《Thomas Prest: A Simple Magician》


 Chapter 1: Prologue 1

    Chapter 1: Prologue 1


    Author Note:


    Hi, guys. The start might be a bit slow but I''d like to believe it gets better.


    Oh, well, I guess you will be the judge of that.


    ---


    "Why?" A middle-aged aristocratic man rasped while slowly being choked to death by a runic array that also bound his body to his chair in his office, immobilizing him and preventing him from saving himself with a spell.


    "You should have expected this oue the second you murdered my mother, father." A younger man in histe teens, one that wore a hoodie and worn-out jeans, more to spite his father than any personal sense of fashion, emotionlessly spoke as he watched his long-awaited patricide finally going off without a hitch.


    It was somewhat freeing. All the worrying about consequences and possibly being found out too soon finally left his shoulders.


    The dying man''s eyes widened in horrified realization, not understanding how his son could know about that. That happened ten years ago when the boy was just a snotty brat and there was no evidence...!


    He didn''t get the answer to that question. His oxygen finallypletely ran out and his brain shut down.


    Nathaniel Prest, the head of a small upstart house of magicians and a man with too grand ambitions to be healthy, waspletely dead.


    ...


    Thomas Prest...


    That was his new name after he reincarnated.


    And if such an oundish thing was not enough, he just had to be reincarnated into a family of magicians.


    Needless to say, Tom took the very first five years of his life to get used to such ridiculous notions, hence his progress as a baby was neither slow nor fast, appearingpletely normal up till that point in his life.


    Severe cases of depression and denial can do that to a person.


    The problems started when he showed his intellect and learned how to read and write English very fast. Well... it was no hurdle for him, really. After all, he already knew thenguage. So despite trying to slow down his progress, he did the stupid thing. He got all of his exercises done very fast and that caught the attention of his... father.


    The man he had never seen before that happened.


    Not that heined about his father being an absentee one. His mother, Grace, was a very loving woman. She showered him with motherly love, patiently teaching him and during his first few years, Tom was really left wanting for nothing.


    Just to make that kind woman smile, he happily pretended to be more childish than he actually was. Even if it was a drag.


    Onlyter on did he understand just how hard it must have been for his mother to always be cheerful and never show how unhappy she was.


    The story between Grace and Tom''s father was not of romantic nature. Simply put, Nathaniel had a few drinks, managed to woo Grace for a one-night stand, and she, unfortunately, got pregnant.


    All would have been fine... if not for the fact Nathaniel was the heir to a magical house. And Grace carried his heir. At that moment, her life was effectively over.


    That''s how Grace''s imprisonment and years-long neglect started. She could not leave even to visit family, nor could she even contemte running away. She was just a normal human without any magical ability and the wards around her living quarters would not let her out no matter what.


    Really... Tom had no idea about how stifled and despairing his mother must have felt. That knowledge really soured his happy childhood memories. The memories of happier times.


    When he first saw his father, the first thing that stuck in Tom''s memory was the expressionless gaze the man graced him with, as if judging his worth and finding him disappointingly wanting.


    Well, there was not much a five-year-old child could offer, duh.


    It really was not the best first impression one could make to a child but fortunately, Tom was mentally an adult and so, he didn''t be a scared fidgeting mess whenever he saw his father as most kids would.


    How Nathaniel managed to woo his mother for that one-night stand, Tom would never understand.


    In fact, he didn''t want to know. Ignorance was sometimes really bliss.


    And as Tom expected, when his lessons in magic started, he found out Nathaniel was a strict, demanding, and heavy-handed man who didn''t tolerate failure and acted as if he had never failed the lessons when he was a snot-nosed brat himself.


    It was... ridiculous. First of all, the Prest House was just an upstart one. They were neither rich nor important and they didn''t even have proper servants outside of one creepy old maid who took care of the cooking.


    Yet, Tom''s father was full of himself at all times as if he was living the high life.


    Tom quickly learned to stop slowing his learning progress down, not fond of the magical beatdowns he suffered from the permanently dissatisfied bastard.


    If he wasn''t mentally an adult, he would probably turn into a sociopath or something. Not that his second childhood didn''t affect his way of thinking because if that was the case, he would have never killed his father.


    Yet, here he was. Looking at the grave of the bastard shortly after his funeral, inwardly satisfied at his newly gained freedom.


    Admittedly, this would have never happened if Nathaniel didn''t murder Grace. Oh, the man thought himself smart and in a way, that wasn''t false. He really did not leave any evidence and Grace''s death seemed eerily natural.


    But all those years ago, when Tom stood in the morgue in front of the corpse of his mother as he was supposed to say hisst goodbye to her...


    He remembered that day vividly.


    His tears were streaking down his face as he touched her in a vain attempt to make sure that


    The only reason why the over-the-top magical lessons were bearable to him was the time with his mother. It was the only thing he was looking forward to in his days of harsh apprenticeship to his father. And yet


    But when he touched the dead body of his mother, Tom was surprised when he suddenly gained a glimpse of... something and fainted.


    The observers just assumed it was because of the mental shock and left it at that but when Tom woke up the next day, he not only found out his father was extremely angry at this weak disy of his but also that he now possessed something that made his blood run cold for several reasons.


    Obviously, with him being a child of a magical household, Tom didn''t think the world he was in was the same as hisst.


    First of all, he was born in 1983 and the technology level of the world was not very different from hisst one. Well, at that time, Tom didn''t know much about the world outside of his house but he could take a guess from the appliances they were using. He surmised that if he was born to normal mundane people, he would have probably never realized a difference from hisst life.


    But when he gained an instinctive understanding of what a Sacred Gear was and the basics of its use upon unlocking the one in his soul, Tom realized what world he was in and it frightened him immensely.


    First, the shock of his mother''s death, then the shock of being in a world that was running towards apocalypse at breakneck speeds, and then the shock from unlocking a Sacred Gear and using it to glimpse into the past of his mother which brought yet another shock upon him as his magical energy was totally drained, causing him to faint.


    He only remembered that he suddenly felt deadly tired and afraid... before fainting again.


    Fondly smiling at the memory that he deemed to be his ''real'' beginning in this world, Tom kneeled in front of the gravestone of his father and touched it.


    As big of a neglectful and abusive bastard Nathaniel Prest was, he never crossed the line and the beatings were always used only to give Tom the drive to learn. They alsopletely stopped a year after his mother''s death as Nathaniel finally deemed Tom''s learning speed adequate.


    But by that time, Tom''s motivation to learn was already set in stone. And now, he finally fulfilled his first goal.


    "Don''t worry. I will fulfill your dream for you and make our house great." He quietly whispered to the gravestone, making a few acquaintances of his father give him a respectful look at his dedication to his family despite this disaster.


    ''After all, I alone am House Prest now.'' Tom amusedly added in his mind.

 Chapter 2: Prologue 2

    Chapter 2: Prologue 2


    Thomas Prest, a neen-year-old young man of average height with messy brown hair and brown eyes, reasonably handsome depending on who you asked.


    He was just a human and as far as he was concerned, that race didn''te with natural charm or devilishly tempting looks which was a damn shame.


    Not that he really cared about his appearance that much. He was a magician and researcher, which meant he spent most of his time in hisb where he was alone so nobody cared about his looks either. Then again, he could clean up nicely if he tried... which he had to do while his father was alive but since the man met his unfortunate end two weeks ago, Tom was enjoying his newfound freedom a bit too much.


    Nevertheless, Tom was researching like crazy.


    He found out his family''s savings were quite abysmal and that didn''t sit well with him nor with his ns. He had to earn money but...


    He wasn''t extremely strong. In fact, he was barelyparable to a mid-ss devil if their magic reserves werepared. And his body? That doesn''t even need to be mentioned.


    That was the unfortunate result of being a human and his family being merely an upstart in the magicianmunity. Prests didn''t have many magical tomes. They had quite a bit of beginner-level spells in their library and some rudimentary magical theory butpared to a properly established family of magicians, The Prests were dirt poor and had barely a minimal knowledge of magic.


    With such a small amount of resources and iplete study materials, it was frankly a miracle Tom could reach enough magic reserves to rival a mid-ss devil. And yet, it wasn''t anything grand. In more wealthy magician families, someone with his talents and advantages would long ago have high-ss reserves if he had enough resources.


    But Tom wasn''t disheartened. This miracle was possible only thanks to his Sacred Gear and now that he had his freedom, he could finally get... creative with it.


    ...


    Tom''s Sacred gear, Vision, was quite obscure and weakpared to other gears. In fact, it could only allow him to look into the past when he started to use it, and even then it took a lot of magic from him.


    But Tom had to y with the cards he was dealt with, knowing well nobody would give him anything for free. That''s why he experimented with his Sacred Gear, trying to find out what he could do with it and where its limitsy.


    It wasn''t instantaneous and for some of them, it took years but Tom noticed some quite nifty features of his Sacred Gear.


    While it was utterly useless inbat, he retained the knowledge of everything he saw in the past when he used it. A quite helpful learning tool, if he said so himself.


    And around the time he was twelve, he tried something that sounded extremely stupid.


    He used Vision... on Vision.


    He tried to see the past of his own Sacred Gear.


    Much to his shock, it actually worked.


    Tom saw short glimpses of some of its previous owners, some of which never unlocked the gear, some who did unlock it, and when Tom saw how they were using it, he realized why his Sacred Gear was not known.


    It was ridiculous.


    One woman used it to scam people, telling them things from their past she could never have known as proof that her ''fortune telling'' was real.


    Another man used it only a few times, whenever he forgot where he stashed this or that important thing.


    The most interesting of its users was a detective who used it to solve murders.


    Neither of them was creative enough. Not one of them experimented with the gear''s abilities and after the initial amazement that they possessed some kind of supernatural power, they all fell back into their mundane life.


    That... was an enlightening situation but Tom was not satisfied. He felt frustrated. At first, he thought he would see some clue on how to use the gear effectively from its past users who spend their lifetimes using it, only to find out they were worse at utilizing it than his current self.


    In a bout of childishness, he did something he would never attempt with a clear mind.


    He tried to use Vision to see how Vision was made and how it worked on a deeper level. Its making was a part of its past so it should be viewable, plus he had already confirmed he could see into Vision''s past so...


    At least, that was Tom''s reasoning at the time.


    Much to his shock, he seeded again! In a way


    Of course, he only realized that after he woke up since the knowledge overload sent him to the dreand wondend quite quickly.


    When he woke up, Tom gleefully realized he could recite the principles on which Vision worked or describe the process of making it in detail...


    But his excitement didn''tst long. Real life was a bitch. He found out that despite knowing the process he did not understand even a bit of the magical hocus-pocus gibberish that was ''downloaded'' into his head.


    It was simply massively out of his league and that put a serious dampening on his mood.


    There was nothing else Tom could do than to move on, momentarily putting this knowledge aside since it waspletely useless to him.


    His childhood went on and Tom was getting more and more knowledge about things, screening appliances with his Sacred Gear and learning science this way... since he was not really sent to a real school like any normal kid his age, and was locked at home, forced to practice magic most of his time.


    Of course, he was homeschooled quite thoroughly since human magic relied upon math, chemistry, physics, and other sciences, but naturally, he would not be taught how to make electronic appliances. So... Tom decided to check them out in his spare time.


    After all, if there was one thing his second life had taught him, it was that no knowledge was useless.


    Time passed quickly with his new routine and... much to his shame, Tom realized the real potential of his Sacred Gear only a half year after he first learned how to ''properly'' use it.


    He was trying to learn a basic spell, having enormous trouble with it. His talent was average and he was behind his schedule, wasting six days on the spell and he could almost feel his father''s disapproving looks on his back. In a bout of desperate frustration, Tom tried to use his Sacred Gear on the spell itself.


    Don''t call him stupid...


    He was just a child and some things aren''t obvious unless someone points them out or you learn them by ident.


    In hindsight, Tom should have known this could possibly work but he was still not thinking enough outside of the box. It was a valuable lesson for him that propelled his future progress forward and while he learned itter than he probably should, he was d he learned it at all.


    In short, it worked. Vision was able to reveal many things about the spells. From individual cases where it was used... which Tom quickly discarded as useless, to the information on how the book itself was written.


    And that''s when Tom realized just how shitty his household really is and how vicious the magicianmunity can get.


    The reason why he was having trouble with the spell was simple. After some more specialized screening with Vision... and God it was hard since Vision didn''t have any sort of sentience and like a machine, it only revealed to him what he ''wished to see'', rather than what he needed to see... he came to a very simple solution.


    The bastard who sold his father the spell scammed him horribly. The book was faulty. It still contained most of the spell but it was slightly tweaked in a way it would never have worked.


    It was a simple case of sabotaging the upstarts by a different magician household.


    To be honest, Tom couldn''t me them. If his family was stupid enough to fall for this, they deserved to be sabotaged. While he didn''t know about the spell, his father should have checked what he was buying before he paid for it.


    Nevertheless, Tom decided to shrug it off. He did the same thing he did with Vision and tried to see how the spell was created and how it worked.


    Sure, not every spell was better at the time of its creation than in modern ages but if Tom had to start somewhere, it was at the very beginning, no?


    Unsurprisingly, Tom learned the spell in under twenty minutes after that.


    But the important part was that he also memorized the principles on which the spell worked. He wasn''t like these ''monkey see, monkey do'' magicians who only learn spells but have no idea how they really work.


    These principles were not some incredibly hard-to-understand magical mumbo-jumbo. This was a basic spell so it worked on basic principles. Basics Rei could easily understand and build upon in the future.


    His Sacred Gear was actually a much more amazing learning tool than he first imagined!


    Needless to say, his magic studies picked up an abnormal pace after that revtion.


    ---


    Author Note:


    The Gear might seem overpowered but there are proper limitations I will be introducingter on. :D Don''t get your hopes too high. It is still one of the ''trash-tier'' Sacred Gears that nobody cared to even note down throughout history.

 Chapter 3: The path to riches goes through the stomach

    Chapter 3: The path to riches goes through the stomach


    Tom''s chosen path to a happy and full bank ount was through alchemy.


    While he couldn''t do much with it, he knew enough to create a proper business opportunity for himself and that was all that mattered.


    Well, that was slightly wrong. In the end, all that mattered was being creative enough.


    Tom didn''t go through the ''expected'' path of trying to create and sell expensive potions. Not only did he have no idea how to brew those, but the materials for that would also cost him a fortune. One that he didn''t have.


    And the less said about the necessary research, the better.


    Sure, thanks to his Sacred Gear, he only needed one of these potions to know about the ''theory'' behind it but that still meant he would need to actually get good at creating one in reality.


    For now, that endeavor was just a waste of money.


    Instead, Tom decided to go through the food industry. Alchemy was in simple terms the craft of transformation. This transformation didn''t need to be huge nor did it have to be outwardly ring.


    Using Alchemy to enhance the sweet taste of apples was Tom''s very first experiment.


    And he understood why nobody tried to do it before. Making the apple edible while also cheaply enhancing its taste to levels that would make it worth his while was an incredibly difficult task that took Tom weeks of effort.


    But not all was bad.


    Tom realized some things about his Sacred Gear throughout the process.


    He learned the principles he learns by using the Gear are not really ''general''. No, they were very much subjective and depended on who was the creator of the inspected thing.


    He inspected his experimental apple a lot with his Sacred Gear and whenever he tried a different kind of experiment, different kind of approach, even if he used the same alchemy method, his Sacred Gear revealed his ''way of thinking'' to reach the finished product.


    That told him he should not fully trust in whatever his Sacred Gear is showing him as it might be subjective, instead of the general truth of the world.


    It took Tom a whole three months to finally, through trial and error, find the best bnce in the procedure and create an alchemical circle that could, with some cheap materials, enhance the taste of an ordinary apple by ten times while making it edible without any side effects.


    Sure, Tom could use costly materials, and maybe he would find a way to get twenty, fifty, or even a hundred times better results but why bother? He needed a product that would get popr fast, a product that he could sell to a massive number of people for cheap and rake in the profits.


    The best part was... Now that Tom created his alchemical circle for ''taste-enhancement'', it wasn''t hard for him to fit the procedure for other sorts of fruits. Nor was it hard to create a circle that could affect multiple apples at the same time, massively speeding up the process.


    Still... the actual profit-making work was annoying and took a lot of effort. Tom had to buy apples wholesale, drop them into the room with an erged alchemic circle, buy and use the supplementary materials needed for the circle to work, transmute the taste of the apples, find a buyer, and only then did he receive his first batch of profits.


    It took him a week to find a wholesale provider for his needs.


    It took him another two weeks to find a buyer that would buy his overpriced apples.


    That was mostly because people usually sent him to hell before even tasting one of his products when he told them he wanted 20 pounds for a kilogram.


    But he did manage to find someone interested, dare he say, hooked to his apples and willing to risk starting a business with them.


    If anything, Tom really had a lot of trust in his product and refused to lower the price no matter what.


    And after all these little problems were dealt with...


    Tom approached a newly-minted magician family much like his, with an offer for coboration.


    ...


    "Thomas Prest, what do I owe the pleasure?" A bored-sounding voice of James Jasin, the head of the Jason Family, asked while not raising his head from his documents nor inviting Tom to sit.


    It was a very rude gesture but Tom bit into his tongue, knowing he didn''t have much support behind him. His family solely consisted of him and while the Jasin Family was small too, they still had ten adult magicians, even if they were subpar at best.


    In short, they thought Tom was beneath them due to his circumstances.


    Then again, that was exactly why he chose them for his scheme.


    "I''d like to propose a business between our families, Mr. Jasin." Tom politely replied, but in a confident tone.


    That managed to get James''s attention as he finally stopped writing and looked inquisitively at Tom... before sighing and gesturing at the seat in front of his table.


    "I and yourte father were friends so I guess I can at least hear you out." He spoke in an unenthusiastic manner as if already knowing this will be a massive waste of time.


    Tom didn''t let it bother him and just walked toward the seat.


    ''Yeah, I know you are a daughter-fucking prick.'' Tom inwardly rolled his eyes as he sat down with a small smile.


    Unlike what James thought, the smile was not a show of polite respect for him. Tom was simply smiling at his inward quip.


    Tom didn''t waste any time and put a proposal on James''s table, eliciting a raised eyebrow from the man.


    "You are quite prepared, huh?" James spoke, a bit impressed. He didn''t expect a teenage upstart from a ruined family to have his act together.


    Tom simply gave him a curt nod in response. To be honest, he didn''t want to speak with this scum more than he needed to. Choosing his family was a calcted move and he was here because he knew the man''s personality. This way, the risks for Tom would be lessened and benefits kept as high as possible.


    Not that he would rely on the Jasin family for his future businesses. They were just a stepping stone before the main event.


    The man, James, liked to put up an amiable front to whoever could benefit him but Tom knew what kind of bastard he was to his own family.


    Not that Tom would do anything about that. Tom was no hero and saving strangers was not on his to-do list. His first priority was and always would be himself.


    And since James could be so vile towards his family, Tom had no doubt he could be way worse to others. He had a n of action to mitigate any sort of bacsh from the Jasin Family but he would have to act fast.


    James took the documents and slowly started to read, his disinterest morphing into intrigue, before bing a shock, and then a small glint of greed appeared in his eyes that was gone as quickly as it arrived. If Tom wasn''t properly observing James''s expressions he would definitely miss it.


    James looked at Tom, his eyes slightly narrowed and his expression thoughtful...


    "I can''t give you ten percent of the profits. Five is my maximum." James slowly started.


    Tom''s proposal was simple. He would relinquish the method of enchanting the apples to the Jasin Family, letting them build a business out of it in exchange for ten percent of profits as his right as a creator of the method.


    Tom didn''t have time to transmuterge quantities of apples and sell them. He could do much more worthwhile things with his time than that. Hence, a delegation of work was necessary. Losing most of the profits from a method he found out grated his ego but... in exchange for that, he would not need to spend any effort and would still get ten percent of profits plus the future opportunities this would bring him.


    It was a good deal... and while Tom would let James''s family profit immensely from it, he would not let them walk all over him.


    "I can''t ept five." Tom wryly shook his head, "Ten is my bottom line. That''s why I ask for it."


    That statement came out as extremely naive but it was exactly what Tom aimed for.


    "Young man, you are asking my family to do all the work while you only rake in the profits. I don''t think ten percent is-"


    "In that case, I am sorry for wasting your time, Mr. Jasin." Tom apologetically smiled like an inexperienced man who found this whole situation awkward. He was about to get up when James stopped him.


    "Fine. I guess I can be gracious and grant you ten percent." He grumbled.


    Tom inwardly rolled his eyes. As if he didn''t know the deal was heavily skewed in the Jasin Family''s favor. The old bastard would never let such a deal slip through his fingers. But... Tom could respect the mindset of squeezing every benefit out of the naive idiot who came with such a proposal to him.


    Yet, it was exactly this kind of mindset that would save Tom from being killed here.


    "But..." James started again, "what about broadening the terms and including a marriage contract with our family? We can offer you a lot of support and research funds."


    ''And here it is. His attempt to get me to work under them.'' Tom thought, trying very hard to not have his eye twitch. ''Let''s get this over with.''


    "No! I am too young to marry. I want to focus on research. Who knows! Maybe I could find out more about this method of mine!" Tom gushed out with the proper level of idiotic naivety about business, found in people that were interested in nothing but the life of a researcher.


    "Are you sure? My Lia is quite the quiet soul and skilled at alchemy too. Her assistance could provide you with a lot of benefits and would bepletely obedient. Even in bed." James tempted.


    It might have worked on a normal hormone-driven teenager but Tom wasn''t interested in the exchange of short-term benefits and a bit of pleasure for a life-long cage.


    Plus, he knew why this Lia was a meek girl. She could not turn out any other way with her ''daddy'' being quite the sadist and having a thing for his daughter.


    Yes, he was willing to offer her hand in marriage for the benefit of his family but Tom didn''t doubt even for a second that the man would cease his romping of his own daughter just because she would be married. Quite the contrary, Tom thought it would just increase James''s appetite for her and he had no intention of being cuckold as soon as the second day of his married life.


    On top of that, from what he knew, Lia Jasin was a girl who lived her whole life under the strict thumb of her father. Taking her as a wife would be taking in a permanent spy.


    "No. My research is more important." Tom stubbornly said, his eyes shining with conviction.


    James tried a few more times, probing different angles. At times, Tom had fun acting indecisive and discontent, but it was irritating most of the time.


    He aimed to not agree nor disagree with any change, simply letting Jamese to the conclusion that Tom was leery of changing the contract on his own. It took the fucker four freaking hours to finally let go of the notion that he could screw Tom over more than the initial contract allowed.


    Tom could have quickly shot him down but that would endanger both the deal and himself.


    Usually, if a weak magician without any support walked into James''s family and offered an extremely good business opportunity, he would not walk out alive unless he had some kind of deterrent that would prevent James from simply killing him and taking the product as his.


    Tom''s deterrent was his very product and his promising talent in alchemy that could bring more profits. James thought Tom would sell the rights to his next alchemy product to his family too and Tom was fine leaving him in that delusion. But the ruse needed Tom to appear indecisive, naive, and utterly unaware of how business was done.


    It was all good old bncing work.

 Chapter 4: Toms machinations

    Chapter 4: Tom''s machinations


    The business deal with the Jasin family went well and Tom started to receive his new shares of profit the following month. Fortunately, there was something called a magic contract that could make the terms irond so they couldn''t straight out screw him over.


    There were many ways the Jasin Family could try to get out of their obligations. For example, they could state the profit was lower and pay Tom less with him being unable to check. After all, it was their family business now and Tom had no right to inquire about these matters.


    But with a magic contract, that was all avoided. James at first didn''t want to sign a magic contract and it took another two hours of ying an obstinate naive excitable idiot researcher for Tom to get his way.


    Of course, Tom was not afraid of the Jasin family reverse engineering his alchemy circle. Not after they came the second day after they signed the contract, begging for a second alchemical circle because the previous one ''broke''.


    As much as they wanted to use him that Tom gave them a defective circle, all he needed to do was innocently say, "You tried to tamper with it, huh?"


    And they instantly shut up, realizing the circle had a self-destructing sequence to protect its inner structure from tampering or reverse engineering. One could think that an alchemical circle was made up only of the symbols drawn on the floor but that was not exactly true. There were a lot of materials transmuted into it, a lot ofponents merged to its core to give it magical properties or change its essence...


    It was not as straightforward as it seemed.


    That was the very first time Tom did something that made the Jasin Family start to have doubts that he was just a fatmb they could ughter at their leisure. But it was also not enough to make them worry overly much.


    Yes, they now knew there was no way to reverse engineer Tom''s alchemy but Tom was not going anywhere, in their opinion. In fact, this only increased Tom''s value in their eyes and therefore postponed any shady ideas of theirs.


    Tom didn''t put much thought into it. He had time... approximately six months before the Jasin Family started to be annoying.


    He knew James''s character. The man would no doubt send some rougher members of his family to ''persuade'' Tom to create a new product for them if he doesn''t deliver results in time.


    It wouldn''t matter to him that Tom never signed any contract stating he belongs to him or works for their family. In James''s mind, Tom was definitely ''his'' resource now.


    But... Tom couldn''t act yet. First, the reputation of the new product had to spread so he could do his counter-move.


    That''s why he decided to spend the next two months holed in hisb, researching, researching, and researching some more, preparing for the grand way to screw with every prick trying to pick on him in the magicianmunity in Ennd.


    After all, the Jasin Family were just small-time thugspared to the bigger families. Even if Tom fended them off, he would not have achieved anything of worth.


    It was better to put an effort to be shielded from everyone''s greedy ambitions in one fell swoop rather than spend his time trying to fend off one pitiful dog barking at him at a time.


    ...


    Five months passed in a blink of an eye and Tom was having the time of his life as he was amusedly reading an invitation to a party where anyone of importance within the English Magical Community was invited.


    And how did someone insignificant like him manage to get an invitation?


    Weeell... the story goes like this.


    The Jasin Family''s fortune increased a lot in just two months. Of course, it was nothingpared to what the big families earn every month but one has to realize, their earnings are the result of numerous businesses all pitching profits into the final massive number.


    The Jasin Family managed to create a massive business with just one product, the Jasin Apples, which was an extremely curious thing for all those greedy magician families on the upper spectrum of their society. There was no such thing as too much money and no family grewcent when it came to business. They always tried to expand.


    Naturally, the Jasin Family''s sudden fortune became a great source of curiosity for many families And when magic users want to know something, they will eventually find out. Especially when ites to the really powerful ones.


    Finding out where the Jasin Family got their product from was in no way hard for these families. In fact, it was just a trivial task that took them no longer than a few days at best.


    For all the threatening image and arrogance Jasin Family had among the upstart magician families, they were just ants nobody cared about before they started to get a bit financially bloated.


    Thomas fully understood this and used it to his advantage.


    That''s why he went around the idiots and started sending requests for meetings to most of the influential magician families in Ennd around two months after the Jasin Apples were introduced to the market.


    There weren''t that many of these families, just around twenty, among which only Pendragons refused his meeting request, not deeming him worth their time. Pricks...


    Obviously, the Jasin Family had no way to find out about these meetings with their influence barely reaching past their neighborhood so... sucks to be them.


    Then again, Tom picked them to be his stepping stone exactly for that reason.


    It wasn''t easy, but Tom made a simr agreement with every important magician family in the country as he did with the Jasin Family. Well, except for the Pendragons.


    Of course, the cunning old coots that led these families wanted to bully and scheme against him too. Some invited him to their families, offering marriage, which was actually a show of respect from their side so it somewhat ttered Tom.


    From their perspective, he was an upstart so offering him to marry into their family simply for one achievement in alchemy was very generous, considering how many resources and benefits it would have granted him.


    Yet, despite that, he refused.


    Standing his ground against those people was not easy at all. They tried much subtler schemes and verbal maniptions than James Jasin. But it was also obvious they wanted to get their hands on the product Tom was offering.


    Fortunately for Tom, the heads of these families did not have as much free time as James so they didn''t pester him for hours on end. When they saw Tom would not respond to threats or promises, they made proper deals.


    After all, the base deal Tom was offering was extremely favorable to them. For free and just a very small effort, their profits would increase a substantial amount.


    If a family of seven people like the Jasin Family could rake in so many profits, how much could get a family such as Belgrade that had over fifty members with over five hundred subordinated magicians?


    Tom purposefully skewed the deal in the favor of these families to not get a lot of trouble from them and get the deals smoothly.


    It might sound stupid but... Tom focused on quantity over quality. He would receive profits from all of them each month so money would not be a problem for him anymore. Even if it is only ten percent of the profits... it really added up.


    And with that, his second goal waspleted.


    The fun part of the deal-making came when one product with enhanced taste came popping after another, all in the same month, with different families supplying different products to the market. It was a sight to behold. The confusion. The chaos!


    Tom onlyughed his ass off as these old families thought they were the only ones with whom he made a deal only to realize he made deals with literally almost everyone that mattered.


    Only three family heads really expected this move of his and Tom could respect that kind of foresight. Tom even stipted in the contracts that the alchemical circles to enhance products would start working only at a certain time so it wasn''t as if they had no clues as to what he was nning.


    Still... he was giving all of these families different products from fruits to chocte, to other different foods, so no family was in directpetition with another. On top of that, it wasn''t as if foods were some kind of important product for which the families had to battle. It was simply easy money for them so after the initial discontent grumbling, there wasn''t muchining involved.


    That''s the only reason why this scheme worked at all and why Tom went for lower profit rates for himself.


    Tom made allies with everyone through deals, bringing profit to them, and making anyone in the magicianmunity who would want to target him have to go through these families first.


    God bless for the existence of the magical contracts!


    And in the very end, the Magician Families in Ennd were just a means on end for him. They definitely were not the end goal. As much influence as they had in Ennd, they were not exactly powerful in the grand scheme of things. Not really.

 Chapter 5: A party

    Chapter 5: A party


    Tom was at the annual gathering of the important families of the English Magician Community, bored out of his mind as he entertained himself by chewing his way through the food table when he suddenly heard a familiar voice scream at him.


    "Prest! You betraying a piece of shit! You lied to me!" James Jasin shouted in rage and tried to lunge at the bbergasted Tom who didn''t understand where the guy gained the guts to make a scene at this kind of ce.


    Of course, before James could reach Tom, he was halted by a tall, ck-haired man who put his arm across James''s chest, stopping him in his tracks.


    "Good evening to you too, Mr. Jasin." Tom pleasantly greeted, amused at the expression of utter rage on the tall man''s face.


    Lucky him that the entire room was full of anti-magic wards otherwise James would definitely try other than physical means to ''deal with him''.


    Supposedly only the guards had the key to the wards and were capable of casting magic but Tom inwardly called bullshit on that one. He would bet every family head, family heir, and maybe even some important family members had a simr key and simply did not show it to not make a scene unless totally necessary.


    It would have been too much of a security risk otherwise.


    "You! How can you still calmly smile at me you sna-" James shrieked but he was interrupted before he could finish the sentence.


    "Mr. Jason." The tall man who was holding him back strongly spoke, "The person you are trying to offend is the business partner of neen out of twenty most influential families in this country, of which every head is in this room." He gave James a pointed look, "You were invited here because of your family''s rising prestige. I would rmend you to not ruin your image any further. Go, and mingle with others, just don''t bother people you can''t afford to offend." He showed James with his shoulder, causing him to backtrack.


    James could only stare in stupefied shock at the verbal thrashing he had just received but the gears in his mind finally started to move and he gritted his teeth before wordlessly turning around and walking away.


    Not that it mattered, in Tom''s opinion. The man had already made a fool out of himself as his first impression to these bigshots and that can not be undone so easily.


    ''The Jasin Family is in for some hard times, huh?'' He mused, not really caring.


    "Thanks for that." Tom gratefully nodded at the man who stopped James, receiving a tired sigh in return.


    "We are quite aware of the use stating that were you to die, the alchemical circles would cease to work." The tall man gave Tom a forced smile, "Just don''t cause too much trouble. You aren''t much different from that scum." He gestured with his head in James''s direction before turning around and walking away.


    Tom watched the man''s back, an amused smile on his face. He knew who he was. The heir of the Hendrickson family.


    He did not really care about the insult. Especially since it was from someone born with a golden spoon stuck in his ass.


    These heirs had a lot of expectations piled upon them and their lives were certainly not easy but... they had it all. They had all the resources they needed whenever they needed them no matter the cost. They had the means to be great shoved into their mouths on a daily basis.


    Such a guy showing his ''superiority'' could not faze Tom because whenever that happened, he always thought, ''Just imagine where that guy would be if he was in my situation.''


    And the answer to that was almost always... ''In the gutter.''


    No, Tom was proud of his achievements, as meager as they were. For now.


    After all, he was just getting started.


    "Forgive his bluntness." An elderly voice chuckled next to Tom, causing his eyes to slightly widen as he didn''t realize somebody was standing next to him until the man spoke.


    When he saw the man and recognized it was the Belgrade Head who both realized Tom''s ploy and offered him a marriage contract to his granddaughter, Tom gave him a small grin, "Heh, not even gonna bother to deny his im?"


    The Belgrade Head just mirthfullyughed, "Well, he isn''t exactly wrong. If you want respect, get stronger, boy." He chortled while giving Tom a provocative but amused look.


    Tom just rolled his eyes at him, making the old coot even more amused.


    "As long as you realize it." The old man shrugged, happy that Tom was not an idiot.


    What Tom aplished in these few past months was nothing extraordinary. It did not show him as some kind of magical prodigy or anything that would instantly win the magicianmunity''s respect.


    He had just created one new way of using alchemy. And while that was impressive on its own, it was not ''that'' impressive to move the ''important folks'' other than certain Family Heads.


    What really impressed these family heads was not Tom''s magical ability but the way he handled the situation.


    With just de facto one magical discovery, Tom managed to manipte the scene and use his wits to establish deals that will provide him with a stream of very respectable ie even from the point of view of these important families.


    He used the most dangerous people in the English Magician Community as a deterrent to whoever wanted to harm him. Even if it would be one of them, the other families would have to stand up for Tom if they didn''t want to lose the profits from his alchemical circles.


    And most importantly, with this move he showed everyone that he can y the ''high leagues'', so to speak.


    The Heads of these important families could respect ability. Even if it wasn''t an outright magical one. Money and politics were also important and Tom had showcased he is no sheep to them.


    But it was different for the family heirs or powerful magicians. Those were less interested in politics between families and more vested in magical might. For them, Tom was just some lucky no-name and while they would not antagonize him because of the deals between him and their families, they would certainly show their disdain for him.


    Tom had no friends among these people. Only reluctant allies and people who wanted to make use of his worth.


    At least the Belgrade Family Head was an amiable fellow. But Tom knew he would be a fool to trust him. One didn''t get to his position because he had a friendly smile.


    "Speaking of which," Tom turned towards the Belgrade Family Head, "I wonder if you would make a trade with me."


    The Belgrade Head blinked and tilted his head, "And what exactly are you interested in?"


    Tom smiled. He quite liked the old man. At least he could be pleasant and act friendly instead of being an arrogant nitwit. "I''d like to buy two Sitri summoning fliers from you. In exchange, you can keep my next month''s profit shares your House will owe me."


    The Belgrade head raised his eyebrows in amusement at Tom, before his lips stretched into a knowing smile. "I see. That can be arranged." He shrugged but his opinion of Tom once again increased.


    What Tom offered was over the top. It was like buying a stray cat for thousands of pounds from a bystander who didn''t even own it.


    The Sitri summoning fliers did not belong to the Belgrade family head and they could be found for free if one was lucky enough. Plus, families that had contact with the Sitri devils and made deals with them could just ask for more of these fliers whenever and they would get loads of thempletely for free.


    But...


    There was a reason the world had no idea about the existence of the devils and it wasn''t only because of the area of effect mind-wipe magic.


    Getting a summoning flier for a devil was hard. They didn''t exactly just fly around the streets whenever a person stepped outside.


    In the anime, it was depicted as such but one should not forget that Kuoh was devil territory.


    Contrary to expectations, devils did not have a lot of territory on Earth. Most of it was taken by other pantheons, Heaven, human factions like this Magician Community, and so on. Devils had a small hold on the mundane world by different means but they did not do territories.


    Most other pantheons detested devils to the core and the devils knew it. Having territory in the human world was a huge risk for them. Hence, they stayed holed in the Underworld, going to the human world only to chase entertainment and peerage pieces.


    That''s why Kuoh was... er, will be... a very special ce.


    If Tom wanted a flier for free, he would have to spend time and effort looking for an area where they were being given away, and then travel there to receive it.


    That sounds easy but there was no guarantee he could get one even if he went through all that effort. Some territories had outright wards that destroyed these fliers just a few seconds after they were released. The factions were still in the cold war and nobody would let devils advertise their services openly on their territory.


    There was a reason why the customers for devils were most often magicians.


    On top of that, even if Tom got a flier, he could not be sure he would receive the flier from the Devil House he wanted. Namely, the Sitris.


    It was easier to just ask for one from the old coot next to him and even if he lost a few hundreds of thousands to get it, it wouldn''t really matter. Once he had at least one and used it, the Sitri familiars would periodically send more of these fliers to him. That''s how it worked.


    Why put an effort into looking for one when he can just ask the man next to him? Tom would much rather spend his time furthering his research.

 Chapter 6: Mana Crystal

    Chapter 6: Mana Crystal


    With his position in his immediate surroundings safeguarded, Tom found himself with a lot of free time and he intended to use it for projects he wanted to do years ago.


    His father''s presence and theck of materials hindered him then... but no more.


    The major problem with Vision was its cost. The magical energy necessary to use it was immense for Tom''s current standards.


    Using it on something mundane, like normal fruits, did cost a very little mana. Using it on something magical... the cost rose exponentially. Tom couldn''t even imagine how much magic it would cost to use Vision on a magical artifact.


    But using it on another human... now that took the cherry. There was never a time when Tom didn''t faint while doing that only to wake up with a pounding headache that persisted for the next three days. He even used it on his father once and then dropped like a sack of potatoes in front of the man.


    And even then, when he woke up, he had only a few confusing glimpses, far from a full picture.


    Clearly, he didn''t have enough mana to view the history of another being. Something in the makeup of the living beings was preventing his Vision from prying and to get past that, it cost more magical energy.


    Tom''s biggest advantage was that he was a human. He was cunning and crafty. He fully understood he didn''t have much going for him and he had to make a do with what he had. He was not a supernatural race with loads of energy reserves so...


    It was no surprise that his newest project was an external mana storage crystal.


    Tom''s initial desire was to create something like chargeable Soul Stones from the Chinese xianxia stories he was reading in his past life. It sounded amazing. A stone that could store a massive amount of Chi, aka energy, and the user could use that energy for formations, aka spells, or reabsorb it to himself to raise his cultivation, aka magic reserve.


    The concept was wless. A pity that it only worked in Tom''s head.


    Three weeks into his new research, he realized how hard it would be to create just ordinary mana storage. Something like what he had in mind... pfft, it was far from his reach.


    First of all, Tom was not a master enchanter or alchemist. He was a novice at best. The whole reason why he could attempt to do things even masters would struggle with was that he was cheating with his Sacred Gear.


    Every ''finished'' product, Tom screened with his Sacred Gear... and God was there a lot of fainting for him involved... and this would give him insight into where he went wrong. Not a big insight, but at least some clue on where he went wrong was better than no clue at all.


    And so, Tom would scrap the entire thing and start all over from the very beginning, implementing his new insights.


    Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat, again and again.


    And eventually... aka, three months of painstaking workter... Tom finally held a finished Mana Storage Crystal in his hands. Not one that worked as he wanted it to. Heck, it barely worked for storing mana! But it was Tom''s very first product that could both store mana into itself and allow the holder to use said stored mana for something.


    As garbage as the storage capacity was, as garbage as the efficiency of the charging was, as garbage as the whole crystal was... It was Tom''s first sess and he was proud of it.


    ''Baby steps.'' Tom thought with a silly smile stered on his face as he looked over the small but smooth purple crystal he created. ''From here, it can only get better.'' He chuckled.


    ...


    It did get better. A lot better!


    Two weeks after Tom finished his first chargeable mana crystal, he finally reached a stage where he was satisfied with it.


    He improved a lot of things on it, most noticeably the charging rate and the storage capacity.


    The storage capacity was... doable. It just required better, more magical materials to be used in the creation process so the crystal could hold more mana without bursting.


    Sounds easy, right?


    Well, if Tom didn''t have his Sacred Gear and had to actually charge every crystal to see its max capacity, instead of quickly checking it with Vision, he would have to spend decades on this part.


    If other alchemists knew about how Tom was cheating his way through these gruesome parts of researching, they would cry bitter tears and probably start to make ns on how to steal his Sacred Gear.


    Something on that thought gave Tom an extreme case of schadenfreude.


    As for the charging rate...


    At first, it was atrocious. Anything he would do would improve it. And Tom was still a human with a limited lifespan. He couldn''t spend years charging one crystal. Fortunately, through a copious amount of Vision usage, and trial and error and some more error, he slowly started to get rid of all the inefficient kinks in the design, improving the charging rate tremendously.


    Thanks to that, it wouldn''t take him ten years to charge the crystal to the full, but only a month. That''s how much the efficiency improved when he was ''finished''. And by the way, that was still shitpared to even average magical artifacts.


    Sure it could still get better. It always could be improved further but for now, this was enough for Tom''s needs and he stopped his research on this topic.


    At its max capacity, the finished mana crystal could hold the mana reserves of an Ultimate-ss being. That''s why it would still take a month of nonstop charging if Tom funneled into it ten percent of his reserves at all times.


    The way it worked was simple. Tom''s reserves would always try to recharge but any mana that would go over 90% of his magical reserves would instead go to the crystal he was wearing as a ne around his neck.


    Like this, he could amass manaparable to an Ultimate-ss being with his meager middle-ss reserves.


    As an unintended effect, Tom noticed his mana reserves slowly growing to amodate this constant drain. The growth wasn''t world-breaking or anything. If it continued at this rate, he might be able to gain high-ss reserves in a decade or so... but it was growth for no effort and Tom would take what he could get.


    With his focus being all concentrated on researching, he didn''t have time to properly train. There were only so many minutes in the day and no matter what one tried, getting everything done was impossible. That''s why people choose their priorities and act ordingly.


    Tom could have trained for an hour a day but the returns wouldn''t be anything spectacr. He simply deemed it better to spend said hour in hisb.


    And what do you know? It actually paid off! From now on, he would get passively stronger despite spending most of his time researching. How cool was that!?


    Needless to say, Tom was like an excited kid on Christmas Eve because of this unforeseen effect of histest invention.


    The biggest problem in the mana crystal development was how easy it would have been to detect it. With the storage capacity at the level of Ultimate ss being, the crystal would be an irritatingly bright shining spot on the senses of anyonepetent.


    But Tom had no way to prevent that. None whatsoever. His understanding was very small in this area and studying it from scratch would be a bother and a waste of time for him.


    Tom had only one... untested method.


    Namely, the array inscribed into his sacred gear to ''hide'' its existence pre-awakening.


    Tom didn''t understand how it provided said effect but he could use the ''monkey see, monkey do'' method, couldn''t he? He could still inscribe the array on his product. Who cared he had no idea how or why it worked?


    Okay... he was bothered by the fact a lot. But he also didn''t have an alternative.


    Many humans who held Sacred Gears were never discovered by supernatural forces. And that was because before the Sacred Gear awakened, its holder ''felt'' in the senses of others just like a normal human being.


    Naturally, there were special methods to locate these people but they took more effort and most importantly, focus than they were worth it.


    An apt example would be, Azazel.


    He was extremely strong and experienced, and could definitely tell if somebody had a Sacred Gear by just looking at a person. But put him in front of a town and he would not be able to tell you how many Sacred Gear holders live in it without using some kind of scanning gadget.


    He needed to focus on a person to tell. Instead of brightly shining on everyone''s senses, the Sacred Gear was hidden while dormant, and detecting it required one to focus on the holder.


    And that was what Tom wanted to exploit. Wearing the crystal as a ne and having it under his shirt all the time, it wouldn''t grab the attention of anyone. If anyone focused on Tom, they would inspect him with their senses, not the crystal.


    Unless somebody fully focused on the crystal, the ''hiding'' array from the Sacred Gear would obscure it from their senses.


    It wasn''t a perfect solution but it was an avable one.


    With a n of action decided, Tom looked at the innocently looking purple crystal on his table and wryly smiled, ''Another few weeks of research on how to inscribe the array onto the thing. Oh joy.''

 Chapter 7: Summoning a devil

    Chapter 7: Summoning a devil


    Time slowly passed and Tom was finished with his Mana Crystal research.


    With that done, he had more confidence in using Vision on items of magical nature. Like the Devil Summoning Flier in front of him, for example.


    Oh, he tried to scan it with Vision. But as he expected, it made him faint, depleted his magic reserves, and when he woke up, he received iplete information about it that was such a jumbled mess it was not useful at all.


    Despite it looking like a normal paper, the flier was actually quite an advanced piece of magic.


    ''But no longer!'' Tom sniffed and grasped the purple mana crystal in his hand, ''I... have finally conquered my fainting issues. I am so proud of myself!'' He wiped off a stray tear from his cheek.


    Activating Vision on the flier while redirecting the magic flow towards the mana crystal, Tom found himself viewing how the flier was made and how it worked. He felt as if only a moment passed and the knowledge was etched into his memory before he found himself sitting on his ass, gasping for air and profusely sweating.


    Wryly smiling, he spoke, "That was... different."


    Since the mana he used for Vision didn''te from within him, channeling the magic through his body put a strain on it. That waspletely unexpected by Tom and posed an entirely new problem.


    ''Really one issue solved only for another to pop up out of nowhere.'' Tom inwardly sighed.


    Checking the mana crystal, he noted barely ten percent of it was diminished. Tom rejoiced at the fact because he finally had at least a loose reference for how much magic it cost to scan magical items.


    But at the same time, Tom also felt sour. If ten percent managed to put him under so much strain, he wondered what using all of the magic in crystal for Vision would do to his body.


    ''I need to make restorative potions.'' Tom shuddered at the image.


    Yes... he was not thinking about stopping using the crystal just because of the risks. Instead, he wanted to make a way to mitigate the harm.


    Well, even the smart people sometimes act dumb...


    Ten percent of the mana crystal seemed like a small amount but inparison, it was five times the mana reserves Tom currently possessed. No wonder he could only get fragments of knowledge when using Vision on it without the mana crystal. He usually only received a fifth of the information he was seeking and even that was at random, making it into a mess.


    Tom looked through his new knowledge about the flier, deadpanning at what he found, "It''s just a uselesslyplicated locator spell."


    Activating the flier would simply send a signal to its owner. A signal that was capable of getting from the human world even to the Underworld. In fact, that was impressive and most likely the sole reason why Vision took so much magic from Tom to identify it.


    Other than that... the flier was just an overexaggerated locator spell so its owner could teleport to it. Upon its activation, the coordinates of its position would be sent alongside the alert to its owner and that... was all.


    Tom had found nothing useful. At all.


    A total waste of a few days of charging the crystal.


    He stared at the flier with an unreadable expression donned on his face and a small frown, trying to make itbust with his gaze.


    "I have no idea what I expected." He grumpilyined under his nose, "It''s something belonging to the devils. Of course, it would be a scam." He crossed his arms on his chest and... pouted.


    There was a reason why Tom screened the flier. He wanted to see if it didn''t contain anything... nefarious.


    Unlike those sweaty fanfiction-writing nerds who dreamed to be a ve of a devil just because she was a pretty girl with big knockers,pletely ignoring the fact she would have never let them touch her simply because the social standing between them would have been an immense rift, Tom didn''t trust devils at all.


    He would naturally check a flier that summoned one. For all he knew, it could have anything from mild maniption spells to some kind of obscure curse on it.


    Finding out there was no such thing was a relief but it wouldn''t alleviate Tom''s vignce.


    Unfortunately, dealing with devils was the best way forward for Tom. They had the resources he needed and they were willing to offer them for a rtively low price.


    For example, if he wanted to buy a book on magic from a family of magicians, they would overprice it by ten times and y hard to get, maybe even make Tom swear some favors to themter down the line... and all of that simply because how scarce knowledge on magic was on Earth.


    But for devils? They had entire libraries with magical tomes they never did and never would read and they collected them just to satisfy their collector''s spirit or some other bullshit.


    For them, lending one or two books was not an issue. Of course, they would ask a price for every bit of knowledge and try to get huge benefits for something so low-effort was almost certain to happen, but still... that''s what negotiation was for.


    They would not ask a ridiculously high price for it, at least not to the extent the magician families would, simply because it is no bother at all for them.


    There was a reason why magicians made pacts with devils. And it wasn''t because it sounded cool and edgy.


    For devils, amassing magical knowledge, even if they didn''t have any use for it, was a way to lure magicians to summon them. Magicians usually had more wealth and more means of repayment for contracts, and on top of all that, it was a way to find talented young magicians they could possibly lure into their peerages.


    It was a win-win situation for them.


    On the other side of things, dealing with devils was a verymon thing for magicians. Some, like Tom''s father, would never be able to make a deal with a devil no matter how much he wanted, but magicians from influential families did it quite frequently.


    The hard part of this was to ensure your safety and make sure you will get what you want without sacrificing a lot and always knowing what you are paying for the services. Making easy and good-sounding vague promises? That was a surefire way to get a cor around your neck.


    That was one of the reasons why Tom chose the Sitri Household. They were devils but they ran a hospital. Meaning they had at least some level ofpassion for others, hence, he could assume they would not be utter bastards trying to chase him into a corner with each deal.


    Not that he would be careless when dealing with them but at least it would give him a bit of leeway.


    Yes, the Gremory Devils were known for being kind to their family. But the keyword was... to their family.


    For all Tom knew, they could be insidious scheming pieces of shit to everyone else. Seeing how Rias acquired Issei in the anime or how Sirzechs oh-so-innocently made the naive and stupid Issei confront Riser during the engagement celebration...


    Needless to say, if Issei lost against Riser, his life would be in danger. He, a low-ss devilmoner, just barged into the party of devil nobility and proimed that the virginity of Rias, the sole Heiress of a very influential and important noble house, belonged to him. Then he offended not only Riser, a noble high-ss devil, but also the entire Phenex House and their allies.


    That''s not mentioning how upset the other devil nobles on the party must have felt at having somemon weak reincarnated devil interrupting their gathering as if he owned the Underworld.


    The only reason why Issei was not killed on spot was that it was ever-so-obvious Sirzechs was backing the boy up. It was clearly impossible for Issei to get into the Underworld, much less the banquet hall, without some serious help. But even then, Sirzechs could not directly intervene.


    If Issei lost against Riser, he would be in a very tough spot.


    But since he won and the devils valued strength, Issei faced almost no consequences at all. And Tom didn''t doubt Sirzechs had some hand in suppressing any sort of bacsh from the boy''s actions.


    It went well for Issei. Hell, Tom was sure Issei had no idea just how big of a bullet he just dodged, too happy to fondle Rias''s breasts. But that entire plot reeked of scheming and maniption.


    Just one nce at Rias''s peerage and it was obvious how the Gremory House operated.


    Every piece of hers was ''special'' and acquired ''by chance''.


    Just by a massive coincidence, Rias was at the right spot at the right time to get the daughter of freaking Baraqiel as her Queen. The political bacsh from that one must have been a massive clusterfuck, yet, it happened.


    Apparently, the peace and lowering the tensions between the factions were not as important to Sirzechs as giving his sister a nice present.


    Just by chance, Rias got one of thest few remaining Nekoshou in the world, a race known for their potential and talent in Senjutsu, as her rook. Not only was Shirone the sister of Kuroka, a stray who clearly showcased her potential by attaining ultimate-ss prowess, but after the decimation of Nekoshou in the Underworld, giving Shirone back to the Yokai faction would lessen the resentment a lot. That way, there would at least be a chance for the Nekoshou race to recover, given a few centuries.


    Yet, thest Nekoshou was reincarnated as a devil,pletely ending the pure Nekoshou race right there and then since the transformation was permanent, and then dropped off to Rias''s circle of servants at a young age to be groomed into an obedient kitty.


    Again... the rtions between Yokai and Devils could go to the side when giving Rias a gift was concerned.


    Just by a coincidence, Kiba was saved from the clutches of the mean Church... And that was another clusterfuck of its own.


    The research facility would naturally be deep in the territory of the Church where no friggin'' devil had any right to be because if they were discovered, tensions between the factions would rise like prices during intion. Especially since it was a research facility and the church would not want devils to snoop around those.


    Just by being there, the devils risked a conflict. Did it matter though? Rias got her knight, after all!


    Tom didn''t remember much about Gasper but a dhampir with Forbidden Balor View? Nobody could persuade Tom that his ending up in Rias''s peerage was a coincidence.


    Of course, Tom wouldn''t give Rias the credit for this. Instead, Sirzechs, Venna, and Zeoticus seemed much more suspicious as far as the reason why Rias''s peerage was so... special.


    Trusting the Gremorys, especially when it came to his own safety and future, didn''t seem like a good choice to Tom. The second he showed his capabilities, he would possibly have the strongest Devil trying to make him a pawn for his sister. The red-haired devils seemed like the extremely greedy sort with a nice facade but a penchant for not knowing what ''no'' meant.


    No, thank you. The Sitri House seemed much better in that regard.


    "Let''s get this over with." Tom sighed, walking towards the couch in the corner of hisb and seated himself before channeling a bit of magic into the flier and tossing it onto the floor, causing it to sh and send the signal to its owner.


    Tom leaned back and made himselffortable.


    ''Now... I wait.''

 Chapter 8: A deal with a devil

    Chapter 8: A deal with a devil


    It didn''t take long, at most a few minutes since Tom activated the flier, for a teleportation circle to appear in front of the couch, and a well-groomed, ck-haired man sporting a small goatee, appeared in front of Tom.


    The man seemed in histe thirties and when his piercing purple eyesnded on Tom, they showed surprise but despite that, his lips stretched into a pleasant smile as he approached him while offering his hand for a handshake.


    "I am Sarael Sitri, the head of House Sitri, feel free to call me Sarael, nice to meet you, young man." His words were casual but Tom could feel the pride behind them. The man was simply giving him a warning he would not allow himself to be slighted and that his time was precious.


    Being polite was the least Tom could do so he stood up and epted the handshake before gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch.


    "Thomas Prest. I am the newest magician around the block. You can also call me Tom." Tom quipped, causing Sarael''s lips to quirk a bit more upwards as they sat down.


    "I see... are you looking for a pact or a normal contract?" Sarael asked, going straight to the point.


    Tom couldn''t fault him. As a Head of his House, his responsibilities were most likely very time-consuming.


    That was another reason why getting a Sitri Household summoning flier was hard. They were not distributed very often because neither Sarael nor his wife had too much time to fulfill contracts. They mostly obliged old ''alliances''. That''s why influential families could procure these fliers easily... and that''s also why Sarael was surprised.


    He expected to see the head of House Belgrade, but instead, he was greeted by a totally new face.


    "A normal contract." Tom said and also dispensed the pleasantries.


    Going for a pact straight away when he didn''t know what to expect from the Sitris would be foolish and a waste of time.


    Sarael curtly nodded. "Do you know the rules or should I exin?"


    Naturally, magicians often informed themselves before doing actual Devil Summoning so that question was totally understandable.


    "I''d like to hear the exnation." Tom answered. He knew the gist of it but it wouldn''t hurt to hear it again and ascertain he was not missing anything.


    Sarael wasn''t thrilled he would have to waste time giving a lengthy exnation of how everything worked. s, that''s how the system worked and the unfortunate man could do nothing about it at the moment.


    At the very least, the young human in front of him seemed... adequate. Only time would tell if his House would continue responding to his summoning but Sarael was not about to cut a possible connection just because the boy was not one of his regrs.


    To have the summoning flier belonging to the Belgrade family, he would have to get it from them somehow. And the notion it would be through force was ridiculous. Sarael could feel Thomas''s magical reserves and while they were admirable for a human of his age, he was no genius. The fact that the Belgrade Head still gave him a flier was enough to vouch for him, in Sarael''s opinion.


    After Sarael''s slightly boring and unenthusiastic exnations, Tom nodded his head, noting that he pretty much had a good gist of it. Nevertheless, he spent the next half hour shooting question after question at the poor Sarael.


    Tom made sure his questions were to the point so Sarael couldn''t even rebuke him for it.


    Basically, the devil''s contract was magic simr to prayers. How it worked... even Sarael had no idea, or at least he said he didn''t. Tom assumed that simr to Angels being empowered by the prayers of the believers, the Heaven System also produced a simr effect for Devils.


    Tom surmised it had something to do with faith. Despite not associating themselves with Heaven, Devils and Fallen Angels still did belong to the Biblical Pantheon and therefore they still were under the influence of the Heaven System.


    And people believed devils made deals... hence, this.


    Basically, for making contracts and fulfilling the wishes of their contractors, Devils could slightly increase their demonic energy. This increase was nothing much for the stronger devils and that''s why they did not do the contracts all that much, but it was godsent for the new or young devils.


    Of course, despite already getting a power-up by fulfilling deals, no devil would do it ''for free''. That''s why they asked for ''additional'' payment from their contractors.


    Honestly, Tom had so many ideas about how to abuse that and quickly gain power it wasn''t even funny but... he wasn''t about to jump at the first opportunity he saw. There was a catch. He was sure of it. There was always some secret catch.


    Not that he wanted to be a devil unless he had no other option avable to him. He quite liked his status as a human. It grew on him during his two lifetimes.


    With the exnation over and Tom''s questions also depleted


    "Let''s get to the point." Sarael sighed and spoke with a mild irritation present in his tone.


    Tom nodded. "I''d like to buy a bottle of Phoenix Tears."


    "Ah..." Sarael apologetically smiled, "I am afraid trading Phoenix Tears is hard. They are a very expensive and important resource for our race."


    Tom raised an eyebrow at that. Everyone in the anime and their mother had them. An important resource, his ass... "How much does a bottle cost?" He asked, keeping his tone polite.


    After all, Sarael did not say it was impossible. Just that it was hard.


    Which in reality meant, expensive.


    "One bottle is twenty-five million." Sarael casually shrugged in a ''what-can-you-do'' manner, causing Tom to almost choke on his saliva. No wonder Phenexes were wealthy as fuck. "I might be willing to part with one bottle but it wouldn''t be cheap. At the very least you would owe me a favor and have to pay thirty million." A glint passed through Sarael''s eyes.


    And here it was... Tom wryly smiled. The man wlessly led the focus on the fact he asked for five million more than the original buying price but the important part was the asked ''favor''.


    Favors were something intangible. For all Tom knew, Sarael might ask him to do a wide range of things and while they should be proportional to the value of the thing exchanged for the favor, it might not be the case.


    With a favor, he could basically make Tom do anything from babysitting Sona for a day to babysitting Sona for her whole life, meaning, joining her peerage.


    Considering the item Tom asked for was a bottle of Phoenix Tears, an item that could save the life from almost any injury andpletely restore the user, Sarael would really have a massive leeway in what he could ask for in remuneration from Tom.


    It didn''t matter he would pay an additional thirty million for the item. The term ''favor'' was vague enough to simply fuck Tom''s life over whenever Sarael wanted. And while Tom doubted the man aimed at getting Tom to join Sona''s peerage, owing a favor to a devil was a massive Damocles sword over one''s head.


    "I don''t deal in favors." Tom returned an easy smile to Sarael, causing the man to amusedly raise an eyebrow at him.


    He knew Tom said it on purpose, to inform him he will never make a deal with a stiption that he would owe him a favor. It was an amusing thing for Sarael but he simply shrugged it off. He was in this business for a long time and adopted the mindset that to each their own. Still... worth a try.


    "I can give you fifty million for one bottle. If it''s still impossible, then that''s that." Tom added, his heart secretly bleeding from the words he just uttered.


    His ount bnce right now was fifty-two and a half million pounds. It really hurt his fragile heart...


    Sarael seemed to think about it for a moment before he gave a careful nod, "Okay. I think I can ept that." He spoke in a slow contemtive tone as if he was calcting his gains and losses and Tom''s eye almost twitched at the easy acting of the bastard.


    The Sitri House owned the most important and biggest hospital in the Underworld. They were the only House other than Phenexes that were most likely to have a big stash of Phoenix Tears on hand. There definitely are some agreements between the two Houses too. Important Devils visited the Sitri Hospital almost daily and there was no way for them to not have the miraculous all-healing remedy on hand whenever necessary.


    Tom wouldn''t be surprised if Sitri House had massive discounts on the Phoenix Tears or if the government paid most of the price for them simply for the hospital to have enough supply of them.


    Paying double the price for one bottle? Tom wanted to kick himself into the shin but... he consoled himself that it was worth it. He offered such a price to get rid of the ''favor'' in the deal.


    Tom was sure that Sarael would ept. The sly bastard could most likely get four bottles for that kind of money and even if money was not a big issue for him, why not ept such a profitable deal? Naturally, Sarael needed to appear a bit reluctant at first to portray a proper image...


    "I think this is the beginning of a very profitable rtionship, Mr. Prest." Sarael spoke with satisfaction and a wide amused smile on his lips.


    This time, Tom''s eye really did twitch, much to the devil''s rising joy.

 Chapter 9: A deal for the devil

    Chapter 9: A deal for the devil


    Another two months passed and Tom was meeting Lord Sitri again. This time, in his office instead of theboratory.


    "Greetings, Thomas. I am looking forward to yet another profitable deal." Sarael spoke, pleasantly smiling, but his eyes betrayed his glee. The man was taking this as a game. It wasn''t even about money for him. Tom surmised he just enjoyed screwing with him.


    s, it didn''t matter. The man could have his fun. Sarael delivered what Tom needed and that was what mattered.


    "Hello, Sarael," Tom dryly greeted back and invited Sarael to sit down.


    All this etiquette was honestly aggravating for Tom but it was just another form of mind game. He found it useless and tiring but had no other choice than to y it.


    "So? What can I do to help you with this nice day?" Sarael asked, his eyes expectant. He liked careful customers who didn''t go for massive benefits at the cost of giving vague promises that could mean anything. He loved to make them pay exorbitant prices to sidestep those vague promises even more!


    That''s why he made deals with the Heads of Magician Households. They could not allow their houses to owe a favor. So they paid. And they paid a lot. Seeing them grit their teeth but still agree to the deal... It made Sarael feel heavenly.


    He might or might not indulge a bit in greed...


    Nevertheless, this boy, Thomas Prest, knew this rule. He knew nothing in the world was for free but depending on what you offer, some things can be procured for various prices. He had potential and a good head on his shoulders. Sarael would lie if he said he was not intrigued.


    Still... the boy was an average magician. It was really a pity but House Sitri did not need a pact with someone like that.


    ''Well, at the very least, scamming him would be a nice way to pass the time.'' Sarael inwardly sighed in disappointment. Two months passed and Tom''s magical reserves improved only very slightly. That told him enough about his potential and while he would keep his mind open, the value of Tom dropped in his mind.


    Tom smiled, surprising Sarael. It was such a smug yet genuine smile that it made the devil feel a bit apprehensive, yet, he also couldn''t help but be curious about what elicited such a reaction from his customer.


    "This time, my dear friend," Okay, now it was getting really weird, in Sarael''s opinion, "it is about what can I do for you, rather than the opposite."


    ''Ah.'' The corners of Sarael''s lips twitched upward at that. ''Business proposition rather than contract? Interesting. Let''s see if it is any good.'' He mused.


    He had no reason to shoot Tom down straight away. This happened weirdly often. Humans thought themselves smart and tried to offer deals to the devils rather than taking deals from them. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not... most often it was just a funny but pathetic attempt.


    Well, let''s just say Sarael received various offers ranging from a woman trying to prostitute herself for benefits, which was pathetic and he was happily married to a very lovable but strict woman, to really good deals that helped his House. It was all like a coin flip when this happened but the least he could do was to hear Tom out.


    And who knows? Maybe he would even get some amusement or profit out of it.


    "Oh? Enlighten me, then." He said and put one leg over the other, leaning a bit forward, interested in what woulde out of Tom''s mouth.


    Tom smirked at him and stayed quiet, silently sliding a file towards his side of the table, gesturing at it.


    Sarael sighed at how boring this kind of persuasion was as he took the file into his hands, and opened it while offhandedlymenting, "I miss the times when regr humans couldn''t read. Everything was easier then. We simply talked about stuff, you know?"


    "I can imagine." Tom dryly said and rolled his eyes.


    Since Sarael decided to dispense with the etiquette and went for a more rxed atmosphere, the least Tom could do was to oblige and show more genuine reactions.


    Sarael nomittally hummed, not deeming Tom''s jibe with a proper reaction, and started reading the file.


    He didn''t get far. The second he reached the third line that stated, ''Potions capable of healing devils'', he froze in utter shock, the ramification of such a thing passing through his head as his eyes snapped towards Tom in disbelief and inquisitiveness.


    Potions created by human magicians did not work on devils. It had something to do with their demonic power that prevented the magical effect of potions from affecting them. That''s why the Phoenix Tears were so invaluable to the devil race.


    Yes, they were one of the best healing remedies in the world but on top of that, they were one of the very few things that could heal devils.


    Tom didn''t say anything though, he just wordlessly shrugged and gestured for Sarael to continue reading.


    Sarael frowned. The human was far too confident. He had no idea if this would work but the tests would reveal that. The thing that bothered Sarael most is how this would change things and how many problems it would bring.


    He could imagine Phenexes not wanting things like this to see the light of the day, their race''s wellbeing be damned. And yet, he was a doctor first and foremost. He... wanted remedies like this for his race. He wanted them a lot, to be honest.


    Returning back to reading, this time paying proper attention and utmost focus to every word, Sarael went through Tom''s proposal, slowly gaining an understanding of what the human mage wanted from him.


    Sarael subtly nced at Tom, ''I might have underestimated him too much, huh?''


    "I understand what you want from me." Sarael seriously spoke, closing the file and resting his palm on it, "But... Do you have any idea how many problems this would cause for me on the political scene?"


    Tom gave him an amused sigh and shook his head, "What did I expect?" He muttered, loud enough for Sarael to hear.


    "Look," Tom continued, "I am proposing a deal that will make your House richer, give you more influence, help your family hospital, help your race overall, maybe even give you merchandise you can offer to other races with a simr problem... and you still want to y this game?" He ndly finished, giving Sarael an unamused and irritated look.


    Sarael wryly smiled, "Right... Sorry. You can''t fault me for trying, though." He unrepentantly shrugged, "So this is why you wanted that book about safeguarding alchemical circles, huh?"


    ''And now he is fishing for information.'' Tom inwardly sighed.


    Tom indeed bought a book on safeguarding alchemical circles from Sarael during theirst meeting. The bastard raised its price to a whopping one million before he finally dropped the requirement of Tom owing a favor to House Sitri.


    Tom could swear Sarael was just messing with him and it felt quite humiliating at the end of their meeting. That''s why his reply was a bit too cheeky and smug, "Yes, the circle has several safeguards, all of which will destroy it if you tamper with it. I am sorry, Sarael. I really am. I can offer you a way to create these potions but I will not give you the step-by-step process."


    Instead of being angry, Sarael found it amusing. He thought he scammed Tom with that book but here they were. It wasn''t often his deals woulde to bite him back and he could respect that.


    And then there was the deal Tom offered...


    What Tom had in mind was very simr to what he had with the other Magician Families when it concerned food production. He would sell Sarael a massive alchemical circle capable of turning a certain mixture of herbs and liquids into weak healing potions capable of affecting devils.


    The potions would not be able to cure major wounds and they would be useless against lethal ones but that''s not what devils needed. They had Phoenix Tears for these cases. What devilscked was a quick and efficient way to heal minor wounds. There was literally no market for such a thing in the Underworld and with this, House Sitri could dominate this avenue.


    What Tom wanted from them were only a few simple things.


    First, secrecy.


    They would keep his identity secret. This was no big deal. At least not yet. Every contract could have a secrecy use, devils just did not advertise it all that much because it was an additional bother and burden for them.


    Of course, once the potions spread, people would inevitably start to get curious about where the Sitri House got their potions from. And since there would be a secrecy use, they would be unable to reveal his identity.


    From there on, this curiosity would be their problem. It wasn''t such a hurdle for them anyway. They were one of the Pirs so Tom didn''t feel bad at all about doing this.


    Second, money source.


    Once again, Tom asked for a share of the profits of every sold potion. A regr thing, really. This product would have nopetition in the market in Underworld so Tom couldn''t miss out on that juicy pie.


    But he didn''t forget to relinquish most profits to the Sitri House. They would be gathering the ingredients, producing the potions, and selling them. Having a small five percent share of profits from every sale was enough for Tom who would be doing literally nothing.


    And third, goodwill.


    This was a game-changer in the Underworld. Not a big one. But it would helpmon folk, maybe even help with the training of the devils, and Tom was putting the advantage of regting it into the hands of the Sitri House.


    Of course, Sarael was fully aware Tom would have some... requestster down the line. It was only natural.


    "I can respect your caution." Sarael nodded.


    A more vicious devil would probably try to intimidate Tom and get his research but Sarael had a sneaking suspicion Tom summoned him on purpose. What were the odds a magician wanting to sell healing potions would summon the head of the biggest hospital in the Underworld by pure coincidence?


    Tom nodded, "The Phoenix Tears won''t sh with this. Nobody uses them for minor wounds anyway. Not even Phenexes. This product targets a different range of customers. If you exin it along those lines, Phenexes will have no ground to stand on in your political games. But you obviously already realized that."


    "And you certainly did your homework as well." Sarael chuckled. He looked at Tom, narrowing his eyes as if he was pondering about something and when he finally spoke, he said something that made Tom quite aggravated.


    "Say, any thoughts about joining my little girl''s peerage?"

 Chapter 10: Lord and Lady Sitri

    Chapter 10: Lord and Lady Sitri


    Tom did not appreciate Sarael''s sentiment and instantly shot down any notion of him bing a devil, saying that if he wished for it, he would not put such a strict secrecy use in the contract in the first ce.


    Tom didn''t have to fear only the unruly devils that would try to force him into their peerages but also the enemies of the devils that wouldn''t like someone creating potions capable of healing them. Tom''s safety hung on his involvement remaining secret.


    Sarael wasn''t offended by Tom''s refusal. He expected it. But it was ever-so-obvious to Tom the man was not done trying to persuade him.


    Well, he could try. Tom didn''t intend to budge when it came to this.


    They talked for two hours about the deal and in the end, Sarael finally epted. There was no doubt in Tom''s mind that the man would ept. He didn''t offer anything that was majorly detrimental to Sarael and there were only benefits with small inconveniences that could be easily brushed off by the devil. There was literally no reason to say no and it wasrgely by Tom''s design.


    The only question was how many benefits would Tom reap after the deal was finalized and Tom can proudly say, he fought for every penny with the cheapskate Sitri.


    When Sarael finally left, Tom tiredly leaned on his chair, and couldn''t help but smile. Wasting all that money on the Phoenix Tears was totally worth it.


    He bought multiple magical remedies, from potions to pills, and used his Vision to see how they were made and how exactly they worked. With Phoenix Tears, however, he wanted to know why they affected devils.


    And once he had done all that research, all it took him was a copious amount of trials and errors to recreate a potion capable of affecting even devils in much the same way as Phoenix Tears, just with a much weaker effect.


    Of course, Tom had stronger healing potions than what he offered to Sarael but he couldn''t really reveal that. It wouldn''t matter anyway. Anything with a serious healing effect would start to rival Phoenix Tears and displease the Phenex n, and that was something Tom couldn''t afford right now.


    He wasn''t like Issei. Tom didn''t have a Heavenly Dragon leeching off his soul in exchange for powering him up for free whenever he thought about breasts.


    For Tom, the only way was to stay in the shadows while he worked on stacking the advantages in his favor and got stronger.


    Just a few weeks and he will have the goodwill of House Sitri and then...


    Well, it wasn''t a coincidence that he already knew what his next request for Lord Sitri would be.


    ...


    Sarael Sitri was in his study, trying to write a speech that will move the old shits on the council enough to stand on his side in case Phenexes wanted to boycott the new potions his family will be selling.


    Of course, he could always bribe them but where is the fun in that?


    Making them support him for free with just a speech was a much more enticing idea to Sarael. Just like when he decided to open the very first hospital in the Underworld. It took a lot of string-pulling but Sarael enjoyed it.


    Making people willingly do things they usually wouldn''t was one of his joys in life. That and being a doctor. Something about having the life and death of a sick person in his hands made him extremely gleeful.


    Well, as far as sick hobbies went, his were quite mild considering some of the older residents of the Underworld. Why? Even his wife had a hobby he shuddered at!


    She loved to... do paperwork.


    Crazy woman.


    Then again, it worked out for him. He definitely didn''t mind being ordered to relinquish the majority of his paperwork to his wife.


    At least Serafall didn''t inherit his wife''s prim and proper, strict personality, much to Sarael''s relief. Having his daughter walking around, d in a magical girl outfit might be embarrassing but knowing she was the third strongest devil and did that simply to mentally screw with others...


    Yes, Serafall was his girl, alright!


    Suddenly, Sarel heard a knock on his door and before he could respond, the door opened, and in walked a ck-haired woman with pronounced aristocratic features, deep blue eyes, and d in a ck dress.


    "Lareth." Sarael acknowledged her presence with a curt nod.


    "You are working." Lareth dryly said as she sat in the chair in front of his desk, her back straight and her head held high as is proper.


    Sarael''s eye twitched at that. "I have just received a nice offer that could benefit our House. I am sorry for being unable to apany you to the bed just yet." He genially spoke and slid the file with the information to her.


    They might not have been an idyllic couple but they found a measure of peace within their marriage. Like so many of the noble devils, their marriage started with a contract and beating. He had to beat her to an inch of her life for the stubborn woman to finally acknowledge that she belonged to him.


    Well, it was a different time then, and he was not interested in having an unruly wife and she was not interested in having him as a husband. Naturally, that led to a fight.


    Not like he could have said no to the marriage either so he wasn''t exactly the viin in that situation. He too didn''t have much of a choice in the matter.


    But their differences were dealt with during their first two centuries of living together. It was unbearable at times and Sarael hated his parents for putting him in contract with the frigid bitch but eventually, they got used to each other and Sarael dared to say, even fell in love.


    That''s how it usually went with these contract matches. It was why parents still matched their children like this. It worked out for them, so why not for their children? After a few decades, they will get used to each other so what was the big deal?


    Utter fools...


    Sarael already promised his wife he would not lock Sona in a marriage contract. That''s why he was teaching her chess and already nned to offer her hand to the biggest idiot in her generation in the Underworld.


    He was sure his youngest girl would put two and two together, and intellectually beat her fiance so hard he would need several centuries of crying in his bed to recover.


    While Sarael started to daydream of the day when his Sona showed the world how badass she was... taking after daddy, of course... and put some uppity boy in his ce through her sheer intellect, Lareth was reading the files about the potions and couldn''t believe her eyes.


    "T-This... is it true?" She looked at Sarael, looking for confirmation as her expression for the first time since she entered the room stopped being nk and showed a trace of disbelief and a bit of happiness at the implications.


    After all, Lareth was also a healer. It was what brought Sarael and her closer.


    "Yes. I have already finished a few small tests and the potions work." Sarael informed her, also excited.


    "Fascinating." Lareth slightly smiled before asking the most important question... "Did you offer a ce in Sona''s peerage to the inventor?"


    Sarael preened. "Of course, I did!" He eximed, his eyes twinkling as he paused in his speech...


    "He refused." Sarael deted and Lareth instantly created an ice spike next to her and hurled it at her husband, barely missing his head.


    She didn''t appreciate him using his word ys and mind-fuckery with her. Sometimes he had to be reminded of his limits otherwise he would forget his ce.


    "What did we say about ying your games with me?" She coldly asked, her eyes boring into Sarael.


    "Yikes. Not to?" He unrepentantly shrugged, not bothered by the attack at all, causing Lareth to heavily sigh.


    "So? Why are you leading the conversation away from the inventor?" Lareth evenly asked.


    Of course, she would notice. She lived with this menace for most of her life. She knew how his mind worked inside and out.


    "Secrecy uses." Sarael pipped in and Lareth nodded in understanding.


    Her lips suddenly curled in a cunning smirk "Well, that doesn''t prevent you from inviting him to a family dinner, does it?"


    When he heard her, Sarael''s expression morphed... matching his wife perfectly.

 Chapter 11: Meeting the Sitri family

    Chapter 11: Meeting the Sitri family


    Tom entered the dining hall of the Sitri Manor and his eyes nced around, his wildly beating heart calming down when he noticed theck of a certain self-proimed magical girl''s presence.


    He wasn''t sure if Serafall would be present at the ''Sitri family dinner'' since she was a Leviathan now but apparently, his hosts were gracious enough to not include her, most likely knowing full well Tom was nervous enough about it without having a Satan present.


    When Sarael invited him to a family dinner, Tom instantly shot him down, refusing before Sarael even finished speaking. Tom was ufortable enough with one devil knowing his identity and his connection to the potions, and now the sly bastard wanted to introduce him to his family?


    What kind of joke was that?


    s, Sarael gave him an offer that couldn''t be refused.


    Two reasonable requests.


    As much as Tom wanted to say, ''Fuck you.'', he just... couldn''t. He couldn''t say no to this opportunity.


    Sometimes life was just depressing.


    In the end, Tom epted but under the condition that everyone attending the dinner would make a contract with him, free of any cost, of course, that stated they would never reveal his identity to others.


    Fortunately, contracts were ''sacred'' to the devilkind, and breaking the terms would be akin to rubbing the Sitri House''s reputation through the mud. Not even the most vicious devil would break the terms of a contract. That''s why the humans, and especially mages, had so many stories about cunningly tricking a big bad devil.


    And ording to Sarael, it was also why there were so many good night stories in the Underworld where the good devil won against the dirty tricks of cunning humans.


    Tom''s eyes met inquisitive, yet sharp blue eyes that scrutinized him from head to heels, making him feel a bit fidgety. The woman to whom these eyes belonged was incredibly beautiful by human standards but Tom didn''t like the glint in her eyes. Not one bit.


    Thest person in the room was...


    Tom blinked before slowly turning towards Sarael. "You wanted me in your daughter''s peerage when she seems to not be old enough to get her pieces for at least a few years yet?" He deadpanned at the man.


    "Yeah, so?" Sarael asked as if he didn''t see any problem with that. "I am sure that waiting for my cute little angel would be no bother at all!"


    The sincerity in his eyes as he utteredplete bullshit like that was making Tom very leery of staying friendly with this man.


    "And I now refuse twice as hard." Tom dryly said. It was one thing to be a devil in the peerage of a gorgeous woman. And that image still made him reel in difort. It was quite another to be in the peerage of someone who wasn''t even old enough to go to school.


    Hard pass, that.


    Well, at least Tom now received the answer to the question of how much time he had before the DxD apocalyptic plot. Apparently, a lot.


    That made him relieved.


    Sarael and Tom approached the table, Sarael leading him to introduce his wife first.


    "This is Lareth Sitri, my wife." He said while gesturing at her before turning towards Tom, "And this is Thomas Prest."


    "Nice to meet you." Tom slightly bowed when he saw the woman did not offer her hand. He was d for that, to be honest. Kissing someone''s hands... not his thing. His father tried very hard to beat it into him but obviously, he failed.


    "You as well, Mr. Prest." Lareth curtsied herself, "I must admit, inviting you was my idea. I wanted to see the genius who came up with such an amazing product of alchemy. And I have to say..." She gave him a quick once-over, "You are much younger than I first thought."


    "Thank you for thepliment, mdy." Tom said with an easy smile.


    What she said could be either apliment or an insult and she said it in such a vague tone Tom had no way to distinguish how she meant it.


    When Lareth heard Tom''s reply, her lips quirked upwards for a brief second, "I wonder what you would aplish with a... longer lifespan, let''s say."


    "Probably much less since the sense of urgency would be gone." Tom dryly said, his tone showing just what he thought about what she implied.


    "A pity. But you are still young. Maybe you will eventually change your opinion on the matter." Lareth casually remarked and Tom understood where she came from.


    For a being like her, someone with who-knows-how-much life experience, someone who saw human empires rise and fall and probably did a recruitment pitch for many humans before Tom, developing a lot of patience was probably only natural.


    Neither Sarael nor Lareth was exactly trying extremely hard to recruit Tom. First, their daughter could not even have her Evil Pieces yet, and Tom was young.


    Tom could imagine that many old mages, nearing their death, would leap at an offer like this. The Sitri couple probably thought he would be the same and they just have to y the waiting game before getting him to their collection.


    It was... oddly insulting to not be taken seriously.


    Yet, Tom was d to be subtly insulted like this as it proved to him they would not try to y tricks on him. Not yet, at least.


    Lareth then half-turned and gestured at thest person in the room who was now curiously looking at Tom from behind her skirt.


    "And this is our daughter and heiress, Sona Sitri." Lareth said, gently putting her hand on top of Sona''s head.


    Tom redirected his smile at the girl and spoke, "Nice to meet you, cute little princess Sona."


    Of course, just as Tom expected, the girl took the bait perfectly.


    "I am not little! I am already six!" Sona indignantly pouted, showing Tom six fingers, instantly out of her shy shell.


    The small girl instantly realized what she had just done and blushed under the amused look and reproaching eyebrow of her mother before she hid her face in Lareth''s skirt.


    Tom turned towards Sarael and smirked, "She reminds me of you in a way."


    That made Larethugh as Sarael rolled his eyes at Tom. "Of course, she does. She is like me. Smart, cunning, and good-looking."


    "Hmm, I can see her growing up to be just that but are you sure you are talking about yourself?" Tom quipped, poking fun at Sarael.


    "My husband loves to exaggerate." Lareth added with a smirk, causing Sarael to gasp and grab his chest.


    "That hurts, honey." He exaggeratedly scrunched his eyebrows in a pitiful expression


    Lareth curtly nodded at him and happily said, "Happy to be of service, husband."


    Tom liked their interaction and if the quiet snickering of Sona was any indication, she also found the antics of her parents funny.


    This whole dinner was bing way different than what Tom imagined a dinner of nobility to be but he liked that. Which made him feel weird. For all he knew, they could act like this on purpose to show him he could fit into their family. They most likely were doing exactly that.


    But Tom also felt they were genuine in their behavior which was why it was weird.


    If he learned anything from this experience, it was that dealing with old devils like these was headache-inducing.


    "Well, then, shall we eat?" Sarael asked, gently ushering Tom to his seat before taking his own seat at the helm of the table.


    Several maids and butlers entered the room the second he sat down, bringing tters upon tters with luxurious food of various kinds. It was an impressive scene, to say the least. The servants as if knew when to enter and Tom couldn''t help but give Sarael an unimpressed look at how much he was showing off.


    Sarael just smugly grinned at him in reply. After all, he could afford it so what if he used a bit of theatrics to make a good impression?

 Chapter 12: Toms first request

    Chapter 12: Tom''s first request


    After the dinner, Sarael took Tom to his office, leaving Lareth ying with Sona since the men were going to talk business... or so Sarael proudly called it as Lareth rolled her eyes at him.


    Naturally, Tom was not interested in a six-year-old brat and didn''t try to speak much with Sona during the dinner. He had two adults right in front of him so why would he try to entertain himself with a child?


    That''s why he probably didn''t make an impression on the girl. Which waspletely fine by him.


    In Sarael''s office, they took a seat on the cozy couch and Tom could see Sarael had already prepared the items he requested. On the table near the couch, an old parchment and a queen chess piece were ced.


    "The Queen belongs to one of my retainers. Since you just requested to be able to inspect it, go on. Don''t worry, though. We will have the piece looked over before returning it to the owner. You know, just to make sure." Sarael said with a too-pleasant smile but cold eyes when he noticed Tom staring at the chess piece.


    Honestly, Tom didn''t care how the old devil felt about his requests. What mattered to him was that he delivered. But still...


    "That''s it? Noining about me inspecting it?" Tom furrowed his eyebrows. He expected a lot of reluctance, yet, Sarael was oddly rxed about it.


    He got a snort in reply. "Do you really think you are the first magician requesting to be able to inspect an Evil Piece?" Sarael asked with an amused undertone, finding Tom''s question as entertaining as it was naive.


    "I guess not." Tom grumbled as he took the piece into his hands.


    "Many magicians tried." Saraelzily continued while boredly leaning on the backrest of the couch. "Some even did harsh pacts with us just to have that kind of chance. Yet, nobody ever seeded. I am honestly not worried about this at all."


    Tom didn''t outwardly react but he was listening to Sarael. It seemed as if the man tried to reassure him that failing was fine but...


    What Sarael said between the lines was that if Tom seeded, his worth in the eyes of the devils would increase exponentially. If that happened, Sarael would not only see something interesting, but he would also most likely start to be active in his attempts to recruit Tom, instead of his passive approach so far.


    And if Tom failed, nothing would change. Tom would just prove the superiority of the Evil Pieces over human magicians. Again.


    It wouldn''t be a reason to be ashamed. After all, much stronger and older magicians failed and someone at Tom''s current level could be said to be foolish to attempt something they failed at.


    Yet, Tom just knew failing would give Sarael ammunition for some quality teasing. Oh, joy.


    For Sarael, this was a win-win situation. Especially since Tom ''wasted'', in his opinion, one of the requests he was willing to fulfill for something so... stupid and simple. Sarael was really satisfied with this arrangement.


    His irritation stemmed from the fact he actually had to present a Queen piece to Tom. That meant he had to ask a retainer of his who hadn''t used that piece yet and borrow it from him. It might not seem like a lot but Evil Pieces were very important to every devil. And for non-noble devils, it was doubly so.


    They had to actually earn them, instead of getting them like the children of nobles. That was not an easy task. Bing a high-ss devil was hard. For some, it was an unattainable goal. And the Evil Pieces were proof of that achievement so they were a massive source of pride for every non-noble devil.


    Even the devils who didn''t indulge in pride would find it hard to part with their Evil Pieces. Especially when they had no idea what would be happening to them.


    Naturally, Sarael''s retainer was not thrilled but his Lord ordered him and there was nothing he could do but to listen. The least Sarael could do was to make sure nothing wrong would happen with the Queen Piece, but he still didn''t like how asking for it would tarnish his perfect image as a benevolent and kind lord.


    Of course, it was still infinitely better than offering Tom an Evil Piece belonging to a family member. That was simply not happening. No way would Sarael offer his or his wife''s Pieces even if they hadn''t used all of them already.


    "It''s good that you are not worried but I''d like it if you were on alert. My method of inspection is... very self-damaging." Tom said, visibly ufortable with admitting that. "Having a doctor like you on hand while attempting this is reassuring."


    Sarael curiously looked at Tom, staring at him for a long moment before... "You bastard. You want to make me work for free!" He eximed in horrified apprehension. But then a realization struck him, "And I can''t even refuse because you are a guest! Are you sure you are not already a devil!?"


    Tom chuckled at the aggravated old devil before redirecting his focus to the Queen Piece, ignoring Saraels indignant childish muttering.


    When Sarael came to invite him for a family dinner six days ago, Tom had to finish a lot of work to be prepared for this moment.


    Under his shirt were three small purple crystals, hanging on a leather thread. To charge all of them in time, Tom had to focus only on charging them and replenishing his mana before repeating the process for five days straight.


    He was like a zombie during these days, lifeless and without energy as all of it went into charging the crystals.


    And even though he spent eighteen hours a day doing it, he only managed to fill three crystals. And now, he could only hope it would be enough.


    Well, that was his thought process before he knew how Sarael and the devils viewed magicians inspecting the Evil Pieces. It was surprising that they took it so nonchntly, believing in their superiority enough to not worry about someone cracking it.


    Then again, the Evil Pieces creator was Ajuka so... Tom guessed it was a justified smugness on their part.


    And since the devils apparently didn''t mind all that much, Tom could definitely request to inspect an Evil Piece again in the future. It really made him relieved to have this option. Even if he failed today and three crystals were not enough, he could still prepare better and make a proper inspectionter.


    But since he was already here, he would not waste this opportunity.


    ''Let''s start.'' Tom thought and started channeling the magic from the mana crystals through his body, feeding it into his Sacred Gear as he peered at the Evil Piece.

 Chapter 13: Racial difference

    Chapter 13: Racial difference


    Tom once again felt the familiar sensation of time stretching on as he viewed the presented knowledge about the Evil Piece, not interested in the trivial stuff and only using his limited magic power to view the important bits such as how it was created, the principles on which it worked, the magics and materials necessary for its construction...


    After a long time of sifting through all of that, Tom felt his avable magic power was starting to run low so he quickly ceased using his Sacred Gear and...


    Pain!


    A massive amount of scorching hot pain instantly racked his entire being, causing him to topple over, and forcing him to grit his teeth as he almost started screaming. The thrashing around, however, he couldn''t stop.


