Answers to reviewers statements or questions
Rafafalafa (Guest): Then here, let me give you a piece of advice. Stop reading. There are plenty of stories out there that don't change point of view, go read them because I'm going to still do it. I do this for fun and I'm not going to beg anyone to read my story.
Evan (Guest): Pierce doesn't have a Sacred Gear nor do I plan on giving him one.
DahakStaz: That's actually all canon. The civil war was declared in Lucifaad in High School DxD Zero. The choir was also meant to die, making Sirzechs mourn their deaths for six months. At least, that's what I think he was doing since he didn't join the Civil War until six months later. While the kids died in the chaos in canon, in my story I made it so it was planned by the Satan families to hurt Sirzechs. But now Pierce saved them and changed the timeline once again…and he has no idea.
bludvein: I get that man but the majority of people want her in the harem and I kind of want her in it too. If it makes you feel better, I plan for their relationship to have all the problems a real one would have considering all the factors (other women, Grayfia's allegiance, Sirzechs). I'm not just going to drop her in the harem and besides, this is a fanfiction. I'll do whatever I find interesting and it's not like anything's changed about Grayfia and Sirzechs being canon. Just enjoy the ride and don't think too hard on it.
Chapter 25: First Recruit and No Rest for the Wicked
Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD and wonder what Ichiei was doing when he thought up the concept of DxD. I own the OCs. I thought up the first chapter of A Minor Tale while eating lasagna.
Speech – "Hey, I'm Pierce."
Thoughts – 'I'm dead.'
Spells – "Jumon"
Lucifaad
If there was one word to describe my life in a nutshell it would be…
Stupid. Monumentally stupid. And there was a lot of evidence to support that description. Dying because I went out to get basic groceries and being reincarnated in a world that's centered around an extremely perverted protagonist that wants to become a harem king. Discovering a mystical life energy that can make me superhuman at month 7, killing a monster bear that had no real place in nature, fighting beings far stronger than I am because I thought it would be awesome (it is), and oh yeah I saved a bunch of Devil kids from being executed because I suddenly have a conscious.
And yet I find nothing wrong with none of that.
"I seriously need to go see a psychiatrist or something after this!" I said as I sliced a silver Devil in half with my Light Sword, turning him to ash. Blocking 2 more blades, I pushed them back and Jade turned them into ice sculptures. I kicked them to pieces and jumped out of the way when a large water Dragon tried to crush me. I looked up to see Tylin flying above, magic circles floating around him and sea water was pouring out of them.
"Milites Mare." Tylin chanted and the sea water started to stand up, morphing into large warriors with harpoons. Tilting my head, a harpoon shot by my face and I caught a second one. I tossed it back and it pierced through multiple water warriors but it did nothing. They rushed over to me and I weaved through their attacks, cutting off their watery limbs whenever I saw the chance. I frowned however when they just reformed their detached appendages and blocked a harpoon that got dangerously close to my chest.
"Jade." My familiar immediately responded and froze the water creations solid, I cut them to pieces. I Chi Burst to the side, dodging a large fireball the size of a house and ran when even more started to come at me. Many silver Devils were flying in the sky, chanting together and creating massive magic circles that shot out the fireballs. I ran between buildings, the fireballs demolishing the buildings and leaving huge smoldering craters. 'I also need to learn a flying spell already!' After dodging another fireball that singed the corners of my clothes, I crouched and jumped high in the air. I flew towards the floating Devils and pierced through the chest of one with my regular sword. Using him as a foothold, I kicked off the Devil and flew towards the others. I took out 7 silver Devils this way and just as I was about to pierce another Devil, Tylin made himself known to me once again.
"Exercitatio Aqua." A large water drill flew at me and I crossed my arms, blocking the attack. I gritted my teeth as the drill cut into my flesh and I was flung back to the ground, a crater forming upon my landing. I back flipped out the way of more drills and sent large Chi Swords at the Leviathan descendant, only for him to protect himself with a water barrier. I ducked the blades of 2 silver Devils behind me and cut off their heads with the Light Sword. Ignoring their ashes falling on my shoes, I stared up at the Leviathan descendant as he formed an extra large magic circle. I watched in shock as a large red claw popped out and tried to snap at me, forcing me to retreat. A 15 meter tall crab walked out of the circle and landed on the ground, cracks appearing under it. My face must have been quite a sight as Tylin smirked; assuming the look of shock was because of fear.
"…It's beautiful." I said in awe as I looked at the large crab and Tylin blinked.
"…What?" The Leviathan descendant asked in confusion but I ignored him and wiped away some saliva that escaped my mouth. I flared my Chi and stared at the crab in fever.
"Oh I am eating well tonight!" I charged at the crab and slid under its massive claw, slashing at its tough exoskeleton. Seeing a faint white mark being made, I put away my sword and punched the crab's joints with a Seismic Fist. The shell cracked from the inside and it roared in pain, swiping at me with its pincers in anger. I dodged the attack and sent another Seismic Fist to its leg, shattering the shell completely and forcing it to kneel. Activating Sword Fury, I tried to swing down on the massive familiar but was tackled by a water soldier. Jade froze the soldier and I crushed it to pieces, just in time to parry 2 silver Devil's blades. Cutting them both in half, the large crab sprayed a jet of water at me and I hurriedly dodged to the left. The water cut deep into the concrete and left a long scar down the street. I charged forward, narrowly dodging the second water attack and jumped high above the crab's claw. I slashed down with my Light Sword and it smoothly cut into the creature's exoskeleton, proving its demonic origin.
"!" The crab fell back in pain as my Light Sword cleanly cut off its pincer…before the large appendage turned to ash.
"Oh God damn it!" I cursed and kicked a silver Devil back into his group, Jade encasing them in an ice dome. "I figured that would happen but come on! That's just wast-" I didn't get to finish as Tylin sent more water drills my way. "At least let me finish my rant!" Jade froze the drills in their tracks and I took out my crossbow, firing multiple arrows at him. The arrows destroyed Tylin's water barrier and one even lodged itself in his leg, making him scream in pain.
"You little fuc-" He didn't get to finish as I kept firing and forced him to fly higher, out of the crossbow's range. Clicking my tongue, I started firing at the other Devils and started to really mow them down. I tried to make as much chaos as I could so Jack would have enough time to leave the city. From how the silver Devils were blocking access to certain areas before, it was only safe to assume that they would block the entrances to the city. More and more silver Devils started gathering at the center of the city, constantly filling in the spots of the Devils I've killed. After slashing a silver Devil's head in half, I noticed how many of them backed up and seemed to watch me intently (even the monster crab wasn't attacking anymore). Frowning, I felt a large surge of power from Tylin and he conjured a massive magic circle in the sky. The silver Devils also conjured magic circles and they interconnected, forming a large barrier around me.
