While the supernatural world trembled in the wake of his declaration and the major factions scrambled to decipher his next move, Algernon was doing something decidedly mundane.
He was taking a walk.
Dressed in his standard Kuoh Academy uniform which he wore with the casual grace of royal robes Algernon strolled through the school gates. The campus, which had been a smoking crater only hours ago inside the barrier, was now pristine.
The restoration magic of the Sitri and Gremory clans had done its work perfectly; the buildings stood tall, the glass was whole, and the cherry blossoms drifted gently in the wind.
As he walked across the courtyard, the heavy atmosphere of war seemed a universe away. However, his presence immediately drew attention. The student body, oblivious to the fact that a Demon Emperor walked among them, knew him only as the mysterious transfer student at the center of the school's biggest scandal.
"Hey, isn't that him?" a girl whispered loudly to her friend, clutching her bag. "The guy from Class 3-B?"
"It is! He's so handsome up close..." another replied, blushing. "But I heard he's the one Rias-senpai kissed right in the middle of class!"
"Seriously? No wonder he walks like he owns the place."
Algernon ignored the whispers and the pointing fingers, his expression one of bored indifference. He moved through the crowd like a shark parting a school of fish, heading straight for the wooded area behind the main campus.
He reached the Old School Building, the peeling paint and gothic architecture standing in stark contrast to the modern facilities he had just left. The hallways were silent, dust dancing in the shafts of afternoon sunlight.
He walked down the corridor, the floorboards creaking rhythmically under his boots, until he reached the double doors of the Occult Research Club.
He didn't knock. He simply pushed the door open.
The room was silent.
Usually, this space would be filled with Rias doing paperwork, Akeno preparing tea, or Kiba polishing a sword. But today, it was completely empty.
Algernon walked into the center of the room, glancing at Rias's desk, which was stacked with unfinished paperwork. He didn't stop there.
He moved to the large, plush leather sofa the centerpiece of the lounge area. With a sigh of genuine relaxation, he stretched his arms above his head, cracking his neck.
Then, with the leisure of a man who had just set the world on fire and decided to take a nap, he laid across the sofa, closing his eyes and crossing his arms behind his head.
"Finally," he murmured to the empty room. "A quiet moment."
Algernon lay comfortably on the sofa, the silence of the room lulling him into a light doze. A faint, savory scent wafted past his nose, causing him to crack open one of his golden eyes.
There, sitting innocently on the coffee table within arm's reach, was an open bag of premium, limited-edition chips. They looked seasoned to perfection.
Deciding that the universe or at least the club room existed to serve him, Algernon decided to help himself. He reached out, grabbed the bag, and began to rhythmically crunch away, enjoying the solitude and the flavor.
He was down to the very bottom of the bag when the door to the club room opened once again.
Algernon didn't immediately sit up. He simply turned his head against the leather armrest to see who had entered.
Koneko was standing frozen at the door. Her usually stoic, emotionless face was currently locked in an expression of quiet, devastating horror. Her school bag had slipped from her shoulder, hitting the floor with a dull thud, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Hi, Koneko...?" Algernon greeted lazily, pausing his chewing.
Not receiving any answer, Algernon frowned slightly. He followed her line of sight. She wasn't looking at his face. She wasn't looking at his uniform.
She was staring at the last piece of chips held between his thumb and forefinger. The intensity of her gaze was heavy enough to crush a boulder.
Algernon blinked. A mischievous glint entered his eye. He alternatively looked between the white-haired girl and the chip.
Testing a theory, he slowly raised his hand to the left. Koneko's head swiveled instantly to the left, her golden eyes locked on the target.
He moved his hand to the right. Her head swiveled to the right, tracking the movement with the precision of a predator watching a bird.
Algernon stopped his hand right in front of his own mouth. Koneko leaned forward slightly, a silent plea visible in her dilated pupils.
"So this was yours," Algernon stated, his voice calm and matter of fact.
Koneko nodded once, very slowly, hope sparking in her eyes.
