Not long after, the self-proclaimed magical girl finally left... reluctantly, of course.
Serafall had come to the human world to prepare for the upcoming summit in a few days. She wasn't here on a whim. If it weren't for wanting to see her precious little sister, she wouldn't have made the trip at all.
Now that she'd seen her sister, even though she hadn't managed to properly teach that scoundrel trying to steal her away a lesson, Serafall had no choice but to accept reality and leave in tears.
Before going, however, she pulled Leo aside and gave him a stern warning.
"Listen carefully, you little brat. You're a grown man now. You should know exactly what you can and can't do. If I find out you laid a hand on my So-tan before marriage, I'll freeze everything below your waist. Got it?"
She clearly meant to look intimidating, but with her sweet, adorable face, it came off more like she was trying to act cute.
Even so, Leo took her seriously.
There was something deeply unsettling about a woman with a sugary voice, a doll-like face, and who called herself a magical girl casually threatening to freeze someone's lower half.
Still, taking it seriously didn't mean he intended to back down.
"I'll be sure to pass your words along to Sona," he replied politely.
The meaning behind those words made Serafall's expression change on the spot.
"You really are the worst! I hate you!"
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. She looked like she wanted to hit him, but she didn't dare do it in front of Sona. In the end, she stomped hard on his foot before storming off, full of anger and grievance.
"How old are you? And you're still stomping on people's feet…"
Leo rubbed his foot, wincing. That hurt more than Kokabiel's light spears or Vali Lucifer's demonic blasts.
At least he'd blocked those attacks with ease, caught them barehanded, even. But that stomp genuinely hurt.
"Don't mind my sister." Sona stepped forward at last, studying him with a look he couldn't quite decipher. "She'll learn her limits eventually. She won't target you like she used to."
"I hope so." He shrugged, unaware of the deeper meaning behind Serafall's mention of marriage earlier. "Even if she wants to, she probably won't have many chances from now on."
Seeing the Maou girl he once avoided at all costs, he realized the pressure she gave off felt much lighter now.
He wasn't the same as before. Strength brought confidence. He no longer feared Serafall the way he once had.
He still wasn't a match for that veteran super maou-class powerhouse, but he had enough ability to protect himself.
Give him a little more time, let him grow stronger, and he'd eventually reach her level. At that point, there'd be nothing to fear.
Whether through his own training or by finding new servants, he was certain it wouldn't take long.
Now that he had become a perfect devil, his potential far surpassed what it once was. Even without relying on the "Servant Conversion" trait as a cheat, he could rapidly increase his strength through training alone. The days of spending over a decade just to barely advance a rank were gone.
For now, he wasn't in a rush to recruit new servants. Training on his own still brought steady growth.
That said, finding new servants remained the most efficient path.
Even someone with only moderate potential would boost his strength significantly at this stage.
Night descended quietly.
The three groups, the Eligos peerage, the Gremory peerage, and the Sitri peerage, gradually left the separate dimension, each returning to their own responsibilities.
Over the past month, not everyone had stayed inside training nonstop. Devils still had duties at night, responding to summons, handling requests.
So the separate dimension was rarely full. Sometimes a few were missing. Sometimes an entire peerage would be absent, leaving the space unusually empty.
With the summit approaching, everyone had already begun easing up on training intensity.
They couldn't afford to overexert themselves right before such a crucial event.
Aside from right after school, when the dimension was still lively, it gradually emptied after nightfall. By late night, it was usually completely deserted.
That evening, Leo left early and returned to the manor.
Just as he entered his room, preparing to shower and head to bed, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
He didn't even look up. He was used to someone showing up at this hour.
There were plenty of women in the house, and some were attentive by nature. If he was in the manor, someone would occasionally bring him a cup of hot black tea.
Asuna, Mahiru, Ram, Rem… It was usually one of the four who noticed he'd returned.
Sure enough, the one who entered carrying a tray was Asuna.
"Ravel had some new tea leaves sent over from her family yesterday. Want to try some?"
She smiled gently, her presence filling the room with warmth.
"Sure. Let's try it."
By then, he'd already taken off his shirt and was walking around bare-chested.
Asuna's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't avert her eyes.
She wouldn't have managed that before.
But after they'd soaked in the hot springs together, mixed bathing and all, this felt minor in comparison.
"You got back a while ago, didn't you?" he asked casually while sipping the tea. "Where is everyone?"
"Only Ram and Rem are home handling chores. The others are still out working," she replied honestly. "My commission today was simple, so I finished early."
