Chapter 06: Harsh Truths and (un)fair Trades

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own original characters and works, if you recognise it from somewhere else, surprise it isn't mine.

Betad by morde24, OoalGown and Hermes

The Gamers Guide to Freedom

Chapter 06: Harsh Truths and (un)fair Trades

Riser Phenex

After extracting his Peerage from the hands of monsters, and saying goodbye to Kuro, he made his way home.

All in all it had been a successful test of Kuro's dungeon, he could feel the slight increase in their magical power, they hadn't beaten enough creatures to get a bigger increase and that was understandable since it was their first time, and Kuro said they could go again when the dungeon was fully up and running.

Karlamine had apparently awoken a new fetish of being defeated and fucked, and Xuelan had very much enjoyed her time with the slime.

Shuriya had enjoyed being eaten by zombies quite a bit less, and was a bit put out that the others got sex while she got eaten, but the dungeon got her out safely and her wounds vanished as soon as she was out.

No lasting damage, and at least a small boost to strength meant it was time well spent, and Kuro had agreed to acquire some more of his special alcohol for the party, all was well.

As his phone vibrated, he looked at the message and blinked.

'Quick question, do you actually want to marry Rias?'

Not sure why Kuro was asking, but seeing no real reason to lie he replied and forgot about it.

'Not really, bachelor life suits me best.'

Unknowing of what he'd just started, he went back to planning his party, spending time with his girls, and just generally slacking off in his new house, far from the gaze of his parents.

Rias Gremory

One advantage to how obsessed Riser seemed with his image is that she could quite easily keep track of what he was doing, because he'd inevitably post about it.

Normally it just amounted to parties and clubbing, but she kept track of who he was spending time with to gauge who he might be able to call on for help keeping her stuck in this damned marriage, but as she read his most recent posts she could only glare at her phone in anger.

He was talking about some new training method Kuro Dantalion had come up with, and how the members of his Peerage who'd gone through it were already noticeably stronger and more powerful, and that Kuro had said they could go again later, suggesting other people try and get Kuro to let them try it.

The last thing she needed was for Riser's Peerage to get stronger. Her only hope for winning a rating game was to blitz his Peerage and then take Riser out, since most of his Peerage weren't that good. Riser won most of his fights simply by regenerating from anything his opponents could do to him.

Her only chance was to get good enough with the Power of Destruction to overwhelm his regeneration, but if his Peerage got stronger, she wouldn't be able to focus on him and even that slim chance would be lost.

Kuro was sabotaging her chances, and she needed to find out why and what she had to do to get him to stop. Her best guess was that he was sabotaging her because of the fact that her family had a lot of his territory at the moment, but she couldn't do anything about that.

So she needed to talk to him, and get him to stop this before he completely crushed her hopes and she had to go with her final plan, throw herself at her brother's mercy and do whatever it takes to get him to agree to help, no matter how distasteful.

Thankfully, Kuro had commented on Riser's post, mentioning that he had no plans to open it to the public since it 'wasn't finished yet', and from going to his profile she'd managed to get his contact details.

Of course, she'd also quickly found out he didn't answer the phone at all, but by texting him she'd managed to arrange a meeting at his mansion.

So, with Akeno by her side and dressed both professionally and yet still seductively, the business skirt too tight and a little too short, her shirt equally tight with one too many buttons undone, she teleported to the destination she'd been directed to, waiting for him to let her into the wards before teleporting again.

It wasn't that she was planning to seduce him, but she'd long since learnt that men were more willing to listen to her if she was wearing less, especially if they thought she was attracted to them.

That had been a lesson her mother had given her, teaching her that there was nothing wrong with using the tools nature gave her to get her way.

Plus, Kuro seemed utterly uninterested in her when they first met, which actually stung a bit as she wasn't used to being ignored like that, so part of her wanted to make him react, to show some attraction to her.

Akeno had followed her example, dressing like a sexy secretary, not because she'd been asked to but because she liked teasing men who couldn't keep their eyes off her body, and tended to wear clothes that technically covered everything while hinting at a lot.

In school she liked 'accidentally' dropping things, finding an excuse to bend down in front of people, their tiny school uniform mini-skirts providing no coverage as she flashed her target, just so she could take some sadistic amusement in making a bunch of guys go to class hard.

As she teleported into the well-decorated room, she spotted Kuro sitting down in a large armchair, giving them a look that was partially curiosity and mostly just boredom.

"Lord Dantalion, thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice," Rias started with a polite bow, perhaps a little too deep, giving him a good view of the deep valley of cleavage she had on display, a hint of the red lacy bra she had on.

"It's no problem, I'm busy lately but I was due a break from my work and I was curious what this 'urgent business' you had with me was," Kuro said easily as he gestured to the couch opposite him. Normally the Queen would stay standing behind their King but with the offered couch she smiled slightly as Akeno sat next to her instead. "Also, it's just Kuro, unless this is actual noble family business."

"Kuro, May I be blunt?" Rias started, watching as he nodded easily. "Have I done something to offend you? Or are you targeting me to get back at my family for inhabiting your lands for so many years?" Rias asked, watching as he blinked slowly.

"…what? I don't care that the Gremory's got rich off my family's lands, we weren't using them and unless your father tries to stop me from taking them back now it was entirely fair play. He saw an opportunity to benefit his family, and he took it like any Lord in his position should have," Kuro said calmly, a hint of confusion in his tone. "As for you, why would you think I'm targeting you?"

