Although the leaders of the Three Factions had personally vouched for him, Rias still couldn't completely put her mind at ease.
After all, she had personally experienced the White Dragon Emperor's betrayal during the summit.
Even though Rod had beaten him into submission afterward, what was done was done. It was only natural that some lingering distrust remained.
"Don't worry. If he makes even the slightest suspicious move, my Holy Sword will cut him down immediately."
Xenovia declared confidently.
"Hmph."
Vali snorted, a trace of hostility flashing across his eyes as he looked at Xenovia.
"As long as you don't get in my way, I won't make a move against you."
"What exactly do you mean by 'get in your way?'"
Xenovia frowned.
"I mean-"
Before he could finish, Lavinia suddenly appeared in front of him again, wearing a displeased expression.
"You should be more respectful when talking to your friends, Va-Kun."
"You always speak like that. That's why you don't have any friends."
If anyone else had said those words to him, Vali would've exploded on the spot.
But standing before Lavinia, he couldn't muster the confidence to argue.
He could only stubbornly mutter,
"I... I do have friends. Bikou is one."
"Woohoo! Hearing Vali actually say that moved me to tears! Big Sis here is seriously amazing!"
The man called Bikou exclaimed excitedly.
Rod's ears twitched.
"..."
However, the moment Bikou finished speaking, he suddenly felt an icy chill spread through the air.
"Huh? That's strange. I'm wearing plenty of clothes, and my senjutsu and demonic aura are protecting me. Why's it suddenly so cold?"
As he hugged his arms, he instinctively looked down.
Only to discover that both of his feet had somehow been frozen solid.
The source of the freezing aura... was none other than Lavinia, who was smiling at him ever so gently.
"W-What's going on?! What did I do to upset you, Big Sis?"
Bikou looked utterly innocent.
Before he'd even finished speaking, the ice that had only covered his ankles surged upward, instantly freezing his entire lower body.
"Bikou! Hurry up and apologize!"
"Apologize? Huh?"
Hearing the urgency in Vali's voice, Bikou immediately realized something was very wrong.
"G-Goddess! Please forgive me! I know I was wrong!"
Even though he had absolutely no idea what he'd done wrong...
Apologizing first was obviously the safest option.
Sure enough, the ice that had continued climbing toward his upper body finally stopped.
With a burst of strength, Bikou shattered the frozen prison and leaped free.
After escaping, he couldn't help but gasp inwardly.
This big sis is terrifying! No wonder Vali listens to her so obediently.
She's probably even stronger than Vali in Balance Breaker...
"By the way..."
Rod suddenly looked at Bikou with curiosity.
"Are you Sun Wukong?"
"Yeah."
Bikou nodded.
"Well, technically the title 'Sun Wukong' was supposed to be passed down to me eventually."
"But the old man hasn't retired yet."
"Still, sooner or later it'll be mine."
"Why?"
Bikou instinctively became wary.
According to the rumors, this was the man who had effortlessly defeated Vali, captured him, and forced Azazel to spend enormous effort getting him released instead of serving several hundred years in prison.
"It's nothing."
Rod shrugged.
"I was just wondering... so the Monkey King has descendants now?"
"What kind of question is that?"
Bikou stared at him as though he'd asked something ridiculous.
"If the old man didn't have descendants, where do you think I came from?"
"Oh."
Rod nodded thoughtfully.
"Then who's his wife?"
"One of the Seven Fairies..."
"Holy crap!"
Rod's eyes widened.
"He had seven wives?"
"One of the Seven Fairies."
Bikou looked even more speechless.
"It would've been a miracle if the old man managed to marry one wife."
"How could he possibly have married all seven?"
"Now if it were me..."
"One of the Seven Fairies..."
Rod muttered to himself.
Just as I thought.
The other girls, meanwhile, immediately gathered around with sparkling eyes.
After all, Journey to the West was one of the world's most famous stories.
Even Rias and the others had always assumed it was merely fiction.
They'd never imagined it was based on real people.
"So..."
Rias asked in amazement,
"Sun Wukong really existed?"
"What kind of question is that?"
Bikou was completely dumbfounded.
"If he wasn't real, would I be fake too?"
"But..."
He scratched his head.
"If you're talking about Journey to the West, then sure, the story differs somewhat from reality."
"The general events are mostly right."
"Though... since you all already know the story, why am I the one explaining it?"
"Then what about Sun Wukong having a wife?"
Akeno asked curiously.
"Wasn't he a monkey? How could he even have romantic desires?"
"And you're Devils."
Bikou replied matter-of-factly.
"..."
Despite all of Bikou's explanations, the girls still looked unconvinced.
In the end, Rod stepped in himself.
"You all remember the part where Sun Wukong became the Keeper of the Heavenly Horses, right?"
The girls nodded.
That portion of the story eventually led to the Great Havoc in Heaven and was one of the most memorable parts of the novel.
"And you also remember when he sneaked into the Peach Garden to steal the Immortal Peaches."
"At the time, the Seven Fairies were picking peaches there."
"Then he immobilized all seven of them with a Body-Freezing Spell for several hours."
Rod paused dramatically.
"So... what do you think happened during those several hours?"
The girls froze.
Moments later, their cheeks all flushed crimson.
One after another, they silently began reevaluating the Monkey King in their hearts.
Even Vali and Odin were hearing this version of the story for the first time.
Vali instinctively turned toward Bikou in confusion.
Meanwhile, Odin stroked his chin repeatedly and nodded with great satisfaction.
"Excellent!"
"That's exactly how a paralysis spell ought to be used!"
Even Rossweisse listened with rapt attention.
She had never expected the hero of a story she'd grown up with to be so... improper.
Bikou, on the other hand, stood there completely dumbfounded.
Several seconds passed before he finally recovered.
His expression became one of utter disbelief.
"...Where in the world did you hear something like that?"
"On the internet."
Rod answered seriously.
"Unofficial historical records."
"..."
Bikou was completely defeated.
"That isn't 'unofficial history' anymore."
"That's just pure nonsense."
"I don't know what actually happened back then, but I guarantee it wasn't anything like what you just described."
Although Bikou was rebellious enough to sneak away from Mount Sumeru without permission, Sun Wukong was still his ancestor.
Deep down, he respected him immensely.
After that amusing little episode, everyone had gained at least a basic understanding of one another.
Once Rod had settled Asia and the others, he set off together with Rias's group, accompanying Rossweisse and Odin toward a geisha house in the neighboring city.
As evening approached and everyone was preparing to leave, several familiar figures appeared before them.
"Sona? What are you doing here?"
Rias asked in surprise.
The newcomer was none other than Kuoh Academy's Student Council President, Sona Sitri, Rias's closest friend.
Several of her own peerage members stood behind her.
Though no one had said it aloud yet...
Everyone could already guess why they had come.
Rod could only sigh inwardly.
Do Devils really have so much faith in their family's safety?
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