Capítulo 23: Chapter 19: First Contact with Azazel, The In-laws Visit
A/N:
" " : Dialogue,
' ' : Thought,
"Italicized text" : Telepathy,
[ ] : Spells, Techniques and Sacred Gear Casts,
"Bold text" : Ddraig & Albion.
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Issei POV
"Hey! Stop cheating, pervy crow!" "Hahaha, no matter how skilled you are, you'll never beat someone who utilizes bugs, Haru-boya!" I watch as Haruki and a man with black hair that has some blonde streaks, play a rather competitive racing game on a console.
Now, you might be thinking; "How the hell did you get in this situation, Issei-kun?". Well, to explain this, I'd have to go back, back to when I didn't have to deal with this chaos.
...
Flashback
It'd been a few days since Buchou reincarnated Xenovia as her knight,and we were taking part in our regular training session for the night, with. And of course, with her being new to it, Xenovia was having some difficulty in properly adapting to the training.
Sona-seikotaichou and her peerage had gotten a lot better than before, seeing as they had been moving normally under almost 4 times the Earth's gravity. Hell, if what Ruki told us was true, then they'd soon be able to advance to the High Rank, putting them around the same level as us.
But that wasn't really worrying for us, especially since we had started focusing on something else; sealing as many contracts as we possibly could. Due to the regular training sessions, it had become pretty common for us to not have gotten any contracts sealed for a few days. When we told Ruki about it, he compromised, saying that he'll reduce the training time to 2 hours instead of 4, but he'd drastically increase the intensity.
We agreed to that, and since then we'd been able to finish up a few contracts per night, and with him healing us and helping us get through our fatigue, we could also off any stray devils around town.
Now, getting to today's contracts. For a while now, there's been one person that's been summoning me for contracts, but they were for pretty small requests. He's asked me to buy bread and a bento for him, asked me to accompany him to a fishing spot and other similar things.
This night, he'd summoned me to play a racing game with him, and I obliged. This was mainly 'cause he gave me more than his contract would demand, so I just chose to enjoy that.
He'd given me a high class painting, some jewels and even pure gold nuggets. Buchou and the others were quite surprised about it, but Ruki always looked at me a bit suspiciously. It couldn't be that I was meeting with some enemy and didn't notice. Right?
A few games (read losses) in, we heard the doorbell of the hotel room ring. I asked him if he was expecting anyone, and he shook his head. Then suddenly, without either of us moving to open the door, it was unlocked.
I had wanted to get in front of the guy to protect him, in case a psycho stray exorcist like Freed was on the loose again, but I would not have expected who was behind the door. As it swung open, I saw.... "Ruki?"
"I knew I had smelled that scent before. The hell are you doing around Azazel, Ise?" Azazel. I'd heard that name before. "Oh, so you really do know the little Red Dragon Emperor, Haru-boya?" I turned to him in shock, as he said my title as the holder of the Boosted Gear.
"*Sigh.* Ise, this is Azazel, Governor General of Grigori, and currently, the most powerful fallen angel." It finally clicked. "Ah, you're Vali's adopted dad." He let out a small laugh, and 12 jet-black wings expanded out from his back.
I looked at him with awe, and a slight bit of dread, only for those to dissipate as Ruki smacked his head. "Alright, that's enough showboating, you pervy crow. And stop bullying Ise. Let a real gamer show you how to play." I looked at Ruki with a bit of hope, because of there's one thing that I remember Ruki being unnaturally good at from when we were kids, it was games.
Flashback End.
And now I'm here watching as Azazel has to resort to using bugs to get an upper hand against Ruki in the game. It seems that Ruki hasn't lost his skills, as he's still getting close victories.
After this game ends, he suddenly puts down the game pad and looks at Azazel sternly. "Okay, we've had our little reunion. Now talk. What are you really here for, pervy crow? I know that you know that I'm coming to the meeting and bringing my girls and their peerages with them, so what exactly brought you here?" The happy-go-lucky attitude from earlier seemingly dissipates into nothing.
"Well, if you must know. I was quite interested in the Boosted Gear, so I came by to study its holder." Azazel says, still looking relaxed. "And I also heard that you had somehow gotten draconic powers, so I had to see what that was about." He says with a shrug.
Ruki looks at him with his right eyebrow raised, as if asking "Really?". The stareoff continues for a solid minute, before Ruki sighs and stops it. "Fine. I won't prohibit your presence or movement around Kuoh, but understand that troublemaking isn't going to be tolerated." Azazel looks at Ruki with a complicated gaze.
"Yeah, yeah. Oh, I also heard about that other devil-kun that achieved Balance Breaker and the new girl with the holy sword. I'd also like to see them." Azazel says, almost as if dismissing Ruki's warning. I really hope no problems arise from his.
...
