The next few days were more of the same as the first day they joined the club. They (well, mostly just Kurin, with Raynare's assistance) handed out the flyers containing the Gremory circle to various humans. And then in one of those days, they received a request. While Raynare went to get an update on her mission, Kurin went to the club to formally work on the request given to him.
"It seems I have a request, Rias-chan." Kurin said, entering the club room.
"Ah, your very first one, I see. Let's see if your power's enough to handle the circle." Rias said, leading him to the magic circle in the club room. He then stood in the middle of it.
"Ready when you are, Rias-chan." He said.
Rias gave him a thumbs up, the go signal that the circle was ready. "Have fun, Kurin-kun." She said.
The circle below him glowed and soon enough he was gone.
"You don't regret it, do you, buchou?" Akeno said, entering the room.
"What do you mean, Akeno?" She asked.
"Letting him be with us. He's human. He can sense us. And...he can sense my..." The raven-haired Queen turned away, unwilling to let her best friend see her tears. If Kurin could sense the true nature of those around him, then surely by then (no, for a long time now) he was able to sense her as a half-fallen-half-devil, and she knew he'd be disgusted by her. He must've been. There was no way he was still this kind to her even after a year. Surely he was just hiding it for so long now, right? With him now in their world, it would've been the perfect time for him to show what he truly felt. There was no way he was not disgusted by her...heritage. Kind on the outside he may be, she knew that he hated her on the inside. She felt that she had no place in his heart. She felt that anyone else who loved him deserved his love more than her. She felt that she was trash.
There was no way he could love her, just as she realized her love for him.
Before more depressing thoughts could add to her mindset, she felt the embrace of her redheaded King and best friend.
"Akeno, I know what you're thinking, and he doesn't think of you that way at all. If anything, he enjoys being with you too. I can feel it from him. I don't regret him being in our world. He may be human, as much as I have a slight dislike for that, but I still accepted him and his decision. Who am I to be someone who would deny him something like that after being given so much kindness for so long now, even for a human?" She explained. Seeing the unsure expression of her Queen's face, she gave a small smile in response. "If you're still unsure, then find the time to talk to him. I'll bet that what I said is true."
"I only hope so, buchou. But, I'm going to take your advice and talk to him personally." Akeno said. Then she gave a small chuckle all of a sudden. "Ah, I see now."
To Rias, the sudden change in attitude unnerved her. That meant that she must've found out something about her plans. "What are you talking about, Akeno?" She asked.
"You're planning to use him to hopefully escape the marriage contract with Riser. But with him being human, your desire to do so has become much more difficult to achieve." She said in a teasing manner. She knew of her King's hatred of the marriage contract, and coupled with her liking of Kurin, to her, she knew exactly what her intentions are. Though the only thing that Rias could not control is Kurin's own say on the matter. That, and his girlfriend too, though on a minor level compared to the human himself.
Still, she tried to save face on that matter. "You can't be serious. I've already resigned to that idea. No matter what, I have no choice but to be married to Riser to continue my legacy." She said.
"Ufufufufu, are you really believing yourself in these words, Rias? You want him to save you from that fate. Oh how you dream of it. He's certainly the ideal man for you, that's for sure. At least more so than Riser, though many would be better than him."
"Akeno!"
"What? I'm just saying the truth. You want Kurin to save you. But for now..." Akeno pulled away from their embrace, chuckling as she did, patting her King's head, making her pout cutely "Ara ara, let's not think about that at the moment. We have other issues to attend to."
The glow on the circle faded, and Kurin found himself standing in another person's home. Sitting across him was an incredibly attractive woman who looked a few years older than him. She didn't have much makeup, but that didn't matter in the slightest, as it more or less just enhanced her natural beauty. She wore a shirt that wasn't covering much of her midriff, and she also wore tight pants that clearly accentuated her legs. Her smile was alluring, her long violet hair was stunning, the glasses made her look more stunning, and the best part was that she just decided to look her best. After all, a first impression leaves a mark. Kurin wasn't entranced by her, but certainly he felt some sort of attraction.
