True Magician (Fate/Grand Order / High School DxD(Multi)

[mirzael]

Kuoh Academy.
Ranking Game Day.

- "I give up." Riser stated in a feignedly pitiful tone while Issei stood over him in his Balance Breaker.

- "Riser Phenex admits defeat. The victory goes to Rias Gremory." Greyfia's voice echoed through the arena, ending the game.

Well, it went about the same as in canon, except for the last scene.

He had planned to win at first, but when Issei used the Balance Crusher, he decided to give in after all. And that way there would be no questions from the demons about him losing, even though he could have single-handedly scattered Rias' entire retinue. And neither her nor his reputation would suffer.

Heh. Playing the pompous and self-righteous jerk has its perks, eh?

And at those thoughts, I waved my hand, and the screen in front of me disappeared. And my gaze slowly drifted toward another person present in the medical room.

- "Why are you looking at me like that, Romani-sensei?" She asked incomprehensively.

- "Don't play dumb, Alaya. In canon, Riser wins the game, not loses it, right?" I asked her, to which I got a nod, "And if that's the case, why don't you say anything about it?"

- "Well... Issei beat him."

- "At the wedding, not in the game."

- "But the bottom line is the same."

- "So, it's the outcome that matters, not the events leading up to it, right?"

- "Uh-huh. But that's what I said, right?"

- "Actually, no." I rubbed my temples.

Yeah... And how this world hasn't fallen into oblivion yet... I guess that's the cost of Mankind's overly human Unconscious Will. But thanks for confirming my theory that the order of events is not important, only the outcome.

Right. The next arc is Kokabiel, and if my memory serves me right, Issei didn't defeat him, but was captured by Vali and imprisoned in Cocytus, and now all I have to do is wait for the arrival of the two "competent" owners of Excalibur. Well, and start thinking of a plan to reskin him, though that will require me to contact the descendants of the local King Arthur.

- "Skipping class is bad, Aika-san," I said, coming out of my thoughts, "Get out of here."

- "But, sensei..."

- "Shoo-shoo, I said."

Alaya made a pouty face and walked out of the medical room, stomping loudly on the floor.

I guess I can sleep for the rest of the day.

-0-

West of England.

I didn't get much sleep. Why not? Alarm bells went off in my head when I sensed that TWO Shadow Servants had arrived at once. Not only that, as Merlin was acting suspiciously quiet and the Shadow Servants' mana was flaring up every now and then, apparently from using Noble Phantasm.

When I arrived, I saw a huge, ornate mansion in typical English style. Well, or rather, it had once been so, as half of this mansion was now in ruins. And a huge crevice in the ground that started within the building extended hundreds of meters away from it, and ominous red lightning crackled near the place where I appeared. It appeared to me that the place was a garden or something, like in those old-fashioned movies.

As I looked around, my hearing picked up a rather mature male scream filled with rage.

- "Die!"

It was followed by the sound of metal clinking, like swords clashing. Heading in his direction, I entered the mansion and saw a middle-aged man with blue eyes and blonde hair who looked very shabby, and the numerous wounds and cuts on his body were bleeding. He glared fiercely at the Shadow Servant dressed in gray armor with red stripes on it. And watching them from the second floor balcony was a second Servant, dressed in a dark-colored dress with blue lines, and in her hand she held something between a spear, an axe, and a staff in the same color scheme.

My eyebrow twitched and my hand started rubbing my face, foreshadowing a HUGE headache.

Great... Truly great... Mordred and Morgan le Fay... Why the hell are there so many Servants associated with the legend of King Arthur!

- "Оh? We have company? How unexpected." The sensual voice of Morgan noticing my presence.

- "Just passing through, Your Majesty," I said calmly and bowed respectfully, "May I ask you a question?"

- "I allow it, Magician."

Uh-huh. Fairy eyes. So, the Berserker from the lostbelt. Uh-huh.

- "Why are you in your right mind? I'm sure you know you're a Shadow Servant, and the Beast whispers to you. But somehow, you're quite yourself, and so is Mordred."

The Knight of Betrayal grinned savagely, using the middle-aged man as a punching bag. But she didn't hit any vital organs.

- "Оh? Is that what you mean?" She asked and began to slowly descend and then walk towards me, "Do you think such trivial things can affect the Queen of the Fairies, Magician?"

- "I suppose you're right," I replied, keeping my gaze on her veiled face, "But still, what are you doing here? And who is this man?"

- "You already know the answer to your questions, Magician. I'm sure you know a lot more than you're letting on." she replied, reaching me.

- "Heh, your fairy eyes see right through me, huh?" I grinned, "But still, I don't think you decided to attack the Pendragon mansion for nothing."

Boom.

A loud sound echoed down the hall, and shifting my gaze in his direction, I saw Mordred walking slowly in our direction, with Clarent over his shoulder and Uther Pendragon buried under a column of concrete and dust at the other end of the room.

- "Who is he, mother?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

- "Well, well, well. Be nice to our guest, Mordred, he's a Magician. A polite magician, at that. Not like that flower bastard."

- "Bleh, I don't care." The Knight of Betrayal shrugged and walked past us and sat down on one of the large rocks.

Yeah. That's a fine character. That's why she's a top waifu, though.

- "The visit here was driven by my curiosity. I wanted to see the descendants of my sister of this world."

- "I suppose it was a disappointing sight?" I shrugged, already assuming the answer.

- "You have no idea how much, Magician. But why are you here?"

- "It can't be explained in two words, Your Majesty. But if you try to do so… keeping the plot alive."

- "Plot? Interesting." She was interested.

I sighed tiredly and snapped my fingers, creating a table with three chairs. There were two glasses of wine for Morgan and me, and a steak for Mordred.

- "Have a seat. Explanation will take time."

-0-

A while later.

- "It doesn't make any sense." Morgan listened to my explanation and sipped aristocratically from her glass.

- "Uh-huh. Absolute nonsense." Mordred added, chewing on her fifth steak.

Apparently a black hole instead of a stomach is hereditary. And Servants don't actually need food.

- "You think I have other ideas about that?" I grinned and took a sip, too, "Anyway, I suggest you join me."

- "What is my benefit, Magician?"

- "Mana. I can provide you with it, since you are a Servant, Your Majesty. You can draw it from the ley-lines, but then there's a chance of provoking powerful beings you don't want to provoke, the concepts of Dream and Infinity, for example, or the various gods, since you've probably realized by now that the Age of Gods didn't end here. Besides, you won't be the only Servants in my care."

- "Оh? Such as?" she asked interestedly.

- "Your sister, Flower Pervert, and the Knight of the Lake."

At those words, both Mordred and Morgan froze. An evil smile appeared on the Fairy Queen's face, and the Knight of Betrayal....

- "Father... is... here?" She asked. Her eyes didn't blink, and her hands clenched the cutlery so tightly that it turned into scrap metal.

- "Wow. What a magnificent wedding gift you have given, my husband." Morgan said sensually a few seconds later.

I froze and stared at her incredulously.

Stop. I think I heard something completely illogical. Ah, no. For a Berserker with Madness Enhancement of rank EX, it's quite logical... Maybe I should have just used Solomon's Noble Phantasm and blown the hell out of both the Servants and the mansion? And where the hell is Merlin? I don't want to get all the attention of the Fairy Queen in one go. Uh-huh-uh.

- "Mother? Don't you think that's illogical?" Mordred asked incomprehensively, directing her gaze at Morgan.

- "Listen to your child, Your Majesty. I am no match for you." I added, trying to ignore the look she was sending me.

- "Оh? Is that what you think, Magician? I think you're perfect for me," she said in a confident tone, "Only someone extraordinary could be my husband, and you have True Magic."

And while I was thinking how I could refute her point of view, even though I realized that asking a Berserker with Madness Enhancement Rank EX was useless, my senses picked up a sudden burst of magic. And turning in his direction, I saw a slit appear in the air, from which two clearly familiar people emerged. Le Fay Pendragon and Arthur Pendragon.

- "Оh? More guests?" Morgan said, staring in their direction, and froze once more when her fairy eyes told her who they were and a smirk appeared on her face, "Very interesting guests."

- "Who are you?" With his sword at the ready, Arthur asked and pointed at the ruined mansion, while Le Fay hid behind his back and peered out from there, "Is this your doing?"

You couldn't have picked any other time to show up, hmm? Ah, stop. Arthur left the house because of the maid, right? And apparently, when he heard the situation, he rushed here to rescue her.

- "Have a seat, my sister's descendants. We have much to talk about." Morgan said with a sweet smile on her face and dragged them telekinesis to the table, immobilizing the poor souls and creating seats for them. Arthur and Le Fay could only blink in incomprehension and stare warily at me, Morgan, and Mordred.

Yeah... What's my luck parameter there? А++? That's a lie, I'll tell you that.

-0-

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[mirzael]

Pendragon Mansion.

A nice, cool breeze caressed my face, while the sun hung high in the sky and birds chirped melodiously in the nearby forest. And all this beautiful picture was spoiled by the oppressive atmosphere at the table at the dilapidated Pendragon mansion.

- "So, you bear big father's name, eh?" Mordred asked with a challenge in her voice, looking at Arthur, "Weak."

- "Well, well. Don't be so rude, my child," Morgan said with a sweet smile on her face, "It's not his fault it doesn't match 'his' name."

Yep. Let's talk about the extremely beautiful character of one ultra strong witch and her super rebellious daughter. Love/hate for her 'father' Mordred and pathological jealousy of her 'brother' Morgan, even though she's from the lostbelt where she ruled Fairy Britain.

Arthur acted very wisely by remaining silent in response. Though his very hard stare in Mordred's direction made it clear that he noticed how the Knight of Betrayal put it.

- "W-why are you insulting my brother?" Le Fay cautiously asked, "And who are you people? You feel so... familiar."

- "My husband, would you be so kind as to introduce us?" Morgan turned to me with a wide grin on her face, "It seems our guests still haven't realized who we are."

- "Do I have to be your husband, Your Majesty?" I asked in a tired tone, putting my palm to my face.

- "You shouldn't ask such obvious things, my husband. You already know my answer, don't you?" she replied smugly.

- "You know what? Fuck it," I waved my hand, "The one in the armor is Mordred, Knight of Betrayal, and the one in the dress, whose conceit shines brighter than Rhongomyniad, is Morgan Le Fay."

Arthur's and Le Fay's eyes widened, and their mouths opened so wide that they looked like they could fit a basketball in them. His brother's glasses skewed in a second shudder, and his sister stared at Morgan with unblinking eyes.

- "Y-you..." she murmured in a shaky voice.

- "Yes, little one. And I find it very amusing that you were named after me," Morgan said with amusement in her voice, "And that goes for your brother, too."

- "But why did you name us after your 'sister' and not your 'brother'?" Arthur asked calmly.

- "You've already guessed why, haven't you, boy?"

- "But..."

- "Listen, Arthur," I intervened. At the same time, Mordred made a face when she heard me say that name, and Morgan grinned, "I suggest you simply accept the fact that King Arthur was a girl. Any further resistance or doubt will only damage your mind. Trust me."

- "Okay." he sighed tiredly and nodded. And there was silence at the table.

How wise. He just took my advice. He'll go far. And Le Fay is still silent and silent.....

- "By the way, why are you even here, kid?" Mordred asked me casually.

