Chapter 6: Making Deals (Patreon)

Ace in the Hole

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 6: Making Deals

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- Ace -

It felt cold.

The liquid was as if it turned into a chilling poison as it went down my throat, freezing everything.

I knew it was only my imagination but the feeling was no different.

Was it supposed to be like this?

I didn’t remember there being any such thing?

Did I change the Teigu when I purified it?

Was it because of Aqua’s divine power?

Or was it because this Teigu was made for Humans and I consumed it as a Devil?

I didn’t know, but… right now I didn’t have time to think of those either.

I could feel my Demonic Power being affected, rioting and merging with the power spreading in my body and causing even more of the same chilling sensation. And this feeling was increasing with each passing second.

At last I couldn’t hold on and let out a scream at the top of my lungs.

My demonic power surged beyond my control and I felt everything go white.

- Mephisto -

He looked at the giant pillar of Ice before him in awe.

The entire area surrounding it had turned into ice for kilometres, erasing all signs of life everywhere but the pillar itself felt as if it was alive or rather as if it was housing something inside it.

It was as if a dangerous beast was hibernating there.

He had no idea what it was that the kid had made or drunk but that kind of effect, it was increasing his power at a terrifying rate.

The surroundings were getting chillier by the moment but it was probably the only thing which also told him that the kid was still alive.

His Demonic Power was already at the High Class level, even towards the higher end but now it had comfortably crossed into the Ultimate Class range and was steadily increasing.

Mephisto, despite his thousands of years of life, had no idea what the kid had made or drunk but it was far from simple. He thought about the clues but only knew that it was of a Demonic Nature, the blood of some Demonic Beast which he had purified.

Was it the blood of the original Satans?

No.

He shook off that thought as soon as it came.

Those things didn’t have this feel.

Not to mention none of them had this element either.

The pits were a dangerous place which any devil would think twice about before venturing but this kid said that he had been hunting there. Could it be something he found out inside?

Mephisto hadn’t heard of any such Demonic Beast coming out though.

Alchemy was something which was rarely used in today's world.

There was also the Enchanting he said he was dabbling in.

Just how in the seven heavens did he learn all this?

Did he make all this by himself? All these new spells?

If so then his talents would be no less than Ajuka himself.

That and his rapidly increasing power was sure to make him someone to not be trifled with.

He put several barriers around the place to stop anyone from disturbing them as well as monitor the condition of the kid.

The process lasted for eight hours and he sat there, looking at the changes in the pillar. A thick mist had spread all over the area for kilometres straight.

Everything had stabilised and he could feel the kid alive inside.

The Demonic Power had finished rising and was almost in the mid ranges of the Ultimate Class, something which would put him in the top hundred or so people even in the Devil faction.

And he was only fourteen this year.

Suddenly he felt a great urge to laugh out loud when he thought about the faces of those fools in the Underworld and especially that arrogant kid Bedeze when Ace makes an appearance in the Recommendation Games.

It was going to be glorious.

Suddenly there was a cracking sound and he looked up to see the pillar crack a bit. The cracks expanded throughout the entire length of the pillar as if a spider web.

He quickly put a barrier in front of him and right at that moment, the entire pillar shattered with a loud bang.

The mist cleared slowly and he could finally see Ace, standing there.

He didn’t have any clothes on his body but apart from that, he looked the same except, there was a certain coldness to his whole demeanour.

He looked at his hand and then pointed it towards the direction of the empty frozen barrenlands.

Before Mephisto could say anything, he felt Ace’s Demonic Power flare a bit and the entire area he was pointing at was covered in huge spikes of ice as far as eyes could see.

Mephisto watched in awe.

He had used no wands or any kind of Magic Circles.

He did it all with a wave of his hand.

As if satisfied with his feat, he brought out his wand from his trunk and with just a flick, the ice around him, transfigured into a set of clothes on his body.

Mephisto walked towards him and he sensed his approach and turned back to face him.

“You seem to look satisfied with the results of your experiment.”

The kid looked at him for a moment and then bowed deeply. “Thank you.”

Mephisto waved his hands off. “It was a deal and I was paid for it. You don’t have to thank me.”

“You remained here and protected me.”

“I was just curious and was protecting an investment. I did promise you that I would protect you as long as you teach in the Grauzaberer organisation, didn’t I? I am just keeping my side of the deal here.”

The boy stood up.

“Let’s go. You still have a class to teach tomorrow.” He said and the boy nodded as he activated the Teleportation Magic Circle.

