Every Devil King Candidate had a Palace in Ginsei Academy. The Palace is supposed to be used as a base for the Candidates and their Cards.

That said, most Devil King Candidates didn't make use of the Palace. Many never even went inside theirs, most just left it with the bare minimum in case of an emergency, and only Yuuto actually used it as a base.

The reason for that… well, to make things as fair as possible, all Palaces were the same size, only located in different parts of Devil King Academy. But devils are a prideful race, and the nobles even more so. Why would they settle for something that could probably be considered one of the world's biggest apartments if they could get even more?

Case in point, the World's Devil King Candidate's base. Aspite Line had bought an entire mansion in the Human World not long after he was chosen as a Candidate and has been using it as a base ever since.

Today, Aspite had called his Cards for a meeting. There were no delays since everyone was already in the mansion anyway, not that Aspite would have forgiven anyone that had happened to be late.

They were in a luxurious conference room. Aspite sat at the head of the table, or rather, 'the king's seat' as it was sometimes called. There were 14 other seats across the table, but only three were empty.

That wasn't surprising though. The Queen's seat had yet to be filled, and Geld and Kilga were unlikely to return as Aspite's Cards, nor did Aspite want them back. Aspite was one of the few Candidates that felt he should fill all 14 Cards spots, so he was sure he'd have no trouble finding new applicants soon enough.

"Lovers… Yuuto Morioka. He defeated Geld and Kilga, and even took Lizel."

That was all Aspite said, but everyone in the room could feel the pressure in the air around Aspite.

Of course, no one would tell him to calm down or anything like that. They weren't stupid enough to go against their master.

"H-how dare he? Who does he think he is?"

"Picking a fight with Aspite-sama like that, surely he was a death wish."

"What's more, he's just a lowly human."

"But at least there's one thing Lovers did right, he pulled out a few weeds from our ranks."

"Doesn't livestock also eat weeds from time to time? So maybe he does know his place and is just trying to be helpful."

The room got noisy, though it wasn't unexpected with all this many people in it. Some even tried making a few jokes to lighten the mood.

However, Aspite still seemed like he had the grim reaper over his shoulder, and was just about to give him the order to kill everything, so their success was questionable. But the ones that joked were still alive, so it wasn't a failure as well.

"Aspite-sama, I have something I wish to talk about."

"Haida, huh… speak."

Speaking of grim reaper, the boy called Haida wore a hood that didn't even allow his face to be seen. If he had a scythe, he could probably pull off a cosplay or something like that.

The room got silent, not when Aspite gave Haida permission to speak, but rather when Haida first voiced out his wish to speak. That's because Haida is the World's Ace, meaning he was under Aspite and no one else. If Aspite was the president, Haida would be the vice-president.

"Isn't it unforgivable, Aspite-sama? That guy got all those delicious looking bitches even though he's just human. Ooh, I can't stand it! Boss, just give the order and I'll start preparing to kill Lovers."

So Haida was asking for permission to go after Yuuto. The Unveiling hadn't happened yet, so the Devil King War hadn't officially started, but there was no rule against eliminating your opponent.

"What are you planning exactly?"

"I'll use my family's Bloodline Magic to create a barrier that'll bring Lovers' house to another dimension. Once there, I'll make sure he and his parents slowly start regretting ever being born. I'll even prepare a trap for when his Cards try to save him."

For something Haida probably planned in the heat of the moment, it didn't seem half bad. Aspite was even considering letting Haida go forward with his plans until he heard what he said next.

"All I ask, Aspite-sama, is that, once Lovers is dead, you give the bitches to me. I have some plans for the Koiwai and Yuugaoze girls, gehehe. Oh, but of course, I won't touch Lizel."

It took long enough today, Aspite thought. That was Haida's main problem, he was, for lack of better words, not a good person to have around.

It wasn't uncommon for a Devil King Candidate to use their Cards for… various purposes. In fact, throughout history, Candidates of Lovers usually made a harem, which they enjoyed to the fullest until they were eventually killed. And similar cases had happened with all other Arcanas, although Aspite himself was not interested.

