"Nooooo." Pandora whined. "Don't go!" She grabbed onto my shirt with a pitiful look on her face.
It made me feel bad seeing her like this. "It's not like I won't ever come back." I reassured her.
"Waaa, I never get people visiting me." Pandora pouted. "You're the first one to even call me mom! Atleast stay for a few more hours, you only stopped by for a couple minutes!"
"I just wanted to see you before I go on a little adventure." I smiled wryly. "I promise to come back when I'm done with my business. I'll even see if Godou wants to come around."
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Yes, yes! Bring my youngest here too. He needs a firm hand, that boy!" She huffed.
"I already met him." I replied. "Already made sure to give him a kick on the rear to get him into gear. Though whether he starts taking the appropriate steps is up to him."
"Thank you." She reached out, wrapping her arms around me. "I'd hate to see such a nice boy like him die early."
"Of course." I reassured her again. "I felt bad at the trouble he was having."
She let out a sigh. "I can't convince you to stay a little longer?"
"I really do need to head out."
"Fine." She huffed. "But you better come back safe and healthy next time. You hear me, mister?" She poked my chest.
"Don't worry." Scáthach spoke up. "I will make sure he doesn't die before he returns."
"What a good Daughter-in-Law I have." Pandora perked up.
"I too will make sure he stays out of as much trouble as possible." Raikou added.
Pandora let out a little giggle. "Campione's can't help but get into trouble. Please keep him safe." She said with a small smile.
Raikou wrapped up the smaller woman in her arms.
It was pretty cute to see.
"You better come back soon." Pandora let go, giving me one last look. "Now that I know you can come back whenever you want. I expect visits!"
I don't know why seeing her acting like this made me smile so much. "We'll be back soon." I said one last time.
Again, I felt bad about having to leave so soon, but this was more of a test than anything else. I just wanted to make sure nothing unfortunate would happen if I just popped in. With Scáthach and Raikou at my side, I had been confidant in dealing with most potential consequences if there had been any.
Pandora seemed ecstatic about me being here and returning in the future, so I took that as confirmation that I could come and go as I please.
I….wanted to give her a chance. I know it was strange to have this thought, but I wanted to see if there could be sort of bond that could form between us. I had no romantic interest in her but maybe we could be more than strangers?
Without dragging things out, I created a new portal and sort of sling shot a few more over the planet to disrupt any attempts at tracking me. I didn't know what methods were available here, and I didn't fear anyone 'following' us, but simply 'seeing' how we left could raise some questions that I didn't wish to answer.
With one last look, Pandora smiled and waved towards me. I gave my own little smile and one last wave before my companions/women/girls and I all walked through my portal.
The myriad colors flashed around us as we entered a familiar room.
"Home sweet home." I let out a long breath. It had been a very long few days.
"Oh you're back." I saw a head poke over the nearby couch.
"Hello Lucretia." I gave a wave.
"Hello Wilhelm." She giggled.
"Mmm, it's good to be back. I'm a little sweaty, I shall take a shower and clean myself." Scáthach walked by, brushing her hand against my shoulder. "It's good to see you, Lucretia Zola."
"And you, Scáthach." She sort of halfheartedly waved her hand.
"Have you eaten, Lucretia?" Raikou asked.
"I haven't" She shook her head.
"Then shall I prepare something to eat?" She offered.
"That would be lovely." The Old Witch smiled.
"And you, Master?"
"I'll love whatever you make." Something to eat sounded great right now.
"Then I shall get started." She nodded, walking towards the kitchen.
I reached out and grabbed her hand before she could get too far away. She made a cute little surprised sound as I pulled her back towards me. Before she could speak, I placed my lips to hers. She was being too cute earlier, I just had to.
"Shall we give you some privacy?" I blinked, hearing Zelretch's voice as he stood in the doorway.
Raikou gave a cute, bashful, look as we pulled away. "I will go prepare a meal." She said quickly, scurrying off towards the kitchen with a healthy shade of red adorning her neck.
