4 Chapter 4 : Laying out the foundation

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Chapter 4 : Laying out the foundation.

- Damien –

It has been a year since I took control of Katerea.

Many things have changed.

Some for the better while some for the worse.

It did make me realize my weakness. How I alone couldn't control everything.

Power matters….but it could only take me so far.

After all Trihexa was strong, Ophis was strong and I know that the former was screwed over while the latter became no less than a mascot.

What is to say that even if I become as strong as them, I can't just be sealed?

What I need is control.

I need to establish a team of my own. A force to back me up.

There is only so much a lone man can do after all.

I looked towards Katerea whose eyes were unfocused as she stared blankly in space.

She has been like this for a few minutes.

I ended the spell and she fell to her knees and looked all around, deep fear entrenched in her eyes.

"It seems like my work with Illusions are paying off if I can put you in one. I still need to work on my casting speed and power. Hmm….maybe Yojutsu will help. The fear system of the Western Youkai could help but only so much. Chakra, spiritual energy, fear, demonic power….do I really have to use 'THAT' to gain the last bit of advantage." I mused to myself. "You can excuse yourself Katerea. Get leaned up and be back in 10 minutes." I commanded offhandedly as I sat and took a sip of my tea.

The last four years I have focused my personal research solely on illusion and mind magic.

It picked up in speed after I gained the allegiance of Ophelia.

Her sources made gathering any information I wanted much easier. Infact her 'Bewitching Voice' was also an extremely strong trait when used perfectly.

Lord Paimon, her father, only used it to instigate the people to cause war and chaos. It is probably also a reason why he is so close to Rizevim. Fucking psychopaths.

I needed 30 seconds to use the spell on Katerea who is a mid satan class devil.

I don't think any satan class would stand still for that long.

The goal was to develop a technique similar to Aizen's Kyoka Suigetsu Kansen Saimin….taken to a whole nother level.

There are many ways in this world to detect other people so normal Kyoka Suigetsu wouldn't work.

No.

My goal was to create an Illusion that can trap….Ajuka Beelzebub.

Anything less than that was a failure.

That said, even an estimate about the power of such an Illusion scared me.

That is not to say that I didn't have any clue as to what to do. The Archmage was too good for that.

It is just that I didn't want to use that option until I had no other way left at all.

I didn't want to keep all my eggs in just one basket. What would I do if I had an enemy who had Clairvoyance or Future Sight? that is a one way road to fuck me.

Safe to say that normal Illusions were out the window.

The second part that I introduced to cover up the detection aspect of the Illusion was mind magic.

I had choices of using something of a notice-me-not charm aspect to my spell so that the target doesn't really pay attention to the spell on them.

This obviously led to two problems – One, the fact that the second add on becomes and added component thus increasing the complexity of the spell and thus making the spell….ughh how do I say this….bulkier, which in turn makes it easier to detect which is a complete reverse of what I want the spell to do so that is out of the way. The second is the fact that if they don't even realize that they are in an illusion(even when I tell them so myself), it makes any psychological methods of combat useless. That is what I call a bad illusion.

No….what I want is an illusion which even if the people realize they are caught in the Illusion, can't do shit about it. I don't want them to realize HOW it is that they were caught in the Illusion and…. if it is still active. That paranoia they experience when fighting me will be the greatest weapon I can use.

Easy to say, I was back to the drawing board.

So I thought of something else. I went back to the crux of the problem.

What I needed was for them to not realize how! they are caught under my spell, which is due to my energy inside their body. So obviously somehow I needed to hide that energy. This was however easier said than done. I needed to hide it in such a way that even magical diagnoses performed by Ajuka himself didn't show any results.

I needed to make it….disappear.

And then it struck me….what I needed was to keep my energy in other's body a secret….the Fidelius Charm.

Who cares if they figure out that they have my energy inside their bodies if they can't even find it?

And thus the second part of the spell was ready.

I obviously had to take around a whole year to develop a suitable Fidelius. The concept of hiding a secret inside one's soul did take a lot of time.

It was at this time that I wished I had the Sephiroth Graal.

Then came the third part.

Protecting the spell inside anyone.

I mean even if it is hidden there and people can't find it, it doesn't mean that they can't make their energies go haywire for a while to break the illusion.

I mean even if a house is hidden, if someone drops a nuke in the general area, it can still be destroyed.

A big enough bomb works as well.

So how to protect it.

Also how to make it so that it can last long enough….I mean last forever.

