Chương 561: Interlude 39 + Arachne Omake Part 1
Venelana POV
It was slightly, perhaps a bit surreal. Walking out into the family room and seeing three of the current Satans sitting on my couch along with my Ancestor and my daughter as they were watching TV and eating snacks.
Specifically, they were watching the news coverage of the war going on between the Youkai and the Fae.
"Mom, why do you have a suitcase?" Rias looked up from her seat, and they all joined me.
"I –"
"That's a lot of Pheonix Tears." Ajuka chimed in, and then everyone looked at him.
"How would you even know she had Pheonix Tears inside?" Serafall questioned.
"What? You know that Pheonix Tears need to be kept properly or they lose their potency over time. Who do you think streamlined the spatial storage mechanism for the Phenex family?" He huffed.
"Nerd." Serafall snorted.
"I am not a Nerd."
"Mom, what're you doing with a bunch of Pheonix tears?" Sirzechs asked.
"Obviously she's going to drop them off for her lover." Our ancestor smiled. "Venelana has always been a dutiful partner."
I honestly couldn't even get a word in with all of them here. "I had some stored away, and I bought the ones available on the market to help out. I can't do much otherwise, but I figured they would appreciate a more potent healing method for emergencies, even if it's only a few hundred."
"Only a few hundred." Serafall snorted again. "I hope Lucy Jr. appreciates you doing this for him. A few hundred is a lot, even for us. He better at least spend a few hours on his knees between your legs, Mama Gremory."
"Oh, don't worry; from what Venelana told me, he appreciates her plenty." Ancestor said coyly.
Rias let out a squawk mixed with a pitiful cry.
"Dammit Serafall, don't start!" Sirzechs also whined, covering his face. "You promised you wouldn't make lewd comments about my mom."
"Technically, I was making lewd comments about your son." She corrected. "Your mom just happened to be screwing him." She grinned mischievously.
"What's wrong with you!?"
"I'm sexually repressed, and your mom hits all my buttons!"
They started fighting... or what accounted for it in this circumstance. They both tumbled to the ground, and Ajuka merely put his feet up on them, much to their chagrin.
Though it did make me smile nostalgically. It feels like just yesterday that they were simply kids playing around like this, running around the house, going into all sorts of trouble.
It made me come to a realization.
I want another one.
But I can wait.
"Where's Falbium?" I asked; their mischief wasn't even complete with their fourth.
Serafall huffed, getting back up on the couch. "He finally got back to the capital. Since he's missed so many of their important meetings and such, we decided to throw all our work on his lap and take a few days off."
Ah, that sounds exactly like what they would do even without being Satans. And it certainly explains why they were much more social and relaxed.
Ancestor Runeas seemed to be having fun watching them as well.
"And we're back here live as the first battle during the war is about to unfold. As you can see, there's some sort of castle – a stronghold in the distance surrounded with tall walls, and from the information we received, there are quite a few powerful magical protections around it." The reported on the TV spoke up again, and everyone hushed themselves, eyes glued to it.
The camera panned over to see some strange contraptions that I didn't recognize by sight, but I recalled mention of them by Yasaka.
"It looks like they're about the start, these strange machines – oh wow, I can feel the magic around them from here." Even as she reported, you could see them activate, and even the camera began shaking around them. "We –"
They fired off, all sound was cut off, and the camera, thankfully, wasn't some mundane equipment, so it was able to capture the footage.
A very powerful blast of magic erupted, shooting at the castle, and the defensive barriers around it became visible for the briefest of moments, a fraction of a second because that's how long they lasted before being destroyed.
We all stared at it silently, perhaps with a bit of awe. Was it something unreachable by the people in this room? Absolutely not. Was it a genuine surprise to see some kind of...siege weapon, operable by the lowest threshold, capable of something like this? Most certainly yes.
"Wow, things changed a lot since I've been asleep. I wish we had things like that back in my day; maybe we'd have a lot more Devils around." Runeas commented, eating snacks without much reaction.
"That's rather…..new, Ancestor." Sirzechs forced out.
"You mean we don't have anything like that?" Runeas frowned. "What do we have then? I haven't kept up with military stuff; I never really cared about it."
"We have Sirzechs as a big beat stick to swing around at people." Serafall replied.
"Ah, that would also work." Runeas nodded in understanding.
Sirzechs let out a sigh. "It was never cost-efficient to do something like... We already have enough Devils capable of magic; gather a handful together, and they can release large-scale spells."
"Hmm, but that doesn't utilize the magic from a group of devils. There's no preparation time, the scale of which would also require at least a dozen competent Mid-Class Devils with a good understanding of magic. You would also need someone to lead them in casting, so one High-Class as well. And it can be easily interrupted by outside interference. And the training to accomplish this would take years of them working together in harmony if you wanted it to be efficient. And lastly, they would be taken out of the fight after one, maybe two, uses of a large-scale magic." She listed off absentmindedly, everyone looking at her, blinking in surprise.
It was easy to forget who she was when she was nearly falling off the couch in a sloven position, munching on some snacks with crumbs on her face and her skirt barely covering her because it was bunched up from the position she was laying.
"What do you think, nerd?" Serafall looked at Ajuka.
"Don't call me that." He said it expressionlessly, staring at the screen without blinking. "The power source is the key." He reached for the remote, rewinding the images on the TV. "It's a rather elegant design, if a bit simplistic. It's like the magical equivalent of a catapult. It seems like everything about it was designed from the ground up to be used by people who don't have the qualities of a magician. However, I can't comment further on it because I don't recognize that crystal-like body that is placed inside the main glass compartment. If I had to hazard a guess, it looked like some sort of solidified magical Power….while that's a naturally occurring phenomenon, it's highly irregular and rather rare, and I've never heard of it in such quantities and sizes. I would love to meet the person who made the whole device, as I can see the care they put into it even when it's meant to be used by non-magical people."
"You said these Youkai were a small faction?" Runeas looked at Serafall.
