While I was moving and acting in this world, my future enemies weren't standing still either. I realized this when, unexpectedly, two hooded figures dressed in long white robes appeared in front of Kuoh Academy that morning.
I was walking alongside Asia Argento, listening to her talk about how funny Aika Kiryuu was.
The moment I saw the two figures in front of the school, I stopped abruptly.
Asia tilted her head, confused, and stopped too. "Milicas? What's wrong? Did you forget something at home?"
I turned to her and forced a small smile. "It's nothing."
Then I took her hand, intertwined my fingers with hers, and walked toward the front gate.
Asia's eyes widened as we held hands, and a slight pink tinge covered her cheeks.
Ignoring her shyness, I kept walking.
However, as I passed the two figures, my eyes briefly met theirs—cold, serious eyes. And I wasn't surprised at all to recognize them as Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou.
I didn't stop walking, nor did I show any surprise or interest. I just carried on as if I hadn't noticed them. Of course, if they were here, it meant the Church was already on the move. It meant trouble was near.
But for now, I would let things flow. It was better that Asia didn't know the Church was around yet. After all, they had abandoned her.
However, it was impossible to avoid the conversation that awaited me at the end of the day when Rias Gremory, Sona Sitri, and I gathered in the Occult Research Club's meeting room to meet them.
The dark mahogany table between us was the only physical barrier separating the two sides. Xenovia and Irina sat alone on a sofa, side by side, while I sat between Sona and Rias.
It was Sona who started the meeting, using her usual professional tone.
"Let's get straight to the point. Your presence here means the Church is interested in Kuoh. What exactly do you want?"
Xenovia sat with her arms crossed, leaning back against the sofa, while Irina maintained a friendlier, more animated demeanor.
"We're here on a mission," Xenovia said, not looking directly at us. "As you may know, several fragments of Excalibur are missing. In recent weeks, intelligence has linked their disappearance to this city, which is why the Church sent us."
Excalibur. One of the most legendary holy swords, originally wielded by King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. In the distant past, the original Excalibur was broken during an ancient war. The resulting fragments were reforged into seven distinct swords, each embodying a unique ability. As far as I knew, these swords had been distributed among different branches of the Church — Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox.
"So, you're asking for our cooperation?" Rias asked.
"Not asking. Informing," Xenovia corrected. "We're here to hunt down the Excalibur fragments and eliminate any related threats. That includes anyone who gets in our way."
Noticing the unfriendly tone of the conversation, Irina tried to ease the tension.
"Ah, but of course, we don't want to create unnecessary conflicts with you, hehehe... We're just here to do our duty!"
Rias sighed. "I believe you understand that Kuoh City and its surrounding region fall under devil jurisdiction. If you cause any trouble without reason, we'll have to intervene."
Xenovia snorted. "Of course, we don't want to fight you. We know that attacking Sirzechs Lucifer's family directly could lead to a war between Angels and Devils. We just want to ensure that sacred power doesn't fall into such... you know, impure hands."
"Just because something is sacred doesn't mean it's exclusive to certain people." I finally spoke, and all eyes turned to me. "Am I right? It's just a question of perspective. What matters is not who holds the weapon, but how it is used."
[The Patrons found his words wise.]
[100 credits were sponsored.]
"Fine words for a devil," Xenovia said.
"Hahaha, what a heavy atmosphere! Well, well..." Irina broke the tension again. "I think we at least understand each other to some extent, right?"
Sona adjusted her glasses. "As long as your mission doesn't violate the treaties between the factions, I see no reason to interfere."
Rias agreed, and so did I.
"Good." Xenovia stood up quickly.
"Wait a minute..." I said.
I leaned back in my chair and looked at the attentive faces in the room. Xenovia sat down again, and Irina looked at me anxiously.
"I have some information that could be... valuable," I said in a tone as smooth as a serpent's hiss.
Rias frowned. "What do you know, Milicas?"
Sona, standing next to her, adjusted her glasses, as if she had already foreseen something, but she wasn't looking at me.
"If you have any information that can help us, we'll use it to get out of your territory as quickly as possible!" Irina said, leaning forward.
"Valper Galilei."
[All the Patrons rose from their chairs.]
