Chapter 3: Visiting The Valen Clan

(First Person - Avalon) 

Me, Adaloth, Zeoticus, and Venelana were all gathered at the front gate of our house. Each of us prepared to go visit the Valen Clan. Which is quite some distance away from us since we'll need to pass through the entirety of the Sitri Clan's territory to get there. 

I heard that the Sitri Clan's nature reserves are a rather photogenic site to behold, so at least I'll have that to look forward to on the trip. 

Apparently I'm also going to be meeting my possible fiance, so that's certainly something to think about. I'm not sure how they feel about the whole thing, but if they want to refuse I won't make any effort to stop them. 

Fiance or not, I'm feeling even more determined to reach for the rank of Satan after my first training session with Souji. 

This body is capable of doing a whole lot, and I want to test it out against everyone else. 

In other words, I'm feeling a little battle-hungry right now. 

"Avalon," my father called out to me. "I thought I told you to wear your formal attire? We had a suit tailor-made for you, just for this occasion." 

Right now I was wearing a crimson haori and hakama over a kimono, with a white cord called a tasuki crossed over the chest and tied in the back. It's job is to prevent the sleeves of my kimono from interfering with my arms movement, and the sleeves themselves had been patterned with a mountainous design. 

Souji gave it to me as a gift after we finished training, apparently this is proof of me being his student. 

And I quite like it, it's extremely comfortable not to mention that I look super-duper handsome in it. 

"I don't think there's any harm in it, personally I think he looks cute." At least my mother understood. 

And I don't look cute, I look fierce! 

"Indeed, he does look cute in it." Adaloth added. 

Fierce! Not cute! Get it right! 

I shot a triumphant smile at Zeoticus, earning a clearly miffed groan from him in return. It's a shame, I suppose someone like him just isn't capable of grasping the manly charm of my current attire. 

"Let's just hope Wilbert shares your enthusiasm," we started to head towards a large carriage that had been prepared for us. Normally we'd use a teleportation circle to cover such a large distance, but our parents wanted us to have a chance to observe the scenery of the Underworld. 

I managed to rush ahead a little and catch the window seat, but unfortunately my haste led me to be seated next to Adaloth instead of my parents like I had originally planned. 

And to make matters worse, she seemed to catch on to my discomfort, and scooted closer to the point where her shoulder brushed against mine, wearing a wry smile all the while. 

I may be a Devil in biology, but she's one in nature as well. 

"Avalon, have a look at this." Zeoticus pulled out his phone, which apparently existed in the Underworld alongside the internet. I think there's even a social media platform called DeviTube or something, which I'd much rather steer clear off. 

On his phone was the picture of a girl who seemed to be about me and Adaloth's age, she had crimson hair similar to Zeoticus fashioned into twin-tails, and had bright pink eyes that made me initially assume she needed to see a doctor. 

"Who's that?" I asked. 

"That's Mio Valen, Wilbert's daughter." 

"I see," my female psycho-sensing ability doesn't really work through photos, so I won't be jumping to any conclusions before I see her in person. 

Even if she's a child, I should be able to pick up on whether she'll become a future psycho or not. My senses in that field are unrivaled. 

"Well?" He said, seemingly waiting for some sort of reaction from me. 

"Uh, she's cute I guess." I said in my usual monotone voice, even if I have the body of a child I still have the mind of an adult. My interest steers to people more around my mother's age-range. 

Or appearance-range to be accurate, since Devils have a base lifespan of 10,000 years. 

"You don't seem very enthusiastic," he frowned as his eyes narrowed. "Is she not your type or something?" 

Dude, my past life has made my standards drop as low as physically possible. As long as they meet the bare minimum requirement to be declared "sane", I'm more than satisfied. 

"Dear, don't you think you're rushing things a little?" Venelana said, and she has a good point seeing as nothing's been decided as of now. 

"It's a parents duty to make sure their child has a healthy libido, I'm just doing my due diligence." 

Should you really be using that word around children? 

"He's five, I think his lacking libido is fairly natural." I can always count on my mother to be the voice of reason. "Mio's a good girl, I'm sure the two of them will get along just fine." 

I will be the judge of that. 

"With that said, I also hear there's some fairly attractive boys over there," she side-eyed Adaloth. 

