Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.

Chapter 44

— Lady Dibella has blessed you with a most unusual skill, Dovahkiin. I am sure that with it you will be able to find love. —

Senna to Edzard after the Sanguine incident. 201 4E

The morning sky was clear, showing that it was a hot day. As a gentle breeze blew, Marie walked through the streets of one of Kyoto's neighborhoods. She had left the house that her family had bought in the city. The new house was an old-looking traditional Japanese mansion. The house was luxurious and had several rooms, six normal bathrooms and two traditional Japanese bathrooms. One of those bathrooms was currently used by the family and the other would be used when visitors came, and they had to separate the bathrooms between genders. Unlike the palace where she normally lived, she was alone with her parents in the house for now, since the rest of her strange family were elsewhere.

Marie continued to walk through the crowded streets as she looked at everything that was out there. As she walked and explored the shops, she had ended up separating from her parents, with whom she had gone out for walks. Although many looked at her strangely for walking alone, she did not pay attention to them. So, she continued to walk calmly until she came to a park where she saw many children playing together. Putting a smile on her face, she began to walk towards them; however, when she took a few steps, she saw a girl sitting on one of the swings.

The girl had golden blonde hair, which was styled in a ponytail. The girl's eyes were golden. She wore a miko outfit with high geta sandals and white tabis. On the haori sleeves of her costume was a giant red star-shaped pentagram, which was surrounded by five smaller pentagrams between the empty points of the big one.

Marie stopped and saw that the girl had a sad look on her face. Confused by the look on the girl, Marie began to slowly approach her.

"Excuse me, are you feeling alright?" Marie asked when she reached the girl's side.

The girl raised her eyes and looked at Marie. Gold and green eyes met and for a second the wind changed. Out of nowhere, both girls saw older versions of themselves walking hand in hand, while being accompanied by many people. Many of these people had green eyes, but their hair varied in color.

'What was that?' Marie thought confused as she shook her head. When she finished doing it, she saw that the girl in front of her did the same too.

The girl looked at Marie in confusion, causing the little dragon to look at her with a tilt of her head. "Eto... Is there something on my face?"

The girl blinked and shook her head.

"I see." Marie said letting out a small sigh. She then put a friendly smile on her face and spoke again. "My name is Marie Argento Cumberland Edzarddottïr. What is your name?"

The girl blinked in amazement, for she had never heard such a long name. However, despite her surprise, she put on a smile and replied. "My name is Kunou."

"Nice to meet you Kunou. Do you want to play something with me?" Marie asked with a smile.

Kunou's eyes sparkled with excitement and she nodded.

Both girls began to play in all the games that were in the park. While they were playing, they were telling each other their lives. Marie learned that Kunou was the daughter of a priestess named Yasaka, who, because of her work, had been very busy recently and had not been able to spend as much time with her daughter. Kunou, for her part, learned that Marie was the first daughter of a young family and that she was two years old, almost reaching three. This piece of information made her very surprised, because the girl did not act like someone according to her age range. However, despite that, she decided to ignore that information and continued playing with the little girl.

The girls continued playing without taking into account the time and when they realized, they could see that the sun was already high, showing that it was already noon.

"Looks like we have to go back to our homes." Kunou said looking at the horizon with a bit of sadness, since she had had a great time playing with Marie.

Marie nodded, but then remembered something important. She didn't know how to get back to her house, since she didn't know the streets of this city. However, she decided not to think about how to get back, as it was possible that her parents were looking for her. Knowing that both of them could easily find her, the young dragon began to look at the horizon without worries. As she looked over to where some shops were, she managed to smell the scent of her mother approaching her. So, raising her head, she watched as she arrived at the park.

Asia was walking towards the park where she knew her daughter was playing. Her steps were calm, for she knew that her little girl was safe. She had worried that her daughter was alone on the streets of Kyoto, but Edzard had told her that she was fine. Edzard's words didn't reassure her at all, rather they made her a little angry. However, she calmed down when she remembered that Marie's clothes used to be enchanted to transport her to their side if something happened. The only times that wouldn't happen would be when they were in the middle of a fight. So, after calming down, she and her husband went for a walk around the city, to give their daughter plenty of playtime.

'I was about to create the second big fight in my marriage.' Asia thought with a little sadness, because if she hadn't remembered about the enchantments, it was very possible that she would have ended up throwing a fireball at her husband out of anger. But luckily that didn't happen.

After those thoughts, she concentrated on her current task, picking up her daughter to take her home to eat. So, after turning a corner, she finally made it to the park where Edzard told her that Marie was. Her eyes fell on her little daughter, and she saw that she was not alone, for there was a girl next to her. Seeing them together, she understood that both girls had been playing together, so she put on a smile and approached them.

