Ch 95: Meeting Azazel

"It's this building, Master." said Raynare with a low voice as she pointed to their destination. A relatively modest five stories building near the center of Ginsei city, with nothing peculiar about it.

They entered inside and headed to the reception.

"Hello." smiled Noah to a pretty girl behind the counter.

"Hi. How may I help you?" she replied, looking at him up and down. Her expression remained professional and polite, but he could guess from the little cue that she was searching for an excuse to give him her number.

"We're here to see Lord Azazel." said Raynare.

"Err, Miss, this is Sunday. The building is practically empty."

Raynare looked in the street's direction, making sure no one was looking, and flashed her black wings at the receptionist, identifying herself as a fallen angel.

"I understand. Please wait for a moment. Who should I announce?" asked the receptionist, taking a smartphone from her pocket.

"I am Noah Enfield, representative of the Goddess Lilith, and this is Raynare, a fallen angel as you can see. We wish to speak with Azazel about a matter that is important, but not all that urgent."

"Thank you, sir."

The receptionist made a quick call, relaying his words, and after receiving an answer, ended the call and stood.

"Please follow me."

She let them to a room behind the counter and started activating a teleportation array.

Noah and Raynare walked in the middle of it and waited.

"Have a good day, Sir Enfield, miss Raynare." said the woman as they were teleported.

Noah and Raynare appeared in the middle of what looked like a hotel suite. Two men were waiting for them.

"Ah, Noah, this is Lord Shemhazai, Lord Azazel's advisor." started Raynare, nodding toward the thin man with short silver hairs and purple eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Lord Shemhazai." smiled Noah with a nod.

"Likewise, it's a pleasure to meet the person who got rid of that nuisance Kokabiel." nodded Shemhazai.

"And this is Lord Baraqiel." added Raynare, nodding to the large bulky man with short black hairs and a beard. He had the rough appearance and body of a seasoned warrior.

"It is also nice to meet you, Lord Baraqiel." said Noah with another nod.

"Greetings. I heard you are a member of Rias Gremory's peerage." he said with an even voice.

"That is correct." smiled Noah.

"I am surprised to see you with a fallen angel. And Raynare, aren't you one of Azazel's many admirers, if I remember you correctly?" wondered Shemhazai.

"I'm over it. I am Noah's maid now." shrugged Raynare.

"…I see. Well, I am going to inform Azazel and bring him here in a few minutes. Meanwhile, please sit down and relax. Baraqiel, how about you offer them a drink?"

"Alright."

Shemhazai walked out of the room, and Baraqiel pointed to the sofa.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Coke, please, if you have it. If not, water is fine." smiled Noah as he sat down, and Raynare near him, close enough for her shoulders to touch.

"I'd like orange juice, please, Lord Baraqiel."

Baraqiel nodded and served them, then poured himself a glass of whisky. He looked at Noah awkwardly.

"While we wait for them, would you mind telling me about your life in the Gremory peerage?"

Noah grinned.

"Are you indirectly asking me how your daughter is doing?"

"Well, yes." he admitted. "I wasn't sure you were aware that I am Akeno's father. My relationship with her is, complicated."

"Akeno is doing fine. She's training hard as she is preparing for the rating game next week. Have you heard about it?"

"Yes. I'll be watching."

"Ok. She is quite happy these days, and my lap has become her favorite seat." He chuckled softly as Baraqiel choked on his whisky. It seemed like he didn't know. "We're currently on kissing terms, and she loves teasing me, daring me to do more."

"You!" angrily blurted out Baraqiel. "You're going to add my daughter to your harem?"

"Of course. There's no way I'd not court someone as exceptional as Akeno."

"Akeno should be with someone who can devote himself to her and her alone."

"With all due respect, that decision is for her and her alone to make. She knew I have a harem before she chose me to be her man. One thing you may want to know, is that the members of my harem receive a few perks. An endless lifespan, and various abilities useful for combat. She's going to become much stronger and harder to kill, and that will matter, because there's a few major crises on the horizon."

