For Sona, whose dream was to establish a Rating Game academy where anyone could excel, this truth was pure poison. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Saji rushed to support her, but his face was twisted in a similar mask of agony. The rest of the Sitri Peerage looked just as devastated.
Of course they were. Sona's dream was their dream, too.
The illegal King pieces. The rigged rankings. It was a staggering, unforgivable betrayal of the sport they loved.
Azazel-sensei turned back to Ajuka. "I take it Sirzechs is having a hard time moving against this, too?"
"On the surface, everything looks like it's running perfectly," Ajuka replied. "If we intervene clumsily, the balance of the Underworld collapses, and internal strife will turn into a full-scale civil war. If we had the right trigger, we could tear it down in one go, but we are dealing with cunning, ancient Devils. They will do anything to protect their noble society and their profits. Even Sirzechs and I—the ones they call 'Transcendents'—are forced into a stalemate when it comes to politics."
So the Rating Games had become a playground for the old-guard's greed. I'd heard hints of political rot during the battle with Baal, but that was the Young Devils' league. The professional stage was clearly much, much darker.
Alice narrowed her eyes and whispered something under her breath.
Rias, her expression grim, spoke up. "But why tell us this now? Even if we are 'D×D,' isn't this top-secret information that only those of Satan-class are permitted to know?"
The answer to that question didn't come from Ajuka. Instead…
"T-That's because… those who were never supposed to know… those who were intentionally kept in the dark… ahh! They found out the truth… hauh!"
It was Tia (Tiamat), currently pinned to the sand and being thoroughly manhandled by the Useless Goddess.
…That Goddess has absolutely zero sense of timing!
Wait—Tia's in a real state! Her clothes are being torn! And her breasts are being squeezed like play-dough!
"That's so envia—cough cough! I mean, how scandalous!" I yelled.
"Ise-onii-chan, you didn't hide that at all! You said it loud and clear!" Ravel shouted.
Whoops! Did I say that out loud? Well, I guess it just goes to show I'm honest about my desires!
No, that's not it! I turned back to the Goddess and screamed.
"HAVE SOME SELF-RESTRAINT, YOU USELESS GODDESS!"
"The word 'restraint' does not exist in my dictionary!" she shot back.
"What kind of selfish dictionary is that?!"
"My dictionary only contains words like 'BEEP,' 'CENSORED,' and 'EXPLOSION'!"
"THOSE ARE ALL BROADCAST-PROHIBITED WORDS!"
That's not a dictionary! That's just a smutty magazine!
I give up. She clearly doesn't understand the gravity of this conversation at all.
"I mean, even if they use a King piece, I'm still stronger anyway~♪ I'm confident I'd achieve a total victory in bed, too!"
"I know! Finding someone who can actually beat you is the real challenge here!"
"Dark stories don't suit me! So, back to squeezing Tia-chan's boobies~♪"
"Ah… hahn! Don't pinch there… ah… hyauu!"
Stop it! Someone save her! Tia's body is literally twitching!
And seriously, can you stop killing the serious atmosphere?! I'm actually getting mad here!
…Okay, let's try to get back on track.
The person Tia mentioned—the one who "wasn't supposed to know"—was…
Sensei spoke the name. "Diehauser Belial. Is Diehauser a pureblood?"
"Yes," Ajuka-san confirmed. "He is a Devil who became a Champion through pure, unadulterated talent. A true 'King' who reached the summit without ever touching a King piece. That is precisely why he took the actions he did recently. Rizevim Livan Lucifer… the only reason he was able to steal Agreas was because he had the Champion's help. It was all a means to uncover the truth."
"—!?"
The Emperor was working with Rizevim?!
I remembered him coming to Agreas that day under the pretext of a movie shoot… so he was already in league with Rizevim even then?
I couldn't wrap my head around it. "But surely there were other ways to find the truth? He didn't have to join a terrorist group…"
"He has his reasons," Ajuka-san said softly. "Ultimately, you can blame the old-guard Devils. Their schemes have been slowly but surely warping the very foundation of the Underworld. The Champion simply drove a wedge into the point where the structural integrity had reached its limit."
"You're saying he had a reason big enough to turn the entire Underworld into his enemy?"
In response to my question, Ajuka-san closed his eyes and nodded.
He had a reason. A reason so heavy he had to move, even if it meant shattering the peace of the Underworld. Was that why he allied with Rizevim?
But that led to the next question.
Ravel asked, "Why did Diehauser-sama make his move during the match with my brother?"
"Likely to draw me out," Ajuka-san replied. "He possesses the power to nullify his own 'Worthless' attribute, and he used it to crash the Rating Game system, making it impossible for anyone to retire. That triggered the emergency protocols. That is why Tiamat was deployed as a hidden arbiter."
So that was the truth behind the "foul play."
…Meanwhile, the real Tiamat was still getting her chest kneaded. Just how much "skinship" does this Goddess need? Was she really that lonely?
"I was curious as to why the Champion would resort to such extremes, so I teleported to the scene myself," Ajuka continued.
"And that's where you talked to him?" Sensei asked.
Ajuka-san nodded. "Yes. He confessed everything—the King pieces, and his cooperation with Rizevim. However, if he had stopped there, Raiser Phoenix would have been in grave danger. The Rating Games are monitored by the executives and the top brass via surveillance cameras. They likely saw our conversation. And if they did…"
"Then Raiser Phoenix would be suspected of being an accomplice," Azazel-sensei finished. "Your conversation was a parade of top-secret information. To the elders, Raiser would be someone who knew too much. They would have disposed of him."
"Disposed of him…? No…" Ravel swayed, her face turning pale. I instinctively reached out to steady her.
To think—just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, a family member could be executed. And if the top brass truly are as ruthless as Ajuka says…
"The elders will do anything to maintain appearances," Ajuka-san continued. "In the past, they have ruthlessly eliminated anyone who stumbled upon the truth of the King pieces. Fearing this, the Champion 'used' Raiser Phoenix as a pretext to hand him over to my custody. He gambled that even the elders wouldn't dare lay a hand on me. In the end, everything went exactly as he planned."
"Then… the reason my brother was reported missing was…"
"Because I couldn't release him until his safety was absolutely guaranteed. I have no intention of letting a promising young man be murdered for the sake of some old men's greed."
…So this man was protecting Raiser all along. So was Tia. And even the Champion, the man who started this whole mess.
I felt like I needed to have a long talk with the Champion at some point… but that could wait.
One question still bugged me.
"But why do it during the match with Raiser? Couldn't he have done it against any other opponent?"
Right. Based on what he just said, any opponent would have worked. He could have done this during the very first match. Was it because of the battlefield? Did he need somewhere away from the public eye?
Ajuka-san let out a small, knowing smile.
"You'll understand that eventually. He's surprisingly sharp-eyed."
Both Ravel and I tilted our heads in confusion.
There was another reason it had to be Raiser? I didn't get it now, but one day I would? If Ajuka-san says so, I doubt it's anything that will hurt us, but still…
Well, regardless.
Ravel bowed her head deeply. "Ajuka-sama… thank you for saving my brother. For saving Raiser…! I will never forget this debt of gratitude as long as I live!"
"Don't mention it," Ajuka-san said, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "I simply fulfilled my duty."
He looked on kindly as Ravel continued to bow, over and over again.
Was I… serious enough?
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