- Ace -

It had been three weeks since I had consumed the modified Demon’s Extract and the changes it did to my body were beyond anything I had expected.

First of all, there were no voices in my head driving me insane and that was a huge plus. It seemed that Aqua’s Purification worked.

But that was also the cause of the changes during the consumption of the Teigu.

As there was no consciousness to control the power of the blood, it acted rampantly inside my body.

Normally my Demonic Power would have suppressed it but in this case, it had merged with my Demonic Power instead and I got an insane affinity with Ice Magic.

I could make Ice out of nothing.

And freeze almost anything with just a thought.

The best part was that if my guesses were correct, then this affinity could even be passed on to my children. This had become an actual part of me.

The direct effect of this was that I had grown strong both in body and magic.

My body was already decently strong and now had a slight increase in power too.

The real growth was in my Demonic Power which grew in tandem to the changes in my body finally reaching the Ultimate Class range.

That said, I didn’t have the fine control over my power which I had gained through practice. I was putting most of my time in getting that control back with the exercises that Dave had taught me.

He must be worried because I hadn’t returned there for so long. I was avoiding going back so as to not get followed and reveal my identity but now, with Mephisto in the know, I was planning to go and pay Dave a visit.

Before coming back, I had made a point of putting a marker for a space in the Underworld so that I could travel there at any time using Shambala without having to go through any standard procedure which would get me caught.

My power was now at a level where I could at least somewhat protect myself in the Underworld.

It wasn’t at the level where I could not be pushed around though.

For that I needed to master my Ice Magic completely and look for other methods to become stronger.

In these past few weeks I had been thinking about how to break through the limits of this body.

According to what I had found, Ultimate Class was attainable, at least in physique if not in Demonic Power through training alone.

It was apparently possible to train Demonic Power to increase but that method was unknown.

Yes.

It was actually unknown.

Even the method Dave taught me could only help me to a certain level. The increase became negligible after reaching one's limit.

Demonic Power didn’t work like a muscle. One could obviously refine their finesse but not the amount with simple training.

Expending it completely or fighting life and death battles didn’t work or the ones who did so in the Rating Games, would have had insane amounts of Demonic Power… but they didn’t.

This was one of the reasons why several of the Top Rating Game players resorted to using the King Pieces.

They just couldn’t break the natural limit to their Demonic Power.

And for this very reason, reaching Satan Class was not possible if you were not born with the talent for it.

Age did increase the Demonic Power of an individual but this too varied from person to person or some of the Lords of the House wouldn’t be a High Class Devil.

Hell, even Bedeze or Roygun wouldn’t have only High Class level powers because they did train… extremely hard to win in the Rating Games… and yet, according to their words, Diehauser Belial was a monster similar to the Satans.

There were only seven Satan Class and above Pure Blooded devils currently alive and three of them were Super Devils. That tells everyone how hard such a feat is.

The thought that all Devils are lazy is utterly stupid. After all, this was an entire race of millions of living beings.

Saying all of them are lazy would be the most stupid thing ever.

There were many devils who worked extremely hard and yet couldn’t increase their power.

Everyone encountered a bottleneck or limit in their powers.

And what I wanted was to find ways to break through this with external stimulus just like the Demon’s Extract.

I guess I will have to ask the Emperor to search for the people who make Teigu and such weapons for their method. I haven’t had much contact with him except the executions where I was allowed to collect the criminals as marbles. I had over two thousand of those by now.

But that was when I reached the limit of my power.

For now, I had more than enough on my plate to train.

With my increased power, I could easily keep the Holes open for a long period of time as well as open two of them simultaneously, although to do so was incredibly strenuous. But this was something I was planning on working on.

With this power, I have the confidence to fight in the Recommendation Games and secure a place for myself.

All I needed to do was hone this power to keep up with people who come after me when I finally expose myself.

Mephisto didn't ask me anything about the incident. The only thing he asked me was if I was willing to teach Alchemy and Enchanting subjects too.

I told him that I needed some time to prepare. He was fine with it because the deal was for me to teach only Transfiguration Magic here. The only reason I accepted was because it would give me access to the resources of the Organization.

In the last three weeks, I was able to keep the Holes open for a longer period of time and thus my lessons with Dumbledore increased.

The old guy wanted to get done with the lessons as soon as he could so he didn't have any problems increasing the time.

This led to the rapidly increasing proficiency of my Transfiguration Magic.

I was now at the Master level.

There was still a lot I could learn from Dumbledore though but he was getting me started on potions as one needs a good grasp on potions to learn Alchemy.

