Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD.
The World's Gonna Know Your Name
'And so…' Joshua thought, lightly biting his lip as he continued drawing a circle on the ground under a wardstone. It was a relatively new spell, this one, but it was also one that he already knew almost by heart too, since he'd been practicing it non-stop for a whole week. He'd studied it, he'd worked on it, he'd modified it, he'd practiced it and then he'd repeated all that again and again.
With a deep breath in, he cast the spell.
[Shield Ward has gone up a level.]
'Good,' He told himself with a nod.
[Shield Ward - Lvl 11/50
A Defensive Ward which the user can cast to stop attacks coming from outside the range.
Requires a Wardstone of Defensive Typing.
Effectiveness and Area are determined by Skill Level, Wardstone Quality and Magic Quantity.
Consumption with circle - D to ∞
Consumption without circle - B to ∞]
'It'll have to do,' Joshua mused as he took down the ward instantly. He already knew how well it worked anyway, he'd done a million tests on it together with the other ward that he'd added to his repertoire.
[Averting Ward - Lvl 10/50
A Defensive Ward which the user can cast to stop targets coming from outside the range.
Requires a Wardstone of Defensive Typing.
Effectiveness and Area are determined by Skill Level, Wardstone Quality and Magic Quantity.
Consumption with circle - D to ∞
Consumption without circle - B to ∞]
'I really hope it's enough,' He thought, closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts. He was tired, so very tired. Even without his day job anymore, he'd worked so damn hard to get those skills to measly level 11 and 10. Granted, he'd worked on other wards too, but still… It felt like so little. 'It had been a while since I complained about the system,' He thought, slightly amused.
It was what it was though. After all, he'd had to progress fast some other times, but he didn't think he'd ever had a deadline set in stone like he did this time. That had added a lot of pressure. However, Joshua found himself surprised that he was having fun too. It was like a challenge, and he quite liked having one, at least regarding wards.
"Having fun, huh?" Jeanne asked, walking up to him with Margalo on her shoulder and passing him a cup of tea. It was then that he noticed that he was smiling.
"I guess I am," He admitted, taking a deep breath in before sitting on the ground. Almost instantly, Nagini slithered her way around him, wrapping around his torso and hanging her head over his right shoulder. "Miss the days when you could be there all the time, right?" He asked the snake, who hissed something at him. Joshua was sure that if she could have pouted, she would have.
"So, how do you think it'll go?" Jeanne asked and Joshua had to wonder about that. He'd been asking that question to himself for a while, after all. However, he'd always come to the same answer.
"I don't know," He replied with a shrug. "I think I'm good, but I'm not sure I'm good enough for Faction level things like this. Then again, everyone came to ask for my help, so I have to wonder if I'm underestimating myself."
"It'll be fine," Jeanne reassured him with a smile. "Serafall said it didn't matter if you did a good job or not. Just that you don't look bad while at it, right?" Those words would have meant a lot more if not for the teasing tone that she used for the Satan's name. A whole week and his sister was still going on about that.
Joshua was sure that it was half because she was annoyed she had missed that whole shitshow. Why? He couldn't hope to understand, honestly. He could have done without all that mess. As for the other half, she was just playing her role as sister, he supposed. That was fair, really. He'd done much the same himself, after all.
He had to wonder though, if this would haunt him forever.
"Will you ever let me live this down?" He asked/pleaded with a grimace, earning a giggle from the girl. That didn't bode well for him, sadly. The response he got only killed his hopes further.
"Nope," She denied instantly, popping the P just for that extra annoyance. "Also, did you know that Kuisha was quite annoyed when I told her that Serafall stayed for dinner?"
"Did that actually happen or are you just fishing for more teasing material?" He asked, his tone flat and his expression unimpressed. The fact that Jeanne promptly pouted at his lack of response only reassured him that this was a lie. At least, until she giggled again.
"I don't know, but she did look kind of tense afterwards, I think," She told him and Joshua decided to ignore that. She was probably seeing things anyway. Seriously, teasing aside, what were his chances of scoring with the personification of sin that were Devils? Yeah, nah.
