It didn't take long to find Scáthach.
I saw her lazing upon a hill, bathing in the sun. Given the signs of battle that marked the surrounding area, I guessed she took care of the local Grimm problem.
There was no point in announcing my presence as I knew for a fact that she had noticed me. Instead, I just walked up, and laid right down next to her.
"Mmm." She let out a content noise as she snuggled up next to me.
"You enjoy yourself?" I asked quietly, putting my arm around her.
"I did." She giggled. "It was quite fun to explore the world and wander around like the old days."
"What did you get up to?" I slipped my hand into hers, intertwining our fingers.
"I assisted some brave warriors in slaying these monster Grimm. I aided some younger ones in overcoming their flaws and weaknesses. And for the remainder, I merely helped around and slayed Grimm when they appeared." She revealed with a wide grin.
"No one worth taking in a as student?" I asked.
"I did run into someone quite talented. Perhaps in a different life or time, I may have been tempted to do so. However, I cannot take responsibility as I am now."
"Responsibility?" I questioned.
"I would be required to train them thoroughly, just as I have you and my other students. That would mean spending much time away and making sure they were up to my standard before setting them loose. I cannot in good conscious dedicate that required time when I also have a duty as your woman." She explained. "So I merely left them with some lessons and tips on how to advance."
After seeing my look, she blinked at me in confusion. "What?" She asked.
"You're really sweet." I leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She hadn't taken another student because she didn't want to spend that much time away from me…..how could I not be moved by that?
"Fufu, my student, you cannot simply give me only one~" She rolled ontop of me, locking eyes as she lowered herself, her soft lips parting slightly to allow our tongues to intertwine. There was no need for any words or actions for the moment as we just enjoyed the taste of each other.
"Now." She spoke up, breaking the kiss. "Does that cheer you up, my lover?" She giggled.
"You could always read me easily." I sighed, letting my head set against the grass.
"You often wear your heart on your sleeve." She sat back down next to me as I felt her hand start running through my hair. "It is one of the qualities of yours that I find attractive. Now speak to me of your troubles, did something happen with that other woman?"
"….It feels strange to talk about girl trouble with my woman." I snorted, letting out a sigh.
"The humor isn't lost on me either." She chuckled. "But I am here to help you in all your endeavors. As you say, I am your woman, for all that matters to you, such things are important to me as well."
"I don't deserve you." I choked out, wrapping me arms around her.
"And don't you forget it~" She playfully poked my cheek. "If you wish to reward this Scáthach, then we shall make sure your spear is tested tonight."
"My teacher is lewd" I couldn't help but smile.
"Hmph, take responsibility for making this Scáthach moist between the legs." She huffed. "Now, speak. I will not have you mope about, especially infront of your other women."
I let out another sigh. "It's not much to say. I told her I had a harem before we got too involved, she didn't take it too well. She didn't....kick me out or anything, and even implied she wanted to continue. It's just…I felt like there was more distance now. I know it's to be expected, but I still can't help but feel shitty."
Salem was hard to read sometimes. I guess I should just keep going as I had been? I'm fairly sure she'd tell me to fuck off if she wanted me to. "It appears as though you must let nature take its course."
"Yeah, that's what I figured too. I was just going to see how things played out after spending more time with her."
"And how about you." She playfully nipped at my ear. "Besides the latest lady to catch your interest, did you partake in anything?"
"I met with a friend, spent a few hours with her to catch up." I smiled.
"That sounds pleasant." She said softly.
"It was, and I'm glad I stopped by. I'll be checking in some more, so if you ever want to come on over, give me a heads up. I think I'll anchor the house somewhere here soon to make it easier as well."
"That would be most beneficial." Scáthach nodded.
I let out a yawn as I sat up. "You ready to go or do you want to laze around for a bit?"
Scáthach pursed her lips before reaching out and pulled me back down with a giggle.
Well, I guess that answers that question. It was fine to just relax and not worry about things for the time being.
***
Yasaka POV
So. Much. Paperwork.
Just a little fire, no one would notice.
I was about to push it off my desk until I noticed someone was approaching. I straightened myself up and appeared to be busy at work.
"Lady Yasaka." Soma bowed as he entered.
"Soma, what is it?"
