Volume 6 – Chapter 3 – Part 1 – Rulers and Motions of the Night

Japan, Kuoh

Skyward Household

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

It's been a few hours and Team Vali had left. They—or Vali, got an earful from Lavinia, and I also gave him some warnings. He initially wasn't that happy about it, but… I had to make him face reality. Even if he did go over there, and had [Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive] that wouldn't be enough.

Just to be safe, I bound them to this universe, so they couldn't travel to any other one. They can still travel to different dimensions, but that's the extent of it. When I deem him and his team ready, I will remove it.

"Vaa-kun is stupid…!" Nia said beside me in a huff.

She was still quite upset. She supported Vali for most of his decisions, even him getting stronger—stronger than anyone alive, but she knew that this would promptly end his life if he did try to go over there, that's why she was so angry.

"He'll learn, but he was sulking and pretty mad about it when they left," I said to her. "Just let him cool off, and he'll be the same Vali again in a few days."

"Mmm…"

…

Kuoh Academy

…

It was morning, and before the start of classes. Also, a few days have passed since the meeting in the Underworld. I also had all my Electa deliver the, what I dubbed (for now) the 'Hyperbolic Regenerative Chamber' to the alliances. I've heard from multiple people that all types of warriors are using them on a daily basis and are quickly growing stronger.

I, along with Ravel and the Phenex Clan have been providing the rest of the alliance with Phenex Tears and Slime Pills to help with healing them too. At first many were confused by this brand-new training facility. However, they were told a lie about preparing their warriors for any and all attacks from the Khaos Brigade. Following that, they welcomed it.

However, few people know the real reason. We didn't want to create a mass panic about an impending invasion, so only the gods and higher-ups in each faction and alliance we were in knew about it. However, some of them did not take the news well, and had apparently gone into overdrive in preparing.

I was the only one in the classroom. I had arrived pretty early in the day and honestly… the only one I saw in the school was both Sona and Tsubaki—

Open~ Close~

Hearing the door to my classroom open and close, I turned to see who it was, but feeling their aura, I already knew…

"Oh, hey, finished with whatever you had to do?" I asked.

"You provided us with those Android fairies, of course our work would be finished quite early… even before the rest of the peerage arrived," said Sona as she sat at her desk.

However, Tsubaki came over to me and started to massage my shoulders. Sona glanced at us from the corner of her eyes, but we mostly ignored her.

"Thanks…" I muttered.

"It's no problem, Aaron," replied Tsubaki.

"I didn't know you were skilled at this, especially when you started doing them years ago."

"I've practiced a few times on President Sona, and a few others in the peerage and goddesses, so I'm quite confident in doing this these days," she said as she continued to massage my shoulders.

"Praise the super [Queen] Tsubaki…~~" I muttered and heard her chuckle behind me.

Slam!

"Aaron. Onee-sama has been missing for a few days; do you know where she's been? I know she lives with you, but she usually tends to tell me what she plans on doing…" Sona asked.

"Serafall? I'm pretty sure she's just busy doing her show, the 'Miracle☆Levia-tan', you know? The capital, Lilith did get attacked by the formerly deceased Satans, well, two of them, so people are a bit uneasy. So she wanted to release some episodes to calm them down… I mean, I sent an avatar to film some of the Oppai Dragon show too," I replied.

"I see… I need to ask, what were you doing yesterday? I saw you wandering around town with Rossweisse-sensei and Raiko-san," she asked.

"Hmm? Yeah, we were just checking on the barriers set up around town, if there were any 'holes' that we might be able to patch. But knowing Lapis… she'll just tear through it, but if it's just limited to her, then we can limit who and how many can enter certain spaces, although…"

If she somehow makes 'clones' of herself and transforms them into objects that can break through this barrier, then it's another thing entirely. However, I do hope that isn't the case.

"Are you expecting them to attack Kuoh?" she asked again.

"…I'm not entirely sure, but it's better to be ready, right? I've already added a bunch of other things to this town to protect both the supernatural and the normal humans."

—Then, the door opened and closed again, this time… Ingvild, Akeno and Rias came in. They must have noticed that I left pretty early today.

"Why did you leave so early?" Akeno asked as she trotted over to me.

"I just felt like it, I guess?"

She wasn't satisfied with this answer so she hugged my arm and zapped me a little with her lightning. I grudgingly smiled at her and just took it. No harm, no foul, right?

…

Lunch

…

"Gooooooooooooooooooooooood daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

One of the guys screamed, and it wasn't Najima or Kouta. Apparently, while I was off doing my own thing for the supernatural, they got into relationships. However, they aren't as salty as before, although they're still jealous of my 'apparent harem', so they still give me shit about that.

One of the guys screamed quite loudly because Ravel came into the classroom and gave me a boxed lunch box. The same with Akeno, so... they became angry and jealous. We offered to go somewhere else with Ravel, but she said she needed to leave for the Underworld and would be missing the rest of her classes.

It's probably due to the high demand for the Phenex Tears. Even though I distributed a lot of the Slime Pills, and even helped lessen the burden of creating the Phenex Tears, and made the process much quicker… she still has to leave from time to time.

At first, when I offered to do this, Riser, being the typical Riser was vehemently against it, but he was shut down by Lady and Lord Phenex. Even Ruval told him to let this happen. Of course, he admitted to me later that he wasn't actually against it, but… in his words:

'It's always been done like that, so having someone else help us, and even increased the productivity was strange, but… I do appreciate it, and you look after Ravel.'

He was quite a tsundere about it, and I teasingly gave him the new nickname/moniker 'Tsun-Chicken' which he hated.

"Why is it always you?! What the hell, Skyward?!" the angry boy pointed at me.

Akeno and I briefly looked at him, but then continued eating our lunch. Currently, we weren't gathering in the club since Sona and Rias were having a friendly chat in the student council room. This was the same for the rest of the student council. Since their work was basically done during the morning, they didn't need to gather again until devil activities after school.

'Are you sure about ignoring him? He might attack you, you know?' Akeno said through telepathy.

'It's fine, he's not the typ—'

"Oh shit!"

"Run!"

"Kyaaaaa!"

Suddenly an even bigger commotion occurred. We both looked back at the guy and…

"W-why did he strip naked…?" Akeno asked a bit stunned by the situation.

He was fuming too… um, is this his way of de-stressing...?

"I don't know…" I muttered.

But before we could do anything, some other guy appeared out of nowhere and tackled the other guy. They then proceeded to wrestle around until one of the other students ran out of the room to get a teacher. Not too long after, Azazel and another male teacher arrived. They looked at what was happening, and the fallen angel snickered at it before receiving a glare from the other teacher and they broke it up.

"Can I assume we can pin the blame on Jin?" Azazel turned to look at the class after apprehending the suspect.

"Yes," they all answered in unison.

Again, I looked back at my classmates in disbelief… how is this my fault…? But Akeno just giggled at me.

"Alright, Skyward-kun, come with us to the… student council," he said and left the room.

I sighed and got up with Akeno. We quickly cleaned up our lunch and left the room. All the while I was cheered on by the guys and a few girls giggled. The fact that they ganged up on me…! How unfair…!

Gyu~

"I'm here, Jiiin~" said Akeno as she hugged my arm.

"No flirting behind us!" Azazel said as they continued to carry the still half-naked guy in their arms.

…

Once we arrived at the student council, minus the other teacher and student. Both peerages were in there, along with Kiyome to my surprise. She gave me a small wave, however, both Sona and Rias were looking at me rather accusatorily.

""What did you do now?"" they both asked.

"…Seriously?" I asked back.

All of them just laughed at me, so I explained and then they just shook their heads. Azazel then stepped into the middle of the room.

