[8] Alternate World Devil Contract

Occult Research Club!

It was class time, but no one here had any intention of leaving.

After all, they were devils—classes were merely a cover for their leisurely activities.

Everyone sat facing one another, and Himejima Akeno handed each person a cup of hot tea.

"You're saying Koneko was in danger yesterday—and it was a stray Exorcist?"

Rias frowned slightly. "That makes things a bit troublesome."

"By the way, what's a stray Exorcist?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her hand to ask.

Even though she had been cramming a lot of knowledge recently, she had only become a devil a few days ago.

She was still missing a lot of basic information.

"A stray Exorcist is someone who's lost themselves to killing and has been expelled from the Church."

Kuroki Ren explained, "Aside from that, there are also Stray Devils—devils who go berserk and act recklessly after being separated from their masters."

Utaha subconsciously muttered, "If this were a novel, beings like that usually don't end well, do they?"

"That's right. Generally speaking, they would be dealt with."

Rias nodded. "However, there are still some who survive for various reasons. For example, stray Exorcists—because of their strong power—often become subordinates of Fallen Angels and receive their protection."

"Fa… Fallen Angels!"

Utaha looked a little shaken, murmuring, "So there's a chance Fallen Angels could appear in this city?"

What kind of situation was this? She'd just become a devil, and now she was getting dragged into some high-level conflict?

"That possibility is very high."

Rias's expression grew extremely serious:

"But no matter what, this is Gremory family territory. Even Fallen Angels cannot act recklessly here."

"Akeno, you'll be in charge of investigating this matter. And don't forget to inform Sona to stay alert as well."

"Yes."

Himejima Akeno nodded respectfully and turned to leave the room.

"You're really decisive, aren't you? Need me to do anything?"

Looking at Rias, Kuroki Ren smiled faintly.

"Not for now... And when did you become so powerful?"

Rias's beautiful eyes sparkled with surprise. "But thank you for killing that stray Exorcist—otherwise, Koneko would've been in serious danger."

Kuroki Ren sipped the hot tea in front of him and said mysteriously, "I'm very strong now, you know."

"By the way, did you bring the method for making the devil summoning contract that I asked for earlier?"

This was a crossover world, and many powerful individuals were already aware of the existence of alternate worlds.

So, some devils had the bold idea of extending their reach into those alternate worlds through devil contracts.

And in order to increase his Origin Magic power, Kuroki Ren had the same idea.

"I brought it—along with the spellbook you need."

Rias nodded.

The next moment—Woosh!

A magic circle appeared, and a pile of books stacked up like a small mountain.

"The special devil contract method you're looking for is in this one."

Rias pulled out a crude notebook. "However, this technique has already failed. You can study it if you're interested, but don't waste too much effort on it."

Ren smiled gently. "Understood. I know what I'm doing."

He was treating it with a let's see how it goes attitude.

If it didn't work out, he'd just have to come up with another method.

Still, with so many spellbooks—surely Rias hadn't emptied the Gremory family's entire library, right?

Ren finished the tea in his cup and continued, "Rias, there's one more thing I need to ask of you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"It's about my useless Peerage member. She's currently only a low-ranking devil. While her aptitude is decent, her actual combat ability is a mess. I was hoping you could arrange some special training for her."

"Ah?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little stunned.

What did he mean, 'useless'? And was it really okay to just dump her in front of the 'main girl'?

Though she was silently screaming in her heart, Utaha maintained her composure on the surface.

No matter what, she wasn't going to lose face.

"No problem. Let Koneko help her get a basic understanding of combat first."

After Rias gave Koneko the instruction, Utaha had already dragged Ren out into the corridor.

"Bringing me here alone?"

Ren looked at Rias with some surprise.

"You… your first peerage is a beautiful girl, and you care for her so much. I'm a little jealous."

Rias twirled a strand of her crimson hair, smiling sweetly.

Ren suddenly understood. He took a few steps forward, pulled her into his arms, and lowered his head slightly.

Rias gasped softly as his forehead pressed against hers, their breaths mingling, their hearts beating in quiet sync. The corridor around them felt distant, hushed by an invisible magic.

"Do you really think I'd ever pick someone else over you?" Ren's voice was low, teasing, warm.

Before she could reply, he took her face gently in his hands, fingers tracing the elegant curve of her jaw—and kissed her.

Not the soft, fleeting kind.

It was a deep, claiming kiss. His lips moved over hers with firm control, and she melted into him almost instantly, her breath catching as his hand slid down to the small of her back, pulling her flush against him.

A moment later—The two slowly separated.

Rias's eyes were hazy, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly.

Kuroki Ren smiled. "Satisfied now, aren't you?"

"I.. I.. " Rias tidied her messy hair and snorted, "I'll let you off!"

"Really? Want to keep going?"

Rias was clearly tempted—but still shook her head. "Forget it. There's still important business to deal with."

If they continued, she would completely lose her composure.

She hadn't forgotten about Utaha and Koneko in the room.

Seeing this, Ren didn't push his luck either and gently took Rias's hand, leading her back to the clubroom.

Immediately after, the two of them could feel a pair of unreadable gazes directed their way.

Needless to say, they came from Koneko and Utaha.

"Koneko, where were we again?"

Rias's face flushed slightly but quickly returned to normal. "Never mind. Combat is best learned through actual practice. Let's go outside and train."

The two girls immediately stood up and followed Rias out.

Seeing this, Ren didn't join the fun. Instead, he sat in a chair and began flipping through the notebook first.

[Origin Magic Power +10]

Kuroki Ren flipped through it slowly, thinking deeply, a sharp glint occasionally flashing in his eyes.

"So that's it… No wonder this technique failed."

Closing the notebook, Kuroki Ren murmured to himself.

This technique was essentially an enhanced version of the devil summoning contract.

However, to cross between worlds, there were two major obstacles.

First—how to locate the alternate world.

Second—how to maintain the integrity of the devil contract while passing through the void between worlds.

"It seems… there's still room to make this work."

Kuroki Ren stroked his chin thoughtfully.

The first issue was actually a matter of probability. He just needed to cast a wide enough net—sooner or later, something would connect.

The second issue was the repulsion and crushing pressure within the world's void. Even Demon Lord–level magic power couldn't withstand it.

However, his Origin Magic Power… just might.