All the devils in the room looked on with amusement as the humans slowly stood back up, getting over their sudden and unpleasant feeling of being teleported.
Naruto, ever curious about the supernatural, looked around and took note that the room he was in was pretty damn spooky and dark, utilizing candles and incense instead of light bulbs and air fresheners.
Honestly, it's sorta what he would expect from a bad guy's lair, especially with all of the fancy furniture that was definitely not Oriental in style.
Naruto decided to take this time to study all of the devils there, having the chance to do so.
There was a young woman with a buxom figure with very long black hair and violet eyes, standing besides the obvious leader of the group, probably as a second-in-command or something.
Her hair, which was incredibly long, was tied in a long ponytail which reached all the way down to her legs, held thanks to her badass orange ribbon.
There was another girl that was of similar build with Maria. She had hazel eyes and white hair which was styled in a bob cut except with several strands hanging on the sides of her face which was reaching her shoulders.
The only male devil here was a good-looking guy with short light blond hair and grey eyes. He had a mole under his left eye and carried himself like one of those gentleman that Naruto read about.
All in all, a very varied group of people.
That wasn't even counting the apparent leader of the group.
Gremory Rias -or was that Rias Gremory?- was a young woman that had a similar build with the girl with the badass ribbon. She had long crimson hair, a couple of shades darker than Mio's which stretched to her thighs and an ahoge that was defying gravity. She had green-blue eyes which was currently shining in amusement at the human's wandering gaze.
Naruto finally ended his examination of the group and decided to start things off.
"Ok, so what is a 'devil' exactly, Rias-san?" Naruto asked to get things started.
Almost as if a switch was turned on, the room suddenly gotten slightly darker with the lights becoming dimmer. The remaining light gave the devils on the other side of the room an almost eerie presence with the darkness covering parts of their faces.
Naruto wondered if this was a 'thing' with devils as he remembered Sona-san and her glasses.
They just seemed to like their theatrics.
"Well, Uzumaki Naruto, to be blunt, devils are beings that live in a different dimension known as the Underworld, chosen by the founder of our species; the Original Maou. We are all, essentially, the descendants of the Original Lucifer and his band of rebels against Heaven, who utilize magic to combat our enemies. We are...very powerful beings, Naruto-san." Rias explained, her tone getting lower as she continued.
Yuki narrowed her eyes at this blatant admission of her species' power.
What was Gremory up to...?
Just because she acknowledged that she wasn't all bad didn't mean that she trusted her to not use certain situations to her advantage.
Naruto, oblivious to the change, nodded for her to continue.
"Devils have been fighting their Biblical counterparts and sworn enemies; angels and fallen angels, for at least two thousand years in a conflict simply known as The Great War. The conflict has only in recent times been called off due to a ceasefire, but the devil population has been decimated due to the many years of fighting...the problem has only recently been solved due to the introduction of the Evil Piece system." Rias claimed with her eyes locked onto Naruto's.
The hero, wary at first, just found cause to be even more concerned as the devil emphasized her people's need for new blood.
Connecting the dots in her head, the young human felt something click in her head when she finally realized what Gremory was aiming for.
She was going trying to get Uzumaki Naruto into her Peerage.
Clenching her teeth together, Yuki was about to take a step forward to warn him but stopped herself short.
As much as she hated to admit it, Gremory wasn't using any magic or anything of the sort to influence him in any way, except through words.
Despite how she was loath to admit it, she had no right to interfere in this instance.
...It was times like these that she hated her own moral compass.
Naruto just stood there, soaking up all this information as Rias continued her explanation.
"The concept of a 'Peerage', a term to describe those who are made subordinate to a king, was born from the Evil Piece system. The system itself uses chess pieces to change the genetic make-up of an individual and turn them into a devil and a servant of the possessor of the Evil Piece. For humans, it makes them far more powerful than what they were originally due to the fact that devils are naturally more stronger than humans, as well as live far longer. Eventually, when those reincarnated devils become strong enough, they can form their own Peerages and achieve great wealth in the Underworld." Rias said with a sly turn of the lips, eyeing the blond's features for the telltale signs of interest.
She thought that she was doing a good job in selling her case before she even suggested it, making him see the positives of becoming a devil without outright stating her wants.
Hopefully, with just one more nudge, she could ensure her offer's success rate.
"The people you see around you are, as a matter of fact, members of my Peerage. Unlike others though; I see my Peerage as family, as my comrades and friends. They are people that I treasure, no matter what." the Gremory heiress took a breath, prepping herself for the final pitch. "I...don't know much about you, Naruto-san, but from what I've seen and heard, I'd like to think that we could understand and help one another out. Which is why, after everything I have said...I would like to ask you to join my Peerage and become a part of that family."
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