By my estimates, I would be able to learn a decent amount of Alchemy to start.

There were also the Enchanting books which I wanted to use..

Sigh.

Everyday, my work keeps on increasing even more.

So many things to do.

Maybe I should have pushed for a Time Turner from Dumbledore. I did ask the old guy for it but he didn’t agree at all and I was in an urgent need back then…

Perhaps Sirius could do something about it… or someone else?

I was distracted from my thoughts by the knock on my door.

I waved my wand and packed things back into my trunk and opened the door to see Akeno waiting there.

Since my mishap with the Purification Magic, I had moved from the dorms where I was living and stayed in a mansion a bit far away.

The other residents of the mansion were the Himejima mother and daughter pair and Lavinia who asked to be with me when I was moving.

I was given a side of the mansion to myself and there were servants for everything but there was one thing which Shuri always insisted on doing on her own, cooking the food.

She always cooked food for us on her own.

She had found out about me, not my real identity but the fact that I hunted in the pits gave her an idea of the kind of life I was living so she was treating me with extra kindness. This went for Lavinia as well.

I didn't tell her anything as I could see that her feelings were actually genuine.

She was also teaching me Purification Techniques so she was my teacher in a way so her treatment didn’t seem odd.

Akeno on the other hand asked to learn magic under me when she found out that I taught in the Grauzaberer Organisation.

She was very impressed by the time I had saved her back then.

Her parents had a talk with Mephisto and I got myself an extra student.

She got along very well with Lavinia too.

She apparently didn’t have many children her age to play around with and enjoyed her time with Lavy.

“Okaa-sama is calling you for dinner, Ace-sensei.” She said, bowing lightly.

“Is Lavy there already?” I asked.

She nodded and I patted her head much to her pleasure.

The girl had gotten attached to Lavy and me since the incident.

I nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

I followed her for dinner where both Shuri and Lavy were already waiting for us.

“Sit Ace-kun. I will serve dinner.” Shuri said as she got up.

I took a seat beside Lavy who was very excited.

“Ace Ace, I heard that you applied for an Ultimate Class Magician Examination. Is it true?”

“Yes. I want to give it a try.”

“So awesome. You will pass for sure.” She cheered.

Yes, my next goal was to gain an Ultimate Class Magician certification from the Organization.

Now that I had the raw power for it, I wanted to get it done as soon as possible.

It will open a lot of doors for me.

As I have learned, having more power and a higher position always helps get things done.

I still had one and a half years for the Recommendation Games but an Ultimate Class Magician Examination was still doable.

I would have more leverage if I had the tag when I went to serve my punishment under Ajuka.

That reminded me.

The date for the sentence has been decided to be one month from now.

“I am sure you will do very well in your tests, Ace-kun.” Shuri smiled.

“Hmm hmm, Sensei’s magic is very amazing.” Akeno said as she took a bite of her food.

“I will be working part time in the Underworld, a month from now.”

“Eh? The Underworld?” They looked at me, surprised.

“Yes. I was offered… an internship at Lucifaad by… Ajuka Beelzebub, so I would like to reschedule our classes on Purification Magic.” I told Shuri.

“That’s… amazing. I might not know a lot about the Devil side but I have heard that the current Beelzebub is a master of magic. You will learn a lot from him.”

I just nodded.

I still had no idea what exactly he wanted from me.

That’s why I wanted to get the Ultimate Class label beside my name.

As the name suggested, they were the absolute top of any Magician Organisation. In fact, even Top level Magician Organisations had only a couple of them, the highest being the Golden Dawn with seven such people.

Grauzaberer on the other hand only had two. Mephisto and Gregory Faust, the father of Georg Faust and the descendant of the first Faust. The only reason it could keep up with the other organisations was due to Mephisto and his connections.

After getting such a rank, one could even make a Magician Organisation of their own.

For this reason, such a test had to be monitored by the Ultimate Class Magicians from outside of Grauzaberer.

The only reason I had to wait was for Mephisto to gather them for the test.

I was already figuring out what spell to use and had practised something during the last two weeks.

“It’s fine. We can discuss the timings for your classes after your tests. You need to prepare for the exams right now. And when you pass….let’s have a picnic with everyone of us.” She smiled slightly.

“Really?” Lavy brightened up.

Akeno looked happy too although she was shy and didn’t speak out.

“Well, that depends if Ace-kun wants to.” She looked at me slyly.

….

I nodded defeatedly.

“How were your classes, Lavy-chan?” She asked Lavinia who excitedly repeated everything and the whole atmosphere of the room became weirdly homely.

