Part 1
A few days have passed since I had my conversation with Rias and Sona-kaichou, not much has happened ever since, I don't hang around with them very much and I prefer to stay with the trio of friends that I met on my second day here.
"Hey Tatseyo, what are you thinking?"
Kanae, the girl of the group, asks while poking my cheek
"Ah, nothing, I was just spacing out"
I answer while continuing to dig on my lunch
But truth is that I'm feeling uneasy, my first days in this town were everything but peaceful, but these last 2 days have passed with nothing happening at all. In my "normal life" as an esper, I had battles on nearly daily basis and by what Rias said I thought it would be the same here too, so this peaceful time is making me feel aprehensive that something might happen at anytime if I drop my guard.
Me and the trio went to the mall yesterday, they helped me around the town quite a bit and I got to know them better, but nothing out of the usual happened, I guess I should be glad I got to spend some time with friends and have some peace for the first time in years, but I can't shake this feeling of uneasiness out of my mind.
"Pay attention dude, here, where do you think we should visit first?"
Koji hands me a map of Kyoto, they've been talking about this trip even though it's still not that close
"I dunno, wouldn't we have to follow the teacher's schedule?"
I called my parents and they gave me permission, so all that's left is going, though I would like to talk to Liliana before, I don't have contact with her or her peerage since the time at the ORC.
"We'll also have time to freely wander around there, so we have to make the most out of it"
Eizo says this.
I shrug
"That's good, I'll go wherever you guys go, so you can decide by yourselves"
"Alright!"
He starts writing something on a block of paper as I look at my watch and see that break time is about to end
"I'll go in the front then"
I say as I get up from my seat
"Just wait a second... done!"
He says closing the block
"Let's go together"
The four of us make our way back to classroom
When we get close to class we see that the door is being blocked by a group of girls surrounding a familar figure... it's Kiba Yuuto
By now I've already got used to his abnormal popularity with the female students, though this can be a hassle sometimes
"Hey, could you move plea..."
"Kyahh, I'm sorry! I didn't saw you!"
The girl immediately panicks at the sound of my voice and steps away while apologising, the other girls do the same, it's like I've pointed a gun at them.
Yes, people still think I'm a deliquent, I believe that regarding popularity I'm just above Issei and the perverted trio. Well, I guess being feared is better than being gross.
The only one who doesn't move is Kiba who looks at us with a refreshing smile
"Hi Tatseyo"
I wave at him
"Hey Kiba, how's it going?"
(Ehhh, they know each other?)
(Kiba-kun, move! He will ruin your pretty face if he takes you wrong!)
I can hear the girls who didn't run away whispering, another thing I've grown used to by now. But I already know how to deal with it
"Class is about to start you know? Shouldn't you be going?"
...Just pull a Jotaro on them
"Iiih! Sorry"
They disband at a rush, some go in our class while others go back to other classrooms
"Oh my, seems you really have things under control here"
Kiba says while laughing. Please don't do that, it's not like I'm enjoying it, but it's the only way to make them shut up.
"Sorry about that, so what are you doing in here?"
"Nothing much, I only came to see how the members of the club were doing, the school will be having a trip to Kyoto in a few weeks. Have you decided on your group yet?"
"Yes, I'll be going with them"
I say pointing at my friends who are behind me
"Hi Kanae-chan, Eizo-san, Koji-san, how are you?"
"H-hi.. Y-yuuto-kun.."
Kanae answers while blushing, even though she said she doesn't adore the popular crew as much as the others, it's clearly obvious she has some feelings for him. She's usualy responsible and like the big sister of our group, but close to Kiba we can see that she's a normal girl just like all the others
"Tsk"
Eizo doesn't say a word and simply walks by Kiba and goes inside the classroom, he's among the several male students who dislike Kiba for his popularity, he's really impulsive and energic, but he's a good guy.
"Sorry about this, Yuuto-kun"
Koji apologizes because of our friend's behaviour and follows after him inside the classroom, he is probably the most level headed and easy going of us, I've never seen him speak bad about anyone... except about Issei and his two friends of course.
