Chapter 21
"I have returned from the mansion, Sirzechs-sama." Grayfia stated without emotion.
She was once more in front of her king, reporting on what has happened.
Well...more like she was about to.
"I see! Well then, I assume that Ria-tan has taken the rating game compromise? Hopefully she could pull it off..." Sirzechs mumbled worriedly, drifting off into a Rias-centric brainstorming session.
"Sirzechs-sama." Grayfia called, trying to stop him from his descent into sis-con mode.
Too late.
"Oh man...maybe I should try to send one of my Peerage members to train her and her Peerage...? Uhh...but what if someone finds out that I interfered with the engagement...? The clans would cause an uproar because of it, which in turn could make my initial compromise invalid! Oh no! What should I do!?" the Maou cried out, his arms flapping wildly beside him.
The maid sighed, she was wondering when her husband's frantic worrying over his sister would transform him back into his usual personality.
It was a minor miracle that he managed to stay as serious as long as he did.
"Maybe Beowulf could hide his presence enough to help Ria-tan..." Sirzechs mumbled quietly to himself, seriously contemplating the risk.
Grayfia walked up to her king and promptly bonked him upside the head.
"Sirzechs-sama, please bear in mind that you are the Maou Lucifer of the Underworld. You must retain the dignity and prestige that your position has granted you, otherwise your political standing could become tenuous. So please calm down." Grayfia remarked, somewhat cross at her husband's habit of going off the deep-end when it came to his beloved sister.
Truly, what he was thinking of doing could potentially place Rias-sama in a bad situation.
The red-headed Maou pouted at his beautiful wife. "Ohhhhhh...don't be so mean Grayfia~"
The silver-headed woman merely rolled her eyes in exasperation. He could be such a...
She shook her head quickly, she had to get back on topic.
"Sirzechs-sama, before you embark on any hare-brained scheme...I believe it would be prudent that I tell you that Rias-sama has already been freed from her engagement with Riser-sama." the maid stated stoically, putting back her poker face on.
Sirzechs blinked.
Then he gaped.
"Wait...she's...but...how!?" the Maou stuttered incredulously.
Don't get him wrong! He was happy to hear such news! But...how was that possible? Did Riser get a change of heart or something of that nature?
Grayfia stood taller, preparing to give her husband the information that really mattered.
"...It seems that Rias-sama has made a rather...unconventional friend. One even more so than young Naruse Mio-sama. He goes by the name of Uzumaki Naruto and he's a human, he managed to trick Riser-sama into signing a contract that took legal precedence over the one that the Gremory and Phenex families have constructed." Grayfia explained, remembering the events that have transpired merely an hour before.
Sirzechs was gaping like a fish. Such was his shock.
"Are...are you serious? You're not pulling my leg right!?"
The maid's eyebrow twitched slightly.
"...I assure you Sirzechs-sama...I'm not 'pulling your leg'."
After a slight pause, the red-headed Maou's face slowly morphed from shock into a wide grin.
"Incredible...a human boy managed to do what I couldn't...simply incredible..." Sirzechs muttered with smirk.
He was slightly ashamed that he couldn't be the one to save his sister...but he'd deal with someone else doing the deed.
The Maou turned towards his wife with a sparkle in his eye.
"Grayfia! Tell me, you think that he deserves some sort of reward for his intervention in this matter, do you not?" Maou Lucifer asked with purpose.
Grayfia closed her eyes in contemplation.
She didn't have to think for too long.
"I do." the maid responded levelly.
"Alright then...through your first-hand experiences with Uzumaki Naruto...what do you think would be the most appropriate reward for him?" Sirzechs inquired, the sparkle in his eye not dissipating one bit.
The silver-headed woman shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Sirzechs-sama...I believe that I would be somewhat...bias, in this case."
The Maou didn't respond, he simply continued to stare at her expectantly.
She sighed, he didn't care in the slightest it seemed.
"...Permission to speak candidly?" Grayfia asked quietly.
Her husband nodded, allowing her to proceed.
