From Chapter 57 onward, prepare for a major upgrade—writing, cleaner grammar, and a more immersive story!
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~ Thank you all so much for the support!
~ I added an Auxiliary Chapter that will Register Future Information Regarding the MC Status & Harem
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It was entirely unexpected—nobody foresaw that Lucifer, ruler of nearly the entire Underworld, would suddenly appear at this moment.
Even Rias, his younger sister, couldn't help her startled reaction. She rose abruptly from her seat at the desk.
"B-Brother? Why would you come here all of a sudden… nggh!"
She hadn't finished her sentence before she sucked in a breath.
A moment earlier, she'd been leaning against the desk mainly to conserve energy and relieve the strain on her body. Now, this abrupt movement tugged at the muscles in her lower abdomen—still not fully recovered from yesterday afternoon's "injuries"—and a powerful ache shot through her.
Her instinctive motion to clutch her stomach did not escape Sirzechs's notice. The young Satan's brow twitched subtly, but years of public office had taught him never to let emotions show.
With a light, casual smile, Sirzechs said, "It's been a while, Rias—and to the rest of you, Rias's servants, as well."
"Lord Lucifer." Akeno and Koneko, seated near the sofa, had shot upright from the very first moment he arrived, bowing respectfully.
Asia, though unsure how exactly to address him, still rose with a polite dip of her head.
Uh…
Rias realized she should probably introduce them, never mind her own astonishment. "Oh—Brother, let me introduce you: This is Asia Argento. She used to be a Holy maiden of the Northern European Church, but for certain reasons she's left them. At the moment, she's… well, I suppose you could say a friend of ours."
"A friend, is it? That's fine."
Sirzechs nodded with a faint smile. He didn't wait for Rias to continue listing off names, though—he turned his gaze toward the boy still sitting calmly on the sofa.
"Hello there. I'm Rias's brother, Sirzechs Gremory."
"Hello."
Only then did Bokue Keikain stand, his voice collected. "I'm Bokue of the Kyoto-based Keikain clan. I'm the acting representative. Currently… I'm going out with your sister."
"The Keikain clan, is it? Grayfia's already mentioned you to me."
Their eyes met as Sirzechs returned a polite smile. "She said your clan is an ancient line of Onmyoji in the human world. But from what I can see, you don't resemble the typical Onmyoji at all."
Which was accurate enough—throughout history, Onmyoji were often portrayed as refined, talisman-wielding "paper mages" or summoners, usually physically delicate types. Yet Bokue gave off the impression of a brawny Martial artist, relying on his fists alone to break through any foe.
"Mm, that's probably because I went against the mainstream from a young age," Bokue said with an indifferent shrug. "But it's no big deal—if you can beat the other guy, that's all that matters."
"A practical approach, haha… That's not bad."
Apparently finding the idea agreeable, Sirzechs chuckled.
Rias, who had been standing off to the side as they spoke, finally seized the opportunity to speak.
"Brother, what brings you here so suddenly?"
"Hm?"
The young red-haired Satan paused.
"Well, obviously, for your future. I already heard about you and Bokue from Grayfia—just last night."
"Ugh…"
The mention of "last night" made Rias's expression freeze up again.
After all, in that hotel suite at dusk, while Bokue took the lead physically, she was definitely the one who let herself get carried away… so much so that she completely forgot Grayfia was right outside. She couldn't even recall what she herself might've said during the process.
If Grayfia had reported all that to her brother, Rias…
"But you needn't worry too much, Rias."
Seeing his sister's face turn more and more uneasy, Sirzechs's own tone softened, albeit with a note of exasperated indulgence.
"When Grayfia told me yesterday, Mother was there in the room as well…"
Wh-what…?!
It was as though someone had smacked her with a wooden mallet. Rias's mouth hung open, her entire body going pale with spiderweb cracks forming in her mind's eye.
So not just her brother—Mother knew, too?!
In that moment, Rias realized her image within the family was pretty much done for.
"Still, I think Mother seemed pretty supportive of you." Sirzechs added.
...Huh?
Rias felt her internal meltdown abruptly vanish, replaced by incredulous surprise as she lifted her gaze.
"Supportive? Mother said… what, exactly?"
"Nothing much. The gist is, she's quite satisfied with Bokue."
Sirzechs recalled, "Then she told me, if you really want to reject the Phenex engagement, I should lend a hand."
Let her brother help…
For a fraction of a second, Rias's newly forming smile froze.
"So you…"
"Huh? That's why I'm here."
The young Satan offered his sister a small grin.
"I do understand how you feel, Rias. That's why, before coming here, I first went to see the Phenex family to explain the situation—and then I came straight over. Put simply, you'll have to negotiate with them yourselves to finalize a resolution. You're okay with that, right?"
He flicked his wrist, calling forth a large magical screen. Across the front, an image read, "Awaiting Connection."
Rias nodded vigorously. "Of course—that's exactly what we want."
After all, it was her and Bokue's affair. She'd prefer to settle it directly, not just rely on her brother's influence.
A moment later, as the sofa near the side of the room was moved to face the screen, the words "Awaiting Connection" morphed into "Connecting…"
The five—Rias, Bokue, Akeno, Asia, and Koneko—gathered on one couch, which wasn't quite cramped but forced Bokue to the center. Rias and Akeno sat on either side of him, with Asia and Koneko on the outer spots, arranged by height.
Meanwhile, Sirzechs took a seat opposite them, effectively placing him between the magical display and the group, like a referee perched on a high chair at a tennis match.
The official negotiation was about to begin.
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