AN: Hello new and old to this little fic of mine as some of you may know this is the current story I'm working on based on the waifu catalogue and high school DxD that I am currently writing on questionable questing While it may take me some time to ap load it all to this site you can go there to catch up if you like it or simply wait a couple of days for all 9 chapters to be upload then from that moment on I will post the update simultaneously on all sites so you can read it in your favourite place.
Disclaimer: I don't own HighSchool DxD or any character from other sources that may make their way into this, and neither I own the Waifu catalogue.
[0000]
Opening my eyes, I found myself in a strange place, a cavernous room seemingly constructed from pure shadows and so big that I couldn't see the ends. Still, somehow the mahogany desk in front of me was perfectly visible even if I couldn't figure out where the light source was coming from. I would have paid more attention to the other occupant of the room if my brain wasn't trying to bend itself to figure out how the room worked.
"Hello, Sir." A squeaky feminine softly reached my ears, making me focus on the person talking to me. I say person but the only other creature in the room was the strangely cartoonish Purple Cat sitting on the opposite end of the desk.
"You look like Yuumi from League of Legends," I Said to the talking cat in front of me. This must be the weirdest dream I ever had and a bit of a missed opportunity if I could talk with one of the champions, I would have preferred Shen he had been my main for years back in the day.
"Technically speaking I'm not the original Yuumi but a clone made by The Company for one of our contractors before finding my way into recruitment, Specifically I'm in charge of a recruitment program targeted on finding new contractors willing to complete specific grand missions depending on their profile and build history." the game character told me.
"Wait The Company, Missions, Builds? Like on the Waifu Catalogue website?" disbelief and maybe a little bit of wonder tinting my shaking voice.
"The very same you would be familiar with according to your profile, Yes."
"I thought that was just some make-believe writing proms for people to share and have fun online"
"And to anyone other than a possible contractor it is but it is also a recruitment tool for the Company, Coffee?" Yummi said with a kind smile waiving one of her white-tipped paws in a swift motion and making a cup of warm coffee appear on my side of the desk.
"Thank You" I took a sip of the brewage finding it was exactly how I would make it at home only with a richer flavour. I took a second to gather my thoughts while enjoying the best cup of coffee I ever had in my life and noticed Yummi repeat the paw-waving motion before and magically make herself a cup of tea while she waited for me.
"So I will just accept that this is happening and roll with it, How does this work you said something about missions?" I finally said, either this is real or I'm having the world's most realistic dream. Regardless my best option right now is to take things seriously.
"It's quite simple, to be honest, and not that different from what you would expect from how the contract works in most of those writing prompts you brought up before the difference is that you are been contracted to primarily complete one specific Grand Mission. If you accept you while making your build following the parameters and limitations of the mission once that's done you will be transported to your starting world."
"Can I read the mission before accepting? Also, what happens if I don't accept?"
Yuumi once more waved and this time a tablet materialised on the desk for me to read over the mission details.
{Mission: The True Gremory
Location: High School DxD
Scope: Grand
Description: Aren't you tired of watching the same protagonists doing the same stuff over and over again? Well never fear because I have an alternative. You will Substitute [T5] as Millicas Gremory the nephew of Rias Gremory and you will be the one that through sheer force of will, determination, strength and charisma will be able to wrestle the title of Heir of Gremory for yourself, become the True Harem King and crush all your enemies underfoot while bringing glory to the name of Gremory.
Conditions:
You must buy Universal Calibration and choose for Millicas to have at most 1 year age difference with Rias (whether he is older, the same age or he remains younger is at your discretion).
You can not kill any of Sona's, Rias' or Issei's Peerage canon members, Being unable to save them from death does not count as killing them as long as you had no hand in it.
You must not have any of Sona's, Rias' or Issei's Peerage canon members in your peerage. (It doesn't stop you from capturing them, just not using your Evil Pieces or them or trading them into your peerage.)
You can only capture any of Sona's, Rias' or Issei's Peerage canon members by love confession,
You must not take any Devil Heiresses in your Peerage.
Out-of-world characters are limited to non-Deities and Tier 7 maximum. The Tier restriction is ignored only for your Queen Piece.
Evil Pieces Restrictions for Out-of-World Characters:
T8 = Queen Piece Only
T7= Either 6 Pawns or 2 Bishops or 2 Rooks or 2 Knights
T6= 5P or 1R
T5= 3P or 1B or 1K
T4-1 = 1P
You can have a maximum of 2 Mutation Pieces and they can't be your Queen.
Mutation Pawns have double their reincarnation power only.
