Intermission

Grayfia's POV

For the Nth time this week, Grayfia tried to contact Nora but he was not answering his phone and her messages never got a reply. She wished that she had time to go and visit him but Grayfia barely had time to contact him other than using her phone. She had the feeling that something was wrong since there was this distant feeling. Nora had cut communication with her side, and the last thing she heard was that he needed some time since he was busy. It was strange and suspicious, the fact that she only heard it from Venelana and not even from the boy himself only strengthened her belief that something was wrong, but she could not figure out what this was about.

After finishing work today, she will go and visit him. If he did not come to her, she will go to him. The feeling that something was not ok bugged her greatly and letting things continue this way while she did nothing was not a wise idea.

"Grayfia, are you listening?" Sirzechs voice called out to her.

Sighing, Grayfia glanced at her King with unamused eyes.

"Yes, I heard you. Sending me to that meeting to guard your family sends like a proper reason for me to leave your side, or rather, a proper reason for you to send me away, isn't that correct?" Grayfia glared.

Slightly trembling as he received her stare, Sirchezs coldly sweated, but he nonetheless kept a harmless smile.

"Yes, I would like you to follow Okita-san and provide support. My mother and Rias-tan will attend a gathering of fellow noble women and children while my father will go to the annual meeting of 72 Devils." Sirzechs said.

Deciding to ignore his obvious nervousness, Grayfia furrowed her eyebrows.

"Isn't it too early...?" Grayfia mumbled.

Turning serious, Sirzechs nodded.

"Some of the lower rank devils are eager to assist when they were the type to use excuses to turn down any invitations." Sirzechs commented. "I asked you to accompany them because I find it odd. You can call it as you like it but there is something uncanny about it, I have a hunch it is not going to be your regular meeting."

"Is it because of that rumor?" Grayfia inquired.

It lacked any sort of basis, but Grayfia had heard that a rogue member of the Nebiros Clan, a remnant of the old faction who escaped and lived in isolation had found a way to cause the Devil's Sleeping disease.

Such a thing was bound to cause unrest among the public regardless of the veracity of the rumor. Although Grayfia got the chills by imagining someone who could inflict people with that horrendous disease.

"No matter what, taking a risk is not something I am willing to afford." Sirzechs said. "Can you do it?"

Shaking her head, Grayfia smiled wryly.

"Protecting Rias and Venelana is not an issue, I am used to it. However, shouldn't I be guarding the Maou for multiple reasons?" Grayfia asked.

"I will meet Ajuka later so you could say we will not need escorts given that two Super Devils are together." Sirzechs replied.

"Meeting Ajuka? There was no such a thing in your schedule." Grayfia muttered in an uncertain tone.

Biting his lips, Sirzechs hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

"Zekram, that man, he contacted me telling me that he had some information about Nora-kun's mother. It is not that important, but any kind of information at this point is a blessing." Sirzechs said.

Widening her eyes, Grayfia did something that she would not usually do unless she was 'administrating' some sense into Sirzechs. She grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him.

"Is that true!? Have you found her whereabouts!?" Grayfia nervously asked.

While she did not get along with Saya, the guilt of being partly responsible for her disappearance never disappeared despite Nora's words. In her heart, she will always be responsible for Nora's devil transformation and his life without a mother.

It was laughable that someone like Grayfia, who shed so much blood during the war, and caused so many children to live without their father or mother, would lose sleep when she thought of Nora's sad visage.

"Calm down, Grayfia, you will tear my suit. My wife will kill me if she finds out another woman ripped my clothes. She left me sleeping in the castle's basement for three days because I happened to accidentally flirt with one maid." Sirzechs pleaded.

Feeling a bit of pity on her king for his tough life or simply feeling guilty because she was the one who told his wife about the flirting, Grayfia loosened her grip slightly.

"Jeez, this is why you can't get married, you scare any possible- wait, no, no, no, Grayfia!" Sirzechs cried out when the sleeves of his outfit were torn away.

"Speak, what happened?" Grayfia spoke in a cold tone of voice.

Sniffing slightly, Sirzechs held back his tears.

"I am not sure. It is mostly about the fight essence where she was believed to have fiercely attacked someone. It seems that Zekram persuaded a witness that wouldn't speak about what happened that day. Instead of Saya, the information is about the man she fought." Sirzechs sadly held his sleeves.

Sighing, Grayfia wondered if she should quit being his Queen. Before marriage, he used to be more fearless, yet now he was like this just because he feared his wife.

"We can fix those with magic later so stop pouting, it is creepy when a man does it." Grayfia muttered.

"Isn't that a little cruel!? I am still your king... *Sigh* where is the respect for me...?" Sirzechs downheartedly commented. "Anyways, there is an issue regarding the information so I will be busy coordinating. The number of people I will be using will be extremely small due to confidentiality issues so I might even need to step up in person. I would love to have more people, but I can't afford to use that many resources on information that does not even involve Saya-san herself."

"Then, I-" Grayfia wanted to speak but had to stop when Sirzechs signaled her not to.

"For now, you should go with my mother and Rias as their escort, once that is done, you can follow the leads." Sirzechs said. "Grayfia, I know that you feel like it is your job to be the one to find Saya-san, but it is not like that. Nora-kun spoke to me the other day and told me to stop you if you were going too far. From the way I see it, you will recklessly charge in if you find the tiniest opportunity."

With mixed feelings, Grayfia did not know if she should be honest and feel happy over Nora's attention to detail or reproach the boy for speaking to her boss behind her back. Regardless, she understood that Nora was thinking of her well-being and that something to be grateful about.

"The usually cold-in-working-mode Grayfia is smiling, and it is all because of a young boy. I see, Grayfia, you had that kind of taste, that is why you always rejected marriage proposals. What a pickle, I thought that Nora could help me null Rias-tan's marriage proposal with the Phenex after she told me that she would refuse, but if you take him as your husband, you would not share him out of jealousy... no, maybe he can take you both!? What a great idea, if it is him, I could leave Rias-kun and Grayfia-kun under his care. Umu." Sirzechs spoke in a loud tone of voice.

After hearing that, Grayfia gave up retorting and sent a message to Sirzechs' wife.

"Is Rias ready to follow that decision to the end?" Grayfia asked.

Not mentioning Sirzechs anything about the message, Grayfia felt a bit of pity since she won't see him getting punished.

"Well, my father made that promise long ago, but as you recall, that man came in charging into our castle that one time and told him to never make that arranged marriage, however, it was too late already. The deal had been made so that guy threatened to make him ball-less if he did not cancel it." Sirzechs smiled wryly. "I remember my father's face at that time, it was quite amusing to see such an experienced devil turn whiter than a sheet of paper. Nonetheless, I would also pale if that man entered here and threatened me like that. His technique was the real deal, one blow to the crouch, and no one was spared. Even though they used to leer at you or his companions, I can't deny that as a man I felt pity for the ones receiving that attack."

"Thanks to that though, as long as Rias shows the will to change her marriage, she can break the engagement." Grayfia commented. "That said, while I am in favor of the fact that we must not tell Rias, I am still confused about his ways."

"Aren't we all? He is legally considered a terrorist, but his actions were extremely beneficial to the devil society. Saving so many people tied the government's hands and they can't pursue him or they might face many oppositions from the regular folks, even people like us who had close relationships with him would not stay quiet."

