Riser Phenex isn't a villain

Chapter 53: The art of mooching

They were in the Underworld... under the villa with a Japanese design... yet they were eating a Korean BBQ.

What was this?

What was this strange feeling?

However, the food was delicious, so no one thought too much and enjoyed the night.

"Riser-chan? What is that? Is that alcohol?"

"It's Makgeolli (Korean rice wine). I have tried to make one."

Riser sipped the Makgeolli he had tried to make and had to say the taste was delicious. It seemed his "Beverage-making mastery" was quite a good skill, and he definitely could make a lot of money with it.

The only problem was probably the ingredients since while the ingredients of this fermented drink were probably the best of the best in the Underworld, he could still make it better.

Fortunately, he just received "Agriculture Mastery," so he should be able to create the best ingredients for his beverage.

However, if he had an All-Purpose Farming Tool, then it would be even more wonderful.

By then, there was no need for him to be involved in the problem of the Underworld and the world; he might as well have spent his time farming and had a lot of wives like a certain character in the story.

"Let me try~! Let me try~!"

Serafall didn't hesitate and tried the Makgeolli made by Riser and fell into a daze because of how delicious it was. It was slightly sour, tangy, yet sweet.

—or rather, it was so good!

Serafall then continued to drink as her lips were stained with the white mark due to the drink before she licked those stains with her small, cute tongue and a happy, childish smile.

[Bring Serafall to the bathroom and tell her that you have a more delicious drink before you open your pants.]

"......."

Riser sighed and tried to drown himself in the alcohol, hoping the system didn't ask him to do something weird. Still, he noticed the gaze of most of them when he drank alcohol.

Unlike his peerage members, who could drink alcohol freely, Rias, Sona, and the others couldn't do it since they were still in high school.

"Do you want to try?"

"....."

Everyone looked at each other and wasn't sure what to say.

"We're still in high school. We can't drink that." Sona shook her head and refused.

"Hmm... since when do the rules in Japan work for us, the devil?"

In Japan, only those in 20 could drink alcohol, but in the Underworld?

Hearing that sophistication, Sona hesitated since she would be lying if she didn't feel interested in alcohol, especially when she saw how happy her older sister was, drinking the alcoholic brewed by Riser.

"No, no! Sona-chan can't drink it~! She needs to wait a few years older~!"

Serafal quickly refuted and then looked at everyone. "You all can't drink, okay~? Also, Riser-chan, you can't seduce them to do something bad~! You bad boy~!" She knocked his head lightly as if trying to reprimand him.

While everyone was a bit disappointed, they could do nothing, especially in front of Serafall's presence, but Riser was speechless.

"........."

Rules are meant to be broken.

Why do you need to follow the rules when you are the one who makes the rules?

However, he knew as this world was made by an author of a certain country, the rules should be followed even though all of the people inside this world often did something even worse than drinking mere alcohol.

Nevertheless, there was something that he wanted to ask Serafall.

"By the way, Aneki, are you familiar with the leaders of Youkai in Japan?"

Riser didn't ask this question to Sona or Rias since most of them stayed in Kuoh. While he knew that they might have seen or even known some of the youkai, what he wanted to know was the leaders of those youkais.

Sona and Rias probably hadn't seen those leaders of youkai or had a chance to meet them after all; even though they were living in Japan and had a high status in the Underworld, it didn't mean that youkai would think of them highly since it would mean their position as youkai was below those devils.

No one wanted to be at the bottom position.

Even if the leader of the youkai might be weaker than the leader of the devils, they needed a face so those at the bottom would respect them. Moreover, unlike the devil that originated from Jerusalem, the youkai was born in Japan, so as a monster that was born in this land of Japan, there was no way for them to visit Rias and Sona, their junior, even though they were the siblings of the Maou.

As for Sona's peerage members and Akeno, even though they were Japanese, their status was too low to know the leaders of the Japanese youkai.

So, the only one who knew about this matter was Serafall, who was in charge of Foreign Affairs.

Frankly, he was able to ask this question yesterday, but there was no way for him to ask such a question directly since it was like he was using his sister-in-law, even though that was what he planned to do.

Riser might have planned to mooch his wife's family, but there was an art of mooch.

If he was so blatantly mooching his wife's family, he might have been frozen to death by Serafall.