- "Even if Uther Pendragon isn't the best father, I understand his decisions. And... I'd rather he didn't die of old age," Arthur replied, then looked at Morgan, "He's not dead, is he?"

- "Tattered, unconscious, but alive," I answered in her place and pointed to a small pile of concrete and plaster, "He's over there."

- "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get him out of there and check his condition." Arthur stood up and headed towards the slide.

Le Fay hid her eyes and clutched her hat nervously as her brother left to trash their father.

Impressive. Arthur realizes that both he and his sister are of interest to Morgan, so he's not too worried about Le Fay's safety, at least not as obviously. Also, he didn't mention the maid who caused him to leave the house. Heh.

- "Le Fay," I called out to her, from which she cautiously looked up, and created a cup of tea in front of her, "Calm down. Have some tea and relax a bit. You and your brother are in no danger, since Morgan isn't vindictive enough to harm you two. Well, at least not unless you insult her badly or something."

- "O-okay." She muttered nervously, and took the cup carefully and sipped from it.

Yeah... I feel like I'm bullying a schoolgirl....

- "Оh? You know me so well, my husband. Do you still have doubts that we're not right for each other?" Morgan said sneeringly.

- "I suggest we leave that topic for another day, Your Majesty," I said and turned to Le Fay, "I see you have questions. You may ask them."

The little witch paused for a moment.

- "Weren't Sir Mordred and Morgan Le Fay dead a long time ago?" Gaining her courage, she asked, "A-and... their magical signature is very spirit-like... Are they ghosts?"

- "In principle, you're right. Her Majesty and her 'son' are dead, and the ones sitting at this table now are a metaphysical digital copy of them, with all their memories, character, abilities and so on, but with a flavor of magic. You could say you're looking at the real-life Knight of Betrayal and King Arthur's older sister."

- "I... understand. Thank you for explaining," Le Fay muttered and stood up and bowed to them, "It's a pleasure to meet you, honorable ancestors."

- "Yeah, as you wish." Mordred shrugged her shoulders and stood up from the table and walked toward Arthur. "I'll go keep an eye on the boy. Talking is not my thing."

- "Oh, how cute you are," Morgan smiled and examined Le Fay, "Hm? You are very talented in magic. You remind me of me when I was young, so innocent and naive."

- "T-thank you." She hesitated and sat back down, covering her face with her hat.

- "Tell me about yourself and your brother." The Queen of the Fairies said with a hand on her head and leaned on the table.

- "Well... I studied at the Golden Dawn, one of the main magical associations. There I learned the spells I use... And my brother...."

- "What about him?" Morgan asked with interest.

- "Well..." Le Fay procrastinated, pondering whether to share this information.

- "About the same thing as Artoria, only with less Caliburn-related problems," I answered for her, "Romance with his maid in the Pendragon mansion left the house, taking the aforementioned sword with him, followed by Le Fay herself. Basically, it's no big deal."

- "Оh? So you came here because of that maid?" Morgan asked.

- "And because of my father too," Le Fay nodded cautiously, "And like my brother said, he's not a bad father, he just doesn't know how to do things differently."

- "In that, they're alike." Queen of Fairies grinned.

Heh. Morgan's father trusted Merlin too much. And that was his biggest mistake, but then again, he couldn't have done it any other way. Because the timeline would have become a lost belt with the wrong history of the world. Or destroyed altogether at the instigation of Alaya and her Counter-Guardians. Besides, women rulers weren't exactly favored in those days. But Morgan was a fairy, and a strong one at that.

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the two witches were already talking passionately about magic and how to use it. Apparently, the Fairy Queen had decided to take on an apprentice. Hopefully, little Le Fay won't turn into another Morgan. Though the circumstances are different, so it's unlikely.

- "In any case, I'll take my leave as I don't want to meddle in your family's affairs. The note with my address is on the table, so if you want to come over," I stood up from the table, leaving the note on it, and then turned towards Le Fay, "That goes for you and your brother as well. I wish I could talk to you, but I see the circumstances aren't right."

- "But we don't know where your home is."

- "A certain black cat will tell us the way," I rolled my eyes and Le Fay gave me a surprised look, "Did she really think she could go unnoticed?"

Kuroka has been hanging around my house for a week now. However, it wasn't me who noticed her, but Grandpa. And he was even impressed with her disguise skills. I guess it's because of her senjutsu skills. But I didn't understand why she was watching me. I didn't interact with her sister, and there can't be any other reason. At least, I don't think so.

And on those thoughts, I teleported away.

-0-

Unknown location.

But I wasn't at home, and the first thing my eyes noticed were three teenagers: one with a spear, the second on his left was wearing glasses, and the third on the right had a decent amount of muscle.

- "Good afternoon, Romani Archaman," the one with the spear began, "My name is Cao Cao, and I am the head of the Hero Faction. To my left is Georg, and to my right is Heracles."

My eyebrow twitched, I can't remember which time today.

Is that too much to ask?! Just a break for a day or two, for crying out loud!

- "And I'd like to invite you to join a stronghold of Humanity." He finished solemnly, looking at me with interested eyes.

But then, a wide grin appeared on my face, showing all thirty-two teeth.

I needed an outlet, though.

-0-

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[mirzael]

An unknown place.

- "Humanity's stronghold, you say?"

- "That's right! We are the descendants of great heroes, and our goal is to save people from the tyranny of arrogant, disgusting and cruel supernatural beings!" Heracles intervened, puffing up his chest proudly.

This is such obvious propaganda that I don't even know what to say. And actually, it sounds like bullshit.

- "Oh, it does? But it's still not clear to me what this has to do with me." I said disinterestedly, starting to clean my ear with my little finger.

- "Romani Archaman, you don't need to hide your power," Cao Cao said in a soothing tone that made my eyebrow twitch, "I'm not much of a magician, but Georg is. He has labeled you as a very talented magician, and we would like you to join our cause." Humanity needs people like you.

- "Marked? Is he some new species of humanoid mammal?"

- "You're wrong," Georg said irritably and adjusted his glasses, "Our leader simply chose the wrong word. But he's right nonetheless. If my observations are correct, and they are, then you are a very promising mage, because your mana reserves are twice as high as those of the average human."

Hmmm... And that's what he considers a talent? Apparently, they're severely understaffed. And it's probably because of Gilgamesh's attacks on them.

- "Oh... So you've been watching me like a common pervert?" I made a face, "Disgusting."

- "You misunderstood, Mr. Archaman," Cao Cao tried to keep a smile on his face, "We are constantly watching people, looking for talents among them. And we need people like you."

- "Oh, p…"

- "Why are we being ceremonious with him, Cao Cao? We could just take him by force." Heracles interrupted me.

This ghoul is starting to annoy me. And the fact that he goes by the same name as Berserker makes him as ridiculous as possible.

- "Okay, I get it. You're just a bunch of perverts consisting of a stalker, a humanoid mammal, and a 'special' gym-goer. I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in your merry band." I waved it off.

Cao Cao and Georg were quite tolerant of my character, unlike the third member of their group....

- "That's it! You're coming with us!" Heracles shouted and, stretching out his fist, came at me... However, he was blocked by the blue magic circle with Solomon's seal, which I, of course, hid.

His impact with the circle released a small wave of power. Not bad... for a Servant with power rank E. Heracles' eyes widened in surprise, and Cao Cao and George's gazes became serious.

- "Oh? Would you be so kind as to not come within ten meters of me? I wouldn't want your 'special' vibes to get on me." I said and lightly waved my hand in his direction.

And from this movement there was a strong stream of wind, which threw Heracles and sealed him into the nearest cliff, forcing him to fly five hundred meters. And my eyes only now discerned the environment I was in. It was some rocky terrain with all the rocks, trees, and a big mountain in the distance. Well, that's a good place to go.

And most importantly, let off some steam.

- "By the way," I started casually, while Georg and Cao Cao were studying me and preparing for the fight, and a wide grin blossomed on my face, "Are you looking for new members so zealously because of a certain blond man with red eyes and his friend with green hair?"

- "How do you know that?" Georg tensed up.

- "Because he works for me, you humanoid mammal."

- "Bastard! Do you realize how many members we've lost!" he shrieked, and various magical circles appeared around him, "So much work has been lost for nothing and all because of you and your six!"

- "Why did you do it, Mr. Archaman?" Cao Cao asked me seriously and pointed the tip of his spear at me.

- "I didn't do anything," I shrugged my shoulders, to which I received surprised looks, "Believe it or not, I didn't give any orders. They just decided to take a walk and you just got unlucky. And besides, I wouldn't have joined you anyway. I don't like being around perverts."

- "I see..." Cao Cao nodded, "Then we have nothing more to talk about."

After he finished speaking, he instantly attacked and aimed his spear at my neck. And me? I just stood there. I didn't dodge or block, for I don't need to do that.

And when the True Longinus almost reached my skin, it stopped a centimeter away from me. Cao Cao thought it was some kind of magic and put more effort trying to pierce my neck, but the spear wouldn't budge or move an inch.

- "Oh, I forgot to mention," I tapped my fist on my head, acting like an anime girl who realized the mistake, "Your spear can't hurt me. Not at all. So if you have no other way to damage me, then just run like a scared rabbit."

And then he raised his hand and flicked it into the air in front of him. From which he flew away just like Heracles. But Cao Cao didn't fly for long, but slowed down with his spear and, having made a somersault, landed softly on the ground forty meters away from me. And in the center of his forehead, a large bruise from my flick was visible.

- "Why can't my spear hurt you, Mr. Archaman?" He asked tensely.

Because I am Solomon? As it turns out, anything where God's will is present cannot harm me. I guess that's the cost of recognizing the Almighty in Solomon. But, of course, I won't tell Cao Cao that.

- "Oh, I don't know..." I grinned, "Maybe the will of God, contained in the True Longinus, doesn't agree with your ideals?"

- "What are you…" he was about to continue asking questions, but he was interrupted by the loud shout of Heracles.

- "Here I come, you bastard!"

BOOM

A deafening explosion sounded, covering the space around me with dust and dirt.

Slowly turning towards the active defense circle, I saw Heracles standing in the Balance Breaker. His arms and shoulders were covered in missiles that resembled RPG shells. And one of them was still in contact with the circle.

- "Why can't I hit you!" he shrieked and swung for another blow.

- "Stop, Heracles!"

Of course, he didn't listen to his leader and started pounding the circle.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

- "Die, damn it! I am Heracles, descendant of Greece's strongest hero! I can't help but defeat you!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

And while he was trying to get through, I was reminded of a certain scene from the anime involving Romani and Goetia. Really, there's no punching involved.

- "How long are you going to put up with this buffoon, Romani?" Beast I asked.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

- "Come on. It doesn't make me uncomfortable." I replied, rolling my eyes.

- "Why aren't you dying!!!" Heracles growled madly, not stopping pounding.

- "You can finish it, though."

At these words, I snapped my fingers, applying 3rd magic, and he instantly froze and fell to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

- "Heracles!" Georg shrieked, and a purple mist covered Heracles' body, and a couple seconds later it was gone.

- "I didn't kill him, if anything," I shrugged and turned toward Cao Cao, "Where were we interrupted? Ah, yes. The ideals."

I paused.