"We have a sudden visitor. Azazel of the Grigori is here and he wishes to speak." Soma explained.
I suddenly felt a headache coming on. I resisted the urge to throw something in the presence of my faithful subordinate.
Should I send him away? If he showed up in person, then he's either confidant I'll have to speak with him, or he won't give up and he's going to be annoying until he gets his way.
I wished Wilhelm was here…..It would be nice to have him scare away Azazel. Amaterasu above, I know he's going to start flirting with me and stare at my tits. I didn't really care before – many guys, and girls, did and it wasn't like I exactly hid my boobs from view. But I felt a bit disgusted by it now that I had a man in my life.
My cleavage definitely was a good tool for negotiations, but I didn't want to do that anymore. These boobs were the property of Wilhelm, and I wouldn't let others have any peeks anymore.
What to do, what to do.
Soma's looking at me expectantly.
"Take him somewhere to wait. Say I'm in a meeting." It's not like he could complain when he dropped in unexpectedly. He should be lucky I don't kick him out for stomping all over proper decorum.
"Right away, Lady Yasaka." Soma bowed and disappeared.
Should give me some time to think of what to do. Well…..if Wilhelm wasn't available, I did believe I have some sisters I can call upon.
The benefits of being in a harem full of powerful women.
I had wanted to bond more with Meridia as well. I feel as if she's the most distant of all Wilhelm's women, which was not unexpected once I learned of her origin.
I took out one of those phone-things that I received from Artoria's master. That Rin was such a lovely young women, I should do something nice for her later.
It would be my first time using this thing. I played around with it as I was familiar with the overall design and I connected across dimensions.
"Hello?" A visual appeared on the device, and a familiar voice came through.
"Hello, Meridia." I greeted politely.
"Yasaka." Meridia nodded. "Do you require assistance?"
Huh, was she so quick to jump to my defense? How sweet…..she keeps such a cold demeanor, but she's just a softy underneath, wasn't she?
"I do, but it isn't urgent. I –"
"I am here."
I paused, looking up from my device as Meridia stood only a few feet away. I quickly sent a message to Wilhelm to use my office as his return point if he decided to come back in the next hour or so. Then I slowly turned it off and put it away. "Well, that was quick."
"With the connection Wilhelm set up, coming over is not difficult. But I am merely at a fraction of my power whereas my main focus remains in my realm." She explained. "How may I assist?"
"I….didn't need you to rush over." Now I felt a little embarrassed. "I just wanted someone with me since an annoying sleazebag came over to annoy me."
"It is no matter." Meridia didn't seem to mind. "I…..wish to be helpful. I am aware I am not the most sociable of the bunch, so I would like to help when I can. This is but a small matter to me, think nothing of it."
And now I can see why Wilhelm enjoyed teasing her so much.
I wondered if she'd be open to some fun with Wilhelm and I together down the road. She had a face I would very much like to sit on.
"I appreciate it, truly. I would have asked Wilhelm, but he's absent at the moment." I smiled towards her.
Meridia appeared appreciative of my thanks. "I am happy to assist my…..harem sisters." She stumbled a bit as she said it. I think she was embarrassed to say it out loud.
And I knew for a fact that Jinn was the one who put that term in her head.
"Well, I should give you a run down. He's a Fallen Angel, the leader of the Grigori. He fell because he had sex with a human or something" I waived my hand flippantly, it wasn't like that particular detail was important. "He's sleezy and has no shame with where he stares." I adjusted my kimono to make sure my cleavage wasn't showing.
"If he leers at me, he will regret it." Merida crossed her arms.
"He's also a bit crafty, so watch his words." While he couldn't do anything to Meridia from what I understood, I was still stuck here and with a whole faction to lead, so I couldn't run. He could make my life very difficult he if chose to.
Merida nodded curtly as she stood next to me, looking intimidating.
"Soma." I called out, and my trusted guard appeared immediately. "Please bring Azazel in."
"Right away, Lady Yasaka." He bowed, headed off to do his duty.
"You have a good subordinate." Meridia commented.
"Oh, I'm lucky to have him. He was orphaned and we took him in when he was young." I still remember that cute kid that came up to me and asked to be my guard.
Such a sweetie and he grew up into a fine young man.
