"What do you think?" — Sitri asked her friend, crossing her legs and sipping another cup of tea.
"He took a potentially strong pawn from me, and he was so rude!" the redhead exclaimed indignantly, but quickly calmed down and continued, "He's strange, on the one hand he despises those around him, but on the other he protects his family. Did you see how he dealt with the hooligans who were harassing his sister?
"Yes," Sona replied, "if we hadn't intervened, they would have been killed, and now they're crippled.
"See, he doesn't care about people's lives, at least that's how it seems from the outside. And this letter is from his brother, who has quite a lot of official authority. — Rias leaned back and reached for a biscuit.
"I'll try to find out from my sister about our new acquaintance. If Lucifer is in the know, then she couldn't have been left out of the loop. And it's strange that we still don't know the reason for such protection..." A pentagram appeared on the table, from which an envelope fell out. The girl adjusted her glasses and leaned back thoughtfully on the back of the sofa.
Rias, as the hostess, picked it up first. As she read, her face grew paler and paler, and by the end she just sighed and handed it to Sonya, who also read what was written.
"This... explains a lot. Even though we are the masters of the city and the surrounding areas, no one will give us complete freedom. That's why they sent a spy to keep tabs on us.
"Why did he hide for so long? Wouldn't it have been better to join forces?" Gremory raised an eyebrow.
"Most likely, he was supposed to watch our work and only intervene when one of us was about to die. I doubt he would have helped our figures.
"Hm," Rias thought, "He's a mercenary, I'll ask him to help with Ryzer." The girl saw a twinkle in her friend's eyes, "Sona! I got the hint the first time! You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?
"No, but sometimes your thoughts baffle even your brother," the brunette chuckled, "Do you want me to be present when you make the deal?
"If you want," the demoness shrugged, "I don't mind."
"By the way," Sitri remembered, "your ward, Hedo, won't cause any trouble? She's like the sister of the deceased.
"No, they had a peculiar relationship. He was expendable to her. So she's not mourning him.
"You're so calculating," Sona snorted. "All right, let's go." The girl gestured to her entourage, leaving the room with them and leaving her friend to ponder the upcoming deal.
***
We sat down in the living room, waiting for my mother to place cups of tea in front of each of us and sit down herself. What can you do, rules of etiquette.
"I'm listening," I began, because this staring contest could go on forever. "Why 'sir' and who are you?"
"Ahem," the girl cleared her throat, "I used to be called Lilith, Lucifer's wife, but those days are long gone, for the traitors decided to play with fire, luring me into an unstable portal.
My mother and sister tensed up when they heard the name of the demoness sitting in front of them. It's not every day that the once legendary queen of demons sits in your living room drinking tea.
"My body ended up in the twilight realm, where the Great Red One flew and helped me by pushing me into another portal. I don't know why he did it, but I suppose he simply fulfilled my wish, as he himself is a dragon of dreams.
"And what is your wish?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"To be reunited with my master and beloved," the girl's eyes gleam madly, "and even though the portal destroyed my body, my soul flew into a newborn child who will be named Miyuki Hedo.
"Hmm, so the portal distorted not only space but also time," I muttered to myself.
"Need I remind you that time does not exist in the interworld?" the red one said listlessly. "For her, minutes passed, but for the world, centuries."
And you can't argue with how Father navigates it, can you?
"And my soul, damaged from being in the abode of the Great Red, fell into hibernation, regenerating the damage and gradually absorbing the girl's weak soul," Lilith continued, interrupting my thoughts. "And recently, about five years ago, I awoke and began to regain my strength. But the absorption of Miyuki's soul was delayed due to my busy schedule and constant training. And there I met Gremory and Sitri, who were stationed here. It's strange that the spies didn't smell me, otherwise there would be a whole bunch of demons here.
"Why did I sense mood swings from you, from a desire to kill to wild affection?
"Ah," the demon waved her hand, "Miyuki's soul still retained its self-awareness and began to grieve for her brother, and when she sensed the artefact of her relative in you, she put two and two together and started tearing and throwing things around. The affection is from me.
"She is very loyal to me, and now to you. I trained her well. "You could even say that Lilith loves us more and stronger than your sister and mother, since she would gladly gut herself if we wanted her to," the fallen one said slowly.
"How did you tame her?" I asked in shock.
"There are a couple of hundred rituals that, once performed, will ensure the complete loyalty of any soul. The main thing is to weaken her, and then you can break anyone's will, I'm telling you, I'm a pro."
"Huh?"
"No, you'll find out when our souls merge completely, because there's too much knowledge involved," Lucifer cut me off. "Use the Grail to remove the soul of that vile mortal from Lilith. It sickens me to think that my wife will merge her soul with a human."
"Mm-hmm," the red one drawled, "your 'love' for humans is blossoming and fragrant."
"Let me help you with your mood swings," I said, distracting myself from the argument that had begun between the guests and attracting the demon's attention. "I'll remove the 'excess' from you."
The girl understood the hint and came over to me, kneeling down. I'm starting to understand Lucifer and the reasons for his marriage. Even in a human body (albeit a converted one), she could make anyone fall in love with her. All those Aphrodites out there could die of envy, because the first demon was an excellent flirt.
I reached out to her soul, severing the threads connecting it to Miyuki, pulling the human soul out of her body. With one more effort, the Grail removed the flaws of Lilith, her sister and mother, renewing them, granting regeneration and binding the soul to the body. This way, I can resurrect them, even from a piece of flesh, otherwise I will have to search for their souls in hell, paradise, or the Dark Lands.
I cast out Miyuki's soul, sending it to be reborn.
"So," Shuri, who had been silent until then, slapped her hand on the table, "What is going on here?! Why is the first demon here, and why does she call you Lucifer and her Lord?