"Did I make you wait too long, miss?" Kurin politely asked, offering a smile of his own. Almost instantly she felt his charm. She knew she was going to like this person.
'Polite and good-looking. It seems I got a keeper.' She thought, internally smirking. She shook her head. "Oh no, certainly not at all. In fact, you were here in time."
"Ah, good. I hoped that was the case. I certainly didn't want to be late for my first contract, and I'm glad that I wasn't late." He said. "What's your request?" He asked.
"Nothing too difficult for a first contract, if that's what you're thinking. I only need your help in baking some pastries." She said, standing up and walking to the kitchen. He followed her.
"Well, you should know, I did some good cookies and cakes and stuff, well according to my classmates they were good, anyways. I think we'll do just fine, miss. But, before we start, can I ask for your name?" He said.
"Of course. It's Orchintia. Orchintia Anthivale."
After a few hours of baking and resting (in which the two conversed mostly about each other, and Kurin learned much about his first contractor), the young human was now ready to leave, at the door with a paper bag of cupcakes in hand.
"Will this be a weekly thing, Orchintia-san?" He asked.
The woman placed a finger below her chin, as if to think. "Quite possibly, Kurin. You've done really well for today. Though I wish that you do not tell this to your superiors, if you have any. Know that I'll probably ask for another day with you. Oh, and before you leave..." With rapid finger gestures, Kurin's wrist was written in glowing invisible markings, which then soon disappeared into his wrist. "There. That way I can contact you for another time. Thank you for today, Kurin-kun. You've done this woman a huge favor." She said.
Kurin smiled. "Of course, Orchintia-san. Anything to help. And I hope we do meet again. It was fun too." The woman smiled back and nodded, closing the door after.
Once the door closed, Orchintia leaned back as if panting. She slightly collapsed, sitting against the door. "Kurin Salamencia...he's...interesting, to say the least. He holds something, but I cannot seem to determine what that is. Charming young man. Though I must keep my distance, lest I stray from my path..."
As Kurin walked away from the woman's house, he looked back at the wrist with the markings.
'Orchintia Anthivale...I wonder what secrets do you hide from me...and the marking on my wrist...Sellorion, can you check for anything I should be worried about?'
[Already did, Kurin. There's no hidden feature or anomaly in the marking. It's really just a communication marking. It works like a phone. If that Orchintia woman contacts you, then that's all she just wants. She merely wants to converse with you.]
'Alright, thanks. I only needed to be sure. I'll honor her request for now, about not telling this to them, just to see where this goes. Right, time to rest a bit more. Maybe the park will help.'
Minutes later, he was sitting on one of the park benches, taking a bite at a cupcake that he and Orchintia baked. 'These are pretty good, actually. Never thought I'd find someone who's as good as me.'
He sighed. Sellorion knew what he was thinking.
[Not bad for your first contract. There have been others who have had worse. In a sense, you got lucky. Plus, that woman, her intentions and hidden agenda aside, was charmed by you. Definitely, she holds some sort of interest in you. Not to mention-]
'Not this again.' He thought. The entity just laughed at him.
[Whether you like it or not, kid, you'll have to just get used to it. But knowing you, you can handle it.]
'You'd better help me with this shit, Sellorion. You know this better than I do.' He said to him, resigned to the words of the entity.
[Ah, you'll see soon enough. And you'll thank me for it.] Sellorion said back, his presence in Kurin's mind fading.
"Perverted entities and their desires...and why does he even want me to have a harem or something...never will know..." Kurin muttered. His thoughts were interrupted as he then heard the sound of someone crashing to the ground. He reacted quickly to the sound, coming over to the individual: a blond girl, who is also a nun, carrying a suitcase.
"Are you okay?" He asked, offering his hand, the girl speaking as he did. At first, he didn't understand what she said, but then he realized that he can also speak in the same language as her, so he asked her again. This time, she seems to have understood.