Haida was not a Candidate, but he certainly made use of his position of second in pecking order to have his way with whoever he wanted. If Aspite was being honest, the only thing that made him keep Haida was his strength.

If he had known Haida was like this when he first met, he wouldn't have brought him in. Come to think of it, Kilga had warned Aspite at first. Aspite would love to get rid of Haida, but how could he go about that when he had just lost 2 Cards.

Aspite thought it over for a few seconds. Apite fancied himself a fair person, the strong should be rewarded and the weak punished. Haida's strength was the only reason why he was still around, so why not make use of it?

"Fine, go ahead. But know that there will be no forgiveness if you fail."

The only thing from Haida's face that could be seen was his grin, which made it much creepier. Aspite figured this was fine. Haida would probably kill Lovers, but if he somehow lost, it would simply be a different problem dealt with.

With nothing else to discuss, the meeting ended and everyone returned to their previous work. Aspite headed to his room and threw himself on the bed.

"Haaah, to think that Lovers would be this much of a headache. Well, it'll be over soon enough."

Although part of him wanted to be free of Haida, Aspite was basically convinced Yuuto would be dead sooner or later, meaning he'd get Lizel as his Queen soon enough.

Unfortunately, a contract between a Candidate and a Card wasn't a simple magic like a master-slave contract. Unless the Card was Released or the Candidate died, the contract would remain. Aspite wouldn't have minded even trading Cards with another Candidate for Lizel, but there's no way the future Devil King would make a deal with a human as an equal. At least, not unless that human proved himself worthy.

As for why Aspite wanted Lizel so much, it wasn't just because of her talent. It was actually for a lot more personal reason.

The Queen Card was often reserved for the Candidate's spouse, or something along those lines. But contrary to popular belief, Aspite holds no romantic feelings for Lizel. The Queen spot just happened to be what was left, but Aspite would have no problem putting Lizel as his Ace, as he was sure she was stronger than Haida.

But there is also another, more important, reason. The reason Aspite wants Lizel is because of their history together, however short it might seem.

They met each other about 2 years ago. Until then, Aspite was nothing but the best at everything he tried, but he met his match when he met Lizel. In fact, Aspite was never able to beat Lizel at anything, which made Aspite start to become a more humble person.

But then it happened. Aspite got the World Arcana and Lizel got nothing. That basically turned him back into a prideful child. Close friends like Kilga weren't happy with his regression, but it was hard to argue against an Arcana. They could only hope that getting Lizel as a Card would make him become a better person again.

Yet, not only did Lizel reject Aspite, but she became Lovers' Queen at the drop of a hat. That's Aspite's main reason for attacking Yuuto at the moment.

"But if somehow… Haida is defeated… what would I do with Lovers? Let them go? Deal with it myself?"

Honestly, Aspite didn't really feel like attacking Yuuto, he had a gut feeling the right move would be to just leave him be. So Aspite wondered what he would do in the unlikely event that Haida lost.

But, after a few minutes, he decided to stop thinking about Lizel and Lovers. He closed his eyes and went to sleep. The Unveiling shouldn't be too far off from now, he'd have to save his strength for when the war actually began.

/

I had rested really well tonight. I even had a pretty nice dream. Somehow, I feel more rested than I have felt in years!

I have no idea why that is though. Could it be… the dream I had? But it was just a normal lewd dream.

I mean, it did feel much more realistic than normal, but that's probably because I've now had some experience with Healing Lovers with Lizel-senpai, Miyabi and Reina.

Anyway, it's time I start getting ready for my day. I'll start by properly getting out of bed.

"Hyaan~"

"Huh?"

I… grabbed something? Under the blanket? And did I hear a moan?

Wait, if this was an anime, this is the part where I raise the blankets and find a girl under there. But there's no way that'll happen in real life… right?

Even though I know it's impossible, there's no harm in checking, right? So I lifted the blankets.

"Mmh. Is it morning already?"

True enough, Miyabi was under there. What's more, the only piece of clothing in her body was her panties.

I did my best to avoid looking at her, but that only made me more aware of what I'd touched just before. Unconsciously, I kept opening and closing my hand.

