Wanderer, Scheming
After waking up, I began thinking back on my experiences in this world thus far. I'll admit I'm slightly confused. I didn't expect Serafall to be as... sadistic as she is. Maybe it's a side effect of the war.
Though, that doesn't explain her behaviour. Was she testing my trustworthiness with the interrogation? No, surely not, it wasn't even that thorough. What did she see that made her so interested? So insistent on me joining her?
Why did I even accept? Well, that answer is obvious, she's a character I recognise and saying no to someone of her strength is suicide. Hopefully after the infiltration I'll have repaid my debt, and I won't be stuck in her service forever.
At the very least, if there was one compliment I could give the Sitri manor, it would be that the service here is excellent. From the moment I had woken up, I was treated like a king.
Maids of all sorts came in, cleaned the room, washed my body and hair, which was admittedly quite embarassing. They even dressed me and told me that I was expected in the dining hall.
For a moment, I was confused why it was only maids, not that I was complaining, but when I asked I was told that all the men of the manor barring the Lord had been put to the war. Unfortunate, frankly.
Anyways, thankfully I had help getting to the dining hall, had I been alone I'm sure I would have gotten lost in the endless maze of opulent halls.
The walls are covered in ornate paintings of the Sitri family, indescribably valuable artifacts and framed drawings from Serafall's youth.
As we walked closer and closer to the hall, I kept thinking, always keeping my mind active. It was a way to make sure I always remained focused, so that I wouldn't get caught off guard like I had been yesterday.
So far, I have 3 main objectives. Accrue power, build alliances, and create a good relationship with the future Satans. For now, I'll need to focus my attention on residents of the Underworld given that I haven't got a way to reach Earth, but I can still make allies and gain power.
Right now, there are two people that I would say hold a great deal of value to me, both of whom are in the place I will soon be sent off to. Quite frankly, I've lucked out.
Grayfia and Euclid Lucifuge are two incredibly important people. Grayfia is an extremely powerful asset for the Satan's, her strength, as I've heard from Serafall, matches the Sitri's own.
From how it seems, the Anti-Satans are at a stalemate in terms of power. Grayfia balances the scales for the Satans by being flexible.
Sure, Daimadosu Asmodeus would lose against a man like Ajuka Astaroth, but add Grayfia into the mix and suddenly the scales even out enough that both sides take losses. Her importance will only go up soon, too.
The Satans had been fighting a war of attrition, given that they had more numbers, the backing of more important families and most importantly the names of their families, they had a great deal more in terms of troops to work with.
However, when the Phenex pledge allegiance to the Anti-Satans, an outcome I am almost certain of, the Satans will become far more conscious of their losses. Losing Grayfia on top of that would collapse the power structure of the Satan Faction.
In the worst case scenario, if things get desperate enough, the Satans could make a bargain with Rizevim. Sadly, I don't remember enough about him in the Civil War to know if he was even active, but so far I've heard no word of him.
I don't doubt that Ajuka and Sirzechs together would be able to bring down Rizevim, but it doesn't matter if they can, it matters if they should. The Underworld would suffer greatly in a conflict between them, and the Anti-Satan's would lose most of their supporters in an instant.
Still, Grayfia is far too important of an ally to pass up on, and Euclid is far too important of a target to miss out on. Euclid is unique, while he is strong, he holds no candle to those he serves.
His mind is his strength, and if I allow that mind to flourish even further, I'll only make more problems for myself.
I could very well make myself a target of the fledgling Qlippoth if I kill him though, which could also cause Rizevim to come out of his cave and hunt me down. Hm.
No doubt, I'll need Grayfia. If I can spirit her away, I'll have an extremely powerful ally and the war will end sooner. The sooner the war ends, the quicker I can get access to Earth and make more allies.
There is of course the added bonus of her being a phenomenally attractive woman. Whatever happens, happens.
I'll decide what to do with Euclid in the moment. If the opportunity to kill him arises I must take it, not only for the EXP gain, but to earn the New Satans respect.
New Quest: 007 Incarnate (Rewards to be calculated on completion)
Really wish I'd get told what I actually get from these quests, or what I even have to do for it. Oh well, the title is enough of a giveaway.
Finally, after 5 minutes of navigating this maze of a building, I find myself stood at a large set of double doors. The maid beside me knocks, waiting for Serafall's permission.
"You may enter."
When the doors open I'm greeted by a dining hall several sizes larger than I could have ever imagined, a comically large table if I'm being honest, and a room with two extremely powerful Devils.
Serafall and a surprise guest, Ajuka Astaroth. I'd assumed that he would be with the Phenex clan, but on further thought it makes much more sense for Sirzechs to have been sent to negotiate. He's far more pleasant.
