49- Talks of Peace
…..
Medusa couldn't help but stand in front of the mirror, fighting her own nerves. 'What should I do?' With her white dress similar to a toga with many ribbons and her loose hair, the person in the mirror reminded her of her sisters. 'What would you do in my place? Euryale would probably try to charm everyone while Stheno… Stheno would already have them charmed.' None of which helped her.
While the three sisters looked almost the same, Medusa knew their differences more than anyone; she always saw herself as less cute and pretty than her sisters, a distinction that grew with time. Even as she reverted to the small girl the three were in their happier times, she still could see herself as lesser than then.
"I wish you two were here." Her mirror had multiple directions and when looking into an angle she herself with her sisters. Yet as Medusa embraced herself she knew it was just a fantasy. "Then you could tell me what to do." A knock on her startled the goddess but she took a calming breath. "Enter."
Shirou stepped inside dressed in his armor and shroud, ready for combat. It was also his most formal clothing by devils' standards and his mother wanted him to dress his best. That didn't stop him from admiring Medusa's room as he rarely stepped inside her domain.
As usual it was spotless, or even more clean than usual as she cleaned to soothe her nerves. Besides that while a different place compared to the rest of the house it was more because Medusa preferred to forgo most Japanese traditions and have a more Greek setting.
It was the beds and couch mostly, places for Medusa to sit down and read while enjoying her privacy, usually with a light lunch. Most of it was purple, from the color of her chair and the walls to the bed and its covers. Her bed was too big for one person, had many pillows with different shades of purple and was her favorite piece of furniture.
Didn't diminish the quantity of her bookcases or how many books she had in her room. Books dominated every shelf with every genre known to man. There was adventure, action, romance, drama, fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, everything and anything. Most of them she hasn't read yet but it was her favorite pastime, to visit other worlds without leaving the comfort of home.
Close to the door there was a desk with a watch and a small pile of books. Usually these books would be the ones Medusa was still reading and would be taking with her to Kuoh. Not today though, today they would remain behind as she would have no time to literature and her concerns wouldn't let focus on them.
"Everyone is ready to go." Shirou said delicately, noticing how pensive Medusa was. "Do you want me to tell them to go ahead? We still have some time before the meeting."
Medusa looked at him through the mirror before shaking her head. "No, it is better if we don't waste any time."
"We wouldn't be. There is no rush." Shirou closed the door and began to walk towards the bed. Once he sat down and noticed the goddess' eyes remained in the mirror, he frowned. "Look, just mom and Maya need to be there early. We can take our time."
"Thank you but no." Medusa turned to her protector with a conflicted look. "If we leave later… I may not find the courage to leave at all."
Scratching his neck, Shirou kept his frown but tried to smile. "You were invited. Don't go if you don't want to."
"I need to know what they want. Maybe it is nothing." She glanced at the mirror again, imagining that her sisters were there looking back. "Or maybe they want me to depart so their alliance starts smoothly."
Immediately Shirou moved to his feet and rested his hand on her shoulder. "You are only leaving if you want to. If angels of any kind have any problem with that then I will remind them that this is my home and you are my guest." Then he smiled sincerely. "Besides, I need to take responsibility."
"There is a difference between allowing me to stay at your home for free and picking a fight against one of the top Factions of the world."
"'For free'? Medusa, it was never for free." She looked at the redhead with a raised eyebrow. "You helped me with projects, trained my friends, gave advice and spent time with Gasper when nobody else could. All that nothing including this," he pointed to the jewel back in the center of his armor, "or how much you help around the house in general."
"I like to clean." She held a small blush that had Shirou chuckling.
"Be as it may, as far as I am concerned, you paid any due hundreds of times over. Never think that you were a burden, because believe me, you aren't."
"Still… Depending what they say-"
"We don't know yet and we can cross that bridge when we get there." Shirou offered his hand for Medusa to take. "Now we can go or we can wait for another hour or so before leaving. Or you just stay home and I tell them that you had better stuff to do than go to a meeting with a bickering Faction that needs to clean up their act."
