The Underworld doesn't have oceans. I'd heard there were massive lakes, so maybe this was a lake? But the pattern of the stars in the sky was different from the Underworld.
Which meant… we were in the Human World?
I considered the possibility, but it was immediately debunked. I looked up and saw the moon. Or rather, the moons.
"Two… moons?"
Yes, two moons hung in the sky. This definitely wasn't the Human World. From Earth, you only see one.
As everyone realized we were neither in the Underworld nor on Earth and began scanning the perimeter, a voice called out.
"This is a field modeled after a portion of another dimension—what you might call an 'Otherworld.'"
I turned toward the voice. On a section of the beach sat a pair of chairs. Occupying them were a man and a woman. One was a man with a refined, almost enchanting aura—the current Great Satan Beelzebub, Ajuka-san. The other was a beautiful woman with long, flowing blue hair—Tiamat.
Tiamat waved at us. "You've arrived. It's been a while, Issei."
"It hasn't been that long. Not since our last magical transmission, anyway."
Ajuka-san closed the book he was reading and stood up to greet us.
"It's good to see you again, members of the Gremory peerage… or rather, I should say Team D×D now."
Azazel-sensei stepped forward and offered a hand. "It's been a bit since we last bumped into each other in the Underworld."
Ajuka-san took his hand and offered a small smile. "This might be the first time we've met without a crowd of other VIPs around, former Governor-General Azazel."
"More like this meeting was specifically designed to keep them away, right?"
"Indeed. Our meeting would be seen as a threat by various factions, even with Team D×D acting as a buffer." Ajuka-san chuckled wryly.
His gaze shifted from Sensei to me. "And hello, Issei Hyoudou-kun. Good work on the recent investigation of the Realm of the Dead."
"Thank you, sir. It was my duty… though I'm afraid I didn't have much of a positive report to give."
"Nonsense. When the opponent is capable of trampling the Realm of the Dead, there isn't much else to be done. More importantly, I'm glad you returned safely. Your strength has already become indispensable to the Underworld. Losing you would be too great a blow."
Ajuka-san laughed warmly. His smile was kind, but his eyes… they felt like they were peering right through me, analyzing my very core. They say this man possesses the transcendent technique to manipulate all phenomena through formulas and equations. A "Super Devil" on the same level as Sirzechs-san.
I suppose it's natural he'd be interested in my "anomalous" power. Though, I felt a bit guilty that the source of that power was... well, breasts.
"I hear you've added new members to your peerage."
"Yes. These are the ones."
I introduced Maurice and the others. The old man stepped forward.
"I see… I'd heard rumors, but this Demon King is younger than I thought. Still, you can feel the power rolling off him. He's the type I'd rather not have as an enemy."
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Ajuka, one of the Great Satans." Ajuka-san looked at Maurice with genuine intrigue. "Fascinating. An 'Otherworlder.' I've reviewed the documents and video data from the incident with the Church. It's rare to find a human with such power. Perhaps the definition of 'human' differs between our worlds."
I felt a bead of sweat roll down my neck. Actually, Ajuka-san, Maurice is just a freak of nature. Magic might be common in their world, but even by those standards, the old man is an absolute anomaly. Don't set your expectations too high based on him.
Ajuka-san turned his question to the group. "As people from another world, what do you think of this field?"
"What do I think? Honestly, I'm not sure," Maurice replied, turning to Licia and the others. "Did our world have a place like this?"
Licia tilted her head. "No… nothing comes to mind."
"Me neither," Alice added. "Actually, I spent most of my time in the castle, so it's not like I knew every corner of Ast-Arde."
"Same here," Nina and Valkyria agreed.
I didn't recognize it either. And besides, the other world only had one moon too.
Ajuka-san let out a mysterious smile. "I see. It seems my hypothesis was correct."
He looked like a man who had just found a very interesting toy.
Hypothesis? While the members of D×D stood there puzzled, one person stepped forward. It was Ravel.
"Ajuka-sama. Um… where is my brother?"
Right—Raiser was nowhere to be seen. I'd assumed we were meeting him here.
"Raiser Phoenix has already been transported to the Phoenix main estate. Normally, I would have had you meet him there, or brought him here… but while you are a member of D×D, he is not. The things we are about to discuss can only be heard by those within your organization."
"I understand. Thank you. As long as he is safe, that is enough…" Ravel breathed a sigh of relief.
Azazel-sensei added some extra context. "Actually, my top agents—the 'Slash Dog' team—are currently guarding Raiser. We can't be too careful."
So that was Ikuse-san's mission. But to send the top-tier agents of Grigori just to guard Raiser… was he really that important to this case?
