Returning Welsh Dragon Hero - Chapter 11

Grayfia held back a sigh as she continued her duties as a Sirzech's Queen and maid. Which at the moment meant making sure he doesn't embarrass himself... say anything incriminating as the Satan Lucifer. 

Also she had to make sure the human liquor and the magical liquor doesn't end up drunk by the wrong person. Grayfia wouldn't let Gorou Hyoudou have his bowl implode, because she wasn't paying attention. The Red Dragon Emperor sure as heaven wouldn't accept that excuse. 

"I'm suppose to be the mosh powerful person in the Underworld, managing hell. Not Capital H 'Hell', different place. Just the..." Sirzechs tried to gesture with his hands to make a sphere, failed, and reached for his bottle and pour himself another drink. "Location. Nation of devils. The official name is technically hell. Small 'h'. But we call it the Underworld, preposterously. Pretentiously." 

​Grayfia closed her eyes, almost in pain. 

Welp, at least the human is equally as drunk, that he's unlikely to remember this conversation after he blacks out. 

"Why? Wouldn't that get confusing since, what was it... other death gods have their realm in the Underworld?" Gorou asked curiously. 

"Because we can. And yes." Sirzechs and Gorou giggled. "As the youth says, we're 'dunking' on the other factions, by attaching 'the Underworld' majorly to us." The Lucifer said as he took a drink of his wine. 

"I think they call it 'styling' nowadays." Gorou pointed out. 

"Like... barbers?" Sirzechs blinked in confusion. 

​Gorou shrugged and poured himself another cup of sake. 

For a while the two sat in a peaceful silence. Grayfia hoped they'd start falling asleep. 

"I just... I'm arguing and reining in all the old Devils, the Old Satans guys when they show up to make noise. Worse they do it officially, so I can't just kick their asses. And..." A melancholic look entered Sirzechs eyes. "It's been five hundred years since the Civil War. It feels like nothing we did helped the new generation, or changed things. Or made them grow different. The children born back then mostly grew up to be exactly like their parents, predecessors, ancestors and other 'tors'." He said with a heaviness in his tone, that made an ugly feeling of self-disappointment grab at Grayfia's heart. She had hoped that with her duties she would have eased her husband's duty and loads, yet it seemed they still weigh on him. "And in this era, I have both a sister and a son. What if I fail them too?" He said. "Rias has a lot of responsibility, but if she's free from it, then Millicas will have to carry it instead. I don't want to burden my child like that. But I also don't want my Ria to suffer." 

"Who knows. You won't, until time passes." Gorou said, taking a shot of his sake cup. 

"So do nothing?" Sirzechs leaned aside to rest his cheek against his palm. There was a more focused look hidden in his eyes. 

"No, of course not." Gorou chuckled, not noticing anything about his drink mate's subtle demeanor. His drinking companion was The Devil after all. "You just do your best. Time passes and you'll see the result." He said. "Self-reflection every now and then is good to make sure you're still doing right, focusing on what's important, but too much is just self-misery indulgence." 

Sirzechs flinched like he was struck with a verbal arrow. 

"Heh, heh." He let out a weak chuckle.

"I'm old," Gorou continued. "Half a century from now, and I won't even be here." His tone wasn't disparaging or deprecating, but calm acceptance. 

"...I sometimes forget how small a human lifespan is." Sirzechs commented. 

"Ha! If you're that old, then shouldn't you be wise enough to not have your worries." Gorou said jokingly. 

"Haha, well, with age knowledge accumulates. Wisdom however," Sirzechs sighed with a chuckle. "It doesn't always come when needed." He said. "Probably why humanity had so many philosophers. You were always closer to death than any other race." 

"Well, as someone halfway there, let me tell you something." Gorou said, trying to sound seriously, but the flush on his face, and him pointing to Sirzechs' left wasn't helping his point. "And if you tell anyone I'll completely deny it." 

"My lips are sealed." Sirzechs smiled. 

​Gorou looked serious for a moment as he stared at his cup. Looking at the sake but not drinking it. 

"The life we currently live is a disgrace." Gorou Hyoudou spoke, and the two devils found themselves blinking at his odd words. "Not Issei, or other kids. But us, the adults." He began. "We work our whole lives to provide for our families, to the point that we can't act as fathers for our children. Giving away precious time, in return for meaningless things like money, or honor. Even our health. All that effort for something nebulous like 'the economy' or 'the nation'. And then at old age when we're finally done, we can rest, and take our benefits. But where do those benefits come from, one might ask? Why, from the hard work and effort of your young. And that's how it works." Gorou looked up to meet Sirzechs' eyes. "The future generation is constantly working to pay for the comfort and the luxury of us, the old relics. And then there future children, sacrifice themselves for theirs. What kind of life is that? Are we humans, or are we vampires sucking on the life force of our own children." 

