Chapter 40: Children

Ichigo strode through the polished corridor, the soft click of Grayfia’s heels in sync with his own footsteps. Though he made sure to keep his stride short, to match her gait. Her arm was looped through his, graceful and assured, as if this were the most natural place for them both to be. The cool lighting above gleamed across the marble floor, and the faint hum of arcane wards pulsed behind the walls.

He said nothing, allowing her presence to fill his senses: refined, unflinching, and all too familiar. She was one of the few responsible adults in his life and damn it all if he didn’t appreciate the hell out of her for it.

They came to a halt before a large window, a solid panel of glass that rose from floor to ceiling and curved along the edge of the room.

“How have you been, Ichigo,” Grayfia asked softly.

“You already asked me that,” he said with a touch of amusement in his voice.

“Yes, but this time I’m expecting an honest answer.”

Ichigo peeked at her from the corner of his eyes. She stood in composed silence next to him, still holding onto his arm gingerly, but her gaze was set on the city before. Ichigo followed her gaze and set his eyes upon the skyline that stretched on for miles and miles.  

Fellgrand.

It was the largest city within his domain of Infernity. A megacity with a population in the tens of millions, serving as both the entryway and central hub of activity within his vast realm. All sorts of supernatural species claimed the sprawling metropolis as home. Devils, Humans, Dragons, Lizardmen, Yōkai, Elves, Centaurs, Orcs, Goblins, Dragonlings, Mermen, Great Spiders, Braivais…and the list went on.

All of them settled into the city or they moved on to some other part of his realm, his kingdom. And he could feel them, all of them. Hundreds of millions of souls living under his authority and power. A Demon Lord’s realm was an extension of its mind and will. The air, the seas, the mountains and forests; all of it belonged to him. Stemmed from him. Obeyed him.

He knew power. He wasn’t a stranger to it. But when he became a Sin, when he transitioned from a Devil to a Demon, for the first time he finally understood the consequence of having power. Of exercising it.

There was more to being powerful than just being able to kill an enemy.

Ichigo let out a laden breath, using his free hand to run fingers through his hair.

“Minor worries, nothing really worth mentioning.”

Grayfia turned away from the sights of the city and gave him a sympathetic expression.

“You’re doing wonderfully,” she said kindly. “Don’t concern yourself with too many things at once. You have servants, you have armies, you have enough people at your beck and call where you can responsibly delegate matters while maintaining rule and order.”

He held back a snort. Of course she figured out what was going through his mind. Sometimes he forgot how good she was at reading him. Grayfia was deceptively perceptive at times, especially when he wasn’t actively trying to hide his thoughts.

Grayfia then motioned towards Meril, who was standing respectfully behind him. “You have a wonderful right hand in Meril as well.”

“I know,” and he gave Meril a small smile, “and I’m damn grateful for having you around, Meril. You’ve been a lifesaver.”

His secretary gave an elegant bow. “Thank you for your kind words, my Prince.”

Grayfia scrunched her nose ever so slightly. “Though I do wish you hadn’t restructured the maids I trained for you into a secretarial service.”

He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Not all of them, just enough where I’m not constantly surrounded by your and Sirzechs’ fetish of choice.”

She gave him a glare and pinched his arm lightly, and it was a testament to her physical strength that he felt the slightest sting through his Hierro. Well, in fairness, he wasn’t actively hardening his defenses with demonic power.

“So…”

“So,” she repeated.

“Duke Gremory and Duke Sitri were damn eager to ship their kids off to be under my thumb, even though I was the one who initially called for their punishment. And, despite how subtle she was trying to be, I could tell Sylvanna was also aware of something that wasn’t being said. To me, specifically.”

Grayfia exchanged a look with Meril, who looked rather disgruntled.

Ichigo raised a questioning eyebrow. “What? Am I missing something obvious?”

The silver-haired Queen put a hand to her head and let out a sigh. “No, but I am quite sure you’ll find it all rather vexing.”

“Okay? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ichigo,” and the way Grayfia said his name slow, almost placatingly, caused him to start worrying, “you wouldn’t know since you happily pay no heed to the ever-churning rumor-mill of the Upper Nobility, but your choice in bedmates has been cause for discussion.”

He gave her an odd look. “Yeah, and? Devils gossip about who’s sleeping with who all the time, like virtually every other society in existence.”

