Chiba, Leon's Manor—
That same night, Leon once again gathered everyone in his peerage to discuss the matter Sirzechs had entrusted to him in the living room.
"Participating in the Middle-class Devil promotion exam?!"
Yukino Yukinoshita, Asuna Yuuki, Utaha Kasumigaoka, Mahiru Shiina, Ram, and Rem all cried out in surprise.
Their complexions looked a bit better than they had during the day. It was as if now that Leon—their final lingering concern—had returned, they could finally relax and recover, no longer appearing so pale and weak.
Even so, after hearing Leon's words, the girls couldn't help but be astonished, even the habitually sharp-tongued and proud Ram.
"W-we're already being promoted to Middle-class Devils?"
"Are you serious?"
"Isn't it a bit too fast?"
"It feels like we haven't been devils for very long, and our performance records haven't met the quota yet, right?"
Yukino, Asuna, Utaha, and Mahiru were the most shocked; it seemed completely unexpected to them. And since even they felt this way, there was no need to mention Ram and Rem, who had joined the Eligos peerage less than three months ago.
"I didn't expect to become a Middle-class Devil so soon," Ram murmured to herself.
Rem, on the other hand, looked somewhat apprehensive. "Is this really okay?"
"Hey, what's a Middle-class Devil?"
Kanna, looking utterly bewildered, tugged at Stella's sleeve next to her, her face full of curiosity.
"No idea."
Stella remained taciturn, seemingly entirely indifferent to the matter, giving Kanna a flat reply.
Under these circumstances, Ravel was the only one wearing an expression that suggested this was only natural.
"While it is indeed fast, if you think about it carefully, it's not exactly incomprehensible," Ravel analyzed calmly. "While everyone lacks a bit of accumulation in terms of devil work performance, the incidents you've faced so far have far exceeded the specifications of what a Low-class Devil can handle."
"During the time Luffy Trix attacked, everyone's performance was not bad at all. Even though survival ultimately depended on the timely arrival of Lord Leon, Lady Rias, and Lady Sona, being able to deal with so many monsters, Old Maou faction devils, and stray magicians was enough for the higher-ups of the Devil World to see your potential."
"During the attack by the Fallen Angel Cadre Kokabiel, although Lord Leon was the protagonist, everyone displayed excellent strength. Being able to slaughter an entire pack of Cerberuses is not something a mere Low-class Devil can accomplish."
"Of course, the key point is this recent Summit Meeting incident. In a situation where you had no support from Lord Leon, you used your own strength to personally repel the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade. This has caused a great stir among the Three Great Powers, let alone within the Devil World. I imagine your deeds have already begun to spread among the lower-level personnel. You are no longer the green, nameless rookies you were before."
Ravel counted the points on her fingers as she spoke.
"In terms of strength, your current power is more than enough not just for Middle-class, but even for High-class. Especially Miss Yukino, Miss Utaha, and Ram—the three of you aren't even weak among the Ultimate-class Devils. Honestly, just promoting you to Middle-class is a bit of a waste of talent."
"In terms of fame, everyone has it now. To have your names known throughout the Devil World before even making a formal debut is something many Middle-class and even High-class Devils have failed to achieve."
"In terms of contribution, the merits accumulated before repelling the Hero Faction were already enough to get you nominated for promotion. After repelling them, it's beyond doubt—it's more than enough to be promoted."
"To be honest, even if you were promoted directly to Middle-class, no one would likely object. Currently, you're just being asked to take an exam to be promoted after passing. If I weren't considering that this is happening because everyone's seniority is too shallow, I would suspect some sort of behind-the-scenes manipulation."
Ravel's step-by-step analysis and explanation caused the girls to look at each other for a moment before they regained their composure.
"So, it's all true then?" Yukino looked at Leon, her expression cool. "We really are going to be promoted to Middle-class Devils?"
"Provided you can pass the exam," Leon shrugged. "Though, in my view, it's basically a done deal."
"What is the Middle-class Devil exam like?" Utaha couldn't help but ask. "Is it an assessment of strength? Or knowledge?"
"Both," Leon said straightforwardly without hiding anything. "The Middle-class Devil exam is divided into two parts: a written test and a practical combat session. The former tests a reincarnated devil's mastery of knowledge regarding the Devil World, while the latter tests whether their strength meets the standard."
Originally, devil promotions didn't involve any sort of exam; as long as strength and achievements met the standards, one gained the qualification for promotion.
Take Leon, for example. When he was promoted to High-class Devil, there was no such thing as an "exam." Once his strength and performance met the standards, his backer submitted a promotion application to the higher-ups. After they verified that both criteria were met, the promotion was granted.
However, as the number of reincarnated devils has increased in recent years—most of whom come from ordinary human backgrounds and have only a half-baked understanding of the Devil World, with some even lacking basic common sense compared to natural-born devils—the higher-ups decided after much deliberation to add a written exam to the Middle-class promotion process.
The content of this written test isn't actually that difficult; it's primarily meant to encourage reincarnated devils to understand the Devil World. At the very least, their common sense must reach the level of a natural-born devil, otherwise, surviving in the Devil World in the future would become a problem.
For those recently reincarnated devils who are still figuring out the rules and life of the Devil World, this is naturally a very difficult task.
But for the likes of Yukino Yukinoshita and the others, this was child's play.
"I'm not worried about the practical combat at all. The six of you all possess strength far exceeding the Middle-class standard. Even Rem, without using her Oni transformation, is close to the High-class level. I believe even if you have an off day, you can pass this stage lying down."
Leon spoke with an air of complete ease.
"As for the written test, there's even less for me to worry about, right?"
If his peerage consisted of unrefined meatheads like Issei Hyoudou, he might have to worry a bit. However, look at who was in his peerage.
