ch 52 - mephisto pheles

"You cannot take that spot. It belongs to me."

"I do not see your name on it."

"It doesn't need my name on it. My scent is all over Naruto's lap."

All Naruto wanted to do was watch Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel II - Lost Butterfly. He hadn't been able to see the second Heaven's Feel in theaters because of everything that had gone down lately, what with the evil dragons attacking the Underworld, meeting Ravel's parents to get their blessing, and now the vampires waltzing into their territory and acting like they owned the place. It was a sad time for him and Rias. They'd made plans to watch this in theaters, but the time came and went while they were busy, and now it was only available on BluRay or streaming through Webflix.

He'd been watching the movie with Rias, Issei, and Gasper while Ravel and Asia cooked dinner. Xenovia and Irina had joined them at some point when she saw what they were watching. Irina only knew a little about anime since her parents had moved to the Vatican when she was young. On the other hand, Xenovia knew nothing about anime and became immensely interested. That said, she had nearly gone on a long rant when she learned Saber was supposed to be King Arthur from Arturian legend.

The movie had just been getting to the sex scene when Koneko and Ophis arrived, saw what was happening, and tried to claim his lap at the same time. This had resulted in the two arguing over who had the right to his lap.

They'd been at it for the past fifteen minutes.

Naruto was getting fed up.

"If scent is all you are concerned about, then my scent and saliva are all over his lap." Ophis, currently in her adult form, thrust out her chest and stood bust to bust with the shorter and less chesty Koneko. Her breasts were modest, but the way they bounced was impressive. "I sucked his dick just this morning. He's not only coated in my scent but my saliva as well."

Irina's cheeks exploded with color when she heard those words. On the other hand, Issei shot blood from his nose and gave Naruto a thumbs up.

Naruto? Well, he just sighed.

Koneko didn't seem at all bothered by her lack of a bust, and why should she? Naruto lavished just as much attention on her small breasts as he did Rias' honking hooters. He was, as they say, a breast equalist.

"Hmph. That means nothing. Naruto took a shower earlier this afternoon with me, and we had sex for two whole hours. He took me in every single one of my holes, not just my mouth."

The two girls were apparently deciding who deserved Naruto's lap by comparing their sexcapades with him under the assumption that the one who had marked him with their scent deserved that spot more. Naruto didn't have an ounce of shame. At the same time, he did believe there was a time and place for this sort of conversation, and it was not when people unrelated to their relationship were present.

Issei, Xenovia, and Gasper were staring at them with an odd mixture of emotions. Issei looked equally parts proud and mortified. On the other hand, Xenovia seemed interested in listening to the two women and had even begun jotting down notes. Gasper was just blushing like nobody's business.

Of course, the real interesting reactions were from Rias and Irina. His first fiance and main bride, Rias Gremory, was rubbing her forehead like this entire argument was giving her a headache. She didn't seem pleased that her anime had been interrupted. The otaku in her looked ten seconds away from erupting like Mount Kilimanjaro. Irina was about ready to pass out. She was wavering back and forth, swooning like she'd become dizzy. All the blood had rushed to her poor face.

"Naruto," Rias said in a calm tone.

"Yes, dear?" Naruto asked, trying to ignore the way his spine shivered.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you and I not have sex twice this evening?" she asked.

"You are not wrong," Naruto said.

Rias nodded. "And you had sex with Ophis this morning and Koneko in the afternoon?"

"I did indeed," Naruto admitted.

"I do not know where you get that kind of stamina." Rias shook her head as though she was astonished that he could have sex so many times in one day, but Naruto had always been a stamina freak. It was his strongest quality outside of his genius prankster mind. "In either event, since you had sex with me last, I believe that means the person who deserves to have your lap is actually me, isn't it?"

"You can't do that, Buchou!"

"That spot is mine!"

Koneko and Ophis heard what Rias said and stopped arguing to turn to her. They both appeared upset by the redhead's words, but Rias was unbothered by their desperate glares. She looked them both in the eyes with a stern frown, arms crossed.

"You say I cannot sit on Naruto's lap, but do not forget that I am his first wife, which means my place in the hierarchy is above both of yours. Rather than arguing over who gets to sit on his lap, you should be asking me whether or not I'll allow it."

"Then you should let me sit on his lap," Koneko said with a serious look on her face. "I am not only his fiance as well, but I am also your servant."

"Hmmm… denied," Rias said immediately.

Koneko stared at the woman blankly, like she didn't understand that Rias had just told her no. The second passed. Then Koneko's eyes widened as the fur on her ears and tails bristled.

Ophis looked hopefully at Rias. "Then does that mean…"

"You won't be sitting there either," Rias determined.

"Why not?"

"Because neither of you deserve to sit on his lap right now." Rias narrowed her eyes at the two. "Do you not realize what sort of sacrilege you have just committed? Fate/Stay Night is one of the greatest franchises in the entire animeverse. I have been waiting so long for this to come out after sadly missing it in theaters, and now I've finally had a chance to sit down and watch it, but then you two came along and interrupted us just as it was getting to the good part. I am very angry with you both."

Perhaps the two girls realized that Rias was actually being serious when they saw the stern and uncompromising look on her face. It was not an expression Rias wore often when she wasn't fighting on some kind of she was wearing it now was proof of how serious she felt about this.

Koneko and Ophis both looked down at the ground.

"We're sorry," they said at the same time.

"If you are really sorry, then sit down and reflect on your actions." Rias narrowed her eyes, then narrowed them further when the two took a step forward. "Reflect on them away from Naruto's lap."

Neither girl looked like they wanted to do as they were asked, but they both understood a lost cause when they saw one. With a pair of bitter expressions on their faces, Koneko and Ophis walked to a corner of the room and sat down in a crouch, an aura of depression hanging over them both like stormclouds.

"Hmph. Now maybe we can get on with the movie," Rias muttered as she hit the play button and let the movie begin again.

Naruto wanted to ask Rias if she really needed to be that harsh with the two, but he knew now would not be the greatest time to ask that—not unless he was willing to place himself in the line of fire.

However, just as the sex scene was happening, someone rang the doorbell. Rias cast an irritated glare at the entrance hall. If looks could kill, he was sure the door would have melted into slag.

Naruto sighed as he stood up. "You can keep playing the anime. I'll see what's up."

"You sure?" asked Rias.

"No, but this is on Webflix, so I can watch it again."

With a wave of his hand, Naruto wandered into the entrance hall and up to the door. He felt the cold aura seeping through the house even before he reached the entrance. Staring at the door with a frown, he debated the merits of pretending they weren't there, but he already knew the time for feigning ignorance had long since passed.

He opened the door. Just as he expected, Elmenhild and her two bodyguards stood just outside of the entrance. It wasn't quite night yet. The evening sun was going down, mostly hidden behind the mountains, but it was still out and painting the sky in varying hues. Elmenhild was using an umbrella to shield herself from the sun. He hadn't realized vampires could do that.

Upon seeing who had answered the door, a look of disgust crossed the vampire's face, though she masked it quickly enough with a pleasant smile.

"Good evening, Naruto Uzumaki. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I wish to speak with Lady Rias. Is she in?"

"Sorry, but we don't accept solicitors," Naruto said before slamming the door shut.

"Don't close the door on me!" Elmenhild shouted.