“Not quite, my Prince.” He turned towards Meril as she let out a huff. “The Upper Nobility, specifically some of the Pillar Lords, have minor grievances as to whom you are sleeping with. Specifically, what they are.”

Ichigo only grew more confused. Some of the Pillar Lords were butthurt that he was sleeping with Yasaka and Tiamat? Why?

Obviously sensing his bafflement, Grayfia unwound her arms from his and gave him a flat look.  “Some are taking issues that your chosen consorts are a Yōkai and a Dragon.”

Oh.

Now he understood in full. “They want me to have a Devil bride.”

Meril’s mouth twisted in displeasure while Grayfia gave a deft nod.

His former Queen then said, “Yes. Given any children you may potentially have will be the start of a new Extra House, many are desiring that there be a pure-blooded Devil descended from you.”

Ichigo crossed his arms even as he gave an incredulous laugh. “Pure-blooded? How does that work? They do remember I’m reincarnated, right?”

“But you are no longer a Devil, my Prince. You are a Demon, just as the original Pillars were, just as those who joined Lucifer’s Pact with Hell in later years were. Like my own grandfather, the original Abraxas,” Meril said.

Ichigo’s mouth twisted sourly. “Right. Exactly like how every Extra House was created.”

“Yes,” Grayfia said plainly. “As a Demon, and one who’s bond with Hell is stronger than even the original Lucifer’s, you are considered the purest Demon to have ever lived, Ichigo. And many Pillar Lords are eager for your progeny to bolster our dwindling ranks within the Upper Nobility.”

Ichigo shifted his weight from one foot to another as he deliberated the revelation. “I’m surprised that other Pillar Lords allowed Gremory and Sitri to politick their kids into such advantageous situation. Both Pillars already have a respective Satan in their bloodlines; adding a second by marriage would hugely tip the favor of those two Houses. Almost disturbingly so.”

Grayfia let out a low chuckle. “In fairness, you’ve not given them much opportunity to try and shove their daughters at you. Particularly with a viciously possessive Dragon King by your side. There were even a few trying to convince Lady Valac to use her working relationship with you to seduce you.”

“Sylvanna?!” Ichigo cried indignantly as he motioned with both hands. “She’s married! She has kids older than me! She has grandkids older - and I’m a complete idiot for expecting those old Lords to care about such things, aren’t I?”

Grayfia only offered an innocent shrug in response.

Ichigo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “This isn’t intended to be an actual punishment for those two, is it?”

Grayfia gave him a teasing smile that caused him to huff. “Oh, it is. But if the Pillar Lords were imaging the use of whips and chains, it certainly wasn’t in the conventional sense.”

Ichigo felt a certain heat creep into cheeks. He wasn’t a prude; he had done his fair share of kink experimentation with both Yasaka and Tiamat. Still, this was Grayfia. The stern, albeit at times teasing, older sister figure in his life.

He had spent most of his life trying to do his best to take care of himself and those around him, not wanting to be a burden on his widowed father.

Grayfia had been rather – forceful – when it came to caring for and educating him during his time in Sirzechs’ peerage. The Queen of Rime did not take well to be told ‘no thanks’ and Ichigo was often left with no choice but to quietly accept her care.

Clearing his throat, he said “Still, I’m surprised the two dukes went through with this scheme. Last I checked, they care little for blood-purity outside of maintaining their influence amongst the other Pillars. Hell, I’m astounded Sera and Sirzechs allowed it. There’s no way they don’t know about the Pillars’ intentions.”

“You are correct, the Lords Gremory and Sitri are not staunch blood purists, but, like all Pillar Lords, they care for power. Of which you have plenty. Having their daughters in bed with one of the Ruling Satans would be an enormous boon for their houses. Even more so if they bore you children. As for my husband and Serafall,” Grayfia gave him a patronizing pat on the cheek, “Ichigo, everyone who truly knows you knows you won’t lay a hand on those girls. Rias and Sona are perfectly safe with you.”

He ran both hands through his hair gruffly. “Well, that’s just fantastic. People just shoveling more shit into my lap.”

“I would like it noted, Lady Grayfia,” Meril said with a hint of venom in her voice, “Lord Ichigo’s vassals will not take kindly to our master being used as a pawn in the games of other Lords.”

Grayfia regarded his head secretary coolly before turning back to him with a pointed look. “Then perhaps your master should stop being a petulant child?”

“I’m not a child,” he protested immediately, feeling a tad bit affronted.

