It turned out that Leon's idea was correct.
Only an hour had passed, and Yuuki Asuna seemed to have already accepted the current situation and emerged from the room.
"Regardless, thank you for saving me."
In the gazebo in the garden, Yuuki Asuna, now in her original school uniform, was led by a maid familiar and arrived here. She bowed in thanks to Leon and Yukinoshita Yukino, who were seated together drinking tea.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here right now, so... thank you, truly."
Yuuki Asuna expressed her sincerity, her chestnut hair sliding up and down with her bowing motion, full of grace.
"Well, it's good that you can accept reality, otherwise I might have had to spend some effort convincing you."
Leon held a cup of black tea, drinking it slowly while smiling at Yuuki Asuna.
"Please sit first," Yukinoshita Yukino said to Yuuki Asuna, adding, "We are all companions. Although he is nominally our master, he doesn't adhere to such formalities. You don't need to be so reserved."
Leon immediately glanced at Yukinoshita Yukino.
This woman had changed too. Originally aloof and unapproachable, she now knew how to speak such considerate words. It must be the sun rising from the west.
Unbeknownst to him, Yukinoshita Yukino was only being considerate because Yuuki Asuna reminded her of her former self, and she was only showing a bit of sympathy; she hadn't undergone a personality change.
At Sōbu High School, Yukinoshita Yukino was still that solitary, unapproachable figure, the undisputed Winter Flower in everyone's eyes.
Only Leon, relying on his status as her master, could control her. If he were merely a handsome third-year student, Yukinoshita Yukino probably wouldn't even look him in the eye.
"You are also Mr. Leon's... familiar?"
Yuuki Asuna didn't refuse. After sitting down next to the two, she hesitated to strike up a conversation with Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Although I am reluctant to admit it, it is indeed the truth, and I have no choice," Yukinoshita Yukino said expressionlessly, "I am Yukinoshita Yukino, the 'Bishop' of this guy... Leon Elric."
"Yukinoshita?" Yuuki Asuna paused slightly, surprised, "Is it that Yukinoshita?"
Evidently, Yuuki Asuna had heard of the Yukinoshita family as well.
"You know?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was somewhat surprised.
Although they were a prestigious family, the Yukinoshita family was only a local magnate in Chiba Prefecture. Compared to the Yuuki family, a magnate in Tokyo Metropolis, there was still a gap.
Tokyo was, after all, the capital, while Chiba was just an ordinary prefecture. So, even if the Yukinoshita family was quite influential, many Tokyo magnates regarded them as nothing more than wealthy countryside folk, naturally viewing them with a degree of condescension.
In terms of family power alone, the Yukinoshita family was not worth the Yuuki family's attention.
Yuuki Asuna's father was the CEO of a large electronics manufacturer with a nationwide presence, while Yukinoshita Yukino's father was merely the president of a construction company, though he also served as a prefectural assembly member. His reputation might be greater in political circles than in business, but he was still just a prefectural assembly member.
Yuuki Asuna's mother was a university professor with a large network of students and acquaintances. Yukinoshita Yukino's mother was only a member of the local guardian association. In terms of status and position, she also lagged considerably behind the former.
Therefore, Yukinoshita Yukino knew of the Yuuki family's existence, but she didn't think Yuuki Asuna would know of the Yukinoshita family's existence.
Unexpectedly, Yuuki Asuna did know her family.
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino was thinking this, Yuuki Asuna told her something not entirely cheerful.
"Because I've met your sister, Miss Yukinoshita Haruno," Yuuki Asuna stated truthfully, "My brother was invited by the local magnates here to attend a banquet. When we arrived, many local families came over to greet us, and Miss Haruno was among them."
"She is very beautiful and excellent, with impeccable manners. My brother spoke with her happily and later gave her high praise, believing she might be able to elevate the Yukinoshita family to a new height."
Yuuki Asuna was also deeply impressed by Yukinoshita Haruno. She admired her unshrinking confidence, her grace in maneuvering effortlessly among so many magnate representatives, and even somewhat yearned to be like her, feeling that that was what a true young lady should be like.
Unlike herself, who merely numbly complied with her family's arrangements, undergoing so-called elite training, slowly being sculpted into a mere decoration for the family's reputation...
Thinking of this, Yuuki Asuna's eyes darkened slightly.
"Sister..."
Yukinoshita Yukino looked even more conflicted and suddenly didn't feel like talking.
Her sister was still so excellent, even the magnates from Tokyo praised her highly.
Would she ever truly catch up to her sister?
Yukinoshita Yukino felt lost because of this.
The atmosphere in the gazebo immediately cooled down. The two young ladies fell silent, much to Leon's amusement.
However, before he could speak, Yuuki Asuna recovered first.