    Sarael instantly jumped to his feet, shocked beyond belief at what happened. At one moment, Tom was fine, then he suddenly grew still and his eyes became unfocused, only for him to start spasming in excruciating pain a secondter.


    He didn''t even have time to try sensing what Tom was doing before he had to act.


    Inspecting Tom, Sarael found out that every muscle in Tom''s body was under a massive strain and...


    "Geez, whatever you did was extremely dumb." He yfully reprimanded Tom while taking out a potion from under the table and feeding it to him.


    The damage was not massive so using a Phoenix Tear would be an overkill. That fact saved Tom from having to pay up another fifty million to Sarael, to be honest.


    Guest or not, Sarael would not waste a Phoenix Tear for free.


    Knowing that his ''patient'' was not in any immediate danger of life and would be fine in a few minutes, Sarael sat back in his seat and leaned back, gleefully leaving Tom to struggle with his pain.


    Sarael simply amusedly watched his suffering while thinking that painkillers would be a waste for such a reckless fool. This way, he might even learn a valuable lesson to not mess with dangerous magic again.


    As Tom was gritting his teeth through the excruciating pain, he couldn''t help but curse the prick doctor for not doing his job properly. What kind of quack doesn''t give a suffering patient some painkillers!?


    Minutes slowly passed and Tom''s repressed silent screams slowly turned into whimpers, before easing intobored breathing until the painpletely ceased, and Tom was just lying on his back, staring at the ceiling and enjoying the sweet feeling of having air peacefully go in and out of his nose as he breathed.


    That... was one of the worst experiences he had ever lived through.


    His mind wandered towards the magic crystals around his neck... and a relieved smile appeared on his face when he noticed all three of them empty, with only thest one having three more percent of magic in it.


    At least he got... most of what he wanted, inwardly hoping that he would never need to inspect a powerful magical object such as the Evil Pieces ever again.


    ''Or I could simply get stronger so my body can bear the channeling of mana.'' Tom inwardly mused, knowing that it was easier said than done. Especially so for the squishy humans.


    "What exactly did you do?" Sarael''s voice pulled Tom out of his musings.


    Tomzily looked at Sarael, hesitating a bit, before he sighed, "I used self-made Spell, hoping it would work." He wryly shrugged, causing Sarael to deadpan at him.


    "I''d rmend you to not do that ever again." He dryly said. "Your spell-crafting ability clearly sucks."


    "Guhh." Tom yed along, grimacing at the rebuttal. In his mind, though, he was happy his use of Sacred Gear was not discovered.


    "So? Did this self-muttion enable you to discover something about the Evil Piece?" Sarael leaned closer to Tom, curiosity written all over his face.


    Despite his earlier provocation, he held at least a measure of expectations for the man who managed to create potions capable of healing devils. He doubted Tom would seed but maybe...?


    Tom''s grimace deepened at the question, and he irritably huffed, "No." He crossed his arms and looked aside, making Sarael boisterouslyugh at the petnt and childish reaction.


    Acting like this was humiliating for Tom but it was the best way to lie in his situation. He wasn''t very confident in staring Sarael in the eyes and calmly lying to his face. The man was experienced in making deals and subtly maneuvering them to his advantage. Of course, he would be good at telling lies.


    But when facing somebody like that, the best way to fool them is to give them a reaction they would have expected. In this case, it was a magician with his pride hurt because he failed.


    "Mah, mah, don''t get butthurt." Sarael barked out from between hisughter, "Not even the Lords of the Pir Houses could figure it out, and trust me, we tried! Oh, how we tried! If you managed it, I wouldn''t mind you marrying my cute angel, boy!" His irritatingughter made Tom''s scowl deepen, even making it real.


    Sarael suddenly stoppedughing when he realized what he had just said, and looked at Tom in rm, "Don''t tell my wife I said that."


    He seemed genuinely afraid at the prospect, causing Tom to chuckle, "Eh, is the big bad devil whipped?" He wiggled his eyebrows at Sarael.


    Sarael just dismissively waved his hand around, "If you stay the night, you will understand why I wouldn''t want to make my wife mad at me. Despite being a stern frigid bitch most of the time, she is a marvel in bed." His smile showed a hint of desire, "She is everything you could expect from a devil indulgent in lust." He dreamily sighed.


    "What?" Tom''s mind halted when he heard what Sarael said. He was confused as he wondered if he heard Sarael right. Did he really imply...?


    "What ''what''?" Sarael furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what Tom was asking.


    "Did you just... offer me your wife?" Tom looked at his host as if he grew a second head. Whatever method to manipte him they used earlier was fine and Tom could understand that but this... this was something he couldn''t wrap his head around.


    "Oh!" Sarael eximed as if he just had a revtion, "I guess it could be easily misunderstood." He chuckled with a nod, and Tom sighed in relief that it was just a misunderstanding. Not even devils would be so depraved to...


    "I and Lareth have been together for more than a millennium by now." Sarael started, halting Tom''s thought process again, "I know every inch of the woman''s body. We did everything with each other. We even had really silly ideas like saving up enough of our fluids to fill an entire bathtub with it and then have wild sex while bathing in it." Sarael casually shrugged, ignoring Tom''s cringing, "It took us almost three decades to save up enough of it for that but with age and boredom some really messed up stuffes to mind."


    By now, Tom was gaping at the nonchnt devil. First, he found the mental image of that... disgusting. Ew...


    Secondly... What the hell? His mind was barely keeping up with registering what Sarael was talking about. Murder and maniption? That he could stomach. But this level of sexual depravity was a foreign concept to him. One he didn''t really want to get acquainted with.


    But Sarael was not done yet much to Tom''s chagrin. "Every old devil couple has the same problem. After a few centuries, it gets boring with one partner. Not even the famous Sirzechs Lucifer and Grayfia Lucifuge whose love story is known all over the underworld to be eternal are any different. They have a manor full of maids and I just so happen to know that both Grayfia and Sirzechs use them for other stuff than just what is required of a regr maid. That doesn''t mean they don''t love each other. But spicing things up in bedroom activities is simply normal for us, the old folk."


    Sarael tried to give Tom an eptable example but he couldn''t take into ount that Tom was a reincarnated person with prior knowledge and impressions of these people. This shattered quite a lot of his previous notions.


    And yet, when Sarael saw Tom''s put-off expression, he decided to hammer the head of the nail, so to speak, and continued exining. "But that''s still kind of mild among our race. Let''s stay with Gremorys since they are kind of mild cases among our kind and probably loosely eptable for a human moralpass. Lord Gremory has a harem of ''toys'' and Venna, his wife, is managing it while she has her own friends with benefits on the side. It might seem like a normal case for devils but there is a reason why not one woman from Zeoticus''s harem ever had a child. Venna is using her Power of Destruction to prevent that if you know what I mean." Sarael gave Tom a meaningful look.


    "Compared to that, what my wife and I are doing is nothing extraordinary. We just take people into our bedroom to have more fun. Honestly, I have no idea what''s the big deal. " Sarael shrugged, "You could probably get along well with my oldest girl. Her age and still a virgin. I even jokingly offered her to join us in bed out of sheer desperation, thinking that if I want to have grandkids from her, I will have to fill her with them myself, but she refused and didn''t speak with me for decades after that, the old prune! I guess I will really have to depend on Sona to make me a granddaddy. I just hope she will find a husband before her first century is up." He sighed in resignation.


    Tom had heard enough, though. "No... no, thank you. I think I am not interested in joining your sex life." He tried to refuse politely but his aversion could most likely be clearly heard from his tone.


    This... was the first major hit to Tom''smon sense. The first situation where he really understood that devils, despite looking like humans, are in fact not humans and that they think differently and have different values.


    It... hit him a bit harder than he thought.

 Chapter 14: Old contracts of devil-kind

    Chapter 14: Old contracts of devil-kind


    When Tom arrived home in the evening from the Sitri Manor, he was so mentally exhausted at all the revtions that he instantly fell asleep.


    Devil-kind''s sense of values seemed like Issei''s wet dream.


    No wonder Sona Sitri allowed the perverted trio to act out in the school if that''s the kind of mindset she was raised with.


    No wonder Rias Gremory was totally fine and not disgusted at all with Issei''s harem dream, even going as far as supporting it while cing herself as his ''main'' girl. After all, she saw the exact same thing at home from her own mother and father.


    No wonder Zeoticus Gremory did not see any problem with putting Riser and Rias together despite Riser''s reputation and behavior. Riser, with his desire to have one of ''every kind of girl'' in his peerage to satisfy his collector spirit, was apparently quite a mild case among their kind.


    To be honest, the facts were right in front of Tom all the time. He just had to look at and analyze the situation with Diodora Astaroth. The man''s peerage was made of former holy women who were abused and raped to submission.


    It is nice to pretend nobody noticed a thing but that is simply not possible at all.


    The boy''s parents, his brother who was a Satan, the other servants of the Astaroth Family... There was a massive number of people who interacted with the boy and definitely saw his peerage and their state. Diodora was an Heir to a Pir Family. He could not just hide himself and his peerage in his room.


    So... of course, the people around him noticed and knew what he was doing. But as long as he was not caught in the action, nobody cared.


    Putting thebel of a viin on Diodora would be an obvious solution but... for the first time, Tom wondered if it was really a correct assumption.


    ording to humanmon sense and moralpass, Devils were inherently evil creatures. Even though most of them became more mild-mannered and their society became less savage after the demise of the original Satans, that didn''t mean their nature changed.


    Tom would not paint them all with one brush and be like those Church fanatics who wanted their eradication for the kicks and giggles.


    Heck, Tom can''t say he wouldn''t want to marry a devil female like Lady Sitri. Something about a woman who loved to indulge in her lust was appealing to his human male nature, especially when Lady Sitri was from what Sarael told Tom, apletely faithful wife to a fault.


    They had a system of all things in ce for their special bedroom activities. The only males that could have their way with her were those Sarael brought to their bed and the only females Sarael could screw other than her were those she brought to their bedroom. It was in a way a very skewed way to show mutual respect for each other.


    Still... as a pitiful human with a limited lifespan, Tom decided to stop thinking about things that caused him an inner conflict and focus on something that calmed his mind. Like his research.


    While the first request of Tom was for Sarael to let him inspect a Queen Evil Piece, his second request was something that made the old devil stop in his tracks.


    Tom requested for Sarael to give him one of the old contracts the devilkind used before even the Great War. The kind of contracts that allowed devils to take a person''s soul in exchange for a service.


    Sarael was reluctant at first and curiously suspicious about what Tom would need such a thing for but in the end, Tom managed to y it off as an idle curiosity of his. Sarael definitely didn''t fully buy that but he fulfilled the request and that was what really mattered to Tom.


    Fortunately, Sarael had a few of these contracts stashed away, and parting with one was not a big deal for him. Once again, the old devil clearly thought Tom was foolish for wasting a request for something so... simple, but it suited him well.


    Just like that, the two requests Tom had for attending the dinner were used up.


    Unlike the Queen Piece, Tom didn''t have to inspect the old contract parchment instantly. It belonged to him so he would take his leisure and do his probing and prodding away from Sarael''s eyes, and over a long period of time.


    After all, his Sacred Gear, Vision, was his only cheat in this situation and as Tom quickly understood, many things, even those that seemed very mundane, had their secrets. Secrets, Tom could easily peek into and use for his own growth.


    A contract that can take away someone''s soul and use it to strengthen the devil who offered it. Tom had no idea what he would discover in it but he couldn''t help but be hopeful.


    ...


    Months slowly passed and Tom was once again diligently ying the part of a shut-in, leaving hisboratory only when necessary.


    He didn''t really mind that kind of lifestyle as he was immersed in his recent findings.


    The Old Contract of the devils was a crafty piece of magic. It took Tom weeks of screening it with Vision from every angle he could think of to get his understanding of the item. It took so long because Tom was a lot more careful with his screening than when he looked into the Evil Piece and honestly? He didn''t mind that it took so long. He would rather not experience that kind of pain again.


    The only reason the contract worked at all was that it was based on the concept of ''Exchange'' and Devils had roots in this very concept. In short, it was a useless item for humans since they could not innately ''connect'' to this concept and therefore, could not initiate the contract on their own.


    Unlike what Tom initially thought, these devil contracts were very different from the magical contracts the magicians used.


    Months of effort... and the only result Tom had to show for it was an idea that everybody knew was possible but nobody used it because of how improbable getting into such a situation was.


    Basically, Tom found out that he could fully benefit from the contract in the same way devils do... for example, through it, he could potentially get a soul of a devil that would then strengthen him... but for that, he would need to trick a devil to actually agree and initiate such a deal on his own.


    As an initiator of the deal, a devil hadplete knowledge of what was being offered and what desire he was supposed to fulfill. They knew the reward and cost by default. That''s why it was so tricky to trick a devil.


    It was simply not gonna happen under normal circumstances. Especially when devils stopped using this old contract altogether in the modern age. In fact, it was even ouwed.


    To be honest, devils had no idea what treasure trove for their race the contract was. They were so focused on its function to take souls and empower them through that, that theypletely missed its true value.


    The concept of Exchange did not necessarily have to be used for souls. Yes, it was powerful enough to deal even with that but...


    What if they instead of souls set up the price to be a bloodline, beneficial traits, talent, magical power, etc? Wouldn''t that propel the devil race to the top?


    Naturally, Tom decided to never share this secret with the devils. He was a human and he didn''t need to have that kind of trouble. He would dly let them forget about this extremely powerful magical item that could make their race the strongest, and silently watch them use new, much weaker, contracts that didn''t have this kind of function.


    And while this endeavor turned out to be a miss... not that Tom was giving up on it just yet... the knowledge he gained from the Queen Evil Piece proved useful in Tom''s newest research venture.


    After all... who wouldn''t want to have apanion that would be unable to betray him?

 Chapter 15: Unwinding

    Chapter 15: Unwinding


    Tom decided he needed a bit of time to unwind. He spent the recent months mostly shut in hisb and one day, it urred to him that he might have gained a habit of staying at home because of his childhood.


    Well... he didn''t mind it all that much but when he received an invitation to the Magical Gathering of British Millionaires, he couldn''t help but crack a smile at the name and his interest was caught.


    The Magical Gathering of British Millionaires was an event where the Magician Families of Britain coulde into contact and make connections with the unsuspecting and unknowing mundane millionaires.


    Unlike the magical society from the Harry Potter movies Tom had watched in his past life, the magicians of his world were smart enough to notpletely cut themselves off from the mundane world. Instead, they used it to gain more influence and wealth.


    That didn''t mean that the mundane businessmen were controlled by magic or something equally asinine. The Magician Families werepetitors and funnily enough, that was what kept them in check from doing something distasteful to the mundane rich people.


    They kept each other in check, creating rules of conduct while doing business with the mundane because neither of them wanted the other to gain ''dirty'' advantages.


    Tom didn''t pay much attention to that. It didn''t matter to him. He only knew the reason why this system worked was the harsh punishment delivered if a family or individual breached these rules in some kind. Usually, it was a very bloody affair where the most affluent magician families united to butcher the perpetrator.


    Hence, Tom decided to make business with the Magician Families in the first ce. That was where his participation ended. It didn''t matter they then sold his products to the mundane folk. He had nothing to do with that so if somebody... Jasin Family, wink, wink... screwed up these rules, Tom would have no problems because of that.


    Tom was currently seated in the corner of the banquet hall, enjoying a pie made out of ''his'' fruits and he had to admit that he was a bonafide genius. He usually didn''t bother enhancing the taste of things at home but this fruit pie showed him the error of his ways.


    He had been foolish. Oh, so foolish!


    ''Maybe I should learn cooking?'' Tom mused, ''It should be simr to alchemy. It can''t be that bad. Maybe I could even abuse my Sacred Gear to learn it?''


    Tom''s fingers twitched, his mind contemting if he should or should not waste magic to make tasty food.


    ''Who am I kidding?'' Tom inwardly wryly grinned, ''Of course, I will do it.'' He mused, unable to lie to himself. He was just a humble human and couldn''t resist the temptation of heavenly-tasting food.


    And while Tom was busying himself with his thoughts, the people started dancing... which meant music. Tom was looking forward to experiencing the ssical pieces that were supposed to be yed. He had no idea what to expect, to be honest, but the second they started ying, he inwardly groaned.


    He... didn''t like it at all. Just listening to the slow-paced piano and violin made him irritated. So much so that he decided to stand up halfway through the song and went to the balcony where the music was diminished.


    When he arrived at the mostly empty balcony with just a few people enjoying the night breeze and minding their own business, he leaned on the ornamental railings made of stone and sighed, "Finally some peace." He loosened the tie of his suit.


    While yes, Tom came here to be among other people but that didn''t mean he wasfortable mingling with them. As long as nobody approached him, he would bepletely fine just enjoying the food and atmosphere before he returned to his research.


    His quota of one social event per year would have been mentally checked out. With that, he would have been satisfied with himself.


    "Not a fan of social events?" A sweet feminine voice interrupted Tom''s moment of quietness.


    Tom turned towards it, a bit unwilling as talking to someone seemed like a drag right now. When his eyesnded on the woman that approached him, however, his breath almost hitched.


    She was... gorgeous.


    Curly red hair freely cascaded onto her shoulders and then separated into three streams, two falling onto her chest and the third onto her back. Due to the curls, her hair reminded Tom of fire... even though her shade of red was far too crimson... and her curious emerald green eyes slightly narrowed in amusement only adding to her appeal while contrasting well with the ck dress she wore.


    Tom calmed his heart and centered himself.


    As a young man who was locked in his house during the wildest part of his puberty, it was only natural he would have a hard time controlling his hormones when meeting a female that caught his interest but as a magician, he refused to be controlled by his basic urges.


    The very thought brought distaste to his mind.


    "I could say the same about you. It''s the dancing part of the event. Shouldn''t you be out there, having fun?" Tom indifferently said as he nodded towards the dancing floor.


    "Shouldn''t you be a gentleman and invite me to a dance?" The woman quipped, her tone making it obvious she noticed his attraction to her and found it amusing that he still tried to act indifferent.


    Tom chuckled, "Not really. You are drop-dead gorgeous but I don''t know you. Besides, it would take more than just a pretty face to make me join that kind of madhouse." He jokingly added but his nose scrunched as his eyes followed the dancing people.


    He might have been biased due to thepulsory dancing lessons he had to take when he was a child but he didn''t like dancing at all.


    "You are not very used to flirting, are you?" The woman giggled, covering her curled lips with her hand while her eyes curiously awaited Tom''s response.


    Tom nced towards her, "And for someone of simr age to me, you are far too used to it." Hezily narrowed his eyes at her, the attraction he felt to her slightly diminishing.


    "I am no whore." The woman frowned when she realized the implications hidden in his statement, not expecting that kind of reply. "How would you even get to that conclusion from a casual flirting?" She seemed to be a bit affronted.


    This was... first, for her. Her flirting didn''t seem to be very effective and yet, that only sparked her interest. She spoke to this man on a simple whim, really. But since he wanted to y it this way... the game was on!


    Tompletely turned towards her andzily leaned on the railings as he gave her a quick once-over, "It''s your dress. It''s very nice but simple. You also do not wear a lot of jewelry." Tom pointed out, and he could see the astonishment in her eyes despite her attempt to look unperturbed.


    Feeling slightly smug, Tom decided to press on, "Your behavior and mannerism are perfect. Judging only by those, you fit in extremely well here. But if you look at every wife or daughter of the millionaires here, they all have a lot of trinkets all over them. It''s a silentpetition between them, trying to show off their husband''s or father''s wealth." He shrugged leisurely.


    "Telling apart the women that are not in a rtionship with their date is a bit harder at first nce but their jewelry is usually a lot cheaper, though they try to cover that with quantity. You? You seem entirely too confident and at ease in this setting yet you don''t dress the part." Tom questioningly raised an eyebrow at her. This was starting to be mildly interesting.


    "I... Wow." The redhead released a breath she was holding. She looked as if she was trying to find words fit for that kind of reasoning but after she couldn''t get any in a few seconds, she gave up and looked at Tom with a gaze full of respect. "I am actually impressed. And now I feel a bit insulted that I have no rebuke for that. Damn." She chuckled, showing she didn''t take any sort of offense at Tom''s words.


    Nor was she denying them


    Tom also cracked a short chuckle before he smoothly continued, his unasked question still in the air, just worded differently. "So, tell me, Red. Why is a woman like you, one that ny percent of the men here would absolutely love to have around their arm andter on in their bed, doing alone on the balcony?"


    ---


    Author Note - update schedule:


    Hello, guys. My update schedule for this story will be slightly different from the one for myst story. On webnovel I will be updating 4 chapters a week, one chapter on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.


    This is mostly because writing my previous story was too hectic at times and I don''t want to either get too stressed out or burn myself out with this one.


    And for those interested,


    .pa /kasicair


    Currently, there are 5 advanced chapters posted there.


    Have a nice day.

 Chapter 16: Cheeky woman

    Chapter 16: Cheeky woman


    "Well," The redhead helplessly started with a wry smile and a dismayed look on her face, "unfortunately for me, I epted a date and looked forward to having a good time only to find out my partner belongs to the ten percent of men here that couldn''t care less how good-looking I am since Ick a dangling part between my legs."


    A brief silence spread between them before Tom burst intoughter he could not suppress.


    "Aw, that sucks." He eventually wheezed out, noting the woman was also chuckling at her misfortune. Really What were the odds of that happening?


    "Tell me about it. The man was actually really nice too, you know?" The woman cutely pouted, "If he told me something before the party, I would at least know what to expect but no, I just had to find out by observing how he behaved around his ''friends''." She released a long sigh, and leaned her forearms on the railings next to Tom, slouching a bit in dejection.


    "You sure you didn''t misunderstand it or something? It wouldn''t be nice to have a dude try to start a fight because he thinks I am seducing his date." Tom teasingly asked.


    He had no idea if the woman next to him understood the situation correctly or not. For all he knew, her partner could have been just greeting his best friends in an unusual manner that they used only among themselves and she misunderstood it.


    "They were ''subtly''," The quotation marks in her voice couldn''t be more obvious, "squeezing each others'' butts." She rolled her eyes. "Pretty sure I understood that correctly."


    "Heh, at least one of you is gettingid tonight." Tom snickered, trying to lighten her mood with a crass joke, getting a yful shove in return for his effort.


    How... rude.


    "If you keep being so... charming," She said in a teasing sarcasm, "then who knows? Maybe I too will getid tonight." She threw a meaningful look at Tom, making him freeze for a moment.


    After his brain rebooted, he threw a nce at the redhead... and inwardly cursed, ''Damn, she noticed.'' He thought in disgruntlement after seeing her smug smirk full of satisfaction.


    Tom clicked his tongue and stopped leaning on the railings. Just as he expected, his sudden action prompted the woman to mimic him and also stop leaning on the railing as she straightened her back and turned towards him.


    Tom used her momentary distraction and swiftly stepped closer, entering herfort zone while taking her cheek into the palm of his right hand and putting his face close to her as he whispered, "Don''t promise what you don''t mean to deliver."


    Unlike what he expected, the woman was not stunned at all by the sudden intimacy. Her calm emerald eyes stared into his brown ones, both of them refusing to blink as if it was some kind of unspoken match...


    At that moment, Tom felt incredibly embarrassed but he refused to show it. He did the first thing that came to his mind and now he was slightly regretting it. The silence was bing somewhat awkward.


    At longst, the corner of Tom''s lips twitched and the woman smiled, her eyes dering a smug victory, much to Tom''s annoyance. But he didn''t get a chance to show it because she finally whispered back.


    "You are right. I am not that easy. But..."


    She decided to have a bit of fun at Tom''s expense.


    Before he could react, her hands found their way around his neck and the woman raised herself on the tips of her toes as their lips met in a tender kiss.


    At that moment, Tom''s mind was blown as his erratic thoughts betrayed him, making him unable to do anything but put his free hand on her lower back and clumsily respond to the kiss, deepening it.


    The kiss soon enough became a slow make-out session, the two people exploring the other''s taste and enjoying the warm touches in the slightly chilly nightly breeze as the music, the dancing people, and even the other people skulking on the balcony withdrew into the background from their perspective, their senses fully focused on their current activity.


    A minute passed and the woman slowly pulled away, both she and Tom breathing a bit harder as they refused to part their eyes or let go of the other.


    This was the first time Tom felt so... drawn to another person. He could almost lose himself in her beautiful green eyes.


    His reverie was interrupted, however, when the woman licked her lips and whispered, "You are a lot less experienced than I thought."


    The only thing that prevented Tom from blushing was that her tone didn''t hold any sort of judgment or disappointment. It was just a in and simple observation.


    "Ouch, there goes my pride." Tom jokingly stated as he put his forehead against hers, both of their cheeks gaining a slightly pink dusting, "I am too busy to care about rtionships. Now that I think about it... you just stole my first kiss in this life. How are you going to take responsibility for that?"


    "Mhm. I guess I will just have to teach you how to get better in return, no?" The woman licked her lips, and before Tom barely registered what she said before he once again found her lips on his, this time her tongue demanding an entry into his mouth.


    For Tom, it was decades since hest kissed a person. It was natural he totally forgot how to do it. But he decided to gather thest fragments of his manly ego and started his counterattack, not letting her dominate him as he pushed his tongue against hers, epting the unspoken challenge.


    Maybe he didn''t know her but his hormones and young body got the better of him at that moment. He sure as hell wouldn''t do something he wouldter regret but a little fooling around? Why not.


    It seemed that was the correct answer and the woman enthusiastically returned the sentiment, fighting to give and receive as much pleasure from the kisses.


    When they reluctantly pulled away from each other, their breathing once again strained, the woman leaned into Tom''s body, causing him to feel every bit of her soft chest pressing into his as she almost melted into him. Their faces were so close, their noses were almost touching.


    The woman impishly smiled as she yfully quipped, "I must be a really good teacher because you are improving fas-"


    Tom didn''t let her finish and cut her off by iming her lips once again, making her lean back from surprise but he didn''t let her off so easily and their tongues once again fought against each other, this time Tom having aplete advantage as he towered over the redhead''s petite form, pressing her butt onto the railing. He held her close, eliciting several moans from her as his hands wandered over her back.


    Pulling away, Tom smirked at her, proud of finally being ''on the top'' for once, "Like that?" He cheekily asked, knowing full well he got the better of her only because he used her momentary distraction.


    He didn''t get the expected cheeky reply, however. He was about to ask what was wrong when he noticed the redhead was slightly blushing and sporting a surprised, yet, happy smile.


    It dazzled him for a second, giving her a chance to regain her bearing, making her blush even harder as she realized she enjoyed that kiss enough to space out a bit... which made her eyes go wide in astonishment.


    To hide it, she clutched at Tom''s shirt and pulled her face into his shoulder as she tried to nonchntly say, "Yes. That was rather enjoyable."


    Unfortunately for her, her voice didn''t sound as cool andposed as she hoped for.


    That cute reactionpletely broke the impression of her control over the situation as far as Tom was concerned and he couldn''t help but feel smug about it.


    ---


    Author Note:


    Cringe!!!!!

 Chapter 17: The name

    Chapter 17: The name


    Tom and the redhead enjoyed a heated kissing session for a few more minutes, ignoring the looks of the asional onlookers who entered the balcony only to do a quick and awkward turnaround when they saw Tom embracing the petite woman and making out with her.


    Neither Tom nor the woman cared one bit for these people and just continued doing their thing.


    Ever so slowly, their making out started turning into swaying to the rhythm of the muffled musicing from inside, their kisses bing more tender, slower, yet deeper.


    Moments passed without the duo even realizing it, and their slow swaying quickened, turning into a slow dance-like movement around the balcony as their kissing slowly ceased, the two just enjoying the warmth of each other''s embrace while moving along the music inpanionable silence.


    The woman''s head rested on Tom''s shoulder, snuggled into the crook of his neck. It took a while for her to get enough of the fluffy feeling swelling in her and decide to start a conversation again.


    "So, what is a boy like you doing at an event like this?" She yfully whispered, her breath caressing Tom''s neck, causing a pleasurable tingle to rush through his body.


    Tom couldn''t let her yfulness be unanswered. His hand slid a bit down from her lower back, and the woman jumped slightly in his arms as she felt a slight squeeze on her posterior, "Boy? Attacking my pride, aren''t we?"


    She regained herposure quite quickly, however. Despite the flush on her cheeks betraying her real feelings. "It''s either that or attack your apparentck of sexual experience. For all I know, you could very well be a virgin!" She teased.


    Unfortunately, Tom was far too rxed to fully control his reaction.


    "Wait..." The redhead in his arms suddenly eximed as she felt her dancing partner stiffen when she... "Oh, my! You are a virgin!"


    Her lips instantly quirked into a sensual and meaningful smile as her green eyes mischievously sparkled. She was about to quip a joke at Tom''s expense but he got ahead of her and spoke first, ruining the best moment for some high-quality teasing for her.


    "Yes, I still have mah cherry and am proud of it too, woman." Tom whispered into her ear, getting satisfaction from how she shivered in his arms as a result. He then kissed the side of her neck right under her ear, making her stifle a moan as he pulled a bit away, causing their half-lidded eyes to meet.


    "Mhm, a-admirable attitude." The redhead tried to sound nonchnt but her voice cracked a bit, which prompted her to subconsciously bite her lips.


    It was seductive enough for Tom to slightly lean towards her, only stopping a few inches short of her lips when he saw a slight hesitation in her emerald orbs.


    "You know what? Let''s talk about something else than sex." The woman awkwardly spoke and looked down, killing the previous mood.


    Inwardly, she was berating herself for not leaning forward and iming the kiss but even she didn''t understand why she hesitated. This... was turning too real for her. Too desirable.


    And yet, subconsciously she didn''t want to end this. Not yet.


    But she couldn''t...


    Taking a quick steadying breath, the redhead looked back up, meeting Tom''s brown eyes, and asked, her tone containing a hopeful undertone, "What about family?"


    Tom didn''t want to make her ufortable. It was all good fun. But only as long as both of them werefortable and alright with what was happening.


    Shrugging, Tom casually answered, "I am an orphan."


    It was obvious he wasn''t much bothered by the fact, which made the woman''s initial, ''Oh, shit!'' reaction atnding on a mine right off the bat settle in, and she decided to be nonchnt about it too.


    "Oh... that sucks." The woman''s hold on Tom got a bit tighter in a reassuring manner, "I have never known my parents either. I understand."


    Tom doubted she did understand his situation. But humoring her was the least he could do. He wasn''t about to tell her he killed his own father because the man killed his mother...


    "Yeah, mother died years ago but my father decided to tag along just a few months ago, leaving my lonesome self alone in this wide world." Tom light-heartedly said, showing he found his peace with it.


    Catching onto it, the woman gently smiled, "I am sorry to hear that. I am sure you miss him very much." She gave him small lip service, feeling d the man in her embrace was not overly sad about his loss.


    Tom only grinned, "Nah. He was an abusive asshole with a stick so far up his butt it messed with his head."


    As he expected the woman froze when she heard that... but unlike his expectations, she actually burst into a smallughter a momentter, pressing her forehead into his shoulder while her shoulders shook with repressedughter.


    "I am sorry but..." She shakily started. She knew she should notugh at it but the way Tom said it was just too hrious for her to resist.


    Tom''s hand reassuringlynded on her head, starting to gently caress her hair, "Don''t worry. It''s fine."


    Their lighthearted conversation continued, both trading knowledge about each other... but neither giving away anything important.


    Much to Tom''s embarrassment, he only realized it halfway through their talk. The woman told him quite a bit about herself. She was an orphan, from her insinuations, she had been abused herself when she was young, and she was in the town because of work and will be leaving tomorrow early morning.


    Yes, she told him quite a bit, and speaking with her was calming and pleasant. But...


    Tom realized she was not giving him any important details. He couldn''t exactlyin as he omitted the important bits himself but he still showed more sincerity to her, telling her a few details about his childhood he didn''t deem important.


    In hindsight, he should have expected something like this. He didn''t even know her name!


    From the very start, it was ever so obvious she wasn''t keen on telling him her name and Tom subconsciously realized that so he didn''t ask. He preferred to think that if she wanted him to know, she would have introduced herself.


    For some reason, Tom had an inkling he would only receive a fake name if he directly asked anyway.


    It wasn''t all that important. Not when they would obviously not meet each other after tonight.


    But the more she hid from him, her words seamlessly flowing with each other but having more or less no substance in such a natural manner that Tom realized she wasn''t even registering it anymore, the more curious Tom got.


    This woman... thispletely mundane woman with mana reserves of an average person... was really intriguing to him.


    There was always the off-chance this was a plot of some daring Magician Family, but he doubted it. He could see the sincerity in her actions and if that was only yed, Tom would have to start doubting his people reading skills that were hammered into him by his father.


    It was entirely too much work for one light-hearted evening out.


    And yet, as the evening progressed, the two talking with each other more and making each otherfortable, Tom''s curiosity was only increasing.


    "I... have to go." The woman suddenly said in a regretful tone around an hourter, causing Tom to realize it was getting reallyte.


    The woman raised herself on the tips of her toes and gave Tom onest chaste kiss on the side of his lips, and released a breath she didn''t know she was holding before she turned away and was about to walk away.


    Tom only got a brief nce at her eyes during that, seeing her resolve as if she wanted to get it over with in a manner simr to ripping a band-aid. She clearly wanted more, yet, didn''t allow herself to pursue it.


    Something on her mncholic gaze made his wishy-washy attitude flood over and his decision was made. Hastily grabbing her wrist as she was about to get out of his reach, Tom decided that if nothing else, he at least wanted to know her name.


    She wouldn''t tell him so he had only one way to find out.


    As the woman started to turn back to him, he activated his Sacred Gear, with the clear intention of getting her name... and when he got it, he froze in utter disbelief, not even reacting to the questioning look the redhead gave him.


    The same look that hid a lot of reluctance in steely resolve.


    But Tom''s mind was in chaos, too preupied with two words. Words that flipped the reality upside down for him and shattered the notions of his own world.


    The real name of the woman he had spent the pleasant evening with...


    The name that should not have existed in this world.


    The name...


    ''Natalia... Romanova.''

 Chapter 18: Realization

    Chapter 18: Realization


    Tom felt as if he just received a blow to the head with a blunt object.


    He had enough on his te worrying about the DxD plot and now Marvel or MCU was added into the mix?


    Fuck that shit sideways with a golden crooked spoon!


    His thoughts were a disorienting jumbled mess as he tried to figure out the heads and tails of this new discovery.


    Why was ck Widow at this party? No, why did she approach him? No, no, no, was SHIELD onto him? How!? Or rather, why? This was like... the first time he left hisb in months and the only thing of any impact on the mundane world he did was creating better food!


    They couldn''t think he made it so tasty with the help of some unidentified drug, could they?


    No way they were so damn stupid... right?


    Or were the members of the World Security Council foodies?


    The hell if Tom knew!


    Wait! Is she even here because of the food? As far as Tom was aware, nobody except the Magician Families was supposed to know who was the inventor of their products. Did somebody betray him?


    No. Not possible. The Magician Families were nasty pieces of shit but sing SHIELD onto him would have been beneath them. Plus, they would have never risked revealing the magical world to mundane people, much less to an international secret organization.


    Then...


    But...


    What if...


    For a few seconds, Tom agonized over trying to find out a good exnation for the situation he found himself in, inwardly panicking.


    ''Wait. Calm down, Tommy.'' Tom patronizingly thought to himself, ''Deep breaths. That''s it. You don''t have time for this right now.'' He added, chiding himself.


    The woman... Natasha was still in front of him and seemingly indecisive about what to do about his grip on her wrist.


    Tom understood he had only seconds to...


    ''Oh...'' Tom suddenly gained an obvious realization and got a massive urge to p himself as he inwardly cracked a self-deprecating grin. ''The answers are in front of you, you idiot.''


    He was still holding Natasha''s wrist. That meant he could simply use his Sacred Gear to dig through her past and look for clues there!


    Inwardly sighing in relief, Tom barely managed to hold onto his outward calm facade, ''Damn, I almost freaked out...''


    This was a too sudden revtion for his fragile heart and he didn''t like it at all. But there was nothing else he could do than to adapt. Comining wouldn''t help and that''s why he got to work, channeling mana into his Sacred Gear and sifting through fragments of Natasha''s past.


    Despite her being a mundane woman, she was still a person, which meant Tom should not have been capable of doing this for any length of time. People were much harder to look through than objects but Tom found a loophole in that during all his tinkering with his Sacred Gear.


    Browsing through her entire past would have been exhausting as heck but getting only fragments, parts he was interested in, was entirely possible. He wouldn''t have a full picture but this way, Tom could get only what he intended to get.


    This method saved a lot of his mana and therefore did not put so much strain on his body despite the risk of missing context or something important.


    It took barely three seconds in real-time for Tom to get all the answers Natasha could unknowingly provide him and as he idly watched the small frown on her clueless face full of difort, he couldn''t help but feel bad after finding out her motivations.


    Tom had found out this was closer to MCU than Marvel and that gave him a lot of relief. He didn''t know to what degree this held true since he only had Natasha''s point of view but at the very least, mutants existed. She had a briefing about them and she felt as bbergasted as Tom when she found out they were real.


    But purely judging by Natasha''s past, this was closer to the MCU. She was twenty years old right now and SHIELD ''recruited'' her only around a half-year ago.


    And that''s where Tom''s initial assumptions went wrong, much to his relief and awkward realization.


    This Natasha Romanoff was no longer just a character in a story. She was a person and that came with everything a person has. Feelings, doubts, hopes, desires, dreams, problems... everything.


    This girl in front of him was only twenty and... she approached Tom on a whim.


    There was no nefarious plot boiling under the surface concerning him. She was simply bored at the party since her job was done, deadly poison already coursing through the veins of her date who would not survive past tonight, and when she saw Tom leaning on the railings, she liked his looks and decided to have a small talk.


    Like a normal girl would.


    If anything, Natasha longed for freedom and normalcy more than anyone Tom had ever known. Approaching him was dumb and she clearly knew it. It went against every regtion of her job and broke several rules but Natasha couldn''t care less. She was fed up with SHIELD. Exhausted and angry. Yet, hopeless and resigned with no way out.


    That''s why for this brief moment of reprieve, she did it anyway. If only to enjoy a few seconds of lying to herself and just enjoy being a girl at a party.


    But it got out of control. From what Tom saw, her desires and dreams overwhelmed her for a moment and she kissed him. It was a shock to her too but... It only snowballed from there.


    Somehow, Tom felt smug that he managed to draw out feelings like these from the woman in front of him. The very same woman who was taught to kill every emotion in her.


    Only now, however, did Tom realize that seeing somebody''s past could be a double-edged sword. Her most recent moments showed him that she developed a small crush on him. She was reluctant to leave but knew she had to.


    If not for herself then for him. As a SHIELD agent on the strictest probation possible, she was not allowed to interact with people outside her missions. She really had no idea how SHIELD would react if they found out about her feelings, about this vulnerability.


    Natasha was scared out of her mind of that happening and while she couldn''t say she loved Tom, not after one evening together, she felt something... new. Something she had never felt towards another person. And these feelings were very dear to her heart. Dear enough that she wanted to run away from here as fast as possible while at the same time, she wanted this moment tost forever.


    Seeing this conflict in her, and that on some level, she really cared for his well-being... It hit Tom like a proverbial truck, his grip on her wrist tightening a bit.


    He... didn''t want to let her go.


    "Hey? Are you alright?" Natalia''s worried voice pulled Tom out of his reverie, causing him to realize in embarrassment she was waving her hand in front of his face, a small longing yet desperate frown stretched on her lips.


    Tom warred with himself. He knew he should not get involved.


    Doing that would bring problems to him.


    It would possibly mean making an enemy out of SHIELD.


    It would also screw the MCU plot somewhat fiercely.


    But...


    As he gazed at her face, Tom got very conscious of the small finished chess piece in his pocket. A piece he was so giddy about that he refused to let it out of his reach like a kid who got a new toy. His very first sess.


    A piece that would be a massive shame and waste to use on someone mundane.


    Yet...


    The frantic redhead in front of him... Tom wanted her.


    It was as simple as that and yeah, he was a bastard for thinking about it like that but if he denied the fact, he would have just been lying to himself. He''d rather be a bastard but true to his own feelings.


    His decision was made before he even realized it. At this moment at the very least, he was set to follow his heart rather than logic.


    He... was about to offer her a spot in his ''pseudo-peerage''.


    In reality, only five seconds passed since he grabbed her wrist but Natasha finally recollected her bearings and calmed her emotions. She gave Tom a disapproving look and tried to weakly yank her wrist out of his hold to show him he was acting over the top.


    "Look, I had an incredible evening but now I really have to g-" She spoke when...


    Her body suddenly froze.


    Not in the scared kind of way but in a literal way. She couldn''t move. At all. Her eyes gained a scared glint as she realized the man in front of her was most likely a mutant. And she was at his mercy.


    Tom gave her an apologetic smile, feeling a small sting in his chest at the frightened glint deep in her gaze, "I am sorry, Natalia."


    If anything, saying her name just made Natasha freak out even more. She tried to desperately will herself to move. To surpass whatever was binding her. But it was in naught and with every second she failed to move, her inner despair rose.


    "Don''t be scared." Tom gently caressed her cheek, making her heart involuntarily skip a beat... and at that moment, Natasha both hated and loved that gesture.


    "I am only going to give you an offer. You are free to refuse and nothing will happen to you even if you do that." Tom said. As much as his heart bled due to her feelings about her current situation in life, he wasn''t some good samaritan. For him, there was a limit even to following his heart.


    "But... I doubt you will get a better chance than this to improve your life."

 Chapter 19: Magic is real?

    Chapter 19: Magic is real?


    Tom nonchntly walked through the halls, Natasha''s body slung over his shoulder, the only indication that she was ''awake'' was her opened eyes that tried to look for a way out of her current predicament.


    Since this party was a way to establish connections with the mundane businessmen, there were naturally rooms in the back where private talks could be held.


    Rooms with privacy wards... Such a thing was very convenient for Tom''s current situation.


    He trusted the quality of these wards. After all, the only reason why people did not freak out when he walked around them with a limp woman over his shoulder were the wards that prevented people from seeing anything out of ordinary. All he had to do was coat Natasha''s body in a thin invisible mana field and vo, she as if didn''t exist in their senses as long as she didn''t leave the building.


    Of course, even the weakest of magicians could still see her and that earned Tom a few weird looks but nobody said a word. Tom surmised that a sight like this was not that unusual around here.


    Whether in the mundane or magical world, both had their fair share of scumbags who always found a way to screw over the system for their benefit.


    Sure, the system now benefited Tom but he knew well there was a substantial number of women who would leave today''s party with no recollection of what happened to them during the night.


    As long as they left unharmed in the morning, the influential Magician Families couldn''t be bothered to care less.


    Hence, the current sight of Tom was nothing out of ce.


    Tom finally found an empty room and was about to walk towards it when the door to his right opened and in them appeared a rugged tall man d only in pants who halted in his ce when he spotted Tom.


    Tom gave the man a brief nce, recognizing him as the heir of one of the less important families, and sighed.


    "Oh, look at that. The scum is doing something scummy." The man condescendingly sneered, causing Natasha''s eyes to flicker toward him.


    When the man noticed the woman over Tom''s shoulder, his eyes slightly widened and his mouth opened but...


    "You are one to talk, dickhead." Tom casually rebuked and walked towards the door leading to the empty room,pletely ignoring the spluttering idiot.


    It was only a second but Tom''s eyes caught what was in the dickhead''s room and he couldn''t help but inwardly cringe. This dipshit was the sort that took ''unharmed'' literally, uncaring about the invisible mental scars he would cause. Scars that would persist even beyond memory wipe.


    He was not somebody worth Tom''s time.


    "Oi, what did you just call m-" The man''s expression twisted at the disrespect and he started threateningly stomping his way towards Tom.


    Unfortunately for him, Tom had already walked into the room opposite the man and as he finally reached the door, Tom mmed them in his face, cutting off his unimportant self-important speech.


    What exactly was the dickhead trying to aplish anyway?


    Hurting Tom would create a massive tension between all his business partners and the dickhead''s family. Not something anybody in Ennd, no matter how big of a self-important prick, would desire right now.


    It told tales about the man''s intelligence and his chances to live long enough to actually seed in the leadership of his family.


    "Well, that''s one walking corpse dealt with." Tom yfully quipped and gently patted Natasha''s posterior before he walked towards the bed and unloaded her body there.


    Tom then walked towards the bar and took out the juice, pouring a ss for himself and his guest before he deposited them on a nearby small table and slowly dragged it in between the bed and an armchair opposite the bed.


    After he was done, he sat down in the armchair, gettingfortable and at that same moment, Natasha suddenly found herself once again able to move. She sprang up into a sitting position, her hand reaching towards her thigh where a handgun was previously strapped...


    "Looking for this?" Tom''s voice interrupted her, making her eyes snap towards him, and then promptly widen as she noticed her gun leisurely gripped in his hand. "And for the record, this room holds a lot of restraining wards that work best against mundane people so I would advise you to calm down and stop trying to start violence, Natalia."


    Natasha gave him a long wary look. This manpletely immobilized her for minutes and then dragged her... here.


    She didn''t feel safe. Not at all. But the nice evening warred in her with her distrust and wariness, making it very hard for her to decide what to do next. This was the first time she felt like this and she could safely say she already hated it.


    ''Is this what my victims feel like?'' A stray thought shed through her mind, making her instantly forcefully squash it. She had more important things to deal with than self-doubt right now.


    "Wards? Mundane? What are you talking about?" She resorted to what she knew best. Fishing for information.


    Tom smiled, catching up to what she was doing. But he would have to exin it anyway to make his offer seem usible. So...


    "Tell me, Natalia." Oh, he enjoyed calling her by her real name. The ever-so-small twitch in her expression whenever he did so made it so worth it! "What is the name of this event?"


    Tom could see the gears spinning behind her eyes as she uttered, "Magical Gathe-" She suddenly halted, "Oh. You gotta be shitting me." She whispered in disbelief.


    This was supposed to be an ordinary assassination! How the heck did she get caught up in some hocus-pocus bullshit!?


    ''I knew trying to be normal would just screw me over in some way.'' Natasha scolded herself, cursing at her foolish past self.


    Normally, she would have never believed something like this but she saw quite a few unexinable things today. The limits of her belief were already stretched thin so... why not go further?


    Apparently, magic was a thing.


    ''Just great.'' Natasha dryly thought, realizing what it meant to be told this. "You are not going to let me go, are you?" She resignedly stated, her shoulders slumping.


    She would still try to run at the first opportunity but she realized her chances were minimal. The binding... spell... was enough topletely neutralize her and she had no idea if it needed physical contact or could be cast remotely.


    So far, Tom did both. He caught her up in it when he was touching her and released her while sitting a few meters away from her. She could always assume that he needed contact but the unease and uncertainty in her heart didn''t let her act recklessly.


    There are bound to be more powerful spells too so... yeah, she was screwed.


    "And why would I not?" Tom casually quipped with a mirthful expression. "What exactly could you do with this kind of information? Tell Fury?"


    Natasha''s eyes widened and she stiffened at the mention of her boss.


    "Please, we both know what would happen if you started spouting something like ''magic is real''." Tom snorted, "At best, it would be yed off as an unimportant quirk of yours and they would keep you around due to your usefulness. At worst, you would be killed on the spot because insane trained assassins are just not good for the business."


    That shut Natasha up pretty fast. Her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth pursed as if she wanted to argue but she couldn''t find the correct words. As much as she wanted to deny it, deep down she knew well that what Tom said was the truth.


    Tom shifted in his seat and took a sip of his juice, his eyebrows raised at how delicious it was. Somebody apparently already got the idea of making juice out of his fruits.


    And he didn''t get his share of profits from it.


    Well, apparently, in the near future he was going to inform his business partners that some family was getting cheeky and then watch the ensuing fireworks.


    "Let''s say you keep your mouth shut, build up SHIELDs trust in you first, and then tell them." Tom started speaking again, "There is still the problem of you keeping that information from them for a long time. Nobody would care about your reasons. They will only care that you did it. Once again, you would have been fucked." He uncaringly shrugged, giving her an amused smile. "Why would I put forth the effort to keep you quiet when you will do so anyway if you know what is good for your continued well-being?"


    Natasha... once again couldn''t argue with that.


    But that begs the question...


    Not for a second did she believe the man in front of her didn''t have an agenda. He said something about an offer and with her past record with those, she was almost despairing to find out what he meant by that.


    Thest offer she got was to join SHIELD or die and she didn''t see any reason for this to be any different despite Tom''s reassurances and the good time she had with him.


    With no way out, Natasha could only take her current problem head-on. Clenching her fists, she asked with a guarded expression, "What exactly do you want from me?"

 Chapter 20: A Piece that is not Evil

    Chapter 20: A Piece that is not Evil


    "What exactly do you want from me?"


    Tom hummed in acknowledgment of her question but took his time to formte a proper reply. Before uttering it, however, he reached into his pocket and slowly took out a ck Queen Piece, putting it onto the table, making Natasha confused.


    "Devils-" Tom started now that the tension in the air had reached high enough.


    But he was instantly cut off, the mood he was going forpletely ruined.


    "Devils?" Natasha incredulously interrupted.


    "Yes, they exist too." Tom huffed, giving her an annoyed look, which made her chuckle, much to his further exasperation and her own inward bewilderment.


    Natasha knew she should probably have been afraid and too on the edge tough at her captor but his childishly irritated expression was just way too cute for her to keep her calm.


    Only after a chuckle left her lips did she realize she was feeling way toofortable for a prisoner. She was too affected by the nice evening they had together and it was hard for her to properly keep her guard up.


    That or she was under some kind of spell. Which caused her mood to sour again, proving that it was not true.


    Really, the whole situation was just mental.


    "Anyway," Tom nonchntly continued as if the interruption didn''t happen, "devils have something called Evil Pieces, which are magical artifacts in the shape of chess pieces that allow them to ''reincarnate'' somebody into a devil who will then in exchange serve them." Tom paused for a bit, giving Natasha a meaningful look.


    It was very. No matter how this or that group of devils liked to pretty it up.


    When Tom scanned the Evil Queen Piece provided to him by Sarael, he saw every function of it. He doubted most devils, even most of the nobles, actually knew what Evil Pieces contained. It seemed like secret stuff that only the higher-ups would know about and that''s why he yedpletely clueless in front of Lord Sitri.


    From its innerposition, Tom quickly deduced where and how the difference between houses and their ideologies about peerages were applied. The Gremory Household that liked to treat their peerage as a family had most likely less features active, making their peerage ''more free'',pared to Families who treated them like ves and whose Evil Pieces were more restrictive.


    Tom was given a Queen Piece owned by a reincarnated devil who gained it via merits and achievements so he had a ''generic'' sample given to themon ''rabble'', so to speak.


    Even this piece had all the restrictive features but they were simply deactivated for the most part.


    And God, some of these features were shuddering, disgusting, and downright nasty.


    Let''s just say that Tom learned how the stray devils came to existence... and that it was not a coincidence at all.


    Desertion was punishable by mutation of body and mind in the most horrific and twisted way. Quite fitting for devils.


    Of course, the corruption and even the individual features of the Evil Piece could be resisted in many, many ways. That''s also why taking pure-blooded devils into peerages was not forbidden. The Piece reacted to a born devil differently because the reincarnation process was a major part of the whole design.


    ''Reincarnating'' other devils was a clever way to show others that it is harmless since even pure-blooded devils participate in the system. Yet, it was just a scam.


    Another major safeguard was sheer power. There was a reason why more powerful people required a more powerful devil or possibly more Evil Pieces to be reincarnated. The Evil Pieces were magical artifacts with their rules and limitations much like Sacred Gears. They were not some miracle-making devices.


    An example was Issei himself. As the Boosted Gear host, he required eight pawn pieces despite being just amon human waste at that moment. And future Rias will be able to reincarnate him only because Ddraig''s power was not yet awakened within him.


    Anyway...


    If Tom had any reservations about bing a devil before seeing the Evil Piece and how it worked, after that he gained a bonafide aversion. Nobody was going to stick that disgusting chess-piece-shaped very cor into him. Not even over his dead body. Of that, he made sure.


    And that was not even the worst feature of these Pieces.


    Despite all this, Tom had to give the credit to their creator. This was a very simple and efficient way to cater to every possible ''customer'' on both the kind and cruel ends of their society. Instead of having to make custom orders for each House, the Evil Pieces could all be the same and all the creator had to do was to configure the Piece and activate features the Lord of a House specifically wanted to be active.


    Tom let Natasha consider his words ande to her own nasty conclusions for a reason. Only when her eyes trailed towards the ck Queen Piece on the table in an apparent distaste did the satisfied Tom start speaking again.


    "Of course, what you see in front of you on the table is not an Evil Piece." He remarked, causing Natasha to give him an unamused re.


    She had already thought he wanted her to be his ve!


    Hearing it was just an ordinary chess piece made her visibly rx and her shoulders ever-so-slightly sagged in relief.


    Of course, his reason was to troll her.


    "But it is not an ordinary chess piece either." Tom added with an amused smirk, watching how the redhead in front of him tensed again and warily nced at the piece once more.


    ''That''s what you get for causing me such a shock with your sudden appearance, Miss Romanoff.'' He vindictively thought, justifying his heavy-handed teasing.


    "I copied the design and while I could not create a proper replica because ofck of materials and magical knowledge, I mixed a bit of contractual magic into it and vo," Tom proudly spoke as he gestured towards the ck Queen Piece, "that was the result."


    Not that he would make a replica of Evil Pieces. Sure, the generic ones were really lenient and not all that restrictive... to the degree Tom would term them as a bit heavy-handed semi-permanent servitude bonds that did not really have all that much coercion power over its hosts.


    "Mhm, that sounds like something devils would not like hearing about." Natasha deadpanned.


    She worked in the gritty bits of the dark corners of the human society enough to know the powerful liked to keep their privileges untouched.


    "Yeaaah, if they got to know I made a working replica, I would probably have a lot of angry devils wanting to permanently deal with me and other races would also chase me to make them their own replicas tailored to them. It would have been entirely too troublesome so, keep it a secret for me, kay?" Tom nonchntly winked at her, making her cheeks gain a pink dusting as she dryly rolled her eyes at him in response.


    Rather than anything else, Natasha was irrationally a bit giddy that Tom trusted her with this kind of secret despite knowing her background. It slightly improved her impression of him. But it also reminded her of her identity, which made her feel guilty for no apparent reason.


    To hide her emotions, she let her body fall back onto the bed, where she bounced a few times before lying still and looking at the ceiling... "Sure. Who would I even tell?" She exasperatedly sighed, "Any other life-threatening secret you want to unload onto me before you finally get to the point?"


    By now, she had a general idea of what he wanted from her but... She wasn''t sure what to think about it. ''Really, when it rains it pours.'' She thought in mncholy.


    Tom awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Unlike the Evil Pieces, my replica has only two features right now. It will make a connection between us and prevent you from betraying me. There is no mind control, no coercion, no loyalty-inducing bullshit... it will simply stop you from t out betraying me or telling others my secrets."


    He had no way to prove it to her and Natasha was aware of that from the helpless shrug he gave her as he said those words so she didn''t pry. It sounded quite sus, though.


    "God, your sales pitch sucks." She quietly giggled to herself, easing up as even thest twinge of her wariness evaporated. She was now sure Tom didn''t mean her harm and tried to recruit her... and the more he spoke, the less enticing his offer sounded.


    It felt hrious to her.


    He was too cute, trying to reassure her he wasn''t trying to enve her but was offering albeit permanent, but a lot less restrictive job offer than what devils usually used.


    Hearing her muttering, Tom blushed and turned his head to the side, ring at the wall. He didn''t stop speaking though, despite his tone turning a bit sullen, "Usually, I would look for someone more... well, not mundane," He turned back to Natasha and gave her a pointed look to make her understand his sacrifice. "but I came to like you. A lot." Tom''s expression morphed into a nervous smile, "That''s why I want you to be my ''Queen''. Not that I have any other alternative right now." He quipped, knowing he only made the Queen Piece on the table so far.

 Chapter 21: Offer

    Chapter 21: Offer


    "I can''t." Natasha solemnly spoke, "If I betray SHIELD I will be hunted down and-"


    "And you forgot the part where I can use magic." Tom interrupted her, causing her to abruptly spring back up into a sitting position and look at him weirdly... with just a hint of expectation in her eyes.


    "I looked through your past-" Tom started.


    "You did what!?" Natasha shrieked, clutching at the bedsheets under her as her eyes showed horror and fear of being rejected.


    Her past was her biggest vulnerability and something she hated. Knowing the man in front of her, the man she was admittedly forming a small crush on, knew of the things she did... It made her want to bury herself in the nearest hole out of shame and...


    While Natasha was freaking out, Tom realized where he went wrong and stood up from his armchair, swiftly walking towards her before he took her hands into his and sat next to her, gently making her body half-turn toward him.


    He reassuringly looked into her eyes, trying to convey that it was fine. That all was good and there is nothing to be afraid of, that he is not going anywhere.


    Only when the panic in Natasha''s eyes subsided, nevertheless still leaving them submerged in deep crushing pain born from trauma, did Tom deem her ready to listen again, "I have seen a few fragments of your past with my special ability. Not much, but enough to understand you are not proud of it. I won''t judge you." He let go of her left hand and put his now free hand on her cheek, caressing it with his thumb.


    Natasha mutely nodded, biting her lower lip in a distraught manner.


    "Make meugh." She whispered, making Tom''s eyebrows furrow as his thoughts escaped through his lips.


    "How?" He cluelessly let out before he even registered it. Yes, he wasn''t perfect at this kind of thing...


    "Keep talking about your offer. Your attempts are funny enough." Natashaughed a bit, but her eyes betrayed that she was not exactly ''okay'' just yet.


    Tom exaggeratedly pouted at her jab, "Now that''s not nice. And here I give it my best to convert you onto my side, agent Romanoff."


    Before Natasha could answer, Tom leaned forward, loosely circling his arms around her torso before he toppled them both onto the bed, lying side by side while their legs dangled down from the edge of the bed.


    As she was just lying there, looking into Tom''s brown eyes, Natasha was inwardly amazed at howfortable she felt around him. If anybody else tried to grab her like that, she would instinctually react, causing a whole lot of pain to the courageous bastard.


    ''Did he really manage to lower my guard so much?'' Natasha''s thoughts were rming and her instincts and training screamed at her in protest but... a part of her, the same part that stayed a little girl and longed for affection, that overpowering little part, made her feel giddy and exhrated.


    "I''ll be honest with you. I am not influential enough to prevent Fury from issuing a manhunt on you." Tom decided to be blunt, "But I have many ways to ensure they would never find you even if you stood right in front of them."


    Natasha slowly nodded in a reluctant understanding.


    She could appreciate blunt honesty. If he was trying to promise her to never face hardship again by his side, she would just scoff at the stupid notion. What he offered was... realistic. But was it enough to give up the certainty she currently had?


    Her life was shitty, but she at least knew what to expect from it.


    "I am also not offering you freedom." Tom quietly continued, "My offer is more or less a looser leash than what you have now. You are beholden to SHIELD right now and from what I had seen, the only way to retire for you is if SHIELD ceased to exist or to get a bullet to the head. Whether said bulletes from another SHIELD operative or an enemy, now that depends on your usefulness and luck." He summed up her situation in SHIELD.


    The only visible reaction of Natasha was a barely noticeable twitch of her lips but inwardly, she felt extremely sour at the truthfulness of these words.


    "As an ex-Russian super-spy, you will never gain the highest clearance in SHIELD. Sure, you could eventually work your way to being trusted, but will it be worth it?" Tom firmly gazed into her conflicted emerald eyes, forcing her to confront his question.


    At that moment, her half-year in SHIELD shed through her mind...


    The never-ceasing missions, theck of free time, the almost constant surveince, the distrust... It felt as if she was in the Red Room again, only this time she was not being tortured in the guise of training nor had to watch brainwashing material so in the end, it was still better.


    But Tom was not done yet...


    "And then there is the belief that you are redeeming yourself by working for SHIELD." Tom said, his words echoing in Natasha''s head like bells. She was not even finished contemting his previous question and he already hit her biggest issue, making her shocked. "Tell me, do you really think you can redeem yourself from killing for Russians by killing for Americans?"


    Tom''s voice was so incredulous it made Natasha embarrassed at how stupid it sounded when he said it out loud.


    "I''ve seen your past." Tom pressed, despite the ufortable and distraught expression on Natasha''s face his prior words brought out. "Let''s take your most recent target. You know nothing about him. You were only told to kill him for the safety of the world. How can you be sure he is not just a businesspetition or obstacle for somebody high up in the SHIELD hierarchy? SHIELD is governed by the World Security Council which is manned by politicians. You know how these things go."


    Tom might have somewhat trusted Fury''s good intentions but Fury was only one man. Despite being the Director of SHIELD, he couldn''t oversee everything. Work was delegated, missions were being given out by various people, and not everything could be properly checked...


    Simply put, there was no way Natasha could have been sure if her targets are really as bad as her supervisors are saying. She was an assassin, and not a very trusted one at the moment. She was not given a reason for the kill. She was just told to do it... or else.


    That wasn''t really surprising with her current position in SHIELD but Tom would bet it didn''t make her feel any better about it.


    "I understand that you have no choice and your only constion is believing that you are doing the right thing." Tom wryly smiled and wiped a tear that fell down her cheek.


    His speech was... touching a bit too close to Natasha''s sensitive spots. He knew that. He made sure to touch every point she had doubts about. His Sacred Gear was scary as hell if used well.


    It might have been a bit underhanded but Tom really wanted only the best for her. Her current lifestyle was not healthy. Not physically since she only had three free days with no mission in the past four months, and even during those she was expected to train SHIELD agents, and definitely not mentally since the girl was a pain-filled wreck of doubts, concerns, and regrets.


    The only reason why she even held herself together was her unyielding and adaptable nature.


    "But you don''t need to hear that from me. You know best." Tom moved for the ''kill'', "You are trained to recognize maniption. You know SHIELD is trying to subtly manipte your opinion. If you continue down this path, maybe one day, you will actually believe that working for them, killing for them, is redeeming yourself for all the bad things you have done in your life. And who knows, maybe it will even make you happy."


    Natasha couldn''t take it anymore and pushed herself up, back into a sitting position as she tried toe with the feeling of revulsion coursing through her at that kind of image.


    She ran from the Red Room because she wanted to be free and the image of her being satisfied, even happy, with this kind of lifestyle, made her feel ill.


    The most horrifying part, however, was that she could easily imagine iting true.


    She took a few years of Red Room brainwashing and came out of it rtively unaffected but SHIELD''s method used her own doubts and insecurities against her, her own desires to make her find their way as the correct one.


    She understood that... but when it was so bluntly pointed out to her, she wasn''t confident she would not eventually crumble under the pressure. Especially since she had no way to avoid said pressure if she stayed in SHIELD.


    Slowly and carefully, she reached toward the Queen Piece on the table in front of her and took it into her grasp, clutching it in her hand and feeling the piece''s surface as her thoughts ran a mile a minute...


    Tom just patiently watched her in silence with his hands leisurely behind his head, still lying on the bed as she mulled over her choices. He told her his piece, trying to make his alternative seem better, now it was time for her to decide what life she wanted. He would not interfere in that. He did enough.


    Two choices, two different paths.


    Both had their pros and cons and either could lead to her eventual happiness. Maybe.


    That part depended solely on her, to be honest.

 Chapter 22: Change in employment

    Chapter 22: Change in employment


    "You called, Director?" Clint Barton asked as he walked into Fury''s office.


    Just earlier today he got a notice that the man wanted to see him, which didn''t make Clint happy at all. It was his vacation and he was spending it with his family.


    For a while now Clint was noticing how disgruntled Natasha, the young Russian spy he managed to convince to change sides, was slowly getting so he decided to introduce her to Laura in hopes the girls would hit it off, making Natasha more at ease.


    He felt a bit responsible for the kid.


    Others might have thought it was a risky move but Clint already was on a few missions with Natasha and he had quite a good read on her personality. She wasn''t some bloodthirsty monster as people liked to portray her. In fact, he would like to believe they had a quite friendly rtionship.


    Of course, he would not bring Natasha to his home straight away. Today he was setting up a meeting in a restaurant, booking a table, and preparing everything when Fury called him in. It really sucked but what could he do?


    With a sigh, Clint entered Fury''s office.


    "Agent Barton, we have a problem." Fury heavily said and looked at him from behind his desk just as Clint closed the door behind him and stood at attention.


    "A problem, sir?" Clint asked.


    Fury narrowed his sole eye into a re as he gravely spoke, "Romanoff hasn''t checked in for the past twenty-four hours."


    ''Oh... shit.'' Clint involuntarily swore in his mind when Fury''s words registered in his brain and cold sweat appeared on his back, "Her mission might have gone wrong."


    Things going wrong were inevitable in their profession but from Fury''s reaction, Natasha''s mission should have been an easy one. Nevertheless, Clint still tried to be optimistic.


    Natasha was a smart girl. Clint didn''t want to believe she would do something as stupid as betraying SHIELD. She should be fully aware there was no running away from them.


    "Maybe." Fury slowly nodded but it was obvious he didn''t believe it.


    This wasn''t years in the future when Natasha would have been one of the best assets of SHIELD. Right now, she was just a distrusted new agent who swapped allegiance to them because she had no other option. Fury didn''t know her well, not at all on a personal level. He had no reason to trust her and that meant the first conclusion he arrived at was that she deserted.


    But of course, there were other possibilities, and Fury was experienced enough to know not everything is as it first seems.


    "That''s why you are going to Ennd as her reinforcements. We let her join us at your behest. She is your responsibility now, agent Barton." Fury said with finality in his tone before returning to his paperwork, washing his hands of this case.


    Clint, stiff as a board, gritted his teeth. He didn''t have a problem with being sent there as her reinforcements or rescue detail in case she needed it. No, he had a problem with what wasn''t said out loud.


    She is your responsibility...


    That meant if she had really deserted SHIELD... he was sent to be her executioner.


    "I understand." Clint stiffly replied and turned around before leaving the office.


    ...


    Natasha happily walked toward Tom''s house from the nearby store, almost skipping. It had been three days since she decided to join Tom and so far, she didn''t regret it one bit.


    No stress from missions. No spending time nning every move or trying to acquire information about a target and how to get close. No seducing people. No distrustful looks. No worrying over how to act to not be suspicious to her higher-ups. No...


    Well, there were many things. So many, in fact, that even she realized how much stress she was under only during her second day in Tom''s services when she was lying on her bed in her new room, having nothing to do and staring at the ceiling.


    She... actually had free time!


    Natasha quickly found herself restless and couldn''t stay still. She was so used to always being busy with something that having a moment of peace rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn''t stand it. But she soon enough found something to do with her time. Whether it was training or learning how to cook, there were a lot of things she always wanted to try but never had the opportunity.


    Tom didn''t want a lot from her. Her new responsibilities were simple. Train her body, learn at least rudimentary magic, start energy maniption training... These could be summed up in a ''get stronger so you are useful''.


    Natasha had no qualms about that. The second she found out how dangerous the real world could be and how powerless her current self really is, she felt too scared to not strive to improve herself. Honestly, Natasha was deeply grateful to Tom for giving her this opportunity and sharing his resources with her.


    Not even three days in his employ and Natasha already felt more loyal to Tom than she ever did to SHIELD in half a year of her service.


    Even she was surprised at how fast she gained these feelings. All it took was someone treating her as a human being, instead of a killing tool...


    Tom didn''t specify her other responsibilities yet, but Natasha quickly took it on herself to do the shopping and she attempted cleaning the house... only for Tom tough at her when he found out, showing her a spell that cleaned an entire room in seconds.


    That was so unfair


    Needless to say, Natasha''s motivation to study magic increased tenfold after that. Who would have thought the household spells could be so useful? Cleaning a crime scene would be a piece of cake with them.


    With her failure at helping with household chores... and she still felt embarrassed as heck about that... Natasha tried to ease Tom''s burden and asked if there was something she could do, whichnded her the job of dealing with unimportant paperwork.


    It wasn''t much but it was honest work.


    Natasha did not mind the mind-numbing work and Tom seemed a lot happier with having thirty minutes more for his research each day. In his giddiness, he even gave her books on spells that could elerate her thought processes and enhance her mind a bit. Apparently, it was helpful in dealing with the infernal paperwork so she didn''t have to spend three hours doing them.


    Unfortunately, Natasha was no prodigy in magic so it would take her a bit longer to learn these spells but she was nothing if not patient.


    As she walked on the sidewalk, humming to herself, her eyes suddenlynded on a familiar person, causing her to stiffen as her eyes slightly widened.


    ''Clint...'' Natasha disgruntledly thought.

 Chapter 23: Confirmation

    Chapter 23: Confirmation


    Natasha steeled her nerves and forcefully calmed herself with a deep breath, putting a confident yet easy-going smile on her face as her eyes trailed around Clint in order to not alert his instincts by directly staring at him.


    ''Time to face the music.'' Natasha thought with a slight worry creeping into her mind but as soon as it came, she quickly pushed it away.


    Clint didn''t see her yet. The street was too crowded for that and he was currently too preupied with asking some irritated stranger for directions. Natasha felt nervous as heck but she just had to know. She had to find out if this rebellion of hers was really worth it and if she is safe or if it will mean living in constant fear and eventually losing her life.


    Unfortunately, the only way to know was to risk it. She walked straight toward Clint.


    Every step was a challenge of its own for Natasha, her body seemingly growing heavier the closer she got and more doubts started swirling in her head. But she persisted, ignoring all of that, and just walked forward.


    Ten meters.


    Five meters.


    Two meters.


    Clint suddenly looked up, feeling someone''s eyes on him, and their gazes met.


    The world slowed down to a halt for Natasha and she tried to do her best to appear normal while watching out for any minuscule change in Clint''s expression, any indication he recognized her and would attack...


    And just like that, she passed right by him, nonchntly walking down the street as Clint returned his attention to the man who tried to help him with directions, ignoring the woman who checked him out. s, he was happily married so it sucks to be her.


    When Natasha was sufficiently far away, she entered the closest alleyway and put her back against a wall, taking deep breaths and sliding down until she was sitting on the ground as the tension left her.


    "He really didn''t recognize me." She whispered to herself with veiled giddiness as she nced in disbelief at the new ring her right hand sported.


    When she saw the price of that thing... she almost fainted. Tom, however, didn''t care and bought it from the Belgrade Family for a whopping fifteen million pounds.


    ''Talk about an ''engagement'' ring.'' Natasha wistfully thought with a fond inward sigh, having a fluffy feeling in her stomach. Of course, Tom didn''t mean it in that way but a girl could dream, no?


    She doubted she would ever forget her responsibility and gratitude to Tom with such a highly-priced magical artifact always making itself obvious to her sense of touch on her finger, always reminding her.


    This ring was Tom''s way of hiding her from SHIELD.


    Its only function was simple. It passively bent light around her to change some of her features.


    It sounded like nothing much but ording to Tom''s long-winded exnation, the ring was special because it was powered by ambient mana and did everything for its user, unlike most magical artifacts. That way, even a totally mundane person could use it.


    Hence, the ring''s enormous price tag.


    It probably didn''t help there were only five simr rings in the entire world and while the Magician Families didn''t exactly need it, as anyone with good enough magic senses could see through it, making it kinda useless outside the mundane world, the ring was still a nice collectible item one could brag about having.


    Unlike more direct illusionary magic, the light-bending feature of the ring was really important as it could fool even cameras. Really, as long as someone mundane person doesn''t try to recognize her by touch, Natasha should be fine living her life in in sight without nobody recognizing her.


    But she still had her doubts so when she saw Clint, she was not exactly calm about it. Only three days passed and they already sent someone after her. Most importantly, they had sent Clint. An agent who was known for being capable of subduing, maybe even killing her.


    That really soured her mood even if she understood Fury''s reasons. But Clint didn''t recognize her. Tom''s n worked and she was finally free!


    Well, sort of...


    At least free from SHIELD...


    Chuckling to herself, Natasha slowly stood up, stretching her body as a refreshing feeling filled her. Basking in it, she took her shopping bags again into her hands and walked out of the alley, continuing on her way towards her new... home.


    For now, life was good.


    ...


    Natasha returned home, only to find Tom in the kitchen. Her interest was instantly piqued and she approached him, curiously looking at what he was doing...


    "What is that?" She asked when she noticed him cooking with... magical circles?


    Tom calmly smiled at the confused woman as he exined, "Those are alchemy circles. I decided to learn to cook but doing it normally would have been too boring."


    "Oh." Natasha dumbly remarked, not knowing what to say to that. She was too bbergasted to give a proper reaction. "Is this normal?" She eventually awkwardly asked, out of her depth.


    "For me? Pretty much." Tom chuckled and shrugged. "In this world, if you are not cheating, you are not trying. Remember that, Natalia." He jokingly quipped.


    His tone might have been jovial but he meant every word. It was how he got this far and he didn''t intend to stop with this mindset.


    "Mhm." Natasha offhandedly hummed and leaned on the kitchen unit, quiet for a moment as she just watched Tom working on the food. It took her a bit to gather her courage but eventually, she spoke again, "Today I have met one of my ex-colleagues."


    Tom raised his eyes from his cooking and gave Natasha a searching look, making her feel nervous.


    "And?" He spoke after a few seconds, casually returning to tending to the food.


    He wasn''t too worried. He knew well that Natasha adored her newfound freedoms. While he was not sure about her loyalty just yet, he was confident his alternative would be better for her, and she waspletely aware of that fact.


    "He... didn''t recognize me." Natasha said with apparent relief.


    "Hm, I told you so." Tomzily grinned.


    "Yes, you did." Natasha chuckled with a light-hearted eye roll and approached Tom.


    Raising his eyebrow, he turned toward her... only for the woman to pull him into an embrace.


    "Thank you." Natasha warmly said and before Tom could react, her lips gentlynded on his, her tongue demanding an entry into his mouth.


    Despite the suddenness, Tom obliged and his hands snaked around her, enjoying how soft and shapely she was.


    After a minute, Natasha pulled away, a string of saliva connecting them before it copsed, and the two looked into each other''s eyes while trying to regain their breath.


    "Really, thank you." Natasha said again, her voice full of emotion, and she tightly hugged Tom, snuggling her face into the crook of his neck.


    Tom wryly smiled, half-focused on the alchemy circles that were finishing the food while he patted Natasha''s back in aforting manner.


    It was stupid how many issues the woman had. She was nothing like the ck Widow from Avengers. Nothing like the hardened character that seemed to have no doubt and steel-like trust in her work for SHIELD.


    This Natasha was... oddly fragile once one got under all of her tough exteriors.


    This Natasha was... young and didn''t yet find her resolve. She just vaguely knew what she wanted. To feel free, to find something akin to family, to get direction in life.


    Tom was exploiting that. He would not deny it. But he truly believed he could give her something SHIELD could never aplish.


    A fulfilling and enjoyable life.


    A reprieve from her misery.


    A potential to get better.


    And much more.


    Deeming the food he was cooking ready, Tom pulled away from Natasha''s embrace a bit, startling her for a second which let him note that her eyes were a bit puffed out. She quickly bowed her head down, most likely to make him miss it.


    He smiled at how cute she was acting.


    Tom inclined his head toward her, kissing the top of her head, "Come on, the food is done. Let''s eat."


    He was d for her. She finally got her much-needed confirmation.

 Chapter 24: Business machinations

    Chapter 24: Business machinations


    Sarael appeared on a blue magic circle in Tom''s office with his arms spread out as he dramatically eximed, "I have arrived!"


    When he heard no apuse, he furrowed his eyebrows and looked around, only to spot the unamused Tom staring at him in mild irritation... which instantly made his day... but there was also a new pair of bbergasted emerald eyes in the room.


    Sarael''s attention was drawn to the owner of these enchanting eyes and he curiously tilted his head while giving her a once over as he was about to speak...


    Only for Tom to start faster, "Hello, Sarael. This is my new assistant, Natalia Romanova. Natalia, this is Sarael Sitri. Lord of House Sitri and my business associate." He introduced her.


    ''This... is a devil?'' Natasha looked at the jovial man in apprehension, from time to time throwing Tom subtle questioning nces.


    "Mhm." Sarael slowly and absentmindedly nodded, his eyes appraising Natasha, making her inwardly ufortable but it was mostly because of the identity of this person rather than his gaze. She was used to being stared at in a variety of ways, most of them not so pleasant, but never once was the one doing so a devil.


    "Enchanting specimen." Sarael spoke but despite his feigned interest, Tom could see the indifference in his eyes. But Tom was still wary. It wouldn''t be Sarael if he didn''t... "So? When are you going to fuck?" Sarael curiously asked in an innocent tone.


    ''Of course.'' Tom''s lips twitched, ''What did I even expect?''


    At least, Tom was used to his behavior and unlike Natasha who was incredulously staring at him like a deer in headlights, he was fairlyposed.


    "We don''t have that kind of rtionship." Tom dryly spoke.


    "Yet." Sarael smartly added. "It''s pretty obvious the woman is drawn to you. Look at how her eyes asionally sneak a peek at you." He knowingly smirked at Natasha, causing her to blush a bit. His victory on that front assured, Sarael turned towards Tom, "And you would have never let her this close to you if you weren''t interested. An assistant? Really?" He gave Tom a mock-dubious look, "Man up, boy, and mount her like-"


    Tom''s overly loud groan interrupted him, causing his shrewd smile to turn Cheshire. Tom then turned to Natasha and smiled at her, "Could you give us a bit of privacy, please?"


    The slightly embarrassed woman mutely nodded and walked out of the room, a bit quicker than she should.


    Sarael instantly picked up on that and grinned at Tom, "She is a keeper." He showed him a thumbs-up.


    "Do you always have to be such a prick?" Tom asked in exasperation.


    He could see Natasha waspletely caught off guard and it would take her a few seconds topose herself so Tom had sent her away. There was no need for her to waste her free time with him in these talks either. After all, Sarael was an acquired taste most hated right from the get-go.


    "Pretty much, yeah. It''s my default setting around friends." Sarael happily stated as he flopped down into the chair in front of Tom''s desk.


    "Sucks to be me. I liked you better when you were formal." Tom grumbled under his nose, making Sarael snicker.


    Both of them knew Sareal was aware of that and that''s why he was no longer formal with Tom, much to his chagrin.


    After a moment ofpanionable silence, Sarael decided to break it. The woe was him, having to interrupt Tom''s brooding but there was really something he wanted to say. "You should keep her away from the eyes of young devils, Tom." He cautioned in a serious manner.


    That came out of nowhere and Tom was actually taken aback by Sarael''s sudden change in attitude. Or the fact the man actually cared enough to point it out.


    Seeing that Tom was listening, if his surprised expression was any indication, Sarael continued, "Her facial features are wrong and she iscking certain curves but her hair color is quite simr to that of Gremory devils." He wryly smiled with a shrug, "For some, she would be a nice collectible sex toy."


    It was just friendly advice since Tom had dealings with him and there was a possibility of one day being invited to some event. Sarael would defend Tom as he was his business partner but protecting Tom''s ''assistant'' who would be like a sweet bait to somezy perverted noble bastards... that was too much of a trouble.


    No devil like that would be motivated enough to actually stand up from their ass and go look for somebody looking simr to the Gremory women but if one delivered herself in front of them?


    Sarael didn''t need to be a genius to know how that would go. He didn''t need that kind of headache and Tom didn''t have enough strength to deal with it right now.


    "The more I hear about your race, the less inclined I am to be one of you." Tom said in a deadpan apprehension.


    Honestly, he didn''t think about this angle and was happy that Sarael reminded him. The old devil definitely didn''t mean it as such but this was a wake-up call for Tom, telling him he should once again focus on progressing his actual power rather than making influential friends and growing his businesses.


    He was starting to procrastinate in power development and it wasn''t a good thing.


    Sarael just cheekily smiled at Tom when he heard his remark, not bothered at all. Human lifespan was short. He fully believed Tom would eventuallye around. It was just a matter of time and getting old.


    After all, not many human mages managed to defeat the cruel clutches of time. And even fewer achieved a victory that didn''t cost them dearly.


    "Anyway, why did you call me this nice," Sarael exaggeratedly looked at his wristwatch, "morning?"


    The second he finished speaking, he gave Tom a meaningful look and raised his eyebrow. He hated being called in the morning and Tom should have been aware of that fact! Thest time, Sarael made sure to whine for hours just so Tom got it into his head.


    Apparently, it was not enough.


    "Recently, I was at a party. It was a nice one, actually. I met Natalia there." Tom casually started, ignoring Sarael''s fake yawn that was supposed to tell him to get to the point. "Imagine my surprise when I got a drink made from my fruits, sold by my business partners, without actually giving me my rightful part of the profits from it because of some stupid loophole." He leaned back into his chair and narrowed his eyes in a re at the paper on his desk. It was a financial report. One that Tom didn''t like.


    "Ah, so they found a way around the business contract, huh?" Sarael quipped in amusement. "So? I still don''t understand what that has to do with me." He raised his eyebrow at Tom.


    "I want to sell you the sale rights and alchemical circle for the creation of the same kind of fruits as the Magician House that tried to screw me over." Tom vindictively said, knowing Sarael would not say no to such a sweet offer.


    The devil''s eyes widened a bit in surprise before they narrowed in glee, "I''ll say! If you continue to be so good to my House I will have no other way than to marry my cute Sona to you." He joked andughed to himself, already seeing the profits rolling in.


    Unlike Magician Houses in Ennd, Lord Sitri had much bigger connections and reach. Not only was there an entire Underworld, an entirely new market, but devils usually had connections to a select few bigpanies in the human world.


    The only reason why a Magician House could establish its domination in the market with these fruits was that they were the only supplier. It was obvious what would happen if a strongerpany got the means of acquiring said product too.


    There was no way the Magician House could keep up in that kind ofpetition. Not even the strongest of them had the necessary capital for that.


    "But this is quite the devilish way of dealing with unruly elements." Saraelughed, "British Magician House tried to screw you over so you went around them and outsourced their business with you to a more powerful party. I doubt the people won''t get the hint after this."


    "That''s the whole point." Tom exasperatedly shrugged, "To ensure they get the hint. I don''t need more of my business partners thinking they can exploit me whenever it pleases them."


    Tom was extremely petty in this matter. He already gave them a lot of leeway by asking for only a measly ten percent of the profits. He didn''t ask for ten percent of the full cost. Only pure profit. And in exchange, every product made from his fruits was included in the deal.


    Naturally, the old Houses had many means and a lot of experienced magicians. There was bound to be someone capable of going around the contract sooner orter. That was inevitable.


    That''s why it was important to show them Tom would not tolerate it. Just because they could do it, it didn''t mean they should!


    "Okay, let''s talk business." Sarael remarked in tion, his prior irritated attitude at being summoned in the morning already gone. He had a few long hours of a very... enjoyable negotiation in front of him!


    "God help me." Tom grumbled when he saw Sarael''s giddiness and took pleasure in how the old devil winced at the name of God before throwing a re at him. Tom knew these uing hours would be not easy on him but he intended to fight for every scrap of profit.


    Every little tiny bit of it.


    ---


    For those interested,


    .pa /kasicair


    Currently, 6 chapters ahead.


    Have a nice day.

 Chapter 25: Usefulness

    Chapter 25: Usefulness


    It was four hourster that Sarael finally left Tom''s office, whistling happily as he teleported back to hell under Tom''s unamused re.


    Sighing, Tom stood up and left his office. He felt too tired to do paperwork or go back to his research. In his humble opinion, this meeting earned him a day off. Dealing with Sarael was always so exhausting.


    As he arrived in the living room, he noticed Natasha sitting on the couch and wearing a baggyfortable ck hoodie with her legs up, hugging them to her chest as she watched a movie.


    When she noticed Tom, she brightly smiled and patted a spot next to her, inviting him to sit down. Tom inwardly chuckled, happy to see her sofortable and at ease inside his house, and walked towards the couch.


    As his back burrowed into its divine softness, he barely stifled a moan. It was definitely worth its high price. Tom inclined his head back, leaning it on the backrest.


    "How was the meeting?" Natasha curiously eyed him, ignoring the movie ying on the television.


    Tom half-turned his head towards her and smiled, "I got everything I wanted from the deal."


    That made Natasha a bit perplexed. She... by Tom''s standards... cutely tilted her head and asked with furrowed brows, "Then why are you so downtrodden?"


    "Because Sarael got what he wanted too." Tom grimaced. "It doesn''t matter but I thought I would be able to strike a better bargain." He grumbled, a bit peeved.


    s, he still had ways to go if he wanted to out-negotiate the old devil.


    Natasha was amused at Tom''s disgruntlement. Nevertheless, she reached toward the table and poured a bit of...


    ''Is that a hot chocte?'' Tom idly wondered as the delicious smell hit his nostrils.


    Done with filling the empty cup, Natasha offered it to Tom, "Good job?" She half-asked a bit awkwardly.


    "Thank you." Tom took the cup, amused at how prepared she was, yet, it made him grateful too. He then took a sip and his eyes widened a bit in surprise "Hmm, this is tasty." He praised her.


    "I tried." Natasha yfully remarked as she refilled her own cup and returned to her earlier position on the couch.


    Afortable andpanionable silence spread between them as they both watched television and sipped on their hot chocte and honestly, Tom quite enjoyed it.


    For the first five minutes before his mind started once again wandering toward his research.


    Natasha, on the other hand, was inwardly fidgeting a bit, not really paying as much attention to the movie as her outward appearance would portray. It was very rare for her to be so indecisive, and feeling like this was a novel experience for her.


    But she didn''t have time for this!


    Biting the inside of her cheek, she calmed herself through the pain and nced at Tom, noticing he was starting to lose interest in the movie.


    Knowing her opportunity would disappear if she didn''t act fast, Natasha moved...


    And Tom owlishly blinked as the woman suddenly straddled him and her arms loosely snaked around his neck.


    Tom raised his head and looked at Natasha, only to find a trace of nervousness in her eyes.


    "Are you sur-" He started.


    Only to be cut off by her curt, "Yes."


    "We barely know each other for three days." Tom nonchntly pressed, raising his hands from beside him on the couch and putting them on her posterior, squeezing a bit.


    It definitely surprised her and made her yelp a bit but soon enough, she smiled in satisfaction and leaned a bit into Tom.


    To be honest, Tom could feel the effect her body had on him and he was also aware she could feel him poking her as well if her ever-so-slow teasing motions were any indication.


    "I know everything I need to know about you." Natasha whispered, starting to kiss Tom''s neck which elicited a few sounds of appreciation.


    But...


    Tom suddenly pushed her away, flipping her from hisp and causing her back tond on the couch with a shock apparent on her face.


    Tom followed up by leaning above her, his hands near her cheeks on each side, supporting his body, "Why are you in such a rush?" He seriously asked in a no-nonsense tone.


    It didn''t make sense to him.


    Yes, they had a nice moment at the party. They made out and fondled each other a lot that evening but they did not ''cross the line''.


    They had a good rtionship during the past three days and it was certainly improving. Sarael was also correct. Logically, Tom reckoned that if things continued going as they were now, he and Natasha would be intimate in under two months.


    He had decided not to fight this. His body and mind, heck, he wanted it. He wanted her. He was clearly drawn to her since they first kissed at the party and she was obviously also feeling something simr... but two months and today were still two very different things.


    Tom couldn''t help but think something was not right here.


    But... his doubt became bewilderment when he saw something he never thought possible. The young ck Widow under him was sporting a shy and blushing expression as if she was an innocent maiden about to lose her virginity.


    Worse yet, her left cheek was touching his forearm and through the discreet use of his Sacred Gear, Tom realized she wasn''t just ying it. She was really embarrassed and felt shy.


    She was also confused, feeling shy for the first time in a very, very long while... but Tom cut off the connection between them, stopping to peek at the emotions she felt a second in the past. His mind was blown at what he discovered and he felt a bit guilty for not trusting her enough.


    But this was ck Widow, and while an inability to betray him was nice, he knew it wasn''t infallible. It had so many ''loopholes'' that it wasn''t even funny. But it was also the best, the most effect-to-cost effective measure he could do with his current abilities.


    The girl under him was one of the biggest mundane seductresses alive and Tom was already partially caught in her ''web'' if his feelings towards her were any indication. Seduction was not betrayal so he wasn''t about to let his guard down around her.


    But feeling how sincere her feelings were and how confused it made her...


    Now that made Tom wryly smile in apology at her. Maybe he was too cautious around her and maybe that was why their ''rtionship'' didn''t progress during the past three days despite them practically living together but he wanted to both be sure of her intentions and also respect her privacy unless she did something... like this.


    In a way, her attempt and Tom''s reaction sped up the forming of their rtionship enormously since many of Tom''s doubts were assuaged with this peek into her emotional state.