"Marie." Asia said in a loving voice as she approached her daughter.

"Mom!" Marie yelled as she ran towards her mother and then took a big leap towards her.

Asia caught her daughter and spun her around for a few moments.

"You had me worried, Marie." Asia said with a slightly reproachful tone, but in the end she just smiled. Her little daughter had inherited her father's adventurous spirit.

"I'm sorry, but I was bored on the walk and that's why I went out to explore this city a bit." Marie said lowering her head.

"I know. But you should have warned us."

"I understand." said Marie, who then looked at her friend and saw her with a sad smile on her face. So, taking her mother's hand, Marie pulled her close to Kunou.

"Mother, this is Kunou, I was playing with her today."

"I see. Thank you for playing with my daughter, Kunou-san. My name is Asia Argento Cumberland." Asia said in a gentle voice as she gave the girl a small bow.

"Nice to meet you, Asia-san." Kunou said bowing in response to Asia's. The girl had made a great effort not to show her surprise at seeing how young her friend's mother was.

Asia put on a smile seeing how polite Kunou was, but then she realized something.

"Kunou-san. Won't your parents come to see you?" Asia asked seeing that there was no one matching the girl's features in the entire park.

The little girl lowered her head sadly. "No. My Hahaue is not here, she is busy with her work."

Asia looked at Kunou sadly after that answer. After thinking for a few seconds, she put on a kind smile, because she ended up hearing the little girl's stomach growl.

"Looks like you're hungry, Kunou-san. Do you want to come to our house for something to eat?"

Kunou looked at Asia and tried to deny, but she ended up agreeing seeing Marie looking at her with her eyes sparkling with excitement.

After that, the group of three women calmly walked through the streets of Kyoto until they finally arrived at the Cumberland's house in the city.

Kunou looked at the house in amazement as she never expected Marie and her family to have such a big house. Although the house was small compared to the palace she lived in, it was still a very large mansion by human standards.

The group of three people entered through the front door and leaving their shoes at the entrance, they walked all over the place.

"Lunch will be ready in a few minutes. So go play over there for a bit, okay." Asia said as she walked towards the kitchen.

Marie nodded and taking Kunou's hand, she decided to show her around the mansion.

Kunou was walking next to Marie, who had just finished giving her a tour of the inside of the mansion.

"And finally, I'll show you the courtyard." Marie said pointing to a double door.

When the door was opened, Kunou stood still unable to move. This was not due to the beautiful garden full of exotic flowers, no, what made her freeze was the young man who had his back to them. This young man was wearing only a pair of baggy black pants and black sandals. In his hands was a katana with a tsuba made up of intertwining snakes. Seeing him, Kunou felt three things at the same time in her body. First, astonishment, because the young man had a slight resemblance to Marie, showing that he was the father. Second, fascination with the way he moved the katana, since his movements were elegant, fast and gave off a slight sound that made her believe that she was hearing the rain hit the ground. However, the sound suddenly changed, and the movements began to become faster and more furious, causing the sound to change into one similar to a gale of great force. Third, the last thing Kunou felt upon seeing that young man was fear, panic, and a desire to run away to save her life.

'H-h-how can you be calm without being affected by this person's aura?' Kunou thought in amazement as Marie smiled without showing any signs of fear.

"Dad!" Marie yelled as she ran towards her father.

The young man turned his head and Kunou could see his face and the rest of his body. A blush appeared on Kunou's face, for the young man was handsome. Although, she also feels a chill run through her body, since Marie's father had his chest full of scars of all kinds.

Kunou saw her friend take a big leap and be caught in midair by her father, who had dropped his katana. That image made the little kitsune feel jealous of her, since she had never had that kind of interaction with her father, since she never knew him and her mother didn't talk about him.

"Marie." said the young man with a deep voice and a little tired, but that contained a lot of joy. Furthermore, there was a gentle smile on the young man's face.

"What are you doing, dad?"

"I'm just practicing my personal variant of Rawlith Khaj."

'Rawlith Khaj? What is that?' Kunou thought curiously, as she had never heard those words before.

"I see. By the way, dad, I want to introduce you to a friend, her name is Kunou." Marie said as she pointed at Kunou.

"I see."

Kunou saw how her friend's father approached and when he was in front of her, he gave her a small bow and introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Kunou. My name is Edzard Cumberland Rolandson." Edzard introduced himself with a smile on his face.

"Nice to meet you, Edzard-sama." Kunou said stiffly, as she felt a bit uncomfortable being around Edzard.

Edzard put a kind smile on his face, but inside he was frowning, as Kunou's smell was very strange in every way. In fact, it was similar to Kuroka and Koneko's, the only difference being that she smelled like a fox and not a cat.

