"We're almost there, Master," Ravel spoke, walking next to Azuma as they approached the towering building in front of them.
Fancy ass place, huh?
Azuma casually glanced around the 'Phenex Estate' - which included the literal hundreds of miles of land in each direction. There were large open fields filled with occasional buildings and farms. Behind them, a bustling city home to tens of thousands of devils sat. It looked like a genuine big city you'd see on Earth, fit with carriages, restaurants, shops, and homes. Even further out of sight sat the silhouettes of more towering buildings, which belonged to other smaller cities.
Overall, the Phenex Estate was less of a home and more of a small country. If Azuma had to compare it to something, it was almost like an American state.
In front of Azuma and Ravel sat the actual main home for the bloodline Phenex Family members, which looked like a towering castle. All over the structure were swirling towers of stone, and large flames extended off the tops of them. There were flames all over the place, really - as there was even a tree with no leaves, instead having streaks of fire running across the branches.
On the front of the main structure, which had the tallest tower of stone sticking up from it, sat a large Phenex symbol.
Good thing that logo is there! After walking through a hundred miles of Phenex-Clan land, with Phenex symbols covering damn near every building in sight, I might've thought I was at the Gremory castle!
Note the sarcasm.
The Phenex Clan was apparently rather proud of the fact that they were the Phenex Clan, as they had plastered their family's symbol over everything they could get their hands on.
"Young Mistress," As Azuma and Ravel approached the towering door, a maid standing outside bowed to them lightly, "The Lord has been expecting you."
I would hope so.
After Ravels' rather poor last interaction with her Father, Azuma had ordered her to go calm him down a bit and set up a meeting between him and Azuma. Ravel had only managed to calm him down enough to confirm that he 'probably' wouldn't try to kill Azuma, but that was good enough. Ravel had only spent one night sleeping in the dungeon because the next day they had headed to the underworld to meet Lord Phenex.
This place is so fancy. Should I have worn a suit?
Compared to the regal and fancy castle, Azuma looked a bit like a hobo. He had a plain red T-shirt and blank sweatpants on, and he literally had a stick hung over his shoulder with a sack on the end. Said sack contained what Azuma called his 'secret weapon.'
…
Nah. Not my style.
"Thank you," Ravel said simply as the maid rattled her hand on the double doors, which were at least twenty feet tall and nearly as wide. A moment later, they slowly started to swing open, revealing an extraordinarily decorated hallway.
Red carpet lined the floor, red banners hung from the walls, poles fitted with red banners sat next to the doors, red suits of ordinate knight armor sat around, the red-haired maid stood behind them, the red Phenex logo-
"Too much fuckin' red," Azuma deadpanned as he looked into the room, "Has your dad never heard of color theory?"
Azuma heard the sharp intake of breath from the maid behind him as she glared at him with narrowed eyes, but she didn't make a move to do anything to him.
"D-Do you not like the color red, A-Azuma?" Ravel asked cutely, looking at him with worried eyes. The woman was currently fit in a rather extravagant red dress.
"Nah," Azuma shrugged, but quickly eased her worries, "Just not for decorating. On cute girls it looks pretty good."
"I-I'm cute…" Ravel blushed, looking at the ground, then quickly composed herself as another maid approached them from the inside. The woman was rather beautiful, as she was wearing the same skimpy maid outfit that the previous maid was, but fit it much better. She had large breasts, a thin waist, and rather large hips.
Is that… bootleg Rias?
Azuma was starting to get suspicious about something.
"The Lord is waiting in the dining hall, Young Mistress," The second maid, who also had red hair, bowed to Ravel, then gestured for them to follow her.
Did they find every red-haired devil in the entire underworld?
"Is red hair common amongst devils?" Azuma asked bluntly, ignoring the way the maid leading them down the hall stiffened as he was blatantly asking about her.
"Not particularly," Ravel shook her head lightly, "It's only common amongst the Gremory household, so it's rare to see otherwise."
"I see," Azuma nodded sagely, "Your dad has a redhead fetish, doesn't he?"
"W-What?" Ravel stuttered, caught off guard by his sudden question.
"He's totally fucking this maid," Azuma said bluntly pointing at the womans back, "You see how she's dressed, right? No normal guy makes his maids where this type of stuff. He's totally fucking her."
"T-The Lord and I are not having sex!" The maid defended herself, spinning around, "W-Watch your mouth, human!"
