"So... the marriage was agreed upon?" Rias asked cautiously.
"No. Lord Sitri asked for too much," Altair said.
The man had the right to demand the things he asked for. In that transaction, Altair was the weaker of the two. But he was also prouder. He picked up a crystal glass. A bright yellow liquid was inside.
He drank it in one gulp and could feel the heat spread throughout his body. He had never thought that his healing product would be used in this way. But he wasn't complaining; the gold would continue to fill his coffers.
Rias hooked her arm around his. "Do you want to leave?" she whispered, sensing how tense his body was.
"Altair Asmodeus," greeted a dark-haired man. He was dressed in an expensive suit, like all the nobles at the party, but he exuded an aura of power and authority. He was a few inches taller than Altair. "Zekram Bael. Well, you can just consult the Bible or read related documents to learn more about me."
"A pleasure, Lord Bael," Altair extended his hand.
The man's hand, Altair noticed, was thick-skinned. Altair had the feeling that the man could kill him with a single thought. Involuntarily, magic moved to his hand.
"Good reflexes," said the man. "And you must be Rias, right? Venelana's daughter," he greeted the crimson-haired girl.
"Yes, Lord Bael." The girl didn't seem as lost as he was.
Altair didn't know any Bael, other than Sairaorg, whom Sona had mentioned. But the man seemed to have an aura similar to that of the Maou, perhaps even stronger than theirs. It appeared that his search for the underworld was incomplete. Everyone in the room recognized the man in front of him, from the way they looked in his direction.
"You look a lot like her. Just like you look a lot like your father, Altair," he said, turning his gaze back to the young man.
"Do you know him?"
"I do. We are among the few who remain," he said. "Ah, it seems something has come up. It was nice to meet you. I would like to have a more in-depth conversation another time," he said goodbye.
"Rias. What can you tell me about him?" he asked.
"He's the founder of the Bael house," the girl replied. "It is said that his influence is equal to that of the Maous," she continued.
"Founder, you say?" She nodded. "I see."
'So my father is the original Maou,' it didn't matter.
"I'll take my leave now... I have matters to discuss with Katerea," he said goodbye to Rias. The girl frowned in understanding, but did not stop him.
—-----
"There will be other suitors, Sona."
"You never approved of him, did you?" the girl asked, looking at her father with a frown.
"He was a good choice. But—"
"He wasn't pure blood," Sona finished.
From the moment she heard her father's demands, she knew there would be no compromise. Perhaps Altair could have given up the recipe for Phoenix Powder. But the rest was impossible for him to give up. He was a proud man.
"You're young. You don't understand yet."
"Whenever I mentioned my dream, you supported me and told me I could achieve it, didn't you?" she said bitterly. "But deep down, you never believed I would succeed."
"Sona. People like Altair. Seek to attract them to your nobility. Treat them well, nurture them, and they will be loyal to you. They are useful people. But they are not people you should marry," Lord Sitri said softly.
Sona adjusted her glasses.
She didn't love Altair, but she liked him. More than all the suitors she had had. She wasn't even that hurt that the marriage hadn't gone through. She was bothered by her father's reason for calling off the wedding.
"I hope he still wants to sell us the Phoenix powder," Sona said, not believing in that possibility. From what she knew about Altair, he was a logical person. He wouldn't pass up such a great business opportunity.
"Wah—Miracle Levia-tan is here to congratulate Sona on—oh, never mind," Serafall hid the flowers behind her back as she made them disappear. "Should I kill Altair?"
"No. But you could hit Father," Sona said.
"Sona!" her mother scolded.
"What happened?" Serafall asked, serious. She didn't want relations with Altair to sour. He had proven himself useful, very useful.
Not even Ajuka had managed to replicate the Phoenix Powder. He had managed to find the ingredients but not the process. That alone made Altair someone worth cultivating a friendship with.
She listened to her father explain everything with a bored look on his face. She also cursed him a little.
Altair had brought one of the leaders of the old Satan faction into his fold. How? Serafall didn't know. But she definitely wanted to get information from that faction.
Now her father had ruined the opportunity to tie him to the Sitri house.
Serafall hoped he wouldn't hold a grudge against her directly. After all, it wasn't her fault.
"Raise the purchase price of Phoenix Powder and health potions," Serafall said.
"Sera..."
"That's the Leviathan talking," she said. Her father looked at her with wide eyes and swallowed hard.
She wanted to reduce the recent friction between the two sides. Even if he didn't marry Sona, he was still close to the Gremory house because of his relationship with Rias. Venelana wasn't so averse to the union. However, Lord Gremory was close to the Phenex house. Both were waiting for the fight between Altair and Riser to make an offer.
Serafall thought about giving Altair a gift.
—
"So you didn't manage to get the Sitri devil," Katerea said when he allowed her to speak.
He quickly undressed. He ordered her to do the same.
"Not for the moment. But doors never close completely," Altair had no intention of letting Sona go. No. No way. Things had been going so well for him recently that the break in his streak bothered him greatly.
"You're... bigger than Creuserey," she confessed when she saw his member.
"Ah, my stupid nephew," said Altair. "Does he love you?"
"Yes. Very much. He was so against me being sent here," she confessed.
"How do you feel when you see my cock?"
"Nothing. It doesn't matter how big it is. I've seen bigger and more monstrous cocks. Size means little when it's attached to a fucking half-breed," she said.
"You're... funny."
[Increased sensations Level 6 [Next Level: 320,000 SP]]
Increase the stimuli received by the target. Pleasure and pain increase by 10x.
[Increased sensations Level 10 MAX]
Increase the stimuli received by the target. Pleasure and pain increase by 50x. Each orgasm passively adds 0.1x to the limit. It is unique for each sexual partner.
[SP: 12,506,950]
[Orgasm Denial: 100,000 SP]
[Prevents the target from reaching orgasm in any way. They are still sensitive to stimulation]
[Sense deprivation: 200,000 SP]
[You can choose one of the target's senses to be removed. Sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste, each level increases the maximum number of senses that can be removed by one.]
[Sense deprivation LVL 4. Next level: 3,200,000 SP]
[You can choose four of the five of the target's senses to be temporarily eliminated: sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste. Each level increases the maximum number of senses that can be eliminated by one.]
[SP: 9,406,950]
[Asphyxiation: 100,00 SP]
[The target feels like they are constantly suffocating, but they are not in any danger]
[SP: 9,306,950]
"I haven't bought anything new in a while, Katerea. I don't usually need to, but today is just one of those days," said Altair.
"How did I lose my sight?" asked the woman, starting to panic.