Guided by Akuto's words and his Demon-Summoning Bloodline, Venelana suddenly birthed a wild idea—"have the entire Gremory clan help Akuto advance."
Fortunately, Venelana still had rationality and promptly tossed that thought out of her mind.
However, some things don't vanish just because you throw them out.
Since Venelana was still holding Akuto's hand, the very notion she'd barely managed to discard surged back in less than thirty seconds.
[Akuto is right. If we want his abilities to evolve, he must marry more female devils.]
[But if he marries too many female devils, Akuto won't be the Gremory family's son-in-law anymore—he'll turn into Momo's brother-in-law instead.]
[That would put Rias in a tough spot.]
[Yet for the sake of our Emperor's descendants, Rias has to help push Akuto's abilities to the next tier.]
[If it really comes down to choosing… wouldn't it be better to… not let our water irrigate another's field?]
Venelana knew there were a great many pure-blooded devils in the Underworld eyeing Akuto. As long as Akuto gave the word, most would gladly offer a daughter from a branch family—even from the main family.
To prevent Akuto's harem from exploding out of control, Venelana felt she had to do something.
…
Venelana didn't realize that her current emotional swings and general train of thought were actually the result of Akuto's subtle influence and guidance.
After upgrading to purple quality, Akuto's Demon-Summoning Bloodline gained several practical functions—such as perceiving the emotional shifts and rough thoughts of anyone he touched.
While Akuto didn't know Venelana's specific crazy idea, he did know her heart was rippling—and that she'd just felt a spark of desire toward him.
What Akuto did was amplify those darkest, scariest notions buried deep inside Venelana while suppressing her normal reasoning patterns—so she'd keep spiraling into overthinking and ultimately etch an unforgettable impression of Akuto into her mind.
Those thoughts wouldn't necessarily be acted upon, 447 but they would definitely carve a deep groove in Venelana's mind—and prove useful when Akuto needed leverage in the future.
Akuto didn't know exactly what Venelana was imagining, but he noticed the blush steadily blooming on her face.
His inducement was clearly working.
…
Hand in hand, Akuto and Venelana strolled through the campus and happened to pass a group of boys jogging by.
Because her brain was a complete jumble, Venelana didn't proactively chat with Akuto; she only answered his questions passively.
Things like:
[This is Kuoh Academy's Wall of Honor, Venelana-sama. You can see my name and my father's here. Rias's ranking is good too, but she's not in the first column.]
[Usually, I eat with Rias and Rias's peerage—either at the old school building or up on the main building's roof.]
[From the rooftop, if you look south, you can see Kuoh Academy's iconic clock tower. If you're interested, Venelana-sama—would you like to go check it out with me over to the east?]
[…]
Little by little, Venelana's mood calmed. She decided to stop dwelling on those chaotic notions and simply savor the moment.
The mere thought that she—who had never felt romance for any man—was now feeling this flutter for Akuto-kun made her Gremory blood boil.
Before long, the two arrived at the main academic building.
Standing out front, Lucifer and Grayfia were waiting for Venelana.
They had actually entered the school early to take a tour—well before Akuto and Rias headed to class.
During that time, Venelana had volunteered to wait by the gate to "ambush" Akuto with a surprise.
(Because, aside from attending as Rias's family for Visiting Day today… they were also attending as Akuto's family!)
…
Even so, Venelana and Rias didn't end up waiting.
"Hm? Why is Okaa-sama holding hands with Akuto-kun?"
"Is… that the 'surprise' Okaa-sama mentioned?"
Alices glanced at Venelana and Akuto's tightly laced fingers and arched a brow.
Holding hands was one thing, but ten fingers interlocked? What was that supposed to be? Was this really a gesture a senior used with a junior?
Still, though Venelana being this affectionate with Akuto violated Underworld etiquette somewhat, Alices didn't fuss over it.
On one hand, Alices didn't understand love between men and women.
On the other, she simply took it as Venelana doting on Akuto.
After all, Akuto had freed the Gremory from the curse of "single-line succession." Venelana's fondness was only natural.
…
Alices found Akuto dazzling at first sight.
Akuto, seeing Alices, was equally stunned.
Because the current Akuto was no longer the Akuto of the past.
After acquiring red quality Eye of Truth, Akuto could peer through everything beneath the level of Dragon God to its very essence.
[Wait—Lucifer… is actually a beautiful girl?]