    Inwardly sighing, Tom rxed and the seriousness fading from his expression, "Would you tell me why you want to seduce me into sleeping with you?" But he couldn''t help himself and teasingly added, "Especially exin why your attempt is so lousy and obvious? We both know you can do better, Miss Widow." He yfully wiggled his eyebrow at her.


    Her pride attacked, Natasha acted as if she was offended and weakly hit Tom''s chest, huffing in mock irritation, "I''ll show you weak. You won''t be able to walk once I am done with you." She tempted Tom in a feigned exasperation while licking her lips as she stared straight into his eyes.


    But Tom only put his pointing finger on her lips, surprising her, "I want a proper answer, Natalia."


    That stopped her yfulness, causing her to look abashed and conflicted for a moment before she mumbled something under her nose and turned her face to the side, once again sporting a heavy blush.


    "Hmm, you gotta speak louder, dear." Tom leaned forward and kissed her hot cheek, making her let out a whine.


    Taking a moment to calm herself, Natasha clutched at Tom''s shirt, "I want to be useful." She quietly said with a tone full of embarrassment.


    Tom furrowed his brows at that, "Bu-"


    Before he could finish speaking, Natasha quickly leaned forward, pecking him on the lips and stopping him from talking. Her expression was still shy but her eyes now held resolve.


    "My entire childhood, I was taught to make myself useful." She weakly started, not wanting to remember those moments. "You are very sweet to me, you know?"


    Tom realized that this was a hard topic to talk about for her so, despite her pausing, he gave her time and didn''t try to interrupt.


    "But you want too little from me. I enjoyed it. I really did and do love the free time but I just want... no, I need to do more. I need to make myself useful or you will throw me away." She grimaced.


    Tom was about to rebuke that statement but Natasha was faster, "I know! You won''t do that but... I can''t fight how I was raised." She self-deprecatingly whispered, "I can hate it but I can''t fight it."


    Tom stared into her eyes, not knowing what to say. She was in pain and...


    "But you don''t need my assassination skills. You don''t have use for my infiltration skills. I am not strong enough to be even a good bodyguard for you. So, what''s left for me to be useful?" Natasha rhetorically asked, both of them knowing the answer.


    But Tom now had to answer the real question, the one hidden in her small speech.


    In her twisted way, she offered herself to him both because she was afraid of being left behind by him and because she was starting to fall in love with him.


    Tom had no idea if he should be ttered or pity her outlook.


    The decision wasn''t hard for him. He just... hoped it woulde under different circumstances.


    Delivering a gentle kiss on Natasha''s forehead and making her scrunch her face, which aplished his goal of stopping the anxious and uneasy expression she previously sported, Tom softly asked, "You do realize that Sarael will be insufferable once he finds out we had sex the second he left, don''t you?"


    At once, Natasha''s expression lit up when she registered the underlying meaning of his words. Cheer returned to her voice, "Mhm, do you care?"


    Tom chuckled at the absurdity of it all. Now that... was yet another easy question.


    "Not one bit."

 Chapter 26: Potential

    Chapter 26: Potential


    Tom groggily opened his eyes, a sweet yawn involuntarily tearing itself out of his mouth as he felt pleasantly warm and well-rested all over. He slept like a babyst night.


    His eyes started to slowly adjust, the sleep slowly seeping out of them, and Tom had to blink in stupefied silence as his brain tried to register what he was seeing.


    A mane of long crimson red hair sprouting from his chest area, covering his whole torso...


    ''Now that I think about it, my chest is a bit heavy...'' Tom offhandedly contemted.


    The second he finished that thought, the events of the previous night shed through his mind, making him intensely blush at how... wild they were.


    ''Oh my God, that really happened!'' Tom inwardly freaked out and a small silly smile spread on his lips as he felt extremely proud of himself for bagging such a gorgeous woman.


    He was no longer a virgin, baby!


    ''Saving myself was totally worth it.'' Tom sagely eximed in his head, before he deted as he remembered Natasha''s yful teasing from yesterday. ''Despite the teasing... It was worth it.'' He inwardly stubbornly mumbled, as if trying to convince himself.


    "Mhm, Go back to sleep." Tom was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he heard an enchanting sleepy voice and he instantly felt Natasha''s arms hug him tighter, her naked body snuggling into his in a search offorting warmth.


    His slight stirring must have woken her up.


    Tom helplessly smiled, seeing as Natasha had him in a vice grip. There was no getting up from the bed for him until she decided she no longer required her human pillow.


    Sighing a bit, Tom gently put his hand on her head and started to slowly caress her hair while getting again lost in his profound thoughts.


    Natasha clearly liked it, considering how she appreciatively hummed and her lips quietly stretched into a pleased smile.


    Time slowly passed, Natasha enjoying thest remnants of her beauty sleep while Tom was inwardly lost deep in his research, both enjoying the morning in their own way, satisfied with feeling the presence of the other nearby.


    Thirty minutester, Natasha finally gave up her attempt at going back to sleep and fully opened her eyes. Her vice grip on Tom didn''t ease, however, much to his dismay.


    She raised her hand and put her chin on his chest, tedly watching him with her curiously shining green eyes, "What are you thinking about?"


    Tom hummed, "It''s beautiful."


    "What is?" Natasha''s smile sluggishly widened.


    "Your hair." Tom gently patted her head.


    "Do you really think so?" Natasha thoughtfully asked, trying to hide her giddiness, "Then I guess I won''t have to dye them."


    "Definitely not. I forbid it. In fact, let me add it to your employment contract." Tom joked in a mock-apprehensive tone.


    "I have an employment contract?" Natasha raised an eyebrow at that.


    But Tom only overly seriously nodded. "Now you do."


    That made Natasha blink, making her not know how to properly react. She only managed to let out an abrupt, "Damn."


    "Damn right." Tom agreed, satisfied.


    Thefortable silence that ensuedsted for a moment but Natasha decided to break it soon enough, "And what are you really thinking about? Without trying to distract me withpliments?" She tilted her head a bit, her hands affectionately rubbing on the sides of Tom''s waist.


    Tom let out a smallugh, partly because she was tickling him, the female menace, and partly because he found it amusing how she saw through him.


    "I meant mypliment, though." He made sure she was aware of that.


    "Mhm~, I am sure you did." Natasha hummed, drawing the words out. "I figured out your love for my hair from how much you like to touch them..."


    Natasha paused for a moment, enjoying how Tom grew a bit embarrassed at that admission. But she was not yet done with her teasing.


    "... you definitely grabbed at them and yanked my head with them enough yesterday night." She purred, making Tom ufortably blush.


    Natasha looked smug at his reaction and Tom''s manly ego revolted when he noticed. Powering through his embarrassment, he moved and before Natasha knew it, she was face to face with Tom, their lips only inches apart.


    "Don''t act as if you didn''t like it." Tom snarked... and imed her lips, pushing her back deeper into the bed as they started to make out.


    They both started to get excited, their bodies bing hotter as they involuntarily rubbed on each other. Tom could feel his lower parts grow and Natasha could undoubtedly do so too if the sensual way her legs locked behind his back while brushing on his thighs was any indication.


    That made him shiver in anticipation almost as much as her eyes full of expectant desire...


    But instead of entering her, as she clearly wanted, Tom pulled away, rolling to the side.


    Another sex session with her would take hours on end simply because he couldn''t get enough of her. She was a... pleasant distraction. But Tom refused to overindulge. Spending time with her was fine but overdoing it was not. His research wouldn''t finish itself.


    Natasha was disappointed. And a bit pissed at being ''cock-blocked'' like this. But she lived with Tom for a few days and already understood his priorities so she wasn''t all that surprised.


    This... only made the moments where she managed to get him to bed her that much more precious since she couldn''t do it whenever she wanted. It was a refreshing feeling, but one that made her pride scream in frustration.


    ''One of these days I will find out what makes him tick.'' She inwardly promised while giving a moody half-re at the ceiling.


    Seeing that his decision to stop himself made his partner grumpy, Tom wryly smiled and decided to appease her a bit.


    "I was thinking about how to make us stronger." He said in a straightforward manner, no longer trying to redirect the topic.


    As much as it pleased Natasha that he shared his thoughts with her, she was still a bit cross with him.


    She mutely nodded in understanding before she pursed her lips, "Us?"


    "Yeah. You are mine now." Tom casually spoke as if he was speaking about something as obvious as weather, "Making you stronger will make me stronger." He shrugged.


    Natasha blushed a bit at the way he worded it but she couldn''t help her small scowl transforming into an involuntary smile. The intention was not dissimr to her time in SHIELD. They allocated resources to her to make her more effective... but Tom''s wording was more intimate and personal. It made her feel happy.


    "What brought this up?" She asked, trying to distract herself from these thoughts.


    "Something Sarael said." Tom helplessly sighed, hesitating a bit before continuing in a serious tone. "Natalia... humans who are aware of the supernatural like to say that while we are the innately weakest race, we have the most potential."


    Natasha once again nodded, intently listening since she had no experience in the supernatural world and couldn''t really give a usible opinion on the matter. Nevertheless, she did hear a simr saying in the mundane world.


    Tom derisively snorted as he continued, "That''s bullshit. We have the least of both innate power and potential." He deadpanned, making Natasha raise her eyebrow in surprise. That was definitely not what she expected Tom to say.


    "Okay?" She distractedly hummed, a bit lost in where this topic was heading. Yet, she couldn''t help but feel a bit amused at Tom''s blunt words.


    "Let''s talk about the physical capabilities andpare devils and humans." Tom chuckled at her surprise before he continued to borate, "Even the lowest of low-ss devils can match peak human athletes."


    He dropped a bomb and Natasha''s amusement abruptly evaporated into thin air. She instantly realized what kind of threat devils really were to humans if even the weakest of them was born physically stronger than what a dedicated mundane human could achieve in a lifetime of trying.


    She herself was one of those dedicated mundane humans, after all, and being told this made her feel like shit.


    "Of course, there are various techniques and enhancements that Church exorcists use to battle supernatural threats." Tom continued, giving Natasha a real-life example that humans were not as helpless as he first portrayed them. "But these mostly rely on something called Sacred Gear, weapons made by the Biblical God that randomly select human hosts upon their birth."


    Natasha didn''t need to mull over the information for long to realize the w. Her eyes suddenly widened and her eyes opened in bewilderment... "But devils found a way to reincarnate humans into their own race."


    And she understood where the problemy.


    "That they did." Tom offhandedly nodded. Seeing as he didn''t need to exin it further, he decided to proceed further into the topic, "Now about magic..."


    This is where Tom grimaced. He didn''t like admitting this but it was the undeniable truth. "Human magic relies on forms to guide mana to do certain things. This imitates the devils'' way of magic casting. Our magic system is far inferior to theirs and offers a lot less freedom, but they are seldom motivated or disciplined enough to actually advance their magic fields. Something humans have in spades. Motivation and dedication. It stems from our lower lifespan and limited time. So... I guess lucky us." He mocked.


    "And let me guess. This is the case with every race, isn''t it? They all have advantages humans do not possess." Natasha was not amused with the stakes that were revealed in front of her.


    "Yes. Humans are the weakest race with the least potential and a short lifespan. In return, unlike other races, we can easily breed." Tom wryly smiled.


    There was more to it and there was also a reason why humans were not enved by other races but that didn''t matter right now.


    Tom decided to get to the point of why he brought this topic up with her. "That''s why I can''t go the ''natural'' route with you. I can''t just give you books and tell you to study. It would have taken you decades to be semipetent. It certainly took me over a decade to reach where I am now."


    And he was fully aware he didn''t have that kind of time.


    "So? What are we gonna do?" Natasha intently looked at Tom. She knew of his distaste for bing a devil... so she wondered what was left.


    "That... I don''t know yet. I am going to do what humans do best. I am going to cheat the system and we will adapt." Tom took her hands into his and looked her in the eyes with resolve shining in his brown orbs. "Humans might not have the best potential but we sure as hell have the best adaptability."


    Regr training?


    That would have never helped their case.


    No. This required thinking outside of the box...

 Chapter 27: Passing of weeks

    Chapter 27: Passing of weeks


    Time slowly passed and weeks went by as Tom focused on his new research.


    The only two usable things he had when it came to prospects of cheating the system to get stronger were the knowledge of the Evil Pieces... which was a dead end since it was usable to enhance devils but it wouldn''t work much for humans unless they were turned into the devils first, and then there were the Old Contracts.


    It was inly obvious which of them had more potential to work in Tom''s circumstances.


    A contract in which a devil can trade souls, powers, bloodlines, energy...


    What was not to like?


    But still, Tom was stumped on how to trick devils in a way that wouldn''t bring the entire Devil Society down on his head.


    Imagine the mayhem if a human who can steal their bloodlines, demonic power, maybe even lifespan and souls, appeared.


    It was a no-brainer what the devils would have done once they found out.


    That would have been an instant RIP for him.


    Worse yet... imagine if they realized the potential of the Old Contracts because of him. That would have been RIP for the whole world.


    And while the first option was infinitely more disturbing to Tom, he didn''t intend to bring about either of these two scenarios.


    s, remaking the Old Contract in a way that would prevent devils from realizing what was going on while signing the deal, and on top of all that made them remain clueless after they lost the traded thing? Now that was proving to be a very hard, if not impossible, task. Tom tried to screen the contract he got from Sarael with his Sacred Gear, over and over again, slowly building more understanding on how it worked but...


    His Sacred Gear was not perfect and could only help him so far. It could only show him things. As for understanding the concepts and features of the contract that even its creators had no idea about? He was totally on his own for that.


    The problem was not even in his understanding. Tom was just hoping that with understanding, he would find a way to exploit it in a safe way, but so far, he had no luck.


    Fortunately, Tom had Natasha who was ever-so-eager to provide a momentary distraction for him whenever he became too frustrated for his own good.


    During these weeks, their rtionship was steadily progressing and they became closer to each other. Tom found himself actually enjoying the time spent with the redhead. So much so that he even picked up cooking via alchemy a bit more seriously, making meals for both of them and spending his time with her this way while not losing much time from his own work.


    After all, improving his alchemy cooking did still count as ''research''. Tom''s meals full of mana were capable of helping a mundane human gain a greater constitution and he was certainly liking this little hobby of his so far.


    For now, it wasn''t anything special in the supernatural world but at the very least, it helped Natasha in her own training and kept Tom entertained while he was rxing. Tom also thought his alchemy cooking had great potential if he found better ingredients and became better at alchemy... but for now, he didn''t really have the necessary time to put much attention into such a trifle.


    But not everything was all sunshine and rainbows.


    Natasha... demanded to help Tom in the kitchen.


    And that''s exactly how one nice afternoon, she was helping Tom with baking a pie when he quipped something ridiculous and totally misguided about her cooking prowess that was definitely not as bad as he said.


    Or so she imed and Tom could only stare in wide-eyed shock when he was involuntarily forced to sneeze as his mind registered what Natasha did in retaliation for his remark.


    His face was all white, covered in a copious amount of flour that Natasha threw at him.


    And she was now provocatively smirking into his face.


    That... wasn''t nice.


    "Oh, you are on." The white-faced Tom whispered, his eyes gleaming at the challenge as he grabbed flour from his own bowl and...


    Needless to say, the kitchen did not survive the ensuing glorious battle that repainted itpletely white.


    The intense showdown between the two lovers only ceased when they were both covered in flour from head to toe, panting as theyy next to each other on the messy floor and widely smiling.


    "That was fun." Natasha giggled, taking Tom''s hand into hers and warmly squeezing it. "But I won."


    "Nu-uh." Tom gave her a look full of disagreement, "You have more white stuff on you than me."


    "You wish." Natasha jovially retorted. "You lose by default for using magic, darlin''."


    "I knew I shouldn''t have given you those books on thought eleration." Tom wistfullyined, looking toward the ceiling, pretending to be wronged as he mused, "Your arguments became harder to counter. Especially that ''darling'' part." His tone contained an undertone of mockery as he added, "Call me that again."


    Natasha rolled her eyes at him, "Ass."


    "Huh? You can''t have it both ways, girl. Am I your darling or an ass?" Tom tilted his head, his lips twitching as he barely restrained his smart-ass smirk.


    His goal of making Natasha speechless was aplished!


    It didn''tst long, however, and eventually, Natasha grinned and pecked him on the cheek, "You are my dear ass."


    Now it was Tom''s turn to be unable to find a retort.


    Really, what was he supposed to say to that!? He didn''t even have an idea if he felt insulted or ttered and that was making him feel weird.


    "I''ll... take what I can get, I guess?" He helplessly shrugged, but it was obvious who the winner of this argument was.


    Natasha smugly smiled at her victory and in a pleased tone she... "Up for some hot chocte?" offered.


    Tom turned his head toward her after not hearing any gloating he expected from Natasha, and by doing so, he met her calm green eyes. One could lose himself in those shining emeralds and his mood was instantly improved as he chuckled, "Sure. I''d like a cup... or two."


    Who was he to refuse one of the very few things she actually could prepare in the kitchen?


    That day, they had a copious amount of hot chocte for lunch...

 Chapter 28: Problems on the horizon?

    Chapter 28: Problems on the horizon?


    "You are deleting yourself from the world''s databases?" Tom asked, a bit stupefied as he watched Natasha quick typing on the keyboard, hacking systems that would give even hardcore hackers a stop.


    When he joked that she could be the bestputer wizard for him, he didn''t really think she would actually do it. That''s not how jokes were supposed to work.


    Yet, apparently, his girl took his joke too seriously.


    "Yeah. The mind-enhancing spells you gave me are just that incredible." Natasha delightfully answered,pletely missing Tom''s bewilderment.


    It took her a long time to learn these spells but once she managed it, her utterly average programming and hacking capabilities skyrocketed in a matter of days.


    Naturally, she had to grind them like anybody else. It took her weeks of study with her brain working ten times its normal efficiency for hours... and it was utterly exhausting, but it was a skill that could be eventually useful to Tom, so she gritted her teeth and continued getting better.


    "As they should be. They cost me a lot, ya know?" Tom wryly smiled, remembering the haggling with Lord Belgrade for these spells. The old coot definitely did not give Tom anything for free.


    Unfortunately, Tom''s upstart family only had the lowest grade of mind-enhancing spells and they were not exactly great. As someone using a system of magic that basically relied on ''math'', the superb mind-enhancing spells were one of the many reasons the influential families were capable of retaining their spots on the top. With these spells, no matter how dumb their offsprings were, they could still achieve a lot in the magical field.


    It was no wonder Tom had to pay an exorbitant price for the highest quality mind-enhancing spells out there. In fact, Tom should be thrilled he even managed to buy them at all.


    "Mhm. I don''t understand why the Magician Families did not go into the technology sector. This is practically cheating." Natasha distractedly uttered as her identity disappeared from yet another heavily protected database under her magical fingers.


    Honestly, the vindictive and gleeful smile as she deleted everything about herself from SHIELD databases was very hot, in Tom''s opinion.


    "Pride. For them, technology is something beneath them." Tom shrugged, putting his hands on her shoulders and slowly massaging them, enjoying how she slightly squirmed under his pleasant ministrations.


    Tom could understand the Magician Families a bit.


    Just taking himself as an example... he didn''t have the time for technological research alongside his magical one. Despite the fact the mind-enhancing spells could fast-forward the technological advancements by decades and probably earn him billions in a very short time, Tom would never sacrifice his magical progress for that.


    "That''s dumb." Natasha idly hummed, her backpletely straight and her eyes narrowed like a cat that was being petted. "Do you want me to delete your records too?" She looked at Tom and tilted her head.


    "Nah. Leave it be. Being able to seamlessly join the mundane world is an advantage for me." Tom chuckled, making her moan by squeezing her back muscles a bit harder. "Who knows? Maybe I will need it one of these days."


    Natasha furrowed her brows at that. She could read between the lines well enough. "Did something happen?" She wondered aloud.


    "Me outsourcing the business to Sarael is starting to kick me in the ass." Tom sighed, stopping to massage Natasha and he instead leaned his chest on her shoulders, snaking his arms around her neck and embracing her from behind.


    He knew that dragging devils into a business field that Magician Families considered ''their turf'' would ruffle many feathers but...


    "inly speaking, it had a few unforeseen effects and the most influential Magician Families decided to go with a hands-off approach when ites to me. This gave some... ah, unsavory parties more confidence to try meddling with me." Tom exined.


    "Do you regret it?" Natasha asked as she put her hand on top of Tom''s in a reassuring manner.


    "No. It had to happen. It was either this passive-aggressive bullshit or them trying to actively screw me over. I might have made some problems for myself in my ownmunity but that''s natural. You can''t go through life without annoying and being annoyed by others." Tom helplessly remarked.


    Sadly, life was not so simple and conflicts were bound to happen. The most Tom could do was choose the path that would be the least troublesome for him even if it offended others.


    Natasha slowly nodded in understanding and opened her mouth with a thoughtful expression, "Do you need me to take care of those-" She slowly started asking.


    But Tom interrupted her with an amused tone, "Don''t bother. They are mostly skulking around like this guy." He opened a feed from the outer surveince wards, showing a man probing the wards as he tried to sneakily observe their house from the other side of the street.


    To Tom, it was hriously pathetic. If it was anybody else, he might have been a bit concerned but Jasin? Those idiots had no chance.


    It wasn''t arrogance speaking either. Tom took his security very seriously and the wards around his house were incredibly sturdy.


    Plus, Jasin Family was most likely just bait and Tom did not intend to take it. He would not attack them first and give others, more powerful families, a reason to create trouble for him.


    "Who is he?" Natasha curiously asked, her eyes narrowed as they searchingly stared at the shady man on the live feed.


    "Mark Jasin." Tom said in distaste, "Quite the bad boy. The Jasin Family is full of thug-wannabes but Mark is trying to outshine his brothers in this aspect. Frankly, the guy is one lucky little shit that he was born into a magical household otherwise he would have already been given a bullet to the forehead."


    "That bad?" Natasha raised her eyebrow and instantly pulled up his file from the police database, finding itpletely clean.


    "Futile effort, dear." Tom chuckled and kissed her cheek. "His grandfather covers for his crimes so as long as he doesn''t target someone they can''t offend it doesn''t matter what he does."


    "How bothersome." Natasha frowned.


    No wonder thismunity doesn''t appear on the SHIELD''s radar if they were so thorough in cleaning up after themselves.


    "But enough about my problems." Tom decided they talked enough about these unimportant things. "Let''s talk about something that matters. So, any ns for your uing vacation?" He quipped and cuddled into the side of Natasha''s head.


    "Mmm~," Natasha appreciatively hummed, snuggling into him too... but her eyes nced back towards the feed with Mark. Itsted barely a second before her attention was back on Tom, taking his hand into hers as she yfully spoke, "I think I can find something to entertain myself with."

 Chapter 29: Natashas day off 1

    Chapter 29: Natasha''s day off 1


    Mark Jasin, a mean-looking dirty-blonde man, was currently loading his van with... goods.


    Of course, a sensitive operation like this required a ce without surveince cameras and witnesses so he was in an empty dark alleyway.


    Despite the Magician Families not putting much stock in the technology, they kept up with its advancements in the world, if only to know how to avoid being found out. Every year, more and more spells that obscured even the newest surveince technology came out... but Mark was smart. He knew the best way to avoid these was to simply not be in their vicinity.


    As he finished with his job, and his van was finally full, Mark stretched out, "Fucking finally." He grumbled and clicked his tongue.


    But as he was about to turn around...


    "Mark Jasin?"


    An even female voice called him out from behind him, making him freeze for a second.


    It didn''tst long and Mark sighed, secretly preparing a body enhancement spell. But considering he was recognized, it was probably someone from another Magician Family, in which case there was no problem. The families had an unspoken rule to not meddle with each other''s business as long as all regtions were upheld.


    "Yeah?" He irritably said as he turned around to look at the nuisance who-


    Only for his eyes to widen as he came face to face with the barrel of a gun.


    His mind couldn''t even process what was going on, barely registering a shine of crimson hair belonging to the woman as she pressed the trigger, and Mark''s brain sttered on the backdoor of his van, his body flopping back, sliding down on the backdoor until his posterior hit the ground.


    Not even his weak magical artifact that provided basic shielding capable of stopping ordinary bullets was any help against the enchanted bullet that tore through his head before disintegrating itself the second it stopped.


    The woman nced at the dead body leaning on the van with indifference and turned around, raising her hood over her head and walking away as if nothing happened.


    ...


    "Would you like some wine?" Jacob Jasin, the second son of Jason Jasin, asked the woman sitting opposite him.


    She was a great find! When he woke up today he would have never thought to catch himself a pretty and young redhead like this but here he was, in a fancy restaurant on a date.


    He usually wouldn''t bother and simply use some mind-altering spells or illusions... only basic ones, after all, it wouldn''t be fun if the women didn''t try to resist during the deed... but this chick was hot as hell and Jacob decided to humor his urge to take her on a date before he did his usual routine with her.


    Well, the money would return to him when he sold her to one of his many clients who were always in need of some fresh sacrifices or obedient sluts so there was no harm done with buying her this one lunch.


    "N-No. Thank you." The woman shyly said and looked down with her cheeks blushing deep red.


    Jacob wanted to coo at how cute she was being.


    He knew that, unlike his brothers, he was good-looking and charming. He wouldn''t be able to do his human trafficking gig for his family if he couldn''t charm his targets with just his incredible face.


    Who needed spells if they were him?


    Admittedly, the jealousy of his brothers at him always getting all the chicks was stroking his ego fiercely.


    Sometimes he wondered how his third brother would react if he knew his wife was a constant in Jacob''s bed.


    But he had to calm down his excitement. He would mess up the cute bundle of red hair in front of him, making her whimper his name in despairing pain but first, he had to make her believe he was her prince charming. That would make it so much sweeter!


    Jacob roguishly grinned at her and confidently snapped his fingers, "Waiter!"


    It didn''t take long for a brown-haired waitress in a ssy white and ck uniform to show up and smile at both Jacob and the fidgeting redhead, "Anything I can help with?"


    Jacob gave her once over, ''Not bad.'' He inwardly thought as he ordered the best wine they had and the waitress once again left, allowing his attention to go back to his date.


    Chatting up a shy girl was asionally annoying, but Jacob preserved in this charade for the sake of his nightly fun-time, and before he knew it, the waitress was back with the wine.


    This time, he ignored her in favor of his date, subconsciously showing that the girl was important to him and if her small beaming at him was any indication, the redhead noticed and appreciated that his attention didn''t wander and was fixated on her.


    ''How easy.'' Jacob chuckled as he sent the waitress away with an offhanded wave, not bothering to even look at her, his eyes firmly staring into the eyes of his date. He could see it. Her impression of him was getting better and better, and the girl starting to fall for him.


    ''Something about not using magic to make women fall for me is really addicting.'' He wistfully sighed and distractedly mirrored the cute creature opposite him, taking a sip from the ss of expensive wine.


    He savored the sweet taste and basked in the atmosphere generated between them as they both stared into each other''s eyes and sipped the wine... only for him to be irritated when he felt a really strong urge to couch.


    Grimacing a bit, he put the ss of wine back on the table and took the napkin, putting it in front of his lips as he gently coughed into it before putting it back next to his tter as he smiled at the enamored girl.


    But


    Suddenly the redhead in front of him showed a horrified expression and Jacob didn''t understand why... until he felt something wet streaming down his lips and chin.


    He looked down and blinked in confusion as he discovered the napkin into which he coughed just a moment ago was now full of blood his blood!


    He was bleeding from his nose, blood falling onto his expensive trousers, dirtying them!


    He didn''t even have enough time for the realization to seep in as the paralyzing pain suddenly came, making his eyes go wide in agony as he clutched at his neck and his body refused to move ording to his will...


    Despite everything, Jacob''s brain still worked somewhat well and he instantly understood how he was poisoned. His head snapped after the waitress who poured him the wine...


    But it was toote and his head uselessly flopped onto the table mid-motion, a furious re etched into his expression as his lifeless eyes stared at the back of the brown-haired woman who was passing through the door leading to the kitchen, casually taking her bow tie off.


    Thest thing passing through Jacob''s head before he passed away were her chillingly cold emerald eyes that looked at him inplete apathy and disinterest as she poured him the wine.


    If only he didn''t disregard it...


    And then, the chaos erupted, as the cute but naive young redhead, who unknowingly escaped her cruel fate thanks to the timely intervention of an assassin, started to scream her throat out in horror and the people around noticed that someone had died.


    Hard times wereing for this particr restaurant...


    s, it was owned by the fourth Jasin brother so... all ording to the n?


    ---


    Author Note:


    The second brother not seeing through Natasha''s disguise is not a plot hole. It will be exinedter so hold your horses.

 Chapter 30: Natashas day off 2

    Chapter 30: Natasha''s day off 2


    "I already told you, I don''t know! I am not a nanny for my brothers, alright!?" Richard Jasin, the fourth and youngest son of Jason Jasin, eximed in great irritation at the police officer prick who was trying to interrogate him as if it weren''t his brothers who died!


    "Mr. Jasin." Detective Higgs sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his right hand while sliding a photo in front of Richard, "Your oldest brother was shot to the head."


    The photo was not nice and Richard grimaced when he saw his oldest brother''s brains sttered all around the backdoor of a van while a bloody mark showed exactly how his body slid down to the ground.


    Detective Higgs ignored Richard''s expression and pressed on, "Let''s omit the fact the van of your brother was full of illegal stuff for a second, okay?" He frowned in distaste, "This happened only an hour before your second oldest brother died in your restaurant of poisoning." He gave Richard a meaningfully suspicious look.


    "Look, as I already said, I know how this might seem bu-" Richard once again tried to defend himself but Detective Higgs just raised his tone and continued speaking, this time bringing up something Richard was not supposed to be aware of, trying to get a damning reaction out of him.


    "On top of that, the wife of your third oldest brother was unlucky enough to have an unfortunate meeting with a bomb that was just coincidentally nted in the car of your third oldest brother. Lucky, man, that. Apparently, he forgot something in the house so she went to start the car engine while he went to search for it." Detective Higgs tly said, expecting a surprise from Richard but...


    It wasn''t the kind of surprise he wanted.


    "Wait, Maria is dead?" Richard gaped like a fish, anger slowly filling him that someone dared to kill another member of his family. Under the table, his hands clenched into fists, and he gritted his teeth.


    Yes, Maria was an A-grade bitch and everyone in the family knew it except his third brother who still thought the two-faced slut was the most innocent woman in the world, but she was still family!


    Detective Higgs took a deep breath to calm his growing frustration. He didn''t want to be an asshole. He would love to believe the man in front of him had nothing to do with him but... "Mr. Jasin, as you can see, each of your brothers was attacked with the intention of killing them. All but you. How do you think this seems from my side of the table?"


    "I have no idea how it seems from your side of the table, but from mine, it looks like some piece of shit is killing off my family!" Richard eximed, his face reddening in anger. "And you are wasting time by interrogating me instead of trying to catch the culprit!"


    Of course, he knew his family would not depend on freaking cops to serve them their just justice. No. They will catch and torture the fucking culprit to the death themselves!


    "Ha~, this is going nowhere." Detective Higgs mumbled. "Could you at least tell me where you were when your two brothers died? Give me something, Mr. Jasin. Please." He almost pleaded but Richard just looked away, staying silent.


    The dipshit was not even trying to lie! That''s why Higgs was so frustrated.


    "Mr. Jasin," Higgs tiredly drawled, "this won''t end until you give me at least some proof that you-"


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the doors and Higgs blinked, turning his head towards them.


    "Come in." He said, expecting Richard to get awyer. It was a bit too fast but... whatever.


    Unlike his expectations, the door was opened by a twenty-something pretty petite blonde in office clothes, "Er... Detective Higgs, sir?" She unsurely asked, fidgeting a bit.


    Higgs raised his eyebrow at her, giving her a searching look because he didn''t remember seeing anyone like her in his work, "Yes, who are you?"


    "Ah, Maria Willow, I am new here, sir." The blonde awkwardly answered,pletely polite and with anxiety written on her expression.


    ''Ah, that exins why I have never seen her.'' Higgs inwardly nodded to himself. His workce was hiring and firing new people on a daily basis so he couldn''t really keep up but he at least tried.


    Honestly, he would have chuckled if he wasn''t in his stern interrogation mode right now. The woman reminded him of his daughter when she first dragged her boyfriend for a family dinner. She was also so nervous and frantic... he got the urge to pat her on the back to encourage her.


    Resisting the endearing smile that threatened to appear on his face, Higgs donned a bit more pleasant tone, not trying to scare her off with his stern persona, "Well, Maria, how can I help you?"


    "Uhm, the big boss said he wanted to speak with you, sir." Maria timidly said with a weak smile as if hoping for him to not question it. It was obvious she was ufortable.


    Higgs looked at Richard who was quietly observing the conversation with a weird look on his face, "Right now, sir." Maria pressed and looked down.


    "Alright." Higgs sighed. "Fine." He put his hands on the table and pushed his body up into a standing position, frowning a bit in annoyance.


    Frankly, if the woman didn''t remind him so much of his dear daughter, he would have a few words with her for interrupting an official interrogation... before he would have a choice of words with his boss.


    Friends or not, he should freaking know the protocols!


    But Higgs understood that as the new gal, the poor girl got the unwanted job of alerting him of these summons while the pricks in the office were probablyughing their asses off, awaiting her toe back in tears.


    Well, he might or might not have done something simr in the past so...


    Anyways...


    Higgs pointed at Richard, "You stay put."


    Richard just snorted and gave him a re, nging with the handcuffs that bound his arms behind his back and to the chair in a show that he can''t move anyway.


    Higgs then looked at Maria and aplicated expression appeared on his face, "Could you look after him for a moment, sweetheart?" He asked and instantly chuckled at the frightful face of the girl, "Don''t worry. I will send you backups in a minute. Just stay near the door and wait for someone toe and swap you out."


    Higgs grinned and patted the shoulder of the astonished uneasy girl who was speechless at being left alone in the room with a criminal on the first day of her new job and walked out of the interrogation room, causing silence to ensue as Richard and Maria awkwardly stared at each other.


    "So..." Richard eventually started, "My father had sent you to get me out of here?"


    He naturally saw through her magical disguise the second she walked into the room. It didn''t take long for him to put two and two together, and realize why she tried to get the investigator away with her meek act.


    He smartly assumed that his father must have hired this illusionist to get him out of the police station first so he stayed obediently silent to let her manipte the investigator away.


    This wasn''t anything unusual, albeit... it was usually his oldest and dumbest brother in a situation like this, and every time for a crime he indeed didmit.


    Natasha blinked for a second before an easy-going smile spread on her face, "Oh, God, yes. I am so happy we understand each other and this doesn''t have to be more awkward than necessary." Natasha visibly rxed as she walked around the table, behind Richard who leaned forward a bit to give her easier ess to his handcuffs...


    Only to feel something shing through his neck, causing him to widen his eyes in astonished surprise as Natasha grabbed him by the air and yanked his head back.


    Richard could feel his blood flowing down his neck, onto his chest, and soaking his shirt, but he also watched in terror as his blood was spraying in front of him, all over the photos of the corpses of his brothers on the table.


    Toote did he realize the second option... that she could have been the person responsible for their deaths.


    "Eww." Letting go of her victim''s hair, Natasha''s expression scrunched in disgust as she wiped her hand on her skirt. "So greasy." She cringed before helplessly smiling, "Well, at least I didn''t get any blood on me."


    Indeed, the blood was spraying in front of Richard, not behind him, so despite half of the room being messily red, Natasha waspletely clean. That was the whole point of holding him by the hair as he bled out in the first ce.


    That, and prevent him from doing some hocus-pocus bullshit.


    Fortunately, he had conveniently restrained hands so this job was easy.


    Stepping over the parts of the floor covered in blood, Natasha exited the room, back in her previous role of Maria, the new meek intern, as she timidly walked towards the elevators.

 Chapter 31: Alarm in the department

    Chapter 31: rm in the department


    Detective Higgs disgruntledly exited the elevator, arriving on the floor where the office of his boss was located.


    On the way up, he ordered one guy to go and freaking swap the quivering new officedy watching the suspect... but Higgs could only sigh because it was almost evening and half of the department had already left home, while the other half was just arriving to work or were enjoying their dinner in the cafeteria, thezy slobs.


    That''s why he asked her to watch over the guy. Higgs knew how it went at times like these. Around this hour, it was practically impossible to do things quickly in his department so unfortunately, she was his only readily avable choice.


    The guy he ordered to swap her wasn''t even in his uniform yet so the poor girl will have to endure with Richard in the room for another ten more minutes at the very least.


    When he finally reached his boss''s office, Higgs was surprised to see Officer Lara Smith sitting on the chairs near the door, waiting.


    His eyebrows furrowed as he walked towards her and sat on a nearby chair.


    "You were also called to meet Lincoln?" Higgs asked, and Lara involuntarily straightened up.


    In the entire department, only Higgs had the balls to call Department Chief Thomas by his given name. The man hated being called Lincoln almost as much as insubordination.


    Yet, Higgs had no fucks given for him.


    Maybe that''s why the two were such close friends... But Lara decided it wasn''t her business.


    "Yes, sir. I was given a notice during an interrogation." She politely answered, but her expression showed a frown.


    Higgs totally understood her feelings and gave her a sympathetic look, "Huh? You too? How unusual. It must be something important then." He tried to make her feel better. Seeing that she at least stopped being so irritable, he decided to lead the conversation a bit away from that topic. "Who were you interrogating?"


    "Mr. Brian Jasin, sir." Lara almost snarled in frustration while her foot was pping against the floor. "You know, the lucky bastard that survived car bombing but unluckily lost his wife in the process. He was bawling his eyes to me for two hours already, telling me nothing important."


    Higgs barked out augh. Frankly, he knew they should have more empathy but after dealing with things like these every day, their well ofpassion was as dry as theye.


    "His brother Richard is a tough cookie though. Refusing to cooperate even with something as simple as providing us with some alibi." Higgs tiredly sighed. "My guess is the bastard was doing something illegal, but I don''t think he killed his brothers. It appears we both drew the short end of the stick today." And shrugged. "Anyway, why are you not inside?"


    Lara chuckled at Higgs''s joke, rxing even further. Really, this man totally deserved his nickname of ''Department''s strict grandpa'' with how he acted. Always caring for his colleagues, no matter the rank, and trying to help them. They were lucky to have him.


    "The chief is apparently having a meeting." Lara helplessly borated, showing a sour look. "Mr. Jasin Senior is inside."


    While there was never any proof, the oldest Jasin brother was a regr ''customer'' in their care so the Jasins were well known around these circles. So known that Chief Thomas was on friendly terms with Jason Jasin after the many donations the man gave to the department.


    When he heard that, Higgs suddenly got a bad premonition, feeling quite ufortable as the gears in his brain started spinning.


    "..." He nced at Lara, asking her in a dubious tone, "When exactly were you called by Lincoln?"


    "Thirty minutes ago? Somewhere around that. Why?" Lara furrowed her eyebrows. The old-timer was acting weird...


    "Ah, no wonder you are irritated. It was only ten minutes for me." Higgs distractedly said and stood up, starting to walk back and forth while visibly thinking hard.


    ''Something doesn''t add up.'' He inwardly mused, ''But what?''


    Yet, he had no idea what made him feel so wrong.


    In the end, Higgs whipped out a walkie-talkie and pressed the frequency that directly called to the guy he needed.


    "Hello, Junior. You swapped our sweet intern yet?" Higgs bluntly asked.


    From the walkie-talkie, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor could be heard... "Nah, boss. I am almost there."


    ''I will kill thiszy fatass one of these days.'' Higgs idly mused, his left eye twitching enough that Lara decided to sit one more chair away from him. Just in case.


    "Then make it snappy or there will be no bonuses at the end of the year." Higgs growled out, trying to control his rising temper.


    He knew Junior''s attitude well so this was not anything unexpected but right now, there was no time for hisziness. The bad feeling in his gut was only increasing!


    "Sure, sure." Juniorzily sighed and Higgs could hear him hurrying to... somewhere.


    He really hoped it was the interrogation room and not the toilets.


    "I have a bad feeling." Higgs said as he noticed the weird look Lara was shooting him. There was nothing to do but wait now so he sat down, trying to keep himself calm but the unease in him only grew.


    It took three more minutes for his walkie-talkie to beep and Higgs instantly connected to the channel, waiting for Junior''s report, only to hear an awkward clearing of a throat.


    "Err... boss?" Junior uneasily started as if he was a kid that did something wrong, "I don''t think this suspect will tell us anything anymore." He sheepishly finished.


    Higgs frowned, "Why?"


    Junior gulped and half-asked, "Er, he kinda bled out all over our table?"


    Silence spread between Higgs and Junior, the younger police officer slowly pulling the walkie-talkie away from his ear as he expected an explosion from his superior, all the while he was looking at the mess in the interrogation room with a scrunched expression and inwardly wondered which poor schmuck was going to be cleaning all this.


    Ah, the youthful naivety...


    "Junior..." Higgs started speaking after a few seconds, his tone low... before he instantly started screaming. "FUCKING START AN ALARM, YOU NAFFIN'' IMBECILE!"


    His outburst utterly surprised Lara, enough to make her fall down from her chair. Higgs didn''t care though and burst into Lincoln''s office, uncaring about manners and whatnot.


    Jason Jasin nor Lincoln Thomas didn''t even manage to give him a reproachful look at barging in before he shouted, "Close off the department! We have an intruder inside! The youngest Jasin is dead!"


    Not bothering to get a reply from the dumbstruck duo, Higgs left the room, running towards the elevators as the rm started ring through the entire department.


    s, Natasha was already long gone.

 Chapter 32: Back on SHIELDs radar?

    Chapter 32: Back on SHIELD''s radar?


    Fury started staring gravely at Agent Barton the second he walked inside of his office, already giving the poor man a bad premonition from the get-go. His sole eye keenly observed his agent, as if trying to determine his worth and see through his existence... making Clint feel supremely ufortable.


    It was an internal joke among the SHIELD agents that Fury was the reincarnation of Odin, only in ck and more scowly.


    His eye could seemingly see through anything and his perception could be scarily on point. Fury''s office was his throne room and SHIELD his Asgard. Many believed nothing could ever escape his notice inside of SHIELD and that made the man that much scarier in the eyes of ordinary agents.


    Barton knew differently but he still found Fury''s half-stare half-re creepy as heck.


    "Do I have a new mission, Director?" Clint asked, not liking the look in Fury''s eye one bit. It told him his uing task will be either extremely important, annoying, or hard. Or if he was unlucky enough, abination of these.


    Thest few weeks of his life were quite hectic and Clint wanted nothing more than his well-deserved vacation without any worries about Natasha, SHIELD, or missions. Unfortunately, that dream seemed to be far off in the distance for him.


    ''Why did I have to get so good at what I do? I envy the guys on the security detail who canze their days away.'' Clint inwardlymented, also wanting to stand or sit in one spot the whole day, doing nothing and be paid for it.


    "ck Widow decided to pick up her old profession again. Four more bodies are added to her old count." Fury said, his expression nonplussed, his words instantly freezing Clint''sckadaisical attitude.


    ''Ah...'' Clint inwardly groaned, now understanding why his vacation was once again so abruptly canceled. ''There goes my weekend. Dammit, Natasha. Can''t you be at least somewhat considerate of your old pal?'' He grumbled in his mind.


    Clint didn''t need three guesses to know why he had been summoned. SHIELD did not tolerate deserters and sigh. This wasn''t how he expected his and her life to go when he first pleaded with Director Fury to let her join SHIELD rather than kill her.


    ''What were you thinking, girl? Why couldn''t you stay hidden and have a quiet life?'' He wryly thought, not liking the difficult spot Natasha''s actions put him in. He quite liked her and didn''t want to kill her. Unfortunately, most of the time, his job could care less about his desires.


    "She is still in Ennd." Fury tly spoke, breaking Clint out of his thoughts and making him groan out loud at the admission.


    ''I had just returned from there!'' He inwardly whined.


    But outwardly he helplessly said, "I really couldn''t find her, boss."


    ''Even if I haven''t tried all that much, to be honest.'' He added in his mind... and winced at the fact it backfired.


    "I don''t doubt you." Fury rolled his eye. He was aware that Clint cked on that particr mission, but he had bigger problems than his best agent being emotionallypromised. "In fact, when I went to check her records in our database after this suspicion of her new activity arose, I only found this."


    A screen appeared on the wall and showed a simple message saying, ''F.U.C.K. Y.O.U.!''


    "That was all the digital records we had on her." Fury nonchntly spoke but Clint could almost feel the man''s anger in his narrowed single-eyed re. "Since her prowess in hacking was average at best, we think she possibly joined a new secret organization."


    Clint fought the urge to snort as he outwardly winced. If there was anything worse than desertion it was desertion to apetition. Any chance at forgiveness for Natasha was null and void in that case.


    Of course, nothing was confirmed yet and all of these were just unproven assumptions at best, but the picture did not look good. Not in the least.


    "Why are you showing me this?" Clint furrowed his eyebrows at Fury.


    Sure, he already knew he would be assigned to hunt her down but this was not like Fury''s normal modus operandi. Usually, Clint would just get the bare minimum of information he needed before they sent him on a mission. Everything else that could possibly be relevant would be in the briefing file for the mission.


    Things like the fact Natasha managed to hack SHIELD databases? Yeah, nope. Clint would normally never have gotten this kind of information. In fact, no agent would have been told this. At all.


    That''s why he didn''t react much. He had no idea how to react to this level of truthfulness and what the hell was going on with his boss. Fury was awfully showy and chatty with this case. Clint didn''t understand what he wanted to aplish here. Maybe this was Fury throwing it into his face as some proverbial ''I told you so''?


    After all, the man was against sparing Natasha at first so that might be it.


    Fury looked Clint in the eyes with a serious expression, "I just want to show you the consequences of your actions. The consequences of mercy to your enemies. Four more people are dead at her hands, and who knows how many more to go until she is satisfied or killed. Their blood is also on your hands, agent Barton." His voice was calm and steady but the dull usation in it was unmistakable.


    Clint grimaced, unable to hold it in, and fortunately for him, his reaction satisfied Fury enough to stop trying to make him spontaneouslybust with his stare. The man then changed the view on the screen, showing photos of four men.


    "The victims are all four sons of Jason Jasin, the up and rising entrepreneur in Britain." Fury started, switching the picture on the screen to show Jason Jasin''s picture.


    "In other words, a mobster." Clint nodded with an eye roll, understanding what Fury meant.


    "Nothing was ever proved." Fury snorted, "Heck, no documents even exist of any formal usation. I have no idea how he managed to do that but fortunately, it is hard to destroy all traces of bribes so we have at least a small insight into his character."


    Clint nodded, slightly impressed. So this was a smart mobster. A rare kind.


    Not that it changed much. SHIELD wasn''t here to deal with thugs that seldom reached past their own neighborhood. The police and several agencies were for that. SHIELD had its own hands full with bigger threats.


    Like a certain superspy who was trained to topple down governments from the inside.


    Alone, Natasha didn''t seem to pose much threat but when one realized how much damage she could do with her experience and expertise...


    Assassination here, coercion there, ckmail popping out of nowhere, and suddenly, funds can go missing, aw that has no right to be passed is passed anyway, and a government would slowly crumble on itself due to internal conflict, rebellion, corruption, or a multitude of other reasons.


    Natasha was an expert in this on top of being one of the most dangerous assassins. She had to be caught before she made irreversible damage. Clint agreed at least with that much even though he didn''t like being the one having to deal with this.


    The picture on the screen once again switched, showing the crime scene with Mark Jasin''s body.


    "Mark Jasin. Typical mafia-style execution with one bullet to the forehead. The bullet was never found. No cameras were in the vicinity during the murder. I''d even go as far as say it was a picture-perfect execution considering what came next." Fury''s words seemed jovial but his tone was anything but.


    The picture switched, revealing a lifeless man leaning on the table in a puddle of his own blood.


    "Jacob Jasin, poisoned in the restaurant of his own brother, Richard. The poison was nothing special, just a few chemicals mixed together to form a tasteless powder that had bad chemistry with the human body when ingested. All we know is that it was in the ss rather than in the wine."


    Fury then started a camera feed from the restaurant, showing a brown-haired waitress pouring Jacob his wine.


    "The police had no lead to the identity of the waitress." Fury gestured at the woman, "So they did the next best thing and arrested Richard Jasin, the owner. It''s a fitting and logical course of action, considering there were four brothers, only one would inherit the family business, and two of them died in quick session, one of which was in Richard''s restaurant."


    Clint nodded. That would have been just a standard procedure. Richard was the biggest suspect in that situation so bringing him in for interrogation was normal.


    "This suspicion," Fury once again switched a picture on the screen, now showing the remains of an exploded car, "only strengthened when Brian Jasin''s wife died in a car explosion meant for him just two hours after Richard was arrested. Brian was supposed to be in that car on his way to the police station in order to give his statement."


    Fury then threw a look at Clint that clearly demanded his opinion and assessment of the situation so Clint could only sigh as he started talking.


    "Logically speaking, Richard is the most suspicious person in this scenario but Brian could also be the culprit. Avoiding a bomb in your own car if you nted it is quite easy. Yes, his wife died but he wouldn''t be the first smart person to think sacrificing a close person would instantly put any suspicion away from him. Especially if there is a good scapegoat prepared." He helplessly shrugged, "But we both know that was not the case."


    "But it is important. The police detained both of them because of that same reasoning. And then," Fury switched the contents of the screen once again, showing two pictures. On both of them was a man with a slit throat in an interrogation room. One was bound to a chair with handcuffs, while the other had his hands free.


    "Brian and Richard Jasin. Killed in a police station with a quick sh over their neck from behind and neither of them had any signs of resisting." Fury methodically exined before giving Clint a t look, "There are only so many assassins capable of doing this in the world."


    That was true. The feat was not killing four guys in one day. Even though four assassinations in one day were still an impressive ''achievement'', the real cause of worry here was the execution of these assassinations.


    Dispatching two brothers in a way that would make the other two suspects and bring them both to one ce where she could finish them off, and then pulling the wool over the eyes of a police department, killing her targets and disappearing before anyone realized something was wrong? Not making even one mistake during the operation at all? And wlessly improvising when a bombing attempt on the third brother didn''t yield the desired result?


    That wasn''t an easy task.


    Fury then opened another short camera feed, showing a meek-looking petite blonde woman walking away from Brian''s interrogation room, heading towards Richard''s interrogation room.


    "Maria Willow... or so the officers interrogating the suspects identified her as." Fury scrunched his nose, "But in fact, Maria Willow''s records, the same records that gave her the fake identity of a new intern, ceased to exist just five minutes after Richard Jasin died. She left no trace. No fingerprints, no hair, no nothing."


    And Clint suddenly realized... "The SHIELD database. That''s why you think it was Natasha. Or the organization she is working for."


    "Except the fact this assassination was as clean as a motherfucker, yes, Agent Barton. Ourputer analysts already confirmed the hacking method could possibly have been the same as the one used to erase our databases." Fury scowled.


    "Could have been?" Clint amusedly raised an eyebrow, pitying the poor sods in his mind. He could imagine how exining to Fury that they had only assumptions instead of results went.


    "Yes. We have nothing concrete." Fury gruffly remarked, ring at the image of Maria Willow on the stopped video. "You are going to Britain, Barton, and either drag her back here kicking and screaming, best with all her limbs broken or severed, so we can interrogate her without a risk of her fleeing, or make sure to bury her deep enough that nobody will be able to get her body out of the ground even with heavy machinery." Fury''s re redirected toward Clint, "Coulson is going with you. Dismissed."


    With another heavy sigh, Clint nodded.


    Frankly, death would be preferable for Natasha if he got his hands on her. The SHIELD''s interrogation method for someone who wasn''t required to survive the process was... gruesome.


    But Natasha would know all about that so Clint doubted he would get her back kicking and screaming. He doubted he could get her to willinglye back in any other state than in a body bag.


    "Understood." Clint saluted and left the office, not looking forward to the uing days. Ennd was definitely not his favorite country. He had enough rainy days for a lifetime.


    As he closed the door, he jerked as he heard a loud and angry, "MOTHERFUCKER!" from Fury''s office before a loud crash reached his ears.


    The boss was certainly not in a good mood nowadays either...

 Chapter 33: Problems at the doorsteps

    Chapter 33: Problems at the doorsteps


    Natasha was sitting in the kitchen, reading a ''fashion'' magazine... or maybe saying that she was looking through the pages with sexy undergarments would have been more precise... while she waited for Tom to return.


    Today was one of the very rare days when he actually left the house because he had to do something.


    Natasha had no idea what was on his agenda but she didn''t worry. With the creepy Jasin thug-wannabes dealt with, there was not much that could happen to Tom.


    Tom wasn''t weak and now that the Jasin family couldn''t outnumber him five to one in an ambush anymore, Natasha''s mind was fully at ease. Life was once again peaceful.


    Suddenly, she heard a noise from the hall and raised her head towards the door, only to see Tom numbly walk inside, his expression nk, yet, she could tell he was nonplussed as he sat down and looked her in the eyes.


    "Did you kill the heirs to the Jasin Family?" Tom tly asked, his body rxed yet, his eyes were full of tension.


    Natasha didn''t like where this was going and her good mood suddenly plummeted... but she wouldn''t allow herself to lie. Not to him.


    "Did I do something wrong?" She uneasily asked, her voice a bit nervous.


    That was all the confirmation Tom needed and his shoulders sagged as he dropped his head on the table, his forehead hitting its surface while he let out a deep groan.


    "Wrong?" Tom raised his eyes toward her and asked in an aggravated and exasperated tone, "It was a freaking bait. The masterminds in the shadows might not have expected them to drop dead but they wanted us to retaliate against their pathetic attempts to get through our wards."


    He didn''t raise his tone and kept it t and emotionless but frankly, right now, Natasha would have liked it more if he screamed at her. It was obvious he was angry and she realized she might have made an unrepairable mistake.


    Natasha felt as if cold water was poured on her. She thought getting rid of these four would help! They were literally trying to find a way to breach their wards. That seemed pretty hostile to Natasha so she took care of the problem. Nobody ever had to know it was her handiwork either!


    But apparently, she didn''t have the entire picture when she acted.


    "I..." Natasha clutched her hands under the table, her expression stricken with utter disbelief. As her thoughts whirled through her mind, understanding the situation more and more, her disbelief slowly changed to determination. She gulped and opened her mouth, hesitating only briefly before she anxiously asked, "Is there any way I can make this right?"


    Her feelings came as a shock even to her. Because... Even if Tom wanted to turn her in for the murders, she didn''t think... no, she knew she wouldn''t have resisted.


    She... loved him.


    Her eyes slightly widened as she came to that realization and anguish filled her at the thought that it was under these circumstances that...


    Tom looked at her weirdly. It took him a second to understand what she was suggesting and it really made him snort in amusement.


    "Don''t bother. You are more precious to me than the entire magicianmunity." He dryly stated before he rolled his eyes and leaned back, his mood much lighter than previously. He had to admit he was a bit touched at her proposing... that. But that was not an option either way. "The fault is also partially on me for not telling you about the situation enough." He wryly sighed with a sour look. "Still, the situation is pretty bleak right now. I have to n how to deal with the consequences."


    And that meant less research time for him. Oh, joy.


    No wonder the normal magician who ''had a life'' could never make any proper breakthrough. Constantly dealing with problems and responsibilities can not be healthy.


    Tom was on a time limit here. And unlike other mages of the past who had a time limit of a few decades before their lifespan ran out, Tom had at best ten to fifteen years before shit hit the fan and only a very vague idea on how to get strong enough in time. He could not afford setbacks like this.


    When Natasha''s brain finally fully registered what Tom said, she blushed at hearing how important she was to him. Her heart skipped a beat in tion... before her mood was soured into bitterness when a momentter the realization that she made trouble for him hit her like a proverbial truck.


    "What... is exactly our situation?" She sourly asked, deciding to at the very least rectify herck of knowledge.


    As happy as the past weeks were for Natasha, she started to wonder if she didn''t drop her guard down too much. This kind of rookie mistake should not have happened to her. She should have always considered the effort-to-reward ratio of her actions. That''s how she was taught in the Red Room.


    But in her rush to please and protect Tom, shepletely ignored the possibility that there was more at stake than what she could see at the first nce.


    Tom sighed once again and rummaged through the pocket of his pants for a second before pulling out a letter and throwing it in front of Natasha.


    Taking the letter into her hands, Natasha looked at Tom, getting a ''go ahead'' gesture, and then she unfolded it and started silently reading, her jaw almost hitting the floor as she understood what was written inside.


    "They... what? Just because of... Huh?" She was half-speechless at the utter nonsense in the letter but...


    "Let me exin." Tom''s lips twitched downward, "I already told you that since I outsourced the alchemy fruit business to Sarael, the other Magician Families decided to take offense at that. For them, I had betrayed ourmunity because in their minds only they had the right for the profits from my fruits." Tom paused for a second before chuckling and shaking his head. "In hindsight, it should have been obvious they would use that angle but... haah~."


    Natasha was listening intently to what he was saying and when she heard that, her face scrunched, "They are just trying to find a way to screw you over, aren''t they?"


    Betrayed themunity? That was bullshit and Tom clearly knew it. But this was not about the truth or what was right. This was the reality of politics.


    Natasha had seen it a few times already in her life. People get screwed sideways for this or that detail... but it never was because of the stated reason. There was always something in the background. Some reason, some profit the others would gain by doing this.


    Tom ndly nodded. "Yes. Me making deals with the overwhelming majority of the influential magician families made some other families quite antsy. Especially the middle-ranked ones. On top of that, even the families I have these deals with didn''t like that I also did the same business with their social peers."


    The most influential magician families in Ennd were not all buddy-buddy. Each of them had its allies, enemies, and neutrals among each other. It was a mess and Tom had never any intention of joining the politics between these families. s, nobody cared what he wanted and he was dragged into it anyway.


    "When they heard I did business with the Sitri House, a party they would be in no way capable of countering or manipting, they got grumpy. For them, it was a power move... which it really was. I just wanted to make them realize they can''t screw me over." Tom wryly smiled, "But at the time, I hadn''t thought their pride won''t let them leave this unanswered. In retaliation, the rtionship between me and them went from positive to neutral, drastically lowering my influence in the magicianmunity and letting the more courageous vultures start eye-ing us."


    Natasha slowly nodded, "But what does that have to do with this?" She gestured at the letter between them.


    "The Jasin Family was just a bait nted by the people wanting to get me into trouble in order to lower my influence in the magicianmunity even more." Tom dryly chuckled. Some people were just that bored. "The thing is, in the deal with the high-ranked families, the stiption safeguarding mees into y only when my Family or I personally are attacked first. Technically, they don''t have to do a squat if the aggressor is me." He wryly frowned.


    To be honest, even Tom didn''t see thising. He expected a lot of angles from which he could be attacked, most of which were social, but to think it would have been a small mistake made by him like this that brought him so many problems


    He never intended to start hostilities with anybody anyway so at the time, this didn''t seem like such a big deal. Yet, it came to bite him in the ass.


    "The Jasin Family..." Natasha understood. Biting her lower lip, she bowed her head a bit as aplicated expression appeared on her face.


    What the heck was thisplicated political bullshit?


    The mundane world was full ofplicated rtionships between people, countries, and business partners, and in her job, she sometimes had to take that into ount, but this was another level ofplexity.


    "Yes. Our only blessing is that nobody has any proof it was you who killed them." Tom sighed. "Your decision to wear a wig to fool Jacob instead of using the ring was what stumped most of those trying to use you of the crime. They can''t exin how he didn''t notice you using the ring since it is pretty obvious to any adult magician and it would definitely set him on edge if somebody was trying to conceal their identity next to him."


    Such a small thing and it saved their hides from a more vicious approach from the hostile families. Tom couldn''t help but inwardly chuckle at the irony.


    Hearing him, Natasha''s eyebrows furrowed in surprise, "But if they don''t know then..."


    Tom understood what she meant but he only helplessly shook his head, "In my current political state, even a suspicion is enough to give a leeway for some annoying people to do... that." He nodded at the letter which was practically a challenge to a duel by a mid-ranked family.


    "It''s unreasonable and retarded but the high-ranking families won''t step in. As long as the duel is not to the death, they won''t be contractually obliged to help me and the opposition clearly knows that." Tom exined. This was some kind of stupid punishment to him for ''dealing'' with the devils beyond some imagined limit or whatever.


    This was exactly what having the families as his proverbial social shield was supposed to prevent. That''s why Tom was so put out. He could care less about money. His time was wasted here.


    "What are we going to do?" Natasha took his hands into hers and asked in worry.


    Tom took a deep breath, "I am going to ept the challenge to duel." He helplessly shrugged, already predicting what the ensuing events will lead to.


    Even if he declined, it would inevitably worsen his standing in the magicianmunity... which wasn''t important to Tom. The problem was that this would open him to more challenges and underhanded ys.


    What he needed right now was the time epting the challenge would provide.


    Nevertheless, his future rtionship with the magicianmunity didn''t seem to have a nice future, all things considered.

 Chapter 34: Faltering support

    Chapter 34: Faltering support


    A month passed in the blink of an eye.


    Tom spent his time training, making some offensive spells since his family did not have many of those, all the while he finally got an idea of how to ''trick'' the devils.


    It wasn''t foolproof and could target only a certain group of devils, but the chances his plot would be discovered were very low if he did it in just the right way.


    Who would have known that stopping his constant research and unwinding a bit from it via devising offensive spells would bring him so much inspiration? Destruction was indeed a great source of creativity.


    Unfortunately, Tom didn''t have the time to test his ideas yet.


    He stalled the duel for as long as possible but he only managed to get a month-long preparatory time period. Even getting this much was already a miracle. But now, it was already time to stand up for himself.


    Tom and Natasha were led to the room where Tom''s duel with Nichs Stern, heir of the Stern Family, was supposed to happen.


    They were currently in the Belgrade Mansion because as the one who received a duel challenge, Tom had several ''rights''. He could get a preparatory time period, which he milked to its limits, and he could ask another family to facilitate the duel if his family could not do so.


    Usually, a high-ranking family would refuse this kind of request but Tom''s rtionship with the Belgrade family was not yet all that horrible so here he was. This way it was much safer for him as no mid-rank family would be daring enough to cause him an ''ident'' in the duel if it would have inevitably sullied the reputation of the Belgrade family since that was a one-way ticket to be their enemy.


    Entering the basement of the Belgrade Mansion, a wide area, no doubt increased in size by spatial maniption, appeared in front of them. The room was all white and massive, big enough to facilitate a duel between even high-rank magicians that could destroy houses in one go with their spells.


    Since magicians usually made dealings with the devils from the very start of the conception of their magical system, the Magician Community adopted the Devils'' way of ranking strength and the ranks were Low-rank, Mid-rank, High-rank, Ultimate-rank, Satan-rank, and the newest was Super-Devil-rank, but thest one waspletely irrelevant even to the best of magicians because they would be thrilled to reach at best Ultimate-rank after a lifetime of effort.


    There was no magician that ever reached Satan-rank prowess and for a good reason too. After all, their system was made by Merlin and it was practically just a knock-off from the Devils'' magical system.


    That was another reason why human magicians adopted the devils'' power ranking system. It just fits. It had established clear borders for each rank based on the amount of energy one had at his disposal, and while it wasn''t absolute, in fact, it was pretty scuffed in most scenarios, it more or less worked due to the high differences between the ranks.


    The higher one went, the more energy he had to have at his disposal, and that by default meant the more potent, dense, and stronger his energy had to be. That created a clear distinction between that kind of individual and those under him in rank.


    Funnily enough, due to this, the power ranking was quite urate.


    Fortunately, unlike Devils, there was no confusing mumbo jumbo between ss and rank when it came to magicians. An example would be that every newborn of devil nobility was instantly High-ss, which was just a designation of their rank in their society. It didn''t mean a baby had high-rank prowess right off the bat.


    That system worked for them only because every pure-blood noble devil had the potential to reach high-rank prowess just thanks to his genes and parentage, and usually will achieve it before he reaches adulthood if he puts in a bit of effort, which was why their society was so easily divided into its social sses with the nobility on the undeniable top.


    Humans, however, didn''t have an inborn advantage like that. They all more or less started on the same starting line. Weak.


    Then again, that might or might not be a blessing in disguise. Many young devils werezy since they would eventually grow into their power by just breathing andzing around and they already belonged to a high social ss too so why bother training and improving themselves, right?


    And yet, despite the effort of human magicians, they could never match monsters like the current Satans who were already born with an unrivaled potential for strength and assurance that they will eventually grow into said potential, and who also trained themselves to the ground, increasing their natural prowess to incredible heights at a very quick pace in their youth.


    With theck of innate potential and lesser lifespan, human magicians simply could notpete. Not with their current methods. It was a waste of effort for those who wanted to reach the top and Tom recognized that. Which is why he didn''t follow in these footsteps and instead was trying to devise his own way of getting strong.


    When Tom and Natasha entered the preparation room, the first person that approached them was unsurprisingly Lord Belgrade who amiably smiled as Tom slightly bowed in a show of respect and gratitude.


    "You are in a quite precarious situation, brat." The man said with amusement. "Your opponent, Nichs Stern, is Mid-rank like you but he is on the verge of advancing to High-rank."


    Now that was information that made Tom falter a bit. The energy level differences between ranks were no joke!


    Considering that the only way to avoid a shitton of future problems was to win the duel and the fact Tom was not even average Mid-rank as far as mana amounts went...


    Tom could only wryly smile, "Then I guess I am lucky that high mana levels don''t mean instant victory."


    Of course, he was aware that as an heir to a middle-ss family, Nichs will definitely have at his disposal some powerful spells, unlike Tom who came from an upstart family.


    That''s why his statement rang hollow to Lord Belgrade who reassuringly smiled at Tom''s ''confidence'', but his eyes held a bit of pity. It showed what he thought the oue would be like and Tom couldn''t really rebuke him. Not when he didn''t feel as confident as he was portraying.


    "All you can do is try your best. At least you both wille out of it alive." He came closer to Tom and patted his shoulder, "Something Lord Jasin was definitely not happy about."


    Lord Belgrade then subtly motioned with his head towards the right and when Tom''s eyes briefly wandered there, he came eye to eye with the furious Jason Jasin, murderously ring at him from the side of the preparation room belonging to the Stern Family.


    Tom raised his eyebrow at the man and asked, "Does he know I didn''t kill his sons? For all I know, it could be the pricks trying to bring me down, just so they would get a reason to challenge me."


    Of course, Jason could read Tom''s lips and Tom was aware of that... which not only stumped Jason but also made him angrier. But more importantly, his eyes showed that Tom''s attempt nted a seed of doubt in his allies in the man.


    Lord Belgrade shook his head at Tom''s antics, "You can always join my family, you know? It will help you out of this conflict."


    As much as Lord Belgrade wanted to believe Tom could weather the uing storm, he had to be realistic. Even some high-ss magician families will try to take their pound of flesh from the young magician if he loses the duel.


    "I... will respectfully decline." Tom politely refused, showing his stubbornness.


    Releasing a deep resigned breath, Lord Belgrade just shrugged, "In that case, I am sorry but as much as I like your guts, if you don''t win this duel, I can''t use my Family name to help you any further."


    Throwing his lots with someone whose prestige was about to get critically hit was not good for his family name. Personal likes and dislikes had to go aside when it came to the family benefits. In fact, if Tom loses here, Lord Belgrade would also most likely be among the people trying to further challenge Tom to gain benefits.


    Putting the business contract between them as stakes in a challenge would definitely boost the Belgrade Family''s ie when they won.


    "I understand." Tom wryly said.


    At least the man was straightforward with him. Not that Tom intended to let others walk all over him even if he indeed lost. But they didn''t need to know that just yet.

 Chapter 35: Toms first duel

    Chapter 35: Tom''s first duel


    Tom stood opposite a muscr mountain of a thirty-year-old man who was a head taller than him and if you asked a normally knowledgeable otaku, he would instantly say the man had to be a warrior instead of a magician.


    s, the truth was often deceiving and in this case, disappointing for Tom.


    The man was Nichs Stern, and when Tom felt the amount of mana radiating from him, he couldn''t help but inwardly sigh.


    Tom couldn''t precisely feel how much stronger than him Nichs was supposed to be, but his educated guess would be that he possessed at least two times Tom''s reserves. Realistically speaking, it was most likely more. A lot more.


    This reminded Tom of a Biblical story, making him chuckle and causing the indifferent Nichs to frown.


    "What is so funny?" Nichs furrowed his eyebrows and asked in confusion.


    Honestly, the man wasn''t as Tom imagined his opponent to be. No pre-fight long-winded speech on how he would crush him. In fact, Nichs seemed to be a reasonable and well-mannered person which surprised Tom.


    "Nothing. This just reminds me of David and Goliath." Tom exined in a jovial tone, which made Nichs crack a grin.


    "Heh. You fancy yourself a David, then?" The muscled man asked with a slight provocative mockery. It was obvious he found the idea hrious.


    "That depends. Do you fancy yourself a Goliath?" Tom quipped and leaned back.


    Nichs just rolled his eyes at that and snorted, "Sure. Why not? But enough chit-chat. Let''s get this over with. I have more important things to do."


    Of course, well-mannered or not, that didn''t mean he had much regard or respect for Tom. He wouldn''t humor his antics.


    The match started almost anticlimactically. When bothbatants signaled they are ready, Lord Belgrade used a sound-amplifying spell to shout, "Start!" and that was basically it.


    Tom expected something grander and that''s why he was caught by surprise when Nichs instantly sprang forth, appearing in front of Tom in a burst of speed, trying to punch him in the face.


    Only the instincts beaten to him in the sparring sessions with Natasha saved Tom from humiliation as his body reacted sooner than his mind, throwing itself to the side and evading Nichs''s punch.


    As Tom rolled on the ground, from the corner of his eyes he noticed that Nichs''s punch left a small quiver in the air. It wasn''t an ordinary punch. Inwardly cursing, Tom pushed himself back onto his feet, getting vignt.


    His opponent was using magic to support a melee hand-to-hand fighting style. In short, it was the worst kind of opponent for a mage on the same level.


    ''Of course, it is.'' Tom snarkily thought. ''Plus, from the quivering of the air, I can deduce he is using something to spread the damage of his punch further. I probably shouldn''t tank a punch or I could end up with internal injuries.'' He grimaced.


    Nichs looked at Tom with slightly wide eyes, "You dodged. How surprising."


    His face betrayed a trace of excitement, making Tom even more unamused than before. The prick was totally underestimating him!


    Well, considering most magicians don''t train in hand-to-handbat, and Tomined every second of the sparring sessions Natasha forced upon him, he could see where Nichs''s surprise came from.


    Most low-level magicians needed time to focus on their spells and because of that, someone like Nichs was their bane. Tom had understood why he was pitted against this man in the first ce. The lengths to which the schemers would go to ensure he lost astounded him.


    Nichs bumped his fists together and small magical circles appeared on the upper sides of his hands as he slouched into a fighting stance and eximed with a grin on his face, "Let''s see how you can deal with this, then!"


    Nichs once again disappeared from his spot in a burst of speed, this time Tom noticing a small flicker of magic from under the man''s soles before he was forced to lean back to evade a swipe from Nichs who appeared in front of him.


    Of course, it was just a feint and Nichs''s other fist was already barrelling through the air, aiming at Tom''s chin...


    Suddenly, a magic circle appeared between Tom and Nichs, blocking Nichs''s fist and shocking him alongside the audience because his fistpletely lost its momentum on the contact.


    Nichs''s brain barely managed to realize what happened and Tom was already putting his hands in front of him, knowing what was going to follow since the not-so-magical but rather-an-alchemical circle was his.


    The alchemical circle pulsed once... and then it released all the absorbed momentum and force of Nichs''s punch straight back at him, pushing him back with enough force to make him fly for a few meters before his feetnded on the ground and the next five meters he slid back, bending his knees as he tried to slow down his momentum and stop.


    Unfortunately for Tom, Nichs had barely a bruise to show for this attack because of how strong his trained body was.


    The alchemical circle was unable to reflect all of the force and momentum, however. What it did, was basically just absorb force and invert its vector, its direction, via the use of magical energy. It was simple and a very good concept but because of how hastily Tom had to create it, he didn''t have the time to feed it much mana.


    Hence, the circle directed as much force back to Nichs as it could before it released the remains that were above its limits in their original direction, straight at Tom.


    Tom anticipated that and that''s why he guarded himself with his arms. At the same time that Nichs wasunched back, Tom was also sent sliding back for three meters as the pushing force mmed into him.


    Unlike Nichs, the force that impacted Tom was minimal, not because the limit of his hastily created alchemical circle was big, but because Tom''s design always spread out the remaining force into a bigger surface before it let it continue. Because of how stretched out the force was, it had a lesser overall impact and was way easier to shrug off for Tom.


    Tom rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve thest smidge of difort he felt from the ''magic shove'' of his own making, and looked at Nichs, only to sigh when he noticed the hulking man not being injured in the least.


    ''Well, figures. This is mostly a defensive spell.'' Tom mentallymented. Frankly, he was far too weak and had far too little preparation time to give it any offensive potential and it irked him to no end but there was no worth in dwelling on it right now.


    Nichs looked at Tom with aplicated expression for a moment... only for his face to twist into a picture of tion.


    "I see! Great! You blocked it! Can you block my full power, though? Show me that you can hold on! Hahahaha!" Nichs shouted and startedughing as the battle junkie he was while his body shed with magical energy, coating itself in it and Tom''s body sagged in tiredness at having to deal with a person like this.


    His enemies wanted to kill him through embarrassment. He was nowpletely sure of it.


    Moving on Tom had no idea what the spell Nichs had just used was but he wasn''t dumb enough to not realize it strengthened his body. Whatever kind of body reinforcement spell it was, he knew the fight would now get that much harder for him.


    ''It''s official.'' Tom distastefully thought as he leaned back while secretly preparing his next attack, ''I hate fighting muscle-brained idiots.''

 Chapter 36: The prowess of battle alchemy 1

    Chapter 36: The prowess of battle alchemy 1


    Tom instantly started all of the mental enhancement spells he had at his disposal, realizing he could no longer take this fight leisurely.


    Especially since he could not use the mana gems he created that would give him the edge in the avable amount of magical energy. The entire arena was full of wards and on the sidelines were experienced magicians observing the fight to make sure neither participant would die.


    They would not stop Tom from getting crippled but they would not let him die. His death would stop the alchemical circles supposed to enhance the taste of the fruits and food products they were selling so they would at the very least safeguard his life.


    But their presence was also a massive hindrance because Tom didn''t want... no, he couldn''t let them witness the mana gems he created. Just the prospect of having a device working like a secondary mana source a magician could use whenever he wanted would start a lot of excitement and madness in themunity.


    Tom saw the reactions to his taste-enhancing alchemical circles. He didn''t want to see how the magicians would react to something that would actually help their ability to cast magic and indirectly increase their power. Tom was not stupid enough to think he would like the oue.


    Hence, he had to fully rely on his own meager mana reserves for this fight which was bothersome as hell.


    Tom''s perception slowed down now that the mind-enhancing magic was in full throttle. He noticed Nichs was once again gathering mana under the soles of his feet and realized he was basically using it to quickly elerate in a straight line.


    Tom knew he only had less than a second but before Nichs was finished, an alchemical circle appeared on the ground between them courtesy of Tom, and with a few sparks of electricity, the ground transmuted, rising and creating a wall between the two.


    When he noticed, Nichs could no longer stop himself and his body mmed straight into the wall. That didn''t stop him, though.


    In fact, it barely proved an obstacle as Nichs''s enhanced body barreled through the wall, ferociously wanting to get Tom into his grasp. The wall, however, interrupted his eleration magic and as he momentarily stopped due to that, he raised his head with the intention to once again use the eleration to quickly get to Tom...


    Only toe face to face with another, bigger alchemical circle just as his eyes met Tom''s.


    It was vertically positioned in front of Tom who had an outstretched hand almost touching the circle with it. Tom snapped his fingers and Nichs recognized it even before the spell was fully formed. It was the basic fire-spark spell that every kid learns, and Nichs had no idea what...


    The small spark from Tom''s fingers flew forward, straight into the alchemical circle. The very same circle whose only function was to generate pressurized oxygen flowing in one direction the second ites in contact with some sort of fire.


    Nichs''s eyes barely widened and he instinctually raised his arms in front of his face as he was engulfed in a stream of searing hot fire.


    Tom watched as the figure of his opponent caught on fire, the mes he created desperately holding onto his clothes even after the stream of fire dissipated.


    He didn''t dilly-dally, though. Tom was walking around, circling the burning Nichs... and cing more unactivated alchemical circles around.


    The fight was far from over and Tom knew it. This was barely a distraction for his opponent.


    Nichs was ring murder at Tom, unbothered by the mes licking his form. A spell to protect oneself against mes was a very basic thing. Especially after the ''witch-trials'' done by the Church. They rarely caught a magician but those stories of witches escaping while being burned alive? Those rare few were mostly magicians. Every kid knew a variant of that spell.


    What maddened Nichs was the fact he almost burned alive! Tom''s magic was so fast that he almost didn''t get time to cast even a basic protection spell!


    Fortunately, Tom''s mes were not very intense. Theycked mana since they were made by a chemical reaction rather than magic. But the speed...


    Nichs shuddered in rage as he felt the sting on his skin from the heat that hit him before the stream of mes engulfed him.


    ''That was close. Too close.'' He gravely thought as he extinguished the mes on his body and clothes with yet another basic spell even kindergarteners knew in ranked magical families.


    His shirt was destroyed by the mes and instantly fell apart, revealing his toned and bulging body with a bit redder skin than normal. Fortunately, his pants were of higher quality, and Tom was saved from emotional damage.


    Battle junkie or not, Nichs was almost cooked alive and that made him very angry but also wary of Tom. This weak whelp had a lot of dangerous tricks, it seemed.


    Knowing that being overly cautious would be to his detriment as it would only give Tom time to prepare more of his circles and traps, Nichs leaped forward, straight at Tom, no longer utilizing his eleration since he was afraid of Tom using the fact he could not change the direction of his leap once he elerated.


    Nichs was still faster than Tom by a lot and he caught up to him quite quickly, going for a right hook, only for a small alchemical circle, barely covering his fist, once again to block his blow andpletely negate the force behind it.


    Unlike previously, Nichs now knew what to expect and he furiously pulsed his magic into his arm as he pushed his muscles and pressed even more force onto the circle, directly shattering it.


    The bacsh sent a very small shockwave around but Nichs didn''t care and tanked it with his body...


    While Tom used it to get pushed back and get away from Nichs''s melee range as his feet slid on the ground, making him stop only five meters away from Nichs.


    Nichs registered what happened and scowled...


    Much toote he realized that Tom left a gift under him. An alchemical circle formed under Nichs''s feet, transmuting the ground into a blunt spike and quickly pushing it up.


    Nichs''s eyes widened and he tried to jump back, but he noticed the circle toote and the spike still nced his... groin.


    His eyes widened and then narrowed as the pain jolted through him as hended a few feet back from the spot where he was standing, his body instantly slouching a bit due to it and his hands involuntarily going to rub his member to soothe it.


    As someone who was trained in hand-to-handbat, Nichs had his fair share of low blows but they never stopped hurting like a bitch. As grateful as he was that Tom used a blunt spike instead of a sharp one that would act like a pike to his sausage, he was furious at the low blow.


    Nichs was the only child of his parents. The only one who could carry on the line. He was thirty already but he spent most of his time training his body and researching how to improve body-enhancing magic... which was frankly shitpared to the other body-enhancing means in the world. But it was what he loved.


    He was putting breeding on hold for his work as a magician and now, he almost lost the ability to sire children! His family would have been finished.


    Nichs didn''t need to be a genius to know his father would not let him continue his research and body improvement activities until he impregnated at least two women after this close call.


    ring at Tom, Nichs snarled, angry beyond reason. "I am going to enjoy breaking your bones for that."


    He was going to pay for fucking with his magical studies!


    Tom only gave him a friendly forting smile and said, "If I were you, I''d take care where I am standing first."


    Nichs blinked... before his body was uncontroblyunched upward and he was left iling his arms and feet as he flew through the air before he impacted the ceiling...


    And created web-like cracks there before his body fell down to the floor, once again creating cracks due to the momentum of his free fall, albeit smaller ones.


    Watching it, Tom happily mused, ''Oh, so that''s what happens when you stack alchemical circles for Gravity Inversion and Gravity Increase. Good to know.'' He sagely nodded.

 Chapter 37: The prowess of battle alchemy 2

    Chapter 37: The prowess of battle alchemy 2


    Despite Tom''s alchemy experiment of stacking two alchemy circles, Nichs was not hurt at all from impacting the ceiling and then falling onto the ground. His physique was far, far above a normal human so such trivial things would not bother him.


    It would take far more force than what Tom''s Gravity Increase could currently exert to harm him. After all, Tom made that alchemical circle for body training and it had several safeguards implemented in its design. It wasn''t an offensive spell at all.


    Nichs slowly stood up, groaning in annoyance. Even if he was unharmed, suddenly losing control over his body like that was downright irritating. The smack against the ceiling and the ground also hurt. Just because the harm to his body was almost nonexistent, it didn''t mean that he felt no pain from it.


    When he saw Tom just leisurely observing him with the same eyes as someone watching an interesting experiment, Nichs''sst hold on his restraint snapped.


    Letting out a roar, the mountain of muscles rushed at Tom, intending to beat him like an unwanted child and he would not stop until he aplished that goal!


    The fight turned into a cat and mouse game where Tom was forced to continuously run away while using his alchemical circles to dy, distract, and destroy Nichs''s offensive while Nichs was chasing Tom, swinging his fists and trying to break through whatever alchemical circle Tom threw at him next.


    Bothbatants were having quite a hard time in their own way.


    Tom could barely avoid Nichs''s blows, mostly using alchemical circles to negate or block them, or trying to force him to retreat instead of continuing his attack with a well-ced trap. In short, Tom was nowhere near physically capable of matching Nichs so he fought smart.


    But... no matter what, his fragile body was getting tired and the more of Nichs''s blows he evaded by a hair''s breadth, the more ufortable he was getting. Nichs''s fists swished near Tom''s head, chest, and torso, his kicks tried to hit Tom''s legs...


    Worst of all, because of how sturdy Nichs was, Tom''s alchemical circles were practically useless. At best, they could be used as crowd control but nothing Tom did manage to hurt the raging bull-like mountain of muscles. It only made him madder.


    Due to that, Nichs had a lot of time toe up with countermeasures and he was continuing to find ways to get around Tom''s circles. The force inversion circle, for example. After a while of powering through them by the sheer power of his muscles, he found just the correct amount of magic and strength ratio that would not allow Tom to be pushed away as a result of busting the circle, which took away one of Tom''s best disengage methods.


    Nichs was certainly smart in his own right. His blows actually created small shockwaves. It wasn''t anything noteworthy but Tom''s body was starting to mildly bruise because there was no way to evade these fully.


    The pain was getting irritating and the harm to his body was starting to show... Tom was starting to slow down even more. Considering his stamina was bound to eventually run out, Tom didn''t like his current position. But he could do nothing about it.


    This fight made him realize hecked a capable body alongside offensive and defensive means the most. His family spells were, bluntly put, a total shit. Tom was not going to use them. They were just a waste of magical energy.


    Even his self-made magic...


    He thought what he created was good enough but apparently, his battle alchemycked something important. Magic power imbued in the attacks.


    In hindsight, it was obvious. Every spell, even the most basic fireball, is just the materialization and shaping of magical energy in the real world. That''s why feeding it more magical energy makes it stronger.


    It wasn''t something one would think when devising spells though. Tom certainly didn''t think about this w when he made his battle alchemy.


    His battle alchemy worked by ying with chemical and physicalws to create an attack out of nowhere. But it was getting painfully obvious this approach would not work in the supernatural world without some other magic to boost it further. Nichs''s body supercharged with magic could just shrug off anything Tom''s alchemic circles could do to him.


    Tom used over a hundred alchemical circles in the ten-minute long chase all around the arena and if he fought against another cliche magician, he was quite sure he would have been the winner by now, but against Nichs and his strong body, even not getting hit so far was an immense aplishment for Tom.


    And during this entire time, Nichs was using only three spells. It was bing obvious to Tom who would run out of mana sooner. Not only was Nichs more magically powerful, but his spells also didn''t require much energy to maintain.


    Nichs, on the other hand, was getting more and more frustrated. With every missed hit, his ego would bruise and his disgruntlement would make him even more sullen.


    Some hits, he had no idea how the whelp actually evaded!


    It was getting ridiculous. His opponent was like an annoying fly. Buzzing around, making obstacles, and using annoying crowd control spells to survive without packing any power behind them.


    It made Nichs feel as if he was looked down upon and as if his aplishments were being mocked at the same time.


    It was as if Tom was silently showing him that no matter how good his body enhancement magic gets, even basic spells without much magic behind them like the ones he was using would still make Nichs''s effort obsolete.


    Nichs was a usually quiet fighter, not seeing the need for trash talk but after ten minutes, he just couldn''t bear it anymore and screamed, "Fight me seriously, you slippery whelp!"


    He didn''t understand that Tom was doing his best to not get hit because even one direct hit would have been an instant defeat for him.


    For Nichs, his opponent was using kiddy stuff to screw with him!


    The slightly panting Tom dryly chuckled, using the fact that Nichs stopped for a second in order to scream to replenish a bit of his stamina.


    Releasing a deep breath, Tom straightened out and looked Nichs straight in his eyes as he seriously said...


    "I refuse!"


    Needless to say, Nichs saw red and Tom barely registered as his opponent disappeared from his spot, using his dangerous eleration once again.


    When Nichs appeared in front of Tom, his arm reared back and redying itself to send a powerful punch at Tom, Tom''s pupils dted because he could calcte he didn''t have enough time to eva-


    Nichs''s arm swung forward and Tom with his heightened perception watched it getting closer and closer, his body unable to move in time.


    Doing the only thing he could, the only thing that could save him in time, Tom hastily put together an alchemic circle to the right of his legs. He didn''t have the time to properly calibrate it, however.


    That''s why when the circle activated, his legs were swept from under him by it a bit too faster than he initially wanted, making his body painfully smack against the ground as the punch of the enraged Nichs sailed above him by a few inches.


    Tom groaned in pain, trying to catch his breath when he suddenly widened his eyes, realizing he was not out of the danger yet.


    With Tom lying on the ground, Nichs snarled at his punch being evaded once again and followed up by a downward swing...


    Once again, Tom didn''t have much time to react and his head was also ringing due to the impact against the ground. With nothing elseing to mind, Tom once again used the exact same alchemical circle that produced a shoving effect, this time affecting his entire body.


    And once again, he didn''t have the time to properly set the force... but this time he overshot his target a bit too much and his body was shoved away with enough force to send him uncontrobly rolling on the ground like a ragdoll.


    A split secondter, Nichs''s fist impacted the ground where Tom was just a moment ago, creating a dent in the ground.


    If Tom''s fragile body was hit by that... yikes.


    The observing high-rank magicians almost moved right there and then, only stopping due to the re of Lord Stern and the silence of Lord Belgrade.


    Natasha, however, was fidgeting in nervous worry for Tom while clutching her hands together. She was never one to believe in God but right now, she prayed that someone would help Tom.


    Getting back up on his feet mid-roll, Tom took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, which elicited a groan from him due to the sting of pain from his scraped elbows, knees, and the new bruises all over his body.


    "Okay," Tom said with a pained smile and loosened the cor of his shirt a bit. He started to feel really unwell and hot after all this running and he hated how sweaty he was bing. It was time to end this.


    Before Nichs could get angry again, Tom quickly continued, "You know, I have the woman I love watching me."


    Much to Tom''s mild relief, his words were surprising enough that it gave Nichs a stop, making him nce at the audience, his eyesnding on Natasha.


    "Are you going to try acting cool now?" Nichs asked and his lips twitched in distaste. "Maybe start fighting seriously for once?" He added with a bit of veiled hopefulness in his tone.


    His opponent still didn''t use even one mid-tier spell, for fucks sake!


    Tom once again chuckled, making Nichs''s expression darken as he clutched his fists...


    "Nah." Tom shrugged, "Screw it, I give up."


    ---


    Author Note:


    Don''t go at me with ''MC is weak''. Of course, he is weak. This was his very first serious magical fight. He will get stronger. Eventually.

 Chapter 38: Some things are simply not to be.

    Chapter 38: Some things are simply not to be.


    The jaws of Nichs and everybody in the audience dropped onto the ground, and the people almost missed as the match referee dumbly dered Nichs the winner, his mouth moving without his brain having the time to fully process what just happened.


    Smiling in satisfaction, Tom turned on his heel and started walking towards the exit of the arena as if he just didn''t throw a very important match.


    Honestly, Tom had had enough of this bullshit. He was satisfied with his performance and the fact he came out unharmed from the fight considering his odds at victory. He was no story protagonist. It wasn''t like his opponent would trip and knock himself out if he kept on fighting.


