Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.
Marathon (3/3)
Chapter 33
—I don't care if you promised to go play with young Maximilien, Ed. You don't come out until you finish your history lessons—
Selene to Edzard 193 4E
The meeting room was in an awkward silence, because although there were many questions to answer, none of the interested parties tried to start the conversations.
Edzard's eyebrow began to tremble when he saw that no one started with the round of questions.
Seeing that no one wanted to start the questions, Lint slowly raised her hand, gaining everyone's attention.
"Yes, Lint. What do you want to know?" Edzard asked with a smile on his face when he saw that the interrogation would finally begin.
"When you saved me in Italy, you mentioned that your people have fought against those things that attacked us." Lint said gaining confidence with every word she said. "Edzard. Where is your people?"
They all looked at Edzard expectantly, since that was one of the doubts that most ate at them, since none of the leaders had come across a human similar in power or presence to Edzard's.
Edzard sighed and looked at the ceiling. "My people is in the northernmost area of the Tamriel continent. The exact place is called Skyrim or Keizaal in an ancient language."
All the members of the three factions and those who knew something about geography looked at Edzard in confusion, since no one recognized the names, nor did they know where those places were.
"Skyrim? Tamriel? Where are those places?" Azazel asked looking at Edzard.
Edzard put a smile on his face as he placed the item in his hand on the table. The item was a golden box with several green gems. By pressing the central button of the box, the green gems began to move. The gems came out of the box, holding themselves together with some metal arms, which branched out as if it were a tree. Then, these gems shone and displayed a hologram made of magic, which showed Nirm's world in its entirety. While it was possible to see the continent of Tamriel in great detail, the continents like Atmora and Akavir were blurred. This artifact was, in simple words, a small-scale replica of the Mzulft observatory.
"Skyrim is one of the provinces found on the mainland of Tamriel." Edzard said pointing to the continent of Tamriel in the hologram. As he did so, the gems moved and zoomed in closer, revealing the geographical map of Tamriel, then moved to reveal Skyrim to all present.
"Continent?" Rias asked confused, because she had studied the geography of the earth before coming to this world, so she knew what continents were here and she had never heard that name. In addition, the image shown did not match any map that she had seen in her life.
"So is. Tamriel is one of the continents that make up the world of Nirm." Edzard said as he made the hologram zoom out and show the entire planet of Nirm.
Everyone from Azazel to Sona looked at Edzard in surprise.
"W-w-world?" Issei asked stammering in surprise.
"That's how it is. I am not a human of this world. I am a human from the world of Nirm, one of the planes of Aurbis. The plane of mortals." Edzard replied looking at his friend. "To put it more simply, I am an alien."
They all looked at Edzard not knowing what to say, because they had never expected this; however, there was one who did say something.
"I see. That explains a lot of things." Azazel said with his hand on his chin.
"What things Azazel?" Michael asked confused.
"You'll see. Edzard Rolandson's name never existed until a few months ago."
"How come it never existed?" Sirzechs asked narrowing his eyes as he looked at Edzard.
"Just as you hear it. That name appeared in the records of Earth thanks to the use of a machine that I create, which allows someone to register in the records of any country in the human world." Azazel said before looking at Edzard. "So, Edzard. What being are you?"
Edzard smiled as he pointed to himself. "I am a human born to a Nord father and a Breton mother."
Edzard's reply made everyone fall silent and look at Edzard.
"Nord? Breton?" Issei asked confused.
"They are the name of two of the human races that populate the world of Nirm." Asia replied drawing everyone's attention.
"Guy. Is everyone in Nirm human?" Azazel asked looking at Edzard.
"Do not. There are various races. There are the races of men, the Mer and the Beasts." Edzard said and then began to tell them about the mortal races that inhabited Nirm. When he finished telling them everything, everyone looked at Edzard and Asia in surprise, because during the explanation, Edzard revealed that Asia was half Breton. This revelation made everyone look at Asia in surprise, as this told them that humans from that world had already come to earth before. Furthermore, Edzard's words had made it clear to them that Nirm's humans were not like earth humans, but much more powerful.
"So they have elves, orcs, and dragons." Azazel said with a smile. "It sounds like you were living in some sort of parallel version of Lord of the Rings."
Edzard's right eyebrow started to move when he heard that. He was tempted to punch the idiot Azazel, but he decided to control himself and avoid trouble for punching a one-armed man.
"Putting that aside, Edzard. What are the Xivkyn and the Daedric princes?" Michael asked remembering those terms that Edzard had used before fighting.
"To answer that, I have to tell you about Nirm's origin." Edzard replied preparing to tell them about Nirm's origin.
The eyes of those present widened in surprise as they listened to the story of the origin of the world of Aurbis. They were particularly struck by how time began with a Dragon God. The mention of this God made Draig mention with pride how it seemed that the dragons were at the top in that world as well. Many were saddened to hear of the price the Aedra paid for Nirm's construction. Upon learning about the Daedric princes, many were terrified and worried upon hearing the nature of the Daedra.
The room was deathly silent as they heard about the daedras.
"So, they are immortal beings that cannot be killed by any normal means?" Azazel asked suspiciously.
"That's right. If you decapitate, mutilate or dismember a Daedra, all you do is destroy his body, but not his soul, since it will travel to Oblivion and rebuild itself there. "
"What do these beings want from our world?" Michael asked with concern in his voice.
"Invade to bring chaos, destruction, suffering and enslave all races that inhabit this world." Edzard responded in a serious way, because this topic was not something to joke about.
