Sirzechs really did act like a caring older brother visiting his sister—or a friendly neighbor dropping by.
He didn't put on any airs at all and quickly struck up a conversation with everyone.
He didn't jump straight into official business, nor did he immediately ask about what happened the day before. Instead, he asked Rias and the others how they were doing in the human world, whether they were enjoying school, and if they'd run into any difficulties in their daily lives.
He felt far less like a Maou and far more like an overly concerned parent.
Of course, he also hadn't forgotten that his sister's servants—and her childhood friend's servants—were still waiting to be saved.
"We've brought the Phoenix Tears with us," Sirzechs said.
As soon as he spoke, the silver-haired maid who had been quietly following behind him stepped forward.
"Lady Rias, Lady Sona, these are the Phoenix Tears."
The silver-haired maid took out a small box and opened it, revealing two tiny bottles inside.
Almost instantly, Leo sensed it.
The bottles were overflowing with life force, pulsing with astonishing vitality.
"So this is Phoenix Tears?" Leo murmured.
It was his first time seeing this legendary healing medicine, and he couldn't help taking a closer look.
Rias and Sona, on the other hand, seemed familiar with it. They stepped up to the silver-haired maid.
"Thanks, Grayfia," Rias said, nodding.
"Thank you for the trouble, Lady Grayfia," Sona added respectfully.
That difference in attitude was only natural.
This woman wasn't just an ordinary maid.
Put simply, she was Rias's sister-in-law.
Her name was Grayfia Lucifuge—Sirzechs's Queen piece and his wife.
She came from the Lucifuge House, a family that once served the Old Maou Lucifer. Centuries ago, they had stood with the Old Maou Faction against the reformists. Yet on the battlefield, she fell in love with the reformist hero Sirzechs Gremory. After overcoming countless trials, they came together.
Now, she was known as the strongest Queen piece in the Underworld, hailed as the "Silver-Haired Annihilation Queen."
At Leo's current level, he could vaguely sense it.
The terrifying demonic power flowing within her body.
It surpassed Maou-Class—and was comparable to, if not greater than, the "Chaos Karma Dragon" Tiamat that Leo had once encountered in the Familiar Forest.
Put simply, the silver-haired maid standing before him was very likely an existence beyond Maou-Class.
Leo wasn't surprised.
After all, Grayfia was widely regarded as someone who could contend with the current Maou Leviathan, Serafall Sitri, for the title of strongest female devil. If not for political circumstances, one of the Maou seats might very well have belonged to her.
Miyamoto Musashi had once said that there were only two women she truly admired.
One was her current master, Serafall Leviathan.
The other was Grayfia Lucifuge.
She had even challenged both of them—especially Grayfia—more than once.
As for the results…
"I got absolutely destroyed. Hahaha."
That was what Miyamoto Musashi had said at the time, scratching her head with a foolish grin, leaving everyone speechless.
That alone spoke volumes about just how strong this silver-haired maid really was.
Even now, the current Maou Leviathan still regarded her as a formidable rival.
Standing face-to-face with one of the strongest female devils in the Underworld, Leo had only one thought.
Confirmed. Definitely someone I can't mess with.
Absolutely certain of that, Leo promptly stopped looking at her.
Meanwhile, the moment Rias and Sona received the Phoenix Tears, they were eager to give them to their servants.
However, with a Maou present, they couldn't simply leave. So they handed the Phoenix Tears to their Queen piece holders, asking them to go treat Yuuto Kiba and Ruruko Nimura first.
Sirzechs also had Grayfia accompany them, in case any help was needed.
Soon, only the three King piece holders of the new-generation devils and Sirzechs the Maou remained.
"I've already read your reports," Sirzechs said, finally growing serious. "But I'd still like to hear a detailed account directly from you."
It was clear he placed great importance on this incident—or rather, on the Old Maou Faction.
"Could you report it to me in person?"
"I'll do it," Sona said, adjusting her glasses as she stepped forward.
She began recounting the events of the previous day to Sirzechs.
Her explanation was far more detailed than the written report—especially the words spoken by Lafei Trix. Sona repeated nearly every sentence, afraid she might overlook even the smallest clue.
Rias occasionally added details from her own perspective and supplemented the information gathered from their servants.
