Chapter 23: A Box.
"So, can I count on you, Azazel?"
[Yeah, sure.] Azazel nonchalantly said. He had talked with Danhauser Belial for several minutes about a certain light, blonde-haired Dhampir. While he responded in an easy way, he really was looking forward to taking a look at her, or rather, the Holy Chalice.
She's a damn anomaly, a case that couldn't be ignored by a Sacred Gear fanatic like him. He wants to see what else the Sephiroth Graal has to surprise his already hyped enthusiasm. Now he understood the gleeful feeling of Vali Lucifer whenever the hybrid was in a heated fight.
"That's great," Danhauser observed the windows with narrowed eyes. "Could you come to Ryuukou Town? I doubt Fallen Angels would welcome us in the Grigori…"
[Yeah, let's do it in your house.] The Governor agreed. [I'm curious, wasn't your girlfriend refusing to pull out her Sacred Gear…? What made her change her mind?]
The Devil sighed as he spun around. "We argued about it for a while, but I somehow convinced her." He paused. "She's not my girlfriend."
The Fallen Angel laughed. It's great embarrassing teenagers. [Alright, alright.] Danhauser heard the Governor coughing behind a fist. [Now, why do you want me to take a look at her?]
Danhauser pressed his lips tightly. "… She has severe side effects that are most likely because of the abuse of her Sacred Gear."
[Like what?] Azazel asked instantly. [Tell me some of her unwanted effects.]
Danhauser passed a thumb over his eyebrow. "I don't know why, but whenever it's nighttime, she sees the dead." He frowned at the unpleasant memories. "… It happens randomly, and I wanted to know if there's a way of putting an end to that."
[Hmm…] Danhauser heard Azazel scratching his goatee. [… Is that all? I feel there's something you don't want to tell me.]
"… The conversation you had with her could've raised a few questions." Danhauser admitted. "Plus I had a talk with her on the same day that somehow involved the same topic…"
[Ah, now I remember.] Danhauser pictured Azazel nodding. [Yeah. I have a few theories that matched with her answers, but first I think it's better if I have a look at the Holy Grail before jumping into details.]
Danhauser couldn't respond as a knock came from the door. He hastily put the cell phone down. "Y-yes?" He called out, even if a part of him knew full well what's going to happen next.
"They're here," his brother, Diehauser Belial, said behind the door and left, even with his usual soothing voice, Danhauser could feel the tension cutting like a knife through hot butter.
It was aggravating.
Danhauser just swallowed hard as the steps of his brother faded away. He brought back the phone to his ear. "Sorry, but I have to go. I need to solve something."
[Sure?] Azazel strangely replied. [Am I missing a quinceañera party or what?]
"Let's just say I have a problem in Kuoh Town that involves exorcists," Danhauser said as he approached the door. "Catch you later."
[…I see. Good luck.] After the Governor hanged the phone, Danhauser left the room and mentally readied himself for the next challenge.
As Danhauser Belial stepped in front of the main room his eyebrows sunk skeptically at the lack of people. "I thought they were here?"
"They are outside," Diehauser Belial said as he stood up from the sofa. "I just wanted to make sure everyone's here before letting them in. Guess I'll go open the door."
"You need me for anything?" It was a dumb question; after all, this was The Emperor himself.
But it never hurt to ask.
"Stay with Cleria as I greet the visitors," Diehauser gestured at the sofa before taking off.
The heir hummed acceptingly and sat beside his cousin. He carefully shook her shoulder. "How are you holding up?"
"Hmm?" Cleria Belial popped a single eye open, smiling tiredly at Danhauser. "I'm doing fine, Danny." She said with a yawn. "Just catching forty winks before they get in here."
"Didn't you sleep yesterday?"
"Of course not!" She said with a troubled look. "How could I sleep like the princess I am when I'd received a call in the middle of the night? It was like a horror movie!"
"You shouldn't have answered in the first place," Danhauser lectured her. "Next time just stay silent until the person answers."
Cleria's eyebrow went up as she smirked. "Is there heavy, nasal breathing involved?"
Danhauser winked at her. "Duh."
She giggled and fished something out of her pocket. "By the way, this is for you." She lent it to Danhauser who took it. "Sae Toujou told me to give it to you."
Danhauser whistled in surprise. "Really now?" He muttered while tossing the object upward.
"Yup!" She chirped. "An amazing student, by the way, her grades are the highest in Kuoh! If she keeps this streak, she may become the number one in the school! Cute and smart, the perfect wombo combo!"
"…" Danhauser stayed quiet as he caught the recorder in mid-air, now giving it a proper inspection. It was obvious that Sae Toujou gave it to him for a different purpose; she has a cold relationship with him and doesn't want anything that has to do with him. The chances that this recorder is for her childhood friend, Tobio Ikuse, is high.
The question is what's the recorded message? Obviously, something that involves the Slash/Dog storyline.
His train of thoughts ended when Cleria nudged him fast enough for him to instinctively pocket the recorder. His brother and two cloaked figures made it into the main room, appreciating each corner of the house.
The shorter figure froze and gasped slightly. "It's you…" she whispered, clashing stares with Danhauser, her voice wasn't laced with ill intent, just surprise. "The Devil we met in Ryuukou Town."
Danhauser bit his tongue and gave a brief nod. A part of him was relieved that Freed Sellzen stayed behind, but his other half, however, was jolting in fear by the holy power that the holy sword of the second Exorcist emitted, Cleria also felt it from the way she uncomfortably shifted closer to her cousin. Diehauser was the only one unfazed by the weapon's presence, but he still kept an eye on the swordsman.
Danhauser wondered what ancient weapon that could be. A shard of Excalibur or even Durandal itself could be in his grasp.
That's when a warm smile emerged from the hooded girl. "It's nice meeting you once again!"
Danhauser's mouth opened, but his answer died in his throat as the girl pulled her hood down, freeing her perfect radiance to the world.
As the Maiden fixed her golden hair with tender fingers, Danhauser couldn't help himself but stare in awe at the blonde sitting in front. Unlike Valerie Tepes who has the mature beauty of a vampire and a human, this exorcist carries the beauty of an angel that made one's heart flutter strongly just by being near her.
Whenever Danhauser met a girl from DxD Universe, he'd always ask himself why they had bodies that a model would die for? Even Augusta, who was around her sixties, had a charm around her that Danhauser couldn't help but praise.
"This is a beautiful house," Her French accent brought Danhauser's focus back to the meeting. "A splendid view from the windows, and there're so many paintings! It must be relaxing here."
"Well," Cleria scratched her cheek. "It is comfortable, yeah."
The Holy Saint bonked her head. "Ah! Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! Silly me!" She playfully stuck her tongue out before harrumphing. "I'm Jeanne."
Cleria clashed stares with Danhauser and Diehauser, both shrugging, before turning back to the foreign girl. "Um…What's up?"
Jeanne's eyes sparkled. "Oh! I never heard a greeting like that one before! I love it!" She pounded her chest with her fist twice, then gave the peace sign. "Wh…Whassup! My homieees!"
…
…
…
The three Devils watched with different signs of expressions. Even Jeanne's bodyguard, who stood in the background, was embarrassed by her change of attitude. No matter what Danhauser said, even if he shrugged out her words, the pink on his cheeks settled on a different view.
The heir fixated his sight on his cousin, who had her hands clasped over her mouth. "…So cute!" She quietly squealed out, something that Danhauser internally agreed, no question asked.
Because of the silent treatment, Jeanne blushed and sheepishly poked her fingers together. "Ah...! Ahaha! S-sorry, I got carried away..."