Edzard's words left the room silent. The faction leaders were as if they internalized the words that Edzard was saying.
"Edzard, you mentioned the Banekin during the attack on Italy. How strong are they? Who do they serve?" Lint asked with concern in her voice, for Edzard's words about what the daedras were looking for had caused her concern and fear.
"The Banekin, like many Daedras, serve various princes, but one of the main ones is Mehrunes Dagon, the prince of destruction and one of the most powerful. The power level of those little daedras is not very high, in fact, they are among the lowest ranks among all the daedras. There are many that are more powerful than these. If I remember correctly I mentioned the Dremora in our conversation, right?"
Lint nodded, as she remembered that Edzard had mentioned them.
"I see. Well, those beings are more powerful, in fact, their base power level is equivalent to that of a high-class devil. Well, there are also some more powerful than the Dremoras. The princes are one of them, as they are at the height of power in Oblivion."
"So we will be facing a very powerful Daedric prince, huh. Well, how powerful is he compared to those of us here?" Azazel asked as he pointed to himself.
Edzard put a hand to his chin and began to think as he tried to compare the levels of power he felt. "I couldn't tell you. I have never come face to face with him. But I can tell you how strong it is compared to an Aedra."
"Which Aedra would be the reference you would take?"
"Akatosh, who is the mightiest of the Aedras." Edzard answered Sirzechs question. "In terms of power, Dagon cannot beat Akatosh, the only prince who can fight Akatosh one-on-one is Jyggalag, the prince of order, the most powerful of the daedras."
"I see. Now, what is the difference in power between Akatosh and us?" Azazel asked while pointing at himself and the rest of the leaders of the three factions.
"Well, for you I could take two Aedras as a reference, who would be Akatosh and Mara." Edzard answered. "I have met Akatosh face to face. While Asia has met Mara."
"I see. How strong are we compared to them?" Sirzechs asked.
Edzard looked at Asia, who nodded and stepped forward to look at the leaders of the three factions. After a second, she let out a sigh. Bringing her face close to Edzard's ear, she began to whisper to him. When she finished doing it, Edzard started to whisper to Asia. In the end, they both looked at each other and nodded.
"Well?" Azazel asked impatiently.
"You three couldn't beat Lady Mara." Asia replied forcefully.
"I see. Then, it is more than certain that we cannot beat Akatosh, who according to Edzard is the most powerful Aedra today." Azazel said looking at Edzard, who nodded to what the Fallen had said. "Edzard, according to you, how powerful is Akatosh compared to us?"
Edzard put his hand to his chin and began to think. After thinking for a few seconds, he looked at Azazel and spoke. "Azazel, is there anyone more powerful than Ophis?"
"Yes. There is only one who could be said to be a little higher than Ouroboros in power." Azazel said gaining Edzard's attention. "That being would be the Dragon of Dragons. Also called Great Red."
"Great Red?" Asia asked in confusion.
"Yes. As his name says, he is a dragon of great size and power that lives in the dimensional gap." Sirzechs replied.
"Waiting. You talk about that lizard on steroids that lives in that multicolored place." Edzard said remembering that dragon that wanted to eat him and his family the day he came to this world.
"Yes..." Azazel said blinking, but then he looked at Edzard and said. "Waiting. Did you call Great Red, Lizard on steroids?"
"Yes. Why? Is there a problem?" Edzard asked confused.
"No, I just can't believe you're crazy enough to do that." Azazel replied looking at Edzard as if he had two heads, because not even he dared to speak like that to the most powerful existence in this world.
"Well. If that guy is the most powerful here, then he's on the same level as Akatosh."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that the most powerful being they knew was as powerful as the main God of Edzard's homeworld.
"And that is now, that he has lost much of his power. Let's not talk about how powerful he was in his prime." Edzard said with a smirk. This smile earned him a smack from Asia on the head.
Everyone who watched this scene rolled their eyes, but seconds before that they had felt a chill run down their spines.
"So. We only have to face a single prince, who luckily is not the most powerful, right?" Issei asked trying to see the best side of the current situation.
Edzard didn't answer, but he just stood there looking at the ceiling. Heaving a sigh, he spoke. "The truth is that it is not just one, but two Princes."
Everyone's eyes widened again, but this time there was not only surprise, but also fear in their eyes.
"W-w-what do you mean two princes?" Rias asked terrified as she felt the air leave her lungs and her legs trembled.
"The last guy that showed up wore the same armor as a Xivkyn." Edzard responded by joining both hands in front of his face. "Those kind of Daedras only serve one lord."
"Which one?" Sirzechs asked looking at Edzard as he thought of a way to deal with what was coming.
"To the prince of Rape." Edzard replied causing the women present to feel a shiver run through their bodies. "That is to say, Molag Bal."
"Shit." Azazel said without a smile on his face anymore, because with every word that Edzard said, he understood that the world of Nirm was wilder and more dangerous than any world he had known. "Edzard, be honest. How many troops does each prince have?"
"Thousands, millions or even billions, I really don't know. Each of the prince's rules over a main plane and several smaller ones. Each has daedras of different levels under him. Some Daedra are more powerful than others." Edzard answered regretfully. "Although there may be a solution if we can get some princes on our side."
"Our?" Sirzechs asked looking at Edzard.
"I will be honest with you. I wasn't originally going to try to ask you guys for help, but this is getting out of hand. The armies that will invade this world are not only made up of daedras and people of Nirm, but are also made up of some humans who are already serving the daedras." Saying that, Edzard took out the Daedric Crescent from his bag and showed it.