- "You call yourself and your faction heroes. But all I see is a foolish child playing wargames and begging for attention. You're brash, cocky and manipulative. You want to fight, test yourself, and get glory. You don't care about people's lives, only your own. Why else would you gather like-minded people and brainwash them?"

- "We're heroes. We save people! What I'm doing is necessary!" he shouted.

- "Oh, is that what you're telling yourself? And stop using 'we' when all you care about is 'me'. After all, you're an even bigger child than I thought you were. You don't even realize that 'salvation' and 'heroes' are subjective. And you're fixated on the easiest way to achieve them: killing. And it doesn't matter how many lives you lay down on the way to 'salvation' and 'being a hero', whether innocent or not. No thoughts, no regrets. Nothing. All I see is a frog at the bottom of a well that has never seen the outside world and never will."

- "What are you…"

- "You're nothing. A cellophane transparent bag with no writing or prints. Useless trash and a parasite. Some tragic shit must have happened to you, and you went through some kind of training and learning about your 'true' self. And later at some point, the thought looped in your brain, 'I'll save them, because I'm a hero' and blah blah blah blah."

- "How…"

- "How did I know that? Your backstory and motivation is as clichéd as it could possibly be. You're a previously written story. An empty echo. You will not be heard of. You will not be remembered. You'll fade into oblivion just as you appeared. A trash who thinks he's a savior and a god."

He stared at me silently, his eyes clouded.

- "Cao Cao, descendant of the hero from the novel Three Kingdoms, owner of the True Longinus," I said in a measured tone, "Nobody. He was, is, and will be. Until the day he dies."

He didn't move, his empty eyes didn't blink, and his fingers clutched the spear until it bled.

Did I overdo it?

Georg, seeing the state Cao Cao was in, quickly activated his Sacred Gear, and fled, taking his leader with him.

Well, I've blown off some steam. Now it would be good to sleep for a day or two....

I activated the teleportation circle and disappeared from this place.

Yeah. Let's do that.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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[mirzael]

Kuoh Academy. Medical room.
Two days later.

I stood by the window and relaxed while sipping my coffee.

These couple days had been pretty peaceful. I had even managed to sleep without the interference of any supernatural beings.

The Servants' pastime has become a normal daily routine. Goetia now occasionally takes physical form and hangs out with Tiamat and Fou. Grandpa started training Hundred Face again, and sometimes, even Archer, who of course wasn't opposed to the idea. Medusa, Enkidu, and Artoria went shopping. Gilgamesh conversing with Merlin when the latter wasn't being pursued by Foe. And Hercules... just Hercules.

By the way, Morgan and Mordred still haven't visited me. Which I'm actually glad of, since their visit will make things very noisy.

And today is going to be a beautiful day, too. With no work or any other worries. At least, that's what I thought....

- "Romani Archaman, please report to the Student Council room," Tsubaki's voice came from the speakers, "Repeat. Romani Archaman, please report to the Student Council room."

I sighed.

Well, at least I had a couple days off.

-0-

Kuoh Academy. Student Council Room.

I burst in there as usual, without knocking and entering as if it were my home, and looked around. Apart from the usual inhabitants of this bureaucratic hell who looked as tired as possible, my eyes noticed a certain person in a pink magical girl costume.

- "Good afternoon, lovers of the smell of cellulose." I said hello and, walking inside, sat down opposite Sona, "What did you need my busy personality for? I was all about work, you know."

- "Romani-sensei, we both know that your words are nonsense." Keeping her composure, Sona said.

- "Now, now, So-tan. You're hurting my feelings," I said, clutching at my heart, and her glasses skewed, "But still, why do you need me? Don't tell me Archer won your heart, and you want my blessing?"

- "What?!" Saji shrieked.

- "So-tan?! That handsome, sarcastic, hot, arrogant, muscular and caustic bastard stole your heart!" Serafall flew up from her seat and started waving her fists around, "How dare he?! So-tan belongs only to me! I'll find him and catch him right now!"

Oh? An addition to Archer's harem? She didn't use the words 'castrate' or 'kill', just 'find' and 'catch'. Oh, and she described him... that way. Eroge Protagonist EX, I guess.

- "Enough!" Sona shouted, and her face turned redder than Emiya's cloak, "You promised you'd behave yourself, sister!"

- "Why are you red as a tomato then!!! Don't lie to your little sister!" Serafall pointed her finger at her.

- "You…"

Well, that's not going to move the conversation forward. Then...

- "For God's sake," I began, which made the demons in the room cringe in pain upon hearing the word, "I don't think he'll mind taking you both in, but I'm still curious as to why I'm here."

The Student Council members chuckled upon hearing me, and Tsubaki sighed tiredly. As for Saji? He just passed out either from anger or jealousy.

- "Really?!" Serafall asked excitedly.

Yeah. Plus one victim of Emiya.

- "Sensei, shut up... Or I'll shut you up," Sona said with a deadpan look at me and the water snakes behind her, then turned to her sister, "And you too. Otherwise I won't talk to you for a month."

I grinned and raised my hands in a surrendering gesture, and Serafall instantly sat back in her seat and assumed the pose of a model schoolgirl.

- "Okay," Sona nodded and put her snakes away, "Sensei, my sister wanted to talk to you about Archer."

- "Right. I hope you'll answer my question." Serafall said, taking a serious look.

Oh? Interesting.

- "Of course," I shrugged, "But you do realize I could be lying right?"

- "That's for me to judge, Romani-san."

Wow. Seeing a serious Serafall is so unusual. It's like I'm looking at a completely different person. It's true that her outfit didn't match her mood at all.

- "And my question is, what is he, Romani-san?"

- "A person?"

- "That's not what I meant. When Sona informed me that she would be trained by a man, my opinion was rather skeptical. And later, when I saw him with my own eyes, I had questions."

- "Such as?"

- "I know the terms of your and Sirzechs's contract," she said in a serious tone, which was not unexpected, "But it bothers me that a strong man like Archer is around my sister and training her."

Oh? She brought up that very topic? Well, I can't blame her for that. One Caladbolg can wipe an entire Kuoh to dust, since Archer gets a limitless supply of mana from me. And need I mention the spamming of Excalibur shots?

- "Lady Leviathan, why are you so wary of Archer-sensei?" Tsubaki asked cautiously, "We know he's powerful, but is he that strong?"

- "This Archer is at least on the level of the Sirzechs Knight, Okita Soji," Serafall stated, to which she received stunned looks from Sona's entire entourage. Especially Sona herself, "I've seen how he moves and how much he holds back. And that worried me."

I'd say Archer is stronger than that. One Gae Bolg and that's it.

- "He's not as dangerous as you think. Although he's an annoying bastard, but hurting someone for no reason isn't his profile."

- "Maybe. But a man with that kind of power and in dangerous proximity to my sister still makes me uneasy," she insisted, "What if he thinks Sona and her entourage are a threat?"

- "Then talk to him in person and get to know him," I rolled my eyes, then smirked, "But be careful."

- "What do you mean?" She asked cautiously.

- "You could be the fifth? Yes, his fifth woman. Well, and Sona's sixth, if things keep going the way they are."

The reaction was immediate. It amazes me how quickly this woman's moods can change.

- "Noooo! I'm not giving him So-tan!" Serafall shrieked, breaking out of her serious mode and leaping at Sona, enclosing her in a bear hug, "She's mine alone!"

Sona herself froze, straddling the statue, and seconds later threw her sister off of her and ran out of the Student Council room with tears in her eyes.

- "Sis, I hate you!"

- "I'm sorry, So-tan!" Serafall rushed after her, "I won't do it again!"

Yeah. Classic. It's a lot more fun to watch it live than on the screen, though.

As the duo left the room, there was silence. No one said anything, and Tsubaki rubbed her temples tiredly.

- "I... apologize for this scene," she bowed, "I hope you will forget this incident."

- "How could I forget it?" I grinned and stood up from my seat and headed for the exit, "Now that we're done, I'll get back to work. And you probably need a way to keep this whole thing quiet."

- "You mean slack?" Tsubasa asked with a wry smile, "You're right, though. We have plenty to do."

- "Good luck then."

And with those words, I left the Student Council room, ignoring her comment.

-0-

Emiya Residence.

Upon returning home, I found none of the residents of the residence. None at all. Not even Fou, who usually slept in one of the rooms or on Tiamat's head. And Hercules, usually standing outside, had also gone somewhere. And I have no idea where or why at all. Though it's likely Grandfather is here somewhere, it's just not realistic to spot him.

Shrugging, I collapsed on the couch and was about to snuggle up for dinner, but suddenly the doorbell rang, though I obviously wasn't expecting anyone.

Ding dong.

Walking to the door and opening it, I slammed my palm sharply on my face, heralding a headache. And Goetia's caustic laughter wasn't helping the cause at all.

- "Good evening, Mr. Archaman," the guest bowed, as did the other two behind him, and smiled politely, "I'm delighted to meet you in person. Can we come in?"

- "You know what? Exclusively to avoid an even bigger headache than it already is, I'll let you in." I said in an irritable tone and let the guests inside.

- "We apologize for the visit," they bowed again and went inside.

They sat down on a vacant couch and behaved as modestly as possible, though their eyes stayed on me as I sat across from them.

The silence lasted about a minute or so before I decided to start talking.

- "So. Pardon my French, but what the hell are two archangels and a nun with an indecent body doing here?"

The man kept a calm smile on his face, the woman pouted, and the nun cast an uncertain look at me, as if deciding how to react to my words to her.

Yep. Michael, Gabriel, and Griselda, respectively. I think the decision to reveal ourselves was a hasty one.

- "We would like to personally welcome the reincarnation of a man whose wisdom the Father has personally recognized," Michael said with a note of awe, "We are truly pleased to welcome the reincarnation of Solomon, King of Israel."

He then stood up, as did the other two, and all three bowed once more. For the THIRD time, please note.

- "Didn't I tell you to get used to the attention, Romani?" Goetia asked with a sneer in his voice, "How embarrassing, eh? Such scrutiny, and from two archangels, representatives of the highest ranks of Heaven itself... You want to run away and hide somewhere, don't you?"

I'll send you away, you bastard. Twice. For this and the last time you made a joke about me. You bet I will.

Looking around at the trio, I saw pure respect and acceptance in their eyes... Which made me rub my temples hard.

Fuck.

Maybe I should just erase their memories.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
My P.a.t.r.e.o.n: P.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m/mirzael
You'll be able to read more chapters there.

 

[mirzael]

Emiya residence.

I had finished my fourth cup of coffee during the silence. Which did nothing to lower my headache and irritation level.

- "Is our visit inconveniencing you, Mr. Romani?" Michael asked cautiously, seeing my irritation, which I didn't try to hide.

- "Oh, my God. How could you think that?" I indignantly pressed my palm to my face, "A humble man like me was visited by such distinguished and majestic guests as you. I am so filled with joy that I cannot contain my smile. Don't you see that?"

The Leader of the Heavens still kept a smile on his face, Gabriel looked at me incomprehensibly, and Griselda's eyebrow twitched.

What else did they expect after arriving here in person? Don't they realize that demons won't sit idly by when not one, but two archangels arrived in Kuoh? I have no doubt that Sirzechs and Serafall are already tearing up at this news.

- "Whose fault is this?" I heard Goetia in my head, "I remember it was your decision to reveal yourself to the archangel, wasn't it, Romani? What's the saying? 'You fight for what you fight for, you get what you get'?"