I looked at Serafall and she coughed awkwardly. "Well, they are... technically. I mean, a year ago, they weren't even worth mentioning."
"What's the measurement of a big faction these days?" Runeas looked at her.
"Uh…well, that's hard to say."
"Is it not enough that they have someone capable of killing gods?"
"Well…"
"Actually, they have more than one." I pointed out.
"Ah, my mistake." Runeas nodded. "Multiple individuals. And many more who are strong enough to make their names known... Oh, and you can't forget that we lost the Dragon King that used to live in our borders."
"Gugk." Serafall nearly choked.
They all somewhat winced at that.
No one would ever say it out loud, but they all considered Tiamat as 'theirs' despite the fact that she never really left the familiar forest except for the few rare occasions, such as when she was the referee of some rating games not long ago.
"Lots of people have been questioning that online." Ajuka replied with the same expressionless tone. "We never really made it clear what our relationship with Tiamat was for our own benefit. Now, it seems that's biting us in the rear as we're being called out for 'losing her'."
"Aren't they allied with the Norse faction now too?" Rias pointed out.
"Good point, my cute little descendant~" Runeas cooed while Serafall just became more crestfallen. "It's such a shame that they hate us so much; I would have loved to go on a trip and visit my descendant." She glanced at Sirzechs, who refused to meet her gaze.
"Miss Gremory.." Ajuka glanced at me, his eyes strange. It took me a moment to notice that his pupils had become spell circles. "You can store that in your bracelet; there shouldn't be a problem." He said it offhandedly.
I was worried that the spells that kept the Pheonix Tears would be affected by storing them inside. I suppose I was overthinking things, but it was always best to act with caution when it cost you nothing.
"Thank you, Ajuka." He was always a sweet boy; despite being foolish in his own right like the other kids, he was rather perceptive. I wasn't surprised he noticed my bracelet either, as it was magical in origin and he was a master of nearly all things magic. "For you, sweetheart." I took out a dust crystal I had on me and dropped it into his lap.
"!?" Ajuka's eyes widened. "Miss Gremory, where did you get this?"
"Oh, I got a few from Wilhelm." I smiled wistfully. Oddly, I was feeling a bit... lonely. Look at me, an old woman, and I'm missing my young lover only after about a week. "I wanted to see if it would effect some of my plants if I put them in my garden."
Ajuka's mouth opened, but he abruptly closed it, calming down. "Thank you, Miss Gremory."
"Have fun, kids; I'm heading out." I said my goodbyes.
"Where're you going, Momma Gremory?" Serafall asked, and I could tell it wasn't a question from Satan Leviathan, but someone who was close to a daughter for me.
"I'm going to have lunch with a few other of my sisters." I smiled happily.
Both Goddess Izanami and Salem were on the outside of this conflict as well, so it was important to make sure they're doing fine and didn't feel lonely without Wilhelm around. Maybe it was just all the years I spent running Zeo's harem, but doing things like this had become second nature for me.
I barely opened the door to go outside when I almost ran into someone.
"Lord Bael?" I blinked, seeing the Bael Ancestor at our door looking a little annoyed, presumedly not at me.
"Ah, Venelana. How wonderful to run into you. How have you been, my dear granddaughter?" He smiled more than just a polite reciprocation.
I found myself smiling back because he didn't call me 'Lady Gremory' which meant his visit was a social one and we didn't need to stick to decorum. "I'm well, grandfather. I was just about to head out, but let me welcome you inside."
It's simply easier for everyone to call him Grandfather instead of how many 'greats' before it.
"We have a guest." I announced, walking back inside, everyone turning to see me.
Zekram was just surprised to see all of them, looking between them and the TV. "I am surprised; did you not acquire this footage before it was publicly released?" He furrowed his brow.
The kids seemed to snap out of their surprise. "We already planned on taking the day off; there wasn't much difference in watching earlier this morning or now." Sirzechs offered.
It would be strange if they didn't have it, I suppose. Anyone who is anyone already had the footage way before it was properly released on the Devil TV.
Zekram just grunted in response, and the mood turned awkward.
"I am more than willing to leave the political intrigue at the door." He finally spoke.
"Oh, thank Big G, I was not in the right mind to play this game today." Serafall accepted it rather easily, and the others just nodded in agreement.
It was far from the first time we've gotten together with keeping those things out.
"Runeas." Zekram Bael looked at the primary reason for his visit.
Runeas sat up in her seat, looking at him blankly, not speaking.
"Why did you not come to see me? You've been up for days now."
"I'm sorry, Lord Bael. I wasn't aware I was supposed to answer to you, Lord Bael. I'll do better next time, Lord Bael. Please accept my apology, Lord Bael."
Zekram twitched slightly. "Stop that!"
"I apologize again, Lord Bael. I'm just a lazy devil, Lord Bael. I'm afraid I can't measure up to your expectations, Lord Bael. I'm just a pitiful Duke, Lord Bael. I can't possibly measure up to a king such as yourself, Lord Bael."
"You're doing that on purpose; cease your childishness, Runeas!" Zekram clenched his jaw in annoyance.
There was no one in existence that could get under the skin of Lord Bael. That would be true if Runeas didn't exist.
The kids were just looking back and forth between them, wondering if they were probably hallucinating.
"What can this lowly Duke do for you, Lord Bael?" She smirked slightly as she did it again.
Only she can make the title of Lord Bael sound like an insult to him.
Zekram's eye twitched violently. "Is it so wrong for me to visit my family?" He said with a rare huff.
Runeas did smile slightly. "Your family? All I see are Gremorys and a few others."
Zekram rolled his eyes. "Who cares what last name they wear? They are Baels."
"Uh huh." Runeas just answered blankly.
"They are Baels!"
"Weird, their names are Gremory? Rias dear, what's your family name again?"
"Bwah?"
"Don't bring her into this!" Zekram grumbled. "And they carry my bloodline! They wield the power of destruction!"
"You mean my family wields the power of destruction?" The new Gremory Trait."
