67- Next Step.

"Is it sweet?"

Jeanne was passing me a piece of the cake she had made and teasingly asked, "Fufufu. Which is more sweet, the cake or me?" Then I took a piece and fed it to her.

Looking at her radiant smile and how happy she is, I couldn't help but think... "You're not a cake, but you sure are sweet " I said, surprising her with a hug and kiss.

But then an angry and complaining voice interrupted the romantic scene between the two of us.

We weren't alone in the room, and Jalter couldn't help but to stop our flirting session "Can you stop flirting when I'm here!? " She was red from embarrassment, especially since she wanted to be in the same place as Jeanne but couldn't find the way to do so.

Jeanne teased the angry Avenger a little bit "Fufufu. Are you perhaps… Jealous?" While also leaning towards me to show her how much she is enjoying herself at being in my embrace.

Of course, Jalter jumped like a cat whose tail has been stepped on "I-I'm not jealous! Just do your thing when you are alone, stop disturbing others! " Instantly denying being jealous but also falling right into Jeanne's trap without knowing it.

"Fine. Since you don't want to be hugged and kissed by him… you can leave us alone " Jeanne ended with a kiss on my lips, annoying Jalter even more.

But what Jeanne said was difficult for Jalter, so she made a shy gesture by gripping her upper arm with her left hand and saying, "I-I... " Struggling with what to do because leaving the room would look like she didn't like being hugged and kissed, but she really wanted to be in Jeanne's place.

Unbeknownst to her, her pose was an attack on both Jeanne and Ahm because her arm passed directly under her boobs, pressing them and making them much more 'visible,' especially with the cleavage-revealing shirt she is wearing.

"Fortune favors the fools… hu" Jeanne then kissed me on the lips one last time before grabbing Jalter and dragging her towards me. "You win, sis, you win " She said.

She then threw Jalter at me "What are you-" and caused her to fall into my arms, where she just stopped and gradually melted as I caressed and hugged her.

I kissed Jalter before telling her, "You are also Sweet, Jalter."

Which triggered a "Shut up!" response from her. But it's clear she's pleased with the compliment, as evidenced by her faint smile.

I should also spend some time with Kei after. It's been a while since we spent time alone, even if it's just hugging and sleeping together I can feel how much she enjoys it…

…

Everything is going well, but it also reminds me how hard I need to work to keep it that way.

Seeing how things were on the Devil's side made me realize that I needed to focus more on my own faction, which is what I'm going to do today.

I paused as I walked into my Mindscape, the current main base of our factions, to take in the scenery.

It's essentially a combination of a massive school and a mansion, complete with dorms, classrooms, a restaurant, a massive plaza, and a forest that surrounds the entire thing.

The lack of thrash, the verdant grass, trees, and some flowers, combined with the clear and light blue sky, created such a stark contrast with the outside that the kids began to refer to this place as 'Paraiso,' which simply means paradise.

The most interesting aspect of this place is the special rooms that are designed with a specific purpose in mind, such as the garden or the zoo, because everything, from the animals to the flowers, is made by me and under my control, allowing the children to experience things firsthand.

There are also some training and testing rooms for more advanced classes.

The children are maturing, and they will soon be allowed to enter society in order to either live a 'normal' life in disguise or contribute to our faction.

This means I'll need to start a business where they can work and establish connections with other factions like working with the Yokais.

Perhaps opening something for technology, such as computers and video games, could work.

Even food and entertainment could work…

I don't have to worry about money that much since I've been saving and investing the money buying things here and there, and I can get the knowledge and designs I need from the system, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Worst case scenario Sera-chan can help or…  does Shishou have a bank account?

I actually don't know…

As for personnel…  I don't have to worry about finding capable personnel because there are already some kids demonstrating that they are intelligent enough to be called geniuses, but it all boils down to how magic and Senjutsu heal and nurture everyone who stays in here.

It's not surprising given that high-quality food, natural healthcare, and a Senjutsu-rich environment do wonders for children's development; even the most normal of them can think, learn, and react faster than the average person.

I may also need to consult with Yosaka and the other Yokai factions in order to collaborate, but that is something for the future.

And Lets not forget about the genius… with Shishou enhancing their Sacred Gears, they can even fight some high-Devils if given enough time to grow.