"Pft, they need to, don't they?" Seeing the Three Factions as a bunch of petulant children helped her even if that was far from the truth. Even adding the centuries she was lost to insanity, Medusa was far younger than most of the men going to this meeting and admitaly less wise. "Then let's go. Time to cross the bridge." Yet she would face them as a goddess, for anything else would shame her sisters and protector.
As they began to walk towards the garage, Shirou couldn't help himself. "Well, technically speaking we need to get there, wait for another hour as aunt Maya checks the security, give however much time the others need to arrive, then there will be the start of the meeting with whatever protocols they have, not to mention the possible delays-"
"Forget about it. I am going back to my room." And she turned to do just that.
"I made cupcakes~" The goddess stopped mid step, her head slowly turning to him. "Strawberry, your favorite. We better hurry before Liz finds them. Or worse, Koneko."
Medusa let out a sigh of exasperation. "You are a manipulative man." She began to walk to the garage in a hurry. He easily matched her step. "Using a girl's weakness like that, you are cruel."
"Hahahaha, I don't mind. Sometimes you must be cruel to be kind." If anything those words only made the goddess glare at him more.
"Giant."
Her tone only made him laugh louder. "Is that supposed to be an insult?" For her it was.
Around the van the inhabitants of the house were getting ready to go however, Medusa saw something odd. "Why are they using the school uniform?" Most of those in the garage were using Kuoh's standard uniform except Xenovia and the obvious exceptions between Iri, Maya and Liz. "Didn't you make armor for them?"
Rias giggled at Shirou's frown. "Because unlike Shiro, we don't have a shroud to complement the armor."
"Only because you didn't want to use a cloak." Shirou pointed to Xenovia who had a briefcase in her hands and Durandal tied on her back with its new scabbard. "At least someone is sensible enough to do it."
"Sir!" Xenovia saluted with a grin that made Shirou sigh. She was using a red cloak that reached her knees, revealing her combat boots. "It's slightly smaller than an Exorcist's cloak but more comfortable, sir."
"Ah, Shirou, don't be like that." Iri jumped from the side and hugged his neck. "You need to understand that a woman has to have her style."
"Liz is using it." Below her usual jersey all could note the black piece of armor even with the zipper up.
"Liz is hardly the best person to talk about fashion." Rias commented and the maid shrugged as she relaxed in the driver's seat.
Then Shirou turned to Luvia and Koneko. "Don't look at us like that, Shero. If our King says that your armor is not proper for such meetings then it isn't proper for such meetings." She fixed her uniform around her breasts. "Not that the fact you got the measurements wrong didn't help it in some of our cases."
"I used the measurements you gave me." Shirou replied as flatly as humanly possible. He already knew what was coming.
For Luvia was getting easier to read the more he lived with her. "Oh my, does that mean I developed a little." No, she didn't.
But never let it be said that Luvia doesn't know how to take advantage of a situation, even a small one as such and Shirou could only roll with it. "If you need, I can take a look at it after."
"Yes~ I am sure we can figure out something." While the blonde posed, Shirou turned his head to Rias.
"Why can't you use armor?" It wasn't even the much work he put in it, but he would feel safer if she did.
However Rias rolled her eyes and waved him off. "It is a Peace Meeting, Shiro. We aren't going to fight. Besides, Kuoh's uniforms were designed to look like some noblemen's clothes from the Underworld." She made a slight courtesy, lifting the skirt just a little to show respect and not reveal anything. It would still be tempting to those weaker of mind. "I will fit right in."
"In the Underworld, maybe." Iri pointed out with a gentle smile.
With his mother on Rias' side Shirou knew this was a fight he couldn't win. "There is nothing that I can say that will change your mind, is it?"
