3rd POV
After the negotiation, Arto came out of the library with Robin who had just had her mask came off, revealing an incredibly gorgeous woman underneath "It's been a pleasure working with you, Arto, but I must ask...."
Arto turned to her as they accompany each other "...why choose Gremory out of all clans? That house was in ruin, and to someone like you, it's unlikely a prime choice"
Arto went silent to that question, clearly hesitant of answering, so Robin continued "It's unlikely that they forced your hands, they don't have that kind of power anymore, or is it that daughter of that house, Rias, caught your interest?"
She looked at him, tilting her head, before answering "Unlikely, because it doesn't look like you can be easily seduced. So why, why chose a clan that was falling apart because of war?"
"War? Was it the reason of their decline?" He asked to both avoid the previous question and to delve into what he has been asking for a while about the financial hardship Gremory was facing.
Robin let out a half-smile as she turned forwards "So they truly didn't tell you? What a shame, desperation to keep you around, they hid the most brutal part of their history from you. Then let me tell you. 20 years ago, Gremory was in a war with Phenex clan and 12 of their vassal clans."
Arto's eyes widened slightly "13 vs 1?" Robin nodded "Indeed, Gremory was surrounded on all fronts, they fought valiantly of course, but they lost 90% of their 26 devilish legions, while the other side lost 75%, 25% of Gremory domain was lost to the victor and a armistice agreement was written, Gremory had to pay for all the war expenses, and the next heiress of the clan must be wed into Phenex clan, you know that poor little girl"
Arto shuddered slightly under the revelation, 'Rias.....' that name rung in his head, "Did she know she was living on borrowed time?" He had hoped the answer would be no, because he still remember her smile in his magic class, happy, genuine, like carrying no burden on her back.
But he also remembered how desperate she was when trying to keep him, how she cried to that piece of Simulation paper like a miracle, the answer might be expected "She did" Robin answered "From the moment she was old enough to know what a marriage is, she wasn't born when the war happened, but she is the one who took the consequences of that conflicts, and now, she only has one year left before the day comes, when she turned 18"
Arto stopped on his track, his legs had frozen from the moment that information laid out before him, she has been hiding him this whole time about her own situation, about her own shortened youth due to a war she never had any role in 'Why didn't you tell me, Rias? What could you have done on your own?' he thought, a surge of protectiveness course through him like a spark, igniting a flame inside him.
"Whoa, what's happening there?" Robin's voice snapped him out of the thoughts, he noticed she is right in front of him, almost matching his height as her blue eyes staring into his with sheer curiosity "A flicker of blue fire just appeared in your eyes, I wonder if that's a spell to calm your emotions, or....something else?"
Arto blinked, the intensity in his gaze receding as he took a slow, stabilizing breath. The sudden surge of protective instinct had been visceral, a remnant of the soldier who would burn a forest down to protect a comrade's retreat. He looked at Robin, whose expression remained one of clinical interest, though there was a flicker of something like respect in her eyes.
"Don't mind it, just.... don't say anything, I am having too much to process any the moment" He rubbed his eyes before heading towards the train station, but stopped as if remembered something "Wait, Robin,...."
"You'll meet the financial consultant where you get the Dream Mirror" she placed a piece of paper into his hand from behind "Warehouse 17, North Port District. Shelf 42-B. Crate marked 'Maritime Survey Equipment – 1987.' Authentication phrase: 'The sea remembers what the shore forgets.'" She said smoothly before letting go of his hand "Now off you go, партнёр"
Arto took the piece of paper, holding it tightly in his hand "Thank you, partner, now I must go, I have a class to teach, if you want to attend, feel free to take a seat" He started walking towards the train station again. "How are you going to teach when your mind is not of a teacher, but of a strategist and politician?" Robin said from behind him "You're not teaching to enlighten their minds, but to weaponize the knowledge for your personal gain."
Arto stopped at the edge of the platform steps and glanced back over his shoulder. The city is buzzing with people and sunlight, but only between them, the cold silence of the revelation has captured them both in a space of their own.
He did not pretend the observation had missed its mark. "You're not wrong," he said. "I am teaching them to fight. The formulas, the simulation architecture, the way of thinking that turns mana into something measurable and repeatable — all of it is a weapon. The difference is that I am forging the weapons in their hands instead of pointing them at their throats."
He turned fully to face her, the piece of paper with the warehouse coordinates still folded tight in his fist. "Rias has one year. The clan has less if the Phenex decide the armistice is no longer convenient. Every student who masters even a fraction of Systematic Magic becomes another piece that cannot be ignored on the board."
He sighed, turning his back towards her again "Sona's peerage, Rias's peerage, a generation that can rewrite the cost of power itself. If that happens to keep a girl out of a forced marriage and a ruined house from being erased, then the personal gain and the larger purpose are the same thing."
Robin's expression did not soften, but something in her eyes sharpened with recognition. "You speak as if the Underworld will simply allow you to redistribute the foundations of magical strength without consequence."
"They won't," Arto answered. "That is why I need people like you. Information. Leverage. Early warning. And a financial consultant who understands how to turn technological monopoly into political oxygen before the old houses realize what is happening."
He started down the steps toward the station proper. "The invitation stands. If you want to sit in on a class and see exactly what kind of weapons I am handing out, the door is open." Robin remained behind, watching him go, until.... "Arto," she called after him.
He paused without turning. "When you look at that girl," Robin said, voice carrying clearly across the distance, "do not let the strategist forget what the man is fighting for. The moment the two become the same thing, you will lose both."
Arto stood still for a beat longer than necessary. Then he gave a single, almost imperceptible nod and continued into the station without looking back.
[Timeskip: Brought to you by chibi Arto clinging to chibi Rias]
After the lesson where Arto continued to teach his students how to apply physical laws into spells visualization, when the students have gone home, only Rias, Akeno and Arto are left in the clubhouse, "Akeno, can you leave us alone for a moment?" Arto asked, his voice devoid any kind of playfulness Akeno likes, but filled with seriousness and weight.
Akeno looked at Arto, and at Rias, who still seemed unaware of the situation "I see, I'll be in the kitchen, yell if you need a referee, okay?" She placed a kiss on Arto's cheek before heading into the kitchen to make dinner for the trio.
When Akeno is gone, Rias came to Arto "What do you want to talk about, Arto? Was it the meeting with the Spy, or...." She looked at his face and noticed the usual harmless Arto is gone "Something else?"
Arto sighed before directing his dark blue eyes directly at hers like an interrogation, making Rias flinch before that freezing pressure of his gaze "Rias, be honest with me, Spy has told me everything about your family and.... the marriage you're forced to be in." He said, his eyes softened, but never left hers,
"I won't blame you; you were not born when the agreement was signed and the war was fought, I just want you to be honest with me, how deep is the hole your family is in? I won't leave you, but I need to know what I am dealing with?"
