Ch 67: You aren’t worthy.

"Thanks for your help, Noah." smiled Akeno.

"You're welcome. I'd feel uncomfortable if I just watched you girls work while I just sat on my hands."

Noah had helped Akeno and Yuuto set up tables and tea utensils for over twenty-five people.

Rias, Suzu and Koneko were in the kitchen, where they were unpacking and plating a few cakes and snacks.

"That is nice to hear. That person would think that helping is beneath him."

Noah didn't need to ask who she was referring to.

Even though Akeno referred to Riser, the large cardboard box sitting in a corner of the room flinched a little. The person busy cosplaying Solid Snake's cardboard box, Gasper Vladi, was so shy that he flinched whenever Noah looked at him, and had barely managed an answer when Noah and Suzu had politely introduced themselves.

"I noticed we're using commercial tea today. Is it because there are too many people?"

Akeno chuckled as she shook her head.

"No. I just do not want him to taste tea that I brewed myself, and Buchou allowed my selfishness. In fact, she agreed with me, and that is also why we won't serve any homemade snacks as well."

Akeno and Yuuto often referred to Rias as 'Buchou', as was the official Japanese name for referring to a club president, and all members of Rias's peerage in Kuoh Academy also belonged to the Occult Research Club. It was their cover to hang together after class.

Noah nodded, making a show of being a little sad.

"Ara ara, is it disappointment I see on your face, Noah?" teased Akeno.

"Well, I'd love to see you perform the actual tea ceremony, one day."

"How about you visit my shrine sometime next week? I'll brew some tea for you personally, and in return, make me a few clothes?"

"I guess I could be convinced, on the condition that you would also model those clothes for me. You know, to see how well they fit you, and if I should recreate them to adjust their size…"

"Ufufu, I'll start selecting cute designs tonight, then."

"I look forward to it!"

Akeno was neither blind nor stupid and knew that Noah was interested in both her and Rias. And she wasn't immune to his own charm, either. But she wasn't going to make it easy for him. She wanted to test him and make certain of his character before she would consider something like dating him.

Suzu, Koneko and Rias came from the kitchen, carrying plates full of snacks, and placed them on the long table.

"The preparations are done. Thank you for your help, everyone." said Rias.

She smiled bravely, but Noah could see the tension in her eyes.

"Don't mention it. We are your team, and we have your back." shrugged Noah.

"Yeah, thanks."

"By the way, is this one of those official meetings where I'll need to call you Rias-sama?"

"Ah, no, there no need to do that today. This isn't an official…"

Her words trailed off as a magic formation appeared in the empty space they had kept free specifically for that purpose, and Grayfia appeared.

"Good day, everyone." she said with an elegant curtsy.

"Hello, aunt Grayfia." replied Rias. Noah and everyone else greeted Grayfia in turn.

"Now that we're waiting for them, can you tell us what this is about, aunt Grayfia?" asked Rias, unable to keep her tension from her voice entirely.

"Rias-sama, it is as you guessed. This meeting is to discuss the possibility of your engagement to Riser Phenex."

"No." said Rias flatly.

"That is your mother's order, Rias-sama. She hasn't made a firm decision on your groom yet, but she has decided that you will be engaged by the end of the year. You have duties to the Gremory house, Rias-sama."

"It is for me to decide who I want to marry! And what's so bad about taking my time to choose the right person?"

Grayfia sympathized with Rias, but she kept it from showing in her expression.

"Rias-sama, you have lived a pampered life, thanks to you being born in this family. But your mother will not allow you to be selfish much longer. The Phenex house has brought a lot of pressure on her, and uniting the two families by marriage would benefit us."

Noah frowned as he carefully observed Grayfia. Something in her body language was slightly off, and he had a sneaky suspicion that she was watching him using her peripheral vision and speaking for his benefit just as much as Rias's.

"…Grayfia-san… Has Venelana-sama's decision something to do with Rias agreeing to be my Queen in the future?"

Grayfia slightly turned to face him squarely and dropped all pretenses.

"That is correct. Venelana-sama instructed me to leak this information. Riser Phenex is trying to secure his position as Rias-sama's fiancé before anyone else does."

"But why?" complained Rias.

"To test me, I guess." shrugged Noah. "I never met Venelana-sama, and it makes sense that she would be suspicious of me and would want to test me, to be sure I am worthy of being your King in the future."

"I am relieved that you understand, Noah-san." nodded Grayfia.

"I knew something like this would happen eventually. You even warned us back in the Headmaster's office. It's likely going to end up with a rating game."

"…You seem quite nonchalant about it. Riser Phenex recently became a high-class devil, and his peerage has won most of the rating games he took part on. I suggest you do not underestimate him."

"We won't, if it comes to that." said Rias, frowning.

