Life. 24: Time for War, Time for Peace.
.
She could hear the grasshoppers playing their tunes.
She could hear the owls hum outside the window.
Lying on the bed with arms crossed behind her head, Roygun's eyes never left the ceiling of her room.
For the first time, Roygun couldn't catch a wink of sleep.
Whenever she tried to close her eyes to doze off, her brain set an order to her body to keep her awake.
Even if she drank anything with alcohol to fog her memories, it didn't seem to do its work.
It did make her slightly tipsy, however. Hopefully, it will be enough in the long run.
If she was suffering from this, Roygun didn't want to find out what it feels like to have insomnia.
As she gave up on trying to fall asleep countless times, she would return to stargazing the ceiling—as if her answer was written right there.
Roygun brought the bottle of wine close to her lips for a sip, but realizing there was nothing left to drink, she sighed and let it fall on the floor—briefly hearing how it rolled and clinked with the other empty ones of today.
She knew what brought her to this mood, but what she didn't know was the cure for it.
Like a loop, her thoughts couldn't stop repeating her short fight against Georg.
It felt like a lucid dream that she couldn't escape from her blunder.
How the tables turned against her.
At what point did her guard drop for the Magician to grasp victory?
What could she have done to change the outcome?
Roygun didn't know.
That's not a good sign—Roygun thought. Years ago, she was King of her peerage. An elite fighter of the Rating Games.
Second only to the Undefeated Rating Game Champion.
Her hero.
Not many Devils managed to climb the ladder to reach the top of the Rating Games. Whilst power was a trend within and outside Devil territory, the Top Ten knew that strength wasn't the only advantage needed to dominate matches and secure winning streaks on your belt. Rudiger Rosenkreutz, the weakest one in terms of power, was the living proof of that.
He was so dangerous that he even managed to keep The Emperor wary of him.
With the corruption within the Rating Games being brought to light the audience has shifted their views of the games for the worse.
Many believed that all you needed to reach the Top Ten was manipulating the games from the shadows, or by having good contacts capable of "nudging" the leaderboard.
And as much as Roygun hated to admit it...
...
Her fight—if you could call it that—against Georg... brought a question that should be left unanswered for her own sake.
Or else, her self-esteem could deteriorate even more.
The King Piece... the King Piece was the whole reason behind her brilliant career?
Or her wits?
It wasn't any rocket science—the answer was in between, but she didn't want to know.
Ignorance is bliss after all.
She simply felt unprepared to face reality. Roygun was too scared to know the truth.
"You better not lose. Prove me all your strength didn't come from that King Piece, Roygun."
"The King Piece and your Clan Trait "Crack" made you an intimidating figure—but that's all in the past now."
"Why did Prince Danhauser give you a chance?" Roygun felt an ache in her beating heart, "Why is he bearing with the likes of you?"
"You better not lose. Prove me all your strength didn't come from that King Piece, Roygun."
As her mind kept bombarding her with memories over and over, Roygun quietly pulled her blankets to her face, turning in the bed, "I need to be fucked by something other than my life."
.
.
The organic clock inside Danhauser finished its cycle.
He groggily opened his eyes as they adjusted to the familiar surroundings of his room. He stifled a yawn to not disturb the resident sleepers.
He wanted to stretch out, but the additional weight on his body prevented him from moving a muscle.
Not because they were heavy, Danhauser could easily carry big stuff thanks to his intense training and natural physiology as a Devil.
He was mostly worried that,
He didn't even have to look at them to know who was in bed beside him.
On his left rested Valerie—his first and last pawn. She claimed that spot since they became a couple. It was weird how much she liked it there.
Ingvild was on his right side—his newest peerage member. The girl that from the start kept a distance in bed now snuggled close to him, seeking his warmth.
And it wasn't that Valerie cared about Ingvild sleeping on the same bed as them—she made it clear before—but warned the purple-haired to not grab her spot.
It was the first time Ingvild shifted closer to the point that he could feel her soft breaths tickling his neck, sending tingles across his spine.
Danhauser knew her closeness had nothing to do with her warming up to him. It was to give enough space for the fourth person to fit on the bed.
Behind Ingvild was his future magician—Lavinia Reni. Since he told Lavinia to stay with them from hereon, the blonde agreed to his terms without putting in much of a fight.
While Ingvild remained neutral, his girlfriend wasn't content with the sudden news of Lavinia sleeping on the same bed from now on. She didn't voice it, but it was written over her face.
Something was developing between them, and not in a good way. He knew he had to get to the bottom of this.
But not today. The triumph over the Hero Faction drained a lot of energy from him—peers and friends alike shared the same sentiment. He wanted to appreciate these boring days as much as he could before anything else dramatic surfaced on the horizon.
His attention shifted from girl to girl—a dumb smile slowly growing on his face. He was like a broken record at this point, but damn! They're so beautiful.
Each girl on this bed carried their charm. Since the day he had met them, Danhauser couldn't spot any flaws in terms of looks.
But this also extends to other women he had met, from allies to foes.
Right now, Danhauser could confidently claim that he was in a better place than Heaven.
"... Huh," Danhauser dropped his head back to the pillow with a content sigh, "Now I get it, Hyoudou."
Danhauser sang victory too soon as one of the girls started to shift around the bed.
"Unlucky," Danhauser sighed as Lavinia slowly sat on the bed legs crossed. He watched as the human rubbed one of her eyes. "Morning, Lavi."
She popped open her other sapphire eye and flashed him a tired smile, "Morning, Da..." she whispered out.
He smiled back, "Slept well?"
"Mhmm," she released a cute yawn afterward, the pajama she wore lifted because of her arm stretching. Because of her movements, Danhauser had a clear view of her flat tummy.
Danhauser couldn't avert his eyes away from the sight, "This... better not awaken anything in me."
"But a little overcrowded," Lavinia added after her arms dropped to her sides.
"Yeah," Danhauser broke from the hypnosis spell to purse his lips, "That's something that completely slipped off from my mind—the space."
Honestly, Danhauser was still impressed by the sturdiness of his bed. Supposedly, it was made to support two people. But since Ingvild slept with them and eventually, Lavinia chimed in, the bed was able to carry 4 people in total with no signs of surrendering to additional weight.
The bed was built with the finest materials.
"It can't be helped," Danhauser decided, "We're better living somewhere with more room... and I got a good place in mind."
With the domino effect still in play, Valerie was the next to pull her head off the pillow with a light groan.
"Morning, sleepy pumpkin," Danhauser chuckled at as she returned her greeting, albeit half-heartily, "Ready to start the day?"
"No," Valerie bluntly said, "I must agree... with her—we are cramped with many people now sharing the same bed. I guess someone didn't think thoroughly about this."
Danhauser smiled at her tired glare fixated on him, "Whoops," he slowly sat on the bed as well, making sure to not disturb Ingvild's sleep, "Is little Missus mad?"
"You are very cute to ask these silly questions."
"And you are very cute when you're pouting," Danhauser booped her nose playfully, "Look, I know you're still tired—dead tired."
"Oh, you know me too well, Danhauser! Your revealing gaze has laid me bare."
"Oh, I wish it did," Danhauser rolled his eyes in return, "The bright news is that I got us a bigger place for us to settle in."
The sour mood plastered on her face did a one-eighty, "How fortunate! May I ask where?"
"The house I bought from Sae in Ryuukou Town."
"In that case, you have my thanks," the Dhampir said, "I look forward to it."
Danhauser stared at her expectantly.
The Dhampir curved an eyebrow in return, "Yes?"
Danhauser continued staring, "Not even a kiss?"
"Ehehehe..." Valerie giggled at him, "Oh, I don't know. That sounds like a steep reward to ask for..."
"I think I deserve it."
"Oh, is that so?" Valerie's eyes slowly drifted towards Danhauser's, and her smirk widened once more. She soon leaned forward, "Well, that's not a good reason."
Danhauser rolled his eyes with a tug on his lips, "Well then. What is a good enough reason for your greatness?"
"Um..." Still sitting on the bed, Lavinia watched the couple uncomfortably. She could feel how the mood shifted. Her eyes darted between the door and them as she weighed her options.
Valerie was entertained with her boyfriend to pay any attention at all to the Magician, "I do not know. Tell me what it is, and I shall decide."