- "I didn't know that two archangels would show up here at once," I answered him, "And why am I justifying myself to you?"

- "Because you admit your stupidity?" he said with undisguised sneer.

- "Dreaming is not a bad time…"

I was about to contradict him when Michael interrupted my conversation with Goetia.

- "I suppose our visit was unexpected," he said, "but we couldn't help but do it."

- "Because of my humble personality, I take it?"

- "You yourself must realize that Solomon's personality is of great importance not only to Heaven, but to the entire Biblical faction," he began with admiration in his voice, "Even apart from his... special fascination with women, he was probably one of the greatest Saints in history. And the entire Council of Archangels considered him an extremely important person, since Father himself recognized him."

Hehe. At the mention of God, he became sad, and Gabriel's eyes began to water.

Yeah, yeah, God is dead... I wouldn't say that, though. His will still exists in the True Longinus, and if I wanted to, resurrecting him wouldn't be a problem. But would it be worth it? I don't know, I don't know.

- "On that basis, we would like you to be part of the Church. And according to my sister, your personality is a replica of the original Solomon. Only with less attraction to women and a rougher personality."

- "Rough? I'm telling it like it is, not mincing words. If someone's an asshole, they're an asshole. No buts or ifs." I shrugged my shoulders, "And I remember telling the Cardinal, that obscene nun and your sister, didn't I?"

- "I see. We'll... figure something out," he nodded.

Then there was silence in the room. Michael was thinking seriously about changing the structure of the Church. His eyes did not move, and his hand scratched his chin in thoughtfulness. Gabriel, on the other hand, looked at him with troubled eyes. And so did Griselda. I decided to bring him out of it, of course, because I didn't want to wait for him to think it over.

- "Is that the only reason for your visit?" I leaned back on the couch, "Because I don't think it is."

- "You're right," he nodded, "There was a situation that you mentioned in a conversation with my sister a couple days ago."

- "Оh? So the holy toothpicks were stolen after all?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

- "Toothpicks, Mr. Archaman?" Griselda took the floor, "I don't mean to be impertinent, but calling artifacts of this level 'toothpicks' is rather rude."

I grinned.

There's no other way to call these reforged Excaliburs. If you compare them to the Noble Phantasms, they're at most D rank. Explosion on every strike? That's a bit weak. Shape-shifting? Not bad, but only if the wielder is someone at the level of Emiya. Mind control? Magic resistance, hello.

And I could give some sort of a head start, given the circumstances of this world and the anti-demon properties of the swords, but their durability... I'm guessing they'd be more likely to shatter than the shield if they hit Rho Aias.

- "Believe it or not, there's no other way to call these things."

- "May I ask why?" Gabriel asked, tilting her head to the side.

Okay. Now we can find out what my local colleague was capable of. Though I doubt he'll be as powerful.

- "Just for the record, do you know what Solomon's powers were?" I assumed a businesslike demeanor.

Michael took on a pensive look, as did Gabriel. And Griselda waited with genuine interest for an answer.

- "Aside from the obvious power over demons? He was quite a powerful mage." Scratching his chin Michael replied.

Well, now that they're here, I think Azazel would be a good addition to the conversation.

I snapped my fingers and a magic circle with Solomon's seal appeared underneath us all. A regular six-pointed star encased in a circle. Seeing this, Michael and Gabriel were not particularly wary, unlike Griselda. She was about to pull out the sword hanging at her side as the next moment we disappeared from Emiya's residence.

Oh, yeah. Did I mention there were already demons at the door of the house?

-0-

Azazel's house.

- "Where are we?" she asked with concern in her voice as the lights went out, sword drawn. At the same time, the two archangels were examining the decorations of the room.

And it was quiet and eerie. Just like the last time I came here. Is Azazel playing hide and seek with Nightingale again?

SCREEP

Suddenly there was an eerie creak of a door, and we all turned slowly in its direction. Berserker walked through it with her scalpels clasped between her fingers with a calm step, and upon finding us with a glance, she stopped and lowered her hands, putting them away.

- "Оh? Master? I thought intruders had broken in," she said and shifted her gaze to the others, "Who are these? Patients? Amputation or injection?"

Michael had his perpetual smile on his face and Gabriel had a look of intense surprise on hers. Apparently her eyes told her who it was.

- "Who in…" Griselda was about to ask a question when I interrupted her.

- "It's all right, Berserker." I raised my hand. I'm looking for Azazel.

- "Azazel?" Michael asked.

- "Is the brother here?" Gabriel added.

- "This is his house after all." I shrugged and turned toward Nightingale, "I hope you didn't castrate him, Berserker. Can you take us to him?"

- "Sure," she nodded and led us somewhere, "Please behave yourselves. He's on sick leave."

- "Is he sick?!" Archangel asked excitedly, "What's wrong with him? Is his life in no danger?"

- "Unfortunately, yes. He has a severe alcohol addiction," Nightingale nodded, and stopped at one of the doors of the house, "He's behind that door. And please don't disturb the patient too much. Otherwise, it may prolong his treatment time."

I nodded briefly and entered the room. And what my eyes saw can only be described as a horror movie.

There was only one single lamp burning in the room, which hung in the middle of the room. There were metal bars attached to the window and the walls resembled those in hospitals. In the room was a hospital bed, to which Azazel was handcuffed.

He was dressed in a straitjacket and his eyes were dead and resembled a dead fish. He didn't move or blink, he just... was. Azazel looked more like a corpse or a vegetable than a patient or a sick person. And only the heart monitor showing his pulse gave information that he was alive at all.

- "Fuck..." I muttered, seeing all this.

Maybe I'd gone a little overboard. By some fraction of a percent, say. Because now I felt sorry for him. Turning toward the others present, I saw Michael's very concerned face and Griselda's nervous look. And Gabriel...

- "Brother!" she shrieked and ran over to the bunk and started tugging on his shoulder, "How are you feeling! Are you alright?!"

Azazel slowly turned towards her voice and upon seeing Gabriel, his eyes widened so much that I was worried they were going to pop out of his eye sockets.

- "S-sister..." he muttered in a weak voice, "S-save yourself... The d-devil is near... R-run..."

And then he lost consciousness, apparently unable to believe his eyes.

- "Brother! Brother!" Gabriel started yanking him from side to side, "Come to your senses!"

- "Mr. Archaman," Michael called to me cautiously, "What happened here? Why is Azazel in such a state? And who is this 'Devil' he mentioned?"

- "I will only say that I am not to blame for this. Figuratively."

- "Figuratively?! Why does the Governor General of the Fallen look like he survived the war?! And his psychological state is so unstable, judging from his behavior, that I think he's going to go insane! You…"

- "What's all the noise, dear visitors?" came the calm voice of Berserker, who entered the room like a ghost. I jumped, Griselda raised her sword, and Michael opened all twelve of his wings to defend himself. Gabriel tried to wake Azazel, "Didn't I tell you not to disturb the patient?"

And she was looking at us with eyes so scary that it made me want to pee. I did what anyone else in my position would have done.

- "Fuck it!" I shouted and activated the teleportation circle, taking myself, Azazel, Michael, Gabriel, and Griselda back to the Emiya residence and knocking Nightingale out with 3rd magic.

Once home, I instantly created an entire liter kettle of coffee and drained it in a volley, trying to calm myself down.

Nurse of steel? More like Freddy Krueger in a skirt, for crying out loud!

Fuck this kind of adventure. Just fuck it. I won't make that mistake again. Never in my life. Uh-huh.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
My P.a.t.r.e.o.n: P.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m/mirzael
You'll be able to read more chapters there.

 

[mirzael]

Emiya residence.

- "I... Thank you for saving me... I thought... that I would spend the rest of eternity in such a... state..." Azazel practically whispered in a weak voice as Gabriel spoon-fed him, her worried gaze never leaving him. Neither did Michael, who was sitting across from him.

Honestly, I'm still shaking from what happened in the house of the Governor General of the Fallen. I never thought I'd naturally find myself in a horror movie.

And Azazel? I managed to resuscitate him, although it took a lot of effort. With 3rd magic, I erased the most... unhealthy memories from his mind, scraping out every detail of what he'd been through. And now Azazel is slowly recovering with support from the archangels. Griselda stood behind Michael and watched the whole thing.

I didn't completely erase his memory because, given his temper, he would have wanted to get to the truth. He wouldn't now. Definitely not.

- "Well... I didn't expect it to turn out this way. I'm sorry," I tilted my head toward Azazel, "I assure you, she won't bother you again."

At the mention of Nightingale, he began to tremble, and Gabriel hugged him gently to quiet his trembling.

- "As... compensation, I'm willing to help you with one thing of yours and provide one Servant of your personal choice," I said and rubbed my temples, "Besides, I'm the reincarnation of Solomon. That's just for the record."

He froze and slowly looked up at me.

- "Solomon?" He blinked with disbelieving eyes, "The same Solomon I used to hang out with?"

Heh. They hung out together? I guess my local counterpart's attraction to women brought him and Azazel closer together.

- "I don't know about that, since I'm not him," I shrugged and turned toward Michael, "Where did our conversation break down? Ah, yes. Solomon's abilities."

I paused for a moment before continuing.

- "Since the theory of parallel universes makes sense because of the Space Between Dimensions and the existence of two dragon gods... In short, I'm from another world."

- "Another world?" Michaell was surprised, but not too much, "Can I ask how different it is from ours?"

- "Not much. It's just that mankind has left the gods there," I began, to which I received a raised eyebrow from the current ruler of the Heavens and a surprised look from his sister, "In my world, time can be divided into three eras: Gods, fairies, and humans. During the first one, supernatural beings walked amongst ordinary humans and it was considered the norm."

- "That is, what is happening now." Michael commented thoughtfully.

- "Right," I nodded, "In the second, something happened and dealt with almost all of them. It was then, with the support of the planet itself, that the fairies forged Excalibur, the physical embodiment of the prayer called 'glory', which is conceptually indestructible as long as at least one person is alive. And now do you understand why I called your Excaliburs 'toothpicks'?"

- "Unfortunately," Griselda replied, "your sword is far superior to ours, though I don't want to admit that fact. After all, ours was forged by God himself. And if your words are true, this sword can defeat even someone like Shiva, the god of destruction, and is virtually indestructible."

- "With enough mana? No question. And not 'virtually indestructible', but 'indestructible in principle'. Well, at least as long as one person is alive. But that doesn't matter, because the power of the gods depends on the number of believers, does it?" I grinned, to which I got a nod, "What am I talking about? Exactly. And the third one, only a few still walk among humans and are carefully hidden due to some factors I won't mention. And that's the one going on at the moment, the age of man."

Having finished my explanation, I took a sip of coffee and waited for my words to fully sink into their heads.

For them, the very possibility of excluding supernatural beings from the lives of humans is... unattainable. They are so used to the current realities that they haven't even considered it. A cost of Sefar's absence from this world, I suppose.

I wonder what the history of the world would be like if she were here? After all, the local gods are far weaker than their Nasuverse counterparts. They don't embody a concept, they merely borrow it. It's like comparing a guy scooping water out of a lake with a bucket to the lake itself. The difference is so enormous that the comparison becomes ridiculous.

- "By the way," I heard Michael's voice, coming out of his thoughts, "You said something about Solomon's abilities. What did you mean?"