"Sure she did, Jeanne, sure she did," He commented as he closed his eyes and relaxed a little. He'd come to treasure those moments, after all. Enjoy the challenge, he might, but Joshua still could get tired and he sure did during that week. 'Definitely prefer to have all the time in the world,' He mused to himself.
"Hmmm, so, no chances of me getting a nephew or a niece anytime soon?" Jeanne asked and he sighed.
"This is because of what happened with Rias's Knight, right?" He asked, slightly resigned.
"Yuuto Kiba," She reminded him with a frown, which earned a raised eyebrow and a half-smile from him. She simply huffed at that before continuing. "And of course it is. If you can do that, I can too."
He decided it was better to not point out that he'd done that only once and she hadn't shut up for a whole week.
He had a feeling that would make things worse for him.
[}-o-{]
"Thank you for coming here before going to Kyoto, Joshua," Sona told him with a somber nod. He gave her a raised eyebrow in turn, because really, what was up with that? She spoke like he was never going to come back or something.
"You know I'll be back at this in, like, a month or so? Maybe less?" He asked, slightly amused as he noticed a slight pink dusting on her cheeks.
"We just appreciate that you didn't push this to the side when something more important came up," Rias explained with a smile, although she seemed just as amused as he with her fellow King's behavior. "Kyoto is very beautiful, we went on a trip there this year. It was a great experience. I wish I'd gotten to see everything I wanted though, but I didn't prepare well for it."
"I told you to plan a proper schedule," Sona pointed out with a raised eyebrow earning an annoyed expression from the redhead.
"I'm sure we won't have that problem. Jeanne is very excited about this. I'm sure she has all sorts of plans as to what to do. I just hope I'll have enough free time to accompany her," Joshua commented, looking to the side where his sister seemed to be sharing exactly what he was talking about with the Knight and Koneko.
"I don't have to worry about Kiba's health, do I?" Rias asked then, looking at him with a grin.
"To be decided," Joshua replied before chuckling.
"I can say I'm glad for them," The King commented then, seemingly deciding to ignore his words, looking fondly at her peerage. "Kiba doesn't have many friends outside my peerage… or at all, so I'm happy for him. Also, he's gotten a lot more creative with his Sacred Gear, which is a plus," She added. "I think I have you and Jeanne to thank for that."
"I should charge you for that too," Joshua joked. "Speaking of, you two never brought up the training wards again. Changed your mind?"
"Something like that," Rias answered, deflating a little, which was confusing. "Things are… complicated. We are looking into it."
He blinked at her. What could possibly be complicated about setting up training wards for these two? Sairaorg had never mentioned anything of the sort. Hell, he was pretty sure they'd just done it almost on a whim. Was there something they had skipped that they shouldn't? Surely not. Sairaorg was enthusiastic about training but he wasn't stupid.
"Well, I hope you can sort that out soon then," He offered, unsure. If the small smile she gave him was anything to go by, it wasn't very effective but the intention was appreciated. He mentally shrugged before turning towards Sona. "So, your sister told me to wait for her here, did she give you a time or something?"
"She didn't, so I guess you'll have to wait. I'm sorry," She apologized instantly, deflating much like Rias had done a moment before. "She is… eccentric like that, I guess. I apologize for any trouble she will cause you."
'Will, not may,' Joshua noted then, slightly amused. He guessed Serafall's… everything was quite annoying for a person like Sona. He found it weird too, slightly irritating sometimes, but it wasn't bad. There were worse personalities to expect for someone called Satan.
"She's not that bad," He commented idly, earning an incredulous expression from Sona. "She's not," He defended with a slight chuckle. "She's weird but I prefer weird over some of the stuff my mind conjures when I think about Satans."
"You'll love the rest of them then," Rias pointed out, slightly amused, which made him wonder what was up with the others then. Ajuka had been… something, but he didn't sound so weird, really. If Rias was anything to go by, then her brother shouldn't be that bad, he supposed. Then again, Sona and her sister were nothing alike so… 'Now I'm curious about meeting Satans… my life is weird.'
