'To defeat and conquer Vali and become stronger, you can ask Ddraig how close you are to reaching that level. Vali is descended from the original Demon King — he's the great-grandson of Lucifer himself, and has an extraordinarily powerful heritage."
'The great-grandson of the True Demon King?!'
Through their mental connection, Ddraig's voice rumbled with shock.
He'd originally thought that his current host was exceptionally talented, but he hadn't expected that this generation's host would be even more powerful.
'Yes, exactly,' Takeyo confirmed. 'Issei, you only need to remember one thing: in this world, strength is the most important thing. If you're powerful enough, forming a harem wouldn't just be possible — you could build an entire army around yourself. The strong make the rules.'
'That's all I wanted to tell you. If you have any questions about building strength, feel free to ask Ddraig or me. I'm heading back to class now.'
Having said this, Takeyo returned to the classroom, leaving Issei alone in the hallway, contemplating what he had just learned.
As he had done the previous day, Takeyo spent the class period refining his internal system, and the teacher seemed content to leave him to it.
Nothing particularly interesting happened during the day, although there was one notable incident. During lunch, Kiryu Aika shared an urban legend with him.
She said that there were ghosts haunting the mountains outside Kuoh Town.
The legend dates back to the Warring States period. A devoted couple once lived in those mountains. When the husband went to war, he promised his wife that they would meet under their favourite cherry blossom tree when he returned.
The wife heard that the war had ended, but her husband never returned. Assuming he was dead, she raised their child alone, refusing to remarry, and exemplifying the virtues of a faithful wife and devoted mother.
Then, one day, when she travelled to the city to buy food, she discovered the truth: her husband had become a general and had taken several wives and concubines.
Heartbroken, she returned to the cherry tree where they had made their promise, and cried beneath it.
No one ever saw her again after that day.
Years later, when the ancient cherry tree was removed as part of a modern development plan, supernatural phenomena began to occur. People reported hearing a woman's voice echoing through the night in the exact spot where the tree once stood.
'I was deceived...' 'Why hasn't he come back yet?' These mournful words were repeated endlessly.
According to legend, the woman's grief was so great that it moved even the mountain god to sorrow, causing frequent tremors in the area.
Having heard this story, Takeyo could only marvel at the creativity and imagination of humans.
He immediately recognised the truth behind the 'legend': the incident that Jeanne had caused outside Kuoh Town a few days earlier. He hadn't expected it to evolve into such an elaborate urban legend within a day.
Having silently mocked the cute but dim-witted hero, Takeyo refocused on his studies.
Ring, ring, ring!
Another school day had come to an end.
Once classes had finished, Takeyo headed to the Occult Research Club, having spotted Koneko waiting for him outside his classroom.
'Koneko-chan, did you skip class just to wait for me?'
The timing was obvious. She must have left her own class early to arrive at his door just as the bell rang.
'That class isn't necessary,' Koneko said softly. Courses in the human world held little meaning for her. As long as she could graduate, that was enough for her.
'Is Rias looking for me?' Takeyo asked, although he already knew the answer.
'Yes, it's important. You'll understand when we get there, Takeyo-senpai.'
Koneko tugged gently at the corner of his uniform to lead him towards the Occult Research Club.
'All right then.'
Takeyo smiled and followed her lead.
It seemed that Koneko had formed a favourable impression of him. Despite the incident in the bathroom, their relationship appeared to be unchanged, which was somewhat surprising.
Creak.
Takeyo gently pushed open the door to the Occult Research Club and found the red-haired girl gazing out of the window.
Unlike the Red Dragon Emperor's crimson hair, hers was a more vivid and pure shade — a true red that seemed to capture light itself.
'Takeyo-kun, I see you're here.'
Rias took her eyes off the distant scenery and smiled warmly at him.
His arrival gave her renewed hope. Although she had known that Takeyo was exceptional, she hadn't realised quite how extraordinary he truly was.
'Yes, Buchou. Is there something you needed me for? Actually, I wanted to ask you about something as well.'
'Oh? What is it?'
There was a hint of concern in Rias's voice.
Did Takeyo need something from her? Mutual assistance strengthened bonds between people, and this was an excellent example of that.
As she knew that Takeyo had not yet completed his reincarnation as a devil, she could not treat him in the same way as an ordinary peerage member. Their relationship required more nuance and care.
'I wanted to know where the Familiar Forest is. Having a familiar would make various tasks more convenient."
He had planned to visit the Familiar Forest in order to fulfil today's sign-in requirement.
Sign in at a location where there is a female dragon of Dragon King class or higher.
Takeyo could think of only one place where he might find such a being: the Familiar Forest.
What about other options, Ophis? She was too dangerous. What about the Great Red? Even more so. Given his current strength, approaching either of them would be suicidal.
Could he maintain power above the Transcendent class for even 0.001 seconds? Perhaps even less? In such a short time, he could only land a single attack before his power ran out. There would be no time for anything more sophisticated.
Takeyo's first thought had originally been to ask Sona for help.
However, Sona was usually busy with Student Council duties. Since Rias was more available, it made sense to ask her instead.
There was another reason, too.
It would be complicated to explain the fallen angel maid situation to Sona.
"The Familiar Forest? Do you want to contract a familiar?"
Rias's eyes took on a more thoughtful expression.
'Doesn't the fallen angel in your household already serve as your familiar? Why do you want to contract a demon familiar, is there a problem with her?"
Rias was still very curious about the fallen angel who lived in Takeyo's household.
Could Takeyo have enjoyed that sort of thing? Master-servant dynamics, perhaps?
If that were the case, it might actually make it easier to persuade him to become a Devil. After all, once he became a high-class devil, he would have his own peers to command.
To be honest, Rias didn't object to the idea of men having multiple partners. She had been deeply ingrained with the Devil world's philosophy that strength determined everything since childhood.
She truly disliked it when men were frivolous and careless.
'Ahem... The one at my house wants to follow me of her own accord. But what about the Familiar Forest? Are there any openings in the next few days?'
Takeyo shifted the conversation, albeit somewhat awkwardly.
After all, the fact that there were two girls at home was undeniable.
Rias didn't press the matter further, but took his request seriously.
'Let me check for you. There shouldn't be any problems over the next few days.'
She nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you, Rias. I really do need a suitable familiar."
Takeyo left the Occult Research Club after staying there for a while.
One thing struck him as strange: Rias had clearly summoned him to discuss something important, yet she hadn't mentioned it once before he left.
After Takeyo had left, Akeno brought Rias some freshly brewed tea, smiling knowingly.
"Ara, ara, Rias. Why didn't you tell Takeyo-kun about that matter? Were you worried about putting too much pressure on him? I think he'll work hard to become stronger anyway."
In an elegant gesture, Akeno raised her hand to cover half of her face.
"I know, Akeno."
Rias took a sip of tea and stared into the cup, gently swirling the liquid.
Her concerns ran deeper than Akeno realised. The situation with Riser Phenex was her burden to bear, and it was not Takeyo's yet. She didn't want to corner him before he was ready. Besides, seeing him grow stronger day by day filled her with a strange sense of anticipation.
Maybe, just maybe, he would become powerful enough to stand by her side when the time came.