Omniscient POV
While Kouske was away, Mephistopheles unexpectedly came to visit Akatsuki in the Demiplane. Such visits were rare, as Mephistopheles seldom left his own territory or the confines of his organization, Grauzauberer—one of the largest magician organizations in the supernatural community.
Typically absorbed in his magical research or managing his organization, his presence here was unusual.
Already waiting in the meeting room, he was promptly greeted by Sakuya, who, ever the perfect maid she was, took charge upon learning of his arrival, as Akatsuki was unavailable at the time.
Sakuya had just finished organizing things after the incident with the Phenex clown at Control, the arcade. She had been preparing to discuss the matter with Kouske, but news of Mephistopheles' visit interrupted her plans.
Despite being mentally drained from the day's chaotic events, she had no choice but to set her exhaustion aside and attend to the unexpected guest.
First, she was interrogated by the girls about her developing relationship with Kouske. Then, the Phenex clown showed up, and now this.
She just couldn't catch a break. But a perfect maid never takes breaks—it's part of her duty, after all.
Well, Kouske would undoubtedly refute that if he ever heard her say it, in 'certain' ways that would always make her remember the importance of proper rest and taking good care of her health and body~.
Still, she couldn't help but feel curious about Mephistopheles's sudden visit.
*clang*
The door of the room suddenly opened, making Mephistopheles, who was helping himself to tea and sweets, look up. He found Sakuya's beautiful figure clad in her signature maid outfit entering the room.
Sakuya glanced at the scene, noting that he had already been served food, so she didn't need to worry about such pleasantries anymore. Mephistopheles gave her a kind smile while looking at her.
"It's great meeting you again, Lord Pheles," Sakuya said politely, offering a graceful bow.
"I apologize, but Akatsuki-sama is not available right now. He is not here. However, I would be glad to pass on anything you wish to relay to him."
She gently helped herself to comfortably take a seat in front of him, her poise and professionalism never wavering.
"Oh, that's unfortunate, but it's not a problem. After all, I came here uninvited and so suddenly. Naturally, he's a busy person," Mephistopheles replied with an easy smile.
"But it's a pleasure to meet you again, Lady Izayoi. I hope we can talk properly this time. It's already been a year since we last met, hasn't it?" he mused, his gaze distant for a moment, as if recalling something.
"Yes, time truly flies. I hope you are in good health," Sakuya responded gracefully, her tone polite yet warm.
Mephistopheles nodded, his courteous reply reflecting mutual respect. After all, the woman before him was the first ever Super Devil-class human magician—a feat that was previously unheard of.
Although he didn't know the full extent of her power, his long years of experience allowed him to discern enough to treat her with care.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, their conversation flowing smoothly before gradually shifting toward the main topic of his visit.
"So, what is it that you actually wanted to talk about?" Sakuya asked, casually sipping from a cup of tea that had somehow found its way into her hands without Mephistopheles even noticing when and how.
The sight left him momentarily perplexed, though he quickly reminded himself that the person sitting before him was a Master of Time. Such feats were hardly unusual for someone of her caliber.
Still, it was astonishing. Despite his finely honed sensitivity to shifts in mana, he hadn't detected the slightest disturbance or change in the surroundings.
For a brief moment, he found himself in silent awe, his thoughts lingering on the implications of her mastery.
However, he didn't let his momentary lapse show. Composing himself seamlessly, he addressed her earlier question, ready to discuss the true purpose of his visit.
"I heard some time ago, that your organization had a conflict with certain members of the Wizards of Oz," Mephistopheles began, his gaze fixed on her as if trying to read her reaction.
"Ah, yes," Sakuya replied calmly, placing her teacup down on the table.
"Some of our members did encounter them and managed to capture a few. Are you perhaps interested in them?" her tone was polite, her expression unreadable, though she was fully aware of his likely reasons for bringing this up.
"Indeed," Mephistopheles admitted with a small nod.
"Though it's not widely known, they were once part of my organization. The Wizards of Oz are, in essence, a faction of magicians who broke away from Grauzauberer, seeking independence. They aimed to establish their own secret magician country, a place where they could freely study and enhance their craft."
He leaned back slightly, observing her closely as if gauging her reaction to this revelation.
"Oh, is that why you came? Do you intend to help them somehow?" Sakuya asked, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked at him.
"No," Mephistopheles replied firmly.
"They have strayed far and have already been branded a criminal organization by many, including us, because of their use of extreme black magic and forbidden rituals. These practices were outlawed long ago, yet they persist, using souls to nourish their mana and power."
Indeed, they had strayed too far. Their last major incident had claimed the lives of thousands of innocents, including children, women, and the elderly.
It was the very case Lavinia had gone to investigate, which led her to encounter Augusta, the mastermind behind the tragedy.
So, it was understandable why she did 'that' to Augusta in their final confrontation. The tragedy had been especially hard on that kind-hearted girl's mentality at the time.
Seeing her in such a state had been truly saddening. Sakuya knew their base was located somewhere in the Dimensional Gap, but the area was far too vast to investigate thoroughly—especially with that big bad dragon, roaming the place.
So, Akatsuki (organization) focused on halting those rituals and capturing anyone who might provide a lead back to their base. Thankfully, it hadn't even been a month, and now they had already apprehended some individuals who could reveal its location.
"So, do you also want to know about their location, perhaps?" Sakuya asked.
Grauzauberer had also been successful in capturing some of their members, but all of them were under binding magic that prevented them from divulging any information.
They couldn't even look into their memories or hypnotize them, as in all cases, they would die from a magical blast to their brains. Fortunately, Akatsuki had ways to bypass these restrictions.