Carrying a nostalgic smile, Grayfia recalled the days they all hung up together. It was usually Grayfia and Serafall that would try to find him, Serafall, because he was the person who taught her about magical girls, and Grayfia asked him about maids. He was someone quite knowledgeable about all kinds of cosplays but they could not think of anything else other than the fields they liked. That said, Grayfia was painfully aware that that man was the reason that Sirzechs and Ajuka had a secret liking for maids after he taught about the wonders of it.

"There was one thing I can't still wrap my head around." Sirzechs tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Why did he have Evil Pieces, not to mention, a completed version that was supposed to only be in the process of creation. Ones that Ajuka never released... yet, they were all black and shone eerily from time to time."

Not knowing how to reply, Grayfia stayed in silence but her heart also held the same question.

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...

Following her king's family to the party was not an issue. Several noble devil customs made them go by carriage instead of simply teleporting there. Like always, Grayfia found it a bit tedious to follow such a custom. It was not like she hated customs, after all, coming from one of the 6 devil houses that directly served Lucifer, she was taught little about the importance of customs, and how she should always respect them. Nonetheless, thanks to meeting that man, she did not end up as a puppet that followed orders without questioning them, and in extension, she grew to dislike some of the customs that in her opinion were unnecessary.

The fact that they had to arrive at a particular time just to be seen by the lower nobles, and show off their prestige seemed like a bad idea if they wished to spread equality among devils, and it could have a reverse effect and make people doubt their claims.

Grayfia followed a few steps behind her king's family as they got down their carriage, and passed by a long and luxurious red carpet. She walked with Okita by her side, and the man wore servant clothes like her, in her case, she wore a maid outfit, in his case... a butler outfit. The tanned man, who was used to wearing Japanese clothing since the moment he entered her king's Peerage, looked awkward. However, she could not blame him, the looks they all received would make anyone feel that way. Lustful looks, grudge full looks, envious looks, and the list would go on, but it only meant that they were currently the center of attention and they were being scrutinized. Every step they took, every movement they made, all were judged by those who observed them. While Zeoticus and Venelana were used to such a thing, she could feel the wavering confidence coming from Okita and Rias. She was worried about Rias, but it would be unbecoming of a maid to simply act if there was not an actual issue, not to mention that Rias had to learn to deal with events like this in one way or another.

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"If you have the chance, please arrange some free time for Miss Grayfia, that way, she could come and visit our dear Sunil, he is a handsome man with a bright future both in politics and rating games, he and Miss Grayfia would be a perfect match. Unfortunately, he had some business to attend to so he was not able to come here, but he has expressed his desire to meet her and if both parties agree, form some sort of bond. Of course, I am not trying to make her change peerage, I wouldn't dare to suggest taking away a member from the current Lucifer, although women who are married usually join their husband's peerages, I am not trying to say it should be that way with Miss Grayfia. Nevertheless, I must say that it would be an extreme outcome."

Observing from one side, Grayfia looked at the conversation that was happening in front of her. A noblewoman that couldn't look more vulgar due to the combination of unnecessary makeup and excessive jewelry. She had a curvaceous figure and wore a revealing dress, but her demeanor looked far from noble if you compared her to a woman like Venelana. Grayfia had to do her very best to avoid showing even the slightest sign of disgust or even scowling at that unreasonable proposal.

Whether it was lucky or not, Grayfia had experienced such a thing in the past, and it was several times so she was a veteran at doing poker face for matters like this. That said, there was someone capable of putting her years of experience to shame. Nora was capable of spouting so much nonsense that even she can't help but react.

"Is that so? I could certainly arrange a meeting if the opportunity arises. That said, you must be aware that Grayfia has a busy schedule, and her duties are not always escorting missions such as these, but actual extermination of threats to the devil society. Her fighting power is not something that she simply grew by aging but rather by fighting for the people on battlefields." Venelana spoke with a gentle smile. "That said, she is by no means against her duties and would like to continue doing so for many years to come regardless of her marital status. She is not the type to abandon her duties for personal matters. Oh, on another note, she likes to use her free time to have spare fights on regular basis. Oh, I said 'spare', but she does not hold back one bit. She is a firm believer of that man's words."

Each word caused the vulgar-looking woman to turn paler and paler, cold sweat running down her face as she tried to keep a polite smile but the sweat was making a mess of her makeup.

"Hohoho, is that so? T-That sounds lovely, ah, now that I recalled, my son has a busy schedule for months and can't meet Miss Grayfia so I guess the meeting will be postponed until... eh, indefinitely, yes, there is no a fixed date. With your permission, Dutchess, I will take my leave."

Hastily walking away, the woman almost collided with a maid carrying drinks, and it was thanks to the unnecessarily sharp reflexes and skills of the young woman, who backstepped in time, that nothing was spilled despite the forceful move.

"Ara, she ran away." Venelana muttered in an amused tone.

"You basically made me look like a violent woman who will beat up her son on daily basis. Unless the guy is a masochist, it would scare most people." Grayfia retorted.

"Oh my, would you rather have that meeting?" Venelana inquired.

"I would rather die before meeting that sly and useless bastard. He has the reputation of an able player, but he only uses the women he seduces. They are always stronger than him and he acts like a weakling that needs protection to make them take the stage. His feeble look only helps him accomplish his deeds." Grayfia commented in disgust.

Smiling in response, Venelana did not show any fluctuation on her face. Grayfia decided to meet or not meet people, but she usually asked her to turn down such a thing. That said, recalling the looks of that man, she got a little mischievous.

"Is that so? I mean... I thought you like younger ones." Venelana put on a curious look.

"...first my king, now his mother. Venelana-sama, would you be so kind to tell me if your question has its origin in a certain maid that started working directly under your persona not long ago? Now now, don't be that hasty in shaking your head in denial. She probably asked you to keep the secret, the secret about the outing I had with Nora-kun, and before you make groundless accusations... It was all an accident, I did not plan for that to happen, I am being serious." Grayfia pointed out.

Venelana looked at Grayfia with a smile before narrowing her eyes.

"I never believed what Shuri said about you attacking Nora-kun, but I have to change my thoughts now. What were you thinking? He is just 10, wait until he gets old enough, legally speaking, and please do not retort to those methods, for the Maou's sake, invite him to dinner at least, Grayfia." Venelana reproached.

Slightly shaking, Grayfia had a mixture of emotions. First, she regretted speaking carelessly, she let her emotion take the better of her and exploded. Shuri always made those kinds of questions and she assumed that Venelana was aware of that accident from back then. That said, she could not blame anyone because from an outsider's point of view it looked like she was into the boy. Besides, there were a ton of ways to solve her conundrum back then. Yet she used the one of worse, and more prone to cause misunderstanding, way. However, she won't deny that Shuri still held some fault in this. She was always asking those questions and doubting her pure friendship with Nora. She deserves some extra work. Not mentioning the fact that she was visiting her husband and taking a vacation, leaving her with more work and taking Rias' friend thus causing her to be down.

The only good thing was that she will have Sona at her side, so Grayfia could rest assured.

While avoiding Venelana's judgemental stare, Grayfia prayed that Rias had a good time, only to get a headache. Devils were not meant to pray.

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It was around the time when Grayfia saw lesser servants going around offering drinks and snacks for people that a mental transmission coming from Okita asking her to go to a specific location arrived.

Finding the situation unnerving, Grayfia told Okita to simply state her business, but he answered by saying that he wanted to show her a picture of the future husband of his daughters. It seemed that he planned to leave both under his care. Grayfia stiffened when she heard that and inwardly panicked, but remained composed before explaining what she just heard to Venelana. Both devils women shared a look and their expressions did not fluctuate but they each reacted differently. Venelana walked away in the direction of her friend Sara, Sona's mother, who happened to be speaking with the lady from the Phenex family. Once she saw them going for Rias and the rest, Grayfia left.

