Part 1
The next day, me and Aya-chan made the jump using the seal on the new basement of my house to Liliana's casino
"Hi, Liliana"
"Liliana-ane!"
This time Diz is together with her
After the usual exchange of greetings, I sit in one of the couches and start talking to Liliana about my call last night
"Liliana, I invited one of my friends to come to Kuoh town"
The pairs of golden and red eyes wide at my revelation
"W-what?"
Diz asks in a nervous voice
"Really?"
Despite the initial shock, their later reactions are completely different, while Diz stays nervous, Liliana has her eyes sparkling and sits by my side
"Who is it?!"
She is... excited?
"Eer... her name is Ayumu Yatsushiro, she is my friend since we were kids"
I answer, still confused at Liliana's reaction
"She's one of the few people I can actually trust with these new things... so I was wondering if I could bring her here"
She promptly nods with her eyes shining
"Tatseyo's childhood friend? Of course! Is she an esper too?"
"Y-yeah, when she was first introduced to me, she had problems with controlling her powers, because of that she was deemed as a danger for her family and town as a whole, so we took her in and taught her how to use her powers"
After I say this, Liliana's bright expression turns gloomy
"Oh... I-I'm sorry, is everything alright with her?"
I fiercely nod and answer to try not worry her
"Y-yes! We've been taking care of her for a long time, she's much better at using her powers now, don't worry"
"Ah, that's good to hear"
She says giving out a breath of relieve
"Even so, Liliana-sama, are you sure it's okay to bring her here?"
Diz asks and Liliana tilts her head
"Uh? Why wouldn't it? Tatseyo trusts this girl, so of course I'll trust her too"
She says with a smile
"I agree, if she's someone that Tatseyo-san trusts, then I don't think she'll cause trouble"
Liliana looks at Aya-chan and nods
"Also, this will get us closer to our goal of approaching the esper community and the underworld"
Diz makes a troubled face
"I-I see... well, it's not like I think she'll cause trouble either..."
She answers and Liliana looks pleased
"But even so... to think that Tatseyo has a childhood friend..."
Liliana then embraces my arm! H-hey!
"Naughty boy ~ How far have you two gone?"
She asks with a provocative expression, what are you talking about?!
"Liliana-sama!"
"Liliana-ane!"
Aya and Diz scold Liliana's advances in front of them
"M-me and Ayumu have nothing like that going on! We're just friends!"
I say and Liliana puts on a confused expression
"Eh? Really? Don't japanese people take childhood friendships seriously? Haven't you two made that sort of 'let's get married in the future' promise?"
What kind of misconception is that?! You have read too much manga!
"Of course not! Who the hell makes promises like that?!"
I say and Liliana hugs my arm tighter
"Even if it's a childhood friend, I won't lose ~~"
Lose? Lose how?!
"I-I'm not going to lose either!"
Aya-chan declares nervously, even you?!
"Tsk, pervert..."
Diz says looking at the flustered me
"H-hey, what have I done?"
"Mou, Diz-chan!"
Liliana let go off my arm and spoke to Diz
"Don't be so mean to Tatseyo, in fact, wasn't there something you wanted to tell him?"
Liliana asks Diz, who becomes flustered at her words, Diz has to tell me something?
"C'mon, tell him, if you don't, I'll do it ~~"
Diz shakes her head while going bright red, the way they are talking is actually making me nervous about what she's going to say
"Y-you don't have to! Tatseyo..."
She then bows down
"I'm very sorry for leaving you alone at the training dimension!"
Oh! So that's what they were talking about!
I wave my hand
"A-ah... about that, don't worry, it was fine, really"
Liliana starts pinching Diz's cheek with an impish smile, it's kinda comical because Diz is tall, so she's lowering herself while Liliana scolds her
"Leaving our guest alone because you became embarassed, how unprofessional of my head of security, good thing Mayumi went to see you two"
Diz answers with teary eyes
"I'm shorry, Liliana-shama..."
"You don't have to be so strict with her, it was fine really"
It actually was quite a problem, if it wasn't for Mayumi, I would have no idea how to get out of there, but things turned out alright and I'm starting to feel sorry about Diz
Liliana then let's go off her cheek
"If you say so, anyway, don't do this again"
"Understood..."
Diz says with a flustered face while caressing the cheek that Liliana pinched
"Anyway, there's no problem with Yatsushiro-chan coming, but if she's going to stay with you that means she'll be in the Gremory territory, do they know about it?"
I nod
"Yes, before I left school, I warned them that a friend of mine would be coming to town, they got a bit nervous at first, but after I said that I warned her to not harm anyone, they eased up. They even told me that I could bring her to the ORC if I wanted, hahaha"
The ORC and the student council received the news better than I thought, but I still think introducing them first would be a bad move
"Are you going to introduce them?"
Liliana asks and I scratch the back of my head
"Well, I'll have to, eventually, but if it's to make a first impression, then I would rather if she saw you all first, since you are espers"
"Of course! We'll glady have her!"
Liliana says while giving a broad smile, seriously, how excited is she?
"We'll have who?"
Manaki, who just arrived in the room, asks
"Ah, Manaki-chan, we are talking about Tatseyo's childhood friend"
The blue haired girl tilts her head
"Childhood friend? Is she an esper too?"
Liliana nods
"Yes! She's going to arrive here soon, do you have any idea when, Tatseyo?"