- "Were there others? Well, besides demon control and not bad magic, of course." Azazel, who had more or less come to his senses, joined the conversation. And Griselda and Gabriel's ears perked up.

- "Not bad?" I grinned, "Azazel-kun, you don't realize what an understatement of the century you just made."

- "What do you mean by that?"

- "The seventy-two Pillars are very powerful on their own, aren't they?" I asked, to which all four of them quickly agreed, "What if I told you that the Solomon of my world made them even more powerful?"

They froze when they heard my words.

- "More powerful?" Michael asked cautiously, while Griselda and Gabriel gave me a concerned look.

- "How?" Azazel asked, intrigued.

I answered them with a flick of my finger, and a few seconds later, Goetia materialized at the table. Upon seeing him, Griselda bared her sword, Michael and Gabriel opened their wings, readying themselves for battle, and Azazel examined every detail of Beast I.

- "Ah, yes. I forgot to mention one very amusing fact," I said, placing my hands on the table and crossing my fingers in a lock. And my chin rested on them, keeping my head upright, "With the advent of the age of man, seven entities were born. Seven entities embodying the seven sins of mankind. Not trivial ones like 'Envy', 'Lust', and so on, but far more profound ones. Like 'Regression' and 'Comparison' and so forth. And in my world, they're called Beasts. They're conceptually immortal beings who can't die until human progress stagnates or goes extinct altogether. Amazing, isn't it?"

I paused, and the eyes of my listeners widened at what I heard.

- "And before you sits the Beast I. The very first of them, created personally by Solomon with his 'not bad' magic, who combined all seventy-two original demons into one being, making him the Demon God King. A ritual to correct the Order of Mankind, epitomizing the sin of 'Pity', Goetia."

- "It is interesting to meet you in person, representatives of Heaven." He said in a dramatic voice.

The guests did not blink. Didn't move. Even stopped breathing. They looked like statues of the most skillful work that mankind was capable of. And it was Griselda who was the first to come out of her stupor.

- "What?!" she exclaimed, her eyes practically bulging out of her eye sockets, "You've got to be kidding me! You mean to tell me that we are essentially having all seventy-two Pillars sitting in front of us?!"

- "Indeed. We are here." The simultaneous response of dozens of different voices rang out in the room at once, and magical circles with the seal of each demon Pillar lit up around Goetia, "Does this embarrass you, servant of God?"

Hearing them, the guests flinched, and Gabriel generally began muttering the names of the demons whose voices she could recognize.

- "Sitri, Beleth, Leraye, Phenex, Morax..."

- "Fun fact, damn it!" Azazel picked up on it, "Do you realize what you've just revealed to us?!"

- "I-I agree with them," Michael joined them in a trembling voice, "Y-you realize how much power you have in your hands?"

- "In his hands?" Goetia raised an eyebrow, "I obey only myself, Archangel. This wretched man is not my command."

- "Oh?" I rolled my eyes, "It is not good to lie. I don't give you orders just because I don't need to."

- "Your comment has been ignored, Magician."

- "Uh-huh," I waved it away and turned to the guests, "Anyway, don't pay attention to him. He's not worth it."

- "Not worth it?! Wake up, Romany! Do you have any idea what will happen if the others find out about him?! They'll start treating humanity as a disease to be eradicated, for crying out loud!" Azazel yelled, pointing his finger at Goetia, "And the fact that he's basically part of Biblical mythology makes it even worse! There's going to be a war! Everyone is against us!"

- "Well, about the first point - they already think so, at least some of them, but about the second? I doubt it. And besides, what makes you think I don't have enough power to deal with all of them?" I shrugged, to which I got twitchy faces, "Servants haven't been canceled, you know. Some of them killed gods and, by enlisting themselves in the Throne of Heroes, got anti-divine properties at their disposal. And weapons of the same type. That's just for the record."

He froze again and stared at me intently.

- "Servants? Throne of Heroes?" Gabriel asked, uncomprehending.

- "You'll find out from Azazel. I was tired of repeating the same explanation."

I rubbed my temples.

I suppose it was wise not to tell them about the two more Beasts living under my roof. And the Grand Servants, of course. Otherwise they'd have died right here. Uh-huh.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
My P.a.t.r.e.o.n: P.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m/mirzael
You'll be able to read more chapters there.

 

[Akuma-Heika]

"Even if Uther Pendragon isn't the best father, I understand his decisions. And... I'd rather he didn't die of old age," Arthur replied, then looked at Morgan, "He's not dead, is he?"

Click to shrink...

So does he want to kill him personally, or did you mean to say he would rather he die of old age?

"So, you bear your father's name, eh?" Mordred asked

Click to shrink...

Don't lie to your big sister!" Serafall pointed her finger at her.

Click to shrink...

FTFY

whose wisdom the Father has personally recognized

Click to shrink...

That's different from Biblical and Nasu canon (where Solomon's Wisdom was a blessing given by God [although it could be argued that Solomon was at least wise enough to know he wasn't wise enough, when that is what he asked for, when God gave him a blank check])

I'll send you away, you bastard. Twice. For this and the last time you made a joke about me. You bet I will.

Click to shrink...

Solomon's wisdom was compromised when Romani got it

"You yourself must realize that Solomon's personality is of great importance not only to Heaven, but to the entire Biblical faction

Click to shrink...

FTFY

Nurse of steel? More like Freddy Krueger in a skirt, for crying out loud!

Click to shrink...

lol

 

[mirzael]

Okinawa.

I sent the guests away. Well, after we talked the Excalibur thing over.

Turns out Kokabiel's already crossed into Japan and is heading toward Kuoh. Michael said he would send Church men here to investigate the matter. To which I only grinned. In the end it was decided that they would visit me when they arrived in the city. Ah, yes. The Archangels also asked me to keep the information about Solomon and Goetia a secret if possible.

And by golly, Goetia definitely scared them.

After dealing with the guests, I set out to find the missing Servants. And I managed to find them here on the beach in Okinawa. Or rather, what was a beach.

When I arrived here, the first thing I saw was a cut, pierced, and bombed ground full of blast craters. The trees that were near the beach were uprooted or destroyed altogether.

- "Ahahahahahaha! Look what I can do, Enkidu!"

Turning toward a voice obviously belonging to Gilgamesh, I saw him doing a one-legged stance and balancing Ea on his head.

Why does he even have this BFG 9000 Nasuverse edition! Isn't that the prerogative of his version of Archer!

I looked around and found the rest of the Servants with my eyes. Enkidu was rubbing his temples, looking at his friend. Merlin was buried up to his head in the sand with Fou sitting on top of him. Heracles was splashing in the water like a child. And the others.

- "Shirouuuu. Drink up! For me!" Artoria was shoving a bottle of sake in Archer's face.

- "Come on, Shirou-kun. Just one cup." Medusa did the same thing, only hugging him from behind, pressing herself against him.

- "I knew this was a bad idea." Facepalmed Eroge the Protagonist.

- "Shut up, you have no idea how enviable your position is, nameless hero!" Shouted Lancelot, looking at him with burning eyes.

- "Aaaaaaaaaa~" Tiamat softly sang out, looking at them and smiling happily.

And yes, they smelled like they were so stinky. Well, except for Enkidu and Archer, who were not amused by the current situation. The servants certainly had fun. And by my calculations, it all happened in less than six hours.

What the hell?! Why does the beach look like it's been through Armageddon?! What kind of idiot releases his Noble Phantasms?! Whose goddamn idea was this anyway?!

My face is twisted in a childish way. And my hand slapped my face with a very loud sound.

- "Asako." I called out to the main facet of the Hundred Faces.

- "Master?" She replied, appearing beside me and looking at me with nervous eyes.

- "Would you be so kind as to tell me something," I began, to which she tensed up, "Who was the instigator of all this?"

- "It was..."

- "It was me, sensei." I heard a familiar girl's voice.

Turning toward him, my eyes saw a smirking Aika in a swimsuit, holding a glass of some kind of cocktail.

- "Tell me, Alaya, why did you decide to arrange all this?" I asked, my eyebrow twitching relentlessly.

- "Well, even Servants need to relax at least once in a while." She replied cheerfully and took a sip.

Relax, for crying out loud! Doesn't she see what the beach has become?! Doesn't she realize how dangerous the Servants are?! I…

Stop.

I took a closer look at Aika's face, at which her cheerful smile turned into a smirk.

It's clear now. She's getting back at me, huh? For putting her next to Artoria and Medusa.

Oya? You've decided to take revenge on me, Alaya-shiki? Oh, you should, my dear. Oh, for nothing.

- "So, EVEN Servants need to relax, don't they?" I asked in a measured tone, to which I received a nod.

- "Then that includes me, doesn't it? I'm basically a Servant, too, aren't I?" The kindest smile bloomed on my face, and now her grin was frozen, "And if they can afford to blow things up, so can I, can't I?"

- "Somehow, I don't like where you're going with this, Romani-sensei." Aika said cautiously, and the smirk slid off her face.

In a brief flash of light, my appearance changed. Now, instead of me in Romani's body, it was now Solomon. And the ten rings flashed with power.

- "It's alright, Aika-san. I'll blow something up too," I said with a smile on my face. Her whole body trembled in response to my words, "I mean, it's only fair, isn't it?"

- "M-maybe you shouldn't do that?"

- "The Time of Birth Has Come."

- "Y-you're seriously gonna use that on a s-schoolgirl like me?"

- "He is the One Who Masters All."

- "I apologize! I won't do it again! I…" she shrieked, throwing the drink away and kneeling down.

- "Ars Almadel Solomonis."

That day, everyone in the world saw millions of rays of light falling towards Japan.

Of course, before that, I used Territory Creation and reduced the power of Noble Phantasm by as much as two ranks. I'm not a fool, ah-ha-ha.

-0-

Kuoh Academy. Occult Research Club.
The next day.

- "Thank you for coming, Romani-sensei." Rias began as soon as I was seated and bowed. "First, I would like to thank you for helping Ise with his training. It was a surprise to me that he could reach Balance Breaker in such a short period of time."

- "That's right! Thank you, sensei!" Issei added.

- "Yeah, anything." I waved it off and asked Rias to continue.

- "Yesterday we felt a holy aura in your house and we wanted to check it out. But then she disappeared. And so did you. I'd like to know who it was." she said in a businesslike tone.

Uh-oh? Is she at it again? Doesn't she realize that I won't report to her?

- "Calm your tits, tomato-san," I shrugged. Rias twitched in response, and Akeno giggled, "Just some unexpected guests who wanted to talk to me. Nothing serious. And yes, I'm answering out of courtesy, not because you asked."

- "I'm in charge of this town, and it's important that I know what goes on in it," she said, crossing her arms. "And since you live here, it's important that you follow the rules."

My eyebrow twitched.

What kind of hypocrisy is that? I remember you were the one who missed the group of Fallen that killed Issei. That would also include killing locals by renegade demons. Sona's doing a pretty good job, so why can't you?

I glanced at Issei out of the corner of my eye. I saw that he didn't seem to be following the conversation at all.

Once again, I'm surprised that extreme naiveté is the hallmark of protagonists. Rias didn't even notice how she misspoke and revealed the fact that she was, in fact, complicit in his murder.

