Ingvild gazed at Sebastian, her amber eyes reflecting his image.
“Fine.”
She did not really have any other options anyway.
Regardless of whether what he said was true or false, the best thing she could do right now was to be grateful for her luck.
Even if this was a lie, she had to thank the heavens for granting her this path.
She had nothing left to hesitate about.
The frail-looking girl gently bit her lower lip.
After waking up—or rather, on the first day of her new life—she made the first major decision of her life.
“My name is Ingvild…
My surname…
hmmm, I don’t quite remember…
But that’s okay, let me just live together with you in this era.”
Sakura Amagiri.
When he first heard that name, Sebastian was completely stunned for a moment.
But after rolling the name around in his mouth and looking at the familiar face of the little girl before him, he had a rough idea of what was going on.
“Amagiri…
do you mean the Amagiri family that practices magecraft?”
“Yes.” Sakura’s voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing someone.
Hearing this answer, the guess in Sebastian’s mind became even more certain.
Now he knew that this world was highly likely not just High School DxD; it might even be a crossover.
Although the little girl’s name was different from what he remembered, and she had not been sent off to that old worm to be tormented, her timid, animal-like demeanor combined with the name Amagiri confirmed the truth.
She was a character who had walked out of those Type-Moon stories.
In other words, besides High School DxD, this world shared a connection to Type-Moon.
Thinking of this, Sebastian’s brow knitted together unconsciously.
“Um…
Lord Sebastian, is there a problem with the Magi of the Amagiri family?” Seeing that Sebastian’s expression was off, Kuroka spoke up and asked directly.
After all, she was the one who had brought Sakura over.
“It’s nothing.” Sebastian snapped out of it and waved his hand.
“On the contrary, Sakura carries the bloodline of the Amagiri, so selling her as a slave would really be a waste.
As it happens, I just had Grayfia call Ingvild so we can take this opportunity to introduce everyone today.
I can finally talk to you all about some serious business.”
Upon hearing this, Kuroka’s eyes immediately lit up.
She understood the ins and outs of the Evil Pieces.
“Lord Sebastian , have you finally obtained that set?”
“Well…
you know my capabilities.
By the rules, I am indeed qualified to have a set of Evil Pieces.”
Sebastian and Kuroka were talking in circles, leaving Sakura Amagiri and Shirone completely confused.
Sakura was too shy to ask, but Shirone went straight to Kuroka’s side, tugged on her sleeve, tilted her head up, and asked innocently, “Sister, what are you talking about?”
“Little fool, we’re talking about Evil Pieces—the pieces used to officially reincarnate us as Lord Sebastian’s Peerage.” Kuroka smiled and patted Shirone’s head.
Shirone smiled like a cute little kitten.
Watching this scene, Sebastian smiled and shook his head before turning his gaze toward Sakura.
“Grayfia is too strong, so I’m not thinking about reincarnating her as a servant for now.
Kuroka and Shirone have both agreed, and Ingvild probably won’t have any issues either…
What about you?”
Sakura Amagiri was stunned by Sebastian’s sudden question because no Devil had ever asked for her opinion before.
She was just a slave; she did not think she had a right to an opinion, as obedience was all that was expected of her.
Besides, most Devils looked down on humans, and the work she did in the Underworld was all menial labor.
Sebastian was probably the first Devil in ten years to ask for her consent.
This left Sakura, who was used to following orders, feeling completely at a loss.
Seeing her like this, Sebastian tried his best to smile gently.
“Although this is the third time I’ve encountered this, I’m still not very good at it—but there’s no helping it; the members of my Peerage all seem to need a bit of guidance.
Sakura, I can’t offer any grand speeches.
I know that suddenly thrusting the power of choice upon you will make you nervous or even afraid, but you are no longer a slave.
This kind of choice has to be made sooner or later, so why not try taking the first step now?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Grayfia walked over with Ingvild.
Sakura was still processing Sebastian’s words.
She was silent for a long time before finally nodding at him.
“Um…
as long as you don’t think I’m taking up a valuable spot, I am willing to join your Peerage.”
Sebastian nodded, while Kuroka and Shirone smiled.
Grayfia had walked over from a distance and already understood the situation.
During this time, she had filled Ingvild in on basic common knowledge, helping her accept the fact that she had become a Devil and guess why Sebastian had called her over.
Kuroka, Shirone, and Sakura had all given their answers.
Ingvild had not actually promised Sebastian anything yet, but at this moment, she walked over on her own, sat down next to him, and smiled.
“If I can, I would also like to join your Peerage.”
Ingvild was currently curious about new things and wanted to understand everything clearly.
The more she learned, the more she realized that Sebastian had not lied to her at all.
This realization made her feel increasingly lucky and grateful to him.
She had heard from Grayfia that she possessed strong potential.
“Although I don’t know much, if I can be of help to you, I will definitely do my best, Sebastian.”