She asks and I shake my head
"No, Ayumu said there are things she needs to solve before coming, she's a prominent esper after all, but she'll probably call me before arriving"
"I see, that's good, we'll have time to plan how we are gonna break things out for her then"
Liliana says with a hand under her chin
"Excuse me, Liliana-sama, I came here so me and Tatseyo could start his training, is that alright?"
Manaki asks walking up next to me
Liliana gives a thumbs up
"Of course, I'm a little busy today, so I won't be able to accompany either of you, are you alright training with Mayumi today, Aya-chan?"
Aya happily agrees and we follow to our training sessions
Part 2
Today is the second day of training with Liliana and her servants, this time it's with Galard and Manaki. We are in the same forest at the artificial dimension as before, this place is really good, I wonder I acquired this taste for open fields from my mom. Aya-chan and Mayumi are also here, but they are training in their own area
Galard, who's usually wearing a noble european attire is now wearing a simple white robe while Manaki is wearing a clothing that makes it hard for me to look at her
"H-hey, Manaki, why are you wearing this clothing?"
It's a dark blue bodysuit that basically covers everything except her hands, feet and above the neck, but it's a tight fit, so I can basically see all the curves of her body! It's almost like the outfits that Xenovia and Irina were wearing
"I'm a [Knight], so mobility is important for me and this clothing let's me move freely, is there something wrong?"
"N-no"
Except for the fact that I can tell the size of your breasts through it!
"Kakakakaka! Being young sure is fun!"
Galard says stroking his beard, this geezer!
Manaki doesn't seem to understand and tilts her head
"Should we start the training now?" - She says in a monotone voice
"Alright, alright, let's begin with this then"
Galard picks up a small object and holds it between his fingers
"A seed... the beginning of all life. Trees, animals, devils even the universe was just a seed before it all started"
He says while looking at it with keen eyes, he really sounds just like those old-masters from martial arts films
THUD
He then pierces a hole on the ground with his staff, plants the seed and covers it with dirt
"Kageyama-kun, I've heard that you can use energy manipulation to control the growth of plants, am I right?"
I nod
"Yes, though I don't think I'm quite as good as you are"
Galard waves his hand
"Let's not worry about this now, what I want you to do is tell me one thing, what kind of seed was the one I just planted?"
"What?"
I ask, not quite understanding what he wants me to do, is it a guess game?
"Place your hands on the ground and tell me what kind of plant is it"
I kneel down and place my hands on the top of the hole
"W-what am I supposed to do?"
"You can feel the life energy that runs through other beings and you can identify them too, right?"
Wait, does he want me to tell what kind of seed it is just by the life flux? Impossible!
"Yeah, but how am I supposed to do that to a plant?"
I can identify living beings and tell a living plant from a fake one, but telling a species of seed from another?!
"Just focus on the life energy"
"But that's im- Ouch!"
Galard hits the back of my head with his staff
"Stop saying that it's impossible and just try it"
"Okay..."
I focus my reading towards the ground and I can sense the life energy coming from it
This is just too difficult...
Unlike sentient beings, plants don't have a particular aura, they don't have personality, presence or experiences that can define them, it's already difficult to do a full reading of a full grown tree, even more so at a mere seed!
"W-well, I can see that it's energy wants it to grow upwards so... a tree, perhaps?"
I ask and Galard approves the answer
"Good, but there's more, keep going"
"By the flow I can tell it's going to be average sized, so I can tell it's not an oak, haha"
"Focus, there's still more to see"
"Uhm... uhm... sorry, it won't."
No matter how much I try, I can't feel more than that
"Ah, that's disapointing, you can't sense nothing more?"
I shake my head
"Oh well, let's see what it is then, use your energy to make it grow"
"Roger that"
I direct my energy towards the seed and make it grow
The trunk starts appearing, as I expected, it's a tree but after a few seconds I notice what kind of tree it is
"Apples?"
I ask now that the fruits have appeared
Galard nods satisfied
"Apples indeed!"
He taps the trunk of the tree making some of them fall
"Well, the shape is good, it's big and healthy, now let's see the taste"
He cleans one on his robe
"Ah, Galard-san I think you really shouldn't do that, the fruits I grow usually don't taste very good"
He waves his hand and throws another apple to Manaki who looks at it with an analyzing gaze
"Nonsense, I'm sure it must taste fine"
Both take a bite at it and...
""PFFFFFT""
They both spit out almost immediately
"I warned you"
Galard and Manaki look at the apple with a baffled expression
"How can something so pretty taste so bad..."
Manaki says wipping her mouth
"The shape, the color and even the insides seem fine, just the taste is rotten, how the hell do you did that?"
I shake my head awkwardly
"Sorry, it happens everytime, the plants I grow usually seem fine but taste like shit."
Galard looks t me with a troubled expression
"I see... well, I guess now we might know what the problem is, right Manaki?"
The blue haired girl nods
"Uhm? What are you guys talking about?"
"Exageration, you don't have balance"
Manaki bluntly answers
"Balance?"
"You lack equilibrium with your powers and that must be why you can't control your 100% yet."
Galard explains and Manaki continues while still looking at the bad tasting apple on her hand
"You either hold back or go all out, your lack of balance makes that using your 100% puts a burden on your body, that is already not that strong"
I wide my eyes in surprise, that's it? So that's all I have to do to control my 100%?
"R-really? And how am I going to do this?"
Galard raises one finger in the air
"With some old-school esper training of course!"
Uh? Old school?