Unfortunately my reminiscing was cut short as could smell cheap cologne as they got closer.
"Yasaka, it's been too long!" The Fallen Angel strode in like he owned the place.
"Azazel." I kept my expression even.
He tried to flash that charming smile towards me, but it only made me want to vomit. How he's able to swoon so many women, I didn't understand. Though his gaze turned towards my companion.
"And who's this charming young women." Azazel held nothing back as he stared at Meridia.
"Taken." Meridia said sternly. "And retract your eyes from my legs lest you wish them removed from your head."
I held back a smile as I saw Azazel's eyes widen and he shivered at her words. I think she briefly released a bit of her power for him to take heed.
He cleared his throat and continued. "Yasaka, how's it been?"
"Cleaning up messes. Something you would know nothing about since you push your work off onto other people"
"Don't be like that, I actually came here to help you." He smiled brightly.
"I'm sure." I said dryly.
"Hey, I'm on the side of the Angels here." He snickered. "Besides, would I come all the way out here just to lie about something like this?"
I let out a long sigh. "Get to it, Azazel, my patience is running thin."
"Fine, fine. Alright, so I heard you were having some trouble after the whole mishap –"
"You speak of when my home was attacked and many of my number were killed in cold blood?" I clarified.
"—So I wanted to come and help you there" He ignored my words and continued. "How about I give you a big discount on some resources? Help you repair your wards, send in stuff to rebuild, those kinds of things."
"And what would you want in return?" I might as well play along.
"Nothing much. I heard you got your hands on some Sacred Gears recently." He said almost as if he was doing us a favor. "Oh, and I wouldn't mind getting a meeting with your boy toy."
"My….boy toy." I repeated. I knew Wilhelm had joked about that titleonce, but that was a joke between us. Not something to be used by an outsider. "By that, I presume you are speaking about the father of my Daughter? The Man for whom I have decided to become coupled to?"
Truthfully, it wasn't that angering of a statement he made. It was annoying, one of those stupid games to be played to purposely get someone you're negotiating with upset and possibly off balance. He wanted my Sacred Gears and he had resources he perceived I needed. In his view, I was the one in the lower bargaining position, so he tried to make himself pull ahead further using such petty tactics.
We had no proper alliances, and we also had nothing he wanted other than the Sacred Gears. So it wasn't that strange that he'd taken a more 'aggressive' form of negotiations to get what he wanted.
"Come on, don't get upset." He feigned an apologetic attitude. "I didn't mean anything by it. Besides, I'm here to help. Making sure your people get back up on their feet is the priority."
That smug undertone was truly grating.
Get me upset, then remind me that he's my 'only hope' at helping my people. It would make a lesser person emotional enough to probably play into his hands.
"No thank you." The corners of my lips curled up.
"W-what?" He blinked, stuttering out in surprise.
"Your services are not required." I said plainly. "You may leave."
"Are you really going to toss me out? Don't you care about helping your people?"
"Yes, that is why she has received ample support from other sources." Meridia snorted. "Mine included. Unless you seem to think you can provide anything I cannot?" Meridia narrowed her eyes as Azazel looked to sweat visibly.
"As you can see, I have everything well in hand. I do not require help from someone who would…..levy my people's needs against me so. I will call someone to walk you out."
"Wait!" Azazel raised his voice. "I really do need to speak with the kid, it's important. If not, it might get out that he has a certain dragon in a gauntlet. I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement to keep that a secret."
Did Azazel find out that Wilhelm had Ddraig in his soul? He used it during the fight with Susanoo, but not many people recognized it as anything important from the very blurry images that were available.
How laughable, did he think that's something he could use to extort us? He must really want those Sacred Gears.
"Did someone call me?" A burst of Magic erupted out as Wilhelm made a very visible entrance
And my man seemed to have impeccable timing as I believed Meridia was about to slap Azazel into meat paste.
And Scáthach was by his side, absolutely wonderful.
Oh, did they do it again? The smell was really strong.
…..that meanie, coming around me like that and not even offering some for me? I wonder if they knew how wet it made me when the smell was so strong.
"Hey there, Kiddo!" Azazel perked up immediately. "Man, I've been looking for you for awhile since you did your little runner."
