RSE CH 30 (Patreon)

“So! What do you think? Not as weak as you thought, are we?”    Leo nodded gracefully despite the cheeky smile that graced Rayne’s face as i

“So! What do you think? Not as weak as you thought, are we?”   

Leo nodded gracefully despite the cheeky smile that graced Rayne’s face as if she was goading him to take back his earlier remark about their prowess. Leo could admit that he had judged them too harshly, only focusing on their aura and overall energy signature. He hadn’t taken into account their skills and fighting techniques. 

He’d been wrong. But given the devilish grin on the redhead’s face, he didn’t say anything. His overall verdict—that she was too weak to even consider joining her Circle—had not changed.

In terms of pure demonic energy, Kira and Kline were lower devils ready to break into the median ranks. Rayne and Shuri, on the other hand, were nearly to the upper-level tier’s lower threshold. With enough training, they could surely reach that mark.

But what made them more powerful than his original assessment, was their talents.

No matter how incredible the boost their pieces provided them, Leo doubted Rayne’s power could bring such natural talent out of them if it wasn’t inherent. She only brought out what was in them at the start. 

Were this not the case, devils would have easily won a new war. If every piece granted the boost he’d witnessed today, there would be no need for a peace treaty. Devils would become the undisputed rulers of all realms.

‘I guess this is what a circle of a high ranked devil from a powerful family is like.’

There was no doubt in Leo’s mind that if they trained properly—assuming they didn’t slack off—these four devils would reach an absurd level of power. They would become true powerhouses.

But now?

“Still not enough,” he gave his verdict.

The cheerful atmosphere the devils exuded subsided at his cold response.

“Leo Karteros. You have insulted us more than once.” The Circle’s Knight snapped. “I did not want to interfere, since our Mistress was negotiating with you, but I think your rudeness has gone too far. You will pay for the insults.” He brought his sword up into high guard, an offensive stance.

“Kline! Stop!”

Kline grimaced at his Mistress’ command, but relaxed and sheathed his blade. 

Leo, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm during Kline’s threats, unbothered by his words. He sighed. 

“This is why I didn’t want to deal with you guys. But I understand. You have your pride. I would be angry if some stranger called me weak again and again to my face without understanding how or why they would do so.” When he’d finished speaking, Leo twirled his shoulder and released some of his aura. 

It instantly made the others vigilant and wary. “What do you say? Shall we have a go?”

The tension in the air grew thick at the release of his aura and his abrupt challenge. All sensed the threat behind it. But these were not thoughtless words Leo blurted out on the spur of the moment. He knew he could he make them stop pestering him by showing them the vast difference in power and abilities between them.

If it gave them a reality check, then so much the better. He wouldn’t need to constantly worry about Shuri’s safety when they took on risks like stray devil hunting without a real plan.

Rayne frowned, her sculpted brows drawing down in an expression of vexed annoyance. After a moment of studying the man before her, she nodded and accepted his challenge. “Let’s have a match. If you win, we will stop bothering you. But if we win… you will enter my circle. What do you say?”

“What?! Servitude in exchange for not being bothered? Why would I accept such a deal?”

Rayne cocked her head to one side. “What do you want?”

Leo hesitated, but knew he had to give a response. “Let’s wager… Barloweom for Barloweom. If you win, I am yours. But if I win, you are mine. Are you willing to take that wager?”

Leo had no interest in making Rayne his servant. He only wanted to frighten her into backing down. He expected his bluff to get her to stop following him. At a minimum, she should lower the wager at his outrageous demand to something more reasonable. 

Indeed, seeing the shocked expressions of her Circle and Rayne’s disgruntled look, Leo believed his brilliant idea would get them off his back.

‘This should at least make her give up.’

However, as he was waiting to hear Rayne’s reply—expecting her to drop it or at least change the conditions of the wager—something unexpected happened. The redhead’s disgruntled expression morphed from annoyed to upset and then to anger. 

When it finally transformed into a calm blankness, Leo gulped. He did not like how her gaze glinted with determination. It made Leo anxious. 

A dark premonition rose in his heart at the look Rayne was giving him. He was just about to say something to stop Rayne from making a mistake they would both regret, but unfortunately for him, Rayne beat him to it. 

With a scowl, her next words completely soured Leo’s previously good mode.

“I accept.”

***

“Why in all the hells did you make such a bet?!” Shuri hissed. 

It was just the two of them, sitting side by side on a couch in the study. Shuri had returned them to their mansion, using a teleportation portal to get there. After she’d released Kira and James to do their own thing, Shuri couldn’t help but remonstrate Rayne for making such a reckless bet.

“I was angry, okay? It wasn’t because he said I was weak, but because he looked down on you guys. My mind went blank, I saw red, and I blurted out those words before I knew what I was doing.”

