Lucifer's Castle.
A brief flash of light later, I was brought back into the hall, where I appeared next to Sirzechs and received the general attention of the remaining guests. Their eyes showed surprise, admiration, pride, and fear of varying degrees, and there was discussion and whispers of my power and that of the heirs, who, incidentally, were not here.
As I understand it, they were teleported straight to the infirmary, where the retinues absent from the hall were headed. My attacks didn't have any 'Sanctity' in them, so the heirs' wounds are rather superficial, and all they need to do is rest and heal a bit. The Blade of Light I hit with at the end, while it did damage, it was set up to burn away strength, both mana and stamina, rather than pure destruction or killing.
Also worth mentioning is the absence of the two Council members who were throwing threats. I don't know when exactly they left, but I imagine they were eager to tell their colleagues what they'd seen and devise a way to deal with me. Though there is a chance that the radicalized part of them will put aside their pride and stop plotting, I find that hard to believe.
- "Romani Archaman. Thanks to you, everyone has been able to see the strength of the younger generation. The heirs have proved with blood and sweat that they are worthy of their titles, that the entire race of demons awaits a bright and prosperous future. I, Sirzechs Lucifer, as one of the Demon Lords proudly declare that I am not afraid to leave my post and trust this generation in the hour of need." began Sirzechs, with a triumphant smile on his face, "Ladies and gentlemen, let us give the benefactor the applause he deserves."
The next second the hall was filled with applause, and Sirzechs looked at me and nodded in satisfaction. Then he led me a little to the side where we could talk for a while.
- "The deed was done. Thank you for your help," he began, "I didn't expect them to be so capable. It was a great show, though, and much more fun to watch than the standard Ranking Games."
- "You were going to say Rias, weren't you?" I grinned.
- "That too, of course. When I heard about training with a certain 'Archer', I was skeptical, but now... Using the power of Destruction like that really surprised me. I suppose Rias took inspiration from that training?"
- "Not without that," I shrugged, "To be honest, I assumed you'd only want to use Sairaorg against me, not all the heirs at once."
- "That was my plan. But the teleportation spell did malfunction, and took not only my cousin with it, but the others as well. I'll have Ajuka check it out later," Sirzechs said, to which I rounded my eyes, "For now, enjoy your evening, Romani-san. You deserve it."
With those words, he walked away and disappeared into the crowd. I crossed my arms over my chest and thought about his words.
So, he didn't do it? I don't think it's that simple. Someone had interfered and changed the spell, but why? What's the point?
Families don't benefit from something like this because the consequences could be bad. It would be nearly impossible to hide evidence from Ajuka, and their children would meet with a certain vote of no confidence, which would affect their careers and public opinion of them.
In theory, John Doe just wanted to see the strength of the heirs and compare them. In that case, the Council members are perfect to allocate resources and attention based on potential and promise. And they can also shut Sirzechs and the other overlords up, even if they turn out to be discovered. It all sounds pretty logical, but somehow I don't believe it. And there's a reason for that.
Demonic society aside, this prank could have been aimed at me. To see my powers, my relationship to my heirs, and my reaction to such a 'glitch'. I don't exactly have any 'enemies' at the moment, but I do have a reputation and a kind of fame, and I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to study me in a variety of ways. To strategize how to interact with me, so to speak.
Long story short, I don't have a single clue who it could be. I highly doubt it would be anyone here, as that would be too obvious.
I sighed tiredly and the next moment I noticed Odin approaching me along with his bodyguard. A cheerful smile could be seen on his face and Rossweisse looked at me with a sort of admiration, apparently from my strength.
- "That was a good fight. You're lucky Thor wasn't here. He'd have thrown himself at you right there just to fight," Odin began, scratching his beard, "And your last attack... You were able to customize a spell with specific properties, virtually eliminating damage. Impressive."
- "Well, being the reincarnation of Solomon is pretty convenient." I shrugged, and he laughed. Rossweisse, on the other hand, threw a shy glance at me, blushing and hiding her eyes.
We continued our conversation, but on more distracted topics, enjoying the relatively quiet atmosphere and company. One turned out to be quite a pleasant conversationalist. He talked about life in Asgard, about his sons and his wife, about some funny and ridiculous situations he had gotten into, and so on.
Of course, sometimes the old man sometimes diverted into perverted topics, talking about the beauty of the female body and inviting me to his place for obvious purposes, but on the whole, everything was going fine. I even managed to forget about the unknown that organized the 'glitch' in the spell.
At some point, the guests a little further away from us began to part, letting someone through. It was Akeno, who was running towards us with a worried and tense expression on her face. When she reached us, she caught her breath and looked at me with frightened eyes.
- "Romani-sensei! Help! Koneko has disappeared from her room, and we don't know where she is!" She said nervously, to which I raised an eyebrow.
Oh? Well, at least there's no change on that one. If I remember correctly, she sensed Kuroka and ran to her without telling the others. True, in canon Rias found her along with Issei, but come on. Kuroka is not dangerous, and neither is Vali's group that arrived with her. So let them sort it out on their own, but I suppose it's worth pointing them in the right direction.