Manaki looks at him and nods
"Indeed, the best way to make him achieve balance is through training after all"
"Alright..."
I've never had trully esper practice but from what I heard from Ayumu and others, it envolves some pretty extreme stuff
"Where do we begin then?"
Manaki steps forward and states
"Before we do any training, I would like if you did the same thing with me"
I look at her confused
"Same... thing?"
She points at the newborn apple tree
"Analyze me with your power"
"W-what?"
I ask dumbfounded and she simply takes my hand
"You are not pshycometric like I am, but your analytic power is good, so tell me what you can find out about me with your awareness"
So she wants me to use my power to analyze her and see what I can find, well, it's easier than a tree at least
"Okay then, but I don't need to touch you for that"
"Oh, alright then"
She lets go off my hand and I take a deep breath
"I'm going to begin"
Manaki nods and I focus my awareness on her
"What do you feel?"
She asks
"Well... you are a devil and you have the aura of an esper, I can sense that your aura is strong, but harbors no hostility or malice, also-"
"Go deeper"
"Excuse me?"
Manaki pokes her own chest
"Go deeper... all the way inside of me"
I gulp my saliva down
"D-d-deeper i-inside?"
Though I understand what she's talking about, her choice of words couldn't have been worse!
"Yes, do I have to get closer?"
She steps closer to me but I step back and hold my arm towards her
"N-no need! I can do it from afar!"
Manaki tilts her head and stops
"Okay"
She says and I hear the old man's laugh, shut the fuck up! This ain't funny!
I focus again and just like she asked I go deeper into her untill I bump into something strange
"Is this your..."
Something like a core of demonic energy...
No, this is not a core, it's a...
"Curse?"
I ask, this is a curse, it's definitely a curse, but it's also different... wait, could it be?
"The [Evil Piece]?"
I ask and Manaki and Galard nod with a pleased expression
"I see, so you can sense even up to my core..."
"Dealing with living beings must trully be easier for him"
They are saying things like that, but I still don't understand
"H-hey, wait a minute, so the [Evil Piece] system is really a curse?"
When I first heard about it, I compared it with the monster cells that were once used to turn humans into monsters, but this is completely different then!
"The effect from the evil pieces is what allows another creature to turn into a devil, however it's not simply just a curse, the material from which these pieces are crafted are probably as old as the underworld itself, so far there were not even gods or budhas who able to break the effect once someone is turned into a devil"
Galard explains, so it's a curse, but at the same time it's not a curse. It's what allows them to become devils and receive the power-ups that Liliana and Mayumi explained to me in that night at the warehouse
But most of all...
"So it's forever, huh?"
Not even a God or Budha is able to revert the effect, so it means the only way to get out of it is... death, right?
"It is a lifelong decision, we only took it because we trust Liliana-sama with our hearts"
Galard says with the eyes of someone who was at peace and certain of what he did
"Yes"
Manaki gives a simple answer while noding her head, but her expression also shows that she is confident and doesn't regret her decision
Since I've met Liliana, I found out that there are people in this world whose life improved after becoming a devil, so it must have been the same for them. By the way that they relate themselves with Liliana, anyone can tell they have a great deal of respect for her.
"Did you two joined at the same time?"
I ask and they shake their heads
"No, Galard joined first"
He nods
"Though Mayumi was already here when I met Liliana-sama, I had the honour of becoming her second servant"
Manaki says with a distant look
"I was the last one to join..."
Liliana did told me that Mayumi was the first one to join, so if Galard was the second and Manaki the last, that means Diz was the third one.
"Regarding that, Galard, is your name in honour to the original Henry Galard?"
A doubt I had since I've heard his name.
Henry Galard, a legend in the esper community and one of oldest espers recorded in history. Among some humans, his feats made him become viewed as a wizard, though he presented himself as some sort of druid. He served many noble houses in Europe at his time as a healer, exorcist, apothecary and magician. It was only hundreds of years after his disappearance that it was recognized he was actually an esper.
That Henry Galard and the one that's standing in front of me have an uncanny resemblance when it comes to powers, but their physical descriptions don't exactly match...
"Hahahaha, so you heard about that? Is the name Henry Galard really that famous?"
He asks and I fiercely nod
"Famous? Every esper knows his story, he worked for several noble houses throughout the whole Europe and even though he was arrested during the French Revolution for serving the royal family, he never used his powers to hurt anyone and escaped without injuring a single person. The guy is a legend!"
I declare loudly, it is unknown if the original Henry Galard ever fought against a person, he never served in an actual war and his services were more used when royals needed potions, healing or contact and protection from the spiritual world, but one of the things that made him famous nowadays was his vow to never injure a normal person with his powers. The night after his imprisonment, vines destroyed the walls that surrounded his cell, the guards were found asleep and he was never seem again.
Even when arrested and facing execution he refused to harm others to escape, therefore he is used as an example to all the young espers on learning phase, even dad considers him an example
"Kakaka, I see, to think that the new generations would be talking so much about me, I guess I should be happy"
Galard declares while closing his eyes, leaving me very confused
"Eh... what do you mean with 'I should be happy'?"
I ask him and Manaki answers bluntly
"Galard is the Henry Galard from the legends you are talking about"
...
"EEEEEHHHHHH?!"
I shout, what? He is the Henry galard, the man himself?
"W-w-what?! You joking, right? You are him?!"
