Ch 359: Lorenzaccio Bandini.

Liliana opened her eyes when her phone rang. It was 6:30, and she felt well rested.

As she sat up, her cheeks colored as the memories of Her Lord's visit in her Soul Space. And to think they would meet there every night from now on!

She almost wanted to fall asleep again, but she had work to do, even if today was Saturday.

"Good morning, Bunny." said Hikari through the bangle on her left wrist.

"Morning, Hikari. Did you also have Our Lord visit you in your dreams?"

"Yes!" laughed Hikari. "Yui and I normally do not sleep much since we don't really need it, but when some of the girls who had gone to bed early because they had night shifts started reporting what was happening in their sleep, we both decided that we'd sleep every night from now on."

"I am very grateful to Lilith-sama." nodded Liliana.

"So are we. Are you ready to roll, Sweet Bunny?"

"I am." nodded Liliana as she reached for the dice on her nightstand and threw them.

"1 and 6. That's Bondage Intensity Training Lvl 1. Wear an armbinder, collar, gag and thigh-to-ankle cuffs for 30 minutes every even-numbered days."

"This isn't too bad." nodded Liliana.

"Right. You're starting to have quite a lot of rules, Bunny, and it is only day 21. You still have 39 days to go before you're allowed to get rid of some of them.."

"Say, Hikari, if I do some of my tasks during my sleep while I am with My Lord, does that count?" asked Liliana.

"I assume it does, as far as your daily quota goes." said Hikari. "Are you thinking about some of the tasks requiring Master's presence, like having to request to service him thrice a day?"

"Yes."

"Give me a second… Alright, Yui and I just discussed it and we're in agreement. You can do your tasks and tell us about them when you wake up. However, the time you spend in your Soul Space will not be used to reduce the duration of the game, and your quota is per day in the real world, not per day in your Soul Space."

"I understand." nodded Liliana.

"Although Bunny, I don't even know why you're still playing the game. We both know that you are devoted to Master now, body and soul."

"I know, but… I do not wish to disappoint Him... And while the rules are very embarrassing, I know sticking to them will help me become more confident in the long term. And I become a little closer to My Lord's vision of his ideal knight."

"I'd say you're already perfect, but that's just my opinion. Why don't you remind me of your rules, Bunny, to make certain you aren't forgetting any?"

Liliana paused for an instant to organize her thoughts.

"Lifestyle category, I must drink at least two liters of water per day. I can only access pre-approved porn materials. Curse words are banned. My Lord must choose my outfit for any public activity and dress me up. My daily uniform inside the house, unless specified by My Lord, is a latex dress or bodysuit, without underwear. I must wear a butt plug and a locked bondage collar in public."

"Devotion category, I must cook two meals every day. I need to tell My Lord every day a new reason I am grateful He owns me. I must ask Him if He needs anything before I go to bed. I have to wear a locked collar at all times, and massage him for fifteen minutes before He goes to bed. During daytime, I need to wear a corset with a five centimeters waist reduction, and wear nipples clamps fifteen minutes every day. I also need to train in the wear of ballet heels and do five hundred steps in them every day."

"Sexual training and Service, I have to wear a medium-sized butt plug for six hours every day, and fellate a rubber cock, keeping my lips against its base for twenty seconds, thirty-five times every day. I must edge at least one hour a day, and orgasm at least once. I must offer to service My Lord three times, and give Him an Orgasm at least once, every day."

"Bondage category, for three hours every Saturday and Sunday, I must wear a straitjacket and ankle-to-thighs cuffs with blindfold, ear plugs or noise-canceling headphones, and I must speak out loud my affection to My Lord at least once every three minutes. During daytime, I must wear wrist and ankle cuffs, and connect them to each other by short chains when at home. Every odd-numbered day, I must wear a bone gag, collar, tail plug, and lock my wrists to my biceps for an hour. And now, every odd-numbered day, I must wear for thirty minutes an armbinder, collar, gag and thigh-to-ankle cuffs."

"Good girl, Bunny. It's starting to be a lot, right?"

"Yes. But many of those are redundant, and now that I can meet My Lord in my dreams, I won't need to do it with Ruo Ruo anymore."

"But you don't really dislike pleasuring Ruo Ruo, do you? Especially when she returns the favor." teased Hikari, and Liliana blushed a little.

"It's not the same."

"No, it's not the same." agreed Hikari. "Did Master tell you about the latest developments?"

"Yes." smiled Liliana. "I am happy for Minaho and Nei."

"We're already arranging for accommodations in another world, since it would be a problem if people recognized Naomi, Kei or Nei's parents."

Liliana nodded, and took from her inventory the rubber dildo and medium-sized butt plug she had become familiar with.

"I'll get those out of the way first." said Liliana as she headed for her bathroom.

…

Noah woke up slowly, unsure at first if he was just remembering one of his many girls giving head, or if one was doing it right now. As his awareness sharpened, he realized that someone was indeed sucking on his morning wood. He kept his eyes closed and used Promise.

Shuiruo had paid him a surprise visit, teleporting inside Minaho's mansion, and decided to wake him in a most pleasant way. Her pajamas were on the floor, and she currently wore only a set of black leather ankle and wrist cuffs, and a collar.

