Chapter 8: Ajuka
A/N: Here's the new Chapter! Which also means the next FIVE chapters are up on my for early access as well as the chance to vote on the direction of the story!
Some of you saw this POV coming~
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Ajuka Beelzebub is at a table, hunched over and working on something when the alert comes in. He blinks, pausing and tilting his head to the side in confusion. Admittedly, it's not often he finds himself befuddled these days. But this… this definitely does it.
After all, how could the silent alarm for the King Monument in the center of the Astaroth Territory be going off if there were no other silent alarms triggered? Had someone gotten their promotion to High-Class, collected their token and their set of Evil Pieces, and then just… forgotten to go register with the Monument before everything shut down for the day?
That didn't seem very plausible, even if such a thing did happen, they would surely just come back the next day, not try to sneak in during the middle of the night.
With a huff, Ajuka finally turns away from his current project and checks on the alert. What he finds makes him narrow his eyes thoughtfully, even as the corner of his mouth quirks up ever so slightly in the smallest of amused smirks. Someone… is playing games with him.
After all, that's pretty much the only explanation for why a Devil from an extinct Pillar Clan has just somehow registered a set of Evil Pieces with the Monument. Pretty much everyone 'knows' the Valefor Clan was driven into extinction back during the Great War. Ajuka, meanwhile, knows that the last Valefor actually died during the Civil War… and at Lucrezah's own hands no less.
That was a bit of a sore spot for his friend and colleague, Ajuka knew. In fact, bringing up the Valefor or her complete failure to ever locate Grayfia Lucifuge was a great way to enrage the current Lucifer beyond all sense of reason.
Was that what this was? Someone trying to put Lucrezah on the warpath using Ajuka himself as the messenger? Tch, his good humor is rapidly fading at the thought and he very nearly decides to ignore it altogether. But just before he's about to cancel the alert and go back to his previous work, Ajuka… pauses.
… He at least needs to know how they got past all of the other security, unfortunately. Sighing, Ajuka brings up the hidden camera feeds that not even the Astaroth Clan knows about, feeds that only Ajuka has access to and is aware of.
Immediately, Ajuka is glad that he did because there's definitely something strange going on. At first, his eyes slide right off of the screen he's staring at, his senses telling him that there's no one there. Except at the same time, his mind tells him there's definitely at least one person on the screen… probably two.
Focusing much more than he was before, Ajuka narrows his eyes and grits his teeth, pushing past the strange feeling of 'ignore this, it's not important'. He's rewarded for his troubles with the face of someone that he recognizes right away despite the five hundred year gap.
Grayfia Lucifuge.
One of Ajuka's eyebrows raise and he peers at her curiously, noting the maid uniform she's wearing. Looks good on her. Looks… comfortable, despite her lineage. Then again, the Lucifuge Clan had always been loyal servants to the Lucifer Clan, hadn't they?
Regardless, she's not alone. Never mind that she's the only one on the feed, Ajuka knows immediately that she's not the only one actually there. He knows this for two main reasons. Number One, the Monument had noted down an 'Amadeus Valefor' when registering the set of Evil Pieces and such things couldn't or rather shouldn't have been fakable.
Number Two though is the way Grayfia holds herself. She's angling herself towards a seemingly empty space directly in front of the Monument and even though her eyes are flicking all over the place, searching for threats, its obvious she defers to whoever is hidden from his view.
Curiosity wholly piqued now, Ajuka begins to move to other cameras, following their path backwards from the Monument… into the main building for the High-Class Examinations. Grayfia moves carefully, primly, and properly… all while escorting an invisible figure who slips through security designed by Ajuka himself without a care in the world.
Even the vault where all Evil Pieces Sets are stored each night before the Examination Center closes is… broken into without the invisible Valefor so much as breaking a sweat. Ajuka watches as one of the sets of Evil Pieces is pilfered with ease, none of the enchantments or alarms going off despite the blatant theft.
He'd always known Clan Valefor was renowned for their thieving ways… and in turn, the security measures they'd developed as a result of their experience with such skullduggery. Unfortunately, the amount of information on the supposedly extinct Clan left behind after their passing had been miniscule in nature.
Hearing rumors about their work was one thing. Seeing it himself… that was another entirely. If it weren't for Ajuka's own inventions and the extra levels of security he'd instituted that only he knew about, this Valefor and his… Lucifuge Maid would have been in and out without leaving a single trace.
Following back as far as his hidden cameras go, Ajuka is able to confirm that the pair came from the old Valefor Lands, which from what he'd heard, were said to be a mixture of cursed and haunted these past few centuries. Somehow though, despite never actually laying eyes on this 'Amadeus' himself, Ajuka highly doubts that the Devil is a ghost of any kind. Just as he suspects very strongly that Grayfia Lucifuge is also alive and kicking and not some sort of specter.
