I want to thank Kieron Haydon , ShinySpiritomb, spiritwolf86, Adam Rodriguez, Kloud Paradizo, Benjamin Louri, Paul, Victor Gonzalez, Dez, Spoderman for their support to my p*treon page. If anyone of you guyz have problem with posting your names on here plz dm me, I will get it removed to not harm your privacy. Thanks for the support and I am grateful for it a lot and appreciate it!!!

  . . .

  Sirzechs had an easygoing smile while dressed in a white suit that looked like it cost more than my entire apartment with Grayfia carrying sharp demeanor as she gred at me intensely. Their presence made me feel uncomfortable for some reason and why they were here? Not to take me underworld, right?

  Right?

  Before I could even open my mouth to demand an expnation, the man spoke. His voice was calm and polite, almost disarming. "Good afternoon. I apologize for intruding without permission. We waited outside for quite some time and even rang the bell, but it seems you weren't home."

  Oh. Well, that's… surprisingly considerate for someone who just teleported into my living room. This is the first time I am hearing that you break into house if someone is not at the home, maybe this happens in Underworld but not in the human world. Asia was getting scared as she hid behind me but with a gentle assurance, I turned back attention to these uninvited guests.

  I blinked, trying to process the absurdity of the situation "Uh… it's fine, I guess. Can I… offer you something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Water?" or perhaps you are here for cake as well.

  Sirzechs, as he introduced himself—shook his head with a polite smile "No, thank you. We won't be staying long, just want to make a quick conversation with you"

  Grayfia, remained silent, her expression unreadable. Her gaze lingered on me for a moment, and I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. Yeah, she's definitely pissed at me for that incident. Not that I cared but still it's not something you would love to hang around with.

  Sirzechs gestured toward the couch. "Please, take a seat"

  I raised an eyebrow. Wait, isn't this my house? Why is he telling me to sit down like I am the guest in this house? But someone with his level of power and influece made it hard to argue. I sat down, gesturing for Asia to join me. She looked just as confused as I was but complied without a word.

  As we settled in, Sirzechs broke the silence with a smile, "First of all, I want to apologize for Grayfia's behavior st night. It was… uncalled for."

  Grayfia bowed her head slightly, her voice cool but sincere. "I acted without proper consideration. Please accept my apology."

  I scratched the back of my neck, feeling a little awkward. "Uh, it's fine. It was just a misunderstanding so don't worry about it"

  For someone strong like her, I feel it hard to believe that she is even bothering to apologize to me, while considering the fact that she called me a lowborn.

  Sirzechs chuckled softly "You're quite forgiving. It's quite rare these days."

  Yeah, well, when you're dealing with people who can probably vaporize you with a snap of their fingers, it's better to be forgiving than dead. I forced a smile, so that he could get to the point already, "So, uh, what brings you here? I doubt you came all the way from the underworld just to apologize."

  Sirzechs leaned back, his expression turning a bit serious as he looked me in the eye "You're right. The reason for our visit is… a bit more complicated" He paused, as if choosing his words carefully and then he gestured, "I'm sure you're aware of Rias's current situation."

  I nodded "Yeah, I've heard a thing or two."

  "Good. Then you know about her upcoming Rating Game against her fiancé, Riser Phenex." His tone was calm, but there was an underlying concern in his words. His brows furrowed a bit "Rias is strong, but she's at a disadvantage against her fiancé"

  Considering the fact that this was her first match, even a fool would guess that she will have a hard time against someone who is experienced in rating games. If I was in her position, I would have abused my body limits to extreme and would have locked myself in search of a way to win against Riser by learning from Sirzechs or Grayfia or perhaps their peerage members instead of waiting for a hero to pop in my life.

  I frowned, already sensing where this was going "You're not suggesting me to participate in this rating game, are you?"

  Sirzechs smiled "Exactly. You have potential, Kazuya. More than you realize. With your abilities, you could make Rias win this rating game."

  I crossed my arms, leaning back against the couch. "I appreciate the offer, but… I refuse."

  Sirzechs raised an eyebrow, looking more amused than surprised. "Can I ask the reason for your refusal?"

  I took a deep breath, trying to put my thoughts into words. "I understand joining Rias's peerage might give me power, prestige, and probably a lot of other perks. But it would also mean giving up my freedom. And that's something I'm not willing to do."

  Sirzechs tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "Freedom, you say?"

  "Yeah. Freedom." I met his gaze, trying to sound as confident as possible. "No matter how well Rias treats me, I'd still be bound to her. I wouldn't be able to act against her wishes, and I'd have to put her needs above my own. That's not a life I want to live."

  For a moment, there was silence. Then Sirzechs chuckled, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "You're an interesting one, Kazuya. Most people would jump at the chance to become a devil, but you… you value your freedom above all else."

  I continued, "It's the ultimate power. Even gods and devils crave it. Without freedom, everything else is meaningless. Even Rias now craves freedom despite having all the power and prestige"

  Sirzechs's smile widened, and even Grayfia looked mildly impressed. "You're right," Sirzechs said. "Freedom is something we all strive for, in one way or another."

  Sigh! Now just leave and let me enjoy some steak.

  He leaned forward, his expression turning serious again. "But what if I told you there's another way? What if you could participate in the Rating Game without becoming a devil?"

  I blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what? Is that even possible?"

  Sirzechs's eyes gleamed, "It's… unconventional, but yes. I can make it happen. You would fight as a human, alongside Rias's peerage"

  I stared at him, trying to gauge whether he was serious. Is he messing with me? Or is this some kind of trick? But something in his expression told me he was serious about this.

  Grayfia, however, looked less convinced and tried to interject "Lord Sirzechs, are you sure about this? The rules—"

  "The rules can be bent," Sirzechs interrupted with a firm tone "For Rias's sake, I'm willing to take the risk. So Kazuya would you participate in this rating game?"

  I crossed my arms and looked at him for a moment as if I was about to say something serious but it was more important than they thought it was. And none of the devils gave me the details about what it was and I wasn't about to raise suspicions in the moment of stupidity.

  "What is a Rating Game?"

  ----------------------

  p*treon.com/opeler

  Read upto 17 or more chapters ahead on the above page.