Subworld, Häagenti Mansion, Main Office.
A pink-magenta light briefly shone in the center of the office.
Alear appeared standing there, his hands still tucked into the pockets of his dress pants. He walked unhurriedly to the large desk and settled into the main chair, leaning back as he let out a faint sigh. He remained silent for a few moments, reflecting on everything he had just done in Kuoh.
In the end, his plan had been a success.
He had finally obtained another Longinus-class Sacred Gear.
Alear then extended his right hand over the desk. An emerald-green glow shimmered in his palm, and in the next instant, a small crystalline orb materialized before him. This was the sealed form of the [Boosted Gear], the Sacred Gear that had once belonged to Issei and was now completely under his control.
He slowly rotated the orb between his fingers while observing it through his [Mystic Eyes], carefully analyzing the sealed Sacred Gear. There was a rare trace of fascination in his gaze. Regardless of what he thought about the Biblical God, he could not deny the genius required to create an artifact of such magnitude.
He then activated [Structural Analysis], combining it with his [Mystic Eyes] to examine the [Boosted Gear] down to the smallest detail. His perception penetrated the countless layers of the Sacred Gear, analyzing its internal structure, the flow of energy, and the way its spiritual components connected to one another.
Although he had not been able to uncover the method used in its creation, the amount of information he obtained was still extremely valuable. Furthermore, he noticed another important detail: Ddraig remained completely unconscious. That was actually quite convenient. From all indications, the Red Dragon would only awaken once someone fused with the Sacred Gear again and established a bond with it. Until then, his consciousness would remain dormant within the artifact. In other words, Alear could conduct his experiments freely without worrying about interference or resistance from Ddraig...
"Personally, I have no interest in using this Longinus..." he muttered to himself in a low, thoughtful tone. "I already have Zenith Tempest and Innovate Clear, and at this point, it has become obvious that my lack of ambition and my pragmatic personality completely limit the potential of both. No matter how talented I may be, the Balance Breaker remains far out of reach..."
He slowly spun the small orb between his fingers before continuing:
"Recognizing that the two Longinus possess some form of consciousness and earning their cooperation was only the first step. My experiments and the goals I pursued caused both of them to awaken specific abilities that I desired... and yet, that still wasn't enough."
His eyes remained fixed on the emerald-green orb.
"Sacred Gears evolve in response to the feelings, desires, and determination of their wielders. That has always been their path. But my origins, combined with the way I lived before this life, made me someone... empty. In other words... I am simply not suited to follow the path of Sacred Gears. That doesn't mean I have given up on drawing out the full potential of Zenith Tempest and Innovate Clear. Quite the opposite. I still intend to take them as far as possible. But adding another Longinus to my arsenal under the current circumstances would only be a waste of time and resources. I would end up dividing my attention among three Sacred Gears when I have not even reached the limit of the two I already possess."
He leaned back even further in his chair, immersing himself in thoughts about the experiments he could perform. Although he could simply hand the [Boosted Gear] over to Maria or Mio, he preferred to use it as research material. There were far more interesting possibilities than merely passing it on to someone else.
His gaze returned to the small emerald-green orb.
"I can feed it to my Dragon Factor later..." he murmured to himself.
Since the Longinus housed one of the Heavenly Dragons within it, there was a strong possibility that it would provide exactly the missing piece needed to complete a genuine Dragon Factor.
After that, all he would need to do was absorb the result.
But that would be an experiment for the future. Before that, there were still many tests he intended to perform on the [Boosted Gear], and wasting an artifact of that caliber without extracting every possible piece of knowledge from it would, in his view, be extremely inefficient.
Alear spun the small emerald-green orb between his fingers one last time, observing the pulsating glow within it. He then carefully stored it in his 'inventory,' which was nothing more than a storage space created through magic. Any devil was capable of using something similar, and its capacity was practically limitless. In addition to storing objects, this type of inventory could also be used to equip or unequip items instantly, including clothing. That was precisely why many devils and even human magicians could change outfits with magic in the blink of an eye...