"Don't you dare!"
"Say I'm wrong." Her smile grew wide.
"I am the progenitor!"
"Let's do a roll call. You have Venelana, a rather talented young woman, even if she doesn't train as much as she should." Runeas shot me a look. "But she's a lot better than when I was up last time."
She noticed then, interesting.
"You have Rias here, also hailed as a talent. You have Sirzechs; need I say anything about him? And you even have Millicas, his child, who is also a genius. Now here's a question: What name do they have?"
Zekram's eye was twitching violently at this point.
Runeas's smile never disappeared; if anything, you could see the maliciousness in it. "Wilhelm."
"That one is utter bullshit, and you know it!" He threw his finger out, accusing her.
"Son of Sirzechs, lover of Venelana, that sounds like a Gremory to me."
"You are an infuriating sloven woman child!"
"Thank you, Lord Bael."
Zekram just let out a low growl, clearly annoyed beyond limits. "Enough, you know why I'm here."
"Alright, fine." Runeas let out a small sigh. "Enough playing around I suppose; come on, let's have that talk that needs to happen."
Everyone just looked at them as they left the room.
"What the fuck did I just watch?" Serafall blurted out after they disappeared.
"That always happens when they're in the same room. It's not just well known because Runeas sleeps all the time." I happily informed them.
Surprisingly though, they're very much allies and would immediately come to the other's aid if the situation was dire.
Oh well, I should head out; the show is over, it seems.
"That little son of a bastard is trying to do what!?" Runeas' voice blew out of the room they were in, the shattering of glass apparent as every window in the whole house broke, the release of a wisp of her power seeping out with her words.
I should probably head out before I get caught up in something and get delayed further.
Thankfully, they all seemed more concerned about the two old devils than me, giving me a good chance to make my escape.
@***@
Odin POV
"Ah, it's Lady Jinn!"
"Jinn!"
"Jinn!"
"Show them Asgard's might, Lady Jinn!"
"She's not fighting you idiot!"
It was nice.
Despite Asgard not being fully rebuilt as of yet, nor the Norse Realms returning to full peace and tranquility, there was a bit of a reprieve.
The times were changing.
Freya and I set up a large magical projection so everyone could watch what was going on with the other side of the world.
Officially, we were allies of the Youkai, and that was a recognized fact by every God of Asgard and the Norse Realms.
Unofficially, we would tear apart anyone that tried to meddle with them with a fervor that would make even Surtr take pause.
Unfortunately, we couldn't really help out with their current problem. Oh, we never shied away from a war, and in another situation, we would have stood shoulder to shoulder with the Eastern comrades of ours regardless of who the enemy was.
But they needed to settle matters mostly by themselves. They were the ones given a black eye, and to not appear weak, they had to return the favor and throw some punches of their own without someone holding their hand.
However, that would all cease to be if our newest goddess suffered a single strand of her hair being harmed.
The Brat, well, everyone respected him. If he called for aid, every god would answer his call without a second thought and willingly throw their lives away for his cause. He could have been King, and everyone would have accepted it.
For Jinn though….Jinn…many here would willingly cut off their own arms if it meant they could beat the person who harmed her over the head with them.
It didn't take much being around her to get her measure, and while many of the gods here were idiots, rarely were they foolish as well.
They all knew who Jinn was now—the kind and gentle goddess who didn't like fighting and was happy to live peacefully without any conflict.
Yet she stood up when no one else could and fended off the destroyer himself.
Fear not the man who relishes in blood; be wary of the man who fights to protect.
The sister? The daughter? It was hard to put a title to the feeling. We only knew that she was to be protected, and woe be to anyone who dares hurt her.
Though that little lass had her own means, so I wasn't too worried. Not to mention the brat and his lovers were there, and they felt similarly, so it was unlikely for her to come to harm.
I just enjoyed a drink, watching the festivities as the war started in earnest.
"All-Father."
"Elf." I greeted back as our other new God cam and sat next to me.
He grunted, finding himself a drink too. "Thank to you and the brat, I've found myself drinking more than usual. I thought you were all drunkards, but apparently it's something woven into the divinity here."
"Hah, don't act like you weren't a drinker before you got old. Stop being a whiney old man and accept your new youth with dignity." I snorted.
"Bah, I drank proper wine, not this…..slosh."
"If you want something a little prissier, I think we can find some milk for you." I offered.
"Hmph, it'd be better than this crap." He didn't bat an eye at my insult.
"What's with that look on your face?" I noticed he was acting a little odd. "Even if you don't' like joining in the fun, you at least used to just sit at the side without looking all mopey and ruining the atmosphere."
The Elf God tapped the table with a frown. "You've been doing something."
I raised an eyebrow, taking a drink. "I do a lot of things."
"You've been recruiting quite heavily. You've lowered the standards a bit for Valkyries to grab new souls. You've even taken to inviting people outside the normal methods. I heard you visit a few smaller Magician Circles in the Human World and recruit a good number of Magicians."
"Maybe I have; maybe I haven't."
The Old Elf tapped his finger more. "You're preparing for another war."
I put my cup down, a little annoyed that the elf was always so perceptive. "And if I was, what would you have to say about that?"
"How bad is it?"
"Very bad." I didn't hide my own feelings. "Ragnarök might have been a mercy."
The Old Elf, despite being somewhat youthful again as a God, let out a tired sigh reminiscent of his true age and mentality. "Is the kid involved?"
"Smack in the middle of it." I nodded.
"Why does it seem like he's always in the middle of things that happen recently?"
I let out a chuckle. "You know how it is, Elf. Heroes are always at the center of conflict."
"I'll go stir up a conflict with the Trolls; see if I can't get them to start causing problems." The Old Elf grunted. "Should cover up what you've been doing in case anyone has been paying close attention. Maybe get the remains of the Jotun to do something too."
"That's probably for the best." I nodded.