She raised a fine, silver brow and put a hand on her hip. “You are Satan, Ichigo. It would not kill you to act the part. Be a tyrant. Be the mythical dark lord you’re marketed as. Be the biggest playground bully so the other children stop trying to take advantage of you.”

He gave her a bewildered look. Ichigo hated bullies. He hated punks and thugs that made life difficult for others pointlessly. Nevertheless, to an extent, Grayfia was right. As she often was, he thought begrudgingly.

He could be a little too passive and accepting of slights at times. It wouldn’t hurt him to remind the Pillar Lords, despite his stance of neutrality, he wasn’t someone they could fuck with. That being said…

“And you wonder why Millicas has no friends,” he muttered sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes and pinched his arm again.

Idly rubbing the spot her nails had left a mark on, Ichigo said, “Well, this doesn’t really change anything regarding the two girls and their peerages. I’m still gonna give those spoiled brats a bit of a wake-up call. But I am also planning on giving them some training too, since the Youth Rating Games are set to start in a few months. Can’t have them stagnate, especially since we’re ramping up the offensive against the Old Satan Faction.”

Grayfia gave an indulgent smile. “Personal lessons from a Satan himself? My, how generous of you, Ichigo.”

He gave a non-committal shrug. “Not really. I don’t have the time to constantly oversee their training personally. I’ll probably have Saviġuk babysit them for the most part. It’ll give her something to do since she’s been growing bored of trouncing the local wildlife.”

“I suppose then that you have everything well in hand?” Grayfia asked.

“Pretty much, yeah,” he nodded. “And you’re right, I really should put my foot down in regard to the Pillar Lords.”

She gave him a small smile, silver eyes dancing in mirth. “Just be sure to not take things too far.”

He gave her a faux offended look. “Who me? I’m the picture of restraint.”

She shook her head playfully. “Then I suppose I should be off. Rias and Sona are safely in your hands, and my task is, thus, finished.”

“Before you go.” Ichigo raised a hand to his temple, gathering magic in his fingers, and he slowly pulled a glass ball from his head. Inside the small orb, little more than a golf ball in size, churned two differently colored coils of smoke. One was a bright and radiant gold, the other was pitch black. Together, they danced and intertwined within the glass orb.

As he offered the conjured sphere to Grayfia, she cautiously took it in both hands. Inspecting it for a moment, she gave him a questioning glance. “A dreamspore?”

He nodded gravely and said in a grim voice, “There’re some words I’d rather not say out loud.”

She held his gaze for a second, silver eyes firm but brimming with concern. And then she reached out and cupped his cheek with one hand, asking gently, “Are they really minor worries, Ichigo?”

This is why he respected Grayfia so much. She was always the first one to make a fuss, yet she never failed to express her concern over the wellbeing of the people she cared for. She looked past all the bullshit Devils and Demons so often surrounded themselves with and went straight to the heart of the matter.

Instead of answering her, he smiled warmly and said, “Thanks for always looking after me, Grayfia-nee. I appreciate the Hell out of you.”

She held his gaze for a moment, and Ichigo knew she was searching for something in his eyes. A tell, a sign, anything that would give her insight. But Ichigo had consciously snapped his focus in place.

After several seconds passed, Grayfia let out a sigh and said quietly, “Why are all the men in my family such stubborn fools?”

Ichigo gave half a shrug, knowing full well she was talking more to herself than she was to him.

“We should have dinner some time,” he said abruptly. “You, me, the asshat and Millicas. Hell, I’ll even allow Rias to be there, you can have an impromptu family gathering. She’ll never admit to it, but Tiamat enjoys having kids around.”

“Primordial of Motherhood and all that,” Grayfia offered with a touch of amusement, and Ichigo recognized she was allowing him to change the subject rather suddenly. This was another reason he respected the Hell out of Grayfia, sometimes, she ran with his bullshit. Knowing not to press him too much and giving him space while also filing said space with comforting care.

Regardless, Sirzechs would probably allow her to view the dreamspore once he himself had analyzed it. She would understand then why he was being so tightlipped about what was really on his mind.

“Do take care of yourself, Ichigo,” she said sincerely as she reached up and firmly kissed him on the corner of his mouth. And then she turned to Meril and said rather patronizingly, “I would ask you try and keep him out of trouble, but we both know how futile that would be.”

