DISCLAIMER: The following is a fan-created fanfiction. Highschool DxD is owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Funimation, Manga Entertainment, and Madman Entertainment. Please support the official release.

EDIT: Slight changes had been made. Turns out that the weapon I was thinking of while writing in this chapter was the wrong kind and name of the sword chosen. What I thought to be a Tanto, was actually a Kodachi. Aside from that, nothing else aside from a few grammar checks.

Mornings were always a drag.

On the path to Ise's house to pick him up, I was nonchalantly walking on the sidewalk with my face buried in a small notebook, separate from my Diary which held all of my ideas back home, that I was currently writing into with a pencil. After Kiba's warning from a few days ago, I was preparing for canon to start soon and for me to get involved with the main plot.

This world was of the Shonen genre, meaning that the events and other fiascos that happen in the future will escalate really badly to the point where I, a simple Magician, could not possibly keep up with.

One page filled with crossed out ideas had one word circled heavily many times that I focused on, which was "Contracts". What was a better way to have Power than to associate with other stronger and much more powerful beings that can back me up and do the majority of fights for me?

One small problem. If the being I'm trying to make a contract with has value, I should probably possess the same and show that I was beneficial for them as well, otherwise they would be uninterested. From what I know, it's literally a two-way street where the connection and association has to be mutual for both parties.

Kiba was a possible idea, but I didn't want to reach too much at the current stage of our friendship.

I was also thinking of getting a Familiar, but the only way I know how was only from that Familiar episode, which specifically stated that it was only for Devils and happened on a Full Moon in the Familiar Forest. That sucks for me.

But, there was one person I could think of who could help me. And they also study at Kuoh!

Although I don't know where they were, plus just walking up and talking to them out of nowhere is a bad idea as well considering this school's students and their love to gossip. Ugh, teenagers.

Stopping in front of the Hyoudou Residence, I pocketed the notebook and pen and pushed the doorbell button on the side of the house's front gate. Waiting for a moment for anyone to come, I looked around the neighborhood and stopped my head at a certain section of the road.

Moving through the street far away at that distance was a middle-aged adult man with short blonde hair streaked with silver locks in black priest vestments underneath a white coat wearing a black hat and carrying a large brown briefcase which swayed around lightly as he walked down the road. Suddenly stopping on his feet, the man turned his gaze to the side…and stared back right at me.

…Everything was silent for me at that moment. Nothing was registering in my brain, merely looking at a pair of black shades over the stranger's eyes whose gaze seemed to pierce through them and focus in on me. I felt a gulp go down through my throat as I turned back to the Hyoudou House's front gate.

For a moment I stood there, staring straight ahead at the front of Ise's house before turning my gaze to the side again to see if the man was still there.

It took everything I had in me not to jump and shriek as the priest was now standing in front of me, now giving me a soft benevolent smile. "Hello, my child." He greeted me in Japanese. Now that he was standing in front of me, I could make out his foreign Caucasian features quite easily now along with his short blonde mustache with little silver streaks. "Isn't it a fine morning we're having today?"

I internally composed myself, discreetly pinching the side of my leg as I weakly smiled at him. "Yes Mister, I do believe this morning is fine as well." I greet back, unconsciously speaking in English.

I mentally cursed my mouth when the man looked surprised. "Oh my, you can speak fluent English? That's rather surprising to see." He said in English, softly laughing. I laughed along with him awkwardly, my right hand that was hidden at the side from his view oddly shaking for some reason. "What inspired you to learn such a skill?"

"Oh, you know. English is a part of the curriculum and all that." I briefly answered, not daring to say anymore. "It's not really impressive, to be honest."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Your tone is rather articulate and precise. It's almost as if you've been speaking English your whole life!" The man said, complimenting me. I wasn't sure how to take that one. "Now, may I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

I didn't know what came over me, but I instantly replied to him. "Yamada Taro." I said as genuinely as possible while bowing my head at him, hiding away any signs of deception that was on my face as I spoke.

The man nodded and placed a hand over his chest as he bowed his head in return. "Well, nice to meet you young Yamada. My name is George Garrison, but you can call me Father George. I'm a Priest sent here from America to observe and possibly oversee the reinstatement of the church located here in Kuoh Town."

I was surprised by that. The man in front of me was possibly a Stray Exorcist working for Raynare and her group of fallen angels. But on the other hand, he may have actually been from the Church who was actually here in this town to do as he said. Man, this was complicated to think about!