"And speaking of the devil…" commented Grayfia as another magic array, significantly larger and yellow colored, appeared.

Sixteen people teleported in the living room, one young man and fifteen girls ranging in age from teen to mature. The man, Riser Phenex, had short, somewhat spiky blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and was dressed in a burgundy suit and white shirt. The shirt was unbuttoned enough to show off part of his chest. He looked like a host in a club.

Noah remembered a lot of the peerage members from the novel, although few had left any significant impression on him. The two youngest were twins, and fought in rating games using chainsaws, of all things. They were quite sadistic and bloodthirsty, too. The Queen was dressed like a stereotypical jrpg female villain and used explosion magic. One girl had Chinese hair buns on each side of her head. Two more were Nekomata siblings. Two were dressed with skimpy maid uniforms, contrasting with another one whose body was covered from the neck down by a formal kimono.

Most of them held little interest to Noah, aside from the one with the kimono that he found cute, the staff user, and the last one, a dignified blonde with two side tails, tied with red ribbons and ending in drills, and large, deep blue eyes. She was dressed in a frilly and modest crimson dress.

Noah knew she was Ravel Phenex, Riser younger sister. Temporarily placed into her brother's peerage for her to gain experience or something. However, it was clear that Lilith had made a few changes, because this Ravel was an full-fledged adult, and had the face and the curves to prove it.

It was a little bit of a pity, as Noah had looked forward to seeing Ravel and Koneko bicker with each other. But he wasn't going to look down on Lilith's gift and thanked her mentally.

"Hello, and Welcome to the Gremory household." said Akeno with a polite bow, her expression carefully neutral. As Rias's Queen, one of her roles was to act as her representative to welcome visitors.

"Hi, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Grayfia-san, and… the others." replied Riser with a confident smile, conveying his lack of interest for the male members of Rias's peerage. He seemed to make a point of not looking at Noah's direction.

Rias didn't answer him, staring coldly at her wannabe-fiancé.

"Please take a seat, everyone." invited Akeno with a fake smile as she gestured to the table.

The places had been assigned in advance, and Rias sat at the end of the long table. Akeno would sit on her right when she was done serving tea to everyone, and Grayfia on her left. Riser sat beside Grayfia, with Noah sitting beside Akeno, right in front of Raiser. Suzu, Yuuto, the living cardboard box and Koneko were on Noah's left, while Riser's peerage lined up on the other side of the table, starting with the Queen, Yubelluna, then Ravel.

Akeno served tea to everyone without a word, then took her own seat, and that was the signal for the start of the conversation.

"Thank you for the tea, Akeno." said Riser, failing to hide his glance at Akeno's chest.

"You're welcome." replied Akeno, still hiding her feeling behind a fake smile.

"I look forward to tasting it every day."

"Not going to happen." coldly said Rias, and Riser only smiled.

"Come on, Rias. My wife's peerage will also belong to me by extension. Of course, I'll have Akeno serve me more of that delicious tea every day. Although, a few changes will be necessary, since I can't have men around my women."

Riser looked at Noah at last, and to Yuuto and the cardboard box to a smaller extent. He seemed already confident that no one would stop him.

And Noah smiled at Riser.

"Riser Phenex, I have heard a lot about you. You won many rating games, and your ability to heal almost instantly from any wound truly is worthy of the legendary beast associated with your house's name. You are admired by many of the young devils who know about you."

The members of Riser's peerage nodded in approval, while Rias, Akeno and the others stared at him in confusion.

"Eh, you know your stuff. But if you think buttering me up will make me change my mind and let you stay in my wife's peerage, you are wasting your time."

"That isn't my goal at all. Consider this simply as me giving credit where credit is due. But would you mind answering a few minor questions? I am concerned about my King, and I would be relieved if you answered them to my satisfaction."

"Then ask away." snorted Riser.

"How long have you known Rias?"

"I met her… about seven years ago."

"I see. You've had more than long enough to do your homework, then. When is her birthday?" smiled Noah.

"Huh?" Raiser froze. Long seconds passed before he gave up on trying to answer.

"It's… I do not remember right now. Why are you asking this?"

"It's April 9th. What is her favorite kind of cuisine?"

"…It's French cuisine."

"Wrong. It's Japanese cuisine. What is Rias's favorite color?"

Riser glanced a second at Rias, who was wearing a blue dress that day, of a shade similar to the color of her eyes.

"Blue."

"It's crimson red, like the color of her hair. What does Rias do when she's depressed?"

"How would I know?"

"She invites Akeno or her friend Sona and go shopping. Rias has a phobia of one animal. Which one is it?"

"…dogs?"

"Camels. Because she was bitten by one when she was younger. And that's understandable. Have you ever seen the inside of a camel's mouth? That's the stuff of nightmares. They can eat cactuses, needles and all, without hurting themselves. But back to my questions. What is Rias's favorite hobby?"