"Ah, thank you." She said. He (unfortunately) noticed the panties she was wearing, and he blushed a light red.
His thoughts are a different story, however:
'Seriously, what kind of dress code does the church have? Doesn't this girl realize that her skirt is too short for people to notice her panties? Wait why am I even...'
He turned away from her to avoid letting her see his redness and saw a headdress. He surmised that it must've belonged to the girl. He picked it up and handed it to her.
"Is this yours?" He asked.
"Ah, yes!" She graciously took it and wore it over her head. She nodded in joy as she beamed at him. "Thank you so much!"
"No problem. You seem to be new here. And...didn't you have a suitcase with you?" He said to her. She widened her eyes and turned to see her stuff in the suitcase sprawled out. She quickly went and gathered them back. Kurin however saw one of her undergarments and blushed again.
"Er..." He trailed as he picked it up and awkwardly gave it to her. She saw what he was holding and looked shocked and embarrassed. She hastily took it back and put it back in her suitcase, apologizing as she did. Once she was done, she stood back up to face him.
"Hehehe, sorry that you had to see that. That was a bad side of me..." She said.
'I wonder now, did the church give her that skirt or did she pick it herself?' He deadpanned to himself. "Eh, I guess it's okay. You're new here, it seems."
"Yes, I am, actually. I've been appointed to this city's church, though it seems I got lost. Also, it takes a little bit getting used to the language here, so I couldn't be able to ask for directions."
"Ahhh, I see. Lucky for you, I know just the way to get there. Is it alright if I take you there, then?"
The girl smiled widely. "Oh thank you thank you! Praise the Lord for this kind individual!"
Kurin smiled. "Let's get going, then."
Before they did, though, the boy was unexpectedly hit on the shoulder by a long sharp glass shard, penetrating through said shoulder and through the back. He collapsed to the ground, holding the wounded body part in pain.
"Damn it...this again..." He muttered. The girl gasped in shock and knelt beside him near his wound.
"Oh no! I better do this fast and-" Before she could finish her sentence Kurin yanked the glass shard out of his shoulder, yelling in pain as he did.
"What are you doing?! You'll bleed faster!" She said.
"I'll...be...fine..." He said, gasping and slowly losing consciousness and growing delirious.
"Ah! I will not let this happen!" Her hands glowed and she placed them over the shoulder. Despite the delirium, Kurin could see what she was doing.
'That's...isn't that a Sacred Gear?' He thought. Seconds later, she removed her hands over his wound, now gone as if nothing pierced through him. His consciousness was also returning. He sat up and looked at her in surprise.
"You should be okay now. I made sure that nothing was left of your wound." She said.
"Thanks, I guess." He said. They then noticed some people looking at them, specifically at the girl. Their eyes conveyed different intensities, but they showed dislike all the same.
"Get going everyone. Don't all of you have something to do today?" Kurin asked aloud. He noticed the downcast expression of his newfound friend and immediately did what he did to make her feel comfortable.
"It's okay. I've fairly gotten used to those stares. People disliking me, it's a common occurrence for me now." She said. 'But even here...it all seems to be the same...except for him.'
He slung an arm around her shoulder and kept her close. "But only because they couldn't understand. That glow...it's some sort of healing, isn't it?"
"Hai. This power...I believe it was granted to me by God." She looked happy. He saw that and smiled at the cute expression she held.
"Alright, let's get going. Oh wait! Almost forgot my cupcakes!"
They eventually arrived at their destination. The church was fairly normal when compared to other churches, but that is to be expected. Still, it was pretty impressive to look at.
"Well, we're here." Kurin said.
"Oh this makes me so glad! Thank you so much! How can I repay you for helping me get here?" She bowed to him, standing up a few moments later.
"Well, to be honest, you already did, when you healed me of my shoulder wound."
"Awww, but is there any other way I can repay you?"
