Chapter 17: The Budget Hotel Bunker and the Great Bro-Trial
The Occult Research Club was no longer a room; it was a pressurized chamber of feminine fury.
Rias Gremory stood in the center, her crimson hair seemingly floating in a vacuum of her own power. Beside her, Akeno Himejima was smiling—that specific, closed-eye smile that usually preceded a lightning strike to the groin. Asia was holding a bottle of holy water with the grip of a crusader, and Koneko was silently cracking her knuckles, the sound echoing like gunshots.
Issei was already halfway bound by magical ropes, looking like a very distressed holiday ham. Kiba was being held by the collar by Akeno, apologizing to a wall because he was too terrified to look her in the eye.
Lucian Gremory stood perfectly still. He was the only one not yet restrained.
"Ara... Lucian-kun," Akeno whispered, her voice a silk-covered razor. she turned her head slowly toward him. "You're being very quiet. Are you calculating the odds of survival, or are you just admiring the view?"
MC internally screamed. If I wait one more second, Sirzechs will be the one picking up my ashes.
"I'm calculating," Lucian said, his voice steady despite the sweat rolling down his neck. "And the math says... 'Nope'."
🧠 The Decision: Operation Smoke-Screen
Lucian didn't just have destruction magic; he had a week's worth of research into forbidden concealment. With a flick of his wrist, he activated a non-trackable concealment spell—a blend of Gremory signature-masking and Tamamo's fox-fire illusions.
Yubelluna, standing in the corner, noticed his mana shifting. Her eyes widened. "You're planning to escape," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Yes," Lucian muttered, grabbing her sleeve. "And you're coming with me. If I leave you here, Rias will pump you for information, and I'll be found in twenty minutes."
She paused, looking at the chaos, then at Lucian's desperate face. She nodded once.
But Akeno was already moving. She stepped into Lucian's personal space, her chest nearly brushing his blazer. "You aren't going anywhere, Bishop-kun. We have so much... re-education to get through."
She leaned in, the intentional pressure of her proximity designed to break his focus. Lucian felt the heat, the scent of her perfume, and the sheer 'Akeno-ness' of the moment.
"Akeno-san... this is workplace harassment," Lucian gasped, leaning back.
"AKENO. GET AWAY FROM HIM," Rias snapped, her jealousy finally overriding her tactical mind.
That one second of distraction—that tiny crack in the Gremory leadership—was all Lucian needed. He slammed his hand into the floorboards.
[Trigger: Emergency Displacement - Coordinate X]
A compact, pre-charged teleportation circle erupted in a blinding flash of white and violet light.
"LUCIAN—!" Rias screamed, lunging forward, her hand grasping at nothing but fading embers.
🏢 The Safehouse: Hotel Nowhere
The teleportation spat them out into a cramped, dim room in a budget hotel on the far outskirts of Kuoh. It was a neutral territory, heavily shielded by anti-tracking runes that Lucian had paid for with his own allowance.
Lucian, Issei, and Kiba tumbled onto the thin carpet. Yubelluna landed gracefully on her feet, adjusting her skirt as if she hadn't just committed treason.
"Bro..." Issei gasped, untangling himself from the magic ropes. "Are we criminals now? Did we just kidnap ourselves?"
"Temporarily," Lucian wheezed, leaning his back against the door. "We are fugitives from the Gremory regime. Welcome to the resistance."
"This is not how I imagined my knighthood," Kiba groaned, checking his reflection in a dusty mirror to see if his 'Charming Prince' face was still intact. "I feel like a common rogue."
"Better a rogue than a charcoal briquette," Lucian countered. He turned to Yubelluna. "You okay?"
"The signature masking worked," she said, her voice calm and observant. "They cannot track us here. But you know this is only delaying the inevitable. Rias-sama will find a way."
"Tomorrow's problem," Lucian said, collapsing into a cheap plastic chair.
🍽️ A Moment of Humanity
The adrenaline began to fade, leaving Lucian feeling like a drained battery. His hands were shaking slightly—a side effect of the high-speed teleportation and the surgical destruction he'd used days prior.
Yubelluna watched him. She saw the 'Prince of Destruction' looking fragile, his crimson hair messy and his breathing shallow. She didn't see a master; she saw a boy who had carried the entire weight of a peerage's freedom on his shoulders.
Lucian looked up at her, his eyes tired but soft. "Yubelluna... can you... feed me? Just this once. I'm physically drained. My magic circuits are buzzing like a beehive."
It was a vulnerable request. No sexualization, no hidden agenda—just a human being asking for help.
She paused. She wasn't offended by the "command," nor was she shy. She was simply uncertain. For years, her only value was her output as a 'Bomb Queen.' Now, she was being asked for something personal.
She nodded, picking up a tray of snacks they had grabbed from a convenience store on the way. She sat beside him and began to feed him pieces of fruit and crackers, her movements precise and careful.
"Thank you," Lucian said genuinely after a few bites. "You don't owe me loyalty, you know. Riser dissolved the contract. You could walk out that door right now and find a new life."