"It's…  That's enough with your questions!" suddenly ranted Riser, starting to become angry. Rias and Akeno were looking at Noah with wide eyes, shocked. Grayfia was nodding to herself, as she started to understand that Noah was using his knowledge of Rias both to promote himself in her eyes, and to insult Riser in such a way that no one would really be able to call him rude.

"She likes to relax by reading while drinking tea. Her favorite styles of music are classic and folk. She dislikes humidity because it makes it harder for her to care for her hair. She has a habit of touching the cheeks of people she finds cute. She likes gardening, cooking, handcraft, and video games. She has a driving license, owns multiple cars, and her favorites are a red saloon and a red convertible. She is a big Japanophile."

"So, why have I asked you all those questions? I have met Rias only two weeks ago, but I already know  more about her than you do. Those questions only cover basic knowledge that anyone pretending to be a boyfriend or fiancé should be able to answer about their significant other. And yet, you can't answer any of them. It makes me wonder, can you even answer all of those questions about the members of your own peerage?"

Riser opened and closed his mouth, his face going red, as the faces of his peerage members reddened in embarrassment as they looked at each other. They all knew that their Master would only be able to answer a handful of those questions about them, at best. Except for Ravel, he had never even celebrated any of their birthdays.

Noah wasn't quite done, and his voice was getting gradually colder as he went.

"You can't answer those, because when you look at Rias, you only see a pretty body, and maybe her status as the heir of the Gremory house. When I look at her, I see her gorgeous body and face, of course, but also the girl behind the exterior. I see her kindness and temperament. I see all of her, with her qualities, her dreams, her flaws and her insecurities."

"You, Riser Phenex, are unworthy. Unworthy of having anyone as a girlfriend, and especially unworthy of someone as exceptional as Rias. I do not give a crap about your achievements in the rating game. You fail completely at a more fundamental level. You fail as a person."

"A failure." nodded Suzu, staring at Riser with cold eyes.

"You! Who the hell do you think you are, to scold me like that? Die!" Riser was so furious that he forgot where he was, and he threw a small fireball at Noah's face.

Noah was prepared and was about to open a Hole to absorb the fireball, when the flames froze midair and harmlessly fell on the table.

"There will be no violence tolerated." warned Grayfia.  "If you cannot settle your differences with words, I suggest you do it during a rating game."

"…Yes, that… Rias, I challenge you to a rating game!"

"And why should my King accept? There's no benefit to our side." stated Noah, looking at Riser in derision.

"What do you mean?" asked Grayfia as she frowned.

"Assuming we do that Rating game, if Rias and her peerage loses, the peerage will lose half of its members, since Riser made no secret of wanting me, Gasper and Yuuto expelled. And she will be forcibly engaged to him. But if Riser loses, he suffers no consequences, compared to the current situation. Does that seem fair and balanced, Grayfia-san?"

"You have a point. What do you suggest, then?"

"That in the event of Rias's winning, a few members of Riser Phenex's peerage be transferred to her own. I'd suggest three, since that's the number of people Riser wanted to expel from Rias's peerage, and he also stands to win Rias, Akeno and Koneko-chan out of it."

"It does sound reasonable." slowly nodded Grayfia, reevaluating her opinion of Noah once again. Even knowing his more calculating side, she had been moved when he exposed his knowledge of Rias, and agreed with his opinion that Riser was unworthy of her 'niece'. Or anyone, for that matter. For a second, she tried to picture a maid being that ignorant of her master's personality or preferences and was disgusted by the idea. Such an unprofessional maid should be fired in short order. But Noah was using the situation to try to get his hands, however indirectly, on more girls, and she would be very surprised if he didn't attempt to make Ravel Phenex part of the deal. It would give him access to the Phenex house.

"It's… why would I…" started Riser.

"It's fine! I'm willing to take up that bet." suddenly said Ravel.

"Ravel?" asked Riser, stunned.

"He is right, Onii-sama. If you challenge someone, the terms of the duel should be fair. Our House would be ridiculed if rumors started to spread that we are afraid of fair bets." pointed out Ravel.

The other members of Riser's peerage nodded or voiced their approval, confident that they would prevail anyway. They had a full roster, while Rias's peerage was not even at half-strength, and had not participated in any rating game yet.

Rias, who had been moved by Noah's knowledge of herself and the conclusion of his little speech, shook herself. Noah had given her a rope to get out of this hole. All she needed to do was seize it, and place her trust in him.

"So, what will it be, Riser? You can challenge me to a rating game, and if we win, your sister Ravel as well as two other members of my choosing will become members of my peerage. If we lose, I won't object to the engagement anymore, won't become Noah's Queen, and I'll part with Noah, Yuuto and Gasper. I'll transfer them to Sona or something. If you refuse, you can leave, and never say a word to anyone ever again about becoming my fiancé." she said firmly.