If Mephistopheles had waited a bit longer, even he could have devised an alternative method to extract the information without them dying.
"Yes. I intend to get involved. Unfortunately, one of the leaders of that organization happens to be a former disciple of mine. It is a master's duty to correct their disciple if they stray from the right path. That child had talent when I took him in, but..."
*sigh*
Mephistopheles spoke, and Sakuya could see the trace of regret in his eyes. Even a devil as old as him could feel that way sometimes. The world was a place where new challenges and experiences always arose.
Well, it was actually in their own interest if Grauzauberer joined forces to help them eradicate those rogue magicians. It was beneficial for them, so Sakuya didn't mind cooperating.
Afterward, both of them spoke for a while longer before parting ways to fulfill their respective roles.
*
*
*
After Sakuya informed Kouske through their mental link about everything that had transpired inside Control, including Mephistopheles's visit to the Demiplane, he quickly sent a duplicate of himself.
He knew he had to personally intervene to resolve the situation. Moreover, he was furious with the Phenex clown. How dare he?! At least the fool got what he deserved.
"Are you sure you're fine with this?" Kouske asked Elle, who was already prepared to leave for the game preliminaries in Tokyo, as he held up the orb of Phoenix Spark she had extracted from the clown.
"Yeah, you can do whatever you want with it. It doesn't matter to me. I already taught that 'thing' a lesson. Now I'm busy. Let me go," Elle said, trying to act 'cool' as she attempted to teleport away.
If Kouske had been even a moment later, they would have missed each other entirely.
"Elle-chan held back a lot, you know," Sakuya remarked suddenly from beside her.
"She didn't lash out like she normally would at the first chance and even gave that fool plenty of opportunities to leave—thinking of our political situation, for your sake."
Elle had truly matured a lot since she first arrived here.
"Umm... Thanks for that. I really appreciate you being considerate. But you don't have to worry too much about stuff like that. If something like this happens again, just beat the shit out of them without restraint. I'll take care of the aftermath. You're more important than some foolish devils," Kouske said with a serious look on his face.
Elle blushed slightly at his words but quickly composed herself, pretending as if nothing had happened.
"Hmph! I didn't hold back because of you. I just didn't want to get involved with 'it.' So I ignored 'it,' but 'it' never took the hints," said Elle with a look of displeasure and a sigh, while turning her gaze to another direction.
Both Sakuya and Kouske smiled slightly at her words. She acts all haughty like a princess, yet she can be such a cute tsundere too. Elle frowned at their amused expressions, but her pout only made her look even more adorable.
"What's with those annoying smiles?" Elle asked in a slightly high-pitched voice, her displeasure evident.
"Ha ha ha. It's nothing," Kouske replied with a chuckle. "And yeah, you should have just ignored 'it.' It's just Riser, after all. Nothing good ever comes from associating with 'it.'"
Before Elle could respond, Kouske leaned in and hugged her. She jolted in surprise for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden gesture.
"I'm just happy that you're fine," Kouske whispered, his voice soft.
Elle's expression softened, and after a moment, she smiled and returned the hug.
"Of course, I would be fine. Don't forget who I am," she said proudly, a smug smile gracing her lips as she pulled away.
Her confident tone brought matching smiles to both Kouske and Sakuya's faces, as it only made her seem even cuter.
Without realizing it, Kouske began patting her head, and Elle caught up in the moment, and leaned into it slightly, making it easier for him.
However, the realization soon hit her, and she quickly stepped back, swatting his hand away with a sharp, "Hey!"
Her face turned bright red as she glared at him, flustered. Kouske, unfazed, simply laughed, while Sakuya smiled gently, amused by the scene.
"I have to go. The preliminaries are going to start soon," Elle said, initiating a teleportation circle as she quickly tried to teleport out of the mansion, still glaring at Kouske with a flushed face.
"Good luck," both Kouske and Sakuya said, though they knew she didn't really need it. Elle gave them a small smile before leaving.
She had already talked to the others before leaving, but once again, both Kouske and Sakuya couldn't help but think—if only she was less addicted to games. They sighed internally.
Now, it was only a matter of time before someone from the Phenex clan showed up again, and Kouske was pretty sure he knew who might come this time...
*
*
*
Now, somewhere in the Underworld, a certain magical Maou had just finished her work as she looked at the date marked on her calendar.
"Yosshai! Work's finished!" yelled the cutest magical girl in the world.
She quickly looked at her prized pen. If not for this, she would have still been buried in work like Sirzechs.
She could only laugh as she recalled her friend's reaction upon seeing it. All of the Maous were interested in it.
Sirzechs and Falbium wanted one for themselves, while Ajuka wanted to know about the magic engraved in it.
Unfortunately, she couldn't let Ajuka experiment on it without Kouske's input. He did say it was a product from a secret project.
She had already shown them the pen, but she didn't want to betray Kouske's trust by actually giving it to someone else.
Sirzechs had actually bothered Kouske quite a lot to get one for himself, offering any amount of money, but Kouske flatly rejected the Maou, saying it was very rare and one of a kind for now. Sirzechs was very dejected but had no choice but to accept it.
Ajuka also tried negotiating, but Kouske didn't agree. Last she heard, Ajuka might reach out to Akatsuki personally for it. Well, at least it was making her life easier. So, no worries for her!
Serafall jumped in joy as she looked at her calendar. A very special day was coming soon. She had been preparing for the whole year, but now she could make this better with Kouske's help.
"Kou-chan! Onee-chan's coming!" she skipped in place with a cute, bright smile, like a small child, as her secretary, who just happened to walk in, sighed at her usual antics.
'It's hard working under such a quirky Maou,' was all she could think...