About half an hour later, Naruse Mio's brow slowly furrowed, and then she opened a pair of peach-red beautiful eyes.
The moment she woke up, she instinctively reached out to cover her slender neck, but the anticipated knife-hand strike did not come.
Ethan, sitting not far from Naruse Mio, glanced sideways at the succubus LOLI. "I've wanted to ask, why didn't you use mental magic? Why use such a crude method as knocking her out?"
"I forgot... Teehee~"
Naruse Maria stuck out her tongue, lightly tapped her own head with a tiny fist, attempting to cutely escape the question.
Maria, like Koneko, specialized in close combat. If enemies were deceived by their petite and cute appearance, the consequences would be dire.
But that didn't mean they couldn't use any magic. Moreover, Naruse Maria was a succubus. Basic mental magic was as instinctive as breathing and could be cast easily.
Ethan didn't really care, he was just making a comment, but Naruse Mio, who already had a psychological shadow, was different.
The tsundere, twin-tailed, large-breasted beautiful girl looked towards the source of the voice, instantly enraged. She shot up to her feet.
"You forgot? Just for that reason?"
Naruse Mio looked angrily at the strange LOLI who claimed to be her sister. Feeling the lingering soreness in her neck, she said, "This is illegal kidnapping! I'm calling the police!"
"I advise you not to do that."
Seeing her actually pull out her phone, Ethan had to speak. During the time she was unconscious, he had confirmed everything with Maria.
Apart from the absence of Jin Toujou, everything else was largely the same as the events he remembered.
Matters involving Devils were useless to the regular police, and calling them would only expose their current location.
Ethan had already informed Akeno Himejima and the others, as well as Rias in the Devil World, about the Naruse sisters.
Rias happened to be at home at the time. After consulting with her mother, she confirmed that everything the succubus LOLI said was true.
Communication across realms was inconvenient. A few minutes ago, Rias had sent a reply saying she would return as soon as possible, and until then, Ethan was in full charge of the situation.
"Huh? Who are you? Did you order this person to kidnap me?"
Naruse Mio looked warily at Ethan, instinctively crossing her arms over the large bunnies bouncing on her chest.
"Let me introduce myself. Akira Uesugi, second-year, class A, Kuoh Academy."
Ethan knew that to make Naruse Mio cooperate, he couldn't use coercion. The best way to deal with a tsundere was to go along with them.
"If you don't mind, Naruse-san, you can call me Akira. Although I didn't order Maria to kidnap you, if you can't calm down, I might have to resort to some forceful measures myself."
Naruse Mio contained not only Wilbert's incredibly powerful magic but also a stronger potential talent within herself.
She couldn't control these powers, but if she was overly provoked, it was highly possible she would go berserk.
Ethan didn't want to risk it. If talking could solve it, that would be for the best.
Staring at Ethan's clean-cut face, Naruse Mio slowly lowered the hands covering her chest. Her anxious mood gradually stabilized.
She carefully observed the unfamiliar room and Ethan's attire, feeling that he wasn't deceiving her.
Although her first impression of this boy, who was about her age, was positive, even feeling a slight fondness, her preconceived notions prevented Naruse Mio from fully trusting Ethan.
"My name is Naruse Mio. Where is this place? Why did you bring me here?"
Another round of three questions. Ethan rubbed his head, slightly distressed. It seemed Maria hadn't explained anything clearly.
It was true that Naruse Mio was Wilbert's daughter, inheriting Demon King-level magic, and possessing great potential.
But since her birth, she had lived as an ordinary girl.
The existence of magic and Devils was secondary. The facts were right in front of her; she couldn't deny them.
But wanting her to believe that she wasn't her parents' biological daughter and her true identity—without solid proof, just telling her—was simply impossible.
"Mio-sama! I really wasn't lying to you! Why won't you believe me?"
The succubus LOLI grew anxious. She had clearly explained everything, yet Naruse Mio completely disbelieved her and kept treating her like a bad person...
