77. The Dragon Priestess, and Serafall's Unheard Pleas.
Kouske's POV
"Are you sure they will listen to me?" Asia-chan asked a bit unsurely.
"Yeah, don't worry. Those little ones will love you!" I replied confidently, giving her a thumbs up.
"If you say so, I will do my best!" Asia-chan said more confidently, clenching both her fists cutely. She seemed pumped up. Damn, she's cute!
Unconsciously, I patted her head, causing her to tilt her head in confusion. But soon, she began to enjoy it, smiling goofily as she raised her head slightly.
"Ehe he he..."
Then, together, we entered the Demiplane, which was bustling with people happily chatting, training, and joking around with each other. I always believed that a happy, flexible working environment is far better than a strict, rigorous one with rigid rules.
Therefore, I try to accommodate people as long as they don't go too far. Inside the large building on the left, there are large Quest Boards where people can take quests to earn rewards such as better facilities, stronger tamed familiars as partners, money, or any other equal requests, depending on their preferences.
I try to maintain flexibility in managing things. Initially, it was challenging due to this very flexibility, but after a few years, things have settled down nicely. I am quite proud of my work.
When people saw me coming, they weren't scared or tense like people typically are around their leaders. Everyone was very chill and greeted me and Asia-chan cheerfully. After a while, I went to a restricted area in the Demiplane where I had kept all the baby dragons for rearing.
Even though they were small and young, they were still influenced by the Dragon Mountain and their own nature, which led them to fight among themselves from the start.
The fights weren't pleasant at all, and I had to intervene to stop them. It will take a while to break these habits. While Dragon Mountain is all about harsh training that often involves fighting to survive, these little ones are quite aggressive. So, I usually have to use my aura to force them to listen. But now, the scene before me is quite different.
"Kouske-san, you were right. These little ones are so cute!" Asia-chan exclaimed, surrounded by all the dragons. They obediently listened to her every command and played enthusiastically with her. Cute, huh?
"Stop, stop, stooop! I will get mad if you fight agaaiin! Humph!" Asia-chan scolded the two dragons who were vying for attention, glaring and bickering with each other.
Now Asia-chan was giving them a cute glare and scolding them, causing the two dragons to instantly stop and sulk a bit.
Meanwhile, the other dragons looked smug and acted as if they were the best of friends.
Yeah, dragons are pretty smart and cunning creatures. But the Dragon Priestess is even more OP. And cute too.
Unlike me, she doesn't have to intimidate them to make them listen. She has this strange aura that makes dragons more empathetic towards her. It boosts your emotions, making you want to protect and listen to her.
After that, I introduced Asia-chan to Tanin-san too. He also mentioned feeling more empathetic towards her just by looking at her.
I know, she radiates a strange aura—an aura of protection. Asia-chan was extremely fascinated, even after seeing the big bad dragon in real life. She was excitedly poking and patting Tanin-san, and he wasn't even scolding her for it. It was quite a scene. She also liked the smaller version of him.
After she met everyone in Tanin-san's family, her tiny bit of anxiety was finally gone. Everyone was friendly with her, even some of the violent ones who were fighting, 'begrudgingly' stopped their fighting when she started saying things like that they shouldn't hurt one another.
Even the rough and tough delinquent Bova-kun was being a tsundere, and it was quite something to see. I have videos, and I will blackmail the poor guy for the rest of his life! 😂
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Rey-chan suddenly arranged for a sleepover and even invited Sona. It was Sona's first time staying over at my place, and the only request she made was to keep Sera away for the night so she could relax without any unexpected threat of being suddenly jumped on.
Rey-chan agreed, and here we are having a barbecue on the roof under the starry night sky. Tomo, Momo, Asagi, and Sona's now official Queen Tsubaki are also here.
Sona, now 13 years old, already received her evil pieces a few years ago. Tsubaki is much more relaxed with us now.
Sakuya and I are in charge of making the barbecue. We were all having a great time laughing, talking, and playing games.
However, after the barbecue party, Sera suddenly appeared. I don't know how she knew, but she showed up just as we were getting ready to sleep.
