The Esper Devil ( Esper OC X Highschool DxD )

by Esper-from-beyond

The era of heroes is over, with the hero association almost extinct and espers now living in secrecy, the talented son of a legendary esper couple starts attending a school which is under the control of devils. Raised with the mentality that all demons and evil spirits are enemies and carrying an enormous power that is still unknown to most devils, how will he fit in this new life?

24. Clearing things up

Part 1

It's the next day, I wake up and get ready to go to school

I spent a lot of time thinking about what to tell Rias and her peerage today.

I don't know what Azazel told them, but I hope that it was at least enough to make them not want to kill me. I know it might be asking a lot though, since I almost did it exactly that to them

"Oh..."

Speaking of the devil, literally, Rias' group was standing on the front gate of the school as I approached it, I think about turning back, but it's useless, I'll have to talk to them sooner or later

"...erm...Hi"

I awkwardly greet them

"Hi..."

I don't know what to say, so I'll do the only thing I know I have to.

"I'm sorry!"

I bow towards them

"Azazel and Liliana-san explained everything to me, I didn't knew, I'm really sorry"

Rias comes forward and puts her hand on my shoulder

"It's fine"

I lift my head to look at her

"Really?"

She nods

"Azazel explained everything to us, you thought that the members of the Hero faction were your hero friends right?"

"Yes, but now I know the truth, I am sorry"

I say as I return to my normal posture

"Don't worry, you are not the first ally who tried to kill us first anyway"

Issei says while smiling, did they really went through that many life or death situations?

"But I would like you to come to our club this afternoon so we could talk better about it, is that okay?" - Rias asks me

I nod my head

"Yes, I think it would be the best if I could explain myself to all of you"

"So, we'll see you later, goodbye, Kageyama-kun"

"See you in class then, Kageyama-kun!"

Issei waves and walks off with Rias and her friends

I also walk towards the highschool building, but as I'm in midway, I notice three familiar faces looking towards me

It's the two boys and the girl that invited me to eat with them the other day

I walk towards my three new friends

"Hi!"

"Hey Tatseyo, thought you were gonna ditch us for the popular crew"

"Hahaha! I only had a thing to talk with Rias, I'm not on their level yet"

"You seemed awfully familiar with them..."

Kanae says with a suspicious face

I smile at her

"Actually, I beat the shit out of them until they became my friends"

She sighs at my answer

"If you don't wanna answer us it's fine, just don't say such a creepy thing while smiling"

"Hahaha, sorry"

I say while scratching the back of my head, it's not a total lie you know.

"Let's go Tatseyo, we're gonna be late like that" - Eizo speaks

"Alright"

I follow them towards classroom

I'm not a devil, I'm a human and I value that, I'll become friends with humans like me and have a good time with them!

"Hey Tatseyo, you know the school's gonna have a trip to Kyoto right? Are you going?"

I already went to Kyoto once, though going with friends and not for work might make it a much better experience

"Yes! I'll go with you all"

"Awesome! That makes us four then, just one more person and our group is complete"

We walk into classroom and class starts

Part 2

During class I can feel something

...Someone is staring at me

TURNS

"Ih!"

Irina gives a small cry before covering her face with a book

Xenovia on the other hand is glaring daggers at me and does not avert her gaze

The angel girl is probably the one with most reason to hate me, I did brutally ripped of her wings, and Xenovia seems to be good friends with her, so she must hate me as well, shit, that's not how I wanted my first school week to be like.

(Look, Xenovia and the deliquent are exchanging stares)

(Scary! Did they became rivals already?)

(Perhaps he harassed Xenovia!)

What's up with these conclusions?!

(Maybe they are in a love-hate relation!)

I hear one of the girls saying

(The deliquent and the tomboy!)

What the fuck? Is that how rumours are spread in this school?

(Will they have an after class showdown?)

Do you think this is West Side Story?!

(Oh, shut up)

I say it under my breath and try to focus on my book, but then I hear footsteps in the hallway, followed by the door opening and a girl with glasses and long black hair walking in, she's the mirror girl, her name was Shinra, right?

Her eyes scout the classroom untill finally laying on me

"Excuse me sensei, but Sona Shitori-kaichou is requesting Tatseyo Kageyama's presence in the Student Council"

"Uh?"

The teacher stops writing in the board and turns back to look at me and, as if following his cue, all the other students also turn their heads to me

I already know what this means, they think I did something bad...

Oh wait, I did something bad, didn't I? That's why she's calling me

"A-alright then, Kageyama-kun, you can go"

I stand up and go towards her, the eyes of the students following me all the way until I close the door behind me

"So... I was told your name was Shinra, right?"

I try to talk with her as we make our way to the Student Council room

"Yes, I am Shinra Tsubaki, Sona kaichou's [Queen] and the vice-president of the Student Council, it's a pleasure to meet you"

So polite!

"I-I'm Tatseyo Kageyama and I'm an esper, ah, you already know that..."

I really don't know what to say to her after what I did

"I'm really sorry for that"

The girl nods and answers me

"We understand your situation, you believed that those men were your allies and therefore you ran to help them, I... no, we would have done the same thing if we believed an ally was threatened, so we decided not to blame you for that, but Kaichou still wants to see you"

"I see, thank you then..."

It's all I can think of saying. I'm glad they aren't holding a grudge against me, but I'm still awkward on how to act towards them

"Erhm, Shinra Tsubaki, are you from the Shinra clan?"

A famous clan of exorcists also goes by the name of Shinra, it's a shot in the dark but I don't think it's a coincidence

She nods

"Yes, I was a exorcist for the Shinra clan, but because of my sacred gear, I caused great problem to my family"

Is she talking about that mirror skill?

"What happened?"

She looks bitterly at the floor before continuing

"My Sacred Gear is not only able to reflect an opponent's attacks, but also contact the spiritual world, when I had no control over it I use to summon evil spirits and they would rampage until stopped"

That's a terrible story, but I can actually relate to that, most espers can

"That's very sad, I'm sorry to hear that."

Tsubaki shakes her head

"Don't be, thankfuly I met Sona-kaichou and after joining her I was able to master this power, I don't have this problem anymore"

Her bitter expression and the sadness of her eyes disappeared when she mentioned Sona's name, I guess it really was a glimpse of hope to her, huh?

"That's very good then... but is your clan alright with it?"

Her expression changes to one of doubt but she gives me an answer with certainty in her voice

"I don't know, but I also don't care, I decided I would be with Kaichou since she helped me to save my own life and the others around me"

Hah, that's actually touching, Sona doesn't seem like a bad person after all

"I see, this is actually very good, I wish we could do this for all of the other espers out there..."

Shinra gives me a questioning look

"Sorry, I don't think I understand it"

I shake my head

"Ah yeah, of course not, you didn't knew anything about espers, right? Well, the thing is that espers tend to attract supernatural beings, usually this freaks out young espers that don't understand their powers and don't have anyone to talk with them about it, this can lead to very problematic situations, such as kids being sent to mental health institutions, being avoided by their families and... other bad things"

I say that as bitter memories run through my head, the esper organization tries to locate and aid as soon as possible anyone who shows any sign of psychic abilities, but of course, we can't save everyone.

But those we do save, really make us feel like we did something good

[We can help you Yatsushiro-kun, I know it's scary, I've been where you are now, but if you trust us, we can explain and help you master this power, you won't be scared anymore if you're with us, it's a promise. I'll be your friend and make sure that everyone will treat you nicely here]

Those words from when I met Ayumu, I'm thankful for saying them, because of that I was able to help someone who is one of my closest friends today

"Azazel actually told us about the attraction of supernatural beings, but I didn't imagined it caused so much trouble to all of you, I am very sorry."

"Don't be, we'll do what we can, I'll help anyone who is in need, that's why I came to your side, right?"

Shinra gives me an approving smile before nodding

"Yes, I look forward to work with you, Kageyama-kun"

With that, we arrive at the Student Council room and she opens the door, announcing our presence

"Kaichou, I brought him"

I walk inside and see several members of the Sitri looking at me, in the middle of the room is the short haired girl with glasses, Liliana never told me exactly who she was, but from the way she was acting during the battle, I could tell she was the leader.