An emergency had emerged and Okita had let her know. After all, Okita tearfully vowed to never marry his daughters when they were born, and while their mother had trashed Okita for that nonsense, he had made clear to anyone that they will never go under a man's peerage, or rather, he would only allow it if the other party was a woman and there were no males in their peerage that would dare to flirt with his daughters. He barely considered leaving them under Rias' care because of the Gremory's disposition of being affectionate for their familiars.

There must be something wrong if he requested to meet each other instead of talking through the communication magic. The fact he used such a round-up way to do so must be something that requires immediate action. Grayfia had stayed near Venelana and Rias while Okita escorted Zeoticus during a meeting until several sensitive topics were discussed and the escorts were requested to leave. Thus, he was middle so his last report was that he was going to check the security of the building on his own. He said that trusting the measures taken by those who have not failed to protect the VIPs until now is not bad, but not taking extra measures would be unwise. Grayfia herself would usually act the same way he did so as his superior, she allowed it until it was time to escort Zeoticus again.

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"It took me a while to trace your presence until this point, my apologies for the delay. I hope you keep this brief, the fact that tracking you when you were not trying to hide your presence already tells me that something is going on." Grayfia spoke as soon as she saw Okita.

The man carried two katanas tied on his waist and his butler suit was no more, instead, he carried his old and trusty Shinsengumi uniform, the one he liked to wear usually on missions. This was another clue for Grayfia that the matter was serious and he was leaning on the wall close to rooms with doors that had 'servants female rest room' and 'servants male rest room' attached to a plaque.

"It is ok, there is not only a problem with detection, but someone must be spying on the contents of the communication spells. That is to say, someone is eavesdropping on our conversations." Okita signaled to follow after him.

Taking a few steps, Okita entered the male rest room', the door was the type so close once someone stopped holding onto it, so the door closed after Okita entered, it did not allow Grayfia to see what was inside, but the brief instant that the door opened, a familiar rusty smell assaulted her nose.

Blood.

Following Okita, Grayfia saw the interior of the room. There was no unnecessary furniture in the room, only those that needed to rest, such as chairs, couches, and even beds, tables in case they needed it, and toilets on the side. This was located deep into the building so it was likely used for the staff that had to work nonstop until late and had parties or celebrations scheduled for the next day and going home would take their time. The maid guild did not exactly approve of exploiting staff this was but they could not force people who were willing to be exploited to stop working. Despite offering work to those who needed it, they only let trustworthy individuals into their inner circle, making it hard to stop situations like this from happening.

It was unlikely that the staff could even complain even if they were convinced, after all, Grayfia noticed it the moment she set a foot in the room, they were all dead.

"Those on the corner..." Grayfia turned to the corners of the room.

On the ground, candles on top of some sort of altar were burning slowly and they were arranged to form some sort of symbol that Grayfia could not completely comprehend.

"There are more in each corner of the room, the same goes for the female restroom beside this one. However, compared to this case, having killed the man swiftly by stabbing their hearts from behind, the women had their hearts pulled out and they were all neatly arranged in the middle of the room on top of an altar." Okita reported.

"Some sort of ritual, sacrifices?" Grayfia frowned. "There are many witchcrafts that use sacrifices and blood as a medium to cast spells so we cannot point out the culprit easily. Without mentioning... the one who arranged this seemed to have modified the spell to throw away any clue that would directly lead us to the culprit."

"Thus, leaving us at a loss about which countermeasure to take." Okita shrugged his shoulders.

A feeling like she had seen before this kind of spell made Grayfia irritated because she could not point out the source. However, the fact that she found it familiar meant that she had dealt with it before.

"Let me take a look at the other scene." Grayfia said. "Another thing, are the other people in charge of guard duty aware of these scenes?"

At this point, she doubted that the event would continue properly unless the stubborn pride of some nobles caused them to stay here. While that was foolish, the noble pride of some old devils was commonly like that.

"In that regard, we have already started to inform the others, but due to the communication issue, we are using a face-to-face method. It takes longer, but it should prevent them from eavesdropping on our plans. Since there is not a proper chain of command, everyone is focusing on the safety of their person of interest. Nonetheless, it was widely agreed among the finders of these places to keep a low profile and make sure to inform the necessary personnel." Okita muttered as he left the room. "Let's make haste, take a look at it, if that does not work, I propose that we split again, I would go for Zeoticus-sama, while you take the ladies to safety."

Nodding at that course of action, Grayfia did not find any flaw despite feeling uneasy. Along with the feeling of familiarity over the witchcraft, there was another thing in the corner of her mind that bothered her. It was a warning he gave the Gremory household long ago.

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Walking back with heavy steps, Grayfia almost raced back to meet with Venelana and Rias. Okita was already running at full speed to guard Zeoticus, but it was not certain if he could make it. Grayfia wanted nothing more than to run but the hallways leading to that hall had a sudden flux of people, she had to fight her way through by pushing away whoever stood in her way regardless of their status. Her priority was to protect her precious people and nothing would stop her.

She did not panic, contrary to the faces full of worry and unease from the people whom she passed by, Grayfia easily acknowledged that there was a crisis. Communication was unusable while teleportation was sealed. Those two facts were what she learned after meeting with Okita.

As soon as she saw the altar, memories flooded in and she was able to recall the witchcraft's culprit... along with the warning that man gave her.

The old one, the almighty one, the great one, or even the ancient one, that cult worships a deity that can be considered an evil god just by judging from the actions they took. She had faced such a people long ago, during the devil war over 400 years ago. Along with that man, she faced those people repeatedly and their inhumane acts left a shadow in devil history. Although those born after those events remain unaware of such a thing, the older devils can still remember those horrors.

Nevertheless, what chilled her heart was the warning the man gave her. It was going to happen at some point and he was not clear about it, but assassination attempts against the Gremory will happen. It was one of the reasons why she remained at the side of the warm-hearted household. He was quite clear that they must let their guard down, and they have been extremely careful, even using her king's peerage to guard his family instead of Zeoticus' members due to the difference in strength. Years ago, Rias and Sona were in a similar situation but Nora happened to be there with them, if he had not been together with those two, their fates might've turned different and one or the two of them could've died. Now, only Okita and Grayfia could do something about it. Despite getting closer to the woman she has to protect, Grayfia still felt that something was amiss, and there was more to this situation than she originally considered, and if she gets a pessimist, the scale might be higher than she could handle.

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"Grayfia, can you tell me what is going on?" Venelana asked.

Still waiting in the hall, Venelana, Sara, Rias, and Sona were in one corner. The adult ones warily kept their eyes on every one that passed by them and hid their daughters behind them. Rias and Sona had uneasy expressions but they remained calm enough to not panic. For whatever reason, they were muttering things like 'give me luck, Nora-san' or 'praying to him should not be an issue, Sona-chan, so as long as we pray to him, we will be ok, like last time' in a low tone, however, Grayfia decided to ignore their mutterings because time was precious, although her retorter soul wanted to correct the girl who believed that black cats were bringers of good luck.

"There is an issue. Communication is being interfered and there is a possibility of eavesdropping. Teleportation is sealed so we're are basically being forced to stay here." Grayfia bowed and immediately reported. "On the way, I confirmed that windows and secondary doors are sealed as well, but it seems that the main gate is still useable. Nonetheless, I doubt a pleasant exit will welcome us."