"Well, I was on my way to get these two, so the timing was pretty convenient. I have some things to say. Normally, devils will start to have their own pacts around this time, right? You're all quite famous in your own right, for various reasons, obviously."

He looked at me and then summoned a magic circle.

"Jin recently made an alliance with Mephisto Pheles and thus, we can travel to the Grauzauberer to form pacts there. Usually, the magicians would just send in their applications and you would choose, but we decided to change it up a little. You'll still get your applications. Choose a handful that you think would be appropriate for you, and we'll go find them over there."

Azazel then looked at Lisa and said, "Lisa along with Lavinia and Fusae-kun will be guiding us around. I know the place well, and Jin has a basic understanding of it, but stay close to us, alright? But… most of it will happen in the library."

"Like I said, all of you are famous, so any and all types of magicians will try to form a pact with you. Mephisto and I made a new device that will help." Azazel then brought out a small pen-like item. "This, if you point it at a magician, will find their application in a pile and you can read through it to see if you'd be a match."

Azazel then pointed it at me and brought out a sheet of paper. It scanned me and the paper he brought up glowed a soft blue hue.

"That's how you'll know if you have them or not. Another reason why we want you to stick together is that if you don't have it, another might, so you should check there first. Any questions?" he asked us.

Saji put his hand up and asked, "How about Ravel-chan? She left earlier at the start of lunch, right?"

"Hmm. She went back to the Underworld and is making more Phenex Tears. This is because Jin can make more Slime Pills in a shorter time span. He left it to Grigori and the devils to sell and distribute them. However, some are wary of them and only accept Phenex Tears. There are always people like that," said Azazel.

Yeah… I found out a few days ago after he told me. I mean I can't do much in that regard, right? Some will just hate me, so they'll be forced to take the Phenex Tears instead. If they don't have it… then I guess they die.

"Anyway, onto the second part. The Greek realm will be hosting a new festival, and this festival will be new, so they've requested Jin and some of his comrades to help with security. The majority of the gods will be attending it after all. So in a way, I'm also telling you… you got another request, Jin. Also, a brand-new goddess will be born on that day too, so… in a way, Jin won't be available for a brief period. Therefore, we'll be asking the rest of you, both the Gremory and Sitri peerages to help. Of course, this guy's Electa and subordinates will be there too. We just want extra security."

He finished and scratched his head. "Anyway, Rias, go on and tell them about the pact, or Sona… I don't really care who does it." Azazel finally grabbed a chair and sat down.

Both [Kings] sighed and looked at one another. Rias then started.

"There are three main reasons why a magician would make a pact with a devil…"

She put a finger up. "Protection: The first is to use them as a bodyguard. When the time comes, having a powerful Devil behind their back will allow a magician to talk with their opponents if they are caught up in a quarrel."

She looked at Sona and she put two fingers up and continued, "Information: Secondly, Magicians make pacts because they want to attain the techniques and knowledge of Devils. To make it clearer, the technique standards of the Underworld. These things will play a large role when magicians do their research. Also, by making a pact with a devil, they will be allowed to get items/resources cheaper by having an equal exchange."

Finally, Rias put three fingers up and said, "Public Eminence: Lastly, they make a pact with a Devil for their own status. Making a pact with a powerful devil will bring great fortune and success to them."

"Both my parents and Sona's have pacts with magicians. I'm sure Onii-sama and Serafall-sama had one too, however, as far as I can remember, currently they do not. If any are curious, I managed to snag Lavinia Reni-san to form a pact with me, when we went 'there'," she said and winked at me.

I am aware, Rias… Nia tells me everything about her and her day. But I chose not to say anything about it, and waited for you to say something.

"A magician, huh? Then, what happened with Fusae? She's a magician from Grauzauberer, right? I heard from Lisa-sensei and Lavinia that she's quite talented. Did she form a pact with anyone yet?" Xenovia asked.

Akeno then put her hand up and said, "We formed a pact. But I think that's due to Aa—Jin saying that he'd like me and her to form one~"

"I see… that's unfortunate that she formed one with you already… then what about you, Lisa-sensei?" Xenovia asked again.

"Ara? You want to form one with me, cutie~?" she asked and started to 'ufufu' to herself. She eventually stopped and said, "I'm still open, and if anyone wants to, I'm fine with it~"

But suddenly, a magic circle appeared in the middle where Azazel had been, and… Mephisto Pheles' face appeared in it.

"Mephisto Pheles…" Kiba muttered and everyone focused on the person in question.

[Hello everyone~] he greeted us quite cheerfully. He seemed to be in a pleasant mood.

[I am looking forward to seeing you all here soon! Make sure to bring some food since we think this brand-new program will last quite a while. For those who don't know who I am. I'm Mephisto Pheles, a devil from the 'Extra Demons' houses that's not part of the 72 pillars. I'm also the current chairman of the magician association 'Grauzauberer'. It's nice to meet you all.]

He then looked at Sona and Rias. [It's been a while, Rias-chan, Sona-chan, and Jin~!]

""Yes, it's been some time, Mephisto Pheles-sama,"" they said to him.

[My, my, you two sure are becoming more and more beautiful like your mothers, great grandmothers and great-grandmothers~]

""Thank you very much,"" they again said in unison.

"I read that most devils were spawned from Lilith, but you weren't correct? So, you're independent, you have nothing to do with the household, right?" questioned Xenovia.

"Mephisto Pheles-sama is one of the oldest among the Devils, and he spends most of his time in the human world. Also, he happens to be Tannin-sama's King," explained Rias.

[I gave my [Queen] piece to Tannin-kun. He came and said that he wanted to save the dragon tribes which were almost near extinction. Yeah, he is the role model for all Dragon Kings. Well, I don't participate in the game and involve myself in the Underworld's riot, so I basically allow him to roam free.] he said quite nonchalantly.

[To… Xenovia-kun, right? I am independent. I didn't like those formerly dead Satans. They just went on and on about world domination and ruling it. It got very annoying and boring to listen to. That's why I like the current Underworld government by Sirzechs-kun and Serafall-chan.]

[After all, they hold the same ideas and beliefs as me now, so it's a win! I enjoyed talking to them during our meeting, quite a fun experience. Although I do have a different way of thinking compared to Ajuka, we get along fine.]

He then turned his attention back to Rias.

[Rias-chan is the type to listen to the stories of this old man. She really is a good girl. From the Gremory, even your grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great grandfather were all easy to talk to. Are your grandfather and others doing okay? It's been a while since they retired after all.]

"Y-yes, they're living quietly in the Gremory territory," she replied blushing a little.

I haven't met them yet, only Chysis and Runeas… I do wonder how they're like, maybe the same as Zeoticus? If so… well, Mephisto did say that they're easy to talk to, so I look forward to seeing them.

[By the way, Sona, how goes the talks with those new servants of yours?] he asked her.

A few of the people in the room were shocked by the revelation. So it really was around that time now, huh?

"Yes, it's progressing well, Mephisto Pheles-sama. If everything works out well, I should have them here soon enough," said Sona with a smile.

"They're the new [Rook] and [Knight], right?" I asked her and she nodded.

[My, you Rookies Four sure are popular in the industry right now, well, not as well known as Skyward-sama yet though. I had so many of my subordinates wanting to form pacts with the Gremory, Sitri, Bael and Agares peerages, you know? It's a bit troubling.]

[So, please do prepare yourself mentally when you decide to come here. If you wish, you can plan it in a way that all four peerages can come here at the same time.]

"Rookies Four?" Irina asked a bit confused by the title.

"It's the title that was given recently to the four young Devils consisting of Sairaorg Bael, Seekvaira Agares, Rias and Sona. Looking back in recent years, it's called a generation filled with promising rookies that are above the expected level."

"When you look throughout the history of the Underworld, only a few are on this level, and even further beyond. The generation of Rias and Sona is something that's very out of the ordinary, especially for devils that haven't fully matured," I explained.