Given the way Ajuka is looking at me, I'd feel much safer being anywhere but miles away from him. Hurriedly, I walk further into the room, unsure of what to do I bow slightly.
Serafall smiles, this one being far, far more pleasant than any she showed me yesterday, and opens up the discussion.
"I hope you enjoyed your rest, Luocha. Please, take a seat, enjoy the meal. You're a guest of the Sitri Family." Hesitant, I abide by her words, taking a seat opposite Ajuka and on Serafall's side.
Being sat on opposite ends of the table felt... slighty intimidating.
"I must admit, the service here has been wonderful. I hope the food is of the same standard."
The plate in front of me looks, frankly speaking, exquisite. Eggs, toast, weird fruits I've never seen and meat that looks utterly delectable. Before I can take a bite, Ajuka speaks up though, getting straight to the point.
"This weapon of yours that Serafall spoke of, would you show it to me?" Despite it being a request, I felt absolutely unable to refuse. Looking at him, I realise that I don't think I've seen him blink since I got here.
I raise my left hand from under the table and let Caduceus appear in my glove. Before I've even finished the motion, Ajuka blurs, his body appearing inches away from Caduceus in a fraction of a second, eyes glued to it.
"Fascinating." A moment later, he raises a hand, a green magic circle appearing in it shortly after.
Caduceus suddenly begins floating closer to Ajuka's eyes, turning so that he can view every inch of the weapon.
"It's just a regular rapier. Not a projection, not even a construct. But there was no Mana exchanged, no remnant. No, the rapier isn't special." His eyes shift, still utterly unblinking, to me.
"You, Luocha, are an enigma." He grabs my face, inspecting every inch of my person.
Pleading, I glance over to Serafall, who looks quite annoyed at what Ajuka is doing to me, mumbling about her 'newest little servant' under her breath.
"Ahem. Ajuka, please. Let go of him." Her voice sounds calm, yet the way her fork bends says wonders about her mood.
For a moment, he looks mildly displeased, but then he turns and walks back to his seat as if nothing happened, grabbing his coat and preparing to leave.
"I've gotten what I wanted from this. I'll be watching you, Luocha." And with that, he brusquely walks away, leaving a half eaten plate of food.
Serafall's voice breaks the silence left in his wake. Just before he exits the room, I cast Wandering Eye, and I'm almost stunned.
Ajuka Astaroth: Level 347
"Sorry about him, he's... he's just committed to his craft. Anyways!" She brightens up considerably, pushing a clean plate away from herself and standing up, skipping over to my seat.
"With him gone, you and I have a lot of work to do today, Luocha! I hope you're ready!" She grabs me by the shoulders and lifts me out of the seat, before dragging me through the halls of the manor.
"First order of business! Training!" The way her smile turns predatory in the blink of an eye has my knees wobbling, but I'm more concerned with the fact that despite all of that, I never got a chance to enjoy the food.
------------------------------------
The gardens of the Sitri manor are utterly gorgeous. I can't even find the words to describe it. They are utterly untouched by the war outside, their beauty perfectly preserved.
Serafall stands a few meters ahead of me, having changed into much more appropriate clothes than her usual dress, stretching. I can't lie, my eyes are drawn to her quite a bit.
She seems astutely aware of this though, given the chesire grin on her face when I finally notice I've been staring. She clears her throat slightly.
"For the rest of the day, we'll be working on your magic, your combat prowess, and your stealth ability." She places a finger on her cheek, as if she's gotten a brilliant idea.
"People perform better when given the proper motivation, so I'll make you a deal. Land one hit on me today, and I'll let you sleep with me."
Without any hesitation, I summon Caduceus, activate Windrunner and throw myself at her as fast as I can. The last I see of her is that same fucking smile, before suddenly she's gone.
-24MP
349/373MP
By the time my body even realises I've been hit, I'm 30 meters away in a pool of blood, my ribs broken and every breath feeling like pure suffering.
-887HP!
152/1039HP
Arm shaking, I clench my palm around the Abyss Flower Sigil, and feel strength return to my body, bones realigning, blood returning. Euphoria, utter bliss.
+980HP!
"Even now, I'm still pretty impressed with your healing, Luocha. It's going to come in very, very handy today." I suppress the shiver I feel at the odd purr in her voice.
I get up slowly, summoning Caduceus once more and staring her down. Alright. Perhaps I got a bit hasty in my eagerness. That was my fault.
This time though, I need to be precise. The offer of sleeping with her is a great bonus, but I need to focus on what I can learn.
"Here's how this is going to work. I am going to be hunting you. You need to hide, and try to land one hit without me realising where you are. Of course, if you feel confident you can try to take me head on." She's standing exactly where she was before, one hand on her hip and the other on a hammer made of ice that she's created.
"You have 20 seconds. Start running."