"Well, class is about to start, see you later"
"Later then"
He waves me goodbye and walks towards his classroom
"So... are you going to stand there all day?"
I say it to Kanae, since Kiba spoke with her she's just standing there
"Ah, right, sorry!"
She says this as she rushes inside our class.
I close the door and walk to my seat, soon after that the teacher comes in and class starts
Class goes by like usual and to me this feeling is kinda foreign, normal days like these are a rarity to me
When it finally ends I start packing my materials and get ready to go home
"Hey Tatseyo, wanna walk home together?"
Koji calls me
"Yes, just wait a second"
I walk towards Issei, Asia, Xenovia and Irina who are getting ready to leave the classroom
"Hey"
"Oh, hi Tatseyo"
They greet me
"I was just wondering... has anything weird happened recently, like in the last two days?"
Everyone in the group makes a confused expression
"No... why?"- Issei asks
"Did you saw something weird?"
Asia says with concern in her eyes
I shake my head
"No, sorry if I'm worrying you, it's just that the last few days have been so... quiet, when Rias told me about this town I thought things would be more... agitated in here"
Xenovia sighs
"So you are feeling like that as well? I admit that all this calm is starting to make me feel bored, would you like to train with me later?"
I shake my head
"No, no, I think I said it in the wrong way, I thought Rias-senpai told me this town was at the center of those evil organization's attention, so all this peace is making me feel uneasy, like something is about to happen. Calm before the storm you know?"
Issei laughs
"Sorry Tatseyo, but I think you took Buchou's words too seriously, we do suffer a lot of attacks, but we have peace periods as well, relax and enjoy it while it lasts, you'll go mad if you can't you know?"
I breath in relieve
"So that's it, huh? Sorry if I was being paranoid"
Irina smiles while tapping my shoulder
"Don't worry, if anything happens we'll give you a call, right?"
"Yes, definitely"
"Enjoy yourself Tatseyo-san I would hate see you getting mad"
Asia says this, I can see why she's popular, this girl's cuteness goes off the charts sometimes
"Yeah, we wouldn't let Kuoh academy's strongest fighter out of the action..."
Xenovia says this, I can't help but feel a little resentment in her words
"C'mon Xenovia, don't put so much presure on him"
She sighs
"But it's true isn't it? Tatseyo, even if you are not fighting you should be aiming to become more powerful, we on the Gremory group are training daily to become stronger so we can surpass people at your level, I hope you are not slacking off, I don't wanna win just because my opponent wasn't prepared to fight."
Damn, this girl sure took her promise to get stronger seriously
"I can see where you're coming from, but still..."
I don't know how I should train, during my whole life I never had to train to get stronger, my power is constantly increasing as I get more used to it and all I ever did was about using all the skills I have with focus on controlling them
"Eh, don't tell me you still haven't trained at all?"
I reply while scratching my cheek, I never actually trained in my entire life you know? It's not so easy to start now
"S-sorry..."
Xenovia makes an angry click with her tongue
"Frankly, people with talent always tend to slack off so easily..."
Issei speaks after Xenovia
"Haven't Liliana-san told you she would make you become stronger?"
I nod
"Yes, but we don't have any contact since the after fight at the Occult club, she gave me her number but I don't know how I should contact her..."
"Uh, isn't it easy? Just call her and say you want her help"
Asia speaks with a confused expression
"It's probably more than this Asia, maybe Tatseyo has fallen for her"
Irina says this, you're completely wrong!
"Calm down Irina, they just met each other, that can't be the case... can it?"
Even you Issei?!
"No! That's not the case!"
I answer, then I give a long sigh
"Sorry, Asia is probably right... I'll talk to Liliana-san today, thanks guys"
Xenovia now has a smile on her face
"That's the spirit! I'm looking forward to fighting against you again!"
It seems like her mood improved quite a lot, maybe she's one of those people addicted to fighting? Can't say I have the same feeling
"Thanks everyone! Say hello to Rias-senpai and the others for me okay?"
