Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night or High School DxD. They belong to Kinoko Nasu and Ichiei Ishibumi respectively. If I did, I would have already created an Ilya route in the VN with a fully grown and matured Ilya as the heroine and make a badass protagonist for High School DxD instead of a pervert like Issei.
A/N: Sorry for the late update. A combination of writer's block, work, procrastination, new games to play etc. have been taking up my time from writing this. On another note, I've recently been watching the new F/SN anime. It made me start to re-evaluate how powerful NPs are after seeing Archer firing a Broken Caladbolg. No wonder a lot of people disagree with my portrayal of the power of Kanshou's and Bakuya's Overedge form. I've seriously repented.
On other news, this fic has exceeded Thousand Mastery's Fate Kaleid Liner DxD in reviews, favorites & followers since the last chapter which has the same amount of chapter with the current FKL DxD fic. For those who read my note in the prologue, you would know that this fic was inspired by that one. I feel so proud. I wonder if this is how it feels like for the disciple to surpass his master (not that Thousand Mastery ever taught me anything other than his fic giving me inspiration to write my own).
Anyway, on with the story. Oh, and please don't forget to review.
Updated: 16/03/2015
- Story Start -
KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG KLANG
The sound of metal striking against each other could be heard clearly from the clash between the two swordsmen moving at ridiculous speeds. The exchange from a moment ago only lasted barely a whole second before the two separated. Despite that, the blows the two had dealt each other numbered almost a dozen each, all of which both of them had either blocked or parried.
About a dozen meters away from the fight, five people who looked exhausted were lying down on the ground in various postures. They had deemed the distance to have the most optimum space to safely watch the clash while not getting caught up in it.
"Man, those two are really going at it. I couldn't even see their exchange!"
A brown haired teenager was in complete awe at the scene. Despite the incredible feats that both of the swordsmen were displaying, he knew that it was most likely that the both of them were still holding back. After all, it was only a sparring session where neither combatants had any killing intent.
A small shiver ran through his spine as the realization sank in. It contained both fear for the power he was witnessing and also excitement at one day achieving such heights. It was a completely normal emotion coming from a teenage boy.
I'll need to train harder if I want to surpass those two. Once I become such a badass, girls would definitely flock to me.
Of course, the desire to become stronger was also tinged with a perverted ulterior motive considering the boy's ambition to become a Harem King.
"Yuuto's getting better at using the potential of his Knight trait to the fullest. I'm amazed that Shirou could still keep up with him. Both of them using Sonic Accelerator aside, I still can't figure out how Shirou's able to follow Yuuto's movements."
Sitting behind Ise, Rias was elegantly sipping some tea from a clay cup that Akeno had prepared for her. Like the others, she also looked a bit disheveled after finishing her own training session with Akeno. Despite that, the beautiful and noble presence she emits were still in abundance.
No one who saw her in this shape would ever say that she looked terrible. On the contrary, her current state while wearing gym clothes and bloomers while sweating profusely, exudes a different kind of charm than her normal appearance that could entice any male who laid eyes on her.
Her big bust also helped to contribute to her alluring figure.
"Oh, if it's that, Shirou-kun told me that he's using Reinforcement on his eyes."
While pouring another cup of tea from a metal tumbler for Rias, Akeno answered the question that her King was puzzling. Like Rias, she also looked quite messy. However, her demeanor and expression showed none of her exhaustion. In fact, she looked quite energetic while sitting in a seiza beside Rias.
She was also wearing the same outfit as Rias. The two of them had decided to forgo their track suits in exchange for an attire that gave them more freedom of movement for the sake of their training.
"What? I thought that ability only strengthens his body."
Rias was mildly surprised by this new piece of information. It might've been unexpected but it's not like the news was groundbreaking.
"According to Shirou, it's actually quite flexible in it's usage. Currently, he's using it to increase his speed and body strength while improving his dynamic vision acuity to the fullest."
"So that's how that guy's doing it. That damned cheater."
Ise made known his displeasure. If what Akeno said was true, it answered quite a lot of questions that were bugging him on how Shirou could match up with him quite easily even after he had used his Sacred Gear to boost himself twelve times.
