Part 1
"Are you okay now, Tatseyo? You went pale and your eyes looked like they were going to pop out, I knew you would be surprised but that was bit too much, don't you think?"
Liliana and Mayumi helped me to sit down after the initial shock
"Too much? You teleported me to another side of the country! Of course I would be surprised!"
Kuromaku is a huge town, even though it's relatively new compared to the other ones, it thrives mostly in commerce, tourism and cultural industry. With a population of over 1 million people that rises each year as more come looking for new opportunities. Summing it up, it's big, bustling and full of life, the very opposite of Kuoh's small and peaceful town vibe.
However, this has also attracted trouble, news have been warning about the increasing crime rates in town, as Yakuza and other criminal groups move in
And it's in this town that Liliana's territory and the Dark Devil Casino are in
"So this is the Dark Devil Casino?"
Liliana nods
"Yes, I'm sorry that we didn't told you before. But I'm the heiress of my family, so I decided to build this Casino as my main business and HQ"
So this Casino is to her a bit like the school is to Rias and Sona, but this is on a total different level!
"That's amazing, though it makes me troubled to deal with someone so powerful..."
Liliana laughs
"Fufufu, don't worry, I'm not a scary girl"
She says in a teasing voice
"Wait a second, does that mean I'll have to come here everytime?"
Liliana tilts her head
"And what would be the problem? We can just teleport you here"
Don't say it like it's a regular thing! I would be teleporting around the country on daily basis!
"Though we would have to work on your vocabulary"
Mayumi says it and Liliana nods
"She's right, we devils have the ability to speak and understand any language know to man, but if you plan to stay as human, then you'll need to learn how to read and talk to other creatures and foreign agents, this casino receives lots of foreign customers"
I nod at their words, it's still very weird, but if being teleported and some language classes are the price I have to pay then so be it!
"Okay, I'll do it!"
I say confidently
"Ara, you really seem pumped up, fufufu"
Mayumi says with a laugh
"Well Mayumi, I think it's time for introductions don't you think?"
"Yes, Ojou"
Right after they say this, a demonic seal appears in front of the table
"Ara, can this be...?"
Mayumi seems confused
"I think it is"
Liliana gets up from the couch and answers the seal
"Hello... Manaki? I was just about to call you..."
I can't hear the other side of the line, but her golden eyes wide and she replies with a concerned tone
"What?! Right now of all times? Alright, send an alert to the others, we'll deal with this immediately."
She then gives a long sigh after "hanging up"
"I'm sorry Tatseyo, but it seems that tonight will be your first pratical lesson"
Pratical lesson?
"W-what happened?"
I ask nervously
"You see, this town is my territory and just like Rias and Sona take care of Kuoh town, we also have to deal with things concerning the underworld here"
I get where she's heading to
"So there's an attack of the Khaos Brigade?"
Liliana nods
"Yes, not a direct attack to us, but there seems to be terrorist activity in town and we can't just wait for them to do something, we have to act now"
She says with a determined face
"The others will be here soon, so you'll be tagging along with us."
After Liliana finishes, a magic circle glows on the ground and the other three servants appear from it: The amazon, the glasses girl and the old man.
They seem surprised upon seeing me
"So he finally decided to show up, huh?"
The white haired amazon is the first to speak
"This is going to be interesting..."
The old man says stroking his beard
"..."
The blue haired girl doesn't say a thing and just approaches and reaches her hand to me.
"I'm Manaki Ishida, you are the son of Lady Tatsumaki and Kageyama-san, right? I'm looking forward to work with you"
She's polite, however, she speaks in monotone with an expression that is blank and hard to read, but I shake her hand anyway
"T-thank you, I'm also looking forward to it"
"Eh... Manaki-chan?"
Liliana calls her servant and she immediately turns around
"Sorry Liliana-sama, we should head there as quickly as possible"
She bows to Liliana and hands her a sheet
"That's the information I've gathered"
Liliana reads the paper with a concerned expression
"I see, let's get going then, Mayumi, do you mind going alone with Tatseyo?"
For what Liliana told me before, she can't teleport me so easily using magic circle because I'm not a devil, so I think she wants Mayumi to take me with her since she can use teleportation
"No problem~"
Mayumi says as she embraces my arm, I know you have to make contact, but don't you think that's a bit too much?
"H-hey-"
VOOM
But before I can say anything, we are teleported to a place that seems like the entrance for an area full of abandoned warehouses, I can sense intense demonic energy from within it
Liliana and the others appear soon after us
"Where are we?"
I ask Liliana-san
She makes a sign for me to lower my voice
"Be careful Tatseyo, we are here for a rescue mission"
Rescue?
"Are you talking about a kidnapping?"
Liliana frowns and shakes her head
"Worse, human trafficking"
What?!
"...Though "human" is not exactly the word for it"
Manaki says it, but before I can ask her what she means by it, Liliana breaks the gate leading to the area with a magic shot
"Let's go!"
Her servants take position and go ahead, guess I should go as well
But as I start to advance, I feel Liliana's hand on my shoulder
"Wait, you walk in the back with me, Tatseyo"
"Uhm, why?"
She lifts her finger
"This is a learning experience for you, my servants can take care of whatever comes at us, so focus on what I'm gonna tell you, okay?"
"O-okay"
I stay by Liliana's side as we advance
"You see, a long time ago, there was a three sided war between the Devils, the Fallen Angels, and God with its Angel followers. All three sides had a large army and they fought for almost eternity. As a result, all three sides lost most of their troops and the war finished several hundred years ago with no side winning. The war continued in the background for a lot longer until a treaty was finally signed this year, it created the Alliance that we are currently fighting for. "
The sacred wars, I always thought this was a legend told by the church, so Edmond was right, it did happened
"So the Alliance is that recent?"
Liliana nods and answers with a smile
"Yes it is, I don't know if Rias told you, but the first peace meeting was held at Kuoh academy itself you know? Along with the first attack from the Khaos Brigade"
"Really? Damn, that was important! Wait, if it was there doesn't it mean that civilians could have been hurt?"
Shit, I wish I could have been there to help
"Don't worry, the reunion was held in the day off and the school was surrounded by a barrier, so no civilians were hurt"
I breath out in relieve, that's good, but I still wonder how it would be if I had been there
"Still regarding the war, each side had heavy losses and the devils were no exception. Big Devils with peerage who commanded about 20 or 30 troops lost most of their underlings because of the war. They lost so many that they couldn't even form new armies."
