Although Leon did not expose the fact that he possessed the Zenith Tempest, in the eyes of Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra, his current increase in strength was incredible.
"You're probably stronger than me now, aren't you?"
Sona Sitri's expression was somewhat complex.
In the past, Leon had always been weaker than her. After all, half of Leon's lineage was human, while Sona Sitri was a pure-blooded Devil of noble descent. They had a gap in demonic power from birth, so Sona Sitri had always led Leon in terms of strength.
For instance, Leon only recently became a High-Class Devil, while Sona Sitri was already a High-Class Devil before coming to the Human World, much earlier than Leon's promotion. Naturally, her strength should not have been inferior to Leon's.
Yet, this gap that had never narrowed was now completely erased, perhaps even surpassed, due to the feedback from a single peerage Devil?
Then, how strong would Leon become once he gathered all his peerage members?
"Are you trying to make me let down my guard against you?" Leon didn't know exactly what Sona Sitri was thinking, but he could roughly guess some of it, and immediately laughed: "You are Sona Sitri. Who would dare claim that being stronger than you means they can win against you?"
Leon had dealt with the girl in front of him for several years and was quite familiar with her abilities.
Sona Sitri's strength was not particularly high among High-Class Devils. Even among the young Devils of the same generation, she couldn't rank in the upper tier. However, her true strength lay not in her demonic power or raw strength, but in her ability to plan and strategize.
She was intelligent and highly skilled in using strategy and tactics. She often managed to manipulate her opponents with precise arrangements, causing everyone who underestimated her to suffer a humiliating defeat, letting her achieve victories against stronger foes.
She once had an engagement, but she never intended to go through with it. She even released news that she would not marry anyone weaker than her. Thus, she made an agreement with her original fiancé to settle the matter over a game of chess. If she won, the engagement would be unconditionally dissolved. If she lost, she would immediately bring her dowry and marry him. The result was a landslide victory for her, shattering her former fiancé's mentality and causing him to become withdrawn, despite the fact that his strength was considerably greater than hers.
In the future that Leon knew, she would also have her debut rating game against her childhood friend, Rias Gremory, with all their peerage members participating. In terms of strength, her side, including herself and her peerage, was far inferior to the Gremory peerage, who were the original protagonists. Yet, she used her strategies to push the opposing side into a bitter struggle. Her performance was so brilliant that it astonished the Devils of the Underworld, who even considered her more suitable to be a "King" than the Gremory princess.
In the future known to Leon, the new generation of Devils involved in the various major events, including the Gremory peerage, all received massive power-ups. Some had Longinus (Divine Constructs) wielders as their peerage members, and others found alternative paths to attain astonishing strength. Only Sona Sitri's Sitri peerage members were mostly ordinary humans, lacking both innate talent and ability, with only one or two Sacred Gear (Divine Instrument) holders. Despite this, she still earned the title of one of the "Four Kings of the New Generation."
Thanks to this, the Gremory peerage, whose talent and abilities were maximized, always regarded the Sitri peerage as a formidable foe not to be underestimated. Although they had fought against Gods and Demon Lords, they weren't afraid of powerful enemies. Instead, they were wary of the weaker Sitri peerage, which showed that Sona Sitri had indeed scared them into submission.
Therefore, upon hearing Sona Sitri say that he was stronger than her, Leon felt less happy and more exasperated.
"You already have quite a few peerage members, don't you? I've only just acquired one!"
If Leon remembered correctly, Sona Sitri should have six members already.
"Recently, I discovered another talent in school. Unless something unexpected happens, he should be the holder of a rare Sacred Gear," Sona Sitri smiled lightly and said, "I plan to observe him for a period, and then take him in as a peerage member. If you have time, you can come and give me your opinion."
"Forget it. I still need to find my own peerage members." Leon shook his head, not unenthusiastic, but certainly not overly keen. He said, "Yukino has only just reincarnated as a Devil. I still have many things to teach her. Before that, I shouldn't go wandering around casually."
"That's fine too." Sona Sitri nodded in agreement with Leon's plan, saying, "Sōbu High, where you attend, is also a school with great potential. Besides Yukinoshita, there should be other talents. Try your best; perhaps you can bring these talents into your fold."
"I will."
Leon returned Sona Sitri's smile, then began to discuss other topics.
The main issue was the Fallen Angel from yesterday. The fact that Leon had utterly annihilated him posed a certain problem.
However, Leon's attitude on the matter was very firm.