Meril gave a polite bow in the face of Grayfia’s mischievous remarks, and neutrally said, “Nonetheless, I shall endeavor to do my best, Lady Grayfia.”

Ichigo snorted and rolled his eyes.

Grayfia sent him one last affectionate smile before dissolving into wisps of chilled mist and frost. Ichigo stared at the spot as he felt his former Queen’s presence utterly disappear from Infernity.

Sharply inhaling through his nose, Ichigo put both of his hands in jeans’ pockets and gave a Meril a casual shrug. “Alright, let’s go tantalize some kids and then come up with ways to bully their parents.”

Meril gave him a smile. “At once, my Lord.”

-----

Rias fidgeted nervously as she, Sona and their respective peerages waited for the return of Lord Ichigo and her sister-in-law who was definitely not having an affair.

She couldn’t see it, not in the least. Her brother and Grayfia-onee-sama’s romance was legendary in the Underworld. They were the Underworld’s Romeo and Juliet before Romeo and Juliet had ever been written!

Him, the leading figure in the insurrection against the tyrannical and doom-driven old regime. Her, the general and frontline powerhouse serving directly under House Lucifer. The armies they commanded against one another, the battles they fought, the blood they spilled across war-torn wastelands: every young girl in their Empire grew up idolizing their fairy tale romance.

Every young girl dreamed of being swept off her feet in the midst of violence and bloodshed. They called it the Grayfia-effect, a Devil pop-culture motif that was reimagined and relayed across numerous books, movies and plays and other media.

Her brother and his wife were in love. A love straight out of legends. They even had a child together, her own nephew! The sheer audacity of Akeno and the others to dare suggest that her brother’s former Pawn and his Queen, his very wife, would so utterly betray him by sleeping together!

Hmph! Her mother was right! She needed to teach Akeno a lesson and have her Queen rein in her eccentric tastes and twisted fantasies!

But then Rias felt that primal tug in her soul, and the awful pair of creatures standing guard at the door stood straighter. The double doors swung wide open, and Lord Ichigo strode in with Miss Meril behind him. Grayfia-onee-sama was nowhere to be seen.

As the Demon Lord came under the soft lighting of the room, Rias’ spine stiffened as her eyes jumped to his. He was remarkably calmer than when she had last seen him, his tremendous power still and inert instead of the burning fury that had been barely restrained.

He crossed his arms, and his eyes passed over each and every single one of them. Collectively, they shuffled apprehensively, and Rias herself felt a tightening in her chest. There was a sternness in his brown eyes, but none of the furor and demonic warp she had seen when last she was in his presence.

“So,” he said in a neutral voice, albeit Rias could sense just a hint of annoyance under his tone, “I’m stuck with you screw-ups for the next ten years. Officially, your punishment is to serve under me as penance and to reacclimate you to Devil society. You’re cut off from your Houses and you’re not allowed any contact with them without my express permission. You have no money, no shelter, and no resources except for what I decide to provide. Unofficially, I’m also getting you and your respective peerages ready for the upcoming Rating Game tournament.”

She and Sona exchanged surprised glances at one another. They were going to be trained? By Lord Ichigo himself? Was this what her father meant when he said that her sentence may actually prove advantageous for her?

Hesitantly, Sona raised her hand.

Lord Ichigo raised a single brow and said, “Yeah?”

“Forgive me, sir… but what do you mean by preparing us for a Rating Game tournament? Neither Rias nor I are old enough to participate in the Rating Games,” she said quietly.

Lord Ichigo gave a nod. “True, but by the end of this month, Ajuka will announce a tournament for the younger generation of Devils. Anyone under one hundred years who hasn’t professionally debuted in the Rating Games will be allowed to enter. Given that your respective older siblings are Satans and that we’ve generously decided to keep your transgressions away from the public at large, there will be high expectations for you. Expectations that will reflect on Sirzechs and Serafall.”

“Does-does that mean you’ll be training us personally for the next ten years?” Rias asked with quiet excitement, though still being very cautious of the Crown Prince’s temper.

Lord Ichigo scoffed. “Yeah fucking right. You think I’m going to spend the next ten years personally putting you through drills?” His tone was dry enough to parch the stone beneath their feet. “No, I’ll pop in every now and then to check up on you, but your direct training will be overseen by other parties that answer to me. Actually, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”

He then raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Rias felt her world spin and all the colors and hues before her eyes melted and blended as one. A brief discomfort twisted through her as she felt some invisible force push itself through her insides.

