A special intelligence agency established under the National Public Safety Commission, the Lion King Agency is tasked with gathering intelligence and conducting espionage to prevent large-scale magical disasters and terrorist attacks.
This—is the Lion King Agency.
The Lion King Agency traces its origins back to the Heian period, stemming from the Tachiko warriors who protected the Imperial Palace from vengeful spirits and supernatural entities.
In that sense, it predates the current Japanese government and has long served as the nation's magical security agency—an understandable role.
However, while the Lion King Agency appears glamorous on the surface, within the industry, it is notorious for its ruthless methods.
Children like Yukina and Sayaka, abandoned due to their overwhelming spiritual potential, were taken in and raised by the Lion King Agency—not out of compassion, but because the agency saw them as tools to be molded for the purpose of combating magical crime.
This approach has earned the Lion King Agency widespread infamy. Within the magical community, few speak of them with approval.
Even Natsuki has never had a favorable view of them.
That alone shows how notorious the Lion King Agency's reputation truly is.
But who can truly understand the helplessness they face?
"You've already met the people from the Cleansers, haven't you?"
Endo Yukari spoke with the tone of an impartial observer.
"Though their actions are repugnant, their hostility toward Demons… to some extent, reflects the will of humanity itself."
In places like the Demon Sanctuary of Itogami Island, humans and Demons coexist peacefully. But elsewhere, hostility is the norm.
For example, the Kingdom of Aldegyr shares a border with the Ardeal principality of the Warlord Dominion, with frequent conflicts between them. This is precisely why La Folia, despite putting on a diplomatic front, secretly wishes to tear Vatler apart.
The same kind of tensions are found all over the world.
Essentially, outside of Demon Sanctuaries, coexistence between humans and Demons is a fragile illusion.
Demons inherently look down on humans, considering them insignificant.
Humans, in turn, fear and hate Demons, harboring deep mistrust and aversion.
"Even with a system like the 'Sanctuary Treaty' in place to curb conflict between humans and Demons, and even though it may appear that coexistence has been achieved, most people know it's just a façade."
Endo Yukari continued.
"The real reason the Primogenitors of the Three Night Empires agreed to the Sanctuary Treaty wasn't because they wished to coexist with humans, but rather because they're locked in a power balance, constantly wary of one another. They have no room to make enemies of humans. Otherwise, as the oldest beings in this world, the long-lived among the long-lived, do you really think they'd desire peace?"
The Primogenitors are the most ancient entities alive.
Even older vampires like Vatler and Iblisveil Aziz, having lived for centuries, have grown so numb to existence that they only find joy in battle. Given that, how could the Three Primogenitors not also seek thrill and chaos?
The Third Primogenitor—the Chaos Princess—once stirred up a massive uproar during the Harurouin Festival just for the sake of fighting Rozen. That alone proves their inherently warlike and disruptive nature.
For beings like them, a war would be a welcome diversion.
Those in high positions understand best that, to the Three Night Empires, humanity poses no real threat.
Their reasons for avoiding open conflict with humanity may be multifaceted, but in the end, it's simply because they have bigger concerns.
The Night Empires maintain a delicate balance of competition and alliance, each wary of the other, while also facing internal strife—like the Black Death Emperor Front among the Beast Men supremacists in the Warlord Dominion, or the political games between Iblisveil and second princess in the Dynasty of Destruction.
With all these concerns, how could they possibly focus on humanity?
In comparison to the entirety of Demonkind, humanity is pitifully weak. If Demons were even slightly united, the global power balance would look entirely different.
Given these circumstances, human fear, hostility, and hatred toward Demons are entirely natural.
Thus, extremist groups like the Cleansers, who seek to eradicate all Demons, are born.
Just as Endo Yukari said—the Cleansers may be crude in method, but their ideology reflects the will of many humans.
"Humanity has always been afraid of Demons—afraid of these beings born with inhuman traits and powers."
Endo Yukari's tone carried a trace of resignation.
"And Japan, in the end, is just a small country. Dealing with magical crimes involving Demons with dignity is easier said than done."
That's the truth.
Recall the events of the Blazing Banquet. When they were unable to stop the revival of the Fourth Primogenitor, the Lion King Agency had no choice but to treat the incident like a natural disaster, focusing not on prevention but damage control.
Despite the ritual occurring on their own soil—with Matrices from all Three Night Empires present—they could only play support. It must have been humiliating.
Even during the Shinjin Lake incident, despite flawless calculations, the Lion King Agency had no choice but to involve civilians like Nagisa and Avrora to execute their plan. That, too, revealed the fragility of their operations.
And Rozen—who once sealed the Fourth Primogenitor and summoned the dead God of Sin—is someone they don't dare antagonize. So instead, they sent a girl who hadn't even graduated to monitor him. They sacrificed centuries of accumulated magical knowledge just to watch him.
All of this paints the picture of small players struggling desperately.
Yes—the Lion King Agency is still just a small player.
Even with the existence of the Three Saints, they are merely a regional intelligence agency in a small Far Eastern country. On the global stage—among the Three Night Empires—they are utterly insignificant.
"We can only protect order by giving it everything we've got—even if it means using gifted orphans as tools. If we don't go that far, we'll never be able to counter magical crime."
Endo Yukari spoke with a neutral tone, recounting these sorrowful facts.
"Yukina is no exception. She's not the only one who has shown signs of angelification after using the Mechanical Demon-Purging Assault Spear Mark Seven."
That alone shows how desperate the Lion King Agency has been.
Everything—done only out of necessity.
"Is that so?" Rozen replied flatly. "Then what became of them?"
Endo Yukari answered honestly.
"Some perished mid-battle, fully angelified and vanished from this world. The rest, once signs appeared, were retrieved by the Lion King Agency, relieved of duty, and supported in reintegrating into ordinary life. They no longer serve as Attack Mages."
Endo Yukari stated plainly.
"Yukina's signs of angelification have already surfaced. She is no longer suitable to act as a Sword Shaman."
"So we'll retrieve Sekkaro and cancel her surveillance mission."
"From now on, she will live out her days peacefully, elsewhere."
"That is the compensation the Lion King Agency can offer her."