Naruto opened the door again and glared at the girl. "Oh, right. I remember you. Sorry. I thought you were one of those door-to-door salesmen or something."

"You're lying!" Elmenhilde fumed as she glared daggers at him. "Don't think I can't tell when someone is lying to me."

"So I was," Naruto readily agreed. "The truth is, I simply don't want to invite you into my house. Who knows what kind of germs you might bring into the house."

"Just what kind of creatures do you think Vampires are?!" demanded Elmenhilde, crossing her arms. "I'll have you know that I bathe regularly and am free of germs."

"Those weren't the kind of germs I'm talking about," Naruto muttered, but then he sighed. "Well, anyway, I guess that's enough teasing you. You're here to speak to Rias, right? Come on in."

Elmenhilde became off kilter at the sudden shift in conversation. She blinked rapidly several times as if she couldn't decide whether to enter his house or not, but then, after a moment, she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

"E-excuse me," she mumbled as she and her bodyguards walked into the entrance.

Naruto began walking out of the hall, forcing Elmenhilde to follow him. She only just managed to slip out of her shoes and hurried after him.

He led Elmenhilde into the living room, where it seemed everyone had gathered to watch Heaven's Feel. The couch that Rias was sitting on had become packed. Irina, Rossweisse, Koneko, and Ophis were sitting together with her, but none of them seemed to mind how they looked like sardines packed together. On the other couch was Issei, Gasper, Xenovia, Raynare, and Kiba. Naruto wondered where Akeno was, but then he heard her "Ufufufu" laughter in the kitchen, so he imagined she was with Ravel and Asia.

"Naruto, who was at the door?"

Rias didn't turn to him right away, eyes locked onto the screen, which just went to show Naruto where this woman's priorities were right now.

"Elmenhilde has come to speak with us," Naruto said. "I hope you don't mind that I let her in."

"Huh… Elmenhilde, huh? I see," Rias murmured, still watching the movie. It looked like Sakura was becoming jealous of how Rin was getting closer to Shiro. He'd always known that woman was a crazy yandere. That was why Rin Tohsaka was Best Girl. Rias often argued with him, stating that Sakura was Best Girl, but he understood a universal truth about anime that she didn't.

Tsundere was better than yandere.

However, several seconds after those words left her mouth, Rias and everyone else finally realized what he'd said and looked over at him. Only now did they realize that he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was the Vampire from several evenings ago.

"Um… good day, Rias Gre—no, I mean, good evening, Lady Rias." Elmenhilde curtsied to her. The action was much more respectful now than it was back then. "I have come because I would like to… renegotiate with you. My previous behavior was… it was unbecoming of me…"

Unlike last time, there was none of the haughtiness in Elmenhilde's voice. Perhaps she had come to realize that acting arrogant and rude would avail her nothing with this group. Without her haughty exterior, the girl seemed a lot more down to earth than she had before. It also confirmed Naruto's belief that the Carmilla Faction needed Gasper and couldn't afford to antagonize the Three Factions Alliance.

Rias looked at Elmenhilde, then at her movie… and then she sighed.

"We were about to have dinner," Rias said. "Why don't you join us? We can talk after everyone has eaten."

"O-okay," Elmenhilde said with a brief frown.

And that was how a Vampire joined them for a movie and dinner.

~Devil Ninja~

While dinner wasn't necessarily awkward, it was a lot quieter with Elmenhilde joining them. No one really felt like speaking because they were wary of the Vampire and her two bodyguards. The only one who didn't act any differently was Naruto, who made it a point to be as talkative as possible.

"Thish ish deliwishous," he said around a mouthful of pasta.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Rias said with a sigh.

Ravel just giggled. "I'm glad you like it."

Naruto swallowed the food in his mouth. "I love it. You're getting a lot better at cooking dinners. I'm really impressed."

"T-thank you." Ravel's cheeks turned pink as her smile widened.

While Ravel and Naruto had a good atmosphere going between them, Koneko glared at the two like they'd committed a crime against her. Conversations like this was something specific between these two. Koneko, who could not cook to save her life and didn't care enough to learn, would never get to hear Naruto's compliments directed at her.

"Nya ha ha! Are you jealous, Shirone?"

"I'm not jealous!"

Koneko huffed and looked away from Naruto and Ravel as they continued to gaze into each other's eyes. She glared at the black cat next to her, but Kuroka merely smiled like a naughty kitten who was unrepentant after being caught eating catnip.

Because she wanted to keep an eye on her, Rias had Elmenhilde sit right next to her during dinner, which meant she sadly couldn't pay attention to Naruto. She kept a constant stream of polite dialogue going with Elmenhilde, playing the political game. That was something she'd not done during their first meeting. She had been so nervous about meeting with the Vampires that she'd nearly put herself in a disadvantageous situation. If Naruto had not stepped in, there was no telling what would have happened.

"How do you like your meal?" asked Rias.

"It's… not bad," Elmenhilde admitted with a tentative expression. She twirled more pasta on her fork and placed it in her mouth. From the way her expression changed from uncertain to blissful, Rias knew the woman was not being quite honest with herself.

The meal they were having today was not traditional Japanese cuisine but a Japanese/Italian fusion. Thick spaghetti noodles had been used instead of ramen, udon, or some other manner of Japanese noodles. The spaghetti was lightly seasoned with olive oil, pepper, and shredded Parmesan cheese. There was also a dipping bowl filled with a tonkotsu-based cheese broth that they could deep their spaghetti into. The cheese inside of broth was freshly grated gouda. Last among the dishes was the cheese-topped onigiri.

Once Rias ate her fill, she smiled at Elmenhilde. "Well, shall we adjourn to the living room? We can discuss whatever you came here for in there."

If she was being honest with herself, Rias really didn't want to speak with this woman, who had interrupted her attempt at watching Heaven's Feel - Lost Butterfly. However, she was still the heiress to the House of Gremory and the little sister of a Maou. She could not let her personal feelings get the best of her.

The living room was not really the best place to hold a meeting with a diplomat, but she didn't want to let this woman deeper into her house. She didn't trust her. So they sat on a pair of chairs with a table in between them. It was off to the side, away from the television. Elmenhilde's two bodyguards stood behind her, but Rias did not have her entire peerage with her for this—just Naruto and Issei. They were her two strongest pieces. If those bodyguards tried anything, she didn't doubt these two could take care of them.

Before long, Akeno walked in pushing a cart with a tea set on it. She served Rias and Elmenhilde tea before quietly slipping out through a door on the other side of the room. Issei's eyes trailed after her, but he soon focused on the meeting.

"I hope dinner was to your satisfaction," Rias said with a smile.

"It was fine," Elmenhilde said as she stared at the tea with a frown.

"Is everything okay?" asked Rias.

"Everything is fine. However, I would like to get to the point of my visit now."

Rias felt a small bit of satisfaction when she realized the one now pressed with a desire to get this meeting going was Elmenhilde. During their first meeting, it had been Rias who was pushing to get the meeting out of the way, which had put her at a disadvantage. Now it was this little Vampire who wanted to begin quickly.

While the person who strikes first in combat usually holds the advantage, that was not always the case in politics. Timing was everything.

"Of course. I assume you are here for the same reason you were last time?" Rias grabbed her cup and took a sip of tea, allowing the gentle fragrance and slightly bitter taste to warm her body. She set the cup back down with a sigh.

