"Lady Rias, those two people you brought back have already woken up."
After Rias finished playing around with the cat-girl sisters, a young girl wearing a red and white shrine maiden outfit appeared before her and spoke softly.
"Mm."
Rias nodded, then looked at the girl and asked, "And you? How have you been lately?"
"I'm doing okay. The Alliance is more tolerant than I imagined. For now, I suppose I'm not doing too badly."
The girl pondered for a moment before saying, "This is also thanks to Lady Rias's help, I suppose~"
"Don't you hate me?"
Rias smiled. "You should also know the role I played in that incident."
"I'm not so ungrateful. Given the way the Five Great Clans operate, such an outcome was practically inevitable. The only difference was who would be the one to do it. In fact, if not for you, the Five Great Clans wouldn't even exist anymore~"
The girl shrugged. "Unfortunately, I had already tried to advise them before that. They thought it was a good opportunity, never expecting such a major upheaval to occur."
"On the contrary, it's thanks to you that after rooting out the corruption within the Five Great Clans, you didn't annex us. I believe that once the next generation grows up, through their own efforts, the Himejima Clan can become even stronger than in the past."
The girl's face bore at least an eighty percent resemblance to Himejima Akeno, except her pupils were red, as brilliant as gemstones.
Looking at her was like seeing a future version of Himejima Akeno.
However, compared to Himejima Akeno, her personality was clearly gentler.
Himejima Suzaku—she was Himejima Akeno's older cousin.
When the Alliance swept through the Five Great Clans, they had nearly dismantled them entirely.
Fortunately, the Alliance didn't go too far. The foundation of the Five Great Clans remained, though the older generation was almost completely wiped out.
After the internal corruption and darkness were swept away, the Five Great Clans also joined the Alliance.
However, their status... was a bit awkward.
Although they were local powers, even the Youkai faction was living better than they were.
Originally, the Five Great Clans should have been annihilated, but Rias protected them. After all, they were the leaders of the old era, and the benefits of keeping them were greater for the Alliance as a whole.
As a price, however, the successor to the Himejima Clan's leadership—Himejima Suzaku, known as the strongest Spirit Beast Contractor in the clan's history—became Rias's maid.
The reason she was wearing a red and white shrine maiden outfit was also for that reason; Rias simply wanted to see it.
Especially with that figure of hers, the outfit was tight across her chest, and every movement was very eye-catching.
"It's good that you can see it clearly~"
Rias chuckled. "Since you know I'm helping you, how about showing me some proper gratitude?"
Himejima Suzaku blinked, a hint of a smile in her eyes. She leaned down slightly and whispered in Rias's ear, "Then, how about coming to my room tonight?"
Hearing this, Rias looked at Himejima Suzaku in surprise.
Although this wasn't the first time she had teased her, it was the first time Himejima Suzaku had actively responded.
Does this mean she's finally come around?
Lady Rias, I don't want to work hard anymore!
That kind of thing?
After all, the Five Great Clans now relied entirely on Rias, effectively becoming part of Rias's faction.
However, Rias's faction was a bit large, and they could only be considered marginal members.
Sacrificing her charms to ensure that Rias wouldn't abandon the Five Great Clans was only natural~
By the time Rias reacted, Himejima Suzaku was already standing to the side with a beaming smile.
Though her face was slightly flushed, she exuded an air of elegance and grace.
"Then you'd better not run away~"
Rias teased.
"Well... that depends on whether Lady Rias can catch me~"
Himejima Suzaku smiled.
"Waaah, Lady Rias, don't look at this cow, look at me~"
Toujou Kuroka pounced onto Rias's back from the side, her coquettish charm making Rias feel a tingling sensation inside.
Should I say, as expected of a Nekomata?~
"Wait until you grow up a bit more~"
Pushing Toujou Kuroka's face away, Rias walked toward the guest room.
She hadn't forgotten that the mother and daughter had already woken up.
After the two woke up, a maid had already brought them to the living room.
The two were sitting there uneasily. Presea's heavy makeup had been wiped away, making her look like a young, gentle mother.
"Hello, Lady Rias. I am Presea Testarossa, and this is my daughter, Alicia."
Seeing Rias enter, Presea stood up from the sofa and gave a polite bow.
"I am Alicia Testarossa. Hello, Big Sister Rias."
Five-year-old Alicia also bowed politely, looking very adorable.
"Hello, I am Rias Gremory, the master of this place."
Rias said with a smile, "Mm, it seems you've recovered well."
Hearing this, Presea's eyes reddened, and she bowed deeply once more. "Thank you, Lady Rias, for saving my daughter. I am eternally grateful."
"It's nothing, just a small matter."
Rias shrugged, then said, "More importantly, do you understand your current situation?"
"Yes, the maid was very kind and told us about the common knowledge of this world."
Presea nodded.
"So, what are your plans next?"
Rias asked.
"For me, being able to get my daughter back is already a great blessing. If possible, I want to live a peaceful life with Alicia."
Presea hesitated, then gritted her teeth slightly. "If you need it, I can also contribute all the technology in my mind to you to repay your life-saving kindness."
"Technology?"
Rias shrugged. "I don't need that kind of thing~"
In the world of Nanoha, Midchilda is a world where magical arts flourish.
Relying on archaeology to roam the dimensional sea, its level of civilization is very high, and most of its neighboring worlds are also related to magic.
However, this 'magic' might not be very idealistic; magical power is more like a type of energy.
A Mage who reaches AAA-rank already possesses power equivalent to a Ultimate-Class Devil.
S-rank can reach the destructive power of gods and demons, while SS-rank can reach the level of an old-school Devil King.
However, that is only in terms of strength; in terms of the essence of life, they are still human.
Whether it's human weaknesses or lifespan, they haven't made any major breakthroughs.
At the same time, their cultivation is more about the control of magical power, meaning they cannot interfere with the essence of life, nor can they involve the concepts within the characteristics of magical power.
Because of this, unless they are born with an extraordinary life form, it is impossible for them to reach the level of Transcendents.
They have an energy source called a 'Linker Core,' which allows an individual to possess the deterrent power of a nuclear weapon.
But—whether in terms of the civilization's combat power, battleships, or other comprehensive strengths, they are far from being able to compare with Transcendents.
Any single Transcendent could crush their civilization at will.
However, there is no doubt that if the magic of the Nanoha world were popularized, the humans of this world would have many more choices.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.