Author's note: In this chapter, I did not use those auto grammar checkers for obvious reasons, and I only used Grammarly's grammar.
Chapter 5
"What do you mean by becoming my familiar ?" 12-year-old Rias echoed while clutching the hem of her dress. Her voice was brittle and yet still trying to sound confident and dignified as she had been taught all her life.
The creature nodded its beak. "Was it that you were not here for a Familiar ?"
Rias hesitantly nods to the question. " Ummm, yes, I am here for a familiarity." Her voice young, hesitant, and soft.
Then the creature straightened its body, its black as night feathers gently floating about in the air as it did a simple bow. "Then believe I am an appropriate choice for a noble like you."
The creature raised its head and turned its beak to Rias, but its now-recognized eye was on its chest, so the movement was only an empty gesture. "Not many familiars are as intelligent and strong as I am, and not only that, I haven't even fully matured yet, giving both me and you time to grow together and create a bond like no other."
Rias hesitated at the proposal. Not because she thought it was weak, as the mere fact that her sister Grafia onee-san had taken a battle stance in its presence already proved its strength, and the way it spoke was a far cry from the simple minded familiar that she learned and knew of.
But still, she hesitated.
She had dreamt of this day for a long time; She dreamed that she would get a mighty dragon or a cute little bat as a familiar, as in her opinion, a bat is one of the cutest creatures in existence. And they would create bonds, play around, and that familiar became one of her few friends. But she couldn't imagine the thing in front of her and herself creating that bond, or any for that matter.
Just as she became silent and didn't know what to do. Grayfia, with a gentle sigh akin to an elder sister who saw her younger one fall while walking, turned to the creature, her face neutral and empty, a familiar one that she had worn since the time Rias learned of her.
"I believe Lady Rias has a familiar in mind that she wants to make a contract." She spoke calmly as the unknown feeling of sluggishness that Rias had felt since the creature's appearance faded away into obscurity. "And don't you think a potential familiar casting gravity spell like this to its master, inappropriate?"
The eyes on the chest of the creature widened in what seemed to be deep-seated enlightenment, as if it had finally learned of a secret that lay before it, but it forgot about it due to how common it had always been.
"This...This is a misunderstanding, I did not foresee that something like this would ... would" The deep voice sounded anxious and slightly hurried. As if it were an unintentional act that it did not think would happen. But unfortunately for this creature, they seemed to take another value from what it was presenting.
"While something like that would certainly not faze Lady Rias, the mere fact that you do this kind of ...thing," Grayfia spoke while continuing to weave spells into existence as she saw her reinforcement coming to no doubt protect Lady Rias.
"ENOUGH!" Rias shouted as she turned to Grayfia and then the next second to the creature. "I would become your master, and you would become my familiar," She spoke, her voice having a true backbone instead of the hesitation that she always bore in the presence of the unexpected. Making Grayfia's edge of her mouth curve slightly upwards and edge of her eyes dance in slight surprise, but just a second later, it stopped, as her professionalism put an end to it all. Grayfia turned to Rias, only to notice that a little crystal tear was accumulating and was about to come out of her eyes, as if she was scared of something that was about to happen. Puncturing the balloon of satisfaction, but still she never revealed any of her emotions as she bowed to Lady Rias. "Yes, my lady."
---
Then Rias turned and walked backwards to where Grayfia and her had come from, meanwhile Ravik silently followed them, with Grayfia standing in between him and Rias. While Ravik's knocked unconscious guards woke up one by one and silently followed with their head bowed, probably in shame. Probably in shame of obstructing their master's new familiar ?, hollow laugh leaks as Ravik shook his head.
Ravik was still shocked that the passive organ and body training that he had done since a year or two ago created this kind of effect. Initially, while he did previously saw this effect and had tested it on a branch or two. But because the branch only bent slightly as a consequence, he did not think its effect on living beings would be this much. Their unadjusted internal organs, blood flow would go into shock and confusion upon his presence since they are literally transitioning onto an area of higher gravity, making them unconsciously think they are getting affected by some invisible presence of his. "Why did no one tell me this ?" He asked himself, getting confused as how not a single Harpy had told him about this effect and explaining why prey of his always ran when he got into a certain distance despite him hiding using his skill [Phantom].
"I certainly should get a feedback or two from others to not to make a mistake like this" Ravik thought, before soon forgetting about this though ever occurring.
Unknown to him, he had another thing that was effecting and changing how other perceive him, specifically his skill (Foul and disgusting), an passive one that increased intimidation and increases the chances of fear and terror status effect appearing, but fortunately or unfortunately for him, this effect hasn't matured and reached its full potential yet as it scales with his strength, and most of all appearance that still hasn't grown ugly enough. And if he were to grow a few eldritch mouths around his body and a blood curling faces of people on his flesh, the effect wouldn't just be making Grayfia overestimate his power and underestimate how frail and helpless the Rias is by magnifying her emotion.