"That's right." Elmenhilde nodded before finally taking a sip of her tea. She sighed after setting it down. "I… was a little presumptuous last time. Please accept my apologies."

Rias could well imagine how difficult it was for this girl to apologize like this. Vampires were a proud race—prouder even than Devils. For her to apologize meant she had been backed so far into a corner this was the only thing she could do to get out of it. Elmenhilde would have likely never done such a thing if her Carmilla Faction didn't need Gasper.

"I accept your apology," Rias said with a magnanimous nod. "I have also had a chance to consider your words, and I have decided that I wouldn't mind lending you Gasper's power."

"R-really?!" Elmenhilde looked shocked, but she also couldn't hide the hope in her eyes.

Rias nodded as the smile on her face widened. "However, I have a few stipulations. I hope you can agree to them."

The hope left Elmenhilde's eyes and was replaced with wariness. "What are they?"

"Don't worry. They aren't by any means difficult to accomplish," Rias assured the girl with a kind smile. "I'm sure you know about us Gremories. We all care very much for our servants. Gasper is my cute little servant, and I'm not necessarily comfortable sending him into what sounds like a warzone by himself. That is why, before I lend him to you, I would like to travel to the Vampire's territory and assess the situation for myself. Once I'm certain Gasper will not be in danger, I will call for him."

Elmenhilde bit her lower lip, her fang poking out of her mouth. She shifted in her seat as though trying to get comfortable.

"Hrm… b-but if you did that…"

"You needn't worry." Rias raised a hand to stop the girl from continuing. "I promise not to interfere with the Vampires conflict. I merely wish to travel there and assess the situation. I would also like to have a meeting with the House of Vladi."

"T-the House of Vladi?!" Elmenhilde was unable to stop herself from standing up, her eyes wide in shock. "But they are with the Tepes Faction!"

"I am aware of that," Rias said. "However, the House of Vladi is Gasper's old home. Out of all the Vampire families, they are the ones who worry me the most. I'm afraid of whether or not my Gasper can handle being in their presence, so I would like to meet with them. I'd like to at least try and get them to back off and agree not to meet with my servant."

At these words, Elmenhilde became furious. Her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Do you really think they will agree to that?"

Rias was not intimidated by this girl and her glare. She remained calm as she stared at Elmenhilde.

"Whether or not they agree to it is no matter. I merely wish to make the attempt. These are my two stipulations for letting you borrow Gasper's power. You may take them or leave them."

Rias wondered how this girl would feel if she knew Rias had always intended to let Gasper travel to the Vampire's territory, regardless of this meeting's outcome. Her servant wanted to return and help Valerie. Rias could not go against his desires. At the same time, she would not be a very good master if she couldn't at least get some benefits from a meeting with Elmenhilde before letting her servant go off into danger.

"That… that is…" Elmenhilde didn't look anything like a Vampire noble right now. She appeared more like a little girl. However, perhaps owing to her upbringing, she managed to recover quickly and sat back down. "I will agree to your request, provided you agree to one of mine."

"You wish me to bring Lord Azazel, right?" asked Rias.

"Ah?" Elmenhilde looked startled at having her condition revealed. "T-that's right. As you know, Lord Azazel is an expert when it comes to anything involving the Sacred Gears. We wish to make use of his knowledge."

Rias nodded. She had already known about all this thanks to the conversation with Azazel after the first meeting.

"I do not have a problem with this," Rias said. "In fact, I am sure Lord Azazel is already preparing to leave for the Vampire's territory even as we speak."

"Is that… so?"

Elmenhilde looked uncertain, like she wasn't sure if she just got played or not, but her stipulation had been met, so she had no real reason to complain.

Now that the meeting had ended, Elemhilde left with her two bodyguards. She said she would get in contact with Rias in a few days once their departure plans were prepared. The Vampire's territory was in Europe, so they would need to prepare a plane. Knowing the Vampires as she did, Rias was certain they would have their own private jet, but if not, Rias could procure one of the House of Gremory's private jets.

Once the Vampires were gone, Rias called all her servants back in, adjourning to the couch, where she sat with Naruto, Koneko, Ravel, Rossweisse, Ophis, and Irina. It was a bit cramped with six people, but fortunately Koneko and Ophis were able to fit on Naruto's lap—much to Ravel's displeasure.

"So we'll be going to the Vampire's territory soon," Kiba said from where he leaned against the armrest of Issei's couch. His arms were crossed. "It looks like you got your wish."

"That's right." Rias nodded. "However, there are still a few days before we leave. I have a few things I need to do before we leave." She paused and looked at Le Fay, who stood behind Naruto. When the blonde girl tilted her head, Rias turned back to the others. "I've received several invitations from various Magicians who wish to offer a pact with all of you. While Naruto already has his own contracted Magician, the rest of you do not. It would be a good idea to meet with these Magicians and decide on one to form a pact with. To that end, I have scheduled a meeting with Mephisto Pheles."

"Who is that?" asked Naruto.

"Isn't that Mephisto guy Tannin's master?" asked Issei.

"Mephisto Pheles is a Devil from the Extra Demons," Le Fay said. "He's also the current chairman of the Magician organization: Grauzauberer."

Rias nodded. "Mephisto Pheles has been active since the previous Four Maou were alive. Because of his strong belief in Liberalism, he didn't get along with the previous Maou due to their domineering nature and attempts to order him around. He's also not very interested in the Rating Games, which is why Tannin has free reign to do whatever he wants. In either event, all of you will be meeting with him this weekend. I might be gone by then. If I am, Akeno will be in charge until I return."

Everyone agreed with Rias' words, and the large group soon broke up into smaller groups. Issei was dragged off by Asia, Raynare, and Xenovia. Akeno went off on her own. Meanwhile, Naruto and Rias were finally able to sit down and watch Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel II - Lost Butterfly with the other members of Naruto's harem. It was a good movie.

~Devil Ninja~

Friday was to be Rias' last evening in Kuoh before she left for the Vampire's territory with Elmenhilde and Azazel. Perhaps it was because this was to be her last evening with Naruto for some time, but Rias was determined to have Naruto spend this night alone with her. Of course, his other girlfriends had no intention of letting this slide.

Which led them to now.

"Listen up, you five! Tonight is the last night I will have to spend with my future husband for who knows how long! That is why he and I are going to spend it alone together. I hope you understand and will back off."

Rias stood in the middle of the hallway leading to hers and Naruto's bedroom, hands on her hips, chest thrust out. She was staring at the other girls who normally shared his bed—those being Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis. Irina and Rossweisse were also present. While Irina had not slept with Naruto yet, Rossweisse had several times, though she didn't always join them in bed because she felt it was improper for a man to share his bed with so many women.

"Don't be so stingy," Koneko said. "We can all share his bed."

"Absolutely not!" Rias snapped. "You five will be able to sleep with him whenever you want while I'm off to visit the Vampires. I am the only one who won't be able to spend my nights with him. I need this night to myself so I can charge up on Narutoranium!"

"Naruto what now?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head. "The heck is that?"

Of course, no one answered him. He was basically being ignored it. Why did women begin ignoring him when they argued like this?

"You can recharge with us there," Ophis said in a quiet voice as she stared at Rias.

