I walked down a long corridor beside Ajuka, the quiet echo of our footsteps bouncing softly against polished stone walls. The Lucifer estate was vast, far larger than it first appeared, its hallways twisting with deliberate elegance that felt less like architecture and more like design meant to remind visitors of status and power.
"So I need this peerage thing?" I asked, breaking the silence, my thoughts briefly flashing back to Sirzechs' earlier explanation or rather, lack of one.
You need a peerage first or no one would take you seriously.
That had been all he said before promptly sending me away with Ajuka, offering no clarification whatsoever about what a peerage actually was.
"Sirzechs didn't tell you?" Ajuka asked, glancing sideways at me.
I didn't respond verbally. My expression remained flat, unchanged.
Ajuka studied my face for only a second before understanding dawned on him. A faint sigh escaped him, somewhere between amusement and resignation. "I see," he said, turning his gaze forward again. "Yes… that does sound like Sirzechs."
He continued walking at the same measured pace. "To put it simply, a peerage is a structured group of subordinate devils bound to a single King through a system of magical artifacts known as Evil Pieces."
I tilted my head slightly. "Artifacts?"
Ajuka nodded once. "Correct. I developed them several centuries ago following the Devil Civil War. Prior to that, reincarnation methods were inefficient, unstable, and, frankly, barbaric. Devils relied on crude contracts and unpredictable transformations. The Evil Piece system standardized the process."
His tone carried quiet pride, though it was restrained beneath academic composure.
"The system allows devils to reincarnate members of other races into devils while preserving hierarchy, compatibility, and magical balance."
A civil war.
The thought lingered unpleasantly. Demons, supposedly superior beings, falling into internal conflict reminiscent of humanity's worst tendencies. How inefficient. How irrational. Why fight one another when expansion outward was more logical? If manpower was required, subjugating humans or other species would have been simpler.
"So it is some kind of military unit?" I asked.
Ajuka smiled faintly. "That is one function," he admitted, raising a finger. "But not the primary one."
We turned a corner, and the hallway grew quieter. Servants became scarce, replaced by reinforced walls etched faintly with magical reinforcement arrays.
"A peerage is modeled after a chessboard," Ajuka continued. "One King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Bishops, two Knights, and eight Pawns. Each piece represents a role defined by capability and specialization."
"Why chess?" I asked.
"Efficiency," he answered immediately. "Chess is a perfected system of strategic balance. Every piece possesses strengths offset by limitations. Victory depends not on raw power alone, but coordination and foresight. I considered it… appropriate for devils."
That reasoning held logic.
"And the purpose of this system?" I asked.
Ajuka glanced at me again, this time with visible interest, as if testing how I processed information.
"A peerage fulfills several roles." He raised one finger. "First, political legitimacy. High ranking devils are expected to command followers. A King without retainers appears weak, inexperienced, or unstable."
A second finger rose.
"Second, military strength. Your peerage serves as your personal combat force. Disputes between devils are often resolved through Rating Games, controlled battles between peerages, rather than destructive wars."
A third finger.
"Third, influence. Devils reincarnated by you become your retainers. Their accomplishments enhance your authority. Over time, a powerful peerage can elevate an entire noble house."
"So it is fundamentally a mechanism for accumulating power," I concluded.
Ajuka nodded approvingly. "Precisely."
We stopped before a massive metal door engraved with dense layers of magic circles. Even without activating my perception fully, I could feel the compression of arcane formulas woven into its structure. The air itself felt heavier near it, saturated with magical energy.
Ajuka placed his hand against the surface. The arrays illuminated one by one, reacting to his mana signature.
"And in your case," he added calmly, "it will serve an additional purpose."
The door began to open with a deep mechanical hum, mechanisms moving in perfect synchronization with magecraft.
"Convincing the entire Underworld that the manifestation of the seventy two pillars is not merely a curiosity…" he said, glancing down at me, sharp intelligence glinting in his eyes, "…but a King worthy of recognition."
The door slid fully open, revealing the interior of his workshop, light spilling outward alongside an overwhelming density of magical energy.
"Which means," Ajuka finished as he stepped inside, "we must select your pieces very carefully."
He looked back at me, faint excitement finally breaking through his calm demeanor.
"And that," he said, "is where things become interesting."
The moment I stepped past the threshold, I understood immediately that the word workshop was an understatement.
The space beyond the door expanded far beyond what the exterior dimensions of the building should have allowed. Layered spatial distortions folded over one another, stretching reality outward and deepening the chamber into something vast enough to resemble a contained world of research rather than a single room.
