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Story 2: Chapter 10: The Birthday (Part - 1)
🕑 Added 2024-04-27 00:59:39 +0000 UTCStory 2: Bune Farmer
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10: The Birthday (Part - 1)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- Mathias -
I stood in front of Armin. We were inside the Gravity Area of my farm. I had put several barriers around the place to prevent the shockwaves of the spar from going out and alerting anyone else.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked.
He nodded. “I want to see how far I can go if I go all out against someone far stronger than me. I want you to fight me seriously.” He said seriously.
“What brought this on so suddenly?” I asked as I stretched, preparing for the fight.
“I think I have encountered a limit which normal training cannot help me with. Falbium told me I needed to fight. There are only two options. Either Rating Games or this.”
“Okay. So you need me to push you to the limit, right.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, let’s go. But first let me call Valerie with a few Senzu Beans.” And I did just that. If he wanted to break through his limit, getting beaten up only once wouldn’t do.
He was at B- Rank with his Physique alone.
Something many wouldn’t achieve in a long time. With just that, he can count himself amongst the strong in this world. But going beyond this rank was extremely hard for each and every sub rank. At least for anyone without a cheat like mine.
I took a position and beckoned him to attack.
Armin kicked the ground and shot towards me, several magic circles forming around his hands and he reinforced himself using Reinforcement Magic, a certain something which he had been learning to use recently.
It was a good move since he could also train his Demonic Power and assimilate it in his combat easily.
Falbium had a move called Absolute Defense. It was basically a Barrier Technique devised by him which let him reflect damage back to the user.
Armin wants to use his Barrier Technique and make his own variation to suit his fighting style on his own.
For this, he has been working quite hard.
I diverted his attack towards the side, grabbing his wrist and pulling him just to knee his guts. A gasp escaped his mouth but I didn’t give him any respite and elbowed his back, slamming him into the ground, creating a crater all around us.
The gravity of the area was making the attacks far heavier than normal.
He wanted to push himself, then so be it.
__________________________________x________________________________
Twelve hours and five Senzu Beans later, we sat in the middle of a completely destroyed landscape or more precisely, I was sitting and Armin was laying down on the ground. He was physically fine but mentally exhausted.
“Did you get what you wanted?” I asked as he collected his breath.
“I think I know what direction I need to take now.” He waited for a second before looking up. "Just how much were you holding back?"
"A bit. Gourmet Cells make a lot of difference. If you can awaken them, it would be a great boost to your power."
"How much?"
"What?"
"How much more can you go?" He asked seriously.
I don't really want to lie to him if possible. It's not a good thing for friendships. So…
"Honestly speaking, by the estimates given to me by Tia, I am physically stronger than any Dragon King in this world, almost reaching the level of a Heavenly Dragon should I go all out. But unlike them I could only fight at that level for a short period of time."
….
He looked at me blankly. "You really are a monster, aren't you? Heavenly Dragon… Two of them could take on the Three Factions by themselves."
I shrugged. "They would most likely win with their outrage and their personal magic. Not to mention, they will probably outlast me."
"You do know that people would hound you even more if they find this out."
"Why do you think I keep it a secret even from the Satans? They know I am strong just not how much. Sirzechs and Ajuka could most likely kick my butt too."
He rolled his eyes at the comment.
“Do you need more spars like this?” I changed the topic.
“As much as I would love to make it a monthly thing, let’s keep this kind of spar for once a year.”
“Hmm?”
He rolled his eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t notice. How much do you think five Senzu Beans cost?”
“No idea. I haven’t fixed any prices yet. Latia said she needed to do detailed market research for it before any of the stuff could be sold. It seemed to be a good move so I allowed her to do it.”
“Thank Satans you are getting married to her or I fear what would have happened to the Underworld’s economy. Let me explain it to you in terms of numbers.”
I raised an eyebrow as he continued.
“A normal Phenex Tear needs Twenty Five Million Liliums for someone of the Devil’s faction to purchase, higher for other factions. Even then, they are always booked for years, so much so that getting one is hard even for the Satans. Your Senzu Beans not only heal injuries but also restores the user to full strength instantaneously which makes it infinitely more useful than Phenex Tears. Even if we low ball it, it will go for thirty to fifty million Liliums, depending on the supply. You used five of them on me in this spar alone. That’s two hundred and fifty million Liliums.”
“That much?!”
“Probably a lot more, I am not big on the business aspect.”
“Wow.”
He merely shook his head.
“Let’s not tell Latia about this, alright.” I joked.
….
….
And we both burst into a fit of laughter.
“So what’s the plan from now on?”
“I will participate in the Rating Games after your reveal. It will be a good place to hone my skills.”
“Yes. Some of those people are quite strong. Tannin could probably kick your butt in a physical one on one fight.”