After all, Kyoka Suigetsu's Kansen Saimin lasted forever until broken.

I had to think about it forever and the few things I postulated all led to only one answer.

Aizen's Zanpakuto was just too bloody cheating.

The only way a spell can last so long on someone even when they go through exercises almost on a regular basis like the 13 Court Guards did was one, if the user was constantly feeding it energy to prevent it from breaking which no matter how small the amount for a person would have sucked Aizen dry in a day.

Second, if the target was the source of that energy as well.

In general most beings produce energy of their own, souls or in general people of the Bleach universe produce Reiryoku no matter how small it is.

What Aizen's Kansen Saimin did was use that very energy to constantly feed itself.

It was also one of the reasons why the spell was unbreakable….because as long as Reiryoku existed inside a person, they would remain under the Illusion while if someone became completely devoid of Reiryoku, they would simply die.

At least this was what my little brain could think of.

They will never realize the spell because the spell was being used by their own energy and they will never find it while their own energy cannot harm itself.

I had simply left all my research for a complete day and gone off to sleep when I had realized the sheer insanity of it.

The difficulty level just soared insanely because unlike Aizen, I was dealing with many races of people who use different types of energy.

A spell to manipulate different types of energy to form the spell when all the energies behave in unique manners is just….

It would have been very simple if I had seen Kyoka Suigetsu at work even once.

That is not to say that I stopped working on it.

If I have to understand how to cast that spell on everyone, then I will do so.

I have already completed the spell for the Devils and other beings with demonic energy as Katerea is an example of.

I still need to use it on other races….needless to say, it is a long term project. I do have an idea for it as well but it is so insane that even I had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.

But then again if someone like Ajuka Beelzebub was caught in simple Illusions, he wouldn't be Ajuka Beelzebub.

This is the guy who designed a spell to search and erase anything supernatural from the internet.

The entire fucking internet.

The mind wipers from the Harry Potter world need a fucking lesson right here.

"These are the reports, Master." My thoughts were interrupted by Katerea's voice.

I looked and saw that she was carrying a file with black cover.

I promptly took and opened it and my lips turned up in a smile.

"So it seems that I was right. What is the progress on this one?" I asked Katerea and she stood straight.

"He was said to have a connection with a Devil and an old one at that."

"It's Mephisto Pheles, right. I know considering that I am the one who gave you this news after all. What I ask is if you have been able to contact him?"

"I have had some agents contact him. It was received quite well. Apparently the boy was quite insecure about his talents due to his very heritage. It made any agents we sent his way being accepted quite well."

"In that case arrange a meeting. I wish to meet this person. I believe that you can arrange a way for me to be taken outside without anyone watching over you?"

She did look a little reluctant despite all her fear but I knew that it was nothing that she couldn't do.

"It will be done Master."

"Very well. Make it as soon as possible. Also no one should catch wind of this. What about the others?"

"The other one has been taken by Glynda Goodwitch when her Sacred Gear awakened. We have no idea where she is right now." Her voice quivered when she reported the last part.

I slumped back down into my chair. I had expected it already.

The time for that had already passed….not that I had expected anything in the first place. The fact that there was even a match in this case was already a miracle. I had only even asked for this because she was supposed to have been born before me and any butterflies wouldn't have affected her being born or her sacred gear.

"Any news about the Vampires?" I thought in my mental link with Ophelia.

"Yes Master. I have been able to secure a trade alliance with the Vampires. The Tepes faction producing bloodstones have been specially welcoming." Her voice calmly replied through the link.

"Did you hear any news about any child in the Vladi House? A Dhampir to be precise along with a Damphir of the Tepes as well." I asked back.

"We haven't been so close as to enquire into such things directly but I did receive some information from the servants and a few other nobles who seemed to be enthralled by a prospect of trading with us or simply receiving of favour." She replied.

"What exactly did you learn?"

"Your information was correct, Master. The Tepes Head has a daughter with a human woman. She is obviously not treated well like any other half-blooded vampires. Apparently she is also close to something called the 'Monster of the Dungeons'. I haven't been able to hear anything more concrete about this person due to this being a well-kept secret but there are rumors of it being involved with the death of a concubine of a High Ranking Vampire." She replied back.

"Very well. Keep an eye on the situation but do not make it look like you are looking into it. This task is extremely important to us. The girl possibly has a very high level sacred gear. Just keep an eye on her and if she or the other person tries to escape, take them in as soon as possible. Also, if any other Devil is seen lurking around, inform me directly. Do not engage them. Do not contact them." I ordered.

