DISCLAIMER: DxD does not belong to me.


Hello everyone, Garith Gremory here!

At least, that's the name I go by nowadays...

Today is the day!

Yes, today is the day!

After all this time, after all these months, after all these years, I am finally will be able to do it! I just gotta focus, think deep and then here we go! I pull the dash, focus completely at my target and then...!

"Miss Grayfia~! Lemme fondle your breasts!"

*VOOSH!*

*VUPT!*

"Ah..."

"Indecent. Control yourself, lord Garith." But like a shadow, my dear sister-in-law vanishes from my grip, leaving only an afterimage of herself as her true form shifts from right next to me in an instant and my hug embraces only air! Fast as always, as expected from the Ultimate Queen!

"Today is the day, Miss Grayfia! Prepare yourself!" I said confidently, rolling on the ground as I land to turn back at the maid whose expression remains stoic as ever! My hands in a groping position began a barrage of assaults at the silver-haired beauty, but even with my best efforts, her slaps block any attempt to her figure in the speed of light! I fake, I double the speed and shift positions, yet her melons continue to be out of my reach! But, y'know, that just makes me want to fondle them even more! "Your breasts has swole since you gave birth to Millicas, right?! I bet they're so heavy that they're a hindrance to your duty as a maid, right?! Let me help you with that, Miss Grayfia...!"

"Indeed, they have. This is the first sign of motherhood in my body, and they have become quite an obstacle in my duties as a servant of Gremory..." She quietly explains, a single hand slapping my assault away and locking itself effortlessly in a defensive way.

"There, an opening...!" In the end, my own hands grow tired of the assault, and so, as an act of desperation, I gathered all of my strengths, slap her own hand away and hurl myself head-first at her, ready to bury my face into her bosom! "Caught you...!"

"But..."

*VUPT!*

"Eh...?"

*SLAP!*

"... A mother would never call the main source of nutrition for her dear son a 'hidrance'. In fact, I'm quite prideful of them now." But what I felt instead of a soft landing spot was a soft cold breeze of nothingness, followed by a slap on the back of my head that pushed me to the floor, hitting me hard against it and draining the remainings of my strength. I was defeated once more, and one score for my dear sister-in-law. "But don't be fooled, lord Garith. Only two people are allowed to touch them freely, and even as my dear master and in-law, you are not one of them."

"..."

"Have you calmed down now, Lord Garith? Honestly, I didn't expect your adolescence to bloom so... Explosively."

"Y-Yes, I am back, lady Grayfia. Apologies for my display of careless youth." I stand from my defeated position while scratching my itching nose, finally out of my hormonal frenzy.

Even with the mind of a middle-age salaryman, even after all these years as the heir of Gremory with learnt ethics and manners, my body can't help but to react accordingly to my awakening puberty, being surrounded by beautiful and bouncy women not helping in the slightest, neither being a devil, a race known for their inclinations towards selfish and wordly desires.

Truly... Unbelievable.

However, being now a devil actually helps me escapes further complications regarding my blossoming adolescence: well, it turns out, they barely bat an eye for a preteenager boy like myself acting all hormonal when harems are such a common thing, and a show about boob-loving tokusatsu dragons is considered child's entertainment(but again, so is Crayon Shin-chan, Chinyuki and Nagai Go's works). Even as someone my age, doing what I do would put me in trouble if I were a human; a slap on the wrist from my sister-in-law is the worst I've ever gotten. I have no regrets in any of those.

Of course, let us be mindful about it: even as a preteen, I won't chase after young girls despite being physically the same age as them; again, I'm not a lolicon, and even with this new body of mine, it won't feel right in the slightest... Also, why chase after them when my dear sister-in-law is the biggest and softest compared to? One day, one day...

Sometimes, I do envy big brother Sirzechs and my newborn nephew Millicas.

"If you're awake from your prepurbescent frenzy, lord Garith, I suggest that you make haste. You have sword practices with Lord Okita, no?" Adjusting her apron and hair, miss Grayfia warns me, and I stop scratching my itching nose to snap myself in realization, a massive grin spreading all over my face.

"Oh, right! Almost forgot! Thanks, Miss Grayfia! For today, I'll (try to) not harass you anymore!" I bid the maid of Gremory one final goodbye as I can see her brow twitch for my not-so-subtle promise towards her prudeness. Before heading to the Gremory courtyard, I picked my practice sword back in my room and dashed to the open fields, towards a particular ground near the middle. There, I see a known figure lazily laying on a tree, katana at hands and eyes closed as if taking a nap. My smile only grow seeing my master swordsman, my sensei! "Master Okita, I'm here! Please, teach me more kenjutsu!"

"Oh, you're already here, dear Garith?" The man wearing a teal haori and calm disposition peeks an eye to me, and yawning a little, uses his sword to support himself up, cracking his neck a few times and scratching his tired eyes. He smiles. "Man, I thought I would get to have a few more minutes of sleep, but oh well, a few minutes of lessons won't hurt much. Let's go, Garith."

"Yes, master Okita!" I smile, a genuine smile!