[184 Patrons are now watching this scene.]
The mere mention of the name made the entire atmosphere in the room change instantly.
Xenovia, Irina, Sona, and Rias widened their eyes at almost the same time, while I let a smirk play at the corner of my lips.
Valper Galilei was a name that sent shivers down the spine of many, especially among angels and devils. He was a man involved in one of the biggest recent scandals involving the Church, as well as being one of the central figures in the experiments on the fragmented Excaliburs.
"Does everyone here know who this man is?"
"Do you know Valper Galilei?" Rias tried to keep her composure.
"Of course I do. I've studied a lot about many things, neesan."
Xenovia looked more uncomfortable than usual. "Valper... that bastard?"
"Galilei conducted several experiments with the Excalibur fragments. And I think there are strong indications that he's in Kuoh."
"He's in Kuoh?! How did you know that?!" Xenovia exclaimed, slamming her hands on the coffee table.
"Isn't it a logical deduction? The fragments disappear and, curiously, all clues lead to the Gremory Clan's territory, where the only survivor of those fateful experiments resides." I glanced at Rias out of the corner of my eye. "Kiba..."
For a moment, she looked at me in surprise and then smiled, as if the fact that I knew about Kiba's past was only natural, considering I had already told her I had been listening in on her conversations at the mansion.
She knew that the experiments I was talking about were the experiments of the Holy Swords Project.
"You're saying... that all of this is connected, am I right?" Rias asked.
"It's just a deduction based on a series of coincidences," I said.
Sona Sitri didn't remain silent. "One thing I learned a long time ago is that too many coincidences are never just coincidences." She looked at me. "Very well, Milicas. We don't have proof yet, but if Valper really is here, everything would make sense. The question is... what does he really want besides the Excaliburs?"
"I don't think we can know until we find him," Rias said.
From the way Xenovia had been looking at me for a few seconds, I could tell that her brain was working. She was smart.
"You're not revealing all of this for free in front of us, are you?" she asked me, impatiently wiggling just the tip of the right foot she was lifting.
I smiled. "Of course not."
[The entities are confused about your motivations.]
"So, what do you want?" Xenovia narrowed her eyes.
I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees.
"I want to see the fragments of Excalibur you're carrying."
[The entity 'The Firmament Exile' is laughing at your audacity.]
[The entity 'The Seer of the Blue Fire' clearly doesn't like your petulance.]
[The entity 'Sorceress of the Black Flame' remains deeply interested in you.]
Xenovia's eyes flashed. Irina blinked, looking surprised.
"What are you talking about, Milicas? The fragments have all been stolen," Rias said.
"H-how did you...?" Irina muttered, rebutting Rias's statement without meaning to.
"Do you want to see our swords?" Xenovia asked.
"Exactly."
For a moment, no one spoke.
"Why?" Irina asked, innocently confused. "You can't even touch them. They're sacred swords. Devils can't handle them without suffering serious consequences."
"I know that. It's not the use that interests me. It's the structure. I want to understand what the fragment of an Excalibur looks like so that I can identify another fragment."
Of course, what I really wanted was not just to analyze the forging method that was used to forge these swords. I had something else in mind.
"Um. Milicas-san has a point. We don't even know what an Excalibur looks like, and if one were to appear in front of us, we wouldn't be able to tell it apart from another holy sword. Besides, with the information he gives us, as long as he doesn't touch it, there's no risk to us or to you."
"I agree," Rias said.
Xenovia let out a long sigh. "All right... Please, Irina, show yours. I think yours is the perfect example of how different an Excalibur can be."
Irina nodded, stood up, and pulled a loop on her left biceps. The loop swung normally in the air but grew exponentially in size in an instant and adopted the appearance of a katana.
"Ohh..." Rias and Sona were impressed.
Irina placed the Excalibur Mimic on the coffee table, and I looked at Xenovia.
"There you go, make yourself at home," Irina said, smiling with her eyes.
"Excuse me." I stretched out my hands. As I got closer, I saw my fingers trembling.
'Okay, it's definitely not a replica or anything... I was sure it wasn't, but I needed to check before I did what I'm about to do.'
[The Entity Shop is open!]
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