I ended up spending the night in Rias' place. She needed as much support as possible even if she didn't want to admit at all. She may not seem much but sometimes she acts like a tsundere in the most stupid things.

As the night went on we talked a bit about everything, about the new members to our peerages (I just revealed Leonardo as I want to see how Rias and the others will react to Orochi) and agreed about where to practice for the rating game that will come.

I managed to convince her to make it on the Underworld, near my family's territory in the borders where there are constant invasions so as to let she and her peerage some actual live combat as to give them the better experience of combat as possible. We also agreed to let most of the peerages go there as we teach the newbies, which, surprisingly enough, are actually five different people (Issei, Asia, Kirika, Shirabe, and Leonardo), everything they need to know before actual combat.

I can only hope everything will work out, but at least I think the more seniors will be able to get better with this. Live combat with your life in the line is by far the fastest way to get stronger, just look at how during one year with many near death encounters in CANON Issei got from pathetically weak to one of the strongest individuals out there (that and his cheat-like Longinus and protagonist BS power-ups of course).

Now it is time to go to school, the way there was quiet and peaceful. Neither of us spoke much, but I think at least she is better now than she was before, she now is looking forward with just as much confidence as she usually had. But, every once in a while she took a look at me before smiling even more.

The classes were quite boring, but a surprising thing was how Issei started getting along with both Mikan and Asia quite easily. The three looked like a trio of friends hanging out, which was sweet to see, but I also noticed how Sakura-san looked from afar to make sure nothing bad happens to her friend Mikan and Kaito was glaring at Issei quite a bit whenever the young pervert looked lecherously at Mikan (who was way to defenseless to be fair).

Anyway, everything was fine. I spent some time in piece, Maria's music in a headphone as I enjoyed everything.

After class we waited for Raiser's arrival. I was enjoying the tea made by Solution as this time I asked her and Lo'lo to be here, her because I like her tea and him because he likes to scare Raiser quite a bit (I still remember how Raiser almost pissed in his pants when Lo'lo came up close to his face quietly and snarled at him).

Well, Phillufy is also here as she wanted to eat some of the sweets that were prepared for this occasion. She was sitting beside Koneko as both are enjoying an eating contest where the prize is a full belly.

Overall the mood in the room wasn't that bad, I was talking to Rias, Issei was talking to Asia and Akeno, Lo'lo was hanging out with Gonta, and Koneko was competing with Phillufy for the title of the biggest glutton (Kiba was in the corner trying to act normal, but I bet he is only thinking about revenge, revenge, and more revenge… he needs a hobby).

So, of course, the mood had to be ruined as a pillar of flames shot from the center of the room.

"Rias, my beloved wife, I have missed you so much." Riser said in his obnoxious and irritating flamboyant way.

"And just like that, the air smells like a chicken farm. Solution dear could you open a window big enough to remove the stink?" I said, making Raiser's smug face crumple a bit.

"Joseph-sama, I am sorry but I don't think it is possible to ventilate the place enough to remove the smell. For it to be enough I suppose we would need to break all walls at the very least." Solution answered in all seriousness, thus making Raiser feel even more embarrassed. He turned his irritated face to Solution, probably planning to say something, before noticing how she was wearing her maid outfit.

I have to hold myself back to not try to punch him in the face as he started almost devouring Solution with his eyes. I understand that she is of a much higher level than anyone in his peerage in sexiness and seduction, but to be looking at a girl like a piece of meat as he is right now is unacceptable.

He then turned to me and saw how I was sitting close to Rias, his displeasure returned instantly (or I think so, it is hard to see the difference in pieces of feces after all) and he marched right at the sofa me and Rias were sharing before trying to show off by using his wind control to push me away from her.

I had to hide my smirk as I simply created a counter magic circle to negate his ability.

Seeing his pathetic failure, but pretending to be ignorant of this (which isn't too hard for him) he decided to 'grace us' with his voice. Please note the sarcasm right there.

"Half-breed, get away from your superiors path." He said.

"Sure, as soon as I see someone that is superior I will. Right now I am only seeing something that I would feel sorry if he was in a trash bin, sorry for the trash bin of course." I answered at his tentative to depreciate me for my human heritage.

"Humph. I suppose you might be too stupid to understand the worlds of those above you but I am ordering you as a pure blooded devil to get away from my wife." He said.

