Chapter 73: Banquet

"This is the city of Luciferd within the Maou's territory. It's the old capital of the Underworld where the previous Lucifer-sama lived"

Kiba explained to Issei who was looking out of the train in awe as they entered inside the territory where the banquet is to be held.

"We're going to change over to the subway from here. Since there'll be an uproar if we go from the surface"

He said as Issei looked at him in surprise due to the close similarities that the underworld and human world have in terms of culture and technology.

"Kyaaah! Princess Rias-samaaaaaaa!"

"Riaas-sammmaaaa!"

"Please look at us!!"

High pitched screams echo outside of the train causing Issei to look around in surprise as he saw several crowds of young devils, staring at Rias with a longing expression on their faces.

"Wow..."

Issei muttered in disbelief seeing how popular his king was in the underworld causing Akeno to giggle who was watching him from the side.

"Buchou is the Maou's younger sister. What's more, she's also beautiful, so she's a yearned-after target among low- and middle-class devils, you know?"

Akeno said causing Issei to look at Rias in awe before glancing at Sandra who was minding her own business, ignoring the lustful stares and admiration that both female and male devils gave her due to her extremely seductive figure and delicate features that were more appealing than Rias.

"Issei, will you sit beside me? I feel... uncomfortable on how they stare at me"

Sandra asked with a soft and bright smile as she gazed at Issei causing him to immediately nod his head before sitting beside her with an extremely perverted and joyful smile on his face.

"Thank you"

She said as she gave her a soft peck on his cheeks causing him to sloppily smile as he sat down next to her inside the train.

"Hiiiiiiiiii…So many devils…"

Gasper nervously said as he sat down next to Issei, clinging to his arm as he tried to calm his nervousness down due to the sudden increase of the crowd.

"How troublesome. Let's switch over to the underground train quickly, before it becomes an uproar. Has the private train been prepared?"

Rias asked one of the guards that was stationed to protect them during their journey towards the venue of the conference.

"Yes. Please follow me"

One of the guard answered causing Rias to nod her head before signalling for her peerage to follow her from behind but all of them froze when the screams started to get louder.

"KYAAAAAA!!!"

"W-Who is he!?"

"Look Sona-sama is following him. Is she her new fiancée?"

"How envious~"

All of the girls started to scream with flushed cheeks as a familiar golden haired man started to walk towards their group with a wide smile on his face.

"... you should've worn a mask"

Sona complained while holding Kate's hand who was looking around her in curiosity.

"You'll get used to it, Sona"

The boy said while Koneko suddenly jumped in his arms with an excited expression on her face.

"Lucias!"

Koneko called out as she tightly hugged his waist causing Sona to frown from the sudden display of affection of Koneko towards Lucias.

"Koneko, it's been a while hasn't it?"

Lucias said as he gently patted her head causing her to sweetly smile as she enjoyed the warmth of her palm.

"Lucias!?"

Rias screamed while pointing her finger at Lucias who gazed at them with an innocent smile on his face.

"Yo, Rias"

Lucias greeted with a wide smile on his face causing Rias to blush from suddenly being able to meet her crush after a long time.

"You don't mind if we join you right?"

Lucias asked while pointing his thumb at Sona and Kate who were following him from his side.

"Y-Yes, I-I don't mind"

Rias answered causing Lucias to smile before pointing his finger at tunnel that they're about to enter through.

"Thanks"

"T-Then... Follow me"

Rias said as all of them entered the subway without much problem causing Lucias to unconsciously smile as his treasured peace and quiet came back to him.

"Lucias, what are you doing here? I thought the conference is set to be scheduled 2 days from now"

Rias asked causing Lucias to smile before patting Sona's head in an affectionate manner.

"Serafall asked me to accompany her for the banquet, don't worry, I'll just watch you all from the side"

Lucias answered causing Rias to look at them in suspicion wondering what they're relationship was.

"Lucias... Who's that child?"

Rias asked as he watched Sona feed the child with the same features as her in her arms with the snacks that Lord Sitri gave them for his granddaughter.

"She's-"

"Lucias"

Sona cut him off as she glared at his direction with a threatening look on her face, stopping him from lying to her friends.

"... She's Sona's younger cousin and we were asked by Lord Sitri to take care of her during the conference since all of them are currently busy"

Lucias answered with a wry smile on his face while looking at Rias who stared at the child with widened eyes.

"How come I never heard of Sona having a younger cousin?"

Rias asked in suspicion causing cold sweat to ran down Sona's back as she tried to come up with an explanation.

"Oh, that's because she has been under my care from the moment she was born, that's why there aren't any news of her existence up until now"

Lucias answered with a straight face causing Sona to sigh in relief. Thinking how realiable he is when his not messing around.

"... she looks... too similar to Sona for some reason..."

Rias muttered while looking at them in suspicion causing Sona to avert her eyes as she left everything to Lucias who only smiled at her wryly.

"... And... I never heard of any older relatives of your parent give birth to any child for the last 5 years... So how can she be your cousin?"

