Upon hearing that, everyone straightened their posture. A magic circle then spread across the floor of the clubroom.
"That's the crest of Mephisto Pheles," Yuuto identified it just seconds before the magic circle activated.
A moment later, a three-dimensional image appeared above the circle, projecting a stern-looking man seated in a luxurious chair. His slicked-back hair blended red and blue, and his mismatched eyes—red on the right, blue on the left—gave him an otherworldly aura. A little chūnibyō, or maybe just charmingly mysterious.
[Hello, Rias-chan. It's been a while, hasn't it?]
Despite his intimidating appearance, his voice and tone were rather casual. The tension in the room eased just a bit.
"It's good to see you again, Mephisto Pheles-sama."
[Yes, yes. You're becoming more beautiful by the day. Your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother were all stunning women too.]
"Thank you. Everyone, allow me to introduce Mephisto Pheles, a board member of the Magicians' Association and an Extra Demon."
[Greetings. I'm Mephisto Pheles, a director of one of the major magical organizations, the Gray Magicians—Grauzauberer. If you're curious, check out the literature. There's quite a bit written about me. Anyway—Azazel, it's been a while. I heard you stepped down as Governor?]
He glanced around and greeted everyone before turning to Azazel-sensei.
"Yeah, times change. But hey, I've got more time to indulge in my hobbies now, so I'm enjoying the new lifestyle."
[Don't overdo it, okay? Shemhazai might show up for a silent scolding again.]
Issei, who had been watching the two interact so casually, asked, "You two know each other?"
"Yeah. This guy didn't get along with the previous Four Satans and retreated to the human world. Grigori kept in touch with him through a separate channel. We've known each other for a long time."
[The former Satans were so rigid and bossy. 'Do this, do that,' always demanding results but never helping. I cut ties with them early on. That's why I like the current Four Satans. Much more reasonable. Although, since I've set up independently in the human world, I stayed out of that recent beast incident.]
He laughed in a carefree, "HA HA HA HA" sort of way, but everyone exchanged awkward glances. They understood he had his own position, but it still left them unsure how to respond.
[That said, I maintain a good business relationship with the current government. Now, let's move on to the main topic. I'll be sending over detailed data on the magicians who wish to form contracts with you.]
With a spin of his finger, a new magic circle opened in the air, and a deluge of documents started pouring out onto the open space in the room.
They were resumes—complete with photos, magical specialties, and research themes.
Each one was addressed to a specific individual, so the group began sorting them. Even so, piles of papers formed in front of each person.
The largest stack was for President Rias, which didn't surprise Azazel.
"Well, that's expected. Rias's entire peerage is highly sought after. If someone can form a contract with her, they're essentially getting access to her entire team and the power of the Gremory family. Plus, she's a highly talented devil. Lots of people want to be close to her."
Beyond Rias, the resumes ranked in volume: Rossweisse → Asia → Shirone → Issei → Yuuto → Akeno → Xenovia → Gasper.
Rossweisse's popularity stemmed from her demi-god status and expertise in Norse magic, while Asia attracted researchers interested in healing magic. Shirone, being able to use senjutsu and youjutsu, was also appealing. The rest—frankly—seemed prioritized by rarity.
For instance, Shirone's senjutsu abilities could be used for mass-producing rare plants, which made her valuable. Meanwhile, Xenovia—though formerly a Holy Sword wielder—was still a newcomer as a devil. Her potential contribution to research was questionable, even if her presence added prestige.
Xenovia nodded thoughtfully. "True. At my current level, I wouldn't be of much help beyond bodyguard duties or gathering materials."
"But Issei might have been chosen not just for fame, but also for research potential."
"Huh? Me? I mean, I'm technically Xenovia's senior as a devil, but I'm probably even more clueless than she is."
"Well, think about it. You're part dragon now—basically walking magical materials. Maybe not your human parts, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone's hoping to get a sample of dragon's blood."
Issei grimaced. "Don't joke about that! I'm not selling my body for research! I mean… unless maybe there's a hot lab coat-wearing onee-san offering boob-touch in exchange for blood…"
"ISSEI!!"
"Y-Yes ma'am! I'll choose seriously!"
Rias brought his wandering thoughts back with a single scolding. Thankfully, Issei seemed to have learned proper discipline over time. Earlier versions of him would have sulked with visible regret.
"President Mephisto, before we move on—mind if I ask something?"
[Of course. Ask away.]
"Why are there resumes addressed to me in this batch?"