Mayumi, who is going in the front with the others, continues after Liliana
"Most of the pure devils died during the war, so to make it up for the ones we lost the devils created the [Evil piece] system that reincarnated other creatures into devils with special traits depending on the piece used"
So that was the reason why the evil pieces were created
"What does this "trait" means?"
I'm confused, but this sounds important so I'm making my best to understand
"Rias didn't explained it to you did she?"
I shake my head
"Well, devils with peerage decide to use the traits of the human's game "Chess" to their Servant Devils. It was also sarcasm, because most of the servants are Devils that were reincarnated from humans. Since then, Chess became a popular game in the world of the Devils. We'll leave that aside. Devils who are masters are a [King]. In our case, that is me. From there, they created 5 special traits that consist of [Queen], [Knight], [Rook], [Bishop] and [Pawn]. Since they couldn't make an army, they decided to have a small number of Devils and give them enormous powers. This system was made in the past a few hundred years ago, and this became unexpectedly popular amongst Devils with peerage."
"Chess is popular among devils?"
Liliana nods
"Very! They even started making competitions called Rating Games against each other using their Servant Devils. Now, there are even tournaments for it. The strength of their [Pieces] and also how strong they are at the game affects the Devils' social position and their peerage's. There is a thing called [Piece Collect] where they gather humans with talents and make them into their [Pieces]. It's very popular recently. Talented servants become their status."
"Status? What do you mean by it?"
"The more battles you win, the more prestige, fame and even wealth you gain from it"
I get it now, though I'm not surprised, it's expected that strength would mean a lot in the world of devils
We then walk in front of a warehouse that is emitting a great amount of demonic energy from within
"It's here"
Liliana says as she approaches the heavy steel door and touches it
"Heh, a seal... do they really think this will stop me? What do you think, Manaki?"
The blue haired girl adjusts her glasses
"A fifth rate barrier for a fifth rate demon"
Liliana gives a smirk at the girl's blunt answer and summons her own seal
"Disappear!"
She declares and the seal around the warehouse breaks
"Diz, would you do the honours?"
"Thought you wouldn't ask"
The amazon steps in and puts her arms up as if she's ready to break the doors down
Her fist goes forward ready to demolish the steel gates open...
But she stops right before making contact
"Uh? Hold on..."
The white haired woman says as she stands up normally and looks confused at the door
"Diz-chan? What happened?"
Instead of attacking the steel doors, she lightly punches the lock, breaking it
She then pushes the door and it opens easily
Seeing the ridiculous scene that just happened, Liliana and her team members give a small chuckle
"To think they wouldn't even block the door... fufufu, let's go"
She motions for us to move forward, but I still stay behind talking with her, being careful not to make too much noise
"So... about that status thing, is that why you want me to become your servant?"
Not wanting to brag, but I know I am very powerful and if Rias and her peerage can tell something about the average devil's strength, then I think I would be ranked quite highly if I joined them.
But to my surprise Liliana shakes her head and says "No"
"I do take part in rating games, I'm even considered a genius on it. But to reach my true dream, I'm afraid it'll take much more than that."
"Your dream? What do you mean by it?"
Giorno Giovanna immediately appeared on my mind when she said it, but I shake my head to get rid of the thought and look at Liliana who has a sad expression
"The devil society has great problems regarding prejudice against lower classes and social mobility. The Rating Games give people a chance to climb the social ladder, but those who don't have talent or those who don't have status are scorned, rejected and usually don't even get a chance to show their potential"
Prejudice, devils really aren't so different from humans...
"Rias told me about it, mixed bloods also have problems there, right?"
She nods
"Yes, the rejected ones are denied many things, like good education, chances to participate in tournaments and even decent employment, however, there are devils who are trying to change that, I am one of them"
Liliana says pointing at herself, which gets me even more confused
"Why would you want to change that if you benefit from it? Isn't it good to be above the others?"
While it's an actual good goal, I still wonder why she wants to change a system that benefits her. Liliana answers while looking ahead with a pensative look
"I have personal reasons and I also had problems when I first began in the rating games. Devils looked down on espers because they don't have status on the underworld, thankfuly I am a noble so I had the chance to show them they were wrong. But I want to make Espers accepted and recognized throughout the whole underworld and maybe someday create relations between us and the esper community"
"Amazing..."
I'm completely surprised by what she said, so she's thinking this far ahead? Liliana sure is impressive!
"But even if I didn't had this objective..."
She says while turning to me with a smile
"You don't need a reason to do what's right, isn't it?"
I feel my face get hotter when she says this, that's exactly right!
"Y-yeah! Of course!"
"Fufufu"
She gives a small laugh while covering her mouth with her hand
"That's an amazing objective you have, so that's why you want me to join your peerage? To help you on your dream?"
Liliana puts her hand on her chin
"Huh... it's true you would be a great addition, but I'm more interested in something else..."
She points to me with a playful smile
"I wanna see how far I can take you, are you willing to come with me?"
I smile back at her, this girl gives me a confidence I've never felt from anyone before!
"Yes, of cou-"
GROOOOOWL!
As I'm answering her, a loud growling sound resounds through the factory
Demonic presence!
The servants make a battle stance, ready to attack at any moment
"So the Dark Devil and her freak show decided to show their faces in here"
What appears in front of us is a huge beast that seems like a hybrid between a man and hound dog. I has a black fur, large claws and a mouth with sharp teeth that seems to be watering non-stop
"Stray devil Mibor! So you are the one behind this operation!"
Liliana looks really angry and a huge silver aura envelops her body! Her servants are also emitting a huge amount of ESP energy, as I expected from Liliana's servants, they must be a really strong bunch
"Hahahahaha! When the Khaos Brigade offered me such an obscene amount of money for those lowly creatures there was no way we could refuse!"
The creature laughs loudly showing its big and sharp teeth, it's salive drips on the floor, disgusting...
"So the Khaos Brigade is behind it, I knew there was something fishy, once we are done I'll make you spill out every single detail about them!"
The creature laughs again
"The only way this party is going to end is with your bones being used as toothpick! Kill them my children!"