"What's that?" Azazel asked looking at the weapon curiously. And he was not the only one, because the rest of the individuals there also did the same.
"It's a low-level Daedric artifact. It's called a Daedric Crescent, it's a Daedric artifact associated with Mehrunes Dagon. In the past there were many of these, but at some point, in one of the past eras, the vast majority were destroyed to the point that only one remained. Now, I don't know what their current status is, more may or may not have been made." Edzard said pointing at the weapon. "This weapon is enchanted to paralyze those it hits, plus any weapons or armor it touches will be weakened to the point that they will inevitably break."
"It doesn't destroy Sacred Gears, but it does considerably reduce the amount of time you can use them." Asia said explaining the effect of this weapon on the Sacred Gears, as she was the only one with a sacred gear who received the effects of this weapon. "Also, once you deactivate your sacred gear, it will be so weakened that you won't be able to summon it again for a few hours."
Everyone listened to the explanation attentively, as each piece of information was important to them.
"Now, there are also some artifacts that are more powerful, one example is Dagon's artifact, Mehrunes' Razor."
"His weapon has his name on it." Azazel said mockingly. "What an amount of arrogance."
"Believe me, you wouldn't scoff if you knew that weapon has a small amount of percentage of killing you with just a small wound."
"You're kidding me, right?" Azazel said already being fed up with this. Every time Edzard told them about what they would face, he got more scared. Whats Next? A bow capable of raining down solar fire on an army that had the ability to hide the sun if corrupted? 'Better not even think about it, because he is capable of telling me that it exists.'
"I'd like to upset you, but it's the truth. Fortunately, this type of weapon is unique, that is, there is only one. And it's usually in the hands of some high-level worshiper, but if we're unlucky, a fucking Daedric Champion will have it." Edzard said speaking with annoyance, since he had not liked the feeling that being gave him.
"Daedric Champion?" Michael asked looking at Edzard.
"Yes. Daedric champion. A mortal who has obtained the blessing of a prince, receiving a massive increase in power from him and a set of high-tier armor and weapons." Edzard replied. "The two guys who showed up today were champions."
Azazel unconsciously brought his good hand to the stump that was once his left arm. As he touched the stump, his mind had a revelation.
"Edzard, are there Champions of the Aedra?" asked Azazel hoping that, if there were champions of that type, well with them they could reduce the power gap.
"If there is one, he is called the champion of the nine." Edzard replied after thinking for a few seconds.
Edzard's answer raised hope in those present, but this hope died when he continued speaking.
"Sadly, there hasn't been a champion for several centuries." Edzard said changing the map from Skyrim to Cyrodill. "The last known was the hero of Kvatch."
"Hero of Kvatch?" Serafall asked.
"When I tell you about the level of power that we mortals have in Nirm, I forgot to say something." They all looked at Edzard, not knowing what he could tell them now. "There are some special mortals who are known as the heroes of the Elder Scrolls or mortals doom-driven."
"Doom-driven?" Rias asked confused looking at Edzard. "What does that title mean?"
"Mortals doom-driven are special mortals who have been born with a great destiny and with the power to follow a destiny not guided by the Gods." Edzard answered, but sighed when he saw that everyone was looking at him without understanding. "They are destined to do something as big as saving the world from a great threat, but unlike others, to achieve it they have no restrictions and are free to do it in any way they please."
"I see, but what does it have to do with the power level of the mortals in Nirm?" Azazel asked.
"They are born with the potential to be the mightiest mortals of their generation, so there are never two Heroes at the same time." Edzard said concentrating on his explanation. "Each of them is born with a unique ability, which is passed on to his descendants."
"It seems you are well versed in it, Edzard." Azazel said looking at Edzard with a smile. "Why is it like this?"
"It's easy, Azazel." Edzard responded with a smug smile. "My ancestor was the Hero of Kvatch."
"Wow." Rias said looking at Edzard in amazement. And she wasn't the only one, as everyone looked at Edzard in amazement.
"Yes, but that's not all." Asia said joining the conversation. She and Edzard along with the rest of the girls had talked before going to the meeting and had decided that it was best to be as honest as possible, but always keeping some things in case something happened. "You see, Ed is not only descended from a hero, he is one too."
"Whaaaaat?!" was the collective cry of all those who were there.
"That's right. I am the last hero to appear in Nirm." Edzard said rubbing his ear, because the scream had caused some pain to his sensitive ears.
"So, that's why you're so powerful." Issei asked understanding one of the reasons for the power level of his friend.
"In theory yes."
"Edzard-dono. You mentioned that heroes are born with an enhanced ability that they pass on to their descendants. Which is yours and which is your ancestor's?" Michael asked curiously.
"From my ancestor I inherited extremely high reflexes capable of perceiving any attack in slow motion." Edzard's answer amazed everyone, since they understood that this power was something very useful in combat. "And my ability as a hero is my insanely large reserves of magic."
'In addition to my Dovahkiin powers.' Edzard thought to himself.
"Insane reserves of magic?" Sirzechs asked.
"Yes. In Nirm each race has a range of magic they are born with. The races with the greatest magical affinity are the Altmer elves and the Breton humans." Edzard replied. "But I am the exception. While I am half Breton, that does not explain my vast reserves of magic, which surpass the level achieved by the most talented wizards of all mortal races."
"Waiting. If those skills are passed down from parent to child, that…" Issei interrupted his friend.
