It took hours for Tenka and Noah to teleport the five hundred plus sacred gear users and two thousand plus service employees out of the isnd, and they were both ragged at the end.

  Over a thousand military personnel and some of anti-demon corps members had mobilized to surround the parking lot, erect tents for privacy, and were interviewing the people Noah and Tenka were bringing one by one. Many of them had boarded busses and were on their way to reunite with their families, while others were given temporary rooms in nearby hotels.

  Noah, being done with his part, had taken a short break, sitting on the side and drinking a coke, and was reflecting on his quest. When he had received it, the quest had been rated as ‘very hard’, and that wasn’t exactly wrong, despite the apparent ease in which he had killed his opponents. There were a lot of things that could have gone wrong, had he acted differently and not gotten stronger.

  If he had not learned Stride, Hayashi would have overwhelmed him. If he had not learned Armored, his surprise attack with the bullet would have done a lot more damage, and if Hayashi had aimed at his brain instead of his heart…

  Had he attacked he guards directly, without first gaining the help of the Isnd’s unwilling residents, he would have been overwhelmed.

  There were plenty of things that could have gone wrong indeed. He had succeeded only because he kept striving to grow stronger.

  A system notification appeared in his vision.

  [Quest succeeded. Arcana – Magician sent into User’s inventory. Bonus reward: 80 000 Yin points, Shikai unlocked. Hagun isnd will be quarantined and repurposed. Rune magic: Two runes.]

  A torrent of information about Rune Magic entered Noah’s mind, and he had a severe headache for a minute. When it subsided, he knew the basics of rune magic, as well as the general use and potential of each of the 283 Runes.

  Rune magic was quite fascinating, in that the effect of the inscribed rune was greatly influenced by the intent of the caster at the time. For example, the Life Rune could be used to create a healing artifact, give a living being increased regeneration or lifespan, create golems, and more.

  Lilith had actually allowed him to use rune magic in an indirect way, by giving him the ability to replicate the special effects of the items he had created in SAO, like the leather harness that couldn’t be removed by the girl wearing it and promoted her bust development, was actually using the Stop and Growth runes.

  But each rune took a lot of time to learn manually. Years, for most of them. And if one didn’t have a complete mastery of the rune, he could not cast or inscribe it, at all. It was an all or nothing kind of magic.

  After some thinking, Noah chooses the two runes he wanted to be able to use the most.

  Stop, and Light.

  He would be able to add Stop to his defensive spells to increase their potency, when he would get around to learn Barricade and such from Lizel, and greatly reinforce his armor. But the real reason was that he had his eyes on a certain Bleach viliness that would appear ter, and if he wanted to subdue her, he needed a way to neutralize her powers. This rune would be a good way to do it.

  As for the Light Rune… Noah thought that his worst weakness at the moment was a ck of ranged firepower. Considering many of his future enemies would have high evasive abilities, he wanted to be able to attack with something much harder to avoid than bullets. Hence, sers. And fshbangs.

  [User can buy the next quest with 50 000 Yin Points. This quest will become unavaible in 36 days.]

  Noah immediately paid the required amount, not hesitating a second after the handsome rewards of the first one, and the next quest was unveiled.

  [Quest Acquired. Raiding Soul Society]

  [Quest objective: Accept Kisuke Urahara’s request to help prevent Rukia Kuchiki’s execution and enter Soul Society. Ensure the survival of every notable character, and forge a positive retionship with Gotei 13’s leadership. Rewards: Bankai unlocked. Ownership of Hagun Isnd.]

  “Ohoh… So it’s the beginning of that arc…” mused Noah in a low voice. He directed a fond gaze at the sword sheathed on his waist.

  “Nice to meet you, Seifuku, my partner.” He said softly.

  The sword vibrated in response to his greeting. Seifuku no Ken, as was its full name, transted as ‘Sword of Conquest’. An apt name for the weapon of Lilith’s champion, and an apt name for its power as well.

