3rd Person POV
"Sir, an urgent letter has arrived!"
While Sirchez cursed the man who made paperwork for the Nth as he signed another document in his office, an anxious-looking subordinate entered without knocking, proof that it was a matter that required extreme attention.
Standing behind him with documents of her own, Grayfia gave a strict glare to the man who barged in.
"M-My apologies!"
Immediately bowing in fear, the man faltered before making it too far into the office.
"...a letter, is it?" Sirchesz looked confused.
Given the current times, it was only strange to receive a letter and call it urgent. There were several methods to communicate that would make it faster and even allow reciprocation of the message.
Walking over, Grayfia received the letter from the terrified man and using magic to find any possible trap. A measure that might be unnecessary as there were many people in charge of making those kinds of tests before the letter find it's way into the Maou's hands.
The envelope was already strange enough as it was completely black. It gave a rather uncanny feeling and Grayfia furrowed her eyebrows as she felt a piercing pain assault her head. As soon as she laid her eyes on the letters written on the envelope, Grayfia felt an intense pain just like when she woke up in the morning.
Passing the letter to Sirzches after she opened the envelope, Grayfia looked over the Maou as his expression turned grim.
"...contact the military liaison. We must be ready to deploy all of our forces. No one can take a rest. It will be a state of emergency. Set a perimeter around every city and inspect anyone coming in or out of the city. Teleportation magic is strictly prohibited by anyone except military personnel." Sirzches opened a drawer of his desk and immediately filled up a couple of documents and signed them. "If anyone tries to stop you from relating those orders, show them these documents."
Hastily obeying, the man almost left after images as he took the documents and escaped the scene.
Not asking anything, Grayfia just picked up the letter and read the message written in an immaculate hand writing.
"Greeting, siscon demon lord. I have taken the bother to invite you formally to the rebirth of an Outer God. The stage has been prepared and it is only a matter of time before it happens. The rebirth will be a signal and this will be the beginning of the end. The forces of the cult are prepared to launch an assault-" Grayfia read out loud.
The contents of the letters sounded comical if you judged by the starting words, however, as the text went on, it began to list specific places with detailed timelines.
"...for much that I would love to pass it as a joke, the previous letters are too concerning to do so." Sirzches sighed.
"How come I have not heard about these before?" Grayfia asked.
"Huh? What do you mean? You were taking your days off to- hmmm, what was it again? The reason you took some days off." Sirzches grimaced slightly from pain in his head.
Holding her forehead, Grayfia tried her best to remember but only the fact that she was simply tired came up. There was something off about it, but there were a lot more pressing matters at hand.
"Anyways, it all started as a simple joke... there was no way I would take such letters seriously until you considered the fact that they managed to convince one of our trusted staff to deliver these letters directly to me." Sirzches pulled out a stack of letters from the drawer of his desk. "Personal information regarding all of us that no one else but those close to us should know. Information regarding how our military works, the way we handle paperwork... to the point that they went as far as to tell us that the printer from Devil Resources needed to be fixed or it would break down soon."
"Could it be the person handing the letter?" Grayfia asked.
"Plausible, but it has been proved to be impossible." Sirzches denied it with a shake of his head. "I monitored every move of the person who delivered the letter one time, but then a different person delivered the next one. It happens daily and there are no clues. Although thanks to the information provided by the letters, we caught a few cultists that tried to convert devils from the countryside where our reach is thin."
"...it makes no sense if they belong to the cult to give away their plans like that." Grayfia frowned.
Smiling bitterly, the Maou had long harbored the same question yet had not found the answer until now.
"It is even more complicated than that." Sirzechs sighed. "As far as I am aware, the same kind of letter has been delivered to the Angels and Fallen Angels, it was also delivered to several mythologies and they all contained sensitive information."
"What are the responses from the others?" Grayfia asked.
"What do you think?" Sirzechs smiled.
Pulling out a paper fan and smacking the Maou's head without hesitation, Grayfia glared at him.
"Answering questions with other questions is not praiseworthy." Grayfia said.
"...I am still the Maou though, could you please be kinder to me?" Sirzechs rubbed the back of his head.
"Huh?" Grayfia gave the Maou a disgusted look.
"I am sorry, I will not say that again." Sirzechs raised his hands in defeat.
The strict maid showed extreme disgust whenever he tried to say things of that or flirt with her. However, it had become even worse lately. Sirzechs could understand since already had-
"Hmmm?" Sirzechs scratched his head in confusion.
Why did he think Grayfia had a special someone? She was as single as one could be. Grayfia had not dated anyone yet he felt like that sounded odd.
"...everyone gave a similar response. They all want to find the culprit. An alliance has been formed within the mythologies and peace is what we all desire. If the information were to fall into the wrong hands, it could cause damage beyond anything seen until now. It could trigger an all-out war that includes mythologies around the world." Sirzechs said.
"A world war... is sound absurd that an event of such a scale could be triggered any time by an unknown being." Grayfia sighed.
"...it is strange, but no matter how I think about it, I cannot feel any malice from the sender of the letter." Sirzechs picked a random letter. "I have read my fair share of threatening letters and even many contained death curses. The animosity felt so strong that you could almost imagine the writer jumping from the letter to cut your throat open."
"There are many threats written here, but it is as you said..." Grayfia began reading the other letters. "I can only feel a certain urgency to them."
"That is the case." Sirzechs commented. "I am stumped thanks to it. I should be suspicious about such a thing, perhaps it is trick to make us show pity and lower our guard against the writter, but I can't help but feel that the writter was not that kind of person."
"That's..." Grayfia was not sure she could comment on it since she also felt something similar when she read the letters.
Picking a particular letter, Grayfia widened her eyes.
"...you never mentioned this one either." Grayfia said.
The contents included threats to his family and the possible harm that could befall them.
"Ah, that one..." Sirzechs mumbled. "I was busy subjugating a cultist camp that was preparing to make contact with the evil dragon village. I received the letter and finished reading as soon as the attack began."
"That is not like you." Grayfia muttered. "You would eradicate them in one move and go check on Venelana-sama and Rias-oujou-sama, yet you never went to see them on the date of the letter."
"There was no need to worry, he was there." Sirzechs smiled. "As long as he is there, I have the confidence that even Hades would not be able to act as he pleases."
"...he?" Grayfia felt a strong headache.
"What are you talking about? Don't you know him as well? It is him." Sirzechs smiled and prepared to say the name but his mouth never managed to say anything.
His brain tried to search for the name of the person he had entrusted his family's safety with. However, Sirzechs was unable to find the face of the person in his memories no matter how hard he searched.