"Magical Girl Levia-tan is here~!" Joshua heard then and a slight smile formed on his face. Especially when he heard Sona groan and saw her start massaging her head. "So-tan~! Did you miss me? I missed you sooooo much!" Serafall shouted as she all but tackle-hugged her sister.
"I should do that with Jeanne sometime," Joshua commented with a chuckle. "Maybe next time she comes back from an outing."
"Don't you dare," The girl in question growled with her eyes narrowed. He simply grinned at her.
"Sister, please, let go of me," Sona grumbled, trying to push Serafall away. Deciding to try and help her out, Joshua spoke up… Except that nothing came to his mind at the moment, so he just left the poor girl to her fate.
"So-tan doesn't love me anymore, Jo-tan," Serafall exclaimed then, letting go and turning to pout at him as if he could do anything to help with that… problem. "What do I do?!" She asked, clearly 'dismayed'.
"I'm sure she'll come around, Serafall," He reassured with a smile. "Maybe tuning down the… excitement next time?" He offered, deciding to try and throw Sona a bone there.
"But how else am I supposed to show how much I missed her?" The Satan argued, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. 'Ah well, I tried, Sona,' He thought to himself.
"I guess you are right about that," He replied then. Because, really, he liked Sona well enough, but he wasn't going to get into an argument with a Satan for her. No, sir. "So, how do we do this then?"
"Already want to go away?" Serafall asked, her hurt act carrying over, this time aimed directly at him. Joshua withheld a sigh. "That eager to separate poor ol' me from So-tan," She muttered then, looking down.
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath in, Joshua gathered strength for what was to come. The look on Sona's face told him that at least one person in the room commiserated with him. At least he wasn't completely alone, he supposed.
"Of course not, Serafall. Why don't we stay here for a bit, yes? I could use a cup of tea before traveling," He said then, it wasn't like he was in a rush, really. She was the one setting the teleportation up and, apparently, also the one that would take him through the hoops that he'd need to jump through for this whole thing.
She hadn't even been surprised when he'd told her that Shed had basically thrown him off the deep end. The Egyptian god hadn't been very amused by that, judging by the Charm feeling. Really, he could have made the Quest screen more detailed if he didn't want that to happen.
Regardless, Joshua supposed he could do this small favor for the Satan. How bad could it be, right?
Jeanne bursting into giggles off to the side told him that yes, it could be very bad.
[}-o-{]
"Can you tell me again, why you had to come personally?" Joshua asked as Serafall guided him, his familiars and Jeanne through Kyoto. He'd prepared an illusion card that made it look like the animals weren't there… well, except for Cheshire, who didn't look that out of place to begin with… in her cat form, at least.
"Jeanne~!" Serafall exclaimed, dismayed. "Jo-tan is being mean again!"
"Why doesn't she get a nickname?" Joshua asked then, blinking curiously. Maybe it was the wrong thing to focus on, but he was already getting used to the Satan's childish ways. They were exhausting, yes, but at least they weren't bad.
"Because Je-tan doesn't sound cute enough," Serafall replied, as if that made perfect sense.
"Hm, true," Joshua agreed, turning his head slightly to look at his sister. An idea formed in his head then. She'd enjoyed laughing at him entirely too much over Serafall's antics. "What about just Jenny, or Ginny. Depending on how you pronounce her name to begin with, I guess," He pointed out, making the Jeanne's eyes widen.
"Wait, wh-"
"Yes, Gin-tan!" The Satan exclaimed, pulling said girl into a tight hug. Joshua was honestly a little worried she'd literally squeeze the life out of her. However, just as that was becoming a valid concern, she was let go. "It's perfect. Thank you, Jo-tan."
"Yes… thank you… Jo-tan," Jeanne growled at him, to which he gave her an unrepentant grin.
"You are welcome," He replied, some of his weariness washing away.
Joshua's mind drifted then, his eyes looking around the buildings and the overall city of Kyoto as they moved. Serafall had taken them somewhere… not where they needed to gather, for some reason. Not that he was complaining and neither was Jeanne. The teenager was loving the chance to be a tourist, actually.
