Mephisto slowly exhaled as she was back in the Pocket Castle. When the new first hit her, she hadn't expected the crisis at hand to be that unmanageable: She had several decades of experience under the belt, the Grand Noah queen herself only slightly less, the hero had already saved several regions several times over… And yet, she had been caught completely flat-footed.

The worst part was that at first, the situation was going… Kinda well. It was a mess, but a mess that they were familiar with. Even if they arrived later in Finoa and Izumo Village, they still had control over the situation. When that "Château des Romances" appeared, they had a target to focus on. They bombarded it to oblivion, they successfully assaulted it and then beat those assailants from other worlds one after another, up to their leaders and with some unexpected support. The heroes foiled their traps and successfully closed the portal.

In the process, they had recruited a lot of heroes from different worlds… Said heroes were disappointed when they realized that they were stuck here, and besides, they now had to hunt down the members of the "Alliance" of the "Queen of Dreams" before they could further sow chaos.

And so she herself and the castle's informant network worked hard to track them down. One by one (or three by three in a few cases), they tracked down them and finally put an end to their mischief.

Then those same members started joining them.

That's when troubles actually started.

61. Siren songs are beautiful and seductive. Avoid singing in the Pocket Castle.
61.a. Avoid singing in crowded areas.
61.b. Be wary when you sing while in a party. You should have seen that one coming.
61.b.1 If a giant is falling in your direction, run instead of staring.
61.c. Not being a siren is not a valid reason for singing when you're completely tone deaf.

62. Panties are not alternative money, no matter how much you insist.
62.a. Stop using them or any other equipment for blackmailing purpose.
62.b. The following persons are forbidden to go anywhere near common laundries: Panty Sensei, Scat Captain, Nabisu, Lucretia and Promestein.
62.b.1. "For science" is still not a valid reason.
62.c. While punishing Panty Sensei after he got discovered passed out in the middle of the hallways his nose in a pair, hanging him upside down covered in honey with the beelzebubs nearby was excessive.

63. "A hero a day keeps boredom at bay" is not a saying. It is also not an excuse to "use" one each day.
63.a. Please do not club to death whoever makes a pass at your childhood friend/apprentice.
63.b. Please do not raid each other to get one of the heroes.
63.c. Please do not turn the castle in an arena to decide who gets him. You are supposed to all be responsible adults.
63.c.1. No more playing "Capture the hero" on whatever ground.
63.d. Do not approach my pupils ever again you demented nymphomaniacs.

to the library from our latest recruits is appreciated. Its nature and lack of variety, however, slightly less so.
64.a. We do not need to specifically know whom it belongs to or what you did with it before.
64.a.1. You just recognized how lonely you could be at times.
64.b. Attempting to copy what is shown inside those media is ill-advised.
64.b.1. Even as a contest, and even if a willing healer is ready. Sonya is still psychologically scarred by the spectacle she was forced to assist to, as well as by the nature of the mending she had to do afterward.
64.c. The library is now closed for reparation after our latest recruits attempted to compare the sheer size of their "collection" by magically bringing it.
64.c.1. Please stop treating said collection as an abomination that threatens to drown the castle under a tide of paper.
64.c.2. Even if it actually does.
64.c.3. Actually finding out whose collection is the largest is irrelevant.
64.c.4. The winner was Daji, with Vinum in close second and Est in third.
64.c.5. No, this is really not something to be proud of.

65. Gilgorn is not a toy.
65.a. Even if she gets described as such.
65.b. Even if she annoyed you by acting haughtily.
65.c. Even if she looks cute like a doll.
65.d. No, she hasn't been confiscated. She's just hiding in her own room.
65.e. No blaming each other to find a responsible.