“Expecting anything less from a former Dragon King would be utter foolishness.”
“Yup. I have heard from Tia that he has become stronger from when he was a Dragon too.”
“Hmm. And what about you? Only three days left till the entire Underworld comes after you. How are you feeling right now?”
“A bit tense, yes. Leila told me that I needed to attend the meetings and Latia is both young and not interested in politics to take my place there. So I will have to push through by myself.”
“Did you get any messages from the Satans?”
“Nope. I want to celebrate my birthday as a private event. Send an invitation to anyone who comes with just my Buné name and see.”
“A Test, eh.”
I shrugged. “Those who come to my birthday now will only be those who actually cared or…”
“Or?”
“Those who want to meet you as everyone knows you will be coming here.” I smiled.
He deadpanned at the comment.
“So when are you all planning to reveal the identity?”
“Two days later, when I celebrate my first Rating Game win. Unlike you, not many people are expecting anything from me so I can make my debut Rating Game later on. This also gives Sirzechs enough time to finalise the documents before anyone tries anything.”
“I see. Yes. That works as well. You get a few extra days of reprieve too.”
“And what about you and Lilitifa?” I asked with a smirk as he rolled his eyes.
“She is a sweet girl and I can see us getting along as a married couple. Although, I don’t know what will happen after Mother is done with her training. I do agree with Mother on this part. She is a bit timid and would be torn apart by others if she remains like that.”
“Bring her here and let her train sometimes. Getting stronger will do a lot to boost her confidence. She can join Ingvild in her training.”
“Hmm maybe in a month then?”
We talked about various things before he decided to retire for the day.
_________________________________x_________________________________
Tomorrow was my eighteenth birthday.
Sectus and Zeoticus had prepared a gift for me in advance.
My entire Zagan Mansion was reconstructed in a matter of days.
Till now we lived in the Buné Mansion but with the event of my debut coming near, they decided to reconstruct the Zagan territory too.
I will need to arrange the security of the whole place and maybe throw in some barriers and reinforce the whole place. At least I can make another farm area centred around this place.
Today, everyone gathered here to plan for tomorrow’s party.
We had stayed up late deciding what to do for the guests tomorrow.
I finally returned to my bedroom after the busy day. It was already midnight so I guess I was eighteen now.
Yay, happy birthday to me.
It has been seven years in this world. Things have changed so much.
The door opened and Lavinia and Ingvild entered the room.
With a look at each other, they undressed for bed and I looked at them with my mouth open.
The former had a bright smile on her face while the latter was blushing to her ears. The reason for this was probably the dresses they were wearing… or not wearing.
Both of them came to my side and hugged me lightly.
“Happy Birthday, Matty.”
“H-h-happy Birthday.”
I finally got the control of my mind back and put a hand around their waists.
“With a gift like this… obviously.”
Yes.
A gift.
They were, I don’t know if I can even call it wearing, a thin ribbon all over their bodies, covering only the bare minimum of their bodies with a bow on their chest.
I grabbed the ribbons and quickly ripped them apart, ready to claim my gift.
Lavinia giggled while Ingvild yelped in surprise before blushing even more if that was even possible.
I pulled the shyer of the two into a kiss and she wrapped her hand around my neck while my other hand hugged the other and reached for her peaks, gently caressing them. When we pulled apart, she had a dazed look on her face.
My hands went to her breasts while my lips touched Lavinia’s who was even more enthusiastic than normal. She got on the top of my lap, her core directly on top of my painfully hard lower half and wrapped her arms around my neck as she made her tongue dance with my own. My hand slipped down her back and grabbed her soft behind, pulling her more towards me.
She grinded her crotch on my length and kissed me like there was no tomorrow.
I pushed her on the top of the bed and with a snap of my finger, undressed, rubbing my length directly on her core. With that I started moving. It wasn’t sex but the softness of her thighs and the heat of her core made it incredibly close.
I want to make their first time special for each one of them… and while a few things could beat a threesome for the first time… I was willing to try.
She moaned and I realised that Ingvild might be feeling left out so I pulled her in for a kiss, one of my hands going between her legs, caressing her slit while with the other hand I grabbed Lavy’s legs and thrust between her thighs.
Moans echoed throughout the room and a few minutes later, Ingvild was the first one to achieve her first release. Lavinia was the second and I was the last. I shot my seed all over the two, finally cumming too.
I guess the first time was too much for the two as they gasped for breath.
“That was…”
“Amazing.”
“It was. Where did you even learn such a thing from?”
“I-it was in a novel Akeno brought and Valerie suggested. Humans do these kinds of things on birthdays nowadays…” Ingvild said but her voice was getting lighter with every word that she spoke.
….
“Did Valerie tell you that?”
She nodded.
I turned towards Lavinia.