Careful mother, I don't think you're prepared for the amount of negative karma subjecting a man to being with my sister will accumulate. 

"Is that so?" Adaloth replied, staring at me for some reason. 

"See? Even our daughter is about as excited as a blank sheet of paper, I'm telling you we need to deal with this sooner rather than later." 

"That's enough dear," she shot a stern glance his way, thoroughly shutting him down. 

And Adaloth was still staring at me, not saying a word. 

What? Does she want to fight or something? Put 'em up then! 

The ride continued on, and Venelana and Zeoticus started to discuss things I couldn't be bothered to pay attention to as I decided to peer out the window. 

If I remember correctly, our territory is more industry-focused. I don't think we actually have a special trade like the Sitri Clan's nature reserves and medical services, or the Phenex Clan's Phoenix Tears. But we have produced a Satan, and me and Adaloth are apparently fairly talented. 

Talent; people keep using that word to describe me. I'm still not sure what that means, but I plan on figuring it out once I'm able to start fighting other Devils in the Rating Games. 

"You don't seem nervous," Adaloth said to me once we entered the Sitri territory. Disturbing my sight-seeing of the colorful expanse outside. 

"About?" 

"About meeting your fiance." 

"Possible fiance, and why would I be?" 

She let out her usual hum, lowering her voice a little. "I suppose there's no reason for you to be. But father raised a good question, if she's not your type, then what is?" 

"I don't recall stating whether she was my type or not, he brought that up on his own." I don't actually know if there's a certain type of woman I like, but I know for a fact that there's a type I don't like. 

Hint, she's currently talking to me. 

"That's true, but she's not the right match for you anyways." 

"Oh? You think you know what the right match for me is?" 

Her smile widened, causing me to cringe inwardly. "Yes, I do." 

Now she's just spouting nonsense, she hasn't even met this Mio girl. Oh well, it's just another attempt to get on my nerves. 

But I will never waver! I am just as persistent as L. was in catching Light.

--- 

(First Person - Avalon) 

It seems we've finally arrived. 

And my goodness extravagant doesn't even begin to describe this place, I thought our territory was high-class. But the Valen Clan's is in a league of its own.

Even the areas where Middle-Class Devils were supposed to be dwelling looked like they belonged to High-Class ones. 

If I remember correctly, the Valen Clan shares our clan's more empathetic approach to leadership. Which is something I can respect them for, especially when basically the entire rest of the Underworld has chosen to do the complete opposite. 

The Low-Class and Middle-Class population makes up the huge majority of the Underworld's population, and as a result a majority of its workforce. I'll never understand the use in needlessly antagonizing them, such a waste of potential productivity. 

'Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.' —Ralph Waldo Emerson 

That's the style of leadership I plan to adopt. 

We each exited the carriage one by one, approaching the Valen Mansion which seemed to dwarf ours in comparison. 

"It's nice to see you again, Venelana." A woman approached, immediately walking towards Venelana and pulling her into a hug, one that looked like it could give even my older brother a run for his money. 

She had red hair and similarly-colored eyes, wearing attire that seemed a lot more suited to physical activity rather than a social gathering. Her proportions also seemed to rival my mother, I have to admit, Adaloth certainly has a point about that. 

How are you supposed to fight with two mountains strapped to your chest at all times? 

"The pleasure is all mine, Sapphire." 

Sapphire? But her hair is red? Though to be fair, I was named Avalon by a bunch of Devils. So I suppose I'm in no position to complain. 

Maybe weird naming senses are just commonplace in the Underworld, at least I wasn't named John DxD. 

Sapphire turned to us, a certain sparkle becoming noticeable in her eyes and I felt like my ribs were suddenly in danger. 

"These are the twins as you know, that one's Avalon, and the other's Adaloth." 

"They're adorable!" She ran up, scooping us up in a Lucifer-like hug before me and Adaloth could make any attempt to escape. My hunch about the imminent danger of my skeletal structure being proven right. 

"Aren't they? Children, this here is Sapphire. She's Lord Valen's younger sister." 

"I-It's nice to meet you, L-Lady Sapphire." I said in between strained breaths, my lungs on the verge of collapse. 

"Oh please, just Sapphire is fine." She finally put us down, I proceeded to immediately clutch my chest as I tried to catch my breath. "Wilbert's waiting for you inside. Ah, have you all eaten yet?" 

