Rod did not think too much about it, though.
There would be plenty of opportunities in the future anyway.
"So, what's your name? I'm Serafall Leviathan, the Leviathan Maou of the Underworld, but you can call me Levi-tan too~"
As she spoke, Serafall even tilted her head and flashed a V-sign.
"Rod, Levi-tan."
Rod gave a slight nod.
He might not have much integrity, but he was not so unrestrained that he would bounce around like Serafall.
At least in front of other people, Rod still felt he was a fairly steady and composed person.
But the moment she heard him address her like that, Serafall's eyes lit up at once.
"Huh? You actually called me that?!"
"I really like that nickname, and I've told lots of people they can call me Levi-tan, but they always replace it with something formal instead. You're the first person who's actually called me that!"
Just over a simple form of address, Serafall's impression of Rod improved greatly.
"Big Sister, if you insist on calling yourself a Maou, then this outfit is far too strange! As a Maou, cosplaying a character from a human-world anime is completely inappropriate!"
Although Serafall was delighted, Sona felt thoroughly humiliated.
What was more, a Maou represented the face of the Underworld.
All she felt was that her big sister had completely thrown away the dignity and prestige of being a Maou.
"Huh? Why say that? This outfit is actually pretty popular in this country."
"It's not popular at all. You're remembering it wrong, Big Sister!"
"All right, then. But I still like it. Oh, right, little Rod, why are you still wearing sunglasses indoors?"
"There's a bit of a problem with my eyes."
Rod answered without changing expression.
Mm.
The kind of problem where, if there were beautiful girls with great figures nearby, his eyes would automatically lock on.
To keep other people from thinking he was not steady and respectable, Rod could only make himself wear sunglasses.
"Oh, that sounds amazing! Is it some kind of eye technique or something?"
Serafall widened her eyes in surprise.
"Maybe."
Rod did not deny it. He only wanted to get past this topic as quickly as possible.
"Then it should be my turn now, Serafall. As little Rias's older brother, I ought to thank Mr. Rod as well."
Sirzechs spoke in a gentle manner, his eyes full of appreciation as he looked at Rod.
As a Maou, he was capable of employing people according to their ability, and in his eyes, Rod was precisely the sort of rare talent one did not come across easily.
But he also understood very clearly,
If Rod had still not joined any faction after coming this far, and had instead continued to maintain his identity as a human, then that meant he had principles of his own.
Much as Sirzechs wanted to recruit him into the Underworld, he would not raise the matter himself.
"Brother, could you please stop putting 'little' in front of my name?"
Rias arched her brows and glared at Sirzechs, looking deeply dissatisfied.
But seeing Rias so angry, Sirzechs instead looked like he had suffered a terrible blow.
"How could this be? Little Rias, back then you used to follow behind me all the time, calling 'Brother, Brother' without end. Wherever I went, you would follow. I see now, so you've entered your rebellious phase at sixteen?"
"That's enough, Brother! That was all in the past! I don't remember any of it!"
Rias's face turned bright red. If Sirzechs had not been both her older brother and a Maou, she probably would have hit someone by now.
But just then, Sirzechs suddenly raised a camera and snapped a photo of her.
"Oh my, it's so rare for little Rias to show an expression like that. I got a great picture. Before I came, Father and Mother specifically told me to take a few more photos of little Rias to bring back. Now I can finally report back to them."
Sirzechs looked completely satisfied.
And his earlier teasing had clearly been half deliberate.
"Honestly, Brother!"
Rias really did not know what to do with him.
As Sirzechs's younger sister, she knew perfectly well that her brother's personality in private was quite lively and far less serious than he appeared on the surface.
Being teased by him was a common occurrence for her.
At that moment, Akeno, sitting on Rod's other side, suddenly murmured softly, "Actually, of the Maou I've seen, all of them are quite interesting people. But their brothers and sisters are all very serious in personality. I think it must be because the more free-spirited, outgoing siblings became Maou, so the others had no choice but to act a little more proper."
"That's why Rias was like that before too. She's always been trying very hard because of it."
"She really has been trying hard. She's just been trying in the wrong direction."
Rod knew exactly why Akeno was putting in a good word for Rias at a time like this.
Apparently, somewhere in her heart, she felt his impression of Rias was not especially high.
As expected of a good best friend, she had even thought of that much.
But Rod's impression of Rias was not actually bad. Other than putting effort into the wrong things and being too obsessed with dignity, she was pretty good in every other regard.
"Hehe, seeing little Rias living so happily in the human world puts my mind at ease."
After taking the photo, Sirzechs put the camera away, then looked at Rod.
"Because we came so suddenly, I didn't prepare any gift."
"You're too courteous. I only did it on a whim."
"But the fact remains that you saved Rias. In accordance with Father's wishes, we've marked out a piece of land from the Gremory territory as payment for your intervention. The area isn't large, probably only about the size of Kyoto, but the castle and other facilities are all complete, and there are servants there managing it every day."
"Since you're being so sincere about it, then I'll gratefully accept."
Sirzechs: "..."
What happened to that lofty integrity he was supposed to have?
But he also knew that Rod's identity was that of a free mercenary.
Granting him a noble title would not really suit that status, while simply giving him money would be too crude, so the only option was to give him land.
For the Gremory clan, money and land had never been a problem. The clan still had a vast stretch of uninhabited primeval forest in its territory, so cutting off one piece of it would not hurt in the slightest.
Afterward, Serafall also expressed the Sitri clan's thanks to Rod and likewise gave him a piece of land.
Rod did not refuse. He accepted it all with a smile.
He was not like those people who loved acting noble and pretending to be above worldly things, refusing this and that. If something was his to take, he would definitely take it. And if it was not his to take, but useful, then he would still think of a way to get his hands on it.
After several rounds of wine and food, as the gathering was nearing its end, Sirzechs suddenly changed the subject.
"Little Rias, there's something you may need to know."
"What is it?"
Rias looked at her brother warily.
The fact that he had spoken in such a serious tone made it obvious that this was not going to be good news.
Could it be something related to her engagement again?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Rias became so angry she felt her chest tighten. No matter what, she was absolutely not going to marry that wastrel from the Phenex Family!
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