I ask and Galard gives a laugh while stroking his beard
"Yes, it's me, I might have changed a little, but I'm still the old geezer you might have heard about"
My jaw drops
I can't belive, it's Henry Galard! They just confirmed it!
"W-wait, if it's trully you then... that must mean you are..."
I start making counts in my mind, there is no official birth date so no one knows exactly in what year he was born, but that must mean he is at least...
"Over 200 very well-lived years old, kakakakaka!"
Two hundred years!
"W-wait, then Liliana-san is..."
As I'm about to expeculate about Liliana's age, Galard shakes his head
"No, no, Liliana-sama is the age she actually looks, I am just an esper that lived a lot, when I met her and Mayumi, they were still children"
I see, so they are not hiding their age with magic
It's not a surprise to me that espers are able to live a lot longer than regular humans, we are not like devils or angels, but there are plenty of ways an esper can increase his lifespan as long as his soul exists, so espers can vastly outlive regular humans.
"What's the problem? Never met an old esper before?"
"N-not as old as you..."
I already met espers who were older than 100 years and were still very active and didn't look their age at all. Mom and dad for example, look way younger than they are, but it's the first time I'm meeting someone who has already surpassed two centuries! I guess that makes me happy, as this probably means mom and dad will still be around for a long time.
"Anyway, how did Liliana met you? They said you just vanished from the map after escaping prison!"
Any register about Henry Galard ends right after his prison break, no one knows what happened to him afterwards
Galard makes a troubled expression and supports his staff on his shoulder
"Well, instead of saying we met, I believe it would be right to say Liliana-sama found me..."
"Found you?"
Manaki nods
"When Liliana-sama found Galard, he was hiding in the mountains"
What? So that was his hideout!
The legendary esper gives a gleeful laugh
"That's right! After being arrested I decided my nobility days were over and hid in a forest of my very own creation deep in the mountains, it was there that I let my hair and beard grow like this"
He says stroking his beard again, so that's why he's so different from the illustrations...
"How did Liliana found you?"
He shrugs
"Strange coincidences..."
He says looking at the distance, this is barely an answer
"Now!"
He hits me with his staff
"Ouch!"
"We don't have time to waste, let's get to the training! Kakakakaka!"
Galard turns his back and starts walking, me and Manaki follow right after him
"W-wait, what about you Manaki, how did you met Liliana?"
I ask and Manaki answers disinterested
"My story is not nearly as interesting as Galard's, when Liliana-sama met me, I was in a gang using my powers to commit crimes, especially fraud and robberies"
W-what?!
"What do you mean with not interesting? You were a gang member?!"
Not even in a million years I would have thought that this quiet, cold-beauty was a criminal! Of course she got me interested! Everybody always thinks I'm a deliquent, but she is the real deal!
"It's not that interesting, I worked with some other espers too, you probably already heard about criminal organizations like that"
I nod, in a world where the vast majority has no clue about the supernatural, of course there are those who use their powers to take advantage of others, father got into problems with Teruki-san when they first met because of that, gangs made up of espers or criminal organizations that hire or are led by espers are not something as unusual as me and the esper community would like them to be.
"I wanted out, so after I met Liliana-sama, she gave me a new life as a devil and a fresh start here in Kuromaku, I am very thankful to her for that"
"But how did you two met?"
Manaki shrugs and says
"After a job that didn't went quite as we expected, I became Liliana-sama's contact and then part of her peerage, nothing much..."
Nothing much? This is definitely a lot! Explain it properly!
"Here we are, the place of your training"
After a few moments walking in the middle of a dense monochromatic forest, we reach a place that is very colorful
There's flowers of different colours, different types of trees and there's even a lake with a waterfall in it!
"Wow... amazing"
This artificial dimension just doesn't cease to impress me!
"Hehehe, artificial dimensions such as this were first designed by Maou Ajuka Belzebub, he's trully a genius, even Liliana-sama looks up to him"
Ajuka Belzebub? So he's another one of the Maous in the underworld, if he was the one to have designed this artificial dimensions then I'm really thankful to him.
Wait... did I just said I'm thankful to a devil? Heh, times are changing...
"But this area here, ah, this area is all mine!"
Galard says produly while taping a tree
"Your area?"
I ask and he nods
"I usually come here to train too, as you must know, I am a clorokinetic, it means my skill allows me to summon, grow and manipulate plants as I desire"
Galard says as he taps his staff on the floor and several flowers bloom right after
"But I'm also able to genetically manipulate palnts in order to create my own especies, some of these plants cannot be found anywhere but here, kekekeke"
He proudly states
Genetic manipulation, Kuriko and her father can also do this to an extent, however, as the overpowered creatures that they are, they can even do it on sentient beings. But that doesn't make Galard's any less impressive
"That's amazing"
"Kakakaka, right? I have even more in my garden, one day I'll show it to you, now let's focus on your training"
I nod
"Alright, where do I begin?"
"Well, we're going to begin with simple meditation"
Galard says and Manaki agrees
"...If it's to achieve balance, then medidation is a basic"
So just a standard medidation
"Okay, I'm going to begin then"
I prepare myself to sit down
"What are you doing?"
Galard asks and I turn to him
"Preparing to medidate?"
I reply and he shakes his head
"Not here, there"
He points his staff towards the lake where the waterfall is making a loud noise
"The waterfall?"
I ask, it's a standard training to medidate under a waterfall, but I honestly didn't expect we would be doing something so cliché...
"Here, wear this"
Galard throws me a larger white robe similar to the one he's wearing
"A-alright..."
