Chapter 55: Devil's Whisper (5)
Azrail Astaroth Pov:
"You don't want to become my [Knight]?"
I stared at Arthur in confusion, a bit taken aback by the latter's words.
The two of us stood inside an empty field on a secluded island owned by the Astaroth Clan within the human world, surrounded by a dense forest.
After Arthur said he wanted to spar with me one last time before answering my question, I transported the two of us here.
Naturally, he lost the spar despite me going easy on him.
Even if this body only had 25% of my soul, I wouldn't lose to a child, no matter how capable he was.
Arthur admitted defeat, but much to my surprise, he refused to become my [Knight].
"Why? Are the conditions not good enough, or you don't want to work for me?"
"No. That's not it…" Arthur's expression became perplexed and troubled, and he placed his right hand on Caliburn's hilt, which hung on his waist. "The truth is, I wish to help you to the best of my abilities and become your [Knight], but…"
"Do you not want to become a devil? Is it because of your pride as King Arthur's descendant?"
"It's not that, either…"
I waited for him to speak his mind, and after a pause, he continued, "I don't think I am worthy enough to be your [Knight]."
"What…?"
"A devil's peerage represents their [King]'s dignity. I lack the qualities to represent someone as capable as you…"
'My [Queen] is scared of libraries, you know?'
The last thing I cared about my peerage members was formal qualities like that.
As long as they were resourceful, had enough potential, or piqued my interest, I couldn't care less about their bearing.
"I'll ask you a question… Will you try to assassinate me?"
Arthur frowned at that question. "No. I'd never do that…"
"Will you stab me in the back and split my upper body in two?"
"That's oddly specific…"
"Will you beat me to a pulp, chop off all my limbs, and laugh hysterically over my dismembered body?"
The blonde's expression worsened. "What sane person would ever do that?"
No one said that the person in question was sane, Arthur.
If anything, Lyra made me look sane in comparison.
"See? That already makes you the best [Knight] in my peerage…"
"Please don't joke about this, Azrail. This might be trivial for you, but it matters a lot to me…" Although my words were genuine, Arthur didn't take them seriously. "You are a swordsman I respect — someone I owe my life to; I can't do anything to disrespect your honour…"
His stern expression and firm voice were enough for me to know that, no matter what, he wouldn't go back on his words.
'Seriously, I can't with teenagers…'
He wanted to be my [Knight] but couldn't because he respected me. What kind of logic was that?
I expected Arthur to feel like this, but I thought it'd become his motivation to reincarnate as a devil and prove his worth by training rigorously.
Instead, it had the opposite effect.
'Was my display too much?'
Recalling everything I did since meeting Arthur and Vali, I might have overdone it a little.
I wanted to leave a strong impression on them for the future, but it went a bit too far.
'This is troublesome…'
No matter what, I still wanted to recruit him.
Arthur's potential was one of the highest among humans, so if he became a devil and trained under Alice, he'd be an incredible asset to me.
However, if he remained a human, he'd never achieve the results I wanted from him.
I had nothing against humans, but DxD wasn't a world that supported them much.
Not everyone could be Pythagoras.
And most of all, nurturing humans wasn't a long-term investment because of their limited lifespan.
'I can make him change his opinion over the next few years...'
Although time-consuming, that was also an option, but it went against my current goals.
"You said you don't think you are worthy of becoming my [Knight], but…" As numerous thoughts crossed my mind, I held my chin and spoke. "Do you have anything against becoming my subordinate and reincarnating as a devil?"
"No..." Arthur shook his head lightly, and his expression relaxed a bit. "If I can be of use to you, changing races is a minor price to pay. My family might not like it, but I have already decided…"
'I guess he also understands that he is too weak to make a difference currently…'
At this point, it wouldn't be wrong to say that his devotion and loyalty towards me were almost tangible.
I still found it hard to believe, though.
Regardless of my impressive display, how could admiration for me increase so much in such a short time?
"In that case, it isn't a problem…" I surged my Demonic Power as a [Communication Magic Circle] manifested next to my face. "Are you free?"
{What is it, Azraril?}
"Can we meet?"