No… the Valefor that Lucrezah thought she killed five hundred years ago was somehow still alive. And the Lucifuge that his colleague had been hunting all these centuries had been at his side all along. To be fair, Lucrezah had told Ajuka everything she knew about that day. She'd told him how her Power of Destruction burned Amadeus Valefor's hands and wrists to cinders before being stopped by some strange stasis field. And she'd told him about how both the young Devil and Grayfia disappeared from the battlefield.
Given Ajuka was no idiot, it seemed obvious that Amadeus had done the unthinkable. He'd done what Lucrezah had always considered impossible and survived her Power of Destruction. It had just taken him a long, long time. Five hundred years, to be exact.
Of course, that leads to one simple question, doesn't it? What does Ajuka do with this information now that he has it? By all accounts, he should inform Lucrezah immediately given her personal investment in all of this. And yet…
It should be said that Ajuka is not much of a leader. Sure he's one of the Four Great Satans, but he's always been happier leaving the lion's share of the spotlight to the others. Lucrezah handled Domestic Affairs, Serafall handled Foreign, and Falbum was in charge of the Military.
This left Ajuka free to pursue his own passions, specifically that of research and scientific development. As the Chief Advisor for the Underworld's Research & Development, he could work on his own projects without having to constantly be bothered with things like the Old Satan Faction making moves or one of the other Supernatural Factions raising a fuss.
This was how it had been for five hundred years and this was how Ajuka preferred it to stay. At the same time though, Lucrezah, Serafall, and Falbium WERE more than just his colleagues. They were also his friends. His only friends really.
But given how much of a pain point the last Valefor and Grayfia Lucifuge were for Lucrezah, Ajuka really wasn't sure that telling her about their survival would be a good or healthy idea. For any of the three of them, really. The current Lucifer would immediately fly off to the Valefor Lands and begin tearing them apart, not even thinking about how it would look and what it might lead to.
… No. Better to just let it simmer for a bit longer. Amadeus Valefor was the Lord of a Pillar Clan, after all. And technically they'd pardoned everyone who fought on the wrong side of the Devil Civil War, so he and Grayfia weren't even necessarily fugitives at least as far as the government was concerned.
If left to their own devices, they would eventually feel comfortable and strong enough to reveal themselves hopefully. At which point, he would assist Serafall and Falbium in restraining Lucrezah from doing anything… regrettable.
And if they didn't reveal themselves after a certain amount of time, then Ajuka would tell Lucrezah what had happened all the same and let the chips fall where they may. After all, Ajuka DID eventually want to have a talk with the Valefor whelp about everything he was capable of and what sort of technology his Clan had developed.
… But the pair deserved a headstart at the very least, Ajuka figured. If nothing else then because they'd shown him some serious holes in the security surrounding the Evil Pieces System. Holes he would be closing up… just as soon as he was done with his current project.
Nodding in satisfaction, pleased with his decision, Ajuka Beelzebub turns back to the table he'd been hunched over previously and gets engrossed back in his work within moments, putting all thought of surviving Valefor Clan Heirs and Grayfia Lucifuge in a maid uniform out of his mind.
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Arriving back at the safe house, Amadeus feels like he's on top of the world. The case of Evil Pieces held in his hand thrums with promise and potential and he can practically feel the connection to them pulsing through him. Or maybe he's just really, really excited given what comes next.
Without a word, he leads Grayfia to the bedroom, a wide grin on his face as she follows behind him dutifully and doesn't ask a single question. As soon as they're both safely ensconced inside of the room, he makes for the bed and sets the Evil Pieces case down, flicking it open with a flourish.
"Grayfia, come here."
"Yes Master?"
Without further ado, he picks up the Queen Piece and turns to face her.
"I want you to be my Queen."
He says it as matter-of-factly as possible. Not a question, not a request… no, this is a statement bordering on command. After all, this was the entire reason Amadeus had done all of this. The only reason he wanted a set of Evil Pieces in the first place was so he could use the Queen Piece on Grayfia. Sure she might not ever be Lady Valefor. Sure, she might prefer to stay as his Head Maid for the rest of their days, his most leal servant.
Amadeus was willing to accept that fact in order to make Grayfia happy. She preferred the servant's life and that… that was just something he was learning to appreciate, one step at a time. However, that didn't mean he couldn't still show her just how much she meant to him in other ways. Ways such as making her the Queen to his King.
