By the time Leo and Sirzechs returned together to Kuoh Academy and reentered the old school building, Yuuto Kiba and Ruruko Nimura—who had previously been gravely injured and unconscious—had both already recovered.
Kiba had even lost an arm before, yet now it was perfectly restored, back where it belonged, as if he'd never been injured at all. Anyone who had seen him in his earlier state was left completely stunned.
"So this is what Phoenix Tears can do?" Leo exclaimed in amazement. "That's incredible."
He even found himself briefly tempted to get his hands on some Phoenix Tears.
An item with healing power like that was basically a second life. If he could acquire some, then even if they were attacked again in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone getting hurt.
Unfortunately, Phoenix Tears were a strictly regulated item. Even as the heir of a pureblood devil family, Leo couldn't obtain them freely. Otherwise, Rias and Sona wouldn't have needed to formally apply to the Underworld just to get two bottles to save lives.
Those two were both the next heads of pureblood devil families, and neither the Gremory House nor the Sitri House was in decline like Leo's own family. In fact, both families were at the height of their power, each with a Maou among their ranks and backgrounds so deep it was intimidating. Even so, they still had to go through proper procedures just to obtain two bottles. That alone showed how difficult Phoenix Tears were to come by.
"I'll just have to wait until the Rating Game and figure out a way then," Leo decided, temporarily setting the thought aside.
Once participants were allowed to use items in the Rating Game, Phoenix Tears could be included as competitive items. Maybe then he'd have a chance to get some.
For now, all he could do was watch.
With Kiba and Ruruko fully healed, Rias and Sona visibly relaxed, no longer constantly on edge.
After a full day of rest, everyone else had either fully recovered or was at least mobile again, no longer confined to bed.
At Leo's, Rias's, and Sona's invitation, everyone gathered in the Occult Research Club room to formally meet the current Maou, Sirzechs Lucifer.
"So he's Maou Lucifer?"
"He doesn't really look like it."
Yukino stared at the gentle-looking Sirzechs, clearly unconvinced.
Utaha muttered quietly as well.
"I thought a Maou would look… scarier."
"Yeah, he doesn't feel like the legendary Maou at all. More like a friendly older brother next door."
Asuna and Mahiru also shared their impressions.
As for Leo, he could only say one thing.
"That's because you're lucky you've never seen him lose his temper," he said, lightly knocking each of his servants on the head to remind them not to be rude. "If you ever get the chance to see his true power, you'll understand what 'the strongest Maou' really means."
Even so, the girls just exchanged looks. It was hard for them to imagine, still fooled by Sirzechs's gentle appearance.
In contrast, the servants of the Gremory House all sat stiffly upright, clearly tense and restrained in front of a Maou.
"I'm relieved to see that you're all safe," Sirzechs said.
He sat behind the desk with Grayfia beside him, as if he were the owner of the room, wearing a relaxed smile.
"I've already heard about your brave actions from your masters. You've all worked hard."
Hearing words of praise directly from a Maou made the servants feel both honored and uneasy.
"No, we didn't do anything," someone said quickly.
"That's right. We were barely holding out against the attacks, and our masters still had to come save us. We didn't accomplish anything at all."
"We didn't help—we just dragged our masters down."
"Exactly."
"We were useless and only made our masters worry. That's really unacceptable."
One voice followed another, and the mood grew heavier by the second.
Especially Koneko Toujou, Tsubasa Yura, Reya Kusaka, and Momo Hanakai.
Some of them lowered their heads in dejection, others clenched their fists, faces filled with frustration.
In their eyes, they had been the most useless ones during the incident.
Kiba and Ruruko had both suffered severe injuries, but Kiba had done so protecting his comrades, and Ruruko had fought bravely until she collapsed.
Only them—the four of them—had been protected the entire time by Utaha and Mahiru.
If Utaha hadn't continuously maintained barriers to protect Koneko and Tsubasa, the two of them would've been taken down by the Stray Magicians' focused attacks.
