High School DxD: The Lucifer's Devil Trigger — Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Pieces Fall Into Place

Ingvild gazed at the young man sitting across from her, her amber eyes reflecting his calm, unbothered posture.

Fine.

She truly had no other options left. Regardless of whether his promises were woven from truth or falsehood, the most pragmatic thing she could do right now was simply be grateful for her sheer luck. Even if this entire situation turned out to be a beautiful lie, she still had to thank the heavens for dropping this fragile lifeline at her feet.

With that accepted, the last traces of hesitation dissolved from her chest.

The frail-looking girl gently bit her lower lip. After waking up from a century-long slumber—on the very first day of her new life—she made her first real decision.

“My name is Ingvild…” She paused, her brow furrowing slightly as she searched the hazy depths of her memories. “My surname… I don’t quite remember it. But that is fine. Let us just live on together in this era.”

‘Sakura Tohsaka.’

The name echoed in Levi’s mind, completely stalling his thoughts for a brief second.

He rolled the syllables around in his head, his gaze shifting toward the familiar, timid face of the little girl standing nearby. The pieces rapidly clicked into place, painting a very clear picture of the reality he was dealing with.

“Tohsaka…” Levi murmured, his tone measured. “You mean the Tohsaka family that practices magecraft?”

“Yes.”

Sakura’s voice was barely a whisper, so soft and fragile it seemed as though she were terrified that speaking any louder might shatter the air around her.

Hearing her confirmation cemented the theory forming in Levi’s mind. This world was not exclusively the domain of High School DxD. It was a crossover.

The little girl’s fate was drastically different from the original timeline he knew. She had not been thrown into a lightless basement and handed over to that old worm to be tormented. Yet, her flinching, animal-like demeanor, combined with the unmistakable Tohsaka name, confirmed a hard truth. She was a character ripped straight out of the Type-Moon universe.

In other words, the human world held connections to the Holy Grail, magi, and the Root.

Levi’s brow knitted together as the strategic implications of this flooded his mind.

“Um… Lord Levi, is there a problem with the magus of the Tohsaka family?”

Kuroka’s voice broke through his thoughts. She tilted her head, her golden eyes watching his shifting expressions with sharp feline curiosity. She was the one who had brought Sakura to him, after all.

“It is nothing.” Levi snapped out of his strategic reverie and waved a hand dismissively. “On the contrary, Sakura carries the bloodline of the Tohsaka. Selling her off as a common slave would be an absolute waste.”

He leaned back in his chair, his demeanor returning to its usual relaxed state. “As it happens, I just had Grayfia go fetch Ingvild. We can take this opportunity to gather everyone today. It is time I finally talked to you all about some serious business.”

Kuroka’s ears twitched, and her eyes immediately lit up with realization. She understood the complex politics and mechanics of the Underworld perfectly.

“Lord Levi, have you finally obtained that thing?” she asked, a sly smile curving her lips.

“Well, you know my capabilities. By the rules, I am indeed qualified to possess it.”

Levi and Kuroka exchanged knowing looks, speaking entirely in circles. Sakura and Shirone were left standing on the sidelines, completely lost.

Sakura was far too shy and intimidated to speak up, but Shirone simply walked straight to Kuroka’s side. The petite girl tugged gently on her older sister’s sleeve, tilted her head up, and asked with pure innocence.

“Sister, what are you talking about?”

“Little fool, we are talking about Evil Pieces,” Kuroka said, her smile softening as she reached down to rub Shirone’s white hair. “The items used to officially become Lord Levi’s servants.”

Shirone leaned into the touch, her eyes narrowing happily as she smiled like a contented little kitten.

Watching the heartwarming display, Levi chuckled softly and shook his head. Then, he shifted his attention back to the quietest person in the room.

“Grayfia is too strong, so I am not thinking about formally recruiting her as a servant just yet. Kuroka and Shirone have both agreed to join me, and Ingvild likely will not have any issues either.” Levi locked eyes with the trembling girl. “What about you, Sakura?”

Sakura froze, completely stunned by the sudden question.

No devil had ever asked for her opinion before. In the Underworld, she was nothing more than a slave. Slaves did not need opinions; obedience was the only currency that kept them alive. Most devils looked down on humans as mere livestock, and the grueling menial labor she had endured reinforced that hierarchy every single day.

Levi was likely the first devil in ten years to treat her as a person with agency.