At his orders a pack of wolf like creatures jump from the shadows
"Liliana-san, what should I do?"
If I use my powers here I can destroy them with ease, but Liliana shakes her head
"This is a class for you Tatseyo, so stay behind and let my reliable servants do their job"
"Alright..."
I agree with Liliana and return to idle
"Manaki!"
"Yes, Ojou"
The girl with blue hair charges ahead, she's very fast and agile! Dodging the attacks while leaving after images and then leaps in the air!
[Psychic arsenal]
She declares while levitating with her body upside down, suddenly the roof of the warehouse becomes filled with blue weapons such as swords, axes and spears, they don't seem physical, it seems that they are made of mixing aura, ESP energy and demonic power.
"...Takedown"
She says and all the weapons fall down, piercing the bodies of the wolf creatures
Some of them try to dodge, but the weapons change direction mid-air like track missiles and slash them
They howl in pain and disappear, however a few are still alive
"Manaki is my [Knight], whose trait is enhanced speed and agility, her speciality is materialization, it allows her to create a variety of tools, weapons and such simply using her aura and also control them freely."
Liliana says while looking at the fierce attack of her servant
"Incredible, she's really good"
It reminds me a little of Kiba's sword birth, but she can create more than just swords and also manipulates them
Manaki lands by our side but she doesn't seem all too pleased
"...Sorry Ojou, it seems like I wasn't able to take them all out"
Liliana shakes her head
"You did great Manaki-chan, but it seems that some are smarter than others, Galard!"
The old man materializes a wood staff in his hand and taps it on the ground
"Yes, Ojou!"
The ground below us starts to crack and several thick vines come out of it
"Wo-woah!"
I say as I almost lose my balance due to the ground shaking
"Henry Galard is my [Bishop], it's trait is enhanced magical power that he uses to boost his clorokinetic skill"
Clorokinesis! I know people who can do that, but this old man takes it to a whole new level! Wait, did she said his name was Henry Galard? No, this has to be some sort of coincidence, he can't be that Henry Galard, there's just no way.
[Cradle Forest]
The vines move like they have a will of their own and entangle every wolf in the room, even if they try to take cover, the vines either destroy or lift it. Some wolves even try to destroy them, but the plants recover very fast.
"Kekekeke, you are a naughty bunch, get ready to be punished!"
As he declares this, the vines create large spikes that pierce the creatures right away
But this time it doesn't seem like they turned to ash
Their bodies turn into aura and seem to be absorbed by the vines, colored veins start pumping from them it just lasts for a few seconds before the vines turn to normal, just what was that?
"GROWL! You bastards! Growl, how do you dare to kill my precious children! I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"
Just as I'm wondering about Galard's ability, the pissed off beast comes charging towards us
It puts it's claws covered in aura forward, it's coming for Liliana!
I stand in front of her
"Liliana, sta-"
Before I can finish it, a punch comes and stops the monster's hand from reaching us, Liliana has a smile on her face
"Thanks, Diz-chan"
The amazon girl has her fist forward, her punch completely stopped the monster's hand and left a hole on it's palm!
"GROWL! My hand! My hand! You damn woman! I'll crush you like an insect!"
The monster lifts it's huge foot and tries to step on Diz but...
[Psychic Enhancement]
She holds the stomp with just one hand! Amazing!
"Diz is my [Rook], her trait is an incredible strength and high defence, she uses it to increase her psychic enhancement even further"
I already knew about it, Psychic enhancement or as some call it "Psychic steroids", increases to enormous levels the user's strength and resistance, it can turn even the most frail and weak person into a boulder crushing warrior, but it works even better if the person already has a naturally strong body. This white haired girl not only seems very fit, but she also has the trait of the [Rook] that Liliana just mentioned, so I can just imagine how strong she really is.
"Yaaaanw, is that all you got?"
With her free hand, Diz is covering her mouth like she is yawning!
"You cursed woman! Die!"
The creature lifts its leg even higher and tries again for another stomp, but Diz holds it again with a single hand
"So noisy, if that's all you got then just shut up and die!"
[Shock Wave]
Diz punches the sole of the creatures foot
-!
Amazing! Instead of just creating a hole like before, it's whole leg exploded! Blood, bones and muscle of the creature's leg fly everywhere.
I create a barrier to shield me and Liliana from the burst of gore that Diz created
"Thank you Tatseyo"
"N-no problem, but what was that? What did she do that the creature's leg just got blowed up like that?"
"Aside from her enhancement, Diz-chan can also manipulate energy and telekinetic force to create powerful shockwaves and send them through whatever means she wants, be it air, water, the ground or even someone's body"
Woah, so that's what she did, so she's also an energy manipulator and has one scary ability! It basically means she just sent an earthquake in the creature's leg!
We approach Diz, who is standing next to the creature that is howling in pain. Surprisingly, she and the other servants are also clean as if the blood also didn't hit them.
"Thank you for not killing him, Diz-chan"
The amazon just waves her hand
"No problem, though I kinda had to hold back quite a bit for that"
Holding back, as expected, all the members of her team are high class espers
"So, are you ready to spill your guts?"
Liliana says patting the monster's head
"Nooo! You and your filthy servants can go to hell! I'd rather die than tell you shit! Kill me already! Kill me! Kiilllllll meeeee!"
The monster begs for death while Liliana sighs
"It can't be helped, I already knew you wouldn't say it so easily, but I wanted to give you a chance, Mayumi it's your turn now"
"Fufufu, yes Ojou"
Is she going to read his mind?
Mayumi pulls out a paper fan and swings it into the air with it while Liliana explains
"Mayumi is my [Queen], which means she is the second after me in terms of importance, she is my trusted secretary with the traits of all the other pieces and more."
I'm astonished looking at her, but Liliana keeps going
"Telepathy, teleport, these are all very useful skills that Mayumi mastered, but her true speciality is..."
[Wild Wind]
"The ability to manipulate air itself as her weapon!"
The air around us starts to move erraticaly as deep cuts start to appear on the creatures body and the blood starts to flow
"Auuuuu! Stop it, stop it! Just kill me!"
Liliana shakes her head
"No, not untill you tell me everything you know"
"Fufufu, so this wasn't enough? How about this then?"
