Chapter 2
(AN: I'm keeping Raynare's age as 21 btw. I just can't see her as any older than 30~ with how generally weak she is. Also, you'll notice later on, but I've changed her personality. I don't think anyone could really like her normal one tbh. She'll still be a bit of a bitch (Not to Sirius obviously), and a bit sadistic, but aside from that, she's pretty normal.)
Going through school was somewhat easier today, if only because of my anticipation for what's coming afterwards. I could beat Raynare, even if she had her crew with her, easily even. What I am looking forward to is what happens afterwards. I'll finally be able to go through with one of my plans after all.
Anyway, I'd also managed to 'grind' a bit of affection from various people during the school day. Rias and Sona definitely know I'm supernatural, what with Sona's reaction to seeing me this morning. Neither of them have called me out yet, but I know it's only a matter of time. I was once more joined by Koneko at lunch, netting another 10 affection with her.
As I was leaving through the school gate, I got to see Rias, and use observe on her for the first time, if only by her spying on me.
[Rias Gremory, Crimson-haired Ruin Princess of Destruction]
Age: 18
Race: Devil
HP: 15100/15100 - SP: 15100/15100 - MP: 75400/75400
Level: 109
STR: 142
DEX: 137
CON: 151
INT: 754
WIS: 432
CHA: 540
LCK: 403
Thoughts towards you: Interest, Desire.
Desire? As in 'want me in her peerage' or 'want me in her bed'. That question will have to remain unanswered, as I have a date with murder sprinkled in to attend to. Also, I think I may have my way to make Raynare not want to kill me. She couldn't even if she wanted to, but I still want those rewards for completing the bonus objective. Peering into my inventory, I smirk slightly at the sight of the heart-shaped crystals. Grinding last night proved very beneficial, in more ways than one.
[Quest completed! You've reached level 75. Received 10x Levels, 1x Rare Chance token, and 1x Unique Skill book (Snatch)]
As I said, very beneficial. I'll delve more into everything later, but I need to 'prepare' for my evening with sadist central.
-
Arriving at that fountain by the park local to the school a few minutes before 6 PM, which was conveniently close to my house, I only need to wait a few minutes for the disguised fallen to arrive. With her normal innocent-nervous school girl act, 'Yuuma' walks in my direction, wearing a pink sundress. If only I was a normal simple teenage boy with normal simple teenage boy desires.
Making a show of bowing slightly, 'Yuuma' urgently says "I'm sorry! I hope I didn't keep you waiting!" Both of those statements were lies. She definitely wasn't actually apologetic, and I could smell her around hear the moment I arrived.
"It's fine. I only just got here." I can't help but respect her for her acting skills as she sighs in relief. "Why don't we get this started?"
Quickly nodding, 'Yuuma' grabs my arm, explaining, "I've got this all planned out. Let's go!"
What follows was an actually somewhat enjoyable experience. She first brings me to a clothing store, where she tried on some pretty exposing outfits, making a small show out of it for me. I don't really understand why she did it, but I won't complain. Free show from an admittedly very hot fallen-angel girl? Sure, why not.
Next on the list, she brought me to a cozy family diner, and made some pretty flirty moves, like 'accidently' brushing her foot up against my leg a couple times. Here was when I used the heart crystals on her, using all 5 of the small pink hearts, bringing her affection up to 35. The extra 10 was earned during the date.
Finally, she ended up bringing me back to the park, and stopped right in front of the fountain with a conflicted look on her face. Take your time Raynare.
-
What the hell was wrong with her? This was supposed to be an easy mission. Lead the poor fool on, she even showed him a bit extra during the date, and finally, she would kill him, ridding the Grigori of a potential powerful enemy. However, she actually ended up enjoying herself. She actually found herself taking a liking to him. Her, a fallen angel, and him, a simple human boy. What the hell was wrong with her?
She genuinely couldn't bring herself to kill him. It hurt her pride to admit, but she developed a small crush on him during their date. She was Raynare, the fallen-angel, not some blushing school girl. She didn't do 'crushes', but no matter what she did, she just couldn't find it in herself to finish the job.
-
Giving her some time to think over what she wants, I patiently wait for her to decide on sparing me, which I'm fairly confident she will end up doing. According to the game, over 30 affection was crush territory, with 50 being where the actual love kicks in. It would have been better if I could use more crystals on her, but I'm sure this will be enough.
Almost an entire minute later, she sighs as a look of resignation appears on her face. With a barely visible, but genuine smile, the disguised fallen tiredly says "I had fun today, Sirius.. Would you.. Would you be up for a repeat?"