Personally, Joshua didn't see the appeal. Sure, looking around a foreign place was interesting. Some places were beautiful or had very curious story behind them, some even had both. However, he found his mind quickly disinterested with all that though. A glance was all it took for him to take it in. Then he'd take a photo and be on his way to the next place.
He didn't quite get how Jeanne could easily fawn over everything for an hour. Regardless of his opinion though, he was happy just walking along with her sister, stopping whenever she wanted to look at something. He'd been a little nervous about taking Serafall's time, but the Satan seemed uncaring about that, nevermind the fact that she was the one that was leading them through that path. He'd added that to the list of weird things involving the Devil.
"And I wanted to get away from the boring Devils, by the way," Serafall said, snapping him out of his thoughts. It took Joshua a second to realize that she was asking his question from before. He'd almost forgotten already.
"Hm," He hummed as he continued looking. "And it has nothing to do with the fact that there seems to be a little… disagreement between your people and the Youkai, right?" He asked, making the cheerful smile on the Satan turn into a dejected expression. He didn't take that too seriously though. Serafall seemed to be all about exaggerating her emotions. Either that or it was all an act. Both were equally as probable, really.
"The Youkai are being mean," She grumbled childishly. "But yes, I'd like to try and be friends with them. Will you help me, Jo-tan?" She asked then, batting her eyes at him, to which he raised an eyebrow. She acted so much like a little girl that, even with how attractive she was, it was difficult to take that seriously. He guessed that might have been the point though.
"Hm, can I ask another question?" He said instead of answering her question, turning to look ahead. On the other side of the street they were walking through, he saw a man wearing a long formal coat. That by itself wasn't too out of place, but the highly particular book that he was reading and the foreign appearance he had, made him stand out. 'I wonder…' He mused. He'd been told the Youkai leader was calling basically everyone she could so…
He had to wonder how many magicians were going to be around.
"Mhm," Serafall hummed, giving him the go ahead, which he took instantly.
"How many magicians did you call for this?"
"Three," She answered instantly. "Besides you, that is," She added and he blinked. She looked much more like a woman at that moment. The childish voice was slightly more mature, her steps now more firm.
"I'm sure they must be better than me, why not go with them? Surely they'll earn you more points with the Youkai," He continued questioning conversationally as they kept walking. His eyes found then another concentration of magic, this time from a woman that… didn't look too out of place. If not for the fact that she seemed to sense his gaze and gave him a look, a smile and a nod before continuing on her way.
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Jo-tan~" Serafall replied, her tone slipping back to 'magical girl' voice once more. Then, she gave him a beaming smile. "You are much better company than those grumpy, boring magicians," She said, as if that was supposed to be a good reason.
He remained silent, ignoring the grin Jeanne was giving him from his other side.
"You really don't give yourself enough credit," The Satan insisted then, her voice back to serious. He wondered what that was all about. Was it some kind of test? Was he overthinking it? "Ajuka had very good things to say about your wards. Regardless, you are a lot better company too. So, if anyone's going to earn us some goodwill with the Youkai, that'll be you."
"Hm, I can understand that, I think," He mused out loud, noticing an old man in a completely ridiculous outfit that wouldn't be out of place in European nobility a few centuries back, he was sure. Joshua had to wonder if that was on purpose or if he came from a family that was just detached from mundane culture. "Can I ask why you didn't send one of this other magician's your sister's way?"
"You are asking an awful lot of questions, Jo-tan? When can I get some of my own?" 'And we are back to Levia-tan instead of Serafall, huh?' He noticed wondering what was causing so many switches. "So-tan and Ria-tan wanted to do things on her own, so we let them," The woman added, answering his question regardless of her complaining.
"Well, good on you for respecting their wishes," He commented idly. The Satans had still checked on him, but that was better than just forcing their sisters to take one of their contacts. "Well, I'll definitely put a better word for you than I'll do for the Church, with all the help you've given me."
She simply gave him a smile and a nod. It was likely that she'd already guessed as much. It was also likely that she had helped him so much to get exactly that. Maybe that was why she was accompanying him? Because he was the one that she could or needed to influence more to get that favor for her? Were the other magicians already under her thumb and would do as she wanted or were they so far out from that situation that they wouldn't do as she wanted.
