Chapter 7: Praise The Sun (2)
"Haaaaahhhhhh~ What time is it?"
With a lazy yawn, I woke up and sat on the bed for around five minutes, not doing anything as my brain powered up.
'I don't remember falling asleep...'
After a while, my eyes fell on the books resting on the nightstand next to my bed, with a white ribbon poking out from one of them, working as a bookmark.
'Right, I was reading that before bed...'
Getting up from the bed, I walked around my room for a few minutes.
'It has been years since I reincarnated, but being able to do these simple things without problems still feels like a dream...'
'My hands have no needle scars, my body doesn't hurt for everything I do, and I can move around without asking someone for help...'
"Haah~!"
'Holy shit, this is what it means to be alive…'
After appreciating my new life for a few seconds and stretching my body, I glanced outside the window, and the view was breathtakingly beautiful. There was no one in sight, but the sun was shining brightly in the sky as if it was showing off its presence.
'Hmm… It's the morning sun, and now, I can shout as loud as I want without worrying about my vocal cords...'
It was finally time for me to do 'that.'
"Man, I always wanted to try this." Muttering to myself, I walked towards the window and put my legs together, standing straight before raising my hands at a 45-degree angle like a Y-shape.
And with heartfelt devotion, I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Praise the Sun! Hurrah!"
.
.
.
"Whew. That felt nicer than expected…"
Sighing in relief, I ordered Great Sage to mark 'Praise the Sun' as completed in my 'To Do' list and add that I must do a slightly different pose while shouting 'Wamuu' next time, along with torture dance.
There was no logical reason to explain the enjoyment I felt while doing random things like this, but doing what was impossible for me in my previous life, for some reason, made me feel alive—despite how mundane the tasks were.
Was this the influence of my life as a child? Or was it because of the things I missed out on during my first life?
'Well, it doesn't matter...'
But suddenly, the excitement I felt over my little accomplishment disappeared.
Before I could appreciate my ability to walk freely to the maximum, there was a sound that was enough to send chills down my spine.
{Praise the Sun! Hurrah!}
{Praise the Sun! Hurrah!}
{Praise the Sun! Hurrah!}
'It can't be…'
Embarrassing things were funny and forgettable as long as no one found out, but—
Shit!
Slowly, I turned around, only to find Alice standing next to the door while holding her mobile phone in one hand, in which she recorded the Dark Souls reference I made. Her other hand covered her mouth, hiding her mischievous and playful smile.
"Oh, please don't mind me. As you were."
"Alice, you'll delete it if I asked you politely, right?"
Hearing my words, she smiled again, waving her mobile around.
"I wonder how much Lady Celis would appreciate it if I sent her this clip."
"You're joking, right?"
I'd appreciate anything but that.
"Who knows..." As every second passed, the blonde's smile became more mischievous.
'You traitor…'
The most appropriate way to approach this situation was to calm myself and think logically.
SHUUUUUU!*
The reason I liked Alice's mansion was that there were swords neatly placed all around the castle walls, acting as decorative items. To top it all off, they were all of high quality, with each being individually better than most magic swords everyone else used.
That made it possible for me to pull out a sword and throw it towards Alice's face with all my strength.
"Is this how you ask something politely, Azrail?"
Alice effortlessly caught the sword between her index and middle finger, tossing it aside before looking directly into my eyes as I appeared a step away from her.
But to my surprise, the blonde knight suddenly vanished, almost making me mistake her raw speed for teleportation.
"I taught you better than that, didn't I? You used the sword as a feint, but your timing was way too off. That feint was so painfully obvious even before you grabbed the sword, you know?"
Alice's playful voice came from behind, and she sat on the edge of my bed, her left leg resting above her right.
"You seriously enjoy bullying a kid like me?"
"Maybe? But only if it's you."
Alice flaunted her mobile screen with a grin, and to make the situation worse, she had already selected the video she wanted to send my mother.
"Alice, don't you dare press that 'Send' button."
"Now, what should I do…?"
Alice placed her mobile inside her pocket as if trying to tease me, indicating that I couldn't take it even if she purposefully let her guard down.
'Great Sage, remind me to dump all her favourite swords in the trash...'
[...]
"Hm? What's this?" Alice picked up one of the books on the nightstand and skimmed through it with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. Afterwards, she did the same with other books.
"Books about Hindu, Norse, Greek, and Egyptian Mythologies, huh? And finally, a book about the Nine-Headed Hydra." She placed the books back and looked at me with a knowing gaze. "Please don't tell me you wish to make a familiar contract with the Nine-Headed Hydra."
"That's the plan." At my explanation, Alice's expression didn't change, so I continued. "It's not that strong, right? From what I've learned, it doesn't even reach the Ultimate Class, so all I gotta worry about is the poison."
The reason I wanted the Nine-Headed Hydra was simple.