I dress the robe and walk on top of the water and sit down at the waterfall in a zazen position while the strong pressure of the waters falls on top of my body
...
Just as I'm starting to concentrate and go deep into my medidation state
!
Something comes towards me!
I open my eyes and put my hand forward, stopping whatever was coming in my direction
"A... sword?"
Not just a sword, it's made out of energy, like the one made by...
"Manaki! Was it you?"
I yell while stepping out of the waterfall
I ask to her and she nods with a blank expression
"Just medidating won't be enough, it usually takes years for someone to find their balance, you have talent, but that alone won't be enough. Defend yourself and maintain your balance while not losing your concentration!"
So that's what they want me to do?!
I sigh out, when in battle, of course I can easily defend myself from any direction no matter how many attacks there are, but they want me to do all that while trying to achieve a deep meditation state!
"Also, try to keep these in the air!"
Galard throws in the air several stones and I catch them with telekinesis
"Keep them circling in the air while avoiding the attacks and don't forget to keep your concentration!"
What?!
"Are you crazy, old man? How am I suposed to achieve a zen state if you keep attacking me and asking me to do complex tasks?!"
"You have to! If you don't want to meditate inside of a cave for the next ten years, this is the only way to develop in-battle focus, now sit there and concentrate!"
Galard says while pointing his staff at me
"Ugh... *sigh*, fine"
Not wanting to argue with Henry Galard, I sit back and I start my meditation from scratch, keeping the objects moving in the air whislt blocking and destroying the attacks from both him and Manaki
"You lost focus! Start over!"
"The balance is off, try again!"
"Your aura is uneasy, focus on your breathing!"
Galard scolds at every mistake I make, it's annoying, but the fact that I'm training with the legendary esper whose legends I've heard since childhood makes the situation a bit more bearable.
However, in the end I still wasn't able to achieve balance at all...
"Ah, this was useless wasn't it?"
I ask disapointed, in the end I feel like I wasn't able to reach anything
But Galard taps my shoulder
"Do not worry, balance and inner control is something that cannot be rushed, you have talent, but even you will take some time"
I smile wrily
"Hey, Tatseyo..."
Manaki calls my attention and I turn towards her
"What is it?"
"Please hold this"
Manaki gives her glasses to me and starts walking on top of the water
"H-hey, what are you doing?"
I ask as she makes her way to the waterfall
"Don't worry, this suit is waterproof"
She answers, that's not what I'm concerned about!
"Oh, so you want to show him how it's done, Manaki?"
The girl nods and sits on the bottom of the waterfall in the same position as I did
"Ooooohhhh..."
She then says this for a while and several pshychic constructs appear mid-air and starting being juggled around in a very coordinate way, just like I was doing, well, trying to do with the objects that Galard had ordered me to
"Well, that's good, let's begin then!"
Galard waits untill Manaki has reached a zen state and starts throwing demonic energy attacks, summoning plants that shoot spikes towards her, some that throw poison and big trees that try to catch her in it's vines or just outright fall on top of her.
VOOSH CRACK CUT
But Manaki expertly cuts all the attacks down by creating weapons designed to stop every attack, swords that cut the vines down, shields that stop the poison, demonic energy and spikes, axes that chop the trees and flying spears that readily pierce then so that they won't fall on top of her.
"W-wow..."
I give out an impressed expression, not because of what she's doing, but because she's doing it without losing an ounce of focus!
Seriously, this girl is currently meditating as if there's nothing going on around her at all! Her aura is completely still and her face is as blank and serene as always
"Impressive, right?"
Galard says stopping his attacks and just gazing at the peaceful Manaki
"Yes, how does she do that?"
"A lot of training of course, if you keep up, I'm sure you can become like her, perhaps even better"
He says with a proud expression, so he trained her too?
"Do you really think I can become like that? Manaki always seems so... calm and collected, I don't know if I can do it like her"
I say this and Galard reveals a sad expression
"I believe you can, in the beginning, Manaki had trouble too you know?"
I tilt my head
"Really?"
Galard nods
"When she first arrived, that girl's head was everywhere, she was a former criminal that had problems with trusting other people besides Liliana-sama. So I taught her how to medidate and how to put her energy into more useful things."
"She seems much better now"
He sighs
"Is that so? I think that girl still hasn't come into terms with her own feelings..."
He's looking at her still seeing sad
"It's true that she doesn't show a lot of emotion, but I thought that was just her own style."
They call it Kuudere, isn't it? I thought it suited her
Galard tilts his head
"Style huh? Ah, there's no way a 200 year old man like me can understand the feelings of a young girl, so I'm going to leave it you, okay?"
He says with a laugh and I wide my eyes, what is he talking about?!
"W-what are you even saying?! Don't throw this kind of responsibility to me! I know her even less than you!"
The old geezer laughs again while stroking his beard
"Kekeke, don't worry, I"m sure you'll do fine, you are a Kageyama after all"
He says that in such a carefree tone, this is definitely not how I expected Henry Galard to be!
"Are you finished?"
When I look back, Manaki has walked out of the waterfall and is standing on top of the water, her clothes really are waterproof, but she's completely drenched.
"Oh, yes, sorry about that, I realize now that I didn't give Tatseyo a chance to hit you, kekeke!"
Despite the mocking tone, Manaki seems to think about it seriously
"It was just a demonstration, though I don't think I would be able to stop Tatseyo's attack if he went all out..."