[Huhu, very informed are we, Jin? Anyway, I'll be sending the documents in for all our magicians through this magic circle. If you have any questions, feel free to ask Azazel, Lisa, Lavinia or Fusae-kun, alright?]

After he said that, another magic circle appeared and hundreds, no, thousands of documents started to fall onto the ground. I sighed and made them start to float and then have them neatly put themselves into piles.

[Make sure to use that new technology we developed, okay? Of course, you'll need to be here to make it work. Also keep in mind that… some magicians may start fighting over you, so… let them be, or you can intervene, it's really up to you.]

Each pile of documents was then placed in front of each devil. Some of them had more than others, however, Asia had a lot… that's a given, she's a healer after all. Even still, they all still have a lot. It's much different from canon. I'm pretty sure Gasper and Shirone didn't get as much as this…

"So many… how do I even choose…?" Asia muttered. She looked quite troubled by this.

[Your value to a magician increases depending on your ability and other traits. You, Asia Argento have the ability to heal, especially from a Sacred Gear. That power is always sought after in any era, regardless of whether it's from a magician or another person. You're also one of the Dual Dragon Emperor's lovers, trained by him... so any one of you will be very sought after.]

"I didn't expect all of you to receive this much. I expected a lot of increase… but not this much, jeez, I guess spending time with this harem-seeking idiot does have its merits," Azazel said with a sigh.

"Oi."

"Heh."

[Anyway, I've sent all of the documents I received this time around. There may be more coming in the days that you don't come here, but... you may also get more upon coming here. But if you see anyone or know of anyone that's up to your standards, don't hesitate to contact me through Jin, Azazel, Lavinia, Fusae or Lisa.]

"This time? When you say, 'this time', do you mean there's more to come?" asked Xenovia.

"Yes, of course. We don't necessarily need to choose from these just because we received them. Even if we do make a pact, that magician will not live long like a devil, and there's no way that they will be able to live for eternity... using normal means."

"If there isn't any suitable partner this time, we can just ask for new documents. Also, even if we make a pact, we will become free again if the person we make a pact with passes away due to their age or another reason. Thus, we will make a new pact," answered Sona.

"And even if you do make a pact, there are times when it's for just a certain time frame. For example, a year-long pact can be terminated due to the partner's circumstances, or the pact can also be cancelled if they can't pay us the price," added Momo.

"I see… this is a lot more complicated than I originally thought…" mumbled Xenovia as she looked through the piles of documents she received.

[By the way, about Ravel Phenex-chan.]

"What about her?" I asked.

[Hmm, I've informed everyone about this during the meeting, but... the thing I'm about to tell you is top secret. It seems like a group of Stray Magicians have joined forces with the 'Nilrem' of the Khaos Brigade. They have continued to make contacts with those related to the House of Phenex.]

Yeah, he mentioned this during the meeting. Apparently, Phenex Tears are being produced on the black market and they aren't made by the Phenex Clan, but I'm pretty sure the regular supplier was dealt with and captured, so that means… they have another way of making it. I'm unsure if it's the same as canon or if they're produced in a different way.

Mephisto then pulled up a fake bottle of Phenex Tears.

[These are the fake ones; however, they work very similarly to the real ones. And also, my connections say that they're trying to replicate the Slime Pills made by Jin. However, so far, every time they try to, they end up dead, so they might stop soon.]

Everyone turned their attention to me and I shrugged.

"I've already said it before, most of the things I produce can never be replicated. They have a failsafe, so if you try to… you'll end up dead in that explosion or whatever I put in them," I said and waved them off.

[You heard the man! Anyway, I don't know how they're doing it, but the Phenex Tears that aren't made by the House of Phenex are being distributed, and the Stray Magicians are trying to get in contact with those related to the Phenex family and pretend like they're close to them. Anyway, they're trying to deceive them, so too little Ravel Phenex-chan, please be careful, because she might be targeted very soon.]

"Don't worry, I'll have Grigori look into it. I mean... let's be honest, she feels like how Rias was a few months ago. I can't feel her power, so I doubt she'd be in any kind of trouble. Also, she has her dumb prince charming over there," he said and pointed at me.

"This is probably due to the other faction within the Khaos Brigade. I mentioned it during the meeting but I'm led to believe it's both Qlippoth and Nilrem. Anyway, there might be a new 'Satan' faction within it too since the old Satans are back. So they might be involved too, or they're just part of one of the already existing factions," I said to them.

[I'm sorry that we veered off topic. Anyway, I will leave this to you all, and I hope to see all of you soon, and I hope that all of you will be able to make a successful pact with someone~]

Just like that, the magic circle disappeared and Mephisto was gone. So… those events are slowly coming, aren't they? Grendel and Euclid will appear soon… which also means that Grayfia will be questioned soon. I already have my preparations, but I better speak to Grayfia about this tonight…

So, our lunch ended in a slightly tense mood.

…

After School

…

"I'll be heading home; I need to speak with a few people. You guys, be on alert, alright?" I said to the Gremory peerage as we were all in the clubroom.

"Ah, okay, sure thing, Aa—Jin," said Rias as they all said goodbye to me.

"I'm coming with you," Ingvild said to me.

Ingvild had been acting a bit strange for the past few days. Maybe it was because I told her that her progenitor and another descendant were alive again. This meant that her father might also appear once more… I definitely felt like he was in hiding or somewhere far away. Serafall did say that he couldn't make it during her awakening.

I held her hand as we walked back to our home. "Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting strangely since I mentioned those Leviathans being alive…"

She tightened her hold on my hand and said, "I've been thinking… what if my father joined forces with them?" She looked up at me when she said that.

"…I can't deny the possibility, Ingvild, but…"

"I know, if he did, I want to be the one to face him. I want to ask him so many questions... why he chose a human mother, why he didn't come when I might have been awakened... and other things," she muttered and looked at the ground.

…

Skyward Household

…

"Welcome back, Aaron, Ingvild" said Raynare.

She was the first person we saw when we arrived in the entrance hallway. I could feel the aura of several girls here, but there were a few missing. Ingvild pulled on my hand, pecked me on the cheek before making her way upstairs to her bedroom.

"Is Grayfia here?" I asked her.

"Yes, do you need to speak to her?"

"Yeah, but it can wait until later tonight. Who's in and who's out?"

"Team Slash/Dog is out, Irina and Griselda came back, but left soon after saying they received a mission from Heaven, the same with Penemue-sama, she left for Grigori, and if you count this then… Gabriel-sama is training Inaie down in the newly constructed [Training Facility]," she explained.

"I see…"

After the renovation of my home, my house had a total of 10 floors. 6 up, 4 down. This floor, it's the same as ever, except being even larger than before since we used spatial magic to expand it. So, the entrance hallway is around three times larger than it was, and this time we had two elevators that brought you down to the floors below.

I'll start with the underground section. The 1st floor below is the swimming pool area. As mentioned previously, it's larger, and has more facilities and rooms, like changing rooms and toilets and it even has a couple of vending machines. All you need to do is add your magic/touki to get what snack you want.

The 2nd floor below is a large storage space. I had debated whether or not to make it a library, but decided against it. So I just turned it into a storage unit. This means that we store our excess items down there, spare ingredients are stored down there as well, and each section is temperature controlled.

The 3rd floor is the newly renovated and improved [Training Facility]. It still mostly functions like the old one, but it's much larger in space. It can also summon monsters when needed. However, it's limited to 100 monster spawns so it doesn't get overcrowded. Therefore, anyone can go down there to get stronger like the [Pocket Dimension], but it doesn't have the x2 EXP/Growth function.

I also added other things in there, like some showers, resting areas and food/drink vendors for anyone to use if they stay there for long periods of time.