"Well, that's great." I replied back to him. "Not many people here worship Christianity, but a few of them do." I explained, wondering why it was taking too damn long for anyone from the Hyoudou residence to respond.

"That's wonderful. I would be happy to show them the wonder and joy of having God in our lives." He proclaimed proudly. At that declaration, I couldn't help but mentally wince as I was reminded of that one single fact that was kept secret by the higher ups.

It…was actually heartbreaking, considering that I was and still am Catholic, even if my new parents were Shinto in religion. The big guy actually helped me deal with a lot of stuff going through my mind despite the good life I was living back then. Nothing too dark, but I was…feeling strangely anxious to say the least, from time to time and woke up at night randomly with sweat pouring down my brow. It all stopped once I started praying to him. I even wore a wooden rosary around my neck back then as well.

Now, I can't do that anymore considering that I'm close friends with Kiba, also excluding Ise who wasn't a Devil yet, and hoping to become friends with the other Devils of the main cast at school. But I'm still fine, I guess.

I was briefly broken out of my thoughts when I heard Father George speak to me once more. "So, what's your religion, young Yamada?" He asked me.

I scratched the back of my head at this. "Oh, well I'm Catholic actually. Why do you ask?" I ask curiously.

His next sentence literally made my heart drop.

"Oh, I was just feeling curious, especially with the scent of Devil pouring off of you." Father George nonchalantly said in a laidback manner, somehow ignoring the sudden paleness that my face adorned at his words. "I mean, it was rather pungent I might add. Slightly below that of a Diabolist who associate with them, but still there all the same." He stated with a smile that did not seem all that pleasant or friendly in my eyes anymore.

…Oh…oh no…

I was staring into his shades yet again, seeing my widened eyes in their reflection as Father George pulled them down, showing off cold blue eyes with wrinkles at the edges which stared hard with a chilling gaze that bore down upon me. Before a possible confrontation could break out-

"Oh, hello!"

-The sound of a door swinging open was heard as a woman opened the main entrance of the residence, revealing herself to be the matriarch of the Hyoudou Household. Hyoudou Miki, Ise's mother, looked surprised as she stared at us. "Oh, Hajime! I'm sorry for responding late. I was busy in the kitchen cooking while Gorou was watching the TV too loud to hear you. Ise is getting prepared soon, by the way."

"O-Oh! Okay, maam!" I exclaim, nodding at the woman as I saw Father George putting his shades back on. Mrs. Hyoudou looked towards him with curiosity. "Who's your friend, Hajime?" She asked.

At that question, Father George bowed his head at her. "Hello, madam. My name is Father George, and I am a priest looking to rebuild the church on the outskirts of town." He greeted sincerely in Japanese, as if he wasn't about to possibly attack me earlier ago. "I'm just passing by, and I must head on my way. Farewell." He says, nodding at her.

"Oh! Well, goodbye as well?" Mrs. Hyoudou said, bidding the priest a wave goodbye in confusion. Father George turned his head towards me, to which I stiffen up as he nodded at me as well. "Farewell for now…young Hajime." He stated, to which I now realize that he now knew my actual name, before turning around and walking off in a relaxed manner.

I, on the other hand, turned towards Mrs. Hyoudou with a shaky smile. "May I please come in?" I said, trying to not look nervous.

"Oh, sure!" Mrs. Hyoudou replied, letting me in through the gate as I hurriedly made my way inside without a fuss. With shivers still coursing through my body, it only strengthened my resolve to get stronger as fast as possible.

I may have just found my way into a Priest's shit list. I was not joyous at that fact, at all.

(Scene Change, Third-Person POV)

Walking down the street, Father George marveled at the sights of the town he was travelling through. It was a rather unique experience, finding himself in another country like Japan. He certainly liked their food, especially their different kinds of sushi. He even bought a few souvenirs of his own which he kept in his briefcase.

But alas, he had a new job to do.

The familiar sights of metal and concrete architecture made way for the natural green coloration of trees and other vegetation as the man made his way up a path on a small hill towards what seemed to be a large abandoned church. Moving towards the large wooden doors of the building, Father George opened the doors and entered through before closing them from behind.