Before he could say anything, the door was opened and another of his subordinates had a letter on his hands. Being glared at by Grayfia for entering all of a sudden without knocking, the lady left almost in tears, but the letter was delivered.
"...it seems I will have to move." Sirzechs stood up as soon as he finished reading the letter.
Picking what the Maou just read, Grayfia saw a picture attached to the letter and furrowed her eyebrows as she laid her eyes on it.
"Saya has been kidnapped and she is going to be used as a vessel for a ceremony for the cultists." Grayfia surmised the letter's content.
"...our family owes a lot to that woman." Sirzechs said. "However, it is concerning the ritual pointed out in the letter."
"Are you planning on blindly charging forward alone?" Grayfia pulled out her paper fan.
Stepping away, Sirzechs looked at the paper fan with some fear as the back of his head throbbed.
"I plan to bring a large force with me as we investigate the location mentioned. You read about how they mentioned the possibility of powerhouses from the cultist to be there. I happen to have some unfinished business with them." Sirzechs explained.
"Revenge, is it?" Grayfia sighed.
"...yes." Sirzechs calmly admitted. "I guess you can read me like an open book."
"It would be abnormal if I did not notice it." Grayfia muttered. "I believe you have been planning this for a while."
"They are a threat we cannot ignore." Sirzechs mumbled.
"...so you were not blindly following the letter's content." Grayfia asked.
"I have been working on this for a while." Sirzechs said.
Hesitating briefly, Grayfia put away the paper fan.
"When did you plan to tell me?" Grayfia inquired.
"The time has been changed, I planned to tell you before I left." Sirzechs smiled wryly. "My wife is staying with my mother and Rias in the Gremory Castle. Part of my peerage will also stay behind to protect them and assist the Underworld in case anything happens."
"Does Venelana-sama need protection at all? She has been training again." Grayfia asked.
"...she can indeed be fearsome, but I would like to have peace of mind as I leave." Sirzechs recalled his time training together with his mother and sweated coldly. "I would appreciate it if you could stay with them too."
"Are you joking with me? I have a beef with them too." Grayfia narrowed her eyes.
"...my father's ex-wives are also staying in the Gremory Castle." Sirzechs said.
"You surely did not say that you have put your mother and your father's other wives in the same place." Grayfia forced a smile.
"...they were still his wives at some point." Sirzechs sighed.
Shaking her head, Grayfia did not accept.
"I want to stay even less now." Grayfia grimaced.
"...I thought you would say that." Sirzechs could not blame the maid.
"I am afraid I cannot stay." Grayfia said.
"...even if it is a direct order from your king?" Sirzechs asked.
"...I would still defy that order." Grayfia snorted.
"You shouldn't have a strong hatred for them." Sirzechs mumbled.
"...I have to bring Saya back home." Grayfia admitted.
"I believe the two of you cannot stand each other." Sirzechs questioned.
"I made a promise. I would take her home." Grayfia sighed. "...that is all."
Even though Grayfia was unable to recall whom she made that promise to, she could still feel how important it was to fullfil that.
"...very well, I guess you would still disobey my orders if I continued to force you to stay." Sirzechs sighed. "You have always been quite a handful when you feel like it."
"Does that bring you back old memories?" Grayfia smirked.
"If by memories you mean when you ruthlessly turned me down when I asked you out, or when you would be irritated and lose your temper before just to make me spar with you? I still recall trying to go easy on you, Grayfia. However, you, on the other hand, would not accept a loss and ask for another fight." Sirzechs recalled the past.
"There were not many people I could spar with back then." Grayfia nodded. "I also ran off punching bags often, I mean, I lacked training partners."
Rolling his eyes, Sirzechs could vividly remember being used as a punching bag with the excuse that he was strong enough to tank it.
"The preparations should be done by now." Sirzechs commented.
"...the Maou plans to leave his post just like that?" Grayfia asked.
"Serafall and Ajuka will remain here." Sirzechs said.
"So you will have Falbium-sama accompany you on this quest? Wouldn't it be more fitting to have him remain here?" Grayfia questioned.
"It does make sense to have someone with an outstanding defense like him to remain, but I am expecting the battle to turn into a ruthless battlefield. It is not a lie to say that we can exterminate low-level minions without suffering any casualties despite their uncanny abilities thanks to arduous training and teamwork, but the ones in the higher positions are another matter altogether. I assume you remember the events of that time." Sirzechs replied.
"...it was only thanks to Nanashi-sama and his people that we managed to drive away the cultist's invasion. The songstress's support behind the front lines boosted our troops' morale and Nanashi-sama guided us in the front lines using his charisma to convince us that there was a way out of our predicament at that time." Grayfia sighed. "There were countless sacrifices until he took the reigns."
"We were unprepared." Sirzechs shook his head. "You could describe us from back then as frogs at the bottom of the well. It was fitting for us who were self-centered and assumed that nothing could stop us."
Recalling the terrors that the cultists unleashed on their land, Sirzech felt anger surging from between, yet he did not show any of those emotions outwardly or let his aura run wild.
"...I wish I had listened to Nanashi's advice back then." Sirzech mumbled.
"He advised you about something in particular?" Grayfia asked.
"It is something I had forgotten, no, even Father must've forgotten about it. Nanashi told him to be careful and stop going out to events that much in the future." Sirzechs muttered. "We followed his advice for a couple of years, but after decades of uneventful days, father started going out as normal, saying that it did not suit the head of a household to remain locked up."
"...certainly, around that time there were rumors about his health, and many greedy ones thought they should start acting up to get a share of the pie named Gremory Household." Grayfia said. "It was a bad time since the previous heir, you, would no longer inherit the position."
"Taking the Maou position and still carrying the power of household is not possible after all. It is one of the reasons why we abandon our last name." Sirzechs smiled bitterly. "This time was still messy, since Rias is still young and inexperience so mother had to take the role."
"It was quite an ordeal given her identity as a Bael descendant. Many assumed that the Bael would use this chance to take over the Gremory Household." Grayfia spat out. "Foolish, I must say. It would be one thing if their ancestor himself stepped in, but the current head of the Bael Household is lacking in many aspects. It is not a secret that even the previous head lamented that the current head took over instead of Venelana-sama who is more talented than him in all aspects. Not to mention, that the previous Gremory Head would not let that happen. Chysis-sama would step in if they tried anything out of the line."
"...it is worrying that they do not do things out of the line. It means mother had to go through a lot of ordeals and harassment." Sirzechs smiled coldly. "They assume I will not do a thing about it."