Other Mutation Pieces can increase their resurrection tier by 1.
Once you recruit a peerage member you cannot trade them away.
You can't recruit Valerie Tepes [T8] (because let's be honest this trope has become overused). Capturing her will award you no credits unless sold to the Company.
Each Member of your Retinue (including yourself) can only have 1 Template maximum.
Until the end of this Mission, you can't use the Power swap perk on yourself.
Until the end of this Mission, you can't purchase any Heritage options.
Until the end of this Mission, you can't purchase any defences aside from Body, Wild, Environmental, Information, or Destiny.
Primary Objectives:
Be granted the title Heir of House Gremory by either Zeoticus or Runeas Gremory.
Have a full peerage by using all your Evil Pieces.
Be recognized as an Ultimate-Class Devil by the leaders of one faction.
Be recognized as a Satan/Seraph Level Being by the leaders of the Three Factions before the fight against Trihexa (666) or the end of your first year inside the world of High School DxD.
Either survive the fight against Trihexa (666) or prevent its release altogether.
Time Limit: One Year inside the world of High School DxD.
Reward [Credits]: 2000
Additional objectives:
Objective 1: Seduce Sona Sitri via Love Confession!
Reward [ Other ]: 30 Credits
Objective 2: Seduce Serafall Leviathan via Love Confession!
Reward [ Other ]: Signed and Sealed Perk and double her Credit worth on capture.
Objective 3: Prevent Rias' marriage to Riser!
Reward [ Other ]: Instant Capture of Rias Gremory at double her Credit or 100 credits
Objective 4: Acquire a Longinus Sacred Gear! Repeatable.
Reward [ Credits ]: 70 Credits per Gear
Objective 5: Defeat Kokabiel 1vs1!
Reward [ Perks ]: Stress Defence x2 and 100 credits.
Objective 6: Defeat the Hero Faction
Reward [ Perks ]: Mind Defence x2 and 100 credits.
Objective 7: Defeat the Old Satan Faction once and for all.
Reward [ Perks ]: Corruption Defence x2
Objective 8: Deafet Vali Lucifer in combat.
Reward [ Other ]: 200 Credits or a Tier 8 dragon or demon Companion Ticket.
Objective 9: Become the strongest Devil Youth!
Reward [ Other ]: Stud Service and Zenryoku Zenkai Lures
Objective 10: Have a Harem or Peerage of at least 10 Members.
Reward [ Other ]: Addiction Defence x2 and 50 Credits
Objective 11: Defeat Rizevim Livan Lucifer.
Reward [ Other ]: Perk and Soul Defence x2
Objective 12: Defeat Sirzechs Lucifer.
Reward [ Other ]: 250 Credits or a Tier 8 Companion Ticket
Objective 13: Become a Satan!
Reward [ Other ]: 250 Credits and Polymorph Defence x2
Objective 14: Defeat Trihexa once and for all.
Reward [ Other ]: 1 IMG ticket and the ExE continuity Adversaries Get erased from existence!
Objective 15: Capture Ophis by love confession!
Reward [ Other ]: 1 IMG Ticket. }
It wasn't an easy mission by any means. it certainly looked fun if a little limiting but all things considered, the primary objective was extremely doable, Some of the bonus objectives were complicated but except for one or two, I'm pretty sure that I could complete nearly all of them. While I was going over the parameters Yuumi continued with her explanation.
"If you don't accept the contract you will be returned to your place of origin with this interaction being wiped from your memory. Also, I remind you that you only need to complete the primary objective to receive the reward and complete the mission, the bonus rewards will be awarded to you as soon as you complete the bonus objective. Additionally, as long as you don't break the mission parameters you are free to do whatever you want. So, you have a lot more to gain from this than to lose."
"Okay then I Accept your offer Miss Yuumi," I said with a nod. She was right, I had more to gain from this than to lose and with the right build and companions, I could enjoy myself and also complete the mission at the same time with some work. But it all comes down to the build and if I could take advantage of the system to set myself up for success.
"Great with this your contract with the Company is confirmed. Let's move to the Build itself." She smiles at me before the tablet I'm holding in my hands gives a little sound. Looking at it I now see the familiar build interface from the waifu catalog website.
The world is already set to High School DxD. So the first thing I do is set the difficulty to Legacy and the intensity to PvE, a bit of a cope out certainly but I don't want to add more difficulty when the mission itself restricts my build by itself.
