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Kyoto, the shopping street below Yasaka Shrine—
Carrying several large bags in both hands, Ingvild felt as though she'd been living in a dream these past few days.
Before she went to sleep, she had been nothing more than a country girl from rural Europe. Then she woke up and discovered she was a descendant of the original Satan Leviathan, with a Sacred Gear created by God inside her.
And that wasn't all. Only a few days after awakening, she had been adopted as a younger sister by the current Leviathan, Serafall Leviathan, and whisked away to Kyoto in the Far East to meet someone named Ryo Yagami.
Then, just minutes after arriving, Ryo vanished.
By the time Ingvild had been settled into Yasaka Shrine, she learned that Ryo Yagami had apparently gone off to destroy the legendary Greek gods.
Still, hearing that the Greek gods had truly existed hadn't excited her nearly as much as one might expect. After all, the very first news she'd ever received about them was that they had all been annihilated.
In a sense, she had witnessed a legend. She had also witnessed its ending.
Fortunately, Ryo Yagami remained busy handling matters related to Greece and was expected to stay away for a few more days. Ingvild, who still hadn't gathered the courage to meet him, let out a silent sigh of relief.
A few more days of delay was perfectly fine with her.
Her nervousness came from being personally appointed by Ryo as his private secretary.
After all, Kuroka and Yasaka had told her something so startling that it completely changed the way she viewed him.
According to them, the duties of a private life secretary included... Sharing her employer's bed.
The revelation had nearly shattered Ingvild's worldview.
She had absolutely no experience in that department and had never once prepared herself mentally for something like that.
So if she could avoid Ryo for a few more days, she was more than willing to.
Of course, she also understood that staying with the devils wasn't free. She possessed enough common sense to know she had to work and earn her keep.
As a result, on her second day in Kyoto, she was assigned a caretaker job. Her responsibility was looking after a cute little girl named Ophis.
At the moment, she was accompanying that adorable loli on a shopping trip.
"Ingvild? What's that?"
Ophis pointed toward a cotton candy stall.
The stalls were common near shrines and practically counted as mandatory festival food.
"That's..." Ingvild looked surprised. "Cotton candy?"
She had only seen it in newspapers before.
"I heard it was a new sweet invented recently."
"Ingvild. Eat."
Ophis's speech remained as concise as ever.
After spending an entire day together, Ingvild had gradually learned how to interpret the girl's short phrases.
She shifted all the bags into one hand, took out her wallet, and somewhat awkwardly paid for a serving of cotton candy.
As the vendor poured colored sugar into the machine and began spinning the fluffy treat, Ingvild couldn't help letting out a series of delighted gasps.
Not far away, Ophis quietly watched.
At some point, another person appeared beside her. A man dressed in a British-style tailcoat and top hat, with silver-gray hair and a sly smile.
"Well, well. Isn't this our Ophis-chan?"
Ophis calmly turned and looked at him.
"Someone as important as you doesn't even have guards watching over you?" Rizevim grinned as he casually surveyed the area, though inwardly he remained highly alert.
There was no way Ophis, who had supposedly been brought under control, would be left without surveillance.
At least, Rizevim didn't believe that.
And he certainly didn't think the girl ahead carrying shopping bags was Ophis's watchdog.
Too inexperienced.
Her Sacred Gear was impressive, but Rizevim possessed the ability to nullify Sacred Gears. Sacred Gear users were the last people he worried about.
It was like a game of cat and mouse.
And he was the cat. A very dangerous cat.
Ingvild definitely wasn't the mouse.
Which meant there had to be someone else nearby. Someone skilled enough that even he couldn't detect them.
Rizevim couldn't accurately judge the situation, but opportunities to find Ophis alone were rare, which was why he'd chosen to show himself.
Even if Ophis wasn't actually his target. The potential benefits were simply too great.
"Rizevim." Ophis calmly spoke his name.
"Yeees?"