Walking through the colossal hallway filled with rows of wooden pews, Father George stopped at the front and saw someone at the back hidden away in the shadows. "Good afternoon." Father George greeted the figure. In the shadows, the figure's head slightly perked up before they turned around and walked up front to the main podium, which somehow managed to retain its cleanliness despite a few specks of dust here and there. The figure's head leaned forward, revealing the face of a young adult man with short white hair and red eyes which locked on towards Father George. The young man smiled warmly at him.

Father George, despite of who he was, could not help but tense up a little.

"Greetings, Father George." The young man said, walking away from the podium and down the steps to the side revealing that they were adorned in white clerical clothing worn underneath a black coat. "It is truly a sight to behold, seeing the man famously known as "Dancing Blade George" walk through these abandoned halls..." The young priest tilted his head, regarding Father George with intrigue. "…especially as a Stray Exorcist." He said in an inquisitive tone.

Father George merely stared him down with a calm expression. "…and you're Freed Sellzen, the "Smiling Monster". A once promising exorcist who graduated at the top of his class and slain more Devils and Fallen Angel than most of your old peers, being one of the more outstanding pupils to come from the Sigurd Institute. Yet, you ran away from your sentenced death for the crime of murdering several of your senior exorcists in cold blood. It was reported back then that you had a smile on your face the entire time." He monotonously drawled, silently gritting his teeth.

Freed Sellzen looked at Father George in a puzzled manner before donning on a look of remembrance. "Ah, yes. How could I have forgotten? It was rather fun, seeing the way their faces twisted in agony and fear when I stared them in the eye and slit their throats." He replied, somehow speaking in a bored tone like he was talking about something boring like the weather.

Out of Freed's clear view, Father George's left hand formed into a tight fist, his nails digging into his palm hard to the point of drawing a slight amount of blood. "You disgust me." He barked out with a scowl.

"Hooo?" Freed's face took on an amused look. "And what are you going to do about it? Old man…"

A few loud claps disturbed the two from their conversation as they both turn to look. Walking up to them was a middle-aged man in a gray trench coat and black fedora. "Alright, alright. Break it up you two. " The man ordered, crossing his arms as he now stood in front of the duo. "You must be Father George. I see you've already met our resident sociopath."

Freed chuckled, looking at Dohnaseek in mock anger. "Aww, is that any way to speak about a comrade?" He asked, feinting annoyance in his voice.

The man with the black fedora merely ignored this, causing the white-haired priest to cross his arms and huff to the side, and offered a hand to Father George who shook it with hesitation. "The Name's Dohnaseek. I'm one of the Fallen Angels in charge of this operation, acting as Second in Command underneath our current group leader Raynare. The other two, Kalawarner and Mittelt are currently out scouting and gathering intelligence."

Father George nodded. "I see. So, what is our mission?" He inquired, placing his suitcase down on a nearby pew.

"Well, Lord Azazel has instructed this smaller division of the Grigori to extract a certain Sacred Gear, the Twilight Healing, owned by an exiled nun from Italy named Asia Argento." Dohnaseek explained.

Father George blinked a few times in bewilderment as he walked back to the Fallen Angel. "The Holy Priestess?" He asked in confusion. "Wasn't she loved over there in Italy? What in the world happened?"

Freed spoke up, causing Father George to turn to him. "I heard that she healed a Devil who was supposedly hurt and innocent from her pleas, but they considered it heresy. Therefore, she was exiled and labeled as a Witch by the Church. Not so Holy now, is she?" He commented.

Father George's lips curled down. "How tragic." He said solemnly.

Freed scoffed at that, ignoring the heated glare coming from the older priest. "She healed a Devil. She probably deserves it." He said, not looking like he was going to take back that statement at all.

"In any case-" Dohnaseek interjected, stopping them from having a possible brawl again from the looks of it. "-the girl is supposed to come soon, and I expect that you both be on the best of your behaviors. That also includes your exorcists, Freed." Dohnaseek warned him, who simply shrugged in response. "Yeah, yeah. I'll go tell them to behave." Freed said before turning around and walking away.

Father George watched the young man walk away until he finally disappeared from view. He then turned towards Dohnaseek with a disgruntled face. "What was Lord Azazel thinking, employing that monster into the organization?" He asked the Fallen Angel in a heavily concerned tone.