If Mahiru hadn't used the power of the Holy Cross to open a path, Reya and Momo would've died in the first room's traps. They never would've made it to the third room.
Even Tomoe Meguri felt that if Asuna hadn't been there to provide her with a holy sword, she would've fallen in the very first room.
That alone would've been bad enough.
But in the end, as servants, they hadn't been able to overcome the trials and reach their masters to help them. Instead, they had needed their masters to come rescue them.
That was what hurt the most.
"…We're too weak."
Koneko Toujou murmured softly, voicing what everyone else felt.
Heads lowered in shame one after another.
Seeing this, Yukino and the others also went quiet.
By the Gremory and Sitri servants' logic, hadn't they also failed to help their own master and needed to be saved?
Especially Yukino.
She had been on the brink of death. If Leo hadn't defeated Lafei Trix, taken control of the space, and opened the path as its new master to find her collapsed there, she might have experienced her second death already.
As that thought sank in, a sense of gloom quietly rose in the hearts of the four girls.
Leo opened his mouth, then closed it again without saying anything.
Rias and Sona did the same.
Because they knew someone else would say what needed to be said.
"Lift your heads, everyone."
Sirzechs's gentle voice reached their ears, and they instinctively obeyed.
"I'm very glad that you all think so deeply for the sake of your masters. Seeing this, I feel truly proud of you."
There was unmistakable joy on Sirzechs's face as he looked at them, as though he were gazing at something precious.
"But remember this," he continued. "The relationship between a king and their servants is never one-sided. It is mutual."
"Many believe that servants should give everything for their master. In the world of devils, that idea isn't wrong. But while servants give everything, masters also have the responsibility to guide and protect their servants."
"In my view, that is the kind of master-servant relationship that can truly reach the end together. If only one side gives while the other does nothing, then that relationship is distorted."
His gaze swept across everyone present, filled with encouragement and strength.
"What matters isn't what you achieved, but why you chose to act."
"As long as you remember that, one day you'll become servants your masters can truly be proud of."
"Do you understand?"
It was as if courage and energy were poured into them all at once. The heaviness in their hearts vanished instantly.
"Yes! Lucifer-sama!"
Their voices rang out together, no trace of their earlier dejection remaining.
Leo, Rias, and Sona exchanged glances and smiled.
"I've always thought you were servants I could be proud of," Leo said simply.
That single sentence lifted the spirits of Yukino and the others. Even Asuna and Mahiru couldn't stop themselves from smiling brightly.
"You're still not fully grown yet," Sona said in her usual strict tone, strict with others and herself alike, yet one that reassured her servants. "But in that regard, I feel the same. So… let's keep working hard together."
"As long as you're safe, I'm already satisfied," Rias said softly.
She pulled Akeno Himejima and Koneko Toujou into a hug, her voice gentler than ever, making Yuuto Kiba smile awkwardly off to the side.
Sirzechs watched the scene with a pleased expression. Even Grayfia, standing behind him, relaxed slightly, and the atmosphere grew warm and comforting.
"Although the situation ahead is uncertain, and new conflicts are quietly brewing, threatening this hard-won peace," Sirzechs said thoughtfully, "seeing you all makes me feel that devils still have a future."
"Before you fully grow, we will do everything we can to shelter you from the storm. I hope you continue to push yourselves and become the new pillars that support devils."
With those words, Sirzechs stood up.
"It's getting late. I should return to the Underworld," he said with a smile. "I'll be watching you closely. I look forward to what you'll accomplish."
Amid everyone's loud replies, Sirzechs and Grayfia stepped into the magic circle and vanished in a bloom of crimson light.
They all watched as the Maou departed, until the magic circle finally went quiet.
"…Now I believe he really is a Maou," Utaha muttered quietly.
Yukino and the others nodded in agreement.
Leo smiled silently, saying nothing.
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