"Familia?"
Hearing this, Ravel instinctively glanced at Luo Shu before nervously looking away and asking La Folia:
"Is this similar to the status of an Evil Piece subordinate?"
Under normal circumstances, Evil Pieces involve the King piece holder as the leader, while holders of Queen, Bishop, Rook and other pieces serve as the King's subordinates.
Having grown up in demon society, Ravel naturally associated the term "Familia" with what she was familiar with.
But while Ravel understood Evil Pieces, La Folia was less informed.
Faced with this knowledge gap, La Folia turned to Luo Shu for clarification.
After some thought, Luo Shu nodded and explained:
"The situations are comparable, but Familia bonds are somewhat more intimate than Evil Piece subordinates."
"More intimate..."
Ravel's expression showed hesitation – not because she minded greater intimacy than Evil Piece subordinates, but because she and Luo Shu had only just met. Becoming a subordinate so abruptly was unthinkable.
That said, La Folia's proposal was undeniably appealing to Ravel.
Yet Ravel wasn't foolish. She knew relocating her family to this world as refugees involved numerous challenges, and even after arrival, many complications would arise.
Having a Demigod's backing would undoubtedly help navigate these issues.
Still, understanding this logically didn't erase Ravel's practical reservations.
After all, becoming an Evil Piece subordinate was often a lifelong commitment. It was only natural for Ravel to hesitate over such a significant decision.
Recognising Ravel's conflicted expression, La Folia smiled knowingly and said gently:
"There's no need for an immediate answer, Miss Ravel. After all, you and the Director haven't truly gotten to know each other yet, have you?"
"It's best to make such decisions after getting to know each other properly."
"At least for the near future, you'll have time to get to know the Director, won't you?"
La Folia's tactful retreat made Ravel breathe a slight sigh of relief, while privately thinking that they hadn't exactly been without contact.
Well, Luo Shu knocking her out with one strike near the airport parking lot could barely count as contact, right?
Ravel mused with complicated feelings.
Noticing Ravel was clearly being persuaded, La Folia secretly winked at Luo Shu with a playful grin.
This girl...
Luo Shu was utterly speechless at La Folia's mischief.
Yet he had to admit that she'd done what he couldn't do himself conveniently.
As another woman, La Folia found it far easier to facilitate connections between Luo Shu and Ravel than if he'd tried to do so directly.
Among his Familia, she was the only one currently willing to actively recruit for him.
The others were either spectators or too possessive to act like La Folia.
Thinking this, Luo Shu realised he'd made the right choice in accepting the Silver Princess.
The thought amused and exasperated him, but business still needed attention.
"Who'd have thought the Phenex Society would ultimately connect to the demon clan's invasion..."
Behind the Hell Sect and Phenex Society's Flame Demon summoning plan lay another scheme - the Underworld's demon descent.
Both plans centred on Akihabara, Tokyo's largest Abyss Artefact trading hub in the Far East.
Bloody hell, were these organisations and demon clans aiming to kick Japan in the balls?
Akihabara's output was essentially Japan's economic backbone in some respects.
Both the anime industry and the Abyss Artefact/intelligence trade were priorities for the Five Great Powers.
Most crucially, Luo Shu's Hidden Management Department garrison was located in Akihabara itself.
So these bastards were basically coming to wreck his home?
As Luo Shu's urge to rant skyrocketed, Megumi Kato quietly inquired:
"Should we report this to the Supreme Chairwoman?"
"That's definitely necessary."
Luo Shu glanced at Megumi, then pinched the bridge of his nose:
"Notify Meer, Kirika Tachibana and Lacus too. Ideally, we'll hold an online meeting within half an hour."
"Besides that..."
He turned to Kurumi Tokisaki:
"Kurumi, coordinate with Enigma and Sharon to ensure the Hell Sect remains under control..."
"Understood." Kurumi's lips curled in a faint smile.
"La Folia, start circulating fabricated princess rumours. Make sure both the Hell Sect and Phenex Society believe there's genuinely an illegitimate royal child out there."
La Folia nodded:
"Got it. I'll handle it promptly."
After these instructions, Luo Shu messaged Yukino Yukinoshita in the system chat group, briefing her and asking her to alert Familia members to avoid entanglement in the incident.
Though he would certainly intervene to stop it, if the situation took an unexpected turn and the demon army descended, it would be best for the non-combatant Familia members to take shelter in the Divine Kingdom.
After all, that was the Familia's home ground.
Once he'd finished notifying everyone, Luo Shu realised a minor issue.
'Come to think of it, I asked Kotoko Iwanaga to contact Ravel and isolate her so we could capture her at an opportune moment...'
At this thought, Luo Shu glanced at the now-childlike Ravel beside him, whose time had been stolen by Kurumi Tokisaki.
Without Kotoko's help, he'd already captured her. This situation... he wondered if Miss Iwanaga would be dumbfounded.
'Never mind, better not contact her for now. Stick to the original plan and have La Folia impersonate Ravel to maintain the Hell Sect's cooperation with the Phenex Society.'
Shaking his head, Luo Shu turned his gaze to Mammon nearby and said pointedly:
"Miss Mammon, given the current circumstances, it seems we'll be working together for some time."
Hearing this, Mammon immediately bowed her head respectfully:
"Before communications were cut off, Her Majesty instructed me to follow your orders. So for the foreseeable future, I'll be in your care."
'Seems she knows how to handle people...'
Noting Mammon's humility, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes slightly before smiling.
"Then, here's to a pleasant collaboration."
Mammon responded with a matching smile:
"May your cooperation with His Majesty be fruitful~"
...
Meanwhile...
In the Underworld of the High School DxD universe.
Without the knowledge of the Devil Council, the four Satans gathered together.