The next day, at noon, Kusanagi Residence—
The doorbell rang. The young maid Karen ran out and pressed the switch in front of the villa's gate. The iron gate slowly opened, revealing seven figures: four elders and three young ones.
Three elderly men and one elderly woman, all with white hair and wrinkled foreheads, but each with a rosy complexion and vigorous spirit. The aura they emitted showed that their cultivation had reached the pinnacle.
Behind the elderly woman stood a beautiful young girl with waist-length black hair—this was none other than Seishuuin Ena. Unlike her usual wild and unrestrained demeanor, Ena now stood properly behind the elderly woman, looking dignified and ladylike.
Her spirited yet cute little face was slightly pouting. Having lived a wild life training in the mountains for years, Ena clearly felt very uncomfortable in this so-called "lady mode," which made her feel uneasy all over.
Looking at the elderly woman in front of her, a trace of reverence flashed in Ena's expression. No matter how uncomfortable she was, she had to endure it now…
Next to Ena stood two other young men dressed formally. One of them will be left aside for now, but the other—
Ahem, that was none other than Miss Kaoru in men's clothing!
At this moment, Miss Kaoru looked cold and stern, but if you looked closely, you would notice her tightly clenched hands and the slight nervousness and unease flashing in her beautiful eyes.
It was understandable. What Miss Kaoru feared most now was meeting that evil Demon King, afraid that he might retaliate for what happened last time. If possible, she wouldn't have come, but she couldn't disobey the family head's orders.
"At an occasion like this, that bastard shouldn't cause trouble, right…"
Though she comforted herself, thinking of Sora's unpredictable and reckless nature, Miss Kaoru couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
"Hmph, if he dares to cause trouble, I'll fight him to the death!"
Steeling herself, Miss Kaoru was ready to go all out. If that bastard really dared to act recklessly, she would rather "die together" with him!
Well, of course, this was just Miss Kaoru's self-motivation, so please don't take it seriously. Sigh…
"Hehe… Family heads, please come in. My master has been waiting for you for a long time."
Seeing the group, young maid Karen's blue-green eyes flashed with a strange light. Without waiting for them to speak, she performed a proper maid's bow and smiled warmly at them.
"Not at all… Demon King, you honor us. It is we who are bothering you."
The three elderly men and the elderly woman quickly stepped forward, humbly returning the greeting. To outsiders, they might look like a group of kind old grandparents, but little did they know these were truly formidable figures!
As heads of the Four Great Families, holding supreme power and status, they personally came to visit but were only greeted by a young maid. Although they felt some displeasure, none of them showed it.
With a slight fox-like smile, Sora looked at the maid Karen silently and said nothing more. He turned and led the way inside. The three elderly men and the elderly woman exchanged glances and followed.
…
"Ha…"
Yawning, after being dressed by Erica and Liliana, Sora carried his transformed loli form's teddy bear Athena and walked out of the room.
After fighting with the girls until late last night, Sora was still a bit sleepy. But after being urged several times by Erica and the others, saying the heads of the Four Great Families were already waiting downstairs, Sora reluctantly got up.
As for what the young maid said to the family heads about "waiting for a long time," it was obviously just to support Sora's face. If you believe that, then it's really a matter of intelligence!
The Great Witch Zola was exhausted last night and wasn't interested in the Four Great Families. She was still lying in bed and hadn't gotten up yet. Since school was off today and there was nothing to do, Sora didn't bother with her and planned to call her for dinner later.
Erica and Liliana were both carefully dressed today. Although both were already perfect in looks and temperament, as Sora's lovers and knights, they wanted to make him look good in front of outsiders.
Although Sora said it wasn't necessary, the two girls were surprisingly consistent and persistent about this, which made Sora a bit speechless but he let them be…
Carrying Athena, Sora sat on the sofa, while Erica and Liliana stood like two female bodyguards on either side of him.
