— — — — — —
"Start talking. About Nel."
Midoriko narrowed her eyes slightly toward Pesche.
"...!!"
Pesche froze on the spot. After a short pause, he glanced at the still-confused Nel, his expression growing complicated.
A few seconds passed.
Pesche finally began to explain—slowly, hesitantly.
By the time he finished, Midoriko was staring at Nel in surprise.
This little girl, she actually had that kind of background?
Hueco Mundo… The Espada…
Just hearing that, Midoriko's eyes gleamed with interest.
It lined up with the intel Lynn had already given her.
But still, Nel was a former Espada? And not just that—she used to be No. 3?!
Midoriko looked at the adorable, innocent-looking little girl standing in front of her.
She didn't look like anything special beyond her cuteness… It was hard to believe she used to be one of the most powerful Hollows out there.
But if that's true, then her value was insanely high, wasn't it?
If she used to be No. 3, that should put her at the level of an Ultimate-class Devil, right?
Midoriko's mind started racing.
A bold thought crossed her heart.
She suddenly had the urge to bring Nel straight to Lynn.
Kikyo, on the other hand, was far more direct. She crouched down and asked seriously, "Hey, do you wanna join the Devil Cult?"
"Huh?"
Nel tilted her head. "Devil Cult?"
What was that? Was it something tasty?
She blinked a few times and rubbed her tummy, a little drool forming at the corner of her mouth.
Kikyo: "..."
Right. Definitely not mentally mature.
Her body and memories had both regressed quite a bit.
"Hmm…"
"How could we trick—I mean convince—her to join the Familia?"
...
Midoriko gently patted Nel's head and said in a soft voice, "Nel, do you want to get your memories back?"
Nel's big eyes lit up. She blinked hard and nodded seriously. "I do!"
Even though Pesche had been nice to her, she really didn't know why.
Nel wanted to remember.
And more importantly— She clenched her tiny fists, a determined look on her face. "Nel also wants to punch all the bad guys who bullied her!"
Yup, she might have the mind of a toddler, but she wasn't dumb.
Pesche told her that she used to be super strong!
If she got her memories back, then she'd totally be able to beat up those bad guys!
"Good girl."
Midoriko nodded in satisfaction.
That was that, then.
She didn't know how to actually restore Nel's memory, but Lynn would definitely have a way.
Besides, the Reincarnation Ritual would fix any negative status effects on Familia members.
Amnesia counted as one of those, right?
At that moment, Yotsuya Miko spoke up, volunteering, "If that's the case, let me take Nel to see Lynn-sama."
"I was going to update my Blessing anyway."
Midoriko nodded. "Alright. I'll leave Nel in your care."
Across from them, Pesche opened his mouth as if to speak… but stopped.
What could he say?
He didn't really have a say in any of this, anyway.
It looked like… They were planning to take Nel to meet someone?
Pesche felt uneasy.
Could Nel really get her memories back?
Moments later, a faint magic circle shimmered on the white sand.
Midoriko looked at Pesche, hesitated briefly, then said, "Bring him too. Who knows—maybe he can get a job in Hell."
Pesche: "???"
Hell? A job?
What was she even talking about?
Still, did that mean he could tag along?
The thought made his eyes light up.
He wouldn't feel right letting Nel go alone.
Gratefully, Pesche gave Midoriko a look of heartfelt thanks.
And then—With a flash of light, the magic circle activated, and Miko, Nel, and Pesche all vanished.
— — —
In Hell - Lynn's Room
Miko arrived before Lynn, holding Nel by the hand, who looked around curiously.
As for Pesche? Yeah, she sent him to wait outside.
Obviously.
No one got into Lynn's room without permission.
Lynn glanced at the two of them, showing no surprise.
Midoriko had already messaged him in the chat about their arrival.
His gaze settled on Nel.
Yup. A loli, alright.
In fact, she might just beat out all three million of the lolis he'd already "collected."
He thought of her adult, big-sister version and made a weird face.
The contrast really was something else.
And honestly? He liked it.
Nel, meanwhile, clung to Miko's sleeve and peeked out cautiously from behind her.
Lynn pulled his gaze away from Nel and turned to Miko with a small smile. "Alright, Miko. Let's update your Blessing first."
"Yes, sir!"
Miko's cheeks turned a little red.
It hadn't been that long since she'd seen Lynn, but now she felt unexpectedly shy.
She bit her lip, took off her clothes, and turned around to show him her back.
Nel: "???"
Confusion filled her eyes.
Why was Big Sis Miko taking off her clothes?
She blinked rapidly, full of innocent curiosity.
Before long, Miko's Blessing was updated.
Lynn glanced at it and nodded. "Not bad. Your magic's already at A-rank. The rest of your stats are sitting solidly in B. At this rate, you'll level up again pretty soon."
Even though he'd seen it coming, Lynn was still a little impressed by how fast she was progressing.
He stroked his chin. "Looks like Hueco Mundo really suits you."
Compared to the weak curses in the main world, the Hollows in Hueco Mundo were on a completely different level.
And there were so many of them, too. Easy to find, high-quality, way more efficient.
After handing Miko her updated stats, she looked them over with a smile. Seeing her numbers shoot up made her pretty happy.
At this pace, she might just catch up to Midoriko soon. Maybe even surpass everyone one day!
The thought made her secretly excited.
Meanwhile, Lynn turned to Nel and smiled. "Alright, little one. Your turn."
"Eh?"
Nel blinked, a little confused.
Lynn pointed to Miko. "Just do what she did."
Do what Big Sis Miko did?
Nel looked over at the now-undressed Miko and suddenly understood.
She let out a cheerful "Heave-ho!" and stripped down in an instant.
Then she ran over to Lynn on her tiny legs, tilted her head, and asked, "Like this?"
Lynn paused, a little surprised by how quick and fearless she was.
Then again, with the mind of a toddler, she probably didn't understand what any of this implied.
He gently picked Nel up and sat her backwards on his lap.
And to know that with kids like this, he had zero inappropriate thoughts. He had an age standard.
Lynn conjured up a Devil Piece and smoothly pressed it to her back.
"?"
Nel blinked—and then her mind went blank.
In that moment, the Reincarnation Ritual forcefully stirred her dormant memories.
Images flashed through her brain, familiar yet foreign, speeding by like a storm.
"Ugh…"
Nel winced, letting out a quiet groan.
At the same time, a system prompt sounded in Lynn's ears:
[Ding! You have acquired Familia member: Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck!]
[Ding! Your Familia member 'Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck' has been reborn as a Special-Type Devil!]
.
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