He came closer to Rias, who was trying to evade his gaze, he held her by the shoulders firmly, "Look at me, Rias, look at this partner of yours. Do you think in 1000 years I led the Abyssgard Legion, I've never encountered hardships?" He asked, his gaze narrowed, his irises shaking as if he was about to cry.
Bowing his head, another long exhale from his mouth "No, Rias, no, hardships are what made Abyssgard unstoppable, what made me the man I am, so please, with all the sincerity of your teacher and companion, please Rias."
His gaze is on her face, trying to make contact with her evading eyes "Be honest with me so that I can help you, what kind of leader will you be if you can't use all the resources you have for the growth of your house? And you're having a freaking strategist with more than 1000 years of experience right here, willing to do anything for you"
For a moment she stood frozen under his hands, shoulders tense, eyes fixed somewhere past his collarbone. The usual confident heiress mask she wore in front of the peerage and at school had cracked the instant he spoke the words "the marriage." Now it was gone entirely, leaving only a seventeen-year-old girl who had been carrying a quiet, private sentence for years.
"Arto..." Her voice came out thinner than she intended. She tried to step back, but his grip on her shoulders was firm without being harsh. "I was going to tell you. I just... needed more time. I needed to become strong enough that it wouldn't matter anymore. That I wouldn't be the only thing standing between my house and extinction."
She finally forced her gaze up to meet his. The deep blue of his eyes was no longer the calm, analytical color she had grown used to in class. There was something raw and tightly controlled beneath it — the same intensity she had only glimpsed when he spoke of the Abyss or the old wars.
"You want the full depth of the hole?" she asked, a brittle edge entering her tone. "Fine." She drew a slow breath, as if preparing to recite a ledger she had memorized long ago.
"Twenty years of reparations. The Phenex clan and the twelve vassals receive annual payments that still consume nearly forty percent of what remains of Gremory revenue. We lost a quarter of our original territory — the most resource-rich quarter." She sniffed, but steeled herself again to continue
"The legions that survived were gutted. Most of the surviving retainers left for more stable houses. What you see now — the peerage, the school, the clubhouse — is what we managed to rebuild on the scraps. My brother covers what he can without making it look like Lucifer is openly favoring his blood family. My parents have spent two decades walking a political tightrope so the armistice does not shatter."
Her hands came up and rested lightly against his chest, not pushing him away, simply needing the contact. "And yes. When I turn eighteen, I am to be handed over to Riser Phenex as his bride. The contract is absolute under Underworld law. If Gremory refuses, the armistice ends. And Phenex would have legal cause to finish what they started. We would not survive it. That is the hole, Arto. That is what I have been staring at every single day since I was old enough to understand what the word 'heiress' actually meant."
Her voice cracked on the last word. She looked away again, jaw tight. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to look at me the way everyone else eventually does — like a tragedy that already has a fixed ending. I wanted... I wanted you to stay because of what we were building, not because you felt obligated to save a doomed girl."
Arto's hands remained on her shoulders. He did not interrupt. He simply listened, the same way he listened when a student presented a flawed formula — absorbing every detail without judgment.
When she finished, the silence in the clubhouse was heavy. From the kitchen came the faint, ordinary sounds of Akeno preparing dinner, a quiet reminder that the rest of the world was still moving while this conversation held them in place.
Arto exhaled slowly through his nose. The pressure in his gaze eased, but the intensity did not leave. "I am not looking at you like a tragedy," he said, voice low and steady. "I am looking at a leader who has been forced to fight with one hand tied behind her back for her entire life. That ends now."
He shifted one hand from her shoulder to the side of her face, thumb brushing once beneath her eye where the sheen of unshed tears had gathered.
"You have a strategist with more than a thousand years of experience standing in front of you, Rias Gremory. You have technology that can rewrite the economic and military foundations of the Underworld. You have an intelligence partner who already knows enough to make several houses very nervous. And you have one year."
His eyes held hers without flinching. "We are going to use every single one of those resources. You will not walk into that marriage. The armistice will not be the end of your house. And you will never again have to carry this alone while smiling for the sake of everyone else."
He leaned in slightly, forehead nearly touching hers. "But I need you to stop treating me like a temporary advantage you are afraid of losing. I am not leaving. So stop hiding the depth of the problem from the one person who can actually help you dig out of it. Do you understand me?"
Rias's fingers curled into the fabric of his shirt. For several long seconds she simply breathed, the carefully maintained walls she had lived behind for years trembling under the weight of finally being seen. Then, very quietly, she nodded. "...I understand."
"Here is the plan for now," Arto said calmly, brushing the wetness of Rias' eyes away "I will go retrieve the Dream Mirror tomorrow and start building Simulation Room, will take about a month for everything to be finished, when it's done, the broken manufacturing lines will be back online, and I mean every single one of them."
Rias was startled as she heard that plan, an impossible task, yet he spoke like nothing "Gremory will start with taking subcontracting orders from other clans, using the unprecedented simulation power of Simulation Room to complete orders at a speed no one could imagine, but this is important, we take not the usual orders, no,"
He shook his head "We are playing big, we are taking rushing orders, ones that are important enough for clans to be willing to pay any price to complete them on time, that's where Simulation Room comes in with endless versatility in modifying manufacturing lines to be able to make anything the clients demand, or unable to do"
"But won't it attract too much attention?" Rias asked, but Arto didn't seem to waver, or even care "It will, but do you notice? We are holding some rushing orders hostages, if ordering clans want their goods completed, they will have to vouch for us against unwanted scrutiny, if the orders are big enough, we can even use our hardships as an excuse to force the clients to help us build some infrastructures for the delivery, leading to the recovery of the commercial connections, though partly"
"So that's you plan~" A soothing voice came from the door, and there stood Robin leaning against the door frame, her mask is off and next to her, luggage like she was moving somewhere or went on a long vacation "Do you have any opinions on my plan, Spy?"
This got Rias to turn back to take a look at the woman Arto just called 'Spy', and there she was, the most dangerous intel broker in the world, standing right before here with her face not behind any concealment, smooth, flowing raven hair, piercing, intelligent blue eyes, and gorgeous face. "Rias, meet Robin, or as you have known as the Spy"
The woman waved back at Rias "Good evening~I believe this house still has a few empty room, I'll take one of them for myself as a term in my agreement with your precious strategist to protect me and my work"
Rias spun around so quickly that Arto had to steady her with a hand at her waist. Standing in the doorway of the clubroom, completely unmasked and carrying two sleek black suitcases, was the woman Arto had just named Robin.
The same woman whose reputation made high-class devils speak in careful, lowered voices. Raven hair fell in a smooth cascade past her shoulders. Intelligent blue eyes assessed the room — and the two of them — with calm interest.
She looked entirely at ease, as if arriving unannounced at the Gremory clubhouse with luggage was the most natural thing in the world. "...You're the Spy," Rias managed at last. Her voice was carefully controlled, but the heiress training could not completely hide the shock. "And you're... moving in."