In other rooms, Minaho was still asleep with Naomi in her arms, and Nei was awake, sitting beside the sleeping Kei and watching him fondly. Megumi, Maika and Yukino were all sleeping, having experienced a long day and night. Margo, Kyoko, Keiko and Katsuko were in the living room drinking coffee, and Morishita was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

Noah put his hands on Shuiruo's head as she went up and down, not to stop her or guide her rhythm, but simply to pat her.

"Good morning, Ruo Ruo." smiled Noah, and Shuiruo grunted in acknowledgement as she kept sucking him.

As she did, Noah thought about the new ability Lilith had granted him. He had been worried about the moment when memories from tens of thousands of his shards would be downloaded into his brain, but that wasn't actually how it worked. The synchronization was done in real time as long as he, too, was asleep. And he barely even noticed the memories dating from the times when he was awake. The memories were there, but he hadn't noticed any strain when they appeared.

Shuiruo finished, sucking persistently without letting any drop escape her. When she was done, she dried him using a small towel, then snuggled against him.

"Thanks for the treat, Master." chuckled Shuiruo.

"Thank you, my cute Ruo Ruo." smiled Noah before kissing her forehead. "To what do I owe this most welcome visit?"

"I just wanted to do something nice for you, after what we did last night." chuckled Shuiruo. "And according to the rules, you must bathe and dress me, and I need your permission to eat. I saw an opportunity and pounced. I believe that Minaho will be in a good enough mood this morning to forgive my intrusion, assuming she discovers it."

"I think so as well." nodded Noah. "Alright, let's take a shower together, then. Today will also be a busy day."

…

"This isn't like you, Frederica-chan." sighed Akeno as she saw the little girl once again open her mouth, freeze, then close it without a word. "It's obvious that you've got something on your mind for days now. Where did our fearless Goddess of Victory go?"

They were eating breakfast in the Finality's cafeteria, large enough for two hundred people.

As both the crew, the members of the Spearhead Squadron, and the additional fifty pilots of the Federacy's Claymore and Thunderbolt Squadrons assigned to the ship came to eat breakfast whenever they wished, the room had more than thirty people in it at any given time.

"I noticed it as well." nodded Selesia, one hand idly playing with her braid of red hair. "If there's anything your big sisters can do for you, Frederica-chan, you only have to ask."

"That is…" started Frederica, glancing at Selesia for an instant before blushing. "A-Akeno, can I talk to you in private, please?"

"Sure." nodded Akeno as she took from her tray the cup of tea and stood. She carried the tray to the disposal box, where a drone would recover and clean it before storing it for later use.

Tea cup in hand, she waited for Frederica to do the same and followed her. Frederica walked to her cabin, looking like she was going to her execution, or maybe a job interview, and pressed the button to close and lock the panel once she and Akeno were inside.

"It's a cute room." smiled Akeno as she saw the large plushies beside the bed.

"Akeno, I…" started Frederica, then she steeled herself. "Please, I have a big favor to ask you. I you agree, I'll… I'll agree to be your sex slave!"

Had Akeno not acquired great self-control over the last two years, the cup of tea would have fallen from her hand. Her mouth was still gaping in shock.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Frederica-chan?" shouted Akeno. "No one wants to make you a sex slave! And even simply mentioning that stuff is too early for you!"

"But… That's what you like to do, right? Turn women into your slaves. Selesia, Lena, and now even Anju is starting to go to your cabin as well."

"So?" asked Akeno with a raised eyebrow. "They're my friends, and we often hang around in private to have conversations together."

"Do not underestimate me, Akeno!" glared Frederica, her index pointing at her red eyes and black hair. "I'm a Pyrope, and our Esper ability is Psychometry! And I'm a pretty strong one, too!"

Akeno heavily sighed and sat on the edge of Frederica's bed.

"So you're a psychometrist. What form does your ability takes, exactly?"

"When I think about a person I am familiar with, I can see their present even if they're far away, and glimpses of their past." said Frederica, blushing further. "And when I look at you, almost all I can see aside from your work is sex! And not just any sex! I saw things I wish I never learned about!"

"Maybe you should refrain from peeping at people then, if you are afraid of what you might find." glared Akeno. "And what's this nonsense about you agreeing to it? I am angry that you would even think I would accept! Whatever your reason, I'm putting my foot down! Not for at least six or seven years! This is stuff between adults, and you're still a kid!"

"I… I want you to save my Knight, Akeno." blurted out Frederica, her eyes suddenly glistening with tears.

"…Your Knight?" asked Akeno, her voice suddenly gentle.

"Yes. Kiriya Nouzen. He's… part of the Legion now."

"Nouzen? That's also Shin's last name."

"The Nouzen clan is a big one. I do not think they're closely related." replied Frederica.

"I see… As expected, you're not just a random girl, to have a knight." nodded Akeno.

"No, I… Frederica Rosenfort is the name Ernst gave me to protect me. My real name is Augusta Frederica Adel-Adler. I am the last Empress of the former Giadian Empire. My parents were killed by the people when the Empire fell, and officially, I died in the chaos." admitted Frederica.

