71. Conspiracy in Kuoh town.
Omniscient POV
"Touji-san, why are we suddenly being dispatched to the church town miles away? Wouldn't the exorcists in the neighboring town have sufficed if it were just an emergency?" questioned a young man in his early twenties.
"I know, Masaomi-kun. I'm also a bit skeptical about all this. It does seem fishy. The atmosphere in this town feels strange today. I sense something ominous. But we must follow orders from above," replied Touji, leading the other exorcists with him.
sigh
"Do you think they might be hiding something from us? Sending us away to do something behind our backs in this town?" contemplated Masaomi.
"The church's activities have been increasingly suspicious lately. May the Lord guide us. Let's hope for the best. We shouldn't dwell on these thoughts. Let's quickly finish our job and return," said Touji as he hastened towards the station.
"Cleria, I think it's time to tell your brother about this. The longer you wait, the more dangerous it becomes," urged Rangiku, trying to reason with her.
"No. You know how seriously nii-sama takes the rating games. I can't break his heart without concrete proof," replied Cleria, looking pale.
They've been discussing this topic back and forth for the last few weeks. It all started when Cleria attended a banquet arranged by the Baels in the Underworld.
While admiring and exploring one of the oldest castles in the Underworld, which has retained its original design despite the modern era, she overheard two people discussing her brother in a side room. This place wasn't even somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.
So naturally, she was interested upon hearing her elder cousin's name. However, she wasn't really prepared to hear about something called King pieces. She had never heard of such items before.
Apparently, even some of the top players in the rating game use King pieces to control the law and economy of the Underworld under the leadership of the Great King Faction.
These two individuals were frustrated because, despite using the King piece, which significantly enhances the user's demonic power by 10 to 100 times, the users still couldn't surpass Diehauser Belial to claim the top spot.
Startled by what she heard, Cleria accidentally made a noise, alerting the room's occupants to her presence. Since then, Cleria had been trying to gather more information about King pieces. However, it became apparent that the Great King Faction was aware of her activities and was now monitoring her closely.
As they discussed everything, they suddenly felt a barrier being erected around the area. The main door of the house was violently attacked and eventually broke down, allowing twelve strays of various mutilated appearances to enter. Three of them were high-class in power.
Without needing to say anything, Cleria and her peerage quickly got into position and began to attack the strays. They were puzzled by how so many strays had suddenly entered the town undetected, let alone their own house, and were curious about the origin of the barrier.
"You are Cleria Belial, right?" asked one of the strays.
"Yes. But how did you all get here?" Cleria asked.
"Our ticket to freedom," replied one of the strays as they lunged to attack her, leaving Cleria and her peerage confused by the meaning behind the words.
Rangiku quickly used her weapon to create a cloud of ashes, obscuring the interior and the view of the enemies. Meanwhile, Cleria, Juvia, and Maria began charging magic spells, while the others charged straight at the enemies in this momentary blindside.
Hiroshi targeted a high-class stray that resembled a mix between a cheetah and an eagle, aiming for its legs and wings with his sword to intercept it as it lunged toward Cleria. His sword managed to sever only one of its wings, but the stray twisted its legs to dodge and leaped directly at Cleria. Hiroshi, however, was faster and slashed the stray on its back, halting its attack.
Meanwhile, Mark charged at a stray with a rhinoceros head to intercept its charge with his axe, while Navirose executed a beautiful arc of light with her sword, leaving multiple cuts on its body.
"Drip, drip, drop."
Almost instantly, blades of boiling water slashed at multiple strays while Rangiku leaped forward with her weapon to attack one of the high-class strays. The bear-faced stray blocked her strikes with its claws, but suddenly, ashes as sharp as blades surrounded its limbs, cutting deeper into its flesh and causing it to growl in pain.
Cleria dispelled the magics of two strays—one high-class and one middle-class—using her clan trait, "Worthless," and then attacked them with her own magic. Maria bombarded the strays with wind magic while defending herself from attacks using the "Whirlwind Shield" spell taught by Akatsuki. Juvia created a whirlpool of boiling water, scorching the flesh of many strays.
The fight didn't last long. Although it required effort, Cleria and her peerage managed to defeat all the strays. They were surprised at their increased power over the past two years and the difference in the situation compared to their last encounter with a cluster. And this one was even stronger than the last one. The reason it was comparatively easier was also because the strays lacked any cooperation among themselves and focused solely on attacking Cleria, which ended up even hindering each other with their own attacks.
However, they couldn't discern the reason for the attack or how the strays arrived. But the barrier remained, trapping them inside and preventing any messages from being sent outside. They used Akatsuki's low-grade potions to fully restore their health, as they hadn't sustained any major injuries, and remained vigilant for any new enemies.
Inside the house, the damage was severe—the building was left in ruins.
Not long after, a man in a luxurious brown coat approached them, clapping his hands.
"Marvelous. You've done better than I expected. You've truly grown stronger since the last time we met, Lady Cleria," the man said jovially.
"You... You're Lord Greyrat. Why is Lord Bael's personal butler here?" Cleria asked, already suspecting the reason.
"Well, it seems you've come to know too much. Haven't you heard the proverb, 'Curiosity killed the cat'? You shouldn't have been snooping around like that," Greyrat replied, sounding disappointed.
"Are you behind all of this? Did the Great King put you up to it?" Cleria asked, fully understanding the hopeless situation before her as she attempted to contact her brother discreetly. However, due to the barrier, all her efforts were futile.
"You already know the answer. Now that you've discovered the existence of the King pieces, we have no choice but to silence you. And stop your futile attempts to contact your family. Any communication is blocked within this barrier. It would have been better if you had just died during the Cluster attack. But now I have to dirty my own hands," Greyrat said, looking at Cleria with pity but his eyes betrayed his excitement.
"Do you think my family will let you get away with this? Even if it's the Great King Faction, you won't escape punishment for killing me so brazenly," Cleria replied weakly, fearing the fate she had brought upon her peerage.
"You don't have to worry about that. To avoid trouble, we've already planned what to tell the Underworld. You all will be declared dead, having fought the Cluster here and mutually destroyed each other. The evidence is already here. These fools really thought they would gain freedom by killing you. Ha ha ha," Greyrat said as if explaining to naive children, pointing at the remains of the Cluster. As he prepared to kill them all, he had no issue enlightening these few foolish children.
"You, stop talking nonsense," Mark said as he dashed forward with his axe to attack Greyrat.
"No, stop!" yelled the others alongside Cleria.
Greyrat effortlessly swatted Mark away, sending him flying and causing his bones to break before the impact against the debris-laden wall. The power disparity between an intermediate Ultimate Class and a peak Middle Class was clearly evident.
"Mark!" Cleria yelled as she tried to reach him.
Before she could take a step towards him, Greyrat was already in front of her, smiling as he looked at her despair. He conjured an ice spear in his hand and pushed it toward Cleria's heart with minimal effort. Just before it could reach her, two swords intercepted its advance. It was Hiroshi and Rangiku, barely managing to halt the ice spear with all their strength, while Navirose swiftly moved behind Greyrat to slash at him with her nodachi.
Greyrat's smirk deepened, fully aware of how futile their struggle was. He enjoyed killing his prey after plunging them into despair. His barrier effortlessly blocked Navirose's attack, and he easily pushed back both Hiroshi and Rangiku with his ice spear.