"How's that even fair? You could decide that any of my reasons are not enough!"
"Ehehehe... now who is getting mad?"
"Oh, you wanna be like that?" Danhauser grabbed her hip, eliciting a surprised squeak from his girlfriend, "I can play like that, too."
Lavinia's breath hitched as Danhauser's lips met Valerie's, shocking both blondes.
The Magician awkwardly watched them, eyes wide as dishes, before she eventually broke from her shock. "I'll... I'll get presentable for breakfast in the meantime! Right!"
Lavinia eventually left and gave them privacy. Honestly, Lavinia could fix her morning appearance with simple spells, she just needed an excuse to leave the room in case the situation escalated.
She just hoped they wouldn't wake up Ingvild.
Poor girl.
…
Lavinia was surprised when she found out that Danhauser and Valerie had become a couple. Not like she expected him to be single, but because of his aristocratic roots, she imagined he would be engaged to another Pure Devil at a young age.
From what Mephisto explained to her, the idea of boyfriend and girlfriend wasn't practiced in the Underworld. Fiancé and fiancée were the concepts they used when it involved relationships.
They, however, did not have the choice of who they would be engaged with—leading to aromantic or one-sided rapport.
This was between Pure Devils. Other races were seen as concubines.
Hence her surprise at Danhauser seeing Valerie—a halfling—as a girlfriend rather than a mistress.
For her, that said a lot about his character.
What shocked her more about the newsflash was Valerie of all people. The way the Dhampir behaves, Lavinia finds it hard to see the Half-Vampire with a man. Or a woman.
"But I was wrong," Lavinia reached the bathroom and moved inside, turning on the lights as she did so.
Maybe there was more than Valerie lets on, maybe she's a good soul but Lavinia had the misfortune to be the victim of her bad side.
Yet, Lavinia deep down knows she didn't do anything wrong. Valerie just reacted poorly to how Danhauser spoke to her.
While that's the past, it's also the first time they had a conversation. To her, it's a golden rule that first impressions matter a lot.
"Maybe Tobi is right," Lavinia muttered, "We'll eventually get along. Hopefully."
Developing any kind of bad blood with any of Danhauser's peerage wasn't on her list—especially when he was dating one of them.
They're her future teammates—people that she will watch their backs and likewise.
She will, after all, make a contract with him.
It's not a rumor anymore that she will make a pact with Danhauser—but a fact.
"It must feel great to be in that kind of relationship with someone," Lavinia sighed as she concentrated on her reflection in the mirror. Her beautiful, blonde hair was disheveled. "They look cute together, and they enjoy each other's company..."
Lavinia had to say it: in terms of appearance, Valerie didn't lack it at all. When the Dhampir grows up into a full, mature woman her beauty becomes the envy of the world.
The same could be said for Danhauser. Naturally, as a Devil, he has his devilish looks that made even someone as sour as Valerie fall for him, albeit his personality and actions were what hooked the hybrid.
Lavinia couldn't deny she found him attractive.
The Magician snapped her fingers and through magic, she fixed her hair instantly and smiled back in satisfaction at her reflection.
In deep thought, Lavinia unconsciously coiled a bit of her hair around a finger, "Maybe...?"
"Maybe what?"
Lavinia whiplashed around until she came face to face with the owner of the voice. "V-Valerie?! What are you doing here?"
"Fascinated to see me it seems," Valerie moved her arms behind her back, "just a short walk to stretch the legs for a bit, but I found you staring at your reflection for so long," she responded, "perhaps asking the mirror who is the fairest of them all?"
"J-Just getting ready for today," Lavinia prayed Valerie didn't catch the last words of her monologue, "And Da?"
"Still in the room waking up Ingvild," the Dhampir replied. "After that, he will likely knock on Roygun's door."
"Oh, I see..."
...
"I-I guess you want to use the bathroom," Lavinia walked awkwardly to the exit behind Valerie, "You can have it. I'll give you some—!"
But Valerie blocked her path, "What did you do?"
"E-Excuse me?"
"What did you do?" Valerie repeated, "You were unconscious. Your Longinus brought you to us and while your physical wounds were minimal, spiritually... death was knocking on your door."
"..."
"You unleashed the restraints placed on the creature within Absolute Demise, didn't you?" Valerie spotted Lavinia's eyes grow a little, "And I have my answer. Most kind of you."
But Lavinia hardened quickly, "What if I did?" her tone shifted to steel, "What I do is none of your business."
"It is, especially when you will be part of the group," Valerie remained unfazed by Lavinia's change of attitude. "Are you aware of the consequences of using such power even for a short period of time? The price is immense—especially for a human. Hopefully, you used it as a last resort."
It took great control over her facial muscles not to cringe in front of Valerie. If the Dhampir realized that Lavinia used it simply to settle the score, she would likely question her intelligence.
"I... I didn't expect you to know about it..." Lavinia admitted, "Are you knowledgeable about Sacred Gears?"
Valerie shook her head, "My knowledge of the Sacred Gears is laughable compared to the likes of the Governor-General and other enthusiasts. My insight unfortunately lies in the concept of spirit and souls. Life and death of body, soul, and spirit. Speaking of..."
Lavinia took a step back once Valerie took one forward, "Would you like to know how much life span you have left?" she tilted her head. "The answer might shock you."
Lavinia swallowed hard—her eyes locked with Valerie's red ones. "How much I have left?"
Valerie never averted away from the sapphires of Lavinia. She slowly brought her hand and raised two fingers, "Two," she revealed, "You have two years left."
The human felt her legs grow weak. Her gaze stayed fixated on the Dhampir. as if she suddenly grew a second head.
But suddenly, Valerie broke into a sardonic smile, "My mistake: you had," she rectified, and Lavinia relearned to breathe, "I fixed your life span."
Lavinia glared daggers at the shorter woman.
"Now what's with that look? Just a harmless joke to make sure you're still awake! Ehehehe..."
"I'm trying to get my head around what Da sees on her," unless Danhauser developed a thing for sarcastic, brooding, and... bitch girls. Putting that thought on a shelf for another occasion, Lavinia spoke, "... fix my life span? How?"
"With the Holy Grail, of course."
Lavinia had to fight the urge to facepalm in front of her.
Of course. How could she forget about Valerie's Longinus?
The safest, easiest, and fastest way to achieve immortality stood in front of her.
Valerie Tepes and the Sephiroth Graal.
Just by drinking from it, all her worries could vanish in seconds.
Could it be that...?
Lavinia gulped as she readied her question, mentally crossing her fingers, "... For how much you extended my life span?"
"Ah, there it is. The crucial question," Valerie tapped a finger to her lips, pondering, "Maybe for one, two or a hundred years more... or perhaps I made you ageless."
Lavinia felt her heartbeat miss a beat.
"... Can you believe that it suddenly slipped my mind?" Valerie offered a shrug, "Such a tragic, turn of events. Don't you think?"
"Oh, she's enjoying this! Like a spider wrapping their prey in a web!" the blonde human did her best to not speak through clenched teeth. She refused to be her source of amusement, "Forgetting things at a young age isn't a good sign."
Honestly, she didn't expect Valerie to hold a grudge over something so small. Or was the Dhampir like that with pretty much everyone?
"Or maybe it wasn't that important to remember," Valerie fired back, "What matters is that you're back in your feet. Now, do everyone a favor and try not to carelessly use your Sacred Gear next time—doctor's orders," Lavinia felt her glare, but could tell it was not meant for her, "Sacred Gears in general... has become the focal point of a human's place in history—unfortunately so."
Lavinia was surprised by the venomous tone of the blonde, "Valerie... do you dislike Sacred Gears?"
"Certainly," the Dhampir replied instantly, "While I can admit they have value during perilous moments, that doesn't change the fact that they are nothing but a source of endless complications and trouble."
"No..." Lavinia shook her head, "I don't agree. Angel is not that..."
"Angel?" Valerie parroted incredulously, "A Sacred Gear is not a pet."
"Angel is my friend!"
"Even less a friend. Don't make the same mistake as Tobio and grow attached to a weapon of mass destruction shoved into you without consent."
"... What's your problem?"
"My problem?" Valerie huffed at the question, "I simply can't understand this urge to regard a collection of dangerous tools as imaginary friends."
