The Devouring Dragon

Chapter 60 - The Spy

I paused as I pushed open the door from my bedroom, stopping as the door almost hit the small woman in front of me in the face.

"Koneko?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. The petite catgirl had her hand raised as if she was about to knock, but slowly lowered it as she stared blankly at me. Or, more specifically, at my bare chest.

I was silently grateful that I had at least put on pants, as I had quickly pulled on my pants after having my lovemaking session with Tiamat abruptly interrupted.

"Do you... need something?" I asked again as Koneko didn't answer me the first time, her cheeks flushing lightly as she quickly nodded and dragged her eyes up from my bare chest to my eyes.

"...Thank you for getting Cat," Koneko said, referring to her familiar, who was actually a cat but also was nicknamed 'Cat' for Cateyla, as she glanced away cutely. She raised her hands, offering me a small bag sitting in her palms.

I reached forward curiously, grabbing the bag and opening the top. Inside, there was a small collection of cookies.

"Ha, you're really too cute," I chuckled, reaching out and patting the petite girl's head lightly.

It might've looked like a small gesture, but knowing how much the girl loved her sweets, this was probably a big deal to her.

"But you don't need to thank me," I hummed, shaking my head at her, "I said it before - I've come to like you guys. Both you and the other devils, so whatever you need, I'll get it for you."

Koneko nodded cutely at me, but a voice came sounding out behind me as someone stumbled out of my bedroom.

"I-I'm serious! I'm sorry for spying, okay, but I really was just in here to spy on him!" Rias said defensively, stumbling out next to me as her clothes were disheveled from being pulled on so quickly.

"Right," Momo giggled, also stepping out, "You were spying on him having sex, while your pants were down, and your dripping-"

"T-Things happened, but I was just spying on him!" Rias huffed with a beet-red face, blinking as she finally realized Koneko was standing there, "Oh, Koneko. What are you doing here?"

"Buchou is..." Koneko's eyes widened, connecting the dots as she glanced from my shirtless form, to Momo's still naked body, and then back to Rias's disheveled clothes and slightly sweat-coated body.

"W-Wait, this isn't what it looks like!" Rias started quickly as Koneko stared at her, "Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Ara, it's exactly what it looks like, Koneko," Akeno giggled, stepping out behind Rias into the hallway, "Rias and I were just doing our due diligence in inspecting Mr. King's big, meaty, ro-"

"S-Shut up, Akeno!" Rias clamped her hand over Akeno's mouth, her face flushed.

"Buchou is... ahead of me," Koneko muttered, and I blinked at her words, "Even my sister has a headstart..."

I stared at her blankly.

What'd she just say?

"Fufu, it seems we have some more competition, Rias," Akeno giggled, causing Rias to blush.

"T-There's no competition! We're not competing for anything!"

"Oh? So you're just fine with losing to the Phenex girl?" Akeno smirked, and Rias's eyes widened at her words, "I've been seeing her look at Mr. King in a certain way..."

"W-What?! No way am I going to lose to that chicken!"

I just stood there, at a loss for words, as they spoke as if I weren't standing right there.

They remember that I kidnapped them, right?

Somehow, in a world where I had the cheat skill known as [Devour], my pretty privilege was still my most overpowered ability.

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"You're asking me to leave, Your Highness?" Katerea asked, looking at me questioningly as we stood at the outer wall of my territory.

"Yup," I replied easily, "Just report back every week, or if there's something urgent I need to know about."

"...You're just trusting me to come back?" Katerea asked doubtfully, "What if I don't! I-I think I could be more useful here anyway, Your Highness!"

In case Katerea's tone wasn't a good indicator, the sexy devil woman was insane. Absolutely insane.

Well, not actually insane in the typical 'bat shit crazy' type of way, but insane in a 'clinging to power' type of way.

Originally, my plan of making Katerea a spy for me inside the Khaos Brigade had a bit of a hiccup. The woman was one of the most talented magicians alive, and as a result, there was a high likelihood that she would find a way to break the Master-Slave contract.

So, I had a backup plan of keeping her around. I had Raya show her the ropes, giving her a tour of my kingdom and prepping her to possibly use her high intelligence in a commanding role.

That plan had changed again upon realizing just how obsessed with power Katerea was. I probably should've realized it earlier, considering this was the woman who had originally rushed into her own death just for a chance to kill Serafall, who she viewed as the woman who took her position of power away.

Upon realizing just how vast my armies had grown, how many powerful people I had under me, and how powerful I was myself, the woman's personality had taken a one-eighty. Now, she was barely recognizable as the stiff and uncertain woman from when I had captured her.

Over the past roughly week, Katerea had become very eager to help. A bit too eager to be considered normal, as she started to idol-worship me. I very quickly realized what type of person Katerea was.

She wanted power, and she wanted it bad. She could tell I was powerful, and that soon I'd have a lot of power in this world. Well, I already had a lot of power, but when I took over the entire Underworld I would have an unmatched about.

As a result, she was trying to ingrain herself by my side and claim a portion of that power for herself.

Which, for the moment, was fine by me. It would keep her loyal for now, though she could pose a loyalty risk if she found someone she thought she could get more power from by leeching off down the line.

"I don't think you will, and we have the contract," I explained easily, "But if you find a way to break it, then I can't stop you. Fair warning - even if you're gorgeous, I'm not kind enough to give multiple chances. If you break the contract, you'll be my enemy again."