Nobody says anything after Shinra's introduction, but anyone would notice the weird feeling in the room, it's as if nobody knows exactly what to say

"Sitri group, I was looking forward to meet you, I hope you can forgive me for what I've done" - I say while bowing towards them

No one says anything, but the atmosphere seems to have eased somewhat

"It's not a problem, I am Sona Shitori, president of the studenct council, please sit down"

She signs to a chair opposite to her

"Thanks, why did you want to meet me anyway?"

I ask while sitting down

"I wanted to know who you are, after Liliana-san and Azazel gave me that explanation, I was surprised at the fact that we've been attacked over a misunderstanding, so I wanted to clear things out so there are no more left"

Ah, I see, makes sense, clearing out misunderstandings is very important

"So allow me to begin, I am the [King] of my peerage, the girl that guided you here is my [Queen], Shinra Tsubaki."

"Ah, that's right, she told me, she's the user of that mirror skill, right?"

"[Mirror Alice]"

I hear from behind me

"Excuse me?"

I say turning my head towards Shinra, who's standing in front of the door

"My Sacred Gear, [Mirror Alice], allows me to revert my opponents attack's with twice the strength"

Mirro Alice... they really got creative with this name didn't they?

"I see, that's an impressive skill, really"

"Thank you, but I still got a long way to go"

She says, is she talking about the power itself? Or the ability to contact the other world?

"Eh... he told me you and Saji Genshirou are the only natural sacred gear users, right? By the way, where is he?"

All the members of the student council are here, except for the host of Vritra and the girl of the light shield

Sona makes a complicated expression

"I thought it was better to not let Saji and Yura close to you yet, I hope you can understand, they are a bit hot headed because of what happened, please give them time"

I shake my head

"No, no, don't worry, Yura-san is the girl with blue hair, right? I'm actually surprised that we can have such a meeting, I can understand their side."

In fact, this is even more than I hoped for

"Thank you, well, this is Momo Hanakai and Reya Kusaka, my [Bishops]"

The white haired and brown haired girl bowed to me

"This is Reya Kusaka, my [Knight]"

The girl with reddish hair also bows slightly to me

"And this is Ruruko Nimura, she is my [Pawn] along with Saji"

The girl follows the cue of the others and gives a small bow, so I take it that Yura-san is her [Rook]?

"It's a pleaseure meeting all of you, thanks for treating me well"

I say it greeting them

"And you are Sona Sitri, correct? But your human name is Shitori?"

It got me confused when Liliana said she was a member of the Sitri clan when everyone in the school calls her Shitori

"Correct, I'd rather avoid my clan's name in my academic life, here I am simply Sona Shitori and I would appreciate if you'd call me that in public"

I nod, it make me happy that at least someone is making an effort at hiding their demonic nature

"No problem"

She adjusts her glasses

"Well, now that we made things clear about ourselves, there's something I wish to know from you..."

"Alright, what is it?"

Sona interlinks her fingers in a sign that she's ready to ask something

"Tatseyo Kageyama, are you really a deliquent?"

"W-what?!"

I ask suprised, the rumours have already reached the Student Council?!

She answers in a concerned tone

"There have been rumours around the school that the new boy with the scary looks is a deliquent with a frightening air around him, I'm sorry to ask, but that's you, isn't it?"

I take a long sigh, yes, as much as I don't want it to be. I've never been on a normal school life before so I had no idea rumours could spread this fast and be this bad, sometimes it seems that there are people so outright afraid of me they won't even walk in front of me in the hallways

"Ye-yeah, but I'm not a deliquent! People assume that because of my face..."

Sona makes a troubled expression followed by an 'Oh'

"Sorry about that, if you were having trouble with someone we could do something about it, but we can't stop rumors from spreading"

I wave my hand in front of my face

"Don't worry, it's not something I'm not aware of, I know I'm scary, you even said it yourself, I can't blame the other students for having the wrong assumption, people are like that. It's not like anyone is causing me trouble because of it"

It's actually the opposite, everyone seems to be avoiding even interacting with me out of fear

"Frankly, the students in this school are so quick to spread rumours..."

I hear Hanakai saying

Sona nods, agreeing with her servant

"It can't be helped, I'm glad Kageyama-kun can understand, I'm sorry but I had to ask, deliquents are a problem in any school, but it would be especially bad if it was you...

She was suspicious, I can't blame her though, not only she's the president of the student council, she's also a devil, so a deliquent esper is probably one of the things that would cause her the most trouble

"I understand your point, but don't worry, I'm not a deliquent and I don't see you as my enemies anymore, Liliana-san and that fallen angel Azazel explained everything to me."

"That's good, so I'll be frank with you too then..."

She throws me a sharp glance

"Azazel told us that you are at our side now and you'll be working with Liliana Caim-san against the Khaos Brigade, am I correct?"

Straight to point I see

"Yes, I... think I have a debt with you after what I did, also, after hearing your story, with the death of God and this war you are currently facing, even if I can't understand everything, I can't simply stand around doing nothing"

She furrows her eyebrows

"Is that all?"

I stop and think about what to say

'I can make you become stronger than you can imagine' - This is what Liliana said to me

Those words rang in my head for the whole night

That girl, I mean, that devil who I never met before knows ways of using my powers that even I don't know about

I'm longing to know more about my own power, so if there is a hiden war going on and I can help on it while becoming more powerful, then I can't simply turn back to it

And I also to learn about her as well.

Liliana Caim... who is she? How much she knows about me? What kind of world she'll show to me? All this questions rattle on my brain and it makes it impossible for me to just turn back and pretend I didn't see anything.

As you must have noticed, I am a very curious man, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad, but I cannot simply stop myself from wanting more of this new world I just met

Should I tell her that? Or should I lie to her?

"Power..."

"What?"

"Because of my power"

"Your power? Because you're an esper?"

I nod

"While I was with her she showed me a way to use my power that I didn't know, she also said I could become stronger than I can imagine"

"As long as you are with her, I take it?"

She's smart

"Yes"

She makes a pleased expression

"Well, this is great, at our current situation people with drive and power such as yours are always welcome, as long as you don't use it against us... again"

"I'm sorry about that"

"It's alright, but... do you really trust Liliana-san?"

She hitted the point I didn't wanna tell her about, but I'm sincerely surprised, I thought all devils knew each other

Now that I'm listening to myself, that was racist, wasn't it?

"Why is that? Is she somehow infamous in the underworld?"

She shakes her head

"Not at all, in fact it's quite the contrary, she is rather famous even though little is truly know about her. The Caim family is among the ones with most influence in the underworld and human world, it's no secret to us that they are behind a lot of business and famous brands humans and devils often consume, but aside from that, not much is know about them"

"Not much?"

I thought these devils would be a close community, but apparently they are not very close to people outside their "families"

"Not much at all, in fact she's a girl who is hard to understand, while devils were recruiting Sacred Gear users and other creatures, she went for espers..."

She then makes a pause

"...No offense"

I shake my head

"No problem"

It was hard for me as well to understand Liliana's motivation, espers have the power to identify supernatural beings even if they try to hide their presence from us, our powers also make us naturals when it comes to exorcise or harm them, that's why I don't know why she would want to hang around us so freely

Sona keeps talking

"Not only that, but the goals of her house and why she takes such strange attitudes is a matter of uncertain and concern in the underworld."

I nod

"I understand what you're talking about, but sincerely there's nothing much to what I can add to. I probably know less about her than you do."

She adjusts her glasses

"I know, all I want to say with this is be careful Kageyama-kun, I don't think Liliana-san is a bad person, but the world you just joined is a harsh one. If you desire power, I believe Liliana Caim can give it to you, just be careful."

I'm happy listening to her words, she might seem like a cold girl, but she actually cares about my safety

"Thank you Sona-kaichou, I look forward to work at the alliance's side."

"That's good to hear, well I think it's time for you to go back to class."

"Oh, can I ask something? Please don't take it as an insult..."

