Very quickly, with Grayfia's help, Akuto finished his preparations and styling for the formal meeting.
Since he had already made up his mind to bring the devil race under his control, there was no way he could leave the major Maou families, especially the Lucifer household, out of his plans.
So, while adjusting the details of his appearance, Akuto asked:
"By the way, Grayfia, now that I've become the son-in-law of the Gremory family, I should count as one of the Gremorys, right?"
"Yes, of course. You are the Gremory family's one and only son-in-law, and undeniably family to Rias-sama, Sirzechs-sama, and Venelana-sama." Grayfia replied respectfully.
Previously, Grayfia's respect toward Akuto had simply been her fulfilling her duties as an attendant.
But now, after having witnessed the string of achievements Akuto had built up along the way, Grayfia's respect came from the heart.
From the very beginning, when he defeated Ravel, defeated Diodora, defeated Riser, defeated Leval, to now defeating the twelve-winged Fallen Angel Kokabiel, then defeating and subduing Dragon King Tannin, Grayfia had watched Akuto's growth the entire way.
At this point, Grayfia firmly believed that Akuto would, in the future, become the ruler of the Underworld. Perhaps… even the ruler of all three factions.
…
"In that case, as a member of the Gremory family, shouldn't there be nothing in this family that's being kept from me?"
"…"
After a few seconds of silence, Grayfia spoke up on her own.
"That is more or less the case. To be precise, it's that a certain member of the Gremory family bearing the name of Lucifer is keeping something from you." Akuto said with a light chuckle.
[And how is that any different from directly naming Alice?]
After fiercely venting in her heart, Grayfia gave a helpless little smile and replied:
"You mean… that Sirzechs-sama is hiding something from you?"
Hearing Grayfia's answer, Akuto rose to his feet and turned to look at her.
"Rather than 'Sirzechs' or 'Sirzechs,' isn't 'Alice' a much cuter, much more affectionate name?"
Alice… Alice!?
"Huh?! Alice?"
"H-how do you know Alice's true name!?"
Grayfia was truly shocked. It was one thing for Akuto to know Alice's true name, but how did he even know she was called Alice?
Even within the Gremory family, the true name of Maou Alice was an absolutely classified piece of information.
Looking at the stunned Grayfia, Akuto shook his head with a smile.
"Did you forget? I said I had something like an 'Apocalypse ability' that lets me automatically obtain bits of information according to the situations I encounter."
Right… how had she not thought of that?
Back when Akuto had pinched out that doll perfectly matching Maou Alice's figure, she had already realized that Akuto knew Alice's true gender and even her true figure.
And now, he even knew Alice's real name.
No wonder Alice would pin her hopes on Akuto. Grayfia had to admit, Akuto really was special to an extreme.
…
"Grayfia, if I'm not mistaken, you must be pretty repulsed by the current situation, aren't you?" Akuto said as he slowly closed the distance between them.
"…"
Grayfia said nothing, only returning his gaze with calm eyes.
But Akuto, through his Eye of Truth, could see the fluctuation in Grayfia's demonic power and emotional state.
So he went a step further forward, crossing the last bit of distance between them.
"Even though it's clearly the other party's fault, it ends up being you who has to endure other devils saying it's 'because you can't have children that you never married' and other such rumors."
"This world is so unfair, and the devils are such a brutally strength-oriented race. Just because they feel Lucifer is stronger, they dump all the blame onto you."
As he spoke, Akuto extended his hand and gently lifted Grayfia's smooth, fair chin, savoring the struggling expression in those silver-gray eyes.
"I… I do want to, but I won't do that."
After a few seconds, Grayfia still gave the same answer as always.
"Haha~ of course I know you won't do that."
"Which is why, now, I plan to take a bit of payment in advance."
As he spoke, Akuto's hands quietly slid around Grayfia's back, then suddenly tightened, pulling Grayfia firmly into his arms.
