Serafall Leviathan was a busy woman. Try as she might to enjoy herself, she found her days were more often filled with stress and chaos than not. Meet with this faction to chide them for over-reaching. Apologize to that dignitary for a young idiot from one of the Pillars trying to reincarnate someone important's daughter. While her fellow Satans saw to the maintenance and operations of the Underworld, Serafall found herself used for damage control on most occasions. It was tiring. It was also tedious, filling her schedule with unexpected trips across the world at the drop of a hat and meetings booked out for a month.

Needless to say, it was really hard to get a meeting with her, not that many even tried. Sure, she was a Satan, but people didn't see her in the same light as Sirzechs and Ajuka. Part of that was due to her own efforts to appear approachable, both to the denizens of the Underworld and beyond, but it was also because she didn't share their reputation. She was one of the strongest devils alive, but she wasn't a Super Devil. If someone sought her out, it was almost always to deal with some foreign problem or to petition her to make moves on their behalf, because surely a Satan had time to do what they couldn't be bothered to do themselves. It was aggravating.

That was why Serafall was surprised when her secretary told her of another request for a meeting some two weeks ago. She recognized the name of the requestor, or at least his family name. Abaddon – a once great house that boasted powerful and influential figures during the Great War. Many of those number were killed with almost all the rest following during the Civil War. There were few Abaddons left, three if Serafall remembered right.

One of these she had the unfortunate pleasure of crossing paths with at semi-regular intervals. The strongest Rating Games competitors would appear at functions her status required her to attend, forcing her to interact with Bedeze far more than she would have preferred. The man was an insecure weasel, always pouting when he wasn't crowned the best at everything he attempted, but refusing to make any effort to change that fact. Every time they crossed paths, Bedeze got on her nerves, but she had to smile and pretend there was no issue because politics were exhausting.

For his relation to Bedeze reason alone, Serafall had considered rejecting Balthazar's request for a meeting almost out of hand. Her experience with the last of the Abaddons was limited to Bedeze, and she hadn't liked what she'd seen. After looking further into their situation, she saw that the other two, Kuisha and Balthazar, had been estranged from Bedeze for some time. If her sources were to be believed, the two had next to no contact with Bedeze growing up.

Serafall wasn't sure what Balthazar wanted, approaching her for a meeting out of the blue, but she saw an opportunity. Bedeze was firmly in the Old Satan Faction's pocket. House Abaddon, while practically nonexistent these days, was once a strong power. Its name still carried weight in certain circles. If Serafall had a chance to pull what remained of the house into the New Satan Faction, she would secure some favor with certain undecided Pillars that valued purity and legacy.

So Serafall agreed to meet with Balthazar and his Queen as the young man had sent forward in his request. She received a second letter shortly after her acceptance wherein the young Abaddon thanked her for agreeing to meet with him and didn't stir up any fuss about being told to wait for two weeks. That was a point in his favor. Most devils Serafall had interacted with would have taken it as a slight, but she really was just that busy.

The meeting drifted from Serafall's mind as she found herself embroiled in sorting out a minor dispute over borders with the Greeks. Then a case where a minotaur had been murdered with seemingly no cause by a minor Pillar's spare heir. The lord of the Pillar in question obviously claimed no fault, but that didn't help Serafall appease the angry tribe.

She didn't like using the fact that her people were in one of the strongest positions seen in the supernatural as a stick to threaten people into compliance, but she found herself doing that more and more these days. People were less likely to make trouble if they thought it would invite true involvement with the devils. Hell was feared for a reason. Even lacking its Super Devils, there were few factions that could field nearly as many capable fighters. Evil Pieces had weighed the scales in their favor all those years ago when the current Beelzebub made them. Serafall made a mental note to get Ajuka something nice.

Serafall reclined back in her office chair, slowly spinning in a circle as she was finally able to catch her breath. After a full week of running around, she'd had a full hour to herself today. It was bliss. She'd have considered cancelling the Abaddon kid's meeting with her to rest some more if he hadn't been patient enough to wait in the first place. Repaying that kindness with unprofessional behavior wasn't how she did things. No matter how much she really wanted to right now.

