Interlude 20

Venelana Gremory POV

"And you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, really." Wilhelm replied, giving me that handsome smile of his. "Just been dealing with the aftermath of everything."

"And Yasaka?"

"Physically, she's fine. However, I'm sure you can imagine the stress and weight of everything that's hit her right now."

I could imagine, having experienced similar conflicts before. I felt bad because there wasn't anything I could do to help right now. She was supposed to be my Harem Sister, yet we haven't even met yet. I knew it would only cause problems if I tried to force myself into everything now.

"I heard that you are going to war…." I was surprised by the announcement and the attack. It had been so sudden, and it reminded me too much of what happened during the Great War. There haven't been any large-scale conflicts between factions in centuries, I was caught off guard by this.

"We can't not respond like that after being attacked so blatantly and brutally. Right now, we're just working on shoring up our defenses. I've personally been going around the city preparing for any potential attacks, setting up defenses and countermeasures."

"If you're still busy, I don't want to be a bother. It sounds like you have much more important matters to deal with than going on a date."

"Actually….I wouldn't mind a break." He had a little bashfulness to him that was just so cute. "I've mostly finished up what I needed after a couple days and can't really continue until Yasaka and I work out some logistics. A break would be…..welcomed. There really isn't anything else we can do at the moment until we solve certain….issues."

Hmm, probably some secret information he's not aloud to talk about.

"Is there a day that's good for you? My schedule seems to be much more flexible than yours right now."

"Uh...how about three days from now? I can text you a specific time and place when we get closer."

"That would be lovely. I was already planning on going to the Human world in a little bit to see my daughter. I'll stay over in one of our houses there in the meantime." The timing was perfect. Going to the human world was such a hassle for someone of my status, especially with Sirzechs and everyone trying to make sure I was shadowed.

It was annoying enough going on our last date without being followed. I had half a mind to just let whoever it was follow us and let them report back to that foolish son of mine how I rode my Grandson and all the juicy details again.

Of course that was just me being annoyed. I knew he's doing it out of love and worry. Though, I doubted there were many safer places than next to my cute Grandson.

"I look forward to it." He replied, an excited look on his face.

How much I adored that desire again. It felt nice to be wanted like that after so long.

"Well, I don't want to keep bothering you while you're busy. Until then."

"You're never a bother." He cutely retorted. "And I can't wait to see you again."

"You're so sweet~ Finish your important things before worrying about us. We have all the time in the world, make sure your other women are taken care of." I didn't want him to force himself away from any responsibilities because of me.

There was no rush on our end, we could go as slow as we wanted.

And I knew I would enjoy every moment of it.

"Alright, alright." He sighed. "I'll get back to work, I'll give you a call in a day or two to settle time and place, see you then."

"Bye~" I smiled back at him as we finally hung up.

Oh, that boy was just too adorable, I wanted to eat him up again.

I'm looking forward to when he can trust me with some of the secrets he's obviously keeping. I'm glad he hasn't lied to me about it, and made it obvious we just weren't at that point yet.

Oh well, no point in dwelling on that at the moment.

It'll be nice to go to the Human World again, always so many interesting things that seemed to change every few years.

But first, I would go see my Daughter.

Activating the Teleportation Circle, I connected it to that School of hers and disappeared.

***

"Mom!?"

"Rias." I smiled brightly, holding my arms out. My Daughter immediately dove into me. She's always been a bit of a momma's girl.

"I thought you weren't coming for like, another few days?"

"I said I would be coming over soon." I chuckled.

"That usually means days, not hours." She replied but didn't really seem to mind.

"Well, I missed my daughter." I squeezed her tightly before letting go. "Did I come at a bad time?" I tilted my head, looking around the room.

Other than Rias, there was Akeno her Queen, Koneko her Rook and Sona along with her own Queen sitting around like they were chatting about something.

"Nothing important." Rias shook her head.

"It's good to see you again, Lady Gremory." Sona was the first to speak up, as polite as always. No matter how many times I told her it's not necessary, she insisted on calling me 'Lady Gremory'.