'It seems that she is a Youkai, a Kitsune to be exact.' Thought Edzard remembering what he had read in the reports that Azazel showed him before he arrived in Kyoto. Although he was tempted to use the «Vision of the Tenth Eye» spell, he decided against it, since they were here without notifying the leader of the Kyoto Youkai. 'It would be very troublesome if I do something stupid that gets us into trouble. It would be best to do nothing for now.'

"It seems that my training has caught your attention, hasn't it, Kunou?" Edzard asked, trying to create a conversation that would make Kunou not realize that they belonged to the supernatural world. Although, he also mentioned it because he noticed her looking at him curiously the moment, he saw her before he introduced himself.

The young Kitsune stopped being so rigid and nodded enthusiastically. "That's right. It's amazing! I never saw that fighting style!"

"Ha, ha, ha. I see. In fact, it is a variant of a fighting style used in my homeland."

"Variant?" Kunou asked curiously.

"That's right. The original Rawlith Khaj is not used with a katana, but rather with short swords. I received a scroll with the basic kata as a wedding gift from some friends. Using that as a base, I created a style that allows me to use a katana. Although I also have a personal variant of the Zhan Khaj, which will allow me to use two katanas." Edzard replied leaving Marie on the ground. "Do you want to see me wear both styles?"

Kunou and Marie looked at each other and smiled and nodded. This caused Edzard to put on a smile and taking a second Akavir sword, he began to use his variant of the Zhan Khaj. Just as his name in Tangra meant, Edzard's movements were quick and simple, yet maintained a natural grace, causing Kunou to hear a whistling sound similar to that of an air storm. The movements were so coordinated that there were times when both swords made an attack that was obviously unstoppable and lethal, which would cause the instant death of his opponent.

Both girls continued to watch Edzard train until they felt someone walk through the door. Averting their eyes, they saw Asia walk in while she was drying her hands on a tablecloth.

"The food is ready." Asia said as she approached the girls.

Marie and Kunou looked at each other and quickly went to wash their hands.

Seeing that she was alone with Edzard, Asia began to approach her husband. Her steps were slow, but sure. When she was about to touch her husband on his shoulder, she saw him stop practicing with his swords.

"Ed, the food is ready." Asia said looking at how Edzard used conjuration magic to make his swords disappear.

"Thank you, Asia." Edzard said with a slightly tired smile and then approached his wife and kissed her on the lips.

"Looks like our little girl has made a friend." Edzard said when he separated from his wife.

"Yes, little Kunou seems to be a good girl." Asia said with a smile.

"I hope so, but there's something weird about her." Edzard said and then told his wife about his suspicions.

Asia put a hand to her chin and began to think about her husband's words.

"It may be true. But I don't think it's bad for Marie to have a friend of another race."

"You are right. I just hope this friendship is a good thing for them."

Asia nodded and then covered her nose. Starting to smile, she decided to give Edzard a few light pokes with the tablecloth. "Hurry up and go wash up. You stink."

Edzard laughed for a few seconds and went to the other bathroom to clean up quickly.

The dining room was a large room, which had a round table in the center and as chairs there were some cushions. The rest of the room had tatami mats as the floor and walls. The walls were decorated with some very colorful tapestries, as well as some furniture such as corner cabinets and shelves.

Kunou stared at the food in complete amazement, as the dining table was laden with food. The dishes that made up the meal were stews of beef, chicken, pork, white rice, salads of raw vegetables and boiled vegetables.

"Come on, Kunou-san. Eat as much as you want." Asia said with a smile as she started to eat a plate full of rice with some stew.

Kunou looked a bit scared at the food, but quickly looked to her side and saw Marie eating with her chopsticks for children. Her jaw dropped a little as Marie ate the food quickly and she wasn't the only one, as her parents also ate quickly. Despite eating with speed, none of them wasted food, in fact, they ate with grace and dignity.

Swallowing a bit of saliva, the young kitsune began to eat. Carrying her chopsticks over to a plate of beef stew, she picked up a piece and slowly brought it to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she felt the taste of food on her taste buds.

"It's very rich!" Kunou shouted excitedly, before happily eating the food. She was so engrossed in eating the food, that she didn't notice that Edzard's eyes turned gold as he watched her eat. This lasted a few seconds, where after that, Edzard had green eyes again and began to calmly eat the food.

The sky was painted orange as Edzard, Marie, Asia and Kunou made their way towards the young kitsune's house. The girl had been playing with Marie around the house for hours after eating. They had played so long that neither had realized that it was too late. When they found out, Kunou freaked out saying that her mother would scold her for coming back so late. So, to try and help her, Edzard and the rest of the Cumberland family had offered to come with her so her mother wouldn't yell at her so much.

