Chapter 57: Heartbeats and Silence
"We may speak." Ranni's voice was calm, her words allowing me to sigh in relief.
Our latest guest was a coup, an absolute gift of an opportunity. However, her sudden presence had called for some quick adjustments. A being of her level was easily able to see everything that happened on the ground of my manner should she wish to, without ever leaving the room she had claimed in the basement. I don't know why she wanted to hole up in there of all places, but it is where she had requested to stay.
If it was in the Vault, as barren as it was, I could have understood that due to her Draconic nature, but no. Instead it was in an unused room near the vault, the purpose of which had been long forgotten.
I had readily furnished the room that she had selected, despite her not seeming to care for the bed that I had brought for her to rest on. The pillows were a different story, she had demanded a frankly ludicrous amount of them that she swiftly fashioned into a fortress. After that, she had retreated into their feathered embrace and had yet to emerge, at least anywhere my peerage could see.
Just because she was not visible, however, did mean she was not listening. Thankfully, Ranni was able to solve that, shrouding the area of the training grounds we were within under a miniscule amount of her shimmering blue mist, something she assured me she could use to prevent the Infinity Dragon from looking in on our conversation, at least while Ophis was not intentionally trying to. In turn, that would allow Ranni to know that Ophis was hearing us, something that was another concern.
"You know," CC was relaxed, a cat-like grin on her beautiful features, her voice full of amusement and frustration in equal parts, "I have heard all my life about the 'Luck of the Devil', but I didn't realise that it was quite so literal."
"Wouldn't that apply to you as well?" I joked tiredly back, "After all you are a devil now as well, on top of being a witch with all the sorcery that implies."
"But I am not a pure-blood, maybe there is something to all those stories and prejudices, hmm?" She grinned.
"Although in jest, thy Concubine speaks truth, Consort." Ranni remarked, "When thou informed me what thy had planned for the Infinity Dragon, I assumed it to be far in the future. That you had an opportunity to strike so quickly is rather remarkable."
"I'm just glad it worked out so well. Thank you for playing along." I replied, smiling at the two Witches, "She requires a careful hand, but we have done almost perfectly so far."
"Well, when my job is to merely 'not be too loud and don't insult her', It's rather easy for me to do." CC snorted.
"Despite ample evidence to the contrary." Ranni's tone was dry.
"Oh my, such cutting words." CC smirked at the other woman, "IS that an undercurrent of envy I hear in them?"
"It is." Ranni admitted easily, seemingly taking CC by surprise, "The position of my Lord's future wife requires me to act in a certain manner so as to not reflect poorly upon him and bring his house into disrepute. In thy lesser position, thou art much more free to explain to the dullard that infest this world their many faults. Thy efficiency at doing so is quite a pleasing sight."
"Even when I was around nobles, I have never had someone deliver such an insulting compliment so politely." CC did not seem to take offence to the words of the goddess.
"Ladies." My words brought both of their gazes to me, but neither of them were particularly heated, "I know you enjoy needling each other, but we need to make use of the time that Ranni is providing us well. We cleared the first hurdle, but dealing with Ophis herself was the easy part, if you know how. Now that we have her, her old caretakers will be wanting her back."
"Are we ready to take on the Old Satan faction?" CC asked, seriousness filling her amber eyes as we got down to business, "We were planning to go after them anyway, but this has moved that time table up significantly."
"It depends." I answered, "The Old Satans themselves at this point are practically a non-issue, we could crush them in an open fight. However, if they manage to rally the entire Khaos Brigade to take her back… It swiftly becomes a numbers game."
Despite the immense power that could be wielded by individuals, there was still one fact that remained unchanging when it came to conflict in this world.
You cannot be in two places at once. To defeat you, or to at least make you suffer losses, your enemies did not have to be stronger than you. They just had to be strong enough to force you to respond, while they strike other targets at the same time. Like a larger animal being picked apart by a pack of wolves, damage would be taken regardless of the outcome of each individual fight and when enough of it accumulated, the entire structure would collapse.
Thankfully the avenues they had open to attack us were rather thin and narrow. You would think that the Warehouses and Distribution Centres for our Trading company would count, but not really in actuality. Despite the fact that each and every one of them was in the end, ultimately expendable and replaceable, they were situated in major cities and trade centres of the Underworld.
The New Satans and the Great King, while at odds with my house in a nominal fashion, would still move to protect those places from an open attack for me. Kasane had been patrolling them to raise the difficulty, as an act of deterrence, but if the Old Satans were the ones to launch an attack there they would be bringing both of the other factions down upon themselves.
So, that just left two targets open. Sagan Manor, which was protected by Tiamat and Ranni (although most did not know how limited she was in that role), with the second target being…
"Kyoto." CC mused, "It would be a target that we would be forced to respond to and have the potential to collapse our alliance with the Yokai."
"Yes." I nodded, "Unlike the manor, we don't have the people to defend the entire area from assault either. That would be the most likely place a strike would come from."
