Jill admitted,
She was engaging in the biggest gamble of her life.
She was betting everything on this Devil who had shown no malice since appearing.
That he wasn't the evil, cunning kind of Devil like in the legends.
Even if she lost the bet, at worst she would become a Devil, and at least she would gain the power to survive.
"Then, let's begin the Reincarnation Ceremony."
Looking at Jill, Ayato smiled.
An Evil Piece appeared in his hand from thin air.
"This is... chess?" Jill asked with some confusion. "Does a Devil's ceremony need something like this?"
"It's just a form. There's complex technology inside."
Ayato spoke. "We just need to place it inside your body, and it will naturally start the ceremony, reincarnating you as a Devil."
"Is that so?"
Jill nodded and asked softly, "But how do we put this thing in?"
She looked down at herself, slightly worried.
'It wouldn't require cutting me open first, would it?'
Ayato smiled. "Don't be nervous. I have a lot of experience with this. It's completely painless."
Jill: "..."
The words were fine,
But somehow, they sounded strange.
"Come on, take off your clothes first."
The corner of Jill's mouth twitched.
Combined with his previous words, she felt like she was being teased.
But after a few seconds, she still moved.
No matter what,
She had to continue.
"Do I... need to take off my underclothes too?"
Jill looked at Ayato nervously.
Ayato shook his head. "No need. This is fine."
'Just this?'
Jill breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Although she was somewhat careless, she was still a woman.
But,
She wondered what she should do next?
Looking at the Evil Piece, she began to overthink again.
And then, Ayato pressed the Evil Piece down.
"Mmm..."
Jill's body trembled slightly, her face gradually growing warm.
Their fingers had touched.
They had just met not long ago, yet here they were like this.
For her, the stimulation was a bit too much.
She subconsciously looked down and saw the Evil Piece slowly sinking into her body.
At the same time,
Ayato raised his hand and summoned the Boosted Gear.
Hum!
The crimson light and the light of the magic circle shone together, illuminating the entire church in a riot of color.
"Mmm..."
Her body was changing.
It felt like two completely different kinds of power were surging inside.
Moreover, her back and tailbone were really itchy.
Whoosh!
Two pitch-black wings extended from her back.
A heart-shaped tail had slowly formed.
'Wings like theirs?'
Jill was somewhat curious and touched them subconsciously.
Instantly,
Her fair skin turned pink.
"These Devil's wings... are so strange."
She muttered softly, quickly blushing as she retracted both her wings and tail.
Then!
Jill clenched her fists slightly and felt her power, countless times stronger than before.
"Jill, it's still you, right?"
Seeing this, Alice asked with a hint of concern.
"Don't worry."
Jill smiled. "I'm still me. Other than gaining an extra pair of wings and a tail, nothing is different."
"And I feel better than ever."
"Phew."
Hearing this, Alice sighed in relief and put Jill's coat over her shoulders.
"What about you, Alice?"
Ayato turned his head and looked at Alice. "What is your choice?"
Hearing this, Alice fell silent.
Too many things had happened that day.
Her worldview had been reshaped several times.
And now,
She was being questioned by a Devil from legend.
'But,'
'Perhaps this was an opportunity.'
Her eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke cautiously, "Mr. Devil, although I don't know why you're so interested in me..."
"If I agree to become a Devil, can you save this city and prevent the virus from spreading further?"
"Of course not. The previous contract was only for me to help you deal with those Lickers."
'As expected,'
'Bargaining with a Devil is impossible...'
Alice's face showed a hint of disappointment, but she was disappointed too soon.
"But if you become a Devil, I wouldn't refuse a reasonable request from my servant."
Alice's eyes widened. "What's the difference? Isn't it basically the same?"
"It's very different."
"After all, I am a Devil. I have a sense of contract."
"Is... that so?"
Alice felt somewhat speechless.
But,
Upon learning this, she felt Ayato seemed exceptionally good to his servants.
'Maybe becoming his servant wouldn't be so bad.'
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When she opened them again, a look of determination had appeared in her eyes.
"Then, Mr. Devil, please reincarnate me as a Devil."
With that, Alice began to take off her outer clothes, leaving only her grayish-white underclothes.
"Okay!"
Nodding, Ayato took out another Evil Piece and placed it in the designated spot.
"So cold!"
Alice's breathing became much heavier.
She finally understood what Jill had just felt.
"Mmnn..."
The next moment,
Her Devil's wings and tail burst forth from her body.
Meanwhile,
Ayato was also granting her Subspecies Balance Breaker.
Sensing the subtle changes of the Balance Breaker within Alice, his eyes lit up slightly.
'It seemed Jill was also a reinforcement-type Balance Breaker.'
By observing the Subspecies Balance Breakers of so many of his servants...
He was finally starting to grasp some patterns.
Of course,
The specific form of the Balance Breaker was unclear.
After all, that was a matter of personal habit for Alice and the others.
"By the way."
Ayato thought of something and spoke. "From now on, I'll call you 'Little Alice'."
"Why?"
Alice was confused. "Is there something wrong with my name?"
"Not really. It's just that you share a name with another of my servants. This makes it easier to distinguish you." (T/N: In the RAW, Irisviel's name is written with the same characters as Alice, which is why Ayato said they're the same name.)
"Then why isn't she called 'Little Alice'?"
Ayato didn't answer. He just looked down meaningfully.
Alice: "..."