After leaving Kazuya's mansion, although they could have simply used teleportation to depart the property, Rias and her group chose to walk.
No one suggested it out loud; it was a silent agreement.
As if, instinctively, they all knew they needed a few minutes of quiet.
The morning breeze blew gently, brushing against their faces as they walked.
Rias led the way, her crimson hair swaying in the wind, but she didn't care. Her eyes were fixed on the ground.
Kazuya's words echoed in her mind.
"Spoiled... Arrogant... Revolting personality..."
She bit her lip so hard she tasted the metallic tang of blood. How dare he? How could he judge her without knowing her? The responsibility of being a Gremory. The shadow of her perfect brother. The unwanted engagement to Riser. The constant expectation that she be strong, wise, flawless.
He didn't know.
He couldn't know.
Or maybe... maybe he did.
Maybe that was exactly why his words hurt so much.
Because, deep down, somewhere inside her, she feared he was right.
Maybe she really was deceiving herself.
Pretending to be stronger than she was.
Hiding behind her title, her heritage, the facade of self-sufficiency. She wanted to be free from the marriage, but was she wasting time being a high school girl while she should have been training every day to reach the strength needed to escape her fate? Was that laziness? Or was it truly the princess syndrome, as Kazuya called it? Had she really been waiting for someone to come and save her...? Was she banking on that instead of relying on her own power, just as she relied on her surname to maintain her pride when she hadn't achieved anything on her own...?
...He was right, but she didn't want to admit it to herself!
She felt her throat tighten as she clenched her fists, her nails nearly piercing the skin of her palms. It was humiliating. She wanted to scream, to confront him, to erase what she felt, but all she could do was walk.
The anger wanted to surge, but it came mixed with something else she didn't want to admit. She felt like just another girl, heartbroken by someone who hadn't even hesitated before breaking her. It was hateful; she hated everything she was feeling, hated having to stay composed because she was in front of her Peerage and, as their [King], had the responsibility to be strong for them.
While she was lost in her own thoughts, Akeno followed silently behind her. Her eyes were dark, her expression distant—not the usual seductive, playful gaze. It was the look of someone who had swallowed their own pride and was still trying to maintain control. There was a faint crackle of electricity around her fingers, almost imperceptible, as if her body refused to accept defeat.
Kiba walked with his head down, his jaw clenched. He didn't speak, and perhaps that was for the best. He was the calmest of the group, the most rational. But even he couldn't hide the glint of fury in his eyes.
Koneko walked further back, her arms crossed, her eyes focused on the ground.
Issei... well, Issei was strangely quiet. No jokes, no lovesick sighs. Just a lost, confused look, as if he were still trying to understand what had happened.
After a few more minutes of silence, with only the muffled sound of their footsteps on the gravel path, Akeno finally broke the quiet. Her voice was low but laced with tension, as if it had been held back for too long.
"Rias, we can't just let this slide. He humiliated you. He humiliated us."
Rias didn't respond immediately. Her eyes were still fixed on the horizon, but her mind was elsewhere. She remembered Kazuya's gaze, which seemed to see right through her. He wasn't the boy she thought she knew. Not the classmate who made funny comments about anime or treated her as an equal.
"I know," she said at last, her voice almost inaudible.
Akeno blinked, surprised by the calm response. She had expected anger. Wounded pride. A plan for revenge.
But Rias just kept walking, her gaze fixed ahead.
"You know? Rias, he—"
"He only spoke the truth."
That sentence stopped Akeno in her tracks. For a moment, silence fell again, heavier than before.
"Forget it for now..." Finally, before anyone could press the matter further, Rias cut them off with a sigh, making it clear she didn't want to discuss it.
The others understood immediately. Not because she used an authoritative tone, but because they knew her well enough to see she needed to avoid the topic for now.
Akeno nodded softly, swallowing whatever response she was about to give.
Kiba merely looked away and kept walking beside her in silence.
Koneko moved a little closer but said nothing. She just stayed there, as she always did when Rias needed silent companionship.
The group continued in silence for a while.
"Buchou?" Issei called out hesitantly, his voice heavy with concern. He seemed lost, torn between loyalty to his master and confusion about what had just happened. "What... what do we do now?"
Rias finally stopped walking, turning slowly, trying to hold on to what little composure she had left. Her normally bright blue eyes were clouded. Her Peerage looked at her in silence, waiting for the leadership that, deep down, she barely felt capable of providing in that moment.
But even so... she was Rias Gremory.
She took a deep breath. Once, twice. And spoke:
"I know you're worried, but don't be. I'm fine." The lie didn't sound very convincing, but she pressed on. "I'm sorry... I didn't want you to see me act so pathetically."
She paused. The cold wind caressed her blood-red hair.
