"Of course," Vitan said matter-of-factly, without the slightest hint of arrogance on his face. "If I hadn't grown to the level of a High-Class Devil by now, the Devil King blood in my veins would be weeping."
High-Class Devil!
This level already constituted the core strength of the Devil race—barely considered part of the ruling echelon.
For ordinary devils, this was a level they might never reach even after a lifetime of effort.
But for someone with the direct bloodline of a Devil King like him, it was merely a natural stage of growth.
Even if he wasted time and didn't train, he would still eventually reach that level within a century.
That was the unreasonable privilege brought by bloodline.
A heavenly chasm that no amount of hard work from commoners could ever cross.
"Indeed. You'll still need to work even harder," Grayfia nodded in agreement.
While she praised Vitan's rate of progress, she didn't want him to stop moving forward just because of her compliments.
A little pressure was necessary.
"I know!"
Vitan accepted Grayfia's admonishment without complaint.
After all, this woman—who was like an older sister to him—had reached the level of High-Class Devil by the age of thirty, despite lacking a Satan's blood, or even the pure bloodline of the 72 Pillars.
"Speaking of which, Sis, have you really given up on trying the grimoires' system? If you want, I can have Radix make a handwritten copy for you."
Radix Astil
This grimoire actually came from an anime world called Trinity Seven.
She was using a copy of the original grimoire belonging to one of the protagonists—Astil—the same one used by the former Devil King Deus Trinity.
It recorded all knowledge from different worlds, and unified the Seven Deadly Sins archives: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust—a legendary grimoire of omniscience and omnipotence.
After the former Devil King Dis deliberately allowed his followers to destroy him and brought the Devil King's true core across countless parallel worlds, he arrived in this one and chose Vitan as his new master.
"No need. Didn't you say before that if you made a handwritten copy of your grimoire now, you'd inevitably enter a period of weakness? Right now, your top priority should still be your own growth speed."
Grayfia waved her delicate hand to reject the offer.
All those strange techniques and weapons that could take on human form had definitely piqued her interest in her foster brother's grimoire.
But if it meant slowing down his development, she would never agree to it.
"Ugh—"
What Grayfia said was right.
Had she not shown that slight longing in her expression, Vitan wouldn't have even considered the idea.
Ajuka had asked him countless times for a handwritten copy, even offering equivalent-value spell techniques in exchange, and he still had refused.
"But, in exchange, I'll be holding onto this for now."
Before Vitan had even finished pondering, he saw Grayfia extend two slender, jade-like fingers and pluck from his set of Devil Pieces the mutated Queen piece.
"Hmm?"
Vitan couldn't help but let out a questioning sound.
"Don't tell me, Sis, you've already found a suitable Queen candidate for me?"
Grayfia's hand paused for a moment as she pulled the piece back, and a barely noticeable blush flashed across her delicate face.
But that fleeting change wasn't noticed by Vitan. All he could see was his foster sister's usual cold and elegant expression.
"This isn't something you need to ask about! I'll find you a suitable queen candidate later."
Grayfia spoke coldly and expressionlessly.
"Alright, alright! Whatever you say is fine."
Vitan immediately raised his hands in surrender, not pressing the matter any further.
Firstly, because he had developed this habit since childhood—whenever Grayfia showed this expression, it meant her decision wasn't something he could question.
Secondly, he believed that Grayfia would never set him up. Since she was taking action, she would definitely find him a queen that satisfied him in every aspect.
"Hmm!"
Grayfia nodded in satisfaction and slipped the queen chess piece, a symbol of royalty, into her pocket.
"But Sis, why are you so concerned about my strength? I think my growth over the years has been decent, yet you always seem so impatient."
After a brief silence, Vitan finally voiced the question that had been bothering him.
Grayfia's urgency was visible to the naked eye.
Because of this, he had endured a Spartan-like upbringing under her guidance since childhood.
However, he didn't really resent this kind of education.
As someone who had transmigrated from a world without any mysteries into this fantastical world he had longed for—
And with a blessed start that wasn't some loser's uphill battle, but rather an ideal setup with top-tier resources—he naturally displayed tremendous enthusiasm for training in supernatural powers.
Still, he couldn't help but feel puzzled about Grayfia's sense of urgency.
After all, given his current status, strength wasn't actually that important. His identity alone placed him at the pinnacle of the devil hierarchy.
Even if he were a total weakling, no devil would dare to belittle him.
Just like those pure-blood elder devils—some of those old geezers were only at high-class devil strength, but even the Satans didn't dare to dismiss them lightly.
Within the Devil Council, they remained a force to be reckoned with, on par with the Four Great Satans.
"Don't ask about that. This is an agreement between me and the original Asmodeus-sama. You just need to listen to me and work hard to improve yourself."
Grayfia's tone softened.
She was well aware that because of her pressure, even though Vitan was the heir of a top-tier power, he hadn't lived a life befitting that title during his childhood.
At an age when he should've been enjoying wild pleasures, the only thing he focused on was training.
Other young devils had long since drowned themselves in lust and indulgence, enjoying vibrant and colorful lives.
"Another cliché answer. Then at least give me a goal, Sis. What exactly are you expecting me to achieve?"
He spread his hands helplessly.
He'd heard these kinds of earnest words so many times that his ears were practically calloused from them, and he didn't want to hear any more.
Grayfia sighed and looked straight at Vitan with her clear eyes before slowly parting her red lips.
"Maou class. Once you reach Maou class, I'll tell you everything about the agreement between your grandfather and me."