This is one of the points of the story I've really wanted to get to since I started writing it! As you can tell that I managed to get this chapter done after posting the previous chapter 2-3 days ago. This chapter marks the start of the Excalibur arc! I hope you all enjoy!

Plus, I've finally reached 100 favorites for this story! Thank you so much for your support!

It was a regular night doing Devil jobs for Luke. He had teleported into a new client's home, which appeared to be inside a micro-mansion as it wasn't very big yet seemed very expensive.

(Play "The Gates of Hell" – Bayonetta)

There was relaxing music playing from the stereo, which sat next to a large flat-screen television set. He figured he must be in the living room since there was also a large, comfortable couch in the center and that the client must be very wealthy to have a place like this.

"You must be the Devil I summoned."

Luke looked toward the sound of the voice and his face became red at the vision before him. Approaching him was a foreign woman who appeared to be in her twenties wearing a thin and soft white bathrobe that reached to her mid-thighs and was partially open on the top. She was so beautiful that it took his breath away and he couldn't help himself but to just stare at her beauty. Every part of her body was perfection. Her violet eyes were hypnotizing, her lips were luscious despite not wearing any lipstick, and her waist-length, silky hair was as black as a moonless night. The bathrobe she was wearing highlighted her flawless skin and shapely legs, and it was open enough to show off her enormous breasts. On top of that, it appeared as though she had just gotten out of the bath. He was so taken aback by her beauty that he was rendered speechless and couldn't stop staring at her.

"Aw, already head over heels for me? You're adorable." The woman boldly smiled.

"Ah, um…" Luke shook his head to try to regain his composure. "Y-yes! I'm-I am the D-D-Devil you sum-summoned! What-what is it you desire?"

"I… want you…"

Her voice was oozing with sultry charm and Luke gulped from the tension of what she might be requesting.

"To cook me a Japanese dish." She said completely normally.

"… That's it?"

"That's it."

Was she just messing me with that seductive tone?!

Luke did as the woman requested and made her dinner. He was surprised at the number of ingredients available to him. There was enough variety that he could make her just about anything. In the end, he decided to make her vegetable and seafood tempura. He served it to her along with tentsuyu. She picked up one of the fried vegetables with a pair of chopsticks, dipped it in the tentsuyu, blew on it to cool it down and gently placed it in her mouth.

"Mmm!" She smiled while enjoying the flavor. "Delicious! You must be pretty popular with the ladies if your cooking skills are this good."

"Ah, n-not really…" Luke nervously laughed with flushed cheeks. "I'm still single."

Even though Luke was trying his best to be a gentleman, his eyes were constantly taking glances at her breasts.

"How can a cutie like you be single?" The woman asked with a smirk. "You should at least have one girlfriend."

Well… there is one girl I really like… but I don't think she feels the same about me.

When she was finished eating, she let out a sigh of content.

"I haven't had a homecooked meal in a long time!" She said. "I'm usually too engrossed in my hobby to cook for myself, so I just order takeout. But I liked this. You're quite the chef."

"Th-thank you." Luke politely bowed to her.

"By the way…"

"Hm?"

"I caught you taking glances at my at my breasts…" She then turned to Luke with a teasing look on her face. "Naughty Boy."

Luke not only blushed from being caught, but also her expression and words.

"Do you want to see the rest of my body?" She teased.

"Ah-ah-ah-um, that-that won't be-be-be necessary!" Luke panicked while trying his best to keep a straight face.

"Ahahahaha!" She laughed. "You really are adorable! Here is your payment."

The woman handed Luke an antique vase.

"Thank you very much." Luke bowed his head to her as he prepared to return to the clubroom.

"I'll be sure to call for you again, Naughty Boy." The woman waved at him.

(End Song)

Luke teleported out of the home and reappeared back in the old school building.

"How did it go, Luke?" Rias asked.

"G-good." Luke stuttered as he carefully held up the vase.

Everyone noticed that Luke's face was bright red, and his body was shaking a little. Rias approached him and carefully took the vase out of his hands.

"It was a pretty lady again, wasn't it?" Rias asked with a sigh.

"… Mm-hm." Luke meekly nodded.

"Did you at least make a contract with her?"

"… Dammit!" Luke growled at himself. "I was so fl-flu-flustered by her that I forgot!"

"You really need to learn to keep your composure around women. Although, I do admit…" Rias then started petting Luke's head. "It's really cute when you're all flustered like this."

Luke's blush remained due to her words.