However,
"By the way, he also said that he never used it against Ise even when he was up against Ise who Boosted twelve times. All of Ise's attacks were very easy to read that he didn't even need to increase any of his ability to dodge all of Ise's attacks."
"Damn it!"
In the end, his conclusion was completely shot down by Akeno as, once again, he was made to realize his inability to even land a single hit on Shirou during their various training session was due to nothing more than the huge gap in their skill.
Chuckling at her Pawn's antics, Rias addressed the blonde girl sitting beside Ise who was tending to his various bruises.
"Asia, how's your latest project with them going along? Any progress?"
What Rias was referring to was an idea that Shirou had thought up after their 'introduction' to the horrors of war by him about a week ago. It was an ingenious idea that Rias had decided to exempt Shirou, Kiba and Asia, who were crucial to its success, from any training in the night in order to focus on the project's completion.
It was a bit of a gamble since there were no guarantees that Sword Birth was capable of such an unprecedented task but after seeing that the Sacred Gear was even capable of creating Demonic Swords with watered down versions of a physical law, Rias decided to put her faith on its potential to accomplish it.
"Yes! Kiba-san was finally able to create one last night!"
Asia's response was filled with excitement. She was feeling a little depressed at not being able to contribute more during the group's training but after being told of how the project's success could even decide the result of the upcoming Rating Game with Raiser, she felt elated at being chosen as one of the members to complete it.
In the first few days, they couldn't produce any significant result and she had started blaming herself for their constant failures but some encouraging words from Kiba, who said that this was a normal outcome when he was creating conceptual weapons, she cheered up again.
Afterwards, she had steeled her resolve to help Shirou and Kiba to finish their task as best she could. After various trial and errors, the fruits of their labor was finally rewarded as Kiba managed to make Sword Birth produce what they desired.
"Really!? That's great news! With this, we'll have another trump card ready by the time the game starts in three days. Good work, Asia."
Rias was just as glad as Asia about their achievement. She had been worried that they wouldn't make it in time for the match seeing the slow progress that they were making. However, now that the three had succeeded in their task, the survivability rate of their team would increase greatly.
"Thank you very much, Buchou-san. To be honest however, I didn't think I did much though."
"It's okay to be more confident, Asia. After all, I doubt they would have succeeded without your help."
"Alright, Buchou-san."
"So, how strong was it?"
"According to Shirou-san, it's only about a third as effective right now. Kiba-san might be able to make a better one but..."
Asia didn't finish her sentence. She didn't need to. Everyone there who was listening to her knew what the problem was. They just didn't have the time to continue experimenting. As the fate of their group could be decided in just three days from then, they needed, more than ever, to concentrate on their training to increase the chances of their victory even if by just a little.
"I see. Still, even if it's just a degraded version with only a third of what the original is capable of, it would still be a boon for the upcoming match."
After hearing the report from Asia, Rias made a mental note to revise her plans for the Rating Game. Now that she has an ace up her sleeve, she could afford to devise bolder strategies that she didn't dare to consider deploying before this.
They were discarded simply because they were too risky to pull off without some 'insurance' but now that the 'insurance' was in her hand, these options have started to become available to her. She would have to consult Akeno and Shirou as well since both had sharp minds that were suitable to further refine the plans that she had conceived.
Plans such as using Ise as bait to lure out the enemy while Shirou snipes them with his skills in archery from a considerable distance or a pseudo kamikaze attack to take out a large number of their enemy's troops came to the forefront of her mind-
"Argh!"
-before she heard a sudden cry of pain from Yuuto which signaled the end of his spar with Shirou.
Returning her attention back at the battling duo, she saw that Shirou had changed his armament and was in a posture that clearly showed him having a finished a vertical slash. Yuuto's sword was cleaved in two and he had a shallow wound on his chest. Other than that and his ragged breathing, he looked completely fine. A second look at Shirou's newly Projected weapon was all she needed to know what had transpired.
Night Edge.
