Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this story are eighteen years of age or older. Any sexual content involves only consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 63: How to Rule 101.
Dante Andromalius.
It was like looking at life through a funhouse mirror. I could see the resemblance between my vassal and his younger brother... if you took away literally all of Sai's muscles.
He was quite thin, in an almost... nerdy way? That's what Tandy had called Peter at first glance, right?
But as I always said, I rarely focused solely on physical characteristics to see someone's worth.
Magdaran Bael was, without a shadow of a doubt, a damn genius. His love for his craft transcended everything else. It was his safe place in a life filled with so much disdain and the weight of his responsibilities.
Misla was completely right; he didn't particularly care about his father. Or his mother, for that matter. She was, in fact, a bitch of epic proportions.
I obviously didn't know the man personally. From what Misla or Sai had spoken of Lord Bael, I didn't expect anything good out of him, but reality was much worse.
He was quite a pathetic specimen. But his sons? Well, even if they didn't take much of their appearance from their mothers, one had to be thankful they took everything else. Or in Mag's place, nothing from them.
"Lord Andromalius, I present you Magdaran Bael, the Heir of the Bael House," Misla said formally.
I watched the embarrassment and discomfort hit him, especially when he realized that neither Misla nor Sai gave a single fuck about the title.
It showed they hadn't interacted much after Misla had been cursed.
Then the shame blossomed inside his soul, but he showed none of it on his face. At least they had taught him well to control himself.
"Lord Andromalius," he bowed just enough to be polite. "I thank you for the consideration, and your acceptance of my unusual request. I know most Lords would have jealously hidden what makes their territory special."
I waved him off with a small smile as we all took our seats. It was good that Ajuka had made my solar absurdly large to hold big meetings in some cases.
If Jean and Rogue's presence surprised him, he didn't show it, even if he did cast an interested look at both of them. Curiously, that interest only grew once he realized they were human.
"Think nothing of it, Heir Bael." I nodded, snapping my fingers for some of Tandy's tea to fill enough cups for all of us.
It was better than what we offered to the public, and I was curious to see his reaction. "If nothing else, I'm interested to hear what you truly think of my territory."
"Oh, I don't even know where to start," he said with a slight frown.
"Expound," I waved him on. "I don't care about the ugly as long as it's honest. You'll find that honesty is what matters the most with me, and I suggest you keep that in mind, young man. I promise I won't be offended."
Sai ignored everything and just gulped his tea at once, then closed his eyes and walked toward the corner of the room, where he sat in a lotus position. His Touki flowed outwards as he frowned in concentration.
It was another plus of the Light Force for someone like him, but he wasn't allowed to try that without my direct supervision, at least not with this specific brew, which was absurdly more concentrated than usual.
Magdaran looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow, then whatever iron control he had over his expression disappeared as he paled at the sheer power coming out of Sai's body.
I kept a part of my mind focused on the procedure to ensure he wouldn't burn himself from the inside by taking all that life force into himself all at once.
"Damn, this is almost as good as the real thing," Rogue almost moaned in bliss as she drank from her cup.
Magdaran's eyes went to his tea. He sipped carefully, his eyes growing wide.
"That's..." he gaped.
"Good, right?" I grinned proudly. "But I believe I asked for your thoughts."
Jean rolled her eyes at me from the side and started enjoying her tea.
"I didn't expect much, to be completely honest," he said sheepishly, seemingly deciding to follow my request. "I read about your family when it came out you were returning to the fold, and none of what you could supposedly do could explain what I just saw in my brief walk around the town."
"Understandable. I'm sure a family like yours has a lot of information about everyone else," I nodded. "And yet, you still came."
"I couldn't waste such an opportunity on the mere chance that it was the truth," he said dryly, drinking a bit more.
"True that."
I let the silence continue for a bit. "Misla tells me you're quite a botanist in your own right. I suspect that's exactly why you didn't believe all these claims."
"The Underworld is dead," he nodded firmly. "There are very, very few territories in the whole Underworld that are even slightly fertile. That's why many of our families buy foodstuffs from other factions or the few producers here. And yet, even the best one fails when compared to the Ashen Court."