"Well...how about we just meet again at a different day, alright?"
She beamed at that. "Okay! I'd be happy to see you again, er...what's your name?" She sheepishly said, hand at the top of her head.
"Kurin Salamencia. I didn't catch yours either too."
"I'm Asia Argento! You can call me Asia."
"Alright, Asia. We'll see each other again soon. I'll be off. And good luck with your assignment!" He waved off, leaving the church.
"Thank you once again, Kurin-san!" She waved back. 'He's so nice...'
"Ah, Kurin-kun, good to see you again. I assume you finished your first contract?" Rias asked. He nodded.
"Really easy of a contract, by the way. Is this how these contracts go?"
"There's only one other kind of contract aside from these kinds of requests. They're those kind of lewd contracts that can only be handled by special ones."
"Ah...weird. But then again, it's in our nature."
"And it's not in my nature to wait this long!" Kurin was tackled from behind by an energetic Raynare, who was now sitting on his waist.
"Sorry it took me so long, Ray-chan." He apologized. She only giggled in reply.
"Of course it's forgiven, Kurin-kun. It's your first contract." She said and kissed him, and he happily returned the favor. All the while Rias was watching them make out in envy, which didn't go unnoticed by Raynare. When she pulled away from Kurin, she looked at Rias with a smirk.
"You can join us if you like." She said. Both were surprised, to say the least, and were as red as Rias's hair.
"W-what?!" They both said. She shrugged.
"What? It's not like I ain't sharing him. He loves you too, you know."
"Errr, not that way, Rias-chan! Ray-chan's a bit loopy at the moment so-" He was silenced with another kiss.
"Awww, it's alright. It'd be selfish of me to keep you all to myself, so I'm fine with what you do." She said.
Inside his mind, he could hear Sellorion chuckling.
[Told you.]
'Shut up.'
"Ara ara, can I join in?" A new voice entered the room, and Kurin looked up to see Akeno.
"You can!" Raynare said, laughing.
'Oh gods not her too...' Sellorion laughed at the (un)fortunate predicament of his vessel.
"Right then, how did your first contract go?" After the little event, the four of them were now sitting across each other in the room.
"It went amazingly well. It seems my contractor was an aspiring baker, and she wanted some help. She didn't know I was also a good baker myself, so we had tons of fun. Here, I got cupcakes to show it." He took out the cupcakes from the bag and gave each one to the girls.
"It's really good! And it's blueberry too, so that adds up." Rias said, with the two girls agreeing.
"After that, I went to the park before going here, and that's where I met this nun named Asia Argento. She was a nun assigned to the church here in the city, and apparently she got lost. She also spoke in a different language, but luckily I understood it and spoke it too. I escorted her to the church." He continued. At the mention of the nun's name, Raynare's eyes lit up. Rias was about to say something, but stopped herself from doing so.
'I almost forgot that he's human. He isn't going to get those annoying headaches. And...I'm actually thankful this one time that he's still human, surprisingly.'
"Also, she had some sort of Sacred Gear where she heals people of their wounds. I saw it when I got stabbed in the shoulder and she cleared up the wound like it was nothing. Amazing, to say the least."
That surprised the two devils. They had slightly widened their eyes. He didn't focus on them, however, as he turned to the fallen angel when he noticed her eyes look around. He comfortingly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Raynare? What is it?" He asked, looking at her in concern. She looked around before eventually turning to him.
"We need to be somewhere quiet. I need to talk to you." She said, standing up and walking out of the room. He looked at the two girls, and they both nodded at him. Giving a nod of his own, he stood up and walked out of the room, where he found her by the exit of the old building.
"Something tells me that you've got something big to tell me." He said.
"And you'd be right. Asia...it's her." She said. At first, Kurin didn't understand what she meant until he remembered what she said to him about her mission a few days back.
"We were supposed to get a Sacred Gear. But... You'll find out in the next coming days, I promise."