Sirzechs listened intently the entire time, occasionally asking questions but never interrupting the flow of the report.
As for Leo, he knew he wasn't as meticulous as the two of them—especially with Sona present—so he didn't interject at all, leaving the discussion to them.
However, Sirzechs had no intention of ignoring him.
After listening to Rias and Sona finish, Sirzechs went quiet for a moment. Then he suddenly turned to Leo.
"May I call you Leo?"
The gentle question caught Leo slightly off guard.
"Of course. Please, just call me Leo," he replied quickly.
Sirzechs smiled.
"Then, Leo, do you think there was anything particularly noteworthy about this Old Maou Faction attack?" he asked. "Or perhaps… did you notice anything unusual?"
"Anything is fine. Just tell me what stood out to you," Sirzechs encouraged.
Leo raised an eyebrow.
After some thought, he decided to reveal a little.
"The thing that stood out the most was whatever that idiot from the Trix House swallowed," Leo said. "That item was clearly abnormal. It pushed someone who was only eight-winged beyond his limits, giving him power comparable to a ten-winged Ultimate-Class Devil."
"I've never seen such an absurd boost from any method—except a Longinus."
In the past, Leo had mentioned the future one of the Two Heavenly Dragons—the Red Dragon Emperor. When he was still a Low-Class Devil, his power doubled every ten seconds. After two minutes, it reached 8,190 times its original strength.
Yet even that nearly ten-thousandfold increase only allowed him to unleash an attack on the level of a High-Class Devil.
That proved how insurmountable the gap between two tiers truly was.
Even a single-tier difference meant a disparity of dozens or even hundreds of times in power, making cross-tier battles extraordinarily difficult.
A Longinus could achieve such feats, which was why it was considered a power that disrupted balance.
But if something other than a Longinus could do the same…
It was impossible not to take it seriously.
"So I'd like to ask you, Sirzechs-sama," Leo continued, subtly guiding the conversation. "Based on your knowledge, what kinds of enhancement methods could overturn such a level gap?"
Sirzechs fell into thought.
A trace of gloom flashed through his eyes, as if he'd recalled something unpleasant, but it quickly vanished.
"It's not that such methods don't exist…" he said slowly. "But the ones I know of don't match what you described Lafei Trix using."
Leo understood immediately.
Sirzechs either couldn't imagine it—or didn't dare to.
In that case…
"I can tell you what was inside that bottle Lafei Trix took out," Leo said, meeting Sirzechs's gaze.
"It was a black serpent in gaseous form."
He spoke each word clearly.
"A black serpent biting its own tail—The Snake. The Ouroboros."
The moment he said it, Sirzechs's expression changed.
"The Ouroboros?"
Not just Sirzechs—even Rias and Sona paled.
"T-That isn't—"
"Calm down."
Sirzechs's once-gentle voice carried a hint of sternness—and an imperceptible pressure that instantly settled Rias and Sona down.
A heavy silence filled the Occult Affairs Club room.
Sirzechs remained silent, his expression shifting as he pondered something.
After a while, he exhaled softly and returned to his usual demeanor.
"Thank you for your help, Leo," Sirzechs said sincerely.
Leo shook his head.
"I'm glad it could help."
Leo knew Sirzechs had already realized something—and understood what kind of existence was lurking behind this.
He didn't dare say more.
Those truths were secrets among secrets. Even the three major factions were still unaware. Only the fallen angels' Governor had sensed something amiss and begun investigating in secret.
If Leo revealed something that even the three factions hadn't noticed, it would only invite suspicion toward himself.
So he could only point out the most crucial piece.
The Ouroboros.
That symbol alone was enough.
After all, in the entire world, there was only one existence that could truly bear that name.
"I'll inform the devil world's upper echelon immediately and convene a focused discussion," Sirzechs said, looking around the room. "During this time, all of you must be extra cautious. Don't let yourselves be targeted again and dragged into danger."
"Yes," Rias and Sona replied together, nodding.
"Would you accompany me for a walk?" Sirzechs then turned to Leo and extended the invitation.
As if he'd expected it, Leo accepted without hesitation.
"It would be my honor."
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500 p.s for extra chapter
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You can read up to chapter 159 on patreon.com/NiaXD.