"Alright, see you later"
"Goodbye Tatseyo-san, don't push yourself too hard!"
"Bye Tatseyo~"
"Make sure to get even stronger!"
With these words I leave classroom and join with my friends who were waiting for me outside
"Finally, what took you so long?"
"Sorry, I had some things to discuss with the Occult research club, thanks for waiting"
Part 2
We're walking together back home, mostly talking about the school trip, they really are excited about it, even Kanae can't hide her excitement.
"Hey Tatseyo, you are spending some time with the Occult research club, are you planning to join them?"
Kanae asks me as we are in midway
"No, just some friendly chat, I don't even know if I wanna join a club"
Most students at our school are involved with one club or another, even this trio of friends is, it got me thinking that maybe I should join one as well, but I don't think I would have time for it
"That's bad Tatseyo! As a student, it's your duty to be involved in the extra-curricular activities of your school too!"
Kanae says in a scolding tone
"Eh? Is it that important to join a club?"
I was never at a normal school before, so I didn't know about it, aren't things like that optional?
"Of course it is! If you are not on a club you are not enjoying your school life to the fullest and when you notice, puff! It's over!"
"W-what? Really?"
Is it that serious?!
"Hey, Kanae, stop doing that, you know Tatseyo never went to a normal school"
Eizo interrupts her
"He's right, Tatseyo, Kanae is just trying to recruit you to the Morals Comittee, don't fall for it"
Kanae is a member of Kuoh Academy's Public Morals Comittee, an organization separate from the student council that enforces the rules of the school and punishes misbehaviour
"Mou, you guys could at least help me a little!"
She says to them
"No way, nobody likes the morals comittee"
"Yeah, especially the guys, we would be hated if we joined you"
Both boys speak to her
As they said, the morals comittee is not elected like the student council, they are usually recommended by the teachers or by other members of the club, you gotta have an at least decent record and behaviour to join though, but that means they weren't choosen by the students and because of the fact that their job is to literally enforce the rules, many dislike them.
"Why do you want me to join the comittee, Kanae?"
Last time I heard, they weren't in such a bad shape, it bugs me why Kanae would want me to join them, especially because of my fame as a deliquent
Kanae lowers her head and answers in a sad voice
"The Morals Comittee is low on staff and in the next graduation it will become even lower, as we currently are, our morale is so low we can't even stop the pervert trio..."
The Public Morals Comittee has been very busy since the school became co-ed, mostly for the exact reason that you might be thinking, enforcing rules and morality on teenage girls was already hard, enforcing it on teenage boys in an academy full of girls is even harder. And it's also true that they are short handed, so dealing with everything is a very tough job
Then her sad expression disappears and she gives a confident smirk
"But imagine if we could bring you, who has the fame of Kuoh Academy's deliquent, to our side? The morale would skyrocket! Not to mention it would also make the students afraid of breaking the rules! It would be the perfect combination!"
I jump back on surprise, so that's her reason?! To make the students scared?
She doesn't stop and starts laughing
"Kukuku, I can even see it already, posters with Tatseyo's face all over the school writen 'The Morals Comittee is watching you', it would be awesome! I bet even the pervert trio would think ten times before trying something!"
"Hey! Don't decide shit like that on your own! Do you think this 1984? I'm not your Big Brother!"
I declare angrily to Kanae who immediately starts pleading
"C'mon, would you at least give it some thought? You already said you don't have a club in mind and we really need help, so please?"
She asks putting her hands together as if she's begging
Man, I really don't like this, if I join the Morals Comittee I would have to work even more and people still wouldn't like me...
But hey, at least they wouldn't think of me as a deliquent anymore, right? And I feel like I own them something since they are the first people in this school who became my friends
"Okay, I'll give it some thought, but I'm not promising anything, alright?"
Kanae gives a big smile and says it with a victory pose
"Yes! Chalk one up for morality!"
"He-hey! I told you I'm not promising anything!"
But she's not even listening to me and just keeps humming on the way back
"Tatseyo, you are too soft..."