"I understand." nodded Akeno before shrugging. "Well, I don't really care. To me, you're still Frederica-chan, my cute little sister."

She patted Frederica's head once with a smile.

"I'll do what I can. What can you tell me about your Knight, Frederica-chan?"

"He, Kiri always accompanied me, for as long as I remember." nodded Frederica. "He's like a big brother to me. Even when I was acting selfishly, Kiri scolded me, but he also let me do as I wanted. There was that time when I climbed a tree and fell, and he was there to catch me…"

Akeno waited for a few minutes while Frederica talked, then nodded.

"Alright alright, I get it." smiled Akeno. "Since he's so dear to you, I'll do whatever it takes to bring him back to you. But in return, you will agree to one thing."

"What is it? I'll do anything, even…"

"Nothing sexual! I don't even want to hear those words coming from your mouth, you hear? It ruins your 'little sister' image!" retorted in Akeno as she flicked Frederica's forehead.

"What then?" asked Frederica as she rubbed her forehead, more by reflex than anything. Akeno had been gentle and she had barely felt anything.

"You will establish a little sister contract with me and Noah." said Akeno with a fond smile. "It's one of the abilities my lover Noah lets me use, and as a result, every time you fall asleep, he will appear in your dreams, and you two can get to know each other and play games together. The thing is, you're adorable, Frederica-chan, and I want to share your cuteness with him. It will also do him some good to have a purely platonic bond with a girl for once. And you'll get a second Big Brother in the process. This will kill three stones with one bird."

"I don't think you got the saying right, but… I accept. Thank you, Big Sis Akeno." sighed Frederica.

"Hum, I like the sound of that. Please say it again, Frederica-chan!" grinned Akeno.

"Thank you very much for helping me, Big Sister Akeno." nodded Frederica, stressing the last words.

Frederica wasn't certain that if she somehow met Noah in person in her dreams, he wouldn't try forcing himself on her, or that even if he had pure intentions, it would always remain so as she grew older. But she had been serious when she said before that she was willing to become a sex slave if it came down to it, and that hadn't changed. To save Kiri, she was willing to sacrifice even herself.

For years now, she had lived with the guilt. Kiriya had sacrificed himself for her, going to the frontline because his face was too well known in the capital, and staying with her would have drawn unwanted attention. Every day, she had lived with that knowledge. Frederica had forced a smile on her face and acted like she wasn't affected by it, but it still ate at her every day.

Akeno nodded and took from her inventory the white kitsune-shaped helmet Da Vinci once made for her, and the white and red leather bodysuit.

"Good. It's time for Kyuubi to make an appearance again. Frederica-chan, you said your psychometry allows you to see the present of people you're familiar with. Can you use it to guide me toward him? If you can, I'll depart as soon as Da Vinci modifies this helmet to get past the Legion's jamming."

"I can." nodded Frederica, feeling like her heart was about to burst from relief.

"Akeno, I'll clear your schedule for the day. No need to bother Da Vinci, I can modify your helmet in ten minutes." announced Cortana.

"Thank you, Cortana." smiled Akeno.

…

Hours later, Akeno was flying deep into Legion territory. Twice, she stumbled upon small groups of Legion units. Ameises and some others of a type she had not encountered before, equipped with both ground-to-air missiles and high-angle rotary auto-canons, took shots at her.

But Akeno was too fast and nimble for them to be a real threat, and she left burning wrecks behind her.

Following Frederica's directions, she spotted a Morpho in the distance, and had to suddenly dive to evade a hypersonic shell over ten times her own mass.

The Morpho didn't have time to fully charge a second shot before Akeno was on him and dismantled it with practiced, efficient moves, surrounding herself with multiple layers of Light shields to deflect fire from the other Legion units. She flew away, holding the brain-in-a-jar in her hands. Less than a minute later, before the brain's cells could start suffering damage from the interrupted oxygen supply, she landed in a wooden area, and started Healing him.

…

Noah, once again using his Ren Nagano disguise, ignored the flashing cameras as he walked holding Misuzu's arm.

Their little cortege was led by Shigetaka Kouzuki and Minaho, as well as Reika and another female bodyguard, Seki Shou. They were leaving the site of a library inauguration and were ostensibly headed for the official opening of the Kouzuki Grand Hotel.

Walking behind him were Misuzu's bodyguard Michi, Nei, Ruriko, her attendant Yoshiko, Margo and Kyoko.

In the back of the crowd, Noah spotted Cordelia, holding a camera in her hands that she occasionally used, but she wasn't paying him any attention. She had her eyes fixated on Kyoko.

They entered the two armored limos and got on their way. Noah was in the second limo with Misuzu, Nei, Michi, Ruriko and her attendant Yoshiko.

"With this, we can be sure that Cesario Viola will attack the hotel." said Misuzu, satisfied.

"I think he will." nodded Noah. "Although there's a chance he will wait until we're back at the mansion?" asked Noah.