  His wasn’t the most potent shikai out there. Right of the top of his head, Noah could remember a shikai that doubled the weight of his opponent’s weapon or body at each contact and would quickly force the enemy to the ground in a near paralyzed state, or the one of Aizen, the first major antagonist, that could manipute his opponents’ senses. But Seifuku’s first release was still a very good one.

  The rewards were nothing to sneeze at, even ignoring the isnd. He was making on average 3 000 Yin points per day roaming in Hueco Mundo and killing any hollow crossing his path. So this was almost a month worth of income. Giving him access to the Shikai was a significant power boost.

  Tenka teleported in, bringing Kyouka and the Commander with her. Noah stood and nodded politely.

  “Commander, Kyouka.”

  “Good job. Noah. You truly didn’t need our help to subdue those criminals.” Said Ren with a small, appreciative smile.

  “Thank you, Commander. But I’m gd I can offload the aftermath to the government. What is the official version about this mess? The newsies must have heard by now.”

  “There are too many people involved for an effective coverup, so we’re telling the truth, or a close version of it. A rge human trafficking organization had been discovered, thousands of trafficked adults forced to cater to a bunch of wealthy billionaires, while kidnapped sacred gear users were forced to fight in an arena for their entertainment. I hope you won’t mind us telling it was a member of the Corps who spearheaded the rescue. We can always use good advertising. We’re not going to say anything about devils being involved, though. The vast majority of the popution isn’t aware of their existence, and we’re fine keeping it that way.”

  “I don’t mind, Commander. In fact, I’d be grateful if you could keep the name of the member in question a secret. I’d rather not be harassed by the press.”

  “That can be done. Can you bring us to Hagun Isnd?”

  Noah looked at Tenka, and she shrugged.

  “I can’t teleport to that pce anymore, for some strange reason.”

  “Sorry, Commander, but I just received a message from my Goddess. She quarantined the Isnd.”

  “…That’s a problem. That isnd has something I want.” Frowned Ren.

  “A thing you want, Commander?”

  “The ringleader’s contacts and customers. Many people have been naughty and are still at rge. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if they got away with this.”

  “Ah, that.” Noah took the bck notebook from his inventory and handed it over to Ren, who opened it and started reading a few if its entries.

  “Very good, Noah. I’m starting to appreciate you.” Said Ren with another smile.

  “Hey, back off, Commander. He is MY subordinate, and I’m not handing him over.” Retorted Kyouka.

  “Ohhh?” Ren looked like she was going to pick up the challenge just for the sake of it, and Noah decided to stop them before the situation grew out of hand.

  “Ahem, Commander, when I agreed to join the corps, I promised Kyouka that I would work under her, at least until her objectives were fulfilled. That’s a promise I intend to keep. And would you really want to get your hands on someone who would be willing to break a promise and renege on his word?”

  “…No. You win, I won’t forcefully seize you from Kyouka. But your loyalty only makes you more interesting…” With a st look to Kyouka, she left the tent.

  “Wow.” breathed out Tenka. “This may be the first time I’ve ever seen the Commander backing off. Noah, what are your balls made off?”

  He simply shrugged in answer.

  “Tenka, I need you.” Called out Ren from outside, and the Chief waved to Noah and Kyouka before leaving the tent.

  “Thanks, Noah.” Said Kyouka with a heartfelt voice.

  “You’re welcome. Now that Hagun Isnd is dealt with, I’ll be able to spend some more time with the Seventh squad. I’ll show my face in the dormitory more often.”

  “I had a spar with Suzu.” Said Kyouka.

  “Yes, she told me.” Nodded Noah.

  “I lost.”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll sign your contract. So, give me power.”

  “I will. But you must be aware, Kyouka, that while the soul contract is sort of the trigger and formal recognition necessary for me to share my power, it isn’t enough by itself. It also needs for our retionship to reach a certain point, where you would be not simply willing to swear eternal loyalty to me, but actually mean it. We will need to be more proactive to reach that state.”