"Yeah, your mean looks don't do you justice"
"Shut up you two, or I'm gonna show you what's scary"
With that the conversation is resumed and we make our way home
Part 3
When I arrive at home, I shower and eat the sandwich I bought at a store.
Now I'm staring at my cellphone screen at the contact simply named "Liliana"
I really don't know how should I talk to her, but I don't wanna break my promise, I also do want to know more about my powers, if there are things that not even mom and dad could teach me, then I really have to know.
I take a deep breath and press the dial button
It only rings once before an unknown female voice picks it up.
"Dark Devil Casino, how may I help you?"
Eh, casino? What?
I look at the cellphone screen and at the leaflet that Mayumi gave me, they definitely match, but this can't be
No wait... Dark Devil?
Could it be?
"Er... Can I speak with Liliana Caim?"
The voice waits for a moment before asking
"Who is it?"
"Tatseyo Kageyama, tell her I..."
After I say my name, the call suddenly goes mute for a moment before I hear someone picking it up again
"Hi Tatseyo! How are you doing?'
Liliana's voice! And she seems happy
"H-hello Liliana-san, about that offer of working with you I've been thinking about it and I really wanted to start it a soon as possible, I know I just called out of the blue but... I'll take anything you have so please show me how to use my powers better!"
A silence follows after my words
"Hahahaha!"
Her laughing takes me by surprise
"Why are you acting like that? We already agreed on working together right? I was just worried about why you took so long to contact us, but since you've made contact now it must mean we can start to work, right? Can you come over now?"
Woah, right now? I was thinking that that maybe she would want to start tomorrow... no, no, she's right, the sooner we start, the better
"Yes, I can, how do I get to where you are?"
"The same way as before, take the leaflet that Mayumi gave to you"
I take the paper from the table, it has a pentagram that I had never seen before, similar to the Gremory's, I believe it's her family's symbol
"Hey, Tatseyo..."
Liliana calls me with a questioning tone
"Huh? What is it?"
"Why did you took so long to contact us? I was worried you know? I thought you had given up on working with us..."
I can hear legitimate sadness in her voice, I already regret not calling sooner and hearing her like this is making me feel even more guilty!
"S-sorry, I was busy with school and getting used to this new town, also I sort of... didn't know how I should talk to you"
She gently giggles
"Fufufu, so you were embarassed? That's so cute! But we already know each other, so there's no problem, contact me whenever you like, okay?"
"O-okay..."
I say while feeling a little embarassed, Liliana sure is very easygoing
"Now get ready, I'm gonna activate the circle right... now!"
The circle on the leaflet suddenly starts glowing and...
And...
...
Uh? Nothing?
"Eh? What happened?"
I hear her voice on the other side of the line
"The circle didn't activate, is something wrong?"- I ask her
"I-I don't know..."
Her voice is shaken, like she really wasn't expecting it
"Hey Tatseyo, is there something in your house stopping demonic power from working?"
Something like that... oh fuck!
"Damnit, there is!"
When I arrived at this house I used various seals to stop demons from entering it when I wasn't here, so of course it's going to stop their teleportation from working!
"Wait a minute"
I walk outside of my house with the leaflet and cellphone in hand, I look around to see if there is anyone nearby and once confirmed I ask
"Liliana, would you mind trying again?"
"Huh? Okay"
This time the light shines but doesn't fade away, instead, it gets stronger, enveloping me
When the light from the magic dies out I notice my new surroundings
It's a really big and luxurious room, there are pillars who seem to be made of marble, the decoration is fancy, there is a big chandelier on the roof and a carpet that covers almost all of the floor. There seems to be a mini bar and a pool table as well and right behind me there's a big double-door made of wood with some nice details encarved onto it.
"Tatseyo!"
On the other end of the room, there's a a big table full of papers and lots of other office supplies on it, sitting behind it is Liliana who promptly stands up to greet me
"Wow!"
It leaves my mouth as soon as she gets close, Liliana is stunning! She's wearing a short white dress that exposes her legs, arms and shoulders. Her brown skin and silver hair give her an exotic nature that is just a knockout!