Although Algernon said that, he didn't extend his hand toward her. Instead, he offered a charming, ruthless smile and tossed the last piece into his mouth.
Crunch.
Koneko's soul seemed to leave her body as she watched the final chip disappear.
__________________________________________________
The heavy double doors of the Occult Research Club swung open, admitting a large, exhausted, but relieved group.
Rias and Sona led the way, followed closely by their respective peerages—Akeno, Kiba, Tsubaki, and the others. They were in the middle of a tense discussion about the cleanup of the town and the sudden declaration of war, expecting to find the clubroom empty.
Instead, the entire group froze in the doorway, their jaws practically hitting the floor.
They were greeted by a scene that defied all logic and imperial dignity.
Algernon was still lounging on the leather sofa, looking utterly relaxed. But he wasn't alone. Koneko, the stoic mascot of the school and the Rook of the Rias peerage, was sitting squarely on the Demon Emperor's lap.
Her usual emotionless mask was completely shattered. Her white cat ears and two tails were fully popped out, twitching reflexively.
Her face was flushed a deep, indignant red, and her cheeks were puffed out in a massive, furious pout that made her look more like an angry hamster than a Nekomata.
Algernon, completely unbothered by the audience, was busy rubbing her head with a rhythmic, soothing motion that seemed to be the only thing keeping her from biting him.
"Come on, Koneko," Algernon cooed, his voice dripping with playful amusement as he scratched behind her twitching ear. "I didn't know they were yours. And the last one was for a prank."
Koneko let out a small, vibrating growl, turning her head away to avoid his gaze, though she leaned slightly into the hand petting her.
"I promise to treat you with better snacks," Algernon bargained, leaning closer to her ear. "Imported sweets from the Royal Capital? Unlimited supply?"
Koneko's ears twitched violently. The pout remained, but her tails slowed their angry swishing. The bribe was working.
The absurdity of the scene held the room in a stunned silence. However, Saji Genshirou, Sona Sitri's newest Pawn broke the spell.
He stepped forward, pointing an accusing finger at the relaxed figure on the sofa.
"Hey, who are you?" Saji blurted out, his voice indignant. "You can't just barge in here and manhandle Rias-senpai's rook! Who do you think—"
BAM.
He never finished the sentence.
Kiba Yuuto, usually the epitome of a gentle prince, moved with the speed of a lightning bolt. He didn't draw his sword; instead, he grabbed the back of Saji's head and slammed his face violently into the floorboards.
"Stay down, you idiot!" Kiba hissed, his face pale with panic. "Do you want to die?!"
The sudden violence snapped the rest of the group out of their trance. Sona's eyes widened behind her glasses, and Rias gasped with surprise.
In perfect unison, the devils of both peerages—excluding the unconscious Saji and the confused Xenovia—dropped to one knee, bowing their heads low.
"Your Majesty!"
The chorus of voices echoed through the clubroom.
Algernon blinked, pausing his scratching of Koneko's ear. "At ease. We are at school, not the underworld."
Xenovia Quarta, the former Church exorcist and Rias's newest Knight, remained standing. She looked around in genuine confusion, her hand hovering near the hilt of Durandal wrapped in cloth.
"Majesty...?" she muttered, furrowing her brows. "Is he the rumored demon emperor?"
Before anyone could explain, Rias and Akeno stepped forward with warm, affectionate smiles, moving past the bowing peerages.
"You're back early, Algernon," Rias said softly, her eyes full of relief as she moved to his right side.
"Ara ara, Emperor or not, you really are a bully for teasing Koneko-chan like that," Akeno giggled, moving to his left.
Rias and Akeno took hold of his arms, sandwiching him between them.
Algernon sat there—Koneko still pouting in his lap, Rias hugging his right arm, and Akeno clinging to his left—and looked at the confused Xenovia with a helpless shrug.
"It seems my 'quiet moment' is officially over."
The group slowly rose to their feet, but the atmosphere remained suffocatingly heavy. The casual intimacy of Rias, Akeno, and Koneko surrounding Algernon created a bizarre contrast with the rest of the room.