"We had a big breakfast today-" As Venlana spoke, the sound of me and Adaloth's stomachs rumbling were heard. "But apparently these two still somehow have room for more," she shook her head. 

I can't help it alright? My stomach has a mind of its own. 

Our increased appetites are apparently a result of the properties of our Power of Destruction, my inherent control has caused my brain to consume far more calories than it normally would. It's like I'm paying the electricity bill for a mini supercomputer in my brain, but with food. 

The same applies to Adaloth's body trying to maintain its insane output. Even when she's not actively using her Demonic Power, there's always a certain amount of it passively leaking from her body. 

"Haha, it's only natural that growing children are big eaters. Speaking of which, these two are pretty tall for their age aren't they?" She crouched down in front of us, putting her hand over our heads and comparing our heights. "Mio's only this tall," she put her hand next to my stomach. "Maybe I need to start feeding her more?" 

"I assure you Mio's appetite is quite normal, it's these two goblins that are the abnormal ones." She ruffled our hair.

We proceeded to enter the Valen house, where I was once again reminded of the difference in wealth between a Duke and King-ranked Clan. 

"Zeoticus, I'm glad you could make it." A deep, gruff voice spoke from atop a staircase planted in the middle of the room. 

He was a well-built man with red hair and eyes just like Sapphire, and much to my surprise he had a pair of horns on his head that were a little twisted near the tip. 

His ears were pointed like an elves, and he had a set of tattoos covering the top half of his face, alongside a goatee. 

Intimidating, was putting it lightly. The dude was a UNIT! He had to be at least 7 feet tall, my father looked like a child in comparison to him as he went up to shake hands. 

"Spending time with you is always a pleasure, Wilbert," he smiled. 

So that's Wilbert Valen. He's definitely got the most presence out of anyone here, that I can say with full certainty. 

It took me a while to notice, but eventually I spotted a figure hiding behind Wilbert's leg. A girl who matched the photo Zeoticus had shown me on the carriage ride, peering out at me and Adaloth with a timid expression. 

That must be his daughter, Mio. 

My psycho radar hasn't gone off, so I think we're in the clear. Although it's possible that Adaloth's S-class psycho aura is drowning out my senses since she's in such close proximity to me. 

"Sorry, she can be a little shy at times." Wilbert said with a slightly nervous expression. 

"It's fine, children can be like that at times." Zeoticus kneeled to level with her. "Hello, I'm not sure if you remember but I visited you and your father last year." 

"H-Hello," she replied quietly. 

Wilbert then looked at me and Adaloth, approaching us, looking at me more intently than her. "You must be Avalon," his appearance is intimidating as hell, but I get the impression that this guy's actually pretty nice. "I'm Wilbert, it's nice to meet you." 

"Likewise," thankfully he didn't try to crush my bones into a fine paste as we shook hands. Looks really are deceiving in the Underworld. 

Out of the blue, he brought his face closer to mine, examining me as he scratched his goatee. "I heard that you resemble Lord Beelzebub to some extent, but it really is uncanny. Zeoticus, are you sure this is your kid?" 

"Please don't go putting weird ideas in my husband's head, Lord Valen." 

"Haha, sorry. I just couldn't help it," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. I guess even Lord Valen is helpless in the wake of my mother's scoldings. "I heard the two of you were hungry, so how about we start off with a meal and continue on from there?" 

I'm never one to turn away food, but you best be prepared to have your chefs work overtime. 

--- 

(Third Person) 

On a rooftop under the Underworld's artificial sun stood two figures, currently surrounded by an array of potted plants that had been arranged into a makeshift garden. 

"Have you come to a conclusion?" One of them asked, being a lean man with long crimson hair reaching his shoulders and bright-blue eyes.

He was the Crimson Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer. 

"I have," the other replied. Holding a watering can in his hands and tending to the plants one by one. 

He was an attractive young man who looked to be in his twenties, with similarly colored eyes to Sirzechs and light-green hair that had been slicked back. 

There was a mysterious aura around him, his face expressionless and completely unreadable. 

This was Ajuka Beelzebub, a fellow Satan, and long time friend of Sirzechs. 

"I do not believe they are Super-Devils like us, well, not quite," he examined the leaves of some of the plants. "I believe it would be more accurate to call them Incomplete Super-Devils." 

