Aikren calmly drank a new tea that had been given to him (by force).
In front of him, Sirzechs Lucifer and Rias Gremory sat watching him.
Rias looked at him pleadingly.
And Sirzechs, caught between disapproval and a gaze that screamed "as expected."
Aikren remained calm.
He had been summoned to this meeting with the intention of exchanging souls.
Sirzechs did not deal in souls.
But since the revolution that was Aikren Bael, he had been forced to possess at least a few thousand in order to maintain his honor.
Aikren was genuinely interested in seeing how they would handle this situation.
They did not have even a thousandth of the souls he possessed.
They did not have his power.
Nor powerful souls.
So what exactly were they supposed to negotiate with?
It was truly entertaining to watch them try to reclaim something that belonged to him.
"This tea is really good."
Happily sipping his tea, he ignored the nervous siblings.
"Aikren, please give Issei back to me."
Rias spoke unintentionally, looking down, trying to appear as pitiful as possible.
"Impossible. It's a soul I obtained with great effort, and you want me to give it to you for free? This is not your house, Gremory."
And so what if everything had always been handed to you?
In front of a devil, it didn't matter what you had or would have.
Only contracts mattered.
"Aikren, we are willing to negotiate."
Sirzechs finally spoke.
"With what?"
He sounded slightly curious.
"We gathered every soul we could, and we worked hard for them."
Emphasizing the word worked.
It seems they know my tastes.
"Hmm. Even so, I refuse. After all, Issei's soul is linked to a Heavenly Dragon. I have some ideas regarding that, so no."
The red-haired siblings had expected this.
Things obtained through effort?
Delicious.
But trampling on that effort?
Even better when it came from beings who had so much.
The Maou sighed.
It seemed he would have to apply some pressure.
"Aikren, we have a contract signed by the four Maous stating that soul trading from now on must give a percentage to the demonic government."
He took out a document stating that fifty percent of his gains had to be handed over.
"But we will make an exception and let it pass, only for the soul of Hyoudou Issei."
What a garbage plan.
Aikren sighed.
"How disappointing."
He did not hide his disgust.
"Tell me, dear Satan, who do you think keeps our now wealthy economy afloat?"
Before the revolution, Hell was visited.
Yes.
But compared to what it was now, it was nothing.
"I never asked for compensation for filling your pockets, nor did I attack you in any way. And now you come to me with this?"
Sirzechs knew that.
But he couldn't do anything.
It was his beloved sister's request.
"And you 'great' Satans still play with paper and ink?"
"Talk to me when you deal with real contracts."
"Because this thing means nothing in my eyes."
The paper ignited in blue flames.
Who would trust paper and ink when spiritual contracts existed?
"Look, I'll make you a real offer."
He spoke cheerfully, never losing his calm.
"I'm willing to give you the soul of Issei Hyoudou."
Rias looked up, forgetting who she was speaking to.
"In exchange for yours."
The soul of a Maou was valuable.
"Impossible."
Sirzechs refused immediately.
A Maou for a low-class devil?
"Don't refuse so quickly. Issei Hyoudou currently has the strength of a Maou, and I'm willing to give him to you with that strength intact. And don't forget, he has the Red Emperor."
But Sirzechs still refused.
Disappointing.
He had planned to return Issei Hyoudou with Maou-level strength, but without the Red Dragon.
The looks on their faces would have been amusing.
…
He wasn't breaking the contract.
I said Issei Hyoudou HAS the Red Emperor, never that he WOULD KEEP it.
Still, it seemed Sirzechs understood that he couldn't casually sell his soul, even for his little sister.
Even so, Rias looked at him with hope.
She clearly hadn't expected her brother to sell himself.
But she was used to her problems being solved, no matter how difficult, by this "omnipotent brother."
After all, having a top-ten powerhouse backing you up made one complacent.
"If that's all, I'll be leaving."
Aikren took the last sip of tea and prepared to leave.
"Aikren, this is an order from the Maous."
Oh?
"Sirzechs, have you forgotten who I am?"
