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  Summer vacation was ing to an end, and Roy and the girls were preparing to return to the human world when Ravel Phenex suddenly appeared.

  "Roy-sama, I apologize for the ued visit," Ravel said, her expression serious as she stood in the living room of the Gremory mansion.

  "What brings you here? Don't worry, if it's something I help with, I definitely will," Roy replied with a gentle smile.

  "Really?"

  "Of course."

  Relieved by his assurance, Ravel tinued, "It's about my brother. I wao talk to you about him."

  "Oh? What about Riser? Don't tell me he's still sulking over his defeat," Roy teased.

  He knew what was going on, of course. Riser, just like in the inal story, had taken his loss quite hard.

  Ravel's expression faltered.

  "Yes, ever sihat i, he's been depressed," she firmed.

  "He hasn't recovered?" Rias asked, ed.

  After all, she artly responsible for Riser's current state.

  "No, he hasn't. I shouldn't have e here, but I thought Roy-sama might be able to help," Ravel said, her eyes pleading.

  Roy's heart softened. "Since I'm partly responsible for this, I'll help," he agreed.

  This was an unavoidable obstacle if he wao win over Ravel. He had to help Riser.

  But it wasn't a difficult task. He just had t Riser out and give him a reality check.

  It was uandable for a proud and talented young Devil like Riser to be depressed after being easily defeated by someone his own age.

  But once Riser learhat the one who defeated him was The Fifth Maou, his perspective would likely ge.

  After all, there was no shame in losing to a Maou.

  "Thank you, Roy-sama!" Ravel excimed, relieved.

  She then began to pin about her good-for-nothing brother.

  "Holy, he's so pathetic. Just because he lost once, he's been moping for half a year."

  "He has the fmes of the Phoenix, yet he s himself in bs all day, pining about being cold."

  "It's unbearable!"

  Rias and the others chuckled at her frustrated rant.

  "He's still your brother, Ravel. e on, we have some free time. Let's go help him," Roy said, standing up.

  After inf Sona, Roy and the girls teleported to the Pheerritory.

  ...

  As they walked through the castle adorned with fme emblems, Roy asked casually, "So, Ravel, what has Riser been up to tely?"

  "He either shuts himself in his room, practig Rating Game simutions, or pys chess with the servants," Ravel replied.

  "He's living the life of a shut-in, huh?"

  They arrived at a room.

  Riser's servants stood outside silently.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  "Onii-sama, we have guests," Ravel announced.

  "I don't want to see aoday, Ravel. I had a terrible nightmare. I'm so cold," Riser's dejected voice came from inside.

  Ravel sighed. "It's Rias and Roy-sama," she said loudly.

  Crash!

  A otioed ihe room.

  "R-Rias?!"

  "It's me, Riser."

  "Why are you here? To mock me?"

  "Riser, are you ign me? Open this door, or I'm ing in!" Roy shouted, annoyed by Riser's selective hearing.

  "R-Roy?!"

  "Don't e in!!!!" Riser souerrified.

  More crashing sounds came from inside.

  "It seems he won't open the door willingly," Roy said with a shrug, then kicked the door open.

  "Riser, you coward! e out here!"

  "Don't e any closer! I don't want to be reminded of that humiliation!"

  The room was a mess, as if it had been ransacked.

  They found Riser hiding uhe bed.

  "Onii-sama, get out here! You're embarrassing the Phenex family!" Ravel excimed, her face red with anger.

  She couldn't believe her brother was ag so shamefully.

  "NOO! I won't go out! I don't want to remember that horrible experience!" Riser refused to budge.

  "Riser has never experienced abacks in his life. He's never lost a Rating Game before..." Rias expined.

  "That's why he's so devastated by a single loss."

  "It seems we have to use force," Roy said with a smirk.

  "Force?" Ravel looked at him curiously.

  "Just watch."

  Roy used his magic t Riser out from uhe bed.

  ....

  They took Riser outside.

  He was ag like a sulking child, refusing to aowledge them.

  "So, what's the pn?" Rias asked with a sigh.

  "Hmm..." Roy stroked his thoughtfully.

  He couldn't use the same method as in the inal story to ge Riser's mi.

  He needed a different approach.

  Aruck him.

  "I have a pn."

  ...

  Roy took Riser, Rias, and Ravel to the edge of the Pheerritory.

  There was a dense forest there, inhabited by various monsters.

  Roy dropped Riser a hundred kilometers away from the Phenex castle.

  "What... what are you doing?" Riser asked, scrambling to his feet and looking at Roy with fear.

  "This is a hundred kilometers away from the Pheerritory, Riser," Roy expined with a sly grin.

  "You'll have to find your own way back. Oh, and by the way, I saw many High-css monsters on the way here. If you don't want to be eaten, you better start running."

  With that, Roy vanished.

  "Is this okay? Isn't it too easy?" Rias asked, looking at the distant Riser.

  "Don't worry, it's not that simple," Roy assured her.

  Although it had only taken them a few mio get here with Roy's teleportation, it would take Riser hours to fly back.

