The downright predatory grin she had on unsettled me slightly. I couldn't understand why she was so interested in me, nor could I understand why she was so eager to have me in her employ.
Nevertheless, the situation was still extremely tense. I could feel the cold chill of frozen sweat stuck to my neck even as her demeanour softened.
Serafall moved out of the way and to my side, allowing me to view the utter domination that had taken place here.
Surrounding us, on all sides, were the shattered remnants of three men, left as nothing but shards of ice that would melt away in a few days.
A horrifying thought that I could end up like them with one wrong move. Slowly, ever so slowly, I raise myself from my seated position, noting that they had tied my arms up to the branch of a nearby tree.
"Now then, I'm glad all that business is over with. I never did catch your name, miss?" I needed to make sure I asked for her name. If I just up and called her Serafall, she'd assume something and either have me killed, imprisoned or worse.
"Serafall. Serafall Sitri. Though, from now on you'll be calling me My Lady." It seems the confusion that was on my face was quickly noticed by her, causing her to give a quick explanation.
"You said yourself that you came here in search of employment. Congratulations. You've been hired. You now are under my command. Welcome to the Revolution." I beg your fucking pardon woman I said I was a doctor not a revolutionary.
"Perhaps you have me mistaken. My trade is more... medicinal than homicidal." Her smile was once again plastered on. It scared me more than her serious self, in all honesty.
"Your weapon, Luocha. I saw what you did with it. It can't be a Sacred Gear, because there was no Mana exchange. No, you brought it out of thin air." As she spoke, she moved closer and closer, causing me to quickly realise how much of a height disparity there was between us.
"The perfect power for an assassin." I almost laughed at the idea of such a thing. Being an assassin was just about the last thing I wanted. The way she said it rubbed me the wrong way.
"You see, Luocha, with this war going on, Doctors are in high demand. The Phenex clan is overworked, and both sides can't lay hands on them without risking them fleeing the underworld. You are a valuable commodity." By now she was pushing into me, having grabbed the sides of my face to pull me down so we could be eye to eye. She looked... quite manic.
"And with such high demand, you could easily infiltrate the Satan's allies." I'm not so sure about easily, but alright.
"You would take down those bastards, brick by brick, dismantling their network, and I would be right there watching as everything they built up for hundreds of years crumbled all around them!" She scares me. I would take magical girl Sera-tan over this any day of the week. This woman is vicious.
"Ah, of course, you can't dismantle whole clans. Maybe just kill the acting head, kidnap the heir, or even try to broker peace with some heavy 'encouragement'. Whad'dya say?" I say you're a war criminal.
Finally, she backs away for a moment and places her hands on her hips, as if she was proud of herself.
"I really don't believe such a thing would work, Miss Sitri. Even if I were to accomplish such a thing, after the first job everyone would know not to trust me." That same, terrifying glint shows up in her eye once more.
"Then you'll just need to pick an incredibly important target, to make it count. And I think I have just the idea." Before she can explain it any further, a strange red sigil appears next to her ear.
Immediately, the voice on the other side began talking, and I quickly realised that it was Sirzechs Gremory himself. It seems as though he was in quite the hurry though.
"Serafall, new update from Ajuka, the Phenex clan is willing to extend an olive branch after continued threats against their lives. We may just be able to attain their support! If all goes well, the Satan's will lose all access to the Phenex Tears!" The sheer relief in the man's voice was astounding. I imagine he'd been trying to have this meeting for quite a long time.
Unfortunately, though, it only seemed to fuel Serafall's ambitions further. She turned her head and gave me a shit-eating grin that would terrify the masses twice over if they saw it.
"That's great to hear Sirzechs. Real great. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure my mole is ready for his interview." I didn't know whether to be proud that I had been given such an important job, or demoralised that I had no choice.
"Now then, Luocha, given the circumstances, I think your value just went up considerably, which is great for me." She doesn't even give me a chance to speak up in protest yet.
Instead, she got up close once more, and I swore I could see stars in her eyes.
"You are going to do great things, my little mole. Because you are going to infiltrate the Lucifuge household." There is unfortunately a slight hitch in that plan.
"Miss Sitri-" Before I can continue, she cuts me off with an aggressive clearing of her throat.
"Ugh. My Lady, this plan would never work. I am, after all, only a Half-Devil. The Lucifuge clan would never allow me anywhere near them." She tilts her head, and places a finger on the side of her chin.
"I just need to make them desperate enough. The Lucifuge Clan is far too powerful to let roam freely." Her eyes turn extremely sharp at the thought.
"Would it be too much for me to decline this job opportunity?" She looks at me and just laughs.