"If the Fallen Angels had done their homework, they would know that Yukino is someone I have taken under my wing. The Church has already been warned by me. Yet, a newly arrived Low-Class Fallen Angel dares to attack her? Then, even if he was destroyed, no one else is to blame."
The Fallen Angel side was the one that attacked first. Leon merely retaliated. What problem could there be?
"Aren't you afraid of breaking the current status quo and causing a large-scale conflict between the Devils and the Fallen Angels?"
Sona Sitri did offer a reminder, but Leon didn't take it to heart.
"It's not just the Devils who don't want to go to war now; the Fallen Angels can't afford it either. We don't want to break the status quo, so do they?" Leon saw things clearly, or rather, he was fearless. He laughed: "The Fallen Angels are in the wrong. Even if a few hot-blooded ones want to mess around, I don't think their Governor would want to see that, so there's no need to worry right now."
"Besides, he was just a foolish Low-Class Fallen Angel. He barged into the territory of a High-Class Devil. Did he think he could retreat unscathed?"
"He dared to commit crimes on the street. Even if he hadn't been killed by me, he would have been killed by the people from the Church if they had found him."
Sona Sitri ultimately conceded to Leon's statement.
This matter was neither big nor truly small. It didn't involve any important figure from the Fallen Angel side, but merely the life of a disobedient Low-Class Fallen Angel. Who would bother a High-Class Devil over such a small fry?
Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they would have to weigh the cost.
At least, in Sona Sitri's view, once she submitted the report detailing the content of today's meeting to the Underworld, Leon would definitely receive greater attention and more powerful protection.
One peerage member alone could turn him from a newly promoted High-Class Devil into a six-winged High-Class Devil, placing his strength in the upper tier of High-Class Devils. What would happen when he acquired more peerage members in the future?
Even if not every peerage member could bring such a massive increase, stacked together, Leon would at least be a Supreme-Class Devil in the future, possibly even reaching the Demon Lord level, becoming a top combatant in the Underworld.
Coupled with the fact that his peerage already contained a Longinus (Divine Construct) wielder, which was an incredible potential asset, how could the Underworld not take this seriously?
The Fallen Angels would probably have to get past the Demon Lords first if they wanted to cause him trouble over this.
All in all, Sona Sitri's warning to Leon was merely out of caution, and she didn't genuinely believe there would be any major issues.
Thus, after briefly making her point, Sona Sitri stopped discussing these matters.
"We've covered most of the questions, so we should take our leave."
Sona Sitri checked the time and stood up.
"Aren't you staying here for the night?"
Leon also stood up, asking with a smile.
"I have class tomorrow. Forget it." Sona Sitri pushed up her glasses and said, "Once you're done with your affairs here, we can arrange for our peerage members to meet and get acquainted. Staying overnight then wouldn't be too late."
"Alright." Leon knew he was just saying that and hadn't seriously intended for Sona Sitri to stay the night. He shrugged and said, "Say hello to the Red-Haired Princess of Destruction for me."
"I will." Sona Sitri thought of her childhood friend and smiled: "She's been wanting to invite you for tea for a long time. Next time we have a chance, I'll introduce you."
"We take our leave, Lord Leon, and Yukinoshita-san."
Tsubaki Shinra bowed again, excusing her master.
"See you next time."
Yukino Yukinoshita also returned a bow, her attitude finally much better than when they first met.
Evidently, Yukino Yukinoshita had developed a good impression of Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra, and was no longer as tense as she was initially.
Sona Sitri's calm and intellectual demeanor appealed to her, and Tsubaki Shinra was friendly toward her. Since that was the case, Yukino Yukinoshita naturally wouldn't maintain her aloofness forever; she still possessed that much social sense.
Thus, Leon and Yukino Yukinoshita escorted Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra to the basement.
"Goodbye, Leon."
"Goodbye, Sona."
"Goodbye, Yukinoshita."
"Goodbye, both Senpai."
After bidding farewell, Sona Sitri and Tsubaki Shinra walked into the magic circle. They gradually disappeared in the red light rising from the circle, leaving the manor.
"Are they really Devils?" Yukino Yukinoshita watched them leave, only speaking after the light of the magic circle dimmed. "They don't feel like it at all."
"Then what qualifies as being like a Devil? Having horns, sharp teeth, and a ferocious face?" Leon glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita and said, "You are a Devil now. In others' eyes, do you think you look like a Devil?"
Saying this, Leon turned around and headed up the stairs out of the basement.
"Let's go, continue reading. In a few days, you'll have to start learning how to be a qualified Devil."
Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita silently followed Leon's steps, leaving the basement...