"He won't." smiled Nei. "We've just been rather blatant in waving the bait, meaning me, in front of him right now. We have basically confirmed to him that it's a trap, but he will still come. Even if he was cool-headed enough to wait, we can just stay safely inside the hotel while His Excellency gets the police to move, and a group of almost a hundred people, most of them Americans, won't be able to hide for long. He has to know that as well."

Noah nodded, using Promise to scan his surroundings as the two limos, escorted by two more black cars in front and back, progressed through the city.

They arrived to the brand-new hotel without issue, a giant fifty-stories tall skyscraper.

The Kouzuki Grand Hotel wasn't open to business yet, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony would only start in a few hours, so only a handful of reporters were waiting outside.

Noh ignored them as they entered the lobby, its floor covered by a plush red carpet. He was using Promise the whole time, and paused for an instant as he spotted three buses full of armed, masked men, driving down a street toward the hotel.

"They're coming." said Noah, and everyone turned to him. "Three hundred meters in this direction, inside three buses."

"How do you know?" asked Shigetaka Kouzuki.

"I see them using a far sight ability. I will tell you more about me once we're in that safe room."

"Let us start, then." nodded Shigetaka Kouzuki. He nodded to Shou, who barked an order on her radio, then pressed the buttons to call two of the elevators.

The staff around them locked the hotel's front doors then rushed up the staircase to their assigned positions.

The cabins opened as the buses stopped in front of the hotel, and Noah spoke to Nei's ear.

"How about you smile and wave at them, Nei? The windows are bulletproof."

"Nice idea." nodded Nei. She didn't know which of the men jogging out of the buses was Cesario Viola but decided it didn't really matter.

They entered the cabins, and Nei waved with a mocking smile. Reika pressed her badge on the elevator's panel, and after hearing an electronic blip, pressed the 3 and 9 buttons.

Before the elevator's doors closed, Nei waved with a mocking smile. A half-dozen men aimed at her with their rifles and opened fire, only managing to mark the windows with impacts on their outer layers.

"Kouzuki-sama will use this event as advertisement for the hotel and Kouzuki Security Services." said Reika as the cabin ascended. "By defeating a notorious criminal organization, we will advertise our capabilities as potential escorts for VIPs, as well as the safety we can provide for the future guests of the Grand Hotel."

"A good opportunity." nodded Noah. "As long as you can pull it off with negligible casualties."

"I am sure they will, Danna-sama." smiled Misuzu. "The members of Kouzuki Security Service are all very skilled."

"I do not doubt it." nodded Noah.

The cabin stopped at the 39th floor, and the doors opened, revealing a long hallway.

At the end of it was a massive armored door, about forty centimeters thick. It wouldn't be out of place in the vault of a national bank. It was currently open, and Noah could see four steel rods as thick as his arms that would lock the door once closed. Four guards in black suits were standing by the door.

Shigetaka Kouzuki, Minaho and the rest of their group left the second cabin, and Noah followed them. The old man nodded to the guards, and they all left the bunker, leaving Shigetaka's security to Shou and Reika only.

"Half of this floor is occupied by this control bunker, and someone using the stairs will find that there is no door leading to this floor." said Shigetaka to Minaho once they were inside.

The massive door closed.

Shou sat in front of a large console, and the guards who had just left used the two elevators to go to the twelfth floor.

"Are those elevators the only access, then?" frowned Minaho.

"No. There is another, smaller elevator that can bring up to four people to ten of the hotel's floors, and it doesn't appear on any schematic. Its doors on those floors are camouflaged. And it can only be controlled from the bunker, so there is no worries that they would find this elevator and use it to reach us. Not that we plan to ever let them reach above the twentieth floor."

He gestured toward a corner of the large room where several sofas and armchairs were arranged around a low table, and most of the girls sat down.

Shigetaka checked on the array of screens the situation on the first floor. Viola's gang had gone past the main door and was spreading inside, checking the lobby. Many of them were already going up the stairs while others called the elevators. The cabins wouldn't reach them.

From their behavior, Noah couldn't identify a leader. They were moving in silence, and no one seemed to be in charge. It was clear that they were experienced and used to acting together.

Shigetaka was smiling as he spoke a few words, and on the second floor, armored metal panel doors started to fall from the ceiling.

In mere seconds, the criminals had been isolated into four separate groups. Noah used Promise to get a good view and saw that the whole ten floors above the first one were one huge labyrinth, full of blast doors, trap doors, and other non-lethal traps. Dozens of employees of Kouzuki Security Services were hidden in ambush positions. They were armed with a mix of handguns, electric stun batons, tonfas, and other melee weapons.

Cordelia, Nikita and Edie were part of the assault, at the rear of one of the groups that had just been trapped.

Noah saw them slip away without the rest of them noticing as they ostensibly searched one room after another. The three women backtracked a little, checking to make sure no one had noticed their absence, and entered a cleaning closet.

Shou pressed a button on the console, and a small locker in the closet moved silently to the side, revealing the cabin of the small elevator. The girls entered, and the locker slid back in place while the cabin ascended.

They entered the bunker and nodded to Shigetaka and Minaho, then Cordelia glared at Kyoko and Margo.

"It's been a while, Cordelia." said Kyoko, and Cordelia nodded once.

