"Who is that? Why is he sitting with the Demon Kings…?"
"Huh? I swear I've seen him somewhere before!"
"That's Prince Adrien Agares, you idiots!"
"What?! That's him?!"
Murmurs spread through the crowd as more and more young devils turned their eyes toward the platform where the Demon Kings were seated.
Right there among them sat Adrien himself. Below the platform, his peerage sat in the seats reserved for them.
Adrien clicked his tongue and glanced at Sirzechs, who was sitting beside him.
"Perfect," he muttered dryly. "Now I won't be able to walk through the streets without getting surrounded by people."
Sirzechs only smiled.
Adrien's name was already well known throughout the Underworld by now. After all, news of his accomplishments had spread far and wide. But this was different, this was his first real public appearance on this level.
Sitting beside the Four Great Satans in front of everyone was more than enough to burn his face into the minds of the entire crowd. Now, everyone would know his face too.
The six up-and-coming young devils stood at the center of the stage, with their peerages lined up behind them.
They were Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri, Seekvaira Agares, Sairaorg Bael, Diodora Astaroth, and Zephyrdor Glasya-Labolas. Zephyrdor had returned, though his body was now covered in bruises.
Falbium didn't seem interested in what happened with his cousin.
"Thank you all for coming." An elderly male devil stood before the stage with his arms crossed, "We have gathered here today to look upon the faces of the next generation and judge the future of our youth."
Sirzechs spoke next from his seat, right beside Adrien.
"In terms of name, pedigree, and ability, the six of you are among the most promising devils of your generation," he said calmly. "That is why, before your formal debuts, we wish for you to compete against one another. Through these matches, you will sharpen yourselves and grow."
Sairaorg raised his head and looked toward the Demon Kings. "Will we eventually be expected to fight the Khaos Brigade?"
"That has yet to be decided. If possible, I would prefer not to send our young people against them."
Beside him, Adrien leaned slightly closer and whispered, "Does that include me?"
Sirzechs ignored him completely. Adrien clicked his tongue.
"With all respect, Lord Lucifer, we are young, but we are still devils. We cannot simply hide behind the older generation forever. If we keep waiting while others carry every burden for us, how are we supposed to prove ourselves?"
Sirzechs' expression softened "Sairaorg, we acknowledge your bravery. However, bravery and recklessness are not the same thing. It is important that those who are still maturing are not forced into battle too soon. Please understand. If anything were to happen to the next generation, the loss would be far too great."
His gaze moved across the six young devils standing on the stage. "You are more precious to us than you realize. That is why you must move forward gradually, step by carefully prepared step."
Sairaorg looked more or less convinced by Sirzechs's assertion. "I understand,"
"Now then," Sirzechs began calmly, folding his hands together. "The first matter is the schedule for the next series of Rating Games. We intend to hold several exhibition matches before the official debut season begins."
One of the elderly devils nodded. "Correct. The matches will not affect official rankings, but they will allow the old families to evaluate the next generation's command ability, strategy, peerage balance, and public appeal."
Serafall raised her hand with a bright smile. "And popularity! Don't forget popularity! If the young devils look cool and cute, people will cheer for them more!"
"The current Rating Game system still favors direct combat power too heavily, so we'll be working on including games that would need more strategizing with new fields, limited-resource environments, and rule sets that force commanders to think."
"There is also the matter of Evil Piece compatibility. Some young Kings are collecting peerages too quickly without considering the long-term structure of their team. A strong servant is useless if they cannot function inside the King's overall strategy." Sirzechs said.
Ajuka nodded. "A peerage is not a collection of trophies. It is a unit built on trust, loyalty, and purpose."
They continued talking about Rating Game stuff for a while.
"…Now then, to put it simply," Sirzechs said, looking over the young devils on the stage, "our hopes for the future rest with all of you. Please understand that. You are the Underworld's greatest treasures."
Everyone started clapping at Lucifer's words.
Then Sirzechs smiled gently. "Before we conclude, we would like to hear each of your future goals."