She moves her fan once more and the blood of the monster starts to take strange shapes, seeing to get sharp on the edges and even form bubbles and change colour
The monster screams in agony
"AUUUUUUUUUU!"
Liliana and Mayumi smirk as the monster trembles
"My [skill] allows me to control not only the wind, but also any gas that I want, how does it feel to have the oxygen in your blood toyed with?"
So she can even use it to control the gas in your own blood? What a monster! She's a real Killer Queen!
"Fine! Fine! I'll tell you... I was contacted by a guy named Georg, he said his faction was part of the Khaos Brigade and they were going to pay a lot of dough for slaves, magical items and anything that they could use for support, he told me that they were also searching for a way to counterfeit the Phoenix Tears, but that's all he told me! They even gave me reinforcements to kidnap those children! They are in the second floor behind a steel door!"
He kidnapped children?! That's so much worse than I thought!
"He's telling the truth Ojou"
Mayumi confirms
"Disgusting, a greedy creature like you has no right to live in this world"
Liliana's golden eyes seem to have lost it's glow and are now dull as she stares down at the creature with a great killing intent
The beast simply growls and says
"Do you even know the value those creatures have in the black market? I would be fucking rich just by selling half of them!"
Liliana's aura is burning with intensity! She'll kill this guy!
"I've had enough! Death is the only reward you deserve!"
A surge of demonic power gathers at Liliana's hand
CLING
But what I thought it would be a explosion to disintegrate the creature, turns out to be a showering of magic spears that impale several parts of it's body to the ground but appear to miss the vital spots
"AGHHHHHHHHH!"
The creature screams in pain, but Liliana simply turns around and walks away while talking to it
"I never said I'd give you a painless death, suffer untill your last breath for the lifes you took and the ones you hurt"
The creature can no longer speak and simply chokes on it's own blood while it's body violently convulses
And then... it suddenly stops.
Liliana is amazing, but she sure knows how to be scary!
"Tatseyo, are you coming?"
Liliana says to me, she and her servants are already at the other end of the room while I was watching the final moments of this horrendous creature
"Ye-yes!"
I run to keep up with them
We walk upstairs to the second floor of the warehouse
"That was what we usually call a Stray Devil, devils that betray or kill their masters and bring harm into this world, the Khaos Brigade seems to be taking advantage of them to do their dirty work"
So they also use the word "Stray" here
"Stray demons... we use this name too"
Liliana makes a confused face
"You too?"
"Ye-yeah, it's some espers refer to ghosts as "Evil spirits" and to devils that cause trouble as "Stray Demons", but it's just a coincidence, there are many other names for them"
Liliana seems surprised at my explanation
"I see, well, it's a small world, coincidences are bound to happen"
When we reach the second floor, there's a place obviously different from the others, while everything in here looks old and abandoned, this room has a steel door that looks new and a modern keypad with lighted up symbols on it
"What are these symbols?"
I ask and Liliana answers
"Demonic alphabet, it's the letters and numbers that devils use, they must be keeping them here..."
Those were the symbols that some of the books in the ORC had, so that's the devil's language
"Are we going to burst the door?"
I ask and Liliana thinks for a second before answering
"We could... but I think this is another good opportunity for you to shine, Manaki-chan"
The glasses girl steps forward
"Yes, Ojou"
Manaki touches the door's keypad
"I got it"
She says and then dials the symbols, the keypad flashes green and the sound of the door unlocking can be heard
"Is this psychometry?"
Liliana nods with a satisfied expression
"Yes, the ability to acquire information about any object or person just by touching it"
Liliana answers me, so she can do this too! Just like Kuriko!
"That's great!"
Manaki adjusts her glasses and speaks in monotone
"Thank you, but it's not that impressive..."
Liliana opens the door, it's pitch black inside, but once the light from the corridor illuminates the room...
"GAAAAH!"
"NO! NO!"
"Please let us go!"
"Where's my mamma?"
There are about 6 boys and girls bounded by chains to the wall! And they're clearly not human, their body and face might be, but they have animal features, like ears, tails and horns.
"Oh crap..."
"That bastard... to think they would go this far"
Liliana says this clutching her hand
"Are they... all youkais?"
I ask to Liliana who nods with an angered expression
"Have you heard about the crime rate in this town? Most part of the criminal activity going on not only in here, but on several other towns, is due to criminal groups formed or led by supernatural beings. Kidnapping other devils to sell them as slaves is something the Stray devils have been doing for a very long time, but to think that the Khaos Brigade would have them organized like this, unforgivable..."
I become completely astonished by Liliana's revelation and bite my lip in anger
"They were going to sell this youkais as slaves to the Khaos Brigade?"
"Yes, the Khaos Brigade has a way to brainwash or force them to fight as cannon fodder"
I clutch my fist and grit my teeth furiously. I have no words to describe this, it's beyond inhuman, such an attrocious act that I can't describe it simply
"...Is it okay if I break their chains?"
It's the only thing I can say in my current anger
"Yes, please"
I raise my hand and break the chains that were binding them to the wall
They seem more at ease now so Liliana steps forward
"We are here to free all of you! We have taken care of the evil creature that took you from your families, no one will harm you from now on"
They look at each other with joy in their eyes, they all seem to be around 14-16 years old.
Liliana walks up to one of the girls
"What is your name?"
The girl answers while sobbing
"Y-yui..."
"I am Liliana Caim, did they hurt you Yui?"
The little girl nods
"Ye-yes, he said his customers would brainwash us and then he would sell us as slaves! I want to see mom and dad, I wanna go back go home, I-I..."
The girl answers before bursting into tears, Liliana embraces her
"Don't worry, everything will be fine, no one will harm any of you."
She lets the little girl go after she calms down
"Tha-thank you... Liliana-san"
"Tell me, do you like flowers?"
They all nod
Liliana smiles at them before turning to us
"Galard"
She calls the old man
"Right away, Ojou"
The old man silently taps his staff against the floor and grass starts growing from it as flowers of many colours appear on the ground!
"Woahhh!"
"So beautiful!"
They start touching and smelling the flowers, suddenly an aura comes from them and it seems like all the wounds they had were regenerated
"Galard can also use healing skills, when combined with his clorokinesis, he can channel his healing aura through the plants"
Liliana, who is at my side, says this
"That's amazing Liliana-san, that's..."
