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Serena Prince: Love of Magic - chapter 119
🕑 Added 2025-06-07 01:33:53 +0000 UTCAuthor's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
April 23, 2008 - Ravel Pov.
I barely touched the floor of the Phenex castle with my bare feet and smiled slightly. The charms on the small bracelet on my ankle were truly remarkable. They protected against any unevenness and temperature changes in the ground, so there was no problem walking on different surfaces completely barefoot.
I held out my new fan in the palm of my hand before quickly closing it. It comforted me in a way I couldn't explain. It was nice to be... home?
I immediately frowned. That felt wrong…
This wasn't my home anymore. My home was with Serena and the other members of her Peerage. I smiled slightly, though I couldn't help but feel tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I blinked rapidly to keep from crying.
"Ravel! It's a pleasure to have you —are you okay?!" asked Mom, who had noticed me first. Her smile turned into a worried grimace as she ran in my direction.
"Mom," I said almost tearfully and immediately hugged her.
"Now, now, now, Mom's here," Mom said as she hugged me comfortingly while stroking my head. The warmth of Mom's comforting hug ran through my body as I visibly calmed down. With a sigh, I pulled away from her. "Is everything okay, dear?" Mom asked worriedly, still holding me.
"Yeah... I... I just realized this isn't my home anymore." I said with a shaky but sincere and loving smile, thinking of Serena. Mom's eyes lit up with understanding, and tears began to well up in them.
"Oh darling, my little girl is growing up so fast," Mom said tearfully as she hugged me once more. "I'm so glad you're happy with your fiancée. But this will always be your home. No matter what," Mom murmured. I nodded in agreement. Finally, we both broke away and shared a smile.
"Sorry, I... I don't know what happened." I said, slightly embarrassed, wiping away my small tears. I immediately felt Sera's comforting mind hover over mine, as if she were mentally hugging me. I was quickly joined by Enid and Bella. Even Lucius and Narcissa were slightly present.
They must have sensed my distress. I smiled slightly as I sent them a message to reassure them.
"It doesn't matter, dear, everything's perfect," Mom said with a smile. I smiled even brighter. I was about to speak when someone approached.
"Ravel," Father said as he approached. I looked up at him and smiled widely. Without hesitation, I hugged him tightly. Father seemed surprised by the display of affection, but he didn't even hesitate to hug me back. He was terribly confused, but it didn't matter.
"Hi, Father. I missed you." I said with a smile as I pulled away. Father wrinkled his nose.
"We met a few days ago," Father said, looking away. I couldn't see any signs of embarrassment, but judging by the blissful look on his face and Mom's laughter, Father was definitely embarrassed. I laughed lightly.
"Even so." I said with a shrug. Father seemed about to speak, but someone's quick, heavy footsteps caught our attention.
"Ravel! You're finally here! Get ready, we need to go see th- why don't you have any shoes?" Riser asked in confusion as he looked down. Mom and Dad immediately looked down at my feet. I could almost feel Shinra's nervous smile creeping onto my face so I quickly calmed down. "Is that witch forcing you not to wear shoes? I'll beat her up!" Riser said forcefully. I rolled my eyes.
"It's not that. Stop looking for an excuse to try to confront my fiancée." I punched Riser in the shoulder. Riser clicked his tongue. "Although, oddly enough, you're right, she is to blame, in part," I said amusedly.
"I knew it!" Riser said triumphantly, I laughed lightly.
"It's not bad at all." I said amusedly. Riser grumbled before stopping and looking at me strangely.
"Does … that witch have a foot fetish?" Riser asked with a grimace. I blushed immediately.
"Riser!" I squealed in embarrassment.
"I mean, I'm a man of culture. And my Peerage proves it. But feet… I guess they each have their own thing," Riser said with a grimace.
"It's not like that!" I exclaimed, embarrassed.
"Serena isn't forcing you to do anything, is she?" Mom asked worriedly.
