Of course, rather than using a Devil’s method, it would be like the work of God—”
These words caused Strada to stare at Rias from under the rim of his hat. Rias continued
“—With the power of the [Sephiroth Graal] and the Demon God Balor, along with senjutsu, it should be possible to temporarily return you to your youth, right? This isn’t a Devil’s method. It’s simply an application of the Sacred Gear System created by the God of the Bible and the power of a sage.”
This was the new possibility that Rias had explored with her team members up until now. It was also a strong statement to convince Strada. Seeing a ray of hope, Rias came here for the final piece of the puzzle. Rias placed her hand on the table and created a small transportation magic circle, from which an object emerged. It was a long and slim briefcase. Rias unlocked it and allowed Strada to view the contents within. Inside — there were two long swords. One of them was a sword with a crimson blade. The other one was a sword with a blue blade which seemed to radiate an aggressive holy aura—. Rias pointed to the holy sword which released a holy aura. “This is the newest holy sword that the Church has created — Durandal II. Your Emimence, it’s an evolution of the Durandal that you wielded before. …There are many people in the Church who wish to see you in your prime. This sword could be described as a masterpiece that was dedicated to you. —The believers wish to see the sword skills of yours that were called a living miracle.”
As he looked at the new Durandal, Strada was like a father who had reunited with his son. To him, that was the kind of existence that Durandal was. The true Durandal was currently in the hands of his successor (Xenovia). However, the Durandal before his eyes — was a masterpiece that the young ones at the Church had forged for him—. As his hand moved towards the blade, he was able to feel its aura. With just that, he was able to feel the sheer extent of the feelings that had gone into the sword. He was definitely able to understand. Strada looked up at the sky. With shame and excitement, the voice that he squeezed out of his mouth was mixed with regret and excitement. “……Oh, O Lord. I never imagined that the Devil’s whispers would be so sweet…. As expected of the Maou Lucifer’s younger sister…. This old man has never heard such terrifyingly persuasive words!”
Rias didn’t retreat. She absolutely wouldn’t retreat like this. In her mind, a particular scene resurfaced. Not long after the game between Ise’s team and the reincarnated Angel’s team concluded, Rias went to seek out a certain person. In a corridor for relevant personnel in the stadium, Rias and that person — Bina Lessthan met. Rias already knew her true identity. Because her mask had broken in the midst of the game, Rias was able to see the face that was beneath the mask. That face — was very similar to her younger appearance. —No, it was her. […Grayfia-oneesama.] Bina Lessthan — Grayfia Lucifugus took off her dragon-like mask and revealed her face before Rias. Although she appeared to be a teenage girl who was roughly the same age as her…that face was identical to the face of her dear sister-in-law’s face in the past. Her sister-in-law, Grayfia Lucifugus had used magic to change her appearance back to how she once looked when she was a teenager, and became the [Queen] of the [Sekiryuutei of Blazing Truth] team by taking up the name of Bina Lessthan. Grayfia put the mask back on, and then said to Rias
[…Rias, I won’t say too much. But, please remember one thing.] Grayfia stepped forward and stood beside Rias to so that she could speak at a close distance
[—I will make Hyoudou Issei-kun a Maou.] Upon hearing her sister-in-law’s confession, she narrowed her eyes and frowned. […I don’t believe that this is Ise’s own intention, right?] [That’s right, these are my own intentions. However, I believe that that this will eventually be the intention of the entire Underworld. I will support him as his [Queen].] Why did she have such thoughts, and why did she have such feelings? All Rias knew was that — after her sister-in-law lost her brother Sirzechs, a picture had already been drawn in her mind. Moreover, the person who could make it a reality — was Ise. Even if she tried to persuade her sister, she would not listen; that was something that Rias knew more clearly than anyone else. After all, she had taken care of her ever since she was young—. She had always admired her ever since that time—. Hence, Rias made up her mind from that point onwards. —She had come to ascertain her true feelings right after the game. Rias’ eyes were filled with determination as she declared to Grayfia
[…So long as I fight, even if my opponent is onee-sama, and even if my opponent is Ise, I will win.] Grayfia, her sister-in-law, and Bina Lessthan revealed a fearless smile as she accepted the declaration of war from her younger sister. [Good. This is what I expect from my sister-in-law.] Indeed, Rias made a declaration of war against her precious sister-in-law. She looked forward to having a battle against the person that she loved. Hence, Rias sought a power which was capable to overthrowing her mighty lover and her sister-in-law—. If that power could help liberate the strength that Rias and the others had even further, then it would give them more strength than ever. Vasco Strada seemed to make a final confirmation as he dryly asked Rias
“I may swing his sword down on your future husband-dono Princess, is even that alright? Whatever my blade meets — without exception, it will be cut. Even if he hosts the power of infinity, as long as I return to how I was in those days, I will be able to cut it without a problem. —No, it will be cut.”
Rias didn’t hesitate to answer directly
“The man who is to become my husband must overcome this difficulty.”
This one line marked the conclusion. Strada stood up, and the soft smile that was on his face vanished and immediately turned into a warrior’s face. “……A wonderful answer…! From here on, Vasco Strada shall stand up before you as a hurdle for you husband-dono’s groom training!”
“Can we agree that this negotiation is successful then?”
On this day, the strongest swordsman in the history of the Vatican announced his intention to participate in the Rating Game World Tournament. After the negotiation, both Rias and Strada sighed. Strada was concerned about the other sword that was in the briefcase, so he asked about the crimson-bladed sword. “Speaking of which, what about this weapon? It appears to be a sword.”
Rias replied in a slightly shy manner. “After I became engaged to Ise, Heaven gifted me a sword with a crimson blade as a blessing. It has already been adjusted so that Devils can use it. —But, neither Ise nor I will master it… So, perhaps our future children could use it?”
“I see, that’s not a bad idea.