"There is no need to worry needlessly, it was indeed harsh for both Venelana-sama and Rias-sama, but thanks to... Hmm? I seem to forget the name. Thanks to that person, everything was settled." Grayfia said.
"Oh, you are right. It was settled thanks to... him." Sirzechs furrowed his eyebrows.
It was odd to forget someone he owes so much.
"Regardless, I will keep the formation as it is." Sirzechs spoke.
"...I have nothing else to say." Grayfia bowed respectfully.
"Your face says otherwise." Sirzechs smiled wryly.
"...I find it lacking. Your preparations, that is." Grayfia commented.
"There is no need to worry, both the Maid and Butler Guild have decided to lend their hand for this operation. They will work with the security guards to ensure the safety of the cities and some will join the attack against the cultists." Sirzechs added. "...we also have forces from the Fallen Angels' side as well as the Angels, adding too, other mythologies. The lineup includes some of the strongest beings, low-ranking gods, and skilled warriors."
"...it might be just me, but I can't help but feel immense dread." Grayfia confessed.
"...fumu, I guess I was not the only one then." Sirzechs muttered. "However, we will not get another chance like this."
"If only Nanashi-sama was here." Grayfia sighed.
It was not only the presence of the savior of the Underworld that Grayfia wanted but a blurry figure that she was unable to recall as well. She feels that if that figure was here, things would work out one way or another. If he was gone-
"...what?" Grayfia felt something running down her cheek and she raised her hand in surprise to feel the trail of a tear on her cheek.
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable extreme pain for a moment. The tears that she could not explain continued to run down her cheeks with no sign of stopping.
"Wait a moment, what is going on?" Sirzechs was confused.
The person he had been chatting normally a second ago with him had suddenly started to cry so he was not sure how to react.
It was at that moment that a teleportation circle familiar to the duo appeared and a certain young looking woman wearing a magical girl outfit struck a pose as she teleported.
For a moment, Serafall froze as she say Grayfia crying then she turned her gaze toward Sirzech. The lack of anyone other than the two made very thing look suspicious.
"Sirzech-chan... I thought you were better than this!" Serafall threw her fellow Maou a dirty look.
"I am pretty sure I am being misunderstood though!?" Sirzechs was the one that felt like crying now.
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3rd Person POV
"Sir, please reconsider."
A figure wearing a black robe decorated with several ornaments that tried to make him look like a dark, disoriented clown. He carried a creepy mask on his face that hid his expression but his voice was enough to help distinguish his stance on the topic being discussed.
"I will not repeat myself again, I will go and lead in person."
Speaking in a deep tone of voice, a tall skeleton wearing ceremonial high priest attire was standing in front of a large table. The table had a map with several areas marked with names and in huge letters, you could read Realm of the Dead.
Surrounding the table, there were several figures around the table as they each held their own thoughts regarding the words of the tall skeleton, Hades.
"...we should just send 'that' and let her be the one scouting in case there is any danger." Pluto suggested.
"Are you still planning to use that child as your convenient tool? It is enough that she was created through such means yet you want her to become a scapegoat?"
Just like Pluto, another grim reaper spoke.
"Orcus, is it not enough that you ignore Hades-sama's orders but you question how to use his tools?" Pluto glared at the figure that spoke before. "Your so-called conservative faction is pushing their luck."
"This has nothing to do with factions or the like." Orcus slammed a fist on the table. "As a father myself, I cannot bring myself to make use of an innocent child. It is also important to notice the Madam is aware of the existence of that child and she has stated that she must not be used. Are you suggesting that we ignore her words?"
The mention of the Madam left Pluto tongue-tied as he gave Hades a look. Contrary to what he expected, the ruler of hell seemed to be too distracted to even pay attention when his wife was just mentioned.
"Pluto, that is enough. Regardless of your thoughts about Orcus and the faction he is in charge of, it was indeed what the Madam ordered. Going against that order, even daring to do it behind her back will bring you not only the ire of Persephone-sama but Hades-sama as well."
Another figure spoke, a grim reaper as well, Thanatos.
"...all of you. We shall not use Medusa under any circumstances. The first reason is that her whereabouts are not clear to any of the people present and unless she desires to communicate with us, we should not get close to her. It was the first clause of the agreement. Second, it was something that my beloved has made clear, along with my daughters. The third reason is that the other gods from our Pantheon will surely use it as a way to meddle in our affairs." Hades spoke.
No one dared to say a word against what Hades said and they expected him to say something else.
"Orcus, you will stay here along with Thanatos." Hades muttered.
"Hades-sama, you cannot do that!" Pluto and Thanatos spoke at the same time.
"I refuse to leave our land unprotected." Hades said in a slightly strict tone. "It is no time for petty arguments. You shall reduce the areas of patrol on the borders and tighten the security of the cities using the manpower that was dispersed. I assume you all will obey my commands this time."
"Your words are our command."
Speaking in unison, the grim reapers replied.
Gesturing to everyone to leave, Hades saw everyone exiting the room and he used a combination of simple spells to make use of telekinesis and tap Orcus on his shoulder. This made the Grim Reaper stop in place. Gesturing him once more, Orcus obeyed and walked over to Hades.
"...I want you to head to these coordinates and discretely retrieve what you find in here. It must not reach anyone's ears." Hades pulled out a notebook from his robes and handed it over as soon as the other party was close enough.
Taking the notebook, Orcus read the somewhat familiar handwriting. It was written using kanji in a neat and beautiful calligraphy. He tried hard to remember where he had read something similar, but he could not make a connection to the face that could write like this.
"...Hades-sama, my apologies, but what is this?" Orcus directly asked.
"I can't be completely sure of the details until it has been confirmed. The reason why I am sending you there is to see. It is mentioned in the notebook what you might find there. I would prefer if it is nothing more than a joke, but life is never that simple." Hades sighed heavily.
Still extremely confused, Orcus had many questions, but Hades simply gestured for him to read the notebook as he almost kicked him out of the room.
Once the room only had Hades remaining, he sighed heavily again.
"It is impressive that none of my executives were able to resist the effects of the spell. Their memories are gone." Hades commented. "...a deal is a deal, I shall follow you into your little game."
Speaking to himself, Hades gave one last look at the map on the table. His gaze lingered on the place that the notebook he handed over before had specified.
"...how many years has that devil kept his lab there?" Hades mumbled.
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3rd Person POV
"Jeez, Grayfia-chan should've told me I misunderstood everything instead of letting me smack Sirzech-chan's head with my staff." Serafall complained.
Having just teleported to a room from a mansion located at the outskirts from a certain devil's territory, Serafall did not mind that no one was waiting for her and instead she had to wave at the camera installed in all corners of the room for a servant to come over. It was stated that only when a servant came over would she be able to leave the room.