He was right to be worried. Back when the Sellzen still worked for the Church, there were small yet disturbing rumors surrounding the young exorcist that had no evidence to them but was still heeded by most of the younger exorcists from the Sigurd Institute who displayed signs of anxiousness and fear whenever they were near Freed at that time. The main exception was a younger sibling of Freed, a young girl from the same line of genetics who was also one of the brightest exorcists and was still working in one of the Church's training institutes at the moment.

Dohnaseek sighed at this. "Actually, it was Lord Kokabiel who brought him in. Reasoned that he was more useful to the Grigori with his combat capabilities, where the benefits outweigh the risks."

"Do they not know that he was sentenced for killing his comrades?" Father George asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Who's to say that he won't do the same here?"

Dohnaseek coughed, catching Father George's attention. "Actually…he already killed two of our exorcists for the sole reason of them looking at him funny." He said awkwardly.

"…again, why are we keeping him?!" Father George exclaimed, looking he was about to go and deal with the white-haired bastard himself. Dohnaseek shook his head. "Look, I don't like it as much as you do but we're stretched thin. We need all the help we can get, considering that this is Devil Territory as stated by our scouts."

Father George stopped and resolved to have this conversation about the sociopath at a later date with Lord Kokabiel himself when he had the time. He has never personally met any of the Leaders of the Grigori in the flesh, but by the Lord he would try. "Fine, is there anything else?" He asked Dohnaseek with a grimace. The Fallen Angel perked up. "Ah, yes. There's also one more task we need to do, given to us by Lord Azazel, which is currently being spearheaded by our leader." He looked towards the adult priest and continued.

"We need to kill a young man named Issei Hyoudou, a possibly dangerous risk to our cause here."

(Scene Change)

"Atchoo!"

I looked to the side, witnessing Ise suddenly sneeze as he sat beside me in our chairs. "Ugh, dude!" I say, backing away a little in disgust. "Cover your mouth when you do that!"

Ise sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Ugh, I don't know why but I feel like somebody was talking about me."

…Was it the ORC? I would have probably written it off as him having a slight cold, but then again, when a character does that in anime it usually means that somebody was talking about them. But who was talking about Ise at this very moment?

"Hey, Ise! Hajime!" An excited voice spoke up before a bald-headed guy approached us. "Guess what!" He said, looking at us with a wide smile. Ise took the bait and replied back. "What?" He asked curiously.

"There was a sale on Abuku ni Miirareta the other day. And I got you both two copies!" The bald guy said, fishing something from his bag and handing it over to us. The object in question was a PC game case with the cover being of a NSFW nature. All I'm willing to divulge on the matter is that it was a picture of a naked lady.

IF you couldn't tell, the perverted punk over here was Matsuda Shinichi AKA Sexual Harassment Paparazzi". A former athlete turned photographer who was reportedly taking erotic and lewd snapshots of girl's bodies. In response to this maniac's act, a girl nearby us screamed at the sight of the game cases.

"Hooo, let me see!" A guy wearing a peculiar set of eyeglasses walked up and looked at the case with an interested look. He whistled in appreciation. "Ooooh, this game! Good choice, Matsuda!" He said, giving a thumbs up at the baldy in question who nodded proudly.

This lecher with the glasses was Kengo Motohama, AKA Three Sizes Scouter. A guy who had a self-proclaimed "special" ability to see a female's measurements just by looking at them.

In the middle of heated glares and strange looks being given to the "Perverted Quartet", I simply handed my copy of the game over to Ise who happily received it and placed my head on top of my desk, whimpering. "Uuugh…" I groaned pitifully.

Yes, Perverted Quartet. As in I was already regarded as a part of this notorious group of perverts. "Oppai Idiot", "Sexual Harassment Paparazzi", "Three Sizes Scouter", and lastly "Normal General". You can already tell that the last one was for me. I was given the name for being so painfully average and having a general liking of beautiful girls much like any other guy. Compared to these three, I was the lesser evil I guess.

…Why was I included?!

As I simply ignored my surroundings, my thoughts went back to earlier this morning and stiffened my shoulders. That's right, a Priest who was possibly one of those Stray Exorcists from Freed Sellzen's group in canon knows about me now. I had the gall to lie to his face, and I have a feeling that he remembers that very well.

Shit, I do not want to die this early!

"Hoooi, Hajime-saaan~"

A feminine voice spoke out as a finger poked my cheek a few times, causing me to look up. I was met with the sight of a brunette haired girl styled in braids on each side. Her golden-coloured eyes looked down on me in amusement. "Hello, Aika." I greeted her awkwardly.

