Chapter 19: A Real Friend's Worth

Ravel

(4 weeks after the Valefor family Massacre)

"A Pillar Family has a number of responsibilities: some actual duties that are required and others that are more related to the idea of being a Pillar Family. Actual tasks we routinely undertake are related to law-making and policy setting, while unofficial ones are things like hosting Rating Game competitions or creating scholarships for promising young Devils who we take an interest in. Basically we're supposed to be the example all Devils, reincarnated or not, aspire and look up to."

Monica gives me a somewhat resigned look from where she's sitting across from me, tons of books on Devil culture and laws borrowed from Antiquity Academy's Library spread out in front of us.

"So how do people like Cerise and Alameda fit into that explanation of yours?"

I don't bother trying to hide my scowl and instead darkly reply, "What those 2 are is a very unfortunate example of reality colliding with expectations. The sad truth of it is that a fair portion of the Pillar Families don't take their positions very seriously, being more than a little hedonistic in nature. A decent number of us try to do our best, but for every Pillar Family that throws its all into their duty, another takes more than a few liberties with their power, and for every one of those there's 2 families that do the bare minimum, if even that."

The golden-eyed girl stares at me for a few seconds before gaining a slightly sympathetic look and says, "Sounds like you have a lot on your plate then…"

I let my head thump onto the table and mutter, "Ugh…don't remind me."

The first few weeks of Antiquity Academy had only been tolerable thanks to Monica's quiet presence. In between Cerise and Alameda's constant un-subtle maneuvering in trying to get me invested in their family's futures, the rest of the attending Devils in my class all seeming to be either rich snobs, arrogant bullies or dimwitted fools I was ready to put my head through a wall.

…Thank Maou Monica is both intelligent, humble and more than willing to learn. Explaining the ropes of High-class Devil interactions and culture had kept me mostly sane, which in hindsight is a lucky thing otherwise I would have no doubt roasted someone alive right now in a fit of exasperation.

…Not that I might do so anyway, what with the way my newfound friend is constantly being treated.

While there are a few non-Devils attending Antiquity Academy, Monica is the only one in our age group that lacks the Wings of Avarice and doesn't have some sort of pedigree behind her, being largely an unknown nobody.

A juicy target for anybody that has the slightest inclination to ruthlessly tear her down a notch.

And the worst part is that I can't really help her right now. If I was to openly defend her I would give up any semblance of credibility and perceived strength I have as a member of the Phenex Family, that reputation gone in an eye-blink as the other Devils would no doubt view me as weak and sentimental, someone open to blatant exploitation.

That'll change in just one week's time though…those smug jerks won't know what hit them!

"Um, Ravel? Are you there?"

I glance out of the corner of my eye and dryly reply, "Just a massive headache brought on by the mere thought of our 'classmates'…"

Monica briefly smiles before she stiffens at something behind me, quietly muttering, "Speaking of the Devil…"

I scowl and growl out, "Is it those 2 again?"

"Yeah…"

"Alright, follow my lead."

I sit up straight, adjusting my uniform and wait until there's that annoying voice-

"Ravel, we've been searching all over for you! We need to talk."

I turn around and offer Cerise Paimon my most amicable smile and reply, "Sure Cerise, what is it?"

Alameda Zepar imperiously says, "We've been noticing that you've been aiding the transfer student quite a lot these days, we just wanted to make sure you weren't being pressured into doing so by her…"

Cerise nods in agreement and adds, "You're the daughter of a Pillar Family, you don't need to be spending so much time with someone like her."

It's with great difficulty that I keep the smile plastered on my face.

"I can assure you 2, it's certainly no imposition. Miss Monica has been nothing but respectful and polite, never mind that it's my duty as a Pillar Family member to offer aid when it's humbly asked for…"

As subtle jab at them for apparently disregarding their duty, but quite frankly I don't think they're smart enough to realize that was a dig.

Monica then does her part by quietly adding, "Miss Phenex has been extremely helpful and wonderful, taking time out of her day to aid me and I am more than passingly grateful to her."

Cerise and Alameda's faces twist into annoyed expressions as there's nothing in Monica's words they can really pounce on. Instead Cerise gently but firmly takes my arm and leads me away and it's with no small amount of patience that I keep myself from burning away her hand.