Hiroshi used the momentum to slide off his sword and directed it at Greyrat's neck, while Rangiku conjured blades of ash from all sides and launched them at him. However, his barrier smoothly repelled all of them. Meanwhile, Cleria had already rushed towards Mark and administered a potion to mend his broken hands.
"It's futile. It wouldn't be fun if you all died so soon. So at least entertain me a bit," Greyrat said, casting a condescending gaze upon them.
Cleria focused solely on deciphering Greyrat's barrier, utilizing her clan trait to deactivate it. After several exchanges resulting in various injuries for them, as Greyrat continued to toy with them, Cleria successfully decoded his barrier and rendered it inactive.
Immediately, a pillar of steaming hot water engulfed him, accompanied by blades of sharp ash weapons and various magical attacks like wind bullets aimed at his location. However, to everyone's horror, when the smoke cleared, he was no longer there; instead, he stood a few feet away from the center of the attack, his smirk unchanged as he looked at them.
"Did you think I wouldn't take your clan trait into account? But you are not your brother, so you cannot defeat me!" Greyrat replied haughtily, looking down on them.
By this point, everyone was close to exhaustion and riddled with injuries. Despite the absence of his barrier, Greyrat continued to playfully engage with them.
"I will kill your peerage members first. One by one, all of them in front of you. Then it will be your turn, Cleria Belial. Look closely. First, I will kill this rude Rook of yours," Greyrat threatened, glaring at Cleria while gripping Mark by his throat, tightening his hold by the second. Just as he was about to snap Mark's neck, the sound of the barrier being broken was heard, along with a new voice.
"Stop. I would worry more about my hand if I were in your place," spoke out the voice of a man.
"Akatsuki-san?" Cleria whispered in astonishment.
"So you're telling me you actually forgot about me for two whole years while leaving me in that big dark place?" asked Ddraig, his voice filled with anger and disbelief, directed at the nonchalant Kousuke.
"Can't really say much as I was pretty busy for the past two years. So it kinda slipped my mind," Kousuke said casually as he checked the trinket's status.
"And what about you, Vritra?" asked Ddraig.
"No comments," replied Vritra.
"Why, you!" Ddraig sighed after a long silence. At least he could see the bright light again after so long. He would rather not go back to that place again.
"Now what? Are you going to inherit my sacred gear?" asked Ddraig curiously.
"Hell no!" replied Vritra, confirming Ddraig's suspicion.
Dragons are very possessive creatures by nature, and they would never willingly share something with other dragons.
"You're not mad that I stole you out of your host?" asked Kousuke, genuinely curious.
"And why would I be worried about that? You weren't the first to ever do this. And I'm rather happy to have dodged such a bullet. That pervert's thoughts are insane. If his brain is so rotten at such a young age, who knows what he might be like in the future," said Ddraig.
"Trust me, you wouldn't want to know," replied Kousuke mysteriously, sparking Ddraig's interest.
"What do you mean?" asked Ddraig.
"It's better left unsaid," replied Kousuke.
"So what is it that you want in life?" asked Ddraig, deciding to overlook that conversation.
"I want power and peace. To live my life unrestrained with my loved ones," Kousuke replied readily.
"Hmm. I guess yours isn't the worst of the bunch, quite modest even. Then I will lend you my powers," replied Ddraig.
"Didn't I already say no on his behalf?" replied an angered Vritra.
Sigh
"Women... By the way, how are you even talking right now? Weren't your soul fragmented and scattered?" asked Ddraig.
Vritra stuck to their usual excuse. While Ddraig didn't fully believe them, he thought to bring up the more important question.
"So who's gonna be my host? If you do not want my power, I'm pretty sure you already have someone else in mind to inherit it for you. But remember, if I do not approve of that person, I will not help them at all," replied Ddraig firmly.
"Yeah. I already have someone in mind. She is an honest soul. A bit naive and timid but hardworking. She also has a healing-type sacred gear, Twilight Healing. Her name is Asia Argento. If trained well, she will be powerful with her boosted healing," said Kousuke.
"Hmm. I never had any wielders with such potent healing powers. Twilight Healing is the best healing-type sacred gear out there other than the Longinuses like Sephiroth Graal. Alright. Let's meet her first," replied Ddraig.
"I have already told her about this. Do not scare her or anything. She is still just a child," said Kousuke.
"Who do you think I am, kid? I have dealt with brats more than once," said Ddraig as he tried but couldn't recall any memories of kids other than beating the shit out of the annoying young Welsh Dragons around him.
"Umm... Is this the trinket you were talking about, Kousuke-san?" asked Asia, looking at the boosted gear.
"Yes. This is the one," replied Kousuke.
"Hey! Who are you calling a trinket?! I am one of the two Heavenly Dragons, The Red Dragon Emperor!" roared Ddraig in pride with his introduction. It would have been epic if not for the fact that the boosted gear just looked like a small trinket inside the circular bubble over Kousuke's hands.
Kousuke let the two of them talk for a while where Ddraig asked about Asia's ambitions and all. Ddraig wasn't really impressed with Asia's lack of ambition, but he knew better. It would be better to slowly make the naive girl more ambitious and train her than be stuck in that place again. He has a score to settle with his eternal rival. So Asia Argento officially became the Red Dragon Empress of this generation, but soon after Kousuke was nowhere to be seen.
"Was it alright for us to return so suddenly, Shidou-san? We were told to stay in that town for at least one more day," said a worried-looking exorcist, their concern making Touji even more suspicious.
"There was nothing even close to an emergency in that town. They were clearly wasting our time. This is just straight-out fishy. Something is definitely going on behind our backs. We cannot just stay back like this," replied Masaomi instead, his frustration evident.
"Even so, we cannot just disobey the higher-ups' orders like this. What will you say to them if something happens in that town while we are here?" said another exorcist.
"You know we left enough exorcists there for protection. That's why I wanted to come back with only a few people. You guys wouldn't have to come with us even. We could have handled it," replied Touji, eyeing the exorcist and the others around him suspiciously.
These exorcists had been transferred here only a month ago. Touji had actually planned to return with only his trusted comrades while leaving some of them in that town. However, these new exorcists adamantly refused to stay and followed, persistently trying to convince him to turn back throughout the journey, which made him even more suspicious.
He couldn't leave the town in this situation, especially with his family here. As he entered the town, he could feel a huge amount of magical energy emanating from the direction where the devil girl from the Belial clan resided.
"Can you also feel that Masaomi-kun?" asked Touji.
"Yes, it might be because of a huge battle. We should hurry. We need to know what's going on in the town. What if a powerful monster or stray snuck into this place? We need more information," said Masaomi.
"You're right. Let's go, everyone," said Touji.
But just as Touji and his comrades were marching towards that place, the other exorcists who had arrived a month ago blocked their way, wielding light swords and guns.
"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Touji angrily.
"I'm afraid we cannot let you go there for a while. It would be better for you guys to stay put. Don't you have families in this town too?" asked the leading exorcist, darkening Touji's expression further.
"Move! What are you trying to hide?" Touji demanded, readying for battle along with his comrades. And thus, an internal conflict among the exorcists of the Kuoh town began.
