Ch 99: You are fired.

"Reina-chan, are you ready?" asked Noah as he saw her come down the stairs.

"Yes, Noah-senpai." replied Reina with a slight blush.

"Your outfit suits you well." smiled Noah as he lowered his gaze. Reina was dressed in tight blue jeans, light blue turtleneck, low-heeled black leather boots and a white parka.

"It is really okay, for Reina to skip class like this, desu?" she asked with hesitation, and Noah shrugged.

"For a normal person, it wouldn't be. But our case is special. It's not like we're going to be toiling away in the office of some corporation in the future. Even diplomas don't really matter, when we will be some much more useful healing people and enforcing human rights and eco-friendly policies. What really matters is for you to truly become mine, from the bottom of your heart, and that's why we're ditching class today."

Noah took her hand, and she twitched as her blush increased.

"Yes."

"Let's go, then."

Noah teleported them into a side-alley near their day's objective, a theme park.

They got out of the alley and took their place at the end of the line. As usual, they were drawing attention because of their looks, but Noah was getting used to that.

"Are you happy, Reina-chan?" he asked softly, still holding her hand. She smiled brightly.

"Of course, desu! Reina couldn't be happier. Everyone in the mansion is kind to Reina, desu. Since we met, each of Reina's days is filled with happiness, desu."

"I am glad to hear that. I want you to be happy, Reina." he said as he dropped the honorific, released her hand and instead put his arm around her waist. This kind of close gesture broke social norms in Japan and might shock a few people, but he didn't give a damn. Reina blushed but didn't step away.

"If there's anything that makes you sad, just tell me, Reina, and I'll do what I can to help you."

"Reina understand, desu." she nodded as she lowered her face in embarrassment, but Noah could still see her smile.

"So, what kind of activities are you most looking forward to? The Roller Coaster? The Haunted House? The Stands where we can win prizes and so on?"

"Reina would like to try them all, desu. Except maybe the haunted house, Reina is weak to scary things… But… Reina is really looking forward to the Ferris Wheel. This is Reina's first time going in a theme park, desu."

"We'll do them all." smiled Noah. "Since it's a weekday, there aren't too many people, so we should have time."

Soon enough, it was their turn, and Noah bought two tickets. The first thing they tried was a water ride, and Reina was flustered as she saw the picture they bought at the end, showing them holding hands, shoulder to shoulder as they sat on the boat's front seats.

Noah laughed quietly.

"You know, Reina, I find it very cute that you blush at this, when you were prepared to do some really naughty things with Lizel and Miyabi, as part of the Lovers' team."

"It's different, desu!" retorted Reina. "Reina was prepared to sacrifice her body for Lizel-senpai and Miyabi-senpai's sake, and for her family's prestige and future, desu... But, with you, it's not a matter of making a sacrifice. When you hold my hand, my heart beats wildly, desu."

Noah nodded with a soft smile, and Reina lowered her face. He hugged her and whispered in her ear.

"Reina, you are very dear to me. I do not know if what I feel for you can be called love yet, but my feelings are definitely headed that way."

"Mou… It's unfair, to say this to Reina before she can prepare her heart, desu. Reina doesn't know how to react." muttered Reina as she fidgeted.

"Maybe it is. But, you know about my desires, and my constraints and responsibilities. I do not just want your love, Reina. I want all of you. I want you to live for my sake, and for the sake of our family."

"Reina knows." she said. Raising her head, she looked at him squarely with a gentle expression. "Reina is willing to offer her everything for your sake. Reina is willing to bind her soul to yours, desu. Even if Reina must sacrifice her life to save you, Reina will do it, desu."

"That is one thing I will never ask of you, Reina. I want you to live, forever."

"Hum… Reina is so happy right now, desu." said Reina as she smiled brightly.

"That's the goal. Let's resume our visit. This park is full of fun stuff do to, so let's make some good memories. And after that, we'll return home, and we'll have our first time together." he left her twitch in his arms, but she nodded.

"Don't worry, Reina. I'll be very gentle. Initiating you to the pleasure of sexual submission can wait another day."

"Yes, desu!" smiled Reina as they stopped hugging and walked hand in hand.

Together, they experimented everything the theme park had to offer, and Noah had just won for Reina a white bear plushy, when his face twitched. He had just received a mental ping, coming from the magic array he had prepared in the basement of his mansion.

At last, the trap had been sprung.