“I thought it looked fun.”
….
….
First of all I gave a mental thumbs up to Valerie and Akeno.
Second, I need to clear this misconception of theirs.
“It was probably a doujinshi or manga of some kind. Humans don’t usually do this kind of thing. And while I am more than flattered, I personally think you all deserve your first time to be something special. If you two still want me to continue, I will.”
Poor Ingvild took a moment to realise that she was pranked and hid her face in my chest, too embarrassed to even look at my face while Lavinia merely giggled.
A few moments later though, I heard a mosquito-like whisper. “I would like it to be private between us.”
“Okay.” I thought so. The fact that she agreed to something like this was already surprising. But she was doing this because she thought it was not uncommon.
“Then I want to go on a date.” Lavinia spoke too as she put her head on my chest and snuggled against me again.
“Okay.”
“But… it doesn’t look like you are done yet.” She pointed to my lower head which was back in attention once again.
This time surprisingly, Ingvild took charge, bringing her hand and taking a hold of my length. She took the same position as Lavinia and I did the same to her.
Over the night, I came three more times before finally controlling myself with light Senjutsu when both the girls fell asleep.
My stamina was quite high… even in this aspect.
“Good Night.”
And Happy Birthday to me.
________________________________x__________________________________
I woke up the next morning and looked at the Status Screen.
Host: Mathias Buné
Title: The Poor Noble, Pure Blooded Devil, The Farmer
Age: 18 years old.
Body: B+
Mind: B+
Spirit: B+
Magic: B+
Luck: B+
Skills:
Buné Clan Trait:
Dragon Taming: B+
Dragonification: B+
Dragonfire: B+
Dragon's Aura: B+
Dream Manipulation: B+
Zagan Clan Trait:
Life Magic: B+
Gourmet Cells: C+
Gourmet Demon: Derous, S+[B-]
Magic:
Teleportation: B+
Bounded Field Creation: B+
Memory Alteration: B
Sealing Magic: B+
Barrier Magic: B+
Spatial Magic: B+
Martial Arts: B+
Touki: B+
Cooking: B+
Senjutsu: B
Harvesting C+
Abnormality Resistance: B+
Farm Management
Farm Rank: B
Farming Points: 4,478,512.
Money: 221,254,119,000Ⱡ
Shop
Inventory
My stats have been the same for a while. The only difference being the Sealing, Harvesting Skill and the increase in the Gourmet Cells and the age… yes, age.
I did take some time to learn Sealing Magic and used my Farming Points to boost it to B+ Rank.
This was a skill which was extremely useful in this world.
Take the Biblical God for example. The guy was basically an Uzumaki in disguise.
I was waiting for Venelana and Leila to arrive. Both of them wanted to check the final preparations for my debut party.
They said that this would be my first appearance as a Lord of the House and as such I couldn’t let down the reputation of my house by missing something which others might criticise.
Leila offered to give me a hand regarding the staff and Venelana joined in. They selected several staff members to work at my estates.
I agreed to let the maids and butlers work on the Zagan estate but the Buné estate, which had my farm surrounding it, will only be maintained by my peerage members and my Dryads.
When my Farm is raised to A Rank, they will be able to grow to B+ Rank and will gain a complete human form.
Their intelligence will get a very great boost well above a normal human.
In a year and half, I could make them work as my staff with some training.
I gave my reasons to them and they agreed. It was decided that I will use the Zagan Territory and Estate to receive guests and hold parties.
None of this had anything to do with my… aversion with maids. It was done purely for security reasons.
As I was thinking this, a magic circle lit up in my courtyard and out of them appeared both of my to be mother-in-laws and future wives.
“Good Morning.” I greeted them
“Good Morning and Happy Birthday to you, Mathias. Or should I call you Lord Buné Zagan now?” Venelana smiled jokingly.
I cringed at the title.
“I will pass on the title. I prefer Matty to it.”
“Then Matty it is.” She laughed. “Then lead us in. I can’t wait to see the preparations you have made for today’s debut party.”
I did just that. “Everyone has been busy arranging everything since morning. I personally did the cooking and put everything under stasis wards. Shizuka actually suggested I should be the one to do so to use this chance to advertise my products to the ones who visit.”
“A good suggestion. Your rook was the heir to a prestigious clan, if I remember correctly. She must know a lot about conducting business and politics. You should have her study the laws of the Underworld to have someone advise you about politics.” Leila suggested.
I looked at her confused.
She noticed my look and shook her head. “You have to learn how to do these things yourself. If we guide you often, people will assume that we are merely using you as a puppet to control your houses.”
I sighed. “Really, these people should do something productive with their free time.”
“They have too much free time. Thousands of years of lifetime makes sure of that.”
We reached the mansion where everyone was working under the directions of Shizuka, who was the one most well versed in these kinds of things.