Manaki says stepping out of the water and creating a towel to wipe herself, she can create even ordinary items like this?
"I don't think there was any need for me to attack, you did amazing Manaki, I was wondering if I'll be able to do that one day..."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't be surprised if you reached this stage much faster than I did"
She says drying her hair
"...You are far better than I was when I began after all"
Manaki states, so what Galard said must be true after all
"T-thank you"
Manaki shakes her head
"No need, but there's another thing that I would like to train with you... if you have time of course."
"Yes, no problem, what is it?"
Manaki finishes drying herself and the towel disappears
"Have you ever fought on a team?"
"Huh?"
Her strange question takes me by surprise
"I take it that this is a 'no'?"
If I ever worked with a team? I only realized it now, but this must be important for them
"N-no, I really haven't"
I shake my head as I think about it, I never worked in a team my whole life, all the works and fights I've ever been only involved me, well... there were a few times years ago when I was at the beginning of my carrer that mom, dad or another responsible esper would tag along, I also accompanied Ayumu in some of her missions too, but those were rare situations
Manaki nods
"I see, but we need to work on this then"
Galard agrees with her
"Team work is very imporant, you are very strong on your own, but if you are going to work with us, cooperation is essential"
"Got it, how are we going to work on it them?"
Manaki summons several weapons and says
"The only way to improve teamwork is through battle, so we are going to take turns, first I'll fight against you and Galard and after that you and me will fight against him"
I nod
"Alright, let's do it"
Manaki jumps back and several big, robot like creatures made of energy appear beside her
"I see, so you can even create your own squad with it"
Manaki consents
"Yes and don't expect me to go easy on you"
I smile confidently
"It wouldn't be of any good if you did!"
Me and Galard charge at Manaki and her golems of energy
But...
"Ugh! Watch out!"
"S-sorry!"
My teamwork proves terrible as I destroy Galard's attacks and almost hit him with my own, I even try to use my [Psychic binding] to stop Manaki from attacking, but I end up affecting Galard as well
"H-hey, you almost got me in that one! Hold back a little when I'm on the line of fire!"
This keeps going for a few minutes untill Manaki asks us to stop
"That was..."
Galard says as if looking for the right words
"Terrible"
Manaki bluntly completes his quote
I put my hand against my forehead
"S-sorry... I'm really not used with working on a team"
I tried to do everything by myself and that usually put Galard in danger as well or got in the way of his own strategy
"Well, it's not like we can blame you for working alone all of your life, also, if you are strong enough, you might not need to work on a team, there are plenty of fighters, even among peerages, that rather go face to face with the enemy rather than relying on team work"
Galard says while supporting his chin on his staff
However, Manaki looks at him and shakes her head
"No, that won't do..."
She approaches me and looks at Galard
"I need to be useful to Liliana-sama, it means I have to be able to work with anything available, if I can't do at least this much I wouldn't be honoring my duty towards her..."
Manaki seems to care a lot about her duty towards Liliana
Galard sighs and consents while looking sad
"...I see, well then, what do you intend to do?"
Manaki taps my shoulder and says
"I'm going to use my [Skill], you should use yours too"
Their skill? So they are going to use it now?
I'm actually looking forward to it, despite all the registers about Henry Galard's life, there were none about what his skill could actually be and I'm curious about what [skill] Manaki has too
"Oh, so we are going serious now?"
Manaki nods determined
"Yes, I'll do anything if it means to become a better servant"
Galard gives another sigh and looks at Manaki with a sad expression, but gives in and summons several golems of his own, however, this ones are made of wood and plants
"Now it's time for my skill, [Savage garden]!"
He jumps on top of one of the Golems and after declaring this, his body starts to melt!
"W-what's going on?!"
I ask and Manaki nods
"That is Galard-san's skill, it allows him to fuse his body with the elements of nature itself in order to create a disguise, armor or even a escape route"
"W-what?! So he becomes one with his plants?"
"Yes, but even this skill has it's limits and his body can still be damaged if we hit the plants deep enough"
A laugh echoes from one of the wooden creatures
"That's right! So now we are fighting seriously, come at me!"
I feel Manaki tugging on my clothes to call my attention
"Ah, Manaki, so what's going to be the plan?"
She looks at Galard and says
"Tatseyo, I know you can't use your 100% right now, but that won't be needed, fight as you want to fight and I'll accompany you"
I look at her confused
"Eh? No plan? But-"
"Don't worry, I can keep up"
I reluctancly agree
"A-alright..."
We charge at Galard and his Golems, plants attack us fom everywhere and just like Manaki asked, I go all out, fighting the same way I fought with Galard
But only this time...
"Good work! Keep going, we are almost done"
"Guah! You really aren't taking easy on this old man!"
Our coordination is impeccable, no, maybe I should say that my compatibily with Manaki is great! It's like she's predicting my movements and thinking ahead of me to move accordingly!
"To your left!"
"R-right!"
I say as I throw a blast of energy at one of the Golems that was starting to rebuild itself
Manaki's movements are in an incredible resonance with mine, even her fighting style seems to be similar
"Now for the final blow!"
Manaki summons a huge energy sword that pierces the a hole in the Golem and I my energy travels through the sword, making it explode in pieces
"Agh! Alright, alright, you win!"
Galard says stepping out of the destroyed wooden creature and using his healing powers to regenerate his wounds
"You kids really don't take it easy even against an old man, kekeke"
He sounds happy about being beaten
"H-hey, Manaki, what was that? How did you managed to coordinate so well with me without any planning?"