Rias narrowed her eyes. "I cannot. I only get half my necessary Narutoranium when you girls are present. I allow it because I love you all and want you to be happy, but this time, I want him to myself. Back off."

"I refuse."

"I-I also want to keep sleeping with Naruto," Ravel said, stepping forward to stand beside Koneko and Ophis. She seemed less certain than the other two. Even so, she refused to back down.

While Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis were arguing with Rias, Irina and Rossweisse wandered over to Naruto. They didn't play a role in this battle since neither of them joined Naruto in bed with the others. Irina wore an odd smile as she looked at Naruto, like she didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed.

"You are very popular, aren't you?" she asked.

Naruto bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… your boyfriend is a pretty popular guy."

"Boy… yes, you are right." Irina's cheeks turned a startling shade of pink. "I guess… you really are my boyfriend. Huh. Sometimes, it doesn't always feel real."

"Well, we haven't been able to go on many dates," Naruto said with a sigh. "That's something we should fix. I'd like to take you and Rossweisse out soon."

"Where… would you take us?" asked Irina with a shy expression on her face. She looked like she really wanted to know but was also embarrassed to know.

Naruto smiled as he reached out and grabbed Irina's hand. The girl became startled, but he was pleased when she didn't jerk her hand away from him.

"I was thinking we should go on a traditional date," he admitted. "I've been looking up good dating spots. There's an aquarium that just opened up. I heard from some friends in my class that taking someone to the aquarium is often considered a good date. What do you think?"

"Hmmm… the aquarium does sound nice." Irina smiled before, finally, she curled her fingers around his hand. "It has been a really long time since I've gone to an aquarium too. Not since elementary school."

"Then it's settled," Naruto said with a bright grin.

"Excuse me, but what about me?" asked Rossweisse. The silver-haired Valkyrie had been standing there and staring at the two with a putout pout. Naruto imagined she just didn't like being left hanging.

"I plan on taking you out on an adult date," Naruto confessed.

"An… adult date?" Rossweisse's eyes widened. "What is that?"

"You'll find out when I take you on one," Naruto said mysteriously.

His words caused Rossweisse to frown at him, but Naruto couldn't answer her right now. The argument between Rias and Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis was heating up now. All four women were so embroiled in their argument that they weren't even paying attention to Naruto, Irina, and Rossweisse anymore. It was like nothing else existed for them.

Rias narrowed her eyes. "I see we won't be able to resolve this peacefully."

Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis stepped forward, until they were right in Rias' personal space.

"That's right," Koneko said. "I have no intention of giving up."

As she spoke, the two tails she often kept hidden sprouted from her behind and cat ears appeared on her head. Naruto sensed the senjutsu energy surrounding her. White energy also appeared on her skin, giving her a vibrant glow. That was touki. She was enhancing her body using touki and senjutsu. Wait. Was she about to use Shirone Mode to settle a simple argument?!

Koneko wasn't the only one who was getting worked up.

Rias glared at the three of them as her red and black Powers of Destruction erupted from her body, distorting the air around her. Fluctuations in space appeared where her power did. Naruto realized with a grimace that Rias' power had increased a lot, which meant she must have been training and not just working on politics.

Ravel's body also erupted, but the energy around her took the form of bright orange flames. The fire around her body exploded and formed the shape of fiery wings that reminded him of the images he'd seen of the Phoenix—the legendary bird her family was named after.

The last to release her power was Ophis, and Naruto squawked in fright when he felt the infinite power welling up around her. Even though she had lost a good 90% of her power, even 10% was enough to outclass a Super Devil like Sirzechs. While no distortions or anything appeared around her, the amount of power she was releasing could potentially destroy his house.

"All right! That's enough!" Naruto finally shouted as he stepped between the girls. "I understand where all of you are coming from… but I think Rias has the right to have me alone tonight."

"Naruto…?" Rias looked at him in shock like she'd only just remembered he was present.

Naruto smiled at her, but then turned to Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis. The three still appeared ready for combat. However, as he stared at them, they eventually calmed down.

"Let Rias have tonight," he said. "When she's in the Vampire's territory, I'll also spend a night with each of you alone. How does that sound?"

Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis glanced at each other as if silently conferring in a way no one else could understand. Finally…

"We'll accept this," Koneko said at last, speaking for the three of them.

Naruto sighed in relief. It looked like he'd managed to resolve this situation before his house was destroyed.

"Come on, Rias." Naruto reached out and grabbed her hand.

Rias looked a little shocked by how easily he handled this situation, but she didn't say anything as he led her into their bedroom, closed and locked the door behind them. Now alone, she seemed to come back to herself.

"That was pretty impressive," Rias said at last. "It seems you have a handle on how to deal with us."

"If I couldn't do at least that much, you girls would destroy the house," Naruto said dryly.

"We wouldn't do that," Rias mumbled, but she looked away when Naruto stared at her.

He chuckled. "Well, now you have me all to yourself. What do you wanna do?"

"You know exactly what I want." Rias turned back to him, a smoldering look in her eyes. "I haven't been able to have you all to myself for so long. I can hardly stand it. I need you to take me now."

"Mmm. Looks like we're on the same page."

Naruto stepped forward, pulled Rias close, and kissed her. He didn't start off gentle or slow. This kiss was passion. It was fire and lust. Rias moaned as he kissed her as though he was consuming her, arms wrapping around his neck as her legs weakened, body trembling as her temperature rose. Naruto's tongue filled her mouth, and all Rias could do was enjoy the sensations as his actions stole the breath from her lungs.

He lifted her into his arms like a princess after thoroughly satisfying himself and carried her to the bed. Setting her down gently, he began the process of removing her clothes. Rias was only wearing a bathrobe right now, having just gotten out of the bath not long ago, and so all he needed to do was push aside the folds of her clothes to reveal her massive breasts.

She wasn't wearing a bra or panties. Her large tits, perfectly formed like a pair of beautiful mountains with pink capping their peaks, sat on her chest. Naruto did not hesitate to dig in. He fondled one of her tits with one hand and took the other into his mouth.

"Ah! Haa… hah… Naruto… you're being… ah… s-so rough!"

Rias squirmed beneath him as he swirled his tongue around one nipple and pinched the other. Her nipples quickly grew hard, stiffening into a pair of points.

Naruto looked up while he was working on her to find that Rias was biting her lip to keep from crying out, but some drool had leaked from her mouth. He loved that expression. It was the look of someone who was experience immense pleasure.

Since it looked like she was trying to keep silent, Naruto decided he needed to take things a step further, reaching down with his free hand and cupping her warm sex. Her moist lips were plump and full. She was already wet. As he rubbed his hand against her, working her clitorous from its hood, Rias finally cried out. Her feet pressed firmly against the bed as she thrust her hips into his hand. Naruto stimulated her clit, rubbing it with a mixture of hard and soft pressure, until her entire body seemed to stiffen.

Rias had never squirted before, but this time, her juices squirted from her body, drenching the bed, his hand, and her thighs. Her hips jerked several times like she was spasming. Then she fell back onto the bed, her breathing heavy.

Naruto knew what Rias wanted. She had made her intentions clear. He removed his clothes, situated himself between her legs, and after lubricating himself with her juices, thrust his way inside of her.

"Ooooh! N-Naruto!"

