Beyond the Outer Gates Lies... a Prelude to Reality?
The limo stopped. I got out, and then held the door for Rias.
It was the same hospital we had visited yesterday. But we were here for another reason.
We went inside, checked in at the desk, and were given the room number. Rias thanked the receptionist, and we head towards the hallway containing the elevators. Only for one to open before we reached them. And a familiar face stepped out.
"Sirzechs," I greeted him with a wave. A number of the Devils in the entryway and the hall turned to look at us. Both to see the Lucifer and to see who was brazen enough to call the top Maou by his given name.
"Harry," he smiled and walked over to us, "Rias."
She managed not to hide behind me. And was spared a nickname only because we were in public.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked.
"Rias is here to pick up Ise," I told him. He nodded, already aware the Underworld doctors had insisted on checking the Pawn out after he passed out in the ring.
"And I'm here because she fed me a line of bull..."
I trailed off as two nurses rounded the corner into the corridor. They weren't wearing the green or blue or even pink scrubs you would have recognized from a serious medical procedural. They were wearing white dresses. Short skirt, plunging neckline, button all the way up the front dresses like you would see in a cheese ball, R-rated seventies comedy. The only thing that said 'nurse' about them was the red cross on the left breast of the dress and matching symbol on the pillbox hats they wore. And being Devils, they wore them very, very well.
"My apologies," I told Rias.
"I am here because Rias gave me a totally plausible and realistic excuse of needing my help dragging Ise away from the nurses," I told Sirzechs. He nodded, but I added, "But the real reason it that they wanted to get me outside of the hotel so they could set up for the party."
The Lucifer chuckled, and my red-haired senpai squawked indignantly.
"How?" she demanded.
"First," I rolled my eyes and pointed a thumb at myself, "wizard slash private investigator. Second? Kiba and Tomoe asking Kendra and Shiro to go check out a famous Underworld weaponsmith with them? Entirely believable. Asking me along too was stretching it a bit. And lastly, she's a good kid and I care about her like the little sister I never had. But Asia has got zero poker face. She's got so little poker face that Gaga would spontaneously weep if she ever met Asia. And Tomoe isn't much better."
Rias shook her head in defeat, now grinning slightly.
"And what about you?" I asked Sirzechs, "are you coming to the party?"
"Ah, no," he answered, "Unfortunately I have an unbreakable prior commitment."
"They got you doing more work?" I prompted incredulously, "I thought you were the top dog. You should delegate more."
"No, actually, my plans are for a quiet night at home with my wife and son and no-one else. No matter what. And after the last few weeks, with getting ready for the tournament and arranging for guests from almost a dozen Pantheons, and mostly missing both X-mas and New Years..."
"Say no more," I agreed sagely, remembering times with Maggie and Sophia after the war.
"Then why are you here, brother?" Rias asked curiously.
"I needed to have a quick talk with Ise," he said. Then his expression fell and he added, "And with Sairaorg."
"How bad is it?" I wondered aloud, not really expecting a response.
"Not as bad as it could be," he shook his head lightly and recovered his smile, "After we reminded his sponsors that he was fighting the Peerage that fought Kokabiel, Loki, a small army of Beholders, and the Hero faction who were controlling the nine-tails of Kyoto..."
I gave him a flat look.
"I know, you or Sona's group played a part in all of those, but we were trying to convince the old guard. So bringing that up, especially the mortal wizard, would have undermined the point."
I sighed and half-shrugged in understanding and grudging acceptance.
"We also pointed out that Dice Battle wasn't really Sairaorg's cup of tea. And that he could easily still win the tournament and if he did he wasn't likely to welcome back anyone that cut and ran too early. Also, even though it's only been a few hours, Sairaorg's numbers are up with the lower class noble and commoner Devils. It seems being less unstoppable makes him more relatable. So while a few supporters backed out, most of them are still behind him. For now."
"And the seat of House Bael?" Rias prompted.
"He's still the Heir," Sirzechs assured her, "He did defeat Magdaran easily. And now that Aunt Misla is awake, Lord Bael needs to step lightly. If what he did to his first wife and son became broader knowledge..."
"Political suicide," I filled in. Sirzechs chuckled and nodded.
"To say the least. So he is well inclined to keep Misla and Sairaorg happy and quiet."
Sirzechs' phone beeped. He looked at it, and paled.
"Better get going see you later," he said and then hurried off. As soon as he was outside he disappeared in a flash of flame.
I chuckled and Rias shook her head. Then I hit the button to call back the elevator.
We said a quick hello to Sairaorg and collected Rias's Pawn. He didn't give us much trouble. But he did whisper something in Rias's ear that made her cheeks pink. She gave him a quick nod and Ise had pumped his fist subtly. Based on the coat sniffing incident, I guessed there was nurse cosplay in the Gremory King's near future.
The limo brought us back, and coincidentally, we just happened to arrive just as Shiro, Kendra, Tomoe, and Kiba got back from their shopping. Tomoe had some sort of straight edged, medium length sword. It was tied in a heavy canvas that was magically sealed, presumably to keep the customers from casually testing their new weapons. And Kendra had two, bulging shopping bags.
"I guess Akeno just didn't take you to the right kind of stores," I needled her fondly.
"Much of this is souvenirs for my family and for Ladies Kunou and Yasaka," she claimed.
