Human World, Japan, Kuoh.
The day after the ceremony, James and the other Kuoh Academy students returned to school. Even though James, Sona, and Tsubaki were absent yesterday and the Occult Research Club had been absent for the last two days, no one seemed to notice. Well, with the exception of Mio and Maria.
"I wonder what those devils were doing for the last couple of days?" Mio asked while having her lunch on the roof of the new school building.
"I don't know." Maria said after swallowing a piece of chicken. "But it was probably something important."
"How can you be so sure?" Mio asked skeptically. "They're devils, right? Why wouldn't they just be skipping school?"
"Because only the [Kings] and [Queens] were absent yesterday." Maria explained patiently.
"[Kings]? [Queens]?" Mio asked with confusion in her tone.
"That's right." Maria said with a nod. Then, she explained the [Evil Piece] system and [Rating Games] to Mio.
"So, that means it will be hard to have children in the future?" Mio asked innocently.
Hearing that, Maria adopted a lecherous smile.
"Oh, Mio, do you want to make children?" Maria asked with a perverted smile.
"I do, in the future." Mio said, not understanding that Maria was trying to tease her.
Realizing that Mio had not been affected by her perverted joke, Maria's shoulders sagged. Then, a moment later she was back to normal, with her normal smile back on her face.
"Anyway, why haven't those devils come to talk to us about our situation?" Mio asked with a frown. "Do they not care why we're here in their town?"
"Actually, we have been investigating your situation before deciding how to approach you." A male voice said from behind them.
Hearing that voice, both Mio and Maria jumped away from the bench they were sitting on. Taking their stances for battle, they both turned around to see who it was that was speaking to them. And when they did, they saw James, the captain of the club they joined, standing on the railing surrounding the roof.
"Oh, good reaction time." James said with a smile while lightly clapping his hands. "Allow me to introduce myself once again. My name is James Alaverus. I am currently serving as the guard for Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri."
"Well, I guess you got your wish, Mio." Maria said while dropping her fighting stance.
"Hmph! It certainly took long enough." Mio said in a huff.
James only smiled at their reactions. Then he spoke once again.
"There's really no point in being on guard against us." James said with a chuckle.
Mio and Maria were both surprised. Although they could see James in front of them, his voice came from behind them. Before they could turn around, however, James' figure standing on the railing began to fade. Then, they turned around and saw James' walking away from them toward the door leading back into the school building.
If we wanted to do anything to the two of you, there is nothing either of you could do about it." James said while walking. "Now, I think we need to talk. After today's club activities, why don't you two come over to my house? Ri Ri and Sona will both be there, too. We'll discuss what we know about you and what you want from us."
As James finished speaking, he pulled the door open and walked through it. Once James was gone, Mio and Maria released their tension.
"*Sigh* He's really fast." Maria said while shaking her head to rid herself of the fear she felt after James appeared behind them twice.
"He didn't have to scare us like that." Mio said while pouting with a slight blush on her face.
"Oh~! What do I spy with my little eye~?" Maria said with a smile in a sing-song tone. "My instincts as a succubus are telling me that someone has a little crush on the captain."
Turning red immediately because of Maria's statement, Mio turned and glared at her fiercely. Then, she grabbed and pulled Maria's cheeks strongly.
"Shut up!" Mio exclaimed in embarrassment. "If you mention that again, I'll kill you a hundred times!"
Even with her face being stretched by the embarrassed Mio, Maria continued to laugh happily. Maria was glad the two of them decided to come to Kuoh. When her foster parents were killed, Mio became very defensive and hid her emotions behind a wall of irritation. Basically, she became a tsundere. However, ever since she started going to the MMA Club after school, her emotions would show more often. Especially after being treated kindly by James and his peerage in the club. On top of that, James was quite attentive to the rest of the members of the club as well. Even though they were all only normal humans.
'I guess we're gonna be getting home late tonight.' Maria thought to herself while Mio continued to stretch her cheeks due to her embarrassment.
Underworld, Satan Territory, Capital City, Lilith.
At the same time, sitting in his office, Sirzechs was once again fighting with his worst enemy, paperwork. Around the same time that James opened the door to enter the school building, there was a knock on the door of Sirzechs office.
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
"Enter." Sirzechs said without raising his head from the document he was reading.
Upon receiving permission, the door to the office was pushed open. Through the now open door, Grayfia entered with a stack of documents. Then, she quietly closed the door behind her.
"Lord Lucifer, I have collected some evidence of the council's wrong doings regarding the young devils who were killed in Alaska." Grayfia said as she approached Sirzechs desk.
Hearing that, Sirzechs put down the document he was reading and raised his head in surprise.
"Grayfia, how many times do I have to tell you, don't be so formal when we're alone? Wait! What did you say? How?" Sirzechs asked with a frown on his face. "You didn't sneak into the Council office or the homes of the council members, did you?"
"Of course not." Grayfia replied calmly. "I used one of my contacts to collect as much information as they could. And you don't need to worry, there is no evidence that we work together at all."
"*Sigh* I should know that you would never do anything that is reckless." Sirzechs said while shaking his head. "I know that you already know that another civil war could start if you were ever to be caught."
'Shouldn't he be more concerned about my safety than a damn civil war?" Grayfia thought to herself with a bit of discontent. Her face did not show any of the changes in her emotions, however.
"Either way I really think you should read this." Grayfia said as she extended the documents toward Sirzechs.
