Tempest" the second strongest Longinus in the world, plus a peerage with two Longinus and two powerful Sacred Gears second only to them—the Phenex family had clearly been moved to do something similar.
"A Phoenix, huh..."
Looking at her data, Leon was truly tempted this time.
In terms of ability and potential, even if she wasn't as gifted as Asuna or Utaha, she was a pure-blooded Devil of the highest order. Combined with the uniqueness of the Phoenix family and her rare strategic mind, she was qualified to pique Leon's interest.
In terms of her role in the original work, she could barely be counted as one of the heroines—certainly better than characters who didn't even qualify as supporting cast. Moreover, Leon, who was well-versed in the original story, knew the House of Phenex inside and out. Even if they couldn't be trusted unconditionally like the Sitri or Gremory families, he could feel at ease with them given his foreknowledge.
Each of these factors, stacked together, had already given Leon the idea of taking her into his peerage.
Except—
"Does this count as 'intercepting' a prize?"
Leon scratched his head.
If this blonde girl was taken into his peerage, would the original protagonist lose a vital strategist and core talent in the future?
But—
"She's been served to me on a silver platter. If I weren't interested, that would be one thing, but if I'm interested and I still push her away, wouldn't that be moronic?"
Setting aside Ravel's personal value, her family alone was worth befriending. As Sirzechs had said, there would be only benefits and no drawbacks.
Thinking of this, Leon browsed through Ravel's data more seriously. Upon doing so, he suddenly discovered that the current Ravel Phenex was actually a free agent and was not yet anyone's servant.
In the original work, prior to her debut, Ravel had joined her brother's peerage at his request, becoming his "Bishop." She had the privilege of traveling with the team during matches and being protected without having to fight, only needing to observe and participate in planning operations.
According to the original plot, she should have already become a servant to her useless older brother by now. Yet according to these records, Ravel was still a free agent and had not joined his team at all.
"This is perfect. It clears my last concern."
If Ravel were already a "Bishop," Leon truly wouldn't have been able to accept her. According to the rules of the Rating Games, "Kings" could exchange pieces—that is, exchange servants—but the trade had to involve pieces of the same type.
In that situation, if Ravel had already accepted a "Bishop" piece, Leon would have had no choice but to give up on her, because both of his "Bishop" pieces had already been used. Yukinoshita Yukino and Shiina Mahiru, the two Longinus hosts, were his "Bishops," and he could not trade them away.
But since Ravel had not yet accepted a "Bishop" piece to become a servant devil, Leon could use his remaining pieces to reincarnate her.
"I imagine the 'Rook' piece would suit her quite well, wouldn't it?"
Leon mused.
As a pure-blooded Devil, the piece that suited Ravel best was naturally the "Bishop," which strengthened magical power. However, the "Rook" was also very suitable for a Phoenix. A Phoenix governed fire, wind, and life; their flames could scorch even dragon scales, and they could resurrect instantly even if turned to ash. In other words, their offensive and defensive capabilities were already extremely powerful. Reinforced by the "Rook" piece, her flames and immortality would surely become even more troublesome.
"And then there are the Tears of the Phoenix. If she can produce those, it would solve my urgent need."
Leon had previously thought about finding a way to get some Phoenix Tears. If he took in Ravel, he would be recruiting the manufacturer directly. Why worry about not having Tears to use?
"It's her."
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Leon finally made his decision. He unfolded a communication magic circle on his palm and sent a call request to Sirzechs.
The Devil Capital, Lilith.
In a luxurious room, Sirzechs retracted his magic circle and smiled.
"So he chose the House of Phenex after all?"
The result was not outside Sirzechs' expectations. In his view, the person on that list most likely to be chosen by Leon was the Phenex daughter. As long as Leon wasn't blind, he couldn't help but be attracted to the name "Phenex"; the members of that family were simply too blessed by nature.
Of course, that wasn't the most important thing.
What mattered most was that since Leon had chosen the Phenex daughter, the negotiations between himself and the current head of the Phenex family could officially be brought to the table.
"Assisting the House of Phenex in being chosen by Leon Eligos—I have fulfilled my promise to the Phenex Patriarch. Now, he should be ready to listen to my request, shouldn't he?"
Sirzechs looked out at the night sky, murmuring to himself.
"I can only help you this much. The rest is up to you, Rias..."
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