Mayumi is also here and she's wearing secretary clothes, even if she's not showing as much as Liliana, she looks beautiful as well, when we met she had her hair loose but now she has it wrapped on a ponytail, she looks really mature and beautiful too!
"What happened?"
Liliana asks me with a worried expression
To her concerned voice, Mayumi gives a playful giggle
"Fufufu, I believe Tatseyo thinks our outfits are too provocative, Liliana-sama"
Liliana puts her hand on the end of her dress and looks down at it
"Really? You don't like it?"
I shake my head profusely
"Not at all! It really looks great on you! Both of you look great!"
Liliana smiles hearing my answer
"Fufufu, thank you"
I breath out in relieve and turn my eyes to the purple haired girl
"And don't read my mind like that, Mayumi!"
She gives a playful smile
"I wasn't reading your mind, it was written all over your face, fufufu"
Really, was it that obvious?
"Yes, it was!"
Uwahh! Stop reading my mind!
"Stop with it already!"
Her giggles get stronger and she takes her hand to the mouth to cover them
"Sorry, it's just so much fun to tease you! Huhuhu!"
Liliana turns around looking at Mayumi with a scolding expression
"Frankly, teasing our guest even though he took so long to contact us, what we gonna do if he doesn't want to come back anymore?"
"I would never do that!"
There's no way I'll break my promisse and go back on my word to Liliana over something like this!
Liliana and Mayumi turn to me surprised and Liliana gives a small laugh
"Fufufu, I was just kidding, I trust you"
She says with a gentle smile on her face reaching her hand to me
"Come here"
I take her hand and she guides me through the spacious room to the big desk she was occupying
Then she takes several papers and show their content to me
"You know what this is?"
There are numbers and many words on them, but it's all written in different languages, so there are many things I can't understand. However, I can understand that some places are addresses and I can recognize some names on it
"New York, Manhattan, Park Avenue, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Las Vegas, Palermo, Naples, Veneza, London, Dublin, Beijing, Moscow, Taipé, Macau..."
I say outloud the list of the names I recognize, it's written in a foreign language, but even so I can understand it, they are famous towns after all.
Liliana looks pleased
"So you can read it! That will help a lot"
I scratch the back of my head
"Thanks, but there are many names here that I don't know, what exactly are they and the numbers on it?"
She picks the several papers and organizes them before putting them in a folder.
"These are lists of my family's business in the human world Tatseyo, with a lot of info on them, such as addresses, number of employees, total income in the last year, taxes and several other information you shouldn't be concerned about right now"
Woah, what? So Liliana's family has this many business all over the world?
"Er, Liliana?"
"Uhm? What is it?'
I scratch my head, this is something I've been wanting to ask her for a while
"What kind of business does your family run?"
She throws an impish smile at me, that Liliana from the teasing in the hallway is here again
"Say Tatseyo, why don't you open that cabinet over there to grab us a little something?"
I make a confused expression
"Uhm? Cabinet?"
"Yes, over there"
She says pointing towards a big door at an end of the room, behind the mini-bar
Is she suggesting for us to drink?
"Uhm, Liliana, I don't know about you... but I'm still underage"
She waves her hand
"Don't worry, just go there and open it"
I walk behind the counter and open the door wide open and walk in, there's a lot of space in here!
"Damn..."
As expected, there are lots of drinks in here: Champagne, wine, beer, whisky, vodka, tequila, even some that I can't understand what's written on the label.
"What is this?"
The closet also has a separate space with packets of cigarretes, boxes of cigars and even tobacco.
Woah, I recognize this one!
My grandfather (father's father) smokes and this cigar was one of his favourites, he used to smoke them on celebratory occasions like christmas, New Year and birthdays.
I take one in my hands, if I remember correctly this one is...
"You picked a good one"
"Woah!"
Liliana is standing right at the entrance, it took me by surprise, so I almost dropped the cigar
"Liliana, I didn't saw you there"
I hold the cigar up to her
"If I remember well, this one costs about 10,000 yen in Japan, right?
She smiles
"Close, are you acquainted with them? Even though you said you were underage..."