"Kazuya may think he knows me. That he can judge me. But he's wrong." Her voice wavered at first, but she steadied it with effort. "I'm not a spoiled little girl. I'm Rias Gremory, heir to the House of Gremory, and I won't let him or anyone else make me feel inferior."
The words were more for herself than for the others, as if she needed to believe them before they could.
Akeno, always the closest, stepped forward, her gentle expression contrasting with the wounded pride still burning beneath her skin from everything that had happened at the mansion.
She reached out and placed a hand gently on Rias's shoulder, her touch firm but comforting.
"Stop that, Buchou. You weren't pathetic." Her voice was low but steady. "In fact, we follow you exactly because of this. Because, no matter what happens, you always rise with your head held high. Like now. Even broken inside, you face everything with dignity."
Rias pressed her lips together, trying to hold back the emotion rising in her throat again.
"You're not weak for being hurt by those words..." Akeno continued. "You're strong for still being here, trying to react and move forward..."
Kiba nodded from behind, his arms crossed. "Akeno-san is right, Buchou. You're stronger than you think. Only someone truly brave faces the truth and still chooses to keep fighting."
Koneko murmured softly, barely looking at anyone. "You don't need to prove anything to us. You're enough just being you."
Issei hesitated, shrinking among the others, his face tense. But still, he spoke. "I... know I didn't do anything. And... I'm sorry for that. But I also want to protect you, even if I can't do it like the others."
He truly didn't know whether what Kazuya had said was true or not. Part of him wanted to deny everything, to say it was a lie, that Rias would never do such a thing. But deep down… it didn't make much of a difference. Because regardless of her intentions that night, one thing was certain: he liked the life he had now more than the one he had before.
Living as a pawn in Rias's Peerage had its limitations, but it also gave him opportunities. New friends, a world he never imagined existed... and, above all, the chance to be by the side of someone who made his heart race. Kiba-sama!
Issei stole a quick glance at the blonde walking ahead, always so serious, so... unattainable. But still, kind. Kiba never treated him like a burden. And that meant more than anything.
An idea began to form slowly in his mind.
Maybe he wasn't strong enough now. Maybe he froze in front of those divine figures around Kazuya and felt helpless watching Rias crumble before them. But... if he wanted to change that, he needed to act. Not for pride, but for himself. And maybe, just maybe, to get closer to Kiba.
If he asked to be trained... to learn to fight for real... would Kiba agree?
Issei took a deep breath, his gaze resolute for the first time since they left the mansion.
Maybe, just maybe... something good could still come out of this.
Thinking that Issei was also determined for her, even after Kazuya's lie about how she revived him as a servant, Rias felt her throat tighten. For the first time since leaving Kazuya's mansion, she didn't feel alone.
Akeno raised an eyebrow, a faint smile curving her lips. "So, what's the plan?"
Rias took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing. "We investigate. Everything about him. About those... people with him. Who they are, where they came from, why he knows so much about the supernatural world. I don't believe my brother let this slip so easily. And then... we'll think of a plan to return today's humiliation."
She paused, looking at the faces around her. Shame burned in her stomach.
"I made a mistake today," she admitted, more to herself than to them. "By not investigating further. By going to him unprepared, thinking I could convince him with just words, I was arrogant to think he had no reason to refuse. I won't make that mistake again."
Issei scratched the back of his neck, still tense but trying to show confidence, glancing at Kiba. "I won't stay powerless next time, Buchou. I want to be someone who can help you..."
Rias looked at him with a mix of surprise and affection. Issei's frustration was evident, but his sincerity was enough for her.
"Issei..." she murmured softly.
Kiba stepped forward, his expression firm, his eyes resolute. "I'll talk to Sona-senpai. She's been watching Kazuya for a while... maybe she knows something that can help us."
Rias shifted her gaze from her pawn to her knight, nodding slowly. "Good idea..." she said, her mind already spinning with possibilities and strategies. "And I... I'll talk to my brother. If he brought Kazuya to Kuoh, then he definitely knows more than he's told me..."
Akeno crossed her arms, her gaze still heavy. "Meanwhile, I'll try to dig into those people through the Devilnet. Some informant must know something..."
Koneko didn't say anything right away. She just murmured, her eyes fixed on the ground, "I want a rematch with that woman."
Rias looked at them.
She took a deep breath, and when she spoke again, her voice was steadier. "Let's go. Enough walking. We have work to do."
Without another word, she raised her hand, a magic circle appearing beneath the group's feet.
In an instant, they vanished in a flash of crimson light, leaving behind the cold silence of Kazuya's property.
Their destination: Kuoh Academy. Where it all began and where, soon, something would change for good.
...
On the other hand, after Rias and her Peerage left the mansion, as if nothing had happened, Kazuya settled back into his favorite armchair. In his hand was a fresh cup of tea he'd grabbed when he got up just before Rias and her group left his house. Luckily, he didn't need to heat the water; he'd left it on the stove earlier, somewhat carelessly, as the boiling water had sat for so long that the kettle was scorched black—almost setting his kitchen on fire...