It was a magnificent test subject with an Immortal Body. Something that interested me the most in the Underworld was the Phenex Clan's Immortality, and that curiosity extended to the Nine-Headed Hydra as well.
The Phenex Clan's regeneration relied on their Demonic Power Reserves, but the Nine-Headed Hydra's Immortality was completely biological, unlike the former. The snake had infinite regeneration regardless of its reserves.
As for the Hydra's troublesome personality, it could be disciplined one way or another.
"You do realise why no stronger Devil ever goes after the Nine-Headed Hydra, right? It's because taming it is impossible. I can't even recall how many of its Masters have that snake killed. And its poison is very annoying to deal with—it can kill most people who don't know how to counter it. So, even if you can keep it in check, it will only cause harm to those around you."
The more dangerous it was, the better.
"Don't worry, it's not like I'm going tomorrow. I'll probably go to the Familiar Forest after seven or eight years."
My priority was learning about the abilities of different clans, and I'd prepare for the Hydra a few months before catching it, including an antidote for its poison, which was one of the best ways to deal with it.
Not to mention, a snake once bit me during my childhood, so the racial motivation to torment the Hydra was strong.
"What am I supposed to do with you?" Alice sighed helplessly, shaking her head like my mother.
Taking the opportunity, I rushed towards her and tried to steal her phone, but alas, she was on a whole other level compared to me, and I ended up on the floor with my head upwards.
The most annoying part was that Alice didn't even move an inch, and neither did her Demonic Power.
"Tch."
"Is this how you'll Praise the Sun?" While I got up from the ground, Alice moved towards the open window. "Let's see. I'll delete the video if you can land a single hit on me before you collapse from exhaustion. How about it?"
"Are you looking down on me, Alice?"
"Of course not… If that were the case, I would've asked you to touch me once." Alice smiled at me, and soon, she jumped out of the window.
.
.
.
"Just how much stamina do you have? You aren't even sweating…"
After running after her while continually attacking her for more than six hours, my body couldn't hold on, and I fell to the ground.
"You pushed yourself so hard..." Alice caught me and placed my head on her lap. "Are you that embarrassed about that Dark Souls reference?"
'Even after trying my best, I couldn't even touch her, much less land a hit...'
The fact that Alice didn't have a single drop of sweat on her body was somewhat frustrating.
"It's not about embarrassment anymore. I wanted to test my current limits."
I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and the fact that my Demonic Power was at rock bottom didn't help.
While I did exhaust my Demonic Power to increase it slowly, it was never to this extent.
The reason for that was simple.
For Devils, it was much more uncomfortable to completely exhaust their Demonic Power when compared to physical exhaustion, to the point where it made it hard for them to move.
It reminded me of the days I spent in a hospital bed when it was impossible for me to even move, so I always saved around twenty percent of my Demonic Power, no matter what.
"Alice, your thighs are so soft."
Considering that, the situation wasn't all that bad.
"Is that so?" Alice smiled, placing her index finger on my forehead. "[Clean.]"
"Can't you use Healing Magic?"
"Even I am not that versatile…" Alice teleported us to my bed as I kept resting on her lap, refusing to give up on my new favourite pillow. "The reason why Phoenix Tears have such high market value is because of the scarcity of Healing Magic and Recovery Sacred Gears… Not to mention, even if I could use Healing Magic, the methods to recover a person's stamina are very limited."
"There goes another lecture of Alice the Encyclopedia."
The only thing that comment achieved was a glare from her, which made me smile a little.
"But honestly, your stamina has increased considerably within the past month. I only expected you to last a little over three hours at best."
"Well, it's all thanks to your training."
"While I'm happy to help, please don't forget that your real training will start tomorrow… Everything until now was only to set up a strong base for all the different weapons you'll learn…"
"You seem to be looking forward to it even more than me."
Alice nodded at my question with a smile.
"Pure-Blooded Devils usually rely on their innate talent and Bloodline to grow strong over time, so it's rare to see someone willingly train from a young age. If you train diligently, you will leave all your peers in the dust."
'The plot of DxD will begin around the time I turn 18, and if we go by the typical shonen troupe, there will be plenty of strong people emerging as the well-maintained power balance between factions and mythologies becomes non-existent...'
Considering the setting of this world, the first major disturbance should be between the Three Factions.
'There are too many things to do before that happens, so solely focusing on training isn't possible… Let's have enough strength to move freely before canon, along with some regenerative abilities...'
On an unrelated note, I really loved the skill 'Thought Acceleration.'
[Answer. Thank you, Master.]
"By the way, Alice, I was wondering if you plan on taking up your job as the Manager of Agreas City again."
It had been a long time since Alice took a break from her job to take care of me, but now, I was more than capable of looking after myself, so it made me wonder if she would start working again.
'If she does become the Manager again, it'll be impossible for me to see her except for our classes together...'
That'd be sad.
I wanted to stay with her for a while, at least until the day I started living alone.