She nods

"By all means, ask"

"Does the Student Council really has the authority to pull someone who did nothing wrong out of class?"

I've never been in a normal school before, but I found it weird that the teacher agreed so easily to let me out of his class

Sona smiles

"Ah that, well Kageyama-kun, the Gremory and Sitri are not only on the background of this school, we actually founded it. Gremory rules the academy during the day while Sitri rules it at night. We have authorization to do a lot of things normal schools wouldn't let us to"

I wide my eyes in surprise, so they are not infiltrated in the school, but it also actually belongs to them?!

"I-I see then, thanks, I'll be sure to not get myself in trouble"

I say as I'm stading up from the chair, but Sona motions for me to wait

"Before you leave..."

She says as she takes a spoon in her hands

"Do you think you could...?"

What? She really wants me to do that?!

"Serious? Haven't you seem enough of it?"

She adjusts her glasses and hands the spoon to me

"I'd rather see it when it's not being used against me"

... Oh well, why not?

I lift the spoon in the air and make it bend in several directions, twisting it into a knot and make it return to normal before floating it back to her

"Wow!"

"That's incredible!"

"So that's ESP..."

Sona's peerage is speaking as if they are impressed, you guys know that these are just tricks, right? It's a basic for any esper

Sona takes the spoon back with an impressed look on her face

"Amazing, I can't sense even the slightest trace of magic, so this is telekinesis..."

"Can I go now?"

"Okay, by the way, can we call you Tatseyo?" - she asks me

I nod and answer

"Of course, thank you, Sona-kaichou"

I leave the student council room and go to classroom

When I get back, I notice that the other students are still giving me weird glances, well it can't be helped.

I'll just stay quiet and go through class so I can meet with Rias and her peerage later

Part 3

Class is over, I start to pack my materials and get ready to go to the Occult Research Club

I told Issei, Asia, Xenovia and Irina to go before me on purpose, I wanna avoid any interaction with them until we have things cleared up, I particulary don't wanna be left alone with Xenovia, from all of them, she was the one who seems to hate me the most, I understand why, but I think it will take quite a lot to convince her I'm on their side.

"Hey Tatseyo, wanna go home with us?"

Kanae asks

"No, sorry, I have a thing I have to do before leaving, it's gonna take some time so it's better if you all go ahead."

I hide the fact that I will go to the ORC obviously, hanging around with them would attract way too much attention

"Alright, see you tomorrow Tatseyo"

"Bye Tatseyo"

"Later dude"

The three wave me goodbye and leave

I keep thinking about what I'm gonna say as I make me way, I don't know what Azazel told them so I don't know how much they know and how much they don't.

"Excuse me" - I say opening the door and walking in

Everyone is here, including Rossweisse sensei and Azazel

"Welcome to the Occult Research Club, Kageyama-kun"

Rias says this while sipping a cup of tea

"Would you like some?"

Akeno holds a kettle while asking

"Uh... no, I'm good, thanks"

For a moment I consider accepting, but after being poisoned by Liliana when we first met there's no way I'll drink or eat anything from the people I nearly killed. C'mon, some healthy suspicion is okay isn't it?

"Alright" - she says as she puts the kettle back in the wheel cart

Everyone in the room is looking at me

"Well, I guess introductions are in order..."

Rias says

"I am Rias Gremory, heir of the Gremory family and this are my servants, Akeno Himejima, my [Queen], Kiba Yuuto and Xenovia Quarta, my [Kinghts], Koneko Toujo and Rossweisse, my [Rooks], Asia Argento and Gasper Vladi, my [Bishops] and Issei Hyoudou, my [Pawn]

Huh, she has more members on her peerage than Liliana and Sona kaichou, I wonder if that's because Liliana only works with espers...

"It's a pleasure to meet you all... what you guys want to know about me?"

Rias smiles

"We invited you, maybe we should answer your questions first?"

She really has a noble air around her

"No, I insist, after all the trouble I've caused the least I can do is answer any questions you may have"

She closes her eyes for a while and speaks

"Very well, the first thing that got me confused when we met you was that you were not giving off any killing intent or aura. But at your first day at this school I felt a really strong energy similar to yours that disappeared quickly and on your second day as well, was it you or there are other espers in this town?"

I see, so she did felt my energy when we first met and also when I used my clairsentience to localize the devils in this school

"Yes, in all occasions it was me, the first was when I realized this school was overflowing with demonic energy. I used my aura to supress it and after I felt the presence of you, Hyoudou and Yuuto, I was getting ready to fight"

"So... you were ready to kill us even before we met?"

Rias asks, even though everyone in the room has a worried expression, she seems relaxed, is it because she trusts me or because she feels like she's in control here?

"...Yes"

I answer embarassed

"And why you didn't do it?"

"You all looked like normal humans and didn't pose any immediate threat, so I thought it maybe could be something else like a possession or a curse, also because I didn't want to use my powers in front of all those students"

Rias nods

"So it was that, and what about the second time?"

That was when I searched for all the supernatural beings of this school

"Oh, that! Wait a minute, I think I still have it with me"

I reach for my backpack

"I used my power to check the school area for any kind of evil presence in order to detect how many of you were and where did you gather, in the end I got this"

I hand to Rias the map of Kuoh academy with all the places where the inhuman presences were stronger and all the classes that have devils on it highlighted, there are also red dots to identify how many devils where in that area.

Rias looks at it with a suprised expression

"Oh my... that's impressive, you actually did a lot of investigative work..."

"So you were able to tell where all of us are?" - I hear Irina asking me

"Yes, even if it's miles away, I can pinpoint the exact area where anyone is based on their energy, I can also track lost objects if I know what I'm looking for"

"Your kind calls it Clairvoyance right?" - Azazel asks

I shake my head

"No, Clairvoyance is the ability to see, it is more accurate than Clairsetience, but also more restricted since you can only see one location at a time or maybe two if you are good at it. With clairsetience I can feel any kind of presence around me in a certain distance."

Azazel nods

"I see..."

Rias then says

"The exact spot where everyone was at that time of day and also how many of us were... that's a scary power you have"

I scratch my head, not sure how to answer

She then shows me the map pointing at a specific location

"I take it that this two dots here are me and Sona?"

"Ye-yes, once I sense someone's energy I hardly ever forget it, specially one like yours"

She makes a confused face

"Uh, is there something special about it?"

Is she testing me?

"Well, yes, you are the only one here who is a pure devil right? You, Liliana-san and the student council president have the same type of energy even though your auras are very different, that's how I can make a distinction"

Rias seems even more surprised

"So you know what each of us are?"

I shake my head

"Not all of you, Hyoudou-kun had an energy that I've never felt before, that's why I got confused in the first time we met"

Issei points at himself

"Eh? Me?"

"Yes, I never faced a dragon in my entire life so I didn't know how the energy of one felt like, but it wasn't just you..."

I point at Akeno, Rossweisse and then to the little blonde girl who stopped time

"I also couldn't recognize the energy of the three of you, I know that Xenovia-san, Yuuto-kun and Asia-chan are converted humans, Irina is an angel that turned human, that Toujou-chan is a nekomata and that Azazel-sensei is a fallen angel, but you three have a energy I've never seen before"

Rias looks at her friends and nods

"Well, Rossweisse, would you mind beginning?"

"Not at all, Buchou"

She then forms a magic circle with her hands

"Before becoming a devil, I was a Valkyrie, a battle maiden serving directly at the command of the Norse God Odin"

My jaw drops at her explanation

Really? Not only Valkyries are real but the norse mythology too? I'm meeting angels and valkyries for the first time in my life, that's incredible!

"Amazing! That's amazing! You were one of the angels of death from the norse mythology? I didn't know you were real and you are telling me that you served the father of all, Odin too? You must be one hell of a warrior!"

Rossweisse blushes at my words

"A-haha, thanks, I-I-I work re-really hard you know... I'm a-also really good at norse magic and..."