Not all of us can so easily regenerate…

The 2 of them drag me behind a bookcase and Alameda intensely hisses, "Ravel, what are you doing?"

I raise a single eyebrow and curiously reply, "What do you mean?"

"Why are you spending so much time with that nobody?! And with the combat examinations coming up as well!"

Fighting down my irritation I instead smoothly reply, "Think about it you 2. She comes from the Greek Pantheon and clearly knows a thing or 2 about the realm and any potential inroads to it, knowledge that can only benefit me in the future if she's on good terms with me. As for the combat examinations?"

I let a smug grin come to my face, even as I feel repulsed by the tripe I'm saying.

"Well, if I succeed, even with that handicap of a girl as my partner, well…I'll only look better by comparison, now won't I?"

Handicap…what a load of garbage. Monica and I have compared notes on what we're both capable of and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that she's going to be a real contender with the vast majority of the Devils here.

I hate all this deception and doublespeak…

Still, my misdirection seems to have worked as they both thoughtfully reflect on my words, with Cerise finally nodding and saying, "It's kind of a risk, but that's actually pretty clever Ravel…I guess you're way smarter than we gave you credit for."

Way smarter than you 2 hussies could ever hope to be, actually, but let that go.

They turn to walk away and over her shoulder Alameda challenges, "Alright, but don't expect the 2 of us to go easy on you Ravel, we have a reputation to upkeep!"

A legitimately happy smile comes to my lips as I shoot back, "You better, otherwise the match will be over before you know it!"

They exit through the door and my smile effortlessly slips into a snarl. They'd better bring their A-game, otherwise I'll burn them to ashes within seconds, safety measures be damned.

Heaving a tired sigh, and along with it much of my frustration, I walk back to Monica and collapse into a chair next to her, rubbing my eyes.

"Umm…what'd you 2 talk about?"

"Oh, nothing much," I acidly retort, "They just did their usual thing and talked down to you, and I had to do my usual thing of dancing around the issue and pretend like you meant nothing to me…next week can't come soon enough."

Monica is silent for a few seconds and just as I'm worried that all this trash talking to has finally got to her she admiringly says, "It's incredible how you're able to deal with them so well Ravel…I don't think I could keep up such a convincing act for so long…"

I lift my head and meet her impressed expression…and promptly gather her up in a hug and rub my cheek against hers.

"H-huh?! Ravel what are you-"

"You're just too damn cute! Gah! What did I ever do to deserve a friend like you…"

Monica frantically tries to push me off in a fit of shyness but I just hold on tighter, grinning like a madwoman at the fact that I finally have a real 'girlfriend'.

A few days later finds me nervously smoothing out the front of my dress, a dark purple gown-like piece that I typically only wear during special occasions or important meetings.

Today qualifies as both.

"What's the matter Little Sis? Nervous?"

I shoot Riser an annoyed glance as he stares at me smugly, clearly enjoying watching me fret.

"No, you hot-headed jerk, I'm perfectly fine!"

He just snorts and quietly says, "Could have fooled me…"

No way I'm gonna admit it to him, but I am actually pretty high-strung right now.

I'd invited Monica and her family to the Phenex estate on the basis of the 2 of us spending time with each other and having fun…but the real reason is that I would like for her family and mine to be on good terms.

From what Monica explained to me her Mother died when she was young and her Father, Paredan Galatas, worked as a warden in Cocytus, the infamous prison.

Which is what he did for a number of years until he met Phina Lores, a Baroness Devil who was in charge of some low-level trading with the Greeks. Despite the difference in factions and all sorts of other social barriers like that, they slowly fell in love, which likely would have remained unrequited for all of eternity, their individual responsibilities keeping them from pursuing anything permanent.

Until an attempted breakout occurred on her Father's watch, resulting in the death of several guards as prisoners attempted to break free. The escape was swiftly crushed, of course, and he would have been routinely absolved of any guilt as it was hardly the first time that such an event had happened, were it not for the intervention of a jealous co-worker who had an eye on her Father's position.

Raising a stink about the quality of her Father's work and planting false evidence he was eventually disgraced and removed from his job. Left with a black mark on his career, and having a daughter to look after, he was prepared to offer his services to less than reputable employers when Phina swooped in to save them.