My excitement, my smile, my euphoria are all genuine, by the way! How could they not be? After a few more trainings under my father's tutelage, learning the basics of swordsmanship and their its forms, gaining new stats and experience in the system on my head, I was skilled enough to make my [BASIC SWORDSMASHIP] evolve into [MEDIUM SWORDSMASHIP, even being able to beat him in a few spars! Now, seeing how talented I am with my sword, Sirzechs suggested to me if I wanted to learn more in the ways of the sword. Seeing that my skills in the Power of Destruction went stagnant for a while, I accepted it...

And now, my master in the ways of the swords is none other than OKITA SOUJI, the second best samurai in history!(The first being Miyamoto Musashi in my opinion) Granted, he's not a honey-haired cute girl with a cute catchphrase, but still, training under him is a honour! Despite his samurai way, master Okita is calm, cool-headed and nice like a cool uncle, but that doesn't hinder his status as one of Japan's most known samurai! Even with my training under Zeoticus and my previous knowledge about kenjutsu from my life as 'Ichirou', I'm no match for him, and he nonchalantly plays around my best offenses and attacks!

"You feet are crossed, young Garith. Your grip is too tight and you're not using your legs to their full potential." He lectures me, effortlessly parrying and dodging my blade. So fast, so graceful, he appears to dance against me, his feet as light as feathers and his figure as soothing and swift as the wind! Eventually, he stops and we lock blades, his stance and strength behind the training sword immovable while I struggle to maintain our stand-off. "Never forget that either: only cross swords like that when you know your opponent is weaker or as powerful as you. Otherwise, you'll waste stamina and with a wrong move, they will overpower you."

"Understood!" I said, using his own firm stance and position to instead push me away from him and gain some space! Landing on my two feet, adopting a more direct position, I aim the point of my training sword at him and went for the thurst! "Just like that...!"

"Not fast enough." But then in the middle of the attack, master Okita swings his blade at my own and slaps it away effortlessly, also pushing me away and making me fall on my back, completely defeated. Utterly massacred, completely made a fool off, but against Okita Souji, the biggest of honours. I have a giant grin splattered on my face, even more after master Okita comes closer to help me stand up. "But not bad either, young Garith. I'm surprised you decided to learn kenjutsu instead of more conventional swordsmaship, the only bigger surprise is how fast you're picking it up. Does that mean I'm a good teacher? Just kidding."

"Heheh. It's just that master Okita is so famous and talented, it feels like I'll be invincible if I learn at least a porcentage of what he knows!" I smile, and my response makes my master chuckle with amusement. He's such a nice person, as well as a skilled samurai, no wonder he's worth two knight pieces from the strongest devil around, my brother. But also puts in perspective how truly powerful my brother and miss Grayfia are, which means everytime I play with them, I'm playing with fire. Scary, scary. I pick my sword and swings it a few times. "I also want to learn things like your 'Sandandzuki' and 'Shukuchi'."

"Those might be a bit too advanced still for someone so young as you, Garith. How old are you again? 11? 12? Go enjoy your youth instead of being a stuck-up swordsman, never know if you might die too soon." He gives a heartfelt chuckle, but I can see he says that by experience, the young captain of the Shinsengumi who 'died' barely pass his teenage years, actually being reincarnated as a devil on the nick of time due to tuberculosis. Now, I see what kind of beast he'd have become if he lived at least a healthy life. He comes closer, adjusts my hands and feet and gives me a sign to go on. "Here, your grip is clunky and tight, and your feet are not parallel, also, don't allow the tip go pass your knees. Now, from the beginning, give me 100 swings."

"Yes, sir!" I nod, beginning the set of 100-swings as part of his training. Turns out, he just not trains me to sparr, but also some meditation, appreciation for nature, a bit of jujutsu and judo plus some snacks and tea from his, our, homeland. Indeed, the most talented samurai, also such a nice person. Under his tutelage, I'm sure I'll be able to level up even more, and not just in dexterity or strength!

"Hey, aren't those Rias and Akeno?" But halfway my set, my blood froze and I twitched hearing those names, soon shifting my gaze towards my sister and her companion, this black-haired, violet-eyed young lady around our own age of dull stare and calm yet eerily quiet stance. That name, that appearance, it didn't take me to realize since her arrival a few days prior that she was Himejima Akeno, Baraqiel's daughter, the priestess of thunder and lightning and Rias's future Queen Piece. Seeing them coming closer I gulped a lump of air and dried the sweat from my brow. "Good afternoon, Rias, miss Akeno."

"Good afternoon, master Okita!" My little sister greets the samurai with a bright smile, being followed by the half-fallen angel girl next to her. Then, Rias shifts her attention to me, and following her future King, Akeno gazes upon me, and her eyes turn sharp and furrowed, a deadly aura leaking from her stare, in contrast with my sister's warning laugh. "And a good afternoon for you too, my dear brother."

"H-Hey, Rias. Good to have you back." I say with a lifted hand. Out of courtesy, I turn my gaze now to Akeno, and if stares could kill, I'd have been vaporized by now from her. I try my best to smile despite the souring mood between us. "A-And good afternoon to you too, miss Akeno."

"Every time you wake up, be grateful because it means I didn't decide to murder you in your sleep." She whispers poison towards me. Yep, she's still mad at me, and I have no one to blame but myself. Rias gives a little pinch towards the hybrid girl and asks her to behave, only for her to shot darts with her eyes at me and flick her head away from me. Once the mood becomes a bit brighter, Rias turns to my master.