"Of course not!" I murmured, almost horrified. "Everything we did was consensual!" I exclaimed, embarrassed.
"EVERYTHING they did?" Father asked menacingly as his face darkened. My face exploded with a blush.
"That witch dared to touch you?!" Riser asked, almost furious.
"It's none of your business what I do or don't do with my fiancée!" I exclaimed, embarrassed. Mom sighed as she placed a hand on her cheek.
"My little girl is a grown woman now," Mom said, almost nostalgic.
"Mom!" I squealed long-sufferingly, moaning loudly in embarrassment. "Enough! All of you!" I said, turning around and crossing my arms.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're sorry, dear," Mom said with a smile. I just groaned. "We were just worried. Even if Serena has a foot fetish, you should wear sandals. Otherwise, you'll hurt yourself."
"MOM!!" I exclaimed loudly while blushing even more. Mom just smiled at me widely. I clicked my tongue before opening my fan and hiding half of my face while looking away.
"Okay, okay, we're done," Mom said as she tried to comfort me. I just snorted. "Still, you have to admit, it's weird that you're going barefoot. I'm sure you took all your shoes with you when you moved into the Prince mansion." Mom said worriedly. I sighed and slammed my fan shut.
"Yes, I do, and yes, I'm purposely barefoot, and no, it's not like Serena has a fetish." I glared at Riser.
"Well... you have nice, sexy feet." I heard Sera's voice in my mind, I could see her smile crookedly, and I blushed once again.
"You're not helping!" I yelled at Sera, who practically slipped out of my mind. I just mentally growled at her before looking at my family and sighing.
"Serena's helping me train, and we've both come up with some techniques that require me to be barefoot," I snarled. All three of their eyes turned curious.
"Training? I didn't expect that," Mom said curiously. I nodded. I understood. I'd trained pretty hard when I was young, but over the years, it'd diminished as I discovered that my talents lay elsewhere. These past few years, it had been rare to see me training.
"Yeah... I... I asked Sera if she could help me, and she and Bella have been helping me." I said, slightly embarrassed.
"That's good." Father said with a satisfied smile. I straightened slightly as he smiled slightly.
"Oh, what did that witch teach you?" Riser asked, my eyes shining as I separated myself several feet from them. The three of them looked at me in confusion, but I just crouched down in a running stance and smiled. The fire at my feet exploded in large quantities. I moved my toes in a circular motion, and the flames began to focus.
I saw my family watching more closely now. I let the fire in my feet grow stronger and stronger. I let my bond with Adolla do all the work and—
I appeared behind my family. Disintegrating and reassembling was always weird, but I had grown accustomed to it. I turned to Look at my family, who gasped as they looked at me.
"Where are you looking?" I asked playfully, startling the three of them, who immediately turned around and looked at me, terribly confused.
"W-what- how?" Riser asked, confused. I laughed happily.
"I figured out how to go super fast! It still needs a lot of preparation to be used in combat, but I'm getting there!" I chirped, even though it was a lie. But I couldn't tell them that I had already completely mastered that part. Telling them about my speed, in part, was a terrible concession on my part, which Sera readily agreed to.
"That... was more than 'super-fast,'" Father said, his eyes slightly wide. My chest puffed out, and I smiled proudly.
"I know! Sera and Bella have a hard time keeping up with me! It'll take me a while to master it, though!" I said proudly. Dad and Mom looked at me proudly, and I looked at Riser. I thought he might get mad or upset, but he had a proud smile on his face, too. I could feel my smile grow a little bigger.
"That's amazing, darling! I'm so proud of you!" Mom said happily.
"Good work, Ravel," Father said with a nod of approval.
"Tch, at least that witch is good for something. I thought she was making you take care of the whole city," Riser said mockingly. I rolled my eyes.
"I'll have you know that I'm still doing it. I enjoy doing it and being helpful. Besides, Lucius is the one who does most of the work," I said simply. I could see Father grimace.
