Later, Serafall was finishing adjusting the short skirt of her magical girl outfit when she turned her gaze to Alear. He had already dressed again and was sitting on the edge of the table, apparently lost in thought.
"Ale-chan... and now?" She asked, approaching while fixing some strands of hair with her fingers. "What are your plans regarding the Gremory Family? Regardless of the decision you make, you know you have my support. But... do you need my help?"
Alear crossed his arms and shrugged, answering with his usual calmness.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to do anything for now..."
Serafall blinked several times, clearly surprised.
"Nothing?"
"Exactly." He confirmed with a slight nod. "For me, this matter is practically over. Now I'm just waiting to see what their next desperate move will be, because I doubt they'll give up so easily."
Pausing, he looked at Serafall and continued:
"Actually, one thing has been intriguing me. If they were really cornered, wouldn't they have tried to offer me something valuable to negotiate? After all, a family that reached the point of creating a Maou should possess a gigantic fortune. It seems they haven't hit rock bottom yet."
Serafall stopped the movement she was making while adjusting her own blouse and turned to him with wide eyes.
"Wait... you really didn't know that?"
Alear raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't know what?"
Serafall let out a small sigh before sitting down next to him on the table.
"The Gremory Family is far from being as rich as most people imagine." She crossed her legs before continuing. "Why do you think they made a marriage agreement with the Phenex Family? The Phenex are one of the richest noble houses in the Underworld thanks to the trade of Phoenix Tears. That union served not only to strengthen the political ties between the two families but also to guarantee financial stability that the Gremory no longer had for a long time...."
She made a brief pause before proceeding.
"To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if the family's coffers were practically empty. Zeoticus was never exactly a good administrator. Fortunately, Venelana took on most of that responsibility and managed to keep the house's finances relatively stable over the last few centuries. Besides..." A discreet smile appeared on her lips. "From what I've heard, a good part of the family's greatest treasures was taken by the Ancestor a long time ago."
Alear narrowed his eyes slightly before pronouncing a name.
"Hm? Are you talking about Runeas Gremory?"
Serafall confirmed with a nod, assuming a more serious expression.
"So you know who she is." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Yes, I'm talking about Runeas Gremory. A long time ago, she served directly under the original Leviathan and was responsible for organizing private meetings exclusively with women for him. After all, the old Leviathan was known for his extremely promiscuous personality."
She continued without looking away.
"During the Great War, Runeas fought alongside the Four Great Satans against God, his Angels, Azazel, and the Fallen Angels. Unlike many other demons of her generation, she survived the conflict. However, to avoid attracting the attention of Zekram Bael and getting involved in the political disputes that came after the war, she decided to keep her survival in absolute secrecy."
"Some time later, she passed the leadership of the Gremory Family to her son and entered a deep state of hibernation. It was the only way to delay the wear on her mind after so many millennia of life. From time to time, she would awaken for a few years and then go back to sleep. From what I know, this happened when Zeoticus was still a child, during the Underworld Civil War, remaining awake until the end of the conflict, and again during the Edo period in the human world."
Serafall let out another sigh.
"The problem is that each awakening required an absurd amount of resources. To preserve her body and mind, Runeas consumed countless treasures, rare ingredients, and everything else. Over the centuries, this drained a considerable part of the fortune accumulated by the Gremory Family, contributing greatly to the delicate financial situation it finds itself in today...."
"Now things make a lot more sense..." Alear murmured, while organizing the information in his own mind. "So that's why they depended almost exclusively on the territories of the Gaap Family as their main source of income to maintain the house's expenses. It also explains why they went so far as to involve even Sirzechs in this story..."
"Yes... and that's exactly why Sirzechs put our friendship aside and tried to convince me, at any cost, to make you accept some kind of agreement with them," Serafall sighed softly, shaking her head. "The Gremory Family's situation is much more complicated than it seems at first glance...."
She made a brief pause before continuing, her expression becoming a bit more serious.
"If I had to bet, I'd say their next step will be to involve Runeas. From what I know, she awakens from time to time and usually acts as if she were an illegitimate daughter of Zeoticus, precisely to hide her true identity. They could probably even use her for an arranged marriage with you..."
Alear remained silent for a few moments, reflecting on everything Serafall had just revealed. The more he analyzed the situation, the more he realized the extent of the Gremory Family's desperation. Even so, one possibility she mentioned didn't seem convincing to him.
"I highly doubt it..." he replied, shaking his head slightly. "I already have you, who has been my fiancée from the beginning, in addition to Seekvaira and Ravel herself. It doesn't make sense for them to keep trying to solve everything through arranged marriages. That strategy simply doesn't work with me."
He made a brief pause before continuing, with a discreet smile.
"Besides, Venelana herself already offered me Rias before, and I refused by not helping her deal with the Phenex family in exchange for that proposal. If even that wasn't enough to convince me, I don't see why they would insist on the same idea expecting a different result...."
Serafall let out a long sigh and crossed her arms below her chest, shaking her head in resignation.