Many people still remained in the immense hall, yet, they all seemed to be pondering their options instead of hastily leaving. It could also be that they were taking a wait-and-see stance and expecting something to unfold, whether it is about a successful leave or someone who will come to save them. It was not Grayfia's business so she simply ignored the hopeful looks that were directed at her. Being the strongest queen was bound to make her famous and an icon of strength, but she had priorities and that would not change anything.

"Okita is on his way to retiring Zeoticus-sama, although I must warn you of other of our findings. The culprits infiltrated this location and massacred several servants so we should be wary of the employees since there were missing uniforms." Grayfia said.

"Grayfia, you said that communications are being eavesdropped, you mean...?" Sara, who had been silently listening to the conversation, spoke.

"I am afraid that they would know our moves if we used them, and if they aim to attack us, they will accelerate their plans. Currently, the escorts are focusing on spreading the information mouth to mouth, so nothing drastic happens while they are not with their protection target. However, it is not completely tested but I suspect that communicating with the outside would be useless. The same could be said with summoning people here through summoning seals. I used a couple of the seals from people I am certain could deal with most issues, but neither Sirzechs-sama nor Serafall-sama manifested at those times. I reckon that it is the same with our seals so we cannot hope to be saved that way. My apologies, things will get complicated and you might experience a bad time." Grayfia bowed.

"You don't need to apologize, I am not blaming you. The fact that you brought this information for us is more than enough. Running around without knowing a thing would've been dangerous. That said, Venelana, what do you plan to do? Are you feeling tomboyish again? Your old title was gotten for a reason so I would not mind having the support from the Destruction Princess again." Sara smiled meaningfully at Venelana.

"Oh, shus, don't bring those old stories, that was back then. How long are you going to tease me about it? I was a little wild when younger, that's it." Venelana sulked. "What to do is indeed the question. Let us regroup with our husbands first. Once we are all set, we should seek a solution."

Biting her lips, Grayfia looked uneasy, and Rias noticed that.

"Grayfia-onee-sama, what is wrong?" Rias asked.

"It is nothing." Grayfia smiled reassuringly and signaled Venelana with her eyes.

The older devil understood, and Sara happened to notice it so she dragged the younger ones to give some space for Grayfia and Venelana to speak.

"Was there something else?" Venelana inquired.

"Mistress, my apologies. They are mostly conjectures from my side, along with 'his' words..." Grayfia apologized.

Venelana widened her eyes at the mention of 'him', someone who caused nothing but trouble, but his actions were for the sake of others. If Grayfia who was close to him, almost like a pupil, said something like that, it was worth listening to.

"Tell me everything." Venelana demanded.

Sighing, Grayfia began talking.

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...

Biting her lips, Venelana resisted the urge to go running after her husband, but she held herself back by recalling that her daughter was here, and going would cause her to abandon Rias.

Her mind was a mess due to her stress but she wanted to propose changing locations to a different room with less space to guard against, but Venelana noticed a maid walking her way. Grayfia noticed it as well but she did not turn around, instead, she stood there giving the maid her back.

"Sorry for the trouble, we are doing our best to find a solution, it is nothing much, but would like some water? We are short on staff so we can only offer you this much."

Nothing felt wrong judging by her voice or her apologetic expression, the way she carried herself as she held a tray with several cups filled with water was normal, and her attitude was professional, but there was something that irked the strongest queen. Sniffing slightly, she understood the cause of alertness. Glancing back, she saw many people being offered the same thing. There was nothing wrong, Grayfia could not see an issue with the action itself but it felt unnatural for it to happen, so before Venelana could even think of extending her hand, Grayfia seized the hand of the maid and as soon as she held her wrist whilst standing back to her, Grayfia immediately followed by pulling her forward and hitting her face with her elbow, effectively flunking the maid away.

"W-What?"

"Did you see that? The perfect form, the angle, such a skilled blow, as expected of the strongest queen."

"Dude, get a grip. Something must've happened, so stop being a fanboy and get serious."

"Kyaaa! She is not moving!"

"Is that smoke leaving her body!?"

Several chaotic voices were heard but Grayfia turned to Venelana and they share a look, with that alone, they knew what they were supposed to do.

Perhaps it was because of the actions Grayfia took, but several people declined to take the cups. However, some people drank from those unsuspectedly... the result was that they fell on the spot and did not move anymore.

Those who noticed this pushed away from the maids but a strong response made it difficult to shake them off. The maids took at least one cup and tried to forcefully make the devils drink it. Of course, the devils resisted and thanks to their innate abilities, they were able to overpower the maids during the struggle, but there was more than one that was taken by surprise and ended up swallowing the liquid. Grayfia and many others took offensive measures against the maids who got aggressive all of sudden.

Spells flew around and soon a blood bath occurred. The maids were subdued without much difficulty, although a brief examination of the devils who fell made panicked the devils in the hall. They were asleep, and in a deep one at that. Among the people reunited in the hall, there was a so-called doctor who announced some terrifying news, and he shakily explained the similarities of the disease to this case, yet there were even harsher downsides to the current one. Nonetheless, Grayfia and company were leaving the hall before they could fully hear the hypothesis. They decided to leave, and look for a safe place to hide the children while they reunite with their husbands.

Establishing a safe point could reliable some weight on Grayfia's shoulders while she went around trying to locate Okita and company.

...

...

...

"Grayfia, I will leave going after my husband and Okita up to you." Venelana muttered in an unwilling tone.

It was difficult not to notice how unwilling she was to stay behind, but the Dutchess did not dare to wander on her own and leave her daughter alone. Sara, her friend, also shared a similar look but they had locked up in a room before adding barriers to protect themselves and stealth ones to hide their presence.

"Understood." Grayfia nodded.

Patting the head of the uneasy Rias and Sona, Grayfia left the room and before departing, she added another barrier that would notify her if anything happened to the door. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

The uneasy was not something that only the ones in the room shared, that man hardly got wrong his predictions. While his personality might be questionable, and hard to understand, Grayfia trusted what he said greatly. The fact that he predicted a successful assassination attempt was nerve breaking for her.

...

...

...

The route she took to regroup with Okita was the one used to reach the place where the meeting happened. Her mood dropped the closer she got because there was evidence of a fierce fight. Despite being so distant from each other, the place where she left Venelana and company, and the location of the meeting, the sound of such a fierce encounter should've been heard, yet-

"Unless..." Grayfia pondered.

As she advanced at full speed through the hallways, Grayfia kept her eyes on the walls and soon came to a stop. Several marks and symbols had been carved in one unnoticeable part of the wall. If her memory did not trick her, it was some sort of sound nullifying symbol. The cultist used it often during Assassin attempts. That would explain the lack of sound, even if she screamed with all her strength, no one would notice.

Speeding up, she soon found dead people lying on the ground. Some carried black cloaks while others noble clothes. She was able to recognize some of the nobles lying on the ground as some influential people... just like the ones Zeoticus would meet today.

...

...

...

Regardless of her unease, she soon got close to another wide hall, usually being used to hold award parties for rating games, now it had the doors leading inside, and fighting noises could be heard. Inside the range of the spell, she would have no trouble hearing what happened in there.

"CURSE YOU!"

A grudge-filled cry was heard and soon the fighting seemed to have ended. Just in time as Grayfia entered the hall, she saw Okita swing down his katana to get rid of the blood bathing it. Laying down in front of him, a man wearing a black cloak was split in half. Grayfia seemed to have arrived just when the action ended so she surveyed the room and saw the gloomy and haggard faces of several people, but she ignored most people until she found Zeoticus, Rias' father, and Lloyd, Sona's father. Both men sitting on the ground, back to back and slightly covered in injuries, and from a cursory observation, they were not life-threatening so Grayfia sighed in relief. Surrounded by the bodies of black-cloaked individuals and servants, Grayfia had a rough idea of what they went through.

