Chapter 6: The Nun, The Madman, and the Shadow of Guilt
The morning air in Kuoh was crisp, but Lucian Gremory felt like a man who had been run over by a magical steamroller. He stood a few paces behind Issei, leaning against a lamp post and suppressing a yawn.
Why am I here? he wondered, staring at the back of Issei's head. Rias is dumping all the 'field training' on me. She's probably back at the clubroom sipping Earl Grey while I'm out here playing bodyguard to a guy who can't even summon a spark without screaming about breasts.
He looked at the sky, his crimson eyes drifting. I should have joined the Sitri house. Sona seems like the type to give you a dental plan. Instead, I'm stuck with the 'Gremory Specialty': chaos and overtime.
"Hey, Lucian-san! Check it out!" Issei shouted, pointing down the street.
Lucian snapped back. He saw her immediately—the blonde hair and the emerald eyes. Asia Argento was walking toward them, looking lost in a way that made every protective instinct flare up. As she tripped over her own feet, Issei lunged.
THUD.
The collision was classic. Asia hit the pavement, and Issei ended up in a tangled heap beside her. Lucian watched from the sidelines, his meta-knowledge whispering, Here we go.
"Are you okay?" Issei asked, helping her up. Lucian watched as Issei's gaze momentarily dropped to the flash of lace as Asia's dress shifted. His spirit thought went straight to the panties, Lucian noted with a dry smirk. Never change, Issei.
As they spent the afternoon touring the city, Lucian felt like a bored salaryman forced to watch a romantic drama. He stayed ten paces back, grumbling under his breath. But when Asia healed a crying boy with her Twilight Healing, Lucian's skin prickled. The "holy" resonance was like static electricity against his Devil mana.
"She's the opposite of us, Issei," Lucian muttered. "And that's why this is going to get messy."
When Asia invited them to the church, Issei's primal fear of Holy Ground hit him. He bolted. Lucian stood there for a second, looking at Asia's hopeful face. "Sorry, kid. We've got a... severe allergy to incense."
The House of Blood
That night, the comedy died.
Rias had assigned Lucian a "simple" task: cover a contract in the residential district that Koneko couldn't make. Lucian, exhausted, hadn't realized this was the trap. He stood in front of a quiet home, the door standing ajar.
The scent hit him first. Copper. Iron. Death.
"Oh no," Lucian whispered. "This is tonight?"
He stepped inside. In the living room, a family lay silenced—"purified." In the center stood a man with silver hair and eyes that held zero sanity. Freed Sellzen. Beside him, huddled in a corner, was Asia.
"Ah! A guest!" Freed laughed, his voice a jagged screech. "A little red-haired puppy!"
"Freed Sellzen," Lucian growled, his hand sparking with mana.
Freed lunged. Lucian tried to trigger his Red Eyes, but there was no "technique" to copy—only drug-fueled insanity. Lucian threw up a [Barrier], but Freed's light-coated blade shattered it like glass. The force sent Lucian flying into the wall. He hit it hard, his ribs screaming as he slumped to the floor.
"Lucian-san!" Issei appeared in the doorway, face pale.
"Stay... back!" Lucian coughed, his vision swimming.
Freed blurred toward Issei, blade raised. "Time for the main course!"
"NO!" Asia threw herself in front of Issei. "I won't let you!"
Freed laughed, twisting his blade to shred Asia's habit and pinning her to the wall. "How's this for a headline? The pure nun, defiled by a priest!"
"GET OFF HER!" Issei screamed, but Freed kicked him aside.
Lucian forced himself up, his fatigue a lead weight. He threw low-tier fire spells, distracting Freed for a second, but it wasn't enough. The priest turned his gun toward Lucian's head.
CLANG.
Kiba's blade intercepted the light-bullet. A magic circle bloomed. Rias, Akeno, and Koneko stepped out.
"Lucian..." Rias's voice was a dangerous hum.
Freed leapt through the window, summoning Fallen shadows as a distraction. Issei was sobbing, reaching for Asia. "Asia! We have to take her!"
"No," Rias said coldly, her eyes on her bleeding cousin. "Kiba, Koneko—retrieve Lucian and Issei. We are leaving. Now."
The Gremory Private Quarter
Back at the clubroom, Lucian crawled into the private bath. He stripped off his blood-stained shirt, leaving his bruised chest bare. He stared into the mirror, trying to smooth his messy crimson hair back, mimicking Sirzechs's composed look.
I failed today, he thought. I knew this was coming, and I still almost got us killed.
The door creaked open. "Lucian? I brought—"
Rias stopped. She saw him half-naked, hair in a mess, his body covered in purple bruises.
"Rias!" Lucian grabbed a towel, his face flushing. "A little privacy? Please leave!"
Rias didn't tease him. She looked at his battered form and felt a sharp pang of guilt. She thought his outburst was anger—anger at her for the cruel training and for sending him into a bloodbath. She backed out silently, her heart heavy.
The Midnight Reflection
Hours later, Lucian was fast asleep on the rug, his body finally surrendering to the exhaustion.
The door opened softly. Rias walked in, her footsteps silent. She sat on the floor beside him, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest.
"Why was I so cruel...?" she whispered to the empty room.
She reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as she ran them through his crimson hair, smoothing the messy locks he had tried so hard to style earlier. She felt the heat of his feverish skin and the faint pulse of his mana.
She remembered the way she had ordered him around, the way she had dumped work on him just to see if he would break. She didn't realize that Lucian didn't resent her authority—he had accepted it the moment he woke up in this world. To him, she was his King; to her, he was starting to feel like much more than a collateral branch relative.
"I'm sorry, Lucian," she murmured, her thumb brushing his temple.
Lucian shifted in his sleep, mumbling something incoherent about "thirty seconds," but he didn't wake. Rias stayed there for a long time, her hand resting in his hair, a silent protector in the moonlight.