"I don't like that Malfoy guy." Father growled lightly, my eyes widening slightly. Was he pouting?!
"Don't be childish, dear," Mom said mockingly. I laughed lightly as I covered half my face with my fan.
"That fan is new," Riser pointed out lightly. I smiled and looked at the fan fondly.
"It is, a gift from Serena." I said with a smile.
"Oh, yeah? It looks special, considering you like it so much." Mom said with a smile. I nodded, grabbed my fan, and cast a small spell Serena had taught me. The fan seemed to unfurl and twist before turning into a katana, turning back into Ryuujin Jakka.
I couldn't part with my sword anymore; it was practically a part of me. But carrying a katana around everywhere seemed impractical, and hiding it in a cane like Yamamoto didn't entirely convince me either. So I asked Serena for help hiding it.
Sera was finally able to create a small spell that allowed her to disguise It as a fan. It was still Ryuujin Jakka, but it was taking the form of a fan. Pretty handy.
"A normal katana?" Riser asked in confusion as he reached out to touch Ryuujin Jakka. I slapped his hand.
"Don't touch it, it's mine." I said possessively.
"Does it do… anything special? It looks quite old. Like thousands of years old," Mom said as she looked at it closely.
"Ravel…" Father said, his mind darkened. "Why… do I feel like I'm looking at the sun?" Father asked solemnly, my eyes widening slightly.
"What? What are you talking about, Father?" Riser asked in confusion as he looked at the sword.
"Oh, can you feel it?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"Wait, what, the sun?!" Riser asked in surprise. I nodded.
"It will be. It’s her creation, more permanent, more personal, and stronger. She believes that if I can unleash the sword's full potential, when unleashed, the blade should reach the temperature of the sun's core." I said softly.
"WHAT?!" Mom and Riser yelled in disbelief.
"Are you sure?" Father asked, staring at the sword. I nodded.
"I saw it, I know. It's not something Sera can use. She doesn't have the same affinity for fire as I do. No one in the Peerage does. So it's just mine. I... I have to train hard. I'm far from being able to do that. I can't even get a flame out of the sword yet." I said, gazing lovingly at the sword.
"That... that sounds incredible. Does it... does it have a name?" Mom asked incredulously.
"All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes - Ryuujin Jakka." I said solemnly. To my surprise, Ryuujin Jakka reacted and released an intense pressure on us before disappearing and standing still.
"I was going to say what a pretentious name, but that pressure... I felt like I was going to burn to ash even if I was a damn Phenex." Riser said incredulously. I continued to stare at my sword in surprise and nodded.
"What did Lady Prince ask of you in return?" Father asked solemnly. I looked at him in confusion.
"What?" I asked foolishly.
"That... that sword, it's on the level of a Longinus. What did Lady Prince ask of you in return?" Father asked once more. My eyes widened slightly, and I finally understood. I could appreciate Father's reasoning; after all, not everyone would give away such a strong, incredible sword, even if they couldn't use it. At least not for free.
"Nothing." I said with a smile. Father's eyes opened wide.
"Even if she said 'nothing,' she must surely have some reason behind it." Father tried again, and I shook my head.
"No, really, Father, she didn't ask for anything. She... she asked me what I wanted to do. Even when I told her something as ridiculous as making myself stronger instead of harnessing my mind, she just agreed and started helping me train, then gave me my sword. No strings attached, no nothing. She said it was simply because it would make me happy... and I believe her." I said with a loving smile. I couldn't lie, Sera, not with the mental bond that tied us.
"That…" The three of them were shocked as they processed the words. Riser was the first to recover, groaning loudly.
"At least that witch knows how to treat you. At least she can do something right. Now, if only Rias could do the same." Riser grunted in annoyance.
"Ah! Right, the meeting with Rias. You have to go!" Mom said hastily. Riser rolled his eyes.