The sudden weight of a choice left Sakura entirely at a loss, her small hands gripping the fabric of her worn clothes.

Seeing her panic, Levi softened his expression, offering a gentle, reassuring smile.

“Although this is the third time I have encountered this situation, I am still not very good at the recruitment speeches. But there is no helping it. The servants I have found all seem to be the type who need a little guidance.”

He leaned forward slightly, his voice calm and grounding. “Sakura, I cannot offer you any grand philosophical principles. I know that suddenly thrusting the power of choice upon you will make you nervous, perhaps even terrified. But you are no longer a slave. You have to make this kind of choice sooner or later, so why not try taking the first step right now?”

Just as he finished speaking, the heavy oak doors opened. Grayfia walked into the room, leading Ingvild inside.

Sakura remained silent, still deeply immersed in the weight of Levi’s words. After a long, heavy pause, the tension in her small shoulders finally broke. She looked up and offered a hesitant, fragile nod.

“Um… as long as you do not think I am taking up a valuable spot, I am willing to become your servant.”

Levi nodded approvingly. Kuroka and Shirone both smiled at the newest addition to their strange little family.

Grayfia, having observed the atmosphere from the moment she entered, already understood the situation. During her time with Ingvild, the silver-haired maid had filled the girl in on the basic common knowledge of the current era. Ingvild had gradually accepted the reality of her new devil physiology and had likely deduced exactly why Levi summoned her here.

With Kuroka, Shirone, and Sakura having given their answers, Ingvild was the only one left.

Without needing to be prompted, the purple-haired girl walked over on her own, took a seat beside Levi, and nodded at him with a bright, genuine smile.

“If I can, I would also like to be your servant.”

The current Ingvild was in a phase of intense curiosity. She wanted to try everything, to understand the mechanics of this new world clearly. And the deeper her understanding grew, the more she realized that Levi had not lied to her about a single thing since the moment she woke up. That realization made her feel incredibly lucky, cementing her gratitude toward him.

She had also heard from Grayfia that the man sitting beside her was an exceptionally powerful existence.

“Although I do not know much right now,” Ingvild added softly, “if I can be of help to you, I will definitely do my best, Levi.”

“Good.”

Levi nodded and casually reached into the void, retrieving an ornate, velvet-lined box from his system inventory. He placed it on the table, the dark aura of the Evil Pieces radiating from within.

“We can decide on a few of these pieces right now.”

He opened the box and picked up the Queen piece first. His gaze instinctively shifted toward Grayfia.

“Grayfia, I will not force you. If you are willing to be my Queen, I will save this piece specifically for you.”

Levi already held a baseline of trust in the silver-haired maid. However, since this matter involved her eternal allegiance, he preferred to establish clear boundaries and consent.

Grayfia met his gaze and nodded silently. She had harbored this exact intention long before she officially joined his household. Going with the flow and accepting the position was the most natural outcome.

“Excellent. Although I might not be able to complete your reincarnation right now due to your sheer power level, I will keep this piece safe. The day you officially become my Queen will not be too far off.”

Levi placed the Queen piece back into its velvet slot and picked up a Pawn.

He possessed four mutated pieces on his board: one Pawn, one Rook, and two Bishops. The piece currently resting between his fingers was the mutated Pawn.

“Ingvild, your potential is far greater than you can currently imagine,” Levi said, holding the piece out to her. “If Grayfia had not agreed, I originally intended to choose between you and Kuroka for the Queen position. Now, however, this special Pawn piece belongs to you.”

Ingvild nodded in understanding.

Levi flicked his wrist, and the mutated Pawn piece shot forward, sinking smoothly into Ingvild’s chest.

Her dormant magic power detonated instantly.

As a direct descendant of the original Demon King Leviathan, the sheer density of her awakening aura warped the air in the room. A brilliant, oceanic light flared behind her, and a full four pairs of majestic devil wings—eight wings in total—tore through the air, spreading wide across the room.

It was the obvious proof of her Satan-class lineage.

With Ingvild’s reincarnation complete, Levi reached into the box again, this time pulling out a mutated Bishop piece.

The Rook piece would have technically suited her physical combat style, but he had other plans.

“Kuroka, this one is for you.”