"Because it seems like everything you do makes my life harder, plus your quip about my upcoming wedding when everyone knows I've been trying to escape from marrying Riser," Rias replied, her eyes narrowing as Kuro blinked again before he laughed slightly. "Giving Riser his own lands has only made my father all the more determined to marry me off to him, helping his Peerage become stronger, stealing Boosted Gear from under my nose."

"Okay, clearly there's been a bit of a misunderstanding here. I gave Riser the land, which was already occupied by his family, as thanks for his help against my would-be assasins. I asked Riser for his help testing out my new dungeon training method because I don't have a Peerage of my own yet and he's the only person who has one that I'm actually friends with, sure he benefited but it was a mutual benefit. As for Boosted Gear, you had years to grab it and failed, can you blame me for taking the initiative to increase my own power, when it was just going to waste?" Kuro said with slight derision. "What you don't seem to understand is that even if my actions have indirectly hurt your plans, that wasn't my intention. I don't like you, I also don't dislike you, you're a stranger to me. I don't sit around thinking about how to inconvenience you because frankly I don't think about you at all," Kuro said bluntly, making her go to respond before stopping, unable to think of anything that didn't sound petty or childish.

"Then why did you 'congratulate' me on the upcoming wedding?" Rias replied finally, making Kuro shrug.

"Because I knew literally one thing about you, and that was that you were marrying Riser. I hadn't heard of you trying to get out of it because I've only just rejoined society and I've had more important things on my mind, like the fact that my entire family was just murdered and that I have a mysterious enemy that wants me dead." Kuro deadpanned, his tone making her feel like a child. "I congratulated you because it's common courtesy to congratulate people for things like weddings and pregnancies, that's it."

"So… you aren't trying to help Riser stop me from escaping?" Rias asked quietly, feeling a fool as Kuro laughed again.

"The only reason I care about your wedding at all is because I'll probably be invited to attend and I hate formal events. Aside from that, your situation couldn't matter less to me," Kuro replied with a bored expression.

"So you have no plans to interfere?" Rias asked, eyes narrowing in thought.

"Riser is my friend, and I stand by my friends. If he asks me for help, I won't refuse unless I have an actual reason to, but he hasn't asked me for help and as such I have no plans to intervene in a matter that doesn't include or affect me," Kuro said bluntly, his answer not exactly making her happy but certainly didn't sound unreasonable.

She might have doubts about his choice of friends, but if Riser did save him she couldn't blame him for looking fondly on him, and a man who stood by his friends wasn't something to be scorned.

"I see, that's the best I could ask for, we are strangers after all," Rias said, her mind racing as she planned her next move. "This training method Riser tested, the dungeon, is there any chance we could make a deal for my Peerage to use it?"

"Like I said, Riser was helping me test it, because it's not close to being finished. I might open it up for public use eventually, but not in its current state. So, the answer is yes but not anytime soon, and if I recall correctly you don't exactly have time on your side," Kuro said, again entirely reasonable but not what she wanted to hear.

"That's an understatement, time is definitely not on my side," Rias said with a sad laugh, less than two weeks if things didn't change.

Kuro was one of the few people who were in a position to help her, since both the Phenex and Gremory family were freeloading on his lands at the moment meaning he had quite a bit of pull with the two Lords, but she had no idea how to even start broaching the subject, especially with him being friends with Riser.

"Obviously, we got off to a bad start, perhaps we should start over," Kuro said after a moment of silence, giving her a slight smile. "I'm Kuro Dantalion, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Gremory," he said, rising and moving closer, holding his hand out towards her as she smiled slightly and took it, going to shake it before he lifted it and placed a light kiss on her knuckles, just as he did to Sona.

"Please, call me Rias, and thank you. I've been pretty stressed lately, but I was wrong to take it out on you," Rias said with a light blush, her situation didn't excuse her taking it out on someone who had just lost their entire family.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rias," Kuro said as he sat back down, giving her a strange look before he quickly sent a text, getting a reply that made his lips twitch. "Tell me, do you actually think you can beat Riser?"

Going silent, she stared back at him for a moment, glancing at Akeno before she sighed.

"Unless something changes? Not a chance, my Peerage are powerful, but we lack experience. Riser has a full Peerage and even the least experienced has won two rating games, I have quality but Riser has quantity and quality." Rias admitted with a sigh, she'd like to say all his Peerage were just his sex toys, but she wasn't delusional.

Yubelluna was powerful, so was Ravel. The rest weren't anything too special but they were all experienced fighters, and that wasn't including Riser himself. She might be able to get past his regeneration, but it was four against sixteen.

"Hm, you know I made the monsters that defend the dungeons, and one of my better ones beat Riser's knight, Karlamine quite easily," Kuro said casually, making her blink.

"What are you suggesting?" Rias asked after a moment, making him smile slightly.

"It seems like me taking Boosted Gear has screwed you a bit, I don't regret it of course, but I do feel ever so slightly bad," Kuro said calmly, pouring himself a glass of whiskey, smiling at her. "I considered opening up a business selling monsters later on, when I have more experience and am in a more secure position, but much like how I got Riser to help me test out the dungeon, I wouldn't be opposed to having another friend test out how my monsters work in a Peerage," Kuro explained, making her pause as she narrowed her eyes in thought.

"You'd make monsters for my Peerage?" Rias asked, making him chuckle.

"Depends, are we friends?" Kuro asked easily, making her smile.

"Because you don't mind helping your friends, and it wouldn't be getting involved yourself," Rias realised, giggling slightly.

She could respect his approach to things.

This was a solution she hadn't considered, because she hadn't even realised it was possible. Have the Lord Gaap make monsters for her Peerage, to even the odds.