"The summit is in two days. Tell everyone to ease up on their assignments," he said, setting the cup down. "At times like this, staying in peak condition matters most."
"Because something might happen at the summit?" She paused before continuing. "Sirzechs-sama once mentioned an underground organization. Will they show up?"
"Oh?" His hand stilled slightly. He looked at her. "You've figured that out already?"
"Yukino and Ravel have been discussing it lately," she said quietly. "They think there's no way the talks between the three factions will go smoothly."
"That's right." He nodded. "At the very least, the Old Maou Faction won't sit back and watch the devils negotiate peacefully with their former enemies. And the Hero Faction, those people who see outsiders as challenges to conquer, might make a move as well."
In the original story, only the Old Maou Faction acted during the summit. But because of his existence, the Hero Faction had already made contact, and shown strong interest in them.
Especially Cao Cao.
He had personally come to gather intelligence. Leo didn't believe that effort would go unused.
Information had an expiration date. And he was growing at a visible, rapid pace. If Cao Cao didn't act soon, the intelligence he'd painstakingly collected would become obsolete. Any strategies built on it would turn useless.
By Leo's estimate, the summit was Cao Cao's last best opportunity.
Of course, what Cao Cao didn't know was that his intelligence was already outdated.
Compared to their last encounter, Leo was far stronger.
Back then, he'd only been an ultimate-class devil at the eight-wing level. Even after fully activating Zenith Tempest, he could barely reach the strength of a ten-wing special-class devil. His Sacred Gear ranked just one place below Cao Cao's, his Balance Breaker was incomplete and unstable, and if not for the fact that his fighting style countered Cao Cao, and that Cao Cao's true objective had been gathering intelligence rather than winning, he would have lost.
Now, he had reached ten-wing special-class devil level. Zenith Tempest had undergone multiple enhancements and no longer fell short of the strongest Longinus, the Holy Spear. His Balance Breaker was fully completed. He had evolved into a perfect devil.
He was not the same man.
If Cao Cao relied on old data this time, Leo wasn't worried in the slightest.
Even if Cao Cao fought at full strength, he now had the confidence to face him.
As for whether he could win... that remained to be seen.
After all, when going all out, Cao Cao was capable of forcing Vali Lucifer to use Juggernaut Drive. Without a true, all-out battle, Leo couldn't claim certain victory.
All he could do was prepare.
"There's no way to avoid fighting…?" Asuna still looked uneasy.
"Throughout history, every major turning point has been written in blood," he said with a faint smile. "All we can do is grow stronger, prepare thoroughly, and meet whatever comes head-on."
"I understand." She inhaled deeply, her gaze steady. "If it can't be avoided, then I'll fight to the end."
Looking at her resolute expression, for a brief moment, he almost saw the "Flash" Asuna he remembered from his previous life.
"Do you regret it?"
The question slipped out before he realized.
"Being dragged into something like this, a life-or-death game. Do you regret picking up the sword?"
What he really meant was: Do you regret becoming a devil?
If she hadn't, she wouldn't be caught up in all this.
He didn't say it aloud, but she understood.
"I don't." She smiled softly. Her voice was gentle, but firm. "I've never regretted reincarnating as a devil. And I've never regretted picking up the sword."
"If you hadn't given me the chance to reincarnate, President, I would've died in that dark alley that night."
"And if I hadn't picked up the sword, I might still be that obedient daughter, living out a so-called elite life where my future was decided for me."
"I believe everyone feels the same."
She knew it even if they didn't say it aloud.
Yukino, that tsundere, had always been overlooked at home. Now she had power, power that made her family see her differently. She could see the truth of the world instead of being blinded by a peaceful illusion. She was more satisfied than she'd ever admit.
Mahiru was the same. She had long cut ties with her family. What she cherished now was life in the manor, the family known as the Eligos peerage.
As for Utaha, even if she'd chosen to become a devil on impulse, she was clearly enjoying herself now.
A light novel author with a head full of wild imagination, how could she not relish stepping into a fantastical world like this?
Ravel, Ram, Rem... they were natives of this world to begin with.
Despite facing danger time and again, not a single member of the Eligos peerage regretted becoming his servant.
If anything, they were grateful for the power to resist injustice.
And he had given them that power.
"Is that so…"
He looked at her gentle smile and murmured quietly before lifting his teacup again.
They said nothing more.
They simply sipped their tea in silence.
And the room felt warm.