The King Apologizes for her pawn

In a meeting room within the chambers of the Schweiz city council, Sirzechs sat down while Riser poured him a drink. "Is that an altar?" Sirzechs asked, looking at the small statue, which he couldn't make sense of.

"Indeed," Riser replied, setting the drink down in front of Sirzechs. "Now you must be wondering, since we don't worship the creator, why is there an altar here?" Riser asked. Sirzechs nodded, his curiosity piqued.

Rias, standing nearby, was baffled by the situation, trying to grasp the significance of the altar. Sirzechs decided to examine it more closely. Sensing Sirzechs' curiosity, Riser began to share the story behind Schweiz. "When I first came here, I found a small number of people living their lives in harmony with nature. They were a tribe of devils who had hidden themselves since the war." Hearing this, Sirzechs frowned, the weight of the past evident in his expression.

"Even though they had lost faith in the world, I was shocked to discover that they worshipped concepts such as dreams and the infinite," Riser continued. Hearing this, Sirzechs was even more intrigued. "You mean?" he started to ask, and Riser nodded in confirmation.

"They worshipped the dragon gods of Infinity and Dreams, along with the apocalyptic beast. Within this tribe, there was a saying: 'Man's Dream is the gateway to Infinity, and Infinity leads to Chaos.' The more I uncovered, the more I realized how complex our world is," Riser said, his tone reflecting the awe he felt at the discovery. Sirzechs nodded thoughtfully.

"That is how it always is. Everything that appears simple ends up being more complicated than it initially seems," Sirzechs retorted, a faint smile on his lips. "Indeed," Riser agreed, his gaze drifting to a nearby painting, lost in thought.

"Tell me, Riser, do you have any wish?" Sirzechs asked, breaking the silence. Though Riser was initially taken aback by the question, he soon chuckled. "Well then, my wish would be to meet the three dragon gods myself. That would be my wish," Riser said, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

Sirzechs sweatdropped, realizing the impracticality of Riser's wish.

"Uh, I don't think that is possible, Riser," he said, and Riser chuckled again. "I know. That is why I wish it. You wish for the impossible things to happen. That is why you wish," Riser said, and Sirzechs couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, Sirzechs addressed Rias. "Rias, shall we do what we came to do today?" he asked, and Riser looked confused. Rias bowed her head. "I am really sorry, Riser, for treating you with hostility during our first meeting. I apologize on behalf of my pawn, Issei Hyoudou, who was completely out of line and should not have attacked you," Rias said earnestly.

Riser shrugged, seeming unbothered by the apology. "Alright. I accept your apology, though I don't understand why you apologize on that pervert's behalf," Riser said, causing Rias to frown. "What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

Riser poured himself a glass of wine before answering. "What I mean is, why is a king like you apologizing on behalf of your pawn? Do you know what a pawn represents, Rias?" Riser asked, and Rias sat silently, contemplating his question.

"A pawn is a foot soldier who can take out even the greatest of pieces once the opponent makes a mistake. In the game of chess, a pawn is the most expendable and at the same time, the most dangerous. If utilized to its full potential, a pawn can corner a king, but when played carelessly, a pawn will result in the king being aimed at. Your pawn is the prime example of this," Riser explained, and Rias thought about his words, realizing their truth.

"The reason why I am disappointed in you is that you have taken everything that you have for granted. Even today, you have brought Sirzechs-nii-san to try and get me to forgive Issei. But what you forget is that this is a death match," Riser said, and Rias gasped, the gravity of the situation hitting her.

"Can't you forfeit the game? Can't you spare Issei's life? I heard you forfeited against Roygun Belphegor and Rosenkreutz before! Can't you do it once again?" she pleaded, but before she could speak any further, she saw Riser's glare.

"Rias Gremory, speak such foolish words once again, and I shall end you myself, even if it means becoming an enemy of the House of Gremory and the Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer. This match was organized on your words and confidence that the Red Dragon Emperor can defeat me. It was organized by your mother and my godmother, Venelena Gremory nee Bael, and my mother, the Lady of the House of Phenex.

The commentators are the champion who is my sworn brother, Diehauser Belial, and Roygun Belphegor, the princess of Belphegor. The guests are the leader of the Youkai, Yasaka-dono, and the Chief Goddess of the Shinto Pantheon, Amaterasu-sama. Do you think this is a joke to you? As the Maou, Sirzechs-sama, I apologize to you. But as a younger brother who has watched you since childhood, are there a few screws loose in your sister's head? Do you have any idea how angry godmother was when she showed up at the Phenex mansion?" Riser asked, and Sirzechs had nothing to say.

He had never expected Rias to be so shameless. Sirzechs apologized and immediately teleported out, leaving her peerage standing awkwardly before Riser. "Riser-sama, what do we do?" Kiba Yuuto asked, and Riser glared at them.

"How do I know? Go look around the city. Needless to say, your king is an idiot, and I hope her peerage aren't idiots. Because if you are, then she will die when she does something foolish. But if you are smart, prevent her from falling into a ditch and prevent a meaningless death," Riser said, chasing out the peerage.

"Why am I stuck with a useless fiancée who doesn't even use a single brain cell? Perhaps she needs a few Phenex tears more than anyone else. I should put her on a priority list. Sirzechs-nii-san, please don't be a siscon at this moment. Hope to whoever is watching over you that you don't come up with any big brain ideas which will create any more problems." While Riser was lamenting, in another part of the underworld, a brown-haired kid had fallen unconscious just after a few hours of training.

"Why is he falling unconscious?" Tannin asked the Boosted Gear, and Ddraig replied back. "His magicule reserves are, as you said, non-existent, and his body is pitifully weak that he can only handle three or four boosts. Tannin, what are the chances of survival if he becomes a full dragon?" And Tannin replied without hesitation. "Zero."

"What if he attains Juggernaut Drive?" And Tannin replied without hesitation once again. "Still zero. Ddraig, the problem is not that you give Issei power, the problem is Riser's power. How do you kill an enemy who has trained his body and regeneration to such an extent where he will get injured only by attacks of Ultimate Class devils and heals from it almost instantly? Moreover, fire doesn't work on him since he has built up resistance to dragon flames." Tannin asked, and Ddraig fell silent.

"Well, tell me what has transpired in the world in the past decade?" Ddraig asked, deciding to avoid Issei's topic altogether, and the two dragons started to talk. Meanwhile, what happened at Schweiz did reach the ears of Venelena Gremory and Octavia Phenex, infuriating the former even further as she unleashed her aura, which seemed to have grown even stronger.

"Where is my dumb daughter, Zechs?" Venelena asked, and Sirzechs wasn't surprised; after all, they would have had spies on Rias after she did something stupid in the ORC. In the human world, the crimson-haired heiress was getting the beating of her lifetime from her mother. "It is time to draw the next template from the System. I hope it is something that can be of use." Riser thought to himself and rubbed his hands in anticipation as a card materialized in his hand.