So that's your answer, Raiser
Rias's performance left a bitter taste of disappointment. Her peerage collapsed like a house of cards, unable to withstand the first attack. The formation they had initially built was good, but then it all fell apart. They were separated, and each fought alone, relying only on their individual strength. Rias was especially disappointing. Her strength had increased, but her experience and teamwork were clearly lacking.
My mistake, I sighed, admitting that I had failed in preparing her.
In the observation room, Zeoticus pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied. Lord Phenex, on the other hand, was beaming, his eyes sparkling as he watched Raiser. His son had changed, and it made him proud.
Ironic, I thought sarcastically, the Phenex house cares more about family than the vauntedGremory. Venelana looked at the footage of Rias, looking worried, lost in thought.
Lord Phenex spoke first:
"The game was not bad. The blond boy stood out in particular. Who is he?"
I replied:
"This is Kiba Yuuto, Rias's horse. He possesses a holy gear that creates swords with various properties."
Lord Phenex eyes gleamed, clearly appreciating the potential. I was surprised myself. I didn't expect much from Rias's peer, but Kiba impressed. Koneko and Akeno, as usual, acted distantly, their brokenness was obvious. But Kiba, who gave it his all, showed progress. If Asia or healing potions were with them, he could continue the fight. But further analysis led to a disappointing conclusion: Kiba's reserves were limited, and he would have lost anyway.
Deciding that I had nothing else to do, I stood up, said goodbye, and left. My steps were even, my thoughts were spinning around Raiser. He left Rias hanging, her shocked face telling me that her illusions of the world were shaken. Curious and impatient, she would probably start looking for answers. Memories came flooding back: a little Rias clinging to me, joyfully shouting:
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan, play with me!"
Her ringing laughter, happy eyes, and warm embrace warmed my heart.
But now everything was clenching inside. The day had come when her naive world of dreams and illusions would have to be destroyed. The world was becoming more dangerous, and even I was not sure that I could survive it. It had to be broken in order to be built anew.
I noticed Rias in the hallway. Battered but steadfast, she looked at me with doubt and confusion. She ran closer when she noticed me, but stopped. We stood there, looking at each other, silence hanging in the air. I waited for her to speak, not taking the initiative. Finally, she spoke, her voice trembling:
"Brother... can you explain it to me?"
"What exactly?" I asked expressionlessly.
She pursed her lips, the words coming out with difficulty:
"This... was this all set up by you?" She swallowed, forcing herself to continue. "Raiser... he gave up because of you, right? You... you planned all of this?"
I smiled bitterly:
"What now, Rias? Aren't you happy? Or don't you feel the release that was supposed to come after?"
Her gaze was full of confusion. I continued, with a hint of irony:
"What, were you expecting an epic battle where you'd win after a month of training? Or were you expecting a knight to save you?" I laughed, my laughter echoing in the hallway:
"Hahaha! Seriously, Rias?"
She took a few steps back, shocked, her eyes widening at my words. I continued:
"So life isn't as simple as in your books and anime, huh? And you know, it seems like I was the only one who cared about your well-being and your whims. It's time to explain something."
She stuttered nervously,
"W-what...what exactly?"
I looked into her eyes, my voice growing firmer,
"You are a noble of the Gremory house, Rias. You have a duty, just like the rest of us. This is our path. You were not born a lesser devil or a reincarnated one. You have obligations, just like our parents. They too fulfilled their duty, and we were born. Do you think they were happy from the start? No. Time heals, and everything becomes normal."
She trembled, her voice breaking,
"N-no, that's not true! Mom and Dad...they love each other!"
I chuckled,
"It's a facade, Rias. A duty, nothing more. Do you think a different fate awaited me?" I spread my arms. "But you see, I became Maou. I broke out of that circle because I was strong enough. And you? You can't say that." Her eyes filled with tears, she shook her head, still denying. I looked at her, knowing that this conversation was just the beginning. Her world was collapsing, and I had to guide her onto a new path, even if it was painful.
"But how…" Rias sobbed, tears falling from her eyes, and her voice trembled. She was clearly not prepared for this.
Seeing her like this, I felt everything inside me shrink.
I can break her, and she may not get up again, a thought flashed through my mind, but with a firm determination, I continued:
"Zeoticus and Venelana weren't going to interfere, were they? You blame them, but you shouldn't. They are great parents, especially by the standards of the devil society. But they didn't fulfill your whims, right?" Her eyes widened, tears still flowing, and I could see her beginning to remember, to realize something. I continued:
"Only I always helped you, Rias. Always."
She stuttered, not understanding:
"W-what do you mean?"
I snorted derisively:
"I looked after you. Your surroundings, so that no one would try to kill you. Do you know how many assassination attempts I stopped? Hundreds, if not thousands. And when they continued even in Kuoh, I still protected you."
She whispered, stunned:
"I... I didn't notice..."
"And I shouldn't have," I answered ironically. "You thought that controlling the territory was easy? I'll let you in on a secret: hundreds, thousands of creatures of all stripes and factions that hung around in your territory passed through me. And you calmly enjoyed your school days, occasionally dealing with stray devils that I specially left for you to practice on."
