The magic train flew through the dimensional gap and after a smooth ride of two hours, the train stopped. The group got off the train to find Serafall standing on the platform.
"Onee-chan came to pick you up~" Serafall beckoned everyone. "Come inside this circle~"
Hiro and others stood inside the circle, which teleported them to the basement of Sitri Mansion.
Hiro flinched at the couple that appeared on the other side. A handsome middle-aged man with black hair tied in a ponytail, violet eyes that burned with grudges as he gazed his way.
The man was none other than Lord Sitri, Servius Sitri, or his future father-in-law standing beside his future mother-in-law. The number of times he interacted with him amounted to almost zero.
'He still doesn't like me.'
Putting the minor grudges aside, he gave a bow to the couple.
"Hiro-chan, stop it." Lady Fina yanked him up and pulled his face into her bosom. "You are my son after all~"
"Okay… Kaa-san."
Her arms tightened further, almost suffocating him in her embrace. "Kya! That's my Hiro-chan, always willing to listen to his Kaa-san."
She once again trapped him. Hiro cast a 'please help me' look at Sona, who rolled her eyes before showing a smug face.
'Damn you…'
"Hiro-chan." Lady Fina whispered. "Don't mind Sona's father. He is just upset that Sona doesn't play with him now."
That stern man wanted to play with his daughter — even feeling jealous of his son-in-law?
"Believe me it is true," Saying so, she released him.
He nodded and glanced at Lord Sitri raising his brow.
"Hilde-chan also arrived today!" Lady Fina remarked.
"Y-Yes, aunt Fina." Hilde meekly replied. "I wanted to learn more about rating games."
"Wonderful. My child is quite a sinful man… Then Kaa-san will lead you to Belphegor-chan."
Lady Sitri clasped his hand and led him outside. Except for Lord Sitri, everyone followed him.
After crossing several corridors, the group arrived at a spacious hall with many chairs and a whiteboard parked in its center. Besides the board, stood a woman in her twenties with her wavy pink hair styled in a bun. Spectacles, a tight formal suit and a skirt emphasizing her curves, and a stick in her hands — she appeared like a sexy woman cosplaying as a teacher only if you ignore the two horns protruding from her head.
She turned her head and met his gaze. Her lips arched up while her sapphire blue eyes flickered with a strange glint. Cold sweat formed on his back as he realized the 2nd Ranker was eying him like a hungry beast. Then, her face returned to normal as if it was an illusion.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." She did a little bow. "Now please take a seat over here."
"Then Kaa-chan and I will go. Take good care of children."
Serafall led Lady Fina outside the room. He and others sat down and waited for Roygun to speak.
"Shall we start with an introduction?" Her gaze passed from Hilde, Tsuki, Sona, and stopped on him. "Please introduce yourself."
"Hiro. A low class devil."
He emphasized the low class devil part, so she won't bother him. His preparations weren't finished yet. He needed more power before he got swept in the storm of Underworld's politics. As he was right now, any Satan Class being could one shot him.
Hearing his answer, Roygun's eyes opened wide before she nodded her head. Then, she requested others for an introduction. After everything was said and done, she started her explanation of rating games.
Basically, everything he already knew.
Roygun's enthusiasm as she talked about rating games seemed to be infectious. Maybe this passion was the reason she reached the second rank.
He activated demonic perception behind her back to check her power — the strength of one of the strongest female devils.
The results made him tilt his head. Her aura was milder, way too milder compared to Serafall and Grayfia — only a bit stronger than Hilde's aura. However, crimson demonic power overflowed inside her body, mostly condensed around her chest.
He concentrated, and the image became clearer.
'What is that?!'
A crimson piece similar to the king from chess circled near her heart. It was the source of overwhelming demonic power.
'A king piece? But there is no king piece used in rating games? And the boost it gives is so devastating. It is over twenty times.'
Normally, a high Class devil would register at the ceremonial hall in one of the Maous territory to receive their Evil piece set with 15 pieces, mainly queen, bishop, rook, knight, and pawn. However, this king piece broke all these boundaries. An item like this should be well known. Yet Elans' memories had no knowledge about it. Perhaps it was lost since he only possessed fragments.
'I need to talk to Tiamat or Sera nee-chan. She might have a clue.'
He deactivated the demonic perception and continued taking notes. This whole thing reeked of a conspiracy big enough to shake the roots of the Underworld. He couldn't afford to be careless.
The corrupted fraction of the Old Satan faction still remained in the shadows, and now this.
'The Underworld is going to change soon…'
Ignoring Roygun's confused stare, he scribbled a tree with a waterfall in the background. The image came naturally to him. One of the trials Elans went through. Despite being beautiful, this place contained dangers enough to kill a Satan Class being. However, inside his fuzzy memories, Elans finished the whole thing in a week.
'I want to be powerful like him… I want power.'
He needed strength — to survive in the Records and safely return home.
To live carefree in a world filled with real Gods.
To crush everything in his way.
'Absolute strength. Even higher than Ophis and Great Red. I'll get it one day if I put in real effort.'
He swore inside his heart.