"...Yet you still lost to him"

The loli nekomata interrupts Rossweisse's explanation

"...Sorry, I'm a good for nothing Valkyrie"

Rossweisse looks down

"No, not at all, I think this is amazing, you know that you fought pretty well? You resisted a good amount to my assaults and I think that your elemental attacks where awesome!"

I try to cheer her up

"Re-really?"

She looks up again

"Yes, really, but could you explain me something?"

She seems cheerful and answers me with energy

"Sure, anything, you wanna know about Norse magic? Maybe about spells? Or how life in Asgard is like?"

I make a troubled expression

"No... actually I wanna know... why you became a devil. Why you had to abbandon Valhalla?"

I'm trying to avoid this subject since Mayumi told me that tragic story about Issei and Asia, but I can't help but want to know what in the world would make a Valkyrie, a devote follower of the norse God, become a devil

Rossweisse's expression drops immediately at my question and she looks down while covering her face with her hands

Is she crying?! Was it that bad?

"Woah, Rias senpai! What have I done? Why is she sad?"

Rias sighs

"Well, when Rossweisse came to Japan she was scorting the boss of the Norse gods, Odin, but when he went back to Europe, he forgot her here so we took her in"

What? What a lame origin story is that?

"Sorry! I'm just a good for nothing woman whose age equals the years I've spent alone! Buwaaaah!"

Rossweisse starts crying

"And why she didn't went after them, called or something?"

"Well, returning after the leader might have given her a bad impression among the other valkyries, so we offered her a better payment and insurance if she came to our side"

...What? She became a devil because of a fucking paycheck?

"Is that serious, Rossweisse sensei?"

The Valkyrie finally stops crying and answers me while playing with her hair

"Yes... I didn't want to go back because everyone treated me poorly there and the Gremory's had better benefits so..."

Waaaaah! So it's true! This woman abandoned Valhalla and gave up on her divine status because of a damn paycheck! I take back everything I said, you are not amazing at all! You are just a valkyrie who was left behind by her leader and led by her greed!

That's actually a rather devilish atittude from Rias, taking advantage of someone's greed to recruit them...

"I s-see... well, how about you little girl?"

I try to hold myself back by changing the subject and asking to the little blonde girl what she was but...

"Eeeeeeh!"

She simply screams and hides... inside of a box.

"...What's up with her?"

"He doesn't like people at all" - Rias says

"He's a hikikomori" - Issei continues

So that's what he is...

Wait a minute! He?

"H-hey guys, you meant that she is a hikikomori right?"

Rias puts her hand on her forehead as if she's troubled

"Sorry, but he is definitely a boy, his name is Gasper Vladi, he's a half-human half-vampire that I took into my peerage"

What! A boy? There's no way! And a vampire?

Wait... a vampire?

Yes! A vampire!

"R-Ri-Rias, wait a second, what he did when we were battling, he stopped time didn't he?"

The redhead nods

"That's his sacred gear [Forbidden balor view], it allows him to stop the time of anything he looks at"

I'm shaking in excitement hearing her explanation

"Are you alright Kageyama-kun?"

Rias asks

"Are you telling me that this boy is a blonde, european, effeminate half-vampire with the power to stop time?"

"I'm not effeminate! I am boy!" - a voice shouts from the box

"Well, basically yes"

She answers ignoring her servant's rants

"Eeeeeh! I'm not effeminate! It's just that girl's clothes are cute!"

I'm not even paying attention as I'm nearly bursting with excitement

This boy... is a blonde, european, effeminate half-vampire with the power to stop time...

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I wanna scream this name outloud while punching him in the face!

Just thinking that I punched this boy while saying "Ora" makes me feel happy! Shit, I wish we could have exchanged some punches too!

If he just grew some muscles and some inches, maybe with some hairgel too, yes, it would be perfect!

"Hey Kageyama-kun, are you okay?"

Issei asks

"He is shaking"

Yuuto speaks

"Oh no... maybe he is a shotacon too?"

Issei says this, what he meant with 'too'?

"We have to protect Gasper if that's the case" - Xenovia answers him

"...But if it's Kageyama-kun I don't think we would be able to hold him back"

Toujou-chan speaks to her friend

"Ara, I think Gasper's purity might be in danger" - Himejima-senpai says it with a playful expression

"Iiiih! Leave my purity alone!" - a scared voice comes from the box

They got it all wrong!

"I'm not a shotacon! I just want to see something..."

I give up on explaining to them, they probably never watched Jojo.

"Let me see your face" - I say as I approach the box

"Nooooo!"

Two bright lights shine within the box and I'm paralysed

"Gasper is a real hikikomori, better let him get used to you slowly, ah you probably can't hear me now, can you?"

Issei says this as he takes the box and puts it in a corner of the room, he is right, if this boy can stop time then I shouldn't be able to make sense of my surroundings, it was like that during our first battle, but now I can still see and hear what is going on around me even though I am still paralyzed, does it have to do with me being an esper?

After he puts Gasper in his coner, the effect wears off and I'm able to move again

"Sorry, it's just that I've never met a vampire before, which surprises me because I thought I knew all kinds of monster and youkais"

"I'm not a monster! Uaaaah, Kageyama-kun is a bully!"

It seems that he can still hear me

"S-sorry, I didn't meant monster, it's actually awesome that you are a vampire!"

"Well, vampires are a closed community it's no surprise that even you never met one"

Rias says, a closed community, huh? That's something I can relate to.

"Aren't you more surprised at the fact that he's a boy?" - I hear Issei asking

I shrug

"Not actually, in fact I have a friend that uses to do that... a lot, so it's not a surprise that there are people like him even in this world."

Yes, I had a friend that used to crossdress, I wonder where he is now... we haven't talked in a few years

"I see, crossdressing is not such a unique habit after all... WOAH, what am I saying!? That's not good at all!"

Issei shouts as if talking to himself, I decide to change the subject again

"H-hey, Rias-senpai, how did you took him into your peerage?"

Again, stepping on a landmine, I got lucky Rossweisse's story was more ridiculous than sad, but it might not be the case with him...

Rias looks at the box with a sad expression, confirming what I feared

"The vampires take a lot of pride in the purity of their bloodline, Gasper was the child of the head of the Vladi family with a human, plus he was born with a dangerous sacred gear that can stop time, this made him become a bullied outcast and he was eventually kicked out of his own country, whhen he was wandering and lost I took him into my peerage and made him one of my [Bishops]"

Oh shit, that's very sad

"Uhm, vampires are cruel beings then..."

Rias nods

"True, even more so than devils, though there are a lot of devils who take pride in their pure-blood, some of them are what compose the devil lines of the Khaos Brigade"

I pay close attention to Rias' words, 'some of them', that means there are racist devils at our side too? I don't like this

"So... Himejima-senpai?"

I decide to change the subject and turn to Akeno

"Akeno, would you mind? If it's too much for you..."

She seems sad but still has a determined look on her face

"I promissed to accept this power, if I can't do at least this much then it would show that I didn't advanced at all"

Accept her power? What's she talking about?

Akeno turns around and her wings pop out

!

"Wow..."

I stare mesmerized at the sight of one devil and one fallen angel wing coming out of her back

"Akeno is the daughter of the fallen angel Baraqiel with a priestess, that makes her an exception among devils that is able to manipulate light and thunder to create lightning"

I hear Rias's words without taking my eyes from Akeno's back, this is amazing!

"Amazing! Simply marvellous! I didn't know devils and fallen angels could be combined, this is wonderful!"

"W-what?"

Akeno is visualy flustered

"That's a first"

Yuuto says with a chuckle

"What is it? Did I do something weird?"

"Akeno used to dislike like her fallen angel side..."

Azazel says

"Azazel!"

Akeno tries to scold him, but I interrupt her

"Why not? It's amazing, I never knew a fallen angel could become a devil, this sure is something else! So that's why you can use light powers as well and you said you are the daughter of the Baraqiel from the bible? Impressive, the Gremory team sure has amazing people on it!"

"Tha-thank you, I guess..."

Akeno seems to have lost her onee-sama composture, it's like she doesn't know how to react. Did I said something weird?