    Learning valuable lessons and getting some realbat experience was also invaluable to Tom. He was d he fought Nichs. He was even happy that his butt was so thoroughly kicked and the ws in his self-made spells were so clearly revealed to him.


    It was a bit sad that he couldn''t avoid future trouble by winning the duel though.


    But... screw politics. The second he gave up the fight, he made up his mind too. Tom was not dealing with that. The table was in for some serious flipping.


    Nichs''s mind only rebooted when he saw the disregard Tom showed him by turning his back on him.


    But... he was currently in the Belgrade Mansion and attacking Tom outside of the duel would be equal to showing disrespect to the Belgrade Family. He could only clench his fists angrily and re at Tom''s retreating back.


    "Wait!" Nichs''s grudge eventually won out and he shouted at Tom, stopping him in his tracks, half-turning towards Nichs with a questioning look. Scowling, Nichs continued in an upset tone, "That''s it? You aren''t going to give your all? You just give up?"


    Nichs''s ego couldn''t ept a victory like this. It rubbed his whole existence the wrong way. Yes, he was dered the winner, and his family''s scheme could now continue without a hitch but when he saw his opponent nonchntly walking away... not even a slight limp or a sign of bruise anywhere... his blood boiled at a conclusion like this.


    He just couldn''t believe this should be counted as a victory in a duel! Not when both of them had barely a scratch.


    Tom blinked, totally unaware of Nichs''s inward thoughts, and in an ''isn''t it obvious?'' kind of tone he said, "Huh? Of course. Why would I continue when I know it''s pointless?"


    Not waiting for Nichs''s reply, Tom turned around and continued on his way out of the arena, leaving behind a much angrier Nichs to stew in his rage and body juices.


    Unknowingly, Tom had created a one-sided rivalry that day.


    The second Tom entered the preparation room for the contestants, Natasha engulfed him in a tight hug full of relief and worry.


    "I am d you are alright." She whispered, her voice cracking a bit.


    She did not enjoy watching Tom fighting. He had too many close calls for her tastes. Unlike someone who had no idea about Tom''s abilities, she was there when he made his spells and practiced them so she knew best just how utterly unable to properly fight he was during that match.


    Feeling Natasha''s care throughout all the bruises she was currently squeezing, Tom winced and donned a pained smile, "Yeah. I am thankful for that but could you please stop trying to make me pass out?" Tom jokingly quipped.


    Natasha''s eyes widened for a second in realization and she instantly pulled away before she gave Tom a worried once over.


    Chuckling, Tom slightly drew back his sleeve, showing a nasty purple bruise underneath it before he quickly covered it and winked at Natasha while whispering, "I protected my hands and head with magic but Nichs''s shockwaves wrecked me quite a lot, to be honest."


    Not knowing where he was bruised under his clothes, Natasha took Tom''s hands into hers and squeezed, her eyes flickering with emotions that made Tom want to cuddle with her until she passed out from all the spoiling. It was in moments like these he could inly see how much the redhead cared about him and it was utterly endearing.


    Smiling like a fool, Tom pecked Natasha on the lips, drawing her out of her thoughts full of worry, "Don''t make that kind of face. Remember your training, Natalie." He whispered as he pulled back, showing her he didn''t want others to notice his state.


    Giving a small reluctant nod, Natasha donned a calm and collected facade but refused to stop clutching his hand so Tom just entwined his fingers with hers and held her hand as a couple would.


    It was just in time too. Lord Belgrade noticed that Tom and Natasha''s reunion was finished and approached, an amiable smile on his face.


    "That was a well-fought battle. You did well all things considered." He praised Tom.


    As someone who sold Tom quite a lot of grimoires, he had a bit of insight in Tom''s level. Depending on what Tom bought from him, Lord Belgrade could make an educated guess.


    And unlike the utterly pissed Lord Stern, Lord Belgrade came to the conclusion that Tom didn''t have even one mid-tier spell in his current arsenal. He suspected that showing only basic low-tier spells was not because Tom was arrogant, but because he simply didn''t know better spells.


    It was ever so easy to forget this genius came from an upstart family sometimes...


    In mid-ss magician families, a kid first had to master a mid-tier spell to be dered a full-fledged magician. That usually made others from these families misleadingly assume that every ''adult'' magician knew at least one mid-tier spell, which was simply not true.


    Most did as the mid-ss and high-ss families were the main source of magicians in theirmunity and they jealously guarded their knowledge, only reluctantly sharing for massive benefits, but whenever an upstart family rose a bit above its usual paygrade, this happened.


    A respected magician without proper spells.


    But Lord Belgrade digressed. It wasn''t his job to exin this to Lord Stern. He was all too happy to leave this conflict between the Sterns and Tom stewing. And who knows? Maybe it would bring him unforeseen benefits in the future.


    Still, Tom''s show was... exemry.


    He had used alchemy forbat. That was just not done and Lord Belgrade was impressed. If the boy was willing to join the Belgrade Family, he would spare no resources for his grooming, even giving him a choice of unmarried women from his family to marry. s, Tom was too stubborn to know what was good for him and it was simply not to be. Such a pity.


    "Er... thank you?" Tom slowly nodded, not knowing how to take this praise. He felt like a bruised shit and that made him doubt this im of ''you did well'' the Lord Belgrade spouted.


    Over a decade of learning magic and this was what he had to show for it? It was depressing.


    But such a thing was natural in the real world. People who could rise in strength above others with just a few months of effort were very rare and usually had some bullshit thing that basically cheated the system.


    Boosted Gear and Issei, the pervert. Divine Dividing and Vali, the Lucifer descendant. Ring any bells?


    The normal people had a hard time just surviving while these pieces of arrogant shits sailed through their life as if it was a harem story about them, alwaysing on top because they had two of the strongest entities shoved into their souls due to luck.


    "I was especially impressed by the number of your spells." Lord Belgrade said, pulling Tom out of his disgruntled thoughts.


    Even though it was mostly basic low-tier spells, alchemy was hard and the number of alchemical circles Tom employed impressed Lord Belgrade.


    It had to be mentioned that magicians were not walking books of spells. Everyone had a few strong spells they spent months learning and from then on, they usually tried to qualitatively improve the spells in their chosen repertoire rather than learning new ones.


    Even Lord Belgrade only knew three high-tier spells and a dozen of mid-tier ones after sixty years of learning magic. Sure, they were all personally modified to be better than their originals by a huge margin but that didn''t change the fact he didn''t know that many spells.


    Human magic was hard. It was based on calctions and learning a strong spell, a spell from mid to high-tier, could take months if not longer. Learning many spells was simply not worth it and then there was the factor of tutge.


    Teachers and elders in a family usually taught only their personal students and progeny things they learned themselves, giving them invaluable insights in hope of making their path easier. In hopes that these young people won''t make the same mistakes.


    That also limited the spells magicians belonging to particr families learned and kept magic knowledge ''in the family''. Hence, the diversity of magical knowledge between families.


    Seeing Tom''s uncertain expression, Lord Belgrade apologetically smiled and decided to cut the chase as he patted Tom on the shoulder. "Look, Tom. There is no easy way to say this so I will just be blunt." He sighed, "I like you. I like you a lot. But I don''t like you more than my Family." He gave Tom a meaningful look.


    That... was fair enough. Tom could only respectfully nod. "I understand."


    He might not like what that meant. Lord Belgrade would definitely not prioritize their amicable rtionship before the interests of his family. But that was just natural. Tom couldn''t ask that much out of him. It was sad but... he was Lord first before he was a person.


    Such was the burden of the responsible family head.


    Not that Tom nned to ever be the ''responsible'' kind of family head and y politics with other geriatric old coots.


    "Good." Lord Belgrade nodded in satisfaction. "Let me give you onest piece of advice. You should use the Sitri Family as your shield."


    Nobody would be able to touch Tom if he joined the Sitris.


    But Tom understood that by saying ''use as a shield'', Lord Belgrade meant that Tom should be a devil.


    From what Lord Belgrade knew, Tom helped the Sitris earn a lot of money so if he begged them to join a peerage, they should not be averse to it. He had no idea about the real deals between Sarael and Tom so at worst, they would let him join the peerage of some distinguished servant of their house, in Lord Belgrade''s opinion.


    But...


    "We both know that''s not gonna happen." Tom just helplessly shook his head, rejecting that notion.


    He had his opinions about Evil Pieces and he would not be changing them. Not even if hell froze over and then became the next Heaven.


    Lord Belgrade saw the reluctance in Tom''s expression and didn''t press further. He also just helplessly shook his head and muttered, "Youngsters nowadays..."


    Quickly recollecting himself and letting go of Tom''s shoulder, "So this is it." Lord Belgrade straightened, "I can only wish you sess in your future endeavors. We will uphold our current business with you but please, don''t contact us anymore for any more favors." He spoke for his family, his eyes showing a bit of reluctance before he politely excused himself and left Tom and Natasha alone.


    Watching his retreating form, Natasha squeezed Tom''s hand and asked, "What do you want to do?"


    She didn''t mind either way. All she had to do was stick with Tom to the very end. She made peace with her feelings for him and wholeheartedly epted them. That... was a massive source of resolve for her.


    Tom looked at her and fondly smiled, "Let''s go home, sweetheart. I already have a n of action. Just ignore it."


    s, if Natasha knew Tom''sst sentence was not him telling her how to act but rather him revealing what he was going to do about it, she would not feel as at ease as she did now.

 Chapter 39: Useless attempt

    Chapter 39: Useless attempt


    Tom was walking side by side with Sarael through the employees-only entrance of the Sitri Hospital while Natasha dutifully followed behind him, staying quiet and alert, ying a bodyguard.


    Tom thought it was cute and let her do her own thing.


    This was happening because he made another deal with Sarael, calling upon one of the favors the old devil still owed him.


    In the deal, Tom wanted to pay a private visit to Mi and Sairaorg Bael.


    Sarael instantly caught up with what Tom was going to attempt to aplish, considering that a year ago, Mi Bael was admitted into one of his hospital''s rooms with a sleeping disease.


    If Tom failed, Sarael would get rid of one of the favors he owed Tom and if he seeded... Now wouldn''t that be a massive st for their race as a whole?


    Many old and powerful devils suffered from the sleeping disease. It was one of the things that brought their numbers so low. In fact, there were currently over two hundred devils with that affliction in his hospital alone.


    Considering nomoner could afford hospital room fees, all of these were rtives of someone important or powerful.


    Unfortunately, as much as Sarael would love to treat everyone, he also had his own expenses and the hospital was business first and foremost. It had to earn him profit at the end of the month. It was no charity.


    The only thing that would make Sarael happier would have been if Tom didn''t demand him to sign a contract about this. Really... who does that!? Weren''t they friends already? Where was some show of trust?


    Tom wanted not only a safe passage to Mi Bael''s room, but he also wanted Sarael to ensure there would be nobody else present other than Sairaorg Bael who, ording to Tom''s conditions, had to be there. Also, Tom desired no surveince or scanning magic or devices to be in the room, and Sarael to ensure nobody would try spying on this meeting. Sarael included. Now that hurt his ego a lot. But he had to admit, he would have definitely tried if not for that contract stiption... And after all that, Tom didn''t want any records of this meeting ever happening.


    In exchange, one favor House Sitri owed to Tom would have been fulfilled.


    Sarael had to admit, the kid drove quite a hard bargain there...


    But he could understand. In case he failed, it was much safer to ensure nobody would know about his attempt. The Baels would not take kindly to this if they knew.


    Tom also most likely didn''t want anyone to see the process... well, anyone that wasn''t a ten-year-old kid like Sairaorg Bael who quite frankly, wasn''t the sharpest tool in the shed so he proved no risk of information leakage about Tom''s methods. Sarael doubted the kid would understand the first thing about it anyway.


    And in case Tom seeded, everybody would know since Mi would be awake anyway.


    Sarael was already nning how to make use of that eventuality to the best advantage of House Sitri. And just maybe he was also including a way to prank Tom for his ridiculously cautious demands too.


    His fragile manly ego was that hurt.


    As they walked through the empty hall of the hospital... and damn if it wasn''t a lot of work to make such a thing possible for Sarael... the old devil decided to strike up a conversation.


    "I heard about your troubles in the Magician Community. Do you need any help?" He offered to Tom offhandedly.


    Tom only shook his head andzily said, "Nah. It''s fine. Don''t bother."


    Now that caused Sarael to look at Tom weirdly. The boy was considered the biggest outcast in hismunity currently.


    "Are you sure? How are you dealing with the constant duel challenges?" Sarael asked. He was really a bit worried for Tom. It would have been easy to scare away those vultures and if Tom wanted, Sarael would help him for just a token price.


    He did consider Tom a friend, after all.


    Tom just shrugged Sarael''s worries off, "Mhm, I am ignoring it." and dropped a bomb that almost made the old devil trip.


    "Igno- What!?" Sarael eximed, stopping in his tracks and turning to Tom with a sense of urgency. "You do know that it willpletely decimate your reputation in your ownmunity, don''t you?" He grabbed Tom''s shoulders and hurriedly asked.


    One simply could not put this kind of situation to the side until he wanted to deal with it!


    But Tom just gave Sarael an utterly calm andzy smile, "Yeah, so?" He tilted his head as if he was really confused about what was the big deal. "The magicalmunity is no longer a profitable venture. Why should I care about their little temper tantrums? For all I care, they can use the entire Amazonian Forest for their challenge letters and I wouldn''t care either way anyway."


    Sarael''s hands slid down Tom''s shoulders as the old devil''s mouth slightly opened in disbelief. It took him a few seconds for his brain to reboot, and Tom smugly noted he really stumped him. That was a definite win in his books.


    "Ah." Sarael slowly nodded, "That... is an admirable way of looking at it." He carefully said with a small grimace, not knowing what to think about this approach. It was just so utilitarian...


    From what Tom said, he waspletely abandoning the English Magician Community.


    Yes, the consequences of having his reputation shredded would be unpleasant but they only applied within themunity. Outside of it, even if Tom stayed in Ennd, with how the business contracts with the high-ss magician families are worded, no magician could outright attack him unless they fancied themselves facing neen high-ss families.


    Tom was physically safe. It was his reputation and good name that was under attack. It was his ability to gain a future influence in the magicianmunity that would suffer from this. It was his ability to make business deals within his magicianmunity that would suffer from this.


    He was ostracized by his own folks.


    It wasn''t as if somebody wanted or could kill him in themunity.


    That was it.


    "Too many people are chained by the expectations of others, not chasing their own ambitions. Locked in their own littlemunities and striving to stay in them even if it is no longer worth it, not even trying to escape their confines and get a better life for themselves. Should I care about the English magicianmunity just because I grew up there? What did they ever do for me that would earn them my respect?" Tom mirthfully asked, meaning every word. He then wistfully shook his head, "How ridiculous. If it is no longer useful to me, there is no need to cling to it." He casually shrugged.


    Jokes on them. They thought by pestering him with duel challenges and shooting his reputation to hell in their littlemunity, Tom would eventually crack and be submissive to them because he would not see any other way out.


    They thought Tom would try to do his best to stay in themunity and in their arrogance, they conveniently forgot that the English Magician Community was just a small part of the wide world.


    The only thing they aplished was that Tom would no longer do business with them in the future.


    Getting away from all that harassment would have been as easy as moving to another country for him. The real influence of the English Magician Community reached only as far as the borders of Ennd, after all.


    Even Pendragons were not an exception to this rule.


    But... why bother? As long as the high-ss families wanted the profits from his enhanced fruits, they would protect him from real attacksing from theirmunity. And if not, well, he didn''t pay Sarael for the best wards the devils could provide just for kicks and giggles.


    At the very least, Tom would be able to flee. Unless they sent an Ultimate-rank magician, Tom was safe. Funny how the only Ultimate-rank magicians in Ennd who could be sent after him were in the Pendragon Family who couldn''t give a shit about the Magician Community anyway, huh?


    As for the attacks on his character and reputation... he couldn''t care less. Same as with their influence, their opinions only reached as far as the borders of Ennd and the confines of their littlemunity.


    Literally, nobody outside of the English Magician Community couldn''t give a shit about what they thought.


    "Right... we are here." Sarael said as they finally arrived near the correct door, "One sleeping beauty and her soning right up." He jokingly quipped in an imitation of a waiter and opened the door.


    The same door that would start a new chapter in Tom''s and Natasha''s lives.

 Chapter 40: Then you wont miss it, no?

    Chapter 40: Then you won''t miss it, no?


    Natasha felt weird as she watched Tom having a stare-off with an obviously scared yet defiant ten-year-old boy who stood between them and the bed on which Mi Bael was eternally sleeping.


    Her lips slightly twitched upward. The kid was quite cute, trying to protect his mother like that.


    Nevertheless, Natasha had no idea why he showed them hostility. Wasn''t Sarael supposed to-


    "Let me guess. Sarael didn''t exin anything, did he?" Tom drawled, resisting his urge to facepalm.


    He knew he forgot something when making a deal with the old devil. With Sarael, one never knew. It was best to be as to the point as possible because he would purposefully ''forget'' to do even something as obvious as exining to Sairaorg the reason why he was asked toe to the hospital.


    "What?" Sairaorg was taken aback.


    "Of course, he didn''t." Tom grumbled and sighed, now knowing the reason why Sarael opened the door for them in a manner that would not reveal his presence to the people inside.


    ''This must be his revenge for not wanting him inside during the process, I guess.'' He inwardly chuckled at the childish pettiness of the old devil.


    Well, Tom was still d about this. Many other devils would enact revenge in a much more harmful manner so Tom couldn''t even get mad at Sarael for something mild like this.


    Looking at the boy in front of him, Tom wryly smiled, "Look, I am here to check if I can cure your mother, kid. So unless you want her to continue her evesting afternoon nap, step aside so I can do my job."


    Tom felt a bit awkward when these words left his mouth. He had the feeling he sounded arrogant but... honestly, he had no idea how to talk to a kid. As talented and handsome as Tom considered himself to be, he still had his ws.


    The scrawny kidically widened his eyes, "You can cure mom!?" He excitedly eximed, not even a shred of suspicion in his tone.


    Tom wanted to chuckle. The future strongest devil of his generation or not, Sairaorg was still just a naive kid.


    It was also obvious he wanted nothing more than his mother to wake up and that made Tom furrow his eyebrows in a contemtive manner, giving Sairaorg a slow once over. The personality of the boy was better than Tom expected. If it is like this, his n definitely could seed.


    The corner of his lips rose into a slightly viinous smirk as he felt deep satisfaction filling him. So far, this was going better than expected.


    Putting his hand in front of his mouth and pretending to cough to cover his intentions, Tom said with sparkling eyes as if he just found a treasure, "I said I can try. No promises, though. Will you allow me to try now? Pretty please."


    Sairaorg only then realized he would have to let these strangers approach his mother and a reluctant frown appeared on his face. He looked at Mi, then back at Tom, his eyes briefly wandering towards Natasha before he slightly blushed, causing Tom''s eyebrow to twitch, and Sairaorg quickly redirected his gaze back to Tom.


    Tom let the kid have a few seconds, enjoying how he indecisively looked between Mi and him. To be honest, there was no need to rush him or try to be forceful. It was obvious the boy would eventually realize-


    ''Ah.'' Tom mirthfully smiled with a nod as Sairaorg stepped aside in a sign that he would let him approach his mother.


    Sairaorg sat on his chair next to Mi''s bed, and his eyes didn''t leave Tom, observing him to prevent any foul y. Tom found it amusing. There was no way for Sairaorg to discover foul y anyway but it revealed how much he cared about his mother.


    Tom slowly touched Mi''s hand, pretending to take her pulse as he activated his Sacred Gear...


    While Tom was doing his thing, Natasha approached Sairaorg and patted his head, eliciting another small blush for him. "Don''t worry. If anyone can help your mother, it will be Tom." She tried to reassure him.


    After all, Tom had really strong ulterior motives to give it his best.


    "I hope so, Miss Gremory." Sairaorg earnestly nodded and Natasha smiled, wrapping her arm around his shoulder in a reassuring manner.


    "I am not a Gremory." Natasha said, making Sairaorg surprised and for a moment, getting his attention away from his mother, easing his worries.


    "You are not?" He asked in bewilderment as he looked at her. "But your beautiful hair..."


    Natasha just gently shook her head in the negative, a bit ttered and amused. "Thank you for thepliment." She ruffled his hair, making him scowl. That only made Natasha smirk at him and he pouted, looking away from her.


    ''Kids these days...'' She thought in exasperation.


    They waited inpanionable silence for a few more moments before Tom finally moved, no longer looking like he was in trance, and staggered a bit while distractedly shaking his head.


    Natasha was undoubtedly anxious. It took a long time. Tom''s Sacred Gear was usually instant yet, he spent almost twenty seconds inspecting Mi. That can''t be good for his body.


    Letting go of Sairaorg, Natasha quickly walked toward Tom who was obviously still a bit out of it, and grabbed his shoulders, slowly letting him sit on the edge of Mi''s bed.


    "Are you okay?" She leaned down, looking Tom straight into his eyes while her brows were scrunched in worry.


    Tom didn''t answer instantly. He closed his eyes, his lips stretching into azy smile as he took a deep breath. Natasha patiently waited but even she couldn''t predict that when Tom opened his eyes, he would pull her into a deep kiss.


    Natasha''s hand took a hold of the sides of Tom''s head and for a brief moment, they made out with each other.


    But Natasha abruptly pulled away when from the corner of her eyes she noticed Sairaorg gaping at them, making her feel embarrassed.


    "There is a kid." She quietly whispered to Tom who still held her close, kissing her cheek.


    "Mhm. He is a devil. It''s not as if I am going to undress and ravish you here." Tom yfully rolled his eyes, "All I want is a kiss."


    "You..." Natasha pped his chest and mock-scowled, "You are definitely alright."


    Her lips, however, couldn''t stop curling into a small amused smile so her feigned exasperated expression was not perfect.


    Letting out a smallugh as he unhanded Natasha, Tom turned back to the bbergasted and embarrassed Sairaorg, giving him a friendly smile, "I have good and bad news."


    Not unloading it on the kid straight away seemed like a good choice since Sairaorg didn''t seem to pay much attention right now.


    "What?" He dumbly asked before blinking, realizing what Tom was doing and his eyes shined with hope.


    Seeing that the kid was listening, Tom continued, "The good news is that yes, I can cure her. The bad news, at least for you, is that I won''t do it for free. So, up for a deal, little devil?" He yfully asked.


    Unlike what Tom expected, Sairaorg didn''t boisterously agree nor start to be suspicious. Instead, he grew sad and started to shuffle his legs while sullenly looking at the floor, "But... I am really weak. I have nothing to pay you with." He mumbled.


    Tom raised his eyebrow at him, the smile not leaving his face.


    Of course, he knew that. Sairaorg was ''kicked'' out of the Bael Family a year ago ording to the information Sarael gave Tom. That''s why he was even attempting this.


    ''It''s now or never.'' Tom hyped himself up and his lips stretched into a shrewd smile.


    "What about your Power of Destruction?" He proposed, causing Sairaorg to stiffen.


    He was definitely naive but he was not stupid! Sairaorg knew that what the man in front of him proposed was something unthinkable. If the Bael n knew about it...


    But it didn''t matter anyway.


    "I can''t use it." Sairaorg sullenly said.


    If he could exchange it for his mother, he would do so in a heartbeat but he simply did not have the Power of Destruction!


    "Mhm. That just means you won''t miss it, no?" Tom said and winked at the kid.


    Sairaorg looked at Tom in astonishment, realizing that the man in front of him was just trying to be kind to him. Why else would he offer to heal his mother in exchange for something he didn''t possess?


    Sairaorg couldn''t help but tear up as he hurriedly nodded in eptance.


    He inwardly swore he would remember this debt!

 Chapter 41: The treasure trove called Misla Bael.

    Chapter 41: The treasure trove called Mi Bael.


    Author Note:


    Heavily AU.


    I know that Mi was not born Bael. Well, I know that now. When I wrote the chapter, I had no idea so... :D.


    ---


    Tom spent so much time poking and prodding inside of Mi''s body... and that came out exactly as he wanted it to... because he wasn''t just trying to find out a way to awaken her.


    Twenty seconds in the real world was for him, with the usage of his Sacred Gear, several hours. He actually spent eight magic gems around his neck and only because he took his time with channeling the mana instead of going as fast as possible could his body bear it.


    He still suffered a massive physical strain but it was still within his limits.


    Nevertheless, it was worth it. This was a golden opportunity for Tom. A living person usually had a lot of resistance to being extensively probed with his Sacred Gear. Loopholes existed, sure, but it was still a drag. But Mi was unconscious and that gave Tom the confidence to try being thorough with her.


    And he discovered there was no resistance to his knowledge hunting throughout her body. How could he let an opportunity like this go?


    To be honest, awakening her was a trivial matter and it took only a bit of Tom''s time to find out what was wrong with her and how to correct it.


    The reason for the Sleeping Sickness was that devils were artificially created lifeforms in the first ce.


    The first devil, Lucifer, was first an angel, and those were made by the Biblical God. He was not naturally born but artificially created. A massive difference.


    From the devil history books, Tom briefly knew that Lucifer grew dissatisfied with all the restrictions put on him by the big G. Hence, Lucifer fell and became a Fallen Angel.


    Not a devil straight away but a Fallen Angel.


    But nobody knew what happened during his time as a Fallen Angel. All that was written in the history books is that Lucifer who was already a devil at that time met a demoness Lilith and used her to give birth to the devil race.


    A lot of things were just glossed over in the history of devils and how they came to be.


    But... to an attentive reader, the keywords said a bit more of the true story.


    The history books had called Lilith a ''Demoness''. Not a Devil.


    It might be surprising but Devils and Demons were not one and the same. And if Tom took into ount what he so dearly wished to forget. Aka, that his world was also a variant of Marvel-verse...


    Heck, who could have a clue about what demonic entity Lucifer made a deal with or what kind of ursed ritual he put himself through to change from a Fallen to a Devil?


    Apparently, he got two for the price of one and the entity even gave him one of its demons as a sex ve to birth him his new race. Vo, the Pirs were born.


    So... taking an artificial lifeform who went through some kind of unhealthy corrupting magical ritual that most likely screwed a few things loose in his genes as the first progenitor and then mixing it with a bonafide demonic entity as the second progenitor and vo, the devil-kind was born.


    Was it any freaking wonder the devils had so many nutcases among them, skewed morals, many obsessions, and some rare diseases? They were akin to a sessfully screwed gic experiment straight out of the ancient era!


    The Sleeping Sickness was just a slight disconnection between body and soul, forcing the person into an unconsciousness. Just like human bodies could develop cancer, the devils had this. It came to be due to their origin. Due to them being half artificial beings.


    In a way, Tom couldpare this to homunculi from the Fate series. Strong but wed. Then again, Devils were certainly a much bigger sess than homunculi ever could be.


    The Sleeping Sickness was easy to fix for someone like Tom. For someone who had the Sacred Gear Vision and could see what is needed to just snap the connection between body and soul back.


    For those without such a Sacred Gear... yeah, now that would be a very hard task and most devils would probably have no idea where to even begin with it.


    It didn''t help that devils didn''t exactly study souls a lot. They could definitely slightly affect them as could be seen from Devil Pieces and the Old Contracts, but they sure as heck had no idea how to even begin healing one.


    And they didn''t seem to care about it anyway.


    When Tom found out how to cure Mi, he started to rummage through different ces in her body. Namely, he was interested in what the Power of Destruction was...


    And boy was he surprised.


    The Power of Destruction was not something in the Bael Family''s blood or body. They had an innate connection to the concept of destruction and could imbue their demonic power with it, creating ''Power of Destruction''.


    At least, that''s what Vision told him.


    Such a connection passed through the bloodline couldn''t be cheap to acquire.


    Tom didn''t believe even for a second that Pir Families were actually born with their ''bloodline'' powers from the very beginning.


    Angels and Fallen only had light magic, yet, devils had 72 different and potent special powers on top of their special imagination-based magic?


    Pfft. If Lucifer could create them like that on his own, he could have trounced the big G with one hand behind his back. Since that didn''t happen, the obvious conclusion is that something else happened.


    It took a bit more magic power out of Tom than he expected but he was too curious to let it go. He sunk deeper into the history of the Power of Destruction through Mi Bael''s connection to the concept of destruction and he found out the origin of this connection.


    He found out that these bloodline powers were acquired through various hefty deals made by the progenitors of their families with extradimensional beings. The same beings the Masters of the Mystic Arts were dealing with.


    Well, more often than not, the beings these Masters actually tried to prevent getting into this dimension.


    Of course, these beings thought they outsmarted this new race and would acquire powerful ves once their powers corrupted them and get an easy passage into this ne of existence through them but something in the devils'' make-up, namely, their connection to the Heaven System of the Biblical God, prevented the first devils from being screwed six ways till Sunday despite doing something as stupid as trying to sell their souls to the so-called Demon Lords for special powers.


    Yes, Tom actually facepalmed when he learned about that.


    As much of a bother the headache when mentioning God''s name was for the devils, Tom thought the Devils should be damn happy for their distant rtion to him and the fact they still were a part of his System.


    Without that, there would be no devil race today to gue the world and make a mess of things.


    It also exined why especially Zekram Bael held the Power of Destruction in such high regard. He was one of the fools who was almost enved because of it and he certainly knew it. His nature and the concept of exchange imbued in the devil race would make him painfully aware of what he just did the second he agreed to the deal offered to him even if the other party was a powerful Demon Lord.


    At most, the Demon Lords could hide the real intention behind the deal up till the point the other party agreed. Not any further.


    Well, Tom surmised not every bloodline was the same. Some, like the Phenex Family bloodline, could have been a deal with a much milder dimensional entity but Tom could only inspect the Power of Destruction right now so anything else was just spection.


    For all he knew, some bloodlines could be mutations or acquired by other means like special rituals or even scientifically...


    Eh, it didn''t matter. Tom decided to focus on what was in front of him. Namely, the Power of Destruction.


    What did it matter how Phenexes acquired their bloodline? The information would not help Tom in any way right now.


    Thest thing Tom did was to make sure his ideas and ns could be done. He wanted to know if Mi could make a deal with him through her unconsciousness. It was a farfetched idea, Tom had to admit.


    But...


    Like a good magician, he wasn''t above using underhanded means. Having the concept of Exchange imbued in their being was very convenient for devils and they could grow stronger by simply making deals.


    But obviously, there were drawbacks to this too. Drawbacks Tom could use as a backdoor to get what he wanted from an unconscious devil.


    Usually, a devil would instantly wake up if somebody tried to force a deal upon him but Mi was as out of it as it gets. She could not wake up even if somebody was trying to drill a hole into her with a jackhammer.


    The best part? Mi would be none the wiser due to the disconnection of her soul and body.


    A Cheshire grin appeared on Tom''s lips in his mind as he realized he had just found his cheat code to increase his personal power. Stopping channeling his mana into his Sacred Gear, Tom pulled back into the real world.

 Chapter 42: Writing Contracts

    Chapter 42: Writing Contracts


    Seeing Sairaorg agree to the deal, Tom ruffled the kid''s hair whileughing like a maniac in his mind before he whipped out a pre-prepared contract form bound by a contractual magic Tom made by recreating his own version of the Old Contracts.


    Unfortunately, just like the Old Contracts, this creation of Tom would only work on Devils because his version also had to make use of their connection to the Concept of Exchange to establish a deal.


    Tom started filling the contract, obviously adding a use that Sairaorg would keep Tom''s identity and what would happen here a secret. Tom knew there would be a lot of questions but if there was anything the devils respected, it was a secrecy use in a contract. Sairaorg would just have to state he was bound by it and most of the bothersome busybodies would just disgruntledly go annoy someone else.


    Due to the Concept of Exchange, Tom bound Sairaorg''s very being to uphold the secrecy of this deal so even if the boy wanted, he would be unable to tell others what happened.


    This wasn''t in any way restrictive in his everyday life. Sairaorg would not even feel it. Only in the case, he attempted to speak about the uing events would he be restricted from proceeding.


    The contract was simple enough. It exchanged Sairaorg''s connection to the concept of destruction for the healing and awakening of his mother.


    It was written in a way even a kid could understand and as a devil, Sairaorg had an innate understanding of what the deal entailed anyway so Tom''s conscience was assuaged by the fact he wasn''t exactly robbing Sairaorg. The boy agreed to a deal and that was that.


    The trick was simple, though. The deal only told Sairaorg what he was gaining and losing. It didn''t tell him how it would affect him. Since the kid thought he didn''t possess the Power of Destruction, he might as well think he was not losing anything.


    When Tom ruffled Sairaorg''s hair, he peeked at what was wrong with the kid. Fortunately, he rummaged through Mi''s body so he knew what to look for and because of that, this action didn''t take a massive amount of magic from him.


    The drain was still considerable but bearable. Tom got through it with a smile on his face and found out that Sairaorg had the misfortune of being the product of inbreeding.


    It didn''t affect the devils the same way as humans and some Families did it regrly... but there was a reason why most families usually took spouses from other Houses.


    Unlike what one might think, Sairaorg''s connection to the concept of destruction did not get stronger just because both of his parents possessed it.


    The connection simply either existed or it didn''t. It couldn''t get weaker or stronger.


    The inbreeding only made him unable to imbue his demonic power with the concept. So, while he had the exact same thing as every Bael, the poor sod was unable to use it.


    This connection was not biological in the first ce. Losing it wouldn''t mean Sairaorg would cease to be a Bael by blood. In fact, it would help him a bit with his Demonic Power control now that his system would not be burdened by it.


    Tom could even im he helped the kid.


    The devils didn''t even have a way to check for it. That''s why the Bael Family has to wait until their kids show the usage of Power of Destruction around seven years of age when the connection finally stabilizes to determine if they were ''worthy''.


    There was no scanning device that could show to anybody that Sairaorg lost his ''bloodline'' powers. Heh, there was nobody who thought he had them in the first ce.


    It was a perfect heist. Nothing would be missed by anybody, yet, Tom had everything to gain.


    When Sairaorg signed the contract, Tom smiled at him and also put down his signature before he turned toward Natasha.


    "Love, sign it here, please." He told her, making her look weirdly at him.


    "Me?" Natasha blinked in confusion, showing a surprised expression.


    She didn''t think she would be part of... whatever was going to happen. She was here only as moral support and to make sure Tom would not do something extremely foolish.


    Nobody told her that her lover wanted to drag her into his schemes.


    "Yup. I''ll exinter." Tom nonchntly shrugged, and theck of information made Natasha''s eye twitch.


    Deeply sighing, she approached the document and took the pen, scribbling her signature onto it while imbuing a bit of her magic into the pen just as Tom taught her.


    It made her inwardly wince as she felt her body reel in protest the second her magic was used and a quarter of her reserves just disappeared like that.


    As depressing as it was, Natasha knew the power rankings and she had to ashamedly admit, she was not even qualified to get a ranking right now.


    Her magic did not reach even the low-ss milestone yet.


    She just... wasn''t talented in magic. Especially not in the math-filled, science-demanding human magic that Tom was using. It rubbed her the wrong way and made her want to vomit every time she saw theplicated forms necessary to mentally calcte the spells.


    Yes, she became incredible at hacking but that was fun!


    Human magic was not. It was disgustingly schrly. It simply wasn''t for Natasha.


    Months of training and attempts and she simply could not get better. She spent hours upon hours trying to get it right, trying to train, trying to focus on spells... and she had nothing to show for it.


    It made her feel like a failure of the greatest degree.


    Until then, she could learn anything. A lot of hard work and eventually, she would excel at anything she put her mind to. But Human Magic was a seemingly insurmountable hurdle for her totally mundane brain.


    No matter how much she enhanced it with mind-enhancing spells... because thank God these were just manipting magic inside of her body which was still hard as heck butpletely manageable... she just couldn''t get the feel for controlling her magic the second it left her body.


    She tried and tried... and failed and failed. She was not giving up anytime soon but her future prospects seemed bleak in this regard. Her mundane abilities and training could take her only so far without any supernatural ability to back it up.


    Thankfully, Tomforted her endlessly, telling her he cared about her despite her inability to use magic and would find a way to help her... And Natasha wanted to believe him. She really did. But even if he didn''t and she was to serve at best as sexual relief for him, she wouldn''t mind.


    She only hoped he would not abandon her.


    Tom didn''t miss the slight shift in Natasha''s expression nor the wince in her eyes when she signed the document. He inwardly wryly smiled. Yes... there was that problem.


    He knew that Natasha''s self-esteem was hit hard due to her failures with magic and it was making even him exasperated. He told her there were many other ways. Like Touki, or different magical systems... But it was obvious to him that his red-haired darling''s self-confidence was hit hard.


    Tom regretted telling her that he had high hopes for her. It put a lot of pressure on her and when she failed, again and again, it made the impact that much harder for her.


    He was only d she was too stubborn to give up despite feeling that her efforts are not bearing any fruits.


    Deciding to focus on what was important right now, Tom pulled out another contract form and started filling it up, confusing Sairaorg.


    "What are you doing?" The kid asked, tilting his head and trying to see what was written in the contract.


    Tom put his hand on the boy''s face and pushed him away, much to Sairaorg''s annoyance.


    "It''s rude to peek at others'' contracts." Tom mirthfully said, "But to answer your question, I am going to heal your mom through a contract. Cool, isn''t it?" He gave the kid an easy-going smile.


    Sairaorg''s eyes shined, "You can do that?"


    The boy was not stupid. Not by a long shot. Sairaorg actually thought really hard about how to get stronger to prove his birth family wrong. When Tom mentioned healing people via contracts, Sairaorg realized what an amazing idea that was, and that filled him with excitement.


    "Of course, I can." Tom chuckled, lying with a straight face as he returned to filling the contract between him and... Mi Bael.


    Tom couldn''t really tell the excitable young Sairaorg that he was going to ''permanently borrow'' a bit of Mi''s demonic power and life energy in exchange for waking her up, now, could he?


    After all, nobody said Tom was prohibited from receiving payment from both Sairaorg and Mi for healing her.

 Chapter 43: Healing Misla and reaping the benefits

    Chapter 43: Healing Mi and reaping the benefits


    Author Note:


    Just to make it less confusing, magic is a general term here. Whether one uses holy energy, demonic power, or mana, it does not matter. The result is called magic by me.


    ---


    Tom has finished filling the second contract and then approached Natasha, taking her hand and gently dragging her towards Mi''s bed.


    "Hold the contract." Tom said and Natasha confusedly obeyed and gripped a side of the contract with her fingers.


    Tom then pulled Mi''s hand from under the sheets, making it weakly sp the other side of the contract, his fingers that held her hand in ce also briefly touching it.


    Unlike the contract with Sairaorg, this one was based on a magical signature. There was no way Mi could sign anything in her state so he had to go around that hurdle.


    Looking at Natasha, Tom reassuringly smiled and said, "Push a bit of your magic into the contract to establish a connection."


    When he felt that Natasha did as she was told, Tom pushed his magic into the contract. Though, he channeled his magic through the hand of Mi Bael, making her a part of it as a bit of her own magic was mixed in.


    Normally, this would have never worked. Even a sleeping devil wouldpletely wake up if somebody tried to do this and that would have been the end of that. Only because of Mi''s condition was it possible for Tom to go around that hassle.


    The deal was established without a hitch and the three magical signatures were epted, their roles in the deal filled in.


    It was amusing. Every being had this thing called self-preservation instinct and with magic added to the equation, such a thing could do really wondrous things. Even to the point of making ''decisions'' for its owner based on intentions and subconsciousness.


    Magic was not conscious nor did it have sentience. But it could ess Mi''s brain, and through it, the desires of her subconsciousness.


    Naturally, Mi subconsciously desired to be healed.


    Hence, the intentions put into Tom''s contract were clear to Mi''s magic. He deliberately projected the promise of healing.


    But Mi could not consciously make a decision. As such, the price was deemed irrelevant by her magic as long as it was within a certain norm that would not bring a detriment to her health.


    For example, if somebody tried to enve her through this method, it would be impossible because Mi''s demonic energy would have rejected it.


    Knowing there were limits, Tom didn''t ask too much from Mi. Well, it wasn''t a lot as far as Mi''s magic was concerned. If the woman was conscious, Tom had no idea if she would have epted it.


    He only wanted two percent of her magic reserves, causing her to permanently lose them as they would be transferred through the concept of exchange to Tom and Natasha. Of course, since they were humans, the demonic energy would have been ''filtered'', for theck of a better word, back into neutral mana.


    This was a calcted move on Tom''s part. He couldn''t take too much. Losing two percent of demonic energy reserves after being two years in aa where her demonic energy was working overtime and straining itself to preserve her physical condition sounded somewhat usible. Thanks to that, her small loss of energy reserves will not seem suspicious.


    Nobody ever woke up from the Sleeping Sickness so nobody knew what effect it had on the victims... but Tom couldn''t expect people to not put two and two together if he took away fifty percent of her reserves for his services. Not that it would have worked as her magic would have never epted such an exchange.


    Common sense still existed, duh.


    On top of getting two percent of Mi''s reserves, Tom also wanted two hundred years'' worth of life energy from her.


    That might have seemed like a lot for humans who usually had only one hundred and fifty years'' worth of life energy in their bodies and increasing it was extremely difficult. Hell, for mundane humans, even reaching one hundred years required lifelong effort and luck.


    But devils had an advantage in this case. Mi had enough life energy tost ten thousand years. And she already was a few centuries old. The unfair thing was... unlike humans, devils could increase their lifespan by simply getting stronger.


    Short-lived species such as humans would find that mouth-watering but for devils, it was just an ''unimportant'' detail. After all, there was not one devil who died due to old age yet. With how many wars there were in their history, how violent their society could be for moners'', wars between noble houses being a thing, and the fact that even low-rank devils could live for a few millennia...


    Devils were not bothered by lifespan. Zekram Bael was one of the very first devils and he was still alive andpletely fine. He was barely middle-aged by the devil''s standards. It was ridiculous.


    Tom started to see a pattern here. A pattern telling him how could the factions from the Biblical Pantheon be so strong to actually have so much influence in the current supernatural world despite actually being one of the youngest ones.


    The Biblical God definitely put some special things in the design of his angels like the way their life energy worked. Hence, both Fallen and Devils benefited from it too.


    Mi was a high-ranked devil and she had a shitton of life energy avable to her. What were two hundred years to her? Just a drop in the bucket. Hence, her demonic energy saw no problem with epting this part of the deal either.


    With the contract established, Tom used the knowledge he gained by scanning the Evil Pieces in tandem with the findings of his Sacred Gear and snapped Mi''s soul and body back together with his magic.


    It was instantaneous and seemed like something easy... but the amount of technical knowledge one had to have to even think of doing it this way was staggering. No wonder nobody found a solution to this disease yet.


    At that moment, Mi opened her eyes wide and gasped for air, awake once more as both the contracts were fulfilled.


    Tom felt getting quite a bit of mana and a hundred years'' worth of life energy. Frankly, the mana was nothing extraordinary. Tom didn''t jump a rank or anything. It did bring him a lot closer to high mid-rank reserves but it was still not enough.


    The life energy, on the other hand, now that made Tom excited because he just got an idea of how to use his Sacred Gear to get more benefits from this for barely any effort. Seeing how the life energy of devils worked was a great inspiration for him.


    At the same time, Natasha also took a sharp intake of breath as she felt a whole percent of Mi''s reserves being stuffed into her, her own meager reserves widening to amodate all this energy. In just a second, Natasha went from unranked to average low-rank energy levels and the feeling it gave her was exhrating.


    She felt energized and alive... more so due to the hundred years worth of life energy that filled her life energy pool.


    But there was something else. Something... destructive.


    It didn''t want to get out of her or anything. It was fully under her control. She just couldn''t help but feel it since it was not there before. She felt as if she suddenly gained a sixth sense that was always on the edge of her mind, refusing to leave.


    She instinctively knew that something would happen if she channeled her magic through this feeling and...


    It freaked her out a bit. Yet, she remembered the deal Tom made with Sairaorg and how he made her sign it... and it all clicked in her mind.


    She turned toward Tom and tugged his hand, "Tom, I feel-" She worriedly started only to be instantly shushed by her partner.


    "Not now, Natalia. We will talk about it once we are back at home, okay?" Tom yfully quipped, but his eyes... they almost screamed at her to be quiet. Let''s just quietly appreciate the moment, shall we?" Tom nonchntly continued, gesturing toward the confused Mi and the bawling Sairaorg who was hugging her for dear life.

 Chapter 44: The importance of time

    Chapter 44: The importance of time


    Tom and Natasha spent a few more minutes with the now awakened Mi and Sairaorg. When the confused woman learned what happened to her and that Tom was the one to help her, she started profusely thanking him and that got awkward really fast.


    She wanted to pay him for it and while Tom was quite a shameless individual and proud of it, he refused. Being paid three times for one job sounded damn delicious but unfortunately, Mi only offered money and Tom didn''t need that. Maybe if she offered something else...?


    It didn''t take long after that for Tom and Natasha to ''retreat'' and leave the room, letting Sarael deal with the consequences of someone being cured of the Sleeping Sickness.


    The old devil was openly cussing and ring at Tom as he realized the shitstorming his way when the Devil Council and the other nobles got to know Mi was cured. Sarael expected months of experiments, which would give him time to prepare. Not even in his wildest dreams, did he dare to think that Tom would just walk in and an hourter, walk out with Mi awake!


    Tom couldn''t help but show him a cheeky satisfied smile as he teleported home. His goals were aplished, his theories confirmed, and his path forward clear. Now he only had to walk it.


    He decided to wait for the chaos to erupt and for the noble families to start begging Sarael to heal their family members too. That should make Sarael nervous since he didn''t have the means to do it and the political pressure on his family should be at least a bit concerning.


    Tom definitely did this as revenge for the old devil always messing with him. Serves the prick right.


    He nned to let Sarael and the other noble families stew in anxiety for a while. That should make them more amenable to the same secrecy contracts he put Sarael under and force them to give Tom good offers. After all, Tom couldn''t really do his thing if somebody observed what was going on.


    On top of that, Sarael would want to win political brownie points with other houses too so he shouldn''t be averse to being the middle-man and figurehead for these deals between the other pir houses and Tom, allowing Tom to stay under the radar.


    Oh, Tom couldn''t wait! He had a few hundreds of sleeping devils just waiting to be milked for their magic and life energy by him!


    The best part? Their family willpletely willingly pay millions for it.


    ...


    After arriving home, Natasha prepared hot chocte and they sat on the couch in their living room, Natasha taking up her usual spot on Tom''sp. She didn''t instantly burst into questioning mode and rather let the mood between them befortable as they cuddled and asionally kissed while enjoying their drink.


    Only when they both werepletely rxed did Natasha slowly ask the question that bothered her the most.


    "Why give me the Power of Destruction? It could have helped you to be so much stro-" She started with a conflicted gaze, her arms tightening her hold on Tom. She was grateful. Very grateful. But she didn''t want him to deprive himself because of her.


    Tom cut her question short by pecking her on the lips, and with his arms around her hips, he pulled her closer to him and spoke, "Because I care about you. You had so many problems getting the human magic right." He smiled at her to let her know he wasn''t disappointed, "The Power of Destruction works on apletely different principle and it shoulde instinctually to you. You are mine, Natalia. Your strength is also my strength so it is only natural I look out for you and give you all the possible advantages and opportunities I can. That and the Power of Destruction would be more of a hindrance to me than an asset." He wryly added.


    "Hmmm..." Natasha thoughtfully hummed and put her forehead against Tom''s. "What do you mean? Aren''t youcking firepower right now? This would have been perfect for you, no?" She frowned.


    Tom looked into her clear green eyes and saw that she didn''t really understand the problem. Well, it was natural since she didn''t have many aplishments in magic. At best, she managed to learn mind-enhancing spells and while the ones Tom acquired were one of the best in the magicianmunity, they were still basic low-tier spells.


    In short, Natasha did not have any experience with harder higher-tier spells and how hard and time-consuming it was to learn them.


    "It''s the same as with you learning a new fighting technique." Tom decided to exin it in her nguage''. "When youck a grappling move you don''t go and learn a throwing one. You directly seek to learn a grappling technique, no?"


    "Yes." Natasha furrowed her eyebrows at that. Wasn''t that obvious?


    Tom smiled in satisfaction, "The Power of Destruction is one of the best abilities in the supernatural world. A very few things can match its destructive capabilities. I''d even go as far as to say it reigns supreme in that field." He purposefully paused, only continuing when Natasha''s eyes slightly widened at the preciousness of what she was given, "But just because you possess it, it doesn''t make you unbeatable. You are still a low-rank being, Natalia. Even if I have a n to get you up to snuff as far as energy reserves are considered, it will still take you years to bepetent at using the Power of Destruction."


    Natasha, who was raptly listening, suddenly realized the message Tom was telling her, "Time." She whispered in surprise, "You don''t have the time to waste on training the Power of Destruction."


    It was a shock that she didn''t think about this. In hindsight, as someone who spent arge part of her life training, she should have known that no skill was for free. Just the instinctual knowledge that she could imbue the Concept of Destruction into her mana and create Power of Destruction made her momentarily forget that it was not as easy as it seemed.


    She could summon it...


    But that was it. She couldn''t shape it. She couldn''t control it. She couldn''t do much with it. All that will require training. Lots and lots of training. Moreover, Tom was polite and didn''t say it but Natasha understood that the chance she would ever master her new power was almost nonexistent.


    Hell, now that she thought about it, from the tidbits she remembered of Tom''s history lessons about the supernatural world, even the current Lucifer who had the same ability couldn''t fully control his Power of Destruction in his strongest form.


    How could she measure up to him?


    "Yes, darling." Tom, happy that she caught up so fast, pecked her on the nose, eliciting a small involuntary giggle from her, "I focus on alchemy. It''s creative magic with a lot of versatility. I am not going to throw that versatility away just because I have ess to the most destructive magic in the supernatural world. It''s that kind of versatility in my way of interacting with magical energies that allowed you to get the Power of Destruction in the first ce."


    Tom knew most people would jump at the possibility of having the Power of Destruction but... until now, Tom was walking his own path. The path he made into a possibility with his own ability, Sacred Gear, and ingenuousness.


    And it was working.


    God. He actually managed to steal a freaking Power of Destruction and nobody had any idea about it! How friggin'' cool was that!?


    Throwing his future possibilities of creativity just to train a wipe-all type of magic?


    Screw that.


    Tom was not doing it.


    Natasha was in a different position than him though.


    "Plus, you are an assassin, Natalia." Tom said and Natasha stiffened a bit.


    She didn''t like her upation. She wasn''t proud of what she was. And thest blunder with the Jasin Family made her very embarrassed. But Natasha knew her way of thinking was inevitably affected by her childhood. She just... couldn''t stop being herself.


    "Nobody said you gotta use the Power of Destruction like a hot-headed idiot and charge head-on at your enemy. The ability to destroy anything in the hands of the best mundane human assassin. I want to see it, you know?" Tom''s smile turned into a curious grin and his brown eyes gained a peculiar glint as he eximed in a firm voice, "I want to see just how far you can go with it."


    And that... was all the motivation Natasha needed.


    She no longer cared why Tom gave her the Power of Destruction. He had his reasons. It was not important to her. The reality was that she possessed it now and to show how much she appreciated that, she would train it and make herself useful to Tom.


    She will show him her worth and be a pir he could depend on! Her resolve was firmly set.

 Chapter 45: No plan survives the clash with reality

    Chapter 45: No n survives the sh with reality


    Two weeks have passed since Tom cured Mi Bael and so far, he has been enjoying the quiet and peace of his home while training the control of his magic, getting back up to snuff after his recent increase in magic.


    Despite only gaining a bit of increase in his magic reserves, his control was kinda shaky. Tom was already dreading the time when he finished curing the other devils. He will have a massive reservoir of magic but it was damn obvious he would have a mighty hard time controlling it.


    But... it was better to have those reserves and spend years training control rather than not having them and spending decades, maybe centuries, trying to increase his reserves while simultaneously training control.


    Really... everything had its upsides and downsides and Tom could only helplessly smile and decide which path was more convenient for him.


    With his small increase in magic, two weeks were enough of training to regain his iron-d control and since that was done, Tom was now reviewing some of his ideas in his office. He had another major project getting started and it made him very excited and motivated.


    That didn''tst long, however. Not even an hour after Tom started brainstorming and polishing his new idea, Sarael''s magic circle appeared in front of his table, and the old devil teleported straight into Tom''s office, making his lips set themselves in a frown.


    "Hi, Tommy!" Sarael cheerfully eximed, but Tom was not having it.


    Narrowing his eyes, he gruffly asked, "How did you breach the wards?"


    An ''Oh, shit!'' kind of expression appeared on Sarael''s face and his hand started rubbing the back of his head as he started awkwardlyughing, "Eh? Err... Did you forget who set them up for you?"


    Sarael tried to sound innocent but when Tom''s eye twitched after his answer, he inwardly cringed, knowing his answer was not appreciated.


    ''Damn, another thing I missed.'' Tom inwardly fumed.


    The wards requested by Tom naturally had an anti-teleportation function but he forgot to explicitly forbid Sarael from installing a backdoor for himself.


    Tom was smart but he was not perfect.


    Fortunately, Natasha was training her newly gained powers in the basement, which had even stronger wards than the rest of the house so there was no energy leakage. Thest thing Tom needed was Sarael or anybody, really, realizing that Natasha had the Power of Destruction.


    Tom realized he would have to both warn Natasha of using the Power of Destruction in front of anybody until they both were sufficiently strong and invest some of his time into studying wards so he could set them up himself rather than rely on others.


    Tom leveled his eyes at the still sheepish Sarael and firmly said in an unamused tone, "You will destroy any kind of backdoor you have into my house."


    "Fine." Sarael whiningly epted, not trying to dispute it. He only installed these backdoors to annoy Tom anyway and they served their purpose quite well if Tom''s expression was anything to go by.


    Tom sighed and looked back at the documents on his table, "Why are you here?"


    Sarael''s eyes widened as if he gained a sudden realization, "Oh! Yeah! I almost forgot, you bastard! You made me deal with all the political craziness that Mi''s awakening caused!" He approached Tom''s table and put his hands on it as he leaned closer to Tom, trying to appear menacing.


    Tom couldn''t help but chuckle when he saw the attempted impression of the Yakuza look on Sarael''s face. Something about a thin and refined man dressed like an old noble trying to act like a thug was just... pfft, cute.


    "You will get paid for your trouble. I don''t see any problem." Tom said, his lips twitching upwards as he tried not tough.


    No matter how angry Sarael seemed to be, Tom knew it was just another of his games. If the old devil was really angry, he would have tried to pressurize Tom with his demonic energy or something.


    This? At best, Sarael was annoyed.


    "Problem? Of course, there is a problem!" Sarael huffed and threw his arms up in the air as he staggered back and flopped directly onto a chair for the guests in front of Tom''s desk, "Do you have any idea how many Pir Families have people afflicted with the Sleeping Sickness?" Heined in exasperation.


    "Mhm. Don''t know, don''t care." Tom hummed and nodded, not raising his eyes from the documents in front of him as he scribbled a diagram of life energy transformation into...


    "Well, maybe you will quickly gain interest when I say that Sirzerchs Lucifer himself wants to meet with you." Sarael dropped a bomb, interrupting Tom''s trail of thoughts and causing his pen to jerk to the side, ruining his diagram.


    Tom didn''t have the time to even get annoyed as his brain was processing what Sarael had just told him.


    Lucifer himself wanted to meet?


    Tom looked up from his documents, meeting Saraels gaze, and asked, "Why?"


    This was not a part of his ns. Not by a long shot. Tom knew he would gain a lot of interest from many politically powerful parties in the Devil Society but that''s what he had Sarael for. The Four Satans were not supposed to get involved. Not yet. Not until Tom was done with his n.


    So... why?


    Sarael wryly smiled. He liked to screw with people but... sigh, "His grandparents. He came personally to me and I couldn''t just shrug him off. Not when my very own daughter supported him instead of me." He helplessly shrugged, his expression sour.


    The fuck? The Gremory grandparents were still alive? That was not supposed to be a thing!


    Tom''s eye twitched as he wondered how many other sudden bombs will ruin his future ns like this. And since his frustration was starting to build up, he decided to unleash it on the closest possible target.


    "Poor you. Your daughter decided to support her crush instead of her daddy." Tom snarked, but his mind was working overtime to try ande up with a good way to deal with this new eventuality.


    "My little girl does not have a crush on that barbarian!" Sarael indignantly eximed.


    "Whatever lets you sleep at night, buddy." Tom gave him an appeasing smile that was obviously fake, making Sarael''s indignation even deeper.


    "She really doesn''t!" Sarael huffed and crossed his arms on his chest, adorning a sullen look.


    Tom had no idea about Serafall''s feelings regarding Sirzechs, and he certainly didn''t care but seeing Sarael''s aggravated face was worth it. Plus, this exchange gave Tom enough time to think about how to proceed with his ns.


    "Nevermind that." Sarael eventually dropped his facade of butthurt father, and turned serious, "I really need you to meet with him, Tom. The Lords of other Houses are quite easy to shrug off. But Zekram Bael and the four Satans? I can''t deal with that."


    Tom understood. Sarael was willing to humor him and deal with a lot of trouble because of their cordial rtionship and the profit it would bring his House. But there were limits that he wasn''t willing to cross.


    It was only natural. Sarael was looking out for his own good and Tom respected that. It was what enabled the fruitful rtionship between them to happen in the first ce.


    "And I should expect political maneuvering, right?" Tom helplessly smiled, knowing the answer to that.


    After all, Sirzechs was...


    "Well, he is in the charge of internal affairs." Sarael sheepishly chuckled, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.


    The only thing why Sarael was necessary for Tom''s schemes was secrecy and avoiding the devil-kind''s political scene. Sarael clearly knew that. He was too experienced to not notice his part in this little game Tom had going on. He might not have known what was in it for Tom, but he knew what was in it for him and his House and his role.


    With this move from Lucifer, half of Sarael''s usefulness became a moot point and it made him irritated and embarrassed. A devil he might be but everything his House owned was well-earned and he took great pride in that. This felt as if he failed the deal between himself and Tom, and that made him feel disgruntled.


    Tom shook his head, ignoring Sarael''s embarrassment.


    Maybe, just maybe this meeting with Sirzechs could be beneficial to him.


    No doubt the man wanted his grandparents to be cured and that might give Tom leeway in making a special deal with him.


    Tom chuckled and muttered, "God help me."


    Sarael winced at that and shot an unamused look at Tom, irritably thinking it was his petty revenge for bringing a problem like this to him.


    "Oi! That''s underhanded!" He admonished Tom.


    "Huh?" Tom confusedly blinked, too busy plotting his next perfect robbery to pay attention to what was Sarael''s problem.

 Chapter 46: Meeting with the Big Not-so-bad Lucifer

    Chapter 46: Meeting with the Big Not-so-bad Lucifer


    Tom stared at the inviting smile andpassionate look of a red-haired aristocratic-looking man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties, trying to ignore the cold and expressionless face of the maid standing behind him.


    Inwardly, Tom felt a strong urge to let his eye twitch.


    ''So he wants toe off as the good guy, leaving the position of the bad guy to Grayfia?'' Tom thought, already finding this charade exhausting.


    "Hello, Mr. Lucifer. I am Tom Prest." Since the guy wanted to y it like this, Tom decided to oblige and went with a friendly and informal approach, which earned him a re from the maid.


    Not that he cared about her. He only briefly smiled at her in reply before redirecting his eyes back to Sirzechs who apparently found the situation amusing.


    "I am Sirzechs Lucifer. Nice to meet you, Tom." Sirzechs stood up and offered Tom a handshake.


    After they shook their hands, they both sat down and Tom had to admit, Sarael had a style. His second living room, where the meeting was happening since Tom wanted a ''neutral'' ground, was quitevish.


    Seeing that Tom was subtly looking around, Sirzechs''s lips twitched. He didn''t know if he should feel exasperated or amused. It has been a long time since somebody dared to ignore him like this.


    But he understood. Tom was just showing he would not be cowed by such passive-aggressive y. Sirzechs could respect that.


    But he was a busy man too.


    "We both know why we are here so let''s cut to the chase." Sirzechs promptly started, the easy-going air around him turning serious as he leaned forward and put his chin on the sped hands in front of him with his elbows on the table. "Can you cure my grandparents?"


    He was obviously aware that Sarael would give Tom the necessary information. Hell, Sirzechs expected it and was happy about it. Less wasting of time that way. There was a reason why he used one of his favors to make Serafall support him rather than her family in this matter.


    His family was just that important to him.


    Tom inwardly frowned. This was not the chatty happy-go-lucky sis-con he remembered from the DxD anime. This was a powerful man who was clearly willing to y nice but he was obviously not interested in getting a negative answer. Depending on what he said next, these talks could go sideways really fast.


    ''Well, at least he is not a forceful prick like so many other devils would have definitely tried to be.'' Tom wryly thought. ''Very well, since he wants to skip the forey and get to the business, I guess I can humor him.''


    Tom had to admit that he was starting to get used to wordys and misdirecting jokes due to his interaction with Sarael. The old Sitri devil was definitely a bad influence.


    "Mhm. For a price." Tom bluntly spoke.


    Grayfia''s eyes narrowed at that but Sirzechs''s smile only slightly widened. Tom''s answer satisfied him. He was here as Sirzechs Gremory. Not Sirzechs Lucifer. He had no interest in pulling rank over Tom. Over a human, at that.


    "See? I told you he wouldn''t care in the least about my position." He mirthfully stated and cheerfully looked at Grayfia who just sullenly frowned, refusing to let him get a rise out of her.


    Sirzechs couldn''t give a toss about Tom wanting something in return. Of course, it would depend on what the price was but... He was not the original Lucifer. He was fully willing to pay for a service. Especially a service that would put House Gremory in enormous debt to the person in front of him.


    Sirzechs turned back to Tom, expecting him to be a bit surprised at the interaction between him and his maid but with a small disappointment, he realized Tom didn''t bat an eysh. Shrugging it off, Sirzechs nodded, "Very well, state your price."


    Outwardly, the red-haired devil waspletely at ease but inwardly he was very anxious. His grandparents were already fast asleep when he was born but as someone raised in House Gremory, Family was everything to him. It was the reason why he even bothered to fight against the Old Satans and it was the reason why he bothered to put up with the King Faction''s bullshit every day, being swamped in paperwork from sunrise to sunset.


    Tom slowly nodded. He had no idea how the next thing he was about to say would be received but... he thought long and hard about what benefit he could get from Sirzechs.


    Obviously, Tom''s price couldn''t be something outrageous.


    Firstly, Sirzechs might have been the ruler of devils but most of the things were still decided by the Devil Council. Tom knew that any request concerning somerge favor from the entire devil race would have been promptly shut down.


    He could not be greedy here.


    But he could ask a lot too. As long as this ''lot'' only concerned Sirzechs personally and not the devil race.


    Unfortunately, in the political view, Sirzechs was the devil race.


    He was their leader and their figurehead. In that regard, he was simr to the President of the United States. Whatever the man did, the devil race followed. The only reason why the Devil Council had power over him was his reluctance to suppress them with his power.


    But that was apletely different can of worms.


    It simply meant that Tom could not request Sirzechs to move on his behalf. Whatever price he asked of the man, it can''t be a favor he could cash in at ater date because Sirzechs owing a favor to Tom would be tantamount to the Devil Race owing a favor to him.


    "Well," Tom pleasantly smiled, inwardly feeling a bit like a crook. And damn if that wasn''t making him nervous as heck. "I''d like a copy of yourbat memories."


    There. He said it.


    Sirzechs blinked several times in bewilderment. It took even him a few seconds before he managed to utter a confused, "What?"


    Grayfia also sported furrowed eyebrows, not knowing what to think about... this.


    It was so far from anything they imagined Tom would demand of them that it made them shocked for a moment.


    "You want my... memories?" Sirzechs gave Tom a weird look. It was not hostile but it showed the man was not...fortable with the idea.


    "Only a copy of instances where you are fighting or training." Tom curtly nodded, once again making Sirzechs and Grayfia stumped.


    Seeing the man still had a somewhat reluctant look, Tom hurriedly added, "Don''t worry, I intend to sign a contract for them with you in exchange for curing your grandparents. You will have aplete overview of what will be copied and a small power over limiting a few things so no... ahem, intimate or secret things will be leaked."


    To be honest, Tom didn''t ask much in Sirzechs opinion. He just... asked something too unprecedented. Sirzechs expected anything. Demand for money, influence, marriage, a chance to be a devil, and support until he is high-ss... There were many things Sirzechs expected Tom to ask of him.


    But this...


    "Why?" He frowned, considering the deal.


    "Experience." Tom shrugged. "Only after seeing a certain situation will a person be able to react appropriately to it happening again, finding it easier. The first time always seems like a massive hurdle. That''s in a nutshell experience. The same thing applies tobat experience. Viewing yourbat and training-rted memories might not give me the same thing as experiencing these moments myself but I believe there will be many valuable insights for me, considering you fought in the Devil Civil War and you are one of the strongest beings in the world. It''s a... passing curiosity of mine, you see?" He calmly exined.


    Sirzechs slowly nodded. It was a... usible reason. "Are you sure this is what you want? You know you could ask for a lot of money or..."


    "Yeah. I am kind of interested in research concerning memories and experience right now and what better sample than memories of the Lucifer himself?" Tom said, some of his excitement involuntarily seeping into his tone.


    The excitement was real, the statement... not so much.


    "Ah. Ajuka-wannabe. I see now." Sirzechs forced a smile but now he understood fully what he was dealing with.


    ''A research nerd.'' He wryly thought, ''Just great. At least I can rest assured he will do his job properly, I guess.''


    It started making sense how a human found a way to cure Sleeping Sickness.


    Well, not really but Sirzechs suspected some sort of Sacred Gear or a special ability. After all, the secrecy measures around it were so strenuous it made even him raise an eyebrow at it. But that was not his business. Lord Sitri clearly tried to ''woo'' this human into his family so Sirzechs decided to be polite and not get mixed up in that.


    Giving up on trying to understand how the mind of these crazies worked, Sirzechs inwardly sighed. "I... wouldn''t be against providing what you want. Of course, I''d like to see the contract first."


    Tom smirked and leaned forward, grasping a clean parchment on the table before turning it over, revealing an already pre-written contract, making both Grayfia and Sirzechs a bit bbergasted.


    "You are, uh, prepared." Sirzechsmely remarked, resisting the urge to scratch his head. Looking at Tom, he gave him a weirded-out smile and tilted his head a bit. "What if I rejected your proposal?"


    Tom just nonchntly shrugged, "I am not asking anything important, anything of great value to you or the devil race as a whole, and you are a Gremory. But if that happened, I could only ept it and change my price. Though, I am not prepared for that eventuality."


    Which was a tant lie.


    Sirzechs raised his eyebrow at Tom, his smile regaining a twinge of easy-going amusement, "I see. You have thought about this a lot."


    "Mhm." Tom hummed.


    "Well..." Sirzechs sheepishly chuckled and reached toward the parchment, "Let''s see."

 Chapter 47: Masterful deceit or just complacency?

    Chapter 47: Masterful deceit or justcency?


    Surprisingly, the talks with Sirzechs went perfectly fine and the man didn''t even try to drag Tom into some coboration with the Devil Government, letting Sarael and House Sitri deal with the situation instead.


    Or rather, as Sirzechs helplessly admitted, that was the price of having Serafall''s help in this matter.


    Tom wanted to give the poor bastard a pat on his shoulder. He could fully understand his suffering. Naturally, Sarael''s daughter would not do anything for free. After all, there was a lot of work with this project but also a lot of benefits to be reaped afterward.


    That''s why three days after his meeting with Sirzechs, Tom found himself alongside Natasha in the same room where he cured Mi Bael, only this time his eyes were greeted by two beds with two red-haired middle-aged people sleeping in them.


    Thankfully, the room waspletely empty as per the agreement and there was no surveince magic or device anywhere. Tom made sure to word that use precisely. Sirzechs was supposed to ensure with all his power and capabilities that there would be none. If there was even one, the contract would have been breached the second Tom walked into the room simply because of how many specialists in warding Sirzechs had at his disposal. His capabilities fully epassed calling one and ordering him to check for these kinds of stuff.


    But of course, Sirzechs demanded a counter use that stated that Tom couldn''t bring harm to his grandparents unless it was necessary for their healing. That would usually put an instant stop to Tom''s schemes because stealing demonic and life energy was indeed ''causing a harm'', but Tom fully expected that and was prepared.


    When he showed up to the appointment with Natasha in tow, Sirzechs actually showed an unamused frown as he realized his precautionary use became a moot point since it only bound Tom and not the girl he dragged along.


    Though, he didn''t argue much. Tom only had to hint at needing her to cure them and Sirzechs relented despite not being happy about it. He could only ept it or call the deal off.


    Well, that probably ruined any future trust between Tom and Sirzechs since Tom yed him well. And even though it brought no visible detriment or consequences, Tom doubted Sirzechs would put his trust in him again without having all the details.


    But unknown to Sirzechs, the real magic was happening elsewhere.


    The contractual magic they both signed was made by Tom. And while Tom could not fake the cost and service since it was almost an innate ability of devils to know these in every contract that concerns them, Tom was a bit more underhanded.


    Devils were known for doing contracts from time immemorial. Their entire history was full of that. No powerful devil reached his prowess without doing at least one contract. Even Satans still did contracts from time to time. It was akin to their racial ''advantage'' and pride that they got stronger by making contracts. To this day, the devils on parties bragged about the number of contracts they fulfilled.


    And that kind of pride in their ability when it came to seeing through contracts begotcency.


    Sirzechs only checked the price and service provided. Not the actual contractual magic itself. Granted, it could not do him much harm. Tom was too weak to put even a scratch on Sirzechs through it.


    But...


    As the creator of the contractual magic, Tom had a bit of leeway at his disposal.


    For example, he could do something like... disguising someone else''s magical signature as his own on a pre-written contract that was already ''signed'' by ''him'' when he showed it to Sirzechs.


    In reality, it was not Tom who was bound by the contract between Sirzechs and ''him''. It was actually Natasha.


    It was she who would receive the copy of Sirzechs''s memories and it was also she who could not cause harm to the Gremory grandparents. And to fulfill the contract, she only had to be a part of their recovery.


    And yes. Tom was damn proud of pulling this off!


    Sirzechs could only see cost and service rendered, not who the other party was. Especially not when it came to contracts through magical signatures.


    s, most of the contracts the devils did nowadays, especially the contracts with the mundane folk since there was no other way for them to enter a contract with a devil otherwise, were through magical signatures so nobody could fault Lucifer for not thinking about this little tidbit.


    "So... are we doing the same thing as before?" Natasha awkwardly asked, pulling Tom out of his thoughts. "Do you want me to hold a contract or something?"


    She had no idea how these things worked and that made her question her need to be here. Especially after Tom warned her, again and again, to not show her Power of Destruction in front of anybody... period.


    She was very anxious about being paraded in front of the man who was said to be the incarnation of Destruction when she was supposed to be hiding her connection to the concept of destruction.


    No doubt she came off as a bit unconfident but trying to appear level-headed to Sirzechs. Then again, she only afterward realized that her behavior was probably fully within Tom''s ns.


    It probably brought Sirzechs''s suspicion and reluctance to allow her near his grandparents down quite a bit, considering she seemed so harmless.


    "Nah, let me first inspect them with my Sacred Gear. Who knows? Maybe I will find some useful information." Tom''s eyes gleamed as he watched the unconscious Gremory couple with a gleam in his eyes.


    These two were Ultimate-rank beings! Both of Gremory Bloodline. They were one of the oldest devils still alive. The children of the original Gremory.


    Another... incest couple.


    Tom would have frowned on that if it didn''t bring him so many benefits.


    Frankly, devils indulged in incest a lot in the past, believing it would strengthen their bloodlines. So, many brothers married and fucked their sisters.


    Of course, that notion waspletely dispelled when their progeny actually weakened. Zeoticus Gremory was a tant proof of that. The poor bastard was millennia old but unable to get into the Ultimate rank himself despite both of his parents being Ultimate ranks.


    Natasha walked next to Tom and put her hand on his shoulder, the worry clear in her green eyes, "You know it puts strain on your body." She tried to talk him out of it.


    Natasha did not like the effects Tom''s Sacred Gear had on his body at all. He told her he had some n to deal with it and make his body strong enough to bear it but that was still only a n at this stage and...


    "Natalia," Tom put his hand on hers and reassuringly squeezed as he looked her straight in the eyes, "we can''t just walk in and out within a minute. We have to take at least an hour to cure them. And since we have loads of time, I might as well make use of this opportunity. Now that you have the Power of Destruction, we can''t just go back. We must be stronger if we want to live in peace." He kissed her before turning back towards the two unconscious devils on the bed.


    Natasha could only ept that and sat down on a nearby chair with frustration filling her. She watched Tom activating his Sacred Gear, and then a few tens of long and agonizingly anxious seconds were upon her as she waited for Tom to finish.


    Fortunately, she sat close enough and when Tom finished, she instantly sprang forward, catching his falling body. He once again pushed himself to the limits and she could only watch in frustration.


    Tom wasn''t receptive to her troubled state of mind, though.


    "Fascinating." He mumbled as he shakily stood up and sat on the edge of the bed with a huge grin. "This was so worth it!" He excitedly gushed, his strength slowly returning.


    Natasha highly doubted that but with a sigh, she could only obey as Tom invitingly patted hisp.


    Well, it wasn''t as if she hated it...


    When she sat down on hisp, Tom''s hands instantly snaked around her torso and he affectionately pulled her a bit closer. Natasha started to get excited, her eyes ncing at the two unconscious devils in the room but her body was reacting to Tom''s touch. Her breath quickened and...


    "Let me give you a small lesson on devilish biology, Gremory bloodline, and how Sirzechs Gremory came to be." Tom whispered as he nuzzled against her hair, making Natasha''s excitement instantly cool down as she realized that no, he didn''t want to ravish her.


    He wanted to talk about some unimportant, nerdy, magical stuff she could care less about.


    Releasing a deeply aggravated sigh, Natasha buried her face into Tom''s shoulder, "Sure... Sure, I am listening." She groaned out, making Tom chuckle at the misery in her voice.


    He knew she was not interested in his magic research talks at all but he liked teasing her like this. Plus, this was relevant to her so, unlike other times, he couldn''t just spare her the suffering.

 Chapter 48: Gremory bloodline

    Chapter 48: Gremory bloodline


    With Natasha on hisp, even if she was a bit disgruntled and unwilling... Well, nothing a bit of tickling wouldn''t fix... Tom started exining as he received a weak bite on the shoulder from his girl who tried to suppress herughter.


    Oh, he knew exactly where she was most ticklish.


    With his hands around her torso, she would be unable to escape and he would make sure she listened to every single word of his lecture. Natasha learned the meaning of... evil.


    ording to the general knowledge of devils, their children inherited their bloodlines usually through the genes of males. That''s why Sirzechs Lucifer was such a special case.


    While the devil society revered strength most and some Pir Houses were actually ruled by women, the devil females usually sought strong males. The Pir Houses themselves looked for strong males to marry their daughters off. Not only to make sure they would be safe but because it would bring them more benefits if their new ''ally'' is a strong one.


    But it was different with Zeoticus Gremory and Venna Bael.


    Venna is an Ultimate-rank devil with a very strong bloodline while Zeoticus is only High-rank, also with a bloodline.


    Despite the male genes being usually dominant, with Sirzechs, Venna''s stronger genes that were more charged with demonic energy didn''t just give a way for Zeoticus''s bloodline to take over. But fighting was unadvisable for the survival of the baby so they merged, creating Sirzechs who had both Gremory and Bael bloodlines in him.


    Of course, devils had no idea it worked like this. They had many assumptions and the like but their theories were usually so far from the truth it was hrious. Some spouted purity of their blood while others thought it was due to how noble their bloodlines were... just utter rubbish. The only thing people agreed on was that Sirzechs was a one-in-a-million miracle.


    To be honest, it was a usible assumption that Sirzechs was just a special freak of nature. Sirzechs was like someone with heterochromia or someone born with both penis and vagina. It just didn''t happen all that often...


    But Tom had now enough information about devils thanks to his Sacred Gear to determine that Sirzechs''s ''breeding'' waspletely replicable. It was just unnatural for devil females to have a weaker partner. Not only the desire for a strong partner was ingrained in every devil female but it was a source of ridicule in the higher devil society to be satisfied with a weaker one.


    Venna''s situation was that special and the devils still had no idea what the grandpa Gremory used to ckmail Zekram with to hand over his granddaughter to the Gremory Family.


    Of course,moner devils didn''t care much about these ''rules'' and oftentimes a stronger female had kids with a weaker male. Butmoner devils were usually weak and without bloodlines so it really didn''t matter.


    But that was also what misled the other devils, making them think the strength didn''t matter in this case. There were a ton of strong females in such a situation and their children were nothing out of the norm.


    Tom was d about that kind of ignorance. He didn''t need the Pir Houses to realize how to produce dual bloodlines in their kids. Even though the female devils would be dissatisfied with weaker partners, Tom had no doubt that most Pir Lords would marry their daughter to whoever if it produced strong children.


    Frankly, Tom found it ridiculous how many advantages the devil race had and how many of these biological shenanigans of theirs were not even discovered by them yet.


    That said, Sirzechs was really a happy coincidence of bloodline merging. The Bael and Gremory bloodlines had incredible synergy between them so Sirzechs was unusually strong even for someone with two bloodlines.


    The Gremory bloodline was nothing shy and before scanning the sleeping Gremory grandparents, Tom had no idea what it did since there were no records of it but when he found out, he almost started salivating.


    The Gremorys were known for their incredible ability with magic and now Tom knew why. The Gremory bloodline simply increased the control one had over his energy.


    It sounded uninterestingpared to other shy bloodlines but... coupled with demonic energy that was hard to control as it was? It was the Gremory Bloodline that made Sirzechs so different from the Bael Family when it came to the proficiency in wielding the Power of Destruction.


    He simply had more control over it. He could almost control his demonic energy instinctively so he didn''t need to spend centuries trying to get his control up to snuff in order to be able to control enough of his Power of Destruction forrge-scale spells.


    The Gremory bloodline was like a permanent performance-enhancing cheat.


    Naturally, Tom didn''t intend to miss the chance to get some of that for himself and Natasha. Not when he had two Gremory devils just waiting to be deprived of their bloodlines.


    These two were not like Mi Bael. These two were asleep for centuries already. Nobody could say what effect being asleep and having their magic under strain for so long could have. If they suddenly became much worse at magic, most devils would assume it was simply because of their sickness since they were unaware of what their bloodline was supposed to do.


    And the Gremorys would have no proof even if they suspected foul y. After all, the sheer notion of some human stealing bloodlines from devils was ridiculous at best.


    Tom finished exining to the starstruck Natasha and grinned, "So, up to getting yet another power-up, darling?"


    "This psycho wants to rob the grandparents of Lucifer of their bloodlines? And I voluntarily work for him? What was I thinking?" Natasha tiredly asked herself out loud, inwardly groaning at how crazy and risky this was but... she knew she wouldn''t say no. Not when Tom exined the benefits to her.


    Honestly, she really, really wanted the Gremory Bloodline. Her training with the Power of Destruction was progressing but it was kinda hard.


    Unlike Demonic Energy, mana was less potent, which didn''t matter since Power of Destruction was not affected by that at all. The energy would be imbued with the concept of destruction and that was that. It didn''t matter how potent the energy was.


    But humans had an easier time controlling their mana and that was, ording to Tom, a huge boost for Natasha''s training with said ability. Getting even more control over her mana? She was sold.


    Seeing her dreamy expression, Tom snickered, "I''ll take that your silence as a yes."


    That pulled Natasha out of her brief reverie, giving Tom a sensual smile before she pecked his cheek, "You are too good to me." She whispered, a bit embarrassed.


    Tom returned the kiss on the cheek, "I couldn''t agree more. If in a few years you can''t get stronger than Sirzechs with both Bael and Gremory bloodlines, centuries of hisbat and training memories and insights, and the fact that human mana is overall more efficient with the Power of Destruction, then my efforts were wasted." He cheekily joked.


    But unlike some scathing remark in return as he expected, Natasha just bowed her head a bit and mumbled with a conviction in her tone, "I will beat him. One day, I will show you that your faith in me is not a mistake."


    Tom didn''t have an answer to that. He was a bit speechless and could only put his arms around her, pulling her into an affectionate hug while quietly whispering, "I know you will."


    They enjoyed the embrace for a few seconds and when they pulled away, Tom wiped a stray tear from under Natasha''s eye, making her smile happily...


    Unfortunately, the mushy atmosphere had to be interrupted because their time was running out.


    Tom nted onest kiss on Natasha''s lips before gently ushering her out of hisp. "Well, then, now that my Natalianium is recharged," Tom quipped, getting an eye roll from the blushing Natasha, "I guess we have a job to do here."


    His eyes slowlynded on the two middle-aged Gremory devils, and his lips stretched into a smile. It was time to get a much-needed power boost for himself alongside some magic and life energy.


    As for morals...


    These two were old. Old enough that they definitely ''stole'' a massive amount of souls from humans in the past. Tom felt no sympathy or pity for them.

 Chapter 49: Suicidal urges?

    Chapter 49: Suicidal urges?


    The ''curing'' of the old Gremorys went off without a hitch and both Tom and Natasha now sported new ''bloodlines''.


    Tom called it bloodlines because that''s what devils believed them to be but frankly, they were more of special abilities passable by blood... which basically meant bloodlines... but bite him. The workings of these abilities had nothing to do with blood or genes.


    Neither Natasha nor Tom had any physical changes. Same as with the connection to the Concept of Destruction and Natasha''s body, they simply gained some ''new sense'' inside of them rather than have anything changed in their body.


    It came natural and instinctual to them and Tom noticed his control over mana improved drastically.


    Really... this bloodline was indispensable for him as a magician. It was totally worth risking to anger Lucifer for it.


    Fortunately, the weakness of the old Gremorys was deemed to be due to their long sleep, and not the fact Tom siphoned a whopping ten percent of their already weakened magic and life energy. Tom wondered how they would feel when they tried casting magic and realized their superb energy control was no longer reality, hehehe.


    Oh, well, he guessed the Sleeping Sickness would be ranked up in viciousness after thates out.


    Tom couldn''t make himself feel bad about it, though. He saw a bit of their past with his Sacred Gear and he wholeheartedly believed these kinds of people should have stayed unconscious or better, dead. Sure, they were Gremorys and cared for their family like nothing else but everyone else was a free game for them.


    Some of their acts made even Tom shudder. He really didn''t know if it was worth it to look at the past of the devils through his Sacred Gear anymore. He started to be a bit afraid of what he would see. Especially with the old devils.


    Things like mind-controlling a father to force himself onto his daughter...


    Or starving out a human only to serve him his wife as a meal...


    Or making a kid ughter his parents...


    And that was only the ''games'' they yed. There were still their demands for fulfilling the wishes of people. Not only did they take the soul of the poor idiot who agreed to such a thing, they usually even made him do some unsavory things before that.


    Very, very unsavory things.


    Let''s just say that once upon a time, the devils were very, very bored animals and had no restraint. Good thing that supernatural wars started otherwise humanity would have a hard time surviving their boredom.


    Tom wasn''t some idiot spouting human supremacy but he was a human nheless. Seeing the devils regard his race as ythings, amusing themselves in his race''s suffering and forcing them to do disgusting things just to make them despair... Let''s say he was not amused.


    He would not paint the devils with one brush as they became seemingly more civilized since their Civil War. He knew the old devils who did these reprehensible things were still alive and enjoying their life but it wasn''t Tom''s business. He was no batman. He felt no desire to punish them for something they did hundreds of years ago. Something that had nothing to do with him.


    For example, Sarael. He seemed like a nice guy and Tom regarded him as a friend. But he didn''t want to know what skeletons the man was hiding in the closet of his past. Just... no.


    That''s why he decided he would simply view the other devils he would be ''curing'' as livestock. Just sources of magic and life energy for him and Natasha. Level up mobs. Exp sacks.


    There was no room for pity or doubt when taking their magic and life energy. It was simply a business transaction in Tom''s opinion.


    ...


    Tom finished hisst rep with a barbell and sighed as Natasha helped him to put it back onto the ledges and his hands instantly felt the reprieve from Natasha''s training session.


    "A few more months and you will be ripped." Natasha tried to cheer Tom up, but hey on the bench and she stood right above him so it wasn''t hard to notice how the corners of her lips were quivering as she tried to hold back herughter.


    Tom''s eyebrow twitched. He was no Rambo, alright!?


    "Months?" Tom sullenly clicked his tongue and muttered, "Fuck this bullshit I am out."


    Unfortunately for him, Natasha heard him and put her hands on her hips, leaning forward and narrowing her eyes at Tom. "Well, unless you have a magical way to get ripped, then no, you are not quitting. Remember that it was you who said you need more stamina."


    Plus, the results were already showing a bit and Natasha was delighted with Tomsting longer in bed. Not that she would ever tell him that her reasons for being strict with him were not exactly all pure.


    Hearing her firm admonishing tone, Tom couldn''t help but smirk and turn his head away. He was always an advocate of working smarter, not harder, and if possible, cheating his way through obstacles.


    Seeing his reaction, Natasha facepalmed, "You do have a magical way of how to get ripped, don''t you?" She rhetorically asked in a fed-up tone, staring at Tom, not knowing whether to cry orugh at the absurdity of her lover.


    She was both happy and dismayed.


    Since the cat was out of the bag, Tom just nonchntly shrugged. "I am working on it, Natalia darling." He pulled himself up into a sitting position.


    "Don''t darling me. I am upset with you." Natasha sullenly said as she sat behind him, snaking her arms around his torso and resting her chin on his shoulder.


    Her man hated sweating so the smart idiot instantly cleaned away his sweat with a spell the second he sat up. Natasha sniffed... and rolled her eyes. He smelled of roses. No doubt he was fishing for a reaction from her. His spells were getting more and more ridiculous by the day.


    Natasha didn''tment on his ''not-so-manly'' fragrance. She just nuzzled his hair...


    "No, you are not upset." Tom mirthfully chuckled, "If you were upset with me, you wouldn''t have been trying to meld into my body like this." He could feel her soft chest pressing into his back and he had to say, he quite liked it.


    Natasha didn''t care, though. Roses were her favorite smell and he definitely knew it!


    When Natasha stayed quiet and didn''t rebuke him, Tom just silently shook his head, realizing he would not get a rise out of her as she was in her own world right now.


    Tom put his hand on her thigh, slowly but gently dragging it alongside it while applying slight pressure to somewhat pull her back to reality, "Want to hear the good news or the bad news?"


    Natasha contently sighed, enjoying his touch. "Give me the good news first."


    "It will not only make my body stronger but also increase my stamina a lot. And I mean really a lot." Tom said in a teasing tone, instantly feeling Natasha''s hold on him excitedly tighten.


    "Mhmm, sounds delicious." She sensually whispered into his ear, "You should hurry up and finish it then."


    She was about to lick his earlobe to advance their forey but Tom abruptly patted her thigh in a sign to stop and pulled his hand away, destroying the mood, much to Natasha''s confused ire.


    "The bad news is that it''s only possible thanks to my Sacred Gear so you will be unable to do it." Tom''s tone turned from yful to serious. He didn''t want her to get her hopes up and...


    "Doesn''t matter." Natasha instantly replied, also shifting into serious mode. But she didn''t stop hugging Tom from behind. After all, he still smelled of roses and her nose liked it. "You have already done enough for me."


    Natasha appreciated everything Tom had done for her. She now had the memories of Sirzechsbat and training experiences and the Gremory Bloodline. Her Power of Destruction training picked up and while she would not be destroying cities anytime soon, she was rapidly gaining proficiency in wielding it.


    That''s what happens when you have the same advantages and can learn from the mistakes of someone who can turn into an incarnation of destruction. She was definitely learning much quicker than Sirzechs did.


    And yet, despite all that, she was years away from being able to catch up to his skill level. But Natasha was nothing if not patient and determined.


    "What exactly are you going to do? It''s not dangerous, is it?" Natasha worriedly asked Tom. So far, his schemes were all dangerous in some way. She would have really loved it if he didn''t try to deceive people who could snuff them out of existence with a sneeze but she couldn''t argue it brought benefits.


    But due to his track record, Natasha didn''t have much hope that this new method of body improvement will be safe.


    "Er..." As expected, Tom eloquently answered, and Natasha sighed once again.


    "It is dangerous." She gave him an unamused stare.


    Fortunately for Tom, he could feel it but couldn''t see it since she sat behind him so he was fully able to ignore it, pretending it didn''t exist.


    "Only a bit. I am progressively emptying my life energy pool and merging it into my body." Tom truthfully exined.