Maybe I was a tad too overt. But with hostility reignited, even on a small scale, it's very plausible deniability as a reason to recruit large amounts. I've also been using our rebuilding and recruiting to recoup our losses as a reason to seek out Sacred Gears and search for those blasted Holy Relics along with Bone Daddy down below.
No one's going to look twice at the Norse trying to get some powerful tools under our belt after the losses we suffered. And maybe the elf was being a bit too careful, but it wouldn't hurt to take precautions.
"Something else is bothering you; just spit it out."
The Old Elf grumbled again. "You know our origins, right?"
"So this is going to be one of those talks." I sighed, wishing I had something stronger to drink. I should steal one of the Brat's jars of whine from before. "Alright, hit me."
The Old Elf scowled. "It's taboo, even among the Dark Elves. But it's undeniable that our origins lay in that realm." He pointed at the magical screen that showed the war between the Youkai and the Fair folk going on.
"You don't need to tell me; I was around when your lot happened upon the formation of the Nine Realms and migrated." Though I was much less of a 'person' at that point in time. It took awhile for the concept of an 'Ego' to form under everything.
"I mentioned it offhand to the kid, but he probably didn't pay it any mind when I called them our distant cousins." He continued to tap the table impatiently. "We're not the same anymore; we no longer have any ties to that place; we're Elves of Alfheim down to our cores."
"You worried about him?"
"Is it odd?" He countered.
"The kid is strong."
"Strength isn't everything. I just don't like that some of ours is in that place without us being there."
"Oh, 'One of ours', huh?" I smirked.
The Old Elf let out a huff of annoyance. "How bad would it be if I went over there with them?"
Huh, he was serious.
Well, I couldn't fault them; from what I recall, the origins of the Elves of Alfheim were that they were a banished tribe of Elves from the Fae lands in a time before time and stumbled upon Alfheim as it formed, becoming the realm's inhabitants in more than just name.
They're not Fae, despite being Elves.
Their nature completely changed.
It seemed to be something weighing on him a lot due to his origins.'
Was it the blood of his that couldn't accept that place and hated it, which was causing him to act up?
"I'll send a message over. While they shouldn't immediately reject you, at the same time, it's hard to insert yourself into what they're doing. You're going to need to wait for an excuse to get properly involved."
"Thank you, All-Father." He responded with a rare politeness.
"Anything for a friend." I returned it with a smile.
@***@
Non-Canon Omake: The Little Spider
"Student, you collar is not straight." Scáthach grabbed Wilhelm, gently, and adjusted it with a small smile on her face. "There, you look presentable for your first day of schooling."
It felt odd for him to be doted on in this regarded by her, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it.
Things calmed down a lot over the past two years. Less and less had Wilhelm been running off on an adventure that required his dedicated attention. Less and less were there foes that required him to put his life on the line to defeat.
The Grand Order had been completed.
Alduin had been slain.
And Trihexa had been defeated.
Among other threats to the various worlds he travelled, things had become peaceful. Obviously, there would always be conflicts, and he was far from rusty at this point in time due an idiot here or there that wanted to destroy the hard gained peace. But at the end of the day, his life had become more relaxing and normalized.
And most importantly, he was happy.
His family had grown in size over the years, though children was still something he and his lovers were working on, but there wasn't any great rush there. Perhaps in a couple more years, they may start taking increasingly assertive measures to facilitate pregnancy. But once more, they were content to simply live their lives as they were.
Amidst this peace, Wilhelm had been discovering more of himself. Taking time to smell the proverbial roses without a looming threat allowed him to evaluate himself in a different light.
There were things he felt like he was missing, regrets he didn't realize he had. When you don't have to worry about a Demon God destroying all of human history, it's amazing what you can understand about yourself.
One such regret he found was that he wished he finished schooling.
It was funny, in a way, for him. How quickly and happily he abandoned school in favor of adventure and freedom.
But part of growing up was looking back and acknowledging that many of your decisions when you were younger came not from mature and levelheaded places.
Sure, he didn't regret leaving that school. But he regrets that he abandoned school altogether.
Maybe he was an odd one, but he didn't dislike school even as a kid.
Wilhelm liked to learn new things, to discover and explore.
At his core, he was a researcher.
So, he broached the idea of returning to 'school' to his lovers and they had been exceedingly supportive.
However, and surprisingly, Scáthach had been the most supportive. When it was merely an idea, she was the one who pushed him to do it, to not let him abandon the idea nor procrastinate.
Even with all his girls around him now, about to see him off to college, it was Scáthach who looked at him with the most pride.
Wilhelm was happy.
It wasn't just his own desire, his mom always told him how she wanted him to go to college. She even tried her best to save money when they have very little, even if that didn't turn out well.
Wilhelm also wanted to do this to honor the memory of his mother.
And he wanted to do it properly.
That is to say, at this moment in time, he was no different than how he was before that stray Exorcist stabbed him through the heart with a holy sword and awakened his past memories.
To nearly everyone who wasn't trying to peer deep inside of him, he looked like an average human.
Well, there were a few things that were impossible to hide away. He was far more healthy and had a bit more strength and such than a normal human his size and shape should possess, but that wasn't worth mentioning.
He had sealed away all his powers and abilities and mythical items.
"Take care of this for me." Wilhelm slid his storage ring off his finger and placed it into the hand of Scáthach.
He would never allow anyone but someone he loves take care of that and all his treasures. It was his Devilish nature, he was far too greedy to allow others to touch his treasures without a good reason. The only thing that outweighed that was his love for his friends and family.
Though, even with everything sealed, he felt a twinge of anxiousness as it was the first time that ring left his finger in years.
That wasn't to say he was without protection. However, there was just nothing he could facilitate on his end.
He wanted to be truly 'human' for awhile to experience it properly.
Obviously, he made sure everything was set up beforehand.
He chose a world that he hadn't experienced yet. He didn't want any 'distractions', no people looking for him there even by accident. No world where he was already a known variable.
Eventually, with the help of his Grandfather, they found a world-line not too dissimilar from his home. Supernatural existed in modern day, Gods walked the Earth, but there was a strict divine between normal and abnormal. Some sort of Magical Mist that covered the world and hid the supernatural behind a guise.