"...That boy saved my sister-in-law from a terrible situation, one that none of us could readily free her from. For that alone, he deserves a magnificent reward in my eyes. As for what that reward entails...he seems to deeply care about young Naruse Mio-sama. Perhaps some...intervention on her behalf may be something that Naruto-sama would want?" the queen of Maou Lucifer spoke honestly.
Sirzechs grinned at his wife, he saw where she was going with that line of thought!
If they could repay the person who helped his cute sister out while removing the wind out of the sails of any rabble-rousing demagogues that were still keen on eliminating the Original Lucifer's last daughter...then he'd do it.
To him, they were an annoying group of hypocrites that wanted to take their anger against a weaker opponent and would consistently claim that the current government was giving her sanctuary.
Sirzechs didn't see any of them try to hunt down Rizevim Lucifer for his association, so he was doubtful of their claims of 'stamping out' the line of Lucifer.
He couldn't really do anything about their annoying rhetoric...until now that is.
Yes...this could work.
Naruto was sitting on top of the railing of one of the many balconies in the mansion.
He was staring off into the sunset, a beautiful view that was in plain sight.
After everything that has happened inside this summer home, it was decided in a unanimous vote...that they should head back to Kuoh Town soon.
Many things have happened, that it felt like weeks have passed when in reality, it's only been something like...four days.
Sure as hell didn't feel like four days.
The maid from before, Grayfia-san, has left to tell her kingabout what has happened to Rias-san's marriage. Apparently she had some things that she still wanted to tell them, so they were going to wait at the mansion until she returned.
Naruto allowed for a wry grin to reach his lips, his friends had decided to celebrate Rias-san's good fortune by throwing together the best meal they could possibly forge.
It was beautiful.
Nothing better than a buffet!
Except for the suspicious lack of ramen...that was sad.
Now, he was just letting all of them wind down from their celebrations and staring off into the sunset. Enjoying the scenery that he may never get the chance to see again.
This mansion was awesome.
Although...he wasn't just here to stare at the sun. He also had to take some time to think.
It only hit him recently due to the events that have occurred in this summer home.
The issue of just how...difficult it could be to attain any sort of meaningful peace between the factions.
It wasn't like he thought that it could be easy or anything, just that he wasn't really looking at the small things.
He was looking at the issue while focusing on the leadersor the higher-ups in these factions and how to get them talking. But what about those people who focused on their own selfish desires over everything else?
That masked man from yesterday...
Riser, to a lesser extent...
Hell, the fallen leader; Vretiel, now that he thought about it!
That wasn't even counting the people who didn't want peace either...
The point of all this thinking was simple, Naruto needed to figure out just how far he would help out towards the objective of peace, his boundaries.
He needed boundaries, he wasn't going to stay in this world forever...so he needed some realistic end goals here.
Did he...want to simply promote peace?
Did he...want to provide the framework for it?
Maybe just push the faction leaders to talk?
Naruto sighed, this was all getting pretty complicated. Especially since he wanted to keep Mio and Maria safe from the devils that had grudges against the Original Lucifer...
One thing after another with him.
"Ah, Naruto. There you are. I've been looking for you."
The shinobi perked up slightly and turned to greet the red-head that he had recently helped out.
"Rias-san. What are you doing here? I thought that you would be celebrating with everyone." Naruto responded with a raised eyebrow, curious for why she seeked him out.
He really shouldn't be though.
Rias walked towards the blond with a determined look on her face. She's been looking for him for a while now, needing to speak to him.
Before she walked up to him though, she made sure to close the door to the balcony. This needed to be a private conversation.
The high-class devil then finally turned to him.
"Naruto...words cannot describe how thankful I am for what you've done for me. I honestly don't think I can thank you enough to be honest. If it wasn't for you, then I'm positive that I would've been forced into the engagement." Rias said quietly, a small smile gracing her face.
Naruto merely shrugged. "No need to worry about it Rias-san. You needed help and I was happy to help out."
Rias shook her head. Expecting this response but was unwilling to accept it.
