Chapter 7: A Meeting Gift From Mother!
In the living room of the Gremory mansion, a large group had gathered.
Tiamat, with her pair of large horns, sat there. In front of her were plates of beautiful snacks and freshly brewed tea.
On one side, Rias stood with an extremely cautious attitude, resembling a shy daughter-in-law. After learning that Tiamat was indeed Akira's mother, Rias felt immense regret. She felt she had acted way out of line by speaking that way to her future mother-in-law.
Afterward, she had invited Tiamat out with the utmost respect. She served tea and snacks, waiting on her hand and foot.
"Is that really Rias?"
Akeno watched the scene with total shock. As the daughter of the Gremory family and the young mistress of the house, Rias had never done anything like this before. In the Underworld, the class hierarchy among the devil race was very strict, especially for pure-blooded families.
"Yes, that is definitely Buchou."
Koneko nodded beside her. However, her usually expressionless small face also showed clear signs of surprise.
At that moment, Akira walked in. Seeing the scene, he felt speechless. The 'before and after' difference was just too vast.
"Akira-kun, what happened? What's with Rias, and who is that person?"
Akeno asked Akira. Someone who could make Rias serve them so cautiously definitely couldn't be an ordinary person.
Not only Akeno, but Koneko, Asia, Xenovia, and Rossweisse were also burning with curiosity. Especially Rossweisse; her goal in joining Rias's peerage was to get closer to Akira, so she paid much more attention to him.
"Oh, that's my mother. She arrived this morning. Rias misunderstood and thought she was a new lover, so there was a bit of unpleasantness. Now Rias is trying her best to make up for it."
"Akira-kun's mother?"
"Really?"
"Huh?"
In an instant, everyone was stunned. They looked at the seated Tiamat, then back at Akira. Their appearances didn't look alike at all. Were they really mother and son?
However, they quickly brushed that thought aside.
Akeno was the first to walk over. Since she was Akira's mother, she was also her mother. She felt she had to serve her well and couldn't let Rias be the only one making a good impression.
"Mother, how do you find it? If it's not to your taste, I can change it for you."
"It's very delicious. Rias, you should sit down too."
"It's alright, standing is fine for me."
"I see."
If Venelana were here right now, she would surely suffer a massive emotional wound. Even she, as the biological mother, had never received this kind of treatment.
"Mother, good afternoon."
"Hmm?"
Akeno approached and greeted Tiamat, drawing her attention.
Seeing this, Rias narrowed her eyes slightly. She realized her best friend's thoughts were exactly the same as hers.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
"I am Himejima Akeno, Akira-kun's lover."
"Are you also Akira's partner? Wonderful, then you are also my child."
"Mother."
"Good girl."
Looking at Akeno, Tiamat's face broke into a smile.
Akeno felt incredibly happy about this. Her future mother-in-law seemed very easy to get along with and kind-hearted. Rias, standing nearby, felt a twinge of jealousy because she hadn't received the same warm reaction. Even though Tiamat acknowledged Rias as her child, Tiamat didn't seem quite as happy as she did when facing Akeno.
The reason for Tiamat's change in attitude was simple.
It was because Akeno had belonged to Akira for a long time. After Akira returned, he had visited Akeno that very night. Since they hadn't seen each other for over a year, Akira had been very eager. Because of that, Akeno's body carried a very strong scent of Akira.
In contrast, Rias's relationship with Akira was still relatively distant. Their bond was limited to mutual attraction, and Rias was still a virgin.
As a "mother," Tiamat cared most about children. She loved children dearly. She doted on her son because she was the Mother of Life and the Mother of Fertility. For Tiamat, procreating and nurturing offspring were of the utmost importance.
Therefore, toward her son's partner who had already reached that stage of a relationship, she naturally showed a bit of favoritism.
"Hello, I am Toujou Koneko, the senior's junior."
"I am Asia, Akira-sama's nun."
"My name is Xenovia, I am Akira's lover."
"I am Rossweisse, his Valkyrie."
Everyone gathered around. As women, they all had a very good first impression of Tiamat, who radiated a powerful motherly aura. Plus, the fact that she was Akira's mother made them pay even more attention.
"Good, you are all good children."
Seeing so many "children," Tiamat smiled. She loved children more than anything; no matter how many there were, she would never mind.
In the distance, two figures stood awkwardly. They were Kiba Yuuto and Gasper—one a handsome knight and the other a boy who looked like a girl. Since they were both male, they didn't dare intrude on this "Mother-in-law and Daughters-in-law" meeting.
Akira watched the scene with a smile on his face.
A mother who had once been betrayed by her children was now gaining new ones. As a mother, this was the best gift possible.
"Very well, you are all good children. Kingu once said that if I met Akira's partners, I should give them a meeting gift. I don't have any physical items, so I will grant you all a bit of 'power'."
As she spoke, she raised her hand. A shimmer of mana appeared, then exploded in the air, merging into each of their bodies.
In an instant, the mana within the girls' bodies began to surge.
Rias's power immediately shattered her limits, reaching the late stages of an Ultimate-Class Devil. Although there was still a small distance to true perfection, this gift had just saved her a massive amount of cultivation time.
Not just Rias, but Akeno's power also broke through, reaching the mid-stages of an Ultimate-Class Devil—only one level below Rias.
Koneko, Xenovia, and Rossweisse all reached the level of High-Class Devils.
With just a single meeting gift, the strength of Rias and the others had increased exponentially. If they were to play a Rating Game against Sona Sitri again, their victory would be certain.
Rias and the others stared at Tiamat with eyes full of awe. Tiamat really was Akira's mother.
Akira himself was a monster with an insane rate of growth. His mother was even more extraordinary; she could boost their power instantly with just a flick of her wrist. They really were a mother-and-son pair at the level of monsters.
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