I thought I wouldn't see her for a while due to her trauma. I had created some "slightly" disturbing magical girl anime that might traumatize even the most ardent magical girl enthusiasts.
I'm still debating whether to publish it or not; perhaps I'll revise the story to reduce the trauma. However, I had sent Sera the full version of these anime on Blu-ray DVDs.
For a while, she stopped wearing magical girl costumes and seemed pale whenever magical girls were mentioned. But after some time, she returned to her usual self and started bothering me again, even more, out of spite. How does she get so much free time? Isn't she a Maou?!
So, I mentioned my new (nonexistent) magical girl project to her. Since then, she disappeared, but now she's hanging around my barrier as if her life depended on it.
"Kou-chaaan! So-taaan! Sakuya-chaaan! Let me iinnn!" I stepped outside to find the source of the loud nighttime commotion. She's going to wake up the whole neighborhood!
"What are you doing, Sera-chan?" I asked, observing the girl floating in the air. To a passerby, it would seem quite unusual. She lay on my barrier, throwing a tantrum. I quickly added a second barrier to contain the noise.
"Let me in, Kou-chan. Onee-chan wants to sleep hugging both you and So-tan tonight. Onee-chan feels lonely!" Sera pleaded with crocodile tears, noticing the added barrier.
"Sera-chan, you're always welcome to sleep over. But tonight isn't possible. You'll have to come tomorrow," I replied.
"Nooo! Kou-chaan! Onee-chan wants to come today. I'll be busy tomorrow. Let me in, pretty please? Sakuya-chan?" Sera pleaded, looking hopefully at Sakuya.
"I am afraid I can't change Sona-chan's mind about tonight. So I cannot help you today," Sakuya said, disappointing Sera.
She looked betrayed and began another tantrum. It seemed the other girls were coming out to see what the commotion was. So Sakuya and I entered the house to calm them down, leaving the tantrum-throwing child in an adult's body behind.
Wait, is that even an adult body? Her height aside... But those boobs... Hmm... Something to ponder on later.
"Kou-chan! Kou-chaaan?? Don't leave me here! Kou-chaaan! Uwawaa!" I could still hear her from inside. Thankfully, my house has good insulation, letting the girls sleep in peace.
Even after an hour, she still hadn't left. So I went back outside to talk to her.
"Sera-chan. How long do you plan to stay here?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
"Until you let me in!" she exclaimed, swinging in the air while clinging to the barrier like a koala.
"But Sera, I can't break my promise to Sona-chan," I replied.
"Then how about we make a deal?" Sera suggested after a moment of thought.
"A deal? Hmph! I won't betray her for just any deal," I replied confidently.
"Hehehe," Sera chuckled confidently, causing me to raise an eyebrow in question.
"How about Onee-chan cosplays for a while in anything you want? I know how you look at Onee-chan. Devils mature fast. You are already at that age," Serafall said, squeezing her bodacious boobs a bit.
"Hmph! Don't you always cosplay? What's new about that?" I asked, glancing at her boobs.
"Fufufu. But now you get to choose what I wear..." Sera replied mischievously, making me think and unconsciously gulp a bit.
"Uh... costumes?" I mumbled.
"Hmm? What did you say, Kou-chan? I didn't hear you," Sera asked.
I looked around and, not seeing anyone, I replied, "How many times are you willing to do it?"
"Hgnnn... How about three?" Sera suggested, showing me three fingers after some thought.
"15."
"No, 5."
"13."
"7."
"No, 11."
"10, that's as far as I will go. I am also busy you know. I can't stay all day cosplaying," Sera said.
"But you can whine here all night?" I replied, to which she looked the other way and mumbled something while avoiding eye contact.
After negotiating for a while, we reached a compromise. So she came down from the top of the barrier, and just as I was about to open it for her...
"What are you doing, Ko-kun?" asked an angry-looking Rey-chan.
"You haven't slept yet, Rey-chan? I thought you had fallen asleep already," I replied nervously.
"Who sleeps on a girls' sleepover?" Rey-chan said matter-of-factly.
"Ha ha ha... How long have you been here, Rey-chan?" I asked.