72. Conspiracy in Kuoh Town, Part 2.
Kouske's POV
After I broke into the barrier I saw Greyrat holding Mark's neck tight trying to break it. I knew him through DeviNet because he was always seen alongside Lord Bael. Mark is actually a good friend. He has always been a nice and energetic guy in the group whenever I visited Cleria and her peerage. So I was a bit pissed off seeing him like that.
"Stop. I would worry more about my hand if I were in your place," I said before anyone could react, surprising them as the barrier broke.
"You?! What are you doing here?" Greyrat asked angrily, probably recognizing me.
"Akatsuki-san?!"
I heard Cleria whisper my name, but I didn't respond to Greyrat, seeing him still holding Mark.
So I created a knife through the absorption line coming from behind me. It snaked through the space ahead and cut off the hand holding Mark. Mark falls to the ground with a clear hand imprint on his neck.
"Aaarghhh! My hand!" screams Greyrat.
"I warned you," I said as I passed around D-rank healing potions to everyone so they could be completely healed, while Greyrat attempted to stop his bleeding by tightly wrapping his cut-off hand in a knot.
"Umm, Akatsuki-dono. How did you get here?" asks Hiroshi as he picks up his swords and aims at Greyrat.
"Well, it seems there's been a lot of unusual things going on in the city. None of the exorcists are here in town, and there's a suspicious communication-disrupting barrier around your house suddenly. So I came to check," I replied, knowing they were aware that I lived somewhere in the town.
"Thank you very much for your help," says Cleria as she bows slightly.
"No need for thanks. The guy is still kicking," I replied.
"Why are you intervening? This is the devil's internal conflict. This has nothing to do with you. Don't get ahead of yourself!" screams Greyrat with fake bravado, clearly scared. The poor guy might not have even been able to see how and when his hand was sliced.
"Oho? You think your trying to kill my friends has nothing to do with me?" I replied sarcastically, applying some force with my dragon aura that made him groan on the floor. The others were visibly pleased with my response.
"Akatsuki-san~..."
"Thank you very much for your help, Akatsuki-san. But I think I should handle the situation myself," mumbles Cleria in the last part, trying to act tough.
I really don't understand why all the devil heiresses are so stubborn and self-conscious, always trying to act tough and solve things even when they are out of their hands, while most of the devil heirs are a bunch of deluded, prideful douchebags.
Well, this DxD. It's normal here. I was honestly a little disappointed. So I did what any sensible person would do, and surprisingly, I was not the only one who felt that way.
"You would die now if he doesn't intervene, you idiot!" says Rangiku, after she and I bonked Cleria on the head with some force. She had tears at the corner of her eyelids.
"Sorry," Cleria whispered in shame.
"So why is Lord Bael's head butler trying to kill you guys? Did you do something to earn their ire or have some dirt on them?" I asked while still forcing Greyrat to the ground with my dragon aura.
All his efforts to get up were futile, and he was just yelling incessantly that the Baels wouldn't tolerate me much longer and kill me and whatever other nonsense he could think of.
So as I increased my pressure, he finally quieted down, eating dirt while more of my absorption lines turned into long needle-like spikes, entering through his bones. Then they burst into several other spikes inside the bones, destroying the bones almost completely.
The pain must have been incredible with the added poison, as he was trying to yell so hard but couldn't, his head buried in the dirt, so only his loud moans of pain could be heard. I mean, what did he expect after threatening me?
After that, Rangiku and Cleria told me a bit about Cleria's small adventure in the Bael territory and her findings about the illegal King pieces.
"Hmm. I think you should contact your brother. I don't believe the Great King Faction will leave you alone after discovering something so secretive of theirs," I advised Cleria.
But it appeared that Rangiku had already informed her family about this. Before Cleria could respond, a Belial clan magic circle illuminated, and Diehauser Belial appeared.
"Nii-san?!" Cleria exclaimed.
I half-expected a cliché scenario where he might try to attack me, assuming I was involved in all this. However, my perspective, likely shaped by anime, manga, and novels, proved to be off base.
Diehauser was aware of me and my previous assistance to Cleria and the others. He turned out to be very polite and appreciative.
After that, Cleria provided him with a quick explanation of what had happened and why. It was no surprise that he was furious about the Bael's attack and disillusioned with the entire rating game system, despite his love for it. The whole thing was just a hoax!
I also ceased my aggressive stance and stopped putting pressure on the poor Greyrat. His condition was not something pleasant to see. He was still groaning in pain.
It seemed like he wanted to scream at me but managed to hold back. His shock intensified when he saw Diehauser, his face turning extremely pale.
After that, what took place was a one-sided beatdown and interrogation. Surprisingly, the guy was very forthcoming with the details. He didn't even try to hide anything we already knew but revealed nothing new.
He was confident that the Baels would save him, repeatedly asserting that they wouldn't let Diehauser go so easily, even though he was the undefeated rating game champion.
He insisted that Diehauser couldn't do anything to the Great King Faction without concrete proof and that they would surely hunt Cleria and the others down, blah blah blah.
This only made Diehauser even angrier, and he kept punching Greyrat even harder, blood splatting everywhere. It was a gruesome scene.
This fool seriously believed that Diehauser wouldn't kill him for political reasons, even after trying to kill his sister. What a lack of brain cells! These foolish, prideful devils are seriously deluded and unable to see the bigger picture. They only think about politics and not about someone's emotional response.
Diehauser could actually cause significant damage to the Great King Faction if he wanted, especially if he joined the New Satan Faction. I'm sure Zekram would have killed this brain-dead idiot if he knew what he was saying and doing right now.
"Wait. To be honest, if they found out what happened here today, they would likely target Cleria and the others even more aggressively. They will also come after you if they know you found out about this. Plus, killing Greyrat might raise more suspicion and prompt them to investigate. I think you should focus more on gathering concrete proof against them first," I suggested to Diehauser, causing him to momentarily pause his brutal actions.
"So you're suggesting I just let him go, as he wants? He would undoubtedly report back to them if I released him," replied Diehauser, prompting Greyrat to smirk with what was left of his smashed, disfigured face, making him look hideous.
At this point, I didn't know whether to feel pity or disgust towards the guy. He certainly had resilience, that's for sure. Perhaps you have to endure and go through a lot to finally become the head butler of the number one devil clan in the entire Underworld.
"No, I can actually ensure that he'll never be able to say anything about you, and you can take your time collecting proof against the Great King Faction. Attacking them head-on would only lead to a large-scale war, and frankly, I'm not fond of wars. Meanwhile, you'll need to hide Cleria and her peerage. Create a scene here suggesting they died in the attack," I suggested.
Diehauser seemed angry and initially looked reluctant, but after hearing Cleria and the others' input, he relented. He realized that if right now he were to fight the Great King Faction alone, his clan would suffer greatly and could even face extinction. Understanding this, Diehauser relented and delivered a final angry punch to Greyrat's face.
"I suppose you're right. I'll choose to trust you, as Cleria said. I'll prepare the dummy bodies," said Diehauser.
Afterward, I attempted for the first time to establish a taming contract with Greyrat using a 100-0 percent contract, where he had 0 resistance against my will.
I stripped him of his previous free will and thinking, essentially making him act like his former self with the same memories but completely loyal to me like a puppet.
