A diamond-shaped crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and the floor was covered with a handmade wool carpet. Various antique items were displayed on the cabinets, adding a touch of elegance to the already extravagant atmosphere of the room.
Seated on a genuine leather sofa, a delicate aroma of tea rose from the steaming teacup on the coffee table before him.
"The black tea here is as delicious as ever."
With his enchanting looks, Ajuka couldn't help but offer such praise after taking a sip.
"Well, of course. After all, my head maid was personally trained by the 'Devil Lord of Annihilation.'"
As Vitan said this, he turned his gaze to Grayfia, who was sitting gracefully on the sofa.
Grayfia slowly lowered her eyelids and took a small sip of the black tea from the table.
"Passable, but still needs improvement. You'll come with me later. I'll have to retrain you."
Her silver brows furrowed slightly, a trace of dissatisfaction flickering across Grayfia's expression.
"Yes, Lady Grayfia!"
The brown-haired maid respectfully bowed and responded obediently.
She was currently serving as Vitan's head maid, and she came from a team that had once been personally trained by Grayfia.
In fact, nearly all the maids in Vitan's castle had been trained by Grayfia herself.
Not only did each maid possess exceptional household skills and the ability to serve their master with precision,
They also excelled in combat ability.
Simply put, the combat capabilities of the maids under Grayfia's training were fully comparable to those of the Devil King's royal guards.
"All right, you're dismissed."
Taking the initiative, Grayfia gave the command directly to the head maid, bypassing Vitan entirely.
Vitan showed no sign of discontent, and the head maid left without hesitation, gently closing the door behind her.
Vitan was already long accustomed to Grayfia taking charge like this.
After all, this had been happening ever since he was born.
Asmodeus!
There's a strange detail about this family, ranked 32nd among the pure-blood devil houses in the world of High School DxD.
In fact, the question had already existed back when he watched the anime, in the scene where the protagonist Issei Hyoudou and his mother-in-law recited the fallen devil lineages.
The issue was this: in the real world, Asmodeus had several different names—Asmoday, Asmodai, Asmodee—and one of them was the same as one of the Four Great Satans of this world: Asmodeus.
Yes, Asmodeus!
There is no doubt that Asmodeus is one of the Four Great Satans. In myth, he is known as the devil who governs the sin of Lust.
He is also officially recorded as one of the devils among the Seventy-Two Pillars.
But here lies the major question—if Asmodeus is already one of the Four Great Satans, why is there still a house among the Seventy-Two Pillars named Asmodeus?
The answer to this question became clear only after Vitan became the heir of the Asmodeus family.
The Asmodeus family is a branch house of the original pure-blood Devil King—Asmodeus.
To understand this, think of the relationship between the Lucifuge family and the old Lucifer house.
The difference is that the Asmodeus family truly carries the bloodline of the original Devil King Asmodeus.
The reason is this: the founding ancestor of the Asmodeus family was the second son of the Devil King Asmodeus.
After the original Devil Kings fell in battle against the God of the Bible, the elder brother inherited the title of Devil King from their father.
The younger brother—who had lost his succession rights early on and was granted the surname by their father—became the first of the Asmodeus house and was immediately suppressed by his elder brother, now the second-generation Asmodeus.
The once affectionate older brother quickly turned cold after taking power.
Naturally, the first Asmodeus couldn't endure such a fall from grace.
He had once held a lofty position as the son of a Devil King—even without the right to inherit the title—and controlled half of the Asmodeus family's military power.
But now, his children and vassals were being sent to the frontlines as cannon fodder by his own brother. The warmth between siblings gradually faded, and resentment continued to build.
—Until finally, The first Asmodeus erupted in fury.
At that time, unable to endure the oppression of the old Devil King regime, a new Devil King faction led by the Bael family reached out to him, believing he could be won over.
And thus, a massive war among the devils of the Underworld broke out.
On one side was the first Asmodeus and the Bael-led New Devil King faction, and on the other, the Old Devil King faction led by the second-generation Asmodeus.
In that long and bloody war:
Sirzechs Gremory
Ajuka Astaroth
Serafall Leviathan
Grayfia Lucifuge
These four young devils rose to fame on the battlefield.
But in that war, the Asmodeus family, as the main initiators, bore the brunt of the Old Devil Kings' counterattack.
In the eyes of the Old Devil King faction, the son of a Devil King had dared to raise arms against his fellow Devil Kings.
This was the most detestable and vile form of betrayal in their view.
As a result, during the early stages of the war, the first Asmodeus was ambushed in a calculated attack by the Four Great Satans and sustained fatal injuries that could not be healed.
Even after the New Devil King faction emerged victorious, he ultimately died from his wounds.
And his parents had also suffered fatal injuries in an unknown attack after the war. After giving birth to him—the heir to the Asmodeus family—the two devils passed away just like that.
So why did Grayfia have such a mysterious connection with him?
It was all because of his grandfather—the first-generation Asmodeus.
At the beginning of the war, after being ambushed by the combined forces of the Four Great Satans, he already knew he could no longer return to the Asmodeus throne as he had once hoped.
Thus, at the time, he set his sights on Grayfia of the Lucifugus family, who also belonged to the rebel faction of the old Satan faction.
Appreciated by the first-generation Asmodeus, Grayfia slowly took over the rebel forces that had surrendered to him.
Those devils quickly pledged loyalty to Grayfia—a young female devil who was cold, capable, and incredibly powerful.