"Why do you switch faces so easily... whatever. I give up."
Adrian Blake, who had always preferred softness over confrontation, found himself utterly disarmed by the coy charm of Youki Suou. All he could do was sigh and nod his reluctant approval.
He raised his hand and channeled his mana in response to the summoning circle.
"Woah! Here it comes!"
"You who answer my call—become my hero!!"
Youki's eyes sparkled as she lifted her hand in theatrical flair. A complex sigil of light unfolded mid-air, and in the blink of an eye, Adrian's body was transported directly before her—only a meter apart.
Watching himself be flung across dimensions and land right in front of her, Adrian couldn't help but mentally groan.
If I shout, "Are you my master?" right now, it would hit every cliché in the book.
Wait a second—she actually pulled me into this!
Realizing he was starting to slip into delusions himself, Adrian gave his cheeks a quick slap to regain focus.
Meanwhile, Youki Suou was already basking in her own triumph, her expression glowing with unfiltered satisfaction.
"Ah~ I'm fully satisfied. Now it's my turn to satisfy you!"
"Not in a back alley, for god's sake!"
"What? I wasn't lying~"
Youki, completely sincere, answered his exasperated protest with unwavering seriousness.
Adrian opened his mouth to argue, but then his eyes flicked upward—Affection Level: 95.
She… she's actually being honest?
That shut him up entirely.
He wasn't exactly some naïve schoolboy, yet here he was, spiraling into emotional turmoil over a girl's flirtation.
He pressed his fingers against his temples and took a breath.
This whole situation was accelerating far too fast for him to keep up.
As he was gathering his thoughts, a faint ripple of magical energy brushed past his senses. His eyes snapped up.
Seeing him suddenly fall silent and look up, Youki teased, "You've got a full-course meal right in front of you! Get aggressive already!"
"Not that kind of aggressive. I'm not about to reenact a royal duel in a back alley."
Adrian shook his head, steering the conversation back into safer waters.
Then his gaze lifted again—toward the rooftop.
A flash of vivid crimson caught his eye.
Hair like wildfire tumbled across pale shoulders. Beneath a face that blended elegance with raw allure, her skin was smooth and porcelain-white.
She was tall, shapely, and carried herself like someone who knew her curves could start a war. Her black jacket, open at the chest, could barely contain her luxurious figure. Her waist was narrow—hand-span thin—and without a trace of softness.
Below her flared black-and-white skirt, her perfectly round hips curved like ripe peaches, impossibly inviting.
And those legs—long, toned, unreasonably flawless—even the shadows couldn't hide their shape.
There, high above the ground, stood a red-haired beauty enveloped in a dreamlike aura of danger and seduction.
Youki followed Adrian's gaze—and froze.
Then, to her amazement, the red-haired girl spread her dark wings and slowly descended from the rooftop, like an angel painted in ink.
"I sensed a surge of magical power. I had to come and see for myself."
Her voice was calm, composed—and directed at Adrian.
"I didn't expect to find you here, Adrian Blake."
His brows furrowed the moment she said his name.
"So, you've been investigating me, Rias Gremory."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. She hadn't expected him to know her name.
Rias's identity wasn't exactly secret—but for someone like Adrian, who had only recently arrived in the human world, it should've been out of reach.
Even if he'd heard about her from Mio the succubus, he had never met Rias before—there was no way he should know her face.
A flicker of surprise passed through her, but her voice remained steady. She glanced briefly at Youki.
"I'd like to speak with you in private. Just the two of us."
"H-Hey! What the hell! You just drop out of nowhere and try to steal the guy I just confessed to?! That's so unfair!"
"When did you confess?!"
"You heartless man! That didn't count just now?!"
Adrian stared at her, exasperated beyond words. Watching Youki play the part of the wounded maiden, all while still sneaking peeks through her fingers, nearly gave him a headache.
Rias tilted her head ever so slightly, watching the exchange with faint amusement.
"She's… interesting. If she wishes to stay, it's no concern of mine."
"Yes! Jackpot! Now, spill—what are you two about to discuss?"
Her eager, gossipy grin made Adrian bristle with unease.
"Are we seriously doing this?"
Rias simply shrugged with casual grace. "She's just a human girl. She won't change anything."
"Being dismissed like that hurts, but okay, go ahead," Youki muttered, then fell into silent observation.
Adrian exhaled slowly and gestured for Rias to speak.
"I've looked into Naruse Mio," she began. "In the process, I found information about you as well.
Her presence alone is enough to be a major concern for the Gremory family."
Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Mio's pure-blooded demon, right? And part of the Gremory line? Shouldn't that be a good thing?"
Mio had told him herself—pure-blood demons were incredibly rare these days.
You'd think they'd be protected like endangered royalty.
Rias let out a breath, her voice low. "You don't understand. The demon realm is divided into two factions—those who seek war and those who seek peace. My family, the House of Gremory, is one of the remaining seventy-two noble families. Though we're still intact, we're not among the most powerful, and currently… we remain neutral.
Right now, my mother holds the seat of matriarch. And I—I'm the only heir to the Gremory line."
Her voice turned cold.
"If another pure-blooded heir emerges… especially one confirmed as legitimate… the balance will be shattered."
She paused. Her meaning hung in the air like a blade.
"It's like a royal line with only one child. That child becomes the undisputed heir. But add a second with a provable bloodline—an acknowledged child born in secret—and everything changes."
Adrian's expression turned pensive.
Only one heir?
What about your brother, Sirzechs?
Wasn't he the one who inherited the title of Lucifer—the strongest of the Four Satans?
Don't tell me he's out of the picture…
If that's the case, then something major must've happened.
The world he knew—the lore he remembered—wasn't lining up with the current reality.
Still, even without those details, Rias's point was unmistakably clear.
"You're afraid Mio might be used to challenge your claim as heir?"
"Yes. But that's not the full story."
Rias gave him a tired look. "It's not just the main family. There are branches, and factions. If Mio is officially recognized as pure-blood Gremory, even if she doesn't want anything to do with it… the side branches will.
They'll rally under her name. The radical demons will stir rebellion. Even the old guard might turn.
And the Gremory house—we can't afford that outcome."
Her words were calm. Brutally honest.
This wasn't about ambition.
It was survival.
The kind of war that didn't start with a declaration—but with bloodlines.