Chapter 2 - Fia… become my servant!
Rias and Cain had practically grown up together, so in a way they were childhood friends.
Watching the scene she'd just walked in on, an inexplicable surge of irritation bubbled up inside her.
"Rias," Grayfia said, taking a deep breath to compose herself, "a little warning next time would be nice."
Rias rolled her eyes. "Wasn't this what you asked me to handle?"
She waved a hand dismissively. "Cain's transfer to Kuoh Academy is all set. He can start whenever he's ready."
Cain nodded; he'd been expecting that. With the devil population still recovering, most clans sent their children to the human world once they hit a certain strength threshold. The goal was simple: gather servants, build a peerage, and expand their influence.
"I almost forgot," Grayfia admitted. She turned to Cain. "We did talk about this. You haven't changed your mind, have you?"
"Of course not," Cain replied.
He'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about this chaotic, fused up world. He needed to see just how insane it really was.
"Good." Rias pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it over. "Here's the transfer paperwork. When you get to Kuoh, come find my club. That way we can watch each other's backs."
After a few more instructions, Rias left, slipping him her phone number with a casual, "Text me if you have questions."
As soon as she was gone, Cain turned to Grayfia with a grin. "Now that Rias is out of the way… want to pick up where we left off?"
Grayfia froze, cheeks heating again. He was being way too forward all of a sudden.
She wasn't sure she could keep up.
"Actually… I just remembered I have something urgent to take care of," she muttered, then hurried out before he could say another word.
...
Cain watched her practically flee and shook his head with an amused smile.
He'd never seen Grayfia that flustered before.
"But how am I actually supposed to get stronger from here?" he murmured, rubbing his chin.
This was a crossover mess of a world—episodes could be completely derailed for all he knew. He needed something reliable.
"Wait… don't tell me I really don't have some kind of system?"
A faint chime rang in his ears, and a translucent panel materialized in front of him.
[Cain Lucifuge]
[Race: Primordial Devil]
[Level: LV30]
[Unique Authority: Primordial Devil Transformation]
[Skills: Devil Contract • Devil Summoning]
Cain stared at the sparse interface. "That's… painfully basic," he grumbled, but his eyes were already locked on the details.
Information flowed into his mind naturally.
Devil Contract worked like the Evil Piece system, but better: it could turn any race into a devil and granted them their own leveling panel. Depending on aptitude, servants could even awaken special abilities. Cain himself would grow stronger through combat experience and power feedback from his peerage.
Devil Summoning let him answer cross world summons..if someone called for a devil, he could step through.
Primordial Devil Transformation was a temporary burst form that unleashed part of his bloodline's true power. Even without transforming, his bodily fluids were absurdly valuable to other devils.
His expression darkened. Yeah, he was definitely keeping that part quiet.
"Still… getting stronger just by building a peerage? That's perfect."
A gleam appeared in his eyes.
"There's just one catch, my servants need real potential, or the contract will tear them apart."
Then it hit him.
He already had the perfect first candidate.
...
"Fia… become my servant."
Grayfia stared silently at Cain, who had tracked her down minutes later.
He didn't even try to ease into it.
She gave a helpless smile. "Cain, I have no problem becoming your servant, but the Evil Pieces I requested for you haven't arrived yet. You'll have to wait."
"I don't need Evil Pieces," he said calmly. "I just need you to say yes."
Grayfia blinked, confused.
On his system panel, the Devil Contract skill was pulsing brightly. It could detect compatible candidates on its own.
As expected, Grayfia was a perfect match.
"You're serious?" she asked, regaining her composure. "Did you awaken some kind of new ability?"
"Something like that," Cain replied with a shrug.
Grayfia nodded slowly. Unique bloodline powers weren't unheard of among devils; some could rival the Evil Piece system. She'd just never seen one quite like this.
"Fine," she said. "I agree. So… how exactly does this work?"
"First, take off your outer dress."
Grayfia's face instantly went scarlet.
Seeing her reaction, Cain hurriedly added, "I have to draw the contract crest with my blood, and the fabric gets in the way."
He wasn't lying… but he wasn't exactly sad about the situation either.
Grayfia took a deep breath, fingers trembling slightly as she began unbuttoning the dress. She didn't hesitate, though...she trusted him completely.
Cain's pulse sped up as the white dress slipped off her shoulders. If this weren't part of the ritual, his self control might have cracked right then and there.
"Ready," he said, voice a little lower than usual. "Here we go."
He stepped forward, bit his fingertip, and a single drop of pale blood welled up.
Things had definitely changed after the system awakened.
Without pausing, he pressed the bleeding finger to the center of her chest, just above her heart.
The instant the blood touched her skin, it flared with soft golden light.
Intricate runes spiraled outward, forming a glowing heart-shaped crest that sank into her body.
Grayfia gasped. Something deep inside her shattered like glass.
Every limit she'd ever felt on her power simply… vanished.