-------------------------------
Major Update on P@treon
www.---patreon.com/Regulus_dragneel
Starting at $5 Remove "---" from link
-------------------------------
Rias glanced toward her [Queen] from the corner of her eye.
Her face wore a resolute mask—one carefully crafted to hide the nervousness and discomfort churning beneath the surface.
"I don't have any choice anymore," Rias said quietly. "It's the only way I can think of."
Akeno did not answer immediately. Her violet eyes lingered on Rias, searching her expression.
"I know that by orchestrating their deaths at the hands of the Fallen, they'll give you their loyalty and trust after you reincarnate them," Akeno said at last. Her voice was calm, but there was hesitation beneath it. "However… if they ever discover the truth—that you abandoned them to die—what then? Why don't you choose another path? One with less risk?"
Rias clenched her hands lightly.
"There is another way to recruit them, of course," she admitted. "But… they wouldn't give me their trust and loyalty right away. To build trust between us, as Master and Servant, we need time."
She paused.
"And time is exactly what we don't have…"
For a brief moment, Rias's mask slipped.
Uneasiness flickered across her navy-blue eyes.
"It will be a problem in the future," she continued softly. "I just hope that my care and affection for them can somehow lessen the impact… Still, I don't need to worry too much about that. After all, my family is known for how we treat our servants. We see them as family. They'll accept the truth when it's revealed. I'm sure of it."
Akeno watched her carefully.
She wasn't certain how to feel about her [King]'s decision.
As Rias's Queen—and her closest friend—Akeno knew better than anyone how affectionate House Gremory was toward its members. To them, servants weren't tools or disposable assets. They were family.
After years of standing at Rias's side, Akeno knew this much was true: the heiress of House Gremory genuinely cared about every single person she brought into her Peerage.
Rias didn't hesitate when it came to her people.
Even if each of them carried their own problems, traumas, and emotional scars, she would take responsibility for all of them without exception.
That much had never changed.
And yet…
In that fleeting instant, Akeno felt a strange unease crawl up her spine.
Her intuition whispered that something far removed from Rias's hopes would unfold.
The feeling lingered in the back of her mind, subtle but persistent.
After a short moment of reflection, Akeno exhaled quietly.
She decided it was just her nerves.
She chose to ignore it.
"If you're that certain," Akeno said at last, offering a gentle smile, "then I, as your [Queen], will support you to the end."
Rias looked up.
"Thank you, Akeno."
She gave her Queen—and best friend—a grateful smile. At this critical moment, that support meant everything to her.
Then suddenly, Rias froze.
Her eyes widened, as if she had slipped into a brief trance.
Seconds passed.
Then she snapped back to herself, and an excited smile bloomed across her face.
"They accepted the pamphlet my family member delivered!"
Rias said it brightly, confidence returning in full force. Her smile told her everything she wanted to believe.
Her plan was working.
"So… it finally started?" Akeno asked.
"Yes." Rias leaned back into her comfortable chair, releasing a soft sigh. "Now all we have to do is wait until the Fallen Angels kill them… and they summon us."
Beside her, Akeno's amethyst eyes studied Rias with complicated emotions.
At that moment, Akeno truly believed everything would go exactly as her [King] expected.
Neither of them realized—
A ladybug had been watching everything.
.......
With Sona.
Sona Sitri sat in a luxurious chair, quietly reading through a document.
The room was dimly lit, yet she had no trouble making out every word on the page, her inhuman eyesight rendering darkness irrelevant. After a brief moment, she placed the document on the table beside another stack of papers and released a dissatisfied sigh.
"Kaichou? Is something bothering you?"
Sona lifted her gaze toward the speaker.
It was her second-in-command.
Tsubaki Shinra.
"Nothing," Sona replied flatly.
Tsubaki fell silent, but her heterochromatic eyes told a different story.
They lingered on Sona with quiet concern.
Under that pleading gaze, Sona's composed facade finally wavered.
After a tense pause, she relented.
"It's just…" Sona said slowly. "I really wanted Gilgamesh as my servant. He has more potential than Saji Genshirou."
Tsubaki nodded in understanding.
"What do you think, Tsubaki?" Sona asked.
After another brief silence, Tsubaki answered honestly.
"To be frank, I agree with you."
Sona raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"
Tsubaki straightened slightly.
"Gilgamesh has never violated school rules. His grades are excellent, and his attendance is flawless. On top of that, he's clearly emitting a stronger magical presence than Genshirou."
She continued calmly.
"From our observations, he's never had contact with the supernatural. If I had to guess, he doesn't even realize he's leaking magical energy. He shows far more promise than both Genshirou and Hyoudou, by a significant margin."
Sona nodded slowly.
Just as Tsubaki had said.
Gilgamesh possessed far more potential than Saji Genshirou or Issei Hyoudou.
In truth, Sona had wanted Gilgamesh to join her Peerage this very school year.
"Unfortunately," Sona said quietly, "I told Rias she could try recruiting him. I know I shouldn't regret that decision. But right now… I can't say I don't."
She released another resigned sigh.
Sona Sitri and Rias Gremory were childhood friends—and rivals.
They had known each other since they were young, brought together by the close ties between House Gremory and House Sitri after the Devil Civil War.
They had always competed with one another.
Always striving to surpass the other.
They had even promised to someday settle things fairly, to determine who truly stood above the rest.
"What are you going to do?" Tsubaki asked softly.
Sona pinched the bridge of her nose.
She considered the question carefully.
What was she going to do?
She couldn't go back on her word.
Her pride wouldn't allow it.
As a noble, she had to uphold her dignity and reputation. Unlike Rias Gremory—who had been openly pampered by her parents and older brother—Sona had grown up constantly aware of her responsibilities.
Though she too had been loved by her family, she understood the weight of carrying House Sitri's name and legacy.
Remembering that duty, Sona masked her frustration.
Her thoughts drifted briefly to her previous engagement.
Fortunately, she had escaped it.
Unlike Rias Gremory's fiancé, Sona's own had been an ancient relic from a forgotten era—someone even more unbearable than Riser Phenex.
To be honest, in Sona's eyes, Riser was the lesser evil.
At least Rias would become Riser's main wife.
Sona, by comparison, would have been nothing more than a consort, with only her first child permitted to inherit the Sitri name.
Riser was arrogant and openly flirtatious—an open secret among the nobility.
Still, Sona knew the truth.
Despite appearances, Riser Phenex was technically still a virgin.
It was the pride of House Phenex that prevented him from engaging in casual sex before his formal marriage to Rias.
Other noble families followed similar customs to preserve their prestige.
Even though Riser behaved like a loose character, he had never gone beyond kisses with members of his Peerage.
That much, at least, Sona understood.