And he immediately started pressing Wilhelm's buttons. Did he have a suicide wish?
"Sorry, who are you again?" Wilhelm said, dismissively.
"Ouch." Azazel laughed. "So I wanted to talk to you about something –"
"Not interested." Wilhelm said bluntly, ignoring him which probably did more to annoy the Angel than any words would.
"Haah." Azazel let out a sigh. "You know, we're pretty similar. We both left our homes when we didn't like our dads."
Wilhelm froze in place as he slowly turned his gaze towards the fallen angel. "Alike? No, no. We're quite different." The corners of Wilhelm's lips turned up and I knew I was going to enjoy this. "I left my home when I was treated like shit. You, on the other hand, were tossed out of yours, because you were a shitty person."
Azazel froze. He had a wide smile on his face, only to hide the scowl he would otherwise have gained. It was hard to elicit that kind of reaction from the Fallen Angel, but Wilhelm managed to do so in only a few words.
And I knew one thing for sure, I was going to drain my man dry when this was over.
***
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I stared at the man infront of me, the room had gotten noticeably quiet. He quirked a cheerful smile, but you could feel a hint of annoyance emitting from him.
He had pushed my buttons, but I was sure I had just sledgehammered his. Or so I think, he's lived a long life, this could all be fake.
"Well, this didn't turn out as expected~" The Fallen Angel forced himself to laugh. "You sure I can't convince you to trade me those Sacred Gears?" He seemed to gloss over the fact that we had just traded barbs a moment prior.
Yasaka looked like she held back from sighing. "I have uses for them, Azazel. I will not be trading them." She said as bluntly as possible.
"Well….How about another offer then? I can help you….extract them, for a price." He grinned.
"Your services are not required." Yasaka said once more.
"Oh, don't be like that Yasaka!" Azazel started to saunter up to her. Meridia, who had her arms crossed, raised a single finger up, and Azazel paused in his steps, flashing a concerned look before he backpaddled in his tracks. "Maybe you don't know, but taking out a Sacred Gear is hard! If you don't do it right, the person dies and the soul drifts away with that little prize still attached, back into the cycle of reincarnation that dear ol' Dad set up."
Yasaka's expression didn't change, she made no response, but Azazel perked up. "Unless....you don't need my help as opposed to not wanting it." He slowly turned around the room until he eyes landed on me. "Oh…..now that makes a bit more sense." He rubbed his chin. "Mr. Takao, or should I call you Wilhelm, or even Red Dragon Emperor?"
He was trying to get a reaction out of me, this wasn't more foot in mouth nonsense. He was doing this completely on purpose. Azazel, the leader of the Grigori, one of the oldest Angels in the world, was far too old to act like a petulant child for no reason...probably.
I held my hands behind my back. I wasn't going to get physical just because he was annoying and had done nothing. I wasn't going to act like Susanoo did. Though, the moment he stepped over that line, all bets were off. However, I think he's too smart to step foot over it. Not to mention, Yasaka was acting calm, and I wasn't going to overstep in her own place just because I was annoyed.
Despite everything, this man was the head of another Faction, one with ties to others and it would look very bad on Yasaka if something unfortunate happened to him while under her roof. Which he's most likely using to his advantage.
"Hmm, should I call you Young Master Azazel?" I raised an eyebrow in response.
"Young master…?" He repeated in confusion.
"Wasn't the reason you fell; because you shouted out your father's name in order to get laid? 'God commands that you sleep with me'." The corners of my lips curled up as I waived my hand flippantly. "If that wasn't Young Master behavior, well, maybe I'm not that up to date on my terminology?"
I vaguely recalled the story of Azazel. There was more to it than that, but the 'event' that led to his fall was finding a woman bathing in a river and declaring that God commanded that they have sex or some other nonsense.
Basically, he used his father's name to get laid.
Young Master Azazel.
There was the smallest reaction, one that I would have missed had I not been paying attention for it. "What a sense of humor you have." He laughed again. "I'll have to tell your dad all about that one when I see him next."
Hmm, definitely not doing that by accident, and I don't think the purpose here was just to annoy me, nor the others for that matter. I came here late, and just by the few minutes I'd been with him, I could imagine how fed up Yasaka was.