"Kageyama-kun, you are impressed, but your family has fought against some amazing monsters"

Irina says it to me

"Thank you but... the fact that I battled against monsters, youkais and evil spirits and never knew about the existence of you guys makes it even more amazing, I believed that I knew almost everything about the other world, having revealed to me that there's a lot more than I ever imagined possible is kinda scary I admit, but it also makes me excited"

"Hahaha, you sound like an adventurer" - Azazel laughs at my remark

"...Did you said youkai?"

Toujou-chan asks with a suspicious expresion

"I've been wondering about that as well Kageyama-kun, getting rid of youkais was part of your job as well right?"

Oh shit... looks like I stepped on a landmine, Toujou-chan is a youkai and I've exorcised a lot of youkais, this might make her suspicious of me.

"Y-yes, we espers work as "gun for hire" for several organizations as long as we get paid, not only the church but temples, shrines and people who can't or don't want to contact religious instituions use to call us, so as job I exorcised youkais as well"

I turn to Toujou who is making a sad expression as if she wants to ask something

"Did you..."

She says but stops before finishing her sentence

"Did I? You can ask me anything Toujou-chan, I'll answer it"

Yuuto-kun sighs

"I think Koneko-chan wants to know if you ever exorcised one of her kind"

Oh crap

"...Yes, you said you already knew that I was a nekomata, this must mean that you..."

Shit, she looks really sad! I don't want to, but I promised I would say the truth

I look down and say it

"Yes... I've already exorcised some nekomatas, not a lot of them, but a few met their fate by my hands. I'm sorry"

All the nekomata I've exorcised weren't exactly saints, after all, people won't want to get rid of you if you aren't doing anything bad. But I don't think I should say that to Toujou-chan.

"...I see"

That is all she answers me. Sorry, I'm really sorry for making such a cute girl sad!

"Actually, Toujou-chan, can I make you a question, now?"

She has a sad look so I don't wanna push her, but I have a doubt on my head since the first time I've saw her in her nekomata form

"...What is it?"

"Eh... I know I might be saying an absurd but, are you perhaps... a nekoshou?"

I ask without exactly knowing how to put it

Her eyes wide in surprise

"H-how did you know?"

She says in a frightned voice, I can see that she is clearly nervous when talking about it

"You know about the Nekoshou, Kageyama-kun?"

I nod

"Y-yes, the most powerful breed of nekomata, masters of Senjutsu and Yojutsu, caused a lot of trouble to humankind and ended up getting terminated..."

I make a pause as I look to Toujou-chan

"Except for two lucky kittens that were taken and hidden by the demons, the black and the white, Kuroka and Shirone"

Koneko has been listening to me with a awful expression on her face

"So you have heard about it..."

Rias says

"They are quite famous, in fact I've been searching for them and many other espers too"

"W-why? Koneko-chan did nothing wrong!"

Issei declares

"All the things that they say Koneko did were actually her sister's fault! Kuroka is the one at fault!"

I turn towards him

"I haven't heard about this, care to explain?"

Rias lifts her hand to Issei

"Please allow me"

She puts her teacup in the table

"Koneko is Shirone, the white nekomata, she and her sister Kuroka, the black nekomata, are the last of their kind as you said, they both went under the protection of a devil, Kuroka became his [Bishop] so that Koneko, who was too young at the time, could live with them, however, Kuroka murdered that devil and left Koneko behind, when I met Koneko, she was about to be punished for her sister's crimes, but thanks to the Maou being my brother, we were able to annulate her sentence if she became my servant and worked under my surveillance, that's how Shirone became Koneko, my [Rook]"

Ah shit, another depressing backstory, how am I supposed to answer to that?

Actually, the more I think about it, does everyone here has a depressing or traumatic experience before becoming a devil? Is that normal?

"I'm very sorry about it then, I had no idea"

I say looking at Koneko

"It's alright, Rias buchou takes good care of me"

Does she? Isn't there something wrong here? Do Liliana's servants have the same story as them?

"But it's okay now, right? You don't have nothing to hold against Koneko-chan, right?"

I shake my head in confusion

"What? Oh, I gave that impression? Sorry, I already had decided I wasn't going to harm Koneko, I'm thinking about something else"

Issei seems surprised at my answer

"Eh? What is it?"

I put a hand under my chin and answer

"The reward obviously"

I answer bluntly and Rias says in a worried voice

"Reward?"

Everyone in the room seems to have no idea about what I'm talking, is that really a surprise to them?

"Oh, sorry, you didn't knew about it? You are her master so I thought you all knew"

Rias shakes her head

"What are you talking about?"

"There is a reward for Koneko-chan?!"

Asia and Issei ask

I nod my head

"Sorry, but I'll explain it then, there is a bulky reward for each of the nekomata sisters, freelancer exorcists and espers hunt them for a long time because of such reward"

The eyes of everyone in the ORC wide and they answer in a fuss

"""Reward?!"""

"What do you mean, Kageyama-kun? How much is that reward?"

Rias asks me nervous

"5 million yen for each of them dead, 15 million for each of them alive, one of the best paying rewards in youkai hunting for a single youkai"

I answer them

"W-what?"

I hear Issei asking in disbelive

"So much money..."

Kiba says in an astonished tone

"Who set it up?"

Rias asks me, but I shake my head

"No one did and yet everyone did, it's the average value of the reward, you might even get more depending on the customer"

"Customer? What customer?"

Issei asks

"Depending on who hires you for the job or who you sell them to, it's like an endangered species black market, there is the normal value, but there are also many people willing to pay much more"

"What the fuck..."

He has wide eyes and a expression of complete disbelieve on his face

"So there are people like that..."

Rias says

I nod, they seem completely surprised at this fact, to me this is an everyday thing so I didn't know they would be so taken back by it

"There are collectors, scientists, paranormal investigators, people of all kind."

Rias sighs and puts her hand against her forehead

"And there is nothing we can do about it?"

I lay back on the couch

"I think you guys are already doing a pretty good job, I mean, if the bounty hunters don't know she's here, she'll probably be safe, specially with you guys around"

Issei clutches his hand

"No matter what, we'll protect Koneko-chan"

Oh no, he might have taken too seriously what I said

"Sorry, I think I made it look worse than it is, but most people even in the supernatural field believe they are already dead, there has been no news about them ever since they were taken by the devils, so I don't think it's a big problem. The real problem here is..."

I look at Rias who answers with a nod

"I see, you want to know what to do if you find Kuroka, correct?"

"Yes, she is an evil devil and youkai, if I find her, is it alright for me to kill her or take her to someone who will do whatever they want with her?"

Everyone puts an uneasy face, is it because I used the word kill?

"I would rather if you didn't, we-"

"It's okay"

Koneko interrupts Rias

"Uh?"

Rias turns to Koneko who has a sad expression, but keeps talking

"Buchou, Kageyama-kun, I know that nee-san did bad things and she must pay for them, I can't let my feelings get in the way"

"Koneko-chan..."

Heh, she looks really sad, in this situation I can only think of one thing to say

"Hey, Koneko"

She turns to face me

"I won't forgive your sister for what she did, nor do I have any plans of letting her escape or go easy on her if we meet, but..."

I scratch the back of my head

"I'm not a monster, you know? She's your relative, so you obviously must have feelings for her, so..."

I give a breath out and say

"...I'll try not to kill her if we meet and if I manage to capture her I'll deliver to you instead of a customer"

It's not much, but it's a reasonable goal

But when I look around, everyone seems dumbfounded

"What? Did I said something wrong? You guys must have prisons or something in the underworld, right?"

"Fufufufufu, that's not it Kageyama-kun, we are just really grateful"

"If you can say at least this much, then we can at least be a little more relieved"

Kiba says with a happier expression

"Yes, thanks, I don't think Kuroka is a bad devil... but thank you"

Issei says

"...Thank you, Kageyama-kun"

Koneko says with a happier expression

"No problem, I might have killed a lot of devils, youkais, evil spirits and so on, but I can hold back if I want to"

After what I said, Rias' face returns returns to her serious attitude

"I'm sorry to ask Kageyama-kun, but do you know exactly how much you killed?"