"Yes, Issei. My daughter with Asia has received all the skills that I have." Edzard answered. "Now, I don't know how it will be with the children I'll have with Aika, Valerie, and Mittelt, but I guess they'll be born with those abilities too."
"You are already weighing in the future without knowing if we will survive." Azazel said. "You seem optimistic."
"Faith is the most beautiful thing there is, Azazel." Edzard said with a smile. "Furthermore, he trusted that together we can stop the princes and save this world."
Edzard's smile was so contagious that it made everyone smile with him.
"Well, since you're so confident, what else can you tell us?" Azazel said.
"Many things. So I hope they don't have anything planned for tomorrow morning, because this is going to take a long time."
Rias's right eye brow trembled as she saw Azazel sitting on her chair like nothing happened. Beside her were Issei, Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno. Who didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for their king.
"What are you doing here, Azazel?" Rias asked irritably.
"Oh. Didn't your brother tell you?" Azazel asked with a smile. "From today I am, I will be the adviser to the ORC."
"How did this happen?" Rias asked putting her hand to her temple because of the headache this was causing her.
"Your brother told me to check with Serafall's sister." Azazel said looking at Sona, who was behind them.
"Sona…"
"If I didn't accept, my sister would end up staying here." Sona said avoiding looking at Rias.
"So, to save yourself, you sold us out." Rias said with an awkward smile.
"I wish you the best of luck." Sona said looking away as she fixed her glasses. Bowing, she tried to leave the room, but in the end she couldn't, as the door was opened by Valerie, who entered with Gasper and Aika.
"Oh. Hi Valerie-san. How was your tour of the academy?" Rias asked seeing the Dhampir.
"It was interesting to say the least. I ran into two perverts that I put to sleep." Valerie replied with a smile remembering how she had put those two to sleep with one blow.
Issei felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked at Valerie's smile. He mentally prayed for the welfare of his perverted friends, but had to hold his head for the prayer he gave.
"And what did you think of the academy?" Azazel asked.
"Entertaining, but I don't think I'll sign up. I would if there was no danger of invasion, but with that danger looming, it's best to have as many troops ready to fight."
Rias looked at Gasper and saw that he had a sad smile on his face. It was very noticeable that the young Dhampir wanted his friend to study there to see her more often.
That had been one of the requests that the three factions had made to Edzard, the request itself was that all the members of their group join the Kuoh Academy. Unfortunately, apart from Aika, who was already a student at the academy, none of them joined. Edzard and Asia had refused saying that it would make them not have time to spend with their little daughter, Mittelt said that she had to go back to do some missions for the Grigori and it seemed that Valerie was not interested in studying here at the moment.
"I see. That is a pity." Azazel said before looking at Aika. "For what you requested, you will have to go to this place tonight."
Finishing speaking, Azazel handed Aika a note.
Aika opened the note and saw that it was an address. "Okay, I'll be there tonight."
That note showed the address where Aika would find her new teacher of magic. That had been one of Edzard's requests, that they teach Aika magic, since she wanted to become stronger and that was the best way for her to achieve it.
"Well. With that settled, I guess I should tell you the real reason for my presence here." Azazel said looking at those present. "For the sake of what is about to happen, I am here to help strengthen the Sacred Gear members of your groups. So call me Azazel-Sensei from now on."
All the devils in the room looked at Azazel in surprise, but when they were all about to speak, the door to the ORC opened. Everyone looked at the intruder and those who did not know who was the person who had opened the door raised an eyebrow in confusion, because the one who had opened the door was a little girl of two years.
"Marie-chan?" Issei said looking at Edzard and Asia's daughter.
Marie looked at everyone until she saw Issei, so smiling, she started running towards Issei. Already close to the devil, she dove headfirst into it.
"Uncle Issei!" Marie yelled as she headbutted Issei powerfully in his stomach. The force of the blow was such that he ended up crashing into one of the walls in the room. This wall ended up cracking when it received the impact of Issei's body, which was completely knocked out.
"Ha ha ha. Really, you are the weakest Sekiryuutei in history. Since a little girl just defeated you with a single blow." Azazel said laughing at what just happened. "Though knowing how strong her parents are, it's obvious that she has that high level of power."
"So this is Asia Argento's daughter." Xenovia said approaching Marie. For Xenovia, Marie's existence would have been an aberration when she was an exorcist, but now she saw things differently. She knew that if she had met Asia before the conference, it was possible that her meeting would end in a confrontation, a confrontation that she now knew she would lose disastrously.
That thought caused the former exorcist a shiver, because although she did not see Asia fight, she knew that she was strong, because she was able to create a defensive barrier capable of stopping very powerful attacks as if it were nothing. Also, that she had released some of her aura, which was very intense.
Marie looked at the young woman who approached her. She didn't know her from anywhere, but she was in the room her parents had told her she was to go to deliver her message.
"Hello little girl. I am Xenovia Quarta. It's nice to meet you." Xenovia said looking at Marie.
Marie looked at Xenovia and smiled seeing that she had no bad intentions. "Nice to meet you, Xenovia. My name is Marie Argento Cumberland Edzarddottïr."
Marie's introduction was perfect, showing the manners that everyone would expect from a person of nobility.
Seeing that introduction, Azazel remembered how Edzard had told them about his family and his heritage.
Flashback
"Edzard, Vali said your name was Edzard Cumberland Rolandson." Azazel said looking at Edzard. "Why do I call you that?"
"That's my full name." Edzard replied looking at everyone.
"Your full name?" Sirzechs asked.
