79 The Power of Destruction

Grayfia taught me how to dance the best she could, I stepped on her toes a few times before catching the rhythm, dancing is such an enjoyable activity.

She giggled and laughed all the way, enjoying it much more than I do; we attracted gazes as the servants whistled.

"I got you a gift, Richter-sama~" she said all of the sudden and took something that immediately garnered my attention.

It was a device made out of silver or not… there is something else in this silver.

"This is a hand watch. Its purpose is to indicate the passage of time".

"Time…" I looked at it with shining eyes, the small mechanisms inside rotated, allowing it to work. My gaze shot towards Hephaestus who was dancing with Lady Phenex now and he threw me a chuckle as if confident that his works would enter my eyes.

And it did.

"Yes, this is a rare material that I thought you'd like, it is more valuable than normal silver" Grayfia wrapped it around my wrist, it looked gorgeous.

I gasped a little as I regarded it with deep feelings.

"D-Don't you like it?" The beautiful maid asked with concern, thinking that it wasn't to my taste.

"No… I mean, I like it Grayfia… it is just, no one ever gifted me something" when I was with Monique, our lives were always hectic. I took her along with me on adventures we never thought about 'gifting' anyone anything… all the treasures that we had belonged to the two of us. After settling down in Goldstein we never left until she passed.

I never received a gift and I never gave away a gift either.

My lips locked Grayfia's with passion, I loved the gift. It looked delicate and intricate.

"I'm... so happy~" she mumbled in the middle of it until the beautiful symphony that had been sounding thus far, ended, signifying the end of our dance, however, another one was about to start.

I saw mother-in-law and Lord Bael -who she had been dancing with- excuse themselves and sit back down, apparently having had enough. The younger girls all looked at me like predators and even Rias returned but… someone beat them to it.

"Richter-sama, could we dance?" It was Seekvaira who was a few steps faster than Serafall.

The Satan pouted and turned around harrumphing.

Grayfia gave me a few more pecks before backing down, 'have fun, master… I'll speak with Serafall and Ajuka'.

I smirked and took Seekvaira's hand, making her blush.

"I'm just a good enough dancer to entertain you, Seekvaira" It was my way of telling her to be ready to forfeit her toes.

"T-Thank you" she didn't catch my message, a pity.

In my dance with her, we spoke about her time in the underworld and her family… she also asked me about Helius, how it was and also and Lady Calliope.

I only said the woman was amazing and she was a very powerful Dragoness life myself, not wanting to recall Destiny now. Her silhouette in my mind was something I desperately wanted to get rid of.

The dance finished with a satisfied Seekvaira giving me a kiss on the cheek and thanking me for the good time. Apparently, no young devils in the underworld are interested in her in that regard, the reason is that unlike most of the girls, she's not being forced to marry. Her father gave her the freedom to choose whoever she wanted to be with.

It is something ridiculous for her to not be the focus of attention. She's easily one of the most beautiful girls in a ten kilometres radius around me.

Before Seekvaira even left, someone grasped my two wrists, more accurately, two girls.

"Why don't you wait for your turn, Albedo?~ I was a second faster"

"Fufu but if it isn't Rias-chan~ shouldn't you be dancing with your fiancé?~"

"Y-You!-"

I sighed and grasped Rias' wrist first much to Albedo's chagrin.

"Wait for me~" I whispered by her ears, the Nephilim giggled and moved aside; the numbers decreased quickly on the dance floor but I could see Sona still wanted to dance, she was invited by Zephyrdor but the boy got shot down so badly that he left the hall and went to the courtyard, he abandoned the banquet.

Meanwhile, Blondie was looking at me with rage as he drank his wine from one of the tables with his family. His parents were openly flirting and gossiping while he sat there like a loser, when I shot him a glance he evaded my eyes and Rias noticed it.

We began dancing and I placed my whole attention on her.

Rias bit her lips and pulled me towards her into a more intimate position.

"Oh~?" I didn't expect this from her, especially with how her brother and I treat one another.

"W-Would you like more distance between us?" She asked me with a stutter, I could feel her chest against mine as we danced, careful to not step on her.

"Not a problem. But why?"

"Because I'm interested in you…"

"I'm afraid you should abandon all hope," I told her straight.

!!!

"W-Why? am I not beautiful enough?" She asked with a slight depressive tonality as if receiving a furious blow to her confidence.

"You are beautiful enough, Rias. But not strong enough…" the same could be said for all of them, Albedo Astaroth is no exception even if she's secretly way stronger.