It was my first time using this technique on someone like this, and honestly, the ease with which I deprived someone of their will and turned them into a puppet was unsettling.
I didn't disclose the details to the others, only explaining that it was a type of long-lasting brainwashing facilitated by the beating he endured, which made it easier to accomplish.
After ensuring Greyrat was completely healed with a potion, I sent him back to the Underworld to deliver the news of their plan's success. Now I have a spy in the Bael clan.
"Normally I would have suggested a spar, but it seems I will be busy for a while. Thanks for all your help. Contact me if you ever need anything," he said, offering a handshake and a way to contact him.
"Sure, let's spar sometime. Bye then," I replied, shaking his hand and bidding farewell to everyone.
Following this, I departed, leaving Diehauser to handle the remaining tasks. He would be responsible for hiding Cleria and her peerage temporarily. I might suggest relocating them to the Demiplane eventually, as it's the safest place for them at the moment.
After a while, news of a pure-blood devil's death shook the Underworld. Many were surprised to hear that Cleria and her entire peerage had perished due to a strong Cluster consisting of three high-class devils and nine mid-class devils.
The threat and fear of Clusters were growing among the populace. Some felt sympathy for the unfortunate girl who encountered two powerful Clusters back to back, while others harbored suspicions about the circumstances.
Sera appeared more depressed upon learning of Cleria's death, often seeking solace in Sona. Unfortunately, I still couldn't tell her about Cleria.
She was more clingy and handsy as she frequented more often. She even placed some individuals for surveillance in the town, I believe.
However, people's attention soon shifted with the news of the birth of Satan Lucifer's firstborn child, Milicas, which brought widespread celebration throughout the Underworld.
Subsequently, the announcement of Diehauser joining the New Satan Faction caused a significant reaction, as he had previously focused solely on rating games and avoided political involvement. Someone like Zekram will surely suspect that Diehauser is at least suspicious of them.
Furthermore, I learned about the fight among the exorcists in Kuoh, resulting in many mutual casualties. The surviving exorcists from the opposite side fled and were subsequently declared as stray exorcists.
Uncle Touji informed the Church about the betrayal of the previous exorcist team recently stationed in Kuoh, who attempted to eliminate Uncle Touji and his comrades to silence their knowledge about this.
The Church, unable to identify the bribed higher-ups responsible for this, seemed eager to label the surviving exorcists as strays to avoid exposure. Even if they are aware of this corruption, other higher-ups may be unwilling or unable to act without concrete evidence, indicating widespread corruption within the Church.
Uncle Touji and the other exorcists found themselves under investigation and suspended, likely due to fears of repercussions from the rating game champion.
They are now removing all exorcists from Kuoh town to prevent any connection between Cleria's death and themselves. But thankfully due to Vasco Strada's intervention, they were not dubbed as strays.
It appears that the time has unexpectedly come to bid farewell to Irina. I never imagined I would miss her so much.
73. Connections and Beyond.
Omniscient POV
"Haa... haa."
The scene is haunting: a young girl, barefoot and exhausted, gasping for breath as she sprints aimlessly through the woods. Her legs are bloodied and blistered, a testament to the hardships she's endured. She also had injuries all over her body.
In just a year, her entire world has crumbled. The happy family she believed in, one she thought would last forever, fell apart. Her father, once her hero, never came to her aid in time.
Instead, her own relatives brutally murdered her mother before her eyes, all because her mother had fallen in love with a fallen angel. Branded as tainted due to her half-fallen heritage, she and her mother were cast out, and treated like monsters.
But she didn't choose her lineage. Where does the fault lie? Why is she seen as a monster? All she ever wanted was a happy family life.
Instead, she's constantly pursued by her relatives who want her dead. What did she do to deserve this fate? At an age when she should be carefree, playing with friends and attending school, she's fighting for survival.
If her mother hadn't sacrificed herself that day, she wouldn't have made it this far. For a year now, she's been on the run, searching for safety and sustenance. This shouldn't be the concern of a girl her age.
But circumstances have left her no choice. To survive, she's resorted to odd jobs to eat. The world isn't so kind; it doesn't offer handouts to people like her.
Her mother had taught her exorcism rituals, skills she now uses to earn money by banishing evil spirits and youkais. It was working, until her relatives, the Himejima Clan, tracked her down. Where is her father in all this?
She once believed him to be her hero, but he never came to her aid when her mother was killed, nor did he help her navigate this cruel world afterward.
She blames her father as much as her relatives for her mother's death. If only he had been there that day, none of this would have happened.
Despite it all, she will never forgive him, even in death. She will fight until her last breath, just as her mother had wanted. She will fight to survive.
So she continues running, despite the pain and numbness in her legs, hoping to escape her pursuers in the woods, in this hopeless journey.
But after a while, she stumbled on her feet and fell face-first onto the hard ground. Her legs were swollen, refusing to move, and blood poured from her forehead.
Her throat was parched, craving water desperately. She felt so thirsty that she thought she might die right there. Her entire body was overheating, with sweat drenching her body.
Her mind was hazy, and her vision blurred. She felt like she might lose consciousness at any moment. But she refused to give in, refusing to give up.
If she died here, what would be the point of her mother's efforts for her to escape? Wouldn't it all be meaningless? Wouldn't it have been better to die alongside her mother, in her warm bosom, without facing the hardships of the world?
She wanted to give up, but her mind replayed the scene of her mother urging her to live, to survive, no matter what.
She mustered all her remaining energy to pull herself up, striving to stand on her feet. But she failed. Despite this, she didn't give up.
She dragged her limp body forward, enduring excruciating pain. After a while, she could barely make out a well in front of her, her oasis.
She tried her best to reach it, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Even though her spirit persisted, her body had reached and gone beyond its limits.
She desperately needed water to survive, but she might be already beyond saving. For the past three days, she had been running without food or nourishment.
Her body was consuming its own reserves, leaving her pale and weak. She experienced pain, hunger, thirst, and dizziness all at once.
As her consciousness faded, she saw silhouettes—likely her pursuers—leaving her in profound grief.
She couldn't fulfill the promise she made to her mother; her sacrifice now felt meaningless. All she could do was apologize to her mother and await their reunion.
Finding solace in the thought of seeing her mother again, tears streamed down her malnourished face as she slipped into unconsciousness, seeing nothing but white before losing all awareness.
Kouske's POV
It's been a few days since that incident. I suggested to Cleria and her peerage that they could stay inside the Demiplane for now.
They were utterly amazed when I showed them around the limited space, especially when they saw the unique trees bearing fruits and food that we sell on the website. The trees looked unlike any normal trees, so it's no wonder they were surprised.
They also marveled at other features like the massive Water Trees that create entire oceans and the Healing Hub Trees with large flower platforms that encase people in flower petals and pour healing liquids, working as effectively as Phenex Tears. These were in reality quite new additions.
Meanwhile, my organization is thriving with around 500 members who are being trained in magic and all things supernatural. I delegated this responsibility to Uncle Leon and Aunt Arene, and they are doing an excellent job.
The magic books are actually mostly stolen copies or bought from the Shop using the points. I finally gained the confidence to infiltrate some of the top magical organizations by using my various tamed insects to trace and copy the magical books in their libraries.