…

Grayfia placed the set of charged batteries in her dimensional item storage with a satisfied expression. Most of the residents of Noah's mansion had gone to school, and the few that didn't have to had gathered to go on a shopping trip. For the first time in weeks, Noah's home was empty, and now was the time for her to act.

Truth be told, she didn't feel the need to keep watch on him any longer. After so long watching him where he thought himself alone or in the company of his harem, she didn't believe for an instant that he was a threat for the Gremory family, or that he would treat her niece badly.

For that reason, her objective this time was not to replace the batteries of every spying device she had installed in his home, but to retrieve them before they were discovered.

But not all of them. Grayfia intended to keep the one in his bedroom active for a while longer. She didn't need to watch him anymore, but… she wanted to.

It had been a shock to her to realize that she had grown to like watching Noah, in the days after her Mistress implied that Grayfia might have feeling for him.

But eventually, she couldn't deny it anymore. Watching him had become one of the highlights of her days, and seeing the girls' expressions whenever he made love with one of them, had her slightly envious. It was rare, in the devil world, to find someone who truly cared about their partner's happiness. One who would make certain his partner would be fully satisfied after each session. She particularly appreciated his restraint when Naruhime had given him permission to have his way with her.

Instead of playing with her body and ravaging her like any male devil she could think off would have done, he had given her what she wanted without demanding any immediate compensation, and even spent some of his valuable time comforting her. Grayfia was cunning and experienced enough to understand that Noah was playing the long game, of course, and that Naruhime would end up being another slave to him, but that didn't mean that the care and affection he had displayed toward her were false.

She couldn't imagine a better groom for her niece.

And because she wanted to watch him more, Grayfia decided that the miniature camera hidden in the vent above the window of his bedroom would stay for at least some more time, but she would remove the others to reduce the chances of them being discovered.

Grayfia changed her shoes for ones she didn't go outside with and walked on a white carpet, checking it to make certain she wouldn't leave visible footprints behind, then started her teleportation, aiming for Noah's bedroom first.

The teleportation's magic array shone brightly as it activated, and her surroundings blurred into nothingness for an instant. A second later, she had teleported to her destination. Or did she?

Grayfia blinked as she found herself in a dimly lit room, with a single wooden door in the wall facing her. The light came from a magic array on the floor. One that included many symbols she didn't recognize. But her more immediate concern were the thick bars of black metal surrounding her, covered in more glowing symbols, as well as the wave of weakness that struck her like a weight had just been dropped on her shoulders.

She immediately circulated her vast magic power to attempt to blow the bars away, but her magic didn't respond as intended. The power that normally flowed through her body like water, and that she could shape at will, had become like a frozen block of ice, and she couldn't move any of it.

With growing dread, she repeated her attempts to use her magic while she tried to break the cage she was in, but her physical strength was greatly reduced as she couldn't reinforce her muscles with her magic power, and all she managed was give herself a few bruises. She couldn't access her dimensional storage either, and her smartphone was inside. This oversight meant that she couldn't call for help, either, and she hadn't told anyone about what she intended to do this morning.

After more attempts didn't get her anywhere, Grayfia sighed and sat cross legged on the ground. As an important figure of the underworld, she wasn't too worried about her life. She would be more useful to whoever had managed to trap her alive than dead. However, that didn't mean she wasn't in severe trouble, and scenarios ranging from being tortured for information to being used as a bargaining chip to extort something from her Mistress played in her mind.

Grayfia started studying the magic formation surrounding the cage, as well as the symbols on the bars to try to find a way to unblock her magic. The language was mostly demonic magic, and the script was rather elegant, a sign that whoever had created it was skilled and likely had a lot of experience. She could decipher some parts of it, with one component being used to redirect any incoming teleportation aiming for a set area to the array's center, and another that was likely used to send some kind of alert. She deduced from it that whoever had created this array knew she was trapped.

But the single rune that was repeated in the formation and all over the bars eluded her. It looked like Norse runic magic.

At the same time, she mentally ran through the list of potential enemies who could have done this. She thought that one of Noah's enemies had tried to capture him, and caught the wrong person. Could this be the work of this Aizen, or Yhwach?

She could rule out the angels, as they wouldn't do something like that when a peace treaty was around the corner. Maybe some for the pro-war rebels like Kokabiel or the old devils faction could have done this.

As for Noah…

Grayfia flinched as she remembered the spear that Rias had mentioned, who could block all magics using runes, and he instantly became the prime suspect on her list.