(A 5-year-old Luke went outside for the first time since he and Seth moved in with the latter's stepmother. He went into the spacious backyard, but unfortunately there wasn't a playground. Suddenly, something fell from the sky and bounced off of his face. It was just a ball, but it still hurt.

"Owwwww…"

As Luke crouched down and covered his face with his hands, someone climbed over the fence and approached him.

"Hey, are you okay?" It sounded like a girl's voice.

Luke uncovered his face and looked up to see a girl who appeared to be about a year older than him with chestnut hair and violet eyes.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to throw the ball that hard!" The girl profusely apologized to him. She then noticed his face. "Are you new here? I heard from the grown-ups that a couple of boys that looked different from us just moved into town."

Luke didn't answer and just remained quiet.

"Do you have any friends?"

He hesitated to respond, but Luke eventually shook his head.

"Can I be your friend?"

Luke was surprised at the girl's question. Though he was unsure of how to respond, he ended up nodding.

"Yay!" The girl cheered. "I'm Irina Shidou! What's your name?"

The girl named Irina stretched out her hand to him as if expecting a handshake. Luke simply looked at her hand for a couple of seconds and then at her smiling face. Luke slowly reached out and grasped her hand.

"Luke. Luke Sigmund."

"It's so nice to meet you, Luke-kun! I'm currently playing ball with another friend. Do you want to join us?"

Luke seemed hesitant and shook his head.

"I don't think Luke is ready yet."

Luke and Irina looked back at the former's house and Allegra walked up to them.

"You know, you shouldn't just enter another person's yard without their permission." Allegra said to Irina.

"Eh?! I'm sorry! I just wanted to get my ball!"

"I'll let it slide this time. But next time, ask the home's owner if you can get your ball, okay?"

"Y-yes, ma'am! But why can't Luke go outside?"

"Luke…" Allegra struggled to tell Irina the truth. "Is hurting right now. But if you want to play with him, you're more than welcome to come over."

"I… don't really know what's going on…" Irina then hugged Luke. "But I'm glad that we can be friends!")

Luke felt conscious once again after the dream ended.

I remember now… He thought. She was the first friend I ever made. Irina… We only knew each other for a couple of months… but I don't think I would've been able to go to school if not for her. I wonder where she is now…

His thoughts were then interrupted by a soft, seductive sound coming from his side. Sleeping next to him was Rias, completely naked and hugging him like a body pillow. Even though she was sharing a room with Hana, Rias would sneak into his room and get into bed with him while he was sound asleep. Rias admitted that she did it on purpose, so it definitely wasn't sleepwalking. This was a regular occurrence over the last few days, so Seth knew about it, but he didn't mind at all. In fact, Seth was quite happy about it. Even though the situation made Luke feel hot and bothered due to the soft sensation of Rias's skin and breasts pressing against his arm, it would be a lie to say he didn't enjoy it.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Luke looked to his side to see that Rias was wide awake.

"Y-yes." Luke responded while blushing. "We-we were l-like-luh-luh-like this when I woke up."

"Forgive me, Luke. I felt like sleeping while using you as a body pillow. I came in after you fell sleep." She then hugged Luke even tighter before speaking in a sultry tone. "What should we do? It would be wonderful to just stay like this until it's time to wake up… Perhaps doing something a little naughty would be a good way to deepen my relationship with my adorable servant."

Rias then gave Luke a peck on the cheek.

She must be toying with me! Luke thought in a panic. President was never like this before our match against Riser and she even said last night that she finds it adorable when I'm all flustered.

"My words must be driving you crazy." Rias whispered to him in a seductive voice. "Tell me what you want."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Master Luke, are you awake? It's almost time for morning training."

Luke and Rias heard Annabelle's voice from the other side of the door.

"I-I'm getting out of bed now!" Luke answered loudly so she could hear him.

"And is Lady Rias in your room again? I didn't see her in Miss Hana's room."

"I'm here." Rias said.

Annabelle opened the bedroom door and saw the naked Rias hugging onto Luke in his underwear.

Crap…

Luke was expecting Annabelle to get angry, but instead heard Annabelle say something he didn't expect her to say.

"If you want someone to cuddle with in the middle of the night, I'm more than willing to help, Master Luke." Annabelle said with a cheerful smile.

Aside from dropping his jaw, Luke had no idea how to react to those words.

After the morning training, all of the home's residents were eating breakfast.

"I didn't think you would be this good at cooking Japanese food, Rias." Seth complimented before taking another bite of one of the rolled omelets Rias made.

"Thank you, Seth. I've been living in Japan for a while now, so I've learned a few recipes." Rias stated.