"May I ask for a show of what you've done? Someone as... interested as you seem to be in that art must bring some of their finest works with them at all times, no?"
He laughed nervously before nodding.
He asked for permission with his eyes, and after I nodded, a magical circle formed on his hand. Out of it, a small blackish seed appeared, along with a beautiful, purple plant that instantly filled the room with its scent.
"This is what made me famous," he grinned nervously, almost as if he expected me to mock him.
Misla cooed at the plant, looking at it almost dreamily.
"Can I see it, dear?" she asked quietly.
The lack of mockery did something to him, and he nodded silently, passing her the flower as the girls gathered to inspect it.
All except Kuisha. At least she was smart enough not to act badly even with how much she disliked the young man in front of me.
I could see her need to scoff, though.
That's mortals for you. They could be idiots most of the time.
"Impressive," I nodded, pulling the seed into my hands.
It was... strange. I obviously had no idea about the plants native to the Underworld, but what shocked me was the method he used to bring it back to life. It used to be extinct.
It was a mixture of modern technology and magic, managing to make something incredibly hard for devils. Life.
"I can see why you would be interested in the rumors if you managed this without any help," I continued, giving him a chance to get over his embarrassment at the praise.
Lord Bael truly loved to make things easy for people like me.
"I still have no idea how you managed to create such things. And why they aren't more popular in the Underworld. If you were to sell those patents, or even a form of fertilizer, the Andromalius would match the Dantalions or even my family's wealth at one point. Everyone needs to eat, or more importantly, drink."
"Ah, you saw that little trinket," I grinned. "Yes, I didn't like the fact that water was so scarce in my home. Misla even thought about making the first beach in the whole Underworld."
"They can fuel a whole ocean?" he gaped at me.
I burst out laughing at that.
"Wanna know a secret, kid?" I whispered mysteriously.
He twitched when I called him that, but his interest beat any offense as he nodded.
"When you grow strong enough, you can do whatever the fuck you want," I snorted.
Jean grinned from the side, no doubt mindreading whatever curse he sent my way. I only watched the way his soul soured at me before he returned to normal.
"That's incredibly useful," he deadpanned. "I truly appreciate your words of wisdom, Lord Andromalius."
"Anyways, what exactly is it that you want here, Magdaran? Truly want. Not anything that you have been tasked with or something else."
"No one has tasked me with anything, though?" he lifted an eyebrow, and I could see he was being honest.
Obviously, that meant nothing, since there were signs he had been subtly manipulated into deciding to come here at this exact moment.
Did I care what his father had planned? Not in the slightest. I was just excited for the opportunity to come and say that to his face.
"As for what I want..." he pursed his lips, and I almost laughed.
It was an expression Sai would never do.
"Can anyone buy some territory here? How much would it cost me to put up a small laboratory I can work from? If that's too much, how much to buy some samples from you regularly, from dirt, plants, to animals? Without going through the whole drag of middle-men sellers."
"Is your family on our shit list?" I raised my eyebrow in confusion before looking at Misla.
She shook her head with a slight smirk. "Despite thinking about it, I decided against it."
Magdaran winced at that, only for Misla to apologize and very cautiously… dare I say, nervously, put her hand on his shoulder.
"It was just a joke, dear. Think nothing of it."
He nodded hesitantly. He hadn't lied; he truly was interested in those things. But deep inside? He also wanted to make amends for how he had treated Misla and Sai back then.
He was genuinely regretful for some of the things he had said and done.
I looked at Misla, and then at Sai, who finally opened his eyes.
And they didn't hesitate for a second before nodding.
That was what affected Magdaran the most out of everything we had talked about.
"You know what, I was going to show this pair the town and get some things for them. My Bishop will join us later, as well as Rias, who's currently in the castle. What do you think? Want to join us?"
Without waiting for his response, I looked at Misla, who had a small smile on her face.
"You have a ledger of the currently empty properties, I suppose?"