Offering Paredan a position in her Peerage and business as a guard, he was all to happy to accept and within a year Monica had a married Father and step-mother she apparently gets along well with, never mind that her Father is apparently making a name for himself as a powerful Rook, his experience in Cocytus playing to his favor.

It's one of those fairy tail stories that leaves you with a feel good sense of happiness after you finish reading it.

Except that's not where it ended.

The ugly truth is that her Mother essentially took in a disgraced Reincarnated Devil, one from another Faction no less, and the other Barons and Baronesses had seen an opportunity to take one of their competitors down a peg, playing on some Devil's dislike of Reincarnated ones. It's even worse for Monica, since she's not even given the benefit of being a Reincarnated Devil.

…

Not for the first time I wish I had the personal power to tackle these idiotic assumptions directly, but…maybe in the future.

Long story short, hopefully by our families becoming friendly others will think twice about screwing with Phina Lores, the Baroness who has close relations with the Phenex Family.

The main door opens and one of the family servants leads in 3 people, all of whom are looking around with polite interest and a bit of shock.

…The main entrance hall of Phenex Manor is a little extravagant, what with solid gold inlaid walls, all of it decorated with complex murals and ever-lasting torches.

None of that is at the forefront of my mind as I instead take in Monica's parents and create my initial impressions of them. Phina Lores is a woman of average height and understated beauty, with short dark hair and dark brown eyes that give her a friendly, easygoing sort of appearance. Paredan Galatas is basically the tall, muscular version of Monica with bright blond hair and her regal features, although his blue eyes suggest that Monica inherited her birth Mother's eye color.

Both of them are dressed in matching suits, Phina's consisting of heeled shoes and dark slacks with a dress shirt while Paredan's sporting dark boots and jeans with a vest and white undershirt to match the whole ensemble together.

Monica has the opposite color scheme, her white toga-like dress ending just at thigh level, showing off her tanned and great looking legs.

…It's more than a little ironic that despite our mastery over fire, Phenex clan members tend to sunburn easily, meaning most of us are naturally pale.

…

I'm not jealous!

Putting aside my beauty hangups for the moment I instead grin and slightly bow before politely stating, "Welcome to House Phenex Phina Lores, Paredan Galatas. My name is Ravel Phenex and this is my Brother, Riser Phenex. My Father and Mother should be along shortly, they're both eager to meet you and are trying to conclude their other duties as quickly as possible."

Phina just smiles easily at me and offers a respectful bow of her own, despite the fact that she didn't necessarily need to, and replies, "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you, and please be assured, we understand that Lord and Lady Phenex have responsibilities as Marquis that are far more important that a mere social call."

I merely offer an accepting nod and briefly turn around, annoyed at Riser's silence and ask, "Riser, you're being rude. Hurry up and introduce…yourself…"

My Older Brother looks thunderstruck and it's with a belated realization that I notice that it's Monica he struck dumb by.

…Oh no.

Nooooope.

Nononono-

-With a sudden stride forward Riser gently grabs Monica's hand in his own and brushes a kiss over it, all the while huskily saying, "Miss Monica, it's an honor to meet you in person after all this time. Ravel has made mention of your beauty and wit and now, seeing you in the flesh, I can clearly see she was understating your elegance."

…

That conniving playboy! I found her first!

I swiftly turn to Monica, expecting her to be weirded out by my Brother's creepy advances-

-only to find her blushing.

"O-oh! I-it's a, um, pleasure to meet you as well Riser Phenex, m-my name is-um! I mean, you already know my name, so, uh…"

I can't resist slamming my palm into my face, decorum and appearances be damned, and try not to audibly sigh.

Can't say I'm all that surprised really…Even at 15 big brother has a rugged sort of handsomeness to him that makes him seem older than he really is. Add in to that his natural confidence, never mind the fact that this is probably the first Male Devil in a long time, if ever, that's turned on the seduction and it's no wonder she's so stunned.

Which means it's up to me to save her.

I yank Riser back and fix him with a death glare, growling out, "Do not put the moves on my friend!"

I ignore his offended look and instead glance at Monica's parents for their take on things.

Unfortunately Phina looks more amused by the whole scene than she is offended, so she's out.

Paredan, however, has a stony expression and his right hand is slowly curling and uncurling, as if grasping a certain annoying Older Brother's neck.