"Consort." Ranni spoke, curiosity in her tone, "Why doest thou not hunt these rabble down if thou art so confident in thy victory? Surely removing the problem at the root would be the most prudent course of action?"
"I don't know where they are. They are hiding from the world at large and only rarely show themselves. They aren't outlawed in the underworld exactly, but they are very much persona non grata and bring attention to themselves wherever they go." I shrugged, "So they are very rarely seen."
"I see. Should the dragon not be able to tell you their locations?" She asked then.
"Ophis? She could, but I don't think she will unless she has a reason to. If they do attack us, then it wlll be a lot easier to convince her to give up that information than if we ask for it right now. She's inexperienced, but not stupid." Was my reply.
"I see. Unfortunate then, that we are stuck in the passive position." She sighed.
"I will make a response plan and ready the Peerage to react to anything that happens. Before that though..." CC crossed her arms, turning to regard me with a raised eyebrow, "Seeing you manipulate that girl so artfully, with a gentle voice and a kind smile, it does make one wonder if you have done the same to me with the knowledge you have from your past life."
"Ah. Thou art referring to the time he interfaced with myself through a medium in the Lands Between?" Ranni's eyes shined with understanding, but then a condescending look filled them instead, "Does it matter, in truth? Knowledge can be gleaned about one's paramours in many different fashions, it is what one decides to do with said knowledge that matters."
What they were referring to was my plan to deal with Ophis should she crop up, one that went through significant revisions when Ranni showed up. I knew from half remembered stories about the later plot in DxD that she had a fondness for cookies, so I had prepared a truly massive stash of them to please the hikkimori dragon. Besides that, originally I intended to convince her that the Khaos Brigade was too unstable, too unpredictable to be trusted with her dream.
After all, if they started all the conflicts and settled all the grudges they wanted to then many of them would perish or be severely injured in the resulting battles. Meaning the mangled remains would not be able to help her take back the Gap, if they ever even attempted to. I had a plan to defeat the Great Red for Ophis with her help, one that I would have explained to her and asked her and used to convince her to defect to me instead of the Brigade.
It would have been difficult, but doable. With Ranni, however, it became a lot easier to tempt Ophis to my side. Ranni had explained to me her encounters with the Red Dragon that guarded the world, as well as her estimations of its strength and what a battle between the two of them would do. Thankfully, upon hearing that I would need to defeat the beast or at least drive it off, she offered a solution.
If she could operate through a Champion, then her power would be a lot more contained and focused, enough to prevent the collateral damage she was wary of. Doing so, however, would surely cause enough of an accumulation of her powers to assert her Order over this world. Therefore, by strengthening my soul we would kill two birds with one stone, allowing Ranni to operate more freely and with more force while at the same time working towards my ultimate goal.
Which had since shifted.
After all, if I could defeat the Great Red, I could also defeat Ophis herself. I had intended to Stamp her through trickery and deception, but if I reached that level of power, there would be no need to do so. She would willingly submit herself to me, as the stronger being. Her world-view was simple, the strong did what they wanted while the weak were there to listen to the strong or be killed.
She treated Ranni with respect, or at least attempted to, purely because Ranni was strong.
That also meant that it was easier for her to take Ranni's words at face value and trust that I could help her reclaim the Dimensional Gap. After all, what need do the strong have for lies?
"I didn't lie to her once, CC." I responded, not sure where this line of questioning had come from, "Have I ever given you reason to doubt my intentions towards you?"
"As if not lying is any guarantee when it comes to your honeyed words." My green haired witch sniffed, "After watching you play with such an innocent heart like that, how can I trust anything you say?"
After getting to know her for so long, I could tell when she was in the mood for banter. The cock of her hip, the quirk of her brow, even how she smiled. She wished to trade words and veiled insults with me, a pastime we were rather accustomed to by now. Usually when we got drawn into such a conversation the tempo accelerated until it inevitably ended in one of our bedrooms.
However, there was someone present who was not so used to her, "Art though really so lacking in conviction? Thou hath been chosen by my Consort for a most trusted position, the highest among his retinue, yet thy doubt his dedication and fealty to thee?"
CC was briefly surprised by how seriously Ranni was taking this, but then she quickly rallied, "Oh, he is dedicated alright, but to what end?"
Recognising a disaster when I saw one unfolding, I attempted to head it off, "CC, don't ant-"
She trailed hand up the curves of her body, ignoring my words as she framed her form, "I think we both know the answer, wouldn't you say?"
"I would not." Ranni firmly replied, "And I would highly doubt thy ability for insight should thou truly think that is all his courtship of thee is. Do thou truly not realise that he is after thy heart, no thy body?"
CC stiffened at the words, Ranni striking directly at one of the unspoken insecurities that dwelled within her.
The Witch of Britannia snarled out, "Do not speak of things you do not understand."
"I believe I understand it better than thou." Ranni pressed.
"Ranni, don't. This conversation will do nobody any good." My tone was firm, attempting to end this here and now.