"Sacred Gears are more than that! A loyal companion and so much more!"
"Your 'loyal companion' is what pushed you to the brink of death."
"Even so..." Lavinia stared at her palms, "To me, Angel is my guardian..." she clenched her fists and clashed with Valerie's disapproving gaze, "... they watched over me when I was a mere child. Before I even met Glinda... I trust them with my life."
"Tch!" Valerie squared her jaw, "... Everyone adores writing songs and tales about how Sacred Gears are blessings from the Biblical God, that they are a necessity to maintain order. But they are all wrong. Sacred Gears are to blame for this cruel, merciless world we live in."
"No... your blind hatred is obscuring your perception," the human brought a hand to her chest, "I believe that you, Tobi, Va, other Longinus Users, me... we have a purpose..."
"Why else would we be the holders of the strongest Sacred Gears in the world?" If there's one thing she agreed with Cao Cao, was that as humans born with a Longinus were destined to make an impact upon this world—whether good or bad.
The half-human did an eye-roll, "Yours, apparently being to bother me with nonsense."
They heard footsteps and both blondes turned simultaneously in time to spot Danhauser walking to their direction, to his side followed Ingvild.
Ingvild still had her eyes shut, seemingly half-asleep and lagged behind Danhauser. Her messy, morning hair was in a worse state than Lavinia had it minutes ago.
"You're such an oddball," they heard Danhauser sigh, "some nights you don't want to sleep while others you drop like a log."
The only response he got from the half-devil was a cute yawn.
Her yawn spread to him as he did the same, "Unlucky," the heir finally stopped in front of the blondes, wiggling his eyebrows at them, "Ready to grab some breakfast, girls?"
Valerie faced her boyfriend, the exchange she had with Lavinia seemingly gone from her memories, "I expected Roygun to be with you?"
"I did, but Roygun takes her sweet time to get ready for the morning, she'll join us eventually at the table," Danhauser then muttered quietly to himself, "that room needs some cleaning, it's such a damn mess."
Lavinia's attention darted to the quiet Leviathan. She placed her hands on her knees to bend down and meet her eyes properly, "Ingvild, isn't it? Do you take good care of your hair?"
Ingvild rubbed one of her eyes, "Um, not really..." the soft-spoken Leviathan muttered.
"That's not good," she chided the half-devil, "many girls would die having beautiful hair like yours... here."
With a snap of fingers, Ingvild's hair magically began to accommodate according to her typical hairstyle.
Lavinia thundered her fingers again to summon a floating mirror, reflecting Ingvild's morning face, "Do you like it?"
Ingvild blinked her sleep away, "Woah..." her eyes sparkled as she passed her purple hair in between her fingers, "so pretty..." she gave the Magician a timid smile, "Thank you."
"Any plans today?" Valerie asked Danhauser.
"Yeah. We got a tight schedule today," Danhauser started counting on his fingers, "Breakfast, moving our stuff to Sae's house, lunch, go to Grauzauberer to finally make a pact with Lavi—"
Lavinia beamed to that.
"—and lastly, a big party at Tobio's bar to celebrate our win against the Hero Faction," he faced his girlfriend, "few things, but time-consuming—last one is going to take pretty much the rest of the night."
.
.
"So, you're moving now? Taking the big steps of adulthood?"
"Yep. We're getting tight in space here—I'm giving you back the privacy you had back then."
"Ugh, about damn time! I was growing tired from all the muffled noises coming from your room each night. You're packing some stamina there, cuz."
"Funny. I could've sworn it was you making noises whenever I walked through the corridor."
"Spying on your cousin now? You perv~."
"C-Can we please stop?" a red-faced Lavinia pleaded, "I-Ingvild is here, please..."
"But..." Ingvild tilted her head with a cute frown, "I don't get it?"
"Neither do I," Valerie chimed in.
Lavinia swirled to look at the Dhampir incredulously, "Are you being sarcastic?"
"No. I do not get it," Valerie scowled at the intense stare, "can you stop looking at me like that? It's starting to bother me."
"Maybe those noises are because she's scared...? I-I get scared sometimes too..." Ingvild confessed, "I-I don't like sleeping alone because I get nightmares..."
Roygun flashed her iconic smile, "Well, my dears, there's certain uses the hands can do to keep you entertained on lonely nights~."
Lavinia who tried to hide her deep blush by drinking the water on her glass, kept shooting glances to Ingvild who was fixated on the conversation.
Meanwhile, Valerie watched Roygun wiggle her eyebrows for a few seconds, "Is this a bawdy joke?"
The pink-haired chuckled, "Well, that's progress—but not a joke. Maybe the newest member of the group can enlighten you further. She appears to have some experience."
Valerie turned right in time to witness Lavinia spilling the water she had just drank back into the glass. The Magician coughed a few times before turning her aghast look to the oldest Devil, "W-W-what?! I do not—!"
"Oh, please," Roygun cut her off with a scoff, "I could believe it coming from the lips of Ingvild and possibly Valerie... but everybody else on this table is guilty."
Lavinia tried to cook a retort, but only her lips blew out empty words. She tilted her witch hat enough to hide her red face and resumed drinking her water in defeat.
"But does that matter?" Cleria reached out for her cousin to hook her arm around his neck and pull him for a hug. She winked at the half-vampire, "Danny will make sure you don't need to rely on your fingers whenever you feel frustrated~!"
Danhauser deadpanned.
"I'm lost..." Ingvild mumbled quietly.
"Are all breakfasts in this house like this?" the Magician muttered.
"They are!" Roygun exclaimed contently, "But this is tamer compared to previous banters."
"Oh, how much I'm gonna miss you!" Cleria still with an arm around Danhauser's neck, decided to give him a proper hug now, "Who am I gonna tease now?!"
"You're aware that I'm visiting, right?" Danhauser hugged her back, "I work in Kuoh Academy. Don't act like I'm no longer seeing you two ever again!"
"You better do!" Roygun smiled at him as Cleria finally released him, "Visit from time to time, okay? We're gonna miss a lot the man of the house..."
"Relax, I was also thinking of letting someone else keep my bedroom," Danhauser revealed. "Someone that needs it badly. You two don't mind?"
"If they aren't weird then sure!" Cleria nodded to Roygun, "You care?"
Roygun simply shrugged, "I have a feeling that they won't like living under the same roof with an old lady like me."
"You're younger than Diehauser," Cleria pointed out and turned back to her cousin. "Who's gonna grace us by the way?"
"A student," Danhauser got interrupted by the ringtone of his cellphone. He pulled it from his pocket and grimaced after seeing his inbox. "Fuck."
Cleria looked up from her breakfast, eyebrow raised, "What is it?"
"Azazel. RGCP..." Danhauser placed his phone back on the table.
Lavinia tilted her head, "RGCP?"
"Rating Game Committee President," Danhauser answered, "In other words, my brother. Most likely wishing to hear different perspectives about the scandal of the match I had with Sairaorg."
"I guess Sairaorg is gonna be there too," Cleria muttered.
"Absolutely. He's involved in this just as I am. The bright news is that Diehauser didn't specify any date. So, I'll drop there once I return to the Underworld. So yeah, lots of stuff," Danhauser hurried on his breakfast until his plate was empty. He stood up and the girls followed suit, "First things first: say hello to our new home."
"I can take care of that!" Lavinia volunteered, "I can teleport everything that belongs to you to your new home."
"Remind me again why it took us so long to make a pact?"
Lavinia slapped his arm playfully, "I know where the house is—Va used to stop by from time to time. I could give you a tour around the house if you want."
"I'd love to be there, but I'm off to school, keep an eye out on the students," Danhauser explained, "I can only help you out by putting all our stuff on some luggage."
"That's okay," the blonde assured him, "leave it to me, nothing that a wave of a wand can't handle!"
Valerie rolled her eyes.
Which didn't go unnoticed by Danhauser as he jabbed her sides, making her jump slightly in her seat. "Thanks! I'm counting on you," he ignored his girlfriend's intense glare and continued, "Let's head upstairs and pack everything. The quicker we get this done, the merrier."
"And about our magician pact?"
"After school, deal?"
"Deal!"