The Golden Dawn had the biggest collection, especially on alchemy books, which will be incredibly helpful for me. The Sabnock bloodline specializes in both alchemy and blacksmithing, so I can finally advance my alchemy skills beyond what they were previously.
Every member is diligently earning exelia and leveling up in the dungeons. I've kept a constant portal open to different dungeons for authorized access, monitored by guards to prevent abuse. It's essential to maintain control over this resource.
I've also used a lot of my points to buy sacred gears for members and assigned some to excavate ores and minerals inside the Demiplane, storing magical materials for future use by blacksmiths.
We even have unique trees bearing jewelry-like items that are sent off for polishing and crafting into fine jewelry. Soon, I'll be selling ores and jewelry on the website since I have near-infinite resources. So, it's not all that surprising. I also made black robes with Vritra's Magic Circle as the emblem on the backside of the robe as outfits for everyone, without any masks.
During this time, I shared a bit about my real identity with Cleria and the others. They were shocked, particularly Cleria, who seemed to be contemplating her life choices for a while.
Rangiku, on the other hand, was unchanged, still teasing me, now about my age. Mark took the news in stride, maintaining our friendship. He was pretty chill about it. Unfortunately, he couldn't contain his laughter at Cleria's reaction, which landed him in some "disciplinary" trouble.
Juvia and Maria are buried in books in the library, while I asked Hiroshi and Navirose to help teach the members about swordsmanship, to which they agreed. Additionally, I made a contract with the Belial Clan similar to the ones I made with the Nakiris and Grigori; I will be selling them some of the higher-ranked potions.
But the most surprising news for me was learning about Lucifer's wife. That guy has certainly fulfilled his wet dreams.
I also got to meet Tsubaki Shinra recently when Sona brought her to our regular chess games at Momo's place. Tsubaki is well-reserved and speaks less for now.
Additionally, I heard that Sona asked Momo to join her peerage as she will be receiving her Evil Pieces very soon. But surprisingly, Momo politely refused the offer, which made Sona a bit sad.
To be honest, I was a bit happy about this, although I wouldn't have forced Momo not to join Sona's peerage. I granted Momo full access to the library in the Demiplane. She, Lavinia, and Dia can always be seen studying there together.
Sometimes, Esri also comes to the place and studies alongside them. She might not be as talented as them, but she is still trying to prepare herself for the supernatural because her family, Dia, has already become involved with it. I think I will give her a good Sacred Gear sometime in the future.
I am also speed-reading all the magical books that I have stolen or bought using my skills. Now I can actually beat Sona in chess because I have many advantages over her. My mind works faster than hers, and winning against her is not hard at all now.
However, I haven't defeated her yet. I will continue to show continuous improvement and aim to defeat her in the future. It might cause more trouble if I were to defeat her suddenly, especially since I was visibly struggling so much against her not long ago, particularly given that she's the type who thinks too hard for her own good.
I also bought two new skills during this time frame.
Psychic Ward (B): Implies a protective barrier against psychic intrusions and manipulations.
Sexual Calibration (C): Enhances the user's fertility and reproductive health. It provides increased energy and stamina, along with various benefits for sexual performance. Users and partners may experience improved endurance and heightened sensations during intimacy. The skill can also influence the taste and smell of bodily fluids based on the partner's preferences, fostering a more enjoyable experience. Additionally, it enhances the ability to conceive and offers protection against unwanted pregnancies.
Lately, Irina-chan has been more clingy and subdued in spirits, perhaps sensing the somber atmosphere at her house. Her arguments with Asagi-chan lack their usual vigor, and even Asagi-chan has noticed it. So she's refraining from troubling Irina-chan too much.
It's likely that Uncle Touji hasn't yet disclosed their plan to leave the town to Irina-chan. However, she can sense his sadness over the recent loss of his comrades and the corrupted state of the church. Despite this, Uncle Touji still wants to initiate change within the church himself.
I know, their flight tickets have already been confirmed, and I too feel sadness thinking about Irina-chan being away for so many years. But I'm certain we will meet again.
One day, I, Asagi, Irina, Saki, Rin, Momo, and a nameless pervert were all at the playground when suddenly we heard a commotion from the other side where there was a big tall tree.
Yui was urgently calling for help for a cat stuck in the tree. I noticed Rito and Mikan nearby, with Rito appearing eager to climb the tree and rescue the cat.
I recall that incident where Yui later remembered Rito as the person who got hurt while rescuing the cat from the tree that day in their childhood.
The girls, especially Irina and Asagi, were eager to help the cat. Those two were getting ready to climb the tree. So to prevent anyone from getting hurt, I quickly climbed the tree and brought the cat safely to the ground.
Afterward, we had planned a stayover at my house, an idea previously suggested by Irina-chan. We spent the whole day playing various games and chatting happily. Elle, Lavinia, and Sakuya joined in too, with Elle being the "big sister" of the group, despite being busy with her video games.
Elle had actually become a professional gamer known by the pseudonym "Princess" and was quite skilled. However, she was frustrated about tying with another player named "Queen."
Both of them were becoming equally popular and talked about in the gaming community not only for their skills but also for their unique names, which highlighted their gender and attracted attention, especially from the perverted nerdy gamers.
Elle's frustration over not defeating the other gamer drove her to practice even harder. It was impressive how quickly she became a gaming enthusiast, rising to become one of the top-ranked players in Japan. I had initially thought she would be more outgoing, but her dedication to gaming was undeniable.
That night during our stayover was indeed long and filled with joy. After everyone had fallen asleep, I sensed Irina-chan coming to my and Lavinia's room. Her presence reminded me of Issei and her departure incident during the last stayover, as depicted in Canon.
Two days later, Irina-chan was deeply upset as they prepared to leave for England for her exorcist training. She even asked me to join her in becoming an exorcist, but I declined, promising to reunite with her in the future.
I enchanted the pendant I had given her with protective wards and additional functions, including communication and position tracing. I instructed her to hold the pendant and call my name if she ever faced danger, assuring her that we would stay in touch regularly.
The other girls also came to say goodbye to Irina-chan. Even today, Irina and Asagi were bickering about weird things like "progress," "winning," and "not losing."
However, Asagi-chan ultimately cried and gave Irina a heartfelt hug before she left. With Irina-chan gone, Asagi-chan would now only have Saki to quarrel with. The rest of us, especially Lavinia, looked sad, shedding tears as we hugged Irina goodbye.
Uncle and Aunt were quite sentimental during the farewell. They had always been kind to me and the others. I gave them both bracelets with strong protective wards, which caused them to raise eyebrows in response.
I simply smiled in response, aware that Uncle Touji and Aunt were probably already used to my peculiar behavior. They likely wanted to ask something but hesitated, not wanting to make things awkward before leaving.
So, they refrained from asking anything personal. After seeing the protective wards on the bracelets, Uncle Touji asked Sakuya to take better care of me, and Aunt expressed a similar sentiment.
They somehow took the crying mess, Irina-chan, to England with them, and it felt strange not seeing her around the neighborhood afterward.
Nevertheless, we continued talking through the pendant's communication ability. Irina-chan would share stories of her new experiences and training at the church over the years. I planned to visit her in England occasionally with the others.
It seems our last connection to the pervert was severed, along with our connection to the pervert.