It was quite a simple name for a Demonic Sword. Despite that, the sword was aptly named. It was a pitch black katana that looked like it was carved from darkness itself. The sword's ability was that it was able to cut through almost anything and that includes magical energy. This was proven when a demonstration of it's ability included splitting a magical projectile, filled with her own Power of Destruction no less, completely in two. Even though the magical projectile was created half-heartedly, it still amazed her seeing it's capabilities.
The sword was the first Enchanted Weapon that Yuuto was able to create. It was imbued with a very simple enchantment that Yuuto was familiar with even before he became her Knight and his subsequent training with the sword after he was turned only familiarized him more with the enchantment.
Cutting.
Never before had she felt a shiver from such a simple word. The sword was strong enough to even cut down simple barriers made by her and Akeno like it was tofu. Of course, there were still limits to its ability as a more concentrated Power of Destruction or one of her and Akeno's stronger barriers were able to overcome the sword's power but the fact that something like that was required to counter it was more than enough to convince everyone how fearsome it was.
She shivered at the fact that the weapon was only trying to imitate the ability of a true Conceptual Weapon instead of being one itself. If what Shirou's explanation of what a Conceptual Weapon should be like, then it's no wonder that he was eager to experiment with Sword Birth's ability to produce them.
Failed or not, Yuuto's latest creations were already quite terrifying.
Not to mention that Shirou had begun instructing Yuuto on how to create swords with a sharpness at the molecular level. This meant that as long as those swords wasn't defended against something that had any magical reinforcements, those swords could cut any physical object like hot knife through butter.
So far, those swords hadn't seen much use since it could be easily blunted but if they could figure out a way around it, than all of Yuuto's Demonic Swords could be upgraded with that property.
If Shirou had decided to use such a thing during their beat down a week ago, there was no doubt that they would've received more grievous injuries. It was fortunate that he refrained from using it since he had a different objective at the time other than utterly decimating them.
A small smile started to etch itself on her lips as she remembered what punishment everyone had agreed to inflict on her Pawn. Said punishment was still ongoing as there was a unanimous decision by everyone, except the defendant, for it to be continuous until the end of the training camp. Even the usually timid Asia agreed to it, although it was more because she thought that the punishment was 'cute'.
That evening, everyone had gathered together in the living room. Even after all their physical injuries were already healed by Twilight Healing, their mental fatigue from dealing with such a stressing battle clearly showed on their exhausted faces. The only ones who didn't sport such a miserable countenance was Ise who had been taken out early in the fight and Asia who didn't participate other than healing everyone afterwards.
Despite their clear weariness, everyone except Akeno and Koneko was very much alert. This was because the perpetrator who was responsible for their current condition was now sitting in front of them with a somber expression. It was a complete contrast to his usual smug attitude. That alone would inform those who knew him how serious the situation was at the moment. The current atmosphere was very strained, as if everyone was expecting that there would be a bloodbath if one wrong word was uttered.
After what had happened just a few hours ago, their caution was completely justified.
"Explain."
It was only one word, but Rias knew that it was enough to convey what she wanted to know from him. She wasn't in the mood to play with word games and he knew it. She might be presenting a calm exterior but inside she was seething with rage.
The only reason that she wasn't acting upon those feelings were because she still had faith deep inside her heart that Shirou had a very good reason for such an event. Thus, she decided to hear him out first or she might end up saying or doing something that she would later deeply regret.
"What was your impression of the fight?"
Instead of giving a straight answer however, Shirou had answered her question with a question of his own.
She clamped down on her irritation. This wasn't the time for her to get impatient. Besides, the matter he was asking about was directly related to their current interrogation.
"...We were completely helpless against you."
This wasn't an exaggeration. From the beginning until the end of the fight, Shirou had completely set the pace of the battle. All of them were outmaneuvered by him to the point that they couldn't even mount a proper counteroffensive. In fact, she even doubted her previous analysis about their chances of victory against him.
Once she thought about it, again, Shirou would definitely have thought up of some kind of countermeasure for any kind of situation. After all, he most likely possessed all the proper tools for it thanks to Yuuto's Sword Birth, especially some of Yuuto's latest creations.
He wasn't kidding when he said that he had grasped everything he needed to know about their capabilities the previous day.