"Again," her bodyguard chided her.
Her cheeks just became redder.
Even by the cute display that Jeanne showed to the people, Danhauser's thoughts took a different road, fumbling and trying to piece things together. He wouldn't feel offended if Diehauser and Cleria jumped away by the smell of roasted brains.
Was this the life of Jeanne before joining the selfish quest of Cao Cao? Or is this because of his presence already spitting on the timeline and designing a new world just to screw with his canon knowledge? He knew stuff like this would happen, Siegfried, his first servant, is a perfect example.
What if Gilles de Rais met her?
Danhauser froze and gulped, the thought already spreading a chill up his spine.
"It's… all right," Diehauser said after sitting beside his brother. "I don't intend to sound rude, but we doubt you're in Kuoh Town to start a new life."
"You are correct," Jeanne nodded, quickly dispatching her previous embarrassment. "We made our way here to Japan to solve something that will benefit all of us."
Danhauser curved an eyebrow. "I think you need to be more specific."
"Build a bridge between the Three Great Main Powers," she easily said. "Make a peace treaty between the Three Factions."
There was a delicious moment where the Belial Family's faces washed blank with confusion like their brains circuits couldn't work fast enough to take in the information from their wide eyes.
Diehauser, quickly, overcame his shock. "This... this is troublesome." His nose rumpled. "I'm sorry, but what's your name again?"
The Exorcist beamed back. "I'm Jeanne!"
"Alright, Jeanne." The Emperor rubbed his eyes. "With all due respect. This isn't something that an Exorcist can just ask out of the blue… if it was someone of a higher rank such as the actual Pope, the Archangel Michael or any Seraph of the Four Great Seraphs actually…"
"Unless she isn't an exorcist actually…" Cleria whispered to her family. "But someone with an important status."
Danhauser could only nod in agreement.
"But that's why I'm here," Jeanne countered. "The Voices told me to do this."
"…The Voices?" Danhauser parroted.
The Holy Saint hummed. "Oui, the Voices. I was sent here by the Archangel Michael and Seraph Gabriel."
"Prove it," Diehauser said. "I find it hard to believe that the 'Voices' told you to do this."
Jeanne bit her tongue. "I…I understand your lack of trust in my words, but I only speak the truth and only the truth." She firmly declared. "Sadly, I carry no evidence of my communication with the Archangel and the Seraph… I wish there was a way for me to share it. I really do."
"…" The Champion just clashed stares with her, trying to see if there was any suspicious move that betrayed her words. He found none.
The blonde saint pointed to a window. "This town has both Devils and Exorcists walking through the streets as equals...kind of." She explained. "Unfortunately, the tension between Devil and Exorcist is cold in Kuoh… but it is because the Three Factions are in a state of conflict…Even if the Archangel sent me on this quest, I know that the Lord also seeks for an end to this antagonism between us."
"Does anyone know about this?" Danhauser asked. "Is the Vatican informed about this?"
Jeanne smiled. "Only a few I'm afraid." She replied. "…A few had disagreed with it, but in the end, all went well."
"…This is something we can't answer," Diehauser sighed. "We cannot speak for the Underworld, this is something that involves those that are of a higher rank."
While the House of Belial has a high status in the Underworld, Diehauser's role doesn't involve building peace treaties. He's the Head Senator. His main objective is just to update and create new rules for Ars Goetia to keep the remaining Pillars stable.
This remains on the hand of Lord Bael himself and the Elder Devils, mostly Zekram Bael. If they agreed, they'll send Serafall Leviathan to handle the rest.
"And I understand," Jeanne assured him. "That is why I need your help. If you could somehow get in contact with the Four Great Satans to create a meeting with The Four Great Seraphs and the Lord then the world could change for the better… I just need to locate the Governor-General and convince him too…"
Cleria, Danhauser, and Diehauser exchanged worried looks, speaking through eye contact as they worked together to give a final answer to the patient saint. The three of them wouldn't mind making peace with the Pure Angels and Fallen Angels, it would tone down the tension between the Three Powers.
Finally, Diehauser sighed and faced the blonde girl. "I can see you're adamant about this." He started. "To end this conflict between us for a better world… that's something admirable."
Jeanne broke into a huge smile. "Then it is settled?"
The Emperor pursed his lips. "No." his words shocked her. "We can't. It won't work, I'm so sorry."
Jeanne stood up. "B-but why?!" Her eyes darted constantly to the three Devils for an explanation. "Is…is this because of us?"
Cleria raised a hand to calm her down. "…Trust me, the Angels and Fallen Angels aren't the issues." She looked down, ashamed. "The problem is us."
"The Devils." Danhauser finished for her.
"W-what?" Jeanne stuttered.
The fact that each pair of eyes rested on the heir was enough to force him to continue. "Right." He massaged his face. "What can you offer the Old Devils to at least peek their attention?"
Jeanne seemed confused if her head cutely tilted to the side was any indication. She laughed nervously whilst scratching her cheek. "Um… how these answer my question?"
Thankfully, her bodyguard took a bold step forward. "What are you implying, Devil?"
Diehauser nodded. "Look. Normally, that's how you build a peace treaty. Each Faction needs to offer something valuable to make sure both parties are satisfied and the tension lessens within the alliance… "
It's like the future, arranged marriage between the Phenex Clan and Gremory Clan.
"… but here's the catch, we, the Devils, have everything to survive."
"With the exception of Churches, crosses, bibles and anything related to Heaven." Cleria quipped. "… but I can assure you that the government doesn't need any of those. Ever."
"Maybe if they offered Zenith Tempest they'll gain the Elder's curiosity," Danhauser fought the urge to scoff. "Unlikely. There's no way Heaven is going to sacrifice Dulio, the Strongest Exorcist, to the underworld."
Even if the Dulio Gesualdo accepted such terms, the Angel Faction wouldn't agree.
The Emperor wasn't exaggerating. Each Clan has something that keeps the capital Lilith alive and active, such as the developed industry that the Gremory Clan has to offer. The Sitri Clan with their advanced medical facilities as well, having one of the most famous hospitals in the Underworld. The Phenex Clan with their famous Phoenix Tears.
And that's just mentioning a few.
Indeed. The Underworld, mostly the Pillars, had reached the first World pinnacle eons ago and they kept on evolving, keeping up on par with humans in terms of technology and surpassing humanity in terms of magic.
Sure, neither Danhauser nor anyone from his family believes that Devils are the greatest race in the world, but the Elders, on the other hand…
"We don't even care about Dis and the Extra Demons who are practically our neighbors," Danhauser finally said. "What makes you think that we'll accept an alliance with Heaven and Grigori? The Factions that the Elders have had a grudge since the Great War?"
Jeanne stayed silent for a while, trying to find an answer on her palms that could at least give her the higher ground. "The Lord has forgotten all of the incidents during the previous Great War. He wants peace for all of us. Can't the Old Devils just move on? For the sake of their race?"
"You're asking too much of them," Cleria chuckled dryly. "The Elders… corruption...abuse of power…comparing the 'virtue' of these people with Stray Devils, they make the latter look certainly compassionate in comparison. It's because of the underworld is in the hands of bastards like them that it's all screwed up... that's why I left."
She felt the pointy look of Jeanne's bodyguard.
Cleria snorted in return. "Yeah, sure, I get it. I'm a Devil and that alone makes me an ass, too... but at least I'm honest about it."
Jeanne's shoulders finally slumped in defeat. "Then… in the end, we're still going to hold our weapons in each other's throats for no reason whatsoever."
"Not really," Danhauser's voice made her perk up with hope. "…I believe there's a way for the Three Factions to put aside their differences."
