Beyond the Outer Gates Lies...Devilish Research (part 2)?

"So, Dresden-kun," Sona started, after settling herself on Rias's couch, "Why did you ask to meet with the two of us in private?"

"I was hoping you two would provide me with some more information on the Evil Pieces," I answered evenly.

I had requested the private meeting with the two Kings after my last job tracking down a Stray Devil. They had agreed, and Sona insisted it be held in the Occult Research Club's clubroom. She said it was because we would be more likely to be interrupted in the Student Council's office. Neither Rias nor I were fooled, the real reason was so that the Sitri Peerage could continue with their normal Council work while we were meeting.

So now the two girls were seated on one of the two couches, facing me on the other.

"And why should we do that?" Rias smiled slightly, once again in negotiating mode.

"True. Depending on what precisely you want to know, that can be valuable and dangerous information," Sona gave her friend a slight glare and shifted gears, determined not to lose out on whatever price they might wring out of me.

"Well, you are the ones trying to recruit me," I leaned back casually, "I mean, the rumor mill says Rias already offered her last Piece to that Valkyrie, and she is considering accepting, but that did not stop her from propositioning me again last Thursday."

The red-head blushed, both because of my deliberate choice of words, and because I knew she was hedging her bets.

"And Sona, you may have retracted your initial offer after my… outburst. But I'm willing to bet if you found me dying, or if I asked, you would probably take me into your Peerage."

"Not that I'm considering," I held up my hand at the looks on their faces, "I still wanna stay Human. But I'd like to think I was making a properly informed rejection."

"But the main reason I'm asking is because of rat man stray I tracked down last Thursday," I continued, "I have hunted done a bunch of Strays now, but so far they have all been Pawns or natural Devils that didn't have a Piece. That guy was a Knight, and his speed made him a headache. I'm hoping if I learn more about the Evil Pieces, I can come up with a spell to tell what kind of Piece a Stray is. And possibly specialized tracking spells for them. Or just get a better idea of what they are like, to make it easier to narrow down where they might be."

"What do you mean?" Sona asked curiously.

"Well, the rat stuck to open areas, presumably where he could make best use of his speed. Rooks might prefer areas where there are a bunch of big, heavy things they can throw or bash us with. And Bishops will probably try to stick close to the ley lines. But that's just off the top of my head with what little I already know."

Rias nodded thoughtfully. I took her expression to mean she hadn't thought of that before.

"I wish to point out that the scorpion Stray you encountered with the other two Strays twelve days ago was a Rook." Sona said, "However, your basic point stands."

"I guess that explains why she hit my shield like a speeding Volkswagen."

"So, what do you want to know?" Rias asked.

"That's the thing," I shrugged helplessly, "I don't know what I don't know… You know?"

Both girls smiled broadly and Sona let out a snort as she suppressed a chuckle.

"Why don't you tell us what you think you know," Sona emphasized the word, rubbing in the mistaken assumptions I had made about Bizzaro world in the past, "And we will do our best to fill in the gaps."

"Okay," I nodded, "Well, let's see. The Evil Pieces are based on a chess set. They are given to high class Devils to create a Peerage, by recruiting either other Devils, or other species entirely. The Pieces seem to be able to turn almost anyone into a Devil; by my count that includes vanilla Humans, Sacred Gear possessing Humans, half-Humans/half-Fallen, Nekomata youkai, Dragons, and Valkyries. Oh, and whatever Behemoth was."

I paused for a moment, as something occurred to me.

"Since they work on half-Fallen, I assumed they work on full Fallen as well. But what about regular Angels? Could you turn Irina into a Devil, without her falling first?"

Given her lustful feelings for Ise, I gave her six months, tops.

Both Kings frowned thoughtfully at my question.

"To the best of my knowledge such a situation as never occurred," Sona informed me.

"It may be interesting to try," Rias noted, "Though I'm not sure it would work."

"Evil Pieces can also restore the dying or recently dead," I resumed, "I don't think Xenovia or Ravel were dying beforehand, so I assumed the Pieces also work on normally, healthy people as well."

I tilted my head and half-lifted a hand, and Sona nodded in confirmation at my prompting. Rias grinned at how easily her rival and I communicated without words. I almost told her to shut up, but continued my interview instead.

