"Now then, time to get to what everyone came here for. If all the Devil King Candidates would please come over here."
At a certain point of the Unveiling, the Devil King took a mic and announced that. This wasn't an invitation so much as it was an order.
But all in all, I don't think there's any Candidate that would stir up trouble now. We just had to go to the stage where the Devil King was at and wait for him to introduce us.
"Guess it's our time already. Let's go, Neith."
"Yes… but Yuuto-kun as well."
"Eh? What, this means-"
"Didn't Lizel tell you? I'm the Candidate of Star, and Neith is the Candidate of Chariot."
So Stella and Neith were also Devil King Candidates, just like me. I thought they were just invited here because they were daughters of noble families. At least, that's what I assumed when I learned they were friends of Lizel-senpai.
But if they are Candidates themselves, then it makes even more sense for them to be here. Though that also means we're technically enemies.
"I'm sorry, Yuuto. I should have told you before."
"No, no. It's fine, Lizel-senpai. Rather, do they…?"
"Yeah, we know you're Lovers' Candidate, that's why we wanted to meet you. Now come on, we might as well go up together."
So much for that I guess. But at least it doesn't seem like I'll have to fight Stella or Neith anytime soon. Maybe they were being nice to me in consideration for Lizel-senpai, but I'll be thankful for it nonetheless.
Miyabi, Reina and Lizel-senpai waved us goodbye as we started heading to the stage where the Devil King was waiting for us.
"Go 'bam' get 'em, Yuuto."
"Do your best, Yuuto-san."
I had to wonder if Miyabi expected a fight to break out, or if the 'bam' sound effect is just one of her favorites.
In any case, we soon arrived where we would wait for the Devil King to call for us. I saw a few familiar faces there already.
Amon and Aspite were obviously 2 people I already knew were Devil King Candidates, but I also saw other familiar faces there. One of which I was hoping to never see again.
The last Candidates to arrive were a man and a woman that looked much too old to be students. But since they're here, they were surely Devil King Candidates.
"Seems like everyone's arrived. Then, I'll start the introductions by the order of the Arcana's number. So we'll start with Fool's Devil King Candidate, Amon Gandou."
So we would be going by order of the Arcana. So I'll be… the 7th I think? Well, it doesn't really matter. For now, I'll pay attention to the other Candidates.
Needless to say, Amon walked with perfect steps. His white hair wasn't covering his eyes today, so maybe he combed his hair. Though that did show the dark circles under his eyes.
I'm also surprised by the Devil King's seriousness so far. I wonder how long it'll last. I mean, we were still in the first Candidate, but I expected him to make a joke or something just because it was his son.
"My name is Amon Gandou, Devil King Candidate of Fool. I have been observing, and occasionally helping my father with his work, so I already have a great deal of knowledge about what the position of Devil King means. I will start looking for suitable Cards soon, and I would also like to ask everyone to keep an eye on me for the duration of this Devil King War."
… Is there enough time to rewrite my speech? No, it's probably better to not mess with anything without Lizel-senpai's supervision.
But I'm pretty sure I saw Amon scowl when he said he "occasionally helps" with his father's work. That is the one negative I can point of Amon's speech, but I'm not sure if anyone else noticed it.
Amon walked to stand a little behind the Devil King. Were we all supposed to do that? Guess I'll wait to see what everyone else does.
"Next is the Candidate of Magician, Noda Shiwa."
The guy who walked up to the stage next didn't seem to have any special features at first. His hair wasn't especially long or short, and it had a normal black color. Compared to everyone else… he looked like just another face in the crowd.
"I'm Noda, future head of the Shiwa family. I have already selected a few Cards, but I still have many slots open, so please do your best to impress me."
Yeah, that speech wasn't anything much either. I'll try to remember the guy, but I'll make no promises.
"Ooh, the next one is an old friend of mine. Priestess, Fleminar Astarte."
Aah, the Devil King was starting to lose his seriousness. So it only lasted for 3 Candidates.
The woman that had been one of the last Candidates to arrive was the one to move out. She and the man from before do look like to be about the same age as the Devil King, which makes it more mysterious how they got mixed up in this teenager group of Candidates.