Serafall sent a pulse of power through the magic circle on her desk. One of her secretaries had just used it to inform her the Abaddon and his Queen were here. She'd sent a message to tell them to come up.

She sat up straight in her chair, rolling her head around her shoulders to get the kinks out as she reestablished her front of power and professionalism. She was the current Leviathan, and she would act like it. At least in front of people she didn't know well enough to be herself.

The door to her office opened, permitting two figures to enter.

A young man with golden hair and eyes like sapphires swept into the room. He wore a black suit and tie with a crimson red shirt. He walked several paces into the room, pausing a few feet from the threshold to bow. "Satan Leviathan, thank you for taking this meeting with us. I am Balthazar Abaddon and this is my Queen Caster." His purple-haired Queen stepped up beside him, gently pinching the hem of her dress as she curtsied at his side. There was something familiar about the pointed ears and cunning gaze of the Queen, but Serafall was having trouble putting her finger on it.

Serafall shook her head, motioning for the two of them to rise. "That's not necessary. Come in and have a seat." As they approached, Serafall looked them both over with a keen eye. This young man hadn't said much about why he had requested a meeting aside from 'a potential business opportunity'. She'd done her due diligence on that. Balthazar had bought up several failed storefronts and had renovated them over the course of the last few weeks. There was talk that Magdaran Bael had made inquiries on their mutual behalf. Serafall was still trying to figure out where she fit into all of this though. Why come to the Satan of Foreign Affairs if you were having issues with your business? None of the Satans really had a hand in that, not one they could wield for favors anyway.

"I'll admit I was surprised to receive your request. Hearing you had a Queen so soon after your High Class test was another curiosity." Serafall looked at the Queen, seeing her smile assuredly, like she knew something Serafall would kill to know. "Tell me, Mr. Abaddon, why are you here?"

Balthazar sat down in the offered seat in front of her desk. "I would like to trade something with you."

Serafall raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her seat. "You would, would you? What exactly are you hoping to get out of this?"

The Queen spoke, her words sharp and precise. "Significant discounts on all territory surrounding the Abaddon lands. Your assistance securing permits and rights to trade beyond the Underworld. And a further favor. Forgive my bluntness, Lady Levithan, but I believe it is best we cut right to it."

Serafall's pleasant demeanor was gone. She'd taken this meeting to hopefully have a productive conversation with a young man who had nowhere to go. The addition of an Abbadon into the New Satan's faction would have been a good boon, but it wasn't worth entertaining…whatever this was. Balthazar was reaching far too high thinking he could walk up to a Satan and start making demands.

She fixed the Queen with a flat, unimpressed look. "Is that all? I don't know what you think you have that I'd even be interested in let alone something worth all of that in addition to further favors, but–"

"We know the location of the current host of Boosted Gear. He has yet to awaken the Sacred Gear." the Queen cut her off, a cunning grin on her face.

Serafall's mouth snapped shut, her eyes narrowed as they flicked between the King and Queen. Neither flinched under her gaze. The Queen looked smug. The King looked confident. Son of a bitch. They were being serious weren't they?

X

I could see the exact moment Serafall Leviathan started taking us seriously. She'd been aloof and only half-here before. Now, she was razor-focused on both of us.

"Why bring this information to me?" she asked slowly. "I imagine reincarnating The Red Dragon Emperor would go a long way to helping you accomplish all of what you've asked for on your own, not to mention you would have them for yourself."

"The current Red Dragon Emperor and I are incompatible." I answered diplomatically. "I feel my peerage already has great enough talent that I can do without. After discussing it with Caster, we decided it was best to use this information to our advantage, securing our peerage's future and perhaps making a powerful friend in the process."

"Friendship? Is that what you call walking into my office and making demands?"

Medea held her head high as she answered that question. "When compared to the value of having The Red Dragon Emperor reincarnated into an eternal devil servant, we've asked for a pittance. We would have approached this conversation very differently if we wanted to squeeze everything out of you that we could."