President's cooking really is delicious. Luke thought as he ate. Considering her noble upbringing, I wouldn't have thought she knew her way around the kitchen. I do recall her once telling me she doesn't like being told she can't do something just because she's a lady and that if she's capable of doing something herself, she wants to do it herself. Now that I think about it, Melody did ask her mother how to cook a few years ago and I remember Allegra's cooking being very good when we lived with them. Annabelle's cooking is quite delicious, too. Honestly, I can't decide who is the better cook.

"By the way, Luke." Rias spoke up. "Remember that I'm having the rest of the Occult Research Club meeting here after school."

"Oh, right." Luke replied. "The old school building is get-getting cleaned."

"I apologize for the inconvenience, Seth."

"Just be sure no one breaks anything, so I don't have to clean it up." Alastair retorted.

"That settles it, then." Rias clapped her hands together. "We'll be having the club meeting here."

President is the only one in our club who has been in our house. Aside from Irina, I never had anyone over at my place.

"And this was Luke's first bath!"

The club meeting was supposed to be happening, but instead Seth was showing everyone an album old pictures of Luke when he was very young.

"He was so tiny!" Akeno pointed to a photograph of Luke just hours after he was born.

"… Luke-san's embarrassing past." Koneko said.

While everyone else was gathered around the couch Seth was sitting on, Luke was seated on a chair away from them.

"Small Luke…" Rias stared at the photos with red cheeks.

"Luke-san as a baby…" Fumiko repeatedly muttered with similarly red cheeks. "I-I think I kn-know how B-Buchou feels!"

"You understand, too!" Rias happily grabbed Fumiko's hands with sparkling eyes. "I'm so happy!"

Even Yuuto was intently looking at the photographs, but one in particular caught his attention.

"Are these your parents?" Yuuto asked.

Yuuto pointed at a family photo of what appeared to be a 2-year-old Luke, a 4-year-old Seth and a woman and a man in their 20's.

"Yeah, these are our parents." Seth answered.

Their mother was a beautiful woman with shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes, wearing a pink shirt, a long purple skirt and black dress shoes. Her conservative clothing did very little to hide her hourglass figure.

"Your mother is very beautiful." Akeno remarked in awe.

Luke's father was a handsome man who looked almost similar to his son except with short indigo hair and wearing a generic white dress shirt and brown dress pants. However, his most striking feature was his eyes which were a bizarre mixture of blue, purple, pink and orange.

"I've never seen eyes like that." Rias remarked.

"Dad told me that he had an eye condition that gives it that color." Seth said. "He never went into much detail about it, but then again I was 5 when I asked him."

Suddenly, they heard Luke get up from the chair. Without even speaking or looking at them, Luke left the living room.

"Is Luke okay?" Rias asked.

"D-does the-this have t-to do with L-L-Luke-san's parents?" Fumiko inquired.

Seth hesitated to answer. "… I consider you all Luke's friends, so you should know. Although Fumiko is already aware of this… The reason we moved to Japan and live under my stepmother in the first place is because our parents died 10 years ago."

Everyone's expressions became somewhat gloomy and sad.

"Luke took their deaths very hard." Seth recalled his bad memories. "I can't say for sure what was going on through Luke's head, but considering he hardly ate and wouldn't leave our room or speak to me or Allegra for the first month, it must have been far worse."

Koneko's eyes seemed to glaze over a little and her eyes shifted to the floor.

"That must have been hard on you, Master Seth." Alastair spoke up. "Anna and I were still in servant training at that time, so we can't say we fully understand your feelings."

"Although, Little Luke was still rather quiet and sullen when we first arrived." Annabelle pointed out.

"Well, after Luke met you, Melody and Irina, he seemed like he was back to normal." Seth smiled as he turned to Annabelle.

"Who's Irina?" Hana inquired.

"She was the first friend Luke made after moving here." Seth answered. "She was a bit tomboyish, but her energy and cheerfulness were really what Luke needed. Unfortunately, they only knew each other for a couple of months before her family left Japan. Although, we didn't find out about that for a while. If not for Melody doing her best to comfort him, he would have fallen into complete despair again."

That story left a tense atmosphere in the air, which was eventually broken by Fumiko.

"C-can I-I tuh-take a-uh-closer l-look at Luke-san's father?" Fumiko asked.

Seth handed Fumiko the family photograph and examined the eyes of Luke's father thoroughly.

"I have never heard of an eye condition like that." Fumiko spoke with an unusual amount of confidence for her. "Even among the supernatural diseases and health defects I've researched, there is nothing like this."

Seth simply stared at Fumiko in surprise.

