If he kept tearing apart his carefully designed magic systems, Ajuka would have to seriously doubt his skills as the inventor of the Evil Piece system and master of Devil magic.
"Forget it. Let's not discuss this anymore. I have business to discuss with you, which is why I called you over."
Ajuka sighed wearily. No more... I can't take any more of this. Sooner or later, I'll go mad or fall into depression.
Even the original God of the Bible wasn't as absurdly talented as this kid, right?
Well... actually, Takeyo, who had obtained the origin essence of the God of the Bible itself, could confidently say that his current abilities exceeded even an enhanced reincarnation of that divine being.
After all, calling him a "reincarnation" of the God of the Bible would actually lower his standing.
"What business?"
Takeyo noticed Azazel approaching with an elderly Nordic gentleman, accompanied by the other three Satans walking alongside them.
"The business is simple, you might be busy for a while."
Ajuka's lips curved into a slight smile. Finally, something that means I don't have to create new magic curriculum. This is genuinely wonderful... ahem...
"Yo! Young man, let me introduce you. This is an old fellow from the Nordic countryside. You can call him Grandpa Odin."
Azazel spoke casually, gesturing toward the elderly god.
Takeyo studied Odin carefully.
Despite appearing as nothing more than a perverted old man on the surface, and being exactly that in his heart, he possessed strength befitting his title as a Chief God.
His power approached the peak of Satan-class, placing him among the strongest beings in the world. The Valkyrie beside him had strength equivalent to a peak Ultimate-Class Devil.
However, it was customary in Norse mythology for gods to travel with Valkyrie attendants. Having the boss do everything himself would be beneath his dignity, after all.
"Lord Odin, correct? I'm Takeyo. Pleasure to meet you."
Takeyo smiled politely. He'd already heard gossip about the Fallen Angel Governor visiting certain... establishments during previous meetings.
He suspected this old god had accompanied Azazel on those particular cultural explorations.
"Oh! So you're the Takeyo who killed the White Dragon Emperor? You truly are young and promising. No wonder Sirzechs requested that from me."
Odin looked at Takeyo with evident emotion. He'd just heard about today's events, about this young man's latest shocking accomplishment.
I really am getting old, Odin thought wistfully.
"Requested something from you?"
Takeyo frowned slightly. This didn't match the original timeline he remembered.
"Well, it's this."
Odin casually pulled a thick tome from his pocket and tossed it to Takeyo.
"This grimoire contains all the major magic types from the Norse system, along with most of the fundamental spells. Should keep you busy studying for quite a while, kid."
Odin sighed internally.
Except for those he genuinely couldn't stand, he'd already consulted everyone he could about acquiring magic knowledge for this young man's benefit.
Takeyo, now holding the magic grimoire, felt momentarily uncertain how to respond.
After thinking for a few seconds, he analyzed the situation.
"Is this information that Lord Sirzechs requested from Lord Odin on my behalf?" Takeyo accepted the grimoire as he spoke.
Well... no matter who originally wanted it, I'm keeping it now.
"Takeyo-kun, as someone we all recognize as the future of the Three Factions, gifts of this nature are only appropriate."
Sirzechs smiled warmly.
They had indeed requested this from Odin, and they'd also promised never to share it beyond Takeyo's personal use.
Originally, Odin had disagreed. But after hearing that Sirzechs was willing to exchange an incomplete version of the Underworld Array System, plus all the magical knowledge they'd collected for Takeyo before this meeting, Odin had agreed without hesitation.
"Thank you."
Takeyo bowed slightly, his gesture sincere.
He understood that achieving something like this through his own efforts would have been extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible.
This thank you carried genuine weight and gratitude.
"Good. Not bad at all."
Odin stroked his beard approvingly. If Takeyo had maintained that arrogant attitude from earlier in the meeting, it would have been deeply concerning.
"I think you might skip the so-called 'Strongest Human Candidate' stage entirely and become the Strongest Human directly."
