LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 16: The Overseer of Bucharest (3)
Chapter 16: The Overseer of Bucharest (3)
"You want to become Azrail's [Queen]?"
Alice didn't seem surprised by Latia's bold claims, as if she had already expected it to happen.
"If that's the case, you must work very hard."
With a smile, Alice patted Latia's head before turning towards me.
"Azrail, you must be the youngest Devil ever to receive your Evil Pieces."
"Is it that rare?"
Latia was a lot more surprised than me.
"It is… Young Devils usually go through an evaluation after they turn ten to determine when they'd receive their set of Evil Pieces, but that didn't happen in his case."
Alice got up from her seat before a [Transportation Magic Circle] appeared below her.
"Then, shall we go to the Agreas City?"
Both Latia and I nodded, jumping onto the magic circle before the three of us disappeared.
---
[Agreas City.]
"This place is quite different from what I had previously expected..."
"Hey, Alice… Isn't it illegal to teleport inside the Agreas City unless you're a VIP or if it's an emergency?"
The Agreas City was an important place for the Devils, and it was even considered a world treasure thanks to the value it offered, so Latia's question made sense.
"Indeed, but those are for civilians and normal people, you know? In Agreas City, I have the second-highest authority after Satan Beelzebub, and I can teleport anyone I wish to inside the city without prior notice."
"Wait… Weren't you the 'former' manager here?"
"What do you mean former?"
Alice looked at me, confused.
"It has been a decade since you left your job as the Manager of this place, right?"
"Not really." Alice shook her head. "I have been on a paid holiday for the past decade and can take my position back anytime."
What kind of dream job was that?
"Wait, before you moved in with us after my birth, where did you live?"
It was an honest question.
"I bought a penthouse atop the Agreas City Government Office for convenience when I started working here. Do you guys want to see it? The view from there is mesmerising."
Those words made me wonder. How rich was she exactly?
"I do."
"Me too."
Latia and I agreed immediately, and Alice decided to show us around Agreas City first.
.
.
.
"Hey, Alice."
Hearing me call out to her, she turned around.
"Yes?"
"I've heard rumours that Agreas City contains the technology of the Old Four Great Satans and that this place hasn't been fully explored yet. Is it true?"
"Of course not." Alice giggled. "Lord Beelzebub spread those rumours to increase the market value of this place. We've already fully explored this city, and every piece of technology from the era of the Great War has been retrieved by us."
"What about the places marked as unexplored zones…?"
"The places were artificially created as a treasure hunt of sorts to attract tourists and generate more income, so we hid numerous treasures there... Ah, right. That's supposed to be classified information, so don't tell anyone, okay?"
"Don't tell us things that are supposed to be secrets, then."
"Wait, what about Agreas City being the only place that contains the Attribute Crystals used to create Evil Pieces?"
The one who asked wasn't me, but Latia.
"That's true. Those crystals can only be created in Agreas City, at least those of the highest qualities. However, the only one who knows about the process is Lord Beelzebub. Even I don't know how they're created."
"Created? Weren't they supposed to be something extracted from nature instead?"
"Well, they're natural, but My Lord knows how to manufacture them artificially, too... He tried to teach me that method, but I lacked the Demonic Power Control from the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ], so we gave up…"
Create something like that artificially?
That was an impressive thing to do.
As the three of us talked, we soon arrived in front of the Agreas City Government Office, where Alice used to live.
Just as we were about to walk inside, a security guard dressed in a black suit stopped us.
"I apologise, but this building is off-limits for civilians."
While the guard stared at Alice with a stern expression, Latia and I exchanged glances.
"So much for having the second-highest authority within the Agreas City..."
"Maybe she was bragging..."
"She probably wanted to act all cool..."
"Poor Alice..."
"I feel bad for her..."
"Same…"
Alice's mouth twitched when she heard the two of us talk, but before she could say anything, another person came running towards us.
"You dumbass! Do you have a death wish?"
After hitting the security guard on the head, he pushed him aside and turned towards Alice.
"L-Lady Alice, it's nice to see you again…!"
"I see you haven't educated the newbies well enough, Flauch."
"I'll make sure to educate them properly, Ma'am!"
Flauch bowed at a perfect right angle, his forehead covered in a cold sweat.
"Forget it. Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll let it slide."
"Thank you for showing mercy!"
Alice walked through the security check, followed by the two of us, along with Flauch.