"Uh-huh," I nodded. She ignored me, so I turned to Shiro.
"Couldn't find anything?" I asked him.
"Actually, I placed a custom order, which will be delivered once it is complete," he answered.
"Another sword?" I asked, thinking of the seven different exorcist blades I had seen him carry.
"No," he told me, "Actually a set of kobe. My previous guards are in poor repair. And given the activities of this Chaos Brigade, I thought it was wise to replace them."
"Can't argue there," I agreed.
"And you, Kiba?" Ise prompted.
"I was able to arrange lessons over the next week," he said, and inclined his head towards me.
We reached the elevator, and went up to Rias's floor. She had a suite, while the other members of her Peerage had individual rooms. But the whole floor was reserved for them, even though there were five rooms to spare. Sona had a similar set up, but was two floors higher. And since her Peerage was smaller, Shiro, Kendra, and I were also staying up there.
Rias led us to the door, and we played along. Or I did, and I doubted Kendra or Shiro were fooled. The suite appeared empty. But if you looked up, there were two of those Japanese party balls floating on the ceiling. Well, I don't know if you looked up, but I certain did, and so did Takako.
After Kiba closed the door behind us, the balls popped open. The two tags said 'Thank You', one in English the other in Japanese. Clapping, Rias, Ise, Kiba, and Tomoe circled around the three of us, while others stepped out of the suite's other rooms. All of Rias and Sona's respective Peerages were there, as were Serafall and her three girls, Anna Sitri and both her spouses and Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory. Sirzechs had not been fibbing, and also noticeably missing was Az. They all started clapping.
"Though you could have at least pretended to be surprised," Rias frowned wryly even as she applauded.
"Rias, if we were surprised, Shiro would have a sword of Light in each hand, Kendra would have thrown about a dozen kunai, at least some with exploding tags. And I would have brought up a shield around us and then filled the room with fire."
"Be that as it may," Sona said, "We wanted to have a gathering to celebrate our victories, and we thought it was appropriate to extend a special thanks to you, our tutors. While we do not doubt that we would have won without your teaching, that does not change the fact that our victories were much easier and we were able to hold back a few tricks for our next matches."
Then Akeno and Tsubaki stepped forward. Akeno handed Rias two envelopes, and Tsubaki handed my King a small box.
"We already paid you for your services," Rias reminded us, "But that did feel like enough to us. So for Shiro and Takako..."
Wow, being all official with the proper name there.
"... we created these vouchers," the red-head continued unaware, "Since the store in question does not have gift cards or anything like that."
"What kind of vouchers?" Shiro asked.
"These are for the Demonreach line of protective jackets by Wizarding Wearables," she explained. And I resisted the urge to facepalm.
"You can go onto the website and select the style of coat you want," she continued, "And then activate this voucher and we will pay for it."
"What, I don't get a magic coat, too?" I snarked.
"No," Sona pretended I was serious, so she could be, "Instead, we found you something we think will help you with your new staff."
She handed me the box. It was pretty heavy. I glanced at her and she inclined her head.
Inside were two sticks of metal. They were each about five inches long by a half-inch square. It was a very bright, silvery metal.
"Platinum? " I asked, "For making tableaus? Or maybe Palladium?"
I touched one of the bars with my gloved hand, feeling like it would be bad to get fingerprints on it. But Sona shook her head at my question.
"No," she explained, "Those are Mythril."
I blinked. Looked at her. Then back at the metal.
"Mithril?" I prompted, "As in, like, real mithirl?"
"No, Mythril," Duncan seemed to enjoy stressing the pronunciation difference, "Johnny spelled it wrong, and didn't get the properties quite right. But at least he reintroduced the idea of the metal to the modern world."
"Based on what I know of your focusing items," Sona said, "I believe if you bond the Mythril into the carved runes, it will make them more efficient. Mythril is an excellent conductor of magic. It should also strengthen the staff as melee weapon."
"Huh," I said eruditely.
"Come on," Tomoe interrupted, "Let's party!"
We walked and talked and snacked. There was some background music but no-one danced. At least so far.
I cornered Rias and demanded an explanation for Ise using Albion's gem in his new Bishop form. After I was moderately convinced it was safe and warned her that Az would want to verify that, she tried to escape.
"If that's all," Rias said smoothly, "I should get back to the others…"
"Actually," I countered sharply, "There was also the matter of my lightsaber…"
Rias flinched as I said that. But almost like he was waiting to hear me say that, Kiba swooped in. He reached into has pocket and removed the aluminum hilt.
It was my first chance to see it up close. The alloy had been touted as 'aircraft grade' and the walls were about a quarter of an inch thick. I had never tried too hard to damage it, but it was tougher than my (admittedly cheap) stainless steel steak knives. Despite that, Sairaorg's punch had flattened the top third and folded it over like a cheap soda can. The middle section was only mostly crushed, but both the power button and length adjuster knob were gone. The bottom quarter was mostly intact, for all the good that likely did.
I screwed off the butt cap, and poured the remains of the insides into my hand. Besides the hilt, an exorcist's sword had three main components. The mana collector drew in free mystical energy from the environment, so that the entire load wasn't on the user. That would only be a trickle most of the time, but in the middle of a major, magical battle, or on a ley line nexus, the energy blades could operate almost independently. Since Bizarro World considered mana capacitors to be a non-starter (and me not able to refute that, yet), the collectors were better than nothing. It was also the simplest part, and mine currently had a large crack through it, but was mostly intact. Now that I had started learning imbuing, I might be able to fix it. Or even make a new one.