I left for my room after dinner to get back to my daily classes with Dumbledore.

The potions classes needed materials which he bought for me as a part of his deal but never provided me with anything extra.

I will need to strike a deal with Sirius to get myself all the plants.

It was after the class that I felt another summoning.

I got into my usual getup and responded to the summoning.

My holes were now the size of a small window.

There was a familiar face on the other end.

“Hello Kazuma. What can I do for you today?” I asked with a smile.

“New game. Do you have new games?” he asked, hurriedly.

“Obviously. I have plenty of them. I brought out a bunch of games from my trunk and showed him and gave him a thumbs up.

“Great. Here is the list of things from Wiz’s shop and prices beside it.” He gave me a list of things.

I looked at the piece of paper.

It was in Japanese.

I brought out my Devil Phone and translated the text.

The top range products were very good.

Dragon Slayer weapons, Holy, Cursed and Demonic Weapons and armours, different accessories with amazing effects. The only thing stopping me from buying everything was the price.

“I will need to make a payment in gold so you will need to negotiate with Miss Wiz.”

I didn’t know if I could get an Adventurer’s Card but I will consider it later.

“Aye aye Boss.” he saluted and ran off with a summoning contract. I let out a sigh and closed the hole.

I was summoned soon enough and the other side of the hole had changed completely. It was the interior of a shop with different types of equipment.

Kazuma was standing in front of a woman in her early 20s with fair skin and a curvaceous figure. She had brown eyes and straight brown hair reaching down to the front of her shoulders, further behind her back and slightly curling at the tips. Her fringe covered her right eye with a single ahoge that arced off the top of her head.

This was Wiz, the Lich with the epithet of Ice Witch and one of the generals in the Devil King’s army.

The final boss in the beginner village.

“It really happened.” The girl exclaimed as she stepped in front of Kazuma in a defensive position.

I didn’t do anything to threaten her either as I raised my hands. “Now now, I don’t intend to fight, Miss Wiz. I am just here to buy stuff. I give you my word.”

She paused at my promise and then relaxed.

“Yes yes Wiz-san. Ace is a good guy. A bit of a profiteer but he is not bad.” Kazuma tried to mediate the situation and thankfully, Wiz was one of the most understanding people in this world so she calmed down as soon as Kazuma explained everything.

“So you want to buy things from my shop?”

“Yes.” I nodded, clearing the situation quickly. “I was just hoping that I could pay using gold directly so that I don’t need to convert the money I have into the currency of this world.” I explained.

“I see.” She thought for a while and nodded. “I can accept that.”

“Great! In that case, can you explain the functions of some of these equipment to me? There are a few things I would like to buy but I have questions about some of them.”

“Sure.”

What came after was an hour long explanation about some top tier equipment.

I chose over a dozen items.

A few sets of rings and necklaces and a set of equipment for myself including a full set of light armour made from Dragon leather made from the leather of a Black Dragon and highly resistant to magic, a set of wands and staffs and a set of dozen swords of each attribute. There were also several potions for myself.

The rings had several functions.

One of them had a presence concealment and it also hid the magic power of the user from being sensed which was a great thing for the current me.

The second ring had two spells imbued in it. Drain Touch and Mana Drain.

The third ring had a Sense Danger Skill.

It was the final set of rings which were probably the best.

They contained… nothing.

Yes, they had no spells in it.

But they had another function.

They could store one spell inside it for the user to use.

And I knew exactly the spell to use.

Finally the necklace had a barrier function which can protect the user from an attack but would need to be recharged after use.

The swords, while not at the level of Gram, were still good quality stuff, similar to the High Class Hunters from the Pits. I kept most of them for trades with other contractors.

“Thank you for your patronage.” Wiz bowed and I smiled at her too.

“The pleasure is all mine. I look forward to more business with you later on.” Then I turned to Kazuma and passed him two games instead of just one. “Thank you for your hard work, Kazuma. Here’s something from my side.”

“Ohh!” He exclaimed happily, holding the ring in front of his face and then looked suspiciously at me. “What do you want?”

I smiled at the guy.

“This is why I like working with you, Kazuma-san. You really understand me. I need another minor favour from you.”

He continued looking at me without any words and I didn’t need to use Legilimency on him to know what he was thinking.

“Don’t worry. It’s not something hard. You just need to make Aqua store ‘Resurrection’, ‘Purification’ and ‘Break Spell’ spells inside these rings. I will even throw a tablet for you if you do this.” I smiled at the guy.

