HP: Sacred Gear Chat Group (2) - Chapter 21 (Patreon)

Chapter 21 - Magic

Both Mom and Grandfather gave me a long look, clearly exasperated that I was playing with their impatience to learn what kind of secret this place had been hiding from them.

But I didn’t let myself get bothered by that.

“We got a lesser version of our Ancestor’s Devil Bloodline.” Grandfather chuckled at my interest and nonchalant attitude.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s called Magic.”

I blinked at him. “Magic…? Like the power that every Witch and Wizard possesses? Or pretty much what every supernatural being is able to use in some form or another?”

“Yep, the very same.”

“That’s not a Bloodline Ability, is it?”

“It is. Like I said, Magic is the name of the Ability. It granted the first Malphas a very powerful natural talent for Magic, which House Lestrange has inherited. Haven’t you realized that you are able to learn Magic with almost no effort?”

In fact, I had. I attributed it to Ancient Magic before, but recently, I wasn’t sure anymore if that was the case.

It seemed less and less likely.

“It’s true that I get Spells pretty easily. So we inherited Malphas’s Bloodline Ability, but didn’t become Devils until me?”

Gramps shook his head. “No, we not only didn’t become Devils, we also only inherited a lesser version of his Ability. We’re only talented at learning Magic. Malphas had the utterly ridiculous Ability to learn and replicate any form of Magic. According to his writings, the more complicated the Magic was and the less he had seen it, the harder it was and the longer it took. But sooner or later, he could learn to do anything. Even the Bloodline Gifts of other Houses.”

Oh? Ohhhh!

That’s how I learned the Magic from Mushoku Tensei!

No, wait… that can’t be right either. Roxy managed to learn Wizarding Magic. She isn’t a Malphas.

…That’s not it. Sure, she learned the Spells, but unlike me, she didn’t gain a Magical Core. She was far more limited in how often she could cast Wizarding Spells. Her Magic Power recovery rate was the same as anybody else’s from Mushoku Tensei.

I, on the other hand, grew an entire magic network that increased the amount of Magic Power I had and how much Magic I could use at once.

I also had a far easier time learning their Magic. Roxy took months, while I did it pretty much instantly. Sure, it was just a simple Spell like Water Ball, but still. Hers was Lumos, pretty much one of the first Spells anyone learns.

That must be the true nature of ‘Magic’!

If I really have that Ability, shouldn’t I be able to learn Ancient Magic, even if I don’t have the Gift naturally? I approximately know where some traces of Ancient Magic are, at least if the events of Hogwarts Legacy actually happened.

With those, I should be able to replicate Ancient Magic!

“I think I have awakened that Ability,” I admitted after thinking the details through, before explaining how quickly I had actually learned Magic from a different World with a proper textbook. I didn’t mention that I got said textbook from a Gacha.

That could also be the reason why it was so easy for me to learn that Magic.

Gacha… Didn’t I get a feat or something when I just got back from the Demon Continent? Mom and Ghislaine made me forget about that. I need to remember to check on it tonight.

“This confirms it! You truly have awakened the innate Ability of our Ancestor! I am sure whatever he left behind for you will help you develop it even further! Just think of it. His Magic research could be there.” Very subtle, Gramps.

“Alright, alright. Man, you are like an impatient child.” I sighed while carefully approaching the Pedestal in the center of the Room.

“You try wondering your entire life what our Ancestor left behind after learning that hundreds of previous generations of Family Heads have protected it!” Grandpa grunted, practically giddy with excitement.

Nothing like a stuffy Pureblood…

Well, it’s not like I’m not curious. I can’t really make out what’s on that Pedestal from here either. Whatever has been placed on it seems to be obscured by some kind of Magic.

I carefully observed the Magic Circle on the Floor with my Magic Power Eye. It was still filled with Magic and connected to the Pedestal. It looked quite intricate and complex for just a Spell meant to obscure vision.

It’s going to activate the moment I step into it, isn’t it?

While I don’t think my Ancestor would want to harm me after setting all this up and waiting for such a long time, who knows? Maybe he has some ulterior motives?

Although I can’t really see anything suspicious, and I lack experience with my Magic Power Eye, at this point, I can at least recognize what a Soul looks like. While this Eye can’t see Souls per se, it can see part of them as a massive concentration of Energy that becomes part of Magic Power.

