Chapter 2

Seir looked a little taken aback after this revelation but then regained his composure.

“I haven’t seen the match myself but for him to just use the will of lucifer publicly like that and not be noticed is a little hard to believe.”

“That’s just it Seir, I don’t think regular Devils can tell that it’s being used when he uses it, but during the pre match negotiations with Decarabia, I could tell something was off...I don’t know, maybe I’m just overthinking this…”

“No, like I told you before Kuro, there is a small rumour going around the households that are passively against the Bael House, that the First Prince is able to use the will of lucifer on other devils. It would be a good idea to keep your guard up and not use the technique, even if you’re in disguise.”

This was the most serious that I had seen Seir in a while, but he was right, if my identity as someone that could use the will of lucifer to control other devils was discovered this early on, we would both be screwed. I had no intention to use it anyways, but I had to be extra careful.

“Hey Seir, the old man told me that there are some of his kin in the vicinity too, I had initially thought that there was no need to figure out where they were, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to know, can you look into it?”

“Ahhhh, hmmm, I’ll see what I can find out, hahaha, my money is on the first prince having a Dragon King or two up his sleeve.”

“Hahahaha, knowing our luck, that’s probably the case.”

I gave Seir one last look and left him to his thoughts. When I first decided to help Seir, I had initially planned to use my encounter with him to get here and then immediately track that woman and get my revenge. However, after the last few years and everything we’ve been through, it’s not a stretch to say that my fate is now tied to his.

Despite just barely managing to add the geezer onto our list of pseudo allies, it really is still just me and Seir against everyone else. If we want to both achieve our end goals, then we need to make sure that we are able to watch each other’s backs and not leave any blind spots.

I made my way back to my room, on the way I spotted Alice and gave her a nod of acknowledgement. I opened the door to my room and found Shiro sleeping in my bed, I did say that she could do so when I was in a panic to leave earlier, but she has been doing this more and more recently. In fact, she’s been spending more and more time in my room recently, I guess she’s just been worried about my health. Whenever I go into a big battle I always come back half dead, maybe I need to think about getting a familiar that can heal me innately.

I pulled the covers over her and made for the couch, guess it was going to be another night on the couch for me...

Shiro’s POV

Kuro has been behaving strangely recently, following his victory over Earl Paimon a number of reporters and other interested parties have come to the villa to seek an interview with him and he has asked Alice to turn them away. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen Alice turn away messengers from the Earl’s House too.

This is not out of character, but it seems like he’s been avoiding me as well, each time I visit him, he seems to be in a panic and comes across as if he’s trying to hide something from me.

The strangest thing to happen though, is that I keep receiving lavish gift baskets and all manner of offerings from a secret admirer. Initially I thought they were from Kuro but when I saw the standard of item in them, along with the enclosed note that was layered from top to bottom with sweet nothings, I was doubtful.

The more recent ones that Alice has delivered to me are signed “CA” I have no idea who those initials belong to but going by the rarity and lavishness of the presents, he must be very wealthy.

I wonder if Kuro would get jealous if he were to find out? I am not the type to be swept off my feet with something as outlandish as this, so I think he’d see through any charade I attempt to display by saying that I am enamored by these gestures.

Going by the time that these started to surface, my secret admirer began to admire, after the televised broadcast of our battle with the Paimon House. Still, despite knowing that nothing will ever come of these gestures, I am curious to know who this “CA” is.

I was pondering the identity of this mystery man, when I heard a knock on my bedroom door and Alice entered.

“...Shiro-san, I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to Asmodeus Mart?”

“Eh? Alice-san, you don’t usually ask me to help you with the shopping, every time I suggest that I help, you always respectfully refuse heheh.”

“...I am in need of assistance today, as I intend to restock the whole pantry.”

“Ah, OK, I’d love to go, let me just put some shoes on and we can go right now.”

“...I will wait by the front door then.”

“R-right, see you in a bit.”

Alice left and I started to get ready to leave, I hadn’t seen Kuro or his highness all day, I wonder where those two are…

Kuro’s POV

“Are you sure about this Seir? I’ve never heard of a medicine that requires the user to put something as stupid as this on before using it, isn’t this just a straitjacket?”

“Ahahaha, the Serqet poison is very finicky, you could have a fit when it’s applied and do yourself some serious harm, I’m just taking some precautions, it’s for your own safety, they will announce our next opponent any day now, we need you at 100% Kuro.”

Seir gave me a serious look and placed his hand on my shoulder. I decided to trust him and let him get on with it. He claimed that this was something that was too hard for Alice to apply, which was why he was doing it himself, in case a situation arose where I needed to be forcibly restrained.

Seir came at me with a syringe and injected something into my left arm, almost instantly I became groggy...wait...this...is…

My whole body began to go numb and I was beginning to lose the ability to move. Just then the door burst open and Pu Yi walked in.

“Ahah, I’m sorry Kuro, this was the only way that the Earl was willing to pay for the medicine…”

Pu Yi picked me up and placed me over his shoulder and began making his way out of the villa, I used what little feeling I had left in my body to struggle and try to escape, but the straitjacket and strong anesthetic was making it difficult.

“D-damn it Seir! I’ll get you for this! You just see if I don’t! Pu Yi! Put me down! Put me down!”

“Pfft you think I like doing this you cretin? It was a direct order from my lord.”

It was hopeless...No, I had one card I could play, one thing that I could do, one person that I could rely on.

“SH-SHIROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Shiro save me!”

“...”

“Ahhhh...ha...I had Alice take her shopping about an hour ago…”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Pu Yi took my now limp body out the front door and flung me into the back of a white van, soon after the drugs kicked in and I blacked out...