Chapter 03: Who needs a Protagonist?

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The Gamers Guide to Freedom

Chapter 03: Who needs a Protagonist?

Issei Hyoudou

It's not like he even really believed in the supernatural, he'd never really given it any thought before.

But when he read the email sent to him before he set off for school, it got stuck in his head and no matter how he tried, he couldn't shake it.

There were too many details for him to think it was just spam, and the fact that it referred to him by name wasn't that odd since loads of spam did, but the way it spoke of his desires for glorious oppai, his dreams of being the harem king!

It was too directed, and so after a long day of wandering the town and some time spent with Yuuma, he decided to follow the instructions on the email and draw the weird circle on his bedroom floor under the cover of night.

As it lit up, and an older guy appeared inside it, he realised he'd probably made a bit of a mistake.

"What th- oi, where the hell did you come from, pretty boy?!"

Okay, he could have picked his first sentence better but as the unfairly handsome man raised an eyebrow at him, flexing slightly as eight massive black bat-like wings appeared behind him.

"As it turns out, hell is exactly where I came from," the pretty boy said, his lips twisting into a small smile. "But you should know that, you're the one who drew the magic circle to summon me, are you not?"

"Erm," Issei replied intelligently, wait he'd seen some movies about demons so this guy shouldn't be able to walk out of the circle-

Oh, the circle had faded when he appeared.

Fuck.

"Are you here for my soul?" Issei asked, staring up at the amused demon.

"Who would want your soul?" he started, making Issei frown. Well that was rude. "No, I'm here because you have strong desires, strong enough to reach the Underworld itself. My name is Kuro Dantalion, and as a devil, granting desires is my speciality, for a price of course. So tell me, Issei Hyoudou, the wannabe Harem King, what do you want most?" Kuro asked, his voice silky as a pair of amused blue eyes stared down at him.

W-well, the devil was already here, right? He couldn't just try and send it away, it could probably kill him with a thought.

"O-oppai! I want Oppai!" Issei said quickly, watching the devil's smile grow slightly. "But- if you don't want my soul, what do you want? I have some spending money and a few porn magazines."

"What I want is that which you have but do not know about. You've never known you had it, and you'll not miss it if I take it," Kuro said, making Issei blink in confusion.

"I- what?" Issei said, staring at him in confusion. That which he had but didn't know about? D-did he have a secret twin sister that the devil was going to kidnap?!

"No," Kuro deadpanned, his eyes widening as the devil read his mind.

"How did you-"

"You said that out loud, what I want only affects you, nobody else. And as a show of my sincerity, I'll help you out. Be specific when dealing with devils, 'I want oppai' would be easily solved by me turning you into a woman," Kuro said, amused as Issei blinked in shock. "Though perhaps that is what you meant, after all you'd never have to peek again, simply playing with your own breasts whenever you wished, and women get away with a lot more. Why peek through a hole in the wall, when you could walk into the female changing room and take in its bounty with an unobstructed view?" Kuro suggested, making him freeze.

Wait, that was true. Aika Kiryuu was as big a pervert as he was, she'd even molested Murayama and only gotten a light scolding in return.

But… wouldn't that be giving up his dreams? Well, no. He could be a Harem Queen instead, if anything it'd be easier. As long as he had eyes to see oppai and hands to touch them, shouldn't he take any opportunity he could to further his goals.

"And I won't miss what you're taking?" Issei asked.

"How could you miss what you didn't know you had?" Kuro retorted, pulling out some parchment and a pen as he started writing. Huh, no quill. "Now then, the only question left is whether you want to take another step towards your dream, or remain a pathetic loser who can only peek at what other men touch and taste."

Looking over the contract, he read as carefully as he could, ye olde flowery language making it hard to understand, but he got the gist.

He'd give Kuro that which he didn't know he had, and Kuro would transform him into a girl with nice oppai.

"Can you turn me back if I don't like it?" Issei asked, making Kuro shrug.

"You have my summoning circle," Kuro answered easily, and so with a deep breath he grabbed the pen and signed his name, a flash of light filling the room as he felt something being ripped from him, but as he watched Kuro looking down at his hand, the pain quickly overcame him and he collapsed.

Kuro Dantalion

The Gaap family has an art for manipulating souls, and Sacred Gears are bound to the very soul of the host. I wasn't sure this would work, but with God dead the Sacred Gear system isn't working properly anyway and there are records of Gaap's taking and trading Sacred Gears in the past. Unravelling it from his soul wasn't easy, not for someone as amateurish as me, but I've read up on the method in the creepy whispering book, and Issei seems to have survived.

But something went wrong, and I have no idea what.

Looking down at my hand, a strange red ring with a green jewel that almost glows makes me blink. Isn't Boosted Gear a gauntlet?

'Traded away so my host could play with some breasts, the utter fool.'

