章 89: 89. Reincarnating Kuroka!
Kouske's POV
"Sera. Fancy seeing you here and it seems you are not alone," I said as Serafall arrived at my Sabnock territory for a visit.
Unlike usual when she sometimes pops into Kuoh town, she looks incredibly tired. The workload and negotiations must have really worn her down.
"Kou-chan! Onee-chan's been so down! I've been swamped with way too much work lately!" Sera cried, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back, of course. And as it turns out, she wasn't alone.
"Hey, Sona-chan. It's been a while since we last met," I greeted Sona, whose expression suggested that she most probably didn't come here willingly.
"Hmph! I didn't want to come here, you know," says Sona.
"Are you still mad about that thing?" I asked Sona who had been mad at me and Sera for not telling her about me being a devil beforehand. So, she has been pouting for a while now.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm not mad or anything," Sona says calmly, but her stare tells a different story.
"But you are mad. I can tell. Sorry," I replied.
"I am not."
"Yes, you are."
"I am not!"
"But, You are!"
"Am not!"
"You are."
"No!"
"Yes."
"No!"
"No."
"Yes!"
"See! You are mad!" I replied, smirking.
"Ugh!" she yelled, stomping her foot before storming off to her right.
"Sona-chan, there's nothing but tombstones that way! Guest rooms are to the left," I shouted after her.
We were already inside the Sabnock Mansion, and she was making a beeline for the side that led to the graveyard behind it.
"I know that!" she yelled back, defiance lacing her voice as she changed her course. But how would she know?
*sigh*
"You know you're just making her angrier," Tsubaki, Sona's Queen, said, looking at me with an exasperated look.
Sona had already gotten her Evil Pieces and reincarnated her. I also got mine, though a bit late – most devils get them at 10, but I was already over 12.
"Ha ha... Don't sweat it," I replied, flashing a peace sign and a grin.
"A good tantrum will cool her down faster than waiting for her forgiveness." Tsubaki sighed, then started following Sona with a shake of her head.
"So-tan looks so cute even when she's pouting! Gotta admit though, you guys are really good friends. She wouldn't act like this in anyone else's house," Sera said, amusement lacing her voice.
While listening to her, I signaled some maids to escort Sona and Tsubaki to the guest rooms to make them comfortable.
"Hmm... She is cute. So, what's with the sudden visit?" I asked.
"Can't I come to see my cute Kou-chan?" she replied, acting adorably.
"How many times have I told you not to call me 'chan'?" I retorted, letting out a sigh as she stuck out her tongue playfully.
After a moment, she spoke again. "Didn't you say you wanted to transfer Naberius's bishop to your peerage?"
"Yeah, but isn't that Beelzebub's job?" I asked.
"Don't sweat over the small details! I will help you with the paperwork. Aju-chan is too busy in his lab to come out now anyway. You'll be doing the transfer in my presence. I've already acquired the basic equipment from him," replied Sera.
That guy never leaves his lab, does he? Or did he find something interesting in Naberius's lab?
And she's just trying to make excuses to skip work, isn't she? But she does need some time off. So it works out fine, I guess. But...
"Can you even perform the transfer properly?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in doubt.
"Huh! Don't worry," Sera replied confidently.
"Naberius is already dead, and his connection to that bishop piece is already lost. Removing that piece is easier than exchanging pieces between living Kings. I can do it myself with the equipment!"
"OK! And?" I prompted, waiting for more details.
"And you'll just need to be present and ready to use your own piece," she continued.
"Once I remove the bishop piece, you can immediately reincarnate her into your peerage. Simple as that!"
"Anything else you need to do?" I asked. Sera laughed lightly.
"I guess I also need to see the development in your territory. It's been four months, and the Devil Council has been questioning your ability to rule the territories. You haven't been attending any of the council meetings either, so some members are not pleased with your behavior."