Robin's lips curved in a small, polite smile. "Temporarily. Your strategist and I reached an understanding earlier today. One of the terms was protection and a secure base of operations while certain... rearrangements of my network take place. An empty room in a well-warded Gremory property satisfies both requirements rather neatly." She tilted her head, blue eyes flicking between Rias and Arto. "I hope that isn't a problem."
Arto's expression remained calm. He had not looked particularly surprised by the arrival. "It's within the terms we discussed," he said. "Robin will operate independently. She is not joining the peerage, and she answers to neither house. She simply requires a roof that cannot be easily compromised while she turns her attention outward."
Rias's gaze sharpened. The emotional vulnerability from moments earlier had not vanished, but the political instincts of a pure-blood heiress were already rising to meet the new variable. "And you overheard the plan," she said.
"Most of it," Robin replied lightly. She set the suitcases down with a soft thud and leaned one shoulder against the doorframe again. "Rush contracts. Simulation-driven manufacturing. Using desperate clients as political insulation. It's aggressive. Efficient. And it will paint a very large target on this house the moment the first high-value order is completed ahead of schedule."
She looked directly at Arto. "You asked for my opinion. Here it is: the core idea is sound, but you are underestimating how quickly the Phenex and the twelve vassals will react once they realize Gremory is suddenly capable of rewriting production timelines. Speed alone will not be enough. You will need layers of misdirection, controlled leaks, and at least two or three client houses so deeply entangled that any move against Gremory becomes economically suicidal for them. I can arrange the early information scaffolding for that. In exchange, I expect the same level of protection and access we already agreed upon."
Rias glanced at Arto, then back at Robin. The reality of the situation was settling in: the most dangerous independent intelligence broker in the supernatural world had just walked into her clubhouse, announced she was taking a room, and begun critiquing their recovery strategy as if she already belonged in the conversation.
Arto met Rias's eyes for a brief moment — a silent check-in — before answering Robin. "Your assessment is noted. We'll refine the client selection criteria together once the Simulation Room is online. For now, take whichever empty room you prefer on the second floor. The wards already recognize you as an authorized guest."
Robin's smile widened a fraction, equal parts amusement and acknowledgment. "How efficient." She straightened and picked up her suitcases. "I'll get settled. Try not to finish redesigning the Underworld's economy before dinner. It would be rude to Akeno."
She paused at the threshold, blue eyes lingering on Rias for a beat longer. "And Lady Gremory... the next time you decide to hide a twenty-year-old existential threat from the only person in a position to help you dismantle it, consider that some secrets become more dangerous the longer they are kept. Especially from the people who have already chosen to stand beside you."
With that, she disappeared into the hallway, the soft sound of her footsteps and the wheels of the suitcases fading toward the stairs.
The clubroom fell quiet again. Rias remained still for several seconds, staring at the empty doorway. Then she let out a long, slow breath and leaned her forehead against Arto's shoulder. "...You really did form an alliance with her," she murmured. "And now she's living under the same roof."
Arto's hand settled lightly against the back of her head. "She is useful," he said simply. "And she is already invested in the outcome. That makes her safer than most alternatives."
From the kitchen, Akeno's voice floated in, bright and deliberately casual: "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes~ Should I set a fourth place?" Rias closed her eyes and gave a quiet, almost helpless laugh against Arto's shirt. "Yes, Akeno," she called back. "Set a fourth place."
[Dining Room]
Arto sat at an angle to Akeno, speaking in a low, measured voice as he laid out the broad strokes of what had been decided: the Dream Mirror, the Simulation Room, the rush-contract strategy, the one-year timeline.
Akeno listened, but her eyes kept drifting to the line of his jaw, the way his fingers moved when he emphasized a point, the rare softness that appeared whenever he glanced toward Rias. The strategic details seemed secondary to the simple fact that he was still here, still choosing this table, this house, these people.
Across from them, Robin lifted another piece of fish with elegant precision and looked at Rias over the rim of her chopsticks. "You've gotten yourself quite a dedicated partner, Rias," she said, voice low enough that it remained their conversation.
"He could have jumped the ship. That's what a normal person with his kind of mindset would do. Yet he didn't. That says something... both about him—" her gaze flicked briefly toward Arto, then returned, sharper, towards Rias "—and about you."
Rias's fingers tightened slightly around her own chopsticks. She kept her expression composed, the heiress mask settling back into place out of long habit, though the conversation from earlier still left a raw edge beneath it.
"He stays because he chooses to," Rias answered quietly. "Not because he was trapped into it." Robin's smile was small and knowing. "Oh, I know. That's the interesting part. Most men who carry that much capability treat attachment like a liability. They keep exit routes open. He burned his the moment he decided the Phenex contract was an unacceptable outcome."
She took another unhurried bite, chewed, and swallowed. "I've sold information on people like him before. The ones who survive longest are usually the ones who refuse to let anyone become a reason to stay. He is doing the opposite. That makes him either very dangerous... and very valuable"
On the other side of the table, Akeno finally spoke, her tone light but her eyes serious. "I get most of the plan, but how would that break the marriage? I know economic power comes with political power, but that paper still exists nonetheless, and they can force it on Rias anytime they want, especially when they notice the sudden rise of Gremory"
"It shouldn't be the problem you need to worry about at the moment, but if you really want to know, I'll need a few more information regarding the matter" He settled the chopsticks down entirely "Starting with the one leading Phenex at the moment, Robin?"
The Spy sighed, she was expecting a peaceful night, but it seems her knowledge is needed again "The current leader of Phenex clan is Razer Phenex, a formidable leader, but a warmonger one, a beast on the battlefield, a wolf in political play, but never strong in clan managing, it's shouldered by his eldest son, Ruval Phenex."
Arto nodded slightly, saying nothing, so Robin continued "His power in the land is the most dominating, all vassal houses around the land bowed him and never questioned his decision. On the battlefield, he is a cunning leader, the battle against Gremory is a prime example, you might think losing 75% to win is the mark of a fool, but with Gremory leader Zeoticus's ability to see 7 days into the future, that's a considerable feat because there were enemies lost more but still defeated by Gremory's vision"
Arto didn't move, he only listened until "Let me ask you something, Robin, how much of those 75% were of Phenex main force?" Robin's eyes brightened, she noticed Arto's intention "4/5 of them were of 12 vassal clans, 6 clans were wiped off clean in that war, their lands were claimed entirely by Phenex with those they took from Gremory domain"
Arto clasped his hands together, "And the plan is clear" No one aside from Robin who seems to understand what Arto was trying to say after just hearing what Robin said "Huh?" Rias raised an eyebrow.
Arto let out a smile "Let me just explain it, the breaking point of everything is Razer Phenex, him down and the entire hierarchy around Phenex domain falls with him, and the one who will orchestrate that fall is.....6 remaining vassal houses of Phenex"
Robin continued "Being left behind in the glory of Phenex, not getting enough share for their major sacrifice in the victory against Gremory birthed resentment and injustice. Phenex claiming the land of the dead clans raised fear about one day being the next one on the plate."
