"So that's how you beat that woman, huh?"
After hearing the full story of how Yukino defeated Sharon, Leo looked at her with a mix of realization and a strange expression.
"I didn't expect you to actually go and learn that kind of thing. You really picked up something tough."
As the rightful heir of the Eligos family, Leo naturally knew that their library contained knowledge like that. He'd simply never learned it himself.
The reason was simple—he didn't think it suited him.
Those Magic Formula required extremely delicate and complex techniques to construct properly. Without real talent in that area, it was hard to use them successfully, and even if you managed to activate them, it didn't mean you could use them well. In short, it was meticulous, high-precision work.
Leo wasn't purely a brute-force fighter. He did train technique alongside power, but only when it came to demonic power. As for magic Magic Formula, he deliberately kept his distance. Just looking at them gave him a headache. Not only did they fail to help him, they could even disrupt his thinking and make combat unnecessarily complicated.
So he gave up on Magic Formula altogether and focused on training and refining his demonic power.
Now that he possessed Zenith Tempest—a Sacred Gear capable of fully commanding nature itself—there was even less reason for him to bother with Magic Formula that merely imitated supernatural phenomena.
At present, Leo focused on only two areas: demonic power as a devil, and the Sacred Gear within his body.
Originally, Yukino should have been the same—training only her demonic power and Sacred Gear. Yet for the sake of defeating Sharon, she'd gone and learned Magic Formula anyway.
"Well, they were just sitting there," Yukino replied calmly. "Since I saw them, I figured I might as well learn them. Maybe they'd come in handy someday."
"It's a shame, though. Everyone in our family is a Sacred Gear user. They all train their Sacred Gear. Asuna only practices swordsmanship because she's a swordsman. No one studies magic, so there's no one I can really discuss it with."
At present, aside from Leo and Yukino, the rest of the Eligos servants were almost entirely focused on training their Sacred Gear.
Utaha and Mahiru only trained their Sacred Gear and rarely used demonic power at all, treating it purely as fuel. They were pure Sacred Gear users, so magic was completely out of the question. Neither of them had even glanced at that kind of knowledge.
Asuna focused on swordsmanship, while also practicing how to use her Sacred Gear. She barely touched demonic power or magic either.
Only Leo and Yukino trained both Sacred Gear and demonic power—and even then, neither of them had formally studied magic.
"If you're really interested in magic," Leo said, "you can always discuss it with a magician you contract with later. You don't need to look for that within your servants."
That made Yukino freeze.
"Contract… with a magician?"
"A magician?" she asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
Leo slapped his forehead.
"Looks like you haven't finished reading the library yet. Or you skipped that part. Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking that."
Then he began to explain.
"Devils do contract with magicians. It's different from our usual devil business, and also different from a Familiar Contract. It's a mutually beneficial agreement."
The relationship between devils and magicians went back a long way—so long that even ordinary people knew something about it.
In all kinds of stories, magicians would summon devils through rituals, borrowing their power to fight or achieve certain goals. Those were the earliest legends of devil summoning, long before the modern stories of humans calling on devils for wishes.
Because of that, devils and magicians had been forming contracts with each other since ancient times.
Magicians summoned devils and paid a price to form a contract. Devils, in return, helped fulfill the magician's needs. In form, it wasn't much different from granting ordinary people's wishes—the difference was that ordinary humans only wanted desires fulfilled, while magicians were after the benefits devils themselves could provide.
The most basic benefit was combat. Magicians skilled in summoning magic could contract powerful devils and call them forth to fight at critical moments.
Then there was research.
Magicians spent their entire lives pursuing magic. Many of them sought devil knowledge and techniques to further their studies. A lot of modern magic had originally been created by ancient magicians who analyzed demonic power and developed spells from it.
For all these reasons, contracts between devils and magicians had long since become the norm. Every year, large numbers of newly active magicians and devils entered into such contracts.
"Once we officially start our activities," Leo said, "it probably won't be long before magicians come looking to contract with us."
"For magicians, contracting with us might just be one step in their research. For us devils, it's also a form of business."
"Contracts with ordinary humans and contracts with magicians lead to different results, but the form is the same—we take payment and fulfill their needs."
"In this line of work, devils who can handle both well are considered excellent. Since you're interested in magic, if you meet a good magician in the future, you could exchange knowledge through a contract. Learn from each other and grow together."
That, in fact, was how the Magic Formula knowledge ended up in the Eligos family library in the first place.
Leo himself wasn't interested, but contracting with magicians was a very important part of devil business. It was something he wouldn't be able to avoid in the future.
If Yukino truly wanted to pursue magic, it would be worth planning carefully.
"…Let's talk about it when the time comes."
Yukino had been a little tempted, but remembering that the attackers they faced earlier that day included magicians as well, she shook her head.
"I'm interested in Magic Formula, sure, but right now I should focus on demonic power and my Sacred Gear. Those are my strengths, and I have talent there. There's no need to put the cart before the horse."
Hearing that, Leo smiled.
"As long as you've thought it through."
He stood up.
"Alright, I won't bother you anymore. Get some proper rest."
He placed the peeled apple into Yukino's hand, waved, and left the room.
Yukino didn't stop him. She watched his back disappear, then looked down at the apple in her hand.
"…That peeling job is awful."
"…But it tastes pretty good."
Muttering to herself, she took a bite anyway.
After finishing the apple, Yukino lay down. Her eyelids slowly closed, and she drifted into sleep.
On the other side, after leaving Yukino's room, Leo went to check on the other servants.
Compared to Yukino, the other three were mostly healed and in no real danger. Still, the exhaustion from the day's battle had caught up to them, and all three were already asleep.
Mahiru in particular had only been reincarnated as a devil for less than half a month. She hadn't even fully adapted to daytime life before being thrown into such a brutal battle.
The former angel was utterly exhausted—physically, in terms of demonic power, and mentally as well. Even while sleeping, her brows were tightly furrowed, like she was trapped in a nightmare. It was hard not to feel sorry for her.
"…You did well. Get some good rest."
Leo gently smoothed her brow and quietly left her room.
In the old school building, it seemed everyone else was asleep too. The day's attack had taken a heavy toll on everyone—even those who weren't injured were completely worn out.
Only Rias and Sona were still awake, standing guard outside the rooms of Yuuto Kiba and Ruruko Nimura, their faces filled with worry.
"How are they doing?" Leo asked as he approached.
"Not good," Sona said with a sigh. "They haven't been purified, but there's no sign of improvement either. They still haven't regained consciousness and remain in a coma."
"With our current treatment methods," Rias added, arms crossed, clearly in a bad mood, "keeping them alive is already our limit. We'll have to wait for the Tears of the Phoenix to arrive before their injuries can truly heal."
"The Tears of the Phoenix haven't arrived yet?" Leo frowned. "Should I go to the Underworld and bring them back for you?"
"No, that won't be necessary," Sona said, shaking her head. "We've already contacted our Maou directly. The request for the Tears of the Phoenix is being expedited. They should arrive soon."
"That's good," Leo nodded. "If there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to ask."
"You've already helped us more than enough," Rias said, looking at him as her expression softened. "If it weren't for you and your servants, we might not have made it back this time—let alone with everyone intact."
"We owe you a lot."
"Honestly, we should be thanking you."
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You can read up to chapter 155 on patreon.com/NiaXD.