I then realize something, there are only 5 children playing with the flowers, one of them is still at a corner, curled up like she is crying
"Hey... Liliana-san, I think there is something wrong with her..."
I point at the girl, it seems that there is something wrong with the horn on her head, it seems to be cut
"Oh no..."
Liliana speaks with a worried expression and approaches the girl
She has a single cylindrical horn on the top of her head, magatama shaped "ears" where the ears of a human would be and a dog tail coming from the lower part of her back. I can't see her face since she's curled.
"Koma Inu..."
Even though I can't see her face, it's pretty obvious what she is, Liliana looks at me and nods in silence
Koma Inus are dog-lion youkais that are one of the few to have actual good relationships with humans, they keep guard on shrines and other sacred places and often offer protection to traditional families, even the most dangerous esper or exorcist respects these noble youkais. That dog-like demon is incredibly gutsy to have attacked them.
However, what calls me the most attention isn't her species, but her hair...
Not only it's green, but also long and curls on the ends just like mom's, except this girl's green is lighter
"Dear, everything is alright now, no one will harm you anymore"
The girl doesn't show any signs of moving so Liliana tries to take her hand
But she pushes back
"Leave me alone..."
The girl says in a muffled voice
But Liliana insists, her voice still calm and gentle
"We are here to help, my friend Galard will heal you, your horn will come back to normal and we'll take you to your parents okay?"
"You can't! I don't wanna go anywhere! I hate myself, I should have died in there!"
The girl bursts into tears at Liliana's words.
"If it wasn't for me, papa, momma and master wouldn't have been... they wouldn't have been... uwaaaaahhh!"
The girl starts crying before she can finish her sentence, but we all know what she was trying to say
Her parents and master were killed, there is no other explanation, that disgusting creature must have killed them, he probably had support from the Khaos Brigade to kill her parents. It will definitely take more than flowers and nice words to make her open up to us.
She lifts her head and I can see her face, she also has green eyes and by her face she seems to be around 15, she reminds me so much of mom! This is really not going to be easy...
Liliana turns to the other servants
"Take these children with you, Tatseyo, you go with them"
What? No way, there is no way I can leave this girl here!
"I won't go..."
Liliana looks at me confused
"Why not? I can take it from here"
I shake my head
"I know you can, but I can't leave her here, I wouldn't be able to face mom, dad and even myself if I left her here! Leave aside the heroes, I wouldn't be in peace with myself if I did that!"
Saving a person is more than saving them from peril but also about making them feel safe, about saving their hearts as well! Leaving this girl here is against everything I was ever taught!
Liliana seems surprised, but she soon nods and agrees
"I understand, Galard, Diz-chan, Manaki, Mayumi, can you take them?"
They nod and take the children out of the room
I kneel myself in front of the little girl
"Hello, my name is Tatseyo, what is yours?"
Trying to make a personal connection, I know that at least this much is important
"...Aya"
A response, that's good
"I am Tatseyo, tell me Aya-chan, why are you saying that you hate yourself?"
The youkai girl starts whipping her tears
"If I wasn't so weak... I could have helped mom and dad fighting! I could have saved master! None of that would have happened if it wasn't for me!"
She blames herself for their deaths, this is hard, as someone who was strong through my entire life and never had a great loss, I simply can't understand how she must be feeling. But even so I know what I should say
"I take it that your parents and your master protected you?"
She stays silent for a second before nodding
"They tried to hide me and fought the intruders... b-but they were too many, and they ended up finding me!"
She blurts out as tears begin falling again as she's probably starting to relive the things that happened
"And do you think they'd be happy to hear what you are saying?"
She stops her self-loathing for a moment, looks at me with her green eyes and shakes her head
I smile to her
"The fault wasn't yours, it was that monster's fault, he's gone now, but there are more like him. The men that aided him are still out there. We can protect you if you come with us and you'll also be able to fight them"
Aya starts whipping her tears
"But... master..."
"Your master died trying to protect you right? Your parents too, wasn't it? That's why you want to become stronger?"
She nods and I look into her eyes
"Then I'll make sure to fulfill their wish and yours too, will you help me with that?"
Aya answers in a melancolic tone as she turns her gaze to the floor again
"...Why are you doing this?"
It seems like she doesn't believe in me yet
"The men who killed your parents and master are our enemies too, but also..."
She lifts her head again
"We don't need a reason to do what's right"
I reach my hand to her
"So what do you say, wanna join us?"
Her eyes wide and she grabs my hand back
"Yes, I want to!"
I can't help but smile
I did it, thank god, I did it! I feel as if tears are about to come out, but I hold it back, I can't start crying now
Then a look of uncertainty comes to her eyes again, what happened?
"...I don't have anywhere to go"
I see, it must be hard to her, they must have also destroyed her home
But I pat her head and answer in the most reassuring tone I can muster
"That's not a problem, you can stay with me or with Liliana-san, if that's okay with you"
She looks with widden eyes at me again
"Re-really? Can I?"
I nod
"Yes, definitely! There's no way I'll leave you at your own luck"
I pull her up from the floor
"Now you are with us, nobody will hurt you anymore"
She nods her head and seems to be a little happier
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
She answers as tears again fall from her face
"C'mon, everything is alright now, first of all, we need to get Galard to heal you up, okay? "
I could try to rearrange matter by myself to heal her, but there's the risk she may have internal damage that I don't know of. So I think it's better to leave it to a real healer.
She nods and starts whipping her tears again
"Okay..."
She then reaches for the broken horn
"Can he... fix this?"
I give a thumbs up
"I'm sure he can, even if he can't, we'll still find a way to fix this cute horn of yours, I promise"
She grips my hand tighter
"Tha-thank you..."
I pat her head
"It's okay, we are just doing the right thing"
We walk hand in hand towards the door, Liliana is waiting for us in front of it, she looks at our hands and smiles
Liliana giggles, is she blushing too?
She kneels in front of the little girl
"Ara, aren't we lucky to have such a gentleman with us, Aya-chan?"
The girl nods
"Y-yes! Thank you onee-san, master"
Aya bows to her, she's still not smilling, but it's okay. I can't hope to make this girl smile right now after what she's been through, she'll smile eventually, right now, all that matters is rescuing her
"Then, shall we go?"