"That's not good…" I narrowed my eyes as I slowly backed away and Tylin's magic circle shone bright. I didn't wait for long before a literal flood of sea water poured out of the magic circle, falling on the city. "What the-'' Gallons upon gallons of water fell on me, turning the city block into the middle of the sea and I quickly jumped out of the water. Landing on top of a tall building, I saw how the barrier stopped the water from spreading out. I didn't get the chance to admire the view as a large hand made of water reached out and grabbed me. It dragged me into the water and I could see many dangerous fishes encircling me (sharks, killer whales, and even a couple of eels). I ripped the water hand apart and tried to swim to the surface but a shark bit my leg, dragging me back down. Thankfully it seemed to be a regular shark, I pierced my sword into its head and Jade froze the water around me, freezing the other aquatic life. I swam to the surface and hopped back onto the building I was just on, taking a minute to catch my breath.
"Tobi no Umihebi Ryu!" Of course, the asshole descendant wasn't planning on giving me that chance and a massive sea serpent lunged at me. I Chi Burst away from the building, which was subsequently swallowed whole, and right into the jaws of another serpent. I held up its jaw, preventing it from clamping down on me and it rammed into two other buildings, me being hit with the full force.
"Argh!" I grunted in pain, spitting out some blood as the serpent transformed back into sea water. Sitting up, I watched as Tylin lowered back down to where I could see him and he had his arms crossed arrogantly, dozens of sea creations surrounding him. 'Oh it's on now bitch.' I cracked my neck and stood up, getting ready for round 2.
"I must say, I am impressed." Tylin said this with a smirk on his face. "I've met my fair share of humans but none have made me as excited as you have." I made a weird face at that.
"…Bud, you really need to work on your wording."
"What?" Tylin frowned.
"I mean I have nothing against your sexual preference but bringing it up in the middle of a fight is a bit…" I quickly leaned back, dodging a water drill. Tylin's face lit up like a glow stick.
"That's not what I meant!"
"Oh please, you couldn't think of any other word other than excited!? Really!?"
"That's-" Tylin stopped himself and took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Join the Great Satan Faction." I quirked a brow at the offer (and the ironic name choice).
"Hard pass." Of course I immediately refused and Tylin humphed.
"You don't really have much of a choice." Tylin's water creations encircled me and more silver Devils started coming in through a gap in the barrier.
"Ah yes the negotiator, because threatening people into working for you never backfires." I sarcastically said.
"We'll fix that mouth on you soon enough." Tylin shook his head. "There's no reason for us to be fighting."
"The past 10 minutes of us trying to kill each other says otherwise."
"And for what? A bunch of children who can't see that the Devil race deserves greater? Join us and you'll have everything you've ever wanted."
"…That's quite generous of you; I'm surprised you would allow a "lowly" human like me to join your special club."
"Many races joined the Devil's side in the Great War; if we plan to start another one then we must gather strength where we can." Tylin pitched the Great Satan Faction to me and how joining it will be the greatest choice of my life. Ignoring the descendant's speech, (along with how the silver Devils were encircling me) I turned on Chi Vision and found that many Devils seemed to be coming from the outer regions of the city to this area.
'Good.' The more enemies that come here, the less Jack would have to deal with in case he gets caught. I was just waiting for a message saying he made it out so I can haul ass out of here. I could probably beat Tylin and all his silver Devils but stronger enemies may arrive and then I'll be in trouble. I noticed how quiet it had gotten and looked at Tylin, he was glaring hard at me.
"Were you ignoring me?"
"Yep." I replied, popping the "p" and smirked at the vein that appeared on his forehead. He looked ready to blow his cool but he instead huffed and stared me in the eye.
"Last chance, pledge your loyalty to the Great Satan Faction and you won't die here."
"…You know, you're lucky I need to stall or you wouldn't have half the amount of dialogue." I said with a smirk and Tylin's face darkened before sighing.
"Guess you just can't expect anything from a lesser being." Waving his hand, the water around me started to rise and the creatures closed in. "You can die now." I snorted.
'We'll see about that.' Closing my eyes, I could sense the water creations lunge at me but I ignored them. With Jade still resting on my shoulders, I used the Spiritual Connection between us to channel her powers into my Touki. Opening my eyes, I saw a shark made of water about to bite down on me and I lifted my hand to meet it. Upon contact, the shark froze immediately and shattered to pieces. Not wasting a second, I punched every creation and they all turned into ice sculptures before shattering. I smirked at the shocked look Tylin had and observed my new form. My Touki was now a bright emerald color and to anyone else it would be biting cold but it was actually soothing to me (I could even feel my mind becoming calmer). Grayfia told me that it's possible to fuse with your familiar and combine your strengths. The one drawback is that Jade needs to focus on keeping the link, meaning she can't help me in the fight. I called it Advent of the Jade Warrior. Yes, I know my naming sense sucks.
"Tobi no Umihebi Ryu!"
"Nulla Lanceam." Creating a Chi lance, I skewered the serpent and froze it solid. The lance extended and pierced towards Tylin, freezing his water barrier. Tossing the serpent aside, I rushed at the now trapped Tylin and kicked the barrier. While it didn't break, it was still sent flying and crashed into a building. Not waiting for the dust to settle, I made an extra large sword of Chi and sent it at the rubble. It ripped through the debris and skewered deep into the ground. I smiled before leaning back; narrowly dodging a spear thrust and grabbed the attacking silver Devils by the neck. I ignored his flailing and took notice that there was now a small army of silver Devils inside the barrier. That all want to kill me. "…What a moment to be alive." Freezing the silver Devil in my hand, I dropped him and he shattered to pieces on impact. "Gryttr Ham. Auka Atrið." Casting my magic, my emerald colored Touki gained streaks of silver and I stared at the silver Devils. "This is usually the part where I say something clever before you guys attack me but…nah I'm good." Creating dozens of Chi swords, I sent them at the Devils and they mowed them down. Dodging the volley of fire balls and water blades, I got to work cutting down the legion.