"Incomplete Super-Devils?" Sirzechs repeated. 

"Indeed, part of their composition as a Devil qualifies them as a Super-Devil, but the other half of it is either average, or too lacking in comparison to us." He declared casually, pulling out a chair to sit on and admire the fruits of his gardening skills. "However, that may not be permanent, it is very possible that if Avalon makes up for his lacking output, and Adaloth properly manages to tame her Demonic Power, they will indeed become one of us. I must admit, I am rather interested to see how the former progresses." 

Sirzechs nodded intently, taking his friend's words to heart. "Are you planning on taking Avalon in as a student then?" 

"Maybe, but not right now. I think you made the right decision by pairing him up with Souji, he'll help him build a good foundation before he moves onto truly exploring his strength later on." 

"I concur, but about Avalon's output, that's not something he can just increase through training right? We're all born with a different quantity of Demonic Power." 

Ajuka gestured in agreement. "Not through training, but I believe there might be a way for him to substitute that strength." 

"How?" 

"Demonic Swords," he said. "I believe with his constitution, he'd be able to tame any Demonic Sword he pleases effortlessly, and use their strength to bolster his Demonic Power." 

Sirzechs's eyes widened, his voice growing stern. "Ajuka, I shouldn't need to tell you how dangerous those things are." 

Some of the more renowned Demonic Swords were known to possess strong curses within them, which brought misfortune unto both their opponent and owner, capable of lessening the user's lifespan if misused or overused. 

"Yes, of course there is a great deal of risk that comes with using them. I'm just making a suggestion, I'm sure there are plenty of other avenues to explore." Ajuka stood up, looking at the landscape in front of him from the edge of the roof. 

"I'll give it some consideration, but I have to admit I'm not very fond of the idea." Sirzechs sighed. "I believe I also made an inquiry about Adaloth to you some time ago?" 

"You did, you wanted to know whether she had a true form like you or not." Ajuka turned to Sirzechs. "I'm afraid I won't be able to come up with an answer for you unless I examine her myself." 

"I'll try to arrange a date," Sirzechs was about to take his leave, but decided to stay for a while longer. "About Avalon, how strong is your belief that he can tame whichever Demonic Sword he pleases?" 

"Allow me to put it like this," Ajuka paused. "There is no Devil more loved by their Demonic Power than Avalon Gremory, of that I am certain." Sirzechs could feel the weight behind his words. "Unlike me he was born with his level of command over Demonic Power, whereas I obtained it through extensive study. Not to mention that I have to first use my formula before I conjure that level of control, I am not capable of just doing it passively like he can." 

"I see," Sirzechs replied after some thought. "Thanks for your help as always." 

"Anytime," Ajuka smiled, something he only did when he was talking to Sirzechs. Continuing to look at the landscape once he had left. "It'd probably be for the best that I teach him, maybe after he gets his pieces I'll start taking it into serious consideration. There's no point in rushing him before he gets his bearings down." 

---

(First Person - Avalon)

Despite eating at least three times more than anyone else at the dining table, me and Adaloth finished before everyone else. Zeoticus and Wilbert told us that we were free to roam around and explore while the adults talked amongst themselves. 

I already knew what they were discussing, but it was something to worry about in the future rather than now. 

Before I go talk to Mio, there's some business I need to attend to. A certain someone has been bugging me while I was eating, and seems to believe that I didn't notice. 

Surprisingly, it wasn't Adaloth, at least not this time. 

I walked past the figure in question, he was a boy who seemed to be around my age with slicked-back, spiky dark-green hair, hiding his face with a mask embroidered with gold designs on it for some reason.

He wore a formal black suit with white accents, a white dress shirt with a black bowtie, and boots. 

His ears were also pointed just like Lord Valen's. 

"I can understand your curiosity, but try not to disturb me while I'm eating." I warned him, even though his facial expression was covered, I could tell he was thoroughly shocked by the changes in his posture. 

He was constantly probing me with his Demonic Power, trying to get a read on me or something. 

"How long have you been aware?" He asked once his surprise had subsided. 

"Since you were in your mama's womb," I replied in an irritated voice. Hearing a ghastly chuckle from him in response. 