The other two pieces came out in a rain of tiny shards. The focus cage has been a knot of silver and copper. It transferred the mana from the collector to the crystal, and also controlled the shape and size of the blade. I had laid enchantments over the imbued item, so that instead of a fixed form, I could use the knob on the hilt to adjust the length of the blade like a proper lightsaber. I made the blade wrap back around within the cylinder. Not just to mimic the plasma loop of a true saber. Which in turn increased its damage slightly. I had also enchanted the cage to add heat to the blade (again, like a proper lightsaber), but only to about 500 Fahrenheit. Not hot enough to melt steel, yet. Most importantly I added spells to the cage to give my saber the right sound effects and its purple hue.
Unlike the collector, I could make an enchanted version of the focus cage, but had already been planning to make it my second imbued project, after my staff.
The crystal (not kyber, unfortunately) was the heart of the exorcist's sword. It generated the blade, up to 108 cubic inches of semi-solid light slash holy slash radiant energy. And in spite of my and Lash's best efforts, we had no idea how it worked. So we couldn't repair it or make a replacement.
"I'm sorry, Dresden," Kiba told me sadly. I smiled as best I could and shrugged.
"It was a weapon," I told him, "They are designed to be used and don't often last. If it had feelings, I'm sure it would be happier to go out this way than to keep going as my toy."
Then I grinned a bit more sincerely, "Besides, Luke, Anakin, Revan, they all went through more than one lightsaber. I'd say this puts me in good company."
"Does that mean we are off the hook for acquiring you a replacement?" Rias teased.
"No," I told her flatly.
"In that case, I suppose our pride and honor forces the Gremory family to get you a blessed exorcist's sword, instead of a common one."
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"Rarity and power," Shiro answered, having joined us, "The blessed blades are far more rare, and only granted to the most skilled exorcists. During my time all of my blades were of the blessed variety, though when I retired I was only allowed to keep two, and then only if I promised they would be returned to the church when I die. The components of my other five blades were replaced with common ones."
"I thought you told Kiba my lightsaber was better than your exorcist swords," I frowned at him.
"It was," he agreed, "I'm not sure how, but you increased the holy energy of the blade until it would almost match my blessed blades. And the heat it put off made it more dangerous. The ability to adjust the length of the blade was also ingenious, if my blades could do that I could carry five instead of seven."
I relaxed. Then I returned my attention to Rias.
"If you can get me the better version, great," I told her, "But don't waste too much time or too many favor on it. I really just need a replacement crystal, the money or materials to rebuild the other parts, and a new hilt. Which will cost more money. But we can talk about it when we get back to Earth. This is a party, right?"
"Tsubasa, Tsubasa," Tomoe called out as she ran over to me and my Rook, "Did you show him yet?"
"Show me what?" I countered, as realized filled Tsubasa's face.
"My familiar," the bluette said, "Because you were delayed a day, you weren't here when we went to the Underworld Preserve. And we've been so busy since, it kept slipping my mind. But yes, I did find a familiar."
She called up the circle, and a cat appeared on the couch. Well, not quite a cat. The familiar was basically cat shaped, except it had bifurcated shoulders that served both its front legs and its large wings. It also had two, whip-like tales that each ended in a small bone blade. And the biggest difference was that instead of fur, it was covered in medium sized, copper colored scales. The dragon cat monster was slightly smaller than Mister.
"This is Samara," Tsubasa said, "She's a brass drake, and my familiar."
"Congratulation," I told her, "Was it a hard hunt?"
"Not really," Tsubasa agreed, "Sona implemented your changes, and I found her in just over an hour. The bonding went perfectly, and the park wardens verified it."
"I'm happy for you," I repeated myself.
"Thanks, Harry," she smiled.
The party wound down pretty quickly. The two Peerages that made up the majority of the guests were naturally exhausted after their battles. Serafall looked ready to party all night, but as the teens started to beg off, Anna and the other elder Devils left. Shiro also slipped out early, siting his age. By ten it was just me, Kendra, Serafall's Peerage, Sona, Tsubasa, and Rias. And Tsubasa was asleep on her feet but unwilling to leave me with the Sitri sisters. And Rias was only still here because it was her suite. I was a bit surprised Saji and Ise were already gone, I would have expected Sona's Pawn to try to outlast me, and Ise to want to sleep in Rias's bed. Though I suppose he could have been with Asia, Akeno, or one of the others. And those two guys had fought the toughest foes.
Then Behemoth dragged Levi-ta away, pointing out that Shizukesa and Oakley were also tired from a day working security. I had overheard a talk about one of the inter-pantheon fights the three of them had broken up. The Leviathan quartet's departure was the final nail, and the rest of us went back to our rooms.
I finally was able to get some work done on my new staff. It was still fairly early and I hadn't done much today, after all. Besides I would have an five plus hour inter-dimensional train ride tomorrow. Ample time to nap, and I didn't think the Sitri clan would appreciate me getting sawdust and wood shavings all over their very nice train car. It might amuse some of them, but they wouldn't appreciate it.