Some might say it was a waste. After all, these Evil Pieces were capable of reincarnating Non-Devils into Devils and Grayfia was already both a Pureblood Devil AND his most loyal subordinate. But Amadeus didn't care about efficiency or optimization or even power really. None of that mattered to him as much as this did.
… Which is why he has to admit, he starts to get a little upset when Grayfia's face falls in the wake of his declaration. As his words hang in the air, she looks crestfallen and even apologetic.
"I… I'm sorry Master, I-"
Amadeus growls, causing Grayfia to flinch as his anger pours through a bit.
"And why are you sorry? You have no reason to be sorry. Just accept it. As my self-proclaimed servant and maid, it should be easy enough for you to do so, right?"
Grayfia ducks her head.
"I-It's not that, I promise! Master, I would be glad to be your Queen! It just-!"
Well, that's all he needs to hear.
"Quiet. Tell me how to apply the Queen Piece to you. Now."
Grayfia looks stricken. He's not sure why, after all she wanted him to be strict and domineering with her, didn't she? She wanted him to act like her Lord and Master rather than her lover.
"… You place the piece against the recipient's chest and it will do the rest. But Master, please-!"
Ignoring whatever other protests she might have for him, Amadeus steps forward and brings the Queen Piece up to Grayfia's front just like he'd been told. Only, it doesn't work as she said it would. Even as he presses the Evil Piece towards the top of her chest, he feels this… pressure. A resistance, like two magnets repelling one another.
He clenches his teeth, trying to make it work anyways, attempting to force the Queen Piece forward… but he never even gets the damn thing to touch the fabric of Grayfia's maid uniform, let alone anything more. Finally, he's forced to pull his hand back, biting out a curse.
"Fuck! Why isn't it working?"
Grayfia hangs her head in shame and Amadeus can tell she knows why. She's been trying to tell him why, in fact. But now she's silent.
"Grayfia… tell me why I can't make you my Queen."
Taking on a domineering tone and making it an order does the trick. Grayfia's back goes straight and her head comes up as she looks at him apologetically, still stricken.
"Because Master… you're not strong enough."
Amadeus blinks at that and Grayfia rushes to elaborate.
"I-I'm sorry… if I had known this was why you suddenly became so interested in getting your own set of Evil Pieces, I would have warned you ahead of time. I… the Evil Pieces do not allow weaker Devils to reincarnate or take on stronger entities. You are Upper High-Class yes, but I… I'm afraid I'm Upper Ultimate-Class by this point. The breadth of power between us is such that… that you will not be able to make me your Queen until you're much, much stronger."
So this was what being emasculated felt like. Amadeus had to admit, he'd never much cared about such things before.
Power? So what, he didn't need to be the most powerful, he preferred to pursue the arts and be happy. Strength? He trained of course; in fact he'd trained a lot with Grayfia growing up before the Devil Civil War. If it wasn't for Grayfia, he wouldn't be as strong as he already was.
And yet, that strength… he'd only been as dedicated to his training with Grayfia BECAUSE of Grayfia. Because he wanted to impress her. Because he wanted to eventually court her. But it didn't matter to him that she was so much stronger than him no matter how hard he worked. Because it hadn't seemed to matter to her. No, rather, he KNEW it didn't matter to her. And that was good enough for him. That was all he needed.
Now though… now it was getting directly in the way of what he wanted most in this world. He wanted Grayfia at his side as his Queen. Not just his maid, not just his servant, but his Queen. And he couldn't have that… because he was too weak.
Turning back to the open case, Amadeus looks at the Queen Piece for a moment before slotting it back into place. From behind her, Grayfia speaks up, still sounding so very apologetic.
"I-I'm truly sorry, Master. I promise I'm not going anywhere. I will serve you faithfully for the rest of my life, Evil Piece or not. W-We'll find you another Queen, a strong Queen that will serve you just as well. I'll train her myself and-!"
"No."
Closing the case with a click, Amadeus turns back to Grayfia and smiles crookedly.
"I won't accept anyone else as my Queen, Grayfia. No matter what happens… YOU will be my Queen, however long it takes. I just have to get stronger."
Grayfia licks her lips.
"M-Master?"
Amadeus grins. What has her so nervous? Is it the hungry look in his eyes? One would think she would be excited, not scared.
"Train me, Grayfia. Train me until I bleed. Train me until I beg for mercy… and then train me some more. I won't stop until I'm not just Ultimate-Class, but so high in Ultimate-Class that I can make you my Queen. That, Grayfia Lucifuge… is a fucking promise."
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The Vote:
[X] Amadeus backs up his promise by fucking her again right then and there - 76%
[ ] Skip the sex scene, keep pushing plot - 24%
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