Earlier, I had been reading one of Yuuto's manga. He had lent the next volume to a friend of his, so we went to get it.
That friend was a mixed-blood devil, but I didn't care enough to report him or anything. We were supposed to just go in, grab the manga and go back.
But something strange happened. For some reason, a reddish liquid burst out. Yuuto's friend was gone before I noticed it, and Yuuto protected me from that liquid.
That was exactly the problem. Every devil should be able to recognize that liquid. It's known as Demon Blood. It's such a dangerous thing that very few devils dared even come close to it, and even fewer dared somehow handle it.
And Yuuto had just had that liquid splashed on him to protect me from it. Demon Blood, shouldn't be well-known amongst humans. Devils throughout history made sure of it.
It's not like it's harmful to devils and doesn't affect humans. Whoever comes in contact with that liquid will suffer a slow and painful death, be them devil or human. The devils throughout history just didn't want their human servants knowing that there was such an easy way to kill someone, regardless of the difference in power.
"Y-Yuuto…"
Because he protected me, Yuuto was now on the ground, bleeding all over. I could tell from his expression, which barely looked human anymore, the amount of pain he must have been feeling. Luckily, it seems he has lost consciousness, so he was able to escape from some of the pain.
But that doesn't matter. Yuuto came in contact with Demon Blood. His death could not be more assured if his heart and head were ripped right out of his body.
So this is how his life ends? With a death as dignified as that of a stay mutt's?
There is nothing to be done anymore. Yuuto won't be long for this world.
In that case, I might as well follow him. Would there even be a point for me to continue living? Even with all of my family's prestige, even with all the power I have, even with the chance of becoming Devil King, I can't see any reason.
I wonder if we should embrace each other? Regardless of how it is, my death will also be set in stone once I touch Yuuto now, so we might as well be together.
[Wait, do not touch him.]
Right before I reached Yuuto, I heard a voice. It wasn't Yuuto's friend, it was a woman's voice.
When I finally tore my attention from Yuuto, I saw a scene that looked like the stuff of legends. An Arcana was floating right in front of me. It was Lovers' Arcana, but an Arcana nonetheless.
And that voice I just heard. Could it be…?
[Yes, it is me. I am called Sein, but most know me as Lovers Arcana.]
Heeh. If this was a while ago, I would be thinking I was some chosen individual or something like that. I'd probably be jumping in joy.
But I really don't care anymore. Get out of my way. We couldn't be together in life, but death won't do us apart. Go find someone else to play with you in the Devil King War.
[… You will… die? You spend years trying to learn how to use my power, and you finally did it, Lizel Himekami. I can assure you you will be the most powerful Lovers Candidate throughout all of history. Do you not feel your destiny?]
I feel something alright. I feel like I should run away scared, that I should go and get Yuuto's parents, even though there's nothing anyone can do to help him. That I should just accept his death and move on.
But again, I don't care anymore. If this is the end, so be it. Maybe, if we die close together, we'll also be reborn close together in some other life, or something.
[You are… wait. In that case, there may still be something to be done. A way to save this boy, Yuuto.]
I wasn't planning to pay any more attention to the Arcana, or rather Sein, but these weren't words I could ignore. If there is a way to save Yuuto, then I'll do it.
[First, there is something that I should explain. There is such a thing as destiny, but it is not as absolute as many believe. While it is very difficult, it is possible to fight against it and even break it. Yuuto's destiny is to die here so you can fulfill your destiny of becoming the strongest Lovers Candidate in history. You are already fighting against that destiny, so I will help you break free from it.]
So is that what's trying to tell me to leave Yuuto? If so, I don't need such a destiny. What should I do?
[First, you must get rid of the remaining Demon Blood. Something as simple as a Figa should suffice.]
What? But that would hurt Yuuto. Yeah, it would be nothing compared to the pain he's already feeling, but still. Isn't there any other way?
[Do not think, just do as I say. Breaking through destiny is not something that can be done trivially, and we also have no time to waste if we are to save him. I can only promise to save him if you do as I say.]
… Alright, if it'll save Yuuto, I'll just do whatever you say.
I shot a Figa at Yuuto. The Demon Blood that was still around evaporated. Sein then told me to use Heal on Yuuto, and so I did.