"By some, you mean most, right? So they're just being petty and trying to cause problems after seeing the rapid growth in the cities under me, huh? And I have no intention of wasting my time sitting in a place for hours listening to some old, self-obsessed, idiotic lunatics talking total nonsense!" I said, feeling a surge of annoyance.
"Pretty much. But don't say that in front of them," she replied, shrugging but still amused.
"They're not used to someone handling things differently and actually succeeding. They must have thought you would ask for their help in the redevelopment of your territories and then they would be able to extort you or put you, a future clan leader, in their debt."
"But now that they see you are doing extremely fine without seeking any of their help and that you even reclaimed your lost territories from the monsters in such a short time, they are just being petty!" Sera added, equally annoyed.
I'm still not the Sabnock Clan Head since I'm not an adult yet. However, I've been appointed as the Heir, with full authority as the only living member possessing the bloodline power from the direct line. Otherwise, the Clan Head Magic Circle wouldn't have chosen me. I know it doesn't make much sense, but devil's rules rarely ever do!
"So they suggested someone observe the territory to make an official report, but you came yourself, I guess?" I asked.
"Full points! You are right. Onee-chan's proud!" Sera said, giving me head pats.
But she had to stand on her toes to do so since I was already taller than her, which made me laugh out loud.
"You're being a meanie now!" Sera pouted with fake tears, crossing her arms under bazookas!
"Well, someone has to keep you on your toes (literally)," I teased, ruffling her hair.
"Come on, let's get you settled in a room. Then we can complete the transfer and tour the place. You'll see firsthand just how things are going."
After that, I called all the girls over since I needed Kuroka here for the transfer anyway, I figured we might as well all stay here for a while for a change of pace. I also invited Momo, as she's a great friend of Sona and me.
If Sera's going to make a report on my territory, I might as well give everyone an elaborate tour of the place and my ongoing projects while showing Sera around. None of the girls had ever fully toured the place either.
The maids and butlers were all put to work. Sakuya was being very strict! At first, they were dissatisfied with Sakuya as the head maid, inwardly grumbling but not daring to say anything to me.
However, after spending a day with Sakuya, they started fearing and respecting her. I didn't have to intervene. I wonder what she did?
Without my knowledge, rumors about a certain 'Demon Maid' in the Sabnock Mansion spread, and everyone was terrified of her. Who could that be, I wonder?
*
*
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Omniscient POV
The next day, early in the morning, Serafall had a small box-sized object that Kouske recognized.
It looked similar to the box of evil pieces handed to him by Ajuka a few months earlier. Back then, he had to touch a monument that functioned as a replacement King Piece to register him as a King.
The box he had, changed its color from blood red to yellow, symbolizing the Sabnock crest on top. However, this box was black and gave off a different feeling.
"Do I need to just stand here, nyaa?" asked Kuroka nervously.
She didn't know what would happen and, finding herself suddenly in front of one of the Maous, she was understandably a bit anxious.
"Yeah! Don't worry. It will be over in an instant!" replied the magical girl poised as a Maou.
The whole room was filled with people, witnessing the process for the first time. Kouske, meanwhile, was observing the box intently, trying to decipher its secrets while encouraging Kuroka.
After a while, he could see Serafall's aura blending with the pitch-black box as it opened. The box was empty but had slots for all 15 pieces, with an additional slot that could potentially be for extracting a King Piece if Ajuka ever needed to. Not that most would ever know.
Soon, the empty slot for the bishop piece connected with Kuroka, causing her to glow black like the box. She felt a piece of herself leaving her body, and then the bishop's piece flew into the empty slot in the box. The box closed by itself, completing the process safely. It was an instant process!
"Do you feel anything different with your body?" asked Serafall, as Kouske and Koneko also inquired about Kuroka's health.
"I am fine. It's just... how do I say? I feel.. odd? It feels like something is missing in me, and I also feel a bit weaker," replied Kuroka absentmindedly as she checked her body with Senjutsu.
"Hmm. The enhancements of the bishop piece must have been removed," conjectured Kouske.