"Yes, I think we can definitely be friends," Rias agreed, before frowning slightly. "And I don't take advantage of my friends, so name your price."

"Hm, I have no idea what they are worth yet to be honest, that's kinda the point of the testing. So for now, a favour for each monster," Kuro offered after a moment, making her pause.

A favour was vague, and risked putting herself in a worse situation than she was already in, but she was willing to take that chance if it got her out of the situation her family had put her in.

"Do- do you have any that could counter the Phenex regeneration?" Rias asked after a moment, making Kuro pause as he frowned.

"I know how to counter it, the Gaap family magic has counters for regeneration, but that's a lot more than just one of my monsters. I should be able to make something capable of using that magic… but giving you a Peerage member that had my family magic is going to cost you far more, friends or not," Kuro warned her, making her pause before she took a deep breath and nodded.

"Like I said, name your price," Rias replied calmly.

"Frankly, in terms of material things, most of what you have came from your family's ownership of the Gaap lands, so there's not much you can offer me in that regard," Kuro started, making her wince slightly. "But perhaps we can come to an agreement, if you're willing to work it off. You, Akeno and… Koneko was it? You can work at my estate as my maids to pay it off, not Kiba though."

Narrowing her eyes, she didn't fail to notice he was only interested in the women in her Peerage.

"And why not Kiba?" Rias asked challengingly, making him laugh.

"Because I did my research after we met, and I have Excalibur Rapidly sitting in a trophy case downstairs," Kuro deadpanned, making her pale slightly.

"Oh," Rias replied simply, suddenly seeing the logic in his words. "My Peerage isn't to be touched against their will, that's non-negotiable," Rias said warningly.

"That's fine, as for how long. I understand that you seem fond of playing student in the human world, so I won't stop you from doing that, but after school you'll come here to work, and you'll do so for… hmm, let's say five years," Kuro said easily, making her wince.

Five years wasn't a lot by devil standards, but it felt like a lot since she was still a teenager, that would be her entire time in Kuoh Academy, plus her time in College.

Though, that wasn't that bad, since she planned on staying in the human world until she was done with her education anyway.

"And if you fight Riser, and lose, we'll call it off entirely and you won't owe me anything since you're testing something new and that would simply mean the test failed," Kuro continued, making her brighten up a little.

So, if she won she'd have to serve Kuro for five years, but at the end of it she'd be completely free to do whatever she wanted with her life, and if she lost she'd be freed from her debt and then she could go to her final option.

"Akeno, you've been quiet all this time. What do you think, this affects you as well after all," Rias asked, making Akeno blink, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

"I think I'd look lovely in a maid outfit, if that's what you want. Koneko would look great as well, and we'd both happily do it," Akeno said easily, her tone off slightly.

"Are you-" Rias started, stopping as Akeno shook her head.

"I'm fine, just distracted a little," Akeno replied calmly. "I'm fine with being a maid, and Koneko won't mind if there's no sex involved," Akeno reassured her, before pausing. "I don't mind either way, naturally."

Rolling her eyes at Akeno's sultry smirk, she turned back to Kuro and took a breath.

"How many 'monsters' can you sell me?" Rias asked, making him smile again.

"Well, you need a Rook, a Knight, rumours say you have a Bishop but I couldn't find anything about him, so the one with the Gaap magic would be that one. As for Pawns, that depends how many you need. I have an idea for the Rook, a Minotaur should suit the position well. I'll think about what should be the Knight and the Pawns later," Kuro said calmly, shrugging.

"Then I accept, I'm willing to place my hopes on the last Gaap," Rias said calmly, making Kuro chuckle.

"Well, don't place all your hopes on me, I don't like pressure," Kuro replied lazily. "I'll make a Minotaur Lord, the stronger variant, and visit you in Kuoh soon."

"This isn't how I intended this to go, but I can't say I'm not happy with it," Rias said as she stood up, offering her hand to Kuro as they sealed the deal with a handshake, they'd have to put it on paper when the Minotaur was ready.

"I agree, it's always nice to make more friends," Kuro agreed.

Kuro

She's not the smartest, but she doesn't have the right information to know just how much she's giving up to me.

As the Archmage, I can learn any magic I am around enough, and Rias just agreed to put a Nekoshou, a half-Fallen, half-Shrine Maiden and a user of the Power of Destruction in my house for five years. Plus, I might be able to meet with Gasper eventually, maybe I can even convince Rias to let me take his Sacred Gear for his own good.

Not to mention, I have five years to make them see things my way, and if it works I can steal the Gremory house from under Lord Gremory's nose.

I'm playing the long con, and getting the main cast and their potential under my control, and what is it costing me?

A single creation that I've given the power to use the Traditional branch of Necromancy, and only it's attacks, they won't know the rituals or spells to raise the dead, they'll only know what I teach them.

Plus, I can't help but notice that Rias never said I couldn't touch her, just her Peerage. Rias fell in love with Issei, Issei, in a matter of weeks at the most.

What can I do in five years? I give it a month until she's my willing lover, six before she utterly adores me.

If the Gremory family does have something to do with the attack, I'm sure Rias isn't a part of it, and this gives me a way to keep an eye on them.

"Then if there's nothing else, I need to get to work," I say as I kiss her hand again, watching the slight blush on her cheeks.

"I- there is something, if you don't mind, Lord Dantalion," Akeno interrupts, making Rias blink in confusion.

"I don't, what's up?" I ask, deliberately casual and friendly with Rias's peerage, because they are her weakness and being nice to them will make her like me more.