I wide my eyes and breath out at her question, of course they would ask me that eventually

"No, impossible, I never counted, if I were to estimate, probably a thousand or so if you just include the devils, youkais, monsters and fallens, but if you put the evil spirits too, then I'm sure it would go to a few thousands"

I'm used to fight against multiple beings at once, it is very rare to encounter an evil creature that fights by themselves, like the incident at the cave before I came to Kuoh town, especially with evil spirits that tend to work together

"A few... thousands?"

"Scary, not even high priests have such amazing numbers..."

I hear Irina and Xenovia saying

"Well, that might be a problem..."

Rias says pondering

"Why is that?"

"You see Kageyama-kun, we devils also have arrangements with the youkai and some of them are vital to keep the balance of certain regions, if you are on their bad side it might make your job harder"

I see, Liliana and Azazel did said something about Youkais helping in the balance of this world

"I understand, that can be a problem..."

"Can we do something about it, Azazel?"

Rias asks the fallen angel

"Well, I wouldn't rush things, Kageyama-kun is not an exorcist for profession, therefore we don't know if the youkais know who he is and even in the chance that they know who he is we could still talk with the youkais. After all there are also former exorcists and youkais hunters who became reincarnated devils."

So there are people like that among the humans who took the evil pieces? I would like to meet one of them

"Hmm, you mean that the youkais don't know his identity?"

"It's likely that they will know him by the family name, but I think it's unlikely that they'll know his face, isn't that why you wear that robe anyway?"

Oh my robe, the plague doctor suit I wear not only because it helps conceive my identity but also because it protects from the poison I fear so much

"Liliana said it was because you want to keep yourself anonymous right?"

Azazel says

So Liliana said only that? Thank you! Thank you very much Liliana!

"Y-yes, I kept my idendity hiden, going with my face clean could have generated a lot of attention, so I keep myself undercover"

"I see, an anonymous hero..."

"Wow, that's really coo!l"

"...A masked punisher"

"Really sounds like a hero"

They all say such nice things about my disguise! Uoooh, I'm feeling even more guilty for hiding something from you all right now... and for trying to kill you!

"Kageyama-kun, there is one more thing I want to know"

"What is it?"

"Just what is your relation with Liliana and the Caim family?"

I make a confused face, I don't know which kind of relation we have right now

"Master and disciple I guess? Partners maybe?"

Rias lifts an eyebrows at my answer

"Huh? Disciple? What do you mean?"

"Well, did Azazel told you how we healed Hyoudou-kun?"

"Yeah, he told us you transfered some of Liliana's demonic energy into me right? I'm really grateful for it" - Issei answers

"M-me too! My sacred gear can't heal someone's energy back so I'm really grateful for you saving Ise-san!"

Asia say's while holding Issei's arm

I nod

"Thank you, but the thing is... I didn't know I could do that, it was all Liliana's idea, I never did anything like that before"

Rias makes a surprised expression

"You mean she knew how to make use of your power in a way you didn't?"

"Exactly, she also said she could make me a lot stronger and show me even more ways to use my power"

"Without even knowing you? Isn't it suspicious?"

I nod, even before hearing Rias say it I already thought that everything about Liliana is suspicious, her origin, her interest in me, the fact that her whole peerage is composed of Espers, but I can't help but wanting to know more, if what she knows can lead to control my power better and master it then I'll follow her whenever it is.

"I know, but it can't be helped, if you met someone who knew a way to use your power even better than you wouldn't you follow that person?"

Rias makes a sarcastic smile while looking at Azazel

"That Liliana sure is a lot like you..."

"Tsk, shut up, you talk as if we're together only because of my knowledge on Sacred Gears"

"And it isn't?"

Rias says as she calmly sips her tea

"Uaaah! That hurts you know!"

The fallen angel answers

"There, there, we like you so calm down" - Issei says while pating the fallen angel on the back

So that's why they are together? I've been wondering why these devils had a fallen angel with them...

"I actually got surprised when you told me you were the leader of an institute"

"Eh? Why?"

"You don't strike me as the responsible type"

"...It's because he isn't"

The loli nekomata bluntly says

"I'm not irresponsible! I am the leader of the fallen angels! The Great Governor that appears on the bible! Show some respect!"

I don't understand what Azazel said

"Wait, wait, are you the real angel Azazel from the bible? The one who came down to earth and had children with human women? You are the original? Not a descendant or something?"

I thought he was a descendant, like the guys from Hero Faction, or just someone who borrowed the name, are you telling me he is the real Azazel?!

"Yes, he is the pervert fallen angel who fell because of his lust"

It's Akeno who answers my question this time

"That's right! It's me! The Fallen Angel Governor of the bible"

Azazel answers proudly with a smirk on his face

...

I cover my face with my hand

"Why, WHY?!"

"H-Hey, why are you mourning?!"

Azazel asks

What do you mean, isn't it obvious?!

"Of course I'm mourning! To think that the leader of the fallen angels would be a pervert and cheerful guy like you, I'm completely disapointed!"

I can't hold it back, Azazel should be a dark, evil and mysterious existence, there's no way I can accept this guy as their original governor! Imagine if the espers who believe in the bible knew about this, they would kill him for sure!

"Azazel is a lecherous, irresponsible governor, but he's a good guy, we trust him"

Rias answers calmly

"I don't know whether to feel flatered or mad at your answer..."

Azazel answers troubled

I decide to change the subject

"Hey, Hyoudou-kun, Azazel told me you have the real Sekiryuutei inside of you, right? Can he speak to me again?"

"Ah, you are talking about Ddraig? Hey partner, can you speak with him?"

After a brief silence, Issei's gauntlet appears and the voice answers

[Very well, if I really must...]

He spoke in an annoyed tone, well, I can understand if he doesn't like me

"Ah, the legendary red dragon emperor! It's a real pleasure to meet you!"

I say speaking to the gauntlet

"H-hey Kageyama-kun, you don't have to talk directly to it, you know? Ddraig can hear and see everything I do, so it's not a problem if you talk to me"

That makes sense, I stand up and talk normally to Hyoudou

"There is something I want to know then... where is Albion?"

Ever since I've heard about the Seikiryuutei being sealed in a Sacred Gear, I've been wondering what happened to the Hakuryuukou, since they were supposedly killed together"

I ask and see Hyoudou face's getting troubled

"Eh... that's a complicated question..."

[Frankly, this boys always aims at the sore spots]

"Eh? Was it that troublesome?"

I ask looking sideways, everyone seems uncertain of what to say

"Issei and Ddraig's rival is working for the Khaos Brigade"

"What?! Albion is with the terrorists?"

Azazel shakes his head and answers in a sad tone

"Albion was also sealed in a Sacred Gear, [Divine Dividing], instead of increasing the owner's powers, this one is able to reduce the opponent's power and halve their attacks"

"I know about that, it's called [Divide] an opposite to the Welsh Dragon's [Boost], so he was also sealed and the host is now working against us, huh? That is a big problem"

Someone with the power of the White Dragon Emperor working with the enemy sure can mean a lot of trouble to us

He puts a hand against his forehead

"Well, the greatest problem isn't the Sacred Gear itself, but the wielder of it"

"Huh? What's up with the wielder? Is he a particularly bad person?"

"No, he is the descendant of the original Maou, his name is Vali Lucifer"

The descendant of the original Lord of Devils?

"W-what? There is someone like that?! Why the fuck you didn't told me that before?"

This is a huge deal! The boy has the original Lucifer blood and one of the most powerful beasts in history residing within him!

"I am sorry, I should have said it..."

Azazel says with a sorrowful expression

"Vali Lucifer was trained under Azazel's tutorship, however, he turned against us and now works for the Khaos Brigade, he is also the leader of the group Koneko's sister is in"

Rias says this, I look at Koneko who has a bitter expression and then to Azazel

"So he has human blood?"

I remember Azazel told me only those who are at least part human can wield a Sacred Gear, that must mean the old Maou had a child with a human?