"It's simple," Lilith interrupted me, "He is Lucifer himself, and I, as his wife, am bound by rituals to my husband's soul, I can feel it.
"Virgil..." My mother's tone did not bode well.
"Wait, Mum," Shuri Akeno put her hand on my shoulder, "He'll explain everything to us now, won't he?" my sister asked me in a sweet, unquestioning tone.
"How tense... Why do they need to know this?" I groaned inwardly.
"Tell them whatever suits you, shift the emphasis, leave things unsaid," Luce advised, "But don't lie, they'll smell it like bloodhounds, and Lucifer doesn't lie, remember that."
"Yeah, right," Drayga's voice was so full of irony you could drown a city in it.
"The fact that you, my scaly friend, misinterpreted my words during the war is your own business. After all, I told you the truth: 'I saw it on the island of Albion,' without specifying the exact time frame. And he was there a century before our conversation, who knew that a base of the fallen had appeared there?" the angel finished mockingly.
"Grrr... Damn bastard..." muttered the red one discontentedly, turning away from his interlocutor.
"You understand what I'm trying to say, come on," the fallen angel sat down on the tail of the dissatisfied dragon.
"In short," I raise my eyes to the family, "Lucifer's soul is locked inside my mechanism. As soon as I implanted his genes into myself, he started talking to his 'clone'. He's mocking me," I clarify. "Thanks to the mechanism itself, our souls have begun to merge, and mine is dominant, so I will remain myself, don't worry, I'll just get his knowledge and 'wife' as a gift.
As for the "wife" herself, I don't care about her at all. She just sits there smiling. If she had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy.
"You mean you'll stay the same? You won't change?" his mother asks.
"Not exactly, my memories and knowledge will influence my character in any case, but I'll remain myself — the person you gave birth to," I shrugged.
"Why didn't you tell us?!" Akeno slaps me on the cheek, looking into my eyes with her tear-filled purple eyes. "Why all the secrets? We're family, why are you hiding this from us?"
"Hmm, I wonder what she would say if she knew that you would become incredibly cynical, cruel, hypocritical, and many other 'flattering' epithets after the merger? Good thing you left out those details," the fallen one said, examining his nails as if talking about the weather.
"No big deal, hypocrisy will come in handy and no one will notice the difference. The price for your knowledge isn't that high," I shrugged.
"I didn't want to bother you. I'll put my sister and mother back on the sofa," I said. "It wouldn't have changed anything, only given you a headache. There's a lot of knowledge that will cause you problems, and this is one of them. No one should know that I am Lucifer, at least not until the Summit. And whatever happens there, Sazex will help me out.
"Does that include what you did to our bodies?" my mother hinted at my work with the Grail.
"Yes," I nod, sitting down in my seat, "The blessing of the Grail, all your weaknesses have been removed and you have been granted immortality." Their eyes widen in shock. "I told you so," I smirk, "Now you are very difficult to kill, although it is possible, plus I can resurrect you. Although it will be difficult if your soul goes to the angels, demons, or somewhere else." I grimace at the memory of the Dark Lands.
"Do you have many secrets like that?""A couple more, if we're talking about very serious ones." I nod, pulling my cup of tea closer. It seems to have passed, they've calmed down. It's good that they're not hysterical.
"You're so difficult," Shuri sighed, massaging her temples. "I understand you, but you'll get your punishment. No sex. For a week.
Who's going to punish whom?
"It's okay, I'll help the Master relieve his tension. The chastity of the body has been preserved exclusively for you." Lilith clung to him like a cat.
"Speaking of birds," Akeno stared intently at the demon, "What are you going to do with her?
"Who the hell knows? I've got her on a leash, and there's no getting rid of it. Lyuts performed the rituals too well. She's bound to me more than death itself. As you already understand, even death cannot separate us.
"So you're going to keep her," she stated, her eyes flashing.
Apparently, this was supposed to scare me or appeal to my conscience?
"And what do you want me to do with you?" the girl sighed, not getting the expected reaction from me, and squeezed her nose.
"Understand and forgive?" I played dumb.
It didn't work...
***
We sat there all night, the girls talking, me silent, periodically making tea and not wanting to get involved in what was going on.
They decided what to do with the new girl, who would be very difficult to get rid of. In the end, after long conversations and minor arguments, they accepted her, at least on a trial basis (Lyut made a facepalm in his head, accompanied by red laughter). I advised her to stay with Gremory's group for now, and later, when I got my set of figures, I would exchange her.
In the morning, when we had to go to school, Miyuki rushed home to tidy herself up and, kissing me on the lips, teleported away, leaving Akeno and Shuri glaring at her.
"Your punishment still stands, Lilith or Miyuki won't help you," my mother said, turning away after handing us our school lunches and proudly stomping deeper into the house.
"You deserved it," my sister chimed in, moving away from me towards the academy. "Don't slow down, you'll be late." Here we go again...
***
"Mistress Rias," the maid addressed the red-haired woman. "There is only one day left before the visit of the third son of the Fenex family. Are you ready?"
"Hello, Greifia," Gremory looked up at the woman who had teleported in. "Yes, today I have a meeting with my brother's 'acquaintance'. If it goes well, our rendezvous with Ryzer will go smoothly.
"He'll agree in any case," recalled Sazex's wife, remembering her conversation with Virgil. "It's no wonder your brother spent so much time grooming him."
"I will be present at the meeting as a third party. To resolve any disputes and prevent 'incidents,'" the woman hinted at Gremory Jr.'s quick temper.
"Come on, stop being so formal, let's have some tea. I have some new sweets." The mood in the room changed instantly, becoming warmer.
"I hope everything works out for you," smiled the maid, sitting down on the sofa.
"Me too..."
***
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