"I looked into the Gaap family, a long time ago, and it's said you can call back the spirits of the departed, that Gaap could even bring back the dead, can you- could you call my mothers spirit back?" Akeno asks, her voice soft and uncharacteristically vulnerable, Rias's gaze softening.

"I can call back the spirits of the dead, and while I have never raised the dead back to true life, it's theoretically possible," I confirm, Rias's eyes widening in realisation.

"That's why you aren't distraught about your family, you can bring them back," Rias says, sounding like she just solved a puzzle as I smile in return.

"Sitting around mourning won't help me, it's time better spent studying and getting ever closer to being reunited," I agree, that's not quite the truth but I'll accept the easy excuse. "As for your mother, it depends on where her soul ended up. My family had an agreement with Izanami over the souls of Japanese mortals, so I should be able to do so if she's gone to Yomi, but I'd need to contact Izanami first and that's risky."

"Her name was Shuri Himejima and she was a shrine maiden, and our family were blessed by the Shinto gods, she should have gone to the Izanami," Akeno confirmed, her tone taking on a hint of desperation. "W-what would it cost?"

"Hmm, calling back her spirit isn't exactly difficult, but the fact that I have to commune with a rather angry Goddess first means I'm not exactly eager. Let's say you serve me for six years instead of five, but if you want her brought back?" I say, trialling off as I think. "You know, I've just had an idea," I say, turning to Rias.

"Oh?"

"You need a Bishop, and if I add the soul of someone already capable of using magic, it should make teaching them to use my magic much easier. I can't do True Resurrection, but what I can do is take the body of a devil, bring it back to life without the soul, fleshcraft it to match your mother, then place your mothers soul into it. It's not perfect, but it does work. Then, you get a mother-daughter pair in your Peerage, and I have one last thing to make." I say, making Rias smile as she glances at Akeno, seeing the hope in her eyes.

"And the price, I can't imagine it will be cheap," Rias asks, making me pause in thought.

Gaap's prices were steep to say the least, but that'd get in the way of my long term plans.

"Ten years, instead of six from Akeno, and her mother is to serve the same," I offer, the words barely having left my mouth before Akeno replies.

Did someone say 'add Himejima magic as well?'

"Deal. I-I mean, if you don't mind, My King," Akeno says hesitantly, her eyes pleading.

"I wouldn't get in the way of this chance, you know that," Rias replies softly, smiling at her Queen.

"Then I have a lot to do, I hate to kick you out but frankly a lot of work just got dropped on my plate," I deadpan, making Rias giggle slightly.

Izanami has a long standing agreement with my family, but I haven't a clue if she plans to honour it now that I'm the only Gaap left.

"Of course, and thank you," Rias says quietly, giving me a smile as she nods to me.

The Minotaur is easy, but bringing back Shuri could prove complicated.

Well, time to get to work.

Later

I've hit a dead end with the curse on Lalatina Phenex, and it's driving me mad.

Everything I can tell about this curse says it should have worn off centuries ago, it wasn't meant to be a permanent curse and it has a clear timer on it that's long since expired, so by all logic it should have lifted itself.

But whatever is keeping it in place has also twisted it, and mutated the very curse itself which is why it's so damn hard to lift.

So I'm resorting to desperate measures, I need an expert to help me out with this and I don't feel like starting small.

I don't want an expert, I want the expert.

Which is why I've made a magical circle, surrounded by three more magical circles, to stop the spirit I am summoning from trying anything.

As the spectral figure starts to form, I have to wonder if I've made a mistake as the male devil I'm trying to summon takes on an entirely female form, a very, very feminine form.

The spirit is naked, as clothes don't exactly carry over to the afterlife, and the best word I can come up with to describe the woman in front of me is 'Milf'.

The incredibly curvy woman with tanned skin looks at me with interested pink eyes, breasts as large as Akeno's blatantly defying gravity as she gasps slightly and smiles, two large elven ears poking out from behind her long white hair.

"Ahh~ you must be the newest Lord Gaap, I'm sorry time moves strangely in the void, it feels like it was seconds since I was last called by one of my descendents, the last I spoke to was little Nyra, are you her son?" Gaap, one of the most feared original devils, asks me with a kind smile.

"I am, I became the Lord after she was assassinated recently. I'm sorry, you are Gaap, correct? Everything thing I heard about you said-"

"That I was male? Old Lucy was a bit of a misogynist, and I didn't want to deal with his nonsense so I fleshcrafted myself a male body, but honestly dear, I switched bodies more often than most people changed underwear. This is me in my truest form, the soul isn't as malleable as the body. So, Nyra has died? I'm sorry, honey, it seems our family is cursed, or perhaps I just made too many enemies before my own death. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Nyssea Gaap, though you can call me Nys, or even Grandmother if you wish. May I know your name, child?" Nyssea asks politely, looking over the runic circle around her.

"I am Kuro Dantalion, the current Lord of the Gaap, Dantalion and Leviathan families. It's an honour to meet you Grandmother," I say, seeing no reason not to be nice to my ancestor.

"I must say, you've done your homework dear. This is an impressive magical circle, even I'd struggle to break out of it before you sent me back to the void," Nyssea says complimentary, making me tense up, a tinkling giggle coming from her making her breasts jiggle enticingly. "Oh don't worry, honey. I'm not offended, I made sure to put dozens of warnings in the Liber Animas that the dead shouldn't be treated lightly, why would I be an exception?" she giggles.