Next Origin its already looked to Substitute Millicas Gremory (T5) so I move to bindings choosing the always reliable stamp, for lures I pick up Sticky Fingers and Fairy Feast considering that I would have access to a lot of the targets from the get-go and my plans for the future they will do nicely and you can go wrong with Zenryoku Zenkai in a shonen setting so that's an instant pick.
I ignore heritage as it would kind of go against the spirit of the mission and I need all the points I can get if I'm gonna make this work. For homes, I go up to Sweet Home and nothing else as a place to hide away in secret It's always useful and I can upgrade later if need be.
Talents are where things get tricky. the mission allows for only one template stacking for each retinue member including yourself, There are ways to go around this with hard work and added potential in the future so I have to choose something that would either expand my options instantly or something that synergies well with what my base Millicas power set will allow me that can be developed into something powerful. After some consideration I go for synergy, my strength plays a bigger role in the mission completion than options and I can use that strength to get credits later on.
With that in mind, I choose to focus on my Power of Destruction and template stack Beerus from Dragon Ball. even if I don't get all the powers from the get-go combining them with Soul and Martial Talents will let me grow into them giving me the potential to use god ki, autonomous ultra instinct and ultra ego in the future It's a bargain for just 40 credits combine. Picking up Communication Talent and Body tune-up I move one from now but if all goes to plan I will be returning to buy some more talents shortly.
Defences are normally where you should always spend the bulk of your starting credits under normal circumstances but because of the mission, I can only pick from Body, Wild, Environmental, Information and Destiny defences, other defences I would get from bonus rewards. I ended up picking only Body and Information defences for now I will be buying the others later either when I gain credits or if my plan ends up not working out as I intended.
Now the moment of true I go to the generic perk section and pick up the perk that I'm banking me being able to cheat the system with. I selected the Open Rolls Perk. Thanks to this I will be able to see the ability and trauma tier of slightly used Waifus allowing me to get my hands on some strong peerage members early on.
The mission puts limitations on your peerage member's tiers and their value connected to the evil piece you use. The greatest is that if I want my queen piece to be an out-of-setting waifu she and only she can be a T8 companion.
With my 165 credits remaining I couldn't normally afford the 200 credits price of a fresh clone but I could buy a previously owned original, with the open rolls prek the randomness of the choice is reduced and if I chose someone I could work with a manageable or lesser trauma then I could get a powerhouse relative to the normal power level of the setting with only a 100 credits investment.
For the moment my build is done and I have an adaptable plan to work with once I start my new life.
{Starting World: High School DxD
Starting budget 365
Difficulty [6.25]
Legacy Difficulty 0
Intensity
Me and My Girlfriend(s)(PvE) +0 [365]
You as Millicas Gremory (Substitute) of T5 -20 [345]
Bindings
Company Stamp free [345]
Lures
Sticky Fingers -5 [340]
Zenryoku Zenkai -20 [320]
Faerie Feast -10 [310]
Home Perks
Pocket Space -5 [305]
Pocket Apartment x2 -20 [285]
Sweet Home -20 [265]
Talents
Soul -10 [255]
Martial -10 [245]
Template Stacking I[You as Millicas Gremory has Beerus (Dragonball)] -20 [225]
Communication -10 [215]
Body Tune-Up -5 [210]
Defences
Body -5 [205]
Information -25 [180]
Misc Perks
Universal Calibration -10 [170]
Generic Waifu Perks
Open Rollsᵈˡᶜ -5 [165]}
"Okay, Miss Yuumi I'm done with my Build." Passing the tablet to the purple cat I wait as she looks it over. I see her raising one of her brows in curiosity before turning to see me.
"Everything seems to be in order and all the parameters are confirmed, I must say I have worked with quite a few contractors but I can't remember the last time someone picked the Open Rolls perk let me tell you that the 3 options you get for slightly used waifus only refresh once per new world you visit so I hope your plan doesn't rely upon one singular option or you are gonna get screw," she told me gently.
"Don't worry I have lots of options it all depends on their trauma and if I can work with them but I'm willing to put on the hard work."
"See that you do, Good luck on your next life Millicas Gremory"
With a final wave from her paw, a white light filled my vision.
[0000]
Within seconds of staring at Yuumi in that strange shadowy room, I was struck by the most excruciating headache I had ever experienced.
The first thing I noticed after the pain was the familiar sound of birds chirping outside my window and the comforting softness of the bed I had been sleeping in. When I opened my eyes and scanned the room, I realized I was in an unfamiliar bedroom. Gradually, the disorientation that had previously clouded my mind began to fade as memories from my life before I accepted my new position as a company contractor merged with those from the last 17 years of my existence as Millicas Gremory.