{Right now?}
"Yeah. It's important."
{Sure. I'll be there in a few minutes.}
With that, the [Communication Magic Circle] disappeared, and from the side, Arthur asked, "Who was it?"
I smiled at him. "You'll see."
.
.
.
Arthur and I waited for around five minutes before the Astaroth Clan's Magic Circle appeared on the ground, followed by Latia.
'Hoh…' Our eyes met, and we smiled at each other. 'She has grown a lot since the last time I saw her…'
Latia's aura and presence were enough to tell me that.
In truth, I hadn't met her ever since I left the Astaroth Clan after recovering from Lyra's assassination attempt, which was almost five months ago.
Now that I thought about it, a lot happened to me in only a few months.
It made me wonder what my [Queen] was doing these days.
I tried contacting her, but she said she'd meet me later.
When I asked Alice about what Latia was up to, she told me not to worry, so in the end, I gave up.
"I thought you'd refuse to meet me again…"
"Sorry about that…" Latia gave me an apologetic smile. "I promised myself not to meet you before I made some progress in my training…"
"What kind of training were…" My words trailed off as I noticed something strange, and a frown appeared on my face. "Hold on…"
For some reason, I had to look up at Latia's face to maintain eye contact.
She was taller than me?
I walked over to Latia's side and stood next to her, matching our shoulders, and sure enough—
'A difference of six inches…'
She was indeed taller than me, but how?
We were the same height when we last met.
[Notice. The individual Latia Astaroth is 681 days older than you, Master.]
'What…?'
As far as I knew, Latia was 23 days older than me. Where did the other 658 days come from?
"Try not to be too shocked, but I am not just taller than you…" Noticing my expression, Latia turned towards me and looked into my eyes with a superior smirk. "I am also two years older than you now, Azrail…"
"How did you do that?"
"Heh… Except for when I ran out of Demonic Power, I have been using [Time Barrier] to accelerate the flow time around me without a break for over four months — even while asleep."
"That means…"
"More than a hundred hours…" Latia sounded prouder than ever. "That's how much time I experienced regularly for the last four months…"
While one day passed for everyone else, she lived several days inside her [Time Barrier].
No wonder her Demonic Power Reserves increased so much within such a short time.
Using [Time Barrier] constantly already counted as excessive training, but she also aged almost two years in such a short time.
After realising that, I couldn't help but stare at Latia and ask, "Why?"
"It's the best training method, what else? It increases my understanding of the Agares Clan's [Power of Time], and I can learn other things much faster than others because of time dilation..."
There was no doubt about that. This was the best method to abuse the Agares Clan's [Power of Time].
"No. I mean, why push yourself so hard?"
At that question, the smile on Latia's face disappeared, and she pursed her lips.
We maintained eye contact for a few seconds before she spoke in a strangely evasive tone, "Because I want to become the strongest [Queen]. Isn't that obvious?"
I didn't even need [Lie Detection] to tell that she was lying.
'Sure enough, I am not the only person who got affected by my near-death experience…'
Like Latia, Amy had also been training diligently to improve her [Healing Magic] — working hard on practical lessons while learning anatomy from me.
But there was one difference.
For Latia, it had been over two years since we last met.
No wonder she felt more mature than I remembered.
"Anyway, why did you call me here?"
"Right, about that…" I glanced at Arthur, who quietly stood a few steps away from us, and Latia followed my gaze. "Let me introduce you two…"
I raised my left hand towards Latia and continued, "Arthur, she is Latia Astaroth, my niece and soon-to-be [Queen]. Don't be fooled by her appearance; she's one of the strongest in our generation."
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
Arthur bowed slightly to greet Latia, and I raised my right hand towards him. "And Latia, this is Arthur Pendragon, King Arthur's descendant and the current wielder of the strongest Holy Sword, Caliburn…"
"He's from the Pendragon Family?"
Latia was pleasantly surprised by that revelation, her eyes widening slightly.
"Yes. He's also why I called you here…"
I summarised what happened before Latia's arrival, from how I met Arthur and Le Fay to our previous conversation.