But since he knew the risks of sharing a roof with Servants like Shuten-Douji and Ishtar, he'd installed anti-fire and protection "runes" throughout the house, strong enough that he doubted even an atomic bomb could scratch the walls. So, domestic accidents like this were pretty irrelevant if they happened.
In practice, the entire kitchen was more secure than most Gringotts vaults.
With steam still rising in gentle spirals from his tea, he leaned back in the armchair, one hand holding the cup, the other resting on the armrest, his eyes drifting to the ceiling for a moment.
It had been a few minutes since Rias and her group left.
Shuten-Douji had already vanished to the kitchen, likely in search of another bottle of sake, as was her habit whenever the atmosphere grew too dull or serious.
Edmond Dantès, on the other hand, had settled on the couch, legs crossed, holding his teacup like it was fine wine. He watched the steam rise with the gaze of a man accustomed to contemplating his own darkness and savoring the small pleasures between one vengeance and the next.
Karna stood by one of the living room windows near Kazuya's armchair, calmly gazing at the horizon.
Ishtar, perhaps out of provocation or mere whim, had perched on a pouf beside Kazuya's armchair. She wore her signature smile, a mix of mockery and possessiveness, clearly reveling in the silent discomfort of Ereshkigal, who sat on a pouf on the other side, hugging a cushion tightly, her face heavy with barely concealed jealousy due to the lack of space beside her beloved Master, thanks to the table where he placed his tea.
Artoria Alter was at the far end of the couch, game controller in hand, her brow furrowed and eyes glued to the TV. She muttered curses under her breath while battling, apparently, a playable character named "Anubis_God" in one of the world's most popular online games.
"Damn you... this time, I'll crush you..." Salter grumbled, her thumbs deft on the controller. "You may have reached max level, but you're still a pathetic pixel under my feet..."
The scene, though absurd at first glance, was strangely normal for this household.
Kazuya cast a sidelong glance at his adorable Tyrant King, who remained engrossed in the game as if nothing else in the world mattered. A faint smile curved his lips before he turned his eyes back to the TV, but the colorful screen before him wasn't what occupied his mind.
The conversation with Rias surfaced in his thoughts—not because it was particularly important, but because, throughout the entire dialogue with the Demon King's little sister, he was also in mental contact with his Servants. They weren't there to protect him at that moment, and it clearly bothered them. Not out of distrust in his strength, but out of pure instinct.
Jalter was the first to react, as always, her fiery anger nearly spilling through their connection for not being summoned to this "meeting" with the unwanted guests, ready to cut down anyone who dared raise their voice at him, saying she'd do it when she returned. Jeanne, on the other hand, felt restless, with silent, genuine concern that only a Saint would have upon learning her husband was facing demons. Both had replied minutes ago that their side of things was done.
Skadi and Scáthach, though far more composed, had also checked in. Amid the tasks he'd assigned them, they made a point to assure him, through their thoughts, that they'd be by his side the moment he called. If things got out of hand, he was to use his [Command Seals].
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel relieved that his plans had worked out—
"Damn Anubis_God! How dare you hit me with that combo?!" Artoria Alter slammed the couch's armrest, nearly crushing the controller in her hands. "I'll turn you into digital dust, you worm!"
Snapped out of his thoughts, Kazuya took a sip of tea and sighed. "Artoria, if you break another controller, you're paying for it out of your own pocket. And, just a reminder, you don't have a pocket."
Artoria Alter shot him a glare but didn't respond, returning her focus to the screen. The sound of virtual blows echoed through the room, mingling with her curses.
Ishtar, lounging on the pouf beside Kazuya, laughed loudly, tossing her black hair, seizing the chance to taunt. "Look at that, she's getting thrashed by some random mortal! How embarrassing, Saber! Want me to lend you my ship to crush this so-called Anubis_God?"
"Two things, goddess," Artoria retorted without taking her eyes off the screen. "First, shut up. Second, Maanna wouldn't fit in a game server."
Ereshkigal, still clutching the cushion, muttered something inaudible, her eyes fixed on Ishtar with a mix of jealousy and frustration. "Always showing off... as if she's the only one who can protect the Master..."
Edmond Dantès remained silent, sipping his tea. He wasn't one for small talk, but he was quietly enjoying the moment, memories of Chaldea flickering in his mind...
Karna, still standing by the window, turned slowly, his serene expression contrasting with the room's chaos.
"Master..." he said, his voice calm. "You seem pensive since that girl left. Does the conversation with the demoness still bother you?"
Kazuya raised an eyebrow, surprised by Karna's perceptiveness. He took another sip of tea before answering, choosing his words carefully. "It's not that it bothers me. It's... this whole 'Peerage' system, servitude, someone thinking they can put me on a leash because they have an important last name. It reminds me of things I thought I'd left behind..."
