Sobu High School, school building corridor.
Leo and Yukinoshita Yukino were walking together, one in front and the other a step behind, heading towards the Service Club's activity room.
Leo's mood was clearly excellent; he hummed a tune as he walked, looking utterly pleased. Yukinoshita Yukino, on the other hand, was completely opposite, looking depressed, even somewhat questioning her existence.
"How did I become a Demon?"
Yukinoshita Yukino had been pondering this question the entire way, and the more she thought, the more dejected she became.
Not only had she faced a life-threatening situation, but the next day she woke up to find herself expelled from humanity, transforming from a pampered young lady into someone's servant. If she hadn't witnessed all of this firsthand, Yukinoshita Yukino would surely have believed she was still trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake up.
People within Sobu High School, unaware of Yukinoshita Yukino's current gloom, looked at the two walking together with surprise, beginning to whisper and discuss.
"Isn't that Erigor, the senior from third year, and Yukinoshita from second year?"
"How are those two walking together?"
"Could it be... they're dating?"
"No way?"
These discussions weren't very loud, but Yukinoshita Yukino still heard them, making her even more depressed.
"Ugh..."
Just then, sunlight streamed in through the nearby window, hitting Yukinoshita Yukino and making her feel uncomfortable again.
"...I really became a Demon, not a Vampire?"
Yukinoshita Yukino quietly expressed her dissatisfaction.
"Who said only Vampires hate sunlight?" Leo said without turning his head, "Demons also operate at night and can exert more power at night. You'll know when night comes; you'll clearly feel power surging within you—that's the power of a Demon."
"What about you?" Yukinoshita Yukino looked at Leo, who was unfazed by the sunlight, and asked, "Why don't you seem to find the daytime difficult at all?"
"Because I'm used to it," Leo replied, still without turning his head, "You're only like this because you've just reincarnated as a Demon. After some time, you'll fully adapt, and then you won't feel uncomfortable anymore."
"However, I must remind you that Demons are creatures that inherently dislike light. The stronger the power of light, the worse it is for our bodies."
"Light is poison, at least for us. Angels and Fallen Angels are races that use light as weapons; they are our natural enemies. If you ever encounter them, remember not to confront them head-on, okay?"
Leo's words reminded Yukinoshita Yukino of the Fallen Angel from yesterday.
At that time, the opponent had condensed dim light and transformed it into a spear, piercing her body.
"Are Angels and Fallen Angels both beings who can control light?"
Yukinoshita Yukino had a sudden realization.
"Exactly," Leo said leisurely, "The power of Demons is magic, while the power of Angels and Fallen Angels is light. We can shape supernatural phenomena by manipulating magic, and Angels and Fallen Angels can condense light into different forms to fight."
"By the way, Exorcists of the church also use light weapons. They receive God's blessings while using the light power possessed by Angels and their years of physical training to eliminate Demons. Therefore, they are also our natural enemies."
Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't hold back anymore.
"Then doesn't that mean everyone is a Demon's natural enemy? Do Demons have so many weaknesses?"
Demons, Angels, Fallen Angels... these were all the extraordinary beings Yukinoshita Yukino knew existed in the hidden world. Yet, the other two factions both countered Demons, and even the church forces under Angels countered Demons. What did this mean?
Enemies everywhere? Or weaknesses everywhere?
She, Yukinoshita Yukino, had founded the Service Club with the goal of "changing people's weaknesses to change the world." Now, to be told that she had reincarnated into a race with weaknesses everywhere, how could she bear it?
Leo, in response, found it rather amusing.
"What you're saying is really interesting. Do Demons really have more weaknesses than humans?" Leo said irritably, "Look at humans: they die if they're stabbed in a vital spot, they die if they're shot in a vital spot, they might even die from an accidental bump or scrape, let alone all sorts of diseases and terminal illnesses."
"And Demons? They have long lifespans, rare diseases, strong bodies. Most human weapons can't kill them, and they can even be saved, like me, if someone dies, by reincarnating them as a Demon."
"Compared to humans, only being afraid of light, and specifically the high-concentration light power released by Angels and Fallen Angels—Demons' weaknesses are incredibly few, don't you think?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was momentarily speechless but still somewhat unconvinced.
"That's only compared to humans. What if we compare them to Angels and Fallen Angels?"
Yukinoshita Yukino posed this rather sharp question.
