Kuoh Town, Roy's house.
When Rias awoke from her slumber, it was already noon.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she glanced around, disoriented.
Creak!
The door opened.
"Perfect timing."
Roy, just back, stepped in and greeted his girlfriend.
"I grabbed lunch on the way. Let's eat."
"Roy?"
Staring blankly at him for two seconds, Rias snapped back, recalling last night's events.
"We went until morning, and you're up this early? Your stamina's insane."
"No stamina, no harem."
"Could you be a bit more tactful at times like this?"
Rias shrugged, not too bothered.
After last night's marathon, she'd made peace with it.
Roy's endurance was terrifying. She alone couldn't keep up.
If he wanted others, fine—let them share the load.
As long as she held the main wife spot, she was good.
"Wait, did I oversleep?"
Pulling off the covers to change, Rias frowned, remembering something.
"The Jujutsu High meeting… it was two hours ago?!"
"You looked exhausted this morning, so I didn't wake you," Roy explained.
"Your thoughtfulness is sweet, but being late—wait, you got lunch 'on the way'?"
Halfway through her reply, Rias caught his earlier words.
"You didn't go to the Jujutsu High meeting alone, did you?"
"Got it in one."
"…How're you back so fast?"
Diplomatic talks usually took all day, didn't they?
Noticing a faint bloody aura around Roy, Rias felt a chill.
"Roy, you… didn't fight, right?"
Roy spread his hands. "They started it."
Rias: "?"
Roy patted the demon swords at his waist. "Don't worry, I took care of everyone who had a problem with me."
Rias: "?!!"
…
Underworld, Lilith, the capital.
A man radiating demonic charisma entered the deepest chamber of the Demon King's Palace.
"Hm? Ajuka, what brings you here?"
Sirzechs, frowning at a document, looked up, puzzled.
Ajuka pulled a red bracelet from his coat and set it on the table. "That toy you asked for yesterday—it's done."
Sirzechs: "That fast? Your efficiency's unreal."
Ajuka: "It's not exactly high-tech. Just found the right material and embedded a gravity technique."
Sirzechs: "Still, you're the only one I know who could pull it off so easily."
Ajuka: "It's a rush job, so the gravity technique caps at 100x. Should be enough for now, right?"
"You're mistaken. It's not for me."
Sirzechs pocketed the bracelet and handed Ajuka the document.
"It's Rias's request, likely for him."
"The Church is condemning the Red Dragon Emperor for overstepping? What did your sister's servant do?"
Ajuka skimmed the document, puzzled.
"This morning, he wiped out the conservative sorcerer higher-ups."
"Reason?"
"Some conflict. The conservatives tried to strong-arm Roy into submission and had an assassination plan."
"Then he was right to kill them."
Ajuka gave his blunt assessment.
As a battle-hardened Demon King, none of the current four were soft.
Provoke an enemy? Punch back.
Still…
"A few verbal slaps from the Church shouldn't make you look like that."
"It's not the Church's complaints. It's Roy's enemies in this fight."
Sirzechs produced two photos. "Siegfried, the rogue Demon Emperor from the Church, and Hercules, inheritor of his soul."
"Per Roy's intel via Rias, both are from the Khaos Brigade, aiming to recruit him."
"The Khaos Brigade? No wonder you're so grim."
Ajuka stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Though he stayed out of politics, he was well-informed.
He'd heard of this rising terrorist group.
"Your plan?"
"Gather intel first. That group's full of dangerous types."
Sirzechs pulled out several files.
Ajuka scanned them, soon frowning like Sirzechs.
"The Old Demon King faction led by former Demon King descendants, the Hero Faction centered on high-tier Longinus wielders… this is real?"
"No clue, but it's what Roy sent through Rias."
Sirzechs pulled another file from a hidden drawer.
"The members are manageable. The real problem is their leader."
Ajuka frowned. "Zeus? Odin? Indra? Shiva?"
Sirzechs shook his head. "Ophis."
Ajuka: "…"
Maybe we should just surrender.
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