DxD: Building a Demon Clan from Scratch

"Please send me back, Master Lynn!"

Yotsuya Residence

Miko stood at the door of her house, bowing slightly as she thanked Lynn.

Lynn waved it off. "It's fine. I was planning to come here anyway to set the teleportation coordinates."

"Um… that…"

Miko hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Would you like to come in for a bit?"

Lynn glanced at the half-open door behind her and said, "I think you should explain everything to your mother first."

"Ah…"

Miko stiffened.

Turning her head slowly, she saw that the front door was slightly ajar.

A deep sense of unease filled her.

Miko sighed in frustration. "Alright…"

"Then, see you tomorrow."

Lynn gave a casual wave, stepped into a hidden spot, and vanished using Teleportation Magic.

Just as Miko turned back toward the door.

"Mikoo~"

Miko flinched.

Her mother, Yotsuya Touko, stood behind her, smiling… but with an unmistakable aura of interrogation.

"So my dear Miko was out late because she was on a date with her boyfriend?"

Touko sighed dramatically. "Poor me… I waited for my precious daughter to come home, and the food got cold… I'm still hungry…"

"I'm so sorry, Mom!"

Miko immediately apologized, her survival instincts kicking in.

Touko's eyes narrowed playfully.

"Fine! Just bring your boyfriend home next time, and I'll forgive you!"

"…Huh???"

---

The Next Day

Miko arrived a little late.

Yesterday, she had promised Hana a daifuku as an apology. True to her word, she took Hana to a dessert café before heading to school.

By the time she finally arrived, she muttered to herself, "I really need to learn Teleportation Magic…"

Thinking back to how effortlessly Lynn traveled with Teleportation Magic, Miko couldn't help but feel envious.

During class, she secretly sent a message in the 'Lynn's Peerage Harem Group' chat, asking about how to use Teleportation Magic.

Utaha's response?

A massive wall of dense, technical theory.

Miko took one look…

And gave up instantly.

I'm not built for this kind of stuff!

Standing outside the clubroom, she let out a silent wail of despair.

Still, she pulled herself together and pushed open the door.

Inside the Clubroom

Lynn sat by the window, his eyes slightly closed, lost in thought.

Beside him, Utaha was tapping away furiously on a tablet.

However, what really caught Miko's attention was the bloated, grotesque cursed spirit struggling in the middle of the room.

It was bound by an unseen force—its body so massive that it nearly reached the ceiling.

"GYAAAAA!!"

The bloated cursed spirit let out an ear-splitting shriek!

Miko immediately rushed into the room and slammed the door shut behind her.

She acted so fast, it was as if she were afraid the spirit's cry would echo through the entire school.

Lynn opened his eyes.

"Relax. Ordinary people can't see or hear it."

Although…

Natsuki might complain later if the noise reached her over LINE.

Ah, subconsciously…

Miko remembered that normal people couldn't perceive spirits and scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"So, uh… what's going on with this one?"

She was a little confused.

Why did the Supernatural Investigation Club have a cursed spirit tied up like a hostage?

Her expression turned subtle.

If this had been yesterday, she never would have imagined such a sight.

"This is a Second-Grade Cursed Spirit," Lynn explained.

Then, he turned to Miko and said, "Use Spirit Devouring on it."

"Ah…! Right!"

Miko quickly understood.

They wanted to test how effective Spirit Devouring was on a stronger target.

Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand, aimed her palm at the bloated spirit, and softly chanted.

"Spirit Devourer!"

Buzz—

A wave of magic power surged outward.

The cursed spirit shuddered violently.

"AAAAAH!!"

Sensing an impending threat, it struggled wildly, twisting and thrashing against its restraints.

But…

That was all.

Lynn silently observed as Miko began panting from the effort.

A Second-Grade Cursed Spirit.

It was possible for Spirit Devouring to work, but it was too taxing on Miko at her current level.

And more importantly.

This spirit did not turn into an experience pill.

"That's enough."

Lynn stopped her before she overexerted herself.

After all, he had seen Utaha collapse from mana exhaustion before.

And while he didn't mind restoring his Peerage members' mana, it was better to avoid unnecessary strain.

"Haaah—"

Miko exhaled deeply, lowering her hand.

She looked at the cursed spirit, which hadn't changed much and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Master Lynn… I'm still too weak. I couldn't even damage it."

Lynn reassured her, "It's fine."

"In fact, this is normal."

If there were no limits, then all he'd have to do was feed Miko a Special-Class Cursed Spirit, and she'd skyrocket in strength.

Lynn walked up to the struggling spirit and casually patted its body.

"Alright, you're useless now."

The magic restraints suddenly tightened.

"AAAAAAGHH—"

A final, tortured scream echoed before the cursed spirit was crushed into oblivion.

But unlike Miko's method, Lynn's Spirit Devouring didn't turn spirits into beads for absorption.

Instead, he felt a direct boost to his strength.

Though it wasn't as significant as when he reincarnated Peerage members.

Still, it confirmed something important:

Recruiting and upgrading his Peerage was the fastest way to grow stronger.

If he could get his hands on a First-Grade or Special-Grade Cursed Spirit, it might result in a major breakthrough.

But…

"Those aren't exactly easy to come by…"

It would depend on luck.

Well…

Maybe he should ask Natsuki Minamiya to keep an eye out.

Although cursed spirits weren't her main area of expertise, she did have a colleague who specialized in them.

Of course, Lynn wasn't entirely sure how much [Spirit-Seer Devil] would help against a Special-Grade Cursed Spirit.

Best to be cautious.

"Is it over?"

Utaha yawned, stretching her arms as she set down her tablet.

That old hag Machida Sonoko had been on her case again.

Just because she missed a few deadlines, Machida had the nerve to lecture her?

Tch.

She was probably going through menopause or something.

And besides, it wasn't like Love Metronome was selling well anyway.

If this had been the past, she might've been upset about it.

But ever since meeting Lynn, everything had changed.

Even her writing had taken a new direction.

Maybe her next book should be called…

"The Devil Lady and Her Faithful Servant"?

Utaha's eyes flickered toward Lynn, a mischievous glint in them.

If he knew what she was thinking, he'd probably say, "Completely reversed the roles, huh?"

Just the thought made her chuckle.

Lynn shook his head.

He could tell that Utaha was daydreaming again.

He pulled out his phone and said, "I sent a file in the group chat. Check it when you have time."

A file?

(To be continued.)