"We have been expecting your visit, Serafall-sama."
A maid with a wary gaze came over and greeted the Maou Shoujou.
"I am coming over to check how she is doing." Serafall said.
"...please follow me."
The maid seemed conflicted, but she still guided Serafall.
It was not the first time that Serafall had been subjected to the treatment and it would be hardly the last time. It was a matter to be expected given that she had taken the name of Leviathan and the person she was visiting could be in trouble given her identity if the matter was not handled with care.
"...I can only bring you this far."
The maid spoke after taking Serafall to a pair of large doors. The wooden doors had an exquisite design and the craftsmanship was nothing but detailed. It depicted a sea serpent of a magnificent size that could be easily distinguished by the boats with their crew included in the wooden design.
"The lady is currently inside and she has been notified."
Bowing somewhat reluctantly, the maid seemed to hesitate, yet she ultimately left as she was ordered via the headphones on her ear.
Entering the door, Serafall noticed that she was not the only person in the room as she pointed a gun toward her head as soon as she took one step inside.
"A friendly reminder, the patient must not be disturbed."
Smiling wryly, Serafall turned toward the person pointing at her head.
"Gale-chan, I did not come here to harm her." Serafall muttered.
Still pointing at her with her usual deadpan expression, Florence Nightingale stared straight into the eyes of the Maou and lowered her weapon.
"It is my duty to make sure my patient is as safe as possible." Florence commented. "She has yet to make a full recovery so I would rather that you make this quick."
Saying her piece, Florence moved to one corner of the room where several medical supplies were kept neatly arranged. The nurse began to check on every item one by one without minding Serafall like the previous actions never happened.
Smiling wryly, Serafall walked over the bed where a purple haired young woman was reading with interest a certain book.
"...it seems it was to your liking, the book I brought last time." Serafall sat down on a chair beside the bed.
Despite sitting close to the bed, given the large size of it, Serafall was still far from the young woman.
"Ah! I am sorry, I was not paying attention..."
Hastily apologizing, the young woman closed the book. It despicted the name of the publisher, Yae Publishing House, and it seemed to contain manga.
"It is ok, I am glad you found it enjoyable." Serafall smiled.
"...I had been reading nothing but history books lately so it is a breath of fresh air to find something different."
Smiling bitterly, the young woman gazed at the window on one side of the room.
"...it has been a long time since I was fully awake after all."
The young woman had long purple hair and orange eyes, she carried a unique aura that gave you a whimsical feeling.
"Ingvild-chan, I will do everything in my power to help you get familiar with this age." Serafall mumbled.
"Thank you, I can feel more at ease knowing that a friend like you is helping me out." Ingvild commented. "Although, I must ask something that I am curious about. I have heard the servants telling me to be careful and that made me curious so after sneaking out from my room one day..."
A sharp gaze was directed at Ingvild and Florence did not seem amused from hearing such a thing. Making an apology gesture with her hands, Ingvild was certain that the nurse would certainly give her an earful later on.
"I began to read about devils in the library. I had heard I was a descendant of the Leviathan, one of the original Maou. As far as I am informed, they should've been your enemies, yet you are helping me..." Ingvild pointed out.
Nodding at the attention to details that the young woman showed, Serafall admitted that she was not such a naive kid that needed to be lied to or given an excuse.
"...I don't want you to become a tool." Serafall muttered. "I want you to fully recover, and at that time, I was planning to offer you two choices. One, I would make sure you could live an uneventful life using another identity or I would help you face the truth. Mind you, dealing with devil society is bound to be a difficult and stressful choice."
"Despite your bubbly look, you speak like you have seen a lot." Ingvild said.
"...I am a Maou after all. I also went through gruesome experiences a couple of times." Serafall explained.
There were many other instances where she saw unspeakable things, but this was not something to brag about.
"...I don't want to live the rest of my life hiding." Ingvild said.
"I don't think you have fully considered your choices." Serafall raised a finger, shaking it left and right lightly. "I am also going to hear you when you are fully recovered, not now."
"...no, my choice will not change." Ingvild spoke. "I had a dream, you see? I am not sure why I woke up when I was supposed to be slumbering until I died, but I can vaguely recall the face of someone relieved when I woke up."
Listening quietly, Serafall took notice of Florence's interest in her words.
"I cannot fully recall his face, just small bits." Ingvild shook her head. "However, I can recall how relieved he was and that he muttered that finally, no one else will have to go through this."
A headache assaulted Serafall as she felt a face about to pop up in her mind, but heavy fog prevented her from fully recalling anything and only vague memories appeared.
"...I want to express my gratitude to that gentle soul." Ingvild pressed her hands together, almost in a prayer. "I also feel the need to tell him that he does not need to carry that burden."
"What do you mean?" Serafall asked.
"...the dream contains more than what I told you." Ingvild mumbled. "That person once thought I was sleeping and I happened to catch a glimpse of his gaze. It looked lonely and lost... he was someone who did not know what to do or how to do it."
"I see." Serafall did not press for details when she noticed that Invild was pressing her temple with one hand.
"Someone like him should not have to carry any burden alone." Ingvild commented.
"That is enough." Florence interrupted the duo before the conversation could go on. "...I warned you about the patient's condition. Visits are over for today."
Ingvild wanted to say something but Florence shot her a piercing glare.
"...I have nothing but respect for you, in several occasions, you have aided the Underworld, but I would be acting foolishly if I did not even mention how suspicious you are being and this situation is." Serafall mumbled.
"I only have one job and that is to make sure my patient is safe." Florence said.
"...you are aware of the person she was talking about, don't you?" Serafall asked.
Florence did not say anything and only kept a deadpan expression.
"...this person, would he happen to be the one I am having trouble remembering as well?" Serafall wildly guessed.
Observing how Florence's hand was ready to pull out her gun, Serafall understood that she hit the target.
"It was strange that even Sirzech-chan, Grayfia-chan, Sona-tan, Rias-chan... my parents and several others were acting strange, but even someone with little to do with our immediate circle is acting the same way?" Serafall spoke.
"Did you come to visit only to confirm your wild guess?" Florence asked.
"I genuinely came to check on her safety, I am not lying in that regard." Serafall explained. "I even brought these summoning circles for her to use if she got in trouble, these would summon me and these would summon the other member of my peerage, Behemoth-chan."
To prove her words, Serafall pulled out several square-sized pieces of paper with summoning circles drawn onto them.