Both Cleria and Roygun watched Danhauser and the girls head upstairs. The grey-haired waited for the footsteps to fade in the distance to look at Roygun, "So..."
Roygun looked at Cleria with a raised eyebrow but smiled after seeing the infectious grin on her face, "So...?"
"What do you think? Yea or nay?"
"What do you think?" Roygun fired back the question. "Do you approve it?"
"Absolutely!" Cleria answered without any doubts and flashed two thumbs-ups, "Ship looking sturdy enough to sail for so long! Danny and Valerie are cuuute together~!"
"Well..." Roygun paused to enjoy the last of her grapes before responding, "I don't."
Cleria almost choked on her breakfast and after recovering, she looked at her friend incredulously, "W-What?!" she took a deep breath before continuing, "Why?!"
"It seems most counterproductive for a Pure Devil who is working hard to clean the name of his Household."
"Roygun... o-one thing has nothing to do with the other."
"You think?" Roygun tilted her head to put some thought before shaking her head, "I disagree. Even though Danhauser doesn't think like other Pure Devils, he's still one—the next Head of his Household I must add. It's only natural that the population with a severe mob mentality look down on Danhauser for not adopting their culture. That will cost him political allies."
"Well..."
"I'm not done," Roygun cut her off, leaning on the table to look intently into Cleria's grey eyes, "... What if an heir or heiress is forced to choose between the non-Pure Devil they love and climbing the hierarchy? What should their choice be?"
"..."
"What will Lord Bael or the Great King even think about when they find out that Danhauser is dating someone that isn't a Pure Devil?"
The grey-haired pursed her lips as Roygun resumed eating her breakfast, unfazed by the now awkward atmosphere. "Hm. This would go great with a glass of wine~!"
Cleria simply looked down at her plate, her food growing cold with each passing second.
Politics sucks—she thought.
.
.
[The current user of Annihilation Maker doesn't have a precise location. Every time we get his current coordinates on screen, they either completely flatline or shift into a different area soon after.]
"What is the distance between one coordinate and the other?"
[It's random,] the small hologram of Azazel explained atop his desk,[To give you an idea, he was first in a country in Europe, and suddenly we found out he's in Asia!]
"Maybe he made a monster with the ability of teleportation," Danhauser leaned on his squeaky chair with a sigh, "It'll be hard to track him down if he keeps pulling that trick off his sleeve. How can you even figure out his coordinates?"
[With the help of Heaven,] Azazel felt the flat look of the Devil and continued, [Sacred Gears have an ID which helps us pinpoint the coordinates of the current user.]
"Why am I only just finding out about this?" Danhauser muttered under his breath.
[All Sacred Gears have a unique identifier to find a specific Sacred Gear—useful especially for those that aren't Longinus,] Azazel technobabble.[With this, Heaven and Grigori can find the current location of the Sacred Gear, see its past users, and even disable its abilities, but only Pops has the power to do the last one.]
"That could've been useful to hunt down Georg quicker, don't you think?"
[Yes and no. Dimension Lost is an exception to this rule. Ours and Heaven's tech can only pinpoint when they're moving on earth]Azazel explained,[If they are on another dimension, such as the Dimensional Gap or Dimension Lost's Balance Breaker, the radar goes haywire.]
Satisfied with his answer, Danhauser leaned back in his seat. "What's the plan then? Keep chasing him?"
[It's a matter of time before he drains all his stamina,] Azazel theorized, [I doubt the current user is proficient with his Longinus, or else he would fight back rather than opt for an escape... which begs the next question.]
"Hmm?"
[How does he know we're after him?]
"... Is that a rhetorical question?"
[Who I just sent are Raynare and her goons. Are you following now?]
"Why are you picking employees of Tobio's bar to do your dirty work?"
[I guess the bills aren't enough to pay for debt,] the Governor-General joked, before he became serious again,[Raynare's group are equally as fast as a turtle. Whenever they reach the coordinates we gave them, they report that no one was there.]
Danhauser narrowed his eyes, "Either he created other monsters to monitor and alert about the presence of the supernatural. Or..."
[Something else is chasing him,] Azazel finished, [Seems we're not the only ones interested in Annihilation Maker.]
"Seems so fishy. Why is Raynare in charge of an important mission again?"
[I'm not making my greatest men set sail in unknown waters.]
"Fair enough."
[… That was the plan until we found out we got competition.] The Governor added with a grunt, [Whoever is racing us, it can also magically teleport as well. Any idea who could it be?]
Danhauser kneaded his temple, "... No idea," he pursed his lips, "I... I'm clueless."
[Maybe someone from Khaos Brigade,]Azazel tossed his two cents, [That faction stinks badly. All organizations in there have a target on their back.]
"That's our best, sounding theory so far," but from all the organization cells that formed Khaos Brigade, who was hunting down Leonardo?
The Old Satan Faction and the Hero Faction are off the list for obvious reasons.
It was either Satanael or Rizevim. If his memory served him right, those two are the only ones keeping the Khaos Brigade active.
And yet...
He doubted Ophis was after Leonardo. No way a child was able to escape from the claws of a Dragon God unless the latter was playing with their prey.
Danhauser tapped a finger on his desk in deep thought. He perked up in realization, "... What about someone from the Entente?"
Indra kept quiet about it. What could stop other Pantheons from following in his steps?
Hell, maybe it could even be Indra himself trying to rescue the leftovers of the battle.
Now with the fall of the Hero Faction, Annihilation Maker was a free game for anybody.
[That's... a bold accusation,]Azazel finally spoke,[Remember that they are on our side—working together to defeat a similar enemy. We shouldn't think negatively of our allies.]
"But?"
[… Go on.]
"Only small numbers know about the current status of each member of the Hero Faction," Danhauser shared his thoughts, "those that took a peek on my report, that is. They know that Annihilation Maker is active, somewhere."
[And your report only made it to the hands of each member of the Entente,] Azazel rubbed his goatee as he carefully analyzed the words of his agent, [… Good point. It's also convenient that this started days after the info was shared with everyone.]
"See? Now we're getting somewhere."
[Even if you were to hit the nail on the head, we shouldn't be surprised,] Azazel released a tired sigh, [All factions have their agendas—don't think most of them joined out of the abundance of their hearts. They just saw that signing up outweighs the cons... the immense, military support, the saving hand when their Pantheon is getting attacked... or because their adversaries did it first.]
"Indra and Shiva?"
[For example...] the Governor rolled his eyes, [You know what they say, keep your friends close but your enemies closer.]
"What should we do?"
Azazel flashed him a thumbs up, [Leave it to us. I'll send either Baraqiel or Shemhazai to handle the mission. If things go south, I may take Slash Dog from your hands. Either way, on a brighter note!] the Governor quickly changed the topic, [Gossips within the Entente is that the Shinto Faction finally decided to join our big family aaand that the High Priestess will be present during the meetings.]Danhauser raised an eyebrow, and Azazel smirked to that, [got a feeling that you had to know about that last piece of information.]
"Thanks for telling me. I'll get a pump before participating in the meeting."
[Also wear the best suit in your closet—ladies love a well-dressed man too.]
"I think I have something inside my closet that could make her jaw drop."
The Fallen Angel merely chuckled, [Can I count on your assistance?]
"Consider it done."
[Then I'll see you on the other side. Azazel out.]
Once the hologram disappeared, his shoulders dropped, "a meeting with a bunch of gods?" Danhauser blew air from his nostrils, "That just screams problems..."
He gave a side glance to the piles of paper occupying the corner of his desk and grimaced, "... I should hire an assistant," Danhauser breathed out, "a cute one."
Oh, Roseweisse. Where art thou?
Suddenly, Danhauser heard a knock on the door.
Before speaking, the heir made sure to keep anything related to the supernatural remained hidden.
Satisfied, he cleared his throat and spoke, "Come on in."
The door opened slowly, and a head full of blonde hair pocked from the gap—the nervousness could be reflected on her green eyes. "Vice-Principal? You wanted to see me...?"
"Right! Asia, thank you for coming over," Danhauser beckoned the student to enter, "Don't be nervous, I just wanted to talk with you briefly."
"So... I'm not in trouble?"
"You shouldn't be," Danhauser raised an eyebrow, "Unless you're hiding something worthy of detention."
"N-No! I'm not!"