"Sorry, but could you repeat? I only heard 'Hit me, please please hit me for being too stupid'." I said, releasing some of my magic power to pressure him. Not everything, far from it actually, but just enough to make him think it is and believe he could triumph against me if we were to come to blows.

Just as we were about to start fighting (which is as natural of a reaction for the two of us as fire and gasoline exploding) a new magic circle showed up and from it a beautiful mature woman came out wearing a french maid outfit.

Grafia Lucifuge, the wife of Syrzechs Lucifer and the strongest Queen (a title that one day shall belong to Maria, I am certain of it!).

"That should be enough, both of you. This is an important meeting between the Gremory and Phenex families and the arguments between you two are ruining it." Graifia said stoically.

The two of us backed down from the situation, but the glares we were giving one another was enough to kill lesser people (I am just surprised Raiser isn't dead yet).

"Now, Joseph-sama, would you allow for Raiser to sit beside his fiancee? It isn't really appropriate for you to try and stop him considering the position both of you are." Graifia said, mentioning how I am to be married to Raiser's sister.

Sighing a bit I stood up and allowed him to sit where I was, but left a tiny magic circle on that spot where I was sitting. Raiser condescendingly looked at me as if I was an idiot for getting in his way before sitting down where I was.

BZZZT

A thundershock ran through him when he sat down making him yelp in pain. It wasn't much and I know that Graifia noticed it but choose not to say anything as she too isn't pleased with Raiser.

Raiser recomposed himself as he turned to Rias and unceremoniously and without carrying for the people that were watching put his right hand on her tighs, feeling her up as he started saying sweet nothings to her, as in everything he said meant a bit less than nothing really.

Rias said nothing but maintained a stoic face as Raiser continued to touch her tighs with his hands, smelling her hair as he complimented her by comparing her to some girl he slept with (probably on some brothel as, otherwise, I don't see how any girl would sleep with him) and all the while moving his hands ever so slightly up towards her intimate parts.

Everyone was seeing this and had varied levels of disgust in their eyes. Issei was the most obvious one as he had his hands clenched and his teath were griting against each other.

I? I was smiling the whole time. Showing how much I was capable of remain calm regardless of the situation by not drawing my sword then and there to cut him into a thousand plus pieces.

BOOOM

Instead, I blew his chest with a thunderbolt.

I am the face of peacefulness, ain't I?

After he recovered from the damage he turned to me, his eyes blazing as he pointed his finger at me.

"The hell is wrong with you? Why did you suddenly attack me out of nowhere?"

"Sorry, I mixed you with a regular molester that should be put down with prejudice, I guess I was sort of wrong. After all, there is no way a KFC reject like you could have the mental facilities to even do that properly." I said, egging him to challenge me and venting out some frustration I had for needing to see his face for more than half a second.

"You!" Raiser said furiously as the others around looked more than a bit happy from my action. "Why are you even here? You have no right to interfere with me and Rias' love moment!"

"First, I am here because I was INVITED by YOUR father to come and see Ravel as I do want to see her. And second, love? Really? Are you sure that what you are feeling isn't the same you feel whenever you want to bang some loose and cheap whore... sorry I didn't mean to offend your peerage members by remembering the truth." I said.

"Do you want to die?" Raiser said, thankfully standing up and letting go of Rias' tighs. A small but meaningful success in my opinion.

"I would rather not die, but then again you wouldn't be able enough anyway."

"As if! I just don't kill you right here and now for your insolency because I am above that." He says, trying to act tough as the temperature of the room elevated. "It would be beneath me fealing with some insignificant worm that has filthy blood on his veins."

I think my smile must be so wonderful right now. And, is it just me or is even my peerage members taking a step back?

"I wonder, how does it feel?" I said.

"What? To be a truly superior breed that was born for success? Feels great, especially when I see some stupid mongrels that believe themselves as above the primates they ultimately are but continue acting just as stupid. A stark contrast to me and my glorious bloodline that every female would be happy to have a descendant too, just like my dear Rias here will soon enough." Riser said, managing to make Rias almost vomit in her mouth when she heard those words.

"I wasn't asking that. I meant, how does it feel to face death in the eyes and be too much of a daft cunt to realize it." I said, my patience was being tested beyond belief by me not putting my arm inside his guts, removing his intestines, and forcing him to eat it over and over again. A VERY appealing image right now. "Not only did you continuously kept me from even seeing Ravel as she always just so happened to be out doing some important business for you whenever I went to see her, which considering that if it is you is probably taking some of your blood to test to verify if you managed to obtain every single DST in existence which I bet you must have found some new ones already, but you also come here to the town I live in and offends not me but my mother and grandmother! You either apologie right now or I WILL kill you."