I was less concerned what the hotel's cleaning staff thought. There was a Phoenix on the outside of the building, after all.
Sunday the 11th dawned overcast and drizzly. The worst weather I had seen in Hell. The Sitri family provided a limo, again, and Sona, Tsubasa, Reya, and Tomoe accompanied Shiro, Kendra, and me to the station.
"Goodbye, granddaughter," Shiro said kindly, switching back to Japanese.
"Thank you so much, ojii-san," she told him, hugging him.
"Don't tell my old coworkers I said this, but it was a pleasure and an honor," he responded in a joking tone. Then more firmly he said, "I will see you in two weeks for your lesson."
"Of course," Tomoe nodded.
While that exchange went on, Sona handed Kendra and I envelopes with our pay for the past two weeks.
"Are you sure you won't stay, Harry?" Tsubasa begged, "It's just four more days. And we'll be able to relax and have some more normal fun."
Reya nodded, and even Sona appeared to agree.
"I can't," I said with genuine regret, "For three reasons."
"And what would those be?" Sona asked, studying me.
"First, and least important," I started, "I promised I'd get Kendra back to Earth."
I held up a hand as my girlfriends glared incredulously and the kunoichi standing slightly apart from us hrmphed in the same spirit.
"I know, I know," I admitted, "She can probably take better care of herself than I can..."
Though my friends didn't yet know that I could get out of the Dimensional Void. I just hadn't figured out how to target the portal.
"... and she will be with Shiro," I continued, "but that doesn't change the fact that I said I would do it, and my word means something."
"Second, and more importantly, I have work to do. In the past day I've had orders come in for thirty seven jackets. All of Seek's Peerage, all of Sairaorg's Peerage, and a bunch of onesy-twosy orders from other names I recognize from the tournament bracket. Presumably Kings who can't afford a full set, want to test them first, are hoping to screw me by reverse engineering them, or a mix of the three. Oh, and that's not counting a pair of completely unexpected and unauthorized gift vouchers I still intend to honor. Or the questions about the force rings."
"Couldn't that wait?" Reya asked.
"No," I said, "I might be doing better financially the last few months, but things aren't that stable. Especially since I'm self-employed and the new guy. If I get a bad reputation, I'll be back to cashing support checks and living off government cheese. Or the Japanese equivalent... Government instant ramen? So I can't afford to spend four prime, no school working days not starting on this new backlog. Heck, if things keep up like this, I might have to see if I can find a part time seamstress."
"And that's just the coats. Even though I put up a note on my website saying I'd be out of town for two weeks on a job, I've had five new case requests. Three Kuoh students need me to find lost items one of them a repeat offen... customer. Then there is a guy from another school thinks his Kuoh girlfriend is cheating on him. And a troublesome case from the Tokyo PD."
"What would that be?" Shiro asked, moving closer.
"Apparently some joker is using mind magic to force people to confess their sins to the TPD," I said, a bit of anger slipping into my voice.
"Is that a bad thing?" Tomoe asked innocently. She had missed or forgotten my... distaste for mind magic.
"Yeah," I grumbled, "That's a bad thing."
"You can't force people to do something against their will," Reya reminded her friend, "Even if it seems like something good."
"Similar to how the police need a warrant for evidence and can't force a confession," Sona continued, "If things are done improperly, it can make the results seem faked. And such things can lead to social unrest."
"Yeah, detective Suzuki's message said the rumor mill is churning and the Tokyo populace is getting worried. No-one knows if they will be next," I added calming a little, "And the other problem? I said sinners, not criminals. Not everyone being mesmered did something illegal. Lots of them are confessing legal sins, like being attracted to a neighbor's spouse, or just jerk moves like taking the last donut or cutting someone off in traffic. It's wasting a lot of TPDs time. To the point Suzuki wonders if it might be a distraction from some other crime."
"You sound dubious," Sona studied me.
"Yeah," I half-shrugged, "I mean, if someone has mind magic, why bother going through all the hassle of tying up the police? Couldn't they just use their powers to commit the crime and make the victims forget? Or just make someone else commit the crime in the first place?"
"That would make more logical sense," Takako agreed, "Unless the magician only knows one circle, that makes people feel guilt."
"Or it's the ghost of a priest obsessed with confession," I said, "Or some kind of artifact. It could be any of those or something else. I'll just have to look into it and see. Unless the police have figured it out and Suzuki-san forgot to let me know."
"Oh, and the main reason I need to get back is that I have a cat," I reminded them, "I'll be in the proverbial doghouse for a while as it is. But if I'm not back on the day I said I'd be, he'll probably leave a headless chihuahua in my bed."
"Which reminds me that the third most important reason is that I need to get back is because I don't want to put out Ise's mom any more than I already have. Which in turn reminds me that I need to get her something for her trouble."
A quick turn through the station's gift shop and I left with a pewter keychain of with looked like a four winged dove. It was an imbued item that would repel harpies. I wasn't sure Mrs. Hyoudou would need it, but it looked nice anyway. I also picked up a box of chocolate covered nuts that were native to the Underworld. I was guaranteed by the cashier that they were safe for Humans, both in terms of being nontoxic and tasty, and also they wouldn't have any supernatural side effects.
After the shopping, I gave my girls each a quick kiss (Shiro looked away politely, but Kendra watched with a bit of a leer). We said our goodbyes. Then they left and the three of us headed to the train.