    It was dumb, to be honest. He knew that. But lying to her and assuaging her worries was not an option. While it was a nice short-term solution, he nned to spend his life with this woman. Honesty was much better, even if it wasn''t what she wanted to hear.


    "So you are basically killing yourself, pumping your life into your body." Natasha clutched at the sides of Tom''s torso as she put her forehead on his shoulder and groaned in exasperation. "Now he has suicidal urges too. Just great." She mumbled under her nose in dissatisfaction, barely loud enough that Tom could hear it.

 Chapter 50: Yes. Suicidal urges.

    Chapter 50: Yes. Suicidal urges.


    Time slowly passed and Tom''s method indeed worked, much to Natasha''s dismay. His body started to get visibly stronger in just a week after he absorbed fifty years of his life force, breaking into a ''supernatural'' level, and with that, one of the biggest limitations of the human race was subverted by him.


    It was apparent he would never be a mountain of muscles since his body stayed lean and didn''t get a lot of increase in volume but appearances could indeed be very deceiving in the supernatural world.


    Natasha was not happy about it but when Tom lifted 300 kilograms barbell... with one hand as if it was nothing, she relented and called his physical training over. Of course, she still wanted him to spar with her asionally and Tom could proudly say that he got his ass handed to him despite his newfound physical prowess.


    His strength was only at the level of a low-rank devil so Natasha''s skill still made her superior. Tom simply couldn''t catch her. But on the rare asion that he caught her even once, she was done for.


    It was not only Tom''s physical strength that improved. It was his endurance, stamina, agility, and overall the whole physical package. Anything that had to do with physique got boosted through life energy.


    The only w of this technique was that it was not an instant boost like Touki. Tom needed a lot of time to evenly meld and weave his life energy into every part of his body and even a slight deviation could cause damage to him so he had to be extra careful.


    But at the end of the day, it was much superior to Touki which was just a temporary stats boost rather than a permanent physique improvement.


    Still, the Life Energy Absorption Technique surpassed Tom''s expectations. He first thought it would take much more time to show results but fifty years of life energy dispersed all over his body in a week was not bad.


    Unlike Natasha''s fears, this technique did not decrease Tom''s lifespan. Well, he wasn''t exactly sure about this point when he started training it but much to his relief, it worked like Touki in this case. The life energy was still bound to him, just not in a separate energy pool. It was directly in his body finally being useful for once.


    The Life Energy Pool was a bit special. Touki did use Life Energy to work but one either needed intense physical training or Senjutsu to be able to slightly put said energy to use. It was a very stubborn andzy form of energy that did not want to be used. One literally needed to force it.


    That''s why Tom was darn happy for his Sacred Gear. It simplified things a lot for him but that was also why he wouldn''t be able to do the same for Natasha. One''s life energy could only be stirred by oneself.


    Touki also did not decrease the Life Energy of the user. It was not like Mana or Demonic Power where one had a reservoir and could use spells until it was empty. Unfortunately, just like magic, Touki required focus to maintain. That''s why one could almost never really see a magician use it.


    It''s not like there was a shortage of magic users who trained their bodies to the limit or that magic users didn''t drool at the advantages Touki could provide. It''s simply that using Touki and spells at the same time was deemed impossible due to the inability to split focus.


    And no, not even the mind-enhancing spells that could let one use more strands of thoughts could help with that.


    Tom knew he struck a gold mine with his Life Energy Absorption. No virtual downsides, no requirement for focus, no strenuous training, and permanent effect? Sign him right up!


    By the end of the third week, Tom''s body reached the peak physique of a low-rank devil after he absorbed a hundred and fifty years'' worth of life energy into his body. It was obvious this was only going to get harder from there and would require more life energy to proceed but Tom wasn''t worried.


    Sarael finally started to make deals with the families with devils afflicted by the Sleeping Sickness and soon enough, Tom would get a source of life energy.


    But not all was rosy during thesest few weeks.


    At Natasha''s request, Tom worked with her to ess her own Life Energy Pool and the girl was sessful after a week of trial and error. The kind of brutal intense training she threw herself in... Tom didn''t want to remember that. He had no doubt he would have developed mental problems if he didn''t decide to selectively forget about it.


    So... Natasha learned the basics of Touki through sheer willpower and determination.


    Great, right?


    Well, hell no!


    The first thing the crazy redhead did was to try to imbue her friggin'' Life Energy with the Concept of Destruction.


    ''Cuz it works for Mana so why not?'' Was her dumb reasoning when she woke up after being in aa for a week, her body on the brink of destroying itself from the inside out.


    Who the heck does that!?


    Honestly, despite his new stronger physique, Tom almost fainted from all the stress and exhaustion his red-haired adorable psycho put him under with her new idea.


    With his body getting stronger, Natasha thought she was once again being left behind so she decided to push herself. Tom knew he was a bad influence on her with all the stunts he pulled but this was a bit too much even for him! At least he thought things through before attempting them.


    The worst thing was that he could not do anything about it. Whatever method he tried to help her unconscious ass didn''t work. Even his Sacred Gear was totally useless, the Concept of Destructionpletely blocking it off. It was so bad that Tom''s mind even led him to contemte the possibility of asking Sirzechs for help.


    He... really loved Natasha a lot more than he initially thought.


    But that notion was firmly denied due to the consequences not only Tom would have to face but also Natasha if this secret ever came out before she was strong enough to defend herself. At best, she would have been instantly killed and at worst, she would have been made into a breeding mare for half-devils with the Power of Destruction.


    No way Tom would try to go that route.


    Thankfully, as the most stressful week in Tom''s life was half over with him only going half-insane, Natasha''s state actually showed a sign of improvement so Tom could sigh in relief.


    And she did get better. Even benefited from it too as her physical body got refined by the Concept of Destruction. It was not on the level of Tom''s Life Absorption Technique. Unlike what Natasha desired, the main effect of what happened to her was not to strengthen her body. That was simply a happy side-effect. If Tom had to describe it, he would say her body entered a preparation stage to reach its ''True Form''.


    Oh, Natasha reaching that stage was still a long, long way ahead of her but her body now had a chance to... evolve, for theck of a better term.


    There was a reason why nobody from the Bael n ever reached their ''True Form''. Even Sirzechs attained it through the boosted control of his demonic energy provided by the Gremory Bloodline. The poor sod didn''t even try to conceal that in his training memories since he didn''t expect the one receiving them would have the Power of Destruction.


    Sirzechs control over his True Form was nevertheless shaky as heck. In it, he was an all-destroying machine that would not differentiate between allies and foes. It was just... bad. And that was with boosted control.


    No wonder the man sought peaceful solutions and avoided showing off his power,ing off as a useless beta male most of the time. Tom would have been afraid to release his power to intimidate others too if the side-effect of his control slipping even for a millisecond could have been the total destruction of an entire city.


    But back to Natasha''s foolishness...


    Tom never told her but the Concept of Destruction was refining her body since she gained the connection to it anyway. It was just a very slow-going process and in a century, she might have gotten strong enough to reach high-rank physical prowess if she did no training on her own.


    It was within the norm of passive power growth for noble devil offsprings so Tom didn''t find it anything impressive. Natasha''s little stunt, however, sped up the process immensely. She was not gonna get rank-ups in a matter of weeks like Tom but unlike the previous benchmark of a hundred years, Tom estimated her to be able to reach high-rank physical prowess in a decade.


    Ten times faster improvement was a lot. And if she actually trained and actively used her Power of Destruction, Tom could not give a proper estimation of how fast she could have gotten stronger physically.


    Then again, considering she should have been dead, Tom would be upset if she didn''t get at least this amount of gains for her stunt. He had no idea how but she pulled through it with sheer willpower, keeping the Concept of Destruction at bay until her Life Energy got adjusted to it.


    Unlike Tom, Natasha could not strengthen her body with her Life Energy as it was still firmly resisting leaving its energy reservoir. Now more than ever and Natasha actually lost her ability to use Touki in its entirety.


    Serves her right for being thoughtlessly reckless.


    Though, Tom did spank her silly for that stunt and made her promise to not be so foolhardy again but having some tangible consequence like the loss of Touki was a good thing in his opinion. It would make her think twice before doing stupid stuff like that without consulting him first.


    Even if doing that got him called a hypocrite by her.


    He would happily be a hypocrite if that kept her from more ideas like this! And he thought he was supposed to be the suicidal one between them.


    ---


    For those interested,


    .pa /kasicair


    Currently, there are 9 advanced chapters posted there.


    Have a nice day.

 Chapter 51: Natashas improvement

    Chapter 51: Natasha''s improvement


    Since Natasha woke up from hera, two more weeks passed and the girl was deep in her training once more. Now that her body and Life Energy were also somewhat attuned to the Concept of Destruction, her control over her Power of Destruction skyrocketed.


    Nowadays, she was already capable of forming a sword or a dagger made purely out of Power of Destruction and holding it for a few minutes in that form.


    It had to be said that this was a praise-worthy feat considering the Power of Destruction did not want to be ''tied down''. It wanted to be aggressive. To destroy. ''Creating'' a construct out of it was a feat of control of its own.


    Well, that''s why Tom told her to train her control over it this way. Doing things with energy the energy does not want to do was always the best way to exert one''s influence over it.


    Other than control, Natasha also created her very first attack spell.


    Tom was happy for Natasha. The woman seemed thrilled that she was no longer useless as far as supernaturalbat went. She seemed to have fun devising new attacks but her meticulous personality didn''t let her try her other ideas before he mastered her previous ones so she was still stuck on her very first idea for now.


    Tom had no idea if he was happy about that or exasperated that some of her ideas were t-out dangerous. Coating her fists with a thinyer of Power of Destruction? Sure, it will make her close-quartersbat capabilities a lot more effective but it sounded a tad bit too dangerous for Tom''s tastes. He was still afraid for her safety. Two weeks was far too little time to start trusting her judgment when it came to her own well-being, in his opinion.


    Natasha''s first spell was simply a hail of magic ''bullets'' made of Power of Destruction. These bullets were small. Too small to cause any serious damage other than a small bruise if they were made purely out of mana, approximately taking the size of ck pepper. But Natasha could create as many as fifty of them at once with her current control and when she imbued the Concept of Destruction into them, these same harmless bullets became killing machines capable of making swiss cheese out of most things.


    Of course, they were not unstoppable. The volume of energy in an attack still mattered. The Power of Destruction brought their destructiveness several levels up despite the small amount of mana spent for their creation but that didn''t mean this spell was unblockable.


    Once Natasha''s mana reserves grew and became morepact and condensed, these same bullets will get only stronger as she would be able to pack more mana into the small bullets, causing their lethality to skyrocket but for now, as long as one channel ten times the mana Natasha used for the bullets into a shielding spell, her current destructive bullets could be blocked.


    Even then... for magic bullets with barely enough magic to cast a small spark, they were damn powerful. The Power of Destruction was simply a cheat.


    But Natasha was low-rank when it came to energy reserves right now. Her casting anything more potent than ''kiddy'' spells was damn impressive. Especially since these bullets were perfect for assassination if utilized right.


    The woman knew well why her first technique was small and inconspicuous like this. After all, she took Tom''s advice of going the most destructive assassin route to the heart.


    Fortunately for Natasha, Sarael came back with some important documents for Tom that will help her abysmal mana reserves.


    "So they have finally relented." Tom sighed in relief, sitting in his office with Natasha dutifully standing behind him like a secretary.


    Unlike a secretary, however, Natasha sported a small content smile as she slowly massaged Tom''s shoulders,pletely ignoring the funny looks Sarael was throwing in their direction.


    "Yes. Three other Pir Families are willing to sign the secrecy agreements. Once Sirzechs gave his rmendation and the older Gremory couple was shown awake, the others flocked with requests, demands, and pleas to cure their rtives too. Still, the outrageous amount of secrecy uses in the contracts was not an easy pill to swallow for most of them." Sarael slowly nodded.


    He felt quite disgruntled. Dealing with theining Pir Houses was exhausting. Maybe outright telling them to either agree or fuck off was not the best course of action but... eh, it annoyed them so Sarael was happy.


    Not that they could get the same service anywhere else so he knew they would eventuallye crawling back.


    "Still, since Sirzechs vouched for you, the worries of many families eased. They are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and trust that you will do nothing... nefarious with their unconscious rtives." Sarael snickered whilefortably leaning into his chair.


    "Of course." Tom rolled his eyes with a small amused grin, "What could I get from some unconscious old geezers anyway? More importantly, the profit?" Tom eagerly leaned forward. He didn''t set a price, leaving this fully up to Sarael.


    Money was not all that important to Tom. He wasn''t like other magicians who needed millions for their research. Tom was using his Sacred Gear that, more often than not, showed him the correct direction so he could skip most of the costly parts.


    Because of that, his bank ounts were swelling, the money there staying mostly unused.


    But Tom was curious what price tag would Sarael put on his curing services considering the old devil would get a twenty percent cut.


    Sarael''s lips stretched into a cut-throat smile, "Fifty million per person."


    Hearing him, Tom involuntarily coughed and felt Natasha''s hands momentarily stiffen on his shoulders. They both were surprised as heck at the ruthlessness of Sarael to his own race. Then again, some of these were his political enemies so...


    "Two Phoenix Tears, huh?" Tom wryly mused, "It''s kind of a fair price for curing something the Phoenix Tears can''t cure, and yet, it is also overpriced as heck." He chuckled, his eyes almost sparkling with mirth.


    Yup, letting Sarael decide the pricing was a good choice. Very good choice, indeed.


    "Exactly! We are totally scamming them in a way that makes them happy! Isn''t that just beautiful?" The delighted Sarael almost moaned from satisfaction surging through him at the thought.


    Tom shook his head, putting his hand on Natasha''s hand and inclining his head back to look at her with a tender smile, "Looks like we will be busy for the uing few months, eh?"


    Natasha perked up, a genuine andrge smile blooming on her face as her arms snaked around Tom''s neck, resting on his chest while she leaned forward, hugging him from behind. "Mhm. I can''t wait."


    They both snickered as if enjoying some internal joke and Sarael was left hanging, furrowing his eyebrows at them.


    They got a lot closer since hest saw them.


    Natasha wasn''t a usual part of their meetings so Sarael didn''t get a lot of chances to see them interact but damn if they were not close. All those little gestures between them almost screamed that they were screwing.


    And was it just him or did the woman''s hair be a tad bit more crimson?


    Weird...

 Chapter 52: Ups... That wasnt supposed to hapen.

    Chapter 52: Ups... That wasn''t supposed to hapen.


    "Why are we here again?" Natasha asked with her arms crossed under her chest, giving Tom a disapproving look.


    They were standing in front of an abandoned factory where Tom knew a stray devil was hiding. He wanted to test how much stronger he became in the past months. Natasha did not approve.


    It wasn''t only her who was training. Tom was also putting his all to improve and unfortunately, the spars between them were no longer effective because both of them were reluctant to cast anything dangerous at the other.


    That halted any possible progress from fighting each other.


    Natasha didn''t mind all that much but Tom apparently was just itching to try his new improved version of alchemical circles. Natasha told him numerous times to just try them on her but he wouldn''t listen.


    "You know well I need to do this. I gotta know if I can deal with a mid-rank being on my own now. This is the best opportunity without attracting much attention." Tom spoke, staring at the entrance to the abandoned factory while rubbing his hands in excitement.


    He was different than when he fought Nichs! This time he will definitely win!


    "Yes, you spend a week tracking a mid-rank stray devil, I know." Natasha sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "But if at any time I see you have a problem, we are double-teaming it. That''s non-negotiable, alright?" She firmly stated, giving Tom an unyielding stare.


    Wryly smiling, Tom nodded. There was nothing he could do than ept her conditions. He knew she acted like that only because she cared about him anyway.


    The two walked straight into the factory, finding a massive and deceptively empty interior with no soul in the sight.


    "Well, then," Tom crouched and put his palm onto the ground. "Let''s see where our little mouse is hiding." He excitedly whispered while channeling his mana into the ground.


    An alchemical circle appeared underneath Tom and magic pulsed outwards with him in the center... only for a ce behind one supporting pir of the building to lit up with shiny ck sparkles, signifying the presence of a devil.


    "Yosh! The locator circle is working as intended!" Tom delightedly remarked as he stood up, his face split in a huge grin.


    Seeing that he was found out, a devil walked out from behind the pir, sneering at Tom and Natasha. Unlike the humanoid shape Tom expected, the... monster was more reminiscent of a massive bipedal lizard with a humanoid face and thin, agile but sturdy-looking tail. ck scales were protecting its naked upper body, its muscles ripped and tough-looking.


    Tom briefly nced at its hands... and yes, it had quite dangerous-looking ws so he instantly put down the idea of meleebat. Despite having a humanoid face, the lizard-devil also sported quite sharp-looking fangs and slitted green eyes on his head covered by messy blonde hair.


    Honestly, this stray devil didn''t look all that badpared to the monstrosity shown in the anime. It could be mistaken for a different race or a yokai.


    "Ma-gi-ci-ans." It slowly growled out, ring at Tom while starting to salivate. Clearly, his intelligence was already eroded too much.


    Realizing that there would be no intelligent conversation to be had with this guy, Tom snapped his fingers, using the follow-up spell to his Locator Circle. Instantly, another alchemical circle appeared, this time under the ''marked'' lizard-devil, and chains made of magic erupted out of it, restraining his movements.


    Tom turned towards his girl, "See Natalia? This happens when a King wants to punish an unruly servant he no longer needs."


    This was a very good opportunity to show her the ugly face of the devil society. So far, she saw mostly the rosy bits and Tom didn''t want her opinion about them to be too positive for her own good.


    "They make them mutate into insane monsters?" Natasha asked with a mild disgust showing on her face.


    Tom had no idea but he really didn''t have to worry about her perception of the devils. She didn''t hate them but even she would admit she had serious trust issues so...


    "Not all of the Devils are as amodating as Sarael." Tom said, looking with pity at the struggling lizard-devil who tried to snap the magical chains.


    Tom was happy that his Restraining Circle worked against the mid-rank devil. It wasn''t a massive aplishment by any stretch but it was tangible progress.


    "No wonder their reputation is shit if this is what they do to their own." Natasha scrunched her nose.


    She had seen many devils and they always looked like humans for the most part. The thing in front of her was different. Insane, blood-thirsty... corrupted.


    Killing it would be mercy.


    "Couldn''t agree more." Tom chuckled, his attention turning towards the lizard-devil and his eyebrows furrowed, "Five seconds, huh? That''s okay, I guess." He muttered just as the mana chainsing out of his circle snapped under the strain and vanished in motes of light, the mana in the Restraining Circlepletely depleted.


    "I kill you!" The lizard-devil growled, preparing to lunge in Tom''s direction.


    "Let''s start the fight then!" Tom grinned, stretching a bit while tapping his foot on the floor, creating a magic circle epassing the entire floor of the abandoned factory.


    The lizard-devil ran at Tom when it suddenly heard a tap. With the corner of its ears, he registered shifting of the surroundings... and then pain flooded it for a split of a second before death imed it.


    Tom, frozen in his fighting stance, had his jaw dropped at the sight of numerous earth, rock, and iron spearsing from the surfaces all around the building, not stabbing but literally squishing the lizard-devil into a bloody paste.


    "Was that supposed to happen?" Natasha asked with a cold sweat running down her temple as her eyes were fixated on the bloody puddle under the spears and small mushy remains of the lizard-devil that were slowly falling into it.


    She was now really d Tom cherished her and refused to try his new spells on her as she suggested.


    Tom robotically shifted out of his fighting stance, and awkwardly spoke, "Err... I-, I might have channeled a bit too much magic into it?" He admitted with embarrassment in his tone.


    ''That was surprisingly effective, huh?'' Tom inwardly freaked out.


    s, he didn''t take into ount that his magic not only got more potent and condensed, it was also boosted due to the fact his body was brimming with Life Energy which acted as a natural enhancer, and on top of all that he had the Gremory Bloodline so channeling the same amount of magic as before would definitely yield a lot bigger result due to his improved control.


    Without him even knowing since he never put his full effort into his spells during sparring with Natasha because of the fear of hurting her, Tom''s magic improved by several magnitudes.


    It probably didn''t help that he was now curing devils with Sleeping Sickness almost on a daily basis and his reserves were increasing each day, leaving him with no time to properly refine his control.


    Sure, he broke through to the high-rank energy reserves some days ago...


    But he never expected it to be this bad!


    Or good. Depending on from what angle one looked at it.


    His created spikes were tough enough to squish a physical fighter with mid-rank prowess. Now that was impressive as heck, in Tom''s opinion. Still... looks like he would have to restrict himself to kiddy spells unless he wanted to absolutely ughter someone.


    ''Damn this sucks...'' Tom sullenlyined, looking in disappointment at his minced training dummy. ''I wanted to try more of my new alchemy circles.'' He dejectedly pouted. ''Stray devils do not fall from the sky Finding an opponent is so hard!''

 Chapter 53: Unexpected mail

    Chapter 53: Unexpected mail


    Coming back home, Tom sullenly flopped onto the couch and started brooding while switching the TV on, deciding to watch some anime to unwind.


    In his past life, watching anime and reading fanfiction was Tom''s joy but after his second childhood, these things lost most of their shine. Nowadays, Tom was too engrossed in real magic to read some fantasy stories about it.


    But... that didn''t mean his interest waned in its entirety. He still asionally enjoyed good anime or movies. As for written stories... he didn''t have the time to spend on that. Animes and movies were a surprisingly good inspiration for new spells too so watching them was not only enjoyable but also educational. After all, human imagination was limitless. Tom only needed to figure out how to change that imagination into reality.


    Fullmetal Alchemist was a massive influence on his alchemical progress. And while recreating the alchemy in the anime was simply not gonna happen, many of Tom''s alchemy circles were inspired by that anime.


    Another reason why anime was still interesting for Tom was that... it was different.


    Many franchises from his past life simply did not exist and new popr franchises he never heard of reced them. Stories that existed in both Tom''s previous life and his current one didn''t have to be the same just because they shared a name.


    Fairy Tail, for example, was a very dark anime in his current world with a lot of gore, blood, magicalbat, and... more. Let''s just say the scene of Erza being tortured was very vivid, descriptive, and gut-wrenching.


    Not all of them were different but some had apletely unexpected twist that changed the whole story in the middle. That''s what made it interesting and enjoyable for Tom.


    A fleeting idea of creating the manga, anime, and stories from his past life that were missing in the current one shed through Tom''s head once or twice too... but he didn''t need the money, and doing so would be a huge time-sink. After all, it took a lot of time to make a story.


    In the end, Tom put that idea to rest. It was sad that the weebs in his current universe would not be introduced to the real culture but Tom didn''t have the time to enlighten them.


    "Hmm? One Punch Man again?" Natasha looked at the television and raised her eyebrow. Sighing to herself, she continued, "Well, it''s definitely better than School Days but not my cup of tea." She frowned.


    ''sphemous.'' Tom thought while rolling his eyes at her, his bad mood getting a lot lighter thanks to their small byy.


    Yes, Natasha usually watched anime with him. It was rxing to just cuddle with each other while watching stuff on TV in the evening after a day of hard work. They both enjoyed it immensely.


    "What''s with you men and loving to see things smashed with a punch." Natasha shook her head in exasperation.


    In answer, Tom just mock-scoffed at her before he gave her a smile to show her he wasn''t serious, "What''s with you women and loving romance?"


    "Aw~, do I really need to remind you how you bawled your eyes out when Erza and Jel finally kissed?" Natasha cooed, poking Tom with her pointing fingers, making him disgruntledly grunt.


    "Stop it, woman!" Tom exasperatedly eximed, trying to fight off her vicious attacks in vain, "I was crying because the bastard took away my waifu! My dear Erza-chan was defiled!"


    Natasha chuckled and with an eye roll teased, "Sure, she was."


    The only reason why Tom was spared from much worse teasing was that Natasha clearly remembered him saying that Erza reminded him of her. She also remembered how Tom was ring at the screen while possessively hugging her when the scene of Erza kissing Jel was yed.


    Natasha almost expected Tom to destroy the television and it both exasperated her and made her feel happy.


    But while Natasha would not bring out the big guns to this argument, she still wasn''t done with her light teasing, "Is that why you so quickly changed the ship from Erza to Mirajane?"


    Knowing this game, Tom donned a haughty expression. "Hmph! I already have one gorgeous redhead in my future harem! Don''t need another! This Harem Lord is satisfied with his Natalia!" He smugly stated, trying to appear as dignified as possible... and failing hard, causing Natasha to giggle.


    Tom also started chuckling, his facadepletely breaking. Harem... really.


    Until recently he had problemssting longer than Natasha in bed. Thinking about other women while he struggled to make Natasha content both physically and emotionally was off the table.


    Sure, he was just a guy too.


    In his imagination, he would like to have multiple women as any other man. But imagination and reality were two different things. Realistically, after he took into ount the effort necessary to make multiple women happy, Tom kinda didn''t see the appeal. It was too much work.


    As for just collecting them as dolls... that was not gonna happen. If Tom took a woman as his own, he would damn well make sure she was happy being with him. That was one of his core principles.


    "Future harem, eh? Should I start being worried, my Harem Lord?" Natasha quipped, her eyes mirthfully sparkled with amusement.


    Inwardly, she felt weird. She hoped for a firm ''no'' but wanted to hear a firm ''yes'' too.


    Since Tom started with his Life Energy Absorption, he was starting to oust her in bed, and... simply put, Natasha started having problems handling him alone.


    As a woman, she wanted to be his one and only but her pride was hurt. Not even after using all the techniques she learned in the Red Room was Tom defeated in the sack and most of their recent love-making sessions ended with Natasha falling into the pillows unconscious. She realized she seriously needed some reinforcement and started to pay attention to how Tom looked at other women to choose a good candidate they both could ept.


    But much to her dismay, Tom had an utter disinterest in every woman they met in the past two weeks. It ttered her immensely to see his interest directed only at her but it also frustrated her to no end.


    Not that she would tell him this. Not yet, at least. Not until she was fully mentally limated to the idea of getting her clueless lover a second girl.


    "As if I had time for another woman when dealing with you already takes so much effort." Tom quipped back in a feigned sad voice but his words were quite honest.


    Both delighted but also disappointed at that answer, the smiling Natasha leaned down and gave Tom a tender kiss before slightly pulling away and quietly asking, "Anyway, wanna hot chocte?"


    She really needed to change the topic. It was getting into a dangerous territory she didn''t want to tread upon right now.


    "Sure." Tom nodded, clueless to her inward struggles, and turned back to the TV, starting his show.


    Shaking her head in amusement, Natasha turned around and went to the kitchen. At least he was no longer brooding...


    As Tom watched the One Punch Man, he suddenly noticed an unopened mail on the table. He instantly tilted his head in confusion. They never got mail. Ever. Neither of them had anybody who would write them so what the heck was this?


    "Natalia, dear?" Tom shouted toward the kitchen, "What is the envelope on the table?"


    "No idea!" Natasha''s reply came from the kitchen. "I just found it in our mailbox today so I brought it inside!"


    Furrowing his eyebrows, Tom reached for it and the first thing he did was to read the name of the receiver, only for his eyebrows to rise in silent shock.


    The letter was addressed to Tom''s long-deceased mother.


    To Grace Granger.

 Chapter 54: Useless hopes.

    Chapter 54: Useless hopes.


    Natasha came back to the living room with two mugs full of hot chocte only to find Tompletely stunned, looking incredulously at the letter in his hands. Putting the mugs down on the table and sitting next to Tom, she put her hand on his shoulder and asked, "What is it?"


    She didn''t like the weirded-out look of worry on his face. Knowing Tom for months by now, she never saw him quite so out of it.


    Tom didn''t answer, he just looked at Natasha, the t stupefied look not leaving his expression, and handed her the letter before taking his mug of hot chocte and distractedly taking a sip before cradling it in his hands, clearly deep in conflicting thoughts.


    Giving Tom onest worried nce, Natasha''s eyes fell onto the innocent piece of paper and she started reading, her eyebrows rising due to surprise.


    "I didn''t know you had a cousin." Shemely stated after she finished reading, not quite knowing what to say to... that.


    "Funnily enough, me neither." Tom dryly responded, his good mood shot to hell.


    Natasha could see Tom didn''t like the abrupt surprise the letter brought. An ident in the family and the need to see a doctor in one of London''s hospitals regarding that? Tom pretty much shared his family history with her and she knew he thought he had no more family.


    And since he hadn''t known, they might as well not have existed. Yet, she could see he was curious. And that was always his biggest undoing.


    Trying tofortingly smile, Natasha squeezed Tom''s hand in a supportive manner. Wordlessly telling him that whatever he decided, she would stand by his side.


    "So? What do you want to do?"


    ...


    Tom was about to knock on the door of the doctor who sent his mother the letter but stopped an inch short of his knuckle reaching it. God, he was nervous.


    Frankly, he no longer remembered his family from his past life. It was nothing like his memory being deleted. Simply, too much time has passed since then and he was not very close with his previous family. The memories simply faded.


    But he remembered his kind second mother to this day.


    Maybe it was because he had an adult mind in his hellish infancy years and Grace was his only supporting pir but... he remembered her and cherished these memories.


    Tom knew that she would want him to at least check what happened with her family.


    After getting the letter, Tom remembered that one of the things his mother was mentioning a lot during his infancy years was her brother. How they did not speak with each other for years.


    She was using Tom to spill her heart to him since she had no idea he understood her.


    So, here he was. If only to fulfill his deceased mother''s wishes and check in on her remaining family.


    Natasha''s hand suddenlynded on his shoulder and squeezed a bit, the woman giving Tom a small reassuring smile when he looked at her. Wryly smiling back, Tom took a deep breath and raised his hand again... this time knocking on the door.


    "Come in!" A muffled voice came from behind the doors.


    Tom straightened his ck zer and unbuttoned the uppermost button on his white shirt to get more breathing room before he opened the door and walked in with Natasha in tow, his nervousness superbly hidden under a facade of self-confident apathy.


    "Hello, you are...?" The doctor, a middle-aged man with graying hair and square sses raised his eyes toward Tom and Natasha asked, blinking in confusion.


    This was not his ambnce. Only his office and it was already after his office hours right now. He was in thest hour of his shift, the hour he gave to ''special cases'' and he didn''t remember Tom among the people that he was scheduled to meet. Hence, his confusion.


    Tom gave the doctor a small, polite smile and lightly put the envelope that came to his address on the doctor''s table, sliding it towards the man.


    "I am Thomas Prest and this is Natalia." Tom introduced himself and Natasha. "My mother, Grace Granger, has been dead for several years now, Doctor. I came to find out what this is about." He pointed at the letter as he seated himself on the chair opposite the flustered doctor who only speechlessly stared as Tom made himselffortable while Natasha stood slightly behind him on his right, her hand on his shoulder.


    The doctor, Michael Smith, as his namete informed Tom, had his eyes trailing between Tom and the opened envelope for a few seconds before his brain finally registered what Tom was talking about.


    "Ah... Ah!" Doctor Michael''s eyes went wide, brightening as he suddenly eximed, "You are here because of the girl, right, right." He nodded to himself and distractedly started searching through the documents on the side of his table.


    Tom confusedly blinked, his smile bing forced. Girl? What girl did the doctor mean?


    "Er... I think we are not on the same page, Doctor. From the letter, I only know there was an ident. Maybe you could start by telling me what happened and... what the heck do you mean by ''the girl''?" Tom took a deep breath and tried to calmly exin his situation.


    The keyword being ''trying'' as he was sure his voice raised a bit mid-speech and his expression twitched whereas he felt his eyes narrow into a re, causing the Doctor to slightly flinch during his question.


    "Yes. I might have forgotten to write what exactly happened. My bad. My bad." Michael apologized, looking restless as he tried to appease Tom. "I just have too much work nowadays." Heined and showed Tom a sheepish smile.


    Tom''s eyes trailed over the table full of unfinished paperwork and frowned, "I can see that." He nodded in understanding. An old guy like that should just retire and enjoy his pension. Not trying to drive himself to an early grave by overworking himself.


    Doctor Michael wearily sighed before sping his hands together on the table in front of him. He pursed his lips, "There is never an easy way to say this but your mother''s brother and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, died in a car crash, leaving behind their fourteen years old daughter, Hermione Granger, who suffered light injuries but was in aa until yesterday." He robotically narrated in an even tone, no doubt doing this kind of thing so many times before that it lost any positive or negative connotation for him. It was just his job.


    Tom slowly nodded. He... honestly didn''t care. He didn''t know these people. Sure, his mother would have been sad her brother died but his mother was long dead too. Tom epted the news quite quickly.


    Well, except the bit about this... Hermione Granger.


    Michael dropped his facade for bad-news-giving and sheepishly smiled, "I mostly sent the letter to your address in hopes to inquire about any remaining family willing to take her in. Mr. Granger had a photo of his sister alongside her address so I tried to... Well, you know. The girl has no one else and an orphanage right after such a tragedy could do her bad."


    Tom could see from his genuine concern that the Doctor was a good man. A man who cared. He could appreciate that. The Doctor really wanted what was best for his young patient. But still... it wouldn''t be the doctor whose life and schedule would drastically change because of this..


    Giving Doctor Michael a small strained smile, even if it was a tad bit too obvious it was forced, Tom spoke, "Let me talk with this girl first. A day ago, I had no idea she even existed. Will that be fine?"


    Don''t get Tom wrong but something about the name Hermione Granger rubbed him the wrong way. He did remember who that was supposed to be but he also deeply hoped her parents were just massive Potterheads who skipped a dimension or something.


    That, regretfully, was quite doubtful. There was no Harry Potter series in this world and from the hastily acquired information Tom got from Sarael yesterday, the Wizarding World was a thing. His luck officially sucked as hard as Tsunade.


    How he never bumped into even one small indication of this after living for over twenty years in themunity of English magicians, Tom would never know. It was a friggin'' mystery. Or rather, the twomunities must really hate interacting if they went so far as to erase the records of the other existing.


    Tom''s hopes were small... but he could only hope that his hunch was not correct because that would simply have been damn bothersome.


    "Oh, absolutely!" Doctor Michael widely smiled, standing up from his chair, "Let me lead you to her room."

 Chapter 55: A cousin in need

    Chapter 55: A cousin in need


    Doctor Michael led Tom and Natasha towards Hermione''s room, stopping short of opening the doors. He faltered a bit and cautioned, "The girl had just lost her parents so she might still be out of it. Be a bit patient with her, alright?"


    Regaining his bearings, he was about to open the door again but this time, Tom stopped him by grabbing his forearm.


    "Why do you care so much?" Tom asked, finding his behavior a bit odd. A kind doctor the man might have been but he should have been dealing with simr cases quite often so his almost personal approach, in this case, was weird.


    Doctor Michael sighed and wistfully shook his head, "I knew her parents. Impressive dentists. It''s a pity to lose them so soon."


    Tom distractedly let go of Michael''s forearm, showing a sour expression.


    Dentists...


    Same as in the story.


    Tom''s hopes for Hermione only to have the same name as her story counterpart were quickly diminishing, making him inwardly curse. Maybe it was foolish to be in such denial but a man could still hope.


    Taking care of the girl would mean getting involved in the Wizarding World. That would mean getting involved in all the bigotry bullshit. Tom could already see all the problems the Wizarding Ministry would give him by default because ording to their definition, he is a muggle despite being capable of using magic.


    After all, he does not possess Wizarding Magic and therefore was worthless!


    Was there any wonder every other supernatural faction just scoffed at the mention of these backward overinted wastes of air and decided to altogether forget about their unimportant existence?


    On the other hand, the girl was his blood and did need help as she had no one else. It was a tough decision... but Tom spent more time cursing his bleeding heart and attachment to his mother than actually deciding. For him, it was obvious what he would do. Even if he personally didn''t like the trouble it would bring him.


    "I see." Tom nodded in understanding, letting the doctor open the door.


    ...


    The despondent Hermione heard the door opening and looked up. Her eyes instantlynded on a lean man with messy brown hair, d in well-fitting ck stylish trousers, a white shirt, and a ck zer, who confidently walked in as if he owned the ce, followed by a red-haired woman, d in a secretary-like outfit, who instantly subtly checked the room for any sort of threat.


    It was the same kind of caution Hermione observed from Harry, but much more professional. Instead of a secretary, Hermione inwardlybeled the woman as a bodyguard or something like that. Despite everything, Hermione could be observant if she wanted and that woman... She gave her dangerous vibes.


    Normally, she would probably care more about it but after she was told her parents died, her world came crashing down on her, and right now, Hermione couldn''t muster the will to truly care. She was barely keeping herself from crying and even that was mostly because her tears were all dried up and her eyes too puffy to shed another tear.


    Doctor Michael walked into the room after the two unknown people who were silently observing Hermione, making her a bit ufortable, and spoke to her, "Hermione, this is your cousin, Thomas Prest." The Doctor introduced the man while gesturing at him.


    Before he could introduce the woman, Hermione couldn''t help herself and burst out with a question. "Cousin? I... I don''t have a cousin." She warily looked at Tom, clutching at her sheets.


    "My mother was your father''s sister. They just lost contact long before you were born." Tom nonchntly shrugged as he exined his circumstances.


    He could see the inquisitive and searching look in her eyes, making him inwardly smirk. At least she was a bit cautious. She no doubt already knew why Doctor Michael brought them here.


    "Ah." Hermione weakly let out as she remembered her father mentioning something about having a sister on multiple asions.


    He tried to find her multiple times but whenever he tried to visit the address she was supposed to live at, he couldn''t find her house and his letters were never answered. Now that Hermione thought about it, that was certainly weird.


    The past tense Tom used when referring to his mother was noted by Hermione and she bit her lips, stopping her almost knee-jerk question of where Aunt Grace was. She just ducked her head in dejection.


    While Hermione was deep in her thoughts, Tom turned toward Doctor Michael and asked, "Would you mind giving us some privacy?"


    "Hm? Oh! Sure, sure." The Doctor nodded. He looked at Hermione, and seeing that she was fine with that, he turned around and left the room.


    Silence resounded in the room as the three people stared at each other.


    Eventually, Tom decided to break it and pointed at Natasha, "By the way, this is Natalia, my darling. If youe with me, she will also be a part of your life." He nonchntly spoke, which earned him an elbow shove into his side by Natasha and a pointed look.


    Hermione slowly nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Her lips, nevertheless, slightly curled halfway to smile. In the end, she just decided to introduce herself, "I am Hermione Granger. Will you really take me in?" She bowed her head as she asked, tearing up a bit.


    Her situation reminded her that her parents died and...


    Tom heavily sighed and walked closer to her bed, seating himself on the edge, "Look," He wryly started, "I can''t promise you a family nor am I trying to tell you that I can provide you a new home. I am too busy, too young, and too handsome to be a parent. Especially to a teenager, don''t you agree?" Tom quipped, giving Hermione an infectious boyish grin that made her weakly smile before she even realized it.


    Before his words could bring her mood further down, Tom continued because what he meant to convey needed a bit more context, "But we do share blood so the least I can do is make sure you have a roof over your head, are properly fed and watered, and won''t miss money for education or whatever you kids need nowadays." Tom took Hermione''s hand into his and his jovial tone softened, "It''s what my mother would want me to do."


    And he meant it. He couldn''t promise familial love to Hermione. He didn''t know her. Nor would he y a parent for her and look after her 24/7. But he could make her situation easier and give her some stability instead of sending her to an orphanage.


    It wouldn''t cost him almost anything other than a bit of effort so... why not?


    Hermione sniffed and wiped the tears that spilled out of her eyes while Tom was talking. She took a second to calm her urge to cry.


    "I don''t want to be a burden." She quietly whispered, subconsciously squeezing Tom''s hand.


    The emotional and reluctant part of Hermione''s mind didn''t want this. She wanted her parents back, not to go live with someone she met for the first time just because they shared blood.


    But the rational part of her mind knew she had no better option.


    Weasley''s might take her in but they had enough problems with their own number of kids. Plus, she had had enough of being there for one or two weeks during the holidays. She would probably go crazy if she had to live there.


    "Well, if you keep that kind of attitude, you won''t be." Tom chuckled. He expected her to be unreasonable, emotional, and bratty. He would even understand it. After all, she had just lost her parents.


    This sorrowful but rational mindset was a wee surprise for him. He could live with that. That''s why he liked high IQ people. They had problems acting on their emotions but that only meant less trouble for those around them!


    Not having to treat her as if she was some unruly kid was a massive boon in Tom''s books.


    "Come on, let''s ask the Doc if you can be discharged." He threw the girl a reassuring smile, realizing he had to take the charge due to her disgruntled reluctance.

 Chapter 56: Not a wizard?

    Chapter 56: Not a wizard?


    "Here we are." Tom said as he opened the door to his house and stepped inside, holding it open for Hermione and Natasha.


    Hermione timidly walked in, looking around with apparent curiosity and slight apprehension but she only found a normal-looking hall. And as she walked further into the house, her expectations were once again fulfilled as she could see nothing... abnormal with it.


    Of course, Hermione did not expect to find anything magical. If her extended family was magical, she would surely know, no?


    But a girl could dream It would certainly be much easier if her cousin knew about magic.


    Hermione already dreaded all the exining about the Wizarding World and her schooling. It was the middle of the Summer Break right now and in less than a month, she would have to leave for Hogwarts.


    How was she supposed to bring this up? Especially when she was not allowed to use her wand?


    She wille off as a nutcase!


    Only when she was being shown the kitchen did Hermione stop in her tracks, her eyesically widening as she stared at the... runic circles drawn onto the kitchen board right next to the cooker.


    Hermione rigidly turned towards Tom in a good imitation of a malfunctioning fishbot and found him leaning on the wall with his arms crossed on his chest, expectantly smirking at her with one of his eyebrows raised.


    Hermione instantly understood she had been had and blushed from head to the tips of her toes.


    Realizing her mistake, she tried to recollect herself, taking a few deep breaths to smother her rising excitement and all the questions wanting to gush out of her.


    "Y-You are a wizard, Tom!?" She tried to ask calmly but in reality, it came out as something in-between a stutter and excited shriek, her voice was a tad bit too high-pitched for the likes of her audience.


    "No." Tom simply dryly deadpanned at her, inwardly wincing and making Hermione confusedly splutter at the unexpected rebuttal.


    "B-But...! Magic!" Hermione indignantly argued while pointing towards the alchemical circles Tom usually used for cooking.


    Runes were new to her and she had no clue what kind of runguage the one on the kitchen board was but she could feel some kind of weird magical energy from these symbols. If nothing else, they learned how to feel magic in runes during their third year at Hogwarts so Hermione was sure these were runes of some sort!


    Tom only chuckled at the girl, slightly shaking his head in disbelief as he spoke, "No shit, Sherlock. We have been together for thest few hours and I was subtly fluctuating my magic, wondering when you would notice. Color me not impressed, Hermione."


    That made Hermione speechless... and a bit ashamed she hadn''t noticed at all!


    She looked at Natasha, not knowing what to say...


    "Don''t look at me like that. He really was doing that and it was annoying as heck. I hoped you would notice so he would stop. Tom really wanted to test you, you see..." Natasha gave Hermione a helpless smile.


    "Oi! Don''t act as if you were good at sensing magical energies, Missy." Tom instantly rebuked Natasha, "As far as I remember, that''s one of your weaknesses."


    Natasha sent him a mock re for that, "I am working on it!" She stuck out her tongue at him.


    Tom and she stared at each other for a few long seconds, making Hermione feel very awkward... When Tom suddenly turned from Natasha to her, "Anyways, moving on..." He light-heartedly said, getting an amused snicker from Natasha as she exasperatedly shook her head.


    "I simply wanted to see if a witch like you will be able to feel the magic in the surroundings." Tom rified his intentions. "You just walked into a heavily warded house but the thing that gives you the first clue that I might have magic are alchemical circles on my kitchen board? Really? Watson would have been so disappointed." He wistfully spoke, causing Hermione to blush in embarrassment as she understood the reference and realized she was being yfully scolded.


    She knew it was not her fault but something in Tom''s tone made her feel guilty. As if she just failed a written test or something. And for her, that was the most mortifying feeling she had ever felt. She... underperformed! Inexcusable!


    Tom decided he tormented the girl enough. Her expression was betraying her speechless horror and while it was mildly amusing, he didn''t want her to feel bad about her inability to feel his magic.


    This was a test for both him and her, after all.


    He simply wanted to see if being a witch or a wizard gave one a natural mana sense.


    Apparently, it did not and Tom would not have to be worried about some average wizard punk realizing his identity just from passing him by on the streets.


    Tom chuckled yet again to subconsciously show Hermione he was not admonishing her before he yfully spoke, "I am a Magician. You didn''t really think wizards and witches were the only magic users in the world, did you?"


    Hermione''s eyes widened once again.


    Magic users other than Wizards!? How much did she not know about the world? Getting to know there was a whole Wizarding Society was a shock and very exciting. A whole new world to learn about! And now her cousin was telling her there is more?


    Hermione couldn''t hold in her excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet like a chipmunk drunk on coffee, as she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, "Can I learn your magic!?"


    "No." In the very same dry tone as before, Tom once again deadpanned, causing Hermione to splutter just like before, feeling as if a bucketload of cold water was poured on her head.


    "B-B-But why!?" She asked in outrage once she calmed down a bit.


    Tom wryly sighed. This was rude as heck. He would have to sit down with her one of these days and exin why asking someone to learn his magic was not a very bright idea. To any magic user, whether wizard or magician, she woulde off as a rude bitch acting like that.


    Tom knew she had no idea about these kinds of rules in their society but honestly, this was something thatmon sense should tell her. When somebody spent an incredible amount of time perfecting and learning his magic, making new spells, and improving the old ones, he would not share it with just anyone. Especially not for free.


    But for now, Tom decided to give her an answer that would not start an hours-long debate since he could already tell his cousin would not just ept the facts at face value and would try to argue about it. What a bother


    Unfortunately for her, whatever argument she could have had, no matter how reasonable, would fall t in the face of the simple fact that humans were selfish beings.


    Tom shrugged, "Because you are already a witch, Hermione. One of the reasons why the Wizarding World despises Magicians and decided to selectively forget about our existence is that from their perspective we are just muggles who gained magic. Of course, they''d like to think it was by some nefarious means and that we are stealing magic from them..." He rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the little shits.


    There was no wonder the Magician Community simply purged any records of the Wizarding Community, deeming them unimportant and useless. Both were at a sort of a cold war where they did not interact a lot, preferring to forget about each other''s existence.


    Hermione''s eyes darkened and she let out a disgruntled sound, about to open her mouth to protest...


    She came in contact with the wizarding bigotry and this seemed simply too stupid. Just like their fixation on the purity of blood.


    Seeing her about to interrupt him, Tom quickly continued, "But the truth is, our magic systems are just too different. You were born with magic. Different magic from mine. Every bit of mana you absorb will always be transformed into wizarding magic. That''s why my way of using magic is unusable for you simply because you would need ''neutral'' mana. And that is something your body is unable to mold on its own."


    Tom could instantly see that the exnation didn''t satisfy Hermione and rather brought her inner conflict. Her eyebrows were intensely scrunched as if she was trying to figure out some impossible puzzle and her lips were pursed into a small frown full of dissatisfaction.


    s, what he told her was the truth. The same as humans could not just cast magic the same way as the devils simply because their bodies couldn''t store and mold the demonic energy, the wizards had a different energy than neutral mana.


    They still absorbed neutral ambient mana to refill their reserves as anyone else but it was instantly re-molded into their own kind of energy, the wizarding magic.


    That... was what made wizards ''special''.


    "Enough of exnations." Tom firmly said as he walked towards the kitchen board, pulling Hermione out of her thoughts. "Go with Natalia. She will show you your room while I will cook something for us to eat."


    Hermione could only reluctantly nod and clutch the bag in her hands. She wanted to question Tom more but... for now, she would obediently listen to what she was told to do. After all, she was getting a roof above her head and free food so she didn''t want to be unruly.


    She could always question her cousinter, no?

 Chapter 57: New room

    Chapter 57: New room


    Natasha led Hermione into a spacious and fully furnished room.


    The second Hermione saw the room, she was astonished. It was a tidy, clean, well-lit, and overall very nice room. Even the furnishings looked quite expensive. There was a big bed, television,puter, and many other things.


    Hermione teared up a bit and thanked her cousin in her heart. She didn''t expect to be given so much as she was basically just freeloading on short notice.


    Noticing Hermione''s starstruck expression, Natasha gently ruffled the girl''s hair with an amused smile, "It was my room but I haven''t slept here in months. Many of the rooms in the house are not well-furnished so this one will do nicely to house you."


    Hermione looked at Natasha with wide surprised eyes before she blushed and looked down, "I-... thank you."


    Her first instinct was to refuse. She didn''t want to steal Natasha''s room but with the way she was smiling, the redhead seemed to not mind it at all. Hermione couldn''t help but feel extremely grateful for this.


    The silence that spread between them was almost suffocating for Hermione. Her feelings were definitely not helping the matter and Hermione needed some sort of distraction.


    And the only distraction she could see was talking with the woman whose hand was still messing up with her hair.


    "So..." Hermione uncertainly asked, only for Natasha to give her a questioning hum, "Should I call you Natalia?" Hermione inquisitively nced at the redhead.


    Natasha just smiled and corrected Hermione, "Natasha. I only let Tom call me Natalia."


    Her given name was special to her. On one side, she didn''t like it because that''s what she was called in the Red Room. But on the other hand, ever since Tom started to use it instead of ''Natasha'', she felt it was special. Her very own term of endearment.


    She would not let anyone else call her that, though.


    "Okay." Hermione instantly answered, straightening her back. Natasha might have been smiling but her eyes... they were definitely not. The cold glint that passed through them had Hermione feel cold sweat drenching her back.


    And at that moment, she finally realized why.


    She realized why she felt so ufortable with these eyes staring at her.


    A sight of Basilisk''s eyes reflected in the mirror briefly shed through her mind, and Hermione realized the feeling those eyes gave her in that instant was the same as Natasha''s cold eyes gave her.


    It was as if her very magic was reeling, trying to alert her of danger. It was a feeling of primal fear of something dangerous and Hermione had to put a lot of effort not to freak out.


    But from the way Natasha''s gaze softened when her body stiffened, Hermione realized she didn''t cover her fear well enough.


    Oddly enough, she felt the primal fear only when Natasha''s eyes went all cold and dangerous. When Natasha''s eyes softened, Hermione rxed. Other than this illogical feeling of fear her magic was giving her, the redhead was a very friendly person in Hermione''s opinion. A friendly person that gave her creeps...


    Embarrassed, Hermione looked away and Natasha chuckled. "I will leave you to limatize here. The diner will probably be finished in half an hour to an hour." She remarked before turning around.


    The girl clearly needed some alone time. Really, Natasha had no idea why the little witch was so jumpy around her. She couldn''t be that scary, could she? She was trying to be friendly, though...


    With confused thoughts, Natasha walked out of the room, leaving Hermione alone.


    Hermione watched as Natasha''s back disappeared behind the closed door and sighed. She had no idea why she was so high-strung. Ever since the... ident, she could weirdly feel some different things and it was creepy as heck.


    Like the fact that Tom meant well. That he didn''t really have any ulterior motive with her but nor did he have any sort of interest in her as a person.


    When he said he would take care of her because it would have made his mother happy, he was telling theplete truth. Hermione was certain of that, yet, she had no idea what gave her that kind of irond impression.


    "I must be going crazy." She grumbled and threw herself onto the bed with a groan.


    Unfortunately for her, the pillow was a bit harder than she expected and a small pang of pain erupted on the side of her head when itnded on it.


    "Ugh..." Hermione groaned again, this time in annoyance and a bit of pain as she grabbed the pillow and raised it...


    Only to find a handgun under it.


    Hermione looked at it in utter bewilderment and shock, the fact that this was Natasha''s room reying in her mind again and again as with a rising dread she wondered what kind of people she was going to be living with.


    ...


    An hourter, Hermione came down to the kitchen after hearing a shout from Tom.


    Under the curious gazes of Natasha and Tom who were seated behind a table filled to the brim with various mouth-watering dishes, the girl walked towards Natasha and... awkwardly handed her the handgun.


    "Er... I found this under the pillow." Hermione said in a quiet and shaky voice.


    Natasha blinked and nced at the gun, only for her expression to brighten in realization. "Oh. I might have forgotten to remove the weapons I hid all over the room. Hmm, good to know. I will do it after the diner." She nonchntly remarked, causing Hermione''s eyebrow to twitch.


    ''So the gun was not the only weapon in my new room?'' She really had no idea what to think about her circumstances.


    Honestly, she no longer even felt like asking questions. She just walked to the only empty chair behind the table and tiredly sat down, her eyes curiously browsing the avable dishes with quiet anticipation.


    "You hid weapons all over my house? Why would you bother?" Tom asked Natasha, raising his eyebrow at her.


    With clever use of magic, mundane weapons... especially handguns and the like that didn''t have much potential for destruction... were quite useless. He had no idea why she would waste her energy on something like that.


    Natasha only rolled her eyes at him, "It was when I first came here. I didn''t really have anything to defend myself with other than mundane means."


    "Ah. Understandable." Tom nodded and turned back towards the food, no longer caring.


    If it made her feel safer, she was free to hide weapons in his house. Who was he tough at her odd hobbies? He did plenty of odd things himself anyway.


    "Well, let''s dig in." Tom spoke and turned his eyes towards Hermione, "Pick whatever you want. Don''t be shy." He told her with a small encouraging smile.


    Hermione nodded, feeling hungry. The hospital food sucked so seeing such a feast in front of her was very enticing. The only reason why she held back was that this was not her house. But when she was told ''go on'' by Tom, she could help but dig in.


    Tom and Natasha expectantly watched as the brte took her first bite...


    And her eyes instantly turned into saucers as an instinctive moan escaped her lips, her expression melting into delight.


    Hermione couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed by the taste and her magic pulsed with satisfaction too as if encouraging her to eat more because it was beneficial to her in a way even Hogwarts''s special food wasn''t.


    She really couldn''t help herself.


    "How is this so good!?" Hermione loudly eximed in surprise.

 Chapter 58: Happy Feed

    Chapter 58: Happy Feed


    Hermione loved to read about Hogwarts.


    That''s why she knew the feasts in Hogwarts might have seemed over the top but they really weren''t in any way detrimental to the students. Without magic, having a feast like that every evening would simply mean that almost every student would be a fat pig after a few years of attending.


    But with magic, no matter how much one ate, he would get the best nutrient value out of his food. The food in Hogwarts was magical and... prepared by the House Elves, much to Hermione''s new-found ire.


    Surprisingly enough, that''s also why the parents of noble houses could send their heirs to the school without fear of them being potioned. Adding potions to the already magic-abundant food would not work. Either the food would be instantly spoiled, the potion would not work as intended, or, as in most cases, both would happen at once.


    At least from this angle, Hermione waspletely safe.


    With a lot of reading came a huge understanding of the threats in the Wizarding World. Things like love potions or mind arts worried Hermione a lot.


    "You didn''t drug the food, did you?" Hermione suspiciously asked, making Tom throw a deadpan yet amused look at her, causing her to squawk in embarrassment and look down.


    Before she even knew it, she was already stuffing another bite into her mouth. Drugged or not, it was far too good to not eat it!


    "No. I haven''t drugged the food, Hermione." Tom said, not amused at the usation at all. "My Happy Feed ispletely health-friendly alchemically prepared food that promotes bodily functions, body improvement, and evokes good mood. Getting stronger and happier just by eating. I am very proud of it." Tom bragged.


    Natasha rolled her eyes at Tom. He really had nothing to brag about though. The ''getting stronger'' part was so small he would have to eat tons just to gain the strength of a peak human athlete. From what Tom himself exined to her, it was simply not worth it. But... the deliciousness was certainly special so she decided to let this one go and not argue about it with him... again.


    "Happy Feed?" Hermione asked, her expression as if not knowing if it should be put off or amused.


    "It''s what I call it." Tom defensively retorted. He had enough with one Natalia living with him. He didn''t need another woman to demean the sanctity of his naming sense!


    "Why would you call it by a name like that?" Hermione asked with a frown on her face.


    Tom just shrugged, "Well, Happy Meal was kinda taken..."


    "No, no, no. That''s not what I mean, and you know it!" Hermione huffed, looking at the food on her tter. She was kinda embarrassed but despite the appalling name, she really wanted to take another bite. "Happy Feed... that sounds as if it was meant for animals."


    "No, it doesn''t." Tom indignantly argued back.


    "Yes, it does!" Both Hermione and Natasha chorused together, staring at Tom in deadpan.


    Tom just pursed his lips at them. Arguing about unimportant things like this was his and Natasha''s free time activity so no matter how naggy Hermione was, he knew perfectly how to handle her point.


    He scoffed, "My house, my rules, and I say it doesn''t. Toodles." He childishly dered, his tone suggesting the debate was over before he added, "Now stuff it and eat."


    The two women looked at each other... and giggled.


    They knew there would be no further negotiation with Tom about this. Natasha had lived with him for months so she knew how he was while Hermione dealt with Ronald Weasley on a regr basis.


    If Tom knew to whom shepared him, the girl would have found herself on the streets sooner than she could finish that sentence...


    After that, the dinner started in earnest.


    .


    .


    .


    But just in short a few minutes, Hermione started to slow down, unable to continue eating, no matter that she was still salivating at the thought of eating more, of savoring more of the exquisite taste of the food in front of her.


    She realized Tom''s food was evil!


    Unlike the feasts at Hogwarts, she could not eat as much as she wanted because this food was actually very filling.


    Her cousin was truly evil!


    He gave something so delicious in front of her and then let her find out her stomach could only take in so much. This was bonafide torture. Her wide tearful eyes wanted to eat more but her stomach was telling her she was full.


    Hermione subtly nced at Natasha and Tom who were still eagerly eating, sometimes even feeding each other while quietly giggling like foolish newlyweds, and she became disgruntled. They seemed to eat in a calm and orderly manner but in reality, they were eating almost as fast as Ronald Weasley. Only their manners made their eating seem refined whereas Ronald ate like a pig.


    Still... it grated on Hermione''s nerves that they could stomach eating more of the delicious food while her stomach had already given up.


    "How can you eat so much? You will get fat in a few months." She sullenlyined, annoyedly sticking her fork into the half-finished juicy steak on her te that she really, but really wanted to eat but her stomach was protesting.


    Natasha and Tom stopped flirting with each other and looked at Hermione... and both smirked in the exact same way at her.


    "No, we won''t." Tom started.


    "Because we are special." Natasha finished.


    And Hermione could only groan as she was reminded of Fred and Gorge. She threw Natasha a betrayed look. She thought the woman was on her side!


    Natasha, however, just rolled her eyes.


    Childishly huffing, Hermione continued with her sullenint. "What does that even mean?"


    "Do you always have so many questions?" Tom amusedly asked before taking another bite out of his dish.


    Realizing she might have been rude due to her irritation, Hermione looked down in embarrassment, "I am sorry. I can''t help it."


    "It''s fine to be curious." Tom started with a cating smile, "Just don''t expect to be told everything. We do have our secrets and we''d like them to stay that way. You can always ask your question and if we don''t want to answer, we will simply deflect the topic or t out refuse to answer. Alright?"


    It was a good thing to have these questioning rules out of the way now.


    The Hermione Tom knew from the Harry Potter books was kinda self-entitled when it came to knowledge. She believed she had the right to know everything and Tom wanted to set some house rules to mitigate that.


    There were a lot of things he had no problems with revealing to Hermione. Not everything had to be kept secret, after all.


    Not that Tom would actively try to reveal everything to the girl. If she asks the right questions, she would be given the right answers. That was all there was to it.


    And then, there were things he would not tell her even if she begged on her knees or raged like a petnt child. Things that could really hurt Tom and Natasha if they came out and these Tom would keep secret no matter what.


    "Mhm." Hermione bashfully nodded, understanding Tom''s rules for questions.


    She... could live with that.

 Chapter 59: Improvement in physique.

    Chapter 59: Improvement in physique.


    "Are we going to meddle with the Wizarding World?" Natasha asked as she tried to punch Tom straight in the jaw.


    Unfortunately for her, nowadays he was quite a lot faster than a few months ago so he managed to scramble out of the way of her punch.


    Today when Tom woke up and felt Natasha''s warm naked body trying to meld into his own, he wanted to me the incredible sex they had the night prior but then he simply couldn''t refuse her big emerald puppy dog eyes when she asked him for a sparring session.


    So, here he was...


    "I-" Tom started his reply but was interrupted when Natasha''s follow-up punch forced him to sidestep to the right.


    "-have-" He ducked under Natasha''s right hook.


    And jumped back to create distance between them, "-no-".


    But Natasha was not having it and gave chase.


    "-idea!" Tom hurriedly spoke as he used his superior speed to catch Natasha''s wrist mid-punch.


    A smug smile appeared on Tom''s face... but it wasn''t meant tost as his head snapped back a secondter with a painful stinging from his face when Natasha''s other fist collided with his nose.


    "Fuck!" He cursed, his right hand instinctively catching his nose...


    But Natasha didn''t stop and Tom started to be pushed back as he felt the blows rain on his abdomen one after another in quick session. They barely hurt but it was annoying as heck to receive blows while being forced to retreat and unable to counterattack.


    Growling to himself, Tom was starting to be fed up with this and when he finally shook off the debilitating blow to the face, he pushed the limits of his speed and managed to grab Natasha''s wrist again.


    This time he wasn''t about to waste time smugly smiling at her and instead spun on his heel, using his hold on her to drag her along for a spin. The grip on her wrist was too strong and Natasha abruptly found her feet leaving the ground due to Tom''s momentum. Her head spun for a second and before she could react, Tom had already done two whole circles with her body to gain even more momentum before he let go of her and Natasha found herself flying through the air while dizzily spinning at great speeds.


    Natasha''s body stopped when she suddenly and painfully smashed high into the wall, creating a small dent under her impact zone, massively cracking the surrounding area as she lost her breath.


    Her body slid down, falling towards the ground, and Natasha, only thanks to the intense training she underwent previously, managed to regain her wits mid-air and power through the pain surging through her body as she slightly shifted it, allowing herself to fall on her feet.


    Due to the gravity and pain, she instantly went down on one knee, panting and grimacing while trying to shake off her dizziness.


    "You okay?" Tom asked in worry as he approached her and put his hand on her shoulder, stopping their spar mid-way.


    Natasha gave him a wry and pained smile, "This is just unfair." She tried to say it yfully but wincing the second she finished her sentence probably didn''t help. "You should really learn close-quartersbat. With a body like that, you would have a massive advantage." She added, slowly regaining her breath.


    This was something they talked about after literally every purely physical spar and Tom knew Natasha knew he was fed up with this topic. Yet, she always brought it up. That''s why he simply couldn''t find it in himself to give her a serious reply.


    "Me magic caster. Me no time for warrior unga bunga." Tom snarkily replied and rolled his eyes.


    His lover could be quite annoying when it came to this. She knew full well that learning proper fighting techniques could take months if not years. She also knew Tom was too busy doing his magic research to spend that kind of time on something like that.


    This was not some ridiculous anime where one episode a character was utter trash and the next he could fight a cadre-ss fallen angel with millennia ofbat experience in meleebat, handling him like a misbehaving child due to some enlightenment of boobs.


    Learning how to properly fight took freaking time!


    "You better warrior unga bunga than hocus-pocus abracadabra. My knuckles owie-owie." Natasha deadpanned in childish response.


    They both stared at each other for a second... before both shared a smallugh.


    It wasn''t as if Natasha expected Tom to listen to her. He didn''t the previous seven times so she saw no reason for this time to be any different. But she wouldn''t feelfortable if she didn''t at least try to make him see the error of his ways.


    Damned magicians and their mad scientist experimental tendencies...


    "Paw." Tom suddenly said and put his hand forward, asking for hers as if she was a dog.


    Natasha mock-scowled but obeyed, putting her hand into Tom''s palm as he kneeled in front of her, looking at her knuckles. "They are only bruised." He smiled in relief as a small magical circle appeared in front of his free hand and a bottle of red potion appeared from it.


    This was not an alchemical circle of his but a bonafide spell magician''s usually used. Tom put in the time to learn it because he could store a few objects with it. It was no ''Game Inventory'' and the storage capacity was utter crap but despite all the shorings, it was still convenient as heck.


    Tom poured half of the bottle of the healing potion of his own making over Natasha''s knuckles, watching the bruises on them disappear, giving Natasha relief from the stinging pain. He kissed the upper side of Natasha''s hand before releasing it and ordering her, "Next one."


    Natasha rolled her eyes at him with a faint blush on her cheeks as she deposited her other hand into his, waiting for her bruised knuckles to be treated.


    "Your endurance is just bullshit, you know that?" She idly spoke, no heat behind her words but Tom gave her a guilty smile nevertheless.


    He knew this was a spar and such a thing was inevitable but he still felt bad for hurting her. Even though she mostly hurt herself by bashing her fists against his body.


    "It''s the high-rank physique, darling." Tom helplessly shrugged as he poured the other half of the potion over her hand.


    Using an entire half was wasteful as heck since even one-tenth of the bottle would have been fully capable of curing something as trivial as bruised knuckles but... he was the creator so he didn''t care. He could always make more of the potion anyway.


    "We both know that''s yet another bullshit." Natasha sighed. "Your body is the best for the warrior path. It''s just frustrating to see you squander it."


    Tom''s physique was special. In gaming terms, all of his physical parameters were raised evenly due to the Life Energy Absorption Technique.


    This was not the case for the people focusing on physical fighting who trained their bodies day and night to get better. They usually improve their strength, agility, or stamina... but their endurance almost always falls t simply because of how hard it is to train it.


    Even Tom had no idea how to train that. He assumed that by getting hurt and healing over and over again, the part that was getting hurt would eventually get stronger thanks to whatever supernatural energy one possessed but he had no proof and the whole assumption was ridiculously useless.


    Even if somebody tried that way of improving it, how was that person supposed to strengthen internal organs? Heart? Brain?


    It was simply unusable for the overall body.


    The only known exception was getting higher energy reserves and this was why energy ranking actually worked even for physical fighters.


    For example, Ultimate-rank physical fighters usually had high-rank endurance simply because the energy in their bodies was concentrated and dense enough to enhance their bodies to such a degree.


    But even then they had to, firstly, put incredible effort into improving their physique, and secondly, reach Ultimate rank to get endurance a rank lower.


    Magic-using Ultimate ranks did not have high-rank endurance or physique. Not without putting in the necessary effort to train their bodies. They still had strong bodies thanks to the energy coursing through them but it seldom reached the high-rank stage without any effort on their part.


    Everybody was different and real life was not a game where strength could be quantified by numbers on a status sheet nor could the physical parameters be raised evenly via training. In fact, doing so was t-out impossible.


    That''s why Tom was special. His body wasparable to a high-rank physical fighter right now but all of his physical aspects reached this milestone. The result was that Natasha could smash her fists into him as much as she wanted but she was mostly hurting herself. Tom had barely felt her punches.


    Of course, if she used her Power of Destruction in their spar, the entire situation would have been massively different. Just because he had an extremely strong and durable body didn''t mean he was invincible.


    "This body was acquired through magic, dear. No magic, no body like this. It''s that simple." Tom chuckled, letting go of her now healed hand and they both stood up.


    "That doesn''t mean you shouldpletely disregard fighting techniques." Natasha argued back. "Look." She turned around, facing the wall as she took a stance.


    Tom could briefly feel a small shift of energy in her hand but before he could pay it more attention, Natasha''s hand whipped forward in a palm strike... abruptly stopping a few inches short of hitting the wall.


    Yet, the second her palm stopped, despite not quite reaching the wall, massive spiderweb cracks appeared on the wall, big enough to cover an entire house from the ce opposite Natasha''s palm.


    Tom wryly smiled. If she hit an actual house and not a magic-reinforced wall with a lot of wards supporting it, this strike of Natasha''s would have easily destroyed it. Considering her physique was just mid-rank at the moment, that was already quite a ridiculous feat.


    "See? Magic and technique put together." Natasha smugly turned towards Tom who was currently d their previous spar was a no-magic one. "Isn''t it cool?"


    "You just wanted to show off." Tom chuckled, making Natasha giggle as he took her into his arms and nuzzled her hair.


    "Let me see... you used a small discharge of your mana imbued with the Power of Destruction and sent it outward from your palm, causing a sort of rippling force to impact the wall, multiplying the damage from your strike." He slowly exined what he saw, whispering into her ear.


    That was... original.


    And efficient.


    Unlike the Gremorys, Natasha didn''t just try to flood her mana with torrents of destructive energy. She didn''t have inborn reserves of high-rank being so she learned to be less wasteful with her mana.


    She made use of her much better control over her mana to create an efficient but still destructive way of using her Power of Destruction. She barely used any mana in that blow and yet, the effect wasparable to an attack of a high-rank devil.


    Tom was extremely proud. His girl was smart in her own way when it came to creating her own fighting techniques.


    "It hurts my pride that you know what I did with just a single nce. It took me days toe up with the idea and then even more time to actually create it." Natasha sullenly said and buried her head into Tom''s shoulder, not forgetting to bite him in the process.


    The jerk deserved it... all that effort and he couldn''t even pretend to be surprised!

 Chapter 60: The Leaky Cauldron... yikes

    Chapter 60: The Leaky Cauldron... yikes


    Hermione''sst three days in Tom''s household were both pleasant and frustrating.


    Both her cousin and his lover went out of their way to try and make herfortable and Hermione appreciated it with her whole heart. She hated the circumstances under which they met but she was happy they met anyway.


    The thing that was making her frustrated, however, was how open her cousin and Natasha were about their rtionship.


    They flirted with each other, made fun of each other, and kissed each other so often without any regard for their surroundings that Hermione felt as if she was overdosed on sugar despite barely eating any.


    At times, it was outright cringe to see them whisper to each other and giggle like schoolgirls at some personal joke of theirs. If Hermione was to eat in public with these two, she would rather dig herself a hole to hide in. It was that embarrassing to witness.


    But the climax of these three days was when Hermione leisurely strolled into the kitchen, earphones in her ears... and promptly froze in her tracks when she noticed Natasha bent over the table with Tom pounding her from behind.


    Hermione''s brown eyes met Natasha''s green that were drowning in delighted pleasure, no shame in them at all... and Hermione squeaked before she instantly high-tailed it out of there with her heart wildly pounding against her ribcage.


    The worst part?


    They didn''t stop at all! An hourter, Hermione could still hear Natasha''s heated moansing from the kitchen when she timidly peeked out of her room.


    She was never more d for sound suppression wards than when she realized just how loud her new housemates could be...


    ...


    "This is... it?" Tom doubtfully asked as he stared at the exterior of the Leaky Cauldron, disbelief visible on his face.


    Tom did expect an old pub but this was one of those situations where expectations were exceeded by reality. He was sure the ce was a total shithole and he didn''t even have to walk in.


    Even if somebody did have magic and didn''t know about the Wizarding World, he would not willingly enter that ce in fear of getting some rare disease.


    No wonder the Wizarding World stayed secret with an entrance like that.


    Hermione flushed red when she saw Tom''s expression. She never really paid much attention to the Leaky Cauldron''s exterior. During her very first time here, she was far too excited about magic and then she kinda got used to it?


    Now that she properly looked at the pub with a critical eye, she had to admit that... ugh, yes, it did look like something where homeless people would stay.


    "Let''s just... go inside. Yes, the entrance is nothing much but the Diagon Alley is magical!" Hermione eximed in embarrassment, sullenly stomping her way towards the door.


    Natasha and Tom exchanged an amused look before they hand-in-hand followed Hermione.


    During theirst family dinner, she was gushing out about how incredible the wizarding world was. Well, let''s just say the first impression was indeed impressive. Just in thepletely opposite way Hermione wanted it to be...


    The trio walked into the pub, and Tom''s impression that the wizards were justzy slobs that bothckedmon sense and couldn''t properly take care of themselves only intensified.


    From all over the ce, the eyes of the pub upants brushed over them before they disregarded them upon noticing they are nobody famous. That fit Tom just fine but...


    ''Why are they all wearing clothes that came out of fashion long before their grandmothers were even born?'' Tom thought in mild disgust.


    Naturally, he totally ignored how hypocritical that was of him. He would fit right in since he also wore a tight-fitting old-fashioned ck suit that belonged more to the previous century than the modern age. He quite liked it as it reminded him of the clothes worn by Sebastian from Kuroshitsuji. It was not exactly the same but when Tom found it among his father''s old clothes, he instantly permanently borrowed it.


    The Magician Society was a bit old-fashioned too so they wore slightly old-fashioned stuff like this quite regrly... but at the very least, their fashion did not get stuck in the middle of the medieval ages as the wizarding one did.


    Tom at the very least had the decency to put a small illusion over his suit so it would appear like a modern-day suit for anyone without magic. That satisfied both his magician vanity and the need for hiding in in sight quite well.


    Speaking of the medieval ages...


    ''Why is the lighting provided via magical torches?'' Tom felt his disgust rise and he had to grit his teeth to prevent it from showing on his face.


    The ce was already quite poorly lit which could have been easily solved by a society that had magic but they used torches? Really? Ugh...


    But the real kicker was how... filthy the pub looked.


    Tom knew for a fact the wizards had excellent household charms and spells. Yet, the ce looked as if it didn''t see a woman''s touch for centuries. Tom was honestly afraid of touching anything and he was supremely d he had his thin white gloves on.


    Who knew what magical diseases were in all that... filth.


    He briefly nced at Natasha and saw that she had an indifferent expression. That was as good of an indication that she didn''t like what she was seeing as any.


    "Terrific ce." Tom muttered, causing Natasha to dryly chuckle.


    "Right?" Hermione nodded with satisfaction, probablypletely misunderstanding the meaning of Tom''s words. "It''s magical." She dreamily sighed.


    And Tom had to close his eyes for a second to not outright say something that would offend every wizard in hearing distance. It was difficult. It required an immense amount of effort on his part, but he eventually managed to hold it in.


    Sure, there was magic being used everywhere in the pub. Many people were using it to have their spoon stir their coffee, had their newspaper with moving pictures float in front of them while they ate, or cutlery was cutting the food on the tter by itself...


    And those were only the most visible examples. Magic was teeming in this ce.


    But that didn''t change anything about the fact it was filthy!


    ''Is this childish naivete or is hermon sense already corroded enough that she doesn''t even realize what she is seeing?'' Tom thought as he gave the back of Hermione''s head a conflicting look.


    He decided he would have to try and be more open with exnations of how things worked in the Wizarding World in hopes of instillingmon sense back into her head. She was his goddamn cousin and he refused her to be some dunderhead believing anything that can shit spells was dreamy.


    While Tom didn''t have in-depth information about thismunity since Sarael was stillpiling whatever he had about wizards in his library, he did already get at the very least the basics from the man.


    Some things were impressively handled, others... not so much.


    The Wizarding World had both bad and good things in it, and there was a reason why it was so cut off from the rest of the world to the point of beingpletely ignored by other supernatural factions.


    If nothing else, Tom decided he would have to open Hermione''s eyes to the reality of the Wizarding World because obviously, her educators failed to do so if her current behavior was anything to go by.


    He didn''t want the girl to be shut in her smallmunity her entire life either. Her intellect would have been hugely wasted that way. There was so much more than just Wizarding World out there and Tom at the very least wanted Hermione to have the choice of what she would do with her life.


    Having enough of the... sights, Tom put his hand on Hermione''s shoulder, "The first impression is definitely... memorable. But enough of that. Lead the way out of here." He moderately seeded in saying that with an even tone.


    Hermione, however, was too excited to be around magic again to care about Tom''s tone. She just excitedly nodded and led Tom and Natasha to the back of the pub, giving Tom the bartender a smiling nod as they passed him and entered a small courtyard behind The Leaky Cauldron.


    Tom the unimpressed magician was supremely d to be out of the Leaky Cauldron.

 Chapter 61: Wizarding magic

    Chapter 61: Wizarding magic


    Hermione approached the brick wall and pulled her wand out of her pocket, "Well, then, let me open the wa-"


    Only for Tom to interrupt her by cing his hand on her shoulder.


    "Give me a second, I''d like to take a look." He smiled and pulled her back.


    Hermione was confused but she relented, looking at Natasha in search of an exnation but the redhead just uncaringly shrugged, "Don''t look at me. I probably know less theory about magic than even you."


    Hermione wryly smiled at that and redirected her gaze back to Tom who was now...


    "What the hell are you even doing?" Hermione blurted out as she saw Tom leaning closer to the wall and sniffing it, causing her to cringe hard and subconsciously look towards the door, wishing nobody saw that.


    Who knew how many drunks pissed on that wall and he was sniffing it? Bleh.


    Tom''s eyebrow twitched when he heard her. This was how it was done so this is how he did it! He didn''t like the procedure either, alright!?


    "I am checking out the wards around Diagon Alley." He sulkily grumbled before continuing his... observations.


    That mollified Hermione but she still had a hard time looking at Tom who continued doing all sorts of weird things to the wall.


    She couldn''t believe she thought like this but... the magician''s magic was just weird. At least wizards only needed to wave their wands to get an overview of their wards.


    At that moment, Hermione was d she was a witch and not... whatever Tom was.


    "And done." Tom stopped knocking on the wall, and Hermione sighed in relief. At one point, she even thought he would pull his trousers down and start peeing on the wall in the name of checking the wards out.


    Tom turned around, only to see extremely amused Natasha, holding back herughter, and Hermione who was heavily frowning and looked embarrassed for him.


    "Yeah, yeah,ugh it up, Chuckles." Tom clicked his tongue at Natasha. "At least I now know what kind of wards we will be shortly entering, unlike you who would walk into unknown territory, having no information of what to expect at all."


    That did the charm and Natasha stopped smiling, instead, her lips now showed a grimace.


    If there was anything she hated, it was exactly that. Her time in the Red Room and SHIELD instilled in her quite deeply the dislike for being uninformed and Tom knew exactly how to use that against her whenever she tried to tease him.


    The prick...


    "Did you really see through the wards around Diagon Alley so quickly?" Hermione doubtfully asked. It was not that she didn''t believe Tom was capable of that. She just... yeah, she didn''t believe it.


    Tom was not even in the middle of his twenties and hearing he could do this... It sounded too oundish to her.


    In the past three days, the only magic she had seen him using was when he cooked. Other than that, neither Tom nor Natasha seemed to use magic at all. It waspletely different from the Weasley household where magic was used for literally everything from cleaning the dishes to taking care of their farnds.


    That''s why Hermione subconsciously thought wizards were superior to magicians because... why would Tom not use his magic on a constant basis? Hermione simply didn''t get it.


    s, Tom wasn''t about to tell her his entire house was full of automatic runes that did these things for him on a regr basis during the night. Nor would he reveal the existence of the training basement to the girl so that only fed her a subpar impression of his capabilities of using magic outside of cooking.


    "Yup. The wall is just a public entrance to Diagon Alley. You input a specific key and it opens for you, letting you through all the wards and keying you to them." Tom dumbed down the lengthy exnation.


    "Really?" Hermione looked dubiously at Tom, her opinion of him slightly changing.


    At the same time, though, she had never read about anything like that so she found it hard to believe his words.


    Seeing her skepticism, Tom looked funny at her, "You don''t really believe the Diagon Alley is really behind this wall, do you?" He amusedly raised his eyebrow, making Hermione frown as the gears in her head started working.


    "Any satellite scan would instantly reveal something fishy if that was the case. Having a massive nk spot in the middle of London would raise several major gs in the government even if they didn''t have any idea about the Wizarding World." Tom borated.


    Hermione''s eyes widened as she realized the merit of Tom''s words. Muggles were not idiots. In fact, from what Hermione observed so far, they were even more resourceful than most wizards. Having a huge dark zone in the middle of the capital city would definitely not be overlooked.


    Before Hermione could speak, Tom shook his head and continued, "No. The Diagon Alley is in something called Parallel Pocket Dimension. It exists parallelly with these parts of London. Behind this brick wall are really just empty and dark back alleys that are not used at all. This brick wall is just the entry point to the Pocket Dimension that mirrors these back-alleys, existing parallelly with them. It''s quite clever if I say so myself. If there is anything wizards are good at, it is hiding like cockroaches."


    When Hermione heard that Tompared wizards with the irritating vermin that pops out when you least expect it, her earlier excitement was as if doused by a bucketload of cold water and her questions got stuck in her throat while her expression soured.


    Tom, however, didn''t give a damn as he followed the disgruntled brte stomping her way towards Gringotts. After all, he only told the truth.


    Wizarding magic was impressive in its utility and versatility. Tom was not really surprised they could do this. Not with magics like Fidelius and the sort. Their magic worked on intent and imagination. Theirs was one of the most versatile and free magic systems out there, surpassing even the one devils had in some aspects.


    The only reason why other races didn''t seek wizards to do their wards or enchantments was that wizards are weak as heck. In the wider supernatural world, adult wizards, who are on average mid-rank beings, don''t amount to much. Not when other races have High or Ultimate ranks among them.


    No matter the versatility the wizarding wards could offer, if the ward can be taken down by just one High-rank person focusing a bit, then it is not worth the money.


    The wards around the Diagon Alley were indeed impressive in their functionality. Hell, these wards maintained the whole Pocket Dimension. But... one Ultimate-rank being could tear through them like a finger tears through a wet tissue. These wards were strong against mid-rank beings. They worked well against wizards and witches. But against the powerhouses of other races? They were not even an obstacle.


    That rule, unfortunately, applied to every aspect of Wizarding Magic. Their enchantments were clever and versatile, but weak. Their potions did not work for anyone who didn''t have wizarding magic in them... And so it went with other branches of their kind of magic.


    And that''s not even going into the actual problems of their enchantments and wards and theirpatibility with other magical systems. So many of these were unusable without being fed WIZARDING magic, meaning if a wizard set up a ward around the house of a magician and if there was no automatic conversion of neutral mana to wizarding mana through a specialized wardstone or the like, the ward would just quickly crumble due to insufficient energy source.


    It wouldn''t matter how much neutral mana the magician could supply. Wizarding wards simply worked on a different power source altogether.


    Sure, there were a lot of workarounds for that particr problem. Devils usually geared their wards for ambient mana rather than demonic powers, for example. But wizards did not exactly have a lot of experience with other kinds of energies than their own wizarding magic.


    In fact, most wizards had no idea any other kind of magic than their own even existed, despite living literally next to goblins.


    Funnily enough, all these disadvantages of wizarding magic actually served wizards well. Thanks to them they were ignored by most of the factions, and that meant they evaded most of their conflicts and scheming.


    Being a racepletelyposed of cannon fodder level existences had its perks too.

 Chapter 62: Cocky beginner level mobs

    Chapter 62: Cocky beginner level mobs


    Upon entering Gringotts, Tom could instantly feel the magic in the wards in the surroundings shift. No longer was this the wizarding kind of magic that felt a bit simr to the devil one. Instead, this new magic leaned more towards earth and nature. The primal kind of nature that fit the goblin race so well.


    Still, there was a reason why goblins chose to live alongside wizards. Just like in all the fantasy stories in Tom''s past life, goblins were the race of low-level mobs. Scrubs that would usually be ughtered by the hundreds upon meeting apetent protagonist and the only thing they had going for them was their quick breeding rate.


    For their own survival, some more cultured goblin tribes decided to integrate with the wizardingmunity and lived here in peace and obscurity like good beginner-level mobs should, taking up tormenting the wizards as their past-time activity to amuse themselves and calm down their more vicious nature.


    As for other goblin tribes... those were wiped out a long, long time ago. End of story.


    These kinds of history lessons were the reason why Tom was not amused as he stood with his arms crossed under his chest in front of the goblin teller who waspletely ignoring him.


    The little shit even dared to nce and grin at him before returning to his work, letting him wait some more.


    Tom was usually a patient man but he was no wizard. No masochist. He didn''t acquire his current power to be looked down upon by the lowest of the low and having said worm grin at him in the face.


    Cockiness was the privilege of the strong, and the little shit in front of Tom was anything but that.


    "Okay, I think that''s enough." Tom dryly droned, causing Hermione''s head to snap towards him with her eyes gaining a fearful glint. She knew how vicious goblins were and thest thing she wanted was for Tom to provoke them!


    The goblin heard Tom''s words and raised his eyes toward Tom with a mocking sneer. He was about to open his mouth when Tom cut him off.


    "Look, goblin, I am not your everyday wizard that just loves to be demeaned by a race that was already wiped out from the wider world and is reduced to hiding among Wizarding Communities because they are too weak to survive anywhere else." Tom started, making the goblin quickly agitated... yet, also too cautious to cause a scene.


    Tom having knowledge of this could only mean he was from the wider Supernatural World and goblins could not afford to offend other factions or races. Since the teller had no idea who Tom was or who was backing him, he could only switch to his polite mode despite feeling no magic from the man at all.


    In fact, not feeling any magic from Tom was a reason for worry rather than for relief. Even these ''muggles'' as wizards liked to call them, had magic. It was just a different kind of magic than the wizarding one. Not feeling any from Tom just meant the man was hiding his magic too well and that was not a reassuring thought at all, considering what kind of monsters could be found in the wider Supernatural world.


    "How can I serve the esteemed customer?" The little shit ground out with an expression as if he just ate something sour. But... At least he was more polite.


    Seeing and hearing the exchange between Tom and the goblin teller, Hermione''s jaw dropped to the ground. She would have never imagined that getting away with insulting a goblin in Gringotts was possible. She was about to blurt something stupid out when Natasha''s handnded on her shoulder and squeezed, causing her to instinctively look at the redhead.


    The second Hermione''s eyes met with Natasha''s, the brte froze in her tracks at the seriousness Natasha''s eyes conveyed. It was obvious the redhead wanted her to be quiet. So, Hermione grimaced and gulped back her numerous questions, deciding to quietly observe the exchange and try to glean as much information from it as possible.


    "Good. You are learning." Tom nodded in satisfaction, causing the goblin to barely stifle a scowl. Unknown to the little shit, Tom didn''t mean him but his impressionable cousin. Oh, well, if his sentence was taken as an insult by the goblin, all the better, in Tom''s opinion. "I assume you do provide a service of transferring funds from mundane banks, don''t you?" Tom lifted his eyebrow at the small ugly bundle of nastiness.


    "We do. For a fee." The goblin grinned through his snarl but his amusement was cut short when Tom just chuckled at his provocation.


    The attempt was cute but Tom was not some idiot who was never in any other bank than Gringotts.


    "Your superiors will either give me reasonable rates or you will lose a new customer. It''s as simple as that." He casually shrugged. Yes, Gringotts was the only Wizarding Bank... in Britain, but that didn''t mean Tom could not get Galleons via some other means. Gringotts was just the most convenient way. "Now, call someonepetent. I doubt you have the clearance to deal with me." Tom dismissively remarked.


    The goblin wanted to argue. Never in his long career was he spoken to as if he was a... a wizard! This rude man was pissing him off so much!


    But, in the end, he just snarled again and used the device under his desk to inform his superiors. They could deal with the rude foreigner. They would know best what to do. As much as he wanted to rip the man''s tongue off, he was just a clerk and this was way above his pay grade. He could only pray his superiors would decide to roast Tom alive.


    Yes, that would be fun and tasty.


    "Go and wait on the couches. Manager Sharpmaw wille and get you in a few minutes." The goblin pointed towards the waiting area, gritting his teeth as he vehemently red at Tom.


    Tom nodded and turned around in as dismissive a manner as was humanly possible, and when the goblin thought he would finally leave and looked down towards his documents again, Tom suddenly stopped and half-turned towards the little cocky shit again, amusement dancing in his eyes, "Oh, and goblin?"


    The goblin''s eye twitched as he was forced to raise his eyes again, gritting the next word through his teeth, "Yes?"


    "If I hear even a rumor about my presence here getting out, I will make sure there is no ce for goblins on British soil. Just a friendly reminder and I will also give it to your supervisors too. Don''t piss me off by trying to sell information about me, alright pal?" Tom gently delivered a threat to the continued existence of his whole race.


    But his eyes made it painfully obvious he meant every word.


    He didn''t get to his current level of power just to be disregarded and disrespected by some irrelevant beginner mob. He had no idea why goblins pissed him off as much as they did but that''s just how Tom felt. Something about them was rubbing him the wrong way really fiercely.


    With that, he turned around, ignoring the spluttering little shit, and started walking towards the waiting area on the side with Natasha in tow, pushing the bewildered Hermione in front of her as if she was a small child.


    ---


    Author Note:


    Yeah, nope.


    No noble and honorable goblins would be found here like in other stories.


    There would be no glorification of them nor would I make them mobilize their entire nation the second they heard some random child is being mistreated.


    But, I will try to make them into a bit more realistic, primal and vicious creatures that can y nice if the situation demands it of them.

 Chapter 63: Angering bad faith.

    Chapter 63: Angering bad faith.


    The wait in the waiting area was short but it was hell on its own for Tom.


