Chapter 22: Circumstance
"So, do you not respond to summonings like the others...?" asked Vahn, standing behind Rias and carefully brushing her hair at his own request.
"It's more that there aren't many people within Kuoh Town who possess the Spiritual Power necessary to summon a High-Class Devil," answered Rias, sporting a relaxed smile as she sat perfectly straight with her eyes closed.
Before Vahn could ask, Rias explained, "Most of the clients of a High-Class Devil are fairly successful businesspersons, politicians, or rising stars in the entertainment industry. However, as I am still considered a Young Devil until the eve of my one-hundredth birthday, I am prohibited from getting involved in human politics."
"One hundred..." repeated Vahn, once again reminded that Devils were, in fact, not humans.
"That's right," affirmed Rias, further explaining, "Because of our tragically low conception rate, the average age of Devils across the Underworld, at least according to the most recent census, is 393. Even in my family, the difference between mine and my brother's ages is more than six hundred years, and he only recently fathered his first son. I'm hoping our first child will arrive within two to three hundred years, but with your vigor, we could get lucky and have one before the turn of the century."
"And what if one arrives even sooner...?" asked Vahn, finding it difficult to imagine the process taking hundreds of years after how proactive he and Rias had been the previous evening. He didn't believe he was ready to be a father, but the more he learned about the circumstances of Rias and her people, the direr it sounded. Thus, even if he weren't ready, he was willing to father as many children as Rias desired...
Leaning back to stare up at Vahn with an amused smile, Rias teased, "If your seed is that potent, then you should prepare yourself. A lot of female Devils are going to want a piece of you."
"Hopefully not too many..." responded Vahn, offering an uneasy smile that caused Rias to exhale from her nose. She truly appreciated his loyalty, but if she had to endure and manage his inexhaustible libido alone, she would never get any work done. And with her family managing a domain the size of Japan's main island, she would have a significant workload, albeit only after another eighty or so years.
"Then how about we limit things to members of my Peerage?" proposed Rias. "If I fill the remaining positions exclusively with women, that would total six people. Though, rounding up to seven would make scheduling a done deal..."
"Then let's go with that..." said Vahn, feeling that even three was already too many, but he knew that was likely due to his still-human sensibilities and lack of experience. Being involved with seven girls might seem like a lot to him now, but weighed against hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years, there was room for a lot more.
"Akeno and Koneko will be pleased to hear it," hummed Rias, leaving Vahn at a slight loss as he continued brushing her hair. He was fine with Akeno, as her figure was remarkably similar to Rias's, but Koneko felt like she still had a bit of growing to do before they could even consider being intimate. Well, more intimate. If it was things like sitting on his lap or sleeping in the same bed, he felt that was within the bounds of acceptability...