"Peerage candidates?"
Hearing Sirzechs' words, Leon was completely stunned.
What was this?
Was a Devil King helping him pick out a harem—no, wait, pick out peerage servants?
And they were all people with significant backgrounds; either pure-blood Devils or individuals closely related to major figures.
What was the angle here?
"Don't be in a hurry. Let me explain it to you slowly," Sirzechs said with a smile, seeing Leon's confusion. "We all know that your 'Peerage Assimilation' trait allows you to strengthen your own power by recruiting peerage servants, granting you an instantaneous boost. Furthermore, the higher the potential and ability of the recruited servant, the greater the magnitude of the empowerment you receive."
"That being the case, helping you recruit excellent peerage servants is undoubtedly the fastest way to help you grow."
"Therefore, after some discussion, we have selected these individuals as your peerage candidates. You may choose those who interest you from among them, and we will act as intermediaries to help establish a connection."
Ever since Leon was exposed as the possessor of the "Zenith Tempest" and it became known that his Eligos peerage included two Longinus wielders, many high-level figures in the Devil world had taken an interest in him.
Among these people, some harbored ill intentions, but many simply wanted to win Leon over through recruitment to secure a stake in his astonishing potential.
Since Leon's "Peerage Assimilation" trait was no secret among the upper echelons of the Devil world, and considering he had recently been attacked by criminals and was in urgent need of increasing his strength, these people had devised the perfect way to court him.
That was to send him servants—to place their own people under Leon's command to establish a friendly relationship between the two parties.
This matter had been proposed as soon as the news of Leon being the host of "Zenith Tempest" reached the Underworld, but it had only recently been finalized after extensive deliberation, resulting in this list of peerage candidates.
"This list was finalized after careful screening by us. Every person on it is a highly promising young generation Devil, including descendants of some Great Houses. If you choose them, you will not only gain excellent servants and a considerable boost in power but also receive the support of the people behind them. It's a win-win situation with no drawbacks."
Sirzechs pointed out the key elements to Leon.
"If it weren't for the fact that my generation only has me and Rias, I would have wanted to recommend our own family to you."
In an era where the number of pure-blood Devils was dwindling, Devil families willing to push their descendants into becoming someone else's servants were few and far between. The Gremory family was one such family; even if they had the inclination, they didn't have the personnel to execute it.
However, those Devil families that did not lack fresh blood had, without exception, recommended one of their descendants to serve Leon. This showed just how much importance was now being placed on Leon within the Underworld.
The Longinus—artifacts rumored to be capable of slaying God and Devil Kings—only numbered thirteen in the entire world. Yet, the Eligos peerage had three of them, and the other two members possessed powerful rare Sacred Gears second only to the Longinus. It would be a wonder if people weren't tempted when such a group of potential-rich individuals gathered together.
Therefore, even if it meant becoming someone else's servant, the high-level figures of the Devil world were moved. Ultimately, they didn't hesitate to pay a high price by recommending their descendants to finalize this list.
Of course, those Devil families without enough fresh blood did not give up. Some recommended Devils with whom they had deep ties, such as disciples or students; others simply wanted a marriage alliance with Leon, hoping to arrange an engagement between their daughters and him.
Thus, in addition to the list of peerage candidates, the upper echelons had originally prepared a list of potential fiancées. However, that list had been jointly suppressed by Sirzechs, Serafall, the Gremory family, and the Sitri family.
Particularly, the current head of the Sitri family—the father of Serafall and Sona Sitri—had reacted with extreme intensity. He had nearly stormed into the homes of those who recommended their daughters for engagement with Leon to start a physical brawl.
According to this family head, Leon was already his predetermined future son-in-law, and "you bastards shouldn't even think about stealing him."
Regarding this, Serafall had pouted so hard her lip could hang a lantern, but under her father's demand, she had reluctantly come out to take a side and support him.
As for Sirzechs and the Gremory family, that involved another hidden calculation.
The result was that the list of fiancées was temporarily withheld, and it was uncertain if it would ever reach Leon in the future. However, the list of peerage candidates had made its way to Leon through Sirzechs.
"Don't feel pressured. We selected the list, but the final decision is yours. If you truly don't want to choose anyone, we naturally won't force you."
Sirzechs eliminated Leon's concerns with a single sentence.
