"Then I'll head to the meeting first. See you all later."
After Takeyo said his goodbyes to everyone, he made his way to the location he'd arranged with Grayfia.
As a participant in the gathering, he needed to arrive before the younger devils were summoned.
At the entrance to the meeting hall, the silver-haired maid was already waiting for him.
"Takeyo-sama, please," Grayfia said with a slight bow, her professional demeanor impeccable as always.
She guided him into the meeting hall, a towering structure with seats arranged at various heights, the higher levels reserved for those of greater authority.
The middle and lower tiers were filled with high-ranking devils, and Takeyo immediately read their micro-expressions, gauging their attitudes toward him.
Some regarded him with indifference. Others sneered or showed outright disdain. A few watched him with intense interest.
Then his gaze traveled upward to the highest level, where familiar faces awaited, or rather, faces he recognized from his knowledge of this world.
Sirzechs sat in one of the elevated positions, and next to him was Serafall. She wasn't wearing her usual magical girl costume today.
When their eyes met, Serafall's face flushed slightly before she quickly looked away.
It seems she's been reviewing that CD I gave her, Takeyo mused with amusement.
Beside them sat two more figures, the other members of the Four Great Satans.
Ajuka rested his hands on the table, regarding Takeyo's late arrival with a knowing smile.
Falbium cast an interested look his way. As someone with similar magical attributes, the Satan Asmodeus clearly found Takeyo intriguing.
"Takeyo-sama... please..." Grayfia gestured toward the fifth empty seat at the top level.
The moment she led him to that position, the entire hall erupted with agitation!
In all of underworld history, no one besides the Four Great Satans had ever been permitted to sit at the highest level!
And this person wasn't even a devil, he was a human, someone they considered inferior!
Seeing Takeyo take that seat, they finally understood why there had been an extra chair today.
What are the Satans thinking?! they wondered in shock and outrage. How can a human sit on a throne reserved for devils alone?!
"Takeyo-kun, thank you for being here today," Sirzechs said with a warm smile.
"Ah, no problem," Takeyo replied, settling into his seat.
The moment he'd entered, he'd activated the power of Black Sky Krishna and clearly perceived the psychological state of everyone present.
He'd already analyzed who needed to be beaten into submission, who needed to be eliminated, and who could be ignored.
The incarnation of Black Sky Krishna allowed Takeyo to see the mental activities of anyone weaker than himself.
He rarely used this ability, respecting others' privacy was important, and he could usually analyze what he needed through observation alone. But today, he needed special intelligence.
As Takeyo sorted through which devils required killing, which could be kept, which could be ignored, and which might become allies, something interesting happened.
The expressions of those he'd been scrutinizing suddenly changed.
They became... milder. More pleasant.
The kind of look people wore when viewing someone favorably.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the host for triggering a plot check-in! Sign-in level: Gold!]
[Sign-in plot: Shock the Underworld]
[Plot description: The so-called high-level underworld consists mostly of bullies who fear the strong. They're essentially withered bones in a graveyard. Since they look down on the host, it's necessary to leave a lasting impression on these dead bones. Shock all the higher-ups of the underworld!]
[Sign-in time limit: 1 day]
[Remaining time: 1 day]
"Now that everyone has arrived, let's begin today's official proceedings," Sirzechs said.
After a moment of silence for those Takeyo had been glaring at, Sirzechs turned to Grayfia.
"Grayfia, please bring in the younger generation."
"Yes, Sirzechs-sama."
Grayfia moved gracefully and left the hall.
No matter how upset the underworld's elite were about Takeyo's presence, protocol demanded they continue.
Shortly after, the younger generation and their guardians were escorted into the hall.
"Welcome, everyone. You've been gathered here today to confirm the appearance of the next generation who will shoulder the future. This also serves as a regular assembly to oversee young devils."
An elderly male devil spoke with his arms crossed, his tone dripping with authority.
Takeyo assessed his strength, Ultimate-Class Devil. Someone he could defeat with minimal effort.
"It appears someone has already begun fighting. Shouldn't the next head of the Great King's family set a better example?"
Another bearded male devil spoke sarcastically.
He was referring to how Sairaorg had just defeated a troublemaker in a single strike.
"The six of you are new-generation devils with impeccable family backgrounds and strength. Because of this, I hope you'll learn from and improve each other before your official debuts," Sirzechs said, his gaze briefly returning to Takeyo before addressing the young devils.
"Will we be sent to deal with the catastrophes in the future?" Sairaorg asked directly.
"Not necessarily. I want to avoid sending young devils into battle whenever possible," Sirzechs replied, shaking his head.
He knew from Takeyo that Sairaorg possessed a Longinus. Such precious talent shouldn't be risked against terrorist groups before reaching full maturity.
Sairaorg seemed unable to accept this answer. He raised his eyebrows and said, "Why? Even though we're young, we have a responsibility to support the devil world. We've grown up with the love and support of our predecessors, yet we still can't contribute anything..."