"That's how it is. Nord people do not usually use surnames, so each son or daughter has the name of his or her father plus the suffix son or daughter on the surname. The Bretons, for their part, do have surnames, but it is mostly the nobles who have them."
"Nobles?...Wait, Ed! Are you a noble?!" Issei yelled in amazement at that.
"Technically yes and no at the same time." Edzard said.
"How's that Edzard-dono?" Michael asked.
Sighing, Edzard began to tell about the Cumberlands and the role they played during the second era. He also told how his parents met and lied saying that his mother had given up her inheritance to marry his father. He also told about how his father was descended from a fallen royal line, this made those present surprised to discover that Edzard descended from two Kings in both a Patrilineal and Matrilineal manner. But it was knowing that Asia was related to Edzard that made everyone look at them strangely. Unfortunately, Irina blurted out that it was wrong for two relatives to get married, which made Asia shut her up by releasing her magical aura from her, which made the exorcist tremble in fear.
End Flashback
The memory was interrupted by shouts.
"Kyaaaah! You're so cute!" Rias, Akeno and Xenovia shouted as they saw Marie waving. Without thinking twice, they jumped in and began to hug the little girl, who began to feel uncomfortable at her show of affection. Fortunately, Marie was saved by Valerie and Aika who said that if they made her cry, Edzard would come after them.
With everyone calmed down, Rias asked the little girl why she had come to see them.
"I am fulfilling my first mission as an honorary member of The Companions." Marie said with a smile as she raised her right hand.
"The Companions?" asked Issei, who had already woken up and had gotten out of the wall with Koneko's help.
"The Companions are an order of warriors in which Edzard served for a few years as a member and later as their leader." Sona answered remembering some of the things that Edzard mentioned in the meeting.
"Fu, fu, fu. What mission is it?" asked an amused Akeno looking at the little girl.
Marie reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a scroll. Extending her hand, she handed it over to Rias, who took the scroll and read it. When she did, she looked at those around her.
"Edzard and Asia are inviting us all to their house." Rias said as she started looking at Sona. "And when I say everyone, I mean every devil in the school. That includes the entire student council."
Sona nodded upon hearing that. She internally was smiling, as she hoped to contact Edzard soon, as she had a request for him.
"So what time do we have to be there?" Xenovia asked.
"In a half hour." Rias said walking towards where her things were. All the devils did the same, while Sona and Tsubaki headed towards the Council office to gather all the members.
Half an hour later everyone was ready.
"So, we're leaving. See you tomorrow Azazel-Sensei." They all said as they said goodbye to the Fallen Angel.
The door closed leaving only Azazel, who, no longer feeling the presence of the devils and Edzard's familiars, sighed and spoke.
"Don't you have views that are coming to your house, Edzard?" Azazel said looking towards the tree near the room.
"It's not a problem, I can travel faster than them and arrive earlier." Edzard said jumping from the tree towards the living room. He had a smile on his face, as he had been completely hidden from Azazel until he finally decided to make his presence obvious.
"What brings you here, Edzard?"
"Bad news I'm afraid." Edzard said taking out of his bag a folder with several documents.
Azazel received the documents and began to read them. When he finished reading the first page, he sighed. "Are you sure of this?"
"Unfortunately, yes, I am sure. I confirmed it by using Auramancy on Katerea's staff." Edzard replied with a serious voice.
"Dammit. This complicates things." Azazel cursed; however, his eyes widened when he read the last part, as it was a plan to deal with the problem that had arisen. "Are you sure of this?"
"Yes. I know it sounds bad, but I know it won't fail."
"I hope so. I will pass on the information to Sirzechs to mention it to his fellow Maous. I will notify you of his answers when they give it to me"
"Okay, I'll wait for the answer." Said Edzard walking to the center of the room and taking out his shadowkey, he opened a portal. "See you later, Azazel."
"Do all nobles tend to have such large houses?" Issei asked with his eyes wide open as he saw the house in front of him.
"I don't know, but this style doesn't convince me very much." Rias said looking at the house almost without any surprise, because her house in the underworld was just as big as the one in front of her.
The group of devils had followed Marie, Aika and Valerie to a place where there were no people at this hour. There, Aika cast a magic circle on her ear and spoke. Out of nowhere, they were all surrounded by a red light and teleported away.
What they saw when the teleportation ended was a pocket dimension created by Edzard a few weeks ago. This place was full of rolling hills and green grass, pine forests and mountains with snowy peaks, and on what seemed to be an island in the middle of a lake was the residence that Edzard had erected for his family in this place.
The island measured thirty thousand square meters and was linked to the rest of the territory by means of a stone bridge. Edzard's family residence was not a mansion, nor was it a castle, but rather a full-fledged palace, which measured more than twenty thousand square meters. This was a huge square structure with a massive tower at each of the corners. The walls were made of white stone with some details in gold. The windows were wide and were present in each of the seven floors that the palace had. In the center of it was a garden, which had the cuttings of various Nirm plants.
When the group of devils reached the entrance, they were surprised to see that it opened automatically the moment they were within five steps of it.
"It's okay. This has surprised me." Sona said seeing that this house seemed to have automatic doors.
When they entered the mansion they saw that the interior was made of white stone so neat and well carved that it seemed that everything was a single piece. The floor was made of marble so polished it almost looked like a mirror. The walls were completely decorated with paintings that none of those who were there had ever seen in his life. There was also some medieval armor along with several blue banners with a silver lion on them.
