The news that Shin easily resolved the old school building's "Whispering Incident" using unique and gentle Daoist magic spread quietly, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, rippling through Kuoh Town's limited supernatural circle.
Although the incident itself was trivial, the distinct and highly efficient method of handling it attracted the attention of interested parties. Consequently, the atmosphere within the Occult Research Club also underwent a subtle change.
Rias gained a more intuitive understanding of Shin's capabilities, seeing beyond his power bursts and support during major battles, and recognizing instead his unique finesse and ingenuity in handling everyday "minor issues." Kiba Yuuto and Akeno Himejima developed a strong interest in Shin's method of energy manipulation, which focused on "resolving" rather than "dispelling." They frequently consulted him privately about related Eastern concepts. Shin was happy to share some basic principles that did not involve the core legacy, and the exchange was very pleasant.
Asia's admiration for Shin increased further, and Koneko… she remained silent, but when she came to "snack" in Shin's courtyard, it seemed even more matter-of-fact. Occasionally, she would even give a barely perceptible nod toward the plate of snacks Shin offered her, counting it as a greeting.
It was in this calm and harmonious atmosphere that the Occult Research Club received a new, equally inconspicuous small request.
That afternoon, the clubroom door was softly knocked.
"Come in," Rias replied.
The door opened, and the person who entered was not a Student Council Disciplinary Committee member, but a girl wearing the Kuoh Academy Middle School Division uniform, with twin tails, a few freckles, and a look of obvious anxiety on her face. She tightly clutched a delicate-looking brooch box inlaid with tiny magic crystals. Her eyes nervously scanned the powerful auras of the people in the clubroom before finally settling on Rias, who was seated in the main position.
"Um, that… excuse me, are you the president of the Occult Research Club, Senior Rias Gremory?" The girl's voice trembled slightly, filled with nervousness and anticipation.
Rias put down the documents in her hand and looked at her gently with her crimson eyes. "I am. How may I help you?"
Her tone softened, carrying a sense of reassurance.
Akeno also timely brought over a cup of warm water and smiled. "No need to be nervous, take your time."
The girl took the cup, took a deep breath, as if having made up her mind, and said quickly, "Hello, Senior! M-my name is Ozawa Yayoi, and I'm a second-year in the Middle School Division. I… I would like to request the help of the Occult Research Club! I, I lost a very important magic item!"
"A magic item?" Rias raised her delicate eyebrows slightly. "What kind of item? Where did you lose it? Tell us the details."
Ozawa Yayoi quickly opened the brooch box she was holding; it was empty. Pointing at the empty box, she said urgently, "It's a 'Moonlight Butterfly' brooch! It's a keepsake left to me by my grandmother. It is inlaid with a small piece of moonstone that has a weak calming effect, and it's enchanted with simple 'Cleaning Spell' and 'Glow Spell.' Although it's not very powerful, it is extremely important to me! I usually keep it carefully in this box, and only wear it on important occasions…"
She grew more agitated as she spoke, her eyes starting to redden. "The night before last, after I returned home from a class social gathering, I put it back in the box and placed it on my desk. But when I woke up yesterday morning, it was gone! I searched my entire room, my school bag, and even all the paths I walked that night, but I couldn't find it! It's as if it vanished into thin air!"
Kiba Yuuto asked, "Is it possible that someone took it? Or perhaps it fell into a corner?"
Ozawa Yayoi shook her head vigorously. "No! I live in my room alone, and no one came over after I got home that night. And I searched repeatedly, going through every single corner, but it just wasn't there! I even used ordinary lost item finding spells, but there was absolutely no reaction!"
Rias mused, "An item enchanted with a 'Glow Spell,' if it were still nearby, should have a faint reaction to detection magic… If there is no reaction at all, either the distance is too great, or it has been shielded or interfered with by some power."
"Wuwu… what should I do… that's the only keepsake my grandmother left me…" Ozawa Yayoi finally couldn't hold back and began to sob softly.
