Chapter 19

'It wasn't Ajuka?' Damian thought in complete bewilderment. He expected Ajuka to be the one to help him as they already had a loose connection. He even expected that Serafall may help him due to his deal with Sona however he never expected Sirzechs to be the one to help him.

It wasn't because it was impossible, it was because it was foolish. While Zeoticus was the head of the Gremory clan, Sirzechs was the face of the clan. In helping Damian against Riser it wasn't the Satan Lucifer showing his usual kindness, it was the Gremory clan choosing him over Riser.

'Is that what they were talking about?' Damian thought, a clear frown on his face. His father and Zeoticus had disguised something earlier today and originally Damian intended to stay out of it as it wasn't his business.

But now it was. Even if it wasn't actually true it at least appeared that the Gremory clan was choosing him as Rias' partner rather than Riser. From a parent's perspective, it was to be expected but Zeoticus wasn't only a parent, he was also a leader. It was a foolish and rash decision at best.

It did make Zeoticus' emotions from earlier in the evening clear but it wasn't exactly something Damian was happy with. Becoming the betrothed of Rias wasn't something he despised, it was becoming the betrothed of the next Gremory head that bothered him.

The Thaumiel clan was powerful for an extra demon clan, unnaturally so due to their connection to many of the pillar families albeit the weaker ones. However that didn't mean they could handle the backlash of not only becoming the next Gremory head but also slighting the Phenex.

'There is something I don't know.' Damian determined instantly. His father was smart, he wouldn't do something that put them in so much danger if he didn't believe they could survive the ordeal with limited damage. But, this raised its own question.

How much did Damian not know about? If they possessed the power to survive the wrath of the Phenex clan and he wasn't aware, there were definitely more things that he was not aware of. It was something he needed to know.

'They won't tell me.' Damian thought to himself in resignation. His parents were extremely secretive people even to him. No matter if he begged or pleaded, they wouldn't tell him. He was left completely in the dark.

It was an irritating truth and so Damian would momentarily remove his attention from the outside and focus on what was within his grasp. If he didn't understand what was close to him, it didn't matter what he would one day hold. Of course, that wasn't his priority at the current moment.

"Lord Lucifer." Riser spoke in a mix of annoyance and resignation. From his reaction, it was clear that Riser didn't take the news as most other devils would. In Riser's eyes, it was merely Sirzechs helping an innocent boy from the threat of death and not a clear betrayal.

It was a conclusion born from the arrogant and naive thought that it was impossible for him to be betrayed. However, even an idiot like him understood that with Sirzechs personally stepping in it was impossible to continue to attack Damian.

"While I'm happy to see that the new generation is full of courage, this isn't the best occasion don't you think?" Sirzechs asked with a polite smile, glancing at Damian out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back toward Riser.

Damian was more attentive than most at the event, rather he was the only one present who knew enough about them to warrant such a thing. The way his eyes searched for them all throughout the event meant he understood their nature, at least to some degree.

Originally they had a small bet going on, a little fun as they watched, about whether or not Damian would be able to find them. It was started by Serafall who had 'heard about him from So-tan' but it was obvious that she and Ajuka were in cahoots.

Sirzechs would be the first to admit that he had bet on the wrong side. He had never met Damian Thaumiel in person before, he had only heard about him from unreliable or biased sources such as Ajuka, and he would admit within a heartbeat that he had underestimated the boy.

In terms of power, Damian was barely keeping up with his peers but that wasn't his true strength anyway. Damian had wisdom well beyond his years. He understood that they would all be watching while using some sort of magic.

That by itself wasn't enough to find them though. There were plenty of ways they could hide ranging from invisibility to a small scale illusion and yet Damian had correctly guessed the most likely and ultimately correct solution.

Illusions were unreliable in front of the skilled and invisibility wasn't enough to hide them completely so they ended up using mental interference magic to subtly make people avoid the area where they stood. In the end, they made a small sphere where nobody would walk.

And that had been enough. While it took a fair bit of time it was undeniable that he had found them when no other adult devil did. He wasn't strong physically but his mind… it was horrifying, to put it bluntly.

"I apologize for the disruption Lord Lucifer." Damian spoke after only a moment of stupor. This wasn't the time to be stunned or ponder possible issues. He would have plenty of time to do so after the party.

"Haha, there is no reason to apologize for children being energetic. However, it would be a different story if you weren't both children so take this lesson to heart." Sirzechs cautioned them gently albeit seriously.

It may sound as though he was cautioning the two of them and to a certain degree he was but it was much more pointed toward Riser. The official age for a devil to become an 'adult' was eighteen years old and Riser was currently fifteen.

Sirzechs was warning him that Riser's arrogance would soon have near fatal consequences.