The last floor below is the same as ever, but with even more protection. The core that I made months ago that powers this house also provides a jamming/interference signal that makes this house/area invisible to anyone hostile. I also upgraded it.

Previously, if the person knew where I lived, they'd still be able to find it. However, now, even if they know, they'll still be turned away/forced away from this section of the town. However, it's still limited to my strength. Therefore, if Lapis comes, they can still get in, though my battle fairies will deal with them since I upgraded them to Omniversal already.

Now, onto the above section of my home. The 2nd floor is still the large bedroom area with the infinite hallway, and the spacious indoor open bath. It didn't change much, other than making newly constructed and existing rooms four times larger than they were previously.

The 3rd floor is still the entertainment area of my home, but… even larger and filled with more things. The mini cinema has been transformed into a movie theater. The same things were still in it too, board games, old arcade games, high-end computers, a full-fledged bar, pool table, and the same music system as before. It also had a jacuzzi in it, unlike the mini one from before. I also littered the floor with vending machines.

The 4th floor is the meeting room. I expanded it more, added more barriers and protection spells to it. In addition, I installed the same vending machines, more comfortable chairs, tables and sofas. I also added a mini-bar there, and will probably make an Android bartender in the future, but for now, I or the Electa will do the job.

The 5th floor is the library. This was previously the storage section, but I moved it underground. This library should hold all the books in the human world, plus the books I've seen in the supernatural. It's also an 'infinite' room, since new areas will appear when the need arises and new books come in.

The way it works is when I scan a new book, it will appear in a new part or shelf of the library, or if Cúntóir finds new ones, then it'll automatically go in there. Fusae… has been having fun in there, she's been reading up a lot, the same with Latia and Iryuka when they visited.

Latia and I also spoke about her moving in, the same with Momo and Kuisha, but it's still yet to happen.

Finally, the 6th floor or the rooftop. I added a garden up there with the usual jacuzzi and other sections like a small campfire section, sleeping section and a small open area. This was if anyone wanted to do some activities up there.

Both the front and back gardens have also been renovated. The front garden is much larger since I moved my house back a little bit. It's just a typical front garden with a few android battle fairies disguised as normal ornaments around it.

The back is also larger, and the swimming pool was made slightly bigger, but mostly stayed the same. However, the 'resting area' is much larger, and even has a bed.

"Are you okay?" she asked while looking at me with a questioning gaze.

"Yeah, just thinking about when you'll marry me, Ray."

"Wha—"

Raynare instantly turned red and walked away. I guess she's still shy about that, even if we've made out a few times. Marriage seems to be too much for her even after 100 years, though I don't doubt that she's been alive longer than that.

"Aaron-nya!" Kuroka's voice called out to me.

Turning my attention to the living room's doorway, I saw her gesturing for me to join her, and so I did. I spent the remaining time in there with Kuroka, as the household slowly filled up, and dinner arrived…

…

It's been around an hour since we finished dinner. After that, I told Grayfia I needed to speak to her. However, I made some calls to check up on other pantheons since I was curious about their progress, and the demand for more people to enter the [Hyperbolic Regenerative Chamber] has increased. Therefore, I was thinking of upgrading it to at least accommodate 200 or 300 people at a time.

But I'll do that tomorrow or in the coming days. Currently, I am in my office. My office was beside the master bedroom/my bedroom. So, Grayfia and I were the only ones there. Raiko and Rose wanted to come along, but I said that it was something personal with Grayfia and I'll reveal it to everyone soon.

"…So, what did you want to speak to me about, Aaron?" she asked as she sat in front of me.

"I won't beat around the bush, Grayfia. How would you feel if I told you that Euclid Lucifuge was alive, and was part of Khaos Brigade and was also leading the magician faction Nilrem, and is probably the right-hand man of whoever is leading the new devil faction of Khaos Brigade?" I asked her.

Her body froze, her face stiffened and she was staring at me wide-eyed.

Euclid, for the most part, vanished after the civil war. After that, they couldn't find him. Some assumed that he was dead, some thought he was hiding in the deepest corners of the Underworld, or some simply thought he had returned to the human world or another faction/pantheon. His current whereabouts were unknown… well, for them anyway. I have a vague idea.

"W-what do you mean by that, Aaron?" she asked as her voice trembled slightly.

"I meant every word I said, Grayfia. Rizevim Livan Lucifer may be part of Qlippoth too, maybe even their leader. I'm led to believe that Euclid may be his right-hand," I said to her quite seriously. "You're aware of your brother's… opinion of you, correct?"

"H-he held me in high regard and looked up to me, but I never thought…"

"Grayfia, think back, was it really all just a high opinion of you? Or was it something… more?"

"…Are you saying he may have… loved me? Romantically?" she said while frowning.

"Maybe, I mean… he did act differently towards you, and to Sirzechs or any other devil, if you think about it. But if you don't believe me, we'll see in the future, I guess? But you know what will happen when the Underworld finds out he's alive, right?"

Grayfia nodded her head while still frowning, unsure how to feel about all of this. I summoned a magic communication circle beside me and connected it to Sirzechs.

"Hmm? Jin-kun? How can I help you?"

"Sirzechs, I have something to tell you. Are you alone right now? If Asteri is there, then it's also fine."

"I'm with Asteri in my office, and yes we're the only ones here. Is there something wrong?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, so…"

I told him about what I had just said to Grayfia and both of them also fell silent. But after a full minute of silence, he finally spoke up.

"Jin-kun, you're correct that Grayfia will be brought back to the Underworld for questioning… you know those old devils, they can't help but think that Grayfia was involved in this—perhaps even helping in hiding him. She will be brought back to the Gremory home for house arrest."

I expected as much… but I want that to change, even if the change is just keeping her here for her house arrest.

"Can anything be done? Is it possible to keep her in my home for the duration of her house arrest?" I asked.

"…I am not sure. It will be difficult because of your own status…" he muttered back.

"Is there really nothing you can do, Onii-san?" I asked again.

Sirzechs them made a weird noise before we heard a smack sound on the other end and Asteri telling him to 'Take this seriously!'.

"…I will do my utmost best in trying to convince them, Jin-kun!"

"…You're an idiot… how you became one of the Satans is beyond me…" said Asteri tiredly.

The way to get into Sirzechs' good side was for me to refer to him as 'Onii-san', if he refuses, I might change it to 'Onii-chan', I have zero shame in doing that, as long as I get what I want…

"A-anyway, I'll go discuss it with the other Satans, that's fine, right?" he asked.

"Yes, of course, I plan on telling my household about it sooner or later."

"Very well! Leave it to Onii-san~ hehehe~" he said enthusiastically and the magic circle disappeared.

I finally got up and softened my expression, went over to Grayfia's side and hugged her. She hugged me back too, however, she still said nothing, so we stayed like that for the next few minutes.

"Wanna go to bed?"

"…Yes."

…

????

…

"Tch, why did that stupid geezer make that stupid new system with the shit governor of the crows? They won't shut up about it, because of the brand-new titles they got, the 'Rookies Four' and their peerages."

"I know, right? Especially after our alliance with that stupid Dual Dragon Emperor. Hope he fucking chokes on a stick. But... I can't deny the fact that this new generation of devils are amazingly talented, like, really talented. Better than what we saw in the past several decades."

"...I guess? They do have two younger sisters of the Satans, the next heir of the Great King and the King of Lions, the next heiress of the Archduke, The Vampire that stops time, a Nekoshou, the Durandal wielder, the Holy Demonic sword and the Dragon King Vritra."

"Not to mention, they're all apparently trained by the Middleman, so they're probably even stronger now since those Rating Games we saw. Just listening to all of that frightens me. It's a no-brainer that we'll collaborate with them and give documents for pacts, hell the entire place is abuzz."