Like that our members will gradually take over human society, from brilliant graduates of prestigious schools to CEOs of various corporations, at least that is the plan for now.

They should be able to expand without problems under our protection and the support of the Yokais.

The most urgent issue at the moment is that... I can't do everything for them and I can't be everywhere, so we're currently lacking strong and capable individuals who can serve as pillars of our factions, with at least one in each country...

It also reminded me that I still have a lot to learn.

I can fight Scáthach, Sirzechs, and even Ajuka, but not because I'm as strong as them, but because I have some skills that are literal cheats, such as how my body is easily replaceable, rendering most of the damage I take worthless.

Even Scáthach is incapable of doing so; she may be able to recover her body after having most of her organs destroyed, but it will take a long time, unlike me.

I can also take advantage of this by fighting in melee, which is great for me because I trained my body well enough to be able to compete against Shishou if she doesn't enhance and strengthen her body with God-slayer energy and hundreds of spells like that time...

And I have the advantage of using a unique system such as my Summons, Mind and Energy manipulation, which helps me a lot in long fights, but... I lack actual power to take down an enemy if they are not careless.

But in the end it's just me being anxious for power and I know that I will get stronger, even more after watching the three Satan's fight and trying the new ideas I got from them.

The only question is how long it's going to take…

For now, I need someone who can strengthen our factions and I know the perfect person for the job.

…

Later.

It's time to talk about It, so I called her back.

Mordred is standing in front of me, making a very complicated face as she tries to process what I just told her.

"You want to Summon… father? Now? " Mordred displayed a mixture of emotions, from apprehension and expectation to eagerness and excitement.

Her usual laid-back demeanor vanished in a blink, and she now resembles when you're about to meet your girlfriend's parents, ready for anything and expecting everything.

Mordred has been taking care and planning for this day in some ways since she wants to welcome her father in a 'proper' Britain, one that is free of human-hating factions and races.

"Are you prepared for it, or do you prefer to wait?" I asked her again, the only thing I'll miss is threatening her with summoning Artoria in her Lily form, which would be the worst thing for her because Lily is basically like Mordred's sister given their age and the way she acts.

Interacting with Lily would be far too awkward for her...

Mordred has a lot of questions and doubts, but the first one is "Why now?" Britain is almost clear, but there is still much work to be done; there is no castle, no knights... Does Father actually care about it? Ugh…

She may have noticed how much she is unconsciously delaying their meeting by making excuses and preparing for things that may or may not matter in the end.

Why is this the case? Why does she feel both uneasy and excited at the same time?

She has wanted this for a long time, she has been preparing for this for a long time!

"To begin the process of expanding our faction? I'm planning to place people in various countries, and Britain is the safest right now; the kids will grow up soon, and they'll need to work somewhere safe "I explained to her that I already have some great options for places like Rome and probably Egypt, but the easiest place for me to get started in this world right now is Britain.

I'm still trying to figure out how summoning gods into this world will affect it... After all, Lucoa is a fantastic option...

For the time being, the only place that could be considered under our control is Serafall's town

If you don't count Best Girl Kei expanding her territory almost across Japan...

However, since we are allies and Japan is under their protection, we may need to consult with the Yokais and Amaterasu on that one. For the time being, our influence is limited to this town, which is not even ruled by us.

We need to make a name for ourselves, it's the thing I came to realize after observing how people reacted to the mere mention of 'The strongest Devil' and how much power just his name carried.. .

"It's time, isn't it? To face him once again… " She's hesitating, I sense it, but after a minute of deliberation, it appears she's made her decision "Ahm, I'm ready. Please call my father." Mordred sounded as spirited as she usually is, which is one of the reasons I enjoy being with her…

Aside from those abs…

*Cough*

"Then let's do it; it's past time for us to meet your parents." Artoria is someone I've wanted to meet for a long time, I told her, almost as excited as she was.

"You bastard! "

But before I could say and do anything else, I had to raise my hand to parry a punch from a red faced Mordred.

"Don't make it like that! you asshole! " Mordred face was red by either anger or embarrassment after hearing the way I phrased it…

It  sounded like we were a couple going to meet her parents… didn't it?

But then I decided to tease her a little "Then, should I also summon your mothe- " I had to dodge another punch coming from Mordred as she shouted.

"Don't even think about it! "

"And here I wanted to reunite the family so they could live happily… "