He and I might have to work out a plan that involves Riser falling off a cliff…

"Boy, try not to aggravate our guests when they haven't even been here for more than a few minutes, would you?"

All of us turn towards my Father's voice as he appears with Mother at his side, the 2 of them obviously completed with their business.

Riser has the decency to look somewhat embarrassed, which in and of itself is telling how taken he is with my newest friend since he never gets embarrassed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lord and Lady Phenex, Monica has had nothing but praise for your daughter's kindness and selflessness. For quit some time I've been wanting to meet the parents of such a kind girl."

I can tell by Mother's almost imperceptible smile that Phina said just the right thing and she replies with, "You're far too kind Baroness Lores, Ravel has had just as many praises of your daughter, saying that she's adapted to an unfamiliar situation remarkably fast."

Monica and I share a sheepish glance with each other, obviously not realizing that we were so free with the praise outside of school and Father lightly smiles before suggesting, "Ravel, Miss Monica, you're free to stay and socialize with us if you wish, but perhaps you would be more entertained if Ravel showed you around the estate?"

Monica glances at her parents who both immediately nod with smiles of varying intensity but similar kindness and she quickly bows to my parents.

"I would greatly appreciate that, thank you for the offer Lord and Lady Phenex."

Not wasting any time I quickly grab Monica's hand and drag her away, eager to show her the mansion.

But not before shooting a glare at Riser as he smiles like a lovestruck fool at my friend.

Ugh…he's serious about this, isn't he?

I flop down onto my bed and immediately shoot a mock glare at Monica.

"You need to be careful around my Brother, Monica. The guy is a constant and consummate womanizer, if you end up falling for him I guarantee you you won't be the only one who ends up sharing him."

Briefly chastised she nonetheless asks, "You seem against that, I thought Devils were all about harems?"

I sigh at her words, well aware of that particular misconception about our culture.

"That's a topic that's been blown out of proportion by other factions. What you call a 'harem' is typically just a bunch of Devils who are, well-" I feel my face blush as I remember sneaking into the Valefor bedroom alongside Caine and what we saw there, "let's just call them friends with benefits. Real romantic relationships tend to just be between 2, sometimes 3 Devils. Actual working 'harems' are very much the exception rather than the rule."

Monica seems chastised by this and offers up a small 'oh' before I roll my eyes and pull her onto my bed alongside me, all the while advising, "So don't just go jumping into my stupid Brother's arms just because he has a pretty face!"

She grins suddenly and coyly asks, "Someone seems to have it out for their big sibling…"

"As if!", I laugh in reply, "If anything I'm the only one who actually gives him any sort of steady grief! Someone needs to keep his ego deflated."

Chuckling Monica picks up a photo from my dresser and suddenly purrs out, "Why Ravel, who's this boy?"

I feel the blood drain from my face and frantically shout, "N-nobody! Put that back!"

Doing the opposite, and revealing that she has somewhat of a mischievous streak that I've never seen before, the Greek jerk holds the frame outside of my grasp and clinically observes, "Hmm…interesting eye and hair color, and he's kinda cute I guess…but what's with that smirk of his? And why do you look so happy about it Ravel?"

I feel my face burn up in embarrassment and mumble out, "Because he's my fiancé…"

"…Say what?! You're getting married?!"

Some of my melancholy must have shown on my face because her excitement quickly fades as I quietly reply, "Well…we were supposed to be, but…his family was killed about a month ago, and he and his Brother went missing…"

My friend looks dumbstruck for a moment before she frantically apologizes with, "O-oh no! Ravel I'm so, so sorry, I-I didn't know-"

I quickly offer her a hug and calmingly reply, "It's fine, I never told you and you didn't really have any way of knowing…"

Monica is silent for a few moments before she squeezes my arm and carefully asks, "Do-do you miss him?"

"…A lot."

"So you liked him then, not a marriage of convenience?"

I coyly chuckle at that and reply, "He was probably the closest thing I had to a best friend when I was younger…although the first time we met probably wouldn't have made it seem that way…"

(4 years ago)

I nervously straighten my dress and try to at least look excited about the coming meeting between me and the Valefors…but it's not so easy.