Seeing this, Asia showed sympathy in her eyes and gently comforted her. "Don't worry, Classmate Ozawa, the President and the others will surely find a way…"
Rias looked at Kiba and Akeno. "Yuuto, Akeno, what do you think?"
Kiba pondered. "If it was obscured by simple magic or a barrier, we could try using more precise detection magic. However, the range is hard to determine, and it might require a significant amount of time and energy for area scanning."
Akeno also nodded. "Widespread, precise detection is troublesome, and if the source of interference is strong, it might fail."
At this moment, Rias's gaze turned toward Advisor Shin, who was sitting quietly by the window, listening. A thought sparked in her mind, recalling his precise perception and unique methods when dealing with the old school building incident.
"Advisor Shin," she asked, "For finding magic items that are shielded or lost like this, does Eastern sorcery have any specific methods?"
Immediately, everyone in the clubroom focused their attention on Shin. Ozawa Yayoi also lifted her tear-filled eyes, looking curiously and expectantly at this calm, black-haired senior whom she did not know.
Shin was slightly surprised, then fell into contemplation. The miscellaneous chapters of the basic Daoist canon indeed recorded several low-level Daoist magic techniques used for locating people and objects, such as the "Guiding Talisman" and "Tracing Technique." The principle behind most of them involves sensory tracking through the residual qi or energy of the item, or the karma connection with the owner. They do not require a high consumption of spiritual power, focusing more on the sharpness of spiritual sense and skill.
In his current state, although he could not perform Daoist magic requiring a large amount of spiritual power, attempting this type of low-consumption auxiliary Daoist magic might be feasible.
"There are indeed some minor techniques focused on sensing and tracking," Shin nodded, his tone peaceful. "However, it requires the owner's cooperation, and the item should preferably retain a strong personal aura or energy imprint."
Hearing this, Ozawa Yayoi immediately said anxiously, "Yes, it does! Yes, it does! My grandmother wore that brooch for many years, and I also frequently take it out to wipe it; it definitely has our auras on it! The moonstone on it also has faint energy!"
A hint of interest flashed in Rias's crimson eyes. "In that case, Advisor Shin, how about we entrust this request to you for an attempt? It will also count as good practical experience."
She was very curious to see what marvelous methods Shin would display when faced with a request of a different nature than before.
"I will do my best." Shin did not decline; this was indeed a good opportunity to verify the practical use of Daoist magic.
He turned to Ozawa Yayoi. "Classmate Ozawa, I need an item that you wear frequently and that is imbued with the strongest concentration of your personal aura to use as a medium. Jewelry or a personal item would be best."
Ozawa Yayoi quickly slipped off a delicately woven bracelet from her wrist. "Will this work? This is the bracelet I wear every day!"
"It will work." Shin took the bracelet and could feel the clear residual life qi and faint emotional fluctuations of the girl on it.
He then asked, "Furthermore, I need a detailed picture of the 'Moonlight Butterfly' brooch, the clearer the better, including all angles and details."
"I have photos!" Ozawa Yayoi quickly took out her phone and pulled up several close-up pictures of the brooch she had taken earlier from different angles, and even a short video clip demonstrating the brooch's flickering effect under the Glow Spell.
Shin carefully examined the photos and video, firmly memorizing the brooch's shape, details, especially the energy luster characteristics of the moonstone.
The preparatory work was complete.
Shin chose not to perform the technique inside the clubroom, but said to Rias, "President, I need a relatively quiet, undisturbed environment, preferably close to the location where Classmate Ozawa last confirmed placing the brooch, such as near her residence."
"Understood." Rias immediately agreed. "Yuuto, Akeno, you two accompany Advisor Shin and Classmate Ozawa. Asia, Koneko, you two go along as well, to gain experience."
She intentionally wanted all her servants to witness Shin's methods firsthand.
The group quickly arrived below the apartment building where Ozawa Yayoi lived. This was an ordinary residential area, and the environment was quiet. Shin chose a quiet corner of a small park next to the apartment building to stop.