A small giggle later, Rias pointed towards Xenovia. "Come on, Shiro. You didn't even get on Xenovia's case and she doesn't have any armor."
"She is using her combat uniform that while less resistant, is still bullet proof." At her cue the bluehead opened her cloak to reveal her fixed and slightly modified uniform now with no crosses and all black. "Can complain about the Church's work with swords but not with their blessings. She is also using a cloak, you know, the one that I designed for everyone that Akeno called too tacky."
"It was a joke." Rias was just too amused at her lover's frustration. "Besides, it is a Peace Meeting, nothing is going to happen."
Shirou facepalmed so loud enough that someone winced. "You just jinxed us."
"While I don't believe in luck, Gremory's Power aside, I agree it is a good idea to use armor." Maya opened her black jacket to show she was using one of Shirou's models. She closed the zipper and folded her arms. "It isn't uncommon for government representatives to use bulletproof vests when moving over hostile territory."
That offended Rias a little. "Fuyuki isn't hostile territory and we cleaned up every mess that showed up."
"True." Maya gave her that much before raising two fingers. "However this city has been the center of conflicts between the Three Factions at least two times, once with the fallen angels who almost killed your two people who became your Pieces and Kokabiel with the Fragments where the Church also sent agents. Obviously there will be those that are also against peace so we should be expecting a 'mess' of some kind." Nobody could challenge her point.
Irisviel saw the concern on some faces and let out a sigh. "Maya is just being a little paranoid-"
"It is my job."
"-but you guys don't need to worry. That is why we are here!" She placed her fist above her heart proudly. "The Black Sheath Security Company, working with agents from all three camps, is on the prowl and alert. Our measures are many and nobody is going to get in the way of peace or my name isn't Irisviel."
"Doesn't mean that something can't go wrong." Maya pointed out but shrugged. "Anyway, she is right. You kids just go there, give your testimony and then sit down and let the adults talk."
"Can we go now?" Medusa asked with a nervous look. "Considering my situation, I admit I may be losing some of my nerve."
"Sure, let me just call the others so they are at the door when we stop there." Rias picked her cell phone as everyone embarked the van.
Shirou was about to go in when Xenovia tapped his shoulder. "Master, can I ask for a favor?" Her nervous look actually worried him.
"Sure, what is wrong?"
"Can I…" A pause of hesitation, Shirou was starting to get more worried. "Can I get another color?" Only to almost fall down at the question. "Sorry, Master. I don't mean to upset you. I know red and black are your colors but-"
"No, they aren't. Those are the Gremory's colors and I use them to avoid confusion."
"Also they look great." Rias added from her seat, finishing writing the message. "Why would you want to change it? Red brings out your eyes."
"Does it?" Shirou actually stopped to take a look but Medusa shook her head in his field of vision.
"Perhaps but if it isn't much of a problem… Can you make me a green cape?" Xenovia felt like she was asking too much.
"Fine, which shade of green? Like your fringe?"
"Yes, Master! I would appreciate it!" At that Shirou touched her shoulder and the cloak began to change color. Once it was done, now the exact color of her fringe, Xenovia couldn't hide her wonder. "Oooooh~ How did you do that, Master?" She spun in place, falling in love with her cape more than she was before.
Shirou was happy to see her happy. "My creation, remember? Altering it is not that hard." His shroud changed colors twice, first to green then to blue before going back to red. "A little harder on this one since I made a little differently but you can thank my mother for that."
"Nah, Shirou. We wouldn't have gotten that far if you weren't studying Noble Phantasms. That Green Mantle also helped a lot."
"But it was you who figured out how to isolate its power and make a cape from it."
"It isn't as strong and you know it."
"Yet, you did a better job than I could-"
"Love the family moment but we need to go." Maya looked at the watch on her wrist impatiently. "You two can keep complimenting each other on the road."