The saint leaned forward, accidentally slamming her hands on the table as her emotions got the best of her. "How?!"
"A brigade of chaos," Danhauser responded casually, unaffected by her outburst, "an army of disaster that has the power to wreak havoc with a fickle swipe of their fingers to earth."
"Terrorism of the highest caliber," Diehauser surmised, nodding. "…Yes. I think that's the only way I can see the Three Factions working together. After all, we all care for this world for different reasons."
Danhauser doesn't know any other way to find peace, he wasn't Maou Leviathan. It was like the Vampires such as the Tepes and Carmilla Faction; the vampires' cold-hearted discriminatory nature will diminish later on because of the Evil Dragon War led by Apophis and Aži Dahāka with the assistance of 666 Trihexa and cannon fodders. They pushed their hatred aside to protect this world.
Plus a few of them changed in terms of personality such as Elmenhilde Karnstein who became calmer, sweet, sensitive and kind when the leaders of the many factions sealed themselves to defeat the Beast, who later on has a crush on Issei Hyoudou.
Heck, even throughout the Great War, the Three Factions had pushed their hatred momentarily aside to stop the Heavenly Dragons.
Jeanne's eyes narrowed as her gaze went downward in thought. "Is that so…" she hummed and looked up with a friendly smile. "I apologize if I caused any of you unpleasant trouble."
"Not at all," Diehauser watched how the saint stood up and gave a bow. "I hope you understand the situation."
"I do," Jeanne assured him, her kind and infectious smile perfectly painted. "I thank you all for your time."
"Let me show you the exit."
She turned to Danhauser and Cleria, waving her hands enthusiastically as Diehauser and her bodyguard walked away. "Goodbye! I hope we can still get along despite our differences! Peace out!"
"Jeanne!"
"Eep! So sorry!"
Both Devils waited quietly for the Emperor to take them out of the house, but their impatience grew each second and Cleria released a sigh when they were far distanced. "First time I ever had someone enter my house." She paused. "With the exception of you and Diehauser."
Danhauser just sunk his elbow over the sofa's arm. "Hey, you think this is a good idea?" He asked, eyeing her.
"The peace thingy?" She saw him nod. "Of course I do! Heck, I'll even throw a party! And that girl is without a doubt the honored guest!"
The heir curved an amused eyebrow. "What? Don't tell me you like her already?"
"She's adorable!" Cleria squealed. "Especially her cheeks! I wanted to squeeze them so badly!"
Danhauser rolled his eyes, chuckling. "Oh, you…"
Cleria pouted and poked his ribs. "Hey! Don't roll your eyes, mister!" She wiggled her finger, smirking playfully. "Don't think I didn't notice how you looked at her when she pulled her hood down! We almost drowned with all your drool!"
"Shut up," Danhauser huffed, looking away. "Y-you're hallucinating."
Of course, she didn't buy it.
Unfortunately, for Cleria, Diehauser stepping inside, ruining any further teasing she had planned. "This is getting out of hand. Now there are four of them."
The heir cautiously blinked. "What's wrong?"
"Ruval's sister, the Dhampir girl, the Faustus and finally the exorcist." The Emperor brought a hand to his chin, humming. "Hmmm. Yes, everything makes sense now. You have a secret spell that attracts all the blondes."
Danhauser stared blankly. "Haha. Very funny."
Cleria laughed. "Apparently, it also affects guys, too!" she tossed her two cents while ignoring her cousin's glare. "Such as Ruval and Raiser!"
"Maybe it's a third Clan Trait." The Emperor suggested. "Blonde Magnetism."
"Bonus points if they have blue eyes!"
"The Dhampir doesn't have blue eyes," Diehauser pointed out. "That's troublesome. Maybe Dan's god-like powers are mutating."
"I hate you two," the heir growled.
Cleria gasped and gripped her wounded heart. "W-what?! How could you!? I love you with my life! Please, Danny, love me baaaaack~!"
"No."
"Oof!"
"You wanted a cool nickname, right?" Diehauser half smiled. "How about 'Blonde Whisperer' Danhauser Belial? Sounds scary if you ask me."
"You're horrible at making nicknames," Dan the Man dismissed as he felt the warmth of his cousin's arm sneaking around his neck, yanking him off his seat.
"Here we go…" He weakly sighed.
"Welp! Now that we have finished bullying Danny…" she also shifted an arm over Diehauser. "How about going out and have some fun?"
"Like what?" Diehauser asked while forcefully walking to the exit. "What comes to your mind, Cleria?"
"How about going to bars and drinking irresponsibly?"
She just received deadpan stares.
Cleria boomed a laugh. "Fooled ya!" she playfully stuck her tongue out. "Let's go to my favorite coffee shop, it's not so far so we can chat while we're walking and enjoy the sunset. I'll show you the way, but you guys will pay!"
Danhauser snorted amusingly. "Wow, super generous."
She flicked his forehead.
After Danhauser Belial had time to spare with his brother and cousin in a coffee shop not so far away from Cleria Belial's house, Danhauser had to quickly return to Ryuukou Town and shut his eyes to be ready for the upcoming visit of the Governor-General himself, Azazel.
Danhauser had been glued to his seat for around an hour this morning. Watching from behind how Azazel studied the Sephiroth Graal while asking questions to Valerie Tepes, of course, the latter answering with gritted teeth. When Valerie had summoned her Sacred Gear, Azazel almost accidentally summoned his twelve wings from bliss, even Danhauser was struck with awe, even if he knew about the existence of the Sub-species Longinus, it was a sight worthy of a thousand pictures.
Three Holy Grails on the table. All of them radiating in equal strength.
Danhauser was used to seeing Valerie appear miffed whenever someone asked her questions of her past. The annoyance cloaking around her body was like a second skin that didn't go unnoticed by the two males. Before each question she hesitated, head tilted to one side just a smidge, glaring at Danhauser, and then she delivered an articulate answer.
Obviously, they had to use an empty room for this, his Peerage was out and Lavinia Reni was either in Grauzauberer or pulling Vali Lucifer's reddened cheeks. But the multiple voices coming from downstairs was proof that they weren't the only ones in this house. By using Senjutsu, he knew they were his friends.
"Alright, we're done," Azazel called out as he stood up and properly stretched his arms. "Damn…! Took so long, but worth every penny!"
The Dhampir didn't waste time to vanish her Longinus. "Since I was obliged to be involved in this, I think I have the rights to know the results, don't you agree, Mr. Governor-General?"
The heir rolled his eyes. "This is for your own good, Valerie."
Azazel rubbed his hands and nodded. "Right. Malacoda was too late in pulling you out of that shithole." He paused. "Your brother, Marius Tepes, via abusing your Sacred Gear has broken you in both heart and soul."
Danhauser clicked his tongue. "Damn… all this time… she has broken already. And we're not even in canon DxD yet… how would she be if she stayed all these years back on the Tepes Castle?"
That was a thought that Danhauser immediately pushed away from his mind.
"…" Valerie stared stoically. "…what kind of jest is this?"
"Denial," Azazel sighed knowingly and folded his arms. "When I asked you questions back then, it was enough to raise my curiosity."
"I find that hard to believe," Valerie fought a scowl. "I shall back down from this discussion if you have any proof that says otherwise."
"The fact that you were forcefully using Sephiroth Graal for months is enough evidence." Danhauser countered.
"Plus you can see souls of the deceased is another point to add to the list," Azazel added. "Look…I may have exaggerated a bit. You're kind of broken, not fully."
Danhauser frowned. "Care to explain?"
