— — — — — — —
"Huh?"
When Lynn placed his hand on her head and gently ruffled her hair, she was completely taken aback.
Violence. That was all she had ever known. Every adult she had encountered either hit or yelled at her. Rough, cruel hands.
But this…
This was the first time anyone had treated her with such kindness.
She had finally met a good person!
She was certain of it.
Lynn had no idea that just a small gesture of kindness had earned him the title of a 'good person' in the eyes of the little girl.
Thirteen Cursed Children.
Lynn's eyes flickered slightly.
He didn't recognize any of them from the original story.
Then, he looked at his system panel.
The skill [Devil's Piece] glowed faintly.
As expected.
Just as he had assumed, the Cursed Children were all qualified to become part of his Familia.
Even if they had no names or appearances in the anime, the unique genes in their bodies made them different from normal humans.
Knowing they could be reincarnated as his Familia members put his mind at ease.
Otherwise, saving all the Cursed Children would have required a different approach.
There were plenty of overpowered beings in his world, and many had the ability to cure the Gastrea virus infecting the Cursed Children.
For example, the Angels.
But Lynn had no way of contacting them.
And more importantly— The ability to travel between worlds… it was best if no one outside his Familia knew about it.
Lynn didn't rush to reincarnate them right away.
First things first—They needed a proper meal.
"Shizuka, I'll leave these kids in your care for now."
Marikawa Shizuka, who had been crouching and patting a little girl's head, immediately stood up.
She patted her, uh… rather big chest, put on a reliable expression, and said with confidence, "Just leave it to me!"
Lynn hesitated for a moment.
…This should be fine, right?
After all, among his Familia, there really wasn't anyone more suited for childcare than Shizuka.
Marikawa Shizuka squatted back down and pulled a can of milk from between her cleavage, offering it to one of the Cursed Children with an eager smile. "Want some?"
Lynn: "...…"
…Maybe he should find someone more reliable after all.
Shizuka took the Cursed Children to bathe and change into clean clothes.
Later, they all sat around a long dining table, waiting for their meal.
The Cursed Children looked bewildered.
They stared at their freshly changed clothes, fidgeting nervously.
Were they really allowed to wear something so clean and pretty?
"Lynn-san, dinner is ready."
Shiina Mahiru stepped out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and carrying a steaming bowl of soup.
When all the dishes were placed on the table in front of the Cursed Children, Lynn clapped his hands lightly.
"Alright, let's eat."
The Cursed Children exchanged uncertain glances.
One of them hesitated before speaking in a trembling voice. "I-Is this… really for us?"
Their meals had always been rotten vegetables, moldy leftovers…
Was this… the legendary last meal before execution?
"Go ahead, eat."
Lynn gently patted her head.
She swallowed nervously.
Then, cautiously, she took a small sip of the soup.
The warmth spread across her tongue, and the rich flavor overwhelmed her senses.
She froze.
Her eyes glistened with tears.
She had never—
Never tasted anything so delicious in her life!
The realization hit her all at once, and she immediately dove into her food, as if she had to savor every bite before it disappeared forever.
Seeing this, the other Cursed Children followed suit.
Soon enough—
A peculiar scene unfolded in the dining hall.
The children ate desperately, their hands moving nonstop, but at some point, their faces had become streaked with tears.
Shiina Mahiru pursed her lips as she watched.
It was just an ordinary meal… yet they ate it as if it were the most extravagant feast in the world.
After finishing their meals, the Cursed Children sat motionless in their chairs, dazed by an unfamiliar feeling—happiness.
"From now, you are safe!"
One of the girls, Moriko Noda, looked at Shiina Mahiru's gentle expression and couldn't help but ask, "Mahiru-sama… are you an angel?"
Shiina Mahiru blinked in surprise, then smiled softly. "No, I'm actually a Devil."
"Ehhhh?!"
The Cursed Children gasped in shock.
Then, after a moment of confusion, one of them asked, "Mahiru-sama… you're like us?"
"Hmm… Why do you think that?"
"Because everyone calls us monsters… demons… things like that."
Shiina Mahiru's expression grew complicated. She forced a smile and said, "That's just because they fear you."
After a short pause, she continued, "So, what do you think? Would you all like to become Devils like me?"
A Devil… like Shiina-sama?
A Devil who was warm and kind?
"If you become Devils, we'll all be family."
Shiina Mahiru didn't use Lynn's usual persuasive words—this wasn't about building a harem.
Lolis… were off-limits, right?
"Family!"
The Cursed Children's eyes lit up.
"I want to! I want to be family with Mahiru!"
"Me too! Me too!"
They longed for family.
If they had a family, maybe they wouldn't have to scavenge through dangerous places just to survive.
Lynn smiled and took out the Devil's Pieces he had prepared in advance.
Shiina Mahiru turned to look at him.
"Alright then, let the reincarnation ritual begin."
— — —
[Moriko Noda]
→Rank: Low-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: I0
•Agility: I0
•Endurance: I0
•Magic: I0
→Unique Abilities: [Gastrea Factor: Mole] (Earth Pulse Perception)
---
---
[Tamako Nishida]
→Rank: Low-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: I0
•Agility: I0
•Endurance: I0
•Magic: I0
→Unique Abilities: [Gastrea Factor: Hedgehog] (Temporarily spikes defense)
— — —
The Cursed Children sat in a row, their upper bodies bare, feeling a strange sense of nervousness.
Lynn went through the reincarnation process for each of them, one by one.
As expected, all of them became ordinary Devils.
Which made sense—after all, special Devils were rare.
However, due to the Gastrea virus in their bodies, each of them came with a unique skill.
That was something Lynn had anticipated.
The system notifications kept ringing in his ears:
[You have obtained the skill "Gastrea Factor: Mole"]
[You have obtained the skill "Gastrea Factor: Hedgehog"]
[You have obtained....]
[...]
[Your overall power has slightly increased!]
[Ding! Your skill "Devil's Piece" has undergone a minor change!]
After reincarnating all of them, Lynn took a moment to assess himself.
Hmm… A slight boost in strength, but not enough for a breakthrough.
There was still a long way to go.
Just thinking about reincarnating this many Cursed Children one by one gave him a headache.
And when he imagined reaching a Familia of a million lolis…
Wouldn't he bleed to death every time he updated their blessings?!
He opened the Devil's Piece skill to check for changes.
The familiar starry void appeared before him.
Even though he had gathered quite a few Familia members, only seven pieces revolved closely around him.
"Only special Devils qualify to be here?"
His gaze shifted further into the distance.
There, scattered like grains of sand, stood over a dozen pieces—far yet close at the same time.
In another direction, only two pieces stood alone, looking isolated.
"Those should be…Miyamoto Rei and Takagi Saya."
With a thought, Lynn willed the two pieces into his grasp.
[Miyamoto Rei]
[Takagi Saya]
As expected.
He tapped on Miyamoto Rei's piece.
Immediately, her Blessing Information surfaced from the piece.
He could now check the details of their blessings directly from here?
"Hehehe! Subarashi!"
.
.
.