Time passed quickly. After obtaining the Moa Moa no Mi, Rias couldn't help but delve into its mysteries.
And August was happy to relax, holding onto Sona, watching a movie in the living room. However, his attention wasn't on the movie, but on Sona.
Sona noticed that August, now, seemed to really like, even adore her.
She thought, perhaps this was fine too. After all, she was just a woman. Compared to power, she hoped for a partner who would accompany her.
But the man she chose was a terribly flirtatious fellow, and she felt powerless.
Now that August preferred her, it was something she was happy to see.
"Oh, by the way, Hilda told me Azazel came to see you today."
"Who? Azazel?"
"Yes, but you were sleeping, so Hilda chased him away with a sword."
"Chased him away?"
August was surprised. This was the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, and his own maidservant had dealt with him. How remarkable.
Seeing August's surprised yet amused expression, Sona understood that August didn't take it seriously.
Even compared to the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, August would always favor his own people.
Such a man, while not necessarily correct, was definitely a good choice. He was protective, even of his maidservant, which naturally extended to herself, his girlfriend, or even his wife.
Smack!
"Keep your hands to yourself, don't get carried away."
Suddenly, Sona slapped away August's hand, which was trying to be too bold.
August just laughed, unperturbed, and continued to flirt elsewhere.
Sona rolled her eyes. While she was glad that August was infatuated with her current body, his constant attempts at taking advantage, regardless of the situation, left her helpless.
Click!
At this moment, Hilda approached.
"My lord, Azazel is here."
"Huh? Again?"
"Yes, he seems quite concerned about your situation."
"Then let him in."
"Yes."
Sona, standing up from August's embrace, smoothed out her clothes and sat on the other side of the sofa.
August didn't say anything. This was Sona's decision. If she didn't want Azazel to know, then so be it.
Soon, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Azazel walked in with a smile on his face.
"I knew you'd be fine. Although you're constantly losing demonic power, it's obvious that the one absorbing it means you no harm, otherwise, they wouldn't be so cautious."
"Enough with the nonsense. Why did you come to see me?"
"It's nothing, just to tell you something and make a deal with you."
"Oh? A deal? Tell me about it."
Azazel glanced at Sona, the heir to the House of Sitri, beside him.
But seeing that August showed no signs of avoiding the topic, he figured out roughly that this little cabbage might also have been harmed.
"Firstly, there's Kokabiel. I've been having a bit of trouble controlling him lately, so there might be some trouble soon."
"You don't need to worry about that scoundrel. I'll take care of him."
He was just a High-Class Fallen Angel. Even if August hadn't ascended to Satan-Class yet, he could easily crush him.
"And then there's Vali. You should understand that with Vali's personality, she's definitely going to come back and fight you again. So, if she loses, you can let her off the hook."
"Azazel, I've already let you off the hook for the last incident."
"I know that. So, I've come to make a deal with you. Whatever you want, as long as I can provide it, you can ask for it."
"You really treat her like your own child, don't you?"
"Yes, originally, I was only interested in her Divine Dividing and wanted to study it. But over the years, without realizing it, it's become more than that."
"Letting her off the hook isn't out of the question, but I need you to do something for me."
August smiled faintly, looking at Azazel as he spoke slowly.
Azazel knew he was likely to be duped here, but now that August had reached Satan-Class and had the upper hand, coupled with the fact that he was asking for a favor, there was no way around it.
"My request is simple. Help me fill up this treasure."
As August's voice fell, a golden chalice descended amid a ripple of golden light.
The Holy Grail, the pinnacle of human magecraft. Through the ritual of the Holy Grail War, using accumulated magical energy over sixty years along with the Servant as a catalyst, it could activate the way to the Root.
And this Holy Grail was an artifact born from that premise. August didn't care about its other functions, nor did this world have Heroic Spirits.
What mattered was that this Holy Grail could store magical energy, and it was immensely vast.
"What's this? A Holy Grail? Did you make this?"
"You could think of it as a magical energy storage device. And my condition is that you fill it up."
"How much magical energy can this little thing hold?"
Azazel, with a smile, picked up the chalice and tried to infuse it with his energy.
Trying it out wasn't a problem, but Azazel's face was immediately filled with shock. Despite infusing a bit of his energy, not a single ripple was stirred, as if it had sunk without a trace.
Although he didn't infuse much of his energy, there should have been some reaction.
"Hey, this isn't going to cause any trouble, is it?"
"Do you think this is just a simple tool for storing magical energy?"
"Then how much magical energy does it take to fill this cup?"
"How would I know? It's up to you. Besides, you Fallen Angels have quite a bit of it."
"You..."
"You'd better think it over. It's just a bit of magical energy, at most, it'll be a bit of a hassle."
"Fine, I understand."
Reluctantly, Azazel nodded. After all, he was the one asking for a favor now.
Seeing this, August nodded in satisfaction. He had no interest in Vali anymore. He didn't repeat himself; he had already extended an invitation once. If she refused, then sorry, there wouldn't be a second chance.
Originally, August had planned to seize her Divine Dividing after defeating Vali next time.
There were rewards for taking the Boosted Gear, and who knew, there might be rewards for taking the Divine Dividing too. Moreover, collecting both the Red and White Dragons would be quite a valuable collection.
Sona watched all this unfold, especially seeing Azazel, usually so confident, now so meek, feeling incredibly surreal.
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