Arto nodded "They have all the reason to be cautious with Phenex at the moment, and all more reason to go against that clan.... if not for the power of Razer Phenex on the battlefield. So, we'll hand them the instrument for them to brace themselves against the Phenex.... magic-tech weapons"
"It will accomplish 2 crucial goals," Robin raised one finger "One, it advertises the power of magic-tech, the power that could keep a lesser house standing against a Marquis house" Another finger "Two, it proves Razer Phenex's incompetent openly, painting him as a leader who can't even manage his own vassal houses. If that kind of person gain an direct access of the weapon that could level the power between higher and lesser houses"
Arto shook his head "No one would allow that, no clans would stand that, they will push against the armistice agreement for Gremory because they don't want to see someone as imcompetent as Phenex to hold what's too powerful like magic-tech"
He turned to Rias "So what your clan need to do recover by subconstracting orders, and start developing magic-tech weapons to churn them to Phenex's vassal clans for a resistance, if they ever think about turning those weapons back on Gremory, the failsafes I planted into them will render them useless, and I must ask, would they ever dare do that? Because Gremory would have been protected by rush orders holders by then."
Rias sat very still, chopsticks forgotten beside her plate. The plan he and Robin had just outlined was no longer about economic recovery or political shields.
It was about deliberately destabilizing a Marquis house from within — feeding weapons to its own neglected vassals, forcing the rest of the Underworld to look at Razer Phenex and decide he was too dangerous to be allowed the prize of a Gremory bride and the technology that came with her.
Akeno's earlier lightness had vanished. She watched Arto with a sharp, assessing gaze, the same one she used when evaluating an opponent's hidden strength. "You're talking about starting a proxy conflict inside Phenex territory," she said quietly. "Arming the six remaining vassal houses just enough that they become a permanent thorn. Then letting the fear of magic-tech in the wrong hands do the rest of the work."
Arto met her eyes without flinching. "Yes. The armistice survives only as long as the other great houses believe the current arrangement is the least dangerous option. The moment they decide that letting Razer Phenex absorb Gremory's new capabilities is the greater risk, the political weather changes. The marriage clause becomes a liability instead of a settled debt."
Robin set her chopsticks down with deliberate care, the small smile still present but colder now. "It is elegant in its ugliness," she said. "You do not attack Phenex directly. You make the rest of the board do it for you by proving that Razer cannot control his own backyard. The vassals get tools that let them survive. Phenex looks incompetent. The other houses panic at the idea of an unstable warmonger suddenly gaining access to paradigm-shifting weapons through marriage. And Gremory, conveniently, is the only reliable source of the very technology everyone is suddenly afraid of."
Rias's voice came out low and controlled. "And the failsafes?"
"Built into every core formula and every Stabilizer-linked component," Arto answered. "If any of those weapons are ever turned against Gremory, Sitri, or anyone under my protection, they become inert. Permanently. The vassals will know this from the beginning. That knowledge alone makes betrayal far less attractive than using the weapons to keep Phenex honest."
He glanced at Robin, her blue eyes moved between them. "There is another risk. Once magic-tech weapons exist in the hands of lesser houses, the precedent cannot be erased. Other factions will demand access. Some will try to steal it. Some will try to outlaw it. You are not just solving the Phenex problem. You are forcing the entire Underworld to confront a new category of power. That will create enemies far beyond one Marquis house."
Arto inclined his head. "I know. That is the larger game. But I know for certain they won't attack Gremory, and it's not just about the temporary political shields. It's down to a psychological mindset Gremory will use against external priers. Let me ask you something, when you see a clan selling weapons that could bridge the gap between 2 asymmetrical forces, what do you think of that clan?"
Robin answered almost immediately "You perceive that if they can confidently sell these weapons, they must have had ways against those weapons if they are pointed back at them, or....they are holding something more powerful under their sleeves"
Arto's mouth curved in a thin, cold smile. "Exactly. The moment lesser houses start fielding magic-tech weapons and surviving encounters they should have lost, every major clan will run the same calculation you just did."
And with that, he started pacing around the dining table "Either Gremory has reliable failsafes and countermeasures... or Gremory is sitting on something even more dangerous that they have chosen not to sell. In both interpretations, attacking Gremory directly becomes an unacceptable risk."
He leaned forward slightly, resting his hand on the table. "Fear of the unknown is more reliable than temporary political shields. The rush-order clients buy us time and public cover. The weapons sold to the Phenex vassals create internal pressure on Razer. But the psychological posture — the image of a house confident enough to arm its potential equals — is what keeps the rest of the board from simply deciding to erase the source."
Robin studied him for a long moment, blue eyes sharp with professional appreciation. "You are turning transparency into a deterrent. I like that, it's better for me to work without having to risk my own credibity." Her hands started weaving, packs of intel ready to be delievered the moment the payment is satisfied.
Akeno's gaze moved between them, thoughtful. "And if someone decides to test that bluff? If a higher-ranked house decides the only way to know what Gremory is truly holding is to force the issue?"
Arto's expression did not change. "That's when you" He pointed at Akeno, then at Rias "and you, and your peerage would come into the play. The reason I taught you Systematic Magic, trained your fighting prowess, it's for moments like this, you all, along with the security forces of Gremory like Stray Hunting Agency and Public Security, will become the political shield for Gremory clan in its recovery"
Robin nodded "Indeed, no clan would dare declare war on a clan based on a vague assumptions, they will send their scouts, spies, intruders, they will contact people like me for information before pouring their forces"
"And... what exactly will you say when asked, Robin?" Rias asked, eyes narrowed, Robin's agreement with Arto made her a partner with him, but it doesn't gaurantee that she would work for the benefits of the clan. Robin simply shrugged "I... will confirm their fear...."
She put a finger over Rias' opening lips "No, I'm not lying for the cause of your clan, Rias dear, I said so because..... I've viewed Arto's magic-tech weapon designs, and it confirmed what other clans would be afraid of, he does possess such powerful weapons"
But she is not done "But it won't stop the attempts, maybe it will even amplify the greed over the weapons. But like my партнёр said, that's when you all play your role, not in an open war, in a more discreet and precise one, the war beneath the peace"
Rias slowly closed her mouth beneath Robin's finger, crimson eyes still narrowed but no longer purely suspicious. The confirmation that the weapons were genuinely as dangerous as the fear they would generate landed with quiet weight.
Akeno leaned back in her chair, arms folding beneath her chest. The playful edge she usually carried had fully given way to the Queen's sharper focus.
Arto nodded as he placed the washed bowls onto the cupboard. "Exactly. Every failed probe that ends with their people dead or captured without a trace reinforces the psychological deterrent. Over time the message becomes clear: whatever Gremory is holding, the cost of verifying it by force is higher than the value of the information."