"So, if a natural Devil were dying, could an Evil Piece revive them?"

Again the girl's faces scrunched as they considered something that had not thought of before.

"Once again, you have a question I find myself unable to answer, Dresden-kun," Sona smiled despite sounding slightly annoyed, "I am not sure if it is refreshing or off-putting."

"I'm really interested in the revival aspect," I admitted to them, "I wonder if there is a way it could be used to bring someone back without turning them into a Devil or Angel. Or even bring a Devil or Angel back as a Human."

Their eyes widened in surprise, but their expressions quickly turned negative. I guessed they were as attached to being Devils as I was to being Human, and were considering the possibility of a reversal of what Rias kept offering me.

"The Pieces have a point value, and certain powers," I returned to my discourse before they could consider it too much, "Pawns are worth one point, and other than Promotion, seem to be the platypodes of the Evil Pieces."

"Hmm?" Rias pursed her lips prettily in her confusion.

"They don't do much," I clarified.

"Doobie, doobie doo, waa," Lash sang in my ear.

'Not now,' I wished I could roll my eyes at her, 'Bad enough you got that reference stuck in my head.'

Rias snrked at that, but Sona shook her head, struggling not to acknowledge me, "While they do not provide the powers of the other Pieces, Pawns generally provide a minor boost in speed and stamina. It varies with how powerful the individual was before becoming a Pawn."

"Like I said," I nodded sagely, "Knights and Bishops are both worth three points. Knights give a huge speed boost. Not like the Flash or even Quicksilver, but still faster than your average racecar. Also, all the Knights I know of are weapons users; Kiba, Xenovia, and Tomoe are all sword users, and the rat man was pretty handy with a flail."

Again with the frowns. I was starting to wonder if they really would be able to tell me anything I didn't already know.

"Though there isn't any specific requirement about that," Rias agreed, "That does seem to be the case."

So, it could be coincidence, or something in the nature of the Knight Piece they weren't aware of. Either way, I plowed ahead.

"And Bishops have a strong magical power," I said, "They all seem to be spell casters, or have some sort of special ability. Like super healing, or stopping time."

I shook my head, still not able to fully accept Gasper's power.

"Rooks are worth five points. They are super strong and super tough. Queens are worth nine points, and they are the jacks of all trades. They are about eighty percent as strong and tough as a Rook, as magically gifted as a Bishop, and as fast as a Knight."

That was a guesstimate on my part; seeing Akeno and Tsubaki in battle, neither one was quite as quick as any of the Knights, or as strong as the Rooks. It could have just been because the other Pieces worked on leveling up their specialties. But Rook plus Knight plus Bishop was eleven points, so times eighty percent was 8.8 points, which rounded up neatly to nine.

Neither of them denied my statement.

"When a person accepts Evil Pieces, those pieces have to meet or exceed that person's value," I started again, "But how does that value get determined? I mean, I understand that a guy like Ise was worth eight points because of his Sacred Gear; stronger people or people with more untapped potential are worth more points. But who determines how many points? And how do you Kings know the number?"

"That is one of a King's abilities," Sona explained, "We can scan a person, and tell how many Pawns that person is worth."

"Makes sense," I nodded slightly. Then something occurred to me, and I stared at their noses intently.

"So what is my value?"

Both Kings looked me over as thoroughly as Aika doing her 'manhood' scan. I was starting to get a little uncomfortable with where on my chest Sona's eye settled. And then…

"Six," Rias announced.

"Seven," Sona said at the same time.

Then both girls turned to look at each other in surprise.

"What does that mean?" I prompted, "Shouldn't my power or potential or whatever be the same across the board?"

"This isn't uncommon," Rias was smiling at Sona now, and the slighter girl had a hint of a red in her cheeks, "It just means that Sona and her Peerage will benefit more from you, or you would grow stronger working with them. Probably both."

That made sense; if nothing else, Tsubasa and Reya had seemed more protective of me than I could see any of Rias's people being.

"Also, as a King grows in strength, the number of Pieces they must use to reincarnate a person can decrease," Sona added, "In a few years, Rias or I may be able to bring you into one of our groups with only a single Rook."

"Assuming I don't keep getting stronger, too?"