"Speaking of, I heard you're swinging in his weight class now, huh? Picking a fight with ol' Susanoo. You sure know how to make everyone worried down there." He eyed me again. "By the way, I heard you also have Dad's spear. Never got the chance to look it over, care to let a neighbor borrow it for a few days?"
"Azazel." Yasaka spoke rather authoritatively. "My patience has reached its end. If the next words out of your mouth have nothing important within them…..I'm sure I can call up Lady Izanami for a repeat of her last performance."
"Oh, so you're still on good terms with her, huh?" Azazel smiled brightly. "Good to know, good to know." He hummed. "Alright, I know when I'm not wanted." He threw his hands up.
"Soma." Yasaka called out, the summoned Tengu immediately appearing, head bowed. "Please escort Azazel out." She said with a bit of bite to her tone.
Azazel didn't argue as the Youkai led him away. We all stayed silent until his presence disappeared.
"That is not how I expected one of these Fallen Angels to act." Scáthach spoke up, dismissing her spear. She hadn't said a word once in his presence.
Yasaka let out a very long sigh. "Fallen Angels are annoying." She rubbed her temples. "Azazel one of the worst. He propositioned me so many times over the years."
"It would have been easier if I just smote him." Meridia huffed.
"As gratifying as that would be, my Youkai Faction couldn't handle the fallout. Even if I had you all on my side, they would suffer in someway. My patrons might even come down against us if things escalated. Azazel is much older than me, I don't know the extent of his influence or connections in the event that he died or calls for help." The Fox Youkai grumbled. "I could use his little visit as an excuse to kick up a fuss, but that would require I contact the Grigori and speak with them…."
"Which is more trouble than it's worth." I added.
Wiping out the Grigori? Not that challenging if we pulled ourselves together. Dealing with the fallout? Well…..Yasaka would take the brunt of it, and that's in no way shape or form fair to her and her people.
"Especially when they don't' see us as worth anything." Yasaka nodded. "Besides the Sacred Gears we'd just acquired, there isn't anything of significant that they would desire."
"I believe he had other agendas." Scáthach interjected. "He seemed…..too sure of himself. I believe his antics had a secondary objective in mind."
"I thought so too. He acknowledged that I fought Susanoo, and didn't even seem phased when he knew he was poking at me and I was getting annoyed." I shook my head. "Who knows, those types of people are hard to predict."
Politics, so annoying. Even with Meridia by my side, by Yasaka's side, she couldn't be around forever. If Yasaka suddenly had a big stick to swing around at the other factions, and for a brief moment it goes away, she would get pounced on the moment she was seen as vulnerable.
It's best to just strengthen Yasaka and her faction silently for now.
However, if someone started shit...well, I doubt we'd care at that point. Azazel was annoying, but he wasn't – put children in cages – annoying like a certain other person we had mobilized against.
"Regardless, good riddance." Meridia spat out. "I did not enjoy the way he eyed me."
"Yeah, only I'm allowed to admire your legs so blatantly!"
"Of course –" She stopped mid-sentence, sending me a faux glare while her cheeks were filled with a light pink.
"Wilhelm, don't tease the poor woman." Yasaka stood up, walking over and hugged the Daedric Lord. Meridia stiffened slightly, but, she seemed receptive to the sudden affection. "And thank you, Meridia for the help."
"Hmph, atleast someone appreciates me." Meridia huffed, looking right at me. "All I receive from you are molestations and incessant teasing."
"That's not true." I laughed, joining in the hug. "I also give you lots of kisses~" I leaned forward, capturing her lips. She accepted, almost greedily if a bit brief.
"Mou~ This Fox is going to get jealous." Yasaka giggled. "I have to smell Wilhelm and Scáthach after they went several rounds, and now I get left out."
"Fufu, well, I wouldn't be against you joining next time. We may make some headway on his unyielding stamina if we worked together." Scáthach laughed as she joined in just for the fun.
Meridia looked….unsure of how to react, but I don't think she hated it.
"Hugs are nice."
"This is pleasant." Meridia acknowledged. "However, I wish to return if there are no pressing matters."
"There isn't anything I need, and thank you again for stopping by." Yasaka expressed her full gratitude. "I'm sure you stopped him from really going all out with his annoying attitude or the power plays."