Armin was filling in the places which she didn’t know about.
My Dryads were growing or moving plants of different kinds and making flowers bloom on every plant to make the party venue.
The rest of the work was done by the members of our peerages.
“The design of the venue is beautiful.” Venelana commented, looking around.
And it indeed was.
The design was thought of by Shizuka and made by Ingvild, Lavinia and me.
Ingvild made an entire lake. She then manipulated the water into giant dragons of different shapes surrounding the whole venue and finally a gigantic Sea Serpent of the End surrounding the dragons.
Lavinia froze the water figures in their places and I put wards around them to make it so they do not melt.
I went ahead and put several wards around the statues so that it would take several attacks from an Ultimate Class Devil to completely break the statues.
We can never be sure that a stuck up brat tries to play a prank and destroys one of the statues, making them collapse on the venue.
“Shizuka thought a design representing both my houses would be a good idea. The dragons represent Buné and the plants represent the Zagan House.” I explained.
“A very well thought of idea.” Venelana nodded.
Rias and Latia went in to join the others while Leila and Venelana pointed out a few things to me.
One of the top things on our list was my outfit for the day.
For this, Zeoticus had prepared a custom made suit for me, made from Dragon Hide from an Ultimate Class Dragon.
By the time it was evening, we were all done with the work.
Leila and Venelana left to prepare themselves.
The first ones to arrive were the Lucifuge.
They more or less knew about me.
Euclid wished me luck and took his wife and daughter in.
The next were the Gremorys.
Sirzechs and his wife with their son Milicas came in first. Zeoticus was escorting a crimson haired lady who looked to be in her twenties and a crimson haired girl with twin tails.
The girl saw me and jumped up to me. “Is he the boy engaged to Big Sis Rias?” She looked back at Zeoticus and asked.
Big Sis?
Is she a cousin or something?
Rias never told me of any cousin though.
I took a quick Observe at her.
[Runeas Gremory]
[Rank: C+]
C+?
I seem to remember the name Runeas from somewhere. It took me a second to remember where though.
And along with it, I remembered the pictures shown to me during the lessons about the important figures in the Devil History by Leila.
I looked at Zeoticus who introduced the woman who was beside him.
"Mathias, this is my mother, Chysis Gremory. And this is…" He tried to introduce the twin tailed one, but she interrupted him.
"My name is Runi and I am Rias' younger cousin."
Ah… she was hiding her identity.
Well, who am I to ruin her fun?
"Nice to meet you Runi. I am Mathias but you can call me Matty if you want." I patted her head with a smile.
If she is trying to pull a prank on me… why can't I have some fun too.
Zeoticus smiled on the side but I could see his lips twitching at this.
"Hey hey, do you like Camels?" She asked, enthusiastically.
"Camels? I don't dislike them. In fact I do have a few of them on my farm."
"Ohh really? Can I see them?" She jumped up excitedly.
"I don't see why not. We can see them after the party. They are not the usual kind of camels that you might be familiar with.”
“Oh! There are no camels in this world that I am not familiar with.” She puffed her chest, proudly.
“Hoh! Wanna bet?”
“Bet? What are the stakes?”
“Stakes hmm. How about if you win, I will give you the camels in my farm. All of them.” I offered. I only had twelve so it’s not a big deal. “But if I win…”
“Hmm what if you win? Do you want to marry me with Big Sis Rias too?” She teased smugly.
From the corner of my vision, I saw Zeoticus facepalming while Sirzechs looked embarrassed as well.
“No no. While that would be any man’s dream, the stakes on both sides won’t be fair. So, if I win… how about you tell me who you actually are?”
The people around me all paused and she looked at me, slightly surprised too.
“What do you mean who I am? I already told you. I am Runi, Big Sis Rias’ little sister.”
“Hahahaha sure you are. We never disagreed on it. I just want to know who you are if I win. Till then be whatever you want to be.” I laughed and again patted her head.
“Oh what makes you think I am someone else?”
“A few reasons. First, Rias has never told me about any family member of your age, female or named anything even remotely similar to Runi nor have I ever seen you on any occasions. Second, someone with your level of strength… is generally not as young as you.” Looking at her surprised expression, I explained.
“Senjutsu.” And a look of understanding came on their faces. “Even your life force feels more mature than anyone else in this room, one of the oldest I have seen yet. There is also your smell. You smell most similar to Lady Chysis, but as the generations go by, the familiarity of your smell grows lighter which means you are probably a generation or two higher than Lady Chysis.”
“Call me grandmother.” Lady Chysis smiled at me.
“Grandmother then.”
“What else? What other reason?” Runeas or rather Runi asked.
“There is another reason. I have a picture of you in one of my oldest albums with my ancestor.” I smiled and her face blanched.