"You're kidding." He said. She sadly shook her head.
"You know what the consequences for the owner of the Sacred Gear having that removed from their body, right?" He asked. She nodded.
"Which is why I need you to stop us."
"Stop you guys from what?" Yumi appeared out of nowhere, startling the couple.
"Ah, it's just you, Yumi-chan. You scared us there for a second." Kurin said.
"Ehehehe, sorry. But what was it about stopping you?" Yumi said.
"We'll explain sometime soon." Raynare said.
She looked at them in suspicion, but eventually shrugged and smiled. "Hey, if you need help, you can count on us." She said, leaving the two after.
"When will it happen, Raynare? When will the ritual happen?" He asked her.
"I don't know. Dohnaseek refuses to tell us anything." She said, covering her arms. He noticed the gesture.
"Ray-chan, are you okay?" He said.
"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm alright. Just...a bit tired, is all." When she had unfortunately pressed on a certain spot on her arm, she gasped in pain. Kurin's eyes slightly grew wide. He went closer to her, lightly caressing her arm so that she won't be in pain as he held her.
"Ray-chan, please. Tell me what's wrong. It's alright." He said to her.
After moments of hesitation, she released her hold on her arm and rolled up both sleeves. There, Kurin saw bruises on her arms, and most of them were really bad.
"Did he do this?" He asked, with such calmness it scared her.
"Y-yes...but-" He silenced her with a peck on her lips.
"It's okay. We're gonna make him pay, and we'll save Asia. I promise that."
Something bothered Raynare, though. She was surprised at him not blowing his lid off like many other humans. "How...how are you so calm? Normally, a guy who sees this will be in so much anger at seeing their lover like this. Why are you so calm?"
"Don't worry about that. You may not see it, but I am angry. I just manage it better, but believe me when I say I'm gonna kick your leader's ass to the curb, but I can't do it without you. We do this together."
"I hope you can save her. She doesn't deserve this."
"I promise."
The two were then approached by Rias and Akeno.
"We've been given an order from the archduke. We're to deal with a stray devil."
Now the entire club was waiting outside a house where the stray devil was.
"The evil piece system...while I admire the work done by Ajuka-sama, there are still some flaws that I can see." Kurin said, looking at the door of the house.
"Hm? What kind of flaws?" Rias asked.
"Well, for one, it doesn't allow those who don't like to be their servant to their King to freely leave without being brandished as a stray devil, like this one. While those who've killed their master are beyond redemption, I feel like the servants have to at least be given a chance to choose. Ah, I do have to ask." He turned to the rest of the members. "You're all okay with being Rias's servant, right?" All he got were nods, and he was satisfied that they didn't have any desire to leave Rias.
"Right, back to topic. There has to be like...I don't know, a cancel order. But of course, they have to notify their master. Either way, the master has no choice but to honor that request of leave. It's only in the true will of the servant if they want to return to the same master." He further explained.
"Hmmm...that does actually hold good argument." Rias said. They then walked inside the house.
"Buchou, as a Fallen, I really don't understand much of the system the devils have. Would it be alright if you could explain?" Raynare asked.
"Of course, Raynare. We'll begin with this brief history summary: after the last Great War, all sides had numerous casualties, and for us, a lot of the pure-blooded families were extinct. We didn't have enough forces to rally another war, thank goodness, and so to restrengthen our numbers, we started a process to train certain devils into elite status, which is called the Evil Pieces system. And as Kurin said, Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the Four Great Maou, was the one who created this system. Now, do you have any idea what chess is?"
"Yes, actually. I once played it with Azazel-sama whenever he came to check on all of us. Of course, he won most of the time. I couldn't really match up to him, but I did learn."
"Then you'll see that the evil piece system is modeled after chess." Kurin said, surprising Rias. When he noticed her surprise, he said to her, "As I've said, I know much."