Sairaorg was the first to step forward. "My dream, is to become a Demon King."
A wave of quiet gasps spread through the higher-ups.
"Oh…"
"To declare it so openly…"
"A Demon King from a princely house? That is unheard of," one of the older devils remarked, sounding both shocked and impressed.
Sairaorg stood tall, completely unshaken by their reactions.
"Y'all are pushing the Demon King propaganda way too hard," Adrien said lazily to the four Satans next to him. "How do you sleep at night knowing you're brainwashing the young generation with this bullshit?"
"This is what people call ambition, Adrien," Ajuka said with a faint smile.
Sairaorg placed a hand over his chest and declared with complete confidence, "When the people of the Underworld feel there is no choice but to make me a Demon King, that is when I shall accept the position."
The audience barely had time to react before Rias stepped forward and announced her own ambition.
"My goal is to succeed as the next head of the House of Gremory," she said proudly, "and to win every last Rating Game competition!"
Applause followed Rias's declaration.
Then Seekvaira stepped forward, her expression calm and composed. "As the next head of the Agares family, my goal is to uphold the order of the Underworld and fulfill the duties entrusted to the Archduke house."
After her, Diodora Astaroth smiled gently and placed a hand over his chest. "As the next head of the Astaroth family, I wish to contribute to the prosperity of the Underworld and bring further honor to my house."
Zephyrdor stepped forward. Unlike the others, he didn't bother with dignity or noble manners. His bruised face twisted into a glare as his eyes locked onto Adrien.
"My goal is to become the strongest devil," Zephyrdor said, pointing straight at him, "and humiliate you. I'll make everyone acknowledge my name."
Everyone turned to where Zephyrdor was looking, Adrien was on his seat reading his notebook. In fact, he wasn't even listening anymore. The moment Seekvaira finished speaking, he had already lost interest.
Zephyrdor was about to shout at Adrien again, but before he could say anything, Sona stepped forward.
"My goal," Sona said clearly, "is to build a school here in the Underworld. A school that teaches devils how to fight in Rating Games."
A few of the higher-ups immediately frowned. "Is there not already an academy for studying Rating Games?" one of them asked.
"There is," she answered calmly. "However, only High-Class devils and those of privileged rank are allowed to enroll there. I want to build a school without ranks or social barriers. A place where even Low-Class devils and reincarnated devils can attend."
Suddenly laughter filled the the audience hall.
"Impossible!"
"How absurd!"
"I see. So the Sitri heiress is a dreamy little girl."
"Ah, youth. How charming. To think the next head of House Sitri would cling to such an innocent fantasy… At least she said it here before her official debut."
The Underworld had become more progressive than it used to be, but old discrimination was still deeply rooted in devil society. High-Class devils looked down on Low-Class devils. Pure-blooded devils looked down on reincarnated devils. Many nobles still believed that hierarchy was the natural order of the world.
Amid the mocking laughter, Sona's expression didn't change. "I am serious."
One of the elder devils leaned forward, his tone cold and dismissive. "Sona Sitri, Low-Class devils and reincarnated devils exist to serve their masters. They are chosen because of the talents they already possess. Creating a training institution for them would insult the old families who have protected our traditions for generations."
Several old nobles nodded in agreement.
"We may be living in an age of change," the elder continued, "but not everything should be changed. Educating Low-Class devils is not something you should concern yourself with."
That was when Saji couldn't hold himself back anymore.
"I can't take this anymore! Why are you all laughing at the President's—no, at Lady Sona's dream?! What the hell is wrong with you people?! Who are you to decide she can't do it?! Who gave you the right to laugh just because her dream doesn't fit your stupid traditions?! We're serious down here! Every single one of us!"
One of the high-ranking demons stood up "Hold your tongue, reincarnated demon—!"
"Or what?" Adrien's voice echoed throughout the audience hall for the first time.
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Yo we reached the power stone goals so I'll be dropping a bonus chapter today.
When we reach 400 powers tones and I'll drop another bonus chapter.
If you can put reviews so I can know what you think about the story so far I'd be a real help!