"Yeah, that's what happened. Now you can reincarnate her with your evil pieces," said Serafall, looking at Kouske.
"Do I have to reincarnate her into a bishop, or can I use any of the pieces?" asked Kouske, already guessing the answer.
"You can use any of the pieces. I think you should let the evil piece set do the choosing for you. It's your first time using them, right? They can select the most suitable pieces for you by estimating both of your power levels, her talents, and affinities, etc," advised Serafall.
"Hmm. I guess I will try," Kouske replied as he stood in front of Kuroka. By simply willing it, the suitable pieces appeared in front of him.
"Only a pawn?!" mumbled Sona, stunned by the scenario.
She had heard that Kuroka possessed the power of an Ultimate Class devil, and Naberius had even needed a mutated bishop piece when he reincarnated her, which was the one she had witnessed just a bit earlier, flying to the box.
She thought Kouske would need to use one of his mutated pieces, which had impressed her since it was rare for someone to receive multiple mutated evil pieces—only a few ever did, and the most anyone had gotten at once was three, marking them as exceptionally talented.
But here, only a pawn appeared. What was going on? Was Kouske stronger than she expected?
The same thought was going through Serafall's mind, and she was astonished that her suspicion was most likely true. Even though Kouske usually emitted the aura of an intermediate high-class devil, she could tell he was far stronger.
This was now proven, as only a devil with power and talent equal to or significantly greater than Kuroka could reincarnate her with just a single pawn piece in this situation.
So, either Kouske was overwhelmingly stronger than Kuroka, or his real strength was closer to hers, and he was at least as talented.
This small exchange revealed a lot. Despite her surprise, Serafall was still happy to see such a talented young devil.
Kouske moved a bit closer to Kuroka and asked, "Kuroka Toujou, do you hereby accept me, Kouske Sabnock, as your eternal master and serve me with all your body and soul as my pawn?"
Kuroka was already used to Kouske's meddlings. So she didn't correct him and just accepted it as it was. Meanwhile, Serafall was looking at the papers in her hands, wondering if she needed to adjust Kuroka's name on them.
With a look of determination, Kuroka knelt down, looked into Kouske's eyes, and pledged, "I, Kuroka Toujou, accept you, Kouske Sabnock, as my eternal master and vow to live for you, giving my body, soul, and loyalty to you as your pawn." With that, Kuroka finished her sentence.
Kouske felt a bit embarrassed saying all this, but since it was an official transfer and everything would be recorded, he had to put on a little show.
As Kouske willed it, the pawn piece entered Kuroka's body, enhancing her basic powers. Kuroka could feel a higher level of enhancement than she had from Naberius's mutated bishop piece, despite this being just Kouske's single pawn piece.
It was evident that Kouske was overwhelmingly stronger than the weak mid-class Naberius devil, who only held the status of a high-class devil but whose power was mid-class at best.
"Now that ends the ceremony. I have witnessed it all. Congratulations, Kou-chan, on getting your first peerage member who is already so strong. Onee-chan's proud of you," said Serafall.
"Thanks. And don't call me 'chan'," replied Kouske, a bit annoyed.
'Chan' seemed a bit childish, especially coming from the child in Maou's clothing! Oh no, even her clothing is just as childish!
After the ceremony, everyone engaged in conversation while Kouske made preparations for them to tour the Sabnock territory and thought about how to make the evil piece extractor he just observed.
For now, he decided to refrain from reincarnating anyone new into his peerage since these evil pieces could significantly enhance someone's power. He planned to train his future peerage members first, then use the evil pieces to boost their already strong base powers in the future.
Additionally, unused evil pieces could change and possibly mutate over the years according to the King's power and emotions, while used ones could also change and mutate based on the power and emotions of a reincarnated devil. So he will wait for a few years.
But this time was an exception, as Kouske had to let Kuroka join his peerage to avoid any unnecessary trouble with the selfish, idiotic, incompetent devil council. He didn't want to waste his time dealing with those old farts if he could help it!
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