"Oh, to be young again." Lucretia laughed.
"To do such things so boldly infront of your Grandfather." Zelretch shared her amusement.
Oh, so you wanna play, huh?
"So, is it safe to touch anything?" I looked around. "Did you make sure to wipe everything down?"
Zelretch blinked and Lucretia threw herself backwards on the couch and started laughing.
"Oh, so you have jokes." Zelretch gave a dry look.
"I do have jokes, wanna hear another?" I offered.
"I'm all ears."
"It's called – I killed a God." I deadpanned. "Imagine that? A whole process to kill Gods and usurp their power. Sure would have been nice to learn that before I stepped into that world." I'm pretty sure he could take the hint with the sarcasm in my voice.
"Perhaps we should have a chat in my office." Zelretch sort of gained a thoughtful look which quickly turned into something more serious.
"Go have your boy talk." Lucretia waived at us, flopping back down on the couch.
I just gestured for him to lead the way.
****
"You know, this is practically a tradition now." I took the glass of whiskey he poured me.
"Do you dislike it?"
"No." I shook my head. "I enjoy these talks. It helps me unwind and something I just need to vent or have someone offer their opinion who isn't a romantic partner."
Zelretch hummed, taking a sip of his own drink. "Should we get into the heavy stuff or…?"
"So, what's up with you and Lucretia?" I wanted to get this out of the way.
Zelretch let out a long winded sigh. "We're...something." He muttered. "I'm still debating if I should thank you or throttle you for helping her bulldoze her way into my home."
"Please, like you wouldn't have done the exact same thing in my position."
"I can't deny that." He nodded. "We are so much alike in some ways – due to the obvious. Perhaps if you hadn't just taken the most direct approach, I would have fumbled around this whole thing for who knows how long."
"She deserved better than what you gave her, Gramps."
"Brat." He snorted with a sad smile on his face. "I'm well aware of that." He thumbed the rim of his glass. "It's gotten so much more noisy around here these days. It's a fear of mine that things will become quiet once more."
"Well, you don't have to worry. I'll be here to keep annoying you for the rest of my life, or yours."
"Is that supposed to reassure me?"
"It reassures me." I replied with a cheeky smile. "So, do I call her Grandmother yet?"
Zelretch let out another snort. "I'm sure she'd love that. But we're taking things slow."
"Hmm. Taking things slow, huh? You're aware that I saw her pack her bags?"
"One thing you should learn about Lucretia. She loves to make people uncomfortable." Zelretch laughed.
"Well, tell her she succeeded." A thought I didn't want to have about her and the old man. "So...I killed a God." I might as well pull this band aid off.
"You're doing a remarkable job keeping everything contained and not leaking out. I noticed something wrong, but until you said it, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. But now that I take a better look, you certainly are bursting with more power."
I ran a hand through my air. "I didn't think it would be wise to let my Divine Power seep out in this place."
"A good choice." He nodded in approval. "As long as you don't cause any issues, I do not believe the Counter Force would waste energy to move against you."
Yeah, it's very unwilling to waste any effort needlessly,so I didn't think a Counter Guardian would be sitting here waiting for me when I came back.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I should have." He admitted. "I think I was just worried you would go do something foolish." He shook his head. "Not that I think you are a foolish person. I don't think you would fight a God without confidence in winning."
"I…understand." I sighed. "I'm like that too, I guess I got it from you. I worry about those I care about even when I know I shouldn't. Just….please don't keep something like that from me."
"I promise I won't do that again in the future." He said without hesitation. "But I have to ask, why did you fight a God, Wilhelm?"
"Well, he didn't leave me with much of a choice. He started throwing fists at me so I responded."
"So you couldn't have removed yourself from the situation? Or perhaps not put yourself infront of a God so that they would be willing to start attacking you?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Well….no. But –"
"I think we should have a talk about your attitude." He cut me off.
"My attitude?" I questioned.
"You went looking for a fight, didn't you?" He looked at me.
"I didn't start anything." I denied.