A booming voice echoes through my head, a mixture of incredulity and amusement colouring his tone.

'How devilish of you to not mention that with my power he could have had any women in Heaven, Earth, or the Underworld. Perhaps you've saved me some trouble, little devil.'

"Ddraig, I assume?" I ask, listening to him chuckle.

'So you know what you bought, and still underpaid for me? Your kind do like your honeyed words. Whatever you were trying to do, you didn't do it right. The connection between our souls is weak indeed, perhaps you can call on my power, we shall see little devil.'

I can feel the truth in his words, and the ring doesn't even budge as I attempt to remove it, but as I learn more about soul magic I can fix the connection, I'm sure of it.

'I only hope you can do so before my rival's host finds you, or worse yet... Tiamat. Work hard, little fiend, you might just amuse me enough for me to help you.'

The presence in my head fades with a laugh, but as the ring gleams I stare at it in curiosity. With this, Issei has lost his protagonist power and I've gained a powerful tool.

Still, I had my part of the deal to keep unless I wish to suffer the consequences of breaking a contract, and as I make a small magical circle, I reach through and pull out one of the Grimoires, shuddering slightly as I look down at the flesh-bound tome.

Fleshcrafting is the art of using life-force to alter the living, manipulating flesh to the casters whims.

I've grown up on my mothers tales of the powers within those five tomes, so as I sit on the edge of Issei's bed I open up the book and start flickering through the fleshy pages.

I'm going to ignore the fact that the book is bleeding slightly, thankfully I didn't add a time limit on when I had to turn him into a girl.

But as I skim through the pages, I find what I'm looking for.

Alter Appearance

A spell of cosmetic origin, used to change the form of the target to whatever the caster desires, changing appearance and even gender at will.

Stripping Issei, I pause as I remove his boxers. Suddenly I understand why he was so willing to lose his manhood, he's really not losing much.

I don't want to risk killing him by accident, so after I read through the passage a dozen times, I move him onto the bed and get to work.

I start by tweaking something irrelevant, nonessential, and simply darken his skin ever so slightly, just enough to give him a tan. The grimoire has countless diagrams of the human body, devils and angels as well, and with incredible caution I start the transformation.

There's a dozen ways I could cheat Issei, but I have what I want and I have no reason to be petty, so I put some effort into crafting his new body.

This is my first contract, it'd feel bad to half-ass it.

Ugh, I'm becoming hard working. It's gonna be even more work to make everyone forget that Issei was ever a guy, but we devils excel at that kind of magic.

Sei Hyoudou

Waking up with a groan of pain, she sat up slowly before her eyes shot open, the weight on her chest reminding her that it was no dream.

Looking down at her bare chest, her eyes widened in shock at the sight of a pair of perfectly sculpted d-cup breasts, she'd never seen them from this angle but as she reached up and grasped them, she could only stare in awe.

"Enjoying yourself?" Kuro asked in amusement, shaking her out of her awe as she looked up at him. "You can play with them all you want, they aren't going anywhere."

"I… I can, oppai on demand!" she cheered, her voice far softer than before.

"Indeed, I've altered your parents' memories, you are Sei Hyoudou, only child of Gorou and Miki Hyoudou. Now, before I leave I have a couple of small tests I need to perform to make sure your new body is working properly," Kuro said as he walked up to her.

"Err, sure? I like my body working prope- Oh!"

Cutting off as he pulled her against him, her back to his chest, she bit down a moan as he reached around her and grabbed her breast, squeezing and groping.

"I made sure to give you nice, sensitive tits, knowing your preferences, tell me, does this feel good?" Kuro asked, his tone casual as he tweaked her nipple.

"Aaaahn~ y-yes, it feels good," Sei moaned, if this was what it felt like to have your breasts played with, why the hell did so many women take offence to her staring they should be pulling them out right there and letting her play with them.

"And this?" Kuro asked, his other hand sliding down her stomach and teasing her new slit, rubbing the little nub before he slipped a single finger into her sopping cunt. "I made you beyond virgin tight, and incredibly sensitive all over. Call it a freebie."

"O-Oooh!" Sei moaned, whimpering as she pressed herself against his chest, unable to respond as he played with her body.

Simple tests her curvy ass.

"Well, that's enough of an answer, I suppose," Kuro said as he moved away, making her whimper in disappointment as Kuro gave her a smirk.

Panting slightly, she rubbed her thighs together as Kuro looked over her body.

"I do good work, but I believe we both have what we wanted. You have my contact information if you have second thoughts, and above all else… have fun," Kuro said with a mocking wave as he turned and walked out of the room.

Barely stopping to think, she reached up and started playing with her breasts, moaning as she rubbed her thighs together, disappointed that her own touch wasn't as pleasurable as Kuro's.

