บท 14: 14. Peaceful days with the eccentric couple
(A/N: This will be a slice of life chapter and you can skip it if you want as it didn't affect the plot much. I take this as an opportunity to explain some concept about the Devils and Curses. Also I just want to pamper this cute Devil, she is a tragic character in my opinion tho.)
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Days passed by peacefully as the couple stayed in the Zenin clan, absorbing the knowledge that had accumulated through generations within the clan. Well, mostly it was Makima who did that while Veilhem being the definition of doing nothing and being lazy around.
He did… completely nothing except for trying to integrate with society as many technologies and things were very new to him. It was mind blowing for him at first considering he had lived in a medieval setting throughout his life.
There was that one time when Veilhem learned about the cellphone. He was of course oblivious to a lot of things but that one was particular.
When Makima gave him the phone, he had initially thought that the object was some kind of trap when it played the video and destroyed it without hesitation. Only for Makima to show him the rope and tease him about that for that whole day! What a sly Devil she was.
Reminiscing that memory, he couldn't help clicking his tongue, still feeling salty while glaring at Makima, who was slouching on the sofa and reading the old textbooks she got from the clan.
Their stay wasn't met with many issues and could be described as pleasant. Probably because Naobito had warned the clan about them and made Maki their servant if they needed something.
His choice was quite thoughtful; she had to give him that. If there was any elder messing with them, she could use it as an excuse to extort some inside information.
But a deal was a deal, she couldn't do anything to them if they didn't show their hands first. They needed to lay low until she had gathered enough information about this world.
Perhaps Makima felt his remorseful glance. She turned her head to Veilhem with a raised eyebrow, tilting her head a little in confusion.
Veilhem was currently petting one of the husky breeds that had a combination of black and white fur. The dog was pretty big as its height had reached approximately 60-70 centimeters. It launched itself at him and licked his face while wagging his tail excitedly.
At first, Veilhem rejected the idea of having some dogs around because it created so many problems, and he was sure as hell that he wouldn't deal with them, but Makima brought them anyway.
Looking at it now, wasn't he the one who played with them the most?
Didn't he just slap himself in the face?...
Deciding not to bother with that, Veilhem walked over to Makima and slumped into the sofa, letting the softness embrace him.
"So, what do we do now?" He asked without glancing at her and turning the TV on.
"Hmm, let's go to Jujutsu High together. I think we can gain a lot of intel there. I'm almost done with these documents being presented here." Makima replied nonchalantly. She pondered a bit and realized that they had prolonged their stay here for quite some time already.
Makima stole a quick glance at Veilhem.
'And maybe I can make him do some work too. He's been playing around quite plenty now.' She thought, feeling the need to take him out. Not that she minded him lazing around but she had taken care of him most of the time that she felt like she had become his motherly figure.
Veilhem, who was completely oblivious to her funny thoughts, continued to watch the TV show, unaware of the glistened golden pupils that were staring at him intensely.
"Do you feel the temperature getting colder all of the sudden?" Veilhem pondered as the sudden chill ran down his spine.
"Nope, you are just imagining things." Makima replied, turning away and closing the old textbook and getting up from her dear sofa. She then went to change her attire as Veilhem watched the news.
After about 5 minutes, she was back with her usual long sleeve shirt tucked into the tight black pants and her dark necktie, highlighting her curvy body.
Makima leaned over and wrapped her hands around his neck as her eyes glued on the TV news. It had become a regular procedure between them to do this as Makima enjoyed very much of his unique scent while Veilhem didn't feel the need to push the redhead out.
[...Currently, there was an explosion near XXX school 30 minutes ago. The reason we were given is that due to the leakage of gas underground that led to this accident. While this incident was under investigation, the casualty is estimated at 20 people…]
While the female reporter was summarizing what to be called an 'accident', Makima and Veilhem had another thought.
Cursed Spirit.
It was already the third case in this month. Makima's curiosity was piqued as she nuzzled up against Veilhem.
All of this happened because their presence had tilted the balance of the world, making Curses spawned more frequently. The number of sorcerers at the moment couldn't keep up with the birth rate of Cursed Spirits due to this sudden strange phenomenon. This had become a problematic situation for the Sorcerer Society as this was the second time since the birth of Gojo Satoru.
In the short term, they couldn't react fast enough.
"Hey, let's go over there to see that Cursed Spirit, Veilhem-san. That could be interesting." Makima said while pointing at the TV, shaking his body continuously.
Veilhem had no other choice but to yield as he couldn't bring himself up to deny seeing her being unusually excited. He still couldn't comprehend why in the world he could detect such small changes in her demeanor.
"Fine, fine. But if there is any slightest danger, I will pick you up and bail the heck out of there." Veilhem spoke up while still being wrapped in her arms to which he earned a pout from Makima.
"I'm quite tough, tho." Makima flexed her non-existent muscle in her lean arm. To be frank, she was kind of hoping that he would put more faith into her and stop with the nagging. She was a Devil with superhuman strength to remind you. She could easily deal with the head of the Zenin clan even without the proper use of Curse Energy.
But that mattered not; only around him could she be this relaxing and pampered without putting up any facade. She was rather fond of this change, actually.