Next, Sein told me something I wouldn't have ever expected. She told me to make Yuuto my Card.
I hadn't realized it with everything going on, but, since the Arcana showed up to me, I guess I really did become Lovers' Candidate, didn't I?
[Indeed. You will make use of your Characteristic Magic, Healing Lovers, to save Yuuto. I will explain how it works shortly, but first, make him into your Card.]
I see. Alright then, I'll do it.
There are a few ways to make someone into your Card once you are a Devil King Candidate. The most common one is surely through contract magic. But if it's me and Yuuto, there's a better option.
[Yuuto Morioka has become a Queen Card.]
I kissed Yuuto. Not the first kiss I would have liked, but I'll forgive him this time. Also, while the gender is wrong, the reason why I made Yuuto into a Queen Card is because of the significance of it. It's a Card often reserved for the Candidate's lover. There is no better role for him.
The next thing Sein told me to do was to take off Yuuto's clothes, as well as my own, and then lay him down in a more comfortable position. Next was using the Characteristic Magic.
[If you wish to go back, this is your last chance. I have already warned you of what it will cost.]
I don't mind. You can start as soon as possible.
I had Yuuto laying down on the floor. Both him and I were naked. Sein had already explained everything to me. Then, I got on top of him and once again kissed his lips.
After a few seconds, I felt something that made me break the kiss. An incredible pain like I'd never felt before.
"Ga-aaaah!"
But I already expected it, that's why I was able to stay conscious.
The reason why Demon Blood brings a slow and painful death is because it slowly breaks down whoever gets in contact with it. One of the first steps is destroying the magic circuits, but, because I got rid of the damned thing with Figa, the damage was fairly contained.
Still, Yuuto's magic circuits were already damaged beyond repair, and that was already enough to kill him. Luckily, he's a human and I'm a devil, that means my magic circuits are more than a match for his.
Transplanting magic circuits is possible, in theory at least, but it requires a complicated ritual magic which we don't have time for, and there's also the matter of compatibility and a lot of other things. But Sein said she could transplant my magic circuits into Yuuto and adjust them so there would be no problems.
Of course, I would also die without magic circuits, so Sein isn't taking everything. She's leaving me with my gender-related magic circuits, since Yuuto wouldn't have any need for those, as well as my magic circuits for Cupid, and she also said she'd create a few more magic circuits to connect everything. The process would be extremely painful, but we'd both live.
But she also told me the price for saving Yuuto: I will never again use magic.
Well, I suppose I could still use Cupid, and maybe a few other things if I didn't mind getting hurt in the process. But I would still lose something most noble devils consider to be the most important thing.
I found that a strangely cheap price for Yuuto's life, but Sein assured me that that was all. If this cheap pride is all it takes to save Yuuto, then to hell with it.
"Gaaah!"
Having my magic circuits ripped out is painful, but I can take it. Yuuto felt an even worse pain by having his destroyed, so how can I complain? Also, the part of us being naked is because of the Characteristic Magic. What a perverted spell.
"U, uug."
After a little bit, Yuuto seemed to be trying to recover his consciousness. That's good, it means that it's working.
It was getting late. This place has no lights, so it's getting dark. Normally, this is the time I start getting scared, but Yuuto is with me, so there is no problem.
[It is completed. Your magic circuits have been transferred to Yuuto, Lizel.]
I don't know how long it has been, probably an hour or more from how dark it is. It was really painful, but I endured the whole time.
I felt my consciousness drifting away. When I noticed, I was in some kind of grassy land. Also, Yuuto was right beside me.
"Yuuto!"
"Woah! Lizel? What happened? Where are we?"
I immediately jumped into Yuuto's arms. He held me more out of reflex than anything, but I don't care. I'm so glad he's safe.
Also, we were still naked, but I didn't mind. It's not like I didn't care, but I felt that there was something different than simply being naked like usual.
This is probably some special space. There are legends of entire worlds inside the Arcanas, so maybe this is it.
[Welcome, Lizel Himekami and Yuuto Morioka.]
Then, a woman showed up. She has silver hair and gold eyes, and the dress she wore looked like one of a Greek goddess. I soon learned that that was Sein.
[Allow me to explain things.]
