Rogue Demon.
As the name suggests, these are Demons who have broken away from their group, are no longer bound by its constraints, and wreak havoc outside.
In the Underworld, every High-Class Devil has the right to receive devil chess pieces and recruit Retainer servants. However, precisely because of this, the quality of Retainer servants recruited by High-Class Devils is completely uneven. No one can guarantee that there won't be any reckless individuals among the Retainer servants they recruit.
Especially Familiar Demons who reincarnate from other races; they might undergo a drastic change in personality after gaining power, or they might have been dangerous individuals to begin with, and after gaining power, they unleash their true nature, becoming even more demonic than Demons.
Most Rogue Demons are such existences, either because they gained power and refused to be disciplined, or because they felt dissatisfied with being constrained, or perhaps they harbored inappropriate ambitions and evil. In the end, they chose to betray their master, or even kill their master, becoming masterless Demons and fleeing outside.
Simply put, Rogue Demons are fugitives among Demons, dangerous individuals who are wanted.
"Such a dangerous individual, has he appeared here?"
Late at night, in an unfinished entertainment facility on the outskirts of the city, Yukinoshita Yukino appeared here, asking Leo beside her.
At this moment, Yukinoshita Yukino had changed out of her usual Sobu High School uniform, opting instead for an outfit suitable for easy movement.
Her upper body was a simple plaid shirt, her lower body was seven-jeans (seven-jeans - capri jeans), and her long, straight hair, usually worn down, was tied into two ponytails, making her appear less aloof and more lively.
"If the information Sona gave me isn't wrong, then he should be here."
Leo replied to Yukinoshita Yukino, his hands in his pockets, in a lazy manner.
He wasn't wearing his school uniform tonight either, instead dressed in dark casual clothes: a black short-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and a matching black jacket. His entire demeanor had transformed, from the sunny and cheerful big boy of the day to a cool young man of the night, giving off the impression of shedding a disguise and becoming a killer of the night.
"He's said to be a cruel Demon. Apparently, he was already a scumbag before his reincarnation. He had a lot of blood on his hands even before becoming a Demon, and after becoming one, he completely went mad. Not long ago, while his master was out, he murdered a colleague he had been with day and night, then fled, enraging his former master, who immediately issued a bounty, offering a high price for this ungrateful wretch who abandoned his master."
Leo recounted the information he knew, making Yukinoshita Yukino frown prettily.
"What was that master thinking? Why would he take someone like that as a Retainer?"
Yukinoshita Yukino expressed her incomprehension at this.
Recruiting such a dangerous individual as a Retainer, isn't he afraid that he himself might become the victim one day?
Yukinoshita Yukino completely failed to understand such an action.
"Thinking that way, you're a bit too naive." Leo, knowing exactly what Yukinoshita Yukino was thinking, tapped her forehead and said, "Do you think all Demons are sunny and cheerful big boys who hate evil like me? The conduct of some Demons can be even more terrifying than what you read in books, you know?"
"They don't care how many people the individual they're interested in has killed. After all, humans are merely inferior beings in their eyes. If the person they're interested in dares to break through from that group and acts ruthlessly, they won't feel disgusted; instead, they'll admire the other party."
"So, they will reincarnate such individuals as their Retainers, or they might only value the other party's talent, completely disregarding their character, ultimately sowing the seeds of disaster."
Such Demons also made Leo feel quite disdainful, feeling that they fully deserved to encounter such things.
"Of course, some Retainer servants choose to betray simply because of dissatisfaction." Leo yawned and said, "Some were forced to reincarnate because they were favored by a High-Class Devil, some couldn't accept the reality of becoming a Demon and decided to resist, and others, pushed to their limits by their master's oppression and arbitrary bullying, finally acted out. They are not all reckless dangerous individuals."
If they are such Rogue Demons, as long as their master isn't too hostile, they usually won't be directly hunted down, but merely arrested and subjected to strict discipline.
However, this time's Rogue Demon is not this type with an understandable reason; he is purely an evil person. His master is also not someone with a good temper, so the content of the commission is a direct subjugation, with no need for a live capture.
"Rogue Demons like this are generally not ignored by the Demon World. They are either wanted or a commission is given to Demons active in the human world to deal with them. It can be said that everyone has the right to punish them. Other factions also view Rogue Demons as unstable dangerous elements. Whether it's Angels or Fallen Angels, once discovered, they will choose to eradicate them."