In some fanfics, she purposefully lets him die. That doesn't seem to be the case here. In theory. But the very fact of it gives the Shinto faction an opportunity to push the demons. Like the case of Nekosho Incident, for that matter.

I don't even want to lecture them like I did in the case of Akeno. But then I had a one-off impulse, so to speak. She ended up revealing herself to her fullest in the Rating Game, and now she has a more or less genuine smile on her face rather than a fake one.

- "If that's it, I'll go," I said, "Or is there something else?"

- "Yes," Rias nodded, "I'd like you to... train us."

I raised an eyebrow.

- "Оh? And why is that?" I wondered.

- "The other day Sona and I decided to test our powers, and..." she hesitated.

- "We were destroyed. Literally," Akeno finished for her, "From talking to her, we learned that you, Sensei, provided the mentor. And you're a very powerful mage yourself. So much so that, according to Sona, even if we team up, we don't stand a chance against you."

Oya? Sona told them about me? Although I can see Rias isn't too interested in that information. Well, she relies too much on her brother's strength. I wonder how I could break her rose-colored glasses?

- "No problem," I began, to which I received a very pleased Rias, "But what do I get in return? Free cheese is only in the mousetrap, tomato-san."

- "I wish you'd stop calling me that, Mr. Sloth," she replied, to which I just rolled my eyes, "And what do you want for your help?"

I wondered.

Well, at least she's willing to learn. Though she doesn't see the problem of her entourage closely. So. What do you want me to demand? Hmm.

- "How about one request, not from you, but from your brother?"

- "No problem!" She answered instantly, to which I remained calm outwardly, but inwardly....

She's fucking stupid. Definitely and irrevocably stupid. Doesn't she realize what a huge mistake she's just made? I just don't know what to say.

- "Fine. I'll meet you tomorrow night outside the clubhouse. I need to assess your abilities," I said and stood up and headed for the exit, "See you, tomato-san, the rest of you."

And with those words, I headed to my workplace.

I need to clear my head after such an obvious display of stupidity and shortsightedness. I hope the coffee will help me.

-0-

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[mirzael]

Kuoh Academy.
The next day.

Under a beautiful evening sunset, I and the entire cast of the Occult Studies Club stood across from each other, parodying old 90's cowboy action movies in every tradition.

The battlefield was ready.

Admittedly, as they set up their barriers, my eyebrow occasionally twitched in realization of how weak they were. In the anime, when the battle against Kokabiel was taking place and Sona and her retinue were holding the barrier, I had no questions about the barrier's strength and stability. Now, however, there are. And very big ones at that.

At that point, Sona was far weaker than she is now, and how the hell did their barrier hold back the attacks of the Fallen, who had TEN wings? Even for plot convention, this ranking of forces is just too illogical. So I put my closed field on top of theirs, just in case.

- "Master, why do I have to be the one to do this? Again."

Ah, yes. Of course, I brought Archer along. And he'll be the one to test their skills. I think a little change of scenery will do him good. Well, given recent events.

- "Well, imagine if I put Gilgamesh against them. What would he do to them?" I began, to which he rubbed his temples and remained silent, "Or Lancelot, or Enkidu, or Hera..."

- "I get it," he grumbled, "But Saber or Rider could take over, right? Or, God forbid, Merlin."

- "Hmm? Is your inner Hero of Justice messing with your head again?" I rolled my eyes, and his eyebrow twitched, "Don't tell me you don't think you're the best fit? Isn't your versatility the deciding factor?"

- "Tsk," Archer tsked.

While we were talking, an impatient Rias intervened.

- "Shall we begin, Sensei?"

- "Right!" Issei seconded her.

- "Uh-huh," I replied and stepped aside, then shouted to Archer one last time, "Remember, Emiya. People die if they are killed."

Shirou froze for a moment and then produced his favorite blades and threw them at me in annoyance. In response, I squatted down, causing the married swords to fly over me.

- "Ouch? Why do you have to react like that, Emiya-kun? Just because I'm right doesn't mean I'm right, right?"

Now he took out his bow and started shooting Hrunting at me, which of course were blocked against my magic circle.

- "To complete the package, throw at me also the very spear whose owner took your heart, aha-ha-ha."

- "That's it! You're dead, Master!" he shouted and was about to rush at me when a black and scarlet ball of energy flew towards him.

- "Attack!" Rias shouted, and the retinue rushed to the attack, while she kept throwing the orbs as if there were no other use for them.

Kiba was the first to reach Archer with his sword and swing it, but was blocked by Emiya, who wasn't even looking in his direction. Akeno flew up into the sky and raised her hand. From that a magic circle appeared, from which lightning flew out and headed for Archer.

But it too was repelled by him, to which he received the widened eyes of Rias' entourage. She wasn't discouraged and continued to fire lightning bolts while in the air. Though Emiya wasn't really paying much attention to her either. A cost of the battle with Medea, I suppose. Well considering the circumstances preventing him from using devastating Caladbolg-type Noble Phantasms.

Shirou swung his Bakuya and flung Kiba away from him, breaking his sword in the process, then dashed towards Rias. On his way to her, Koneko stood in front of him, which he jumped over and threw his swords at the King of the retinue.

- "I will protect the President!" Issei shrieked, "Balance Breaker! Scaly Armor of the Booster Gear!"

As he activated it, he was ready to meet Archer's attack when, unexpectedly, Shirou turned sharply towards Asia, who was standing a bit away from Rias. Kiba and Koneko instantly asked after Archer. As well as Issei, for that matter.

- "Asia!" Issei shrieked and rushed to defend her.

But it was too late, as Archer quickly reached Asia's figure and knocked her out with a hilt strike to the back of her head.

At full speed, the Issei flying towards him sped up even more and put his fist out, aiming for Shirou's face. Seeing this and thinking quickly, Archer thrust his hand forward.

- "Rho Aias!" he shrieked, and a pink-colored flower-shaped shield appeared in front of him.

BOOM

There was an explosion, and a cloud of dust blocked the view. Rias managed to put a barrier in front of her, and her entourage searched for Emiya with their eyes until they found him standing near me with Asia in his arms.

- "I think that's enough. You all suck." I said in a measured tone and snapped my fingers.

The bodies of the Club members were wrapped around the roots and immobilized.

- "But, why?" A perplexed Issei asked.

My eyebrow twitched.

- "Really, why? Maybe because you could have killed Asia, hmm, you stupid skillful pervert?"

At those words, he froze and turned pale, his eyes widening fearfully. As did the rest of them, though.

- "Oh? Your whole look screams that you haven't thought about it, huh?" I said, crossing my arms, "Or did you take advantage of it on purpose, counting on Archer to protect her and set her up for a hit? No, you're not smart enough to think that."

He lowered his head, and the rest of the entourage looked at Asia and Issei with concerned eyes. I snapped my fingers once more, and the roots released them.

- "I... thank you for not abandoning Asia, Archer-san." Rias said and bowed, walking over to us.

- "As you wish," Archer shrugged and handed Asia to Kiba, "Next time, watch your surroundings. You have no ability to make quick and thoughtful decisions. And if my hunch is correct, you'll be trained by me. That means you'll have a lot more work to do than Sitri-san and her entourage."

Rias sighed disappointedly, as did the rest of her entourage. Except for Issei, who was still in a downcast state.

- "That's right," I nodded, "And anyway, whose idea was it to leave the dumb skillful pervert in reserve? Wouldn't it be preferable to leave the attack to him, and the rest of us to group up and support him from afar? And put Kiba and Koneko in the middle or closer to him, hmm?"

- "Well..." Akeno started awkwardly, throwing a glance in Rias' direction.

- "Heh. Your brains are swollen with the fat of your tits, eh, tomato-san? Didn't you already know that Archer was strong, and your standard tactics could go in the trash?"

- "But... It worked in the Rating Game..." she muttered.

TWO of my eyebrows twitched.

How did you even get the idea to compare soap to an airplane! And anyway, Riser gave in to you, for crying out loud! Didn't you notice the look he gave you when he gave in?!

I'm just shocked. She's either playing dumb or she is. Yeah... And to pull a stick the size of a skyscraper out of her ass and break her rose-colored glasses is gonna take a lot of time and effort, which, frankly, I'm sorry for.

- "Okay," I rubbed my temples, "To summarize, it turns out to be: a dumb, skillful pervert who doesn't look where to hit. A tomato who can't sensibly assess the situation and strategize. Homo-eyes who is unable to create even a somewhat acceptable sword. White Cat, who has no speed at all on principle, and Healer, who can't defend himself in any way. Only Akeno, who more or less fulfills her role as fire support, has no special complaints. Anything else to add, Archer?"

- "Nope." he shrugged.

But in the next moment, a scarlet spear exuding a bloodthirsty aura was aimed at my face... which I blocked with my index finger.

- "Oh? Isn't saving everyone your credo, Emiya-kun? Don't I fall under that category?" With a cute smile on my face, I asked, already knowing where the punch was coming from.

- "All Magicians are annoying bastards that need to be destroyed," Emiya said confidently, holding up his spear, "You, Master, Zelretch, and that flower bastard. And if you all disappear, the world will only thank me."

- "Thank you for the compliment, Mother Emiya," I grinned, and the edge of his mouth twitched, "And I wouldn't give the interdimensional troll a bad word if I were you. Given our current circumstances, he could very well come here and play a joke on you. And you certainly don't want that."

- "Tch."

Turning to the side, I saw all the Club members tensely staring at the spear in Archer's hand, and Koneko had even fainted from its aura.

- "W-what kind of spear is that, Sensei? Why does it have such a terrifying aura?" Kiba asked in a trembling voice.

Ouch. Did Gae Bolg scare them? Yeah... Their mental defenses are in the shitter too....

I rubbed my temples and grabbed the spear and broke it with two fingers. To which I received stunned looks from Rias's entourage and Emiya's annoyed face.

I guess he's going to have a lot of work to do with them... A lot of work....

-0-

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[mirzael]

Kyoto.

I decided to rest a bit and feel the atmosphere of the ancient city again. And this time without visiting Nurarihyon's place.

The sun had already set, and life in the city was just beginning: beautifully decorated red lanterns lighting up the streets, the clatter of traditional wooden Japanese sandals on the cobblestone road, and, of course, yukata men and women having a cultural time.

Spurred on by the moment, I too changed into a black colored yukata with a pattern of white flowers on it and strolled around, breathing in the ancient Japanese city-soaked air, which was a nice change of scenery.

- "It was a beautiful city. Like the smiles on the faces of the people here," I heard Grandpa's voice beside me, "In my time, they were covered in sand and dust, and the only sources of light were candles. The atmosphere was darker."

- "I suppose there was rather little entertainment in your time, eh?"

- "Perhaps there was, but I didn't pay any more attention to it than necessary. What I did take up all the time available."

- "Do you regret it?"

- "No," he said firmly, "It was my choice. I found my calling in it, and my personal needs took a back seat. Hashashin became my child who needed all my attention. The training of each candidate must be thorough and deliberate, and the enforcement of the code all the more so."

- "Oh? There were those who didn't follow them?"

- "Of course there were. Eighteen generations, eighteen leaders. Some lost their way, some found more important recognition in their lives, and some just reveled in the opportunities that came their way. And I remember them all."

- "Hmm... In addition to you as the founder, I know three other Hashashin heads. Can you tell me anything about the others?"

- "You already know the answer to your question, don't you, Master?"