And just as suddenly, everything righted itself. Her her eyes watered as she was briefly blinded when the colors and lights around her set straight. It took a few disorienting seconds for Rias to realize she was now lying on the ground.

“What just happened?”

“Tsubaki-senpai, you’re sitting on Saji!”

“Stop drooling Saji!”

“I think I’m gonna hurl.”

“Dammit Issei! Don’t you dare!”

“Hikikomori vampire, get off.”

“Sorry,” Lord Ichigo’s voice came from…somewhere. And irritatingly, he did not sound sorry at all to Rias’ ears. If anything, he sounded somewhat amused. “I’m not as good as Sirzechs or Ajuka when it comes to spatial magic. Still need some practice with mass teleportation.”

Rias let out a groan, her stomach flipping in on itself as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet. But then she blinked in confusion. Lord Ichigo’s words finally registered in her brain.

Teleportation?

She looked about, and noted they were no longer in the spacious corporate environment from before. Miss Meril and the two odd-looking monsters that had accompanied her were also gone, it seemed.

Instead, they seemed to be out on a sprawling street of cobblestone. And surrounding her was a place that could only be described as a lucid dream, a city caught halfway between waking and wonder.

The magic of the Underworld was not hidden here; it coursed through the very air in luminous streams of light weaving between buildings like drifting silk. Towering spires of crystal rose into the sky, pulsing with arcane energy, their surfaces etched with runes that danced and reformed endlessly. Some structures were built from woven feathers, soft as cloudstuff yet unyielding, and others clung to floating trees whose roots shimmered with stardust. Homes nested in their branches swayed gently on invisible winds. Here, the architecture obeyed no mundane laws, only the artistry of spellcraft and will.

And then Rias noted the sky. It was starkly different than the usual Underworld violet. She felt a rush of wonder as she beheld an encompassing Aurora of shifting blues and purples and crystalline white hanging low in the sky. So low, that some of the taller buildings around them actually touched the twinkling and sparkling stars that drifted through the aurorean waves.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said in a whisper.

Sona came to stand by her, her neck also angled up towards the beautiful sky. “Is-is that magic?”

“Yup,” Lord Ichigo said. “Welcome to Grevex, the Chrysalis City. Often called the magical heart of Infernity. All sorts of magic guilds and towers populate the city. You should look them up when you get the chance.”

“We’re in a different city?” Sona asked, glancing at him curiously.

“Yeah,” and Lord Ichigo jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “Fellgrand is little over a thousand miles that way. Anyways, pay attention to what’s five feet behind you.”

Their whole group turned, and Rias beheld what could only be described as a haunted house straight out of a children’s cartoon. It was a two-story old building made of dark wooden boards that seemed in desperate need of repairs, cracked windows covered in dust, a front yard overgrown with weeds and wild grass. It even had a rickety old weathervane spinning haphazardly from the magical winds above.

It was completely at odds with the magical and mystical neighboring buildings.

What exactly is this place supposed to be, Rias wondered.

Suddenly, Lord Ichigo put two fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. And instantly the rickety door slammed open and a dark green figure shot out of the house, racing through the assorted Devils and coming to an abrupt halt before the Demon Lord with a sharp salute.

“Kos! Boss!”

Rias blinked as she observed the short, wiry thing with mottled dark green skin, beady yellow eyes, thin pointy ears and a comically long and sharp nose.

A goblin?

And, strangely enough, it was dressed in a pair of jeans with a tool belt around its waist, but it had no shirt, its arms and chest laid bare.

Lord Ichigo motioned towards the goblin. “Everyone, this is Gobdad. He’s the property manager for the place you’ll be staying. Gobdad this is…well, you can learn their names on your own time.”

She felt a twinge of amusement at his words. She wasn’t sure if Lord Ichigo was being lazy and did not want to bother listing all their names, or, the more likely case, he probably didn’t know all of their names. Aside from Sona and herself, the rest of the young Devils were far beneath the notice of one of the Ruling Satans.

“I greets!” Exclaimed the goblin, almost sternly.

About to greet him back, Rias froze as the other half of what Lord Ichigo said finally sunk in. This goblin was the property manager for where they would be staying? The same goblin that came barreling out of the abandoned house that looked ready to be condemned and bulldozed over?