"Maybe to you it wasn't much, but to me...it's entirely different. So while I may not be able to thank you properly for your actions...I could at least try." the red-headed devil continued, a determined glint in her eye as she stared at Naruto.
She wouldn't take no for an answer it seemed.
"Naruto...what do you hope to accomplish?" Rias asked while staring at the blond intensely.
The male teen glanced at her, confused at the switch in topics.
He humored her though.
"I want to promote peace between the Biblical factions...and later, hopefully a lot of the world's factions." Naruto briskly stated.
Rias turned to face the whiskered teen in slight shock, this was the first time that she heard of his goals before.
Before, it was mostly about promoting trust and friendship between the different supernatural factions at Kuoh Academy.
But this was...
"Unexpected?" Naruto said dryly, a teasing grin on his face.
"...A little." Rias admitted readily, not too afraid to admit to her shortcomings in front of the mysterious blond.
Even now, he was still a mystery to her.
But...at least she knew one thing about him by now.
He was genuine.
"...Then I'd like to help you with your endeavor." Rias declared shortly.
Naruto's eyes snapped back towards the red-head in his own shock, eyes widening slightly.
Did she even realize what she said?
"Naruto." Rias interjected before he could say anything. "Before you say anything, I'm not just going to support you because I feel some sort of obligation to do so. No...that would be an insult to you and to myself."
She turned to stare at the beautiful sunset, eyes unseeing.
"...To be honest, when I first heard about your initial aspiration for co-existence between Yuki-san and the devils of Kuoh Academy, I was skeptical of your motives. Unsure of why you would stick your neck out for such a seemingly impossible goal. So when you first suggested the little 'Kuoh Pact' when we first met...I used it more as a means to study you rather than promote co-existence." Rias recalled quietly, walking through her motivations in times past.
Naruto opted to stay quiet and listen, curious in what the high-class devil thought.
"Honestly, I had every reason to be skeptical. You had no stake in any of this, no angle, no ulterior motive, and simply no...reason to promote such a difficult thing. It was nonsensical for you to do so. So I thought that you must have had some sort of selfish reason that I simply haven't considered yet. Yet...you never proved me right." the red-headed devil continued, her quiet tone belaying her seriousness.
"Before I even asked you to ask Issei to become a devil for me...I already began to trust you a little. Far more than I should. You just seem to have that charisma and force of personality that makes people...gravitate to you almost. Yet...you never tried to abuse such a skill."
Rias finally turned away from the sunset and to her blond ally.
Comrade.
Friend.
Savior.
"...Co-existence between a hero and devils seemed to be an impossibility, yet you managed it. What's to say that you can't pull of the impossible and help create peace between the Biblical factions? I wouldn't have supported such an attempt unless there was a reasonable expectation of success...but I think that you are a person that can change everything." Rias finished seriously, her intense stare unwavering.
Naruto didn't say anything, he just stared at the Gremory heiress with interest.
He didn't really think that she thought about it this far...
"Wow, I guess you thought about this pretty deeply, huh? I never really saw my actions as that incredible though..." the shinobi replied sheepishly, feeling slightly uncomfortable with her words.
He couldn't take such thoughtful compliments too well yet.
Rias shook her head lightly. "Those are my true feelings Naruto. Not fabrications. I want to help you with your goal, as a woman who wants to support her friend as they have supported her. As well...as an individual who has never experienced the horrors of war...and doesn't want to go through such an experience in life."
The blond grinned a little, despite her deep words. So that was her answer huh...?
"Good, because I don't want some half-ass to help me. Nor do I want a friend who feels indebted to me to help me out, that would be killing the point of what I'm trying to do." Naruto retorted smartly, a growing grin on his lips.
Rias just grinned back.
Both teens were silent for a while, simply staring at the sunset.
Then a question began to wiggle in the blond's head.
"Hey Rias-san? Do you have a dream?" Naruto asked curiously.
The red-head blinked, processing his words for a split second, and then finally turned to him in slight confusion.
"That's a rather...interesting question. To be perfectly honest, since my species is so long-lasting...I never really thought about anything that long-term yet. I simply have plenty of time to kill." Rias said simply in response.
