Rias did tell him the key detail: eight pieces.
But there was one crucial point she had chosen to keep to herself for now.
Those eight Pawn pieces used to reincarnate Genichi were all mutated devil pieces.
Mutated pieces were extraordinarily rare. Most of the time, it meant the piece itself carried something beyond the norm, a special power, an abnormal possibility.
If a servant was reincarnated with mutated pieces, the ceiling of their potential, the range of what they could become, tended to be even harder to measure.
Rias didn't have many mutated pieces to begin with. To reincarnate Genichi, she had even pulled a few strings to obtain eight mutated Pawn pieces.
That kind of all-in commitment, the way she pushed her chips to the center without hesitation, spoke for itself. It was proof of how decisive she'd been, and how much she was betting on him.
She believed that "Hyoudou Genichi," the one who had required her to burn through every mutated piece just to pull him back from death, could not possibly be ordinary.
That seemingly average dragon-hand Sacred Gear might be nothing more than a surface layer. It might even be a cover, or something not yet fully awakened.
If the Sacred Gear wasn't the true reason those eight mutated pieces had been necessary, then the answer had to lie deeper, rooted in Genichi's very soul. Something she hadn't fully seen, but something the devil pieces had sensed with ruthless accuracy. A potential so outrageous it bordered on the unbelievable.
She still didn't know what it was.
But she trusted the devil pieces' judgment, and she trusted her own instincts.
The boy in front of her was too calm. His hunger for power was too pure, too direct.
This wasn't how a mere lower-tier Sacred Gear host was supposed to feel.
"Eight devil pieces…"
Genichi repeated it under his breath, memories firing off in his mind.
In the original story, Rias had used eight devil pieces to reincarnate Issei as well.
If the number of pieces directly reflected an evaluation of potential, then her confidence in him made sense.
After all, consuming eight pieces was, by itself, a credential that carried enormous weight in devil society.
"Any other questions now?"
Rias's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
She had already composed herself, returning to the elegant, confident club president he was used to seeing. But the way she looked at him was more focused than ever, as if she were appraising a rare treasure.
Genichi lifted his head and met her green eyes, the kind that felt like they could see through a person.
He asked a sharp, brutally practical question.
"Rias-buchou, you trust me that much? Just because you used eight pieces? Potential is only potential. It might bloom, or it might stay a castle in the air forever. Isn't it too risky to stake something this serious on a newcomer who hasn't proven anything?"
The smile on Rias's face slowly faded. In its place came something heavier, a complicated mix of resignation, determination, and a faint fragility she didn't usually allow to show.
She walked to the window and, with her back to Genichi, stared out at Kuoh Town's morning streets. When she spoke again, her voice was lower, and it carried a weight that didn't leave room for argument.
"You're right. It's risky. But…"
She paused, as if making up her mind.
Then she turned, eyes burning as she looked straight at him.
"I don't have any other choice."
The air in the room seemed to stiffen around that sentence.
"Just like you guessed."
Her voice was calm, but there was a tremor of emotion beneath the surface. "As the next head of House Gremory, a pure-blood high-class devil, I was never allowed full control over my fate. Especially not my marriage."
A bitter, self-mocking curve tugged at her lips.
"Back when I didn't even understand what it meant, a marriage contract was already stamped onto me. The other party was a great noble house too: the Phoenix family's third son, Riser Phoenix."
The Phoenix family, famed for the bloodline of the immortal bird and its terrifying regenerative power, stood high in devil society.
Riser, in particular, was known for his aggressive style and prominence in Rating Games. A textbook devil noble elite.
"I don't want to accept that engagement."
Rias's tone hardened, a faint chill slipping into it. "I hate the idea of treating women like political chips, like tools for breeding alliances. I can't accept spending an endless devil lifetime with a man I don't know, and don't love."
A flash of stubborn, youthful rebellion rose in her eyes, and then reality pressed down again, smothering it with weight.