"Depending on how much she has been contacting the principle of life, the Sacred Gear will have various temporary and permanent effects." Explained the fallen angel. "The first stage is lack of few emotions. She'll have difficulty in distinguishing and appreciating some emotions of others, which is thought to lead to an empathic route and ineffective emotional responding."
She gripped the sides of her chair. "I have emotions."
"Is that so?" Azazel challenged. "Then describe happiness, then."
"You cannot describe an emotion in word, phrase or any sentences."
"Maybe," Azazel shrugged. "But in my opinion, everyone has their personal definition when it's about feeling emotions. For example, a good friend of mine described it as he felt like he's being embraced and blessed by the world. That's how he felt when his daughter was born…So, describe happiness."
Valerie glared steeled. "I already gave you my answer."
The Fallen Angel grunted. "Fine then…In spite of this, she can still show some emotions, but she may find problems with identifying, processing, describing, or working with them."
"May I take my leave?" Valerie harshly stood up. "I would love to take a rest after passing through this, particularly when I feel as if my head is about to explode any moment now."
Azazel sluggishly waved his hand at the door and the girl stormed out of the room. He chuckled afterward. "Damn. You have weird tastes."
Danhauser stared at the exit for a minute. "It's alright, I knew she was going to lose her temper." He pinched his nose. "She always disliked when people talked about her, especially this type of stuff… are you sure she has this symptom, Azazel?"
From what Danhauser saw on her the moment she stepped on the Belial Territory, her personality and behavior seemed to be determined by her bad experiences locked in the dungeon, discrimination from noble Vampires and lack of family love. Even so, she did learn a few things like prioritizing adaptability over anything else. Hence the reason why Danhauser finds it difficult to see if Azazel's words carry any truth.
She's just a cynical hybrid with concrete, realistic and logical thinking.
But hey, maybe as she grew up, she began seeing the world from a different perspective, the abuse of the Holy Grail just became the final nail in the coffin.
"Absolutely," Azazel retorted. "Remember. I said half broken, she still has a few emotions working properly within her…the others are locked, but she still can unlock them."
Danhauser looked up in surprise. "Go on."
The Governor-General bit his thumb and narrowed his eyes. "…Yeah, this is going to be difficult to explain… I should have brought Penemue with me. She's good with this type of stuff." He admitted. "Lucky you, I have an example. Say, how would you feel if you defeated your brother and became the Second Champion?"
"I'll be really happy," Danhauser said, smiling as he pictured it. "Heck, I would even cry from happiness."
Azazel snapped his fingers with a smile. "There you go. She needs something that would make her reach that stage of joy. She'll freak out at first because of the new sensation, but later on, she'll get used to it."
"It… makes sense," Danhauser gave a brief, grateful nod and glanced down at his hands. "Like what?" He pursed his lips in thought. "She loves insects and arachnids, especially spiders, but I doubt buying a jar full of them would do the job…"
His eyes shaped into dishes as a memory struck him like a migraine. "…I'm a dumbass. There is a way… I just need to make a call to a certain someone and convince him..."
"I guess you have that problem solved," Azazel commented idly. "Moving on. The strange case of her seeing the dead. There's a cure."
Danhauser remained quiet and listened.
The Fallen Angel appreciated the full attention. "The ghost's she's seeing are none other than the past possessors of the Holy Grail…and other unfortunate people."
That's when Danhauser sighed knowingly. This was just like Issei Hyoudou and Vali Lucifer fending off the past possessors of their respective Sacred Gears to obtain a better version of the Juggernaut Overdrive.
However, something that Azazel said made him frown. "Other people?" He repeated.
The Governor-General carefully sat on the desk's corner. "Yeah…listen. Her Sacred Gear is also known as the Holy Grail of the Secluded World… inside the Sephiroth Graal, there's another world called the 'Secluded World' where the previous users and other people live inside the Sacred Gear either eternally or for a while."
"Who's these 'other people', Azazel?" Danhauser asked again.
"In truth? Committed atheists." Azazel said with a shrug. "Since the Sacred Gear System is bugged, don't be too shocked if there are other creatures from different pantheons locked in there."
"What are they doing in there? The atheists I mean."
"Since they don't have a belief in any religion, they're not permitted to pass through the gates of hell or heaven or any pantheon. God of the Bible foresaw this and made this artificial world for them, waiting to be judged on if they are worthy to pass through the gates of Heaven, burn in the flames of Hell, heck even bring them back to life since we're talking about Sephiroth Graal...It all depends on their behavior back when they were alive."
Danhauser frowned. "Isn't this what Purgatory does?"
"Yeah," Azazel nodded. "It literally works like the Purgatory, but the latter is made for those that accepted the existence of God, but they didn't follow His teachings to the letter or are not followers."
It kind of made sense, even if they didn't follow the teachings of any religion, God of the Bible, their creator, loved them despite their gender, race, culture, and philosophies. He offered them a second chance through the Secluded World which, according to Azazel, acted as a waiting room. Valerie was literally the Jailer and Queen of the Damned.
Plus, there's no way God of the Bible is going to allow the souls to wander on the Human World to scare off those who are still breathing and kicking.
"The actual judge…is Valerie, right?" Danhauser hesitantly asked.
"Correct," The crow scratched his neck. "All in all, the reason why the ghosts are attacking her is because of her not doing her job as a judge. She needs to face them."
Danhauser snorted. "She's afraid of ghosts," he pointed out. "Isn't there a way of me accompanying her and talk with them?"
"Nope," Azazel shook his head. "They don't care about you. They only care about the woman who's going to pull them out of that place."
Danhauser clicked his tongue. "I see."
"Good," Azazel hopped off the desk. "Not gonna lie. I want to take a look at the Canis Lykaon…it surprises me that the Inugami is in the shape of a pup when it's actually a large wolf."
"Wait, Jin isn't a dog?"
"So its name is Jin?" Azazel brought a hand to his goatee. "Interesting. Either way, no it isn't, Jin is a wolf. Canis Lykaon is unique among the Longinus…after all it is a fusion of two mythologies, the Greek and Shinto to be specific. Unfortunately, I don't have time. I have a meeting with my associates."
Danhauser just nodded. "I understand. Thanks for your help."
"Yeah, yeah…" Azazel drawled, pulling something out of his pocket. "Here, take this."
Danhauser grabbed it. "A business card?" He said after noticing the Grigori emblem and a phone number. "What for?"
With a look of pity, he gestured at Danhauser's attire. "Since the day I met you. You looked like shit."
Danhauser deadpanned. "Wow. Thanks for noticing."
Azazel obviously smirked, doing a professional swirl to show off his long, maroon trench coat. Danhauser couldn't deny it. He looked pretty badass. "Unlike the Angels and Devils, we, the Fallen Angels, know how to dress given the situation, our taste in clothing cannot be matched!"
"Yeah," Danhauser trailed off, picturing Raynare's clothing. "You guys have great tastes."
What? He's a male in the body of a Devil, a horny creature. Sue him.
But Azazel wasn't lying. Baraqiel, Vali Lucifer, Shemhazai, and even Kokabiel looked pretty much awesome in terms of appearance.
They looked edgy.
But he loved looking edgy.
"From my understanding, your dream is to become the second champion, right?" Azazel brought him out of his thoughts. "You're not planning on becoming the next emperor with those clothes, right?"
Danhauser gazed back with a glint of interest. "…Can I make requests?"
Azazel laughed. "Ha! You have something in your mind already, brat? Yeah sure, you can. It'll cost you more, though."
"I'm sold then," Danhauser smiled and pocketed the card. "We'll talk about this later."