I gasp
"No, that's not it! My grandfather used to love these, that's how I got to know them"
She laughs a little at my answer
"Fufufu, I was just kidding. So what do you think of our family business?"
I am baffled, so they own all of these brands?!
"All of this belongs to you?"
She answers me while picking up a bottle of wine
"Actually it belongs to my family, the Caim family's main job is supplying humans and devils alike with their addictions, whether it's drinking, smoking or gambling, we've been providing these things for hundreds of years. The underworld doesn't work on magic alone you know?"
Amazing, so the devils have their grasp around so many things in our world, it just makes me realize even more how little I knew.
"Liliana-san, Sona-kaichou told me that you help your family's business, isn't that a lot even for you to handle? It must be really stressful"
Liliana seems to be around the age of Rias and Akeno, maybe a little older, but I still think this must be a ton of work for a young woman, well, of course she can be much older than she looks since she's a devil
But she just smiles
"I'm happy to see you worrying about me, but it's fine, I don't handle everything by myself, what I do is mostly regarding just one of our branches"
I nod
"I understand, still it must be very hard"
I never worked with anything but exorcism and paranormal hunting in my life, so I don't know how difficult an administration job is
Liliana sighs
"Well, it wasn't actually very hard untill this year... when the Khaos Brigade began to make their moves, they've been causing trouble to all devils, everywhere."
So the Khaos Brigade has been causing trouble to Liliana-san, why would they do such a thing?
"You and Azazel told me about this Khaos Brigade, but you didn't really told me their motivations. Why are they doing this?"
She looks a bit troubled
"Well, it's kinda hard to explain if you don't know the full picture, but I'll try my best."
She then holds the wine bottle up
"I think this will make the explanation a bit easier, wanna join us?"
I shake my head
"Thank you, but no, I already said that I'm underage and I don't think someone like me should get drunk"
I've never drinked more than a glass of wine and a cup of beer in my entire life, can't say I disliked it, but the thought of what I might cause if I get drunk made me utterly afraid of drinking.
"Uhm, I see, there's a bottle of coke in the fridge, we use it to make drinks, feel free to take it if you want some"
She says as she turns around and walks out of the closet
I go to the fridge, there is actually more than one but they have glass doors so I can see the bottle of coke inside one of them. I take the bottle and one of the glass cups and join Liliana and Mayumi who are sitting on a couch while pouring their drinks at a table in front of it
Mayumi sees me with the bottle of coke and makes a confused expression
"Ara, you won't be joining us?"
"N-no, I really think I shouldn't drink"
Liliana nods before sipping on her cup
"He's probably right, if Tatseyo got seriously drunk and lost control, who knows how long this town would last"
So Liliana understands, I don't know my limit so even more than a cup might be dangerous.
Mayumi nods
"Oh my, that's no good, if you gonna stay with us then you gotta learn to drink you know?"
She has a legitimate worried expression, is not drinking such a big problem?
"Mayumi is right, but this will be for another time, sit here"
Liliana makes a sign for me to sit next to her, I take a sit and she starts folding through some papers, I notice that these are different from the others
"Why do these papers have this red tape on the edge?"
Liliana has surprised expression
"Oh, so you noticed! Well, this ones are actually reports about certain... discrepancies that have occured since the Khaos Brigade arrived. You see Tatseyo, their motivation apparently has all to do with their current leader: Ophis"
Ophis, I heard that name before... where was it?
Oh, that's right! One of the fake heroes said that name, so he thought I was sent by their leader, huh?
"The heroes that I allowed to escape said that name to me, who is this person?"
Liliana has troubled expression
"I wouldn't call her a person, no, there's no way she can be called that at all. You already know about the existence of dragons"
I nod
"Yes, I remember"
"Well, Ophis is what could be called a God of Dragons, it assumed the appearance of a young girl in modern days, but it's far beyond human. She represents the infinite and is without a doubt one of the strongest creatures in this world, more than you, your mother or anyone you know"
God of Dragons?! Are we seriously dealing with such a dangerous opponent?