She was right too. We'd gone back and forth with each other on how to handle this conversation. There were benefits and drawbacks to both paths. In the end, we decided it was better in the long term if we sacrificed some short term gain to gain Serafall's favor. From what I remembered of her, she was loyal to those who did right by her. She was also one of the most powerful and influential devils in the Underworld, so having her in my corner in case I ran into any serious opposition would be a benefit all on its own.

Serafall leaned into her desk, resting her elbows on its surface. "And what makes you assume I would even want The Red Dragon Emperor? I have been intentionally selective with my peerage. I don't plan to change my stance anytime soon."

"We'd assumed you would give The Red Dragon Emperor to your sister, Lady Leviathan." I said.

She looked my way. "You would agree to that?"

Medea smiled wide. "We intend to trade the information to you. What you do with it once it is yours is your own prerogative. So long as you uphold our deal, we will be satisfied."

Serafall's eyes flicked between the two of us. "Who am I dealing with here? You both keep talking and it's distracting. Are you in charge or are you letting your Queen run things?"

Medea and I shared a look. She gave me a shallow nod.

I turned back to Serafall and said, "My Queen is more experienced in negotiations than I am. I trust her to handle this on my behalf."

Serafall immediately turned to Caster, looking her up and down as if trying to unearth a secret. "What specifically are you hoping to get out of this?"

"As we said, we want…"

Medea and Serafall bargained back and forth. Medea trying to squeeze as much as possible from the Satan, Serafall trying to give up the least amount possible. I was glad I'd decided to let Medea handle this one. Serafall would've walked circles around me. There were points where I was afraid Serafall might tell us to leave only to relax as she relented, Medea having called a bluff she'd made.

In the end, Medea secured the permissions we needed, an expansion equal to over 40 times the current size of my land for pennies on the dollar and a future favor that would not work counter to Serafall, the Sitri Clan or the New Satan Faction.

Medea spent a full five minutes inspecting the contract Serafall set in front of her before finally passing it over to me, giving me a nod of approval. I trusted my Queen, and if the contract had something that she'd missed, I would certainly miss it.

I signed the contract and passed it back to Serafall.

Serafall tossed the contract aside, forgotten as she fixed me with a serious look. "Where is the Red Dragon Emperor?"

"His name is Issei Hyoudou. Ironically, he and his parents reside in Kuoh Town, Japan."

Serafall's eyes narrowed. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

The professional demeanor the Satan had maintained for the entirety of this meeting melted away as she groaned, laying her head back in her chair. "You mean to tell me So-tan could've found this guy on her own?"

"If she knew what she was looking for, almost certainly." I tried, but I doubted I fully succeeded in keeping the amusement out of my voice. For a walking apocalypse, Serafall honestly didn't seem all that bad. Granted, I had yet to be on her bad side or spend too long in her presence, but my first impressions weren't terrible.

"That girl is getting mandatory Sacred Gear detection training." Serafall grumbled to herself. With a sigh, she sat up, stretching her neck. "You know, Balthazar… You don't mind if I call you Balthazar, right?" At my nod, she continued. "When I got your request for a meeting, I thought you wanted to try to leverage support for whatever business it is you've been setting up. I wasn't expecting you to drop a Longinus in my lap." She pursed her lips, inspecting me. "It'll be interesting to see what else you get up to. Now, not to kick you out of my office, but I need to go secure The Red Dragon Emperor. Once he is reincarnated, I'll set everything up to get you your land and permits."

"Of course," I said, standing up with Medea. "Thank you for your time, Lady Leviathan. I am glad we could both walk away from this meeting happy."

Medea and I left Serafall's office, then the building itself. I opened a Hole to take us home.

Medea had barely taken a step before I was on her, pushing her back into the wall of my bedroom. She let out a surprised gasp that was quickly muffled as I claimed her lips with my own.

I tugged at her dress as I turned back to look up into her eyes. "You just negotiated with the Leviathan for me. You just got the better of a Satan. I think you deserve a reward, don't you?"

Medea held me against her, hands roaming over my back. "You'll be equal to a Baron with the land from the negotiations. I definitely deserve a reward for that, master."

"You're right. You do." I leaned in to steal another kiss, pulling back and kissing her cheek, then making my way down her neck, dragging her dress down with me as I slowly descended to my knees.

