There was no denying it—Ram and Rem were incredible cooks.
In fact, their skills were on par with Erina's.
After all, Izumi had poured an absurd amount of resources into them. Not only had he strengthened their combat abilities, but he had also maxed out every single one of their practical skills.
If they were sent outside, they would undoubtedly qualify as elite battle maids.
And thanks to that, Kanna and the others ate to their hearts' content.
Once she was full, Kanna melted into Izumi's arms like a sleepy kitten, basking lazily in the warm sunlight drifting through the courtyard.
The other dragon girls began wandering around the mansion curiously.
Izumi's residence was filled with little girls, and Lucoa absolutely adored the atmosphere.
The sight of all those adorable lolis was unbelievably healing.
Unfortunately for her, the feeling wasn't mutual.
The younger girls seemed instinctively wary of Lucoa.
The reason?
She was simply too big.
Every loli in the mansion looked at Lucoa with varying degrees of hostility.
Which left Lucoa feeling genuinely depressed.
Izumi, of course, understood the situation perfectly.
Lucoa World Cup... truly lived up to the rumors.
Honestly, it was only natural the younger girls wouldn't like her.
Even Rias and the others weren't especially popular among the loli crowd.
Eventually, after hanging around for a while, the dragon girls prepared to head home.
Well—
Most of them did.
Kanna stayed behind.
Compared to returning home and playing elsewhere, she thought life here was much more fun.
Tohru and the others didn't object.
After reminding Kanna to behave herself, they left together with Kobayashi.
Once they were gone, Kanna happily ran off to play with Ophis and the others.
After seeing off the adorable dragon girl, Izumi vanished in a flash and reappeared inside the laboratory.
The moment he stepped inside, Ikaros noticed him immediately.
Her emotional limiter had already been removed.
There was now the faintest trace of expression on her face.
Though unless someone looked carefully, they probably wouldn't notice it.
The moment she saw him, Ikaros hurriedly spoke.
"Izumi-sama."
Izumi waved casually.
"Ikaros."
"Have your memories returned?"
Ikaros nodded.
"Yes, Izumi-sama."
"They have fully recovered."
"Thank you very much."
She understood clearly that Izumi was the one who had saved her.
Because of that, her gratitude toward him was genuine.
But Izumi shook his head.
"Now that your memories are back, you don't need to call me 'sama.'"
"That imprint contract was created while you had lost your memories."
"Now that you've recovered, it doesn't really count anymore."
"Just call me Izumi."
"You don't need to be so formal."
However—
Ikaros immediately shook her head.
"No."
"You are my master."
"The contract has already been established."
"It cannot be revoked."
She refused without hesitation.
Once something was decided, she would never betray it.
Unless Izumi himself abandoned her—
She would remain his personal angel forever.
Seeing how stubborn she was, Izumi could only sigh helplessly.
In the end, he decided not to argue about it anymore.
Instead, while walking deeper into the lab, he asked curiously:
"Where's Daedalus?"
"What's she doing right now?"
Ikaros tilted her head slightly before answering honestly.
"She is currently discussing artificial angel production with Asagi-sama."
"I heard they are considering combining modern magic with artificial angel technology."
"If successful, I will be upgraded first."
Hearing that, Izumi raised an eyebrow.
They got along this quickly?
Not only had they already become friends—
They were already working together on new artificial angel projects.
That level of synchronization was honestly ridiculous.
Izumi didn't even know how to react anymore.
When he and Ikaros finally arrived at the main research area—
Daedalus, Asagi Aiba, and Leonardo da Vinci were gathered together, enthusiastically discussing something.
The moment they noticed Izumi, Asagi immediately rushed over excitedly.
"Darling, you're here!"
"Come look at this!"
"We've designed a brand-new artificial angel!"
"This is incredible—an absolutely perfect masterpiece!"
Now thoroughly interested, Izumi stepped closer.
He looked over the massive collection of design schematics spread across the room.
The blueprints incorporated technologies from multiple worlds.
Not only that—
They even integrated concepts from the DxD and EXE universes.
The moment Izumi analyzed the structure, surprise flashed through his eyes.
If this angel were successfully completed—
Its power would absolutely surpass the Four-Digit level.
There was even a chance it could approach the Three-Digit realm.
Realizing that, even Izumi was slightly shocked.
Had these researchers already reached this level?
Were they really capable of creating a Three-Digit artificial angel now?
At that moment, Daedalus began explaining proudly.
"This design is based on upgrades to Ikaros's existing systems."
"In other words, we plan to evolve Ikaros even further."
"We intend to make her the strongest angel."
As she spoke, excitement burned visibly in her eyes.
Coming to this world truly had been the right decision.
The technologies from other universes had completely expanded her horizons.
With all these systems combined, she firmly believed she could elevate Ikaros into the ultimate existence.
Then Asagi continued:
"But we'll need your assistance for the core framework."
"We want to use your Light as the central energy source."
Izumi blinked.
"You mean…"
"You want to integrate the power of Primordial Light into her?"
Asagi nodded immediately.
"Exactly."
"Only then can Ikaros become truly stronger."
"And I'm sure you'd like to witness the birth of an overwhelmingly powerful angel too."
"Especially one created with your direct involvement."
Hearing that, Izumi genuinely felt tempted.
Maybe this really was worth trying.
Ever since ascending to the One-Digit realm, he had technically gained the ability to create powerful dependents using his own authority—
Just like Nyarlathotep and the others.
But he had never truly experimented with it before.
And now—
Ikaros was an excellent test subject.
Still, there was something he needed to verify first.
The next instant—
A terrifying power erupted from Izumi's body.
His thoughts accelerated to unimaginable speeds.
The countless blueprints created by Asagi and the others rapidly flowed through his mind.
Within mere seconds—
He reached a conclusion.
"It can work."
"But several areas need modification."
For safety reasons, Izumi thoroughly analyzed the entire system using his authority.
Overall, the design itself was fine.
However—
Even after upgrading Ikaros, her strength would only reach the peak of the Four-Digit realm.
At best, she would become a Four-Digit Outlier.
She still wouldn't truly enter the Three-Digit level.
Which meant—
Certain portions needed to be rewritten.
Izumi intended to push Ikaros beyond that boundary entirely.
When everyone heard him say that—
Shock immediately filled their eyes.
…Izumi knew how to do this too?