"Master Okita, could you tell me more about Japan and your adventures with the Shinsengumi, please? I hear a lot from Akeno, and it really got my interest!" She exclaims, excited.

Oh right, another thing that I almost forgot about my new little sister: she is, or rather, will become a japanophile, the main reason as to why she wanted to study in Kuoh academy and kickstart the events of the series proper, plus the reason why her future Knight and Rook will receive japanese names. Honestly, knowing what I know, I can't understand her fascination with that country where death by overwork and suicide are so common, with fake smiles and fake praises everywhere and toxic culture and mentality that spreads like a cancer. If anything, being born as 'Garith' is way better than my previous life, no idea why she finds that hellhole of miserable people so enticing, I guess she's dumber than I thought...

"Sure, Rias. Anything for the little princess." The samurai genius smiles and ruffles my sister's red locks, but then points his chin at me. "But for now, I'll have to lecture your brother for a little while. You won't have a problem with that, right? I'm training him to be the best swordsman in the world, and I bet it'll help the Gremory a lot in the future."

"Hm~. Understood. I'll wait." The little lady pouts and nods, and for that, I stick her tongue out in mischief. Dunno why, but teasing Rias during such tender age never gets old, and knowing how she'll try to behave in the future, I can only imagine how I can mess with that. Yeah, he's my by the time being, sister. Go watch your anime and drink tea while I learn stuff from the second best samurai ever! She bows and hold hands with Akeno, bidding her goodbyes. "Farewell, brother, master Okita, and have a nice training. Akeno, you say 'goodbye' too!"

"I hope you bury your own children." She hisses at me again before leaving, and her words make me smile uneasily. Yep, she's still mad and wasting no efforts to hide that.

Once they finally are out of sight, I try my best to resume my training under master Okita, but with Akeno's hatred still fresh in my mind. Master Okita, however turns to me...

"Garith, what in world you did to miss Akeno?" He asks, clearly worried by her hostility.

"..." I purse my lips as the memories of that day flood my mind. It was a few days after Rias rescued Akeno from her own family because of her heritage as a human-fallen angel hybrid and the Gremory castle received a new tenant.

As I promised, even if she were to eventually move on past her hatred for her father and the grief for her mother's death, all thanks to the red dragon emperor, thus rendering my efforts null, I still tried to lend a helping hand in her issues and emotional baggage... But...


'Miss Akeno...?'

'Oh, Lord Garith. I-I'm sorry, I think... I should be going n-...'

'It's not his fault.'

'Huh...?'

'Miss Akeno, I know you might still hate your father for thinking he couldn't protect your mother or you, but be aware that he must've tried his best, and he must be suffering just as much as you, if not more.'

'...'

'Hating him for something he feels guilty about won't help anyone, miss Akeno. I know it must be hard for you, but please, don't let this hatred consume you. He still loves you dearly, and you'll only suffer by denying him, by denying your origins. Please, stop blaming your father and give him another chance.'

'...'

'Miss Akeno...?'

'WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE, ARE YOU SIDING WITH HIM?!'

'Eh...?'

' YOU WANT ME TO FORGIVE THAT SPOILED, WEAK-WILLED, SELF-PITYING, MISERABLE MAN JUST BECAUSE HE 'boohoo~, he must be suffering more than you for losing his wife'?! ARE YOU SAYING THAT I MUST FORGIVE HIM FOR NOT PROTECTING MY MOTHER WHEN IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM SHE WAS TARGETED IN THE FIRST PLACE?! IT'S ALL HIS FAULT, AND IF YOU THINK OTHERWISE, YOU ARE JUST AS BAD AS SCUM LIKE HIM!'

'Wait, what...?'

'GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET...!'

'PLEASE, WAIT-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~...!'


"..."

"...?"

"Let's just say... I really need some lessons in tact." I say with a pitiful sigh. Yeah, I expected as much: I'm no therapist, I don't have a degree on that; trying to help others with their baggage so intimately when I couldn't even sort my shit back in my previous life without taking their feelings in consideration and a bit of tact and care will just exacerbate problems and make me look like a pretencious know-nothing-know-it-all prick. I should be grateful that getting thrown out of the window was the least she did to me for that. Hyoudou Issei... Truly is mentally stronger than people give him credit for. I smile miserably at master Okita. "I guess I underestimated a woman scorned, which hell have no fury as."

"I see. Women are... Complicated, indeed." He chuckles, resting his sword on his shoulder to take my side. "Even being considered the strongest samurai, I had no idea how to deal with that kind. Should've asked some tips from Toshizou; now he was a ladies' man."

"Umu." I nod, remembering the name of Hijikata Toshizou, the other member of his squad. As much as I dislike my previous life in Japan, I do want to hear some stories of the Shinsengumi from the captain himself, the great Okita Souji.

"Say, Garith, let us not make those little bumps discourage us in the slightest." Master Okita calls for me with a small friendly bump on the head, snapping me out of my trance. "I know something that will cheer you up: when you finish your set, plus a few more minutes of meditation, I'll show you my Sandandzuki move! How about it?"

"Really?!" I beam up in excitement, seeing him nod. Truly, he does know how to cheer me up!

