Later, Asia, Rias and I were in my room.
Asia was sitting on the edge of the bed while Rias was pacing up and down in shock.
"Rias, why did Kiba react like that when he heard about the Excaliburs?" I asked, although I already knew the answer.
Rias stopped walking and sighed deeply. Her eyes met mine and I could see the sadness and pain in them. "Leonard, this is a long story, but I think the time has come for you and Asia to know the truth about Kiba."
She sat down in a chair next to the table, crossing her legs and resting her elbows on her knees. "Kiba... Yuuto Kiba is not only a knight in my family. He is a survivor. Years ago, he was part of a terrible church project called 'Project Excalibur'."
"Project Excalibur?" Asia repeated.
"Yes. This Catholic Church project aimed to create super-powered exorcists capable of wielding the holy sword Excalibur. To do this, the Church kidnapped orphaned children or children from poor families, those who would have no one to question their disappearance. They were subjected to grueling training and painful rituals involving gas, all in an attempt to increase their compatibility with the sword."
"The Church? How horrible..." Asia murmured as tears began to form in her eyes.
"It was a dark time for the Church... Children who couldn't stand the trial died. And those who survived... well, Kiba is the only one I know who survived. He watched his friends die one by one every day without being able to do anything to help them."
The silence in the room was almost palpable. Asia wiped away a tear running down her cheek. "Poor Kiba... he must have suffered so much."
"And he carries these scars to this day. Finally, Kiba managed to escape. The only one who did. Still, he was almost dead when I found him lying in the snow. I had gone to Italy to observe some things and finding him in that forest was pure coincidence. I like to think that both he and I were lucky."
I clenched my fists. "The monsters who did it... did they pay for it?" Rias sighed.
Rias sighed. "Some of them did. The project in question was headed by a man named Valper Galilei, who was excommunicated and given the title of Genocide Archbishop. I thought the day would come when these issues would confront us in Kuoh, but that day came sooner than I expected. Now all those painful memories must have come back to Kiba all at once."
"That's why he wants to destroy all the fragments of Excalibur. For him, those swords are a symbol of all the suffering he and his colleagues have gone through."
"Exactly," Rias confirmed. "And that's why we have to be very careful how we handle this. Kiba is in a very fragile emotional state and anything could cause him to make irrational decisions driven by hatred."
"And what do you want to do, Rias?"
"There is not much to do, really. Although Kiba is closely involved in this matter, my brother has always advised me not to interfere in the affairs of the church and to let them deal with their own problems. Kiba knows that my hands are tied, which is why he didn't ask or request anything when he left the factory."
Asia, still wiping away tears, stood up resolutely. "But I want to help. Kiba is our friend and I can't bear to see him suffer like this."
I put my hand on her shoulder, feeling the same urge. "If Rias says it's best not to act, then we will." I said to Asia, even though I knew I wouldn't follow that advice myself.
"I'm glad you understand." Rias stood up from her chair. "Now let's go to sleep, because we have classes tomorrow."
Then Rias started to unbutton her skirt.
"R-Rias, why are you...?" Asia asked, completely flushed, only to be interrupted by Rias' soft laughter.
"I can only sleep well naked," Rias replied with disconcerting naturalness. "I hope you don't mind." She took off her skirt and placed it carefully on the chair. Then she started to unbutton her blouse.
My face flushed. I couldn't help but stare at the scene. In a few seconds, Rias had already removed her blouse and bra, leaving only her panties. Asia, who was standing next to me, saw me staring at Rias and quickly started to undress as well.
I was paralyzed for a moment, not knowing what to do or say in this situation. Seeing Asia so determined to compete with Rias filled my heart.
"Asia, you don't have to..." I started, but she interrupted me with a determined look.
"If Rias can sleep naked, so can I!"
In a matter of seconds, Asia was as naked as Rias and I found myself in a completely new and uncomfortable situation.
Rias approached my bed and lay down with a satisfied sigh. "Come on, let's go to sleep. It's late."
I hesitated, but Asia took my hand and pulled me gently onto the bed. "Come on, Leonard. It's going to be okay."
I lay down between Rias and Asia, feeling the warmth of their naked bodies next to me. Rias turned off the lamp, plunging the room into a cozy darkness. Silence reigned again.
That was all well and good, but the big problem was that they were both naked, each holding me on one side, and I couldn't do anything with either of them, because Rias didn't know about my relationship with Asia, and Asia didn't know about Rias.
In time, the excitement gave way to an overwhelming fatigue. My mind began to calm down, and gradually the weight on my eyelids became unbearable. At some point, without knowing exactly when, I fell asleep.
I woke up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth and an urgent need to go to the bathroom. I carefully untangled myself from Asia and Rias's arms, trying not to wake them. The room was dark, but the dim light from the hallway helped guide my steps as I made my way to the kitchen.
I opened the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, took a few sips, and then walked to the bathroom, still a little sleepy. As I entered, I turned on the light and went to the toilet to urinate. The sound of water against porcelain echoed softly in the small room. I was lost in sleepy thoughts when I heard the bathroom door open.
"Asia? What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice low.
She didn't answer. Instead, she shut the door behind her.
*
*
*
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
P-atreon.com/palmer1998
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
In chapters R-18, there are original and exclusive images for the patreons!
Discord: https://discord.gg/2pn9Twxrng
NEXT CHAPTERS:
Chapter 80 - Hidden in the Rocks (R-18)
Chapter 79 - Bronzing Oil
Chapter 78 - Beach Volleyball
Chapter 77 - Juggernaut Drive
Chapter 76 - Against Kokabiel (Final Part)
Chapter 75 - Against Kokabiel (Part 2)
Chapter 74 - Against Kokabiel (Part 1)
Chapter 73 - Consequence of Evil Nature
Chapter 72 - My Battle against Raynare
Chapter 71 - Spear of Light
Chapter 69 - The Difference Between the Fallen Angels
Chapter 70 - The Return of Yumma
Chapter 68 - A Demon in a Church
Chapter 67 - Dragon Heart
Chapter 66 - Search Plan
Chapter 65 - Rias Gremory's Bottom Lips
Chapter 64 - The Servant and the Master (R-18)
Chapter 63 - A nun with no regrets (R-18)
Chapter 62 - Surprise from Asia (R-18)