Rias Gremory

As the devil she'd detected teleporting into her territory strutted out of the building, she and Sona exchanged a glance, Sona gesturing to let her take the lead.

"Lord Dantalion, I wasn't aware you were in the area. I wish you'd told us you were visiting our territory," Sona started as Rias's eyes widened slightly, paying more attention to the handsome devil as he lazily shrugged.

"My apologies, I was summoned to fulfill a contract, I'm making up for lost time, so I may have skipped a few steps," Kuro said, shrugging easily, the ring on his finger gleaming with power.

They had no actual authority over him, but having a devil randomly decide to show up in their territory without even letting them know was downright insulting.

"I have to say, it's surprising you managed to find a contract so- that's a Sacred Gear," Sona said in surprise, her eyes widening as she looked at his hand.

"My payment for services rendered, don't worry, Issei is alive and well. I'm not foolish enough to show up in another devil's territory and start killing like some lunatic. I gained his Sacred Gear, Issei gained what they wanted most in this world, we both benefitted," Kuro replied easily as she stared in shock.

She knew Issei had something, but she had no idea what Sacred Gear it was other than it being somewhat Draconic in nature. Issei's frankly pathetic magic reserves made it hard to tell, but with Lord Dantalion's vast magical potential she could tell exactly what she was looking at.

"Boosted Gear… Boosted Gear was in Kuoh this whole time," Rias said quietly, staring at the red and green ring in shock, incredulity and growing rage.

The solution to all her problems had been right in front of her, and someone had taken it from her.

"Rias," Sona said warningly, easily reading her train of thought.

"Correct, I'm honestly shocked you two left Issei alone for so long, not many devils would ignore the presence of a Longinus in their territory," Kuro said calmly, making her growl.

"I knew he had a Sacred Gear, but I was under the impression it was Twice Critical, Issei's weak magic made it hard to tell," Sona admitted, her eyes narrowing behind her glasses. "How exactly did you find out about Issei, you've only left your territory very recently, and with the deaths of your family I would have thought you'd have been too busy."

"Ahh, but that's where you're wrong, it's exactly because of the deaths of my family that I'm so eager to amass power, I need to be prepared for any attempts on my life, and Boosted Gear will serve as a powerful deterrent. As for my source of information, well I have my ways," Kuro said playfully, making Sona purse her lips before she sighed.

"Well, I can't blame you for keeping your methods secret, or taking advantage of the opportunity. Still, if you are going to operate in the territory we were assigned by the Satans, I would prefer it if you would inform us first," Sona said calmly, making Kuro smile at her.

"Of course, Miss Sitri. I wasn't aware I was meant to speak with you first, I saw an opportunity and I took it," Kuro replied easily.

"You weren't meant to, you are a Lord and I have no control over what you do or where you go, it's just common courtesy," Sona replied simply, giving Rias a warning glance as she spoke with the man who just stole her best chance at freedom. "May I ask what you gave Hyoudou for the Sacred Gear? I'd like to know if he's going to be a problem."

"I turned Issei into Sei, he wanted boobs and he decided having a permanent pair wouldn't be a bad idea. She's a simple girl, it's probably for the best that she doesn't have such a powerful ability. I was going to spend tonight altering the minds of the humans around here so nobody noticed aside from the few supernaturals around here," Kuro explained as Sona sighed.

"I will take care of it, I don't like other devils meddling in my territory. A Longinus for a gender change? How ridiculous, this is the mythical Fleshcrafting of the Gaap family then?" Sona asked rhetorically, making Kuro chuckle.

"I'm an amaturer, but the human body really isn't that complicated. I've already made his parents think Sei was always a girl, and you have my thanks," Kuro said as he reached out and ruffled her hair, making her eyes widen in embarrassment.

"Lord Dantalion, I am the heiress of a powerful family, not a child," Sona said, embarrassment and a bit of anger in her tone.

"You're cute, that's what you are. But I apologise, you're right of course. Regardless, it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Sitri, I can see beauty runs in your family," Kuro complimented, a hint of a blush on her face.

"I- the pleasure is mine. I was somewhat worried you'd be rather unfriendly to me and my family after my sisters… carelessness," Sona said, caught off guard by the easy compliments.

"Satan Leviathan's lax security measures had nothing to do with you, and I'm not the type to hold grudges… usually. If there is nothing else, I have places to be tonight, though I'm sure I'll see you and your family sooner or later, we have a property dispute to settle after all." Kuro chuckled as Sona nodded.

"Yes, that will be all. Thank you for answering my questions, Lord Dantalion," Sona said, offering her hand and blushing as he took it and gently raised it, kissing her knuckles.

"It was nothing, your sister has my number if you need me for anything, or if you just want to talk. I've heard you're quite the chess master, and I'm a fan of games myself. When you live in a big empty house with just your family for company all your life, you learn to entertain yourself. It'd be nice to see how my skills fare against a better opponent," Kuro said easily, Sona blushing again even if Kuro probably didn't understand why.

