Zeoticus Gremory and Venelana Gremory—those were the nas of Rias's parents.
Seeing Zeoticus, a middle-aged man with striking red hair, didn't surprise Ren Kuroda in the slightest. As the father of Rias and her elder brother, it was only natural.
What did surprise him, however, was Venelana.
With her long chestnut hair and youthful appearance—looking no older than Rias herself—it was hard to believe that she was not only Rias's mother, but already a grandmother.
Under Rias's introduction, the two t Ren for the first ti—and their enthusiasm far exceeded anything he had expected.
Zeoticus, in particular, went so far as to tell Ren he could address him as "Father."
Venelana, anwhile, lightly scolded her husband for being too hasty—but her own gaze never left Ren, carefully studying him from head to toe with the unmistakable scrutiny of a mother-in-law evaluating a prospective son-in-law.
"Um… regarding Rias's situation," Ren began, trying to keep things tactful, "I think it would be best if you approached it a bit more cautiously. She's my student, and that Riser guy clearly isn't a good match, so—"
This was Ren's first ti eting Rias's parents, yet their open-mindedness far exceeded anything he had imagined.
He had once thought Kyoka's mother was already… rather unconventional.
But compared to Rias's parents?
They were on an entirely different level.
They had just t him, and they were already telling him to call them "Father" and "Mother."
Were they really that worried about Rias not getting married?!
"Father, Mother," a voice interjected smoothly, "regarding Rias's marriage, perhaps we can invite Ren to the Gremory estate at a later ti to discuss it in detail. For now, we have other official matters to attend to."
Ren had intended to clear up the misunderstanding on the spot—but before he could, Rias's older brother arrived, accompanied by Odin and the others.
As the current Demon King of the Underworld, his presence alone carried weight. Zeoticus and Venelana imdiately understood that whatever business he had must be important, so they refrained from pressing further and left with Rias and her group after a polite nod.
Watching them go, Ren couldn't help but sigh.
That had been the perfect opportunity to clear everything up…
If he ended up visiting the Gremory estate later and telling them he had no intention of marrying their daughter, he wasn't entirely confident he'd make it out the front gate alive.
"Looks like you really like Rias," her brother said with a knowing smile. "I happen to have so photos of her from when she was little. If you're interested, I'd be willing to part with them."
Clearly misunderstanding Ren's lingering gaze, he pulled out a stack of photographs and began enthusiastically promoting them.
"I've got Sona-chan's photos too!" chid in another voice nearby. "From every stage of her life, no less!"
Not to be outdone, the petite girl beside him—radiating cheerful energy—produced an even thicker stack of photos, proudly boasting about how adorable her little sister was.
Watching two Demon Kings casually carrying around stacks of their younger sisters' photos, Ren found himself montarily speechless.
But the two sister-obsessed rulers saw nothing strange about it at all.
"In this world, little sisters are the cutest beings in existence," one of them declared matter-of-factly. "You can forget to bring your spouse's photo—but not your sister's. That's just common sense."
"Humans really are amazing," the other added thoughtfully. "Inventing sothing like photography… Whenever I'm exhausted from work, just looking at these brings my energy right back."
Once the topic turned to their sisters, the two of them showed no signs of stopping—until, at last, a silver-haired woman stepped in and forcefully shut them down.
Only then did the two Demon Kings finally compose themselves and return to the matter at hand.
Even so, Ren now found himself holding a thick stack of photos.
Most of them were of Rias and Sona, with a smaller portion featuring the overly enthusiastic Demon King herself.
After hearing Odin's earlier suggestions, she had apparently found the idea of sharing a husband with her sister… surprisingly appealing. And so, in an effort to showcase her own charm, she had stuffed quite a few rather provocative photos of herself into the pile as well.
As for the reason they had sought Ren out in the first place—
It was about the Khaos Brigade.
Ever since learning that the organization's leader was the Dragon God Ophis, none of the major factions could afford to ignore it any longer.
According to Odin, even the Norse evil god Loki had recently been making contact with the group.
Within the Khaos Brigade, Ophis herself was the greatest threat—but the organization had also gathered nurous powerful Sacred Gear users, along with criminals exiled or hunted by various factions.
If left unchecked, it would only grow more dangerous.
After considerable discussion, the leaders had decided to form an alliance to counter the Khaos Brigade—and eliminate it entirely.
Given Ren's overwhelming strength, along with his ties to the Kyoto yokai faction, he was naturally one of their primary targets for recruitnt.
"If that's the case," Ren replied calmly, "then you should be discussing this with Yasaka.
Don't be misled by appearances—I might hold a high position, but she's the true leader of the yokai. At most, I'm just soone with an honorary title. I don't have the authority to decide sothing of this scale."
To be honest, Ren had little interest in their so-called crusade.
From what he had seen so far, neither Ophis nor Vali struck him as particularly malicious.
The real reason these factions were so eager to act was simple—
They feared Ophis.
"Of course, we'll speak with Yasaka as well," ca the response. "But compared to the Kyoto yokai faction, we want you to stand with us.
No one understands Ophis's strength better than you. If she truly decided to destroy this world, no individual could stop her alone. That's why we need your power."
Their tone was earnest, their reasoning sound.
But Ren didn't agree so easily.
He wasn't so hot-blooded fool who would jump at the chance to "protect the world" just because soone said the right words.
"I don't belong to any faction," he said flatly. "And I have no interest in getting entangled in your power struggles.
If I decide that I need to act, then I will.
For now… I have class."
With that, he turned to the silver-haired attendant.
A portal opened at her command.
Without hesitation, Ren stepped through and left.
Behind him, Odin and the others exchanged glances, letting out quiet sighs.
Their original plan had been to recruit Ren—and then have him deal with Loki.
At present, their intelligence on the Khaos Brigade was severely lacking. Loki's close involvent suggested he knew far more than he should.
But Odin couldn't act directly. As the chief god of his pantheon, attacking another deity without cause would risk backlash from the rest.
The sa limitations applied to the Demon Kings and the leader of the fallen angels.
Which was precisely why…
They had wanted Ren.
...
Want to unlock up to 60 early-access chapters with NFSW Content and exclusive novels ?! Join my Patreon today and dive deeper into the adventure!
patreon/denji21
Reviews
All reviews (0)