"Her!"
Kotoko quickly pointed at Yomi.
Lynn looked at Yomi, then glanced at the devil flyer in Kotoko's hand.
"Uh…"
Kotoko gave an awkward smile, then stuffed the flyer into Yomi's hands.
Isayama Yomi: "…"
She opened her mouth, but in the end, could only sigh silently.
There was no helping it.
It was true that Kotoko had been dragged into this because of her.
But who would've thought things would go sideways like this?
Everything had gone smoothly the last few tis.
But this ti.
A flicker of emotion passed through Yomi's eyes.
To think it turned out to be one of Hagoromo Gitsune's tails.
What rotten luck.
She cursed silently.
Then, she t Lynn's crimson eyes. After a mont of silence, she could only nod and say, "It's …"
Lynn nodded.
Now it was easy to confirm the contractor.
He began examining the surroundings.
It was dark.
Floating in the air were bronze mirrors styled after Ukiyo-e from over a hundred years ago.
The fras of each mirror were etched with dark red spell runes.
Strangely, the mirrors didn't reflect their own images.
Instead, they showed historical scenes.
So showed cities engulfed in flas, others, blooming spring gardens.
It seed each mirror was a different space.
Isayama Yomi reminded him, "This place is strange. Each mirror reflects a battle scene."
"Miss Kotoko and I have already shattered eight of them."
Hearing this, Kotoko gave an embarrassed smile.
In truth, it was Yomi who did all the work.
All Kotoko had done was analyze their situation. She didn't expect Yomi to include her at all.
Yomi continued, "I suspect that to leave this place, we'll have to break all the mirrors."
After she finished speaking, her expression turned slightly grim.
There were still ninety-two mirrors remaining, and just dealing with eight had already left her in this state.
If it were just the two of them, there was no way they'd make it out.
So—
Although she had hesitated before summoning the devil,
Now that he was here, she felt no regrets.
In fact, she was already thinking about what sort of paynt she'd have to offer.
She'd heard…
Devils were most interested in collecting followers…
Her expression turned a little hard to read, it was unclear what she was thinking.
As for whether Lynn could actually get them out of this space…
Anyone who could joke around with Natsuki Minamiya shouldn't be weak.
Kotoko was also secretly studying the summoned devil.
She couldn't help but feel.
He was different from what she'd imagined.
Aren't devils supposed to be creepy, ugly, and terrifying?
Why was this one… handso?
And—
"Shuchiin uniform…"
She muttered softly.
He was even wearing the sa school uniform as her.
Wait…
Was this devil really reliable?
There was clear doubt in Kotoko's eyes.
After all, it was hard to be convinced by soone who still looked like a student.
"Alright, I get it."
After Yomi's explanation, combined with his own analysis and magical scanning, Lynn had a solid grasp of the situation.
In short.
This was an illusion domain created by a fox spirit.
If brute force was the thod, he could simply blast through it with a magic explosion.
That was easy enough for soone like Lynn, an ultimate-class devil.
If he wanted to take a more refined approach, he could break through with the slash of the [Blade Devil] or a strike from the [Archivist Devil].
So—
"Let's talk about the paynt first."
"Huh?"
Kotoko's eyes widened slightly, surprised by how direct Lynn was.
Yomi, however, showed no reaction.
In fact, it was more accurate to say… she felt relieved.
Since Lynn said that, it ant he had complete confidence.
So…
The problem now was on her side.
What could she offer?
Yomi looked down at herself.
Besides her body, she only had the treasured sword—Ranguren.
Fine.
In truth, she understood that the choice wasn't really hers to make.
After all, this was a commission that concerned both their lives.
Yomi sighed inwardly.
It felt like she had exhausted a lifeti's worth of frustration today.
She steadied herself and said solemnly, "If there's anything the devil desires, just take it."
At the very least, she could survive.
She didn't want to leave Kagura behind just yet…
The thought of Kagura softened her heart slightly.
Seeing this, Lynn didn't bother with pleasantries.
"Alright, then co and be part of my peerage."
As expected…
Yomi wasn't surprised.
From a human perspective, she had value.
"…Okay."
Yomi nodded.
Once her mind was made up, she had no intentions of regretting it.
Lynn looked at her in mild surprise.
He hadn't expected her to agree so easily.
Instead, it was Iwanaga Kotoko who reacted loudly.
"Wait—what's a 'peerage'?"
She blinked at Lynn with wide, innocent eyes.
Lynn didn't look at her, only answered casually, "Basically, my harem."
"H-HAREM?!"