"Grayfia, it is reassuring to have you here, but where are the Dutchess and the Princess?" Okita spoke.

Being the first to notice her, he inquired what worried him the most. He seemed uninjured for the most part, but his tone had shown a bit of exhaustion despite his intentions to hide it. Grayfia could easily notice such a thing since many men surrounding her were stubborn and would go on despite reaching their limits, her king was an example, and that man was unusually stubborn as well.

"I have made sure they were absolutely safe before looking for you. I can see that you found Zeoticus-sama, even Lloyd-sama was here, that saves us time. Along with Venelana-sama, and Rias-ojou-sama, I secured Sara-sama and Sona-sama." Grayfia muttered.

At the mention of those names repeatedly, Zeoticus hastily stood up with a concerned face, followed by Lloyd.

"Is Venelana safe? What about my daughter?" Zeoticus asked in a worried tone.

"Is my sweetie doing ok? What about my little sweetie?" Lloyd asked in a similar tone.

Sighing, Grayfia prepared herself to explain the events she went through... again. Nonetheless, a smile hung on her face, things were still far from peaceful, but they were at least improving.

...

...

...

The group was joined by several political figures that shamelessly (Grayfia strongly considered it as such but never spoke a word) followed them. They sought protection from two members that were part of the peerage of the strongest Maou. Their might had been repeatedly shown through the years so they were sort of like a safe line for those useless bastards (Grayfia inwardly called them as such).

Nonetheless, they did not take detours for their sake despite their complaints, that was her bottom line as well as Zeoticus and Lloyd's.

...

...

...

The reunion was emotive yet they could not stay for too long so they departed immediately. Okita informed her that trying to break away from the walls and escaping was unwise, one of the hot-headed politicians recklessly did it and that let them glance outside. Several monstrous creatures were roaming outside the building along with black-cloaked individuals. That was how they got into a fight against the bastards in the first place, at the beginning, only servants swarmed at them.

Some of them seemed to be in some sort of trance, while others looked no different than the living dead, yet... they did not have the time or the opportunity to try and save those that looked saveable. Some of the servants, after failing to offer them drinks, pulled out a small glass bottle and threw it at the nobles. The result was mind chilling, they also fainted at could not be awakened no matter what. During the attack from the black-cloaked cultist, they perished but not everyone was positive about their survival even if the attack never happened. Nevertheless, Grayfia could not help but recall the words of that doctor and unease invaded her mind again. Could the assassination attempt still be possible to turn into reality? The fact that those creatures were roaming outside makes it possible that they most are freely breaking havoc in the city. That was far from reassuring since more danger was likely to threaten the Gremory Household's life.

...

...

...

Arriving at the exit, they saw it blocked. No doubt, the efforts made by the nobles who initially tried to escape. It was strange that no creature tried to break in, but it only proved that when the reckless politician torn down the wall and the monsters did not enter, was not a fluke. At least, it could be considered as such. However, the situation was still far from being the best. They were basically locked up so there was the possibility that attacks were happening somewhere else and they were just keeping them in check. Nonetheless, Grayfia did not think it was that simple. She will make sure Ajuka make several tests but the substance used to make sleep the nobles do not seem so simple.

"What shall we do now?" Grayfia inquired.

While she could take independent action, her job was to escort people, so she needed to take into account their ideas. Not to mention, they were devils with more experience than her, both Zeoticus and Venelana lived more than the double her age-

*Shudder*

Grayfia hastily raised her guard but no enemies were nearby, yet... a moment ago-

"Fufu, Grayfia, it is not good, you know? We can pass as sisters if they put us side by side." Venelana casually commented.

Sweating coldly, Grayfia forgot certain scenes of the past when she was young and reckless, she casually mentioned Venelana's age and called her old, what happened next was a long earful about not mentioning such a thing, about how rude it was to say it, and Venelana made her call her older sister for a long time.

"*Cough* Venelana, sweetie, you always look stunning. Rest assured, remember that the other day, one of the most famous devil magazines came knocking and asked you to make an interview about your wonderful looks that were more amazing than many young generation devils." Zeoticus said.

Those words seemed to appease Venelana since she kept a happy smile on her face.

Having dodged the bullet, Grayfia wondered if this was how Nora felt when she practically guessed his thoughts. Touching her face, she could not feel any change in her expression that would give away her thoughts. Somehow, she felt closer to the boy thanks to this episode.

"I suggest we escape the fastest we can. I am concerned about that powder they used back then, not to mention that they also have a liquid version. Both could prove to be deathly, and staying indoors seals our movements too much, at least, being in these buildings that have been filled with spells that favor them is not a good idea. Regarding the creatures outside, I would like to test their individual strength before assessing whether or not we can deal with them." Okita muttered.

"My thoughts are the same as Okita, he is on point. Besides, while we are here, who knows what kind of chaos must be going on outside. Managing our territories is our responsibility, and if enemies are threatening our land, we must take action. Yet, I can't be optimistic since fighting those black-cloaked men was exhausting. The main problem is about that pill they ingested, it boosted their abilities being measured." Zeoticus sighed.

"They acquire new abilities and their bodies might even change characteristics, and figuring it out such a thing every time is bound to tire us, dragging the fights for a long time." Lloyd added.

Each person had a point, and Grayfia was in favor of such an approach. Having fought alongside that man several times, she knew of the dangers of being at the mercy of the cultist. However, not everyone was aware of the strong or weak points of that transformation. Although, she did have her experience and a small booklet that man once left in her care.

"What I know is that is not necessary to face some of those enemies to the bitter end. They can't maintain that transformation for long periods, I can give you a rough summary of their characteristics, but it can't be that accurate. 'He' gave me this information so it is from a reliable- I trust the person who gave it to me." Grayfia said.

Getting bewildered looks from those she held in high esteem made her nervous, more so, the fact that she is going to reveal knowledge that only a selected few were handed by that man. As far as she was aware, her sister and Serafall should be among those few, she can't be certain if Sirzechs or Ajuka knew as well, but she never asked so it might be possible.

"Ah!? Do you know how to kill those things? Say so from the beginning. We could've had an easier time back there. However, how do you know that? More than 400 hundred years have happened since the Underworld was struck by those people, and those who fought on the front lines said that only a few selected were capable of defeating many of those creatures with ease was that man, he never gave his name, but the people around him called him Nanashi for his apparent origins. We had our suspicions if he was the same as those people since people saw him consuming those pills."

Among the people they escorted, one bothersome politician that was at odds with Sirzechs, the current Lucifer, spoke. As a man who used to be a fervent believer of the older Lucifer, he use every chance presented to him to trouble Sirzechs or her. Unfortunately, he raises valid points every time, due to the careful usage of his vocabulary and eloquence, he never seems to be attacking them, but his intentions are obvious for someone like Grayfia who used to be part of the faction from the old Devils.

Taking a deep breath, Grayfia held back her anger toward that man, but days later Venelana told her that she did not manage to hide the killer gaze she had directed at that man.

The man looked visually shaken and could be seen shaking, but Grayfia only glanced at him for a few seconds.

"As I was saying, this information came from him. It should prove itself useful." Grayfia muttered.

"Grayfia, is he not coming this time?" Venelana asked.