"However, I could not help but notice that Ingvild-chan also showed the same problem of forgetting something." Serafall mumbled. "I could either assume that two separate cases happened at the same time and two different people were forgotten at the same time, or maybe, it is the same person that was forgotten everywhere."
"I was never knowledgeable in the occult, and even denied it existence for years, it was only after I became a lingering spirit, turning into a ghost that I came to accept such a thing. However, even I could tell that using such a spell over such a large number of people was bound to become less effective." Florence sighed. "Nonetheless, it was just a temporary measure I suppose."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Serafall asked.
"Be mindful of the patient!" Florence coldly said.
Not exactly willing to listen to her, Serafall want to say something but it was indeed not good to involve Ingvild into this.
"Please wait!" Ingvild raised her tone.
Two pairs of eyes were directed at her and it almost made Ingvild shrink her neck when the intensity of two beings in the room hit her. Yet, Ingvild did not back down.
"...the way you spoke, is it because something will happen soon?" Ingvild mumbled. "No I guess that is not correct... it means something will happen to that person."
"It matters not to both of you." Florence spoke with some anger in her tone.
"IT DOES!" Ingvild yelled.
"It was his own choice." Florence said.
"What would drive someone to do something like this?" Serafall asked.
"Let me ask you in return. What would you do if you found out?" Florence narrowed her eyes. "I will tell you what, you will foolishly ignore what HE wanted, probably try to follow after him, and at the very end, you will make his efforts amount to nothing."
"Even so...!" Ingvild groaned.
Staying silent, Serafall read between the lines. As the Maou, she was definitely not weak, however, she was also not the strongest. The fact that she was not called upon could mean two things, one was that she was not that close to the person she forgot, although her guts told her otherwise. Serafall felt pain in her heart as she imagined the person she could not recall in mortal danger. Thus, it means that while it was not possible to confirm what the other person thought about her, Serafall had deep feelings for that person. That left her with the other option.
"Am I that weak?" Serafall asked.
"I can't answer that question." Florence replied. "However, I would not dare to make any wild guesses like you did. I was told to stay here protecting my patient for a reason. What about you?"
Thinking about those words, Serafall tried to recall her agenda for the day. She was supposed to talk to Sirzech regarding the relationships with mythologies that have yet to make contact with them despite trying to do so for years. Before that, she had left her parents and Sona in the Gremory Castle and happened to have Misla and Sairog visiting that day, along with Grayfia's sister and a handful of maids from the guild. It was only then that she visited her Maou friend and came to visit Ingvild Leviathan.
"...it seems it was the right choice to put some manpower here after all." Florence held her gun in her hand as she gazed outside the window.
Serafall was also aware of the reason why Florence muttered those words and before Ingvild could ask anything, the hurried steps coming outside the room got louder until the door was opened. Slightly out of breath, a different maid from before bursted in.
"Communication has been jammed, neither magic nor electronic-based devices work. Teleportation has also been blocked."
The words seemed to be directed at Florence for some reason as the maid gave a somewhat military salute to the nun after she finished speaking. Gesturing her to leave, Florence glanced at Serafall.
"I don't think I need to say anything else. If they are willing to waste manpower on this remote location, I believe you can imagine what they would do if they wanted to aim to a more populated area." Florence spoke.
"I cannot teleport from this place so I believe I should finish things here instead of trying to fly out of the range of the jamming." Serafall said.
"Do as you please, I have some business with these people so I will not be staying behind if that is what you want." Florence spoke.
"Shouldn't you stay behind and protect Ingvild-chan?" Serafall asked.
"There is no need, the mansion is safe." Florence muttered. "It is treatment time."
Dashing and jumping out of the window, Florence continued until she began to engage black-robed individuals.
"...it will be fine even if you leave." Ingvild muttered.
"What do you mean? It would be bad if the you are the target and we leave you without protection." Serafall said.
"There are several barriers erected around the mansion that prevent enemies from closing in, and even if they do, the mansion itself has a defensive system." Ingvild explained.
"What are you...?" Serafall's question never got finished as she believed to have seen something absolutely unique from the window.
Trees planted around the mansion for what she believed to be aesthetic reasons stood up, no, it would be more accurate to say that the trunk outside was only a part of them and the rest of the body emerged from the ground to form meter tall tree men.
"That is only on the outside, you would be surprised at what the mansion itself can do!" Ingvild exclaimed.
Just then, Serafall noticed something strange. The summoning circle she had prepared, the one belonging to Behemoth, was beginning to fade from the paper.
--------------------------------------
3rd Person POV
A flash could be seen and the trayectory of a blade was traced. The slash imbidued with light split apart the are it passed through and nothing cut stop it.
That was not to say that the people being cut apart did not want to resist or escape the attack, but it was rather that they could not.
"Your reputation is nothing compared to your real skills."
Clapping lightly, a man wearing a black robe faces two figures. One had purple hair and was wearing a severely modified kimono that was bordering the erotic territory while the other one had pink hair and was wearing a modified miko outfit.
Behind the man, several black-robed figures stood motionlessly and did not seem bothered by the death of their comrades a moment ago.
"Are you a cardinal?" Ei asked.
"Is it that obvious that I am different from the low-level grunts-"
As the man excitedly spoke, he was cut short.
"You are far too weak to be a bishop." Ei curtly said. "To be honest, I was almost certain you were a simple priest."
"My dear Ei, I think you should stick to trying to kill using your blade instead of your tongue. It is less cruel that way." Yae seemed to be trying to scold Ei, however, it was impossible not to notice the amused smile on her face.
"Miko, I am not sure that my words were the ones that caused more damage." Ei retorted.
A vein ready to pop up from the robed man's forehead yet he still did not explode from anger.
"It is strange, I was not expecting you people to be standing guard for this small village."
"The little ones are inside so it would be bad if we let strangers like you in and you ruined their fun time." Yae commented.
As she explained this, Yae glanced to one side and noticed that in the distance, a battle was taking place. The hidden kunouchi village that they were protecting was large as it had wide areas used as training spaces. Several barriers were put in place so you would not easily find it or enter it, however, there were now forces from the cultists invading.
"I did not expect your people to be interested in what lies buried deep inside this village." Yae smiled.
"The foolish women who live in this village came back here without knowing that their ancestors moved the village initially to prevent it from being destroyed by anyone trying to get their hands on the ancient tome."
"I see, it seems that their lack of knowledge led to a bad decision." Yae nodded.
"A foolish one I must say. They were supposed to move away with the key to keep it safe yet they now gathered them all together."
"Oh? Quite knowledgeable for an outsider." Yae mumbled. "...there used to be some ninjas that were part of the village but they were led astray and brainwashed to think of turning the kunoichis into their slaves. I don't have to think hard to connect the dots."