Platforms floated at varying heights, suspended by stabilized gravity fields and anchored by rotating spell arrays that revolved slowly like celestial bodies orbiting an unseen center. Bridges of condensed light connected them, shifting subtly as if responding to invisible calculations occurring constantly within the space itself.
Dense magical energy pressed gently against my senses the moment I entered. It did not feel wild or chaotic like natural leyline concentrations. Instead, it was regulated, distributed with deliberate precision. Every current of mana flowed along predetermined paths, circulating through the workshop like blood through a living organism.
"This is impressive. It borders on something close to a Reality Marble," I said casually, my golden eyes tracing the countless layered formulas engraved into the air itself. Even in the Underworld, where magical energy rivaled the Age of Gods, the density here was extraordinary. Standing within it felt less like entering a laboratory and more like standing atop a divine leyline deliberately engineered by a demon's intellect.
Ajuka gave a small, satisfied smile. "Thank you. I try my best."
He moved across one of the floating platforms with practiced ease, stepping onto a bridge of light that solidified beneath his feet. I followed after him, observing how the surrounding arrays subtly adjusted their rotation in response to his presence, recognizing him as their administrator. When he reached a sleek metallic desk positioned near the center of the chamber, he opened one of its drawers and removed a small ornate box before handing it to me.
"In there are the chess pieces," he said. "Find the King piece and pour your demonic power into it."
I opened the box without hesitation. Inside rested the Evil Pieces, each carved in the shape of a chess piece and radiating a dense concentration of demonic aura. Even before touching one, I could sense the complexity embedded within them. The artifacts were not simple enchantments. They contained layered transformation formulas designed to overwrite biological and spiritual structures simultaneously.
That made sense. The artifact needed to alter the recipient's biology, reconstructing both body and soul while saturating them with demonic energy. My fingers closed around the King piece.
The density of power contained within it was remarkable. Its demonic aura pulsed steadily, refined and stable, only slightly inferior to the output of a Holy Grail class artifact. For something artificially created, that alone placed Ajuka's achievement among the highest tiers of thaumaturgical engineering.
"Your capacity to create things is also impressive," I murmured.
Ajuka said nothing, but I noticed the faint upward curve of his lips.
I poured my mana into the King piece. The moment my energy entered it, the artifact reacted instantly, dissolving into particles of crimson light that flowed into my body and merged seamlessly with my existence. There was no resistance, no transformation, no sensation beyond a brief warmth.
Predictable. I was already classified as a devil. The system simply acknowledged my status rather than altering it.
The process finished almost immediately.
I flexed my fingers once, confirming there were no structural changes.
"Don't mind if I test something with them, would you?" I asked.
"Test something?" Ajuka repeated, curiosity immediately sharpening his gaze.
"Go ahead."
I did not hesitate. This workshop was the perfect environment. The density of magical energy here rivaled sacred grounds, and more importantly, every current of mana was stable enough to act as a summoning medium. If my hypothesis was correct, then the Evil Pieces could serve a function beyond reincarnation.
I picked up a Rook piece from the box and closed it again.
Without further explanation, I began chanting.
The words left my lips at the speed of Divine Speech, syllables layered with mana rather than sound. Mana throughout the workshop responded instantly, drawn toward me as though acknowledging a higher-order command. The ambient energy condensed, forming an immense summoning circle beneath our feet, composed entirely of pure mana rather than physical inscription.
Ajuka's eyes widened as the circle expanded outward, formulas overlapping in impossible density.
I used the workshop itself as the medium.
The Rook piece served as the catalyst.
If the Evil Piece could rewrite a soul, then it should also function as an anchor for heroic spiritual data.
Perhaps…
The circle ignited.
Light erupted outward, flooding the chamber in blinding brilliance before collapsing inward with explosive force. The air trembled as the summoning completed, and when the radiance faded, both Ajuka and I stared at the figure now standing before us.
Ajuka looked genuinely caught off guard.
I simply observed.
The man's stature exceeded human bounds entirely. He stood well over two and a half meters tall, his presence alone distorting the surrounding mana. His body resembled a statue sculpted by divine hands, every muscle perfectly defined, every movement containing restrained power. Od flowed through him in overwhelming quantities, dense and pure enough to border on divinity itself.
Recognition came instantly.
Not from Goetia's fragmented knowledge.
From my previous life.
The hero of the Twelve Labors.
Heracles.
He did not radiate madness, however. No Berserker's instability clouded his aura. His presence was calm, disciplined, heroic. Whatever form he had taken, it was not the Berserker class.
Or perhaps…
The class container had been replaced.