I closed my eyes and activated the 3rd magic, which allowed me to sense all the souls in the area. And after a couple seconds, the one that belonged to Koneko was found.
- "She's moving northeast of the castle," I said, and Akeno's eyes lit up with hope, "I suggest you hurry, as her signature is getting distant pretty fast."
- "Thank you!" She bowed and turned to go after Koneko, but she froze and looked at me, "Will you... will you help us?"
- "No," I answered without a second thought, "You can handle it."
Akeno stood there for a moment, hoping I would change my mind, but then she shook her head and left the room in a hurry, gathering the rest of her entourage. Odin and Rossweisse looked at me strangely, but said nothing. I, on the other hand, created a cup of coffee in my hand and escorted her with a glance.
- "I'm going to go as well. I need to discuss a couple of things with Sirzechs. If you think about it, visit Asgard. I promise you'll love it."
- "I'll think about it." I shrugged, and Odin and Rossweisse left, leaving me alone.
It seems that Loki is supposed to show up tonight, but as with Koneko, I don't think I'm needed here. He can be dealt with quite well by Issei, well, when Odin gets him a copy of Mjolnir.
My gaze traveled to the shadow in the corner of the hall, followed by a short nod to myself.
Yes, that's what I'll do. In case of anything, the Hundred Faces will keep an eye on them.
And as I was about to activate the magic circle, I suddenly felt someone hanging around my neck, leaning against my back. And the feeling of a big soft chest was very familiar, just like....
- "Did you miss me, Romani Archaman?"
I turned my head sharply to the side, where I was immediately met by Rizevim's brown eyes, in which fun danced. The distance between our faces was not even ten centimeters, and her warm breath was clearly felt on my skin. And she definitely found the look on my face amusing, judging from her wry smile, and was having fun at my expense.
- "So why aren't you saying anything? So happy to see me that you swallowed your tongue?" She giggled and rubbed her cheek against mine.
- "What are you doing here?" I asked, wrapping my arm around her face and trying to pull her away from me.
- "How could I have missed such an event? Did you like my prank?" Rizevim was naively indignant and then pulled away, acting like a playful and teasing princess. She leaned her body forward slightly, and put her hands behind her back, tilting her head to the side.
And apparently Rizevim did this so I could get a good look at her outfit. She wasn't wearing a business suit now, but a rather revealing turquoise-colored evening dress with slits just below her hips and an open back. And on her feet I could see high-heeled shoes of the same color.
To tell the truth, she looked extremely incomparable and attractive, because the dress emphasized her forms and combined with the colors of her skin and hair. Her playful and girlish demeanor contrasted with her mature appearance, which added a couple more points for combining the two.
Admittedly, it still wasn't clear to me how this woman ended up here and why no one was reacting to her. Only then did I notice that the corner of the hall we were in was covered by a barrier, casting an illusion on those outside.
- "A prank?" I didn't understand, and then, after a couple seconds, it came to me, "So it was all you, huh? But what's the point of that?"
- "Isn't the answer obvious?" Rizevim smiled, "I wanted to see your power. I wanted to admire it, and less importantly, I wanted to know who I could use it on without causing you a negative reaction, other than those who live in your house. After all, I'd hate to get on your bad side. What do people say? 'Feelings should be mutual', huh?"
Hearing her, I monotonously stared at her and there was nothing but emptiness in my eyes.
No surprise. Absolutely. She previously thought people were "unworthy" and now she's quoting them? What else is she going to get into her head before I can deal with her? However, my assumptions were partially correct.
- "So, what now? Are you gonna be here long? Because I'm planning on coming home right now."
- "How ungentlemanly of you, Romani Archaman," she clucked her tongue, "And you won't even give a lovely lady like me a dance?"
- "No."
- "Your insensitivity makes me sad," she said, wiping away a fake tear, and then smiled as if she hadn't heard anything, "But come on, next time. I'll see you…"
- "Before you go, can you answer one question?" I asked when I saw she was about to leave.
- "Whatever you want."
- "Why didn't Diadora do anything during the game? I doubt he was afraid to show his power."
- "Oh, that upstart? I ordered him, of course. As if someone like him had the right to even swing at you. And if he hadn't, no one would have found his corpse," she laughed, ostensibly joking, but obviously there was no joke in her words, "If that's all, I'm leaving. One last thing..."
Rizevim then abruptly appeared beside me and kissed my cheek.
- "I'll take it as payment for answering your question. I look forward to our next meeting, Romani Archaman." Smiling contentedly, she turned on her heels and disappeared in a flash of magic circle. And, as soon as Rizevim was gone, I sensed a divinity in the distance that reeked of deceit and guile.
That's Loki, I presume?
Without thinking, I created a magic circle under my feet and teleported home, as I had enough adventures for today. I don't feel like sticking around for any more time, much less helping to resolve the issue with this zoophile god. Definitely.
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