"Hey! Don't talk to my boyfriend that wa-" Ravel started angrily, causing the maid to flinch and look nervous.
"See? I told ya," Azuma nodded sagely, cutting Ravel off, "You see how mad she got? If I wasn't right, she wouldn't have been mad about it. Your dad is totally fucking the maid."
"H-He…" The maid glanced between Azuma and Ravel nervously, opening and closing her mouth as she didn't want to be disrespectful but also wanted to defend herself.
"Speechless," Azuma said in finality, "She's speechless because I'm right."
"You are not right!" The woman's face flushed, and she glared at Azuma, "Y-You…"
"The contract with Rias makes more sense now," Azuma nodded sagely, looking at Ravel, "He's too old to bag Rias for himself, so he's living vicariously through his son and is gathering a harem of redheads!"
"E-Even if you are the young Mistress's b-boyfriend, you cannot speak such rude lies about the Lord!" The maid shouted, her face flushed a deep red as she pointed at Azuma.
"Rude? Nah, game respects game," Azuma waved his hand dismissively.
If I was an old as fuck devil with infinite money, I'd hire a bunch of sexy maids too.
"It's not a knock on you either," Azuma shrugged, "I can't hate on the hustle. If fuckin' old guys is how you get your money, you do you."
"W-We are not having sex!" The maid huffed angrily, "I-I am not some prostitute, you lowl-"
"Ahem," She was cut off as another maid, who actually didn't have red hair this time, strode down the hallway toward them, "Do not embarrass yourself in front of our guest, Ria, and please do not keep the Lord waiting, Azuma Kaito."
"M-My apologies, Head Maid!" The redheaded maid, Ria, stiffened, composing herself quickly.
"Her name is fuckin' Ria?" Azuma said incredulously, gesturing at the maid again, "See?! I told you! That's one letter off Rias!"
Ravelp paused, her face twisting in thought for a moment, "Wait… you might actually be right, M- A-Azuma!"
"AHEM!" The black-haired headmaid pressed her glasses up onto her nose, looking with a stern gaze at Azuma and Ravel, "The Lord is waiting in the dining hall. Please do not keep him waiting."
"Yeah, yeah," Azuma hummed casually, "Don't be so stiff about it, alright? He can wait a couple more minutes."
The group continued down the hallway as Azuma finally let the redhaired maid off the hook and soon entered the large dining room. There was a massive table sitting in the center, fit with more than a dozen chairs on each side, and a large red table cloth covering it. At the very end sat the man himself - Lord Phenex.
Azuma could see where Riser got his face from - as the head of the Phenex Clan looked like an older, gruffier Riser. He had spikey blonde hair, a decently handsome face, muscular frame, and was wearing an elaborate fancy red suit. He was sitting in a chair much larger than the other ones, looking more like a throne than a dinner chair.
"Lord Phenex," Azuma called in greeting, steeling his face as he met the man he was waiting for. The casual, relaxed stance left his body as Azuma finally became serious.
Lord Phenex's response was a raise of a hand, and Azuma thought the man was about to wave at him.
Eh? This fancy old bastard is just gonna wave-
Then, his hand erupted in flames. A split second later, a massive fireball fired outward - shooting down the table nearly faster than Azuma's eyes could track as it traveled toward him.
Aggressive right from the start, huh?
The fireball exploded through the space where Azuma was standing, slamming into the wall behind him and dispersing as it left a deep black scorch mark on the stone.
"A-Azuma!" Ravel panicked, her eyes wide as Azuma disappeared, looking as if the fireball had engulfed him completely.
"You'll understand when you're older, Ravel," Lord Phenex grunted, the man smirking as it looked as if Azuma had been burnt away to nothingness, "You're a Phenex! You will not be dating a lowly huma-"
He cut himself off as he tensed abruptly, jerking his head to the side as Azuma's hand landed on his shoulder - the Dungeon Master casually leaning against the side of his extravagant throne.
"You shouldn't talk so badly about your guests, y'know?" Azuma smirked down at the man's wide eyes, having used his time dilation to dodge the attack and seemingly teleport next to Lord Phenex.
"H-How did you…" Lord Phenex blinked in surprise again as Azuma disappeared again, appearing next to Ravel as he seemingly teleported.