"I guess that's Cumberland heraldry." Rias said looking at the banners.
Xenovia, Saji and Issei looked at the decorations in amazement, as it was the first time they had seen something like this.
"Mom!"
Marie's shout made everyone look forward. They were surprised to see Asia dressed in a simple white one-piece dress, which had some gold-colored embroidery on the hem of it. Her feet were wearing a pair of black leather sandals with silver buckles.
Little Marie jumped out of Aika's arms and started running towards her mother. Asia crouched down to catch her little daughter, who had made a big jump towards her.
"Mom. I fulfilled my mission without problems." Marie said with a proud voice of having fulfilled the request of her parents.
"Yes, I see it." Asia said looking at everyone approaching. "Aika, Val. How did you do at the academy?"
"You know, it was really boring." Aika said making a face.
"Actually, it's interesting." Valiere said with a smile.
"Maybe because you haven't been in a class for years. But believe me, if you attended you would be bored in a few weeks."
"That's possible, since just learning subjects like history and math tends to get boring after a while."
They all looked at the source of the voice and saw Edzard walking towards them. He was wearing a simple long-sleeved robe, which was dark blue with white sleeves, which had embroidery on the sleeves. He also wore a pair of black pants with a leather belt around his waist. His tunic and pants were made of linen imported from Cyrodill. At his feet was a pair of black leather sandals with silver buckles.
"Dad!" Marie yelled looking at her father, who stopped in front of her. "I accomplished my mission."
"Yes, I can see it." Edzard said disheveled his daughter.
"Ed." Aika said approaching Edzard and giving him a kiss.
When they parted ways, Valerie did the same as Aika.
Issei and Saji looked at Edzard with tears of jealousy running down their cheeks. As they cursed him for doing that in front of them.
"I am going to my room. I'll see you later at dinner." Aika said starting to walk.
"I'm going to change my clothes too." Valerie said with a smile. "I'll see you guys later."
As they both left, Edzard looked at the entire group of devils in front of him. He fully recognized the devils that came with Sona, as he had seen them form the barrier during the fight against Kokabiel. While he only knew the names of the ORC members, he also knew a few names from the Student Council.
"It is a pleasure that you have accepted our invitation." Edzard said with a smile. "Although there are several from here that I know, I see that there are some faces that I only know by sight. Could you introduce yourself so we don't give you weird nicknames and call you by your first names?"
The people Edzard only knew from seeing them holding the barrier to contain the damage against Kokabiel stepped forward and introduced themselves.
"Nice to meet you, Edzard-san. My name is Meguri Tomoe and I am the knight of Sona Sitri." Said a pretty young girl as she bowed. This young girl had shoulder-length auburn hair and brown eyes. Her hair features swept bangs and a single strand of hair sticking out from the top.
"I am Hanakai Momo, Bishop of Sona Sitri. Nice to meet you, Rolandson-san." She said a beautiful girl with white hair and blue-green eyes.
"I am Kusaka Reya, and I am the second Bishop of Kaichou." Said a slender young woman with long brown hair that ends in two short braids and matching eyes, she said quietly. She also wears a blue headband.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Yura Tsubasa." Said a tall young woman with shoulder length blue hair and matching eyes.
"I am Nimura Ruruko, nice to meet you." Said a short young girl with brown hair in long twin ponytails and green eyes. She wears a pair of green clips in her hair and also wears green striped stockings.
"It's nice to meet you all." Said Edzard with a smile. "I guess you all know me by now, but for those who don't, my name is Edzard Cumberland Rolandson. The girl next to me is my wife, Asia Argento Cumberland and the little girl is our daughter, Marie Argento Cumberland Edzarddottïr .You already know Aika and Valerie, unfortunately Mittelt is in a meeting with some of the Grigori high command so she is not here."
The mention of the fallen angel caused Akeno to grimace unnoticeable to most everyone. Edzard had noticed the grimace, so he internally let out a sigh. He knew, thanks to Azazel, that Akeno had problems with the fallen angels, especially her father, Barakiel.
"Well, now with all the presentations in order. Do you want to take a walk around the place?" Asia asked with a gentle smile on her face as she continued to hold Marie.
"If you do not mind." Rias said.
"No, it is none." Edzard replied.
The group of devils left the hall and followed the owners of the palace on a short tour of the most important parts of the place. Walking through the corridors, they reached the first destination of the tour.
"This is the family dining room. Next door is the kitchen." Asia said pointing to the door that connected the dining room to the kitchen.
Issei was amazed to see the dining room, because it had a very large table where several people could easily fit. Also, the room was absurdly large. This room was completely decorated with paintings of places she had never seen and had shelves with crockery and cutlery that sparkled like stars. When he walked into the kitchen, he saw a modern kitchen fully furnished and equipped with a stove, oven, refrigerator, and other appliances.
They left there and continued walking through another corridor full of paintings and sculptures. After a while they reached a door, which was in one of the towers, since they had had to climb some stairs.
"Ed. What is this place?" Issei asked looking at the huge double doors.
"This is the library." Edzard said proudly as he opened the door.
When the door opened, all the devils saw an absurdly large number of shelves packed with books.
"H-how many books are here?" Rias asked in amazement as there were more books here than in her family's library.
Sona was the same as her friend, because she had never seen so many books together.
"Umm... No idea." Edzard said after thinking.
"H-how do you have no idea?!" Issei yelled.
"It's just that I lost count after reaching twenty thousand." Said Edzard, scratching the back of his neck, because he never finished counting all the books that he had received as a gift from Akatosh, since it was his dragon father who had given him this palace, which he had kept in a special scroll.