Same Time, Agreas
Deep inside the Agares territory, a large floating city hovered high in the sky. This was an important landmark because it regulates the flow of air and temperature of the entire Underworld. This was also where the Original Satans did their research and created new weapons of war against Heaven. Within one of these laboratories, two male Devils could be seen standing next to each other. Both were incredibly handsome men with one having green hair that was slicked back, light blue eyes, and green robes. The other had long crimson hair, blue eyes, and red clothes that fit him snuggly. These 2 were Ajuka Astaroth and Sirzechs Gremory respectively. The Gremory Prince had come to the floating island at the request of his friend and rival, and was currently looking at a bright white crystal. Ajuka waited patiently for the Gremory's reaction to the (very) important crystal.
"…That's nice?" Sirzechs made an odd face and gave his response hesitantly. Ajuka sighed.
"Sirzechs I just explained it to you."
"No. You started saying big technical terms that you know I won't get because you enjoy it."
"I don't enjoy it." Ajuka rolled his eyes and gently picked up the crystal. "I mean really. You can match my strength without question but your intellect leaves much to be desired." He shook his head in regret and walked over to a large machine, placing the crystal in a slot. Sirzechs watched him with narrowed eyes.
'…He just called me stupid, didn't he?' Now while Sirzechs couldn't compare to his childhood friend's genius, he was not dumb. Being raised as the Gremory heir meant that he needed to keep a certain level of dignity and know how. None of that meant much however when you're talking to a guy that single handedly created a way to revitalize a race so Sirzechs let it go. Walking up the machine, it started to rumble and it opened up, showing a small wolf in an artificial environment. "…Do you guys always have that in there?"
"Shh." Ajuka hushed Sirzechs quiet (earning him a small pout) and they watched as the crystal from earlier appear next to the wolf. The wolf observed the object and encircled it a couple of times before reaching out to bite it. Upon contact, the crystal shone brightly and it dissolved, the liquid entering the wolf's body. Sirzechs watched in shock as the light dimmed and the wolf ended up completely okay, now emitting demonic energy.
"W-Was that a…"
"Yes, it was an Evil Piece." Ajuka nodded before shrugging. "Well a near perfect replica anyway."
"B-But what about the whole ritual and sacrifice and your essence? I didn't feel any of your magic power within that crystal." Sirzechs had seen Ajuka create his first Evil Piece and it was many times more complicated than that. The Astaroth heir went through an entire process to create 2 sets and they went to their prospective fathers.
"They're not necessary now. Not when we have this." Ajuka took out another crystal and brought it up to the light. "These are special crystals naturally formed here on Agreas Island and they alone can completely change the physiology of a being while retaining the converters mind."
"Even Gods and Buddhas?" Sirzechs asked, curious.
"Well, I've haven't had the chance to test that but probably. I personally doubt it but who knows. Someone in the future may just do what we think is impossible." Ajuka smiled at the thought of him being wrong. Being proven wrong isn't always a bad thing, especially to a scientist like him.
"True." Sirzechs took the crystal from Ajuka and looked it over; in slight awe that such a small crystal can be the key to repopulating an entire race (with his friend's help of course). His father always told stories of the Great War and how he felt regret for the countless women, men and children that died for nothing. Sirzechs shared his father's empathy and that's why he wanted to help Ajuka with the Evil Piece's projects however he can. 'Except he's practically finished and I've done jack.' He made a wry smile and Ajuka must have seen that because he snorted.
"You've done plenty Sirzechs. Do you think I would have been able to convince Lord Agares to let me into this laboratory without your help? Or convince the Noble Devils that Evil Pieces will only be beneficial to the Underworld? I couldn't have gotten this far without you." Ajuka smiled and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"Ajuka…" Sirzechs was honestly moved.
"Besides, knowing you, you'd somehow find a way for the Evil Pieces to create Angels." Ajuka shook his head at the absurd thought and Sirzechs deadpanned.
"…You're mean today." Sirzechs sighed at Ajuka's shrug and looked out a side window. There was a large amount of construction going on and many Devils moving about, building large structures of different sizes. "What are they doing out there?"
"I believe Lord Agares wanted to make Agreas into a tourist spot." Ajuka explained as he waved his hand and a magic circle appeared under the wolf in the machine. Sirzechs just nodded in agreement of the idea. While he liked it when the Devil Lords did anything that didn't involve war, a tourist spot did sound nice. Sirzechs quickly noticed that things started to get noisy outside and frowned when he noticed soldiers flying into the city. "Hey Ajuka somethings-"
"Sir Ajuka, Sir Sirzechs!" A Devil rushed into the laboratory, out of breath and sweaty. He even had his wings out, showing that he must have flown here from somewhere far.
"Hale? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Sirzechs became worried at his usually calm attendant's frantic form. The attendant took a minute to catch his breath before speaking.
"The Great Satanic families have declared Civil War!" Ajuka and Sirzechs went wide eyed at that.
"How long ago was this?" Ajuka asked with a grim frown.
"Just a couple of minutes ago, they declared war in the capital. It's a nightmare down there! Countless are injured or dead!"
"The capital?" Ajuka frowned at the location before remembering something. "Wait, Sirzechs isn't your choi-" A crash interrupted Ajuka as he turned and saw a large hole leading outside, Sirzechs flying at breakneck speed in one direction. There was a sonic boom and then nothing as the Gremory Prince was already out of sight. "…Nevermind." Ajuka sighed and turned back to Hale. "Inform Sirzechs parents of what's happened. I'll message Serafall and Falbium, hopefully we can storm the city in time."
"I-Is Prince Sirzechs worried for his choir?" Ajuka stopped at Hale's words and turned to him.
"Yes, that's why he went ahead. Has there been any news of them?" Ajuka was surprised at Hale's nod, figuring that because the choir is in the middle of this mess, they're chances of surviving wouldn't be too high.
"They were about to be executed in Lucifaad for singing the song of peace."
"Were about to? They're still alive? Who saved them?" Ajuka, while relieved, wondered who saved them. 'Did Falbium know of the descendant's plans and sneaked into Lucifaad? Or was it Serafall?' Ajuka immediately thought of all the possible candidates that could have saved the kids.
"A glowing human with a green rabbit."
"…"
"…"
"…What?"
Back to Pierce
My fist landed on a silver Devil's face, freezing it then shattering to pieces. Back flipping out of the way of a bunch of spears, I took out my crossbow and started pelting the surrounding Devils with Holy Frost Arrows. Many couldn't dodge in time and fell out of the sky, landing with frost and burns. I Chi Bursts around the enemies' and even used their tracking spells against them, running into other Devils, causing the spells to hit them. I tried to cause as much chaos as I could to really undermine their teamwork.
"He's going to the right!"
"Set up a containment zone!"
"No, we need to check on Master Tylin!"
