It was finally the day for the Party. Of course, everything was ready and perfect.

Me and the girls were also all dressed up and ready to receive the guests.

The girls were wearing dresses similar to the ones they had tried on a few days ago, just with some modifications to make them even more beautiful. The maids were properly wearing their uniforms, and I'm wearing a nice suit.

"Alright, let's get this started."

Everyone nodded to what I said. They knew what the plan was.

This was sure to go down in history, for better or worse.

Not long after the time the Party was scheduled to start, the guests started arriving.

My Party was taking place in Lovers Mansion, so for today we took down the protective barrier. We also used some magic to mess with space, so it won't get cramped no matter how many people come, and no one will go where they aren't supposed to.

There wasn't really anything big planned. Just good food, nice music, and a nice place to meet and talk with people. The big part will come near the end, but I imagine it'll be quite boring before that.

Of course, as good hosts, me and the girls were right there to receive the guests as soon as they arrived. I invited people from all the noble devil families, but I doubt all of them will show up.

I'll be here at the front greeting people for a while, but I plan to head inside later.

After some time of greeting people, something caught my attention.

Me and the girls had divided ourselves to greet the guests, that way it shouldn't be too tiring for anyone, and we could have a rotation system. Right now, it was me, Lizel, Miyabi and Stella in charge of greeting.

Stella is doing a stellar job (pardon the pun), and Miyabi… is holding her own. She's not that good at these formal events, but she's doing her best, and I can't complain about anything.

What caught my attention was Lizel, or rather, the people she was greeting. More specifically, a woman.

She really looked like Lizel, but… how should I put it? If Lizel is perfect, then this woman was her, but less than perfect.

I decided to move closer to them to try and listen in.

"Lizel, despite how you disgraced yourself by becoming a human's servant, you did well by killing the Hayachine girl. Your father is willing to forget the past and welcome you back home."

"No need, as you can see, my husband has already provided a home for me. Please enjoy the party."

The woman, who I'm going to guess is Lizel's mother, seemed to get quite irritated with what Lizel said.

"Lizel, don't say such a thing! I'll never give you my blessing!"

"I don't recall asking for it. If you don't mind, I have to continue greeting the guests, so please just head inside."

With that, the woman left, although she was clearly mad. As she went inside, she talked with a man, who I'll guess is Lizel's father.

Yeah, I think it's better if I don't meet with Lizel's parents for now.

"That woman is my mother, her name is Nera Himekami. Despite what you saw, please don't think too badly of her, Yuuto. She's just nothing more than a product of her environment."

That's quite rough coming from someone's own child. If it was me, I'd be crying.

"Do you… need a minute, Lizel? To yourself, or maybe you should go talk with your family, even if it's just a bit."

"No, I'm fine. Rather, I'll probably feel less tired if I stay here all night than if I have to talk with them for 5 minutes. It's not Yuuto's fault, so don't worry about it."

"It kind of is though, right? Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just say it."

"Alright, though it's probably hopeless."

Lizel might not seem to care, but I think everyone should try to be at peace with their parents and family. Though there are some people who make that simply impossible.

If that's the case here, I guess me and the others will just have to make up for it, after all, we're also Lizel's family.

After a while, I was finally free from having to greet people.

Well, a lot of people didn't come to greet me and just looked at me from a distance.

In any case, I'm now in the Party proper, and everything seems to be perfectly fine. Maki, Rebecca and the other maids are properly serving everyone, and they don't seem to be overwhelmed.

As I was walking about, I saw quite an interesting group of people.

"Oh, Yuuto, it's been a while."

"Devil King, and everyone else as well. It's good to see you."

Yes, the Devil King himself, Barbatos Gandou, had also been invited and had come to my Party. I said I was inviting everyone.

With him was Fool's Candidate, Amon Gandou. As well as Fleminar and Michael, Ruki's father. I exchanged some greetings with them as well.

"I have to admit, Yuuto, even I wouldn't have the courage to invite known rival families to my Party. I wonder what you have in store."

Amon said that. I mean… I didn't even think about that… I'm not really expecting anyone to fight here… maybe I made a mistake?

No, considering what I plan to do, this is fine… probably. I hope no one starts killing each other before I can do my thing.

"By the way, did Rumi and Ruki not come?"