"Yes, there is that," she agreed.

"Okaaaay," I drew it out as the next question hit to me, "So how could I even join either of your groups right now? Rias only has one Rook left. And Sona, you would have to give me your last Rook and either your last Knight or two of your Pawns. Is that even possible?"

"No," Sona shook her head, looking a little disappointed, "While multiple pieces can be used, they must all be of the same type."

"So a ten point person would have to be a double Rook, and an eight point person would have to be that, a Queen, or a full set of Pawns," I mused, "And if a person is worth fewer points than the Piece? Say you wanted to convert a seven point person but only had your Queen left. Would the other two points be lost?"

This time Rias swiveled her head, "In that case, the person will grow into the role. A seven point Queen may never be the equal of a nine point Queen, but she would be able to surpass most eight point Pawns."

"And what if a person is worth more than ten points?"

"Such a thing is unheard of," Sona answered, "Even the strongest Queen was only worthy nine points. Himejima Akeno, the daughter of a high class Fallen and a legendary exorcist family was only worth eight points. Anyone worth eleven points would most likely simply be given a King of their own. Or would have to find a King strong enough to reincarnate them with fewer than eleven points."

"Mutation Pieces," the red-head said thoughtfully. Sona inclined her head in agreement.

"Okay, not familiar with that one," I said glibly, "Do they make Devils want to wear spandex and sprout metal claws out of their knuckles?"

Rias looked completely lost. Sona's expression said that she knew I was making a reference, but she did not get it, and this time was not amused by my joking.

"Mutants?" I prompted. The red-head shifted her shoulders, and the brunette continued to glare at me in annoyance. I sighed.

"Reya or Tsubasa can explain it to you," I relented, "Okay, so what is a Mutation Piece?"

"Like it sounds, it is a variation on a normal Piece," Rias recovered from her confusion, "They are somewhat rare, I think it's around one in ten Pieces is a Mutation Piece."

"Unlike the standard Pieces," Sona picked up the exposition, "the Mutations Pieces each have different powers. No two are exactly alike. Some Pieces are naturally Mutation Pieces, while others become Mutation Pieces based on their owner's growth. However, all Mutation Pieces have the ability to bond with any person. A single Mutation Pawn could convert even your theoretical eleven point individual into a Devil."

"So, how are they different? Do you have an example?"

"Gasper's Bishop is a Mutation Piece," Rias offered, "Otherwise it would have taken both of my Bishops to bring him into my family. It has not revealed any unusual powers yet, but that may be because of Gasper's reserved nature."

I digested that for a few moments.

"Do you have any other questions?" Sona finally prompted me.

"What about Kings?" I remembered, "You can determine a person's value in the Evil Piece system. And I think someone mentioned castling, like regular chess. But how does that work? I mean, Ratings Games are not like regular chess, I wouldn't think you would want you and your Rook to hang out where you started, just for a short range jump like that."

"You are correct," Sona looked pleased at my deduction, "Castling can be used once per Ratings Game, or once per day per Rook. It allows a King to swap places with the Rook, or summon the Rook to her side. And there are two other powers a King possesses. Kings possess the power of Communication, we can telepathically talk to any member of our Peerage. During a Ratings Game this power is free, outside it is more energy efficient than any spell I know, but still requires some of our Demonic Power, depending on how far away our Peer is."

"And the last power?"

Both girls look reluctant, even embarrassed.

"What is it?"

"Do you remember when you first confronted me?" Sona asked softly, "You accused us of using our Peerages as slaves. And I admitted that some Kings are like that."

I nodded slowly, a pit of dread growing in my stomach. The girls looked at each, and Rias exhaled roughly. Sona turned back to me again.

"The last power of the King is called Command," she said, "It is reprehensible power that allows a King to exercise total control over the members of his or her Peerage. No King worthy of their Piece would ever use Command."

I didn't like the implications one bit. But chivalrous guy I was, I felt compelled to comfort her.

"I think I know you two well enough to trust that you wouldn't use something like that unless you had no choice," I told her, "Like to stop someone from committing murder or something."

"It isn't just that using Command is morally wrong," Rias said, "Or the damage it can do to the trust a King needs with her Peerage. Using Command on someone too often can damage them. They become unable to think for themselves, and their Demonic Power is weakened in the process."

