Tomorrow did end up arriving.
The rhythm of the week broke, and the weekend settled in quietly over Kuoh. The academy grounds were empty, the usual noise replaced by a calm stillness that felt almost unfamiliar.
Silas had originally made plans with Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima, but those plans were quickly postponed.
For the classic training ARC.
Rias's peerage had retreated to a large mansion tucked deep within the mountains, far from the public eye. The air there was cooler, thinner, carrying the scent of pine and earth.
It was the kind of place meant for focus, where there was no distractions. Where one could simply focus on combat drills, strategy, endurance, and most importantly growth.
Outside, the sounds of training echoed faintly, explosions of demonic energy, the clash of weapons, commands being shouted and followed without hesitation.
Inside, Silas sat in the lounge completely unbothered.
The room itself was spacious and elegant, with large windows overlooking the forested slopes. Sunlight filtered in, casting long shadows across the polished floor. A television played quietly in front of him, some random program he wasn't even fully paying attention to.
He leaned back into the couch, one arm draped lazily over the backrest.
While everyone else trained, he didn't bother. There was nothing here for him to gain to be honest.
'Wish Grayfia was here,' he thought idly. 'At least she'd entertain me.'
As if the world decided to respond to that exact thought, a magic circle formed in the center of the room.
It spun silently, glowing with a pale blue light before stabilizing and from it she stepped out.
Grayfia Lucifuge. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.
Where the room had been warm, it now felt… colder. Not physically, but in presence. She stood there for a moment, silver hair falling neatly down her back, her maid uniform pristine as always. Her eyes scanned the room once, taking in every detail.
Then they landed on him.
"Good morning," she said, voice calm and composed as she walked forward.
Silas didn't move from his position, only shifting his gaze toward her. "Good morning to you too. What brings you here?"
Grayfia stopped and took a seat on the couch opposite him, posture straight, hands resting neatly on her lap.
"I was sent to ask questions about you," she said. "Surely you didn't think you could continue living here normally after what you did to Riser Phenex."
Silas let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "I'm going to act like I didn't hear that."
Silence followed.
They stared at each other. It was the kind of silence where both sides were measuring the other and neither gave anything away.
Silas tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharpening just a fraction. "Tell me the real reason you're here. I know you wouldn't come this far simply because of Riser."
Grayfia closed her eyes briefly, as if organizing her thoughts. Then opened them again.
"Well," she said calmly, "I am here for that reason. But not only that."
A small pause.
"Since I already know you don't plan on returning to the Underworld with me…" she continued, her tone unchanged, "I have a few questions I would like to ask—if you don't mind answering."
Her eyes locked onto his. This was an investigation.
' I knew this day would come soon enough,' he thought to himself.
He didn't reply to her. Instead, he simply stood up and began walking. " I'm not a fan of interviews. Unless the interviewer is half naked," he said as he headed for the door.
Shhhrkkk—
Suddenly, the door in front of him froze over, a thin layer of ice spreading across it in an instant. He paused, then turned back. The windows and every other exit were frozen solid as well.
He glanced to his side, seeing Grayfia now standing there, her expression calm, almost unreadable.
" I wasn't suggesting," she said.
" You were though. If you weren't, you wouldn't have said that in the end," Silas replied.
Her eyes twitched slightly, her lips forming a faint frown, which only made him smile a little.
" Honestly, you couldn't dream of handling even a percentage of my power, Grayfia," Silas said.
Water began to gather beneath his feet, seeping across the floor as the mat slowly soaked it in. The thin ice sealing the door cracked, then melted away completely.
He opened the door and walked out without another glance.
" I'll answer your questions if you help Rias and her crew get stronger for the fight," he added, his voice casual as he continued down the hall.
Grayfia remained where she was, her gaze lingering on the floor. Even the frost clinging to the windows had melted, leaving faint trails of water behind.
' I didn't even feel his energy rise for a moment. Yet he did this… he might be even more dangerous than I thought,' she thought.
She walked over to the window, looking out.
Silas stood off to the side, watching them train, hands in his pockets, completely at ease.
She paused for a moment, then decided ' Since I did come here for answers, might as well comply.'
...
Grayfia complied. From the moment she arrived, the entire atmosphere of the training shifted. What had been intense before became structured and structured.
She corrected stances with a glance, adjusted techniques with a few words, and demonstrated control that made even experienced devils pause.
Under her guidance, progress accelerated.
Issei in particular showed noticeable improvement. His movements became sharper, his reactions faster, his control over his power stabilizing far earlier than it normally would have.
Even he could feel the difference, though he didn't fully understand why.
The rest of the peerage wasn't far behind. Their coordination improved. Their teamwork tightened. Small mistakes that would've gone unnoticed before were immediately corrected.
It was… abnormal and everyone felt it. When night finally came and training wrapped up, exhaustion settled over the group, but so did a sense of progress.
That's when Grayfia spoke.
"I will remain until Sunday," she said calmly. "There are still things that require refinement."
The room went quiet for a second. That alone was shocking. Rias blinked.
This wasn't normal, last she checked, her family, especially someone like Grayfia , didn't involve themselves in her affairs like this.
Slowly, her gaze shifted toward Silas. He sat there casually, as if none of this concerned him, completely at ease.
' …This definitely happened because of him,' she thought.
She didn't ask and just Let It Happen.
[A/N: TAME IMPALA MENTIONED!!]
After dinner, the group dispersed toward the bath areas. Voices filled the hallways.
Silas walked toward the men's section, a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, shoulders relaxed after the long day of doing absolutely nothing.
He was just about to enter, when a hand grabbed his wrist. He was pulled sideways before he could react.
By none other than, Akeno.
"Well," Silas said dryly, not even resisting as she dragged him along, "I didn't expect this."
"Hmm," Akeno hummed, glancing back at him with a teasing smile. "You don't sound very excited. I thought you'd be itching to spy on us."
"Please," he replied, unimpressed. "I'm not that pervert Issei."
She giggled softly. "Yes, you're right about that." A brief pause. "You're worse."
Silas stopped walking for half a second. Then slowly turned his head toward her.
He looked at her with a nlank expression. This might've been the first time someone had offended him so much.
Akeno looked at him, then burst out laughing.
"I'm joking," she said, clearly amused by his reaction. "Now hurry up. I have a surprise for you."
She tugged his arm again, continuing down the hallway without giving him a chance to question it.
Silas let out a quiet breath, allowing himself to be pulled along.
' This better be worth it, ' he thought.
Because knowing Akeno
"Surprise" could mean anything.
TO BE CONTINUED