The Governor-General gave a thumb up. "Just use the number whenever you wanna send your request, you can also call me if something wrong is going around the town or need any help involving Sacred Gears."
Danhauser's lip stretched a bit more. "Thank you."
"Don't sweat it," Azazel ruffled his hair and walked away. "It's the least I could do to the brat that beat Vali into a pulp!"
The heir blinked twice in a row. "So, he told you?"
"He hasn't stopped talking about it," Azazel chuckled, twisting the knob open. "Later and good luck with your girlfriend."
Just like that, Azazel left the room.
…
The heir quickly snatched his phone out and searched through his few contacts. Satisfied, he brought the device close to his ear. "Diehauser? I need a favor."
Days have passed quickly after the visit of the Governor-General. The talk they had and the day where Valerie Tepes became enraged. Few things he had learned from Valerie's Sacred Gear. Unfortunately, Danhauser Belial never had the chance to address it with her, especially when the hybrid wasn't showing any signs of contributing.
But that wasn't the only problem, he had been trying to locate someone who could solve his issues. He knew the face, but he didn't know how to locate him. Thanks to the help of Diehauser Belial, he had the chance to speak through the phone with the man who has the only answer to everything.
It was difficult and he swore he had the device glued to his ear for half an hour. Danhauser had to negotiate with a professional to shake hands with him, even if the Satan was someone with a heart of gold, he would never do something like this without an excellent reason and something in return.
"What are we doing again?" Valerie asked, mildly annoyed. "Don't tell me this is something about my Sacred Gear again. I had enough of this already."
"It isn't," Danhauser assured her, walking to the hallway. "I have a gift for you."
He could feel her eyes trying to petrify his neck, but he shrugged it off.
"Is that so?" she said, distrustful.
Danhauser nodded.
"Couldn't it be another day, perhaps?" Valerie looked away from him. "It's nighttime already."
The heir chuckled. "True. But I doubt you wanted to miss this."
The Dhampir just hummed and ended the conversation.
After minutes of walking in silence, they finally made their way to the main room of the manor. Danhauser laid his hand on the knob, he looked behind to see if Valerie was still there. Ignoring her bored expression, Danhauser unlocked the door and let the girl go first by giving a playful bow.
Valerie rolled her eyes and stepped inside, quickly stopping when her dark, red orbs caught the object in the middle. "A box?"
"Yeah," said Danhauser as he moved beside her. "So? Are you going to open it?"
Valerie narrowed her eyes at him, arms folded. "What's inside?"
"A surprise."
Her eyebrow begged for a twitch, but she remained still. "May I know what surprise I am to expect?"
The gray-haired boy groaned in return. "Valerie. We've been sleeping under the same roof for months now." He told her. "Can you put some faith in me? Just like you did when we talked with Azazel?"
"Should I remind you how poorly it went?"
"Yes, you were pissed off," Danhauser recalled. "But this is different, trust me on this."
"…Fine, have it your way." Casting a final, suspicious gaze at him, the girl took a mix of hesitant and bold steps to the large cardboard box laying in the middle. Surprisingly, the box has multiple holes on top, enough for fresh air to travel inside.
He watched from behind the girl bending her legs and slowly opening the box, only to freeze halfway when her widened eyes saw what's inside.
Danhauser smiled weakly when only a fraction of a second hesitation, she furiously opened the box, her body shook as she began to find excuses to not continue staring at the sleeping figure.
After that, a heavy silence settled over them.
…
She turned on Danhauser like an enraged panther and pulled him tightly by the collar.
"You think this is funny, Belial?!" She growled at his face. "To pull something cheap like this! Manipulate illusions to make this kind of sickening joke?! I expected better from you!"
"..."
"But I should've seen it coming miles away," She laughed, almost cynically. "I was an idiot. T-to think you were different from other devils. In the end, t-the cold-hearted and discriminatory nature runs in the veins, doesn't it?"
"..."
Her grip tightened as she snapped. "Say something!"
Danhauser, unfazed by her tantrum, chuckled softly. "...I thought you never cry, Valerie."
She shakily gritted her teeth. "...A-answer m-me..!"
Danhauser just grabbed her shoulders and spun her around. "Go and see it for yourself."
If it wasn't for the light push coming from Danhauser, she would be unable to move, she dropped to her knees and took a closer inspection inside the box.
"G-Gasper…" She sniffed out, drying her wet eyes and cheeks. "You're alive…"
The Dhampir jumped when the door opened, quickly turning around to spot any intruder beside Danhauser.
And to her surprise, she was alone now with Gasper Vladi.
Her eyes wandered back over his diminutive figure. He was turned away from her, platinum-blond hair shadowing most of his face, breath rasping through his nostrils. He's curled into a semi-fetal position, defensive even in sleep. His expression is relaxed though and, dare she say, very sweet.
Valerie laughed, sounding nostalgic. "You silly… you're still wearing a dress." She softly brushed away a few blond locks from his brow. "And you still look ten times better in it than me."
He murmured and shifted but didn't wake.
She smiled genuinely and sat properly on the floor, enjoying the sight. "Just like old times, right? Gasper?"
Her response was an inaudible snore.
How weird. She wasn't tired anymore. Could you imagine?
Danhauser Belial woke suddenly, every thought in high definition. His eyes took in every corner of his darkroom and without a doubt, he knows he'd slept too little, yet too much. It was still dark outside, yet it was morning now, around 5 AM if he had to guess.
His eyes wandered over the snoring creature curled on the chair. It was his Rook, Bova Tannin in his small form.
After a second or two, his head turned like some Halloween dummy, mouth slackened. "I'm not tired anymore."
He sat on his bed and stretched, but noticed his weapon lying on a nearby wall.
He smiled a little. "Guess I'll just do the usual." In the blackness, he slid out of bed and moved slowly enough to make no sound, fast enough to reach his spear and leave.
The sweat trickled down his back, free-flowing like condensation on a window pane, it beaded on his forehead and dripped from his chin. Engulfing his hand with demonic energy, Danhauser Belial fired it to the distanced dummy practice of resin.
The advantages of having control over resin are that you could make constructions with it, fitting for someone with a drive to train like a maniac.
He rushed forward as a tentacle of resin came from the ground, Danhauser responding by striking it where the legs are supposed to be, followed by quick stabs to the 'arms' and a slap of his spear.
His mother, Calcabrina Belial, always reminded him to aim for the legs whenever he has the chance, 'an immobile enemy is an easy kill.'
Meanwhile, his uncle, Malacoda Malebranche, suggested going for the arms, 'a weaponless enemy is an easy kill.'
Danhauser followed both steps.
Building some space, he snapped his fingers and from the middle of the arena, a mass of resin appeared, it almost looked gross.
He looked up and generated a number of magic circles underneath the large lump of resin, unleashing powerful magical beams to annihilate the unfortunate target, followed by a large explosion.
Danhauser smiled with satisfaction, as the lasers kept going even if the resin practically vaporized, turning dense and thicker to the point that it burned a hole in the floor.
And it still kept going.
Just like a certain blue-haired Witch of Betrayal, he named the attack Rain of Light. Of course, this attack wasn't made of Light, he wasn't an Angel nor a Fallen one. It was just pure demonic power, he could also use the Worthlessness version, but it wouldn't deal damage, just nullify the opponent or spell.
Like his Gate of Babylon, Rain of Light was perfect if the user was immobilized. Like when someone's getting trapped in his Pitch Resin of Worthlessness.
"Sorry Gasper, I became the Ultimate Trap." The heir dismantled the beams and took a deep, exhausting breath. He swirled his spear in one hand faster than a sports car's wheel to distract himself in the meantime.