Robin withdrew her hand from Rias's lips and rested her chin lightly on her knuckles, studying the two devils. "The war beneath the peace," she repeated, almost tasting the phrase. "A war less noisy, but no less intense, especially on the decision makers, the beatdown should be enough to draw the line, but not enough to draw them closer, an extreme balance of politic, tactic and strategy" Robin took her book out and started reading like she was absorbed into the pages.
The silence of words came after only made the weigh of the stake higher, it's only subsided by the sound of running water as Arto rinsed the bowls "And do we have people capable of making those decisions?" Rias asked, looking at the 2 best candiates she can think of outside her parents, Arto and Robin, one is doing the washing-up, one is engrossing into a book, one the leader of 10 millions strongs, one the All Seeing Eye.
"Yep, us, but one is going underground to build Simulation Room soon" Arto closed the cupboard with a soft click and dried his hands on a towel, the ordinary domestic motion somehow at odds with the scale of the conversation.
"And one is studying to teach Systematic Magic in place of the one going underground, along with keep your clan ahead in intel war" Robin kept reading without looking up "Meaning the best candiates are your parents and the leaders of Gremory clan at the moment, they know the political situation down there more than we do, I'm just 30 and Arto has just been here for a month, comparing to people who have been leading for centuries, we are still somewhat rookies"
Rias's gaze moved between the two of them — Arto calmly drying his hands after washing the dishes, Robin absorbed in the open pages of Spellcrafting Formulas as if the fate of houses were only a secondary concern.
"So the two people who designed this entire approach are about to make themselves partially unavailable," she said. "You're going underground to build the Simulation Room. She's going to bury herself in the system so she can teach it and run the intelligence side. That leaves the most delicate political judgments — the ones that decide whether a response is 'enough to draw the line but not enough to draw them closer' — to my parents and the remaining senior retainers."
Arto hung the towel neatly over the oven handle and turned to face her. "Yes. And that is intentional." He leaned back against the counter, arms loosely folded. "Robin is right. I have been in this world for a month. She has operated as an independent broker, not as a house politician. Your parents have spent twenty years keeping Gremory alive under the armistice.
He put the towel on the counter after drying his hand "They understand the exact temperature of every other clan's patience in a way neither of us yet can. When a probe needs to be answered, the decision of how hard to answer it should come from people who already know which houses will escalate and which will retreat."
Robin turned a page. "We provide the tools and the information. They provide the judgment on the political temperature. That division of labor is the only way this stays stable. If Arto or I start making those calls while still learning the deeper currents, we will eventually misread a reaction and turn a quiet war into an open one."
Akeno, who had been listening from her seat, rested her chin on one hand. "So the structure becomes: Arto builds the engine and the weapons. Robin keeps the shadows mapped and the narrative controlled. The peerage and security forces become the precise response unit. And the actual decision of when and how hard to strike sits with Zeoticus, Venelana, and the senior council."
"Correct," Arto said. "I will still advise. Robin will still provide intelligence assessments. But the final authority on political risk has to remain with the people who have been carrying this house for centuries. Anything else is arrogance."
And he pushed off the counter "Now that you've known your importance in this whole campaign, Rias, Akeno, I do hope you treat it seriously, learn and apply the knowledge with clear knowledge that you'll use them in real life to protect the rise of Gremory."
He moved past them with quiet grace, heading upstairs "I'll be drafting a detailed plan to send to your parents about this plan to see what they'll say" He left them eventually, the closing sound of the door signaled it.
Then Robin followed him, with the book not leaving her face "To think that one day I get to read this fascinating book with 40% of my network off, it's truly a day off" She moved past Akeno and Rias with a gentle reminder "Don't wake me up until tomorrow's afternoon, it's been years since the last time I have such peaceful night"
[Arto's Room]
In Arto's room, Rias and Akeno are doing their homework like usual, tacky, but enlightening tasks of visualizing spells with physical effects. But when they look at Arto sitting at his desk, typing with unnatural speed on his laptop sketching out plans to turn Gremory clan around.
Despite their worry, they didn't dare to disturb Arto's work because they know he is pouring everything he has into this campaign from strategy, to innovations, to his vision.
The plan is only the starting point, what came after that plan would truly put Arto's mind into a real test.
Manufacturing rushing orders are not simple tasks despite theirs high rewards. There are reasons those orders are in stalemate, rushing states, and why houses pay big money to whoever could complete them on time, or even just complete them.
Loss of tools, methods, especially people are reasons, but what's worse is the knowledge behind them, lost to war, time and ancient tomes no one could decipher, and their importance were so immense that some clans never gave up on them, their works need things that can never be recreated, or fixed when broken, especially King houses like Paimon, Zagan, Beleth, Bael, Asmodeus.....
If they can satisfy these clients, they won't just get paid with absurd amount of money, they become an essential part of the great houses' network of benefits, political protection must be in order.
Phenex is just a Marquis-rank house comparing to King-rank houses, they wouldn't dare make a single move against the one clan who is assisting the Kings of Hell in their meticulous works.
But it would put an unbearable pressure on Arto's mind to create lost techniques of a world he only arrived in a month ago, maybe that's why he needed someone like Robin, her knowledge is essential for this kind of work from deciphering the tomes to assisting the recreation of lost techniques
Akeno's voice was barely more than a breath. "He's trying to rebuild knowledge that this world forgot," she murmured, eyes still on her notes. "In a language of magic he only started translating a month ago."
Rias did not answer immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on Arto's profile. "That's why he needs Robin," she said quietly. "Not just for intelligence. For the gaps. The tomes no one can read anymore. The techniques that exist only as incomplete diagrams or oral fragments. She has spent decades collecting the kind of obscure knowledge most houses never bother to preserve."
On the desk, Arto's fingers finally stopped. He sat motionless for several seconds, staring at the screen as if the next sequence of decisions had to be weighed with physical care.
hen he reached for the tablet, opened a new note, and began writing by hand — slower now. The shift from rapid planning to careful formal language meant he had moved from internal strategy to the report that would reach her parents.
Rias exchanged a glance with Akeno. Neither of them rose. Neither of them spoke louder. They simply returned to their own work.
[Timeskip: Brought to you by Rias and Akeno forcing Arto to go to bed]
The next morning, when Rias, Akeno, Kiba and Koneko are heading to school, Arto was nowhere to be found, and it got Kiba curious "Uhm, Buchou, Akeno-senpai, where is Arto-senpai? I have some questions regarding alchemy to ask him"
Koneko agreed as she took out a test paper from her backpack, a 100 points physic test "Senpai. Where? Flex" She showed the test result to the group.
"Wow, you seriously got a 100 on physics" Rias took the paper to see and she was genuinely amazed by this result while checking if Koneko faked it or not "Senpai's teaching. Easier to understand than my teacher." She commented flatly
As for Akeno she opened the school bag on her shoulder, revealing inside a sleeping ball of gray fur no bigger than a fist, it's slumbering soundly under a small pink blanket "Here is your senpai, stayed up till near morning to complete the plan for what to come, now he is sleeping to teach magic class in the afternoon"
She reached inside the bag to pet the tiny wolf, and he took her finger as his hugging pillow. Kiba stopped mid-step on the sidewalk, staring at the open bag."...That is Arto-senpai."