"But I can't refuse. The family's will, the traditions and deals between pure-blood houses, they're chains. If I fight openly, it won't just ruin me. It could drag House Gremory into needless trouble and ridicule."
She drew a breath, and the fire returned to her gaze. It was the look of someone who would not kneel.
"The only legal way for me to break that engagement is this: a Rating Game. I defeat Riser Phoenix in a legitimate, undeniable victory. Then I end the engagement completely, with no room for argument."
A Rating Game was a formal, high-level match used in devil society to settle disputes, display strength, and determine standing.
Its rules and authority were enough that a victory could become a lawful justification to sever an engagement.
"But to enter a Rating Game, especially to challenge someone as established as Riser, I need enough servants, and strong enough servants. I can't beat Riser Phoenix on my own."
Her gaze locked onto Genichi again. In it was the pressure of a desperate bet, and the weight of something being entrusted.
"My peerage is full of excellent companions, but we don't have the numbers, and as a whole we're still short compared to his experienced team. I need a new piece. A strong piece. Something that can change the entire board."
She stepped closer until she was right in front of him. Her voice lowered, each word crisp, like a vow and an appeal at the same time.
"Genichi. You're that possibility. I'm placing all my hope on you."
Her eyes were deadly serious, carrying the resolve of someone who had already burned the bridges behind her.
"If making you stronger is what it takes, if making you grow fast enough to stand on your own in a Rating Game, even to become my trump card, then I'll do anything."
"Anything that might work to speed up that process."
In that moment, Genichi understood completely.
Rias's special attention, her urgency, her training that edged past the usual boundaries, it wasn't just admiration. It wasn't mere interest.
It came from a trap she couldn't escape: a political engagement she loathed.
In him, she saw the only path to break the chains and win her freedom.
Eight mutated pieces were the foundation of her faith in that path.
That was why she was so impatient. So focused. So willing to push methods that were far more intimate than normal, all in the name of accelerating his growth.
This wasn't simply cultivating a servant.
It was a gamble on her future, and Genichi was the largest stake she had.
The room went still.
Genichi could hear both their breathing clearly.
Pressure, massive pressure, settled onto his shoulders.
And yet, it was also an opportunity he had never had before.
If Rias intended to cultivate him, she would pour resources into him, grant him access and support far beyond what an ordinary servant could ever touch.
That was exactly what he needed right now.
Risk and opportunity, bound together.
If he failed to grow fast enough, failed to meet her expectations, he could be discarded. Worse, now that he knew her secret, his position could become delicate.
But if he proved he was worth those eight pieces…
"I understand."
Genichi's voice was steady and firm, breaking the silence. "So that's what this is. A Rating Game you have to win. An opponent you have to defeat."
He raised his head and met the hope blazing in Rias's eyes. There was no retreat in his black gaze, only cold analysis, and a fighting spirit that began to ignite.
"I don't like being treated as a tool or a wager. But I'll do what I can, and contribute my share."
He paused, his tone turning even more resolute.
"And for me, this is also a perfect opportunity. You need me to grow stronger so you can win. I need power and resources to deal with my own crisis. For now, our goals align."
He didn't swear loyalty. He didn't throw out grand, empty vows. He simply laid out the shared interests, cleanly and without decoration.
"So, Rias-buchou, I'll accept your cultivation. I'll do everything I can to become stronger. Not because of loyalty, and not because of gratitude, but because it benefits both of us. As for how far I can go, whether I can become the trump card you're betting on…"
The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint, confident curve.
"Let time and results prove it."
Rias listened in silence. When he finished, a smile returned to her face. This time it held less deliberate seduction, and more genuine relief and anticipation.
"Then the contract is set, my hope."
She held out her hand.
Genichi looked at that pale, slender hand, then reached out and took it in a light shake.
[1 Of 3 New Fanfics For The Poll Event!!]
[Use Your Power Stones On Your Favorite For It To Be Picked UP!!]
[Power Stones+Reviews Are Counted!!]
[Comments On Chapters Are Also Counted!!]
[Thanks For Your Support!!]