"Let's have a talk in there" suggested Kyoko as she gestured to a smaller room near the back. Cordelia frowned, then agreed, and the two women disappeared inside.

Edie and Nikita glanced at each other, then walked to the nearest wall and quietly watched everyone.

"The floors two to eleven aren't used for hotel or conference rooms, at all." said Noah, and Shigetaka Kouzuki nodded.

"How do you know? Even Minaho doesn't know this. And you didn't answer earlier."

"I have a far sight ability, kind of."

"Kind of?" asked Shigetaka with a raised eyebrow.

"When people hear about far sight, or clairvoyance, or whatever you call it, they often imagine some sort of invisible eyeball allowing its owner to see from a distance. But my ability is more of a localized awareness. Using it, I can for example read the content of a book without having to open it, or see underground."

"Did you use this when you were playing poker with Yukino last week?" asked Minaho, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course." grinned Noah. "I wouldn't leave something so important to chance."

"Well, you were smart in your cheating. I didn't notice any consistent trend. I'll be sure never to gamble with you in the future."

"That wouldn't be wise, unless you don't mind losing." chuckled Noah.

"What about gambling with dice, then." asked Nei.

Noah took from his inventory a die and an opaque cup, and placed the die on the table between the girls, its top face displaying a 1. He covered it with the cup, waited two seconds, then lifted the cup. The girls blinked as they saw the 6 dots on top.

"How?" asked Yoshiko, speaking for them all.

Noah manifested a miniature hand of hardened light and used it to move the die around.

"By using both this and my far sight ability." shrugged Noah.

"That's so sneaky!" laughed Nei. "You could make a killing at Hyakkaou!"

"I have better ways to make money than to scam people. Well, unless their last name is Endou. Then it's a fun way to make money."

Nei giggled, and even Minaho and Margo smiled briefly before returning her attention to the screens.

"Minaho mentioned that you told her who you really are last night." nodded Shigetaka.

Noah nodded and undid his disguise, and Shigetaka froze. Misuzu's eyes widened as far as they would go. She knew Ren wasn't his real name, but she had never assumed he could change his appearance as well.

"Apologies for the falsehood." nodded Noah. "I was under strict orders to maintain my cover until then, and when a literal deity gives you orders, disobeying isn't an option. My real name is Noah Enfield."

"Noah… Enfield." muttered Yoshiko in shock, and Noah smiled at her.

"Danna-sama… you're even more handsome now!" exclaimed Misuzu. She was smiling, but Noah could see that she was hiding a budding fear.

"Nothing changes between us, Misuzu." smiled Noah as he took her hand. "You are still my cute pet, and I'm not letting you go. You may need a bit of time to get used to my real face, though."

Misuzu nodded and hugged him tightly, feeling relieved.

"Yes, Danna-sama is Danna-sama."

"Ah, my family is truly fortunate." sighed Shigetaka, looking at Noah with mixed respect and wariness. "I am willing to officialize your relationship with my granddaughter, if you wish to. Please treat her well."

"I will treasure her, and thank you for your blessing." smiled Noah. "Soon, Misuzu will be able to teleport around and heal people as well, among other things."

Kyoko and Cordelia entered the room again, and Cordelia frowned at his sight.

"Who are you?"

"Noah Enfield. But you know me as Ren Nagano." nodded Noah. From her reaction, it was clear that she recognized his name, despite being in north America during the fight with the British.

"…I see." nodded Cordelia, wary of him.

"Miss Prisken, can you identify Cesario Viola?" asked Shigetaka, and Cordelia turned to look at the screens. After a minute, she pointed to one of them.

"That's him, the one with the damaged left knee pad. His real name is Lorenzaccio Bandini. Cesario Viola is a fake identity assumed by whoever he points a finger to, but Lorenzaccio is the one who killed your son, and the one who's after Nei."

Noah used Promise to find Lorenzaccio, currently on the western side of the third floor, and found his hidden weapons. Those details were consistent with the fiction.

"When we confront him, we need to make sure to search him properly." warned Noah. "He has a knife in his right boot and a capsule of poison gas in the left pocket of his utility belt. Worst case scenario, I can heal you all even if he crushes it."

"If you weren't already a VIP, I'd offer you a job as part of our security forces." nodded Shou.

"I'm flattered by your interest." smiled Noah. "Although my future is already decided."

Shou nodded and returned to her surveillance. On the screens, the number of assailants was steadily decreasing as they fell into various traps or were attacked by the guards.

So far, not a single member of Kouzuki Security Service had been seriously injured.

"It's about time we go back." said Cordelia, and Shigetaka nodded. Cordelia, Nikita and Edie returned to the small elevator, and Shou sent them to the fourth floor.

Noah sat down among the girls, keeping an eye on the situation with Promise.

"What do you intend to do after today's business is over, Danna-sama?" asked Misuzu.

"I will focus most of my attention on Mystic Moon. This is, after all, the bigger crisis my goddess asked me to solve. This matter with Viola is quite satisfying on a personal level, but in terms of scale, it just can't compare."

"A crisis related to Mystic Moon?" asked Ruriko.