No sooner had he stored the orb than the air in front of the desk rippled gently. Nobunaga emerged from her spiritual form, materializing with her arms crossed and an expression that was clearly displeased.
"So, you went to the human world..." she said, narrowing her blood-red eyes. "And you didn't even bother to tell me. I wanted to go with you..."
Alear leaned back in his chair, looking at her calmly.
"After our little dispute, you disappeared without saying a word and left me alone in the office. I simply followed through with my original plan. If you had stayed around instead of vanishing like that, I would have invited you to come along..."
Nobunaga frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. She snorted and turned her face away, forming a small irritated pout that contrasted almost comically with her usually imposing aura.
"Hmph... Next time, invite me before you go running around by yourself. Got it, brat?"
Alear simply nodded as a faint amused smile appeared on his lips.
"Understood..."
Nobunaga still seemed somewhat annoyed, but she quickly changed the subject. Pointing her chin at him, she declared:
"So? After teasing me so much earlier, the least you can do is give me a better sake than that watered-down swill from before. Come on, don't keep me waiting..."
Alear let out a quiet laugh and snapped his fingers. A new bottle materialized on the desk. It was an even more refined sake than the previous one, with a rich and distinctive aroma. He had purchased it from an antique shop in Kuoh Town. The bottle had cost several hundred million yen and, according to the owner, was part of an extremely limited edition, one of only ten bottles ever produced in all of Japan. After verifying its authenticity, Alear had decided to acquire it.
"Here. This should be more to your taste..."
Nobunaga immediately grabbed the bottle, rotating it between her fingers as a glimmer of approval appeared in her eyes. Without wasting any time, she removed the cap and took a swig directly from the bottle, letting out a satisfied sigh immediately afterward.
"Hah... Now this is worth something..." She casually sat on the edge of the desk, swinging one leg. "If you give me sake like this every day, I might even consider letting you climb onto my futon!"
Alear observed her for a few seconds, a slow and slightly dangerous smile forming on his lips.
"You may end up regretting that choice, Nobunaga..."
He snapped his fingers once more. A refined crystal glass materialized in his hand. With a calm motion, he placed it on the desk in front of her and gave a slight nod.
"Share it with me..."
Nobunaga raised an eyebrow, but soon let out a low, amused laugh. Without ceremony, she poured him a generous serving of sake before returning to drinking directly from the bottle.
"Hah! Fine. Let's see if you can keep up with the pace of this Demon King..."
The following hours passed in a surprisingly pleasant manner.
The conversation flowed naturally. Nobunaga spoke about her impressions of the Underworld, the eccentric figures she had encountered, and the countless absurd situations she had witnessed during her explorations. From time to time, she took the opportunity to tease him simply for the pleasure of seeing his reaction. Alear responded with his usual calmness, returning a few jabs whenever he deemed it appropriate and occasionally sharing parts of his plans for the future. Between conversations, the sake continued to disappear little by little, and the atmosphere grew increasingly relaxed.
They remained like that until late into the night.
When Alear finally stood up, the clock was already approaching three in the morning. Nobunaga was reclining in her chair, holding the nearly empty bottle. There was a faint blush on her cheeks and a satisfied smile on her lips.
"It wasn't bad..." she murmured.
Then, without adding anything else, her body dissolved into spiritual particles before disappearing once again.
Alear watched the empty space for a moment before shaking his head with a subtle smile.
Shortly afterward, he went to sleep.
.
.
.
.
.
The following day.
Alear was once again in his office, reviewing several documents and administrative reports when he heard a gentle knock at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Lotte entered with her usual impeccable posture.
"Alear-sama... we have an unexpected visitor."
Alear raised his eyes from the documents.
"A visitor?"
"Yes." She paused briefly. "He stated that he did not require an appointment and that you would understand."
Alear raised an eyebrow.
"Who is it?"
For the first time, Lotte seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before answering:
"Sirzechs Lucifer..."
The atmosphere seemed to grow several degrees colder.
Alear remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, slowly, he leaned back in his chair.
A cold and calculating smile appeared on his lips.
"I see..." He interlaced his fingers in front of his face, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Let him in..."
_______________
(A/N: Want to get ahead?
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