"I'm sure we can find a time to play, though I have to warn you I show no mercy no matter the skill level of my opponents," Sona warned him as he gave her a smile.

"I'd expect no less, good night Miss Sitri," Kuro said before pausing. "Gremory," he added as an afterthought, nodding to her casually. "Send my well wishes to your fiancée, he helped me against my would-be assassins but I haven't seen him since."

Glaring at him, she watched him teleport away before he outright growled.

"Let's head to my office, we've spent enough time in the open," Sona said quickly, cutting off her growing anger.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded and followed Sona's lead, teleporting back to the school.

"Before you start, we have no legal reason to be angry with Kuro. I warned you that if you kept delaying, someone else would notice Issei's Sacred Gear, our agreement meant I was willing to leave him to you, but it didn't give you any actual claim to him or his power. Lord Dantalion simply beat you to the punch," Sona said logically as she sighed.

"I know. I know, okay? I wasn't rushing because even with Twice Critical Issei wouldn't be particularly powerful, he certainly wouldn't have been useful against Riser. Even doubled, Riser's weakest pawn would have been able to handle him. I made a mistake, and let my best chance slip out of my hand," Rias said as she collapsed into a chair.

Of course she knew, Kuro hadn't done anything wrong and even if he had, what of it? She wasn't blind to what was going on in the Underworld, she knew her family was in a bit of a situation due to them owning a lot of the Dantalion's lands.

She also knew Kuro's existence was the reason that her wedding had been rapidly sped up, she knew Riser was apparently friends with Kuro, she knew he'd stolen Boosted Gear from under her, and she had a growing suspicion that she knew exactly who had told him about Issei.

Riser had been to Kuoh several times. He could have told his new friend, had Kuro steal Issei or his power, making sure that she didn't get the power she needed to stop herself from being forced to marry him.

Kuro got Boosted Gear, Riser got her. Hell, with how Riser treated his women, Kuro might get her a few times as well.

"I realise you have an adequate reason to dislike him, but bear in mind our families are soon to be negotiating with him, he hasn't done anything overtly wrong, and anything you do could hurt your family later," Sona said calmly, making her sigh.

"Frankly, hurting my father sounds excellent right now," Rias mumbled, making Sona smirk briefly. "But I get it, I won't antagonise him. I have bigger problems to deal with. Thanks for covering for my absence."

"It's a simple enough thing to make an illusion of you and your peerage, how is your training going?" Sona asked, making her scoff.

"Well enough, but the fact remains that I just don't have enough time. I wanted to ask my mother or my brother for help with my own power but both are very busy. We're getting stronger but it won't be enough." Rias sighed, her anger faded in the face of the simple reality that she was going to lose. "You'll still take them?"

"Of course, though I have to ask if you're sure about this," Sona asked, making her snort derisively.

"Of course I'm not, I just don't see a better option. I'll not subject Akeno and Koneko to Riser's degeneracy, and I don't want to split them up. When… if I lose, if I run out of options, I want you to take them," Rias said with a deep sigh.

Her Peerage were her family, it would kill her to see Akeno and Koneko get taken advantage of by Riser, used for his pleasure and used as party favours and bargaining chips.

Sona would take care of them, even if it killed her to give them up.

"Then I will do so, I have the pieces to spare. Don't give up just yet, perhaps Lord Lucifer will succeed in buying you time? The Rias I know and care for wouldn't give up until she was at the altar with no way out," Sona said soothingly as she took a deep breath.

"I know, and I won't. I'm going to fight this until I can fight no more, I can promise you that much," Rias said with a scowl.

She had no intention of becoming Riser's plaything, she'd looked into him for years and she knew how he treated his Peerage, why would he treat his wife any differently?

Frankly, she'd rather die. She certainly wouldn't subject her Peerage to that fate.

But before she gave up, she'd fight, search for every opportunity she had, she'd try and make any allies who might be able to help her, train her Peerage and her own powers, and fight until she was dragged to the altar, or the wedding bed.

If her father thought she was going to take this lying down, he was very much wrong, he'd have to drag her to Riser's bed and hold her down himself if he wanted her to spread her legs for that scum.

He just might do that, she could almost picture her father watching as her clothes were torn off and she was held down by Riser's Peerage, holding her legs open for Riser.

She wouldn't let that happen, and she wasn't completely out of options yet.

She just didn't like her last ditch effort.

Saying her goodbyes, she headed home with a sigh.

She was tired, she'd been training with her Peerage all day, only to get woken up by a strange devil teleporting into her territory, and now all she wanted was to collapse into her bed.

Her wish wasn't going to be granted so quickly as she arrived back, immediately spotting the silver haired woman sitting at the edge of her bed.