Fleminar had her blue hair tied up in a ponytail, and her dress was that same blue color. Of course, with her being already an adult, there was an air of maturity about her.
"I can't believe I'm doing this again… Fleminar. I have no idea how I was chosen as Priestess again, but I suppose I'll take this chance to use Ginsei Academy's resources. Oh, and I'm not looking for Cards, so please don't ask me to take anyone in."
As much as she didn't seem to enjoy this, there was something that stuck out to me about Fleminar's speech. She said "again", does that mean she was in another Devil King War?
Oh, and she also went to stand behind the Devil King like Amon had before. Noda was also there, but I really hadn't noticed him.
"Now, for the daughter of the Takizawa house, Hime Takizawa, Empress' Candidate."
If I had to guess from her appearance, I'd say this Hime girl was a 3rd year, so older than even Lizel-senpai. But, even though she may be young, her manners didn't seem to lose to Fleminar's right before her.
Hime's hair was long enough to almost reach the floor, and its brilliant red color really called attention to her. Her dress was white and adorned with jewels, and it had risque cuts that made it look erotic without actually showing too much.
"A pleasure to make everyone's acquaintance. As the great Devil King said, I'm called Hime Takizawa. I may not be strong on my own like other fellow Candidates, but I'm hoping to find Cards that will support me and help me win this war. Thank you for the attention, and I hope everyone enjoys the party."
My brain almost turned off thinking of how beautiful she is, I almost missed Hime's speech. She seems like such a nice and well-mannered lady that I can only hope she doesn't get hurt during all the fighting.
Humm… maybe I should offer myself to be her bodyguard after I get stronger. If I do a good job, we'll get closer and closer, until one day she'll invite me to her room for "protection".
Of course, that'll be just an excuse. As soon as we're behind 4 walls we'll start undressing each other. We'll play with each other's body a lot, and then-
"Yuuto-kun, are you alright?"
"H-huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine."
My head was going to a strange place until Neith called out to me. I don't know what happened there. Maybe I'm getting tired?
"Yuuto was just having some dirty thoughts about a beautiful girl he just saw. You interrupted his nice dream, Neith."
"I'm sorry… please don't be mad, Yuuto-kun."
"N-no, it was nothing like that."
"The tent in your pants says otherwise."
T-that's embarrassing. Stella didn't seem to mind much as she laughed to herself, but Neith's cheeks got a little red and she avoided looking directly at me.
While I was in fantasy land, another Candidate was called. It was the man that had arrived with Fleminar. His hair was blond and it had a cropped short cut. And his muscles were so big it looked like they'd burst his suit.
"Name's Marchosias Oinomori. Just like with Fleminar, I'm also a survivor of the previous war, and I was once again chosen as Emperor. It's obvious I'm leagues above these kids, so let me tell you now, Barbatos, once I win this war, I will fight and defeat you."
So that's it, Marchosias and Fleminar were participants of the previous Devil King War. Obviously, the current Devil King also took part then. There's probably a complex relationship there that I don't want to get involved with.
The public was erratic. Marchosias did act without proper respect for the Devil King, which I recently learned was a pretty big crime… wait, didn't I do something similar when I arrived tonight?!
"Hahaha! That won't do, Marchosias. As long as you're still a student, you have to call me either sensei or Devil King, but I'll let it pass. Now, to finish off Triumph, Hierophant's Candidate, Hirono Hiraizumi- woah, you're there already!"
By the time anyone noticed, the boy called Hirono was already where he was supposed to be. This wasn't him being unremarkable like with Noda, this was stealth.
Hirono had a shaved bald head, so I couldn't tell the color of his hair. But, with the suit he was wearing, he almost reminded me of a professional hitman.
"Son of the Hiraizumi house, Hirono. I have acquired the Hierophant Arcana, as it is my family's tradition. The remaining Candidates should pray that our paths never cross, but if they do, know I'll give you a quick and clean death."
Yeah… I'll put this one on the list that I hope I don't have to fight. Then again, I don't have anyone on the list I want to fight.
"Next is probably the darkest of all the dark horses throughout the history of the Devil King War. Lovers, Yuuto Morioka."
