Serafall remained completely motionless in the armchair, even when Alear stopped using the [Serpent of the End] and calmly returned to sipping his tea.
On the outside, her expression simply appeared frozen in shock, as though she were still trying to process everything she had just heard. But on the inside, her mind was racing at a speed few could follow.
When she received the message from the Häagenti mansion—sent by one of the maids responsible for caring for the young heir—she was genuinely stunned.
The "Sleeping Disease" was not a common illness. For centuries, that condition had been regarded as practically incurable. That was precisely why, when she read the message stating that the young Häagenti had awakened on his own after years in a coma, her first reaction was not joy.
It was disbelief.
That day, she happened to be attending a formal meeting with the other Satans. One of those endless gatherings about demonic politics, territories, treaties, and all sorts of administrative matters that had accompanied the new government since the end of the Great War.
Ajuka was also present.
And, as she knew very well, the Super Devil Beelzebub had an extremely predictable weakness. Anything that appeared to be an inexplicable phenomenon immediately caught his attention. He simply could not resist curiosity. So when she mentioned the case of the Häagenti heir who had awakened from the Sleeping Disease… Ajuka had practically agreed to come examine him before she even finished explaining the situation.
In that way, she managed to find someone capable of analyzing and understanding how her fiancé had awakened from the "Sleeping Disease." If it were possible to comprehend the mechanism behind that awakening, perhaps the phenomenon could be recreated in the future and, in doing so, a cure might be found for the condition that affected so many devils…
And as for analyzing her fiancé's condition to understand how he was doing? Well, Ajuka could do that too, so it would be like killing two birds with one stone…
But she had to be honest: when she came to this mansion… she didn't have particularly high expectations regarding Alear himself. In fact, she had expected something quite different from what she found. In her mind, the Häagenti heir was still just a child who had remained unconscious for years. Even if his body had naturally grown to the age of seventeen, his mind probably hadn't matured along with it. So she had imagined finding a young noble who, while perhaps talented, would be proud or even arrogant.
After all, that kind of personality was extremely common among heirs of great demonic houses.
Even without ever having met Alear in person before that day, she had heard occasional comments about him in the past. They said the young Häagenti possessed extraordinary talent for magic. But also… that he had a somewhat arrogant temperament. Or at least, that was how he had been as a child. So when she entered that room for the first time… she had expected to find a proud young man, perhaps confused about his own situation and possibly a little immature.
What she found…
Was something completely different.
From the very first moment of their meeting, when she deliberately acted childish—a behavior she often used to make it harder for people to understand what she was really thinking—he remained perfectly calm. His posture was impeccable. The way he spoke was polite, yet never servile. His etiquette was flawless, but at the same time natural, as though it were simply part of who he was.
But the most surprising thing wasn't that.
It was his intellect.
Throughout their entire conversation, Alear demonstrated a level of logical reasoning that simply did not match the age he should have had.
Or rather… the mental age she had assumed he would have…
And now…
Now he had simply reconstructed a complex political situation based on only a few pieces of information and was at least ninety percent correct. Everything he had gotten wrong were just minor details.
When Alear's father brought the marriage proposal, the political situation surrounding the title of Leviathan was still far from stable. Just as the young man before her had mentioned, she did not originally belong to the Leviathan lineage. Her real surname was Sitri. Although the new Satans had been chosen on merit after the war, countless old figures within demonic society still refused to fully accept that new order. For those individuals, the idea of someone outside the Leviathan bloodline occupying the position of Satan Leviathan remained a problem.
A problem they mentioned with irritating frequency. So, to silence those opponents, she eventually accepted the marriage proposal, uniting herself with someone who carried the Leviathan lineage.
And regarding the fact that she hadn't taken him to a hospital—the situation was not as simple as it seemed. It hadn't happened solely because of the Sitri family's refusal to waste resources treating him, nor just because of the Häagenti family's own lack of means. In truth, there was also pressure from an extremely complicated figure—someone whose influence greatly restricted what she could or could not do. Even so, within those limitations, she had still done everything within her power. After all, helping Alear was one of the promises she had made to his father before his death…
Yes, that was one of the things he didn't know: his father had been extremely meticulous when presenting the proposal. He had used practically every favor the Häagenti family had accumulated within the council, along with a large portion of their political resources, to ensure that various members pressured for the engagement's acceptance. Moreover, shortly before dying, he had personally gone to meet her. In that meeting, he said that his son would bring her countless surprises and that the tragic fate of the Häagenti family would end with him. At the time, she hadn't placed much importance on those words… but now it seemed they were proving true.