In response, Sirzechs took the stack of documents and began to skim through them. However, after a few moments, Sirzechs' expression became more serious. Over time a frown even appeared on his face. And as time went on, the frown deepened. Seeing the change in expression, Grayfia was relieved.
*Slam!*
After reading the last page of the document, Sirzechs pounded his fist into the desk. Due to his emotions, his [Power of Destruction activated as well. Because of that, a fist-shaped imprint appeared on the surface of the desk when Sirzechs raised his hand again. There were no burn marks, or any indication of damage being dealt to the desk, though. Instead, it was more like that part of the desk was never there to begin with.
"To think the Council would use their authority like this!" Sirzechs growled angrily. "How could they send this many young devils to their deaths? On top of that, there's even proof about the real reason Cleria Belial was assassinated."
Seeing the genuine anger in Sirzechs' expression, Grayfia could agree fully. Last night before going to bed, Grayfia had also read those documents and was equally as outraged. However, she was thoroughly flabbergasted by Sirzechs' next action.
With the entire stack of documents in one hand, Sirzechs let his [Power of Destruction] flow into the papers. Grayfia's expression turned into one of disbelief when she saw that.
"Why did you do that?" Grayfia asked with confusion. "Why would you destroy all that evidence?"
"*Sigh* Grayfia, this evidence can never see the light of day." Sirzechs said in a tired tone. "If it did, the public would not only lose faith in the Council, but they would also lose faith in the Four Great Satans for allowing things like this to happen under our watch.
'Are you serious?' grayfia thought to herself as she looked into Sirzechs eyes.
"This would completely turn the commoners against all the devil nobility." Sirzechs said as his expression turned back to normal. We as a species cannot handle a civil war on that scale, you understand, right?"
Grayfia might have believed what Sirzechs had to say if she had not known him for the past five hundred or so years. Unfortunately, she had seen the deeply hidden disdain in his eyes when he raised his head in anger. She knew that his anger toward the actions of the Devil Council was not faked. But his pride was preventing him from acting upon it.
'*Sigh* Of course the sin that he represents would have to be pride." Grayfia said to herself. 'Unless he finds the evidence himself, he refuses to act on it.'
Grayfia's assessment was not completely correct, however. The fact that he was not the one who found or ordered people to find the evidence is not the issue. Instead, the fact that the public would not revere him and the other Great Satans like they do now is the real issue. His pride would not allow him to be anything less than the most revered devil among his people.
Either way, even if Grayfia knew the real reason Sirzechs refused to act, Grayfia would still be feeling the exact same emotion.
Disappointment.
Luckily, she had made a copy of the evidence before handing it over to Sirzechs. You can never be too careful, after all.
"I see." Grayfia said without changing her expression. Then, she bowed her head politely. "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave. Today is my day off, after all."
"Enjoy the rest of your day off." Sirzechs said with a smile while returning to the mountain of paperwork on his desk.
With that, Grayfia exited the office quietly and returned to the Gremory Estate. After returning, she returned to her room and changed into more casual clothing. After that, she made her way to the lounge in the estate. To her surprise, Venelana was standing behind the bar, mixing a drink.
"Oh, my." Venelana exclaimed when she saw Grayfia enter the lounge. "It's quite rare to see you here. Is everything all right? If there is anything bothering you, you know you can always talk to me."
Without replying, Grayfia moved toward the bar and took a seat in front of Venelana. Resting her elbows on top of the bar, Grayfia cupped her face with her hands.
"Can I have a drink?" Grayfia mumbled behind her hands. "A strong one."
Understanding that the issue was more severe than she expected from Grayfia's tone and body language, Venelana made a Long Island Iced Tea. When she was done, she placed it on a coaster in front of Grayfia.
Seeing that her drink was ready, Grayfia lowered her hands and grabbed the glass. Then, she took several gulps all at once. Placing the glass back onto the coaster, Grayfia exhaled a sigh and made eye contact with Venelana, who was showing clear concern in her expression.
"Did my son do something stupid again?" Grayfia asked as she leaned over the bar.
Seeing this sight, Grayfia could not help but smile. As Venelana was not what one would call tall, Grayfia knew that she was standing on a platform while behind the bar. Otherwise, she would never be able to lean over the bar like she is right now. She was still able to answer the question, though.
"*Sigh* Unfortunately, yes." Grayfia said before emptying her glass. "His pride is getting in the way of doing what's best for the Underworld."
"Why don't you tell me about it?" Venelana said while preparing another drink for Grayfia.
Without hesitation, Grayfia told Venelana about how James found out about the Council sending young devils to their deaths, how she commissioned someone to find proof, how she found the evidence in her bedroom last night, how she handed it to Sirzechs, Sirzechs' reaction to it, and what he decided to do about it.
"*Sigh* That's why a lot of people say that pride is the worst of the seven deadly sins." Venelana said exasperatedly.
"He refuses to act because he's not responsible for getting the intel." Grayfia said angrily.
"Unfortunately, your insight into Sirzechs' mind is wrong this time, Grayfia." Venelana said while shaking her head slowly. "His pride won't allow him to not be revered, that's the real reason he decided to not act."
Hearing that, Grayfia was shocked into silence. Venelana did not speak, either. Then, after another few moments of silence, Venelana spoke once again.
"Don't worry, we'll do something about this." Venelana said seriously.
In response, Grayfia nodded. Then, she picked up her drink and finished the whole thing in one go. After she placed the glass down, she spoke once again.
"How disappointing."