Rias asked causing Sona to curse in her mind as he couldn't come up with a convincing explanation.

"... You got us..."

Lucias said in defeat before glancing at Kate causing it to nod her head in response before jumping out of Sona's embrace and returning back to it's slime form.

"A slime?"

"Yes, a new variant of slime that one of my subordinates gave birth to. She can basically copy the physical appearance of anything that she sees be it non living or living beings"

Lucias explained causing Rias to look at the slime in surprise before it quickly returned back to its previous form and sitting on top of Sona's lap.

"To think that that kind of slime exists... Lucias can you ask it to copy my appearance?"

Rias asked in an excited tone as she stared at Lucias who shook his head in dissapointment.

"She has taken a liking to that form so... she doesn't really want to change it for the time being"

Lucias said causing Rias to lower her head in dissapointment.

"Rias... can all of you hide this secret?"

Lucias asked her and her entire peerage who looked at him confusion.

"Why?" (Koneko)

"Just please... I'll owe you one if you keep it a secret from others... if not... I can just erase a part of your memory so that you all will forget about her existence"

Lucias said with a large grin on his face causing shiver to ran down each of their spines while staring at his innocent smile.

"S-Sure"

Timeskip

"Everyone, I'll say it one more time. No matter what happens, stay in a calm state of mind. No matter what is said, don't start a fight. —The people above are our future rivals. We mustn't show an unsightly form"

Rias warned her servants with high fighting spirits visible in her eyes causing all of them to nod their head in response as they all arrived at the top floor of the building.

"Interesting"

Lucias muttered while looking around the simple yet luxurious interior designs of the venue with a fascinated expression on his face before all of them stepped out of the elevator.

"Welcome, Gremory-sama, Sitri-sama. Please come this way"

An employee greeted them with a slight bow before guiding them towards the room where most of the young devils were gathered at.

They all entered a passage lead by the employee where several young devils of different houses were at causing Issei to look around him in excitement.

"Sairaorg!"

Rias called at one of the devils in the crowd causing a mascular and tall guy with short black hair with purple eyes to walk towards their direction with a friendly smile on his face.

"It's been a while, Rias"

He greeted as he shook Rias' hand with a smile on his face as the devils behind him looked at them with a friendly expression on their faces but the strength that they gave off was immediately felt by Issei who looked at them with a frown.

"Yeah, I missed you. It's good to see that you're doing well. There are also people here who haven't met you yet. This person is Sairaorg. He's my cousin on my mother's side"

Rias introduced to her peerage causing Issei to stare at his direction as he never heard of Rias having a cousin.

"I'm Sairaorg Bael, the next head of the Bael family"

He introduced with a smile on his face before glancing at Sandra who gave off an incredibly powerful magic aura around her causing her to snort as she averted her eyes from Sairaorg.

"So, what are you doing in a passage like this?"

"Ah, we came out here because it's so idiotic in there"

"…Idiotic? Have the other members also arrived then?"

"Agares and Astaroth have already arrived. Zephyrdol came last. Immediately after he arrived, Zephyrdol and Agares started arguing"

He said with a frown on his face, showing his dislike towards the said devils.

"Astaroth... To think that we'll meet here..."

Lucias whispered to himself, remembering the "injured devil" that Asia healed 9 years ago that caused her to be labeled as a witch to the church.

"You know him, Lucias?"

Sona asked out of pure curiosity causing Lucias to show a nasty smile befote answering her question.

"A little"

Lucias answered causing Sona to frown as she felt something horrible might happen in this event.

Suddenly a small crash occured inside the building causing it to furiously shake in place as an annoyed expression suddenly appeared on both Rias' and Sairaorg's faces.

"Geez, this is why I advised not meeting before the meeting"

Sairaorg muttered in a sigh before making his way towards the source of the large commotion.

"This is getting interesting"

Lucias muttered as he followed Sairaorg with an amused expression on his face causing Sona to pinch him at the side of his waist.

"Don't cause trouble, Lucias"

"No promises"

He said with a smile on his face as all of them arrived at the scene.

They all arrived at the large door of the banquet hall where the rest of the devils that haven't left the hall.

Issei looked at the banquet hall in shock as an absolute mess were revealed in front of them. All of the decorations, tables, and chairs were smashed into pieces and thrown all over the room while the devils inside were divided into two groups, glaring at each other with their killing intent in full display.

"Zephyrdol, can you not help starting a fight at a place like this? Do you want to die? Do you really want to die? Even if I kill you, I won't be blamed by the people on top"

A beautiful woman with long pale greenish blonde hair wearing a thin eyeglasses warned with a sharp gaze pn her face as he looked down on the single male devil who sat down on the chair with a haughty expression on his face.

"Hah! I'll say it again, bitch! I said that I'd teach you in one shot in a private room with great trouble! The Agares' onee-san really doesn't like being without her guards, now does she? Heh, is that why you're still a virgin who hasn't let a man come near her till now!? Geez, all the women of families of the Maous stink of virgins and are unbearable! That's why I said that I'd do a formal opening ceremony for you!"