Sein then went through everything. She explained about the red liquid called Demon Blood, and how Yuuto protected me because it was written in his destiny to do so. She told him that, after this, I was supposed to go and become the strongest Lovers Candidate, but I gave up on that and on my magic circuits to save him.
"Wait wait, then, are you alright, Lizel? Can you just give you magic circuits like that?"
"It's fine, Sein took care of it. At the very least, I won't die either."
There's no reason to make Yuuto worry about unnecessary things. Let's leave it at this for now.
"I see. In that case, thanks for saving my life, Lizel. And thank you as well, Sein."
"It's not as if I could live without Yuuto anyway. Maybe it's not the best time to say it but, I love you, Yuuto."
"T-that's… haha, I'm so happy I don't know what to say."
Even if he doesn't say it, I can tell Yuuto feels the same. I'll forgive him for now, but I'll want to hear it from his mouth one day.
[I do not mean to intrude, but there is a matter we should discuss. Namely, the Devil King War that will take place a few years from now.]
Right. I already knew it, but there really will be another Devil King War soon. I got my Arcana really early, but that doesn't really change anything.
[Lizel was picked as Lovers' Candidate, but, when she passed you her magic circuits, she also passed her candidacy. Yuuto, you will now be Lovers' Candidate.]
"Wait, Sein, even if Yuuto has my magic circuits, he's still just a human. Can't you pick someone else?"
[I apologize, but I cannot undo my decision. I cannot explain fully, but this next Devil King War will be very important. Yuuto will have to do whatever he can to become as powerful as possible.]
"Well, can I just start, like, training now?"
[Unfortunately, no. Your magic circuits have been taken care of, but you still lost a lot of blood, as well as sustained other damages. Your body will also need time to adapt, so I will seal your memories regarding devils and magic. I will make it so that the seal becomes undone when you become as strong as Lizel currently is, or rather was. With some luck, that will happen before the Devil King War starts, or maybe during it.]
So Yuuto's going to forget about me. I already figured something like that would be needed, but it still hurts.
"Listen well, Yuuto, the Devil King War is a killing game. Since we can't escape it, we should just win it. A Devil King Candidate can have servants called Cards, I will pick them for you. The power of Lovers Arcana is that of love and lust. Given what I know of Yuuto, I know the lust part will be well taken care of. We'll say goodbye for now, but we'll meet again when the Devil King War starts."
"Lizel… the person who wins the Devil King War becomes Devil King, the boss of the devils, right?"
"In short, yes."
"Alright then, I'll do it. And, once I become Devil King, I'll use my power to help my friends and family, even Lost, and also… I'm going to make you my wife, Lizel, and I won't take no for an answer."
"You make it sound as if I'd say no. I don't even mind if you take more wives as long as you love me. Is this good enough, Sein?"
[… Yes, it should do nicely. Then, this is goodbye for now. Until a few years.]
Sein said with a smile. Before I noticed, I was back to the normal world.
It was dark. I was going to make a light with magic, but I felt pain when I tried to. This will take some getting used to, but it means me saving Yuuto wasn't a dream. First of all, let me put my clothes and his back on.
I had to carry Yuuto back to his home. Without my magic circuits, I can't use body enhancement magic, so it was quite hard, but I eventually managed to get there. Of course, his parents were worried.
"Yuu-kun!"
"What happened?"
Well, I can't say their reaction wasn't expected. Yuuto's clothes were quite bloody.
"I'm sorry, Yuuto became like this to protect me. I did everything I could for him, so his life shouldn't be in danger, but it might be better to take him to a hospital anyway."
I tried explaining everything that happened to Yuuto's parents. I told them that his memories about magic and devils are sealed, and that they should let him remember on his own, since it's an important part of his treatment.
I also showed them Lovers Arcana and told them that Yuuto would have to take place in the Devil King War that would happen in a few years. It was hard telling them so much without explaining anything, but, maybe because of all the time I spent here, they listened to me until the end.
We decided to continue talking in the car on the way to the hospital. I was able to explain everything I had to before we got there. Yuuto was admitted in, but luckily it seemed he'd only need a bit of blood, medication and some rest.
"Yuuto got hurt because of me, I apologize again."
"P-please don't lower your head."