Danhauser flashed a smile, "Then there's nothing you should sweat about. Are you going to stand there or...?"
"O-Oh! Okay...!" It was evident that Asia needed to hear that as she stepped inside with a relieved look, yet curiosity sparked in her green eyes, "Then what did you call me for Vice-Principal...?"
"I'll keep it short," Danhauser waited for Asia to take a sit, "Pack your things, you're moving out from that abandoned church."
The former nun blinked owlishly, "I-I'm sorry but what?"
"I got a better place for you," the Devil elaborated, "way better than a crumbling place... no offense. And you won't be alone either!"
"W-Wait, please! You're going too fast!" Asia pleaded and saw the older man listen to her. The blonde took a deep breath and whispered, "Thank you. A-are you offering me a place to stay?"
"Bingo," Danhauser nodded, "You'll be roomies with my cousin and professor Roy—Sakura."
"O-Oh... I see..."
"Well, that's not the reaction I was hoping for. What's wrong?"
"I-It's not that! It's just..." Asia looked down, seemingly mauling over it, "Vice-Principal... thank you for your offer. I-I'm glad people as generous as you walk in this world... you've done so much for me in so little time... but I can't accept this," she looked up to meet his stare, "I-I know the church lacks proper maintenance, that it could look pleasant to the eyes of others... to feel welcoming... b-but it's the only place I have left where I can communicate with the Lord after I've been excommunicated..."
Danhauser pursed his lips, "Asia... you still can visit that Church," Danhauser explained, "it's just that... seeing you sleeping there gives me a sour taste in the mouth."
"B-but who will watch the church?"
"Will you watch the church?" Danhauser asked back.
"O-of course! I've been doing that since I've been here!"
"Are you strong enough to protect it?" Danhauser saw how the girl slumped a bit, "Asia... you're a defenseless girl, you wouldn't even hurt a fly."
Asia dropped her head in utter defeat, "... but then who...?"
Seeing the girl in an existential crisis, he spoke, "I'll keep an eye out."
"No!" Asia immediately declined, "Y-You're doing too much for me! I-I don't even know how to repay you for everything!"
"Asia, it's fine. You don't owe me anything."
"I do!"
"You don't."
"I do! I do!"
"You don't."
Asia pouted at him, "You won't give up, won't you?"
"I can go all day."
"You're so stubborn," Asia whined, shuffling her feet around, "... they won't mind?"
"They're ok with it."
"... Okay," Asia nodded, "I-I can't decline when you're being so persistent Vice-Principal... but I don't want to be a burden either..."
"That should be the least of your worries. I bet you can easily find a way to help around the house."
"Um... maybe I-I can cook for them?"
"You can cook?" Danhauser asked, impressed.
"Yes!" Asia seemed a bit proud of that, "In the Church, I always volunteered to cook for the children when the opportunity arises..."
"Oh, they'll love you having you around then," Danhauser confidently said, "we three couldn't even flip a damn pancake."
"Leave it to me please!" Asia practically begged, "I'll make sure they're well fed! I-I'll even cook their bento!"
"Damn, I'm kinda regretting leaving the house now... I should stay and kick out Cleria and Roygun instead."
"A-And for you..." Asia looked down and clasped both hands, "I'll make sure that you and your loved ones are always in my prayers."
"In that case, I'll have to ask Valerie to give Cleria and Roygun some sort of immunity toward prayers." he forgot to tell them that their new roommate was a famous nun of the Vatican. He shook his head to flash her a smile, "Thanks a bunch. Give me a call once you are back to your new room."
Asia smiled back and looked everywhere once the bell signaled recess.
"Right in time," Danhauser told her, "You can go now. Enjoy your break."
"Umm..."
"What's wrong?"
"I-Is it okay if I eat here with you, Vice-Principal?" Asia asked shyly, somehow, he missed out that this whole time she brought her lunchbox with her.
"Of course not, but just for a little bit, alright?" Danhauser winked at her, "I have to patrol the campus after all."
.
.
"... An oath shall be sworn here."
"Seventy-two pillars who hail none. The Devil never perishes; it only bargains with the foolish!"
"O spawn, mark the time of hell and earth's creation."
"Let your spiritual values and moral principles be the essence."
"Let my innocence and ignorance surrender this soul to an evil aspect."
"Let knowledge, power, and riches be the foundations of this pact."
"Let my greed for all the world's pleasures be the catalyst of my consequences."
"Your self is under me—"
"My fate is in your palm," Lavinia took a deep breath, "I announce... Let the House of Belial be the one I pay tribute to."
Once the chant finished, a glow appeared around their intertwined fingers that slowly took over Lavinia's hand in the shape of a grey flame.
They pulled back their hands and watched the flame dance within Lavinia's hand harmlessly.
Eventually, an emblem grew at the back of her hand—like a tattoo.
And she gasped, "Da, look! Look!" Danhauser had to cock his head back once Lavinia shoved the back of her hand to his face. He easily recognized the sigil of his Household residing on her skin. "It's official!"
"Took a damn while—longer than it should be," the heir gave his contract magician a wide smile, "but better late than later. Happy to have you by my side, Lavi."
Imbued with many emotions, Lavinia pulled Danhauser into a bear hug that he quickly reciprocated.
"Congratulations on finding someone, Lavinia," Mephisto who was a mere spectator along with his Queen, spoke up, "You better bring the name of Grauzauberer high, understood?"
She broke the embrace to face Mephisto, "Of course Pops," she moved closer also pulled him in her arms, almost tightly, "t-thank you for everything... everyone has been so kind to me since I-I was little."
Mephisto could feel her shaking on the hug, followed by quiet sobs, "Dear Satan... what a cliché," he chuckled and fondly patted her back, "are you done, you crybaby? You're ruining my robes."
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Lavinia chuckled whilst wiping her face, "I-I promised myself I'd keep a straight face… but I got overwhelmed by emotions."
"It's fine. At least you didn't suck your thumb like the other day."
"I did not!"
Everyone minus Lavinia shared a laugh.
Mephisto was the first to recover, "Congratulations you both. That's all about the magician pact," he pursed his lips, "but we're not done here."
"There's something else we need to talk about," Tannin added.
Both Danhauser and Lavinia exchanged confused looks and turned back to the Devil and the Dragon.
The older Devil sported a grim look, "We found Glinda."
.
.
"... And that's the gist of it," Mephisto finished.
"She also had a message for you," Tannin told Lavinia, "Stop looking for her. When the time comes, she'll find you herself."
"... I see," Lavinia finally spoke.
"I'll be honest, I was debating on whether or not to tell you this," Mephisto told his former student, "I wanted to avoid rekindling your desire to find your ward thus keeping you safe from any danger... but because of how hard you were working to find clues... I couldn't bring myself to hide this from you."
"Like a consolation prize for all your efforts," Danhauser surmised.
"Yeah. Pretty much."
"I... I understand," Lavinia flashed a faint smile, "Thank you for telling me, Pops."
Danhauser watched her carefully contemplating, "Lavinia..."
"Don't worry. I won't do anything reckless this time," she eased his mind, "My obsession with finding my ward is what brought me in trouble in the first place... what made everyone take action to rescue me."
"I was some sort of freelancer back then," Lavinia looked up with a confident expression, she also brought her hand up, showing off the Belial symbol at the back of her hand, "but now? I work for the Belial Family—to you specifically Da... I can't put myself in stupid situations where you must put your life on the line to rescue me... it'll leave a bad image on us. However, what I expect from this pact is that you always watch my back, just like I'll always watch yours."
Danhauser found himself smiling at her speech, "We've been doing that since we met. I only failed you once, but never again."
"And besides, if those were her words... then all I must do is wait. At least I know that she's alive, that alone is a good sign," Lavinia beamed to Danhauser, "I hope you get to meet her eventually!"
He didn't want to hurt her, but Danhauser didn't like Glinda.
Even though she helped, and admittedly, her intervention helped them bring down the Hero Faction... she was such a mysterious person in his eyes.
Why did she disappear and leave Lavinia when she was just a child? Not even keeping in touch with her throughout the years.
Honestly... Glinda must be a wonderful person if Lavinia holds her in a pedestal and the time his Magician lost by searching for her footsteps.