Aika Kiryuu AKA Perverted Glasses. A rather well-known girl in our school infamous among the guys for being able supposedly analyze and calculate a male's "manhood" just by looking, working similarly to Motohama's own ability. Many male students in Kuoh fear her name.

….Why? What have I done to be surrounded with such debauchery every day? I'm already 37 years old in mind, adding my past age to my current one, and yet I have to deal with this shit for the rest of my time on this world.

"What's the long face for? Did you fail to jerk off to a cute girl or something?" Aika teased before yelping as I lightly flicked her on her forehead with a flat expression. "Please don't talk to me about that stuff. I get enough headaches with the trio over there." I said, motioning over to the small circle of three pals huddled over a desk and giggling like schoolgirls over their lecherous material.

Pouting lightly, she simply nodded. "Fiiiine. Still, you looked distressed for a second. Is anything going on with you?" She asked with a tilt of her head, raising an eyebrow down at me.

I internally debated on whether to tell her or not about what I was worrying myself over. This girl may have been a somewhat bad influence, she was one of the only few willing to talk and be friendly to me. Plus, I do slightly remember her getting involved in the main story later on in the future. Don't know how though, but she was there.

At this moment and time, maybe I shouldn't. Especially if that Priest decides to try and search for me.

"Nothing. Just feeling tired and all." I reply, pretending to yawn for a moment. She didn't look convinced, but luckily for me the teacher had arrived thus starting classes up. For the rest of the day, I paid attention to my studies and hung out with Ise and the others before quickly heading out of school. Returning home, I change into casual clothing and grab ahold of a significant amount of my savings.

Now, it's time to go back and see that old man.

(Scene Change)

Traversing through the streets in a hasty pace as the early evening began settling in, I make my way to the shadier part of Kuoh Town where the streets were much dirtier, the walls covered in all kinds of graffiti, and a few homeless people being seen at the sides. I stopped in front of an alleyway and entered through, walking on for a moment and halting in front of a metal door with one of those flickering ceiling lights, the ones you see in typical secret places in movies, above the door. I knock a few times on the metal door, hoping that the person living in this place was currently inside. I knew for a fact that he was still open at this time. A part of the door slides open, revealed to be a panel from which a pair of eyes look through. "Who's there?" A gruff and elderly voice speaks out in English from inside.

"None." I reply, using English as well.

"None who?" He asked back.

"None of your goddamn business, Mundie." I bark out.

"…Yeah, that'll do. Welcome back, kid." The voice said before the panel of the door closes up and the door swings outward, revealing a peculiar sight. Standing on top of a tall stool was short and stout old man with a bulky figure. A red trilby sat atop a bald head on a broad face with a big nose and a mighty white long beard like Santa Claus, which he refuses to be called as such. It didn't help that the baggy overalls he wore with a black shirt and black worker boots was colored a jolly bright red.

Remember that old man I mentioned? Well, I never did say or state that he was a human old man, now did I?

Meet Bjarni Ahlberg, or as I like to call him, Barney. As you may have guessed, he's a Dwarf, specifically from Norse Mythology. In this world, they were beings who evolved from maggots that devoured the flesh of Ymir, the primordial giant ancestor of all Norse giants otherwise known as Jötunn, who was slain by Odin and his two brothers. The Dwarves here are somewhat like Tolkien's versions of them, master craftsmen who dwell underground since they can't go out in sunlight otherwise they would turn to stone. In modern society, most of them usually work in jobs with irregular business hours or have businesses of their own that they open at night. They were one of the more open races of the mythical and supernatural.

Barney here owned a Pawn Shop for other beings, where anyone of the magical kind could sell off their belongings in exchange for money and valuables. It was a pretty cool place to know about, which I found through the internet.

…I'm not kidding; I literally found an advertisement for it on Twitter because I was trying to find a way to learn magic. It was very surreal back then.

Letting myself In, Barney locks the door behind us and starts leading me up a set of stairs to the side where we found ourselves on the second floor of the building we were in. After walking up the stairs, I find myself inside a large space decorated in fine green-colored walls with smooth lighting.