The peerage members stood rigid, their eyes fixed on the floor, afraid that a single wrong breath might offend the ruler.
Asia Argento, blessed with an innocence that shielded her from political dread, stood with a pure, beaming smile, simply happy that everyone was together.
In stark contrast, Saji Genshirou stood at the very back of the group, hiding behind Tsubaki. His face was a mask of sheer panic, pale and sweating as he replayed his earlier insult over and over in his mind, wondering if he was about to be executed.
Algernon, still comfortable with a pouting Koneko in his lap and two beauties on his arms, finally shifted his gaze. His golden eyes locked onto the short-haired girl adjusting her glasses nervously.
"Sona Sitri," Algernon spoke, his voice smooth and calculating. "Serafall's sister and the heir to the Sitri Clan."
Sona stiffened, stepping forward and bowing slightly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Algernon continued, tilting his head slightly. "I heard that despite your age; you are a tactician who rivals the veterans. And that you have never lost a game of chess."
A flicker of pride pushed through Sona's anxiety. Strategy was the one place where she felt she was the absolute master, regardless of power levels.
"Ah... yes," Sona replied, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose to hide the glint in her eyes. "That is correct. I have yet to meet an opponent who can outmaneuver me on the board."
Algernon smiled. He pointed a finger toward the chessboard sitting on a side table.
"So," Algernon challenged, "want to have a match with me?"
Sona's eyes lit up. The chance to challenge Demon Emperor was too good to resist.
"I accept your challenge, Your Majesty," Sona said, her voice steady. "But please do not expect me to hold back."
The click-clack of chess pieces echoed rhythmically in the silent room. As the match progressed, Sona Sitri underwent a transformation. The nervous heir who had bowed earlier vanished.
Her eyes were sharp, her smile calm, and her posture relaxed. In the domain of the sixty-four squares, she feared no one not even an Emperor.
She moved her Knight, putting pressure on Algernon's center, and then, without looking up from the board, she spoke.
"If I may," Sona said, her voice steady and analytical, "I want to ask something I doubt."
"Oh?" Algernon sat back slightly, genuinely interested, and motioned with his hand for her to continue.
Sona adjusted her glasses, her eyes scanning the board but her mind replaying the data of the recent battle.
"When I checked the reports," Sona began, her tone purely academic, "I saw that the Red Dragon Emperor arrived at a very inappropriate time."
She picked up a captured pawn, turning it over in her fingers.
"According to the official timeline, Rias contacted the Underworld after the barrier was erected. Yet, Red Dragon Emperor arrived to intercept Kokabiel almost instantly. Even with a magic circle, the processing time for a deployment order of that magnitude takes minutes. He arrived too early—before the report of the attack could have even reached the communication center."
She looked up, meeting Algernon's golden eyes directly.
"Only the time at which Duke Falbium arrived seems genuine to the records and bureaucracy. It suggests Red Dragon Emperor was already positioned... or deployed before the attack began."
Those words paused Algernon's hand.
He was holding his Queen, hovering just inches above the board. He didn't drop it.
Instantly, the casual atmosphere of the clubroom evaporated.
The whole room got heavy with pressure.
Kiba gulped, his throat dry. Rias stopped breathing. Saji, at the back of the room, felt his knees knock together uncontrollably.
Everyone started to sweat. Cold perspiration ran down Sona's temple as she suddenly realized that in her pursuit of logical truth, she had just accused the absolute ruler of the Underworld.
Algernon's hand remained frozen in the air, the silence stretching out until it was deafening.
(END OF CHAPTER)
chapters are released early and uncut on Patreon, ahead of public publication along with exclusive NSFW works.
If you wish to walk ahead of the world…If you want to see the Empire rise before history records it—
You know where to stand.
Special thanks to all my EPIC members and,
MYTH: Asaf Montgomery
MYTH: Dutchviking
MYTH: Robert Hernandez
MYTH: Kevin Boutte jr.
patreon.com/xxSUPxx
Or you can buy me a coffee at:
buymeacoffee.com/xxSUPxx