"Any information about the other targets I told you about?" I asked, leaning back.

"The case with Cleria Belial has some undercurrents that are not profitable for us to interfere in for now. I wouldn't have even known about it if you hadn't warned me about it. The location of the Holy Sword Project is still being investigated. The church seems to be putting a lot of stress on it after their Project Siegfried was a disaster. The other targets haven't awakened their Sacred Gears yet. On a positive note, I have found the pair of Nekoshou that you had asked me to inquire about. Contracting the Naberius had been easy enough, though it did take some time to narrow down who it was you wanted to find. I found the two and the elder one seems to be around seven or eight years old while the younger one is three to four years of age. Their mother had recently passed away and she was a servant, a maid in particular, not a peerage member of the Nabeirus Branch member. They have no legal right over her. I did arrange for them to be discreetly taken away to a specialized location and am only waiting for your orders." She gave her report to me.

"They might still have a claim over the two sisters as a scientist under the Naberius is the father of the two Nekoshou. It is obvious though that he doesn't care about the two however as I doubt that he even knew that they were his daughters. That said, when we start our plans, they can interfere using this relation and demand a claim over the two sisters. If possible, make sure that he is finished off….preferably in an accident though. Make sure that the two sisters disappear and it appears as if they encountered an unfortunate accident when you take them away. Taking them away is important because the elder might be recruited by a member of the Branch Family and that would be a problematic situation to deal with." I instructed after thinking over the plans. "Do you have any idea about the whereabouts of any other Nekoshous?" I asked in hope.

"My apologies. It is still being investigated. I did find out that the mother of the two girls was a resident of the Eastern Youkai under Nurarihyon. They have a clan of Cat Youkai there and one of his Lieutenants is a seven-tailed Nekomata named Magari. From there she moved to follow a human man she loved, which as I was just informed earlier by you is a scientist for the Naberius….it will make it easier to narrow down the search." She completed a little disappointed.

"No need to take any unnecessary risks. Our strength is not enough to be able to afford being doubted by anyone right now. I am finding a method for you to be able to take down our opponents in a less conspicuous way soon enough. By the way, have there been anymore orders from the Old Satan Faction?" I asked.

"I-its Master…."

I caught the hesitation in her voice and raised an eyebrow to myself. "What is the matter, Ophelia?"

"I was given an order today." She answered meekly….fear lacing her tone. However unlike Katerea, her fear stemmed from disappointing me rather than me trying to hurt her.

"What order?" I insisted.

"I was ordered to brainwash Gretel Lucifuge to make her loyal to Euclid Lucifuge, make her acceptable to all of his orders without absolutely any question. They want me to subtly program her over time." she answered in a low voice and then became quiet.

I absolutely quieted down for a moment.

Thousands of thoughts running in my mind.

Gretel….I have vowed to protect her….or at least take revenge for her if she joined me and she had blindly decided to put all her trust in me.

A sinister part of my mind laughed at the childish naivety but I forcibly crushed that thought with all the brutality I could muster to defend the honour and innocence of the one person whom I call my first friend in this world.

I had already decided that I needed to make Euclid pay….very dearly for all the….all the sufferings that were suffered by Gretel and when I think he couldn't drop any lower, I am always amazed.

When Gretel was behind in her Ice Magic, she was being scolded and physically hit for it. Now however when she was improving with my nerfed Essences, she was being harassed in a whole different manner.

The worst part is that Gretel refuses to tell me anything about it. I did read her surface thoughts and found that she wanted to prove to me that she was strong and not disappoint me with every problem. So, she simply smiles every time we meet. I could see that she was starting to sometimes have dark circles under her eyes which for an ultimate class devil was saying something.

I had even ordered her to tell me….without using any compulsion though and she had begged on her knee to let her handle this….that she wanted to prove herself.

I was almost blank that day….until I realized that….she didn't want to prove herself to me….She wanted to prove herself to…her own self then.

Gretel's inferiority complex and crippling fear ran very deep and she was making an effort to fight it, to go against it on her own to prove to herself that she was worthy of being with me.

I tried to open my mouth several times but no words came out when I saw her face….her teary eyes.

This was the first time that Gretel had asked me for something….I just couldn't say no at all then to her, no matter how much I wanted to.

Thankfully my Occlumency levels are now extremely high since I practiced with my Shadow Clones so I reigned my temper in and replied.

