Avrora, thoughwas all about food.
Still, there was no denying it: the two were basically just a glutton in disguise!
Lynn caught her sneaky little glances and chuckled softly.
He moved the can slightly toward her.
Avrora bit her lip, eyes filled with inner turmoil, and turned her head away with effort. "I-I can't just eat food from a stranger"
"I have to resist!"
She clenched her fists, but her twitching throat completely gave her away.
Lynn thought for a second then popped open the can.
And instantly, a rich, sweet aroma blasted straight into Avrora's face.
Sniff sniff!
Her nose twitched, eyes flying wide open.
She clenched the tattered fabric of her outfit, nails digging in as she struggled to hold back.
Nope.
She couldn't.
Self-control? What self-control?
In the end, hunger triumphed over reason.
She snatched the can right out of Lynn's hand and chugged it like her life depended on itsoft lips pressed to the rim, gulping it down with happy little noises.
A trail of creamy milk dribbled down her chin, sliding into her clothes and completely shattering whatever innocent image she had left.
...
Moments later
"Ahhh~!"
She finally came up for air, completely satisfied, the empty can in hand.
"Can I get another?!"
Her eyes sparkled, a bright smile lighting up her face. A bit of milk still clung to the corner of her lips.
Noticing the mess, Avrora instinctively licked the corner of her mouth with her little pink tongue.
Lynn smirked.
Yep.
Shizuka's milkperfect bait.
And just like that, he'd caught a big one.
Avrora stood there holding the empty can for a while, but when no refill came, she blinked and looked up in confusion.
That's when she noticed Lynn's teasing half-smile.
Her whole face froze.
Wait a sec
This wasn't a buffet?!
Her aura instantly deflated. The icy presence behind herthe familiar aura of the "Princess of Azure Ice"flickered and faded away.
She hung her head low, nervously poking her fingers together in pure awkwardness.
Then Lynn said quietly, "Well, you did eat my food. That makes you mine now, doesn't it"
"EHHH?!"
Avrora's head shot up, eyes wide as saucers.
Wait wait wait
She sold herself out over a can of milk?!
"No way!" she waved her hands frantically. "The Original would never allow this!"
"She would!"
Lynn glanced at his [Devil Piece Domain], where Stella and the others were let's say "entertaining" Cyrora, and smiled. "Oh, she'll agree."
"...Huh?"
Avrora looked like she was about to cry. Her head jerked around, frantically searching.
Original? Where are you?! Say something!
ButNothing.
The Original was gone.
Avrora blinked, completely thrown.
Did did she just get abandoned?
Her jaw dropped in disbelief.
Seeing her like that, Lynn stood up and gently placed his hand on her head.
"Well, since you don't really have anywhere else to go, why not stick with me for now?"
"Mm"
Avrora flinched slightly at the head-pat, one eye closed, but didn't pull away.
"And besides"
Lynn's voice lowered a bit. "You don't want the Original to swallow you up and erase your existence, right?"
Her pupils shrank.
She swayed slightly, shaken.
She clenched her fists tightly, lips trembling.
He was right. She didn't want that.
Unlike the other vessels, Avrora had developed her own personality after awakening.
She didn't want to lose it.
What she wanted, was a peaceful, normal life.
To live quietly. To enjoy good food.
That last part made her eyes light up again.
So really even though she panicked at first when the Original disappeared, she also felt a bit relieved.
At least for nowShe wasn't in danger of being devoured.
But that pressure on her heart hadn't fully gone away.
So, while she still could she was going to eat to her heart's content!
That was Avrora's honest, true desire.
If she was going to die someday anyway, she might as well die stuffed!
Still, she hesitated.
She didn't know Lynn at all.
But from the looks of it, even the Original couldn't do much to him.
And honestly? What other options did she have?
After a brief struggle, she reached out, tugged gently on Lynn's pant leg, and looked up with a serious face.
"Can I have a refill on that milk from earlier?"
Lynn blinked.
His expression turned slightly strange as he stared at her in silence for a few seconds.
Avrora shrank back nervously. "W-Was that a no?"
"Nah, it's a big yes." Lynn smiled.
And with thatHer eyes sparkled with joy.
"Great! Then I'll go with you!"
Her voice was filled with the most genuine determination she'd ever shown.
Lynn: ""
Welp.
Looks like today's MVP.
Was Marikawa Shizuka and her amazing milk.