I thought, 'It's terrifying how easily the company can manipulate reality to transport us contractors into different settings.' I got up from my comfortable new bed and started to get dressed. Instead of residing in my parents' manor, I now had a brand-new apartment in Kuoh, thanks to Universal calibration. I was meant to spend the next week adapting to the human world in preparation for joining Rias and Sona at Kuoh Academy.
However, I had more pressing matters to attend to than simply enjoying my newfound freedom from my mother's meticulously planned schedule.
Instead of heading to the door that led to the living room of my apartment, I retrieved my jacket from where I had left it the previous day and took out my Company Smart Device from one of its pockets. I then stepped into the nearly invisible distortion in the wall beside the door, entering my new home.
After spending ten minutes exploring my new extradimensional real estate and the house built on it (which was quite nice, though it couldn't compare to some of the places I had been to in the underworld), I found myself sitting on my couch, reviewing the companion section of my device.
According to my initial plan, It was finally time to consider my options and summon my new Queen. The reason i created my build while saving as many credits as possible was aiming to secure a Tier 8 Waifu for 100 credits instead of the usual 200. Under normal circumstances, a custom-made clone from The Company would have readily agreed to join my peerage. However, Slightly Used Waifus were original versions that a previous contractor had captured before either selling them to the company or losing them in another way.
Contractors could purchase these discounted companions to join their retinue, but there were some caveats.
Firstly, the reduced price stemmed from the fact that, due to their capture and time spent under other contractors, these companions could differ from their baseline counterparts in two primary ways: they could be either stronger or weaker than their original state for various reasons, leading to an increase or decrease in their Tier. The second deciding factor in their prices was the psychological effects of knowing they were captured, along with their experiences after the capture, which tended to leave some level of trauma that could further affect their efficiency and, consequently, their tier.
Because of the limitations imposed by the Grand Mission on my Possible Queen, the best-case scenario was finding a Tier 8 Waifu with a low enough trauma level that I could acquire her for the price of a Tier 7. Although it was possible to obtain further discounts with higher trauma levels, I wasn't equipped to deal with anything beyond first-level trauma.
The second caveat was that when buying a used companion, you typically received three random versions to choose from, with the only distinguishing feature being their price.
By combining the Open Rolls Perk to reveal the hidden trauma level and any tier variation among the three purchase options, I could select the version that closely matched my desired outcome, or if necessary, I could explore other Tier 8 Waifus. My hope lay in using a combination of communication talent, my lures, and the standard loyalty effects of the company stamp to persuade her to join my peerage and help her manage her trauma.
Instead of relying solely on chance, with 165 credits to my name, I had enough to increase the long-term chances of my plan succeeding by making the right purchase before summoning my possible queen.
While I held a deep affection for Rias, my newfound perspective on the setting's plot and the realization that traumas don't vanish by ignoring them prompted my first order of business: acquiring a therapist. The lady who came to mind was not only a perfect fit but also from the same world setting as both my ideal queen choice and a couple of my secondary choices.
The fact she was sexy as sin and that purchasing a full-price company clone might increase my chances of romantic involvement in this life was purely coincidental.
That was my original plan.
[0000]
With a moment of truth approaching, I quickly typed the name of my target into the search feature of the catalogue and paid the 10 credits for the only version of the beautiful lady that wouldn't lead to my likely demise by snu snu, without acquiring nearly every possible defence in the catalogue.
As I confirmed the transaction, a new magical signature materialized in one of the second-floor rooms, briefly diverting my attention from the notification on my device screen. Concentrating on my supernatural senses, I discerned soft breathing emanating from the second floor and the calmness of the signature's energy, indicating that my first companion was deeply asleep.
Thinking, 'There's no rush; I might as well let her sleep for a bit while I prepare breakfast for both of us. We can get to know each other and discuss our strategy over a meal,' I pocketed my device after checking the purchase notification and proceeded to the connected kitchen.
After a quick inventory check of the pantry and the refrigerator to assess available ingredients, I decided to prepare Japanese-style pancakes and brew a pot of tea.
Almost immediately, I sensed the Faerie Feast Perk guiding my actions with a level of finesse and technical expertise that exceeded anything I had previously demonstrated in either life. Granted, growing up in a manor with an army of maids hadn't provided me with much hands-on experience in this realm, but the difference brought about by the perk was astounding.
Thirty minutes later, I sat down at the table with the hope of savouring the best pancakes I'd ever had when the sound of clicking heels reached my ears.