"You think you can convince me to back off that easily? I accept!"

"The duel will happen in three weeks and will be public." decided Grayfia. "I will make the preparations."

"Yes, aunt Grayfia. We'll be ready."

Since the decision they had come for had been made, Riser, being certain of his victory, didn't want to stay any longer. He gestured with one hand, and all members of his peerage gathered around him.

"I hope we will face each other during the rating game." He said to Noah, his eyes promising cruelty and vengeance, before they all disappeared.

"I will take my leave as well. Good evening, everyone." said Grayfia, finishing her cup of tea and leaving her chair.

"Yes, goodbye, aunt Grayfia." replied Rias. Noah and the others said goodbye, too, and she teleported away.

"…Noah, please come with me." said Rias.

Without looking at him, she left the reception room.

"Ufufu, I wish I could be a fly on the wall" grinned Akeno as Noah followed Rias.

Rias slowed down to let Noah shorten the distance and entered her bedroom. It was a large room with shelves full of mangas and books. On a corner was a television with a few game consoles under it. A few plushies around the bed and pink carpets added a feminine touch to it.

Noah barely registered those details, as his attention was on the blushing redhead facing him.

"What you said, do you really mean it?" she finally asked, staring straight into his eyes.

Noah was for an instant tempted to tease her by speaking about every single thing he said save the one thing she was really interested about, but changed his mind. Now wasn't a time for teasing.

"About me wanting you, as Rias the girl, not Rias the heiress, and not Rias the pretty exterior? Absolutely. I think I have started developing an interest in you when my goddess told me about Akeno being pursued by the Himejima clan, and how you took her under your wing and treated her like a sister. How could I not, really? I have a soft spot for kind girls. And I want you, Rias. All of you." he said softly.

"How did you learn so much about me? I remember mentioning my birthday and my cars to you, but…"

"Akeno, Koneko-chan and Yuuto told me some. Suzu told me more about you, although I specifically asked her not to reveal any of your secrets. And a few things, I knew from Lilith. It wasn't a coincidence, for you to meet Suzu that night, barely a minute or two after Lilith sent her in that parking lot. She made sure we would meet, one day."

"…I'm not sure how I feel about a mysterious goddess acting behind the scenes... I'm not sure how I feel about anything at all, right now." admitted Rias, blushing.

"Rias, how about we take things one step at a time? Let's focus on defeating Riser for now." suggested Noah.

"…Yes, you're right." nodded Rias, smiling. She opened the door, silently inviting him to leave. But when he passed her by, she suddenly hugged him tightly from behind.

None of them said anything for a while, as Noah simply put his hands above hers and gently rubbed with his thumbs.

"…Thank you, for giving me the time I need to sort out my feelings. I appreciate a lot what you did today."

"…And I do appreciate your trust in me, Rias. One way or another, I won't let Riser get his hands on you. I will defend you to the end."

"Yeah." Rias sighed and broke the hug. "Let's return to the others, we need to make plans."

Akeno was grinning and doing "Ufufu" sounds as she saw them come back, while Yuuto, Koneko and Suzu were smiling. Gasper was hard to read, as the shy half-human, half-vampire was still hiding in his cardboard box.

"Buchou, have you decided which members of Riser's harem you intend to obtain, after we defeat them?"

"Ravel Phenex is a given. With her bloodline magic, she is likely the one with the greatest potential, and including her in the peerage will be an opportunity to smooth out our relationship with her family. For the other two… I have no real preference. Noah, this is your scheme, so I'd like to hear your opinion."

Noah rubbed his chin. "Well, this is your peerage, so you get to decide, and I won't presume to having any right to choose for you. But if you want my opinion… I do not know about their individual potential, so if I were to judge only on their cuteness or assumed battle style and compatibility… I'd choose the girl with the Chinese bums and the one with the staff. Martial artists in general would likely become more rounded fighters once provided with sacred gears. And they tend to already have the discipline to train seriously. But whoever you choose, Rias, I advise you to use some of your pawn pieces, not your remaining knight piece."

"Why?" asked Rias.

"Because you have a lot of better potential candidates for that spot. I'm thinking about any of the girls we did shopping with earlier, or even Kaede, when Suzu and I eventually reunite with her. I don't think she'd object joining, with me and her sister already part of your peerage."

"Yes, Sis would join us." nodded Suzu.

"I have no objection to Noah's suggestion." said Rias. "For the match, our biggest hurdle will likely be Riser's and Ravel's immortality. If they keep regenerating endlessly…"

Noah listened carefully, not revealing that he already had a way to deal with it. Trying to find a solution to this issue would be an opportunity for Rias to grow, and maybe she would manage to come up with something completely different from his method.