Inside the castle, Rias spoke of her predicament to everyone for the first time.
There was no helping it—she truly had run out of time. Her family had been constantly maneuvering behind the scenes, and the small measures she'd tried to use to stall them had proven completely ineffective.
Koneko and Asia now understood the gravity of the situation, but even knowing didn't help much—they were just as at a loss.
After all, if this was a problem even Rias couldn't resolve, what power did they have to stop it?
"Ryuya, you have a way, don't you?"
Rias turned her gaze toward Ryuya Kurobane.
Under everyone's expectant stares, Ryuya nodded.
"There is one."
"Really?"
Ryuya chuckled lightly.
"The solution's been right there all along. You just kept overlooking it."
Sitting on the sofa, his eyes swept across everyone present.
"Among devils, isn't there a method specifically meant to settle all disputes and determine outcomes?"
Everyone froze for a moment.
"You mean…" Rias asked uncertainly, "the Rating Game?"
"Exactly. If you win against that guy in a Rating Game, then no one would have any grounds to object, right?" Ryuya said calmly.
"As for the justification—it's simple. Rias's fiancé can't be some useless trash who's weaker than her."
Ryuya laid out his solution, but Rias frowned deeply.
"Riser Phenex already has fifteen pieces. His forces are complete."
"You're not that far behind," Ryuya replied meaningfully.
Because Grayfia was present, he didn't spell it out.
Compared to the Phenex side, Rias was only short one Bishop and one Rook. After all, Ryuya alone occupied two Knight slots and eight Pawn slots.
Just then, a surge of demonic power suddenly filled the castle.
That power was brimming with scorching heat and vitality, like an undying flame of life. In an instant, it flooded the entire room.
Everyone turned to look.
The magic circle flashed, and a large group of people appeared in the spacious hall.
Aside from the man at the front, the other fifteen were all women, each with different figures and appearances.
"Ah, it's really been a long time since I last came to the human world."
The man at the front casually swept his gaze around, completely ignoring Ryuya and the others, his eyes locking straight onto Rias.
"I've come to see you, my beloved Rias—my future wife."
With that, everyone already knew who he was.
Riser Phenex.
Rias's expression darkened immediately.
She couldn't say she hated the third son of the Phenex family, but she certainly had no respect for him—especially after learning he was to be her fiancé. That had only deepened her displeasure.
Still, out of restraint, she didn't show it. She simply remained seated, unmoving.
Riser wore a confident, arrogant expression as he walked over and sat down beside Rias, then brazenly reached out to put an arm around her shoulders.
In the very next moment, the demonic power around Ryuya surged.
The sofa beneath him snapped apart from Rias's side.
Ryuya and Rias, still seated on half the sofa, slid sideways a full two meters—while the sofa under the third Phenex son exploded with springs flying everywhere…
If Riser hadn't reacted fast enough, he would've been in serious trouble.
"Riser, what do you think you're doing?" Rias snapped, her brows shooting up as she stood.
"You come in and immediately start wrecking my house—did you come here just to pick a fight?"
She didn't waste Ryuya's effort at all, seizing the opportunity to strike back with full momentum.
Riser's face immediately twisted with anger.
"What the hell is this? Who is this lowly trash at your side?"
His eyes practically spat fire. At this moment, Ryuya was sitting calmly beside Rias—keep in mind that even Akeno, the Queen, was standing. The way things looked now, Ryuya seemed almost like the master of the house.
Ryuya remained perfectly composed. With a gentle tone, he tugged lightly at Rias's sleeve.
"President, Lord Phenex may simply not be used to the ordinary furniture of the human world, since it's his first time here. Please don't be upset."
Rias blinked in surprise. She had originally intended to seize the opportunity to kick this annoying guy out directly, but she hadn't expected Ryuya to speak up on the other party's behalf instead.
But on second thought, it made sense—driving him away wouldn't really accomplish anything, at most it would just vent a bit of anger.
She snorted softly and calmly gave an order.
"Akeno, make some tea."
"Yes, President," Akeno replied with a smiling voice.
After brewing the tea, she deliberately poured a cup for Ryuya as well—who had been sitting there without moving the entire time…
She was clearly enjoying the chaos.
After all, Riser was still standing there…
Ryuya smiled as he accepted the teacup, nodding politely to Akeno in thanks.
From start to finish, Ryuya's behavior was impeccable. He didn't say a single overtly offensive word, yet every action managed to offend someone to the extreme.
Riser wanted to explode, but couldn't find any concrete excuse. His anger boiled over, yet he could only force himself to endure it.
He sat down across from Rias. Seeing Ryuya sitting firmly beside her, unmoving, made it impossible for him not to feel enraged.
"Rias, I am a high-class devil. You actually dare let your servant sit on equal footing with me?"
Riser finally found a reason to lash out, his expression ugly—he was clearly already furious beyond reason.
"Hm? I've always treated my servants as family. Do you have a problem with that?"
Rias shot back sharply. She knew that, strictly speaking, Ryuya didn't hold the moral high ground here, so this was precisely when she needed to step in and protect him.
Ryuya wore a smile—but it was so fake it was almost comical. In the past, his fake smiles at least had some finesse; this time, he wasn't even bothering to act.
"Lord Phenex, it's rare for you to visit our home. If there's been any lack of proper hospitality, please forgive us. Allow me to offer my apologies."
He spoke words of apology, yet stubbornly held onto his teacup, showing absolutely no intention of moving—as if his butt were glued to the broken sofa.
Was there even the slightest hint of sincerity in that?
Of course not. Anyone could tell Ryuya was blatantly being insincere.
He wasn't some master of rhetoric, but after seeing enough of the world, maintaining basic etiquette and tossing out a few polite-sounding phrases was something anyone could do.
Koneko and the others wore strange expressions. They seriously suspected that if this continued, Ryuya would use his mysterious "male master of the house" posture to sarcastically provoke Riser to death.
Riser understood it now—Rias and Ryuya were clearly in cahoots. Killing intent surged in his eyes as he firmly etched Ryuya into his list of people to hate.
In the end, he forcibly suppressed his rage and let out a cold snort.
"Rias, I heard you caused quite a scene in the family?"
"So what? I've already said it—I will never marry you."
Rias's tone was firm and decisive. After speaking, she even glanced at Ryuya.
Riser noticed the look, but Ryuya was simply sipping his black tea, as if he couldn't be bothered to pay attention to their exchange at all. Smiling, he quietly said to Akeno:
"Akeno, the black tea you make is still as delicious as ever."
Riser: "..."
"..."
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