After everything was said and done, Malrik, Mittelt, and Aika returned to the mansion. The night air was cool, the moon casting a gentle silver light through the windows.
Malrik didn't say much.
He headed straight for his room, pulled off his coat, and let himself fall back onto the bed with a quiet sigh.
"So… the Phoenix arc is next."
"Rias should've seen enough of what I'm capable of. If she's going to make her move, it'll be tonight."
And right on cue, as if the universe was following his inner script—a familiar crimson magic circle lit up in the center of his room.
Malrik didn't even flinch. He smiled.
"As expected."
Rias stepped through the glowing circle with elegance and purpose. She didn't say anything.
Her eyes met his—and didn't leave.
She walked toward him, slowly, every step deliberate. Her presence was like a slow-burning flame, and the heat in the room began to rise. There was no need for words between them right now. Everything was written in her gaze.
Malrik sat up slightly, resting his weight on one arm as he watched her approach.
She stopped at the foot of the bed and began to unbutton her top—one button at a time. Slowly. Intentionally. Her fingers trembled slightly, betraying the nerves she was trying to hide, but her expression stayed firm.
Malrik didn't interrupt. He let her move at her own pace.
Her blouse slipped off her shoulders, followed by the skirt, then everything else.
The moonlight traced the curves of her body as she stood there, bare and beautiful, proud and vulnerable all at once.
She climbed onto the bed, crawling toward him on all fours—her hair cascading down like silk, brushing his legs as she moved.
When she straddled his waist, her skin pressed lightly against his clothes. Her body was warm, her breathing just a bit unsteady.
She leaned down, her face inches from his. Her lips barely grazed his cheek, then brushed the corner of his mouth.
She's nervous… but she's serious.
She's not doing this because she's expected to. She's choosing this. Choosing me.
Her voice came out in a whisper.
"Take my virginity… now."
Malrik lifted a hand, brushing her crimson hair gently behind her ear. His fingers traced down her jaw, featherlight.
"You sure you want this?"
Rias nodded slowly. Her body pressed closer.
"I've already made my decision."
Malrik's other hand slid up her thigh, firm and slow, until it rested on the curve of her waist.
"Then as you wish."
He leaned in to kiss her—but just before their lips met—
Zzzzt! A silver magic circle burst to life at the side of the room, pulsing with divine light.
Rias gasped, instinctively covering her chest and turning toward it.
Malrik didn't even look concerned. He tilted his head slightly, sighed, and lazily waved his hand.
The magic fizzled, cracked—and vanished like mist.
Gone.
Rias blinked. "Wha… That was Ultimate-class magic. How did you—?"
Malrik shrugged with a small grin. "I'm as surprised as you. But I think whoever cast it wasn't trying very hard."
Then, with a knowing smirk, he added silently:
"Also… I may have left just enough of an opening for Grayfia to get a nice little peek."
"Let her watch."
He turned his attention back to Rias, placing a hand at the back of her neck and pulling her in.
"Now then… let's continue."
Their lips met—slow, deep, and electrifying.
Rias gasped softly into the kiss, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt. Malrik didn't rush. He let the kiss build, exploring her lips, letting her melt into him.
His hands moved with purpose—tracing her back, teasing along her sides, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.
She responded in kind, pressing into him, her breaths growing shorter. The heat in the room was stifling now, filled with nothing but soft gasps, faint moans, and the rustling of sheets.
Time seemed to slow.
The world outside no longer mattered.
Only the two of them existed in this moment.
And just as the night deepened—
—Fade to Black.
———
{Grayfia POV}
Grayfia Lucifuge stood in her private study, fingers weaving the intricate sigils of a teleportation spell. A silver magic circle hovered midair, its runes glowing softly with Ultimate-class precision.
"Lady Rias should be at that mansion. I need to speak with her regarding—"
Her words cut off.
The spell... flickered.
And then—collapsed.
Grayfia blinked.
"Interrupted? By force?"
Her magic had been canceled mid-cast. That wasn't supposed to happen—not at her level. Only someone on par with a Maou.
Curious—and slightly annoyed—Grayfia focused her perception, slipping a faint detection spell through the lingering trace of her own magic.
It formed a tiny mirror, a window of residual magic from the spell she'd tried to use.
The image came into focus.
And what she saw made her freeze.
There, in Malrik bedroom, was Rias—naked and straddling him, her lips locked with his, their bodies tangled together. The slow, sensual way she moved… the expression on her face…
There was no doubt.
"She made her choice."
But what truly caught Grayfia's attention wasn't the act itself.
It was Malrik.
Calm. In control. Even in this moment of intimacy, his mana remained steady, coiling around him like a living serpent—watching everything. He had seen her magic. He had let it through.
No—he had allowed her to see.
Grayfia's breath caught slightly, her heartbeat skipping against her normally unshakable discipline.
"He's not an average human…"
"He saw my spell and dispersed it like it was nothing."
"And now… he's flaunting this?"
For a moment, she stood there, watching. Not out of jealousy. Not out of duty.
But curiosity.
A rare emotion flickered in her silver eyes.
"Who exactly are you…?"
She dismissed the mirror spell with a wave of her hand, turning away. But the image stayed in her mind.
His magic.
His confidence.
The way Rias responded to him.
Grayfia narrowed her eyes.
"I'll be watching you closely from now on."
And for the first time in a long while… a faint blush touched her cheeks.