In this world, the person with the bigger fist was the one who got to talk about reason.
Therefore, after Akeno agreed to become Rias’s servant, there was nothing Himejima Suzaku could do, no matter how unwilling he was.
There simply was no alternative.
The power behind Rias was far too great.
So great that after Rias sent her father’s Bishop to negotiate, it took only a few minutes before Suzaku decided to withdraw with his people.
As they were leaving, Shinki even waved goodbye to them, which only made Suzaku’s anger burn even hotter.
That said, even if Rias hadn’t appeared tonight, Shinki wouldn’t have feared the Himejima family head personally leading a capture operation.
At his current level, unless Himejima Suzaku fully unleashed both the Vermilion Bird spirit beast and Kagutsuchi, the God of Fire, there was little that could truly threaten him.
“Now then, the situation is much clearer.” Rias’s melodious voice rang out.
“Akeno, after we return, I’ll reincarnate you as my servant.
As long as you remain within devil territory, those humans won’t be able to do anything to you…
and that includes your mother.” “Thank you, Lady Rias.” With the crisis finally over, Akeno relaxed slightly.
However, she still felt uneasy about the ritual that would transform her into a devil.
“Don’t worry.
It won’t hurt.
It’ll be over in the blink of an eye.” Rias smiled and shook her head.
Members of the Gremory family all possessed a certain nurturing nature.
Akeno was not only a candidate for her peerage but also the very first servant she would contract after arriving in the human world.
Naturally, she intended to treasure her.
“You and your mother can come live with me in Kuoh Town from now on.” Rias looked visibly excited.
Everyone looked forward to their first time doing something, especially a young girl who had only recently left the Underworld.
“Oh, right.
As for the other one…” Her gaze shifted toward Shinki.
Interest filled her eyes.
The young man before her was unquestionably human and not much older than herself.
Yet despite his age, he had managed to eliminate both his pursuers and several Stray Devils.
Even a blind person could see his tremendous potential.
For a moment, Rias’s eyes grew noticeably brighter.
“Would you be willing to become my servant?
I can protect you from those people.” “I’ll have to decline, Lady Rias.” Becoming a devil was undoubtedly a shortcut to greater strength.
But Shinki didn’t want to be bound to someone else’s authority.
No matter how kind Rias might be, a servant was still a servant.
Once the contract was signed, one would be obligated to obey their master’s commands.
Of course, if Evil Pieces functioned more like a guild contract between companions rather than a master-servant relationship, he might have considered it.
But for now…
He had no intention of hanging himself from a single tree.
After all, becoming a servant meant losing all privacy.
There would be no way to keep the system secret.
“My mission was to keep them safe.
But now, they don’t really need me anymore.” “Shinki-kun, you’re leaving?” Shuri asked softly.
“Yeah.
I have some other matters to take care of.
It might take a very long time before I come back.” Shinki nodded.
Sixteen years had passed since he first arrived in the world of High School DxD.
As for whether he would ever return after this second journey, he honestly didn’t know.
Still, he left himself some room.
“Come back soon.” The moment she heard he was leaving, Akeno’s eyes reddened.
She fought hard to keep her tears from falling.
“I know.
Wait for me to return.” Whether it was selfishness or not, even Shinki wasn’t sure.
After saying those words, he gave Rias no opportunity to continue the conversation.
He turned and walked directly into the dark forest.
Only after there was no one left around did he finally stop.
Three minutes remaining until the Second Gate opens.
Main Mission reward calculation complete.
Obtained: Item Draw Ticket ×1.
Seeing the notification, Shinki’s expression became rather strange.
He had originally assumed the system would reward him like those in novels and simply hand him a powerful Sacred Gear.
Clearly, he had been overthinking things.
Still…
This Item Draw Ticket…
After a few seconds of consideration, he used it immediately.
He wanted to see what exactly this thing could produce.
Light flickered within the system in his mind.
Bright.
Dim.
Like the rhythmic beating of a heart.
Complex and intricate runes intertwined and gradually formed an object.
Name: Square Ring Type: Elite Effect: A mithril ring forged by a dwarven craftsman.
Possesses the ability to store non-living objects within a cubic-dimensional space.
Capacity: 30 cubic meters.
Note: Cannot be dropped.
Cannot be opened by anyone other than the host.
After reading the description, Shinki finally understood.
It was a storage ring.
A mandatory item for every transmigrator.
A person could only carry so many belongings, and reality wasn’t like a game where one could casually haul around dozens of inventory slots.
However, with the Square Ring, future travels would become much more convenient.
Still…
Wasn’t the system being a little stingy?
Of course, complaining wouldn’t change anything.
Besides, he was about to enter an unknown world.
Having a storage ring would undoubtedly be useful.
At the very least, it would make the journey ahead much easier.