The following days were surprisingly peaceful. Xenovia and Irina explored every inch of Kuoh Town during their "vacation." Although it was a bit sensitive to have Holy Sword users roaming free, Rias knew they were Rhodes' friends and turned a blind eye.
Because of Underworld business, Akeno and Koneko didn't have much time for training, which gave the Fallen Angel trio a breather. Kuroka was quite annoyed by this, but since her identity was out in the open, she often snuck out to play at Koneko's dorm. Koneko usually didn't get home until late, and while Kuroka wanted to stay over, Koneko wasn't having it. According to the younger sister, Kuroka was still on probation; if she behaved for a while longer, Koneko might officially recognize her as a sister again.
Rhodes was also busy during these two days. Even though there were no active quests, he found himself frequently visiting Katerea.
"Rhodes, you're here."
In her private office, Katerea looked up from her documents. Her sharp expression softened slightly as she nodded at him.
Nice acting, Rhodes thought with an internal smirk. She hadn't been nearly this cold during their "workplace harassment" sessions. Is she going through menopause already? Even though she was centuries old, for a long-lived species, she was still effectively in her early twenties. If that's the case, is Rias still a baby? He decided it was best not to dwell on ages. As long as the mind was young, the person was young. He knew of a certain ten-thousand-year-old "hag" in other stories who still claimed to be a seventeen-year-old girl; now that was shameless.
Rhodes pulled up a chair and looked around. The office decorations had been replaced, and the room was now protected by several layers of new barriers. Once she finished her work, Katerea turned her full attention to him.
"Creereere came to see me recently," she said seriously. "We discussed the details of the operation for the day of the summit. I chose the second option you recommended. I will maintain the original plan until the moment of betrayal. Creereere didn't suspect a thing. The plan should succeed."
"What do you mean 'betrayal'? I don't like that word," Rhodes chided. "This is called 'coming into the light.' They are the ones betraying the people of the Underworld. Think about it—why are Sirzechs and the others supported? Because their policies benefit the people. To be a good Queen, strength is only one part. Governance is more important. If your citizens are well-fed, well-clothed, and can afford houses and cars—even luxury goods—no one will care if you're 'legitimate' or not. They'll support you themselves. By then, your name as Leviathan will be undisputed."
Katerea fell into a long silence. "Rhodes, you're right. I was too one-dimensional. I thought that as long as I defeated the 'thieves,' I would be Leviathan. Without you, even if our plan succeeded and we took back Lilith, a second Sirzechs or a second Serafall would probably appear within a few years."
Rhodes was genuinely surprised. She's actually having an epiphany? Did her 'virgin-status' changing after several centuries suddenly make her brain start working?
"Don't worry," Rhodes said. "Your original plan had a 0% chance of success."
In the original timeline, only Azazel and Sirzechs really did anything. Azazel used an artificial Sacred Gear and lost an arm because of Katerea, but Sirzechs hadn't even been trying. Serafall, Grayfia, Michael, and Gabriel hadn't even entered the fray.
Katerea looked a bit annoyed. I was being philosophical; do you have to keep bringing up my failure? She felt a bit depressed, so she used the excuse of drinking with Rhodes to drown her sorrows—partly because of the guilt she felt toward Shalba and Creereere, and partly to celebrate the future success of the plan.
After several rounds of drinks, Katerea—who couldn't handle her liquor—was clinging to Rhodes like a slime. "I'm drunk," she slurred. "Help me to the bedroom next door."
Facing the request of the future Leviathan Queen, Rhodes naturally couldn't refuse. But the moment he locked the bedroom door, the "helplessly drunk" Katerea was suddenly wearing nothing but a "Queen's confidence." The drunken fog in her eyes was replaced by an intense fighting spirit, as if she wanted to swallow him whole.
"This time, I'm taking back everything I lost!"
Rhodes hadn't expected Katerea to start using "tactics" against him.
...
When he got home, Rhodes rubbed his aching lower back. Even though he had won the battle again, Katerea's constitution was no joke. Luckily, she was the only "predatory" woman he'd encountered so far; if all the descendants of the Old Satans were like her, his kidneys would be retired by now.
Katerea had told him not to come back for the final few days before the summit to ensure Creereere didn't sense anything was off. Rhodes doubted they'd notice, but Katerea was understandably on edge. This was her entire future on the line.
Time flew, and the weekend arrived. Kuroka, who often went out for walks, told him that many Church and Fallen Angel signatures were appearing on the borders of Kuoh Town. Rhodes guessed they were the advance teams for the summit. The leaders of the Three Powers were likely already in communication.
By evening, a stretched luxury limousine pulled up in front of Rhodes' mansion. Akeno Himejima, in her Kuoh Academy uniform, stepped out. The driver was one of Rias's familiars disguised as a maid.
"Mr. Rhodes, Rias and the others are already waiting for you at the restaurant."
Having been briefed beforehand, Rhodes was ready. The Fallen Angel trio didn't want to go; it didn't involve them. Originally, Xenovia and Irina didn't want to go either, but as involved parties, they had also received invitations.
"Why are we taking a car, meow? Can't we just use a magic circle, meow?" Kuroka asked.
Akeno gave a wry smile. "Teleportation circles are for daily use. This is a formal invitation. As the successor to the Gremory House, Rias won't be negligent. If we weren't in the Human Realm, she would have welcomed Mr. Rhodes with full Underworld noble etiquette."
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (216 Chapters – Ongoing)
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