  “…I understand. I am still willing to sign.”

  Noah stared into her eyes, and saw only determination, and maybe a bit of something more. He created a sve contract, using the same terms he had made for Asuna and his sves.

  Kyouka carefully read the contract, and sighed, looking at him.

  “The terms are harsh.”

  “Yeah, there are deliberately excessive, because that is part of the fun. But I promise you that I will treat you like a precious treasure, just like I do Suzu and the others.”

  Kyouka, after inquiring how to sign the contract, partially unsheathed her katana and ran a finger along the edge, cutting herself. She signed the contract with her blood, and the contract burst in fmes.

  Without a word, Noah healed her cut, embraced her gently, and kissed her. After a short hesitation, she returned the kiss.

  “You belong to me now, Kyouka, but you won’t regret it.”

  “I hope so. Take good care of me, Noah.” Said Kyouka, letting her face show some doubt and vulnerability. She might be an avenger and a squad Chief, but Kyouka was also a girl, and now, she rexed some of the discipline she had imposed on herself.

  Noah kissed her again, and they stayed like this for a few minutes, sharing their warmth.

  But all goods things had to end, and there were many things he still needed to do.

  “Kyouka, do you want to come with me? I’ll introduce you to some people I met in that isnd. Four of them agreed to work as my maids for three years, so you’ll see them a lot in the future. I also want them to attend school at Ginsei, if I can convince the headmaster.”

  “Huh, you certainly work fast. Let me guess, they are pretty girls, and they will join your harem.”

  “Of course! But three of them are currently in love with someone else, so I’ll win them over slowly. Don’t worry, I’ll keep time for you.”

  “Are they strong? Will they join the anti-demon-corps?”

  “You can always ask them. I won’t object if they wish to.”

  Noah left the tent and went to another where Zane, Maria, Iris, Hisui, Rui, Alice and Cire, the unofficial leaders of the Returnees, as people were starting to call the liberated people, were discussing with Ren Yamashiro and Tenka. The Commander of the anti-demon corps gnced for a second in his direction as he and Kyouka entered, but didn’t object as they sat near the end of the table. Ren was essentially debriefing them to learn how they had been treated, and how the fighting had happened, step by step.

  As he listened, Noah thought about the two sacred gears, Arbor Field and Staring Gold. He had helped himself to them after killing Mason and Jason, but he hadn’t decided what to do with them yet. He could gift them to the members of Rias’s peerage who didn’t yet have a sacred gear, Koneko and Akeno, or to Lizel, Miyabi and Reina, or again to Rui or Hisui.

  He decided he would first offer them to Rui and Hisui. They would both have a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses from the start, and he already pnned to one day procure the Divine Dividing sacred gear, Ddraig’s counterpart, Albion, and gift it to Akeno. She would look nice wearing the gold-trimmed, white armor, after learning how to use it.

  “…Thank you, everyone.” Said Ren as she had no more questions. “We have contacted your family members, at least those we could reach. Is there anyone among you won’t doesn’t have anywhere to go? We’ll find you a house or apartment.”

  “My retives are all dead. I had a home, but after being kidnapped seven years ago, someone else likely lives there now.” said Maria.

  “It’s the same for Lay and me. We don’t have a home anymore.” replied Iris with a sad expression.

  Ren gnced at Noah again.

  “Considering your retionship with Noah, and that you know about the existence of devils, I will find you a home near Ginsei Academy. You will need to take supplemental lessons for a while to start making up for the years you spent in captivity. I’ll ask the education department to assign teachers to help you.

  To Noah, the Commander’s decision made sense. In Japan, almost all the young devils, and the humans who knew about them, were regrouped in Ginsei Academy, and to a smaller extent the nearby Kuoh academy. It was a way for the government to more easily prevent leaks and keep an eye on the devils. The five Great Satans, satisfied with the added security and the opportunity for the young devils to socialize with humans without risking exposure and the ensuing hysteria, were satisfied with it.

