│1st Person POV of Meliodas│
[Underworld Realm, Leviathan City, Iwaki's Japanese Food Corner…]
After Iwaki finished speaking, it took me several seconds to formulate a response.
"I am sorry to say this but there are some plot holes in your tale, Mr. Iwaki."
Iwaki appeared both surprised and offended by my comment, but before he could respond, I added while raising a hand, "Let me explain, Mr. Iwaki."
Seeing him nod, I continued, "First, why didn't you accept Serafall's offer to join her Peerage? Becoming a Devil would have let you overcome your limit and may even have allowed you to become strong enough to kill Augusta by yourself.
"Second, you could have also proposed this same Deal to Serafall. I am sure she would have accepted it in a heartbeat.
"Third, Incinerate Anthem is a special Sacred Gear that can get transferred to another user of its own will even when its current user hasn't died yet.
"Augusta may have just told you a made up story just for the heck of it and maybe your lover is alive somewhere out there."
Seeing his eyes lit up with a hopeful glint, I added, "Or, she may also have been telling the truth at that time."
"You are an asshole!"
"I was merely listing the various possibilities," I replied while making a placating gesture, "Anyway, do you have any explanation for the first two points?"
A moment of silence enveloped us as Iwaki took his time to come up with a response, "You are right. If I had accepted Leviathan-san's offer, I may have become stronger than Augusta.
"However, I am sure that if I had done so, our bond would have become stronger. That isn't something I want to happen because once I had my revenge, I would have chosen to take my life as well.
"I want to be together with my love in the afterlife after all. That is why, I didn't want to subject Leviathan-san to unnecessary grief when the time comes."
This man… I can't understand his thought process at all.
"As for why I didn't try to make this Deal with Leviathan-san? Well, I wanted to do that at first. But before I could do so, I learned that Augusta had some connections with Satanael, one of the Fallen Angel Cadres.
"If Leviathan-san acted against Augusta, there was a risk that Satanael, and by extension, the Fallen Angels could have discovered it.
"They could have used this against the Devils and made trouble for Leviathan-san, maybe even igniting the Great War again.
"I didn't want that to occur. However, you are different—you're a genius on par with Ajuka. I'm confident you could come up with some ways to discreetly deal with Augusta without anyone ever discovering it.
"I don't know exactly how strong you are, however, I can at least feel that you're stronger than Augusta was at that time.
"With your strength, along with your smarts, I am sure you are more than qualified to take revenge for me. That is why, I hope you accept my Deal."
"You are quite good at throwing out praises, Mr. Iwaki," I commented.
In response, Iwaki sprouted an embarrassed expression for a moment before schooling his features with a cough.
I thought about everything he had told me until now and pondered on how to go about this.
"Hmm… Do you happen to have an item that held significant meaning to your lover?" I asked after a moment of thought.
Iwaki, although looking unsure as to why I asked this question, nodded.
I elaborated after seeing his expression, "I will need that item to determine whether your lover is really dead."
"I will be right back."
Leaving those few behind, Iwaki surrounded himself in a cloak of Lightning before he quickly made his way upstairs.
'Huh.. Would you look at that! Even an old dog like him can learn new moves.'
It didn't take long for him to come back with a staff in hand. Dispersing the lightning cloak, he said while presenting the staff, "This is the staff she has been using since becoming a Master Magician."
I took the staff from his hands. Before I could proceed further, a thought came to me and I couldn't help but comment, "By the way, you haven't yet mentioned your lover's name. Is there any specific reason?"
"Huh..? No, no, nothing like that. Her name was Natalia Woodman." Iwaki responded.
"Woodman? Is she a descendent of William Robert Woodman? One of the three founders of Golden Dawn?"
Iwaki nodded. Then, he suddenly froze mid-action. "'Is?'" He muttered in a low voice before asking out loud, "You said 'is'. Does that mean she is alive?"
"Just wait a moment and I will clear your doubt."
He looked confused but acquiesced and stepped back.
Focusing, I attempted to use the function of the Essence of the Binder that allowed me to mark dead beings and revive them.
The result came as positive, which means Natalia is indeed dead.
However, I didn't say that to Iwaki, "Well, I am sorry to say but your girlfriend is indeed dead. However, don't feel sad, Mr. Iwaki, as I can revive her."
Iwaki looked devastated after hearing the first part before showing disbelief. "Really?!" He asked.
I nodded and elaborated, "Really. But, I will only do so for a price."
"I am willing to pay any price if you can really revive her, Meliodas."
"I will revive your girlfriend and even retrieve her Sacred Gear from Augusta. In exchange, you will have to join my Peerage and be my personal cook for eternity."
"Deal!"
I was happy after seeing him accept the deal without any hesitation.
"You will have to wait for a few more days before you will get to reunite with your wife. And also, only you and your wife will know that I resurrected her and no one else, alright?
"I don't want anyone else to know about this ability of mine. Not yet."
If I wanted, I could have just lied and said his girlfriend was alive and pretended to find her being kept somewhere out there.
However, by telling the truth, I am getting Iwaki to join my Peerage. I don't care about his mediocre talent as that can be fixed by giving him access to Blank through Binder.
I want him in my Peerage because I really value his ability as a chef.
Additionally, I have a perfect explanation for my ability to resurrect someone who has been dead for quite some time now.
Soon enough, Valerie's strength will grow to the point that the seal on her Sacred Gear will dissolve and once she awakens the Sephiroth Graal, everyone close to me will know about it anyway.
"As you wish, My King."