So it was my turn now. Thanks for the vote of confidence, by the way! Alright, Yuuto, don't get nervous. Just go there and say the stuff you prepared.
I walked up to where I'd give my speech. Oh god. I never had stage fright, but I'm getting butterflies in my stomach now.
I took a deep breath, then waited a second. … I'm ready to say my piece.
"I'm Yuuto, Candidate of Lovers and a human. There may be nothing special about me, but know that I'm not going to give up without a fight. That's all."
Yup, the speech Lizel-senpai and I prepared was that simple. There would be no point in needlessly provoking the others when I'm so weak. On the contrary, making them think "there's nothing special about him, so we don't have to worry about a single human" would be better for us.
I could hear some voices amongst the crowd. At least I made a little bit of an impression. I also saw Lizel-senpai and Miyabi waving at me. I saw Reina's hands as well, but I couldn't see her face because of the people in front of her.
As I walked towards where the other Candidates were waiting, I could feel them looking at me. Guess they were carefully observing everyone, just like me. Maybe it was just what I thought, but Fleminar seemed to be the most interested in me.
The next Candidate to be called was Neith. Amon had combed his hair so it didn't cover his eyes, but Neith let her left eye covered. Her figure was so stunning in her dark-blue dress that the small commotion I'd stirred up was instantly silenced.
"H-hum, I'm Neith Carnac. Devil King Candidate of Chariot. P-please take care of me."
Neith had me beat in the simplicity part. This was basically like introducing yourself in class. But well, if she was happy with it…
She took her place beside me. We had just met that night, but I had a pretty good idea of what happened with Neith.
"Were you nervous?"
She didn't answer, just nodded. Even though she was older than me, Neith right now seemed as cute as Reina.
"Hmm, next up is Hermit, Hisoka Kozukate. … Yeah you. What do you mean 'no'? Come out here already."
The Devil King himself had to go get Hermit, or rather Hisoka. Yeah, that same Hisoka Miyabi helped not too long ago.
She was like a kid who didn't want to get an injection. She struggled and struggled until she eventually gave up.
"I-I didn't want to be here… please just overlook me, I won't get in anyone's way."
And, with just that, Hisoka finished her speech. She ran to hide behind me. Because of her struggle before, her hair and dress were a mess.
Neith also went behind me, but she was trying to help Hisoka fix her appearance. At least, I chose to believe that, not that Neith had decided to use me as a shield now that Hisoka had done so.
"Moving on… next up is Strength, Rikumaru Sannou."
"Hell yeah!"
A girl in a black dress rushed up to the stage. She wasn't what I had in mind when I thought of a Candidate for Strength, but she did have muscly arms for a girl.
"Everyone knows the saying 'strength is justice' and I'm here to prove it right once again. The one who'll win this war is whoever is strongest, and there's no one stronger than Strength."
Hum, shouldn't you also say your name? No? Okay then, carry on.
Because Neith and Hisoka had moved, Rikimaru took her spot beside me. Is it just me or are both Neith and Hisoka hiding even more now?
"Now it's Wheel of Fortune's turn. Rinne Shimokadzuma."
Rinne, who had been accompanying Lost before, walked up the stage. She still wore a simple pink dress and kept that fake smile on her face.
"I have no intention of winning this war, but I have a Candidate I will give my full support to."
Rinne gave a little bow and then left. Rather than a speech from a Candidate, this almost seemed like a Card advocating for their master. Maybe she is a Card, even though she is a Candidate? Hey, that's not a bad idea actually. I'll keep it in mind for the future.
She was going to stay beside Rikimaru, but Rikumaru asked Rinne to change places, so now she was beside me.
"Oh, I'm happy to see you again, Yuuto. I see Hisoka-chan is troubling you once again."
"It's nothing, really. Neith's taking care of her."
I thought she would have gone check on Hisoka, but Rinne just stood there beside me.
"Now the other daughter of Sannou. Justice, Seigi."
Getting sloppy with the introductions, are we, Devil King?
For a second, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I thought it was Rikimaru again, I even looked to see if she was still beside Rinne.
So was this new girl a twin or something? She was wearing a white dress, and seemed a lot more well-mannered than Rikimaru. She also didn't have as many muscles as her… sister maybe?
