Living as I Please (LAP)

"___" Text speech

'___' Internal thoughts

[___] status

(___) skills

(Great Sage:___)

{Author:___} author notes

Some things are subject to change depending on how I develop this story

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(Venelana POV)

As Venelana sat in the grand study of the Gremory estate, she listened attentively to her son, Sirzechs, as he discussed the peculiar circumstances of their guest. She had heard whispers of a surviving Zagan heir, but now that the boy was standing before her, she could not help but feel curiosity, and a touch of sympathy.

"So, he's the Zagan heir?" Venelana asked, her voice smooth but carrying a note of intrigue.

Her gaze appraised him as he stood there, his posture proper yet slightly stiff, as though he were restraining himself. He was a young devil, likely in his early years of maturity, with golden eyes that flickered with intelligence. There was something composed about him, something that spoke of experience beyond his years.

He bowed formally, his voice steady and respectful. "My name is Meelis Zagan, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Gremory."

"It's nice to meet you Meelis, no need for formalities, you'll be with us for a while, so sticking to formalities would be too exhausting." Venelana greeted him back in a warm tone.

"May I ask, what did Lady Gremory mean by 'For a while.'" Curious, and slightly hopeful that his thoughts were correct, he decided to ask.

Before she could respond, Sirzechs took the lead, explaining in a calm yet firm tone. "Meelis, because of your unique background, I have decided to let you live for a few months with my parents, Zeoticus Gremory and Venelana Gremory. Some of my peerage members will train your abilities. Afterward, you'll be given a small territory that previously belonged to the Zagan family to rebuild your house. Obviously, we'll be handling this discreetly, your identity makes you a target, not only for devils but also for angels and fallen angels."

Venelana observed Meelis closely as Sirzechs continued. The boy remained quiet, absorbing the information without any visible signs of distress. It was a rare thing for one so young to maintain such composure in the face of such heavy matters.

"In between your training, you'll also be studying devil history, mathematics, reading, and other necessary subjects befitting an heir," Sirzechs added. "Mother will be in charge of your education in noble etiquette. Normally, we would assign you a private instructor, but for now, the fewer people who know about you, the better, at least until you gain enough strength to protect yourself."

Venelana nodded in agreement. Though noble etiquette and courtly matters might seem trivial compared to combat training, she understood that power alone did not ensure survival in the Underworld. A noble devil needed to know how to navigate politics just as much as they needed to wield their magic.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Meelis suddenly interrupted with a serious expression. "Sirzechs-sama, ever since I learned of my powers, I realized their potential. One of the things I discovered is that, by using my life magic, I can temporarily boost a devil's fertility."

The air in the room shifted immediately.

Venelana's breath caught slightly, and for the first time since their meeting, she found herself truly startled. Her violet eyes met Sirzechs', and she could tell he was just as stunned as she was.

Fertility.

It was no secret that devil birth rates had been declining for centuries. Even with their long lifespans, the inability to produce offspring at a steady rate had left their population at a dangerous disadvantage. And yet, standing before her was a boy, a survivor of the Zagan lineage, claiming to possess the power to remedy that very crisis.

It sounded absurd, logic would tell her that was impossible, even if it were possible, she'd expect that more from someone like Beelzebub rather than a little kid, but because of the importance of the statement, if it were up to her, she would not take any chances, and clearly neither would her son.

She quickly composed herself, but the implications of his words were already running through her mind. This ability, if true, was something that could shake the entire Underworld. No, more than that would make him a target of every faction.

Sirzechs, ever the pragmatist, spoke first. His voice was sharp, serious. "Meelis, never mention this again. If you truly have this ability, you would be either killed or kidnapped by all factions."

Venelana studied Meelis' face as Sirzechs explained the severity of the situation. He listened intently, yet there was no sign of fear in his eyes, only deep thought. That, in itself, was remarkable.

Then, Sirzechs made his decision.

"Change of plans," he said, his tone decisive. "Meelis, from now on, you will stay with us until you come of age. During that time, you will undergo intense training, not only in your magic but in combat as well. You'll be personally trained by Grayfia."

Venelana remained silent, but she fully supported Sirzechs' decision. There was no safer place for Meelis than within the Gremory estate, under their protection. And if he truly possessed this power, he needed to be strong enough to defend himself before the world learned of it.

After the serious discussion had settled and Meelis was officially placed under their care, Venelana took it upon herself to ensure his proper education. As the matriarch of the Gremory family, she had long mastered the arts of noble etiquette, diplomacy, and the delicate balance between power and grace. These were lessons that Meelis, as the last heir of the Zagan house, would need to master.

To her quiet amusement, he was a quick learner, far more disciplined than most young devils his age. He absorbed knowledge like a sponge, his golden eyes sharp and focused. Yet, despite his maturity, there was an air of misfortune surrounding him, an odd, reality-bending pull that led to the most peculiar situations.

