Sirzechs POV
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The Ancestor was awake again, which, while not usual, was not something I needed to worry about. She lived according to her whims, and nobody could tell her what to do.
All she seemed to care about was camels and having a bit of fun at the expense of one of her new descendants.
No, what was unusual about this was that she was hiding something in her chambers from everybody but the most trusted of her own personal servants. But then my mother saw something during one of her usual sleepless nights. She saw her giving a hushed late-night tour of the Gremory estate to a boy.
A human boy, to be precise.
And when I tried to get more information from Mom, she was very reluctant to say anything. Only that Runeas will tell me herself when she feels ready.
I did try to find out more, though, but since I did not want to pull rank on my mother (not that it would have worked), nothing more came of it, save for an impish smile that promised a future full of headaches.
So I just sat there in my office for three whole days, trying to go about my day, filling out stupid paperwork, knowing there is this huge secret hidden right in the middle of my family's estate. Not the most pleasant way to spend my time.
But the invitation finally came on the third day, and thankfully, it was after I was done for the day. Just as I was about to stand up and leave my office, a summoning circle used by my family a long time ago materialized above my table, followed by the unmistakable voice of Runeas.
"Zechs-chan, I think it's time. Come to chambers. Alone." Came the order, an order which I, as a dutiful child, obeyed, mostly because you don't say no to the literal founder of your whole lineage, and I teleported straight to her front door.
She was already waiting for me, knowing that I would not keep her waiting, especially if I wanted answers.
"Come on in." She bid me with her hand and walked back into her room.
She lay down lazily on one of the many sofas close to a large ornamental window overlooking the estate gardens and pointed to another for me to sit on.
I have not seen this ugly green sofa or those camel paintings hanging above her large bed since I was a little boy. I've not been back here since she made me sing for her before her slumber a few months later.
It was strange here, nostalgic, but definitely strange. It made me recall just how simple things were when I had no idea of large concepts like politics and governance.
Hah, back then, my biggest worry was what kind of toy to bring to my playdate with Ajuka…
She must have seen that odd, nostalgic look on my face because she waited for a few moments before speaking.
"Before we start, let me ask you a question, okay? Who is here with me? Zechs-chan or Sirzechs Lucifer?" She said, her face completely unreadable, but I knew what she meant. Of course, I knew, and of course, she decided to put me in an uncomfortable position right from the get-go.
"That dep—" I started to speak, but she cut me off with a stern look.
"No. One or the other. Pick one." She said in a tone barring any form of refusal.
"*sigh* Ancestor… I cannot in good conscience tell you without knowing anything." I pinched the bridge of my nose. The answer she wanted was obvious.
"Just— Just tell me, is the boy dangerous? Is that the reason for your secrecy?" I needed something, anything to latch onto before deciding. Instead of replying, she abruptly sat up, placed her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin on the backs of her hands, looking at my face curiously.
"Hmm~ He is dangerous if I'm speaking to Sirzechs Lucifer. But if I am only speaking to Zechs-chan, my cute little descendant? Then the answer is no."
"And mother? Is she okay with this? With him?"
"Oh, she is more than okay, I brought him here afterall. She even met him a few times since then, and she is absolutely delighted by his company. And quit stalling."
"... Zechs-chan then." I hope you're right, Mom.
"Wasn't that hard, was it, Zechs-chan~?" She said with an impish grin, one greatly resembling the one Mom gave me three days ago, and I braced myself for whatever was to come. Oh, and for the record, it was hard… It was always hard choosing what face to wear, especially in front of my family.
"So who is that boy?"
"You will sit here and listen patiently until I'm done, understood?"
"Yes, Ancestor." What else was I going to say? I wanted the answers damnit.
"It all started three days ago when I was suddenly woken up from my beauty sleep by a summoning circle. Now that, in and of itself, is not that strange. Things like that happen from time to time, especially if some untrained and utterly ignorant magician gets their grubby little hands on magical books smuggled out of the Underworld."
"You know what was odd? The circle itself. It was one of King Solomon's creations." She stopped for dramatic effect, and I could see that she was enjoying this. But I wasn't. I definitely wasn't.
"So that boy somehow obtained… a what? King Solomon's spell book?" If so, then it was a good thing she brought him here. Even from hearsay and rumors muddled by millennia, his magic was spectacular.
Maybe Ajuka would want to take a crack at it?
Who am I kidding? If he got his hands on it, nobody would see him for at least a decade, maybe longer.
"Even better, Zechs-chan." She said with narrowed eyes and an emphasis on my name, almost as if she read my thoughts just now. Right, Zechs... *sigh* I can feel the headache building already.
"What could be better than that? Did the boy find his library or something?" Because if so, that would eclipse even the discovery of Merlin's Grimoire.
"Heh~? Better. Beyond that door is his reincarnation." She pointed at a door leading to an adjacent bedroom, and all I could do was follow her finger like a cat would a laserpointer because anything else was beyond me right now.
"What?" Somehow, a word managed to squeeze out of my throat.
"Hmm? King Solomon reincarnated, and he is right here."
"What?"
"King Solomon rein—"
"No, I heard you the first time… How? Why?"
"How? By the will of heaven, I presume. You know how reincarnations usually work. As for why? You have to be more specific than that, Zechs-chan."
"Why is he here, Ancestor? If I word got out… do you even comprehend the ramifications of that? The Old Satan faction would no doubt think that we are preparing for war… "
"Sirzechs. Do you think me a fool? Of course, I understand. But tell me honestly, who would be stupid enough to do something? To actually do something, and not just issue empty threats or curse us behind our backs? So what if our businesses could potentially suffer some temporary losses? We are rich enough as it is. He is worth it."
