Thinking this sardonically, Renya resigned himself to doing his best and adapting flexibly.
"...Understood. I accept this job."
With that, Renya drew a line between public and private, responding not to his father, but to Mephisto Pheles, the association's chairman and one of the oldest, most high-ranking devils.
Mephisto, perhaps wanting to show off a cool side to his son as a father, responded seriously.
"Yeah, sorry, but I'm counting on you. I'll provide as much backup as possible from this end, too. Your regular salary and research funds will continue as usual."
"Understood. I'll be bringing all my servants with me, though..."
"Of course, that's fine. Ren-chan no, Renya. They're your servants. Do as you wish. Actually, if I were to make you leave any of them behind, even I would be afraid of the consequences."
Saying this, Mephisto looked at Lavinia, and she nodded, saying, "Of course."
"Leo-kun, it would be bad if you left me behind, okay?"
"Yeah, I know. Of course, I'm bringing all my servants."
Renya nodded as if it were only natural. Living apart from them now was unthinkable for Renya as well.
However, …
'If I go to Japan and change the environment, maybe I might also meet new candidates for servants.'
Renya also thought this. Lately, he hadn't found many appealing candidates, and gathering servants had been somewhat sluggish, so he had that expectation too.
With that decided, there was no time like the present, and Renya rose from the sofa.
"Well then, we'll be going now. If we're going to Japan, there are various preparations to make."
"Ah, Ren-chan. Wait a moment, will you? There are still a few things to discuss."
"Oh? Then Lavinia, head back first and inform the others about this. It'll probably take two or three days to prepare for Japan anyway."
"Yes, leave it to me."
However, stopped by Mephisto, Renya sat back down on the sofa and gave instructions to Lavinia.
"Ah, put Sylpha in charge of leading the packing and such."
"Understood."
Sylpha, whom Renya mentioned, was his personal maid and also a swordswoman who was his servant.
As Lavinia, having received her instructions, stood up from the sofa, Mephisto called out to her this time.
"Lavinia-chan?"
"Yes, President Mephisto?"
"I'm entrusting Ren-chan to your care, okay?"
"Yes, please leave it to me. Leo-kun, I... we will support him properly."
Mephisto smiled, looking reassured by Lavinia's demeanor, and saw her off.
Then, hearing the sound of Lavinia leaving and the door closing, Renya, who had drunk some of the now slightly cooled tea, put his cup back on the saucer and began.
"So, Dad? What did you want to talk about?"
"Yeah. It feels bad asking you this right after requesting you to go to Japan, but I'd like you to handle one job before you depart."
"...Ah, I see. We won't know how things will turn out until we actually go, but once I'm in Japan, I probably won't be able to return to the association, or rather, to Italy, for a while."
Hearing Mephisto's explanation, Renya nodded in understanding.
Not only as a "King," but also as a magician belonging to the Gray Wizards, Renya had various duties and responsibilities.
With Renya likely leaving the association for an extended period, there were bound to be several things that would pile up. Even if this dispatch was also part of his job.
"If that's the case, I'll accept."
Mephisto smiled apologetically yet gratefully at Renya's prompt acceptance.
"Thank you. I'm sorry. Having one sudden request right after another."
"It's fine, Dad. What I need to do and what I want to do align. If that's the case, then it's my job."
"Is that so? That's a relief to hear. Well then, let's get to it. About the job details..."
Seeing that Renya genuinely didn't seem bothered, Mephisto felt proud of his son's reliability, but then straightened his posture.
Facing him not as a father but as an association board member, Renya also straightened his posture and faced him.
Mephisto rested his chin on his folded hands and began to speak.
"The job is to recover a forbidden artifact that a rogue mage made off with."
"...A forbidden artifact?"
"Yeah. It seems it was taken from our side when they left the association. I want it recovered before any damage is done."
"I see... By the way, what is this forbidden artifact?"
"It's something said to grant the user's wishes."
"Wishes..."
Renya had had a bad feeling when he heard "forbidden artifact," but hearing the details, that feeling turned into something close to certainty.
"It's just as you imagine, Ren-chan. Certainly, it grants wishes. But it's a cursed item that grants those wishes in a distorted form."
For example, if someone wished for a large sum of money, the item would possess the user, kill everyone around them, and after stealing their property, return the body.
For example, if someone wished for a lover, the item would possess the user's body, kill a person of the opposite sex, and return the body while embracing the corpse.
The process and results were both awful, but literally, the desired thing was obtained.
"...This gives me a headache. It's truly devilish, though."
"Indeed. Throughout history, not just for us, to gain something, one must take something away. So in a sense, this is just an extreme version of that."
"But that doesn't mean we can permit it. Someone kicked out of the association... It's obvious what they might wish for."
Revenge against those who didn't acknowledge them. If they wished for that, there was no telling what kind of twisted calamity might befall them.
"Of course not. Renya. Your mission is twofold: recover or destroy the forbidden artifact, and eliminate the rogue mage. At the very least, the former must be accomplished, no matter what."
"Understood. I will accomplish both."
"Yeah, that's reassuring. I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me."
"Excellent. I'll send the details as data to your device."
"Got it. I'll head out right away."
Finishing his exchange with Mephisto and confirming the data had been sent to his device, Renya rose from the sofa and was about to leave the room, his hand on the doorknob, when...
"Ren-chan."
Mephisto's voice stopped him.
"This isn't as a board member, but as your father. Be careful."
"...Yeah, Dad. I'm off."
Replying firmly to the gentle tone, Renya finally left the room.
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Early Chapters At: patreon.com/c/Mike_Kun