She was giving her friend a curious look, wondering what was going on in her friend's- savior's- friend's...head.
Naruto shrugged helplessly. "Just humor me for a bit. I think that I should be more specific...is there anything that you want in life?"
The high-class devil turned away from him for a moment, giving his words serious consideration.
Was there anything that she wanted? Outside of getting out of her engagement?
Her engagement...no, Riser's marriage with the Gremory heiress.
"...There is one thing that I would like. Perhaps it's because of my older brother, or perhaps it's because no one truly recognizes me yet...but everyone tends to see me as merely the 'Gremory heiress'. A title, not worth putting a name to." Rias whispered, a more somber tone to her voice.
Blue eyes watched the crimson-haired girl, her dilemma sounded...familiar.
"Truth be told, I've always dreamed that some dashing man would see me for something more than my title. It's a bit...childish, but that's what children do I suppose." the red-head mumbled, a bitter smile stretching on her face.
Naruto didn't say anything for a moment, simply staring at her form in contemplation.
Then he spoke.
"Hey Rias-san...can I tell you a little story? I think you might find this story to be pretty...insightful."
Rias glanced at Naruto curiously again, wondering how someone younger than her could tell an insightful story.
That was the stuff of those who went through a lot of experiences, of older people.
The happy-go-lucky Naruto didn't seem like such a person...
Taking her silence as the go ahead, the blond started his story.
"Well, when I was younger, I met this boy. This boy was the grandson of the leader of the village where I grew up. Because he was the grandson of that village leader, many in the village would refer to him as the 'Honorable Grandson' instead of using his name. Preferring to see him as his title instead of as a person." Naruto recalled, eyes drifting off towards a more simpler time...
Rias was watching his profile intently, eyes glued as she realized just how eerily familiar this boy's story was to hers.
"What did he do...? How did he solve his problem?" the red-head pressed, wondering how he solved his problem.
...Or whether he solved it at all.
Naruto ignored her questions and continued his story, unfazed.
"That boy became sick and tired of his treatment, so instead of sitting around and waiting for something to change, he opted to try and become the village leader himself. To make his own name. Although he went about it the wrong way." the shinobi went on, a wry smirk stretching across his face.
Paper shuriken and sexy jutsus were not exactly the 'right' way.
Naruto finally turned to face his audience, his expression serious.
"Rias-san, your problem is just like the one that my friend from my old home faced. But unlike him...you're waiting for something to happen. Practically praying that someone would save you from your issues...but I think that you're looking at it the wrong way. Instead of waiting for someone to help you...why not try to fix it yourself? With your own two hands?" Naruto inquired simply.
Rias' eyes widened at the blond's question.
She raised her own hand and stared at it like it was a foreign object. Her hand...
...Fix it herself? By her own two hands?
Could she really do such a thing? Change people's perceptions of her through her own will?
The shinobi practically rolled his eyes, was it really such a foreign concept to her? Proactively chasing after some sort of goal instead of waiting for someone to give it to her like a present?
Yeesh...
"...Why are you telling me this, Naruto? Why tell me that story? Why encourage me to solve my own problems?" the high-class devil eventually asked as confusion and uncertainty danced in her eyes.
The blond merely grinned at her in response.
"Well...you're going to help me out with my goals, I figure that such a partnership shouldn't be a one-way street I guess. Just like you'd like to support me...I'd like to support you too."
Naruto began to scratch his cheek a little, a small and embarrassed smile began to make it's way to his face.
"That and...I'd like to see you lot all succeed. I want to see all of you stand on your own two feet rather than rely on someone else to do so. Even more than that...I'd like my new friends to achieve their own dreams. That's just who I am dattebayo."
Rias stared at him, jaw slightly unhinged.
Incredible.
This boy was simply incredible.
She could only shake her head in silent wonder, just who was Uzumaki Naruto?
She didn't know.
But...by this point.
She didn't really care.
"Uh...is something wrong, Rias-san?" the blond asked her in slight concern.