But his thoughts were somewhere else.
"True Form," He tapped his barbed weapon twice in his shoulder. "How much it would take me to achieve it?"
He always saw True Form as the Juggernaut Drive of the Devils since the former unleashes the supposed true power of the Heavenly Dragons. True Form, on the other hand, discharges the true power of their respective Clan Trait.
In Danhauser's case, it releases the full potential of Worthlessness, rendering everything worthless regardless of its or their will.
But the important question was…
"What would happen if I tried it?" He said, glancing down at his hand. "Here and now?"
Bad things, obviously. Since Sirzechs Lucifer just by triggering it shook the Realm of Hades with ease. But he was a Super Devil, Danhauser wasn't. Yet.
Another point was that Danhauser wasn't ready to completely become Worthlessness.
"But maybe…" he drawled with a faint smile. "If I try to compress it only in my hand…"
There was obviously a consequence, but it was better to try it out now just to make sure what he's going to face in the future. Better get your hand damaged than your whole body on the first try.
With that last thought in mind, Danhauser let his spear fall on the floor and invoked Worthlessness in his left hand.
"Let's do it," He gritted his teeth, shipping all his demonic powers over his clenched fist. His arm protested by trembling, but Danhauser kept it steady with his other hand.
His eyes widened at the sight, in his fingers, he didn't saw the skin, muscle or bones. He saw grey. He saw Demonic Energy. He saw Worthlessness.
It slowly spread all across his hand, but all his progress ended when pain exploded in his arm and he was pushed by an unknown force.
Or so he thought.
He expected to fly away faster than a cannonball and crash into the nearest wall, but that wasn't the case. Danhauser was spinning and found himself floating in the very center of the arena, he tried using his wings to gain control, but it wasn't enough. Either he was moving very slowly or he wasn't moving at all. He stretched out his only functional arm and discovered the roof was a couple of inches out of reach.
Before he could react, his body froze and instantly, he fell to the floor once again.
"Fuck," he grunted. He looked to the side just in time to enjoy the sight of his weapon stabbing the floor.
"Did I just temporarily nullify… gravity?" He tried to stand up, but a wave of agony suddenly washed over his whole left arm and he stopped moving. He gulped and slowly turned to the source of pain.
To his shock and fear, his whole left arm was badly damaged and colored in black, it expelled a weird liquid, he hoped it was sweat.
Danhauser took deep, trembling breaths. It was the worst burning sensation he had ever felt, even worse than actually being burned or stabbed by Augusta.
Thankfully, rescue appeared when the door softly opened, followed by a quiet gasp.
"What happened?" A familiar voice said as she moved closer to Danhauser. "How did this happened?"
"T-training," Danhauser said with a strained chuckle, looking up to meet those dark, red pupils. "Shouldn't you be sleeping, Valerie? It's still quite dark."
Valerie Tepes frowned and dropped on her knees, putting her healing techniques to work. "I could be asking you the same thing." She shot back. "Stay still. This may take a while."
Danhauser only sighed with relief as his arm slowly began to be cleaned from injuries. He could see from the corner of his eyes the gaze of the Dhampir often studying him intently, sometimes clashing stares, but she never backed away.
The heir just pursed his lips and glanced below.
…
…
…
"…Done," she broke the heavy silence. "Can you properly move your arm now?"
He answered by stretching carefully his arm. "Yeah," he mumbled, sitting leg-crossed. "Thank you."
"…No problem," she properly sat beside him, facing the entrance with a distant look. "No problem."
…
"How did you know I was here?" Danhauser finally said something. "Was it the sound of explosions?"
She shot him a tired, knowing glare. "It's you. You always find an excuse to train." She pointed out. "…But in truth, I first went to your room and knocked on your door. After receiving no response, I theorized you were here."
He knew where this was going. "So you want to talk, huh?"
"We need to talk," she sharply faced him, but her expression slowly softened. "…How?"
Danhauser leaned back, this was going to be a long talk, better get comfortable. "I knew from a friend that his cousin has a Dhampir going by the name of Gasper in her Peerage."
It was obviously a lie, he couldn't tell her he knew about Gasper Vladi long ago.
"But how?" she pressured him. "How did you convince her to lend you, Gasper?"
The heir shrugged. "I talked to her brother, Maou Lucifer," he casually responded. "Thanks to my brother, I could make a call with him. It was difficult since I'm still inexperienced with negotiating and all that stuff… but it went well."
From what he'd heard from Sirzechs Lucifer is that his little sister, Rias Gremory, refused to lend her cute mutated bishop. She was greedy. Expected from a Devil.
"What did you arrange with the Satan?" she asked.
Danhauser sighed. "Your friend has agoraphobia." He felt her blank stare. "He has an unnatural fear of certain places and situations."
She knitted her brows. "How does this answer my question?"
"He has a Sacred Gear that he can't control," Danhauser explained. "I offered my help on that issue."
Since Rias is going to be a character who's going step in the middle of his ambition, by training Gasper, he's in a way helping her out by having his servant have a better grasp of Forbidden Balor View. He only promised to have Gasper handle his Sacred Gear properly, he won't go further than that.
Even so, he's going to still win against her.
As arrogant as it sounds.
"So, Gasper, for now, is going to stay a few days here in the manor," Danhauser continued. "Later he'll teleport back to the Gremory Territory to make contracts for his master."
"But…is he going to come back?"
"From time to time to continue with his basic training and talk with you."
Valerie became silent, glancing down at her hands with different thoughts. "Why?" she asked, clenching her fists. "Why do you keep doing this?"
"Because I owe you one," Danhauser said as a matter-of-fact. "I mean, you saved my life when Augusta kicked my ass."
She suddenly laughed loudly and mirthless, shaking her head in disbelief. "Alright, I'll bite. Who the hell are you really and what are you scheming?"
Danhauser blinked owlishly. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Playing the fool are we?" She retorted cynically. "From the day we met, you behaved to the opposite from what I expected from your race. Regardless if Devils and Vampires views and culture differ greatly, they are identical when it's about looking down those of 'half-caste'."
He waited for her to finish.
"Not only that, but the Sephiroth Graal is right in front of you, the Holy Relic that has the power to erase your weakness against light-based attacks, enhance your body greatly and bestow your miracles beyond imagination. Yet, you never showed any signs to use it for your own deeds."
"Because it would worsen your health."
"And why do you care of my health?" her words dripped venom now. "Why do you keep treating me decently? No one cared for me and—"
"Gasper does," Danhauser reminded her. "My Peerage, my family and I do, too."
"—whenever someone approached it was only for the purpose of using my Sacred Gear." She ignored his words. "Why do you keep wasting your time with me? Are you waiting for me to lower my guard down around you so you can strike and hurt me more? Or is it because I have a Longinus and you want me in your peerage?"
Danhauser leaned forward slightly. He said nothing.
"Just…. just admit it," she looked away and folded her arms. "Since the beginning, when you knew the existence of my Sacred Gear, you wanted to recruit me in your Peerage because I have the Holy Chalice."
…
Danhauser exhaled from his nostrils. "You're right," he emptily chuckled. "Right between the eyes, Valerie. I wanted the Holy Chalice."
"I knew it." The Dhamphir huffed and ignored the sudden sting in her heart.
Danhauser opened his mouth again but stopped when he laughed softly. "Dear Maou. You're going to cringe so badly…" He said when the snickers faded. "…I wanted you because you have the Holy Grail, true… but I want Valerie."
She frowned but said nothing.