"Since the time you asked for 15..." replied Rey-chan, seemingly disappointed. It seems I was so engrossed in my talk with Sera that I didn't notice who else was there. Acting like a pervert makes you dumb, huh? Lesson learned!
After that, before Sera or I could say anything, I was dragged inside by an angry Rey-chan. I was kept in a corner of the room while they chatted all night. Rey-chan seemed upset, so I didn't cause any more trouble for the night. Sera went back home sulking, probably to the Sitri territory to wait and pounce on Sona.
Before she left, she left a message on my phone, wanting me to meet Sirzechs to discuss acquiring the available territories of the Sabnocks to my name. The other noble houses had already taken about 40% of the Sabnock's territory.
The remaining 60% was saved only because of the Extra Devil Clans that were still loyal to the Sabnocks and their efforts.
As Sirzechs is the Head of Domestic Affairs, I have to meet him to get the paperwork done in order to secure the lands and start redeveloping it. I guess I will be meeting him soon.
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After a week, I ventured into the Underworld to meet Sirzechs. The Underworld is the home of the Devils and Fallen Angels, and by extension the Gods of Hell.
The Underworld is comparable in size to the human world but with a larger landmass, lacking oceans and mostly dotted with lakes.
The sky was originally purple during both the day and night, but the current Four Great Satans adjusted the flow of time to match it in the human world for the sake of the reincarnated Devils.
They reproduced an artificial moon using Demonic Power and made the night's darkness the same as the human world.
The Underworld was originally split into two regions: The Devil's Region and the Fallen Angels' Region, which ended after the creation of the peace treaty between the leaders of the Three Factions, in the future.
I am currently in Lilith, the current Capital of the Satan territory ruled by Sirzechs Lucifer. It has one of the most advanced hospitals, which is named Serafall Memorial Hospital.
It is the hospital created by the Serafall from the natural reserves of her former Clan. It is famously known throughout the Underworld for not only possessing the best of her family's medical facilities but also for being named after her which increased its popularity, as she is the most famous female Devil in the Underworld.
As I wandered, lost in sightseeing, I received another message from Serafall reminding me to head to Lucifer's Office.
Unfortunately, Serafall couldn't accompany me as she was temporarily out of the Underworld. This prompted me to make my way towards Lucifer's Office without delay.
Approaching the massive castle, guards intercepted me.
"Stop, kid. Who are you, and what's your business here? You cannot enter without any previous appointment. Do you have any?" the guards demanded, their tone brusque, likely detecting my half-devil heritage since I had ceased using my race-concealing skill.
"I am Kouske Sabnock. Here's my letter of appointment," I replied, handing over the letter while suppressing my anger to avoid unnecessary conflict.
"Sabnock, huh? Have you heard of any other Sabnock brats around, Luther?" one guard asked his companion.
"I've only heard of one in young master Sairaorg's peerage. This seems suspicious, don't you think? Is this letter authentic?" the other guard, Luther, remarked, eyeing the letter skeptically.
"You're right. I doubt its authenticity. Leave, kid," said the previous guard dismissively.
"You haven't even looked at the letter yet. It bears Satan Leviathan's seal. Don't you have eyes, or are you just blind?" I retorted, glaring at them.
"What?! Are you threatening..." one of the guards attempted to respond aggressively, but his companion, Luther, restrained him.
However, I was already exerting my pressure on them, causing them to go pale. Despite their bluster, these guards were of the lowest class and possessed only around middle-class prowess. I didn't need to exert much pressure to make them tremble in fear.
As I released a bit of my aura, I sensed a powerful presence descending to the lower floors. The aura exuded a sense of devastation, unmistakably belonging to Sirzechs.
It became apparent that Sirzechs was likely coming down because of my sudden aura release, although it was only at a high-class level.
In Lucifer's Office, one doesn't typically release threatening auras unless under attack, which likely prompted his investigation.
[A/N: Just to clarify, Serafall's affection is purely sisterly in this story. I believe this interpretation aligns more closely with her original character. Fanfiction often portrays her differently, but I prefer to maintain her authenticity.
Sakuya, Lavinia, and Serafall seem to have won according to WebNovel, Scribblehub and Patreon VOTES!]
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