Chapter 193: The Candidate
Grayfia placed her hand on Issei's forehead, a faint silver glow appearing at the point of contact.
The silver-haired beauty moved carefully, as a normal person's soul is extremely fragile. Moreover, if the Red Dragon Emperor truly had residual soul consciousness, this approach showed respect.
The women watched Grayfia with anticipation, but as time slowly passed, their expectation gradually turned into worry.
After about half an hour, the silver-haired beauty sighed softly and withdrew her hand.
"Grayfia..." Rias whispered, "Is it also not possible..."
The silver-haired beauty nodded gently, "I carefully examined him three times. It appears the Red Dragon Emperor has truly abandoned this candidate and is fully dormant within the Sacred Gear, waiting only for the day when Lord Haruto's strength is sufficient."
The Red Dragon Emperor's high regard for Haruto should be a good thing, but now they actually wished the Red Dragon Emperor had been more suspicious.
This method of awakening the Red Dragon Emperor had essentially failed, leaving them with no choice but to try dual cultivation to help Haruto break through.
Who would have thought that Amano's excuse for indulgence would actually become reality.
Rias's cheeks flushed slightly as she asked, "Yuuma, Mittelt, Warna, during your... ahem, dual cultivation sessions with Haruto these past few days, have you noticed anything?"
Yuuma and the other two thought carefully before hesitantly answering, "We feel like Haruto finishes a bit easier than before, and the volume is greater. Does that count?"
Since Haruto could only passively experience sensations without controlling the dragon, his endurance naturally seemed insufficient. However, it still typically took over ten minutes to make him release.
The increased volume of essence was for the same reason - each time he released fully rather than maintaining at their maximum absorption capacity as before.
This had made Yuuma and the other two afraid to go out these past few days, worried about embarrassing leaks.
Rias glanced at them sideways and lightly spat, "Tch, of course that doesn't count."
Yuuma and the other two exchanged looks before shrugging, "Then there's nothing else."
"According to the information provided by Miss Rias, to help Lord Haruto break through, we need a woman with even greater power."
Grayfia spoke with composure, as if discussing an ordinary matter.
"Forgive my bluntness, but aside from Miss Rias, no one else present would be suitable - even if they still retain their virginity."
While primordial yin essence indeed offers significant benefits for dual cultivation, the level of cultivation and power remains more crucial.
To give a simple example: no matter how abundant an ordinary girl's primordial yin might be, it cannot compare to a single dual cultivation session between Haruto and a woman with B-class strength.
Everyone instinctively turned their gaze toward Rias, their expressions shifting uncertainly.
If possible, Koneko, Asia, and Akeno would all willingly take Rias' place, as their feelings for Haruto already extended beyond mere friendship.
However, according to Grayfia's assessment, their substitution would yield little effect.
Would they really need to offer their first time under such circumstances just to awaken Haruto?
Rias was willing to give herself to Haruto - they had even made a promise to that effect. But to have it happen under these circumstances...
She couldn't quite tell if it was disappointment or regret, but something felt uncomfortable in her heart.
At that moment, the silver-haired beauty spoke again: "Actually, I don't recommend Miss Rias to undertake this matter. Lord Haruto has already reached the peak of High-Class Devil, while Miss Rias' strength is only at this level. The probability of success isn't high."
"But she's the strongest woman we can find..."
Mid-sentence, Yuuma's gaze slowly settled on the silver-haired beauty, her expression turning peculiar.
"Miss Grayfia, as the strongest queen in the Underworld, your power should be quite formidable, shouldn't it?"
These words caused everyone else to react similarly, with Rias in particular staring at the silver-haired beauty in shock.
"Grayfia, you're my brother's wife - and you even have a child together."
Faced with Rias' questioning, the silver-haired busty beauty could no longer maintain her composure, responding with slight fluster.
"That's not what I meant... How could I possibly betray Lord Sirzechs?"