"It's not a matter of starting it. It's a matter of you willingly putting yourself into those situations where a fight is inevitable. And I don't think you realize that you're doing it yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you?" He replied. "When you first came to me, how willing were you to start waiving your sword at people?"
"I mean…..I fought with someone as soon as I came here. I fought quite a few things in Skyrim as well…."
"Yes, but from what I understand, those were calculated bouts. Fighting undead in dungeons to secure the treasure. Fighting one of those young Mages to help Rin with her reputation and establish your own. Why did you fight a God, Wilhelm?"
I blinked at his words. "I....because…..?"
"You were looking for a fight." He finished for me. "It's becoming clearer as time goes on. You've been steadily escalating, and it's all culminated into this point. Various undead, some low-level Mages. Then Dragons, and other monstrous creatures. Then you entered a Grail War and decide to start fighting Servants. And now you Killed a God."
"Don't get me wrong." He continued, not allowing me a moment to retort. "I'm not admonishing you for your behavior….well mostly. I believe you could take a better approach to such endeavors. But I want you to be aware of your own behavior. You are a young man who is objectively powerful. I would not be surprised in the least if you wanted to test yourself. It's something we all go through, I had a streak of such things in my youth where I left many bodies in my wake. Now, adding on your Devil Heritage, we have a recipe for something a bit more noticeable. And then there's the Dragon living in your soul who is no doubt influencing you to some degree."
I was silent as I digested his words. I couldn't refute the logic behind them as I thought back at my past fights. "Am I a battle Maniac?"
"I don't believe so." He shook his head. "Enjoying a fight, and even seeking them out doesn't make you a battle maniac. You don't throw caution to the wind – most of the time – and ignore everything else to fulfill these desires. Tell me, did you fight this God without a second thought?"
"I mean….kinda? I was prepared. My Aura was full, I had a good supply of Mystic Codes, Talismans and such – even if they wouldn't be really effective. I was in perfect condition, and I had a good idea of what I was walking into and even had Raikou on standby if needed with Scáthach nearby. And I had escape routes already planned in my head for emergencies."
"Then it sounds like I can't fault you. You're young, being impulsive is fine if you are prepared to deal with the consequences, which it sounds like you did an adequate job of doing. What more could you have done than what you already did? You simply enjoy fighting and like to test yourself. You are entering higher stages, and I can't fault you for wanting to seek opponents who can match you."
Is it that simple then? I guess I do enjoy fighting, and I have met some powerful opponents in a fight even when I could have taken other approaches. I remembered what Shakespeare's Noble Phantasm said about me wanting to prove myself. I guess, he was correct in that sense. But maybe I jut wanted to prove my own strength?
[It's a very Dragon mindset to have.] Ddraig spoke up. [It doesn't necessarily mean betting your life every time. I've fought many opponents in my life where death was not a factor and we simply had fun pushing ourselves in our duels. Fighting is in our blood, and yours too.]
Huh….
"I have a lot to think about now."
"That's all I ask. For you to acknowledge your own actions." Zelretch gave a happy nod.
"I think I just need to take a few days and rest. Maybe try and put my sword up in the meantime and get some other work done."
"I think that's a wonderful idea. You have plenty to keep you preoccupied in the meantime."
"Gods." I ran a hand through my hair again. "It feels like forever since I've seen the others."
"Jinn stopped by the other day, asking when you would be back." Zelretch mentioned.
I blinked. "She did? Why didn't she call me, she has a Kaleidophone!"
"I don't think she wanted to be a bother."
"That…." I let out a sigh. "I need to take her out on a date. She deserves that at the very least." Seeing Jinn with a sad expression would honestly give me heartache. I didn't want my Genie to feel that way.
Now that I think about it, we all barely used the Kaleidophones. I can understand why, several of us were sometimes in situations where it could have been a distraction.
"At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to change the subject. Wanna hear about how everything went?"
"I'd love to." He nodded enthusiastically. "Tell me all about this Authority you acquired and how you defeated a God."