If a human saw something they weren't supposed to, the Mist automatically made an illusion to cover it up, or obscured it in their subconscious.
Wilhelm had no intentional to get involved in anything there, so it proved to be the best choice out of all the world-lines they looked at.
He was no longer the Red Dragon Emperor, the Godslayer, the Magician, etc.
Simply, he was Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, College student who happened to take a few years longer than most kids there to enroll.
The goodbyes were difficult as they always were.
Not that he would be spending a ridiculous amount of time away. Atleast from the perspective of his girls, each semester would only be a couple weeks and he would even come back and visit quite often. But from his own subjective time, he would be going without seeing them for long periods.
With the last portal he created still open and no longer having access to his magic for the next few years, he walked through to begin a new, albeit temporary, life.
@***@
Wilhelm stepped out of the house he bought beforehand, one of the many preparations he made before diving off the proverbial cliff.
Maybe someone might think him foolish for willingly discarding all his substantial power and accumulated wealth, even temporarily.
However, this was important to him.
It helped keep him ground, and it was a milestone in his life.
He took a deep, still getting used to being basically 'human' again.
His reaction speed was sluggish, his senses were dimmed, and he honestly felt….weak.
It was a strange, but good weak.
He took another deep breath, forcing himself to smile because he had one realization after leaving.
"I forgot to get my wallet before handing over my ring."
At the very least, he was thankful he set up mundane bank accounts and what-not to facilitate his mundane life. Not to mention, he had a bit of cash and other emergency necessities on hand in the house already until he sorted that out.
He most certainly wasn't playing the part of a poor college student, merely a human college student. He had a substantial amount of money available to him by ordinary views.
Thankfully, the house he purchased was within walking distance of the campus, somewhat.
Harvard was big.
Big enough that he needed some method of transportation to reach one side from the other.
He momentarily contemplated buying a bicycle. The thought was novel to him who used to fly around like it was nothing.
He never had a bike when he was a kid, they were too expensive. And now….well, perhaps it was time to explore other long forgotten dreams and desires of his.
It was the start of the year, so the roads were packed with both students and other people. There were even some stalls set up, people looking to hawk whatever random crap they thought they could convince some naive kids to buy.
Wilhelm basically ignored it until he found something that piqued his interest.
He was quick to hand over an absurd Ten dollars for a pack of playing cards.
He knew it was overpriced by a large margin, but he didn't even care to argue. He couldn't help but smile with glee as he opened it up and flicked the cards between his fingers.
It had been many years since he played around with the street magic he picked up on a whim early on in his 'career' as a runaway Magus.
It actually helped him with utilizing his Talismans when he was still starting out. Finger dexterity was an important facet in many things…..not all of them combat.
He absentmindedly shuffled the pack of cards in his hands as he walked across the Harvard Campus.
Classes hadn't started yet, everyone was still moving in, thus he had free time. The first place he decided to visit was of course the famous Harvard Library!
There shouldn't be very many people there this time yet, so he figured it would be enough for him to explore without gaining too much attention.
He heard an old story that there's a hidden secret room filled with a bunch of lost books that no one can find and it's not on any maps or official schematics.
Wilhelm honestly didn't know if there was truth to that story or not, but he wanted to find out.
Ascending the steps, he couldn't help but admire the architecture either, he put a hand on it, inspecting it thoroughly. It was an elegant mix between some old Greek influence and a more modern interpretation. Of course modern is relative when the building is about a century old.
"It's impressive, isn't it?"
Wilhelm turned to look at who was talking to him, a woman, and rather beautiful at that, perhaps around his age, with brown hair and interestingly gray eyes.
"The library itself or are you referring to the Greek inspired columns?" He asked.
"Well, I think any library is impressive inherently. But I do admire the way they stuck to a more traditional design. It doesn't merely pay homage to the ancients, but it's also a very convincing replication of early techniques." She spoke.
"Ah, fake Greek designs. At a distance they look magnificent, but you only have to get into a few feet of it to see that it's all appearance and no substance. You can easily tell the difference in the handiwork. Of course the time period makes it easy to differentiate. Even the attempts at replication deserve praise considering they lacked the same scale of industrialization that trivializes the process and likewise removes the human element in sculpting and design. It's the imperfections that give it character even if it's not completely adhering to its ancient counterparts."
The Girl's eyes flashed in surprise, but a strange happiness in them. "You seem to be quite knowledgeable."
"As much as one can be for simply visiting various historic sites still standing."
"Well travelled then? That's still impressive." She nodded, sounding oddly pleased. "Your accent, I can't quite place it, where do you come from?"
"Japan, actually. I'm half Japanese from my mother's side. Otherwise, I could be considering German as well." He politely swept his arm infront of himself. "Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service."
She raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Sophia Pollis."
"Pollis?" Wilhelm hummed. "Greek?"
"A bit on the nose?" She chuckled. "My family has Greek ancestry dating back very long."
Wilhelm understood, he was used to old families using certain naming conventions even when they branched off over the centuries.
"Not many incoming students come to the library this quickly." She changed subjects easily.
"I suppose my wide-eyed tourist-like behavior was a give away." He made a little fun of himself. "It's their loss, I suppose. The library was one of my first stops as I recently moved into the area for school. I wanted to explore a bit, maybe see if I can find the fabled hidden room in the library."
"That's just a myth." The corners of her lips twitched as she brushed her hair behind her ear. "But it's admirable to visit the library so soon. You wouldn't believe how many people here don't make full use of such a wonderful resource. What's your major? By your insight before, it has to be something to do with architectural design, right? Or is that simply a passing hobby?"
"My major? I'm sorry to say you wouldn't be able to guess it."
She quirked an eyebrow. "That sounds like a challenge."
"Oh? Very well then, be my guest." I gestured for her to give it a go.
Wilhelm was happy, it seemed like he already made a new friend here!
