Grayfia placed her hand on Issei Hyoudou's forehead, and a faint, silver glow appeared at the point of contact.
The silver-haired beauty moved very carefully. A common person's soul was incredibly fragile, and if the Red Dragon Emperor had truly left behind a soul fragment, it warranted respect.
All the women watched Grayfia with anticipation. As time slowly passed, this anticipation gradually turned into worry.
About half an hour later, the silver-haired beauty sighed softly and withdrew her hand.
"Grayfia..." Rias whispered, "Is it... not possible?"
The silver-haired beauty nodded gently. "I checked three times. It seems the Red Dragon Emperor has truly abandoned this host, choosing to fully slumber within the Sacred Gear, waiting only for the day Lord Akira's power is sufficient."
The Red Dragon Emperor favoring Ethan should have been a good thing, but now they wished the Red Dragon Emperor had been more suspicious.
The method of awakening the Red Dragon Emperor had essentially failed, leaving them only the option of trying Dual Cultivation to help Ethan break through.
The excuse Yuma Amano used to indulge her pleasure had actually become their reality.
Rias's cheeks flushed slightly as she asked, "Yuma, Mittelt, Kalawarner, did you notice anything during your... ahem, Dual Cultivation with Akira these past few days?"
The trio thought carefully, then hesitated. "We feel like Akira is slightly easier to reach climax than before, and the volume is greater. Does that count?"
Ethan could only passively receive sensations now and couldn't control the great dragon, naturally leading to a perceived lack of endurance. However, it still took at least fifteen minutes for him to reach climax.
The volume of essence was due to the same reason: every time was a complete, unrestrained climax, unlike before, when it was maintained at the maximum absorption level for them.
This had led to Yuma Amano's trio being afraid to leave the house these past few days, lest they leak and suffer deep embarrassment.
Rias gave them a sidelong glance and scoffed lightly, "Psh, of course that doesn't count."
Yuma Amano's trio exchanged a look and shrugged. "Then nothing."
"According to the information you provided, Lady Rias, in order to help Lord Akira break through, a more powerful female is required."
Grayfia maintained a composed expression, as if stating something mundane.
"With all due respect, no one else here, apart from Lady Rias, is likely suitable, even those who still retain their virginity."
While Primal Yin Essence is incredibly beneficial for Dual Cultivation, a higher level of power and attainment is more crucial.
To give a simple example, no matter how much Primal Yin an ordinary girl possessed, it wouldn't compare to one session of Dual Cultivation between Ethan and a B-class female.
Everyone subconsciously looked at Rias, their expressions changing.
If they could, Koneko Toujou, Asia, and Akeno Himejima would all willingly take Rias's place, as their feelings for Ethan were already beyond friendship.
However, based on Grayfia's assessment, their substitution wouldn't be very effective.
Should Rias really sacrifice her virginity just to awaken Ethan?
Rias was willing to give herself to Ethan. The two had even made a promise. But to have intercourse under these circumstances...
She couldn't quite describe whether she felt disappointed or regretful. All she knew was that she felt uncomfortable.
At this moment, the silver-haired beauty spoke again. "In fact, I do not recommend that Lady Rias does this. Lord Akira is currently at the peak of Upper-Class Devil, and Lady Rias is only at the same level. The chance of success is not great."
"But this is the strongest woman we can find..."
Mid-sentence, Yuma Amano's gaze slowly fixed on the silver-haired beauty, her expression becoming strange.
"Miss Grayfia, as the Strongest Queen of the Devil world, your power must be very high, right?"
At this remark, the others also reacted, with Rias staring at the silver-haired beauty in shock.
"Grayfia, you are my brother's wife, and you already have a child."
Facing Rias's interrogation, the silver-haired, large-breasted beauty could no longer maintain her composure, responding with a slight panic.
"I didn't mean that... How could I possibly betray Lord Sirzechs?"
The women remained silent.
Confronted by this silent rebuttal, Grayfia hastily said, "I meant for you to hire a powerful female. Some female powerhouses don't particularly care about having intercourse with a male, such as the Succubus Queen."
The stronger one is, the more abstract the definition of ordinary human morality becomes.
Some female supernaturals maintain numerous male consorts, and their private lives can be much more chaotic than men's.
The women watched Grayfia with suspicion, but she was Rias's sister-in-law after all, making some things difficult to say directly.
The atmosphere fell silent until the silver-haired beauty received a call and, with a trace of awkwardness, bid farewell to the group.
"Lady Rias, I must return to preside over the affairs of the Devil King's castle."
Grayfia bowed slightly and said, "The Three Factions Conference will be held in a month. I hope Lord Akira can attend then."
Rias nodded, signaling her understanding.
Although she killed Azazel, no one would forget who the primary culprit was.
Ethan was nominally her servant, and the Three Factions Conference would inevitably involve arguments about this matter. If he wasn't present, the Devil side would be inherently at a disadvantage.
After Grayfia left, the women breathed a sigh of relief.
There were many things that were difficult to discuss with an outsider present, which they could finally talk about.
"President, are you really planning to hire a woman of unknown origin to help Akira with his thing..."
Before Akeno Himejima could finish, Rias interrupted, "Of course not. I don't trust women of unknown origins. Setting aside any potential physical issues they might have, if they harbor malicious intent during the act, it would only cause more trouble."
Dual Cultivation is the most intimate form of physical contact. Many contracts and curses require extreme intimacy to be cast. If the hired person was malevolent, Ethan would be completely vulnerable.
"So, are you planning to help Akira personally?"
Akeno Himejima had grown up with Rias and knew her well. She couldn't help but worry, "What if the Phenex family finds out..."
"Akeno, I will not marry that man. My body belongs to whomever I choose."
Rias was not the kind of person who would passively submit. Regardless of how the timeline changed, she never intended to save her purity for a forced marriage.
In the original timeline, had Grayfia not intervened in time, Rias would have hastily given herself to Issei Hyoudou, for whom she had only a slight affection.
If she could, Rias would have wanted a romantic and cozy first night, but sometimes reality was not so accommodating.
After speaking, Rias felt her emotions had run a little high. Akeno Himejima had only spoken out of concern for her.
"Akeno, don't worry. If Akira can wake up, the Phenex family will no longer be a problem."
She gently tucked her long red hair behind her ear, turned to look out the window, and her voice suddenly sounded distant.
"A fully grown successor to the Red Dragon Emperor, capable of killing a Devil King-level powerhouse, is far more valuable than a marriage alliance with the Phenex family. The Devil King knows which choice to make..."
The marriage alliance between the Gremory and Phenex families was nominally intended to maintain the pure-blood Devil lineage. In reality, the weakening Gremory family was forced to agree to the marriage to sustain the family.
The Phenex family was also one of the Four Pure-Blood Devil Families, and due to the nature of their abilities, their family power had been growing at a terrifying rate since the implementation of Rating Games.
If Rias married into the family, she would inevitably have no autonomy, becoming merely a reproductive vessel.
If the goal was truly to perpetuate the pure-blood Devil lineage, no matter how rare suitable pure-blood Devils were, it wouldn't fall to Rias, the next head of the clan, to make such a match.
No one wanted their clan head to be reduced to someone else's reproductive vessel, and Sirzechs especially did not want his younger sister to suffer such a fate.
However, neither Rias nor Sirzechs could abandon their family. It was where they were born and raised; their relatives and friends were there. Therefore, they could only abide by the rules.