Medea was panting as she shimmied her dress off, dropping her underwear with it. She widened her stance to allow me access, watching me with hungry eyes.

I stared into eyes as my tongue reached out to caress her. She hissed, her hands grasping the back of my head and pressing me into her. Her scent assaulted my nose, fluids already leaking onto my chin.

"Your Queen did so good today, master. She…She did so good for you. Give…ah…Give her her reward."

I looped my arms under Medea's legs. She let out a surprised gasp as I hefted her onto my shoulders. I carried her towards the bed, lapping at her all the while.

Medea fell backwards off of me and onto the bed. She flipped over onto her front as I pulled my suit off, looking over her shoulder at me expectantly. "Master, I'm ready for– Oh yes!" she screamed as I joined her on the bed and pushed inside her. She pushed back into me, matching my rhythm.

No more words were shared. We moved with one-another through different positions, different intensities. What started hard and carnal turned tender and loving then switched right back to carnal after a brief reprieve.

We celebrated my Queen's achievement for many long hours.

X

"Are you sure you're up for this?" I said, watching Aqua intently.

Aqua really hadn't been with us for all that long, only a few weeks all told. In that time, she hadn't spent a lot of time alone. That was partially because Medea and I wanted to keep an eye on her to make sure she was adjusting well and partly because she sought out company herself at every opportunity.

If she was alone for too long, she'd track one of us down. When Medea was locked away in her lab she would join me in the living room where we'd play chess or some other simple board game. She really enjoyed them. When I was busy, she would find Medea and the two of them would disappear into Aqua's room in the manor and remain locked away for hours at a time. When we were both occupied, she would track down Coal to fly with him. She had wings now. She could fly under her own power, but she seemed to really enjoy flying on Coal's back as the dragon's fluid body flowed through the air.

Coal didn't seem to mind. If anything, Coal seemed to enjoy it just as much as she did. He would undertake daring maneuvers to make the experience more thrilling for her and fly at maximum speed, causing Aqua's bleached blue hair to blow wildly behind her.

On the rare occasion that all three of us were occupied, Aqua would still find one of us, just quietly sitting off to the side while we went about whatever had us occupied. She had a designated seat both in my office and in Medea's Lab, and there was a lawn chair out in the field where Coal and Regulus would spar. I'd keyed Sairaorg's Pawn to our outer wards and Sairaorg had done the same for Coal. Coal and Regulus got together every couple of days or so to beat each other into the ground. The two of them held nothing back, and they both loved every minute of it. They were having fun and were both about as indestructible as one could be, so Sairaorg and I didn't see an issue with it. Aqua even accompanied Coal over to Sairaorg's manor now and again to sit with his peerage while they watched Coal and Regulus fight.

That wasn't to say they fought all the time. Some days they'd just change into their monstrous forms and lay down in the sun, chatting. On those days, Aqua could occasionally be found laying on Coal's scales staring up at the sky while she listened to his and Regulus's conversations.

"I'm sure." Aqua said, eyes determined. "I know you all have been looking after me, but I'm… I'm better. I want to help. You freed me from that nightmare and all I've done so far is eat your food and sleep in your house."

"Aqua, you don't owe me anything. You're my Knight now. It's my responsibility to look after you."

Aqua smiled warmly at me. She'd been smiling a lot more recently. "Thank you, but I do owe you. Let me help. I'm ready."

I shared a look with Medea.

Medea smiled, walking up to Aqua. "Well, if you're sure… But something's wrong."

Aqua frowned. "Something's wrong?"

Medea nodded seriously. "Yes, you're underdressed." Medea waved her hand.

Aqua gasped, looking down at herself as gleaming dark-hued silver armor encased her form. Emblazoned on the armor's chestplate was a dark sword with a ruby affixed to its pommel – the symbol Medea and I had adopted for our business and House Abaddon as a whole.

Aqua was stuttering, trying and failing to speak as she ran her hands down her arms, feeling the armor tailor-made to fit her. She looked up, seeing a full-length mirror Medea had produced from thin air for her to inspect the armor.

