The next day.
Caleb instinctively arrived at the Occult Research Club. Once there, he didn't see Koneko Toujou and only then realized that the combat training sessions were over.
Akeno Himejima was on duty today. Rias had taken the white-haired Loli out to handle a request.
"Little Caleb, did you encounter any problems with your magic today?"
Caleb shook his head. "No..."
You've got to be kidding me. I couldn't learn it at all, so where would the problems come from?
Akeno Himejima smiled. "That's impressive. Tell me, how many have you learned already?"
Caleb stared at Akeno Himejima expressionlessly, forming a circle with his index finger and thumb.
"Ten?"
Caleb: (￣ー￣)
Akeno Himejima looked surprised. "Oh my, twenty in one night?"
Caleb covered his face, finally deciding to tell the truth.
Upon hearing the truth, Akeno Himejima cupped her chest with one hand and rested her chin on the other, pondering. "You are so sensitive to magic power. Why is it so difficult for you to learn spells?"
The so-called "difficulty" was relative to naturally gifted people like them. Caleb's magic ability was still marginally above the passing grade.
Caleb looked innocent. "I don't know."
Don't ask me, I just don't know. He never claimed to be a magic genius; they all guessed it themselves. This couldn't be hidden anyway. If he couldn't learn it, he couldn't learn it.
Akeno Himejima placed her hand on Caleb's forehead, sensing the magic power within him. "The rate of magic power growth is indeed fast. You'll be able to attempt Middle-Class Magic Power Extraction soon." Akeno Himejima was puzzled, as she hadn't encountered this situation before. "The magic power growth is definitely genius-level, so why is spell mastery so difficult..."
In reality, it was because Caleb's magic extraction method was different from others. While others needed to spend time sitting in meditation, he could absorb external magic power naturally as long as his mind was relaxed, whether he was sleeping or daydreaming. It was essentially a semi-automatic skill. He extracted three times the magic power in one day compared to others. Of course, this excluded those who were completely focused on cultivation. Caleb wasn't absorbing magic faster than others; due to his unique circumstances, he was essentially logging three times the training hours.
After a moment of deliberation, Akeno Himejima didn't dwell on it. It was a vast world full of oddities. Perhaps Caleb's physique was great for absorbing magic power, but quite ordinary when it came to controlling it.
"Little Caleb, have you considered reincarnating as a Devil?" Akeno Himejima's eyes gleamed as she brought up the topic again. With Rias away, it was a good opportunity. If Caleb strongly objected, she could always claim she was acting on her own initiative. "After reincarnating as a Devil, your magical control will greatly improve, because Devils are naturally more suited to using magic than humans."
Caleb's heart stirred, but he quickly thought of something else. "Akeno-senpai, why haven't I seen Koneko use magic?"
Akeno Himejima's gaze drifted, and she stammered guiltily, "Oh my... well... although that's what I said, not every Devil is naturally good at magic, right?" She wasn't entirely lying. Reincarnating as a Devil would definitely improve physical fitness and strengthen magic control. However, the most important factor was still individual aptitude. Koneko Toujou was a typical example: completely unsuited for using magic. The few spells she mastered were for enhancing her physical abilities; at the end of the day, she was still a pure Brawler.
Caleb didn't bother to expose Akeno Himejima, deciding to give his superior some face. However, the Devil Bloodline was indeed a good thing, and the sooner he got it, the better.
"Akeno-senpai, you mentioned last time that Low-Class Devils can be promoted to High-Class Devils and then have their own Familiars." Caleb asked, "Besides becoming someone else's Familiar and ranking up through the Rating Game, do ordinary Devils have other ways to advance?"
"Yes, but they are much harder than the Rating Game and often involve life-threatening risks." Akeno Himejima looked at Caleb, speaking seriously. "I advise you strongly not to entertain such ideas."
After the Great War of the Three Factions, the Devil population drastically decreased, but only relative to the past. The total population was still huge. Not all Devils could become someone else's Familiar and slowly climb the ranks. If that were the case, the power structure of the Underworld would be composed entirely of a hierarchy of Evil Pieces.
Caleb shrugged. Good medicine is bitter, and honest advice is unpleasant. He decided to meekly accept Akeno Himejima's warning and abandon any unrealistic thoughts.
"Senpai, one last question."
Caleb had also been pondering the issue of Familiars for the past few days. Rias had done so much for him. He wasn't heartless; it was time for him to reciprocate.
"Familiar... how strong is the King's binding authority over a Familiar?"
Akeno Himejima straightened up, becoming more serious than ever before. "What do you mean?"
"No specific meaning. I just need a truthful answer." Staring into Akeno Himejima's cold eyes, Caleb's expression was equally serious.
Akeno Himejima frowned. Combining Caleb's previous question, she seemed to understand what Rias had said last time. Caleb's ambition was indeed great, perhaps even hubris. She watched Caleb silently for a moment, then sighed softly.
"Since you put it that way, I'll be honest with you. I hope you don't disappoint me later." Akeno Himejima leaned close to Caleb's ear, explaining the relationship between a Familiar and a King in a voice only they could hear.
The Evil Pieces themselves did not have any compulsory functions, but there was a subtle, subconscious influence. A Familiar and their King would naturally develop mutual affection. Under normal circumstances, a Familiar would not refuse their King's requests. This was a major reason why many Familiars and Kings became couples.
If a conflict arose between a Familiar and their King, the King's only means of punishment was to prohibit the Familiar from participating in Rating Games, thereby cutting off their path to further advancement. Sometimes, a Familiar's aptitude was so great, coupled with the augmentation of the Evil Pieces, that their strength grew rapidly, leading them to develop different, more dangerous ideas. There have even been cases of a Familiar killing their own King. For such Familiars, the Underworld would issue a warrant for their arrest, and upon capture, the penalty was instant execution, with no alternative.
If there was any true restriction, this was the biggest one after becoming a Familiar: absolute loyalty to one's King, at all times. Of course, this was a rule imposed by the Underworld, not a side effect of the pieces themselves. Without such a rule, recruiting Familiars would require even greater caution.
Caleb did not doubt the truth of Akeno Himejima's words. Everything she said aligned with his vague memories. Especially when she mentioned the killing of a King, Caleb finally recalled the incident Koneko Toujou was so reluctant to talk about. The white-haired Loli's sister, the Cat Youkai Kuroka, had killed her master after becoming a Familiar and then fled. This incident led to prejudice against Koneko Toujou among Devils, who feared she, too, would betray her master. She was almost executed, but Rias intervened and took her as a Familiar.