[+5 Affection with Raynare, for resigning to her feelings.]
[Quest completed! Raynare has resigned to her feelings, and given up on her mission! Looks like you're not going to have to deal with attempted murder. Received 4800 XP, 1x Chance token, and [Raynare] follower.]
[+20 Obedience with Raynare.]
[Just as a warning, followers won't blindly obey you, it just unlocks the obedience stat for them. Similarly to affection, you can raise obedience through certain actions.]
I see. Focusing back on the awaiting girl, I slowly think over what I want to say, before deciding on something slightly risky, but only towards her obedience, not my plan. "I would like that." Seeing her brighten up, I narrow my eyes and continue, "But sadly, I know what you were planning on doing, Raynare."
Her eyes widen in panic, and observe reveals that she's actually startled, and a bit guilty. She takes a deep breath and shakily says, "I.. I didn't.. I swear, I don't want to kill you anymore."
"Anymore? As in, you wanted to before? What changed?" I question with monotone. She clearly thinks I'm upset, but I'm not really. I'm just putting up an act. I probably would have been pretty pissed if I didn't know what she planned before, but meta-knowledge for the win.
[+5 Obedience with Raynare, for making her feel guilty.]
"I.. Yes. I planned on killing you before, but only because I saw you as dangerous! I've realized my mistake. I truly enjoyed our time together, I promise you that." Interesting. I wasn't expecting her affection towards me effecting her personality so much. Maybe its the obedience?
"I see." I simply say, keeping a straight face. My lack of words is clearly stressing her out, if her reactions are anything to go off of.
[+5 Obedience with Raynare]
That too. Maintaining eye contact with her, I casually comment, "I should just hand you off to the two leaders of this town, and let them deal with you after you tried murdering one of their fellow students." I see a look of despair in her eyes, but I quietly add, "However." Here she gains a look of hope, "I have a different idea." I obviously don't plan on handing her over to them. She's now my follower after all.
Turning around, I say while walking forward, "Follow me. Oh, and lose the disguise."
[+15 Obedience with Raynare, for not giving her up]
[+10 Affection with Raynare, for not giving her up]
She's officially stepped into actual feelings of love now, however small they may be. What would normally take months of spending time together, I did within one single date. Either Raynare is incredibly easy, or this game is busted.
Taking a moment to drop her facade, Raynare returns to looking like her normal self. Her face becomes much more mature and beautiful, though she continues showcasing her emotions for me to see, while her chest expands by almost 50%. Seeing her actual face just makes me realize how much of a hentai-world this is. Even a first arc baddie like Raynare is incredibly attractive, easily even more so than the top models in my old life. (AN: I'm using her DxD Hero appearance btw.)
Leading the silent fallen towards my home, I occasionally look around for any familiars. Even if I couldn't see them, I'd be able to smell them, which means we're in the clear. I'd prefer that the conversation I have with Rias and Sona about my involvement in the supernatural doesn't also include why I'm bringing a fallen-angel to my home.
A few extra silent minutes later, in which I gained another 5 Obedience from her, we arrive at my home. Taking longer than required, I open the door and wordlessly lead her to one of the guest bedrooms, before saying "Here. From now on, you'll be staying in this room. I'll have work for you tomorrow."
Moving out of the way and allowing her to enter, I say a quick goodbye and enter my own room, so as to leave her to her thoughts. I'm not worried about her doing anything she shouldn't. Her affection and obedience are too high for that after all.
-
Quietly looking around the room, Raynare found it to be a definite improvement to the abandoned church. Thinking about that reminded her of her underlings, but if she was being honest, she didn't care much for them. Kalawarner was the only one who she could tolerate. Mitelt was far to loud and annoying, and Dohnaseek was seriously creepy. She truthfully didn't mind staying here. The only regret she had was that she wouldn't be able to steal that nun's sacred gear in the end.
She had new things to worry about though. Honestly, she didn't understand why he brought her to his home. She didn't understand much of anything that went on after the date. He knew her objective, probably even before the date began, but still went through with it. Then, he didn't turn her into the Devil's playing student, but instead brought her to his house, and let her sleep in one of his bedrooms. At this point, she didn't even know what his true strength was. However, she knew that she would make up for what she tried to do. She owed him that much.