A question that she would like to give a positive answer to, but she could not. The Gremory couple did not look against the idea of meeting that man, after all, their son was under his care for a while, likewise, Grayfia who is now part of the family as a close friend was left in their care by him. The same could be said from the Sitting, the daughter whom that man took care of for a while as well. No, looking closely, Lloyd had a stiff smile and the corner of his lips were twitching, and Grayfia could not blame him, it was that man who introduced Serafall to her Magical Girl hobby.

"I am sorry, I wish I could tell you that he will, but as you know, he disappeared back them and never showed up in front of us again. Through the years, we spent some time searching for his whereabouts but it was in vain. It was like he vanished from the world." Grayfia said.

Pulling out a small booklet, she opened it and handed it to Okita. It was full of kanji, so the language it was written could be easily distinguished. They were written in beautiful and neat calligraphy that you could not find any fault with, and despite some places seeming like they were written in a hurry, the quality was never dropped. Nonetheless, Okita held it for everyone to see just in case. In this manner, he began reading the contents of the booklet. Although there was one person who had furrowed her eyebrows when she read from one side, Venelana did not even bother to hide it.

"That handwriting looks like... no, but... Yet..." Venelana muttered in an uncertain tone.

Grayfia decided to ask about it later, after all, her sister was way too determined to meet that man... for marriage purposes, or so she said. Thinking about it, she did not think that man was aware of such a thing.

...

...

...

"We are lacking people. Despite Grayfia-dono being at Ultimate Class and being close to the Super Devil Class, it is not like the difference is that small. Crushing every single threat might be possible, but it would leave us exhausting if something else came up midway. The number of our party can't handle that much at our current state. Zeoticus-sama and Lloyd-sama are already tired and suffered from fighting. Venelana-sama and Sara-sama will undoubtedly have to focus partially on their children's well-being so we can't have them fight in the front lines." Okita spoke.

After roughly analyzing their situation, Grayfia and Okita had the same opinion. Okita was now stating his conclusion and it seemed that most people understood their shortcomings and strengths enough to know what could be done. Their current state was not enough to guarantee their complete safety.

Her honest thoughts were that asking for help from the other nobles was going to be an arduous task. Her reputation could be described as good among the citizen and newer devils, but those from the old government were going to be tricky since they considered her a deserter. Not to mention those prideful and stubborn guys who would rather die than follow someone who was not at their level.

"We need more people, I see. Grayfia, Okita, leave that part to us. Out might is perhaps half of what yours is, but at times when you need the support from nobles, you can leave it to us. I promise you that we will gather as much support as possible." Zeoticus said in a strong tone of voice.

A snort was heard coming from the direction of that politician but he went pale when Grayfia glared at him. She could understand his sarcasm, but for someone who did nothing, it was like shooting himself in the foot. She was not a naive girl, she knew that the chances of Zeoticus and Lloyd, who were dukes, gathering everyone were abysmally small. While their status was high, the division that has plagued the devils since a long time ago, the factions, was not something that every devil would be willing to ignore unless it got dire enough, and it was not up to that level yet. Nonetheless-

"I leave that to you. Okita, could you please patrol the hallways for a bit? I would rather avoid any surprise from ambushing us any time soon." Grayfia mumbled.

...

...

...

"Fumu, I guess this is to be expected." Lloyd spoke in a troubled tone.

After a round of conversation and negotiation, Zeoticus and Lloyd came back in a more haggard appearance. After a rough estimate of what they might need to break through and counting how many people they convinced, they noticed that it might be tough.

"About half." Zeoticus muttered in a depressed tone.

"Dear, you don't have to feel guilty. That is a great amount, even though it is a little dangerous now, joining forces with an opposing party during a crisis is only done when the situation is critical enough, and even then, it has to be quite dangerous and no other option must be available." Venelana consoled.

"Father, I am proud." Rias encouraged.

Not having many chances to speak, and waiting on the sidelines to offer her help when needed, Grayfia could tell that the little girl wanted nothing more than to be of use.

Looking to the other side, Grayfia saw a similar scene with the Sitri's.

Sighing, Grayfia was glad that they were optimistic, yet-

A huge tremor coursed through the ground and it shook them to the core.

"W-What?" Rias held onto Venelana.

"C-Calm down, Rias. I have read about earthquakes, you need to keep yourself calm in times like these." Sona held onto Sara.

"Sona-chan, but you are shaking..." Rias whined.

"T-This is just my excitement..." Sona looked away.

"Sona-chan... That is Nora-chan's phrase. Plagiarism is bad." Rias scolded.

"I can see that you have reading some hard books lately, Rias." Sona sighed.

Listening to the children's conversation helped the grown-up group to calm their minds and even brought a smile to their faces, albeit small. They were all aware that it was not an earthquake or tremor. Having fought creatures of all sides and shapes, Grayfia could tell that the earlier tremor was the shockwave caused by a humongous creature hitting the ground, or in the worst case when it walked.

"Well, well, it seems that coming here was a good idea."

A composed voice pulled everyone out of their musing and made Grayfia grit her teeth in anger, but she managed her emotions and turned to that person (devil).

"So you were here... and you are still alive, oh, Great King-sama." Grayfia 'welcomed' the speaker. "Tsk."

She did try her best and Grayfia will maintain that cover story. Even if everyone else had been sweating coldly, Grayfia will not be friendly toward the man who had her father locked in jail and had her mother exiled. Only her stubborn sister remained and that was because that man put her in an unshakeable position.

Zekram Bael, in person, came walking their way. He was followed by Nil and the familiar-looking politician that had a smug smile as he walked with his chin high.

"Heh, I am glad to see that you are all doing well enough, even you, Grayfia." Zekram greeted.

While he seemed to gloss over Grayfia's 'slip' of tone without making a fuss, there is always-

"How rude! You servant woman! You are nothing more than a lowly maid, you forsake your status as a noble from such an esteemed house the moment you betrayed the cause during the war! Now you acted all pretentious believing that we are of the same standing!?"

Puzzled, Grayfia wondered what kind of thing this man picked from the ground and swallowed. He was still hung up about the time she refused to abandon some of the respectable politicians that were injured and would delay their speed. At that time, she 'kindly' refused by making him back away in fear after releasing her killing intent. Yes, 'kindly'.

"Not to mention, you committed one of the greatest sins! Insulting the Great King! What was that disrespectful attitude!? Are you angry because he survived?"

Sighing, Grayfia checked the time on her watch, but her simple action seemed to anger the man more.

"You!"

The man planned to continue but before he spoke another word, the spot in front of his feet was turned into nothing. An attack that only people who had constantly been in fights were capable of detecting, but a man who could only complain in the safety of his desk never faced. Everyone was clear who was the one who attacked, except that man, and for some reason, Zeoticus looked slightly surprised, almost like he did not-

You dare to attack me!? It was you! You lowly maid, for attacking me I will make you pay-"

"You will what? I was the one who did that, so please enlighten me on how you plan to make me pay." Zekram muttered in a soft tone, but those words alone were enough to change the expression of the man several times. "Fools who only know how to speak bother me greatly, and if you open your mouth once again, interrupting me..."

Leaving those words unsaid, Zekram ignored the man fully. While Grayfia hated Zekram, she approved of his actions just now. That man was going to be an eyesore to the operation and thankfully, after that scolding, he will keep his mouth shut.

"The situation outside is not looking good, seeing that those fools were so uncooperative, I decided to step in, I hope you all don't mind." Zekram muttered. "Even though I retired, this old man still can do a thing or two, so count on my support in gathering people and fighting. In exchange, Grayfia, I hope you start taking care of the mess outside in places we can't do anything about it." Zekram commented.