"Okay. You are to give them a false time with a reason that Gretel is very advanced in mind arts due to her practice with me. Tell them that it would take around five years to complete the work. If they do not agree, point out that Gretel Lucifuge is currently ultimate class even if only a low ultimate class level." I answered in an extremely even tone. My mind throwing aside any signs of emotions with my Occlumency because I knew it would be nothing positive. "I will inform Gretel about it. You are to help Gretel increase her mind magic to the levels where even your father can't touch her mind."

"Yes Master, it will be done." With that I felt the telepathic link cut off.

I closed my eyes and thought about my future plans.

As long as the Illusion is not ready, I will not be safe if we run away. Casting it on others will only be useful if I can have them lower their guards for me.

The Binder slots are all counted. I have to prepare them for the eventualities.

No matter how I calculate, it is still three and a half to four years for me to establish a base where I can comfortably separate from them.

But….things won't be quiet until then.

Razevan's own jealousy had been focused on me after a few of Rizevim's comments. I never paid any attention to any of this and he doesn't dare try anything with me. This had led to the load being increased on Aria and Vienna. I couldn't take it at all and had even asked Aria if she wanted me to interfere. The sight of blood on her lips had made me plan ways to butcher that son of a bitch then and there but Aria had known me too much for my own good.

She made me promise to absolutely stay out of this and to not hurt Razevan until he first attacks me, making me swear on her life. The only thing she asked me was to protect Vienna.

I can't understand why she is still so insistent on protecting Razevan. Even Stockholm's must have a limit right?

Yet, I couldn't take it when she just smiled and hugged me while saying it will all be fine.

This woman was my mother for all sense and purposes. She has raised me as her own child….I can sense her emotions all the time and that is why I know that she has no bad intentions and doesn't think of me as any different from Vienna. This makes it all the more painful.

Why are all the females in my life so….complicated?

Yes…. All.

This includes Vienna as well.

Vienna Lucifer awakened the Divine Dividing sacred gear at the age of seven, half, a year ago….and things turned worse.

Rizevim's provocations along with the jealousy of Razevan soared after this event.

I still don't understand why Razevan would be jealous of his own daughter. If he is so jealous, then why doesn't he train?

These reasons have forced me to accelerate my plans.

However this is easier said than done. If anyone finds even a hint of this, it could turn into a shit show extremely fast. Katerea can cover for me but not that much.

No matter how much these people flutter around, Rizevim is still the one who keeps them all under control. I don't have a shred of doubt that if Katerea displeased him even once, she would be killed.

Katerea's sources are vital for me.

Ophelia's people can move freely in the light using her business and networks and it has its problems as well. Katerea's people have no such problems and can do many of the darker works openly….that said their identities make it difficult for them to get around.

Currently I am having Katerea focus on getting sacred gear wielders. She is using it under the agenda that it could be used against the 'False Satans'.

Rizevim is not really bothered by it because of his abilities. He can negate Sacred Gear. His overconfidence blinds him to any idea of this being the plans of a coup.

The ability, as absurd as it is, is still half baked compared to the true ability.

Rizevim just couldn't fill Lucifer's shoes in this one.

Despite the extremely high demonic power, the skill at using the Unique Trait of the Lucifer is still not strong enough for Rizevim.

The reason why this hasn't been revealed is because Razevan hasn't inherited this trait and neither has Vienna….yet.

I have seen and analyzed his powers already and can use it to some extent but haven't shown it in front of anyone.

I did figure things about the Lucifer trait though.

It is the same as the Uzumaki.

Enormous reserves and….too many unique abilities.

My personal ability is something I haven't yet discovered yet.

In the meantime I did get an alliance with someone trustworthy – The White Dragon Emperor, Albion.

Vienna stayed close to me since her Sacred Gear awakened even more than before.

It did help ease the suffocating tension in the house a little however. It was once when she was asleep that I probed her Sacred Gear using Legilimens for the first time ever.

It was through my clone though. I have to say that the sight of a hundred meters tall White and Blue dragon was something to behold.

He was more surprised than I had expected and showered my clone's consciousness with his poison breath.

Safe to say that I had to send another clone to work when my first clone popped.

The second meeting was much calmer however.

I don't know about Ddraig but Albion is a very calm dragon….when he is not pissed at the very least.

We had a very pleasant conversation. After enquiring how I was inside this place, he sat down and talked to me for a long time.