Only to run into an unwelcome familiar face.
"It's you again," the same Devil conductor looked oddly happy to see us this time.
"And you have the murderer with you," he glared briefly at Shiro.
"I'm sorry?" Kendra's tone told me she remembered this jerk, too.
"This Human murdered my cousin," he snarled, "A man I deeply admired. And this time he doesn't have the Sitri heiress to protect him. So I can speak my mind."
My hand drifted towards my staff case, ready for him to attack.
"Well this time I can make good my promise," he puffed himself up, "The Sitri car will be in use by a VIP this trip. And first class is full, too. So you Earth trash will have to settle for whatever seats you can find in economy."
"Is that so?"
I barely kept down a smile as a familiar voice spoke up from behind us. I glanced back and stepped to the side, letting Serafall pass me.
"That's right, Lady Leviathan," he said proudly, "These... people thought they could sit with you in the Sitri family's car. I was just disabusing them of that notion."
"You poor dumb schmuck," I muttered, but not too softly.
"What was that?" he demanded, turning red with anger.
"Now, now," Serafall said calmingly, "That's not called for."
He started to smirk.
"After all, Harry," Serafall addressed me directly, "that's an insult to schmucks everywhere."
The conductor blinked.
"There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding here," Serafall voice sharpened and the air temperature around the bigoted Devil dropped by a few dozen degrees.
"These three are guests of the Sitri family," she said, "And have provided a great service for both the Sitri and Gremory houses. They may have been officially 'hired', but they provided their assistance as a favor and at far less than their market value. Both great houses are indebted to them. More than that, this is Takako Senju, a major noble of the Kyoto Youkai and our ally. This is Harry Dresden, my boyfriend. And also friend and bandmate of the Lucifer and research partner of the Beelzebub. And the man you called a murderer is renowned as the most fair exorcist alive. His actions have protected us as much as they have protected the Humans. If he killed your cousin, it is because that criminal killed Humans and refused to back down and face justice when caught. And the fact that you revered this cousin so much makes me wonder if we need to investigate you connection to terrorists and rebels."
She paused, and the conductor shivered. Not from the icicles forming on his coat, either.
"Harry and Takako already told us they had trouble on their way here," Serafall continued, "But they were kind enough not to give us the name or description of the conductor who threatened them. So thank you, for giving yourself away."
He slumped down.
After seeing the conductor demoted to a non-customer facing position, Serafall escorted us personally to the car. It was just as opulent as I remembered. I sat on one of the couches, and Kendra and Shiro each took one of the remaining four. But Levi-tan sat down next to me, and snuggled in close despite the sofa having room for three to four people. Not that I minded too much.
"I didn't know you were coming with us," I said to her.
"Yes," she nodded, "Az is staying down here until Thursday. He's the kids' chaperone, at least as far as your school and their parents are concerned. And he has other things to take care of down here, both Grigori and Accords business. But there is also Accords business that can't wait on Earth, so I'm going to take care of it."
"So when does this business start?" I asked.
"Whatever do you mean, Harry-chan?" she countered.
"Just that I am free the rest of the day," I said, "And we haven't been able to spend as much time together the last two weeks, so..."
"Why don't you two get a room?" Kendra teased lightly.
"Technically this is her room," Shiro said, "She is just letting us use it."
As the train pulled out, we ordered breakfast. The three of us had only snacked before leaving the hotel, expecting to eat on the ride. I don't know if Serafall had eaten earlier, but she joined us. After a delicious but heavy meal, Serafall cozied up to me. Then she put her head on my lap and promptly fell asleep. I guess she was up late last night, too. I was also ready to doze off. Kendra was already nodding. And Shiro assumed a meditative pose, but his head soon drooped and he started to snore lightly. Before long, I was drifting into dreamland as well.
Takako waited until she was sure her three comrade... no, she could call them friends. She waited until they were all asleep. Then she lifted herself off the couch, making less noise than a stalking tiger, moving less air than a resting butterfly.
Sure, it was Dresden's 'turn'. His last round had been interrupted, by the Kings putting a hold on their game. And she did feel guilty; even if most of his anger was feigned, and well acted, he was still genuinely worried her jutsu might have affected his staff. Not physically, she knew that was impossible. But the magic channels he had built into it? That she could not be sure of. After all, wizards were rare enough to be almost mythical. And Dresden had revealed more about their art than Houdini and the rest of his predecessors combined. Despite that, their magic without circles or calculations was very mysterious.
But Takako was still pink. Her hair hadn't changed color at all, though the new roots were growing in her natural emerald. And the modest, both in size and location, section of her skin Dresden hadn't scrubbed clean had only faded slightly. It would be four or five more weeks before the kunoichi would be comfortable in a public bath.
So yes, she was going to take this chance. Never mind what Harry might do in revenge.
Serafall's eyes snapped open. She stared intently at the tengu. She didn't say a thing, but the message was loud and clear.
'If your prank amuses me, I'll allow it. If it will in any way interfere with my day date with him, I will freeze you in a block of ice and leave you there the rest of the trip.'
It was a very expressive look.
It only took Takako two seconds to consider it. Then she padded just as silently back to her couch. Settled into the same position like she had never left. And let herself fall asleep for real.