She was just shaking her head with a smile on her face after all.
Rias turned to face her friend.
Nope, nothing was wrong. In fact, everything seemed to be going really really well for her.
...Except one thing.
"There is something wrong, Naruto." the high-class devil claimed, before pointing one of her fingers at his face.
"You keep using the honorific '-san' with my name, after all of this time no less. So I'd like to ask you to take it out." Rias declared with slight gusto.
What was this feeling? This...excitement?
Naruto gave her a deadpanned look.
"What are you talking about? I don't use '-san' to your name." the shinobi retorted with an annoyed look on his face.
Rias' expression became incredulous at his statement. "Huh!? What are you talking about? You've been using '-san' to my name since we've met! Which was about a month ago now!"
Naruto turned away stubbornly. "Nope, I never used that honorific on you. Stop talking nonsense, Rias-san."
Rias was dumbfounded! How could he claim that he didn't use that honorific!? He used it all of the time! Heck! He just used it now!
"You could literally ask anyone about it! They would agree with me!" Rias argued.
Why? Why was she excited?
The blond continued to stubbornly claim that he never used the '-san' honorific with her, he only used it to better hide out in this world damn it!
In the Gremory's eyes, he was acting like a child.
She then challenged him to say her name without any honorifics.
"...Rias-s!...Rias-sa!...Ria-tan!"
"No! Just no! Definitely not that last one!"
Was this what it felt like to have an objective in life? A goal? Something to aim for? Something to strive for?
Naruto raised his hand to stop her from speaking, annoyance clearly conveyed through his facial expression.
He quietly moved past Rias towards the closed balcony door.
Then, faster than she could see, the blond swung the door open.
The teens that were pushing their ears onto the wooden construct inexplicably lost their once firm support.
Thus, they fell over like dominoes.
Once found out, many of the perpetrators gave off sheepish smiles at the blond male towering over them.
All except one ballsy soul.
"Hi Naruto, what are you doing with Rias-san all by yourself? Yuki asked with a serious expression.
Naruto couldn't help but admire her guts, although, it could just be that her lack of social norms was to blame.
Besides, he knew who was responsible.
The shinobi's eyes turned towards Maria, who was sweating bullets at getting caught.
Rias watched in amusement, as Naruto began to pull Maria's cheeks in his annoyance.
She noticed her queen, who wasn't a part of the eavesdropping group, move up to her with a sly smile.
"Buchou...what could you have possibly been doing with foxy-kun all by yourself in the balcony? Especially in such a secluded area. What would your family say to that?" Akeno said with a mock affronted look.
Knowing full well that her closest friend had no such moral qualms to begin with, she safely ignored her teasing and decided to answer her seriously.
"Having a little talk. A nice little talk...Naruto is a really good person, don't you think so too, Akeno?" Rias asked rhetorically.
The black-haired devil looked curious at her friend's vague words, but smiled and agreed with her nonetheless.
Both older girls watched as Naruto began to demand from his eavesdroppers about what they heard, watching as many of them tried to deny any and all wrongdoing.
Yuuto managed to slip away from all of the confusion.
Smart.
"...So what did you two talk about, Rias?" Akeno asked quietly, intentionally calling her friend by her name this time.
Rias merely grinned at her friend.
"Why...about our future aspirations of course."
A new experience from the crawl of daily life, something that her competitive nature thrived on. A goal.
Just as she would help Naruto with his goal, he'd help her with her own.
That's what friends were for after all.
"Oh come on Naruto-sama! It's just a little bit of curious fun! No need for this!"
"Nope. Your videocam has been confiscated until you reflect on your actions. Don't think that I don't know about your ways! You try to take it back by trickery...then your videocam gets it!"
"Nooooooo~!"
Mio was staring at Naruto, who was currently scolding and punishing the main conspirator behind the eavesdropping.
She was curious, super curious, ultra curious on what her 'brother' and Rias-sempai talked about.
But at the moment, she was staying quiet so that the blond eventually forgot about the fact that she was involved in said eavesdropping.
