"Hmm? He's in contact with the Church? Have those self-righteous fools discovered his potential too? This is a bit troublesome."
At the headquarters of the Himegami Cult, Shima Izuki was processing church affairs when she sensed the mark she had left was being triggered. After receiving the feedback, she frowned.
"'He'? What kind of man could make you so concerned?"
A voice full of surprise rang out, drawing Shima's attention.
"You should have plenty of supplies left. Why are you back here again, Natsuha? Did you use them up somewhere else?" Shima turned to look at the newcomer.
"The person I'd actually want to use them on isn't at our school anymore and won't be back for a while. I have no use for them right now. I'm not here for more 'supplies,'" Natsuha Shinomiya said.
"Oh? Not here for that? True, that childhood friend of yours would probably follow your every whim even without them. But Alistair isn't here either, so why come to me?" Shima put down her pen, looking at Natsuha with interest.
"You said he's become our 'Founding Father,' right? I want to know when we're having the next assembly," Natsuha asked.
"An assembly? True, Alistair wasn't the Founder yet during the last one, so the disciples don't know him. I've already made arrangements. I'll notify you when the time comes. After all, you're one of us now."
Shima winked, her bewitching charm making even a girl like Natsuha feel a bit breathless.
"Understood. I'll be going then." Natsuha avoided Shima's gaze and hurried out the door.
Once she was gone, Shima's seductive expression vanished into cold calculation.
"Did she find some sort of luck too? She's also started on the path of evolution. I need to keep a closer eye on them. And how did she find her way here? I always mail her things directly. I need to monitor the disciples at that school more carefully."
Shima tapped her desk, lost in thought.
"Well? Can you tell anything?" Natsuha asked in a low voice once she was far enough away from the headquarters. She seemed to be speaking to someone who wasn't there.
"She's a very formidable individual. And that 'body' likely isn't her true form. She gives off a very strange vibe... something in my memory feels similar to her, but it's too blurry to be sure."
A distorted, low-pitched female voice echoed in Natsuha's mind.
"So you don't even know what she is? You're not as impressive as you claim," Natsuha teased.
"I can't help it. The damage I took was too great. Although they couldn't kill me in the end, they managed to seal me. Most of my memories and powers were forcibly stripped away." The voice sighed after a long pause.
"And now you're reduced to this. How tragic," Natsuha remarked, remembering the entity's story.
"A hero forced to become a demon lord's pawn... it is quite dramatic. But I never imagined this world was once so fascinating. Those fantasy novels weren't fiction; they were history," Natsuha mused, imagining an era overflowing with "Mystery."
"In my opinion, your current era is better. My time was truly the survival of the fittest. If my talent hadn't been exceptional, I likely would have been 'bought' by some nobleman. For those without talent, it was hell. Especially for someone as beautiful as you—without power, you'd be nothing but a toy for some lord."
The voice's cold words shattered Natsuha's romanticized vision.
"So, were you beautiful too?" Natsuha asked, her feminine curiosity piqued.
"By human standards, yes. But your physical condition is no worse than mine was. You're actually safer in this world. By the way, why are there so many beautiful girls here? Aside from that girl with demi-human blood you found, and that Madoka girl, and those Nanami and Haruno girls... even if they aren't 'goddesses,' they aren't far behind me."
The voice sounded a bit grumpy. Natsuha could almost imagine her pouting.
"True, but they might all end up being my 'sisters' soon," Natsuha sighed, thinking of Alistair's personality.
"The strong possessing more resources and partners is natural. However, I am curious just how powerful this Alistair is. By your society's rules, power is determined by money and connections, right? So he must be very wealthy and well-connected?"
"Actually, when you went in, Shima was focusing on a man. I think it's the Alistair you care about. He's been brought in as their 'Founder.' That position isn't for just anyone. If that 'thing' pretending to be human picked him, she's definitely targeting him. You should be careful."
"Yeah. I'll find a way to meet Alistair. You check if he's a Transcendent," Natsuha decided.