I did find out that he had no intentions of harming Vienna. It was merely their hosts who get drunk on power and use life threatening powers(Juggernaut Drive) when someone shows them their place and hurts their fragile egos.

The Dragon part does help in that a little too.

Dragons tend to be aggressive.

Almost every single dragon is like that.

The Divine Dividing made a small part of her into a Dragon and this part makes her a bit impulsive. The wills of the previous wielders of the Divine Dividing inside the Sacred Gear didn't help either. They were the prime examples of what we call 'Sore Losers'. because they died of their foolishness, they want to drive others insane and kill themselves similarly too.

With this in mind, the first task that I decided upon was teaching Occlumency to Vienna. I can't have my sweet Vi going Juggernaut and throwing her lifespan away.

Perhaps the Occlumency and mind magic will also help her strengthen her mind and overcome the remnants of the wills of the previous users of the Divine Dividing.

After all it was a fight inside her mind.

I could care less because if she was endangered, I would go inside and tear apart all their wills myself.

The meeting with Albion made me think of a ridiculous thought.

Albion's soul is sealed inside of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gear….so what would happen now if I used The Binder's Essence on him in this sealed state?

Will I be able to summon him into the void like all the souls bound by The Binder's Essence?

Will I be able to create a new body for Albion?

I thought about it and realized that there were two main problems right now.

First being that I didn't have enough strength for that.

Albion at his prime was as strong as Sirzechs's True Form at the very least….and that's without going into outrage.

I don't think I can reach that level of power anytime soon.

The second was that Divine Dividing was made by 'The God of the Bible' who was a Genius beyond compare.

Like sure Ajuka had invented the Evil Pieces to reincarnate humans into Devils but The Biblical God had done the same for Metatron ages ago.

He just didn't make it into technology and distribute it among others.

He didn't really have any reason to.

Safe to say that I am nowhere near the level of cracking this right now.

I however have no doubts that I can do so in time.

The Archmage Essence and Lucifer's original power which is an advanced form of Rizevim's power, the Sacred Gear Canceller is….Negating the Divine Powers.

If I can advance it to the level of the previous Lucifer, I do hope that I can get a Heavenly Dragon as a team member too.

As for Vienna, the Essences even in their nerfed forms would make sure that she would be as strong as a super devil by the time she reaches twenty.

I did make an agreement with Albion to keep a watch over Vienna though and in return I will find a way for him to be free again.

"Katerea, arrange a meeting with the target as soon as possible. You can make an excuse of taking me outside for some experience. A fight if possible." I breathed out.

This much thinking was causing me to have a serious level of stress.

Maybe letting it all out will help.

"I-I will arrange for it My Lord." She said and I got up and walked towards the door.

"In that case, our lesson ends today."

- Scene Change –

I looked at the scrolls of parchment in front of me.

These parchments are a way of speeding up the plans that I have thought of.

It is a little dangerous but something that I can get out of unscathed even if these are found out. These can never be tracked down to me.

The scrolls are made up of contracts with The Broker Essence which is a pact that asks for complete and undying Loyalty to the writer.

These scrolls have a seal which has a pact to open it as well. If the seal is opened by someone, the pact is considered accepted and if not, the writing destroys itself.

I have made similar contracts to extract sacred gears which will be transferred to me automatically. The price will be negotiated before signing if any.

I am particularly sure that Katerea will simply forgo the negotiating part and try to beat the other party into signing the contract.

To avoid any complications from this, I made a clause that any memory about the Deal will be completely removed from the target's mind.

I know Katerea will not try to do anything too outward due to the conditions I have set on her but some extra bit of caution never hurts.

These can help the collection of sacred gears quite fast.

I have to make another for the collection of unique powers.

Those will need finer details to them due to many complicated kinds of powers however.

I stored the scrolls in my hammer space and massaged my head.

I could trade demonic power too….but with the number of times I am tested, I would be found out in an instant.

This plan has to wait till I am ready to be out of this place.

The people normally think that as a losing party, the Old Satan Faction doesn't have enough reach.

Well, they would be very surprised.

Among the current thirty four surviving Pillars, seven are siding with the Old Satans and work together in secret.

Then there is the matter of the so-called extinct houses, whereas actually twelve of these Houses are alive and actually thriving, no small contribution to the experiments and drugs though.

The Civil War was far more political than it was shown outwardly.

The root being the descendants of the Old Satans but at some place also Zekram Bael.

