章 100: Chapter 100
The only person that came to mind in his time of great sorrow was the woman who so easily proclaimed her love for him. He wanted to see her, to feel her warmth. He already lost everything and he was in danger of losing himself. There was nothing more that he wanted to do than to see her. It was to the point that it had become an instinct. He could go to his brothers, but he didn't want them to see him like this, to see him…so broken.
Without hesitation, a teleportation circle formed underneath him before he vanished.
Vwong!
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|DxD|
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"Greetings, Lord Dimori. This one's name is Aurelia. As for your confusion, this one will be able to resolve it."
"Oh…okay? I'm listening then."
Igor focused his attention on this random woman. From an objective standpoint, he could admit she was very pretty. Long silver hair, blue eyes and a slim yet proportioned appearance. What he was most interested in were the callouses on her hands. From how deep they looked, he could guess that she wielded a bladed weapon like a sword or dagger.
Aurelia didn't notice his eyes focus on her hands nor respond immediately to his question. Rather, she was taking in his presence.
[There is no mistaking it.]
She could feel it, almost as if it was an instinct. She could recognise her own kin very easily and Aurelia had no doubt that Igor was a pure-blood like her. Comparing his stature to her people, he seemed to be thirteen-years-old. But taking account into what she felt through his lifeforce, he was almost nine-years-old. It astounded her that he could get this strong without having tapped into the experience of his ancestors. But right now wasn't the time to figure that out.
Not wanting to let the silence stretch longer than it already did, she addressed his concerns regarding his ability to understand foreign languages.
"Lord Dimori. The ability to understand other languages is a key trait that even normal humans once used to possess since time immemorial. Is Lord Dimori familiar with the Tower of Babel?"
Igor was slightly put off by her…eloquent language. It didn't sit right with him that a woman who clearly gave off the feeling of a fellow warrior was speaking so…poshly. In his mind, only sissies, politicians, and non-combatants like Cleria could afford to spend time learning big words for simple things instead of doing push-ups.
But he shrugged it off.
"Can't say I do know that story."
"Very well then. This one shall be brief in her explanation. A long time ago when man shared a single language, they came together to build a tower that could pierce into the heavens. But the…"
She cast a glance to Cleria who was preparing for the pain before changing her words.
"But the All-Father was less than pleased at their actions. So he halted their progress by scrambling the language, making them all speak different languages without being able to understand one another. This is not recorded in normal books, but the All-Father went a step further and separated them by dividing the once single landmass into seven continents. But, there was one clan that did not participate in building the tower and spoke out against it. The All-Father spared that clan and gave them the blessing of understanding all scripts and languages. That clan was called, Aria and their descendants were called, Aryans."
Igor processed all this information quietly. And apparently, Shuri and Cleria were too. It wasn't a world shattering revelation, but it helped the blonde make sense of a few things.
"So it's an inherent ability, huh?"
"Yes, Lord Dimori."
"..."
That was enough. Igor couldn't take it anymore.
"Can you stop calling me 'Lord'? It's weird and I don't like it, especially from someone I don't know."
Shuri chided the blonde from the side.
"Dimori-kun."
"What? It's true, aunty. Nevermind that I don't know her, I don't recall having done anything to be called a lord or some other fancy title."
It sounded rude, but he would rather get straight to the point than dance around the edges. To him, being called 'lord' was the same as being called 'president' for no apparent reason. As far as he knew, only someone with great achievements, a notable family, or of great importance could be called a lord.
Aurelia found it ironic that he felt he didn't deserve the title, but she would accept his demands.
"Very well, Benefactor. This one will respect your demands."
Igor looked at the woman before deciding to offer another alternative.
"Can't you call me by name? You're older than me so calling me by name is better."
"Apologies, Benefactor. But calling my-…you, by name would be immensely disrespectful in our culture."
She chided herself for almost referring to him as "husband". In their culture, a woman calling her husband, the head of the house, by name was disrespecting his authority, his standing, and the spirits of his ancestors who were always with him. Although they weren't married, Aurelia would aim to correct that very soon.
Igor gave up on trying to convince the other woman otherwise. He could smell the food from the house and judging from Asia's strengthening grip on his hand, she was either hungry or anxious…or both.
But he was now genuinely curious as to who this woman was beyond her name.
"Hey, sister. Who are you really?"
There was a gnawing itch within him that she felt familiar. The longer he stayed in her presence, the bigger the itch. It was the same as seeing someone you thought you knew and you couldn't help but take a glance at them from time to time in a bid to figure out who they were.
Not aware of what the blonde was feeling, Aurelia replied.
"Benefactor. This one's name is Aurelia and please refer to me as such for the time being. This one unfortunately, cannot divulge certain details for the time being. But rest assured for she wishes no harm towards the Benefactor. May this one be audacious as to ask who the Benefactor is?"
"..."
She was using some strong english words, words that took a while to process in his head, but the blonde understood what she wanted to know. Confidently placing a thumb on his chest, he grinned.