66. Our new partners are expected to do at least the minimum to integrate themselves into the world. Please don't kill everyone you come across.
66.a. Even if they enjoy it, giving them "nice dreams" should be limited either.
66.a.1. We are currently in a laundry crisis as the sheets are dirtied faster than we can clean them. Please stop.
66.b. Killing people simply because they made too much noise when you are reading is excessive.
66.b.1. At least don't call Vinum "Grandma."
66.c. Ample information about the notable and dangerous figureheads are present in the library. Examining this information is strongly advised if you want to know who you're dealing with.
66.d. If someone suspicious presents herself as "just a traveler/gourmet/lone warrior/street lady", nod politely and go on your way. We really don't need another city wrecked because you feel the need to "shake of some rust."

67. Myusca is to stop placing pocket dimensions to create intercourse-locked doors.
67.a. No using them to see Rovissa finally getting laid.
67.a.1. People are to stop encouraging her to continue to do so.
67.a.2. Just leave Rovissa alone you horndogs.
67.b. Check the rule n°19 for organizing a show.
67.b.1. You trying to bet your record of twenty "meals" at the same time isn't a show.
67.b.2. Although that singing number counted, using your sweet succubus voice to create "incidents" in the public wasn't appreciated.
67.b.3. Do not put one of the heroes as a prize for one of your game. It is bound to create enmity with his partner.
67.b.4. You should have definitively seen this coming when putting up Luka as a prize. It's not like battle royales aren't a common occurrence in the castle after all.
67.c. You aren't a cupid, no matter how hard you try to be one.
67.c.1. But yes, you are their evil counterpart just fine.
67.c.2. At least don't "share your love" in every public places. It just make things very awkward for everyone involved.

68. The "taking care of Nightmares is a nightmare" joke was only funny once.
68.a. This isn't that big a nightmare in the first place considering what some of the longer-timed residents already did in the past. See the remainder of the lists as evidence.

69. Do not act as the White Rabbit to have everyone do your bidding.
69.a. Do not use it in an attempt to force Rigeo into your magical girl trio either.
69.a.1. Magical girls are supposed to fight for "justice and love". Using those skills to harass bystanders is neither.
69.a.2. While taking down bandits is definitively "justice", using them to sate your lust doesn't count as "love".
69.a.3. If "sharing your love" with villagers ends up crippling them, stop it.
69.b. You won't fool anybody by pretending that you are the leader of the kitsune race simply because you have nine tails.
69.b.1. If you were that smart, you would have seen that ambush coming.
69.b.2. Yes, they can be very vindictive. It's up to you to pay them up. Alone.
69.c. As funny as it is to see people fall for your "Special Shag Shack", people do not appreciate the grisly and really dirty aftermath.
69.c.1. Your work to protect the treasury of Grand Noah has been appreciated though.
69.d. We have already been warned about your ability to transform into a slime and an alraune. Please stop trying to be so low as to use those powers in an attempt to frame one of them for your escapades.

70. The trio of Novissa, Lars and Lauratt is mute by choice, not by nature, and they're certainly not deaf.
70.a. Surprisingly, this is not because they've been shocked by this world. Stop asking or telling so.
70.b. The fact that they're good-natured doesn't mean that their companions are.
70.b.1. Reminder that ninety percent of the castle's population isn't after your precious hero/disciple. Please do not place traps around, they're just likely to catch innocents.
70.b.2. There is this little thing called "discussing" or "talking it out", or "making a compromise". Please consider them before destroying more than half of the castle's furniture again.
70.b.3. I'm not interested into anyone. The only reason your partner came to me was to discuss with someone sane. I do not want to steal him from you in the slightest.
70.c. "Glare battles" aren't a thing. Yet.
70.d. The mute heroes' companions, (or, barring that, Sylph) are to remain available to translate what they mean.

71. Do not brainwash your own allies.
71.a. Attempting to brainwash a merchant was poor form. Getting brainwashed back by a monster a tenth of your age was just karma.
71.b. Even if "Common Sense" and "Survival Instincts" are resources in short order, brainwashing fellow residents with the plan to ingrain those in them is forbidden. If only because it doesn't work.
71.b.1. Yes, we already tried.