'I'm overthinking this,' He told himself with a sigh.
"So, you said something about having questions of your own?" He started then, ready to pay back for the pseudo-interrogation he'd just done.
"I knew I liked you for a reason, Jo-tan," Serafall cheered, bouncing on her feet as she turned to look at him, holding her 'magical staff' behind her back. "Soooo~... What type of women do you like?" She asked, making Jeanne burst out in giggles beside him.
Joshua, for his part, simply massaged the bridge of his nose before sighing. Nagini gave him a half-hearted pat on the cheek with her tail, which only made his eyebrow twitch. Margalo's little cheer was much more effective, he had to admit. Probably because she was actually trying.
He could only hope that the sweet little bird would never change like Morag did. He could really use someone on his corner. He had a feeling he'd need one.
[}-o-{]
[Serafall Leviathan]
She looked as Joshua Davis walked, humoring his sister and familiars as they moved through Kyoto. Honestly, she was in no hurry, since they'd made the trip far earlier than they had to. Partially because she thought something like this would happen - and had decided to encourage it, really -, but mostly because she wanted to observe the man that her sister was dealing with and trusting her safety too.
She'd done that already though, and Sirzechs and her had Ajuka look into it to have a third opinion on him. They'd all thought that he was as reliable as any magician could get really. Only way to trust him more would have been with a binding oath.
Now, not to say they wouldn't have appreciated one, but they couldn't ask for one without risking making things worse.
Ajuka had also talked them out of that idea, really.
Anyway, Serafall was more and more sure that they were doing well to trust their sisters to this human. He might not be that powerful. Ajuka himself put him in the lower end of Low Class, at best, that is. However, the same man had said that Joshua could be terrifyingly powerful when given enough time and resources to prepare. 'Easily High Class,' Had been his exact words. Moreover, Ajuka had said that Joshua was more limited due to knowledge than capabilities, saying that if he had a more extensive library to fuel his ward-crafting, he'd be even better.
They'd have to keep an eye on Joshua, had been the consensus.
There was a reason why warders were so sought after. There was also a reason why warding was one of the most difficult branches of magic. If Joshua really delved into hex magic and got as good at it as he was with wards, then Serafall really needed to get him on their side.
She was also laying down a foundation for that with this, actually.
It wasn't to say that everything she was doing was with a purpose though. It wouldn't be a lie, but it wouldn't be perfectly accurate either. Serafall was enjoying interacting with Joshua, much to her surprise. He'd seemed… like a normal human magician. At least until they'd actually interacted, because he continued being normal after that.
It may not sound like much, but Serafall was perfectly aware of how people saw her. She didn't get to be a Satan by being dumb, after all. She knew how her behavior was seen by others and how it affected how they saw her. It was a useful thing when she needed to be underestimated or when she needed to put someone at ease.
It was also fun, she'd freely admit.
Regardless of all that, Joshua had rolled with it like it was a normal thing. He thought it was weird, of course, he was confused by it too, but he'd carried on like she was just a slightly weird woman instead of a Satan acting like she was a magical girl from a TV show. Serafall herself found it difficult to explain, really, how his behavior stuck out from others. He wasn't the first to do such a thing though, but the number was very little, and she'd appreciated each and every one of them.
Yes, Joshua Davis was a good man. Now, if he could do what she thought he could regarding Yasaka's issue, then he'd become an important one too. Maybe he already was, actually. With Serafall's people, the Church and, apparently, the Egyptian Pantheon looking at him, he was already more important than the grand majority of the magician community. If he did this, few people wouldn't know his name. Especially since Yasaka had called for basically everyone for help, and few would refuse.
It might sound like Joshua had few chances, but Serafall and, more importantly, Ajuka thought he had decent ones of actually helping. Joshua might not be a particularly strong magician, but he was a good one. Serafall smiled at the thought, especially because she knew she was practically snatching him from the Church's hands.
She'd have to do something nice for Sairaorg for finding this hidden gem.
[} Chapter End {]
(AN:Please remember that this story is not mine and will never be mine. Make sure to give thanks to the original author on fanfiction.net https://m.fanfiction.net/u/11459794/)