She had a conflicted expression as she thought about him and would almost have preferred to be trapped by someone else. It was going to be very embarrassing to try to sell him some pretext for trespassing into his home without permission.

Grayfia sighed again and abandoned her study of the magic array holding her captive. Instead to find the best excuse she could give him for coming in uninvited.

She had ample time to find her excuse, as she was left alone in the cage for hours. She had no way to check the time without access to her smartphone, but she imagined that the school day had ended.

Her contemplation was interrupted when the door opened, and Noah entered, alone. She saw his eyes widen slightly in surprise as she got to her feet.

"Hello, Grayfia-san." he said with a voice devoid of feelings.

"Hello, Noah. It is nice to see you again." replied Grayfia with her trademark curtsy.

"Likewise. Would you mind telling me why you tried to enter my home without permission?"

Grayfia noticed Noah's small smile. It could have been just a polite one, but the gleam in his eyes… It reminded her of the times she had seen him on camera as he was considering how to tease or "punish" his women.

She shook herself and displayed an apologetic expression.

"I am truly sorry about this, Noah. And please allow me to congratulate you on your home security. It is certainly effective, I can vouch for that."

"Yes, thank you for the praise." he smiled, but made no move to free her.

"As for the reason of my coming, it is simply that I wanted to contact you about Seekvaira Agares." said Grayfia, doing her best to act natural. "Venelana-sama has contacted Lord Agares, and he is agreeable to a meeting between you and his daughter, at the very least. She will be present Sunday, and you will have an opportunity to speak to her after the game."

It seemed to her like he bought her excuse, as he relaxed and smiled more naturally.

"That is good news, thank you for informing me. But you could have sent me a message, since you have my number."

Grayfia made a show of sighing as she lowered her eyes in shame.

"Unfortunately, my smartphone had a little accident this morning and fell into a toilet I was cleaning as I was performing my duties, and I had not memorized your number. Once again, I am deeply sorry for intruding. Would you mind letting me out of here? If your array has used any consumables to trap me in, I am willing to compensate you for the cost of materials."

Noah grinned.

"Ah, you do not need to worry about this, Grayfia-san. My array didn't use up any consumable. As for letting you out, please be patient a few minutes, I need to make a call."

Before Grayfia could object, he was already leaving the room. She sighed. The fact that Noah didn't release her immediately was a very bad sign. He either didn't believe her, or he wanted to exploit the opportunity to do something to her. Maybe coerce her into signing a soul contract? Although this kind of forceful coercion didn't seem to be his style, as he was more transactional in nature, offering something the other party wanted in compensation. Coercion or blackmail was more something that she could see Venelana-sama or Akeno doing.

A few minutes later, the door opened again, and as if thinking about her Mistress had summoned her, Noah held the door open for Venelana and Rias to enter first. They both froze for an instant as they stared at her.

"Noah, my future son-in-law, would you mind telling me why you have my Chief maid in a cage?" demanded Venelana, turning to him.

"You better have a good excuse." added Rias, frowning.

"I am very sorry, Venelana-sama, this is my fault." hurriedly said Grayfia, offering her explanation of the incident.

When finished, Rias pointed her finger at Noah.

"Noah, why is aunt Grayfia still in that cage? You're being very rude!"

Noah smiled and walked to a nearby table. Several items appeared in his hand, and he placed them on it. Her heart sank as she recognized them, and Venelana inhaled sharply as she identified them as well.

"Grayfia-san, do you recognize those items?"

"I…" she started, wondering if she should deny any knowledge of them or not.

"What are those? Interrupted Rias, slightly irritated at Noah for being ignored.

"Those, my dear Rias, are miniature cameras and microphones, with wi-fi transmitters. My house had been put under surveillance for a while, and I prepared this magic array and cage to catch the culprit when they would come to replace the batteries. And bugging my and some of my girls' bedrooms, really?"

Noah looked at Grayfia with a raised eyebrow, but didn't really look angry at having been spied on.

Rias turned to Grayfia with a shocked expression, but before she could say anything, Venelana cleared her throat.

"This is my fault, Noah, and I'll offer you my deepest apologies for this. When I heard of you making Rias agree to be your Queen in the future, I ordered Grayfia to place you under surveillance, to know what kind of person you were, and if you were connected to the old devil faction or another of our enemies. Can you really blame a mother for worrying about her only child?"

Venelana made puppy eyes at him, leaning slightly forward, and Noah's psyche was dealt a critical hit.

"…I guess not." said Noah, nodding. "I'm not that angry anyway. I was furious when I discovered those things, of course, but I have cooled down since then."

