Chapter Fifteen
"I apologize for my absence. To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of having you all here?" Ciel asked. All of a sudden, they all started talking at once, well, except for Sieglinde and Rael, who stayed completely silent while the others all spoke.
"Please. One at a time, if you would be so kind. Grell, please go first." Ciel said, turning to look at Grell, who looked at Rael, who reached into a satchel that she had around her shoulder and took out Ciel's old dress.
"Master Phantomhive, I-I came to return this to you, sir. I-I apologize for not returning it sooner… B-but…"
"Keep it. And the metallic pieces you also have in there. I have no need for any of it. Think of it as a gift."
"W-what? N-no! I-I couldn't accept such a gift! I-I've done nothing to deserve it! I would feel terrible just taking them!"
"But what use would I have for a dress? I use them on rare occasion as a disguise. But overall, I have little use for them, or the metallic decorations. Enjoy them." Ciel said with a smile. His smiles seemed to be becoming much more common these days, and every time Sieglinde saw Ciel smile, her heart fluttered and she became breathless.
"I-I guess so, Master Phantomhive…"
"Just call me Ciel. We're not strangers. And don't argue with me. Just agree. And I sense you have something else to ask me?" Ciel said firmly. Rael nodded timidly and shrank back into her seat, folding the dress neatly and putting it away.
After a moment, she sat back up, and handed Ciel and Sebastian two very fancy pieces of paper advertising the graduation of Rael's class.
"I-I formally invite Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis to my graduation.
I-it's in a month… I would be honored if you would attend."
"We would be pleased to, Miss Aldershof." Ciel said with a mercurial smile. Rael blushed slightly and sank into her chair again.
"Now you two. What can I help you with?" Ciel asked politely. Ásbjörn Rudgar stood and addressed Ciel very formally as Lord Phantomhive.
"Like Mr. Spears, I detest kowtowing to Demons such as yourselves. However, as Miss Aldershof has mentioned, you have been invited to her graduation. We cannot forcibly prevent you from joining the congregation. However we also cannot allow you to cause havoc as you Demons are so wont to do."
"Please, Mr. Rudgar. I have no intention of sabotaging her big day. Just as long as you promise not to have any Shinigami attack us. Sebastian would have no problem defeating any of you. Only one Shinigami has ever posed a real threat to him, and that's Undertaker. But it could be mildly annoying. I would prefer not to have to fight your dogs."
"Just don't make a big deal about being Demons. Most of the people there will be families of students, and won't be able to smell the Demonic auras. So if you stay quiet, and don't make a fuss, it shouldn't be an issue."
"Is there anyone else who has something to say to me? Nobody? Good. Then… I do appreciate your company, but I really must be going, now. I have business to which to attend."
The others nodded and filed out dutifully, leaving Ciel, Sieglinde and the servants alone in the house, until Lizzie came running in, and sat down across from Ciel, still occasionally shooting distrustful glances at Sieglinde. The girl was so beautiful that Lizzie couldn't help but feel slightly threatened by her. She grabbed Ciel's hand and dragged him with a strength that, despite Ciel being a Demon, surprised him.
He likely could have resisted her pulling him, but he merely followed her into a room on the far side of the mansion and sat down with Lizzie, looking into her intense stare behind those beautiful emerald green eyes of hers. Ciel had always loved Lizzie's eyes. He had just… Never really told her. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure why.
"Lizzie… Have I told you that you have really pretty eyes?" Ciel asked, blushing slightly. He wasn't used to complimenting people like that. Lizzie seemed to be even more shocked, though. Because she gasped and turned a deep crimson red, putting a hand over her heart to slow it. She hadn't been expecting Ciel to take such effective preemptive action like that. Now any protest she had about Sieglinde seemed so empty, so hollow."
"What… Wait… Don't tell me, Lizzie… You still don't trust Sieglinde. I told you. I was on a mission in Germany when I met her. I only acquiesced to her wish to be free of that village. I neither offered nor prompted her to ask me to take her away from there. That said, her skill in chemistry will benefit me greatly in the future. There is no romantic connection between us."
"Y-you promise, Ciel?" Lizzie asked, looking like she might cry. "Sieglinde is so beautiful, and she's only 12! What about when she gets older!? Even right now, she could take the heart of almost any man!"
"But I'm not a man.
I'm a Demon. And my heart belongs to you, Lizzie. I already dueled your mother for your hand in marriage… I had to explain to her how I got the stone for your necklace. That involved the story of how I became a Demon."
"Ultimately, I suspect I would have been better off just thinking of a better lie. But your mother saw right through my first one. I thought maybe the truth was for the best. So I defeated her in our duel, and am free to marry you." Ciel said, kissing Lizzie gently on the cheek. This was actually the first time he had ever kissed Lizzie… Mostly because he was terrified of what Frances would do if he ever did kiss her before marriage.
Now, he was a Demon, though. So he didn't have much to fear, really. After that, Lizzie blushed and kissed Ciel back, this time on the lips before looking confidently at Sieglinde, who merely blushed and looked away, and stormed out in a huff. Ciel looked at Lizzie and hugged her once more, and bade her farewell. He had something to talk about with Sieglinde. He would need weapons to fight against Johann Shaitan.
"Excuse me, Sieglinde? I hate to ask this of you. But could you make some bombs with Mustard Gas in them? I feel confident that they would assist me greatly in my duel with that other Demon."