Rias locked her legs around his hips as he became fully sheathed inside of her. Rias' body was like a furnace and her insides conformed to him like a mould. He didn't know if she had been made for him, or if he had been made for her, but he'd never felt a more perfect woman. Not too tight. Not too lose. Just the right amount of heat. Rias Gremory was perfect in every way.

"Hey, Rias." Naruto leaned forward and grinned at her. "Are you ready?"

"Ha… ha… teasing me like this… w-what do you think?" asked Rias, staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

"I think that's a 'yes.'"

Naruto leaned down and kissed Rias as he began thrusting his hips. Rias moaned into his mouth, a sound that vibrated inside of him. Her warm tongue slipped past his teeth and coiled around his. It was slippery and wet, which meant no matter how many times she hooked her tongue around his, they kept sliding apart. Neither of them cared. Naruto certainly didn't mind. The feeling of her tongue rubbing his was all kinds of pleasant.

As he thrust his hips, Naruto felt his body growing hotter, more fervent. He wanted to pound into Rias hard. How long had it been since they'd had sex like this? He and Rias had been so busy with High-Class Devil bullshit that they hadn't really had any time to themselves. What's more, Koneko, Ravel, and Ophis always slept with them now. He didn't mind that, but now that he was finally fucking Rias again, he realized how much he missed having sex with her.

It soon became impossible for Naruto and Rias to continue kissing. Their breathing had become labored and erratic. Naruto leaned up and sought out Rias' hands, lacing their fingers together as he pressed her hands into the mattress. Rias was unable to contain her loud moans now, which echoed through the bedroom and probably could even be heard from the hallway.

Naruto was mesmerized by the way Rias' tits jiggled as he pounded his hips into her. The loud slapping of their hips as he churned her insides mixed with their moans, grunts, and groans.

A strong scent filled the air, sweat mixed with the scent of sex. This powerful scent was intoxicating and caused Naruto's mind and body to further spiral into lust.

Rias had closed her eyes now. Her mouth was wide open as she let out that beautiful music he loved so much. Her back was arching, causing her breasts to become even more prominent. He stared at the way they were jiggling and bouncing like beach balls being smacked around in a game of beach volleyball.

Naruto leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth. His hands were still firmly grasping hers, so Rias could not move them at all, but her entire body spasmed when he began suckling on her nipple. Her cries grew louder and more fervent, her jerking hips became more powerful, until, with a final cry, Rias came again.

With a grunt, Naruto came inside of Rias. He thrust his hips several more times as he shot his seed inside of her. As Rias relaxed onto the bed, Naruto removed himself from inside of her, sitting up to stare at his future wife. She looked quite satisfied, her body covered in sweat, a smile on her lips. It was that smile that inflamed him.

He was not done yet.

Without warning, Naruto turned Rias onto her stomach, grabbed her hips, and raised them up. It was this action that caused Rias to come back to her senses.

"Naruto? What are you—aaaah!"

Rias cried out when Naruto once more thrust himself inside of her. This new position felt completely different from when he took her missionary. Her insides rubbed him in different ways, and he was sure she felt it too, for the cries Rias released were even louder than before.

Naruto fucked Rias like this, hands firmly grasping, squeezing, and messaging her buttcheeks as he pounded her from behind. He loved the way her butt jiggled as he pounded her. Rias had buried her face into a pillow, which meant her moans were muffled. Even so, she wiggled and ground her ass against him as he screwed her like this.

Sweat formed on Rias' back and dripped down the sides. Naruto could almost see the steam pouring off her body, though he was certain that was just a figment of his imagination.

Leaning down, Naruto wrapped his arms around Rias' waist and pulled her back. She squawked as he fell onto his backside, but the surprised squeak turned into a loud moan as he kept thrusting his hips. With one hand resting on the bed as his pillar of support, he reached out with the other hand and began massaging her clit. Her jiggling breasts bounced like mad as he increased the strength of his thrusts. Rias leaned back, her sweat-covered back pressing into his equally sweaty chest.

This time, Naruto was the first one to cum. He grunted and released more of his seed into Rias, who screamed as her entire body grew taut like a drawn bowstring. When he pinched her clit, her body seemed to explode, her insides contracting around him. Several seconds passed as the two experienced bliss. When it was over, Naruto slid out from inside of her, their mixed juices slipping free from Rias and spilling onto the bed.

"Ha… ha… Naruto…" Rias' heavy breathing into his ear caused Naruto to grow stiff again.

"Mmm?"

With a strength he didn't think she had, Rias got off him, turned around, and sat back down, but now they were facing each other. His already hard dick was resting against her stomach as she rested her arms on his shoulders and pressed their foreheads together. Bright bluish green eyes stared into his. Naruto found himself getting lost in her gaze.

"I'm not satisfied yet," Rias told him.

Those words were enough to make any man lose control.

"Then we should rectify that, don't you think?" Naruto said as Rias grabbed his shaft, adjusted her hips, and slid him inside of her.

"We definitely should," Rias agreed.

Thus their cries continued well into the night.

~Devil Ninja~

Naruto woke up bright and early Saturday morning. It was a bit odd waking up with only Rias in his bed, but he remembered that Rias was leaving today, so the two of them had spent most of the night having sex. Come to think of it, Naruto felt like he'd only just fallen asleep.

"Mm… how many times… did we do it last night?"

Lying on his back, with Rias snuggled so firmly into his side it was as if she had melded with him, Naruto tried to recall just how much sex they had. Rias had been like a woman possessed. Even after he decided to stop because she had to leave tomorrow and needed some rest, she had continued to goad him on, bringing him back to full mast with her undeniably sexy attitude, enthusiasm, and drop dead gorgeous body.

He glanced at the clock. It was only 7am. If he wasn't mistaken, they hadn't gone to bed until 3am.

"So I only got four hours of sleep? Fuck that noise," Naruto mumbled.

He closed his eyes and was about to go back to sleep—

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

—When the alarm clock went off.

Rias groaned as she lifted her head from his chest. She blinked blearily at the clock, her somewhat red eyes narrowed, bags under her eyes… and then she groaned, held out her hand, and a magic circle appeared before it. Power coalesced around her hand. Dark energy erupted, causing the hairs on Naruto's arm to prickle.

"Uh… Rias, what are you—"

BOOM!

"Time to get up," she muttered with a tired groan as she climbed off him and out of bed. Naruto would have followed her, but he was busy staring at the smoking and charred remains of their alarm clock.

"Did you really have to blow up the alarm clock?" asked Naruto. "It was just doing its job."

"It annoyed me." Rias narrowed her tired eyes at the alarm clock. "And I'm cranky."

"Isn't that your fault?" asked Naruto with a sigh. He wanted to go back to sleep, but that wasn't going to happen, so he crawled out of bed as he released a loud yawn.

He wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing, but Naruto was not bothered by his or Rias' nakedness. Honestly, he was pretty sexed out right now. After how many times he'd cum last night, he didn't think he could even get it up.

"Help me bathe," Rias said.

"Sure."

After dressing in a set of bathrobes, they made their way into the bathroom and washed off quickly, then returned to the bedroom and got dressed. By the time they were finished, Naruto and Rias were a little more awake. That said, he would have personally liked a few more hours of sleep…

Was this karma for having so much sex?

Karma fucking sucked.

"Karma can suck my dick," Naruto grumbled.