“Tch. Smart ass.” She clicked her tongue, pouting.
“Hehehehe this is the first time I have seen someone get the upper hand against Ancestor.” Chysis laughed.
“I haven’t lost yet. It’s a matter of Camels. I will not lose.” She retorted.
“Yup. Our bet is still going on. Till then Runi, enjoy the party.”
“I will.”
Sirzechs and his wife came in next with their son and greeted me. His son, Milicas, is really adorable. “Happy Birthday Mathias.”
“Thank you.”
“We have completed the paperwork for your Lordships. You are now officially the Lord of both your houses and don’t need to hide your identity anymore.”
I let out a breath. “To be honest, I have mixed feelings about revealing myself. On one hand, I can stop hiding. On the other hand, I won’t be able to hide anymore.”
“Hahahaha well, we can’t have it all.” He laughed.
While we talked, several other guests arrived as well.
It was Serafall and her family.
Lord Sitri was the one who came first. “Many congratulations on coming of age, Lord Buné. It’s a pleasure to have you among us.”
“Thank you. The pleasure is all mine.” I bowed.
“Happy Birthday, Lord Buné.” Sona came up and congratulated me.
“Just call me Matty like always. I wouldn’t want my friends to call me by that title.”
“That’s… I would be honoured.” She pushed up her glasses a bit and blushed.
Next to come up was Armin and his family. In fact, he was already here and only received his family who came.
I saw Falbium come along with him too. He came up to me with his parents.. “Congratulations on your birthday, Lord Buné. I don’t believe that we haven't had the time to talk yet despite you being Armin’s best friend. I hope we can get to know each other more. Please do visit us sometimes when you are free.” His father greeted me.
“No no. That would mostly fall on me. I am a bit of a recluse I guess.” I laughed. “But thank you. I will be sure to visit soon.” I shook hands with him.
Over the next hour several guests came. Some expected and some unexpected.
I mean I did hope that Lord Belial and his wife would come seeing they had come during my parent’s funeral. What I wasn’t expecting was Diehauser Belial himself coming to the party and that too, not alone but with another person.
Roygun Belphagor, the second place of the Rating Games.
They came and greeted me. Armin, on my side, attracted the attention of the two.
“Armin Glasya-Labolas. I have heard that you will be participating in the Rating Games soon. I wish to fight against you someday. Your first Rating Game was certainly very unique.” Diehauser said.
“I just wish to test myself more. I am not aiming for the Top Ten position.” Armin shook his head.
“All the better then. I hope we will be able to help test your limits.” Ryogan said. “Will you be participating too, Lord Buné?” She asked, turning to me.
“Me? I am sorry but the House related work will be keeping me busy for a while so I don’t know if I will be able to participate. I might try some to try and get my Peerage Members to High Class rank.”
“If you ever need any help, please feel free to ask me. Father has told me about the relation between him and your grandfather. If possible, I would like to reestablish the friendship between the two houses.”
He offered me a hand and I shook it.
“Thank you.”
After that others came too.
Surprising ones like the old Demon Mephisto Pheles with his Queen, the former Dragon King Tannin and even the current Lord Mammon with his bishop, Rudiger Rosenkreuz, another one of the top ten Rating Game Players.
They were good friends with Euclid and came at his advice. He was quite well acquainted with the Extra Demons.
Similarly, several other people came at the advice of Zeoticus and Sectus like the Phenex House, the Amon, the Vapula, Sai’s uncle to be precise, the Archduke Agares, the brother of Sectus with his family. Leila managed to drag in her uncle as well. Too bad that annoying brat, Diodora was also here along with Zephyrdor.
Good thing was that Zephyrdor was behaving properly after being glared at by Armin. He was shit scared.
Many others had sent some from their families or servants even when they didn’t appear directly.
All in all, while nothing like the parties I generally went to, it was still quite a gathering by the end of the night.
- Zeoticus -
“I don’t understand why you asked me to come to this party with my family, Zeo. I mean, sure it would look good to the new Lord Buné if we did but…” His old friend Reven asked. As usual, he was quite picky.
“What do you think of the place? They decorated it quite well.” He asked, looking around. He was waiting for the announcement before explaining anything.
“Yes. They did quite well. It must have taken quite a good water and ice mage to make the ice sculpture looking at their sizes.”
“Hmm. Mathias has a very skilled Water Mage and Ice Mage in his peerage.”
“It’s just that I don’t recognise most of the plants around the place. What kind of fruits are those? And are those Dryads over there? I thought they never go to polluted areas and yet they are living in one of the most barren lands of the entire Underworld.”
“Everything here was grown by little Mathias by his own two hands. You must have heard about his obsession with his farm right. Even the Dryads all belong to him. He plans to go into the food industry.”