She grinned, nodded, and pulled a book from a magic circle.
"Have fun, dears. And take Sai with you. Lucifer knows he needs some time away from training," she giggled.
Sai sent a betrayed glance our way as I enveloped his body with the Darkforce. Then I had to calm down the damn consciousness inside of it.
Just because he had some of Tandy's light didn't mean he was food.
The adorable baby was still murderously cute.
Ten minutes later.
Dante Andromalius.
There was something funny about threatening the people under you with their mothers if they didn't stay still. It was something Sai often received from me, and it always worked.
He was a mama's boy through and through.
He had tried fighting against the bindings, going as far as genuinely scaring his half-brother for a moment before I pulled the mom card.
Magdaran looked like he didn't know how to react as we walked through the castle with the pouting Sai being dragged through the air behind my back.
Kuisha looked like she wanted to save her King from the big bad wolf, but she was also clearly finding it hilarious.
Jean and Rogue walked behind us two.
"It wasn't the moment before, but a pleasure meeting you two. May I ask how you got to meet a devil? You're humans, right?" He smiled genially at the pair, looking curious. "Will you two be part of Lord Andromalius's peerage?"
"They wish," I snorted.
Jean's mocking gaze remained entirely deadpan, while Rogue was unsure of how to react.
"He's trying his best. He was just dropped too much as a baby," Jean drawled. "That's his best, by the way."
Magdaran chuckled.
"I'm Jean; that's Rogue," the redhead smiled calmly. "And as for how we met? Let's say that he's helping us train, then trying to use reverse psychology whenever he thinks it's best."
At that point, Sai finally stopped pouting, and I dropped him from the air. His smile gained a hungry glint as he looked at the pair.
"And I'm Sai!" he pumped his fist. "Sorry about the weird first meeting."
"Hello," Rogue waved him off. "And don't worry, we can already tell that will be our new normal after meeting Dante."
Sai chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. Then a familiar fire entered his eyes.
"I know Dante's eyes are good. I hope you give me as much of a match as Tandy does," he grinned viciously.
The two girls stepped back as his Touki flared, right up until Kuisha hit him on the back of the neck with a huff.
"Don't go scaring the newbies, Sai. Remember what happened with Rias's newest piece?"
Her lips twitched at that.
Sai blushed, making me curious about the story. I wondered how the cute ball of lust was doing and how Ddraig was treating her. There was a lot I needed to catch up on.
"She has a new member?" Magdaran's eyebrows went high. "Is it as absurd as all the other ones? Actually, forget I asked. I know that Gremory luck is a real thing at this point."
"You have no idea," I chuckled. "How's the spitfire?"
"Getting better," Sai nodded proudly. "She's got potential. A lot more than what I initially thought, to be honest. And I don't let her slack off, so she has grown absurdly fast. I might take her and Akeno into the sealed zone soon. Especially with how things are heating up."
"That might not be a bad idea," I mused for a moment, looking at the pair of mutants who looked like they wanted to hide somewhere.
Honestly, anywhere.
"Shame these two can't join you anytime soon. Jean might be able to handle it, but there are some other things to consider. It's too far for Rogue at the moment," I sighed sadly, earning a glare from the pair.
"I'll tell Celestine," Jean threatened.
And now I understood why Sai usually caved. It wasn't that funny anymore.
Still wouldn't stop pulling that card when my vassal was misbehaving, though.
Celestine could realistically do nothing to hurt me or make me regret anything I did, but a small part of me didn't want to have my mother pouting at me. Not with those big eyes she managed to weaponize… somehow.
I couldn't even blame Tandy. If anything, my light learned from the master.
The girls laughed, looking like they had found the funniest thing in the world.
If they thought I needed the sealed zone to make them suffer, they were in for a bitter surprise.
Something must have shown on my face, because they stopped in an instant as we finally reached the castle's main gate.
"Sealed zone?" Magdaran asked curiously. "Can I ask about it, or is it a family secret?"