Sona appeared to have the same train of thought as they both shared a worried look. Their combined peerages must have had the same realization as, with mild horror etched on their faces, they all looked between the goblin and the dumpster of house repeatedly.

“When you mean place we’ll be staying…?” Rias trailed off with a worried smile.

Lord Ichigo’s smile was practically predatory. “Gobdad, why don’t you give them a rundown of their new home?”

“Kos! Dogpoo home! Has five sleep room, two pee room! Big back yard, need much cleaning. Gobdad think everything need much cleaning! Floor make much noise when walk! Thing living in basement, Gobdad no idea what! No want to find out! Has attic too, Gobdad think it haunted!”

“Thanks, Gobdad,” Lord Ichigo said, practically radiating smugness.

“Kos! Boss!”

They all looked at him, mouths agape. Even when grounded by her parents, she still had a whole tower to herself. Now she had to live in this dump of a-honestly, Rias didn’t even want to call it a house!

Wait a minute…

“Five bedrooms,” Sona cried in dismay. “But Lord Ichigo! There’s a total of sixteen of us!”

Lord Ichigo and Gobdad exchanged a look, and then the goblin said, “Devils share space. Kill thing in basement, make more space, yes?”

“You can’t expect sixteen people to share two bathrooms!” Momo from Sona’s peerage said in a high-pitched voice.

Lord Ichigo shrugged. “Set a bathroom schedule.”

“But-but,” Rias protested weakly.

The Crown Prince raised a single challenging eyebrow, and she fell immediately silent. But she did so under protest!

“That being said,” Lord Ichigo continued, ignoring their collective sense of growing panic, “the house is in perfectly livable condition. All the plumbing and magical circuitry is up to code. Appliances are all brand new, and the fridge and freezer are stocked with enough food to last a group or your size for at least two weeks. Speaking of which, you’ll have to buy your own food.”

“We don’t have any money,” Rias stated miserably. Their parents had cut up all their cards, froze their bank accounts and confiscated all their on-hand cash. And their peerages also had all their personal assets frozen. They had come to Infernity with nothing but the clothes on their backs!

“Get a job,” the Demon Lord said heartlessly. “On that note, you’ll also be responsible for all the utilities and be paying rent. But don’t worry, the first month will be free, since you’re adjusting and settling in.”

“How much is rent?” Sona asked fretfully, and Rias was dreading the answer.

“That’s an excellent question,” he replied with an unsettling smile. “Gobdad, how much does rent go for in this part of Grevex?”

“Uhh…” The goblin began counting on his fingers, his expression one of deep concentration. After a few moments, he uncertainly held out three fingers to the Crown Prince.

“Oh wow, that much, huh?”

Rias had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Looks like rent is twenty thousand bloodstones a month.”

There was a shared silence amongst all of them for a full three seconds, and then they all exploded shouting out their protests.

“That’s too much!”

“No way this dump is worth that much!”

“We can’t afford that!”

“This is plain robbery!”

“What kind of free-market capitalistic hellhole is this!”

But Lord Ichigo held up a hand they all instantly fell silent. He may be robbing them in broad daylight, but his all too explosive anger was still fresh in their minds.

“There are sixteen of you,” he said sternly. “If sixteen people working in tandem can’t scrounge up twenty thousand a month, then forget the Rating Games, you should just give up on life. There are numerous job opportunities in Grevex. Anyone with a solid grasp of the fundamentals of magic can get a decent-paying job of around three thousand bloodstones a month. You have two Kings, two Queens and four Bishops in your group. Figure it out.

“And just to be clear, this is your punishment. You’re not going to live in a castle or your own private buildings with magical upgrades funded by your parents’ near-endless pockets. You’re going to live in a shithole, you’re going to work full-time jobs, and you’re going to live in the Empire as its everyday citizens, rather than the luxurious lives of its Nobility. And when you come home, every day, exhausted from working full-time jobs, you’re going to put your noses to the grind and train your asses off. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir.” They all chorused their agreement morosely.

“You will understand that we, and yeah, I’m including myself, have a ridiculous advantage over the rest of the Empire. We can afford to spend all day training because we don’t have to worry about putting food on the table. We don’t have to worry about having a roof over our heads. I was chasing souls and running errands for Sirzechs, but not once did he ever make me pay for a single meal. Look at me.”

And they did. Rias stared into the unwavering stare of one of the most powerful demons in existence, and she understood that he wasn’t being mean or needlessly cruel.