"Do you think they have no weaknesses?" Leo smiled and said, "Angels generally cannot harbor selfish desires, or they will fall and lose everything they originally possessed. Therefore, they are easily influenced by external factors; only strong faith can maintain their self-identity."
"Fallen Angels, on the other hand, don't have obvious weaknesses, but their population is the smallest among the three factions. They usually only increase their numbers through Fallen Angels, and their self-reproduction rate is very slow, making them the faction closest to extinction among the three."
"Now, all three factions have fallen to the point where they must rely on human strength to continue existing, so no one can laugh at anyone else."
Saying this, Leo reached out and flicked Yukinoshita Yukino's forehead.
"Besides, even if light is a Demon's weakness, as long as you don't get hit, it's fine. If you want to overcome this weakness, work harder in the future instead of complaining here."
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the Service Club's activity room and pushed the door open.
Yukinoshita Yukino, rubbing her forehead, looked at the familiar activity room, and for some reason, her mood became complicated again.
Does this club... still need to exist?
In the past, Yukinoshita Yukino had always conducted club activities with the goal of changing others and the world. But now, after seeing the true world, she could no longer hold onto that idea.
She herself had already become a Demon, no longer human. Was there still a need to help humans and solve the difficulties of her classmates?
Yukinoshita Yukino thought, feeling a little lost.
Leo, on the other hand, walked around the activity room as if inspecting his territory, nodding as he went.
"This place isn't bad. Although it can't compare to Sona's student council office, it's sufficient as our base at Sobu High School."
Leo then crouched down, brought his fingers together, and began drawing on the floor.
Magic power pulsed from his fingertips, carving mysterious runes and patterns into the floor as he moved, causing crimson lines to gradually appear on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
Yukinoshita Yukino snapped out of her thoughts, drawn by Leo's actions.
"Drawing a Magic Circle," Leo said without looking up, "As long as we carve the Magic Circle of our Erigor Family here, we can perform long-distance jumps by expending our internal magic power, instantly arriving at the location of another Magic Circle."
"There's one such Magic Circle in my manor, and the flyer I gave you earlier, the Magic Circle carved on that is the same thing."
"I've wanted to set one up at Sobu High School for a long time, but unfortunately, I wasn't interested in clubs before and didn't have my own base, so I couldn't just do whatever I wanted."
Yukinoshita Yukino immediately remembered the parchment Leo had given her earlier.
"That was a flyer?"
Yukinoshita Yukino expressed her reasonable doubt.
"Don't doubt it, it's a flyer." Leo glanced at the girl and said, "Demons living in the human world aren't idle all day; they all have their jobs."
"Just as the legends everyone knows, the job of a Demon is to be summoned by people with desires, sign a contract with them, and receive appropriate compensation by fulfilling their wishes."
"Sometimes it's money, sometimes objects, and occasionally lives are taken. This is the work of Demons in the human world, quite similar to what your Service Club does, just expanded from the school's scope of activity to the territory assigned to you."
"Once you adapt to your current identity and abilities, you will also have to start doing this work as a Retainer Demon of the Erigor Family."
The Magic Circle exists for this very purpose.
In modern times, hardly anyone believes in the existence of Demons anymore, nor do they carve Magic Circles based on ancient texts or perform strange rituals to summon Demons. Therefore, modern Demons, to successfully complete their work, draw Magic Circles on easily portable parchment and distribute them as flyers.
Humans who come into contact with the flyer, as long as they generate a strong desire, can automatically activate the Magic Circle on the flyer.
At that time, Leo and Yukinoshita Yukino could directly transfer to the person's side using the Magic Circle here or at the manor.
Also, "If we open the Magic Circle to outsiders, then external Demons can also transfer to our side through their own Magic Circles." Leo, focused on carving the Magic Circle, said to Yukinoshita Yukino, "Within the next two days, another High-Class Devil, who has always represented the Underworld in assisting me and liaising with me, will be coming."
"I just got promoted to a High-Class Devil and recruited my first Retainer; it's only right that he comes to see."
"Remember to be prepared."
With that, Leo's carved Magic Circle was finally complete.
It was a standard circular array, entirely red, with a diameter of about six or seven meters, occupying a significant portion of the Service Club's activity room floor.
"Oh, right, do you want to keep the Service Club as it is, or change the name of this club?"
Leo clapped his hands and smiled at Yukinoshita Yukino.
"From now on, this will be the activity room for the entire Erigor Retainer.".