I mean, how am I supposed to be excited about meeting people who I keep hearing all these bad rumors about?

"Ravel dear, at least try to give them a chance, their children are friendly and pleasant and I think you'll get along just fine. And don't forget, the youngest is your age. Who knows, you might make a friend!"

"Ok, Mother…"

Mother gives me a sympathetic look, but that's it.

She's serious about this.

Resigning myself I take a shaky breath and walk on through the main doors of the Valefor family manor, trying not to let the rumors about how tied-into criminal activity this family is color my perceptions and instead focus on Clarissa Valefor, the idol most Devil Girls look up to at some point in their lives.

Besides, Mother and Father are good friends with them, so it's ok, right?

"Linada, it's good to see you!"

Mother easily smiles and gathers up the other Devil, an admittedly stunning woman with long blonde hair and bright green eyes, into a hug and happily replies, "And the same to you Clarissa, how have things been lately?"

"Eh, same old same old. You'd think policing the Underworld's Underworld would be one nail-biter after another…"

Mother just laughs and gently slaps her on the arm before saying, "Only you would be so flippant about what your work entails!"

The newly recognized Clarissa merely shrugs with a grin and turns her gaze on me and I suddenly feel tongue-tied, face-to-face with the Devil that's admired in more than a few social circles for her personal strength.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing! You must be Ravel, correct?"

"U-uh, yes! I mean, erm, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

The older Devil just stares at me for a moment and just as I think I offended her somehow she squeals of all things and picks me up in a hug before swinging me around like some toy.

"Oh you're so damn adorable! Linada, can you lend her to me for a few months? I've always wanted a daughter…"

I'm about to turn to Mother for help when a voice exasperatedly says, "Mom, can you not traumatize every new guest that walks through those doors?"

Thankfully I'm immediately set down and Lady Valefor turns a pout on the newly approaching Devil, a boy with black hair with a single blonde streak in it, interestingly colored eyes of red and green as well as features that remind of a Wizard or scholar, before retorting, "You're no fun Jonah! Why can't you be more like your Little Brother and have a sense of humor about these things?"

"I have a sense of humor, I just know when to use it…"

Mother laughs and elbows Lady Valefor in the side before teasing, "He's got you there Clarissa."

With a roll of her eyes the Valefor leader resignedly mumbles, "Oh hush would you? If you're done back-talking, Jonah, come over here and say hello to Ravel."

Suddenly appearing far more apprehensive that he was before the boy, who looks to be at least 5 years older than me, slowly walks up and bows stiffly, quietly saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ravel Phenex. My name is Jonah Valefor and I hope we can get along in the future."

I awkwardly curtsy myself and quietly reply, "The pleasure is all mine, Jonah Valefor. And I too, uh, hope we become friends…"

There's an awkward silence and I don't Miss Mother and Lady Valefor shoot each other a significant look.

"Jonah, why don't you show Ravel around the manor, Lady Phenex and I have some business of our own to attend to. If you run into him introduce your Brother as well."

Obviously glad to have some sort of direction Jonah motions for me to follow him and we set off.

Making things only slightly less awkward…

"Hey, Little Bro! Tear yourself away from that board for a second and say hello to our newest guest, would you?"

I curiously look to where Jonah is yelling and find a boy who looks about my age, except taller, sitting at a table with a large game board on it and several different colored triangle looking pieces.

…Is that Risk?

Strange, normally it's always a Chess board in front of a Pillar Family member.

The younger brother turns around with a scowl towards his older sibling that quickly turns into a slightly confused expression as he notices me standing beside Jonah.

"Who's this?"

…He's also somewhat short on manners.

Stepping forward around Jonah I imperiously state, "Ravel Phenex at your service, may I be so bold as to ask who you are?"

I grin as his eye twitches and with just as much sarcasm he retorts, "Caine Valefor, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Ravel."

I bite back a growl at his tone and walk over to him, casting a disdainful eye at the game he has set up and ask, "I can't help but notice this isn't Chess."

"Oh good, your powers of observation are top notch then."

Momentarily struck dumb by his overly familiar and rude words I feel my temper rise and icily reply, "Well, I see all those rumors I've heard about your family being uncouth and criminal in their conduct were true."

