The moon's light shone in Raphael's face, his red eyes glowing slightly under its light.

'I'll try to get into a deal with Sitri, although Demonic Energy isn't well seen in the Empire. It isn't illegal, so I'm unlikely to get in trouble for it.' He decided after careful planning.

"The ritual should be pretty simple... I hope." As he snapped his fingers, five thick books flew from the shelves and appeared in front of him.

— History of Fanatics IV: Sitri's Cult of Beauty.

— Deal Making II: Possible Consequences.

— Magical Formula I: Basics.

— Deal Making I: Rituals.

— Church of Lakhius I: History of its Wealth.

— Basic Mind Magic: Self-casting.

Hmm.

"I need more books..." Raphael said out loud as he got up from his chair.

'I doubt 'Father' would allow me to enroll at the Imperial Academy, however, it seems feasible to allow me to live in the capital...' The young man with red eyes thought as he slowly walked towards his father's office.

'There, I should be capable of borrowing books from the Imperial Library.' His eyes seemed to shine through the dark halls of the mansion.

...

Knock, knock.

"Father, may I come in?" I said in a polite tone.

*... Yes?* Ahem "You can come in!" 'Father' answered after a short silence.

As I opened the door, I could see his icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce through my soul. I took a deep breath and walked through the door, keeping myself as steady as I could under the pressure of his aura.

"I would like to ask, if I could borrow a carriage to go to the capital and stay in the manor for a while..." I said, trying to keep as much composure as I could under his cold gaze.

"..." The middle-aged man with black hair and a robust figure kept his eyes on me, as if urging me to continue.

"It seems I would need technical books that I don't have access to in here. I was planning on borrowing them from the Imperial Library." I tried to justify my reasons as well as I could, since he didn't say anything.

Hmm

"Basically, you want to go to the capital to learn magic?" He squinted.

"... Y-yes?" I stuttered slightly.

"You don't want anything else?"

"What else could I do in the capital, father?" I asked as calmly as I could, as the aura outside his body seemed to be smothering me.

"Well..." He looked out the window for a second or two, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Ahem

"Why don't you ask me to go to the Imperial Academy or for a teacher, then?" He inquired.

"I felt it would be impolite to bother you with such requests, Father." I tried to keep myself as polite as possible.

"I see... Your transportation to the manor and your stay there can be arranged."

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"Thank you for your kindness." I let out a slight breath of relief.

"Don't cause any problems. Your cousin is currently living on the manor, so you'll have to live together."

"Yes. Thank you! I'll take my leave, then." I answered briskly and left the room.

...

In a place where time didn't go quite right, the sun shone blue, accentuating the reddish bark of the trees. Two powerful beings were drinking what seemed to be tea in silence.

Sigh

[Is another mortal showing interest in a deal with you, Sitri?] A woman with black hair and purple eyes asked, her voice reverberating through the forest.

"Yes..." The Devil with crimson hair answered with a seemingly emotionless voice.

[I still don't quite know why you don't make deals often... It's the best way for us to mingle in the mortal realm and increase our influence.] The woman's body turned into that of a little girl, her 'innocent' voice coming through the red trees.

"You wouldn't understand... You... weren't human before becoming a god." She spoke with an emotionless voice, however, her pauses and slight facial expressions betrayed her, giving it a more nostalgic and melancholic connotation.

[Hm, I think I understand... a bit? So, who contacted you?] The little girl's body turned into that of an old man wearing a purple suit, the only thing remaining were her bewitching purple eyes, with a sly look on his face.

"Apparently a... human, however, I am not planning on making a deal with anyone for a while." The Devil answered with an uninterested tone, her red eyes turning a slightly duller shade of blue as she spoke.

[Oh, my, a descendant of yours, huh?! So you wouldn't mind if I made a deal with him then?] The Sly-God's body turned into an alluring woman, very similar to Sitri, however, her cascading crimson hair carried a bewitching shade of purple.

"...?" Her eyes twitched for a short second.

Sigh

"... Don't you already have your toys to play with?" Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.

[Hm? I thought you weren't interested in making any deals?] The Sly-God's eyes gleamed with glee.

"... You should start minding your own business, unless you want me to mind yours, Snake." Sitri's voice grew angrier and more aggressive as she spoke.

[Oh, my... Someone's getting a little too aggressive, no?] The Sly-God smiled, his lips going up to his ears.

"Don't overstep your boundaries." The Devil's body disappeared as if she'd never been there.

[This is going to be quite interesting...] The Sly-God's eyes gleamed with excitement as, for the first time in the conversation, her lips moved as she spoke.