Compared to becoming a devil and coming into contact with the world of the supernatural, her family troubles seemed trivial.
"Miss Yukinoshita is Mr. Leon's 'Bishop,' right?" Yuuki Asuna looked at Leon and hesitated to ask, "What about me? Which chess piece was I reincarnated with?"
Since Leon had already explained the concept of Evil Pieces, Yuuki Asuna understood everything.
But it wasn't Leon who answered the question; it was Yukinoshita Yukino.
"You are a 'Knight'."
Yukinoshita Yukino had composed herself and spoke frankly.
"Like me, you are a piece worth three 'Pawns'."
Since Yukinoshita Yukino was present when Leon used the Evil Piece to reincarnate Yuuki Asuna, she knew which piece Leon had used and what position Yuuki Asuna now held.
"'Knight'?" Yuuki Asuna was somewhat surprised, "'I'm... a 'Knight'?"
It wasn't surprising that she was surprised, as according to Leon's explanation, the 'Knight' characteristic among devils was speed, making them clearly melee units.
And her?
She was just a young lady who had received elite education, primarily focused on knowledge and etiquette, and had not received any sports training.
Asking her to engage in close combat?
Wouldn't that be sending her to her death?
"Don't be surprised. This is the piece's own choice," Leon saw Yuuki Asuna frozen there, finally put down his teacup, and said, "Of course, there were three kinds of pieces that reacted to you: 'Rook,' 'Knight,' and 'Pawn'."
"Among them, the 'Knight' piece had the biggest reaction, almost comparable to the 'Bishop' piece I used to reincarnate Yukino."
"This shows that you have great potential to be a 'Knight'; it's just that you haven't brought that potential out yourself yet."
Saying that, Leon began to instruct Yuuki Asuna.
"You, like me... and Yukino, all possess a unique power within us called a Sacred Gear."
"This power was not awakened before, but now that you are a devil, you possess demonic power, and your physique has changed significantly. You should be capable of independently awakening the Sacred Gear within you."
"Close your eyes and imagine the strongest being in your heart, then approach that being."
Leon's instruction sounded unremarkable, but his voice seemed to carry a power that could resonate with Yuuki Asuna's soul, making her inexplicably convinced.
Thus, Yuuki Asuna stood up, closed her eyes, and, as Leon instructed, began to imagine the strongest being in her heart.
The strongest being in her heart... or rather, the most commanding presence, was her mother.
Her education was closely monitored and supervised by her mother, and she had been under her mother's strict discipline since childhood. Therefore, in her heart, her mother's image had always been very intimidating, making her afraid and in awe.
Now, recalling her mother's past severe demeanor, Yuuki Asuna's inner emotions were also stirred up.
Immediately, the emotions brought forth demonic power, and the demonic power ignited her body, awakening the hidden power within Yuuki Asuna.
"Clang!"
Beside Yuuki Asuna, a sword suddenly emerged from the ground, emitting a clang.
This sword emitted a terrifying spiritual energy, both holy and powerful, causing Yukinoshita Yukino to jump up as if pricked by a needle. Leon also felt a tingling sensation on his skin, making him narrow his eyes.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"...
Swords continuously emerged around Yuuki Asuna. Each of these swords had a different appearance and length. Some were Western-style swords, others were Eastern-style katanas. Some were long, some were short, but without exception, they all emitted holy spiritual energy, forcing Yukinoshita Yukino to retreat repeatedly.
"What kind of Sacred Gear is this?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was filled with astonishment.
In that moment, she felt a threat from these swords that far exceeded the Light Swords used by exorcists.
If light was poison to devils, then these swords were nuclear weapons that could even obliterate the soul of a devil.
Compared to these swords, angels and fallen angels who could manipulate the power of light were nothing.
These swords before her were the true natural enemies of devils.
And that was indeed the case.
"These are Holy Swords, sacred weapons created by those who reached the divine realm using magic or alchemy, and they are the natural enemies of all demonic beings."
Leon's voice softly echoed in the air.
"Including devils, any demonic being that touches a Holy Sword will have their body incinerated. Furthermore, being slain by a Holy Sword will result in immediate annihilation, leaving not even the soul to be salvaged."
These sacred weapons were things passed down through history, having appeared in various legends.
Excalibur, Durandal, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Hauteclaire... these legendary swords are all Holy Swords, sacred objects that only appear to a wielder every few decades.
And Yuuki Asuna's Sacred Gear was related to Holy Swords.
"'Blade Blacksmith'—a rare Sacred Gear capable of creating Holy Swords of any attribute depicted in the wielder's mind. It can unleash astonishing power as long as the user's technique is strong enough."
This was Yuuki Asuna's Sacred Gear.