  More likely, it was their idea in the first pce.

  “What about the others?” inquired Ren as she looked at each other in turns.

  “I managed to contact my folks a while ago. They’re taking the first pne to Japan.” said Zane.

  “Cire, Rui, Hisui and I will stay at Noah’s pce for the foreseeable future.” added Alice.

  Ren looked deeply at Noah.

  “…Is there anything I should be aware of?”

  “Nothing reted to the Corps.” replied Noah with a slight smile.

  “…Very well. Take good care of them.”

  “That’s the pn, Commander.”

  “Then I’ll take my leave. I still have many things to do. Good job, Noah. You did well.”

  “Thank you, Commander.” nodded Noah.

  Ren and Tenka left the tent, and Noah introduced Kyouka to everyone.

  A soldier came, asking Maria, Lay and Iris to follow him. They had found them a rge apartment to live in, less than a kilometer from his home and from the Academy.

  Whoever subordinate Ren had handed the task of finding it certainly worked fast. Or maybe they had prepared beforehand, sine Noah had told them about him going to Hagun isnd nearly two weeks ago, and the area surrounding Ginsei was the logical spot to start preparing locations for returned sacred gear users having some knowledge about devils.

  All the returned quickly hugged each other, and promised they would see each other in school and exchange phone numbers as soon as they procured smartphones.

  “Do we have more things we need to do here?” asked Cire, turning toward Noah and Kyouka.

  “Tired?” smiled Noah?

  “It’s been a long day, with too much tension.” nodded Cire.

  “I could use a break as well.” sighed Hisui.

  “I think we’re done here. Even if we aren’t, I’m only a phone call away. So how about I show you all your new home? Kyouka, do you want to have dinner with us as well?”

  “I’ll come. I heard from the report that you had a rge house, but I have yet to visit it.”

  “Ok. Then, everyone, please make physical contact with me, and I’ll teleport us.”

  “You really have a convenient power. Maybe I should bring you with us when we go shopping.” grinned Rui as she put a hand on her shoulder. Kyouka, Alice, Cire and Hisui also touched him.”

  “My credit card will be in danger.” chuckled Noah, and he teleported them in front of his home.

  The girls widened their eyes as they looked at the rge mansion.

  “Is that really your house?” asked Hisui.

  “Working for a goddess, especially one that expects her Champions to form rge families, has its perks. She’s given me a literal castle for a home in the other world.”

  Noah unlocked the door and invited them inside.

  “She certainly is generous with her subordinates.” said Alice, looking impressed as they entered.

  “There are three dozen rooms, each with a small, attached bathroom, several game rooms and media rooms, a huge kitchen, two underground basements, and a rge pool in the garden. I’ll show you around.”

  Noah showed them each room one by one.

  In the end, they gathered in the living room.

  “I understand now why you wanted some maids. This pce is huge. It would be a full time job for a single person to keep it clean.” sighed Hisui, a drink of Coke in her hand. Noah had served them all something.

  “We’ll need to come up with a way to distribute the chores.” said Noah. “I’ll do the cooking whenever I am present, maintain the pool, and I’ll clean my own room. You girls will be in charge of the rest. For the unoccupied rooms, just dusting them and using a vacuum cleaner on the floor once a month should be enough, I think. Unless you want to do it more often. And there will be more maids in the future, so your workload will decrease over time. Do you have any objections?”

  “That sounds fair enough.” said Cire, frowning slightly. “But are you a good cook?”

  “You’ll have your answer ter this evening.” smiled Noah. “Actually, Asuna is the better cook, but it seems she’s currently training to be a Shinigami. It will be a while before we can see her.”

  “I look forward to it.” smiled Alice. “Back in the isnd, we had to make do with the vegetables that our comrades that were too weak to fight were growing in the farms, and precious little else. There were only a few meat shipments from time to time, and only a bit of salt as seasoning.”