"I apologize for my sister's behavior before. I'm Seigi Sannou, Candidate of Justice. The one who will win the Devil King War is not the strongest, but the most just. Whoever that is, I can only hope that we can have a good competition."
"Booo."
Rikimaru booed her sister's speech. Once Seigi took her spot beside her sister, I could notice some more differences between them, even so, they really are very similar twins.
"Damn, there's still so many left… can we speed this up? O-oh, now it's Hanged Man's Candidate's turn. Yotaka Hayachine."
A girl who looked to be about Lizel-senpai's age took the stand. Her hair was long and purple and her dress… let's just say it looked really tight. Like, it showed no skin, but you could still make out every curve of her body tight.
"Fufufu, I'm Yotaka, I've got Hanged Man's Arcana. Of course, what I want from this war is not just to become the Devil King, but there's also a rival I must defeat, and then make her mine."
Yotaka said no more and then took the spot beside the Sannou sisters. It's a good thing there was some distance between us, otherwise my eyes might wander a bit.
"Next is Death's Candidate. There seemed to be some last minute trouble with this Candidate, but right now-"
"I'll take it from here, if you don't mind."
The one who interrupted the Devil King was… Lost?! He's Death's Candidate?!
He was still dressed in his casual clothes, so he looked completely out of place. Part of me also hoped that he was just the stand-in for the actual Candidate, even though I knew that was impossible.
"Heya everyone, name's Lost Joudougahama. I've got Death's Arcana right here. You all better prepare yourselves, because devil society as you know it is about to come crumbling down, and I'll be the one to do it."
Lost left just as quickly as he appeared. Rather than keeping the order going, not that it seemed to matter much anymore, Lost took a place between Rinne and the Sannou sisters. He also gave me a wave.
What was it that Lost said about devil society? Does he want to destroy it? I'll have to ask about it later if I have a chance.
"Heeh, seems like an interesting fellow, this time's Death. In any case, let's continue. Next up is Temperance, Balance Mizusawa."
A guy that I could swear was dressed like a butler was the one who showed himself. I'm pretty sure I saw him serving people at the party. Was he really the Candidate?
"Everyone, I'm the Devil King Candidate of Temperance, please just call me Balance. I'm currently a student in class 3-A in Ginsei Academy. With moderation, I believe I will arrive at the post of Devil King, so please wish me luck."
He seemed… like a fairly nice guy? Not too formal, nor too casual. Not too threatening, nor too peaceful. That's what I got from his speech.
But I think I saw him looking the way of Yotaka. Not that I can blame him, it's hard to not look.
… But maybe you shouldn't stare that hard man.
"Wow, that was… balanced? Anyway, the next Candidate is already someone who stirred up trouble tonight. Devil, Ibiza Mitsuishi."
There it was, the guy I didn't want to meet again.
Ibiza still looked smug as he walked up to the stage. If I had to say anything about it, I'd say he had "the composure of a winner" which seemed to not sit right with me, as well as everyone else.
"Everyone already knows of me, so I don't have to introduce myself. I'm the future Devil King. I'll take what I want, when I want and from whoever has it. Is there anything that defines a devil more than that? Is there anyone more worthy of becoming Devil King?"
The public didn't seem to be going along with Ibiza's play, but that didn't seem to bother him. He left the stage with a smile.
When Ibiza was going to take his place, everyone took a step back. What, was everyone really scared of him?
"Phew, now that that's done, let's move on. Tower, Marios Takakuzure, it's your turn."
A guy with unkempt wavy green hair took the stage. His hair was long enough to cover his right eye. Otherwise, he didn't seem too happy to be here.
Between him, Amon and Neith, I had to wonder if letting your hair cover your eyes was becoming some kind of a trend or something. Maybe I should grow mine out as well?
"Marios Takakuzure, Candidate for Tower. I'll be looking for talented people to become my Cards, I'll go to you if I think you have what I want."
He finished just like that. I swear I heard him clicking his tongue as he came over. He also stood beside Ibiza like he didn't have a care in the world. Even Ibiza himself seemed surprised.
"Let's see, next is… oh wait, I was told to do a special entrance for this one. Just a second, people."