I turned to look across the living room at the stairs leading to the second floor, and my breath was taken away.
Long, raven-black locks cascaded gracefully from her head, beautifully contrasting with her fair complexion. The pink sweater and white jeans she wore did little to conceal her curvaceous figure. However, it was her amber eyes and the captivating smile on her soft lips that truly left an impression. Her expression radiated kindness and compassion, illuminating the room. I had been surrounded by supernatural beauty all my life and was related to some of the most attractive women in the underworld, but seeing Sesshouin Kiara left me speechless.
"Good day, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said in a velvety voice, her amusement at my reaction evident in her tone. Finally emerging from my stupor, I crossed the room to greet her properly.
Taking her hand with my own, I effortlessly lifted it to my lips, planting a gentle kiss on the back of her hand while offering a warm smile. I regarded the faint pink blush that appeared on her cheeks as a small victory.
"I can assure you, Kiara, the pleasure is all mine," I smoothly replied.
"Let's sit down and eat while we chat and get to know each other." With a nod of her head, she followed me to the table, expressing a soft thank you when I pulled out her chair before taking my seat opposite hers.
"Tell me, Kiara, how much do you know about our current situation?" I asked as I handled the teapot, pouring tea into both our cups.
"Only the general outline, to be honest. You are a new contractor who was given a grand mission and sent to this world to complete said task as part of your contract," she replied, nodding her head in thanks before taking a sip of tea. A pleased sigh escaped her lips as she savoured the flavour before continuing.
"Other than that, I lack knowledge about the world we are in or how the setting typically develops. All the information company clones usually have access to is our personal history and general information about the company that we gain as part of our creation. Objectively speaking, there is little difference in my capabilities and knowledge compared to what you would find in an original version of my template brought to your world through your means."
"So, about as much as I expected," I remarked, reviewing my options in my mind. The best course of action appeared to be explaining the mission and my plans to her. I retrieved my device from my pocket and slid it over to her with a flick of my hand, opening the mission for her to review.
"Check my Build after you review the parameters; it will make explaining my plan easier." I took some time to relish the culinary delights I had prepared while Kiara delved into the mission details. This food was unparalleled, and the value of the Faeire Feast perk became evident; it was worth every one of the 10 credits I had spent.
"I admit that some of the terminology regarding the setting-specific mechanics can be a bit complex, but in layman's terms, you're aiming to get a head start in forming this peerage by recruiting some powerful waifus early on, beginning with the only Tier 8 candidate you can have due to the mission's conditions." I nodded in agreement.
"That was my original plan before arriving in this world. Unfortunately, that plan didn't just fail; it never even had a chance to take off," I confessed with a heavy sigh. The cute, puzzled expression she wore did little to distract me from a glaring issue I had realized a few minutes after waking up and had been ignoring ever since.
"Kiara, at its core, the missions assigned by the company serve as a way for powerful clients to entertain themselves by having contractors attempt to complete them in exchange for rewards. Normally, a contractor can review the mission and decide whether to accept it after considering all the pros and cons. However, whether it was intentional or not, there is a loophole in the conditions that currently prevents me from acquiring a Tier 8 waifu at all." I could see her reviewing the conditions once more, and I idly wondered how many loopholes she could find without setting specific knowledge.
"Ah, Millicas, how do you use the Evil Pieces to add people to your peerage?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. It was good to know she was quick on the uptake, certainly more so than I was before the merging.
"First, you must cast a specific spell to determine the value of a potential candidate. This value depends on the candidate's power, abilities, innate potential, and your own power as the King of the peerage. Therefore, different Kings could get different value readings for the same person. The value itself can be correlated to a pawn and is inspired by the traditional game value of chess pieces, which is the basis for the system. Then if you can pay the cost, for a lacking a better term, you activate the Evil Pieces you intend to use on the candidate through a simple ritual and reincarnate them as a low-class devil member of your peerage."
"But unless the company pre-reincarnates a possible member before delivery, you are unable to legally purchase any Tier 8 Companions under the conditions of the mission. This doesn't even take into account whether you are powerful enough to reincarnate the waifu in the first place." Whether it was her natural inclination or the effects of our binding, her indignation at our situation was evident in her voice as she sympathized with me getting caught in what seemed to be a hidden restriction of the mission.
"To be fair, it's likely that had I chosen my Tier 8 Queen before arriving, Universal Calibration would have simply made her my already bound Queen and explained how she was my Queen while being much more powerful than me," I said, attempting to ease her frustration.
"Also, the condition of the Mutation Pieces is a bit more challenging."
"How so?"