The young kitsune agreed and they all left the house together for Kunou's home. As they walked, Marie and Kunou began to yawn as they were tired of playing so much. Seeing them like this and fearing that they would get hurt by falling, they decided to do something. So, Asia took Marie and carried her in her arms, while Edzard carried Kunou on his back. Both girls fell asleep immediately once they were picked up.

As they walked through the empty streets, Edzard took advantage and told Asia that he had seen Kunou with his « Vision of the Tenth Eye» spell. And that, thanks to that, he had managed to discover that the little girl was actually a kitsune. After that revelation, both continued walking through the quiet night streets of Kyoto until they reached some stairs. Starting to climb them, Edzard narrowed his eyes as he sensed various presences in the shadows.

"Asia. Did you notice?" Edzard asked without looking away, and without stopping walking.

"Of what, Ed?" Asia asked in confusion.

"We are surrounded by Youkai, Asia."

Edzard's words made Asia stay still for a few seconds, but then she started walking again. However, unlike before, she glanced around her surroundings. Thanks to that, she was able to see some people of both genders who were wearing costumes of Shinto shrine priests and shrine maidens.

"Calm. It seems like they are just watching us." Edzard said.

Asia nodded and they both continued walking until they reached the top of the stairs. Upon arrival, Edzard let out a whistle of astonishment.

"Wow. Yes, this place is big. Edzard said looking at the shrine that was Kunou's home.

The shrine was the typical Shinto shrine that appeared in the books, but with an extension that was too large, larger than normal.

The moment they set foot inside the shrine, they saw a young man dressed in a monk's outfit approaching them.

"Goodnight. I'm sorry, but the shrine is closed until early tomorrow."

"We know that. We have only come to drop off little Kunou at her home." Edzard said as he showed the little kitsune asleep on his back.

The priest's eyes widened in surprise, but he remained calm. Then, he put on a serious look and spoke. "I see. Yasaka-sama was worried that she would not arrive."

Edzard narrowed his eyes, for the tone of the priest's voice was accusatory. Squeezing her left hand, he was tempted to cast a fire spell on him for daring to insinuate that they had kidnapped her. Fortunately, his wife noticed and intervened before things escalated into a battle.

"We're sorry for the inconvenience, but little Kunou was playing with our daughter all day in the city center park."

Asia's words made the priest look at her in surprise as he saw Marie resting in her mother's arms. This made the monk heave a sigh and then nod.

"I see." The priest said, before extending his hands.

Edzard understood what he meant and gently carrying Kunou, handed her over to the priest.

"Thank you very much for bringing Kunou-sama back. I'm sure Yasaka-sama will calm down now."

Edzard and Asia nodded. Then they said goodbye and left the place leaving the priest, who began to walk back to the sanctuary.

Edzard was sitting in front of his desk while he was completely lost in his own thoughts.

'What could have happened so that Kunou hasn't come to the house for a few days?' Edzard thought worriedly, because his daughter's little friend, who had gone to have lunch and play with Marie every day, hadn't appeared for the last few days and that ended up making her daughter sad.

"Boss, did you hear me?" Tiamat asked with a mark of annoyance on her head. The dragon had come that same day to tell him some things from Azazel and Sirzechs.

Edzard blinked in confusion and once he realized that he had been ignoring Tiamat he proceeded to apologize. "Uhh. No, sorry, but my mind is on the moon today."

"Yes, I realize." Tiamat said as he let out a sigh. "Don't you think you care a lot about that girl?"

"You may be right, but she is my daughter's first friend. So, I am very worried that something happened to her, because if something happened to Kunou, Marie would be inconsolable."

Tiamat looked at her leader and nodded. As he prepared to leave, she remembered something important.

"boss. The Kuoh Academy students are arriving today." Tiamat said looking back at Edzard.

Edzard stopped thinking about little Kunou and looked at Tiamat, letting out a sigh, he stood up.

"Damn it, I completely forgot." Edzard said as he walked towards the window of the room. "Everything went according to plan, right?"

"Yes. Valerie and Mittelt joined the trip as students belonging to the Nephilim Institute. From there they have been monitoring the entire trip, along with members of the ORC and the Student Council. They will arrive within a few hours and then begin their tour of Kyoto." Tiamat replied, then looked at the schedule Azazel had sent her. "They will move in groups, which will be made up of classmates from the same classroom."

"I see. That will make Yuuto not with the rest of the ORC." Edzard said with a hand on his chin as he thought about some things. A few seconds later, he sighed and spoke again. "Tiamat I am going to the train station to wait for Mittelt and Valerie. See you in a few hours."

"It's okay." Tiamat replied seeing Edzard leave the room.

Lint, Aika, Ingvild, Issei, Xenovia and Irina were walking calmly through the streets of Kyoto looking at the souvenirs that the different shops were selling.