“A PC.” He bargained.

“Agreed.” I quickly agreed.

Compared to the Resurrection Spells, this was nothing.

“Again….be sure that Aqua stores the correct spell in the rings because if they don’t work or if you try to cheat me….” I left the words hanging.

“Deal.” he gave me a quick thumbs up.

I smiled, happy at the transaction and closed the portal, bidding a goodbye to the two.

With my trade for the day done, I went on to practise my magic till there was another knock on the door.

I already knew who was on the other side this time so I opened the door without even asking.

Lavinia had come to sleep.

She had done this often since her birthday and I didn’t deny her.

We changed and got ready for bed.

She, as usual, took one of my shirts as her nightdress and laid beside me, snuggling to my side, making me smile.

“Good Night, Ace.” She whispered.

“Good Night, Lavy.” I replied.

This life was….not bad.

- Najenda -

Once more she stood in front of the Emperor who was becoming more and more mysterious everyday.

Beside him stood the Great General Budo and on his other side was the former Prime Minister who had served during the previous Emperor’s reign, Chouri.

In the past month alone, these three had gone on a quest to purge all the filth from the Empire. Everyone was stunned by the sheer brutality exhibited by the kid who was only eight years old.

But this very sense of decisiveness was something which had won him the respect of the generals of the Empire.

Except the ones who had sided with Honest, the rest had become a die hard supporter of the Emperor and his new rule, especially with the show of power against the criminals during the execution.

The Guardian of the Empire’s word had spread throughout the capital city and made people quiver in fear. No one knew what kind of being it was, or even if it was a human or a Danger Beast. All they had seen of it was just the hand which seemed to be of a human and from the looks of it, a human male’s hand.

That said, the power it had exhibited was frightening.

Was that black stick in his hand a Teigu?

There was no information about such a Teigu even in the Encyclopedia of Teigus.

It was understandable because who in their right mind would disclose the information about their top weapon to outsiders.

Todoy, however, it didn’t look like there was an execution. Even the people gathered in the room were relatively few.

There were only an odd fifty or so people in the room.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the Emperor.

“Welcome our loyal soldiers.” He spoke and they kneeled to show their respects.

He had earned this much.

“Rise up.” He spoke again and they looked up from their positions.

“Today….we have called you all here to offer you a chance.”

He spoke and she noticed the odd looks of the Prime Minister and the Great General.

“You all have been selected to be a part of a team….directly under the Guardian of the Empire.”

She found herself frozen in her spot at the sudden announcement.

There were some similar looks from the other people in the room too.

Although, not all looks were similar.

There were some who looked excited at the prospect.

She looked at the blue haired girl whom she had noticed in all the previous meetings and came to know her as Esdeath Patras, a survivor of the Northern Clans, looking at the Emperor with excitement in her eyes.

The Emperor continued. “If you accept, you can stay in the room but if you have any doubts, you should leave right now. Be reminded that once you join the team, you will be giving up all rights to interfere with the political system of the Empire forever. You won’t even be able to participate in the activities of the army and thus have to give up your positions. So be careful when you choose.” He said as he looked over at the people in the room.

Murmurs ran throughout the room.

It was General Liver who took the initiative as one of the oldest of the ones gathered who asked the question from their side. “My apologies, Your Majesty, but….what will be the job of this team?”

“No need to apologise. It is only natural to know what you are signing up for. The work of this team will be to protect the Empire from all kinds of threats as well as help improve the quality of life in the Empire through the knowledge of the guardian.”

“The….knowledge?” he asked, confused.

“The Guardian possesses knowledge far beyond what any of you can comprehend. Even the power he used to finish off the traitors was something which can be taught.” The Emperor dropped the bomb.

She found her breath halted.

But the next words from the Emperor chilled their hearts. “But do be warned. Should any of you ever become a danger for the Empire or try to betray the Guardian….your ends will be far worse than even Honest.” The Emperor looked at them with narrowed eyes. “So be careful when you choose. Do not worry, all of you are our trusted people. We will not blame you for your choice and neither will the Guardian.”

There was an eerie quietness in the room.

One guy stood up and bowed.

The Emperor nodded. “You may leave.”

The guy left the room and soon, one after another, several others followed.

By the end, only around half of the people were left in the room.

She hesitated but decided to stay and see what this was all about. If there was really a chance to do more for the Empire, she would pledge herself to the task without any hesitation.

After all, in the last month, the actions of the Emperor, gruesome they might be, had given her hope that the Empire can go back to being the peaceful home she had experienced during her childhood.