"Mother fuck-Who hit me!?" Safe to say, that was the easy part.
'…These guys suck…' I made a weird face as I maneuvered the battlefield, creating foot holds on the water by freezing it and slashing at every Devil that came my way. These guys had basic combat training and magic, but their command left a lot to be desired. They only gave orders whenever I made a move and by then I was already on to the next enemy. It wasn't even the same guy giving orders and they were attacking recklessly. 'If these guys are the standard then it's no one wonder earlier in the story, Issei could beat the Old Satan Faction's grunts.' I idly thought this as I sliced two Devils in half and skewered the head of another. Parrying multiple slashes from another group, I cut them all to pieces and got hit in the face with a mace. My head leaned back, I looked to the Devil that hit me and he was in shock (He probably didn't expect it to land).
"Uhhh…I'm sor-" He didn't get to finish as I kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying into the water. He didn't come back up.
"…Nice." Rubbing the place where I got hit, I turned around to keep fighting but then I felt a huge aura deep inside the water. It circled around the building I was on and I didn't wait long before it rose out of the water. A massive sea dragon with sharp fangs, green-black scales, and demonic horns towered over me and glared. It's aura was also vaguely similar to Tyl- "Wait." Blinking, I scanned over the monster with Chi Vision and discovered that it was indeed the Leviathan descendant. "…Damn, talk about being ugly on the inside and the outside." By Tylin's growl, he didn't appreciate that.
"You should be proud of this accomplishment. Very few can say they forced me to change into this form! Now you can-Argh!" Tylin screamed in pain as I hit him in the face with a Chi Spear and it froze one of his horns. Jumping high in the air, I slashed down on his scales with my Light Sword and was surprised to see it actually bounced off. Kicking off his body, I narrowly avoided being eaten (I wonder what would happen if he eats something my size and transforms back) and dodged his tail sweep. Sending Chi Swords at every corner of his body, they all landed but none of them pierced his scales and only slowed him down. I kept pelting him with projectiles and when most of his body was frozen, I jumped towards his head. Then Tylin opened his mouth and a blue fire attack came out, right at me.
'Oh shi-' Crossing my arms in time, the breath attack sent me flying and I was flung through multiple houses. I landed in the water and had to swim out, climbing a shoe store. Gritting my teeth as the fire got through my Touki; my Chi got to healing my arms and had to roll to the side as Tylin's crab familiar from earlier attacked. "Where the hell have you been!?" Dodging the massive crab's pincer, I grabbed onto it and froze it solid. My regular sword had a much easier time cutting off its arm and the crab roared in pain. I ignored it however and put the massive claw in my space ring (I wasn't kidding). Unfortunately, the crab retreated into the water and Tylin arrived at the scene, attacking me with another breath attack. I Chi Burst away and activated Sword Fury, slashing down on the Leviathan descendant.
"!" Tylin roared in pain as my attack shattered his scales and black blood seeped from his wounds. I tried to hit him again but multiple water soldiers jumped out and tackled me, holding me in place. I quickly shrugged them off and blocked Tylin's fangs with my sword, the concrete under my feet cracking from the weight. I punched Tylin away and sank my sword into one of his wounds, causing him to flail around and dive back into the water.
"Pleistocene Epoch!" Channeling a large amount of Chi and forming it into a ball, I sent it down at the water. It froze all the water in the street and the frost kept going, freezing even the surrounding Devils. I knelt down, catching my breath from the attack and raised my hand. "Hey…Jack…can you hear me?" I tried to speak between gasps.
"Yeah, I can hear you! I'm almost out of the city; I had to take a detour because some silver Devils found me. How are you holding up?" Jack's voice came through the communication ring and I sighed in relief.
"I'm doing alright… I think. This asshole descendant ain't making it easy but I can take him. Get out soon so I can leave."
"Roger!" Jack gave one last good luck before cutting the connection. I flexed my arms, finding most of the injuries already healed (I guess Advent also improves my healing rate) and stood up. Cracks started appearing all over the frozen waters and Tylin smashed his way out, his serpent form worse for wear. He had only one horn left, the sword cuts on his body were full of frostbite, and his fangs were chipped. He looked like hell.
"…You look like shit." Of course, I didn't hesitate to tell him that and smirked at how angry his aura got. I quickly jumped back, dodging his tail slam and punched his face when he tried to bite at me. Tylin grunted and spit out another fang, getting him even angrier. He kept coming at me recklessly, either biting or firing a water spell at me and I would counter attack. At this point, no more silver Devils were coming into the barrier and the ones that were around were keeping the barrier up. I was pretty much bullying the Leviathan descendant. 'I would feel bad but he did try to execute a bunch of kids so…' I thought of that whenever the feeling of pity welled up within me and attacked Tylin even harder. After leaving a long bloody gash across Tylin's eye, he roared in pain and then fell to the icy ground. The silence was deafening as I watched the still form of the Leviathan. Slowly walking up to him, I lightly kicked him for a reaction and nothing happened (even his aura was saying he was dead). "…Just to be safe." Activating Sword Fury, I marveled at the silver-green color and lifted my sword high.
"W-Wait!" Tylin quickly sprang to life and looked at me with pleading eyes. Though his serpent form did him no favors. "If you do this then the Leviathan Clan will not let you go!"
"…You don't really get this whole begging thing do you?" I asked rhetorically. Tylin growled.
"Listen to me you creti-" My sword came down, striking on his wound and cutting clean through. The serpent head flew off its body and left a bloody trail, landing a couple feet away from me. The body twitched for a couple of times before going limp and a large amount of black blood flowed out of the wound. Sensing one last time with Chi Vision, I put away my sword and looked around. The barrier was still up but no more silver Devils were coming in and it didn't seem like a prison type barrier. It was probably just to keep the water in to help Tylin and I could probably break through with enough force. Choosing to finally get out of here, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye and stopped. It was the crab familiar from before swimming in the waters that weren't completely frozen. There was one thing that was constant with all familiars and that's if the conjurer dies, then the familiar will go teleport back to where it came from. Tylin was dead yet this familiar chose to stick around. Did he have that good of a relationship with it? Or was he…
I turned around and looked back at the corpse of the Leviathan, its limp headless body still there. I walked up to it and touched its scales, finding them real and rough. Confused, I scanned over the body with my Spiritual Energy and my eyes widened when I found out it was a shell made of demonic energy.
It was a clone.