I swear, that girl does it just to be the opposite of her sister.

"Sona, It's been too long. How have you been? I've heard you also got a new member of your peerage, Serafall just wouldn't stop talking about it. A Sacred Gear user as well?"

It was fun to watch her get flustered at the mention of Serafall.

"Yes, he's shown a lot of potential so far. He took four Pawns to reincarnate, and he's taken to being a Devil quite readily." Sona forced herself to keep an even expression.

I stopped myself from chuckling as I walked over to Akeno pulling that girl into a hug too.

"Momma Gremory~" She giggled, always the mischievous little girl. I practically raised her alongside Rias, a daughter by any other name.

"And Koneko." I held my hand out, the one with the Bracelet that Wilhelm gave me. Such a convenient thing and I'd come to adore it. I was able to retrieve a small box of cookies for just the occasion. Watching as her eyes light up was very adorable as well. I gave her a pat on the head as I sat down in a free seat infront of them.

"Do you know what Sacred Gear he has?" I asked, turning back towards Sona. "Or do you want to keep it a secret?"

"I would rather it not become common knowledge for future rating games, but I don't believe you would be one to spread it and Rias already knows." She pushed up her glasses. "Saji possesses one of the Vitra Sacred Gears – Absorption Line."

"Oh, that isn't bad at all, it has a lot of potential. I can see why he took four Pawns to Reincarnate." I nodded along. It's a little strange how many Sacred Gears ended up in one location. I think between Sona and Rias, no other peerage could match them in that regard.

"Better than my pawn." Rias grumbled.

"There was no way of knowing that Issei had a Draconic Bloodline, Rias. Besides, he is still a worthy addition, it will just take time for him to come into his power." Sona seemed to try and sooth her.

They've always been good friend.

Though, I'm not pleased that Rias was so outspoken about her dislike of her pawn. The fact that both Akeno and Koneko were here to hear it means they'll take her words to heart. It's entirely possible that a small rift could form as they don't want to form too strong attachments to him due to Rias's feelings.

I held my tongue, it wasn't my place to tell her how to handle her Peerage. Just as I had much in the past, it was simply a Taboo that arose when the Evil Pieces came about. She was quite literally the King of her peerage, and if I spoke up it would undermine her authority.

No, I already pushed as far as I could when Zeo and I brought it up during that dinner. In that moment, we could speak about how it was perceived from a standpoint of her being a Gremory, but anymore would be overstepping.

"Where is your Pawn, Rias?" I had actually yet to meet him, I was a little curious about the boy.

"He's out training right now." Rias sighed. "At least he's energetic about that."

"That's because you told him he could get a Harem if he gets stronger~" Akeno giggled.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Pervert." Koneko added the singular word that answered all of my questions as she continued to munch on the cookies I gave her.

"Well, we are Devils." I chuckled.

"Ugh, but he's so….." Rias grunted, plopping down in the seat next to Sona. "I wouldn't mind it normally, but he's barely making any progress and it's starting to grate."

"Ah, Is he the type to be very open about his desires without anything to add beyond that?"

"That's…..a very apt description." Sona huffed, a noticeable amount of annoyance on her face. "He's a well known pervert throughout the school."

"Oh my…" It seems Rias has gained a rather troublesome pawn then.

"Like Saji is any better! What was the thing he said when Issei declared he was going to be a Harem king!?" Rias puffed up. "I'm going to get Sona Pregnant!"

I blinked in surprise as Sona turned a very bright red.

"A-at least he doesn't scream about 'oppai' every other word!" Sona huffed.

And now I'm very happy I came over when I did.

I was going to have so much to talk to Serafall about the next time I saw her.

And speaking of Rias's pawn.

The door to the room slid open. "Buchou, I'm back!" A young man I didn't recognize strolled right in, and by his words, I could guess his identity. "What are you –" He abrupty cut himself off as his gazelanded on me. Well, more specifically, his eyes became glued to my breasts

I admit I wore something a little…..revealing because I was calling Wilhelm and he would be seeing me. I hadn't thought much anything of it after coming here.