Staring at the red-haired girl who looked ninety percent like Rias—practically a "Maou version of Rias"—Akuto's worldview cracked apart.
He'd known about Grayfia being a "maiden," sure. But never in a million years did he expect the famed Sirzechs Lucifer to essentially be a grown-up Rias?!
[If that's the case, then when she told me she couldn't bear children… was that actually just a smokescreen?]
[So she isn't infertile at all—she used that as cover to hide the fact she's actually female?]
[Hold on… in that case, calling her "Sirzechs" feels off, doesn't it?]
Compared to Sirzechs, Akuto felt "Alices" fit far better.
…
"Akuto-kun, well? Today, we're all your cheer squad~" Alices said with a smile.
She didn't read too much into Akuto's gaze, assuming he was just surprised by their sudden appearance.
Alices perfectly embodied the Gremory girls' trait of being "naïve in matters of love."
But Grayfia read something else in Akuto's eyes.
[Could it be that Akuto already knows Alices's true identity??]
…
While Grayfia was spiraling, the system's prompt chimed in Akuto's ear.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations to the Host for triggering a Phase-Type Plot Mission — "Grayfia the Misfit."]
[Mission Rank: Red.]
[Mission Description: Facts are laid bare—the lineage of the world you're in doesn't quite match your prior impressions. Due to a mutation originating from the Devil-Mother Rias, the Gremory line inherited part of the Devil-Mother's self-fertilizing trait, passed down the generations. Only upon Rias's generation did the World's Power intervene. Venelana bore five different children at distinct points in time. On her first pregnancy, Venelana had not even… engaged in intercourse; the child came simply because the time had arrived. This non-self-fertilized child was seen as the Gremory's hope—thus, Sirzechs was born.
Nicknamed "Alices," she possessed great compassion and grand ambition. Seeing the Underworld in crisis, she resolved to change it completely. Since women in leadership were generally unaccepted, Alices debuted under a male identity and led a rebellion. After many twists and turns, Alices and her companions defeated the Second-Generation Maou.
Her benevolence and courage won over nearly all her peers, who jointly elevated her to Fourth-Generation Maou.
But even someone like Alices has those she's wronged. That person is… Grayfia.
At this point, Grayfia has kept her marriage hidden for Alices's cause far too long—and suppressed herself for far too long. It's time to free them.]
[Mission Requirements: Romance Grayfia (Gold). Help Grayfia remove the shackle that has bound her all this time (Red).]
After reading the mission, Akuto's expression grew more and more subtle.
"Huh? So Sirzechs's childhood nickname is 'Alices'?"
"Is it a coincidence? I remember another world—The Eminence in Shadow—has a Princess named Alicia. She's red-haired, looks incredibly similar to Rias, and even the voice is…"
Akuto felt it might be a stretch to bring up voice actors, but with so many overlaps, he couldn't help thinking.
"In any case, calling the current Maou 'Alices' feels pretty appropriate."
The idea that this world's Maou Alices had near Dragon-God-level power while the other world's Princess Alicia was basically a combat unit… Akuto could barely keep a straight face.
…
And so, with the strangest mood he'd ever felt, Akuto began his first Visiting Day that included "elders."
During class, when answering questions—
Venelana held her camera high, snapping photo after photo of Akuto.
"As expected of Akuto-kun. That answer was perfect~"
Even without clearing it with Akuto first, Venelana's camera naturally—
Seeing this, the instructor originally wanted to say something.
But once she recognized Venelana as Akuto's guardian—and that the photos were of Akuto in class—she clamped her mouth shut.
What a joke—Akuto was the school's poster boy.
Publicity like this? The staff could only hope for more.
Recently, the faculty's attitude toward Akuto had grown even warmer.
Because in the most recent exams, thanks to the mental boost from reincarnation (higher intellect and compute), Akuto's scores improved to the point of surpassing Sona—ushering in a new era at Kuoh Academy.
During shop class—
Venelana watched Akuto sculpt a figure of her.
Holding a clay figure wearing the exact same elegant gown she had on, Venelana's cheeks flushed. She realized the model's proportions and face were a little too… faithful.
But the most surprised person wasn't her.
It was… Alices.
Akuto made four figures in class total: one each for Rias, Venelana, Alices, and Grayfia—the four Gremory women.
Staring at the clay doll Akuto handed her, Alices fell silent.
Because the likeness Akuto sculpted… was exactly her true self!
…
(End of Chapter)
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