"My deepest apologies," he bowed with one hand on his chest. "It is as you say Lord Avalon, I couldn't help my curiosity in the presence of the Little Beelzebub." 

"Little Beelzebub?" I repeated. 

"Oh, are you not aware? That is what people have been calling you as of late." 

I'm aware of people comparing me to one of the Satans, Ajuka Beelzebub, though I don't really know why that is since I've never met him before. However, I didn't know it had gotten to the point where they gave me a whole title for it. 

How annoying, I bet I don't even look anything like him. 

"I wasn't, are there any other strange titles I should know about?" 

He scratched his chin momentarily. "Not to my knowledge. I'm Lars by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Avalon." He extended his arm, to which I reluctantly shook his hand. 

"You can drop the Lord, I get uncomfortable when people my age refer to me by title. Why the mask?" 

"This mask is an artifact I was given, I'm using it to help me master a certain spell I'm struggling with. Though I suppose it would be more accurate to call it my bloodline trait." He took off his mask, revealing a normal laid-back looking face with purple eyes. 

"Then you're a little similar to my sister in that regard," though I doubt his situation is nearly as extreme. "As a recompense for disturbing my meal, you might as well show it to me." 

"I'd be delighted to, but Lord Valen will get mad if I use it here, so how about we head to the training room?" 

"Sure." 

He brought me to an indoor training facility on the third floor of the Valen Mansion that seemed reminiscent of a gymnasium or something. 

It's also air-conditioned, which is a huge plus. 

Lars put his mask back on, and held both his hands out as I read the flow of his gradually accumulating Demonic Power. 

Spheres started to appear around him, each of them swirling with an iridescent shine, and packed full of energy to the point where I was surprised they hadn't already blown up. 

"Is that a form of Space Manipulation?" I asked. 

"You can tell?" 

"Not directly, I just made a guess. The amount of Demonic Power you're imbuing those spheres with should be too much for them to handle, but with Space Manipulation it's possible to discard or recycle that energy to prevent the spheres from imploding." 

On second thought, I don't think that's all there is to it. 

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but are you using Space Manipulation to stretch the limits of how much energy those spheres can hold, in order to create what I can only describe as a supercharged grenade?" 

The spheres don't appear to be doing anything else, or making use of the Demonic Power stored within them to achieve any particular purpose. So I can only assume he intends to use them in their rudimentary form. 

"Alright, now I think you're just showing off." He sighed. "Indeed, that is one of the offensive functions of my Magic Spheres. They're also capable of using that property in a defensive manner to construct a barrier around me." 

"May I have a look?" 

He nodded, the spheres all creating a curved shield around his body, joining together as I felt the space in between each individual sphere start to mesh with one another. 

Interesting, he's basically creating a singular pool of Demonic Power between the spheres to make them more efficient. 

"Avalon, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly enables you to read my Demonic Power in such a way? Is it your eyes? Your senses?" 

"I'd say it's a mixture of both," I replied. "I'm able to see the currents, or flow of Demonic Power if you would, and my senses enable me to discern what they actually mean. For example, before you meshed your spheres they looked like individual puddles of Demonic Power, but when you conjoined them I saw a singular lake of it." 

"Fascinating," he mused. "I'm sorry to continue making requests, but would you mind attacking it with your Power of Destruction? I'd like to see how my shield fairs up against it." 

"If that's what you want, but it's nowhere near as destructive as my sister's if that's what you were hoping for." 

I stretched my arms, putting one hand in front of the other. 

I inhaled slowly, imagining the construct I wanted to breathe life into. 

An arrow started to appear in between my hands, formed entirely out of my Power of Destruction, brimming with crimson energy as my eyes lit up. 

I drew the arrow back as much as I could, amassing as much Demonic Power into it as I physically could. 

"So this is where you were," but of course, a certain someone just had to interrupt. 

"What do you want, Adaloth?" I turned to her with a displeased look on my face. 

"Have you forgotten? This is supposed to be an opportunity for you to get closer with Lord Valen's daughter, not for you to play around." 

"He said we were free to roam as we pleased, he gave no explicit instructions." 

"Whatever, just come to the living room already. You've kept her waiting long enough." 

I looked at Lars with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, as you can see my rat of a sister wants me elsewhere." 

"I heard that," she said from afar. 

"It's fine, maybe we can continue this another time?" 

