Chapter 651 - 651: [651] : Taking the Ancestor Out to Play~

Still inside the castle dining hall.

Rias stared blankly at the girl calling herself Runeas, raising a trembling finger toward her.

"W-wait... so this girl who came with Grandmother and looks just like Mio is actually..."

Watching her daughter's utterly shocked expression, Venelana pressed a hand to her cheek and smiled somewhat helplessly.

"My, Rias-chan, that's quite rude... Hmm, or did Mommy never tell you that the First Generation was still alive?"

"Of course not! No one ever told me!"

Rias's eyes were still wide, clearly still in deep shock.

But this was understandable. The current Seventy-Two Pillars of noble devil families had all developed from the survivors of each clan's first generation, who'd endured brutal struggles in the early days.

But precisely because those early methods of establishing their footholds were so bloody, many first-generation high-class devils had been left with significant aftereffects from battle.

Some had died not long after establishing their families. Others had gone into seclusion, their current status unknown.

At least before this moment, the only first-generation devil openly known to still be alive in the entire Underworld was the First Generation Bael of the Great King Bael family.

"Still, even though she's an ancestor, she looks quite young."

Bokue leaned in curiously to examine her.

"She looks about the same age as Mio..."

"Well, that's only natural~"

Hearing this, Runeas puffed out her chest proudly with her hands on her hips.

"Pure-blooded devils have lifespans that are essentially eternal. What really affects a devil's lifespan is their mental state. Devils who live for a long time experience so much that they often develop various issues. That's why I specifically set up hibernation periods for myself—waking up once every few hundred to a thousand years or so to maintain a youthful mindset~"

"So let me say it again—I just spend most of my time in hibernation. I'm completely different from those devils with Sleeping Sickness!"

Sleeping Sickness?

Bokue glanced curiously at the crimson-haired girl beside him.

With just that single exchanged look, Rias already understood what he wanted to ask. She explained.

"Sleeping Sickness is... a rare condition that only affects devils. Once afflicted, the victim falls into an endless sleep and can never wake up again, until their body completely deteriorates and they die."

Here, Rias paused slightly, seeming to hesitate.

"Actually, my aunt—Sairaorg's mother—suffers from this condition. She's been in an unending sleep since Sairaorg was just a child. There's been no improvement to this day."

"I see."

Bokue's tone rose slightly with an "oh," but he didn't say anything more.

The atmosphere in the dining hall grew somewhat heavy.

But just then, Rias's grandmother—Chysis—suddenly interjected.

She turned to survey the dining hall, her crimson single ponytail swaying gently with the motion. Her emerald eyes, made even softer by her gently sloping eye corners, carried a hint of confusion.

"So... what exactly is going on here? Why are there devils, humans, holy sword wielders, and even angels all in our home?"

"Well..."

Venelana smiled helplessly once again, then gave her mother-in-law—who hadn't concerned herself with Underworld affairs since stepping down—a concise summary of the major events that had occurred recently.

Including the recent three-faction conference on Itogami Island and the alliance with Norse Mythology.

As well as the International Ranking Tournament currently being held in Lilith, the Underworld's capital.

Chysis and Runeas's expressions gradually shifted from confusion to surprise, then to something rather complicated.

It really was quite something—especially for those who had lived through that era of war.

Who could have imagined that the three factions, once sworn enemies who would fight to the death on sight, had now formed an alliance? And were even trying to recruit other mythological systems?

Though when you thought about it carefully, this did seem rather nice.

After all, no one wanted to spend every day on high alert, locked in an endless arms race.

"By the way—we were actually just about to head to Lilith."

Bokue laced his fingers together in front of him and shrugged toward Chysis and Runeas.

"So if you don't mind..."

❁❁❁❁

The scene shifted. Everyone had already arrived at Lilith, the Underworld's capital.

Underworld carriages were simply too inconvenient, and the travel time was far too long. For true convenience, nothing beat teleportation magic.

As the glow of the teleportation circle surrounding them gradually faded and their vision cleared, Runeas opened her eyes and lightly hopped out of the magic circle.

They now stood on the main avenue in front of Lilith Palace. As far as the eye could see, there was endless traffic and the sounds of bustling crowds never ceased.

And not far away—visible even from the street—was a massive coliseum that had only just been completed in recent days.

Obviously built specifically for this International Ranking Tournament.

"Ooh~ I haven't been to Lilith in so many years, and it's changed so much!"

Runeas shaded her eyes with one hand against the sunlight streaming from the sky, spinning in place as she surveyed the surrounding scenery with soft exclamations of wonder.

"Indeed. Never mind Lady Runeas—even I haven't visited Lilith in many years. The changes really are remarkable..."

Chysis beside her expressed similar sentiments.

As for Bokue and the others, since they'd been here not long ago, they didn't feel particularly moved.

So Bokue simply jerked his chin toward the imposing mega-coliseum not far away.

"Unless I'm mistaken, that's probably where registration is. Let's head over and check it out."

"Mm-hmm~"

Before anyone else could respond, Runeas was already nodding and taking the lead, practically skipping toward the direction the young man had indicated.

She looked completely excited, her anticipation maxed out.

What is she, a little kid...

Bokue thought to himself.

And so, moments later, the group arrived near the coliseum.

When they reached the main entrance, they found it absolutely packed with people. The line of spectators hoping to buy tickets stretched from the entrance all the way out to the street, blocking traffic completely.

"Wow~ Looks like everyone's really hyped about this International Ranking Tournament."

Serafall shrank back just looking at it.

While she loved going places and having fun, what she enjoyed was the experience of having fun—not standing in an endless line under the blazing sun.

Queuing under a scorching sun? That was genuine torture.

Fortunately, as registered competitors, they didn't need to wait in line. They could enter directly through the contestant passage.

So after a short while longer, the group finally reached the competitor entrance.

The demon girl handling data entry at the registration desk took one look and immediately shot up from her seat. She dropped to one knee, bowing respectfully.

"L-Lady Leviathan, your presence honors us... forgive us for not coming out to greet you..."

"It's fine, it's fine—no need for all that."

Serafall waved dismissively with a grin.

"Besides, aren't you supposed to be handling contestant registration? If you ran off, who would enter the data? Here—this is the entry form for the Gremory family."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

The demon girl hastily accepted it and began entering the information.

But after typing in just the first line, she paused slightly.

"Keikain... Bokue?"

"Yeah, that's me. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Hearing his name, Bokue stepped forward and asked.

"No, there's no problem."

The receptionist demon girl scratched her head.

"It's just that since we're still in the trial operation phase, matches in the coliseum these few days are being arranged based on previously registered Rating Game records. Currently, Lord Sairaorg of the Great King Bael family has already completed his registration and is inside the coliseum right now..."

Ah...

Bokue pressed a hand to his forehead.

Right—he'd apparently promised to have a match with Sairaorg at some point.

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