"Grayfia? Does my brother want to speak with me?" Rias asked hopefully, making Grayfia shake her head.

"No, I'm here by my own volition this time." Grayfia said, cutting through her hope that Sirzechs had managed to buy her some time.

"I see, why? Come to tell me to stop struggling and just marry Riser already? You've made your opinion clear," Rias said with a sigh, too tired to be angry as Grayfia gave her a sad look, barely noticeable through her usual professional look.

"No, I won't waste my breath with such words. I came to ask you something, two somethings I suppose." Grayfia said calmly, patting the bed next to her.

Hesitating for a moment, she sat down and looked at her sister in law curiously.

"Firstly, do you plan to try and take advantage of Sirzechs's attraction to you?" Grayfia asked bluntly, Rias's eyes widening as she went to deny it. "Rias, I'm no fool and neither is your brother. Whenever you want something from him, you always wear revealing clothing, and you're more physical with him, hugging, stretching."

"I-" Rias said, her face paling as Grayfia stared her down.

"I'm not angry, you're a beautiful young devil and using every tool you have is admirable. But I want to know if you plan to take it further, if Sirzechs doesn't help you," Grayfia asked, still blunt and seemingly indifferent as she looked down at the floor, embarrassment and shame on her face.

"I- I won't marry Riser, no matter what I have to do to get out of it. Sirzechs could end it with a single sentence, and I know why he won't, but-" Rias stuttered, making Grayfia nod calmly. "Yes. I was planning on offering my body if I had no other option," Rias finally admitted.

"I see, I understand," Grayfia said, a silence falling between them for a moment. "And one more question, if all else fails, if you are completely out of options and marrying Riser is inevitable, what do you plan to do?" Grayfia asked, making her pause.

Looking away, she didn't answer.

"I see, you're that determined to not marry him?" Grayfia asked, watching her nod silently.

Placing a hand on Rias's thigh, Grayfia gave her a soft look.

"You have people who care for you, Rias, myself included. Don't give up just yet," Grayfia said with a soft tone, making her blink.

"You suggested I marry Riser, that it'd benefit my family and as the heiress I shouldn't throw that away by being childish," Rias replied, making Grayfia sigh.

"And I still believe that to be the best path, but that doesn't mean I don't care for you," Grayfia said calmly, pulling her in for a brief hug, an unusual show of affection for a usually cold woman. "If you are so determined to escape, I will help you as much as I can. As Sirzechs's Queen I can't openly help, but I have an idea or two, just keep training and don't give up hope just yet. I'll speak with Okita and have her come by to help train Kiba, Sirzechs won't mind," Rias looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. "Your mother will help you if you ask her, you don't have to do this alone. When you ask, don't mention Riser at all, if it's more than just training she isn't going against your father by helping you." Grayfia advised.

That… was a loophole. Her mother had been forbidden from helping her with her marriage, but that wouldn't be helping her with Riser at all.

"I will, and Grayfia…" Rias started, trailing off. "Thank you."

Sometimes simple was best.

"Of course," Grayfia said calmly, giving her a small smile as she rose up, smiling slightly as she stepped back. "I have to go, take care, Rias."

Watching her teleport away, Rias smiled slightly as she went to bed, feeling just a little better despite the terrible loss of a Longinus.

Grayfia Lucifuge

The things she did for family, the Gremory's were a strange bunch but they were her family and she would do what was required to protect them.

Venelana was convinced that this drama would tear the family apart, but they were both trapped by their positions.

Grayfia couldn't act openly because her actions reflected on Sirzechs, and Venelana couldn't openly act against her husbands orders, but that didn't mean they were helpless.

"Fia, what is it?" Sirzechs asked, making her mentally sigh. Sirzechs had lusted for Rias since the moment she hit puberty, and it left him with a decidedly un-devilish guilt, Rias would have him wrapped around her finger if she actually tried her final solution.

It was insulting to know her husband preferred the body of his teenage sister over her, a woman known as one of the most beautiful women in the Underworld, but Devils were strange beings and they couldn't control their urges.

It was well known that Devils tended to inherit the fetishes and tastes of their predecessors, and it was also known that incest was nothing new to the Gremory's.

The original Gremory was both Zeoticus's grandfather and father, having impregnated his own daughter before his death.

She didn't judge Sirzechs for his interests, he'd done his husbandly duty and given her a son, an heir, but she did judge him for his weakness when it came to Rias.

He was a Satan, one of the leaders of their world, he couldn't be led around by the cock by a teenage girl.

"I believe I have a plan to buy Rias some time, I would like your permission to pursue it, and request you don't ask me for the details until I am sure that it is viable," Grayfia started calmly, watching Sirzechs eyes widen before they narrowed.

"Could this plan cause us trouble? My father-" Sirzechs started.