"I'd love to," this Lars guy is certainly interesting, and the fact that he can wield Space Manipulation isn't something I should just gloss over. 

I wonder, should I consider recruiting him into my peerage some time in the future? If so, now would be the perfect opportunity to start developing a relationship between us. 

---

(First Person - Avalon)

I entered the living room, the first I noticed being the significant level of agitation on Mio's face, which only seemed to heighten when I came into her field of view. 

"What did you tell her?" I immediately asked Adaloth. 

"I just thought it was important she was kept in the loop, wouldn't you agree?" She said with feigned innocence. 

"U-Uhm," Mio appeared to be working up the courage to approach me. "I-I'll do my best…" 

Something's wrong, and I have a good guess who's responsible. I'll definitely question her about it once I've settled this. 

"Mio, what exactly did my cockroach of a sister tell you?" I crouched down a little so I was level with her. 

Mio continued to fidget. "She said that… we're getting married." 

I sighed. "That's only a half-truth, our parents are apparently discussing the subject, but nothing's been decided. A detail which I'm assuming she left out?" I shot a harsh glare her way, which she pretended not to notice. 

"Oh…" 

"You don't want to get married right?" I asked her, and even though she didn't give me a verbal response probably out of fear of coming off as rude, I knew what she was thinking. 

I personally don't care much for my situation in the matter, but something about deciding another's love life just doesn't sit right with me. 

I know it's normal in this society, but I'm still viewing this world through the lens of Adrian Shepard in some ways. 

To me, taking away a child's right to love is to take away their right to enjoy their youth. 

I know I struggled with love in my past life, though in a much different way. 

The point is, no one is allowed to take away people's youth. I despise that concept. 

"Here's the thing, I don't plan on forcing anything from my side, actually I wouldn't even mind opposing my father on the matter if it came down to it. But, as the higher ranked family, your father is the one who's really in charge of the situation. If he decides to push for it then there's not much I'll be able to do." 

"I-I see…" 

"However as his daughter, if you oppose his decision then I think it might be a different story." 

Wilbert didn't give me the impression of being particularly cold, but then again I don't know what goes on behind closed doors. 

"I can't, I don't want to displease father…" 

Ah, so she thinks she's duty-bound by birth to go through with this. That's a bit of a problem. 

"Allow me to ask you one thing, has Lord Valen sat down and talked with you about this before we arrived?" Zeoticus tried to brush it off as a social call, so maybe it's possible Wilbert attempted the same. 

"No… he didn't." 

"Doesn't that bother you?" She nodded slowly. Good, at least this means Wilbert hasn't tried to brainwash his child into subservience or anything. "Then you need to convey that to him, otherwise he'll just proceed onwards without taking your feelings into account." 

I doubt she'll do so immediately since she still needs to work up a great deal of courage by the looks of things, but at least this way I can plant the idea in her head that using her voice is an option. 

But if I push her too much, then she'll probably just get scared and force herself to go abide by his decision, so I suppose I'll stop here. 

"Then again, even if he does decide to arrange it, nothing will happen until some time in the future. So you have plenty of time to think everything through." 

I picked up the T.V remote, putting on an episode of Levi-tan, which consisted of the Satan Leviathan running around as a Magical Girl. A show which I enjoy for some reason, though I blame external influences for that. 

"Thank you," Lars said. 

"For?" 

"Helping Young Lady Mio, she struggles with her confidence at times, and I think your words may have done her some good. However I have to ask, are you really alright with losing out on the marriage? I'm sure you understand the benefits it would bring." 

I shrugged. "Marriage or not, nothing will change for me in the long run. I don't even need to be married for the role I'm aiming to get." 

"And what role would that be?" 

"I'm trying to become a Satan." 

"A Satan?" He repeated with surprise in his voice. "But you are the next Gremory Clan Head are you not?" 

"For now, if I succeed in the endeavor that position will either go to the troglodyte sitting over there or my younger sister." I gestured towards Adaloth. "And while we're on the subject, I'm also going to need to build a strong peerage to compete in the Rating Games with." I threw a knowing glance at Lars. 

"You want me to be a part of your peerage?" Damn straight. 

"Only if you're interested, I don't have my pieces right now, but if you do accept you'll be the first one I pick up when I do." 