74. Changes.
Omniscient POV
A slender man in his late twenties with sharp eyes and long, slightly wavy hair—black with streaks of blond—comes into view.
His bewitching appearance is accentuated by the long slits of his eyes and a shallow smile.
He is dressed in a crimson robe with a distinguished design, exuding a limitless amount of eerie aura from his body.
His mannerisms can be described as elegant. He is Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, often known simply as MacGregor Mathers, Sirzechs Lucifer's Bishop, and one of the founders of the Magicians Association known as the Golden Dawn.
It was a fairly typical day for him, tasked with ensuring the security of Rias Gremory, the younger sister of his master and heiress of the prestigious Gremory Clan. Rias had expressed a desire to tour the human world alone and purchase gifts for her newborn nephew.
However, she couldn't be left unsupervised due to the risks involved. None of the clans would ever risk allowing their young heirs or heiresses to venture into the human world without supervision, given its inherent dangers.
Some heirs and heiresses might resent this oversight, leading to discreet monitoring, as was the case with the Sitri heiresses who attempted to act more mature than her age.
As Mathers accompanied Rias to various shops within the human territory under his jurisdiction, he suddenly sensed a group of people pursuing a lone young girl.
He recognized the girl as someone who had been performing exorcism rituals in his territory for the past few weeks, seemingly in need of money. Mathers had allowed her to continue her activities.
Now, however, she was being chased by a group of Himejima Jutshushas led by the current Himejima Clan Head, Suou Himejima.
Currently, the situation among the Devil faction and other factions in Japan is a bit complicated due to the sudden death of the girl from the Belial Clan.
So, before confronting the Himejimas, he wanted to understand what was going on. Therefore, he decided to teleport beside that girl and ask her directly.
"Rias-sama, it appears we need to pause our shopping for a moment. I must attend to some urgent matters," said Mathers to the girl who was eagerly shopping.
"Oh, is something wrong?" asked Rias.
"I'm not certain yet, but it's best for you to accompany me. I can't leave you alone here," replied Mathers, and Rias nodded in agreement.
Mathers' assurance was justified. How could a group of mere humans, with their highest-ranking member reaching only high-class prowess, ever pose a threat to Rias in his presence?
Then Mathers teleported both of them beside the unconscious girl. As one of the best magicians of modern times, and with this being his own territory with multiple barriers and wards placed beforehand, it wasn't difficult for him to locate someone who was not even actively hiding.
However, the girl's condition looked dire. She was injured and in poor health. It seemed she might not survive much longer.
"What happened to her? She's badly hurt," Rias remarked as she took a closer look at the girl.
"She might not survive much longer, Ojou-sama," Mathers replied after assessing the girl's condition.
"Don't we have a phoenix tear with us? Use that," Rias insisted, feeling concerned.
"But.." Mathers attempted to say something, but Rias interrupted him and urged him to use it.
After thinking about it a bit, Mathers also concluded that it would be wiser to gather all the information before engaging with the prideful but pathetic Himejima clowns.
After using a phoenix tear, the girl was restored to normal, but she appeared very exhausted and the tears did nothing to alleviate her impoverished state. Initially panicked and tearful upon realizing she was still alive, Rias was able to calm her down. Mathers then questioned the girl and discovered her identity.
She was actually Akeno Himejima, the daughter of Baraqiel. Her fallen angel heritage and her strong lightning affinity, which was literally emanating from her body, made her lineage apparent even without prior knowledge of Baraqiel's current situation. Just then, the Himejima clowns showed up.
"Step away from that filthy crow, bats! This has nothing to do with you!" barked one of the lower-ranking clowns, which angered Mathers to be insulted in his own territory.
"What? Should I take it as the Himejima Clan insulting the Gremory Clan in their own territory?" Mathers replied calmly and professionally, though his magical powers flared up, causing the clown to cower back.
"Wait. You are Lucifer's bishop, right? We don't want any fights with the devils right now. We just want the girl. Hand her over and we will leave quietly," Suou said, stepping back and gesturing to stop the other clowns.
"Yes. I am MacGregor Mathers, the bishop of Sir Lucifer, and this girl here is Rias Gremory, the heir of the Gremory clan," Mathers replied, pointing at Rias who was shielding Akeno behind her after hearing her story.
"We cannot give her. You will kill her!" Rias insisted, holding onto Akeno protectively.
"This is our family matter, Gremory. Don't try to get in our way," Suou said, slightly glaring at her while maintaining his composure in front of Mathers.
"No! She will be my Queen. So it concerns us too!" Rias exclaimed after quickly formulating a plan.
Suou was visibly upset that the Gremorys were attempting to protect the very shame he was attempting to erase from his family. The other clowns seemed agitated and on the verge of doing something foolish, especially with an Ultimate Class magician standing before them.
Mathers wanted to intervene, but just then a small magic circle lit up beside one of his ears. It was a call from his master, Satan Lucifer. His master explained briefly that there was a girl named Akeno Himejima inside his territory whom he needed to protect. Mathers was curious about how his master knew about this, but for now, he would fulfill his order.
It seemed Azazel was still trying to help Akeno and protect her instead of her useless father. Azazel had assisted her escape and kept tabs on her anonymously for a while.
After seeing the Himejimas finding her in Mathers' territory, Azazel had sought Lucifer's help. Mathers then negotiated with Suou about Akeno.
Many among the Himejima clowns were dissatisfied, but they relented after receiving orders from their leader.
The terms of the negotiation were clear: Akeno would never be allowed to enter the Himejima's territory and must always stay by Rias Gremory's side. If she was found alone or inside the Himejima's territory, she would be killed.
These were the main points of the negotiation, along with a few others. After that, they all returned home; one side looked happy, while the other side appeared extremely unhappy.
Kouske's POV
It's been a year since Irina-chan left. We still talk to each other through the communication device. I wanted to go meet her, but it seems she is in one of the Church bases where they train the new generations of exorcists. So she is focusing on her training, and I don't want to interrupt her.
Now, the neighboring grandma seems to be extremely ill, and it doesn't look like she will survive for long. She was actually one of the most caring people I have met since coming to this world. She lived alone, so she would always interact with us and treat us as her own grandkids. She managed to take an emotional place in our hearts.
I still don't understand why some Western people leave their lonely parents and move out of the house, even when it isn't a problem for them to keep living together. Parents raise their kids all their lives to be functioning members of society, but they often end up living the rest of their lives lonely and alone in the house.
Some never get to see the faces of their own children before dying. Simply leaving your old and ill parents with money and a caregiver nurse doesn't fulfill the child's responsibility.
Parents deserve more than that, at least emotional support. There are also some Westerners who make fun of Asians who choose to stay with their parents or live in extended/joint families.
As an Asian, I would never understand how their minds work. What's the point if you can't free up a bit of time for your own parents and family? Just the minimum means a lot to our selfless parents!
"Never mind. I asked Granny about her family, but she said she didn't have any. But now I know why. We were alone, and I asked a question.
"Granny, do you think you would like to live a longer life? What if there was a way for you to be rejuvenated and live your life happily again? Would you take it?" I asked Granny suddenly, without even meaning to.
"Ho ho ho. That sounds like a good thing, but I believe in nature. Just let nature take its course. Aging and dying are also part of it and can be beautiful. Don't you think so? It's also nice to be reunited with all the family that has passed away in the afterlife together," Granny replied, with a longing smile on her face.