After that... More traning, more swings. I started and finished several sets of swings and thrusts in the air while receiving the tutelage of the second best samurai in history, my stance getting better and my senses getting sharp as I see my stats growing and growing. Compare to my trainings with father, Okita's lessons are a whole different level in both action and discipline. I swing, I cut, I medidate and pause, following master's lectures of the ways of the samurai, and once we were done, as promised, he show me his famous Sandandzuki, the 'Three-point thrust strike'!

His poise, perfect; his tempo, impeccable; his concentration, never wavering. From one stop to another, he moved faster than a lightning and once he was close enough of his target, an old tree in the courtyard, he struck it and slid pass it. It appeared as a single strike, but then, a second later, three merciless thrusting cuts appeared on the trunk of the tree, so deep and powerful they completely destroyed the remains of it. I saw firsthand the signature move of Shinsengumi's first unit captain, the technique which aims and strikes the victim's three lethal spots in a second, the Sandandzuki!

Man, if only... If only I could use put this move in my inventory of skills, I'd nigh-unstoppable combined with my Power of Destruction and basic fighting skills! To learn and use such powerful technique, wouldn't that be a dream...

...

*TING!*

What...?


-NEW SKILL UNLOCKED!-

-By seeing the technique, the GAMER can now use [SANDANDZUKI]-

- SANDANDZUKI(Active): The signature move of the infamous captain of Shinsengumi's first unit, also known as Hyakkidouri. A certain-kill strike, it aims and strikes the victim's neck and shoulders for massive damage. (lvl. 1).


No way...

No way!

I can... I can use Sandandzuki?! This is not a dream, right?! I scratch my eyes, shake my head and try to see my status board once more, and yes, the skill for the Sandandzuki, Master Okita's signature move is still there!

Holy shit, that's awesome! Wait, does that mean I can learn skills by just looking at them?! I can learn that stuff by just reading or taking records out of it?! This is freaking incredible! Sure, I'll still need to practice and level up those skills to be as good as their masters, no way I'm just gonna be able to use such deadly attack overnight, but still! Just being able to perform a famous and deadly move like that is like a dream come tru-... Oh.


*REQUIREMENTS TO USE [SANDANDZUKI:

- ADVANCED SWORDSMANSHIP LVL 50.

- KENJUTSU LVL. 80

- STR: 200

-DEX: 2.000

-SPD: 700

-LUK: 380


...

I mean, what was I expecting?

A preteen using a technique only one of the best samurai in history was capable of executing?

For a second, maybe less than that... Yes, I thought the system would give me a break. But of course, that is not the case...

Unbelievable.

Oh well, might as well continue to train and do my best instead of crying and whining about it. At least I have some hope of eventually getting there. Hope... Huh, that's not a bad feeling. Not at all...

The rest of my day was very typical. Lessons from Venelana, more training with Master Okita, lunch with my dear family plus the feeling that someone wanted to carve a hole into my skull just by looking at me, brief pauses to play with my siblings, and eventually the night fell in the Underworld as indicated by the artificial moon up in the sky, a creation by Ajuka Beelzebub in order to help human-turned-devils feel more at home. Just by the fact he bothered to make that instead of not caring at all... No wonder everybody admires him.

I sigh and lay on the sofa of the living room, completely drained of my strength after another day of training and lectures, them getting harder by each passing year... No, each passing month; my adult mind and memories of my previous life starting to lose its values as things become more and more complicated and complex, plus additional information regarding devil history, politics, ethic and the likes. Unbelievable, nobles truly are not human... Of course not, they're devils, you idiot.

"Good work for today, brother." And Rias sits next to me with a cup of tea and pass me a glass of milk, which I didn't take long to drink it fully, licking its remains from my lips. I look at her, and as always, her looks and sophistication are impeccable even after going through the same trainings and lectures as me. A quick peek at the board on top of her head and I notice the clear difference between us, hence her calm and composed demeanor while I struggle to remain sit. "I heard from master Okita that you've been improving astronomically in kenjutsu, and your performance in martial arts are also incredible for your age! That's so nice, Riz!"

"It looks like it, but it drains too much of me, Rias. I'm pooped." I sigh, every muscle in my body twitching painfully, the band-aids and curatives around my palms and feet a clear indication that I've overdoing it. Seriously, if this system had an stamina meter, it'd probably be mostly empty for me by now. I stretch, crack my neck a few times, and sit properly on the sofa. "Master Okita adviced me to slow down and regain strength for the next training session. He's right, too. If I were to rush things, I might rip a tendon or muscle and wait even more to train."

"But I'm proud of you, Riz. Super proud." She giggles like the little girl she is, and for that I smile back, regaining some of my energies. I guess some of my healing skills are evolving as well. We share a laugh with each other.

"I'm also proud of you, little sister. You have been growing so much within our training in power of Destruction, and regarding academics and manners, I'm falling so down behind, I'm kinda jealous." I smile and snuggled a hand on her crimson locks, her giggles and grin growing more and more comfortable in my grasp. To think she'll become one of the strongest, most talented and most influential devils in less than a decade, it makes me feel so proud as her 'older brother'... And a bit jealous too. What kind of future awaits 'Garith' anyway? Well, a better one than the one 'Ichirou' had, that's for sure. "Ah~ah. Our mother truly is incredible, raising a gorilla like you to behave so ladylike. No wonder everyone praises her, imagine how dangerous a little monkey with power of the destruction would be if she decided to wreck havoc around~."