It's funny, I was supposed to be here to meet my fiance, but instead I'm working on recruiting a teammate. 

Such is life. 

"I'm flattered, but with your position surely you're capable of finding more suitable members?"

"Maybe, maybe not. The choice is yours Lars, I think you have potential, but I'm not going to force you." 

I patiently waited for a response while watching the Leviathan fight someone who seemed to be poorly cosplaying my brother. 

Hehe, I love this show. 

"If that's the case, then how could I refuse? I'd be more than delighted to get to participate in the Rating Games." That's what I like to hear. 

"Then it's settled, train as much as you can in the meanwhile, I'll also be doing the same." 

A weak King is no King at all. 

"You know, even if your possible engagement to Mio is shot down, father will still try to get you paired up with either the Agares, Sitri, or maybe even the Phenex if they have a daughter at some point." Adaloth added. "Will you tell them all the same thing you told Mio?"

"If I think they're unwilling, sure." I shrugged. "You make it sound as if I'll force them to either go through or not go through with it, all I'm doing is ensuring that they have some say in the matter. Naturally, how much weight their words will carry is entirely dependent on them and their families." 

The more talent and promise an Heir or Heiress shows, the more leeway they were given when it came to decisions regarding their future. Which is why it's easier for someone who was born the way I am to tell Zeoticus what I want and don't want to do. 

"I see, I suppose that's one way to go about it." She leaned back into her couch. "None of them would be the right fit anyways." 

What are you? My mom?

---

(Third Person) 

Wilbert and Zeoticus were both sitting opposite one another in a private room, the small talk between them having long passed, meaning now was the time to discuss the meat and bones of their conversation. 

"Allow me to be blunt Zeoticus, do you think he'll be a good match for her?" Wilbert asked. 

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Zeoticus replied after some deliberation. "Avalon seems to understand what's going on, but he doesn't have much of a reaction to it, nor does he show any particular interest or disinterest in Mio." 

"He's a child, I find it hard to believe that he's completely impartial to it." Wilbert pressed, clearly doubting what he had been told. 

Children always had some sort of reaction to the prospect of being pushed into an arranged marriage, regardless of whether it was negative or positive, there was always something. 

"That's what I thought, but no matter what I do he remains the same." Zeoticus sighed. "Him and Adaloth are strange children, maybe that's just how people born with that level of talent are." 

Wilbert initially thought Zeoticus was just pulling his leg, but from his demeanor he could tell that wasn't the case. 

"I don't wish to insult your son Zeoticus, but in your honest opinion, do you think Mio would be unhappy in any capacity from being married to Avalon?" 

Zeoticus took some time to think. "Honestly, I don't know. I'm not sure whether Avalon and Mio would be happy or sad together, even my wife admitted that she's unsure as to what goes on inside that head of his." 

"You mean to tell me there's nobody in your family that can gauge Avalon?" 

"No, there is someone. Adaloth seems to be able to interact with him on a level the rest of us can't, and vice versa. Maybe it's because they're twins? I can't say for certain." 

"Then why not ask her for help?" 

"Because she's the same as him, she never fully opens up to us. Not to mention it'd be a little awkward don't you think? Going up and telling her to be a mental translator for her brother." Wilbert nodded in agreement. "For now it's not really a problem since they're still very young, but I worry about how their personalities will develop and affect those around them in the future." 

"I guess you have work cut out for you then, in the parental department that is." 

"No kidding," Zeoticus took a much needed sip from his wine glass. 

"The only recommendation I can make is to try to get him to socialize with the kids from the other houses as much as possible, I hear the Phenex Heir is about the same age as him if I'm not mistaken?" 

"Yes, his name's Ruval. According to his parents he also wants to seriously compete in the Rating Games, so maybe he and Avalon will get along." 

"Your son wishes to become a Satan right?" 

"He does, I'm not sure what made him want to follow his brother's path, but he's certainly got the talent for it. Although whether he uses it effectively enough is another matter altogether." 

"Indeed, it won't be an easy path. But if he's committed then that's a good thing, a goal and firm purpose will help him develop a proper sense of character in the future." 

Their conversation continued, until they were inevitably forced to come to some sort of a conclusion. 

'Wait and see', about sums it up. With Avalon's character and path, there were still too many uncertainties for them to declare the marriage on the spot. 