I waved my hand. "You know what happened in these lands during the civil war? Well, the cause of that is inside the previous castle. With thousands of mutated monsters starting at High-Class. Some have even reached the level of a Satan."
"And you still live here?!" he gaped at me, then turned his horrified eyes to his brother. "Wait a damn moment. You TRAIN there?! And you plan to take Rias there? You know, the Rias?!"
"I told you, no?" I smirked. "When you grow strong, you can do whatever the fuck you want."
Sai nodded in approval, a dumb grin growing on his face.
"You're still not ready, Sai," I tutted. "Stay on the outside and only take one at a time to ensure you can protect them. Under no circumstances enter the walls. I still remember some of those who died during Sera's tantrum. They would give you a lot of trouble considering that you're only a physical fighter."
That, if anything, didn't dampen Sai's excitement.
Magdaran looked at him with genuine fear, and I could see the realization that if Sai really wanted to, he could challenge him for the Heir title at this exact point in time and win effortlessly.
Surprisingly, it didn't affect him that much. I could see his pride, though, and he wouldn't make it easy for my vassal, but he was realistic.
They were surprisingly similar, because I could see the fire in him. I knew he would get back into training once he had some time. Plants were his calling, but that didn't mean a good fight didn't get his engine revving.
A magical circle formed at the entrance, and out of it, my light, Rias, and Akeno stepped out.
Akeno still looked a bit out of it, wearing a dumb, blissed-out grin on her face as she completely ignored the vice-like grip her King had on her arm.
… Rias was acting a bit unhinged, right?
"And there they are," I smiled teasingly at the fuming redhead. "Did Grayfia leave already? Please don't tell me she's talking with Celestine."
I already knew she was gone, but I didn't want to give Magdaran an idea about how much I could know about the castle. Not that I thought he would do anything wrong; the kid was also similar to Sai in that regard.
Honorable, even to a fault. More so because I wasn't against his idea of getting a foothold outside of his father's influence.
"She's also uncomfortable, you know?" Rias smiled sadly. "I asked her about it last time. You know your family fought for the original Satans in the civil war? Grayfia was supposed to support them when your family almost went literally extinct. She failed because of her fight against Lady Serafall, and only Hadrian and Celestine survived."
"And since she switched sides later, Celestine blames her even more," I nodded in understanding. "She probably thinks she decided to let them die to help your brother's side."
"Grayfia wouldn't do that," Rias said firmly, and I smiled sadly.
"I know, but my parents lost everything back then. Grief can make you believe things," I explained.
Rias nodded begrudgingly.
"Should I apologize in Lady Grayfia's place?" Akeno piped up while fanning herself.
I sent an invisible smack into one of the bite marks Tandy hadn't healed when we woke up.
"Oy, keep your hands away from my mother," I glared at her playfully.
Magdaran shook his head in amusement as he stepped forward and greeted his cousin.
"Yes, Daddy," Akeno batted her eyelashes at me, biting her lip at the pain from the smack.
Rias groaned and glared at the Queen, her eyes narrowing as she went as far as pinching Akeno's nipple a lot harder than even we did last night, earning another needy moan from the masochist.
… Yeah, Rias was damn gone.
"What did I tell you, slut," She kept her hand clamped on Akeno's tit. "You won't have a repeat until I have my turn."
"So the rumors were true, then," Magdaran's eyes gained a... highly respectful look as he looked at me.
"That I'm stealing the bride from the Phenex? Nah," I smirked. "Rias didn't need much courting."
"Are you calling me easy, Dante?" Rias hissed dangerously. "Do I have to show you what Tandy taught me to have you under my thumb? Because believe me, at this point, I'll do it right here, right now."
I sent a look Tandy's way, and she grinned unrepentantly.
I wasn't sure why I started to feel nervous as I looked into her soul.
Then I winced and shook my head.
It was decided. I had to teach Tandy a lesson.
Seeing my dark glare, she paled.
"You're all an amusing bunch," Magdaran snorted, and we finally started walking toward the town.
Rias was making things worse for her family and mine by being so grabby in public, and I wouldn't be that surprised if a Phenex appeared out of nowhere to raise a stink over it. Or use it to their advantage during the council meeting.