"Hm! Here I was, thinking that I should say something nice about you being just as capable as me regarding our inherited skills and swordsmanship, but now, you've made me mad! I'm not going to say nice things to you anymore, stupid Riz!" And my sister pouts and turns her angry face away, whinning about my little teasing which I haven't lose the habit of since we were kids.

Dunno why, but when I tease this little girl that is now my little sister, for most of half a decade by now too, I feel somehow... Closer to her, how she takes them in strides instead of throwing tantrums and our parents shielding her while telling me how much better, much more talented she is compared to me and that I should be grateful that I'm related to her at all... Sigh. I know she is much more than I am, but for me to gladly accept that instead of being thrown at my face and shoved down my throat every day is something I can live with...

"Of course I need to be strong, Riz! We need to be strong... For the sake of our clan." And then she calms down, her pout turning into a pensive expression, a tad too mature for a preteen girl. "And for the sake... Of our future peerage. We shall be wise kings, after all."

Oh right, I almost forgot. As per tradition in devil society, once we reach the age of maturity and make our noble debut at fifteen, we'll be able to claim our Evil Pieces and start our own peerages as heirs of one of the remaining 72 pillars, being one of the most noble and powerful families in the Underworld to boot. I try to not think about it too much since being in a position of power is new to me even now, thanks for nothing lousy typical japanese company hierarchy, but with the approaching event and the intricacies regarding peerages, I can't help but to imagine all the possibilities with it. To have my own peerage, to be the head and King of my own group...

"Hey Garith..." Rias calls for me. "... Say... How to you envision yourself as a King? I mean, what kind of peerage you expect to have in a few years?"

"A harem, of course." I answer with no hesitation, and her entire expression disinflates to an incredulous grimace, as if expecting nothing less. Might be the blossoming adolescence, might be the fact 'Ichirou' never had a stable relationship to speak of, but if I were to get a peerage, might as well make a fun one, filled with women who will pamper, spoil and cherish me~, as well as fulfill my every desire... Specially the feeling that I am loved. hahah! "Like father, I want to make a harem of beautiful girls, and as a extra, fight alongside them! Sure, I won't mind boys either, but too think I'll be able to build something like that... It's exciting!"

"I... I see. Expected nothing less, brother. You're truly coming to that age."

"Hahahah!" I chuckle at her, the contrasts in our expressions just giving away our thoughts in that. Of course, I'm mostly jesting, a peerage needs a balance between power and synergy among its pieces, and if there are beautiful women among them, the better. I turn to her. "But how about you, Rias? What kind of peerage you expect to create? One full of pretty boys and idols, I presume?"

"Perish the thought, brother. I'm not like you or father." She waves a hand to dismiss my ideas on that. I know what kind of peerage she'll get, anyway: one full of people who love and look up to her, saved from deplorable circumstances and turned into something much more due to her guidance and a bit of luck. I might have pretty good LUK stats, but hers is just out of this world, wonder if I'll get the same amount of luck when looking for Evil Pieces. I blink and notice that she know lowers her head, deep in thoughts, facing her navel. "But if I were to answer seriously... I want a peerage that loves me, servants who I can count on and who sees me for who I am, and not for what I am."

"Hm~. Nice, that's a nice answer, Rias." I smile, stretching my back yet again and sighing. I was also expecting an answer like that; she's Rias Gremory, after all. One, two seconds of a beat, and she pouts, pursing her lips.

"No... I don't want to call or consider them mere servants, but a family too." She declares further, and from here I see she looks a bit hesitant in talking now. Huh, what gives? "More than their King, more than their leader... I want to be their friend, confident, mother, even lover. And to think the same Evil Pieces that will bond us together are used by others as a way to downgrade, ridicule those under their servitude... Brother... I do not want people thinking that my pieces will be slaves, either."

"..." I let out a small hum for her sentence, tilting my head backwards.

I knew it, she also saw the strange and unfortunate implications regarding the Evil Pieces: since they're used to bond one King to its peerage in a master-servant relationship, it's pretty clear who's in command and who's the commanded, who's the top and who's the bottom... Heh. And some devils use that power over their peerages to commit some wicked stuff on them, the idea of them breaking free only to face execution under underworld law discouraging any possible attempts of escape.

Hell, sometimes it doesn't even need the consent of the potential piece, Rias herself will use this loophole for like half of her peerage members in the future, making the slavery subtexts even clearer. You get into a peerage, either consenting or not, you shall stick with it or face a pretty messy death. Even the Gremory, who are known to treat their servants with kindness and love, are not exempt of those implications, after all, a gilded cage is still a cage. Sure, evil pieces might evolve and step up in devil society eventually, we have many examples of that like Lord Tannin and Lord Rosenkreutz, but they're still bond to their king, therefore never truly free from their influence...

"Brother, I might not have the heart to turn those close to me in my evil Pieces." She declares, sighing and pouting with brimming eyes, clearly worried. "I was thinking in turning Akeno into my Queen once I get my evil pieces... But she's my friend, she's a person very special to me. To turn her into a servant of mine, to downgrade her status like that no matter how much I value her... And do the same to others. I want people who see me as their friend, mother, lover, leader; not simply a heiress or a slaver. I just... Don't think I have the heart to turn others into my servants once I get my evil Pieces, no matter how much I want to be in Rating Games..."