"Really... all we can do now is wait and see what their next move will be. I'll talk to Sirzechs and tell him I couldn't convince you of absolutely anything. At least that way he stops insisting with me."
Alear simply agreed with a slight nod. That solution seemed the most sensible to him. After a few seconds of silence, he decided to end that subject once and for all.
"Enough talking about the Gremorys. I'm already tired of this subject."
He got up from the table and walked over to her, showing a discreet half-smile.
"Since you're here, do you want to come with me? I arranged to meet Sairaorg. He wants me to try to heal his mother from the Sleeping Disease that has afflicted her for so many years."
Serafall blinked, surprised.
"Do you think you can do it?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm quite confident." Alear shrugged. "If my idea works, maybe I can create a potion capable of curing this disease definitively. And if that really happens, it won't just benefit Sairaorg's mother... probably any devil who suffers from the Sleeping Disease can be treated."
Serafall widened her eyes, visibly surprised by that statement.
"Is that thanks to your Bloodline Trait?!"
Alear shrugged.
"You could say so..."
The answer made Serafall remain silent for a few moments. Alear's case had been treated as a true exception even among devils afflicted by the Sleeping Disease. According to Ajuka's analysis, his awakening was caused by the spontaneous evolution of the Haängenti Family's own Bloodline Trait, a phenomenon so rare that many didn't even believe it was possible. As far as she knew, that power was an exclusive characteristic of Alear, incapable of being simply reproduced by another person.
After all, it was not a simple healing ability, but a biological manipulation at an unprecedented level, capable of promoting a true 'transmutation' in the target's organism. It was a power that altered the very structure of the body to correct its flaws permanently, something so extraordinary that, in her opinion, probably not even the Ancestor of the Haängenti Family would have been capable of performing. Therefore, the possibility of Alear applying this ability to other people seemed, until a few moments ago, something practically impossible.
However, if in just a few weeks he had already achieved sufficient mastery over this ability to the point of using it to treat other people, that meant his talent was even more frightening than she imagined....
If he really managed to awaken Misla from her deep sleep and, more importantly, found a way to reproduce that result through the alchemy of the Haängenti Family, turning that process into a potion capable of being used by other people without his personal intervention, the impact would far exceed the simple act of saving a single patient.... That discovery would completely revolutionize demonic medicine. Families that, for generations, lived with relatives condemned to eternal sleep would finally have hope again. Noble houses and ancient clans that had lost promising heirs to that ailment would see for the first time the possibility of reversing a fate considered inevitable. Even ordinary devils, without any political influence or great resources, would come to see Alear with deep gratitude, because he would have put an end to a disease that, for centuries, had been considered absolutely incurable.
Thinking up to that point, Serafall's expression changed completely. The initial surprise gave way to genuine admiration, and her blue eyes began to shine with excitement that was difficult to hide.
"That's... incredible, Ale-chan!" she exclaimed, unable to hide her animation. "If you really manage to heal Misla and then develop a potion capable of treating any devil who suffers from the Sleeping Disease, the entire Underworld will be talking about you!"
She shook her head, still trying to assimilate the magnitude of it.
"Do you realize what this means? This disease has always been considered incurable! For centuries, no one found a solution, not even Ajuka. If you manage to do this, you will be the first person in history to cure a devil afflicted by this ailment. You will not only be recognized as a great researcher... you will be seen as a true hero by countless families."
Alear, however, reacted very differently from what she expected. He simply gave a small shrug, maintaining his usual calm expression, as if they were discussing something absolutely ordinary.
"I don't think it's anything that impressive." He replied naturally. "Besides, we're still getting ahead of ourselves. First I need to confirm that my hypothesis is correct and manage to heal Misla. Only then does it make sense to think about the rest."
He made a brief pause before extending his hand toward Serafall, a discreet smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
"Since you agreed to accompany me, I don't see any reason to waste any more time. Let's go."
Serafall smiled immediately and held his hand without any hesitation.
"Of course!"
The moment their fingers touched, a complex magical circle of pinkish-red coloration expanded under their feet. Various ancient runes appeared around the formation, spinning slowly before accelerating more and more, releasing a powerful wave of demonic energy that made the air vibrate around the two.
An intense flash completely enveloped the office.
In the next instant, Alear and Serafall disappeared from there, leaving behind only a faint trail of magical particles that remained floating in the environment for a few seconds before disappearing completely.
_______________
(A/N: Want to get ahead?
The story now has 107 chapters available on Patreon — that's right, there's still a lot of content waiting for you beyond the public release. There are currently 30 chapters ahead of the public version, meaning supporters are already deep into upcoming twists, revelations, and the absurd chaos of Fate Gacha summons.
If you can't wait for what comes next — the plot twists, power progressions, and those insane lucky (or unlucky) summons — this is the best time to jump in.
Get access now for just $6.99 USD and read everything ahead of time.
Light spoiler: his luck might be terrible… but the story only gets better from here.
My Patreon: patreon.com/Adam_Kadmon
Thank you for your support — it makes all of this worthwhile.)