She admitted her actions were a bit extreme, but if she hadn't acted that way, Naruse Mio might already be dead.
"How can I believe you?"
Naruse Mio calmly retorted, "You suddenly appeared in front of me and started saying things like they were from a fantasy story..."
"I admit you have great power, and perhaps Devils really exist in this world, but what does that have to do with me? I just want to continue living my life."
"But Zolgear wants to kill..." Maria looked distressed, continuing to try and persuade Naruse Mio.
"Maria."
Ethan interrupted the succubus LOLI. "No need to say more. Unless Naruse-san's foster parents tell her themselves, or Naruse-san sees it with her own eyes..."
He paused, looking deeply at Naruse Mio. He continued, "Otherwise, Naruse-san will never believe it."
Naruse Mio felt Ethan's strange gaze and suddenly began to panic, as if something bad was about to happen.
Without giving her more time to think, Ethan continued, "But it's good that you believe in the existence of Devils."
Just as he finished speaking, the club room door was pushed open. Akeno Himejima and the rest of the Occult Research Club members walked in one after another.
The Naruse sisters' attention was instantly drawn to them. They curiously sized up this group of handsome and beautiful people.
"Let me introduce you. This is Akeno Himejima, our Vice President, a third-year, her role is Queen. This is Asia Argento, a former nun, a first-year, her role is Bishop. And this..."
Ethan introduced everyone one by one, then said to them, "This is Naruse Mio, and the young girl next to me is Naruse Maria."
He had already explained their identities and the reason for their visit when he contacted them earlier. They just needed to recognize faces now that they were meeting for the first time.
Naruse Mio and Naruse Maria exchanged greetings with everyone. Then, Mio asked, "So, this is Kuoh Academy? What are these 'roles'?"
"Don't worry. Since you believe in the existence of Devils, I will answer all your previous questions one by one."
Ethan smiled faintly and said, "Before that, you need to know that everyone present, including you..."
"Whoosh..."
Ethan spread his broad bat wings. Then, Akeno Himejima and the others also revealed their Devil forms, and even Maria displayed her wings.
The powerful airflow surged. As if influenced by the aura, Naruse Mio's Devil bloodline was stimulated. Slender black wings involuntarily tore through her shirt, appearing on her for the first time.
"...are Devils."
At the same time, Ethan finished the most important part of his statement.
Naruse Mio's eyes widened, looking at everyone in disbelief. Before she could recover from the shock that everyone was a Devil, she suddenly felt something on her back.
She instinctively turned around to see a pair of black bat wings on her own back.
With a thought, the wings gently flapped, creating a current of air.
"I'm... a Devil too."
"Yes, you are. Not only that, but you are a Pure... and your biological father was a Devil King."
Ethan retracted his wings and said to the stunned Naruse Mio.
He had intended to say "Pure-Blooded Devil," but he didn't know who Naruse Mio's birth mother was, so he changed his wording in the end.
"Naruse-san, take a moment to feel it. You should be able to use magic now."
With the initial awakening of her bloodline, Wilbert's residual power was gradually being grasped by Naruse Mio. Simple magic could be used without formal study.
Sure enough, after closing her eyes and meditating for a few seconds, a small magic circle quickly formed in Naruse Mio's pale white hand. A scorching flame rose from it.
Because it was her first time using it, she didn't control it skillfully, almost igniting the nearby sofa. Fortunately, Ethan and the others were watching and forcefully dispelled her fire magic in time.
Looking at the black bat wings behind her and the scorched mark on the wooden floor, Naruse Mio's heart began to waver.
"Not only are there Devils in this world, but also Angels, Fallen Angels, Dragons, Yokai... Many years ago, the Three Factions War led to a massive reduction in Pure-Blooded Devils... Devil Pieces... Rating Games..."
After giving Naruse Mio time to process, Ethan began to give her a crash course from the beginning, simultaneously having Yuma Amano and the others cooperate by displaying their Fallen Angel forms.
Apart from Naruse Mio, the succubus LOLI also listened with keen interest.