Chương 264: Chapter 264
"You want us to what?"
Kuroka nervously clutched her skirt in nervousness. Under the gaze of these two behemoths, she forced herself not to back down.
"I-I want to be strong. Please train me!"
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|DxD|
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A few moments earlier…
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Kuroka made her way downstairs slowly. Her grip on the railing was tight and with each step she took, her pace became slower. Her mind was numb from trying to plan countless methods of having even one of them take her as their disciple.
Her only regret was she didn't know much about these two. In fact, it would be accurate to say she knew little-to-nothing about them at all.
[What do I say?]
Her time with the Naberius taught her to be shrewd. But being shrewd relied on knowing the other party. Otherwise, what if she said the wrong thing? The stronger a person was, the less they hesitated to kill.
The weak were shrewd and the strong were overbearing---a sad truth in this world she saw firsthand.
[Don't scheme, Kuroka. Be sincere and ask them.]
She felt slightly apprehensive. Her grip on the railing tightened in nervousness. She didn't know these two boys nor did they know her---meaning they didn't owe her anything.
"..."
She slowed to a halt at the end of the steps. She could hear their chatter in the kitchen. They were bragging to each other about who's killed the most in war---a matter that only served to fuel her hesitation.
[Maybe I shouldn't interrupt them?]
Kuroka briefly considered the notion of turning around, but she cancelled that thought very quickly. If she turned back now, who knew when the next opportunity would come?
[Come on, Kuroka. You can do it!]
She psyched herself up and finally made her way towards the kitchen.
Du. Du. Du. Du.. Du..Du…Du…Du…Du
Her steps slowed down. In just a few dozen centimetres, the wall would no longer shield her and she'd enter their view. Her bravery was operating on its last fumes, but she forced herself to tap into her reserve tank.
[Don't be a coward, Kuroka!]
She clenched her fists and marched into the kitchen with determination. Her heavy steps naturally aroused Igor's and Atid's curiosity, but she dared not look at them for fear of losing her willpower.
She could feel their gaze on her. The scent of their power alone made her instincts go haywire. Every single nerve fibre in her body was telling her to retreat, but she endured and lowered her head.
"G-Good morning Igor-sama. Atid-sama. I-I…please take me as your disciple!"
Saying this much was already the best she could do. She heavily underestimated how their gaze would affect her. There was a stark difference between a lion not paying attention to you and directly focusing on you.
Now, she'd attracted the attention of these two behemoths.
"..."
"..."
Igor was having a hard time…computing this.
"You want us to what?"
This girl couldn't be serious, right? First she interrupts their fight. Now she even has the gall to ask for tutorship? Shameless!
"..."
Kuroka clutched her skirt nervously. She dared not look up for fear of their expressions. They probably looked at her with ridicule, but she wouldn't back down.
"I-I want to be strong. Please train me!"
"..."
Igor still had a hard time believing what this girl was asking. Couldn't she atleast wait until they'd finished eating? Most of his blood was flowing to his stomach, not his brain.
While Igor was doing his best to process this, Atid was different. The brunette quickly capitalized on this conundrum by shifting responsibility to Igor.
"Kuroka. Even if I wanted to, I don't have the time to train you. I have responsibilities. My brother here on the other hand can help you out."
"?!"
A smidgen of hope arose in Kuroka's heart. She looked up with anticipation…into Igor's darkening eyes.
"Time? I barely have time for my own training. Where would I get the time to train this girl?"
"Just wake up earlier or something. I don't know."
Atid made his stance clear. This hot potato wasn't his to deal with.
"Alright, alright. Let's put aside time for a bit."
His finger pointed straight at Kuroka.
"Who says I have to train her? Yasaka or the monkey sage can train her. Not me."
"But she's asking us. Plus, you can use senjutsu, brother. You're clearly a better fit for her than me."
"I don't want to. I can't be bothered."
A coy smile formed on Atid's face.
"Oh come on. Do it for charity?"
"Nope."
"Look at her, brother. She's pitiful."
"I said no."
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|DxD|
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Kuroka could only remain silent at their banter. It was clear they were making a fool of her.
"Come on, Igor. You're closer to her so you should accept."
" 'Closer' my ass. If that's your logic, then you can definitely get to her faster than me. You're the fastest man alive, right?"
*Shiver!*
Kuroka couldn't believe it. Her plight was genuine, yet she became material for their banter. The maidservants at the side looked at her with some element of pity, yet they couldn't interfere.
It was a solemn truth in the supernatural world. She's come to beg them for guidance, yet she's now being treated as a joke.
*Clenches Fists*
Kuroka felt aggrieved, but she dared not get angry. She was the beggar. Expecting them to feel sorry for her was never a card she expected to work. Perhaps it was audacious for someone of her level to dare ask for their guidance, but she was willing to take a chance.
[Don't give up.]
Their banter showed no signs of stopping soon. They bickered like women, constantly using the issue of training her as fuel for their argument. Her plight was like a hot potato they constantly tossed each other, frequently shifting responsibility to the other.
But the conclusion was obvious. If she didn't do anything, it was plainly obvious she'd be leaving here in disappointment.
[I must try!]
What she was about to do would be considered disrespect towards them, but she had no intention of letting things reach their natural conclusion. At the very least, she was confident they wouldn't take her life.