"Son of a bitch!" I kicked the large body away, slamming into the ice and I jumped high in the air, landing on top of a building. I looked around and tried to locate Tylin (he can apparently hide from my Chi Vision), finding something swimming fast near the barrier. Channeling Chi into my eyes, I could clearly see it was the beaten human form of Tylin trying to escape the barrier. Waving my hands, dozens of large green Chi Swords hovered around me and I sent them flying at the escaping Tylin. They pierced through the water, freezing everything they touched but the Leviathan descendant weaved in the water and dodged all of them. I kept sending more but none hit and Tylin was about to reach the barrier. Honestly, at this point I should take my winnings and leave. Jack must have escaped the city by now and if I stay any longer then stronger Devils may arrive. I should just let him go.
"…Fuck that!" I crouched and kicked off the ground, leaving a crater. I ran across the rooftops as a blur and after a minute, made it to the barrier. I could see Tylin had made it outside and was sitting down, being tended to by some Devils. His face when he looked up and saw me through the barrier was priceless. I winded my fist back and punched the barrier, cracks appearing all over it. Then I punched it again. And again. And again. It took five hits in total for the barrier to break and the rest came crashing down, the water it was stopping flooded into the streets. Tylin ran at my first punch.
"Stop hi-" A commanding Devil tried to speak but I just knocked him out. Multiple Devils rushed at me but I quickly took care of them and ran in the direction Tylin went. I found him soon enough but he just sent another wave of silver Devils for me to deal with. This became a trend as I chased the descendent through the city and I was confused. What was the point? I get that he wants to live but what is this accomplishing? He doesn't really think that these cannon fodder could stop me does he?
'He sure can run…' I thought this as I kicked another silver Devil aside and grabbed the spear of another. I snapped the weapon in half and pierced the Devil's chest with one half, stabbing through the neck of another with the second. Tylin finally seemed to stop as he reached the town square where this all started and looked around. Oddly enough, some groups of citizens stayed around with a small group of silver Devils to keep order. There was even…
"Grayfia!" Tylin found the silver haired Devil standing on the side and it was like he found his savior. "Help me! Kill this man!" He moved towards her and I made an amused smile.
'Is he serious? He's not part of the Lucifer Clan so why would she help?" Not to mention the fact she wanted to wipe him out earlier but couldn't because…of his…ring. I quickly looked to Grayfia and saw that she had a conflicted expression on her face. Very conflicted. "Shit." I jetted to Tylin and activated Sword Fury, intending on finishing this.
"Help me! I order you save me! If you still have your oath to the Lucifer's then you'll-Arghhh!" Tylin put up a barrier but my sword cut through and sliced off his forearm, also leaving a nasty cut down his shoulder. He fell to the ground and held his arm, still looking at the female Devil. "Grayfia, you have to-"
"Oh shut up already!" I placed a foot on his chest and brought my sword down, trying to cut his head off. A magic circle appeared in front of my sword and blocked it, protecting Tylin. I looked over at Grayfia lifting her hand and her face was expressionless. Shit.
"…I'm sorry." Grayfia's words didn't match her tone as she lifted her other hand and a larger magic circle appeared. It was aimed right for me.
"…Damn it." Then a gust of wind came out of the magic circle and sent me flying far in the distance. I felt my back hit something and then my vision went black.
Grayfia had to hold back a wince as Pierce smashed against the castle wall, leaving a large crater. She watched as his unconscious body fell out of the crater and to the ground, picking up dust on impact. Grayfia's already present guilt became worse when she saw both the body of Pierce and his rabbit familiar prone in the rubble. She really didn't want to help Tylin but she had an oath to keep. "…I'm really sorry." She said low as Tylin picked himself up and stared at his stumped arm. The rage on his face said it all.
"Why did you only do something now!?" Of course, Tylin needed to make his agony known and glared at Grayfia. "Do you see what he's done? If only you've gotten involved earlier then-" Tylin stopped at Grayfia's glare and he remembered she was the strongest female member of the Great Satan Faction. He lowered his glare and clicked his tongue, still upset over the loss of his silver Devil legion. His big sister will not take his failure well. "Well what are you waiting for!? Someone go tie him up!" Tylin yelled at the present silver Devils and they immediately moved to tie Pierce up.
"What are you going to do?" Grayfia spoke up and narrowed her eyes, her glare forcing the silver Devils to stop.
"First, I'm going to bring him to my Clan and have him tortured in every fashion we can think of. Then, I'll brainwash him and make him into a fine soldier. He can make up for all the silver Devils lost today." Tylin sneered at the human's future fate but Grayfia shook her head.
"I don't think that's going to happen." Tylin narrowed his eyes at the silver haired Devil.
"And why is that? Don't forget Grayfia, that man is now an enemy of the Satanic families and that includes the Lucifer Clan."
"I didn't forget."
"Then what's the problem?" Tylin frowned at the small smirk Grayfia sent his way and she pointed up.
"Him." Tylin looked up and it took all of Grayfia's mental strength not to laugh at his look of fear (she did let out a snicker).
In the air with all 12 Devil wings out, one Sirzechs Gremory stared down at the 2 and he was not happy. Not at all. The silence was deafening as the crimson haired prince and the very scared Leviathan descendant locked eyes. After a minute of glaring, Sirzechs moved his gaze (at Tylin's relief) and he locked his eyes with Grayfia. His glare became a bit softer.
"Grayfia." Sirzechs nodded
"Sirzechs." Grayfia curtly replied back. "If you're looking for your choir then they already left the city." Sirzechs blinked at that and his rising demonic power cut off.
"…Oh." He looked around and saw all the destruction, his gaze momentarily stopping on the unconscious man in the corner. "That's good then…Thank you." Sirzechs assumed it was Grayfia that saved the kids (at the risk of her getting in trouble) but he was stunned when she shook her head.
"I'm not the one who saved them."
"Then who did?" Sirzechs asked and Grayfia pointed to the left. He followed her finger and looked at the unconscious man again. "…Is that a Moon Hare?" Sirzechs noticed the rare familiar by the man and waved his hand, both bodies flying towards him. He caught the familiar in one hand and threw the man over his shoulder before looking back at Grayfia. "I still remember why I came here." He turned to look at the cowering Tylin behind Grayfia.
"I can't let you do that." She made a wry smile and he sighed.
"I know." They locked eyes for a minute and their magic auras clashed against each other, coincidently making it hard to breathe for Tylin. Sirzechs placed a protective aura over the young man over his shoulder to prevent that. Grayfia didn't care to do the same. Just as Tylin looked ready to kneel over from the pressure, Sirzechs stopped and lifted higher into the air, turning around. "I'll see you soon." Sirzechs left that message and flew out of the city, the barrier that protected the city barely stopping him. Tylin watched the Gremory Prince fly away in a cold sweat and shakily turned towards Grayfia.