Kotoko was genuinely shocked this ti!
Even if 'peerage' really ant harem.
Did he have to say it so openly?!
Was this how all devils acted?!
She couldn't understand it at all!
Even Yomi's body stiffened for a mont.
Peerage… did that an she had to fulfill the role of a wife?
Though she felt a bit uncomfortable, her expression remained calm.
Her eyes turned slightly dazed.
So they were going to be family now?
But…
It didn't seem that bad?
She sort of liked the feeling of being accepted.
Although he was a man she had only t twice—no,
He should be a devil.
Still!
It was all too fast…
She felt a little conflicted.
If she really had to fulfill her duties as a wife, it would take so ntal preparation.
Kotoko, seeing Yomi drift into so kind of daydream, was left speechless.
Lynn looked at Kotoko with a smile. "What? Interested in joining my peerage too?"
"No, no, no!"
Kotoko quickly waved her hands and even took a step back.
Although this devil was undeniably handso and matched her tastes,
The whole harem thing was just…
She forced a smile. "Um… My delicate body wouldn't survive your impact, Mr. Devil, so I'll pass."
"It's fine. Once you beco a devil, your physical strength increases."
Kotoko's expression froze, and she replied with tears in her eyes, "Mr. Devil, soone like wouldn't even fit in, would I?"
Lynn looked at her oddly, then said, "Alright, I'll stop teasing you."
"It's ti to leave this place."
Since the deal was made, there was no need to stay here any longer.
Hearing that, Kotoko patted her chest and let out a breath of relief.
Then she asked curiously, "So, what's Mr. Devil going to do?"
She and Yomi had been trapped in this space for days.
She knew exactly how strong Yomi was.
But even soone like her had only managed to destroy eight mirrors.
What was this devil planning?
Surely he'd follow the rules of the space, right?
Yes—
Rules.
According to her deduction, this space had rules.
From their battles, she had identified two so far.
First was "gaze."
If you stared at a mirror too long, the scene inside would beco reality, triggering a battle.
The second was "obsession impact."
Each mirror contained a projection of its owner's obsession.
After shattering the mirror, one would have to endure the emotional backlash of that obsession.
That was also why Yomi couldn't hold on much longer.
Her heart was already sensitive, and facing wave after wave of negative emotions had exhausted her.
If it continued like this, Yomi felt like her consciousness would be drowned in countless obsessions.
Kotoko relayed her findings to Lynn, a hint of worry in her voice.
But Lynn simply raised his hand and said, "Don't worry."
"It'll only take a mont."
Kotoko: "?"
Just as her doubts were forming, she saw a surge of powerful black magic erupt from Lynn's body!
The magic surged like a fla, instantly filling the entire space!
Crack—
Unable to withstand Lynn's overwhelming magic, the illusion space let out a shattering sound.
Then—Boom!
The entire mirror space collapsed in an instant!
The setting sun bathed the three of them in warm orange light.
Kotoko's eyes widened, her voice trembling. "H-he's a monster…"
She had never encountered a devil before, but based on the magic Lynn released,
She could clearly understand just how terrifying he was through simple comparison.
And—
Didn't she just see that the mont they stepped out of the mirror space, all the monsters that had been surrounding them didn't dare co any closer?
In fact—
"Ahh! So scary!"
"Run!"
"It's over! The princess has been captured by the devil!!"
The monsters were shouting things like "it's over, the princess is going to be eaten," as they all fled in panic.
Yes.
They ran away…
Kotoko's eyelids twitched, her delicate little fists clenched.
These monsters were seriously unreliable!
Yomi looked at Lynn in a daze. "So…"
"All you needed was magic to break through?"
It was clearly a crude thod, but it was ridiculously effective.
And—
Monster?
Hearing Kotoko's muttering, Yomi's expression turned subtle.
Compared to Hagoromo Gitsune or even Yasaka,
Neither had the pressure Lynn exuded just now.
This…
Wasn't he already close to breaking through to Maou-class?
Yomi's usually calm face finally cracked.
She took in a sharp breath.
Becoming a Maou-class devil's follower?
It felt like.
A massive win…
Yomi's expression turned increasingly subtle.
"Let's begin the reincarnation ceremony."
Yomi's heart tightened slightly.
But then she heard Lynn say, "Although I really want to say that, there's still one little bug left to handle."
Little bug?
Yomi and Kotoko looked confused.
But soon, they heard a heavy stomping sound approaching.
They turned toward the sound.
And saw a massive fox radiating a golden glow appear before them.
"Yaaaaaaa!!"
(To be continued.)
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