    Hermione first tried to nag him for his behavior but he quickly shot that down with an unamused re. He was no Ron or Harry. She would not act like a harpy towards him and that was final.


    Then again, the small dose of killing intent Natasha drowned the girl in might have had a much bigger effect on the girl shutting up than Tom''s re.


    Not that Tomined. It did shut Hermione up so all was well.


    At least for a few seconds before Hermione regained her confidence and started shooting question after question at Tom, about his knowledge of goblins and their history and the like.


    Much to Tom''s chagrin, she did not miss him mentioning goblins hiding in the Wizarding Society nor the fact they usually did not survive anywhere else. Unfortunately for Tom, he couldn''t really reprimand her for being curious. It was in her blood. He would know. He was much the same, if a bit less vocal and more the type to take action and experiment by himself rather than ask endless questions.


    Tom was eventually saved when Manager Sharpmaw finally showed up some ten minutester, politely asking them to follow him without even introducing himself first.


    The first impression this older goblin gave Tom was... a bit curt but other than that, it was normal. Neither snarling nor friendly and that was fine by Tom. He would take someone who tried to genuinely do business with him over some grouchy and snarling little shit any day of the year.


    As the trio walked through the halls of Gringotts, heading towards Sharpmaw''s office, suddenly, another goblin leading a pompous-looking wizard was about to pass them by.


    The wizard had long pale blonde hair and held himself high with his back straight as he nged his cane over the floor with every step, giving off the impression of a typical spoiled old master.


    The wizard''s eyes suddenlynded on Hermione and they narrowed.


    "Granger..." He drawled as he stopped and stared at the fidgeting Hermione, stopping Natasha and Tom in their tracks and causing them to turn towards the man, "I heard you hit my Draco. If I were you, I would be very careful in the near future lest something bad happens to you." The man however continued speaking as if neither Natasha nor Tom existed and slowly raised his cane, about to put its tip on Hermione''s cheek and turn her head so she would look at him.


    Now... Tom couldn''t have that, could he?


    "Who is this pea-sized-cock?" He asked the goblin who was leading his group as he caught Lucius''s cane short of its tip reaching Hermione''s cheek, causing the goblin to guffaw at the casual way Tom had just insulted Malfoy Senior right in the face.


    Lucius clearly tried to yank his cane away but Tom''s grasp was far too strong and his attempts were futile.


    Both goblins had visible problems keeping their snickers in as Sharpmaw answered, "This is Mr. Lucius Malfoy. One of the-"


    "Yeah, don''t care what poncy-sounding title he holds." Tom cut the goblin off, rolling his eyes as he pushed Lucius''s cane to the side, making the man stumble, "The man looks dolled up enough to star in yboy so it is obvious the stick goes way up in his ass."


    Now, this insult would have been much more impactful if Lucius knew what yboy was, but despite hisck of knowledge about muggle literature, Lucius understood he was being insulted.


    Straightening himself, he turned from Hermione towards Tom, and leveled a re at the nonchnt man who humiliated him, "And you are?" He asked with an angry hint of a sneer on his face.


    Naturally, Lucius quickly assumed Tom was just a muggle, considering he was with the mudblood.


    "Thomas Prest. This one''s cousin and the man who can''t believe you really said something so cringe. Maybe your threats will start to be less useless when you stop speaking like a third-rate viin threatening a schoolgirl, duh." Tom chuckled, enjoying how Lucius''s expression darkened even more. Deciding to pour more fuel into the fire, he added, "I know you are a backward savage but that was way beyond pathetic even for you, ya know?"


    Tom used the fact they were close enough to causally pat the man on the shoulder as if he was speaking with a good friend, a friendly smile on his face while he looked straight into Lucius''s eyes, making him fully aware he was mocking him.


    Lucius quickly swatted Tom''s hand away, his expression looking as if it couldn''t decide between showing disgust or drawing his wand. Tom''s smile transformed into a smirk at that and he patiently waited for Lucius to calm down.


    There was no need for further words. His amused and condescending smirk made Lucius more furious than any verbal insult ever could. After all, being looked down upon by a muggle... now that must have tweaked Lucius''s imaginary mustache somewhat fiercely.


    "No wonder the girl doesn''t know her betters with a family like you. Mark my words, Thomas Prest, I will-" Lucius spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes full of hatred and anger when...


    Thomas yawned and boredly turned towards Sharpmaw, ignoring the seething wizard in front of him. "Can we go to your office now? I got tired of all this pompous grandstanding and him farting empty threats at me. I am sure we both have much more important things to do with our time than to listen to some cheap chicken-wannabe." Tom tonelessly said, turning around even before getting the answer from his goblin.


    Both observing goblins were highly amused by this squabble between humans. It always brought them joy to watch a good show like this.


    Unfortunately, Tom''s question meant the end of their entertainment and recognizing that, Sharpmaw snorted and turned around, continuing on his walk towards his office, expecting his guests to follow.


    Tom showed his back to Lucius in onest mocking gesture, not worried about getting attacked at all. This was Gringotts. If Lucius had drawn his wand on him, the pompous git would have been in for some very nasty days.


    Sadly, Malfoy knew it and kept himself on a tight leash like a good boy. Sigh, Tom''s art of provocation was still insufficient.


    "Peace out, Lucy." Tom nonchntly said as he walked away, raising his hand up to give Lucius a two-fingered salute.


    Feeling Lucius''s enraged gaze on his back, Tom smirked and slowly, his pointing finger was retracted back into his fist, leaving only his middle finger up.


    A perfect way to give Lucius hisst regard before they took a turn and disappeared behind a wall.


    Tom''s feeling of smugness was interrupted when Natasha came close to him and kissed him on the cheek, "A nice way to shift his attention from Hermione to you. I am proud of you." She sweetly said, her seductive eyes holding a promise of reward as shetched onto Tom''s arm.


    Hermione blushed at that but deep down, she was in shock. All of that was to make Lucius Malfoy focus on Tom rather than her?


    Hermione couldn''t help but feel even more grateful to Tom for shielding her like that and taking Lucius''s ire onto himself.


    "I''ve no idea what you are talking about." Tom nonchntly quipped, giving Natasha a daring smirk.


    "Sure, you don''t." She amusedly rolled her eyes as they finally arrived in front of Sharpmaw''s office.

 Chapter 64: Two... no, make that three

    Chapter 64: Two... no, make that three


    "As entertaining as that was, angering Mr. Malfoy was not very wise. He holds significant influence in the Wizarding World." Sharpmaw calmly said as they entered his office while he headed towards his table and seated himself on his elevated chair.


    ''Having size problems must be tough.'' Tom distractedly thought.


    Only Natasha''s gentle poke into his side woke him up from his musings while giving him an unamused look. His girl knew him too much to not notice he was thinking something rude.


    Tom helplessly shrugged and led Natasha towards the chairs in front of Sharpmaw''s table. There were three of them so it was obvious the goblin prepared before their meeting.


    Seating himself, Tom pleasantly smiled at the goblin. This one seemed more courteous and reasonable so Tom didn''t mind showing him the courtesy of being polite.


    "I am Thomas Prest. I''d like to believe I am one of the more aplished Magicians out there." He yfully introduced himself, only getting an eye-roll from Sharpmaw.


    Goblins really only paid attention to the big magician families and even then only every ten or so years so Tom was aplete unknown to them. Of course, they would try to investigate him the second he left Gringotts.


    Tom then gestured at Natasha and Hermione, "This is Natasha Romanova, my assistant, and Hermione Granger, my cousin. Nice to meet you Mr. Sharpmaw. Feel free to call me Tom."


    "I see. I am Sharpmaw, a manager here at Gringotts." Sharpmaw amiably returned the introduction despite them already knowing his name.


    He was chosen to meet with Tom because he was one of the more mild-mannered goblins and had the experience of working with wealthy wizarding families for quite a long time. He was the goblin sent to the proverbial wolves when somebody dangerouses to the bank and they need someone who won''t just snarl and insult the client.


    In short, his life was bothersome but at least he was getting nicely paid for his efforts.


    "Lucius Malfoy is one of the richest men in the Wizarding World, no?" Tom light-heartedly started, his tone conveying he had seemingly no care in the world.


    Sharpmaw looked at him strangely for a second. This information was well-known but... The goblin was suddenly reminded that his guests were definitely from the supernatural world but they were not native to the Wizarding World. They probably didn''t know the in-depth politics of the Wizarding World.


    ''Bothersome.'' Sharpmaw inwardly sighed, feeling a strong need for some alcoholic beverage.


    Despite everything, goblins had a massive interest in keeping the Wizarding World separated and ignorant of the wider Supernatural World. They were hiding in it so the longer it stayed isted from the outer world, the better for them.


    Having someone from the wider Supernatural World visiting the Wizarding World was incredibly bothersome because it could either reveal the state of the real world to the wizards or worse, a conflict could arise.


    Sharpmaw didn''t even want to think about that kind of a clusterfuck. The biggest problem with the wider Supernatural World was that everyone had connections to somebody else. Seldom was a strong individual also aplete loner. That went doubly for goddamned Magicians who thrived in theirworking much like the wizards did, just on a much bigger scale since they didn''t limit themselves to a thoroughly inbredmunity.


    Even if Tom was aplete weakling. What if his death would cause some strong beings to retaliate? Even one high-rank entity could cause irreparable damage to the Wizarding Community. The most recent Dark Lord was the prime example. He had reached beyond his inborn inbred potential and managed to get to the very beginning of the high-rank.


    And the entire Wizarding World was turned upside down because of it.


    Sharpmaw didn''t want to even imagine how easy it would have been for an Ultimate-rank being to just erase the British Wizarding World out of existence. Especially when the mid-ranked cannon fodder the wizards were, were so inherently arrogant and prejudiced against anything that wasn''t them.


    Merlin help the Wizarding World because this Thomas Prest definitely looked like somebody who liked to meddle and enjoyed watching some good old-fashioned conflict. Sharpmaw could respect that but that didn''t mean he had to like it.


    Slowly nodding, Sharpmaw spoke, "Yes. He is one of the most influential men in this country. Even goblins must show him at least basic courtesy." His tone revealed his disgust at that.


    He saw no need to hide it in front of Tom and his family. Obviously, from the little verbal sh, neither of them was a fan of Mr. Malfoy.


    "So, let me guess. His wealth is around one to ten million Galleons, no?" Tom curiously asked but Sharpmaw grimaced.


    "I can''t reveal confidential-" He tried to get out of answering but...


    "Come on. This is hardly confidential. I am not some wide-eyed naive Hogwarts graduate that knows nothing of the world." Hermione threw Tom a nasty look at that but he just chuckled and ignored her re in favor of speaking with Sharpmaw, "The range I proposed is purposefully wide enough that no magic could possibly deem you breaking an agreement if you said yes or no. So? Which is it?"


    Sharpmaw helplessly smiled, "Yes. He is in that range. You are well-informed on how contractual magic works." He said, inwardly sweating bullets.


    The only way for Tom to be so aware of these things was if he regrly made deals with the devils. And if he was on good terms with a devil... Sharpmaw''s throat suddenly went dry at the implications.


    Even connections with other Magician Families were troublesome but the devils? The sole race where every noble devil is practically born to be a powerhouse?


    The need to not piss off Tom suddenly rose from four to a whole eight in Sharpmaw''s range from one to ten. The only way to get higher would be if he showed he was the high or the ultimate rank himself. But, that couldn''t be true, right? ... Right?


    Sharpmaw surely hoped not.


    Hearing Sharpmaw''s answer, Tom turned to Hermione and gave her an amiable smile, "That''s five to fifty million pounds for your information."


    Something in his smile rubbed Hermione the wrong way. He sounded and looked as if he was mocking her. As if he was saying she was unable to do the conversion herself!


    "I can do my math!" Hermione indignantly eximed, affronted at the very thought that she couldn''t convert it.


    "Good for you." Tom casually praised, "You are certainly one of the better cases among witches when ites to math. I am sure of it."


    That irritated Hermione even more but... she had noeback for that so she just sullenly crossed her arms on her chest and petntly turned her head to the side with a pout.


    ''So what if my kind was not focusing on math studies. Stupid Tom!'' Hermione inwardlyined but... deep down, she couldn''t help but mock some wizards too. Tom had just stated what she always thought out loud. And that was the real source of her current indignation.


    Even Sharpmaw couldn''t help it and involuntarily snorted when he heard what Tom said. He worked with wizards, the wealthy wizards at that, on a regr basis. Some families like Crabbes and Goyles... better to not talk about it.


    "Well, I can''t really be beaten by such a ponce, can I?" Tom rhetorically asked and pointed at himself while turning towards Natasha as if trying to gain confirmation.


    Natasha rolled her eyes but she sported a smile on her face, "No. That would certainly not be your style."


    Tom nodded in satisfaction and turned towards Sharpmaw, "You heard thedy. Prepare a transfer for two... no, make that three hundred million pounds to this bank." He casually said, making Sharpmaw''s maw fall on his table.


    With a gleeful horror, the goblin realized that he was totally right. This human definitely enjoyed causing chaos. He just hoped it would be the good type of chaos for the goblin race.


    Well, who cared anyway? Three hundred million... How much pure gold was that again!?

 Chapter 65: Economy of Wizarding Britain

    Chapter 65: Economy of Wizarding Britain


    Sharpmaw, shaking in excitement, gave Tom several forms he had to fill if he wanted to transfer his funds from a mundane bank into Gringotts.


    Three hundred million was not much to Tom nowadays. Each healing of the Sleeping Sickness cost fifty million and once Sarael''s share was subtracted, Tom still received forty million for his efforts. Three hundred million was earned by healing eight devils.


    One had to love how loaded these ancient devil households were...


    An hour and a whole bunch of depressing paperworkter, Sharpmaw gestured towards afortable couch on the side of the office and offered Tom and hispanions coffee or tea. Apparently, they had to wait for ten to twenty minutes for the new vault keys and the transfer of Tom''s funds to be finalized.


    The goblins were nothing if not efficient. Tom quite liked that. Transferring money from a mundane bank to Gringotts couldn''t be that easy since the money would have to practically ''disappear''. The fact they could do it in ten to twenty minutes spoke a lot about their connections in the banking sector of the mundane world.


    Well, Tom had no idea how exactly this was supposed to work and goblins definitely were not ones to share their ways so he decided to ignore the matter, leaving it to them.


    He did all he could, arguing with Sharpmaw about fees and stuff while they were hashing out the agreement between Tom and Gringotts. The goblin was vicious but... not overly so. He was vicious like a proper businessman looking out for hispany. Not as a goblin trying to screw with a wizard.


    All in all, Tom was quite satisfied with the final agreement. No outrageous fees, no ''We can confiscate your money if you do this, this, or this minor offense...'' the goblins liked to trick naive Hogwarts graduates with, and no allowance for the Gringotts to disclose the information about Tom or his vault...


    Hell, Tom even managed to make it outwardly appear that the Vault belonged to Hermione while in truth, it was fully in his control. Less room for the Wizengamot to do some ''You no wizard, you no need your money. Gimme!'' kind of political bullshit.


    Because yes. That was apparently a thing and it had already happened in the past when some wealthy muggle-born parents decided to open a big ount in Gringotts. Poor sods were obliviated of that fact alongside their child when the Wizengamot decided to confiscate the ount on the premise they did not have ''enough magic to own so much money in the wizardingmunity''.


    For some reason, after hearing that, Tom got the urge to help the other Tom to get back to his feet so he would continue to decimate this retardedmunity from the inside out.


    At least, Hermione gained a healthy dose of reality and went pale white when she heard about that case.


    Of course, Gringotts would not just give Tom''s money to the Wizengamot because they knew better than to fuck with someone unknown from the wider Supernatural World. The only reason why theyplied in the previous case was that they got their own major share of these vaults and there was no reason for them to give a flying fuck about the obliviated harmless muggles anyway.


    It was not as if these muggles could just nuke their race out of existence. Not when they wouldn''t even remember having that money in the first ce.


    In Tom''s case, the goblins would be much more cautious and discreet. If only because Tom could not be so easily obliviated due to being a magician.


    From how excited Sharpmaw was, the little cretins would do everything in their power to not fuck it up since he was presenting one massive stick, and on the end of it was dangling a very enticing skyscraper-sized carrot.


    Hell, the little guy instantly forgot his subtle fear of Tom when he heard ''three hundred million'' and suddenly, he was acting as if Tom was his best buddy.


    Tom couldn''t help but smile in amusement at his enthusiasm. He had to say, he quite liked his new ount manager.


    As they sat on the couches, Sharpmaw poured all of them tea. For a moment, apanionable silence spread through the room as they sipped on their tea, but...


    "Oh, for god''s sake, just ask your question, Hermione." Tom couldn''t handle the unending nces of his cousin and exasperatedly blurted out.


    Hermione blushed and pouted, hiding her mouth behind her teacup as her shoulders sagged.


    "How do you know how wealthy Malfoys are?" She eventually asked.


    It bothered her. How could Tom know that?


    Also... she thought they were a lot wealthier! From the way Draco held himself, Hermione thought they were at least billionaires but they only had five to fifty million in total? That... wasn''t really all that much, considering how much money some wealthy muggles had in their ounts.


    Hearing her question, Tom hummed and put his teacup back onto the table, "Oh, that''s quite simple. It''s simple math, after all." He teasingly said, giving Hermione a meaningful look, earning himself an unimpressed look from the teenage girl.


    Tom simply couldn''t help himself.


    Chuckling, he decided to exin in detail how he came to that conclusion. It might help the girl to form a better mindset when ites to the the economy. "The Wizarding Community in Britain has how many wizards and witches again? Twenty thousand?" He turned towards Sharpmaw who was watching their exchange with interest.


    Sharpmaw realized Tom wanted his input so he slowly nodded, "Somewhere around that. Maybe less after thest Dark Lord''s escapades. It''s closer to seventeen thousand right now."


    Tom nodded back in thanks and turned back to Hermione, "Add ''creatures''," He air-quoted that, "that use the British Wizarding currency and you will get a number around fifty thousand strong." Tom nced at Sharpmaw who knew more about these kinds of statistics than him and the goblin once again gestured with his hand that Tom was more or less right.


    Sharpmaw was however very impressed with Tom''s deduction so far. He could see where this was going and it earned Tom his respect. He doubted any wizard would be able to so urately deduce the situation of the Wizarding World''s economy with just a few simple facts as Tom had just done.


    "That''s how many individuals are a part of this isted economy." Tom continued, "From there, you need to take into ount a few variables. Do you think the old British Families would let some foreign wizards freely do business on their soil?" He asked, trying to get Hermione to actively participate.


    Hermione who was intently listening to Tom''s exnation furrowed her eyebrows when she was called out. When she thought about it that way, she realized that most businesses in Diagon Alley were old... and owned by simrly old other English Wizards. Just look at Ollivanders.


    "No. They don''t allow foreigners here!" Hermione eximed in surprise as she realized that the economy in the Wizarding World worked totally differently than in the muggle world. She had never thought about it, to be honest. But...


    "Close enough." Tom nodded with a proud smile that made Hermione beam at the subtle praise, "In fact, the wizards are borderline hostile to any kind of foreigners. Be it muggles, other magic practitioners, or even their own kind from beyond their own borders. But this kind of istionist policy works both ways." He then gave Natasha a meaningful look, catching her in the middle of enjoying a biscuit.


    Natasha''s eye twitched, but with an inward sigh, she longingly put down her biscuit and spoke with a slight irritation in her tone, "Just as English wizards are antagonistic to foreigners and the old Houses try to keep themselves in economic power by not allowing foreigners to do business here, the foreign nations have their own old Houses that do the same." She droned on, staring at Tom in a silent demand to let her continue enjoying her biscuit.


    Tom amusedly nodded, making Natasha stick her tongue at him as she started nibbling on the biscuit once again while Tom turned back to Hermione who giggled to herself, catching their silent interaction.


    "Unlike the muggle world, there is nothing like an international economy here. Some very rare things can be ordered from beyond the borders but most businesses are centered locally. This significantly reduces the potential profits of local businessmen. It limits the whole economy. After all, the richest people are those who trade or sell things internationally." Tom continued exining.


    But Hermione was not called the brightest witch of her generation for nothing. She was definitely Tom''s cousin and caught up quite quickly. Despite having close to no knowledge of economics, she could put some things together.


    "So... the local businesses are limited with their profits," She started to bite her lower lip due to her pondering state, "which reduces the avable wealth the old Families could amass." She carefully summed up, looking at Tom if she understood him right. When he nodded she unsurely continued, "But... didn''t they have centuries to get richer? Shouldn''t they be, I don''t know, wealthier?" She curiously tilted her head without even noticing it.


    Tom chuckled to himself at how simr to a curious squirrel she looked. s, he was smart enough not to voice his thoughts out loud. "No. You forget that there are costs and losses in doing business too. With localized businesses, you don''t only have lower profits but also more rigid costs due to theck ofpetition. For example Ollivander. He is the only wandmaker in the country with the legal right to sell wands."


    Tom snorted at the absurdity of this. Wands were one of the most precious resources to wizards and they allowed one guy to legally have a monopoly on their creation? Just how stupid did their government have to be to allow this?


    "Of course, there are others who create and sell them illegally but that''s not the point. Because Ollivander has close to nopetition, he can decide the price of his wands. If he wanted, he could ask twenty galleons for a wand and the English Wizarding Community would simply have to silently bear it." Tom presented a situation.


    It didn''t matter that Ollivander was a good guy and sold his wands only for seven Galleons. This could still happen and it was happening in other businesses quite frequently.


    Hermione sullenly hummed, her eyes stormy as she remembered how overpriced books were. The biggest expense for every year in Hogwarts is actually the new course books. Each piece costs three to six Galleons.


    Tom didn''t mind Hermione''s distraught expression and just continued. He knew she was still listening. "Because of this, the economy is not healthy. The businessmen earn a lot but they also have a lot of costs which reduces their profits massively. And then there are losses. Deals that went through. Because that''s a normal thing that happens more often than not." He smirked.


    Just imagining how much it must hurt to have an investment fail in this kind of economy made him inwardly snicker with schadenfreude. It was no wonder the old Houses mostly tried to keep their old and proven investments going without trying to risk expanding.


    Oh! And he had the best example too!


    Tom''s eyes mirthfully sparkled, "An apt example would have been supporting thest Dark Lord," Hermione''s head snapped toward Tom at the mention of the git, "where many Noble Houses lost a lot of their wealth when he was defeated and then they had to pay some more to keep themselves out of prison. That''s as good of an example of failed investment as it gets. All that considered, the Malfoys could not really get past the ten million Galleons point. In fact, I believe their wealth took a steep hit in the recent decades and Lucy has a lot of work to keep his House on the top." Tom wiggled his eyebrow at Hermione, making her giggle at the mental image of panting Lucius who tried to do three things at once, failing at each of them.


    "But less than one million Galleons seems too little to be one of the wealthiest in this kind of economy. I personally think they have somewhere around six million in their ounts right now." Tom shrugged and subtly nced at Sharpmaw. His smirk widened when he saw the goblin wince.


    ''Strike! Prest 1, goblin 0!'' Tom smugly thought as he gave the goblin a knowing look, making him wince even more.


    Tom took that number totally out of his ass, just trying his luck but... eh, what do you know? It worked.


    A knock suddenly came from the door, interrupting the atmosphere in the room.


    "As interesting as your analysis was, Mr. Prest, your vault keys are here." Sharpmaw grumbled as he stood up, both astonished and exasperated with Tom.


    After listening to him exin his thought process on the Wizarding Economy, Sharpmaw knew that scamming this guy would be hard. He just had no idea if he was more irritated or impressed.

 Chapter 66: Key-induced and ticklish family drama

    Chapter 66: Key-induced and ticklish family drama


    "Are you really sure this is ok?" Hermione hesitantly asked for the n-th time as they were leaving Gringotts, holding her new Vault Key so tightly her knuckles went white and heavily frowning at it.


    The girl didn''t like that Tom practically gave her limited ess to his Gringotts ount. Especially after knowing how loaded it was. Or rather, she did like it but she didn''t think she deserved it, which made her feel inadequate and insecure.


    Taking even a Galleon out of it felt like epting charity and that made her ufortable.


    "I promised to take care of your financial needs. Just take it as me fulfilling that promise." Tom casually said, his hands in his pockets.


    "But..." Hermione disgruntledly trailed off, not finding proper words toin.


    It was hard toin about getting ess to sixty million Galleons. Tom''s nonchnce was not helping her hard feelings at all.


    How could he not care about bing the wealthiest man in the British Wizarding World... probably even in the entire Wizarding World... Hermione would never understand. He was acting as if these sixty million Galleons had no value for him!


    Little did she know that Tom earned at the very least forty million pounds, which was eight million Galleons, every time Sarael came to him with a new contract to heal the Sleeping Sickness.


    And Sarael came on a daily basis. If he could, he would havee twice or thrice a day even. Devils wanted their rtives cured asap and they spared no expense for it. The only reason why Tom didn''t have any of those visits from the grumpy old devil in the past few days was that he took a week-long break because of his situation with Hermione.


    When one earns more than the entire worth of the House Malfoy in one sitting, money quickly loses its initial appeal. Tom recognized money as necessary but he was not penny-pinching. He was too busy to do that.


    "Eh, stopining. You still have a limit to how much you can withdraw anyway. It''s not like you could drain my ount in one sitting. Or even in a thousand sittings, really." Tom rolled his eyes at the petnt reluctance of his cousin.


    Seriously... she could be such a kid sometimes.


    Her spending limit was a thousand Galleons a month so she couldn''t really use up all the wealth in his ount even if she withdrew her entire limit every month until the end of her life. Tom really didn''t see what her problem was...


    He took his promises seriously. He didn''t make promises lightly. In fact, he avoided making them with extreme prejudice.


    But since he promised to take care of her, this was his way of doing it. With a thousand Galleons a month, Hermione could do nothing her entire life and still have more ie than even an average pureblood wizard who worked in the Ministry.


    Tom also knew the girl would not stomach beingzy and doing nothing with her life. She would earn her own money eventually. If only because she was too stubborn to rely on his support.


    She was no Ronald Weasley, after all.


    ''Hmm... now that I think about it, I should add a use that would cut off her ess to my Vault if she marries that weasel.'' Tom hummed as he inwardly nodded, his decision made.


    It didn''t matter he never met Ron. He simply didn''t like him from the story and movie and that was that. Tom never boasted about being righteous. In fact, he could be a very petty bastard and he was proud of it too.


    "That''s not the point." Hermione exasperatedly argued, narrowing her eyes at the nonchnt Tom.


    Getting annoyed by Hermione''s incessantining, Tom sighed and went for the kill, "You can buy hundreds of books now." He dryly said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he saw the young witch''s eyes instantly brighten as the gears in her head started turning.


    Of course, her face showed a myriad of expressions, the most regr of which was hesitation, reluctance, embarrassment, and so on... but in the end, Hermione just clutched the key to her chest as she mumbled, "I think I will gratefully ept. For now." She quietly added.


    "Good to know. Now, shoo~, shoo~." Tom waved his hand at Hermione in a shooing motion. "Aunty Nat and I want to have a magical date and you are old enough to do your shopping by yourself."


    Rolling her eyes, Hermione separated from them. Tom was right. She was old enough to do her shopping alone.


    Seeing that the family drama was resolved and the kid left, Natasha leaned into Tom, pushing her chest against his arm while her green eyes mirthfully gleamed with amusement as she sweetly spoke, "Darling? And where is my key?"


    ''Kill me now.'' Tom inwardly groaned.


    "My key is your key and you know it." He bluntly said, knowing Natasha was acting like that for kicks and giggles.


    He had just finished dealing with one female. Did the other one really have to instantly use the opportunity to tease him?


    "It''s not as if you had something you wanted to buy in the Wizarding Community anyway." Tom mumbled under his nose, loud enough for Natasha to hear.


    "What was that?" Natasha sweetly asked, her smile widening and gaining a warning edge while her grip on Tom tightened...


    But Tom, who knew this game, only smirked in her face... and flicked her forehead which made her head snap back and forced her to temporarily release his arm, enabling him to gain distance from her.


    "You heard me!" He smugly shouted as he walked backward, using his magic senses to evade the utterly pissed and panicking wizards behind him.


    Natasha rubbed her forehead, leveling a re at Tom while pouting as she started running after him.


    "That''s not what a gentleman should have answered!" She shouted, causing Tom to start running backward rather than walking, still expertly evading the wizards and causing chaos all around the Diagon Alley, making people drop their things or try to jump out of his way...


    Heh, the wizards definitely didn''t expect some madman to run backward through the middle of the crowded street when they decided to go shopping today.


    But Tom had more pressing matters than some frightened sheeple. The redhead on his trail was at the very least mildly pissed. He... might have flicked her too strongly due to histest life energy absorption session.


    Despite that...


    "Bite me!" Tom cockily shouted back. Gentleman, his ass!


    Natasha grinned at that, speeding up even more as she responded, "I will! Tonight!"


    She was definitely not ashamed that the wizards around heard her. Nor did she care even one bit about all the kids on the street or the affronted mothers who tried to cover their kids'' ears, giving her chastising res.


    Then again, neither did Tom. "Ooh~, I am so excited!" He shouted back but then his eyes spotted a particr shop and he involuntarily stopped in his tracks as his attention was attracted.


    "As you should be!" Natasha eximed as she rammed into Tom, tackling him onto the ground and straddling him in the middle of the street before starting to mercilessly tickle him.


    The people stared at them as if they grew a second head, this kind of behavior too weird even for the wizards who rode brooms and brewed potions... but both Natasha and Tom were already in their own fluffy world.


    Or rather, in Tom''s case, in the world of tickling nightmares.


    "Hey, sto-!" Futilely trying to swat Natasha''s hands away, Tom weakly managed to get through his tickling-inducedughter.


    When Natasha didn''t look like she was about to stop anytime soon, Tom put a bit more strength into his attempts and took a ragged breath, "Hey, you little..."


    But Natasha only responded in kind and her knees locked onto his hips to keep him in ce, while herughing green eyes full of joy stared into Tom''s brown ones, delighting in her momentary victory as she redoubled her tickling efforts, evading Tom''s swatting hands to make sure he could not take hold of her arms.


    Tom was starting to wheeze but much to his relief, he finally managed to catch one of Natasha''s arms, gaining a second of reprieve so he could take a much-needed deep breath.


    Seeing in Natasha''s eyes that she was far from done, Tom knew he had to act swiftly and distract her if he wanted her to stop. Remembering why he stopped in the first ce, Tom shouted, "Stop! Magical ice cream!"


    Natasha suddenly froze.


    "..." Tom stared at her.


    "..." She stared at Tom.


    "..." People stared at them.


    "We are going there." Natasha abruptly said in a matter-of-fact tone and finally stood up, stopping straddling Tom, before she offered him her hand with a grin on her face.


    Taking it, Tom rolled his eyes, also standing up, "As if that wasn''t obvious." He answered with a grin of his own.


    Just like that, themotion in Diagon Alley got resolved on its own.


    When the Aurors arrived an entire half-hourter, nobody really could nor cared to describe the two delinquents disrupting the peace in Diagon Alley.


    Funnily enough, it was Tom and Natasha who gave the officers the most detailed description.


    Tom described Lucius Malfoy, as subtly as possible for it to not be instantly obvious who he was describing but in a way that he would still get the point across while Natasha described Lucius''s nonexistent evil female twin.


    It was all in good fun...


    The poor sods left with empty hands and sour grimaces upon their faces as they could not p a fine onto anybody.


    Maybe that will teach them to answer the calls on time?


    Probably not...

 Chapter 67: Meeting with Sarael and...

    Chapter 67: Meeting with Sarael and...


    Tom and Natasha''s magical date in the Diagon Alley went fine. They tried the local cuisine, looked through a lot of stores, haggled, snarled, and threatened a few shopkeepers into giving them a discount, but most importantly, they had a lot of fun together.


    They even briefly visited the Knockturn Alley... and instantly got a few poor schmucks trying to mug them... but Natasha channeled her old self and when they left the Knockturn Alley the Wizarding World was three wizards, two hags, and one werewolf shorter.


    The wonders his woman could do with a rusty knife...


    Hermione also got what she needed, all the while using a whopping eight hundred Galleons on additional books. The little nerd had to buy apletely new trunk capable of shrinking itself to be able to carry all her books.


    There went her thousand Galleons for this month...


    ''Not wanting them, my ass.'' Tom exasperatedly thought.


    Speaking of Hermione, she was currently locked in her room, memorizing her entire next year''s course books from beginning to end. Tom didn''t understand this fetish of hers but he decided to let her to her own devices as he had his own things to do.


    For one, Sarael requested a meeting and Tom was currently waiting for him in his office while Natasha busied herself with... Tom actually had no idea what she was doing. He only knew she was not at home.


    Idly stating that he was interested in acquiring more wizarding wands for experiments when she was clinging to his arm might not have been the smartest idea...


    Oh, well. Tom was sure the problem would eventually resolve itself.


    Ten minutes passed and the familiar blue magical teleportation circle appeared in the middle of Tom''s office, leaving behind Sarael when the shine from it finally disappeared.


    The very first thing Tom had noticed, however, was that Sarael was not his usual proud and outgoing self. The man had his head in his hands and silently rubbed his forehead while being slouched a bit.


    Something Sarael always said he thought inappropriate while talking to a client since he had a reputation to uphold and shit.


    It didn''t take long for Tom to notice the cause of Sarael''s odd behavior.


    From behind the old devil, suddenly a new face timidly and curiously peeked out...


    And Tom''s weing gaze turned into a frosty deadpan.


    Sarael must have felt Tom''s gaze trying to burn a hole into him because with onest groan the man lifted his head and apologetically smiled at Tom, "In my defense, she snuck into my teleportation circle when it waspleted."


    "Ha, ha. Very funny. Why do I have a secrecy agreement going on with you if this can happen?" Tom dryly asked in an even tone, before he turned towards the neer and his tone became even drier and more deadpan, "Wee, Satan Leviathan. What an... unpleasant surprise."


    Tom could have been more amodating but the woman had just broken one of the fundamental rules of her own race while also trespassing on his property. Her being strong enough to destroy the British Isles in one fell swoop aside, Tom felt too irritated to think about that right now.


    Plus, breaking a secrecy agreement of Sarael''s deal like this was a big deal. It was like an angel breaking God''s rules and having an orgy in heaven.


    While devils could not ''fall'', the social stigma that would stick to Serafall if this little escapade of hers was known would be very ufortable. Well, as a Satan, she could shrug off most of the consequences anyway but her reputation would have taken a hit, and considering she was The Diplomat of the devil race, her good reputation was kinda extremely important.


    Because of this, Tom believed she had a proper reason to risk it and secretly tag along with her father. A little bit of rudeness would not amount to anything and Tom just needed to vent a little.


    "Muu~! It''s because daddy was being a jerk-jerk! He wouldn''t tell Sera-tan who his secret business partner was so Sera-tan had to y detective herself! Meeting you personally is harder than dealing with the messes the idiots of my own race make regrly, Mr. Healer." Serafall pouted, making big tearful eyes that screamed ''pity me!'' at the bbergasted Tom who had definitely felt the slight undertone of seething irritation when she mentioned the so-called ''idiots''.


    It was very subtle and very well hidden in all that boisterous cheerfulness but Tom wasn''t meeting with Sarael regrly for nothing. They might have had a different way of distracting the others, Sarael choosing word ys while Serafall went for the childish guise, but the core principle was the same.


    Tom looked at Sarael, his eyes conveying he was slightly impressed, "Damn, she really is your daughter, isn''t she? If I didn''t know you, I would have totally eaten up her bullshit cheerfully-childish personality too."


    "I am proud of her!" Sarael happily nodded.


    "I am sure you are." Tom chuckled, returning the man''s nod as if they came to a silent understanding.


    Serafall didn''t appreciate their small mute exchange, making her pout at Tom even more. Her magic slightly fluctuated... before she froze, giving Tom a subtle appraising gaze when she felt the wards lock on her.


    "Mou~! Could you turn off the wards, please, Mr. Healer? Sera-tan would not like to set them off just because she is annoyed at how you meanies ignore her." Serafall sullenlyined.


    Tom knew the wards would not harm her even if they all bombarded her with all they got. His wards were good enough to stop a high-ranking being, not a Satan-rank one.


    Then again, even that was already very impressive in Serafall''s opinion. After all, he was supposed to be a healer, not a warder.


    She had orchestrated this visit because the man was ''waking up'' many old and important devils and as the highest authority for diplomatic issues, Serafall had to be aware of his identity. Even if he didn''t demand favors from the Pir Families and his services were provided at a cost, many families had a code of honor and still felt grateful and indebted to him while other... political parties started to feel threatened by a non-devil starting to hold so much political favor.


    It wasn''t a big deal... yet.


    But there was no way that Serafall could let this kind of person go under the radar. Even if she had to deceive her father to get this meeting.


    "I am Thomas Prest. Feel free to call me Tom, Miss Leviathan." Tom turned to the busty loli-baba with a small smile. "I will make the wards stop targeting you if you stop with that childish act of yours Deal?"


    Serafall''s childish smile faltered a bit and her eyebrow twitched but...


    "As you wish. You can call me Serafall, then." Her tone lost its high pitch as she straightened out, her expression turning serious in an instant as all childishness of hers evaporated.


    "I must say," She confidently strutted forward,ing close to Tom, and gave him an amused smirk, "It is rare to speak with people who are not intimidated by my power." She reached toward him with the intention of caressing his cheek.


    Tom caught her hand mid-way, giving her an unamused look, "Unfortunately, I already have a woman in my life."


    Serafall clicked her tongue and pulled her hand back while Sarael boisterouslyughed at his daughter''s misfortune while alsoing closer and seating himself in the chair for guests.


    "And here I thought I would give you myself in exchange for tying you to our race. Why must all good males be already taken?" Serafall huffed as a majestic throne made of ice suddenly solidified behind her and she sullenly flopped into it.


    s, neither Tom nor Sarael had enough balls to tell her that her seduction attempt sucked too much.


    "So? What do you two want?" Tom bluntly asked, knowing well the Sitris preferred efficiency. He doubted Sarael and Serafall had enough free time to stretch this meeting for long.


    Sarael and Serafall nced at each other, Sarael gesturing Serafall to go on, and she sighed before helplessly smiling.


    Well, she was the Satan here. She was the busier one of the two.


    "I just wanted to get to know your identity. Whether it is the new healing potions or waking the people suffering from the Sleeping Sickness, you already had a huge impact on our race. Do expect me to pop up from time to time in the name of good rtionship-building." Serafall casually shrugged and Tom nodded, signaling she didn''t need to exin more.


    He got the gist of it. With that big of an impact and nobody knowing his identity, the Council and the Satans were getting twitchy. Having contact with at least one Satan would assuage their worries. Not to mention, she could also be a sort of aegis from political maneuvering of the devils for Tom so he didn''t mind overly much.


    "That and I really wanted to say this." Serafall continued in a sincere tone, "Thank you for all you have done for us." She gave Tom a bright genuine smile.


    Tom raised his eyebrow but slowly nodded in eptance.


    Sarael, however, was takenpletely off guard by this, looking at Serafall with an utter shock on his face. If he didn''t count her time with Sona, he could count on one hand the asions where Serafall genuinely smiled nowadays.


    "Are you sure you don''t want her to be your mistress? She is still a virgin, you know?" Sarael abruptly asked, causing Serafall to blush.


    "Father!" She indignantly eximed and weakly swatted Sarael''s shoulder, ring at his unrepentant self.


    "Just tell me what you came here for, Sarael." Tom exasperatedly shook his head.


    "Oh, well, there is still a chance in the future." Sarael nonchntly quipped, earning himself two deadpan looks. "Anyway," He awkwardly cleared his throat, "I need you to start curing the Sleeping Sickness again. I know your week of vacation is only half over but the requests for healing seem to multiply fivefold since you took a break!"


    Sarael didn''t even care how... pleading his tone sounded. Thesest two days were a literal hell with so many families bothering him, constantly asking when Tom would be avable.


    Everyone got spooked when Tom abruptly took a break and even those families that chose the wait-and-see approach were now scrambling to get an appointment. Tom better start doing his hocus-pocus again or Sarael would go crazy!

 Chapter 68: Meeting of the four big S

    Chapter 68: Meeting of the four big S


    "So? How was the mystery healer like, Serafall? Did he meet your expectations?" Ajuka Belzebub teasingly asked, supporting his chin with his hand as hezily lounged behind the table where all four Satans currently sat.


    This was one of their private gatherings, the ce where they could act like themselves without being stiff and having to y politics with the Council. The ce where they couldin and talk freely about the old shitty fossils or their following ns.


    Many could easily forget but the current four Satans were all close friends. It was this friendship that held the anti-Satan faction together for so long. The oppressive might behind the four strongest devils being united under one banner.


    That''s why Ajuka knew Serafall intended to meet with the mystery healer whose deeds brought incredible benefits to their race... but also made some political giants very ufortable with how much favor a non-devil was gaining from the Pir Families.


    It was nothing of concern as of yet but during her long career, Serafall quickly learned it was better to take a precaution sooner rather than regret not doing soter.


    "How should I know? We only had a short meeting, Ajuka." Serafall drawled and rolled her eyes, and unlike her otherwise cheerful and dutiful appearance, she waspletely sprawled on the table with her upper body, acting like a slob.


    In these meetings, there was no need to act like Sera-tan. These idiots knew about her real nature so why should she hide it? That sounded like a bother.


    "Come on. Give us something, Sera. You aren''t our best diplomat for nothing." Sirzechs quipped, sitting in his chair with his usual kind and gentle smile donned on his face, his hands rxedly lying on the table with fingers sped together.


    Serafall inwardly groaned. She knew he did it mostly for Ajuka''s curiosity''s sake since the bastard had already met with Tom and probably made his own assessment.


    The problem was... Sirzechs was in charge of internal affairs. Having him deal with Tom would have been inappropriate for his station. Hence, it had to be Serafall''s job.


    Everyone in the devil race now knew about the existence of a healer who could heal the Sleeping Sickness. But his clout of mystery was maintained because of all the secrecy agreements that had to be agreed upon before meeting him. Only those that made a deal with him saw him and they could not speak about it.


    This created a bizarre situation where everyone knew about him, but only a few high-ranking people who were sworn to secrecy actually met him and couldn''t talk about it.


    "What can I say?" Serafall grumbled, "First impression was good. At least he didn''t seem all that research-crazy as Ajuka." Ajuka rolled his eyes at that, "But... my incredible seduction techniques didn''t work at all!" Serafall indignantly whined.


    It took a great deal of mental fortitude and longsting training for Ajuka and Sirzechs to not twitch at that statement. They both knew how... atrocious Serafall''s flirting attempts were but as good gentlemen, they kept their mouths shut and only cidly nodded.


    This was one of the forbidden topics when dealing with Serafall and neither of them was about to breach it.


    "That''s unfortunate. If you could seduce him into joining our race it would be a massive boon and stop a lot of troubles from happening." Sirzechs spoke in a faux sincere tone.


    Despite being a gorgeous girl desired by many devils and non-devils alike, Serafall wasn''t much of a seductress. Sirzechs also met Tom and from that meeting, he concluded that seduction was not a good route to get him into their ranks. Not unless he first falls for a devil woman.


    It was regrettable. So many problems could have been easily dealt with if only Tom joined somebody''s peerage. But no, the human just had to have aversion to that.


    Zekram Bael was starting to get antsy with a non-devil holding so much favor with so many Pir Families and while nothing was being schemed by his infernal faction as of now, that could change very quickly.


    It was times like these that Sirzechs hated his job...


    "It''s only expected that you failed, Serafall. Don''t be so down because of it." Ajuka tried to cheer her up, "Even I failed to persuade many geniuses to join my peerage. They are simply too smart to join without asking difficult questions first and once these are truthfully answered, they quickly get unwilling really fast. It''s vexing, ya know?" He wistfully sighed, still remembering Leonardo Da Vinci''s deadpan rejection.


    That man actually made Ajuka realize many problems with his Peerage System through his questioning... but it was toote to fully overhaul it then.


    "That''s not it!" Serafall huffed, "I finally found someone who doesn''t act like a simpering fool just because I am stronger than him. When I started flirting with him, it was because I wouldn''t mind having such a person in my peerage." She sullenly said, making Sirzechs'' and Ajuka''s eyes widen.


    Serafall was the only one of the Satans who to this day had no peerage member at all.


    Even Ajuka with his over-the-top requirements managed to get one or two people to join him during thest half-millennium. Most of those who fulfilled his criteria were, as he already stated, too smart to ept.


    Living thousands of years sounds good only if it is not attached toplete servitude with long work hours seven days a week on Ajuka''s research projects, after all.


    But Serafall? She was a much tougher cookie. Unlike Ajuka''s strict requirements... Serafall was picky and not many people managed to impress her. Hell, in truth, not even Sirzechs and Ajuka knew what exactly was needed to impress her.


    One thing could work with one person and if another does it, Serafall could just boredly shrug. She was vexing like that. Totally whimsical and only she knew what went on in her head.


    That''s why neither Sirzechs nor Ajuka tried to get details of how Tom managed to get in her good graces. It was most likely just something flipping in Serafall''s head in the middle of their conversation anyway.


    And on top of being impressed, Serafall also had to have, as she called it, a gut feeling that ''I want this person in my life!'' or something. This meant in thest five hundred years, only four people fit the description and they were all usually strong-willed individuals who would not join her peerage no matter what she did.


    Hence, her pieces were still totally unused.


    "Heeh~. And you went straight for seduction when you realized that? If I didn''t know better, I would say you are quite smitten." Ajuka quipped before smirking at Serafall, "Kinda desperate."


    Serafall''s eyebrow twitched at that and Ajuka could feel a cold feeling dragging up his thighs, heading towards his...


    He quickly smashed his legs together, briefly shuddering as he countered the freezing spell Serafall sent at his balls.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. There is no man who can have this." Serafall scoffed as she raised her body into a sitting position and put her hands on her breasts, emphasizing them. "Only my dear Sona-tan is worthy! Tehehe~" A child-like dreamy smile spread on her face.


    Ajuka''s lips quirked downward and he turned towards Sirzechs in an attempt to find moral support against this perverted depraved behavior as it was too much even for him, a Satan.


    s... "Right! Only Sera can understand me!" Sirzechs eximed, giving Serafall thumbs up and Ajuka inwardly facepalmed. He had forgotten that his best friend was one of... those people.


    "I thought you were married, dude." Ajuka said dryly.


    "Ugh." But Sirzechs had a very good answer for that. "That and this are two different matters!"


    "Umu!" Serafall sagely nodded, "Tell him, Zechsy!"


    "Whatever. Just remember how a few months ago you pissed your wife off by overly spoiling Rias. She had to bind you to the bed with magical ropes and didn''t let you go until Millicas was in her." Ajuka gave Sirzechs a friendly reminder, causing him to snap out of his siscon mood.


    "Don''t remind me." Sirzechs shuddered, his eyes haunted. As happy as he was to be a father, he would rather forget the very enjoyable but even more humiliating process in which Millicas was sired.


    That was the first time he was not doing the ''punishing'' in the bed and he learned that Grayfia could be really vicious if provoked enough to drop even her maid fetish. Needless to say, Sirzechs swore to himself to do his damnedest to never get her so riled up again.


    "Don''t be mean, Ajuka." Serafall chided, but the corners of her lips were twitching upward so any sort of seriousness her admonishment could have had instantly evaporated, "Zechsy was very fortunate for his seed to finally get past that frigid bitch''s defenses. If not for that, he would have been bound to that bed till this day."


    Sirzechs and Ajuka looked at each other, deciding not toment on that. Sirzechs knew he should defend his wife''s ''honor'' but he also knew how much enmity was between her and Serafall.


    Ajuka, however, knew that Serafall''s hostility to the other ice user came from the fact she might or might not have had a small crush on Sirzechs but Grayfia snatched him up before Serafall could act on her feelings.


    That and Serafall was more inclined to envy than many other devils. Funnily enough, it was this exact thing that pushed her to reach her current prowess. Her envy of her childhood friends'' inborn talent and powers made her train until her hands bled and her body shut down from exhaustion, day after day, and eventually, she reached this far.


    But it was also this penchant for envy that caused her grudge against Grayfia to not lessen one bit for the past five hundred years despite Serafall not feeling anything but friendship towards Sirzechs anymore.


    Ajuka understood this on a logical level but for an intellectual like him, there were just too many emotions and too little rationality in this problem so he didn''t get involved. It was too bothersome.


    "At least you learned your lesson and eased up on spoiling Rias after that." Ajuka also chided Sirzechs, deciding it was time to redirect the topic away from Grayfia, "You should really take an example from Serafall in this. She is a total perverted siscon stalker but at least she would never intervene in her sister''s matters. She doesn''t have tens of folders with possible exclusive and special peerage members for her little sister."


    "Ajuka is right, Zechsy. You will harm your little sister''s development if you do that." Serafall innocently smiled, enjoying the dismayed expression on Sirzechs.


    "I know. I just can''t help myself." Sirzechs helplessly shrugged.


    As some were addicted to chocte, games, or porn, he was addicted to nning his sister''s glorious rise to power and dominance. He couldn''t help it! He had so much fun doing it!


    Ajuka winced at that, not understanding these feelings at all. Sure, he liked some of his rtives but he was not obsessed with them like his two friends were. Sighing, he patted Sirzechs''s shoulder, "Take it from the brighter side. I doubt Grayfia will punish you for spoiling Millicas."


    Sirzechs instantly brightened up at that, his thoughts instantly going into overdrive as he started nning Millicas''s glorious rise to power and dominance.


    And while all this was going on, Falbium was happily and quietly snoring his day away, not bothered by those troublesome talks at all. Every second that could be spent sleeping counted.

 Chapter 69: Meeting the Weasleys

    Chapter 69: Meeting the Weasleys


    "Here?" Natasha asked, driving the car.


    Much to Tom''s dismay, when he tried to drive, he had found that twenty years without driving had serious consequences and his driving career in this worldsted for the whole three seconds during which he almost rammed the front of the car into the closed garage.


    From there, Natasha dutifully took over since she actually could drive a vehicle. Needless to say, both Natasha and Hermione had a great time poking fun at Tom because of that. Women...


    "Yes, turn to the country road here! We are almost there." Hermione excitedly said, pointing at the country road Natasha had to take.


    "Alright, alright. Settle down." Rolling her eyes, Natasha took the turn.


    Hermione was very excited because Tom and Natasha were taking her to Weasleys. She will finally meet her friends!


    Thest week was quite hectic for Tom and Natasha because they had to fulfill contract after contract, curing twenty-three devils with the Sleeping Sickness altogether in just seven days.


    Tom wasn''t even happy about the power boost anymore and just wanted to enjoy his new vacation. Dealing with smug and arrogant devil nobles was exhausting. He took another four days off from curing the devils and while Sarael was all pouty about it, Tom had put his foot down.


    Sarael promised him he would make some kind of manageable schedule and while that would massively increase the waiting time of the Pir Families and make them dissatisfied, Tom didn''t care about that. Fuck them.


    He was only willing to cure four devils per week from now on.


    Earlier, he did it to get stronger quicker but now that both he and Natasha were in the high-rank stage with their energy reserves, there was no immediate need for more energy. What they needed was time. Time to learn how to control their new power and massive energy reserves.


    There was no need to speed-run the Sleeping Sickness curing anymore.


    That''s why Tom decided to apany Hermione to Weasleys and have a look at how a real wizarding family lived, followed by watching the Quidditch cup. Getting the tickets to the ministry area was hriously easy and quick after Tom delegated the task to Gringotts, giving the green light for them to buy two tickets for ten thousand galleons.


    With that arranged, the only thing left was to get proper housing and somehow get there.


    The housing part was easy. Tom just bought one luxury wizarding tent and that was that. No way was he gonna ask the Weasleys to house him, Natasha, or Hermione. They had enough on their te with housing themselves.


    As for getting there... Hermione had exchanged a few letters with the Weasleys and it was decided that Tom and Natasha woulde with them via their portkey.


    Not an experience Tom was looking forward to considering the portkey was an old boot but Hermione really wanted to meet her friends so Tom just inwardly sulked while outwardly agreeing toe with the Weasleys.


    At least his new tent was easy to relocate...


    They followed the country road for a bit more and suddenly, Tom felt them passing through a ward. It was nothing powerful but it would do its job as far as keeping the mundane people was concerned.


    Putting the existence of the ward to the back of his mind, they quickly arrived near a... house.


    Tom had to stifle the urge to grimace when he saw the disaster that was just waiting to happen in which the Weasleys lived. Logically, he knew the house somehow existed thanks to the providence of magic but even to a magician like him the deformed and crooked house in front of him seemed more like a danger than a suitable living ce. It looked like the kind of ce even thieves and squatters would avoid for fear of it falling on their heads.


    ''Well, to each their own, I guess.'' Tom inwardly mused, offering a small prayer for Weasleys to whichever god was listening.


    Natasha was not saying anything but her deadpan look said it all for Tom. It seemed he would definitely be getting rewarded tonight for having the foresight to arrange their separate housing.


    Natasha pulled over and the three of them got out of the car. The Weasleys were alreadying out of their house to wee them and Hermione instantly rushed forward and gave Ron a quick hug before exchanging greetings with the rest of the family as her eyes wandered, looking for someone...


    "Harry is not here yet?" Hermione asked with a twinge of disappointment in her tone.


    "No, dear. He will arrive tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley said in a cating tone before looking at Tom and Natasha who were taking out their bags while Hermione was greeting everyone. "That''s your cousin and his girl?"


    Obviously, the Weasleys were very curious. Hermione did mention in her letters that Tom was a magician but they had no idea what that meant. They just thought she got it wrong and Tom was also a wizard.


    "Mhm." Hermione nodded and seeing that Tom and Natasha approached them, she decided to do the introductions.


    "That''s Thomas Prest, my cousin, and his girlfriend, Natasha Romanova." Hermione gestured at Tom and Natasha before turning towards the Weasleys, "This is Molly Weasley, her husband Arthur Weasley, and their children-"


    Hermione was abruptly cut off by one of the two identical gingers standing nearby, "Who can introduce themselves-"


    "-just fine, dear Hermione." The other identical ginger finished.


    "Yes, Fred and Gorge." Hermione rolled her eyes at them.


    This made them both dramatically gasp.


    "I am Gorge." The left one eximed with a mock hurt expression that Hermione got his name wrong.


    "And I am Fred." The right one nonchntly added, "You don''t-"


    "-even know that?" The left one finished the statement.


    Tom and Natasha watched the byy with a small amusement but both knew this would get irritating quite fast if they had to interact with these two on a regr basis.


    "Well, it''s nice to meet you all." Tom spoke, offering his hand to Arthur, which broke the teasing atmosphere between Hermione and the twins, bringing the focus back on the introductions.


    "Ah, yes..." Arthur took Tom''s hand, "Arthur Weasley." His eyes instantly strayed towards Tom''s car and gained an excited glint. "Is that a new version of cars muggles use nowadays?"


    After Tom sessfully disabused Arthur from molesting his new car, the rest of the introductions and greetings were utterly boring and went as usual.


    Molly was... not a person Tom would like to interact with on a daily basis. But he and Natasha yed nice and put on their forting facades, simply exchanging pleasantries with the obviously overbearing woman in a way that would make them seem friendly.


    By the end of Molly''s introductions, they were both offered to join them for lunch tomorrow and from Molly''s wording, in her mind, it was a foregone conclusion that they would indeed attend even before they epted.


    Yes... she was definitely not a person Tom would interact with if he could avoid it.


    But he didn''t see anything nefarious or scheming about her either. From the first impression, she was just an overbearing housewife with too big of an ego and that was hardly a crime, considering there were thousands of those worldwide.


    Still, Tom decided he would not drop his suspicion too soon. The hundreds of fanfictions he had read in his past life would not allow him to do that and he went so far as to persuade Hermione to learn some nifty charms that would reveal potions in her food or drinks.


    Just in case...


    From the children, Ginny introduced herself first but she didn''t show much enthusiasm or interest, which was fair enough in Tom''s books. She was what? Twelve or thirteen? Just like any other kid her age would, she didn''t see what was the big deal about these unknown guests.


    Ron was somewhat simr. Just azy kid.


    Both Tom and Natasha refused to shake his hand, however. It made the situation a bit awkward but when Tom pointed out that Ron had small chunks of food all over his hand, thezy slob got what he deserved. A nice wince-inducing twist of his ear courtesy of Molly-bear as she furiously dragged him back into the house.


    Tom had nothing against Ron. He might not have been his favorite character... oh, who was he kidding? He hated the git... but that was when it was just a story.


    This was reality for him now and he was fully willing to throw whatever biased opinion of the boy out of his head and give him a new chance like he would for any other stranger. Tom decided he would observe the boy and make his own opinion of this Ron.


    s, offering a handshake with a filthy hand did not make the best first impression.


    But Tom just yfully rolled his eyes when he noticed the apologetic look Arthur gave him. Ron was just a fourteen years old kid and there was no harm done anyway.


    The next was Percy and... let''s just say he came off as the usual pompous git with his nose high in the air.


    Oh, the boy was friendly enough but he was still just a boy. Tom might have found the tant way Percy checked Natasha out a bit distasteful but he didn''t mind that. His woman was gorgeous and he was proud of that.


    What really ticked Tom off was the derision in Percy''s eyes as they exchanged greetings. As if Tom and Natasha were something lesser than him. It was the milder version of the look Lucius Malfoy gave them in the bank and Tom felt a knee-jerk urge to make fun of Percy.


    But he barely restrained himself...


    One would think thating from a blood-traitor family would erase any notion of wizard supremacy from Percy''s mind but... one had to realize the boy spent most of his year away from his family in a school where at the very least a quarter of the popce were wizard supremacists.


    Sadly, it was this quarter that had the most influential parents in the Wizarding Society society and Tom could see how someone ambitious like Percy could... stray from the teachings of his family, let''s say.


    After Percy, Tom turned toward the twins and when he saw their eyes sparkling with anticipation, he instantly knew they were up to something.


    Well, if they expected Tom to just let himself be pranked, they had another thinging.

 Chapter 70: Everything bad is good for something else

    Chapter 70: Everything bad is good for something else


    "George Weasley! The smarter twin!" The right twin cheerfully stuck out his hand and Tom raised his eyebrow at him, taking his hand and shaking it...


    But nothing happened.


    Tom gave George a questioning look but the boy just innocently smiled as he pulled back his hand.


    ''Hmm... what are these two up to?'' Tom wondered as he approached the other twin.


    In a very simr manner, Fred also stuck out his hand for Tom and eximed with a cheeky grin, "Fred Weasley! The prettier twin!"


    Tom epted the offered handshake and his eyes slightly widened as he felt a small tickle of magic trying to mix subtly with his own reserves.


    ''The handshake, huh?'' Tom inwardly mused as he easily countered the effect of whatever the twins tried to use on him.


    Unfortunately for the twins'' prank, Tom was not a wizard. Wizards were notoriously known in the Supernatural World for being uneducated folk who had no control of their own magical energy. It was the truth too.


    Wizards still believed notions like their magic was in the blood or that they could not control it without focus or... and Tom had to facepalm that some wizards actually believed this... that there was no reservoir of magic in their body and they could cast spells because they are special, not because they had some kind of magical energy in them.


    This was the theory that magic was like a muscle, which wasughable.


    It might seem like that to some uneducated caveman since depleting your magic depleted your reserves, which inadvertently increased said reserves ever so slightly. So, if someone didn''t believe or know there was a reservoir of mana in them, the process could be likened to exercising a muscle that grows stronger the more you exercise it.


    Still, magic... a muscle. Heh...


    The whole notion rubbed Tom the wrong way. For a magician, rules mattered. Energy conversion was the most damnably unbendable rule that existed and it didn''t matter if it was science or magic, it was there and it always worked. It was not easily noticeable in most cases but most magic indeed worked on this principle too.


    Not even magic casters could have an effect without a cause.


    Magic wasn''t something that fulfilled your wishes without being supplied enough energy.


    Even though Tom tried to find a way around these rules, he knew he was too weak to break the biggest rule of all when it came to magic. Even if he pushed the limits of possibility, it was still important to show humility and know when something is impossible to the current him. The arrogant notion that wizards, the biggest race of weak cannon fodder, could cast magic not through using mana but by using some stupid magic muscle was... offending to him.


    Not even Gods in this universe could pull miracles out of their collective asses without putting enough of their special divine energy into it. Wizards believing they could do miracles by just flexing their magical muscles and warping reality because they were simply born more special than even Gods was the height of arrogance in his books.


    Tom suddenly blinked, getting back to reality as he felt Fred''s hand squeeze a bit while the boy was staring at Tom in surprise.


    Realizing that Fred was most likely wondering why his prank didn''t work, Tom just smirked at the boy, "You are too young to be pranking me, kid." He smugly said and turned around, leaving bbergasted Fred and Gorge who were stared at by a very unamused Arthur Weasley.


    Tom had no idea how they put the magical effect on him through the simple handshake. He had a few assumptions and he knew both Fred and Gorge had to have a part in that so it was not only Fred''s handshake that triggered the effect.


    Still, it was interesting. The two managed to sneak a magical effect on him despite him being on guard against them.


    But it doesn''t matter how smart you are with your use of magic if your opponent can just shrug it off without even paying much attention.


    If Tom had no idea how to sense and control his own magic pool? Then sure, even if he was on the level of Satan, he would be unable to stop it simply because having massive magical reserves didn''t mean being resistant to foreign magic.


    That''s why even experienced wizards fell for these little pranks.


    And that was also why the wizards were so utterly helpless against most supernatural races out there. Theirck of sheer power was just the tip of the iceberg. There were more issues with their current way of using magic. Like their inability to properly consciously control it without a wand.


    Tom turned to Natasha as he picked up a bag where their new wizarding tent was folded, "Shall we set up our temporary house?" He smiled at her with a bit of excitement.


    "Er... you can stay at our house. We can afford to empty one room fo-" Arthur decided to interject when he heard what Tom said and realized they intended to stay in a wizarding tent.


    "No, thank you." Tom promptly refused. Realizing that his refusal came too abruptly and could make Arthur feel awkward, Tom threw the man a cating smile as he added, "Our tent is a bit bigger and has both a massive bedroom for me and Natasha alongside a room for Hermione. There is no need to inconvenience yourselves because of us."


    As Tom said that, he could see that Arthur was still hesitating but grudgingly nodded at the logic, whereas the kids were relieved at not having to share their rooms.


    Not that Tom could me them. He would not like sharing his room either if he was in their ce.


    The Weasleys then dispersed to do... whatever they did, while Tom, Natasha, and Hermione stayed back, unfolding their tent.


    It wasn''t anything hard as the original design worked automatically with just a bit of injection of wizarding magic.


    Tom naturally bought ten of those tents at once and tinkered with them a lot since then. The tent in front of him was his only sessfully modified prototype that fully worked on his neutral mana.


    Studying the tents gave him quite a few ideas on how to better use his own alchemy too so he had a lot of fun tinkering with them.


    Tom had so many bad things to say about wizards and their magic... but at the end of the day, this wizarding tent was massive proof that wizarding magic could also be marvelous.


    There was no other faction in the wider Supernatural world where mid-rank beings could twist space enough to create an entire house in a small tent or set up an entire zoo in a briefcase.


    Only wizards were crazy enough to do that as Tom could imagine even a small mistake during the craft of these tents would result in twisting of space and most likely grinding the crafter into a bloody mush if he was too close.


    It was honestly a ridiculous situation. From what Tom knew, wizards overall had the best general knowledge of magic. They had an overview of many ways of utilizing their magic through their wands and the general knowledge of a Hogwarts graduate was perhaps even superior to some long-time magic users from other factions as far as the studied number of magical fields was concerned.


    Unlike, say, devils, whose magic-users usually picked a field or two and became the absolute best they could in their chosen fields, the wizards studied most magical fields their magic system was offering them. They seldom went beyond basic understanding but their knowledge was more focused on quantity than quality.


    This paired with their generalck of knowledge about mana and how it all worked, and their misconception about their own powers, resulted in some crazy discoveries simply because the wizards were not aware of certain rules of magic andckedmon sense.


    Of course, hundreds of wizards died when they experimented with their magical ideas but asionally, some lucky and smart guy actually discovered a loophole once he haphazardly stered several spells together and rejoiced when it didn''t explode in his face.


    Mid-rank beings twisting space was crazy. Creating a portkey? That might be possible to be done with just a wave of a wand. After all, even low-rank devils had their own means of teleportation and group teleportation through the Magic Crest of the Pir Family they served.


    But making something bigger on the inside? That would require more effort than just a casual flick of a wand. That was serious spatial maniption.


    But... after being unable to discover much, Tom made use of his useless wealth and paid the tentmakers an outrageous one million galleons for their secrets. He knew when he was beaten and sometimes it was better to discard his pride and just ask questions to people who knew how these things worked.


    Tom came to know that in the creation process of these tents they used runes, wards, enchantments, and many more fields, all working in tandem to create this wonder of magic.


    Nobody in the wider supernatural world could ever hope to make this kind of tent. Not because they would be unable to but because the magic users would usually never focus on so many magical fields at once.


    And to be fair, no wizarding warder or enchanter could ever hope to match the prowess of a specialized warder or enchanter from another faction, but they made up for that with the sheer utility and versatility of their creations.


    It''s just a pity that these creations usually worked on wizarding magic and other factions could not be bothered researching how to adjust them to their own energy source. That wasn''t as easy as flipping a switch.


    Even Tom''s prototype that worked on his mana was more or less him sending mana to a wardstone that converted his mana into wizarding magic that then powered up the tent. Fully adjusting the tent to work purely on his mana would take a very long time and could have unforeseen consequences.


    Tom wouldn''t want to be inside of his tent when the space within copsed on itself because of some minor spell failure.


    ''I guess, everything bad is good for something else. If the wizards had full conscious control over their magic, they would have never experimented so much with what they could and could not do and discovered so many magical wonders.'' Tom thought as he finished activating the tent, and watched as it unfolded and set up itself in front of him.


    ---


    Author Note:


    Eh, kinda meh chapter but it is what it is :D.


    I''ve got no idea how you receive me putting such a huge emphasis on portraying the differences between various magical systems and energies, and how my MC perceives it, but...


    If you don''t like it, I am sorry, but since I am doing a world crossover, I kinda have to build the world properly and portray the situation at least somewhat logically.


    With this chapter, my general exnation of the difference between wizarding magic and other types of magic is mostly over so rejoice!


    There will be some other exnations but I will try to insert them into the story, using a paragraph or two for those, and not do it through a massive chapter-long info dump.

 Chapter 71: Harry Potter

    Chapter 71: Harry Potter


    The next day, Tom groggily woke up, not opening his eyes just yet because he wanted to savor the pleasant after-taste of his wonderful sleep. Snuggling his cheek deeper into his pillow... he suddenly realized he was not lying on a pillow but on something more firm, yet still soft.


    Tom recognized this feeling and his lips slowly curled into azy smile as he let out a pleased hum and put these irrelevant thoughts out of his head, deciding to just enjoy lying on Natasha''s bare chest.


    Natasha, who recognized he woke up, had clearly different ns, and Tom''s dizzy drifting to and fro the dreand was interrupted once again as her hand gentlynded on his head, slowly and methodically caressing his hair in a way he liked.


    He enjoyed that. A lot. But it also prevented him from falling back asleep and the fact Natasha was fully aware of this allowed a small seed of irritation to grow in his chest.


    Despite that, he stubbornly kept his eyes closed, trying to fall back asleep even though he knew it would be impossible for him. At least his ''pillow'' was still warm, soft, and cuddly.


    Tom heard Natasha''s amused chuckle and instantly knew the correct answer for it.


    "Five more minutes, love." He mumbled before deciding to ignore the world for the next hour.


    By the time Tom and Natasha finally got out of bed, Hermione was already pounding on their door, trying to tell them that the lunch they were invited to would be happening in an hour so they better wake up.


    With great reluctance, the two untangled their feet and Tom rolled to the side... not stopping after just one roll and instead, rolling all the way to the edge before he fell from the bed, a small groan leaving his lips.


    It served to wake him up, though.


    Yeah. All went totally ording to the n...


    ...


    An hourter, an overly excited Hermione was urging Tom and Natasha to hurry up, much to their continued amusement. Despite Hermione''s attempts, the two just leisurely walked side by side while holding hands, purposefully annoying the teenage girl by walking even slower while giving her an innocent smile at her visibly growing frustration.


    Honestly... both Tom and Natasha found it cute how Hermione acted. She was so excited to meet this Harry again.


    It was a good thing too, in their opinion. Hermione was either trying to drown herself in books or had this constant mncholic look full of sadness. Both Tom and Natasha heard her cry on multiple asions when they walked around her room too so seeing her so happy and excited was good for a change.


    They even secretly agreed to not make fun of Hermione and Harry... much. That in itself told tales about how content they were with Hermione''s improved mood.


    Getting to the Weasleys was only a matter of walking through their courtyard since their tent was set up on theirwn. Thanks to that, no matter how leisurely Tom and Natasha walked, they eventually arrived at their front door.


    Hermione didn''t knock, though. She just opened them and beckoned Tom and Natasha in. And when they entered, they found only chaos inside.


    Things were flying through the air, the children running around doing who knows what, and the house was full of noise, especially the loud shouting of Mrs. Weasley as she tried tomand everyone to do stuff.


    Tom was inflicted with a mild headache in the first three seconds. He felt as if he was facing some kind of dungeon boss with an area of effect crowd-control shout skill. She was just that loud. And annoying.


    "Damn..." Natasha whispered, too used to being shouted at to be bothered. She was mostly amused by the almost hysterical mayhem around.


    "Tell me about it." Tom grumbled while they were led to the kitchen where Arthur and Molly briefly greeted them due to being too busy before Hermione led them to the adjacent room where a big table was located and behind that table, a ck-haired skinny boy yed chess with Ron.


    "Harry!" Hermione shouted and threw herself at the skinny boy, giving him a tight hug that surprised him, making his green eyes go wide.


    Tom instantly recognized the boy as the ''Boy-Who-Lived'' as he and Natasha sat down opposite him. The boy was too preupied with Hermione''s prattling so Tom could observe him to his heart''s content without making it awkward.


    This Harry didn''t seem malnourished. Sure, he was small for his age but Tom would say he was skinny in the way a usual skinny kid is skinny instead of looking underfed. There was not one telltale sign of abuse at the first nce or anything like that either.


    Of course, Tom wouldn''t forsake the possibility just because there was no visible proof. This world had magic, after all.


    But in the end, it wasn''t his problem. Unless he could somehow profit from helping the boy, Tom would not move a finger. This was just his personal curiosity.


    "So you are Harry Potter, huh?" Tom asked, interrupting the conversation between Harry and Hermione.


    Harry timidly looked at Tom, his eyes showing curiosity but also caution, "Yes, sir."


    "Hermione wouldn''t shut up about you." Tom quipped while throwing a small smirk Hermione''s way.


    As expected, the smartest witch of her generation didn''t manage to find a suitable answer to this kind of teasing and could only indignantly exim, "Tom!"


    "Er..." Harry, simrly, also didn''t have a proper answer and grew a bit flustered.


    Tom hummed in satisfaction with himself but then he noticed with the corner of his eyes how Ron''s lips curled down in dissatisfaction and his eyes grew darker.


    ''He is jealous.'' Tom inwardly noted. But Ron also didn''t seem like he fully realized what his feelings were. ''Well, he is just a kid so this much is normal. Still... I can already tell this is the reason why there will be a problem in their friendship this year.'' Tom inwardly sighed.


    Ron didn''t look like someone in love with Hermione. More or less, he had the look of someone who was annoyed when he didn''t get the attention he wanted. Harry and Hermione talking with each other and excluding him seemed to be the real source of his jealousy and difort.


    Even without knowing what was supposed to happen... and he didn''t put much stock into his supposed foreknowledge... Tom could already see Ron causing some problems because of his own insecurity.


    But once again, that was not his problem. Solving every problem for Hermione was not Tom''s style.


    "Are you gonna give him the shovel talk?" Natasha amusedly asked, interrupting Tom''s trail of thoughts and causing both Harry and Hermione to grow even more mortified.


    "Nah." Tom shook his head, but he couldn''t let her off too easily, now, could he? "Hermione is big enough to decide for herself what she wants." He then turned to Harry. "Just don''t get her pregnant, alright?"


    The poor Harry and Hermione turned beet red and speechless, spluttering denials left and right. Even Ron was beet red, but not fully from embarrassment. Thankfully, he was also too speechless toment.


    "The lunch is ready!" Mrs. Weasley chose exactly that moment toe in and break the awkward atmosphere with a shout loud enough that the whole house almost shook.


    ---


    Author Note:


    Ugh, this little scene with meeting the Weasleys was not easy for me to write. I constantly want to bash Ron while trying to not do just that. It''s a horror, I tell you!

 Chapter 72: Toms magic and rude Ron

    Chapter 72: Tom''s magic and rude Ron


    "So, what exactly is it you are doing, Tom?" Arthur Weasley asked and Tom inwardly sighed.


    For thest ten minutes, the man babbled on and on about his important work at the Ministry, so much so that Tom understood who Percy inherited his personality from.


    Arthur was a humble man but he was definitely proud of his work.


    Still, Tom expected this question to be asked as talking about each other''s upations was quite normal during family lunches with guests. And since he couldn''t just say ''nothing'' or ''unemployed'', Tom was already prepared for what to say.


    "I am a researcher." He picked the closest thing to what he was doing with his time. "I am trying to make breakthroughs in my chosen magical field."


    "Oh? For example?" Fred instantly asked with eagerness shining in his eyes.


    "Yes, yes. Show us something!" George urged at the same time, giving Tom a look full of anticipation.


    The two pranksters tried over ten pranks on Tom during lunch and not one of them worked!


    They were extremely annoyed but also impressed. Despite spending the entire yesterday evening plotting and nning Tom''s fall from the ''unprankable'' pedestal, they had failed!


    The horror!


    The glory!


    The smugness!


    Their title of the Prank Gods of Hogwarts!


    It was taken from them and their pride was stomped to the ground in just a few minutes!


    It was only natural they would be interested in the magic of this godly being who defeated them at their own game on their own home turf.


    If only to try locating his weakness.


    ''Amen to that.'' The twins both thought at the same time, not even knowing why. It just felt right for some reason.


    Tom saw that everyone looked at him with silent expectation, even Natasha as she was curious about how he would deal with the situation. Such a betrayal... he would have never expected it from her.


    Sighing in resignation, Tom took a small basket with apples in the middle of the table and put it in front of him before cing his hand above it.


    Nothing happened for five seconds and the Weasley family was slowly starting to get bored, looking at Tom withplicated gazes when...


    A green alchemical circle appeared under the basket, rotating under the curious gazes of the onlookers and slowly going upward until it reached Tom''s hand and... disappeared.


    "Er... that''s it?" Ginny whispered in disappointment, cutely tilting her head as if she couldn''t understand what was so incredible about... that.


    The rest of the Weasley family was quiet, having enoughmon sense to not openly show their disappointment. Even Ron had enough tact to stay silent despite the frown on his face.


    Harry and Hermione were giving Tom pitying looks while only Natasha was silent because she was actually stunned.


    She knew about Tom''s ability to alchemically modify various foods but the alchemical circles necessary to do that were veryplicated things. They were not something Tom could use on the fly. Even the ones he usually used in their kitchen were created only after two days of effort on Tom''s part.


    Seeing him creating one of those in a matter of seconds was... mind-blowing for Natasha since she had an idea how many mental calctions went into it.


    If he could do thisplicated alchemy circle this fast... how much faster could he create his battle-oriented alchemy circles?


    Only now did Natasha understand she might have been a bit ignorant of Tom''s quick progress in his spell-casting abilities and decided to work harder with her own destruction magic.


    Of course, since the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione had no idea about the inherentplexity of what Tom had just done, they felt a tad bit underwhelmed.


    Yes, some magical lights appeared, big deal, but...


    Tom, satisfied with his performance, suddenly noticed the deadpan looks he was receiving and furrowed his eyebrows, "What are you looking at me for? Take an apple and taste it, geez." He exasperatedly said, realizing they probably were not very impressed with his ''magic''.


    Natasha instantly reached out and took an apple, taking a big bite out of it and savoring its incredible taste with a delight written on her face.


    Her actions made the other Weasleys follow her example and when they hesitantly took a bite out of their apple, their eyes instantly widened.


    "This is amazing!" Ginny eximed with shining eyes, gulping down her bite.


    The rest of the Weasley family obviously agreed as they hurriedly ate their apples. Never in their lives did they taste something so good!


    "Can I get more?" Ron asked with a full mouth, already having an apple in both of his hands and taking turns in taking a bite out of them both.


    The bbergasted Tom had not even noticed when did the boy took thest apple in the basket that was supposed to belong to him.


    Tom''s eye twitched, and he tried to sound at least somewhat polite, "Sorry, but no. That was pretty much my limit for now."


    Of course, it came off a bit forced and Arthur gave Tom an apologetic look when he realized that Ron tantly took Tom''s apple.


    ''At least the father has a semnce of shame for fathering him.'' Tom disgruntledly thought as he took a bite from Mrs. Weasley''s food.


    Her food was good. For medieval standards.


    She did not use much of the modern spices or seasonings but that was probably the norm in the traditional wizarding families. Her feast was still very good but...


    ''Ah, whatever.'' Tom wistfully sighed, deciding he would not be a petty bastard.


    s, Ronald Weasley opened his mouth again, even if his mind didn''t fully realize what he was doing before his question was already out.


    "What else can you do?" He asked in hopes of more delicious food. Preferably some meat or something!


    Tom could practically see the sparkling eyes full of expectation on the ginger boy''s face and he inwardly smirked. It was obvious what the boy wanted and that''s exactly why Tom took an empty mug instead of another type of food, instantly dashing Ron''s hopes and causing him to look at Tom in bewildered betrayal.


    The mug then under the influence of Tom''s alchemic circle started transforming, the wood began twisting until there was a small palm-sized wooden humanoid puppet that saluted and gave a dramatic bow to everyone around.


    Tom was barely finished with his small piece of magic when...


    "That''s stupid. I could do the same with transfiguration and animation charm." Ronald grumbled, upset that there would be no more good food.


    Fred and George instantly snorted and innocently chorused with a mocking undertone, "As if you knew the animation charm, brother dearest."


    Of course, Mrs. Weasley also indignantly shrieked at her youngest son, "Ronald! That was rude! Apologize!"


    "Whatever." Ron petntly crossed his hands on his chest and gave the twins a scowl but he did mumble out a quiet and reluctant, "I am sorry."


    "We are really sorry, Tom." Mr. Weasley apologetically said. It was clear that Ron did not really mean his apology and that made the atmosphere awkward for the rest of the Weasley family.


    ''Keep calm. Don''t kill the little rude shit.'' Tom outwardly just shrugged, "Nah. It''s fine. I can''t really expect a child to recognize, much less understand the basics of golemancy."


    He couldn''t fault the children for not being impressed. What he had shown was underwhelming by design. Someone capable of making a palm-sized wooden golem and enhancing the taste of food seemed much less threatening than someone capable of destroying their house in one fell swoop with battle alchemy.


    There was no way to tell the rtionship between the Weasley Family and Dumbledore so Tom would naturally keep all of his dangerous abilities secret for a little bit longer. Only an idiot would reveal his cards right off the bat without having to.

 Chapter 73: Back form the family lunch

    Chapter 73: Back form the family lunch


    After Tom had showcased his magic, the rest of the family lunch went alright.


    The only other notable exception was when Arthur asked Natasha about her upation and magic, only for her to tell him with a sweet innocent smile that she was Tom''s personal freeloader and she was not very good at this hocus-pocus thingy.


    That practically shut up any further debate for a few minutes as everyone felt too awkward to let out even a single word.


    Even Tom felt a bit embarrassed at her tant deration but he was also amused at how shameless she could get. Though he had to admit, she got out of the questioning without revealing anything about herself and without making it seem as if she was trying to keep secrets.


    As expected of his ex-spy girl.


    After lunch, Tom and Natasha excused themselves and went back to their tent while Hermione stayed back, intending to spend some time with Harry.


    That was fine by them. The girl should spend some time with her friends. But Tom had had enough of mindless conversation about amazingly interesting muggle contraptions Arthur tried to engage him with and the same could be said about Natasha as Molly tried to start a debate about housewife duties with the poor ex-assassin.


    Both were out of their depth and felt very awkward because... for Tom, these interesting muggle contraptions were just everyday things and Arthur was making a bigger idiot out of himself the more he talked.


    And despite her ability to do many, many things, Natasha was definitely not housewife material. Matching the enthusiasm of Molly when she talked about household chores was impossible for her.


    "That was an... interesting experience." Natasha wryly said as she sat on their bed, inwardly thanking Tom for deciding to leave early and not spend an afternoon at the Weasleys.


    "It was horribly grating on my nerves." Tom deadpanned, calling it as he saw it without trying to be polite about it.


    "I tried to be polite, duh." Natasha deadpanned back.


    They stared at each other with deadpan looks and in silence for a moment... before they both erupted into mirthfulughter and Tom came closer to Natasha, embracing her and causing them to fall onto the bed.


    "That Ronald kid was quite rude to you, though." Natasha tried to start a conversation after a while of silent but refreshing cuddling.


    "I don''t like him." Tom hummed, his handszily roaming Natasha''s back.


    "I noticed." Natasha spoke back, "Still, you were too lenient with him. You should have reprimanded him for behaving like a prick."


    The only reason why Natasha didn''t tell Ronald off was that Tom wanted her to be passive during their lunch with the Weasleys and blend into the background. In her opinion, it was overly cautious but she understood the necessity for it.


    "I am trying to ignore it." Tom sighed, smiling at Natasha when she tried to cheer him up with a kiss on the cheek, "He is just a kid, but I don''t think I could start liking him. At least Hermione''s other friend looks to be alright if a tad bit too quiet."


    Tom really tried to squash his prejudice about Ron and he was ashamed to say he failed. Maybe if Ron wasn''t so rude Tom could force his opinion of him to be more neutral but as it was now, he really thought negatively of the youngest Weasley boy.


    Unfortunately, long-time and deep-seated prejudices were not something one could throw away at a moment''s notice.


    "The Potter guy. Funny. I haven''t seen any dragon mount nor any harem of half-naked fairies around him." Natasha snorted, referring to a more... adult-inclined wizarding literature about the fabled Boy-Who-Lived.


    Because yes, those were a thing too.


    "We are so showing him these books eventually." Tom chuckled, his light brown eyes having a devious glint in them.


    "From what we saw of him, that will emotionally kill him and drive him to have a heart attack." Natasha amusedly replied.


    The Potter boy did not give her an impression of confidence. It was a bit disappointing if she was honest. After reading all these Boy-Who-Lived crap kiddy stories, she expected some six feet tall teenager who looked more like a mountain of muscles. Not a twelve-year-old-looking fifteen-year-old shy boy who tried to hide in his own shadow.


    "It will be a good prank." Tom smiled. He had bought an entire collection of adult Boy-Who-Lived literature only to one day show it off to Harry and have him sign it.


    Tom could never force himself to read some cringe wizarding smut with a child as the protagonist but just imagining what kind of expression will Harry Potter make when signing those books... oh, it will be glorious!


    Natasha chuckled. She could imagine what Tom intended to do to the poor boy and she could only pray it wouldn''t cause himsting mental scars.


    Well, despite everything Tom had said about letting Hermione make her own choices, Natasha knew that Tom had his own way of evaluating those she intended to hang around with. And even though Tom wouldn''t admit it, she knew Tom could not hold himself back from interfering if only slightly.


    "Speaking of pranks, how did you know how the twins will try to prank you?" Natasha led the topic away from the wizarding smut to something she was curious about.


    She saw that Tom hadpletely countered fourteen pranks in total, every single one of them unique in its own way. His counters were so efficient that nobody throughout the lunch even realized that a prank had just failed.


    The utterly bewildered expressions of the twins were amusing. Up until the point they turned into worshipful. Then it was just weird.


    Nevertheless, Natasha really wondered how Tom could do that. She knew that he could not possibly counter all of these pranks with just his mana control because some of them were of more physical variety with an actual physical effect, rather than a magical one.


    Tom perked up at the question and pulled away from the embrace, much to Natasha''s whiny protests as he sat up and tapped the bed next to him.


    Under Natasha''s questioning look that was quickly turning into a nk one, a... rat suddenly climbed onto the bed from underneath it and came to the spot Tom had tapped, sitting down.


    "Natalia, meet Sir Rataface Mudfullius Expendablius the fifty-sixth of his name, one of my special rat-like golems." Tom proudly eximed and as if to prove his words, the rat suddenly lost its coloration, turning all brown to showcase it was really just a magical construct of hardened mud.


    Natasha nkly blinked, her mind trying to ept what Tom had just told her. Eventually, she closed her eyes and exasperatedlyughed, "You are spying on them." She said inplete disbelief.


    All this effort to counter two teenage pranksters. Natasha really found that amusing.


    Tom just grinned as he saw the realization in her eyes, "Not everything needs a magical solution, my dear. Sometimes,ing back to the basics is best."


    "Duly noted." Natasha rolled her eyes, but her lips were firmly set in an amused smile no matter how much she tried to shift her expression into a stern one, "I hope there will be no... Rataface in the bathroom when I am showering."


    She really tried to sound strict but theughter in her tone was kinda ruining it for her.


    "You wound me." Tom feigned being hurt by her remark and put his hand on his heart, "As if I needed a golem to spy on you in the shower when I can always just join you and have the first-ss seats to ogle you." He smirked at her.


    Natasha huffed and took a hold of Tom''s arm, pulling him back into a lying position next to her before she climbed on top of him, pressing her body into him as she smirked back at him and sensually spoke, "Exactly. Why would you just look when you can also touch, no?"


    She imed his lips...

 Chapter 74: Date?

    Chapter 74: Date?


    Tom shook his head, trying to shake off the dizziness of the portkey after-use while inwardly feeling amused at the groaning bodies lying in the grass around him.


    It was a very disorienting experience, especially for a first-timer like him, but Tom couldn''t see what was the big deal with almost everybodynding on their ass rather than feet. Neither he nor Natasha had any problem twisting themselves into the correct position after they were spat out of the magical wormhole or whatever that was.


    Sure, theirnding was rough and fast, unlike both Cedric and his father who definitely had prior experience and knew the trick to a safe and slownding, but theynded on their feet and that was what really mattered, in Tom''s opinion.


    The portkey... now that was a very insightful experience for Tom. So much so that he actually got lost in his thoughts andpletely missed Arthur trying to usher their group forward.


    Noticing that Tom was not reacting and he had that thoughtful look, Natasha smiled and spoke to Arthur, "Take Hermione and go first. We will catch up with you in a bit. Our camping spot should be next to you anyways."


    The man was a bit hesitant, looking between Tom and the rest of the group but in the end, he nodded in dismay. Tom and Natasha were adults and as such, responsible for themselves. If they wanted to stay behind for a bit, there was nothing Arthur could do.


    After Arthur led the group of kids away, Natasha approached Tom who was staring into nowhere, his mind no doubt going a mile a minute. Thest time she saw him with this kind of look, he came up with the magic-stealing scheme.


    Natasha didn''t really know if she really wanted him to finish his thoughts or if she should interrupt him. Who knew what kind of bizarre thing he woulde up with next?


    Sighing in fondness, Natasha came closer to Tom and put her hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him while asking, "What''s up?"


    Tom blinked a few times, refocusing on the real world with a frown on his lips. "I was just trying to remember the sensation and magic flow of traveling through the portkey."


    The irritation at being woken up from his thinking state was clear in his tone but there was no usation. Tom was clearly aware this was not the ce or time for deep thoughts and felt a bit embarrassed that he zoned out here.


    "Think you can recreate it?" Natasha idly asked, inwardly not liking the idea at all.


    "Probably not but I can always try." Tom admitted, shrugging, "At the very least, I will learn something new. This wizarding society has surprisingly much more to offer than I initially thought."


    And that excited Tom more than anything else. He first thought this trip to the Wizarding World would be useless but then he found the tent, and now the portkey...


    Sure, they were not immediately useful to him but the ideas behind them were good. Usable, even.


    Natasha smiled at that, "I love to see you so excited, darling." She tenderly put her hands on Tom''s cheeks and fondly stared into his shining brown eyes.


    Whenever he spoke in excitement about his crazy magic research ideas, his eyes brightened and Natasha liked that. It was when her lover''s eyes seemed so endearingly alive.


    Tom eventually ended the silent moment between them and reciprocated the gesture, gently putting his own hands on her cheeks, "You are beautiful." He tenderly whispered to her.


    Tom especially liked that her crimson locks became longer since he met her. Her bangs framed her face in long red strands that fell on her chest while her hair flowing down her back reached its middle by now.


    Tom knew she was growing her hair only because he liked it more that way and he was thankful for that. He really was.