"...The magicians from the Khaos Brigade did say something... that the leaders who got involved with them were taken down, and their organization was forced into disbandment. But we're still going through this right...?"

"Yeah, we did indeed receive the request from the Khaos Brigade that you mentioned. We'll go along with it, we're getting a lot of benefits out of it after all. Their side, the Nilrem are also willing to do this, since stringing along the Phenex gets boring."

"Well, we'll see... their level of strength... anyway, Boss Lady Shien is looking forward to seeing how this all turns out. Even Lady Glenda and the rest are waiting for our reports."

"...They have big tits, don't they?"

"Dude..."

…

Tang! Tang! Bam!

Currently, I along with a few others are in the new [Training Facility] and they wanted to spar against me for a bit. Kiba, Xenovia and Irina were teaming up against me. Kiba was using [Gram], Xenovia was using [Durandal] and Irina was using her light powers.

Over the 100 years, Kiba got the hang of using [Gram], [Balmung], [Nothung], [Tyrfing], and [Dainsleif]. Xenovia has still yet to figure out how to truly utilize [Durandal], but I've given her hints about it and I think she's come to the conclusion but is unsure how to proceed.

I had [Ascalon] out and parried many of their attacks, or simply deflected them. I'm quite confident with my sword skills now since Rudra had been teaching me for 100 years, as well as I regularly clashed with these guys during those years.

"That should be fine for now," I said and they stopped attacking. "Good work, guys."

"Thank you very much, but… I feel like I can still get better at using [Gram], the same with the other swords…" Kiba said with a serious expression on his face.

"Yes, I believe the same with [Durandal], I've stopped relying on just pure destruction after all, even if [Durandal] is made for it," said Xenovia as she looked at her sword.

"Well, I'm A-Okay!" Irina said cheerfully as they laughed at her.

"Everyone, lunch is ready!" said Asia's voice.

We turned to the resting area where a few others were and they were already sitting down and starting to eat. Asia was running towards us with Ahin on her shoulder. She taught the little dragon some transformation magic, and he grew a lot during our stay in the [Pocket Dimension]. I also changed his potential and he is currently a Dragon God-class dragon.

As soon as Ahin, the lightning dragon spotted me, he flew towards me and I caught him.

"Hey there, want some food?" I asked him and he nodded.

I brought some food out and fed him it, and saw Asia huff.

"Aaron, don't overfeed him!" she begged adorably.

"Haha, sorry, I tend to spoil him a bit. He's like a young child." I admitted and for some reason Asia blushed.

"A-anyway, Ophis-san and Irene-san are joining us, so let's go…!"

She then grabbed my arm and dragged me away. Of course, the other Church Trio joined in with Irina hugging my other arm and Xenovia hugging my back.

"Should I join in too, Aaron-senpai?" asked Kiba as he blushed.

"…No, it's fine."

We proceeded to have lunch and train for the rest of the day. Others also joined us down there…

…

I had finished taking a shower after that long time in the [Training Facility]. Currently, I was in my office, looking over the reports that Antares was sending me on how the construction of the base in the Dimensional Gap was going.

He personally wanted to make everything perfect, that's why it was taking a while to be built. Even though Cúntóir offered to create it instantly, he refused saying he wanted to be responsible for around 99% of it, and oversee all of it to make it the 'perfect' paradise in this world.

I was the only one here though… Shirone was sitting on my lap and feeding me chocolate. She apparently had been watching me, and wanted to join me in the bath earlier. However, Ravel stopped her saying that I needed my alone time from time to time… and yeah, Ravel was also here, but she... she was quite jealous right now.

I was reading over the reports as I said, but Ravel was also helping me with that since it was her turn today. However, she was slightly red in the face and would sometimes look at me and Shirone. Shirone wasn't helping since she would smugly look at Ravel.

"Aaron's lap is so comfy. Did you know that, Ravel? It's my favorite place to sit down and relax… did you even experience it during our time in there? Or were—"

"A-Aaron-sama…! Please tell her off…!" she pleadingly asked.

"Shirone… don't tease Ravel too much," I reprimanded her, and she stuck her tongue at Ravel.

"…Mine," she said and planted a quick kiss on my lips and rubbed her ass on my lap.

Ravel dropped the documents she was reading through on the desk and began to shake, then some tears started to appear and she finally lost it.

"It's… it's not fair! Not fair! Not fair! Not fair!" she said while stomping her foot on the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. "I want my turn! Aye!" she then pushed Shirone off my lap and sat on it.

"…Aye."

Shirone then did the same thing back, and they did that back and forth for a minute straight, until I chopped them both on the head.

"Share… there's enough space."

I then remembered Risers words when I spoke to him once when Ravel called him during our stay in the [Pocket Dimension].

'My little sister Ravel. She is a well-mannered and humble girl, in front of those she is close to. However, she is basically on the same level of being a selfish princess as Rias was, or still is. She has a habit of wanting other people's attention, especially yours. You might be able to see more of that side since she lives with you.'

The two of them shared my lap but were glaring at each other. Well, they do get along… when the time comes, but generally they're quite competitive for my attention and affection. But this is fine in its own right…

…

Kuoh Academy

…

"Checkmate…" I muttered and won another round of chess against Saji.

"…Ugh… I can't win…" he complained and slumped back in his seat.

It was lunch during which I was with the Sitri peerage in the student council. The Gremory group were mostly talking about contracts and since none of them requested for me, I didn't see the need to be there. Akeno and Rias complained but I still left so they could concentrate.

Ingvild was with her friends so I wasn't the only one skipping on club activities. Only Saji, Ruruko, Momo and I were in the room while the others were still out doing some patrolling. I've told Sona to try to have some kind of other committee that does the patrolling and disciplining of the students. However, she said it would be better if they did it.

"By the way, I've heard that Momo is planning to move in with you soon?" asked Saji as Ruruko came over and started to play with his face.

I glanced at Momo as she smiled back at me. "It's still in the works, I guess? But it should happen soon, I mean… no never mind."

I was about to say I was thinking of moving to another place, though I'll wait till I graduate and evolve. Maybe have two houses? I'm not sure, but…

"Dammit! You and Gasper both have harems! I thought I would be the second, but Gasper has both Coriana-san and now Tomoe…! Dammit! Shi—ow, ow, ow, w-w-wait, Ruruko-chan!"

Ruruko had shoved two of her fingers into Saji's nose as he started to complain. However, she did not stop and it looked like she was threatening to tear off his nose... she started to develop the same 'smile' some of the girls give me. They must have taught it to her, or at least seen it enough times over the 100 years to replicate it.

"Saji, why are you screaming?" Sona's voice suddenly asked.

The door had quietly opened and the rest of the peerage came into the room.

"P-President… uh… nothing…"

He said while Ruruko kept on pulling his nose… I could see blood now. But Ruruko eventually stopped and let him go after Sona stared at the two of them for long enough.

"Aaron, I've heard from Rias that she's been looking forward to your date soon?" she asked.

"Yeah, I plan on taking her to Antarctica since Antares has been staying there and made a small little base—a small town in a way. So we'll go there for it," I replied.

"I see…"

Sona seemed to want to say something, but she refrained from doing so. However, as soon as she sat down in her chair, a magic circle appeared.

"Well, you nearly have all the females here too, don't you, Aaron-senpai~?" Tsubasa said as she locked me in a headlock.

"…I wasn't intentionally doing any of it. But I guess interacting for 100 years can do certain things." I slowly took her hold off me.

"Weeeelll~ he does have a goddess in his harem, doesn't heee~" said Reya as she sipped some tea.

Glancing back at Saji, he was crying tears of blood as Ruruko patted him on the head. I'm sorry, man, I didn't do it on purpose… probably.

"Aaron." Sona called me.

"Hmm?"