"No, they did. Rumi just went off because she saw some cute boy and Ruki went after to try and stop her."

"That… shouldn't you also try to stop her?"

"I don't think so. It's not as if we're married, and she's free to do whatever she pleases. You yourself have enjoyed her plenty, haven't you, Yuuto?"

"Well… if you say it like that…"

I thought Michael had some kind of fetish or something, but isn't this a little too much? I mean, they had Ruki together, so it can't be that he doesn't care about her.

I don't understand, so for now I'll just pretend nothing's wrong.

"But, Yuuto, sensei is disappointed."

"Eh? With what?"

"This Party is too boring! I thought you of all people would understand. Parties need to be interesting and entertaining. Who cares about what you'll do as Devil King? If it comes, it comes. Sensei would enjoy it a lot more if you had invited me for an anime watch party or something."

"A-ah, well, if that's the problem, we can agree to do it some other day."

"Great, my schedule is all free."

"Oi, I hope you don't plan to throw all your work at me."

I see the Devil King still treats his son like his servant. And I guess I should probably figure something out to watch with him if I want to keep to the Devil King's good side.

"And what about you, Fleminar? Enjoying the Party?"

"... Yes, but I think it'll get better later."

Fleminar's smile indicated she knew more than she was letting on. Which wasn't a surprise, at least to me.

A while back, I told Fleminar about what I'm going to say later tonight. I guess that's why she's enjoying it. It's like knowing of a disaster before anyone else. She's probably already prepared, so she'll just enjoy everyone else's panic.

"Oh, isn't this an interesting group."

Just as I was thinking about walking off, someone else joined.

I didn't know this man. All I could tell is that he didn't seem strong, but but he did seem wise, maybe because of his hair that's starting to grow white.

But I did know the boy and girl accompanying him. They were Hierophant's Candidate and Queen, Hirono and Hinata.

By the way, Hinata was wearing a dress, but her breasts still seem normal. I've heard of people who seem slimmer with certain clothes, but I've yet to hear about a girl whose breasts just grow immensely depending on what kind of clothing she's wearing.

But it would probably be bad if I was caught staring at her breasts. I'll have to leave this mystery for another time.

"Yuji, you also came."

"I would never miss such an interesting event. I see, so this is the famous Yuuto. First, I should thank you. You saved my daughter during the Labyrinth Battle Royale."

The man, Yuji, looked at me. It was like his eyes could pierce through my soul. It's not a comfortable feeling.

He offered his hand in a handshake, and obviously I took it for the sake of being polite. I guess he really just wanted to thank me.

… I feel bad for having stared at Hinata's breasts just now. I swear it was just reflex.

"Hinata, would you do the honors of introducing us?"

"Y-yes, father. Hum, this is my father and current head of the Hiraizumi family, Yuji Hiraizumi. This is Yuuto, Lovers' Candidate."

Hinata introduced us to each other. So this man is the current head of the Hiraizumi family.

If I'm being honest, I didn't want to invite anyone from the Hiraizumi family because of the possibility of me having to fight Hierophant. But I couldn't exclude only them, especially since I'm still pretending to not be preparing for a fight, so I decided to bite the bullet.

I'm not sure if that was a good idea or not. But it's too late now. I'll just have to face whatever consequences come.

While I was stunned, Hirono took my hand and shook it. Luckily, I was able to greet him back properly.

"Hmm, yes. I believe it's good for you kids to get along well together. Who knows what the future holds, after all."

"Yes, father."

"Y-yes."

I-I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I guess it's better than outright hostility?

Haah, I'm tired. I had to talk with Hirono and Hinata, as well as their father Yuji, for a good while. And because the Devil King and the others were there as well, it turned into quite the conversation.

Luckily, I managed to slip out. But seriously, I haven't felt this tired in a good while. I think I'll just find somewhere to rest for a second.

"You seem tired."

Just as I was thinking that, I heard someone's voice. When I turned in the direction to look, I saw that it was Seigi.

She was wearing an orange dress. Even though her body type is a lot less curvy than what I'm used to, I still think she looks really beautiful.

"I didn't think just talking with someone could be so tiring."

"Well, I get where you're coming from. There's a chance you'll fight, so of course you'd be nervous."