Right, Devils drew power from desires, so robbing them of their desires would be bad.

"There is more," Sona added, relieved that I had not exploded, "Using Command can have immediate negative consequences. For example, if Rias and I were in a Ratings Game, and seeing Rias alone, I used Command to order Saji to take her out, even though he insisted he should stay to protect me. Saji would have no choice but to continue to track down Rias, even if it he came across Momo in trouble and had an obvious chance to rescue her. It would also make it easy for Rias to lead him into a trap; even if Saji knew it was happening he would have no choice but to continue to pursue her and be caught."

I frowned thoughtfully. Then I nodded and took a deep breath. I could see why the Kings would have been given that power, there might be traitors, or murders, or something. And their obvious disgust made it clear neither Rias nor Sona would use it. Rias hadn't used it when Kiba had went off the deep end during the Kokabiel incident, after all.

"Okay, well that is a good reason not to become a Devil, unless I am sure I can absolutely trust the King in question. Good thing I know two or three Kings I can trust. Maybe."

I gave them a wry grin.

"Okay, is there anything else you think I should know?"

"Thought we could not answer your question about Angels," Sona decided after a second, "We do know there are some beings that cannot be converted into Devils. The Gods of various other mythologies for certain, and I believe the Buddhas are also exempt. This is not a matter of them being worth too many points. It is simply a part of the natures."

I waited for a second after she finished, and prompted, "That all?"

"Nothing springs to mind," Rias said, "We covered everything I know, and a few things I never thought about. Any more insightful questions?"

"Nope," I pursed my lips and slowly shook my head, "I'm all out of deep insight right about now. Maybe after I digest this. But I still wish I could get a look at the Pieces directly. Like I said, so I can try to come up with a better way to track them."

"There may be something I can do about that," Sona said cautiously. And Rias eyed her friend incredulously.

I looked at the heavy table in the Student Council office, not sure I believed what I was seeing. I had expected to see one or two of Sona's unused Pawns. Instead, seven Pieces sat on the table. Three Pawns, one Rook, one Knight, one Bishop, and one King. And it was not just Sona in the room, but also Tsubaki, Reya, Momo, and Tsubasa. I could have guessed the Queen and Bishops would be there to learn the spells I used and generally observe me. But the Rook's presence was unexpected. As were the King and Bishop on the table. Unless she had been able to get her hands on another one, the King Piece had to be Sona's. Which meant the Bishop was probably Momo's or Reya's. And I know what my guess was.

"Sona, these Pieces…" I wasn't sure what to ask, or how.

"I thought it would be better for you to compare unused Pieces to those bonded to a Devil," she explained, adjusting her glasses, "I had planned to only offer my own King to contrast the others. But Reya said that it would be better the closer you were to a complete set, and I could not disagree. At which point, Tsubasa insisted we use her Rook instead of my unused one."

"If Harry-kun is going to be staring intently at Kaichou and Reya-chan's naked Pieces, I want him to do the same to mine," she grinned and winked at me.

"But what if… what if I mess up somehow?" I stammered, "I mean it should be simple and harmless, the spells I intend to use are completely safe. But mixing magics doesn't always work out like we expect…"

"The Pieces themselves are fairly tough," Sona said, her lips curling slightly, "And I also expect this will make you less inclined to try something crazy when you are frustrated by your lack of results."

"Hey!"

"Smarter magicians than you have tried," she shot back, "I have heard that even the Pieces' creator does not know all of their secrets."

"We trust you Harry," Reya interjected.

I looked at the Pieces for a moment and then made up my mind. None of them seemed worried, or even nervous. And Sona was right, the contrast would make it easier to figure out how these things ticked. Plus, I couldn't let her challenge pass.

"Alright," I sighed in mock defeat, "I wasn't planning on slap-dashing this, but if we are doing it this way, I better do it to the nines. Sona, are we going to do it here, knowing there will be clean up later? Or are we going back to my place?"

"Your place?" the King blushed slightly, but her voice was stern, "What are you talking about Dresden-kun?"

"I'm going to put up a pentagram. To make sure there is no outside interference. So I either need to make one on the floor here in salt and chalk, or we can use the one in my lab."