“The food industry eh? While we do import most of our food, the ones in the Underworld are strictly under the Amy and the Shax Houses. And those two… it will be hard for the new Lord Buné to enter the industry or at least establish himself.” Reven concluded.
And while it would have been true, he laughed knowing what he did about Mathias.
“What you don’t think so?” Reven looked at him.
“On the contrary, I think Mathias is going to completely crush the food industry of not only the Underworld but also the human world. He has already started a good business in the Human World.”
“Huh?”
“Let me show you why.” He led Reven to the place where the food was being served.
There were already a few people around the food stands.
"Lord Belial, Lord Astaroth." He greeted the ones at the food stands.
"Lord Gremory, Lord Phenex."
"Enjoying the food? It's Lord Bunè's speciality after all." He asked, as he began to pick something up for himself to eat.
"Speciality? How good could it be? I still don't understand why Leila dragged me to this party. Sure the kid is her student but her presence should have been enough. Even for the Satans who are probably here only due to the death of Morton Bunè could have done with the casual appearance of only one." Lord Astaroth replied gruffly.
He held back a grimace.
Venelana had told him about the attitude of the Astaroth heir against Mathias. It seems that it has spread to Lord Astaroth as well.
He did observe that Lord Belial didn't say anything but didn't look approving of Lord Astaroth's attitude.
The man didn't realise how lucky he was to have Leila as his niece.
But he didn't say anything and just picked up some of the things he had eaten the last time and suggested some to Lord Phenex.
And then it happened. His friend, Reven paused as soon as he took a bite of the food. Beside him, both Lord Belial and Lord Astaroth did the same too.
"What exactly is this, Zeo? I have never tasted anything like this before."
The other two looked at him with a questioning gaze too.
"These were all hand grown by Lord Bunè personally. You all really have no idea what he grows on his farm, do you?"
“What does it matter what he grows on a farm?” Lord Astaroth scoffed even as he took more of the dishes on his plate.
He gave the man a smile for the sake of politeness while thinking how he would react to the news about the engagement.
Right at this time, a few more people joined them.
“Lord Sitri, Lord Glasya-Labolas.” He nodded at the new arrivals.
“Lord Gremory.”
“Enjoying the party I see.” He smiled at the two looking at their jovial moods.
“Yes. It’s quite an elaborate arrangement. I can’t believe Mathias did all this in a few years. I almost didn’t recognise the Buné lands and thought that I had teleported to a different place. I had to call Armin to receive me.” He laughed.
“I did hear that Armin was staying here. They get along very well from what I have heard.”
“Get along well would be putting it mildly. He barely returns home nowadays. I have no idea what he does.”
“It’s fine isn’t it? After all, there is hardly any devil of his generation who could compete with Armin Glasya-Labolas. There are even rumours of him being similar to Satan Lucifer and Satan Beelzebub” Reven said. “I am a bit surprised that he didn’t continue to participate in the Rating Games after his first debut victory.”
Lord Glasya-Labolas merely shrugged. “I don’t question his decisions and he gives me results in return. As for what and how he does what he does is all unknown to me. But I did hear that he will be competing in the Rating games more often now. He took the last few months to train his peerage members.”
“I see. It’s no wonder.”
Lord Belial took the chance to ask something. “Say Lord Glasya-Labolas, do you know anything about the new Lord Buné? From what I have seen the new Lord has a good head on his shoulders but what kind of person is he?”
“Mathias? I’ll be honest but I don’t know much about him apart from the fact that Armin respects him immensely and considers him a brother no less than Falbium. We have only had a chance to meet once during Armin’s birthday. My wife seems to know and adore him a lot though. I guess I will have to rectify this.”
“He is good friends with Sona too and Serafall seems to think well of him. From what little I have heard, he seems to be close to Euclid. I think he is quite close to the Gremory Heiress too.”
“At least he seems to have a decent political awareness. Getting close to the prominent members of the next generation.” Lord Astaroth commented. “He seems to be quite close to Latia too since Leila was his teacher.”
Yes, he was really waiting for the announcement to see his expression and as if the Satans had heard his wish, he saw Sirzechs taking the stage.
“You seem to know about him too, Lord Gremory. Would you add something?” Lord Belial looked at him then.
"Look there. You will know." He pointed towards the stage.
They turned around just in time to see Sirzechs begin.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, a good evening to you all.”
Everyone turned towards him and he continued.
“I am very pleased to be here on today’s occasion. I met Mathias, six years ago, when a twelve year old child had come to my office to receive his Evil Pieces. Fair to say I was surprised. A boy, his age coming from the Buné lands of all places. On asking further I found out that his parents, former Lady and Lord Buné had disappeared. We investigated and we all know the results. In a way, the criminals were caught due to the contribution of Mathias on that day.”