Leo lifted his gaze, looking at the entertainment facility plunged into darkness, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"By the way, there are also Rogue Exorcists on the Church's side. They were originally holy figures who eliminated Demons in the name of God, but occasionally some people find pleasure in killing Demons, or like fanatical heretics, they disregard all consequences, only wanting to eliminate all Demons in the world, finding meaning and joy in life through such actions. Such individuals are usually expelled by the Church that believes in God, considered harmful elements, and dealt with secretly, without exception."
"In this era where large-scale conflicts and struggles no longer occur among the three major factions, if you encounter a regular Exorcist from the Church, you might be spared for some reason. But if you encounter these Rogue Exorcists outside, they will not overlook your existence."
"So, always remember, when you're active outside, your biggest enemy might not be the Church, but these Rogues."
Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath.
This was a realm she had never touched, a realm truly involving blood and battle, making her inevitably feel nervous.
Such bloodshed and unfathomable dark deeds were things she could never have encountered in the past. Now, having to suddenly confront them, her emotions simply couldn't calm down.
So, Yukinoshita Yukino subconsciously changed the subject.
"So, anyone can choose to leave their master and become a Rogue?" Yukinoshita Yukino said, feigning calmness, "Then, would you worry about me becoming a Rogue?"
After all, she wasn't voluntarily reincarnated as a Demon.
Although the outcome was that Leo saved her life, putting that aside, at first, Yukinoshita Yukino was quite unwilling to become a Demon.
That was only natural; why become the evil, filthy, and ugly Demon in others' mouths when one could be a perfectly good human?
Putting herself in their shoes, Yukinoshita Yukino felt that it was perfectly normal for someone to be unable to accept the fact of reincarnating as a Demon and choose to betray their master and flee for freedom.
If she hadn't been saved by Leo, in the situation of being forcibly reincarnated as a Demon, she would never have chosen to compromise and obediently become someone else's Retainer servant.
Given this, Yukinoshita Yukino became a little curious, wanting to know if Leo would worry about her betrayal.
As it turned out, Leo's face showed no trace of worry.
Because the Retainers he reincarnated were somewhat different from other Retainers.
Others primarily relied on the power of devil chess pieces to reincarnate Demons. Although Leo also used devil chess pieces, the "Familiarization" characteristic had already completed its connection with the devil chess pieces. It used the existence of the devil chess pieces to fulfill the conditions for triggering the characteristic, so the devil chess pieces were merely a medium. The true initiation of the reincarnation ritual was actually the "Familiarization" characteristic.
And just as mentioned earlier, the Erigor Family's characteristic was originally an ability to influence a warrior's will, but the "Familiarization" characteristic had mutated into an ability to conquer a warrior's soul.
In other words, when the "Familiarization" characteristic took effect and reincarnated Yukinoshita Yukino as Leo's Retainer, her soul had already been marked with Leo's imprint.
Not only was she Leo's Retainer servant, but her soul was already Leo's property. Even if she died outside, her soul would automatically return to Leo and be taken by him.
Precisely because of this, Leo's Retainers would subconsciously develop a sense of closeness towards him and would be very easy to obey. Once they left him, they would feel an inexplicable irritation, as was the case with Yukinoshita Yukino earlier.
This was the outward manifestation of her soul already belonging to Leo, an instinctive reaction.
Unless Leo did something truly outrageous that made Yukinoshita Yukino genuinely disgusted, only then would her disgust override this instinct, causing her to develop disloyalty. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for her to have the thought of actively leaving.
If Leo concentrated, he could also sense the location of his Retainer through the soul connection, so even if Yukinoshita Yukino really ran away, he would be able to find her.
In short, as long as Yukinoshita Yukino didn't genuinely dislike Leo, Leo was not at all worried that she would become a Rogue.
Leo then looked at Yukinoshita Yukino and suddenly smiled.
"So, do you want to leave?"
Leo countered with a question, causing Yukinoshita Yukino to pause.
"Tap..."
Before Yukinoshita Yukino could give an answer, a footsteps sound approached from a distance, attracting both their attention.
"Who?!"
The approaching footsteps stirred some unpleasant memories in Yukinoshita Yukino's heart, making her instinctively cry out.
The owner of the footsteps, however, did not answer her. Under Leo's lingering gaze, he slowly emerged from the darkness.
"...I smell it, the aura of a fellow kind."
A low voice sounded with a hint of a smile, a hint of persistence, a hint of madness, and a hint of danger.
"Have you caught up so quickly, Underworld lackeys?"
As he spoke, the figure slowly entered Yukinoshita Yukino's vision, making her pupils tremble violently.
His shadow, cast on the ground, was also distorted, completely inhuman...
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