---
Nobility, select few people in the masses that wielded immense influence, manpower and wealth proportional to their territory, its state and importance. And for the Gremory clan, which was one of the richest as the head of the family wore the title of 'Duke', it would be even more true.
But he still seemed to have underestimated the sheer wealth and influence that the clan had as he witnessed things that he never thought possible, even more ridiculous than what was shown in the anime of his previous lifes,DXD, at least according to his faint memory of what he remembered.
Expansive vast field of pure green grass that faintly tickles up one's nose and luxurious fountains that existed every fifty or so meters. The massive pillars and statues that could be auctioned or even placed in a museum darting the field in numerous numbers. Not only that, there was a mansion that was several times bigger than the sky supporting buildings from his previous life. Making him truly feel like he hit the jackpot.
But for now, it is only possibility and eye candy as he still hasn't wove the contract and sealed the deal.
"This way" Grayfia Lucifuge spoke while directing him away from the massive mansion and towards the smaller one. But still, the smaller one was still ridiculously big that he couldn't question in his head how they could afford it. But he answered himself the next second. "Magic"
But still, thinking that he should get into an appropriate state of mind before the contract he sucked in a deep silent breath and out for a few second, not afraid that they would notice his nervousness and amazement as his deep breath sounds and looks so different from the norm that they couldn't possible know what he was doing. Hell, sometimes, he questions himself if he was doing it wrong or was he doing something entirely different.
The small mansion looked as luxurious as the outside suggests, bearing an decoration and ornaments that he only saw in history television every few steps and maid, butlers that were for some reason lurking or even turning around when they saw him. But he could guess their thought process. They saw a scary looking Harpy that unknowingly bore a heart of gold, but because they didn't know of him or his heart, they only knew of his scary appearance and decided to turn around and not to become some sort of collateral damage if unforeseen happened.
After several winding turns and long hallways, he was directed to a meeting room of sorts that bore two massive sofas with a table in between. And there were even deserts to boot. Already, he could feel his comfortable life beginning.
---
Rias walked inside to the entrance hall of the mansion, her footsteps light and soft, while her mouth hummed a little tone as she had already digested what had just happened.
Which was that she got a strong and smart familiar befitting her status as the young heiress of the Gremory clan. Or in longer term, she got a young and not yet adult familiar who possesses an extremely rare gravity manipulation ability. Rias would declare it again, not yet adult, that means he isn't even seven or eight old and her familiar can put Grayfia Onee-san onto an battle stance. Which was no easy feat as she never, ever saw her sister take a stance towards just about anyone. At least according to her memory.
So she was happy and even proud as her charisma managed to draw in someone of this aptitude to her willingly.
So following that when she saw her parents in the entrance hall, she unconsciously puffed up her chest and entered as a noble should. "Mom, Dad" she greeted while bowing slightly as she looked expectantly at her parents.
"Dear, you did great" Her mother said while his father just patted her on the shoulder with a gentle smile on his face.
After that they went and ate their lunch while Rias explained her adventure. Which wasn't much as it hadn't even lasted two hours, and she had only gone one fourth of the way and hadn't even met the bats that she really wanted to see.
But just when they finished the lunch, her mother left the table and went out saying. "You're little familiar, it needs its contract, no ?, for this time, i will take care of it as this is a bit of a special case" While nodding to her with edges of her mouth curved into a soft smile and her eyes dropping, giving her a soft and gentle look.
While his father walked around her and gave her a dessert that she really likes and favors. Strawberry Mille-Feuille.
(Venelena - POV)
"What an unexpected surprise" She spoke with a calm expression that was mostly neutral with a small bit of gleam of joy that still hasn't left, a gift of her precious daughter to her, she might say.
Then she silently teleported to the side mansion where the supposed being that wants to be familiar of an heiress of an Gremory clan awaited.
On the way to the room, she saw Grayfia standing outside the room, beside the door with both hands clutched in front of her and her back straight, a pose that was a picture perfect example of an ideal maid. Yet Venelena was a bit confused as to why she was standing outside, instead of inside, to keep an eye on the creature. But she let it pass, as one of the Ultimate class beings, she should be capable of keeping an eye on some little cub of a creature even with a wall in between them.
So she walked and Grayfia with a familiar motion opened the door for her.
The moment she entered, her eyes widened and her heart beat faster and faster in response as she, while trying her best to look calm, entered the room where something was sitting on the sofa.
The disgusting stench that permeated the creature and the way it's exoskeleton rattled every time it moved was the things she first noticed and the second one was the silently hidden little eyes beneath its feather that was looking at her with bloodened eyes, as if it was an eyes that the creature plucked from other animals and the sudden heavy weight that she felt as she started to feel nauseous and sick, but she endured and walked and sat on the sofa opposite the creature.
"So you must be the one who requested to join under the wings of the Gremory clan ?" Her voice is soft, yet echoing with effortless elegance.