I focused my magic and, with a snap of my fingers, a magic circle with the emblem of House Gremory engraved in its centre appeared on the coffee table in front of the couch. In a flash of light, a chessboard with 15 pieces placed atop it materialized from the circle.
"When a high-class devil receives his Evil Pieces and the right to form a peerage, they must register in the King Monument. After doing so, the 15 clear chess pieces they receive are activated and gain a colour connected to the King. At this point, there's a chance that one or more of the pieces can transform into a Mutation Piece." The innate glow of the Evil Pieces lightly tinted the board with their unique, ever-shifting crimson and purple hues, a sight that I remembered from the last time I saw them. They hadn't changed in any visible ways since I received them yesterday, with only two of them noticeably larger than their counterparts.
One Rook and one Pawn were my Mutation Pieces.
"At this stage, whether the choice of Mutation Pieces was a result of chance or simply an illusion is irrelevant." Our conversation paused for a minute or two as we stared at the chessboard. With a clap of her hands to regain my attention, Kiara turned to me.
"Alright, your original plan seems to have failed, whether due to intentional malice, oversight, or simply bad luck. it doesn't matter," she said, looking at me with a comforting smile. Her positive outlook easily lifted the mood in the room.
"Hanlon's razor?" I asked, chuckling at our current predicament.
"Exactly! So now, we need to play the hand we've been dealt to the best of our ability, starting with creating a new and improved plan to tackle this mission."
"You're absolutely right; there's no need to dwell on this now." I stood up from the couch and extended my hand to help Kiara to her feet.
"Let's see if we can find a notebook or something similar in this house and start planning," she responded with her beautiful smile while taking hold of my hand.
[0000]
The soft ticking of the clock over the unlit fireplace and the sound of Kiara wiping part of the dry eraser board they had found in the basement were the only things he could hear while they took a break from their long strategy session. From nearly every inch of the coffee table to even some of the low chairs close to it, Millicas could see the many sheets of paper that his partner in crime had filled with notes over the last 4 hours. He reckoned that, considering the nature of their back and forth, over half of those notes were solely about everything he knows and remembers about the canonical timeline of the DxD Setting, alongside his memories and possible theories of how the universal calibration had and could have shifted that same canonical timeline in any meaningful way.
The dry-erase board had certainly been a lucky find, considering how much use he gave it when the initial retelling of the timeline devolved into a lecture about the history and culture of the supernatural world, with a lovely side tangent of his knowledge of the different factions, races, and magical systems of the world that his scholarly companion had managed to coax out of him with her sharp and insightful questions. Regardless of years in an isolated oil rig or as a clone in another world, you could take a magus out of a magical college, but not the thirst for the unknown out of the magus.
Of course, a considerable part of their time together was spent more in chit-chat and getting to know each other, time well spent in his book. ''Right,'' her soft voice broke him out of his trail of thoughts. After getting the board as clean as she could, she focused her eyes on him. ''Now that we are on the same page, let's try to put our current situation into perspective,'' she said while picking a new pen for the board; they had already drained the one they used at the start.
''We currently reside in the World of DxD, a version of Earth in which the Age of Gods never came to an end, and now multiple supernatural factions live hidden among humanity, some in plain sight and others in their slices of reality,'' her hand glided across the board as she went over the summary, the beginnings of a chart appearing under it. ''On behalf of a client, The Company has a set of primary objectives we have to complete within one year in exchange for a reward of 2000 credits. Alongside these objectives, there is a second set of bonus tasks we can accomplish for extra rewards.'' With a couple of strokes of the pen, the raven-haired beauty summarized their state of affairs in a handy little flowchart.
''Of course, this doesn't account for our objectives or any kind of long-term strategy, but it should serve as a starting point.'' Millicas walked up to the board and read through the chart out loud. ''To complete the primary objectives, we need power and recognition. Those things can be further divided, power into combat capabilities and political power, while recognition can be separated into renown in the devil society and the supernatural community as a whole. Because of the intrinsic importance placed by the supernatural on power, we can easily achieve recognition by gaining power. To gain that power, we need resources and time. While our resources and the ways to gain more are varied, we need time to turn them into power.'' He could see her pride in a job well done in the smile she gave him.