I wide my eyes in surprise
"W-why is she leading them? What's her goal?"
Mom is a heroine and living close to heroes made me get to know a lot of evil organizations, some aimed for money and others aimed for things like world domination and such, but I can't imagine what such a dangerous creature could want, what could a God of Infinity possibly desire?
"The silence..."
Liliana gives me this simple answer
"What?"
"Even a God has it's origins Tatseyo, Ophis is a being that was "born" in a place know as the Dimensional Gap, a place where nothing exists and time and space are meaningless, Ophis lived in there in peace for a very long time until..."
Liliana turns the pages to an illustration of a huge and scary red dragon
"This came up"
Hey, I know this creature!
"The Seikiryuushintei? So he exists too?"
The Great Red Dragon described in ancient religious texts, a frightening existence know as [Dragon of Dragons]
"So you know the name of the Dragon of Dragons, huh? He is the only known entity capable of opposing Ophis, it took her place in the Dimensional gap and now it swims there for eternity"
"And why does this concerns us? Shouldn't we let them sort their problems out by themselves?"
Liliana shakes her head
"No, a fight between these creatures could destroy the world Tatseyo, it's something we must avoid at all costs"
Destroy the world? Crap, this is even more serious than I thought...
"But why would the Hero faction side with her? Wouldn't they be doomed too if this world got destroyed?"
Mayumi who is at the opposite side of Liliana speaks with a smile on her face
"Ara, it seems like he thinks the same way as you, Liliana-sama"
Liliana also has a pleased expression
"I know, I have also discussed this with Mayumi and the others. I believe Ophis is saying the truth regarding her goals, but her followers in the Khaos Brigade must have some sort of ulterior motive, I think they are manipulating her"
I ask astounished
"Manipulating a God?"
Liliana smiles
"It's easier than you think. But still, I don't have any evidence to back up my theory, nor any idea of what their ulterior motive might be, so at the moment, I'm dealing with the problems at hand while trying to gather evidence."
I ask confused
"Problems at hand?"
"Yes, you see Tatseyo, far from only attacking devils and causing havoc, the Khaos Brigade is also attacking the foundations of the whole world for their own political agenda, some members have a particular dislike for the rulers of several factions, including the Gods and the Maous"
Wow, so even in hell there are political issues like that?
"Rias-senpai and Sona-kaichou's brothers? Why would they dislike them?"
"A long time ago the underworld of devils went through something that could be called a civil war, in the process the Old Maou and it's followers were either killed or exhiled and Sirzechs, which is the name of Rias' brother, and his partners took charge."
Liliana then sighs
"Well, that's what allowed my clan to become so strong, so I shouldn't be complaining"
I don't understand what she's saying
"That helped your family to become strong?"
She lifts her finger
"Of course, while in the war, many devils negleted their other non-combat duties, but we were still expanding, training, buying, preparing for when the war would end, this way, even if lives on our side were lost, we would still have certain strength"
-!
Liliana's words get me shocked! So her ancestors worked behind the scenes to get stronger even when they were in the middle of a war? This gives me troubled feelings, on one hand you could label them as two-faced, but weren't they doing what was best for their household? Can you really blame them?
"I-I see, that's quite amazing"
I say the only thing I believe I should say right now
"It is, right? A Caim can be a lot of things, but never dumb. We did lost a lot in that war, just like everyone, but we managed to be on top at the end"
This only confirms what I already thought about Liliana, she is a smart girl who knew how to trick me and knock me out when I fought against Rias and her peerage, she also taught me a new way to use my powers in the middle of an emergency situation and managed to solve it by doing so. For me, it's no surprise that her family must be filled with intelligent, cunning people, this is making me a little nervous...
"But that brings a lot of trouble as well..."
Liliana speaks as I'm pondering about her family's history
"What kind of troubles?"
She sighs
"Well, we weren't killed or exhiled, so you must know that my family abandoned the Old Maou faction and sided with the new Maous, so because of that we are one of their main targets, but it's also because... well, my family wasn't exactly kind to them..."