She dispells the weapons that she was using and turns to me
"My [Sinchronicity] allows me to perfectly copy the fighting style and movements of my opponent as long as I use my psichometry on them at least once. I'm also able to copy their powers to some degree..."
A skill like that! Just like Mayumi, this ability is directly related to her fighting style, so that's how she was able to read my movements so easily! And I actually thought she was using the same powers as I did a few times.
"Our Manaki is the best when it comes to countering technique types, catching her by surprise is almost impossible and if you pair her up with Mayumi, who can read minds, they become almost invincible!"
Galard proudly declares and I nod agreeing with him
"That's trully amazing! So you were able to copy some of my powers as well? Like my telekinesis and energy manipulation?"
"It's not much, really, I can't copy things like someone else's [skill] and it's limited by my own power level, so even if I can copy your abilities I-"
I interrupt her, why does it seem like she's talking herself down?
"That doesn't matter at all! I think you are selling yourself short, that basically means you can use almost any ability? Including demonic powers, magic and even those sacred gear things?"
Manaki meekly nods
"Y-yeah, but I can't use it as good as the original owner and the power is also limited..."
She seems to have become flustered
"Does that even matter? I don't know anyone who can do something like it, not even Kuriko! Also, I don't think there are any espers out there who can use as many abilities as you are able to, just this fact is already impressive"
By what Galard told me, Manaki must have been training for a long time with him in order to be able to use all those skills and follow my pace so well
"W-well, I do train a lot b-but..."
"Tatseyo seems to be legimately impressed by your abilities, learn to receive a praise, would you?"
Galard says while smilling to her
Manaki becomes even more flustered and covers her face with her hair
"Th-thank you..."
Wow, that's the first time she actually showed emotions like this
"*Caham*... b-but you still have a long to way to go yet, I'll use the data I've collected about you to work on strategies and battle schemes that you can use to work on our team, we'll also work on your awareness, it's good but you can improve. I'll be excusing myself for a while if I'm not needed anymore"
Manaki says this as she regains her composure
"Ah, alright, it's almost time for me to go back to work anyway, we'll see you soon then"
"See you later, Manaki"
We wave goodbye to Manaki and she disappears in a magic circle
"Kekekekeke"
After that, Galard starts laughing and pokes me with his elbow
"Good work, that's what I was talking about, kakakaka!"
"Well, if I can do something for Liliana and all of you, I'll gladly help"
Galard nods
"It seems you haven't fully understood yet, but well, at least your head is in the right place, kakakakaka!"
Part 3
Galard said he needed to go back to work and I went back by myself to Liliana's office, Mayumi and Aya-chan were also waiting for me
"Ah, Tatseyo-san!"
After seeing me, Aya rushes to my side
"Hey, Aya-chan, how was it?"
"It was great, I've been improving a lot, look!"
Aya starts to summon a miniature hurricane on the palm of her hand
"She has quite a good affinity with elemental magic, I think she has a lot of potential, fufufu"
Mayumi says and Aya-chan happily answers
"Yes! I'll grow even stronger to take down the Khaos Bri- w-woah!"
As Aya-chan starts to get pumped up, the small hurricane in her hand loses control and a strong gust of wind sweeps the room, making several objects fall to the ground
"A-ah! I'm so sorry!"
Aya says
"Fufufu, even though she still needs to have better control over it"
Mayumi starts to place things back to it's original place with her telekinesis while Aya-chan profusely apologizes to Liliana, who is saying 'it's fine, it's fine' while petting her head
"So you need to control your powers better too Aya-chan, my training was about that as well"
I say as I sit down
"Huh? You too, Tatseyo-san?"
"Balance and control are just as important as power itself, in order to control the 100%, Tatseyo will need to adapt himself to fight in a stable state instead of either using the bare minimun or exploding all out at once take over by his emotions"
I nod to Mayumi's explanation
"In order to do this, I think I'll have to develop my own style..."
I never had my own style of fighting, brute strength and doing whatever I fought would do most damage was my way, but I don't think I can keep that up if I want to trully master my 100%
"True, creating your own style is important, but controlling your own mind comes first"
Liliana answers me and I sigh
"You're right, heh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but sometimes having such enormous power is a mess, there are times I wish could be like Kuriko or Saiki-san and solve things out just by wearing a limiter"
"Yes, controlling your power can be a real pain sometimes..."
Liliana says this while spinning around one of the bracelets on her pulse and standing up
"But that's enough for today! Let's have dinner together before you return home!"
We all give a few laughs and Aya and I use the circle to go back to my house, or is it our house by now?
As I'm preparing myself to sleep, she walks into the room, already dressed in her gown
"Tatseyo-san?"
She seems like she wants to ask me something
"Yes, Aya-chan?"
"When I asked Galard-san and Mayumi-san what they were to Liliana-ane, they answered me that they were her servants..."
The evil pieces, an unbelivable system that uses cursed chess pieces to turn humans and other creatures into devils, granting them skills according to the piece and with that you become a servant for the owner of the piece, Liliana explained this system to me and as absurd as it sounds, it is true.
"Indeed, he is bound to her by this system they call evil piece, is that what you wanna know?"
To my surprise she shakes her head
"No, Mayumi-san explained it to me but what I wanna know is... are you going to become Liliana's servant too?"