They all walked through the hallway and checked each of the doors stationed, while the two continued their explanation, beginning with Kurin. "So, since you know the pieces, then you know the pieces in chess are the King, Queen, Knight-"
"-Rook, Bishop, and Pawn. Each type has its own traits."
"Because of that, each devil undergoes specific training depending on what their type of piece is. Though I don't like that they mostly specialize in a few skills, those same few skills are their strongest, just like in chess."
"The system has become so popular to the point that the 'peerages' as they are called are being used in strength competitions, which are called 'Rating Games' between noble devils."
"Rating Games are like chess, only, it's a battle-oriented type of chess, where even the attacker or invader may lose against the defender, and your pieces are your servants, and you are also a part of those pieces, if you own one, as King."
"It's gotten to the point that it can influence a devil's position and their ranks in nobility. What started as a system to replenish the losses from the war had grown into a form of entertainment, a method of rising through the ranks, and most of all, resolve peace in our own world. Now, while it would be great if we participate in one, we're still quite inexperienced, and I haven't been considered as a mature devil yet."
"Even in the Rating Game, there's certain requirements you must fulfill before becoming qualified to participate in them."
The two finished their full explanation as they opened the last door at the end, and it left Raynare slightly dazed from the two's fast-paced speaking, but she fully understood them nonetheless.
"Blood. And a whole lot of other scents. It seems our target's here." Rias said.
"It seems I have fresh meat..." They heard a voice resonate in the room.
"We know you're here. I suggest you come out now, Vizor. We're here to destroy you!" Rias said.
The stray devil, Vizor, appeared as instructed, wielding two spears along with the top half of a corpse thrown their way, in which everyone avoided.
"I like your hair. And your flesh, it's red, just like the blood I've consumed... and my hunger is still not sated."
"So this is a stray devil..." Raynare muttered.
"Enough. Let's get this over with." Rias said.
"Hmph, how arrogant, little girl. How should I kill you? By ripping apart your body or slicing it to bits and-" The stray devil's statement was interrupted when she got kicked to the head courtesy of the human, causing her to collapse to the ground.
"Aaargh! How dare you! And a human at that!" Vizor said, getting up quickly.
"We're not here to play games." Kurin said.
"You'll pay for that!" Charging at Kurin, the stray devil tried to attack, and Kurin avoided her attacks.
"Right, then. Yumi!" Rias instructed.
"Of course!" Yumi went ahead and faced the stray.
"Right, then, Raynare. Yumi's role is the Knight. Knights specialize in weapons and physical attacks." The two watched as Yumi slashed Vizor with scintillating strikes, while Kurin continued to be the bait as he dodged her attacks.
Yumi landed on the floor, swords on hand. Vizor saw this as an opportunity and proceeded to step on the swordswoman.
"Koneko, you're up."
"No need to tell me twice." The white-haired devil ran towards Yumi just as the stray nearly crushed Yumi with her foot. Koneko held against the foot and pushed her off the ground with ease.
"Koneko's role is the Rook. Rooks specialize in physical strength and defense, making them perfect tanks against strong attacks. And as you saw there..." The devil's tail struck against Koneko, but she held onto it and threw her overhead. "...those kinds of attacks are useless against her."
Koneko went and punched the underside of Vizor, sending her crashing to the ground. The stray was surprised, to say the least. "To think these...youngsters could outdo me..."
"Hmph. Weak." Koneko said.
"Last, but not the least, Akeno."
Raynare looked at Akeno, and she was slightly unnerved by the amount of giddiness she was showing.
"Of course, Buchou. Now, tell me, how should I maximize the pain I'm about to give you?" Akeno turned to the downed stray, and lightning crackled from her hand, sending it down.
Vizor screamed in pain, and Akeno reveled in it. "It seems it's not enough. How about more then~"
"Akeno's role is the Queen. Queens, much like in chess where it is the most powerful piece among them, have the abilities of the Rook, Knight, Bishop, and Pawn. Akeno, while being my Queen, prefers using magic power as her main attack." Rias continued. Kurin landed next to her and his girlfriend.