"I know them." Serafall, who sipped alcohol, nodded. "The youkai group is divided into two groups: East and West. The East is led by Nurarihyon and the West is led by Yasaka, a nine-tailed fox." Then, as she drank, she explained many things about the two and their relationship with the devils.

The others also listened quietly since they were interested in this conversation.

Rias wanted to talk, but she didn't know much about the leaders of the youkai, and even if she wished to attract Riser's attention, she knew under the presence of Serafall, there was no chance for her to talk.

Rias sighed, wondering why Serafall came.

"Why did you ask, Riser-chan~?" Serafall asked curiously.

"I am thinking of going to Japan to see the place where Sona is studying, so I am wondering whether there is something that I need to watch out for since I am afraid that I might cause a war between a youkai and a devil."

Frankly, his intention in coming to Japan was to ask a powerful youkai to train his nekomata servants, Ni and Li, so the two could learn Youjutsu and Senjutsu, exclusive magic for the youkai.

If it was magic, he could still do something, especially when Serafall had promised him to get all the knowledge that had been collected by the Sitri family.

However, if he wanted to get youkai-related matters, he could only go to Japan.

Serafall giggled. "You don't need to worry. Youkai is nothing, after all. As long as you show your power, then they run away. Even if you kill some of them, as long as you don't touch the leader of the youkai, nothing will happen."

Afraid of the strong and bullying the weak.

This was probably the most common situation among supernatural beings.

Still, many might argue that a youkai wasn't weak since each of them had its own specialties and unique powers.

However, Serafall was one of the strongest devils in the Underworld, so she could say whatever she wished since as long as you had power, you could do everything.

"What about humans? There is like an onmyouji or something similar, right?"

When he asked this question, he noticed the expression of several people became slightly tense.

"Hmm... they are also nothing. The only problem is that they have Shinto Deities' backing."

"Deities?"

"Yes, you often heard that Japan has a lot of deities; there should be.... 8,000 or so in the Shinto religion? There is also a Buddhist religion, but most of them have an activity in a big town like Tokyo. There might be some outside of Tokyo, but there isn't much since they won't make much money outside of Tokyo."

"......"

The reason was so powerful that they felt speechless, but it was realistic.

In the current era, whether they were youkai or onmyouji, they needed money.

"As for Kuoh? It is already owned by the devil, especially the Gremory clan."

Serafall looked at Rias with a smile, "Right, Rias?"

"Yes." Rias nodded proudly. "The Kuoh town is owned by the Gremory house."

"So no youkai or an onmyouji will come unless they want to be labeled as a sinner. How do you say... it is like an embassy in the human world? The land owned by the embassy is like the land the country represented."

Serafall then looked at Riser. "In your case, it is like California, New York, and Saint Petersburg, where your family governs the human world."

If his needs could be found in those three cities, then he wouldn't be troubled, okay?

"Or rather, Riser-chan, your family has a lot of money, and your tears can be made into an elixir that can heal anything. With your status, whichever place you want to visit, you are free since if they threaten you, they might not be able to get their hands on Phenex Tears."

Phenex Tears.

This was the reason why his family would be treated in an exalted manner.

"Still, why don't you tell the truth? Who do you want me to introduce you to? Let your Onee-chan help you~?"

Serafall hugged his neck intimately as he whispered, blowing hot air and trying to tempt him.

Usually, he would blush and be tempted, but he wasn't and only amazed since Serafall noticed his purpose from the beginning to the end, which made him a little helpless.

His family might have a considerable influence due to the Phenex Tears, but he needed Serafall's introduction if he wanted to meet the leaders of the youkai.

He might be the third son of Lord Phenex and had a reputation as the "Blue Phenex," but in the eyes of those youkais in Japan, he was nobody.

Riser realized the importance of reputation and knew that to make his life comfortable; his name needed to have a reputation that could deter people and make people in awe.

"Onee-chan!"

"Geez, Sona-chan~! Don't be so jealous~!"

As the two sisters argued with each other, Riser thought that mooching his wife's family was really great.

Still, before that, there was something that he needed to do.

"By the way, Sona, let me show you my craft. I will show you my grilling technique."

Watching Sona, who had burnt BBQ meats no matter how many times she tried and even calmly fed him, Riser decided that he should take the matter of cooking personally to his hands.