“Have you chosen?”

“Yes!” All of them answered.

“Very well, in that case, we shall summon our Guardian.”

The Emperor brought out what looked to be a piece of paper from under his cloak and held it close to his head. They had already become familiar with the process and sure enough, a hole opened in the space in front of them.

But this time it was different. Unlike the previous times where the hole was very small, almost the size of a human head, this time, it was far larger, almost the size of a small window.

And on the other side of the hole, was a figure.

She blinked her eyes twice at the figure she saw.

….a boy?

Pink hair and gold eyes.

He looked like a simple young boy around fourteen or fifteen years of age.

“Oh….this is more than I was expecting. Have all of them agreed to your terms?” The boy asked, looking at the people in the room.

“Yes. We told them all about the basic conditions which you laid. You can tell them the rest.” The Emperor said enthusiastically.

“Thank you. In that case I will take over.” The boy smiled and turned towards the crowd. “Hello to you all. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Ace, the Guardian of the Empire….and I am not from your world.”

….

….

“Huh?”

- Ace -

I looked at the stunned faces of the people in front of me.

“I am a Devil from the Underworld.” I continued. “And the Emperor, a good friend of mine, has a deal with me to protect the Empire and make it prosper. I might be able to fight armies alone but I cannot make the entire Empire prosper….at least not with my current abilities. And thus….I asked for a team for myself as a part of the deal and you….are invited to become a member of this team. Any questions till here?” I asked.

The people looked at each other and then one of the older ones, a silver haired guy, stood up.

“Sir Guardian.” He bowed. “I thank you for lending a hand to the Empire. What I wish to know is what exactly would we be doing?”

“Your name?” I asked.

“My name is Liver.”

“Ah, General Liver. Nice to meet you. You and anyone who decides to join the team will be given knowledge of different worlds and will assist in the development of the Empire using said knowledge. I cannot tell you all more about this till you agree to become a part of the team.”

Another person raised their hand.

“Yes?”

“What is the catch?”

I smiled at the question.

“A very good question. Remember, nothing in this world is free. This is the principle I  live by. Once you join my team, you will get certain perks but also have similar restrictions and even more responsibilities. As per my deal with the Emperor, you will only answer to the Emperor and me but….” I paused and looked at everyone in the room and continued, “No one will be able to order you except me….not even the Emperor.”

“Preposterous!” The man beside the Emperor shouted. "Are you sullying the name of his Majesty? Who do you think you are?”

I looked at the guy.

Great general Budo, the strongest man in the Empire and a hardcore loyalist of the Emperor and the Royal family. I knew this type of reaction would be inevitable but I needed to make my point clear so that no one could question and interrupt my work later on due to their own dumb ideas of self righteousness..

“I am the guy whom your Emperor called for help because you all failed at your job.”

The man gritted his teeth but couldn’t retort.

“As for my words? Those were the exact terms for the contract with the Emperor. He wants me to protect the Empire….not him. Unlike you buffoons, he is someone who puts his people above his own life, a true King in making, which is the only reason I am even willing to make a contract with him for so long. My duty is to protect the Empire and make it prosper. If someday, anyone….and I mean anyone becomes a danger to the peace and prosperity of the Empire, I will eliminate them….even the Emperor.”

Lightning crackled around the man at the last words and ice manifested around me, suppressing everyone in the room except the Emperor.

He was strong….no doubt. But….I was stronger.

“Stop this!” The Emperor shouted, making the guy back down and I reigned back my aura too.

The Emperor looked towards Budo.

“We were the one who asked Ace for this kind of deal.”

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor raised a hand, stopping him from saying anything. “If we hadn’t discovered the plot of Honest, something which Ace pointed out to us, we would have become a puppet at the hands of the criminal….and harmed our people, the Empire which our ancestors had left to us would have been destroyed by our hands….that is not something we can allow to happen. We understand your feelings about protecting us and are very grateful for it….but this is something we need to do….as the Emperor. Ace will not harm us. We trust him.”

The man shut his mouth after being told off.

It was someone else who had been silent till now, who spoke. The Prime Minister, Chouri. “My apologies your Majesty, Sir Guardian, General Budo didn’t mean anything bad. It’s just that after Honest….these kinds of words….and for someone other than the Emperor to have this kind of power….it makes people worry….despite your intentions.”

Ah….yes. That’s quite understandable.

I turned towards the Emperor and spoke. “Tell me something….if you wanted a rundown village, would you plot and scheme to get it?”