"Did you say something?"

"Nope."

Ravel and Akeno had already finished cooking breakfast by the time they entered the kitchen. Naruto sniffed the delicious air several times. From the sweet scent, it smelled like they had made French Toast.

Nobody was awake yet, but more people began arriving soon after he and Rias did, first Issei and his group, then Koneko, Ophis, Rossweisse, and Irina in that order. As everyone began sitting down, Ravel came over and poured Naruto and Rias a cup of coffee.

"You look awfully tired for someone who is leaving today."

"Hmph." Koneko snorted at Ravel's words. "Tired? She looks satisfied to me. She looks like someone who had her brains fucked out."

"D-don't be so crass," Irina scolded the girl with a bright red blush.

"I am feeling incredibly satisfied, thank you very much," Rias said with a somewhat lackadaisical smile. It was a look Naruto had never seen on her before… but they did have a lot of sex—a lot of sex—last night so it wasn't like he didn't understand. At the same time, perhaps because of her comment, it made her seem a lot more arrogant than she normally was.

He was surely imagining things.

Right?

While Koneko huffed and began chowing down on her food, everyone looked at each other uncertainly before, as if communicating telepathically, they ignored what Rias said and began eating as well.

Breakfast was finished soon. The coffee Ravel poured for Naruto helped him wake up. He was good to go by the time Azazel arrived with a car. It wasn't a limousine like Naruto was expecting, but a standard SUV with enough room to fit about one dozen people, so just enough for their peerage plus Irina and Xenovia.

Azazel was the one who drove them to the train station. Everyone hopped off and Naruto helped Rias carry her luggage. She only had one suitcase worth, which would have surprised most men because certain stereotypes made it out that women always needed several suitcases filled with an unnecessary amount of clothes, but Naruto was fortunately too genre savvy to let himself be surprised, and Rias was too genre savvy to let herself fall into typical cliches.

That was what happened when someone watched enough anime.

At least, that was what Naruto chose to believe.

The train station was busy even at this early hour. Naruto had heard this time was when people commuted to work. There were many men and women dressed in business suits, chatting on their phones or reading the newspaper as they waited for the train. Naruto glanced at one person next to him, an older gentleman with slightly graying hair and a haggard expression on his face.

Naruto hoped he would never become like that.

"You know, now that we're finally here, I find that I don't really want to leave," Rias admitted with a sigh.

"It can't be helped, right?" asked Naruto, shrugging. "It's not like you can put this off."

"Yeah… I know," Rias muttered. "Just let me complain right now."

"By the way, where are you meeting Elmenhilde?"

"The airport."

As they spoke, Kiba and Azazel walked up to them. While Azazel seemed to blend in with the crowd thanks to his older appearance, the young and handsome Kiba drew the attention of several older women. The hearts in their eyes and the drool that could drown a fully grown adult was disturbing, but Kiba ignored those lustful stares like the pro he was.

"I'll be counting on you to protect Rias in my place," Naruto said as he held out his fist.

Kiba grinned and bumped fists with him. "Don't worry. I won't let anyone harm a single hair on Rias' head."

"You'd better not, or I'll be sure to make you'll be wishing for my Sennen Goroshi."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I'm pretty sure that wasn't nothing. In fact, I'm positive I just heard something frightening."

"Must be your imagination."

Rias smiled as Naruto and Kiba joked to ease the tension. Their moment was interrupted, however, when the train they would be taking to the airport arrived. It was a bullet train, sleek and streamlined. Naruto remembered taking one to Kyoto.

"Looks like this is our ride." Azazel turned to Naruto and Rias. "Better say your goodbyes now. There's no telling how long we'll be gone."

"Right."

Rias turned to Naruto and didn't hesitate to throw her arms around him and plant a kiss on his mouth. Naruto had no choice but to grab her waist as he kissed back, letting Rias passionately kiss him in the middle of the train station. He was keenly aware of the eyes on him. It wasn't just the members from Rias' peerage. Several older men and women were giving them disapproving looks.

"Take care of yourself," Rias said as she pulled back.

"You too. Be careful," Naruto said.

"I will."

With those parting words, Rias, Kiba, and Azazel stepped onto the train. Naruto watched the doors slide shut, then continued watching as the train began moving. It disappeared before long.

"I'm sure Rias will be fine." Rossweisse placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Kiba is quite strong. He will do a good job of protecting her."

"I know."

Naruto stepped closer to Rossweisse and slid an arm around her waist. It was a testament to how used to his affection she'd become that Rossweisse only reacted by growing stiff. She used to squawk, blush, and then lecture him on propriety when he did this.

As he continued to stare after the train even though it was gone, he wondered what sort of surprises the rest of this weekend had in store for them.

~Devil Ninja~

With Rias gone, Akeno was placed in charge of their daily activities. Of course, she didn't have to do much since everyone already knew what was expected of them, but there were still important matters only she could take care of—like mediating the upcoming meeting with Mephisto.

Getting a contracted mage was sort of an important ritual for Devils. The mutually beneficial exchange between Devils and Magicians had become an important and fundamental aspect of their society.

Naruto already had Le Fay as his contracted Magician, and he thought she did a wonderful job, though he hadn't needed her much. Le Fay spent most of her time researching the Gremory Family magic and the Bael Family's Powers of Destruction, which Rias allowed her to study. From what Naruto understood, she was trying to replicate the Powers of Destruction with magic.

Because the meeting with Mephisto was that day, everyone made their way to the Occult Research Clubroom after training. They walked to Kuoh Academy with plenty of time to spare and lounged in the clubroom until it was time for the meeting.

"Is it really that important to make a pact with a Magician?" asked Xenovia.

She was sitting on the couch with Issei, Asia, and Raynare. Her head was tilted, hand on her chin, expression thoughtful.

"It is very important," Le Fey, standing behind Naruto as he sat on the other couch, said. She pointed her index finger into the air like a lecturer and continued. "The relationship between Devils and Magicians is an old one that goes back to the age of Merlin."

"I didn't realize the relationship between Devils and Magicians went that far back," Irina said in surprise. She was sitting on Naruto's left, having been lucky enough to claim that spot for herself.

"Because of how important the relationship between us is, the Magicians have always done their best to maintain a friendly relationship with the Devils," Le Fey said with a smile. "In this day and age, it's not only a business venture, it is also a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years."

"Okay. So forming a pact with a Magician is important," Xenovia conceded her point.

While the conversation between Le Fey and Xenovia was happening, the others were either listening or doing their own thing. Koneko was eating manju as she sat on Naruto's lap. Ravel was sitting on his right, close enough that their thighs were touching. Rossweisse looked a little putout as she sat on Ravel's other side. She had wanted to sit next to him, but she'd been late because a meeting with the teachers held her up.

As the conversation between the two wound to a close, a magic circle suddenly appeared on the floor.

"It looks like Mephisto-sama is about to show up for our meeting," Akeno said, clapping her hands as she walked over to the couches. She didn't sit, instead opting to stand with her hands clasped before her like a maid in waiting. "Everyone, be sure to be on your best behavior. Don't do anything that would disgrace the House of Gremory."