Maybe her name should be the Milk Devil from now on.
.
.
.
Witch of The Void
Gozo Island — Underground Tomb
Lynn grabbed Avrora's hand and pulled her up from the cold stone floor.
New familia member: unlocked!
Well technically.
This place clearly wasn't ideal for a proper reincarnation ritual.
Lynn decided to hold off on bestowing his Blessingfor now.
BesidesHe'd sensed a familiar presence nearby.
That aura Natsuki-chan?
His eyes lit up with a hint of surprise.
What's she doing here? Crashing the party?
Curious, Lynn called out casually, "Hey, Natsuki-chan, not gonna come out and say hi?"
The moment his voice echoed through the tomb, the tension that had just started to ease immediately snapped back.
Gajou Akatsuki froze.
Someone else is here?!
His expression twitched.
Seriously? Is this ever gonna end?
First the Lion King Org, then the Black Death Emperor Faction and now another player joins the chaos?
Gajou's teeth started to ache just thinking about it.
Sure, he'd mentally prepared himself for the mess that would come with getting involved in the Fourth Primogenitor's affairs.
But still, this was on a whole new level.
That said, this new person seemed to know that guy.
The realization calmed Gajou's nerves a little.
After witnessing Lynn's overwhelming strength, Gajou couldn't help but treat him with newfound respect.
And honestly? Lynn did save Nagisahe owed him big time.
...
On the other side, Endou paused when she heard the name "Natsuki."
Natsuki? Minamiya Natsuki?
The Witch of the Void?
Endou's thoughts spun.
What's she doing here?
...
Even Himeragi Yukina was surprised.
"Wait, Natsuki-sensei?" she muttered, blinking.
Same name as our teacher?
After Lynn's words echoed, the tomb fell into an eerie silenceuntil the space itself shimmered slightly with a soft buzz.
Then
A gothic-lolita-styled girl appeared out of thin air, expressionless, clad in black.
It was Minamiya Natsuki.
She laid eyes on Lynn and immediately sighed. "You again? You're everywhere, huh?"
Lynn just shrugged. "Where there's talent for a good familia, you'll always find me."
Natsuki: ""
She stared at him, speechless, then muttered under her breath: "You're a walking addiction to collecting followers"
Just thinking about how many people were already packed into Lynn's lounge made her eye twitch.
Sometimes she honestly couldn't tell if Lynn was building a powerful familia or just fulfilling his personal fantasies.
Because honestly, aside from a few that did have real abilities, didn't he also have a bunch of totally ordinary girls turned devils?
StillThanks to the Blessing system Lynn had developed, Natsuki knew they weren't just pretty faces.
That system made it clear: he was serious about strengthening them.
Even so, now he's targeting the Fourth Primogenitor?
Her gaze shifted to the girl behind Lynn.
"This one's your target now?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lynn replied, completely shameless.
The look on Natsuki's face twitched again.
"You're the first devil I've seen trying to make a vampire Primogenitor part of his Peerage"
The Primogenitors.
Among vampires, those titles weren't just symbolicthey were the rulers, the absolute top of the food chain.
Trying to turn one into a subordinate?
That was basically begging for an international disaster.
At the very least, the other three Primogenitors weren't going to take this quietly.
Even if they tried to stay calm, the rest of vampire society would force their hands.
As the leaders of their kind, they had to react.
Not just to show strengthbut to keep order.
Natsuki understood the stakes immediately. She opened her mouth to say something
But then glanced at Lynn's calm smileand shut it again.
As if he doesn't already know.
No, Lynn knew exactly what kind of mess this could stir up.
He just didn't care.
Natsuki sighed inwardly, shaking her head.
"I'm the one overthinking this again."
The Old Satan Faction had multiple Devil Kings backing themand Lynn crushed them like bugs.
Those Primogenitors, no matter how legendary, were basically just Satan-level enemies at most.
To Lynn?
They were nothing.
In fact, he might even use this as a chance to rope in another high-quality recruit.
Thinking of the Third Primogenitor, the Chaos Bride, Natsuki's expression shifted subtly.
Yeah that's definitely happening.
With Lynn's personality, it was practically guaranteed.
In that case, there really wasn't much to worry about.
If anything, she should be more concerned for those other Primogenitors.
But then, Natsuki suddenly remembered her original mission and her face stiffened.
With Lynn involved, Was she even going to get her final payment?