***
Omake – How to devil.
"I don't understand how I got roped into this." I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "This makes no sense."
"You don't know how to behave like a devil." I sat up a little straighter, staring at the origin of the voice as she sat behind her desk. Sona Sitri stared back at me, her annoying look as she tried to look stern and mature. Honestly, it just came off as needlessly haughty. "You've been at this how long?"
"I haven't. Because there's no need, this is stupid."
"The Contracts –"
"I already analyzed the concepts intertwined in the contracts. They're a medium to extract 'desire' based on the payment received of our 'client'. It's absorbed by the inherent 'sinful' concepts of our nature, converting it into Demonic Power, albeit in a miniscule amount."
"..."
"What?" I questioned.
"How did you figure that you? It's not exactly public knowledge."
"Isn't it obvious? I took me like thirty minutes to analyze it. You even gave me a perfect sample….how could I know see what's going on?" I blinked.
"…..be that as it may –"
"Wait, how long did it take you to figure out?"
"Not important!" She huffed. "Now, moving on. I'm going to teach you how to complete contracts."
"I already know how."
"I'm going to teach you properly – "
"How to read? Because that's literally all there is to this. I don't know why you lot make such a big deal out of this nonsense. Take contract, get summoned, complete request, receive payment. Should I make a power point presentation and start hosting a Ted Talk to the Devils on how to not be idiots?"
Sona let out a little growl. "There's more to it than that."
"Like that?" I leaned back crossing my arms.
"What if you can't complete the contract!" She shot back.
"Then you say – I'm sorry this is beyond my ability to complete. Would you like something else?" I said very dryly. "It's not like they're hard to complete anyways."
"You wanna bet on that?"
"Oh…..do you actually have something worth betting?"
"One command." She raised her finger up. "Loser has to listen to one command of the winner. No ridiculous requests obviously."
"A gentleman's agreement then." I hummed. "Fine, whatever. I guess I can get you to dress up as something fun for a single day at school."
She scowled, shifting through her draws before slamming a contract infront of me. "Complete this one!"
I stared at her, standing up and slapping my hand on the paper, activating the summoning magics. I didn't' blink as it overtook me, and she looked at me with an arrogant smile.
With a flash of light, I was in the living room of a house I didn't recognize.
"Are you the one who answered my request – Nyo."
I turned to look at the very deep voice that spoke. A very large man, covered in muscles with a very skimpy magical girl outfit that barely covered him.
Oh, that bitch.
***
With a flash of light, I appeared back in Sona's office, sliding back into my chair.
"What should I do with my command?" Sona looked rather smug.
I raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong, no more retorts?" She smiled. "Nothing to say? No more smartass remarks? Are you going to accept that I can properly teach you how to be a Devil?"
I didn't respond but flicked my hand, separating the curtains at the window.
She turned to look at my action with confusion only before she noticed something strange and her eyes were transfixed on the figure flying around the school.
"Never fear, Magical Girl Kaleido Mil-Tan is here!" A very deep voice boomed all around.
"And Kaleidostick Opal!" The Wand in his hand spoke as well.
Sona's mouth hung open as she slowly turned towards me.
I stood up.
"W-what did you do?"
"What does it look like?" I snorted. "By the way, I sent a video to your sister."
"Y-y-you didn't!!" She looked horrified.
"And I think I'll be using my command. You still have a Pawn Piece that you haven't used yet? I think Mil-tan would be a wonderful addition to your peerage."
"No…..you wouldn't…" She gasped.
"That's the difference between us, Sona." I straightened my tie. "When someone asks me to turn them into a Magical Girl, I turn them into a goddamn Magical Girl." I flicked a peace sign as I walked out of her office. "How's that for being a Devil."
***
Author's Note.
Well, Interlude Next then entering DxD proper as I said last chapter. The Interlude is actually four disconnected POVs that I've had trouble fitting in, so I just decided to clump them all together in one large Interlude.
If you want to read 7 chapters ahead or support me, visit my pat.reon.com/astoryforone