I guess she was paying attention to me. I didn't mention I was talking with Hirono or anyone from the Hiraizumi family.

"By the way, did you come here alone?"

"No, my parents are with me. But they're busy talking with the other noble devils. That's why I figured I'd slip off and find you. Can I see nee-sama?"

Rikimaru is helping with the Party, of course, but not by directly serving people. I figured it would end badly if someone saw her and then made fun of the Sannou family. With my luck, they'd probably end up attacking me.

"Sure. Come with me."

Seigi and I made our way through the crowd. Because of the space magic, even though people could see us, they couldn't follow us even if they wanted to.

We made our way to where the support maids were busy working. It wasn't long before we found Rikimaru.

"Seigi-chan! You came to pick up Rikimaru-chan!"

"No, I'm just visiting nee-sama. Nee-sama will still live here."

Rikimaru looked like she was actually sad. Maybe I've been ignoring her feelings. I should do something about it later.

I let Seigi and Rikimaru talk freely. Surely these twins have a lot to talk about, so I shouldn't get in their way. I'll just wait close by to lead Seigi back to the Party.

While I watched I checked my phone. I wasn't just playing, I messaged the girls to ask how things were going, and overall everything was fine. People were starting to complain about the lack of entertainment, but that's fine. I'm not some clown to make them laugh and I don't plan to let this go on for much longer.

After a while, Seigi came back to me.

"Sorry for the wait. Should we get going now?"

"Ah, actually, since we're here, there's something I'd like to ask you."

I made a certain request for Seigi. I hope I don't have to use it, but it's just a guarantee.

Of course, I won't force it on her. If she doesn't want to do it, I'll just have to find another way.

"Well, that's what I wanted to ask of you. But I'll understand if you say you don't want to get involved."

"... No, if it comes to it, I'll do it. I can't just not help Yuuto after everything you've done. As for how we could communicate with each other… yes, I still have these."

Seigi used her Storage magic and took out 2 swords from it.

Well, I say swords, but it's more like a big board with a handle.

"I made these while I still had Justice. If you write something in one of them, it'll show up on the other."

"... Did anything go with your Characteristic Magic so long as you said it was a sword?"

Her Characteristic Magic was to create Devil Swords and give them whatever ability she wanted. That said, I think actual swords are the things she created the least with her power.

Still, this will be really useful, so I'll take it. I put mine in my Storage and Seigi also puts hers away.

"Oh, right, before we go back, should I do something regarding my appearance or dress?"

"Eh? What for?"

"I mean, as far as the other guests saw, you took me somewhere isolated, and we've been here a while. I don't think I need to say what they expect."

"A-ah, right."

Is it a bad sign that I can already imagine such a rumor spreading? Well, I didn't really help myself in this case.

"W-well, there's no need to do anything. Besides, it'd probably be bad for you if such a rumor spread, so let's not give it fuel."

"I'm pretty sure it'll spread anyway, and I was already prepared for such a thing since I plan to visit nee-sama when possible. So it was a matter of when more than if."

H-huh… still, it's better to not purposefully spread such a rumor. Who knows, maybe I'll be lucky this time.

I took Seigi back to the Party and we parted ways. She said she was going to look for Swordia now.

It's already been over an hour since the Party started. I think I'll wait half an hour or an hour more and then start the main event.

"Hello, Yuuto."

"H-Hime, I didn't see you come."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world."

The Candidate of Empress, Hime, had also been invited and had come to my Party.

She was wearing a scarlet dress. She looked so beautiful I think my cheeks were getting red.

"Fufu, Yuuto's looking handsome. By the way, I'm sure you remember him, this is Magician's Candidate, Noda. We've known each other since we were kids. I know you two had a rough start together, but hopefully you can get along."

I just noticed there was a boy with Hime. He really didn't look anything special, so it took me a second to remember he was Magician's Candidate.

We had a little disagreement when the Devil King gave Rinne and Hisoka to me, so we didn't start off on the best terms.

"Whatever. If you're friends with Hime, I suppose we can let the past go."

"... I say the same to you."

He doesn't seem too friendly, but I suppose I have no reason to pick a fight with him.

Also, get out of my face, you're polluting my eyes. I'm only supposed to look at cute girls.