"Hmhp, what of it?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just satisfying my curiosity. I thought that the loose ends were taken care of, but I guess the residents of the village did not have the heart to fully exterminate those who were once their family members." Yae shrugged her shoulders.
"Hah, you speak like they were reluctant to raise their weapons at us. The humiliation we suffered, they enjoyed every moment."
"...hmmm, I guess this is it." Yae furrowed her eyebrows.
Noticing that the their foe had began losing himself, Yae and Ei shared a look. Shrugging her shoulders, Yae pulled a strip of paper filled with symbols.
"Miko." Ei spoke.
"I know, I know." Yae sighed. "You don't have to worry, even if I don't go personally, you should know that there are other capable ones in charge of protecting the little ones."
"Miko..." Ei tightened the grip on the handle of her katana.
"...I don't plan on letting them come to harm. I made a promise after all." Yae ripped the piece of paper.
"...even if we cannot recall his face, there are so many things he has done for us. I believe that is worth going all out." Ei muttered.
"If the aloof Ei can say such a thing with a straight face, I believe I cannot slack off this time." Yae said.
Once the torn paper touched the ground, lighting enveloped Yae and she disappeared along with it.
"...even I feel the need to support him." Ei complained slightly.
As the black-robed man kept blabbering on, a lighting aura enveloped Ei. The sky turned dark as thunder and lightning made their presence.
"...this shall be your resting place." Ei muttered.
Picking pieces from what Yae said, Ei could understand the identity of the cultist before her. However, it mattered not. She just had to do one thing.
Swinging her blade was just an everyday practice for her, yet the results this time were complete different than during training or the previous fight.
It only took one swing of her blade imbued with lighting to everything turn into ashes.
"Are you willing to show yourself now?" Ei's soft voice called out.
"Aha, how could I not after you destroyed my toys."
"I worked super hard for this, you know? It took me years to fully brainwash them."
Wearing the distinctive black robe that the cultist always wore, the 'person' was not covering his face. No, to be precise, he was not covering his face. Two human faces that looked like you smashed two heads into a paste and placed them into a healthy body.
"...you don't seem like the Outer God's lackey. Your aura is different." Ei muttered.
"Look at that, she could tell I am not an ordinary person."
"Idiot, she was talking about me."
Looking at the two (?) discussed, Ei noticed that they did not feel threatened as they openly showed their weak points.
"Hmmm? Can't you smell that?"
One of the faces suddenly began sniffing. Noticing the strange behavior from the left face, the right face did the same.
"Oh, would you look at that? You have the smell of him."
"It is totally him... although it is odd, he should be locked up."
"Did you forget already? He already chose a successor."
"I almost forgot, he did such a thing."
Blabbering on their own, the 'person' did not show any sort of animosity toward Ei.
"...I cannot see him though."
"She smells like him, perhaps she is one of his apostles like us."
Warily observing the 'person', Ei tried to gather as much information about him as she could. Nonetheless, other than the unique appearance and a chilling aura, it was hard to discern anything useful.
"Where is the 3rd Horseman?" "Are you his apostle?"
The two faces spoke at the same time and glared at Ei with distinctive expressions of curiosity. It was quite unsettling and Ei felt a strange discomfort not only for their strange behavior, but it was also because they were mentioning one of the horsemen of the end.
-------------------------------
3rd Person POV
"...I thought we were supposed to be allies."
Surrounded by 3 women wearing unique uniforms, the man put his hand on the revolver on his waist, ready to shoot at any moment. His companion, floating behind him glared at the women surrounding him in annoyance.
"You are Sakamoto Ryouma, right? I am sorry."
Apologizing briefly, the figure facing Ryouma in front mumbled. Her long white hair and red eyes had a great contrast, her outfit was rather unique as her chest exposed her underboob, but the rest of her outfit was not as light with several metal pieces that acted like armor.
"Alcor. Are you betraying him?" Ryouma narrowed his eyes.
"It would make more sense if the heavens and earth flipped sides than us betraying him." Alcor said. "It is nothing personal."
"I would be making a wild guess here, but Yukari, Martha, Kagetora... they were supposed to meet me here, but your presence tells me that they won't be coming." Ryouma muttered.
"That's right." Alcor smiled.
"How could this not be a betrayal?" Ryouma raised an arm to restrain his companion from charging over.
Just like him, Oryou was not calm regarding their situation and seemed ready to anxiously leave these people behind.
"If we do not step in, they will kill him." Ryouma said.
"...that's right." Alcor smiled bitterly.
"Trusting you was a mistake from the beginning." Ryouma pulled out his weapons.
A katana on one hand and a revolver on the other. Following suit, Oryou's shape began to change into a black serpent form.
"It is hard for me to believe you put your full trust in us. You must've prepared some special forces outside our knowledge scope in case something like this happened." Alcor shrugged her shoulders. "Bothering to have a small chat is nothing but your attempt to buy time."
Narrowing his eyes, Ryouma glared at the young woman in front of him.
"...your outfit is not a simple image change, I suppose." Ryouma asked.
Noticing the metallic additions to the outfit was easy since some of them made clicking sounds at the slight movement.
"Evading the subject is not polite." Alcor smiled. "You ask when you already know. I think your librarian was the one who personally wrote a whole book about it."
"...Sacred Gears, Regalias, Sacred Treasures. They could use many names. However, in your case, all of those were not made by the Biblical God." Ryouma mumbled. "They should be similar to Artificial Sacred Gears made by the Fallen."
"That is correct. Ours were not made by the biblical God, nonetheless, the fallen did not have any hand in this. I am not allowed to go into details about it so I will just say this. I, no, all of us agree on one thing." Alcor's smile disappeared from her face. "The power we wield was not given to us by none of the people you mentioned. Thus we do not appreciate when you use those names to call our powers. I cannot deny the origins of the design, but aside from that, it was the work of one person."
The aura of Alcor began to rise considerably.
"Deus ex Machina." Alcor said. "That is what you might call it."
Similarly to Alcor, the other women's aura began to rise.
"You have worked with one of my sisters before, right? I am sure she never showed her full powers." Alcor commented. " Engage "
A mechanical sound was heard and Alcor's figure changed as mechanical parts began appearing around her.
"...I don't have time to deal with this." Ryouma gritted his teeth.
Nonetheless, he could tell that he would not be able to escape any time soon.
-----------------------------
3rd Person POV
Opening her eyes, Kafka swiftly scanned her surroundings as she could not recall losing consciousness in a safe place. Not daring to make any rash movements, her eyes darted all over the clean room that had several beds with her companions on it.