"Issei…" Rias let out a long sigh. "Close your mouth and stop drooling. This is my mother."

Hmm, I can see some of what she meant. Supposedly a Draconic Bloodline, yet, he wasn't much beyond a normal human yet. It would take a lot of work to get him up to a certain standard, and doing that before her wedding date would be…..difficult. However, he does have the potential to be a powerful member of her peerage if she puts in the work.

"It's a pleasure to meet another of my Daughter's Peerage." I decided to ignore his leer it's not the first nor will it be the last time I had a young man drool over me. I was by no means oblivious to my own appeal.

It was never a matter of finding a willing partner on my end, but one that met my standards.

"Oh…..y-yeah!" He suddenly shot up to attention. "I'm Issei Hyoudou!" He introduced himself with vigor.

Hmm, I can't deny that he's energetic.

Regardless, he'd at least be a good lesson to Rias. She was practically handed her other peerage members and they all came with such wonderful abilities that she so egregiously wasted. Having to build up a peerage member without a high starting point will help her grow.

"Lady Gremory." Another handful of boys followed right behind.

"Oh Kiba, how wonderful to see you again. Okita had been asking about you just the other day when he was discharged." Despite my annoyance with my Son's Knight, Okita was more than willing to help out and train Kiba more.

"Saji, come over here." Sona beckoned her supposed pawn over. "And introduce yourself just as I taught you."

The young man walked behind the couch where Sona sat. He politely bowed his head. "I'm Saji Genshiro, Pawn of Sona Sitri. It's an honor to meet you, Ma'am."

"Well done, but be careful calling someone 'Ma'am'. When in doubt, you can refer to a woman as a 'Lady'. Even if they aren't high in status, you will come off as a gentleman." Well, unless he was skeevy about it, but I doubted Sona would ever allow it to come to that.

"I apologize, Lady Gremory, he's still new." Sona shot him a glance but didn't openly chastise him. Rias could learn a thing or two about airing things in front of others.

"Oh it's no trouble. I don't' take any offense, Saji." I gave him a warm smile to know I wasn't offended. "I understand you're still new to our society. I'm sure Sona will teach you quite thoroughly before putting you in a situation where it matters."

"Thank you for your understanding." Sona replied on his behalf, always the one to follow 'proper' etiquette regardless of the situation.

"And one more face that I don't recognize, nor do I think you belong to either my Daughter's or Sona's peerage." I turned to the last person to enter the room. A man fully dressed in a knight's regalia.

"Apologies for my late introduction, Lady Gremory." The knight bowed his head respectfully. "I am Beluga Furcas, the Knight of my Lord – Sairaorg Bael."

"Oh, a member of house Furcas? And one of little Sai's peerage." Seeing him twitch when I called his King little Sai was adorable. "What are you doing here, if you don't mind me asking?"

"In accordance with my Lord, I was lending my aid in the training of Lady Rias's peerage."

"Oh?" I turned back towards Rias.

"Sai came by back when Riser showed up." Rias crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Hmm, I did hear about that. Don't worry, I had words with the Phenex family about his conduct. He will not be bothering you again like that until the promised date." That was all I could do for her.

I hadn't entirely on board with the marriage contract in the first place, even if it came with pressure from other families to continue the 'pure bloodline' or some other nonsense.

"Yeah, and he said he would help us train." Rias sounded a little sheepish. "We've been doing some training with his Peerage so far, but after that whole thing that happened with the Youkai…..he said he had to go check in on some friends."

"It is as she says, Lady Gremory." Sai's Knight spoke up again. "My King wished to aid Lady Rias in her upcoming fight, thus we have been helping where we could. As my King has ties with the Youkai of the East, he was duty bound to offer any assistance that he could. The remainder of his peerage followed him, while I remained to continue my teachings as I have not much to give in such a situation."

Maybe I was wrong then? It seems that Rias had started taking things more seriously if even Sai was helping. As much as that boy would jump into fires to help those he cared about, I know for a fact he also wouldn't suffer Rias's laziness.