"Lizel-cha, err, Lizel and Yuu-kun seem like good friends, so even though I don't really understand what happened, I'm sure it's not your fault. … I'm just a bit worried about the Devil King War you mentioned."
"I understand, but there's nothing to worry about. I will return home now and prepare to support Yuuto once the Devil King War starts, so there will be no danger. … Also, it's likely we'll meet again a few years from now, and I won't mind it if you act more casual with me then."
Yuuto's father seemed to not know how to react. I have to admit, it's a little funny to see him nervous like that.
Yuuto's mother, meanwhile, didn't seem to have that problem.
"I see. Very well, I'll trust Yuu-kun to you, Lizel-chan."
"Y-yes."
For some reason, I was a little embarrassed.
After that, I decided to leave before Yuuto recovered his consciousness. It would take a few years before we met again
What a strange time to reminisce about the past.
It's been years since I gave Yuuto my magic circuits, and now the Devil King came up with some battle royale. Really, he just does whatever he pleases.
It was really hard for me after I returned home. I met with the Devil King again and returned Lovers Arcana to him. He seemed curious about what had happened, but didn't ask me anything, so I didn't tell him anything.
After that, I informed my parents that I lost my magic circuits, since it would be impossible to hide it from them. I omitted information regarding Yuuto and his friend to avoid any form of repercussions towards them, I even lied to my parents and told them I'd been tricking them and wasn't really staying in any human's home.
Publicly, nothing happened and my life resumed as normal. But behind the scenes, my parents were mad and they made sure to let me know. I imagined things would only get worse so I started working to become independent, and that proved to be the right choice when I was unofficially disowned when it became known I became Yuuto's Card.
In the meantime, I had to look for Cards for Yuuto. I had 2 conditions to work with: they had to be beautiful girls and they had to either be strong or be willing to become stronger.
Stella and Neith were some of the first names on my list, but I gave up on them when they became Candidates, though they ended up as Yuuto's Cards anyway. Then, there was Miyabi, as well as her servants Maki and Rebecca, and Reina.
There were other names on my list, but only Miyabi and Reina accepted to become Lovers' Cards, likely because of their own situations. I had been hoping for a lot more, but 2 is more than 0.
"Hey, isn't that Yuuto-kun over there?"
After we took off in Neith's Top Runner, we ended up meeting with Ruki, who had her black and white wings out as she was flying.
I looked in the direction she was pointing at and it really was Yuuto there.
He was bringing some girls to the roof, likely to avoid the black liquid below. I thought he'd save only the girls, but Yuuto then went back to get some humanoid being made of that black liquid.
But, when he was almost at the roof, black tentacles shot out from the black swamp below and grabbed the humanoid thing Yuuto was carrying. Yuuto himself reached the roof fine, but it looked like he planned on going to that thing's rescue.
"Lizel, what do we do…? Do we stop Yuuto-kun… since it's dangerous?"
Neith asked me. But I thought that the answer was obvious.
"No, we give Yuuto our support. If it's dangerous, we give him cover to lessen the danger. And also, I don't know why he's protecting those girls, but we'll take that off his mind as well."
"Maybe onii-chan wants to make them into Cards desu?"
Most of those girls are Candidates, if I remember right, but I wouldn't put it past Yuuto. And it wouldn't be a bad choice. Especially Hermit's Candidate, if that really is her. It would be nice to have the support of a Kozukate going forward.
There's also the chance Yuuto hasn't thought of that and is simply saving them because he could, and his luck just happened to make the people he could save pretty girls. That might even be the most likely possibility, but it doesn't change what we have to do.
"Then, we'll take care of protecting them. Let's go, Reina, newbie."
"Yes desu."
"You're really going to keep calling me newbie, huh."
Miyabi, Reina and Stella went down to the roof where the girls were. Miyabi made sure they landed safely by using Float magic.
"We'll share the sky and give support to Yuuto. Neith, Ruki, keep circling around, I'll shoot whatever's on Yuuto's blind spot with Cupid. I would also appreciate it if you helped me by shooting, Ruki."
"You didn't even have to ask."
"Let's do it…"
Of course, if things get too dangerous, we'll find a way to bail Yuuto. But for now, we'll let him do as he pleases.
After all, Yuuto will become Devil King, he needs to be a bit selfish sometimes.