72. Simply refusing the advance of the scientific team when they try to take samples is enough. There's no need to hit them, burn them or brainwash them so that they hit themselves.
72.a. Asking for "a little something" then moving the goalposts is just petty.
72.b. Giving any sample, even one from your archenemy, to the scientific team, is a horrible, HORRIBLE idea.
72.c. To anyone wanting to hunt for the "Eighth Hero Supreme Project", please report to the Grand Noah Queen.
72.c.1. No matter how housetrained he can be, you can't keep him.

73. Pochi doesn't prefer it "doggy style."
73.a. A session with a Kejourou does not need to be called "a hairy situation."
73.b. Contrary to what their name may imply, succubi don't always want to be under.
73.c. Harpies don't offer everyone to join the "mile-high club"
73.d. Angels aren't the only ones that like to be called goddesses.
73.d.1. Breaking the knees of your partners in the act because he blasphemed against Ilias by calling you a goddess is indeed a mood killer.
73.e. Singing "Touch Fluffy Tail" each time you get it on with a kitsune is indeed a valid reason for an emasculation threat.
73.f. "Foraging" should never be used as slang for doing it with an alraune.
73.g. "I've seen enough yamatian sculpture to know where this is going" will officially get you turned away by any scyllas.
73.h. Elves aren't that lewd.
73.h.1. But their skills can still manage to put succubi to shame.
73.i. Using sea food comparison for sea monsters? No, just no.
73.j. If you have a problem for THAT, just ask a succubus.
73.k. Please do not ask me for anything about that ever again.

74. Organizing events to make our newest members feel integrated is only appreciated in the limit of how little damage they cause.
74.a. Yes, organizing your "Succubus Trio meeting", while (extremely arguably) well-intended, got you definitively banned from San Ilia.
74.a.1. It was the "who can suck dry the most clergy members on the plaza" contest.
74.b. That "Succubus catfight", while appreciated by any men that managed to assist to it, was completely ridiculous.

75. Before criticizing Regina's armor, look at your own.
75.a. Particularly if you don't have one.
75.a.1 This is nothing to be proud of.
75.a.2. This is not an invitation to anything.

76. No using the Pocket Castle for a reconstitution of the assault on the "Château des Romances."
76.a. No using it for a reconstitution of the "Land of Night" either.
76.a.1. Do not even attempt a parody anywhere near a civilized region.
76.a.2. You now have a good idea of what happened during the Great Monster War. We sincerely hope that you will not attempt to replicate your plan again, lest we attract their attention again.

77. Do not ride centaurs without their authorization.
77.a. Centaurs include any quadruped monsters, not just horse hybrids.

78. As its popularity show, the idea to create a food delivery service is appreciated. The delivery man is not part of the delivery, and should not be treated as food.
78.a. For those that didn't apparently seem able to understand, the food delivery in the Pocket Castle wasn't an insult to the cooking team but a ploy to get a victim in.
78.b. Whoever managed to bypass every safety measure to get a stranger in the Pocket Castle without our authorization is to tell me how (s)he did it.
78.b.1. I meant me and exclusively me. We now have an issue with an influx of outsiders creating a security risk to solve thanks to your mischief.
78.b.2. It was just an excuse to dryfish the whole group wasn't it?

79. Everyone is free to leave at any time with the funds they have earned themselves. We do remind everyone that associating with us is bound to attract unsavory attention from our past adventures. We do not hold any responsibility for what happen if you leave us even if we engage in having our remaining members not engage into any shenanigans.
79.a. Calling your sisters to play with someone who left us because they're not part of the Pocket Castle's crew is just petty and needlessly dangerous.
79.a.1. Don't try to make us believe that two legendary succubi had suddenly taken interest in Saloon for a reason other than the hero's presence.
79.a.2. They don't sell cakes here. Try harder.
79.b. You will always be welcomed back.
79.b.1. We now require an additional full time therapist.

80. After the latest spree in Succubus Village, Finoa, Grand Noah, Midas Village, and Iliasville, "Myusca" is now officially a unit of measure used to describe the more predatory characteristics of a succubus.
80.a. This is not something you're supposed to be proud of.
80.b. Doing that kind of thing is more prone to land you in a seal-covered cell than to get your name written down in history.
80.b.1. Just because you can try doesn't mean you should.