"So, you want me to reincarnate Arthur as my [Knight], right?"
As expected, Latia understood what I had in mind without even asking.
From what I knew, she hadn't used any of her Evil Pieces yet.
"Yeah… I want you to use your [Bishop] pieces on Le Fay and Selina, too."
If Le Fay and Selina had access to Demonic Power and the Devil's Magic System, they would be incredible assets in anyone's peerage.
Their potential wasn't much lower than Arthur and Lieselotte's, but they lacked the support of a powerful magic item like Caliburn or Gleipnir.
"Alright. I'll do it. If Le Fay and Selina consent to becoming devils, I'll reincarnate them, too."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah..." Latia summoned her set of Evil Pieces and handed them over to me. "I have no intention of participating in Rating Games as a [King], so you can use my peerage as an extention of yours…"
"I see…"
"But Azrail…" My gaze lingered on the box of Evil Pieces in my hand, and Latia continued in a somewhat concerned voice. "Wouldn't recruiting someone from the Pendragon Family be a problem?"
"Why is it a problem?"
"What if the Pendragon Family doesn't like it and retaliate?"
"I mean…" I stored Latia's Evil Pieces inside her [Dimensional Storage]. "What can they even do to us? Their strength doesn't even match a lower-ranking pillar, much less the Astaroth Clan…"
As those words finished, I raised my hand and turned towards Arthur. "No offence."
"I know it's the truth, Azrail. One of the qualities I like about you is that you don't sugarcoat your words."
Oh. The glazing returned.
"You're right. Since Arthur agreed to become a devil, the Pendragon Family can't even complain..." Latia held her chin, looking down at the floor while pondering. "The best they can do is ask for Caliburn, but we can always say that Arthur is the legal heir of the sword, so whatever happens to it is his choice…"
Soon, her lips curled into a small smile. "Not to mention, once Arthur becomes a devil, it'll be Lady Leviathan's problem instead as the one in charge of foreign affairs…"
I stared at Latia from the corner of my eyes.
The way she just threw her problems at someone else was oddly familiar.
'It seems like bad financial decisions aren't the only thing she learned from me...'
Alice might have a mental breakdown when she realises that I multiplied.
"That's the current arrangement, but the final decision is for you to make, so…" Latia turned towards Arthur. "Are you fine with becoming my [Knight]?"
"If Azrail decided to make you his [Queen], I have no doubts about your capabilities, but…"
'It isn't that deep, dude… Latia's potential and managerial capabilities aside, I made her my [Queen] because we grew up together…'
I was biased. Fight me.
"But what?"
"I wish to witness your capabilities for myself…" Arthur stared at Latia with a determined expression. "If you win, I will accept you as my [King], and if I win, I will believe I am worthy enough to be Azrail's [Knight]…"
"Sure. We can fight right now."
Latia's response was instantaneous, and I stared at her. "Caliburn is a dangerous weapon, you know…"
"It's fine. Even if it gets dangerous, you will save me…" She smiled at me, raising her right hand towards me. "Now, hand over Arondight…"
"Why…?"
The last time I checked, she had no interest in swords.
Latia tilted her head in confusion. "I'm recruiting a [Knight], so I need to beat him in swordsmanship, right?"
'She isn't stupid enough to say something like that without a reason. She probably wants to leave a deep impression on Arthur like I did, too…'
Since that was the case, I handed over Arondight without question.
However, I sealed the sword's Holy Aura Regulator so it wouldn't transform into a Holy Sword out of nowhere.
"You are a swordsman, too?!"
Latia shook her head at Arthur's surprised remark.
"I saw Azrail train with Alice and picked up the basics; that's all…"
"I see."
Maybe it was because of what I said about Latia, but Arthur didn't underestimate her despite those words.
The two of them stepped away from me and stood across each other.
"You can attack first…"
"Since you are Azrail's [Queen], I won't hold back!"
Arthur charged towards Latia at full speed, diagonally slashing his sword at her.
'He really isn't holding back at all, huh…'
That was my first observation.
Latia smiled at the incoming attack, raising her sword in its direction, and—
Clang!*
Caliburn's blade clashed against Arondight's blade, creating a strong gust of wind.
