Beneath the sun umbrella, Grayfia returned in fresh clothes.
She hadn't expected anyone to be having a picnic at her private training spot while she was cultivating. After some reflection, however, she'd pieced together what must have happened.
That fog, she realized. It blocked my perception completely. They must have set it up.
"What kind of Devil are you?" the young silver-haired girl asked, summoning her courage. "What are you doing here?"
The vast difference in power made it impossible for her to gauge the strength of the three people before her. That was hardly surprising. Nyx, a primordial goddess, and Grayfia at the peak of Maou-class both far exceeded anything the girl could perceive. As for Takeyo, his realm approached Ultimate-Class but carried a weight far more terrifying than that classification suggested.
None of them were beings this young Devil could hope to read.
"My name is Bina Lessthan," the adult Grayfia said smoothly. "He's Takeyo. This is our maid. You can assume we're simply here on vacation."
It was a pseudonym she knew well, the same alias she'd used in the original timeline when participating in the Azazel Cup. The irony of using it now, centuries before that event would occur, wasn't lost on her.
"You're not Devils?" Young Grayfia frowned. Any Devil would have identified their clan. But if they weren't Devils, why had they come to the Underworld when war between the Old Satan Faction and the Anti-Satan Faction was about to erupt?
"We're here for our honeymoon vacation," Takeyo said with an easy smile.
The moment those words left his mouth, he felt an intense gaze from beside him. Bina, the adult Grayfia, was staring at him with eyes cold and deep as an arctic lake.
"I see. I apologize for disturbing you."
Bina offered a small bow, her expression complicated.
"N-no, it's nothing, really!"
The younger Grayfia waved her hands frantically. This silver-haired woman before her was so elegant, so refined. The girl couldn't help but glance at her own chest, then at the older woman's figure.
I've lost, she thought glumly. Not just to this "Bina" woman, but to Takeyo-dono's maid as well...
"However," she continued, rallying herself, "I wouldn't recommend vacationing here. The Underworld could descend into war at any moment."
She knew these three weren't ordinary, otherwise, they couldn't have established a barrier she couldn't penetrate. But the Underworld held many who were stronger than her, and not all of them were kindly disposed toward other races.
"We'll be fine. We should be leaving within a few months at most." Takeyo smiled reassuringly. "A few months shouldn't matter much to Devils, right?"
That timeframe would be enough for him to heal his injuries and ascend to the Ultimate-Class threshold. At that point, leaving wouldn't be a problem, if anything, this timeline's natural rejection would eject him whether he wanted to go or not.
He could already feel the subtle pressure of temporal displacement pushing against his existence. Beings who had reached a certain level of transcendence were inherently rejected by foreign timelines. Once he broke through, he'd have minutes at most before being forcibly expelled.
But that was fine. It was actually preferable.
When the time came, he could use his Black Sky Krishna incarnation to map the temporal coordinates more precisely. If that failed, asking Grayfia directly about the target time period remained an option.
Attempting it now would require his Ultra-Limited Incarnation, and activating that would get him ejected almost instantly. He knew this simply by observing Grayfia's reactions, it clearly wasn't time yet.
Though I have to admit, he thought, watching the younger version of the Strongest Queen, young Grayfia radiates an endearingly earnest energy. It's quite refreshing.
"I understand." Young Grayfia nodded seriously. "But you should leave as soon as possible. The Underworld won't be safe for the next few hundred years."
She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.
Humans don't live that long...
"We're aware. But perhaps you should worry more about yourself." Takeyo shook his head. Very few beings at this stage posed any threat to him.
"You're a Devil too, aren't you? Your country's on the verge of war, yet you're concerned about strangers?"
"I..."
Young Grayfia fell silent.
"That's exactly why I've been training," she said firmly, steel entering her silver-gray eyes. "To be prepared for whatever comes."
"Hm. Training is good. You still have a long way to go with your magical development." Takeyo gestured toward the adult Grayfia, Bina. "When you can match this young lady, you'll have truly come into your own."
Catching up to herself, he mused. Nothing wrong with that goal.
"Eh?"
Young Grayfia looked at Bina with renewed interest. Was this woman also a powerful magical practitioner?
The adult Grayfia, for her part, merely pressed her fingers to her temple.
"From what I've observed, your magic still has significant flaws." Takeyo pointed to a section of the formation residue young Grayfia had left behind. "Like here."
Honestly, this flaw was so glaring he couldn't ignore it.
"See this pattern? Wouldn't reversing the energy flow make it more efficient?"
He sketched a quick diagram in the air, demonic power tracing lines that formed a magnificent array. To young Grayfia's eyes, it was breathtakingly intricate.
