Chiba. Leo's estate...
That evening, Leo once again gathered every member of his peerage in the living room and relayed what Sirzechs had told him.
"Take the Mid-Class Devil examination?!"
Yukino, Asuna, Utaha, Mahiru, Ram, and Rem all exclaimed in unison.
They looked better than they had during the day. It was as though now that Leo, their final source of worry, had returned safely, they could finally rest properly. The pallor and frailty from before had noticeably receded.
Even so, hearing Leo's announcement, every one of them was caught off guard. Even Ram, whose default setting was caustic pride.
"W-we're being promoted to Mid-Class already?"
"Is this for real?"
"Isn't this way too fast?"
"We haven't even been devils for that long. Surely our merit scores aren't high enough?"
Yukino, Asuna, Utaha, and Mahiru were the most stunned, as if the thought had never crossed their minds.
And if even they were this rattled, Ram and Rem, who'd only joined the Eligos peerage less than three months ago, were all the more so.
"Didn't expect we'd make Mid-Class this soon."
"Is this really okay?"
Ram murmured to herself. Rem fidgeted with anxiety.
"Hey, what's a Mid-Class Devil?"
Kanna, meanwhile, was tugging at Stella's sleeve with a blank look, eager to learn.
"No idea."
Stella remained as taciturn as ever, responding with flat disinterest, as if the entire topic had nothing to do with her.
Amid all this, Ravel was the only one wearing an expression that said obviously.
"It is a bit soon, I'll admit, but if you think about it carefully, it's not that hard to understand." Ravel analyzed the situation with her usual composure. "You may be slightly lacking in accumulated merit as devils, but the incidents you've dealt with so far have far exceeded anything a Low-Class Devil should be handling."
"During the Lafei Trix attack, none of you performed poorly. Even though it took Leo-sama, Rias-sama, and Sona-sama arriving in time to save you, the fact that you held your own against that many monsters, Old Maou Faction devils, and Stray magicians was already enough for the Underworld's leadership to take notice."
"When the fallen angel cadre Kokabiel attacked, Leo-sama was the star of the show, but all of you demonstrated impressive strength. Slaughtering an entire pack of Cerberus isn't something mere Low-Class Devils can pull off."
"And of course, the biggest factor was this latest summit incident, where we repelled the Hero Faction on our own without Leo-sama's support. That's generated enormous discussion across all three factions, to say nothing of the Underworld specifically. By now, your feats have surely been spreading among the rank and file. You're no longer the unknown newcomers you were before."
Ravel ticked off the points on her fingers.
"In terms of raw strength, all of you are more than qualified for Mid-Class. You'd even pass as High-Class with room to spare. Yukino-san, Utaha-san, and Ram in particular wouldn't be considered weak even among Ultimate-Class Devils. Honestly, limiting you to a Mid-Class promotion is underselling you."
"In terms of recognition, you already have it. You've made a name for yourselves across the Underworld before even officially debuting. That's something many Mid-Class and even High-Class Devils have never managed."
"In terms of merit, even before the Hero Faction battle, your accumulated contributions were enough to be nominated for promotion. After repelling them? Beyond question. More than enough to be advanced."
"Frankly, if you were just promoted directly to Mid-Class without any examination, I doubt anyone would object. The fact that you still have to sit for an exam is only because your tenure is so short. If not for that, I'd suspect there was some conspiracy behind it."
Ravel's point-by-point analysis drew the girls into a round of exchanged glances before they finally settled down.
"So this is really happening?" Yukino turned to Leo, her expression cool but intent. "We're actually being promoted to Mid-Class Devil?"
"Provided you pass the exam." Leo shrugged. "But in my opinion, it's already a done deal."
"What does the Mid-Class exam look like?" Utaha couldn't help but ask. "Is it a test of strength? Or knowledge?"
"Both." Leo didn't mince words. "The Mid-Class Devil exam has two parts: a written test and a practical combat assessment. The written portion tests how well a reincarnated devil understands Underworld knowledge. The practical tests whether your combat ability meets the standard."
Originally, devil promotions hadn't involved examinations at all. If your strength and merit both cleared the bar, you qualified for advancement.
Take Leo himself. When he'd been promoted to High-Class Devil, there had been no exam whatsoever. Once his strength and merit were both confirmed, his sponsor submitted a promotion application to the leadership, the leadership verified everything checked out, and the promotion was approved.
But in recent years, the number of reincarnated devils had surged. Most of them came from ordinary human backgrounds and had only a vague understanding of the Underworld at best. Some lacked even basic common sense about devil society, falling far short of devils born and raised there. After extensive deliberation, the leadership had decided to add a written component to the Mid-Class promotion process.
The written exam wasn't particularly difficult. Its main purpose was to encourage reincarnated devils to actually learn about the Underworld. At minimum, their general knowledge needed to match that of a native-born devil. Otherwise, surviving in devil society long-term would become a real problem.
For reincarnated devils who'd only recently turned and were still feeling out the Underworld's rules and customs, this was naturally a daunting hurdle.
But for Yukino and the others? Child's play.
"I'm not the least bit worried about the combat portion. All six of you have strength far beyond Mid-Class. Even Rem, without her Oni form, is approaching High-Class level. I'm pretty sure you could sleepwalk through that part even on a bad day."
Leo said this with complete nonchalance.
"As for the written test, surely I don't need to worry about that either?"
If his servants had brains like Hyoudou Issei's, then sure, he might have had cause for concern.
But look at who served under him.
Yukinoshita Yukino. Top of her class in Sobu High's second year. Ranked first in academics every single term.
