Chapter 9

Slowly walking over to the door of their home Damian absentmindedly scratched his head lazily as they walked. Over the last two weeks, he had gotten into a fairly lazy schedule as he watched movies with his father almost endlessly.

Luckily, it had ended just yesterday so he could finally begin to return to his normal schedule. Relaxing all the time had been fun however it wasn't worth it in the end. His life would eventually be filled with strife, he needed to prepare while he still could.

'I wonder how Sona's doing? Did she find Ingvild? Either way, I'll leave it up to her for now. Right now I'm still in the process of gathering evidence against the Naberius clan so I don't really have a choice anyway.' Damian thought to himself while opening the door.

Time seemed to slow as the door opened at a snail's pace, a flash of green hair appearing in his vision. Pausing in place Damian couldn't help but freeze in place, the door remaining half open as he processed what he was seeing.

"Hello!" The Devil of Innovation Ajuka Beelzebub spoke politely, an amused grin on his face as he looked upon Damian's frozen expression. It made his unannounced arrival all the more worth it. It was merely a safety procession at the start however now he believed that Damian's bewilderment was much more amusing.

"Hello Lord Beelzebub. To what do we owe this pleasure?" Damian questioned, his calm returned after only a moment. While it would be a lie to say they helped a lot watching so many movies did help him improve at regaining his calm. It did take quite a few intensely stimulating movies but it was well worth it.

"I wanted to discuss something with you actually. If your parents are around you could invite them as well." Ajuka revealed calmly, his calm and polite smile tainted with nigh infinite amusement.

It was said that a devil, especially an innovator, had a tendency to fall to their lust for information when it came to subjects that interested them. It certainly appeared that way when Damian looked at Ajuka Beelzebub's eyes.

"My parents are not here unfortunately however I would be more than happy to serve you." Damian agreed professionally, suddenly suspicious of the abrupt tea party his parents were currently attending, it was created by the Astaroth family after all.

"Wonderful. I hope you don't mind my unannounced visit. I didn't feel like bothering going through the official route you see." Ajuka explained calmly as he entered the Thaumiel clan home, eagerly taking in its cozy atmosphere that the pillars lacked.

'So he wants this to be kept off the record.' Damian noted to himself as he led the man through his home. The Satans generally had to alert others of where they were going beforehand due to their importance and the trouble it caused for others who would host them.

It was information that was frequently used against them whether it be by political opponents or even members of their faction. Usually, it resulted in the Satans being fairly lonesome people, Ajuka especially, so if he had gone through the trouble to come here unannounced Damian was sure he had a reason.

"Before anything else, I'm curious what you've done with my gift." Ajuka began with an interested smile as he sat down at a small table in the garden that Astros, Damian's mother, took care of personally. While it didn't compare to the luxury of the pillars it was certainly a beautiful sight.

"I haven't been able to do much with it. I plan on taking my time with it. Any hints would be well appreciated though." Damian explained briefly, quickly brewing a pot of tea by hand. There were plenty of magic tools that could do it but his mother believed it to be better when done by hand and Damian enjoyed it so he frequently made his own tea.

"I'm afraid not. The challenge is yours, it wouldn't be fair of me to interfere." Ajuka denied him with a righteous shake of his head, the twitching of his lips and the amused glint in his eyes betraying his true emotions.

"I see. Regardless, what brings you here lord Beelzebub?" Damian questioned, pouring out the tea for both himself and the satan before him with such elegance that even Grayfia, the greatest maid, would be proud of.

"Well, I was curious about my nephew who I hadn't met before. You made quite the impression at Diodora's coming of age party." Ajuka explained simply however his words were incredibly shocking and inspiring.

Ajuka Beelzebub was the former heir of the Astaroth family over five hundred years ago and since his birth, he had dozens of nephews and nieces that were born. Yet he never paid any particular attention to any of them.

However out of those many nephews and nieces Damian Thaumiel, a descendant of a mere branch family of the Astaroth clan received his attention. The only one to receive that honor previously was Latia Astaroth, somebody rumored to be the second coming of Ajuka himself.

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm glad to have received your praise lord Beelzebub." Damian replied politely, a sincerely grateful smile on his face. It felt nice to be praised by somebody as powerful as him. It felt as though the path he has walked so far was being praised.

"Ah, please call me Uncle when we aren't in public. It's tiring to be treated so formally at all times." Ajuka requested, his eyes looking down at the teacup on the table in silent praise. He was a fan of good tea and he had only tasted tea this good two times. His distant cousin Astros Astaroth and Grayfia herself.

"Of course Uncle." Damian agreed without hesitation. It was a risky move since they weren't all that close however he could tell that it was something that Ajuka truly wanted and so there was no reason to decline. It was easier for him and names of endearment helped foster good relations.

"Now then, why don't we move onto the main topic?" Ajuka began solemnly.