"Yeah, in my eyes, you are just a kid." Veilhem's stance was strong with this one. He dismissed her little play. Perhaps this protectiveness was because he had subconsciously deemed that Makima was someone important to him. Nevertheless, to Makima, he was a stalwart person that she could lean on.
But being called a kid was not appropriate and was even a bit rude. Couldn't he see that she was an adult woman in her prime? She was quite proud with how she looked, though.
Veilhem felt the strangle on his neck tighten with an absurd strength behind it. He tried to escape but was met with Makima's cold eyes. That dangerous gleam in her eyes was scary.
"I have noticed that these days you are becoming bolder and bolder, haven't you? I wonder if Maki and the internet, which you really like, are responsible for this. Don't you agree? Hmm, what do you say?" Her soothing and alluring voice resounded in his ears, sending continuous cold shivers down his spine.
She released her strangle and caressed his face while smiling innocently at him, all the while standing behind him. He could feel the ominous aura ooze from her.
'Oh no, she is talking in formal speech. Shit about to go from 0 to 100 real fast.' Veilhem thought, and he started contemplating his life choice.
"Personally, I believe that you should be obedient and let me take the lead. Not the other way around, seeing as you basically know nothing about this anyway. Are we clear, Veilhem-san?" Makima glanced at him, to which he nodded with much struggle.
"...yes, Ma'am." He replied meekly, fearing for his life.
Hold up, isn't this what he wanted?
"Good boy." She released him and walked to the coat hanger to pick up her usual brown trench coat.
"Damn woman, do you need to be that violent?" Veilhem cursed underneath his hollow breath. He stood up and massaged his neck as he resentfully peeked at her figure over his shoulder.
"What did you say, Veilhem-san?" Makima put on her coat as she turned back, tilting her head cutely. She folded her arms under her breast as she waited for him.
"...Nothing Ma'am." Veilhem shook his head helplessly and walked over.
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They went to that location by taxi. The road was blocked with barricades and police, stopping people from picturing or entering the scene.
The sirens of ambulances and police cars, as well as people's yelling and screaming, all intertwined to create a state of pure anarchy.
In the midst of that chaos, two people happened to magically bypass the eyes of the crowd. It was as if they didn't recognize their presence at all.
Makima walked over the so-called 'gas explosion, with Veilhem following behind her back like a guard. In her mouth was a half-burnt cigarette as she puffed out some white smoke.
Makima inspected the scene carefully, and as expected, there was no sign of the body of the Cursed Spirit or the supposed factor that led to an explosion. However, she could, in a way, sense a faint remnant of the Cursed Energy after the Cursed Spirit were exorcized.
According to the information she got within the Zenin clan, this one could be categorized as a second-grade Cursed Spirit or even a semi-grade one due to the destruction of the building and the huge dent in the ground. The air was carried with a faint odor, like the Devils of her world.
She had some theories about this, as Devils were born from fear while Cursed Spirits were manifested from negative emotions. They both came from the same source so it wouldn't be a lie to say that Makima was more of a Curse than a human in the sorcerer's eyes. That was something worthy to take note of.
Such a strong Curse like this in her world would no doubt wreak havoc before they could go down unless they met a remarkably strong devil hunter.
However, that led to another question.
Who was the one who exorcised this Cursed Spirit?
Makima then studied her surroundings thoroughly again, using the crows and rats to gain a more overall perspective. Fortunately, the lucky lady was by her side, and she found the person in charge easily. They approached the person, who seemed to be a sorcerer, with a confident stride.
"Greetings, my name is Makima and this one here is Veilhem, Do you have some time to spare, dear Mr. Sorcerer?" Makima put on a calculative smile; her voice was monotone, neither fast nor slow. It was fluent and somehow carried an alluring effect.
"Huh? Non-Sorcerer and a" Before he could finish his sentence, he felt an overwhelming fear; his instinct was telling him to run away as fast as possible. He had trouble breathing just by standing in front of Makima. He was trying to steady his breath and entering his fighting stance.
"Welp, I guess your way didn't work then. So we will go my way." Veilhem proceeded to stand in front of her and didn't even feel the urge to unstrap his sword, shielding her from the upcoming battle.
Makima saw this and couldn't help chuckling a bit as she placed her hand on his shoulder and told him to stand back. She found his action rather cute. After all, he was a knight through and through; though his knighthood had been relinquished, their code and morals were engraved into his bones.
"Thank you, Veilhem-san but there's no need." Makima said as she turned to the sorcerer.
Her mesmerizing eyes stared at him as if his soul had been seen through. It made him break out in a cold sweat as he tried to figure out how to escape this situation.
"Kneel."
The sorcerer's legs gave in as he fell on his knee as he tried to look up at Makima, only to see the cold gaze as if she were looking at a worm. She crouched down to his level and looked into his unsteady eyes.
"You will tell me about what happened here and how did you perceived me."
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(A/N: Enjoy these moments while it still last before we delve deeper into the darkness. I need some chapters to set up the next plot so it will take some time to enter the jjk plot. Bear with it, my dear readers, before I make a more depressing chapter.)
(P/s: My brain was fried when I read about Hakari's domain.)
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