Yuuki Asuna. Raised in an elite family, educated at a prestigious academy. Her grades might not match Yukino's, but she was a regular fixture in the top ranks of her year.
Kasumigaoka Utaha. A literary prodigy, a published light novelist, a renowned talent. Among the highest-scoring students in Sobu High's third year.
Shiina Mahiru. Top of the first-year class. Excelling in both academics and athletics. Not only was she ranked first academically upon enrollment, she also placed first among the girls in physical education, holding her own against some of the boys.
All four were flawless in every regard: beauty, poise, intelligence, and pedigree. The cream of Sobu High's crop. Why would anyone worry about their exam scores?
These were girls so far out of reach that ordinary people could only admire them from a distance.
Even though they hadn't been devils for long, they'd spent plenty of time in the estate's library studying up on the Underworld. Among them was Yukino, who had quite literally read every book in the library cover to cover. If someone like her couldn't pass the written test, then Mid-Class Devils across the entire Underworld would face a catastrophic purge, because virtually none of them would qualify either.
As for Ram and Rem, they may have focused primarily on their maid duties as reincarnated devils, but they'd been living in the Underworld for a full ten years. They were essentially no different from native-born devils. With just a bit of effort, passing the Mid-Class exam's written portion would be more than manageable.
So from the moment he'd learned that all six would be taking the Mid-Class promotion exam, Leo hadn't worried about them for a single second.
They, on the other hand, seemed to be making mountains out of molehills.
"We still shouldn't let our guard down, right?" Asuna said, concern evident. "We've been doing nothing but combat training lately. Our time in the library has dropped off significantly. What if the exam covers something we haven't encountered yet?"
"Exactly." Mahiru nodded with complete seriousness. "Opportunities favor the prepared. When it comes to studying, what matters most is consistent daily accumulation. Last-minute cramming is just flailing."
"Well, we can only lie in bed recovering anyway. Might as well spend the time reading." Utaha was already on her feet. "It's been ages since I visited the library. I think I'll just camp out in there tonight."
"Let's go." Yukino was even more direct. "Until the exam arrives, let's spend as much time in the library as possible."
And with that, the four of them walked right out of the living room, heading for the library.
"Wait... they're leaving just like that?"
Leo barely had time to react. He stared blankly at the four departing figures, completely baffled.
He genuinely felt they were making way too big a deal out of this. With their brains, passing the written test should take about five minutes.
Especially a certain young lady of the Yukinoshita family. You've already read every single book in the library until the pages were falling out. Do you really need to go back and sit in there?
"...Sister, should we go study too?"
While Leo was still reeling from the four girls' abrupt exit, Rem was whispering to Ram.
"No need to worry, Rem." Ram was the picture of serenity. "A mere written test? How could it possibly stump us?"
"Of course Sister doesn't need to worry. After all, Sister is the smartest person in the world."
Rem's faith in her sister bordered on blind worship, as always. But when it came to herself, she had far less confidence.
Deep down, Rem still carried that streak of insecurity and self-doubt. In her eyes, she was nowhere near her sister's level. Of course her sister could breeze through a written test. But she was so clumsy. She even lost her mind during Oni transformation. How smart could she possibly be?
What if she failed the written portion?
And the combat assessment carried risks too, didn't it?
Without her Oni form, she was the weakest member of the entire Eligos peerage. She hadn't even reached High-Class level. The practical exam for Mid-Class promotion could very well pose a real threat.
She couldn't exactly go Oni mode during a Mid-Class promotion exam, could she?
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. It never occurred to her that this was a Mid-Class Devil exam, meaning the combat requirement was simply to demonstrate Mid-Class level ability. Rem's base strength already sat firmly at Mid-Class. Passing should have been effortless.
She was simply too hard on herself.
Ram, of course, knew exactly what her little sister was made of. Seeing that anxious look on Rem's face, she let out a sigh.
"Can't be helped. You're Ram's most adorable little sister, after all." Ram stroked Rem's head with an indulgent expression. "Fine. Ram will grudgingly keep you company. Let's go to the library together."
Rem's face lit up with gratitude, prompting Leo to suppress the urge to make a crack.
"I'll never understand where you get that confidence."
Granted, Ram was a genius. A prodigy, even. But as to whether she was genuinely book-smart, Leo felt a question mark was warranted.
Ram's mind was certainly sharp. Her observation skills were keen. She could often see through things others missed entirely. But Leo hadn't forgotten that this self-proclaimed number-three-in-the-universe was, behind closed doors, an absolute disaster at housework...
Her proudest domestic skill was peeling potatoes...
Was someone this clumsy really going to be fine?
Unfortunately, Ram ignored his skepticism entirely. She took her sister's hand and marched out of the living room, head held high, showing zero concern about the upcoming exam. Leo couldn't tell whether she was actually that confident or whether this was secretly her excuse to hit the library and cram at the last minute.
"Don't worry, Leo-sama. I'll keep an eye on everyone." Ravel watched Leo staring after Ram and Rem, seemed to read his mind, and thumped her chest confidently. "I'll supervise their studying, dig up the key topics from past Mid-Class exams, and make sure every single one of them passes and promotes."
That, too, was her duty as the Eligos peerage's manager, strategist, estate supervisor, and member whose title read "Rook" but might as well say "Queen."
"I'll leave it to you then, Ravel."
Leo gave her head a pat, and the young lady's expression melted into that familiar blend of happiness and shyness.
Then Leo noticed that someone had slipped out of the living room at some point, destination unknown.
"Hey, so what's a Mid-Class Devil?"
Only Kanna remained, now tugging at Ravel's clothes, relentlessly pursuing her question.