His dual colored eyes seemingly flash as he just as coldly retorts, "Funny, you're the spitting image of stuck-up Pillar Princess that I've heard about. Full of hot air too, befitting your Phenex heritage."

"Uh, you 2? Can we just calm down-"

We both ignore Jonah and I throw myself down across from him on the table, open challenge-and slight hints of murder-in both our expressions.

"Well then, Caine, if you think I'm so 'full of hot air', as you so elegantly described it, how about a little game?"

Eagerness shines on his face, as well as a bit of scorn, as he easily replies, "Fair enough, I suppose you want to go with the old and tired game of Chess?"

"Hmph, as if! That would be too easy."

I take vindictive pleasure in his annoyed scowl at my slight and gloriously announce, "I'll beat you at your own game!"

Taking another second to relish in his obvious shock he suddenly grins like a Demon and purrs out, "Oh? And just what would a noble princess like yourself know about such a plebeian game such as this?"

I smirk.

"Give me the rule book and 5 minutes and I'll be an expert."

"Challenge accepted, Princess."

The unmentioned rules of the game:

1: 2 armies for each player, each army acts separately and gains reinforcements separately, although they can share control of a continent and split reinforcements.

2: Cards are shared between armies.

3: Taking out the opponents' Castle will cause that army to capitulate.

4: If the attacker outnumbers the defender 3-to-1 their highest dice roll will be given a +1

It annoyed me, but it'd taken 6 minutes to understand the rules of Risk in their entirety, instead of 5 like I'd claimed.

And the condescending smirk Caine has on his face lets me know he's well aware of that fact.

Arrogant twerp…

"5 minutes, wasn't that you said Princess? What's up with taking longer than what you said?"

"It would have been 5 minutes if you hadn't added so many of your own 'special' rules."

He merely shrugs and boredly asks, "So? Ready to start?"

"After you, Thief."

"I want to play red and green! I'm the challenger and you should let me pick first!"

"Are you kidding me?! Green is my family's color, I deserve it! Why would you need green?!"

"Because wind is green, obviously!"

"You're out of your mind!"

"Ok, good roll good roll…dangit!"

I smile beatifically and reply, "Oh, is someone having trouble invading Indonesia?"

"Because you took the most annoying territory in the game to deal with! Crud, just you wait, I'll get that damn place yet!"

Oh you have got to be kidding me!

"8 higher rolls than mine in a row?! How is that possible?!"

With a smirk that makes me want to punch him in his stupid face he indolently replies, "Hey, it's a risk."

…That's it, victory at any cost!

"Ravel dear, it's about time we leave-"

"No way Mom, I'm not going anywhere until I show this jerk who's the better player!"

"Ravel that's not very-"

"And he's a cheater to boot! He completely cheated and added an extra army to West America when he thought I wasn't looking!"

The jerk doesn't even look the slightest bit ashamed and retorts, "Only because you tried to change your dice roll when you were invading Iceland! You weren't even being sneaky!"

My face reddens as I yell back, "Only because you swapped your Quebec card for an Eastern United States One!"

"Only because you added 2 armies to Venezuela after you knocked my spare armies off the table!"

"Only because you tried to subtly transfer armies from China to Siam!"

"Only because you-"

Monica shakes her head in disbelief and says, "So the both of you got into an argument over a game? An argument that lasted almost a whole day?!"

I proudly smile and reply, "Yup, one that neither of us ended up winning, actually."

The door to the common room silently swung open and 2 heads peeked inside, both women with slightly differently shaded blonde hair instantly 'aww'ing at the sight that lay before them.

2 children, fast asleep, both of them sitting side-by-side with their heads down on the table that had various game pieces strewn across it, an open rule book laying in front of them.

The one younger boy that had gone with the 2 older women gained a contemplative expression as he looked at the scene before them.

"That's crazy…how did you 2 even end up friends after that, much less, well…in love?"

A fond smile crosses my face and I amusedly answer, "It was as quick as the next morning after we woke up, necks and backs sore from sleeping in chairs all night. This might be a little hard to understand at first Monica, but Caine and I were typically held up to a certain standard as the scion's of Pillar Families and rarely had the chance to really relax around other people."

My eyes half-close as I nostalgically finish with, "To find someone who we could freely argue with, compete with, laugh with at the whole ridiculousness of it? That one night where we cheated, griped and name-called is one of the most entertaining things I've ever done in my life…"

I turn towards Monica and immediately blush once I see the knowing look she's giving me.