Shuri scrunched her eyebrows in frustration before releasing a tired sigh. “I understand that you got angry because of how he looked down on us. But, this bet is truly nonsensical. How could you bet yourself like that? That’s crazy.”

“I admit that I got swept up in the moment. But think about it, Shuri. Is it really that bad?”

Shuri blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Just think about it. I’ve been thinking about the bet since we left him, and I honestly don’t think it can turn out badly for us. I mean, we bet our Barloweom, right? And the fight will be in the form of a Masque Game, won’t it?” 

“That is true, but I don’t get your point, Rayne. Please, speak clearly. Don’t lead me around by the nose in circles.”

“You know the rules of the underworld, right? A bet made through a Masque Game is absolutely binding by the law. This was why I wagered my engagement against Richard… so that no one could interfere or tamper with the results.”

The more she talked, the more excited Rayne became. Shuri started to see the bigger picture Rayne was hinting at.

“The way I see it, that wager is a Win-Win.” She grinned triumphantly. “If we win, we get a powerful and talented teammate who will be really useful in the Masque Game against Richard—not to mention beyond that.”

Her grin got even wider. “But if I lose, it is almost as good. I will belong to Leo. What do you think that will mean for my engagement?”

It was as if a light bulb had gone off in Shuri’s head. 

“If you belonged to Leo, the only way for Richard to take you from him would be to win against Leo.” She chuckled darkly. “Which I can’t see happening. It is indeed a win-win scenario.”

“Indeed. Whether I win or lose, I will have achieved my goal to gain Leo’s aid against Richard. It’s a win-win, no matter how I spin it.”

Shuri’s happiness was short-lived, and she frowned as she thought about the matter. “There are a few loopholes we can’t ignore. First off, you made the engagement wager with Richard prior to your bet with Leo.”

“That is true. But officially, as I am not engaged to Richard, he hasn’t grounds to overturn things.”

“Another thing to consider…” Shuri twirled a length of her black hair around two fingers, deep in thought. “We have seen nothing that proves Leo will be as useful as you think. We know practically nothing about him, and Richard is a tough opponent. If we have to fight him—even were Leo to become an upper level devil—it won’t be a cakewalk.”

“True.” Rayne deflated. “But I am desperate, Shuri… desperate enough to bet it all on Leo.”

Shuri nodded. “Finally point to consider, what if Leo abuses his power over you if he wins? We’ll be causing him a lot of trouble. It would make sense for him to use us however he sees fit after we become his slaves.” She glared at her mistress. “You already know that no one can threaten him to release you; his father is Lane Karteros.”

“I know, I know.” Rayne rubbed her temples. “I know it’s a gamble, but you’ve observed him carefully. Do you really think Leo is the kind of person who would abuse us, using us as he sees fit if he is in control of our lives?”

Shuri thought back to the man who’d appeared out of nowhere. In a short time, everything that happened seemed to revolve around him. Though she’d only had one proper meeting with him prior to tonight, she sensed Leo was an earnest and trustworthy person. 

Though she had been angered at the way he’d disparaged their power, his disposition was another matter altogether. Even the way he’d belittled them—after calming down and thinking about it carefully—had ultimately been an effort to allow her mistress to save face. What he’d done hadn’t been done in anger or to be rude. 

She didn’t know how that could help the circle members—herself included—but she could make some guesses. She couldn’t explain why, but she was certain he’d had good intentions in his heart when he’d tried to bluff his way out of being hounded by Rayne and her Circle. 

Shuri was at least sure of that.

In the end, after sorting through everything in her mind, Shuri threw a complicated glance at her mistress, who was still reveling in her happiness. 

“You have been really lucky.”

Lucky that Leo came to this small city in South Carolina, of all places. Lucky that Leo had the status and backing to be protected from most any threat. Lucky that Leo, despite his exorcist past, held no prejudices against devils or other supernatural races.

It was almost a miracle that he viewed all of them equally.

She was lucky that he’d not taken the bait when Kline had threatened him. Lucky that he’d upped the ante on the wager to be their Barloweom. So many convenient coincidences had fused perfectly together to bring forth the current win-win scenario.

Truly, a shocking outcome.

Shuri smiled at her mistress and shook her head. This had always been the case for her. Rayne had an abnormal level of luck—to the point that it was downright absurd

How else could a girl that who’d just been visiting Europe on vacation conveniently find a dying vampire with one of the most powerful Divine Gears? How else could she find a talented boy who had escaped from the Church’s experimental facility while taking a stroll in the forest at night? Even before that, she’d stumbled across a half-fallen angel like her while on vacation in Japan.

There were times that Shuri wondered if the true power of the Mephisto family was probability manipulation, and not gravity manipulation.