"You're smart, strong, I like your morbid sense of humor, your innocent curiosity and you're beautiful," He stated the obvious. "As months passed and whenever we talked and from your actions alone, it's so unfair how little credit you throw to yourself. I mean, because of you I was saved from being killed by Augusta and had the balls to challenge the Top Ten. Thanks to you I'm a step closer to becoming the Second Champion."
He now has to win the future Rating Games and defeat the Top Ten, starting with Ruval Phenex, The Strongest Heir.
The heir massaged his neck awkwardly. "Look, I'm terrible with this type of stuff and whenever I give it a try people cringe. Hard." He muttered. "But you're amazing and I like you. Sure, I want the Holy Grail, but I need the angsty girl known as Valerie Tepes."
Valerie stared open-mouthed as if Danhauser produced a dinosaur from his pocket. She unintentionally slipped a hand over her beating chest, the same sensation that she'd felt when her eyes landed over her childhood friend blooming once again.
She was scared.
She'd never felt this before, she doesn't know what this weird, burning feeling devouring her body from the inside is presumed to mean. Is it supposed to be a good thing? Or a bad thing?
Was she going to die from having her organs burned?
"But if you don't want to join, then it's all cool." Danhauser smiled sadly. "I won't force you and you can still stay here. You're free to do what you please with your life, Valerie."
"…"
"However," He quickly added. "I can't let you take Gasper since he's from another Peerage, you'll put my family, Gasper and yourself in trouble if you do that."
"…"
Danhauser pursed his lips. "It looks like you want to be left alone," he noted. "I'll make this quick then, in a few hours, there's going to be a small meeting. I need you there."
"…Describe happiness." She recalled Azazel's words.
He froze to spare her a curious glance.
"I feel like my body is burning," she continued. "I do feel unburdened and able to see without any filters or restrictions because my spirit is weightless. That for me is happiness."
He slowly stood up. "Is that so?"
"Yes," she also left the floor and met his intense, grey eyes. "Can you imagine? A girl like me, using the word…happiness? And being shy about saying it is even more girly, correct? I creep myself out, to be honest..."
He broke into a smile. "Sure."
A hand reached up to toy with the tip of her pigtail, looking away with a small humph. "Moving on, from what you'd explained to me, I can't leave with Gasper anymore." She said. "Then I'm left with no choice but to stick around this unbearable place with all of you. No matter what you said, both you and your Peerage will suffer from my presence from now on because…" she made a vague and awkward motion with her hand. "…Yes."
His smile became a playful smirk. "Sure, sure."
"Wipe that cocky expression off your face! You…you…insufferable and…evil man!" She tried to glare but failed. "You understand this is entirely your fault and yet you're still making fun of me? Don't you have shame? Me, acting so ridiculously unsophisticated is something you have to take responsibility from here on."
"Sure, sure, sure…"
"And I just figured out the perfect punishment for you to pay from your selfish acts, after all, I think that would be a fair reasoning…" Valerie smiled, somewhat shyly. "Let me join your Peerage, Danhauser."
That was the moment when he recognized that her smile was different from the previous ones.
This one was innocent and happy.
It was gorgeous.
"Danhauser?" Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter? You've been staring for quite some time now…it's starting to make me nervous."
"Sorry, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts." He shook away his trance, smiling clumsily. "Welcome to the team, Little Missus."
Her smile dropped. "Don't call me Missus."
"Alright before starting this meeting," Tobio Ikuse drawled. "Since when did Valerie have a cute sister?"
All eyes darted over to Valerie Tepes, who had a boy with platinum-blond hair hugging himself closer to Valerie. He looked up at the strangers with his fearful, pink eyes.
"Since never," Danhauser Belial said. "This is Valerie's childhood friend."
"Shocking," Siegfried hummed, analyzing the new face. "For a second I thought they were kindred. If we pushed the hair color difference aside, of course."
"And the eyes," Tobio knelt down in front of the shorter Dhampir. "Hey there! I'm Tobio, nice to meet you."
Jin barked and wiggled his short tail happily!
Gasper Vladi squealed and scooted a little further behind Valerie's leg. "V-Valerie! T-They look scaaaaaryyyyyy!"
The light-blonde haired sighed. "Fear not, Gasper. They won't harm you."
"Liaaaaaaarr!"
Slash Dog blinked. "Wait. Isn't Gasper a boy's name?"
"Well, she comes from the Tepes Faction, just like Valerie," Siegfried hinted. "Maybe her father acted as if she was male since the Tepes Faction has a low view of females in general."
"He smells like a boy," Bova Tannin stopped sniffing the air.
Siegfried scowled in doubt. "I find that hard to believe. Just look at her."
The Dragon grunted. "I never lie. My nose even less."
The brunet met Valerie's gaze that gave off a feeling of amusement. He slowly turned to Danhauser who was fighting a grin.
He sharply turned to Gasper. "Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?"
Danhauser blew air from his nose. "Calm down, Professor Oak."
"Ehehehehe…!"
Slash Dog ignored them.
"I'm-m…!" Gasper looked down, playing with the corner of his skirt. "I-I'm… Umm…!"
"Hey," Tobio tried to squeeze Gasper's shoulder. "Why are you trembling? It's just a—!"
The trap tensed and perked up with tears running in his eyes.
At last, Gasper's eyes brightened and time stopped.
The trap's eyes wandered around the room timidly before ending to his best friend. He squealed. "EEP! Valerieeee! I-I'm so sooorrryyyyyy!"
"Don't worry I bet she won't be mad," someone said and paused. "Nice Za Warudo, by the way."
"W-W-W-What?!" he shrieked, falling on his butt. "W-why aren't you frozen?!"
Danhauser curled a brow, feeling Worthlessness around him like a second skin. "That's a secret." He calmly approached the shut-in hybrid."How long can I move in frozen time, I wonder?"
"N-No!" Gasper tried to crawl away as the devil neared, unfortunately, his back met a wall. "D-don't!"
Danhauser stopped in front of Gasper, reaching for him.
Gasper felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in his stomach. He clenched his eyes and hugged his body tightly when Danhauser's hand slowly draw near to him.
He felt a finger on his forehead. "Boop," the devil said as his powers suddenly disappeared.
"—question," Tobio finished, blinking cautiously. "Where did he…?"
"Gasper is a trap, Tobio," Danhauser answered with his hand atop the shivering boy's head. "He also stopped time with his Sacred Gear, Forbidden Balor View."
"The Evil Eye that Stops the World…" Siegfried gasped in shock. "That explains why you two were suddenly on the other side of the room..."
"Are you serious?" Tobio gestured at the timid Dhampir. "Is he a dude with a skirt?"
"Really," Siegfried fought back a facepalm. "Of all things, you're worried about his skirt and gender rather than his Sacred Gear?"
Slash Dog scoffed indignantly. "My head is filled with a lot of crap that I'm still trying to grasp with the little time we have right now."
"What's wrong with boys wearing a skirt, Tobio?" Valerie came to the rescue. "Bova is wearing one, too."
"Loincloth," the dragon rectified.
"…Did you just call Bova and me by our names?"
Valerie stood where Danhauser and Gasper are, looking behind her shoulder with a frown. "Yes, I did. Don't you like it?"
He raised his hands in assurance. "N-no. It's just…nevermind."
Bova just rolled his eyes without a care.
"What all of you guys need to know is that Gasper is going to stay here a few days before departing," their King explained. "There's going to be occasions that he's going to come back because I'll train him on how to handle his Sacred Gear. Don't be rude to him during his stay."
Valerie nodded in agreement.
"For a second I thought he was going to join your Peerage, Master," Siegfried commented.
"He won't, but…" he turned to the light-blonde girl. "Valerie, however..."