Katerea nodded rapidly at my words, blushing lightly, "I would never dare try to, Your Highness! I'm grateful to be able to be connected to you in this way!"

She laid on the worship a little too thick at times, but having a sexy woman boost my ego wasn't the worst thing in the world.

"But I don't think there's a point in me leaving anyway!" She added, "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to do what you want me to easily."

My plan for Katerea was to use her as a double agent. As both a branch leader in the Khaos Brigade as well the last remaining Leviathan, she had her hands in a lot of circles.

She could get me information about the plans and actions of the Khaos Brigade, the Old Satan Faction, and the clan heads within devil society. I had a rough idea of what most of those groups planned to do, but I couldn't know how much my arrival in this world changed things.

"I know just how connected you are," I grinned lightly.

"People who used to trust me won't anymore," Katerea countered, "Especially the Khaos Brigade and Old Satan Faction, Your Highness. Creuserey is dead, and I disappeared without a word for over a week. They'll know you did something to me, and probably think you have some type of magic controlling me."

That wasn't too far off the mark with my [Contract Making] skill.

"It doesn't matter if they trust you or not," I shook my head, "They don't need to. I'm sure you have more than enough ways to get information out of people, right?"

Katerea had more than a few ways of extracting information from people. She was the sole living Leviathan, which off the bat led to her having a legion of supporters that would do anything for her, even if it betrayed the Old Satan Faction's overall interests.

Beyond that, you didn't get to the position she was in without a lot of blackmail and allies. Even if the top brass of the Khaos Brigade and Old Satan Faction looked at her suspiciously, they couldn't just kill her, and they couldn't stop her from manipulating information out of lower-ranking members looking to climb the ranks or protect their own behinds.

"Of course, Your Highness, I'll do everything I can to get the information you want," Katerea nodded quickly, "B-But, I still think I would be more useful here by your side!"

"Do not worry, Katerea Leviathan," A third voice entered the conversation, belonging to a woman who had no reason to be at this send-off, but had insisted on being here, "You will return here to bear the King's child. The spirits decree it."

"Please stop saying that," I deadpanned at Tiffana, the former Fairy Queen, as she stood nearby with a dreamy look in her eyes.

The woman had been giving a very similar line to many of the women in my palace for months now, talking about how 'the spirits demand' each woman needed to have my children.

I had seen these 'spirits' possessing her first-hand before, but even then, I was sure Tiffana was making the messages up. It was one thing for the spirits to give a big prophecy-esque speech about me conquering worlds, but it was a whole different level for them to constantly goad Tiffana into encouraging various women to have my children.

"Of course, Great Spirit Guide," Katerea nodded sagely, much to my chagrin, with a flushed face, "M-My time is not now, but I'll be back to bear his highness's children!"

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, Tiffana was very convincing. Having actual spirits she could communicate with made her seem less like an insane drug addict and more like an actual bridge to the spirit realm.

Her credibility had only been strengthened after helping the devils get familiars, as said familiars had been terrified upon seeing her. Even Rias's Nine-Headed Hydra, despite being dozens of levels higher than Tiffana, was petrified by the woman's mere presence.

It seemed the more monstrous beings in the forest had a better understanding of what the spirits really were, and Tiffana being able to communicate with them was scaring the hell out of the familiars.

"Alright, time to get going," I sighed, walking forward as I started to push Katerea away from the wall and outside of Tiamat's anti-teleportation magic zone. "Come back in about a week, alright?"

"W-Wait, Your Highness, I had an idea! If I were to become pregnant with your child now, then they could grow while I am taking on this task-" Katerea started with a flushed face, but I quickly cut her off.

"Oh, what terrible timing. Tiamat just told me through our familiar bond that Sirzechs Lucifer is attacking, so I didn't hear what you said." I lied terribly, pushing Katerea outside the zone Tiamat had set around my territory. "Gotta go! I'll see you in a week!"

"B-But, if Sirzechs is attacking, I should be here to help you, Your Highness!" Katerea tried, but I just turned around and waved over my shoulder.

"No, no, you're my spy, remember? If he saw you here, then you wouldn't be a spy anymore!" I lied again, glancing over my shoulder as I locked eyes with her.

It seemed I would have to use my secret move - something I saved for only occasions such as this.

"Katerea," I said seriously, using [Starsend Moment] to force a feeling of inspiration to rise in Katerea, "You're the only one I can trust with this. Don't disappoint me."

"Y-Yes, Your Highness!" Katerea stuttered, her eyes wide and her face flushed, "I-I won't let you down! I'll be back in exactly one week!"

She raised her staff, and a purple magic circle appeared under her. In the next moment, Katerea was gone.

"Great, now that that's done," I hummed, turning back to my territory, "I need to go fuck a Dragon King."

"What about Sirzechs Lucifer?" Tiffana muttered to my side, looking at me with lidded eyes, "Do you need assistance in battling him?"

"Um, no," I replied bluntly, "He's not really here. I was lying."

Tiffana stared at me blankly for a moment, then her lips twitched downward, "The spirits say it's not nice to lie."

I sighed, ignoring her as I started walking back to my territory.

I'm starting to dislike the spirits.

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AN: Thank you for reading! The next Chapter will be out tomorrow!

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