Realizing time was not on their side, Shirou and Xenovia took their seats, the briefcase she was carrying being put on the ground and the van began to move. Because of the security systems in place for the meeting there will be a lot of restrictions for people to get inside. So, to avoid delays and accidents, they would drop by and pick up the others.
Kiba was first as the complex of apartments he lived in was closest but they would still have to do a huge lap to get Issei and Asia before getting Akeno. The Knight got into the van in a good mood, the fact Caliburn's Fragments and their hunt would be brought out during the meeting not bothering him at all.
When they arrived at the Hyoudou residence they were greeted by the sight of the parents wanting to know why their children were going to school on a Sunday. Rias quickly convinced them it was for a school project so there was little argument.
Everything was helped by the fact Asia also was dressed in her school clothes and when Xenovia asked if she would change to her nun outfit the Bishop shook her head and claimed she was going as a devil of Gremory and that it would be rude to meet Michael dressed like a nun.
Obviously the former nun was nervous about meeting such a revered angel but she still stood firm as a member of the Gremory Peerage. Rias smiled and embraced Asia with pride as the van moved to the next location.
Akeno was waiting for them close to a bus stop chatting with two guys, they were hitting on her but the Queen smoothly said her goodbyes and hopped in the van. Looking at how most of the population of the van were girls they tried to get in but Maya gave them a fake smile before saying they were going to another city for a school project.
Regardless, the two were left at the bus stop with some of the girls waving politely as they made their way to Kuoh. At that point most nerves had settled with Medusa much calmer and Asia smiling with everyone else.
"If Gasper was here then this would be an official ORC trip." Rias commented, picturing the former dhampir and Setsuna also present.
Shirou tapped her side with his elbow. "When we go to the beach we take the van."
"You guys are going to the beach?!"
"Not now, mom."
"Maya! Turn the car back, we have to go to the beach!" Some laughed at how excited the older woman sounded.
The black haired woman wasn't amused. "We have no time for that, Irisviel." She held the wheel firmly as she was sure the white haired one was tempted.
However, besides a pout, Iri did nothing but watch as Maya remained on guard during the whole trip. Some were amused by the bodyguard's reaction but Shirou just nodded in sympathy because if it wasn't her, it would be him and he wasn't getting into that particular line of fire.
It didn't take long for the van to arrive in Kuoh. Different from most days there were guards outside of the gate already on watch, both dressed in black suits too hot for a day of summer. "Your men?" Rias asked as she catched a glimpse of them.
Maya nodded and stopped at the gate and one of them saluted. "While most of the security is being run by the Three Factions working together, our company was called to complement and reinforce. There is also the fact that Heaven is contributing less." The man saluted again and with the click of a button the gate began to open. "I am also taking care of coordination between the three sides."
"As a neutral party?" Shirou found the notion odd since they were connected to devils. Lucifer was his father's backer, there was no way for them to be neutral.
"No, silly. Sirzechs and Serafall convinced Azazel and Michael to entrust most of the security to us." Iri smiled and nodded her head confidently.
Now it was Rias' turn to find things odd. "That is… a great deal of trust to throw around like that."
"That was Michael's idea, a way to 'foster cooperation'. He even approved of the devils having two representatives with no fear whatsoever." Iri relaxed on her seat as Maya began to drive inside. "Most of the security is from our side anyway with Grigori pitching in, Heaven waved almost every right off besides one or two bodyguards."
"One and she is an Exorcist." Maya looked to the back through the rear mirror before focusing on the road.
Soon they passed by the boundary field and everybody could tell it was different. Not unexpected since it was reinforced for the meeting but one of the changes was that the day turned to night.
Asia was the first one to look outside from the window and see an ocean of stars that while not banishing the darkness, proportionate her a great view. "Pretty." She looked to Rias for guidance. "Is that because of the boundary field?"
The King nodded with a gentle smile. "There is no sun in the Underworld so our cities have boundary fields to give us the light of the day. The reverse is also possible but a rarely used function."