While people say that Zekram Bael wants the good for the Devil Race and puts it above all, it is not completely right.

The Old Satan descendants were complete fucks back then but the extinction of more than a few Houses laid in the hands of Zekram Bael too.

The Houses which stayed neutral. And once when pressured to join with the other side to save their hides, they were then simply vilified.

The aim of this was to remove political competitors.

Then all of the cliques who were directly under Zekram were promoted to high positions.

It was not really all coincidences that the only strong Devils that survived that war were the clique of Sirzechs who was directly related to Zekram.

If I had to relate him to anyone, I would say….Danzo.

Similarly the case of Cleria Belial would also be the same.

If I had to predict, I would say that Cleria didn't find out about the King Pieces all on her own coincidently.

The Emperor was becoming a popular figure among the masses and had the Strength to back it up too….real strength and not due to doping so controlling him through blackmail would be impossible.

A more political play to make the Belial's name turn bad however would work.

After all…. simply fucking a priest doesn't deserve a death sentence.

Thousands of devils have fucked nuns and priests over time.

It might….just might have been the doing of Rizevim….but knowing the person he normally is, it's doubtable.

Rizevim doesn't do subtleties. He is the type to hurt someone while showing that it was him who did it and even taunt the other party.

No….this type of move was different.

Unfortunately I don't have much power to do anything about her right now but maybe….just maybe I could later on turn Diehauser to my side.

The Worthless ability matched with my Archmage Essence and demonic power would be phenomenal.

To be honest, I am more surprised why Belials are not ranked higher.

Knowing how much work is put under the use of this ability, I wouldn't doubt anyone if they told me that Diehauser Belial has more understanding of magic and powers than three of the four Satans.

Such a person would be a boon for me to have on my side.

Now, just how to get him to side with me.

A meeting with Cleria is impossible….

Then what?

I tried to remember the names of other potential recruits for myself.

Ophelia had arranged it quite well.

They mainly consisted of the Neutrals who didn't want to fight and were forced to. The second group were the ones who were not treated well by the current government.

Not everything was sunshine and lilies.

The Belial House's own head had to sell off his clothes and his wife had to sell off her jewelry to send their Heir to school. This shows that not even the Pillar Houses were all Hunkey-Dunkey. Some were oppressed by the others under the guise of laws. The territory distribution also saw to it.

This made it hard for them to gain money faster.

The laws on Devil Contracts didn't help either.

If I could make even a few of them to side with me, I can expand my network much bigger.

Some might ask me why am I even doing these things?

The answer would be simple.

It is because this is a dog eat dog world!.

In this world, only just because I want the others to leave me alone, doesn't mean others would leave me be.

Either control or remove is the way of the world.

The only way to get out of it is to become so strong or so important that they either couldn't do anything to you or have to tolerate you despite their crappy insecurities.

And my case is special even among these anomalies.

My power and potential aside, my very name could cause too many waves if disclosed. The fact that a child was born from the blood of two Satans….directly will make me a symbol that can be used to heavily influence the Devil race.

This would make me a thorn on the side of all the current leaders of the three factions and when I leave the Old Satan Faction….to them too.

This network will help me collect leverage on the people who matter.

I was broken from my thoughts by movement beside me and I looked at the adorable ball of cuteness holding onto my waist while drooling at the corner of her mouth and even in this situation, the scene brought a smile to my face. Vienna always makes my day happier, no matter the time.

I had brought her with me on the pretext of playing and we did play around but then she fell asleep. I just couldn't bear to wake her up.

<Damien and Vienna sleeping>

It will also give Aria some time to rest.

However, today there was something I needed to do.

I caressed her head for a while and when she relaxed, I removed her arm from my waist and put a pillow in my place and then leaned in to kiss her forehead.

She opened her eyes and held onto my fingers, "Where are you going Dummy?"

She whispered very softly.

I smiled at her while patting her head with my free hand. "I need to go for a mission today. I will tell you the story about it when I get back tonight, okay?"

She looked every bit reluctant for this but if today hadn't been something that had been organized by Ophelia and Katerea together with much effort, I would have even relented.

….but this is necessary.

This is for our own future and Vi's own safety as well.

"You can stay in my room and only go out when Aria calls you, okay? In the meantime you can play the games I bought yesterday." I kissed her forehead lightly again as she nodded.

Unlike me who got Gretel, she has no one to even call a friend…. I am somewhat of a big brother to her, even if she never calls me one. She has been too adamant about it since she was five and I didn't force it.