"...Gorou-san?" Sirzechs blinked. 

"In a single day, my boy lost his life, regained it, and aged far more than I can comprehend." Gorou said, much to the two devils' confusion. "Odds are, if I was there nothing would have changed. Or maybe if I was present from much earlier, then he would have walked a different path." He sighed. "Odds are, in a decade... maybe two or three, the current system will break down. Maybe it should. From that, hopefully we can learn and make something different." Gorou drank another cup, and then let go of the glass. "The thing is, at some point you have to make a choice. Either devour the future for your comfortable present. 

"Or sacrifice yourself for your children's future." Gorou smiled at Sirzechs. "You Devils are old. You don't have to live like that, but if you will live for that many years, then you have a duty to learn from history and time. You say wisdom doesn't always come, then... you're gonna have to search for it then. Toughen up your future generations." He frowned. "Not to carry the burden of their ancestors, but to be able to face the world and forge their own future. Your sister has a lot to deal with? Train her. The heirs of the Pillar Families are growing up to be copies of their parents? Teach them."

"It's not that simple." Sirzechs said back sadly. 

"You're strong. Use your strength, otherwise what's the point of having it?" Gorou plainly said. 

Some awareness started returning to Sirzechs' eyes, pushing away the haze of drunkenness. He didn't intent to take the human's, Gorou's words so seriously, but he found himself doing so. 

"It would be abusing my position." He argued. 

"Family comes first." Gorou shrugged. "Just make up some bullshit." 

"Lord Lucifer can not—" Grayfia felt like she let this talk, that was starting to maybe turn into something dangerous from inebriation, went on for too long. 

Yet a gesture from her King told her to stop. And so she did.

"It's irresponsible. I'm suppose to set an example, be a role model." Sirzechs argued. 

"Protect the things that you love. Isn't that an example to follow?" Gorou offered with a cheeky grin. 

Sirzechs found himself chuckling. "You got me there." 

"I'm not saying to be cruel, or be a despot to let your desires run wild ruling you." Gorou said. "But you kinda seem like you lost the picture of why you originally started." Sirzechs froze. "You're older now. You know more now." He continued. "Just stop, take a breath, look again at what you want and need, then go do it." He said with sage-like nod. "Like if your wife wants BDSM and you want lovey-dovey sex, do both!" 

Sirzechs jaw dropped, like he awakened to a revelation. Grayfia felt her eyebrow twitch. 

"Now!" Gorou slammed his hands on the table as I stood up, wobbled a bit, then righted himself. "I'm gonna go find my wife, get that french maid outfit that we have in the closet for a decade now, that is definitely not her size anymore, and completely ruin it. Excuse me." And then Gorou left, like a man on a mission. "Honey!"

French maids. Grayfia thought, rolling her eyes, hiding her disgust. How fake.

Sirzechs sat down quietly in thought. Grayfia after a sigh, started cleaning up the cups and putting away the bottles, putting the magical rum in a pocket dimension. 

"Grayfia." Sirzechs spoke behind her. 

She turned around, only to see her King standing right behind her, grabbing her by the waist, and deeply kissing her. 

Grayfia blinked as she felt the kiss and Sirzechs energy wash over her, almost acting like an aphrodisatic. She easily pushed it down... with some effort this time. She knows that's just Lord Lucifer showing her some affection, but they were on a schedule and dallied enough—

Teleportation Magic was cast. 

Sirzechs had brought them back to his office back in their Lucifer Castle in the Underworld. 

"My Lord." She said seriously, as she knew while his affection would be a lovely time, he had his duties, and she had to be the voice of reason, keeping him on the straight and narrow. "You have meeting after the Hyoudou visit. I have managed to reshuffle them around, but you must—"

"Grayfia." Sirzechs said with a commanding voice, shocking the Strongest Queen into silence. He looked at her straight into her eyes, some drunkenness still lingering in his own, but a bit of focus and power was visible in his irises. "I love you. Bend over." 

The words struck her heart. The command struck her nethers. 

And then without waiting for her to respond, the Devil turned his wife around, and bent her over his desk throwing the very important papers away. 

Dammit! That was so much stuff she'd have to clean.

Yet, Grayfia couldn't be wetter. 

...Welp, it's finally fucking happening.

​Her heart was thundering in her chest. Grayfia tried to keep her smile off her face, since she was suppose to be "disapproving" of Lord Lucifer's chaotic behavior. 

The stoic mask shattered under a minute.