-
I never actually ended up going into the dungeon last night, simply grinding my skills in the comfort of my lounge. Turns out, with the use of my new weapon, I could cast the cheapest of the 12 Zodiac Hymns, but only a single time. Even still, it was a pretty amazing spell, that removed all debuffs from a target, which did allow for self-casting. I have yet to actually experience a debuff yet, but I'm surely it's only a matter of time.
Anyway, I'd say this was the main reward for the night, Raynare's obedience increased by another 10 before it stopped, probably when she fell asleep. After becoming my follower, she's gained a total of 60 obedience, which is actually pretty incredible. She'd be willing to do mostly anything I ask of her, just nothing extreme, like just straight up telling her to bend over and take it from the back.
Peering out the window, I find that I need to get ready for school soon. I suppose now would be a good time as any to wake her up.
Quietly opening the guest door, I find that her light was still on, and pretty much everything was left untouched. Raynare was silently hugging a pillow while hunched forward, on top of the blanket. So she's a hugger. Good to know. Also, she's really cute like this. (AN: Like I said, I'm using DxD Hero appearance for her. That version of Raynare is easily in my top 5. Image in the comments.) I can ignore the fact that she's a sadistic fallen-angel, not that I really cared in the first place.
Now that she's my follower, and has an impressive amount of obedience, I plan on making her stronger. Game, is there a party function? If there is, I'm so going to power level her.
[There is. Host only needs to invite a sentient being to create a party.]
I see. It will be nice having someone to help me out and keep me company in the dungeon. Anyway, I'm getting off track. Without bothering for politeness, I flicker the light switch a couple times, almost instantly waking her up. Sitting up with half lidded eyes, she stares blankly at me, before widening her eyes. I guess even fallen-angels are plagued by morning bleariness.
"Sirius.. Is there something you want from me?" She shakes away her tiredness, proving her desire to prove herself to me. Obedience and Affection really has changed her. She's a lot more quiet than her canon self, but I suppose I shouldn't be comparing her to her canon counterpart anymore.
Shaking my head, I say, "Not at the moment, no. Well, actually yes, but first, I want to test something. If something appears in front of you, don't freak out." She slowly nods, and I mentally invoke the invite function.
I see no change to her expression, but the HUD which displays my HP/SP/MP gained a new bar under it, clearly belonging to my new party member. I guess she didn't get an invite, and just got directly added to the party.
Curiously, I notice that her XP bar is full. As in, there's literally no more room for any XP, but yet she isn't leveling.
[Follower 'Raynare' has reached the level cap. Would you like to rank her up?]
I see. Looking up from the interface, I find her curiously staring at me, waiting for me to do something. Looking back down, I nod and accept the rank up. Immediately, Raynare's level bar goes back to 0, but what surprises me even more is when her wings burst out from the pink sundress she's still wearing from yesterday, alongside a second pair.
Gasping, she shakily reaches out and feels one of her new wings. "I never thought.. I thought I'd never get my second pair.." Turning back to me, she promptly says, "I don't know how you did it, but I will be eternally grateful for what you've done." I didn't think it was that much of a big deal, but she clearly did.
[+25 Obedience with Raynare, for giving her a second pair of wings.]
[+25 Affection with Raynare, for giving her a second pair of wings.]
For real? What's all the fuss about?
As she goes back to inspecting her new wings, I stand up from the bed and command "Raynare. I'll need to prepare for school in a few minutes. Feel free to continue looking at your new wings, but I want you to clean the house while I'm gone. You can do that, right?"
Rapidly nodding her head, my new servant answers "Of course! I'll have the entire house spotless before you return." Great. Now I have my own personal maid. A fallen-angel maid. I should definitely get her in a maid outfit. I think she'd gladly wear it now. I really don't understand why giving her a new pair of wings made her react like this, but I certainly won't complain. Before long, I'll have a completely obedient girl, who also loves me unconditionally. Jeez, that makes me sound like a degenerate. Eh, I've probably already crossed the line into degeneracy by now.
Returning to my room, I change into my school uniform before leaving for school. Today ought to be the day Rias and Sona talk to me. I'm getting kinda impatient. If they don't come to me, I'll just go to them.
-
Feeling someone tap my back, I turn around and find who I was waiting for. Smiling slightly- I can never tell if her facial expressions are real or not- Akeno stiffly requests, "Excuse me, Sirius. The club president would like to see you."
Sighing in relief, I mutter, "Finally.." Raising an eyebrow, the raven haired devil tells me to follow her and exis the classroom. Under the watchful eyes of my classmates, who will probably be spreading rumors about this later, I too leave the classroom.
