Thomas Prest: A Simple Magician

"So? How was the mystery healer like, Serafall? Did he meet your expectations?" Ajuka Belzebub teasingly asked, supporting his chin with his hand as he lazily lounged behind the table where all four Satans currently sat.

This was one of their private gatherings, the place where they could act like themselves without being stiff and having to play politics with the Council. The place where they could complain and talk freely about the old shitty fossils or their following plans.

Many could easily forget but the current four Satans were all close friends. It was this friendship that held the anti-Satan faction together for so long. The oppressive might behind the four strongest devils being united under one banner.

That's why Ajuka knew Serafall intended to meet with the mystery healer whose deeds brought incredible benefits to their race... but also made some political giants very uncomfortable with how much favor a non-devil was gaining from the Pillar Families.

It was nothing of concern as of yet but during her long career, Serafall quickly learned it was better to take a precaution sooner rather than regret not doing so later.

"How should I know? We only had a short meeting, Ajuka." Serafall drawled and rolled her eyes, and unlike her otherwise cheerful and dutiful appearance, she was completely sprawled on the table with her upper body, acting like a slob.

In these meetings, there was no need to act like Sera-tan. These idiots knew about her real nature so why should she hide it? That sounded like a bother.

"Come on. Give us something, Sera. You aren't our best diplomat for nothing." Sirzechs quipped, sitting in his chair with his usual kind and gentle smile donned on his face, his hands relaxedly lying on the table with fingers clasped together.

Serafall inwardly groaned. She knew he did it mostly for Ajuka's curiosity's sake since the bastard had already met with Tom and probably made his own assessment.

The problem was... Sirzechs was in charge of internal affairs. Having him deal with Tom would have been inappropriate for his station. Hence, it had to be Serafall's job.

Everyone in the devil race now knew about the existence of a healer who could heal the Sleeping Sickness. But his clout of mystery was maintained because of all the secrecy agreements that had to be agreed upon before meeting him. Only those that made a deal with him saw him and they could not speak about it.

This created a bizarre situation where everyone knew about him, but only a few high-ranking people who were sworn to secrecy actually met him and couldn't talk about it.

"What can I say?" Serafall grumbled, "First impression was good. At least he didn't seem all that research-crazy as Ajuka." Ajuka rolled his eyes at that, "But... my incredible seduction techniques didn't work at all!" Serafall indignantly whined.

It took a great deal of mental fortitude and long-lasting training for Ajuka and Sirzechs to not twitch at that statement. They both knew how... atrocious Serafall's flirting attempts were but as good gentlemen, they kept their mouths shut and only placidly nodded.

This was one of the forbidden topics when dealing with Serafall and neither of them was about to breach it.

"That's unfortunate. If you could seduce him into joining our race it would be a massive boon and stop a lot of troubles from happening." Sirzechs spoke in a faux sincere tone.

Despite being a gorgeous girl desired by many devils and non-devils alike, Serafall wasn't much of a seductress. Sirzechs also met Tom and from that meeting, he concluded that seduction was not a good route to get him into their ranks. Not unless he first falls for a devil woman.

It was regrettable. So many problems could have been easily dealt with if only Tom joined somebody's peerage. But no, the human just had to have aversion to that.

Zekram Bael was starting to get antsy with a non-devil holding so much favor with so many Pillar Families and while nothing was being schemed by his infernal faction as of now, that could change very quickly.

It was times like these that Sirzechs hated his job...

"It's only expected that you failed, Serafall. Don't be so down because of it." Ajuka tried to cheer her up, "Even I failed to persuade many geniuses to join my peerage. They are simply too smart to join without asking difficult questions first and once these are truthfully answered, they quickly get unwilling really fast. It's vexing, ya know?" He wistfully sighed, still remembering Leonardo Da Vinci's deadpan rejection.

That man actually made Ajuka realize many problems with his Peerage System through his questioning... but it was too late to fully overhaul it then.

"That's not it!" Serafall huffed, "I finally found someone who doesn't act like a simpering fool just because I am stronger than him. When I started flirting with him, it was because I wouldn't mind having such a person in my peerage." She sullenly said, making Sirzechs' and Ajuka's eyes widen.

Serafall was the only one of the Satans who to this day had no peerage member at all.

Even Ajuka with his over-the-top requirements managed to get one or two people to join him during the last half-millennium. Most of those who fulfilled his criteria were, as he already stated, too smart to accept.

Living thousands of years sounds good only if it is not attached to complete servitude with long work hours seven days a week on Ajuka's research projects, after all.

But Serafall? She was a much tougher cookie. Unlike Ajuka's strict requirements... Serafall was picky and not many people managed to impress her. Hell, in truth, not even Sirzechs and Ajuka knew what exactly was needed to impress her.

One thing could work with one person and if another does it, Serafall could just boredly shrug. She was vexing like that. Totally whimsical and only she knew what went on in her head.