“That was a scandal, alright. To think they would be so crazy. They are lucky they were able to escape with just a lifetime imprisonment. If left outside, I doubt they would have survived past a month.” Lord Sitri commented.
“A week would be pushing it. I would give them a week at best. They crossed the line when they started experimenting on the members of other Houses.” Reven commented.
“Hmm.”
“But that was not the end of my surprises that day. On that day, I found out that Mathias possessed not just one Clan Trait but two, from each of his parents' side.”
Murmurs ran through the place at the reveal.
“One of them was the Buné House trait, a House which would have gone extinct had Mathias not inherited the power. And the other was a trait from an Extinct House, which he is the sole living member of. Fair to say that he passed both the tests, making him the first person to not only revive an Extinct House but also become the Head of two different Houses.”
At this point the entire venue was resounding with guesses.
“Zeo, what do you know? You have been awfully smug since the start.” Reven asked suspiciously.
He let out a smile and said. “Keep watching.”
Sirzechs waited till the crowd became quiet once more. “So, on this happy occasion, I would like to welcome a new member among us. Please welcome Lord Mathias Buné….Zagan, Ladies and Gentlemen.”
There was a moment of silence….
And the crowd erupted completely.
“By the Satans!” Lord Sitri exclaimed, looking shocked.
“So that’s why? No wonder, no wonder.” Lord Glasya-Labolas had a look of realisation on his face.
“Zagan….did he just say Zagan? That Zagan?” Reven asked, stunned.
“What other Zagan is there?”
“And he inherited that power. So all these food items and his farm….oh! You knew about it?”
“I had to keep it a secret. It was Mathias’ own secret to reveal after all. Only a handful of people knew about it due to security reasons.”
“Understandable. Heaven and the Fallen Angels had left no means untouched to remove them. I am pretty sure even the Old Satan faction would have left no methods unused to have them by their side. Their Life Magic is just that useful.” Lord Sitri offered.
“How proficient is the new Lord Zagan with his Clan Trait?” Reven asked him.
“Mathias has been doing nothing but training for the last seven years or so. Everything we are eating at this party was made by him personally.”
He observed Lord Astaroth from the corner of his eyes and saw him still in shock.
Sirzechs continued, attracting their attention. “As we all know, the Zagan House was hunted down by Heaven and the Fallen Angels to the extent that one of the Archangels did a suicidal attack on the first Zagan to take him down. They relentlessly targeted the Zagan House knowing its importance to the Underworld and the Devil Race….and there was a chance that they could have tried to do so if they had gotten a wind of the situation. Not to mention the hidden dangers like the former Naberius who were the cause of the death of the last Lord of the House of Buné, Mathias’ father, Lord Morton Buné.”
He let the information sink in before continuing. “We as the Satans, the leaders of our race, couldn’t allow our race to suffer such a loss and thus we decided to keep his identity hidden till he was ready to appear in front of the Underworld. In the meantime, he was given the time to study and prepare himself for the future. And finally today, I am glad to see him standing here, among us, as one of the upcoming pillars of the Devil Race.”
There was an applause from the audience.
“But the good news doesn’t just end. There is another announcement, something which is a matter of personal joy to me.” He smiled. “This morning, Mathias has accepted two proposals for engagements.” And there it was.
Reven looked towards him, already understanding where this was going.
He apologised. “I couldn’t say anything before for this reason. I am really sorry for not being able to say anything earlier." He had been feeling guilty to keep such a thing from his long time friend despite the circumstances.
Reven let out a sigh. “I understand. I did wonder why you were delaying the talks or diverting the topic whenever I broached the subject. I guess I was being a bit selfish to push despite getting the hint. When did it happen?”
The ones around him had also heard the talks and congratulated him as well.
“This morning. Mathias didn’t want to be engaged without Rias’ agreement and we didn’t want him to sign any agreement while he wasn’t of age to avoid whatever was coming later. We just gave them time to get to know each other and they decided to announce everything at today’s party.”
“Congratulations my friend.”
“Thank you.” He smiled, finally feeling a bit lighter after being able to reveal everything
Sirzechs continued.
“As of today, he is engaged to my own little sister Rias Gremory for the position of Lady Buné and… Latia Astaorth, for the position of Lady Zagan.”
He threw a look at Lord Astaorth who was by this point looking at the stage with an open mouth.
They too walked towards the stage where Mathias was currently being surrounded by members of the other Houses, trying to greet him with a sudden increase in enthusiasm.
The ones who were sent by their masters or house heads were currently busy calling their houses to inform them of the sudden change in the situation.
As they reached the stage, they heard a loud voice which suddenly made Reven hold his head, sighing loudly.
“Mathias Buné Zagan, I challenge you for the hand of Rias Gremory in marriage.”