"I received a call just now. I think you will also be receiving a call soon as well, but... it seems like the date for the meeting with the vampires will be night."

"I see…"

So it's beginning, huh? Very well… let's see how this universe vampire faction really is…

…

A day later, at night, we were gathered on the 4th floor of my home, to discuss a few things. Gremory, Sitri peerages, Azazel, Lisa, Fusae, Le Fay, Griselda and Gabriel who were representing Heaven and a few others who wanted to listen in. I could, if I want, count Scathach as she was being the 'representative' of the Irish pantheon.

For now—temporarily, I allowed vampires to come into my home, so the outside of the street had become eerily silent and much colder than it should be. We were heading into autumn and winter, but this type of cold was abnormal.

"Looks like they're here… the presence of vampires are always cold like this," said Rias as she got up along with Azazel, Griselda and Gabriel.

I had brought Valerie with me and made her invisible. So, I'll unveil her when the time is right. Furthermore, I do not know who is coming, so... anyway, vampires here are like those in my previous world. Well, from what the movies depict.

Vampires were beings that couldn't enter a building that they hadn't been invited to come into. They didn't appear in mirrors, and they didn't have shadows. They couldn't cross running water, hated garlic and were weak against symbols of the church like the cross and holy water.

They couldn't heal themselves unless they slept in their coffins. Gasper and Valerie are half vampires. They both had shadows and they both appeared in mirrors. They could cross rivers and they didn't mind eating garlic. However, they looked uncomfortable the entire time they did eat it.

They don't sleep in coffins, they just sleep in normal beds. This is apparently because the human blood in them is stronger, so they just need to sometimes crap inside a box. I've seen Valerie do it a number of times, even more so for Gasper.

We left it to Kiba to wait downstairs to welcome them in and guide them up. The rest of the girls were either in their rooms, the [Training Facility] or in the living room. Since this was an official meeting, Rose and Raiko joined me, with Ravel too.

Finally, they came as the doors opened. While the rest of them stood up, I sat in my chair and waited with Rose and Raiko on both my sides.

"I have brought the guests," said Kiba and joined Rias' side.

The one who stepped through the door was a girl with a doll-like appearance with long wavy light blonde hair, deep red eyes, and a beautiful face similar to that of a Western doll. She also has a pale skin tone similar to that of a corpse. She wears a red dress worn by princesses back in the Middle Ages, with an ornamented head-dress.

Elmenhilde Karnstein, a noble pure-blooded vampire from the Carmilla Faction of vampires. Behind her were two other vampires, a man and woman in suits.

I looked at the ground and indeed she didn't have a shadow. How peculiar…

"How do you do, people of the Three Great Powers? I'm especially honored to meet two of the little sisters of the Satans, the Governor of the Fallen Angels, and the famed Middleman of the pantheons."

Being urged by Yuri Alpha and Risette, she sat down on a chair that was facing in front of me. The rest of them also sat down around the table.

"I am Elmenhilde Karnstein. Please call me Elmen," she said politely.

"Karstein... If I'm correct, it's one of the two biggest factions of vampires, and it's a household that is ranked one of the highest among the Carmilla Faction, right? It's the first time I've met a pure-blood and noble vampire before that's from Romania," I said to her.

Vampires have been residents of darkness since ancient times. I asked Azazel and Rias about the current world of vampires in this world, and apparently, their progenitors were two people. Dracula and a woman that identifies herself by the modern name 'Shinobu'. However, her name was apparently very long, something starting with 'Kiss-shot'.

Those two apparently disappeared from the scene and don't interact much with the current state of the vampire factions. Even the ones outside of Romania haven't seen or heard of them since.

Like Devils, they're weak against holy objects and attacks. Unlike the three powers and other factions, the vampires haven't bothered contacting us to do any negotiations until now. They're quite prideful and are only out for themselves.

They live in the darkness of humans because they have their own realm in the human world. This realm turns away normal humans in Romania, well the ones in Romania at least. There are other vampires that I've met, the Irish ones.

A TLDR about their split is, the Tepes faction and the Carmilla faction, the Tepes faction follows the principle of men standing above women, and the Carmilla faction follows the opposite—that women stand above men.

Not wanting to waste any time, I directly asked her, "Elmenhilde, can you tell us your reason for wanting to meet us? What is the reason for the Carmilla Faction, who has avoided contact with us, to suddenly come out in front of the Gremory, Sitri and Heaven, Fallen Angels and myself?"

She closed her eyes, and then opened them back up slowly and nodded.

"I would like to borrow Gasper Vladi," she said while staring at me, and then turned her gaze to Rias.

Gasper, he himself was a bit dumbfounded by this. I already saved Valerie months ago, so I wonder what's happening now?

"—Is what I'd like to say, but… I wish for Jin Skyward's assistance too."

A curve ball… everyone turned to look at me and I raised my eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" I asked her.

"A few months ago, the Tepes faction's Longinus Sacred Gear wielder vanished. That prompted them to go into panic and start attacking us. However, we do not have the woman named Valerie Tepes that owns it. However… recently they had strange allies with them and our faction is barely holding off from being destroyed."

"Bahahaha!" Azazel burst into laughter and she stared at him in shock and anger. He then pointed at me and said, "That fucking idiot was the one who sneaked into the Tepes faction and stole Valerie Tepes!" he announced.

This time, Elmenhilde stared at me in shock. I snapped my fingers and Valerie who was sitting on my lap appeared and awkwardly waved at her.

"Y-y-you were the reason they attacked us?!" she shouted and pointed at me.

"I may have been, yes." I didn't need to lie, so I just told the truth.

Valerie then spoke up. "The [Sephiroth Graal], that's the Sacred Gear bestowed upon me. I, while in the Tepes faction was forced to achieve a subspecies Balance Breaker, as such… there are three Graals currently out in the world. I have one of them, my older half-brother, Marius Tepes must have the other. As for the last one… I do not know who has it," she said.

"…If they still have one of the Graals, then why are they attacking us…? No, no… there is another reason… they have…"

"Crepuscule Phantasma or the Evie Etoulde, which is it? Or is it both?" I asked.

"…I heard from one of our spies that the Tepes faction soldiers mentioned something about a 'Phantasma', but chalked it up to gibberish being spoken… what are they?"

"Beings of another world, they are much stronger than ours. I recently had a meeting in the Underworld about this, and discussed their existence with the alliance. To make it short, they're going to invade our world sooner or later. And if you want your faction to come out alive, it's better to join us to guarantee my protection."

I flicked my hand and showed her what I showed the rest of them during the meeting. Elmenhilde watched in horror at what was on the magic circle.

"To put it bluntly, if they haven't completely annihilated your faction, then they must be toying with all of you. Maybe they're even trying to lure me out, but I don't know the real reason... anyway, those two evil factions are working with the Khaos Brigade. So, what do you say, Elmen?"

She fell silent once the magic circle disappeared and looked at the table in horror and frustration. As long as the two factions refuse outside help, they will eventually destroy themselves in their own civil war. But it was made even more complicated by the interference of the Khaos Brigade and the Phantasma.

"I cannot make this decision by myself; however, I must consult it with Queen Carmilla. In spite of that, we might still be able to utilize Vladi's powers, so I would like to borrow him, as well as Valerie Tepes. I—we have the pride of being vampires, so wish to try to win it using our own powers. But we can see how dire it is, so asking you—who is not part of any faction, but as a different party…"

"Hybrids… your kind detest them, don't you? Children born as half humans and half vampires are shunned in your society. It must be very dire if you're requesting the help of Valerie-san and Gasper-san. Even more so, the Middleman," said Griselda as she was squinting at Elmenhilde.

"Vampires have always hunted humans. We use them for pleasure, and when they bear a child—we simply dispose of them, or even eat them if we must. However, sometimes, the weaker ones keep those hybrids, which is a problem… especially Gasper Vladi who was born with immense power."