If there's anything that their defeat at his hands had taught her, it was that Shirou had a good mind for tactics and if there was nothing holding him back, he would be a terrible pain to deal with as he could wrought death and destruction on his enemies in as efficient a manner as possible. It was only because he still had some restraint that their conditions weren't any worse than they already are.
"Why do you think I was able to overwhelm all of you?"
Again, she had to suppress her desire to throttle him. When was he going to honestly answer her question instead of asking his own like he was leading her-
She halted in her thoughts momentarily at the realization. If she assumed that from the way he was progressing the talks with questions instead of answers, there could be a few conclusions for what he was doing but only one of them made sense to her at the moment.
Basically, Shirou wanted her to arrive at the answer for why he did what he did by herself. It seemed that he wasn't going to spoon feed her the answers she wanted. It felt like he was trying to teach her to think for herself instead of relying on him. That or perhaps she had just read too much manga.
Regardless of what her speculation was, she decided to properly phrase the analysis she made and the impression she had of the event a few hours prior. She didn't leave anything out, she told him everything from what she thought were their mistakes in the fight to what kind of countermeasures she thought of to prevent such a thing from happening again.
At the end of her verbalized analysis, there was an approving look coming from Shirou to her.
"Good. It seems that you've finally started to think of using everyone's potential in your strategies instead of just Ise's."
Everyone was silent at his declaration. Some had expressions of realization on their faces while others were surprised. Rias in particular was confused at first but a moment later realization had also dawned on her for a few seconds until finally frustration set in.
How could she have been so careless?
It's true that Ise's ability was a very valuable asset in the Rating Game with Raiser and the Boosted Gear's ability to increase his powers thousands of times over was one of the ways she could think of to defeat the Phenex's-
No, scratch that, it was the ONLY way she could think of to overpower the ridiculous regeneration ability of the Phenex. None of her current peerage, herself included, had the kind of sheer firepower that Ise could provide and if he used Gift to transfer all of that power to either her or Akeno, then the kind of destructive power they could produce would definitely be enough to defeat Raiser.
However, that kind of thinking itself was a psychological trap.
Why overcome it when you could go around it?
Didn't she already learned that Yuuto's or Shirou's Dark Keys could completely immobilize Raiser when used against him? That experience in itself should've taught her that she didn't necessarily have to defeat Raiser using brute force. Even if Raiser figured out a way to negate a Dark Key's ability there should be other ways to bypass his immortality.
For example, Akeno could use her affinity with lightning to send electricity into Raiser's nervous system to directly activate his pain receptors. The sheer amount of pain that could be felt by him would undoubtedly incapacitate him and all that could be done WITHOUT having to deal with his powerful regenerative powers. Of course doing it wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park as Raiser wasn't stupid to just stand still for them to implement such a plan but the point still stands.
Why didn't she thought of such plans before?
Better yet, when did she start to have more flexibility in her thinking?
If she recalled correctly, she was still only devising her plans around Ise's Boosted Gear only just this morning. So how did-
This morning, it was the time I saw how easily Ise could be beaten in the early stages of a battle. She silently thought.
Ever since she had seen how easily Ise could be taken out of the picture, at the beginning of the fight no less, her subconscious mind had most likely realized the threat of how most of the plans she had concocted for the Rating Game with Raiser could come crumbling down, just like that, with him gone and had decided not to only rely on Ise for all of her plans. The way Shirou hadn't only relied on brute force but also combining it with tactics to win the fight might have contributed to unshackling her mental chains as well. It allowed her mind to explore other options that didn't have to rely on overwhelming power.
Was this what Shirou was after? He wanted her to have more flexibility in her thinking?
No, if it was just that then a few words with her would have been suffice to make her realize her shortcomings. There were most likely other goals for him to achieve but what could beating them down to the ground like that would accomplish?
By this time, she was no longer harboring any anger towards Shirou as her recent realization had cemented her belief towards him. Thus, her previously clouded mind could now think more clearly as she started to consider the advantages of experiencing such a terrible ordeal.
The first thing she could think of was related to battle experience. She had no doubt that what they went through would harden her peerage so that they would be more prepared for future battles comparable to that morning's incident. Her peerage never had any experience of overcoming such a hurdle. Although they were accustomed to fighting Stray Devils, those kinds of enemies would hardly pose a threat to them since they were only low ranked Stray Devils.