"I don't have any such plans for anytime soon, as being the Manager of such a busy city is very troublesome, and I love my current lifestyle a lot." Alice stroked my hair gently, playing with it.
"I see."
"Why? Do you wish for me to leave?"
"No. I'd rather have you stay with me until I become the overseer of a territory within the Human world."
"That's new…" Alice stared at me, a bit surprised. "While it's a good experience to govern your territory, I never thought you'd be interested in such mundane tasks."
"Well, as long as it serves its purpose, I don't mind looking after a territory, and I'm sure I can manage it well, too."
"And what grand purpose would that be?" Alice exaggerated the word 'grand' as much as possible.
"Who knows? But do you think I'll be allowed to oversee a territory at the age of 10?"
"I don't know about that, but you'll be the youngest Devil to oversee a territory for sure." Alice smiled. "But I don't think it is impossible if you meet the required criteria."
"What's the criteria, then?"
"First, you'd need the approval from the Clan Head whose territory you wish to oversee, and then, you'd need the approval from one of the Four Great Satans."
The conditions for becoming an overseer were much simpler than expected.
"I think Lord Astaroth and Ajuka would agree pretty easily. If I'm not wrong, Astaroth Clan's territory also has Romania under it, right?"
"Indeed. But..." As if realising something suspicious, Alice glared at me for a few seconds. "First, you asked about Darkness Magic, and now you wish to live in the country where Vampires, the beings with the natural ability to manipulate Darkness and Shadows, reside… My spider senses are tingling."
Man, she knew me a bit too well.
"I won't cause any trouble, you know?"
After all, nothing was a crime until someone got caught.
'And Vampires have enough conflict within their factions, so I doubt they'd have time for this...'
Internally nodding to myself, I gave Alice a bright smile.
"Why don't I believe you…?"
Alice looked at me, her eyes filled with suspicion, but soon, she sighed, accepting defeat as I fell asleep while using her lap as a pillow.
---
"Mmh."
Feeling someone continuously poking my cheeks, I slowly opened my eyes, grumbling a bit as they came into contact with Alice's grey eyes.
"Ah, I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?"
Seeing how her continuous poking had ruined my sleep, Alice quickly retreated her finger.
"How long did I sleep for?"
"Around seven hours."
Seven hours, huh?
Unlike what I had expected, both my body and Demonic Power had completely recovered. Was this the magic of Alice's lap pillow?
"You didn't have to sit here for that long, you know? I wouldn't have minded even if you left my head on a pillow."
"I'm alright, so please don't worry about it."
Sometimes, she seemed more like an Angel rather than a Devil.
"I'm not worried, but if you keep this up, I won't be able to sleep on anything other than your thighs. They're a bit too addictive."
With those words, I slowly got up, only for my hair to fall in front of my eyes, blocking almost half of my view.
"Now that I think about it, it's been a while since you had a haircut, right?"
"Yeah, I should get a haircut soon."
In a way, I was starting to resemble my old self, the man who spent most of his time inside a laboratory and barely took care of himself.
'I'll probably opt for the same lifestyle after I start living alone, so it's better to take care of myself for now...'
"How about I style your hair like My—!"
"No, Alice, don't even think about it."
For me, combing my hair was considered styling. I wouldn't go out of my way to style my hair like Ajuka or Sebas.
"At least hear—!"
"No."
At the harsh rejection, the look in Alice's eyes resembled an abandoned puppy.
A part of me wanted to pat her head, but the other part refused to spend so much effort on my hairstyle.
"I'll get a haircut when we go to the Human world."
"Hmm, fine."
Alice still looked salty about how I rejected her offer, acting like a little girl.
"Hey, can we take Latia along with us?"
Since our trip was a holiday for me to mark different places with my teleportation mark, it'd be fun if Latia tagged along, too.
"I don't mind, but she must get permission from her mother… It'll at least take a few months for us to visit all the major places and spend some time there."
"I'm pretty sure Vanessa would agree as long as you're with us. But what about my training and our studies?"
"Of course, no breaks for either of them."
"Is that so?"
As long as Alice accompanied me and Latia, our safety is guaranteed. Not to mention, with how much my mother spoiled me, she didn't restrain the amount of money I was allowed to spend. After all, the only thing I ever bought for myself was a manga collection.
'Ah, I almost forgot. Great Sage, make a list of all the popular cuisines of each country we'll be visiting from my memory, ranking them in order...'
[Answer. Understood.]
With that, our journey to the Human world was decided.
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Words: 2950
A/N:
What is the 'essence' that every other fanfic talks about? Like, the essence of 'void,' 'blank,' 'archmage,' and so on.
I used it in the first chapter cause it sounded right, but there seems to be some lore behind it.
And leave some reviews so the story can rise in the ranks. I'll also add some warnings as to what might happen in the fic later on in the synopsis and a review, so as to let you know if the story is what you expect it to be or not.