"What is this inequality!? I get punished but Mio-sama gets off without any!? Unfair! I demand a retrial!" Maria cried out with faux tears.
Damn it Maria! Don't sell her out!
"Denied." Naruto quickly shut down. "Besides, who says that Mio wasn't going to get punished?"
The young female started sweating, damn it Maria! You traitor! You don't just rat out your co-conspirators that easily!
"I'm just going to let her suffer by not telling her about what happened with Rias-san. I know about how curious she always is." Naruto stated dryly.
Mio could have teared up with the unfairness of it all.
She didn't see him punishing Yuki! How was this fair!?
The shinobi frowned for a moment, looking up as he scratched his head.
"...Who else was there agian?"
Mio definitely wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all now.
Before any of them could continue, they were all temporarily blinded as a bright light emanated from the floor.
Naruto rolled his eyes once he could see again.
A magic circle.
...Again.
Silver too, so it was obvious who it was.
As expected, the beautiful maid of the Gremory family arrived on the scene.
Obviously enough, the rest of the mansion came running at the large amount of demonic energy that just arrived.
"Greetings everyone, apologies for the interruption, but we have much to discuss." the maid stated stoically.
The shinobi was beginning to hate magic circles.
"Huh!? A celebration!? What for!?" Rias cried out in shock.
She wasn't the only one who was shocked by the news, everyone there was looking at the maid in surprise.
"This is a necessary function in order to break in the news to the many devil clans, Rias-sama. Many of them were looking forward to your betrothal to Riser-sama, so they need to be brought up to speed in a special festivity to prevent anyone from having...a sense of dissatisfaction." Grayfia explained patiently, not just for the Gremory heiress but also for her comrades as well.
"...Did my intervention cause the Maou trouble, Grayfia-san?" Naruto asked wearily, not too sure that his actions have endeared him to the devil leader.
To everyone's surprise, the silver-haired woman actually gave him a small smile.
"No need to worry Naruto-sama, Sirzechs-sama was more than willing to pay extra attention to his political situation than allow his precious sister to get dragged into a loveless marriage." Grayfia reassured calmly.
She herself was quite grateful to the boy.
But first, business.
"That being said, many high-class devils were also looking forward to the engagement party that would have happened, if not sooner, then later. Mostly so that they could get a chance to mingle with other noble families in an enclosed environment. So either way, it's preferable that some sort of function should occur."
Naruto whistled slightly, he was glad that he wasn't a part of such high stakes politics...
"Hey, Rias-san-" the blond tried to call out to his friend.
But all he got was a pointed cough and a look at the person he was trying to talk to.
...Right. He was positive that he didn't use honorifics though.
"...As I was saying...Rias...you have it pretty rough with your politics, huh?" the shinobi finally concluded his sentence.
Yeah, she had it rough sometimes.
"Actually, Naruto-sama...Sirzechs-sama was hoping that you would join in the festivities as well." the maid mentioned suddenly, once more surprising everyone with her words.
None more than the recipient of those words.
"...Come again? I'm pretty sure that I misheard you..." Naruto asked with a twitching smile.
There was no way that Grayfia-san asked him to join in a party with a bunch of freaking nobles. He must have misheard her, it was the only explanation.
That was seriously not his crowd to say the least.
Grayfia gave him a concerned look, she assumed that he would see the benefits of his inclusion to the function due to his ingenuity in solving her sister-in-law's engagement issue.
Perhaps his ingenuity just chose specific moments to manifest itself? Much like her husband?
If so then that's rather annoying.
Nevertheless, she should elaborate.
She should also...turn this into a personal conversation with the two that her husband wanted to see the most.
"Naruto-sama, is it alright I speak with you and Mio-sama alone?" the maid inquired.
The Gremory group turned to one another in confusion, what could the prestigious maid want to speak to the blond about?
Yuki silently glanced at the resident succubus, who looked genuinely worried at just who was asking the duo for a personal talk.
The hero didn't know how to feel about that.
The shinobi himself was silent for a bit, before turning to Mio for her confirmation.