81. Attempting to create a cult to worship you is forbidden.
81.a. Succeeding to create a cult to worship you is forbidden.
81.b. Eliminating your cult by organizing a mass suicide is forbidden.
81.c. Just stay away from anything that could be related to cults.

82. We are aware that an organization as big as ours should have a proper name to introduce ourselves to civilians. While suggestions are appreciated, people should not call us in the meantime:
-Luka's Harem
-Seven World Army
-The Ultimate Succ
-The Fluffers
-The Servile Subhuman Servants of her Magnanimous Goddess.
-The Temporary Heavenly Knights
-Someone's Pets/Minions/Sex Slaves
-The Hero Cockblocker Association
-A Royal Pain
-Just a Family Camping
-"Your High Lords, Peasant"
-Those Poor Damned Souls
-Free Food
-The Battle Royale Experts
-Loot Farmers

83. Nemea is no longer allowed within 50 feet of a young man without surveillance.
83.a. Every young boy in Grand Noah had a panic attack when they heard a minotaur say "ara ara", and then pointed at her huge assets when asked for more information on what happened.
83.b. Yes, you've been compared to a cow. Deal with it.
83.b.1. Keep offering her those outfits at your own perile.

84. No matter how many times this question will be asked, this place is not an asylum.
84.a. Even if dealing with its inhabitants will make one crazy.
84.b. Even if said inhabitants are crazy.
84.c. Trying to improve this image by offering a sculpture made with meat is just digging ourselves deeper and a waste of food.

85. Zombies still have most of their functions. They won't eat anyone's brain. If anything because they'd need to go out of the castle to find one first.
85.a. Their bite doesn't automatically spread the disease.
85.a.1. We already have several cures and are in no short supply.
85.a.2. Your attempts to create a zombie-filled apocalyptic world will be fruitless. Besides, we already have to deal with an apocalypse.
85.b. Apoptosis aren't our version of those described zombies, even if they share several characteristics.
85.c. Kazuya is to stop talking about his video entertainment as people seem all too eager to recreate them.
85.c.1. Daji is to stop to pretend to be Kazuya to pass around the last restriction.
85.c.2.. Daji is to stop to pretend to be anyone to pass around any restriction placed on her.
85.c.3. Don't make us bring out the duct tape again.

86. The Tartarus present through the worlds are connected to specific worlds and can't be altered to send you back to your own.
86.a. It's not because we don't want, since we already tried. It's because you're just attracting more apoptosis attention.
86.b. Trust us. We want most of you back to your own worlds as much as you do.

87. After the complete chaos you created, the last thing we expected from you was for you to use your powers to open even more portals to even more worlds.
87.a. What we meant is "Do not do it again under any circumstances."
87.a.1. Even if it is motivated by a desire to find a way back to your own world. Thanks to you, we have now dealt with an additional five Demon Lord, yet another Nine-Tailed Kitsune, an undetermined amount of apoptosis, and things that were definitively not meant to be.
87.b. I sincerely hope that the arrival and death of that shag-thing, messenger of Cootooloo will make the message clear. Also, talking about your responsibility in his arrival is ill-advised for obvious reasons.
87.c. Do not attempt to bring in more friends from your own dimension either.
87.c.1. No bringing "Her".
87.c.2. I don't know "Her" personally, but the facts that you need to insist on the capitalization, require a blood sacrifice, and needs a book from Vinum's personal library are red flags big enough to refuse.
87.c.3. Store that book in a safe, this should never be used as a support grimoire to cast spells. Seriously, it's black and covered in red eyes and I think they blinked at me.
87.c.4. Whoever has borrowed it, please return it immediately to us in the shortest delay, you will not be punished, just bring it back before we're the ones who bring the end of the world.

88. Mimics don't hold "super-secret items."
88.a. Yes, honey pots are literal honey pots, we understood it the twenty first times.
88.b. Box girls aren't boxed in.