"What?!"

"Oh nothing…just that you're so obviously in love~"

I blush and retort, "You don't have to say it like that! Meanie…"

She laughs before curiously asking, "But Risk? I thought Chess was the go-to-game for Devils?"

I chuckle at her question.

"It is, but Caine never really liked it. He always said it was, 'too predictable and limited'. He liked games that involved strategy, random chance and psychology the most. I remember him saying that it was a better primer for Rating Games and real life than Chess could ever hope to be."

"Hmm…"

We're both quiet for a few seconds before I angrily grab her leg and lift it up off the bed, causing Monica to squeak in alarm as I jealously shout, "Enough about me, how do you get this level of tan?! What's your secret Maou-dammit!"

The day of our first combat-test.

The bracket-stye setup of the exams is meant to emulate the conditions of the Young Devil's Gathering that most of us will no doubt participate in further down the road while the field we'll be competing in drives home that point even further.

Almost a kilometer both long and wide, the stage is liberally sprinkled with different types of terrain including forestry, sand plains, rocky hills and even a small river.

Perhaps the most impressive part is the enchantments woven into the arena itself, enchantments that are very similar to the ones employed in Rating Games, just far more powerful.

While deaths are possible in a Rating Game it's extremely rare and the fields set up at Antiquity Academy are second-to-none. Projectiles above a certain kinetic limit are slowed, injuries sustained are instantly healed by stasis wards if they exceed a calculated depth or width, certain types of energy that are deemed too destructive are bled of their excessive power…not a single student in all of Antiquity Academy's centuries of existence has been killed, and no more than a dozen have been seriously injured during a mock combat-test.

Which means Monica and I can cut loose without having to worry about the consequences.

Although it bears remembering that the opposite is true for our opponents.

I take a deep breath and glance around the stadium, packed to the brim with other students who are interestedly watching the progression of the matches while faculty patrol the edges of the field, making sure no foul play occurs.

…Well, there's nothing new about me about being the center of the attention, it comes with the territory of being a Phenex heir.

Monica isn't handling it so well.

She's repeatedly clenching her fists and tensing her legs, tongue constantly licking her lips and her eyes are constantly roving, as if she's expecting an attack to come at any second.

I quietly sigh and gently place a hand on her shoulder, causing her to involuntarily jump before I reassuringly whisper, "Relax Monica, we've got this in the bag. Just remember the plan and we'll crush the first matches no problem."

Her only response is a jerky nod but I let it slide, knowing that this is a big deal for her and it'd probably be hoping for too much to have her be totally relaxed.

I look across the field as a nearby instructor warns, "One minute." and marvel at our good fortune. Our first opponents will be Cerise and Alameda, 2 Devils who's powers I'm well acquainted with and am looking forward to kicking into the dirt.

Cerise inherited her family's powers over Earth manipulation while Alameda can mess with people's perceptions and concentration using Magically transferred pheromones and the like.

An easy match.

"All right girls, in you go."

I smooth out the front of my uniform and confidently stride past the barriers, Monica following in my wake.

"And for our 4th match of the day we have a very special matchup, Ravel Phenex and Monica Galatas on one team and Cerise Paimon alongside Alameda Zepar on the other! 3 Pillar Family members and one unknown transfer student, how will this turn out!"

I grin at the announcement and slowly stretch, glad that we're getting plenty of exposure.

It'll make it all the sweeter when we come out as the winners.

"Match start in 5…4…3…2…1!"

A buzzer unleashes a burst of noise and there's an odd bwoosh noise as the wards snap to full power and we immediately spring into action, running forward towards a line of trees about a couple dozen meters ahead of us.

Monica quietly mutters a few spell words to herself-although she stumbles once and has to start over-and a silver inlaid bow appears in her hands alongside 4 arrows with golden tips.

"As soon as you see them start firing Monica, that'll be my cue, got it?"

She wordlessly nods and I slip behind a pile of boulders while the blonde takes up position on a nearby tree branch, ceaselessly scanning the surroundings.