  “I see. Is there something you girls would like to eat in particur for dinner?”

  “How about pasta? It’s been so long, I forgot what it tastes like.” suggested Cire.

  “Yes, please!” eagerly nodded Hisui and Rui.

  “How about… spaghetti Bolognese, with beef meat balls, and grated Parmesan cheese and a basil leaf on top?”

  “Sounds great!” excimed Rui.

  Kyouka, Cire, Hisui and Alice nodded their approval.

  “If you have a favorite dish you’d like me to make, feel free to tell me about it. We’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. But now that we’re in private, there is a matter we need to discuss…”

  Noah leaned forward a little, looking at Hisui and Rui.

  “Earlier today, when I dealt with Mason and Jason, I also seized their sacred gears.”

  He took from his inventory the two objects in questions, and they levitated above his palm, radiating a green and a golden light.

  “What? How can you do that? Sacred gears disappear when their owners are killed.” gasped Alice.

  “Soul magic. And they don’t disappear the instant their owners die, there’s a dey. This aside, Rui, Hisui, would you like to have you own sacred gears?”

  “Are you serious?” excimed Rui.

  “Of course. I’d be a complete ass to dangle those in front of you just to tell you that you can’t have them.”

  “…Can it even be done? We’re Youkai, and sacred gears…” started Hisui.

  “There’s no issue. I already gave another sacred gear to a devil, and there was no side-effect.”

  “Noah…” started Kyouka uneasily. “If you start giving sacred gears to non-humans, some people in the government are going to think you’re upsetting the bance between the factions, and not in our favor.”

  Noah nodded.

  “I understand. Thank you for pointing it out. Hisui and Rui will just have to be careful not to expose that they have those sacred gears for a while, until I grow too useful for the government to consider moving against me. Assuming they want those sacred gears, of course.”

  “Yes, I’d like to have one, please.” replied Rui. “After years living on this isnd, of seeing my friends risk their lives again and again while I sat on the sidelines… I want to become stronger.”

  “Rui…” Hisui took her former roommate’s hand in her and squeezed gently.

  “What about you, Hisui? Do you want one of those?”

  “Thank you, Noah, but I feel fine as I am right now.” said Hisui as she shook her head.

  “Fine. Rui, which one do you want?”

  “Starring Gold, please.”

  Noah left his seat to crouch beside Rui and guided the sacred gear into her chest. Just like for Rias, it became part of her.

  “You’ll have to learn how to use it from scratch.”

  “Yes. Thank you very much, Noah.” smiled Rui.

  “You’re welcome. You are part of my family for the next three years, and I take care of my family.”

  “For the next three years?” asked Kyouka, tilting her head in confusion.

  “Ah, Kyouka, I didn’t tell you. Cire, Alice, Hisui and Rui have signed a contract with me, but a different one. They don’t share my abilities, and will work for me as my maids for a thousand days. In return, I will, when I accrue enough achievements to exchange for the ability to resurrect people, revive a person dear to them.”

  “It goes without saying, but you all are strictly forbidden from revealing that I will one day be able to do that. It comes with a cost, per individual revived, and I don’t want to be forever hounded by people wanting me to revive their retives. I also already have two women in mind I want to resurrect, and I want it to be a surprise for their daughters.”

  The girls could only nod at Noah’s order. They had no choice, as the contracts they had signed would stop them from making any attempt to.

  “You must trust Kyouka-san a lot, to reveal something like this.” said Alice.

  “I signed a contract, too. I won’t reveal anything Noah doesn’t want me too.” pointed out Kyouka.

  “Another maid?”

  “No. Kyouka wanted power, and I’m going to give it to her. I wanted her to meet you girls today because she’s going to be a regur guest in my home. Eventually, it will be her home, too.”

  “That’s going to be a problem, though. I can’t exactly abandon the seventh’s squad dormitory.” pointed out Kyouka.