"You finally woke up."
A familiar voice made Kafka direct her gaze to one corner of the room. Ginrou had lowered her game set and looked over her direction. Sitting on a large couch with her feet hanging, unable to reach the ground, the bored expression on the hacker's girl eyes was obvious but on a closer look, there was some relief when she stared at Kafka.
"...how long have I been out?" Kafka asked.
"Several hours, I cannot be certain, at least 10 hours, but I am not sure if it was for more than that since it was him who brought you here." Ginrou said.
"That's a long time." Kafka sighed.
"He mentioned that it was the result of being exhausted from all the work. You have to admit that he has guts for saying that despite being the person who made us do all that work." Ginrou grumbled.
Closing her eyes, Kafka tried to collect her thoughts. She could recall taking the job from that person but somehow she could not recall the face or details from that person's body.
"Can you tell me what was the color of his hair?" Kafka inquired.
Raising an eyebrow, Ginrou was about to reply to that simple question by reflex, but the words got caught in her mouth.
"...black?" Ginrou mumbled in an uncertain tone.
"Are you sure it was not white?" Kafka asked.
"...maybe." Ginrou clicked her tongue. "So he also got me too. He is good."
Despite sounding mildly annoyed, Ginrou had a smile on her face.
"You do not sound angry at all." Kafka tried to sit but her body was sluggish.
"I have to take off my hat to someone as skilled as him. It is usually me at the end of fooling people, but I expected to be on the receiving end at some point." Ginrou smirked. "It is a shame we met under these circumstances, otherwise I would done my absolute best to mess up with him."
"...I thought you would not be fond of him." Kafka forced her body yet it still did not respond like she wanted.
"I don't you will be able to move for a while. I am using a special method to move my body, but I was unable to move either. He probably used some kind of drug to prevent us from leaving this room." Ginrou shrugged her shoulders. "At some point, after bringing you in, I lost consciousness."
"He is quite prepared." Kafka said.
"Tell me about it, I tried to find a possible cure after running some analysis, but no one has an idea what kind of drug he used. They can more or less guess some of the plants used given the effects but even after I sent some blood samples, they are unable to come up with a possible cure." Ginrou sighed. "The only thing I can tell you is that the effects will disappear eventually, although it might take a day or two."
"That is troubling." Kafka mumbled.
"This is a safe zone so you do not need to worry about our safety. That much I can tell." Ginrou commented.
"Oh? I was not exactly worried about it. That person would've killed us if he wanted. He had many chances." Kafka replied.
Looking at her friend's fearless smile, Ginrou felt a headache.
"I am curious though, how can you tell?" Kafka gave another look to the room but found nothing out of ordinary.
"There are a dozen spells to safe-keep the room, conceal the presence of the people inside and there is, of course, a pair of big-breasted maids outside carrying broadswords as they guard the door." Ginrou mumbled.
Blinking confused, Kafka expected Ginrou to come out and say it was a joke, but the lack of any follow-up was proof that she was serious.
"Are you sure they are not there to prevent us from leaving?" Kafka questioned.
"That is unlikely since I casually strolled out and they simply gave me a respectful bow." Ginrou shrugged her shoulders. "I was offered food and beverages as well, but I came back after testing we could indeed leave the building and they would do nothing."
"It seems that he thought a lot about it." Kafka commented.
"The grades of the spells in this room are top-notch. The maids are almost at Ultimate level." Ginrou sighed. "He did not plan to throw us out."
"...I somehow do not like it." Kafka mumbled.
"What don't you like?" Ginrou raised an eyebrow.
"Did you confirm the payment?" Kafka asked.
"He has sent us a large amount of money into our accounts and the maids outside informed me that he had left the items we were interested in on one of the floors of this building." Ginrou muttered.
Grimacing slightly, Ginrou began to type furiously on her device and her expression eased. Looking at her friend that was looking at the ceiling with an ambiguous smile, Ginrou sighed heavily.
"So, what do you want to do now?" Ginrou asked.
"I wonder." Kafka did not elaborate.
"Can't you just be honest and upfront about it? I would like to know what I will get dragged into later on." Ginrou scoffed.
"Ara, what makes you think that you will get dragged into it?" Kafka smiled.
"Ah? What makes YOU think YOU are not dragging me into it later?" Ginrou inquired in an exasperated tone.
"Fair enough." Kafka kept her unchanging smile. "I am just thinking..."
"Don't tell me... about him?" Ginrou raised an eyebrow.
"I would be lying if I denied it, so I have to admit you are right." Kafka muttered.
"A simple 'Yes' is appreciated." Ginrou shook her head. "That's not like you."
"Oh? What is it not like me?" Kafka questioned.
Rolling her eyes, Ginrou decided to cut to the chase.
"Unlike your mother, you have yet to get intimate with a man. So far, you have found every man trying to approach you, boring, haven't you?" Ginrou asked.
"...I am not sure how to feel when you compare me with her." Kafka's smile slightly broke. "The queen of Connacht was indeed known for her multiple affairs with men. Whether it was simply out of carnal attraction or political reasons, mother would certainly aim for men of all walks of life."
"That is one of the reasons why you feel discomfort when talking about relationships." Ginrou sighed. "So, I have to say I am surprised that you have shown such interest in him."
"I don't want to be like mother, but I am not being conscious of it because of her." Kafka added. "I just find people... boring for the most part."
"Given the stunts we always pull, I would say that a normal guy is as boring as playing a game over 10000 times." Ginrou muttered. "Compared to that, that guy was certainly one of a kind."
"If he can get such high praise out of you, I would say he is in a league of his own." Kafka smiled.
"Hm, he was not too shabby." Ginrou snorted.
"It would be a shame if we let him march toward his death, wouldn't it?" Kafka mumbled.
"You are aware that if we get involved in this, we could very well get caught, don't you?" Ginrou narrowed her eyes. "I don't have to remind you that we are not on the side of the law and are criminals. In some places, they even consider us terrorists."
"That was mean of them, if they had not used a safe like that, we would not have to rely on explosives." Kafka complained.
"...that is not the issue here." Ginrou shook her head.
Sighing heavily, Ginrou wondered if her words just literally entered one ear and came out from the other one.
"No one was hurt in the process, but they still pinned some dead men on us." Kafka commented.
"It is quite annoying that they used us like that." Ginrou clicked her tongue. "Thanks to that, one of those weirdos from the Khaos Brigade approached us thinking that we were on the same boat."
"They don't know when to give up." Kafka's smile was cold.
"Not only them. You should recall that the cult extended an invitation to us." Ginrou said.
