This time, the eight Pawn pieces resting on the table lit up far more brightly than before and began to float up—rising until they reached my chest.
And then—each one vanished into me.
"…It worked. Issei, it looks like you successfully reincarnated as a devil."
Yes! We pulled it off!
"Then, let me reintroduce myself! I, Hyoudou Issei, am now a Pawn of Rias Gremory! I'll be in your care from today on!"
Everyone clapped for me as I made my declaration.
I'd become a devil—but with these people, I had a feeling things would work out just fine.
—Or so I thought.
"…?!"
Suddenly, a violent wave of dizziness slammed into me.
My body went numb, my vision twisted.
W-What the hell!?
Did something go wrong!?
The others were just as shocked.
"Issei!?"
"Are you alright, Issei-kun!?"
"Issei-senpai!"
I heard them all shouting—but I couldn't hold on.
The fatigue overwhelmed me and I collapsed.
"Issei! Hang in there! Issei!!"
The last thing I saw before blacking out was President's tear-streaked face, calling my name with desperation.
And then—I lost consciousness.
----
"…Nn? Where am I?"
When I opened my eyes, I was staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling.
I was lying in a white bed. Hospital?
President rushed over as soon as she noticed I'd woken up.
"Issei, you're awake! Are you alright?"
"My body's still kinda heavy, but I think I'm okay."
I slowly sat up and responded.
Relief washed over President's face as she let out a breath.
"President… where are we?"
"This is a hospital—in the Underworld. You collapsed in the clubroom, so we rushed you here."
Figures.
I glanced out the window. The sky outside was purple.
…Clearly not Earth anymore.
Looks like I'll need some time to get used to the Underworld's sky.
While I was taking it all in, President bowed her head suddenly.
"I'm sorry, Issei."
"Wha—? Wait, what are you apologizing for?"
"You trusted me enough to become my servant… and then this happened…"
"Please, raise your head. There's no way you could've predicted this. Besides, I was the one who insisted. If there's fault, it's mine."
She looked up—though her regret was still visible on her face.
I noticed tear trails on her cheeks…
She must've really been worried.
If anything, I felt bad for making her feel that way.
"President—"
Just as I was about to speak, the room's door opened and two men walked in.
Both of them were insanely handsome.
One had crimson hair and a refined aura. The other, with green hair, carried a seductive aura.
Even with their calm presence, the sheer pressure around them was unmistakable—they were bona fide powerhouses.
President immediately bowed.
"Lord Lucifer, Lord Beelzebub… my apologies for summoning you."
Lords… Lucifer and Beelzebub!?
Wait—these guys are devil king!? For real!?
My mental image of the devil king was more along the lines of a grizzly old man! Sirius looked like that anyway!
And now we've got two of the Four Great devil king showing up!?
Why!?
The crimson-haired man smiled gently.
"No need for formalities, Rias."
"Yes. Issei, these two are devil king."
She introduced them to me, and they offered their greetings.
First, the crimson-haired one.
"Nice to meet you, Hyoudou Issei-kun. I'm Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the devil king. I'm also Rias's older brother."
"I'm Ajuka Beelzebub—also a devil king. Pleased to meet you."
"I'm Hyoudou Issei. A Pawn and servant of Lady Rias. Also… I'm the current Red Dragon Emperor."
Wait… President's... brother!?
That caught me off guard!
Sirzechs—Rias's older brother—smiled at me.
"I've heard from Rias. Mind if I call you Issei-kun?"
"Ah—sure."
"Thanks. I was surprised when I heard the Red Dragon Emperor became one of my sister's servants."
"Yeah… I never imagined I'd become a devil either."
Ajuka turned to me next.
"Hyoudou Issei-kun, about the incident that caused you to collapse. Can you tell us what happened?"
"Of course. It went like this—"
I explained everything about the reincarnation ritual: how eight Pawn pieces weren't enough, and I only succeeded after syncing my energy with President.
Ajuka nodded in fascination after hearing the story.