Koneko leaned in, golden eyes half-lidded but clearly interested. She poked the tiny gray ball of fur once with a careful finger. The wolf pup made a soft, disgruntled sound in its sleep and tightened its hold on Akeno's finger without waking.
"Mm. Small," she observed. "Cute." Rias pinched the bridge of her nose, though the corner of her mouth betrayed her. "He turned himself into a wolf the size of a rice ball so he could sleep in your bag."
Akeno's smile was equal parts fond and mischievous as she gently stroked the soft fur between the pup's ears with her free hand. "He finished the full operational outline for the Simulation Room and the first-phase recovery plan at approximately four in the morning. I found him face-down on the desk. When I tried to move him to the bed he just... shrank and climbed into my hands. I decided this was the most efficient way to transport him without further argument."
Kiba looked deeply conflicted between concern and the lingering desire to ask alchemy questions. "Is he... alright?
"He's fine," Rias said, though her gaze lingered on the tiny form with quiet worry. "He'll sleep until lunch, teach the afternoon Systematic Magic session, and then leave to retrieve the Dream Mirror. That was the schedule he wrote at the bottom of the report."
Koneko held up her perfect physics test again, as if presenting evidence. "Senpai's explanations. Better. Want more. Still want to flex" Akeno laughed softly and adjusted the bag so the little wolf was more securely nestled against the soft scarf she had placed inside.
"You'll get your explanations this afternoon. Until then, he is officially under my protection and is not to be disturbed." She gave the others a sweet smile that somehow still carried a warning. "Anyone who wakes him before he's ready will be dealing with me."
Kiba raised both hands in surrender. "Understood. I'll save the alchemy questions." Rias reached over and gently brushed one fingertip across the top of the tiny wolf's head. The pup made a small huffing sound in its sleep and nuzzled closer to Akeno's finger.
"...Idiot," she murmured, so quietly only Akeno caught it. The word held no heat — only the complicated mix of gratitude, worry, and reluctant affection that had become familiar over the past weeks.
[Kuoh Academy - Class 2-B]
The soft, private chime of the magical communicator against her wrist pulled Rias out of the dense theoretical text. She glanced down. The message was short, formal, and carried the unmistakable seal of the Gremory head:
Report to the secondary council chamber immediately. Closed session regarding the recovery proposal. Your presence is required. — Zeoticus Gremory
A second line followed, added almost as an afterthought yet heavier than the first:
The author of the proposal explicitly conditioned further discussion on your inclusion.
Rias stared at the words for several seconds. Around her the classroom continued as normal — the teacher's voice, the scratch of pens, the low rustle of pages. Arto's empty seat beside her felt suddenly more noticeable. In the bag at Akeno's feet one rows ahead, a tiny gray wolf remained oblivious, still curled under the pink blanket.
She closed Spellcrafting Formulas with deliberate care and slipped it into her bag. Akeno must have felt the shift in atmosphere. She glanced back, one eyebrow raised in silent question. Rias met her eyes and gave a small, sharp nod — the kind they had used for years when something important cut through ordinary school time.
Then she stood, offered the teacher a brief, polished excuse about a family matter that required immediate attention, and left the classroom before anyone could linger on the details.
[Meeting Room]
The secondary council chamber of the Gremory estate was deliberately austere. No banners, no unnecessary ornamentation — only a long table of dark wood, six high-backed chairs, and a single projection crystal hovering above the center. The air still carried the faint residual pressure of the privacy wards that had been reinforced the moment the session began.
Zeoticus Gremory sat at the head of the table, fingers steepled, the report open in holographic form before him. The document was dense, precise, and written with the cold clarity of someone who had planned campaigns measured in decades rather than seasons.
Venelana sat to his right, posture perfect, expression unreadable. Across from them were the three department heads who still formed the functional spine of what remained of the house:
Director Iroh of the Stray Hunting Agency
Director Balreth of Public Security
Professor Wisp of Research and Development
It was Wisp who broke the silence first.
"I will address the technical foundation before we discuss the politics," he said, adjusting his glasses. "The blueprints submitted under the proposal are not conceptual. We received working schematics for five core systems:
ManaNet — a distributed communication lattice that rides existing mana lines, reinforced by Stabilizer circulation. No physical cabling required. Prototype achieved sustained transfer rates significantly above conventional magical messaging.
Mana-crystal servers — data architecture encoded directly into structured mana matrices inside stabilized crystals. Storage, processing, and retrieval all function.
Stabilizer reactor — a closed-cycle energy system that converts ambient and directed mana into usable power with near-total recycling. Efficiency is... frankly offensive to every existing standard.
Simulation generators — the primary engines of the proposed Simulation Room.
A spatial-temporal version-control framework that treats sectors of the Simulation Room like branches in a repository. We were able to create, isolate, merge, and roll back test environments."
Wisp looked up, expression caught between awe and unease. "We built prototypes of each. They function. Some of them function better than the documentation suggested. The problem is that large portions of the underlying magical constructs are written in a logical language none of us fully comprehend."
Balreth sharpened his gaze "So you're saying you are running machines that even you and your people couldn't grasp the full function of?" Wisp nodded "Yes, what's more frustrating is how well they worked despite us not knowing fully about its core function"
Venelana tapped the table, getting everyone's attention "That is exactly what I wanted to talk about before Rias came in" She looked at every man in the room before continuing "That is Arto Abyssgard's rising political standing, and maybe..... his hidden agenda"
"You think so, love?" Zeoticus asked with cautiously low voice. Venelana nodded solemnly while gesturing towards the file Arto submitted this morning "The man had no actual knowledge of the current state of the Underworld, yet with unnatural understanding of the game of power, he made a plan that pulls Gremory out of the mud both economically and politically, putting an unprecedented pressure on the armistice agreement with Phenex."
The magnitude of her words settled on the men inside the room, making Zeoticus' expressions shifted ever slightly "That is not just a techinician, it's one of a seasoned politican, diplomat and strategist. And he did all that by putting himself at the center of the campaign as the main engine."
Wisp nodded while eyeing the plan file "If he was confident enough to place himself at the center, meaning he might possess the capability to carry this entire operation, and he is confident of himself to be able to do that, and with a mind like that...."
"It's hard to think he had no hidden plan" Iroh finished, his voice heavy with a mixture of respect and suspicion. "A man doesn't hand over a functional energy revolution and a political roadmap for free. He is buying something. The question is: what is the price, and when does the bill arrive?"
Balreth's words came in next to answer Iroh's concern "We might be seeing the bill, Iroh. Misstress Rias...." Venelana folded her arms under her chest, eyes closed "Indeed, Rias he become more and more attached to him from the moment he came into her life, maybe she is closer to him than her own parents, he has been her teacher, her strategist, her friend, companion...." she said, voice filled with something attuned to.... sadness.