Odin smiled knowingly.
Takeyo understood the reference. In the later timeline, there existed a designation called "Strongest Human Candidate", individuals like Vali, known as the Star White Dragon Emperor, who represented humanity's most powerful fighters. They were all transcendent-tier beings with human blood.
Well... if someone had human ancestry, they could apparently qualify for the strongest human candidate ranking.
However, Takeyo had never particularly cared about such titles.
"Speaking of which, Serafall... won't you wear that outfit you usually favor? This old man is quite interested in seeing those strange clothes."
After a brief pause, Odin revealed his gentleman's, or perhaps dirty old man's, true nature.
"Huh? Master Odin is asking about my magical girl costume?"
Serafall's eyes lit up with interest. Anyone showing genuine curiosity about magical girls was a kindred spirit!
Spreading magical girl culture to everyone was her sacred duty!
"Milmil~ Milmil~ Final~ Magical Girl Milky transformation~!"
A layer of magic circles covered her body as she struck a classic magical girl transformation pose.
"Eh?"
However, when she looked down at her clothes, she couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise.
Because...
...nothing had changed.
"Ahem." Takeyo coughed tactically. He had no intention of letting Serafall parade around in that extremely revealing magical girl costume.
If she caught the attention of certain individuals from those discs, and someone tried to play "Magical Girl and the Devil" scenarios with her, wouldn't that be his loss?
"My apologies, Serafall. As the Magical Girl Milky made an agreement with me, she will only be a magical girl for me alone."
Takeyo said smoothly.
"Oh?"
Odin's single visible eye widened as he looked between Takeyo and Serafall, a gossip-hungry smile spreading across his weathered face.
Meanwhile, Serafall clearly understood what Takeyo meant. It sounded suspiciously like... dialogue from that disc?
Her face flushed red as she recalled the plot.
Specifically, the scene where Milky had been subjected to various strange situations, and the Demon Lord sealed her powers.
Then he'd said something like, "As a magical girl, Milky has made an agreement with me, to be a magical girl who belongs only to me," in a domineering tone reminiscent of a possessive CEO.
To be precise, in that disc's storyline, Magical Girl Milky had her power sealed and could only don the magical girl costume again when the Demon Lord's interest was piqued.
Because Serafall had experienced Takeyo sealing all her magic power before, she felt the scene was particularly relatable and immersive.
When applied to making the typically shameless Serafall feel genuinely shy, this unconventional method was remarkably effective.
Just as she was reflecting on why magical girl content made her feel bashful, a pair of silver-gray eyes locked onto her with cold intensity.
That indifferent gaze seemed capable of freezing everything it observed.
"Lord Odin! Please stop thinking about such things! The name of the Valkyries is crying!"
Beside Odin, a silver-haired Valkyrie looked on the verge of a breakdown.
She knew Odin's temperament all too well, he'd purely been trying to take advantage of Serafall before asking his question.
The other party was a Satan-class Devil! Master Odin!
You've completely embarrassed our mythology in front of other pantheons!
"Well, don't be so serious, Rossweisse. If you keep this up, you'll never find a boyfriend."
"Moooo! Anyway, I'm a Valkyrie whose age equals my years without a boyfriend!"
The silver-haired Valkyrie said, nearly collapsing emotionally.
"..."
Seeing Rossweisse's near-breakdown, Odin laughed heartily.
"Don't be discouraged. Look, isn't Takeyo here a top-tier hero? He even seems to have won Satan Serafall's affection despite being human. Why not ask him if he has any good advice?"
Odin made a deliberately unhelpful suggestion.
"People aren't infatuated with Takeyo-chan! My heart will always belong to Sona-chan!"
This time, Serafall didn't let the assumption slide. She stood up directly to clarify.
After making this declaration, she glanced at Takeyo briefly before fleeing at the fastest speed of her entire life.