And that seems to be a general thing, as I saw it in living beings from Mushoku Tensei, here in the Wizarding World, and inside myself as a Devil.

No part of this Magic Circle seems to hold a Soul, so I guess it’s not a possession Magic Circle or some shenanigans like that.

“What are you waiting for?” Grandpa asked impatiently before Mom put a hand on his Shoulder.

“Just let me confirm if this is actually safe. I can see that the Magic in the Circle is still active!” I replied.

“And how are you going to do that, Son? My diagnostic Spell also tells me that it is still active, but I have no idea what it does.” Mom pointed her wand at the Circle on the Floor. “It’s a completely unfamiliar type of Magic.”

“Good question…” I muttered. How am I going to do that?

Unfamiliar Magic? Shouldn’t it be Devil Magic, then?

[ — Private Chat — ]

[ Alistair Davis: Rias, I need your experience as a Devil! Do you have any idea what this is or what it does? <Attached Image> ]

“I asked my Devil Contact. Give her a moment,” I said to Mom and my impatient Grandfather.

“Those are family Secrets! Those things are normally kept a tight secret! Are you sure that’s a smart idea?” Grandfather pointed out with annoyance.

“I have to agree with your Grandfather there. Are you sure you can trust that Devil?” Mom added.

That made me laugh slightly. “I do. She is one of the better Devils and a very young one. And most importantly, I know exactly what she wants.”

“Oh, and what would that be?” Mom raised an eyebrow.

“My help to get out of her Engagement.”

“You shouldn’t interfere in those things! It’s not proper for a Pureblood to openly interfere in the Affairs of two other Families. This will most likely result in a Bloodfeud!” Grandfather immediately exclaimed, alarmed.

“I haven’t interfered in anything yet.” I tried to pacify him. “And secondly, this is a Test by her Parents to see whether she is able to handle such things. She is the future Head of House Gremory. And while I could admittedly make an Enemy out of an old Devil Family, I would gain the support and probably the love of the next Head of House Gremory, giving us an in with Devil Nobility. Plus, her older Brother is one of the Four Satans, and he dotes on her! This would gain me his goodwill too.”

“It is still a big risk, and you will have to think about such decisions deeply. Don’t forget, you are my heir. I will have to educate you on many topics, marriage being one of those. It’s not as simple as you make it out to be,” Gramps warned.

“Well, if I follow my plan, I will probably make an Enemy out of that Family either way. An even greater one than just from breaking a Marriage Contract,” I admitted after remembering House Phenex for a moment.

Grandfather was staring at me with a worried expression now. “What did you do?”

“Nothing yet, but you know about my visit to another World? I brought all kinds of Plants with me, especially those used for potions and healing. I was planning to expand our Store into Potioneering and develop new Potions, then use my Status as a Devil to expand into the Underworld since there seems to be a serious lack of Potions there. And that was before I learned I was your heir!”

“Okay, that just sounds like Business. So much is expected of a good Heir of a Pureblood Family. How would that make us an Enemy?”

“The Family my Friend is engaged to is the Supplier of the only product that can be considered a Healing Potion in the entire Underworld, if not the entire Supernatural World. They pretty much have a monopoly on it, and it is their main source of income. Now imagine what would happen if someone with a cheaper, but weaker, alternative entered the Market?” I stated the thought that had just occurred to me.

“I see…” Grandfather nodded. “That’s not as bad as I had imagined. There are ways to handle these things. We could negotiate a Business Partnership and gain access to their existing distribution Channels with our Products. At the same time, we would gain their Protection by extension.”

“That could work too.” I shrugged. I had always thought of Riser as trouble and a potential foe. He was one of the Antagonists I knew of. But I think his Sister becomes a friend or ally later, or something like that?

It was beyond what I had read.

“Maybe I can use that to negotiate for my Friend’s Engagement Contract to be cancelled too? And that way, gain her Support as well?” I asked.

“Good. You’re using your head.” Grandpa nodded approvingly.

Then my eyes widened. I had just gotten a reply from Rias.

[ Rias Gremory: I know that Circle. As if fate is Sabotaging my Plans… The Magic Circle is safe. I used one of those myself in the past. It’s … ]

A wide grin spread across my Face as I approached the Circle.

“Wait, did you get your reply?” Mom asked quickly.

But it was already too late. I was already inside the Circle, which began to glow with a poisonous green light. The next moment, the Spell obscuring the Object atop the Pedestal vanished.