Miyabi also set her back straight so she'd be sitting. It made it harder to not look at her, but I tried my best to not pay attention to the corner of my vision.

She rubbed her eyes a bit, yawned, then stretched a little. It seemed she'd finally woken up. I have a few questions I want to ask her.

"Good morning, Yuuto."

"G-good morning."

Miyabi hugged me from behind, which meant her breasts were pressing on my back.

B-but I can't let myself get distracted here! I-I have important things to ask.

"Miyabi, how did you get in here?"

"I got lonely at night, so I used teleportation magic to come visit Yuuto."

That's a bit extreme, isn't it?! There's no way teleportation is a simple magic, and she used it just because she was lonely?!

I couldn't hide my shock, and it didn't take Miyabi more than a second to start laughing at me.

"Ahahahaha, Yuuto's 'dokan' face is the best. I didn't teleport here, there's no way I can use such complicated magic. I just used floating magic to enter through the window, it was open."

That's… better, I guess. But wait…

"So Miyabi was here the whole night?"

"Mmh. It was the best night's sleep I had in a while. And Yuuto's so skilled with your hands I wouldn't have believed you were asleep if I wasn't here. I should sleep here more often."

"But why are you naked?"

"'Piii' I'm not naked, I'm still wearing panties. If Yuuto can't even make that distinction then maybe I should just sleep naked like I usually do."

"P-please don't. Especially if you're really planning on coming over again."

"Yuuto doesn't sound convincing when you're this hard, you know~"

Miyabi was still hugging me from behind, so she was looking over my shoulder. It wasn't hard for her to see me pitching a tent on my pants.

Should I tell her it's just a normal thing in the mornings? No, she probably won't buy it, and it's not like it's unrelated to her either.

While I was contemplating what to do, the door to my room was suddenly opened. Mom and dad wouldn't do this, so I was at a loss over who it was for a second.

"As I thought, I had the feeling something was wrong."

"Ooh, good morning, senpai."

"L-Lizel-senpai."

I have no idea how she got into my house, but Lizel-senpai suddenly burst into my room.

This was, if nothing else, an awkward situation. Before I could even get any words out, Lizel-senpai started talking with Miyabi.

"What are you doing in Yuuto's room?"

"I came here to guard Yuuto from the scary monsters at night. I found one in his pants here, see."

I don't think I need to say to where Miyabi pointed, just that Lizel-senpai's cheeks started getting red and she tried to avoid looking at it. Though she did steal glances from time to time.

"Tsk, I was too late in waking Yuuto today. Next time for sure."

"Huh?"

"N-nothing. Miyabi, get dressed. We'll eat breakfast with Yuuto's family and then we'll head to the academy."

"Yees~"

I didn't know it at the time, but my new daily routine would include trying to guess who'd slipped into my bed the night before from that day forward.

Also, Miyabi had found an empty drawer in my room and used it to put her clothes in. The other girls would also follow her example when they came over, but that's another story of the future.

While Miyabi got dressed, I decided to brush my teeth and take a bath. Once I got out, I heard Lizel-senpai had to keep Miyabi from invading while I was in.

Anyway, once everything was done, the three of us headed downstairs for breakfast. I just hope my parents don't freak out.

"Mom, dad, w-we'll be having guests for breakfast today."

"Mmh? Oh, Lizel-chan."

"Oh my, Yuu-kun, we're the ones who let her in. But who is that other girl?"

"It's nice to meet you two, father, mother. My name is Miyabi Yuugaoze. I've exchanged vows with Yuuto, so I'll be under his care for a while."

Miyabi introduced herself so much like a proper lady that I thought I'd somehow traveled to a different universe. I even stopped dead in my tracks I was so surprised.

Also, didn't it seem like… dad and mom knew Lizel-senpai? Yet, for some reason, that didn't stick out as strange to me…

Anyway, the breakfast itself was quite noisy. Miyabi told my parents she, Lizel-senpai or Reina might be dropping by every now and again. I thought they might find the idea outlandish, but they just accepted it like it was nothing, saying something like "so our son really is living like a harem protagonist now" which was really embarrassing.