"I'll call us even now, Lord Phenex," Azuma hummed casually, "I'll forget that you just tried to kill me, so how about you forget that I'm a human, alright? At least give me a chance before you try to kill me again."
Lord Phenex stared at Azuma strangely for a second, clearing his throat as he composed himself, "That was quite an impressive bit of magic, Azuma Kaito. I will at least give you a chance to speak, but I will never accept that you are dating my Ravel."
"Magic? I'm not rude enough to use magic in someone else's home without permission," Azuma hummed, casually walking toward the man. He grabbed the chair next to him, obviously surprising the man as he sat down next to him instead of at the opposite end of the table. Ravel sat on the opposite side of Azuma, also sitting next to Lord Phenex.
"Then, what would you call that?" Lord Phenex asked bluntly, narrowing his eyes at Azuma.
"I'm just quick," He shrugged in response.
Lord Phenex blinked at him, "...Are you trying to say that you're quicker than my eyes?"
"You said it, not me," Azuma grinned at the man, who simply stared back at him with a stoney look. Then, he chuckled lightly.
"Hah!" Lord Phenex snapped his fingers, and a bright flame flashed through the air for a split second, "Bring out the meal!"
Suddenly, a trail of maids flowed into the room, all pushing carts that had various food items on them. They placed them around the table, covering its entirety in various types of foods, which ranged from expensive looking steak to types of food that Azuma had never even seen before.
"No offense, but I don't have time to eat all of that," Azuma said bluntly, glancing at Lord Phenex as he realized this was the perfect opportunity to start his plan. As the Phenex's eyes flashed with anger at his ungrateful comment, Azuma continued.
"I have a tee time scheduled for an hour from now," Azuma finished, resisting grinning as Lord Phenex's face shifted from angry to curious in a flash.
"Tee time? You enjoy golfing?" Lord Phenex asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Renegal Phenex] has advanced one stage!
[Hated] -> [Slightly Hated]
His name is Renegal? I guess they gotta keep the 'R' name theme going.
"Yup, I go pretty much every weekend," Azuma answered with a nod, "There's this amazing golf course that cuts right through a forest. There's a ton of natural wildlife around, especially many different kinds of… birds."
Azuma finished his last sentence with a dramatic pause, watching as Lord Phenex's eyes lit up.
"Birds?" He asked, leaning forward slightly, "There's such a place in the human world?"
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Renegal Phenex] has advanced one stage!
[Slightly Hated] -> [Strongly Disliked]
"There is."
He's in.
Azuma hadn't just come here without a plan in mind - no, he had a rather genius plan, in his own opinion. A plan to charm Lord Phenex.
Now, how do you charm a centuries-old devil who has everything in the world at his disposal? Just ask his beloved daughter - the one who knows the man's every weakness.
On the outside, Lord Phenex had a rather imposing reputation. He was a ruthless businessman who had no problem setting an extreme price for his family's Phenex Tears, uncaring of the lives they could save. A ruthless man who had taken the once-considered weak Phenex Clan to the top of devil society through pure wealth. A man who had no problem marrying off his children for the benefit of his clan.
But, below that, he wasn't actually that bad of a guy. He was wise, stern, and truly wanted what was best for his children. He might've forced his son into a marriage contract, but it was a marriage contract that would try and force the boy to settle down and give up his shameful lifestyle - and, it was a contract that his son wanted.
But, even further below that, Lord Phenex was surprisingly emotional. Emotional and lonely - at least, that's what Ravel had said. His eldest son had left home long ago, his second son was away growing a business empire in the underworld, and his youngest son was a womanizing scumbag who didn't want to spend any quality time with his father. That left Lord Phenex with his wife, his harem members, and his only daughter. As a result, the Phenex head was extremely attached to his sole child - to the point that he was willing to attempt to kill her first boyfriend - who spared him the time of day and had indulged many of his feelings to her.
Mainly: that he greatly missed his eldest son, Ruval Phenex. While no man would complain about having a harem of beautiful women living with them, or with having an intelligent daughter that was his pride and joy, Lord Phenex missed the joy that came from having a son. He missed the golfing trips, the walks through nature, the birdwatching, watching sports games on the couch - he missed everything that came with having a son.
He had friends in Lord Gremory and other high-standing devils, but having such a title came with a ton of duties, so they were too busy to hang out often.
So, Azuma just had to give him a glimpse of that again.
"Ah, I remember the birds of the human realm," Lord Phenex sighed wistfully, "My eldest son used to love birdwatching."