"Hmm, I'll come visit soon, okay?" I stated.
Meridia pursed her lips. "You may come when you wish, I will entertain you." She replied. "That too does that apply to all of you. I would...enjoy it if I found anyone in my company."
"I might take a stroll over soon too." Scáthach looked thoughtful. "I have not had the chance to explore your world yet."
"My home is open to you." Meridia smiled lightly. "And lest I forget, Yasaka, I have the next batch of materials you requested. They should be suitable to be delivered in the next couple days."
"Oh" Yasaka perked up. "Wonderful! I really can't thank you enough. If I had to buy this stuff here, we would be going heavily in debt."
"Think nothing of it. These things are worthless to me and I can easily send as much as you require." Meridia looked a bit happy to be of assistance. I think this is her way of trying to bond with her. "Wilhelm…." She said quietly, escaping the various arms as she turned towards me one last time.
Oh, did my Meridia want a goodbye kiss? It's not normal for her to speak up about it, even if it's what she wanted. "As I said, I'll be over to play soon?" I reached out, grabbing her hands. Leaning up, I placed one last kiss on her lips, earning a content look from her.
She nodded one last time before quite literally disappearing from the area, returning back to her world extremely quickly.
"My Student, you truly lucked out on that one." Scáthach looked on with an amused look. "Never have I seen such a powerful entity allow themselves to act like such to their 'inferiors'."
"Yeah, she's really something special." I couldn't help but smile before returning my focus. "So...out of curiosity, what exactly are you going to do with those Sacred Gears?"
Yasaka furrowed her brow. "I was going to give them to some loyal subordinates of mine….but I have run into difficulties."
"Need help removing them?"
"I would appreciate the assistance. As annoying as Azazel is, he was right about the difficulty in removing them without them being spirited away in the process." Yasaka sighed. "Then there's the matter of who I'm going to give them to. They are not an insignificant power boost to most people. Enough to propel someone a full rank if utilized correctly. I'm hesitant to trust after being betrayed so blatantly."
"I'm surprised any of the Hero Faction is still alive, to be honest." I mused.
"Alive is….stretching it. While I would take no pleasure in torturing children, there are methods to reduce them to inactiveness that are not inherently painful."
Hmm, that's smart I suppose. She did originally keep them alive for information, and their Sacred Gears. They'd pretty much served their purpose.
"I can devise a Geass for you to distribute with the Sacred Gears." Scáthach spoke up. "Supported by my Runes, I find it unlikely that anyone you wish to bestow those objects upon will be able to break it."
"A Geass?" Yasaka tilt her head. "Ah, one of those magical contracts from the west?"
"Hmm, that isn't an incorrect summarization." Scáthach nodded. "Or, if you wish an opinion on who to hand these objects to, I have trained with your troops enough to have a rough estimate of their strengths and potential as well as their personality."
"What would I have done without you all?" Yasaka let out a sigh, a little smile growing on her face. "I have a list I've been working on, while we go over it, tell me about your time on Remnant!"
"Oh, it was fun." Scáthach laughed.
"Hmm, I have a bottle of wine I've been meaning to open, I believe this a perfect occasion to break it out and relax~" Yasaka grinned.
"Why don't I go pick up Kunou?" I offered. "Let you both enjoy yourselves?" It was almost that time, maybe a few minutes early.
"So thoughtful" Yasaka cooed.
"My student does have his moments." Scáthach agreed with her.
Not that I ever would mind picking up Kunou from school, or otherwise spending time with her, but I figured Yasaka needed to unwind a bit. She's no doubt stressed about Amaterasu coming down in a couple days, add Azazel's little appearance…..
Yeah, let her have some fun with Scáthach.
***
Azazel POV
"Azazel, why are you calling me so suddenly?" I looked at the green-haired man across the magical communication spell.
"Ajuka! It's been too long."
"Azazel." He sighed. "I'm not in the mood for your games, nor do I have the time for them."
"Aww, don't be like that. I just wanted to tell you of my little trip – "
"I don't care about what you get up to."
" –To Kyoto" I finished.
That caught his attention. "Please don't tell me you caused more problems." He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Me? No, never." I denied. "But I did meet your little run away."