  “Yes. we’ll think of something ter. For now, I’d like each of you girls to choose a room, including you, Kyouka, then I’ll create a few sets of clothes for each of you. I’m aware the government intends to give you some money to get some basic outfits, and you’ll get school uniforms from Ginsei as well. But I’m sure you’d all like to change ASAP” smiled Noah. His four maids were still wearing the ragged clothes they had on the isnd.

  “You can say that again!” said Rui as she nodded with gratitude.

  “Let’s go choose your rooms, then.”

  Without surprise, the girls ended up choosing rooms next to each other on the second. Noah had each of them wait in their own rooms and visited them to create clothes for the girls. Ten sets of cotton underwear mostly white, but a few using their favorite colors, then a handful of casual outfits, and five maid uniforms each. He didn’t create any cloth or underwear made of leather or tex for them at this point. He was going to wait for them to get used to being his maids before starting on the training part of the contracts they had signed.

  As he worked, Noah instructed each of them to take a shower, which they were looking forward to, before putting on the maid uniform that he would have prepared and pced on their beds.

  Half an hour ter, he was waiting with Kyouka in the living room, when his new maids, looking slightly uncomfortable and flushed while dressed in their uniforms, came down the stairs.

  “You girls look cute. Those uniforms suit you well.” smiled Noah.

  “Er, thanks. But do we really have to wear those chokers? They feel, demeaning.” compined Cire, pointing out to the small bck leather choker around her neck.

  “I don’t agree on that. To me, they are a symbol of the devotion a maid should have toward her Master, and thus, they are beautiful. These are part of the default maid outfit you’ll wear when you’re not at school or doing something outside. They will help you develop the mindset of being a good maid. And from now on, whenever we aren’t in public, you must call me Master. It’s about time to eat dinner, so I’ll get started on the cooking.” said Noah as headed toward the kitchen.

  Kyouka volunteered herself to help, curious about Noah’s cooking skills.

  Those chokers were just pieces of leather, without any enhancement. Noah only intended to get them used to wear those for now.

  In the living room, Alice looked at her companions in doubt. She already knew that the contract they all had signed had loopholes, but it was only now, rethinking about the exact wording, that she started to realize just how many things Noah could do to them. He could not force himself on them, but he could do just about anything else.

  Back then, she had been blinded by the possibility of reviving Kensei, and almost unable to think of anything else. Now, she regretted not having insisted on closing those loopholes.

  “Did we really do the right thing?” muttered Hisui.

  “…It’s too te for regrets now. As long as he holds his part of the bargain and revive nii-chan, I’ll endure.“ said Cire with determination.

  “Yes. If life gives you lemons…” sighed Alice.

  All four girls were unaware that the soul contract they had signed was already starting to affect their mentality, suppressing any outright rebellious thought before it even started forming and guiding them toward acceptance of their Master’s wishes.

  …

  Grayfia rose to her feet and stretched, before she went to the kitchen of the small apartment she was using as temporary hideout, and made herself some coffee.

  Doing the surveilnce on Noah herself took a lot of her time, but it was something too sensitive to involve her usual subordinates. Still, it was fruitful. He had barely come back, and already, she had learned something good.

  Bringing dead people back wasn’t too much of a shock. There was a Longinus sacred gear, the Sephiroth Grail, that could do just that, even if that one had the unfortunate tendency to drive its owner to madness.

  Grayfia had a suspicion about the identities of the two women Noah mentioned he pnned to revive. He would likely use them as a mean to worm his way into the hearts of two members of her niece’s peerage.

  But while she wasn’t blind to the pragmatic advantage Noah could gain from doing this, it didn’t mean it wasn’t worth doing it in the first pce. She deeply sympathized with Akeno and Koneko, and if Noah could pull such a feat, she shouldn’t be too hasty in getting rid of him.

  Still, she had her orders. Tomorrow, she would start spreading the news of Rias agreeing to become his Queen.