We had left the Underworld at eight, so we arrived in Tokyo at just after ten thirty in the morning. It was nice to gain time back in travel.
We napped for a few hours. Then we chatted a bit. Kendra took the chance to put on another movie. This one I knew. Pretty well. Not as well as the original Star Wars Trilogy, or even Star Treks four and six. But good enough to repeat at least half of the lines.
"I understand English better than most of my countrymen," Shiro told me, "but that exchange in the first ending lost me."
"It basically boils down to the fact that she thought he was trying to trick her," I explained, "But he was just being pedantic about the order of the shots. And he miscounted, I guess."
"Ah," he nodded.
The train pulled into the station. We collected our bags and exited.
"It was a pleasure to meet the two of you," Shiro told us, "And nice to see you under more quiet circumstances, Serafall-san."
"It was an honor," I told him.
"For me as well," Kendra inclined her head to him.
"Dresden-kun," Shiro addressed me more intently, "I would like to give you my cellular number. In the event you ever need help on a case, particularly one for the police, please call me."
"Same here," I said, "I know you are retired, but if you run into trouble or an old enemy comes knocking, I'd be more than happy to help."
We took out our phones and exchanged numbers.
"I would like to make the same offer to both of you," Kendra said formally, "I feel I can trust both of you, at least in a time of crisis, and would be very put out if anything happened to either of you and I could help."
I glanced at Shiro. He nodded. We both pointed our phones at the tengu.
"Shiro-kun, can I give you a ride home?" Serafall asked.
"Thank you, but I only live a few kilometers from here, and a walk after sitting for so long would be nice," he politely refused.
"Okay, then see you later," she said.
"Goodbye," I added.
"Goodbye," Kendra said as well. He gave us a wave, and started up the very long set of stairs.
"What about you, Kendra-chan?" my Maou prompted, "It's a long way to Kyoto..."
"I believe I will take you up on that," the taller woman said.
"Is the lobby of my hotel good enough?"
"Yes. And thank you."
"No problem," Serafall told her, "We are allies. And the sooner I get you away from Harry, the less likely anyone is to get pranked."
Takako looked away guiltily. I wondered if I needed to check my bag before she left. But before I could do or say anything, the two ladies grasped hands.
"Please wait a minute, okay Harry?" Serafall smiled at me.
"Sure."
Then they were gone.
"Here you go, Kendra-chan."
"Thank you, Serafall-san."
"No, thank you for helping my sister and her friends. Oh, and say hi to Yasaka-chan and Kunou-chan for me, too, please."
"I will."
The kunoichi turned to leave.
"I heard you said Harry-chan is a bit young for you, and you don't do long distance relationships. But you do realize that in about three months you'll be living next door to him, probably for at least six years."
Takako turned to stare at the other woman incredulously. But all that was there was the implosion of air following a teleport.
The tengu shook her head, and dismissed the parting jab.
"So what are our plans?" Serafall looped her arm in mine after she reappeared next to me.
"Well, if you don't mind, I left my fridge and pantry basically empty before I left, so I was planning to buy groceries, before I knew you would be here. And you being here doesn't exactly change that."
"Sure, that's fine," Levi-tan agreed, "I can make sure Harry-chan is eating right."
"Then I need to tell Hyoudou-san that I'm back and she can stop taking care of Mister," I continued, " After that, there is someplace I want to take you."
"Oh? Where?"
"That's a surprise," I smirked, "But I'm pretty sure you will love it."
"Well, how about I teleport us to your place," she said, "test your new wards. Then you can drop off your bags, and we can stop next door on our way to the store. Maybe get some takeout lunch to eat at your place after shopping. Then you can surprise me."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
"I'm not sure why Harry-chan is leading me to a dark alley," Levi-tan snarked, "But it's going to take a bit more than that to make me jump into your arms in fear."
"I'm not trying to scare you," I told her, "I just need to pick something up really quick. And could you wait a few steps back, please? I'm not supposed to bring anyone else."
Levi-tan frowned, but moved away. Then I knocked, and the view window slid open.
"Dresden-kun," Saitou said, "Come in."
"Can't," I countered, "I'm not alone, and I have other plans. So just a quick pickup."
He glanced over at Serafall.
"Isn't that..."
"Yes," I interrupted, "But that doesn't change your rules. And I wouldn't want Reya to get mad at me, either."
He nodded. The door opened a moment later, and he handed me a brown paper bag. I slipped him some of the cash Sona had paid me.
"See you next time," he said, and closed the door.
"What was that about?" Serafall asked, "Should I be worried about Harry getting mysterious paper bags in exchange for cash?"
"It's books," I showed her, "That's a game and book store. The owner is independently wealthy, and runs it mostly as a hobby. The cloak and dagger spiel and the back alley entrance is just to amuse him. And I'm still a junior grade customer, I can't bring people in yet."
Which made me wonder, briefly, how Jeanne had gotten in there. Had she snuck in? Or did she know Saitou? She wasn't the gaming type, but she might want books about swords and smithing for her Sacred Gear. And she'd probably prefer the English versions, which Saitou was good at getting.
"So what about Reya?" Serafall asked curiously.
"She found the location for him as one of her early contracts," I explained, "So she's a double O level customer and the one who introduced me. She even gets an employee discount."