Lavinia did all that, despite knowing Glinda pretty much abandoned her.
And out of the blue, she showed up.
But he didn't seem to be the only one suspicious about Glinda. Mephisto and Tannin also seemed to believe there were ulterior motives on her return.
But out of respect for Lavinia, Danhauser answered optimistically, "I look forward to it," he then turned to Mephisto, "I guess we're done here. Or is there anything else?"
"Glinda seems to have under her possession a Sacred Gear," Mephisto revealed, "or to be more precise—a Longinus."
"Telos Karma," Tannin blew smoke from his nostrils. "The whole reason you were released from Georg Faust's brainwashing was thanks to the Longinus."
"... but how?" Lavinia wondered, "how Telos Karma was able to free me from the spell?"
"Hmmm," Mephisto stroked his chin, "good question. How can I explain the way such aTelos Karma works? Ah! I know how! Maybe if I—hi-yah!"
Suddenly, Mephisto threw a book at Danhauser.
The younger devil easily dodged the book by tilting his head. He raised an eyebrow at the grinning Mephisto, "What's that for?"
"What were my chances of hitting you with the book?" Mephisto ignored his question.
"A fat zero."
"Ha! Cocky fucker," Mephisto grinned widened, "... just for the sake of clarity, let's say I had a 2% chance of hitting your pancake face, and the 98% of you dodging my attack—the odds are naturally in your favor... but that could change if I had Telos Karma."
"... What."
"With Telos Karma, my chances of the book hitting the mark increases, maybe to 45% or even lowering your chances to dodge it to 30%."
"... No way," Danhauser finally laughed, "I trained hard for years under the beatings of my mom and my brother. It'd be downright embarrassing if a damn book thrown lazily managed to hit my nose."
"Telos Karma doesn't give a fuck," Mephisto grinned at Danhauser's broken ego, "You could've trained for years to evade through sheer instinct alone, if my chances are at my favor, it'd still tap your ass."
"It sounds stupid," Danhauser stood in denial, "If what you say is true then Telos Karma is broken... it must have some sort of weakness. Or else, this would be the first Longinus in which the user doesn't need to train to become busted."
Lavinia frowned, "What were my chances to escape from the spell?"
"... A 100% percent," Tannin answered, "No matter what happened or how complicated the task was... your release was absolute."
"And what if it was 50% percent?" Danhauser asked, "Does Telos Karma tell you if it worked or not?"
"That's the fun part," Mephisto grunted, "You don't know if it will work out until something happens after the trigger."
"Then when Telos throws a 50% chance of surviving an unavoidable attack," Danhauser pursed his lips, "you'll have to just put your fate in Lady's luck hands..."
"Correct."
"... who decides these numbers?" Danhauser asked, "Telos Karma itself or it depends on the effort or strength of the current user? Or the likelihood of the event happening like, harder to make rarer things happen?"
"You're asking the wrong man. Go ask the nerd that cum buckets by the sight of a Twice Critical."
"Azazel. Got it."
"But... if I had to guess, but how bullshittery the Longinus is... I want to believe that this power is limited by causality, logic, reality, and truth."
"It better be."
"Hoh? Salty much?"
Danhauser rolled his eyes, "Not a fan of a Sacred Gear that spits on the cultivated efforts from those who trained hard to reach where they currently are."
"I agree," Tannin grunted.
"Well, you two can write your complaint letter to Michael's daddy and hope He reads it."
"Funny old man. Is that all?"
"Unfortunately for you, not yet" Mephisto then became serious, "Just one last thing."
"More about Glinda?" Danhauser tried to guess.
"That's right—perhaps the most important topic..." Mephisto drawled, "The very first time we met Glinda, we knew she didn't have a Sacred Gear, but now she does?"
Danhauser narrowed his eyes while Lavinia stilled.
"There are only two ways to obtain a Sacred Gear, through birthright or extracting it from someone else," Mephisto paused, "I don't want to jump to conclusions, but the former's method consists of the original user dying in the process."
"This gives us a hint that Glinda isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty," Tannin said.
"... No. That can't be," Lavinia slowly stood up, "maybe... maybe she did. But since it was Telos Karma, she wanted to keep it a secret and—!"
"Lavinia. Do what you will with this information," Mephisto interrupted the blonde's rambling, "but as a suggestion... don't let your guard down when you two finally meet."
A tense silence soon followed and Danhauser had to spare a glance at his Magician to easily spot her clenched fists and hat tilted down, hiding her face completely.
The best Danhauser could do was stand up and give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. His gaze was still locked on her, but his mind was elsewhere.
With Glinda confirmed being the user of Telos Karma, that only leaves one Longinus user to show up.
"... Innovate Clear," Danhauser pursed his lips, "Azazel needs to hear this too."
"... You two are dismissed," Mephisto nodded at the doors behind them, "Best of luck."
"Thank you," Lavinia was quick to summon a magic circle that teleported both magician and master out of Mephisto's office.
Once the two officially left, Tannin spoke, "She didn't like that."
"No shit," Mephisto grabbed a document from his pile of papers and began to read it.
"You never told her that Glinda may be in danger as well."
"... And I was about to," Mephisto sighed, "but since she decided to wait for Glinda instead… I didn't want to reignite her drill to pursue her. If she were to find out that Glinda is in danger... I rather not risk it."
"Hmph," Tannin folded his huge arms, looking at the two empty seats, "And here I thought you couldn't hide anything from her."
"How fast that backfire, didn't it?" Mephisto started sighing some papers, not even a hint of regret echoed his words, "just an innocent lie."
.
.
The constant cheering for both sides could easily lift someone's spirit.
Which was working for both participants.
Jeanne's face grew red from the sheer effort she was putting into pinning the arm of her opponent—who also seemed to struggle to force her hand down on the table.
She mustered all the strength she achieved through the intense training she privately received from Vasco Strada himself.
Her mind behaved like an echo chamber, her subconsciousness constantly begging her to rely on the Rook Piece, but she pushed those thoughts away—it'd be cheating according to the rules they just made minutes ago.
In return, her opponent couldn't rely on his Touki.
She looked away from their firmly, gripped hands to study at his face.
It was Bikou—the descendant of the Monkey King.
Like her, his face was like a tomato and covered in sweat.
"... Just give up already!" Bikou growled under his breath as he used his other hand to grip the corner of the table. "You'll lose... either way... goldilocks!"
Jeanne ignored his taunts and grounded her teeth hard as veins began to pop on her forehead.
"You can do it, Jeanne!" she heard Danhauser clapping enthusiastically from behind, "the peerage's reputation rests on your shoulders!"
"You got this in the bag, Jeanne!" Sae joined in as well.
"Come ooooon~!" Kuroka grinned from ear to ear, "Don't tell me a little girl is gonna kick your ass, nya!"
"Humble him!" Siegfried, holding his nth, mug of beer tightly from the handle—the effect of the alcohol already affecting him. "Teach him a thing or two about what happens when someone messes with us!"
"If you lose, I'll kill you!" Bova threatened the fellow Rook.
Le Fay, watching from a different table away from the barbarians, turned to look at the blond sitting beside her, and asked, "S-Shouldn't we cheer Lord Bikou as well?"
Arthur calmly drank from his warm tea, "Le Fay... you must learn to sit back and observe," Arthur spoke like a sage, "not everything needs a reaction."
"R-Right!"
Ingvild and Vali shared the same table mostly because Lavinia brought them along with her. The magician beamed as she sat in between both half-devils.
"Isn't this wonderful?" Lavinia laughed with both hands clasped, "Everyone is having so much fun... seeing all these big smiles, without a care of the future... it brings me joy to see that nothing will bring them down if they have each other."
Ingvild said no word, too occupied hunching over in ways to hide from the piercing gaze of the silver-haired.
"MERDEEEEEEEE!" Jeanne's perseverance was rewarded as she began to finally tilt Bikou's arm in her favor.
At last, the back of Bikou's hand touched the wood—signaling Jeanne as the winner.
The table exploded on a roar of cheers—Bova being the loudest.
Siegfried slammed his mug hard into the table so that it shattered in pieces, spreading the remains of his liquor everywhere.
"Get shit on!" Jeanne barked straight to Bikou's face. She grabbed her drink, "Literally easiest duel of my life!"