At those words, Koneko slid off Naruto's lap, which forced an irate Ravel to scoot away from him. However, she was unable to say anything because someone suddenly appeared within the magic circle. He was a man who looked around the same age as Azazel, but his hair was a mixture of red and blue, and it looked gelled. His left eye was blue, while his right was red—same as his hair. Naruto wondered if maybe he'd dyed his hair because of his heterochromia, but he digressed.

"Mephisto-sama." Akeno bowed. "It is a pleasure to see you again. I apologize for Rias-sama's absence. An incident occurred and she was forced to head into the Vampire's territory."

"Akeno, it's very nice to see you too." Mephisto wore an easy smile as he walked over to their group. "You need not apologize. I heard all about what is happening with the Vampires and how they tried to steal away one of Rias' servants. It was rather foolish of them, if you ask me, but I digress. Please allow me to introduce myself to everyone here."

The man's gaze swept across their group. It paused for a moment, and Naruto thought he was looking at him, but then he realized that was not the case. Before Naruto could figure out what Mephisto was looking at, the older Devil bowed low in a more European fashion.

"Good evening, everyone. It is nice to finally meet all of you. My name is Mephisto Pheles. I am the current head of Grauzauberer. Thank you for agreeing to hold this meeting with me."

So this was Mephisto Pheles. He seemed like a likable sort. There was an easy-going atmosphere about him that felt almost deceptive, but he also gave Naruto a vibe similar to that of Ajuka Beelzebub, whom Naruto had met with many times because of how abnormal he was.

Still wearing a smile, Mephisto waved his hand and a magic circle appeared before him. Naruto wasn't sure what to expect at the sudden use of magic, but then a chair suddenly appeared behind Mephisto, who sat down, placed his arms on the armrests, and crossed his left leg over his right.

He was still wearing a smile as he said, "Now, why don't we get this meeting started?"

~Devil Ninja~

Mephisto Pheles of the Extra Demons and the chairman of the magician's association didn't look like what Naruto had expected, but Naruto had also been expecting an old man with a beard, or maybe a young, silver-haired man who transformed a woman into a man so she could become the king of Britain… something like that. Anyway, Mephisto was nothing like he expected.

"A lot of young magicians have put forth requests to become your contracted mages," Mephisto said with a small smile, completely at ease as he sat before them with the chair he had magiced into existence. "The Gremory Peerage has become extremely popular thanks to your excellent feets of strength and valor. I think Rias Gremory's Peerage is actually the most popular out of the entire Rookies Four."

"Rookies Four?"

Naruto could not help but tilt his head when he heard that title. It sounded a lot like the Rookie Nine, which had been the title given to him, Sasuke, and the other Konoha genin who participated in the Chunin Exams while they were still rookies. Was this something like that?

"You mean you don't know?" Mephisto looked "shocked" that Naruto was unaware of this title, though he thought for sure the man was being condescending. With a smile, Mephisto explained the title. "The Rookies Four is the title that was recently given to the four young Devils who made the biggest impact in the Rating Games: Sairaorg Bael, Seegvaira Agares, Sona Sitri, and Rias Gremory. They are calling you the greatest generation of rookies in the history of the Rating Game, a group of promising young Devils who have exceeded the levels and ranks afforded to people your age. You might not know this, but your generation is considered abnormal. The powers you all possess are far greater than any other group of immature Devils in recent history. That's why they are calling Rias and her peers the Rookies Four."

Now that Naruto was hearing it explained, he understood. It really was just like when Naruto and his group of inexperienced genin participated in the Chunin Exams and shocked the entire ninja world. He wasn't surprised to see they had been given titles. It seemed like human nature to give titles to extraordinary people… though these people weren't human; they were Devils, so maybe it was in a Devil's nature? Well, whatever. He could think on that later.

"This is probably something you already know, but our factions are currently very weak," Mephisto continued. "We have lost our Chief God and the Four Maous to the war many years ago, which means faith in our factions have weakened. To make matters worse, we Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels have been mass hated by the older mythologies for many centuries. Having taken away their believers, we have eradicated many other mythologies and religions, causing them to disappear from the annuls of history." As Mephisto spoke, he locked eyes with Naruto. "It was only thanks to you, Naruto Uzumaki, that our faction has managed to stabilize as much as it has?"

"Thanks to… me?" Naruto pointed at himself. "What did I do?"

"Your power has shocked the entire world into paying more attention to us," Mephisto said, placing his hands on his knee as he bounced his leg up and down. "When you fought against the entire Greek Pantheon and held them off to rescue the alliance leaders, you convinced their greatest gods to join our alliance. They became terrified of you, especially that Zeus. Then when you traveled to Kyoto, you protected their little princess and rescued the yokai leader, further ingratiating our faction to others. Because of you, we are now allies with the Greek Pantheon and the Yokai of Kyoto. That is no small feat."

Naruto honestly had no idea his actions had done all that, but he would admit the reason he didn't know about any of this was because he didn't care. His goal since coming to this world was never to gain fame and fortune. What he wanted was to be the strongest. It didn't matter to him if others acknowledged him like it did in his previous world.

"Speaking of, who is the strongest faction?" Naruto suddenly asked.

"That would be the Hindu." Mephisto suddenly grew pensive, brows furrowing. "They are considered the greatest faction in the entire world. Their followers are many, though they are mostly insular and don't have many followers beyond their borders. That said, the faith their followers have in them is far stronger than the faithful of any other religion out there. Four of their gods—Indra, Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma—are ranked among the top 10 strongest beings in the world. All four of them have powers that rival if not exceed Ajuka Beelzebub and Sirzechs Lucifer. There is even a rumor that Shiva is powerful enough to fight against every leader in the Three Factions Alliance and win."

Naruto whistled in appreciation. He had known about the Hindu Gods thanks to some things Rias told him, but he hadn't been aware of just how powerful they were.

"So if I want to become the strongest, I need to kick this Shiva's ass?" asked Naruto.

Mephisto blinked. "What?"

"Shiva. I need to kick his ass to be called the strongest, right?"

"Well… I suppose so… yes. He is the strongest among the top ten strongest beings in the world. Shiva is the Hindu God of Destruction, though Shiva does not much care for combat. He is much more interested in acquiring objects of interest and knowledge," Mephisto explained.

"Hmm…"

Naruto wondered if he would ever meet this Shiva. He was really curious to know what kind of person the one titled the strongest in the world was.

"This conversation seems to have gotten off topic." Mephisto swirled his finger around and a magic circle appeared before them. Several hundred documents appeared from within the magic circle and landed on his lap, then floated in the air and flew over to Akeno, who caught the documents in her hands. "These documents contain all the data on the magicians who have requested a pact with your peerage. Each document not only tells you who they want to form a pact with, but it also explains their strengths and their weaknesses. I thought that would prove helpful to you in choosing. Oh." Mephisto's eyes flickered as though he'd remembered something. "Because Naruto already has a contracted magician, I have removed all the documents pertaining to him. Heh. You are actually pretty fortunate. There were over a thousand magicians requesting a pact with him."

Naruto would not lie and say he wasn't shocked, but he was not about to let anyone know that.

The stack of documents was so big it looked like a mountain in Akeno's hands. It looked heavy, but she carried them easily to the coffee table and set them down. When she did, their group gathered around the documents and stared at them.

Naruto looked at the document on top and realized it was like a profiler; there was a photo of the magician each document was about, followed by information about the kind of magic they specialized in, their previous experience, and their households. It made Naruto think of a resume.