It was Irisviel who decided to explain. "Since most of the security are devils, and the fallen angels don't care much, we got permission to add that feature while strengthening the boundary field." She pointed in Kuoh's direction and everybody saw a sight none had before.
"That… is a looooot of devils." Issei spoke as eloquently as he could and nobody disagreed.
There was no way anyone could say he was wrong as warriors with bat-like wings flew around their school with spears and swords of many kinds. All of them used dark armor from head to toe, heavy plate and masks. Their weapons were powerful too as they were more than blades; they were tools to expand their magic power.
"They are not alone." Medusa was the first to notice and quickly pointed to the other side of the school.
Right there in the skies, Akeno gave a look of indifference. "Fallen angels."
Much like the devils the fallen angels also came in number as their presence didn't lose to the devils. Unlike their counterparts who were covered head to toe the fallen angels' armor was lighter and they were armed with only daggers and short swords. Their helmets had visors to protect their eyes and small wings above the ears.
Graves and shoulder pads were also common but the fallen angels' legs were covered in a toga that made it hard to discern if they had protection there or not. Still, like the devils, they were also moving around and watching the area like hawks in search of prey.
Easily there were hundreds of warriors flying around which made it hard to count but some were already guessing the two Factions came in force with at least two thousand strong and capable.
However there was a glaring problem with their formation. "They are too far apart." Shirou commented with a frown, noticing an invisible line between the two forces.
"An eternity of bloodshed won't disappear just because the leaders called for peace." Maya commented nonchalantly, making Shirou's eyes grow hard. "A lifetime wouldn't be enough, much less for beings who can live forever."
"Most of them only have four wings or less." Rias pointed out, still studying the armies.
Issei forced his vision, trying and failing to find anyone with more than four wings. "Buchou is right. Aren't the top wigs of the Factions in this meeting? Shouldn't they send their best?"
"Not really since it wouldn't make much of a difference." Akeno avoided looking to the fallen angel side. Instead the Queen turned to give the Pawn all her attention. "If you think about it, who could compete with Sirzechs Lucifer other than Azazel? And vice-versa?"
"Himejima is right, even bringing this many people is pushing it." Maya's tone carried some irritation, clearly showing she didn't like the situation. "I suggested this was done in a more secret avenue with the main brass alone but nope, apparently witnesses are needed for this and the more eyes the better."
"I can't speak about the Grigori's side but most devils would appreciate our leaders not keeping these kinds of meetings a secret." Rias spoke as she folded her arms. "Many in our population are Reincarnated Devils who fight to be promoted in a system that benefits the Pillars from where even the Maous come from. Dealings as this shouldn't be backroom deals for the sake of preserving our system."
"So is any of them a journalist or something?" Shirou asked with a chuckle and his lover shook her head.
"Not at all but people will talk and the story will spread anyway. Then, if things go right, there will be another meeting with pictures and the expected fanfare."
"There is another purpose too." Irisviel looked like she was pondering something concerning. "If all the leaders are counters to each other, Michael is in an even bigger disadvantage if something goes wrong with no reinforcements whatsoever." She and everyone else noticed the anxiety that Medusa tried and failed to hide. Quickly Iri turned and waved her hands to dismiss the thought. "Not that anything is going to happen! This is a peace meeting! Peace meeting!"
Xenovia returned to her seat with a pensive expression. "It is still kinda sad that there are no angels to accompany Lord Michael either."
"It would be cruel. To be reminded how few they actually are, how much was lost." Medusa sounded down right depressed and Shirou began to pat her head but it didn't help much.
"Extinction tends to do that."
"Maya, have some tact!" Iri complained but the woman didn't bother to reply.
Instead she parked the van close to the forest. "We are here." She turned her back, everyone giving her looks of disbelief and concern. "You guys can get into the school in an hour or so. Iri is probably going to call you." She opened her door and jumped out, stretching a little. When she noticed that nobody was moving, she let out a sigh. "If you want to wait an hour in the van that is not my problem."