"Still, I am willing to shoulder responsibility for this incident. If you wish for anything as repayment, as long as it is reasonable…"

Grayfia wanted to protest, thinking that Noah would use this opportunity to gain a hold on her Mistress, but she froze when he turned to her instead.

"Grayfia-san, before I let you out, would you mind answering a few questions?"

"That would be the least I can do. Please ask away."

"Who exactly has seen the videos collected by those things?"

"Only I. This was a task that Venelana-sama entrusted to me personally due to its sensitive nature, and none of the content has justified me showing any sample to Venelana-sama."

"And have you kept recordings of it?"

"Only in the temporary apartment I rented in the neighborhood. As soon as I get out, I will destroy them, you have my word." said Grayfia as she relaxed a little. It seemed like this unfortunate day would end without serious consequences. At least, if she didn't count the blow to her reputation of competence, and causing her Mistress to lose face to cover for her. Which were very serious consequences!

"And you had come today only to replace the batteries?" asked Noah.

"No. I had come to remove them, as they were no longer needed. I should have done so before, but your mansion is rarely empty." answered Grayfia.

"You wanted to remove them? All of them?"

"Yes, of course." smoothly lied Grayfia. Deep inside, his last question worried her. It was too specific for comfort, as if he knew something.

"And your surveillance on me was purely for the sake of making sure I wouldn't mistreat Rias and the members of her peerage? You weren't motivated by some, voyeuristic interest, let's say?"

"Of course not, Noah. That would be very improper of me."

"Noah, what kind of questions is that?" scolded Rias. "Please do not insult Aunt Grayfia, or I'll be angry!"

Noah nodded to Rias, and she turned to Grayfia, willing to get her out of the cage herself if she could.

"Grayfia-san, you do not seem to be aware of it, but for the purpose of fighting corruption in the mortal worlds under my responsibility, Lilith made me into a living lie detector. Your last few answers, were lies."

"Eh?" exclaimed Rias, shocked, as she looked at Grayfia.

Grayfia opened her mouth, but couldn't get a word out, and closed it as she got flustered, and shame filled her. She had been found out, and the embarrassment she was bringing to the Gremory household was now intolerable. They would be a laughingstock, if this became known that the attendant of the Head was a voyeuristic pervert.

And Noah, not content with humiliating her to this extend, asked the question she least wanted him to ask.

"Grayfia-san, when you saw me do… adult things, with my girls… did you envy them? Did you want to take their place?"

Grayfia, fearing that he might detect another lie if she claimed she didn't, shook her head.

"And that's another lie." he nodded. "My ability to discern truth from lies isn't limited to speech."

"That… changes a lot of things." sighed Venelana, rubbing her temples with one hand. "Can you get her out, now?"

Noah nodded and took a key from his inventory. Walking to the cage, he opened the door and deactivated the array.

As soon as she stepped out of it, Grayfia's magic power became usable again, and the uncomfortable feeling of weakness she had experienced disappeared. Part of her wanted to erase Noah from existence here and then, in an attempt to cover up the shame she had brought to her household, but she wasn't even certain she was strong enough for that now, and Venelana would be severely disappointed in her. More disappointed. And the disappointment in Rias's eyes when she looked at her made her wilt inside.

Wincing, Grayfia made a deep curtsy to Noah.

"I am very sorry for my inexcusable behavior, Noah. Despite this, can I beg you for a favor? Please, do not let word of my shameful conduct besmirch the honor and reputation of house Gremory."

"Sure. I don't want to do anything that would be detrimental to Rias or her family. I'll forgive you and forget this incident, as long as those recordings never see the light of day." shrugged Noah.

Rias turned to Noah and smiled warmly at him, silently thanking him for his lenience.

"My future son-in-law may have forgiven you, Grayfia, but I'm not going to let you off the hook so easily. You started that surveillance on my instruction, but you should have removed those cameras long ago. You brought shame to me as your Mistress, and Noah still deserves compensation." flatly said Venelana.

"Mother?" asked Rias.

Grayfia winced and bowed to Venelana, in the classic Japanese apologetic stance.

"As you said, Venelana-sama. I am ready to accept punishment."

"You are fired." said Venelana, with an air of finality.

Grayfia flinched and closed her eyes in pain.

"Mother! You can't!" vehemently protested Rias, but she swallowed her next words as Venelana commanded her to stop with a gesture.