It made me realize that she and Gretel had been isolated without anyone of their own age for years. I didn't count myself to be the same because of my mental age right now. This has led them to stick onto me and each other as a source of support. Gretel has it even worse because unlike Vi who has me and Aria, she doesn't have anyone though.

I got up and flushed those thoughts aside. Today….I can't afford to mess up.

I had plans to carry on….plans that might bring forward my estimates by a year if I succeeded at it.

"Good Luck for work, Dummy." She called out from behind me and I smiled at her and left after waving at her.

- Ophelia Paimon –

Ophelia Paimon looked around towards her guests and smiled, quite satisfied at what was before her.

The five that were sitting in the room right now were among the most renowned devils of her generation.

Not in terms of strength maybe but in terms of network and influence. Each one of them held important posts or connections in their families that could be used to gain support easily.

Her Master had been quite adamant about building a support base among the people without attracting any unwanted attention. She had her business but that could only reach so far.

The moment someone doubts her, most of her resources will come to a standstill and thus necessary preparations are to be made.

The five currently in front of her were a part of this.

Alicia Sallos, the Lady of House Sallos, Ranked Duke, was someone similar to herself. She had taken the position as the Head of her House after her parents retired after the Civil War. However in her case, she had the support of her parents and thus it was easier for her to establish herself as the number one actress of the Underworld.

<Alicia Sallos>

Serafall Leviathan might have a higher position in the popularity polls but that was only due to her position as a Satan.

Alicia was a renowned social worker.

The Sallos were the Generals and had the gift of insight.

This led them to establish a prospering business in the Underworld as well as a few other factions.

Her business especially flourished when it came to stock markets in the human world.

The number of successful business ventures she had in the human world were many.

Infact while it is not well known, Alicia was one of the richest people in the human world.

Her network would make it easier to find Sacred Gear users among the humans.

Helena Dantalion, the second in line for the Head position of House Dantalion, Ranked Duke is the younger sister of Lord Dantalion.

<Helena Dantalion>

Her elder brother is the current Lord and his son the current heir but that didn't make her position any worse.

Helena Dantalion was one of the best scholars among the devils and while not at the level of Ajuka Beelzebub, she was a person whose talents were recognized by many.

She had a lot of connections among the education sector of the Underworld.

The next person was Victoria Valac. A member of the Valac's Branch House.

<Victoria Valac>

The Valac's Clan Trait alone makes them invaluable for most people.

Seeker's Eye, while not an offensive trait, was bordering on cheating. It was one of the reasons why the Valac's were not sent to the frontlines or even in The Great War by the Satans and were still valued so highly in the Underworld.

The Seeker's Eye guided the user to whatever they wished for. It obviously doesn't give out the direct location but the users desire or rather gravitates towards the particular wish.

It has many conditions and restrictions and the User's experience and control matters a lot! for selective use. A normal user might have a negligible tingling in their minds while an experienced user might have a much stronger feeling.

This made the Valac's a one of the most wanted Houses others wanted to marry.

Victoria, while not known by many, not even her own house, was the strongest user of Seeker's Eyes.

She knowing her condition hid her abilities so that she is not sold off as some goods on high demand.

Victoria had started working for her around a century ago and had shown remarkable skill in business. They had grown closer and Ophelia had taken her under her own wing.

She had confided with her about her powers when she was confronted by her and she had made Victoria her personal secretary.

The fourth person was Charlene Glasya-Labolas, the Heiress of the Glasya-Labolas House, Ranked Earl and….the younger sister of Falbium Asmodeus.

<Charlene Glasya-Labolas>

The Glasya-Labolas were a military family and that was also partly due to the Satan Asmodeus being the chief strategist and in-charge of the Devil's armies.

The thing about the Satans being neutral and not favouring a single house, let alone their own….is a load of crap.

If that had been the case then all the idiocy that Serafall Leviathan does to spread news about her sister would never happen.

If anyone even remotely follows this law, it would be Ajuka Beelzebub.

The other three are extremely involved with their families.

Falbium is the same. Infact while he doesn't show it outside, he is more involved than the other two.

The other two don't involve their families with their work.

Falbium on the other hand takes the help of his family to maintain the reports of the armies as well as many other works.

This was mainly done by Charlene Glasya-Labolas.

The final person however was a surprise to even her.

While she had sent the invitation, she herself hadn't expected her to arrive today.

Cleria Belial was hardly someone who attended parties after all.