"Yeah… I could do it all day. There's just so many different kinds, y'know?" Azuma nodded sagely.
I don't know shit about birds.
Lord Phenex nodded appreciatively at Azuma's words, opening his mouth, but then closing it again quickly as he cleared his throat, his face becoming steely as he remembered what this meeting was about. He reached forward, casually cutting in his steak as he stopped himself from going on more about birds.
"And don't even get me started on golf," Azuma continued, applying more pressure as he cut into his own food, which was a purple round ball-like meat that he had never seen before, "People say it's boring, but I think that's stupid. It might not be as athletically demanding as other sports, but it's damn fun, y'know?"
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Renegal Phenex] has advanced two stages!
[Strongly Disliked] -> [Slightly Disliked] -> [Neutral]
"Right?! I've been saying that for ages!" Lord Phenex could resist but grab the bait, leaning forward and grinning at Azuma, "My wife won't watch it for more than a few minutes, but I love watching the tournaments! Ah, me and Ruval used to watch the human Masters every year!"
"Really? I usually watch it too, but I don't have any friends who are into golf," Azuma sighed in mock sadness, "It's still fun, but it's just not the same watching sports alone, y'know?"
What the hell is the Masters? Is there a golf master out there somewhere? Can he teach me?
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Renegal Phenex] has advanced one stage!
[Neutral] -> [Slightly Liked]
"I agree completely!" Lord Phenex nodded excitedly, "It's coming up in a few months! You should come by and watch-"
He cut himself off abruptly, clearing his throat as he blushed lightly. He turned back to his food, composing himself again.
"R-Right, the reason I agreed to meet with you today, Azuma Kaito," Lord Phenex's face steeled, though he looked a bit less certain of his words, "I-I cannot accept a human dating my daughter. What will it take for you to break up with her?"
"F-Father!" Ravel hissed, glaring at Lord Phenex, who wouldn't look back and meet her eyes.
"Anything you want, human," Lord Phenex said gruffly, "No matter what it is, I'll get it for you. In return, never contact Ravel again."
The room was silent as a thick tension filled it, no one speaking for a moment. Then, Azuma broke it.
"Honestly, I'm disappointed, Lord Phenex," Azuma said bluntly, his eyes hard as he did his best to look deathly serious, "You seemed like a pretty good guy, but this is ridiculous. You're trying to put a price on my love for Ravel?"
"L-Love?!" Ravel squeaked out, the woman looking away and blushing deeply.
"You don't seem to realize what I'm offering you," Lord Phenex shot back, his eyes hard but uncertain, "When I say anything, I mean anything, human. The entirety of the Phenex Clan's resources is being offered to you. Wealth, power, women - whatever it is you want, I will give it to you if you promise to never contact Ravel again."
"I'm well aware of what you're offering," Azuma shot back, standing up from his chair dramatically as he glared at Lord Phenex, "And I'm disgusted that you think I would ever put a value on my love for Ravel! Whether it's you, your servants, or even the entirety of the underworld, let me make this clear…"
Azuma leaned down, his fiery eyes staring directly into Lord Phenex's wide ones, "I will fight anyone! Even if you sent Lucifer himself after me, I won't give up Ravel for anything!"
"M-Master…" Ravel trailed off, her eyes wide with stars and hearts as she accidentally called him the wrong name, but luckily Lord Phenex was too distracted to notice.
S-She knows this is an act, right? I literally told her I was gonna do this before we came here!
Azuma thought dryly as he saw Ravel staring at him with a mixture of awe and love from the corner of his eyes.
"Y-You…" Lord Phenex stared at him in shock, the man speechless for a moment, "You… you truly love my daughter that much?"
"More than anything in the world," Azuma said with finality, "I have a lot of respect for you as her father, but I will do anything to protect my relationship with her. I'll die before I allow you to separate us!"
"D-Die… anything… w-world.. b-before… love…" Ravel was shortcircuiting across the table, her face red as steam literally poured out from her head, but Azuma ignored her.
Lord Phenex stared at him, a strange look on his face. His eyes didn't give away what he was feeling.
…
Then, finally, he sighed.
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Renegal Phenex] has advanced one stage!
[Slightly Liked] -> [Strongly Liked]
"Hah. How could I try to keep you away after you said all that?" Lord Phenex sighed, placing his head in his palms, "You said that right in the middle of enemy territory, where you had no chance of escape. What father wouldn't want such a man as his daughter's first boyfriend?"