"If I may, how did you die? The tomes you left behind have dozens of ways to avoid death, and you literally wrote them," I say, furrowing my brows as she sighs.

"Simply put, dear? I was too good at my job. During the Great War and later the Civil War, I made countless monsters to support our side against the forces of Heaven, the Grigori and the rebels. I turned the tide of too many battles and our enemies knew it. I was using a method where when my body died, I would jump to another empty body I had prepared, all hidden away. It was the method with the least amount of side effects, eventually that Ajuka boy figured out how I was returning and tracked down my hidden labs and destroyed all of them. When he killed me I had no bodies left to jump to, quite the clever boy, that one," Nyssea admits, seeming rather at peace with her death. "Oh, death really isn't that bad for us devils, dear. We don't have an afterlife, it's just a void where we wait to be called back. I had plans to create my own heavenly paradise for our family after the war, but my death put a stop to that."

Huh, build an afterlife. Well, isn't that an interesting idea?

"But you didn't call me back to listen to an old woman ramble on, did you?" Nyssea asks, slightly teasing as she smiles at me. "What can I help you with, honey?"

"Ah, I wanted your help lifting a curse, one you cast actually," I start, making her blink.

"Oh? I cast more than a few curses, but I tended to place time limits on them, I can't think of any that would have lasted so long," Nyssea says calmly.

"Mhmm, that's the problem. The curse seems to have a time limit, one that expired a long time ago, I just can't work out why it's still in effect," I agree, making her frown to herself.

"I know it was no mistake of mine, arrogant as it sounds I don't make mistakes like that. I can help, my dear, but not from this circle," Nyssea points out, making me nod.

I'm gonna have to release her, but I have a plan for that as well.

"I'm going to bind you, I'm sure you already know the spell I have in mind," I say, making her nod easily.

"It's good to see one of my descendants takes these things seriously, the amount of family members who managed to get themselves killed by summoning who knows what is frankly depressing. Bind away, I won't resist," Nyssea says, watching me summon up my magic as spectral chains start to wrap around her.

'Boost'

The chains flare up as they become less transparent, Nys's eyes widening in shock as she looks down at them in confusion.

My boosted gear isn't quite right, I just keep boosting myself, but I can boost spells I cast to make them far more effective.

'Well, it's not my fault,' Ddraig helpfully adds, grumbling as he goes back to sleep.

"You're taking this rather well, Nys," I say, making her giggle even as a heavy metal collar forms around her neck, shackles appearing on her wrists.

"Of course, the dead only exist to serve our family, I've long since accepted my death, if I can help the Gaap family then I will do so in any way. I'll not see our family fade away, and as the last living member of my lineage, my loyalty is yours," Nyssea explains calmly, unconcerned about the spectral chains. "That, my dear, was a fantastic cast of Bind Spirit, I'm not sure I could have done it better myself."

"You could have, I just cheated," I admit lazily, holding up my hand and showing her the gleaming ring. "I used the research you did on Sacred Gears to take Boosted Gear for myself, and boosted the spell."

"There's no such thing as cheating, we're devils and you should take every advantage you can get," Nys laughs, which makes her body do some interesting things.

"I suppose you're right, now it's time for the next step, the body," I say calmly, one of the dead devils corpses beside me as I get to work, with my ancestor watching as I reshape the devil and make her match my ancestors appearance.

This devil's magical potential is frankly pathetic, which combined with the bindings should keep Nyssea loyal, or make her easy to send back to the afterlife by force if she gets any ideas.

Her knowledge represents too much potential for me to let it go to waste, and I'm not afraid to take a risk.

'Please, you just want to breed her.'

Shush you.

"This will do for now, Nys. You'll be my mentor, and assistant. If you prove trustworthy, and teach me how to do it, I'll cast True Resurrection and bring you back properly, back to your former power," I offer, making her pause.

"I wouldn't advise that, dear. A lot of people won't be happy to see me back," Nys warns, making me smile. "The New Satans included."

"Then you can stay inside the mansion and away from anyone who would recognise you. Besides most records and pictures of you are of your male body, and most of the people who would recognise you are as long dead as you are. Aside from that, it's family business and I don't intend to let the Satans tell me what I can and can't do with my family magic. You might be the first I bring back, but you won't be the last. My mother will return, at the very least," I say sternly, making her pause before she smiles slightly, a hint of pride on her face.

I remember this life's relationship with Nyra, and I want it back. I'm not so sure about bringing back my father because frankly he was about to give up a lot of power for safety, and if he returns then I won't be the Lord anymore. I'm not willing to risk him getting our family into something I can't get us out of.

"As you wish, dear," Nyssea agrees, a slight bow before I reach out and guide her into the body, it's alive in a manner of speaking, but it's nothing but an empty shell, the soul ripped out to make space for Nys.

True Resurrection can make an entirely new body for the chosen soul, a perfect match for the one they had before their death, I'd be able to bring back the Gaap that the world feared.

But that is beyond my talents, and more importantly she'd be a lot stronger than me and would easily break the bindings on her.

"Ooh, it's chilly down here, it's been a good long while since I had to worry about things like that," Nyssea says as she stands up, her naked body on display as she looks down at herself. "You do good work, now then, where is this curse victim?" Nyssea asks calmly, uncaring of her nudity. "I better pull my weight, after all."

The spectral collar and shackles have already formed again, she isn't truly alive, still a spirit simply borrowing a body, and it shows. It's the only reason I'm willing to actually risk bringing her back.

I could banish her again with a single thought.

"Right this way, Nys," I say, making her smile as she follows me through the basement of the mansion to Lalatina Phenex's room.