"It does seem... as Takeyo-sama says."
She swallowed hard. One glance at this formation confirmed what she'd suspected: this man was at least Maou-class in terms of magical knowledge. Her form of address shifted accordingly, from the polite "Takeyo-dono" to the more reverent "Takeyo-sama," acknowledging his superior standing.
"Indeed. I can't fathom why your clan designed your formations this way."
Takeyo sighed dramatically.
With his current understanding of magical theory and formation architecture, knowledge that arguably rivaled the Biblical God's, this clan formation seemed riddled with inefficiencies. Even the grand formations protecting the Underworld and Heaven itself showed similar issues in his analysis. Heaven's was better constructed, but he suspected material limitations had constrained its design rather than lack of knowledge.
Young Grayfia's expression stiffened at his criticism.
Our family's magic does have flaws, but surely it's not that worthless...
"You seem unconvinced."
Takeyo had noticed something in her earlier demonstration and addressed it directly.
"This section here, what do you think it accomplishes?"
He indicated the ornate crest woven into her formation: the family emblem of House Lucifuge, marking her bloodline and heritage. Every noble Devil clan embedded their crests into their magical arrays. It was tradition, proof of lineage, a display of pride.
"This... this represents the glory of our Devil house."
"And you think a decorative element represents your house's glory?" Takeyo shook his head. "Isn't a house represented by its people, not its symbols?"
Young Grayfia had no response.
"I understand the current situation in the Underworld. Houses are being extinguished left and right in this civil war. Can you really afford to waste power on 'glory' when efficiency might mean the difference between survival and extinction?"
He understood the sentiment behind such traditions, but understanding didn't mean agreement.
"Never mind..." Seeing her troubled expression, Takeyo relented with a helpless sigh. She wasn't ready to hear this. He'd only meant to offer advice; whether she took it wasn't his concern.
"Just focus on becoming stronger. Become the kind of person whose will cannot be shaken, then you can do whatever you please."
That's the path I'm walking anyway, he thought.
"Easy for you to say!"
Young Grayfia's cheeks puffed slightly in frustration.
Several meters away, Bina watched the exchange between Takeyo and her younger self. Despite her composed exterior, a small smile tugged at her lips.
This feeling... I haven't experienced it in so long.
She already knew how this debate would end.
A few hours later.
Young Grayfia trudged away from the waterfall, her expression a mixture of defeat and determination.
Whether in magical theory or life philosophy, she'd been thoroughly outmatched. Takeyo had systematically dismantled every argument she'd raised, leaving her no ground to stand on.
"I'll definitely be back!" she called over her shoulder, her voice carrying across the misty clearing.
Then she vanished into the forest, heading back to her family's territory with renewed if somewhat bruised determination.
Next time, she promised herself. And the time after that. I won't give up!
"What a lively child," Takeyo remarked, having heard her declaration perfectly well. He turned to the adult Grayfia with an amused smile. "Isn't that right, Miss Bina?"
"Since she's gone, please stop calling me that." Grayfia's tone had lost its usual cool detachment.
"Really? I think it suits you."
Takeyo smiled and reached toward her face.
Then, with a gentle pulse of power, he dispersed the cognition-interfering formation she'd layered over her features.
Grayfia had anticipated that young Grayfia might recognize her despite the centuries of difference, so she'd taken precautions. The magical veil altered perception subtly, making her features harder to identify.
But Takeyo preferred her real face. Now that the girl was gone, there was no need for disguises.
"I'm going to bathe," he announced. "Care to join me?"
"..." Grayfia was silent for several seconds.
"I'll pass. Just try not to cough up blood and turn the entire pool gold."
The sharp retort cut through the air.
"Hey, wasn't the honeymoon your idea?" Takeyo's lips curved. "I was rather surprised when you suggested it."
"Forget it. Nyx, help him with his bath."
Grayfia turned away, and Takeyo accepted the dismissal with good grace.
"Very well."
He walked to the water's edge and handed his outer garments to Nyx. The primordial goddess of night was still perfecting her skills as a maid, every task, no matter how mundane, was part of her training.
With a soft splash, Takeyo settled into the pool and found a comfortable position.
Though his contact with this water had been brief, it had already undergone a subtle transformation. The ambient energy here had shifted, saturated with something divine and pure. That was why young Grayfia, who had plateaued for so long, had slipped into a breakthrough state almost immediately upon arrival.
All those baths I've taken here, he mused. This place has essentially become a cultivation sanctuary.
"So this is what destiny feels like," Grayfia murmured, watching him.
Her gaze lingered on the young man surrounded by that faintly holy radiance, and she released a quiet sigh.
The threads of fate were strange indeed.