Without much conversation along the way, Kaiser smoothly escorted Asia back to her own room.
He hadn't forgotten about Raynare, but that woman was too rebellious. Even though he had considered using her to test his Balance Breaker as a form of punishment, he still decided to leave her alone for a while longer, letting her stew in her own thoughts.
However, Kaiser did retrieve Ser-Veresta, no longer leaving it with Raynare.
The main reason was that this Fallen Angel had already completed her primary task—bringing Asia to him. He no longer had much use for her. Considering her previous efforts, if she wanted to escape, he'd let her.
He hoped that woman would learn her lesson and stop being a deviant Fallen Angel, or she'd inevitably meet her end in the story.
As for Kuroka…
"You're still not leaving?"
Kaiser was speechless as he looked at the cat-eared girl who had been following him with a smile.
Could it be that she really wanted to have a child with him?
Just as Kaiser was thinking this, Kuroka, who had been smilingly trailing behind him, suddenly spoke up.
"That terrorist group, the Khaos Brigade—did you really join them?"
At these words, Kaiser's steps toward his room came to a halt.
"So you were there after all."
Kaiser pointed this out without much surprise.
He was referring to the time he had confronted the Gremory Peerage at Kuoh Academy.
"I even stopped Shirone for you, you know?"
Kuroka showed no guilt for eavesdropping and instead acted as if she deserved credit.
"Were you helping me? Or were you helping your sister?" Kaiser saw right through Kuroka's intentions and called her out directly. "The Gremory Peerage doesn't have a full grasp of my strength, but you witnessed my fight with that trash Devil. You have a good idea of my capabilities, and you know I have the True Longinus, the natural enemy of Devils."
"If I had used the True Longinus on your sister during that fight, she would've been done for."
"That's what you were thinking, right? That's why you showed yourself to stop her."
After all, Kuroka was a high-priority target on the Devils' wanted list.
Her SS-level danger rating reflected both her strength and her notoriety, as well as the Underworld's focus on her.
The Underworld had zero tolerance for Stray Devils, especially powerful ones who killed their masters and fled. They were seen as thorns in their side, to be eliminated at all costs.
If all reincarnated Devils dared to kill their masters, how could the pure-blooded Devils maintain their status?
Thus, such behavior could not be allowed to spread, and Stray Devils who committed such crimes had to be executed.
Kuroka had been hunted by the Devils for a long time, which was why she had spread miasma in the forest to deal with them.
Someone like her, once she revealed herself, would inevitably be discovered by the Underworld and face pursuit again.
Kuroka surely knew this, yet she still showed herself—all to prevent her sister from being killed by Kaiser's spear.
Now, as Kaiser pointed this out, Kuroka's smile vanished for a moment.
But soon, her smile returned.
"You're wrong, you know? I'm not as concerned about Shirone as you think."
This line might fool others, but not Kaiser.
Because Kaiser knew the original story and the truth.
He knew that Kuroka and Koneko had once been very close, always together—whether sleeping, eating, or playing.
Their parents had died, leaving them homeless and without support, so they relied on each other to get through each day.
Until… Kuroka was chosen by her former master and became his servant.
After being reincarnated as a Devil, Kuroka's growth accelerated rapidly, her hidden talents bursting forth, allowing her to surpass her master in a short time and gain power beyond that of a high-class Devil.
Then, she killed her master, fled the Underworld, and abandoned her sister, becoming a Stray Devil.
According to the Devils, Kuroka had lost control due to her rapid growth, consumed by her power, and turned into a bloodthirsty, battle-crazed villain, thus committing such a grave sin.
Even Koneko believed this, which was why she began to fear her sister, feeling terror and possibly even resentment toward her.
After being abandoned by her sister, Koneko was held accountable by the Devils, seen as a potential danger who might lose control. She was nearly executed, but the Gremory family intervened, taking her in and renaming her Koneko Toujou.
Under these circumstances, those who didn't know the truth would indeed think Kuroka had abandoned her sister and couldn't possibly care for her.
Only Kaiser knew that Kuroka had killed her master because that master wanted to use her and her sister as test subjects.
The master sought results that surpassed the limits of Devils and had set his sights on the rare combat race among youkai—the Nekomata.
When Kuroka saw that her master intended to harm her sister, she could no longer tolerate it and killed him.