"Wha—?!"
Arthur's eyes widened in shock.
Although he used all of his strength, he couldn't even make Latia's sword budge.
It was as if his attack had hit an indestructible boulder.
"You'll need a lot more strength to overpower me…"
Arthur hurriedly retreated to create distance between them, but Latia took a light step, following him so fast that he could barely keep up with her movements.
'Hold on, that is…'
The force Latia put behind that step wasn't even enough to move a centimetre, much less follow Arthur for over a dozen steps instantly.
Their battle continued, and Latia went on to surprise Arthur with movements he couldn't comprehend.
Even as he threw a barrage of attacks at her, she dodged them effortlessly despite Caliburn's Holy aura suppressing her overall strength.
As Latia continued to evade Arthur's attacks, our eyes met, and I furrowed my eyebrows to send her a telepathic message.
{You're using [Gravity Magic] in a swordsmanship battle.}
When or how she improved [Gravity Magic] to such an extent was another conversation altogether.
Latia stuck the tip of her tongue at me. {It isn't cheating if my opponent doesn't know about it.}
I stared at her for a few seconds before nodding to myself.
As expected of my [Queen], she had the right mindset.
"Haah… Haah…"
Just fifteen minutes after the battle began, Arthur's breath became extremely heavy.
Whenever he tried to stop and catch his breath, Latia would attack him with heavy and precise attacks, forcing him to defend himself and deplete his stamina much faster than usual.
A simple strategy based on the massive difference in their strength.
'I knew he never stood a chance, but for it to be this one-sided. I almost feel bad for him…'
Unlike Arthur, who was covered in sweat, Latia showed no signs of exhaustion.
It was understandable, though.
While he used his stamina to fight, she only used her Demonic Power to cast [Gravity Magic].
Between a human's physical stamina and Demonic Power controlled by the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ], it wasn't hard to tell which would deplete faster.
"I'll aim for your head with a vertical slash…" Latia landed on the ground at a distance from her opponent, her grip tightening around Arondight's hilt. "Be careful…"
And she did just that — rushing straight towards Arthur before slashing Arondight downwards, and I 'saw' the gravitational field intensify around the Demonic Sword.
'Ouch. That's a heavy strike…'
Arthur hurriedly raised Caliburn above his head, intending to block the attack with both his hands supporting the hilt and blade of his Holy Sword.
BOOM!*
When Latia's strike landed, the impact destroyed the ground below Arthur's feet, and moments later—
Thud!*
He stumbled backwards, his legs numb as he landed on the cracked ground with a shocked expression.
"Ah, sorry. I overdid it a little…" Latia stared at the crater under her feet and pursed her lips, extending her left hand towards Arthur. "Are you alright? Should I call Amy to heal you?"
'She's lying. The attack had just the right amount of force to render Arthur unable to fight without damaging him…'
If it weren't for Caliburn boosting his physical abilities, Arthur would have broken his limbs defending against that last attack.
'This level of precision can't be a coincidence. My previous guess was correct, it seems…'
Latia did all this to leave a deep impression on Arthur and set her position in his mind.
She wanted to make sure he realised why he'd be her [Knight].
'She was always smart, but when did she become so shrewd?'
My curiosity about Latia's 'training' increased significantly. What did Alice do to her to make her this cunning?
'Still…'
For someone to get folded this badly by not only the [King] but his [Queen], too.
Arthur's luck in matchups might be worse than mine.
'I hope this won't discourage him, though. It'll be a loss to me if he loses his fighting spirit...'
"I lost. No. I never stood a chance against you…" As if to disprove my thought, Arthur grabbed Latia's hand with a smile and pulled himself up from the ground. "I'd expect nothing less from Azrail's [Queen]. Thank you for entertaining my selfish request and showing me how lacking I am…"
Unlike how he glazed me to the moon and back, his voice contained nothing but genuine respect for Latia.
"No. Your swordsmanship and movements are incredible, even better than mine…" She smiled at him and shook his hand. "I look forward to having you in my peerage…"
Arthur retreated his hand and bowed towards Latia. "I will do my best not to disappoint you, both as a [Knight] and a subordinate!"