"Furthermore, since I've joined the Defenders, isn't dealing with terrorist groups a matter of course?"
Even facing a Satan, Sairaorg remained steadfast.
"Huh?! Joined the Defenders?!"
Sairaorg's words caused an immediate explosion of reactions from the assembled elite!
The Defenders?! That human-led team under Takeyo's command?!
How was that possible?! They could see clearly from the Three Factions' treaty that joining Takeyo's Defenders required meeting two basic criteria: possessing Satan-class strength and gaining Takeyo's approval.
In other words... had Sairaorg of the Bael Clan actually achieved this?!
"Sairaorg, could you explain what you just said?" The elderly devil who'd spoken earlier stood up again, his previous arrogance replaced by something resembling respect.
He couldn't believe it. This person he'd always considered a failure, the disgrace who possessed no demonic powers, had surpassed pure-blood devils like himself and reached Satan-class power?!
"As I said, I've gained Takeyo-sama's approval and joined his Defenders," Sairaorg stated without pride or false humility.
"What?! Sairaorg actually joined that team?"
"When did this happen?"
"How is it possible? The people we recommended weren't qualified enough?"
"This is clearly a mistake, using a human as captain of this team!"
"What were the Satans thinking when they signed that treaty?!"
Sairaorg's words ignited the atmosphere once more.
Takeyo understood the real reason for their displeasure, psychological imbalance and pure resentment.
Sirzechs gave Takeyo a helpless look.
Takeyo-kun, couldn't you have told me when you hired someone? I thought you hadn't informed anyone yet~
After this internal complaint, Sirzechs spoke again.
"Sairaorg, I admire your courage. But this is bravery bordering on recklessness. Sending you who are still growing to the battlefield is what I most want to avoid."
"Moreover, losing young devils would be our heaviest blow. I hope you understand, to us, you're far more precious than you think. For this reason, I hope you'll grow cautiously and gradually."
"When you reach the level of the other Defenders' members, then we can discuss this matter again."
Having received direct words from a Satan, Sairaorg could only respond, "Yes, I understand."
He accepted it temporarily, though dissatisfaction was written across his face.
After that, the so-called elite began complaining about the situation.
To be more precise, they formed groups and complained while seeking allies.
The Four Great Satans paid little attention to this. After a while, they began explaining their outlook for the Rating Game system.
The topics were complex, but Takeyo listened with apparent fascination.
Well... on the surface, at least. In reality, he was speeding up construction of his own power system.
Soon enough, all necessary explanations concluded.
"Well, I apologize for having you listen to us for so long. But this is all because we place our dreams and hopes in you young people. I hope you can understand this, you are treasures of the underworld," Sirzechs said earnestly.
Everyone listened attentively, hearing the genuine sincerity in his words.
"Finally, would you please share your future goals?" Sirzechs asked.
Sairaorg stood with his arms crossed, clearly looking forward to this segment.
"My dream is to become a Satan," Sairaorg declared firmly.
"Oh!" The hall erupted with exclamations.
Sairaorg's words, clear, unhesitating, and unwavering, caused a fierce reaction from those present.
"Oh..." Even the elite murmured in acknowledgment of his determination.
"If a Satan emerges from the Great King's house, it will be the first time in history," one male devil remarked.
"But Sairaorg, didn't you just say you joined the Defenders?" another asked.
"That's simply a path for me to improve my strength, earn merit, and build popularity," Sairaorg replied.
"Given the current advancement system in the underworld, finding alternative routes is necessary if one wishes to become a Satan."
"Of course, I haven't misunderstood Takeyo-sama's intentions. I will complete all tasks assigned by Takeyo-sama according to his standards."
So firm! So resolute!
Sairaorg had openly declared his ambitions.
"Are you complaining that the current underworld system is unreasonable?" an old devil asked, squinting at Sairaorg.
"I didn't say that. How you interpret it is your business. But if I become a Satan, I will transform the underworld into what I hope to see, what everyone hopes to see. An underworld with genuine hope."
Sairaorg refused to be trapped by such leading questions.
Following his declaration, Sona stood up as well.
"I want to establish a Rating Game school in the underworld. Like Sairaorg, I want to build an underworld with hope."
"There are already places to learn about Rating Games, aren't there?" someone immediately challenged her statement.
However, Sona replied coolly, "You mean schools that only upper-level devils and the privileged class can attend, correct? What I want to establish is a school with no barriers, a place where even lower-class devils and reincarnated devils can study. A school without discrimination."
However,
Perhaps this was the nature of devils of the new era.
Even their thinking belonged to a new age, completely different from the old guard.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Laughter from the elite on the first and second tiers resonated throughout the hall.
Only those on the third tier, Takeyo and the Four Great Satans, cast admiring glances at Sona.
☆☆☆
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