"Yes." shrugged Noah. "And before anyone asks, no, I do not know the details yet. I am investigating. My boss doesn't like spoon-feeding me too many details beforehand so I won't grow soft and complacent."

"What kind of Goddess is she?" wondered Misuzu.

"Her name is Lilith. She's a kind, gentle goddess, as long as you do not disrespect her." chuckled Noah. "If you do, she can get quite creative with her punishments. Anyway, I want to take back the first spot I the ranking, and there's this duel with Eve that will happen in about two weeks. I need to make a lot of preparations."

"A duel with Eve? I'm a fan of her! Can we watch?" eagerly asked Nei.

"Probably not." shrugged Noah. "But if I have my way, she will join my family eventually, so you girls will get plenty of opportunities to speak with her. You remember that photo of me that Maika showed us, in the ramen restaurant?"

"Yes?" nodded Nei.

"Eve was the one wearing the blue hoodie, with her back to the camera. It was my first meeting with her in the real world… This aside, I'll need to remain at Hyakkaou for a while as Ren Nagano. According to Lilith, there's a dragon hiding as a human over there. I need to identify them and determine if they're a danger or not."

"A dragon inside Hyakkaou?" asked Minaho with a surprised expression, and Noah nodded.

"I'll be careful with my investigation in order not to spook them. If that Dragon has lived in there for weeks or more, and no one seemed to report anything abnormal, they probably do not present an imminent threat."

Downstairs, more of Viola's men were being neutralized. There were less then twenty of them still armed now. Cordelia, Edie and Nikita were waiting near an armored blast panel.

After a minute, Shou opened that panel, and the three young women acted like they had been part of the invading force all along. Their path would eventually join up with Lorenzaccio's group once it was further thinned.

"Kyoko, I do not want to stick my nose in your personal business, but is Cordelia still a threat to Margo?" asked Noah.

"No. We resolved this misunderstanding." replied Kyoko with a grim tone. "In a few days, she and I will depart for South Africa and settle this matter."

Noah nodded, understanding that a certain man was going to experience a long and painful end. If his memories from the fiction were accurate, and he was pretty sure they were, that man has told Kyoko that Cordelia had died during a mission. Not only that, but he also told Cordelia, then in a very dangerous situation, that Kyoko, supposed to be her backup, had betrayed her and left her to die.

Cordelia had somehow survived, but hadn't tried to contact Kyoko later.

As the girls were observing the monitors, Noah as watching directly. After about two minutes, Cordelia, Edie and Nikita turned a corner and met with Lorenzaccio and two men.

They aimed at each other for a second before confirming that they weren't part of Kouzuki Security Services, and joined up. They resumed their exploration of the fifth floor, with the two men accompanying Lorenzaccio taking point.

Two armored panels slid down in front and behind them, in a section of the hallway that had no side doors, trapping them.

And that was then that Cordelia dropped the act, barking at Lorenzaccio and his men to drop their weapons. Cordelia and Nikita were both holding guns, while Edie was standing close enough to immediately engage them in melee.

One of the two men whose names Noah didn't know tried to aim its rifle at Cordelia, and immediately received a bullet between the eyes.

Cordelia was fast, and her gun was aimed back at Lorenzaccio before he could even think about exploiting the opportunity.

Noah thought that he should take the time to learn to read lips for future situations like this, although the monitoring systems of the hotel transmitted the sounds just fine.

Lorenzaccio was glaring at Nikita just as much as Cordelia. He had been betrayed not only by the woman he didn't fully trust, but also by the one he had tasked to monitor her!

Still, he didn't intend to catch a bullet as well, and dropped his gun. The goon beside him did the same.

Following Cordelia's instructions, the goon walked down another hallway, and Shou activated another blast door, isolating Lorenzaccio from any potential help.

"It is time for us to go." nodded Shigetaka Kouzuki, rising from his chair.

Shou pressed a few buttons on her console, then grabbed a tablet, and the heavy door of the bunker started to open.

Minaho nodded to the girls, and the followed silently. The cabins of the two elevators, locked until now, were reactivated and called to the 39th floor.

"We have going to the twelfth floor." said Reika as they spread into the two cabins. "That is where the final act will take place."

Noah nodded and changed his appearance back to his Ren Nagano personae.

The cabin, controlled by Shou's tablet, closed its doors and moved without Reika pressing any button.

"Reika, is there a pair of Chevaliers working for Kouzuki Security Services? I'm pretty sure I saw some of the defenders move at an abnormal speed."

Reika stared at him for an instant, then sighed.

"Yes, Kouzuki-sama recruited a few consultants for this operation, to be sure that our casualties would be limited."

"Well, they certainly delivered." smiled Noah. "All the criminals are now neutralized, and our side hasn't taken a single injury."

The elevator stopped, and Noah and the girls stepped out. Shou led them down several hallways, then entered a large room that looked out of place amidst the luxury of the hotel's upper floors.

There was a thick carpet covering the floor, but above it was a gray linoleum layer, and the walls and windows were wrapped with transparent plastic tarps.

"Please stand near that wall behind Kouzuki-sama. It won't be long." said Reika, and Noah and the girls obeyed.