Leon had been somewhat worried about whether the Great Houses were trying to plant spies or informants around him. Now, it seemed they didn't have such thoughts—or if they did, the Devil Kings had already filtered them out.
"Besides, once they truly become my servants, whether they'll still work for their families is another matter entirely."
Leon thought to himself secretly.
His Evil Pieces were different from others; they were connected to his own "Peerage Assimilation" trait. The moment the reincarnation ritual was completed, the servant's soul would become his property, marked with his brand.
Such servants would only feel closer to him as time passed. After all, even their souls had submitted; how could they feel any resentment toward Leon?
If anyone truly had bad intentions and tried to plant someone by his side, Leon could only say—thanks for the gift.
"I'll leave this list to you. You can take your time choosing; there's no need to give me an answer right now."
Sirzechs seemed to have truly considered all of Leon's worries. As he said this, he added:
"Additionally, besides this list of peerage candidates, we have prepared another form of help for you."
There was more help?
Leon's attention immediately shifted from the list in his hand to Sirzechs, looking at him with curiosity.
"You seem to have accepted a request from the 'Tiamat, the Chaos Karma Dragon,' and are helping her find a treasure, right?"
Sirzechs mentioned this with a smile, causing Leon's eyes to light up.
Leon wasn't at all surprised that Sirzechs knew about this.
He had originally commissioned Sona Sitri to help him investigate the treasure's location, and Sona had undoubtedly used her family's resources to assist him.
In other words, the Sitri family certainly knew about it.
And if the Sitri family knew, would it be hard for others to find out?
At the very least, it was definitely not hard for Sirzechs, a Devil King, to know.
Now that he had brought it up, Leon couldn't fail to realize what it meant.
"Don't tell me, have you already found the Tablet of Destinies?"
Leon looked at Sirzechs with great anticipation.
He had originally intended to find the location of the Tablet of Destinies by triggering the memories within the "Zenith Tempest," because the Tablet had once appeared in the hands of a previous wielder of that artifact before disappearing.
However, the memories he obtained from "Zenith Tempest" only included the past wielders' experiences using the artifact, including memories of reaching the Balance Breaker. There wasn't a single memory that didn't involve the Sacred Gear itself, which completely failed to meet Leon's expectations.
Under those circumstances, Leon had already lost hope in finding the Tablet of Destinies.
Who would have thought that while one path hit a dead end, Sirzechs would provide him with a surprise?
"Don't get your hopes up too high just yet. We have indeed discovered where the Tablet of Destinies is currently located, but if you want to get it, you'll have to do it yourself." Sirzechs reminded him, "This is also a test for you. We can't just hand all the benefits to you on a silver platter. Some things you need to obtain through your own efforts. To avoid hindering your growth, we will at most support you from the shadows and provide some assistance."
"That's more than enough," Leon said solemnly, without a trace of disappointment. "As long as there's news, it's fine."
Getting things for free is great, but constant handouts don't always lead to long-term satisfaction.
Some things may seem easy to obtain on the surface, but fate has already marked a price for them in secret. Once the day comes when you can no longer afford to pay, fate will collect it all from you at once.
The high-level figures of the Devil world had already shown him enough goodwill. But Devils were Devils after all; they followed the principle of equivalent exchange. If he simply kept taking from them, his final end would surely be a miserable trap.
Therefore, Leon would rather the process be a bit convoluted than have them spoon-feed him, just in case the food was laced with poison.
"So, where is the Tablet of Destinies now?"
Leon asked impatiently.
"Your luck is very good, or perhaps it's destiny that this treasure will be found by you." Seeing Leon's expectant face, Sirzechs stopped teasing and smiled. "It is in Tokyo, held in the collection of a massive family."
"A massive family?" Leon was slightly stunned, then frowned. "Could it be one of the Five Great Exorcist Clans?"
If talking about massive families in the human world located in Tokyo, they were the first ones Leon thought of.
Unfortunately, Leon guessed wrong.
The massive family Sirzechs spoke of was not only not one of the Five Clans, it wasn't even a hidden family.
"You should know of the Shinomiya family, right?"
The name that came out of Sirzechs' mouth made Leon freeze.
"The Shinomiya family?" Leon said in surprise. "Is it the Shinomiya family I'm thinking of?"
"Exactly," Sirzechs nodded. "And it is currently in the hands of the eldest daughter of this generation of the Shinomiya family, Kaguya Shinomiya."