"I see… Devil pieces normally can't be used if the subject's power exceeds the master's by too much. But by syncing your energy, you overcame that. Fascinating. I'm the one who created the devil piece system, yet I never thought of that method."
So he's the creator of the devil pieces!?
"Hyoudou Issei-kun. Would you mind if I examined the pieces inside you?"
"No, go ahead."
"Thanks. This will just take a moment."
Ajuka placed a hand on my chest, and a magic circle lit up.
He began tracing the magical structure to read the data inside me.
Eventually, he let go.
"It seems the pieces were successfully implanted, but they're not functioning correctly."
"Not functioning?"
"They couldn't handle your power. When someone too powerful uses them, they can enter a state of failure. In your case, the malfunction affected your soul and caused you to collapse."
"That explains the fatigue…"
"Indeed. But no need to worry. As the creator of the system—I'll handle the fixes myself."
"You can fix it!?"
"Of course. Leave it to me."
Ajuka activated another spell and began recalibrating the pieces embedded in me.
"Normally I'd never do this, but since the Red Dragon Emperor has joined our side, I suppose it's warranted. Plus, this gives me valuable new data."
Light flared—and in an instant, the crushing fatigue vanished.
"That should do it."
"Th-Thank you…!"
I bowed my head, deeply grateful.
Ajuka glanced at his watch.
"Oh—it's getting late. Problem solved, so I'll take my leave. Sirzechs?"
"Yes, I've got work as well—or Grayfia will scold me again."
"You're still whipped by her, huh?"
"Haha… Before I go, Issei-kun, there's something I need to inform you of."
"To me? What is it?"
"Concerning your family's protection—we've assigned some of my men for their security."
"Seriously!?"
Sirzechs smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Rias told me how much you trust her. And as her brother… it's only right I respond in kind."
Having the devil king's subordinates guarding my family is… incredibly reassuring.
"Thank you so much!"
"Well then, take care, Issei-kun. Rias."
I bowed alongside President as the two left the room.
Now alone with her, President smiled.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Issei."
"Sorry for worrying you."
"No—it's my fault too. I still lack the power to guide someone like you. But Issei—I'll become the kind of King worthy of commanding you."
"And I'll do my best to be someone worthy of serving you."
"I'll be counting on you, Issei."
And that's how I, Hyoudou Issei, officially became a devil today.
Apparently, due to the strain of the reincarnation, I won't be able to summon the Boosted Gear for a while.
Looks like I'll be relying on Rengan Keikikou alone for now.
Eh—somehow, I'll manage!
Ddraig, I'll leave the fine-tuning to you!
---
After everything that happened, I headed home to rest after dropping by the clubroom and letting everyone know I was okay.
They were all relieved. Seriously—good people.
When I opened the front door, Miyu was waiting for me.
She must've been worried since I got home so late.
When she saw me, she ran up and hugged me.
"Welcome back, Onii-chan."
"I'm home."
"You really became a devil, huh…"
She probably sensed it immediately.
"Yeah. But I don't regret it. This way, I can keep you all safe. Plus, President and the others are great. I even met the current devil king today—and they were surprisingly kind. So don't worry, Miyu."
"If you say so, then I believe you."
Miyu let go and tugged at my arm with a smile.
"You must be hungry. Let's eat dinner! I made it tonight!"
Oooh, Miyu cooked!? Can't wait to try it!
Smells amazing…
Wait—is that… karaage?? Hell yeah!
"Isssssseeeiiii~! Wash your hands and gargle before eating!"
Yup. Even now that I'm a devil, Mom's still the same as ever.
And honestly—nothing made me happier than that.
I may be something else now, but my family treats me no differently than before.
That means more than anything.
After washing up, I sat at the dinner table.
""""Thanks for the meal!""""
Just like always, we talked about our day, laughed, and ate as a family.
The most ordinary thing in the world… but to me, that proved how precious it is.
I'm gonna protect them with everything I've got.
Oh—and for the record, Miyu's karaage was delicious!