"I apologise Consort, but this needs to be said before it continues any longer." Ranni was resolute, her conviction becoming almost palpable, rooting CC and I to our places and preventing us from interrupting, "Listen to me well, CC. Fear to confess love does not shield one from heartbreak, rather it ensures it. If thou hath any care at all, be honest with thyself at least. For my Consort's sake, and thine."
I sighed. This was a conversation I really hoped would not happen right now, but unfortunately it seems that was no longer possible.
Rather than Ranni, CC instead looked to me, an indecipherable emotion in her gaze.
I looked back at her, attempting to reassure the distraught woman. Moving towards her to offer comfort, my actions were halted when her face twisted and she whirled on her heel, storming away from me.
I wanted to go after her, but I knew I would do more harm than good right now. After all, I was the cause of her problems, but I couldn't fix them. The only one that could do so was CC herself.
All I could do was hope that I had done enough for her to do so. The Stamp would ensure it eventually, but that wasn't good enough. I cared for her and seeing her in such pain hurt me as well. I was always aware of this, even before I went to Kasane. I would get attached, I would love these girls, that is why I was so selective. We would be together for the rest of our lives.
However, together and in love did not mean in harmony, or in perfect agreement.
"Why did I have to be attracted to such strong willed women?" The spoken lament caught Ranni's attention.
"Tis a curse that thou art bearing most admirably. I apologise for my words, but I do not rescind them. Her making a mockery of thy feelings… I could not let that pass." The Goddess looked resolute and proud as she spoke those words, but I noticed how she was slightly curled up, her shoulders hunched in on herself as she looked at me, "I hope thou art not too angered by what has occurred?"
"It was inevitable, in a way." I sighed, "I do not hold it against you. Personalities such as yours will always lead to clashes."
"Still, now was not the time. I recognise that." She seemed determined to have blame placed at her feet.
"Very well then, Apology accepted. I'm not angry." I decided to give her what she wanted.
"Thank you." She smiled, but then her eyes immediately flicked over to the side.
A purple vortex opened up, a familiar black haired dragon stepping through. She looked at the swirling mists, tilting her head as they dissipated before turning to us.
"The green hair left, so… I thought… Would you... Are you done talking?" She seemd awkward, searching for the words to say, not used to talking to an equal.
Ranni looked to me briefly before stepping forward, "Our discussions have come to an end."
Ophis relaxed lightly at that, turning to look at me as I smiled at her and moved slowly towards her, "It's good to see you Ophis. Do you want more cookies?"
"Ah." A glint of greed flashed in her eyes, but it was gone just as quickly, "Later please. May I speak to the Moon?"
"Thou wishest to speak to me?" Ranni tilted her head, "What about?"
"The mist." Ophis spoke, unmoving, unblinking and blank faced in a way that showcased her excitement more than fidgeting ever could, "I couldn't hear it."
"Yes. That was mine intent." Ranni answered, succinctly.
Ophis frowned, seeming frustrated at not expressing herself, "No, you don't understand. I hear everything. Everything is way too loud. But The mist was Silent."
"Ophis." She looked at me, annoyed, but her energy turned hopeful as I asked, "Are you saying that Ranni's mist is like your Silence?"
"Yes!" She replied, "It's not as good, obviously, but it's the best I've ever seen. Can you make more?"
She directed the last part to Ranni, who frowned and waved her hand, causing the mist to swirl around us once more. After a brief moment, the direction of the blocking inverted, and I was suddenly intensely aware of the sound of my own heartbeat. My hearing was many times better than a humans, so the sensation of being in a sound-proof area was… Interesting.
Ophis however, was immensely enjoying it. Closing her eyes, she stilled, seeming to bask in the small world of stillness Ranni had constructed.
"I can remove light and smell as well." She spoke softly, causing Ophis to hum lowly.
"It's not like my Silence, I can still hear you. I can hear you louder than before, you are everywhere. But…" A small smile found itself onto the Dragon's face, "I don't hate this sound. Even the Devi… Damocles, is tolerable."
Ranni bristled at that, but I quickly headed her off by asking, "Ranni? Could you set up a way to provide this mist for Ophis' room in the basement?"
Ophis, who had started to frown at the Goddess' anger, opened her eyes wide and stared at me in surprise.
Turning to me slowly, affront still showing clearly, she slowly nodded as the anger faded from her countenance, "I can. However, I would require something from her in turn."
"What do you want? I would be willing to part with a lot for this." Ophis quickly spoke.
"Indeed?" Ranni was smiling a sly smile at this point, a plan having formed itself in her head, "Then my payment it thus. Every week, thou must spend some time listening to mine Consort in that room until thou come to appreciate his sound like I have."
Ophis frowned at that while I looked at Ranni in surprise, whose smile merely widened towards me as she laid the trap.
Which was swiftly walked right into, "Done. He's already the least annoying mortal I have heard."
Of course, to someone with her emotional range, the hidden requirement in Ranni's request flew right over her head.