Taking his wife's hand, Zeoticus knew what's going on in Venelana's mind and heart, their time has been dedicated to Gremory's recovery, and they have left their daughter to grow up almost entirely alone. And now, when she found herself a person who could help her grow, give her hope that her future isn't set in stone, it's natural for her to attach to that person, it's partly their fault for leaving her.
"The bill may have already arrived, he has gotten himself a free vote from our daughter, the heiress of this clan" Zeoticus said, squeezing his fingers "And the peerage of hers as well, all his students, all influenced by his leadership and teaching. He isn't just a strategist; he is building a foundation of loyalty that bypasses us entirely."
Wisp looked at the leaders with a sigh "I know your concern, my lieges, but what can we do? The knowledge of the new era is hidden behind countless authentication walls Arto built, only those he taught directly know how to create magical constructs that could function magic-tech machines and utilize the huge power output of Stabilizer"
Iroh raised an eyebrow "Wasn't that an advantage for Gremory, Wisp? Those knowing how to forge the future are people with benefits tying entirely to this clan" Balreth didn't wait a moment to answer "You're right, Iroh, but you're forgetting something important, with the elevation of the students, the teacher get a lift as well. He is controlling those who will shape the clan's future"
"I don't believe that is the entire case, Father, Mother, everyone" Rias spoke up, her voice steady and clear, cutting through the heavy atmosphere of the council chamber as she stepped into the meeting room.
The five leaders turned to her. Rias didn't take a seat; instead, she stood at the foot of the table, her expression serene yet resolute. "You speak as if Arto is a foreign invader attempting to annex the Gremory house through a series of calculated gifts. It's not wrong from your perspective, but you are missing the most vital piece of the puzzle: Arto doesn't work for the clan, he works with the clan via me based on the first contract we signed with each other on the first day he came to this world."
Zeoticus leaned back, his eyes narrowing slightly. "The contract you signed? The one that granted him a position as a strategic partner? Rias, we are discussing the long-term stability of our bloodline. The 'bill' we are talking about is the loss of autonomy. If the entire operational capacity of our house becomes dependent on a single man's formulas, we haven't gained a tool—we've gained a master."
"We are not gaining a master, Father, what Arto has been doing is not taking control over us, but keeping his personal knowledge safe while delivering his end of the deal with me," Rias replied, her voice gaining a firm, authoritative edge. "To be blunt, Arto doesn't trust any of you with his knowledge because he knows how this world works. He has seen the way noble houses treat 'assets'—they use them until they are depleted and then discard them. He isn't building a foundation of loyalty to bypass you; he is building a shield of competence so that he can actually be useful without being enslaved."
Venelana looked at her daughter, seeing a level of maturity and strategic clarity that hadn't been there just months ago. The influence of Arto was undeniable; Rias wasn't just defending her partner, she was articulating a cold, hard truth about the Underworld's nobility.
"And what of the 'price'?" Director Balreth asked, his voice skeptical. "There is no price, Mother, Arto has been honoring his end of the deal, I've delivered him my end, that is a shelter, food, books, identity protection from the clan's bureaucracy, that's all of it, he agreed, and now he is delivering knowledge, training, innovations to our collapsing clan"
Rias came to her parents "When he first appeared before me, he was a nobody, no records, no lineage, no nothing, he was just a man who appeared from the Void. He was the same, a man came into a new world he has neither knowledge nor connection. When he said what he could do, to me it was nonsense, baseless claims that were too hard to believe."
A sigh "But I chose to trust him, as he trusted me, a person he didn't know, to provide support for him, even if it's only food, shelter, and books. And until now, he is still delivering his end of the deal with me," Rias continued, her eyes locking with those of her father. "He could have jumped the ship after knowing this house was in ruin, he could have taken Sitri's offer and left us behind, but he chose to stay and fight for the Gremory's recovery."
Rias turned to looked at Iroh, Balreth and Wisp, those who has been with Gremory from long before the war, the most loyal retainer of the clan in its hardest time "An obvious reason is a house like us is easier to change and absorb innovations like his. But a deeper reason is that he is still delivering his end of the deal with me, not with the clan."
"I know you think my words are affected by Arto's influence, So, I will advise you, if you had any concern about Arto's agenda, please, put it on the table before him, not behind his back," Rias concluded, her voice ringing with a finality that left no room for further debate. "I didn't tell him about our family's situation, yet he guessed it out anyway via my minor expressions. You all know how smart he is, he will find out eventually that you are questioning his motives. If you want him to remain a partner, treat him as one. If you treat him as a suspect, you will lose the most valuable asset the Gremory family has ever had."
Seeing the still heavy faces of people in the room, Rias spoke up again "If you are still wondering about your relationship with him, look at how he pulls the Spy into his orbit." This got everyone in the clan to look at her with more intensity than before when she mentioned 'the Spy' "You mean....Arto Abyssgard has formed an alliance with the most dangerous intel broker in the world?" Iroh asked with even more cautions than before.
Rias nodded, knowing her words has set them on a higher alert than before. "I know how it sounded, but please, calm down, let me finish" She gently poured each of them a cup of tea, the steam rising in the quiet room. "The Spy—is not a tool he's using, nor is she a master he's serving. They have a partnership based on mutual vulnerability, each is holding a gun against the other's head, one that can destroy them immediately when fired."
Zeoticus watched his daughter, noticing how she didn't just speak for Arto, but spoke *like* him. The cadence of her argument, the way she prioritized leverage and transparency over sentiment, was a mirror of the man she was defending. He felt a strange mixture of pride and apprehension. "But, once fired, the victor gains no value as that shot would render the negotiation value of its target to square zero," Rias stated firmly
"That's how he formed a partnership with the Spy, and how he treated a partner, cooperate, but always leaving a way out," Rias concluded, setting the tea tray aside. "And what will you say when I remind you all that you are holding a gun at Arto's head as well?"
Venelana was the first to break the silence, her eyes narrowing as she processed the weight of Rias's metaphor. The room, which had felt like a courtroom where Arto was the defendant, suddenly felt like a mirror reflecting the clan's own desperation. They had been so focused on the "bill" that they had forgotten they were the ones who had essentially begged for the service.
"A gun at his head, you say?" She asked again, and her daughter simply answered "You're holding the same gun the Spy is holding, you are having in your hand his existence, his capabilities, and his works, things that once published, every faction in this world will flock to hunt him, capture him, dissect him, drain his mind dry for knowledge, and eventually, kill him. The gun can kill him but renders his value to....0, now you see the balance in your relationship with Arto, he can't exist with your protection, and you can't recover without his knowledge"
Iroh exhaled through his nose, a rough, considering sound. "It's an ugly kind of stability. But it's stability I've seen before in long-term mercenary contracts and certain intelligence arrangements, proof of a mind of extreme paranoia and extreme precision."