"So, in case of emergency we will meet at Edzard's house in Kyoto?" Issei asked as he looked around, because he had the feeling that they were being followed.

"That's right. Although it was initially planned to use your room for a meeting, Azazel-sensei felt that having strategy meetings in the same place as our classmates would be risky. So, after discussing it with Ed, they decided to use his house as a temporary quarters." Aika replied as she picked up a porcelain Kitsune and looked at it from all sides. She put on a smile seeing that the Kitsune was well made, so without a second thought she went to buy it. She did not give importance to the price, since in her wallet she had more than two hundred thousand yen. This money was part of the payment she received for the missions they did against the daedras. For each mission accomplished, each member of the groups that went to fight received more than fifty thousand dollars or the equivalent of three hundred septims.

Taking her porcelain ornament, Aika rejoined the rest of the group, and they continued walking. As she walked, she saw Lint talking to Ingvild. They were both dressed in Kuoh's uniforms as they had joined the academy, Lint on Michael's orders and Ingvild on Sirzechs's orders. Although Edzard had been against it, in the end he accepted, as both Lint and Ingvild had convinced him. That being the reason why they both wore the academy uniform, but with their own personal variations. So, Lint was wearing the typical uniform, but instead of the cape she was wearing a purple sweatshirt and light purple pantyhose. Ingvild, for her part, was in full uniform with cape and all, though she was wearing a pair of deep violet pantyhose.

After walking around various attractions and tourist spots, Issei decided to excuse himself and leave the place. The rest of the group decided to wait for him, since it seemed that he would not take long, but it did not happen, since the Sekiryuutei began to delay in returning.

'What happened to Hyoudou?' Aika thought before opening her eyes in surprise as she felt magic in the direction Issei had run. Looking at her companions, she saw that they had also noticed that, so without thinking twice, they ran towards the place where the magic came from.

When they arrived, they saw a kitsune girl with nine golden tails, who was accompanied by men in fox masks and priest's clothing. In addition, apart from the priests, there were also several tengu, who were beings in the shape of humanoid birds, who were chasing Issei into a forest. The girls watched him run through the trees, dodging the attacks as best he could.

"Come on, as much as he's a pervert, we can't let him get killed." Said Aika.

They all nodded and charged at them.

The first to arrive were Xenovia, Irina and Lint, who using their speed quickly managed to cover the distance that separated them from Issei. Xenovia, arrived in time to block an attack directed at Issei. And to do so she used a wooden boken, as her sword was being reinforced by the church. Lint and Irina also stopped some priests using weapons made of light. The three swordswomen looked at each other and moving quickly began to attack the priests, neutralizing several quickly.

While they were fighting, Aika and Ingvild, who came later, wasted no time and created several magic circles. From these magic circles came several gusts of wind, which hit the tengu, causing them to fly out and hit nearby trees.

Following these preemptive strikes, Kuoh's students fell back and formed up in order to fight in a more orderly manner.

"Thank you girls." Issei said taking an attack position. "Although I wish we didn't destroy anything, we are in Kyoto after all."

"You are right." Xenovia said tightening her grip on her boken.

The girl looked at everyone and with a frown yelled at them that she would go away for now, but that she would come back to have her mother returned to her. And after those words, the girl and her followers disappeared in a whirlwind.

After making sure there were no more enemies nearby, they all started talking to each other.

"So, Hyoudou. What have you done to be attacked by youkai? Did you steal a kitsune's underwear?" Aika asked with a teasing smile.

Issei's face flushed red and he yelled that he hadn't done any of that and then he started telling everyone what the girl had told him when he met her.

"This is rare. Why would the girl say to give her mother back to her?" Lint asked with a hand to her chin.

"Perhaps she has been kidnapped." Ingvild said and then averted her gaze with a little embarrassment when she saw that everyone was looking at her.

"That… is a very good guess." Xenovia said as Irina nodded.

"Assuming that's true, why would you think we did it?"

"I guess it's because we're not from here." Issei said giving an answer to Lint's question.

Issei's answer made everyone look at him.

"What?" Draig's wielder asked in confusion as they all stared at him in amazement.

"Any. I just didn't expect you to be able to give such a decent answer like that." Aika replied as she taunted Issei.

"Damn it, Kiryuu! What are you implying with that?!" Issei yelled annoyed at Aika's teasing.

"Nothing... just that the only head of yours that thinks is the one below."

Issei started yelling at Aika that that wasn't true. The poor devil was screaming for several minutes, until he finally calmed down.

"Well, all jokes aside. This is very worrying." Aika said looking at the rest of those present.

"I understand you, Aika. I don't like this at all. It smells like Daedras or the Khaos Brigade." Lint said, earning a nod from everyone.

"What do we do now?" Ingvild asked.