It would be different if they were used to fighting higher ranked Stray Devils but those were rare and they were very dangerous. Shirou's way of doing it was the best way to simulate such a battle without actually endangering their lives.
Now that all of them has had a taste of what it felt like to fight and lose in such a dreadful and frightening battle, any naive notions that they all had about attaining glory and honor during the Rating Games was most likely squashed. Not only that, the chances of them hesitating when on a field of battle could also be decreased.
She could probably figure out more of the underlying motives that her servant had but for the moment there was something more important that she had to deal with.
"I understand now why you had to go to such extremes for our own benefit, Shirou but you also could've at least warned us about it. We all could've been seriously traumatized by what you did. As such, I'm going to have to punish you."
She knew that he most likely had a reason that he didn't tell them anything about his plans but at the same time she couldn't let him walk away scot-free. As the King of her peerage, she needed to be firm in disciplining her servants no matter how much she loathes such a thing so that they wouldn't run wild and what Shirou did was definitely reason enough for her to punish him.
She was glad that Shirou seemed to be understanding as he didn't even voice any complaints to her declaration. The problem right now was what would be a suitable punishment for him. Any punishment that causes irreparable damage was out of the question not only because she needed him to be in top condition for the Rating Game but also because she would rather die than having one of her peerage suffer like that.
The only thing she could think of was to have him humiliated without crossing a certain line but she couldn't think of anything that would be suitable at the moment.
"Buchou, I think I have an idea of what we should do to him."
Unsurprisingly, it was Akeno who voiced her idea. They had known each other for a long time so it's no wonder that she knew about her dilemma. Well, the fact that she's a sadist could also answer how she could think of a way to reprimand Shirou. It didn't hurt that she was the one who knew him best out of all of them.
Rias wasn't disappointed after hearing what Akeno had in mind for Shirou's punishment. Even all her peerage agreed to it but what clinched it was the really uncomfortable look that Shirou had at that very moment.
Remembering that day gave her conflicting emotions.
On one hand, it was the most nerve-wracking day she had ever had. Starting from the firsthand experience of what despair felt like that Shirou forced them to overcome and his subsequent interrogation when she felt like she was balancing herself on a tightrope while on a unicycle.
On the other hand, it was also the first time she was able to witness her very competent servant's confident shell to be shattered.
She had to admit, Asia was right. Shirou did look very 'cute'. His poker face that seem to fall every now and then ever since the punishment started made him look even more adorable.
After all, it's not everyday that you see a hunk like Shirou being forced into a cat cosplay costume while the girls treat him like a little kid and rub his head every now and then.
It's been a really long day.
Today's training had went on a little longer than usual. Well, that wasn't exactly true. The training have always lasted this long. It's just that his little side project with Kiba and Asia had exempted the three of them from late night training lately.
Still, to think that he would mentally whine from only this much hardship. He really was getting soft. That won't do. After all this is over, he would have forge his discipline again.
For the moment though, I'm gonna have a glass of water.
Carefully getting up from his sandwiched position between Akeno and Koneko so that he didn't wake them up, Archer went out of his room and headed to the stairs to go to the kitchen.
However, before he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he heard voices coming from the living room. From the sound of the voices, it was Rias and Ise.
What are those two doing this late at night?
Indulging in his curiosity, he Reinforced his ears to better hear their conversation while erasing his presence as much as possible.
"-then we could fight by reading this. This book is written with lots of research. But that isn't the problem."
It seemed that he missed what Rias had said at the beginning. No matter, it wasn't like he couldn't guess their conversation topic. It's most likely they're talking about what Rias had planned for the Rating Game.
"Then what's wrong?" Ise's voice sounded like he was confused.
"Raiser himself. No, the biggest problem is that our opponent is the Phoenix." The sound of something like a whole bunch of paper, most likely a book, being put on the table was heard before Rias continued her explanation.
"A long time ago the mystical beast, Phoenix, was looked upon by humans as a bird that governs life. It was so looked upon that it left it's legend in many countries in the human world where it's told that the tears of the Phoenix can heal any wounds, and the blood that flows within its body can give eternal youth to those that drink it.
