Seeing that Rias was about to blow up, Sirzechs quickly explained why he had come.
It was not, as Rias had feared, to press her about the engagement. It was still related to this attack incident.
"On the very night after the Kokabiel attack, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels, Azazel, contacted us."
"That bastard's boss? He still had the nerve to contact the Underworld?"
Even though it had nothing to do with the engagement, Rias was still grinding her teeth in hatred.
If not for Rod, she would have been buried along with all of Kuoh that night.
"Little Rias, I was just as angry as you at first. I'd even already mobilized the army and was preparing to attack the fallen angels! But that fellow Azazel actually told us he knew nothing about it and cleanly distanced himself from the whole matter!"
Looking at Serafall, who was puffing her cheeks out angrily, Sona could not help but speak up.
"If you had really gone to attack the fallen angels, Big Sister, that would have played right into Kokabiel's hands!"
"But... for little Sona's sake, Big Sister is willing to do anything~"
"I'd rather you didn't..."
"Huh? How could you say that?"
Sirzechs paid no attention to the relationship between the two sisters and continued.
"Not only us, Azazel contacted Heaven as well."
At that, he looked toward Xenovia and Irina.
"The reason you're still staying here is probably because you received similar news too, right?"
Hearing that, the two girls said nothing.
But Sirzechs did not mind and went on anyway.
"We held a brief online meeting with Azazel, and with Michael and the others. During that meeting, it was decided that next Friday, a high-level conference between the devils, angels, and fallen angels would be held in Kuoh. As for the location, it's been set at Kuoh Academy, where little Rias is currently attending school."
"Huh? How come I never heard about this?"
Rias raised her brows, her expression changing slightly.
"That's why I came today to tell you. After all, it wouldn't be very suitable to hold talks between the three factions at any of our worlds' headquarters, no matter whose. And for now, Kuoh is the most appropriate place."
"Sorry, little Rias. It all happened so suddenly, so there wasn't time to notify you earlier."
Seeing how sincere her brother's attitude was, Rias no longer had any reason to be angry.
"Fine, then."
She knew this matter was important, so she accepted it frankly enough.
Still, she felt somewhat irritated inside.
After all, Kuoh was her territory, and before the conference began, the three factions would definitely send people over ahead of time to stake the place out and set up all kinds of barriers.
When that happened, angels, fallen angels, and devils would all be mixed together here. It would definitely disrupt her normal life.
"Little Rias and Sona should make preparations too. After all, the two of you were the actual firsthand witnesses of this incident."
The moment they heard that, Rias and Sona both knew they were going to be staying up late writing reports.
"And there's one more thing..."
Sirzechs changed direction mid-sentence and looked at Rod.
"Mr. Rod, since Kokabiel was killed by you, then logically speaking, it would also be necessary for you to be present. May I ask whether you'd be willing?"
Rod was not one of his own people, so he could only ask in the form of persuasion.
Rod thought it over. Having him participate in the conference suited him just fine.
After all, Katerea would definitely make her move at the right moment then as well. Although he had already told her in advance what she needed to do, there was no guarantee that no accidents would happen.
He had originally still been wondering how he would get himself in. Now he no longer had to think too much about it.
"Sure."
The moment Rod gave a definite answer, Sirzechs's face immediately filled with smiles.
In truth, Rod's attendance at the conference was not Sirzechs's own idea, but a request from Azazel, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels.
Although Azazel had not stated the exact reason, it was obvious enough that he would want to find out exactly who it was that had killed one of the fallen angels' cadres.
Given Azazel's personality, he would definitely make things difficult for Rod at the conference.
When that time came, Sirzechs would step in and back Rod up. And with the sister-obsessed Serafall there as well, it would surely make Rod develop a favorable impression of the devils.
And recently, he had also looked into his younger sister's situation a little.
Apparently, her peerage members Akeno and Koneko were currently receiving training under Rod, and rather outstanding talents had been drawn out of them.
As for the reason, it was probably because of the engagement matter.
Based on Sirzechs's understanding of Rias, there was a very high chance that this had been Rod's idea.
If her peerage's strength could be raised successfully, then they would also be able to achieve a pretty good ranking in the Rating Games in the future.
Of course, what Sirzechs cared about even more was the issue hanging over his younger sister herself.
But he was different from Rod. As Rias's actual older brother, there were some matters where he still had to take his younger sister's feelings into account.
"Rias, if everything goes smoothly with the conference between the three factions, then while our three realms will become much safer, it will also inevitably attract obstruction from the outside. So if you still want to establish yourself in the human world from now on, you'll need to pay much more attention."
"?"
Rias did not quite understand. She had the vague feeling that there was something behind her brother's words.
Was he reminding her to pay attention to her safety?
Even a child would know something like that, wouldn't they?
"What Sirzechs actually means is that you should work harder on improving your own strength. Leaving Kokabiel aside, even Akeno's strength is probably already about on par with yours now, isn't it?"
The moment he said that, all the girls turned to look at Rod.
Sona and Tsubaki both looked surprised.
So he was taking a roundabout way of saying that Rias was weak?
After all, although Akeno was Rias's Queen, in terms of rank she was still only a lower-class devil, while Rias was a genuine high-class devil, and also the heir to the Power of Destruction, as the younger sister of Sirzechs, who was famous for wielding it.
Lucifer's strength naturally needed no explanation, but as for Rias... it could not be said that her strength was outstanding. At best, it was ordinary.
"Give it a little more time, and even Koneko may end up stronger than you."
Now that Koneko had been brought into it, her expression tightened, and the look she gave Rod was full of resentment.
Don't drag me into this, thanks.
"I... I have been training my Power of Destruction lately too."
Rias was left speechless by what he said, and could only answer like that.
But in reality, her so-called training had not lasted more than a few days. After all, these past few days she had been busy handling the aftermath in Kuoh and running back and forth between the Underworld and the human world. Where would she have found the time to train?
"Don't just talk about it. If you want to grow stronger, then take real action."
"I... I know. I'll... take real action."
"Louder. I can't hear you."
"I'll definitely work hard!"
"Still can't hear you."
"I'll work hard to become stronger, and train my Power of Destruction! I'll defeat that turkey from the Phenex Family in the Rating Games and make everyone look at me in a new light!"
Rias was so fired up that her fighting spirit burst into flames.
"Good, that's the spirit!"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the room, Sirzechs included, looked at Rod with newfound respect.
Others might not understand, but Sirzechs knew his younger sister's temperament best of all.
If someone in the family told Rias what to do, she would definitely snap back with, "I have my own mind," and even he, as her older brother, could not do a thing about it.
And yet, Rod had managed to steady his younger sister with just a few words. He was simply the savior of the Gremory clan.
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