"I still don't approve of you being with my daughter." retorted Baraqiel.

"A good thing we do not actually need your approval, then. Still, for Akeno's wellbeing, I am going to do something about your strained relationship with her."

"You will?" frowned Baraqiel, his eyes full of suspicion.

"Yes. She's still very angry at you for failing to protect her mother, and I promised her that I wouldn't stir up her pain in an awkward attempt to have her reconcile with you. But in a few months, I will do something that should help her heal. Mostly, anyway. So just be patient, let me do my thing, and wait for Akeno to take the initiative to contact you."

Baraqiel stared at him for a while, and the soft sound of a magic array powering up came from the next room. He sighed.

"…I hope you can help me fix things with Akeno. If you succeed, I'll accept you as my son-in-law."

"I'll do what I can, for her sake." nodded Noah.

The door opened, and Azazel entered, followed by Shemhazai. Azazel was a man of medium build with short black hairs with golden bangs, and a goatee. He reminded Noah a lot of Gandou Barbatos, with his laid-back attitude.

Noah and Raynare stood.

"Oh, so this is the guys who is starting to make waves in the supernatural world. I'm Azazel, nice to meet you. And hello, Raynare."

"Hello, Lord Azazel." quietly said Raynare. For a second, he seemed taken aback by her muted answer.

"The pleasure is mine, Lord Azazel. I hope my request to meet didn't bother you too much."

"Nah, it's fine. I was considering meeting you soon anyway. I heard you saved two important people of the Church." replied Azazel as he sat on the opposite sofa. Noah and Raynare sat down while Baraqiel served a drink to Azazel.

"Yes. and this is related to the matter I wish to discuss with you. I am extending you an invitation to a peace conference, in three weeks in Ginsei Academy. I think it's past time for this war to be officially ended. I already got the agreement of archangel Michael, Cardinal-Priest Strada, Sister Griselda, and three of the Great Satans. Venelana-sama assured me the other two would agree as well."

Azazel's brown eyes narrowed.

"…I am favorable to this proposal, as I also think we should bring this silly thing to an end. It cost us too much already. But why are you the one organizing it? What do you gain from it?"

Noah smiled as he leaned back on the sofa.

"I gain some unquantifiable, but real, measure of respect and authority for being the one initiating this thing. More importantly, I am the Champion of Lilith, the goddess who created this world. She was at first willing to let the mortals and immortal beings she created do as they wished, because free will is important, but after seeing the state the world was in, she finally changed her mind."

"She sent me as her representative to bring in a few changes, like enforcing peace where war isn't morally justified, getting rid of corrupt leaders, and making humanity more respectful of the environment. As such, having factions of supernatural beings at each other's throat is a distraction I do not need and a waste of resources, even setting aside the moral aspect of wars and mass killing."

"Do you intend to replace the God of the Bible?" asked Shemhazai, and Noah shook his head.

"No. I do not want people worshipping me, and I certainly don't want to take over the catholic faith. People worshipping God can keep doing so, or they can switch to worshiping Lilith, I do not care, and she doesn't either."

"I do not understand that point." said Azazel. "Why should your goddess take action if she doesn't want that?"

"She sent me because she is a kind, benevolent goddess who feel some responsibility for the inhabitants of one of her worlds, but she created hundreds, if not thousands of worlds by now, and is long past the point of wanting the ego boost of being worshipped."

Noah was lying a little, he suspected, as he could easily imagine the goddess liking being worshipped, only in a very concrete and personal way. Just like he would.

"We'll be there. Thank you for getting this thing underway." said Azazel.

"Thank you for participating. So, Sunday 12th, November, Ten AM at Ginsei's academy. I'll take charge of most of the security arrangements. Here's my contact card, if you wish to speak to me." smiled Noah, standing as he put one of his cards on the table. "However, you should all come ready for a fight. This Peace Conference going to bring many of the Kokabiel-wannabes out of the woodwork. I'll prepare a few surprises for them. I already got Gandou Barbatos's permission for it. Farewell."