Everyone in the room looked at me strangely except for a few.

“No. That would be….foolish.”

“Exactly.” I turned towards the Prime Minister who had an extremely ugly look on his face. “I can access an almost infinite number of worlds, some stronger, some weaker, some with no life while some where literal Gods live….so tell me, why would I be interested in taking over your little Empire? It’s just….foolish.”

Not giving them any other chance to speak, I continued. “With the knowledge in my possession, I can make an Empire far more advanced than this with absolute ease. But I am not interested in ruling. The things I want, I can get by the current setup without harming the Empire. So….if you want, you can worry and spend your nights without any sleep or….you can just put aside your fears for a while and see my work first. Any doubts?”

The guy kept quiet.

Good.

I turned towards the people in the room again. “If you choose to work for me, you will become strong, learn things which will make you able to take down even Super Class Danger Beasts alone and bring the Empire to much greater heights but….you will have similar restrictions as well. You will not be able to participate in any political or private job or use the information you learn here for private profit. You will have to follow my orders without questions....no matter what. If I tell you to kill, you kill, if I tell you to die, you die. I will permit no questions. Understood”

The group nodded.

“That said, I am not a heartless monster….I do not have the habit of harming my subordinates without any reasons. But if you ever….betray the Empire or me….the type of death Honest got….would feel like a blessing to you.” I stared at the group. “Anyone who doesn’t want to stay….step aside.”

Slowly, around six people stepped aside.

I waited for a minute more but the rest didn’t move.

“Alright.” I brought out my wand and their eyes widened while some of them faltered but I wasn’t going to kill anyone. “Obliviate.”

The six of them paused.

I looked at the Emperor and nodded.

“General Budo, see them out. Please assure that they get proper rest and don’t talk to them about today’s matters.”

The man looked at the Emperor and then at me for a second longer than I would have liked and then bowed to the Emperor as he led the obliviated group outside.

It was then that the silver haired girl in the group which stayed back spoke. “What did you do?” Her eyes widened as she realised that she had said those words out loud. “I apologis….”

“I erased their memories of this meeting. They will remember nothing of today.” I replied, making the eyes of several people widened.

“Your first task is to establish a base according to the requirements I have stated on the land given by the Emperor. As for your joining gifts.” I took out the swords I had bought from Wiz and presented to them. “From today on, you are the members of my team, the Ace in the Hole.”

_________________________________x____________________________________

A day has passed since the creation of ‘Ace in the Hole’.

Managing things on the other side was hard, especially when I wasn’t there all the time to monitor things.

The Prime Minister didn’t say it out loud but he didn’t trust me….and neither did most of the people who stayed back.

In fact, several of them wanted to act as spies for the Empire despite the words of the Emperor.

That sly Prime Minister had sent his own daughter, Spear as a spy to monitor the work of my team, all in the guise of showing a sign of cooperation towards me.

I need to convince and make them loyal to me as well as teach them a few things. Fortunately, I had the methods for that.

I let out a sigh.

So many things to do….

I needed someone to help me out with everything.

I trusted Lavinia but she was a bit naive and….too young. I didn’t want to drag her into this for a while. I need others too.

There was also the upcoming Ultimate Class Magician Examination in a few days.

That said, there was no easy way to become strong.

All the work which I put in the Empire right now will yield far greater results later on.

That world is almost unexplored with great potential. Their civilisation is not as advanced as many others and is a place where I can easily establish a solid footing.

This much work….is reasonable.

I shook my head and got up. I didn’t have time to slack off.

At this time I sensed another summoning.

The summonings were getting more frequent now.

I opened the portal and on the other side was a new face.

It was a slender boy with sleek white-blond hair, cold grey eyes, a pale complexion and rather sharp, pointed features.

The surprising thing was the clothes he was wearing.

I was quite familiar with those clothes.

Hogwarts Uniform.

The boy looked stunned at the appearance of the portal and stumbled and fell on his back.

“I….it works. It actually works!” he exclaimed.

“Yes yes, it works. Get over it. I am a very busy man. Who are you and what is it that you desire?” I asked, casually.

“You….what are you?” The boy questioned, pointing his finger at me.

I smiled, putting on a show. “I….am a Devil. Now, on with it? Why have you summoned me?”

The boy was shit scared when he heard what I was but slowly, a look of smug arrogance came on his face as he pointed his finger at me.

“Shut up. I have summoned you and you will serve me. Stop ordering me around.” The boy snarned.

….

….