“Okay, nya~”

Kuroka walked over, a confident smirk playing on her lips. The moment the mutated Bishop merged into her body, a massive surge of demonic energy rippled outward. A pair of pitch-black devil wings unfurled from her back with a sharp swoosh, mixing smoothly with her nekomata aura.

Levi did not waste any time. He took out the remaining standard Pawn pieces and laid them out on the wooden table.

Shirone absorbed four Pawns. Sakura, given her frail human constitution, absorbed three.

With the ceremony concluded, the box was nearly empty. All the Pawn pieces were cleared out. Only one Bishop spot remained open, alongside the reserved Queen spot for Grayfia.

His first five servants were now officially locked in.

With the greater part of his peerage filled, Levi felt a shift in his own ambitions. If his previous actions in the Underworld were merely the groundwork, having these five women bound to his side meant he could finally stop holding back. It was time to execute a much larger play.

Before encountering Sakura, Levi’s original blueprint had been simple: follow the political threads connected to Rizevim’s faction and wait for a perfect opening to strike. It would have been incredibly beneficial to poach talents on the level of Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri before they matured.

, he held the Yamato. With its absolute severing properties, he could easily cut away the sleeping sickness plaguing the Underworld’s nobility. By curing Sairaorg’s mother, he could force a massive life-debt onto the Great King Bael faction while simultaneously winning the favor of the current Lucifer, Sirzechs.

But the moment Sakura Tohsaka entered the picture, Levi tore that blueprint to shreds.

The heavyweights of the Underworld were not going to grow legs and run away. He could manipulate them whenever he pleased.

But the human world… he needed to see with his own eyes exactly how far the Fate timeline had progressed.

“I will give you all one week to adapt to the power brought by the pieces,” Levi announced, breaking the silence. “During this week, I will go handle the official paperwork with Sirzechs. Next week, we set off for the human world.”

“The human world?!”

Kuroka, Shirone, Ingvild, and even Sakura stared at him in absolute shock. Only Grayfia’s expression remained perfectly smooth, devoid of a single ripple.

But thinking about it logically, their reactions made perfect sense. Kuroka and Shirone had been born in the Underworld and had never once set foot in human territory. Ingvild had been asleep for a century and possessed no real concept of modern human society; she was simply excited at the prospect of seeing an ocean that was not made of demonic water.

As for Sakura…

She had been deceived and dragged into the Underworld when she was barely seven years old. Counting the agonizing days, it had been nearly a decade since she last saw the surface.

“That is right. We are going to the human world.”

Levi’s gaze shifted to Sakura, and a slow, reassuring grin spread across his face.

“After all, it has been nearly ten years since you have seen your family, right? This time, I am taking you back to visit them.”

Right on cue, a translucent blue screen materialized in his vision.

[Check-in Goal: Bring Sakura Tohsaka back to Fuyuki City]

[Volume Complete]

Fuyuki City. A small, unassuming coastal city located in the Far East, yet the epicenter of the Holy Grail War.

Kuroka and Shirone wanted to experience human society. Ingvild wanted to see the ocean. Levi needed to take Sakura home to investigate the magus families.

Three separate desires aligned perfectly, allowing him to settle everything in one sweeping move.

And then, the system delivered the final notification.

[Check-in Reward: Culinary Mastery]

Levi stared at the floating text, completely stunned.

It was a bit unexpected, but after a second of thought, he nearly laughed at the sheer irony of it. Speaking of Sakura Tohsaka… aside from the Holy Grail, the Matou family trauma, and her terrifying Imaginary Number magecraft, the one trait universally associated with her was her domestic cooking skills.

Suddenly, a torrential flood of culinary knowledge, recipes, knife techniques, and flavor profiles smashed into his brain. Levi winced, rubbing his temples to soothe the phantom ache.

The sheer volume of information contained within ‘Culinary Mastery’ was actually larger than the entire combat experience he had inherited from Vergil regarding the Yamato.

That was absolutely absurd.

“Grayfia, take them to the seaside first,” Levi ordered, exhaling slowly as he turned to his silver-haired maid.

“I will personally take Sakura to the Tohsaka estate.”

Kuroka was too chaotic, Shirone was too inexperienced, and even though Ingvild had lived in human society a century ago, Levi could not entrust Sakura’s safety to them in a city crawling with magi.

Fortunately, he had Grayfia to manage the others.

“Understood, Lord Levi,” Grayfia replied, bowing gracefully. She was not worried in the slightest.