The moment we walk in, I hear Nys stop, staring at the blonde in shock and realisation. Moving forwards, she reaches out with her magic and immediately groans.

"Oh you stupid, masochistic slut," Nys grumbles. "Good news honey, I know exactly who altered the curse. This dumb bimbo did, probably because she enjoyed the pain it was causing her. Problem is, she tied it to her own immense magical core, which is why it never lifted and why the curse is more effective than it should have been."

"This wasn't what you wanted it to do? The curse was so mangled I could barely tell," I admit, making her scoff.

"I wanted the idiot to leave me alone, my curse was meant to take her out of the game for a week or two, but no. She was a friend, then we ended up on opposite sides of the Civil War, she kept challenging me because she knew she couldn't kill me and I wouldn't kill her, so she was just taking us both out of the battles," Nys sighs.

"Can you lift it?" I ask, making her smile.

"I can, thankfully this is a matter of skill rather than power, this body's magic is rather weak after all, but I have to untangle it from her very magic and soul. I can do it, it's just a matter of time and effort," Nys says, making me smile. "If this is what you want me to do, I'll have the idiot back up and making trouble within a few days at the most, I have a few centuries of ingraining to undo."

"That's fine, and this is what I want you to do first. But with you back, we have a lot to do. The Gaap family is on the brink of extinction, I need teaching, and once I'm sure I can trust you, I'll need to learn to cast True Resurrection and get your true body back," I say, making her smirk slightly.

"Quite cunning of you, dear. This body lacks the power to actually cast any of the more advanced techniques I know, it's good to see at least one of my descendants has a brain," Nys giggles, unoffended by my mistrust. "You realise if you truly bring me back, whatever negative attention you have now will undoubtedly increase tenfold, a lot of people don't want the original devils returning, some of them even have good reasons to do so. Phenex was a firm supporter of these 'New Satans', they won't mind having her back, but they won't like the precedent if a second one shows up, especially if that second one is me. Nothing stays secret forever, you need to be prepared for the inevitable."

"Well, Serafall Leviathan wants to marry me, does that help?" I ask in a deadpan tone. "But don't worry, I know."

"As long as you are aware, now as much as I want to get to work…" Nys says, hesitating as a dark blush appears on her caramel cheeks. "I'm very hungry."

As her stomach rumbles, I chuckle.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, where physical needs actually matter," I quip. "Come on, I can make some food."

"Ooh, you can cook? I never learned myself," Nys says as she follows me, before pausing and blinking. "Wait, am I a virgin again?"

Later

It turns out my skills from my past life absolutely carry over, and after cooking the first proper meal I've made since I got here, having had quick meals and snacks instead so far, I got a new skill.

Mundane Talents

Crafting

Chef Proficiency - Expert

Baking - Expert

I lived alone for college and later university, so I had to either learn to cook or live off junk food and takeouts, besides girls love it when you cook for them.

After getting Nys settled in, I did some research on the spells that could stop Phenex regeneration, and it turns out the answer is pretty simple.

Anything necrotic that has a lasting effect kinda works, but there's a fairly easy spell called Chill Touch that creates a skeletal hand that latches onto target and prevents them from healing as long as it's latched on.

It turns out, Nys knows a thing or two about beating a Phenex.

Then I set about making Rias's new Rook, a Minotaur Lord.

"F-fuck, harder Master!" Seona moans, the massive woman on her hands and knees as I pound her from behind.

Okay, Lord is unisex in this situation, and honestly she's barely a Minotaur. She has the horns of course, the animalistic legs starting just above her knees, and a long swishing tail, but I was kinda horny at the time thanks to Nys, and it influenced my decision.

But she can 1v1 the Labyrinth Lord, and she wins more often than she loses, so she's strong enough for Rias.

For her 'human' parts, she looks like a typical female barbarian, light chocolate skin, almost eight foot tall with large muscled arms and thighs and a six pack that made me feel subconscious for a second, and a pair of breasts that should fit right in with Rias and Akeno.

Frankly, they are probably bigger than Akeno's, but Akeno is barely five foot tall, Seona as I've named her is much taller and far wider.

There's something empowering about dominating a woman as strong as this, she could probably crush me at this range and instead she's on her knees moaning like a slut as I thrust into her painfully tight cunt, grabbing and pulling her tail (which I made an erogenous zone for the fun of it).

Seona is also a test, which method of control will win out, the Evil Pieces or my Dungeon Master control. Rias is helping me test out more than she'll probably ever know.

Feeling her cum again, I pull out and In a show of devilish strength, flip her over onto her back as I climb onto her.

"Push your breasts together," I order, watching her obey immediately as I slip my cock between her two massive mammaries, thrusting into that deep, soft chocolate valley as I groan, feeling my own release approaching rapidly.

My creations see me as their master, their reason for existing, so if I tell them to do something I don't have to worry about anything else, they'll do it without a second of hesitation.

Grunting as I thrust forwards, the tip of my cock peeking out of her cleavage and spurting my seed onto her waiting face, I smile as she opens her mouth and obediently takes the facial, honoured to be chosen for this task.

"Thanks, Seona. I needed that," I say as I dismount and watch the massive woman rise up, wiping her face and licking her hand clean.

"Of course, master. Ain't like I didn't enjoy it too, I'm down for a tumble whenever you want," Seona says, patting me on the shoulder, almost making me fall as she does so. "So, when are we gonna go see this lil princess I'm gonna be babysitting."

I've been working on the personality side of monster creation, and I've realised something. Whoever made this totally stole this whole system from Overlord, but I'm not complaining.