She looked slightly nervous, but she eventually nodded in agreement.
As long as the blond was with her, she could live with it.
"Alright then...let's talk."
After the small group moved to another room in order to talk, Grayfia started to speak.
She decided to not beat around the bush.
"Naruto-sama, I simply figured that you would wish to personally speak with Sirzechs-sama about the daughter of the Original Lucifer; Naruse Mio..." Grayfia started, explaining the reasoning behind her husband's wishes.
That was before she noticed the sudden tenseness in the blond boy's muscles and the sudden alarm in young Mio's eyes.
Ah...that's right.
She never did mention that she was aware of Mio-sama's heritage, didn't she?
"Calm down you two, I was well aware of Mio-sama's identity since I've first met her. As a matter of fact...Sirzechs-sama is also well aware of her identity, and wishes to meet with her during the celebratory gathering." the maid immediately reassured, trying to appear less threatening while she was at it.
But Naruto couldn't help but be slightly nervous of the fact that this woman and the man who overthrew Mio's 'father' knew who the red-head was related to.
"Alright then...what did you mean before by 'benefits'? What could I possibly do in a party with nobles?" Naruto asked with a frown, not quite sure how his entrance could help him or his friends in any way.
"Simple, I'm certain that you are aware that some devils bear grudges against the Original Lucifer for his war-mongering ways, some hate him enough to aim for any family members that they could reasonably destroy. However...this sentiment is mostly prevalent in the realms of the low-class and some middle-class devils, not the high-class devils or above. Mostly because the lower-class devils were the ones who were used to bear the brunt of the Great War." Grayfia explained, seeking to repay the boy for his kindness by truly helping him in return.
Also so that Sirzechs-sama could make sure that the boy wasn't a threat to Rias-sama in the future.
She was a devil indeed.
The shinobi seriously thought this through, seeking to see what the maid was seeing...but that he couldn't.
Think...the lower-class devils were the ones who truly wanted to get back at the Original Lucifer...but the high-class devils didn't care too much...
What could be done with that...?
Seeing that Naruto was still having trouble in seeing the big picture, she further explained herself.
"Naruto-sama...devil society greatly respects hierarchy, strength, and tradition. Two of those could be used to Mio-sama's advantage. Especially when no one is really aware of what the daughter of the Original Lucifer looks like...not unless they sense her demonic energy. Which is not allowed in a social function due to how uncouth it is."
Naruto's eyes lit up at her last explanation.
He understood!
"Basically, I could try to push the high-class devils to stop the low-class devils from acting out against Mio, saying it's in their self-interest to keep the daughter of someone so powerful on their side. Right?" the shinobi spoke in realization.
That was brilliant! Using the hierarchy to keep his precious 'sister' safe from attacks was an ingenious move!
Even though he wasn't fond of the idea of a hierarchy at all...he had to pick his battles here. One thing at a time.
Grayfia smiled again, pleased that he understood.
"I'm surprised it took you so long to figure it out, Naruto-sama. After your display with Riser-sama, I expected you to be more...politically savvy." the maid spoke with a slightly curious tone.
The blond scratched his head in slight embarrassment. "Well...the Riser thing was because I looked at it like a fight, where I have to beat the other guy using feints instead of a full-frontal assault. So when I hardwired my brain like that...I managed to make that plan. Stuff like this just flies over my head if I don't take some time to think about it."
She nodded, that was understandable.
The shinobi turned to Mio, a questioning expression on his face.
"So...what do you want to do, Mio? Want come with me? It's up to you." Naruto asked quietly, wishing for her to make her own choice on the matter.
Mio bit her lips, unsure of what to do in this situation.
On one hand, she thought that heading to the Underworld at all was a terrible idea. Especially to a place with powerful devil nobles.
But the thought of getting rid of the target on her back was very...attractive.
Also...the current Lucifer wanted to speak to her, but she definitely wanted to speak to him.
This might be one of the few chances she got to talk to the Maou, and if she neglected to go, then she might insult him. Causing him to view her in a negative light.