She wordlessly leads me out of the school and towards the abandoned building, which acts as the occult research club's base. Opening the door with the same deceptive smile, Akeno politely says, "In here, please. Rias will be with you shortly." Don't tell me..
The moment I enter, I hear the distinct sound of a shower running. Such a coincidence that Rias would be mid-shower the moment I arrive. Truly, what are the odds.
Walking up the stairs as the noise only got louder, I take a seat at one of the sofas, keeping my stare trained on the one opposite from me. Do I want to take a peek at Rias Gremory showering? Hell yeah. Should I? Definitely not.
Akeno quietly goes back down the stairs, leaving me on my lonesome with the Gremory Heiress currently showering. Does she really think that I'll join her peerage just because she's hot? It's tempting, but no. I'm not some hopeless boob starved pervert, nor am I even a virgin. I do have to admit though, Rias is easily the most attractive person I've ever seen in both lives.
A few mentally trying minutes later, the water abruptly stops, signaling the end of her shower. The curtain, the only thing separating us, slides open, revealing Rias Gremory, equipped with only a single fucking towel wrapped around her torso.
With a clearly fabricated look of surprise, she calmly says "Oh, Sirius. I wasn't expecting you to arrive so early. Forgive me for not getting to you sooner." We both know that's a lie.
"It's fine." I say simply, while staring her directly in the eye, which seems to annoy her. I won't be caught staring today.
Quickly ridding herself of her look of annoyance, the crimson haired devil walks towards the only door in the room and explains, "If you give me a few more minutes, I'll be right with you. I do need to get dressed. Unless," Here, she smirks slightly, "You'd like me to remain like this?"
Maintaining eye contact, I shake my head and answer, "No, it's fine. Feel free."
With a frown that she quickly hides, Rias nods and promptly enters the other room, presumably changing. God, she is making this hard for me. Like I already said, I'm not some fumbling virgin, but devils are meant to be literally perfect. Unlike humans, where you'll find various imperfections, such as unclear skin, or a non-symmetrical face, they didn't have those. If Raynare is anything to go off of, neither did the other races.
Not even a minute later, she re-enters the room, wearing the school uniform. Taking a seat on the sofa opposite of mine, Rias crosses her legs in a way that I can clearly see her panties. Is she still trying to seduce me? I really wish she would just stop.
"I apologize for making you wait. Now, allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Rias Gremory, the heiress to the Gremory Clan, one of the 72 devil households." Finishing with an almost smug look, she stares toward me expectantly. And why exactly is she telling me this?
Raising an eyebrow, I nod and say "I'm aware. I'm also aware you've been tailing me with one of your familiars. Any particular reason why?"
Not missing a beat, she answers, "I just like to keep up on the those involved in the supernatural in my territory and my potential family members. That reminds me, I do have to ask, why are you here in Kuoh? I do hope you're not planning any trouble."
"I was just planning on living the normal student life." Half truth. "I wasn't even aware this was devil territory until recently." That one was a lie. With a very expensive looking tea set in one hand, Akeno takes this moment to come back upstairs. Setting the plate down on the table in between us, the raven haired devil places a cup in front of me and pours the hot refreshments.
Taking a sip of her tea, Rias nods and says, "Thank you, Akeno.." Setting the cup back down, she focuses back on me and continues, "I see.. How are you finding the school to be?"
"It's been nice. The other students are very.. receptive."
She continues to ask me a few other meaningless questions, until she adopts a somewhat serious look. "I do have one final question for you. Are you aware of the devil's peerage system?" Ah, here it is. Is she just taking a direct approach?
"I know a bit." Nodding, she begins her explanation of how the evil pieces and the reincarnation system work. "I see. I'm assuming since you're telling me all this, you'd like me to join your peerage?"
Smiling, she confirms, "Indeed.. I'll be blunt. What will it take to get you to join my peerage? Wealth, power.. You would even be able to have your own peerage down the line." It's honestly very tempting. The strength increase alone would be worth it, not to mention all the other things. Like she said, I'd be able to have my own peerage, I'd have a connection to the strongest Devil to date, which would only get better if I prevent Rias from marrying Riser. However, this isn't something I can be impulsive about, but I'm seriously considering it. I'm not some prideful fool who despises the idea of serving someone afterall. Not that Rias would even think about treating me like a servant in the first place.
Shaking my head, I give her my answer. "I'm going to have to decline. I'm perfectly content with my life as it is, but thank you for the offer."
Her smile turns bitter, but she politely says "I see. Still, I won't stop trying to convince you. My family and I would love it if you joined us." I'm sure they would. On that note, I wonder if her marriage got pushed up as well? It probably did, considering the game sped up the plot.
