Two hours later…
A magic circle opened silently in the center of the office, its pink lines intertwining in complex patterns before dissipating like smoke. Alear emerged in the middle of it, his expression neutral, as if he had simply returned from an ordinary meeting. He stretched lightly, raising his arms above his head for a brief moment and letting out a long sigh.
The meeting with Ajuka had been straightforward and direct. He simply received his set of [Evil Pieces] and had a short conversation with the Satan, with Serafall present throughout the entire process. The three of them mainly discussed the Great King Faction, led by the Bael family, analyzing their recent moves, as well as various aspects related to his own abilities, which greatly interested Ajuka…
After they finished, he was left alone with Serafall. She took the opportunity to talk about various matters concerning her own position, since up until then she had been handling the political side involving him. However, she made it clear that this wouldn't last much longer. The pressure on her was increasing from all sides, and soon she would no longer be able to offer the same level of support…
She also warned him to be careful with Venelana's intentions. Despite being an obedient secretary—extremely beautiful and seductive—Serafall made it clear that she had no problem if he decided to sleep with her. Still, she emphasized that Venelana was a woman extremely experienced in politics and that, very likely, she could be using that closeness to achieve some larger goal.
He, however, ignored the warning.
To him, there was no issue in being "used." If, in the process, he could enjoy the company of a beautiful woman whenever he wanted, then he saw no reason to back down.
Besides, everything boiled down to one thing: strength.
When he became strong enough, politics would cease to be a concern. At that point, he could simply ignore power games and enjoy life at the top.
That had been exactly the goal he had pursued in his previous life.
The obsession with strength had never been the end in itself, only the path to achieve something far simpler: the freedom to do whatever he wanted…
In any case, as soon as he entered the room, he noticed the unusual silence. His eyes scanned the office almost instinctively, but he quickly realized the obvious absence: Venelana wasn't there. He didn't pay much attention to it. She was probably handling some external task, sorting out meeting details or dealing with bureaucracy. Exactly the kind of efficiency he expected from her.
Walking to the desk, Alear pulled out the chair and sat down naturally. Then he raised his hand slightly, and a small magic circle formed over the surface. From it, a box emerged—simple at first glance, but marked by fine magical inscriptions that ran across its entire structure, almost imperceptible except for the subtle faint glow on the surface.
He held it in one hand and opened it unhurriedly.
Inside… were the pieces.
An almost complete chess set: rooks, knights, bishops, queen, and pawns.
At first glance, they looked identical to ordinary pieces—polished, symmetrical, elegant in their simplicity. But they had a reddish-pink coloration that glowed with a subtle aura…
He picked one up between his fingers.
A pawn. For a brief instant, the glow intensified, reacting to the contact, as if recognizing its owner.
Alear narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Who would have thought something so small could perform such a miracle… Bring someone back to life… something that, in my previous life, not even True Magic could achieve. Of course, it's not perfect. It turns the revived into a Devil, requires specific time conditions… and cannot bring back someone who died a long time ago. Still… the mechanism behind it is extremely interesting."
His voice came out low, more thoughtful than impressed.
He twirled the piece between his fingers, observing every detail with meticulous attention.
The [Evil Pieces] were created by Ajuka sometime in the 16th century, using the crystals found on Agreas Island. Their purpose was to restore the number of Devils after the devastating losses caused by the Great War, which decimated much of the demonic population. Although many Devils adapted to the use of [Evil Pieces], the Old Satan Faction rejected the practice, considering it an affront to the demonic race since it allowed the reincarnation of humans and other species as Devils. Still, the creation of these pieces later led to the emergence of the "Rating Game."
In general, [Evil Pieces] are granted to high-class pure-blooded Devils, allowing them to form their own teams of servants. However, reincarnated Devils can also obtain them if they rise in the hierarchy and reach High-class or Ultimate-class status, as happened with Tannin and Rudiger Rosenkreutz—individuals he knew from the original story and from the political books he had read in recent days…
When a Devil acquires the right to possess Evil Pieces, they must go to the territory of the Satans and register as a "King" by touching a special monument that acts as a substitute King Piece.
Supposedly, [Evil Pieces] cannot reincarnate gods into Devils, even with the use of a Mutation Piece. Still, there are indications that this may not be entirely true—possibly an omission on Ajuka Beelzebub's part. This is because there appear to be no difficulties in reincarnating demigods such as Rossweisse and Bennia, nor were there any impediments in transforming Issei Hyoudou into a Devil, even after he reached a state close to that of a Dragon God in the original story…
Another interesting point is that [Evil Pieces] can be used on both individuals who died recently and on living people who voluntarily accept reincarnation. Those who are reincarnated retain unique characteristics and abilities from their original races.
The number of pieces required to reincarnate someone into a Devil varies according to the individual's potential. The greater that latent potential, the more pieces are required, and it is not possible to combine different types of pieces on the same person (for example, a knight and a pawn), nor to recover pieces that have already been used…
Alear let out a low, almost imperceptible sigh before returning the pawn to the box with a slight movement of his fingers. The pink glow dimmed as soon as the piece left his hand, as if entering a dormant state. Without hesitation, he chose another. This time, his fingers closed around the queen piece.
