After Azazel left, Yoru lowered his head in thought. What he was pondering was actually quite simple—was the Governor of the Fallen Angels mentally unstable?
The man had randomly shown up, talked nonsense about "looking forward to our next meeting," and then disappeared. So yes, Yoru concluded, that guy must be crazy.
Occult Research Club Room.
Despite thinking the governor might be a bit of a lunatic, Yoru still reported the unexpected meeting to Rias and the others.
The fallen angels were typically after Sacred Gears. Even though someone of Azazel's status wouldn't stoop so low as to try stealing Yoru's Sacred Gear, it was still worth being cautious.
"Azazel… the Governor of the Fallen Angels?"
Everyone naturally looked shocked upon hearing Yoru's report. A big-name figure like that was someone they never even dreamed of meeting before.
"What's there to be surprised about? You'll all be meeting high-level figures from all three factions soon. If you lose your composure then, it'll be far too embarrassing."
Seeing her peerage's flustered expressions, Rias scolded them in a lecturing tone.
"Well, they're still kids after all. Reactions like that are understandable, Rias."
Suddenly, a new voice chimed in. Everyone turned toward its source and saw a red-haired man smiling at them.
Yoru was, of course, familiar with that face. As for Rias's peerage, they all dropped to their knees in salute—except for Asia, Irina, and Xenovia, the three who originally came from the Church.
The three girls exchanged confused glances, not understanding what was happening.
That is, until Rias stood up in shock and called out the man's identity.
"B–B–B–Brother?"
Her voice was filled with surprise. Clearly, she didn't understand why her brother had come to the school without saying a word.
"Azazel wouldn't pull something like Kokabiel did, but pranks like this are definitely his style. Come to think of it, the Governor arrived in Japan earlier than scheduled."
So spoke the Demon King himself. Behind him stood his silver-haired maid, Grayfia. As his "Queen," her presence was only natural.
Although also part of Rias's peerage, Yoru showed no signs of nervousness upon seeing Sirzechs. Nor did he kneel or show any particular reverence.
"Relax, everyone. I came here in a personal capacity today."
Sirzechs didn't mind Yoru's behavior and gestured for everyone to ease up. Kiba and the others also stood back up.
Oddly, Rias began blushing. She seemed to think that Yoru's refusal to kneel meant he viewed himself as her future husband—a position where bowing would be unnecessary.
"Hey, my dear sister. By the way, this room is incredibly dull. Even with all these young girls around, the decor consists only of magic circles. That's a problem."
"Now's not the time to be saying weird things like that, Brother! Why… why did you come here?"
Still flustered, Rias questioned him, and Sirzechs casually pulled out a flyer.
"What are you talking about? The school's Parent Observation Day is coming up, isn't it? I thought I should come too. I really want to see how hard my sister is studying, up close."
"It… it was Grayfia who told you, wasn't it?"
Clearly troubled, Rias looked toward Grayfia. The maid nodded.
"Yes. Reports from the academy are handed to me, as I'm in charge of managing the Gremory family's schedule. And naturally, as Lord Sirzechs' Queen, I report important matters to him."
Upon hearing this, Rias let out a heavy sigh. She didn't look particularly pleased.
"Even though I'm busy with Demon King duties, when I read the report, I truly wanted to attend your Parent Day. I'd even take a day off for it. Don't worry—Father will come too."
"T-That's not what I'm worried about! Brother, you're a Demon King! You can't just abandon your duties! A Demon King shouldn't show favoritism!"
Rias continued to argue, but Sirzechs just shook his head again.
"No, Rias, this is part of my job. In fact, I'm thinking about holding the Three Factions Conference here at this academy. So this visit is also to inspect the venue."
"Here…? Are you serious?"
Rias's eyes widened. Of course she would need to confirm something that shocking.
"Yes. It seems we have some kind of connection with this place. My sister is here. A Holy Demon Sword wielder is here. So is the wielder of Excalibur. Even Serafall Leviathan's sister is enrolled. Both Kokabiel and the White Dragon Emperor have attacked here in succession. It's not something you can explain away as mere coincidence. Likely, the mixture of powers has created some sort of distortion. And I suspect that distortion is accelerating because of one person—Yoru. A rule-breaking existence."
Sirzechs said this while smiling at Yoru—a look reminiscent of how one might view a brother-in-law. Rias lowered her head, blushing deeply.
Of course, the "rule-breaking" part referred to Yoru having been reincarnated using eleven Evil Pieces.
"I've heard about your deeds too. You faced off against Kokabiel alone, protected Rias… as her brother, I never got the chance to properly thank you."
"As a member of the Gremory household, I only did what was expected of me."
Yoru replied calmly, with a humble smile.
"You're the Demon King, huh? Nice to meet you. My name is Xenovia."
The one who interjected was the newly turned devil with green-streaked hair. Once a wielder of Excalibur, Xenovia now served as one of Rias's knights.
"Nice to meet you, Xenovia. I'm Sirzechs Lucifer. Rias already told me about you. When I first heard that a former Excalibur wielder had reincarnated as a devil and become my sister's servant… to be honest, I thought I was hearing things."
"I never imagined I'd become a devil either. To be reborn as what I once fought to destroy... I still sometimes regret the recklessness of my choice… Yeah. Why did I become a devil? Out of despair? No, back then, I really believed nothing mattered anymore... But even now, I wonder—was becoming a devil truly the right thing?"
As she spoke, Xenovia lowered her head, lost in thought. Though some time had passed since her reincarnation, like Asia, she still hadn't completely let go of her former faith.
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