"Do you like it?" Medea asked. "Smithing has never been my strong suit, but magic metals are easy enough to form even if you have to cheat a little. The armor is almost entirely made from mithril with traces of other materials to enhance it. I layered several protective enchantments over it as well as a few others. You will be able to summon it and send it away with a thought."

Aqua closed her eyes. The armor vanished before appearing just as quickly as it left. "Where…where does it go?"

"It's tied to its own pocket dimension. Whenever you send it away, it will be stored on an armor rack within that pocket dimension until you need it again." I explained. Medea had approached me when she'd completed the armor about an idea she had to store it. Working together, we found a way to link objects to specific Holes I opened, letting the user retrieve them whenever they needed them without needing me to open a Hole. I say working together, but really all I did was let Medea poke and prod at my magic while standing there. She figured out how to make use of the ability all on her own.

The armor Aqua now wore represented a significant investment. Mithril existed here but it was very rare. Part of the reason Medea had held off on making the armor was because of how valuable the material was. Once our meeting with Serafall went as well as it did, she decided it was time to pamper Aqua a bit. I had no issue with my Knight being better protected, and if things went as I hoped today, we wouldn't have to worry about materials again.

"I…I don't know what to say." Aqua breathed out in disbelief.

"Don't say anything yet. I'm not done." Medea said proudly. A long box appeared in her arms that she held out to Aqua.

Hesitantly, Aqua unlatched the box to uncover the contents. Her hand wrapped around an engraved hilt as she lifted a thin rapier with a full hilt from the box. The metal in the sword gleamed just as bright as that in the armor.

"The sword is tied to the same pocket dimension as the armor." Medea said as Aqua stared in awe at the sword. "A sheathe will appear for you to wear it at your hip with a thought. It is just like summoning and dismissing the armor."

Seeing Aqua still silent, I said, "I know you have your Keyblade which is honestly going to be impossible to match, but I thought it would be a good idea for you to have a regular sword as well. People will expect a Knight to have some form of knightly weapon with them, so if they see the sword, they won't keep looking for something else. It'll keep you safer."

Keyblades weren't known here, but anyone with any mystical sense would be able to notice the magical beacon that appeared whenever Aqua summoned it. I didn't want her to get into any fights for a long time, at least until she was better mentally, but I wanted her to be prepared. If she was forced to pull out her Keyblade to defend herself, it might draw all of the wrong kinds of attention to her. Medea agreed with me when I brought up the issue and made the sword after the armor. With this, Aqua had an alternative means of defending herself.

"This is too much." Aqua finally said. "I can't–"

"I certainly hope you can." Medea cut her off with a hard look. "I made those for you. I would be upset if they were left to collect dust."

Aqua held the rapier in both hands, pinching the flat of the blade as she looked between us, looking supremely uncertain. "I… Thank you." she said finally. She abruptly turned away, wiping at something on her face. A black sheath appeared on her hip. She slid her new rapier into the sheathe to rest at her side as she turned around. There was some moisture on her cheeks. "Thank you both so much."

"We can postpone this if you want to try out your new–"

"No," Aqua cut me off. "I want to help. I owed you before. I owe you even more now. I'm ready."

"Well, alright then. Let's try this out." I sat down in the center of my ritual circle. Medea sat down behind me and laid her hand on my shoulder. I reached beyond the infinite, feeling for the world I'd found this morning. Scrying wasn't overly taxing on my power, so I could look without difficulty. Finding the right place was difficult, but Medea's assistance made it almost trivial. With aid from my Queen we quickly found what we were looking for.

I opened a small Hole, feeling an immediate, titanic drain. Scrying wasn't power-intensive, opening a connection beyond the bounds of reality that pierced the Blind Eternities was.

Aqua's Keyblade appeared in her hand. She thrust it forward. A beam of golden energy pierced the Hole above my hand. Instantly, the drain on my energy faded. The Hole was no longer consuming my power to sustain itself. Just as she'd been able to lock away her own world, Aqua was able to unlock others.

I grinned. "We can consider this little experiment a success."

"It works?" Aqua said, shocked joy writ on her face.

"It works." I confirmed, standing. I held a hand down to Medea to help her up. "Do you want to explore?"

Medea took my hand. "But of course, master."