And Sai headed off to help his Youkai friends then? Leaving behind his Knight to help those who needed it the most if I guessed right.

I'll need to do something to thank that boy later once the mess was cleaned up.

"Do you –" My words were cut off as the entire building shook violently.

"An earthquake!?" Rias squeaked out, bracing herself along with everyone else in the room.

"No…" I whispered, immediately standing to my feet. "That was the wards and defenses around the school being undone."

"What do you –"

Out of instinct I honed over the course of many years of war, I gathered a significant amount of Demonic Energy and shaped it into a shield around us, right as the room was consumed with a familiar and deadly Light.

***

I pushed a piece of rubble off myself as everyone else slowly pulled themselves to their feet.

I looked around to make sure everyone was alright, my shield took most of the brunt, but it still shattered in the end.

Atleast, the collapsing of the building shouldn't have harmed anyone significantly. A by product of our Devil physiology giving us enhanced abilities.

"Furcas." I called out, noticing he was only slower than me to raise to a standing position, and clearly was ready for a fight as he had a weapon in hand already.

"I am here, Lady Gremory."

"Your priority is their safety." I ordered him.

He nodded, not arguing with me.

Good, he seemed to have experience in this sort of thing while the others still hadn't quite realized the reality of the situation.

"W-what happened?"

"There was a flash of light, then suddenly…."

"Did something hit us!?"

"Get to your feet." I said sternly, stopping them from their idle chatting. "If you're not heavily wounded, then don't speak."

"Mom?"

"Rias, listen to my words. This is not a game, this is not an accident. Focus, and defend yourself as best as you can." I took a deep breath and my Demonic Energy began flowing more than it had in many years, no, many centuries at this point. "Sona, call your sister. Rias, call your bother. Everyone else, prepare for a fight."

I looked around, expanding my senses for anything.

"I-I can't connect." Rias whispered, holding her Devil Phone.

"Neither can I." Sona replied as well, as they both seemed to now understand the situation.

Infront of us, several spell circles lit up on the ground, monstrous beasts appearing. Two large canine-like creatures with three heads each with molten lava dripping from their jaws.

They growled, eyeing us with baleful eyes.

"Hmph." I took a step forward, my Power of Destruction igniting in my hands as they leapt. Grabbing them both by the scruff of the necks, I began disintegrating them from existence. They whined and howled in pain before I casually tossed them up in the air, a sudden burst of light impaling their bodies.

Spears of Light that were meant for me.

"Tsk tsk, treating my pets so poorly~"

I looked up at the source, a man sitting on the edge of the nearby school building.

A face I hadn't seen in person since the Great War.

"And I wondered who it was. How absolutely horrible to see you again." I scowled upon seeing who it was.

"Hurtful words for an old friend?" He slowly stood up, ten Black wings unfolding from his back. "And here I thought I was only going to get to play with the kids. What an unexpected surprise this turned out to be."

It wasn't just him either. High up in the sky, I saw them. Hundreds of Angels, wings as black as night as they appeared under the moonlight.

"Lets go a round or two, for old times sake, huh Vene?" The Fallen Angel laughed in his annoying voice.

"Rias, Sona." I said under my breath. "Get ready, do whatever you can to escape. I'll do my best to make an opening for you."

"Mom, who is that?" Rias shuddered and I couldn't blame her.

She's never faced an opponent this strong before, let alone one who was our natural enemy. The others weren't doing much better, but I couldn't turn my attention away.

"Yes, yes~" The Fallen angel landed on the ground within a blink of an eye. "Who am I?" He held his arms out as if to proclaim in such a grandiose manner. "I am Kokabiel, Angel of the Stars." His lackadaisical attitude shifted abruptly, a sneer now on his face. "And I'm here to fulfill my purpose."

***

Almost didn't get the chapter out for today before work. So I originally planned to have a few more things before the Kokabiel arc, but I decided to axe those and just go ahead with this.

If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone