Chapter 7: Dovahkiin x Deviant

Following our trip to Kyoto, the four of us agreed to take Sunday off to relax and prepare for school. After telling us that she would have to go to school earlier, Cassandra retired for the night. After fixing myself a cup of coffee, I peeked into our communal living room to find Valerie and Amira melted into the couch, watching an episode of Lyrical Nanoha. I chuckled and took a seat by Amira's side.

"Sera-tan," I said, more a statement of fact than a question. No one else would recommend a magical girl anime to my peerage.

"Serafall," they chorused.

Amira peeled herself from the sofa to give him a lazy smile. "It's better than I thought it would be. She said something about giving us an idea of Japanese culture, but I think she just really wanted to share her hobbies with someone." My Queen couldn't stop a giggle at the thought of the Leviathan of all people needing friends.

"You're not wrong. Sera-tan is very popular, but most people don't share in her more… eccentric hobbies."

Valerie yawned as the ending credits began to play. "I don't see why not," she mumbled sleepily. "The anime is fun, if a bit immature."

"People have set standards for what a 'mature adult' should behave like. Sera-tan is so powerful that no one is going to tell her she can't do something, but no one wants to join her either." I chuckled as a thought came to my mind. "Say, speaking of social standards, how would you two like to help me flip them on their heads?"

The two turned to me curiously. "Hmm?"

"I've been thinking about the kind of impression I want to make on Sona and Rias and I figure that the best way to represent Sera-tan is to be as wacky and out there as she is, with our own little flair, of course," I said with a devious smile.

"Didn't you already hug Sona-san?" Valerie asked.

"I did, but I haven't cemented my weirdness in the eyes of her peerage yet."

Amira sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose to dispel an imaginary headache. "You… you're going to make me, aren't you?"

"Yup," I chirped brightly, "Consider this my royal privilege."

The grumbled and griped, Amira more than Valerie, but eventually agreed. By the end of it all, I was pleasantly surprised to see my Queen get into it. Valerie, she just had to be bribed with some extra blood.

X

Morning came and the three of us ate a hurried breakfast of sausages, flatbread, and yogurt sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and honey. The excitement of a new school must have kept Valerie alert because she had no trouble responding. I gave Amira a grateful nod for breakfast and in a handful of minutes, we were out the door.

We arrived fifteen minutes before class with Valerie still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Onii-chan, why are we here so early?" she whined as she slumped bonelessly against my side.

I tried to nudge her away only for her to lean harder. "You're so lucky you're cute," I grumbled.

Amira giggled. "You two are adorable."

"And you're a horrible Queen. Come help your master," I said imperiously. A raspberry was the only reward for my troubles.

As we approached the gate, I ducked into a side alley and called upon Lyric Armament. Have I mentioned how much I love this thing? At my core, I'm a healer. If I could go the rest of my life without ever fighting, I would do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible if I wanted to help Serafall. No surprise then, I love my weapon because it's useful for so much more than killing. With a mere thought, I was holding a giant boombox, the sort used in Harlem, New York by gangbangers and the very first rappers during the sixties.

I walked out of the alley and ignored the curious stares. My peerage sighed together. "We were kinda hoping you forgot…"

I shot my Queen a dazzling smile. "Me? Forget? Please, it is our duty to share the joy of music with the world!" I herded them across the street and just in front of the school.

There, I ran into the biggest hurdle to my awesome introductory plan: Sona Sitri. She stood ramrod straight, so straight that US Navy SEALs would feel inadequate at her discipline. She raised a stern eyebrow when she spied my boombox. "Rossi-san," she began.

I handed my boombox to Amira and opened my arms wide, shit-eating grin more than telling of my intentions.

The Sitri heiress grit her teeth in consternation. "Luca-san," she bit out, "what are you doing with a radio?"

I nodded and lowered my arms. Sona sighed in relief, unwanted glomp averted. "Good morning to you, too, So-tan," I said with a cheeky grin. Already, I could see her eyebrow begin to twitch in irritation.

She let out an exasperated sigh, choosing to not make a scene on the first day of school. "Is there anything I can do to get you to stop calling me that?"

"Boombox," I replied imperiously, "learn the difference, plebeian."

"I will call that thing whatever you want if you'd use my proper name."

"Hmm… nah, I like So-tan," I laughed.

"I can take it away," she warned.

"It's Lyric Armament, the same morphing weapon your sis gave me. It can just be summoned to my side," I grinned. "Besides, your school rules state that students are free to bring personal effects into the campus so long as they do not disturb the educational environment. As long as I don't play with it during class, we're fine, right?"

Sona looked like she swallowed a lemon, desperate for any reason to deny me my fun. "Fine," she groaned, "against my better judgment."

"Excellent."

"And you will keep your promise?" she growled.

"Yes, I shall not intervene in Kuoh's affairs unless they pertain directly to my duties as the ambassador and Bishop of Leviathan." I gave her my most winning smile, the same smile that got me extra dessert from the nuns during my time at the Vatican. She… was utterly unimpressed. "I just want to play some music to brighten up everyone's days. Speaking of, I suppose he shall do fine," I pointed towards a certain brown haired youth wearing a disheveled uniform and a red t-shirt.

To be fair, I couldn't have known Issei Hyoudou's face; anime didn't really translate to real life after all. No, what I felt was the distinct tremor of a dragon's power. It was faint. If I hadn't been introduced to Tiamat by Behemoth some time ago, I wouldn't have even noticed. In fact, if I didn't have future knowledge, if I didn't know that this tiny sliver was actually a small leakage of Ddraig's power, I probably would have assumed Issei only had a Twice Critical as Raynare had. No, it was even worse than that. I'm pretty sure I might have thought Asia's sprite dragon somehow made its way into the human world a few months early and pissed in his hair or something.

But, I did know better. Issei was, to the best of my knowledge, still the Red Dragon Emperor. So, I pointed towards him and nodded to my peerage.

"Seriously? That plain looking guy?" Amira scoffed.

"Yup."

"Onii-chan…"

"A-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four!" I flipped the switch to one of the songs I prepared last night just as Issei crossed the school's threshold.

Using a bit of our natural grace as devils, the three of us fell into step behind him, mirroring each rise and fall of his feet with what would appear to be meticulously practiced marches. The boombox was slung over my shoulder, blasting the iconic intro. As one, we opened our mouths to sing:

Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!

As the intimidating drumline and haunting music filled the schoolyard, the three of us marched step by step behind Issei. At first, he had no idea what we were doing and walked on, yawning and dead to the world.

Huzrah nu, kul do od, wah aan bok lingrah vod,
Ahrk fin tey, boziik fun, do fin gein!
Wo lost fron wah ney dov, ahrk fin reyliik do jul,
Voth aan suleyk wah ronit faal krein

Two verses in, Issei finally caught on and stopped. "Hey, what the hell's -"

Anything he was going to say died as he spied my two companions. His eyes immediately traced their ample curves accentuated by the Kuoh uniform. To their credit, they didn't stop singing, but took a step back from the resident lecher. I slung the boombox around without missing a beat and placed the heavy radio down with more force than absolutely necessary. If it happened to hit his toes, it's not like I did it on purpose. I was busy singing, right? RIght.

Ahrk fin zul, rok drey kod, nau tol morokei frod,
Rul lot Taazokaan motaad voth kein!
Sahrot Thu'um, med aan tuz, vey zeim hokoron pah,
Ol fin Dovahkiin komeyt ok rein!

By the third verse, we had him surrounded, assailing the idiot emperor with the most imposing song in any video game. Every student and teacher was staring open-mouthed at the display.

Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan,
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!

I began to layer a bit of my magic into my voice. I saw some of the other devils in the distance, but no one but Sona noticed the minute shift in my mana. She made to stop me, but stayed her hand at the last moment. She knew that even if I were inclined to harm innocent humans, it wouldn't be in her territory. Serafall would never condone it.

Ahrk fin Kel lost prodah, do ved viing ko fin krah,
Tol fod zeymah win kein meyz fundein!
Alduin, feyn do jun, kruziik vokun staadnau,
Voth aan bahlok wah diivon fin lein!

As I finished the fifth verse, I sent Sona my most charming wink, only for her to cross her arms over her chest and look away with a contemptuous sniff. I could feel the devils drawing closer. The magic in my voice would do little more than make the sound more appealing, a small audible allure that makes people less likely to interrupt my song by helping me convey the gist of the song if not its full meaning.

Nuz aan sul, fent alok, fod fin vul dovah nok,
Fen kos nahlot mahfaeraak ahrk ruz!
Paaz Keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin jot,
Dovahkiin kos fin saviik do muz!

The three of us took a few steps back and got ready to wrap up. We joined together again, Amira to my right and Valerie to my left. By now, my magic had flown from a trickle to a wave and even an idiot could feel my presence.

Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
Wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal!
Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon zindro zaan
Dovahkiin, fah hin kogaan mu draal!

We finished singing the final verse with smiles on our faces and took a bow. The school yard fell into applause, though I wasn't sure how much of that was my magic and how much was our singing. Admittedly, we had nice voices, but we certainly wouldn't have received a standing ovation for such an impromptu performance.

By this point, Rias Gremory herself had caught up to the show and eyed me suspiciously. Everyone else saw new transfer students with a flair for the performing arts. Rias sensed competition, a powerful devil who just marked Issei as a Sacred Gear holder in a way that no member of the supernatural world could deny.

Normal students heard an epic bit of song in a language they couldn't hope to understand. Rias, Sona, Cassandra, and the other devils heard it for what it was. Devils could hear and speak every language, fictional or not, and dragon-tongue was no different. I wasn't just announcing my presence; I was declaring it. I wasn't saying hello; I was shouting from the rooftops that a dragon would come. It wasn't a song to set the mood so much as a prophecy. Sure, not all the lyrics fit, but none of them could deny the core message: The dragon would wake soon.

I took Amira and Valerie's hands and bowed once more. The two hastily bowed to catch up. Then, with a jaunty wave, I picked up the boombox and led my peerage inside the building. Not a moment later, the bell rang.

X 3rd Person Shift: Valerie X

"Class, we have a new student, I'm sure most of you heard her stunning voice this morning," the teacher smiled at Valerie as she fidgeted in the front of the classroom. "Don't be shy, you were amazing," she encouraged.

Any confidence the young dhampir felt by her brother's side shriveled and died an ignoble death now that she was alone. How was it that a classroom full of her peers was more intimidating than training with her brother? "H-hello, my name is Valerie Tepes and… and… I… I... "

"Yes, tell them about yourself."

In her time as the Tepes princess, she had to be well versed in political situations. At least, she had to be aware of proper etiquette. Unfortunately, none of the mannerisms of high society would avail her here. Somehow, knowing that her audience didn't want her dead made it more difficult to speak before them. Her faction had constantly looked down on her, no matter how well she did. She was the disgraceful stain on the Tepes name that only lived so long as her father protected her. Even then, sometimes only just. Here, for the first time, she was free to make her own first impression and she choked, unable to make a coherent thought. So, she blurted out the first thought that arose from this comparison.

"I… I… ILIKEVAMPIRES!" she shouted. It only took her a moment to realize what she said and even less for her face to light up like a tomato. "I mean…" she mumbled, trailing off in a haze of embarrassment and shame.

Valerie was extraordinarily fortunate; her homeroom teacher also taught English literature. "Ah, a Dracula fan then?" the teacher said, excited to have a seemingly engaged student. "With a name like Tepes, i suppose you must be, Tepes-san."

After a quick bow and a quick overview of Stoker's famous book, Valerie was asked to sit down next to a brown haired girl called Nimura.

As the lessons droned on, the pig-tailed girl leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Tepes-san, right?"

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Ruruko Nimura, nice to meet ya." Her voice came out in a whisper, but even then, the sheer exuberance in her tone made Valerie smile.

"H-hello."

"Your song was awesome, what language was that?"

"I-I have no idea… Onii-chan had me learn it." Before she could be quizzed any further, the teacher turned around and scolded Ruruko.

X 3rd Person Shift: Cassandra X

Cassandra Foras was furious. She fancied herself a calm, disciplined individual. It was one thing for a woman as powerful and accomplished as the Leviathan to engage in her more eccentric hobbies, but an entirely different matter for some no-name devil like Rossi to do the same. It wasn't even the performance itself that bothered her so much as the fact that he chose to do it as his way of introducing himself to two devil heiresses. Worse, she couldn't do anything to discipline him because as much as she'd hate to admit it, Luca Rossi outranked her and the Leviathan wouldn't have any problems with his actions.

'He does have a good singing voice though,' she thought. She then immediately shook her head and clapped her cheeks to rid herself of her traitorous thoughts. 'Nonono, I'm not going that route. Shut up, me.'

She slammed her head against her new desk in the teacher's lounge then cradled her reddening forehead. It hadn't even been a week and she already wanted to go home. 'Come on, Cassandra, you've studied all your life to be a diplomat like Lady Leviathan. You can't let your immature boss get to you.'

After downing another cup of instant coffee, her third in as many minutes, she deemed herself officially pepped enough to face the day. She made her way into her new homeroom with the same trepidation she had thus far only reserved for courtrooms and her overly serious father.

The classroom was normal, as unimpressive as any other classroom she'd ever been in. Immediately, her eyes identified five figures who had apparently carved out one of the corners of the classroom for themselves. Sona Sitri sat at the front, away from the door as to better look over each classmate who came in. Beside her, Tsubaki Shinra's heterochromatic eyes met hers with a polite stare. Rias Gremory sat with her queen at the diagonal opposite point in the back of the classroom adjacent to the hall, her vibrant red hair drawing attention from both devils and humans alike. Akeno Himejima sent her an apologetic smile even as Rias scowled in irritation.

Cassandra of course had read up on the two princesses of the Gremory and Sitri houses. Their independent streaks were the stuff of legends, though they really only got away with such willfulness due to their elder siblings. She had expected that they wouldn't approve of another high class devil, never mind two, but she thought the Gremory princess would be a bit less open about it.

Finally, she turned to the last high class devil in the room. Luca Rossi sat at the final corner in the back by the window. He met her gaze with a cheery wave. 'That bastard knows he's already pissed me off,' she grumbled to herself. 'At least Amira seems to be enjoying herself.'

True enough, Rossi's Queen was chatting amicably with some human girl about the differences between Kurdistan and Japan. She clearly would have no trouble making friends. The rest of the class was filled with students, all girls with the exception of Rossi as Kuoh became gender inclusive only last year. Even without her devil hearing, she could make out half a dozen conspiracy theories about her or Rossi and Amira and the day hadn't even properly begun yet.

Cassandra resolutely ignored the gossiping students. She cleared her throat loudly, the universal sign for "I will not be ignored, but I'm too polite to punch you." After a moment, the novelty and authority of a new teacher brought her the silence she wanted.

"Thank you for your attention," she began, "As you are aware, I am your new homeroom teacher. My name is Cassandra Foras and I also teach politics and government for all seniors. In the far corner, we have two new students, Luca Rossi and Amira bint Arsalan. Every homeroom, we will begin with a salute to the national flag then i will call roll. I will then open the floor to the class representative, who will inform you of any new, school-wide announcements. Seeing how we do not have a class representative, you may take the first day to elect one."

Her no nonsense attitude and chilling professionalism earned her a respectful nod from the Sitri princess. To absolutely no one's surprise, the first time nominations for the class representative was taken, Sona Sitri took it by a landslide. She refused, as did Tsubaki Shinra, on grounds that they already represented the entire school.

"Cassandra-sensei," one of the students, 'Fuyumi Koujiyama,' Cassandra noted, said with a raised hand. "Can we nominate Luca-san or Amira-san? Actually, shouldn't we hear a bit more about them to involve them in the election process?"

Cassandra suppressed what had to be the sixtieth sigh just this morning. It wasn't Koujiyama's fault that she was a naturally outgoing student who wanted to involve her new classmates. That didn't make her any less annoying for Cassandra however. "First, Koujiyama-san, I misspoke. I introduced myself as Cassandra Foras and the new students as Luca Rossi and Amira bint Arsalan because in western conventions, you say your given name before you say your family name. Foras is my family name and I expect to be addressed as Foras-sensei. Whether Rossi-san and Arsalan-san will permit you to use their given names is up to them." She dutifully ignored what had to be mocking stares from her new boss. "Second, you will have plenty of time to be their friend later. Seeing how they are new to the school, they can't reasonably be expected to know the nuances of the administration a class representative needs. If they want to nominate themselves, they may do so on their own."

X 1st Person Shift: Luca X

I won't lie, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Cassandra's new class. While we reached a working agreement, I wouldn't go as far as to say we're friends. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she held a bit of resentment despite her understanding of the political reasons behind my appointment. Devils weren't exactly known as the most rational of creatures. No, if anything, she would probably go out of her way to watch me like a hawk just to make my mundane life miserable. I'd have to deal with her and I thought I knew the perfect plan.

In the end, Akeno Himejima became the class representative and school progressed like the inevitable crawl of a glacier, unnoticeable to the mountaineer, but trickling down in an unstoppable march to the sea. The moment the lunch bell rang, I picked up the boombox I left in the back of the room and dragged Amira to second floor of the main building.

I noticed that we were garnering plenty of stares from the student populace. Your everyday devil looked anywhere from Middle Eastern to European in appearance, a result of the geographic origin of their legend, so I'd have thought the students at Kuoh would be used to foreigners by now. Sona could pass for a slightly pale Japanese-European hybrid, but there just was no way Rias could be anything but 100 percent foreign. Maybe Amira is just that eye catching? Or maybe I shouldn't carry a boombox in the middle of school.

Regardless of the reason, we paid them no mind and waded through the prong of second years to reach Valerie's classroom. We stood just outside the doorway and did our best not to laugh. Valerie is, despite her status as a vampire princess, a very shy, non-confrontational girl. She doesn't exactly do well with crowds, especially if their attention is focused solely on her and it really showed.

Her classmates were firing off a question per second. Where is she from? Is it normal to be named after Dracula? How is her hair so soft? Why are her eyes red? Where did she learn to sing like that? What language was she singing in? I even caught a few of the boys trying to weasel in a question or two about her love life, no doubt hoping for a lack thereof. I glanced towards Amira and she must have thought the same as me because we cleared our throats simultaneously. The students were too busy with harassing Valerie, but she definitely heard with her enhanced hearing.

Her eyes lit up in surprise and happiness, or maybe that was hunger, when she spotted us. I waggled my eyebrows teasingly and waved her over. She bolted up, startling her classmates, and rushed to envelop Amira and I in a bone crushing hug. She's damn strong for a Bishop. "Onii-chan!" she cried. Tilting her head so no one could see, I felt her fangs brush skin.

I chuckled and ruffled her hair, gently pushing her head away from my arteries. "Sorry everyone, I'd like to eat lunch with my sister," I addressed the class with as friendly as smile as I could manage. As we walked away, I could already begin to hear the stirrings of the infamous high school rumor mill.

X

"You know, they're talking about us," Amira murmured so only we could hear. She walked at my right and Valerie at my left. Apparently, she's been reading something or other about the formal role of the Queen and remembered something to the effect of "The Queen is the right hand of the King." Or maybe that's just a result of Cassandra's lectures.

I couldn't help but laugh. I already had a burgeoning reputation as a "damn handsome" by the perverted trio. I did introduce myself to their leader in a rather spectacular fashion after all. "Yeah, I can hear them fine. We're already something like celebrities."

"I'm not sure I like that," Valerie said shyly.

"Well, if you already have the spotlight, there isn't much you can do except step up. Besides, we're one of the three devil powers in the school now. We're going to draw attention eventually, even with the normal students, so I figured it'd be best to do it on my terms."

Amira gave a non-committal hum. "I suppose."

Last night, Cassandra and I had agreed to meet up over lunch, something about setting a relevant schedule. After meeting her in the teacher's lounge, we bought some food from the cafeteria and headed outside to sit on a grassy hill overlooking the sports field. I looked around discreetly and put up a Null Space, one of the first spells I made. It essentially creates a bubble of nothing that prevents all sound from going in or out. No air, no vibration, no sound, simple enough that I made it even before becoming a devil.

"So, how's your day going, Cassie?" I started.

She glowered at me for abbreviating her name again, but it now seemed a little more resigned than the last. Soon enough, she'll just live with it. "Children are horrible creatures. How the angels can say we're worse than them is beyond me," she groaned in a rare moment of honesty. She spent so much of her time trying to appear professional that it was really something of a unique experience to watch her slump forward. "I've already had four different girls ask me if I have a lover and the chemistry teacher won't stop staring at my breasts. How did a man like that get a job here anyway?"

"By knowing better than to act on those urges," I said wryly. "It's not wrong to appreciate someone's appearance. He's allowed to look."

"And I'm allowed to be annoyed," she shot back.

I nodded, conceding the point, and sent a brief prayer for the poor idiot's safety. She just might rip out his eyes if she gets fed up. Then i promptly decided to never pray for anyone again. Being a devil kidna sucked…

Meanwhile, angled away from the school, Valerie had taken my thumb into her mouth. I felt the subtle prickling sensation of her fang piercing skin. I had long since learned to ignore the sting, especially since she sometimes failed to restrain herself in the mornings. Waking up to a giant leech stuck to your neck isn't exactly pleasant, but it'll do wonders for your tolerance training.

"So… any hints on what you'll be teaching us, sensei?" Amira tried to kick off a conversation while she nibbled a sandwich. Something about the curry bread must have disagreed with her because she took a bite, made a face, then handed it to me. "That is neither curry nor bread. How do people eat this for lunch?"

"Shitty school lunches are par for the course no matter where you go," I shrugged and took a bite. Sure, it tasted like it had enough preservatives to outlive me, and I'm a devil, but it was hardly the worst thing I'd put in my mouth. I passed her my own sandwich, ham with mixed veggies, in exchange.

"I'm not going to make the lessons easier," Cassandra grunted. "If you want to know what's coming, read the syllabus. It's there for a reason."

Amira just stuck her tongue out. "Fine, jerk. Anyway, what did you really want to talk about? You're the one who said we should meet, right?"

"Right. As a teacher, I am expected to be among the first in school and among the last to leave. I'll be preparing future lessons and grading assignments long after the final bell rings."

"Do you think it'll interfere with your position in the embassy?" I asked.

"Never," she said resolutely. "I'd never let Lady Leviathan down like that."

I believed her. The way that woman idolized Serafall was kind of disturbing. "Fine, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is that we're going to have a hard time coordinating the work that needs to be done if you're in the embassy and I'm not."

I paused. That was true. She was to be my adviser and that would be rather difficult if she wasn't actually present to talk me through the minefield that was politics. "Fair point."

Beside me, Valerie removed my finger from her mouth with a dull pop. "Onii-chan, can't we stay after school to do embassy work too?"

"Only students with legitimate motives may stay after school," Cassandra sounded like she was reciting a rulebook. She probably was. "This is to preserve the security of the school as well as to make things easier for the cleaning staff. Students with legitimate motives are those who belong to cultural or athletic clubs, the student council, facing disciplinary action, or are assisting teachers upon request."

"Then we'll start a club," Amira said, "simple."

Cassandra nodded and pulled some papers from her bag. "Indeed, I've already taken steps to get myself assigned as your adviser. Fill this out and return it to the student council."

I looked it over. "Young Ambassadors' Club?" I quirked an eyebrow. That sounded like something some preppy kids would do for a pat on the back and an extra tassel over their graduation robes.

"It's the easiest way to justify your ambassadorial duties, Luca. This way, if anyone sees your work, you can pass it off as part of a simulation package I made for you."

She had a point and I told her so. "Alright, sounds a bit preppy for me, but I can't deny that it works." I looked down a bit. "Members... " After quickly scrawling down our names, I saw the bit about any entry conditions for new members. "This is interesting. I bet Sona included it so Rias isn't flooded with membership requests." On it, I wrote, "Potential members must be able to speak a minimum of three languages with professional fluency. Members will also be vetted by the club president and adviser as they deem fit." "There, impossible for normal students to join," I said, satisfied.

Cassandra looked over the paper and agreed. Due to the lack of members, I would be president, Amira would be the vice president, and Valerie would be our secretary and treasurer.

X

"What do you mean, no, So-tan?" I asked incredulously. As it turns out, every club must have a minimum of four members: a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. In other words, I would need to expand my peerage by at least one more if I wanted a mundane excuse to stay on campus after school.

"Is there any chance you can make an exception, Sona-san?" That was Amira. We were inside the student council room, a large space twice the size of the average classroom and decorated in formal looking oaken furniture. We decided to visit Sona as a group to turn in our new club's application. At the moment, the only other student council member in the room was Tsubaki. The rest were busy making their rounds to ensure that the clubs had the appropriate funds and equipment for the new year.

"Is there any chance your King will stop calling me 'So-tan?'" she returned with an arched brow.

Amira let out an exasperated sigh, the same that was reserved for a mother whose child did something idiotic after being told not to. "Somehow, I knew your antics would bite us in the ass someday," she moaned as she sent me a half hearted glare.

"That's that and this is this."

"Explain, Luca-san, because all I see is an irritating classmate who won't stop reminding me of thing I'd rather not remember."

"You know that this is the best way for me to do my duties as both ambassador and student while coordinating with you and Rias where necessary. You can't let a running gag get in the way of official business."

Sona bit her lower lip. She knew I was right, but wasn't willing to give in so easily. "I cannot? And why can't you and Foras-sensei take your work to the embassy where you belong?"

"Because should an emergency arise, I'd like to be able to get a hold of you quickly, and vice versa. The embassy, while only a short teleportation circle away, is still three and a half miles away from the school. In an emergency, you likely won't be able to use a teleportation circle or send one of your Knights to me quickly enough. For that matter, I don't even have any Knights so we'd be hamstrung. It makes sense to let me base operations in Kuoh Academy as well," I said patiently.

"And if I say no?"

I ran my fingers through my hair. This girl really hates the thought of being supervised. 'At least I know for sure that her personal sin is pride,' I thought, 'Time to bring out the irrationally big guns.' "If you say no… A certain photo album of a certain student council president that a certain overly enthusiastic but loving magical girl onee-sama shared with me might reach the hands of a certain red haired occultist. Of course, it's just a maybe. It's not as though I can remember where I left such an incrimi - I mean, adorable set of pictures."

The reactions of the five women in the room were remarkably different. Sona paled considerably. While she considered Rias her best friend, she had no doubt that the red haired devil would mock her mercilessly. She had done the same when she found out about Rias' predilections for shounen anime after all. Revenge would be swift and agonizingly humiliating.

Tsubaki visibly winced. She knew just how much reputation meant to her King. Sona couldn't stand to be mocked or looked down on, not even by her most precious family and friends. She went out of her way to prove herself as the most intelligent person in her generation. She went out of her way to distance herself from her sister's legacy. She would not take this well.

Valerie giggled. She had stayed by my side longer than anyone, pretty much since I'd been reborn. She knew for a fact that no such album existed. It wasn't that Serafall wouldn't show me Sona's baby pictures, but that she would have shown them to Valerie as well. Serafall doted on the little vampire almost as much as she doted on me and bragged about her "adowable So-tan" to us almost religiously.

Amira rolled her eyes. "Blackmail, really?"

I merely chuckled and gave her a helpless shrug. "What can I do? Those really are too cute for words. I'll show them to you sometime," I winked and dutifully ignored something like a keening groan that rose from the back of Sona's throat.

Cassandra… looked torn between appreciating the moment, it wasn't often that someone manipulated the Sitri heiress, and chewing me out for my impropriety. Her face switched between expressions of amusement, chagrin, and finally settled on uneasy neutrality.

"You… you are the most frustrating man I've had the misfortune of interacting with, Luca-san," she bit out. I smirked in response.

"You mean to say that you're upset because someone other than Sera-tan is teasing you. And no, I preemptively reject your game of chess."

"Are you - "

I cut her off. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am admitting that you're better at chess than I am. For one, I'm not someone who can be suckered into a bet with you at your favorite game just because you bruise my ego a bit. For another, I'm a reincarnated devil; I'm not as bound by my personal sin as you are. Frankly, I don't even know what my personal sin is. It hasn't manifested yet. I suspect it'll pop up as I interact more with other devils and truly begin to enjoy the luxury of being a noble." I decided to throw her a bone. "If it makes you feel better, I promise that I will never blackmail you using incriminating pictures of your childhood." 'Especially since I've never seen them,' I added silently.

Finally, after the rare privilege that is watching Sona Sitri squirm, she acquiesced. "Very well, I will instate the… Young Ambassadors' Club." She stared at me as though to say, 'Really? That's the name you're going with?' but did not comment. "However, the club will exist on a probationary basis. I will tell the faculty and board that the club was made for foreign students who wish to study diplomacy in the future and that I expect it to grow. I do expect it to grow. Until you obtain at least one more member, you will not participate in any school events, receive funding, official endorsement, or a seat at the joint club council as a club president. You do not get to have a vote in the running of my school. Is that understood?"

"Crystal, So-tan," I grinned. I didn't and still don't really care about the school itself anyway. Somehow, I had a feeling that dealing with Kyoto would overshadow all other duties anyway.

Omake: Karma's a Bitch...

It's been eight months since I began my training under Behemoth and Aziz. This time, Behemoth instructed me to meet him at the edge of his territory, the Familiar Forest. I was really excited. Would I gain my own familiar? As an honest man, I had to admit that the thought of an alluring fae for a maid did make me happy. Realistically, my familiar would probably be a bat or something else that used sonar, perhaps an owl or something.

"So, Behe-tan," I said with a smirk, "what are we doing today?"

He snorted, really more of a trumpet considering his massive bulk, and stomped the ground. The tremor alone almost threw me on my ass. "That's Behemoth-sensei to you, you cheeky brat." His voice rumbled throughout the clearing, its low notes sending the nearby leaves and branches shuddering.

"Maybe, but Behe-tan is a much better name, Behe-tan-sensei."

Another snort, another stomp, this time strong enough to unbalance me completely. "Enough, as you know, you will soon act as our King's right hand. Do you know where we are?"

"The Familiar Forest, the place all young devils come to to get familiars," I said drily. "So am I getting a familiar?"

"No, that I shall leave for Serafall. Or perhaps, she will permit you to come by yourself once you have a peerage of your own."

That got me curious. "Say, Behemoth-sensei, do you and Aziz-sensei have familiars?"

"Yes and no," he replied, "Most creatures in this forest listen to me so you might say that they are all my familiars. I am, after all, called the Lord of Beasts. But no, I do not have a magically bonded familiar as most devils do. As for Aziz, he is the same. So long as there is no higher authority to countermand him, birds will listen to him."

"Huh, interesting. So I don't need one if I don't want one?"

"Yes, but Serafall will likely press you to acquire one eventually. A strong familiar is indicative of a strong devil and not having one, while not ruinous to your reputation, will not reflect well on you. Besides, familiars can often be extremely useful things."

I nodded, satisfied. "So if we're not here to get me a familiar, what are we doing?"

"We are here to introduce you to a major power you may one day interact with."

'Major power…?' I thought about it for a moment, then paled. The Familiar Forest was filled with enchanted creatures, but only one could be considered truly dangerous, and sapient. "Tiamat," I breathed.

Behemoth nodded appreciatively. "Indeed, the Chaos Karma Dragon is one of the few active dragon kings and easily the most powerful. Her power is just shy of the Celestial Dragons and while she detests politics, it is appropriate to at least introduce a new member of a Maou's peerage."

"Why…" I did not whine… mostly… I wasn't exactly eager to meet a dragon king, not til I was way, way stronger. "I haven't even met any of the Pillars yet."

"Yes, the Pillar houses will want to make a formal event of it. Dinners, balls, and the like will be expected of you. Lady Tiamat will not tolerate such nuisances. It's simply easier to arrange a meeting with her, especially considering how much our territories border one anothers'."

I slumped forward, resigned to meeting the legendary dragon. I had no idea how much of the Babylonian myth would carry over. In DxD canon, Tiamat didn't appear much and really, the only thing known about her character was that she could be proud and hold a grudge. She apparently hated Ddraig for borrowing her treasures in his fight against Albion and losing them, leaving them to scatter across the world. She passed the blame on to all holders of the Boosted Gear; not exactly the kind of woman I wanted to piss off. I did have an idea of just what those treasures were though, so maybe I could offer to help look for them…

Walking through the Familiar Forest for the first time was an entirely unique experience. During my three years of travel in the human world, I saw plenty of deserts and forests with interesting wildlife, but none of the biomes could compare to the sheer diversity I witnessed now. Once, I thought I could spot a few sprite dragons darting from tree to tree in search of whatever those things ate. A few horned rabbits scurried out of the way and I even saw a giant scorpion half my height at its shoulder threaten me with its pincers. Only Behemoth's protective shadow prevented a fight.

The deeper we went, the more dangerous the creatures became. Hydra, chimera, manticore, sphinx, we saw them all and then some. The more intelligent ones nodded respectfully to the giant mammoth at my side and glared warningly at me. The message was clear: I wasn't strong enough to claim one of them as a familiar quite yet. I'd be back though. I wasn't in any rush.

I was a bit surprised at first because we didn't run into the pokemon knockoff, but apparently, Behemoth did not need Zatouji's permission to enter the forest. Zatouji was the caretaker and guide for the creatures of the forest, but he could hardly be called an ultimate class and honestly, I didn't blame him for not wanting to get in the way of a forty-eight ton mammoth.

To be fair, Behemoth wasn't quite ultimate class either. In general, his strength and endurance could definitely be counted among the ultimates, but his relatively poor speed and magical ability held him back from his fifth pair of wings. He was just on the cusp and depending on who you asked, he was either the strongest high class devil, or the weakest ultimate class devil. That wasn't to say the guy wasn't fast though, nothing says "fuck your defense" quite like a flying mammoth that could hit you at supersonic speeds. Knight's promotion for the win. As I found out from multiple labored lectures, life wasn't a video game and you couldn't rank power in such an absolute way.

Finally, after hours of walking, we reached a massive cave. Behemoth stopped me from going any further with his trunk. Then, after a single intake of air, he let out a trumpeting roar that sent every bird in a twenty mile radius flying away in panic. If I hadn't put up a Null Space barrier in time, I probably would've gone death.

"LADY TIAMAT," he shouted, "I AM BEHEMOTH AND I AM HERE TO INTRODUCE THE NEWEST MEMBER OF LEVIATHAN'S PEERAGE TO YOU!"

After a moment, I wondered if she heard at all. 'Just how heavy a sleeper do you have to be to miss that?' As I began to wonder if she was out somewhere, a gigantic torrent of blue flame headed towards us. The fire was so hot that the mouth of the cave widened by a few feet when the surrounding stone melted away.

Behemoth, being the durable bastard he is, just chuckled and stepped forward. He blew enough air out of his trunk to distort the stream, causing the flames to flow around us in a conic blast that wiped out several hundred meters of forest.

"The fuck? Why the hell would I care about some new pissant in that bitch's peerage?" a feminine grumble echoed out of the cave. "I was enjoying my afternoon nap, ya fat bastard."

Slowly, amidst the dying flames, I saw a woman step towards us. She looked visibly irked and was still rubbing sleep from her eyes. Despite her obvious irritation, I was instantly distracted by her nude body. Her supple breasts were hidden only by long, blue hair and she did nothing to cover her lower region. I started as her gaze fell on me and did my best to meet her eyes. I didn't succeed. She noticed.

"Che, another pervert. All you devils are the same," she grumbled.

"I can't help it if a beautiful woman exposes herself for me," I said. Then, I bowed from my waist. Dragons were all notoriously proud and wouldn't appreciate any sign of weakness so taking a knee was out. Not bowing to a dragon king was an equally stupid idea, so I compromised. "Lady Tiamat, my name is Luca Rossi and I am the new Bishop of Serafall Leviathan. It is an honor to meet you."

She snorted. "He's a bit formal to be one of Serafall's no?" She waved at herself and a cloak of blue flames covered her. When the flames faded, she was garbed in blue jeans, a white shirt, and a pale blue leather jacket.

"Would you prefer I address you more casually, Lady Tiamat?" I asked.

"Yeah, do that," she said, "but I might decide to kill you if you piss me off." She flared a bit of her aura and it took nearly everything I had just to stay standing.

I swallowed. A dragon's show of dominance was just that, a show of dominance. The trick, I read, was to strike a mix between a demonstration of your own strength and not appearing irreverent. Her aura, a draconic energy… it was hard to explain. Most strong magic users could release their power into the air, a sort of "I'm strong and you should notice me," message. Some could bring weaker people to their knees, or even stop their heartbeats. A dragon's… it was denser, for lack of a better term. It wasn't just that she made it hard to breathe, because Behemoth and Aziz both did that, but that her aura struck a more primal chord with me. Dragons were, at their most basic, creatures of conflict and dominance. Every other living thing in the world lived fearing them to one degree or another and someone like Tiamat was capable of inspiring that instinctive fear ingrained in every individual. Nothing else could compare to that kind of distinctive presence.

In response, I walked up to her. Slowly at first. It felt as though each step was through molten lava, scalding in its intensity and as heavy as stone. I quickly picked up pace and stood face to face. "Your aura is terrifying," I admitted. "I have no idea how any other creature can survive in this forest."

She stared at me, her aquamarine eyes boring into my own with a mix of curiosity and bemusement. At last, she let out a sound that was between a snort and a laugh. "Ha, he's got spunk, Behemoth." She turned to me. "This forest exists because I am the best at hiding my presence among any dragon in existence. Child, I am old. I was old when the first Lucifer fell, when I birthed the gods of Babylonia. I have had long to master the art of stealth."

With that, her presence vanished. The magic I was using to press against her aura suddenly had nowhere to go and I shook at the sudden loss of pressure. If I didn't know any better, I could have easily mistaken her for a normal woman. A divinely gorgeous woman, but still, perfectly normal in power. 'Right… in canon, she managed to appear in Kuoh without even Ddraig noticing her presence.'

"Well? You have introduced yourself, Luca Rossi," Tiamat said, "Perhaps you will become more than the trash that most of your kind is. Now what will you do?"

I wouldn't have many chances to ask Tiamat questions, so I decided to go for it. "I… I'm not sure if this is something you'd be willing to talk about, but I was told that you loathed the Red Emperor." A twitch was my only answer. "What were the treasures he lost?"

"Oh? Most only ask about my relationship with Ddraig, not about the treasures themselves. Why are you interested in them?"

"You allowed Ddraig to borrow them in his battle against Albion," I said. "He obviously asked to use them in such a high level battle, so they must not be simple gold or goods. I would like to know what they were."

"And what will you do with that information?"

"I want to help you look for them," I said sincerely.

She stared at me, her eyes dancing with surprise and amusement. "Bwahahahaha, it is not often that I meet a devil who wants to do me a favor. Typically, it is the other way around. I have not told even Ajuka what these treasures are, but you already have an idea, don't you, brat?"

I smiled. "Yes, I think I know, Tiamat. The Beelzebub is honestly too busy to care about some lost treasure that may or may not yield dividends. He's likely more interested in his research than anything else." She nodded to concede the point. "I have a bit more time to look. They're the Tablets of Destiny, aren't they?"

Surprise. Amusement. Some anger at being reminded. All of these flashed across her face before she settled on open curiosity. "Indeed, I had three of them. Ddraig borrowed them and now they are lost. Tell me, what would you want in return should you find them?"

"Nothing," I said easily. "Really, I just want to be able to say I helped find the regalia that marks the throne of the universe. Well… I'd be interested in reading them," I added.

After all, the tablets were used by the Babylonian gods as the crown. Whoever held them would be the head of the gods, the literal ruler of the universe. This, of course, was before there were many other gods to contest the title, but the fact remained, Tiamat once held them. What mysteries could be written on them?

"The tablets… I first lent them to Kingu, my son and lover. They made him strong, nearly invulnerable, and allowed him to control storms, chaos, and the sea. Once united, they even grant visions of the future, hence the name. You… you don't want any of that? You just want to read them?" she asked incredulously. She seemed to mull it over then snigger uncontrollably.

"I certainly wouldn't say no if you lent them to me in turn, but I doubt you'd part with your treasures so soon after getting them back," I replied, "and there are easier ways to commit suicide than to steal a dragon's treasure."

She snorted in amusement, fighting down laughter. "You're a funny little thing."

"I'm just curious. I'll keep an eye out and if I find one, you teach me how to read it. Deal?"

She barked out a laugh that rang throughout the woods. "Very well, child. We have an accord. Find it, and I will tell you its story."

"So… any hints on what they say? It's not like they record your incestuous love life or anything, right?"

...

I… now have the dubious honor of being the only one who's ever made Tiamat blush at first meeting. Behemoth and I ran for our lives, blue flames that burn away reality itself chasing at our heels. That… that was how I met the Chaos Karma dragon… and found out she was a fucking liar and sexual deviant… because of course, it's DxD.

Author's Note

Yeah, the first part of this chapter is sort of a comedy skit of its own, but it's also exactly the kind of shit someone who wants to be "like Serafall" would do. I hope you found that funny.

Filler chapter is filler. I'm going to have to introduce characters at some point and I never really liked dropping all the names at once. Doing it a bit at a time like this feels more natural. This does mean that the story will be a bit slower at first, but hopefully it's funny/interesting enough to keep your interest.

About the omake: Tiamat's three Tablet of Destiny are part of Babylonian creation mythology. In Babylonian mythology, it acts as a crown for the entire universe. Whoever holds it rules the universe. During the battle of the gods, Tiamat gave it to Kingu, her son and later consort, who used them as breastplates. Marduk, the king of the gods, killed Kingu and Tiamat. He used Kingu's blood mixed with mud to make the first human and Tiamat's body became both the earth and sky. So yeah, obviously this didn't happen in DxD, or not quite the way humans imagined it, but that should give you an idea of just how stupidly overpowered Tiamat was supposed to be.

And yeah, Tiamat is an irreverent punk in this story, just because.

Also, lately, I've been binge-reading fanfictions in the Worm category. For those who don't know, Worm is a web-serial by a guy named Wildbow and it's basically what you get if you mix great writing with edgy teen drama, nihilistic apocalypse scenarios, and superheroes. It's way better than it sounds, but the original story is two million words so be advised; it's a serious time commitment. If anyone has any good Worm fics they'd like to recommend, please let me know.

As always, if you'd care to support my hobby or just feel like making a pity donation to a broke grad student, find me on Pat reon dot com slash Sorre.