He instructed the somewhat nervous Ozawa Yayoi to hold her bracelet, concentrating on recalling the brooch in as much detail as possible to strengthen the karma connection on it.
Then, he took out a pre-prepared yellow paper—not an advanced talisman, but a low-grade item designed to assist in enhancing spiritual perception, on which basic "amplification" and "sensing" runes were drawn—and spread it flat on the ground. He then took out an ordinary copper coin and placed it in the center of the talisman paper. He motioned for Ozawa Yayoi to gently place the bracelet on the copper coin.
Next, Shin held his breath and formed a simple "Tracking Incantation" with his hands, not mobilizing a large amount of True Qi, but injecting a faint trace of spiritual perception into the copper coin. At the same time, he visualized a clear image and energy signature of the "Moonlight Butterfly" brooch in his mind, and softly chanted a short item-finding spell:
"Heaven and Earth are clear, originally without obstruction…" "What is lost shall return, what is hidden shall be revealed…" "A spark of insight, guiding the way…" "Command!"
After the incantation, he pointed his fingers like a sword and lightly tapped the copper coin supporting the bracelet!
Buzz… The copper coin vibrated ever so slightly, and the cinnabar runes on the talisman paper covering it flashed with an almost imperceptible gleam. Immediately after, the copper coin began to slowly rotate on the talisman paper by itself!
Everyone held their breath, nervously watching this scene. Kiba and Akeno could feel an extremely subtle yet incredibly precise mental energy fluctuation spreading out from the copper coin, as if scanning and sensing something.
After rotating a few times, the copper coin's speed gradually slowed, eventually stopping, with the character on the coin symbolizing the "southeast" direction pointing precisely in a specific direction!
But Shin's brow furrowed slightly. Because the direction indicated by the copper coin was not far away; instead, it was very close—pointing directly at the apartment building where Ozawa Yayoi lived! Moreover, through the extremely faint sensation feedback from the copper coin, he realized that the target was not stationary, but rather… slowly moving? And there were signs of it being wrapped in some weak energy?
"How is it? Classmate Shin?" Ozawa Yayoi asked anxiously.
Shin didn't answer immediately; instead, he re-focused his spiritual perception to carefully sense the information feedback from the copper coin. The movement trajectory was very strange; it wasn't horizontal movement, but rather… fluctuating up and down? And the range was extremely small.
He looked up, his gaze sharply sweeping over the apartment building, finally settling on the outdoor air conditioning unit's placement outside Ozawa Yayoi's balcony on her floor.
"Classmate Ozawa," Shin spoke, his tone carrying a hint of certainty, "Your brooch likely isn't lost far; it should still be near your apartment, or even… possibly somewhere on the outside of your home's balcony. Also, it seems to be wrapped or covered by something, and… it's moving."
"What? Moving?" Ozawa Yayoi was stunned. "Outside the balcony? How is that possible?"
Kiba and Akeno also showed confused expressions.
"We'll know if we go up and look." Shin put away the copper coin and talisman paper. "The direction indicated by the sensing is very clear; it's right in that direction, very close."
Everyone immediately went upstairs to Ozawa Yayoi's apartment. The girl impatiently opened the balcony door and looked around, but found nothing.
"Outside? On the outdoor air conditioning unit?" she said anxiously.
Shin walked onto the balcony, his gaze carefully sweeping over the outdoor air conditioning unit, the drainage pipe, and some tiny corners of the exterior wall. His spiritual perception was still subtly hinting that the target was nearby.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on an extremely hidden corner at the bottom of the outdoor air conditioning unit where it connected to the wall—there was a small, inconspicuous gap there. And right near that gap, he keenly detected an extremely faint energy fluctuation, consistent with the moonstone's energy signature in the photo, being enveloped by a… weak energy with a hint of biological activity!