"I-I'm not sure… I promised myself that I'd never make something that could be used as a weapon again." Sieglinde muttered uncertainly. Ciel sighed and sat down next to Sieglinde.
"Sebastian… Make some more tea for us." Ciel said.
"Sieglinde, the man I'm dueling isn't a person. He may have once been a person. He certainly used to be human. But now he's a Demon. And he's far more experienced than I am in combat. I suspect that it will be a very difficult battle. It would help to have some chemical weapons that could at least disorient him."
"I understand. Ciel, I love you. I refuse to be used by anyone ever again, though. If you promise that you are only going to use the weapons on this other Demon, though, I will make them. I've been studying some new chemical compounds that may be useful. Some acids, mostly."
"I understand. I'll leave it to you, then." Ciel said quietly. Sieglinde looked critically at Ciel and then looked away, blushing slightly.
"I'll need some supplies. They won't be cheap."
"That won't be a problem. Tell me the supplies you need, and I'll procure them for you. If you could attempt to make them into bullets for Maylene to use as well, that would be very useful." Ciel said with a smirk.
"I'm not sure that would work, Ciel. Hydrofluoric Acid has been known to eat through metal as easily as it burns through flesh. I don't think a bullet would hold it." Sieglinde said, drawing back at Ciel's request. Ciel smirked.
"I'm certain if anyone can discover a way to do it, it would be you, Sieglinde. I have complete confidence in you." Ciel said with a smile that was surprisingly like Sebastian's. Sieglinde blushed deeply and ran off, saying that she'd make the weapons, but that she didn't appreciate being thrown back into her old job as a weapons maker.
"I am sorry. But I do appreciate your willingness to help me." Ciel said quietly.
"Okay, Young Master… We are going to learn about Niten Ichi-Ryu. It can be learned with two katanas, or a katana and a wakizashi. It is your choice. However, I would recommend that you use two katanas. That way, you could use Laevatin in one hand and a katana in the other.
Later, you can treat the katana with some of your Blood. It will soak into the blade and your Essence will make the blade unbreakable and will make damage from the blade hard to heal for Demons. It will not be as powerful as a Demon Blade. But it will be the next best thing." Sebastian said with a smile.
"Tell me, Sebastian… Can Demons be hurt by acid?" Ciel asked, surprising Sebastian with this question.
"Well, I am not certain. I certainly reacted adversely to the Mustard Gas. My reaction wasn't nearly as bad as yours, but I certainly got burned by it. Demons are organic just like humans. The difference is that Demons have the Essence to protect them.
Demons are inherently surrounded by an aura of Essence. The more powerful a Demon is, the denser their aura is. That is what Shinigami smell when they say that Demons reek. Demons are capable of hiding their aura. But it is generally beneficial to have at least a small aura, especially in battle, as it reduces the amount of damage done."
"Weapons such as Death Scythes, weapons treated with Demon Blood, and Demon Swords have been known to pierce Demonic Auras. However, the stronger the Demon you are fighting, the more powerful the weapon has to be. Demon Swords are the only weapon that can universally kill any Demon, as they are able to pierce any Demonic Aura."
"I see. Did you investigate Johann's Aura?" Ciel asked firmly. Sebastian smiled and nodded.
"I did, My Lord. His Aura is much better controlled than your own, but really no denser. Your Aura has the appearance of that of a very young Demon, whereas his is much better trained. It would only require work on your part to rectify that."
"How would you suggest I do that?" Ciel asked. Sebastian sighed, but then smiled politely again.
"Well, meditation is useful. Many Demons meditate on a regular basis. It helps them to make their digestion of the souls they devour more efficient. It makes the aura denser and more effective in blocking attacks. It helps the Demon tap into their innermost reserve of power."
"You are fairly talented now with weapons. But you need more control over your power. You need to expend it more efficiently. I have noticed of late that you are using approximately 4 percent excess Essence in utilizing the powers that you need. In a way, that can be useful, as it ensures that you deal the damage required."
"However, it is almost certain that you won't hit with all of your attacks. Therefore, since a good number of your attacks will inevitably miss, that wastes undue power in overdoing your attacks. You need to make your attacks as efficient as possible, and as accurate as possible. You need to work on speed and accuracy."
"Maylene requires bullets that can pierce the Demonic Aura, and a gun that can make powerful attacks. I am certain that an acquaintance of mine can procure such a weapon. I believe once that she stated that a rifle over 100 years in the future called a Denel NTW-20 that would do the job. If you coat the bullets in your Blood, they will be able to do some damage to Johann. Now, continue to spar. You and I will spar using these Bokken. Three… Two… One… Start!" Sebastian said.
Sebastian attacked first, striking with his own Bokken. Ciel blocked with his own bokken and then struck with the bokken in his left hand, before leaping back, and then moving faster than Sebastian had expected, seeming to blend into Sebastian's blind spot and striking again. However, Sebastian merely smirked and grabbed Ciel's hand and threw him into a tree approximately fifteen meters away.
"Your attack was very efficient. You blocked my attack and struck back, then using hit and run tactics, you retreated and then attacked again, using my blind spot. However, as well as this would work on a human, I can sense your Aura perfectly, and that is why I countered you.
You must learn to suppress your Aura when you are making sneak attacks. Do you understand?"
"Yes." Ciel said simply. Sebastian smirked and they started to fight again.