"The truth is that we can't do much right now. The only thing would be to continue walking so as not to attract the attention of our classmates and while we do so, let's try to contact Azazel-sensei, Rossweisse-sensei and Edzard-kun to tell them everything that has happened." Irina said.

Everyone nodded as Aika, Lint and Issei took their phones and called the aforementioned.

Edzard was walking through the streets of Kyoto while deep in thought. He was walking towards a bar where he would meet Azazel, as the Fallen had told him that they had to talk about what was happening in the city.

'I can't believe that Kunou is the daughter of the leader of the Kyoto Youkai.' Edzard thought as he remembered what had happened during their previous conversation.

Flashback

Edzard was sitting at the table with his lovers and the rest of his group. Also, next to them were Azazel and Serafall. Previously there had also been the ORC members and the student council members who had gone on the field trip to Kyoto. However, they had been dismissed by Azazel several minutes before they arrived.

"So, the Kyoto leader has been kidnapped?" Edzard asked looking at Azazel.

"That's right." The leader of the Grigori replied as he heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Worst of all is what they did when we were so close to forming an alliance with the Kyoto Youkai." Serafall said with a bit of sadness in her voice.

"I see. Serafall-sama, do we have any idea who the kidnapper was?" Asia asked looking at the leader of the devils.

"We only have guesses, but we believe it was a faction of the Khaos Brigade." Serafal replied.

Edzard and the rest of his group sighed in annoyance.

"Those guys keep coming out from everywhere, they look like cockroaches." Aika said with a frown.

"No, even cockroaches are less of a problem than those guys." Edzard said frowning. "Do we know which faction it was?"

"We think it's the hero faction." Azazel replied looking at Edzard.

"Hero faction?" Asia asked.

"A faction made up solely of humans who possess holy swords, demon swords, and sacred gears. Some of them are descendants of human heroes of old. Hence the name of his group. Also, we don't know how many bearers they will have, but we believe they have at least one longinus user among their ranks." Azazel replied.

Edzard frowned when he heard that group calling themselves heroes, but decided to ignore it, since a hero for someone could be a villain for another.

"I understand. The fact that they called us, means that they have suspicions that aside from the Khaos Brigade, there are also Daedra involved in this, right?"

Both Azazel and Serafall looked at each other and nodded. It was at times like these that they appreciated Edzard's analytical mind, as it prevented conversations from dragging on too long.

"That's right. In a normal situation we would not think so. However, since the Daedras have been involved in every Khaos Brigade attack we have suffered since the pact was founded, we seriously believe that they are also involved in this." Azazel replied with a serious voice.

"I see. We seem to think the same. I have had a concern ever since we suffered the attack in the underworld." Edzard said.

"What concern, Ed-chan?" Serafall asked.

"I am concerned that the various cults of the Daedra are affiliating with the Khaos Brigade. If they are already annoying, with the help of those guys, it is possible for them to become bigger threats. Maybe not unstoppable, but they will be annoyances that will make us divert resources to eliminate them."

"I see. I understand what you say. That is why we want to ask you a favor." Azazel said looking Edzard in the eye.

"What?"

"We want you and your group to search the entire city and find out if there are any signs of Daedric activity." Serafal replied.

Edzard looked at Serafall and letting out a sigh, nodded.

Azazel and Serafall smiled.

"Thank you Ed-chan." Serafall said with a smile. "Your answer takes a weight off my shoulders. Now I can focus one hundred percent on my meeting with Kunou-chan tomorrow."

Edzard and Asia blinked in confusion when they heard the name of Marie's friend.

"Excuse me, Serafall-sama, but... did you mention Kunou's name?" Asia asked.

"Oh... that's right. She is the daughter of the leader of Kyoto and is acting as a substitute for her mother since her disappearance."

"Shit." was what Edzard said as he put a hand to his face.

"Why the swear word, Ed-chan?" Serafall asked.

"Well…Marie made a friend while we were around here." Edzard replied scratching the back of his neck.

"So?" Azazel asked.

"Marie's friend is called Kunou and she is a kitsune." Asia replied.

Azazel and Serafall's eyes widened in surprise, but then they both began to laugh in amusement at this discovery.

"Ha, ha, ha. Edzard, you really do have some pretty weird luck. Look you meet the daughter of the leader of Kyoto, just like that. It really seems like a god of luck loves you." Azazel said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Edzard put on an awkward smile, as he didn't know how to tell that Nocturnal was obsessed with him.

"So, Ed-chan, Asia-chan. Why don't they tell us everything?" Serafall asked.

Seeing that everyone wanted to know what happened, Edzard and Asia began to tell what had happened.