“Mm.” Sebastian nodded and pulled the box containing the Evil Pieces out of his system inventory.
“Well, a few pieces can be decided right now.”
He took out the Queen piece first, his gaze subconsciously falling on Grayfia.
“Grayfia, I won’t force you.
If you are willing to be my Queen, I will save this piece for you.”
Sebastian already had basic trust in Grayfia, but because this matter involved her allegiance, he felt it was better to be clear about it.
Grayfia nodded silently at Sebastian.
She had already intended to join long before coming to the Lucifer Clan, so she naturally agreed.
“That’s good.
Although I might not be able to complete your reincarnation right now, I’ll keep this piece reserved for you.
The day you officially become my Queen won’t be too far off.”
Sebastian put the Queen piece back and picked up the Pawn piece.
He had four special mutant pieces on his board: one Pawn, one Rook, and two Bishops.
The piece he held in his hand was the special Pawn piece.
“Ingvild, your potential is far greater than you imagine.
If Grayfia hadn’t agreed, I had originally intended to choose between you and Kuroka for the Queen position.
Now, though, this special Pawn piece is yours.”
“Mm.” Ingvild nodded.
Sebastian waved his hand, and the Pawn piece sank into Ingvild’s body, instantly activating her magic power.
As a descendant of the original Demon Lord Leviathan, the moment her magic power awakened, four pairs of black Devil wings—eight in total—spread out behind her, proving her high-rank Devil lineage.
With Ingvild’s reincarnation complete, Sebastian picked up a special Bishop piece.
While the Rook piece would have been suitable, he turned to Kuroka.
“Kuroka, this one is for you.”
“Okay, nya~” Kuroka Toujou walked over with a smile.
The moment the piece merged into her body, a pair of pitch-black Devil wings unfurled from behind her with a swoosh.
With Kuroka’s reincarnation finished, Sebastian took out the remaining standard Pawn pieces and laid them on the table.
Shirone required four Pawns, while Sakura required three.
Once all the Pawn pieces were used, only one Bishop spot remained open, alongside the reserved Queen spot.
His five Peerage members were now officially settled, filling up the majority of his board.
If his previous actions were small steps, having these five as his true companions meant he could now move forward with bigger plans.
Before meeting Sakura, Sebastian’s original plan was to use his connections with Rizevim’s faction to find an opportunity to act.
It would be even better if he could recruit high-value figures like Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri into his Peerage.
Not to mention, he held the Yamato, which possessed the ability to cure the Devil sleeping sickness.
Relying on this, he could earn a major favor from Sairaorg and the Bael Clan, while simultaneously winning the favor of Sirzechs Lucifer and the Gremory family.
However, the moment he saw Sakura, Sebastian changed his mind.
The figures in the Underworld were not going anywhere, but he wanted to see how things were progressing on the other side.
“I’ll give you a week to adapt to the power granted by the Evil Pieces.
During this week, I will submit an application to Sirzechs, and next week we will set off for the human world.”
“The human world?!”
Kuroka, Shirone, Ingvild, and Sakura were all stunned, while Grayfia’s expression remained completely calm.
Looking at it closely, their reaction made sense.
Kuroka and Shirone had lived in the Underworld since birth and had never set foot in human territory.
Ingvild had slept for a hundred years and had no real concept of the modern human realm, though she was interested in seeing an ocean that did not exist in the Underworld.
As for Sakura, she had been brought to the Underworld as a young child and had not been back in nearly ten years.
It was completely natural for them to be surprised.
“That’s right, we’re going to the human world.” Sebastian looked at Sakura and smiled gently.
“After all, it’s been nearly ten years since you’ve seen your family, right?
This time, I’ll take you back to visit them.”
At that moment, a system notification popped up:
[Check-in Goal: Bring Sakura Amagiri back to Fuyuki City]
[Volume Complete]
Fuyuki City was a coastal city located in the Far East.
Kuroka and Shirone wanted to experience human life, Ingvild wanted to see the ocean, and Sebastian needed to take Sakura home for a visit.
These three goals aligned perfectly to be resolved all at once.
When Sebastian first saw the check-in reward, he was momentarily surprised, but it made sense upon second thought.
Setting aside her background and magecraft attribute, culinary skill was indeed a defining trait associated with her.
As a flood of culinary knowledge entered his mind, Sebastian rubbed his temples.
The sheer volume of information for Culinary Mastery unexpectedly rivaled Vergil’s combat experience with the Yamato.
“Grayfia, take them to the seaside first,” he said, turning to the silver-haired maid beside him.
“I’ll take Sakura to the Amagiri household myself.”
Kuroka and Shirone were still too inexperienced, and even though Ingvild had lived in human society for over a decade, Sebastian preferred having Grayfia handle the group for peace of mind.
“Understood, Lord Sebastian .” Grayfia replied calmly, fully confident in the plan.