    "Mhm." Natasha''s smile widened at that, "The lengths I go to in order to please you."


    Tom chuckled at her yful quip and pulled her into a deep kiss that ended only a few tens of secondster.


    s, knowing that if they got all flirty with each other, there would be no end to it, Tom had sadly no other choice than to cut it short, "Let''s go find our camping spot." He said and smiled as a flicker of disappointed irritation passed through Natasha''s mesmerizing green orbs.


    Unfortunately, Tom had no intention to get all lovey-dovey with her when they were surrounded by so many people.


    Tom raised his eyes towards the field with tents, only to notice that many wizards and witches alike stared at them, some with expectation and giddiness while others with horror or disgust at the tant show of affection in the public.


    Chuckling at the prudes, Tom took Natasha''s hand into his and they started to look for their reserved camping ce and the Weasley family.


    ...


    After setting up their tent, Tom and Natasha decided to go and look around. The world championship of Quidditch was a massive event in Wizarding Society but both of them were more interested in the festivities surrounding it rather than the game itself.


    There were visitors from so many wizardingmunities and they could clearly see various cultures as they went from one area to another. Surprisingly, many foreigners were present, some even setting up stalls where they sold food or various goods.


    It was all in a very merry atmosphere and Tom was utterly bbergasted that the notorious Wizarding Britain''s disdain for foreigners was nowhere to be seen. At least, not for today.


    Tom had even bought a nice magicalb for Natasha from an Asian-looking old man. Theb was fully capable of doing various hairstyles for her by itself. Since she grew her hair for him, the least he could do was to try making her life a bit easier since he had the option.


    Normally, anyone with half a brain, which apparently tranted to not even a ten percent of the wizardingmunity, would never buy a magical enchanted item from an unknown peddler. Without a proper appraisal, there was no guarantee that the item would not carry some kind of curse or some other detrimental magical effect, but Natasha''s situation was a tad bit different.


    A lesser-known fact about the Power of Destruction was that her magic always held a minuscule trace of the Concept of Destruction even when she was not channeling it. And that meant the users of the Power of Destruction were rather resistant to curses and debuffs because those usually worked bytching on to the victim''s magical energy.


    And that was exactly what would not work on someone with the Power of Destruction.


    On top of that, Natasha was a high-rank being energy-wise so any wizarding spell that tried totch onto her energy for its continued existence would be snuffed out very quickly simply because Natasha''s mana was more powerful.


    That''s why Tom wasn''t worried about buying a cursed object. It wouldn''t really matter anyway. Even if by some unreal coincidence there was a strong enough curse that it could affect Natasha, Sirzechs memories made it clear that while curses could affect someone with the Power of Destruction, they didn''t stick on such a person for long anyway.


    The Concept of Destruction was a very... ''jealous'' thing and didn''t like sharing.


    Eventually, after trying various food stalls, buying more useless items that would inevitably end up shelved and forgotten, and participating in various activities resembling what one could see at a mundane fair, Tom and Natasha stopped to watch a wizarding acrobatic performance with brooms.


    It was a fitting thing for an event like this and the performer did everything a motorbike stunt rider would and then some, in the air and on the broom. Tom shuddered as he watched the madman but Natasha liked it so he squeezed her hand tighter and bore with the suicidal show.


    His slight fear of heights was making it an almost painful experience for him.


    Unknown to Tom, Natasha was not really interested in the performance. She did more dangerous stuff in her past and had her fair share of adrenaline. She no longer felt thrilled when watching someone do dangerous stuff. For her, it was her everyday reality once upon a time and that kind of mindset doesn''t disappear.


    The only reason why she wanted to stay and watch the performance was exactly because of how Tom subconsciously clung closer to her because of his irrational fear of heights acting up as he watched the wizard jump, stand, or even do a handstand on the broom high in the air.


    It was nice for her to feel needed. Even if it was only because of something so trivial.


    Natasha''s lips spread into a happy smile. This almost felt like a date.

 Chapter 75: Veelas

    Chapter 75: Ves


    The performance ended with onest heart-stopping stunt where the performer jumped from his broom into a freefall and did several twists in the air as he was crashing toward the ground, only to be stopped from his final meeting with it by an Arresto Momentum spell he managed to cast at thest moment andnded gently on his feet, giving a bow to the audience.


    "What a crazy bastard." Tom muttered, happy it was over as the crowd around him was dispersing.


    Tom and Natasha were about to leave too when someone grabbed Tom''s free arm...


    Tom looked at the person, only to see a small, twelve or thirteen-year-old girl who stood next to them during the performance and cheered and pped with irritating loudness.


    She was now panting, heaving for air and from what Tom could see, she didn''t even notice that she was grabbing his arm, only using it to support her wobbly self.


    Tom frowned and looked at Natasha, only to see she had the same helpless look as him. Neither of them was proficient in dealing with children.


    Hell, Natasha was a trained killer while he was a research-driven shut-in! They were not the best couple to deal with an apparently lost and quite possibly sick child.


    ''Just my luck.'' Tom inwardly sighed. If the girl didn''t grab his arm, he could blissfully ignore her but now that he noticed her and saw she was alone and having problems, his conscience would not let him sleep if he just shrugged her hand off and left her here without saying anything.


    "Are you fine?" Tom awkwardly asked with a measure of difort in his tone, making the heaving girl take a forced deep breath in surprise as her head whipped up, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at Tom, only now realizing she was holding his arm.


    The girl instantly let go... and swayed on her feet, almost keeling over before Tom caught her shoulder, helping her to stand. The girltched onto Tom''s arm once again, keeping herself standing as she started to attempt to control her rushed breathing.


    "Y-Yeah." She spoke with small difficulty and gave Tom a weak smile, "Just got a bit too excited."


    Tom frowned at that, still subtly looking around for her parents. It was obvious her state was not normal so how could she be just left alone without any supervision if she could keel over any second?


    Well, that was none of his business. Just his idle curiosity. Back to the pressing matters...


    "Does it happen often?" He asked, probably surprising the little girl that he saw through her lie if her surprised expression was any indication.


    "Yes. I am used to it. I will be fine in a moment, Mister." The girl spoke, a bit cowed. Her breathing was more measured than before but Tom noted it was more due to her experience in suppressing her rugged breathing than her feeling better.


    "I see." Tom slowly said, his expression unconvinced. There was not much he could do, especially when the girl clearly tried to y her problems off as something unimportant.


    Giving the worried girl a small smile, a magical circle emerged in front of Tom''s hand, and from it, one of Tom''s healing potions appeared in his hand.


    "Here." Tom gave the bottle to the girl, "Take a sip. It might help."


    The girl didn''t look very eager to drink the blood-red liquid, staring at the bottle with unease and hesitation, but Tom''s stern look cowed her enough to indeed take a sip.


    In hindsight, Tom realized that giving a total stranger a blood-looking liquid in a wizardingmunity that didn''t exactly have bonafide healing potions and had extreme prejudice for blood magic might not be received well... but oh, well.


    He realized that only after the girl took a sip, and he couldn''t help but be relieved she didn''t instantly freak out.


    Putting that out of his mind, Tom smiled at the girl and asked, "Better?"


    He could see the color returning to her face and the slight tension in her expression eased, her breathing bing even easier as she now stared in bewildered wonder at the mostly full bottle with blood-red liquid.


    "Yeah!" The girl eximed and Tom suddenly found his waist taken prisoner to the small squeezing munchkin. "Thank you, Mister! I haven''t felt so good ever!"


    Tom helplessly patted her head, more on instinct than having any impure intentions, "Okay, okay." He helplessly said in slight difort, "Now run along."


    The girl pulled away from him, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment but she nevertheless gave Tom a beaming smile and excitedly ran into the crowd.


    Tom turned to Natasha... only to find her silently giggling at him, and his shoulders dropped, "Oh, shut up." He exasperatedly eximed.


    "I haven''t said anything." Natasha amusedly quipped, innocently doing a zipping motion over her mouth.


    "You are thinking too loudly!" Tom grumbled.


    That made herugh in earnest.


    ...


    They continued on their tour through the wizarding ''fair'', eventually ending up in the area designated for Ves.


    Both Natasha and Tom wanted to see these ''creatures'' if only because the indignant Hermione wouldn''t shut up about them since Mrs. Weasley mentioned them and described, in her own bigoted way, what they were.


    Neither Tom nor Natasha took her words at face value, deciding to make their own opinion based on their own experiences but Hermione took her words as a holy gospel or universal truth.


    It saddened and disappointed Tom and he had to put a lot of effort into making sure he would not show it in his expression at that moment.


    Hermione was a smartss but at times...


    ''Ah, whatever...'' Tom sighed, cutting that trail of thoughts. He had more important things to focus on right now. Like the slight sneaking mental influences that tried to get into his mind whenever his eyesnded on a Ve.


    And considering he had a whole group of them in front of him probably didn''t help the matter.


    Not that these passive mental magics could get into his mind. One thing at which magicians were better than wizards was mind arts.


    It was necessary for the magicians due to the nature of their magic. All the calctions necessary for it would not have been possible without these mind-enhancing spells. And in turn, it slightly changed their minds in a way that made mental intrusions and maniptions harder.


    Hence, why magicians were not affected by the area of effect mental maniptions devils and other races liked to throw at the general human popce whenever it witnessed something it should not.


    Multiple Ve allures washed over Tom''s mind, utterly unable to enter and therefore failing to influence him. Tom was d about that. No way he would want to look like the half-salivating grinning fools that were doing weird stuff in an attempt to impress this or that Ve.


    During their stroll through the ce, Tom and Natasha had seen many weird things. Wizards from almost every nation were gathered here and every single one of them had their own kinks and quirks.


    But the Ve area was one of a kind.


    It was a sort of fascinating chaos.


    On the right were ten half-transformed Ves doing fire dancing while being cheered on by a clearly infatuated group of men of various nationalities that most likely in their mental state couldn''t even recognize the two Ves were half-birds by now.


    On the left, the entire group of Ve cheerleaders was practicing their performance, sting the entire ce with their allure.


    In many half-open tents, Tom could clearly see a Ve or even a group of them, some transformed, some not, having their wicked ways with a few men, too focused on their tryst to bother suppressing their own allure.


    Outwardly it seemed like a picture of normalcy but if one looked deeper into the meaning of their actions and understood them, it would be obvious these Ves were...peting with each other, trying to push their own allure to the forefront and steal charmed males from each other.


    Tom wouldn''t judge them but he could see why the Wizarding Britainbeled them as creatures. Just because there were a few civilized Ves that tried to live like humans, it didn''t mean there was not an entire species living wildly.


    Even a vampire could survive on the animal blood but most would see suppressing their instincts to that degree as humiliating and uneptable. This was the same thing, really. Just from a different angle.


    Funnily enough, it was Ves on whom the legends of harpies were based. Most of them lived in female-only gatherings, covens, and events like this where they could lure men to bed them were best for propagating their species.


    Tom understood that... but he wanted no part in it.


    It wasn''t even worth it to ponder the morality of this issue. The Ves were looking for mates like this for millennia and they would not stop their traditions and the entire way they viewed mating just because some human thinks it is amoral. To them, this was perfectly normal.


    The only thing they were willing to change in order to live among other races was that nowadays they were a bit more civil and the coupling didn''t end up in the murder of the male once he was thoroughly used for his seed.


    Then again, every coin has two sides and wizards of the past were definitely not the saints when it came to dealing with Ves.


    Incredible beauty and very were not the best when mixed together.


    That sentence would exin best the rtionship between Ve colonies and the wizards in the past. It was no wonder that neither side was fully trusting with the other to this day and their paths rarely crossed.


    "Huh? Nothing?" Natasha frowned as she observed Tom''s unchanging expression, pulling him out of his thoughts, "And here I thought you would at least show small interest in them."


    "Please." Tom snorted, finding the thought amusing, "They are definitely above average in looks but their allure... it just feels artificial at best." He rolled his eyes at the disgruntled Natasha. "Why would you even want me to get interested in them anyway?" He raised his eyebrow at her.


    Natasha just clicked her tongue, not deeming that very obvious question with an answer as she mumbled to herself, "Another miss."


    ''If even creatures that are rumored to possess superhuman beauty can not do the trick, I really don''t know what I am going to do.'' She thought in dismay.


    Months had passed but Tom didn''t show attraction to any other female than her and while Natasha was extremely ttered, her affection for Tom only shooting through the roof due to that, she was starting to get a tad bit desperate here.


    Nowadays, she had to utilize the tricks from her entire seduction training and it still wasn''t enough. Tom still ousted her every damn time. Her pride as a seductress was a goner and her pride as a woman was in shambles.


    She had a great time with Tom in bed but she also wanted him to have a simrly amazing experience whenying with her. It wasn''t easy, but by now, Natasha fully admitted and epted the fact she couldn''t keep up with him and would need some... reinforcements.


    Yet, Tom was definitely not making this easy for her. How was she supposed to find a good and eptable candidate to join their rtionship when Tom seemed to not be attracted to any other woman!?


    If she wasn''t the one being pounded to the pillows by him almost every day she would have thought him gay!


    Suddenly, Natasha''s indignation ended when she felt Tom tugging at her arm, and half-dragging her away. She threw Tom a questioning look but he just gestured with his head to the side...


    "Oh, my..." Natasha dryly uttered when she noticed every single Ve, even those in mid-coupling, suddenly stopping with what they did and staring almost hungrily at Tom, at the male who obviously resisted all of their allure.


    Retreat seemed like the best option indeed.


    Either that or Natasha had the nagging feeling she would have to ughter every damn Ve who wanted to use her man as a temporary itch-scratcher.

 Chapter 76: Meeting important and not so important people... again.

    Chapter 76: Meeting important and not so important people... again.


    "Potter!"


    Tom heard a whiny voice full of outrage as he walked hand-in-hand with Natasha towards the Ministry Box alongside Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys.


    Turning his head, his eyes fell upon...


    "Is that a puffed-up ferret?" Tom eximed in surprise, getting the attention of the newly appointed ferret and his family.


    That definitely didn''t endear him to them and when Lucius noticed who said that, his eyes slightly widened as he subconsciously gripped his cane, ring at Tom.


    He had spent thest few days trying to find out information about the ingrate only to find nothing!


    "I said that out loud, didn''t I?" Tom hummed when he noticed the attention of Malfoys on him.


    "Pretty much. Yeah." Natasha chuckled, ying along.


    She really was the best sidekick Tom could wish for.


    In response, Tom nonchntly shrugged, "Oh, well. On another note, hello again, Mr. Unfaithful." He gave Lucius an easy-going smile, making the man growl and miss how Narcissa pursed her lips at the admission.


    But Tom wasn''t done yet. He then looked at Narcissa and his smile turned a bit more pleasant, "And you too, beautiful." He winked, pissing Lucius off even more while Narcissa''s eye slightly twitched.


    Having both her husband and son insulted to their faces and then beingplimented by the impudent unknown man was definitely a surreal, odd, and new feeling for her, and for a second, she had no idea how to react. Nevertheless, she still gave Tom a small polite smile in return for thepliment. As was proper.


    Natasha, on the other hand, gave Narcissa an interested once-over when she noticed Tom''s wink, her eyes narrowing in thought.


    Lucius barely refrained from drawing his wand at the impolite upstart bastard! Not only did hee out of nowhere and didn''t know his betters but he also dared to flirt with his wife!


    "You-!" Lucius was about to snarkily scold Tom while sneering all around but Tom was intent on proving hisck of manners because it was fun.


    Instantly interrupting Lucius, Tom turned around with his entire body, making it obvious he fully intended to ignore whatever the blonde man had to say next, and started to usher Hermione and Harry forward. "Let''s go kids. The mad broom sport waits for no one. You can have your pissing contest with the unfaithful juniorter, Harry."


    They quickly left the bbergasted and enraged Malfoys behind, followed by the bewildered Weasleys while Harry incredulously stared at Tom as if he had just done something iprehensible.


    "That was brilliant!" Ron eximed, his eyes sparkling in glee. The boy no doubt already counted this one as ''his'' victory over Malfoy junior.


    Tom gave the ginger boy a small smile and eye-roll, "The trick in pissing these pompous and refined snobs full of manners off is to quickly throw them off bnce, insult them, and walk away before they can gather themselves to react."


    s, Arthur decided this was not something Ronald should be hearing, "Tom, I''d appreciate it if you didn''t teach my youngest how to be a..." He suddenly cut himself off, looking for a way to say this politely to not offend Tom.


    But Tom only chuckled, "Fair enough, Arthur."


    That earned him a slightly grateful but mostly exasperated, uncertain smile from the man.


    Entering the Ministry Box, the whole group witnessed a man in a green bowler hat whose eyes shed in delight when he spotted Harry.


    ''He sus...'' Tom and Natasha both awkwardly thought, pitying the small boy.


    "That''s Cornelius Fudge, the British Minister for Magic and the man next to him should be the Bulgarian Minister for Magic. I want you on your best behavior kids." Arthur gave his two cents, informing the group while giving his children a stern look. Especially the innocent-looking twins who received the brunt of it.


    "Harry, my boy! Come here! Let me introduce you!"


    The poor boy, looking out of his depth, was instantly ''grabbed'' by Fudge and started to be promptly introduced to the amused Bulgarian Minister for Magic who was just trying hard not to smile and added an iprehensible blink here and there.


    It was funny for Tom to witness Fudge using various hrious gestures in his attempt tomunicate with the Bulgarian man.


    Fudge eventually gave up and with a sour face, he tried to exin his ridiculous actions to Harry, "You see, the man doesn''t speak English, Harry. But as a Minister of Magic, it is my duty to be weing." He sighed, trying to sound pitiful. Fudge then shook his head as if shaking off some thoughts and leaned closer to Harry before whispering, "He is really a weird man, my boy. Who doesn''t speak English nowadays?"


    s, his voice was not quiet enough as almost everyone in the immediate surroundings heard it. The man was too assured in the apparent inability of the Bulgarian man to understand so he was not really careful.


    "Does that idiot really thinks you woulde here without understanding English?" Natasha bemusedly asked the Bulgarian Minister of Magic in his nativenguage, making him boisterouslyugh.


    "Apparently so. Funny people, these Brits." The Bulgarian Minister of Magic mirthfully replied in Bulgarian.


    "Mhm. I agree." Natasha said in English and teasingly smirked, giving Tom an obvious look, which only made the Bulgarian Minister of Magicugh louder when he saw their joined hands and the slight annoyance in Tom''s expression.


    He might not have known what they had said exactly but he had this thing called imagination. He could guess that it was nothing ttering.


    Knowing what she wanted to do, Tom with a small huff let go of Natasha''s hand and after she lightly kissed his cheek in an appeasing manner, she strolled towards the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, starting a conversation with the man as if he was not some important political figure she had just met but an old friend.


    Nobody could use Natasha that she could not work her own ''magic''. She was a ''witch'' in her own way...


    To so easily on a moment''s notice set a friendly atmosphere between herself and a foreign Minister for Magic who had no idea who she was, even Tom found it miraculous and magical how easily she wormed her way into a banter with the important man.


    And now she was no doubt subtly pulling information from him as if it was nobody''s business. Without him even noticing.


    Natasha enjoyed doing this part of her previous job. Chatting important people with a lot of secrets up was something she found immense, almost perverse, joy in. Especially making them spill their secrets through offhand remarks without realizing it.


    Shaking his head, Tom decided to speak to Fudge, leaving Natasha to her fun hobby. He had more pressing matters to deal with. He could ask about any national secret Natasha managed to pull out of the man at ater date.


    Cornelius Fudge could only dimly stare between the Bulgarian Minister of Magic and the unknown redhead who came out of nowhere, his cheeks slightly flushing with embarrassment. He was trying to get the Bulgarian man to rx for almost half an hour now and was failing but the redhead managed to aplish it in a few seconds t.


    He... really had no idea how to react to that. The most he could do was close his gaping mouth while Harry used that moment of hesitation to get away from him and return to the Weasleys.


    "Please, don''t be so surprised, Minister." Tom approached Fudge in a jovial manner, "It''s her gift."


    Fudge turned toward Tom, his eyebrows furrowing in irritation and he was about to rebuke Tom with some cheap excuse as he didn''t yet forsake his attempt at making ''friends'' with the temporary runaway Harry Potter, but Tom, for the second time this evening, took the initiative and spoke first.


    "I am Thomas Prest. From what the goblins say after I deposited some of my wealth into Gringotts, I am now one of the wealthiest men in Wizarding Britain, Minister." Tom gave Fudge a knowing smirk when the man''s eyes brightened up and became more inviting the second he heard that. "I just thought it would be prudent to introduce myself to such an important political figure of thismunity." He then offered a handshake to Fudge.


    "Ah, yes... yes! That''s only natural. Wee, Mr. Prest." Fudge eximed in delight, shaking Tom''s hand, Harry Potterpletely forgotten for a moment. "I am happy to meet you. Maybe we should schedule a private meeting in my office at ater date? I am sure we have a lot to talk about."


    Well, nobody could use Fudge of being slow on the uptake when his own benefit was involved...


    ''The greed is indeed strong in this one...'' Tom inwardly mused. ''Good for me, I guess.''


    If he could get Fudge on his side... read, payroll... that would make many things much, much easier in the Wizardingmunity. It was definitely far from a solution to all of Tom''s problems but it was a significant step forward.


    Unfortunately, politics were an important part of every faction or country, mundane or otherwise, and Tom had to y these games if he wanted to have an overall easier life.


    "That would be lovely." Tom nodded, politely replying to Fudge''s proposal. Sadly, he could see from the corner of his eyes Lucius Malfoy entering the Ministry Box and as expected, Fudge brightened up like a Christmas tree upon seeing the pompous man.


    Lucius quickly approached them and looked affronted at Tom, opening his mouth...


    But Tom once again spoke sooner, waiting for the perfect moment to cut Lucius off just before he was about to speak only to infuriate him some more, "I will leave you two to your talks. I wouldn''t like to be insulted by Mr. Malfoy just because he is insecure about his position as the wealthiest man in Britain now that I am here. Have a good Quidditch match, Minister." He excused himself.


    "Ah, yes. Thank you." Fudge replied in small dismay, realizing there was some tension between this new wealthy man and his long-time associate Lucius.


    Tom had aplished what he wanted so retreating was fine. Trying to be pushy in these matters was not very productive. Now that Cornelius Fudge knew that Tom was very wealthy and open to ''discussion'', he should seek him out himself. That would both allow Tom to enter into these talks with a higher standing and give a good first impression.


    Now it all depended on the man''s greed.


    Just as Tom was about to turn around and leave, Lucius grabbed his forearm, "You will get your due soon enough, Prest." He furiously gritted out.


    "You are rude, my good man." Tom loudly eximed, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the Ministry Box, "I was perfectly polite to you so far and I understand your pride must be hurting but I would have never thought a man of your standing would suffer from such profound anger issues!"


    Lucius could only silently seethe and flush angry red as he let go of Tom''s hand, realizing he was not in a good position right now and if he pressed, his reputation could suffer.


    Unfortunately for him, nobody except his family and some poor blood traitors and mudbloods saw Tom insulting him. In this situation, he really looked like the aggressor.


    Tom silently chuckled, and under the bbergasted look of Fudge and the furious re of Lucius, he nonchntly walked towards his seat, ignoring both of them.


    Oh, he didn''t forget to smile and wink at Narcissa once again as he was passing her either.


    And who knows? Maybe Lucius could off himself with a heart attack before he became a problem if pushed enough?

 Chapter 77: Cozy evening that was ruined

    Chapter 77: Cozy evening that was ruined


    Tom vaguely remembered that in all the fanfiction he had read in his past life, Quidditch was always portrayed as something extremely exciting and important. But now that he was seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn''t see what was the big deal.


    Whizzing through the air at high speeds on a broom... Tom''s stomach turned when he was just thinking about it.


    Now that he had witnessed it with his eyes, Tom was in horrified awe at how dumb a person must be to climb on a friggin'' broom and y a wizarding version of rugby mid-air at speedsparable to a car.


    Even if he had wizarding magic and could fly with a broom, nobody would be able to persuade him to do it. Over his dead body.


    Madmen. All of them!


    Tom wryly smiled as he noticed Hermione''s distraught expression, ''I guess that''s one thing we have inmon.''


    Yes, Hermione did witness the sport quite often in her school but Tom imagined this was something else. The World Championships were a very different league from a School Cup. Actual, serious injuries happened more than once during the match because of how ferociously both teams yed.


    In the middle of the game, Natasha finally returned from her conversation with the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and ignoring her seat, she sat directly on Tom''sp.


    "Had fun?" Tom asked with a small smile, to which the redhead nodded before she rested her head on his shoulder.


    "And found out quite a bit. The Minister was happy to have someone to speak to in his native tongue here." She quietly responded, almost smugly.


    Tom knew Natasha was a bit peeved she could not be very useful to him most of the time. That''s why she made the blunder with the Jasin family and that''s also why she was eager for every bit she could do for him.


    It was cute... but also exasperating to Tom. He didn''t really need her to be useful. He just wanted her to be there for him.


    Then again, personal feelings were never really that simple...


    "Mhm. Good girl." He didn''t forget to praise her, making her green eyes happily brighten up. So much so that Tom couldn''t help himself and his hands subtly strayed from her hips a bit lower due to how cute she was.


    Natasha widely smiled at the praise, enjoying the tough of Tom''s hands on her thighs and the slight brush of them on her posterior. Burying her nose into the crook of Tom''s neck while ignoring all the indignant looks from the prudes around, Natasha started whispering, "Apparently, there is supposed to be some tournament..."


    She continued talking about what she found out from the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, mostly mentioning the Triwizard Tournament and some small, unimportant scandals that happened in Bulgaria as ofte.


    It wasn''t a lot and most of it was useless to Tom but she had definitely found out much more than anyone else could glean from the Minister. Just the fact she got enough hints from him to put together the fact there will be some secret tournament happening was amazing, in Tom''s opinion. The participating wizarding countries wanted to keep that one under wraps quite tightly, after all.


    Tom already knew about the tournament but he wouldn''t tell Natasha that. He liked his girl happy and knowing she was useful brought her said happiness. It was as simple as that.


    ...


    "Did you see how Krum caught the snitch!? That was bloody amazing!" Ron excitedly eximed for the twelfth time that evening like a fangirl in love.


    Harry just gave him a cating, mostly wry smile in hopes the ginger boy would stop talking about his newest crush, but it was not to be as Ron started praising Krum to heaven, much to Harry''s dismay.


    The poor boy was too housebroken to tell Ronald to stop.


    Hermione, on the other hand, ''ran away'' long ago, preferring to sit and talk with Natasha about make-up and girly stuff rather than listen to Ron''s bbering about Krum.


    Granted, Hermione was not really all that interested in this girly stuff but she couldn''t help but marvel at Natasha''s extensive knowledge on how to make oneself more appealing. Hermione definitely listened intently to all the advice the redhead was willing to give her.


    If only the bookworm knew all the things Natasha could aplish with simple make-up, she would probably be in horrified awe.


    Not that Natasha would ever go that far in her advice. There was no reason to tell the girl about all the dangerous poisons that could be put together with a bit of creativity and a properly filled make-up kit.


    On the other side of the room, Tom was talking with the downtrodden twins while they were drinking butterbeer.


    "So, you are saying that Bagman swindled you on a bet?" Tom amusedly asked, barely refraining fromughing at the two idiots.


    Putting their whole savings into a bet with a man who was known for his dishonesty... who the heck did that?


    Granted, the twins had no way to know about Ludo Bagman''s track record with bets but it was still a stupid thing to do.


    s, the Quidditch World Cup ended in the same way as in the cannon. Irnd won but Krum caught the snitch, making the twins win the bet against Ludo Bagman but their joy was short-lived as they got once again paid with Leprechaun Gold.


    Tom didn''t alert them. It was way too funny watching their ted expression turn into utter bewilderment, andter on misery, as the gold disappeared right in front of their eyes.


    "Yes!" Both twins chorused at once, outrage in their tones as if they were wronged.


    "Now we will have to start anew. All our savings for opening our Joke shop are gone!" Georgeined, clearly a tad bit angrier about the whole thing than Fred who was more dejected.


    Well, that was yet another reason why Tom didn''t alert them to the foul y.


    "Tell you what, boys." He smirked at them. Nobody can say he didn''t learn a thing or two during his dealings with Sarael. "If you can present me with a good business n and at least twenty viable products, I might be persuaded to invest and be a silent partner in your business."


    Because why wouldn''t he? He already knew they would be sessful and while he didn''t exactly need this investment, there was no reason not to go for it.


    "Really!?" Naturally, that brightened the twins'' mood a lot. Their despairing situation no longer seemed so bleak.


    "Yeah, sure. Just don''t drop out of school or your mother will have my hide for encouraging you." Tom joked.


    As if there was anything other than incessant nagging Molly Weasley could do to him...


    Nevertheless, it made the twins and Arthur, who was ''subtly'' listening in, chuckle and give Tom grateful smiles.


    Arthur didn''t really know what to think about his sons'' ambition but even if he didn''t fully support it, he wanted them to seed as any good parent would.


    Just for that, just this once, he would overlook his pride and not make them reject Tom''s proposition. He''d rather pretend he didn''t hear a thing.


    Unfortunately, this cozy and homely atmosphere didn''tst long as soon enough, shrieks and terrified screams started toe from outside alongside loud sts, making the people in the tent instantly tense, realizing something went horribly wrong.


    Not even Tom was spared that as despite him looking down on wizards to some degree, he wasn''t arrogant enough to think he was invincible and despite his foreknowledge, he wasn''t stupid enough to think he knew everything there was to be known.


    The adults instantly ushered the kids out of the tent, knowing that the enchantments were not made to withstand an attack and being caught up inside could prove fatal if the tent was attacked.


    The second they were outside, however, they saw a lot of fire and panicking people, running from masked individuals which made Arthur gasp in horror as fear and horrible memories shed through his mind.


    The biggest diplomatic blunder in the history of Wizarding Britain had started.

 Chapter 78: Ambush?

    Chapter 78: Ambush?


    Tom and Natasha alongside Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were running toward their designated portkey ce all the while everywhere around them was mayhem and chaos, people screaming and running around like headless chickens.


    Frankly, Tom wondered why they were not apparating away, instead of choosing to be like sitting ducks to the masked thugs who were merrily shooting dangerous spells all around.


    The whole situation was incredibly suspicious.


    Events like this should be teeming with Auror forces, yet, there was not even one Auror in sight and the masked individuals had free reign to sow terror and mayhem all around.


    There was no way the British Ministry of Magic would be stupid enough to not station Aurors here so that could only mean they were called away for some reason, which meant outside interference.


    Tom grimaced. He knew the corruption in the Ministry was massive but this was simply ridiculous. This World Cup was the best bet for Wizarding Britain to bolster international cooperation and rtionships with other Wizarding Countries.


    Some form of terrorism should be expected, no matter how unlikely that would be. There should have been ns made to prevent this and yet...


    Apparently, the Ministry didn''t give a fuck about its rtionship with other countries.


    As they ran through the campsite, Tom saw that the attackers were not exactly holding back too much. They were not shooting unforgivable curses yet but they didn''t shy from killing either.


    Even if no foreign wizard died today, Tom could already imagine tomorrow''s headlines.


    ''Foreign wizards killed at the World Cup in Britain! Their Ministry could not be bothered to arrange proper security!''


    This was a veritable diplomatic catastrophe as far as Wizarding Britain was concerned.


    And while Tom was thinking about it along these lines, Natasha was horrified for apletely different reason.


    She couldn''t believe how cowardly the wizards and witches were.


    At best, there were twenty masked individuals and she managed to notice they were all attacking only the British area of tents but nevertheless, they managed topletely scatter hundreds of magic users.


    It was... beyond pathetic sight for the redheaded killer.


    If everyone shot a household charm at their attackers, they might not kill or injure them but they would sure as hell stop them!


    Before this, Natasha didn''t know why Tom was looking down on the wizards so much. She found it ridiculous and thought it to be some of his hocus-pocus-based weirdness, deciding to not stick her nose into it. But now that she saw the wizards in a precarious situation with her very own eyes... she started understanding Tom''s point of view.


    Unlike mundane people, every wizard always carried a deadly weapon on their person. Every wand could be used to kill in a multitude of ways, yet, nobody tried to fight back in any way.


    They had the means to fight back, but no will.


    She had even noticed some people cower in their boots, not even raising their wands in an attempt to save themselves just before they were killed.


    She really couldn''t understand how these people thought.


    Somehow, she started to understand how could a few terrorists bring this whole country to its knees just a decade and a half prior.


    As they ran, Arthur Weasley taking the lead while both Natasha and Tom stayed in the rear to ensure nobody from their group would get lost, Natasha suddenly came closer to Tom.


    "We are being followed." She whispered quietly enough that neither of the kids in front of them could hear it.


    Tom nced at her and smirked. Of course, she would notice.


    "Yeah, they are pretty obvious, aren''t they?" He uncaringly hummed, to which Natasha rolled her eyes.


    "They are morons." Natasha snorted in apprehension.


    There were not many reasons why the thugs that attacked the Quidditch World Cup would try to follow them. They clearly wanted to ambush them, most likely somewhere close to the portkey ce to add an insult to the injury.


    Unfortunately for theds, they clearly did not have much training in espionage or assassination. Hell, they were not even using spells to conceal themselves and Tom surmised that was why Natasha was so disappointed with them.


    She might not be extra proficient with magic but that didn''t mean she couldn''t think up thousands of ways how it could make her skills that much more efficient. But now that she was seeing people that did have magic and tried to do something she was especially good at... without utilizing said magic at all... she was incensed at their stupidity enough that she wanted to ughter the fools for significantly bringing the IQ of the general popce down.


    Tom wryly smiled at her apprehension. He noticed Natasha''s opinion about wizards dropped steeply since the attack started and he was not surprised. But the guys following them? He called them ''thugs'' because they were thugs.


    He doubted these were the inner circle Death Eaters. There will probably be a lordling or two among them but that was it. Their clothes and masks could not obscure everything and from what Tom was able to discern, most of them were young. Young enough to be just children during Voldemort''s first rise.


    "So? What are we going to do?" Natasha asked, throwing a meaningful nce at the kids running in front of them.


    They couldn''t really fight while protecting the group. Not against twenty or so guys. Not without the kids suffering at least some casualties.


    Tom sighed and gave her a helpless smile, "Isn''t it obvious, my dear Natalia?"


    They didn''t get much choice here anyway...


    "I guess it is." Natasha mirthfully chuckled, her lips stretching into an enthusiastic smile.


    ''Finally!'' Unlike Tom, she didn''t feel annoyed that they would be forced to fight. On the contrary. She might not like fighting but it was something she was good at. Something that could be of use to her lover. And at the moment, she loved feeling useful.


    It wasn''t often Tom would get into trouble where her particr expertise was needed so every single instance where she could make herself useful in this way counted, in her opinion.


    The poor sods who were trying to ambush them had no idea what they signed up for, for Natasha really felt motivated and eager to cause some pain right now.


    Slowly, both Tom and Natasha started to slow down, covertly enough that the kids in front of them would not notice their sudden disappearance, at least not instantly, until they came to aplete halt in a forested area and turned around.


    The two casually stood in the fresh evening breeze, their eyes boredly washing over the trees where their would-be attackers were shoddily hiding.


    All the noise from the still panicking crowd on the campsite blended into the background as they focused and waited to be properly surrounded. It not only gave the kids time to get away but also made Tom and Natasha able to ensure none of the thugs would continue pursuing them.


    So, they waited.


    Tom felt like one of those cowboys in the western movies just before a final show-down. Everything fit the scene. Hair caressed by the breeze, the smell of smoke in the air due to the nearby fires, only him and Natasha standing side by side, about to face the bad guys...


    Especially when two pistols appeared in Natasha''s hands, the impression wasplete for Tom and he couldn''t help but smile as he felt the small, almost unnoticeable hum of her magic dutifully working to create temporary mana bullets inside of the chambers.


    Unlike him who kept potions in his small pocket space, Natasha had her enchanted pistols in there so she would be armed at any moment. It certainly came in handy right now.


    Tom let out a long breath, the air misting in front of his mouth due to the slightly unnatural freezing nightly air, ''We are fully surrounded but none went after the kids. Good.'' His mana sense was definitely nifty and useful here.


    He exchanged a quick nce with Natasha and smirked at the eagerness in her eyes that were just asking for permission to engage.


    Tom mirthfully narrowed his eyes and subtly nodded his head forward, telling her which side was hers.


    "Don''t kill." He said to her before he turned on his heel until he was back to back with her and raised his arm with his palm pointing at one of the trees and with a vindictive smile added, "Just permanently maim."


    It was time to let loose.

 Chapter 79: Ambush: Toms fight

    Chapter 79: Ambush: Tom''s fight


    "Don''t kill." He said to her before he turned on his heel until he was back to back with her and raised his arm with his palm pointing at one of the trees and with a vindictive smile added, "Just permanently maim."


    The second Tom finished saying that, the tree at which he was pointing his palm had an alchemical circle appearing underneath it. Because of that in an instant, as if the tree became alive, from its trunk started to rapidly grow new branches.


    The process was far too fast for a normal human to react and the wizard hiding behind that tree had both of his arms pierced by the newly grown thick branches near the shoulders, his eyes going wide as he released a blood-curdling scream while the small strands of flesh that still connected his arms to his torso snapped under the weight and his arms fell to the ground, blood gushing all around.


    His first enemy dealt with, Tom instantly knelt on one knee and put his hands onto the ground, causing thick earth walls to rise in a circr formation in front of him.


    He was just in time too as his enemies were already counterattacking and the second his sturdy earth walls rose, Tom could hear the impact of various spells breaking on them, among which even two or three Bombara spells.


    Those were particrly dangerous.


    Tom had a degree of conviction that he could resist something like Organ Liquefier since these kinds of spells caused damage by the caster''s mana invading the victim and going crazy inside of the poor sod''s body. He was almost certain he could with his own much more potent mana internally neutralize these kinds of spells.


    But things like Cutters or Bombardas were the real trouble for him because these caused a physical effect, and through that, damage. There would be no internally snuffing these out and Tom had to block them as any normal person.


    Well... theoretically he had a body powerful enough to tank these spells since the wizards he was fighting against were, at best, advanced low-tier to novice mid-tier power-wise. Tom surmised that even if he was hit by their Bombarda, he would probably just get a nasty purple bruise and a brief flight through the surrounding area due to the force of the explosion.


    Not that he would do that. Acting cool like that was way out of character for him. He rather preferred keeping most of his cards secret.


    A second passed and the noise of spells sshing against the earth walls ceased just as Tom stood up and put his hands on said walls, causing another alchemical circle to appear on them under his palms.


    The walls abruptly ''shattered'' forward with massive momentum, sharp debris flying at the masked wizards who were forced to take cover behind the trees.


    The attack failed to hit even one of them but that was fine for Tom. It was just meant to distract them for a second anyway as Tom started to focus on his next move.


    The wizards were about to restart their barrage of spells, keen on having revenge for their disarmed friend. There were nine of them and just one of Tom on this side of the ''battlefield'' so their self-confidence was still high.


    Unfortunately for them, just as they were raising their wands, three of them were grabbed by... massive muddy hands that rose from the ground underneath them and shrieked, disrupting the others.


    The three guys caught in Tom''s unfinished golem hands didn''t get enough time to try freeing themselves with some spell as the hands swung themselves and brutally smashed their three prisoners legs-first against the tree they previously used for cover with enough strength to make it shake a bit.


    Needless to say, these three thugs were out for the count as their legs were broken in multiple ces, somewhere their bones turned to literal mush, making their legs helplessly dangling from their torso with multiple broken bones sticking out all over them as they screamed bloody murder from pain.


    Tom winced. He might have overestimated the durability of wizards in that one blow and it came out much stronger than he intended.


    Well, he left the golem hands half-finished in their muddy state because his control sucked and he was half afraid of crushing the guys to death the second he solidified them. Yet, even when he put a lot of care into it, he still overdid the attack.


    Wryly smiling, Tom inwardly chuckled, ''I really need some extensive control training.''


    This was the downside of cheating. Hisck of control was the result of increasing his mana reserves to very, very early Ultimate-level without having decades of mana control practice under his belt like everyone else at this level did.


    Right now, Tom was all mana brawns while struggling with finesse.


    Of course, he was not idle while these thoughts were passing through his mind. He was already moving when his golem hands were swinging the three poor sods into the trees and thanks to that, he managed to sneak attack another one of his remaining six enemies who were too busy being shaken at the unexpected brutality of Tom''s previous attack.


    The wizard Tom was targeting had barely enough time to widen his eyes as he noticed a magical circle rapidly forming under his feet. The thought of getting out of it hastily passed his mind but it was toote and before he knew it, his legs were forcefully swept from under him in a way that he started falling backward.


    What he didn''t notice was the second magical circle that formed behind him and as he was falling, it activated, sending the same bludgeoning force into his back.


    Neither of these circles was gentle by any stretch of the word and both were pushing parts of his body in opposite directions. The wizard quickly found his chest speeding past his legs while his body was rapidly and forcefully bent in an unnatural way and a crack resounded from his lower back, causing a flood of pain to wash over him as his spine broke like a twig and he screamed, helplessly flopping onto the ground and breathing hard while squeezing his fists in an attempt to lower the agony pulsing through his body.


    Barely seven seconds passed since the fight started and with the fall of theirstrade, the minds of the five remaining wizards finally realized that Tom was indeed a threat and they should take him seriously.


    Not even properly aiming, the wizards started to desperately shoot all manners of spells in Tom''s general direction, not caring if it was the Unforgivables, various dark spells, or something else, they just wanted to outnumber and outgun him, not keen on being the next to be targeted.


    Tom didn''t expect such a desperate reaction and he thought it a pity he didn''t have the time to put down more of them before they finally got a grip. s, it was not to be, and right now, he was not particrly close to any tree that he could use as a cover as he was caught under the spell bombardment of his foes.


    The spells were quite fast and Tom was caught off guard by the sudden counterattack. There was not enough time to calcte a defensive spell so Tom needed to use something that was freshly calcted in his memory.


    Hastily putting together the same kind of circle he used to break thest guy''s spine, he cast it under his feet and used it to push his body high into the air, evading all the spells by ''flying'' over them.


    Very aware that he was currently in a vulnerable position, Tom took out a small gem from his pocket. He usually used those for his wards but a desperate situation called for desperate measures.


    Forcefully feeding the gem his mana until it was about to burst... which didn''t take more than two seconds since the gem was really small... Tom threw it at two of his enemies who were standing close to each other all the while he cast another ''Force Push'' circle next to him.


    The gem quickly closed onto the two wizards, its surface cracking before it even reached the ground, and just as they cast Protego spells in front of themselves due to either a bad premonition or caution, it exploded with the full force of overloaded mana inside of it, smashing through their paltry Protegos and sending them flying back like ragdolls, breaking bones and snapping muscles.


    Honestly, this was the very first attack Tom threw that could be lethal since he didn''t have enough leeway to be careful with it.


    The advantage of having a massive mana poolpared to his enemies was that Tom could use much more mana in one instance than his enemies could dream of. With his current reserves, he could feed more mana into the gem in these two seconds than the wizards had in their entire bodies... hence, their Protegos shattering like a ss battered by a battering ram.


    This kind of ''ka-boom'' tactic didn''t need much control since he was aiming for the gem to destabilize and go out with a st anyway but because of that, there was no way to control it and Tom really didn''t know if the two half-mangled guys whose bodies finally stopped several tens of meters away from the impact zones were still alive.


    He didn''t have time to check anyway. The second he threw the gem, he was pushed to the side by his spell, making him evade another volley of spells mid-air, idly pondering how the wizarding offensive spells were really limiting with their usual colorful bolts needing to hit the target to have an effect.


    Tomnded on the ground, went into a roll to stop his momentum, and sprang onto his feet before ducking behind a tree just as another Bombarda impacted the ce where hended, making the entire tree shake but it withstood it and fulfilled its role in shielding Tom.


    Not wanting to be a sitting duck, Tom sprang forth, running through the wooded area and using trees both for cover and to confuse his enemies, often changing the direction of his running around to make it harder for them to predict his position.


    Three more enemies remained and spells were still flying left and right, but now they were at random, the wizards just guessing where Tom was and with every ruffle of leaves, they instantly shot a spell in its direction.


    Their nerves were running high but thest remaining trio didn''t dare to huddle together, painfully aware of the fate of theirst tworades who were close to each other.


    They also didn''t dare to use trees as a cover, remembering how a tree grew new branches, disarming another one of theirrades.


    Right now, they wished they could fly, the image of massive muddy hands growing from the ground fresh in their minds.


    They stood away from each other in a small clearing, away from the trees, and fearfully looked around, trying to spot Tom who was using the trees and dark of the night as cover, while the trio was heavily sweating and fidgeting at every small noise.


    Neither of them wanted to be the next one targeted by their target.


    Tom had to say, he had fun spooking the daylight out of them and felt almost sadistic glee at seeing his would-be ambushers scared shitless. But he knew Natasha would be finished sooner rather thanter and he couldn''t drag this on for much longer. He had already spent three minutes with these dorks so it was time to end this.


    Coming out of the foliage, spells half-calcted in his mind and ready for use in the final showdown... Tom nkly blinked when he saw the two youngest of his three remaining enemies twisting in a telltale sign of portkey use the second he appeared in front of them.


    Obviously, the third wizard was as bewildered at the two little shits running away as Tom.


    Yes, these guys were not trained for battle. They were thugs at best. They were just young, probably rich, morons that wanted to have fun hurting others and pretending to be a Death Eater because their parents were raising them in the belief it was something glorious.


    It wasn''t surprising they couldn''t handle the pressure of fighting somebody who could and would fight back and even cripple them.


    But still, Tom inwardly scolded himself for not thinking about that and letting them get away.


    Nevertheless, he reacted in time when hisst enemy, the oldest of the bunch and the one he was keeping forst, realized this fight was already lost and reached into his robes about to pick up his portkey too.


    Before his fingers could grab it, a sharp twinge of pain surged from his elbow, and then... his entire forearm fell onto the ground courtesy of Tom''s quickst spell, squashing his hopes to use his emergency portkey.


    The man gritted his teeth, gasped, and grasped at his now forearm-less elbow, snuggling it in hisp as he fell onto the ground in pain, letting out muted whimpers.


    Tom steadily approached him, still on guard, and when he reached the guy, he put his foot on his side and rolled him on his back so they could talk face to face.


    "Now then, I guess it is high time we have a talk, don''t you think?" Tom pleasantly smiled at the anguished, yet terrified wizard. Tom distasted torture but of course, these morons did not target them out of the goodness of their hearts, so, there were some questions that needed answering. "Let''s start with something easy enough even for a monkey to answer, shall we? Who sent you?"

 Chapter 80: Ambush: Natashas Fight 1

    Chapter 80: Ambush: Natasha''s Fight 1


    "Don''t kill. Just permanently maim."


    Hearing that, Natasha inwardly grinned.


    She generally disliked violence but she also wanted to be useful to Tom, to show her worth, and in her opinion, fighting for him was the best way to do it.


    Even if he reassured her again and again that he didn''t care about that, she saw this matter differently. It was how she was raised and while she was aware it was the Red Room that instilled this need to prove her value in her, it was still a part of her. One that she had a hard time ignoring.


    Unfortunately, Tom didn''t get into trouble very often and when he did, he usually made damn sure it never reached the stage where her particr talents would be required.


    It was the source of some seriously mixed feelings for Natasha.


    She absolutely loved how peaceful her life became since she had met Tom but she hated how useless she felt at times. There was nothing where she could be helpful to Tom in their everyday lives other than making him her special hot chocte.


    It was really grating sometimes.


    All these feelings were piling up and up inside of Natasha... so much so that now, when she had a clear enemy in front of herself, one that was vying to hurt her Tom, she couldn''t bring herself to care about all the violence she was about to unleash onto them. In fact, she wholeheartedly weed it.


    After getting permission from Tom, Natasha slowly but steadily advanced, raising one of her pistols and aiming it at her first victim, without any hesitation, she fired the first shot...


    The fool-hardy wizard could see thising from a mile away but he didn''t even try to dodge, just casting Protego and believing in his pureblood superiority. He recognized the silly muggle weapons Natasha held but there was simply no way that his mighty wizardly shield could be prated by such pathetic contraptions!


    s, that... was a mistake of an overzealous fanatical young mind.


    Natasha''s magically-created bullet imbued with her Power of Destruction tore through the Protego as if it didn''t even exist and before the wizard''s mind could evenpute what just happened, his world exploded in pain as the bullet tore itself a path through his muscles, lodging itself deep into his right upper arm.


    And then, when the wizard finally realized his mighty pureblood magic failed to protect him and his expression was full of iprehensible disbelief, the primary function of the Power of Destruction imbuement activated and the bullet exploded.


    With a mild squelch, the wizard''s upper arm where the bullet was located burst with a crimson burst of light before everything below the elbow of his arm was sent flying away while his whole upper arm was blown out of existence, leaving the shrieking wizard only with a bloody stump gushing out blood as he iled it around due to panic and pain.


    There would be no healing that arm even by wizarding means. From what Natasha heard, wizards had a lot of powerful healing spells and that''s why she decided to ''erase'' a part of his arm so the rest could not be reattached backter on.


    Just as Tom wanted, the man was now permanently crippled considering wizards still could not regrow entire limbs.


    The wizards were very distracted by the sight of theirrade falling to a muggle weapon and most of them were too stunned to react. Natasha would not let this kind of opportunity let go and her second pistol was being lined up with her next target when one of the wizards shouted, "Take cover!"


    The wizards quickly came out of their stupor and obeyed, making Natasha irritated as she attempted tond her second shot despite thisplication. Unfortunately, she was a second toote, and instead of a wizard, her bullet buried itself into the tree that was behind him as he threw himself onto the ground.


    The tree experienced the same thing as the previous wizard''s arm only with more force as Natasha didn''t consciously try to limit the output of her magic bullet, and with a crimson explosion followed by a creaking crack, its lower trunk was blown up, causing the tree to slowly but noisily start falling down.


    The wizards quickly realized that Natasha was a much bigger threat than they previously thought and there would be no ying and having fun with her. All intentions of capture were erased from their minds and Natasha was instantly being pelted by tens of lethal spells.


    Natasha proved why she was the best Red Room had ever trained as she weaved through the spellfire with apparent ease, sidestepping the spells with a slight margin while nearing the treeline where she would be finally able to take cover all the while she was also returning the fire with her two pistols.


    Sadly, her control of the Power of Destruction and magic was not all that good yet and obstacles line trees were enough to prove too much for her bullets. She could not shoot through them and her opponents were using that to their advantage.


    On the other hand, evading their spells was almostughably easy. Their spells were quick... but they were a far cry from the speed of a bullet.


    Natasha finally reached the treeline and ducked behind a tree of her own, getting a small reprieve and a few seconds to think about her situation. She instantly realized the problem with the trees and decided to quickly change her tactics. She no longer tried to hit the wizards themselves, instead, she was going to go all environmental on them.


    Now that she was hidden and wasn''t shooting back as much, her opponents'' spellfire only intensified. But... despite dangerous spells flying left, right, and center at her, Natasha was slightly smiling, not bothered or nervous at all.


    It wasn''t so bad to be back in action.


    A few secondster, she got the opportunity she needed to restart her own offensive. During a small waver in the spellfire, she ran out of her hiding ce and started shooting back once again while heading toward another tree, her previous one quite damaged by various spells with its trunk more or less ruined already.


    Natasha''s bullets were no longer aimed at the wizards, and now she was aiming at the trunks of the trees they were hiding behind, making these trunks explode. She also tried to control the explosions in a way that would pelt her attackers with woody shrapnel from the explosions.


    Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not, and sometimes her opponents had the presence of mind to use shielding spells to protect themselves, but Natasha was pretty satisfied with taking out three more people during her run towards the next tree with just this.


    One guy was unlucky and woody shrapnel hit him right in the eye... so in Natasha''s opinion, that also counted towards the permanently crippled status... and the guy was now screaming and rolling on the ground while holding his right eye.


    The second guy stood too close to the tree when it exploded. He was practically leaning on it so the explosion propelled him forward... and made him facent into the ground so hard he didn''t get up afterward.


    His loss of consciousness was probably for the best, considering how several jagged wooden pieces were sticking out of his back.


    And the third guy was unlucky enough to be hit in the leg with the woody shrapnel, which prevented him from escaping in time as the tree he was hiding behind fell on him. The guy managed to save his life by shifting his body at thest moment, only getting everything below his thighs crushed by said tree.


    Natasha was especially proud about thatst takedown. When luck and skill join hands, it is simply beautiful.


    Before the remaining wizards could waver due to the loss of theirrades, the guy who previously ordered them to take cover once again shouted out an order, restoring the morale.


    "Quick! Use area of effect spells!"


    Natasha wryly smiled, knowing it was an amateur mistake for them to not use these right from the get-go, especially in a fight where trees are being used as a cover, but she didn''t dwell on it for long because she knew she had to react fast... and hard.


    She ran from behind her tree, sprinting towards the apparent leader of her enemies, just as a Bombarda spell impacted the ce where she was just five seconds ago, blowing it up.


    Another wizard was peering from behind his tree, his wand raised and he was about to also use some kind of spell, but Natasha noticed him in time and rapidly shot three bullets at him, no longer in a mood to y with them.


    The lower trunk of the tree was not only blown up, but the explosion of the second bullet propelled it through the air, right at the wizard who was previously hiding behind it. The flying tree trunk only slightly nced at the wizard''s side but it was enough of a distraction to make him stagger and Natasha''s third bullet found purchase in one of his legs.


    But Natasha was not paying overly much attention and therefore did not restrain the subsequent explosion, hence, the result was a tad bit worse than hisrade who lost only his arm. This time, when the bullet exploded, it was strong enough to destroy both of his legs.


    He was lucky he got shot in his calf instead of the thigh or it would have been his whole lower body. Well, Natasha was sure the screaming guy didn''t see it that way nor did he appreciate her mercy.


    Natasha weaved through the spells once again as she ran towards her target, no longer just side-stepping them, but using her speed to make sure she was far away when the spells went off behind her.


    Explosions reverberated from behind her.


    Various transfigured animals chased after her.


    Various debilitating area-of-effect curses actually affected her body.


    Yet, it was all for naught and Natasha started to realize why the rest of the supernatural world looked down on wizards. Right now, her body was nothing special by supernatural standards. But...


    She was fast enough to outrun their spellfire. Definitely faster than the transfigured animals. And the curses had almost no or very negligible effect on her because of her own potent mana reserves.


    Maybe if these were trained fighters, the battle would have been much harder but she was not fighting battle-hardened veterans. These people were at bestparable to street thugs rather than soldiers.


    In almost no time at all, she reached the leader, both of her pistols disappearing from her hands back into her pocket space while she grabbed him by his neck, raising his body into the air as she mmed his back against a tree.


    Unsurprisingly, the spellfire ceased the second she got near him, the other wizards not knowing what to do in this situation.


    Before Natasha could speak or even decide how to cripple this wide-eyed one, he blurted out, "V-vampire!"

 Chapter 81: Ambush: Natashas Fight 2

    Chapter 81: Ambush: Natasha''s Fight 2


    "Vampire!"


    That exmation surprised and, much to her shame, distracted Natasha enough that her captive managed to cast a particrly strong Lumos spell right into her face... and grin at his victory.


    It was short-lived, however, as Natasha didn''t burn as he expected and his grin froze when his Lumos ceased and he was met with Natasha who stared at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "Was that supposed to do anything?" She asked with an undertone of confusion.


    And here she shielded her face with magic when she realized her mistake, expecting something that packed more punch than some useless light show. Well, she surmised that attempting to blind her was probably a good move.


    Natasha''s free hand gripped the bewildered man''s wrist, imbuing her nails with the Power of Destruction, making them shine with a crimson hue. She dug her nails into the man''s wrist and they went through it like a knife through butter, swiftly severing his wand-holding hand from the rest of his arm.


    The man screamed bloody murder, or at least, he tried but Natasha''s grip on his throat allowed him to let out only choked whimpers. His wide eyes full of pain stared at the cold emerald gaze of his captor, making him feel inwardly cold at the totalck of any mercy or empathy in these eyes and his fear only intensified.


    s, this was a far too strong blow for his ego. How could an esteemed pureblood cower in front of some filthy vampire!?


    His belief in his superiority momentarily suppressed his fear. This enabled the fear to give way to anger and anger birthed courage, "Why are you not burning, creature!?" The man asked in outrage. But if one listened closely to his tone, it would be ever-so-easy to still find the fear and pain in it.


    Hearing his question and seeing him act tough, Natasha''s lips quirked into a small amused smile, "Sorry to burst your happy bubble but I am not a vampire." She nonchntly said, wondering why the man thought her to be a vampire.


    "Impossible! Only these magic-less freaks can be so fast!" The man furiously eximed, murderously ring at Natasha.


    It was obvious his opinions were made and despite him seeing her shrugging off the Lumos spell or even using magic, for him, she was a ''magic-less freak''.


    Natasha wanted to facepalm at the sheer height of stupidity in her hands but knew the futility of speaking with an idiot so she only shrugged, "Whatever lets you sleep at night."


    She then raised her free hand with the glowing crimson nails and the man''s fear was instantly back in full, his confidence disappearing into thin air as quickly as it appeared.


    "D-Don''t be hasty! If you kill me, you will perish with me!" He tried to reason with Natasha whose amused smile only widened a bit.


    "Kill you? Nobody said anything about killing you."


    After all, dead people did not suffer anymore.


    Of course, the bigoted man took her words as a sign he was rtively safe and his arrogance was back, "Good. At least you know your -, aaargh!"


    He didn''t get to finish his sentence as Natasha plunged her nails into his shoulder, her Power of Destruction in them allowing her to get through his flesh as if she was dipping her hand into the water. Her fingers took a hold of the man''s corbone and then... she forcefully ripped it out.


    This time, not even Natasha''s tight grip on his throat prevented the man from screaming as sheer agony blinded him while his head spun.


    "My orders are to permanently cripple you." Natasha emotionlessly said, more to scare the remaining five young adults who stood around them since she doubted the man in her grip could think straight through the pain.


    His remaining five followers were gaping at the scene and shaking in their boots, three of them even forgetting to aim their wands at her due to the pure shock and horror they were feeling.


    Natasha let go of the corbone she had ripped out of the man, letting it fall onto the grassy ground, seeminglypletely ignoring the young inexperienced kids the man she was torturing took with him for this joyride.


    There was not much they could do without endangering their leader anyway and it was painfully obvious they could not decide if they should intervene and risk it or not.


    ''Amateurs...'' Natasha idly thought, expecting more from people obviously sent to deal with her and Tom.


    Then again, these people were sent to kill her Tom.


    Her green eyes shed with a ruthless glint, the decision of what to do with her target already made in her mind. Her hand relocated near her victim''s lower body, her crimson nails gleaming with the malicious nature of her special energy...


    But suddenly one of her remaining five enemies gathered enough guts to go for onest ''Screw it all!'' and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"


    A green bolt of energy hit Natasha in the back... and just as the five young wizards heaved a sigh of relief at the sight, it dissipated into thin air on her crimson locks while Natasha half-turned, giving her now petrified attacker an unimpressed look.


    "Just patiently wait your turn." She smirked at him, utterly clueless that from their point of view, she had just shrugged off an unstoppable and unblockable instant death spell.


    She naturally saw the spelling the second it left the wizard''s wand and could dodge it but... why bother?


    She might not be Tom and definitely wasn''t capable of inwardly countering the effects of spells with her mana, but she had her own tricks.


    For her, it only felt like a minor annoyance as it impacted her long crimson hair. The same hair that was supercharged with the Power of Destruction, which instantly snuffed out whatever magical effect the spell tried to enforce on her.


    Long hair was a major limiting factor in a battle. Especially if they were long enough to reach all the way to her lower back and could cover her whole back in her crimson mane.


    Natasha would not have that unless she had a way to mitigate the disadvantages.


    This technique to imbue her own hair with the Power of Destruction was her answer to this problem but it was also something fully original.


    It wasn''t a technique she copied from Sirzechs''s memories and Natasha was very proud of creating itpletely by herself. Even Tom praised it, knowing that it could only get stronger and better as her control over her own mana and concept increased.


    It was her ultimate ''shield''.


    The kind that could destroy any purely magical attack as long as the mana in her hair was not severely overwhelmed by the mana in the attack.


    As for these wizards with a pitiful amount of mana in their bodies and an even lesser amount in their spells?


    Heh... As long as their spells hit her hair, there was really nothing they could do to her so... sucks to be them.


    "I still have a lot of work to do on this one." Natasha dryly said, not bothering with the fact her remaining enemies were practically shitting themselves after witnessing someone ''block'' Avada Kedavra just like that, and she nonchntly turned back to her still whimpering hostage.


    Natasha was far, far from done with him.


    After all, a missing corbone could still be healed by wizards. And that would mean she didn''t fulfill the parameters of her mission, no?

 Chapter 82: Sending a message.

    Chapter 82: Sending a message.


    Done with his group, Tom had returned to the part of the forest where Natasha fought, only to find it half-wrecked with many trees broken in half, a few unmoving bodies lying here and there, one of which was even half-buried under a broken tree trunk, and in the middle of all this carnage was Natasha, aiming her pistol at two whimpering and cowering wizards d in the death eater garbs, both missing everything below their elbow of their wand arm as they knelt near yet another, older wizard who was already unconscious due to how brutalized he was.


    That one''s wounds were something even Tom winced at so it was probably lucky for him to not be conscious right about now anyway. Natasha certainly didn''t coddle these poor schmucks just because most of them were barely adults.


    As Tom slowly walked towards her, Natasha finally spotted him and gave him a wry smile, which he returned but he wondered why the long face. She seemed to have the situation well in hand from what he was seeing.


    "What''s up, Natalia?" Tom asked with a small worry when he finally reached her, fully ignoring the two sniveling wizards.


    Natasha slightly grimaced, "I let three of them run away." She sullenly admitted in an apologetic tone.


    Tom raised his eyebrow at that, realizing why she was looking so sheepish and downtrodden behind her usual facade of calmness. She probably thought it to be a failure but Tom had seen it differently. He really couldn''t care less.


    "Let me guess. They caught you off guard by suddenly teleporting away, no?" He amusedly asked, enjoying how Natasha looked at him in veiled surprise.


    "Yes." She replied, but her tone betrayed her desire to ask the unasked question.


    Tom chuckled, finding it cute how she tried to keep up the appearance of a subordinate in front of strangers.


    "I totally forgot they would all have emergency portkeys too and two of my batch managed to run away." He continued, answering her silent question despite her not asking before he tried tofort her a bit, "Don''t beat yourself up because of it. It doesn''t matter."


    Natasha gave Tom a small smile at that, but he could see she was still a bit ufortable with this ''failure'' of hers. Unfortunately, Tom knew there was nothing he could do that would make it better for her so he decided to give her space and let her deal with it by herself.


    "So, what do you want to do with these two?" Natasha asked, trying to not-so-subtly redirect the topic.


    The second the two were mentioned they started to pleadly look up but didn''t speak, making a silent testament to how scared they were of Natasha. Just one narrowed look from her and the two just whimpered before they returned to cradling their now missing wand arms in theirp.


    Still, they didn''t stop throwing hopeful nces at Tom who could be said to hold their life and death in their hands now.


    But as they were looking up at him, his brown eyes suddenly gleamed, creating quite an imposing image with the moon shining behind him and the remnants of the carnage in the background reminding them of what happened just a few minutes ago.


    "Just make them gather their unconscious and wounded allies into a pile and let them use their portkey." Tom uncaringly shrugged, "That''s what I did with my group. After all, if they don''t return home in their current state, our whole hard work would have been wasted." His tone was light and amused but its ruthless undertone sent a shiver down the spines of the two still-conscious captives.


    Natasha turned towards the two and nodded with her head to the side, "You heard the bossman. Move it, boys."


    The two young Death-Eater-wannabes were both relieved and dumbfounded as they slowly and wobbly stood up, inwardly happy beyond themselves that they would get out of here alive.


    s, they still didn''t realize the bleak future that awaited them, believing that the Wizarding medicine could heal literally anything. They were in for a very rude awakening in the following days.


    But for them, these were worries for the future. Right now, they had one immediate problem.


    How the heck were they supposed to pile up their ''friends'' with both of them missing one hand?


    "What are you dilly-dallying for? Do you want me to make a few more holes into you to properly motivate you?" Natasha harshly and coldly reprimanded them.


    Needless to say, their injury quickly ceased to be a problem when the weapon that blew off their arms was pointed at them once again.


    ...


    "So, why did we let them go and why not just kill them?" Natasha asked as she and Tom slowly strolled through the forest towards their portkey area, taking their sweet time and enjoying the nightly breeze.


    It took barely five minutes for the two cripples to somehow drag their incapacitated allies into a big pile while moaning in pain... which was promptly ignored by both Natasha and Tom. They didn''t feel very charitable, considering these guys were sent to kill them.


    The only problem was the guy whose legs were trapped under a tree trunk but Tom made short work of that and with a quick spell, he uncaringly severed both of the guy''s legs right in front of the horrified eyes of the two gaping wizards.


    His subsequent nonchnt, "There, problem solved, now drag him away." as the two looked at him as if he was their Dark Lord himself was something Natasha would be inwardly chuckling at for quite some time.


    Now that the earlier excitement was over and all their crippled would-be ambushers were safely sent home in pieces, yet, alive, Natasha was naturally curious.


    She was smart enough to realize these wizards were left alive as a sort of message but she didn''t know much about the wizarding politics or factions in it. That was frankly Tom''s thing so she wanted a bit of context and exnation.


    Not because she cared about the politics and factions in the Wizarding World, but because she didn''t want to make the same mistake as she did with the Jasin family. As much as she didn''t like it, she had to get a bit informed about politics if only to know which annoyance she could and which she couldn''t safely kill.


    Hearing Natasha''s question, Tom hummed in acknowledgment, his lips curling in a small involuntary and amused smile as he remembered what the guy he had interrogated told him, "These scrubs were sent by Lucius Malfoy. The man obviously has more balls than I gave him credit for. Just a pity he is missing the most important part of his manly equipment if this pathetic attempt is to go by."


    Despite his mocking words, Tom inwardly thought it was a good attempt. Lucius simply worked based on assumptions they were on the same level as an average wizard. In which case, this ambush would be their end on nine out of ten asions.


    Natasha snorted and only her agility and reflexes saved her from tripping at Tom''s light-hearted remark.


    "Are we going to deal with him?" She asked, trying not tough at the childish and crude joke that caught her off guard.


    Seeing the mood be light again, Tom was inwardly satisfied.


    "No." He shook his head as if he found the idea of retaliating ridiculous, "Why would he do that?"


    Natasha turned her head and gave him a deadpan look at that but Tom nonchntly ignored it and continued speaking.


    "Lucius tried to find out about us ever since our little verbal exchange at the Gringotts. Apparently, he was very salty at being shown his ce by some unknown foreigner in front of goblins." Tom innocently said as if it was not his fault, making Natasha roll her green eyes at him.


    "Obviously, he didn''t find anything and after his second verbal spanking by yours truly," Tom waved his hand in front of him to gesture at himself, "Lucius got so mad he told these guys who were already nning to wreck the event to look for us and get rid of us in the chaos. He literally said, ''We can''t let some filthy foreigners walk around ournds!'' or something."


    Tom didn''t appreciate that sentence but he found it exceedingly funny to hear something like that from a guy with a French surname.


    Shaking his head in amusement, Tom continued, "The problem with the Dark Faction is that they had never faced any direct resistance from their opponents. Their enemies almost never shot lethal spells back at them. Sending these kids home crippled for life, some even missing wand arms should curb a bit of that arrogance. Next time they will think twice before sending someone to kill us."


    Well, not exactly. The real reason why they would think twice about it was the fact that two of them had just manhandled twenty adult wizards. It didn''t matter that their opponents were barely adults. They graduated from Hogwarts and were considered full-fledged wizards.


    The sheer fact Tom and Natasha, two foreigners who were supposed to be easy pickings, came out of these odds unscathed while their enemies were almost all crippled beyond repair would make the Dark Faction scared shitless.


    This was the kind of prowess and brutality because of which they followed their own Dark Lord and that simple fact would put a stop to the further ns.


    "And if they don''t?" Natasha doubtfully asked. She knew their type. They would not just stop. Not after the first failure. Tom''s reasoning seemed very naive to her.


    "I have never said they will stop trying to get rid of us, dear Natalia." Tom smiled at her, finding her doubtful expression cute, "I just said they won''t try to send someone to kill us again."


    Natasha sighed as she realized Tom''s meaning. This battle will be further fought through schemes, plots, and politics. Not her favorite thing but, oh, well.


    She knew Tom preferred it this way rather than having to get directly violent so she would simply let him have his fun. He would tell her when it was her time to shine anyway.


    Just like that, the whole thing left Natasha''s mind.


    But then she had a stray thought. A new perspective on Tom''s actions appeared in her mind and her lips quirked up into a teasing smirk.


    "You did this because of Hermione, didn''t you?" She asked, giving Tom a knowing look.


    They could protect themselves just fine but the girl was vulnerable. She could be said to be their weak point once her rtion to Tom is known.


    So, to destroy any nefarious ideas before they could even be born, Tom showed just what kind of retaliation they could expect if they pissed him off. Natasha realized this wasn''t really different from what Voldemort was doing during his war and she at the very least knew how effective that was.


    Natasha had no idea how effective their small take on his tactics would be but... well, it was the effort that counted, no?


    "I have no idea what you are talking about." Tom nonchntly said and promptly ignored her further prodding.


    "You are blushing." Natasha remarked with a grin.


    "No, I am not." Tom vehemently denied it, manly ignoring the burning feeling on his cheeks.


    Natasha''s grin just widened, "Heeeh~. How cute."

 Chapter 83: Finding the kids wandering

    Chapter 83: Finding the kids wandering


    Tom and Natasha were finally about to reach the portkey destination when Hermione followed by Harry and Ron burst from the bushes, freezing upon noticing them.


    Hermione was the first to unfreeze and she instantly rushed at Tom, grabbing him into one of her trademark bear hugs.


    "I am so d you are alright!" She eximed in apparent relief and Tom could only wryly smile at that while patiently patting her back.


    Tom could feel that Hermione was more worried than he anticipated and that both made him want to smile and frown at the same time.


    They separated after a while and Hermione instantly gained an expression that indicated she was about to go on a tiresome tirade of scolding them for suddenly disappearing so Tom decided to make use of her taking a deep breath, so she could speak for minutes without break, to cut her off before she could even start.


    "Why are you here?" He quickly asked in an unhappy tone and crossed his arms on his chest as his very body posture screamed his dissatisfaction with the trio.


    Stopping Hermione''s indignation was only a small part of Tom''s reaction. He was genuinely very unamused at the three kids roaming a dangerous area by themselves. For all they knew, the Death Eater wannabes could have been still roaming around.


    Tom''s ploy worked like a charm and Hermione alongside both boys became sheepish and embarrassed, donning ufortable expressions as they ''subtly'' looked at each other, making both Natasha and Tom quite entertained.


    Both of them actually expected a lie from how ''stealthily'' the kids tried to behave. Ron''s expression practically screamed at Hermione to lie while Harry was looking really indecisive as she silently urged him to tell her what to do.


    They were obvious as heck but in a typical childish manner, they didn''t even notice that Tom and Natasha watched them and their expressions in great amusement, just waiting for what hriously ridiculous thing woulde out of their mouths.


    A few short seconds passed and Hermione eventually looked back up at Tom with a slight grimace, "Harry lost his wand so we are trying to find it."


    Hermione obviously didn''t think her words were very believable but she put as much sincerity in her tone as she could.


    Fortunately for her, while her words did sound like utter bullshit, unlike Natasha who gave the kids a deadpan look, Tom''s thoughts were different.


    ''Ah. That happened in the story too, didn''t it?'' He off-handedly mused.


    Tom''s memory was great and he remembered a lot of the Potterverse. Even some insignificant details. But he was just a human and missing memory or two was simply normal. It was impossible to ount for everything so Tom could only inwardly shrug in exasperation at him missing that this was supposed to happen.


    "And we also were trying to find you and Natasha too." Hermione added with a huff and an usatory look that Tom just shrugged off with ease while Natashapletely ignored it.


    "Good attempt, Missy, but I think we will have to talk about yourmon sense." Tom mirthfully said, making Hermione slightly blush from embarrassment as she realized their actions were indeed stupid.


    Hermione was about to look down just like Harry and Ron did, but then, she heard something that made her look up.


    Natasha let out a chuckle, gaining herself a betrayed look from Hermione... but she simply couldn''t help herself and find it funny. Honestly, she wasn''t about to get involved in disciplining Hermione, preferring to stay silent in the background during moments like this. She believed it wasn''t her ce since she wasn''t rted to the girl.


    Nevertheless, she could still enjoy the show.


    Tom rolled his eyes at their little byy, "No matter, we should find Harry''s wand first." That earned him a thankful look from Harry, "You can get your punishmentter." Tom continued with a smirk, dashing the hopes of the kids and probably losing all the brownie points he won with his earlier sentence.


    Unfortunately, the kids didn''t get a chance toin nor did Tom chance to enjoy the situation more because four men suddenly apparated near their position, making both Tom and Natasha sharply turn towards them, both on the verge of attacking...


    Only for Tom to nkly blink as the corner of his lips twitched when he saw Crouch and three Aurors dramatically whipping their wands and pointing them at... him.


    Really now. If this was a real battlefield, the time they needed in order to reorient themselves after their apparating and draw their wands would have been the end of them.


    More importantly... Why the heck were they aiming their wands at him!?


    Tom wasn''t very worried about the drawn wands themselves. He was more exasperated than anything else. These wizards might be fully trained Aurors, apletely different league from some spoiled brats who barely reached adulthood, but there were only four of them instead of twenty.


    In case it came to a fight, he and Natasha could defeat them. The problem would be protecting the kids behind them but at least with these people, Tom had an assurance they would not target them on purpose.


    After all, the newspaper headline saying that an Auror killed or injured a civilian, much less the Boy-Who-Lived or his friends, was definitely not something either of these men wanted.


    Then again, that was only if it came to fighting.


    Tom quickly put his hand in front of Natasha who had already subtly drawn her pistols from her pocket dimension, ready to counterattack at any time. They were attacked just a few tens of minutes prior so Natasha was still on high alert.


    Doing this was the best option because the situation could quickly escte with the slightest of misunderstandings. Not only did it show Natasha that violence would not be necessary... yet... It also showed the Aurors that Tom didn''t want to start a fight.


    Just as Crouch was about to speak, Tom cut him off in the same manner as he did Hermione previously if only to slightly put the pompous-looking man in his ce, "May I inquire why you rude gentlemen are having me at a wand point? I must say, I am not impressed with the manners of the English wizards so far."


    That sudden insult totally halted Crouch''s momentum and made his mind stop for a second, just as Tom wanted. A flustered opponent was much easier to deal with than an alert one, no matter if it was in a fight or a conversation.


    s, Crouch was still the former head of the DMLE so he gathered himself quite quickly and threw a re at Tom, "You are arrested for casting the Dark Mark! Don''t resist or we will be forced to-"


    Tom recalled that in the movies, Crouch was the one who found Harry''s wand... somehow. Well, that didn''t matter right now.


    Most likely, he found Harry''s wand here too, and used some kind of spell to locate its owner, mistaking it for Tom for some reason. That was really the only logical exnation for this situation Tom coulde up with on the fly.


    And while his mind worked hard to put pieces together, finding a way to get out of this situation without having to ughter Aurors and Crouch, his mouth also did its share of work, rudely cutting Crouch off once again and not letting him gain full control of the situation.


    "Oh, okay then. I am sure the public will just love Harry Potter being arrested for casting the dark mark." Tom said, turning towards the boy who instantly paled as he recognized his wand held in the second hand of one of the Aurors behind Crouch.


    Tom innocently smiled, already knowing where to lead the conversation as he casually added with some obvious sarcasm, "That will be indeed great propaganda for the Ministry and the Auror Forces."


    Needless to say, Crouch''s determined expression faltered a bit, and even the Aurors behind him were wondering what the fuck the man they were arresting was talking about.


    But as their gazes shifted towards the undeniable Boy-Who-Lived, one thing became sure. The whole situation seemed to get much moreplicated.

 Chapter 84: Grouchy Crouch

    Chapter 84: Grouchy Crouch


    Crouch looked at Harry Potter, noticing where the boy was looking, and he instantly frowned. The boy''s embarrassed expression and subtle possessive look were a dead giveaway that the wand was his and not the man who Crouch first targeted to be the culprit.


    Thisplicated things a lot.


    The spell they used to locate the wand''s owner could be used only if he was in the vicinity and it would only show a general location, rather than pinpoint the person. It was not a very reliable spell anyway and all of them were surprised when they got a positive result.


    Crouch was happy about that. He didn''t want to find the man who used the wand anyway and misleading the Aurors on the trail of the owner of the obviously stolen wand was as good a way to prevent them from doing it as any.


    But the fact the wand belonged to the Boy-Who-Lived waspletely unexpected.


    Crouch was not stupid enough to think he could use the Boy-Who-Lived of this and get away with it. The public would have gone bonkers and both he and the Ministry would have been eaten alive.


    The political fallout from that would have been massive and Crouch had no doubt his ''colleagues'' would throw him under the Knight Bus, so to speak, so they would not have to endure the hit to their careers for his mistakes.


    With the diplomatic disaster this Quidditch World Championship was shaping up to be, the Ministry did not need any more scandals. He... didn''t need any more scandals. As the current head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, he will have enough problems as it is with this utter shitstorm.


    As much as Crouch hated it, getting the public on his case for being mean to their golden boy would not help him right now.


    Despite all that, Crouch had a very good guess of who was the culprit and who exactly stole the boy''s wand. And he definitely did not want anyone getting close to the truth. It would have been devastating for his life and career.


    Maybe if the boy was alone, without an adult who was defending him present, he could try to get a confession from the obviously frightened teen and that would change things a bit but now...


    "Return it." He grouchily growled out,pletely dissatisfied with this ending as he lowered his wand and signaled for the Aurors to do so too.


    s, there was no good oue waiting for him if he pressed here. He didn''t get to his high position in the Ministry by not knowing how these games were being yed.


    And the unknown smug bastard at whom they were still aiming their wands clearly knew how to y too. Unfortunately.


    "But..." The Auror holding the wand hesitated.


    The wand was a piece of important evidence. But if he returned it to the boy, it could be counted aspromised and therefore unusable for any further investigation ording to the protocols of DMLE.


    On the other hand, it was a wand. The most important possession of every wizard. Obviously, DMLE could not hold onto Harry Potter''s wand for long either way. Maybe if the boy was an ordinary wizard, it could have been done but this was Harry Potter! No way could they hold onto his wand!


    Still... this was not ording to the protocols!


    Deep down, he knew he should wait for Amelia Bones to make the call but...


    "Do it!" Crouch huffed, ring at the hesitant Auror who flinched and mindlessly obeyed the former head of the DMLE, approaching the Boy-Who-Lived.


    "Thank you." Harry joyfully eximed as he received his wand and with obvious relief, put it back into his pocket, tightly gripping it.


    Seeing that, Crouch was inwardly extremely relieved. ''At least now the boy will use the wand in the following few days and when some smartass finally gets the idea to use special regted spells to get the dark mark''s caster''s magical signature, the wand will only give Potter''s.''


    Just like that, this problem of his was solved, and the Potter-boy was turned into an unknowing aplice for an added measure of safety.


    If only his other problems were so easy to solve too...


    Crouch then grumpily turned towards Tom and gave him a re, "Not far away from here is a destroyed part of a forest with many severed limbs lying around. You wouldn''t have had anything to do with it, would you?"


    Of course, Crouch only meant it as a threat that he could easily pin it on them if they further annoyed him. After all, as much as the Potter-boy was untouchable, the other people around were not. But Tom''s reaction was something that took him by a surprise.


    Tom just mirthfully smiled as he asked, "Did you find any bodies?"


    That, for the third time in the past ten minutes, made Crouch''s minde to a total halt.


    "What?" He tly asked.


    He expected many reactions from Tom. From vehemently refusing the usation to getting angry... but asking such a question was basically admitting they were a part of that massacre!


    Crouch and the Aurors had a hard timeputing this absurd situation they found themselves in.


    "I asked if you have found any bodies." Tom nonchntly said again without any worry.


    "Why would that matter!?" Crouch screamed as he and his entourage were getting tenser due to Tom''s indirect confession. They were about to draw their wands again but Tom just leisurely shrugged.


    "Well, no bodies mean no case and no case means you can not apprehend us. It''s what your ownws state, you know, Mr. EX-Director of the Law Department. You should know thesews, no?" Tom said with a tone full of mocking innocence.


    He really found some of thews of Wizarding Britain ridiculous. The criminalw was especially full of holes and exploits like this due to how politics worked in themunity.


    The Dark Faction no doubt put thesews into practice with their current flexible wording so they would have an easy way to avoid criminal charges if it came to that. Some of thesews were even from the times of Voldemort, not changed one bit in the past decade, and God, were they stupid.


    For example, depending on the angle one looked at it, onew, in particr, was basically forbidding the wizards from defending themselves against the Death Eaters.


    At least, that''s how the wording of one particr could beprehended by a craftywyer.


    The Dark Faction was certainly very crafty when it came to politics if this was allowed to pass in the Wizarding Government. Tom had to give them the credit for that at the very least.


    But also... There was something poetic about Tom using the very samews the Dark Faction painstakingly lobbied for in order to justify his crippling and ughtering their spare scions.


    While Crouch and his three Aurors were utterly dumbfounded at Tom''s audacity, he just continued speaking, "Just think about all the nifty ways a few severed limbs could be replicated via magic. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. What kind of vandals would kill a lot of people, then destroy a forest clearing, and after that leave their own limbs lying around, littering the ce with trash? The kids these days... I think you should keep your eyes open in the next few days and who knows? Maybe you will find some young trigger-happy thug in need of a hand, arm, or leg."


    Naturally, Crouch understood what Tom was saying. Theirmunity was not ''that''rge and whoever from the dark families would turn up freshly missing a limb in the following days was certainly a part of this... raid.


    Crouch snorted, knowing that nothing woulde out of it anyway.


    "You really think you are funny, don''t you?" He scoffed, angry at being spoken to like this and the Wizarding Britainws being made fun of, "Unfortunately for you, you are no Malfoy. You have no influence to talk your way out of trouble. Boys, arrest him."


    Tom inwardly sighed. In a way, Crouch was right. The loopholes in thews only applied to people who were influential and could make use of them.


    But the reason for admitting the crime in this fashion was simple. The Dark Faction would know about it anyway and doing this rodeo now would allow Tom to prevent them from trying to sick the DMLE on him at ater date.


    It was just a pity that Crouch was such a stubborn idiot.


    At least the three Aurors with him showed that Tom''s words had a small effect on them and hesitated from fulfilling Crouch''s orders because arresting him was indeed against the regtions.


    Not wanting this toe into bloodshed, as letting himself be arrested was not on Tom''s schedule, Tom decided to go for a ''finishing'' move. He would not hesitate to ughter Crouch and his Aurors if it was necessary but... the fact that Hermione and her friends were currently behind themplicated matters immensely.


    Tompletely ignored the indignant Crouch and turned towards the hesitating Aurors who most likely thought about the protocols and regtions they had to abide by, and asked them, "And you three... you do know that obeying his," He pointed at Crouch, "orders can get you in nasty trouble, don''t you? He is not part of the DMLE and certainly not your superior in any way. I wonder how the head of your department would react if she knew about this."


    Tom didn''t even need to lie about that. Crouch was the EX-head of the DMLE. That meant he had no authority over the DMLE and its Aurors anymore. He was like a retired police officer. Retired meant he was now a civilian. He could not just order previously lower-ranked police officers as he pleased for his own benefit.


    Yet, he was doing just that.


    If there was anything that could stop the Aurors from obeying the Hitler-wannabe, it was this. The upation of Auror was a quite prestigious one in the Wizarding World and the punishment for this could easily them being fired.


    No matter how much respect these three idiots had for their ex-head Crouch, they would not risk it.


    Or at least, that was what Tom was banking on and it seemed he was right as the Aurors did not move to arrest him anymore.


    Tom didn''t want to point it out so tantly as it would almost definitely make Crouch into his enemy... but since the man was so hell-bent on being an eye-sore, he gave Tom no choice.


    "You-!?" Crouch''s face grew purple due to his anger as his tone rose but the poor man was once again cut off by apletely new voice.


    "But he is right, isn''t he, Crouch?"

 Chapter 85: Lucky coincidence

    Chapter 85: Lucky coincidence


    Everyone turned towards the neer, only to find a regal man with short blond hair and piercing blue eyes, wearing an old-fashioned suit that only screamed ''noble'' despite being a bit disheveled and the man warily clutching a wand in his hand, ready to defend himself at a moment''s notice.


    His demeanor was slightly like that of Malfoy and that made Tom a bit curious about the man''s identity. Fortunately, he didn''t need to wait long to get this information.


    "Greengrass, what are you doing here?" Crouch almost growled, but his tone became a bit subdued as he didn''t want to antagonize the man.


    ''Greengrass?'' Tom thought and tilted his head a bit as he looked at the blonde man, wondering what someone like him was doing here.


    The man noticed Tom giving him a measuring look and with a polite nod, he started introducing himself, "I am Alfred Greengrass, the head of the Greengrass family." He then turned towards Crouch and showed a frown, "As for what I am doing here... that''s none of your business, Crouch. The fact I found you abusing your previous position as the head of the DMLE, however, is a different matter altogether."


    If anything, that only made Crouch angrier, and yet, instead of bursting like a volcano as Tom expected him to, the man just scowled and turned around before stomping away in a huff while the three poor Aurors could only stay put and squirm under the piercing impassive gaze of Lord Greengrass.


    Alfred looked at them and spoke only when he deemed them cowed enough. "I''d advise you to go and find Amelia Bones. She should be somewhere around."


    Needless to say, the three Aurors also ran away almost instantly.


    That told Tom that this ''Lord'' Greengrass had a lot of pull in the government if he could send Crouch packing so effortlessly and even the three Aurors listened to his ''advice''.


    And that begot the question...


    "Would you mind telling me why exactly am I so blessed to have Lord Greengrass saving my ass?" Tom asked with a small grin, purposefully saying ''Lord'' with sarcasm and being crass in an attempt to provoke the man''s fragile noble sensibilities so he would underestimate his intellect, and maybe even be more sincere in his speech.


    s, it clearly didn''t work as Alfred just chuckled, not buying the facade Tom was trying to portray. He took out a bottle from his pocket... and Tom''s jaw almost dropped at the freaking coincidence.


    Even before Alfred exined, Tom had already put two and two together, guessing what most likely happened.


    "I would like to ask you if there is a chance of buying more of these potions." Alfred politely asked.


    Inwardly, Tom''s lips stretched into a gleeful wide smile. Giving the sick girl a potion was a whimsical kindness on his part and he would have never thought the girl would be this guy''s daughter.


    He now remembered that Astoria Greengrass was supposed to have some kind of blood curse or something. Since her father was now standing in front of Tom, the potion must have helped her enough to warrant a visit.


    ''What do you know? Being kind does sometimes pay off!'' Tom thought, feeling a bit incredulous at his luck.


    "For your daughter, I assume." Tom nodded in understanding, which made Alfred''s eyebrow twitch.


    But he didn''t react beyond that and only nodded, "Yes. I have looked far and wide for something that could cure her, finding nothing. These potions can at least suppress her disease so I would like to establish a trade."


    Tipping his hand like this and showing how important this was to him was both a show of trust and also a show of how desperate the man was.


    Tom doubted Alfred actually realized that but he was not interested in ripping him off.


    After all, this man was clearly influential in hismunity and could prove quite useful if they established a good rtionship.


    "That''s possible. I can provide them." Tom said, revealing that he had a supply of these potions.


    For all Alfred knew, Tom could have just had one, bought from who-knows-where, and would not be able to provide more. On second thought, to ascertain this was most likely why he even approached them in the first ce.


    "Good. We can discuss the deal..."


    Tom and Alfred started setting up a future meeting while Natasha deemed the situation safe enough that she could excuse herself from these boring talks.


    Instead, she approached the three kids that were still trying toprehend how being almost arrested devolved into business talks.


    She really couldn''t me them. Honestly, this abrupt switching of gears was a tad bit too fast even for her. She only knew how to make sure it wouldn''t show on her face.


    "Are you three fine?" Natasha asked as she approached the trio.


    Admittedly, she didn''t care overly much. Ron and Harry were unimportant to her and while she liked to tease Hermione, she didn''t like the girl all that much. Living a few weeks under one roof, and barely seeing each other during that time, was not enough for Natasha to create any sort of liking for the girl.