In the end, it wasn't being a human that Lord Phenex hated so much - it was that his daughter had finally found a boyfriend. His daughter whom he valued so dearly, and who he had turned away hundreds of marriage contracts for.
But, for a man who said he would die for her in the literal Phenex household? To Lord Phenex himself?
"If it had to be anyone," Lord Phenex glanced up, giving Azuma a rough smile, "I'm glad it's you, Azuma Kaito."
"Thanks," Azuma shot back, grinning widely.
"T-Then, you approve of us, father?!" Ravel asked excitedly, standing up across the table.
"...I do," Lord Phenex nodded slowly, "I won't try to stop you anymore, Ravel. You have my blessing."
"Yay!" Ravel literally launched across the table, wrapping Azuma in a tight hug.
She… she knows we're not actually dating, right?
"Oh! And once you meet mother, we can get married, Azuma!" Ravel cheered, and Lord Phenex stiffened, his eyes becoming shadowed.
"M-Married… already?" He asked, his voice wavering slightly, "I… not yet, Ravel! At least give me some time to prepare!"
"Y-Yeah, not yet," Azuma nodded hurriedly.
Is she trying to get me killed?!
"Right! We can't get married yet," Ravel nodded sagely, and Azuma let out a sigh of relief as Lord Phenex relaxed, "...I still have to book the venue and put together a playlist! Oh, and you need to meet my brothers! And we need to invite all the guests too!"
Lord Phenex tensed again, the man clenching his fist as he robotically looked at Azuma, and Azuma decided it was time for the secret weapon.
"A-Also, I wouldn't say there was no chance of escape," Azuma started, drawing Lord Phenex away from the 'wedding' and back to his previous statement, "I still have this…"
Azuma reached down, grabbing the sack that had been hanging over his shoulder earlier and was now sitting on the floor. He slowly unwrapped it, revealing the bright orange bird inside.
"A-A Phoenix?!" Lord Phenex stuttered as the bird flew up into the air, its bright feathers lighting up with flames, "W-Wait… this isn't just an ordinary Phoenix, it's…"
His eyes went wide as he took in the creature, staring in awe at Ravel 2 (who had actually been renamed after Azuma figured out it was a boy), "A-A Phoenix of legend! T-They were said to have all disappeared millennia ago, how…"
"It's my familiar," Azuma said casually, letting the Phoenix land on his arm, "Pretty cool, huh?"
Lord Phenex stared at him blankly, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.
"Y-You… were chosen… by a Phoenix?" He said blankly, the words coming out slowly.
Reputation Update!
Your Affection with [Renegal Phenex] has advanced three stages!
[Strongly Liked] -> [Slightly Fond] -> [Strongly Fond] -> [Slightly Loved]
"Welcome to the family, Azuma! My new son!" Lord Phenex reached forward, wrapping his arm around Azuma's shoulder joyfully, "Ah, you were talking about the wedding, right Ravel? Let's have it as soon as possible! Oh, and Azuma? You should come by this weekend to watch some golf! Or, we can even go play golf if you'd rather!"
"We're really getting married! T-This is all happening so fast…" Ravel blushed, glancing up shyly at Azuma.
Ok, this might've gone a little too well.
And so, the Phenex Family found themselves with a new son, and Azuma found himself with a new fiance.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Oh, right. Lord Phenex?"
"Please, call me Father, my new son!"
"R-Right, uh… father? I've been meaning to get a new maid, and you guys seem to have a lot. Mind If I take one?" Azuma asked casually.
"Of course! Take whoever you want," Lord Phenex nodded, agreeing easily, "Should I take you for a tour of the castle as you decide which one you want?"
"Ah, I got tee time, remember? I'll come back another time for the tour, I already know which one I want," Azuma turned to the redhaired maid standing guard by the dining room door, "That one is fine, right?"
"Her? Of course, my son!" Lord Phenex nodded, and a shit-eating grin appeared on Azuma's face.
"W-Wait, my Lord, what do mean?" Ria asked shakily, watching as Azuma walked toward her with a terrifying grin, "Y-You can't mean to send me…"
"Welcome to the dungeon, Worse Rias!"
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be out in 2 or 3 days!
You can also read chapters early on Patreon.com/Koyon !