''So the only factor unaccounted for is how much time we have at our disposal, specifically in regards to when in the timeline we have been inserted. You said before that the proper start of canon is the death of Hyoudou Issei at the hands of the Fallen Angel Raynare.'' She moved away from the board and reached down to pick up the multiple notes strewn around the place. The sight of her heart-shaped behind distracted him for a second as she bent over to reach across the coffee table for some of the wayward papers. ''Which makes looking around Kuoh for pieces of evidence of where in the timeline we are our priority before anything else,'' he continued for her, quickly moving his eyes back to the board when he saw her standing up. She arranged her notes neatly in her arms while giving him a knowing smile; the pink tint on her cheeks did nothing to detract from the pleased gaze he saw in her eyes. It seemed his wandering looks hadn't escaped her notice.
Feeling a little embarrassed at being found out, he quickly tried to move their conversation along. They had to go over a lot of things in the last few hours, but one of them, they had decided to leave for later and now seemed like the perfect time to address it. They had taken the time while talking about the peerage system for him to check Kiara's Value with the corresponding spell, discovering that as of right now, he could resurrect her using one of his regular pawn pieces if he chose to do so. That information ended up leading to a couple of questions, the most important of them being how the evil piece recognizes potential and power regarding the powers and abilities granted by the catalogue to the retinue and the interaction between the sudden inherent potential shift in a newly reincarnated devil because of the uses of the catalogue.
They had spent nearly an hour on that. They had talked about his ideas for his peerage, her place on it, and the different things they could test on the usage of the evil pieces, among other things. Once more, pulling out his device, he looked her in the eyes. Seeing understanding flash in her eyes.
''Are you sure about this, Kiara?''
''I am. Even if I am a magus, my combat capabilities are on the lower end of the spectrum, and I want to help you in all the ways I can, so my not joining your peerage is out of the question. After going over the options available to us, the power you proposed for me is something I find myself attracted to. The theoretical ceiling of its capabilities is staggering, and I have always wanted to help people; it's the reason I studied psychology in the first place. So being the dedicated healer of our peerage, taking care of both their mental and physical wounds feels perfect for me.'' He could hear the determination and excitement in her voice; she had thought about his idea during their lecture, and she approved of it.
Acknowledging her decision, he started to go over the menus inside the catalogue for his next purchase before he looked at her one more time. Seeing her shoulders tense under her jumper as she braced herself for it, he confirmed the purchase. As he did, a soft light surrounded Kiara for a second before it disappeared.
At a glance, you wouldn't notice the difference, but knowing what to look for, his eyes found his targets. On either side of her head, nearly hidden in her black hair and only noticed by their colour, a pair of six-petal flower-shaped hairpins had been added to her outfit. Thanks to Template Stacking, Kiara now was the owner of the Shun Shun Rikka, the broken signature ability of Inoue Orihime.
Moving closely to her side, his right hand immediately took hold of her left elbow, concerned at the disoriented look in her eyes. A second or two later, whatever lingering effects left her.
''How do you feel? Any pain or nausea?''
''Don't worry, Millicas. I'm fine, just a bit of a headache from the information downloaded into my head. I'm already feeling better.'' She gave out a short chuckle at his reaction, finding his worry amusing in some way he couldn't see.
''If you are sure.''
''I am. Now cast the evaluation spell. The reason for you using template stacking before reincarnating me was to check if company powers affect the initial value of a candidate.''
Following her instructions, he did just that.
A flex of his magic and a bit of concentration later, he cast the detection spell at her.
"It seems that the detection spell can recognize the potential of catalogue powers, but we may need to repeat this test later on because not only has your value gone up from 1 pawn to 3, but according to it, Shun Shun Rikka reads as some type of Sacred Gear. Whether a more specific spell will dissuade that notion or not is not something I know how to test."
"Not outside of our theories, but the gear reading could be either a blessing or a curse in the future. At the very least, an unknown healing-type sacred gear should gain us the attention of both Azazel and the Satan Beelzebub." She wasn't wrong in her assessment; either way, he could personally attest to Uncle Ajakas' obsessive nature regarding all things unknown, and The Fallen Angel Governor's addiction to examining the work of his defunct Father was no secret to the supernatural community.
"And considering the targets we decide to go for in the future, we could play up the similarities between myself and Miss Argento a little more than we originally intended after going over the summary of my Paper Trail Perk."
"Kiara, I'll be honest with you. I could give you a bunch of logical reasons why just the knowledge of your saintly reputation as a therapist uncaring for the monetary aspect of the profession and the year you supposedly spent as a novitiate before leaving to study Psychology at university are more than enough for that dipshit to start sniffing around." He smiled softly at her before taking a more serious tone of voice.
"But the truth is that, regardless of how good you would look in a habit, the thought of Sesshouin Kiara as a nun of any kind instead of a therapist sends shivers down my spine." For a second, she paused at his explanation and took in what he said.
