From Chapter 57 onward, prepare for a major upgrade—writing, cleaner grammar, and a more immersive story!
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Grayfia—no, more accurately, "Perfect Maid Grayfia"—faced the greatest crisis of her career as a devoted servant today.
As the Queen among the retainers of Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Great Satans, Grayfia's competence was widely recognized. Whether it was managing family affairs, ensuring everything ran smoothly, or leading other servants in annihilating enemy forces, she could do it all flawlessly.
Yet today, such an all-capable, near-perfect maid found herself flummoxed by the simplest of tasks: delivering a message.
Especially for someone with real professional pride and a decent sense of propriety, Grayfia might have been able to keep a calm demeanor and silently stand witness to that entire scene. But retelling every detail afterward with the same composure? That was another story altogether.
In the end, Grayfia still forced herself to do so.
And the one who had to listen—just as reluctantly—was a certain young Satan who shall remain unnamed.
Truly, in every sense, it was a bombshell.
Even though Grayfia had toned down her phrasing as much as possible, a quick mental translation turned it into a single, blunt statement:
"Your sister got done, and she was the one who took the initiative."
One might venture that had the second part not revealed Rias's own willingness, Sirzechs could have ended up "hardening" something other than just his brow—like swinging a fist, maybe.
Getting with a Satan's little sister requires some nerve, indeed.
After listening to Grayfia's report, Sirzechs was silent for half a minute. Then he lowered his fork and knife, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples.
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"Grayfia… so you're saying it was only after you arrived on the scene that the other party went all-out, hooking up with Rias… in that way?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Recalling the situation in that hotel room, the silver-haired maid's expression wavered, too.
"At that time, it seemed Lady Rias had given up on her original plan the instant she realized I was there. Instead, this Bokue Keikain—once he heard my message—decided to engage in… that with her, leading to—"
"Mmph, I get it."
Raising a hand to silence her, Sirzechs pressed his other palm against his forehead as if battling a migraine.
He rarely showed this side of himself. Not even in those earliest days of taking up the Satan seat had he appeared so distressed.
But how else could one react…?
It was all just too explosive—he felt like his CPU was overheated for the first time in his life.
Off to the side, Venelana—who had also listened—looked more intrigued than upset.
"Oh? So that boy named Bokue Keikain is Rias's own choice? Do we have any pictures? I'd like a look."
"Sadly, there were no photographs, though I can extract a recorded memory via magic—just from that conversation he and I had…"
Grayfia's fingertips flickered with a magical glow.
She hadn't finished when Sirzechs again lifted his hand to stop her.
"Better not. If Mother really wants to see it, do it separately, but I'll pass. I need to figure out how to handle this."
"Yes."
Showing her understanding, Grayfia circled behind Venelana—out of Sirzechs's line of sight—and opened a magical screen to begin playing the memory.
Sigh…
The young Satan sighed inwardly.
He'd had scarcely any time to process the shock before forcibly calming down. Now that the facts were out, the first conclusion was that Rias's engagement to the Phenex family was definitely off.
That wasn't a big deal, honestly. Since Rias apparently disliked that Phenex third son from the start, they'd have refused anyway.
This just meant it was because her affections lay elsewhere, rather than some pure clash of Gremory–Phenex politics. If anything, that eased the argument that the Gremory side didn't hold personal ill will toward Phenex.
Hence, the only question left: what about this Bokue Keikain?
With that, Sirzechs turned to the silver-haired maid behind him, who was now quietly showing the recording to his mother.
"Grayfia—what's your impression of that Bokue Keikain?"
"Him…"
Grayfia paused. Summarizing any single person in a few words wasn't easy, but Bokue's image felt unexpectedly straightforward to her.
"If I had to put it in one line, I'd call him someone who 'persists unwaveringly in his own will.'"
Someone who persists in his will, hmm?
That didn't surprise Sirzechs. Based on Grayfia's initial report, he already held a general impression of Bokue.
His question merely sought confirmation.
Given that, hearing it from Grayfia now fit perfectly. Because first, Bokue didn't back down even after learning Rias was engaged to a fellow from the Seventy-Two Pillars, forging a relationship with her anyway. That alone showed his unstoppable conviction.
Second, even after hearing Grayfia's warning about reporting to the Phenex family, he showed zero fear—indicating a firm confidence in his own strength.
Third, he'd had Grayfia relay a message urging Phenex not to try underhanded tactics—suggesting he was at least bold and candid.
Sirzechs's throbbing headache felt slightly soothed.
At that moment, from her seat, Venelana sounded quite pleased:
"Hmm. Rias actually picked well—he's quite the handsome boy, apparently. Got a great physique, too. The way he held Rias on the bed, talking to her… gave off a lovely sense of safety."
So he's good-looking too?
Sirzechs mused to himself.
Of course, as a top-tier Satan from one of the Seventy-Two Pillars, he tended not to fixate on someone's mere appearance. But living beings, devils included, were innately drawn to beauty. If the prospective partner looked decent, so much the better.
Reaching that thought, Sirzechs decided.
"All right. In that case, I'll personally visit the Phenex family to smooth things over, then tell Rias the outcome. Been a while since I saw her, anyway—nice excuse to drop by."
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