As if a malfunctioning television, reality distorted.
And within those glitches, a certain demonic form stared with shining eyes.
Gulp.
He had forgotten for a moment.
Who this being really was.
The one who changed the supernatural world with a single incident.
That incident.
For a moment, Sirzechs remembered his days of glory, when he had been the strongest in Hell.
But that was no longer the case.
Aikren simply looked at the shrunken Satan and walked toward the door.
Rias watched in astonishment.
For the first time in her life,
her wishes had not been granted.
"Didn't I tell you? If you live off things that aren't yours, you'll become arrogant without reason."
Leaving those words behind, Aikren disappeared into the darkness.
Sirzechs went to meet the only being who had given him genuine trust since his divorce.
His comrade-in-arms.
Ajuka Beelzebub.
He had dark circles under his eyes and looked somewhat worn out.
But that had started years ago, and Sirzechs had grown used to it.
"Ajuka, I don't know what to do."
Holding a glass of demonic whisky, he spoke.
"My little sister keeps begging him, but there's nothing I can do to satisfy her."
Ajuka glanced at him with slightly dull eyes.
"You shouldn't get involved with him. You know how strong he is."
Sirzechs briefly lifted his gaze from the glass.
"Your sister is a demon who will live for thousands of years. In that time, she'll surely find someone suitable."
He spoke with a reassuring smile.
"Yes… maybe you're right."
And without anyone else noticing,
out of everyone's sight,
firmly attached to him,
around Ajuka's neck,
there was a collar with a chain.
Hot water fell from the mouths of stone dragons.
A bath.
Or rather, a bath meant for one person, though it was larger than any public bath.
Two demons soaked in the water.
Sona Sitri.
Aikren Bael.
Both completely naked, enjoying the restorative water surrounding them.
They sat side by side, their shoulders almost touching.
Aikren, with that charming demonic body, muscles compressed to their extreme.
Sona, with milky skin and small shoulders, her pink areolas not fully submerged beneath the water.
They bathed peacefully.
After all, this was not the first time they had done so.
"What peace, especially at times like this. Nothing better than a bath after successful contracts, don't you think, love?"
Aikren wore a gentle smile reserved only for his lovers.
"I don't understand why you keep looking for more souls when you already have so many."
Sona was one of the few who even slightly understood the scope of what Aikren Bael truly was.
"Hmm~"
Humming softly, Aikren lifted Sona by the shoulders and placed her on his lap.
"That's because you haven't done it yet, dear. Making contracts and gaining power and servants who never betray you is priceless… though of course, it does have a price."
His hand caressed her waist, massaging her navel.
"Hmm~"
Sona blushed lightly, unable to suppress a small moan.
She could never compete with Aikren.
Like a true devil, he was naturally made to be desired.
Every movement and every nerve he touched felt calculated to please.
Curiously, however, Aikren and Sona had not crossed that line.
Sona had decided she would do so on her wedding day.
And Aikren found it cute and accepted.
Of course, nothing prevented games before crossing that line.
"I always offer you more power and everything you desire, yet you always refuse. I find it hard to understand."
Sona turned around, wrapping her legs around his back and bringing her face closer.
"I don't want everything handed to me. So just wait patiently until I reach your level and become proudly your wife."
Looking at him with a gentle expression she rarely showed, the heiress leaned closer.
"Besides, you'll protect me from everything until I catch up to you, right?"
She looked at him like a girl in love.
And Aikren looked the same.
"Of course."
Without another word, they kissed.
It only lasted a few seconds before a shout was heard.
"You left me behind!"
Ravel appeared running, stripping off her clothes as she jumped into the bath.
Sona watched, amused.
They looked at each other.
And before separating—
"I love you."
They both said.
At Kuon Academy, a presentation was taking place.
"Hello, my name is Aikren Bael. It's a pleasure to be with all of you."
Aikren looked at his future classmates, among whom were an ice queen who loved cats, a gyaru, a pink-haired girl with social anxiety, and several other interesting girls.
TO BE CONTINUED
What did you think?