Elmenhilde stared at Gasper who also stared at her back. He slightly frowned but didn't seem all too bothered by her comment. He really has grown up a lot…

"However, even though I said I wasn't one to make decisions, I did come prepared…" she said and pulled out a document and slid it towards me.

"…A peace conference with the Carmilla side, huh?" I mumbled while looking at the document on the table.

Rose took it and read it for me.

"So this is—this meeting today is for diplomatic reasons, and you were dispatched to us as a special envoy, correct?" asked Raiko.

Elmenhilde smiled and nodded at Raiko's question.

"Yes, our Queen, Carmilla-sama does not wish for this war to continue, be it our civil war, the war with the fallen angels or even heaven and the church. It's been such a long time after all, and she wishes for a truce," she said with a smile.

It didn't take a genius to see everyone's expressions and thoughts in the room. I could tell—we were all thinking the same thing, 'That's not how this works, you have to do the conference first before asking for favors like this'.

However, Azazel decided to ask her something else to try to ease the tension.

"Tell me, Elmenhilde, what were they trying to do with the [Sephiroth Graal]?" asked Azazel.

She briefly looked at him before answering.

"They are trying to create a body that will never die. Even if they have their hearts nailed, even if they have a holy cross in front of them, even if they don't sleep in their coffins, even if they walk under the sun. Those on the Tepes side have gained a body that can't be destroyed."

"No, to say it more precisely, they have gained a body that is difficult to destroy. It seems like the power of the [Holy Grail] is incomplete because of the Middleman's interference. Perhaps they were near completion and then Valerie Tepes was stolen?"

"They are trying to become a being with no weaknesses. Their pride as vampires has been abandoned, and in addition, they are attacking our side with their allies from the Khaos Brigade. There have been many casualties. If I have to estimate, around 60% of our fighting force is injured or dead."

Her face was contorted in anger as she said that to us, her power was also rising. However, Yuri Alpha put some tea in front of her to stop her rant.

"I see… a body that's immortal, huh? It certainly might be possible with the [Sephiroth Graal], even more so… they still have at least two of them, right?" Azazel asked Valerie.

She nodded and summoned one of the Graals and showed it to them. She hasn't used it that much. I told her that she could once we retrieve the last two and combine them. However, I prohibited her from using it until then.

"We, the Three Great Powers have been asking and looking for peace with each faction without any discrimination, especially Jin here. He will accept most if they approach him amicably. However, asking for peace in this kind of way..." Griselda said calmly and looked at me.

I nodded at her words. Other people who asked for my assistance were a bit nicer about asking for it instead of expecting me to do it. So I was more inclined to help them, but… at the same time, I'm kind of to blame for this since it escalated pretty quickly.

Fusae who had been quietly listening and also reading a book looked up and said, "Normally, the treaty for the peace comes first, and the thing about the Longinus and war comes after that. This just seems like you are saying that you won't agree to peace unless we help you out."

Elmenhilde looked over at Fusae with disgust in her eyes and said quite coldly, "And who are you to speak to me? Just because you're part of the Dual Dragon Emperor's concubine does not give you special permission to speak to me. I am a special envoy. You do not have the qualifications to question me, correct?"

Everyone around her was speechless. I was expecting this—well, this personality of hers to come out eventually. But I didn't think she'd just call Fusae that. Fusae herself didn't seem that bothered by it, but she was slightly frowning.

'Keep calm, don't explode… she's just like that for now… she'll change… she'll change…' I thought and took deep breaths.

"So, you want mine, Gasper and Valerie's help, correct? …You know, you shouldn't insult my friends so casually with me here, you know? I could easily refuse and let them destroy you all," I said coldly to her.

She turned to glare at me, but noticing my gaze at her, she backed down and awkwardly looked at the teacup in front of her. She then sighed and shook her head, and stood up.

"I will tell our Queen that you are considering it, and I will leave one of these guys in Kuoh. If you reach a decision contact them so they can contact me."

Elmenhilde and her bodyguards finally left my home and I turned the defenses back on.

"What a piece of work," said Azazel and he sighed.

Rias then turned to Gasper and asked, "What will you do? They asked for all three of you, so… in the end it depends on what Jin says, but…"

Gasper had a complicated expression on his face, but he was seriously thinking about it. However, Valerie turned to me and whispered, "I'll stick with whatever decision you make, Aaron."

I nodded and we both looked at Gasper.

After a few more seconds he sighed and nodded his head. "Even if I was left for dead, and even after being shunned… they're still my people. I'm prepared to go there and help… if… if I can speak to my father one last time, I'll be satisfied. But... I'm going along with Jin-senpai's decision," he responded firmly.

"Hah! Look at you, Gasper… showing such a manly face, you'll make Coriana fall for you all over again, you know? And well… I guess Tomoe-kun there…"

Azazel then pointed at Tomoe, who had been in this meeting and she was hugging Gasper who was smiling.

"So? What's your decision, captain?" asked Azazel.

"If we let the Crepuscule Phantasma have their way in this small war, then who knows what other pantheon or faction's business they'll try to sabotage and deal with next? I'll go and stop them, and will force the Carmilla faction to join the alliance if I have to… as for the Tepes faction, I'm not entirely sure… but we'll see when the time comes."

"…But first, we'll need to send someone over there to start the negotiations. Rias, can I leave it to you?" I asked. "You can bring Kiba along and… Akaza. I'll contact him."

"Akaza? Who the hell is that?" Azazel asked confused. "Wait, you have more subordinates? Who the hell is she?!" He pointed at Yuri Alpha.

"I'll tell you over time, Azazel, but yes I do have more subordinates… anyway, can you accompany them too?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I already planned on coming with you if you decide to negotiate," he said and drank his tea.

"Very well, I will travel to meet up with the Camilla side, and I'll relay whatever I find back to you, especially with the Crepuscule…" Rias replied.

"Oh, by the way, has Caeda contacted you yet?" the Governor asked again and had more tea poured for him.

I shook my head and said, "No, she hasn't, but I have a feeling she will soon."

"I will inform Michael-sama and Altaria-sama about this then… we just need to find Joker and have him ready to dispatch if it requires it," said Griselda and gestured for Irina to join her. Gabriel also decided to join them.

…

Everyone had dispersed after the meeting, however, I and a few others stayed behind in the meeting room. Azazel approached me and he seemed quite serious.

"Jin."

"Do you still need something, Azazel?"

"I heard that you got the Ice Princess to scold him not too long ago… anyway, good job in stopping that battle maniac. If he did try to go to the other worlds, he might actually die… anyway, he's continued in his regular travels and came across some interesting information."

"Is it about the Evil Dragons? Because intel says that they might have also been revived…"

He just sighed and nodded his head. "Yeah, they might be. Vali and his team came across members of the Khaos Brigade. Heck, Le Fay is here, isn't she? I think it's due to Arthur not wanting her to be hurt. Knowing you and how you power up people to stupid degrees… he's hoping you'll protect her and also make her stronger. She's a talented young magician after all."

He looked around the room and asked, "Where is she by the way?"

"Le Fay is in the library, so right above us. If you want to speak to her, just go in there, take the stairs," I said and looked through more documents.

"I see, anyway, just keep an eye out for those Evil Dragons, alright? And please for the love of god stop Vali from killing himself more. Anyway, I—"

"Azazel! Come here for a second, we need to book a flight to Romania!" Rias shouted from below us.

"Well, the Switch Princess calls… oh by the way, I'm buying more territories from the devils in the Underworld. I want to open a bunch of resorts and other facilities like that to earn more money to fund my research. Ah, Meruem said you might help us out too if we run low on cash~"

"…I'll consider it since he did change by a substantial amount in a short amount of time."