She's pretty conflicted, no? That's quite a mature thought for a girl barely into her teens, and honestly, now that I think about it, such ideas flew right past my head for the pass year or two. She wants to be seen as someone special to her pieces, someone who doesn't 'own' them but who care and love them inconditionally. How very noble, as expected from Rias Gremory. My response for her pleas and doubt?

...

I laughed.

I simply laughed.

"Pff... Hahahah..."

"...?"

"Pfff... Kuhuhuhuh... Hahahahahah. Ahahahahahahahah!" I laugh, of course I laugh, much for my sister's confusion.

Indeed, she is mature for her age, thinking like that to the implications and intricacies regarding servitude and the Evil Piece system... Yet, as expected, she's still a child, so naive and idealistic. Of course, being a third-something former wave slave salaryman now in the body of a devil boy, I see things differently, hence I don't bother with those. Once I can finally breathe normally. I turn to her, and smiled, but this time, it scares her a bit, as she flinches at my face...

"Rias, do you mind hearing some wisdom from your big brother?" I ask her, and with a nod, she gives me permission to share the knowledge I hold as both Garith and 'Ichirou'. Don't worry, little sister, I shall put your doubts to rest with a bit of an adult reasoning. "Rias... While I admire your way of thinking, I must one important thing: one way or another, people are always slaves to something or someone. Nobody is truly free."

"...?!" Shock, her eyes widen as saucers and her mouth opens so much I thought her jaw would drop to the ground. Doubt and confusion are reflected in her orbs, and so I continue.

"Let me elaborate: Rias, nobody is truly free. We are always slaves to someone or something." I start to develop my ideas, a friendly wink at her. "Think about it, sister. What is 'freedom'? What is 'liberty'? The will and right to do whatever, whenever and however? Indeed, but ain't that impossible? In society, we become 'slaves' for the 'laws', and that's not a bad thing. In work, we become 'slaves' for our 'employees' or 'money', and that's how things are. Even if free from those, we're 'slaves' for our 'needs', like 'food', 'nutrients', 'love'. Even us, children of Gremory, one of the most influential, richest and powerful clans in the Underworld, are 'slaves' to our 'status', our 'name', and we have no problem with that, right?"

"O-Of course not." Rias nods, and I smile, hoping she's keeping it up.

"See? Hence why you shouldn't mind much in turning others into evil pieces, because, one way or another, everyone is a 'servant', a 'slave' to something or someone. Compare to other clans, I guess they won't mind being your 'slaves'." I chuckle, but now seeing my sister pout angrily. Shoot, I used the wrong word to describe her future servants, and now she might be mad at me. I try to change the subject once again, turning fully at her. "Rias, I get you, I really do, but please reconsider the following: instead of trying to be an equal, be a leader that will make people want to follow you, regardless of how they see you as. People will see your pieces as slaves or servants? Fine, just prove them that you've earned that position and that regardless, your subjects have a reason to want to be your Pieces, so much they won't mind and even take pride as such."

"Brother..."

"You're smart, athletic, powerful, talented, a prodigy who without a doubt deserves every iota of praise and admiration you get and will in the future, only getting better from here. We're already considered better than that failure Sairaorg, who hails from the Bael of all clans, and among the young devils, we are the strongests." I twich my mouth just badmouthing that cousin of mine, he doesn't deserve that but it'll make my sister get out of her funk. "Between being under your servitude and being slaves to things like hatred(like Akeno and Yuuto), fear(Like Koneko and Issei), the whims of others who don't care about them(Like Roseweisse, Xenovia, Gaspard and Asia), there's no doubt they'll choose you."

"B-But..."

"Rias." I hold her shoulders and make her look at me deep into the eyes. "There is no such thing as 'true freedom'... We simply choose how comfortable we want our cage to be, and we leave it like that. Sure, there are jerks who treat their servants like junk and who use the same system we will... But we're not them, we, you, will earn your peerage and their respect, so much so they'll never see themselves as yours, as your servants. And if people still have a problem with that... Well, it's because they're still too dumb to see how wrong their concept of freedom is."

After that, a beat between us. This is the wisdom of a simple wage slave salaryman, kicked out of his company for the dumbest of reasons. Be at work, at home, at society, at your own head, no one is truly free, no one is safe from bondage and needs. Money, superiors, your own parents, time itself, those are the slavers we shall always face, and even as a heir of Gremory, one of the most powerful families in the Underworld, I'm not truly free from my name, image or expectations. Little sister, even you are not completely free, as you'll get engaged to that Phenex son in the name of our family and only saved by a hairstring's whims, hence why getting fired up about this how ordeal is meaningless.

Perhaps this is just a phase, perhaps is just my adult cynicism talking, but in the end, the truth is thus: we can extend our chains, but to be free from them is only a dream fulfilled in death, and in a world where all the supernatural coexists, it might not even be the case even that. As for me... I don't mind having a peerage, to be in a position of power for once doesn't sound all that bad. People will see me as a slaver, a tyrant, a degenerate? So be it, I won't be any different from a company boss, a musical manager, an university professor. At least I won't treat them like slaves like a certain explorer, I don't a the heart for that either...