She tapped her chin. "I'll rule out Architecture based on what you said, the insinuation was obvious. Hmm, visiting the old world with an adept understanding….guessing you're a history major feels too easy."
"Is that an answer? I'll give you three guesses."
"What do I get if I guess it right?" She seemed amused.
"How about, I'll show you my world famous magic trick?" He took out the deck of cards from his pocket, flicking one of the cards out of the middle and catching it with his other hand.
"World famous?" She snorted. "That's a bold claim."
"Alas, the world simply doesn't know it yet." Wilhelm sighed exaggeratedly.
"Okay, let's use History as my first guess." She waved her hand flippantly.
"That's a good guess, and I genuinely considered that, but I'm afraid you're wrong. I'll even give you a handicap, if it's my minor, I'll call it your win."
Sophia felt a little twinge inside if her, she was competitive by nature, even in small unseeming contests, she didn't like to lose.
"Arrogance is often man's downfall."
"Arrogance is also the reason that humans can achieve sublimation."
"An interesting thing to say. Do you believe humanity has achieved this sublimation?"
"It's a process. Can you say that a thousand years ago man would ever dream that humans could step onto the moon, the domain believed to belong solely to their gods?" He countered.
"A valid point." She conceded, though she would normally have something to say about that specific example. "You have an interesting viewpoint. Very well, I'll choose literature."
"That's a rather broad guess, isn't it? Literature encompasses a very wide spectrum. It's like saying science when it both holds engineering and social sciences."
"Do you want to give up?" Her eyes nearly twinkled in amusement.
Wilhelm held his hands up. "Fine, fine. I'll let you have this one, but be a little more specific in your next guess."
"Not literature either?" She picked up that she was wrong even if he didn't outright say it. "You're not giving me much to go on. Why not give me a hint?" She said, playfully.
"A hint?" Wilhelm hummed. "I'll let you ask me a couple questions."
Sophia originally didn't intend to be wasting this time here, she approached the library for her own goal. However, seeing the strange man staring so intently at the column of the building, her curiosity was piqued.
One thing led to another, and her attention had been thoroughly grabbed by him.
It was….rare for someone to grab her attention so thoroughly with such little effort. He had a strange….charm about him.
"Why did you enroll in Harvard?" She finally asked after a moment. "You said you're Japanese. This is far from home for you."
"That's a good question. You see, Harvard had a resource I could make use of that I couldn't anywhere else."
Sophia was intrigued. "What resource?"
"Nepotism."
It took her many years of life experience to not immediately choke at that answer. "Nepotism?" She deadpanned.
"The lifeblood of the world." Wilhelm nodded sagely.
"I don't think I've ever heard it be called that…." Which was a feat in her long life. "You enrolled in one of the most prestigious institutes in the world for….nepotism?"
She was now questioning any further interest.
"You asked a question, I answered. If you want a more thorough explanation, use another question."
Curiosity got the better of her.
"Fine. Why nepotism." To her, he seemed quick witted and intelligent enough to succeed in other places.
"I dropped out of highschool." He smiled, making her go wide-eyed. "I was in a bad place when I was younger. In a sort of…rebellious phase, I forwent school and decided to travel. It took me awhile to find myself and one of my regrets was that didn't finish a proper education, so here I am."
Sophia mulled that over and found his decision to be somewhat admirable. It was praiseworthy for someone, in her eyes, to pursue higher education. But hearing what he said, she could accept that perhaps it was even more so for someone who so quickly abandoned education in the first place to return.
"How does Nepotism play here?"
Wilhelm coughed awkwardly. "My transcripts were not exactly…. exemplary."
Sophia blinked in realization what he meant by that.
"….I had a family member graduate some time ago." He added.
Nepotism indeed.
It was, however, part of the backstory that Wilhelm fabricated to not draw attention to himself. It was true, in some regard. Zelretch had actually gone to Harvard for a few years for some personal matter. Here, however, before he sealed everything away, he made sure his identity wouldn't raise any flags.
Thus, somewhere in the archives, he had a grandfather alumni.
It took some….hypnosis and a lot of money to secure his enrollment considering everything.
"One might say it's wise to make use of any resources available for you to get ahead in life."
"I would thank whoever says that, but I'm not under any delusion as to how I'm here. Though, I'm fairly confident that I will excel regardless. The important point is what one does with the opportunities they're given."
Sophia could accept that logic and approved of it.
"Art." She finally said after awhile. "That would cover a great many things you've said. It includes many branches such as criticism, and conservation."
Wilhelm opened his mouth dramatically. "Nope."
Sophia pursed her lips with a little huff. "Fine, tell me."
"My major is in Theatre." Wilhelm chuckled. Well, technically, it wasn't specifically Theatre. Is Theater Dance & media, but the point still stood.
"That is….surprising."
"I said you would never guess." Wilhelm shrugged. "My minor is astrophysics though."
Sophia blinked in surprise again. "That's even stranger."
She didn't know what to make of him in all honesty. Who majors in theatre then minors in astrophysics!
Not to mention she didn't peg him as a theatre person. He didn't seem to be the ….type.
Her brother cemented the 'type' in her mind that made it hard to differentiate others from it.
Wilhelm let out a dramatic sigh again. "It seems you're forever doomed to never witness my magnificent magical performance."
"I take back what I said, you're very much a theatre boy." She snorted. "It all adds up now, you have that unearned confidence that they all seem to possess."
"I'll have you know it's very much earned."
"Oh yes, I'm sure.
"You know what? I'll prove it. How about I recite some poetry." He grinned.
She rolled her eyes. "Please, woo me with your mastery of words."
Wilhelm cleared his throat.
"Roses of red, violets of blue."
"You're never going to see my card trick."
"Let the envy consume you."
"That's the worst poem I've ever heard." She said dryly. "My brother could learn a thing or two from how bad that was."
"You have my permission to be swooned."
"Oh, I have your permission?" She snorted again. "How arrogant, are you about to fly to the moon now? I would hate for the moon to fall from the sky because it can't handle the weight of your ego."