Bikou grounded his teeth. His face was red from embarrassment as he watched the blonde drink her beer with resentment. "L-Lucky!" he stuttered, his ego torn into pieces. "Damn, rookie luck!"
"Cope harder-hic!"
"I had a cramp!"
"Whatever, homie. Like I give a-hic!" Jeanne hiccupped, "Like I give a-hic!... Like I give a-hic! Like. I. Give a-HIC! Shit."
Tobio observed her current state, "Yeah, I think you should put the glass down for a bit."
Jeanne looked at him as if he just grown a second head, "You're kidding?!" she hugged her mug defensively, "I couldn't touch even with a stick a bottle of this back in my lame days at the Church! Nah! I'll be trippin' dat shit hard!"
"She won," Bova sided with her, "she deserves to do whatever she wants for tonight."
"Yeah," Siegfried wiped his chin from alcohol with an arm, "We all came here to get wasted, and from the looks of it, she could use the extra hands! Where's the giant mug? I'll gargle and spit!"
"Nuh-uh," Danhauser brought his drink up with a smile, "No spitting—King's orders."
Siegfried smirked and clicked his glass with Danhauser's, "That's what I always say, master."
"... Alright. She better not puke all over my floor," Tobio then eyed the still embarrassed Bikou, "Think you're up for another round?"
Bikou blinked at the question and grinned when he saw his chance for redemption, "Heh! Don't underestimate me cuz Goldilocks got blessed here! I'm second only to Vali when it's all about muscles!"
"We'll see," the brunet rolled a shoulder, "If I also kick your ass, you'll tell me where Mount Huaguo is! Deal?"
Bikou paled once he saw Tobio summoning his signature weapon, "Whoa, the fuck you're doing?!" he snapped, "Put that down! We're doing only arm-wrestling tonight!"
"Not my thing—this is better. Let's head out."
"Fuck off! I ain't telling you shit then!"
"Fine by me. I've learned a thing or two on how to make people bark!"
"Try it, fleabag!"
"Now, now," Kuroka intervened, "if you couldn't beat up blondie here... you think you stand a chance against one of the top agents of Grigori, nya?"
"Put a sock on it!" Bikou snapped at the fellow Youkai, twisting his burning shoulder, "you'd drop a fly if you arm-wrestled her instead!"
"You fell from the bed a bit too much when you were a kid, didn't you? That'd explain the tent on your head."
"Damn, your mouth is just as huge as your tits!"
"What did you say to me you little shit?!"
Jeanne briefly shot a glance at both Youkais, "Whoa-hic-! They're about to lunge at each other's throat!"
"They're like siblings," Tobio added.
"Like Siegfried and Freed," Danhauser teased the silver-haired.
"Don't bring his damn name here," the swordsman massaged his forehead. "Good thing that he went off somewhere else than sticking around," and suddenly, Siegfried pulled his best Freed impression, "Heeeh?! What the fuck you're on about?! Why the fuck would I drop to a party full of losers and virgins?! Go choke on a ballsack instead, Cuckfried!" Siegfried dropped his Freed's imitation, "I can't believe you told me to bring him over... why?"
"He's funny," Danhauser felt the judging, look of his Knight and laughed a little, "What? That's all there's to it. The reasons are always something simple."
"I get it... but really?"
"He reminds me a bit of Zephydor, too."
Siegfried sighed and glanced at the empty, dancing area of the building, "I guess Freed would have his uses," he sipped some of his alcohol, "the dance floor would look alive with one corpse dropped there."
"That'd lift the spirits," Bova nodded in agreement, "dragon parties without at least someone dead are boring."
"Careful what you wish for," Danhauser watched Bikou and Kuroka insulting each other, both ready to lunge at each other, "a misstep from any of them and Troya will burn."
"They better watch it!" Tobio eyed them, ready to intervene, "bloodstains are way harder to wipe out from wood than vomit!"
"A brother and a sister..." Jeanne drawled, "... siblings are natural enemies, oui? Just like Germans and French-hic! Or English and French," the blonde took a quick sip, "Or-or Portuguese and French," she frowned at her drink, "or French and other French," and then, Jeanne gasped in realization, eyes wide. She banged her fist on the table, "The damn French! THEY RUINED FRANCE!"
"True," Siegfried agreed.
"Hey, at least you're on a good note with the Japanese," Slash Dog tapped his chin in deep thought, "... I think?"
"JE NE T'ABANDONNERAI JAMAIS!"
Tobio stared at her deadpanly, "What?"
"JE NE TE LAISSERAI JAMAIS TOMBER!"
"Ok. She's wasted," Tobio turned to the amused Danhauser, "still... got any idea why I can't translate her words as I could before, boss?"
"Skill issue."
Tobio laughed loudly, "I didn't want to say it in front of everyone to protect your image, but I can beat you fair and square, boss."
"Beat me?" Danhauser scoffed, folding his arms, "Dreams don't count."
"Hmm. Seems that someone needs to bring you down from your high horse."
"And it seems that someone needs to humble you properly—I've been slacking off as a King it seems," Danhauser turned to Sae, "partly of the blame goes to you. You should've taught him in my stead a thing or two about respecting his superiors."
Sae just offered a shrug with a playful smile, "I don't know, boss... if you're so confident in your abilities then you should solve it as Jeanne and Bikou did."
"See? Even Sae's got the right mindset! What about it? Me and you. We can resume our little spar we did back in the Underworld and end this argument," Tobio took a long swallow from his sake before adding, "Hell, we can even skip the pulling back our punches! I go Abyss mode and you go Belial Form."
"There's nothing more that I'd love to do than wipe that smug look off your face right now," Danhauser's eyes darted in a different direction, "but Sae will grow sad, and Vali will get jealous."
"Man, fucking excuses!" Tobio shoved Danhauser playfully, "Once your brother steps down, you'll make a great politician."
"You can blame Zekram for that," Danhauser half-joked, "he molded me to become the shittiest politician in the Underworld, only behind him and Laomedon."
While Zekram didn't teach him anything, he did, most of the time, bring him over through political talks in which Danhauser absorbed some of it like a sponge.
The Great King also dropped tips here and there.
And while Danhauser had Zekram on his blacklist, it'd be stupid to disregard advice from one of the highest and most influential political figures within Ars Goetia—no doubt the whole Underworld.
"Where's your girlfriend, by the way?" Sae changed the topic. "Haven't seen her since the start of the party."
"She sat this one out," the grey-haired replied, "I invited her, but she had plans already."
"Her loss," Tobio shrugged and took another sip, "Did she tell you?"
"Something about helping Gasper on a project."
Slash Dog raised an eyebrow, "Project? About what?"
"Bites me. Little Missus was vague about it, but apparently, the catalyst was after we won against Gremory Team."
"Huh... maybe Gasper begged her to train him or something along those lines."
"Or school stuff," Sae added her two cents.
"Okay, I'm ready for another-hic round!" Jeanne suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone's attention. "Who's next?!"
"Heh!" Bova slowly cracked his neck, "I've been wondering who's the strongest rook between us. Plus, I've been itching to beat up someone tonight."
"Get on the line!" Bikou exclaimed, "I'll go first!"
"Not a chance," the dragon declined, "You got your turn and wasted it."
"I want my damn rematch!"
"Go out and play with a stray devil instead."
"But before that, see if you can beat first a glass of milk," Siegfried chimed in.
"Nyaaahahahaha!"
Danhauser watched as Tobio and Kuroka suddenly joined the discussion as well with a big smile.
He turned to his drink and took a sip.
It's a pity that the party would only last tonight.
Wait. Not really.
"Daaaaaaaan~!" Jeanne suddenly took Tobio's former place, "Have a drink with—hic! Mooooiii~!"
Before he could protest, the blonde shoved a whole bottle in his direction. "... Yeah, alright. I could go for another drink."
"That's my fucking boy!" Jeanne patted his back with a strength that could break the spine of a mere human. "Skull the bitch!"
Danhauser took the opportunity to grab the bottle and look at it—vodka. His eyes grew wide in shock, "The fuck? Jeanne, this is 68 percent! That's why you're like this! Are you trying to kill yourself?"
He had to admit, however, to be her first drink ever he was impressed she was still active.