I slipped the bag into my backpack, and silently thanked Saitou for putting the books on top and the other items underneath. It might have ruined the surprise, otherwise.
Serafall blinked. The building was taller than the rest of the neighborhood and had a brightly colored sign on top. Various banners on the side advertised games and anime goods.
"T & H Hobby Shop," she read, "What's this place?"
"Just like it says," I answered, "They have games, collectibles, videos, and just about anything else a nerd or otaku might want. There's even an entire floor devoted to cosplay, both props and cloth and other materials."
"How have I never heard of this place before?" she asked.
"Couldn't tell you," I said. Though at a guess, Behemoth, Sona, and the Leviathan's Earthly staff had kept her in the dark, knowing how much time she would spend here.
"We have until closing time to explore," I pointed out, "So almost six hours. But first, I want to take you to the top."
A quick and slightly crowded elevator ride later, and Serafall's eyes were literally sparkling.
"It's like something out of Yugi-oh, if Yugi-oh were cool," she squeed.
Ouch. And the views of the Levithan do not reflect the views of Wizarding Wearables, its employees, or other affiliates.
'I don't believe Konami is even going to care about your little company, my host," Lash sounded partly amused partly exasperated, "if they even know it exists. Much less try to sue you for something Serafall Leviathan said.'
'Better safe than liquidated,' I said silently.
The arena was more full than the last time I was here. There were more people milling about, talking and trading. There was a line at the register, and only a few of the smaller Brave Duel tables were empty. The main stage, however, was not in use.
"What is all this?" Serafall asked.
"This is a Brave Duel Arena," I told her, "Brave Duel is a card game where you make yourself into a magical girl or bo... man. And here, you can see those card battles in a full 3D game. Or use your deck to play in other events like races, magical dodgeball, or team battles.:
'Wow," she cooed. Then she looked at me suspiciously, "And when and how did you find out about this?"
"Just before we went to the Underworld," I told her, "Someone hired me to find their stolen deck and I ended up here during the search. So naturally I brought you the first chance I could. Speaking of which..."
I dove into my backpack, and Serafall started looking around. Before I could find either of the things I was looking for, someone called out to me.
"Harry!" a hand shot up above the crowd, and made its way over. I guess even with the extra gamers, I stood out.
"Alicia," I greeted her once she reached me. She was in cosplay again, only this time in a Sailor Moon homage. Except with black and grey trim instead of bright colors.
"You came back," she smiled, "Great. Here."
She pulled a card out of the box at her hip, and handed it to me.
"I wanted you to have it for helping Fate-chan and Nanoha-chan. That, and you know..."
She smirked slightly. It was an artifact card. Specifically a wide brimmed leather stetson. It was all I could do not to groan. That said, it matched my gun and duster deck perfectly, and would be a decent power-up.
"Thanks, Alicia," I told her with a chuckle.
"And who is this, Harry-chan?" Serafall had returned and noticed my friend. My Maou's voice was just the tiniest bit sharp and cold.
I didn't get a chance to answer. Alicia's eyes widened. She jumped past me and grabbed Serafall's hand.
"Oh my gods, it's really you," the shop girl almost squealed, "And you really brought her, Harry. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Serafall's growing anger snapped suddenly into confusion.
"Serafall," I started, "This is Alicia Testarossa. She helped me on the case I mentioned, and she works here. Alicia, this is my friend, colleague, and girlfriend, Serafall Leviathan."
"Wait, she's the girlfriend?" Alicia stammered. Serafall frowned again.
"I asked for her help with the case," I explained quickly, "She joked about me asking her out, and I told her that my girlfriend wouldn't like that."
"Please wait here a minute," Alicia ignored me, "I'll be right back."
"That might not be too bad," Serafall responded to me softly, checking out Alicia as she darted off.
"For me or for you," I shot back.
"Either," she quoted the movie we had watched on the train, "Or both."
"Well, she's actually a bit older than Kendra, so she's probably not interested in a second year high schooler," I tried to squash the conversation. Thankfully Serafall let it drop when Alicia returned.
"I want you to have these, Levi-t... err, Leviathan-san," Alicia held out two cards.
"You can call me Levi-tan, or just Serafall if it makes you more comfortable," my Maou responded, taking the cards. I glanced at them. One was a Device, the other was a Barrier Jacket. They were ice element and pink color and looked awfully familiar.
"These are just different enough to count as parody," Serafall noted.
"I convinced Prof Granz to make them for me custom," Alicia said, "The stats are the same as the UR cyan, ice wand and fuku. But there aren't any pink, ice Devices and Jackets, and I wanted a special model based on your show. But if the real Levi-tan is here, she has to have them."
I nodded, and finally fished out what I had been looking for when Serafall arrived. It was an ice blaster type starter deck. Unlike my deck's single target shooter style, blaster style was more big, AoE cards. Fitting for Serafall.
"Thanks," she told us both, taking the deck from me.
"Come on," Alicia grabbed our hands and pulled us, "I'll take you to one of the private rooms in back, so Harry and I can teach Serafall how to play. Then I have a great idea."
"Okay," Serafall agreed brightly.
I, on the other hand, felt the icy fingers of nervousness on my spine.
"Hi, everyone!" Alicia's voice carried over the crowd. Almost the entire crowd turned to look, many even pausing their games.
