Shizuna was a beautiful woman in her early twenties. Despite her appearance, she loved to fight, possessing high physical prowess, athletic ability, and combat skills.
His meeting with Shizuna was also during a battle.
Shizuna, a practitioner of the Black God One Blade swordsmanship style, traveled the world on a warrior's pilgrimage, hunting stray devils, rogue exorcists, fallen angels, monsters, and such to earn her travel expenses.
During her travels, she met Renya, and after cooperating to defeat a target, she was impressed by his skill and fell for him. Seeing his potential, she became his Servant on the condition that they would have a match once he reached a high level.
That match took place about six months ago. The result is known only to the two involved, but it seems both were satisfied.
"Renya! Good morning!"
Elfaria, who seemed to have woken up instantly upon noticing Renya's presence, hugged him happily.
"Ah, good morning, Elfie."
Gently accepting her, Renya replied while stroking Elfaria's head.
There was, of course, a reason why this seemingly mismatched group—Renya, Lavinia, Sylpha, Orihime, Shizuna, and Elfaria—were all living together under one roof.
It was due to an item called the "Evil Piece."
This system, likened to chess, was created because the devils not only lost their Maou in the previous war but also saw their overall population drastically reduced, allowing them to create small, elite groups of Servants—the Evil Pieces.
This power can reincarnate anyone regardless of race, aside from gods—depending on the master's strength, even demigods or transcendent beings—and the given pieces enhance their abilities.
Namely—
The "Queen," which possesses the traits of all pieces except the "King."
The "Rook," which enhances physical strength and defense, and also allows swapping with the "King."
The "Knight," which excels in speed.
The "Bishop," which excels in magical power.
The "Pawn," which, while not having specialized enhancements, can promote to any piece except the "King" in the enemy's territory.
High-class Devils—"Kings" like Renya, the masters of their Servants—are given a total of fifteen pieces: one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, and eight Pawns.
Furthermore, the number of pieces required varies depending on the "King's" power and the quality of the reincarnated individual. There are also mutation pieces that allow a single piece to cover what would normally require multiple.
Additionally, aside from specialized enhancements, devils are granted a lifespan of ten thousand years, but it's not all good. With few exceptions, they cannot set foot in shrines, temples, churches, etc. They become weak to light, crosses, holy water, and scripture. Newly reincarnated devils can even have their power drained by sunlight. Also, one must not forget the existence of specialists who deal with these things.
Angels and Fallen Angels, who wield light. And exorcists blessed by them, who can also use light. Angels live in Heaven, while Fallen Angels live in this Netherworld, split from the devils. Official exorcists belong to the Church. Rogue exorcists lurk in abandoned churches.
Stray devils also exist, most of them being those who betrayed their masters, driven by greed. However, there are some with circumstances, so not all can be called evil; exceptions exist.
To get back on track, the reason for this unusual cohabitation with Lavinia and the others is simply that they are Renya's Servants, and he is their "King."
That said, he didn't force them to become his Servants, nor are they serving him reluctantly. Lavinia and the others became Renya's Servants of their own free will and revere him as their "King." They all gather here because they adore him.
Incidentally, the pieces assigned are: Lavinia as the "Queen," Shizuna using one "Knight" piece, Orihime and Elfaria each using one "Bishop" piece, and Sylpha using one "Pawn" piece for reincarnation.
Aside from Lavinia, who used the strongest "Queen" piece, the fact that he could reincarnate someone with the skill and talent of Shizuna or Sylpha using only a single piece each is a testament to Renya's own high level of ability.
Thus, the six of them—Renya, Lavinia, Sylpha, Orihime, Shizuna, and Elfaria—took their seats, began their meal with a chorus of "Let's eat," enjoyed their breakfast, and after finishing, sipped tea and confirmed their schedules for the day.
"I'm transferring to Kuoh Academy with Orihime. I'm not looking forward to it, but we'll handle the greetings over there."
"Okay. I'm supposed to be Renya-kun's bodyguard... but I wonder if I'm up to it?"
Renya started, and Orihime followed.
"Orihime might not be great at attacking, but she can do recovery and defense. Add an attacker like Leon to that, and it's plenty. We'll be fine until we arrive."
"Well, with Leon-sama present, there's no chance he'll fall behind the devils over there."
Shizuna and Sylpha, the two swordsmen, assessed.
Lavinia nodded, popping a tea sweet into her mouth.
"I'll be checking the communication status with various locations and such. Since we've moved our base from Italy to Japan, I need to investigate the impact and take necessary measures."
"When it comes to offense, I'm here too, so it's okay."
Saying this, Elfaria also asserted with a smile. Everyone had been informed yesterday, but reconfirming, there seemed to be no changes.
"Ah, I'm counting on you. Contact me if anything happens."
"Yes. What needs to be confirmed with Leo-kun, I will confirm properly."
"It's what you call 'report, contact, consult.' Orihime, Elfaria. Please take care of Leon-sama at school."
"Y-yes!"
"Okay, leave it to me."
In response to Sylpha's words, Orihime looked nervous, while Elfaria responded casually.
"You don't have to be so tense, Orihime. Those guys over there may be unpleasant, but they're not about to start a fight immediately. It's a school life, after all. Enjoy it. You too, Elfie."
"U-umm, Renya-kun! Actually, I've never been to the same school as you before, so I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm also happy to be able to spend a lot of time with Renya!"
Thanks to Renya's reassurance, Orihime looked happy, albeit a little guilty, while Elfaria, seemingly not particularly worried, seemed overjoyed at the chance to be together all day, as a reaction to being apart for several years.
"...Is that so? Ah, I'm looking forward to it too."
When Renya said this and smiled, Orihime and Elfaria also beamed with full smiles. Lavinia watched them with fondness, while Shizuna and Sylpha looked on with warm, if somewhat resigned, expressions.
Thus, after a peaceful post-breakfast time, Renya, Orihime, and Elfaria put on their school bags, prepared the night before, and Lavinia's homemade lunch boxes.
At the entrance, they said to the two who had come to see them off.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Both of you, we're off!"
"Well then, we're going."
"Be careful."
"Yes, have a nice day."
"Have a good time. We're expecting some stories to bring back."
Seen off by Lavinia, Sylpha, and Shizuna, Renya, Orihime, and Elfaria took their first step onto the path to school in Japan.
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