Liliana speaks as she grabs on the girl's other hand and I let Aya-chan go, we walk downstairs where the other servants are waiting for us.
"Oi, looks like you did it..."
The amazon greets us
"...As expected of Liliana-sama"
Manaki says this, but Liliana shakes her head and answers
"Actually, it wasn't me..."
She then looks at me
"Thank you, Tatseyo"
Her followers seem surprised, Liliana then looks at the green haired girl
"Aya-chan, are you ready to go home with us?"
The youkai girl nods
"Yes! Please!"
Liliana smiles
We are going back, to the Dark Devil Casino!
Part 2
I'm sitting at the couch here at the casino's upper floor, for what Liliana told me some floors of this casino were modified to serve like a base for Liliana and her servants, but it seems like they don't live here.
I'm yet to see the casino's other floors and its outside, but I'll leave that for another day.
Right now there's a little girl sleeping soundly with her head on my lap. We healed Aya as soon as we got back to safety, she was surprised at the luxury room, but soon got tired after Liliana gave her something to eat.
"Cute, isn't she?"
Liliana says this as she sits by my side and starts stroking the little girl's green hair
"She really is..."
"Her hair reminds of Lady Tatsumaki's, doesn't it?"
I nod
"A lot, it was the first thing I noticed when I saw her"
"Was it what drove you to help her?"
She asks with an impish smile and I shake my head
"I would be lying if I said it didn't contribute, but since I was a kid, they taught me that helping people is more than just sending them to safety. It's about making them feel safe, about giving them hope"
I say this and Liliana gives me a beautiful and gentle smile
"You really are a good person, Tatseyo"
I can hear a bit of sadness in her voice or is it just my impression?
Liliana smiles sweetly at the girl as her fingers stroke the curls and occasionally brush against the horn on Aya's head, which has now been fixed
But the subject that has been on my mind comes up again and the seriousness returns to me
"So the Khaos Brigade is also involved with slave trade? You mean there's more?"
She makes a bitter expression
"Unfortunately yes, as well as many other things..."
Those cowards, they are worse than evil spirits, worse than monsters!
"I'm pissed of Liliana-san, but... I'm also glad"
"Glad?"
Liliana asks me with a confused expression
I nod and start caressing Aya's hair along with Liliana while looking at her sleeping face
"Yes, I'm glad we saved them, glad no one was seriously hurt, glad we could return them to their families and glad that this girl is now safe and sleeping right here. I know it won't be easy for her, I can't even imagine how much she must be suffering, but just the fact that she can sleep like this means we already helped her somehow."
I look away from Aya to Liliana, who is staring at me right in the eye with what I can only tell is a surprised expression
"Tatseyo..."
I look away, I'm really not used to be looked directly at the eyes!
"I-I'm sorry, I must have been talking nonsense, I know what we did wasn't that much and I also didn't helped in the fight but-"
Suddenly I feel a soft press against my cheek
...
K-kiss?
A kiss! Liliana-san just kissed my cheek!
It only lasts a moment before she breaks it, but I can tell her lips were really soft!
"W-w-what was that for?"
I ask nervously while covering the cheek she just kissed with my hand, unable to look at her, it's true! She just kissed my cheek!
Liliana smiles
"Fufufu, a gesture of gratitude, you might not believe, but you did a lot tonight for that girl and for me as well..."
I don't know what I could possibly have done for Liliana-san, but I'm happy. If I can be of help to them, then it's fine by me!
GROWL
Really? Right now?
"So-sorry for that... I just haven't eaten for some time so..."
Crap, my stomach betrayed me right after this tender kiss that Liliana just gave me! There couldn't be a worse time!
But she just giggles
"Are you hungry, Tatseyo? I could use some food too, wanna have dinner with me?"
Having dinner with Liliana? Yes, I really want to! I have only been eating the basic stuff I can prepare or pre-made food from the store. If I can have a real dinner with Liliana-san then it would be the best thing that has happened to me since I arrived!
I nod energetically
"Yes, if you don't mind having dinner with me"
"Fufufu, okay then, I'll call the kitchen and have them make us something"
Oh yeah, this is a casino, so there must be a restaurant in here too. I wonder what it tastes like...
"Uhmm! This is so good!"
I say as I take another bite of the feast in front of us
When Liliana said she would call for food, I imagined something like a small lunch, but what the sharp dressed waiter brought was nothing less than a japanese banquet! There are many different types of food and they all taste delicious!
"Fufufu, I'm glad you liked it. The chefs in here are used to a more international cuisine, but since it's you, I thought japanese food would be the best"
This is a high class casino for supernatural beings and those who have contact with the underworld, so it makes sense for it to offer international dishes. But even if you say that, this taste is top notch! If they can make food they aren't so used to taste this good, then I wonder how the others dishes are
"Want some?"
Liliana says holding a bottle of wine
"I'm sorry, I really don't think I should..."
"Just one cup won't kill you, think of this as a celebratory toast, we all did well today"
I look at the couch where Aya is soundly sleeping, I think she must be really tired. Liliana also got a blanket to cover her, she's really thoughtful.
"Ah, okay, just one should be alright..."
She smiles and pours the red liquid into the cup
"Here"
She gives to me and lifts her cup
"A toast for the lifes we saved today and to the destruction of the Khaos Brigade, fufufufu"
We cling our cups
I take a sip, it's sweet and not too strong, she must have picked it knowing that I'm not good with alcohol
"It's good!"
She smiles
"I'm glad you liked it, it should be fine even for someone who is not good with drinking like you"
I thank her and we continue eating, untill she calls my name
"Tatseyo..."
I look at her
"What is it?"
She fidgets a bit before asking
"Did I... did we managed to change your opinion about devils?"
I look at her confused
"Eh? What do you mean?"
She seems a bit sad now and looks out of the window, the night sky is clean, the lights of the city are also dazzling, the moon is shining and it illuminates Liliana, making her silver-white hair seem like it's glowing, I can't help but notice how beautiful she is.
"I knew you didn't liked devils. Even after Azazel and I explained things to you, I didn't expect you to fall in love with us so easily, hell, untill a month ago your daily routine was to hunt us down, so I don't blame you. But I hope that after this night I could at least make you see us under a new light"
So that's why she was sad? You're wrong Liliana, I don't think like that anymore!