"Will agree with it, because it benefits him as well. Your mother is working on convincing him, I simply need your permission to go ahead with it," Grayfia said calmly.

"You thought Rias should marry Riser, what changed?" Sirzechs asked, making her smirk slightly.

"Nothing, but it doesn't matter. I am your Queen, your Maid and your Wife, in that order. If you wish for something, it is my duty to help fulfil that wish," Grayfia said simply, making him sigh with a smile.

"I see, thank you Fia. You have my permission, you speak and act with my authority," Sirzechs said calmly, smiling at her as she curtsied.

"Then I shall leave to plan," Grayfia replied, knowing her head as she turned and walked away, feeling his eyes on her back.

Heading to her room, she made a call.

"He agreed?" Venelana asked her immediately, making her nod towards the camera.

"He did, and you?" Grayfia asked, making Venelana smile.

"If we can do our part, Zeoticus has agreed to delay the wedding," Venelana frowned, making her smile even as she shook away the growing doubt.

The men led the family, but it was the women greasing the wheels that kept everything running smoothly. No matter what that took.

Kuro Dantalion

My family lands actually cover quite a bit more than you'd expect, at least the parts under the wards.

There's an entire farmland out there that's been responsible for feeding us all these years, nothing special of course, just pigs and chickens, along with a selection of vegetables.

There's a ward that encourages the growth of life over it, making the plants grow much faster than they would normally, and the skeletons harvest them.

There's even a vineyard where grapes are grown, and pressed into wine. The Dantalion servants died before I was born but that didn't stop their servitude as mother simply brought them back as basic undead to continue serving forever.

Taking a bite of the pork, I sip some of the wine with a nod. It's not bad, but I wouldn't mind some variety, I'll have to expand on my farmlands, arrange for regular deliveries of more exotic foods.

Or I'll need to hire someone who can do that for me, skeletons are good workers but they're also very simple minded. They're suited for manual labour and little else.

I could use a talented servant to run the house for me, and once I take back my land I'll need people to administrate it all. There's entire towns on my rightfully owned land and I'm not looking forward to dealing with that.

But a Lord has duties, and I did pick the 'Noble' start.

Finishing my dinner, I smile as I find a message in my letterbox, magical of course. A Lord needs allies, and I have a plan to make a friend for life if all goes well, along with gaining the favour of another noble family.

Every ally I make is one less possible enemy, I planned to interrogate the dead today but this takes priority.

It's not like they're gonna get up and walk off, without my help that is.

Getting changed into something more befitting my new station, I open up a magical circle and step through it as I reappear in the Phenex family mansion.

"Lord Dantalion, it's a pleasure to see you again." Rayna Phenex, the Lady of the house and Riser's mother says as she curtsies to me.

I've said it before, but the women of DxD are ridiculously hot. I had to stop myself from staring at Rias, my first meeting with the 'main girl', and as I smile at Rayna, I have to stop my eyes from lowering to the considerable amount of cleavage her red velvet dress has on display, or at the golden jewelled necklace that's resting atop it, her long blonde hair done up in an elaborate do. I wonder if she dressed for the occasion or if she just puts a lot of effort into her appearance even when she's just hanging around the house.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Lady Phenex, and please call me Kuro," I say politely, making her smile.

"Then I am Rayna, you might be my son's age but we are both nobles," Rayna says easily. "Lord Phenex and Riser are waiting for us, please follow me."

"Of course, lead the way."

Following the hot milf through the extravagant halls, I can't help but feel someone was overcompensating for something when they decorated this place.

My mansion is decorated expensively, but tastefully. The Phenex mansion has too much gold on display, it's a display of wealth as subtle as slapping someone in the face with your wallet.

"You have a beautiful home," I say, making her giggle.

"You don't have to be polite on my account, my husband has something of a fetish for the colour gold, I find it all a bit too much to be honest," Rayna whispers conspiratively, before she pauses and leans in to whisper even quieter. "I have a golden silk nightgown and matching lingerie I wear on occasion, and I have some golden jewellery as well, and they aren't necklaces or rings, if you understand my meaning. Nothing gets him going more."

Unable to stop myself, my eyes lower to her chest at the implication she has nipple piercings making her giggle again.

"Oh, I don't wear them all the time, only on special occasions." Rayna says easily, uncaring off my gaze.

"I see, your husband is a lucky man," I say calmly, forcing my libido down as she giggles, her breasts bouncing slightly.

She's up to something, and I don't know what.

"That he is," Rayna agrees, pausing. "Tell me, what do you look for in a woman, Kuro?"

"Hmm, let's just say my tastes are very varied." I say after a moment of thought, making her giggle. "Why do you ask?"

"Idle curiosity, you were almost my son-in-law after all, I know that has fallen through but I'm curious if you would find Ravel appealing. She looks very much like me, simply younger. So, do you find me attractive?" Rayna asks, making me pause again as I give her body a long look, not even hiding my gaze as she smiles.