Ajuka let out a long sigh. "This better be good, we're busy trying to find out what's been going on in England that had Michael come down from Heaven."
"Oh?" I rubbed my beard. "I did hear something about that, but I've been busy with other things. Anything interesting happen?"
"All involved parties aren't speaking and it's too…..noisy to try and figure anything out through alternative methods." Ajuka replied. "I don't have much time, get on with it."
"Fine, fine. In a gesture of good will, I wanted to share with you some things I discovered." We really need this peace talk to happen sooner rather than later. Hopefully, this'll help allow me to mediate a bit more between them and Heaven. "As I said, met the brat. And Yasaka for that matter, her boobs are still amazing by the way."
"Noted." He said dryly. "Do you actually have anything important to add or did you just waltz in and make a fool of yourself?"
"Yes." I nodded with a grin.
"Dammit, you're as bad as Serafall. What happened?"
"Well, managed to find a few things out." I laughed in response. "Those rumors about Scáthach walking around in Kyoto? Might not be just rumors."
"That's…..interesting. Do you have any evidence?"
"There was a women there when I met Yasaka. 10/10 beauty, amazing chest and ass" I shot him a thumbs up, but he only groaned in response. "Anyways. She also had a spear that absolutely reeked of bloodlust, so….yeah. Two and Two, isn't hard to add. Could be a coincidence, but it was worth noting" I shrugged.
I purposely didn't talk to her. It felt like she was ready to run me through at any moment.
"That could be valuable to know in the future." Ajuka mumbled to himself. "Anything else to note?"
"Hmm, there was another women there, definitely a Goddess, no idea who though." I scratched my head. "I honestly didn't recognize her, which is strange."
"How is that strange? Can you say you recognize every Goddess on the planet?"
"Well…..when just a single finger of hers moved, it felt like the world was crashing down on me, yeah, it's weird. I'm pretty damn sure I should have recognized a Goddess that would take that Fire Crotch of yours to have a chance of winning against." I snorted, shuddering as I recalled the feeling. Thankfully, she seemed more tempered than the spear-woman. Or, at least she seemed less bloodthirsty. Gave me a bit of confidence to do my whole song and dance. "Got a good look at her, tried to see if there was any features that made her identifiable, but I'm coming up completely blank. I'll send you a picture later."
"Alright, I'll look into it." Ajuka nodded. "Anything else?"
"Hmm, yeah. Whatever is happening there, it's bigger than we thought." I tapped my finger against my chin. "They're apparently recovering much quicker from their attack than expected. I can't say I paid them much attention before, having nothing to catch my interest. But the Shinto God's certainly aren't lending any hands. The 'Goddess' made a comment about helping out, so I have no idea what's happening behind the curtain."
"So, we're still in the dark about that whole mess, only adding more strangeness to it." Ajuka sighed. "This is helpful information though; I appreciate the update."
"Yeah, well, I'm not done." Should probably talk about the brat. "Wilhelm, Sirzech's bastard. I wasn't lying, I did meet with him for a few minutes. Came right in when I was trying to get those Sacred Gears from Yasaka." Admittedly, I had thought I would be able to nab them for a price, even if that wasn't the entire reason I went over. "Kid wasn't intimidated by me at all."
"How….surprising." He added that dry tone of his again.
Yeah, whatever. I've had to work hard to cultivate this 'persona' of mine. Not that it's fake in the slightest, but it's easy to move around when I'm just the innocent idiot. Still, I'm not some mook to ignore. He was very confidant when staring me down, and it didn't feel like over confidence. I may not have the raw power of Susanoo, but that doesn't mean I would be helpless in a fight against him. I always did prefer brain of brawn.
"Kid his age, his background, suddenly coming into a significant amount of power." I pointed out. "Do you think you'd be calm if I started throwing your dad in your face after everything he's gone through?" I questioned. "He didn't overly react, just threw a few barbs right back at me. And there's one thing for sure, kid's got a sharp tongue on him."
Really sharp tongue, made me even stutter a couple times. Goes right for the verbal jugular.