“You will be Pillar Lords one day,” and his voice dipped considerably softer, though a touch of severity remained. “You will also have your own territories and millions of people depending on you to govern them correctly. And for the rest of you, the Rating Games afford you the opportunity to be granted titles of nobility and be given your own territories. Each and every one of you has the chance to make life better for the countless people living in our Empire. Don’t waste it.”

“Yes, my Lord,” she said quietly, his words resounding firmly through her skull. And he wasn’t wrong. Not in the least. Rias knew well that she would one day take hold of the reins of Gremory territory. But given that Devils measured their lifespans in millennia, that day always seemed so far away. But, just because it was a distant future, did not mean she shouldn’t be prepared for the responsibilities.

But then, completely breaking the somber mood about them, a harsh music blared from Lord Ichigo’s direction.

“Ramones?” Koneko said, perking up from behind her.

The Demon Lord scowled as he pulled out his phone, but his expression quickly fell into a confused frown.

“Yasaka?” she heard him mutter questioningly to himself.

They all stood perfectly still as he put it to his ear and said, “What’s up? ...Yeah, I’m in the middle of something, but nothing important. …You need me there? ...Like right now? …Sure, be there in a few seconds.”

As he hung up, he threw the goblin a sharp look. “Gobdad, get them settled. Show them around the city for the next couple of days too; I’ll have Meril drop by before the end of the week with more instructions.”

“Kos! Boss!”

And just like that that, the weight on their souls disappeared as the Crown Prince of Wrath instantly vanished.

They all stared at the empty spot where he had been not seconds before in dead silence. He just left. Without a word to them, and after giving them such a thorough lecture and totally upending the direction of their lives for the next ten years, he just left. Rias didn’t know whether to scream distraught or cry in relief.

“Wow, he is such a dick!”

“Issei, I will kill you.”

“He said we weren’t important, while we're standing right here, and then-poof! Gone! How is he not a dick, handsome bastard?”

“Boys.”

“Sorry,” Issei and Kiba said simultaneously.

As she pinched the bridge of her nose, Rias consoled herself with the thought that, at the very least, her life couldn’t possibly get any worse.

-----

Ichigo sensed his wife’s presence across dimensions and materialized just a few feet away from her. He blinked, impressed, when he beheld her in full Imperial regalia. She was only ever in full costume when she had to meet with foreign dignitaries or had a formal gathering of all the Clan Heads of Kyoto. And though she would never voice it on her own, Ichigo knew she despised the clothes as she found them too cumbersome to wear. Never mind moving around - just sitting still wrapped in layers of heavy clothing was vexing.

That being said…

“Damn princess, you look beautiful.”

She flashed him a small smile, but her lips quickly turned down in a prominent frown. “A minor issue that we need to discuss has arisen.”

There was a snort behind him, and Ichigo’s eyes flew wide. What the-?

He spun around, protectively positioning himself in front of Yasaka as he beheld a blond haired Yōkai standing there smiling, his eyes narrowed in a way that eerily reminded him of the former Shinigami captain, Gin Ichimaru.

But what had Ichigo feeling so disconcerted was the fact he didn’t sense the Yōkai at all. He still couldn’t sense him, despite standing a few feet away. For something to obscure his senses so thoroughly, it had to be an incredibly powerful piece of magic or a potent artifact.

“Really, Hime?” The blonde Yōkai said, utterly ignoring Ichigo and peering around him towards Yasaka. And there was something in the blonde Yōkai’s voice that made him uncomfortable. “A minor issue? At least cater to my ego and label me a major one.”

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, a sudden irritation filling him, at this stranger who was outright ignoring him, self-admitting to being a major issue, and so casually calling his wife nicknames. “Okay,” he said rolling his jaw. “Who’s this asshole?”

Said asshole just smiled even wider.

For her part, Yasaka let out a deep sigh and Ichigo felt her hand slide across his back as she came to stand next to him.

“Husband,” and the way she emphasized the word set alarm bells ringing through Ichigo’s head, “this is Akihiko of the Kitsune clan.”

He blinked. Why did that name sound so familiar? And not just familiar, but he had this sinking feeling that it was rather important too.

Akihiko continued to smile at him. “I’m the asshole that took Yasaka’s virginity and fathered her daughter.”

Ichigo’s expression fell ice cold.

Oh, this bitch came to die.