89. While he's skilled at running and possess an impressive endurance, Hakunen isn't just a master of running away from things.
89.a. However, Magatsu is a master of clubbing away those that harass her apprentice. Fruitlessly chasing the monk for yourself is at your own peril.
89.b. It should have gone without saying at that point, but chasing him for your sisters and not specifically for you isn't a valid loophole.
89.b.1. "Spank the succubus" won't become an official contest, no matter how many times it's been requested.

90. "Peashooter" is slang for gun with actual powers. Those are not guns that shoot actual peas.
90.a. As observed, they are powerful enough to knock down weaker monsters but barely enough to annoy anything that can be found north of the inland sea. Still, they remain weapons and shouldn't be used for pranks.
90.b. The accusations that I myself use one of them to harass Morrigan from afar during her meals at night are false and entirely baseless.
90.b.1. Never [Redacted] again. Message received.

91. Organizing contests is only appreciated for as long as no lives are at risk and the damage done are within reasonable expectations.
91.a. "Within reasonable expectations" mean that blowing up half a city in an archery tournament to show off is excessive.
91.a.1. So is doing so in a cooking contest. We already knew that we didn't to organize one to get that result.
91.a.2. The organizers of the poetry contest are prayed to tell us how they managed to raze Lady's Village to the ground.

92. While you can still try to invite them when going out pull them from their shell, most angels prefer the company of their own kin. Blackmailing them or harassing them is frowned upon to get their company will be punished.
92.a. When they ask you for their place in their world, "under me" is not a valid answer.
92.b. Yes, several of them are wearing even less than succubi. We understood it after the first fifty times.
92.c. Yes, some of them are even more lustful than succubi. Don't bring attention to that.
92.d. Yes, some of them are even less versed in the ways of the world than newborn children. Don't abuse it.

93. Apoptosis monsters are prayed to treat those newcomers from different worlds as allies, not as cross-world contacts to eliminate.
93.a. Apoptosis are asked to examine the effect they have on those people and vice-versa to better understand each other.
93.a.1. Even if they look unusual, they won't bite you.
93.b. Vetala is hereby banned from the room where the inhabitants from other worlds usually hang out.

94. Mercenary work consists in being paid by people to solve troubles. What you did was picking fights and asking for a reward afterward.
94.a. Randomly attacking monsters already got you stoned in Yamatai Village. Did you really expect a better result in Finoa?
94.b. Those in Grand Noah are part of the royal army. Congratulations, you're now also wanted for assaulting the nation.
94.b.1. Nope. You're on your own on this one.

95. Stop trying to bribe people to get into one of the hero's pants.
95.a. Or at least be sure to bribe the right person.
95.a.1. Should you discover that the person you bribed scammed you, please do not expose their dryfished/half-dissolved body in the central plaza of a major city.
95.b. Only use your own resources to bribe someone.
95.b.1. You could have invested all this gold into building an orphanage and gotten into the hero's pants that way instead.
95.c. The heroes have been dealing with monsters trying to seduce them daily. Don't be surprised if they don't react when your shove their face in your chest.

96. Pretending you are angels of Ilias can only work for a given amount of time before your cover as demons gets blown.
96.a. You're also bound to attract our "surprised guests" again. We can't ascertain what will happen should they show up, save for the fact that you will probably get your ass kicked to oblivion.
96.a.1. Called it.

97. Anyone who wants to transform the common ground is to consult her ideas to get peer reviewed first. We already got the castle razed too many times, people.
97.a. The "Dream Home" looked like a cheap brothel.
97.b. The "Courtesan Empress" looked impossibly gaudy.
97.c. The "Fabulous Castle" just consisted in putting diamond status of you everywhere.
97.d. The "Succubus Prison" was just a maze. We have to live there, don't forget it.
97.e. The "Life is a gamble", while thematically appropriate, shouldn't expose younger monsters to money games.
97.e.1. That was not a double standard moment.
97.f. The "Greatest Yokai Hunter" looked like a bad torture room.
97.g. Mixing everything didn't result in the best of every world, but instead looks like an half-digested dinner. The castle is to be returned to its original state this instant.