"I-I know a lot about medicine!" Fumiko slightly panicked at Seth's expression.

"I'm going to check up on Luke." Rias said as she walked toward the hallway.

"As will I." Annabelle bowed before catching up to Rias.

Both women looked at each other with competitive spirits in their eyes as they walked down the hallway. After Rias and Annabelle had left the room, Seth spoke up again.

"Actually, it was very strange that Luke and Irina were able to play together."

"Hm, why is that?" Yuuto asked.

"While there was nothing wrong about Luke and Irina playing, she was never allowed inside the house, and we were lucky to not have met the end of a holy sword."

"A… holy sword?" Yuuto's voice and body shook in what seemed to be rage.

"Was Irina a member of the Church?" Akeno guessed that since Seth brought up holy swords that Irina had some relation to the Church.

"I don't think she was, but I did see where she lived, and her parents definitely were. No, I think it was more than just being followers because I felt an overpowering holy aura coming from inside their house. If I had to guess, one of her parents wielded a holy sword. If Luke was a Devil like me, or if Irina got more involved with me, Allegra or Melody, things would have turned out far worse."

Yuuto's trembling refused to stop, and his eyes were filled with so much hatred that it frightened Fumiko from speaking up.

The next day, the Occult Research Club was getting ready for the upcoming Kuoh Academy Ball Tournament. Since they were all in a club, participation was mandatory. There was also no guarantee to what sport they will be playing, thus they had to practice in various different types of ball sports. Today, they were practicing their baseball skills and they were all wearing baseball uniforms. Currently, it was Luke's turn to bat, and he was absolutely not surprised that he kept missing all of his swings.

"Come on, Luke!" Rias tried cheering him on. "I know you can hit that ball!"

I can hit it, but I'm 100 percent sure it would be completely luck-based. Luke thought.

Even though becoming a Devil heightened his physical abilities and senses, his coordination was complete and utter garbage.

"President, I-I think I'm better off as a pitcher." Luke said.

"Your posture is all wrong. Let me help."

Rias walked up to Luke and started adjusting his stance. The closeness of Rias's body to his own was making Luke blush.

"You're right-handed, right? Have the palm of your right hand facing toward the sky and your left palm facing the ground."

Rias continued giving Luke tips while being very close to him. He was able to redo his stance at her suggestions, but he was still a little distracted from her being so close to him.

"And remember to keep your eyes on the ball." Rias gave one more tip before heading back to the pitcher's mound.

Luke inhaled and exhaled deeply before Rias threw the ball at him. He kept his eyes on the ball and with a single swing, he managed to hit the ball and it flew a good distance. Due to their enhanced physical abilities as Devils, they had to learn to hold back which is why Luke didn't hit a home run. As Luke marveled at his improvement, Fumiko was trying to catch the ball. Sadly, she tripped and fell while trying to do so.

"Owie…" Fumiko groaned.

"Fumiko, are you okay?" Luke ran up to Fumiko and helped her up.

"I'm-I'm-I'm-I'm fine!" Fumiko stammered with pink cheeks.

"Amazing work, Luke!" Rias congratulated him. "Just remember those tips and you'll be able to consistently hit the ball without issue."

"T-thanks." Luke bashfully replied.

"Next, I'll hit the ball and Yuuto will catch." Rias said as she walked up to the plate.

Rias tossed the ball into the air and struck it with her bat, sending it flying toward Yuuto. However, he just stood in place and stared at the ground even as the ball hit him in the head.

"Kiba!" Luke called out to him without even thinking.

It seemed like Yuuto finally heard Luke and realized what had happened.

"… Oh, sorry. I zoned out a little." Yuuto apologized before picking up the ball and throwing it back to Rias.

Rias caught the ball and sighed. "Yuuto, what's wrong? It's not like you to be daydreaming during training."

"I'm sorry."

Yuuto's been brooding ever since he was at my place yesterday. Luke thought. Did something happen while I was in my room?

Luke then saw Rias take out a baseball manual and look over it.

President reads quite a bit. I did see her reading a few books while we were at that training camp. She probably likes to consult them whenever she's confronted by a problem. Some of them are even too complicated for me.

"My, my, Luke have you heard?" Akeno asked him.

"Heard what?" Luke looked at Akeno quizzically.

"Buchou has recently started reading a love manual."

"A l-l-l-l-love manual?!" Luke could feel himself starting to panic. The President likes someone?! NO! Why does this always happen to me?!

Akeno began chuckling. "Hm-hm-hm. You have nothing to worry about, Luke-kun. Everything will be fine. If your positions were reversed, I'm sure Buchou would be just as shocked. This is a first for her, so you'll have to watch out, Luke-kun."