"Boring." Kafka replied.
"Regardless of what you think about them, unlike the Khaos Brigade who brags about having the backing of the Uroboros Dragon but it has never shown itself, the cult is another matter. We might not see any of their gods, but their Bishops are already threatening enough to even Gods." Ginrou spoke.
Playing with her console again, Ginrou could feel that her body listened to her again. It seemed that she would not need to control it using her device for too long.
"Father warned me to not get mixed with them just for the fun of it." Kafka commented.
"If even your father has said so, I don't have to say it out loud." Ginrou spoke.
Smiling, Kafka stared at her friend.
"...what the heck did that man do to you that want to ignore the advice of your father, the Son of the God of Light." Ginrou asked.
"Mother once gave me advice regarding relationships." Kafka did not give an immediate answer.
"She can brag about having a lot of experience so her advice should be worth listening to." Ginrou did not believe that one bit.
"The sarcasm is not nice." Kafka said. "Nonetheless, she did tell me that if I ever found someone who would get rid of the dullness of my life, I should not let him get away."
"Coming from Medb, that advice is convincing." Ginrou sighed.
"Morrigan also advised that I should viciously sink my teeth in a prey and never let it go." Kafka mumbled.
"...are you running of to help the guy or do you want to kill him?" Ginrou was speechless. "I guess that advice fits your other mother, she is not a goddess of war for nothing."
Looking at the rest of the group who were still unconscious, Ginrou was not sure there was much they could do.
"So, how do you plan to 'hunt' your prey? I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but you are aware that we are not in the condition to do anything else other than to recover, aren't you?" Ginrou asked.
"Remember the numbers I gave you back then?" Kafka inquired
"I have them memorized like you asked." Ginrou replied.
"Send a message to the second one. Be mindful of saying that the maids outside are not enemies." Kafka chuckled. "No, start with that, and say that they are our saviors. Then explain that I need help."
Doing as Kafka asked, Ginrou was not sure what that would accomplish.
"...who did I just write to?" Ginrou questioned. "Was it your mother?"
"Unless I am one breath away from dying, mother would not concern herself with me." Kafka said.
"Your father then?" Ginrou asked.
"He is a great warrior, but he is not the type to be able to crack a barrier like the one around us." Kafka chuckled.
"...no wonder you asked me to say those maids are our allies." Ginrou sighed. "Of all the people, you called Morrigan."
"My second mother is good with magic." Kafka said.
For a moment, they felt the whole building shake.
Entering the room with hurried steps, the pair of maids, carrying both broadswords, pulled a strip of paper each and they ripped it off. A new barrier was erected around the room.
"I will prepare the evacuation spell, and keep the barrier working, Alkaid." Sirius hastily said.
Nodding at that, Alkaid squeezed a faceless doll hanging from her waist as she seemed to be trying to pray to someone but was briefly unable to recall the name. Shaking her head, she began chanting a magic spell and it helped reinforce the barrier.
"Everyone, there is no need to worry. My honourable... my... I was ordered to keep you safe. As a maid trained in the maid guild, I shall fulfill my mission." Sirius spoke.
Trying to reassure Kafka and Ginrou, before she could prepare the evacuation spell, the barrier around the room shook and was broken just like that.
Biting her lips, Sirius held her broadsword and aimed it at the door as she felt a crushing presence approaching. Scared as she was, Alkaid joined her sister.
"I should applaud your courage for not running away despite the difference in strength being plain obvious, or perhaps, I should lament your foolishness."
A cold tone of voice was heard, but the female voice did not come from a person but rather a crow that had appeared behind the maids before they even noticed it.
"You two have an unusual scent on you."
Briefly commenting that the crow turned her head toward Kafka.
"...it is unusual of you to even contact us."
"I don't mean to intrude in your happy married life." Kafka mumbled with a smile on her face.
"Your smile does not reach your eyes, like usual, although I do appreciate your words."
"I would like a little help, there is something I want to do." Kafka said.
"...I wonder, what kind of person put you in that state?"
Speaking in an amazed tone, the crow seemed to be paying close attention to the state of Kafka's body.
"An amusing person." Kafka said nothing else.
Looking from one side, Ginrou sighed and decided to let everything go. Giving one glance to the frozen maids, Ginrou felt some pity toward them.
"You don't need to raise your guard against her. It would be meaningless, and it is not worth the effort." Ginrou commented. "You were not told to fight until your last breath, weren't you?"
"...we-" Sirius paused. "We were told to stay here until you recovered."
"We should stay here no matter what." Alkaid added.
Nodding at that, Ginrou could tell that they were put there for their safety. The person who did it left several loopholes to be used. It was not normal that he concealed their presence using magic but left an internet connection for her to access easily. He did not want to completely isolate them in case they needed to contact outside help.
"...so it includes you as well." Ginrou mumbled.
It seemed that things were more complicated than she initially thought.
---------------------------------
3rd Person POV
After the owner of the castle left, there should be no movement from inside. Deep, in place that would require tremendous effort to arrive, there was a maid anxiously looking around. Before her, there were large pieces of crystals.
"I managed to come back..."
Sighing, the maid placed a hand on her ample chest as she felt relieved that Scathach had already left. It was sheer luck that she did not trigger any trap when she came back.
"What am I supposed to do now? I was not even supposed to escape from the crystal and I even went and killed a cardinal from the cult while I was out. I am not supposed to intervene..."
Passing from one side to another in front of the crystals, the woman dressed in a maid outfit tried to reason alone.
"It was not my fault, I was suddenly attacked while I was taking a stroll. Yes. It was not my fault. I am sure Master would understand."
Nodding to herself, the maid decided that her story would go that way.
Suddenly, she turned her head toward one of the crystals and noticed several cracks on it.
"Huh? Was the crystal like this when I left...?"
Curiously, the maid gently knocked over the crystal. As soon as she did that, there was the sound of something breaking.
Covering her mouth, the maid noticed that the cracks began to spread.
"Awawa."
It seemed that she would have to come clean about what she did.
-Author's Notes
My apologiesfor such a short chapter after such a long time. I initially did not even plan to write this prologue since I planned to follow the volume from the last one. However, I also struggled with my health. My respiratory system in general is weak so... yeah, I had some close calls these days.
I was kinda lacking some motivation since I wanted to jump straight into the nexr chapters, but I had to hold back since I would struggle to write this one if I focused on the others. Not to mention, I have been having the urge to write several smuts. Like seriously, I had several ideas but given the current events, I cannot simply post that.
Anyways, things will get serious from here on, novel wise.
Any question, leave them below.