But there was also another clan that is different from the mystical beast Phoenix. They are the Devils that had the rank of Marquis, and were counted as one of the '72 pillars'. The 'Phoenix' from the Devil's side.
The humans named the Devil's Phoenix as 'Phenex' to distinguish it from the mystical beast Phoenix, however the mystical beast Phoenix has the same ability as Raiser's clan. In other words, immortality. That's the opponent who we must fight against. You already know this much right?"
"Yeah, it was explained after Shirou sent those guys packing after the feast. But I only know about his ridiculous regeneration that makes him pretty much immortal. I didn't know about him being related to the Phoenix."
"Well, rather than his relation to the Phoenix, his immortality was of more importance so that's understandable. Anyway, Raiser's current record in the official Rating Game is eight wins and two losses. Of the ten matches he fought in, he lost two of the match on purpose as kindness to one of the households he is close to. In reality he won all of his matches. He already became a candidate to obtain a title in the official game."
There was a sigh that came from Rias.
"I felt something uneasy when I heard that Raiser was chosen as my fiancé. It seems that Otou-sama and the others chose him in case something like this happened. They chose Raiser so I will have no choice but to marry him. Even if it becomes a match between households, they knew that there was no way for me to win. In chess you would say they tricked me. A swindle."
"I see. But, Buchou?"
"Yes?"
"You don't look the least bit distressed."
"Ah, you could tell? I actually do have some doubts but somehow I don't think our chances of losing is very high."
"Does that mean you've figured out a way to defeat Riser?"
"Several actually. Though, I guess you could thank Shirou's sermon, last week for that."
Archer smiled a bit at this. Looks like beating the whole group to the ground last time had the intended effect on everyone. He'd noticed that they were far more serious in their training ever since and were less hesitant in their movements during a battle.
"Yeah, that was... mind blowing."
Silence. The two didn't make a single sound for at least half a minute. Finally, it was Ise who broke the silence.
"Buchou."
"What is it?"
"Why do you hate Raiser... no, more like, why are you against this marriage?"
Another sigh came from Rias.
"...I'm a Gremory."
"Huh? W-Well, you certainly are..."
"No. I didn't re-introduce myself. I'm a Devil from the House of Gremory, and that name will follow me to wherever I go."
So, in other words it's the typical problem that some teenage girls have when they inherit a famous name.
"Do you hate it?"
"I feel proud of it. However, this is also something that's a burden to me. Everyone looks at me as Rias from the Gremory. I can't have them look at me simply as Rias. That's why I'm enjoying my life in the human world. They don't know about the Gremory the Devil. Everyone looks at me as who I am. I really like that feeling. I never felt something like this in the Devil's society, and I never will from now on as well. The only time I can enjoy my life as myself is when I'm in the human world."
Rias's voice sounded sad and distant at her confession.
Archer wasn't surprised. Rin was a bit like that as well. She was proud of her family lineage as a Tohsaka magus but the only time she could be herself was when she was around those who didn't just look at her family name.
Ironically, this included whenever she fought with Luvia, who belonged to the Edelfelts that had a long enmity with the Tohsakas, as the two rarely try to hide behind false personas when dealing with each other. Unfortunately, this would usually end with some explosions here and there of which he would usually be caught up in the middle of.
Good times.
"I want to be with someone who will love me as Rias without the fact that I'm a Gremory. That's my small dream I have... Unfortunately, Raiser only looks at me as Rias from the Gremory. And he loves me as Rias from the Gremory. That's why I hate it. But still, the pride of being a Gremory is very important. My feelings may be complicated, but I want to cherish this small dream I have."
Devil or not she's still a teenage girl at heart, huh? Just when Archer was thinking this, Ise's next words made him freeze his thoughts.
"I like Buchou as Buchou."
Did he just-?
"I don't know anything about Gremory or about the Devil's world, but to me Buchou is Buchou... Nggh, I don't understand all the complicated stuff but to me the usual Buchou is the best!"
Yup, he just confessed to Rias. Archer confirmed his thoughts.