That's why neither Sirzechs nor Ajuka tried to get details of how Tom managed to get in her good graces. It was most likely just something flipping in Serafall's head in the middle of their conversation anyway.

And on top of being impressed, Serafall also had to have, as she called it, a gut feeling that 'I want this person in my life!' or something. This meant in the last five hundred years, only four people fit the description and they were all usually strong-willed individuals who would not join her peerage no matter what she did.

Hence, her pieces were still totally unused.

"Heeh~. And you went straight for seduction when you realized that? If I didn't know better, I would say you are quite smitten." Ajuka quipped before smirking at Serafall, "Kinda desperate."

Serafall's eyebrow twitched at that and Ajuka could feel a cold feeling dragging up his thighs, heading towards his...

He quickly smashed his legs together, briefly shuddering as he countered the freezing spell Serafall sent at his balls.

"Don't be ridiculous. There is no man who can have this." Serafall scoffed as she raised her body into a sitting position and put her hands on her breasts, emphasizing them. "Only my dear Sona-tan is worthy! Tehehe~" A child-like dreamy smile spread on her face.

Ajuka's lips quirked downward and he turned towards Sirzechs in an attempt to find moral support against this perverted depraved behavior as it was too much even for him, a Satan.

Alas... "Right! Only Sera can understand me!" Sirzechs exclaimed, giving Serafall thumbs up and Ajuka inwardly facepalmed. He had forgotten that his best friend was one of... those people.

"I thought you were married, dude." Ajuka said dryly.

"Ugh." But Sirzechs had a very good answer for that. "That and this are two different matters!"

"Umu!" Serafall sagely nodded, "Tell him, Zechsy!"

"Whatever. Just remember how a few months ago you pissed your wife off by overly spoiling Rias. She had to bind you to the bed with magical ropes and didn't let you go until Millicas was in her." Ajuka gave Sirzechs a friendly reminder, causing him to snap out of his siscon mood.

"Don't remind me." Sirzechs shuddered, his eyes haunted. As happy as he was to become a father, he would rather forget the very enjoyable but even more humiliating process in which Millicas was sired.

That was the first time he was not doing the 'punishing' in the bed and he learned that Grayfia could be really vicious if provoked enough to drop even her maid fetish. Needless to say, Sirzechs swore to himself to do his damnedest to never get her so riled up again.

"Don't be mean, Ajuka." Serafall chided, but the corners of her lips were twitching upward so any sort of seriousness her admonishment could have had instantly evaporated, "Zechsy was very fortunate for his seed to finally get past that frigid bitch's defenses. If not for that, he would have been bound to that bed till this day."

Sirzechs and Ajuka looked at each other, deciding not to comment on that. Sirzechs knew he should defend his wife's 'honor' but he also knew how much enmity was between her and Serafall.

Ajuka, however, knew that Serafall's hostility to the other ice user came from the fact she might or might not have had a small crush on Sirzechs but Grayfia snatched him up before Serafall could act on her feelings.

That and Serafall was more inclined to envy than many other devils. Funnily enough, it was this exact thing that pushed her to reach her current prowess. Her envy of her childhood friends' inborn talent and powers made her train until her hands bled and her body shut down from exhaustion, day after day, and eventually, she reached this far.

But it was also this penchant for envy that caused her grudge against Grayfia to not lessen one bit for the past five hundred years despite Serafall not feeling anything but friendship towards Sirzechs anymore.

Ajuka understood this on a logical level but for an intellectual like him, there were just too many emotions and too little rationality in this problem so he didn't get involved. It was too bothersome.

"At least you learned your lesson and eased up on spoiling Rias after that." Ajuka also chided Sirzechs, deciding it was time to redirect the topic away from Grayfia, "You should really take an example from Serafall in this. She is a total perverted siscon stalker but at least she would never intervene in her sister's matters. She doesn't have tens of folders with possible exclusive and special peerage members for her little sister."

"Ajuka is right, Zechsy. You will harm your little sister's development if you do that." Serafall innocently smiled, enjoying the dismayed expression on Sirzechs.

"I know. I just can't help myself." Sirzechs helplessly shrugged.

As some were addicted to chocolate, games, or porn, he was addicted to planning his sister's glorious rise to power and dominance. He couldn't help it! He had so much fun doing it!

Ajuka winced at that, not understanding these feelings at all. Sure, he liked some of his relatives but he was not obsessed with them like his two friends were. Sighing, he patted Sirzechs's shoulder, "Take it from the brighter side. I doubt Grayfia will punish you for spoiling Millicas."

Sirzechs instantly brightened up at that, his thoughts instantly going into overdrive as he started planning Millicas's glorious rise to power and dominance.

And while all this was going on, Falbium was happily and quietly snoring his day away, not bothered by those troublesome talks at all. Every second that could be spent sleeping counted.