I knew that after Yuuto Kiba heard about the Excalibur fragments, he would start acting strange and patrolling the city at night to find clues to their whereabouts. However, I didn't expect him to find us, even with me intercepting Freed Sellzen before their meeting.
'Damn, I miscalculated the timing...'
I stood up and turned to face Kiba. His eyes were wide, trying to process what he had seen.
The sword Kiba was holding was lowered, but his fingers around the handle were trembling. He was torn between raising the sword or staying calm. "I could have sworn I felt the sword of a..."
"Holy sword." I completed what he was about to say.
"I actually felt Excalibur. I know it was only a fragment, but... whenever one is nearby, I feel a kind of itch in the back of my mind. I can't describe it."
I crossed my arms. "It makes sense. Your past is directly linked to these fragments. You must have felt the same aura I did earlier."
[Patrons admire the calm way you handled this surprise situation].
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Kiba's jaw was slightly set, but he was too eloquent to stutter. "So, you're also investigating the fragments? I thought you told Rias it was best if we left it to those exorcists at the church."
I nodded. "Yes. When those girls from the Church showed up at the Kuoh Academy earlier, the feeling I got wasn't good..." I paused and let out a fake sigh.
"And the man I met wasn't a stranger to me. I recognized him as the same man who was with Asia and the Fallen Angels in that chapel that night. Freed Sellzen, an exorcist."
[Yuuto Kiba was happy that you had the same feeling as him.]
[You received +2 Relationship Points with Yuuto Kiba.]
Despite the messages I heard in my mind, I saw Kiba's countenance close up. He approached me and came close to the small edge of the crater that Makima's attack on Freed had created. His eyes saw the complete disfigurement that Makima had made, so he looked at her.
Kiba pointed his chin at the spot where Freed had lain minutes before.
"Did you do that?"
Makima didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Her tone was indifferent, as if she had said something as trivial as "the sky is blue". Her traumas weren't about killing.
"Was that... a skill of yours?"
"Something I inherited from my mother. And thanks to being the Queen of Milicas, it's gotten a lot more powerful."
He looked at me and then at Makima. Then he exhaled slowly and bowed his head in understanding.
"I see..." Kiba didn't seem shocked or surprised. He had seen deaths before. His gaze returned to Freed's bloodied remains. "Was that man carrying a fragment of Excalibur?"
I shook my head. "As much as I felt he was, he wasn't. And he didn't give any information about the fragments either. He'd rather be crushed to a pulp than open his mouth."
My tone came out slightly frustrated. Part of me still couldn't believe that Freed had such a strong conviction to endure such pain to the end.
"Besides, I was still angry about what Freed put Asia through," I continued.
"I imagine so." Kiba sighed, resting his sword on his shoulder.
"I heard what happened that night. Issei found Asia with him at a client's house. That man killed the client Issei was hoping to help, and also almost killed Asia right there."
"I heard."
Freed was nothing more than a sadistic worm who liked to torture the weak. But now he was dead.
[Yuuto Kiba approves of your actions.]
[You have received +1 Relationship Points with Yuuto Kiba.]
"So, what's the next step?" Kiba asked, breaking the silence.
My eyebrows rose. "What? Will you help me?"
"If you accept me, yes. My goal is to destroy all the fragments of Excalibur and take revenge for what Valper Galilei did to me and my orphanage brothers."
"But Rias..." Makima said.
Kiba interrupted her, nodding. "You mustn't tell her what we're doing. She believes we shouldn't get involved in a case that the Church is handling. On the other hand, I see that you, Milicas-san, know that the Church isn't very efficient, and that's why you're investigating on your own."
I intended to work in the shadows, investigating the Excalibur fragments and attracting no one's attention. I planned to act discreetly against Valper Galilei, kill him, gather the fragments, and so on. But Yuuto Kiba gave me no choice. If I didn't accept this partnership, he would continue to act alone, blinded by the hatred that consumed him, and he would eventually get in my way.
I looked at him and saw that I had no reason to deny him as an extra partner. He was strong.
"All right, I accept you. But for this partnership to work, there's one condition I can't help but impose." I said, facing him directly.
Kiba was curious. "What's the condition?"
"You must always listen to me. It doesn't matter if an Excalibur or even Valper Galilei is right in front of you. If I give you direction, you will accept it. This partnership depends on our mutual trust, and I cannot allow your desire for revenge to prevent you from listening to reason."
I could see the internal conflict in his eyes as he weighed my words. At some point, resentment mixed with understanding.
"I... I accept, Milicas-san."
In that instant, I felt a pang of relief and, at the same time, the heavy responsibility of having an ally as volatile as Kiba.
"Good," I said and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "But I believe we've already caught the rat that was out of hiding tonight. Let's continue tomorrow." I activated my wings. "Go home and rest, Kiba-san. Tomorrow will be another day."
"Okay, Milicas-san. See you tomorrow."
As Makima and I flew back to our apartment, she turned her head toward me and asked:
"Milicas, are you sure Kiba-san will really help us? I mean, when he finds out what you're hiding..."
Kiba's gaze had gone from confused to resolute in the space of a few minutes, and his determination to destroy the fragments of Excalibur went against what I wanted to do. That's why, when I heard her voice, I immediately opened the mouth of the Bag of Everything and made it swallow Excalibur rapidly.
[The 'Librarian of Lost Time' was delighted with your wit and manipulation skills.]
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However, the fact that I was hiding something Kiba wanted wouldn't necessarily make him hate me when he found out. I was sure of that.
"Kiba is strong and has a purpose that could be useful to us. We're just two against countless others. With Kiba joining us, his strength not only compensates but adds to ours."
"I see..."
Makima's tone of voice and the way she looked straight ahead showed that she wasn't satisfied with something.
"Makima, look, you did a spectacular job today... You're still incredibly strong. I know that a lot of your power comes from the control you exert over other creatures, but don't feel inadequate about it."
[Makima liked what you said.]
[You received +1 Relationship Point with Makima.]
I stared at her, trying to find an answer that would really ease her worries. So I asked:
"I know you mind controlling rats and other small animals, but what do you think of Familiars?"
She looked at me with a frown. "Familiars? What's that?"
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