"Maya, that is not the issue." Iri jumped out but the woman didn't care. She just grabbed the long haired woman. "Wait! I want to go see Gasper-"
"I don't care. The sooner you finish checking the boundary field, the better. We are on a schedule and this is too important to be delayed."
"Five minutes! Just five minutes to check on Gasper! Then fix Medusa's hair! And-"
"No!" Maya just dragged the white haired woman towards the school, some of the devils looking at the situation with amusement.
"Well, let's get this show on the road." Shirou opened the door and hopped off, offering his hand for Medusa to do the same.
Rias found her lover's reaction more amusing than the sight from before. "That is it? Not going to comment about-"
"No and at this point you shouldn't be surprised either." The magus looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Or do you want to talk about some of my mother's offers for our future child."
"I would love to hear about that." Once again Akeno showed that she couldn't resist gossip at Rias' expense.
Still the Gremory Heiress acted with grace, taking her lover's hand to leave and grabbing a basket before marching to the ORC. "If anyone asks… I will spank them one hundred times and when they ask in the meeting why you can't sit down I will make everybody say you are constipated."
Everyone knew she was serious so the subject was dropped off, even Akeno hesitating on pushing Rias any further. Shirou wasn't surprised, if anything he wondered how much his lover would last with his mother's attention. Even Liz was impressed that the pureblood devil kept her composure for a whole week.
It helped that Sirzechs only stayed in the house for a day because he and Iri worked so well enough in sync that Shirou went to hide in his workshop while Rias picked any contract she could to get out of the house.
Still none of that mattered to Medusa who needed something to sooth her nerves so she turned to Shirou, her eyes clued on the basked on Rias' hands. "Cupcake."
Koneko's cat ears sprung immediately. "Cupcake?"
Liz was on high alert. "Where?"
"Wait until we get to the club." Yet both Rias and Shirou were already covering the basket as everyone else stepped out of the car.
Didn't dissuade the white haired girls as they stepped forward, ready to pounce. "You won't get the extra snacks we hid at the club." Shirou spoke fast but they understood perfectly and went still, waiting for an explanation.
"Ah~ so that was why we were cooking so much yesterday, fufufufu." Akeno quickly found herself the victim of two white haired girls' attention. "Shirou-kun, Buchou and I worked hard yesterday but they didn't tell me why."
"And you won't get any if you don't behave." Rias' ultimatum worked as the famished duo stood down.
Xenovia picked up the briefcase, noticing how Asia looked in the college's direction. "What is wrong?"
"Are any guards there too?" For a moment the Bishop thought she saw a pair of bat wings moving around the building.
"I don't know, maybe?" Rias replied with a shrug.
Luvia cupped her chin in thought. "Probably not. The meeting is going to be at school and the boundary field will stop any invader. There is no need to guard the university."
"Why?" Issei with a little confusion. "If someone would get in, it would be from there, right?"
The former Heiress of Edelfelf was happy to explain. "Generally the boundary field around Kuoh is so gentle that we barely feel the mana but today you are feeling your skin crawl a little, right?" The Pawn nodded. "That is because its composition changed to stop things like teleportation."
"Not only teleportation but it is more reinforced than ever. The only way someone can enter Kuoh right now is through the front gate of the school." Rias elaborated proudly.
Which was something that confounded Issei. "Then why don't we have it like that always? Sounds easier than having any guards."
Akeno giggled at the logic because while it was right it was missing some pieces. "Because it costs a lot and someone can still brute force it. Besides, on a normal day you have a lot of people who use other entrances to work like cleaning staff or even the teachers."
"Ask yourself why you don't see any college students most of the time." Shirou threw out to make the brown haired devil think. "Because they have their own entrance."
"Makes sense I guess." Issei shrugged before realizing something else. "Wait, if we had the boundary field like this all the time then you guys wouldn't be able to teleport to your contracts, right?"