  And there were many monsters along the way. More importantly, Roy had arick up his sleeve.

  ...

  Riser, seeing Roy disappear, immediately spread his Devil wings and tried to fly back.

  Just then, snow began to fall, and the temperature plummeted.

  The onfortable temperature dropped below freezing and tio fall.

  "Achoo!" Riser sneezed, his wings shivering.

  Ever since being frozen by Roy, Riser, despite possessing the fmes of the Phoenix, had developed a fear of the cold.

  He nded on the ground, seeking shelter behind a rge tree.

  But just then, a pack of wolves surrounded him.

  Their red eyes gleamed menagly in the darkness.

  "Get lost, you beasts!" Riser roared, trying to scare them away.

  He didn't want to fight. It was too cold.

  But his shouts only provoked the wolves.

  They lu him.

  Although they were only at Middle-css, or even weaker, they still mao overwhelm Riser.

  He had been depressed for months, and the cold weather further weakened him.

  He was soon injured, but thanks to his immortality, he wasn't seriously wounded.

  Forced into such a desperate situation, Riser fought back with renewed ferocity.

  After a long struggle, he finally defeated the wolves.

  He was exhausted and wao rest.

  But then, he heard the roars of more monsters.

  The st of blood had attracted them.

  Riser gritted his teeth and tinued his journey.

  Every time he felt like giving up, Roy would send a few monsters his way.

  Riser had no choice but to keep running.

  Fighting would only drain his magic, so he had to serve his strength.

  He hunted monsters for food and drank from streams when he was thirsty.

  He trudged through the harsh enviro for aire day and night.

  At first, he cursed Roy incessantly.

  But now, he was silent, his resolve strengthened by the ordeal.

  He no longer panicked when ambushed by monsters.

  He had ged.

  And he realized that his strength had returned. He was no longer afraid of the cold.

  Even in this freeziher, he could fly.

  Excited, he spread his wings and flew towards the Pheerritory.

  ...

  After a day and night of hardship, Riser finally returo the Phenex castle.

  Roy, Rias, and Ravel were waiting for him.

  "Wele back, Onii-sama!" Ravel excimed, her eyes filled with joy as she saw the ged Riser.

  Riser looked like a beggar, his clothes tattered and his body covered in dirt.

  But his aura was different now. He seemed more mature and posed.

  Roy nodded in satisfa.

  "Not bad. That's more like a man."

  Riser looked at Roy.

  At first, he had cursed him. Then, he had bee numb to the suffering.

  But now, he uood. Roy had dohis to help him ge.

  Riser was grateful.

  "Thank you. But I won't lose ime," he decred, his eyes filled with newfouermination.

  "I'll be waiting," Roy replied with a smile.

  Riser smiled back, then colpsed from exhaustion.

  "Onii-sama!" Ravel rushed to his side.

  "Don't worry, he's just exhausted. He'll be fier some rest," Roy reassured her.

  Riser had pushed himself to his limits during his journey.

  "Take him bad let him rest," Ravel instructed Yubelluna and the other servants.

  "Yes, Lady Ravel."

  They took Riser away.

  "Sihis is settled, we should be going now," Roy announced.

  "Eh? Roy-sama, are you leaving already?" Ravel asked, her voice filled with disappoi.

  "Yes, summer vacation is almost over. We have to go back to school," Rias expined.

  "School in the human world?" Ravel asked.

  "Yes," Roy firmed with a smile.

  "Then goodbye, Roy-sama."

  After their farewells, Roy activated his teleportation magid they vanished.

  ...

  The day, Roy, Rias, and Sona boarded the train back to Kuoh Academy.

  To Roy's surprise, Rossweisse and Ravel were also on the same train.

  "Ravel?"

  "..." Ravel fidgeted nervously.

  "It's Mother's arra," she expined.

  "What arra?" Roy asked curiously.

  "Well... it's..." Ravel blushed and stammered, uo say it out loud.

  Just then, a small magic circle appeared oable before them.

  A woman with golden twintails, simir to Ravel's, appeared as a miniature proje.

  She had a beautiful fad a mature, elegant aura.

  "Mother?" Ravel excimed in surprise.

  Roy and the others were also surprised. They hadn't met Ravel's mother during their visit to the Phenex castle.

  "Ravel, Is Maou-sama and Rias there?" she asked.

  "Hello, it's been a while," Rias and Roy greeted her.

  Ravel's mother turo them.

  "Greetings, Maou-sama and Rias."

  "I apologize for this unventional first meeting."

  "It's no problem. By the way, what's this arra Ravel mentioned?" Roy asked curiously.

  "I'd like to have Ravel attend the same school as Maou-sama. So, I'd appreciate it if you and Rias could look after her," Ravel's mother expined.

  'So that's it,' Roy thought.

  "To protect her from some persistent suitors, could you please keep an eye on Ravel, Maou-sama?"

  "Of course. With me around, no one will harm her," Roy assured her, gng at Ravel.

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