Chapter 16

"___" Text speech

'___' Internal thoughts

[___] status

(___) skills

(Great Sage:___)

{Author:___} author notes

Some things are subject to change depending on how I develop this story

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As Meelis made his way to Sirzechs' office, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Sirzechs never called for him on matters that he labeled as 'important.' Usually, it was for training or casual check-ins. This sudden summons felt different, and Meelis instinctively knew that whatever awaited him in the office wasn't going to be simple.

When he arrived, Grayfia, who had followed behind him, opened the door, revealing Sirzechs seated behind his desk, his expression uncharacteristically serious. Beside him stood Rias, looking equally grave. Meelis walked in, his usual composure maintained, though his curiosity bubbled beneath the surface at what it could be that caused such a reaction from Sirzechs.

"Meelis, thank you for coming," Sirzechs said, gesturing to him to take a seat.

"Of course, Sirzechs-sama," Meelis replied, sitting down before asking, "What's this about?"

Sirzechs exchanged a glance with Rias, who was with him when he heard the news from Ajuka, before focusing on Meelis. "It seems that certain…information about you has been leaked," Sirzechs began, his tone firm but cautious.

Meelis, genuinely confused, raised an eyebrow. "Information? What kind of information?"

Sirzechs sighed, leaning forward. "Your heritage. The fact that you are a member of the Zagan House."

A moment of silence followed. Meelis processed the information, his mind already whirling through the implications. "So, someone spread the word that I belong to one of the Pillar Houses?" he asked, his tone calm but his eyes sharp, internally he was fuming, he did not want to deal with the Devil society this early, he vowed to torture the individual who did it under the worst torture a man could suffer from.

Sirzechs nodded. "Yes. The Great King Faction has gotten hold of this information and intends to use it to their advantage. They're already pushing for your official introduction to the Devil Society, likely hoping to sway you to their side."

Rias, who had been quiet until now, added, "Meelis, you should be careful, I had my Introduction Ceremony when I had just turned 12, and I got hit with a bunch of fake praises by other nobles and then I got bullied by other heirs, worst of all, my dad set up an arranged marriage with the third son of the Phenex house, Riser Phenex. He's three years older than me and he just kept giving me weird looks and talking about how great his House is, bleeeghhh." Making puking sound effects at the end.

Meelis leaned back in his chair, a wry smile creeping onto his face. "So, they want to use me as a pawn in their power games. How typical." Inwardly, he was already connecting the dots of who was responsible for outing him and how he'd deal with them.

Grayfia, who was standing quietly near the door, spoke up. "You should be careful, Meelis-sama. The Great King Faction is known for their cunning and ruthlessness. They will do whatever it takes to bring you to their side."

Meelis closed his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I see," he said slowly, with conviction in his eyes, "They expect me to be swayed by the allure of power and influence. However, they seem to underestimate the situation. I have no interest in aligning myself with arrogant fools who see others as mere tools."

'Those fools deserve death, I'd be dammed if I allowed myself to be pushed around by others, only I get to control others; in fact, we are very different, I only want power to defend myself and women to accompany me so as to live a good life, while all they want is some empty political power over a dead kingdom to rule over their 'pure' bloodlines.' Meelis thought in disgust. Yeah, he might not be a good person himself, but at least he could guarantee he would end up as a corrupt bloodline purist who does not train his powers at all.

{Author: The reason mc called it a dead kingdom is cause even though devils live a long time, devil population is very very low even between the commoners, ajuka attempted to fix it with reincarnated devils, but pure devils from the pillars are spoiled brats so they rarely used those and even then they were basically slaves so devil population is very low, the nobles are extremely corrupt, and hell the kings heir left his kingdom and his descendants are basically terrorists.}

Sirzechs couldn't help but smile slightly at Meelis' response. "I'm glad to hear that, but we still need to handle this matter delicately. Once you're exposed to the public, the pressure from various factions, including those outside the Underworld, will only increase."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Meelis asked, his mind already churning through possible strategies, if he met a certain Angel, even if it were dangerous, it'd be worth it.

"We'll hold your introduction on our terms," Sirzechs said confidently. "By introducing you ourselves, we can control the narrative and protect you from their schemes. If we present you as a part of my faction, it will make it harder for the Great King Faction to claim you as one of theirs."

Meelis smirked in agreement, "Turning their own move against them, huh? I like it. However, there's still the risk that they could try other tactics to lure me in to their side."

Sirzechs nodded. "That's true, which is why we'll need to strengthen your position here. Grayfia and my mother will assist you in preparing you for the introduction. We'll make sure that you are seen as someone not to be trifled with."

"Cool, just one more thing, when are we doing that?" Meelis asked as he realized he was already planning a counterattack against the Great King Faction, without even knowing when the counterattack is.

Sirzechs froze, his eyes widening realizing he forgot one crucial detail, before awkwardly coughing, "We are holding it on your 12th birthday as per tradition, which is in December."

"So…two months."

Meelis stood up, his smirk widening. "Very well. Let's show them that I'm not just some piece on their chessboard."

'Or more like, I should find someone to 'befriend' and I know just the guy. Honestly, I'm such a nice guy, not only am I going to befriend that guy, but I can also deal with both of his problems.' Meelis thought to himself and his less than pure intentions, not that he cared anyways, as he saw it, he was fixing an impotent devil and a comatose patient, if anything they'd probably take that deal over living that hellish life they have.

As the conversation wrapped up, Meelis glanced toward Grayfia. "So, Grayfia, how about a trip to the human world…," he began, his eyes glinting mischievously.

Grayfia raised an eyebrow but didn't miss a beat. "We can arrange it, though you'll have to be discreet given the current circumstances."

Rias, overhearing them intruded into their conversation, "Oh oh, I want to join, if you're going to the human world then that means you want to expand your peerage, I also need to expand mine too, so far I only have Akeno and Koneko, I need to make my own peerage so that we can fight Meelis' peerage one day."

Meelis just raised an eyebrow at Rias' statement considering her normally lazy and easygoing attitude, 'Maybe she was stimulated by my circumstances and reminded of her unwanted marriage, that's good, although I want to help her, I don't want her to take that same approach as in cannon.'

Sirzechs leaned back, watching Meelis with a knowing smile. "Careful, Meelis. The human world has its own dangers. But if this is part of your plans, then go with caution."

With the upcoming introduction looming and the schemes of the Great King Faction in play, Meelis left the office with a newfound resolve. The game had just become more complicated, but he was ready. He wasn't merely a pawn; he was determined to become the king in this ever-changing battlefield, The hunted WILL become the Hunter.

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LP: 500

Devil Nobility Class: Low, Mid, High, Ultimate, Special (these are the actual cannon rankings of DxD)

Devil Strength Rank: Low(F), Mid(E), High(D), Ultimate(C), Satan(B-), Maxed Longinus(B), Dragon Kings(B+), Heavenly Dragons/Super Devils(A), Indra(A+), Ophis/Red(S+ to EX)