    Hermione was simply Tom''s responsibility, in Natasha''s mind, and that meant Natasha would always try to safeguard the girl''s life but she didn''t feel the need to be invested in her life nor did she want the girl to be invested in hers.


    "Yes." Hermione said, sounding a bit conflicted instead of her usual confident self.


    Natasha briefly wondered what that was about but then Ron dumbly nodded and Harry mumbled, "I am fine." as if he had it rehearsed.


    The ck-haired boy was still possessively clutching at his wand so Natasha decided to leave the boy alone to his devices and wand-holding.


    She could see a traumatized kid when she saw one. It was like looking in the mirror of her past self for her. But she had no idea how to deal with normal kids, much less traumatized ones so to spare herself some awkwardness, she would not try to solve the kid''s problems.


    Natasha gave the three kids an unimpressed look when she heard their answers, "You really are very bad at lying. Your expressions arepletely see-through." She snorted, making the kids slightly blush from embarrassment, and Hermione even stuttered as she tried to indignantly protest...


    But Natasha only inwardly smirked as the kids'' line of thoughts was sessfully diverted from whatever grim thoughts they were having a second ago.


    "Hermione." Natasha drawled in a strong andmandeering tone, causing the bushy-haired young witch to stop her indignation and look at Natasha with wide eyes, "Just tell me what is bothering you."


    Because she could see the girl was bottling something in and knew Hermione enough to realize she would most likely burst by the time they arrived back at the Weasleys. Natasha would rather deal with the problem here and now by herself rather than Tom getting annoyed at theter date.


    Hopefully, she could manage that. What could go wrong anyway, no?


    "Did you really cripple people?" Hermione insecurely asked, fidgeting in her spot and both Ron and Harry instantly gained a lot of interest in the conversation when they heard her question.


    ''Ah... shit.'' Natasha mentally deadpanned.


    "We haven''t killed anyone, Hermione." She tried to misdirect the girl with the truth, knowing this would cause the least amount of trouble but...


    "I asked if you used spells to cripple someone." Hermione stubbornly repeated her question and Natasha could only inwardly groan.


    ''Just my luck for trying to make things easier for Tom, only to stumble upon a question of morality.'' Sheined to herself. It was obvious that Hermione was naive as heck and no matter how this debate would go, the damage was already done.


    Natasha sighed and wryly smiled at the girl, "If the peaceful way was always the best one, there would be no conflicts in the world. Remember that, will you?" She threw some bullshit at the girl to upy her mind for long enough for Tom to finish his talks and return back.


    Natasha then turned her back to the trio and crossed her arms on her chest, watching Tom speak with Alfred. She really didn''t want more morality-based questions from the kids and she also knew they would feel self-conscious about restarting the conversation with someone who gives the vibe of disinterest with her bodynguage.


    ''Never again am I trying to do mental counseling for anyone.'' Natasha inwardly grumbled.

 Chapter 86: Kicked out and new suitcases

    Chapter 86: Kicked out and new suitcases


    Tom, Natasha, and the kids returned to the portkey point where Arthur instantly scolded the trio for running off on their own before they all returned to the Weasleys with the portkey.


    From there, Ron''s big mouth showed and it didn''t take long for the story of what Natasha and Tom did to spread throughout the family, ruining all vestiges of Tom''s good mood.


    The shrieking Molly made it abundantly clear with her incredibly high decibel harpy-like voice that she didn''t wish some murderers to camp on herwn...pletely ignoring the fact it was almost midnight and they were in the middle of literal nowhere so finding a hotel would be a massive chore.


    Arthur at least seemed to understand that when you are attacked, you don''t just roll over and let the other party kill you, so he sympathized with Tom and Natasha for fighting back... but he was too big of a pushover in front of his wife to say anything. He simply stood a few tens of feet back and silently threw apologetic looks at Tom.


    The only ones who tried to argue Tom''s cause were the twins but these were easily ignored by Molly, even being grounded for the rest of the vacation for their efforts.


    Well, at least they will have a lot of time to think about new products this way...


    As for the two oldest children of Molly... Bill and Charlie just watched the show with amusement, not participating at all. Tom couldn''t fault them for that but it still annoyed him. His opinion of these two kinda dropped a lot as a result.


    So, like that, Tom and Natasha were ''kicked out'' in the middle of the night.


    Honestly... if Tom really was such a bad person, their little family would have been killed for such a thing. He and Natasha had just gone through being ambushed and then almost arrested. They were definitely not in a jovial enough mood for ''jokes'' like this.


    The biggest kicker, however, was when Hermione refused to leave with them after they packed their tent. For some reason, the girl disapproved of their actions and decided to spend the rest of her summer with the Weasleys because ording to Ron, Tom and Natasha were bad Dark Wizards.


    Really swell...


    And so unbelievably childishly dumb.


    But Tom could see that while Hermione was shaken and hesitant, she was stubborn and tended not to think when she got all self-righteous. At least the Weasleys were willing to take the girl in for the remaining two weeks before they had to go back to school.


    Annoyed as heck and in a bad mood, Tom and Natasha drove their way into the night, leaving the Weasleys'' property, the rtionship between the two families ruined.


    Tom managed to assure the twins that the deal he proposed to them still stood but as for the rest of the family, any future consideration Tom could have had for the Weasleys because they were the family of Hermione''s friend waspletely gone.


    Which jerk throws their guests out at midnight anyway!?


    ...


    Two days passed and after a quick return to Tom''s family house, both Tom and Natasha packed everything important to them and moved out, getting themselves a temporary room in the Leaky Cauldron.


    Not that they were using the dingy room itself. They simply set up their tent inside and lived in its more spacious and luxurious rooms.


    The reason for moving out of the house was simple. Tom felt like it.


    He was getting quite paranoid and after the recent month of silence from the Magician Community, Tom started to be a bit fidgety as he anticipated at least some kind of trouble from them, yet, it was simply noting.


    It was he suspicious...


    So, as an added security to his shitty luck, Tom decided to move outpletely. That way, nobody from the Magician Community would know his whereabouts, and their schemes would be unable to reach him. Hopefully...


    Since he gained a new interest in the Wizarding Community goods anyway, it was much more convenient to live within it anyway. Tom wanted to eventually buy a house here but right now was not the time.


    Not only did he not trust goblins with it.


    Since if he could just walk in and demand information based on his strength, what''s to say someone else from the wider supernatural world could not do the same?


    But Tom also realized that with his nonexistent influence and foreigner status, he will have a hard time getting a permit for a house.


    Admittedly, it was nothing that couldn''t be solved by some leisure throwing money around but why waste the money he painstakingly scammed from devils when Alfred Greengrass was such a conveniently well-connected man who just so happened to need Tom''s services.


    It remained to be seen if the man could pull a few strings in Tom''s favor but Tom didn''t hate waiting. On the contrary, he liked the slow and leisure approach. It was the testament that nothing was going wrong and it also gave him more time to tinker and experiment.


    He just hoped nothing would go wrong and force him to actually get involved. That would have been such a bother!


    Natasha suddenly came into the part of his tent that wasbeled as hisboratory and hugged him from behind, curiously peering at the suitcase on the table from behind his shoulder.


    "What are you doing?" She asked, finding her chin afortable spot on Tom''s shoulder as she enjoyed their closeness.


    "I am making myself a shrinking and portableboratory." Tom hummed, "Moving out of our house at such short notice... it made me think. What if I one day have to leave myboratory behind because of an emergency? Hence..." He nodded at the suitcase on the table.


    "So it works kinda like the tent, then?" Natasha quickly caught up to what Tom meant. "That''s kinda convenient. How many of them did you get?"


    She was thinking of getting one as a portable armory or something. Sure, she had her pocket space, but that was really, really small. Even if the suitcase was a lot less convenient, it definitely could hold more goodies.


    Plus it was inconspicuous so there was that.


    Tom, however, only wryly frowned, "Only two. I had to pay fifty thousand galleons for each and even then the goblins were very reluctant to part with them. ording to them, these are rarer than Phoenix feathers."


    The space expansion method of wizards worked best on trunks. The businesses focusing on it did not yet have the knowledge of how to apply it to suitcases. The goblins said these suitcases came from confidential sources... well, Tom knew it was made by Newt Scamander but that was a moot point because Newt apparently refused to make and sell more of them.


    The only way to get more of these was to reverse engineer them and that would take a lot of time. Time Tom could spend on more important things. That''s why Tom only wanted to slightly alter them as he did with the tent and not bother with it any further for now.


    ''There goes my dream of having my own armory.'' Natasha inwardly wistfully sighed, not letting her disappointment seep into her expression.


    "And the second suitcase? What are you going to do with that?" She curiously asked but Tom''s answer was something she did not expect.


    Tom raised his hand and put it on hers, "I noticed you started enjoying gardening in the past few months so I thought why not make it into a portable garden for you? That way you will always have it at hand and will not lose all your hard work whenever something unexpected happens."


    Natasha was utterly bewildered at Tom''s reasoning.


    She started gardening because she thought it would be a way to be useful to Tom. He was an alchemist and needed ingredients for a lot of his experiments. Ingredients that were mostly metals, gems, or... nts.


    But over the months, Natasha found out she loved gardening. Especially after she learned some basic spells that made it almost trivial. It was her way to destress. A way for her to nurture something rather than only destroy as she had always done.


    Funnily enough, most of her ideas about new techniques with her Power of Destruction were born while she was tending to her nts too. Something about nurturing nts made it easier for her brain toe up with more ways to kill and destroy.


    It was ridiculous but it is what it is.


    Hearing that Tom nned to waste such an important resource as one of these suitcases for her hobby made her heart melt.


    Tom felt Natasha''s hug affectionately tighten at his words and smiled to himself.


    It was totally worth it.

 Chapter 87: Troubling news

    Chapter 87: Troubling news


    Two days passed since the Quidditch World Cup and Tom spent all of them adjusting the two suitcases to his and Natasha''s neutral mana rather than wizarding one. It was a tough job that needed a lot of detailed touches but he had finally finished it.


    He had spent two whole days just for slight changes in the items'' workings.


    If he wanted to reverse engineer them, he would probably be at it for months even with his Sacred Gear simply because the creator himself had no idea how the item actually worked.


    It was an unexpected downside of his Sacred Gear and Tom was almost amused by it.


    Comprehending the workings of the Evil Pieces was much easier simply because their creator knew how they were supposed to work and why they were supposed to work in that particr manner.


    But these suitcases?


    Just like every space expansion spell in the wizarding world, it was not based on the wizards'' understanding of space but instead came out of a copious amount of experimenting. Bluntly speaking, wizards knew the method they discovered worked this way but they had no idea why.


    And because they themselves didn''t really know the intricacies behind their lucky spatial maniption method, Tom''s Sacred Gear could not reveal it to him.


    That... was ridiculously stupid.


    In that case, why would his Sacred Gear reveal to him how devil bloodlines worked in the first ce!?


    He really had no idea how that worked but...


    After pondering about it for an hour, Tom just shrugged and gave up. The situation was what it was. There was no reason to be sad because of it. He just had to exploit it to his best abilities and ept the small limitations it imposed on him.


    Whatever...


    Still, Vision was extremely useful for refitting the two suitcases to be used with neutral mana. Without it, Tom could have messed up many times along the way, probably even permanently destroying these items.


    Tom knew it was not how his Sacred Gear was intended to be used by the big G, but damn it was a great crafting helper.


    Both his portableboratory and Natasha''s portable garden were finished and the suitcases that held them still had a copious amount of space free inside.


    Newt Scamander made his suitcase into a preserve full of endangered magical species and the suitcases in Tom''s hands were not all that different. They held enough space to have an entire city built in them. A garden and aboratory couldn''t cover even one-hundredth of it.


    In hindsight, these items were really, but really priceless and it was no wonder Newt did not make or sell more of them. If not him, then Dumbledore would definitely realize the vast number of uses such a thing could have had, both nefarious and admirable ones. No doubt he would advise Newt not to make more of these.


    Thest thing Tom did to finish his work on the suitcases was to affix each of them onto an unbreakable chain.


    The Unbreakable Enchantment was yet another thing that piqued Tom''s interest despite it not really being all that unbreakable as its name tried to imply. It made items pretty durable but it was definitely not infallible.


    In its normal size, the chain was basically just a small decoration while in the shrunken size, the whole thing could be worn as a ne, bracelet, or the like.


    Tom took his finished and shrunken suitcase nes and walked into the living room of his wizarding tent, almost running into Natasha in the middle of the door.


    "Good morning, Natalia." Tom smiled at her when the initial shock expired, "Look at what''s finished!" He waved the results of his hard work like an excited child. Childish or not, Tom was too excited to care.


    "Oh! Is that?" Natasha widened her eyes as she realized the small decoration on the ne looked simr to a suitcase and instantly hugged Tom due to her sheer excitement. "That''s great!"


    She was already looking forward to some gardening but then she realized why she was about to enter Tom''sboratory in the tent and pulled away from the hug, "I also have some news. An owl brought us a letter from Hermione."


    If there was a thing that could dampen Tom''s excitement from his achievement, this was it. Still, he was a bit hopeful that his cousin would gain somemon sense and realize she was being foolish.


    "Where is it?" Tom asked as he handed Natasha her suitcase garden ne while he hung his suitcaseboratory ne on his neck.


    "I''ve left it on the table." Natasha said, leading Tom towards the letter.


    When they reached the table, they sat on the chairs and Tom took the envelope, and opened it. Two things instantly spilled onto the table. The letter and...


    "Is that a newspaper?" Natasha confusedly asked, wondering why that would be included.


    "Well, the answer as to why she sent it will probably be in the letter." Tom hummed and started silently reading the letter.


    Natasha patiently waited and observed as Tom''s eyes started to progressively twitch more and more... but she held her curiosity back and only decided to speak when he put the letter down, looking very unamused.


    "So... I guess your expression means that Hermione did not gain muchmon sense during the past two days?" Natasha nonchntly asked, trying to lighten the mood as her lips curled into an involuntarily smirk while Tom''s eye twitched yet again.


    "The whole letter is her basically smugly and haughtily describing why exactly she was right and our actions at the World Quidditch Cup were a mistake. She is backing her ims up by referencing the article in the Daily Prophet." Tom dryly deadpanned. "Oh, and she demands an apology from us."


    "Damn... she is such a teenager." Natasha started involuntarily chuckling due to Tom''s dry expression. She really didn''t mean to but... she was just having great fun at the expense of Tom''s troubles whether she wanted to or not.


    Neither knew what exactly was in the Daily Prophet yet but if it gave Hermione this kind of confidence, Tom wasn''t looking forward to it, considering what rubbish the entire wizarding press was.


    "Only thest five sentences are different." Tom sighed, "Apparently, Hermione''s head of house from her school wants to meet us since we are now acting defacto in loco parents for her. The meeting will be next Wednesday here in the Leaky Cauldron." He added, thinking it was frankly rude.


    He knew that McGonagal probably had a tight schedule but not even asking if they were free? The woman totally treated them as if they were some muggles...


    Well, nothing he could do about that so his eyes fell upon the ursed newspaper.


    Knowing the more he dys it, the more anxious he will be, Tom took the Daily Prophet and started reading... before instantly scowling the second he saw the headline.


    Just from that, his day was ruined and his ns significantly derailed. Hell, if he didn''t act quickly, their entire position could implode on itself in thismunity!


    Nevertheless, he continued to silently read until he was finished. He then wearily sighed and handed the newspaper to the very curious Natasha and beckoned her to read it herself.


    Tom really wasn''t in the mood to exin what was happening.


    Natasha read the article, her face growing less and less amused and more and more expressionless by the second and when she finished, she gently put the newspaper on the table, her eyes heavy as she looked at Tom, "What are we going to do?"


    Even if she didn''t know much about the Wizarding Society, she understood that this was an extremely serious matter. Hermione only sent them the newspaper as proof of her opinion being right but by doing so, she inadvertently warned them of a possible catastrophe ahead of time.


    Neither of them had a subscription to the Daily Prophet so at best they would find out when it was toote.


    In a way, this was a perfect move against them in the current situation.


    "I was banking on Fudge''s greed but I guess Malfoy''s home advantage holds true. A real pity. To think he would gamble like this..." Tom ruefully said before his disappointed brown orbs looked Natasha straight into her shining green eyes full of seriousness, "I am sorry, Natalia. It looks like your talents will be required sooner rather thanter, after all."


    ---


    Author Note:


    Ha! Not telling you what''s going on. Just wait for the next chapter!


    The joys of being the author...

 Chapter 88: Stupid yet effective

    Chapter 88: Stupid yet effective


    It was the evening of the same day when Tom received Hermione''s letter and currently, he and Natasha were sitting in the woods near Fudge''s house, right at the edge of the wards covering it while Tom was studying them and trying to make a sort of a counterspell.


    Unfortunately, as much as Tom hated having to get his hands dirty, Fudge''stest stunt in the newspaper forced his hand to get unpleasant.


    The man practically denounced Tom and Natasha, using the fact they crippled over ten of ''children'' from noble houses, to turn the public opinion against them. Heunched a vicious anti-propaganda against them.


    It was both too retarded for Tom to predict and would be effective to a fault if left alone for long enough.


    It was retarded because while the article tried to be very covert about ''why'' and ''how'' exactly these noble ''children'' get into a fight against Tom and Natasha, practically everyone who bothered to really think about it would realize it was these ''victims'' who attacked the Quidditch World Cup and that the Ministry was now defending them.


    It was already public knowledge that most of the attackers were crippled before they were forced to run away. Tom checked yesterday''s Daily Prophet to make sure he didn''t miss anything, only to find out that Fudge and the Ministry used his victory over the rioters and took the credit for it.


    ording to them, it was the valiant effort of the Ministry Aurors that repelled these fiends...


    Yet, a group of crippled young adults from the dark families whose members have been confirmed Death Eaters who barely got off from being sent to Azkaban by pleading the Imperius turned out to be crippled just as the Daily Prophet dered that the same happened to the rioters.


    It couldn''t get more obvious and Tom was bbergasted that Fudge would do something this stupid. It was as if the man was purposefully trying to destroy his chances to be re-elected. Tom really wondered how big of a bribe Fudge was offered for this.


    But the wizarding stupidity did not end there. The Daily Prophet literally gain-said itself by first proiming it was the Aurors who stopped the rioters, only to next day proim that it was Tom and Natasha, the foreigners, who fought these ''victims'', telling the same story differently.


    And yet, Tom couldn''t help but think it was a very good counter-move against them. After all, the British wizards were just a bunch of foolish sheep who believed everything written in the Daily Prophet rag.


    The problem was that the whole set-up stank of Malfoy and that man definitely knew about the mentality of the British wizards and was milking it to his advantage to the extreme.


    If Tom was like Harry Potter and just passively took the reputation spanking, with enough time, these articles could totally turn the public opinion against him and Natasha.


    That would not be the end of the world for them, but it would really definitely make their life in the Wizarding Community much harder and Tom knew that would be just the beginning. Malfoy was trying to get some ground, so to speak, and this was just an opening volley.


    For example,ter on, the public could be riled up enough to demand Tom''s and Natasha''s arrest, which would force the Ministry to act and the whole thing could evolve into a nasty conflict where Tom would either be forced to leave the Wizarding Community for good, or he would start a bloody conflict.


    A conflict that would be risking other supernatural factions getting involved because they definitely would.


    No matter how istionist the Wizarding Communities were, the wider supernatural factions would not just stand idly by if some non-wizard started warring in thesemunities. There was a bnce between the factions to consider and many more things that could and would screw Tom over just because he was a foreigner in this faction.


    Malfoy would not even have to try plotting in that direction. Hell, he probably wasn''t even aware of the existence of other supernatural factions. Yet, if he took his ns in this direction it would have had very ufortable effects on Tom''s long-term ns.


    Of course, there were tens of other ways Malfoy could y this game if his opening volley was sessful but that was neither here nor there. Letting him snowball this in any direction would make Tom''s life ufortable so he decided a drastic countermove was the way to go.


    Tom doubted the blonde rat himself had any idea about exactly how friggin'' effective this move of his was but damn... it showed Tom he should not underestimate the wizards too much despite the fact he was much more magically powerful.


    "I am almost finished. Are you ready?" Tom asked Natasha, not looking away from his tinkering with Fudge''s wards.


    It was almost ridiculously easy, if a tad bit too expensive, to get the Minister''s address from the goblins. This was the reason why Tom didn''t want to buy a house through Gringotts.


    All it took for him was to walk in, have a brief chat with his ount manager and pay a few tens of thousands of Galleons, and vo, Tom knew where Fudge lived and even got an overview of all the wards the goblins installed on his property.


    "I am good to go." Natasha, d in a skin-tight suit that allowed her to use her flexibility to the extreme, nodded. She had her equipment all ready, checked, and rechecked. She was ready for this ''mission'' of hers.


    To be honest, she doubted it would be hard. It seemed to be just a standard infiltration. Nothing too excessive. Her target was not even a military fortress but a normal house guarded by a few armed individuals.


    Not that she would drop her guard or underestimate her opponents. She just didn''t think she needed Tom to fuse so much about it. This was the tenth time in thest half an hour he worried about her.


    As cute as it was at the beginning, Natasha was starting to get exasperated.


    "Okay." Tom involuntarily smiled, recognizing the twinge of irritation in Natasha''s tone. He just couldn''t help himself but worry for her safety. Extending one of his hands in her direction, Tom asked for her hand, "Paw."


    Natasha rolled her eyes at him and gave her right hand into his, and watched as Tom started to weave a magical symbol on the top of her hand.


    "This rune will ensure the wards will recognize you as a registered individual and your presence won''t make the rms go crazy." Tom looked at Natasha with a serious expression, "But be careful. Because of how the wards are set up, I can''t interweave any defensive rune on you because it could intervene and-"


    He didn''t get to finish and Natasha sprang forward and kissed him, stopping his rambling.


    Their tongues sluggishly yet eagerly rubbed against each other for a few seconds before Natasha reluctantly pulled away, "I will be fine. Have some trust in me." She said with slightlybored breathing and a small coy smile.


    Tom wanted to protest but in the end, he could only wryly smile back and nod at her. He was not trained for infiltration so he would only be in the way if he tried to go with her.


    "Good luck and don''t hesitate." He worriedly squeezed her hand before letting go.

 Chapter 89: Infiltration

    Chapter 89: Infiltration


    Natasha was sneaking through the forest shrubbery, getting closer to her target''s house while marveling at how the rune Tom gave her blended her magical signature into the wards without setting them off.


    Really, Tom always came up with such ridiculous things...


    As much as it peeved her, she really loved how he fussed about her. It was in times like these she could clearly see he worried for her. In a way, it was a clear sign that Tom loved her and it made Natasha''s heart melt with joy.


    She could see Tom wasn''t happy about sending her on this task, especially not alone, and it was both fondly irritating and annoyingly ttering to her. He was much less worried when he told her to fight these kids at the Quidditch World Cup.


    Then again, he didn''t really have time to be worried about her then so maybe that was the reason why his worrywart personality didn''t fully activate?


    Natasha was inwardly rejoicing that finally, Tom had a task for her. Something that only she could do for him. Yes, it was an unpleasant one. Infiltration and... well, she could imagine what would follow... but it was the very first time Tom actually asked her to do something for him.


    He was always so hesitant about solving problems in ways she excelled at. Always trying to find a way that would spare her from having to dirty her hands. She did many terrible things in her service to SHIELD, things much worse than what Tom most likely intended to do here so she wasn''t about toin about him being heavy-handed.


    The deal between them might have used many fancy words but at its base, it was very simple. She was Tom''s personal assassin. That was it.


    And yet... she never served that purpose. It was both relieving and infuriating.


    She longed for a peaceful life for so long... and yet now that she had it, all she wanted was more conflict so she could be useful to Tom. It was really hypocritical of her.


    That''s why now that Tom''s hand was forced, Natasha was actually happy. She had every intention to give it her best and prove that Tom can rely on her more.


    Finally, Natasha got close enough to the house and raised her head as she looked up, her gazending on a closed window on the second floor. Sighing to herself, her course was set. It was a much better entrance point than her other options.


    She really didn''t feel like ying Santa us nor did she have much of an opportunity to cause amotion right now. The windows on the first floor were out of the question simply because everyone in the house seemed to be located on the first floor.


    So the window on the second floor it wa-


    Natasha''s thoughts suddenly halted as a person came out of the house. It was a bored-looking Auror and she quickly realized he was patrolling the perimeter. The poor guy seemed sleepy and really irritated to be here as he held his hand up, using it as a recement for a torch light as he looked around.


    ''Or maybe I can be a bit bolder?'' Natasha thought, her eyes gleaming.


    The Auror was... passable. Despite visibly being bored and sleepy, he did everything as he should have. He didn''t cut his patrol short by using shortcuts and he stuck to ces with enough visibility and little obstacles so ambushing him would be hard.


    The man was obviously on guard and wouldn''t be dropping it anytime soon.


    Natasha could respect that and he was most likely chosen for this infernal guard duty exactly because of his responsible nature.


    Not that it would help him. The wizards made a fatal w. The patrolling guy was alone.


    After the man passed her hiding ce and his back was turned to her while he was slowly walking away, Natasha exited the shrubbery, which obviously made enough sound for the man to notice and abruptly turn around...


    But Natasha already used her Widow''s Bite, her favorite gadget that was sadly quickly bing obsolete and useless, to fire a small arc of electricity at him, intending to knock him out.


    Much to her surprise, the wizard actually did react in time. Whether by instinct or experience, he started casting a Protego the second he realized something was wrong and he was just in time for his shielding spell to block Natasha''s Widow''s Bite.


    Unfortunately for him, Natasha was no novice and used the time she bought by her attack to get closer. The man finally finished turning around and barely got enough time to rejoice he blocked the sneak attack when his wand was kicked out of his hand before his head snapped to the side as his chin experienced Natasha''s swift right hook.


    Chin was a very good spot for quick one-hit knock-outs and Natasha knew exactly how to hit it to the best effect. The Auror''s consciousness was out before he even realized what happened, his body falling onto the ground.


    Natasha quickly caught it before dragging it closer to the shrubbery as she silently lowered it onto the ground in order to generate as little noise as possible and make him at least somewhat hidden.


    Then, to finish it off, she cast a sleeping spell on the man.


    The spell was nothing extraordinary. In fact, magicians used it to put their kids to sleep for a few hours. Anybody with a strong enough body or magic could easily resist it... but Natasha opted to learn it because it was extremely easy and while the magicians deemed it useless, she had lived most of her life among mundane people. She knew it could be useful at certain times such as now.


    The wizards were not exactly physically powerful and their magic was not enough topletely resist the spell either. Since Auror was an adult wizard with average mid-rank reserves, Natasha surmised the spell would keep him asleep for maybe two to three hours.


    And that was enough time for what they came to do here.


    Natasha then used the light-bending ring Tom gave her to cast an illusion on herself, her body taking the shape and look of the man she had just knocked out. Picking up the man''s wand, her disguise was finished and her demeanor changed to mirror the Auror as she continued on his patrol, slowly making her round around the house.


    It took her ten more minutes to fully circle the house, and she deemed it enough time to further map the ce and make sure the air was clear of any unpleasant surprises hiding around.


    After all, checking the terrain while she still could was always a good thing to do.


    She walked up the porch stairs and knocked on the door, causing another Auror who was on door duty, a tall ck-skinned man, to open them almost immediately.


    The man blinked at her in confusion, but there was no suspicion in his gaze. The second her face disguised as his colleague and more importantly, the man''s wand in her hand, he took what he saw at face value.


    "What is it, Connor? You found something unusual?" The man asked, furrowing his eyebrows.


    Natasha instantly realized that Connor''s patrolling shift probably did not end yet, hence the confusion. She didn''t know the ck man''s name so conversation was not an option and fortunately, there was once again, only one Auror stationed at the door duty so...


    Natasha''s hand swiftly swished through the air, hitting the ck-skinned Auror''s chin so quickly he only managed to get a short, "Eh?" out as his head snapped slightly to the side and Natasha caught his tall unconscious body before it could hit the ground, gently lowering it onto the nearby chair.


    She cast the sleeping spell on the man once again and closed the door behind herself, her lips slightly curving up into a small smirk.


    These wizards had magic and wards... yet their security measures were still so primitive. Natasha felt a bit underwhelmed. Infiltrating a mundane military base was much harder than this.


    These people certainly didn''t expect to be attacked tonight and they relied too heavily on their rm wards. Without Tom''s rune, this could have been an almost impossible task, yet...


    With just a bit of caution, this mission was shaping up to be quite the walk in the park.


    Shaking her head in exasperation and admittedly, a bit of dissatisfaction, her form shifted to resemble the ck-skinned man she had just knocked out as she advanced further into the house. She still had a job to finish.

 Chapter 90: Fudges miscalculation

    Chapter 90: Fudge''s miscalction


    Around half an hour passed since Natasha departed and the worried Tom finally received a signal that she was done with her part. Sighing in relief, Tom stopped his boredom-killing tinkering with the wards and stood up before walking towards the house.


    And when he was about to knock, the door opened, revealing a smiling Natasha, exaggeratedly bowing in a mock invitation as if she owned the ce., "Wee to my humble momentary abode, my dear."


    Tom cracked a small smile at that and quipped, "I guess you had no problems if you are still in the mood for joking."


    "Mhm. The Aurors proved to be very valiant opponents. They were very understanding and obediently let themselves be one-hit K.O." Natasha jested some more, "I''d almost be tempted to proim I don''t need any friends with enemies like this."


    "Aw. Now that hurts my feelings." Tom feigned feeling hurt and put his hand on his heart.


    Natasha stepped closer to Tom and gently put her right hand on his left cheek, "Sad. But we were never meant to be friends." She leaned closer and briefly kissed Tom''s other cheek before pulling away with a cheeky smile, "I love you too much for that."


    "I am almost regretting that we still have a job to do." Tom ruefully said, his hand that found its way on her hips suddenly strayed a bit lower, making Natasha chuckle.


    "No horny." She teased and Tom yed along by clicking his tongue before he pulled his hand away.


    "Where is Fudge?" He changed the topic to insert a bit of seriousness into their fooling around and get back onto the track.


    Realizing the time for jokes and flirting was over, Natasha straightened up and became serious almost instantly, "He is tied up in the living room. Both he and his wife were already sleeping so I only put her under the sleeping spell to make sure she won''t be waking up anytime soon." She reported in a professional manner before turning on her heel and starting to lead Tom toward the living room.


    In the living room, Fudge was surprisingly already awake, frantically looking around in distraught as he found himself bound to a chair, his mouth taped shut and his wand nowhere in sight. This was definitely not how he imagined waking up when he went to sleep tonight.


    When Tom walked into the room, Fudge''s eyes snapped in his direction, causing the man to notice and recognize both Tom and Natasha, and a realization suddenly went off in his head as he started to try talking through the duct tape blocking his mouth while squirming around in fright.


    Tom noticed that there was already an empty chair prepared in front of Fudge and nearby was also a table with... stuff.


    Clearly, Natasha had already realized what kind of purpose she would be serving here and while it soured Tom''s mood, he just inwardly sighed, knowing that as distasteful as this would be, it was the easiest option for them to ruin Malfoy''s ns.


    Tom nonchntly sat on the free chair and for a few seconds, he just silently stared at Fudge while slowly rapping his pointing finger on the table, making the man feel nervous as the continued silence only fed his unease.


    After a while, Tom sighed, "You know... I''d much rather spend my night in bed with my beautiful lover but here we are. You just had to act like your usual self and disregard my offer of friendship." He wryly frowned in disappointment.


    Fudge didn''t need to be the sharpest wand in Wizarding Britain to realize he was in this situation because of the newspaper stunt he pulled. Lucius asked him to get these foreigners but Amelia Bones instantly shut that down... because they indeed acted within the current wizardingw... so Fudge had no other way than to go the reputation-smearing route.


    But he would have never imagined that his opponent would actually fight back! Especially not like this. Not by breaking into his house and taking him hostage.


    Still, knowing something and experiencing it were two different things. Despite being aware of why he found himself in this situation, Fudge couldn''t help but desperately squirm while his mind was frantically racing around, futilely trying to find a way to get out of his situation.


    "But I am not angry due to your refusal." After giving Fudge a bit of time to consider his words, Tom spoke again, "That''s just politics and I am not nearly arrogant enough to think others will just bend over and disregard their own benefits for me."


    Tom did hope Fudge would let his greed speak for itself after he verified that Tom was indeed the richest man in Wizarding Britain, but he also recognized the big possibility that it wouldn''t be that easy.


    Which was fine. If he had to work for it a bit, then all would be well and good. It was expected.


    But...


    "I wouldn''t mind if you decided to chase your own benefits and yed hard to get." Tom helplessly sighed but his tone gained a bit of mirth, "Unfortunately for you, Minister, you are not aplete idiot."


    Fudge even stopped squirming at the unexpected praise.


    The way this whole thing happened and the reasons behind Fudge''s actions were frankly ridiculous. It was exactly because the man was not as stupid as Tom thought him to be that the problem arose.


    "I get it." Tom said in an understanding and calming manner, "A new guyes around the block and offers you a good deal, but you are not sure if he can put his money where his mouth is, so you simply decided to be cautious. That ispletely understandable, Minister."


    Tom didn''t think Fudge would be this cautious but he could respect that there was more to him than he let on. As corrupt as the man was, there was a reason why he became the Minister and why he could keep the office despite his admittedly useful... misgivings.


    "Instead of trusting the words of this new guy, you went for a less profitable deal with a man of whose influence and wealth you were assured of." Tom narrated what happened, "The problem is... the deal you epted puts you in a hostile position against me and I don''t like that, Minister."


    Oh, Tom was aware that Fudge was in disbelief someone actually dared to strike back in a direct way. The problem of closed-offmunities like Wizarding Britain was that they lived in their own world.


    The Ministry had a tight leash on their obedient sheep and that''s where Fudge''s miscalction came from. He didn''t realize that foreigners would be different from his own poption that let itself be crapped on and enjoyed it.


    "You went too far with your efforts at discrediting us and as much as I hate this mafioso way of dealing with problems, your attempt is too effective. You didn''t leave me much of a choice." Tom said and slowly stood up, making Fudge tense in anticipation of Tom''s next action...


    But Tom just turned around and walked towards the door leading to the kitchen, making Fudge confused, unsettled, relieved, and also slightly hopeful that they just wanted to scare him.


    His hopes were dashed in the next instant when Tom, just as he reached the door, looked at Natasha and spoke in a detached tone, "He is all yours, Natalia. Make it hurt but don''t damage him beyond what my potions can fix."


    It made Tom''s heart heavy that this had to be done. He didn''t like ordering Natasha to do things he knew she wouldn''t like but he trusted her to do a good job.


    Fudge instantly froze at these words and realized what his fate was going to be...


    He started to struggle against his bonds in even bigger desperation than before but Tom just ignored his pleading gaze as he turned to him and gave him a slight nod, "We will talk again after a few minutes, Minister. Hopefully, your opinions on some matters will change by then."


    With that, Tom walked out of the room, and the crimson-haired woman who stood in the background during Tom''s monologue stopped leaning on the wall and approached Fudge, her eyes cold and her expressionpletely emotionless.


    Fudge''s personal hell began.

 Chapter 91: Change of opinion never comes easily

    Chapter 91: Change of opinion neveres easily


    Tom was in Fudge''s kitchen, idly noting that it was well-equipped and also looked well-used. Mrs. Fudge most likely knew her way around the kitchen and spent quite a bit of her time inside of this room.


    Good for Fudge...


    Since he was already there, Tom decided to make a cup of tea for Natasha and himself as he pondered the current situation while remaking his future ns to make them fit the current circumstances since he had nothing else to do with his time.


    The problem with solving problems with violence was that it was a good short-term solution but it had long-term repercussions.


    If possible, Tom wanted to avoid it at all costs, but the world simply wasn''t that generous.


    As his mind wandered in this direction, he noticed that half an hour had already passed since he left Fudge in Natasha''s tender care and it was time to return to the room.


    Heavily sighing, he stood up and took the tray with tea into his hands as his feet disgruntledly and slowly shuffled towards the living room.


    Seeing the results of Natasha''s work was both fascinating and horrifying, so much so that Tom almost dropped the tray from the sheer surprise that greeted him when he entered the living room.


    Fudge was shaking, bleeding from various parts of his body while silent tears of anguish streamed down his twisted face. His fingers were in bad shape as were his toes, either twisted or broken, some missing nails while the rest had other types of nails driven straight through them in seemingly incredibly painful ways.


    But that was hardly the worst of it. Half of his head was missing its hair... alongside the skin, showing only a copious amount of blood, some muscle, and even his skull here and there.


    The sheer brutality that was disyed made Tom involuntarily shudder and the fact he knew Natasha still held back made it all that much worse.


    Tom''s unease and surprise didn''tst long, however. He shrugged them off rtively quickly, rationalizing the situation in his head. Being emotional would be counterproductive.


    Donning a small, yet wry, smile, Tom approached Natasha who tensely stood near Fudge, looking at Tom with a small frown as if she was lost, not knowing what to do in this situation. She clearly wasn''t proud of being seen by her lover in this kind of situation and...


    Tom slightly chuckled, put down the tray with their tea on the nearby table, and then he delivered a small kiss on her forehead, "You did well." He said, knowing she needed to hear these words.


    As Tom expected, Natasha''s shoulders instantly sagged in relief and her lips morphed into a small sheepish smile.


    "Thank you." Her tone was quiet and it would have been cute... if her clothes were not drenched in so much blood, reeking of metallic smell.


    "I made you some tea. Go enjoy it while I have another talk with Fudge, alright?" Tom affectionately put his hand on her cheek, ignoring the slight wet feeling due to the blood that was smeared on it.


    "Alchemy?" Natasha excitedly perked up, making Tom snicker at the quick shift in her behavior.


    "Yes, dear. Alchemy." He nodded, reaffirming that the tea was made with the help of his alchemy, and therefore would be extremely deliciouspared to normally made one.


    Natasha didn''t need more prompting and she slipped from Tom''s hands, carefully taking her cup of tea into her hands before she giddily walked towards the couch on the other side of the room, intending to enjoy her tea and leaving the bothersome stuff for Tom to deal with.


    Tom fondly rolled his eyes at Natasha''s antics, and then he turned towards Fudge. The man was still shivering, mostly out of it due to both shock and pain, yet as their eyes met, Tom could see the boundless fear in the man''s gaze.


    This caused Tom''s mood to plummet as he clicked his tongue, "She did a number on you, didn''t she, Minister?" He wryly smiled as Fudge''s answer was an abrupt flinch as he reeled back before wincing due to the pain.


    Honestly, Tom wouldn''t be so drastic if Fudge decided to be annoying once he got some foothold and support in Wizarding Britain. He would have been totally chill with that and tried tobat it through legal means.


    But trying to destroy Tom''s reputation before he could even get the means to fight back... now that he could not allow continuing.


    "Well, let''s fix you right up so we can talk." Tom hummed under his nose as he took a vial out of his pocket space.


    Tom used the fact that Fudge''s breathing wasbored and he was using his mouth to breathe too, and plugged the opened vial into Fudge''s mouth before flipping it over, forcing him to drink the contents.


    The effect was almost immediate and Fudge''s injuries magically healed, even the skinned half of his head regrow its skin and a small lush of hair appeared on it once again.


    Satisfied with his work, Tom sat down into the chair opposite Fudge, relishing the dumbstruck look of the weeping man who was marveling at all the incredible pain just disappearing into thin air.


    Now that the pain was not so overpowering, Fudge''s mind as if restarted and his eyes fearfully snapped towards Tom, "Please! I will do anything! Just don''t let that demon near me again!? Plea-!"


    He desperately begged while tearing up due to the fresh memories guing his mind, but in response, Tom only shushed him.


    "Shhh. It is fine, Minister. I know you will." Tom reassuringly goaded with a gentle expression, "The potion that restored your body contained a lethal alchemical poison of my own making. If you don''t get an antidote every month, only death awaits you, and only I can make the substance."


    Not once did a gentle smile fall off from Tom''s expression as he said the words that sounded like a death sentence in the ears of the quickly palling Fudge.


    With a dread creeping up on him, the man realized he messed up with the wrong type of monsters and he couldn''t help but regret listening to the sweet words of Lucius Malfoy who talked him into this madness.


    The two clearly weren''t justmbs waiting to be ughtered as Lucius portrayed it! They were venomous snakes! The kind one should never get involved with.


    Not getting any answer from the horrified man, Tom''s smile lost a bit of its mirth and he spoke again, a bit more forcefully. "I think we both know what that means, no?"


    Realizing that staying silent was a mistake, Fudge scrambled to answer, "Y-Yes! Of course! I-"


    "Good." Tom lightly cut him off again, his easy-going smile restored, "It is gettingte so we shall discuss the details of our cooperation tomorrow in your office at the Ministry. Would that be eptable for you, Minister?"


    Never in his life did Fudge nod quicker to any proposal, visibly relieved this nightmarish evening was seeminglying to an end.


    "I am d your opinion about us changed so quickly and neither of us needs to waste more time here, Minister." Tom happily said as he slowly stood up from the chair.


    Fudge reciprocated with a small, uneasy, and fearful smile of his own...


    "Now, to make sure this warning of mine will stay fresh in your mind, I will leave this potion here on this easy-to-reach table. Not only does it contain the antidote to the poison for this month but I believe you will shortly need it." Tom poured the contents of another vial of the potion into the cup of his untouched, still steaming tea on the table near their chairs.


    Fudge confusedly blinked, not having any idea what Tom meant by that when...


    Tom suddenly turned to Natasha and nonchntly spoke, "You have another thirty minutes with him, the same deal. Just make sure to free him of his bindings after you are done so he can reach the tea. After that, we are leaving."


    With that, Tom left the living room under the horrified gaze of Fudge, disgruntledly ignoring the man''s loud pleas and desperate begging once again.


    He really, but really hated solving his problems with violence.

 Chapter 92: Why small details matter.

    Chapter 92: Why small details matter.


    Just as Tom promised, the next day he and Natasha came to the Ministry of Magic for the supposed meeting with the Minister.


    Of course, both were fully prepared to fight their way out in case Minister Fudge decided to go out with onest bang. That was the whole reason why Tom had him tortured the second time after they gained a mutual understanding. So the guy wouldn''t get any strange ideas.


    Sure, the poison was a nice failsafe but one could never be too careful.


    As they arrived at the Ministry, the very first problem arose right at the entrance.


    They were asked for wands, yet, they had none. This basically revealed their identity as the foreigners from the Daily Prophet news a few days prior and the clerk, while shaking in his boots, decided to be brave little shit and valiantly oppose their entrance to the fabled halls of the Ministry.


    This! This was exactly why Tom had to act fast, directly, and brutally when he saw the article!


    Despite the fact that today''s Daily Prophet''s first page had a massive apology to them from the Minister and the redaction of their previous article about them was announced, the news was already widespread in the Community, and in turn, their reputation was already damaged.


    The opinions of some people about them were already shaped before they even met them which would close some doors for Tom''s further machinations.


    Needless to say, Tom argued with the ministry clerk who manned the entrance for some time, making a bigmotion, but not once did he start threatening him.


    His aim was not to persuade the clerk but to be as loud as possible so the other ministry workers would notice and the news would reach someone important. After all, no matter how self-righteous and self-important the annoying entrance clerk was, barring the entrance to the Ministry for no reason at all was definitely not one of his duties.


    Fortunately, Tom''s n worked and they didn''t even need to kill anyone! Wasn''t that just great?


    A big ck man walked from the inside of the Ministry towards the entrance and had a small chat with the entrance clerk after which the guy was left pale and worriedly clutching the badge that designated him as the entrance guard. The scolding must have been effective since he lost any and all objections at Tom and Natasha entering.


    But Tom was far from happy. A simple thing as entering the Ministry and he had to spend around thirty minutes standing in front of it and arguing his way in? And if he hadn''t been so loud it attracted the higher-ups'' attention he doubted he would be allowed entrance at all!


    It was maddening.


    One friggin'' article!


    ''Fucking Daily Prophet and fucking Malfoy.'' He inwardly seethed while outwardly portraying a mask of joviality as they approached the ck-skinned man.


    "Hello. I am Kingsley Shacklebolt and I will guide you to the Minister, Mr. Prest, Miss Romanoff." Kingsley said, briefly looking at Tom before his eyes relocated to Natasha where they narrowed.


    "Oh, special treatment. Cool." Tom nonchntly grinned, getting Kingsley''s attention back onto him. But his eyes were notughing at all. Instead, they were giving Kingsley an obvious deadpan look that was practically screaming, ''Dude, she is mine.''


    "I am sorry. I didn''t have much sleepst night so I am spacing out a bit." The man sheepishly said, realizing that he was staring.


    Natasha chuckled at the cute disy of masculinity in front of her and squeezed Tom''s hand before turning towards Kingsley and asking, "Hard night?"


    Inwardly, however, she didn''t like how he looked at her. Obviously, he was not smitten with her at first look. Such a notion was stupid. No. There was a reason why his eyes lingered on her and she had the inkling she wouldn''t like it.


    Yet, she wanted to know. Especially since she recognized the man. He was the same man who was stationed on the door duty yesterday in the Minister''s house.


    Fortunately, Kingsley was not going to be very tight-lipped. His eye twitched at Natasha asking him this and he subconsciously rubbed his chin.


    "Don''t mind me. I just had someone posing as my colleague and attacking me, knocking me out during my night guard shift." Kingsley dryly said, giving Natasha a long and hard look full of exasperated ''Duh'' feelings.


    Natasha didn''t let it show on her face but her previous slight unease instantly skyrocketed. She was almost certain they knew it was her who attacked the Minister''s house but... ''How?'' Her mind worked a mile a minute as she went through the events of yesterday''s night, trying to find where she made a mistake.


    Outwardly, she just amusedly raised her eyebrow at Kingsley''s look, her lips curling into an innocent smile.


    There was a reason why they weren''t swarmed by Aurors the second they showed up. And there was also the reason why Kingsley was revealing to them what could be said to be secret information of the department.


    ''Heh~, so they want me to get worried, slip, and blurt out something incriminating?'' Natasha mused, ''What do they take me for? An amateur?''


    Tom also realized that something was wrong, but he didn''t have the context yet so he stayed quiet. He knew Natasha and he knew that smile of hers. He almost pitied Kingsley and decided to simply stay back and enjoy the entertainment.


    "Oh?" Natasha''s eyes curiously sparkled, her tone full of amusement as she asked, "Did you get the culprit?"


    For a moment, Kingsley''s expression turned very sour before he quickly schooled it. He had a hard time believing the woman just asked him this so nonchntly and in the face! She was either insane or extremely arrogant.


    The Aurors knew there was an attack on the Ministerst night. There was no evidence left in the house and the Minister was found in his bed in the morning as if nothing happened. The man was shaking as if he had just lived through a nightmare but he also vehemently denied that anyone attacked him.


    In fact, so vehemently, that it was obvious he was lying.


    ''The perks of having an idiot as a Minister.'' Kingsley dryly thought.


    Nevertheless, the Aurors who were stationed as guards did remember being attacked by their colleagues before they cked out. After waking up and having a small, very tense, and awkward chat at the wand point with each other, they realized their defenses were utterly dismantled like a frog under a potioneer''s knife.


    It was a very humbling and frustrating feeling. Twenty trained wizards were all taken out without a chance to fire even one spell or even realizing they were under attack.


    Unfortunately, with the Minister refusing to reveal what happened to himst night, there was really nothing they could do. Needless to say, the entire Auror department was on its head. The Minister getting attacked was a massive problem, but without the man himself admitting it, Amelia Bones'' hands were tied.


    That''s why he was here, apparently making a clown out of himself in front of the far too calm suspect number ''it was definitely her.''


    Seeing that the woman would not slip up unless he revealed something more significant, Kingsley decided to bring up the big wands. "We looked through the memories of my colleague who suffered the same fate as me but was attacked first..." He trailed off, his eyes watching Natasha and Tom like a hawk.


    But when he saw only confusion on their faces, his irritation only increased.


    "Memory viewing is a very magical thing. While the man himself would be unable to remember these instances due to his head trauma, we could inly see that the culprit was a woman." Kingsley''s eyes narrowed at Natasha, "A redhead, at that."


    Adding to that the fact that the Minister practically demanded the Daily Prophet to redact their earlier article about these foreigners, the whole thing was inly obvious.


    ''Ha! What do you have to say for yourself now? Bitch!'' He was definitely not grumpy about being knocked out so easily. No. He was just... doing his job.


    But just as Kingsley eagerly awaited Natasha to panic, her next words instantly froze his excitement.


    "A redhead, you say?" Natasha innocently blinked, looking Kingsley straight into his eyes, "Did you try interrogating Mrs. Weasley yet?"


    That was such a ridiculous statement that Kingsley almost face-faulted right there. And it was said with such an ease that his mood plummeted to the deepest pits of hell. He was now certain. No matter what he did, this woman was too good at this. She would not slip up.


    Unfortunately for him, Natasha indeed realized her mistake and did inwardly panic for a second, but she was too good at hiding her emotions and thoughts.


    It was her hair that betrayed her identity. She did hit the first Auror extremely hard and under normal circumstances, he should be unable to remember her so she should have been safe on that front...


    But she apparently underestimated wizards. Or rather, she didn''t have enough information about them. If she knew they could view memories, even the forgotten or blocked ones, she would have disguised her hair color too.


    Oh, well, spilled milk and all that...


    She also knew she wore a mask as it was a standard part of her equipment, yet, the man never mentioned that. This detail made her assured Kingsley was just fishing for information.


    The best way to deal with this situation was just to ignore his looks full of usations and blurt out something ridiculous so she did just that.


    "No. We really didn''t." Kingsley deadpanned.


    "Eh. My condolences, then. Then again, how hard could it be to find a redhead among Scottish and Irish people? I am sure there are not that many of them. Good luck." Natasha said with an easy-going smile as if it was not her problem anymore.


    As for Tom, he finally got enough context from their debate, realizing the problem. He also stayed calm, trusting in Natasha''s ability to bullshit her way through anything. She was not the best mundane assassin for nothing. If Kingsley thought he could make her verbally slip, he was in for a very rude awakening.


    Still, Tom was... impressed. He totally forgot about Pensieve and didn''t think the DMLE would actually use one to get a clue about the attacker.


    Of course, they were supposed to realize there was an attack. Maybe even eventually suspect them. But Tom was fairly sure he and Natasha were safe due to various reasons.


    Yet, once again a small detail was missed and the suspicion fell on them instantly and it became a certainty after the Minister did his dumb stunt of redacting his previous article.


    ''I am surrounded by retards.'' Tom inwardly sighed, ''I need more alone time with Natasha.''


    Still, it was all good. Natasha was bullshitting her way out of the problem and the DMLE clearly didn''t have any evidence incriminating them. They were in the clear.


    In fact, Tom paid more attention to Natasha''s crimson-colored nails rather than the conversation itself. His choice of giving the Power of Destruction to an assassin was correct from what he was seeing.


    Unlike what Kingsley would think, it was not a nail polish that was covering them, but a very deadlyyer of Power of Destruction.


    It was so inconspicuous too. Without being good at sensing, nobody would realize it wasn''t just s nail polish.


    Natasha was clearly prepared to fight her way out at the moment''s notice if the DMLE decided to arrest them despite theirck of evidence.


    ''But... covering her nails in the Power of Destruction, huh? That''s...''


    Tom''s thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Kingsley spoke to him, "Mr. Prest, you are staying somewhat quiet. What opinion do you have on the topic?"


    That was thest attempt of the man. He realized Natasha was a dead end so...


    "Hmmm?" Tom blinked, turning his head to Natasha before looking back at Kingsley, "Natasha is a woman. She is fully capable of having an opinion for the both of us." He shamelessly said, proud at Kingsley''s jaw actually dropping for a second.


    "I see." Kingsley recollected himself with a sigh, "Let me just take you to the Minister, then." He grumbled.


    Sometimes, his job just sucked.

 Chapter 93: Meeting the Minister

    Chapter 93: Meeting the Minister


    The walk towards the Minister''s office waspletely quiet, Kingsley no longer interested in participating in a small talk with Tom and Natasha, preferring to grumpily sulk as he led them through the halls of the Ministry.


    Under the curious gazes of other workers, the trio arrived in front of the Minister''s office and Kingsley stopped for a moment, definitely intent on giving Tom and Natasha some advice on do''s and don''ts.


    Unfortunately for him, the second Tom realized what the man wanted to do, he pushed forward, opening the door to the Minister''s office before Kingsley could even start speaking, and eximed, "Hello, Minister! I am d we can finally meet."


    As he said that, with the corner of his eye, Tom watched the rising surprise of Kingsley and his lips curled into a small smile, ''Heh. As if I let you take the initiative and somehow worm yourself into this meeting.''


    When Fudge heard Tom''s voice, he flinched and his eyes went wide, frantically looking left and right... thankfully his spooked behaviorsted only a few seconds before he recollected himself.


    "A-Ah, ye-yeah. Y-You are a bit early." He said with a forced smile and Tom had to mentally apud the man that his fear didn''t show up in said smile.


    Of course, his eyes betrayed his feelings anyway. Especially when he noticed Natasha standing next to Tom and froze like a rabbit in front of a fox. It was obvious to anyone who paid even a bit of attention that the man wanted nothing but to run away.


    Natasha only gave him a cating smile, one an adult would aim at an anxious child.


    "Now then, let''s make this meeting private, shall we?" Tom pressed, gesturing with his head to Kingsley who was about to protest...


    But Fudge nodded. He turned towards Kingsley and gave him a nonplussed look, one that held a clear meaning and the ck-skinned Auror frowned. Still, he slowly nodded at Fudge and left the room, closing the door behind him.


    It wasn''t as if he could demand being present during one of the Minister''s private meetings anyway. Not even his boss, Amelia Bones, could do that.


    Tom walked towards the Minister''s table and without being prompted to, he sat down on the guest chair in front of it while Natasha took her position behind him, her hands gently finding their ce on his shoulders.


    "Well, then, Cornelius. Let''s talk business." Tom said before Fudge could haphazardly blurt out something about thest night.


    That really wouldn''t do. Not when the DMLE was clearly morepetent and bolder than Tom would have ever imagined. Fudge was obviously clueless but both Tom and Natasha could feel it.


    And despite hisck of knowledge, this was as good a way to gain the upper hand in this discussion as any. Tom really could not resist using it to his advantage.


    "What about we start with the fact that this entire office has heaps of listening charms in it?" Tom''s eyes gleamed and his easy-going smile turned into a grin as Fudge became white as snow.


    ...


    With a groan, Natasha flopped onto the bed, uncaringly using only her feet to take off her shoes before kicking them away before she turned on her belly and looked at Tom.


    "And we still need to have a few more meetings with other people this week. God, I forgot how I hate these." She pouted before dropping her head into the pillow and starting to rub her face into it.


    She was acting spoiled and she would have neverined in front of anyone else... but now she was alone with Tom so she decided to be a bit childish.


    Tom looked at her, his eyes appreciating her state of dress. Her white shirt was wrinkled in multiple ces with the uppermost three buttons unfastened to generously show her cleavage, and the ck trousers she previously wore were already taken off, her lower body barely covered in her ck panties and the end of her white shirt.


    Tom might or might not have stared at her enticing naked legs for a little bit longer than normal, but in the end, he resisted the temptation the devious woman was definitely portraying on purpose.


    "You became spoiled." He jokingly quipped as he loosened the tie of his suit andy next to Natasha on their bed, his hand gentlynding on her back, affectionately rubbing it.


    "Mhm~. I sure did." Natasha almost coyly purred under Tom''s touch, enjoying the back rubs.


    As he saw that, Tom''s smile turned devious, "Well, you are free not to attend these meeti-"


    "Rejected!" Natasha''s reply was fast and firm, not even an inkling of her previous coy tone left in it, "I need to be present to protect you in case-"


    "In case someone attacked me. I know." Tom rolled his eyes. They both knew her reason was utter bullshit since he was pretty strong and she would have been right in the next room anyway.


    Apanionable silence spread between them for a few moments before Tom eventually sighed.


    "Will you tell me what is bothering you?" He softly asked. She was good at hiding it but Tom would like to think he learned a bit about her during the previous months. She clearly had something to say since their meeting with Fudge ended but kept it bottled inside.


    Natasha nced at Tom and whinily sighed, "It doesn''t matter. It''s not important." She tried to y it off but Tom wouldn''t have that.


    Tom''s fingers strayed from her back towards her sides and without any warning he started to mercilessly tickle her, eliciting a lot of abruptughter and squirming before she started fighting back and the bed became their wrestling ring as they tried to tickle each other to surrender.


    Tom might have won only because of his boundless stamina but he took pride in this kind of victory anyway. As he was straddling the ''conquered'', wheezing, andughing Natasha whose face was now as red as her hair, her hands pinned above her head by one of Tom''s hands while the other was still ruthlessly tickling her side, Tom suddenly stopped, giving his victim a small reprieve.


    "Come on, Natalia. If you don''t tell me what''s bothering you, I will unleash more of this tickling hell on you." Tom teased with a smug smile, causing her to weakly try to get out of the hold he had on her but she was too weak due to his previous tickling so it failed spectacrly.


    Tom only meaningfully raised his eyebrow at her and Natasha decided to give him an exasperated look.


    That was why he initiated this battle? Seriously?


    "I just don''t understand why you decided to pay the Minister so much money on a monthly basis when he was already in your pocket anyway." She huffed.


    Tom indeed out-paid Malfoy in terms of bribes to Fudge and the Minister himself was utterly bbergasted that he was actually going to be paid for doing Tom favors... but it clearly made the man more receptive to Tom''s cause.


    Fudge was a very simple man but also one who knew his limits. He was surprisingly aware of his ws and that defined his ''ambitions''. Or to be more precise, theck of them.


    His only goal in his position as a Minister was to keep it for long enough to get so rich that once he gets out of the office, his life will be easy and fulfilling. That was it. He would be very vicious if someone endangered it in some way, but other than that, Fudge knew his ce and didn''t have some grand visions or stubborn opinions, and that was probably why Malfoy liked to bribe him so much.


    Now that he was shown the consequences of being unruly when it came to Tom, as long as he kept him happy, in other words, as long as he paid him well, the man would never even think of ''rebelling''. That''s how simple he was.


    "That''s it?" Tom blinked, not expecting something so... irrelevant.


    "Well, I told you it is not important." Natasha rolled her eyes, not bothered in the least that Tom was still pinning her down on the bed. "If I thought it important, I would obviously share it with you."


    "A-Ah. Er... you are right." Tom sheepishly smiled, really wanting to scratch his head right about now but his hands were kinda preupied with his significant other. "Well, okay, then, my little Padawan." He dramatically started before he put his lips near her ear and yfully whispered, "Let me exin to you the mysteries of keeping your abused servants happy!"


    Needless to say, the ensuing roley night was long, apletely new experience, but also very enjoyable for both of them.

 Chapter 94: Kingsleys bad day

    Chapter 94: Kingsley''s bad day


    Kingsley''s day was getting worse and worse by the second.


    Not only did he wake up with a killer headache, and had a stand-off with his long-time trusted colleagues, causing their mutual trust to deteriorate to a degree, but then he also had to be among the unlucky guys connected to the attack on their very own Minister.


    On top of that, the sniveling coward refused to even admit he was attacked.


    Just great. How was one supposed to do his job when everyone and everything was trying so hard to prevent him from doing just that?


    At that point, the day went into his personal history as the worst day of his life...


    But little did he know it was far from over.


    The DMLE naturally discovered some clues on who attacked them even though it was through Pensieve... which meant these memories were ording to their veryws useless as evidence in the court.


    Gee, one could wonder why and how that particrw got passed...


    Nevertheless, thanks to these Pensieve memories, the DMLE had clear suspects and their suspicions were only confirmed when the first thing in the morning the Minister did was order the redaction of the article about them.


    Now, imagine Kingsley''s utter bewilderment when these same suspects showed up in the Ministry''s footsteps just a few hourster and he was sent to confront them by Amelia Bones because, for some reason, she thought him the most qualified man for the job.


    Clearly, she was wrong but he still did his best.


    He pulled out of his sleeve every trick he knew, from giving them secret information in order to make them slip up and reveal something they would definitely have no other way of knowing but being in the Minister''s house yesterday, to even bluntly pointing out they knew about their yesterday''s escapades and were on their trail.


    Yet, the redheaded woman stayed as cool as a cucumber throughout it all. Kingsley had to admit, the way she joked when he outright used her of the crime due to her red hair was... it was just utterly bewildering.


    Suggesting Molly Weasley as a suspect? Only an utter idiot would believe a woman of her... proportions... could ambush an Auror and take him out. Maybe if she sat on one it could work but that was neither here nor there.


    He would love tobel Natasha cocky as heck but... her behavior clearly worked.


    And that was what frustrated him to no end. The level of self-assurance and self-confidence she disyed in the face of his silent usations was making Kingsley very worried because these two were obviously like Malfoy and his ilk. Criminals who knew exactly how to evade justice by using Wizarding Britain''s very ownws.


    Worse yet, these two actually had the gall to attack the Minister himself, which even Malfoy would never dream of doing, and on top of that, they got away with it. That only made them that much more dangerous and the thought they were roaming free because of some technicality in thew was making Kingsley''s mood plummet even further.


    It totally didn''t have anything to do with the fact he was shooed from the Minister''s office before even saying one word because of a few sentences from Tom.


    Or maybe it did.


    He would like to believe he was not that petty but right now, he wasn''t exactly in the best state of mind. If he could throw them into jail for talking back to him, he would dly do so, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. That''s how fed up he currently was.


    Kinsley sluggishly approached the office of his boss to present his findings on Tom''s and Natasha''s backgrounds he was ordered to investigate. He was not so proud to say, he found out nothing in their archives, which will most definitely not please his boss and it pleased him even less. The whole investigation went nowhere very fast.


    On top of that, right now he wanted nothing but to finally get home and sleep off his rising migraine but the department now needed all the capable hands. Days like this really sucked.


    As he got closer to Amelia Bones'' office, its door suddenly flew open and the Minister huffily walked out of it... and Kingsley already knew their situation got only worse.


    Looking up, Kingsley sighed in exasperation, ''Merlin, why do you punish me so?''


    Despite his personal feelings, he walked into Amelia''s office with a professional facade donned on his face as he knocked on the opened door to announce his presence.


    "Boss? You free?"


    Amelia Bones, a redheaded woman in her mid-thirties, looked up from the documents on her table, a massive frown visible on her face.


    "Oh, Kingsley. Just the man I needed." She said with a grimace and Kingsley instantly knew he would not like what she was going to say next. "I need you to call off the monitoring of our two suspects. Apparently, our new Minister has a new sugar daddy." She said sourly and with a great distaste in her tone.


    Merlin, he was totally right. He did not like that one bit!


    "Haaa," Kingsley let out a deep and tired sigh. "Can''t we at least-"


    "It doesn''t matter." Amelia instantly cut him off, giving him a disapproving and stern look. "You know how these things go. Even if we arrested them for something, with the Minister''s backing, we would need to involve the Wizengamot if we wanted any result. The second they met with our honorable Minister and managed to bribe his ass, the game was over for us." She scowled.


    "And involving the Wizengamot would be practically announcing that DMLE is too ipetent to protect the Minister." Kingsley nodded in depressing understanding, knowing that this would be the conclusion the ''esteemed'' Wizengamot would arrive at,pletely tanking their already abysmal budget even further.


    Right now, only a certain few trusted highest-level Aurors knew about the attack on the Minister. Nobody would be stupid enough to inform the whole department about something so sensitive and Amelia clearly wanted it to stay that way.


    ''Politics... how lovely.'' In times like these, he really pitied his boss. His work as an Auror was already stressful enough. He could not imagine having to bnce it with all this political bullshit.


    "What about Dumbledore?" Kingsley asked with a twinge of hope, only for Amelia to scowl at him with a very angry re.


    It was so sudden, that he even took a step back due to how angry her look was. There was no need for more words. He totally understood that Dumbledore was not an option.


    "You are dismissed, Auror Shacklebolt." Amelia almost growled out, not in the best mood. "And don''t let me find out you informed the old coot about this or I will demote you so far back that you will be d if your main duty is sweeping the floor and cleaning the toilets."


    Needless to say, Kingsley ran out of her office as fast as he could. He had no idea what beef his boss had with a great man like Dumbledore but since she didn''t want his help, he would not try to persuade her.


    Honestly, he was more afraid of grumpy Amelia Bones than Dumbledore. Especially when standing in front of the irritated woman.


    Reaching his own desk, he sat down and his head instantly dropped on said desk with a groan, ''I guess that''s one case closed. But Merlin''s hairy ass if it doesn''t feel extremely bad.''


    Yup. Definitely the worst day of his life...

 Chapter 95: Making up with Hermione

    Chapter 95: Making up with Hermione


    When Tom and Natasha woke up, they were not in the mood for anything so they simply stayed in their bed,zily cuddling with each other.


    As they idly enjoyed their time with each other, Tom suddenly found himself gazing at Natasha''s hand resting on his chest and his eyes slid towards her fingernails as he remembered them gleaming with ominous crimson color when she talked with Kingsley.


    "Hmm... green nail polish?" Tom hummed with a slight interest gleaming in his brown eyes.


    "You always said you love my eyes." Natasha replied, feeling giddy that Tom noticed the change so quickly. She usually wore ck nail polish since she knew her partner really liked it even if he never explicitly said so.


    "That I do." Tom smiled, taking Natasha''s hand into his as he yed a bit with her fingers while looking into her emerald eyes that curiously hung on him, "It really looks nice on you."


    Natasha loved to hear that and her lips stretched into a wide smile at the praise but she knew Tom. She knew him too well. That''s why her good mood was not affected by his next sentence because she totally expected it from him.


    "Now, coat your nails in the Power of Destruction please." Tom said, showing his interest in her fingernails was not exactly the simple kind that would make a girl happy.


    Of course, it had to be moreplicated than that when it came to Tom. Natasha knew he would have never praised her nail polish of all things if there wasn''t some deeper reason.


    Rolling her eyes, Natasha fondly sighed, saving in her heart the nice feeling Tom''s praise evoked in her before she did as he asked of her and her green fingernails instantly turned crimson under his scrutinizing gaze.


    Tom was obviously back in his researcher mode and whatever romance in bed she would have wanted would simply note now. s, it wouldn''t have been her Tom if he didn''t act this way.


    As Tom intently observed Natasha''s now crimson fingernails, probing them with his magic a bit by inserting wisps of his mana into the Power of Destruction, only for them to quickly fizzle out the second the two energies came in contact with each other and Tom''s eyebrows started to furrow more and more with each passing test.


    "Of course. How did I miss this? That was stupid of me." Tom mumbled, a little cross with himself. He prided himself in being observant so missing something so obvious felt...


    "What?" Natasha worriedly interrupted Tom''s thought process,pletely clueless about what he meant, "Is something wrong?"


    Coming back to reality, Tom blinked before he threw Natasha a calming smile, "No. Nothing of the sort. Tell me, how hard it is for you to form these... ws?"


    "It''s quite easy?" Natasha frowned, inwardly wondering what was the problem. This was one of the easiest magical techniques in her repertoire and she never noticed anything wrong with it so Tom''s behavior was throwing her for a loop, to be honest.


    "Easy, huh?" Tom wryly smiled, his lips twitching at Natasha''s cluelessly cute expression, "Energy coating should not be so... tangible? This energy ''coating'' of yours is far too thick and solid. I have no idea how you did this but this is not a simple energy coating but aplete energy construct, which is on apletely different level."


    "And that''s bad?" Natasha slightly tilted her head in confusion, still half-lying on Tom''s chest.


    "Bad?" Tom muttered in bewilderment.


    Frankly, he had no idea if he should feel proud or bepletely baffled. He was even a bit peeved that Natasha aplished something like this so easily because even he would be unable to create such a tangible energy construct out of his mana.


    Something like this required a massive amount of control.


    Or talent...


    "My dear Natalia," Tom helplessly sighed, "it seems that as little talent you have for actual spells," Because to be blunt, she was really almostpletely inept in this regard, "youpensate for it by having an incredible talent for creating energy constructs."


    "Oh... good to know I am not aplete good for nothing when ites to magic." Natasha easily quipped.


    "Sorry, I should have noticed way sooner. Maybe then you would have been much stro-" Tom guiltily started only to be stopped by Natasha weakly pinching his side.


    "It doesn''t matter." She rolled her eyes at him. "At least now I know in what direction I should train. Any tips?"


    "Er... not really. I am good at alchemy. Energy constructs are really not my thing." Tom sheepishly shrugged and Natasha groaned, burying her face in Tom''s chest from exasperation.


    In the end, this was practically barely helpful at all!


    ...


    Tom sat at the table in the corner of the Leaky Cauldron. This time he waspletely alone since Natasha decided to spend her time tending to her new garden, not interested in this meeting with Hermione at all.


    Yes, Hermione sent Tom an owl that she wanted to meet... which really surprised both Tom and Natasha because they thought her teenage rebellion wouldst much longer than just a few short days.


    Still... Tom took Hermione as his responsibility so despite being a bit peeved at what she had done, he decided to meet with her.


    It didn''t take long for Hermione to show up and when her and Tom''s eyes met, she ducked her head down with a small embarrassed blush adorning her face as she slowly walked towards his table.


    "Hi." She subduedly mumbled as she sat down and Tom raised his eyebrow at her.


    She could be such a kid at times. Tom already suspected this new behavior of hers was due to the redaction and apology in the Daily Prophet from the Minister aimed at Tom and Natasha.


    "Hello, Hermione. What brought this up?" Tom asked, keeping an amiable smile on his face to not scare her off.


    Hermione sullenly looked down and stayed silent for a second, finding it hard to admit her mistake... but eventually she started speaking, "We have seen the Daily Prophet-"


    ''Called it.'' Tom inwardly deadpanned.


    "-and Harry made me realize that while we know each other only for a short time, you took me into your family, and I... I am sorry for acting like that." She admitted, visibly ashamed.


    Tom was inwardly very surprised because by reading between the lines, he realized it was only Harry''s words that made Hermionee here. The girl was far too stubborn toe to such a conclusion herself.


    "And Ron?" Tom couldn''t help but ask. He was far too curious about that.


    Hermione instantly grimaced and Tom inwardly snickered at how expressive the girl was. It would need to be adjustedter on because Tom didn''t want her to continue being so easily read but... right now he had no idea how to even start with it.


    "He wasn''t exactly... thrilled." Hermione turned her head to the side and Tom smiled at her.


    "He is still proiming us dark wizards to whoever is listening, isn''t he?" Tom amusedly asked, imagining the situation where a chibi devil Harry is sitting on Hermione''s right shoulder, trying to talk some sense into Hermione while a chibi angel Ron is sitting on Hermione''s left shoulder, telling her how awful of a person Tom, herst remaining family, is.


    When Hermione heard what Tom said, her eyes widened in surprise and she managed to let out only a confused, "Er..." She really wondered how Tom could know that.


    "I can see it on your face." Tom chuckled at her questioning look, answering the unasked question because he found the entire situation funny.


    Hermione opened her mouth in a prompt retort... only to dete like a balloon when she couldn''t find the right words to rebuke Tom.


    This was new to her. With Harry and Ron, she always dominated their conversations but now Tom was handling her as if she was a child. It irked her to no end while also making her feel extremely embarrassed.


    "You should really work on hiding your thoughts better, Hermione." Tom added, making the girl even more embarrassed than before.


    Content to leave it at that, Tom stayed silent and Hermione''s embarrassment slowly eased as she got morefortable with the situation. But then, the girl started suddenly fidgeting more and more with every passing second in silence.


    "So..." Hermione unsurely started, awkwardly looking at her clenched hands on the table, "Are we good?" She asked with such a hopeful expression that Tom had to resist an urge to chuckle.


    "Yes, Hermione. We are good." Tom rolled his eyes at her. It wasn''t as if he expected to have no problem between them when he took her in.


    s, she was hisst remaining family so, at the very least, Tom wanted her to not get lost in the grown-up world once she hits adulthood. He had no idea how he could teach her the lessons he deemed important but if the girl stayed as she was now, her life would be one massive hardship.


    That said... he wasn''t keen on holding her hands throughout her life. That''s why Tom decided to take the distant approach and let her get burned by her own mistakes. He would be there to offer help and direct her but he wouldn''t interfere with her life. He wasn''t her father.


    With the important and serious stuff over, Tom decided to give Hermione a break and lead the conversation to a lighter note, "Now, tell me, did you have fun at Weasleys the past few days?"


    Hermione understood Tom''s intentions and instantly brightened up as she started to regale him with the tales of friendship and summer holidays spent with friends...


    Soon enough Tom started regretting even asking about it. But it was far toote to stop her.

 Chapter 96: Natashas pleasant outing

    Chapter 96: Natasha''s pleasant outing


    Natasha was walking around Diagon Alley, looking for a ce where she could get lunch. Tom was far too busy with his research so for today she was alone.


    Her morning was spent going around the apothecary shops and buying herbs she intended to nt in her new garden and she had to admit, Wizarding Britain was a wonderful ce when it came to the variety of magical nts.


    It was a few days ago that Tom and Hermione made up and it was decided that Hermione would stay at the Weasleys until the end of the summer holidays because the girl wanted to stay with her friends.


    Frankly, Natasha waspletely fine with that. Being alone with Tom was preferable for her. She didn''t mind the girl much but it is what it is. Unlike Tom who took Hermione''s behavior as a bratty rebellion, Natasha didn''t like it at all but it was not her business.


    As she walked across the street, Natasha suddenly saw one person she remembered from the Quidditch World Championship entering a bit too fancy-looking restaurant for her tastes, and her eyes brightened. Now that she thought about it, there was that one thing...


    Instantly changing her direction, Natasha decided to pay Narcissa Malfoy a visit.


    ...


    Narcissa Malfoy sat in a private VIP booth in her favorite restaurant, waiting for her food when she heard a knock on the door.


    Surprised, yet, happy that her food was finished so fast... thinking that the service had improved since shest ate here... Narcissa swished her wand at the door, unlocking them in a sign that the waiters can enter.


    But just as she was about to mind her own business and ignore the waiters, from the corner of her eye Narcissa noticed it was not a member of the staff who entered but a redheaded woman.


    Needless to say, Narcissa''s wand instantly snapped back into position, aimed at the neer before she even realized who exactly it was that paid her a visit.


    Once Narcissa recognized Natasha, her throat went dry and her eyes slightly widened in worry... but it was gone as fast as it appeared on her face, and channeling her upbringing, Narcissa forcefully calmed down, leveling her cold gaze on the smiling Natasha who calmly walked towards the table, not minding the threat of Narcissa''s wand at all.


    Narcissa''s eyes followed Natasha in mute surprise up until the moment she rudely sat down opposite her and silently looked Narcissa in the eyes, her smile still stered on her face as she put her elbows on the table and her chin on her joined hands while silently waiting for Narcissa''s reaction.


    After a short while of silence where the women stared at each other, measuring the other with their eyes, Narcissa broke the moment by slowly pulling her wand back and putting it on the table. But she didn''t let go of it, still clutching it in her hand, just in case.


    "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy." Natasha politely greeted, starting to annoy the other woman with her easy-going smile.


    "What do I owe the... pleasure, Miss Romanoff?" Narcissa frowned and asked, spontaneously twitching her nose a bit as a sign of what she thought about this surprising visit.


    "Mhm. From your reaction, I see that you do know about your husband''s recent escapades." Natasha quipped.


    The way Narcissa instantly put her at the wand point and the difort she tried to hide was a massive tell for Natasha. If the woman had no idea about what her husband tried to do, she would have no reason to worry. At most, she would have been angry and started screaming at her for the intrusion into her private booth.


    But Narcissa didn''t do that, which was very curious.


    Narcissa narrowed her eyes, "So is this supposed to be some kind of attempt at revenge or something?" She asked and subtly nced at the door as she clutched her wand tighter.


    Natasha, however, just chuckled at the reaction, "If you think the security will realize something is wrong, then don''t bother. I have my ways."


    Narcissa''s eyebrows creased at these words and her body grew more rigid. This restaurant was very guarded since only the high society of Wizarding Britain usually visited it. The VIP area, especially.


    She really couldn''t even start guessing how Natasha managed to enter, much lesse all the way through the restaurant to the VIP area without anybody noticing and no guard stopping her. That only increased Narcissa''s worries.


    But just as Narcissa was about to cause amotion in hopes the guards woulde rushing to her aid, Natasha''s next words made her calm down.


    "But no. I didn''te here to harm you. I just want to talk." Natasha reassured Narcissa, giving her a knowing look that soured her mood. Even so, it helped since Narcissa was curious about what Natasha could want from her.


    As a proper woman of House ck, Narcissa knew there were dangerous situations and then there were dangerous situations that could prove profitable.


    "Then talk but make it quick. My lunch will be done soon." Narcissa dryly said, unwilling to show even a smidgen of weakness in her expression.


    Of course, Natasha was much, much more experienced in reading people than some pampered wizarding princess so she could clearly see the worries in Narcissa''s eyes but she only pleasantly smiled, portraying an approachable front.


    "Lunch? That sounds great. What are we having?" Natasha revealed her intentions as if she was talking about the weather and Narcissa did her best to stop herself from outright gaping at the audacity of this bitch. Her entire life manners were something sacred so hearing the outrageous thing the redheaded woman said almost floored hermon sense.


    Narcissa''s expression darkened in outrage, without her even realizing how easily the smiling redhead managed to get under her skin, and she had to take a deep breath before she spoke again, "We," She put a heavy emphasis on this word, "are not having anyth-!"


    But Natasha was not having that. As if she would refuse free luxurious food. "How does your husband take the fact the Minister no longer takes his bribes when ites to us?" She easily flipped the topic away from her uing free lunch.


    It was effective only because Natasha''s words reminded Narcissa why exactly she deemed the woman sitting opposite her dangerous. Neither she nor Lucius had any idea how they managed to make Fudge fear them so much... and finding out that he was positively terrified of them was as easy as watching the man''s eyes when Tom and Natasha were mentioned in conversation... but these two made Fudge truly terrified and that made Narcissa and her husband feel uneasy.


    Especially when Narcissa took into ount all the newly crippled young second and third sons of dark magical families that were sent to deal with Tom and the smiling redhead who was now looking at her as if she was some kind of interesting animal.


    Narcissa saw the damage Natasha caused in her fight against ten young wizards and she found the redhead terrifying too. The approach of permanently crippling rather than killing waspletely ruthless and cruel.


    Narcissa grew up among dark wizards. She grew up listening to stories about the past glory of House ck and some of these were... Dark Lord Voldemort level not-kid-friendly.


    Because of that upbringing, she could make a clear distinction between some Killing Curse shooting loser dark wizards wannabes like her husband and the really dangerous men like the Dark Lord. It was all in the willingness to go further than anybody would deem humane when it came to hurting others.


    Killing Curse was merciful, and painless. But when Narcissa witnessed what Natasha did to the kids who attacked her during the Quidditch World Cup... that proved to Narcissa that these two neers were not simply full of hot air and political scheming like her husband. These were the real deal who would not hesitate to step over a mountain of corpses to get what they wanted.


    To be honest, Wizarding Britain didn''t have the best track record when it came to stopping these kinds of people.


    While Narcissa had no idea what exactly these two desired and she tried to caution Lucius but he just didn''t listen, still trying to provoke them due to the small slight he ''suffered'' at their hands. Being arrogant was fine... but sometimes, Lucius was taking it too far. At times, Narcissa wondered how it was possible that the growling at Voldemort''s feet still didn''t manage to curb his inborn arrogance of Malfoys.


    It worried Narcissa a lot these days. She didn''t want Wizarding Britain to erupt into another conflict or for her House to be targeted by dangerous people. Not when her baby boy was entering his teenage years.


    Hearing Natasha clearing her throat, Narcissa realized she was lost in her thoughts for a tad bit more than was polite, and her cheeks slightly reddened. But then she saw Natasha''s pleased smile and with an inward huff, Narcissa realized she was just teased.


    "He is very upset." She kept her reply short in order to keep at least some of her decorum and keep her voice calm and polite... but without her realization, the tension in her shoulders disappeared.


    Natasha had to admit that the rigid blonde was fun to tease. Something about making her break her facade of the perfectdy was immensely satisfying.


    "I can imagine. I am actually very surprised you are so truthful about it. Don''t you care about your husband? Won''t he reprimand you for talking with me? Isn''t it one of your wifey duties to listen to your husband?" Natasha gleefully asked without any shame, causing Narcissa''s eyebrow to twitch.


    ''I am talking to you because I have no other choice!'' She was inwardly screaming in frustration.


    "Most of his current sess is because of my previous family''s connections and my help with his politicking so my husband''s opinion on the matter doesn''t matter." Narcissa dryly bit out.


    Hearing that, Natasha widened her eyes in a mock surprise, "But don''t you love your husband? How can you say that about poor Lucy?" She was enjoying it a tad bit too much.


    As these words reached Narcissa''s ears, she understood one important thing. A thing that made her close her eyes and take a deep breath to calm herself. Still, she decided to ask about it, hoping it wasn''t true because if it was, it would be so very demeaning...


    "Are you here only to make fun of me?" Narcissa ndly asked with helpless exasperation.


    At first, she thought Natasha was here to hurt or threaten her. And if not that, then to get some information out of her. But the woman was just fooling around! This was getting ridiculous. Thest time someone was teasing her like this was during her school days.


    Narcissa had to admit she was maybe... just slightly, only the teensiest bit, kinda... enjoying it deep down. She tried to squash that feeling as soon as it came but she wasn''t entirely sessful. At this point, Narcissa would have been happier if Natasha indeed had some kind of agenda.


    Unfortunately for her, Natasha just nonchntly shrugged with her perpetually calm smile still stered on her face, "Pretty much. I had nothing to do."


    And Narcissa could only deadpan at the rude... but interestingly irritating redhead.

 Chapter 97: A meeting that was not expected just yet

    Chapter 97: A meeting that was not expected just yet


    Tom and Natasha sat in a private room in the Leaky Cauldron, waiting for Hermione''s Head of House, Minerva McGonagall, to show up for their meeting.


    It was a few more minutes until the scheduled time and Minerva was not yet there so Tom and Natasha were leisurely talking with each other and suddenly, Natasha decided to shift the topic in a direction that slightly surprised Tom.


    "I met Narcissa Malfoy yesterday." Natasha offhandedly stated as if she didn''t just drop a huge bomb on Tom who worried that his redhead once again did something... troublesome.


    After the fiasco with the Jasin brothers, it wouldn''t surprise him much. They talked it out then, and Natasha promised to never do anything simr again. Tom would really love to trust her fully but deep down in his heart, there was still a doubt that one day she would try to help him in her own way and do something unnecessary that will cause trouble for him somehow.


    s, he loved the woman too much to make an issue out of it. He only inwardly wryly sighed.


    "Narcissa, huh? Is that why you came homete?" Tom creased his eyebrows and frowned, hoping Narcissa wouldn''t be reported missing or something in the future Daily Prophet articles.


    Natasha could be very overzealous in her own way and while the Jasin brothers were just stalking them with the intention of harming them in the future, Lucius Malfoy actually sent a bonafide assassination squad after them.


    It didn''t matter that this squad was made of a bunch of inept spoiled brats. They were there to kill them. Under these circumstances, Tom really couldn''t trust that Natasha wouldn''t do something... rash.


    Not when he knew how overprotective she could get.


    "Yeah." Natasha happily hummed with a sheepish face. "I had so much fun that I forgot myself and before I knew it a few hours passed."


    Hearing her, Tom''s lips twitched. "Is Narcissa even still alive?" Tom dryly asked with a deadpan expression. Natasha having fun... Tom had no idea what to imagine under that ssification.


    Realizing what Tom was insinuating, Natasha threw him an offended look, "Of course! We only chatted."


    She couldn''t believe Tom thought she would kill somebody in cold blood without getting permission from him first. The trouble she caused for him with the Jasin brothers was enough for her to wisen up. She would never do something like that again!


    Tom still doubtfully narrowed his eyes at her as they searchingly stared into her innocent emerald eyes... before he sighed and helplessly chuckled to himself.


    "I am d you made a friend, then." He shook his head at the absurdity of the situation and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.


    Naturally, his words shocked Natasha to her core. "A... friend?" She owlishly blinked and thoughtfully tilted her head as her mind was processing the situation from this new angle.


    "You spent three whole hours talking with her, no? That sounds like a budding friendship between girls to me." Tom shrugged, taking amusement from how conflicted Natasha seemed due to something so simple.


    He really didn''t mind her making a few friends. It would be good for her.


    "I am happy for you." Tom nonchntly added in a tone that clearly showed he didn''t care either way.


    It shocked Natasha how easily he disregarded the whole situation and her confusion about the rtionship between her and Narcissa instantly evaporated as her mind focused on a much greater issue.


    "Wait. That''s it?" She gave Tom a wide bewildered look, "You aren''t interested in her? At all?" She had a hard time believing that! The only reason she approached Narcissa was to make sure she could get along with the girl because...


    "Huh? Why would I be interested in Narcissa? She is married." Tom confusedly asked, not understanding how Natasha came to that conclusion.


    Narcissa was Lucius''s wife and Tom would like to think he had some standards!


    "And that''s supposed to be a problem?" Natasha furrowed her eyebrows, her words showing that her moralpass was not exactly on point before she revealed her reasoning, "I noticed the looks you threw her way at the Quidditch World Cup. I thought-"


    "Natalia..." Tom interrupted her with an exasperated drawl, "I threw looks at her to irritate Lucius. Not because I fancy her." He huffed. He really thought she would understand that but apparently, there was a bit of misunderstanding between them.


    "So... I asked all about her problems in her rtionship with Lucius for nothing?" Natasha asked with a dismayed frown on her face.


    And here she thought Tom finally showed some interest in some other woman.


    Not once in her previous life would Natasha think she would have problems fully satisfying a man in bed and yet, here she was. Tom''s physique was getting better and better by the day and no matter how much she trained to keep up, it was simply hopeless.


    Just as Natasha was opening her mouth toin about the unfairness of it all, a knock resounded from the door which stopped both her and Tom in their tracks, causing them to look towards it.


    "I guess our guest is already here." Tom threw a cating smile at Natasha who gave him an offended huff before schooling her expression into one of neutrality.


    Realizing this is the best he would get right now, Tom inwardly sighed and shouted, "Come in!"


    The door instantly opened and an older stern-looking woman wearing robes walked in, her eyesnding on Tom and Natasha in a searching manner and her lips curled into a small, almost unnoticeable frown.


    Tom was about to greet her when the second pair of feet entered the room, making him owlishly blink in utter surprise as an old-looking man with a long white beard, d in an outrageously striking neon green robe, also walked in and gave the stupefied Tom a grandfatherly smile.


    Tom instantly recognized the man and his throat went dry.


    It was Albus the unknown factor Dumbledore himself!


    Tom had no idea what kind of man this wizard was in his current world. Was he evil? Good? Senile? There was really no telling from his outward appearance nor from his actions in the past.


    This confrontation was supposed to happen muchter and on Tom''s terms but he would have never imagined Albus the inaction incarnate Dumbledore to take the matter into his own hands and actually tag along with Minerva for this meeting.


    Tom knew his previous actions made ripples in the political scene of Wizarding Britain but...


    ''Why the heck did the most passive man in the whole Potterverse franchise get his ass off his chair and actually do something when ites to me!?'' He inwardlyined, very peeved at the fact that Voldemort could kill off entire families and Dumbledore would not bat an eysh other than wistfully sighing in disappointment, yet, when Tom made ''friends'' with Fudge, the whiskered man put in the effort to pay him a visit.


    ''This is a freaking double standard! I am also Tom! I want equal rights for all Toms no matter if they are bald or not!'' Tom mentally huffed while continuing to childishlyin.


    There were things he wanted from McGonagall and this man''s presence would certainly not make it easy to acquire them. Hell, he was sure Dumbledore had some agenda going on in the background otherwise he would never bother to pay Tom a visit.


    "Good afternoon. I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore and I hope you are fine with my intrusion into this meeting." The man greeted with a coaxing smile, earning himself a re from Natasha because, from the way he talked, he reminded her of a more maniptive version of Fury, while Tom only showed his displeasure with a small twitch of his lips.


    ''And here I hoped to have rxing and peaceful talks with the Scottish woman.'' Tom inwardly sighed, his previously jovial moodpletely soured.


    He was not a politician! Was it too much to want politicians to finally give him a break?

 Chapter 98: Burned out.

    Chapter 98: Burned out.


    I am sorry but my passion for this story waned. That''s why I am ending it here. I most likely won''t be starting a new fanfic. I am in no mood for that and I also want to try writing something original. At best, I might post some of my drafts for stories I haven''t posted before but I am not yet sure about that.


    Thanks for understanding.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!