Exactly! There was a mountain of resumes addressed to me! Fewer than Gasper's, but still enough to be called a pile. Why!?
[Ah, that. Your reputation among magicians soared after the Underworld incident. Many began researching you, and your 'Dark Being' persona spread throughout the magical community. Even though it's known you're human, interesting rumors tend to win out. A number of magicians applied to you just in case. I thought it was amusing, so I sent them along.]
What kind of reason is that!? Don't just send them over because it's funny!
"This whole thing is supposed to be about contracting with devils, right? Isn't this off-topic?"
[Not necessarily. Magicians seek contracts for backing and research collaboration. That doesn't have to mean a devil. You've got both power and connections—with devils and youkai. Honestly, some would be thrilled to work with you. But you're free to ignore them. Or take a peek if you're curious.]
Well… that's confusing. But maybe I'll flip through a few. Not like I'm planning to make a contract, but could be a fun time-waster.
[That's all for the current batch. Only a handful of magicians are truly compatible with you all. Some couldn't participate due to other circumstances, so there'll be more next time.]
Rias added that magician contracts could be dissolved under certain conditions—like mutual loss of benefit, accidents, death from age differences, or time-limited agreements—so they'd likely be doing this process again in the future.
"Ugh. We're going to have to deal with this paper mountain every time? Yeah, we better make sure our partners are long-term and worthwhile. Can't go through this nonsense over and over."
Seeing Issei's frustration, Mephisto turned his attention to Ravel.
[You're from the Phenex family, aren't you?]
"Y-Yes! I'm Ravel Phenex."
Startled but composed, Ravel answered politely.
[Are you aware that Phoenix Tears have been circulating through underground markets?]
"Yes, but I heard those responsible were already purged."
[Few know this, but Phoenix Tears are still circulating—and not just that. The ones being sold are fakes.]
"Fake…? Then they'd be just inert liquid. Wait—!"
Ravel's expression shifted to shock.
[Exactly. These fake 'tears' have the same healing capabilities as the real thing. Here, take a look.]
Mephisto produced a small vial from his coat.
[Coinciding with the emergence of these fakes, rogue magicians and Khaos Brigade members have been approaching Phenex affiliates. We don't know how, but it's likely connected.]
"So… you're saying someone's cloning Phoenixes?"
Everyone turned toward me, but come on, it's a logical conclusion. Don't take "original story knowledge" to think of that.
"Cloning...?" Ravel's voice trembled.
It hurts to see her like that, but better she hears it from us than elsewhere.
"Just to confirm—there haven't been any abductions or disappearances of family members with Phoenix blood, right?"
"No… if there had been, I would have been informed. But even so… clones?"
"Cloning tech is widespread in the human world these days. Plenty of movies touch on the ethics of it. And considering the enemy—terrorists like the Hero Faction already cultured blood from Shalba—it's not far-fetched."
I patted Ravel's head gently. She always liked that.
"My apologies, Ikki-sama. But what you said makes sense. I'll bring this to my father's attention."
"If this is true, I won't forgive them! Playing with life like that—God would never permit it!" Irina stood, fury in her voice.
"Just to remind you, Irina—the Church used clones too. The Hero Faction made drugged-up clones of Sigurd and sent them into battle."
"GUHFFFUUUHHH!?!"
Irina froze. So did Xenovia and Asia.
"My Church… was crawling with monsters worse than terrorists… And I, a wielder of holy judgment, couldn't even sniff out the rot at my side... pathetic."
Xenovia took it hard. But hey, at least it lightened the weight pressing down on Ravel.
"I'll dig for more information too. Still, Ikki—you really get how scumbags think, huh? It's like 'leave it to the expert.' If you're around, even a Great Satan-level enemy won't be a problem."
Who are you calling a scumbag!? Human malice is easy to imagine—that doesn't make me one of them! And don't go dropping massive death flags at the end!
[Ahahaha. It was a valuable opinion, really. In this era, devils and non-humans like us are seen as rare samples. We'll need better security from here on out. I'll also look into things on my end—quietly. Anyway, despite the heavy ending, I look forward to your choices on the contracts.]
"Thank you for your time today."
With Rias's parting words, the call ended with a cheerful [See you later~].
Honestly, it feels like the enemy's a step ahead. But just waiting around isn't an option. If this doesn't end like the original, with just a bit of magic-circle investigation, we're screwed. Especially if something awful happens to Gasper again… We've got to take out as many rogue magicians as we can and keep Ravel's data out of their hands.
Anyway… guess it's time to get to work.