"You don't have to be so formal with me…"
"No. You are my [King], Lady Latia. This is only appropriate…" After that, he turned towards me and bowed at a perfect right angle. "The same goes for you, Lord Azrail. I vow to improve myself and repay the debt I owe you!"
'I can't keep up with this guy's pace. He changes moods faster than I change clothes...'
It didn't seem like Arthur would ever drop the formalities with us.
I glanced at Latia, and she gave me a helpless smile before shrugging her shoulders.
{It is what it is. At least he's determined.}
{You're right.}
.
.
.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes. I am."
After hearing Arthur's confirmation, the [Knight] Piece in Latia's hand flew towards him and entered his chest.
The Astaroth Clan's Magic Circle appeared under his feet, followed by a wave of Demonic Power that spiralled his body from head to toe.
The reincarnation process continued for nearly five minutes before the Astarorh Clan's Magic Circle disappeared, and Arthur's rampant Demonic Power subsided.
"How does it feel?"
Arthur slowly opened his eyes and looked down at his body. "My body feels lighter and… stronger than before."
That much was a given.
Devils might not be the best supernatural species for base abilities, but it was still a significant jump from humans.
"Can you still wield Caliburn?"
"Yes. That's no problem." Arthur nodded at Latia's question and rested his hand on Caliburn's hilt. "My ability to wield Holy Swords wasn't affected by becoming a devil…"
'Now that he mentions it, what differentiates a natural-born Holy Sword wielder from other humans?'
As random thoughts passed through my mind, I tuned towards Latia and pointed at Arthur with my index finger. "Since he's your [Knight], teach him about the basics…"
"I know. Don't worry about it."
The basics included the Devil's Magic System, culture, hierarchy, customs, language, and other mundane things.
It was the King's duty to ensure their subordinates learned these things before their official debut.
I (Amy) would also need to teach them to those I recruit in the future.
[…]
"So this is how devils see the world…" Arthur's eyes darted at a bird's nest in the tree far from our location. "Amazing…"
It'd take him a while to get used to his enhanced senses.
"Think you can beat Latia now?"
"There's no way. Forget about Arthur…" Latia narrowed her eyes at my sarcastic remark. "Even you will have trouble defeating me right now…"
"What…?" Our eyes met, and I chuckled in amusement. "Reach the Ultimate Class first and then talk big in front of me…"
Latia was in the same zone I was in a while ago.
Stronger than High Class but weaker than Ultimate Class.
That level was the peak of what a decently talented devil could achieve through natural growth.
It wouldn't be wrong to call it a 'wall' in our growth.
Those who could break the wall naturally by ageing were the 'actual' geniuses within the 72 Pillars.
For me, it took researching magic inside my mind while I was in a coma after Lyra's assassination attempt to break through.
Although, 'breaking through' would be an understatement considering I could speed-blitz my pre-comatose self with ease.
'For Latia, it might be developing her Demonic Power Nature…'
It would have been the same for me if things never went south.
"Huh…" Latia's movements halted when she heard those words, her eyes widening in surprise. "You reached the Ultimate Class?!"
My lips curled into a smile. "Of course."
"But your Demonic Power Reserves aren't that higher than mine…"
That was to be expected.
Traditionally speaking, I was barely in the Ultimate Class in terms of Demonic Power Reserves.
However, my combat strength was in the Ultimate Class because of the Astaroth Clan's [High IQ] and my fighting style.
For an eleven-year-old, I'd say my resume looked good.
"Have you forgotten what our ancestor said, Latia? Within the Astaroth Clan, Demonic Power Reserves don't determine someone's strength…"
"I know that, but..." Latia grumbled, crossing her arms. "Forget it..."
'She must've been looking forward to catching up to me…'
Since that was the case, I raised my hand and gently patted her head.
"Don't devalue your hard work by comparing yourself to me. You did good…"
Latia stared at me for a few seconds and smiled.
Sure enough, time couldn't change some things.
My [Queen] still loved her head pats.