But two reasons stopped me from saying anything.
First? I genuinely didn't give a single fuck about the Phenex.
Second? Akeno's 'betrayal' genuinely hurt her.
Tandy also noticed that Rias needed some reassurance, as she stayed back with Rogue and Jean while we showed them all the stores near the castle.
There was a perfect location for Magdaran's lab near the outskirts.
There were two reasons I wanted him this close, and why I allowed this arrangement.
First, a contract with the little genius. I wasn't lying when I said he had impressed me with what he had accomplished, and I wouldn't mind having him owe me.
Second, having him close would mean he could visit often. Having such direct access to him would mean he would be open to manipulation.
Was it called manipulation when it was benign? Eh. I didn't really care.
It was mostly a favor for Misla and Sai, and him, too. They would hesitate for a long time, but I knew they all longed to return to what they once were as a family.
No one could say I didn't look out for those I cared about. And I did care for the Mother and Son who placed their trust in me.
The majority of the growth was needed from Magdaran's side, as the other two had already forgiven him, understanding where he was coming from, but his father's roots wouldn't change that fast.
And he honestly needed some time away from the asshole.
It was another of the deeper reasons why he had asked for a place here first instead of taking the resources back to his territory. It was a way to be away from his parents and all the suffocating games around his title.
And who knew? If he managed to impress me enough, I could even let him in on the most interesting inventions I could pull off. The gift of life was incredibly rare, after all.
I bumped Rias's shoulder with mine as I smiled at the redhead.
"Forgive me already, love?" I asked quietly. "Would you be able to say no to the situation I found myself in?"
I sent a memory into her mind of how exactly I had found Nyra and Akeno.
The very bisexual devil grew hot and flustered at the mental image.
"That's... that's..." she murmured.
"Hot as hell," I agreed. "And I know how to pay Akeno back for the betrayal."
My grin grew dark as I nodded toward a store in the distance.
Japanese culture was somehow incredibly popular in the Underworld. And there was a manga store right there that obviously had a bunch of porn, or whatever the Japanese called it.
Not that it was surprising. We were fucking devils.
Rias's eyes zeroed in on a book in particular, one I had seen Tandy reading under her recommendation.
I noticed the exact moment she realized what I was talking about. She let out a soft moan just imagining that specific plot coming to life. She blushed prettily, then nodded, also looking darkly at Akeno.
"But take it as... a reward for when you are free, love," I patted her back with a smirk. "You do know what's coming, right?"
"A Rating Game." It was like a bucket of cold water had fallen on her head, given how frigid her voice turned. "Sorry about that, by the way. I caused you a lot of trouble."
I waved her off. "It's good. I'll use the opportunity to fan the flames. You will pay me back later."
Maybe it was the rumbling of my voice, but she trembled next to me and nodded eagerly.
"Dante! I want this!" It seemed Tandy had also spotted the manga store.
I rolled my eyes at the blonde as she skipped into the store, dragging an almost unwilling Jean and Rogue with her.
They already knew how much of an imp my light was. They learned fast.
"Your Bishop is..." Magdaran's lips twitched.
"Unique?" I barked a laugh. "She's something else, alright. I wouldn't change her for the world."
"I heard that!" Tandy's head peeked through the door with a wide grin.
Then she started fighting with the seller, who was aggressively trying to give her everything she wanted for free.
My light wanted to pay, but it didn't look like she was succeeding in making the older devil look things her way.
I was starting to realize how genuinely loved she was by the people in my territory. A group that had been following from a distance since the very beginning entered the door and immediately offered to pay for her.
For her porn.
I couldn't help but laugh at the scene, more so when Tandy didn't know how to react.
"That's... strange," Magdaran looked at the scene with wide eyes. "I have never seen a devil being loved like that. No one. To the point of offering things for free? That's unheard of."
"And you'll learn why if you agree with my terms." I grinned at the curiosity that entered his eyes.