"Hmm," I replied, but tears streamed down my face.
"Don't cry, little one," said Granny as she wiped my tears. Even I was surprised by my own reaction.
"My only regret would be leaving Rurune-chan alone. But Sakuya-chan already promised that she would take good care of her," said Granny.
Then suddenly, a girl with black and red hair, around 11 or 12 years old, burst into the room, crying while hugging Granny.
"I don't want to leave you!" the girl exclaimed, with tears and snot covering her face. Surprisingly, she had ears and tails emerging from her body, but Granny seemed unfazed by her appearance.
"Don't worry, Rurune-chan. Everything will be fine," Granny assured. Rurune? The Cerberus?
After that, Sakuya came and took Rurune away. When I asked Granny why she wasn't surprised or anything, it was a silly question; maybe she had known about this all along. Granny then explained how she was aware of the supernatural beforehand and that her own son had awakened a sacred gear, leading to his tragic demise along with his family.
It was the work of a stray exorcist who targeted new sacred gear holders affiliated with the church. Granny mentioned that this exorcist was later killed by another stray fallen angel, as she had heard from church exorcists after persistent inquiries.
Two days later, Granny passed away peacefully in her room, and we conducted all the necessary rituals in her honor. Rurune-chan moved in with us. Granny's house was eventually sold because she didn't want Rurune-chan to become attached to it sentimentally.
According to Granny's will, the proceeds from the sale and her other assets were transferred to Rurune's name. I assisted in creating Rurune-chan's new identity.
The house welcomed new residents within two months: Gorou Aizawa, his wife Akemi Aizawa, and their tomboyish daughter Tomo Aizawa moved in and established a martial arts dojo named Aizawa Dojo within part of the house, with Gorou as the teacher.
Tomo, who is around our age, hit it off with Asagi-chan in their own way. Asagi-chan and Rurune-chan joined the dojo—Asagi because of Tomo's influence and Rurune-chan due to her sentimental connection to the house.
I might visit the place sometimes. It's never bad to learn different martial arts, especially Judo, which they mainly teach there.
After about six months after granny`s death Saki and Rin were kidnapped by a low-class devil outside Kuoh town. They seemed to have gone out for a change in air but when no one was paying attention they wandered off somewhere else.
After that, they were kidnapped by a low-class devil. Someone had asked the devil to do that it seems. Normally, no devils would have done that, knowing the Tenjoins had connections to the Agares devil clan and their protection as part of their deal.
But this particular devil was ignorant and wanted to quickly rise in the devil society. So he chose the highest-paid job for quick promotion. But didn't know anything about their backing.
After finding out about it I quickly teleported them back home while the subordinates of the Agares devil clan seemed to have also found the devil quickly and brutally killed the low-class devil, when Uncle Ryouga contacted them.
Saki and Rin were very scared. Not wanting them to get involved in the supernatural world was wrong. Saki being the daughter of one of the wealthiest businessmen already made her a target.
I talked to Uncle Ryouga and got protections for them and also Saki and Rin are going to be learning magic. I also gave them falnas. I put my familiars in their shadows after getting their permission.
Many of my familiars are actually given to many members in Akatsuki to work as their partners. I also had to meet up with the Agares devil who came to investigate the case.
After that, I was approached by an important devil of the devil faction. He approached Akatsuki to be exact.
75. Rudiger Rosenkreutz.
Kouske's POV
Currently, I'm in the Demiplane, assessing everyone's progress. We've constructed new facilities and gathered individuals interested in crafts like smithing and alchemy.
There's one person particularly enthusiastic about golems, poring over every book on the subject in our Great Library. Unfortunately, we don't have many books on golem and magic engineering.
I'll need to consider "borrowing" those kinds of books from somewhere or purchasing them from the Shop. Speaking of which, I haven't "borrowed" anything from the Wizards of Oz yet. I'm not sure where their base is located.
There's also Qlippoth or Nilrem, but who knows where those bastards are hiding in the Dimensional Gap? I can't just wander around aimlessly there, especially with a big, bad, incompetent red dragon guarding the place.
Never mind, the jewelry sales are going well, largely due to the brand value of Akatsuki over the last few years. I also launched the E+ rank healing potions just last week, and they have become the most sought-after item on the website. I should also sell all those lower-ranked weapons I made; they are starting to pile up and becoming a bit of a mess.
After years of practice, I can now craft around D- rank weapons, which are actually quite good compared to the average weapons on the market. I can enchant them with multiple properties using my bloodline ability.
Considering all this, the paperwork involved is massive. Fortunately, with my Memory Partition skill, Thought Acceleration skill, and Time Magic, this paperwork only takes a tenth of a second. So I don't have to whine or be scared of paperwork like the leaders from various factions. Paperwork is fun, believe me! Well, if only you had my abilities!
Cleria is also assisting with management, and she's very diligent and serious about her work. Even I don't get to see her much because she's always so busy. As for her other peerage members, they're also occupied with various tasks, except for Rangiku. She tends to laze around and drink a lot.
Lately, she's been meeting up with Sakuya, and I'm not sure what they discuss, but it seems Rangiku has been giving Sakuya some weird ideas, judging by the large blushes on Sakuya's face whenever they finish talking privately.
On another note, Tarte-chan finally opened up about her situation. I knew about it beforehand, but it just shows that she has grown mentally. When I asked her what she wanted to do about her mother, she said to just leave her.
I really wanted her mother to suffer, but I guess I should respect Tarte's decision. If one day she decides to confront her mother, then that's her choice.
Incidentally, I've been keeping tabs on her mother's whereabouts since day one. As they say, karma is a bitch. Her own karma has come back to bite her. The boyfriend she married turned out to be a fraud.
He gave her false hopes of a luxurious and happy life, but instead, he took all her money and properties and fled the country. Now she's roaming the same streets like a homeless beggar, similar to how she treated Tarte-chan.
Tarte's spear skills are improving. She's been using the spears that I make for her. I've been experimenting with creating a specific spear that will serve her well for a long time.
I want to craft the ultimate lightning-affinity spear that would put even Thor's Mjölnir to shame. To achieve that, I'd need Uru from the Norse, which means I might have to visit them.
However, I don't want to waste such a rare metal if my smithing skills aren't up to par yet. So, I'll save that project for later. Additionally, there are many ores still undiscovered in the Demiplane that I need to experiment with for smithing, alchemy, or other crafts like golemancy. If I manage to obtain Uru, there's also a chance I could reproduce it inside the Demiplane.
Aunt Arene and Uncle Leon often take small missions in the surrounding area. What's interesting is that Aunt always chooses missions close to Uncle's location but keeps it a secret from him.
After knowing them for years, I've finally figured out where Asagi-chan might have gotten her slight stalker tendencies. The scary part is that Uncle seems completely unaware of it.
Aunt definitely has a talent for tracking. I just hope Asagi-chan doesn't take her mother's hobby too far, although it seems like Aunt, herself, is giving her lessons on the 'subject'.
Unfortunately, Saji's grandparent also passed away recently, leaving Saji and his siblings orphaned once again. It's heartbreaking to see such a young kid facing these challenges alone. I wanted to offer more support, but Saji might not appreciate someone's pity, given his character.