"Well done, Issei-kun. You are starting to get it." Kiba praised with a hand on his shoulder.
Only for Issei to point at Rias. "Then you all would have to use bikes in your jobs!"
"Well, yeah I suppose."
"Then why don't you do it? Didn't you add that option for me? Doesn't it 'help train' and 'earn more'? Give it to everybody so we can have this super boundary field."
"But then you would end up losing if we made that the standard." Rias commented with a smile making her Pawn wince. "If everybody was using bikes then it wouldn't be special anymore."
"I- But- I want to teleport." Kiba patted Issei's back gently but the Pawn just looked defeated.
"'The client is always right'." The Knight commented. "But look on the bright side, keep going like this and maybe you will have a car by the time we join college."
Which, considering Issei doesn't buy that many games anyway, was possible. The Pawn felt renewed. "Oh yeah! I'll get a car so cool that a lot of girls beg to ride with me." He nodded with new confidence, marching towards the club.
Asia kept looking at college, still confused since she saw something in the area. However she dismissed it as her imagination thanks to her friends. "So they have their own entrance? Where is it?"
Rias pointed to the college. "If you paid attention you would notice we are at the back of Kuoh University. If you go around you will find another entrance and a parking lot." She pointed to the right of the terratin. "In that direction you will find a service entrance and trucks."
"Hohohoho, indeed a huge university. As expected of the devils."
"I agree you guys don't do anything by half." Xenovia moved her hand slowly, trying to get to the basket only for Rias to slap it away. She quickly turned to Shirou. "Can I get one?"
"There is enough for everybody." Some gave him skeptical looks before turning to Liz and Koneko, ready and waiting. "Including some extra for everyone who is staying at the club."
"Now you are tempting me, Shero."
"You can't, Luvia." Rias' face grew a little serious even if she was smiling gently. "Remember that you need to explain some stuff."
She feared the former heiress would be uncomfortable but she just waved it off. "No problem. I am ready to face the music."
Rias smiled proudly but shook her head. "I already told you that won't be necessary but I am happy you don't plan to hide from what happened."
"Of course I wouldn't. As a devil from the Gremory I have a reputation to maintain."
"I have the feeling that if Rin was here she would say something like; 'good to know your head is as big as ever'."
Luvia didn't react as Akeno and others chuckled. "You forgot the 'Drillhead', Xenovia-chan."
"Oops, my bad."
"Let us forget about that Poorhead for today. She wasn't invited to this meeting for a reason." Nobody was going to point out it was because Shirou would be enough to explain their part anyway or that was the same reason Liz was dismissed as well.
They were willing to let Luvia have that small victory as they arrived at the ORC and found Gasper sitting at the window before noticing them and quickly flying out of the building. From everyone's perspective, dropping the seal was a good thing for the younger dhampir who seemed anxious to express his happiness early as he jumped to embrace Rias.
"Buchouuuuu! I'm scared! There are so many new presences around the school!" Or express his fears as they could see the tears dropping from his eyes.
"Gasper, we told you the security was going to grow tight around Kuoh for a few days. Did anyone come here to bother you?"
"No but-but-but- but there were just so many of them!" Xenovia moved around and grabbed the small Bishop by the back of his uniform.
"I can't believe this! You insisted on staying here even when Buchou offered to take you back to our house! Be a man!" Gasper winced but Xenovia just looked more irritated as she dropped him on the ground. "Did any of them drop around? Stop shaking, answer the question." He shook his head. "Then why are you afraid?"
"Some flew around and I got worried."
Before Xenovia could complain, Rias stepped forward and embraced her Bishop. "They are just doing their job, Gasper. And you need to get used to this many people. It isn't like they are here to harm you." She touched his nose with a finger, calming him down. "How are you going to go to school like that? Don't you want to make more friends?" He nodded slowly, embarrassed. "Then you need to get used to more people."