Azazel nods

"You can only wield a Sacred Gear if you have human blood, Vali was the son of Lucifer's grandkid with a human, I took him in when he was a child and taught him to use his sacred gear, but in the end... I couldn't stop him from turning against us"

I stay silent while considering his words, this only makes me see him as even more irresponsible in my eyes

"Why did he turned against you?"

Azazel shrugs

"He is a battle maniac and the peace we are trying to build is a threat to him, so he decided he didn't want that"

I squint my eyes and look at him with a questioning expression

"That's it, that's just it? You are telling me you took a kid who had hatred in his heart, taught how to use his immense power, but somehow was not able to teach him loyaty or kindness enough to make him not want to drow the world in war?"

This man is seriously not the type that I think should be leading the fallen angels, I don't think he should be running anything!

Azazel shrugs

"Yes, you can hate me if you want, it was my fault"

"Is that really all you got to say?"

Does the underworld puts people like him to rule over? If he is like that then what kind of man rules the devils? What kind of Maous are Rias' and Sona's brothers like?

"H-hey Kageyama-kun, don't go so hard on Azazel, he is not all at the fault"

I nod my head

"I know, he wouldn't have turned evil if he wasn't planning on it. This Vali Lucifer is an evil devil along with Kuroka, correct?"

The look on Issei's face becomes as if I backed him against a wall

"Yes, he is..."

Issei seems sad when he says that

"Why are you sad? Don't tell me you were friends?"

Issei shakes his head and when it seems like he is about to answer, Ddraig says

[He knows what you want to do, esper]

"Huh? What I want?"

I wasn't particularly meaning anything with this but Ddraig answers in a serious tone

[Me and Albion are rivals for eternity, sealing us doesn't change this fact, my partner is Albion's and Vali Lucifer's rival, he is the one destined to fight and defeat him, you should stay out of this rivalry]

I was taken by surprise by the Sekiryuutei's words, so their rivalry extends even after death?

"Ddraig is right, Vali is my rival, the man who I am destined to fight and defeat and also he is more than that, we fought together once you know?"

"You did?"

"I mentioned the incident with the Khaos Brigade that happened some time ago, remember? In that fight, Vali and his team, who also has the descendants of Sun Wukong, Arthur Pendragon and Morgana Le Fay, aided us in battle"

A team composed of such individuals is nothing short of amazing!

"Wow! Impressive, well, he is the son of Lucifer, and what about your enemy? Who was it that could make even the terrorists accept this truce?"

"The evil norse god, Loki, decided to rebel against his father, Odin. Since Odin is on the Alliance's side we had no choice but to stop Loki's plans and seal him in Cocytus, where he won't scape"

Loki? So they defeated and sealed the son of Odin, Loki? Amazing!

"Hah, another ridiculous foe, well, but now I can understand it too, you also have some sympathy since you fought by his side, do I shouldn't fight with him too, huh? Ah , frankly, you guys are restraining me a lot you know?"

Issei puts a troubled expression

"I am sorry"

Well, there is a lot to this world I still don't know, I don't know their past experiences nor what leads them to think like this, I think I should stay away from those people, otherwise another misunderstanding might happen...

"Hahaha! Don't worry, the one who should be worrying now is me, this Khaos Brigade seems to be full of incredibly strong guys, I wonder how fighting with them will be like"

I don't know if it's a shock to anyone, but I am not invincible, you know?

"Your level of strength is quite high already, I don't think there are many people able to defeat you"

I smile at Hyoudou's answer

"Mom and dad could probably do it if they fought seriously, Kuriko too, but Hyoudou-kun, if I told you that there are is a man in this world that can single handedly defeat me, would you believe it?"

"That man would have to be quite the monster..." - Yuuto-kun answers our conversation

No, you are wrong Yuuto-kun, that man is no monster, he is human, but his strength is something above all existences I've ever met. To reach his level with my psychic powers is the greatest aim I can have.

"He is someone who stands above the concept of strength, I can't see myself reaching his level yet... but Yuuto-kun, you have something very unusual yourself right?"

He makes a confused face

"Sorry, what do you mean by it?"

"That sword of yours, it combined both demonic power and holy aura, it is the first time I saw such a thing, it's quite impressive."

"Oh, thank you very much. That is my sacred gear [Sword Birth], it allows me to create several types of swords with different attributes"

"So it's another Sacred Gear, man this things are really impressive, I'm starting to wish I had one, hahaha!"

"Please don't say that, you are already scary enough with psychic powers alone!"

"Hahahaha, sorry"

"By the way Kageyama-kun, since we are talking about our powers, could you explain me a bit more about what you can do?"

"About what I can do?"

Rias nods

"Yes, you were the first person we met who could use psychic powers. I believe I'm not the only one curious about it"

I see, so they want to know what my powers are

"Well, as you saw in battle, my specialities are telekinesis and energy manipulation. I can also use other psychic powers, but these are the ones I'm the best at"

I say as I lift a single paper and a pen from the table

"Would you mind if I use them to demonstrate?"

"Not at all" - Rias answers

"Okay then"

"With telekinesis I can not only diasemble and reconstruct mater at molecular level, but also make it fuse if I want to"

I make the ink from inside the pen float outside of it and then fuse with the paper, I write "Kuoh Academy" on it

"Woah, that's amazing"

"Thanks and another thing is that I can reconstruct matter the way I seem fit, so I can also do this if I want to"

I make the paper split itself into equal bits and then reassemble it

"I can reassemble things in the way I seem fit, not only to the state they once were"

"Wow, so that's how you were able to regenerate yourself so easily"

Asia says

"And build that rock barrier around the factory!"

Xenovia says hitting her fist against her palm

"Yeah, but this is not a healing power, so it has it's weakness"

"Not a healing power..."

I hear Asia saying

"Yes, when I regenerated your body Asia, Azazel told me the things that were wrong with you so I knew where I had to reconstruct. My power doesn't allow me to randomly heal someone because if I mess with something that doesn't need to be fixed I could make the situation much worse"

"I see, but it's still an amazing power!"

She says cheerfully, I can't help but smile at her cute encouragement

"You also said you can manipulate energy right? Is that what you did with Asia during our battle?" - Issei asks

During our battles, I used my power to absorb Asia's healing aura to stop her from healing them

"Yes, I can manipulate other people's aura and energy and use it to boost my powers if I have to, the scientific name is [Ergokinesis]"

"That's amazing, that means you can steal anyone's energy?"

I nod

"Yes, once we absorb an energy we can turn any kind into our own"

"So there are more like you? Others who can manipulate energy?"

Rias asks

"Yes, many espers have the power to manipulate energy to a certain level, however, there are very few who can manipulate it and absorb like me and father."

"So even among espers you are a rarity, huh?"

"I guess you could say that..."

"Is that why Liliana-san is so interested on you?"

I don't know how to answer, Liliana is still a mystery to me

"I'm sorry, Sona-kaichou already asked me that, but her motivation is unknown to me, it was hard for me as well to understand Liliana-san's motivation, but all I know is that she's very brave..."

And very powerful, it was just for a few seconds, but Liliana's energy felt different from the demons I've met, including Rias and the others, there was something about her that threw me off.

Rias seem confused at my answer

"Brave and powerful? How is that so?

"Well, brave because she has espers on her side, that much is obvious"

"Are you saying that because espers have exorcist powers?"

Issei asks

I shake my head

"No, well there is that as well, but it's because espers are natural hunters of the supernatural"

They look at me confused

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we understand"

Akeno-san says with a confused look at her face

"What do you mean? You guys understand that for sure, we just talked how about I noticed right away you guys were devils, how you couldn't detect me even with the nekoshou's senjutsu and it seems like Liliana-san told you about our exorcism powers, I think it's only natural that a devil would try to keep us at least a few steps away from them, but she actually took them in as her servants..."

My father received the nickname "White T Poison" because, just like poison, he seemed completely harmless until he fucked you up.

Rias' eyes widen at my explanation

"I see, that makes sense..."

I nod, it's as if nature itself molded us to fight the supernatural, yet we attract them, weird isn't it?