Luke was confused by Akeno's words, but he did feel a bit relieved.

After training that day, Luke returned home and entered a spare room. He was completely shirtless and facing away from the door with a pink face. This was routine ever since he sacrificed some of his life force to temporarily use an incomplete Balance Breaker. In order to regain some of this life force, this was something he had to do every day. Just then, he heard the door open up and Emery entered the room.

"All right, let's begin." Emery sighed. "Remember to not look."

After closing the door, Emery removed her clothes until she was wearing nothing but her black panties. Luke remained as he was, facing away from Emery so she wouldn't see her practically naked. A part of him really wanted to look, but he was certain if he did, he would at least receive a fist to the face. Emery sat behind him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her body against his back. Even though Luke wasn't able to see her, he could at least feel her large breasts touching his skin. Luke then felt a warm sensation throughout his body as a light blue aura enveloped both him and Emery. From what Seth and Emery told him, she is capable of Senjutsu, a power the allows one to control the flow of life energy or ki. Normally, this is something only powerful youkai are able to learn, but the Belmont clan which Emery hails from are the few humans capable of this technique. It has applications in combat, but it also has healing abilities that can relieve fatigue and restore one's lifespan, although such healing would take a significant amount of time to complete and requires physical contact which is why both Luke and Emery were topless.

"I know you're enjoying this." Emery's voice clearly conveyed her annoyance.

Luke remained silent. I will admit, I am enjoying the feeling of your breasts touching my back.

Emery then sighed in exasperation. "I guess it can't be helped. Just don't going around expending your life energy just to keep this going. I'm only doing this because Seth asked me to. I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

President made me promise not to do something so reckless ever again. I would only ever sacrifice my life force again if it's a last resort in a life-or-death situation and I prefer those to not happen.

The day of the ball tournament arrived, and after Rias represented the girls in her class in a tennis match against the student council president Sona Sitri, the Occult Research Club was getting ready for their match. Luckily for Luke, the game they would be participating in would be dodgeball. Earlier in the day, they watched Seth represent the boys in his class in basketball and there were many female students there to see him. Their dodgeball match had a large number of viewers as well, but the guys were simply there to cheer on the ladies of the Occult Research Club and the girls were there to cheer on Yuuto.

"You've got this, Luke! Dodgeball is your game!" Seth cheered loudly.

The only people cheering for Luke were his older brother, Hana, and Melody and all of her servants he has met, although they did cheer for the other members of the Occult Research Club, too.

"Aim for Bokkiko!" The boys in the baseball club shouted as they were throwing every single ball at Luke.

If Luke wasn't a Devil, there was no way he would have been able to dodge every single ball that was being thrown at him by the baseball club. Since the other members of the Occult Research Club were popular girls and one popular guy, he was the only one the opposing team felt they could hit.

"All of their fire is focused on Luke!" Rias said to the rest of her team. "This will be a sacrifice strategy. Luke, keep dodging! This is our chance!"

Don't really have a choice.

One of the balls aimed at Luke was caught by Koneko who then threw it at one of their opponents and took him down with one shot.

"I don't care if I get shit for this! I'm taking you down, pretty boy!"

A well-built member of the baseball club threw a ball toward Yuuto, who seemed to be spacing out again.

"Kiba, look out!" Luke shouted at Yuuto while running towards him without thinking.

"… Ah, Luke-kun?" Yuuto seemed to have come out of his daze, but he still didn't notice the ball coming toward him.

Luke got in front of Yuuto, ready to catch the ball so he wouldn't be eliminated from the match. However, the ball arced downward and hit Luke right in the groin. Due to the excruciating pain, Luke fell to the ground while holding his crotch.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Seth shouted to the heavens while clutching his head, before slumping in his seat and whimpering. "My nieces and nephews…"

Melody and Asia both had wide eyes and their hands were covering their own mouths from the shock.

"Oh my…" Misaki only had one hand over her mouth.

Issei was visibly wincing at the painful sight he knew Luke was going through. Even Hikaru had a similar expression to Issei. Luke's other club members rushed towards him, and Rias held him up.

"Pr… President…" Luke's voice was high-pitched and strained. "My… balls…"

"I got the ball, Luke!" Rias was clueless as to what Luke meant by 'ball'. "You did well. Now, it's time to hunt down whoever did this to my cute Luke!"

Rias's eyes were filled with an intense desire for retribution.

"My, my, Buchou, I think Luke-kun is trying to say a couple of different balls are in serious condition." Akeno interjected.