98. No matter how anatomically accurate those nude heroes statues are, they are not to be left exposed in the castle like that.
98.a. Do not complain that someone stole them already.
98.a.1. The fact that seven human-sized statues are impossible to find is not the proof that it was a perfect crime. It's just the proof that the Pocket Castle is that big of a mess.

99. Keep your pets in their own pocket dimensions. That giant orange thing is dangerous.
99.a. We do not need a body disposal system because we have no bodies to dispose of in the first place.
99.a.1. The fire in the forest west of San Ilia wasn't a cover-up of our succubi feeding.
99.a.2. No. Seriously. It happened because the Four Spirits went camping and fairies don't know about fire safety. The fact that it revealed twenty skeletons was purely coincidental.

100. The Pocket Castle is a magical construct. Even if wards are present to prevent a chain reaction that would completely destroy the castle, using magic detonation spell in the castle is a horrible idea.

"And… someone has made every effort possible to circumvent every protection about that last one, which is why…" Mephisto sighed. "You noticed us."

In front of her, Tamamo took a big sip from her cup of tea. She had accepted to meet the yoma in one of her nondescript hideout when her lieutenant Nanabi insisted about an urgent situation that would require all of her attention. She then took a brief look at the short booklet that made for the rules written by Mephisto for the residents of the Pocket Castle. Right now, this read as a warning list of what she would have to expect for the next weeks.

This… Was the army following the hero. It was now totaling four hundred companions, with an estimated twenty to thirty percent being able to hold their own against one of the Heavenly Knights, and she had in hands a rulebook that was developed as issue rose.

And then came from the invasion of those from other worlds. She had managed to stay informed about the development of the situation, but she couldn't step in as she would have been too visible and was currently on the run from the Monster Lord's own forces. Still, she knew how much those invaders were dangerous. Succubi that were equal to the Lilith Sisters, a nine-tailed kitsune whose power could be compared to her own, angel-like demons naturally skilled in brainwashing…

And all of them were going to be unleashed on the world as the frail containment that was the Pocket Castle finally broke.

"Mistress Tamamo?"

It's only when Nanabi looked at her dumbfounded that Tamamo realized that she just swore.

"Nobody died when the… accident happened?"

Both Mephisto and Nanabi shook their head negatively.

"And I suppose you need another version of the Pocket Castle before the situation further degenerates…"

"I'd rather say to calm the situation down after it has reached its critical point."

"This will take me months. Months during which those… whimsical people will be barely supervised as the resources to watch over them are simply insufficient."

Mephisto nodded. Tamamo continued.

"Still, I will try to do my best. In the meantime… I won't even ask you to try to contain them. Just do damage control as best as you can."

Mephisto nodded again, took a last sip from her cup of tea, got up and bowed.

"Thank you."

"Please see with Nanabi again if you need to meet me. Of course, keep as few people informed of our meeting as possible."

"Of course. Good day to you."

Mephisto left with Nanabi following suite, and Tamamo gulped loudly.

A part of her wanted to meet all those people from different worlds. Considering the threat they had shown to be and that they joined Luka, the hero was now the biggest game-changer there could be. They would also have so much to share, in term of information, of fighting skills, and even culture-wise. However, she had decided to hold back as the hero had been joined by Morrigan as well as Eden and a disguised Black Alice, people that the kitsune definitively didn't want to deal with. And now that she had the possibility to see them, she wasn't looking forward to it.

She looked at the hand-sized scrap of rock Mephisto had brought with her. Years of work to create the single most practical lodging for an army destroyed by a bunch of rowdy monsters… Way to make a good first impression.

She focused her magical sense on what remained. None of the magic used remained inside that rock. That would take a lot of her precious time, and she definitively could have done without this interruption. But yet, she perfectly understood that dealing with that thing was an absolute priority, or she'll have to do even more in the long run.

And besides, it was not the worst thing someone would have to do to contain them…