It started subtly.

During one of their etiquette lessons, Venelana had been demonstrating a traditional ballroom dance stance. She extended her hand, expecting Meelis to take it with the proper form. However, just as he did, a sudden misstep caused him to lose his balance, and before she could react, his hand accidentally tugged at the thin strap of her gown.

The delicate fabric, despite being expertly tailored, snapped loose.

A moment of stunned silence filled the room as she felt the slight shift of her dress. Meelis, wide-eyed, turned red almost instantly, looking anywhere but at her.

"I—! I'm sorry, Lady Gremory!" He stammered, immediately averting his gaze and bowing deeply in apology.

Venelana, composed as ever, simply adjusted her dress with a small sigh. "It's quite alright," she reassured him, though inwardly, she was bewildered. The odds of such a thing happening were astronomically low, yet somehow, it had. It was not the first time something like that had happened to her while around him.

During a formal tea session, where she instructed him on proper dining etiquette, his cup inexplicably slipped from his grasp. He reacted quickly, trying to catch it, only for the cup to tip, spilling warm tea onto her lap.

Once again, Meelis looked utterly mortified.

"L-Lady Gremory! I—"

Venelana merely held up a hand, suppressing a chuckle at his misfortune. "I'll change," she said smoothly, waving away his concerns.

Her husband, Zeoticus, and even Sirzechs began to take notice of these events, though Sirzechs, in particular, had a rather exasperated look whenever another accident occurred.

One evening, as they gathered in the grand hall, Sirzechs sighed deeply, rubbing his temple.

"Mother," he began, his tone oddly tired, "I understand accidents happen, but even I must admit that the sheer frequency of these incidents with Meelis is… concerning."

Despite his carefree and relaxed attitude, he typically had, the sheer amount of times these accidents had happened around Meelis grew concerning, so much so that even he could not help but worry a bit.

{Author: This is before mc manipulates Sirzechs}

Zeoticus, sitting comfortably with a glass of wine, let out a hearty chuckle. "Perhaps the boy is simply unlucky. Or rather, the women around him are." He gave Venelana a knowing look.

Venelana, with all her refined composure, merely smiled. "It's just coincidence."

Sirzechs gave her a deadpan stare. "Coincidence? His first week here, Grayfia slipped on a perfectly stable floor while holding a stack of books, and where did she fall? Directly onto him. Then, not two days later, Rias tripped and ended up with her dress caught on his belt buckle, twice! And just yesterday, I saw poor Meelis open a door only for you to be standing right there, leading to another unfortunate accident."

She had to admit, it was rather absurd when listed out like that. But what intrigued her more was Meelis' reactions. He was always genuinely flustered, quick to apologize, and never once took advantage of any of these accidents.

For a devil, that level of self-restraint was… admirable.

She would never admit it aloud, but there was a part of her, deeply buried, of course, that found his awkward embarrassment somewhat endearing. He was neither a lecher nor a fool; if anything, he suffered these mishaps more than anyone else.

Zeoticus leaned back, grinning. "I think it's rather refreshing. The boy certainly brings some unintended entertainment to this household."

Sirzechs merely groaned.

Venelana, meanwhile, took another sip of her tea, elegantly composed as always. "Accidents or not," she said smoothly, "Meelis is still a promising young man. He has a long road ahead of him, and I intend to ensure he's prepared for it."

She glanced toward the hallway, where Meelis was currently receiving another lesson from Grayfia, who, despite her usual composed nature, had started keeping a very wary distance from him after her own encounters with his bizarre streak of luck. It is unknown whether it is because of her concern for his well-being or because of her pride as a top tier maid breaking as a result of their encounters.

The last heir of the Zagan family. A boy burdened with the weight of restoring his house, possessing a power that could reshape the very future of devils, and yet, comically cursed by fate.

Venelana smiled to herself.

This would certainly be an interesting few years.

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LP: 500

Devil Nobility Class: Low, Mid, High, Ultimate, Special (these are the actual cannon rankings of DxD)

Devil Strength Rank: Low(F), Mid(E), High(D), Ultimate(C), Satan(B-), Maxed Longinus(B), Dragon Kings(B+), Heavenly Dragons/Super Devils(A), Indra/Shiva(A+), Ophis/Red(S+ to EX)

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Hey guys its been a while I guess, anyways someone recommended I might as well write for venelana since I did grayfia last time so here it is, hope you enjoyed

Also on another note, feel free to make up a skill yourself and share it in the comments, if I like it Ill see how I incorporate into the story.

A little hint – how LP works for skills is that the stronger the skill the higher the LP cost, but you can bypass this by making conditions or alterations to said skill, so the more limitations the lower the cost, so going by those rules feel free to make a skill, list out the conditions, and the cost for making it, ofc that is totally optional im not forcing anyone I just want to interact a bit with those like 5 readers I have reading this ff lol