Chapter 8: Knife Wound
Kuoh Academy had two school buildings.
Even though the new building was already in use, the old building hadn't been abandoned but was instead used as club activity rooms.
On the left was the Occult Research Club, on the right was the student council.
After school, Koneko led Renga over.
The old school building was surrounded by trees.
Usually, no one came here, and there were even rumors about the seven great mysteries of the campus.
Though only two stories tall, both the exterior and interior corridors were kept remarkably clean.
After reaching the second floor, Koneko walked ahead and opened the door, revealing the scene inside.
The overall decoration resembled a study.
Several rows of bookshelves leaned against the walls, while the center had an office-like decor.
But besides those furnishings, the walls, floor, and even ceiling were covered in obscure writings.
Those were demonic runes, filling every corner of the room.
Most prominent was the red magic circle that occupied most of the room.
Renga knew it was a dimensional array connecting to the underworld. With permission, one could directly travel to the underworld through this teleportation circle.
Ordinary devils couldn't use it, only high-class devils were qualified to possess one.
"Welcome, welcome."
Entering the room.
A red-haired beauty walked toward Renga.
Her passionate, fiery hair shimmered with brilliant luster under the lights. Her exquisite figure, something ordinary girls could only dream of, was mature and hot. Even wearing the standardized girls' uniform, she managed to display a unique charm.
Rias Gremory.
Her emerald eyes held a smile, though this didn't necessarily mean she was particularly happy, it was more a matter of upbringing.
Behind her stood a black-haired woman with a figure no less impressive than hers.
However, compared to Rias's Western features, the black-haired girl appeared somewhat more reserved.
When she smiled, her eyes narrowed into slits, giving a gentle impression.
Her straight legs extended from beneath her skirt, making it difficult to look away.
"We meet again, Renga-kun. I suppose we don't need to reintroduce ourselves?"
Rias politely nodded toward Renga.
Respect goes both ways.
And Renga's strength as a human deserved her recognition.
Renga adopted a formal attitude as well, briefly shaking hands with Rias before immediately withdrawing.
"Indeed not. I'm merely an insignificant nobody. Meanwhile, as the young lady of the Gremory family with such striking appearance, you'd be impossible to forget even if one tried. If there's an opportunity next time, you're welcome to visit my home."
Renga never hesitated to show proper courtesy toward women of genuine beauty.
Moreover, he had no conflicts with Rias, and there would be many future developments involving this young lady.
Rias seemed to detect deeper meaning behind Renga's invitation, but she had no reason to decline such an offer.
Upon hearing this, she naturally nodded in agreement before responding, "Akeno, please serve tea."
"It's already prepared. This is premium West Lake Longjing imported from the Eastern country."
Akeno smilingly presented the teacup with both hands.
For qualified guests, Rias's attitude was her attitude as well.
Besides, Renga was currently quite prominent on campus, and even setting aside other aspects, Akeno quite admired his capabilities.
"Miss Rias, do you enjoy drinking tea?" Renga asked.
"At first I couldn't quite accept it, but after you rejected me last time, I've grown somewhat fond of this bitter flavor."
The underlying meaning was obvious.
Even after several months had passed, Rias still held some resentment over Renga's previous rejection.
It was easy to imagine.
Rias hadn't completely abandoned the idea of inviting him to become her servant.
But she couldn't find a suitable reason for now.
Coercion was definitely not her style, this was precisely why Renga was willing to interact with her.
As for temptation...
Rias had actually sent Koneko to persuade him, promising things like obtaining official positions in the Underworld, lifetime benefits, flexible working hours, generous daily treatment, low work intensity, and so on.
But none of these held much appeal for Renga.
If Rias agreed to become his wife, that might be worth considering.
After the pleasantries, Renga drank his tea while asking, "So what's the reason for summoning me here this time?"
"Actually, it's like this."
Seeing Renga get straight to the point, Rias didn't beat around the bush either and went directly to the main issue.
"Recently, I've received numerous reports of familiar killings. The victims' wounds were without exception all blade injuries. So those incidents were your doing, correct?"
"They were."
Renga openly admitted.
"But I must correct one point, I wasn't killing humans, but monsters."
"Naturally, I'm aware of that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be welcoming you with this attitude."
Rias smiled and nodded.
As the overseer of Kuoh City, she naturally couldn't allow a murderer to roam freely.