Rias then realized what happened to Luke and became speechless. "How dare they! Fumiko, come here! I will be in trouble if Luke doesn't see immediate medical attention!"

"Di-did Luke-san get injured?!" Fumiko started to panic.

"Yes, he took a hit in a vital spot. I'm sorry to ask you this so suddenly, but can you take him behind the building and heal him?"

"A v-v-v-v-vital spot?! I'll give it my all!"

Rias then looked to Koneko. "Koneko, take Luke somewhere no one will see him?"

"Understood." Koneko nodded.

"I'm… I'm sorry… President…" Luke squealed out in pain.

"It's all right, Luke." Rias gently patted him on the cheek. "You did your best. Leave the rest to us."

Koneko grabbed Luke by the back of his collar and started dragging him away with Fumiko following behind them as Rias proceeded to defeat the remaining opponents all by herself.

Koneko and Fumiko took Luke to a spot behind the gymnasium where there wouldn't be any onlookers or passersby. Fumiko summoned her Supreme Aid and held it in her arms.

"Luke-san, tell me where you're hurt." Fumiko said.

"It… It's embarrassing…" Luke was still in intense pain and now he was feeling shame at the possibility of showing Fumiko his jewels.

"… Eh?! You… you muh-mean…" Fumiko blushed when she realized what part of his body was hit. At first, she seemed flustered, but a second later she felt a strong sense of resolve. "Luke-san, I'm going to need you to take off your pants."

"Wha?!" Luke yelped in shock.

"As a future doctor, seeing a naked person will be a regular occurrence. Now, take off your pants and underwear."

Unable to process what was happening, Luke just stood against the wall with wide eyes and an agape mouth.

"… Just take off your pants." Koneko spoke up.

Luke grabbed the hem of his pants, and his hands shook as he hesitated. Like pulling a scab off of a festering wound, Luke slammed his eyes shut and dropped his pants to his knees. He had no idea what was going on as he didn't want to see the girls' reaction to seeing his junk. After a few seconds had passed, he could feel something poke through his skin in the groin area, but thankfully it was off to the side and didn't strike his genitals. Almost immediately, he could feel a soothing sensation as the pain was fading away.

Ah, right… The effect of Fumiko's Supreme Aid is stronger when it's injected directly into the bloodstream. "Wait, Fumiko?"

"Ah, wha-what is it?" Fumiko stuttered a bit.

"Did you s-say something about b-being 'a future doctor'?"

"W-well, y-yes. I want to be a doctor someday."

That's actually quite fitting, considering her Sacred Gear.

"That should about do it. You can put your pants back on."

Luke did as Fumiko said and pulled his pants and underwear back on. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Fumiko's face was still red as a tomato. In addition to that, Luke noticed that there were visibly dark circles under her eyes.

"Fumiko, have you been getting enough sleep?" Luke asked with a bit of worry. "You remember what happened to me during the training camp."

"N-no, I'm g-getting enough sl-sleep." Fumiko insisted. "A… although…"

"Hm?"

"Can… c-can I… I… r-r-r-rest my… h-head on… y-y… your lap?" Fumiko shyly asked.

"Uh, um, y-sure." Luke blushed at Fumiko's request.

Luke sat down on a nearby bench and Fumiko lied down next to him with her head resting firmly on his thigh. With an exhale of content, Fumiko looked like she was about to fall asleep with a very pleasant smile on her face.

"Luke-san's lap… is so warm…" Fumiko muttered before falling asleep.

Luke couldn't help but blush at how adorable Fumiko looked sleeping on his lap. He slowly and carefully started petting her head.

I don't know what Fumiko's life at home is like, but I can't help but worry about her.

"Victory goes to the Occult Research Club!"

Hearing the announcement that his club won the dodgeball game, Luke couldn't help but smile.

That night, after Luke was on his way back from his Devil job with the foreign woman again and actually making a contract with her this time, he received an urgent message from Rias saying that they had to eliminate a Stray Devil immediately. He met with the rest of his allies outside of an abandoned factory.

"I'm sorry to make you come all this way on such short notice." Rias said.

"N-no, you're fine, President." Luke then looked toward the dilapidated building. "Our target's in there?"

"Yes, it's definitely a Stray Devil." Koneko answered.

"We've been ordered to slay it immediately." Rias stated. "That's how dangerous it is. We'll be at a disadvantage indoors, so we'll need to bring it outside. Fumiko, you stay back. Akeno and I will remain outside with you."

"Y-yes, Buchou!" Fumiko nodded.