"…Hell yeah!" he pumped his fist into the air before skipping away to join Rias.

…

That night, it was a bit chaotic, but now it's morning. I was alone again in the large indoor open bath since I wanted to just be alone and think about certain things. I feel like the future will be an emotionally turbulent one for me. Call it a gut feeling, but that's how I feel about it.

[What do you mean by that, Partner?]

'It feels like the many events that are going to happen will put the control of my emotions to the test since they involve a lot of my friends and lovers' fates. You know… I'll defend and fight for them through hell and back. I'm just stupidly loyal to a fault.'

[I see… well, you could look at this as another one of Azathoth's tests, I guess?]

'Maybe…'

The door to the bath suddenly opened and in came… Fusae and Ravel. I wasn't expecting to see them here this early in the morning. I moved to the end of the bath to let them have their space. I had bathed with Ravel several times, so she made her way to me and sat beside me. Fusae decided to stay close to us. Once both of them were seated, Fusae spoke up.

"'And who are you to speak to me? Just because you're part of the Dual Dragon Emperor's concubine does not give you special permission to speak to me. I am a special envoy. You do not have the qualifications to question me, correct?'."

She repeated the words that Elmenhilde said to her. I guess she was bothered by it.

"Did it look like that, Aaron-san?" she asked me.

"No… don't mind her, she's just… let's say, sheltered. Once she experiences more of the outside world and how it operates, her views should change, so expect an apology soon. For the concubine thing… I've already explained it to you when you moved in." I told her.

After nodding, she went back to blowing bubbles in the bath.

"I… I would like to say that I was like that once, but I wasn't… I may have been a bit of a spoiled princess, but I think my Onii-sama, Riser, experienced something like that. After his defeat by Rias-sama and Aaron-sama, he changed. So after whatever happens in Romania, she may also change for the better, Fusae-san."

Ravel said that to Fusae who looked at her and nodded. She wasn't one that showed much emotion. I wonder if that will change in the future? I mean she has only been here for a few days, so she won't change that quickly. However, I do wonder what her life was like before she joined Grauzauberer.

"A-Aaron-sama, I will wash your back…" Ravel mumbled and forced me to move so she could get behind me.

She lathered her body with soap and started to rub my back with her breasts. Fusae's eyes widened at this, and she stared at Ravel in shock. Even though I couldn't see Ravel right now, I bet she was quite embarrassed by this action.

"…How is it?"

"Ah… yeah, it's great. You've improved since then," I said to her.

This wasn't the first time she had done this for me. She had competed with Shirone in the [Pocket Dimension] before, although she lost most of the time since Shirone and I would end up doing something lewd, and Ravel would run away after that. However, her breasts have certainly grown since then, and of course, she also grew in height like many others.

"That was the first time I met a pure-blood vampire. I have heard from Riser-onii-sama that they are extremely prideful. He even said maybe even more so than the devils. I became friends with Gasper-san quite easily, and as well as Valerie-san, so it was quite strange to see someone acting like that."

"Their world is very strict, according to Valerie-san and Gasper-san that they weren't allowed to make friends because they were hybrids and were mostly locked away. Even then, the other pure-bloods looked down on them and even those pure-bloods weren't allowed to make friends with other races or other families if they had feuds or if their family simply didn't like them."

"Even us—high-class noble devils can determine who we can associate with. Even if most choose to befriend high-class devils, some choose to befriend low-class or reincarnated devils. We have that choice, that freedom."

"…So, if I could go with you, I would fight alongside Gasper-san and Valerie-san since they're my friends and comrades." Ravel then giggled to herself. "…It seems you're affecting many people around you, Aaron… some of us are more willing to help others now than we were 'back then'."

"…Gasper-san is one of them. I heard he was cowardly, a cry baby and didn't have a hint of courage within him. However, seeing him now, he stands up for himself, and even wants to help his former faction that shunned and hurt him."

Finally, Fusae spoke up. "It seems like you tend to change the people who spend a lot of time with you. Aaron-san. Maybe that will be true for me?"

The way she said that sounded like she was asking herself rather than us.

"…Well, who knows what the future holds? Let's try to get along even more from now on, Fusae."

"Yes, I will try my best…"

Spsh!

"I, have come out," said Ophis as she came out of the water.

"H-huh?! O-Ophis-sama?!" Ravel shrieked in surprise.

Ophis had joined me earlier and she had been swimming around the bath earlier, but decided to hold her breath for a period of time. Why? I have no idea, however, she's a free spirit much like Irene, as such I don't question their rationale or decisions.

"Ravel, you stay with Aaron?" Ophis asked.

"…Yes, even though Aaron-sama has many secretaries already… I want to be one of them too! I want to support him when his restaurant opens!" she declared firmly and kept rubbing her breasts against my back.

"…Aaron-san, do you like big breasts?" Fusae suddenly asked.

"Breasts…" Ophis repeated and made hers larger. She was already in her adult form since Kunou wasn't here.

Though, Kunou is aware of what and who Ophis is, so she doesn't mind if Ophis looks like her adult form since Kunou said she was aiming to be a 'mature adult' in the future just like her mother and Sharon.

"…I don't have any particular—"

"Liar. Aaron-sama likes all sizes, however, I believe he is a man who appreciates a woman's thighs," Ravel corrected me.

And thus, that's how my morning started... and well, Ophis was trying to gobble up my dick, so I had to avoid her attempts as Ravel clung onto me and Fusae quietly giggling at us.

…

????

…

"How is it with the Magicians of Nilrem? Are the final preparations nearly done?"

"There are no problems whatsoever. It sounds like they'll be enjoying this too. That's why they were exiled from the association of Grauzauberer."

"Heh, well, we are magicians who are placing themselves in the ranks of the terrorists after all. We aren't in a situation where we can that. Anyway, is our leader really serious about doing this?"

"If that is the will of the leaders, then it can't be helped."

"This is insane. I mean, Shalba and Cao Cao were also crazy, but the thing we're about to do this time is also insane."

"All the things we've done so far have been insane. We can't turn back now."

"The leader called and said that the preparations were all set. Well... if they weren't here, not just our organization, but even we would be finished. So we can only follow their orders now. We can't have a proper life."

"I've felt like that since we encountered Vali and his team in the places we've gone to."

"Dragons are said to naturally attract strong foes, much like the Dual Dragon Emperor. So they should just dance with each other... dragons with dragons, that is."

…

Jin Skyward's Soliloquy

…

"…Hmm?"

I was currently at school but… during lunch I sensed something. In a few days Rias, Kiba, Akaza and Azazel will be leaving for Romania… but right now, I felt something enter Kuoh. It was a familiar aura.

'She's kept me waiting for quite some time… let's see what she has to say.' I thought and got up.

"Aaron?" asked Rias who had been leaning against me.

We had been having lunch in the clubroom, however, Azazel and the other teachers were here. They were called to the teacher's lounge to talk about teacher-related things.

"Caeda. She entered Kuoh… I'll go speak to her. If I'm not back by the start of classes, inform Sona," I said to them.

"Okay," she said and kissed me on the cheek, and so did the other girls.

I finally left to confront her.

…

I teleported to the outskirts of Kuoh, and she was sitting on a log. She looked exhausted, and when she felt my presence, she looked up with a tired smile.

"I somehow managed to deal with everything… they still think I'm one of them, and I can tell you everything I know… but please keep in mind that I'm only 8th out of the 16 members, so I'm not the highest in the rankings… I'm in the literal middle," she said tiredly.

"Alright… here have this, it'll replenish your energy." I threw a pill at her and she consumed it.

She gained back her strength and energy and she patted the spot beside her and joined her.

"So… tell me everything you know."

"Jeez, just everything right at the start?" she asked, but nodded. "Alright, so—"

…