Yeah, he should be lashing out, arrogant as all hell, throwing fists at the first insult. Instead, he just took it, returned in kind and didn't overly react. It felt more like I was dealing with a peer than a brat that hadn't lived for two decades. On top of which, he threw down with a God and still wasn't parading himself around like it wasn't some noticeable feat.
And we still have no damn idea how he suddenly got so strong. He somehow got the Boosted Gear, because I damn well know he wasn't born with it. Adding on to the fact that I was able to eek out that bit of information about not needing me to extract the others. It's clear as day to know that he took it from someone.
"Michael wasn't misleading us either; kid has the True Longinus." I made sure to add that tidbit in. Michael did say that it was in the hands of Sirzech's Bastard but...it's hard to take that at face value. He couldn't physically lie, but that doesn't mean he has to tell the truth.
Should smooth relations between them a little bit knowing that. That damn spear was probably the greatest weapon on the planet when it comes to kill Devils. It being in the hands of a Half-Devil should really ease a lot of tension there.
"You were able to confirm it?"
"Eh, I gauged his reaction when I talked about it." I waived him off. "He didn't act surprised in the least when I spoke about him having it. So, call it an 80% chance." I shrugged.
"I'll take your words under advisement." Ajuka said evenly. "Were you able to gauge any of his….motivations?"
"You mean is he actively plotting against the Devils?" I snorted, but the Satan didn't deny it. "Dropped Daddy's name a few times, he showed annoyance, but not outright hostility. Take from that what you will."
Again, he was way too even tempered.
"And what if he did take exception, Azazel?" Ajuka asked. "It sounds like you walked a fine line."
"I wouldn't have lived this long If I didn't have a few methods to run away, even from a God." I smirked. However….that Goddess did give me a very bad feeling. I couldn't gauge her strength, but she was way above me. "Besides, Yasaka was there, any move against me would make Heaven and Hell stand together against her."
"Please don't use our tentative agreement as an opportunity to go cause trouble." Ajuka sighed again.
While we're 'warring' on the surface so to speak, we're united against other Pantheons. We have to be, now that dad bit it all those centuries ago. And it wasn't a secret, if something happened to me, the Shinto Gods would have been pulled into it by Sirzech's and Michael coming down like Dad's own fury. Despite everything, I'm still the leader of the Grigori, so any move on me is by default a move on the Grigori and by extension all of us.
"And for what it's worth, I did confirm that the kid did fight Susanoo. Figured it was worth double checking from the source."
"There was very little doubt, but a confirmation is always appreciated." Ajuka nodded in approval.
"Oh, and Izanami is still in the picture. Got Yasaka to make an offhand comment about me getting the same treatment from her." I let out a laugh, remembering what happened to Okita. "So…..careful of her I guess."
Japan's Death Goddess wasn't someone to take lightly.
"What about Wilhelm himself?"
"Well…..kid definitely got strong. If you're asking me for details, I don't really have much to give. You saw him fight a God, so more or less about there." I shrugged. "Though I did notice him invoke Dad's name and didn't even flinch."
"Oh?" Ajuka perked up. "Interesting."
Sirzechs and co could do that easily enough, and someone like Grayfia could as well if she were prepared. But to casually call out father's 'name' and not even flinch, well, it was worth noting.
"It seems like you had a productive meeting." Ajuka commented.
"I didn't get any Sacred Gears." I sighed. "My whole trip, wasted!"
Well, now I could tell Vali that we're not allowed over in Kyoto! What a shame. It seemed like those two dragons couldn't be allowed to fight so soon, truly, what a shame. Brat will at least believe I got us banned without questioning it. I can probably add that Wilhelm's stronger, so he needed to train for a few more years.
Should keep him from causing trouble until the peace treaty was settled. I can only threaten him with the 'big sis' routine so much before he eventually runs off. Better to get him focused on training for a while to distract him.
"Yes, I'm sure that's the only reason you went there." He drawled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about~"
"Are you not worried that you could have caused any issues by acting like you did?"
"I get the boot? They kick up a fuss, and my people just say the same thing they always say – 'Oh, it's just Azazel being Azazel, we're sorry, blah blah." I shrugged. "Hell, get the Shinto involved, that means they'd be forced to actually talk with us. I'd call that a win as well."
Kill a dozen or so birds with one stone.
***
No Chapter this monday, going to be working very late.
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