Thinking about that, it's almost like Jojo, right? Stand users attract each other, but most times they end up figthing

Wait, am I really thinking about Jojo in this situation?

I shake the thought out of my head and continue

"And that's why I know she's brave, Liliana, with that smile and carefree attitude, is surrounded by us out of her own choice, not only that but she also made us her servants. That means something."

Rias nods at my answer

"Do you think there's a reason behind it?"

I shrug

"I dunno, I thought you could give me a better answer"

"Sorry, but among the devils very little is know about her motivation, the Caims are one of the most mysterious clans of the 72 pillars"

72 pillars, Sona-kaichou also said something about it

"What are these 72 pillars about?"

"Oh, Azazel didn't told you? These are the 72 main devil clans that compose the devil's side of the underworld government, after the great war most of them went extinct but the Caim faction"

"Are you part of the 72 pillars?"

She nods

"My family, the Gremory house, occupies the rank of Duke, my brother Sirzechs is it's current leader. The Caims have the rank of Great President, they are above most clans, but still below the Great King Bael "

Oh, so Liliana's family is ranked very highly among the devil's! This actually makes me nervous

I also remember what Azazel said and I gulp before asking

"Your brother, you mean... the Maou right?"

Rias seems suprised at my answer

"So Liliana-san told you..."

"We both did, we thought it would be good to let him know with what he was dealing with"

Azazel says

She looks at Azazel and nods

"That would be right then, my brother currently occupies the position of the devil's highest leadership"

So it's true, crap, I'm really glad I didn't killed any of them!

"Are they okay with me joining in?"

Rias nods

"We didn't get to tell my brother anything, Azazel alerted us to not do so as you would be coming to our side"

"ah, thanks, that's good"

I say while finally relaxing, that means I'm not on the devil's blacklist

"Eh... Buchou"

Issei says and everyone turns to hear what he has to say

"What is it, Ise?"

He says while scratching his cheek

"Kageyama-kun is serving under Liliana-san but he's not a devil, isn't he? But he's still at Kuoh academy. So that means he'll be able to work with us like Irina does? Or is that prohibited somehow?"

Rias thinks for a while before answering

"That depends on which kind of order we receive, but if he's staying in this school that means he'll probably have no choice..."

No choice? What does she mean by that?

"Well, Liliana-san didn't said I couldn't help you guys if needed, but why do you think I won't have a choice?"

Rias gives a big sigh at my question

"The town of Kuoh has been the center of many recent activities regarding the three powers, which has also led it to receive a lot of attention from groups with evil intentions such as the Khaos Brigade, that's why I wish we can count with your help if danger arrives, but I also believe that even if you didn't want to, you would end up pulled into it, I'm sorry."

I shake my head

"Not at all, anything I can do to help will be my pleasure, you can all count on me. If you want you can think of it as a repayment for... you know what..."

Rias shakes her head

"Don't worry, by the way, Azazel also told us something about Espers attracting supernatural beings? Is that true?"

Oh, yes, I didn't told them that

"Yes, we do, it's a weird thing, but stronger the esper, the more chances he has of having encounters with the supernatural, I'm really sorry if this causes you trouble, I'll try to deal with any beings that I do attract"

That's the best I can do, it's not like this is something that can be turned on and off, but I have to at least that responsibility for it

But Rias shakes her head

"Not a problem, actually this town was blessed by the three factions you know? Angels, devils and fallen angels built a barrier around this town so any unauthorized supernatural beings would be either stopped from entering or alert us if they did"

So they have this kind of technique in this town, that explains even more the supernatural air that envolves it

"...But it seems like your presence and the interference of your Ki managed to lower our defences and mess with the flow of the town, which made it easier for them to enter"

Oh crap, that's right, I did use my powers to interfere with them, so that's why it wasn't working...

"I'm sorry, I won't try to mess with the town's chi anymore, so I think it will be alright. Ah frankly, I've caused you guys so much trouble since I arrived..."

Even if my intentions were good, it doesn't eliminate this fact

"Don't worry about it! We're all fine and it served to all of us as a lesson"

Hyoudou says with confidence, I look at him confused

"Lesson?"

He nods

"Yes, we at the Gremory group are training to become stronger, getting defeated by you only motivated us to get stronger. Next time we won't lose to you Kageyama-kun!"

"...Ahahahahaha!"

I can't help but laugh at his answer, this is probably the most amazing thing this Gremory group has show me, never in my life someone said these words to me, never in my life I felt like I was competing with someone. To become stronger is an aim I had in order to control my powers and destroy evil, never something I did out of necessity, the words of Hyoudou-kun make me see them in a new way

"Why are you laughing?"

I wave my hand in front of my face

"Nothing, nothing, I just never had rivals before, you know? We espers don't usually fight against each other these days, so I never had any motivation or need to train or strive to become stronger"

Issei's face freezes for a moment

"Training? Kageyama-kun, are you saying you never trained in your life?"

I nod with a confused face

"Yes, is there a problem?"

His eyes wide and he seems completely shocked

"Y-you mean, all that power of yours is controled solely with your natural talent?"

Kiba asks

"Yeah, why are you guys giving me this look? Is that so strange?"

"You have been relying on fighting experience and talent alone?!"

I hear Xenovia asking

"Yes, but it's not just me, mother and father are like that as well, plus Kuri-"

"We lost to a guy who never trained a day in his life..."

She is sulking! She's not even listening to me!

"Don't worry Xenovia-san, Kageyama-kun is a frightening existence"

Asia pats her back, hey, don't comfort her while degrading me!

"But it's okay, right, everyone?"

Rias looks at her peerage with a confident expression

"We have already faced things like this before, we won't give up so easily, right?"

Issei gives a sigh and smiles

"Yeah, Buchou is, we'll train even harder from now on"

Hearing it, Yuuto makes a troubled smile and speaks up

"Frankly, even after you guys just fought you are already challenging him again, but Ise-kun is right, next time we won't lose, isn't that right everyone?"

[Yes!]

The occult research club backs up Hyoudou's words with the same amount of confidence as his friend. These people sure are something.

"Well if we're rivals now then I better get going before you decide to jump at me for revenge hahaha!"

I say as I turn to leave

"Goodbye Kageyama-kun"

Oh, there's one more thing

"Hey, everyone"

They throw curious glances at me

"Just call me Tatseyo, can I call you by your first names as well?"

They all nod

"Fine by us, see you later then, Tatseyo"

Rias says

"Okay, see you later, Rias, Issei, everyone."

That was a really interesting conversation, they are good people, I feel bad for what I did to them but I'll try my best to make it up for it.

But even so, there are things that doesn't seem right to me, this evil piece system, the leaders of the underworld and now these 'frenemies' that they have with the Khaos Brigade. Also, the conditions from which Shinra was reincarnated seem to be very different from the members of the Gremory peerage, well, I can't bring this up in front of them, but this is something that I should talk about with Liliana

---

Afterword: I am very happy to see so many new comments, favorites and critics in my story, I love when people compliment it, but I also enjoy when they say their opinions about it. This not only helps improve my writing, it also gives me ideas.

A fun thing that happened in the last chapter was that both in fanfiction .net and Wattpad, there were reviews talking about how what Mayumi said was incorrect and made Rias seem much nicer than she is, considering she manipulated Issei and Asia into her peerage and considering the bad side of the devil society and the evil pieces. It was actually very funny since it happened in the exact chapter I said the story was in the two plataforms. I would like to say that I'm aware of this side of the story, I also know the flaws in the Devil society, like crazy leaders and the flaws of the evil piece system, and I have no plans of turning devils into flawless beings just because I made the protagonist become more sympathetic towards them.

Mayumi couldn't know everything behind Issei and Asia's situation, she's a telepath, not omniscient, she's not close to Rias and no one in canon seems to know the exact conditions of Asia and Issei outside of their peerage, but I sure will try to address the conditions behind the reicarnations of some devils, along with a couple of things that also aren't discussed in canon. But I'll do it slowly, Tatseyo is still discovering this new world and is currently fascinated by it, but soon he'll find out he wasn't all wrong about the evil side of the underworld beings.