"What's that sound?" Wilhelm held a hand up to his ear.
"What sound?" She furrowed her brow in confusion.
"It's the distinct sound of a sore loser."
Sophia's lips twitched uncontrollably. "Did you get beat up a lot in school? Is that why you dropped out? I have a feeling that a lot of people wanted to hit you."
Wilhelm considered that, the latter half. A lot of people have said many things over the course of his life.
"Alright, I'll show you my magic trick." He finally relented.
"Who wants to see your dumb magic trick?!" She was ready to stomp her foot, but she caught herself.
It was strange, she had never met someone outside of her family that could poke her buttons so easily.
"….so you don't want to see it?"
She let out a sigh. "Fine, show me your magic trick."
She would admit, not out loud, but he did expertly handle the cards with a strange precision as he shuffled them.
"Alright, pick a card." He held it out for her.
She rolled her eyes and grabbed one in the middle, looking at it.
A King of Hearts.
"Alright, put it back in and don't tell me."
She had seen this a million times, she didn't even have to look to know what he was doing.
He reshuffled and tapped the top. "This is your card!" He pulled it up.
"No." She looked at the 7 of diamonds.
"Woops, my mistake." He then pulled from the bottom. "This is your card."
She shook her head at the 5 of hearts.
"This one?"
"no."
"This one?"
"No."
"This one!"
"Are you sure you're world famous?" She found the turnabout rather enjoyable as she looked at him struggling. Truthfully, it didn't ruin her perception of him in her eyes. It was rare that she found someone she genuinely enjoyed conversing with in this kind of way
"This one for sure."
"Do you want me to take pity on you?" She asked, looking at him and the several cards he tossed on the ground previously.
"Alright, fine. I give up." He surrendered.
"A wise man knows when to fold them." She said, pun intended.
She didn't care what the others said, she most certainly had a sense of humor. She looked at his defeated expression and did take a little bit of pity on him regardless. "Give me your contact information, we can study together sometime."
He perked up immediately. "Got a pen?"
She held one out for him to take and he grabbed a random card to write it for her and she casually accepted it.
He already waved her goodbye and started to walk off.
She glanced down at the card to memorize the information written on it then was about to toss it away before she did a double take.
King of Hearts.
"Arrogant bastard." She huffed, with a small smile playing at her lips.
@***@
The years passed by quickly.
Wilhelm was enjoying his time in school even as the end was approaching. These years had done him a lot of good for him. He hadn't needed to draw his sword against an enemy in so long that he was starting to feel a little antsy.
He didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
He promised himself that he would make sure to wipe off the dust afterwards, but for the present, he simply enjoyed living a mundane life.
There were already plans in his head.
First and foremost, he was going to visit his mother's grave and leave her a copy of his diploma.
That was going to be the very first thing he does after graduating.
He just needed to graduate….well, that wouldn't actually be difficult for him. He was graduating near the top of his class. He couldn't claim to be the best in a structured academic setting, sometimes he simply dislikes doing busy work and forgoes it. His flippant nature is a part of him just as everything else is, if he's not forced to do something with minimal downside, he will sometimes not do it.
But, he made sure that he was passing everything with flying marks.
He was at one of the happiest points in his life.
He even managed to make several friends over the course of his school years! Some more acquaintances, but they were friends regardless.
He got to experience somewhat of a normal school life. His previous experiences, well, they made certain things about college life less exciting.
Still, he would join with friends, go out and meet people, do random and perhaps unwise things under the influence of cheap beer.
Speaking of friends, someone knocked on his door, he could barely see a reflection of his friend Sophia, but he was confused why she was here this late.
He was about to head to bed as it were.
He opened the door without hesitation, he had gotten lose to her these past few years, she's been in his house plenty of times at this point.
"Sophia what's – " He looked at the sleeping baby in her arms. "That's a baby."
"How astute as always, Wilhelm." She deadpanned, walking inside. "It's your child."
"….no it's not." He immediately denied with a blink.
"It's your child." She reiterated again.
He opened his mouth to deny it again, but clamped up with confusion because the child had the same red colored hair that he did. "Sophia, I havn't had sex with anyone since coming to Harvard." Well, anyone in this world. "Do I need to tell you how babies are made?"
She smiled patiently, not reacting to his verbal jab like normal.
It was a back and forth between them usually, one of them trying to get a rise out of the other.
"I'm going to miss your wit Wilhelm. Even if it was infuriating a lot of the time."
"Sophia, explain clearly." His expression hardened.
"This is the only expression of love I can give. This is the child between us, Wilhelm. I admired your intelligence for a long time now, you're a good person even if you can be rather arrogant at times. I know you'll raise her well, her name is Annabelle."
"Sophia –"
"My name is not Sophia." She spoke and the world shifted unnaturally. Even her looks slightly altered, and a wave of power crashed over the house. "I am Athena, Goddess of Wisdom. I created this child by combining our essences. She is a Demi-God, your child and mine." Her whole demeanor changed more commanding.
No physical proof needed to be given, it was as if the idea she wasn't a Goddess was rejected from any thoughts.
Wilhelm felt something inside of him as well.
A flurry of emotions he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Rage was at the forefront.
There were only two things that stopped him from destroying the apparent Goddess infront of him.
One, that his powers were sealed at the moment.
Secondly, ignoring everything else, he looked at the child the Goddess forced into his arms, and all the anger and desire to rampage dissipated.
He was still utterly furious, but it was all reined in to a controllable degree because he immediately fell in love with the little girl sleeping soundly in his arms.
To Athena's viewpoint, he was dumbstruck, understandably so.
She didn't treat his silence and surprise with any aggression. If anything, she found him keeping a level head proper and admired him for it.
She didn't just give her children to anyone.
There were some, some she misjudged that she had to threaten a few months later as they tried to abandon her children in some far off corner.
But in this case, she didn't feel like she would need to.