If he really did become genuine Satan material, then that would mean he would no longer be the Heir, and the title would go on to either Adaloth or Rias. Which would mean Zeoticus would need to put more focus into ensuring their marriages rather than Avalons, not that his would become unimportant since his bloodline still had immense value. 

Not to mention the enticing prospect of his talent being passed on. 

--- 

(First Person - Avalon) 

Nothing else of note happened throughout the day, the sun having set and the artificial moon having risen. 

Mio's proven to be a fairly normal girl for the most part, I think she just needs to work on breaking out of her shell a little more. 

Me and Lars will be meeting again in the not so distant future which is something to look forward to. I plan to make him into my Bishop since I want him to develop his Space Manipulation as much as possible. Anyone with a functioning brain would be able to comprehend how much potential there is in that. 

We had already boarded the carriage and were on the way back home, Zeoticus constantly glancing at me for some reason. 

"Well?" He asked. 

"What?" 

"How was Mio?" Oh, it's about that. 

"She's good," I may or may not have put a wrench in your arranged marriage planning, but you don't need to know about all that. 

"Can I interpret that as you liking her?" 

"Sure," I shrugged, which caused him to slouch back into his seat and groan. 

"I'm telling you we need to do something about this," he looked at Venelana, who just rolled her eyes and pretended like he wasn't there. "Hey, are you listening? Are you listening honey? Our son's going to end up marrying a bunch of plants like Lord Beezlebub. Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey are you listening?" 

I think something broke inside him. 

"Adaloth," I called out to my sister. 

"Yes?" 

"What did you really tell Mio?" 

There's no way she believes that I didn't notice. Mio was constantly looking at her while we talked like a news anchor reading off a black box with a gun pointed at their head. 

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, I just told her about our father's and Lord Valen's plans." 

"No, you said something else to her. I know that for a fact." 

I don't understand, what possible reason could she have had to scare Mio? Was it just out of pure malice? No, that's not right. She's an asshole, but she's a calculative asshole. Not an impulsive one.

"There's no need to glare at me like that, if anything my words were for the best. You didn't want her to let herself be forced into marriage right? I just felt like offering a helping hand." 

I exhaled, slowly raising my hand and pointing at her, then lowering my voice. 

"Liar." 

Nearly every time I have a conversation with her there's a lie embedded somewhere in her words, but it's not the lies themselves that really bother me, all the women I was around in my past life did nothing but use them to justify their actions after all. 

It's the fact that I knew why they were lying, but I don't know why she is. 

L. also had a saying about that; 'There are many types of monsters in this world, monsters who will not show themselves and who cause trouble. Monsters who abduct children, monsters who devour dreams, monsters who suck blood, and monsters who always tell lies.' 

Lying monsters are the most troublesome. 

It makes no sense, right now the only possible conclusion I can make is she's genuinely doing it just to mess with me. But my gut is telling me that if I let myself believe that, I'll be in serious trouble. 

I don't understand, why was I reincarnated with her of all people? I'm finding it hard to believe it was just random chance, but I don't see what's similar about us. 

We have nothing in common.

"The more you overthink the less you'll understand," she said all of a sudden. 

"What?" 

"It's a quote, you like those don't you?" 

"I don't recall telling you that." 

"You didn't tell me you were a psychology student either, but I figured that out on my own didn't I?" She planted her elbow on the window of the carriage, resting her cheek against her hand. "Do you want a hint?" 

"A hint about what?" 

"My goal, you're curious as to what it is aren't you? I don't mind giving you a hint to help you out." 

She really is annoying. 

"Here's the hint; my goal is fueled by the one motive you could never accept." 

I simply stared at her blankly, not having a clue what that meant. 

The one motive I could never accept? Then is it really just because she- 

"It's not because I just want to mess with you, but it does indeed involve you." 

"What is that even supposed to mean?" She's the most irrationally rational person I've ever met, that's for sure. 

"That's for you to figure out." 

--- 

Still just one advanced chapter on patreon for now, just trying to get some momentum for this series going.

Feel free to go support me there to help me buy caffeine to write. 

patreon.com/Accel14 

I also have a discord, if you guys have suggestions or just want to chat with me in general that'd be cool. 

https://discord.gg/wNzT9AEsaz