A Stray Devil.
As the name suggests, this is a devil who has separated from their clan, is no longer bound by their rules, and causes trouble outside.
In the Underworld, every High-Class Devil has the right to receive Evil Pieces and recruit servants and subordinates. However, precisely because of this, the quality of the servants recruited by High-Class Devils varies drastically. No one can guarantee that none of their recruited servants will be reckless individuals.
Especially those devils who are reincarnated from other races—they might undergo a radical personality change upon gaining power, or they might have been dangerous individuals to begin with, who then liberated their nature and became even more devil-like than devils after obtaining power.
Stray Devils are mostly such existences. They either become unruly after gaining power, feel dissatisfaction with being restrained, or breed inappropriate ambitions and wickedness. Ultimately, they choose to betray, or even kill, their master, becoming masterless devils and fleeing to the outside world.
Simply put, Stray Devils are fugitives among devils, dangerous individuals who are wanted.
"Such a dangerous individual has appeared here?"
In the suburbs late at night, at an unfinished entertainment complex, Yukinoshita Yukino appeared, asking this question to Leon beside her.
At this moment, Yukinoshita Yukino had changed out of her usual Soubu High uniform and into an outfit suitable for movement.
Her upper body was an unadorned plaid shirt, her lower body was three-quarter length jeans, and her long, straight hair, usually worn down, was tied into two ponytails, making her look less cold and more lively.
"If Sona's intelligence is correct, then yes, they should be here."
Leon answered Yukinoshita Yukino while his hands were in his pockets, his tone languid.
He also wasn't wearing his school uniform tonight, instead opting for dark casual clothes: a black T-shirt, black slacks, and a matching black jacket. His entire demeanor transformed from the sunny, cheerful big boy of the day into a cool, sharp youth at night, giving off the feeling of shedding a disguise and becoming an assassin in the dark.
"It's said to be a devil with a cruel personality, who was already scum before being reincarnated. He had a lot of blood on his hands even before becoming a devil, and after becoming one, he went completely mad. Not long ago, he took advantage of his master's absence to murder the comrades he lived with day and night, then fled, enraging his former master, who immediately issued a high-price bounty for the treacherous bastard who abandoned him."
Leon revealed the intelligence he knew, causing Yukinoshita Yukino to furrow her beautiful brows.
"What was that master thinking? Why take on such a person as a servant?"
Yukinoshita Yukino expressed her confusion.
By taking such a dangerous person as a servant, wasn't the master afraid that one day they themselves would become the victim?
Yukinoshita Yukino completely failed to understand such an action.
"Thinking that way is a bit too naive." Leon immediately understood what Yukinoshita Yukino was thinking. He tapped her forehead and said, "Do you think all devils are sunny, cheerful big boys who hate evil like me? The practices of some devils are even more terrifying than what you've read about in books, you know?"
"They fundamentally don't care how many people the individual they favor has killed. Humans are just inferior creatures in their eyes anyway. If the person they favor dares to fight their way out of that group and is ruthless in their actions, they won't feel disgust; instead, they might appreciate the person."
"So, they would reincarnate such a person as their servant, or they might only value the person's talent, completely disregarding their character, which ultimately sows the seeds of disaster."
These kinds of devils also earned Leon's disdain; he felt that they completely deserved what happened to them.
"Of course, some servants choose to betray simply because of dissatisfaction." Leon yawned and said, "Some were forced to reincarnate after being favored by a High-Class Devil, some couldn't accept the reality of becoming a devil and decided to resist, and others were pushed too far by their master's oppression and arbitrary bullying, forcing them to act. They aren't all reckless dangerous individuals."
If they were Stray Devils of this type, as long as their master wasn't too belligerent, they wouldn't usually face direct subjugation. Instead, they would only be apprehended and subjected to strict discipline.
However, this current Stray Devil was not the type with a justifiable reason; he was a pure villain. His former master was also not a good-tempered individual, so the content of the commission was direct subjugation—no need for prisoners.
"The Devil World generally doesn't choose to ignore Stray Devils like this. They are either placed on a wanted list or contracted out to devils operating in the Human World. You could say they are enemies to be eliminated by everyone. Other factions also regard Stray Devils as unstable dangerous elements; upon discovery, both Angels and Fallen Angels will choose to eliminate them."
Leon raised his eyelids, looking at the dark entertainment complex before them, a faint smile on his face.