We strode through the Hole as I expanded it, Aqua at our side. I felt the change as we entered our destination. The air was thinner, damp. Even with my devil's eyes, it was hard to make out our surroundings. It was pitch black here. I raised my hand to summon a flame. Medea snatched my hand in the dark. She shook her head at me, motioning ahead.

Even in the darkness, I could make out the walls surrounding us, uneven and rough. Off in the direction Medea motioned there was an orange glow separated from us by a bend. Fire.

I frowned. It seemed this place had visitors. If it was who I expected…

"Aqua, thank you for helping. You should leave now." I said quietly, making eye contact with Medea. She nodded in understanding. She flicked her hand towards the Hole, flexing her magic.

Aqua looked between the two of us, her bleached hair the easiest thing to see in this darkness. "You're going to fight, aren't you?"

"It is very likely. You don't need to be here for that. We'll come get you once it's over." I said. I didn't want Aqua to be here for this. She'd spent far too long trapped on her own in the Realm of Darkness for me to be comfortable letting her fight to kill so soon. Even then, from what I remembered of her, she was a good person who avoided violent outcomes with anything that wasn't a Heartless if possible. Granted, the Aqua I returned from the Realm of Darkness with was vastly different from her canon counterpart, but it would be irresponsible of me as her King to force her to fight right now. She needed to recover first.

Aqua's lips thinned into a determined line. She shook her head. "No. This… This is why you saved me. You came for me because I could be useful to you."

"You're already helping, Aqua. You brought us here. You don't need to prove anything to me."

"Don't send me away. Let me help." Aqua was practically pleading with me.

I looked at Medea, but she just pursed her lips. She didn't know what to do here either. Before either of us could think of something to say, a fourth figure threw itself through the Hole behind us.

"I'm here!" Coal shouted, desperate. "Don't start without me, master!"

I sighed as Coal's voice echoed off of the walls around us. In the direction where the orange glow originated, I heard surprised shouts.

So much for the element of surprise. Medea had signalled him just in case we encountered a greater force than we expected so we'd have backup, but I didn't expect him to stumble out of the Hole and announce our presence to the entire world.

"We have not started yet, Coal, though I thank you for informing our adversary of our whereabouts." Medea said dryly.

Coal froze in place, slowly looking towards the advancing torchlight. "Heh, sorry, master."

"It's alright, Coal. Thank you for coming." I turned back to Aqua. There wasn't much time now. "Aqua, I–"

"Don't send me away. Let me help, Balthazar." Now she was pleading with me. I had no idea what to do. I was hoping the cavern would be clear so we wouldn't run into this problem, but I'd known it was a possibility that it would be occupied.

Coal walked up next to Aqua and slung an arm over her shoulder. "Don't worry about her, master. I'll keep an eye on her."

I looked at Coal. His expression was serious. He gave me a sharp nod.

"Alright," I said, deciding to trust my Pawn. "Follow my lead. Be ready to fight, but let them strike first." They knew we were here already, so there wasn't much point in trying to set up an ambush.

The four of us stood in a line as a large party turned around the corner. There were over a dozen short, green-skinned creatures with long ears carrying various small weapons. Goblins. At the head of the group was a dark-robed figure carrying a staff. His hair was white like starlight, skin dark like shadow. A drow.

He sneered as he saw us. "Who are you! How did you find this place!" he demanded.

"I am the new lord of this cavern and its riches. You are trespassing. Leave now and I will show mercy." I called back.

The man threw his head back and laughed. "Kill that delusional human."

The goblins spread out in front of him, but I paid them no mind. I raised my hand above my head, unleashing a stream of fire from it. Hissed shrieks reverberated around the walls of the cavern around us as the giant spiders that had skittered across the ceiling to strike us from above were either incinerated or fled from my magic.

"I gave you a chance," I said, a savage delight burning within me at the look of pure terror now visible on the once cocky drow's face. "Coal, Caster, have fun."

"You're so good to me, master." Medea said, levitating off the ground as magic circles appeared in the air around her.

"Follow my lead, Aqua." Coal said over his shoulder to Aqua, moments before he charged straight towards the line of goblins. Aqua followed right on his heels, her rapier singing forth from its sheath.