"Koneko, Yuuto and Luke will lure it outside." Rias finished explaining her plan. "Understood?"

"Yes, Buchou." "Yes." "Hm." Akeno, Koneko, and Luke respectively replied to Rias.

However, Rias noticed that one of them didn't respond.

"Yuuto?"

Yuuto was once again in his brooding state, only to be snapped back to reality by Rias's words.

"Oh, y-yes, Buchou!"

Luke, Koneko and Yuuto approached the factory's metal double-doors. As Luke called forth his Falchion, Koneko blew down the metal doors with a single punch and casually walked inside.

"Let's go." Koneko said.

Without a moment to lose, the three of them entered the factory and Koneko stopped as they reached the center.

"What is it, Koneko?" Luke asked.

"It's here." Koneko looked directly ahead.

Hiding behind a large, rusted canister was what appeared to be a frightened woman. However, that quickly changed to a large grin with sharp fangs and horns protruding from her head with the lower half of her body belonging to some kind of beast. It jumped onto the ceiling and began crawling along it.

"Yuuto-senpai."

However, Yuuto didn't seem to hear Koneko.

"Yuuto-senpai!"

Yuuto finally heard Koneko. "S-sorry!"

The Stray Devil let out some viscous fluid from its backside and it struck Koneko in the shoulder. The sleeve of her uniform melted and burned some of her skin. While she was down, the Stray Devil took the chance to attack her.

"Agi!" Luke got in front of Koneko and used his demonic power to blast the Stray Devil with fire and stop her advance. "Kiba, stop daydreaming!"

Yuuto brought out one of his demonic swords and slashed the Stray Devil's arms off. During his landing, he tripped over a pipe and fell, and the Stray Devil was about to pounce.

"Gradivus!"

Luke's sword changed its shape into a spear, and it extended until it pierced the Stray Devil right through the jaw. Koneko even grabbed the Stray Devil by one of its hind legs and pulled it back to keep it away from Yuuto. Using her superstrength, she tossed the Stray Devil through the glass ceiling above them. Once she was outside, Akeno attacked the Stray Devil with a powerful lightning strike and Rias finished her off with her Power of Destruction. Not a single trace of it was left. Luke and Koneko had come out of the factory just as Akeno flew down and landed next to them.

"She was no longer a Devil, for she had gone completely insane." Akeno stated. "No wonder the extermination order was so urgent."

"Koneko-chan, you're hurt!" Fumiko ran over to Koneko and started healing her burns with her Supreme Aid.

"Thank you." Koneko said.

SMACK!

Their attention was immediately drawn to Rias and Yuuto, where it looked like the former just slapped the latter.

"Well? Did that wake you up?" Rias asked angrily.

Even after that slap, Yuuto was expressionless and silent.

"If it was simply just during the ball tournament, I wouldn't be this upset. But you or Koneko could have easily died!"

"I'm sorry." That was all Yuuto said.

"What's wrong with you?" Rias asked as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I've never seen you like this."

"It doesn't concern you." Yuuto gave a cold, fake smile and started walking away.

"Kiba, just tell us what's wrong." Luke decided to speak up.

"You're one to talk, Luke-kun. You don't tell us anything about yourself. Besides, Devils are self-centered creatures by nature. Well, I will admit it's my fault this time for not obeying my master."

I can't deny that he has a point. I shouldn't be the one telling him off for keeping secrets.

"I just remembered something basic is all." Yuuto said.

"Basic?" Luke asked.

"Yes, my reason to fight."

"Isn't President your reason to fight?"

Yuuto then showed an expression of powerful determination. "No, I live for revenge. For the destruction of the Holy Sword Excalbur."

After everything that had happened, Luke and Rias returned home and she was explaining to him, Seth, and Fumiko in the living room about Yuuto's situation.

"The Holy Sword Project?" Luke asked.

"Yes. Yuuto is a survivor of that plan. There was a project within the Christian Church to raise individuals capable of wielding the Holy Sword Excalibur. Holy Swords are the ultimate weapons against Devils. Touching one will burn us and getting cut will reduce us to dust. For those who believe in God, who see Devils as mortal enemies, they are the perfect weapon. There are numerous Holy Swords, each with its own origin story, but the most famous is Excalibur."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't know Excalibur." Seth said.

"Holy Swords are weapons created by those who reached the realm of God through their mastery of magic and alchemy. However, only select individuals are capable of wielding a holy sword. It's said that only one person every few decades has the ability to handle one successfully."

"Kiba's Sacred Gear allows him to create demonic swords. Does that mean there's also one that can create holy swords?" Luke inquired.