"There are… so many…" Issei muttered in shock.

"Are these really all the people who want to form pacts with us?" Asia asked no one in particular.

"This isn't all of them," Mephisto admitted. "There were a lot of magicians who wanted to form a pact with your group, but I weeded out the weaker ones. Since your group is exceptional, I wanted to only present the best of the bunch to you. All the magicians listed in these documents are at the top of their fields and should prove useful in one way or another."

Because there were so many, Rossweisse began sorting the documents into smaller sections. It looked like she was sorting them by a combination of gender, age, and their specialized magic. First she divided them into male and female. Then she further divided them by their age. Finally, she looked at their specialized magic and divided them one more time. This resulted in nearly forty stacks of one hundred documents.

"So many resumes," Koneko murmured. "It's like they're blue collared workers hunting for a job."

"It's more like a pact hunt than a job hunt," Rossweisse corrected as she finished sorting all the documents. "But I understand what you are getting at. I feel a lot like an employer at a big company going through resumes to see who I want to interview for a new position that just opened."

Once all the documents were split, they discovered that each magician had requested to form a pact with a specific Devil. Most of the documents were for Rias. It was obvious she would have the greatest amount of documents since she was a King and a High-Class Devil. She was also the heiress to the House of Gremory, which meant she had access to greater knowledge than anyone else.

The person who had the second most requests was Rossweisse.

"It seems on top of researching their own branch of magic, they crave the wisdom I obtained from the Norse and information regarding Yggdrasil," Rossweisse explained to them why she was so popular.

That made a lot of sense. Norse mythology was one of the central factions with the greatest knowledge for magic, so any magician worth their weight in wands would want to form a pact with someone from that faction. Rossweisse was also a Valkyrie, a half-God, so her place in the Norse hierarchy was not small.

"Ah…"

At the surprised sound, everyone turned to look at Asia, who was staring in shock at her large pile… which was actually the third largest among the documents. The stack was so big that it hid Asia from view.

"W-why do I have so many people who want to form a pact with me? Are they really okay being with someone like me?" she asked in a small voice. The poor girl looked intimidated and overwhelmed by the sheer volume of documents.

Mephisto smiled at the girl and said, "Your healing ability is the biggest factor for why they want to form a pact with you. The power to heal has always been one of the most important facets of magic regardless of the era. It should not be strange that so many wish to form a pact with you and be blessed with the power of healing. They can gain more fame this way."

"Being able to heal others could be a great business venture," Naruto added. "Anyone who has such a power could easily make a fortune in the medical business."

"Exactly," Mephisto said.

"Asia!" Issei suddenly shouted, a nervous sweat forming on his brow. "Let's choose your partner together!"

"O-okay," Asia said with a timid but relieved smile.

Naruto shook his head and chuckled. Issei was becoming even more overprotective of Asia as time went on.

While Rias, Rossweisse, and Asia got solicited the most, it wasn't like everyone else didn't have a lot of options to choose from. That said, among the remaining members of Rias' peerage, the ones who had the least amount of magicians wishing to form a pact with them were Koneko and Gasper.

"Koneko and Gasper didn't get solicited as much because they haven't been able to display their true strength yet," Mephisto admitted. "I'm actually a little surprised Sekiryuutei didn't have as many magicians soliciting him, but I guess that is the difference between Devils and Mages. Magicians very much believe in propriety and status. Their value and reputation as a magician is more important to them than their own life, so they are not fans of anything that isn't seen as elegant. They must have thought Issei was too vulgar because of his perverted techniques. Well, I guess that is just the difference in our culture."

Upon hearing Mephisto talk about how his techniques were too vulgar, Issei looked like he might start crying. Tears stung his eyes. Asia and Raynare, perhaps sensing his desolate emotions, patted his back… though Raynare also had to add a tsundere-esque comment.

"Stop looking so pathetic. It makes me look bad," Raynare said with a huff and a blush when Issei stared at her.

"In either event, these are all the documents you have received this time. If you see anyone who meets your standards, please contact us so we can conduct the ceremony," Mephisto continued.

It sounded like these people were not the only magicians who wanted to form a pact with their group.

Since there were far too many documents for them to go through right now, they decided to send them all to Naruto's house through a magic circle. During that time, Mephisto turned his attention to Ravel, who had been silent up to now.

"You are from the House of Phenex, correct?"

"Ah? Y-yes. My name is Ravel Phenex," Ravel said, straightening in her seat.

Mephisto rubbed his chin and studied the girl. "I'm actually glad you are here. There is some information I believe is important to your clan, so could you please deliver this knowledge to your parents? What I have to say is pretty top secret, and I haven't had to time to deliver it myself."

"W-what information is that?" asked Ravel.

"It seems there is a group of Stray Magicians who have joined the Chaos Brigade. They have been getting into contact with any Devils related to the House of Phenex," Mephisto explained.

"They have been…?" Ravel looked surprised.

Naruto walked over, sat down next to Ravel, and fixed Mephisto with a small frown. "Can you explain what these Stray Magicians are after?"

"Of course." Mephisto replied. "You know how the Phoenix Tears have been getting passed around to the terrorists in secret, correct?"

Ravel nodded. "I heard there were a group of black market distributors who were trading the Phoenix Tears in secret. However, the people responsible have already been dealt with. I was told the situation has gone back to normal."

"I'm afraid the situation is more complicated than that," Mephisto said. "Now the black market is selling tears that aren't being produced by the House of Phoenix."

"What?!"

It wasn't just Ravel who shouted in shock. Everyone had. After all, it was common knowledge that only someone from the House of Phenex could produce Phoenix Tears.

"But… but if they are not genuine Phoenix Tears, doesn't that mean they are selling fakes?!" asked Ravel. "They shouldn't have any effect, right?"

Shaking his head, Mephisto said, "Like I said, the situation is complicated. These 'fake Phoenix Tears' might not grant the same effect as real Phoenix Tears, but they are close enough to genuine ones that the difference is indistinguishable. They are being distributed in secret, but I managed to get my hands on a sample. Here."

A small bottle appeared in Mephisto's hand. It looked a lot like the bottles the House of Phenex stored their tears in.

"I don't know how they are able to make these yet, but Phoenix Tears that aren't produced by the House of Phenex are being distributed to the remnants of the Chaos Brigade. What's more, we recently learned that the Stray Magicians are attempting to get into contact with members of the House of Phenex, though we do not know why. I'm telling you this for two reasons. The first is that I'd like you to inform your family. The second is to warn you."

"Warn me?" asked Ravel.

"Yes." Mephisto used magic to make the vial of tears fly over to Ravel, who caught them in her delicate hands. "I believe the Stray Magicians will target you sometime in the near future, so please be careful."

Ravel's face became gloomy like storm clouds as she looked at the vial of fake Phoenix Tears in her hands. Naruto reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew she must have been confused by this new information. This matter was a lot bigger than Mephisto made it out to be. Phoenix Tears were the House of Phenex's greatest source of income. If someone could produce fakes that had the same effect, it could be a devastating blow to the House of Phenex financially.

The conversation between Rias Gremory's Peerage and Mephisto soon ended. As the man left, Naruto observed all the people present, then looked at the now silent Ravel. It looked like they were going to be quite busy.