Once they'd left the city streets behind, Draconis and Asia teleported straight to Rias's castle.
"You're not hurt, are you?" Asia's voice was soft, but worry crept in around the edges. She knew those two Holy Sword wielders were no pushovers—Draconis's win hadn't been as effortless as it looked.
"I'm fine." Draconis shook his head. Truth was, Xenovia had put real pressure on him. If she hadn't, he wouldn't have needed to unleash the Regalia Blade's true power.
Their fight had been a private duel, nothing official. Neither side wanted to make a scene, and there was no point dragging it out. Draconis had played his trump card, taken the upper hand, and called it quits.
These days, unless you ran into one of those rogue fallen angels, devils, angels, and the fallen rarely went straight for each other's throats. The truce from centuries ago still held weight—leaders on all sides liked things just the way they were.
Which meant Draconis's little skirmish with the Holy Sword users was technically out of bounds. Only exiles and outcasts were fair game.
He couldn't help his bad impression of fallen angels. There was a whole group among them—exiled, predatory types—who hunted Sacred Gear users. Either they stole the gear, or they killed the owner to erase a threat.
Both he and Asia had been targeted by those maniacs once. That alone was enough to sour his view of fallen angels, even if he now knew some weren't all bad. Old grudges die hard… especially when you've actually been killed by one.
If Rias hadn't reincarnated him as a devil, his whole "isekai" adventure would've been cut short before it even started. No way he was letting go of that grudge.
"I should let Rias know what happened," Draconis said, heading inside with Asia. The castle was quiet—Rias and Akeno weren't back yet.
A little while later, two figures emerged from the teleport circle. Rias's face was tight with worry.
"Draconis! Asia! Are you both alright?" She rushed forward, pulling them into a fierce hug, relief flooding her features.
"Um, President…" Asia blinked, caught off guard.
"Rias, what's going on?" Draconis asked, puzzled.
Rias didn't waste words. "Did you run into Holy Sword wielders? Did they attack you?"
"Huh? So you already knew?" He'd been ready to report in, but apparently she was ahead of him.
"Akeno and I met with President Sona. She told us Church Holy Sword wielders were in town—right where you two were. I figured you might cross paths, and when I got there, I saw the aftermath."
Rias's voice trembled slightly. "Holy Sword users are dangerous. I was bracing for the worst… Thank goodness you're safe." She hugged them tighter, her tone earnest. "I'm going to treasure you both even more from now on."
Draconis couldn't help but smile. He felt her care, her anxiety. Back when he'd first arrived in this world, he never imagined he'd have bonds like these. Rias—and everyone—had changed him.
His gaze softened. He hugged Rias gently. "I'm fine. Sorry to make you worry."
Asia piped up, pride in her voice. "And Draconis beat those two Holy Sword wielders!"
She still felt a warm rush remembering how he'd stood up for her. Her eyes practically sparkled.
"What? You actually beat them?" Rias and Akeno both stared, clearly stunned.
"I caught them off guard, took advantage of the moment. It wasn't a life-or-death fight, and neither side went all out."
Akeno shook her head, a wry smile on her lips. "Looks like we were worrying for nothing. You're growing faster than any of us expected…"
Draconis turned to Rias. "So, what did President Sona want? Does she know about the Holy Sword users too?"
Rias nodded. "Technically, the Holy Sword wielders found Sona first, then reached out to us through her. Tomorrow, we're meeting in the clubroom—they say they have something to discuss."
She didn't know the details, but two Holy Sword users showing up was never a good sign.
Draconis nodded. "Guess we'll see what they want tomorrow."
The next day, after classes, the group gathered in the clubroom.
Xenovia and Irina arrived, both pausing in surprise when they saw Draconis and Asia.
"So you're Rias's peerage," Xenovia said, eyes narrowing.
Draconis gestured calmly. "Take a seat. I suppose we've gotten to know each other the hard way."
He motioned them to chairs. Akeno poured tea, and Draconis, Asia, and Koneko settled nearby, quietly listening as Rias handled the conversation.
Rias was in a good mood, remembering Draconis's victory over the Church duo. She sat with a relaxed smile, legs crossed, her foot gently swinging—a picture of satisfaction.
"So, God's faithful want to meet with devils. What's this about?"
Xenovia didn't beat around the bush. "I'll be direct. The Church's three factions used to hold seven Holy Swords. One's been lost, the other six were split among the factions. But recently, three of them were stolen by fallen angels."
Her bluntness made everyone tense.
Draconis's mind flashed to that alternate dimension—the fallen angel's experiment, the boy called Number Two wielding a Holy Sword.
Rias's eyes glinted. She realized she'd already been pulled into this mess. She smiled, cool and collected. "So, why come to me?"
Xenovia's answer was as tactless as ever. "This is between our Church and the fallen angels. If the devils get involved, things get complicated."
She was all business, never stopping to wonder if she was offending anyone.
Draconis grimaced. Xenovia really was an idiot when it came to diplomacy. She'd already pissed off Asia, and now she was about to get on Rias's bad side…
—
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