"S-so many books." Xenovia said looking at the books, but as she did so she realized something. "Excuse me, but. Why are there some books with covers with weird designs?"
"Uh. That's because they're magic books." Asia replied looking at the former exorcist with a smile.
"M-magic?" said the devils looking at several shelves completely full of these books.
"How many of those books do you have?" Sona asked adjusting her glasses.
"About five thousand?" Edzard asked looking at Asia.
"Seven thousand, Ed. Six thousand five hundred are books written by other authors. The remaining five hundred are investigations as much yours as mine."
The devils' jaws dropped at that.
"Well. When they get their jaws back in place we can continue on to the next parts of the mansion." Edzard said with an amused smile seeing the devils' expressions.
Several minutes passed until they finally managed to get out of their astonishment. As they walked, Sona and Rias had asked what kind of books there were. Their eyes sparkled when they heard that there were books of all kinds, from literary works to books on military tactics. Hearing that, both friends asked Edzard if they could borrow some books. Edzard nodded saying that they had to be returned to him in the same state they were taken.
After walking for a few minutes, they reached the rooms, which for obvious reasons were almost empty, since of the more than fifty rooms for the family, only two were used. One of medium size for Marie and the largest was the master bedroom which had a large bed where Edzard and his lovers slept. In addition to having a dresser with seven chairs, so that the girls could get ready without worrying about the time the furniture would be used.
Then they headed towards the gardens. The girls looked in amazement at the large number of rare flowers that they had never seen in their lives. A funny moment had passed when Issei and Saji had approached a deathbell and touched it carelessly. By touching them without knowing about them, they released some of the flower's pollen, which was inhaled by both devils, causing them to speak and move super slow. Seeing their servants in such a state, Rias and Sona had been worried, but then calmed down when Edzard told them that the effect was temporary. By the time they both returned to their normal speed, they were already passing through a fully armored door with several thick chains and padlocks.
"Ed. What the hell do you have in there for it to be so sealed up?" Issei asked looking at the door.
"Nothing special. Just my treasure." Edzard replied looking at his friend.
Hearing those words, a perverted smile appeared on Issei's face.
"He, he. I knew you were a pervert too, Ed." Issei said with a smile as he imagined that Edzard's dirty magazines must be inside that chamber.
Issei's words made several girls look disappointed at Edzard, because they thought he wasn't like that.
"Issei. What the hell do you think I have back there?" Edzard asked with an angry mark on his forehead.
"Nothing important. Probably an insane amount of porn magazines."
Edzard smiled sinisterly and approached Issei and hit him so hard on the head that he fell unconscious on the ground. He then walked towards the door and with a flick of his right hand, which glowed blue, the locks and padlocks were released. The chains fell off and left the door completely unprotected. With a shove, Edzard showed what was in the room.
"W-w-w-what." Issei stuttered, who had become conscious again thanks to an electric shock that Edzard had given him. The young devil was in complete shock at what was behind that door.
But he was not the only one, because all the others were in the same state. Even Rias and Sona couldn't believe their eyes. There, inside that huge room where more than five hundred people could easily fit comfortably, there were hundreds, not thousands, it was not likely that there were millions of gold and silver ingots.
"H-h-how many ingots are here?" Rias asked, unable to believe his eyes.
"There are about seven million gold bars and about ten million silver bars." Edzard answered looking at the pile of precious metals that were in his treasury.
"How much does each ingot weigh?" Sona asked looking at the metals.
"Each ingot weighs a kilo." Asia replied.
"You are telling me that in there you have a gold reserve so large that if you were a country you would be among the top ten countries with the most gold reserves in the world!" both Rias and Sona yelled in complete shock as they mentally calculated the insane amount of money in there.
'This is incredible. There is more gold in there than my family owns.' Rias thought in complete shock.
"Ed. H-h-how did you gather that crazy amount of gold?" Issei asked stammering in shock.
"That is all the wealth I have obtained as an adventurer in Nirm. Although here are also the contributions that Asia has made during her short time as an adventurer. " Edzard lied, because he had only had a small amount of gold compared to what was in there. This insane amount of gold and silver had been a gift that he had come with from the palace. "Also, I left much of my wealth to my Housecarls and certain people I knew."
If everyone was surprised, now they were completely in shock, because if that had not been all that Edzard had had in money, they did not want to imagine the real amount that he had originally had.
When they recovered from the shock, they continued walking and reached the armory and the palace forge. When the door, which was as well guarded as the one to the treasury, was opened, everyone saw a network of passageways, which revealed several rooms. Of these rooms, only six had a name. When the gates with Edzard's name opened, everyone saw a lot of swords, greatswords and some spears and axes. All of these weapons were very well made, but they were minimalist with the decorations; however, the weapons showed that they were made of very good materials.
The knights of both peerages asked to see some weapons, as they wanted to compare them with the ones they had. Edzard agreed and allowed them to take some swords. At the end, everyone said that the weapons were perfect both in balance and balance.
The guide lasted a few more hours, where everyone saw some more places, such as the bathroom, Marie's playroom, a small Christian church, which caused a chill in the columns of the devils, and a temple of the nine divines . At the end of the guide, everyone sat down to chat for a while while drinking tea made from Nirm plants. The two pure-blood devils liked the tea so much that they asked Asia if she could give them some as a present. Being the good-hearted person that she was, Asia accepted and gave them some medium pots with the tea and a leaf with the way they should prepare it.