"I would prefer to stay here," she admitted dubiously, "But I am uncertain about letting you mark up the floor, promises of cleaning or not."

"I won't actually be writing on the floor," I countered, "just creating lines."

"Wait, why do you need this?" Tsubasa prompted.

"There is a decent amount of ambient magic around the school," I explained, "Best case it won't matter. But more likely than not, it will make it harder to understand what the spells are telling me. Kinda like having a conversation at a loud party. And worst case scenario, someone will cast another spell that will clash with my spells and do who knows what to the Pieces."

"Just do it," Sona waved her hand, then gave me another firm look, "But I will hold you to cleaning up afterwards."

"Yes ma'am," I snarked at her with a grin. And then took the pouches of white powder out of my coat. I moved one of the chairs into the far corner, and put my duster, staff, and other party favors on it.

"You two," I addressed Tsubasa and Momo, "In or out?"

"What does that mean?" the other Bishop asked me.

"Are you going to want to be inside the pentagram with the rest of us?" I expanded, "If so, you have to keep your power suppressed, and can't cast any spells. But you will also be able to sense what I am doing, which you won't be able to do outside. I need to know, so I know how big to make the circle."

"We are here to observe, so inside," the Fuku Kaichou answered.

"Okay," I had Lash do some quick calculations, "Oh, and that low power, no magic thing goes for you three, too. Unless I specifically ask you to."

My three potential love interests all nodded gravely. I marked out the five–sided star around the table. I had Sona, Reya, and Tsubasa sit on the other side of the table from me, and put chairs just inside the circle for the other two girls. Once everyone was in place I closed the seal and activated it.

With the background magic cut off, and the five Devils suppressing their energy, I was beginning to feel a hint of power from the Pieces. There wasn't enough for me to make out anything yet.

I sat down, and rearranged the Pieces. I put the King in the center, and placed the other six in a hexagon around them, Lash providing me with invisible marks so the shape was perfect. I arranged it so a Pawn was between each of the other Pieces around the border.

As I touched her Rook, Tsubasa let out a lusty moan, and I froze. But Sona glared at her flirtatious underling, and I realized it was a joke.

"Sorry," the bluette offered sheepishly, but I was still a little more careful when I picked up her Piece again.

The pattern wasn't just me being OCD; the King had a connection to the other Pieces, and I did not want those lines crossing. Also, this avoided having powers of the stronger Pieces interfere with each other by their proximity. Reya smiled and Sona looked pleased at both the formation and its precision.

I called up the most basic scanning spell I knew in calculated magic, the equivalent of a basic Detect Magic spell. Yup, the Pieces were definitely magical, and strong magic at that. But that octogram seal now surrounding the figures was really just to enhance my real starting point.

I took a breath to brace myself, and opened my Third Eye. I meant to focus on the Pieces, but inadvertently found my eyes looking a little higher.

My three… THE. The three girls had not changed much, in terms of their features. Their clothing was different; Sona seemed to be wearing a scholar's robes in deep blue. Her expression was a bit softer. Reya was wearing light green silk blouse and trousers, and a leather breastplate, the kind you would see in anime rather than functional armor, which barely covered her impressive chest. The Bishop also had large scars on both her right cheek and right hand, marks that did not exist on her physical body. Tsubasa was in heavy chain and plate mail, and that did look realistic and functional. And her eyes, while still present, were darkly shadowed to the point where I could only barely see them.

But that was not what got my attention. Their wings were visible, as they had been every time I used my Sight on a Devil. But the bat-like appendages were bright silver instead of the expected black color. Sona also had two pairs of wings, as opposed to the one pair she had shown me when she had admitted she was not Human. Her wings were surround by a thick mist. Reya's seemed to have a perpetual breeze around them. And instead of flesh like the other two, Tsubasa's wings had the glint of metal.

Not sure what, if anything, that meant, I forced my eyes down to the Pieces. They no longer looked like crystal, but instead looked like they were some sort of woven material. Except each thread was a spell rather than cloth. I could also see a thin chain of power from the King to each of the other Pieces, and a thicker cord from the King, Rook, and Bishop to their respective owners. But I could only make out the outermost layer of spells, and even with both the circle and my Sight, I could only understand a handful of the dozens of threads. They were all burned into my memory, but it might take me years or even decades to fully decypher them.