Haruki POV
A few days have passed since the meeting with Azazel, and it won't be wrong to say that his presence here wasn't particularly pleasing to either Rias or Sona. After all, he's notorious for going to pretty great lengths to learn as much as possible about Sacred Gears, as well as being a rampant womanizer.
It took a while to calm down Rias, since she did have a proper reason to be angry. After all, she might not have any romantic feelings for Issei, but he's still part of her peerage, which she deeply cares for. So Azazel's actions set her off quite a bit.
"It's not pleasant, but that's the way Azazel has always been, Rias." I was wondering when he was going to show up. Everyone immediately becomes alert as they hear a voice that comes from none of us, as they know it. But as soon as they see his crimson hair, they kneel to him in respect, except Xenovia, as she's new to being a devil, and is confused.
"O-O-Onii-sama!" Rias squeals while she latches onto me like a scared cat. "Well, I was wondering when you were going to show, Sirzechs. Please, have a seat." I tell my redhead brother-in-law, while looking at my sister-in-law. "Of course. And please, relax. I'm here on private business." He says to everyone else, and they stand up straight.
"Azazel might be a bit of a prankster, but I can assure you that he's not like Kokabiel." He says and I sigh. "I've been telling her that, but she's still annoyed at him." He laughs lightly at my words, as if familiar with her stubbornness.
Looking at the Strongest Queen, I nod in greeting. "Grayfia." She nods back. "Haruki." Despite the seemingly cold nature of our interactions, we actually hold an unspoken respect for each other: me respecting her for being the second most powerful active devil, and her respecting me for being the youngest being to reach the Ultimate Rank.
"Hey, little sis. This room is quite intriguing. It seems like what you'd expect from a murder scene. I wonder how it can look like this when it's young girls that gather here." Sirzechs says, teasing Rias. I never really felt bothered by it, especially since I've witnessed Mom's alchemy room.
Rias groans and tries to snuggle even closer to me, despite the fact that she's literally on my lap. "Why are you here, Onii-sama?" She asks with annoyance, and he puts his hand on his face in mock hurt.
"I only wanted to take part in my precious little sister's Classroom visit and see her working hard in her studies from up close. But it seems that my sister doesn't want me around." Rias ignores his tirade and looks at her sister-in-law. "You're the one that told him. Right, Grayfia?" She says with a pout.
"Yes, the reports from the school come to me who has been entrusted with the schedule of the Gremory household. I am also Sirzechs-sama's Queen, so I am obligated to report it to my master." Grayfia says, her tone professional, while Rias just sighs.
Honestly, I kind of feel her pain, seeing as her family gets a bit too enthusiastic when it comes to celebrating her achievements and successes, similarly to my parents. The embarrassment that parents can cause for their children is unmatched.
"Hey, I might be a Satan, but even I will take a day off if it comes to participating in my little sister's class visit. And by the way, Father said that he's coming over as well." Although she stays quiet this time, the degree of negative emotions wafting off her would make you think that Zeoticus is an abusive bastard.
"Fine. It's not like I can stop you from doing this anyway." She grumbles out. "Haha. That's not the only reason I'm here, though. I've also got a bit of work to do here. After all, I have to inspect the venue for the conference." Rias' head springs off my chest in surprise.
Her eyes narrow, as if suspicious. "Why here?" "Hmm. If I'm to say it, then I'd say that this school somehow has fate tied to it." He's not exactly wrong about that, but it's more that Kuoh has fate tied to it instead, and the school is just a part of Kuoh.
"My little sister, the legendary Red Dragon Emperor, the daughter of God's Lightning, the holy sword Durandal's wielder, the wielder of the sword that carries holy, demonic and draconic powers, Satan Leviathan's little sister, and the son of one of the most talented humans to ever live are all attached to this place. On top of that, Kokabiel and the White Dragon Emperor attacked this place. With so many strong powers mixing in like a wave motion, such a thing can't be seen as mere coincidence." He says, and I honestly agree with him. Hell, people don't even know that Issei literally has an Outer God that's been watching over him, but that's a story for another time.
We all continue talking for a little while, and then something else comes up. "Hm, even though I've come into the human world, it's nighttime. Would a lodging institution be open right now?" Sirzechs says, basically asking for any suggestions on where he'll stay for the night.
Issei already feels that his hands are full with Asia, Kiba and Xenovia living in his house, so he turns his head away. Rias, despite her embarrassment at her family's overenthusiasm, would find it hard to just leave her brother and sister-in-law in a hotel, so she looks up at me with pleading eyes.
As for me, I don't have much of an aversion to him or Grayfia being present in my home. If it were Ajuka, I would be a bit defensive, especially with the fact that he's also somewhat of a magic nerd like Mom, so he'd probably analyze all the spells we've got placed on the house.
"Well, we've got a guest room at our place, so I'll see if my parents would allow both of you to stay there temporarily. If they allow that, then you can stay. If not, I'm sure that getting to a hotel shouldn't be too difficult." I say, letting Rias know that despite our freedom in the house, I still don't make such important decisions concerning it.
