At the front door, Cid stood there staring at the smiling middle-aged man in front of him.
"Uh… Uncle Rizevim, why are you… never mind. Come in first, Uncle. Just so we're clear, I'm not drinking today."
"Hahaha, Cid, it's only been a few days. Why do you look so worn out?"
After a few loud laughs, Rizevim followed Cid inside and took a seat in the living room.
"Well now, Cid, I didn't expect you to be hiding a beauty at home. Very tasteful."
The moment he noticed Asia nearby, Rizevim's eyes lit up, and he casually teased Cid. As for Asia, the person being teased, not only did she not get angry after hearing that, she actually turned shy, the blush rising on her cheeks looking especially adorable.
"Don't misunderstand. Asia is just my roommate. There's absolutely no improper relationship between us."
After making the tea, Cid gently picked up a cup, took a sip, and explained.
"Yes, yes, Rizevim-san, you misunderstood. Cid-san and I are just roommates."
Remembering that Cid had told her to keep their relationship secret, Asia hurriedly spoke up to clarify as well.
"Let's just say that's how it is."
Rizevim's gaze moved back and forth between Cid and Asia, and an amused smile appeared on his face.
"Alright, stop teasing Asia, Uncle.
What do you want from me? I don't remember giving you my address at the izakaya."
"Don't worry about small details like that, Cid. Maybe the two of us are just that in sync, and I sensed it while passing by your house."
"Hah."
That single snort made it clear just how little Cid trusted what Rizevim had just said.
"Alright, alright, let's drop that. Let's talk about something else."
Seeing that Cid didn't believe him, Rizevim didn't get upset. That had just been a random lie he made up to liven up the mood. He straightened his expression and finally got to the real reason for his visit.
As Rizevim sat up straight, a bit of spirit finally returned to Cid's lifeless face.
As for how Rizevim knew his address, Cid really didn't care that much.
After all, he was just a background character. Anyone could easily find out that kind of information with a little asking around.
And from the bits and pieces Rizevim had let slip while drinking before, it was enough for Cid to conclude that he was a Devil. As for his strength… probably around B or A rank. After all, he didn't even have a full set of Evil Pieces, so there was no way he could be that strong.
Oh, although judging from the things Uncle had blurted out while drunk, he had probably obtained a set of Evil Pieces recently too.
So Uncle was probably born into a family with pretty good blood, but had ordinary talent himself. After working hard for more than thirty years, he had only recently become stronger, and that was why his family had finally given him the Pieces. Yeah, that was probably right.
While thinking all that and listening to what Rizevim was saying, Cid's expression gradually turned strange.
The purpose of Rizevim's visit this time was actually very simple. In short, he had drunk too much that day, and giving away the Queen position of his Evil Pieces so casually had been too rash. Now he regretted it.
To put it bluntly, Cid was too weak. If he took the position of second-in-command, he might not be able to convince the others.
As for what Rizevim had said that day about Cid being one of the Gremory family's Peerage Members, that wasn't much of a problem.
Cid had heard that noble Devils sometimes exchanged Pieces with each other. Looking at Uncle's attitude, he was probably fully confident he could get Cid transferred over. Which made sense. B- rank strength wasn't exactly everywhere, but for someone of Rias's status, there were plenty to choose from.
From a rational point of view, if Cid were in Rias's position, he would have made the same choice.
Thinking of that, and adding in what Rias had done earlier that day, Cid had to admit that his favorable impression of Rias dropped a little.
Looks like he really isn't some kind of god after all. Even though he knew that, from Rias's perspective, her choice was the right one and her actions were completely reasonable…
Even though he knew Rias might not even be aware of Uncle's plan to exchange Evil Pieces with her, he still couldn't help but direct his frustration at her.
Forget it. Better send Uncle on his way quickly. After all, once tomorrow is over, he'll be free.
With that thought, Cid put on a bright smile.
"Haha, Uncle Rizevim, I've always taken a go-with-the-flow attitude toward my future. Whether I'm a Queen or not doesn't matter to me at all."
"It's great that you can think like that, Cid. Even though I quite like you, I really can't guarantee that Apophis and the others would accept you."
Seeing how agreeable Cid was, Rizevim felt relieved. At least he didn't have to worry about this newly acquainted little brother getting killed.
Cid had guessed part of Rizevim's intentions correctly, but not entirely.
It seemed his true identity hadn't been properly introduced yet, so it was about time to clarify it.
Rizevim. Full name Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Yes, he was the son of a Devil born from the union of Lucifer, one of the original Four Great Satans, and Lilith, the Mother of Demons. In the Bible, he was known by the name [Lilin - Lilith's Offspring].
Of course, after the Underworld civil war ended, the title of Lucifer had long since passed from him, a pure-blooded member of the Old Satan Faction, into the hands of Sirzechs, Rias's older brother, who had sided with the new government.
However, if Rizevim wished, as the rightful Lucifer, he could at any time rally the remnants of the Old Satan Faction and even some Devils from the new government, stirring up another civil war in the Underworld.
That said, Rizevim himself bore half the blame for the Old Satan Faction's defeat. One major reason for their loss was his sudden disappearance, which stripped the faction of both its strongest combat power and its legitimate banner, causing morale to collapse and allowing the new Underworld government to decisively crush them.
It could be said that even if Rizevim suddenly reappeared now, the current Underworld government would still have to treat him with extreme caution and respect.
As for the current Rizevim, he was essentially a terrorist. Even if his operations were still in the preparation stage, that didn't change what he was.
Although, as a member of the Old Satan Faction, he initially looked down on things like Evil Pieces, after thinking it over, he accepted them since they could help him recruit suitable subordinates.
At present, he was gathering materials to create them. If tomorrow's plan went smoothly, he would soon have his own set of Evil Pieces.
As for why he came to see Cid, Cid had only guessed part of it right. He really had been drunk that day and casually handed out the Queen position of his Evil Pieces. After sobering up, he regretted it.
But it wasn't because he thought he had been too reckless. To him, it was never more than a bonus, and he hadn't taken it seriously in the first place. Collecting materials for Evil Pieces was just something he was doing on the side.
What he was actually worried about was that if Cid became his Queen, his own subordinates might kill him. After all, they were a group of terrorists. There was no need to question whether they would do something like that.
As for Cid being a member of the Gremory family's Peerage, that was the least of his concerns. Devils didn't have any tradition of dying alongside others, so all he needed to do was find an opportunity to kill Rias Gremory.
After all, she was the younger sister of the man who had taken the Lucifer title that originally belonged to his family. Killing her meant nothing. She wasn't one of his people anyway.