Noah took Raynare's hand and teleported.

…

They reappeared in the basement of Suzu's home. Mittelt and Kalawarna were sleeping, huddled together. They had been quite exhausted, even with the benefit of the added endurance provided by their bond with Noah.

"Master, we left without really giving Azazel the opportunity to say why he wanted to meet you." observed Raynare.

"You're right. But I wasn't really interested in what he had to say. After the barbecue party earlier today where I somehow ended with something like fifty guests, a lot of them being VIPs, my social batteries are drained. I just want to have some me time where I can just lay down and not have to say a word."

Noah removed his shoes and his jacket, laid down on the bed near Mittelt, and pointed to his free side.

Raynare happily took off her boots and clothes, stripping to her underwear, a purple latex set Noah had made for her. She cuddled against her Master with a satisfied smile.

He still had about an hour before coming back home to prepare dinner and could use a short nap.

A few minutes into his nap, his smartphone made a sound, signaling an incoming message. It was from Alice, and as he read it, he snorted.

"Master, I just brought Naruhime back to Shikoku & Co. She's grateful for the experience and will be back for more soon. After dinner, please come to my room. There's a certain someone with fantasies of being forced and having her protests ignored while she is toyed with, eagerly waiting for your return."

"Good news, Master?" softly asked Raynare, noticing his grin.

"Yes. One of my girls sent me a message. She wants me to take her roughly as she roleplays a kidnap victim or something."

"This gets me envious. Would you like me to play at being reluctant next time, too?"

"That's not a bad idea. You would give me plenty of excuses to spank your pretty butt."

"You do not need an excuse for this, Master. My body is yours, and you can do as you wish with it. And you could do something more intense than just a spanking, you know? Mistress Suzu often used a riding crop, and it made me so hot." breathed Raynare with a perverted expression.

"We'll do something along those lines soon."

Their low conversation was heard by Mittelt, and she stirred. Her movements also woke up Kalawarna.

"Master." muttered Mittelt as she pressed her naked body against him.

"Mittelt, Kalawarna, how are you girls feeling?"

"Great, Master." said Kalawarna. She smiled as she eyed Noah's crotch. "Should this slave put her tongue and lips to good use?"

"Another time. Let's just cuddle for a moment. After that, we'll take a shower, I'll dress you girls into your first maid uniforms, and you will follow me to the mansion. I'll introduce you to everyone."

"Yes, Master." smiled Mittelt. "I enjoy the training and all, but I also want to get some fresh air, too. We've been in that basement for almost two weeks now."

"That's understandable. You girls won't have to attend school, so I'll expect you to take on a greater share of the chores. But since I do most of the cooking and the clothes I made for everyone do not need to be cleaned, the workload should be very reasonable."

"Yes, Master. Will we be allowed to go out while you're away?"

"Yes. I already gave Raynare a little task, taking pictures of a few possible candidates."

Noah went on to explain Raynare's idea to them, and the two fallen angels smiled in anticipation. They looked forward to it, too.

Noah hesitated and decided to tell them about something else.

"One thing, however. You girls aren't allowed to enter the basement of the mansion. That's the place I use when I am playing around with a specific girl for more than two or three hours at a time, and I also set up a trap to catch an intruder. I do not want you girls to accidentally trigger it or mess it up."

"An intruder, Master?" frowned Mittelt.

"Someone has bugged my home with electronics. I'm pretending to not have noticed and I am waiting for the person responsible to come replace their toys' batteries. I want you girls to pretend you know nothing, though. Don't start searching every nook and cranny, or the culprit will be alerted, and we might never catch them."

"Oh. That's… Whoever that person is, can we participate in their punishment, pretty please?" asked Raynare with a gleam in her eyes.

Noah grinned as he patted her head. His first fallen angel pet might be a masochist, but she was also a sadist at heart.

"Maybe. That will depend on that person's identity and motives. I'm not even sure they're only a single person involved. This aside, since the three of you are awake, we might as well get ready."

"Yes, Master." said the three girls in sync, and they started a shower.