I started looking for differences in the top level, and did not find many. From what I could tell the outside seemed more like a container, to give the Pieces shape and solidity. In fact, the incantations that made them look like a chess set were the first and easiest ones to decode.

One thing that I did have Lash file away to bring up with Sona at our next lesson, was how the mandalas were twisted and drawn out into a thread like shape. I hadn't seen anything like that in calculated magic so far. I wondered how to produce the effect, given that the orientation and distance between the glyphs in high level circles could impact how the spell worked.

I added in the next easiest detection spell, one that could discern the elements and school of an enchantment or curse. That scan was more illuminating, showing that both data points were all over the board, even covering some schools I was not even aware of. Yet. And by focusing on a specific school, I was able to start to see the spells of that school deeper in the Pieces.

I put three more detectors around the Pieces. One was meant to tell the general purpose of a magical item or Sacred Gear. Then a stronger version of the first circle, used to detect expired or deliberately hidden magic. The last one was not a calculated spell, but rather one of my original spells, made to find creatures that had escaped from the Nevernever. I was seeing more of the spells, and finding distinct differences between the types of Pieces. I could definitely come up with a non-calculated way to tell what Piece, if any, a Devil was. And probably better, specific tracking spells for the non-Queen Pieces. But there was still a core to each Piece that was resisting my scans, almost actively.

I had both Sona and Reya cast the fairy light spell, but that did not change anything in the Pieces.

I'm not sure why I did it. It wasn't frustration, or at least not just frustration. It was almost like a little voice calling out from deep in my mind. No, not Lash, she tried to stop me as soon as she realized what I was doing. It may have been a reaction to Sona's taunt about better magicians. But after my sixth and seventh spells failed to reveal anything new, I was inspired. Normal magic did not seem to be doing it, but I had access to other power sources. So I opened myself up, and sent a tiny bit of Soulfire into each of my seven spells. The still visible circles flashed silver, then the Pieces flashed silver, and then the whole room was filled with a blinding, Soulfire colored glare.

"I have good news and bad news," Ajuka Beelzebub announced, as he started moving the Pieces off of the chessboard he had brought with him.

The third Maou I was meeting was not quite as tall as me, and was a pretty boy with short blonde hair. He had a mysterious and flippant air, seeming to be more concerned with preening than with whether I had broken Sona's Peerage or not. Now that I think about it, he reminded me a lot of Thomas, back when I first met my half-brother.

His casual announcement did not put me or the three girls still in the room at ease. I had to resist the urge to shake him until I got a better answer.

"Are they going to be okay?" I asked quickly, rather than get physical with a guy who could probably throw down with Sirzechs and Serafall.

"Yes of course," Beelzebub answered as if it should have been perfectly obvious, "All seven Pieces have undergone mutation, but are otherwise entirely stable. The mutations were simple enough to track, so there is no danger there. And I suppose congratulations are in order Miss Sitri, for having the first Mutation King."

"Then what is the bad news," Reya queried nervously, even as the rest of us relaxed.

"That has to do with the changes in these Pawns," he gestured at them.

Each of the seven Pieces had visibly changed. Each of the Pieces that had been on the edge of the hexagon had new silver imprints, a shadow of the two adjacent Pieces. And Sona's King had the same kind of mark for all six Pieces.

"Please explain," Sona said forcefully.

"Unfortunately, the Promotion power of these Pawns has been reduced," he said without seeming to notice the mood, "Each one can now only promote into the two Pieces it is branded with; this one can only promote into Knight or Bishop, that one can only promote to Knight or Rook."

He waved his hand at the third one, not bothering the complete the pattern we all understood. Sona's head dropped slightly and my heart sank.

"Instead," Ajuka continued, still oblivious, "Each one has one third of the power of the two Pieces it can promote into; this one has part of the strength of a Rook and magic of a Bishop, and so on. So without promoting they are still better than the average Pawn. And they will keep that bonus even when promoted. If this Bishop/Rook Pawn promotes into Rook, it would have the full strength and endurance enhancements of a Rook, and still a third of the magic boost of a Bishop."

Sona's head snapped back up and she looked at the Pawns thoughtfully.