"As if you could! I am a Phenex, I am invincible and immortal! Nothing you will ever do will manage to even hurt me for real, no one can defeat me, NO ONE! Especially some weak monkey like you." Riser said, his hands already on fire as he was seemed just about to attack.

"That should be enough!" Graifia said as she released her own powers. Most people in the room felt uncomfortable or had difficulty to breathe, but I was not one of them. In the end, I was used to my father and mother's energy levels and neither really lose out against Graifia on this. Even though I don't stand a single chance of defeating her I am not afraid of her either, I will one day be stronger than her. This self-confidence of mine is something that will not be shaken no matter what.

As Graifia saw how everyone reacted to her actions she receded her powers, giving me a slight smile as if she was happy that I was not afraid of her power.

Is it possible that she already knows of me and Rias and is happy that I am not someone weak minded? Possible. Will it matter right now? I am not certain.

"I am here to know if both Rias-sama and Raiser-sama already agree to the marriage contract." Graifia said.

"Yes." Raiser said.

"No, no it is not agreed." Rias said as she too stood up. "Riser, I already told you the last hundred times, I will NEVER marry you."

"But, my dear Rias, I thought your family was with its back against the wall here so you are in no position to be selfish. Your family is in debt for quite some time and it is MY family that helped them in their moment of need, this marriage was to make us pardon the debt and unite our families further." Riser said.

Well, I think I must step forward now. After all, this next part is a delicate business that I know Rias cannot handle right now.

"If it is for that you have no reason to worry, as a representative of house Barbatus I will help finance Rias' family so as to pay back all the interest with the Phenex clan. I will not let you treat Rias as some hooker you can pay to sleep with." I said decisively.

I know that the amount the Gremory clan would need to pay isn't something cheap, but considering the situation the best option is for me to shelter the debt right now. I have some cash in my own account right now and I know for a fact that some of the tribes that like to attack my family's territory have quite a few treasures with them. It will be risky, but with some preparations, I might be able to attack them where they live and loot them of everything valuable.

This ought to be enough to pay back the debt of the Gremory clan.

"Even so, this is also for the prosperity of the devil race. My marriage with Rias will ensure the birth of more pure-blooded devils, which is becoming more an more necessary as the population of reincarnated devils and half-breeds, such as your dirty and useless and pathetic self, keep rising." Raiser said, believing his argument to be rock solid.

"Please, you just want to have your way with Rias. If you cared so much about keeping the blood purity of the devil race you wouldn't have brought so many girls from other species into your peerage and had sex with them so much. You are just looking for excuses, that is all. But then again you are more of an excuse of a man than anything so it makes sense I suppose" I said, making Rias nod her head on the side.

"THAT IS IT! You are going down!" Riser said, finally snapping and trying to attack me.

The key word is 'trying'.

Before he could touch me Graifia was already in front of me with an outstretched hand catching all the flames Raiser launched and nonchalantly crunching it away.

"You both must stop this infantile fight now. It is unbecoming of both of you to act in such manner." She said, but as I look into Raiser's eyes I see that he still wants to go.

Good.

"Graifia-sama, I understand your opinion on it and you do have a duty to uphold, but I have a proposition that might solve the problems of everyone." I said, making everyone look into my direction. "How about we go at this game in a special format, a two VS two game. Me and Rias VS Riser and some frien... sorry, I sometimes forget that he probably doesn't have a single friend that isn't a drug addict or he pays for the night, so, someone who is willing to work with him for money should work. I believe this should help settle the score between me and Riser while also allowing him and Rias to decide how to handle the marriage contract."

Before Graifia could try and say no, to deny this abrupt proposition that I made, Raiser already opened his mouth.

"I accept," Isn't it nice when plans work out? Just need to make your opponent to pissed out to make any proper decision and then he will jump right into your hands as a moth to the flame. "I shall show you the power of the Phenex together with my peerage." And with that, another magic circle appeared behind him as a new pillar of flames and from it Raiser's peerage showed up.

HUG

"Joseph-sama, I missed you!"

And I was tackled by Ravel Phenex, another girl I loved even if we didn't spend nearly as much time together as I wished.

"Me too, my beautiful bird. Me too."

With luck, I can even manage some extra benefits from this game. I think Raiser has been in the way between me and Ravel for too long and this just might help me change that.