"Igor-sama. I beg you. Please train me!"
She targeted Igor from the get-go. She gleaned some information from their argument and knew Atid had stronger reasons to refute her.
""...""
Their argument stopped instantly and two eyes focused on her, one of them showing a hint of annoyance.
"She's still here?"
"I'm also surprised, Igor. I thought she would've left by now."
"Tch. She's stubborn that's for sure."
"She did survive several experiments on her, brother. You can feel her chaotic energy, right? You'd have to stubbornly cling on to life in order to survive."
Igor gave Kuroka a cursory glance before turning to face Atid.
"I can feel it. That piece inside her will eat her up unless Ajuka or my sister do something."
"Or maybe you can give her some of your divine ki. Maybe it will help."
"Not a chance. I don't know nor care for this girl. As for training her, forget it. The monkey sage can deal with that."
This time, there was no joking tone in Igor's voice. He was absolutely serious. He had no obligation nor desire to entangle himself with this girl. Her story was tragic, but that's all there is to it. There's never been a shortage of sad stories.
Igor was truly apathetic, but Kuroka was unwilling to give up. She'd endured being treated like air. She'd endured being the butt of their jokes.
She harboured no grievances. She only wanted to wield the same power that allowed them to act freely like they did.
"Please! I'll…I'll do anything."
Her head lowered as she contemplated doing the unthinkable. Her hands clenched the sides of her dress in a suggestive manner.
"Anything…"
She wanted to raise her dress and reveal her luscious thighs, but she found her arms were like steel rods---unable to rise up.
"?"
It was only then that she became aware of the firm hands clutching her arms. Her eyes first registered the sight of sandalled feet before moving onwards to slightly-torn pants.
"..."
She dared not raise her head, but a finger under her chin forced her to like a hydraulic lift. Golden eyes met blue. She wanted to look away, but she found herself unable to. His gaze felt like it pierced into her very soul.
"You're surprisingly…serious."
Igor was genuinely surprised. He understood her intentions, but he had no interest in seeing a girl so young debase herself.
"Tell me honestly. Is your desire for power so strong that you'd willingly offer your virtue?"
Igor wasn't insensitive---only uncaring. This girl suffered for years and survived. It was a tear-jerking matter, but her story was only one of thousands to him. Her desire for power wasn't unnatural, but to be willing to offer her innocence was indeed surprising.
"..."
Kuroka found herself tongue-tied. The firm grip he had on her arms made her feel like an animal in a trap.
"Y-yes…"
She weakly nodded. For her and more importantly, Shirone's safety, her purity could be bargained away.
"..."
Igor was on the verge of clicking his teeth. Circumstances caused him to be apathetic to many things, but he couldn't ignore the plight of a young girl who would soon find herself on a dangerous path. If she wasn't careful, she could find herself enslaved through a method far more dangerous than an Evil Piece.
He wanted to convince her to give up on her venture, but found he couldn't. When he looked into her eyes, her desire for power was strong and unyielding.
"Hehe."
He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Through her eyes, he glimpsed a younger version of himself in her. It'd be a waste if this girl took a path of no return.
"I like you."
This determination…perhaps this girl was a diamond in the rough. He even found himself wondering how she'd fare in the upcoming war.
"Unfortunately, I can't train you girlie. I'll be busy for the next few months with my own training."
"..."
Kuroka seemed to visibly deflate at the news. Her excited heartbeat slowed down after his refusal, an event she'd foreseen yet didn't want to accept.
"Thank you. I…understand."
Her eyes grew watery, but she didn't want to cry. If she cried, it'd seem like she was trying to manipulate them and that'd erase the little goodwill she's managed to earn with them.
"Don't cry."
Igor placed his hand on her head.
"I can ask the old sage if he's willing to take you in. He's taught me most of what I know. If you're with him, you're guaranteed to get stronger."
It was the most he could do. It was small, but he was interested in seeing how far someone so determined like her would get. If the old monkey took her in, perhaps he'd see her fighting in a war after a few months.
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|DxD|
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Igor watched Kuroka enter the room where the others were in. The girl seemed to be satisfied after hearing he'd put in a word for her.
[If she keeps that determination, she'll become stronger than Sirzechs if he doesn't shape up.]
Unknowingly, a small smile formed on his face. He was interested in how far she would go.
"Hehehe. Brother Igor. If I didn't know better, I'd believe she was your daughter."
"Daughter? Why do you say that?"
Atid picked his teeth with a toothpick.
"She's got too much in common with you. Both of you are stubborn bulls. Or are you telling me you're not interested in becoming her master?"
"What? No."
Igor was quick to deny him.
"She's interesting, but that's it. I already plan on going back to 'that' place in a week or two."
The place Igor mentioned was the time chamber. Even if these devils were Falbium's servants, he wouldn't dare mention such a precious artifact in their presence.
"Oh? Won't you miss the war, brother?"
"No. I'll be there in time. Don't worry about it, brother. But I'm glad this whole mess is over with. I already miss home."
His mind revisited the matter with Shuri. This time, he won't cause a fuss.
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AN
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It's a shame Igor didn't take her in, but it's understandable. They had no prior connection so him already offering to put in a word is already a lot. On the other hand, atleast he's going back to the time chamber soon and I'm looking forward to the next war.
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