"And to compensate Noah for the violation of his privacy, you will become his maid. From now on, he is your Master… Serve him well, just as you have served me well all those years." she added in a soft voice.

Grayfia's pain abruptly lessened as she realized what her Mistress was really doing, and her heart swelled with both regret and gratitude.

"Venelana-sama…" she mumbled, not sure how to put her jumbled feelings into words, but Venelana turned to Noah.

"Noah, could I ask you to lend me your new maid for some time? I would need her to help me train someone to replace her. And of course, she is welcome to visit the Gremory Household at any time. So are you, for that matter."

"Of course, Venelana-sama. As far as I am concerned, Grayfia-san can come visit you as much as she wishes to. And I'll also promise you that I will treasure her and treat her well."

"Perfect, then." nodded Venelana, and she turned to Grayfia.

"Grayfia, come with me, please. We have many things to discuss."

Venelana started a teleportation array, and Grayfia hurriedly stepped inside. She made another curtsy to Noah as they disappeared.

Rias starred at the place they had occupied for a few seconds, then turned to Noah and sighed.

"I could use a hug right now." she said, and Noah wasted no time providing the requested service.

"…Noah, is this one of your schemes?" she asked after a while.

"No. I'm not that good. I spotted the recording devices just after saving sister Griselda and Vasco Strada from Kuusetsu, but instead of getting rid of them, I decided to lay a trap to whoever would come replace the batteries. But I didn't know who the culprit was."

"You didn't lie, right? My aunt really wants to be treated like that, right?"

"I didn't lie." he nodded.

"You will make her happy, right?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"…I don't. Sorry, I don't want to criticize you, but I'm still shocked. I did not see that one coming." nodded Rias.

"Me neither. But I'm quite happy about how things turned out."

"I can imagine. The sixth strongest person of the Devil faction has just been handed over to you, and Grayfia is the devoted type. If you make her fall for you, she will do anything you want."

For several minutes, Noah and Rias just hugged each other, sharing their warmth. Rias had her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She lifted her head and stared at his eyes.

"Noah, will you ever aim at my mother?" she asked, carefully studying his expression.

"…I haven't made a firm decision about that, but I am leaning toward it, yes." he sighed. "Before you blow up, ask yourself this. Are you prepared to see your mother eventually grow old, and finally pass away, when I could easily have prevented it?"

Rias stared at him for a few more seconds before she sighed.

"…That is something I have thought about many times already, since you told me you could make your lovers immortal... I know that eventually, I will ask you to make my mom immortal, too. But give me more time to get used to the idea, okay?"

"Sure. I am willing to wait for years if you wish. You mother isn't going to pass away anytime soon, so I will patiently wait."

Rias nodded slowly and put her head on his chest again.

"…It's going to be so weird, having Aunt Grayfia and Mother in my man's harem."

Noah laughed softly.

"…I will tell you a secret, to make you feel better about it. What do you think is the next big ability I'm aiming for, now I have reached the shared immortality milestone?"

"…I don't know. Enhancing your ability to create items?"

"Well, there's that, but I see it more a necessary expenditure, to be invested in as little as I can get away with while on the path to that next big skill. I'll try to reach the peak of Item Creation after this big milestone… It's Resurrection, Rias. Within one to two months, at the current rate, I'll be able to revive people, for a price in Yin Points."

Rias broke the hug and stared at him in shock, her mouth gaping. Noah smiled as he lifted six fingers.

"Kensei Amagiri, the childhood friend that Hisui, Rui, Claire and Alice wanted me to resurrect as payment for becoming my maids for three years. Shuri, Akeno's mother. Fujimai, the mother of Koneko and Kuroka. Kyouka's parents. Claire's mother, Cleria Belial. That's already six people and I promised myself I would bring back. And of those six, I intend for Shuri and Fujimai to become mine eventually."

"So, you see? You won't be the only girl in my harem weirded out by having to share their man with their moms."

"Is that supposed to make you look like less of a pervert?" she asked sarcastically. "But still, if you can revive Shuri and Fujimai… Akeno, Kuroka and Koneko will be over the moon!"

"Do not tell them. I want for that to be a surprise. And it would be cruel to have them wait eagerly for months."

Rias nodded. "Of course. But I want to be there when they meet. That would be a memory to treasure."

"I'm okay with it… Should I bring you back home?"

"…Yeah. Thanks, Noah. I'm looking forward to seeing them reunite with their mothers." smiled Rias as she took his hand.

"So do I, Rias. So do I." said Noah, as they teleported away.