Alicia was on the platform above the main arena's projector. She had already slotted her deck into the first of the four consoles. Then her mother Presea turned on the spotlight and the microphone.
"We have an unexpected treat for everyone today," the blonde continued, "Since many of you are newcomers after the Reflection announcement, we want to give you a demo of the game and of just what this arena can do. And for that, we have a special guest and fellow newcomer..."
The instrumental version of certain song began to play.
"You might recognize her as the star and title character of Miracle Levi-tan. Leviathan Serafall!"
"Miracle Ice Mystica, MAKE UP!"
Serafall jumped out onto the platform, in her full Levi-tan costume. She had wanted to step out and then do the censored version of her transformation. The masquerade aside, that might be a problem for T&H if the crowd thought that the arena could somehow do that. So she had changed in advance.
"Underworld Senshi of the Glaciers, Miracle Levi-tan has arrived!"
The crowd cheered. I hadn't thought Serafall's show was that big in Japan. But then again, these people were all here to play a magical girl card game.
Or they could have just been going with the flow.
"Thank you," both ladies said.
"Now Serafall, I understand you've never played Brave Duel before?"
"That's right. But Alicia-chan was kind enough to teach me the rules and help me put together a deck. So I hope you all will forgive me if I don't do very well."
The crowd applauded. Serafall added her deck to the second station. The floor below them and the ceiling above them began to glow as the projector warmed up.
"Please!" a new, sharp voice echoed from nowhere, "Enough of this newbie crap. If you want to show the people how to play Brave Duel, we'll give you a lesson."
The screen behind Alicia and Serafall lit up. On it were three women, already in barrier jackets. The one on the left had pink hair and was wearing armor of the same color. She carried a heavy sword. The one on the right was blond, wore a green dress and nurse's cap, and didn't have a weapon. Instead two rings floated over each of her hands. And I recognized the one in the middle. It was the red-head from the old match with Nanoha-sensei that Saitou had shown me. She had the same red dress and giant hammer. She also looked like she had only aged five or six years in the dozen or so since the video had been taken. Either she was cheating with her in-game model, or she had the same lucky aging genes as Alicia.
"Yagami Family?" Alicia sounded put out, "Invading us again?"
"Who are these guys?" Serafall expertly pretended we hadn't been introduced to them back stage.
"The Yagami Family," Alicia said, "Our rivals from Yagami Bookstore, one of the other Brave Duel Arenas."
"And we'll give your new friend a fine intro into Brave Duel," the red-head Vita proclaimed.
"It's for the booster boxes, Harry," I whispered, psyching myself up. Then I incanted, "Caligo incrementum."
Alicia blinked in surprise, as this wasn't part of the plan. A thick mist spread out from the darkened corner of the walkway. The audience looked over, and a few of the sharper eyed individuals began to point and whisper.
Then a familiar guitar sting sounded. It would have fit in easily to any western. It was a bit of improv from me and Sirzechs when we were recording Ise's theme. That he had recorded it and made it into my character's leitmotif... Actually didn't bug me, because it was a nice little piece and added a bit of gravitas.
"It seems like you got yourself into another fine mess, Levi-tan," I announced, "It's a good thing I happened to be passing by."
I walked out. Serafall had provided me with a Devil power clone of my duster and staff. And yes, also a hat. But unlike Ise's stage show, I was putting in some effort. Both because I like Serafall much better than Az, and because T&H was paying us each with a full box of each set, including pre-release boxes of the new one.
"Wandering Wizard-sama!" Serafall and Alicia proclaimed in unison. I almost stopped, because Alicia wasn't supposed to do that.
"Three on two doesn't seem very sporting," I growled, "How about I even up those odds a little."
"Fine by us," Vita shot back, "Some dumb cowboy won't make much of a difference."
I joined my comrades. Then I gently tapped Serafall's side and whispered, "vanish it."
With my best majorette spin, I flicked the staff up into the air. And in a burst of flame (and thankfully not a bunch of sparkles), it disappeared. I know what I said before, but this was much more believable than a spinning quick-change with glowing skin.
Then, using the skills I had learned from the great magician Malcolm Dresden, I flicked my deck into my palm, seemingly from nowhere. I riffed the cards and brought out the Device, Jacket, and my new artifact. I dropped them deftly into the slots on the console, and then placed the rest of my deck in the scanner.
A glance to the side made lie of my earlier statement. Serafall was wearing the most open and joyful smile I had ever seen on her. She was putting aside the weight of being a Maou for a moment, and just enjoying herself. She wasn't Levi-tan to teach Devil children and make inroads with humanity. She was Levi-tan because she liked magical girls, and because it was fun in this situation. That was the main reason I agreed to this. Not that I would give back the cards.
"Let's do this."
Author's Note: Yeah, this one took longer than I hoped. Both for some real world issues, but also it was just harder to write for some reason. Also, after I was done with the party, I had this inspiration of having Harry meet Sona's former fiance at the hospital, and challenge the guy to a duel after he insulted Sona. But after starting on that, I realized Harry's temporary Peerage would be so OP they would curbstomp the guy, so I went back to my original plan and relegated that to a potential, future omake. Anyway, I am going to try to alternate between my two active stories, at least for the immediate future, so hopefully updates here will be at least a bit more regular.
Next: Beyond the Outer Gates Lies... Devilish Research (part 4)?