End Flashback

'Carrying on the duties of a ruler at such a young age is something worthy of admiration.' Edzard thought as he continued to ponder what was happening to his little daughter's friend. As he walked, he came to smell Kunou's scent. So, casting his gaze in the direction the scent came from, he saw Kunou leaving the bar he was heading towards. The little kitsune was accompanied by Issei, Irina, and Xenovia.

Seeing that they were going to pass by, Edzard adjusted the hood he was wearing and keeping his presence hidden, he passed by their side without being noticed by anyone in that group. As he walked, he turned his head slightly and watched them head for the bridge he had come over. Paying no further attention to them, he continued on his way for a few more meters and finally reached his destination. Opening the door of the premises, he entered the bar. As soon as he stepped inside, he began to listen to Rossweisse's drunken tirade.

"Uhh. Seriously, Rossweisse. I tasked you to stay with Azazel because you were a teacher and you wouldn't raise any suspicions if you stayed with him." Edzard whispered letting out a tired sigh as he approached the two teachers.

When he got to their side, he faked a cough to get their attention.

"Looks like they're having fun." Edzard said faking a smile.

Hearing his voice, Azazel turned his head so fast that it seemed as if his neck had been broken in that movement. Seeing Edzard, his eyes sparkled with hope.

"Ed, please get Rossweisse off me." Azazel begged, as the Valkyrie was crying on the Fallen jacket.

Hearing the plea, Edzard put on a mocking smile and did nothing as he watched Azazel squirm uncomfortably at having Rossweisse crying over him. After about two minutes, Edzard decided that he had seen enough, so he sat down in the free chair next to Rossweisse. Then, he took her by the shoulders and gently pulling her away from Azazel.

"Ehh…" Rossweisse said as she felt herself being pulled. Looking in the direction of where she felt herself being pulled, her face flushed as she saw Edzard looking at her with a friendly smile. "E-E-Ed… I-I-I-I…"

"Quiet. Do not say anything. Just rest for a while to let the effects of alcohol wear off."

Rossweisse put on a smile at the kind words Edzard just said to her. So, heeding Edzard's words, she rested her head on the bar table. A few seconds later, soft breaths confirmed that she had fallen asleep.

Edzard put on a smile and placed a hand on Rossweisse's head.

"So, Azazel. Why has Rossweisse gotten drunk during work hours?" Edzard asked looking at Azazel with an accusing look, as he knew that she was not so irresponsible to do something like that. In fact, Rossweisse was so responsible that Edzard sometimes had to carry her to her room to sleep, since she would fall asleep while she was preparing classes for her students.

"Well, I…" Azazel said as he scratched the back of his neck and looked away nervously, as Edzard was giving him a look so icy that it made Antarctica look like the Sahara Desert.

"A-z-a-z-e-l."

"It's okay. I-I m-m-made fun of h-h-her not h-h-having a boyfriend."

Edzard looked at the Fallen One and raising a hand, gave Azazel such a blow that he ended up on the ground. The speed had been such that Azazel had been unable to react.

"Ahh. Hurts. Damn, Ed. That hurts." Azazel said as he stood up and rubbed the huge lump on his head.

"You deserve it." Edzard said as he began to comb Rossweisse's hair, who flinched slightly at his touch, but then a peaceful smile appeared on her face.

Azazel looked at Edzard's interaction and put on a smile, but not a teasing one, but rather a kind smile.

"It seems that you are very close with Rossweisse. But she's not the only one, right?" Azazel asked as he sat down on his chair again.

Edzard put on a tired smile as he continued to run a hand through Rossweisse's hair. Pausing for a moment, he looked at Azazel to reply. He was getting tired of a lot of things lately. So he had neither the desire nor the intention to lie.

"You are right, Azazel. Both Rossweisse, Lint and Ingvild have earned a place in my heart. I don't know how this happened, but I feel that when we manage to stop the invasions and they go away, I will miss them very much."

Azazel put on an amused smile, which was not seen by Edzard.

'You really are someone very strange, Edzard. Sometimes you are so dense that you worry me. You may not have noticed, but none of those girls will leave your side when this is over. You will most likely end up having all of them as lovers.' Azazel thought with amusement. After that, he decided to talk to Edzard. "I think we should stop this colloquial talk and focus on the reason I told you to come."

Edzard blinked and removing his smile, he spoke. "You're right. Although unfortunately I am afraid that I bring very bad news."

"Uhh. Do not tell me…. There are Daedra involved in this, right?" Azazel asked in a defeated voice. A part of him hoped there weren't any Daedra involved, but it seemed like he was out of luck.

"Yes and no." Edzard answered looking at the ceiling and then at Azazel.

Azazel looked at Edzard in confusion and motioned for him to continue talking.

"After the girls and I have been investigating all over the city, we have realized that the Daedra may not be directly involved, as there is no sign that a portal has recently been opened. The only thing we have detected is a bit of residue from both Magicka and magic from this world."

