Alexander leaned back against his headboard, his eyes tracing the ceiling as the two golden sets of Evil Pieces hummed in his storage. The "Inner Voice" was crystal clear, and across the world, his potential "Guardians" listened with bated breaths.
Alexander's Inner Voice:
[Internal Thought: Two sets. One is reserved for my wives—the Guardians of Avalon—whenever they find their way to this world. The second set belongs to my new Peerage here. I already have the first three positions locked in.]
The Selection:
[Internal Thought: Grayfia fits the Queen perfectly; her tactical mind and raw power are unmatched. Sylpha will be my Bishop; her magical precision is ideal for support. As for Kuroka... in the 'canon,' she was a Bishop. She had great long-range power but lacked close-quarters durability. With the Senjutsu and Chakra training from the Avalon Archives, I'll turn her into a Knight. Her speed and new physical strength will make her a blur of death on the battlefield.]
The Mansion Reaction:
Grayfia & Sylpha: (Standing outside his door, blushing but nodding with sharp determination) "We will be your perfect pieces, Master."Kuroka: (Licking her paws, eyes glowing) "A Knight, nya? I like the sound of that. I'll be the fastest cat in any dimension for you, Alex."
The Gremory Discrepancy
Alex's thoughts then shifted to the strange state of the Kuoh peerages.
Alexander's Inner Voice:
[Internal Thought: Something is off. In the 'story,' Rias is supposed to have Akeno (Queen), Koneko (Rook), Kiba Yuuto (Knight), and Gasper Vladi (Bishop). But since I've been here, I've only seen Akeno and Koneko by her side. Where are the others?]
Rias Gremory (Whispering to herself in her room):"You didn't find them, darling, because they aren't mine. In this twisted reality, Malty used her influence to take Kiba and Gasper into her own peerage before I could claim them. She wanted the strongest pieces for herself to impress the Council."
Alexander's Inner Voice:
[Internal Thought: So Malty has Kiba and Gasper. And if Issei takes up all 8 of her Pawn slots, who is her Queen? A peerage needs a Queen to function at its peak. Did she find someone even more twisted than her? Or did someone from the Gremory or Bael branches—maybe someone Lisana knows—hand her a 'hidden' piece?]
The Analytical Shift:
[Internal Thought: If Malty is hiding her Queen and her Rooks, she's more dangerous than she looks. Or rather, someone is backing her from the shadows to make her a 'Super Devil' candidate. It doesn't matter. Whether she has 8 pawns or a dozen, they're still just glass against a Dragon Monarch.]
The Listening Audience:
Sona & Tsubaki:'Malty hiding pieces? We need to investigate the Gremory branch families immediately. If there's a hidden Queen, the balance of the school is at risk.'Akeno: (Narrowing her eyes) 'Let her hide. No matter who her Queen is, they won't survive the lightning Alex gave me.'
Alexander's Inner Voice:
[Internal Thought: I'll deal with Malty's 'secret' pieces when they crawl out of the dark. For now, tomorrow is Monday. I have a date to finalize with Tsubaki and a school to run. Ciel, keep a scan on the Gremory estate. If Malty's 'Queen' shows their face, I want to know exactly what they taste like... magically speaking.]
Ciel:[Understood, Master. Commencing deep-scan of the Underworld's unregistered pieces. Sleep well, my Monarch.]