"Lady Alice, should I inform the Vice Manager about your arrival?"
Alice thought for a few seconds, and she shook her head.
"I am not here to continue my job, so there's no need to make a fuss… Just get the Evil Piece Monument prepared for private use within two hours."
"B-But Lady Alice, we already have the bookings full for the next three days. Not to mention, they're from the Pillar Clans..."
Alice shot Flauch a glare.
"And? Tell them it's time for the annual inspection of the Monument. If they still have objections, they can come talk to you."
"Yes! The Monument will be ready for private use within two hours."
"Good." Alice nodded, satisfied. "On that note, you guys have been taking care of my residence properly, right?"
"It is exactly as you left it a decade ago, Lady Alice."
"I see. You may leave."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Flauch bowed and disappeared the moment he was allowed to.
Alice then turned towards Latia, who looked like she had seen a ghost.
Well, I couldn't blame her.
Even I was surprised when I saw the always-laid-back and friendly Alice act like a grown-up in front of Zekram, and even more so when she stood on business against Diehauser Belial.
"Fufufu." Alice laughed a little and gave out a proud smile. "When you're in front of your subordinates, you must maintain a cold, strong front to ensure everything works out as smoothly as possible and the hierarchy is maintained. For example, the current Four Great Satans have laid-back personalities, but they still act according to their status when they're in front of outsiders. It is something that the two of you will need to learn eventually."
"So that's how it is."
Latia looked at Alice with pure admiration, and we soon entered the latter's penthouse.
Although it wasn't as luxurious as the Astaroth Clan's Castle, it wasn't that far off.
The view from the windows was as Alice had previously described.
It was simply mesmerising.
"By the way, Azrail, when do you plan on making Latia your [Queen]?"
"What do you mean by when, Alice? Can't he make me his [Queen] the moment he receives his Evil Pieces?"
"I'd advise you to wait for a few years, at least."
"Why?"
Latia and I looked at Alice, confused.
"Do you guys know about Unused Evil Pieces?"
We shook our heads in sync.
"Unused Evil Pieces is a function added to the Evil Piece System by Lord Beelzebub… When a [King] grows stronger, the Evil Pieces they own will undergo significant changes, and there's a high chance that they'll end up as Mutation Pieces."
"It worked like that?"
"And depending on the [King]'s strength, the number of Evil Pieces needed to reincarnate someone may differ, along with some difference in the power boost given to the one reincarnated."
"Are there any other ways of getting Mutation Pieces?"
"Not really." Alice shook her head at that question. "Either you receive them while getting your set, which highly depends on luck and talent, or by using the Unused Evil Piece function. From what Lord Beelzebub told me, there is one more way, but it has never really happened."
"And what would that be?"
"The Evil Pieces can change into Mutation Pieces while they're being used by a servant. Although the conditions are unclear to me, it's indeed possible."
'Going by that, even if I were to reincarnate someone as my peerage member, I can alter their Evil Pieces later?'
"Or maybe you can just ask My Lord to upgrade your Evil Pieces to Mutation Pieces, although I have no idea if he'll agree..."
"Uncle can do that?"
At Latia's question, Alice nodded.
"Mutation Pieces are a bug he kept for fun, but My Lord wouldn't keep a bug in his system that he couldn't control."
That certainly sounded like something my brother would do.
"But I'd rather not ask for something like that."
I planned on studying the Evil Pieces eventually, so the way to upgrade them into Mutation Pieces shouldn't be too hard to find.
"Other than those things, there's one more thing."
"And what is that?"
"If you ever find a healer willing to join your peerage, don't think about it much and accept them."
"Yeah, I know."
That was simply how rare healers were in this world.
"By the way, Alice. Is it alright to cancel the appointments that have been made ahead of us? Since Uncle himself permitted Azrail, his appointment should already be there, no?"
"The appointment is there, but if you do it the normal way, it'll need you to go through a boring ceremony."
"I'd rather not do that. Thank you, Alice."
"But we still need to wait for two hours."
Alice leaned back on the couch, sighing.
She seemed bored here.
"Leave it to me!"
"What do you mean, Latia?"
Alice didn't understand what Latia meant, but soon, a thin, golden barrier appeared around us.
"Ah, so you plan on slowing down the flow of time within the barrier?"
"Yup!"
At Alice's question, Latia nodded vigorously.