"All in all, I'd say it's about an even trade," he continued, "As for the others, the Rook, Bishop, and Knight with the Pawn brands now have a power I am calling Self-Promotion. Under any circumstances where a Pawn could Promote, these three can double their powers; effectively getting the same benefits as if they had two of that Piece."

Kaichou's eyes widened and she started to smile. And both Reya and Tsubasa looked suitably impressed.

"And your King can now do a Side-Promotion," Ajuka wasn't done yet, "You'll lose your powers as a King, but can instead have the benefits of a Rook, Knight, or Bishop."

"Is there anything else?" Sona sounded like a kid on Christmas.

"Yes," he finally sounded more interested in the discussion, "As a matter of fairness, during a Ratings Game, you Peerage may only use Promotion once for each active Pawn at the start of the match. So if your Bishop uses her Self-Promotion, one of your Pawns must refrain. If both your Bishop and Rook Self-Promote, neither of your Pawns my do so. Of course, once you fill in your remaining Pawns, you will be able to have up to five Pieces Promote. And you should not use your Side-Promotion during a match, after all, if there is no King on the field, you lose."

Sona nodded, unperturbed by the restrictions.

"Now, as for you," Beelzebub turned to me, his expression unreadable, and his voice deadly serious, "You are positive you don't know how this happened?"

"I showed you all the spells I used," I said again, "And Sona and Tsubaki both verified that the calculated spells were performed perfectly. It may have been my non-calculated spell, but I don't see how it could have done this. After seeing it, do you?"

It was perfectly honest and yet entirely a lie. The color of the marks made it obvious to me that my Soulfire was the cause. But it was true the spells could not have done it on their own, and that I had no idea how the Soulfire caused the mutation.

The elder Devil sighed unhappily, "It could be a coincidence. Miss Sitri's Pieces may have been ready to mutate, and the pentagram or other spells were just the catalyst. But I don't like coincidences and I don't trust them."

"I don't either," I agreed, "So what does that mean?"

"Part of me wants to just write it off," he admitted, "No harm, no foul, so why waste any more time on it? The other part of me wants to lock you in my lab and have you cast those spells on various sets of Pieces until I can reproduce the effect, or I am satisfied it was a coincidence."

Then he exhaled again, "So let's just split the difference. You promise never to experiment on Evil Pieces without proper supervision, and I will try to schedule some time for us to experiment together."

A chance to do real magic research, with the guy who invented the Pieces? Someone pinch me.

'Ouch!' I kept the exclamation in, and glared at the Fallen in my head. She glared back.

"Deal," I said, extending my hand towards the Maou. As he shook it, I added, "I suppose that means you'll want to see the tracking spells I started coming up with based on my scans?"

For the first time since his hasty arrival, Ajuka began to openly smile.

After he left, I was all alone with the three girls, and was ready to eat a lot of crow.

"Sona," I addressed their leader, "I am so sorry. Despite Beelzebub letting me off the hook, I am pretty sure what happened was my fault. Is there some way I can make this up to you?"

She stared at me intently, frowning. The air was heavy, and the other two girls started to fidget. Tsubasa started to say something, but her King cut her off with a raised hand.

"Maybe," she said slowly, "maybe you can make it up to me, if you break your promise and attempt the same thing on the rest of my Peerage."

Reya let out the breath she was holding, as my jaw dropped. Sona smirked at me.

"Dresden-kun, we knew there was some risk going in to this. And I know that this was an accident. Even if it was by accident, and even with the restrictions placed on me, you have still done me and my Peerage a great kindness. I am very much looking forward to my next match with Rias."

"Are you sure?"

As I said it, I realized instantly I should have just accepted her statement instead of asking her to clarify it again. Before Sona could say anything, Tsubasa reached out and grabbed her elbow. They shared the sort of glance that only women who are close friends can. Sona cleared her throat and gave me a dangerous smile.

"No, on second thought I am very upset," the King informed me, "And you are going to have to work very hard to make this up to us, Dresden-kun."

I repressed a chuckle, knowing that would only make them lay it on thicker.

"Well, how about we start with me buying you three udon, and you can try to come up with a way for me to properly apologize?"

Next: "Beyond the Outer Gates Lies... Ocular Theft?"