Venelana finally lifted her cup, took a measured sip, and set it down again. "You have made your point, Rias." Her voice was quieter now, the earlier edge tempered by something closer to reluctant acknowledgment.
"We have been evaluating him as a potential usurper of influence. You are asking us to evaluate him as a counterparty who has already accepted that we can destroy him, and who has simply ensured the reverse is also true."
She glanced at Zeoticus. "That does not eliminate risk. A man who constructs relationships on mutual vulnerability is still a man who can decide the vulnerability is no longer worth maintaining. But it does reframe the nature of the risk."
Zeoticus studied his daughter for a long moment. The cadence of her argument, the prioritization of leverage and structural balance over reassurance, was unmistakably influenced by the man she was defending. Whether that influence was dangerous or necessary was no longer a simple question.
"Very well," he said at last. "We will adjust our approach. The audit of existing systems continues — not as a search for justification to remove him, but as standard due diligence on critical infrastructure. Diplomatic and security channels will treat the relationship as a high-value, high-risk partnership rather than a latent internal threat. And we will place the core of our concerns on the table with him directly, as you advised."
He met Rias's eyes. "You will arrange the meeting. We will speak with Arto Abyssgard as a principal counterparty, not as a suspect under quiet investigation. If the symmetry you describe is real, then transparency is the only medium that sustains it."
Rias inclined her head, the tension in her shoulders easing by a fraction. "I will arrange it. But first, let us talk about his plan"
[Timeskip: Brought to you by a white board being filled with calculations ]
The hours that followed were methodical and unforgiving. The projection crystal cycled through section after section of the proposal while the department heads dismantled, stress-tested, and reassembled every major component.
What had begun as a philosophical argument about trust and leverage slowly hardened into the colder language of logistics, timelines, and institutional commitment.
Director Iroh was the first to give a concrete position. "Stray Hunting Agency can restructure two of our rapid-response units within three weeks," he said, tapping a revised organizational chart into the shared display. "They will shift from pure stray suppression to a dual mandate: high-precision interception of clandestine probes and protection of critical manufacturing nodes once the Simulation Room is online. I will not release them for offensive operations outside Gremory territory until the failsafes and early-warning network are both verified. But for the 'war beneath the peace' model... we can field the blade."
Director Balreth followed, his tone still edged with residual caution. "Public Security will expand counter-intelligence coverage around the peerage, the clubhouse, and every site tied to magic-tech development. We will also begin quiet audits of internal communication lines for signs of external penetration. I am not prepared to treat Arto Abyssgard as a fully cleared asset. I am prepared to treat the partnership as real enough that our posture should assume mutual vulnerability rather than latent hostility. That distinction will guide how we share information with him."
Professor Wisp looked the most exhausted of the group, ink stains and residual mana-burn marks visible on his fingers. "R&D will commit full primary resources to the Simulation Room and the supporting infrastructure — ManaNet backbone, crystal server arrays, Stabilizer reactor scaling. We can have the first functional sector of the Simulation Room online inside the thirty-day window if the Dream Mirror performs as described. I am still uncomfortable with the depth of knowledge we do not yet control. But the prototypes work, the recovery timeline without this technology is fantasy, and every week we delay makes the Phenex clause harder to outrun. R&D is in."
Venelana had remained largely silent during the operational breakdowns, intervening only to challenge political assumptions. When she finally spoke, the decision in her voice was clear.
"Diplomatic Division will begin preparatory work on two tracks. First, identification of the highest-value rush contracts among King-rank and upper-class houses — commissions that have stalled long enough for desperation to outweigh caution. Second, discreet mapping of the remaining Phenex vassal houses, their internal grievances, and the precise degree of resentment toward Razer's distribution of spoils. We will not make contact until the Simulation Room is operational and the first weapons packages are ready. But the groundwork begins now."
All eyes turned to Zeoticus. The head of the Gremory clan studied the final consolidated view of the plan — a dense lattice of technical milestones, political triggers, force restructuring, and contingency thresholds. The document no longer looked like an outsider's gambit. It looked like the first real operational strategy the house had possessed in twenty years. "The proposal is accepted," Zeoticus said. "Provisionally, with phased authorization."
"To think that you're this crazy, Zeo" A voice came in from the door as another figure stepped into the room, Sora Sitri, the current leader of Sitri clan, Sona's father. On his hand is a file similar to what the group was discussing.
Zeoticus looked at his best friend and fellow patriarch, "Sora...." he said, knowing the man he is seeing here is not presence merely for friendly talks like usual, he is here as the leader of Sitri clan, and when so, their friendship from the Great War was pushed back for the benefits of 2 clans.
Slamming the file on the table, Sora looked at Zeoticus with the eyes lacking his usual sternness, instead it was a smile, like he is not even serious about this meeting "Arto sent me this as well, and you decided something that should require Sitri's perspective behind my back, Zeo, not cool, my friend"
He pulled his a chair to sit down, his aura matched Zeoticus' on the other side "Should I remind you that Sitri is also a investor of Arto Abyssgard and the other promised owner of magic-tech on the world's eyes?" His eyes faced his friend's own, unwavering, and challenging
The temperature in the chamber shifted the moment Sora Sitri dropped the file onto the table. It was not the heavy, formal pressure of an enemy patriarch. It was the sharper, more personal weight of a man who had fought beside Zeoticus in the old wars and was now reminding him that friendship had never been allowed to override clan interest.
Sora sat without waiting for an invitation, the smile on his face doing nothing to soften the challenge in his eyes. The file he had brought was identical in structure to the one the Gremory council had spent hours dissecting — same formatting, same phased structure, same cold precision. Arto had sent the proposal to both houses.
"You received it as well," Zeoticus said. It was not a question. "Of course I did." Sora leaned back, one arm resting along the back of the chair. "The man is many things, but he is not careless about stakeholders. Sitri is still one of the two investors who provided him with materials, financial supports and indentity protection aside from Gremory, Zeo. But here you are with your council, deciding behind out backs without a single notice"
[Timeskip: Brought to you by Akeno pulling tiny wolf Arto out of her bag with care and adoration]
In the afternoon, Rias came back at the start of the first lesson, she saw Arto was already awake from his sleep this morning and is not attending the class like normal, low-energy, relaxation mode when no work could reach him.
Sitting down next to her strategist, she looked at his relaxed face, she hesitated telling him what's going on at the meeting between Gremory and Sitri regarding his plan, he, the man who would be carrying the entire recovery of Gremory on his back, now looking like he is enjoying the rare peace of his day before jumping into the storm of science, politic and magic.
'Maybe later' Rias thought with a gentle sigh before placing a box into the desk drawer of Arto with a note before letting him enjoy the rest of the afternoon in peace, even Akeno, who is curious about the meeting as well, decided to not talk about it, just to le him a relaxed afternoon before the retrieval of Dream Mirror