Abandoning Koneko was also unavoidable, as Kuroka herself was in dire straits at the time. Staying with Koneko would only put her in more danger.
Considering this, Kuroka chose to leave Koneko behind and draw the Devils' attention alone.
How could someone like her not care about her sister?
After all, when she first appeared, she had mentioned coming here to find her sister, hadn't she?
She had likely heard rumors about unusual events happening in Kuoh Town, attracting various factions, and worried that her sister might be caught up in the danger, which was why she had come to Kuoh Town.
"You're just being stubborn."
Kaiser didn't expose her.
"Oh, let's not talk about Shirone anymore."
Kuroka crossed her arms, looking a bit flustered and annoyed, causing her collar to slip and reveal a large expanse of fair skin.
Kaiser's gaze involuntarily drifted downward, but he quickly looked away without a trace.
"I was asking about you," Kuroka steered the conversation back on track. "Have you really joined the Khaos Brigade?"
"Yes," Kaiser admitted straightforwardly. "And? What do you plan to do now that you know?"
Surely she didn't want to join too?
…Wait, this cat actually does join the Khaos Brigade in the original story!
Sure enough, Kuroka spoke up.
"Can I join too?" Kuroka looked directly at Kaiser, not hiding her intentions. "I want to go there too, nya~!"
Hearing this, Kaiser met her gaze.
"Can I hear your reasons?"
He asked this tentatively.
"The leader of that group is Ophis, right?"
Kuroka's smile was dazzling and alluring.
"The strongest being in the world's faction—if I join, I should be able to gain a lot of benefits, right?"
For example, she wouldn't have to hide anymore, nor worry about dying alone someday, leaving her poor sister without any family or anyone to protect her in the shadows.
Moreover, Kuroka was genuinely interested in Kaiser now, especially after their recent conversation.
If before she had only wanted Kaiser's genes, now she wanted to understand what kind of man he really was.
Unaware of Kuroka's thoughts, Kaiser fell into deep thought.
He considered that letting this cat-eared girl join might not be a bad idea.
Not just joining the Khaos Brigade.
In the original story, she had successfully joined the Khaos Brigade, so her joining now wasn't particularly noteworthy.
What Kaiser was thinking was that since she was going to join the Khaos Brigade anyway, he might as well bring her into his own team.
"Setting aside our previous interactions, purely in terms of qualifications, Kuroka would undoubtedly make a great teammate."
"In terms of strength, she's on par with the highest-class Devils."
"In terms of abilities, she's proficient in demonic power, youkai arts, senjutsu, illusion techniques, and even poison, with some knowledge of spatial manipulation—she's very versatile."
"She's also the type I'm least adept at dealing with, meaning she could compensate for my weaknesses in areas beyond raw power."
"Like just now, when I was at a loss with Asia and Raynare's situation, she resolved it in an instant."
This was likely why she had been invited to join that person's team in the original story.
Now, having encountered her first and having some history with her, this might not be a bad thing.
"Asia excels in healing and recovery but has almost no combat ability."
"I excel in direct combat but lack versatility."
"Kuroka perfectly fills the gaps between Asia and me—she can fight, control, and handle situations."
As someone who had once participated in the Phoenix Festa, a partner-based competition, Kaiser instinctively considered the team's compatibility and realized that the three of them were a perfect match.
They had a vanguard, a rearguard, and even a healer—what more could a team need?
Thinking this, Kaiser's gaze toward Kuroka shifted slightly.
"Nya~?"
Kuroka tilted her head, her ears twitching as she smiled again.
…Well, she's also a cute and eye-catching creature. Maybe it's worth keeping her around.
"Alright," Kaiser nodded. "You can join my team. I'll take responsibility for bringing you into the group."
Well, the Khaos Brigade is still a group.
"Thank you, nya~~~"
Kuroka blinked at Kaiser, speaking in a playful and seductive tone.
"As a thank-you, how about I give you a child?"
"No, thanks."
"Oh, come on, think about it. Despite how I look, it'd be my first time, you know?"
"…No, thanks."
"You hesitated just now, didn't you?"
"I didn't."
"You totally hesitated, nya~!"
"I didn't!"
The two began to bicker, making the atmosphere a bit more lively and less stiff than before.