Rows upon rows of shelves lined the place, filled with all sorts of enchanted and magical objects and valuables. Walking up to the main counter at the back, I was greeted with a large store sign displaying the words "Barney's Pawn Shop: For all your Magical Needs!" on it. There was also a smaller sign below stating "No Cash Back" on it. Barney himself went around the counter and sat behind it on a tall stool, looking at me. "So, what brings you to my store again, young man? Are you finally going to buy something valuable?" He asked while crossing his arms.

"Aaaaah, no. I need to see your bargain bin again." I say, tapping a finger on top of the counter. Barney rolled his eyes at me. "Again, lad? You sure do love rummaging through the old junk, don't ya?"

My eyes twitched a little. "Can you blame me, old man? Most of your stuff is overpriced!" I say, waving a hand through the air as I referred to the full shelves of magical items. The books I had hidden away in the secret bottom of my drawer were bought one by one because one book had cost me a month's savings each!

And they were the cheap ones from the bargain bin!

He scoffed at that. "That's not what the regulars say."

"What regulars? You're hidden away in some alleyway like some seedy business owner! The ones who I see come here literally gawk at the damn prices!" I retorted. On a sidenote, I've seen a lot of supernatural races enter within this store from an Oni to surprisingly a Jersey Devil, who was a legendary folklore in Philadelphia and New Jersey. It kind of brings up a question I've pondered over.

Kuoh Town was supposedly Devil Territory, right? So, were the Gremory and Sitri aware of these magical tourists, especially Rias and Sona? I feel like they do, but I don't know.

"Bah humbug." Barney grumbled, not really helping to break his "St. Nick" image. "My prices are fair and deserving of the high-quality items I sell here. Their Quality is guaranteed!"

"Squawk! The tubby lies! Squawk!" Suddenly flying in from around a shelf was a blue-crowned conure parrot that swooped onto the counter and sat there, ruffling his feathers. "The materials are cheap and the products are sold extremely expensive! The books are just stuff that can be found at the local library in the secret section for supernatural beings! Squawk!"

I blink in surprise. "Oh, hey Arvid." I greet the parrot, lightly patting his head with a finger. This was Arvid, Barney's pet parrot. If he was magical of nature, I wouldn't really know since I haven't seen him doing anything supernatural. To my knowledge, he was just a normal parrot who can actually talk full English for some reason.

"Be quiet, you!" Barney exclaimed, shooing the bird off whom quickly flew away. Groaning to himself, the dwarf reaches down and brings up a large heavy box onto the counter filled with all sorts of junk like baubles and other collection-wise knick knacks. "Well, go on. Grab what you want to buy, kid." Barney said as he went away to go reorganize a few items at the back.

Searching through the box, I bring out a heavy book titled "Summoning Magical Creatures for Dummies". I eyed it with deadpanned eyes before shaking my head. "Haaa, whatever. Could prove to be useful." Placing the book on the counter, I search through the box again and find something peculiar.

Holding it up, I find a normal red ballpoint pen with the words "Kinben'na Ikari" on it. "Hey Barney, what's this?" I call out to the dwarf. He comes towards me and whistles once he saw what I was holding. "Wow, forgot I had that one for a while now. Hand it here, boy." He says, stretching out a hand.

A bit confused, I complied with the request and gave it to him. "This item is Kinben'na Ikari, or Diligent Fury if you want to say it in English. It's a special pen made by a yokai blacksmith who wanted to be a little creative with this little project." Barney explained. Feeling slightly skeptical, He would then grab ahold of the pen's cap and took it off.

SCHING!

My skepticism quickly turned into amazement when I saw the pen begin to transform in front of my eyes. It quickly expanded itself, the tip elongating into a long and sharp blade while on the other side a solid hilt covered in red cloth. Greeting me was an actual kodachi with two white puffy balls tied with red string to the base of the grip. "Whoah…" I mutter as Barney gave the kodachi back in my hands for me to examine and look over. It was just like Riptide from Percy Jackson!

"Yep, it is an interesting little weapon. The sword's blade was carefully enchanted to not affect average mortals, only other mythical folk and humans who truly know of the supernatural. Don't expect it to come back to you if you throw it far away though." Barney quipped, somehow knowing what I was thinking of. "Barney, why was this put in the bargain bin? This is amazing!" I reply, flipping the blade over and looking at it with glee when I see Japanese text and iscriptions written all over it.