The Devil King disappeared behind the stage. Not long after that, the lights turned off. People got noisy for a second, but it wasn't long before a light turned on.
But it was a spotlight, and the person being focused was none other than Stella. Then, a song started playing.
I know this song, it's one of Stella's. … Wait, did she make the Devil King become a backstage man?!
Yeah, I could tell why Stella was the top idol. As the song continued, more and more people realized that the Candidate Stella and the idol Stella were one in the same.
"I see everyone's finally realized it. That's right! I'm Stella Hoshigaoka, top idol and Devil King Candidate of Star. I'm already plenty strong on my own, so if you want to be my Card it's fine to just be a cute girl and know how to dance. I'll give more details about the audition on a later date."
The song ended when Stella finished speaking. Soon enough, the lights went back to normal and the Devil King came back from the backstage.
Stella walked towards me and took the spot to my left, so between me and Hirono. I guess the whole order thing really doesn't matter now.
"So? What did you think, Yuuto, Neith?"
"It was… unexpected, but it was also pretty unique."
"I like Stella's songs…"
Stella seemed happy with mine and Neith's approval as she nodded to our answers.
"Aah, if only everyone had prepared something like that, I wouldn't have so much trouble. Well, we're almost at the end anyway. Next up is… the Candidate couple? Moon and Sun, Lunatic Kitakami and Summers Sansa."
This time, not 1, but 2 Candidates took the stage. They even came in holding hands.
The guy had silver hair and a melancholic look, the makeup on his face made him look like the lead singer of a rock band. As for the girl, she was blond, her hair really reminded me of Stella's, she wore a simple dress that let everyone see the tanlines on her skin.
"Everyone, Luna and I will do our best in this war, so wish us all the best while we climb to the top. While we're at it, we'll also take down a few fake stars."
"I won't let anyone lay a hand on my girl!"
Ooh, I think I get their strategy. Basically, if your lover is a Candidate, rather than having 21 opponents, you have 20. You can even take your lover as a Card to make sure there's no need to fight, and there's surely no better Card than another Devil King Candidate.
Damn, that's actually pretty smart. I wish I could do something like that. But I don't think any other Candidate would like to become my Card, and I can't become anyone's Card. A short lived dream…
"Now, the second-to-last Candidate, and a child of a good friend of mine. Ruki Kouma of Judgement."
Ooh, that girl… no wait, he was actually a guy. That cross-dressing was still getting me. Anyway, I met him earlier as well.
He still wore the same dress from before. Really, if Lizel-senpai hadn't told me, I never would have guessed this was actually a dude.
"Hello everyone. My name is Ruki, Candidate for Judgement. I hope everyone goes easy on me, hahaha."
With that simple greeting, Ruki finished his speech. With the intensity Balance was looking at Ruki, I'm pretty sure he fell for the same trap I almost did.
"Last but not least, the World, Aspite Line."
The final Candidate, Aspite. Still with his gray hair and stern face that looks like he lacks sleep.
I hope he doesn't use his speech to challenge me. Like it or not, I did beat Geld and Kilga, and I repelled Haida's attack. He's probably not too happy with it.
"Aspite, heir of the Line house and holder of World Arcana. Make no mistake, this great me will win this Devil King War. I know some might think otherwise due to… recent circumstances, but that was just the process of weeding out the weak members of my team."
I'll take that as a win for now, at least it doesn't seem like he plans to fight soon. He didn't even look my way, but that's fine.
And so, all 22 Devil King Candidates were introduced. This night had already been a night of many surprises, but it was not over yet.
For one, we all took a step forward. Apparently, people wanted to take a photo of all of us for the paper that would be printed out in the Devil World. I suppose it is big news.
But, between Stella posing beside me and Neith and Hisoka half-hidden behind me, it felt more like a photo of a friends' gathering rather than some big political event.
"Now then, for the last event of the night. Everyone feel free to ask our Candidates any questions you may have. That goes for the people of the press, as well as anyone else. Maybe you want to know how to become someone's Card, or maybe their stance on a certain matter. I don't really have to do anything, so just ask away."
Exiting the stage just like that, the Devil King left us to answer to the crowd of people that probably had a million questions in their heads.
You might as well have thrown us in a tank full of sharks!