A few seconds that for me lasted hours, and Rias finally smiles again, giggling happily.

"Heheheh! Brother, sometimes you're so weird!" She laughs, and for that I melt on her grasp, unmotivated. Yep, not something a kid should say nor a kid should understand, I guess I put too much faith in the woman she'll become instead of the girl she is. Oh well. "But I think I get it now: there is no problem in being seen as a slaver, a tyrant, as long as my pieces are happy and satisfied! I should treat them with love and respect even if they're my 'servants', and be the leader they can respect and admire so much they won't be seen as my servants, but my friends and loved ones!"

"Bingo. That's my little cutie-patootie little sister." I reach a hand to pat her red locks yet again. I knew she would at least be smart enough to understand it a little. "Never forget: freedom is nice and all, but those who seek it to the fullest can become the most tyrant of them all, and slaves of freedom itself. Being a good and caring leader is what will make your servants want to stay instead of bare servitude or fear, and I know you shall become one eventually, Rias."

"Thank you very much, brother." She says dreamly, and I smile back. "I also know, despite your typical dream, that you'll become a good King too! You're also so smart, strong, and your skills with the blade have no like!"

"Wow, thanks." I nod. "But I think that, compared to you, I will fall a little back. Just a little."

"How can you be so sure?"

"..."


[RIAS GREMORY]

[LEVEL: 50/?]


...

"Call it a hunch." I reassure her with another pat on the head. "I'm so proud of you, Rias."

She says nothing, only blinks confused before accepting my pampering for a few more seconds before the butlers announce dinner time, and I had toignore little miss Akeno's deadly gaze that probably wanted to carve a hole in my skull. Nobody noticed that, and for the best...

Truly, there is no such thing as 'true freedom', we're always on the whims of outside forces. Luck, time, money, our own relatives, even our own bodies and minds; but I guess that's only natural, and living everyday with what we have and we can achieve is a small bite of happiness and hope in our lives.

Even with this ability, this gamer-like system, I'm chained by what I can and can't do, and even if I were to see master Okita perform a Sandandzuki or a Shakuchi a hundred times, it'll take a while for me to be able to do that with my current limits. I guess limitations of my own system are a form of slavery as well. I guess that's fine too, what's the point of playing a game if you can just break it however you like it and abuse the system to give you a massive advantage? As interesting as popping bubblewrap, I'll say: cheap, mindless and all around pointless; but a little fun, I presume.

However, the most proeminent form of bondage is, without a doubt, the perspective of others regarding me. And thus enters one of my status in my character board: My alignment.


- ALIGNMENT: Neutral evil.


For the longest time, I had no idea what purpose that should make. Why on Earth I was and still am considered a character of 'Neutral Evil' alignment? I mean, aside from my pranks on my servants, a perk to pick fights with others and teasing over my sister, I think I'm a relatively composed preteen. Mayhap 'Garith' used to be far more evil and chaotic than 'I' currently am, which is highly improbable for a 6-y/o boy even with his devil origin, or perhaps I'm delusional about my true nature and everything I've done so far brought the ire and scorn of my peers, only hidden under fake smiles and false praises.

It didn't take long for me to realize what that truly meant, and all that it needed was a quick look at someone else's status chart: Specifically, my brother's.

"Hey, Riz-kun. Your big brother is back. How about we watch some Satan rangers together?"

"..."


[SIRZECHS LUCIFER]

[LEVEL: DON'T BOTHER.]

[ALIGNMENT: LAWFUL EVIL]


"Little brother...?"

"Oh... It's nothing, brother Zechs. Let's watch Satan Rangers..."

Sirzechs Lucifer, the champion and current leader of the Underworld; caring son, brother, husband and now father; a war hero and a revolutionary, who helped improve the devil society and its denizens, both born and made into... A person of lawful evil alignment. And not just him, but Rias, my parents, even my dear in-law, all of them have evil alignment despite being the best people I could've ever met.

What was going on? Am I too blind to face them as they truly are? Do they secretly eat babies and shank the poor when I'm not looking? I mean, everybody has a dark side, but even Rias, who I spend 24/7 with all the time, is a person with evil alignment, and aside from her whining and crying and the fact she eats all my snacks when I'm not looking, she's not a bad girl, far from it, my conversation with her earlier cementing how much she cares. So why?

I realized the truth when I met my nephew for the first time. Millicas Gremory, Sirzechs and Grayfia's son, he was so small, quiet and cute, a newborn brought into this world with a shine in his eyes. Everybody surrounded Grayfia and her newborn son, and for the first time in a long time, she smiled, embracing her child and sharing tears with us alongside her dear husband, not as the Gremory maid, but as a mother and a wife. I saw my nephew and couldn't help but laugh and smile, I had a new family member to play with and tease and play the big brother to... But then, I read his character chart...


[MILLICAS GREMORY]

[LEVEL: 2/?]

[ALIGNMENT: NEUTRAL EVIL]


My dear nephew, recently brought into this world, with no sin on his shoulders, as pure as white and who now brings only joy and love from everyone around him... Is still aligned as 'evil'.

And then I realized something; Of course I have an evil alignment. After all... I'm a devil now.