"The Phenex aren't late," Riser said, as if it were obvious. I snorted in amusement, cast a small spell, and Ryuujin Jakka turned back into a fan. The three of them stared at It for a few seconds before continuing. "By the way, Ravel, you said you wanted to join me. Are you coming now, or waiting for me to call you with the rest of my peerage?" Riser asked.
" I'll go with you now if it's not a problem." I said simply. Riser nodded.
"Then we'll be going. Mother, Father, we'll be right back." Riser said as a teleportation circle enveloped the two of us. " Fuu. It's been a long time since I saw the human world," Riser said theatrically. I rolled my eyes and looked around. We were inside what I recognized as the Occult Research Club room inside the old Kuoh Academy building.
"My beloved Rias! My dear fiancée! I came for you." Riser said with an arrogant smile. I almost snorted loudly, and he dared to mock me! The nerve!
"Riser!" Rias hissed venomously. I immediately frowned. Besides Rias, it seemed like almost all of her Peerage was there, her queen, her rook, her knight, one of her bishops, and her Pawn. But I focused on Grayfia's presence, and she knew we were definitely coming.
"Then Rias, let's go check out the ceremony hall. The date has already been decided, so we need to check it out before then. I'll also lower myself to ask my future sister-in-law to help us with the decorations. I understand you quite enjoyed the night sky from their main hall." Riser said frivolously. I raised an eyebrow at that statement.
I'd certainly been too busy to keep up with the gossip, especially the ones pertaining to Rias. Riser approached Rias and took her in his arms.
"Let go of me, Riser." Rias snapped as he let go of Rias. Rias was getting angry.
" Oi, you. You're being rude to Buchou. Is that even acceptable to you?!" This generation's Red Dragon Emperor yelled at Riser.
"Huh? Who are you?" Riser asked with a grimace as he looked at the pawn. I suppressed a grimace. Yes, I would have to talk to Riser. Not to improve his treatment of Rias's pawn, but of the commoner devils in general. They were Sera's subjects. Therefore, it was my job to look after them and watch over them.
"I am Rias Gremory-sama's servant! I am the pawn Hyoudou Issei." Issei Hyoudou introduced himself as the protagonist of the series. I silently opened my fan, covered half of my face, and looked at him closely. It was… disappointing.
Yes, he was just starting his journey; he hadn't even been a reincarnated devil for a month... but... I couldn't see him the way my canonical self saw him. Or maybe I did. The first interaction with him certainly wasn't pleasant; everything happened later, after he defeated Riser.
But even if he's able to defeat Riser in this reality, I couldn't see myself being moved by him. Even if I didn't have the company seal to secure my love for Serena, the power I had now, and the one I could wield later, simply made me numb to anyone else.
Devils, or supernatural beings in general, were attracted to power. There was no doubt about it; it was practically a law of this world. And at this point, even if he followed all canon, Issei would still be weaker than I could reach with Yamamoto's template alone. The less we talk about accumulating more templates, the better.
" Hmmmmm, ah, okay ." Riser said boredly before looking at Rias once more. I listened as Grayfia introduced Riser to Rias's pawn, meanwhile I remained silent as I was ignored, perfect for studying everyone present. Although… there wasn't much to study, was there?
All of Rias's Peerage seemed to hate Riser, which made me frown. I knew Rias was completely against marrying Riser, but it's not like Riser was the one who set up the engagement in the first place. It's all Father and Lord Gremory's fault, but they obviously wouldn't dare get angry with them, so Riser was a more acceptable target.
"The tea made by Rias’ Queen is beyond compare." Riser said as he sat down and drank the tea Akeno had prepared. I was next to Riser, and a cup was placed in front of me. So I really hadn't been completely ignored. I grabbed the cup, took a sip, and immediately grimaced.
"...barely passable." I simply muttered, which silenced the entire conversation.
"What?! What do you mean 'passable'?! The tea my Akeno makes is only second to Grayfia's!" Rias exclaimed indignantly.