Even though they did not get along, she could trust one thing that the man would do, and that was to protect the Underworld. Zekram was that kind of person (devil).

...

...

...

Chaos, sheer chaos.

That was the best word to describe what she first saw once she blew up the entrance to lead the charge (she did not enjoy it, yes, she did not, not even one bit). Creatures of all sizes and shapes were wandering freely outside the building, but they only paid attention once they began leaving the building.

They never planned to hold a dialogue with them so Grayfia struck before they began swarming at them. As the strongest, she lead the charge, followed by Okita who did not get too far away from the Gremory. The couple was setting the example by fiercely attacking without holding back their demonic energy. Venelana showed that she was the mother of Sirzechs by blasting away enemies with the Power of Destruction the Baels are so proud of. Zeoticus looked a little bit off, but his Demonic energy was looking good. Chantlessly, an elemental combination of spells made a way for more people to arrange themselves in their surroundings. He pushed some enemies with wind and water while turning some to dust with fire or smashing them with earth.

Following them was the Sitri couple who were taking care of both of their children, they did not try to attract too much aggro and focused on crowd control while using water as their weapon. Lastly, as many devils made their way out, Zekram maintained a safe area around him, many children were around him but no harm came to them as his Power of Destruction formed a barrier that was kept low on the ground but would react as soon as an attack kicked in. Nevertheless, the enemies did not stay silent or let themselves be destroyed.

Rushing at them, the creatures seemed to follow a preestablished command. Now that they were the targets, they stopped destroying the buildings. You could not see anyone on the streets, and the rule of not entering the buildings seemed to apply to other devils as well. Looking at the state of the city, the creatures were focused on destruction, and while sounds of fighting could be heard, they were far away and few. Something to be expected. While they were devils, not everyone had a fighting potential, or rather, they did not develop it.

Nonetheless, things were not looking that grim. Grayfia had provided information that was extremely helpful to deal with the creatures. To those that would dig the ground and attack from below, devils would harden the ground and compact it to crush the creature inside. Flying ones were robbed of their freedom to fly as they pleased by gales that directed them to a point where devils could shoot them down. It was a slow process, but this method would prevent casualties. Not to mention, facing them from close up seemed difficult for most devils. They had a gruesome appearance, with several hands and legs, others were covered with eyes from head to toes, and beams shot from them. Covered in mouths with sharp teeth that leaked some acid liquid. If Grayfia began to count and point out their characteristics, she could take days, but that was not necessary. That man had given her some simpler methods that could be widely used in different kinds of creatures.

...

...

...

Wiping the sweat on her face, Grayfia took a mouthful of air in her lungs. For some reason, the creatures kept coming, almost like they were all commanded to focus on this point. At this point, even the children were assisting in the fight. Rias and Sona were constantly throwing spell after spell, ignoring their exhausted selves. It was hurtful, but Grayfia could not pay any mind to that for now. A bad feeling, something that she could not explain, began bothering her, and soon the feeling came true.

Humongous creatures, reaching 20 meters long could be spotted in the distance, but their figures were gradually getting closer so it was not hard to guess that they were coming their way.

"Hmmm, they are not holding what anymore." Zekram commented.

Leaving behind the children with Nil, he seemed to put the extermination of the new foes as a priority.

"I am afraid that this is hardly those people getting serious." Grayfia bitterly said.

"What do you mean?" Zekram inquired.

"If the vessel is strong enough, they feed them several of those seeds, and smaller creatures like we rough can be turned into threatening creatures like the ones you see coming." Grayfia explained. "They have tough bodies, high stamina, and great strength. Thankfully, the type we see are only those who focus on physical might, otherwise, if we face one shaped like a dragon, most devils here that have low survival skills will be wiped out. They can shoot breath and it contains curses that can easily kill your regular devils. The only good point is that making one is complicated and even they have a hard time doing so. Capturing a big dragon is difficult without killing it, so they capture smaller ones or subspecies. Wyverns or drakes, suffice to create fearsome foes. Nanashi-sama once told me that he faced an army of drakes and could barely come out alive thanks to the help of his dragon-slaying comrades."

Even the always composed and calm Zekram changed expressions hearing that.

"I guess we are lucky then." Zekram muttered. "That said, they are still using that large-scale spell that does not allows us to fly and we have not seen a single cultist. You mentioned them before so I have been alert in case they appear but given their lack of presence, we can roughly guess that two things will happen."

Zekram raised two fingers.

"One, they will keep exhausting us because they have other plans somewhere else so they aim to keep us busy." Zekram lowered one finger. "Second, the plan to attack us when we cannot protect ourselves."

Shaking her head, Grayfia sighed.

"It could even be both, you know? Their numbers are something that Nanashi-sama always tried to reduce but he could not even tell the exact amount." Grayfia spoke. "However, I doubt they seek to completely wipe us out. They wouldn't have put the building rule if that was the case. Thanks to it, people can probably take some time from the fight and rest, but then the black-cloaked cultist would try that powder drug."

...

...

...

"GAAAAAAH"

A loud shriek came from the humongous creature that fell before Grayfia, staining her with its 'blood'. Jet black blood covered Grayfia and she immediately wiped it off with a spell.

The fight progressed enough to kill the last one of the creatures. Just like she predicted-

"Kekeke, how nice, so many people fighting together seems so inspiring."

Several black-cloaked cultists emerged from the shadow of a nearby building.

Judging from their way of moving through the shadows, they were no amateurs.

Raising her guard, Grayfia warily observed their every movement as she tried to gather information regarding their stance on the cult. How high is their level? That was the question.

"Greetings, O' Noble Devils. My standing is but a mere bishop in our humble church."

Smirking slightly, the man leading the group, took off his hood and did a mock bow.

"Shall we get this started? It developed not long ago but let's test how much damage it can cause."

Smirking again, the man took a small glass container the size of his hand and threw it at Grayfia. Normally, she would easily dodge such a thing but something distracted her.

"Dear!" "Father"

Hastily turning back, she saw Zeoticus falling in one place. Riad was on the ground not too far away from him, along with Venelana. A black-cloaked man was nearby, his body half-buried in a shadow. On the ground below Zeoticus, a similar glass container was broken.

Her worry distracted her and now she had to evade. Just when she thought of blowing away the container, she felt a presence getting closer at an absurd speed.

When she observed the container, it was a few meters ahead of her and getting closer, but Grayfia did not have time to react. A small white blur riding a long black blur passed in front of her, and she might've imagined it but the black blur swallowed the container.

Blinking in surprise, Grayfia could not process what has just happened. However, she used this chance to go and check on Zeoticus.

"Urgh, Ryouma. It did not taste good."

"That is why I told you to not eat it."

The voices having a nonsensical conversation picked her interest, and they did not belong to the black-cloaked cultist, but rather to the white and black blur duo. The white blur was a man carrying a sword and a gun on his waist while the black blur was a large serpent, no, it was similar to one of the five dragon Kings, the mischievous dragon, so it might be just that, a dragon.

"She was right, we were required here. I honestly did not expect them to have the spare manpower to attack here when they are carrying attacks on the other mythologies' front."

"Ryouma, they are glaring at us. Can I eat them?"

"No, no, we just spoke about not eating random stuff. Be a good girl and hold back, for now, they are bad for your stomach, I will give you some frogs when we get home."

"Oryou is motivated. Evildoers, prepare to be eaten- no, I can't eat them, Umm, prepare to be punished in the name of justice, hum hum."

Resisting the urge to retort to their nonchalant air, Grayfia confirmed the lack of wounds on Zeoticus, he looked like the rest of the people inside, unconscious. Grayfia was so confused and unable to come up with a solution that she failed to register when other people got nearby her, including the man who had aided her before.