The Rook piece embedded within him pulsed faintly, synchronizing with my own demonic energy.
"Heracles," I said, looking up at the towering hero.
Ajuka remained silent for several seconds, his analytical mind clearly attempting to process what he had just witnessed.
"You used an Evil Piece…" he said slowly at last.
"As a catalyst for an external summoning system," he finished, disbelief evident in his voice as his gaze moved between me and the summoned hero. "He has to be the highest grade of familiar ever recorded… and you integrated him directly into your peerage?"
His eyes sharpened as he analyzed Heracles' aura.
"He's at least on par with an Ultimate-class devil," Ajuka murmured. "What you did should be theoretically impossible."
His gaze snapped back to me.
"How did you do that?"
Before I answered, the giant hero spoke first, his deep voice resonating through the chamber like distant thunder.
"King of Mages," Heracles said, placing a hand over his chest in acknowledgment. "I was surprised when I felt your summoning, but I did not hesitate to accept. Even if your contract contained… additional conditions."
I inclined my head slightly in return before addressing Ajuka.
"I used your workshop as a medium and the Rook Evil Piece's mana as a catalyst," I explained calmly. "Then I accessed the Throne of Heroes and anchored a spirit origin compatible with the vessel. The system appears to have adapted successfully."
"The Throne of Heroes?" Ajuka repeated, the curiosity in his voice unmistakable as his sharp eyes fixed on me. The question was not disbelief but calculation. He was already attempting to construct a theoretical framework around the concept.
"It is a higher dimension that exists beyond conventional space and time," I explained calmly. "An archive that records the existence of heroes. Individuals whose legends achieved sufficient conceptual weight are preserved there as spiritual foundations. It exists outside samsara, beyond the normal cycle of reincarnation. Once recorded, they no longer pass naturally through rebirth. The only way for them to manifest again is through summoning."
I studied Heracles carefully as I spoke, observing the stability of his spiritual structure.
"And it seems he does not retain anything superficial," I added thoughtfully. "Only the essential components of his legend. Skills, power, and identity remain. Extraneous elements tied to mortal limitation appear to have been discarded during conversion."
Heracles inclined his head slightly. "You are correct. I have been fully incarnated as a devil."
His deep voice carried a calm certainty, devoid of confusion or resistance. Unlike a summoned Servant bound temporarily to a Master, his existence here possessed permanence. The Evil Piece had not merely anchored him, it had rewritten his ontological classification.
His gaze shifted toward Ajuka.
"You must be a ruler among devils," Heracles said, studying him with clear respect. "Your presence resembles that of a god-king. As a hero, I offer you my respect."
Ajuka smiled faintly and shook his head. "Not quite a ruler, but close enough. I'm one of the Four Satans."
Heracles nodded once, accepting the information immediately. "Then you are akin to Mars among the gods. A figure of authority through power and responsibility rather than lineage alone."
Ajuka gave a quiet chuckle. "Yeah. That's… actually a pretty accurate comparison. We carry roughly the same level of political weight."
His attention quickly returned to me, however, analytical fascination overtaking casual conversation.
"This Throne of Heroes," Ajuka said slowly, his mind worked through implications, "is essentially a higher-dimensional archive containing perfected spiritual records."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And you accessed it using an Evil Piece."
Silence followed as he processed the magnitude of that statement. I could almost see the calculations forming behind his eyes, layers of magical theory rearranging themselves to accommodate a system previously unknown to this world.
"…Fascinating," he finally murmured.
He stepped closer to Heracles, circling him slowly while observing the flow of energy within his body. Several scanning arrays in the workshop activated automatically, projecting faint lines of analysis across the hero's form.
"The magical structure of his soul is extraordinary," Ajuka said, now fully immersed in examination. "This isn't an imitation or familiar construct. This is the genuine spiritual template of Heracles."
He paused, clearly astonished.
"The level of divinity present is immense… yet perfectly stabilized." His gaze sharpened further. "The Evil Piece has completely restructured the vessel. The human limitations normally associated with Heracles are gone. Only the divine aspect remains dominant."
Heracles stood calmly under scrutiny, unbothered by the analysis.
Ajuka exhaled slowly, a rare expression of genuine excitement appearing on his face.
"You didn't just summon him," he said, turning back toward me. "You optimized the reincarnation process. You merged an external heroic system with devil evolution and eliminated instability entirely."
His smile widened, almost boyish despite his usual composure.
"You're truly incredible, Goetia. Next time you attempt something like this…" he paused, eyes gleaming with anticipation, "…please do it while I'm watching from the beginning."