"Naaah," Jeanne waved off his concerns, "If I can take it, you can take it to babe!"
"..." Danhauser stared at her for a long second, "... Trueee! Bottoms up!"
"Waaait!" Before he could proceed, Jeanne stopped him by grabbing his arm, "No—hic Senjutsu!"
Danhauser froze there. The only reason he drank this much in the first place was thanks to his Senjutsu, aiding him to make sure he didn't fall into the same pit that Jeanne was in.
He relied so much on his Senjutsu that he forgot how tolerant his body was against alcohol.
Ah, screw it. "Fine, fine. We'll play by your rules," once she pulled her hands away, Danhauser mentally readied himself before skulling the bottle of vodka, downing the disgusting drink in one go.
The effects were immediate, the liquid burnt his throat all the way down, but at this point, his pain tolerance was damn high so that he could swallow even boiling water without flinching.
"Holy shit," the blonde hiccupped, "You just... down the whole bottle in one go..."
After finishing, even Danhauser could feel woozy, the clean head he had seconds ago was now buzzing hard. Like Jeanne said, Senjutsu could easily heal this headache in a finger's snap.
But...
"What the fuck is the point of doing that?" He brought the empty bottle to the table and cleaned his lips with his sleeve. "Shiiiit..."
"Fuck yeah, homie!" Jeanne had a shit-eating grin, "I knew you could handle it!"
"Fuck—!" Danhauser burped, "Yeah! I can destrooooy any ooooone of you in a drink oooffff!"
"Oh-ho!" exclaimed the former saint, a gleam of satisfaction and competitiveness passing over her face. "You're on bitch! I'll get the second bottle!"
"You're on, loser! Puking equals lose!"
"Game on!"
Maybe Danhauser should stop—before things escalated.
But who knows when the last time will be he gets to spend time like this with his peerage. His close friends.
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"You should've declined."
Ingvild barely got out of the bathroom. She jumped slightly at the male voice flanking her right side.
She swallowed once she saw who it was.
Vali Lucifer.
"How can someone be strong, and yet so weak?" he let out a frustrated sigh, "Your demonic power... it's impressive, but you aren't. Does that make any sense?"
Ingvild just didn't know what to say.
"... Danhauser Belial made the poor choice of recruiting someone inexperienced given the circumstances he's currently rooted in. The present isn't anything similar to the past, where he just started recruiting allies. Those were easy times. In times like these, he needs veterans by his side—not rookies," Vali chuckled afterward, "But I can't blame him, you could fool everyone with that immense potential... he simply took the bait."
The Half-Leviathan finally decided to speak, "If-if you say I have potential... why are you—!"
"You do," Vali cut her off, "but do you have the slightest idea on how to wield it?"
Ingvild kept quiet.
"Your demonic power, Your Clan Trait, Your Sacred Gear," Vali counted them off, "are you proficient on anything at all?"
"..."
"... Tch. All his peerage members are respectable, and while only one of them can equal him, they have one, important ability that helps them stand in the face of danger: courage," Vali's face wrinkled afterward, "but you... you can't even hold my gaze."
"It-it was the first time I saw a..." Ingvild swallowed hard, shivering at the pool of blood flashing in her mind, "blood... a-a lot of blood."
She just couldn't forget how the spark of life slowly faded away from the eyes of Heracles.
"If that's what it takes for you to lose your composure, then you're not ready for what is yet to come," The White Dragon warned her, "It won't be the last time you'll see similar circumstances, you'll witness even worse scenarios. Accepting his Evil Piece warrants a path of suffering. This peerage isn't built to participate in rating game matches anymore, its purpose changed to fight terrorists whilst putting their life on the line."
Ingvild kept her eyes shut in an attempt to hold back her tears.
"... But maybe that's what you need," Vali continued, "to pass through extreme pain like everyone here... that's the only way to achieve true growth. Maybe, maybe just after that, I'll respect you. Maybe... you won't further embarrass your foremother and forefathers."
"...This is not fair," Ingvild held back a sob, "This isn't fair! Y-You can't expect me to outshine everyone!"
"Maybe not, but I expected you to do something rather than hiding... first impressions always matter," Vali spun around, pocketing his hands, "I've said enough. I'll take my leave now. Remember our exchange, Ingvild."
The Half-Leviathan stared into nothing, she coud hear his footsteps getting away into the distance.
"Va! There you are!" the familiar voice of Lavinia reached her ears. Ingvild looked up to see how Vali didn't even stop to greet her and simply joined the people downstairs.
"Va?" Lavinia watched him, worried and faced Ingvild, "What happen... why are you crying? Are you okay?"
Ingvild didn't even realise that her tears got the best of her as she sobbed. "I-I'm okay!" she assured her, perhaps a bit loud as she tried to dry her eyes, "I just...!"
"... Valo said something awful, didn't he?" Lavinia succeeded in connecting the dots and her expression grew cold. She turned after him, "Vali! Vali Lucifer! Come back here!" she stomped after him, "What did you say to her?! VALI!"
Eventually, Ingvild dropped to her knees, her eyes shifting to her hands just to see her teardrops dripping to her palms.
"Am I... the weakest link?"
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"Father, we found him."
"Ah, you're back," Indra looked over his shoulder to see his son walking alongside Sun Wukong. "I suppose Ganesha didn't cause you any trouble then."
"We came to the conclusion to walk away," Arjuna answered, "Neither of us was getting a hit on the other—we were just wasting our time."
"Hmph," Indra folded his arms, "Well? Where is he?"
With a snap of his fingers, Wukong invoked a magic circle in the center of the room.
On the middle lay a naked, humanoid whose skin seemed to be decayed for hundreds of years, but in truth, it was for mere days.
"It seems that Belial used Senjutsu to finish off Cao Cao," Wukong gave the obituary. He took a drag of his smoke before continuing, "Either he absorbed Cao Cao's lifespan or accelerated his aging process, both options turn him into an empty husk."
"Cao Cao," Indra never tore his gaze away from the mummified man, "You were too young and intellectual... not prepared well for decision making in 'crisis situations'... too intelligent and too weak."
"Father, is it true? The Pure Devil... Belial, has his Enlightenment awakened?"
"Oh? You found out already?" Indra's stare finally moved to the former Daiyoukai, "I suppose Wukong has been keeping you updated, Arjuna."
Arjuna then suddenly summoned his beautiful bow, "Give me your command," he said, "And I will kill him, as sure as night follows day."
"Tempting," Indra snapped his fingers to teleport the corpse of Cao Cao away, "but forget it. The brat is not our problem if he doesn't intervene in Svargaloka's best interests any further of course..."
"Father," his son was ready to protest, "Everyone knows people who awakened their enlightenment are a threat to us. They should be disposed of immediately!"
"Careful with your choice of words, Arjuna. Or did you just forget who else is in this room with us?"
"I..." Arjuna bowed his head to the former Daiyoukai, "I apologize Wukong. It wasn't correct to express myself this way with your kin."
Sun Wukong said nothing.
"As for your worries, let's see if the other Pantheons do something about him... I've done my part now. Remember who is our true target... someone with similar circumstances to Danny-boy... someone who has been a thorn in our sides for eons now..."
"Very well," Arjuna dismissed his weapon, "With Cao Cao out... where are we positioned on the board?"
"Not much has changed," Indra assured them, "The loss of True Longinus hasn't damaged our ranks significantly. It is a shame that we can't depend on the three, highest Longinus anymore, but if they couldn't defeat them... how badly would they fare against the deities of Mount Kailash...? Wukong."
"Yes, my lord?"
"As you can tell I'm without a Vanguard," the King of Gods gazed to the horizon, "You are my best candidate to retake the position... will you join me? Just like old times?"
The Monkey King bowed his head to the Strongest Heaven, "It will be my honor."
Indra hummed, satisfied by his answer. "The ones who walk alongside flames... those, Scarred by Fire, will always be driven by purpose, just to find their spot in this universe, burning anything that blocks their path..." he clenched one fist, "Unless, of course, someone tames or snuffs their ambition away."
Sun Wukong watched as Indra's balled fist momentarily cackled with lightning.
All the Buddha could do was feel pity for them, who invoked the wrath of Heaven himself.
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I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
And thank you for your lovely support.
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Next Chapter: Top Dogs