"You!…"
A flash of resolve crossed Grayfia's face as she took the initiative to open her mouth, fully intending to give Akuto's tongue a vicious bite!
The moment she opened up, Akuto did indeed seize the opening and slipped in to explore.
Yet in the end, it did not inflict any harm on Akuto at all. Instead, it allowed him to probe deeper, and Grayfia, almost unconsciously, responded to him in turn.
All in all, Grayfia's performance was quite good.
Given that Akuto was fully unleashing his succubus bloodline, for a Grayfia who hadn't reached god-tier strength to even manage that first attempted bite was already quite impressive.
Maintaining the deep kiss with Grayfia, Akuto spoke within his heart:
[Grayfia, I really do want to have you, and I really do like you~ Even if it's a kind of "liking" that's closer to desire and possessiveness, who says that sort of liking isn't still liking?]
[I believe that as time passes, there will be no one in the Underworld who can defy my will.]
[Whether it's you, or Alice, neither of you will be exceptions.]
[Grayfia, don't you think your way of thinking has been far too naive from the very start? You're hoping Alice will have a successor, so she can finally put down her duties and escape her current predicament.]
[But with how extremely responsible Alice is, her successor has to possess power and ability above hers. Otherwise, she would never willingly abdicate.]
[If you're powerless even before Alice, how could you possibly control this successor you're dreaming of?]
Akuto's logic was sound.
[Akuto-kun, at this point we're not talking about some hypothetical successor. We're talking about a very real you.]
Grayfia's voice carried no small amount of anger.
To that, Akuto could only say that Grayfia still thought far too well of him.
[Sorry, but I'm nowhere near as obedient or as gentle as you imagine.]
[Even now, just being forcibly ordered by Alice to come help me today has already sparked a bit of anger in you. At this point, your attitude toward me is basically "I don't even want to talk to you," isn't it?]
[Scum? Hardly. I only think that if, when you're considering matters related to me, you're thinking solely in terms of emotions, then isn't that a bit too shallow?]
[You've followed me for this long. You should know that the higher your position, the less you ought to be thinking about "feelings."]
[Akuto-kun… what you're aiming for is to arrange your own partners throughout the upper echelons of every major faction, isn't it?] Grayfia frowned.
[That's exactly what I mean. I believe I should be using "banners" I've planted in each major faction to draw people toward my side. Purely violent rule is certainly possible, but sooner or later a powerful rebel will appear.]
[This sort of subtle, silent infiltration is the most effective.]
[All you have to do is maintain yourself at the absolute peak, and draw everyone toward you. As for the ideological work, they'll carry out that self-construction on their own as they yearn for you.]
[…]
Grayfia fell silent.
She had to admit, what Akuto said made a lot of sense. He truly was well-suited to be a leader.
As for Akuto saying that he liked her?
She very much wanted to deny it, but on closer thought, it really did seem to be the case.
If he didn't like her, Akuto wouldn't have deliberately slowed his magic around her to stimulate her when he and Rias had already "cooked the rice."
If he didn't like her, Akuto wouldn't have deliberately slowed his magic around her to tease her during the Rating Game.
It was just that the "liking" in her understanding and the "liking" in Akuto's understanding were not quite the same thing.
Perhaps, for her, pursuing the kind of "liking" that matched her own understanding really was a luxury. She was already at this age; she ought to give up such naive ideas.
…
And so, after a period of solemn thought, Grayfia made her decision:
To stop thinking, and enjoy the present.
Faced with an Akuto who had already completed his own internal "construction," Grayfia, unable to forcibly change anything, could only do that.
Clinging to self-deceiving thoughts like "I'm being forced," "Akuto is a scumbag," and "I don't have a choice either," Grayfia gradually sank into the intimacy she shared with him.
In the end, Grayfia even took the initiative to press down on the back of Akuto's neck, drawing him deeper in, as if she were determined to experience every last part of him.
(End of Chapter)
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