- "It was worth a try." I shrugged.

Grandpa is definitely cool, and I'm already guessing what he was doing before he did what he's doing now. If you remember Shiki Tohno from Tsukihime, the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can bring its owner a decent amount of inconvenience and limitations. The boy was experiencing a severe headache, and one wrong move could cost a massacre around himself and those around him. Not the most pleasant of sensations.

- "By the way, how did you set foot on this path? And what did you do before your current line of work? The voice of God?"

- "I don't even remember what I was before. But yes, one day I heard the voice of God. He chose me to decide the fate of murderers and sinners."

- "Oya? So, we are brothers in a way, huh?" I said passionately.

- "Brothers, Master?" he asked in a puzzled tone.

- "Well, since I'm Solomon's Pseudo-Servant who was also chosen by the Almighty, we can be called that, can't we? Nah, it's better to stay 'Grandpa'. It's more comfortable."

- "As you wish."

As I walked down another alleyway, the blonde head of a little girl with distinctive fox ears caught my eye. She was running from counter to counter as if she was hiding from someone, looking around from time to time. And apparently, I looked at her for a very long time.

- "Do you know this girl, Master? You've been staring at her for a minute."

- "Uh-huh. The daughter of the head of the Yokai who likes to run away from her guards. Do you think we should intervene?"

- "It's up to you."

- "Then I will."

As I blended in with the crowd, I slowly made my way toward Yasaka's daughter. When she went into an alley, I followed her. Kunou stopped in the middle of the space and sighed in relief, apparently not sensing my presence. She was wearing the standard garb of a Japanese temple priestess, consisting of a white shirt and a bright red hakama.

- "Running away from your guards is not the smartest thing to do, young lady." I whispered to her with her back to me.

- "Whoa-a-a!?" she shrieked and jumped away from me, turning to face me.

- "Calm down," I said in a soothing tone and raised my hands, showing that I was not dangerous, "If I wanted to harm you, I would not have made my presence known."

- "Who are you? What do you want from me?" She asked as cautiously as possible, searching with her eyes for an escape route.

- "To take me to my parents, I suppose. Your mother's probably already turned the whole town upside down looking for you. You wouldn't want to worry her too much, would you?"

- "How do I know you're not lying, mister?"

Hmm. Makes sense. I wouldn't trust the first person who offered to help me either.

- "Wait a minute," I said, and looked for a similar energy signature to Kunou. And from the looks of it, she's headed to Nurarihyon right now, probably for help. Hmm? What kind of demonic aura is heading this way? "Young lady, do you happen to know where your guards have gone?"

- "They asked me to wait for them and went somewhere, why?" Still cautiously, she replied.

- "I think I know what happened to them." I said, and the next moment there was a rather violent explosion.

BOOM.

The area where Kunou and I were standing was covered in dust, and the nearby buildings turned into rubble. When the dust cleared, my magic circle, which had protected us from the explosion, was visible. When I looked up, I saw a man with brown hair in the sky, spreading ten demonic wings and looking straight at my circle.

- "Weak for my blood," said the demon Beelzebub, "Although he clearly did not want to kill. What are you going to do, Romani?"

Oh? So this is Shalba Beelzebub? Doesn't look like the straightest guy I've ever seen.

- "Hey! Isn't introducing yourself before attacking the basics of a civilized third-rate villain, hmm?" I shouted at him.

- "Who are you?" he asked, ignoring my complaint, "Why does an inferior person dare to meddle in my affairs?"

- "I apologize for not asking permission, Mr. Pedophile," I said, at which his face contorted in anger, "And you still haven't introduced yourself. Maybe I was wrong to think demons had any dignity."

- "How dare you insult me, insect? But I'll introduce myself. Shalba Beelzebub, descendant of the Great Demon King, Lord of the Flies, Power…"

- "Yeah, yeah. You're cool and everything. Can you keep it short?"

In response, he held out his hand in my direction with a magic circle appearing in it. And a beam of energy flew out of it, which of course was blocked. And Kunou, finding no other option, ran up to me and hid behind my back.

- "You know what, why don't you come down to earth, dearie? I'm gonna teach you some etiquette."

My magic circle appeared in front of me, from which golden chains flew out, parodying Enkidu. With the speed of a bullet, they headed toward Shalba, trying to tie him up. He, of course, tried to dodge them and even fight them off, but it was all in vain. The chains wrapped around his body and with all speed and force slammed Shalba into the ground in front of my feet.

- "Who are you?! How dare you bind me, you, inferior creature!" he roared in my direction, gritting his teeth hard and glaring at me with angry eyes.

I silently created a Tora-shinai in my hand, which I had once managed to see in Archer's hands, and walked around him.

- "What the hell are you doing!"

- "Young lady, let me demonstrate how to punish naughty children." I pronounced with the kindest smile on my face and under Kuno's gaze, swung around and slapped Shalba's ass.

BAM

- "Agh!" he screamed in pain, "Why does it hurt so much?! I'm one of the strongest demons, dammit! So why does a wooden stick hurt so much!!!!"

BAM

- "Aah!"

Is it worth mentioning the tenfold increase in pain I added to Tora-shinai? I guess not.

BAM

- "Stop it!" he shouted, and Kunou covered her eyes and ears.

BAM

- "I'm going to kill you! My flies will eat you alive!"

BAM

- "You…"

BAM

- "Not over…"

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM

After a couple minutes of beating, he fell silent and his eyes glazed over. After stopping beating him, I smiled happily as I felt great. It felt like all the stress had dissolved into nothingness and all that was left was contentment.

Maybe I'm a sadist? Nope. Beating… Oh. Raising bad guys isn't sadistic, right? Pure justice, I'd say.

- "S-scary..." Kunou whispered in a shaky voice, looking up at me. Her fox ears were pressed against her head, and her legs were barely keeping her upright.

My eyebrow twitched.

I kind of saved your life, little girl! Maybe a word of thanks, hmm? No? Anything?

- "You scared the child, Master," I heard Grandpa's voice in my head, "That's a sin, you know."

- "I was about to object when I was interrupted by a woman's scream."

- "Kunou!"

Turning in the direction of the shout, I saw an extremely emotional Yasaka, accompanied by Nurarihyon and one Tengu woman, looking at her daughter. And transferring her gaze to me with Tora-shinai, raised her tails and took a fighting stance.

- "Who are you?! What are you doing to my daughter?!"

I'm a good guy, damn it! Why do you want to attack me when I saved your daughter?! The bad guy is lying in front of me, not standing!

- "Answer me!" Yasaka shrieked, and golden flames flickered in her hands.

I want to go home. Definitely.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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[mirzael]

Kyoto. Yasaka's Palace.

I sat in the seiza position in one of the rooms of the palace and sipped my tea with a calm expression on my face, even though I'm an avid coffee drinker. The moon was shining unusually bright that night, eliminating the need for an alternative light source. The sounds of fireflies permeated the room, and the warmth of the tea cup warmed my skin.

So, today's incident aside, I need to think about how exactly to deal with Kokabiel and Excalibur.

The Fallen can be dealt with without too much trouble, as his role isn't important enough to proceed with caution. He's just the catalyst for the Biblical faction's peace treaty. I haven't met him yet, so it's too early to draw conclusions about his personality. What if he also doesn't fit the canon as well as Riser? Who knows, who knows.

According to the description from the anime, he's a typical war-crazed villain, without any clarification in the narrative. And I wouldn't want to let him go to waste without figuring out his motives. Cao Cao and his gang reeked of arrogance and a kind of madness, just like the recently met Shalba. They didn't have any deep thoughts or thoughtful motivation, as was the case with Riser. And considering that Kokabiel, though fallen, is still an angel, I highly doubt his mind is as illogical and clouded as the first two.

I think I should get him into a conversation sometime to get a better idea of what exactly his goal is.

The Excalibur thing is both complicated and simple at the same time. I'll definitely get all seven of his reshaped shards, even the Excalibur of Control that Arthur currently possesses, as well as making it whole again with the help of Merlin and Emiya under Muramasa's influence, but then what's next?

Leave it in the hands of the local factions? Nope. The other supernatural factions, upon learning that the sword is unified again, will try to pull something, as the balance of power will change. Although the local Excalibur isn't as strong as Artoria's, it's still powerful enough to pose a threat to mystical beings. A noble Phantasm of rank B. Maybe B+ at most. Durability is very lame when you consider it in his shards, though.

Morgan, Artoria, Merlin, Lancelot, and even Mordred wouldn't mind the idea of keeping the sword in my care, but then the Biblical faction would lose an effective weapon and an important asset in its face.

And all would have been simple, were it not for Alaya's restrictions. In the absence of them, my hands would be completely free, and Trihexa wouldn't be a problem, as two EX-ranked Noble Phantasms from two Grand Servants at once would wipe her out in a second. But unfortunately, I'm still limited in what I can do.

I need to start testing my theories on circumventing the rule of relative non-interference in the plot as soon as possible, or else there will be more and more of these situations. Although, they're going to be that way anyway, given the intensity of the story arcs.

I took a sip to calm my mind and looked into my cup.

- "You may enter, Ms. Ninja," I said, still not taking my gaze off the cup, "You don't have to be so careful. If I wanted to do something, your attempts to resist me would be futile, as you probably already know from Nurarihyon-san's words."

The response was a silence that didn't last too long, as the shoji to my room opened, and in its opening was a figure dressed in a black ninja uniform.

- "I apologize, but I'm only doing my job." She replied, sitting down in the seiza.

- "I see," I looked at her and placed the cup on the table, "I understand Yasaka-sama wants to see me?"

Her answer was a short nod. I got up from the table and headed to the main hall, which took about a couple minutes to reach. Once inside, my eyes immediately noticed Yasaka sitting on her throne and Nurarihyon standing at the stairs to her and smiling cheerfully at me.

- "It is a pleasure to welcome you to my palace, Romani-san," Yasaka began, adjusting her kimono, "First of all, I want to thank you for saving my daughter, as well as apologize for my behavior when we first met. I should have investigated the situation more thoroughly before making false accusations."

- "It's all right," I said, "Given the emotional state you were in at the time, your actions can be justified. And the damage you and our not-so-decent guest have done, I've already undone."

At my words, her ears drooped, and Nurarihyon chuckled.

- "Well, well, well. You shouldn't have mentioned it, young one. You upset the lady."

- "Oh, you could have kept your mouth shut, old man," I rolled my eyes, which got another chuckle from him, "By the way, how did your people miss someone like Shalba anyway? I thought that since Kyoto was the capital of the Yokai faction, the defense should be at an appropriate level, right?"

- "And it matches, but the demon got into the city in some other way we don't know about yet," Yasaka said and thought for a moment, "You don't have any guesses on that?"

- "Just a couple. And without any proof."

Georg of the Heroes faction and perhaps someone from the faction of past demon lords, given that Shalba was the one who came to the city. And the fact that he was alone is pure arrogance.

- "I see. Anyway, I'd like to thank you in some way," Yasaka straightened up and said,

"What would you like to receive as a reward?"

- "Oh? I intervened purely of my own free will, so I don't see the need for something like that," I shrugged, "And anyway, what makes you so sure I'm not part of some sinister plan of the enemy?"

- "Well, well, well. Don't you know that, Romani?" Nurarihyon grinned, "One of the Yokai's greatest abilities is the ability to read intentions. The Kitsune are particularly gifted in this area."