Yukino Yukinoshita, the top student of the second-year class at Sobu High, consistently ranked first in grades.
Asuna Yuuki, from a noble school background with an elite education, whose grades were among the top few in her year despite not being quite at Yukino's level.
Utaha Kasumigaoka, the literary girl and light novel author, a renowned prodigy whose grades were among the best in the third-year class at Sobu High.
Mahiru Shiina, the top student of the first-year class, proficient in both academics and athletics. Not only was her entrance exam score the highest, but she was also the top among girls in sports, not losing to the boys.
These four were all talented women with impeccable looks, temperament, intellect, and backgrounds—the "Unattainable Flowers" of Sobu High. Why would anyone need to worry about their grades?
Do you understand what an "Unattainable Flower" is? It's a girl who makes others feel she is out of reach in every aspect!
Even though they had only recently become devils, they frequently spent time in the manor's study learning about the Devil World. Among them was even a ruthless soul like Yukino Yukinoshita, who had read through every single book in the study. If they couldn't pass the written test, then the number of Middle-class Devils in the entire Devil World would likely plummet, as almost no one else would be able to pass.
And even reincarnated devils like Ram and Rem, who focused on maid work, had lived in the Underworld for ten years already. They were essentially no different from natural-born devils. With just a little effort, they would be more than capable of passing the Middle-class exam.
Therefore, from the moment he learned the six needed to take the promotion exam, Leon hadn't worried about them for a single second.
It was the girls themselves who seemed a bit prone to unnecessary worry.
"We shouldn't be careless, right?" Asuna said with some concern. "We've been training specifically for quite a while recently, and our time in the study has decreased a lot. What if we get tested on knowledge we haven't encountered yet?"
"She's right," Mahiru added seriously and with total agreement. "Opportunity favors the prepared. Especially regarding learning, the most important thing is daily accumulation. Cramming at the last minute is just a deathbed struggle."
"Anyway, we can only lie in bed and recover recently, so we might as well read more books." Utaha had already stood up. "I haven't been to the study in a long time; I might as well soak in there tonight."
"Let's go," Yukino said even more directly. "Before the exam arrives, let's spend as much time as possible in the study."
With that, the group of four actually left the living room and headed toward the study.
"Wait—they're gone just like that?"
Leon almost couldn't react, staring blankly as the four girls departed with a bewildered expression. He truly felt there was no need for them to act as if they were facing a great enemy. With their intellect, passing the test should be a matter of minutes.
Especially a certain second daughter of the Yukinoshita family—you've already flipped through all the books in the study until they're worn out. Is there really a need to go soak in there?
"Elder sister, should we also go read more books?"
While Leon was stunned by the departure of Yukino and the others, Rem was actually whispering to Ram.
"Don't worry, Rem," Ram said with complete composure. "It's just a written test. How could it possibly stump us?"
"Of course elder sister doesn't need to worry; after all, elder sister is the smartest person in the world."
Rem, as usual, offered her sister her utmost praise, which could even be described as blind faith. But regarding herself, she didn't have much confidence. Deep down, Rem still had an inferior and insecure side. In her eyes, she was far inferior to her sister. Her sister could obviously pass the written test with ease, but she was so clumsy—even losing her reason during Oni transformation—so how smart could her brain be?
What if she didn't pass the written test? And then there was the practical combat; she had risks there too, didn't she? Without transforming, her strength was the weakest in the entire Eligos peerage, not even reaching the High-class level. A practical combat exam targeted at Middle-class Devils would certainly carry some risk for her. She couldn't very well use her Oni transformation in a Middle-class exam, could she?
Thinking of this, Rem felt a wave of unease. She completely failed to realize that since this was a Middle-class promotion exam, the strength requirement for the examinee was simply to reach the Middle-class level. Rem's normal state was already at the Middle-class level; passing the practical exam should be as easy as breathing. It could only be said that this maid simply had too little confidence in herself.
Ram naturally knew exactly what her sister was made of. Seeing her apprehensive look, she let out a sigh.
"I suppose I have no choice. Who told you to be Ram's cutest little sister?" Ram patted Rem's head and said with a doting air, "Fine, Ram will go to the trouble of accompanying you. Let's head to the study together."
Rem immediately looked moved, causing Leon, standing to the side, to feel an urge to complain.
"I really don't know why you're always so confident."
Granted, Ram was a genius, perhaps even a prodigy, but as to whether her brain was actually "smart," Leon felt he should keep a question mark over that. Ram's thinking was very agile and her powers of observation were keen—she often saw through things others missed—but Leon hadn't forgotten that this "elder sister" who acted like she was second only to God was actually a disaster at housework in private. At home, her proudest skill was peeling potatoes.
Was being that clumsy really going to be okay?
Unfortunately, Ram ignored Leon's critique. Holding her sister's hand, she walked out of the living room with her head held high, not worried about the upcoming exam at all. Leon couldn't tell if she was actually feeling guilty and was using the opportunity to hit the books and cram at the last minute.
"Don't worry, Lord Leon, I'll help you keep an eye on everyone." Seeing Leon staring at Ram and Rem, Ravel spoke as if seeing through his thoughts while patting her chest. "I'll supervise everyone's studies and find the key points from past Middle-class written exams to ensure everyone can successfully be promoted in this assessment."
This was also her duty as the manager, strategist, manor supervisor, and member of the Eligos peerage.
"I'll leave it to you then, Ravel."
Leon patted Ravel's head, making the young lady show a happy and shy expression.
Only then did Leon notice that someone else had quietly left the living room at some point, their destination unknown.
"Hey, what exactly is a Middle-class Devil?"
Only Kanna remained, persistently tugging at Ravel's clothes and asking her question.
Leon ignored the young dragon, looking in the direction a certain princess had departed, lost in thought.
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