I glanced at Tiamat, who was standing beside Ajuka-san. "Tiamat, you know everything that happened, right? You said you were sworn to secrecy, but does that mean…?"
Tiamat looked at Ajuka-san, who gave a wry smile and a single nod. With his permission granted, she finally spoke.
"Yes. As I've mentioned before, I assist Ajuka with his work. One of my roles is… acting as the Shadow Arbiter of the Rating Games."
"WHAT?!"
The revelation caught almost everyone off guard. While Maurice and the others were too new to the world to understand the weight of it, even Azazel-sensei rubbed his chin and nodded as if things were finally clicking.
Tiamat continued. "Normally, I could never reveal this. But given the circumstances, an exception has been made. You are all aware that in official matches and special Rating Games, if a situation occurs that deviates too far from the administration's expectations, emergency measures are taken, correct?"
"Yeah. Usually, they just forcibly teleport the players out," I said.
"Correct. However, if that is impossible for some reason, a special Arbiter intervenes to handle the situation. That is my role."
Ajuka-san picked up where she left off. "She has held that post for about a hundred and fifty years. Cases like this are extremely rare—it has only happened twice in the past. …Though, it reminds me, Tiamat."
"What?"
"I recall you once saying you had no intention of ever serving anyone. What happened to that? I see you've entered into a familiar contract with the Red Dragon Emperor."
My jaw nearly dropped. Tiamat was that picky? When we made the contract, there was a test of strength, but looking back, I'm amazed she agreed to be my familiar at all. She's one of the Five Dragon Kings, after all.
In response to Ajuka-san's question, Tiamat…
"I-I n-never said such a t-thing! I h-have no memory of th-th-that, nya…!"
She turned bright red and started stuttering so hard she was tripping over her own tongue!
Wait… is she embarrassed? She's acting completely suspicious!
Suddenly, Ignis materialized by my side. And then—
"Forget serving him, she even gave him her 'first time'!♪"
"WHOA! Why are you just blurting that out?!" I yelled.
"H-h-hawawawa! D-don't tell themmmm!" Tiamat screamed.
The Dragon King tried to cover the Useless Goddess's mouth, but Ignis dodged her with effortless grace.
"Oh, Tiamat-chan, you're so shy! So cuuuute!♪ You know, despite how she looks, she's actually incredibly naughty. That time with Issei, she—"
"UWAAAAH! STOOOOOOOP!"
Tiamat started chasing Ignis around the beach, half-crying.
Was Tiamat always this kind of character? The reliable, dignified "big sister" was rapidly turning into something... well, cute. Her character was crumbling before my eyes.
Ajuka-san muttered to himself, "…She's changed."
"I-I'm sorry," I apologized. "She's probably been poisoned by the atmosphere at my house…"
"Don't worry about it. I suspect this might be her true self. She's looked much happier since she met you."
Ajuka-san watched the two women with a warm smile as the chase continued. It did look like they were having fun, even if Tiamat was on the verge of tears.
Eventually, Ignis caught Tiamat instead of the other way around.
"Ufufu~♪ Tiamat-chan's breasts, after all this time… thanks for the treat!♪"
"Ah… wait, you idiot… not here… ahn!"
"HEYYY! Just how high is your tension, you Useless Goddess?!"
"But it's been so long since I got to touch Tiamat-chan! We need skinship!♪"
"That's just sexual harassment!"
My voice echoed across the beach. This was supposed to be a super serious meeting. Why was I being forced to watch an impromptu Yuri-fest?
Ajuka-san turned back to us, his expression turning serious. "I brought you and the former Governor-General here to tell you the truth about this incident. Let's begin."
Leaving Tiamat to her fate for a moment, Ajuka-san reached into his pocket and pulled out a single game piece.
Tiamat, I'll come save you as soon as the talk is over. Just hang in there!
I focused on the piece in his hand. Ajuka-san was the man who created the "Evil Pieces" and established the fundamental theory of the Rating Games. Naturally, I assumed the piece was an Evil Piece.
"Do you know what this is? I'm sure you recognize it as an Evil Piece."
The aura coming from it was unmistakably that of an Evil Piece. Having become Rias's servant and now possessing my own set, the feeling was familiar to me.
But the shape was wrong. It wasn't a Pawn, Knight, Bishop, Rook, or Queen.
That left only one possibility.
A thought flickered through my mind, but I dismissed it. It couldn't be. I'd been told by Rias, Sona, and Ravel—all pureblood high-class Devils—that such a thing didn't exist. To them, it was common sense.
But Ajuka-san said the words anyway.
"This is… a 'King' piece."
The information hit me like a physical shock.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"