"Wait…" Shin signaled everyone to be quiet. He silently formed a simple "Clear Sight Incantation" to enhance his visual perception and carefully looked into the gap. He saw something deep within the gap that seemed to be faintly reflecting light! Moreover, next to the reflecting object, there seemed to be a… tiny, wiggling little creature?!
"Senior Akeno," Shin whispered, pointing to the gap, "Can you use the lightest wind magic, or some small trick, to get whatever is in that gap out? Be very gentle; there might be a living creature inside."
Akeno, though not understanding why, nodded. A wisp of extremely faint wind element gathered at her fingertips, like an invisible finger, carefully probing into the gap and gently hooking something out.
A tiny object was gently lifted out by the wind element and landed on the ground. It was none other than Ozawa Yayoi's lost "Moonlight Butterfly" brooch! The moonstone sparkled in the sunlight. And next to the brooch, there was actually a dazed, fingernail-sized, entirely translucent—Lesser Elemental Sprite!
This little sprite seemed to be in a semi-sleep state, clutching a tiny bit of glowing, extremely fine metal shavings that looked like it had flaked off the brooch. The faint natural energy it emitted just happened to form a tiny interference field, obscuring the brooch's energy fluctuations!
Everyone was stunned!
Ozawa Yayoi exclaimed in delight, "My brooch!!" She quickly and carefully picked up the brooch and inspected it. Besides a little dust, there was no damage. The startled little sprite, still groggy, flew up, seemingly looked around in confusion, then yawned and transformed into a tiny streak of light, dissipating into the air—It had apparently passed by coincidentally, attracted by the faint sparkle on the brooch and some pleasant energy (perhaps Ozawa Yayoi's lingering emotional aura or the moonstone's calming power), mistaking it for a shiny "treasure" and dragging it back to its nest (the gap). Then it fell asleep with it… Its own natural energy just happened to interfere with ordinary detection magic!
The truth was revealed! It wasn't theft or a complex incident at all, but merely a coincidental "missing item case" caused by a naive little sprite!
"So… that's what happened…" Ozawa Yayoi's tears turned to laughter. She tightly clutched the recovered brooch and bowed repeatedly to Shin. "Thank you so much! Senior Shin! Thank you, really! If it weren't for you, I might never have found it!"
Kiba Yuuto and Akeno Himejima exchanged glances, seeing admiration and amusement in each other's eyes.
"What an… unexpected ending." Akeno lightly covered her mouth with her fan. "Advisor Shin, your Daoist magic not only found the item, but you also almost deduced the identity and reason of the 'thief'~ Truly terrifyingly precise~"
Kiba also sincerely praised, "Amazing! This ability to perceive and track subtle energies and abnormal states far exceeds conventional detection magic. Eastern Daoist magic is indeed profound."
Asia and Koneko also looked at Shin, their eyes filled with wonder.
Shin smiled and explained, "It's just a clever trick. It just so happened that the little fellow's energy concealment wasn't strong, and my method focused more on precise sensing of the item's own aura and energy characteristics, rather than large-scale energy scanning, which is why it could break through that weak natural energy interference at close range."
The process was a bit dramatic, but the result was perfect.
Ozawa Yayoi left, expressing her endless gratitude. And the members of the Occult Research Club gained a deeper understanding of Shin's incredibly precise "Daoist Tracking" ability.
This matter quickly spread within the small circle of Kuoh Town. This time, it wasn't "gentle purification," but "precise tracking." The reputation of Shin, the Eastern Advisor, quietly gained another mysterious tint. More and more people began to know that under Princess Gremory's command, there was a capable person who excelled at solving various tricky small problems with unique Eastern Daoist magic.
Shin's Dao was quietly taking root and sprouting in this other world, in such an inconspicuous yet remarkably effective way.
...
📢 Author's Note
The full completed version of High School DxD: The Quiet Immortal Who Guides Devils (Part 1) is now available on Patreon!
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✅ Part 1 Complete — 116 Chapters
🔥 I also have additional **18+ fanfics** available for readers who enjoy exclusive mature stories. 😉
1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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