Her body trembled, shock and shock reflected on her face. My words struck at her pride, at the false illusion of control that she had hammered into herself. I continued:
"Even your peerage is my job."
She exclaimed indignantly:
"No, that's not true! I found them myself! It was luck!"
I burst out laughing as if I'd heard the best joke:
"Hahaha! Luck? Seriously, Rias?"
She retreated, trembling like a cornered rabbit. I stepped towards her, my presence overwhelming:
"Nonsense. We don't have 'luck power' - it's a made-up facade. I sent you to your peers. Under various pretexts, I sent you to where they were. And you know who was always there? Grayfia."
Her eyes widened, panic and despair taking over her. I continued:
"Akeno was easy prey, all it took was to guide you. Kiba, Koneko, even Gasper Vladi — I gave them to you. They are potential, Rias. All you had to do was gain their loyalty, become their anchor. But what happened? You failed. A useless, worthless girl who thought she knew better."
My words shattered her worldview. Rias collapsed to the floor, her scream tearing through the silence.
"No! It's not true! I... I'm not like that!" She began to sob, her voice shaking with despair. "Why... why is it like this?!"
Her broken gaze and empty eyes shattered my heart into many tiny pieces, but I held myself together.
This is necessary for her to grow. There is no time.
If it were centuries ago, she would have had a chance to grow slowly, to become mature by the age of 100-150. But not now.
I walked up to her, placed my hand on her head, enveloping her in Touka's white aura. Her mind began to return, and I said:
"Is that all? Have you already broken down? Not even trying to get up and fight?"
My words found a response, a flash of understanding in her eyes. I continued:
"Everything can be fixed. Training is just the beginning. Start with Gasper - help him integrate into the peerage. Deal with their problems already, make them united and strong."
Removing my hand, I walked past, my steps were even, but my mind did not calm down.
Let her hate, despise, blame me - if it makes her stronger, I will accept it with pride.
Rias remained behind, her sobs dying down. I hoped that my words would be the impetus for her to get up and move on.
***
I walked through the corridors of the Gremory mansion, heading towards the room where Rias's peerage was. They should have been treated and stabilized by now, all that was left was to give them some rest. Opening the door, I saw Akeno, asleep, wrapped in bandages. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Kiba was next to me, his face covered in bandages, his body trembling. A moment later, he let out a weak cry:
"Ah..." His voice was full of pain.
Koneko was pressed against his chest, her cat ears twitching with every sound. She clung to him even more, enveloping him in a weak white aura, trying to calm him down. I froze, not wanting to disturb this scene, but it was too late. As I approached, I met Koneko's gaze - tired, but still expressionless. With difficulty, I squeezed out:
"Koneko, I need your hairpin."
She frowned, touched the hairpin and shrank back, clearly not intending to give it back. I continued:
"Do you want to see your sister again?"
Her eyes widened, shock breaking through her usual mask of calm and detachment. I added:
"The hairpin contains information that can exonerate Kuroko. You will be able to meet. It all depends on you."
Koneko was silent, her face changing: anger, doubt, memories of her sister. She was angry at Kuroka, but she did not hate him. Kiba's next scream broke the silence:
"No... it burns..." his voice trembled.
Koneko shuddered, immediately unhooked the hairpin and tossed it to me. I caught it, and she returned to Kiba, completely focused on him. Having received what I wanted, I turned and left, fingering the hairpin with my fingers.
Ajuka will find a use for this information. It's time to put it to work.
I use teleportation and find myself in Ajuka's gloomy laboratory. The room was immersed in semi-darkness, the light barely penetrating the shadows. The corridors were empty, their oppressive atmosphere oppressive. This was his first base, entrusted to only a few, unlike thousands of others scattered around the world and beyond. Moving on, I entered a room full of glass flasks with liquid and bodies - devils, angels, gods, creatures of all stripes. Autonomous systems hummed, collecting data, reinforcing the alien aura of the place.
Juka sat at a futuristic computer, the screen of which flashed columns of numbers at a stunning speed. Even my head was spinning. He was not looking up, noting something, but, noticing my presence, turned around in his mobile chair.
"On business?" he asked dryly.
I smiled:
"Can't I just visit an old friend?"
He snorted:
"You stopped doing that a long time ago. You just come and dump work on me."
"It's so difficult with you, I sighed."
"Hasn't it always been like this? Ajuka retorted."
"Where did that boy go who naively devoured books? I teased. Remembering what a sweetheart and good-natured young man he was."
He raised an eyebrow:
"What a memory."
I held out the hairpin. His eyes flashed, but after a second he sighed:
"The data is interesting in places, but mostly boring and outdated. What do you want?"
"Find Kuroka. And pay attention to Romania, especially the Tepes house."
He raised both eyebrows, waving the hairpin:
"Isn't that a bit much for such information?"
I grinned:
"There are rumors that the Tepes faction has a holder of the Sephiroth Grail. Aren't you curious to see?"
His eyes lit up and he nodded:
"You've got me hooked, Sirzechs. The Grail... that's already interesting. I'll take care of it."
I smiled. He waved his hand lazily, as if shooing away a fly:
"Go ahead, don't bother me. And don't burden me with more work."
I grinned and left. My footsteps echoed in the empty corridors.