Yubelluna stopped, a piece of apple held between her fingers. "And go where? To another Master who sees me as a tool? You treat me like a person, Lucian Gremory. Even now, in a hovel of a hotel, you worry about my comfort."
She looked at him with a shifting intensity. "I think... I would like to stay. Not because of the scroll, but because I want to see what kind of world you're trying to build."
The shift was subtle, but the bond snapped into place. Loyalty wasn't a contract anymore; it was a choice.
🍻 The Bro-Night: "We're Already Dead"
"ALRIGHT!" Issei shouted, breaking the quiet moment as he kicked over a trash can. "If Rias is going to kill us tomorrow, I'm going out with a bang! Kiba! Crack the juice!"
The hotel room descended into glorious, sugary chaos. They blasted a marathon of 'Oppai Dragon' on the TV and a few questionable anime series. Since they couldn't risk buying actual alcohol without an ID (and because Grayfia would literally end Lucian's bloodline), they had a dozen bottles of premium apple juice designed to look like beer.
Issei was three bottles deep and was already stumbling. "Hic—! I love you guys. You're my brothers. Lucian... you're a genius. A terrifying, girl-stealing genius."
"It's just sugar, Issei," Lucian sighed, though he was grinning.
Kiba was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding his juice bottle with both hands. "I must admit... this beverage is surprisingly effective. I feel... liberated."
"That's a sugar rush, Kiba. You're literally vibrating," Lucian pointed out.
🤜🤛 The Heart of the Peerage
As the night grew late and the sugar crashed, the mood shifted. They were three boys sitting in a dark room, facing a world of supernatural wars and ancient contracts.
"I'm scared," Issei whispered, looking at his Boosted Gear. "I'm scared of disappointing Buchou. I'm scared that I'm just a pervert with a lucky glove and that I won't be enough when things get real."
Lucian reached over and punched Issei's shoulder—not hard, but firm. "You're the guy who punched a Phoenix into the dirt, Issei. You aren't just a pervert. You're the heart of this team. Rias doesn't need you to be perfect; she needs you to be the guy who never quits."
Kiba looked down at his hands. "Everyone sees the 'Prince'. They expect me to be the noble Knight who never falters. But sometimes... I just want to be Kiba. Just a guy who likes swords and doesn't have to carry the weight of the Gremory reputation."
"Then be Kiba here," Lucian said. "In this room, you aren't a Knight. You're just the guy who's way too good at console games."
Kiba smiled, a real one this time. "And you, Lucian? You're the one who saved us all. Are you scared?"
Lucian looked at the ceiling, thinking of Sirzechs's anger and the weight of the Power of Destruction. "Terrified. Every time I use that magic, I feel like I'm losing a piece of myself. But I don't regret it. Protecting you guys... it's the only thing that makes sense in this crazy world."
🔍 Parallel Cut: The Huntresses
Meanwhile, back in Kuoh, the search was reaching a fever pitch.
Rias Gremory sat in the clubroom, her face illuminated by the glow of a dozen magical tracking maps. She looked eerily calm, which meant she was planning something that would involve a lot of screaming.
Akeno was standing by the window, her lightning flickering around her fingertips. "They've masked their signatures well. Lucian-kun has been studying."
"He always was the smartest of us," Rias said, her voice like velvet-wrapped iron. "But he forgot one thing. He's a Gremory. And I know exactly what he does when he's panicked."
Asia was running through the streets with her cross, genuinely worried. "Issei-san! Come back! I promise the purification won't hurt much!"
Koneko was perched on a rooftop, her cat ears twitching. She sniffed the air. "Sugar. I smell a massive amount of high-fructose corn syrup... west side."
Akeno's smile widened. "They couldn't have gone far."
Rias stood up, her aura flaring. "They never do."
🎮 The Knock at the Door
Back at the hotel, the peace was shattered when Issei accidentally yelled at the TV during a boss fight. "YES! DIE YOU OVERSIZED LIZARD!"
THUD. THUD. THUD.
A heavy knock sounded on the door. Everyone froze. Issei turned pale. Kiba drew a wooden sword. Lucian crawled behind the sofa.
"If that's Rias, I'm jumping out the window," Lucian hissed.
Yubelluna looked out the peephole. "It is the third floor. Based on your current mana levels, you would survive the fall, but break both legs."
"That's not comforting!" Lucian whispered.
"Room service!" a muffled voice called out. "You guys are being way too loud! Keep it down or I'm calling the cops!"
The three boys exhaled so hard the curtains moved. It was just a tired hotel staff member.
🌌 The Calm Before the Storm
The night finally claimed them. Issei was sprawled on the floor, snoring and dreaming of mountains of pudding. Kiba had fallen asleep in the armchair, his wooden sword still clutched in his hand.
Lucian lay on the sofa, his eyes half-closed. Yubelluna stood by the window, watching the moon. She walked over and quietly pulled a blanket over Lucian's shoulders.
"Tomorrow is going to suck," Lucian muttered into the pillow.
Yubelluna looked at him, a ghost of a smile appearing on her face. "Then rest today, Master. I will keep watch."
As the sun began to peek over the horizon, the fugitives slept, unaware that the Great Gremory Purge was only minutes away from finding their coordinates.