"And it seems she's quite the sadist too." Kurin noted, seeing the pleasured look in her face.
"And a bit scary too." Raynare said.
"Not to worry, though. She's quite gentle with her allies." Yumi said.
Kurin chuckled. "Heh. Not much to worry about her, then, so long as we don't get on her bad side."
"I'm done Buchou~ but oh, it seems like my attacks still aren't enough. Take this last one, Buchou." Akeno said, marveling at her work.
"Let me, instead, Rias-chan." Kurin said. Rias turned to him.
"Why, though?"
"You haven't even seen a glimpse of my abilities. Just watch." A blue aura soon appeared on the human, and he approached the recovering devil. The aura was so powerful that it made everyone in the room feel uneasy, and they all wondered how much power did the human actually have.
"Sad to see you like this, hm?" He asked.
"Don't even pity me, human. To think I'd be dealt with such trash...you might as well kill me now to get it done with." She said, utterly resigned at this point.
Kurin grinned. "Hmph. That kind of attitude will get you killed. Maybe some time off will help you develop. You'll learn eventually, but enough is enough." His right hand glowed with blue energy.
"By the power of remorse, begone and goodbye." He snapped his fingers, and then an explosion occurred, leaving only blue smoke and no trace of the devil.
He turned to them, dusting his hands off, watching the agape looks on their faces. "Alright, maybe that isn't much as I had said, but you'll see soon enough. Now...are there any questions?"
No one spoke, but soon enough someone did, and that was Raynare, who realized that they had missed or skipped over a few pieces in their explanation. "Err, what do the Pawns and Bishops do?"
When the stray devil opened her eyes, she found herself back in the underworld, somewhere in an empty field. "He...let me live?" She said to herself. She looked at her legs and there were only two legs there. "And my body...it's normal again...and my piece..." Vizor turned to her side, and saw her piece, the knight piece, lying on the ground. She had a look that could be described as a combination of relief, freedom, joy, and at the same time, sadness. "He freed me of my pain..."
The devil slowly stood up. Thankful for the human who let her live, the now former stray devil soon walked back to where she could find a new home with her piece. She may not know what her future holds her, but she will not forget the individual who showed her mercy just for once in her miserable life.
AN: I've been drawing nothing but blanks for The Darkness and Light, so I might as well type out the next chapter for this story. I've given thought about some of the other picks for Kurin's harem, and here's the updated list of the confirmed ones, based on everyone's reviews (and my own thoughts on one not mentioned) before this chapter was put up:
Raynare, Rias, Akeno, Sona, Koneko, Kuroka, Serafall, Yumi, Kalawarner, Xenovia, Tsubaki, Asia
Unsure of putting them in:
Grayfia, Ravel, Irina, Seekvaira, Yasaka, Rossweise, Yubelluna, Mittelt, Katerea, Bennia, Elmenhilde, Roygun, Ophis
Some of the others I'm not too sure of putting them in the harem yet because I feel it's a bit too early to consider adding them in yet, with their appearances coming in arcs far from the very beginning, but I'm definitely putting them into consideration. I'm still thinking about putting Grayfia in, but your input will definitely help, so please send your reviews.
As for Kurin saving Vizor, he's really more of the epitome of mercy, as he gives a lot of people a second chance. Even as a human, he's different from others. Other than that, that's possibly the last appearance of the stray devil. And you'll all learn more soon enough about who the mysterious and alluring Orchintia is.
Now, I've been debating this since I made this story, but should Kurin have a peerage? I'm probably gonna put up this question until after the Excalibur arc, and then I'll determine from there whether he should.
I hope you all loved this chapter as much as me writing it. I had a blast. I'll probably work on the next one immediately after, but it's late, and I've been very much sleep-deprived. But I'll be sure to get the next one as fast as I can. Review! Make sure to tell me all your thoughts about this chapter. And I'll see you all next update!