However, in most people's eyes, her behavior only reinforced the assumption.
"Lord Odin? But didn't Lady Serafall just say she isn't interested in Lord Takeyo?" A certain Valkyrie with catastrophically low emotional intelligence asked in confusion.
"Idiot, Rossweisse. Haven't you ever heard of tsundere?"
Odin looked at her as if completely speechless.
"Oh!"
Rossweisse's eyes widened in sudden understanding as she turned to look at Takeyo with expectant eyes.
"Um... the key is sincerity. Use your own actions to make the other person feel what you truly like about them."
Takeyo paused before responding.
He felt rather helpless. He couldn't exactly admit that it was actually through playing adult visual novels together, could he?
Though in a certain sense, there was no problem with that explanation. Takeyo had used the action of having Serafall play those games to make her feel his heart, specifically, his malicious intentions toward the magical girl profession.
Well, my heart full of ill intent toward magical girls, anyway.
After spending some time deflecting inquiries, Rossweisse finally refocused her attention on Odin, and Takeyo seized the opportunity to slip away.
If he'd stayed and continued conversing with Odin, he was certain countless pieces of gossip would spread from that old god starting today.
"Hm?"
Just after walking out, Takeyo spotted a blonde girl with distinctive twin tails.
She had blonde hair styled in a whirlwind pattern, but at the moment, she didn't appear to be in a good mood. She was drinking juice alone in the hallway, not even entering the main hall.
Since she was still a minor and couldn't drink alcohol, she could only drink juice while feeling miserable.
"Yo."
Takeyo patted her shoulder.
"Kyaa!"
Instantly, the blonde hair on her head stood up slightly as Phoenix flames manifested around her body.
Ravel became immediately alert. She realized that someone had approached close enough to touch her without her noticing!
However, when she saw who had tapped her shoulder, her face instantly turned crimson.
"T-T-Takeyo... Lord Takeyo? Have you finished your meeting?"
Ravel stammered nervously.
"Yeah, it's over. But what are you doing here? Is something bothering you? Why not join everyone inside?"
Takeyo asked with a smile.
Because Ravel carried trace amounts of his blood essence within her, he felt a natural sense of closeness toward her, or perhaps more accurately, she felt drawn to him.
"I..."
Ravel stammered, unable to articulate her feelings.
She didn't know whether it was appropriate to discuss this matter with Takeyo.
"Is it about your brother?"
Based on his analysis, there were only two possibilities.
One: she was worried about being made uncomfortable by so-called important figures during the meeting.
However, seeing him emerge should have resolved that concern.
So eighty percent likelihood, it was about her brother, who'd been thoroughly defeated by him.
Rias had mentioned it to him before.
It had taken a full month, just a few days ago, in fact, for Riser to recover physically and return to his original condition.
But... psychological wounds weren't so easily healed. According to reports, he'd become a depressed shut-in who stayed in his room and refused to leave home.
"Yes... I'm sorry to trouble Lord Takeyo. It's my incompetent brother who, after the match with Lord Takeyo, has been depressed ever since."
Although most people considered that encounter less a "match" and more a "one-sided torture session," Ravel still diplomatically called it a match.
After all... hehe... Riser had been fighting for the honor of the Phenex Clan.
"I have a method that could cheer him up. Would you like to hear it?"
Takeyo's lips curved into a knowing smile.
What was the best way to cheer someone up?
Training, of course!
Specifically, the kind of training with a muscular companion.
It just so happened that he'd added a little special "ingredient" to Riser during their last encounter.
"Is there really a way to cheer up my brother? Lord Takeyo, please tell me!"
Ravel looked at him with large, watery eyes full of hope.
"Ahem... I'll visit tomorrow morning. Just make sure to open the door for me then."
Takeyo said with a smile.
"Yes! I'll definitely make sure my brother cooperates fully with Lord Takeyo!"
Ravel made her guarantee with determination.