This goes on for almost a minute until the ground beneath the trunk Monica is posted on suddenly heaves upwards, almost displacing my partner before she nimbly leaps to another nearby bit of foilage, not wanting to get anywhere near the dirt below given Cerise's powers.

Now's my chance.

Gathering my power while keeping an eye on Monica I see her quickly fire off one of the arrows, a crackling trail of electricity left behind it almost like a line of rope. The projectile loops around where our 2 opponents are standing and Cerise quickly raises a wall of Earth around the 2 of them, providing a makeshift shield.

Undaunted, Monica quickly fires off the 3 additional arrows, each one trailing a line of electricity behind it and manipulates them to weave a makeshift cage of lightning around the 2 idiots before she starts shrinking it.

At which point Alameda smirks and strangely glowing motes of light surround the air around her, slowly drifting towards Monica who isn't able to get away in time without breaking her concentration.

She breathes in a few of these lights-

-and suddenly gasps, face reddening and she collapses to her knees, hand desperately clutching at her stomach and looking like it wants to twitch downwards.

Her focus completely broken the arrows clatter to the ground and Alameda smirks before loudly saying, "I know your Greeks are all a bunch of hopelessly horny people, but goodness, have some propriety, would you?"

Cerise derisively laughs and adds, "And I can't help but notice the Phenex heir left you behind! Did she finally come to her senses and realize you were deadweight?"

"No, she didn't. By the way, you 2 lose."

They both snap their heads in my direction, clearly having missed me during their scuffle with Monica-

-and blanch as they finally notice the enormous ball of fire, easily 3 times my size, hovering above my head.

…Honestly, there has to be a limit to how oblivious somebody can be…

I inwardly shrug, raise an arm, take half-a-second to coldly enjoy their growing panic-

-and then burn them.

There's 2 terrified shrieks as a wave of fire overwhelms them and a huge swath of the forest they were standing in is set ablaze amidst the roar of burning wood and dirt.

After a few seconds of letting my powers run wild I cut back and the fire gutters out, it's Magically powered fuel running dry and I just enjoy the destruction I caused.

"Match over! The winners are Ravel Phenex and Monica Galatas! 20 minutes until the next match start!"

There's another one of those weird bwoosh noises as the wards are dropped and I glance at one of the large, Magically projected screens that are set up for the audiences viewing pleasure, laughing once I get a clear look at it's image.

Cerise and Alameda, both looking pale and shocky, the edges of their hair singed and curled where my fire hit before the system pulled them out.

…

Heh, talk about a clean sweep. Monica and I hadn't even really bothered to go too in-depth with strategies, knowing full well that those 2 are complete jokes, instead opting to simply blitz them and finish the match as quickly as possible, keeping as many of our tactics and powers under wraps.

Heck, I hadn't even had to regenerate at all!

Shaking my head I turn to Monica, who's still lightly panting and red in the face and I blush myself once I realize there's a certain…dampness on her legs.

An uncharacteristically murderous expression appears on my friends face as she looks up at Alameda's displayed image and growls out, "First chance I get I'm so kicking that Bitch's cunt up her esophagus…"

I choke up at her harsh words before suddenly laughing and gathering her up in a hug, ignoring the hundreds of other gazes and Monica's own resigned sigh.

"Don't worry girlfriend, I'll be right there alongside you, holding open her legs to give you a clear shot."

Unable to hold back her own giggle of mirth, riding high on our crushing victory, we share a triumphant grin and raise our arms in victory to scattered applause among the audience.

Friends are such a nice thing to have.

And a bit of an overdue beatdown courtesy of ravel is completed! I'd originally wanted to release this earlier but as mentioned in a previous AN I made a rather big whoopsie-daisy during the writing and had to take a few extra days to un'ravel' that mess (hehe), but here we are! Next chapter is one that I've been looking forward to writing for awhile, it's going to both kick-start some events in Kalichi and cover some of Caine's psychology, something I always like covering in a character :D

Slayersky123: He'll have a few select weapons but none of them will be swords, since eventually Valefor's can sharpen their Shades into blade-like instruments.

Cilo: Currently this is 24-25 years before the start of canon (Volume 1) and I'm pretty sure Rias is 18 by then (?) so she's still about 7-6 years from being born herself.

Seeing everybody's feedback and suggestions is always a great motivator, thanks to all who have reviewed and see you all next time!