Tandy, Jean, and Rogue barely escaped the insane group, and the idiots didn't even notice as they started shouting with each other over who would pay for my light's books.
"Dante, fucking hide us all. NOW!" she almost screamed to my face as I chuckled, snapping my fingers and enveloping the group under my clan trait at a low level.
"Where are the guards? Things are getting intense over there," Akeno's lips twitched when the first punch was thrown inside the store.
"My dear," I looked back at her with an amused grin. "The guards were the first to arrive to make the offer."
The group shook their heads in disbelief and looked at the pale Tandy with genuine pity.
"Will I have to go out with a mask or something?" Her eye was twitching as Rogue rubbed her hand comfortingly.
"Something like..." I stopped and looked up at the fake sky, frowning.
I could barely hear a scream of pure fear even with my enhanced senses as something approached at absurd speeds.
And it was somewhat recognizable.
But it couldn't be. Sona was supposed to be in the human world. And she could just teleport if she wanted to visit. There was no need for her to fly all the way here.
Everyone looked up in confusion at my sudden silence, but my eyes remained glued to the clouds.
I knew I wasn't hallucinating when Sai's Touki flared around his body, and he shoved Kuisha safely behind him.
The girls huddled behind me as the clouds parted violently and something very small began to grow.
I could only sigh.
Why?
Because the panicked face of Serafall came into view as she plummeted at terminal velocity, with a very terrified Sona clutching onto her leg like her life depended on it.
And honestly? It probably did.
I snapped my fingers and enveloped the area around us with my clan trait because this was simply embarrassing, then had the Dark Force catch the pair of idiots.
The screaming and fussing didn't stop even as they settled gently against the ground.
"What in the world do you two think you are doing?" My lips twitched despite myself.
Sona stopped screaming, looking around in surprise and embarrassment as the group looked at the sisters with open mouths.
She scurried away from the fussing Serafall and hugged me. Hard.
I found myself naturally kissing her ruby lips.
I had also missed my overly serious lover.
"Sona," I smiled against her lips. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to bring you a letter from Lord Lucifer about the council meeting," she said with a bright blush. "Lord Beelzebub knew that my sister would want to do it herself and disabled teleportation around the office. She just took the damn envelope from me, and before I knew it, we were flying through the air until we arrived here. She broke the ceiling of the room we were in."
I looked at the glaring Serafall in disbelief. We all did, because what the actual fuck. How in the world did she make herself a Satan?
Ah, the absurd physical prowess needed to literally jump from one city to another probably had something to do with it.
She glared at me unrepentantly.
"I told you I had something to talk about," she huffed, looking to the side. "I just didn't expect So-tan to grab my leg in hopes of stopping me."
"Well, she's my lover. What else did you expect?"
That dealt critical damage to Sera, and I found myself grinning even if I would have to cut this little reunion short.
"Tandy?" I asked.
"Yeah?" She stopped laughing at the idiot Satan and approached me.
"Be a dear and show Magdaran the property, yeah? And take Sona with you. I will stay here with Lady Serafall before she does something even more insane," I rolled my eyes.
"You're all invited to dinner, and I expect you to be there," I said firmly to Sona and Magdaran before a genuine smile appeared on my face as I patted Sona's mussed-up hair.
"Lovely to see you, my dear," I kissed her nose, earning a little squeak from her. "Let me put your overbearing sister away for a bit, then we can greet each other as we should."
I winked and she blushed, gaining a vacant look in her eyes as she let out a particularly girlish giggle.
If anything, that was what finally caused Magdaran to give up trying to understand anything about me.
Rias's groan of despair filled my very soul as I rolled my eyes at the pouting Satan.
"I will enjoy all the suffering you go through, Sera," I grinned. "Next time you'll have to watch and smile."
I murmured that directly against her ear as I lifted her and teleported us back into my solar.
And it wasn't until then that I realized something about the peppy Satan.
She hadn't known the meaning of true terror yet. And what better than a cosmic demon to show a Satan what that felt like?
I knew Sona was excited about our next alone time. But… wouldn't it be better if it wasn't truly alone?
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