“A Box?” Grandpa wondered as we could finally see the Object.

It was a finely crafted, small but relatively flat and long box made from some high-quality wood. The moment the glow from the Circle subsided, I could feel a connection between my Soul and the Box.

Without waiting any longer, I grabbed the Box, feeling its smooth surface, and opened it for Mother and Grandfather to see.

Both of them looked at the Contents in confusion, with a hint of disappointment.

“Half of a Chess Set? That’s what we have been guarding for thousands of years?” Grandfather asked in disappointment.

“Hmm, I don’t think it’s been here for thousands of years. Chess was invented less than a thousand years ago.” If my timeline of the DXD Universe was right, then the Great War should have happened somewhere between the birth of Jesus and the Devil Civil War. The presence of God vanished sometime during that period.

Ajuka Beelzebub, the Inventor of that Chess Set, was born around the same time as his friend Sirzechs Lucifer, a few decades before the Devil Civil War, which happened somewhere between five hundred and a thousand years ago.

The oldest reincarnated Devil known in the Story was the Bishop who belonged to Rias’s Father. He had originally been a Human about five hundred years ago.

“What do you mean? And what are those Chess Pieces?” Grandfather questioned.

“Those Chess Pieces are called Evil Pieces. They are part of the Devil Peerage System and are now bound to me,” I explained before pointing at an empty Spot beside the Queen. “As you can see, the King is missing. That is my Role. I am the King of my Peerage. Evil Pieces are used to reincarnate other Races into Devils. Anyone I reincarnate with one of those becomes a Devil themselves, with all the Perks that come with it, like a long Lifespan and a boost in power.”

Interesting that the Set even seems to have a Spot for the King Piece in the first place.

“But they were invented somewhere between a thousand and five hundred years ago. I believe our Ancestor died later than you thought and visited our House after their creation. Or someone else placed the Evil Pieces here.”

“Hmm, maybe…” Grandfather said, deep in thought. “You can turn others into Devils with those? And what does it mean for you to be the King?”

“I can. Those Evil Pieces are even able to revive the recently deceased. Me being the King means that I am the owner and Master of the Peerage, a High-Class Devil. A Peerage is designed to keep control within the Noble Devil Houses. While there are ways to rise in rank, every reincarnated Devil starts out as a Low-Class Devil and servant of the King of a Peerage.”

“Population Control, Political Power, and a tool to strengthen your own House.” Grandfather nodded in understanding. “I guess there are laws that make it easier for the Heirs of old Houses to obtain their Evil Pieces. And there are probably some kind of control mechanism built into them to prevent desertion?”

“Yep, there are. If you betray your Master, you turn into an insane Monster.” I nodded. Damn, Gramps is sharp. “And every Devil Noble of the 72 Pillars automatically gains their Evil Pieces, allowing them to start collecting their Peerage from Childhood. Me having my own saves me a lot of trouble. But I am unsure if I am considered a High-Class Devil status-wise.”

“That could be troublesome,” Mom added with a sharp look. “Not that they consider you having stolen them, like some dumb Purebloods believe Magic can be stolen.”

“I will ask Rias for help. She probably can ask her Brother about what happens in that case without revealing anything. Hopefully, it’s not too much trouble. Having access to two different Markets, with us acting as the intermediary between the Wizarding World and the Supernatural one, would be a powerful advantage.”

Grandfather smiled at me.

“What?”

“Oh, I am just happy that you are so different from your oafish uncles. Finally, our Family has a proper Heir with a proper head on his shoulders. Sure, you are still a bit rough around the edges, but that’s nothing I can’t solve with a bit of teaching.” The Old man said with a proud grin.

“Thanks, but first I have to get ready for Hogwarts.”

“No, that won’t be enough. The Pureblood Circles are already aware that you are my Heir. This can’t wait until after Hogwarts. We will start our Lessons immediately. Don’t worry, I will aid you with your Magic Practice too. I will hire some Tutors for you!” Grandfather decided before turning around and already heading out of the Room.

“Are you not more interested in my Evil Pieces?” I shouted after him.

“Nope, they are yours to decide over. I have no interest in becoming a Devil or gaining a long Life. I have lived my Life. All I am interested in is preserving our Legacy.” The Old man laughed. “I just wanted to know what our Legacy truly was. Once I am done with you, I will have fulfilled every one of my desires!”

[-- End of Chapter --]