"Nice try, Luocha. Besides, I saved your life. You owe me." For a moment, the silly idea of fighting for my freedom pops into my head, until I see her level with Wandering Eye.
Serafall Sitri: Level 296
And with that, Serafall took me back to the Sitri manor for infiltration training. The idea of it alone astonishes me. She seriously expects me, a Half-Devil, to even come close to such an esteemed clan as the Lucifuge?
I didn't even know the basic geography of this world yet, and here I was, being sent on infiltration missions, because seemingly the Underworld forgot the importance of doctors in the wake of Phenex Tears.
That, however, won't come for a decent while. Serafall said she wanted to make enough noise to scare the Lucifuge into accepting my help in spite of my race, and she also wanted to introduce me to 'besties'. I was being shown off like a toy.
She ran through the front door of her manor, carrying me effortlessly saying she found the key to winning the war. The servants around us looked both sympathetic and oddly pleased.
In my confusion, I'd asked Serafall just why the Lucifuge clan was so important shortly after my arrival here, and her answer still brings me no end of intrigue.
"They are vassals to the acting Lucifer. If we get to them, we get to him. And for the sake of us all, he must die."
I was shocked. I knew Rizevim was a hated figure, but I really didn't expect them to go so far to hunt him down. I cursed the fact that I had been sent to this time period for the second time now.
Had I been following the normal timeline, I'd at least have an idea what would happen when. I'm already beyond in the dark now, hell, I imagine my actions now could irreparably affect the future.
But what is an adventure without a bit of fun, anyways? So what if the future changes?
[Well said, User! I applaud your courage!]
.
Anya. You've been oddly quiet lately. Is something wrong?
[I was allowing you to create meaningful bonds, User! I am only a guide. My presence in your journey should be negligible.]
[Speaking of Journey, you have 2 new Quest rewards, User!]
Thank the... Devil. I'd been wondering when I'd get stronger once more. If I'm gonna infiltrate such a powerful household, I'll at least need to be strong enough that they don't kill me on sight.
Companion Quest: (I found them like this)
Rewards:
500EXP
Serafall's Approval
1 Skill Token
Access to Companion Quest: Gone like the wind
The feeling of leveling up never loses that charm. My whole body is aflame with energy, raw power. Now then, the next quest.
Hidden Quest: Attain Serafall's Approval
Rewards:
300EXP
1 Skill Token
2 Interdimensional Gacha Pulls
Access to Companion Quest: Peeping Tom
Once again, the satisfying feeling of leveling up washes over me, and I'm left feeling phenomenally excited at the Skill Token prospects. First, though, stats.
Name: Luocha
Level: 22 (7)
HP: 1039
MP: 373
STR: 11 (+2)
AGI: 11 (+3)
INT: 10 (+3)
VIT: 11 (+3)
LUK: 9 (+5)
Level 10 Reward: Signature Skill Unlock
New Skill: Death Wish (Manifest a coffin containing your previous body. Use the coffin's connection to the Primordial Death to harm your enemies, also inflicting Blight on enemies. Blighted enemies take greater damage from Caduceus. Cooldown 360s.)
Level 10 Reward: Racial Power Unlock
New Skill: Devil Magic (Use the power of your own imagination to manipulate your demonic energy. Consumption rate of MP scales with power and strength of spells used.)
Level 20 Reward: Skill Unlock
New Skill: Cycle of Blight (Attacks with Caduceus extend the duration of an applied Blight effect.)
Level 20 Reward: Racial Power Unlock
New Skill: Formidable Constitution (Gain a passive 10% increase to HP and MP stats. This effect will increase by 5% for every 10 levels)
All of these skills look incredible. I'm most impressed with Formidable Constitution, because it doesn't mention a limit. As long as I keep leveling, I'll receive constant flat upgrades to my stats. Blight also sounds incredibly interesting.
Finally, the Skill Tokens. I'll try my luck with the Gacha after I've slept in the manor.
Skill Token Used!
New Skill: Minor Camouflage (User is harder to notice when in shadows/dim light. Skill is passive and has no MP cost.)
Probably the single best skill I could have gotten from that roll. I'll need some way to stay safe while gathering information.
Skill Token Used!
New Skill: Windrunner (AGI increases by 50% of current AGI. 1/15th of User's total MP cost, 30s cooldown.)
Another impressive skill that has a surprising degree of permanence. I'll always have a reason to use this skill given it grows with in power alongside me.
Were it not for the fact that I'd been hired as a spy on my first day in this world, this day would have been perfect. At the very least, this current growth rate has me incredibly excited for the future.
When I next wake up, I'll meet the Leaders. I'll begin my training. And I'll probably be vetted to ensure I'm not already a spy for the opposite side. But, for now, I'll enjoy the night's rest that I've earned.