"We can go soon, but first. On the bed, on your back, legs spread," I order, making her grin at me as she obeys my order.

Seona might become Rias's Rook, but even if Rias is her King, I'll always be her God.

Rias Gremory

"Oh wow… she's rather impressive," Rias admitted as she stared up at the slightly smirking horned woman, her neck straining so she could look at her face. "Do you have a name, sorry I'm not sure how this works."

"My creator named me Seona," She replied proudly, before staring down at her. "So, you're gonna be my King?" Seona asked, looking her over with an inquisitive stare.

"I am, is that okay with you?" Rias asked as she took out the Rook piece, making Seona snort in amusement, grabbing the chess piece casually and tossing it in the air a few times, it looking tiny in her hand.

"I was made for this, literally. If this is what my master wants me to do, this is what I'll do," Seona replied, resting a massive double bladed axe on her shoulder.

Her tone was so firm, she couldn't argue. She supposed when you absolutely knew what you were made for, it gave you a certainty others could only envy.

"Do you make them call you master?" Rias asked, turning to Kuro as he shrugged.

"No, they just do and I never cared enough to stop them. Honestly, I kinda like it," Kuro admitted easily, making her giggle at his bluntness.

At least he was honest.

"I suppose the real question is will I be calling you master?" Rias asked, making Kuro chuckle slightly.

"Careful, Miss Gremory. As I said, I already kinda like it, and it sounds even better coming from you," Kuro said with a light smirk, making her blush slightly.

She was well aware that sex was inevitable, she hadn't included herself in the no touching policy because she didn't want to push things and have him decide she was more trouble than she was worth, but if this worked out she'd have no regrets.

Maybe some shame, but no regrets.

"Why wouldn't we call him Master, we exist because of him and master rolls off the tongue much easier than God," Seona said bluntly, looking at the evil piece. "Now, are we doing this or not?

"Of course, sorry for the delays," Rias said, amused by Seona's blunt attitude. She was glad Seona wasn't just a mindless beast, so as she started the ritual she looked up at her newest rook, watching her throw a casual punch that could probably take her head off.

"Heh, I can work with this. So 'your majesty', who do you want me to break?" Seona asked, swinging her axe through the air with a growing grin.

"Just Rias is fine, and first we should help you get used to your new strength, and spend some time introducing you to your new family," Rias said with a smile, amused at the battle hungry attitude of the dark skinned barbarian. "This is Koneko, she's my other Rook. You two will be working together to keep the rest of us safe in battle."

"…big," Koneko said simply, staring up at the far taller woman.

"Heh, where are you staring, little kitty cat?" Seona asked challengingly, her breasts barely covered by the tight tank top she was wearing.

"…too big," Koneko replied, scowling as she looked between Seona, Akeno and Rias.

"Nah, you're just too small. I'm the perfect size, you sure this midget can fight?" Seona asked her, a light smirk on her face.

Which didn't change as Koneko jumped up and punched her directly in the face with a scowl, her head snapping to the side as she laughed.

"Okay, maybe you can fight kitty cat," Seona chuckled, placing a heavy hand on Koneko's head and patting her head, making Koneko pout quietly.

"Please play nice, you two," Rias said, amused despite herself.

"It's just a bit of friendly tussling, nothing helps you get to know each other better than a fight. Hope you're more durable than you look, Rias, cause I'm gonna throw down with you sooner or later as well," Seona warned, making her blink in surprise, grabbing Koneko and lifting her up, placing her on her shoulders, Koneko grabbing the large horns for stability as she blinked in surprise. "Now, where am I sleeping, and where does a girl get something to eat around here, I'm a growing gal."

Well, she didn't have to worry about Seona being shy around her new family at least, and as Koneko looked around the room with a strangely smug expression from her perch, she giggled to herself.

This looked like it'd go just fine.

"I'm gonna head off, I have monsters to make and gods to talk to," Kuro said, giving Seona a rather proud nod.

"Oh! Wait a moment, I have a message from my mother, Lady Gremory," Rias said quickly, making him blink. "She has been trying to get in contact with you, but apparently you don't answer your phone so she was wondering if she has the wrong number?"

"…huh, so that's who keeps calling me," Kuro said in realisation.

"Out of curiosity, how many times has she tried to call you?" Rias asked carefully, keeping her face expressionless as Kuro pulled out his phone.

"37 times, I thought it was a scam caller," Kuro admitted, making her lips twitch.

She might be on slightly better terms now that her mother was helping her train, but she still had a lot of bitterness about being forced into this situation in the first place.

Knowing exactly why her mother looked so annoyed when she mentioned that she'd met with Kuro (leaving out their deal) may have made her day just a little brighter.

Later

Looking at herself in the mirror, she realised her error. She didn't actually do much clothes shopping, and she'd sent Akeno to get her a maid uniform while she got to know her new Rook, like a fool.

Akeno had gotten Koneko a proper maid dress and apron that she looked incredibly cute in, and while the skirt didn't quite reach the knee it still looked very proper. It even had a little red bow that made her look utterly adorable.

Akeno had gotten a somewhat more revealing outfit for herself, with a shorter skirt and a boob window, putting her impressive cleavage on display, but the one who had drawn the short straw was Rias herself.

Looking at the bright pink uniform she was wearing, she realised that trusting Akeno to pick her clothes was a mistake. The bottom of the dress barely reached her upper thighs, and it was more of an apron than a real dress, leaving a lot of her cleavage and side boob on display, plus it was far tighter than either of the other two uniforms, making her lack of a bra incredibly apparent, though she'd admit that the white and pink garter stockings were a nice touch.