At the end of the day, the Gremory group was completely gone. The Sitri group had divided, since almost all the members had left and only Sona, Tsubaki and Tomoe remained in the room.
"So, Sitri." Edzard said looking at Serafall's sister. He called the girl that way, because unlike Rias, whom he knew by Issei, he didn't know her very well and didn't want to make a bad impression on the girl. "You mentioned you had a request, right?"
Sona looked at the cup of tea in front of her and, taking a sip, looked at Edzard. "That's right, Edzard-san."
"I see. What is the request?" Edzard asked already imagining what she would ask of him.
"You mentioned that you are a blacksmith and we have confirmed it with the weapons you have in your personal armory."
"I understand. You want me to forge a weapon for your knight so that you can balance the balance of power between you and Rias, right?" Edzard asked with a smile.
"That's right." Sona said with a smile seeing that she wouldn't have to explain to Edzard what she wanted.
"Alright, shall we begin?" Edzard said getting up and heading for the door.
The three devils nodded and followed Edzard, who started walking towards his forge. Already there, Edzard began asking Tomoe for the specifications for her sword. After that, Edzard and Sona came to establish the price to pay for the sword, which would have to be delivered before the start of the summer vacation.
Edzard was resting on his bed while Asia and Mittelt rested their heads on his chest and next to them were Valerie and Aika. They were all completely naked, having had a little late night fun, which lasted three hours with six rounds each.
'Ahh. It's good that I'm done crafting Sitri's commission.' Edzard thought as he combed Asia's hair.
Tomoe's weapon had taken five days to forge, mostly because he hadn't been forging twenty-four hours. In the end, he finished everything and the gun was already packed in his wooden box to be delivered on the agreed date.
Sighing, he got up as quietly and gently as he could so as not to wake those sleeping in the bed. Grabbing a robe, he put it on and walked to the balcony. Already on the balcony of his room, Edzard had a glass of mead while he watched the full moon illuminate the lake and the forest that surrounded the palace. When he was about to take another drink from his glass, a magic circle appeared near his ear.
"Ahh. Seriously, who is it at this hour?" Edzard said sighing. Answering the call, Azazel's voice was heard in his ear.
"Hello Azazel, what's up?" greeting Edzard. Azazel's voice began to be heard as he told Edzard that Sirzechs wanted to speak with him in person. "I see. Then I'll see him tomorrow night."
As Azazel was about to end the call, Edzard remembered something. "Azazel. Can you get the ORC members and the student council members together tomorrow? I want you to give a special mission to both groups. All the information I will send you tomorrow morning."
The room was illuminated by light generated by five balls of light placed at strategic locations in the room. These balls of light were caused by the Magelight spell. Sitting in two comfortable armchairs facing each other were Edzard and Sirzechs. However, they were not alone, because in the room there was also Grayfia, who was sitting next to Sirzechs.
"You know. I will never understand that maid fetish your wife has." Edzard said looking at Grayfia in casual clothes. He still couldn't understand why the devil leader's wife dressed and acted like a maid.
"It's not a fetish, Edzard-kun." Sirzechs replied with an awkward smile. "She works as a maid for the Gremory family."
Edzard rolled his eyes at that. However, not wanting to cause misunderstandings, he decided to take a deep breath to collect his thoughts and return to the main topic of the conversation.
"So. Did you talk to your faction leaders about the information I gave them?"
"Yes. And I must say that this will cause a lot of chaos between the pillars if it gets out. Not only because of what he has done, but because of what he could do." Sirzechs replied in a grim manner. "So therefore, and after discussing it for hours, we decided to start your plan."
"Good. So it's just a matter of time." Edzard said. "He still has a place in the peerage, right?"
"That's right. As far as we know, he still has a free Bishop."
"Good. We'll cast the line and the bait. And then we just have to wait."
After that, both of them fell into a quiet silence, which was momentarily broken by Asia, who entered the room with a silver tray with some empty porcelain cups and a pot full of Canis Root tea.
"Here." Asia said with a smile as she handed both devils a cup of tea each.
"Thank you." They both said upon receiving the cup of tea.
"It's very rich." Grayfia said with a smile on her face as she drank the tea. Looking up, she looked at Asia. "Excuse me, Asia-san. How do you make this tea?"
"It's a personal recipe that I created when I lived in Nirm." Asia replied as she looked at her husband. "I made it so that Ed would stop drinking so much beer and drink something non-alcoholic."
Edzard blushed when he saw Grayfia giving him a disapproving look. As he was about to give her an answer, a magic circle appeared next to Sirzechs's ear, who widened his eyes as he yelped in surprise.
"How are werewolves attacking the pet forest!?"
Author's note:
To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I don't know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.
And finally the third and final part of today's updates.
This part was a bit more fun to write because I was finally able to put in the most epic battle scene I could imagine: Issei vs Marie, XD.
As it turns out, Edzard has joined the Kuoh pact, but he has a special status there. Later I will explain the conditions that Edzard requested to work with them. Furthermore, Edzard's palace is a very important structure, which will fulfill several indispensable roles in the future.
Seriously, this was exhausting. Now, I will change the pace of updates again, as I will now post the chapters when they are ready. Some may come out weekly or fortnightly, it all depends on how inspired I am or how much time I have to write. I do this because my life is getting more hectic with each passing day. T.T
Well, I apologize for any misspelling. Do not forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter or if there is something that needs to be improved or if you have any questions about the story. With nothing more to say, until the next chapter.