I considered helping anonymously, but Saki-chan seems to have beaten me to it. Despite her attention-seeking and Ojou-sama-like behavior, she is in actuality an incredibly kind-hearted girl.
Saki arranged scholarships/waivers for all three of them and even secured a part-time job for Saji at a convenience store, though technically he's too young to work. Saji believes the store manager wanted to help him and gave him the job. He works behind the scenes, inside the store.
Additionally, Tomo-chan practically dragged Saji to their dojo upon hearing about his dedication to his siblings from the teachers. Saji now attends judo lessons a few times a week. They say a healthy mind starts with a healthy body. Judo can build self-esteem and confidence while relieving stress.
However, I'm not sure if Saji enjoys training under that strict and passionate Uncle Garou alongside those sweaty boys. As for me, I sometimes sneak in to watch and practice alongside the athletic onee-sans. Can you blame me? There's a certain romance to seeing fit girls with slight muscles in action!
Ahem... Back to the main topic, today, I have a meeting with one of the top ten Rating Game players in the Underworld, ranked 7th to be exact. This individual is known as a strategy genius, earning him the title of "Upsetting Sorcerer."
He is renowned for his incredible strategies, particularly focusing on psychological warfare. Despite significant power differences, his tactical brilliance has allowed him to defeat the former Dragon King Tannin and his peerage multiple times in Rating Game matches.
At one point, he even came close to defeating Emperor Diehauser Belial himself.
He is not only one of the two Reincarnated Devils to achieve the rank of Ultimate-class Devil, along with Tannin but he is also recognized as the sole human reincarnated Devil to reach this rank.
He is renowned as the founder of the Magician Association, known as "Rosenkreutzer," and has served as a former Bishop for the Head of the Extra Demon House, Mammon.
Currently, he holds the impressive rank of 7th in the Rating Games, showcasing his formidable abilities and strategic prowess in the Underworld. He is Rudiger Rosenkreutz. He is the one who contacted me first. But I do have an idea as to what this is about.
Most people don't know how or where to contact me, so I created a way for them to leave messages on the website, and from there, we can communicate further if needed. There's growing curiosity about the Demiplane, with many of the younger members of Akatsuki uploading various photos of it.
I didn't discourage them as I wanted to promote it myself. The Norse and Greek pantheons have public portals for general people to visit and make contact with them, and I plan to do something similar. It's beneficial if people come to Akatsuki, as I am way stronger in this place.
I had asked Rudiger if he wanted to meet at the Akatsuki headquarters, and he agreed, showing how desperate he was. When I entered the meeting room, I saw a young man in his twenties with silver hair and green eyes, sipping tea.
"Greetings, Rosenkreutz-san. What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" I asked as he placed his tea down and stood up, greeting me with a handshake.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. I thank you for accepting my request for this meeting so abruptly," he replied politely.
"Well, it's alright. It's not every day you get contacted by one of the top ten players in the Rating Game," I replied.
"Ha ha ha. You jest. Alright, I won't waste more of your time. I believe you are quite busy with your new organization. But this place is quite nice from a scenic viewpoint," he said.
"Oh thank you. But you don't have to rush or anything. We can talk at our leisure for a bit. Did you get a tour of the place?" I asked.
"Yes, a teenager was really enthusiastic about showing me the different places along with his team members," he replied kindly.
"That's good then," I replied.
During our conversation, mostly revolving around topics related to the Underworld, the benefits of my potions for commoner and poorer devils, and my food items, we had already finished two cups of coffee and tea. I always prefer cold coffee over anything hot, whether it's tea or coffee.
"So, the reason I wanted to meet you was related to your ability to extract sacred gears safely," he said, while I gave him a questioning gaze, even though I knew where this was going.
"Hmm, what about it?" I asked.
"Can you really extract them without killing or even hurting the holder?" he asked seriously.
"I can. But do you want to extract a sacred gear from someone?" I asked, to which he nodded.
"Please help my son. He was born with a sacred gear inside his body. But this sacred gear is killing him. He might not survive much longer. I will do anything to repay this favor! I promise!" said Rudiger, bowing his head.
I also knew about his son. Unfortunately, if things continue as they are, the child will die soon. I think his child was a very big fan of Dulio. His son's hero was Dulio. He wanted to see Dulio.
Rudiger had no connection with Heaven, so he mostly gave up on it. He still sent a letter to the Underworld headquarters despite thinking that Dulio wouldn't come. But after a few days, Dulio came to meet his son. His son was so happy.
Dulio came and visited his son frequently. Even after his son died, he visited his grave. After seeing Dulio cry for his son, Rudiger was so moved that he himself couldn't stop crying.
I think because of this, Rudiger shared his wish with Dulio Gesualdo for winning the Rating Game World Tournament: to stop children from being born with Sacred Gears that would negatively affect them, like what happened to his son and many other children dying from possessing a Sacred Gear.
Rudiger held Dulio in high regard, seeing him as the best Angel for what he did for his son and having a great deal of respect for him.
"Please raise your head. I would like to help your son if I can. But I need to see him first," I replied.
"You can meet him whenever you want. He cannot leave home because of his weak body, so he mostly has to stay in bed all the time," he replied a bit sadly.
"Then why don't we meet him now?" I suggested.
"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I am free for now. So let's go," I said, urging him.
"Umm, it won't hurt him, right?" he asked nervously.
"It most probably won't. But let me see him first," I reassured him.
After that, he teleported us to his territory. I met his son, who looked really sick and weak. Upon examining him, it seemed he had been born with a weak soul.
Sometimes being a half-devil can have adverse effects on someone. Not every half-devil is born without defects. His sacred gear was putting a lot of pressure on his soul, causing him considerable suffering.
I suggested using soul-nurturing methods instead of abruptly removing his sacred gear. It would heal and strengthen his soul while allowing the sacred gear to become accustomed to his body.
However, they weren't readily available and very hard to find. So, I decided to promote my own soul-nurturing potions. I don't sell these on the website yet, but I will start selling the lower-ranked soul-nurturing potions from next month.
Rudiger was initially hesitant about using unknown potions so suddenly, but he didn't have much of a choice for now. So, he chose to believe in me.
The potions worked well. I gave the kid a D+ ranked potion, and instantly, its effects were visible. His soul problem was resolved, and his sacred gear would soon become accustomed to it.
I advised him to monitor his son for a while and try using the sacred gear later, assuring him that it would work just fine.
After a few days, I received confirmation from Rudiger that his son was fully healed. Rudiger was very grateful and went on about owing favors.
I mentioned to him that Sakuya and I wanted to take the test for the Ultimate Class Magician, to which he agreed to make arrangements with the other magician organizations soon.
His own organization would provide us with the High-Class Magician certificate, as he, being an Ultimate Class Magician himself, could easily issue certificates up to the High Class.
However, for the Ultimate Class Magician certificates, every major and influential magician organization's respective Ultimate Class Magicians needed to be present to ensure fairness and impartiality.
As Rudiger was making arrangements for it, he wouldn't be able to serve as a judge for the exams. I also requested some books on golem and magic engineering, and he agreed to provide them. This will make the new kids happy, and I'm excited to study these topics myself. Creating golems or magical robots has probably been a dream for everyone at least once.