Alear had not only awakened the second most powerful Longinus in the world, he also possessed the Leviathan family trait. That alone already gave him a far more solid political position. For a declining family like the Häagenti, it was practically winning the lottery. In practice, it was highly likely he would end up being pressured to assume the role of Head of both the Häagenti family and the Leviathan lineage. Those insufferable old council members would certainly insist on it. Which meant that, whereas before she had only intended to use him as a way to maintain her position and silence her opponents… the situation had now changed.
Now, very probably, she would actually have to fulfill the role of wife…
Not that this particularly excited or bothered her. For her, marrying a handsome man wasn't exactly a problem. Besides… it had been quite a long time since she had had a boyfriend or even gone out with any man. So she was inclined to accept her role as fiancée—especially considering the potential of the young man before her eyes. He was a suitable candidate, even though he was practically the same age as her So-tan. Ah… right… For a moment, her mind wandered to a completely different thought. Deep down, she had always wanted to marry her adorable little sister. Of course, she knew perfectly well that it would never happen. Not that devils would judge her for something like that—after all, as beings tied to sin, things like incest weren't really seen as a taboo among them…
…What exactly was she thinking? This wasn't the time for those kinds of thoughts!
Serafall blinked several times.
The torrent of thoughts racing through her mind finally began to slow, as though someone had pulled an invisible brake inside her head. She breathed slowly, straightened her posture slightly in the armchair, and let out a small sigh. When she looked at Alear again, the childish expression she usually wore was still there… but now there was something more behind it. Something a little more serious.
"…Muu." Serafall murmured softly, as though organizing her own words. For a few seconds, her eyes remained fixed on the young Häagenti. Then she spoke: "Basically… it's exactly as you said. You got almost everything right."
She raised one hand and lightly scratched her cheek—a gesture that seemed somewhat carefree at first glance.
"But… there are some complicated details in the middle of the story. Your father's proposal wasn't simple. In fact, he made a lot of preparations to ensure the marriage would happen. He used practically every remaining political favor the Häagenti family had within the demonic council. On top of that, several influential members began pressuring me to accept the engagement."
She paused briefly.
"At the time, I found it strange."
Serafall tilted her head slightly.
"Because… for a declining family, that was an enormous political investment."
She lifted her gaze to Alear again.
"But later I understood the reason." Her expression softened a little: "Your father truly believed that this alliance would be necessary to rebuild the Häagenti family."
"As for the hospital… you weren't entirely wrong either." Her tone grew a bit more serious: "The Sitri family really did complicate things quite a lot."
She didn't elaborate much further.
But the way she spoke made it clear that it was a more delicate matter than it appeared.
"There were various political reasons involved. Some… quite irritating."
She puffed out her cheeks slightly, clearly recalling something unpleasant.
"Even so…"
Serafall uncrossed her arms.
"I did everything I could."
Her eyes met Alear's once more.
"During those years, I used my own resources to make sure you stayed alive. I also sent maids to take care of you."
She tilted her head slightly.
"So… technically… you're kind of my responsibility."
A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips. But it vanished quickly as she continued.
"And about the Leviathan family trait…" She furrowed her brows lightly: "That really was unexpected. As far as I knew… your mother was a half-blood. According to what your father told me… she carried blood from two demonic lineages. The Gäap family… and the Leviathan family. But both were extremely diluted, so I never imagined you would actually be able to awaken the trait."
She crossed her arms again.
"Muu… seriously… what kind of genetic lottery did you win anyway, Ale-chan?" As she said this, there was a tone of incredulity in her voice.
For a few seconds, the room remained silent.
Alear didn't answer immediately. He simply closed his eyes for a moment and let out a quiet sigh, as though reorganizing his own thoughts after receiving an unexpected amount of information about his own family.
"…I see." His voice came out calm. The magenta-pink eyes returned to Serafall: "I didn't know about my mother's origins. So… thank you for sharing that with me."
He tilted his head slightly in a polite gesture, exactly as a noble should.
Serafall blinked.
For some reason… her reaction was a little odd. Normally, when someone thanked her so formally, she would respond with a joke, a tease, or some exaggerated comment. It was part of the childish persona she usually wore in front of others.
But this time…
She simply looked away for a moment.
"Mu… you don't have to thank me so much." Serafall murmured, puffing out her cheeks slightly: "I mean… we're engaged, right?"