The drow held his hands up, attempting to cast something at my Knight and Pawn, but Medea's magic slammed into him, forcing him to throw up a hasty shield that shattered after one blow. He was outmatched and he knew it. He turned and fled. He looked over his shoulder, watching as Aqua and Coal tore through his goblins and Medea atomized what remained of his spiders. When he faced the front once more, I was directly in front of him.

The drow came to an abrupt halt, gagging. I twisted the spearpoint in his chest and he convulsed. His staff fell from slack fingers as he went limp. I kicked him off my spear and stored it away in its pocket dimension again. I'd asked Medea for a spear like Aqua's rapier, but she hadn't given me one yet. She said she had something special she was working on and to be patient, so I was being patient.

I was confident my peerage could dispatch some spiders and goblins on their own, so I turned and looked beyond the cave, towards stone ruins that glowed with faint magic.

"Is this it, master?" Medea asked, gently landing on the ground at my side.

"It is."

She grinned. "I think it's safe to say our material problems are now a thing of the past."

"That they are. You'll need to shield this place though. I don't want anyone in this world realizing what is here or what we're doing with it, and there are some very strong forces in this world."

"Please, master. They've never faced me. I'll set up a territory with wards so potent no one will even realize they're there."

"Thanks, Medea. I have the best Queen."

"As you keep reminding me, though it does bear repeating." She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Are you going to try to recruit your other Knight while I work?"

That was the original plan when we came here, but I hadn't known for sure that we'd encounter the drow and his party. "I don't know if Aqua is up for it. Even if she is, I don't know if they'll say yes."

"Coal is looking after Aqua. She seems more pleased with herself that she was of use than broken because of her actions, but I will keep an eye on her. If the Knight refuses, then you can at least say you tried. Give them a means to contact you should they change their mind as their inevitable end draws closer."

"Manipulative."

She chuckled. "Honey, you're a devil. You approached me when I was dying in the mud. Is this really so much worse?"

"Do you resent me for that? Approaching you when you were at your lowest, when you had no other option?"

"Of course not. I would've done the same. You told no lies and outlined your intentions clearly. Besides, the results speak for themselves." She pulled me into a short kiss before backing away. "I need to get to work. Let me know what the Knight says."

I gave her hand a parting squeeze as she levitated away, heading deeper into the cavern, small globules of light illuminating her path. It would take some work, but once we got this place squared away we'd be able to use it to become titans in the supernatural market back home. Mithril was very hard to come by in DXD. This mine, though it had been mined extensively many centuries ago, had a wealth of the priceless ore. Between Serafall's backing and the riches of the Lost Mine of Phandelver, the future was looking bright.

Speaking of bright…I had a Knight to try to recruit.

X

A hooded man stood atop a tower stretching high into the sky. Pale skin highlighted dark veins snaking away from his glowing orange eyes. He stared out over the city beneath him and the lands beyond. His enthralled army patrolled the city streets, readying themselves for another offensive.

He was weary. This most recent campaign had drained him more than any before it. He resisted. He would continue to resist, but the pull of the band around his finger was so unbearably strong. Its will chipped away at his own. With each passing day, his resistance grew that much weaker.

How much longer now, he wondered, before it wouldn't be enough? He had already been fighting for decades. Could he hold for decades more? His home was not ready. He needed to buy more time. He would buy more time.

"Hello, Talion."

Talion turned, seeing a young man in strange clothing. Golden hair stood up from the man's head. A human had somehow made it through his armies to the heart of his tower.

"You should not be here." Talion walked past him, throwing open the doors of the tower. If this man had made it here… Talion relaxed slightly upon seeing a dark orb still sitting in its place on a pedestal in the center of the room.

"You have nothing to worry about, Talion. I am not here to steal from you, least of all that cursed thing."

Talion turned back to the young man. "Then why have you come? Who are you?"

"My name is Balthazar Abaddon. I am a devil. I am here for you." Leathery wings sprouted from the man's back, fire gathered in his eyes.

Talion's eyes narrowed as he drew his sword. He was unfamiliar with the nature of the creature in front of him, but he had bested worse. "You will return to your master a disappointment if not in pieces."