He felt his eye twitch while Reven was massaging his head.
“Riser!” Ruval quickly went beside him to stop him from making a scene. “I apologise, Lord Buné Zagan. My brother was out of line.”
Thankfully it looked like Mathias didn’t take offence. He turned towards Riser to answer. “I refuse.”
“Afraid?” Riser taunted.
“Riser, be quiet.” Ruval held Riser’s shoulder to stop him.
“No. If it was just a challenge, I would gladly accept but this is not a simple challenge is it? You don’t seem to realise something very simple. If I accepted this challenge, it would be extremely insulting to my fiance because that would imply that I think of her as an object which anyone can come up and bet for. She is not an object. She is someone who I love and respect. And thus, I could but will not accept the challenge on principle.”
He felt a light smile come to his lips at this reply. While it was a brilliant political answer to give in such a situation, knowing the boy, he doubted he had even thought about that angle.
Still, as a father, it was heartening to see his daughter being engaged to a man who cared for her.
Riser seemed to have realised his mistake but he had already gone up and couldn’t back out without making a fool of himself so he went on. “Then I challenge you to a Rating Game to prove that I am a better match to Rias than you.”
Several people on both sides were watching the situation, probably trying to see how the new Lord handled the scene to get a read on his temperament.
“Zeo, how much chance does Riser have of winning?” Reven asked him, his eyes narrowed.
He looked at his friend and he knew from his expression that he was extremely angry and was holding back due to the occasion.
“Zero percent.” He answered honestly.
“...Good. Then let this fight happen. I will talk to Lord Buné after today’s party to clear out the matter myself.”
He looked at Reven in surprise. “I guess it’s also my own fault. Riser has gotten everything he has wanted since childhood and he has started taking everything for granted. His two wins in the Rating Games didn’t help either. I was hoping that getting engaged would make him serious which was why I was pushing so much for the engagement. But it seems I have to use another method to solve this problem. Let him have a taste of defeat and get to know how big the world is.”
“Are you sure? Wouldn’t it be too harsh?”
“Yes. Today, he made a scene in front of so many people. If it’s not corrected, it might get worse later. A harsh method is much better than him making some mistake later on which might cost him dearly later on.”
He let out a sigh. “Alright. I will talk to Mathias.”
– Mathias –
There was a small break and Zeoticus called me aside for some talks. I went there to see an unexpected face.
Lord Phenex.
“This is our first time meeting. I am Reven Phenex, Head of the Phenex House.” The guy offered a hand for a handshake and I reciprocated.
“Welcome Lord Phenex. I hope you liked the party.” I smiled. It would be foolish to blame him for a tantrum thrown by Riser.
“The party was wonderful. If anything I am here to apologise for the unseemly behaviour of my youngest son. He was out of line. I hope you will not take offence to it.”
“No no. It’s fine. I… the circumstances were not the best which led me to hide my identity. Although a bit misguided, in a way, I can understand Riser’s point of view too. If I am not wrong, he seemed to have a crush on Rias and a heartbreak can make people act emotionally. I don’t mind. No one was hurt.”
“Still, he should know better than to throw a tantrum at such an occasion.” The man looked really angry. “There was a reason I didn’t stop his foolishness though. If possible, would you listen to a request of mine?”
“Yes?” I asked, slightly confused.
“The reason I didn’t stop this challenge was because Zeo assured me that Riser had no chance of winning. I won’t lie. My son has gotten everything he has wanted since he was a child and is fairly talented too. He is even considered the second strongest of his generation and has won both his Rating Games in an overwhelming manner and this has done nothing but boost his ego too much. And all of this has led to what happened today. If this continues then sooner and later, he will do something from which I won’t be able to protect him from.” he explained.
I understood his reasons. This man was genuinely worried about his son.
“So I request you… to defeat my son in the Rating Game.”
“Huh?”
“Please defeat Riser in a Rating Game completely. In return, I promise you an alliance with the House of Phenex.” He offered.
I looked at the man, stunned to even speak anything. I then took a look at Zeoticus who nodded slightly.
“Alright. I agree.”
We shook hands to seal the deal. And this was how my first Rating Game was decided.
I wondered what else would happen tonight as we were only halfway through the party.
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Author’s Note:
I know many were waiting for this chapter but Matty’s reveal would have taken over 20k words so I divided it into a few chapters….and I tried not to make it a cliff.
We finally got the first instalment of the reveal.
Matty is finally an Adult.
Ingvild and Lavinia’s gifts rocked.
Valerie, lowkey the best wingwoman.
Matty met the camel fetishist.
Lord Astaroth would probably be open mouthed for a few days with the amount of shock he has received today.
Daddy Phenex is freaking mad.
Riser is screwed.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.
Comments
KingSpy25i .
Thank you for the chapter 🙏