Before promptly laughing so hard that she clutched her stomach with her hands.
He patiently waited for her to get it out of her system before she stopped, but her wide smile and the amusement in her amber eyes were palpable. Moving into his personal space, her hand softly caressed his face.
"Oh, what's wrong, my master, afraid to taste all the pleasures of the world?" She nearly purred in his ear. The sinful tone in her velvety voice made his heartbeat rise slightly.
Throughout the majority of the time they had spent together, she was a kind and nurturing woman; this wasn't the first time he could see the hidden hunger that shone underneath her personality. The small seed of potential that, in another place and time, would have blossomed into the Devilish Bodhisattva that was the Beast of Rapture still existed inside the kind and playful Saint before him.
"Honey, I'm fucking terrified. Your Alternate Self is a woman not to be trifled with. Death by orgasmic rapture may be a nice way to go, but it is still dead." Not being the first time that she showed him her playful side, he knew exactly how to respond. With the guidance of Communication Talent assisting him, he wrapped his arm around her svelte waist and pulled her closer; his long fingers danced across her lower back, helped along by sticky fingers.
"Also, why would I deal with the consolation prize when I have already won the lottery by having you at my side? All of the benefits and none of the dangers, you are the bloody jackpot, love." Her crimson blush and shuddering breath were the only answers he received. She may be good on the offence, but his gorgeous saint had a horrible defence in their playful exchanges.
"We still need to investigate the town for clues about the timeline," she stuttered in embarrassment, pushing her hands on his chest to free herself from his grasp and stepping away from him, her face still flustered. Nodding at her, he willed his evil pieces to his side as she took a seat in one of the chairs around the coffee table, both of them knowing that they should resurrect her before they got into town, preferably after teleporting out of town and back into it.
If Father and Aunty Sera didn't have Kuoh town crawling with spies that looked out for anything dangerous that happened here, with their beloved little sisters living here, he would eat his proverbial hat.
And with him now living here, those monitors were sure to keep an eye on him too, not that it was the first time he needed to dodge his parents' watchers to do his own thing.
Considering the value increase, he took one of the bishops in his hand and approached Kiara. Confirming that she was ready, he began the incantation for the ritual. In response to his words, the magic circle inscribed itself on the ground underneath her, its crimson and purple light bathing the room in an ominous atmosphere.
"With this boon and by my name. I, Millicas Gremory, gift your life anew. To leave behind the restraints of your old self and walk by my side into the unknown. If you agree to this contract, then take my blessing and join me in eternity as my Bishop, Sesshouin Kiara."
As the Bishop sank inside her chest, he could feel the change taking place and the connection between King and Servant being established. The light in the living room returned to normal as he saw her checking herself over. Moving her hands into her line of sight, she clenched them into fists before opening them once more.
"Notice any differences?" he asked, sincerely curious how the transformation from mortal to devil felt to the magus.
"Mostly the change in my magic. I only had 34 magical circuits of lower quality, so my available prana was nothing to write home about, but I now feel like each of them has gone from being your run-of-the-mill kitchen stove to an industrial oven. But apart from that, I'm not seeing any other differences." Amber eyes shined with wonder at her newfound power; not that he could blame her. From her point of view, she just went from a regular human first-generation magus to what in her world would be seen as a Phantasmal Species.
Incidentally, succubus and incubus were classified as a Demi-Human Phantasmal Species in her old world, so even if she was a resurrected devil now, there was a joke in there that he chose not to say out loud.
"Channel some of your new demonic energy to the small of your back; it shouldn't be too dissimilar from using your od when casting magecraft from what I understand." She closed her eyes at his instruction and opened them soon after at the sound of her new wings opening.
'Note to self, visit a sex shop and buy one of those heart-tipped tails for costume play in the future.' If there was one woman who could rock the succubus look, it was Kiara. Seeing her run her hand across her new appendages, he decided it was time to go.
Giving her a hand to stand up, he walked her to the front door. "Let's get out of here; we can do much more unless we go and get more info." Taking hold of his elbow, she linked their arms without missing a beat.
"We can walk around town, see the sights, and maybe get some lunch while we look for clues." Her eyes lit up with delight at her suggestions. A smile found its way to his face at her excitement.
"Sure, we may as well have fun while we work and make a date out of it."
He could get used to this.
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AN: Thank you all for taking the time to read this any comments and suggestions you have are appreciate but please know that as the story is already written up to chapter 9 all suggestions you give are not going to impact the story for a while. place take care and see ya