"There are some Sacred Gears with that ability. Although they are by no means weak, the swords created from those Sacred Gear don't compare to those forged through alchemy."

I wonder if the holy effect I add to my abilities through Art Creation compares to the likes of Excalibur. At my current level, probably not.

"There is a Sacred Gear that is a powerful holy weapon, and it's a Longinus, just like Art Creation and World Ender. The True Longinus, the Holy Spear wielded by the man who killed Jesus Christ, is particularly famous. The very word 'Longinus' is derived from that weapon. However, Excalibur, Durandal, and Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi are especially powerful. No holy Sacred Gear can match those three weapons. The same applies to demonic swords, too. Yuuto was one of many individuals artificially raised to acquire compatibility with Holy Swords, specifically Excalibur."

"W-wait, does that mean Kiba c-can wield Holy Swords?" Luke asked.

Rias shook her head. "No, he couldn't adapt to the Holy Swords. Actually, none of his fellow test subjects proved capable, either. When the Church officials learned that Yuuto and the other subjects were incompatible, they branded them as defective and disposed of them."

"D… Disposed? You mean… they killed them?" Fumiko asked with a shaky voice. "How can they be so cruel?"

"It always pisses me off when those who serve a religion that's supposed to spread love and forgiveness engage in such despicable behavior!" Seth growled under his breath. "And yet they call us Devils 'evil'!"

"I agree, there's no greater evil than human malice. When I reincarnated Yuuto into a Devil, he swore vengeance even when he was on the verge of death. From the moment he was born, his talents had been wasted on Holy Swords. I wanted him to use his skills as a Devil. Those skills were too good to be wasted solely for those weapons… but he couldn't forget. Not the Holy Swords, the people involved in the project, or those from the Church…" Rias then sighed deeply. "Anyway, I'll have to keep an eye on him until he calms down. I hope he returns to his usual self soon."

"I think I bear some blame for Yuuto's current behavior." Seth confessed. "He seemed fine when the club met here the other day, but I could tell his demeanor had changed after I brought up how an old friend of Luke's had a parent with a holy sword."

"It all makes sense now…" Rias muttered to herself. "I always knew my predecessor in this territory had been destroyed, and now it makes sense. But as I recall…"

Luke, Seth, and Fumiko looked at Rias contemplate something for a while.

"… We should get some rest." Rias declared. "Dwelling on this won't help Yuuto. And Fumiko should be getting home soon, anyway."

"Th-thank you, Buchou!" Fumiko bowed to Rias.

"Luke, you and Rias should head to bed." Seth suggested. "I'll make sure Fumiko gets home safely."

A/N: This chapter ended up being a little longer than intended, though thankfully not that much longer. As I was going back to Volume 3 for this chapter, I realized I completely forgot a few things they hinted at long before they were covered in the light novel such as the Holy Spear wielded by Cao Cao, Cleria Belial's fate and Vasco Strada.

As for that foreign lady Luke met at the beginning of the chapter, I won't say too much right now, but I can say that she's exactly who you think she is. One of my consultants for this story is particularly excited for this character and I would like to thank them for the descriptions I used for her.

This marks the official reveal that Emery knows Senjutsu, which is absolutely critical for her battles later on.

I also got to show what Luke's parents looked like. On top of that, I also finally revealed Fumiko's desire to become a doctor. In the next arc, she will be one of the focal characters, so there's still plenty of her story and character I've yet to reveal.

The next chapter should be the first appearance of Xenovia and Irina. I did initially plan for Luke and Irina to be childhood friends, but after reintegrating Issei into the story and thinking about Luke's mental state at the time, I feel what I've come up here was the best way to handle it.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!

Luke Harem: Rias Gremory, Annabelle Wright

Issei Harem: Misaki Shirayuki, Asia Argento

Rias Gremory Peerage: Rias Gremory (King), Akeno Himejima (Queen), Yuuto Kiba (Knight), Koneko Toujo (Rook), Fumiko Kazuya (Bishop), Gasper Vladi (Bishop), Luke Sigmund (8 Pawns)

Seth Sigmund Peerage: Seth Sigmund (King), Annabelle Wright (Queen), Alastair Wright (Rook), Emery Belmont (Rook), Hana Sakuya (2 Bishops)

Melody Morag Peerage: Melody Morag (King), Misaki Shirayuki (Queen), Katherine Petrova (Knight), Spiral Hirano (Knight), Azusa Hirano (Rook), Akira Kazuya (Rook), Hikaru Ueda (Bishop), Asia Argento (Bishop), Issei Hyoudou (8 Pawns)