...
Narrator POV
"I'm quite relieved that my sister hasn't caused you any trouble." Sirzechs says to Hanabi and Nadeyoshi. "Honestly, I'd say that Haru calmed her down." Hanabi says, surprising Sirzechs. "Yeah, that's true. She still had that spoiled princes aura about her when she came here initially." Sirzechs cringes, as he can't deny that his sister had been quite spoiled by him and his father.
"I sincerely apologize for her behavior. Sirzechs-sama and her father had spoiled her without restraint, so she ended up the way she did." Grayfia bows her head and apologizes.
"Eh, it doesn't matter now. And besides, I didn't think I'd have a Satan and his Queen as my son and daughter in law. And I didn't think that maid play would be one of their fetishes either." Hanabi says with a teasing chuckle. "Mom, she just has a thing for maid dresses." Haruki shouts from the kitchen.
"I see." Hanabi says, her eyes squinting knowingly. "Well, moving past that." Nadeyoshi says, trying to clear the awkward air that his wife had created. "I take it that you'll be attending the coming class visit as well?" He says to Sirzechs.
"Yes. I was able to squeeze out a few days for a break from working as a Satan, and I felt that I should check up on my little sister. And my father also felt the need to check up on her as well, so you might meet him. If you're going to be attending, of course."
"Oh, meeting the father of the Crimson Haired Prince of Destruction, must be interesting." Nadeyoshi says with a seemingly feral grin. "Honey, calm down. He'll be there to visit as a parent, and if I'm correct, as one of the people responsible for the establishment of the school. You're not going to fight him. If you don't behave, I'll tell Haru to deal with you." Hanabi says, chastising her husband.
"Hey, don't go using my name like that. And Dad, Mom's right. I will actually beat you up if you embarrass me in front of Zeoticus. Now, dinner is served." Haruki says as he places down multiple plates of food. Grayfia lightly frowns as she feels that she should have been the one serving the food.
...
After the meal, Haruki took both Rias and Sona's peerages to the training room and runs their normal 2 hour training session, then heads up to his room with Rias, Akeno, and Koneko, while Sona left with her peerage and Asia, Kiba and Xenovia left with Issei to his house. As for Sirzechs and Grayfia, they agreed to stay in the guest room of Haruki's home.
Some hours into the night, Haruki leaves his room and heads downstairs to the kitchen. As he heads down, he sees the lights in the living room are on, and he also senses Sirzechs' presence in the living room.
Going into the kitchen, he quickly boils some water and makes some tea for himself and Sirzechs, then goes into the living room. "Hey, couldn't sleep either?" He says as he pours out a cup of tea for Sirzechs.
"It's nothing serious. I actually wanted to talk with you, Haruki." Sirzechs responds as he takes the cup and takes a small sip of the tea. "I can see very clearly that my sister actually loves you, even with your seal on her. So I'll ask you now, do not cause her pain, ever." Sirzechs says, his protectiveness over his sister being apparent.
"No problem." Haruki says then takes a sip of tea from his cup. They stay in a pregnant silence for a few minutes, then Haruki opens his mouth. "You know, while Rias is happy and satisfied to have a fun and happy life with her peerage, Sona is a bit more ambitious, so to speak." He says, thinking of his girlfriend that isn't in his current home.
"She has a dream, to give all devils, regardless of their heritage or lack thereof, the same opportunities to climb higher in devil society. I'm not sure if you understand, but I know it'll be something good for the devils. However, I also know that there are members of the Old Satan Faction within the leaders of devildom, and how they wish to continue undermining all non-pureblood devils." Haruki says with a calm sigh.
"So, for all our sakes, I would hope that her ambitions aren't blocked by some bigoted, decrepit, old devils." Haruki says, his aura growing in intensity. Sirzechs narrows his eyes at Haruki's unspoken message.
"And considering the devil that has been named an S Rank criminal and stray devil, I'm sure you know who I mean. She's innocent, or at least, she didn't commit any true crimes in doing what she did." Sirzechs raises a brow, looking at Haruki skeptically.
"Don't worry, I've got proof of what I'm saying. I'm just hoping that you can get working on her acquittance as soon as you can." Haruki says and puts down his now empty cup. "Why should I take your word for it?" Sirzechs says as he sets down his empty cup.
"Back when the Phenex family, or more precisely, Riser was harassing Rias, I told you that you wouldn't have to worry about any blowback from the Phenex family. I believe that's been enough for you to know that I'm a man of my word if nothing else." Haruki says as he gets up and returns to his room, leaving Sirzechs to think about what he had said.
Chapter End.
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BasedDragonLord
BasedDragonLord Got another idea that I decided to write down and save. It's basically lore accurate Dante from OG Devil May Cry in Black Clover.
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