"By the way, the Church also has Stray Exorcists. They were originally sacred functionaries commissioned by God to eliminate devils, but occasionally, some people take pleasure in killing devils, or, like heretical zealots, they disregard all consequences, seeking only to eliminate all devils in the world and finding meaning and pleasure in this behavior. Such people are usually expelled by the Church that serves God, treated as harmful individuals, and dealt with secretly, without exception."
"In this era, where large-scale conflicts and battles between the three factions no longer occur, if you encounter a regular Church Exorcist, you might be spared for some reason. But if you encounter one of these Stray Exorcists outside, they will certainly not ignore your existence."
"So, always remember that your greatest enemy while operating outside might not be the Church, but these Strays."
Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath upon hearing this.
This was a domain she had never touched, one that genuinely involved blood and combat, making her feel nervous.
Such matters of fighting and deep, hidden darkness were previously impossible for her to encounter. Now, being abruptly required to engage with them, she couldn't calm her emotions.
Thus, Yukinoshita Yukino subconsciously changed the subject.
"Does that mean anyone could choose to leave their master and become a Stray?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked, pretending to be calm. "Then, are you worried about me becoming a Stray?"
After all, she was not reincarnated as a devil willingly.
Although the result was that Leon saved her life, putting that aside, Yukinoshita Yukino was initially quite unwilling to become a devil.
That was only natural. Why abandon being a perfectly fine human to become a devil, whom others called evil, dirty, and ugly?
Putting herself in their shoes, Yukinoshita Yukino felt it was perfectly normal for someone to be unable to accept the fact of being reincarnated as a devil and choose to betray their master and flee for freedom.
If she hadn't been saved by Leon, she absolutely would not have chosen to compromise and obediently become someone else's servant if she had been forcibly reincarnated as a devil.
Given this, Yukinoshita Yukino grew curious and wanted to know if Leon was worried about her betrayal.
However, Leon's face showed no trace of concern whatsoever.
This was because the servants he reincarnated were somewhat different from others.
While others relied mainly on the power of the Evil Pieces to reincarnate a devil, Leon also used the Evil Pieces, but his "Subordinate Transformation" trait had long since connected with them. The Evil Pieces merely served as a medium to trigger the trait's conditions, so the real ritual was conducted by the "Subordinate Transformation" trait.
And as mentioned before, the original trait of the Eligos family was the ability to influence a warrior's will, but the "Subordinate Transformation" trait had mutated into the ability to conquer a warrior's soul.
In other words, when the "Subordinate Transformation" trait took effect and reincarnated Yukinoshita Yukino as Leon's servant, her soul was already branded with Leon's mark.
Not only was she Leon's servant in person, but her soul was also Leon's property. Even if she died outside, her soul would automatically return to Leon to be collected by him.
It was precisely because of this that Leon's servants would subconsciously develop a sense of closeness toward him, would easily submit, and would feel inexplicably irritable if they left him, as Yukinoshita Yukino had experienced before.
This was the outward manifestation of the soul itself belonging to Leon, an instinctual reaction.
Unless Leon did something truly excessive that genuinely repulsed Yukinoshita Yukino, only then would her revulsion override this instinct, causing her to have second thoughts. Otherwise, it would be difficult for her to form the initiative to leave.
If Leon concentrated, he could also sense the location of his servant through the soul connection, so even if Yukinoshita Yukino ran away, he could find her.
In short, as long as Yukinoshita Yukino didn't genuinely despise Leon, he was not worried about her becoming a Stray.
Leon looked at Yukinoshita Yukino and suddenly smiled.
"So, do you want to leave?"
Leon's counter-question made Yukinoshita Yukino pause.
"Da..."
Before Yukinoshita Yukino could answer, a sound of footsteps, approaching from far away, drew both their attention.
"Who?!"
The approaching footsteps triggered some unpleasant memories in Yukinoshita Yukino's heart, causing her to instinctively cry out.
The owner of the footsteps did not answer her, but slowly walked out of the darkness under Leon's steady gaze.
"...I smell it. The aura of a compatriot."
A low voice, laced with a hint of amusement, obsession, madness, and danger, rang out.
"Did the running dogs of the Underworld catch up so quickly?"
As he spoke, the figure slowly entered Yukinoshita Yukino's sight, causing her pupils to violently contract.
The shadow cast on the ground by the figure was also twisted, completely inhuman...