"You changed everything..."
"Huh?"
She asks
"You changed everything Liliana! I don't think devils are evil or disgusting anymore, everything you did tonight was amazing. The way you all fought, the way you talked about your goals and how you cared about and saved those hostages. The entire time I could see how worried you were about them, I could see the anger in your eyes and hear it in your voice when that monster said what he planned to do, there is no way I can think that someone like you is evil. Even if you are a devil, there is no way I can think like that anymore"
Liliana looks at me with a surprised face
"Tatseyo..."
Then she gives a teasing laugh
"Fufufu, if you talk like that with such a serious face I might fall for you"
Agh, even after I said such a serious thing she's still teasing me!
"Hahaha, p-please d-don't tease me like that, I just got fired up because it isn't like you said at all"
I'm blushing like crazy! But I give a sarcastic answer because I want to look cool
"Still... I'm glad you are on our side now"
She looks to me with such gentle and loving eyes that make my heart skip a beat again, I'm not used to being looked directly like that, even other espers are afraid of me because of my appearance, my powers and family.
"Liliana-san, aren't you scared of me?"
I decide to ask her directly. At school, only the ORC and the Student Council aren't scared of me, I already think I know the reason though
I'm expecting from Liliana an answer like: 'Please, I already faced monsters and beings way scarier than you, there's no way a pair of creepy eyes and a condescending smile can throw me off', but I'm asking just to confirm it
"There's no way I can be scared of you Tatseyo..."
I get ready to hear the answer that was on my mind, but she keeps going
"...Even before meeting you, I already thought you were a good person, now that I know you, I am sure that you are. I don't know why anybody would be scared of you, but I never will be"
Her answer is definitely not what I expected!
Uwaaahh! Liliana-san! At this rate I'm the one who's going to fall for you!
"Actually... when you were making that serious face talking to Aya and even to me right now, I think my heart skipped a beat you, know? I wonder why, fufufufu"
Please no more! It's my heart that's going crazy right now! I'm seriously thinking about proposing to you!
"Ye-yeah, th-thank you, it's just..."
"I wanna have dinner with master too!"
I feel something clinging to my arm, Aya-chan! Are you awake already?
"M-master?"
Did she called me master?
"Ara ara, Aya-chan, how are you feeling?"
Aya answers filled with energy
"I'm feeling much better, I wanna thank Galard-san for healing me"
Liliana and I smile, she is such a good girl!
"I'm sure you'll get the chance. But Galard has already gone back home, speaking of which, I think it's time for you to go as well, isn't it?"
Aya looks confused
"But... I thought I would be staying in here"
Liliana shakes her head
"No, this casino is no place for you to live, we discussed and decided that you would be better taken care of by Tatseyo"
Wait, me?!
"H-hold on Liliana, she's going to live with me? Are you sure?"
"Why not? You're living on your own, right? So it won't be a problem, also, I don't think our house is a place Aya would be able to live comfortably"
Liliana told me she lives somewhere in this town with her servants, she is a high class devil so she must have business that a girl like Aya shouldn't be close to.
"And I spend most of my day in the casino, this is no place for a child, Aya should go to school if she's going to live in here in Japan, what do you say Aya-chan, would you like to live with Tatseyo and go to the same school?"
Liliana asks while looking at her, Aya looks down and thinks for a while before answering
"Uhhm, I would like to... but if it's a hassle for master then..."
She looks so sad while saying this! Her magatama ears are down! It's not fair! If you talk like that while calling me 'master' I won't be able to refuse!
"No, not at all Aya-chan, I think my house has space for another person, I also don't think it would be a problem if you were to attend Kuoh academy with me"
Rias and the other devils are in control of the school, they are good, if I explain Aya-chan's situation to them I'm sure they will let her stay
"Really?"
I nod
"Really, Kuoh is a good town and Kuoh academy is a nice school that accepts supernatural beings, I think we can make you feel at home in there"
"Thank you, master!"
She says this while smiling, just seeing this girl smile already makes it worth it.
...But she really should stop calling me master... people might misuderstand it.
"Great! Then it's settled, I'll make the preparations for you to go back, just one more thing"
Liliana turns back and goes to one of the closets and takes a luggage out of it
"Here Aya-chan, this is for you"
She hands the suitcase to Aya
"What is in it?"
I ask
"Clothing, she'll need it, though there's not a lot so you might wanna go shopping later"
Oh that's right, I don't have any girl's clothes in my house so that would make it hard for her in the first few days.
"Thank you, onee-san!"
Aya says bowing her head
"I'll leave her to your care then, Tatseyo"
This is a weird situation, but I think there's no better option
"Okay, I'll do my best"
She smiles
"Will I see you tomorrow too?"
I nod
"You count on it"
"Fufufu, see you then, Tatseyo, Aya, goodnight"
""Goodnight""
We both say as we are teleported back to my house
Part 3
"Uaaah! I loved this house, master Tatseyo!"
Aya says with her eyes sparkling, she has been looking around the two store house that my parents rented to me since she arrived
"It's not that big, but I think two people can live in just fine."
She makes a confused face
"You live alone?"
I nod
"Yeah, my parents live in another town"
She looks a bit gloomy
"It must be lonely..."
I kinda like the feeling of independency, but I can't say this to a girl who just lost her parents!
I put my hand on her shoulder
"Not actually, you're here now right?"
She blushes, but nods firmly
"Right!"
I smile, she's really cute
"Tomorrow I'll go talk to the administration of Kuoh academy so you can enroll there. But for now I'll go to the bedroom and unpack your stuff, you can look around the house a bit more if you want."
It's really late right now, so we better go to bed right away
"Y-yes, thank you"
She says this and I walk upstairs to my bedroom
It's when I start putting her clothes in my closet that I remember...
There's only one bedroom in here... and one bed.
Oh shit! That can't be good, does that mean I'll share the same bed with her?
No, there's no way. Even if she's younger than me she's still a girl around my age, sleeping together would be unnaceptable!
Yes, yes, I'm sure I have a sleeping mat somewhere here, I'll sleep on the ground and she'll sleep in the bed, that'll do it
Breathing out in relieve, I start to organize the last of her clothes, untill I find something that makes me gulp
... Liliana also gave panties and bras to her
CLANK!