"I can do that. But with most of my power gone, I can only judge if he's Transcendent or on the path. For anything more specific, you'll have to judge for yourself."
"By the way... I heard demons are naturally violent and evil. Even though you were a human who was transformed, why don't you seem affected?" Natsuha asked after a silence.
"That's all nonsense from your world. Your era's understanding of these things is too far removed from the truth," the voice said with disdain. "Back when the World Gates were still open, knowledge was much more accurate."
"World Gates?"
"Massive spatial portals used to travel between two worlds. Demi-humans came from my side through those gates. Then, for some reason, the gates closed, and the world slowly became what it is now."
"So this world originally only had humans?"
"Yes. I visited this side a few times back then. Because of the gates, the 'Mystery' here was very rich, unlike the thinning air you have now. Back then, we used Magitech, which is nothing like your 'physics.'"
"So science and the occult are incompatible?" Natsuha pondered.
"Probably. I don't understand that stuff. Only Sister Horyaz knew the principles of all magic," the voice, Rhea, replied lazily.
"I don't even know you that well yet," Natsuha complained.
"Just call me Rhea."
"Okay. Talking to you feels like talking to someone my own age."
"What do you mean 'feels like'? I am only twenty. Even my captain called me a once-in-a-thousand-years genius," Rhea said proudly.
"But several eras have passed since your time," Natsuha reminded her.
"...I was sealed! Without consciousness! That doesn't count toward my age!" Rhea argued. Women, it seemed, were sensitive about age regardless of the era.
"Fine. Did being corrupted into an 'evil being' change your personality?"
"No. Power is just power. It doesn't change who you are, only the source is different. Those who 'change' are people with weak minds who sought more power than they could handle. If your spirit can't master the power, the power's nature masters you."
"So as long as you can control it, the type of power doesn't matter?" Natsuha looked at her hand. With Rhea's help, she had gained the ability to absorb souls and malice, but she had been too afraid to use it.
"Exactly. What I gave you is just one path to evolution. If it makes you uncomfortable, find another way," Rhea said dismissively.
"What if I can't? Will you be stuck forever?"
"If your soul dissipates, I can just consume your body. It might not last long, but I can keep jumping to new hosts. I only lacked consciousness before you. With my methods, taking over your body would be easy."
Natsuha froze in place.
"Don't be so tense. I have some integrity. I was a first-tier member of the Soaring Warband, famous across seven nations. I'm not that low-class," Rhea reassured her.
Natsuha took a deep breath and headed for the train.
"Oh? That's rare. I didn't expect to see a Succubus in this place." Rhea's voice suddenly rang in Natsuha's ear while she was staring out the window.
A succubus? Those exist outside of novels? Natsuha looked around.
"A bit to the left. More. Yes, that one with the twin-tails who looks innocent and easy to bully. I'm certain she's a pure-blood Succubus."
Natsuha studied the girl. She looked like someone you could kidnap with a single lollipop.
"Don't let the innocent look fool you. That's the best disguise. She attracts men who think they've found prey, but they don't realize they are the ones being hunted. And that body... I'm jealous. If that's her natural form, her talent is incredible. Such a large chest without looking deformed? Exceptional genetics." Rhea's envy was palpable.
"True. She looks a bit bigger than me," Natsuha noted, comparing herself.
"Her aura is quite pure, though. She likely found a single 'provider'—and a very powerful first prey at that. I'd guess she lives with her mother; it's nearly impossible for a young succubus to find a lifelong provider without a mentor."
"Succubi form groups?" Natsuha whispered.
"Rarely, but it happens."
"I'll try to avoid trouble," Natsuha sighed.
"No need to worry. In this environment, even with my remaining power, I can crush these 'weaklings' of the new era. If you run into trouble, just give me control of your body and I'll carve them up," Rhea said confidently.
Natsuha looked at the pen in her pocket and couldn't imagine how Rhea planned to "carve" anyone with it.