- "Nurarihyon-sama is right. If you had ill intentions toward us, I could sense it. So your suspicions are unnecessary."

Heh. How did an entire village of Nekoshou go under the knife if the Yokai have such skill? The geniuses in senjutsu missed the definitely aggressive demons right under their noses? By the way, I don't know the details of this event yet.

- "I have a question."

- "What kind of question, Romani-san?" Yasaka asked.

- "Can I know the details of the incident without being told?" I asked, at which Nurarihyon stopped smiling and Yasaka made a very sad face. "If it's as you say, I don't understand why it happened."

There was silence for a few seconds, which felt like hours.

- "It was... our oversight. And I would prefer to stop there, Romani." Nurarihyon replied.

Yeah... that's a response I don't think I've gotten yet. According to the wiki, Kuroki and Koneko's father was a scientist who experimented on his own children. And he was sponsored by the Naberius family, who were interested in the race's abilities.

I sighed and rubbed my temples.

Okay, I'll get the details from Kuroki. She hangs around my house anyway.

- "Okay," I began, and Nurarihyon and Yasaka relaxed, realizing that I had decided to postpone the topic, "In that case, I'd like to go home. The residents of my home are somewhat... restless."

- "Okay," Yasaka nodded, "But what about the reward."

- "See you later, Yasaka-san, old man." I said and teleported home before I heard her.

I'll ask her for the reward some other time.

-0-

As soon as Romani disappeared, there was a silence in which Yasaka went into thought.

- "What do you think of him, Yasaka-chan?" Nurarihyon asked cheerfully.

- "He's strong. Very strong, even if he tries to hide it," she replied thoughtfully, "How did you meet him, Nurarihyon-sama?"

- "Spontaneously," he grinned, "He was going through an identity crisis and happened to stumble upon my establishment. We met there and got to talking. I'd call him a true neutral, if I were to infer from his thoughts and conversations."

- "I see." Yasaka nodded.

Romani Archaman was... unusual. When she had first met his eyes, two words had rung clearly in her mind: 'Wisdom' and 'Magic'.

Magical power enveloped Romani's body like a thick woolen cloak. A very thick cloak from which thin threads of mana would occasionally fly out. And each of those threads was powerful. So much so that each of them could match one of Yasaka's most powerful spells. Based on that, one could imagine how powerful this man was if he didn't hold back.

Not only that, talking to him gave the feeling that Romani knew far more than she showed at first glance.

And... as she spoke to him, a subtle feeling of... connection ran through her body, and her heart skipped a beat. Outwardly, of course, she didn't show it, but that didn't negate the fact itself.

All of this raised questions in Yasaka's mind, even if she believed Nurarihyon's words about the man's character.

- "Do you want my men to observe him, Yasaka-chan?" As if reading her mind, Nurarihyon asked.

- "No, he'll notice. It's better to let things stay the way they are. We already have problems with the demon faction, and I don't want to add to them by provoking this man."

- "Suit yourself," he said and headed for the exit, "I'll be at my place if you need anything."

Yasaka nodded briefly and drifted off again. She needed to think. And to check on Kunou.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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[mirzael]

The forest of familiars.

- "I'm so sorry, but why am I here?" I asked the question, looking at the two groups of schoolboy demons.

- "Because it's your job?" Covering her mouth with the palm of her hand, Akeno giggled.

- "Somehow I don't recall a clause obliging me to visit another dimension with my students in the list of duties as a nurse of Kuoh Academy," My gaze went towards Sona, who had a smug grin on her face, "I demand compensation for overtime, President of the Student Council."

- "Oh? Need I remind you exactly how you work?" She fixed her glasses and raised her hand and continued, curling her fingers, "Late hours, leaving the workplace abruptly, damaging school property, unscheduled days off, sleeping on the wo…"

At this point I stopped listening to her and looked around.

The landscape was beautiful. Untouched by industrialization, nature breathed life. The swaying leaves of the trees, the murmuring of the waters, the sounds of mystical creatures, and most importantly, the high concentration of mana, reminded me of Solomon's memories of the Other Side of the World. I think there would be something to do here.

And actually, instead of 'looking after' these demons, I could be lying on a bunk in the med room, stroking Foe and sipping coffee. So much time wasted... I have something to say to them. And Sirzechs, of course.

- "Are you listening to me, Romani-sensei?" Sona asked with displeasure in her voice.

- "Why are there two retinues here at once? Isn't the forest of familiars only open to one?"

- "Romani-sensei?" Her voice became louder.

- "Do you have some sort of arrangement with the local parody Pokémon trainer? Or did you utilize the support of your brother and sister? Again."

- "Hey!"

- "We found a way out," Rias replied with her arms crossed, "And you're only here to ensure our safety, though I don't see the need for it. Lord Lucifer insisted on it."

Oh? He wants to see my power? Somehow I have a feeling that something is going to happen today with subtle assistance from Scarlet Satan. Well, I don't think he can do that. After all, there's nothing in this forest that could force me to act even the slightest bit seriously.

And while I was pondering this, a huge wave-like shadow appeared behind me, and my magic circle lit up. A huge wave of water hit my side with unnatural hardness, making a loud explosion sound.

BOOM

- "What is that!!!" Issei exclaimed.

- "When did Sona become so strong! She didn't show it when we were fighting!" Supported her retinue by Rias herself, who along with Akeno held protective circles in front of her retinue.

My circle extinguished, and I slowly turned my head towards the enraged Sona with her arm outstretched in my direction, and gave her a cheerful look.

- "Oya? When did you become so irritable, Ms. President?" I smiled, at which two giant snakes of water formed behind her and roared at me, "Maybe you should sniff some paper and ink to calm down? Or would you prefer I call your sister over here? Your irritability can affect your appearance, you know? Wrinkles, that sort of thing? But I have absolutely nothing to do with it, if you ask me."

And as soon as I finished speaking, the snakes came at me, trying to naturally devour me. Even though they were stopped by my circle, they were beating on it with the intention of getting to my carcass.

- "Can you not annoy Sona, Sensei?" Rias questioned, looking at me sternly, "We're attracting too much attention."

- "Oh? Tomato Princess, please keep your seeds to yourself and don't interfere in other people's conversation. Or have you not been taught etiquette?" I raised an eyebrow, and Akeno giggled, as did Sona's entourage.

- "Trained, unlike you, Mr. 'sleeping on the job'." She replied, and the edge of her mouth twitched.

- "I'm just assuming that all the training went into your chest and stayed there, never making it to your brain," I said, to which she was covered in a black and scarlet aura, "It's bigger than your head, after all, so I think it's a reasonable assumption. Isn't that right, Koneko?"

Rook nodded confidently, and Rias joined Sonia in firing balls of energy at me.

- "I've never seen a president like that before," Issei muttered.

- "And you have no instinct for self-preservation. If your opponent is even a slightly attractive girl, your goal is not to win, but to undress. And I'm not talking about your fighting ability at this point, mind you."

- "Hey! I can't help it! Like you wouldn't look at a pretty girl even if she's the enemy!" he exclaimed, and then froze for a moment and looked at me suspiciously, "Or... or are you not into girls?"

I was stunned and slowly looked at him, and Saji started throwing wary glances at me as well.

That bastard is hinting at 'it', isn't he? What an ungrateful bastard! It's only because of me (Archer) that he was able to reach the damn Balance Breaker in such a short period of time!

- "Repeat what you just said. Loud and clear so I could be sure I was listening," three Gae bolgs appeared behind me, their aura like a wave of icy water that washed over the crowd and stopped the gunfire. The spears themselves pointed at Issei, causing him to freeze, and his eyes flickered between them and me, "It seems that lately, stupidity has become airborne, and I'm afraid I'll catch it."

- "Well..."

- "Well?"

- "You are g…" my assumptions were confirmed, and he was about to say what he wanted to say when he was interrupted by a voice, towards which one Gae Bolg instantly flew.

- "What's going on here!!!" The voice asked, and then, as the spear almost caught up with him, shouted, "What is this?!"

The silhouette dodged, to which I raised an eyebrow, and appeared in my field of vision.

Yep. Coach Ash on minimums. Same red cap, same backpack, and same fingerless gloves. It all looked totally ridiculous, since instead of a teenager, it was a man in his forties. But I'll give him credit. Dodging a Rank B Noble Phantasm is an impressive feat. I guess running and dodging are the only talents he has.

- "What are you?" I asked with a deliberately surprised look.

- "I'm Zatugi! I'm a professional trainer of familiars! And you're making too much noise! And…"

- "And if you don't shut up, you'll become a professional colander, capisce?" I finished for him, and the number of spears increased to ten, to which he instantly shut up.

- "You can't threaten him! He…"

- "Will become the owner of more holes than given to him by nature if you don't shut up too, tomato-san," I said, to which Rias also fell silent, glancing warily at Gae Bolgs, "I'll take a walk. And you can do whatever you want once I'm far enough away that I can't hear your ramblings. I hope that's clear?"

- "But you must protect on…" Rias wanted to start to emerge as the spears turned in her direction, releasing an ominous aura that made her cover her mouth.

- "Fine. Good luck then." I said and headed deep into the forest.

As I walked through it, my eyes noticed a wide variety of creatures, even more reminiscent of the Backside of the World. Dragons, elementals, dryads, fairies, and a bunch of other creatures like them were going about their business. And they didn't notice me, or just ignored me, which was rather odd. I wonder how a certain white Beast would react to this place.

- "Fou." I said, as the next moment, a small portal appeared in front of me, out of which the Primate Murder flew out with its leg extended into my face to hit me.

I only raised an eyebrow and caught him by the scruff of his neck, bringing him closer to my face.

- "Fou, kyu!"

- "And? You beat up Merlin every day. It wouldn't be a tragedy if you missed a day or two," I said, to which he crossed his arms in front of him, "Besides, take a look around. What do you think of this place?"

He started twirling his head from side to side, then sniffed the air.

- "Fou."

- "I know what it looks like, but do you sense anything special? How much of it is connected to other dimensions?"

Fou hesitated and closed his eyes. Then a couple minutes later he opened them and looked at me seriously.

- "Fou, fou, fou, fou, kyu."

- "Interesting."

Why did I say that? Because, this place is basically the Texture of this world. In DxD, there is no separation between the outside world and the backside. It's more like an onion. The human world is the outermost layer, and Hell, Heaven, Asgard, the Forest of Familiars, and so on are underneath, reminiscent of the Textures from the Nasuverse. That is, overlapping realities, like layers of an onion.

And the interesting thing is that True Magic affects them specifically. That is, if I resurrect a person with 3rd magic, I pull the soul out of the lower Textures to the higher one. The soul still belongs to the world, it just goes through several layers of reality, Textures, thus I bypass the rules of the world, making me ignore the path the soul of the dead has traveled.

Yes, each pantheon has its own afterlife, but they too are Textures connected to the outer layer, the world of humans. Basically, each layer is connected to it, creating a unified communication system for the entire world.

And since that's the case, here, I can test my theories, since this place is connected to both the outer and inner layers. A middle ground, so to speak.

I grinned.

Well, it's time to test the rule of non-interference in the plot.

-0-

A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
My P.a.t.r.e.o.n: P.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m/mirzael
You'll be able to read more chapters there.