She scratched her cheek again, a bit awkwardly.
"It feels weird when you thank me like that…"
Ajuka, who had been silently observing the interaction, decided to interrupt the small moment. He brought his hand to his chin again, his blue eyes analyzing Alear with renewed attention.
"…One thing caught my attention." He spoke calmly: "You manifested the Leviathan family trait. But considering what Serafall just explained… then theoretically you also carry Gäap family blood. Can you use that trait as well?"
Alear blinked.
This time, his expression genuinely showed a small trace of surprise.
"…How did you figure that out?"
Ajuka also blinked. For a brief second, the man known as the greatest scientific genius of the underworld looked genuinely confused.
"…Figured it out?" He repeated: "I was just making an assumption… You can actually use it?"
Serafall whipped her head toward Alear.
"Eeeeh?!"
Her eyes widened.
"Wait, Ale-chan… you can use the Gäap family trait too?!"
The room fell silent again.
Alear observed the two of them for a few seconds. Then he let out a light sigh.
"…Yes, I think so…?"
He answered simply and then gave a demonstration.
In a single instant, he vanished from his original position and appeared beside Serafall, swapping places with the empty chair. The next moment, he had already returned to where he had been sitting before, and the empty seat was back in its previous place, as though nothing had happened. The movement was so fast and silent that anyone else would have been completely unable to perceive it. Even the two present could only react because they were Satans at the peak of demonic power; otherwise, they too would have been caught entirely off guard.
"…Eh?" Serafall murmured, narrowing her eyes…
Ajuka looked at Alear, his eyes shining once more.
"…Spatial Transposition." He murmured: "Instantaneous position swap between two targets within the line of sight. One of the applications of the Gäap family's characteristic trait: [Transposition]. If you can use the primary application, you should be capable of using the others as well. I suppose it's the same with the Leviathan family, correct…?"
Alear held Ajuka's gaze calmly for a few seconds. Then he gave a slight nod.
"…Yes. I haven't tested all the possibilities yet. But I can feel that I should be able to use other abilities that are extensions of the Noble Families' Traits… I just need practice."
Ajuka smiled faintly; it wasn't particularly expressive. But considering Super Devil Beelzebub's usually reserved personality… that was already an extremely significant reaction.
"I see." He said calmly, a clear glint of scientific interest in his eyes: "Awakening multiple diluted lineage traits across generations… and still developing the ability to use them instinctively with such skill shows you are highly talented. I confess I'm looking forward to seeing how far you'll go in the future…"
For a brief instant, it seemed as though he was already beginning to imagine all kinds of magical experiments and theoretical observations involving the young Häagenti.
But before he could continue—
"Hey."
A calm voice interrupted.
Ajuka turned his head slightly.
Serafall was staring straight at him. With puffed cheeks.
"…Ajuka-kun." She crossed her arms: "Don't show that much interest. He's my fiancé."
She pointed her thumb at herself with a somewhat sulky expression.
"So technically… he's mine."
Ajuka blinked once, then looked at Alear, then back at Serafall.
"…I wasn't trying to steal him." He replied in complete seriousness.
Serafall narrowed her eyes.
"Muu…" She leaned slightly toward Alear.
"Even so." Then she crossed her legs with a small dramatic movement: "Crazy scientists are dangerous. What if you decide to disassemble my fiancé just to study him!"
Ajuka remained silent for two seconds.
"…I've never done that to anyone."
Serafall raised an eyebrow.
"But you thought about it."
"…I thought about it." Ajuka admitted without any shame.
Serafall immediately turned her head toward Alear.
"See?!" She pointed at Ajuka again: "Dangerous!"
Alear remained perfectly calm amid the exchange.
While Serafall accusatorily pointed at Ajuka and the Super Devil responded with disarming honesty, he simply brought the teacup to his lips and took a small sip.
The soft aroma of the drink was still pleasant.
For a few seconds, he simply observed the two of them.
Then he set the cup back on the saucer. The delicate sound of porcelain touching porcelain echoed softly through the room. That alone was enough to draw both Satans' attention back to him.
Alear calmly interlaced his fingers in his lap. His gaze passed briefly from one to the other before he spoke.
"…Well." His voice came out tranquil. "Now that you know my condition after the detailed examination and considering all these… revelations… I believe our little meeting has come to an end, correct? Or do you still have any other matters you would like to discuss?"
The question was asked in an extremely polite yet direct manner.
___________________
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