I close the suitcase immediately after seeing them.
Fuck , I should know that there would be things like that here! Aya is a girl after all, wait, how did Liliana knew her bra size?
No, no, no! I'm thinking about the wrong things!
What am I supposed to do? Should I leave them in the suitcase? But then it would seem suspicious. Should I put them in the closet? No, then she would definitely knew I saw them!
Ah, what do I do?
I slap my hand against my forehead trying to think of something...
Ah, I'll just leave it here.
I put some other clothes on top of her underwear so it will seem like I didn't saw it, sorry Aya-chan, I already organized most of her clothes in the closet so there's not much left for her to do.
But leaving this aside, Liliana is really thoughtful, all the clothes are really cute and I think they'll fit perfectly into Aya, she even gave her a towel! I'll put this one on the bathroom
I walk down the hallway and I open the bathroom door
Ara, that's weird, did I left the lights on?
I take a step towards the place where I store the towels, but I see something that makes me freeze in the spot
"M-Master..."
An embarassed voice calls my name
"A-Aya-chan?!"
Aya-chan is completely naked in front of me! She is trying to hide her private parts with her hands! Was she going to take a shower?
She has a nice body for a girl her age... uah! What the fuck am I thinking about?!
I quickly close the door
"Sorry Aya-chan! I didn't know you were there!"
I'm so fucking dumb! I should have guessed she was in there, I should have at least knocked first! But that means she didn't took clothes or a towel?
"I-it's okay, master, I'm sorry for my reaction, did you... wanted to join me?"
WHAT?!
"No! I just wanted to hand you a towel, that's all!"
I open the door slightly so I can pass the towel to her
"Here"
I feel a soft pull on the other side as it leaves my hand
"Thank you, I forgot about it"
"O-okay... I'll be waiting for you to finish. I'll also bring your new clothes"
"T-thanks master..."
Aaaah! What kind of situation was that?!
I'm laying on my bed thinking about what just happened
Did Aya-chan got mad at me? Wait, she asked if I wanted to join her?
Oh no, maybe she did that because she thought I was a pervert and wouldn't give her a choice? Maybe I scared her?
Crap, with this face of mine I have to be even more careful to not scare people and then this happens!
Living with a girl is going to be harder than I thought!
The door opens and Aya walks in, she's wearing the pajamas that Liliana bought to her
She is silent, I knew it! I ruined her mood!
"Aya-chan..."
She looks at me
"Yes, master?"
I kneel in front of her
"I'm sorry! I really didn't want to walk on you on the shower, I was just going to put the towel in there, I thought I had forgoten the lights on and I didn't heard any water so I thought..."
I feel a gentle tap on the back of my head
When I look up, Aya is on her knees before me and caressing my hair
"It's okay master"
"Re-really? I thought you would hate me for that"
She smiles
"I got scared when you came in all of sudden, but I know you are a good person, don't worry, I know you didn't mean it"
I feel a burden lifted from my shoulders, Aya-chan is such a good girl!
"Thank goodness, I was worried that you were mad at me"
I look at the bed trying to change the subject
"H-hey look, I did the bed for you"
Aya looks at it with a puzzled expression
"You'll sleep on the floor? But this is your house..."
I shake my head
"Doesn't matter, I wouldn't be comfortable if I made girl sleep on the floor, also this mat is quite comfortale so I won't have problem sleeping, don't worry."
She nods
"If you say so... thank you"
I remember something
"Oh, Aya-chan, have you ever attented school?"
Liliana gave me a form to fill out so Aya could enroll at Kuoh academy with me
Aya-chan shakes her head
"No, I had all my lessons in the temple"
I see, she's very much like me then
"Ah, would you like to attend Kuoh academy with me?"
Her eyes sparkle
"Really? I'll attend a school? With friends, teachers and things like that?"
I grin at her cute reaction, she seems really excited to go to school, her curly tail is even wiggling, so cute!
"Yeah, I just have to fill this form so I can deliver it to school tomorrow, if it goes smoothly you'll be able to attend Kuoh by next week, I think"
"So let's do it! Let's do it now!"
She sits on the bed and I sit next to her, everything goes normal, until...
"Uhm..."
"What is it master?"
I must have a complicated expression right now
"It's about who'll be responsible for you"
I give one of the sheets to her
"Here, look"
One of the requirements to fill in is who'll be responsible for you, Liliana already filled it with her name, since it must be someone of legal age and I'm 17
But for some reason, Liliana registered me as some sort of guardian!
"So onee-chan and master are my family now!"
She says clinging to my arm
"I don't think that's right Aya-chan, it only means that I take care of you when Liliana is not around"
Aya makes a confused expression
"That's kinda the same thing isn't it?"
I try to argue, but give up, no matter how you look we are basically relatives now, I'll take care of her, we'll go to the same school and we even live in the same house now!
"Well... yeah, I guess it is"
I think it's a weird situation but she seems happy with it.
"It's all done, I'll go take a shower now, you can sleep if you want"
"Alright, good night master"
Before leaving the room I look at her and ask
"Aya-chan, you don't have to call me master, you know?"
It's weird to be addressed like that, but Aya makes a confused expression
"But you are my master, aren't you?"
I scratch my head with a troubled expression, Koma Inus are fiercely loyal to their masters and some even suffer from depression if they have no one to serve, but I don't want to have that type of relationship with her
"Well, it's okay if you wanna think of me like that, but to me you are a friend, so there's no problem if you just call me by the first name, alright?"
She nods her head and answers with a smile
"Yes, thank you, Tatseyo-san"
I smile back as I turn off the lights
"Goodnight, Aya-chan"
I close the door and go to the bathroom, when I go back, Aya is peacefully sleeping on my bed.
I caress her hair before laying at the mat on the floor.
Aya-chan...
This girl that went through a lot, I'll definitely protect her, I'll definitely make her stronger and I will, with absolute certain, give the payback to the Khaos Brigade.
You just wait and see.
Afterword: So, what do you thought of this new character? One thing I never understood, not only in DxD, but in manga as a general, is why dog youkais are so unused compared to cat youkais. Japan has many amazing dog youkais like Inugami, Hainu, Koma Inu and others, but the anime community is so attached to the nekomatas that they don't seem very appreciated, so I decided to make use of them in my story.