"Also, that is if a word got out. Are you going to tell? Because neither Venelana nor I is going to, and nobody else knows he even exists. "
"It's not that simple, Ancestor. Despite what has been said, I am still one of the four Satans."
"…are you stupid, boy? You're a devil, so be fucking selfish, because I know I am! There is a reincarnation of Solomon sleeping in the next room. He is completely and utterly human. He has no memory of his previous life. He has no built-in prejudices against most of our kind, so think for a second." She got genuinely mad at me, and that made me stop.
Also, I don't think I've been cursed at since forever.
"Be selfish? What do you mean?"
"Oh, for crying out loud, Venelana told me about the idiotic marriage contract Zeoticus signed, and she told me about your stupid solution. So if you'd be so kind, please put two and two together, okay?" She was looking at me like some parents do when a child doesn't understand their math homework. But when I stopped for a second, and my mind caught up to what she was trying to say, I was probably even more shocked. Why wasn't that the first thing to pop into my mind? Was it just the name itself?
"You— *sigh* You want Rias to reincarnate him? You want to make King Solomon a devil?"
"Yes. Do you want heaven to scoop him up and feed him their own skewed stories about the "Wise King"? Or maybe you want Azazel to bribe him with a harem full of women?" She asked incredulously.
.
"It's not a terrible idea… not terrible at all…"
"Obviously, it's not. I was going to offer to do it myself in a few months, but then I talked with Venelana, and she brought Rias and her situation up."
"Of course, Mom immediately jumped at the chance… Father's decision…" I muttered. Dad really messed up big time. Not that he regrets it, the stubborn fool.
"Was stupid? Greedy? I know. Don't act like you're any better, though. All it would take is one visit to Lord Phenex, and this whole thing would have been over the moment Rias said no. But you didn't do that, did you?" I let her lay into me. I've heard worse from Mom already. As if I did not know that. But none of them has to balance the fragile peace we now have on their shoulders.
I do.
"Yeah, yeah… It is as you say, but we are straying from the main topic." I said placatingly.
"Hmm. Whatever, Zechs-chan. It's not like you have to worry your pretty little head about it anymore." She waved a hand dismissively, as if this whole thing was a minor inconvenience she could shoo away.
"*sigh* I'd like to speak with him before I even consider informing Rias. Surely, you'd allow that, no?"
"Sure, not today, though. Sol is already sleeping. You should join us for breakfast."
"Send a servant for me whenever you two are ready, and I have just one more question before I retire for the night. Did you talk to him about it? The offer, I mean."
"No, not yet, and you should not mention anything tomorrow either. Let Rias convince him on her own… Shouldn't be that hard…"
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Sol POV
Okay, is it just this family, or are all devils incredibly gorgeous? What the hell?
First Runeas and Venelana, and now this guy as well.
How is he so hot? Is it the food or something?
The guy in question was Sirzechs Lucifer, and apparently, he was here because of me. Well, because of old Solomon, really, but you know what I mean.
Yeah, so, not ideal. Not only was he staring at me intently whenever he thought I was not looking, but whenever our eyes met, he gave me a small smile and a nod. What's up with that?
"So, Sol… How do you like it here?" He asked once we were finished eating. Of course, now the interrogation begins. I quickly looked at Runeas, and she gave me an encouraging nod. Okay then, I guess I'm doing this.
"I–It's nice here, and Runeas is nice to me even if I don't know why, and the gardens are really pretty, and you have a nice selection of flowers. The cooks are incredible, they made me the best food I've ever tasted, and you have so many magical books that I don't know where to even start, and your Mom is so nice and—"
"Sol? Slow down... Breathe." I felt a hand land on my shoulder and squeeze gently. Right, right, breathing.
"Um— Sorry." I felt my face heating up, and I wanted to just run away from this whole thing because I saw the corners of his mouth tugging upwards.
Yeah, good job, Sol. Now he's laughing at you. He thinks you're an idiot.
"No, no, it's okay. It's honestly pretty refreshing to hear. Most people here take it for granted." Thankfully, he did not wait for my response. Because what would I even say to that?
"You mentioned magical books? What caught your interest?" He asked curiously. And at least he chose a great topic. Because magic was something I loved talking about.
"Oh, um, well, can you wait a second?" He nodded, and I ran back into my room and picked up the vase full of time-frozen flowers.
"See this? Their time has stopped, but the area of effect is tiny. I had to use the spell on each flower I plucked, that's how tiny it is. But what if I could make it big? Like big enough to fill a room?" Sirzechs leaned in to look at them.
Too close.
I really tried not to stare at him, but it was like trying not to stare at a pink elephant. Impossible.
"That's impressive. How long did it take you?" He asked, and his eyes shifted from the flowers to look at me.
"T—The spell? Well… once I figured out how it worked, maybe a second for each flower?"
"Huh?" He looked at me in disbelief, and I swear I heard Runeas snicker under her breath.
"Oookay. And you want to make it bigger?" He pulled himself together and spoke so quickly I could have sworn I simply imagined the look on his face.
"If I'm ever in danger… T–Then I could just stop time and run away." And maybe that was the wrong thing to say? The way he looked at me… Softly. Warmly. And maybe a bit sadly? What was I supposed to do with that?
And since I didn't know, I just remained quiet.