It was okay to speak his true thoughts, wasn't it? Truth be told, he was irritated by the entire "situation" he found himself in upon being reborn in this world because it reminded him of his childhood, where he was treated like a dog by his own mother in his first life. Always silent, always obedient, waiting for the day someone would see him as a person and not a mere object to use, abuse, break, and discard...
Funny how these things come back. You're reborn in a new world, gain power, freedom... and then someone comes along trying to shove you into a gilded cage with a smile on their face. And that made him harbor such resentment in his heart for all of "this." He would never give up his freedom in this world...
Through his peripheral vision, he noticed his other Servants paying attention to him, and he gave a faint smile as well.
Edmond Dantès took on a certain cold demeanor at that moment. He looked at Kazuya and asked, "Master, speaking of which, why did you let that demoness walk out alive after she dared suggest you become her slave?" The word dripped with venom, laced with contempt. "She looked at you and thought she could chain you. As if you were a dog to be tamed by her surname."
Kazuya met Edmond's gaze.
No words were needed to understand how he felt. He'd seen that same glint in Edmond's eyes the first time he explained how this world worked, especially the so-called "Peerage System." On that occasion, the Count of Monte Cristo nearly set off for the Underworld, determined to eradicate every noble demon who dared turn humans into slaves for their own selfish desires.
Fortunately, he'd managed to hold him back.
But it was clear Edmond still wanted to act. He wanted to unleash his Noble Phantasm, Enfer Château d'If, and let the flames of his wrath consume the demons. But he didn't. Not for lack of will, but out of respect. He trusted his judgment.
From what he remembered of his past life and why the Avenger trusted him so much, it was because he'd borne the burden of saving humanity. He faced brutal trials, often treated as a disposable pawn in the grand chess game of Chaldea's interests. After everything they went through together in the Château d'If, they formed a bond that went far beyond Master and Servant. At least, Edmond came to see him as an equal, and they grew quite close.
When Rias made her proposal, Edmond felt the insult immediately. To him, it wasn't just an offer—it was an attempt to subjugate Kazuya, a man he saw as an equal. His fury manifested without restraint. The black flames that enveloped his body when he confronted Kiba seemed alive, suffocating, crushing the knight with sheer terror.
But even then, Edmond didn't attack Rias. Not because he lacked the power or motivation, but because Kazuya didn't order it. As a Servant, he was devoutly loyal to his Master's will. As a friend, he respected his decisions, even when he disagreed. And though he hated Kazuya's choice to respond with words instead of steel, he accepted it.
At least for now.
That's what he believed had happened.
Letting out a sigh, he responded calmly. "Edmond, I didn't accept her offer. And I won't. You know that."
Edmond didn't reply immediately, but after a moment of silence, he spoke. "Good. Because if you had accepted, I'd have dragged you out of this mansion myself and thrown you into the Château d'If to remind you who you are."
He paused, his eyes glinting with an intensity that mixed anger and loyalty.
"I know what it's like to be chained, Master. I spent years in that prison, betrayed by those I called friends. Danglars, Fernand, Villefort... they stole everything from me. My life, my fiancée, my freedom. And I fought, bled, died inside to take it all back. So when that demoness dares to offer you chains, I don't just see a spoiled girl. I see them. And I swear, Kazuya, no one will chain you while I'm here."
Kazuya nodded, understanding, scratching his cheek as he spoke. "Sorry about that, Edmond. And thank you for your words. I'm relieved to have you by my side."
Edmond let out a slow sigh, as if exorcising an old ghost still living in his bones.
"It's fine. It was entirely her mistake, Master. The mistake of thinking she could chain the sea or bottle a lightning bolt." His eyes narrowed. "You're not a chess piece. And if you ever forget that, I'll remind you myself."
Kazuya smiled, this time with a bit more warmth. "Got it. If I forget who I am... I'm counting on you to shake me up. Literally, if necessary."
Edmond gave a small, almost imperceptible laugh. But it was genuine. "I'd prefer dynamite."
Silence followed for a moment, though Ishtar wanted to interrupt earlier or even now, and Artoria Alter wanted to yell in frustration over the stupid game she lost to someone with a lower level because she was distracted by the conversation. Both respected the more "intimate" and "masculine" exchange between the two.
As for Ereshkigal? She loved watching her Master talk, so she listened without interrupting. And Karna? He wasn't the talkative type.
The rest of the day passed with the strange, usual rhythm of Kazuya's mansion.
After the conversation with Edmond, the atmosphere calmed, though it remained heavy with unspoken thoughts. No one mentioned Rias again, as she was quite irrelevant.
It wasn't long before Jalter and Jeanne returned from the task Kazuya had assigned them.
A little later, Scáthach and Skadi returned as well.