Barney scratched his head. "Well, compared to the rest of the products on the shelves that one isn't so impressive, now is it?" He says, placing the cap over the tip of Kinben'na Ikari's blade and pushing it in, causing the kodachi to shrink down in front of me and return to normal. "Also, the blacksmith died in a freak accident. In fact, that thing is reported to be cursed since the previous seven owners would say that they began to hear a menacing voice come from the blade before meeting tragic deaths." He suddenly said, scratching his beard.

I was too busy ogling the weapon in my hands before pausing for a moment. I looked down in confusion at Barney.

"Excuse me, what?" I ask, not sure if what I heard was right or not.

"Doesn't matter. Look, if you bring that with you I'll hand it over for free along with a 10% discount on that book you want. Do we have a deal?" Barney questioned, tapping his foot on the floor. I quickly shake my shock off and nod with a wide grin. "Oh, hell yes!"

(Scene Change)

I was now back at my house, my savings a bit poorer than usual but I pay it no heed. Now in my room where I had set up a [Reality Veil] to make sure nobody disturbed me, I flipped a page over the newest literature I bought and looked down. "Huh. Is this what it looks like?" I ask, tilting my head in a puzzled manner.

What I was currently attempting to do was known as the [Beginner Summoning Ritual]. It was a type of summoning for rookie magicians, who perform this ritual in order to manifest their first familiar who they will forge a magical contract with to create a mutual partnership. This summoning doesn't need any sort of exotic materials or sacrifices, but rarely would a Magician get a powerful being from this ritual.

Drawn on my floor with chalk was a large white magic circle with distinctive runes and writings too ineligible to read clearly and a small lit candle in the center. Not one bit of it should be imperfect, or the ritual won't work. "Okay. Step 1: Draw the Summoning Circle, a Pentagon of Power, and place a lit candle in the center. Complete."

Stepping over to my desk, there was a sheet of paper with a different and smaller magic circle drawn on it using my mana which I did through channeling it through my fingertips, as was instructed on the book. "Step 2: Draw up a separate magic circle on a sheet of paper, any kind of paper, with your mana. Complete."

Bringing up a thumb, I bit into it hard enough to draw a bit of blood and slowly drew a circle on the magic circle sheet. "Step 3: Draw a circle with your blood on the magic circle located on the sheet. Complete."

Okay, next are the finishing steps!

Placing the summoning book down and grabbing the sheet of paper, I stepped into the large circle and kneeled down. "Step 4: Enter the circle. Complete."

Now, it was the final step. Placing the sheet of paper down onto the lit candle, I watch as it lit aflame and instantly burned up causing the magic circle surrounding me to suddenly light up into a brilliant glow. "Step 5: Burn the parchment and chant the summoning verse." I solemnly state, preparing myself.

Alright, alright. Concentrate. You noted the words down in your Memory Palace, you can do this.

"My name is Kobayashi Hajime. Pentagon of Power, Decider of my Fate, heed my call…and summon… my familiar!" I chanted, causing the magic circle I was in to brighten up even more until everything turned white.

For a moment…everything seemed blank and silent. I looked around, seeing white emptiness surround me as I floated there. Eventually, I returned back to reality with my vision returned. I was now standing on top of a dim pentagon with the candle in the center now burned out. I steady myself for a moment, wondering if I failed or succeeded in my endeavor…

"Arf! Arf Arf!" I suddenly hear loud barking, causing me to jump in surprise as I look down…and pause, unsure if I was seeing things right. Reaching down, I pick up the quite hefty creature and stare at it.

Staring right back at me was a chubby Pembroke Welsh Corgi, wagging its tail with its tongue out as it panted lightly.

My eyebrows began twitching hard at the sight of this little fatty.

"…You have got to be kidding me."

A/N: Sooo….I got a familiar. It turns out to be a Corgi….yay?

Also, I'm sure some of you who have read my old fics have realized why that Priest seems familiar. With my Self-Insert in this world, things are sort of different or have been slightly changed and altered around this time. A major example of this is Freed, as you have witnessed his strange behavior in this chapter which is very different from canon.

Yeah, I want to spice things up a little.

Anyway, I don't like the fact that I'd have to write this final message, but I feel like I have to. For those of you in the know, the Corona Virus has started an epidemic in the entirety of Asia, and I live in the Philippines. For those of you living in Asia as well, stay safe and avoid large crowds. Also, keep your hygene up and make sure to stay clean. That's all from me, I pray that we can find a way to survive this illness. God bless you all, and later!