I don't answer her immediately, thinking about it for a while. As things are now, I'm basically depending on Liliana to know more about this new world and my own power, but I'm not officialy her servant, I didn't used her evil piece and, frankly, I've been avoiding to think about it.
I know that I don't wanna become a devil, no matter how tempting the offer may sound, I'm not ready to throw away my humanity and I dont know if I'll ever be.
"I'm not her servant, Liliana even told me she's not currently aiming for it"
During the mission where we rescued Aya and the other kids who had been kidnaped, Liliana told me she wasn't trying to convince me to be her servant... yet
"But why not? You don't like her or something?"
"It's not that simple..."
I don't know how to deliver it to her, Aya is also a non-human, I think that if I say that I don't want to become a servant because I don't want to stop being human, it might offend her, so I'm trying really hard to think of a way to say it in a way that doesn't hurt her
"Is it because she's a devil?"
I sigh, she's partly right, even though I don't think of Liliana and devils like her as enemies, it's hard for me to think of becoming one
"It's almost that... you see, Aya-chan, I'm an esper, that means since I was a kid I always had contact with the supernatural... and I always fought against it"
She's silently listening me to speak, it hurts me to say it to her, but it seems I don't have a choice
"As I already told you, before I came to Kuoh and met Liliana, I went around the whole country and even other countries hunting creatures that regular exorcists couldn't or wouldn't handle, I've always seem them as enemies, the church and other human organizations don't trust espers because they see us as an irregularity, so I never knew that there was such a deep hidden side to devils, even though I trust Liliana and want to be at her side, becoming a devil and forsaking humanity is just..."
"You don't see us as enemies, but you are not disgusted by us either, right?"
"Of course not! That's not the problem. Liliana said herself that I don't need to become a devil and that's what I want because I like humanity"
That's it, no matter how I can explain it, that's the truth
"You like... humanity?"
I nod
"You know Aya-chan, I told you about my mother and father..."
Aya nods
"Uhum, they are amazing people!"
"Damn right they are, back in the day where monsters roamed this world, my mom fought against them, she's a heroine who saved millions of people using her powers, even though she might say it was just for fame and money or to protect those who are important to her, I know she in fact liked to be a heroine and save others. My father is one of the most selfless man I know, 'Life is about helping others' is what he always tells me, he was the one who taught me to never use my powers against people, he loves humans dearly, he wouldn't hurt someone even if they hurt him, that's how serious he takes his powers"
I can see that Aya's eyes have taken a whole new glow, I think I managed to get it through her.
"Your parents really are incredible people, just like you"
She says that with a really big smile, I breath out in relieve
"And giving up on that, giving up on what I am is something that I don't want, being human is more than just a species to me, it's a crucial part of who I am"
I look at Aya-chan to see if she understands, she has a confused expression, but nods
"It's a bit complicated but... I think I can understand, humans, youkais, devils, angels, what you are is more than a denomination, it has meaning"
She says and I nod, she's starting to get it
"Yes, there are things I experienced and am able to experinece simply because I am human, even the devils in Kuoh academy know that, that's why they pretend to be human, but to me, pretending is not enough..."
"I see, sometimes I think how I would be if I wasn't a youkai, I suffered because of who I am, but I'm also happy to be who I am... guess I can sort of understand how Tatseyo-san feels"
I sigh and look at the ceiling
"Thanks, also, sometimes I woner that if I became a devil, what would the people I love think of me and what would I think of them? My family and friends, how would my relationship with them become?"
I kept thinking that the worst problem would be mom, but isn't that too simplistic? Father also faced demons and evil spirits in his life, would he really not care at all if I became a devil? What about Ayumu? And what about... me.
"Would I still be the same person?"
People change, that's one of the lessons I've learned from father, anyone can change and become a good person, or change and become a bad person. I don't think that was the case with Liliana's servants, but no one is the same, would I still be... me?
"I don't think that would happen"
"Huh?"
Aya says with a sweet smile on her face
"I don't think that will happen to you, because Tatseyo-san is a great person"
She says that with such a happy face, it weighs on me to retort her
"Thanks, but you barely know me Aya-chan, how can you believe so fiercely that I'm a good person?"
"No, I know you a lot Tatseyo-san you helped me when I was at the peak of my misery, you took me in, we'll go to the same school and you are doing your best to make me feel safe and help me. There is no way you are not a good person... that's why..."
She clutches her chest with her hand
"That's why I believe that no matter what, you'll still be yourself and the people around won't see you any different"
"Aya-chan..."
I don't know what to say
"Whatever you choose, I'll support you!"
I smile at her an caress her hair
"Thanks Aya-chan, this really means a lot to me"
Hearing what Aya said soothes my mind
"You're welcome, Tatseyo-san"
We stay silent for a while, none of us having anything more to say
I notice that her cheeks are a bit red, Of course she's embarassed! She's sitting right by my side on a bed while we are alone in the room! Damn I should have noticed it sooner!
"Tomorrow is your first day at school right? I think we should go to sleep"
Aya-chan nods, she still seems happy with the thought of going back to a normal life
"Yes, good night"
Tomorrow begins the weekend and we decided that Monday will be Aya's first day at Kuoh Academy, I hope it all goes well.
Afterword: I'm really happy right now because my fic has become relevant enough not only in fanfiction .net but also in Wattpad, now if you search "Esper Devil" or "Tatseyo"on google you'll get my fic in both sites at the first page. Thanks to all the readers who helped this fic reach this state, I'm very thankful to all of you.