Once we were done eating, me, Miyabi and Lizel-senpai said our goodbyes and left for Ginsei Academy. All of us would be going in Lizel-senpai's car today.

"Ooh, it's been a while since I've been in anything so luxurious. Senpai, is there any candy here?"

"Are you a child, Miyabi? You're not supposed to eat in the car. So no, there's no candy. Also, we just had breakfast with Yuuto's family."

"Eeh, but sweets go to a different stomach. What a waste…"

Miyabi was acting like it was her own car. And I didn't expect her to be such a glutton.

Come to think of it, since she's attending Ginsei Academy, shouldn't Miyabi also be a noble or something like that?

"Say, Miyabi, you said it had been a while since you were in a luxurious car. You mean your family owned one or something?"

"O-oh, yeah, we did. But we don't have it anymore…"

Mmh, so Miyabi's family really did have a car like this. Maybe it was just my impression, but Miyabi's mood seemed to go down for some reason.

I decided to drop the subject. Maybe I'd said something insensitive without realizing. The image I have in my mind from the words 'devil nobility' might not have much to do with reality, so it's best to not let myself be led by them.

Once again, we arrived in Ginsei Academy with time to spare. Miyabi and I were about to get out of the car, but then Lizel-senpai stopped Miyabi.

"Wait. Miyabi, please stay a moment. Yuuto can go ahead to the classroom."

"I don't mind waiting."

"Thank you, but I want to have some private words with Miyabi. Or rather, some talk between girls. So I think Yuuto would rather go on ahead."

"O-oh, I see. Sorry, I'll do just that then."

I thought I was being well-mannered offering to wait for them, but since Lizel-senpai was shooing me away like that it probably was something they would feel more comfortable talking about if I wasn't there to listen.

So I did as Lizel-senpai had asked and went ahead to class 1-D. Once I entered I saw a new student, a mummy. I didn't know these things existed as well!

"Geh! Y-you-!"

The mummy seemed to recognize me. And I have to admit the voice wasn't strange to me…

Thinking about it for a second, there was someone I could imagine in the general shape of that mummy with that voice.

"Geld? Are you already fine?"

"Do I look fine to you?!"

He was certainly wrapped in so many bandages that I mistook him for a mummy. But if that's all he had after being burned on one day and beaten on the next one, I say he's doing mighty fine. I know I wouldn't be here if it was me.

"Why the hell did you save me? Did you think I'd be thankful or something?"

"No, well, I didn't really do it to receive thanks or anything. I just couldn't let you be killed like that. How about we start over? No hard feelings? Maybe we could even be friends."

"A-as if I'd ever be a friend of yours."

Geld turned his face away from me. Well, I didn't want to force him into anything. We'll see what the future holds when the time comes.

"... Also, sorry about before, on your first day. I didn't mean it. And thanks for saving me."

"No problem."

Yeah. I think it'll all work out fine, given enough time.

Miyabi arrived in class not long after. Nagasawa-sensei arrived right after Miyabi. Once again, I was left standing without knowing where to sit.

But today was different. Nagasawa-sensei called out to me.

"Yuuto Morioka, as I promised, I'll let you stay in class. You can sit beside Miyabi."

I don't know if it's a new seat or if there was a rearrangement or something, but there really was an empty seat beside Miyabi. Since Nagasawa-sensei told me to sit there, I put my stuff down and took my seat.

Miyabi waved at me and gave me a wink. Now I finally felt like part of the class.

"So let's start today's lesson with something simple."

Nagasawa-sensei put something that might as well be some alien language on the board. I was completely lost, I tried asking Miyabi but all I got as an answer was:

"I think sensei is trying to contact an alien?"

So she didn't know either. Forget the Devil King War, am I going to be able to survive classes?

"… I suppose a review of everything we've seen so far would be fine. Everyone, if you have any doubts, now's the time to ask them."

Maybe I was mistaken, but I thought I saw Nagasawa-sensei glance my way before announcing that. It was probably just my imagination.

Anyway, with that review, I was able to clear some doubts. At least enough that I could follow the rest of the classes. I don't know about the Devil King War, but I may just survive the classes at this rate.