Her precious, high-grade tea!!
Natsuki screamed internally.
"Wait, you're really Natsuki-sensei?" Yukina stared in disbelief.
Their elegant, unassuming teacher from Shuchiin Academy wasn't normal at all?!
Natsuki winced a little at hearing the word "sensei" and almost blurted out a line from her day job, before catching herself.
She turned around and blinked when she saw Yukina.
"Ah, Himeragi-san."
Then she froze.
Sensing the faint trace of devil energy on Yukina, Natsuki fell silent.
She slowly turned to Lynn, her expression somewhere between disbelief and irritation.
"She just transferred in, and you already made your move?"
"Made a move?"
Yukina scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Technically I jumped into the net myself.
Lynn just gave a helpless shrug and pointed toward Endou.
"Why don't you ask her?"
Following his gesture, Natsuki's eyes landed on a blonde elf with short hair and sharp features.
Immediately recognizing that striking face, her eyes narrowed.
"Lion King Org?"
"Yo." Endou grinned, one hand on her hip. "Didn't expect our first meeting to be in a place like this, Witch of the Void."
Natsuki gave her a blank stare, glancing from Endou to Yukina and finally to the snowdrift wolf by her side.
Putting the clues together, she narrowed her eyes again.
"Himeragi-san she was trained by the Lion King?"
Endou didn't answer directlyjust shrugged noncommittally.
"Then let me get this straight," Natsuki continued, her voice tinged with sarcasm, "You're seriously just handing over your carefully trained student to a devil?"
There was an odd look on her face as she said it.
"What's with that phrasing?" Endou frowned, arms crossed. "That makes it sound really sketchy."
"Isn't it, though?" Natsuki shot back with a cold laugh.
Endou fired back, voice firm and righteous: "Lord Lynn saved Tokyo. Yukina was deeply moved by his actions and choseof her own willto join him. What's wrong with that?!"
"Or wait are you actually questioning the sincerity of her gratitude?!"
Yukina: "...?"
.
.
.
Hayasaka Ai Meets Avrora
"...?"
Yukina blinked in confusion, staring at Endou with a look that practically had a big question mark floating over her head.
Question: "Since when did I willingly offer myself to Lord Lynn out of gratitude?"
Answer: Nahshe'd been tricked into it! FOR REAL.
Yukina puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
Now that some time had passed, she had finally had the chance to think it over more clearly. Back then, she was too desperate to save Sayaka to notice anything offbut looking back now?
It was full of flags!
Lynn was on a completely different level. What could a mere apprentice like her possibly offer that would matter to someone like him?
The whole "honey trap" thing? Total BS!
If Sayaka really had been captured, shouldn't that have been something the Lion King Organization's top brass handled? Why was it dumped on her, a literal rookie?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
And ever since she'd joined Lynn's Familia, Yukina had started piecing together the real reason Sayaka had been taken in the first place.
So basically, Lion King Organization had used her as a bargaining chiptrying to smooth things over with Lynn by handing her over under false pretenses.
And even her beloved mentor? She'd been in on it too.
Once Yukina put the pieces together, she felt like her whole world had collapsed.
Granted.
The outcome hadn't been bad. Actually, joining Lynn's Familia had probably been the greatest thing to ever happen to her.
But still, what the Organization and her mentor had done? That wasn't something she could just brush aside.
Yukina stayed quiet, lips pressed into a tight line as she stared at Endou. She didn't say anythingbut in her heart, a new idea had started to take root.
She was going to bring the entire Lion King Organization into the Familia.
Yeah. That's it.
Just like her mentor had done to her.
On the other side of the room
Even though Yukina hadn't said a word, her expression said plenty.
Seeing that, Minamiya Natsuki narrowed her eyes.
"Heh."
A low chuckle escaped her lips.
"So the Lion King is just another shady organization after all."
"Hey now! Careful with the slander," Endou huffed, clearly annoyed. "We could sue you for that!"
Natsuki didn't even blink at the mock threat.
Meanwhile, Lynn had been quietly watching the exchange with mild amusement. Eventually, he turned and asked:
"So, Natsuki-chan, what brings you here?"
"Ah" Natsuki paused, then waved her phone at him. "Picked up a job."
Lynn instantly got the gist.
A side gig, huh?
Back before he'd risen to power, Lynn had often done business with Natsuki like this.