“About that….I am not that type of devil. If you want something from me, you will have to make a deal. Strength, knowledge, tools, everything for a reasonable price. That said….” I let out a bit of my Demonic Power on him, making him crumble on his knees. “I don’t like being ordered around by no name little twerps like you. Now….who are you?”

The boy shook in fear. “I-I am Draco Malfoy.”

….

Oh….

That makes so much sense.

“Hoh. So tell me Draco Malfoy, what is it that you desire?”

“Power….make me the strongest wizard alive.”

“The strongest wizard alive? You mean stronger than Dumbledore and Tom Riddle?”

“Tom Riddle?”

“The guy who calls himself Lord Voldemort. It’s actually an anagram of his real name Tom Marvolo Riddle.”

His face paled at the information.

“Anyways, I can easily do that.”

I actually could. Just give him a spoonful of the Demon’s extract and boom.

But I had something better than that in mind.

“I can give you a method of becoming strong enough to knock out Dumbledore in a single attack. But….what will you pay? Oh and before you say the same old cliche things, I don’t trade in souls. Money, knowledge and tools….those are the only things I am interested in. So….go and tell your father to summon me. And I will make the deal.” I snapped my fingers and several ice butterflies were created around him and flew out in the dorms.

Those were actually summoning contracts transfigured into butterflies.

The Slytherins were the richest of the Wizarding world and had the most resources too, the perfect kind of people to make deals with.

Let’s see who summons me next….

The guy in front of me tried to speak but quickly held his tongue with a single glare from my side.

“Oh….and this consultation will cost you five hundred galleons. I expect the payment in a week or your entire family gets a Malediction Curse. Bye.” I closed the portal without giving him any chance to speak. The five hundred galleons will make sure that he consults his father.

The Malfoy House is loaded….

I wonder just how much I can swindle out of them?

As I was making plans, I sensed another summoning.

Wow.

Two in a row.

I quickly collected myself and opened the portal and got ready to do my usual presentation.

What I didn't expect was someone diving directly into my face through the hole and falling on me.

There were a lot of noises in the background from the other side of the portal.

But I wasn’t concentrating on that.

I felt something soft on my lips.

The room was lit by a flash of light as the figure wrapped its arms around my neck and I realised that the figure was kissing me.

I held back my instinct to freeze everything in my surroundings.

Lavinia and the Himejima family were still in the building.

I quickly gained my composure and pushed the figure.

Taking a clear look, she was a girl with burnt orange hair with long side plaits and orange eyes. She was wearing a loose-fitting white dress which resembled a cheongsam and glasses.

However the most eye-catching thing about her were the golden lights which almost seemed like wings behind her.

For a moment, I had thought she was an Angel.

I just stared at her in awe for a moment before my attention was diverted by the noise behind her.

“She escaped there.”

“Is it another one of her accomplice? A space type ability?”

There were several girls and behind them, men in black suits who were pointing at the portal.

“Move aside.” A greyish haired, black clothed girl commanded as the others moved aside and she looked at us inside the portal. “How interesting.” She licked her lips in a way which gave me very mixed feelings.

And then without any warning, she drew a sword and dashed towards the portal.

“How annoying?” I stopped the thrust sword with a reinforced Ice Sword, making her eyes widen. She wasn’t weak….but she wasn’t that strong either.

I put more power behind my attack and sent her flying into a wall nearby.

“Captain!”

“Impossible?!”

They faced me with their weapons drawn.

I sighed and put aside my sword, drawing my wand as I sent several of my summoning contracts through the portal.

The girl from before got up quickly and shot towards me once more.

I was however done playing so I directly froze the entire group up to their necks.

Looking directly into the eyes of the grey haired woman, I spoke.

“Don’t bother. You’re weak.”

Her pupils shrank and then her face morphed into a crazy look as she burst out into a maniacal laughter.

I just closed the portal in front of her.

As for my questions, the girl here could answer me.

I looked at her to see her kneeling before me.

She looked at me with eyes full of adoration and spoke. “What are your orders, my Ashikabi?”

….

….

….

“Huh?!”

___________________________________x_____________________________________________________________________x__________________________________

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Author’s Note:

Finally done.

We had Ace making some great deals in this chapter.

Kazuma is a great guy to make deals with.

Ace finally has a team in the Empire but has a very long road ahead to make full use of them.

We also got Draco Malfoy getting a summoning contract and all the great possibilities which come with it.

Finally, we got a new character out of the blue.

Any guesses who she is?

The next chapters are going to be a lot of fun.

Enjoy the new chapter.

Good Day, Peace Out.