"W-Who was he t-talking to?" He asked in trepidation and Grayfia looked at him with a bored face.
"Who do you think?" Grayfia turned around and smirked when she heard his groan of despair. It almost made her guilty feelings go away. Almost. She couldn't help but give a bitter smile at what she did to Pierce and how she may have lost another friend because of her job. 'I guess it's my fault for getting my hopes up…' Grayfia couldn't stew in her guilt before she felt her communication ring warm up. She touched it and opened the link.
"…So what are we now? I mean, we're enemies now but that doesn't mean we have to stop being friends. So…secret friends? True rivals? Ooh, I got it! Frenemies!" A woman spoke out and Grayfia wryly smiled at her chipper tone.
"Hi Serafall and no, I don't think we can be frenemies."
"Awww, why not!?"
"Because we're on different sides and…okay maybe we can but we can't meet up like we used to anymore." Grayfia said this with sadness in her voice and Serafall scuffed.
"Oh please, I just need to kick your butt and capture you. Then you'll be my prisoner and we can go to this new cake shop that opened up near here. They're great!" Grayfia gave a small smile at the ridiculous but kind of sound plan.
"Good luck with that." Grayfia looked up where Sirzechs left and she gained a thoughtful expression before speaking. "Hey Serafall can you do me a favor?"
"Sure! What do you need?"
"I need you to deliver a message…"
Unknown Location, Back to Pierce
I opened my eyes and found myself in a large, white bed. I observed the room I was in and saw all kinds of expensive furniture, paintings, a fireplace, and even a sky light. "Urghhh…Did anyone get the plate of the truck that hit me? I think it started with a G…" I groaned as I sat up and rubbed the back of my sore…everything really.
"…What's a truck?" A voice rang out and I turned to see a beautiful browned haired woman with a shapely figure sitting on a chair. She had a motherly smile and kind violet eyes. I blinked, recognizing this woman.
"…Ms. Venelana?" I guessed and the mother of Sirzechs nodded. "Pierce." I extended my hand and Venelana shook it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Same." We sat there in silence as Venelana played with Jade who was on her lap (that's one less thing to worry about) and I slowly got out of bed.
"I wouldn't do that." I stopped at Venelana's words and narrowed my eyes.
"Why?" They're not misunderstanding something and think I took their kids, are they? I hope not because I can take Tylin and his minions any day but I prefer not to have to fight my way out here. It also has to do with the fact that Venelana alone can kick my ass by what her aura was telling me. I waited in anticipation as the browned haired matriarch looked up and paused before speaking.
"Dinner's not ready yet." She dropped that fact and continued playing with Jade, ignoring my hard deadpan. "Just wait a minute, it will be done soon." Not seeing a way out of that invitation (then again, who's going to say no to free food?) I rubbed my communication ring and dialed Mephisto's number. It rang for a couple of seconds before he picked up.
"…You sure know how to cause waves don't you kid?" Mephisto said with exhaustion and slight excitement in his voice. I snorted.
"Understatement of the year. I delivered the letter, are you going to keep your end of the deal?" I could hear Mephisto snort at the question.
"This ain't my first deal kid, you're in Grauzauberer and I already have my men tracking down the White Dragon Emperor. I'll let you know where he or she is when we find them. What about Jack?"
"He's in the living room." Venelana spoke up and I nodded in thanks.
"Very well then. Pleasure doing business with you kid and I hope I can do so again." Mephisto said that before cutting the call and I watched as Venelana stood up.
"Come, dinner's ready." Venelana walked out of the room still holding Jade and I followed after, being led through the hallway of the Gremory Clan. We reached a set of double doors and they automatically opened, showing us a large room.
"Nice." I whistled at the long table of food in the middle of the room and kinds of dishes laid on it. They were all steaming, showing their freshness and the smell was appetizing. I could see a tall, red haired man with white clothes sitting at the head of the table. He didn't have a goatee. "…It took you 400 years to grow a goatee?" Zeoticus stopped at my comment.
"…What?" He asked, confused but Venelana intervened by stepping forward.
"You should be in bed dear; you could open up your wounds." Venelana said, concerned for her husband but he waved his hand.
"Oh I'm fine honey. A little moving around isn't going to kill me." I noticed the bloody wrapping sticking out of the Gremory head's clothes and wondered how he got injured. "Besides, I had to thank our friend personally for his heroics."
"Um, there's no need for that. I'm not a hero."
"Your actions beg to differ." I heard a voice speak behind me and I turned to see a tall, handsome crimson haired man walk up to me. He smiled and extended his hand. "Sirzechs Gremory." I stared at the hand for a second before shaking it.
"Pierce." I observed the infamous sis-con for all his glory. I wasn't disappointed. Everything from posture to his looks and even aura screamed power and destruction. 'And damn is he handsome.' I made a wry smile at the future Lucifer's looks. I wasn't one to lament my looks compared to others (not that much anyway) but Sirzechs' level was just cheating (It's like Ichiei took the handsome stick and proceeded to beat him half to death with it. Then gave him a second to breathe before resuming).
"I know who you are and you have my thanks for saving my children, if there's ever anything you need then please let me know."
"Don't mention it man, I just did what I thought was right." I waved away his concern and Sirzechs nodded in agreement, leading me to sit down. Dinner with the Gremory clan was as interesting as I thought it would be. They were kind, warm and overall pretty chill. They didn't care for my less than sophisticated eating manner and made idle chatter the entire dinner (I asked about the kids and they were in the hospital getting checked up). Jack even joined us at some point and we made plans to leave the Underworld after I did one last thing. I couldn't leave the Underworld without doing it and I had to perfect help right here.
"Hey Sirzechs."
"Hm?"
"I know I said forget about it but can I cash in that favor?" I nervously asked and Sirzechs enthusiastically nodded his head.
"Of course! Whatever you need just let me know and I'll do it!" Sirzechs said this with conviction and I smiled.
"Cool, don't worry it's not too big. I just want to borrow a couple of builders to make something for me." Sirzechs seemed surprised at the request but nodded in the end.
"Got it, I'll get you the best builders in the Underworld. When do you need them?"
"As soon as you can, thanks man!" I smiled widely at that, glad I got that out of the way. Now… "Can you pass the crab cakes?" Sirzechs leaned over and passed me some oversized crab cakes. I took one and bite into it, savoring the delicious supernatural creature. "Hmmm, perfection." I proceeded to devour the crab meat while somewhere else a monster crab laments the loss of his pincers.