Nei stood near Noah, and he took her hand, squeezing it gently.

After a minute, three more people entered the room. Two were bodyguards in black suits, and they took position beside the door.

The third one was a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit.

"Father?" asked the man as the stopped in front of Shigetaka. "Have those criminals been dealt with?"

"Our men are mopping up the remnants." sighed Shigetaka. He sounded… tired. "The threat is over by now."

"I see. Why did you call for me?"

Shigetaka didn't answer, and his son didn't insist.

He instead started to examine Noah and the others. He of course knew some of them like Misuzu, Ruriko or Reika, and stared at Noah for a full three seconds, but failed to recognize him.

"This is my uncle, Shigeaki Kouzuki, grandfather's third son." whispered Misuzu.

Noah nodded as he remembered a detail of the original fiction. Then, it had been Ruriko's father, Shigetaka's eldest son, who had been summoned, but it seemed like Lilith had decided to change it.

"Come to think of it, I have yet to meet your parents, Misuzu." said Noah with a low voice. "Is your father still on that business travel?"

"Yes. He should be back in two weeks." nodded Misuzu.

He didn't ask about her mother, since she already told him before. Her parents were divorced, and her mother ran a company in Germany. Her job gave her little time to raise her daughter, and Misuzu's raising had been entrusted to her grandfather. As a result, Misuzu didn't have a tight bond with her mom.

Noah saw the guards by the door tense as they put a hand on their guns but didn't draw them.

Lorenzaccio Bandini was the first to enter the room, his hands behind his head, fingers interlaced. He did not look happy.

And the look of pure, distillated malevolence he sent Nei all the confirmation Noah needed to know he was Cesario Viola.

Behind him, holding him at gunpoint, were Cordelia, Edie and Nikita.

Once they were inside, the guards closed the door.

Nei shivered for an instant under Viola's stare, and Noah squeezed her hand a bit more firmly to remind her of their presence.

"We're here for you, Nei." muttered Noah. "With us here, he wouldn't be able to hurt you even if he had an army in his pocket."

"Yeah." nodded Nei before she smiled at him. "Aren't you the one with a whole army of Legions in your pocket?"

"You were right. He really carried a capsule of poison gas on him." said Cordelia with a glance at Noah, and he shrugged.

"What now?" asked Viola with a disdainful glare at Shigetaka Kouzuki.

"Now, Miss Prisken is going to complete the task what I paid her for. Any last words?"

Lorenzaccio shifted his glare to Nei.

"I'll wait for you in Hell, Yasuko!" spat Lorenzaccio, revealing Nei's real name.

"Don't hold your breath..." muttered Noah with a smile.

Cordelia nodded once at Nikita, standing behind Lorenzaccio. Rather than use her gun that would create a hole in one of the walls and leave evidence behind, she drew a long, straight knife sheathed against her thigh, and with a smooth move, sunk its blade at an angle into Lorenzaccio's exposed left armpit, bypassing his body armor, going between his ribs, and piercing his heart.

She pulled off the blade and was already reaching for a paper tissue to wipe off the blood when Cesario Viola collapsed with a grunt of pain. In seconds, he stopped moving.

"It is done." nodded Cordelia. "I trust you will transfer the funds within the hour."

Shigetaka nodded, but he wasn't done.

"You will receive the money within ten minutes, Miss Prisken, along with a bonus as thanks for a job well done. But before you go, I would like to buy information from you. About the identity of the man who hired Cesario Viola to kill my eldest son."

"Unfortunately, we're professionals." said Cordelia as she shook her head. "Though we sell each other, we never reveal the client’s information."

"Then, a different method." nodded Shigetaka as if he expected that answer. "I will be asking for a kill job, with the same compensation than for Cesario Viola... I don’t know who that is but there seems to be people who have paid a criminal organization to kill my son’s family. I don’t know who that person is. I’m sorry but I want you to use your information network to the fullest, find him… and kill him."

"F-Fatheeer!!!" shouted Shigeaki behind him.

Noticing his frantic expression, everyone quickly understood. Misuzu, Ruriko and Yoshiko froze in horror.

"Are you serious with this request?" asked Cordelia with a softer voice.

"I am." sighed Shigetaka with a painful expression. "Before I am a father… I am the head of a large organization. And as the Head of House Kouzuki, this is something I can't overlook… Please let him die without suffering."

"…Understood." nodded Cordelia. She started walking toward Shigeaki.

" Father! Father! Fatheeer…!! Please wait, please listen to me!" shouted Shigeaki, stepping back in fear.

"With Shigeharu dead, and if Shigetaro had died next week as you were planning for, House Kouzuki's successor would be the third son, you. Normally, that is. I knew that from the start…!" lamented Shigetaka.

"Therefore, I wasn’t able to retire all this time…I didn’t reveal my successor. I set Ruriko and Misuzu aside so you can’t make a move on them. I removed you from the mainstream of the Kouzuki group… so you can’t collude with the key executives."

" …Father, that’s not it. Please wait!" desperately denied Shigeaki.