<Cleria Belial>

So her surprise was reasonable when the Belial arrived at the party.

Her Master had been wanting to get into contact with her but had brushed it aside as something that was too difficult to do without attracting the wrong kind of attention.

This was disguised as a normal meeting of friends which was quite reasonable as she had a healthy friendship with everyone.

She wondered how surprised her master will be.

While his cold and collected face was cute. She always liked watching him break that façade whenever possible.

The maid brought tea and snacks by then and had left the ladies alone.

"So, what is the secret Ophelia?" Helena chimed in from beside her.

She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, please don't pull that one on me. Come out with it. Who are you seeing?"

The other girls seemed equally intrigued by the sudden question and Ophelia had to do a double-take and consider what had led her to this.

"I mean, look at your skin. That smile. It is not the usual business looks that you give people. I am telling you all, this is the look of a maiden in love."

Ophelia rolled her eyes.

Her Master's Essences had increased her attractiveness a lot along with her powers.

Love however….she had to think. Her Master was without a doubt someone who would be the top choice for any female Devil in a few years.

She had never seen him smile yet. Then again all their meetings had been inside the classroom and Damien Lucifer was a Master at maintaining a mask. He was years if not decades above his physical age and at times Ophelia had wondered if one of the original satans, if Lucifer himself had reincarnated into his body.

Her case had been different as she had to keep the façade of the successful Head of the House while attending to the business of the Old Satan Faction as well.

Her father's foolishness had led to the death of her mother and left her newborn brother without a parent all this time.

She had raised him as her own son and it forced a young Ophelia to grow a lot more than even she had expected initially.

And she was proud to say that little Ace had grown into a fine man.

As for her dating someone, she just couldn't even think of anything like that.

Her husband would have to be someone secretly aligned with the Old Satan Faction or someone neutral and under her control and if she knew her father, only for show while he forced her to have a child with some other higher ups of the Old Satan Faction. She just couldn't allow any of this.

It was through great effort that she had kept Ace uninvolved in all this.

So that even if she was caught, he would have a way out.

Bringing a husband from the Old Satan Faction aligned Houses would put all her plans into jeopardy.

As for the question….her Master….maybe in a few years if he wanted. After all he was someone who already knew everything about her….things that she kept from the whole world too.

"Ohhhh just look at her, lost in her thoughts….so spill already." Helena prodded.

Alicia and Charlene enjoying the moment a little too much too while Victoria had a slight smile on her lips and Cleria looked equally amused.

"It is no one….at least not anytime soon." She whispered the last part giving the girls something to talk about.

The girls showered her with questions which she diverted but gave them some false hints about having a tryst with a Human during one of her visits in the Human World for travel. It was a one time thing and nothing else.

She was the Head of her house. If anyone wanted to marry her, they will have to marry into her house. Keeping her virginity wasn't something she was obligated to do.

"If we are on this topic however….you all seem to have ignored Cleria. She has the same look as well." she expertly diverted the conversation towards the now stunned Cleria who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"W-what are you talking about Ophelia? There is no one." She hurriedly denied it.

Her stutter was like blood to hungry sharks around her and they pounced on her metaphorically.

She however didn't reveal any details. Only a somewhat similar answer to hers.

The party was going on until her guests suddenly started to fall dizzy.

The confusing part however was that no one noticed anything.

The first one to fall was Helena and she was soon followed by Alicia, Victoria, Cleria and then Charlene.

What truly stunned Ophelia was that none of her guests even knew what happened or showed any kind of reaction at watching others fall suddenly.

When the last person fell silent, she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

Looking around she saw her Master, Damien Lucifer walk in followed by Katerea Leviathan.

He still had that calm and stoic look on his face as he looked at the downed bodies of the women.

Then he turned to her and for the first time Ophelia saw her Master smile and it was….adorable.

"You have a beautiful house, Ophelia. Won't you show me around? This is my first time out after all."

Ophelia was stunned and looking at the eyes of Katerea Leviathan, she seemed to have a similar reaction.

He understood it and laughed softly, "What? Just because I don't smile out in the open doesn't mean that I can't or that I don't like to. We don't have sex in the open and yet most people still like and want to….so then why is my smile being blamed here."

Ophelia had her mouth hung open for a moment….unable to reply at all….before she saw that mischievous smile on his face and burst into laughter.

It seems like she will be repaid well for her part in the plan today. Knowing her young Master smiled was a good enough payment after all.

_______________________________________________________

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