Belial Territory, Lord Belial's Castle
After dinner finished at the Gremory Household (and Sirzechs saying I was invited anytime), I made my way to the Belial castle to cash in that reward. Lord Belial easily did so and even had a deed ready, handing it to me with a smile and thank you. Jack and I went out into the clearing to look around and wait for Sirzechs' builders. We didn't wait long before a group of huge humanoids with four arms walked into the clearing. The largest among them, about 9'3, walked forward and looked down at me.
"Are you Master Pierce?" I blinked at the massive man calling me master before nodding.
"I'm Pierce. Are you the builders Sirzechs sent?" The large humanoid nodded.
"Yes we are, my name is Brian Enepsigos. I am of the Extra Demon House Enepsigos and we're the best builders in the Underworld." Brian puffed his chest out in pride and the rest of his men cheered. I smiled at their enthusiasm.
"Nice to meet you, I hope you can build what I had in mind."
"Haven't seen anything we can't build yet." Brian said arrogantly and I nodded, taking out a piece of paper. While I wasn't a drawer, the Underworld had these quills that can automatically draw what you have in mind (I may have taken a couple dozen after they told me that). I gave the paper to Brian and he looked it over, heavily scrutinizing every detail. We stood there in silence as the builder looked at the job before speaking.
"It's certainly…interesting." Brian gave his opinion on the idea. On the paper, you can see a tall structure that looked like it was standing on stilts with how skinny it was. There was a pole going up its middle and an observatory that laid on top, a single antenna was sticking out the top. This was the Space Needle. Yes, I was planning for the symbol of Seattle to be constructed into the Underworld as an adventurer's guild.
200 years before the USA was even founded.
'Why yes officer, I am a maniacal bitch.' I smiled widely at my idea and asked. "So can you make it?"
"We can, but I have to ask, do you want to make the observation deck physically larger or just install space spells within the walls to make the inside bigger?"
"…How much would the space spell cost?" If it's too much then I may need to take a trip to Olympus first.
"The Gremory Clan said they would foot the bill so it really depends on you." Brian shrugged and I blinked at the generous offer.
"Space spell then." I quickly said and Brian nodded before taking a quill out.
"How high do you want it?" I stared at the Devil after that, then at the sky then back to him.
"How high can you go?" By his smile, I can tell I was probably not going to be invited to dinner at the Gremory's after this.
…Totally worth it.
2 Hours Later, Belial Territory
I watched as the construction of the Belial Needle (can't call it the Space Needle, can I?) went underway and they took my "how high" literally. They already surpassed the height of Lord Belial's castle and they even added some aesthetics to the stilts, making them warp together in a cool, sci-fi kind of way. Jack stayed back to watch the construction while I walked around Belial territory to get some souvenirs for the group. I walked around this large section of the castle and came to the same peaceful lake. If it wasn't for the purple sky, I would have never noticed I was in the Underworld. The peaceful wind along with the waves crashing across the shores made for a great picnic scene. I thought back to the day's events and sighed once I remember how Tylin was still alive. Just like Shiruku's spider maiden, the Leviathan descendant was probably going to come back and bite me in the ass one day. "…Oh well." Shrugging, I put it out of my mind since I couldn't do anything about it and enjoyed the weather (who knows, the entire clan including Tylin could be wiped out in the Civil War so here's fingers crossed). I could hear the leaves rustling, the insects flying among the grass, and even the sound of stones hitting the wate- "Hm?" I opened my eyes and looked left.
A young Devil with brown hair was chucking stones across the water, getting some impressive skips. He kept throwing more as time passed and he threw them even harder each time, some skipping until I couldn't see it anymore. By his land stone, the Devil must have been angry because he yelled and flung the small rock full force. Except, it didn't bounce and it just made a huge splash before sinking to the bottom of the lake. He huffed in anger and plopped to the ground, looking out at the lake in a daze. He never noticed my presence.
"…You alright?" I contemplated just turning around and walking away but I took the chance and asked. The boy jumped at my question and looked over at me. He relaxed once he saw I was alone.
"Sorry, I didn't know someone else was here. I'll leav-" He stood to leave but paused and narrowed his eyes at me. Then they widened a second later and he pointed at me. "It's you!"
"…It's me?" I quirked a brow at his reaction and he nodded.
"You're the one that saved me from those Exorcists! Pierce Van Helsing right?" He asked and my mouth twitched at my name choice (knew that was going to come back to haunt me).
"Yeah, that's me." I sighed and nodded to the Devil. "And you, what's your name?"
"I'm Dean." Dean shook my hand and I tilted my head at him.
"So…are you okay? Are you angry about something or do you just not like this lake?" Dean got downcast at my question and a minute passed before he spoke.
"My uncle's dead."
"…Oh." I rubbed the back of my neck. "What about your parents?"
"They died a couple years ago." Dean became even sadder.
"…Oh." I was not doing well. "Do you have any other relatives?"
"My uncle was my last living relative…I have no one else." Dean sat back down and rested his chin on his knees.
"…Do you have a dog?" I asked meekly and Dean didn't bother answering, he just stared out into the water. I slowly backed away from the sad teen and turned to fight another day.
"What's it like out there?" I heard Dean ask and stopped, looking back at the young Devil.
"What do you mean?"
"Just…exploring the world. You're human and your kind definitely doesn't belong down here but here you are. How's it like?" I fell in thought at his question before speaking.
"It's…pretty damn awesome. And fun. Seeing all kinds of new things, meeting new people, and just doing stupid stuff is great. I honestly can't see myself staying in one place after exploring the world like I have, it's really cool." I gave my honest opinion of my travels and looking back, I don't regret my decision to join Adrian's party. It's only been a month but I've had more fun in this short time period than my entire past life. Dean seemed awed by my answer and sighed.
"I wish I could do that."
"…Well why don't you?" I asked, curious and Dean shook his head.
"I want to gain glory and recognition and I need to join the army for that."
"You don't need to join the army for recognition; there are a lot of different ways to get that kind of stuff."
"You sound like my uncle." Dean gave a wry smile at my answer before frowning. "But you're wrong, the army is the only place that gives me what I want. I want freedom, reputation, and power too, so what happened with those Exorcists never happens again. Do you know any other profession that fits those criteria?" Dean asked rhetorically and I made a strange face.
"Kid, I don't know about you but you pretty much described a-" I stopped, my brain working on overdrive as what Dean said finally clicked and I stared hard at the boy.