"Listen well and listen closely. You are looking at the number one fighter in the universe, Igor von Dimori."
"Fufu~. This one will do well to remember the benefactor's name."
Igor gave a nod before walking around her with Asia in tow.
"Nice meeting you, Sister Aurelia."
Aurelia's way of speaking was not doing wonders for him. Having to decipher her sentences was very taxing on his combat-orientated brain.
[The way she talks is strange. 'This one' this. 'This one' that. No man. It's too early and I'm wayy I'm too hungry for this-]
"Please wait, Benefactor."
"..."
A slight frown formed on his face. A huge part of him thought of continuing forward and ignore her. But thinking of how this woman was most likely Cleria's guest, he could only sigh.
"Yes?"
Shuri chuckled upon seeing his expression of grievance. And the slight pout of Asia's face was something fun to look at.
"Now, now, Dimori-kun. And you too, Asia-chan. Please listen to what dear Aurelia-san wants to say, alright? Meanwhile, I'll fix your plates- pardon me. I'll fix Asia-chan a plate. I'll have a pot ready for you, Dimori-kun~."
And with that, she sashayed her way around them and entered the house. Igor couldn't keep his eyes off her, his mouth open like a lovestruck teenager. The moment he heard "pot", her status in his heart had immediately been elevated to "goddess".
With her having promised to fix them some food, the blonde's patience bar was recharged. Turning towards Aurelia, he was a bit more amicable now, something Cleria was thankful for. She didn't understand why Aurelia was being so long-winded with someone who she should be straightforward with. But she didn't raise her question and was fine with being an observer.
As for Aurelia couldn't let him leave without confirming her suspicion. And she had a way to do it.
"May this one ask if the benefactor is familiar with the name, Drachenburg?"
Igor tilted his head in confusion.
"What does Dragon Mountain have to do with this?"
Cleria widened her eyes with shock. She was in awe of what she had just witnessed. Many supernatural species had the ability to automatically speak any language without any problems. It was an intrinsic ability that worked with nearly any speakable language…except aryan.
If an Aryan spoke aryan, no other race would be able to automatically translate the language. All they would hear was nonsensical gibberish. When Aurelia spoke, she spoke using aryan and the blonde easily understood and replied to her in aryan and from the looks of things, he did it subconsciously. If she was 99% sure that Igor was a pure-blood, then now she was a hundred percent sure.
With that discovery, Aurelia couldn't help but smile a bit more genuinely.
"Apologies, Benefactor. This one will reintroduce herself properly this time. This one's name is Aurelia von Drachenburg."
"...oh. Okay."
"""…"""
The two women were surprised at his mellow response, especially Aurelia. Only Asia continued to stand silently on the side. From her experience, getting involved in the adult stuff would only make her head hurt.
Aurelia remained unresponsive. She simply didn't expect for him to show a complete lack of interest at all.
"Did this one perhaps-"
She was suddenly interrupted by the sound of frantic footsteps. It didn't take long before Igor was directly in front of her with an inquisitive gaze.
"Why is your last name 'Drachenburg'? You don't feel like a dragon."
Aurelia quipped back.
"This one is afraid the same is true with the benefactor. Your last name is 'Dimori', yet you most certainly don't look anything like a keeper of fate."
"Heh?"
The blonde backed away from her personal space with confusion on his face.
"Keeper of fate? Doesn't my surname mean 'dwelling'?"
"Publically, yes. However…this one believes that Lady Shuri is done with her preparations."
"..."
Igor could admit he was slow, but not so slow that he wouldn't notice how the woman was paying him back for how he brushed her off previously.
But instead of getting angry, he only grinned.
"Very funny."
Su!
In a flash, he appeared in front of her with his fist barely a centimetre from the side of her cheek. To his amazement, Aurelia didn't flinch in the slightest, nor did she react in surprise. Ocean blue stared into cerulean, one gaze as steady as a mountain and the other, challenging and daring.
For a whole five seconds, neither side moved. Aurelia was still standing respectably with her hands held in front of her while Igor was in midair, his body slightly horizontal from having jumped forward with his fist outstretched.
Igor's grin grew wider and wider when he felt how her magic power was supercharged to hit him with what he guessed would be some sort of ice or water-based magic. It was a standoff and with each moment that passed, his thoughts about her improved drastically.
Landing on the ground, Igor didn't tear away his gaze from her.
"Hmph. Looks like those callouses aren't for decoration. You speak like a snowflake, but you certainly aren't one. I like that."
Retreating with his hands stretched behind his head, he grabbed Asia's hand before he walked away without turning back.
"I like you. We'll continue our talk when I'm done."
With those words, he retreated into the house with Asia following silently. When the duo disappeared, Cleria let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
"Aurelia. I'm so sor…ry?"
Cleria couldn't quite believe her eyes. Aurelia stood ramrod straight with her face maintaining its black visage. But when she strained her eyes, she could make out something she thought she would never see on the straight-laced woman.
[Is…is that a blush?!]
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AN
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If you're interested in reading ahead, here's the link: patreon.com/HolyGambler
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