Huh. It seems he has accepted his position in my Peerage already.
"There's still a small problem with this Deal, Mr. Iwaki," As he looked at me with furrowed eyebrows, I continued, "Once you become a Devil, you will outlive your lover, you know. What are your thoughts regarding this?"
"So, if you're mentioning this, you must already have a plan, right? And let me guess—it involves getting her to join your Peerage?"
I gave him a bright smile in response to his jab.
"Well, well, well. It's always fun to interact with smart people. Also, I am sure I can help you gain the rank of High-Class Devil in no time.
"When that happens and you gain your own Evil Pieces, I will transfer her to your Peerage right away. I am a very generous Devil, right? Right?"
Iwaki sighed and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. You are indeed generous. I can't deny that as the Deal we made seems to be very much in my favor."
I laughed a little at his admission before we ended our secret conversation and went back to join the rest.
Meanwhile, I assigned Aurora to make some plans on how to deal with Augusta.
=+=+=+=< Scene Break >=+=+=+=
│1st Person POV of Meliodas│
[Underworld Realm, New Lilith, Lucifer's Castle, Devil Courtroom…]
It wasn't surprising that Cleria decided to handle this matter in such a way.
Yesterday, after interrogating the ones who attacked her and her Peerage, she contacted her cousin, Diehauser Belial, and disclosed everything to him.
Of course, she kept the existence of her mysterious sponsor a secret.
Well, more like she couldn't tell anything about me to anyone without my explicit permission.
Leaving that aside, a few hours ago, Lord Belial, Diehauser's father, summoned the entire Devil Council for an emergency meeting.
Only the Lords of the Pillar Houses and the Satans have the authority to do this.
Even the Lords' authority is limited, as once they called for an emergency meeting, they couldn't do it again before ten years had passed.
Only the Satans have the right to call for an emergency meeting anytime they wish.
Although the Lords of the Extra Demon Clans and the Devils with Ultimate Class Ranks have the right to participate and vote in the Devil Council, they don't have any such authority.
The meeting will start in a few minutes and all participants have arrived.
The meeting was taking place in a huge courtroom located in Lucifer's Castle.
At the far end of the room, there were four majestic thrones on a raised platform for each of the Four Satans.
Right now, Sirzechs and Ajuka were occupying the thrones in the middle, while Serafall and Uncle Flabi occupied the thrones at the ends.
Before the throne room, a long, crimson carpet stretched from the entrance of the courtroom to the foot of the Satans' thrones.
On each side of the carpet, numerous ornate high-backed chairs were occupied by the Lords of the Pillar Houses and Extra Demon Clans, and Ultimate Ranked Devils.
However, the number of empty chairs was higher in comparison to the occupied ones.
I stood behind my father's seat. He had begun bringing me to Council Meetings a few months ago to observe how our government operated.
There were also other Heirs present as well. Like Ruval Phenex, Diehauser Belial, etc. Though no Heir was as young as me.
As Heirs, we couldn't do anything other than observe. If we had something we wanted to say to the Council, we would have to gain permission from the Satans before the meeting started.
Soon, the time for the meeting to start arrived. A herald positioned near the Satans' thrones announced its commencement.
Lord Belial rose from his seat and took center stage. Bowing to the Satans, he began, "Lord Lucifer, Lord Beelzebub, Lord Asmodeus, Lady Serafall, I have some troubling news to share."
After receiving a nod from the Satans, he continued, "Yesterday, my niece, Cleria Belial, and her Peerage were attacked in the Human World, within her own territory.
"All the attackers were Devils, and the one leading them was none other than Lord Bael's Queen."
Low exclamations rippled through the courtroom following Lord Belial's declaration.
Most participants turned their gaze toward Lord Bael, curious to see his reaction, only to find him seemingly unfazed by the accusation.
"Cleria Belial... If I recall correctly, she oversees a town in Japan called Kouh Town, right?" Serafall's question echoed through the room, silencing the murmurs.
Lord Belial responded, "Yes, Lady Leviathan."
"Continue."
"Great Satans, I request your permission to summon Cleria to the courtroom. She can provide a clearer explanation of why she was attacked and the information she gathered during the interrogation of the attackers."
"You have our consent," Sirzechs declared.
The next moment, the courtroom doors opened, and Cleria Belial entered after the herald announced her name. She approached the Satans' thrones, bowed to them, and then took her place beside Lord Belial.
Only after receiving permission from the Satans did Cleria start speaking, "Great Satans, the reason I was attacked was because they wished to silence me after I discovered the existence of the King Piece."
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A/N: Here's another Chapter of your favorite DxD Fic.
If you see any mistakes, please don't hesitate to point it out.
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As of now, this is how far along each story is.
First Tier:- Five Advanced Chapters for the following stories:
>>One Piece: As Portgas D. Ace.
>>One Piece: Copying The Phoenix Fruit At The Beginning.
>>DxD | A Devil with Three Essences.
>>Chaos' Chaotic Snippets.
Second Tier:- Seven Advanced Chapters for the following stories:
>>One Piece: As Portgas D. Ace.
>>DxD | A Devil with Three Essences.
>>Chaos' Chaotic Snippet.
So this is how it is. If you are joining my Patreon for my One Piece TL fic, don't purchase the Second Tier as I haven't yet posted any chapters for that fic in this Tier yet.
Also, while your support would be appreciated, don't feel pressured to join. I'll upload stuff outside it and not keeping it behind a paywall forever.
Anyway, Good day. See ya guys later.