"You are a beauty, a cute face with an incredible body," I say, looking over her again, I'm pretty sure she's angling for that marriage to go back on, but I'm curious about something. "But- do you want to know a secret?" I ask, watching her pause before she leans in, incidentally giving me a very good angle into her cleavage.

"Of course, and thank you for the compliments," Rayna replies.

"I'm a bit of an ass man, and while your breasts are amazing…" I trail off, watching her eyes widen slightly before she rolls them with another giggle.

"Ahh, of course," Rayna replies teasingly, before she turns around and looks over her shoulder at me, sticking her ass out towards me. "Well, is it to your approval?"

"How could I tell through such a thick dress?" I ask, watching as her eyes go wide. How far will she go?

"My, how incredibly bold of you," Rayna says after a moment, before she reaches down and slowly pulls her dress up, long pale legs slowly revealed as I raise an eyebrow at the sight of her black lace stockings attached to a garter belt.

As it comes up over her waist, she stops and looks back at me as she reveals her ass for me, a blush on her cheeks as I stare at the perfectly firm backside wrapped in matching black lacy panties.

Maybe it's the fact that DxD is an ecchi anime that makes things here so… lewd. I'm certainly not complaining.

"Impressive, a truly magnificent ass," I say, walking up to her. "If Ravel takes after you, any man would be happy to have her as his wife."

"That's good to hear, a shame it fell through then. People can talk about political marriages all they want, but a mutual attraction can go a long way to making a marriage work, and Ravel thinks you're attractive. We showed her pictures of you when we were negotiating with your parents," Rayna says dropping her dress, acting as if she didn't just expose herself for my enjoyment.

Before I can respond, she starts walking and enters an office room, Riser standing beside a seated older man who is very clearly his father.

"Ahh, Lord Dantalion! Come in, take a seat," Rakul Phenex says, gesturing at the seat in front of his desk, watching as I take the offered seat. "I have to say it was a surprise to hear from you so quickly, I had thought you'd remain at home far longer."

"My fathers death has left me with a lot to do, I don't have the time to waste locked away," I say calmly, making him nod seriously. "Not least of which is discovering just who wanted me dead."

"If you find out, or even get a lead, please let me know. I took two of my Peerage to the meeting, mine and Rayna's regeneration saved us but the blast took the lives of both of them," Rakul says seriously, making me nod.

"My condolences, but that's not why I'm here today. I've been going over my family's records, and some additional information about the occupied territory I have inherited," I start, seeing his expression harden slightly before he sighs.

"And you've discovered the fact that the Phenex's are sitting on around 20% of the Gaap lands?" Rakul relief, making me nod.

"Yes, don't worry I'm not here to demand you immediately vacate it and return it to me, we can discuss that at a later time, you've had it for centuries, a little longer isn't going to hurt," I say, making him relax slightly. "But I have plans for a specific part of it that I would like returning today," I say, pulling out a map I've already marked.

"Hmm, you know the only thing around there is a small lake and one of our summer houses?" Rakul asks, making me nod.

The area I've marked covers about 3% of the 18% the Phenex's own, it's mostly woods, a lake and a lake house.

"You know, you'd think I'd have learnt from the mistakes of Lord Vassago," Rakul mutters.

He's talking about the person who made this entire set of laws necessary. Lord Vassago tried to claim the lands belonging to the Gamigin family after they were seemingly wiped out.

An heir of the Gamigin family showed up years later after escaping captivity, after the Vassago had built a mansion on it, and the new Satans ruled that since it was built on Gamigin territory without their permission, it too belonged to the new Lord Gamigin, which is still the law today.

It doesn't matter that the Phenex's built the lake house, it's on my land and legally it's mine.

"Very well, I acknowledge that the lands, and the buildings on it, are your property," Rakul said reluctantly. "I liked that lake house…"

"Excellent, now then. Riser, you had no real reason to help me against my assailants and frankly, I'm an inexperienced fighter, my training has primarily been in Wardcrafting, without yours and Yubelluna's assistance I may have died," I start, watching them all blink. "As Lord of the Gaap house, I grant you the forest, lake and lake house marked on this map, to do with as you wish." I say, passing it over to him with a grin, watching Rakul's eyes widen.

"Wait- seriously?" Riser asks, looking around the room in shock as I nod easily.

After a moment of silence, Rakul bursts out into laughter, making Riser jump. Rayna smiling quietly as she stands beside him.

"Well, Riser, have you nothing to say?" Rakul laughs, patting him on the back. "Accept and thank the man, boy."

"I, I accept of course, you have my thanks Lord Dantalion," Riser says, clearly shocked as I give him a grin.

"It's still Kuro to you," I say easily.