"Here, give him this. It will not undo the effects, but it should lessen the symptoms."

Extending his hand, the man who was wearing a hat for some reason hid his expression by lowering it. He offered a small vial with an unknown liquid inside. Grayfia had many questions since the man seemed to know about the thing the cultist used, but she wouldn't get an answer in this situation. Nonetheless, taking the vial could pose unknown risks for Zeoticus, yet, not taking it could make it worse.

"Will it help him?" Venelana, who had arrived before anyone knew, asked as tears stained her face.

"It is not a definite cure, the most it can do is delay the inevitable. To begin with, none of us has the same skills or talents as our leader, but he is not available, so the best we could come up with was a delaying agent that you see in this vial. We got news about their new invention a bit late so this is all I have with me, you are free to take or reject this offer. However, I will make this clear, I- no, we mean no harm. I can swear that upon my name, Sakamoto Ryouma!" The man, named Ryouma, spoke in a serious tone.

Deciding to believe in his words, or perhaps cornered with no other choice, Venelana took the vial and drank it before kissing her husband and giving the content to him. Grayfia thought that her bold actions fitted quite well her former title, Destruction Princess quite well.

"Haha, not shy about doing that huh. You guys are truly an amusing bunch like he told me too." Ryouma muttered.

Before Grayfia, or Okita, who seemed to have something to say to him, could stop him, the man held the sword and gun in each hand and walked away to face the cultist.

"A bishop huh, quite lucky of me." Ryouma said. "Oryou, no need to hold back against him. We do not need to capture anyone this time, it will be the job of someone else."

Surrounding the man like she wanted to protect him, the eastern dragon, Oryou shot a breath.

"Understood." Oryou spoke.

Her attack left nothing behind, but from the looks of Ryouma, Grayfia could tell that no enemies were taken down.

"Keke, how nice. More people came to die, how nice, really, how nice."

The man who had spoken so far, laughed viciously as he expressed his joy. He emerged from another shadow and his subordinates did the same.

"Too bad this will end quickly."

Nonchalantly saying that he was about to attack but Grayfia saw him freeze in place.

"You can tell? You might've locked the place, but now that I am here, I can work as an anchor. She is not pleased that someone outbested her abilities so stopping her will not be possible." Ryouma commented.

The space surrounding Ryoma seemed to distort a a slit formed, soon a gap in space appeared and figures dropped from it. A nine-tailed fox, a white-haired girl in a luxurious dress that Grayfia found oddly familiar, and a purple-haired woman with metal gauntlets.

"This is more than I expected." Ryouma muttered in a surprised tone. "Ran-dono, Anastasia-dono, and Martha-dono, weren't you aiding the Hindu Mythology?"

The nine-tailed fox reacted to those words even as she pulled several strips of paper.

"It was unnecessary, Karna himself is leading the defensive line, we are not needed for a while. Yukari-sama called us to assist you since it was an emergency deployment, but I guess we are too late. They did a number on us, our Intel did not mention the Underworld as a target." The nine-tailed fox, Ran, spoke.

Opening and closing her gauntlets, the purple-haired woman added.

"There is no need to mind it, this wide-scale attack was a surprise considering their previous actions. If we get surprised by every action they take, it would only distract us. We just need to beat some sense into them." The purple-haired woman, Martha, commented. "Isn't that right? Anastasia?"

Looking over the people (devils), Grayfia saw the white-haired girl observing closely the Sitri before she sighed in relief.

"Eh? What? We just have to crush them and nothing bad will happen to others, right?" Anastasia nonchalantly said with a bright smile.

Sweating coldly, Grayfia could not even feel relieved when Zeoticus finally opened his eyes. While she could probably match any of these people in strength, she was rather exhausted and they were more than her. Nonetheless, she wondered if having them as allies was a good idea. They seemed the kind to fight and not care about collateral damage. That idea was reinforced when Ryouma glanced back with a wry and sorry look. She could even see the bastard's lip mumbling a loose apology.

The city will be intact after they fight, right?

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3rd Person POV

"Ajuka, we should hurry in collecting everything. I have a bad feeling, and my guts are telling me to hurry back." Sirzechs commented.

Having spent hours flying in the direction of the wilderness. The duo, Ajuka, and Sirzechs had found the battlegrounds where Saya had faced her former disciple in a deathmatch. The outcome was not clear, but they never found anyone's body.

Nonetheless, since Saya did not go back home, it was obvious that her victory was not the only outcome. The duo hoped to find traces that could lead them to Saya, and their Intel pointed them at this place was a hidden laboratory belonging to Saya's disciple. After turning the ground into a mess, they found a hidden entrance to an underground space going miles down the earth.

Of course, after going down they found traps but they were not capable of stopping the pair of super devils.

A wide space spanning several floors kept the intellectual one of the duo busy reading a gathering everything he found in his way.

"Wait a moment. There is something..." Ajuka mumbled under his breath while making complicated expressions now and then.

Understanding his friend's thoughts just from his tone, Sirzechs turned serious and waited in silence. It was the first time since they arrived here that he got so into reading something.

"This is... quite the revelation. A detailed investigation must be done, but not everyone can have access to the information. This could cause the collapse of many people's beliefs." Ajuka shook his head.

Taking a pen lying around a desk nearby and began scribbling the paper.

"Did you find some kind of clue regarding Saya?" Sirzechs asked.

It was the primary reason they came here so he imagined that it was why Ajuka acted seriously.

However, his expectations were betrayed.

"I am afraid not. There is nothing of that sort here, I would need to read everything to make sure but what I found was something else. It was the notes of that man regarding a certain topic. He found the secret hideout from an unknown devil and took upon his research. It was about the devil's Sleeping disease." Ajuka explained. "Take a look and you will understand."

"The Maou created the sleeping disease to control the devils, and the man who created this lab knew about it by hearing from Lucifer himself. It was a safety measure to avoid betrayal. He added such a thing when he created the devils. Yet, he did not trust the devil with anything more than that knowledge. After his death, the devil thought of making use of that information but causing the disease to act up was not an easy task. This was one of his many laboratories so I only got a hold of incomplete information. I am not aware of the man was able to accomplish his goal. Nonetheless, I plan to make use of this chance to-" Sirzechs read aloud the document that Ajuka gave him. "Ajuka, don't you think that...?"

"I can't be certain if it is true, but the unknown devil is familiar to us. There was a man hailing from the Nebiros family that fled to the wilderness." Ajuka muttered. "If he happens to be that man, the veracity of this document will be true as well."

Feeling like his head will get one of the biggest headaches, Sirzechs remained silent for a long time. This travel failed that them clues to find Nora's mother, and in return, gave them the news that would cause a huge panic. As expected, black cats bring a certain type of luck. Although he could not qualify it as bad since it would have been worse if he had found out in another way.

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Author's Notes

First of all, sorry for my delay and the short chapter despite my absence. I have been having migraines more often and that hardly allows me to write. Many days I had to lock myself far from anything that made sounds or the like. They are quite strong that even sound or light causes more pain. Nonetheless, I was able to write this. My health is not back in top condition yet, I have been going to the doctor and having tests test to see what is going on but nothing so I can't quite be said to be cured. I might take a while to post but I will do so. I don't plan to stop writing so rest assured.

Now then, this chapter is about world-building and that stuff that happened that will leave you bewildered but feel free to ask questions. I will answer them if I can.

Thanks to this chapter, you will understand many things that will happen in the future. Anyways, have a nice day.