The man smiled softly, holding up his hands placatingly. "A misunderstanding. I do not serve your enemy. I am my own master. I come from a place far from here, and I want you to return with me."

Talion did not sheathe his sword, but he held it at his side, nonthreatening. "I have never heard of a devil. What manner of creature are you?"

"My world is very different from yours. The humans are far more advanced and the denizens that lurk beneath their notice are far more plentiful. I am one such denizen. Many would consider my kind to be similar to your enemy, and they would even be right by certain metrics, but I am not like those of my kind who delight in causing suffering. I am not benevolent. I will not seek to right the wrongs of the world. They are not my problem. I will not actively contribute to them, but my first priority is to myself and those under me."

Talion scoffed. "A selfish fiend, then."

The man adopted a considering expression. "That is…not an inapt descriptor I suppose, but I like to think I'm better than that."

"What you think doesn't matter. Begone before I remove you, fiend."

"I can free you from your bondage, Talion." the devil said suddenly.

Talion glared at the creature. "Doubtful. Were I to even believe it, I would assume your 'freedom' would come gilded in new chains. I would exchange one leash for another."

"You would be bound to me, but not in the way you are to your enemy. He seeks to corrupt you. I would not. You would be subservient to me like any vassal to a lord, but you would have freedom you have not known for years."

Talion raised his sword, tip aimed at the creature. "I warn you once more, fiend; leave. You will not receive another chance."

The creature sighed. Holding up his hands and moving them slowly, he retrieved a folded piece of parchment from his clothes. He crouched down and set it on the ground in front of him. "This is a summoning flyer. If you change your mind, channel your power into it, and it will call me to your side. Thank you for your time and your patience, Talion. You may not believe me, but my respect for you is boundless. No matter what you choose. I wish you the best." A point of pure darkness rapidly expanded out from behind the creature. He backed into it and the point collapsed in on itself, taking the creature with it.

Talion sheathed his blade, staring down at the paper left by the creature. He turned, leaving the parchment where it lay as he returned to the top of the tower. He would worry about the devil if he appeared again, but he had more pressing concerns at present. He was expecting an attack. After weathering it, he would lead his armies once more into the lands of Mordor on a new campaign. He had to buy more time.

The ring on his finger glowed, humming with dark power that sought to twist his mind. Talion centered himself, focusing on the task at hand.

He would buy more time.

X

"How's it going?" I asked, sitting down next to Medea on the stone floor.

"I am making progress, but this place is large. It is taking me longer than the manor did." Her eyes were closed, focused. Even still, she continued speaking. "Should I rise to welcome our newest peerage member?"

I frowned. "He refused." I was disappointed, but I would respect the man's wishes. If anyone deserved to chart their own course, it was Talion. More selfishly, reincarnating someone, let alone Talion, against their will was a recipe for disaster. I wanted willing vassals, not potential knives in the back.

"Did you leave him a method to contact you?"

"I did."

"Then that is all that can be done. You expected this outcome."

"I did. This was why I didn't want to reach out to him. Before Aqua, a refusal would have been beyond costly. Now that I have her to help, I don't need to even touch my stored power to reach out. I can approach others that I initially discarded because of their potential to say no."

"Do not use any of that power." Medea said, peeking an eye open to look at me. "I have a plan for it." She closed her eyes again.

I raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask what that plan is?"

"A surprise. One you'll like. Back to the topic at hand, you will find other peerage members. If the Knight changes his mind, then he will be a strong ally. If he does not, then there are others you have told me about."

"True enough." I looked around, watching as Medea's magic seeped into the stones around us. "Can I help you in any way?"

"You can sit and talk to me. It gets lonely and repetitive doing this for hours at a time."

I shifted so my back was to hers and leaned into her. After a moment, she leaned back into me so we were supporting each other. "So once this place is good and secured, I was thinking…"

I outlined my plans for the mine and the immediate future to my Queen while she created her territory and layered wards over our new mithril mine. I wasn't sure if she was fully listening to what I was saying or if she was too focused on her work, but she'd asked for company, and I was more than willing to give it.