The human world, Kuoh Academy.
By the time night had fully fallen, Kuoh Academy was already deserted. Only the old school building tucked inside the small grove behind the main building was still brightly lit, with the occasional silhouette passing by its windows.
That old building was the base of the Occult Affairs Club—also the headquarters of the Gremory servants.
Unlike Leo, who treated Sobu High merely as a convenient activity spot, Rias attended Kuoh Academy because her family secretly owned and managed it. It was essentially her family's property. So when the devil upper brass assigned Rias to take charge of Kuoh Town—handling contracts with humans, collecting payment, eliminating Stray Devils—she enrolled directly at Kuoh Academy and even brought her friend, Sona Sitri, along.
In other words, Rias was the academy's underground queen. No one knew the truth, but she still enjoyed privileges in many places. Taking over an entire old school building as her clubroom, for example—only she could pull something like that off.
Of course, Leo's standing at Sobu High wasn't as overwhelming as Rias' was here, but his influence wasn't that far behind. Several high-ranking staff were already in his network, and some were even regular clients of his devil business. Add to that the Yukinoshita family's local clout—which was essentially his now—and if he ever wanted to claim an entire building for the Occult Affairs Club, he probably could.
But Leo didn't think it was necessary. He treated Sobu High as a daily activity base. His true headquarters was his family's manor. Unlike Rias, who treated all of Kuoh Academy as her personal territory, he only needed a single activity room. That was plenty.
At the moment, faint voices drifted from several rooms inside the old building.
Some people were discussing what happened earlier that day, others were resting, and a few were receiving treatment.
Yukinoshita Yukino lay in a room that looked like an infirmary, resting on a bed. Her clothes were loose, her face pale—like someone who had barely escaped a serious injury.
Leo sat beside her, peeling an apple.
"Your injuries have already received preliminary treatment," he said casually as he worked. "You're mostly out of danger, but you still need to stay in bed for a while before you'll fully recover."
He spoke to her in an offhand rhythm, not rushing the words.
"We'll remain at Kuoh Academy for the time being," he added. "Once you're fully recovered, we'll head back to Chiba."
Yukino listened quietly until he finished, then asked softly:
"What about the others?"
Leo let out an exasperated snort.
"You were hurt the worst out of everyone, and you're still worrying about others?" he muttered, though he still answered her. "Utaha and Mahiru are in the best shape. Neither of them suffered real injuries—just exhaustion from pushing their Sacred Gears too far. A bit of rest and they'll be fine."
"Asuna's fine too. She's a Holy Sword user. Against monsters or devils she has a huge advantage, and she can even lend her Holy Swords to teammates. She took some unavoidable hits when we ran into that Stray magician, but nothing serious. She's already out of bed."
After covering his own group, Leo moved on to the Gremory and Sitri servants.
Their conditions were similar to the Eligos servants'—some good, some bad, but no one in critical danger.
Koneko Toujou and Tsubasa Yura were completely unharmed thanks to Kasumigaoka Utaha's barrier covering them the whole time.
Reya Kusaka and Momo Hanakai were also mostly safe, protected by Shiina Mahiru burning her strength to clear a path with the power of the Holy Cross. They only took light injuries after Mahiru collapsed from overuse and they had to defend her.
Tomoe Meguri had been fighting with a constant supply of Holy Swords from Yuuki Asuna, and the two worked together flawlessly. They held out until Leo defeated Lafei and seized control of the maze, allowing him to open the central passage and rescue everyone.
Akeno Himejima and Shinra Tsubaki were more heavily injured, but they were also among the strongest members. Trusting each other to guard their backs, they held out until Rias and Sona arrived to support them.
The worst off were Yuuto Kiba and Ruruko Nimura.
One had been beaten into unconsciousness, fate unknown.
The other had an arm bitten clean off while fighting desperately, his body covered in wounds of all sizes.
Yukinoshita Yukino herself had been pierced through the abdomen by a devil killer and had a chunk of flesh torn away, but she reacted quickly—freezing the wound immediately, stopping the bleeding, preventing further trauma.
The other two hadn't been so lucky. They were genuinely dying.
When Rias and Sona found Ruruko, she was lying in a pool of blood, no longer breathing.
Kiba was even worse—covered by swarms of monsters gnawing at him. Rias and Sona erupted in fury on the spot, obliterating every creature into ash before pulling him out.
"Right now, those two still haven't regained consciousness," Leo continued. "Their wounds have only had basic treatment. They're not out of the danger zone yet."
They were the only ones in worse shape than Yukino.
"Rias and Sona are preparing to return to the Underworld to request two bottles of Phoenix Tears," Leo added. "Those will heal anything instantly."
Phoenix Tears were a product of the Phoenix family—one of the Seventy-Two Pillars, descended from the legendary phoenix, revered for its connection to life. Its tears could heal any injury; its blood granted immortality. Human legends across the world had traces of them.
In the Underworld, the Phoenix clan was a prestigious devil house, famous for their fire, wind, and life powers—able to burn even dragon scales and revive from ashes. They also produced Phoenix Tears, which made them wildly sought after.
Since Rating Games were now wildly popular, Phoenix Tears had become essential items—frequently used as tools or emergency aids. The Phoenix family's status continued to rise.
Leo shrugged lightly.
"Too bad your wounds aren't severe enough to justify applying for Phoenix Tears. Otherwise, I'd sneak you a dose."
Yukino frowned delicately.
"I don't want the kind of injury that requires something like that," she said sharply. "Leave them for Kiba-san and Nimura-san. They need them more."
"If Rias or Sona heard you say that, they'd explode," Leo said, amused. "In any case, everyone's going to be fine. Even Kiba and Ruruko should recover by tomorrow once the Phoenix Tears arrive."
He tapped her lightly on the forehead.
"Your only job is to rest. Recover properly so you don't make people worry."
"Even if you won't think about yourself, at least think about your master who had to watch you lying on the ground covered in blood. Don't give me a heart attack."
God knows what he felt seeing her like that.
If Yukino were still human, he could've revived her with the Evil Pieces and turned her into a devil.
But she was already a reincarnated devil. Thanks to the servant conversion trait, even if she died, her soul would return to Leo as her master—so long as he could rebuild her body, she could revive.
But if her soul were destroyed…
Then she would truly be gone.
When he found her collapsed and bleeding out, Leo's heart had clenched hard.
Fortunately, she had only fainted.
"I thought you were going to lose to Sharon Holygrail," Leo said. "But by the time I got there, you'd already opened the passage to the next room."
He still sounded genuinely surprised.
"You collapsed in the passage, so you didn't reach the next room. But that means you defeated that nun, right?"
He hadn't expected Yukino—injured as she was—to turn the tables and defeat Sharon Holygrail, passing the first trial and opening the next room.
"Good job. At least that makes up for your loss last time."
But Yukino didn't smile.
Instead, a shadow crossed her face.
"What's wrong?" Leo asked, frowning.
"…There's something I want to tell you."
She hesitated, then looked straight at him.
And then she told him—everything that had happened to her in that room.
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You can read up to chapter 150 on patreon.com/NiaXD.