"Six minutes inside the barrier means one hour outside. I can do the opposite, too, so six minutes outside means one hour inside the barrier… In short, I can either accelerate or decelerate time within the barrier by ten times, so three minutes would mean thirty minutes, and six minutes would mean sixty minutes."
Latia was so proud that she explained her abilities in too much detail.
"Wait." Alice was visibly surprised by Latia's bold claims. "When did you improve this much? As far as I know, the only one who trained was Azrail."
"Her training was different than mine…" I answered. "After I was done training with you, Latia would let me rest for prolonged periods within her barrier so I could rest more, and that served as her training for accelerating time within the barrier. As for slowing down the flow of time within the barrier, she practiced it on her own without much help from me."
Honestly, it was a very efficient training method for the two of us, which also allowed me to have extra time for side quests over the past few years.
"How long can you maintain this barrier?"
Alice turned towards Latia.
"A total of five hours in terms of time dilated. After that, I start feeling dizzy from consuming too much Demonic Power. I can only maintain it this long because of my control with the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ]."
She wasn't wrong about that.
With Latia's current Demonic Power Reserves, it'd be a miracle if a Pure-Blooded Devil from the Agares Clan managed to reach even half an hour in terms of time dilated.
"So a total of thirty minutes while either decreasing or accelerating the flow of time to your maximum ability, which is six minutes to an hour."
In simple words, she could make a barrier and increase the flow of time within it for 30 minutes by ten times, so 30 minutes inside would be 300 minutes outside, and vice versa.
"Yup! I plan on doubling my maximum ability within the next few years. So it'll be three minutes to one hour."
Latia sounded very motivated, and Alice patted her head.
"That's amazing."
"Ehehe."
"But that ability would be very useful in most rating games. Especially those with special rules like a Dice Figure Game. The participant can return after winning, and Latia can let them rest for hours before the next game."
Alice made a valid point, but that wasn't how I wanted to utilise Latia's abilities.
"More importantly, I want her to 'develop' the [Power of Time] beyond its inherited limitations with the help of her [High IQ]…"
At those words, Alice narrowed her eyes. "You mean…"
"Yeah… If it worked as planned, Latia might learn to accelerate and decelerate the flow of time of a person, increasing or decreasing their speed, rather than doing it with the help of a barrier. Maybe even something like accelerating ageing, or if she can learn to rewind time on people, healing their injuries instead. Honestly, the possibilities of her power are endless."
Well, it'd need a lot of experiments on my part, along with a lot of practice on Latia's part, but it should be doable with combined efforts.
It was the conclusion I reached after four years of closely observing both the [Power of Time] and [High IQ].
"I'm sure no one in the Agares Clan ever thought about going that far with their ability."
Alice smiled at us.
"Even if they did, I don't think they can do this… Latia didn't only inherit the [Power of Time], but the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ], so the way she can use her abilities are better than those from the Agares Clan."
I turned towards the wall clock outside the golden barrier and watched the clock's hands move ten times faster than usual.
"Alright, it's been 12 minutes inside the barrier, so two hours should've passed outside."
Nodding to herself, Latia erased the barrier around us, and after a few seconds, Flauch teleported inside the living room.
"Lady Alice, the Evil Piece Monument is ready for private use, and we have successfully cancelled all the appointments today in the name of maintenance."
"Well done, Flauch. It's good to see you're still as competent as ever."
"You flatter me."
"Well, we should get going then."
Alice stood up from her seat, creating a magic circle under her, and the two of us jumped on it, teleporting away.
---
Standing next to the altar, Alice raised her hand, and soon, a stone monument shining in black fell from above, floating right in front of us.
'So this is the monument that supplements the [King Piece] in a set of Evil Pieces, registering a High-Class Devil as a [King] in the system instead…'
"Now, just focus your aura on one of your hands and place it on the monument."
Aura was when a creature released its innate magic power. For example, a Dragon would release a Dragon Aura, a Devil would release a Demonic Aura, and an Angel would release a Holy Aura.
If someone was strong enough, their Aura could instil fear in weaker opponents or even make them lose their fighting capabilities depending on the difference in strength and willpower.
That was what Demon Swords and Holy Swords do with their Demonic Aura and Holy Aura, respectively.
I did as Alice told me to, stepping forward and enveloping my right hand in my aura as a black glow appeared around it.