"What should I do with them, do I just give them back to my family?" he asks, looking at his family.

"Don't be daft, boy. This is your chance to own your own land, instead of living in your parents house," Rakul says cheerfully, Riser's eyes widening. "Stop running from responsibility, you know Ravul will inherit the seat. As Lord Phenex, this is a chance to have something that's entirely yours."

"Wait, so I have a house now? As in, it's mine to do with as I please?" Riser asks, the shock fading to excitement.

"Of course, you're an adult Riser, more or less, I think you can be trusted to keep the lake house in good condition… or Yubelluna can at least," Rayna teases, watching Riser blush slightly at her tone.

"I… thank you, Kuro, truly. You're invited, of course." Riser says, straightening up.

"Invited?" I ask, making him laugh.

"To the housewarming party I'm going to be throwing soon. Hell, you're the guest of honour, and you're invited to every other party I'm going to throw there," Riser laughs, making Rayna sigh.

"Of course you are," she mutters, making Rakul laugh again.

"Let the boy have his fun, I'm sure the lake house will remain standing. If he doesn't he'll just have to come crawling back to us with his tail between his legs and you can scold him then," Rakul chuckles.

I had no interest in the area, nor the lake house, so using it to work on making a lifelong ally will serve me much better.

"There's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you, Lord Phenex," I interrupt, getting his attention.

"Call me Rakul," Rakul says easily, making me internally smirk. Things are going the way I wanted.

"You wanted my parents to do something for you, and even Serafall didn't know what. I'm trying to put the puzzle left behind in the attack together, but I'm missing some key pieces, and I was hoping you could fill in one of them," I explain, watching his cheerful expression turn serious again, exchanging a glance with his wife before he rises.

"Aye, I can do that. Follow me, it'll be easier to show you first," Rakul says, Riser blinking in confusion before his eyes widen. "Riser, why don't you go and start moving your stuff to your new house, or tell your girls so they can do that for you," Rakul orders. Riser immediately gets the message as he nods, giving me a wave and a promise to tell me when the party is as he leaves.

The journey is silent this time, almost solemn as he leads me into the basement, through some stone tunnels to a locked room, watching as he unlocks it and gestures for me to enter.

As I do, I pause spotting a sleeping woman laid on a bed in the centre of the room and as I approach it becomes clear that she's a Phenex as well, sharing their blue eyes and blonde hair.

She looks like she could be my age from her appearance, but I can immediately tell she very much isn't, the magic I can feel inside her body is downright ancient.

Her long blonde hair is tied back in a ponytail, and she's entirely naked laid on the sheets, but her massive breasts aren't what attract my attention, because as I watch I see wounds appear on her, long deep cuts appearing before her regeneration quickly heals them.

"Is that… Gaap magic?" I ask, feeling the spell on her.

"It is. This cannot leave this room, Kuro," Rakul says, waiting for me to nod in agreement. "This is Lalatina Phenex, my grandmother. The original Phenex. During the civil war, she fought your ancestor, the original Gaap, and she was cursed, her regeneration turned into a weapon against her. She fell into a coma shortly afterwards, and has remained so ever since."

"You hoped my mother could fix it." I realise, making him nod.

"She examined her, and she was hopeful because grandmother's magic has been fighting the curse this entire time, which is why she keeps healing, but she needed to do more research first." Rakul agreed.

"I'm not surprised, this is a mixture of the traditional branch and the Egyptian branch, my mother wasn't experienced with Egyptian Necromancy." I say, feeling the powerful magic inside her.

"Do you think you could lift it?" Rakul asks, making me pause before I look at him.

"I do."

Bonus Scene - Raynare

She'd been outsmarted, had her ultimate prize stolen out from under her.

She was sure Issei had a powerful Sacred Gear that she could take with Azazel's stolen toy, and then someone beat her to the punch.

If Issei turning up as a girl didn't alert her something was terribly wrong, the complete lack of power coming from the boy turned girl and the taint of devil magic told her that she'd been beaten.

She was too cautious, admittedly afraid of drawing the Sitri and Gremory's attention, or their siblings' attention to be more precise.

But no, she'd wasted time playing human and some devil had swooped in and taken it away from her, at the very least it didn't seem to be either of the two heiresses that had taken it, if they had they'd have just recruited the pervert.

But it had taught her an important lesson, that waiting around just gave people the opportunity to steal away the prize.

"W-who are you people?!" the blonde boy shouted, strapped to the machine.

"Start it, I'll not wait around for someone to steal this one from us as well," Raynare ordered coldly, ignoring Saji's shouts as they turned to screams, before falling silent entirely.

Absorption line was no Boosted Gear, but with Twilight Healing headed their way, she could recover from this.

A part of her wanted revenge on whoever stole Boosted Gear from her, the smarter part of her wanted nothing to do with any devil wielding a Longinus.