"Get along well, you two. … Noda, if you could."

"... Alright."

After Hime said that, Magician's guy seemed to activate some magic or something. What was he getting at?

"Yuuto, Noda made this special barrier. From the outside, it looks like we're just talking normally. Well, we don't want anyone to bump into us, so let's make this quick."

Was there such convenient magic? I never knew. I guess he's not Magician's Candidate for nothing.

"My Characteristic Magic is called Spell Master. Basically, I can make any spell and they'll work. I can even inscribe them on something like a piece of paper and it'll activate just by giving it some mana."

"Yes. I'm worried for Yuuto since you might have to fight Hierophant, so I asked Noda to help. He made this for you."

Hime pulled out a piece of paper from her cleavage. I really wanted to smell this paper, but I'll resist… a little.

The formula on the piece of paper was… horrible. Did some grade schooler make this? Will this even activate?

"If Yuuto gives mana to this spell, it'll make a barrier that'll turn this mansion into a fortress, and only those Yuuto allows can enter. The barrier should be about as big as the one you already have on the mansion, and it should be indestructible. Once up, the barrier will stay for about two weeks according to Noda. It's not much, but it should help get Yuuto out of a tough spot if used correctly."

"This… it'll actually be really helpful. Thank you, both of you."

The actual formula apart, this is actually really good. Even if something happens, we can retreat back to Lovers Mansion and use these two weeks to our advantage.

I actually had something planned in case of a fight, a safe room for people to hide in, and this will work nicely along with it.

… Granted, this seems too good to be true, and maybe I shouldn't trust it so readily. But somehow, I can't bring myself to doubt Hime.

"Hmph, I only did it because Hime asked."

"We're friends after all. We'll be going now, but I'm praying for you, Yuuto."

After that, Noda's barrier came undone and he and Hime left.

This was an unexpected gift, but it might just save my butt depending how I use it.

Also, I smelled the piece of paper, and it smelled just as good as you'd expect from something that was on Hime's chest. I might have to keep this piece of paper even after using the spell.

I think I'll just give it 15 or 20 minutes until I end the Party. I doubt anyone else will come now.

Out of all the remaining Candidates in the Devil King War, the only one who didn't come was Emperor.

As for the major noble devil families, most of them sent at least 1 person. Not all of them came, but that was within expectations.

… Although, the Koiwais didn't come. Reina was hoping to get to talk with them tonight, but no luck.

That aside, overall, everything is according to what I had planned. I don't want to hear any complaints after.

"There you are, Yuuto Morioka."

I know this arrogant voice. It was Aspite. And beside him was a beautiful woman. His sister maybe?

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Astarte Line. I'd like to apologize for the troubles my son caused you."

Son? So… she's Aspite's mother? What's with noble devils and hot moms?

"Ah, that, it was a mistake on both our ends. There's no need to apologize."

Back when I fought Aspite, Lizel had actually worked behind the scenes to put us against each other. She thought it would help me grow.

It kinda did, but it still wasn't something nice to do. We both figured out the truth and it's already water under the bridge.

"Yes, I heard from Aspite. But still, I felt I should talk to you. If nothing else, I owe you thanks for helping my son grow. I'm sure you've heard how my son can get quite full of himself, so it was good that you knocked him down a peg. And Aspite himself recommended I get to know you."

"Eh? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious, Yuuto Morioka? This great me is recognizing that you might become the next Devil King, so it would be wise to build good relations with you."

I… didn't expect Aspite to think so highly of me. Well, I can also tell from his eyes that he hasn't given up on our revenge match. I guess he recognizes me, but doesn't consider himself down for the count just yet.

So I had some small conversation with Aspite and his mom. My impression of her is that she's actually really kind and gentle, honestly not what I expected at all.

I would have thought that Aspite's mom would be just as full of herself as her son, but she's actually really nice to talk to.

"Fufufu, I think what my boy needed all along was just a friend. I'm sure you have other things to do, so we won't keep you for much longer. Feel free to visit Aspite anytime you want to play."

Somehow, I feel like she was treating us like kids. But oh well, it doesn't feel bad.

With that, my conversation with the Line mother-son duo ended.

Alright, I think this has gone on for long enough. Time to set off the bomb.

It's time to make my declaration of war.