Alice's aura was yellow, so her eyes would glow yellow whenever she used her Demonic Power, while Latia's aura was golden, and mine was pitch black.
It made me feel edgy for no reason, but I ignored that feeling and placed my hand on the monument.
The monument shone black, only to show my handprint for a second before returning to normal.
'That's all?'
It was a bit underwhelming.
"Congratulations."
Alice handed me a small box, which she didn't have until now.
"Where did you even get it from?"
"The monument summons the user's set and hands it over to the person controlling the monument… Even though I haven't been here for a decade, I'm still registered as the Manager here."
Alice explained with a smile.
"Now, open the box. I'm curious if you got any Mutation Pieces or not."
I slowly opened the box, revealing a set of fifteen Evil Pieces neatly placed inside.
Although the Evil Pieces were white, they glowed black because of my aura.
However, there was something different.
Two pieces weren't black, but red.
One of my [Bishop] and [Knight] were Mutation Pieces.
"Wow! Two Mutation Pieces!"
Latia, calm down.
"Congratulations, Azrail."
"Thank you, Alice."
I picked one of the Mutation Pieces with my right hand, seeing it from all sides.
Nice.
It'd help me properly examine the differences between a normal piece and a mutation one.
"You can now keep the box anywhere you want, and when you find someone you wish to reincarnate, the Evil Pieces will automatically come to you based on the person's potential and strength."
After a few seconds, I placed the piece back in the box before tossing the whole thing into my dimensional storage.
"Latia, I want to check something out. Stand in front of me."
"Okay."
I raised my hand, and after a few seconds, the Mutation [Bishop] Piece appeared in my hand.
"This is?"
"Are you reincarnating her as your [Bishop]?"
"No." I shook my head. "I just wanted to see if I can reincarnate Latia with a normal [Bishop] Piece, and I can't. So she's worth two [Bishop] Pieces."
The Mutation [Bishop] Piece in my hand disappeared, replaced by the [Queen] Piece.
"So that's how it works."
I smiled at Latia's words, making the [Queen] Piece disappear, and Alice spoke up.
"For an Evil Piece to successfully reincarnate someone, the target must be someone who died recently. If the target is alive, they must be willing to be reincarnated, or the Evil Piece wouldn't work properly."
"Wouldn't it be easy to get someone killed before reincarnating them and gaining their loyalty by playing hero?"
Latia said what was on my mind.
"The Evil Pieces don't have any control mechanisms, so if that plan backfires, the one reincarnated would most likely become a Stray… If a Reincarnated Devil turns Stray, it reflects badly on the image of their Master. That's why most Pure-Blooded Devils would rather hunt their Strays down by themselves without letting it be public knowledge."
"I see."
Latia nodded in understanding.
"But knowing Azrail, I think you'll be doing most of his work, and he'll most likely send you to all the social gatherings in his stead..."
Maybe Alice was a prophet in disguise.
"I know, but someone needs to take care of him."
Latia showed a determined expression.
"Geez, who's taking care of who?"
Wasn't I the one who was going to live alone from now on?
Sebas and Vanessa had denied Latia to live within the Human World until she was twelve, which meant two years from now.
Other than that, Alice said that it would be a good experience for me, so she decided to stay in the Underworld as well.
So, until Latia turned twelve, I'd be living alone unless I recruited a peerage member before that.
That was good, honestly, but there was one problem.
I had no idea how to cook, not even a little, so taking a maid along with me was a must.
"I guess I'll be leaving the Underworld tomorrow."
"Wait!" Latia seemed surprised by my statement. "Aren't you supposed to go on the day after tomorrow?"
"The current Overseer of Bucharest offered to show me around and share some important information… At first, I asked him to pass on a written report, but it'd be rude to decline such an offer. You can tag along, too. Sebas said you can't live there, but dropping by every once in a while isn't a problem, right?"
"You're right."
---
Words: 3385
A/N:
Are there any healers or healing-based sacred gears in DxD? I mean, except for Asia with [Twilight Healing] or the one Reincarnated Angel in church with [Holy Resuscitation].
There aren't any users of [Healing Magic] on the wiki either except for Azi Dhaka, either.
I want at least one healer in Mc's peerage, probably one worth two pawn pieces.
Anyway, we finally moving out of the underworld, and Mc's accomplished side quests for the past few years will be explained.
How has the fic been until now? What things do you like about it, and what can I improve on?
All feedbacks are appreciated.