"Even if you are a Devil, trying to kill this old man won't be easy for you."
Zouken stared intently at Ayato, striking his cane against the ground.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of air being sliced rang out.
Countless insects, like razor-sharp blades, effortlessly tore through the air.
These were Winged Blade Insects!
His most lethal breed.
The Winged Blade Insects crisscrossed through the air, seeming ready to tear Ayato apart.
To any observer, Zouken clearly intended to kill.
But!
The moment he attacked,
Zouken's entire body exploded.
Endless swarms of insects scattered in all directions.
He could no longer be called human!
If even a single insect that composed his body escaped, he would have a chance to revive.
As for fighting Ayato to the death?
Don't be ridiculous!
Even though they had only exchanged one blow, he already knew the gap between them.
'I'll remember you, Devil.'
He glared venomously at Ayato, but his consciousness instantly froze.
Boom!
Terrifying blue lightning erupted violently, wiping out all the Winged Blade Insects in one sweep.
"Trying to escape before me? Too naive."
Ayato's expression was cold as he slightly raised one hand.
Hum!
A gigantic magic circle instantly enveloped the sky. Bolts of lightning rained down.
Like a net, they enveloped all the insects that had just scattered.
Crackle! Crackle!
At the same time, electricity surged continuously.
Countless insect corpses turned to dust.
"Sp-Spare me!"
The insects regrouped, forming Zouken's half-body. He said in terror, "Devil-sama, I am definitely more useful to you than Sakura. Please spare my life."
"Enough talk!"
The surrounding lightning halted in mid-air. Ayato spoke. "Where is Matou Byakuya?"
"That useless man died years ago."
Zouken said. "He spoke of getting stronger, but died at the hands of a Cursed Spirit."
'Another deviation of the world?'
Ayato's eyes flickered slightly.
He continued asking, "Where are your family's magic tomes?"
"You're interested in human magic?"
Zouken's eyes flickered as he immediately spoke. "I can naturally give them to you, but you must promise not to kill me afterward."
"I don't let go of those who have wronged me."
"Wait, I can become your servant."
Hearing this, Zouken immediately changed his tune. "I would even offer my soul."
"Fine."
Ayato nodded.
'I would live.'
Zouken breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn't suspicious, after all, a Magus like himself did have considerable value.
Ayato frowned. "Speak quickly."
Zouken immediately fell into his new role and said respectfully, "The ordinary magic books are in my study. As for the treasures, they are in..."
"Mm, thank you for your honesty."
Ayato looked at Zouken and suddenly smiled.
Crackle!
The lightning from all directions converged.
Boom!
With a rumble, Zouken's body vanished without a trace.
In his dying moment, his eyes were filled with fear and anger.
'This Devil had actually broken his promise.'
Ayato curled his lip.
'An old monster who wasn't even a beautiful girl... did he really think he mattered?'
"Devil Uncle, lying isn't good, you know."
Sakura blinked and patted Ayato's arm.
"Sakura, you don't need to keep promises to bad people."
Ayato gave Sakura a head pat. "And besides me, don't trust what others say either."
Sakura looked a little confused, but finally nodded. "Okay, Devil Uncle. Everyone except you is a bad person."
"..." Ayato.
'Was this child... a white that was actually black on the inside?'
Shaking his head, Ayato led Sakura deeper into the mansion.
"Devil Uncle, aren't we leaving here?"
Looking around, Sakura moved closer to Ayato.
"The only reason you wanted to leave here was because of Matou Zouken."
Ayato smiled and explained. "He's dead now, so whether we leave or not doesn't matter, right?"
"Mm, Devil Uncle is right."
Sakura nodded, looking up at Ayato with admiration.
'He understood my feelings so well. Devil Uncle was so great.'
She felt Ayato really provided a lot of emotional value.
Ayato unconsciously started giving her another head pat.
'Mm!'
'The feel was getting better and better.'
As they went deeper, they saw no one.
Because although the entire Matou Family was a distinguished name in the magical world,
And appeared prosperous to outsiders,
In essence,
For centuries, the entire family had consisted solely of Zouken.
The other family members were merely illusions.
Now that Zouken was dead, all of this naturally crumbled.
'That's not quite right either. This little girl should be the owner of this place now.'
Thinking this, Ayato glanced subconsciously at Sakura.
At least legally,
Sakura was the true owner of this place.
And a servant's property was his.
There was nothing wrong with that.