Shaking his head helplessly, it was just drinking tea and chatting with some old folks, why did these two girls have to be so serious?
Though not caring much, Sora felt a little anticipation. The so-called Four Great Families were Seishuuin, Kuhoutsuka, Renjou, and Sayanomiya, four ancient families who had served emperors with their family's curse power since ancient times.
Dynasties changed, emperors came and went, but these four families had remained strong and passed down their power. Under today's non-monarchical system, they secretly controlled most of the country's power. Whether politics, military, or economy, these families had a presence in all important sectors, showing their deep foundation and strength!
It could be said that the entire country now operated under the secret control of the Four Great Families, and apart from the suddenly appearing great Demon King Sora, they were the country's unique overlords!
After a short while, led by young maid Karen, the heads of the Four Great Families and the heirs of the three families they brought entered the hall and approached Sora.
"I am the old retainer Renjou Hiroshi—"
"I am the old retainer Kuhoutsuka Tomono—"
"Old Retainer Sayanomiya Hondo—"
"Old Retainer Seishuuin Suiko—"
"Greetings, King Kusanagi!"
Although Sora did not recognize these four elderly gentlemen and ladies, they were very familiar with him. They stood in a row and bowed deeply to Sora in unison.
Despite their advanced age, their voices were loud and clear, not at all like ordinary elderly people who are stooped and feeble. They were outwardly gentle but inwardly strong, radiating an aura that only those who have long been in high positions possess.
Tsk tsk, no wonder these families have served emperors since ancient times. Their synchronized voices and movements clearly show they are professionals!
Watching the four heads of the great families showing such deep respect before their king, Liliana's expression remained unchanged, as if she saw nothing. Erica snorted lightly, a sarcastic curve appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Sora, however, felt a bit elated. These four incredibly formidable old men and women still had to act so obediently in front of him, letting him enjoy the treatment of a king for once.
But he didn't pay much attention to them. Instead, he smiled and greeted Ena, who was standing behind:
"Yo, Ena!"
Raising one hand, Sora called out to Ena.
He glanced briefly at Miss Kaoru, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth, but he did not greet her.
When Miss Kaoru noticed Sora looking at her, she felt nervous. But when Sora quickly looked away without greeting her, she was stunned at first, then suddenly furious—
That bastard! He did it on purpose, he definitely did!!!
Besides the extremely angry Miss Kaoru, the four heads of the great families also felt a bit awkward and annoyed. After they had paid their respects, this guy didn't even respond. Was he really so arrogant as to not take them seriously?
However, looking at Erica and Liliana standing beside Sora, representatives of the "Copper-Black Cross" and "Bronze-Black Cross" respectively, and also at Athena, the heretic goddess in Sora's arms, the four heads' expressions turned serious. They dared not show any dissatisfaction.
Though they could scheme or even make bold moves behind his back, in front of this Demon King, they absolutely dared not!
Actually, these old folks were overthinking. Sora had no intention of ignoring or embarrassing them. In his mind, Ena was the person he was familiar with and cared about, so naturally, he greeted her first.
As for Miss Kaoru, hmph, he hadn't even gotten his revenge on her for her sharp tongue yet, so he'd leave her hanging for now!
"Sora…"
Hearing Sora call her, Ena smiled and was about to greet him, but was glared at by the old lady who called herself Seishuuin Suiko standing in front of her.
"I, Ena of the Seishuuin family, pay respects to His Majesty the King."
Pouting her small lips awkwardly, Ena imitated the old lady's respectful bow to Sora.
Seeing this, Sora was amused. This girl trying to act like a lady looked very strange no matter how you looked at it!
"Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko, pays respects to King Kusanagi."
A young man behind the head of the Kuhoutsuka family stepped forward, introduced himself, and bowed to Sora.
Though annoyed and wanting to bite this bastard to death, Miss Kaoru knew she had to endure for now. She was about to bow to Sora like Ena and Kuhoutsuka Mikihiko when Sora suddenly spoke again—