"He is incapacitated and unless I am much mistaken, he may have developed a slight fear of dragons." Hidden within the scorn and ruthless disappointment towards the individual, there were notable tones of satisfaction. Guess she was happier than she let on about Raiser's despairing situation.
"Oh yes, there is one thing I want to know." Sirzechs turned to Grayfia with a raised eyebrow. "You have met this Shirou Emiya before right? What is your impression of him?"
...
Grayfia closed her eyes and paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, then opened her eyes again to talk. "First time I met him was during the meeting between Rias-sama and Raiser-sama. He was the individual who stopped both sides from attacking one another in a fit of anger. Second time was the evening before the Rating Game, when I met him to lead him to Rias-sama. In both times, I feel that he has a great distrust against our kind, but a great heart to help others in need. Of all, he seems to be closest to the Red Emperor, the new Bishop, and two others from the Sitri Peerage."
"Ah I see, seems like a nice guy." Sirzechs commented as he dipped his pen into some ink and prepared to sign one last document.
"But"
Sirzech's hand stopped short of putting his signature on a document, causing an ink blob to drop on it and make a small dot on it.
'She said but? This must be serious.'
He had known Grayfia for many years, and one thing he could say for certain was her total willingness to speak her mind out with zero hesitation. Either she had something nice to say (which was rare), or something really scathing to speak of (he always enjoyed listening to her almost ruthless description of their opponents or Raiser), she would not pause in her words. The only times she ever said 'but', was when she either had something to admit about a person's character, her views on certain tactics or strategies, or she was unsure of someone.
Judging from her eyes and the topic they were on, the last one was the likely deal.
"Something troubles me about the human." Grayfia started slowly, sounding a little cautious about her words. "On the surface, he seems to be a nice individual, though he is a little rough with his training and that his interactions with both their Peerages are extremely limited. As a fighter, he seems to have quite a good feel for tactics on the battlefield, so he can take care of himself and Rias-sama if needed."
"So what is the issue?"
"I get the odd feeling that he is..." She paused before continuing. "A blank slate."
"... You will need to give me a little more details than that."
"To me, it felt like a part of him is missing, like he does not have a true self." Grayfia elaborated while maintaining an expression of uncertainty and professional curiosity. "What little I have learnt from Rias suggests that he was a wandering magician who happened to get into the town after some sort of an attack, given the medical records available. It seemed that his injuries were severe enough to have him stuck in the town and end up getting enrolled into the academy."
"But you think there's more?"
"His magic is one thing." Grayfia lifted a hand and with a light twirl of her finger, formed a small knife out of demonic energy. "It is not impossible for us to make small weapons with our demonic energy. Magicians can make weapons with their magic as well, but something about that boy's magic is different. For one thing, the power I sensed from them seems to exceed some of the Sacred Gears we have encountered over the years."
"Say that again?!" Sirzechs was now facing her with a deep-rooted curiosity in him. "There can't be a lot of magic schools out there that can have a magic system stronger than a Sacred Gear."
"That's the thing, based on what little I have gathered on him, he does not come from any of the traditional schools we know. His magic style seems to be one totally unique to him."
"You mean he is a SB magician?" Sirzechs leaned back in contemplation. Specially Born Magicians, or SB in short, was something a little unusual but not rare when it came to magic cabals. The idea that an individual born between two strong parents was very basic ideology practiced even by the old clans of Devils, hoping to create a Devil that carries two blood lines from powerful clans. But as stated, it was a little uncommon since the results would be somewhat mixed.
"Perhaps, but when I said about his abilities being different, I meant something entirely different." She looked at him in the eye before saying the unexpected words. "I detected an odd presence from his weapons, as if they have sentience at their very core."
"You are kidding me right?" Sirzech looked at her with his eyes slightly bulging.
"I am not. His weapons and by extension his magic is very unusual." She took out a small crystal and placed it on his desk. The jewel glowed lightly and projected an image on the wall, revealing a shield that looked to be of Norse origins. "This is Svalinn, supposedly from the poems of Norse Mythology. This was the item that Ojou-sama used to protect herself from Raiser's attacks."
"Svalinn, the shield that protects the earth from the power of the sun?" Sirzech ask for confirmation.
"That is what the human said, but evidently the one he loaned to Ojou-sama was a copy of the real shield. From what I gathered, this item had a presence that allows it to judge the user before assigning them a certain amount of power. So it begs the question, where did he find it? And how was he able to replicate its abilities?"
"This is quite deep." Sirzechs muttered as he fiddled with the jewel to look through the other images stored inside. "Any other reasons for your distrust towards him?"
"I have said it before, he gives the feeling of a blank slate." Grayfia replied as she took the crystal from Sirzech's hand and fiddled with it lightly to project an image of the individual in question. "I cannot understand what are his motives and his reasons for helping them."
"Do you remember the battlefield we fought on in Dry Lands?"
Sirzech nodded with a grim look. How could he not remember that battle? Countless generations of Devils were lost due to the battle between the Old Maou and the New Generation. Many of the 72 Demonic Clans were lost or exiled, and the map of the Underworld had to be redrawn due to the powers that changed the landscapes so much. Many of the higher-ups got assassinated either by their enemies or those who were greedy and seek power. It was in such a situation that many realized that it was better to end it quick and seek a way to bring the devil population back from the brink of extinction.
"There was one clan that used a group of their servants to adopt suicidal tactics?" Grayfia watched Sirzechs nod hesitantly before she continued. "The feeling I got from Shirou Emiya was similar to them; nothing else to live for, using their abilities solely for the task they were brought up to. And based on descriptions, it would seem that he has a death wish when he fights."
Sirzech's only response was the narrowing of his eyes. He remembered that clan who had brought up their servants in such an extreme manner that they ended up adopting a personality that was completely suicidal. Everything they destroyed, every life taken, in their minds it was meant to please their masters and somehow served as their only purpose in life.
If that was the case, then Rias and Sona could possibly have an unstable time-bomb in their town. He could possibly snap without warning and just take down every living creature in his sights before he gets taken down.
"Surely he is not dangerous right?" Sirzechs tried to dispel the dark thoughts from his head.
"Granted he is not as extreme as them." Grayfia conceded to his opinion. "Certainly he is not as chaotic as those servants. But I have been reading the reports from Rias-sama's hunts, and the few times I have a word with Sona-sama, all suggest that he was someone who grew up broken, and had adopted someone else's ideals as his own. I do not know what ideal he has taken up, but it would be wise to keep an eye on him."
"Is that what you are planning to do?" Sirzechs asked while noting the tone in her voice.
"Naturally, after all, someone must watch over Ojou-sama while she is staying at her servant's quarters. I will take the chance to observe him silently." Grayfia concluded her words with a light nod.
"Okay then, please watch over them."
"By your leave." The silver-haired maid left his side and stopped in the middle of the room, bowing her head lightly before the magic circle appeared at her feet and she disappeared in a flash of crimson light. Sirzechs stared at her spot for a while before looking at the photograph on the table.
Shirou Emiya, he would need to keep an eye on this individual. He must be a very dangerous magician to be around, given the description of his methods and training. And if he was truly empty, that would make him even more unpredictable and possibly more ruthless.
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