Moments after that, Latia lowered her head a little to urge me to continue, but before she could enjoy her favourite head pats for long—
"Such a pure display of companionship and support a [King] and his [Queen] — just witnessing it fills my heart with happiness!"
Arthur's enthusiastic voice came from the side.
Latia's eyelid twitched when she realised we weren't alone here, and she hurriedly stepped away from me while shotting Arthur a glance.
The look in her eyes told me that she'd bully him later.
"Anyway, you seem to have changed a lot, Azrail…"
"How so…?"
"It's just…" Latia held her chin and narrowed her eyes, slowly examining me from head to toe. "Your vibe has changed…"
"What do you mean? I have always been a chill guy…"
"I'm not talking about your behaviour, but…"
Latia seemed like she couldn't understand her own thoughts, and when she was about to continue—
"Huh…"
"What the…?"
Our eyes widened simultaneously, and she hurriedly turned around.
Arthur was surprised by our sudden reactions, and we watched as the space behind Latia split open, creating a giant portal.
"N-No…"
Latia's face paled when she saw the portal. She tried to run away in panic, but before she could, a celestial blue dragon claw emerged from within the portal and grabbed her like a chicken nugget.
"Nooo…!!! Master, let me play with Azrail!!! Please…!!!!"
Latia started throwing her limbs around in a futile attempt to escape, but the dragon claw kept pulling her towards the portal.
As she was about to be sucked into the portal, she turned towards me with teary eyes.
"Azrail, save me!!!"
The dragon claw stopped, and I felt a dense amount of Dragon Aura pressuring me down.
"You have something to say?"
Tiamat's voice came from within the portal.
"I do…"
I surged my Demonic Aura and looked at Latia with a brave expression, watching as hope returned to her eyes and did the most sensible thing possible.
"Have fun, Latia. Make sure to write me letters..."
I pulled my handkerchief out of my pocket and waved her goodbye.
"…"
"…"
"…"
What? The last thing I wanted was for Tiamat to kidnap me, too.
"Don't even think about escaping again before reaching the Ultimate Class…"
With those words, Tiamat started pulling Latia back towards the portal.
"I haven't seen Azrail in two years…!!! Let me play with him! I haven't done anything but study and train since I moved into the Familiar Forest…!!!"
After being betrayed by me, Latia started throwing her limbs around again, and her eyes landed on Arthur.
"He's my [Knight]! Take him with us. He also needs training. Beat him up with me…!"
"Do as you please."
Before Arthur could properly comprehend those words, Latia surged her Demonic Power and—
"Huh? What—?!"
His body started flying towards the portal under the influence of [Gravity Magic].
I watched as Latia and Arthur got sucked into the portal, and their shouts disappeared as it closed.
A [Communication Magic Circle] appeared next to my face.
"Hey, Alice…"
{Yes?}
"Why did a Dragon King just kidnap my niece?"
{You have a niece?}
Alice asked those words so innocently I almost doubted my relationship with Latia.
"…"
[Forgive her, Master. She's blonde.]
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Words: 4,501
A/N:
Succeeded in uploading within 10 (did it in 8) days xD.
Next goal: One week.
Latia (and now Arthur) continues to be on her training arc to become the strongest esper. This is a midway point of her journey to show how she is developing.
Arthur would have survived if he hadn't ruined Latia's head pats.
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Both Latia and Azrail have abused the [Power of Time] so much lol.
Latia's growth has two aspects:
1. She aged (ageing naturally increases a devil's demonic power reserves).
2. She trained (by always keeping the [Time Barrier] active and practising inside it), so her method is more effective than normal training.
The downside is she hasn't touched grass (socialised).
The bright side is that she became a great cook because Tiamat forces her to hunt monsters in the forest and cook them.
I might make a small chapter (or an intermission of sorts?) on how Latia survived her training.
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By the way, Azrail is eleven and Latia is almost thirteen in this chapter.
Canon will start in seven years (In story time, not in real life).
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A question. Now that Arthur is training with Tiamat and is a devil, how strong do you think he will be by the time canon starts?
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See y'all within a week.
Do send power stones xD.