She absolutely wasn't wearing the matching crotchless panties, instead picking a pair of her own lacy red panties as she blushed.

She could send Akeno back and make her pick a real uniform for her, or just go herself, but after a moment of thought she decided against it.

Kuro would see her in less, much less, before long.

And with how well Seona had turned out, she supposed he deserved a reward of sorts, because Seona was frankly amazing.

She wasn't overly skilled with that massive axe, but it barely mattered with how fast she could swing it and how much power she put behind her cleaves. That wasn't even mentioning the lightning that came off the deadly weapon.

In a one on one, she beat Koneko more often than she lost, Koneko simply couldn't do enough damage to Seona to take her down, and in a battle of endurance Seona would win almost every time.

Koneko had speed and technique, but Seona had power and stamina.

Kiba could beat her almost every time, unless she managed to grab him in which case it was an immediate win for her.

Then she'd discovered something that made her want to head back to the Dantalion mansion and kiss Kuro.

Minotaurs had magic resistance.

Akeno had been the one to learn that fact after she shocked Seona and the massive beast had just charged right through it and grabbed Akeno, slamming her into the ground before grappling her and completely dominating the fight.

Akeno could usually win by taking flight, but Seona was surprisingly agile for such a large woman, and while she preferred being on the ground she learned how to fly fast.

If Seona caught Akeno in the air, she'd just slam them both down to the ground, and from there it was almost always Seona's win.

Seona was everything she could have hoped for and more, Kuro did amazing work and if the rest of the monsters were close to as good as her, she would have underpaid.

Even if she spent the next five years on her knees, it'd be worth it.

Satans, Sona would be so jealous when they next trained together.

The fact that Seona had easily fit into her peerage made the cherry on the top all the sweeter, as Koneko and Seona had surprisingly become fast friends. Or maybe Koneko just enjoyed being the tallest for once as she rode the shoulders of the massive woman, it was hard to tell even for her.

Kiba and Seona also meshed well, both enjoying fighting even if it was for different reasons, Kiba liked having a weapons-using training partner, Seona just liked fighting.

And Akeno? Well, Seona could take a lot of punishment, and she'd not hesitate to return the favour if she caught Akeno, which served the sadomasochistic just fine.

So yes, Kuro deserved a reward for his hard work, he went above and beyond on his end and she'd feel terrible about herself if she didn't return the favour.

So the maid outfit stayed, as much as she was going to punish Akeno for her little joke.

Bonus Scene - Nyssea Gaap

Lounging in the extravagant baths, she had to admit that the Dantalion family had style. Which actually pissed her off a bit because she knew that this entire mansion was designed by Izan, and complimenting him always made her feel wrong.

She half feared Kuro would repeat his little trick and bring his patricidal grandfather back, but Izan was far less reasonable than her and he'd immediately try to take control of the Dantalion family again, no matter how weak he may be.

Kuro's little trick was impressive, and it gave her hope for the future of her family, combining Fleshcrafting, Spiritual and Traditional Necromancy to make a weaker version of True Resurrection was a genius move after all.

She'd never thought of it, because she'd never needed to, and none of the other descendants thought of it either, or they chose not to do so because they didn't want her back, which was unfortunately fair.

She joked that their family was cursed with misfortune, but the truth was much simpler. Death had a way of clearing one's vision, and humbling her as she realised that the downfall and near destruction of her family was entirely her doing, she was too arrogant and made far too many enemies.

She thought she could handle them, and when she was proven wrong, her enemies continued attacking her family in the hopes of wiping them out and ensuring she never returned.

But Kuro wanted her help, her mentorship and possible companionship, and the dead existed to serve the Lord or Lady Gaap, herself included.

She didn't miss the fact that his gaze wandered, nor did she particularly mind as it had been a long time since she'd experienced the pleasures of the flesh.

If Kuro proved himself worthy of the title of Lord Gaap, she'd serve him to the best of her abilities, no matter how he wished for her to serve, be it by his side, on her knees or on her back.

If he didn't? Well, the boosted binding was powerful, but she didn't last as long as she did by being a fool, and she had nothing but time.

But perhaps her very visible status as a servant could delay the issues, she was almost powerless and obviously subservient to Kuro, hopefully that would soothe some of the ruffled feathers caused by her resurrection.

Still, Gaap, Dantalion and Leviathan, combined with a Longinus? She had a feeling her lineage was in good hands, and as she sunk into the water and sighed, she smiled to herself.

She'd missed this.

Maybe she could convince Kuro to make some more cookies later, he was quite the skilled baker, apparently cooking and alchemy weren't too dissimilar according to him.

To say she was interested in his alchemy would be an understatement, so if she got her way she'd be both his mentor and student at the same time, they both had much to teach each other.

But that could wait until later, for now she had a curse to lift and a masochistic idiot to berate (which would probably just turn the fool on).

… But that could wait until she felt like getting out of the bath.

New Skills

Necromancy (Spiritual)

Bind Spirit

Summoning a spirit and controlling it are two very different things, and only the most foolish Necromancer would leave a spirit unbound. This spell allows you to bind a spirit to your will, preventing them from acting against you and ensuring that they obey your commands.

Necromancy (Traditional)

Chill Touch

Calling on your necrotic powers, this spell conjures a spectral skeletal hand which launches forwards and grasps onto your target, draining their life force and preventing any healing until it is dislodged.

Mundane Talents

Crafting

Chef Proficiency - Expert

Baking - Expert