Rias looked at me in disbelief and confusion.

"What?" I wondered what was in her mind.

"I never met anyone that set 'strength' as a requirement for his or her partner…"

"I'm a Dragon God, what's the point of it if my partner can't keep up with me?~"

"C-Can big sister Grayfia keep up?" Rias blushed, I wonder what she was thinking about...

"Trust me, she can~" Grayfia can naturally keep up living with me and fighting against my foes, in fact... I'm sure that between the entourages of the primordials, no one has more potential than her.

"I see… but I won't give up, Richter-sama," Rias said with determination.

"And why is that?"

"Because you said I caught your attention, so… I have an advantage right?~" she whispered in my ears, her hair smelled nice.

I took a whiff of it, "that is the truth, but you have a fiancé as well…"

"I hate him, you should have noticed by now".

"In your circumstances, love and hate are inconsequential, Gremory Heiress~".

We kept dancing as the tension increased between us, I know her perchance and she knows I can solve it, that's the reason she's dancing with me here... more than attracted to me physically or emotionally, she's attracted to the power I have. Much like the majority of women that have ever approached me.

"You could end everything with but a word" she spoke as if begging me.

"And yet as a primordial, my words are expensive and heavy… why would I deprive you away from this opportunity of growth? if you work hard, you will grow... if you fail, well that's a pity~" I insisted and she began to notice my negative in regards to helping her out of this situation.

I could say a word and convince Bael, Lucifuge and Agares to intercede with her father, I could kill Raiser, I could destroy the whole Phenex Family... or I could simply take her for myself.

There were many options, all of them so easy to accomplish... but I wouldn't do it... because it is not in my interests.

'Instead, haha~ perhaps then you could enter my eyes, Rias Gremory...' I thought inwardly looking at her beautiful silhouette, with her power of destruction, I'd make her mine in a heartbeat, but she needs to grow first.

"I-I really… d-don't want this, Richter-sama, please help me".

"Rias…"

"…"

"I detest weaklings… but what I detest the most is powerful individuals who like pretending they are weak and helpless".

!!!

She bit her lips and looked at me with slight tears in her eyes.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, I'm not a weakling, but I don't have the power to change anything either… I can't attain the power in a single day to change my and my peerage's fate, what else can I do?!" Rias exploded in tears but her eyes gasped the next second as we stopped dancing and she covered her mouth realising that she just shouted at me.

"I-I'm s-so sorry, please excuse me!"

She ran away, crying. Everyone at the party saw her and they also heard what she yelled.

"I apologise on her behalf… Rias, she doesn't have it easy" Sona approached me and bowed at her friend's behest, shaking her head.

"She doesn't have it easy… but the key to unlocking her power is still in her hands, Sona. Destruction is a powerful concept… most experts would need to train their whole lives, thousands of years, in order to even begin to feel it, let alone use it. She has an innate body that allows her to manifest it" I could feel the aura of destruction being emanated from Lord Bael, Venelana and also, Sirzechs... there was only one difference between them and Rias.

How spoiled they were during their upbringing so as to not be conscious of their power.

"But Rias can't practice with this power randomly, Richter-sama. Destruction tends to go out of control when she does" Sona explained to me with a frown.

"Then that's a good sign~ what do you think destruction is?"

"…" Sona's eyes widened in realisation.

"She needs to stop being scared of her own power, only then she will realise that the key to getting out of her issues… has been in her hands all this time. In front of Destruction, what is a pitiful Phoenix?~"

"I never thought about it this way…"

"If you don't allow destruction to 'destroy' then what is the use of having that power?" I sighed and Sona did so too, it seems she understands now. We were preparing for our dance when somebody else came.

"I'm astounded by how much you can understand the innate ability of my family, Richter~" A voice said from our side and I noticed the breathtaking Lady Bael.

"Venelana-sama" Sona bowed towards her.

"Richter, dear~ could you allow me a dance after Sona?" the mature beauty covered her cheek with her hand and asked with a giggle.

"Dear?~" I thought her adjective was uncalled for.

"Fia already told me that you're a big softie~"

"There she is spreading my secret, I'm going to need to punish her".

"If you do, then for my sake punish her twice."

"Very well, you will be the last-"

"You'd have no problem dancing with me afterwards, right, brother-in-law?~" Layla approached next, fidgeting.

"Mou, Richter-sama forgot about me…" Albedo pouted in the distance, making sure to say it loud enough for me to hear.

It seems my legs won't be stopping tonight, just like my hips.