Tobio's eyes widened with awareness. "Wait? She's going to join?" He heard her humming. "Finally! Welcome aboard, Valerie!"
"Indeed," Siegfried smiled a little. "It's good to have you officially in the team."
Bova just nodded.
Jin barked happily!
Valerie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I… wasn't expecting this at all."
"You're fine." The mutated Knight waved her off. "It's just your sense of humor and laugh that freaks me out."
"Either way," she faced her new King."Which Piece are you going to use? Hopefully, not the Queen Piece."
Danhauser's eyebrow went up. "Why not?"
"I don't want to be in charge whenever you're absent," she explained. "It's a heavy role. If I can add my two cents, I think the Pawn Piece would do the job excellently."
"Is that so…?" Danhauser trailed off, doubtful. "I see your point, it has the power to Promote and you can become a Queen…but it would only fill the powers of the Bishop in your case."
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I'll practice hand-to-hand combat."
Bova grinned excitedly. "Do you know how to fight?"
"No." She responded flatly. "But I can learn, and with the physiology of a vampire I have it could become handy."
Before anyone could pull out an argument, from the back of Valerie four pair of spidery appendages sprouted free.
Everyone looked with distinct emotions, except Gasper who was surprisingly chill about this.
"Holy shit…" Tobio breathed out.
"Took the words right out of my mouth…" Danhauser watched the large and sharp limbs with hidden horror. She could use them instead of walking with her legs!
"We, Vampires, have the ability to alter parts of our bodies into either insects or arachnids," Valerie passed her fingers over the closest leg. "As you can see, I can change into a spider."
"…I suppose you got this from your father? The Fourth King of Tepes?" Danhauser gulped, not diverting his eyes from her multiple legs.
She smirked at his reaction. "Ehehehehe…Indeed." She finally sheathed them back into her spine. "However, just because I have the ability to morph into a spider doesn't mean my father, Draculea Tepes, can too."
"It's different," Siegfried figured it out. "Your father has a different form."
"Correct," she nodded. "If two vampires of different types of insects or arachnids breed, their spawn will be a random type. Thus, a cockroach vampire and a praying mantis vampire could produce a spider vampire, for example. It also works if they reproduce with another species."
"Now I see why you love spiders so much," Danhauser muttered.
"I like how many eyes they have," Valerie confessed. "I always wanted eight red eyes. Two are boring."
"Sounds superb," Danhauser said, obviously with sarcasm.
Her trademark smile submerged. "We can breed with them, too."
"You need help," Tobio bluntly said.
She just giggled.
"Do you use them often?" Bova asked.
"Just whenever I'm feeling hungry," she replied casually. "It's easy to hunt a squirrel or a bird with these and consume their blood."
"Okay, can we vote to kick her off the Peerage already?" Tobio mumbled. "She's already giving a bad impression."
"Ehehehe…"
"What," Danhauser blinked. "You go to the forest to hunt down animals?"
"Precisely, Danhauser."
"B-But you can't do that!" Surprisingly, Gasper shouted. "Hadn't you told me t-that you dislike it?"
"I still do," she sighed tiredly. "But I don't have other options. I doubt anyone from this manor would be alright with me drinking their blood."
"I would." Danhauser popped in. "Why you never asked me?"
"Because I didn't trust you," she stated dryly. "And it would be awkward to ask you on the first day we met."
"Valerie, it wouldn't." He assured her. "I'd understand."
"Is that so?" She saw him nodding confidently and smirked mischievously. "Fine then."
Suddenly, she closed the distance with Danhauser, the latter raising a cautious eyebrow. "…What are you doing?"
She closed her eyes and smiled sweetly. "Danhauser, can I suck you off?"
"Of course you…" he stopped in realization, but his mouth opened and closed like a fish begging for water.
Siegfried stared. "That came out horribly wrong."
Gasper gasped audibly. "V-Valerie!" he began scolding. "D-Don't be leeeeeewd…!"
"Hmm?" The hybrid tilted her head innocently. "What is your concern, Gasper? I was just asking for a sample of his blood."
Tobio whistled playfully. "Oh, lawdy. Dan the Man's pheromones are irresistible for the opposite sex it seems!"
The Rook narrowed his eyes at the scene. "Is this some kind of mating ritual between other species?" Bova brought a claw to his jaw. "Weird. Really different from my race."
"How's yours?" Siegfried questioned.
"They break into a bloodthirsty fight, whoever stays conscious, stays on top."
"Asking in the name of science here," Slash Dog said. "How do you guys have sex?"
"Very clumsily."
"Fair enough."
Gasper awkwardly glanced downward, trembling like a chihuahua. "I-I am uncomfortable…"
The heir shook his head whenever his brain made interesting footage. "Okay…" he harrumphed loudly. "Yes, Valerie, whenever you want, you can suck me out. The blood, I mean, not that."
The brunet snickered under his breath. "Smoothauser."
"Ehehehe…" She grinned sneeringly. "Should I perhaps start-off with the blood on your cheeks, Danhauser?"
"Moving on!" Danhauser clapped twice. "There is something I wanted to talk mostly with you, Siegfried."
The swordsman pointed to himself, surprised. "Me?"
"Yes, you." He scowled. "Tell me anything you know about the Exorcist Jeanne."
Guest Reviews:
reader: Thank you for the ego boost. I really appreciate it, I guess I'll just continue following my way. Don't worry, Diehauser nor Danhauser aren't going to die or be sealed with 666. Also, I love how you guessed one of Dan's future Peerage member back then, lol. Good job and take care.
Guest: Really? Man, guess I screwed up with the Senjutsu, honestly? I got excited to introduce it, that's my bad. Don't worry, him getting Touki and other buffs is where problems starts. And yes, I'll develop his whole Peerage too. Thank you for the criticism, take care.
Guest: Thank you, I'll do my best to not disappoint you.
Fateburn: Thank you! Take care!
D: Yes, I can see your point and I totally respect it, I'll see what I can do, but don't worry, Danhauser is going tobe hella strong on the canon timeline. By the way, I LOVE the idea of giving Dan an unwanted fan club! You're a genius! And I know who's going to be the president of the club. Thank you for the idea and take care!
Alright. Since I don't want to make a lot of drama. I'll just say this, sorry for the previous Author Note, it was childish from my part, from now on, I'll wear my diapers so you guys don't have to cringe at my whines. All in al, most of my chapters are going to be 10k, but sometimes, 8k.
I appreciate your encouraging comments, so thank you. Really.
People are asking me what's the appearance of Jeanne on my fanfic. Fate or DxD Hero? So I'll make this easier for you, use whichever you like. It won't affect the storyline at all nor the character I'm trying to develop.
Also, since the way I'm making World Building with the Underworld, I will do the same thing with the Angel Faction and those affilated to it. Beware, it won't be as huge as the Devil Faction, but I can promise I will give them bigger spotlight than most fanfics.
However, it'll start when the meeting of each faction leader appears, from now on, I'll give small hints from now on, such as I did with Sephiroth Graal (I'm not done with Valerie's Sacred Gear) and with the help of the lovely Holy Saint.
Lastly but no least, the Dhampir herself, Valerie Tepes. I hope her scenes, her opening up, and her joining the Peerage didn't look forced or rushed. If so, then I'm sorry.
We're also nearing canon for those who are looking forward to it. Maybe four or five chapters and we're in it, but no promises.
By the way, I'll put in my profile the Peerage members in a second, it's going to be updated as the story flows in.
Also, congratulations for those who discovered all the references on this chapter.
Cheers!
Next Chapter: The Strongest Heir