"When the clues gathered after Shigeharu's murder hinted at your direction, I was tempted to ignore them and simply make sure you wouldn't succeed. I created Kouzuki Security Service and limited your influence. I hoped that you would get the hint and renounce your ambitions."

"All that you could do was wait for my death, and be disappointed. I’ve always thought so. But, you…!"

"You didn't stop scheming! Killing one of your brothers wasn't enough, you plotted with Cesario Viola to kill Shigetaro as well!"

" Father…father, I’m sorry!" shouted back Shigeaki, hoping for some last-minute pity. When he saw that his father wasn't going to change his mind, his pleading turned to resentment.

" I…I was absolutely superior to my elder brothers! It’s wrong for the first son to inherit the House just because he was born earlier!! Father, you kept ignoring me!! Making a fool of me! Dammit! Hurry up and die, die right now, I thought of that everyday! You…someone like youuuu…!!"

"You're too noisy." sighed Cordelia, stopping just outside of arms reach.

She suddenly pivoted, performing a roundhouse kick. Her heel caught the base of Shigeaki's jaw, and the momentum was such that his neck snapped.

Noah sighed and put his free arm around Misuzu's shoulders. She was still under the shock of learning that her uncle had killed her other uncle and was planning to kill her father.

Before long, her shoulders shook in mixed grief and anger, and she hugged him tightly while burying her face into his shoulder.

Ruriko and Yoshiko were hugging each other as well.

"Kouzuki-san." said Noah with a soft voice, and the old man turned to him. "I'd like to meet you later today, in your estate if possible. Discretion will be necessary, but Misuzu, Ruriko and Yoshiko should be present."

Yoshiko blinked at her name being mentioned, and Shigetaka frowned.

Yoshiko wasn't just Ruriko's attendant. She was also her half-sister, born as the result of Shigeharu Kouzuki having an affair. But neither Yoshiko herself, Ruriko, nor Misuzu knew about it.

"I will make myself available." sighed Shigetaka, inwardly cursing him. He wanted time to grieve, and he still had many things to do with controlling the fallout of this event.

…

When he received permission later that day, Noah teleported alone to the Kouzuki mansion. Minaho and the others knew what he was about to do and agreed that giving the members of the Kouzuki family privacy was the right thing to do.

"Good evening, everyone." said Noah as he looked around.

He was in the very room he had met Shigetaka Kouzuki before, but the atmosphere was quite different. Misuzu, Ruriko and Yoshiko were sitting on a sofa, looking tired. Shigetaka was standing near the fireplace and nodded to him before gesturing to an armchair. Noah sat, and Shigetaka took the one facing him. Shou Seki stood beside him.

"Can I offer you a drink?" asked Shigetaka.

"Thank you. Some water would be fine." nodded Noah. "I saw the media's reactions. It seems you have things well in hand."

"Yes. I bought most of the companies House Shirasaka owned. It helps." replied Shigetaka as Shou served Noah a drink, and he nodded in thanks.

"Today has been a long day, and I suspect we both still have things to do, so please forgive me if I get straight to the point." said Noah as he took a small wooden box from his inventory. He used a Light Hand to make it fly to Shigetaka. "This is for you, Kouzuki-san. I don't much like the notion of bride prices, but you can consider this as one, or maybe an early retirement gift."

Shigetaka nodded cautiously as he accepted the small box, and opened it, revealing a small green orb, softly shining with inner light.

"What is it?"

"Some time ago, I mentioned that I had things money can't buy." smiled Noah. "This is one of them. A medicine made by the gods themselves, and that I obtained by cashing in some of the favors I accrued. When you swallow it, your body will return to how it was when you were twenty or so."

The girls looked at each other and at the pill with wonder and excitement, and Shigetaka's hand shook slightly as he carefully closed the box and looked up at Noah.

"…This is a great gift. Thank you very much."

"You're welcome." smiled Noah. "You'll be my grandfather-in-law after all, so I need to take care of you. But you may want to get your affairs in order before you use it. Becoming young all of a sudden will bring issues with proving your identity and so on… But I'm not done yet. Next is the reason I requested for Misuzu, Ruriko and Yoshiko to be present."

Noah stood and set his drink on the table, then turned the armchair he had just left, and started resurrecting Shigeharu Kouzuki.

…

Half an hour later, after many tears of happiness were shed and words of gratitude uttered, and after Ruriko's father confessed to Yoshiko being his daughter, Noah cleared his throat.

"Ahem. I am happy for you all. But there is one more thing I want to say. Because I am a greedy and lustful fellow, I intend to claim for myself not just Misuzu, but also Ruriko and Yoshiko... Does anyone object?"

Ruriko, who was very innocent, didn't really understand the implications aside from Noah essentially saying he wanted to marry her. She nodded immediately, then glanced at her grandfather for confirmation.

Yoshiko, who was very much aware of those implications, blushed and didn't object.

"How could I object?" said Shigetaka with a hoarse voice. "Yes, please take care of my granddaughters, and give them happiness."

"Danna-sama! Misuzu can't love you anymore than this! My heart will explode form happiness!" cried Misuzu as she hugged his arm.

Noah smiled, thinking that moments like these were worth all the tireless work he had done these last few years.