"There is a camp for others like her. You will receive a messenger when she gets older, make sure she goes to the camp. And don't tell her about her heritage. The more she knows about her heritage, the more danger she'll be in. Monsters hunt Demi-Gods by a specific scent they give off. I know this may be a bit overwhelming to you, but I can't stay for long. Certain ancient laws don't allow me as a Goddess to interfere with mortal affairs. Myths and legends are real, tread carefully and keep our daughter safe."
Wilhelm didn't even have the chance to utter a word before she disappeared from that spot.
Nor did he find the will to rage at her still.
He felt lost, unsure of what to do. There was a part of him that felt taken advantage of and it made a knot in his stomach.
Regardless of how it happened, without his consent….he had a daughter.
Another Daughter.
A baby.
He was holding his infant daughter.
A few tears began to swell up in his eyes because this was something he wanted to share with the women he loved, and it was stolen.
He wasn't thinking straight, his mind clouded. He made perhaps the best decision he could in that moment, and he went for one of the emergency backups in the house that upon activating, it pull him back to his home world.
He abandoned his schooling and mundane life without hesitation.
He collapsed onto the couch of his true home.
Immediately, everyone in the vicinity knew about. It only took moments before everyone nearby poured into the room, the sounds of a crying infant reached their ears.
"Wilhelm!?" Yasaka was the first to look at him in confusion.
"Student, who's child is that." She was the first to notice the similarities.
"It's mine." Wilhelm said softly, rocking her in his arms. "She's my daughter."
@***@
It took awhile for Wilhelm to fully explain.
The others recognized how uncharacteristic his attitude was.
"Kunou, come meet your little sister." Wilhelm said quietly as his other daughter finally entered the room at Yasaka's side.
Despite the strange situation, there was also an atmosphere of warmness as Kunou looked at her younger sister.
The not-so-young fox smiled. "Hey there, I'm Kunou. I'm going to be your older sister." She stretched out a finger, letting the young girl who was wide awake now grab onto it.
Wilhelm found himself smiling.
She was so old now, his little Kunou was almost an adult.
"Dad, what's her name?" She didn't ask about how she came to be, Yasaka already told her.
No one wanted to mention it seeing Wilhelm's expression. The anger wasn't just with him either, they all were utterly furious and had their own ideas about finding that supposed Goddess.
Meridia was present as well as Izanami, both of them had to be talked down from personally going to beat some sense into the supposed Goddess of Wisdom.
"Student." Scáthach said softly, holding the young girl in her arms. "Come, there is something you should see."
Wilhelm, not sure what she was talking about, stood up to inspect his newest daughter.
Scáthach moved the beanie-like hat the infant was wearing to keep her head warm and then rubbed two particular spots on her forehead. "Feel here.
Wilhelm silently did so and his eyes widened with tears forming again, this time, they were accompanied by a different emotion than before. "She's going to have little horns."
They didn't show just yet, but he could feel them beneath the surface.
She inherited his Devil blood.
That raised a great many questions that he didn't care to find answers to just yet. The turbulent emotions were still running wild.
"She's adorable." Jinn cooed, playing with her while Scáthach still held the baby.
"We should give her a new name." Venelana looked on. "A Devil name?"
"She has master's hair color." Raikou equally was enthralled by the infant.
It just made Wilhelm more angry, he wanted one of his girls to experience this first with him.
"Wilhelm." Artoria out a hand on his shoulder.
She recognized that his anger was flaring up.
"We should have her baptized." Jeanne eventually blurted out.
Everyone paused, looking at her before the room erupted in laughter, easily easing a lot of the tension in the room.
Artoria Alter had been silent, not offering words of encouragement, but she was sitting at his side, tightly grabbing his hand.
She knew part of what he was feeling, as did regular Artoria.
Both of them went through the experience of giving life to a child against their will and knowledge. Despite the fact that both of them accepted Mordred as their 'son' albeit in different regards, it was an experience they didn't like to recall.
"Shall we hunt down this Goddess? We can write your daughter's new name in her blood." Salem drawled.
Despite the bloodthirsty manner in which she said that, Wilhelm found himself smiling a little again seeing how many people here agreed with her thoughts.
"Arachne." Kunou blurted out. "Let's call her Arachne."
Wilhelm blinked snorting with barely held back laughter at the thought.
After a moment, he let out a sigh. "I never wanted one of my children to be without a parent. I wanted one of you to share this with me." He trembled slightly.
"Student." Scáthach said again, seemingly monopolizing the infant for herself. "The mother of this child cannot be changed." She spoke smiling softly as she looked down at the child. "I will be her mom, I will adopt her."
No one made an effort to refute her, nor did anyone believe the need to.
Mostly, they were surprised with how quickly she came to this decision.
Once more, Wilhelm felt tears swelling up in his eyes as the woman he loved said he would be the mother to his daughter. "Give her a name." He managed to get out.
"I like the suggestion." Scáthach smiled. "It was in jest, but I believe it feels appropriate. Arachne, my little spider. It is common for 'middle names' these days? I also have a name I have wanted to give a daughter if I ever had one. In my own myths in various worlds, many Scáthach's have birthed children and used the same name. Now, I wish to do so as well."
It didn't take long for the Immortal Witch to come to these decisions. She had long said she gave her everything to Wilhelm, she would have accepted the child regardless of if it came from within their group or not. But to know that she was without a proper mother…..and casting her eyes upon the spitting image of her student, Scáthach as well fell in love with the child immediately.
"She will be Arachne Uathach Schweinorg."
@***@
A/N
An Omake I had been casually working on for most of the week, mostly on my phone. It was a random idea I had, then someone in my discord posted a small snippet of it on QQ and it gave me the motivation to write it out properly. I'll most likely be doing follow up parts to it. I don't know how many parts in the series it'll have, but enough to constitute a numbering in the title.
A/N
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty under the same name if you can't use the above.
Also over here, I got the next part of Arachne Omake, the next chapter of Cultivation Cyclops, and the next Looking Glass Omake.
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