"And that means?"

"That it is not Daedra, but Daedra worshipers who are supporting this faction of the Khaos Brigade." Edzard answered as he saw how Rossweisse had moved slightly while she slept. That ended up making the Valkyrie adopt a slightly awkward sleeping position. Wasting no time, Edzard decided to help her to prevent her from having muscle pain later.

Azazel smirked as he watched Edzard settle Rossweisse in, but then sighed and drank some of the sake left on the table. "The information you give me has calmed me down a bit. Worshipers are weaker than Daedra and cause less trouble when dealing with them."

"Yes you're right." Edzard said as he looked at Azazel. Letting out a sigh, he carried Rossweisse princess style. "I am going home. I'm taking Rossweisse to rest there until she's well. I don't think it's good for her students to see her in this state."

Azazel nodded and watched as Edzard left the bar.

"Ahhh… Sometimes I wish we only had to fight against the Khaos Brigade. The daedras are terrifying." Azazel said as he heaved a tired sigh. Taking some of the sake to his mouth, he was about to take a drink, but stopped when he felt himself being caught in a mist.

'This mist... Dimension Lost?' thought Azazel worriedly. So, wasting no time he dropped what he was doing and left the bar.

Edzard and Asia were looking at a silhouette resting in the infirmary of the mansion. The chest of the person on the bed rose slowly but steadily, showing that she was just rested.

"Asia, have you treated his wounds yet?" Edzard asked, looking sideways at his wife.

"Yes, I already managed to heal her wounds." Asia replied as she made a sad look seeing her friend resting.

"How serious was everything?"

"Luckily it wasn't that bad. her body had many superficial injuries, but she still had some internal injuries. She had two broken ribs and some of her organs were damaged, but the damage was nothing serious. Fortunately, I managed to heal her quickly and now she just has to rest."

"I see." Edzard said as he remembered what had happened a few hours ago.

He had finished leaving Rossweisse in her room and as he returned to his room, he saw a purple vortex appear. Raising an eyebrow, he was slightly surprised to see something appear from there. When he saw that it was Lint, he lunged to catch her before she hit the ground.

As Edzard held Lint's body, the characteristic iron smell of blood reached his nostrils. Looking at his friend, he saw that she had some superficial injuries. Although the injuries did not appear to be anything serious, he knew that even a small, poorly healed cut could kill someone. So, without wasting time, Edzard ran to the infirmary of the mansion, while he did, he was examining Lint's wounds better.

"How could she end up so hurt?" Asia asked with concern and sadness.

"Don't know. Because of the type of injuries, I only have one hypothesis… whoever did that to him is a martial artist." Edzard replied calmly.

Edzard's tone of voice made Asia feel a chill run down her spine.

'Ed is angry. Not furious, fortunately, otherwise I would be afraid that he would do something stupid.' Asia thought.

Edzard sat next to Asia and they both started waiting for their friend to wake up. As they waited, Asia watched as Edzard moved his right hand and gently took a strand of Lint's hair to arrange it so that it was not on the girl's face.

After that, Asia gently fell down and rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they watched their friend rest.

Night had already fallen, and people dressed in red hooded robes walked stealthily through the dark streets of various parts of Kyoto.

"So, what's the plan?" one of the individuals asked his partner.

"We must infiltrate the castle of the family that rules this city. Then we must kill all members of the ruling family and let chaos and panic consume the population. Then the attack will begin."

"I see. What about the mission leader?"

"It's already in position. He will oversee fighting against the most problematic subjects they find in this city. At the same time, he goes looking for the rats that have allied themselves with that second-rate prince."

"Understanding. At dawn, the promised land will be ours." An individual said as he put on a cruel smile under his hood.

Author's note:

To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I don't know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.

And here chapter 44, with which the "Kyoto Arc" begins. XD

Sorry for the delay, but life has been keeping me very busy lately. But despite that I'm still here XD

In this chapter we have the meeting between Marie and Kunou, who upon meeting have had a small vision of a possible future. We also see that Ed is already accepting that he has feelings for Ingvild, Rossweisse and Lint. We also see trouble brewing for Kyoto. What kind of problems? Well, there's only one thing more troublesome than the Khaos Brigade in this fic, XD

For those who don't know, I usually write in a Notepad the general ideas of each chapter of the fic, which are ordered by Arcs. So far, the longest has been the "Second Great War", but this arc is already occupying 4 chapters on the notepad and there are still about two more chapters to plan. So, this arc is going to be long. XD.

Well, I apologize for any misspelling. Do not forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter or if there is something that needs to be improved or if you have any questions about the story. Also, any constructive advice is welcome. With nothing more to say, until the next chapter.