She really didn't need that.
Her eyes hardened as she made her decision.
"I want to come too."
That was all Grayfia needed to hear.
"Very well, I will inform Rias-sama about your decision and then inform Sirzechs-sama about your acceptance." the maid began, while moving to open the door and leave the room.
But a hand stopped her.
She turned to see an extremely nervous Naruse Mio, eyes begging her to stop.
"Wa-Wait. Please. I know this might not make much sense but...can you not tell Rias-sempai about the fact that I'm the daughter of the Original Lucifer?" Mio begged quietly, face scrunched up in nervous tension.
Grayfia's eyes seemed to have soften slightly at the girl's admittance.
"...Very well, I will skip that piece of information. That being said, you cannot hide your heritage from her forever, Mio-sama." the silver-haired woman stated without much emotion.
She herself could sympathize with not allowing family connections and heritage to disrupt your relationships. She was a part of the Lucifuge family, a family aligned with the Original Maous.
The girl must be genuine to have such blatant fears about her heritage getting out.
She should know, she had seen that look of nervousness in her own eyes once.
With that, she left room in order to speak to Rias-sama again.
No doubt that her husband had already sent the invitations out.
"...Hmph. So Sirzechs has decided to create a celebratory party to prevent some ruffled feathers huh...? Not a bad plan. But I wonder what his true goal is..."
"...Lucifer-sama, should I attend the gathering? I've received an invitation to appear but..."
"No. You are still useful to me, Diodora. The moment that you enter that gathering, you would be found out and exposed for your actions. But more importantly...this is a perfect opportunity to utilize. Inform Riser that if he wants to avenge his loss against Uzumaki Naruto...that now is the time."
Diodora looked up from his kneeling position to look at his master in surprise. "In such a public function...?"
Blue eyes peered at the kneeling Astaroth heir in annoyance. "It is precisely because this is a public function, that this is a perfect opportunity. Put the entire Underworld on notice that there is a new power at play here...the heirs of the true Maou."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed at Diodora, eyes demanding for his prize.
"Do you have them? Diodora?"
The Astaroth immediately produced a small tray of bottles to his master, wishing to appease him.
The entire tray began to float away from Astaroth's hands and moved carefully into Lucifer's hands, where it was carefully handled with care due to it's contents.
"...Phoenix tears. An excellent acquisition for helping a measly bug." the devil of royal blood said quietly.
"Yes! Of course it was due to your brilliance that we have achieved such an item! What could the true devils have done without your leadership?" Diodora praised wildly.
Diodora's master remained silent for a moment, inspecting the liquids of the many bottles.
Then...
"...Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"...Eh?"
Before Diodora could say another word, a gauntlet-covered hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up from the ground.
The young man began to choke under the pressure.
"...Did you think that I wouldn't check the contents of the bottles? Notice that one of the bottles had less than the others? That you tried to use one of them? Don't take me for such a fool." Lucifer stated casually, as his hand steadily applied more force to his grip.
It was obvious that he tried to use it for his injuries.
It obviously failed.
"Wa-Wait! Lucifer-samaaaaaa...! It was...just...a drop! I...I'm sorry...!" Diodora choked out, as he flailed to get out of the stranglehold that his master had him in.
The devil leader said nothing for a moment, just watching as the young Astaroth's struggling lessened over time.
Curious.
"Very well." Lucifer finally spoke, as he let go of his grip on the young devil's neck.
The man let loose a gasp and then gulped in a large amount of air for his lungs.
Before Diodora even noticed him move, Lucifer was already back to his throne. Peering down at him.
"...Make a mistake like that again...and I'm sure I don't need to tell you what will happen, do I?"
"O-Of course! This will never happen again! I promise!" Diodora pitifully begged.
"Good. Now inform Riser of his opportunity...you are useful to me, but not essential. Don't make that mistake a second time."
With that, the Astaroth heir scurried away, terrified and wishing to stay away from his master for a while.
That was fine to Lucifer...he was paying attention to more important matters.
It was time to see what Uzumaki Naruto could really do.