"…What?" He squirmed under my look. "What is it?" I stared at Dean before walking up to him and placing my hands on his shoulders.
"Dean, tell me…are you a hard worker?" He blinked at the question.
"Uh, I guess so."
"Do you believe in charity?"
"…Not really."
"Do you believe in life, freedom, and the pursuit of wealth?"
"…I'm sorry but you kind of lost me." I waved my hand.
"It's okay, I got my answer. Come with me Dean and I will tell of you of a profession-no, a great way of life! Of men and women who fight for justice, free will, and greatness!...For a price. They're called…Mercenaries." Thoroughly in bullshit mode, I led the now confused Dean back to the castle grounds and pitched my Supernatural Mercenary Association to him. After getting over the fact that I didn't have a managing department or any other employees (it was just a title really) I convinced him to go explore the world and offer his services to those that need help with certain things for money. Like protection, delivery, or even teaching spells since he apparently knows three branches of magic. I told him to go live his life and when I have a real system set up, he can join my organization.
And this is how I got my first employee. I had a shit eating grin as I walked back to the construction site, happy that I actually got my first recruit.
"Hey, are you Pierce?" A high pitch voice spoke up and I stopped, turning towards it. It was a short woman with long flowing hair and she was wearing a blue shirt with a long skirt. Her aura was massive and it reminded me a little of Jades. She smiled up at me. "Hi! I'm Serafall and I got a message for you."
"…What's the message?" After meeting so many of the main characters, I took it in stride and kept my cool. The future Leviathan took a deep breath and bowed.
"I'm very sorry for what's happened and I hope you're okay. I had no choice and understand if you can never forgive me. I hope you stay safe and continue doing what you do." Serafall stood straight up again. "That's it. Oh yeah, this is from Grayfia."
"…Huh." That was all I got. Honestly, Grayfia was doing her job and I didn't fault her for it. I mean what, was she supposed to betray her side just for me? I'm not that awesome and she had family like her brother, parents, and that mother maid to think about. The last thing I was expecting was an apology. Serafall waited patiently for me to respond and I looked at her.
"Can you give a message back?"
"Sure!" Serafall perked up at that. While I found it weird that a clan heir like her seemed so happy about being a messenger, I didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and Serafall gave me her communication ring. I wrote the message through her ring because you needed someone's magic signature to send them a message and I never asked Grayfia for hers (you have to personally give out your signature). I wrote the message and sent it through before giving the ring back to Serafall. She took it back with a smile and looked it over, tilted her head at the message. "Huh… She was right, you are strange."
"…I should keep a tally at this point." I rolled my eyes and looked over Serafall. It was kind of weird to see a woman with such a child-like body and still have a full figure.
"Well I better go it was nice to meet you Pierce-chan!" Serafall saw nothing else to do and chose this moment to leave.
"Yeah, see ya." I waved goodbye and I watched as the Sitri heir left. It's kind of a shame really; I would have liked to see her in a magical girl outfit. That would have been funny to se-
I blinked. I blinked again. Then I raced to Serafall and grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing her to stop.
"What?" She asked in confusion and turned back to look at me. I tried to give the least threatening smile I could possibly make and rubbed my hands.
"Oh, I just wanted to tell you about this new trend that's been going around."
"What trend?" She asked innocently.
"Tell me Serafall, have you ever felt like you were…a "magical" girl?" I smiled manically at the way her eyes lit up.
There was truly no rest for the wicked.
10 Minutes Later
"…What happened?" Jack asked with a suspicious look on his face.
"Hm? What do you mean?" I knew what he meant.
"You're smiling really hard, what did you do?" I rubbed my face and smiled at Jack (who nervously backed up at it).
"Oh nothing happened…I just may have earned the eternal hatred of a strict high school Devil girl."
"…What?" I laughed at Jack's confusion and walked into the middle of the field. The construction of the Needle was still going underway and there was a marker here for me to come whenever I want (when I learn teleportation magic anyway). It was time to leave. Jack sighed and stood next to me.
"You ready?"
"Yep!" I gave a thumbs up and Jack waved his hand, a magic circle appeared under us (leaving the Underworld is many times easier than getting in). The magic circle shone and after a second, we left the Underworld.
House of Lucifuge
Inside a large and grandiose mansion, many maids walked around doing their daily task. One head maid in particular was making a special cake to cheer up her young miss. Grayfia came home with this odd look on her face and she hasn't come out of her room since. But Gloria's famous Devil cake should cheer her right up and be ready for the day. She walked down the hall with the cake in hand and saw her destination.
"Come on big sis, open the door!" With a minor obstruction. Gloria sighed at the Lucifuge Prince's rough handed way of getting his sister's attention. His admiration for his sister, widely known more times than not, irritated Grayfia. Gloria hoped he would grow out of that mentality one day. "Excuse me Euclid."
"She won't let me and I've been knocking for the past hour. Can you do someth-" Euclid didn't get to finish as the door opened and Grayfia looked at him with a bored expression.
"You stay out here." Then she turned around and walked back into her room.
"Sorry Euclid." Gloria gave an apologetic smile and closed the door, Euclid groaning on the other side. Gloria looked around Grayfia's room and found it as clean as ever, not a speck out of place. Grayfia sat down on her bed and she was playing with her communication ring. Her face gave nothing away. Seeing this, the head maid sighed and placed down the cake, walking up to the silver haired Devil.
"Wha-" Grayfia was surprised when Gloria brought her into a hug. She was silent as Gloria lightly squeezed her.
"I heard what happened at the capital. I'm sorry you had to that to your friend, it must have been hard." This wasn't the first time Grayfia lost a friend to her job and while she never talked about it, she was hurt every time it happened.
"…I'm not sad." Grayfia wryly smiled at her mother figure's concern. She wasn't a teen anymore. "Besides, I think everything will be fine."
"…Really?" Gloria was surprised at Grayfia's carefree smile and she nodded.
"Yeah." Grayfia smiled and asked if that cake was for her, Gloria happy to change the subject. She joined her in eating and left her communication ring on the desk. A simple message from Pierce was left there.
Don't worry about it. We're cool.
And done. Pierce met many of the main characters and even gets his first mercenary. Time to get the show back on the road. By the way, fuck allergies. And I mean fuck em. I'm honestly proud of myself for finishing this chapter. I've had a runny nose, a cough, stomach pains, and a headache for the entirety of the week and I still managed to finish this chapter. So yeah...give allergies physical form and fuck em. Rant aside, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Beta: Fanfiction0000
