In the center of the plains stood a sprawling castle with an immense footprint.
Up close, the castle was even more magnificent than it appeared from afar. Its style, like the Asmodeus family's, was a perfect fusion of modern and medieval design.
The castle alone spanned several hundred meters in diameter. Its pristine white structure had not a single stain or speck of dust on the ground or walls.
This was the territory of the Gremory family—one of the pureblooded 72 Pillars of Devils—and also their main base of operations.
And today, a banquet for young devils was to be held here, hosted by the Gremory family.
Inside a grand, opulent dining hall!
The long dining table was covered with all kinds of exquisite delicacies. Some were rare treats from the human world, others were exclusive delicacies that only devils in the underworld could enjoy.
In terms of culinary offerings, the Gremory family had outdone themselves—no matter how picky someone might be, they couldn't possibly find fault with the food.
Of course, even if anyone had complaints, no one dared voice them here.
After all, this was the family that had produced the most powerful devil among all devilkind—
Sirzechs Lucifer.
Inside the banquet hall, devils of all shapes and sizes mingled, but few touched the feast laid out on the table.
Instead, everyone held wine glasses, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.
This was only natural.
The young devils present were all sons and daughters of pureblood noble families.
Gourmet food? If they wanted it, they could have banquets like this at home any time.
Now was the time to build connections and expand their networks—far more important than eating.
"Hey! Did you hear? The head of the Asmodeus family is supposed to be attending this banquet too."
Among a group of pureblood noblewomen, one curvaceous deviless with grayish hair and an extremely revealing outfit spoke up excitedly.
"Seriously? Isn't that guy known for never attending these kinds of events?"
Another purple-haired devil, dressed just as revealingly, swirled her wine glass and laughed incredulously.
As she laughed, the curves on her body trembled slightly along with her coquettish movements.
"It should be true! After all, Lady Rias is also Lord Sirzechs' little sister."
"I think even he would give the Devil Lord some respect."
The one who said this was a young female devil.
Unlike the other female devils who wore daring outfits, she was dressed in an elegant, conservative gown. Her long golden hair was tied into drill-shaped twin tails.
Though short in height, her figure was far beyond what was typical for someone her age. Despite looking only fourteen or fifteen, her chest stretched her modest dress to its limits, as if it might burst at any moment.
Also, when she expressed her opinion, she nervously grabbed at her skirt.
"You're thinking too much, Ravel. At the Sitri family's second daughter's debut party, he only sent a gift."
"Ugh…"
The sharp rebuttal caused the girl named Ravel to let out a small, animal-like whimper.
"Speaking of which, isn't he turning thirty this year?"
Out of nowhere, a female devil who had remained silent until now suddenly spoke up. A peculiar gleam flickered in her eyes.
"So what, Berette…"
The purple-haired devil glanced at her in puzzlement, but the moment their eyes met, she immediately understood what Berette was implying, and the corner of her lips curled into a smile.
"If that's how we're playing it, I guess I'll have to really give it my all tonight."
Everyone present was sharp—no fools here.
Even if they didn't understand at first, they quickly caught on to what Berette meant.
The silver-haired female devil who had first spoken was especially blunt in her retort.
"You already have a fiancé, and you're thinking like that? Impressive. If he were truly interested, I think Ravel would have a better chance."
"Sister Focalo, what are you saying?!"
The clearly innocent Ravel blushed a deep red and replied shyly and awkwardly.
Such a reaction was extremely rare among devilkind, who were generally bold, open, and indulgent in their lifestyles.
"See? It's that innocent look. Even I can't help but feel a little flutter."
Berette, having been snapped at by Focalo, didn't get angry. She simply placed her wine glass on the table, stretched her graceful body lazily, and spoke slowly.
"So what if I have a fiancé? If I really managed to hook up with him, my family would naturally break off the previous engagement."
Opening her eyes, now filled with seductive charm, she glanced at the blushing Ravel.
"I won't deny that Ravel's innocent charm is attractive to men."
"But who knows? Maybe he prefers a woman who's... skilled in bed."
Her pink tongue gently licked her lips. At that moment, she resembled a seductive enchantress—a stark contrast to Ravel, who couldn't even lift her head from embarrassment.
Just then, at the gates of the Gremory castle—
A strange red teleportation magic circle suddenly lit up.
From its center emerged the man the group of female devils had been gossiping about: Vitan Asmodeus.
The household retainers of the Gremory family immediately gathered around him.
Vitan took out the invitation Grayfia had given him a few days prior and handed it to the retainers.
"My apologies, Lord Vitan! Please follow me to the venue."
After checking the invitation, the head guard immediately dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully.
"Mm, lead the way."
The head guard led the way, while Vitan followed behind at a distance of two or three steps.
"But Master, it's really rare for you to attend events like this."
Today, Radix didn't take a human form, but remained as a magical grimoire, hanging around Vitan's neck.
"It's nothing special. Rias is Sirzechs' sister. Since this is her debut ceremony, I figured I'd attend since I had the time."
And indeed, that was what he thought.
Just like before, when Sona Sitri, the second daughter of the Sitri family, held her debut ceremony, he was at a critical stage in his magic research and only sent a gift through someone else.
The large doors opened, and the head guard did not enter but respectfully stood to the side.
"Lord Vitan, please go in."