"What do you mean?"
Liliana makes a troubled expression
"You see... the Caim family made forced acquisitions and even took territory and properties that used to belong to the Old Maou faction, they don't exactly like us because of that, so we've been having our hands full in the last few months dealing with those pesky terrorists"
That's why they're also causing trouble to Liliana and her clan as well! I can kinda understand their side too, but it was a time of war and if their grudge is going to cost human lifes and the balance of this world, I can't possibly side with them
"That's why I'm here, I'll help anyway I can"
She gives me another gentle smile
"Thank you, we really appreciate your help, but in the meantime, I think we should start your training right?"
I nod
"Yes, I also appreciate your help"
She giggles
"Okay, I believe that before anything else, I should introduce you to everyone, after all, my peerage will also be helping."
The other espers on Liliana's peerage, I only spent a small time with them, but if they are with her, I can get to the conclusion that they must be abnormally strong.
"You already know Mayumi, she is my [Queen] and the first to join my peerage, she also works as my secretary"
Mayumi nods, they do seem like good friends
"Do you want me to call the others, Liliana-sama?"
Liliana seem to think for a while before answering
"Yes, I think now would be a good time, I hope Manaki won't be too busy working, seriously, that girl can get so absorbed sometimes..."
She's putting a troubled expression, Manaki must be the blue haired girl, right?
"Do all your servants work for you?"
I ask her, it's a doubt I've been having for a while, all the servants of Gremory are part of the ORC and all the servants of Sitri are in the student council, so I believe that Liliana will also be having her servants working under her.
Liliana nods confirming my suspicions
"Yes, they all work here in different sections of this casino"
I freeze after hearing her words, I forgot that this is a casino!
"...Li-Liliana-san, you know that gambling is illegal in Japan, right? Is this casino..."
She quickly dismisses my idea
"Illegal? No, this is not even a normal casino, Tatseyo, it's the type that can only be seem by supernatural beings or humans with involvement with them, such as magicians, those who have pacts with devils and obviously..."
She then points at me
"Espers!"
Really? So there exists places like this? I've heard about them, but being in one is seriously amazing, it even makes me feel like I'm privileged, a VIP or something
"You can only access the casino through the lobby, which only supernatural beings can enter, so don't worry, this place is completely separate from the laws of the human world"
So it's a Casino binded by the laws of the underworld? Of course! I forgot to even think about it, but if the devils have a government, then they obviously have laws too! Ah, the more I think about it, the more complicated it gets, but there is one question that's bothering me the most right now
"Liliana-san, where am I? Are we still in Kuoh town?"
I never heard about this casino before, so it's either very well hiden or in a part where I still didn't reach in Kuoh
But Liliana tilts her head
"Ara? No, that's impossible, you know, high-class devils can have their own territories in the human world. But Kuoh town is Rias' and Sona's territory, I couldn't possibly run a business in there"
I knew about that, so this confirms that I am not in Kuoh town. Then where am I?
I gulp down nervously before making the dreaded question
"So... where is the Dark Devil Casino? Where... am I?"
She gives a playful smile before pointing
"Fufufufufu, why don't you open the curtains Tatseyo?"
There are red curtains covering what seems to be a large windom in the room.
"O-okay"
I get up and nervously walk towards it
I gently open the curtains...
-!
The vision I have almost makes me fall back
This is not Kuoh town!
The billboards on the streets are all different, there are huge buildings and bright lights all over!
By the view I'm having, I can definitely say this is a big town and we are in a very high floor!
It's beautiful! But..
"What the hell..."
I speak with barely any strength in my voice
Where am I?
I feel someone approaching me from the back as I stare mesmerized at the town below us
Liliana gets really close and softly whispers in my ear
"Welcome to Kuromaku town, Ta-tse-yo ~ "
That's far away from Kuoh town!
Afterword: I really took long to post these chapters didn't I? Real world didn't made things any easier, but I was also writing this chapter together with the one before it, so it was like working on two chapters at once, when I realized I should post them separate it was too late and I was almost finishing it, well, I hope you all enjoy it