User blog comment:Crimson and Darkness/Volume 25 discussion blog/@comment-77.136.87.178-20180506124540/@comment-34061653-20180506145833

Dude Rias is not belittle Issei nor is she underestimating him. Rias said those things becauase Strada was testing Rias resolve. This was a negotiation and Rias needed Strada and before he accepted her invitation he wanted to test her. Rias knows Issei has been though many grueling battles and rose to the occassion. Rias needed to come across as confident because any sign of weakness and Strada would've turned her down. If Rias was testing Issei's worth to marry her as you claim then she wouldn't have accepted his proposal back in Volume 22. Given Issei's reputation, accomplishments and went from a low class to a high class devil in just a year which has never happened before, Issei has more than proven his worth. The has become the most famous young devil in the Underworld and is known throughout other mythologies. Think about how hard it is to replace him as Rias pawn.