Rizevim answered in an exaggerated tone before grinning. "Any orders from the boss? Want me to slaughter everyone nearby?"
Regardless of whether she acted as a mascot or not, Ophis was still recognized as the leader of the Khaos Brigade.
The organization's membership was too diverse. Without an overwhelmingly powerful figure holding things together, chaos would be inevitable.
As a result, Ophis naturally occupied the position of leader.
Rizevim could have taken the role himself if he wanted, but he hated responsibility and happily gave it up.
After all, wasn't having a beautiful naive super-girl as your boss much more enjoyable?
As someone who pursued amusement above all else, he had no objections.
Then Ophis struck him with a bombshell, "The Khaos Brigade no longer needs to exist."
"Hm?"
Rizevim raised an eyebrow.
Coming from Ophis, those words carried enormous weight.
Still... wasn't this interesting?
"Are you saying you want to disband the Khaos Brigade?"
His smile widened.
"Mm." Ophis nodded slightly. "I have Ryo now. Therefore, the Khaos Brigade is no longer necessary."
The only reason she had needed the organization was because it gathered powerful individuals who could help her seek revenge against Great Red.
Now she had Ryo. With him around, the Khaos Brigade served no purpose.
Ophis had always been indifferent toward worldly possessions. If something wasn't needed, she discarded it.
Rizevim's smile froze. Then his lips stretched into another exaggerated grin, "Wow. I never imagined you'd develop romantic feelings."
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "This is a confession, isn't it? It's definitely a confession! Has the world's strongest husband finally been born?"
"..."
Ophis simply stared at him as if looking at a complete idiot.
The expression drained much of Rizevim's enthusiasm.
After a brief laugh, he lowered the brim of his hat, "Very well. As you wish. The Khaos Brigade is officially disbanded."
With that, he turned and walked away.
"Ophis, who was that gentleman?" Ingvild approached holding two giant cotton candy puffs.
"Rizevim. Son of Lucifer." Ophis offered a simple explanation.
"Oh!"
Ingvild nodded in realization.
"Huh? Ryo-san's son."
She took a bite of cotton candy and froze.
She knew Ryo currently held the title of Satan Lucifer.
"He's already that old? This is terrible! Is he going to call me stepmother? But he looks older than my dad!"
Ophis stared at the flustered girl, unable to comprehend her train of thought.
Were all humans this noisy?
She tilted her head in confusion.
...
..
A narrow alley near Yasaka Shrine—
A young man carrying a spear appeared behind Rizevim and asked in surprise, "You're not taking Ophis with us? That was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"No need."
Rizevim lowered his hat.
Cold sweat ran down his cheek.
"Taking away some of Kyoto's excessively concentrated power is enough. And honestly, without Samael, I don't think we'd stand a chance against Ophis even if we joined forces."
His expression darkened. "Her heart isn't with us anymore. If she decides to act against us, we'll have a serious problem."
The young man considered it and found himself agreeing.
After all, Ophis had dominated the title of the world's strongest for countless years.
Even if she'd recently lost to Ryo, she was hardly someone who could be underestimated.
"What a waste." The young man sighed.
Then he added, "Rizevim. Indra wants to see you."
"I know."
Rizevim wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief before restoring his usual exaggerated grin, "I'll meet him later."
Then, as if a random thought had occurred to him, he asked, "By the way, should we rename our organization?"
"Rename it to what?"
The young man clearly didn't care.
"'The Distillery?'"
"Do you even drink?"
"Nope." Rizevim shook his head.
Then he shrugged, "How about 'Black Root'?"
"Whatever you want."
The young man walked out of the alley without another word, spear still resting in his hand.
Rizevim narrowed his eyes.
His gaze lingered on the spear the man carried at all times, and a trace of wariness appeared in his expression.
A moment later, a crow cawed as it flew into the alley.
But before it could land, the alley was already empty.
.
.
.