A devil, a race with literally 'evil' written in it. As such, I reject the divine, I abhor virtues, I defy goodness. As shown, we can be gentle, we can be brave, we can be just, but by the end of the day, we're evil incarnate, and that won't ever change. It is in our nature, after all. The alignment is not how I perceive the world as, but a status how the world perceive me; therefore, as a devil, I'm evil regardless of my actions, regardless of my choices.

Huh, what a bad joke. So, it won't change my alignment or perspective no matter what I do? Fine then, I guess. Then, let me be evil. As a devil, let me be the evil you see me as, the evil the world see me as. However, I won't be the evil you want me to be. Oh no, I will be my own kind of evil.

Let's see how the system will perceive me as from now on. The evil of Garith Gremory.

I do wonder though... Who's running this system of mine, after all?


[NAME: Garith Gremory]

[LVL.: 39]

[RACE: Devil(High-class)]

[ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil]

[TITLES: The Gamer(beginner); Heir of Gremory; Lucifer's little brother; Riz; Troublemaker]

[CLASS: Saber]


(SKILLS)

- POWER OF DESTRUCTION(ACTIVE): The power of destruction inherited from the Bael. The demonic power to annihilate anything it touches. (lvl. 28)

- RECOLLECTION OF MENTEPSYCHOSIS(ACTIVE): The ability to 'remember' skills and knowledge from the past life at the cost of seizures and bleeding from the nose. (lvl. 50)

- VOID THE DEVOURER(ACTIVE): A little gift from the heart~. Don't wanna spoil the surprise.

- CHARISMA(PASSIVE): Skill inherited from the Good natured Gremory. The ability to charm and enchant peers more easily.(lvl. 46)

- GAMER'S MIND(PASSIVE): DATA LOST.

- DISCERN FOR RICHES(PASSIVE): A quest skill. The ability to discern the [TRUE VALUE] of any object or item and receive the information of anything in reach or sight, also know as [APPRAISAL]. (lvl. 18).

- MIGRAINE(PASSIVE): Brain damage. The ability to resist mental or psychic attacks(buff) at the cost of constant headaches(debuff), unabling the user to think too deeply or too much. (LVL. MAX)

- HEALING TO THE BELOVED(PASSIVE): Healing skill. Recovers health, diminishes/removes debuffs and boosts -RESOLVE- and -STR- when hugging characters with Bond Level 5 or higher. (lvl. MAX)

-FEATHERED FEET(ACTIVE): A dancing skill, graceful and quick maneuvers in the art of dancing. Might be also useful for combat. (Lvl. 33).

-FLUTTERING MELODIES(ACTIVE): A musical skill, your fingers practically dance across the chords of a violin or the keys of a piano. It might not work for fighting, but the ladies do like artsy men, no? (lvl. 18)

-INTERMEDIATE SWORDSMANSHIP(ACTIVE): the evolved skill from [BASIC SWORDSMANSHIP, a myriad of others can be acquired now! Once a certain level is reached, it'll evolve into [ADVANCED SWORDSMANSHIP] and enabling new skills to be learn. (Lvl. 20)

- KENJUTSU(ACTIVE): A swordsmanship skill focused on katanas and the eastern ways of the sword, like that of a samurai.(lvl. 13)

- SANDANDZUKI(Active): The signature move of the infamous captain of Shinsengumi's first unit, also known as Hyakkidouri. A certain-kill strike, it aims and strikes the victim's neck and shoulders for massive damage. (lvl. 1). -THE PLAYER HAS NOT MET THE REQUIREMENTS TO USE THIS TECHNIQUE YET-

- PRIVILEGE OF THE STRONG(PASSIVE): Nothing is impossible within your mind. Stats in STR, DEF, DEX, END and LUK increases 15% when feeling confident and oozing arrogance. (lvl.10)

- EDGED SPEECH(ACTIVE): A tongue that is as sharp as a sword. Use words and mockery on foes to put them off balance and make them lose focus. Might buff then with the skill [BERSERKER RAGE, however. (lvl.5)


(STATS)

-STR: 60

-DEF: 80

-DEX: 176

-SPD: 55

-END: 75

-INT: 63

-WIS: 100

-CHA: 1,008,008

-LUK: 108


And that's a wrap. A small timeskip to show a new perspective and the new maturity of Garith as little by little he accepts his role as a Gremory heir and devil... And embraces the degeneracy of being such plus the calling hormones!

Hello, DxD fandom. A new chapter to GxG as we jump a few years from the previous chapter to see the development of Garith and his... Relationships with the cast as now a preteen, plus his interests as Okita's little apprentice, his development as a samurai and... Stories with akeno, who now hates him with a passion for siding with her father. Porr Garith, this is what happens when you try to use the harem protagonist attribute... When you're not the harem protagonist(yet). Better luck next time, though.

The pace is a little off, but I do want to wrap up some loose ends before he goes on his own adventures in the search of a peerage and make some known acquaintances while at it, also to show that, even as in a new life, his past experiences still poison and dicdate his better judgement and mentality. He will probably come around eventually, as also discovering the mysteries behind his system, who is not there to help him in the slightest. Promise I'll rwach the end of the initial childhood arc before chapter 10 while also trying to make the pace a bit tasteful. The jump was a bit rude, but I hope I did it well.

But anyway, rant over, thanks for reading the new chapter of GxG and as always, stay safe, RR and until next time!