"My fiancée's tea is a thousand times better," I said without hesitation while boasting about Sera. However, I was also doing so because everyone was already annoying me with their hateful glares. I wanted to burn them all for daring to look at my brother like that.
"Ravel," Riser chided me with a disappointed look. "Even if it's true, my fiancée's servants need to maintain their pride, even if we have to lie." Riser said seriously. I covered myself with my fan while smiling widely. Rias and Akeno looked truly indignant.
"Hey, you! You may be a hottie! But I won’t let you talk like that about Akeno's tea!" I was slightly surprised when Issei pointed his finger at me angrily. I immediately frowned. I could feel the lustful look on his face, and I grimaced.
"Don't look at me. Your face disgusts me," I spat out with a sniff of disgust. Issei shuddered violently.
"What?! Why?!" Issei exclaimed, almost crying. I snorted and looked at Rias.
"Control your pawn. If he keeps looking at me like that, I'll burn his eyes." I said simply, sipping some tea. Rias paled slightly.
"Miss Phenex, please refrain from threatening anyone in this room." Grayfia said neutrally. I hummed lightly.
"Then I'll tell Sera. I'm sure she can take his eyes out at any moment. Dragon ingredients are good for potions, and she's running low on them." I said simply.
"Ingredients?! Potions?!" Issei squealed. Grayfia sighed.
"Miss Phenex." I could almost hear Grayfia's plea. I was about to speak, but Rias interrupted me.
"Alright! Stop it! I won't stay silent while you threaten my beloved servants! And you, Riser! I already told you! I won't marry you!" Rias exclaimed loudly as she glared at Riser. He just snorted, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, I wouldn't scold Issei for how he was acting. Are we all supposed to bow down and let her act go just because she said so?
I'm really hoping Sera meets him, or even Bella. Neither of them will be able to stand his presence for more than a few minutes.
"Yeah, I've heard it before, many times. But Rias, that's just not possible, you know?" Riser said condescendingly, making Rias grit her teeth. I sighed as I listened to Riser drone on about the low birth rate and the near-extinction of the pillars. And… if it had been a few weeks ago, I would have agreed with Riser.
But now? Now that she'd discovered the succubus secret that Sera and Lord Beelzebub were working on? What Riser had just said wouldn't be true much longer.
The moment they decide to bring it to light and have the succubi on board, the pillar devils will begin a new era. But it would take time. As much as the Satans would like the succubi to start having children, it wouldn't be feasible. Even if the succubi were on board, that wouldn't be the problem.
The problem would be that the oppression of commoner devils and reincarnated devils would become even worse. If pillar devils could start having children with their families' inherited traits, then there would be no need to help commoner devils or even reincarnate devils. The entire system would collapse.
And it was something that had to be considered and addressed before everything went into effect.
"No. This is my chance. Okay, let's decide this through the game, Riser." My mind returned to the conversation. Rias had just agreed to the Rating Game. I almost wanted to sigh.
“Are you really going to do this? I don’t care. But I’m already a mature Devil, and I’ve participated in official games. Do you still want to play, Rias?” Riser asked with a cocky smile.
"You can brag all you want, but you've lost many times to your future sister-in-law." Rias said mockingly, I could see Riser's eye twitch, and I laughed lightly.
"But you're not Serena Prince." Riser said with his own mockery. This time, it was Rias's turn to twitch her eye. They both glared at each other. I rolled my eyes.
The rest of the meeting went exactly as planned. From Riser summoning the rest of the peerage to giving Rias 10 days to train. Finally, we left the human world and returned to Phenex Castle in the Underworld.
I guess Sera can wait for the news. I haven't seen Riser's Peerage in a while. I missed them.
Comments
Gerrymil Garcia
Ah, politics. Love it, see you next week. Thanks for the chapters.
TATTERWING
Thanks for the chapter 🍪