"B-Buchou? D-Did I say something weird?"
And he doesn't even realize it. A small feeling of frustration welled up inside him. This was starting to feel like one of those times his younger and denser self whenever he interacted with Rin, Saber, Sakura, Illya, Luvia or many other of the opposite sex.
Except Taiga. Thank god for small mercies.
"I-It's nothing!" Came Rias's rely.
Another silence permeated through the air. This time, it was Rias who broke the silence.
"Ise. What's wrong? You have a faraway look in your eyes right now."
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that I thought my dream is still far away right now. I'm still too weak."
"You say that but you don't seem sad at all."
"Because I won't give up. Since I'm a Devil I have centuries of time to become stronger and achieve my dream. So I don't need to rush."
"That's quite mature of you. Did Shirou taught you that?"
"Yup."
"Figures. Honestly, that boy feels like he knows how to do everything."
And how did the conversation start to point towards him?
"About that, Buchou. Something has been bothering me for a while now about him."
"What's that?"
"How did he lose to Raynare?"
"What do you mean? I thought you were there."
"I know. What I meant was how could he lose to someone like that bitch. He's already super strong right now so he shouldn't have been killed so easily that time even if he was still human."
Damn.
Looks he didn't give Ise enough credit. He's starting to ask the wrong type of questions now.
What should he do?
Should he stop this conversation before it develops in a way he didn't want it to?
Before Archer could decide on a course of action, Rias already had an answer of her own to that particular question.
"Well, if it's that, I do have one assumption."
"What is it?"
"It's because you were there."
"Huh?"
"Let me explain. I think he was trying to hold back from showcasing his abilities in front of you. At the time, he thought you were just any other ordinary person so he didn't want to expose you to the supernatural as much as possible."
"W-Wait a minute, Buchou. We were already being attacked by Raynare then. I already knew about the supernatural!"
"Maybe so, but it was easier to modify your memory afterwards the less you know."
"He could modify my memory?"
"That's right. Magic can be used to modify people's memories through hypnotism. However, sometimes it's harder to do so the more the memory you have to change or the more important that memory is to the individual. This is especially true for a human compared to a Devil. Devils are just more attuned for magic than humans for something like this. If he wasn't careful, he might end up giving you brain damage as well. Not to mention that his previous family didn't even bother to teach him any of their arts."
"So because he didn't want to meddle with my memories too much he had to hold back. Damn. That's another thing that I owe the guy."
Phew.
Looks like the situation was defused without his intervention. Although he didn't really think too much about how he died and became a Devil since no one seemed to be interested in it, perhaps he should've taken precautions so that any loopholes to the story was covered.
This time, Rias already had a reasonable explanation for it but he might not be so fortunate next time.
Well, he could think about that some other time. For now, he should interrupt their conversation in case it might touch upon unwanted territory again.
Thinking that, he showed himself to the two while pretending to have just came down the stairs and noticing them talking.
"What are you two doing here at this time of night?"
"Hm? Oh, Shirou. We were just talking about Raiser and the Rating Game." Rias answered him without the slightest hint of being flustered as if she was just talking about him a few moments ago.
"Y-yeah." Taking Rias's cue, Ise also agreed with her.
He gave them a suspicious look. Although he already knew what they were talking about, he had to pretend that he didn't know anything about it.
Rias calmly received his gaze while Ise squirmed a little in his seat.
After about ten seconds of silence, he decided to give them a teasing remark to make them think that he had misunderstood the situation.
"Make sure you use protection if you guys end up in the same bed."
"W-Wha?"
"W-Wait a minute! Shirou, I think you're misunderstanding something!"
Just as he hoped, the two of them spluttered in their response.
"Whatever. I just came down to have a glass of water. I'll leave the two of you with your... night activities."
The sight of their embarrassed faces that became red as a tomato as he headed towards the kitchen was really funny. In addition to derailing their conversation, he considered it as revenge for making him wear such a ridiculous outfit.
By the time he had a glass of water to drink and came back from the kitchen, the two had already left the living room. Archer decided that his little prank was successful as he went back to his room to enjoy Morpheus's embrace for the night.