The women present: "..."
Confronted with this silent rebuttal, Grayfia quickly explained: "What I meant was for you to hire a powerful woman. Some female powerhouses aren't particularly concerned about intimate relations with men - the Succubus Queen, for example."
The stronger one becomes, the more meaningless ordinary moral definitions tend to feel.
Some female supernaturals kept numerous male consorts, their private lives far more chaotic than most men's.
The women regarded Grayfia with half-belief for a moment, but since she was ultimately Rias' sister-in-law, they couldn't press the matter further.
The atmosphere fell into silence until the silver-haired beauty received a communication and somewhat awkwardly took her leave.
"Miss Rias, I must return to handle affairs at the Satan's castle."
Grayfia bowed slightly. "The tripartite conference will be held in one month. I hope Lord Haruto will be able to attend by then."
Rias nodded to indicate her understanding.
Although she was the one who killed Azazel, no one would forget who the true instigator was.
Since Haruto was nominally her servant, the tripartite conference would inevitably involve disputes over this matter. If he weren't present, the devil faction would naturally be at a disadvantage regarding this issue.
After Grayfia departed, the women breathed sighs of relief.
With an outsider present, there had been many things they couldn't properly discuss. Now they could finally speak freely.
"President, are you really planning to hire some unknown woman to help Haruto with..."
Before Akeno could finish, Rias interrupted, "Of course not. I wouldn't trust those women of unknown origins. Leaving aside whether they might have physical issues, if they harbor ill intentions during the process, it would only create more complications."
Dual cultivation involved the most intimate physical contact, and many contracts or curses required such closeness to be enacted. If the hired person had malicious intentions, Haruto would be like a fish on the chopping block, completely at their mercy.
"So, are you planning to help Haruto yourself?"
Having grown up with Rias, Akeno knew her well and couldn't help but express concern, "What if the Phenex family finds out..."
"Haruto, I have no intention of marrying that person. My body belongs to me, and I'll give it to whomever I choose."
Rias was not one to submit passively. Regardless of how the timeline changed, she had never planned to preserve her purity until she was forced into marriage.
In the original timeline, if Grayfia hadn't intervened in time, Rias would have hastily given herself to Issei, for whom she only had slight feelings.
If possible, Rias would have preferred a romantic and tender first night, but reality often fell short of expectations.
After speaking, Rias realized she had become somewhat agitated. Akeno had only spoken out of concern for her.
"Haruto, don't worry. If Haruto can awaken, the Phenex family will no longer be an issue."
She gently tucked her red hair behind her ear and turned to look out the window, her voice suddenly growing distant.
"A fully awakened Red Dragon Emperor successor, capable of slaying Satan-Class powerhouses, holds far greater value than an alliance with the Phenex family. The Satan will know which choice to make..."
The marriage alliance between the Gremory and Phenex families was nominally to preserve the bloodline of pure-blooded devils, but in reality, the increasingly weakened Gremory family was forced to agree to maintain their standing.
The Phenex family was one of the four great pure-blooded devil clans, and due to their unique abilities, their family's power had been growing at an alarming rate since the implementation of Rating Games.
If Rias were to marry into their family, she would inevitably have no autonomy, becoming merely a breeding vessel.
If the goal was truly to continue the pure-blooded devil lineage, even if suitable pure-blooded devils were scarce, it wouldn't be necessary for Rias, as the next family head, to be the one in the marriage alliance.
No one wanted their family's head to become someone else's breeding vessel, and Sirzechs especially didn't want his younger sister to suffer such a fate.
But as the Satan, he couldn't interfere in matters below, or he would be unfit for his position.
The Phenex family only refrained from being too harsh on the Gremory family out of respect for his status as the Satan. If he were to lose that position, things could become even worse.
Neither Rias nor Sirzechs could abandon their family—it was where they were born and raised, and their loved ones and friends were all there. So they had no choice but to abide by the rules.