"He still has some time, Rias." Shirou patted the small Bishop's head. "Even if he can't get to classes tomorrow or after, he is still a first year student. You shouldn't push him." He turned to Xenovia. "Neither should you."
"Nah, I disagree, Master. He needs some push to become a proper man." Xenovia hit Gasper hard in the back to make him stand up. "Only when he has some backbone will he be more sure of himself."
"He will get a backbone later." Rias brought Gasper back into her embrace. "But not by bullying him around. He just needs time, that is all."
"Time waits for nobody. He needs a push."
"Time."
"Push."
"Cupcake." Koneko called out loud and Akeno pouted as the two other girls stopped to turn to the former nekomata. "I'm hungry."
At that point Shirou saw his opportunity before the discussion devolved even further. "Yeah, better we eat now or else most of us aren't getting anything until the meeting. When does it start again?"
Rias and Xenovia traded glares but the redhead focused on her lover. "It starts in two hours but we can go in an hour like oka-sama and Maya suggested. We should go once the hour is up."
"Why is that?" The pureblood giggled at his question.
"So we are the first to arrive, silly."
…
Hidden inside the empty Kuoh University, inside a dark classroom, a bright portal began to open. It wasn't something created by a magic circle but just a gate in the shape of a perfect circle that simply opened from nowhere and just existed a couple of centimeters above the ground.
That gate revealed another area with many warriors standing and making way for their leaders. All of them had armors with long capes and a symbol that carried four distinct magic circles in their back. They quickly raised their swords in salute to a woman who marched through the gate with a black staff topped by a purple gem inside a half moon.
She ignored the man who opened the gate and was already getting over to the other side. The young man with black hair was fixing his glasses while the woman just smiled, her own pair shining with malice. "Looks like you are right. This place is as empty as a graveyard."
"Of course we were. One of our agents infiltrated Kuoh for a while and noticed that the devils didn't prioritize college as much as the school." Georg, one of the leaders of the Hero Faction, commented. He looked at the devils, noticing how there were humans waiting their turn with a scowl before hiding it.. "You can get your men marching. The sooner they all get here the sooner the safer it will be."
Katerea Leviathan looked at the perfect circle, a frown marrying her otherwise perfect face. "Can't you make the gate bigger? With this area it is going to take hours before the troops are ready."
As she said many of her warriors were already moving at a fast pace, spreading around the area with some already leaving the classroom to scout. They had orders to not be seen at any cost until the time was right. A single mistake could ruin the whole operation so only the specialists in stealth were allowed to scout.
None of that mattered to Georg who calmly picked up a seat and pulled a small book and a pen from the pocket of his coat. "Word for someone unqualified for a job. Eleven letters, hmm."
"Did you hear me?" Katerea's annoyance bothered her men hopping from the portal and they began to surround the magician.
Yet Georg remained unfazed. "Are you feeling the dimensional tear's presence? Of course not, because it is that small." He didn't bother taking his eyes off his puzzle..
Instead of allowing her annoyance to take over, Katerea smiled sweetly. "I apologize for the rudeness. This operation is messing with everyone's nerves." With a wave of her hand the other devils stepped back. "But perhaps you could open another gate? It would certainly accelerate things for us all."
"The dimensional gate at that size can easily be disguised by the ley line. Any bigger or if more than one pops up and then you run the risk of it being detected." Georg found another word even as the devils moved around him. "Unless you want to begin your attack immediately, dismissing all preparation you had before, then this is the ideal size. Of course I don't care either way, that just means you will fight earlier and humans won't get caught in the crossfire." 'Crossfire' was one of the words.
"No, thank you. Not only this is too early and my target isn't even here yet but we invested too much to change the plan this late in the game." She made a motion to sit and immediately some devils put a chair for her, not one from the classroom but a throne with a monstrous serpent above her head. "The meeting will start in two hours and my target will be there by then. If everything goes to plan then I will deal a blow to the New Satan Faction uninterrupted."