The young devil said with a perverted expression on his face as he scanned the woman's figure causing both Rias and Sona to frown from the sudden display of vulgarity, in front of a respectable faction leader no less.

The young man had a black tattoo on his face with green hair that stood on its ends, wearing a loose outfit that showed his chest riddled with tattoes of encryptions.

"This place is a waiting hall where we remain on standby until the time comes. To explain it better, the young people gather here and give each other small greetings. However, this is what happens when the young people greet each other. By gathering many hot-blooded people together, problems like this also come out. The old devils of the old families and high-class devils can't help assuming that this is a good thing. I don't want to have anything to do with such a useless thing, but it can't be helped"

Sairaorg explained as he approached Issei who looked at the scene in front of him with a confused expression on his face before he slowly walked inbetween the two groups with a frown on his face.

"Should I help you out?"

Lucias suggested causing Sairaorg to stop in his tracks before gazing at Lucias who hid all of his aura and strength which made him look like an ordinary human infront of his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"No one special"

Lucias answered with a mysterious smile on his face causing Sairaorg to shake his head to the side, rejecting his suggestion.

"It's too dangerous for a human like you to intervene. I'll handle this myself"

He said before making his way between the two groups without looking back.

"What an interesting young man"

"... You sound like an old man, Lucias-sama"

Issei commented by the side causing Sandra to hit him on his head at minimal force.

"You bitch!!!"

The young devil suddenly shouted as he attacked the young woman in front of him out of anger causing Sairaorg to hurry his steps to try and stop his attack but was far too late since the distance between him and the two of them were far too large.

"Lucias" (Sona)

"I know"

Lucias said before disappearing from his position without any sound shocking the devils who were following Sairaorg from before.

"How unruly"

Lucias muttered as he suddenly appeared by his side catching the young devil's arm with a light smile on his face.

"Huh!? Who the fuck-"

He tried to scream at Lucias but was stopped as he suddenly felt several simultaneous attacks at all of his vital spots causing him to fall to the ground, paralyzed while his body twitched in pain.

"You ok?"

Lucias asked as he glanced back at the young woman who was looking at the scene in front of him in shock.

"Y-Yes..."

She dazedly answered before staring at his face which was adorned by a gentle smile as he gazed at her direction causing her to blush due to the young man's appearance.

"Now then... what should I do with you?"

Lucias muttered before stepping on the young devil's body causing one of the groups to frown from his actions.

"YOU BASTARD!!!"

The other group shouted in anger as they prepared to launch an all out attack towards Lucias who only looked at them with an disinterested expression on his face.

"ALL OF YOU STOP THIS INSTANCE!!!"

Sairaorg shouted in anger causing the devils to freeze in their tracks before glancing at his direction.

"If you want to attack him then you'll have to go through me first. Look after your master. That's the first thing you should do. Even if you turn your swords towards us, you will gain nothing. —The important function will be starting soon, so make sure your master recovers first"

He said causing all of them to stop before hurriedly making their way towards the young devil on the ground.

"You... what did you do to him?"

He asked the golden haired man who was standing in front of him with a nonchalant expression on his face.

"I just paralyzed him that's all, he should be back after an hour or so"

Lucias answered causing Sairaorg to narrow his eyes while staring at his direction. Finding it unbelievable that a human like him was able to subdue a devil in a swift motion that even he wasn't able to follow due to the speed of his attacks.

"There's still time. Put your make-up on again. It wouldn't do to attend the function while wearing something so bad"

Sairaorg advised to the beautiful young who was dazedly staring at Lucias with flushed cheeks.

"I-I understand"

She stiffly answered before walking towards her family, giving Lucias one last glance before making her way out of the banquet hall along with her family.

"... Why did you have to seduce her?"

Sona glared at him while holding Kate in her arms causing Lucias to dryly cough before retoring her accusations.

"I didn't seduce her, you're just being to sensitive, Sona"

"... really now"

"I'm serious"

Lucias said with a wry smile on his face while being interrogated by his own fiancée.

"Sona, where are you're peerage?"

Sairaorg asked as he walked towards them while checking the situation of the banquet.

"They'll arrive later, I had to take a seperate route from them because of him"

Sona answered while pointing at Lucias.

"... Thank you for your help a while ago. If it weren't for you the situation could've become worse than before and... sorry for doubting you"

Sairaorg said with a guilty expression on his face causing Lucias to smile before smacking him on his shoulder at minimal strength.

"That's alright"

Lucias said causing Sairaorg to smile before noticing the small child in Sona's arm which strangely had similar features to her when she was still a child.

"Sona..."

Sairaorg called as a speculation suddenly came up in his head before glancing at Lucias.

"What's your relationship with him?"

Sairaorg asked causing Sona to blush as she didn't expect for him to suddenly ask that out of the blue.

"He's my fiancée"

"Fiancée?"

Sairaorg asked with widened eyes causing Sona to shyly nod her head in response before he pointed at the little girl in her arms.

"Don't tell me this child is..."

"... It's complicated"