A man true to his own desires, he wanted to help his leader annul her engagement.
Rias had also witnessed the formidable power of Tohru, the daughter of the Dragon of Demise, as well as the impressive strength of the human before her now.
Watching the retreating figure of Raize, Rias's expression was complex, and she gritted her teeth in secret. If she also possessed such formidable strength, things would truly be as he had said—she would be able to seize the initiative.
Without strength, no one would care about your opinion. If the family arranges an engagement and you lack the power to resist, you can only follow their orders.
But if my strength far surpasses that of the Phenex Clan's heir, would my family still arrange an engagement for me with someone weaker than me?
No!!
Where exactly do I fall short compared to my elder brother?
Rias had once asked her parents and sister-in-law the same question. They had all responded with similarly silent expressions and words:
"You lack true experience, and you lack the unyielding heart needed to become a true powerhouse."
The proud Rias of the past, whose strength was unparalleled among devils her age, naturally found it hard to accept such an evaluation from her family.
So, stubbornly, she tried to compete with her elder brother in every aspect, even with her peerage, prioritizing quality over quantity.
But now, Raize's earlier words lingered in her mind, impossible to forget. If she were strong enough, would there be so many troubles? Would she need to use escape as a way to run from her engagement by coming here?
And her father, Zeoticus Gremory, had once said something that left a deep impression on her:
"Both your elder brother and Grayfia possess strong pride. They both came from a rather chaotic era. Before they became husband and wife, they were in love but couldn't be together due to factional reasons. Faced with such great difficulties, they poured everything they had to earn the life they have today."
"The prosperity of the Gremory Clan is inseparable from your elder brother's efforts, Rias. Everything you enjoy today is because of your elder brother. So, when you face a great difficulty, can you be like your elder brother was?"
Could she be like her elder brother?
The answer was obvious. No.
Faced with a difficulty like this engagement, what would she do?
Rias quietly recalled her past. Without Raize's words just now, she would have pinned all her hopes on external forces—like finding more and better peerage members to strengthen herself.
And even now, she was using escape by coming here. As Raize said, this was ultimately not a method that could solve her own difficulties.
Sona, watching the complex, shifting expressions on Rias's face, could roughly guess what she was thinking. She sighed and said, "Rias, it seems this unexpected incident right after arriving has changed your mindset in some way."
She really wanted to help with Rias's situation, but there wasn't much she could do. Rias's engagement involved matters related to the continuation of pure-blooded devils. Even she didn't have much power to change it.
At a time like this, she found herself surprisingly grateful for her own unconventional older sister. At her age, she too might have had a fiancé arranged like Rias.
If it weren't for Serafall being such a sis-con, extremely resistant to the idea of a brother-in-law, and pushing back against all opposition to postpone her sister Sona's marriage indefinitely, Sona would likely be suffering from similar worries right now.
Rias glanced at Sona wordlessly, then turned her gaze to the members of her own peerage.
The expressionless Koneko; Kiba maintaining his usual calm demeanor; Issei, whose eyes had taken on a strangely determined light.
And the shy Gasper, who was hiding in an empty room somewhere.
"I want to become stronger too..."
Under Sona's gaze, Rias spoke these words, looking directly at her peerage members without backing down, solidifying her resolve.
"I want the freedom to choose my own future. For that, I will resist this prearranged life with everything I have. But I suddenly feel that the means of my resistance have been as childish as a kid's tantrum."
Rias spoke self-mockingly like this. Looking back now on everything she had done before, it must have seemed laughable and pathetic in the eyes of others.
"Buchou…"
Koneko and Issei seemed about to speak but stopped. Yuuto and Akeno's expressions turned somewhat downcast.
Because they didn't have much power to help Rias either.
Everyone in Rias's peerage had received great kindness from her. Except for Issei, whose circumstances were altered by Raize's intervention, all were saved by her at critical moments, a level of help akin to receiving charcoal in snowy weather.
After Akeno's's mother died, she wandered alone, making a living by exorcising evil spirits and dispelling malicious hauntings.
While wandering, she was constantly pursued by members of the Himejima family. Later, she was rescued and sheltered by the Gremory clan. Having grown up alongside Rias as her attendant, she became the first member of Rias's peerage after Rias obtained the Evil Pieces, serving as her 'Queen'.
The others were similar. If anyone understood Rias's feelings among her peers, besides Sona, it was Akeno.
She understood Rias's feelings well. Raize's words weren't just heard by Rias; she had taken them to heart as well.
She too had once fantasized about how wonderful it would have been if there had been some turning point in her tragic past. If she had possessed the strength to protect her mother, her mother wouldn't have died protecting her.
Because of her weakness, she became a burden to her mother, causing her death.
Issei, seeing the person he admired speaking so self-deprecatingly, felt a pang of heartache mixed with a nameless fury.
"Buchou!!"
A low cry filled with complex emotions drew everyone's attention. Rias also turned her calm gaze toward her pawn.
At that moment, Issei, filled with overflowing emotions flooding his mind, did not falter. He looked at Rias with firm and serious eyes.