It had a deeper shade than the others…
Alear narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…A Mutation Piece."
The murmur came out in a low tone, laced with interest.
He twirled the queen between his fingers, observing it more closely.
Among the [Evil Pieces], there are also special pieces known as Mutation Pieces. When reincarnating an individual would require multiple pieces, a single Mutation Piece is sufficient to complete the process, replacing the need for several ordinary ones.
These pieces can take the form of any standard type—Queen, Rook, Knight, Bishop, or Pawn—but they are extremely rare: it is estimated that only 1 in every 10 Devils possesses one. It is believed that their existence is the result of a kind of "flaw" in the [Evil Pieces] system, something Ajuka deliberately chose to keep, possibly out of personal interest or curiosity.
Additionally, ordinary [Evil Pieces] can also evolve into Mutation Pieces. This transformation usually occurs as a consequence of some significant event involving the reincarnated Devil, such as a sudden surge in power, a drastic change in their nature, or the manifestation of exceptional potential that had previously been hidden…
His situation was even more unusual. He possessed a mutant Queen, two mutant Bishops, two mutant Knights, two mutant Rooks, and two mutant Pawns. In other words, with the exception of the ordinary Pawns, all his other pieces were mutants…
Needless to say, his situation had left Ajuka and Serafall completely shocked—after all, this had never happened before. And honestly… it had been quite amusing to see their expressions at that moment…
Alear remained silent for a few more seconds, twirling the queen piece between his fingers while carefully considering who he should use it on.
At first glance, the most logical path would be to reserve it for a Servant summoned through his [Fate Gacha]. Still, he discarded that option after deeper analysis. The main problem was uncertainty: he had no control over what type of Servant might appear. Considering his own luck, it wasn't impossible to end up summoning someone like Jeanne—a holy Heroic Spirit who would hardly accept becoming a Devil, regardless of any bond between them. That, of course, assuming she would even retain her memories from the Chaldea era upon being summoned by him in this world. Moreover, the summoning itself was already extremely unlikely given his luck…
The second point involved the very nature of Servants, which led him to consider classifying them as his familiars in this world.
In practical terms, that approach would work without major issues. After all, they were extremely high-level familiars directly bound to their "Master." Even though that definition was far too simplistic to describe their true essence.
After all, Heroic Spirits completely transcended the common concept of invocations: they could manifest as divine entities, specters, or even living individuals, depending on the circumstances. In his previous life, in his old world, summoning even a single Heroic Spirit was considered a miracle, something beyond the reach of even exceptional mages. It wasn't just about power, but about nature—they were existences that surpassed the very limits of magic.
Still, regardless of all that complexity, the central fact remained unchanged: they could still be treated as familiars. And for him, that was more than convenient. By keeping them under that classification, he avoided unnecessary complications with the Evil Pieces system while preserving the independence and unique nature of the Servants. Instead of forcing them to become pieces of his peerage, he could simply let them remain as they were… Servants bound to him through a different but no less effective system.
Finally, there was a more practical—and at the same time more interesting—factor. Using [Evil Pieces] on individuals from this world itself was an appealing idea. He could already think of several people with exceptional potential—individuals who, under his leadership, could evolve significantly and become key pieces in his future peerage.
But that was something to worry about in the future…
With a sigh, he placed the queen back in the box. The intense glow immediately dimmed, as if the piece returned to a dormant state along with the others. Without saying anything, he closed the lid. A small magic circle formed above the palm of his hand, and the box simply vanished into it, disappearing with the same smoothness with which it had appeared moments earlier.
The office fell silent again.
…Until the door opened.
Lotte entered with light steps, holding some cloths and cleaning utensils. She seemed distracted at first, probably focused on her tasks, but froze the moment her eyes met Alear already present in the room.
"O-Oh…!" she let out, clearly surprised, nearly dropping what she was holding. "Alear-sama… you're already back?"
Alear merely cast a brief glance in her direction, maintaining his relaxed posture.
"Yes."
Lotte hesitated for a moment, clearly trying to organize her thoughts.
"Venelana-sama said you had left with Serafall-sama…" she added, a little nervous.
"It was a simple matter and didn't take long…" he replied, without giving it much importance. His eyes scanned the room briefly before returning to her. "Where is Venelana?"
Lotte blinked once, as if she had been expecting the question.
"Venelana-sama left to handle matters related to the Gäap family territory," she replied promptly.
Alear let out a light sigh through his nose.
"…As I figured."
Nothing unexpected.
She really didn't waste time.
He then shifted the focus of the conversation.
"Is lunch ready?"
"It's almost ready, Alear-sama," Lotte replied quickly.
He nodded.
"Serve it in an hour."
Without waiting for a response, Alear rose from the chair with calm movements, lightly adjusting his clothes.
"Feel free to clean."
Lotte gave a small bow.
"Yes, Alear-sama."
As she began organizing the office, Alear was already heading out of the room. He decided to do a little training before lunch…
___________________
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