Ten minutes later.
Akuto brought Kiryu Aika and Asia back to his home.
"Eh? So this is what Akuto-kun's house looks like? I didn't expect it to be so tidy, no paper balls scattered everywhere—what a surprise~"
Aika had only ever stood outside Akuto's house before, never inside. Now, she looked around curiously at the furnishings and decorations.
"Asia, did you know? They say boys usually hide dirty magazines under their bed or in their closet~"
"How about it, want to go exploring together later?" Aika covered her mouth and laughed, eyes shining with mischief.
"Eh? Dirty magazines? Is that... a Bible?" Asia's innocence was such that she didn't even know what a dirty magazine was.
"Huh?! You don't even know what dirty magazines are?" Aika was once again shocked by Asia's purity.
"Fine, I'll explain. A dirty magazine is... ￥!#%*..."
"..."
Half a minute later, Asia's face turned bright red, her head lowered in embarrassment, steam almost visibly rising from her head.
She instantly regretted asking Aika that question.
...
Akuto, meanwhile, wasn't joining their playful chatter. He was focused on preparing a summoning ritual.
While Aika was explaining, Akuto finished the summoning formation.
"Come forth!~"
From the ritual circle, Akuto summoned the reserve servants he had acquired from Diodora.
In an instant, fourteen girls of various appearances and styles emerged from the glowing teleportation array.
They already knew they had been traded away, and that Akuto was now their new master.
Still, they clearly held no affection for a devil. They simply gave him a polite bow out of formality before turning toward the one who stood at their front—a silver-haired maiden with flowing curls.
That silver-haired saint was the strongest among them, the one Diodora had earmarked as his "queen."
However, as Grayfia had explained, for some special reason Diodora had not been able to actually bind them as his servants.
And the moment Akuto laid eyes on them, he understood the reason.
"Welcome to my home, former saints of the Church."
"To think the Church would go so far as to inscribe self-destructive seals on their saints, making them shatter if they ever touched a devil. When did the Church become so extreme?"
"Oh? You can actually see the restrictions placed on us?" the silver-haired saint sneered. "You've got some ability, I'll admit that."
"That's right. Without power on par with a Maou, there's no way to break the Church's seals on us."
"And even Maou-class beings would never risk offending the Church just for a few mere saints."
"So give up on this foolish idea of turning us into your servants."
The silver-haired saint spoke firmly, her tone sharp.
Perhaps realizing her words were too harsh, she added:
"Of course, if you wish to let us stay here, we could serve as maids—cooking or cleaning for you."
"If not, you can always trade us away to other devils."
"But I advise you to abandon the thought of reincarnating us into devils, and not to have any contact with us. Otherwise, not only will our souls shatter, but your own soul will also be consumed by the flames of the seal when it triggers."
She kindly explained the consequences of contact, making it clear both sides would be destroyed.
...
After listening to her explanation, Akuto tilted his head back—and for the first time, he couldn't hold back a burst of laughter.
"So that's how it is. That's how it is! Hahahaha~"
He laughed with genuine delight.
No wonder Diodora had broken down. No wonder he had joined the Khaos Brigade before the story's timeline even demanded it.
Turns out, he just couldn't keep it in his pants.
Of course—that was the fastest way to break the seals on these saints!
By joining the Khaos Brigade, Diodora could betray devilkind, use their resources to raise his power to Ultimate-class, then rely on Ophis' snake to temporarily reach Maou-class strength.
Otherwise, what—was he supposed to ask Maou Ajuka to break the seals for him?
If he dared ask such a thing, Ajuka would beat him to death on the spot.
...
"So from what you're saying... you've already seen through Diodora's true purpose?" Akuto asked with a faint smile.
"Hmph! He's nothing but trash—using the Church's own system to get saints expelled, just so he can collect us. Everything about him is a lie!" the silver-haired saint spat fiercely.
Akuto was very satisfied with her answer.
"Good. In that case, why don't you explain the situation to this young lady here, Miss Asia?" Akuto gestured toward Asia, who stood frozen in shock.
"Asia?"
"Wait... are you the one known for her healing powers—Asia Argento?" the silver-haired saint frowned in recognition.
"Yes! I am Asia Argento!"
"Saint Olivia, please... tell me everything I need to know!"
Asia's eyes brimmed with tears as she stared at the silver-haired saint.
Even if she was naïve, the presence of so many other saints had already made her realize the truth!
That Diodora... had been deceiving her from the very beginning!
(End of Chapter)
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