After exchanging a few more words, I stood up and bid Rias and her queen goodbye, before leaving the abandoned school building. As soon as I left, I let out a tired sigh. That was very mentally trying. Maybe I should just skip the rest of school. I need a break.
-
Entering the house, I take a moment to appreciate how well Raynare performed her task. There was obviously not much to clean in the first place, with this being a new home and all, but she still managed to make it look even better than it did when I first arrived here. It's final. She's officially my maid.
As if on queue, my newly assigned maid who has yet to find out about her position walks out of the guest room. Dusting off her dress, which reminds me that I need to get her some clothing- preferably a maid outfit- she politely says, "Ah Sirius, you're back! I've done what you asked of me."
"I can see that. You've outdone yourself, Raynare. Thank you."
Nodding, Raynare surprised me by bowing slightly, and saying "What you did this morning.. I truly can't thank you enough. For a fallen angel like me, who was born as one rather than an angel, it's almost impossible for us to get a second pair of wings. I meant what I said. I'll be eternally thankful for what you've done." That explains why she had such an intense reaction earlier. Nice to know.
"You're welcome.. On that note, I've got something else I wish for you to do."
With an almost gleeful expression, my still unaware maid declares "Of course! I'll do anything you ask of me."
Walking forward, I place my hand on her shoulder and comment, "Don't panic when our surroundings change." Mentally activating the dungeon skill, we appear in the familiar stone brick area. I don't know if physical contact is actually required, but it doesn't really matter all too much.
Seeing her look of confusion, I explain "This is a pocket dimension I can create, that I call the dungeon. It's filled with various souless undead creatures, that when killed, let you grow in strength. This is part of the reason I was so much stronger than you yesterday." I decided to go ahead and partially tell her what this place is. I have no reason to be paranoid and not do so, her obedience and affection are too high for her to even betray me except for under extreme circumstances, like heavy abuse, which I'm not worried about happening. I have no reason to abuse her after all.
With widened eyes, she simply mutters, "Incredible.."
Nodding, I continue "Like I already said, killing the creatures here will allow you to grow stronger, which I want you to do. You're my servant now, and I can't have a weak servant, now can I?"
Without looking the slightest bit upset at her newly appointed status, Raynare instead looks determined, saying "Of course! I'll slaughter every last one of these undead for you, my master." Did she just.. call me master? Holy shit, talk about a power trip.
In my shocked state, she had already generated a violet spear of light, looking considerably more thick and sharp than I remember from the anime. Lobbing it at the first zombie she sees, the poor undead is insta-killed, not that I'd expect any different. Now that she's ranked up, she could even kill the mini-bosses in area 2 with relative ease, which reminds me. Now that I'm here in the dungeon, and Raynare is otherwise occupied, I should finally get around to checking out all the notifications and rewards I've received recently.
[For reaching 100 in CHA, you've received a new skill.]
[Pretty as a picture (Level MAX) - You're appearance is at a point where people can't find any imperfections. Makes affection and reputation improvements happen more frequently.]
[For reaching level 35, the skill [Curse of Misfortune] has been received.]
I'd expected more, but I suppose I dodged another headache in the form of information overload. Taking out the skill book I got earlier, I promptly consume it, gaining yet another unique skill. Can I give others skill books to consume? It would be pretty cool if I could give Raynare something.
Anyway, Snatch was a lot like the Divine dividing, with a few improvements in some areas, while others were worse off.
[Snatch (Level 1) - Allows the user to steal physical objects as well as physical abilities from living beings, without making direct contact. Capabilities is determined by skill level, and physical stats. Cannot steal from opponents 10 levels above the user. Amount stolen can't be more than 100% of the users current stats.]
Unfortunately, it didn't work on the zombies, with them not being alive and all. Nevertheless, this ability was great. I'm getting a hell of a lot of buff skills. Some attack, or defense orientated skills would be appreciated.
Focusing back on reality, I find that Raynare seems to be enjoying herself. Ranking up not only gave her another pair of wings, but it also allowed her to produce more spears of light, which I assume is the reason why her's looked just all around better earlier. She wasn't gaining much XP, but at the rate she was slaying the zombies, it wouldn't be long before she leveled up. Another plus was that I also gained a percentage of the XP she earned.
Calling out her name, I wait till she arrives back in front of me and begin, "I see that you're enjoying yourself, Raynare."
Nodding with a barely concealed smile, she happily explains "Slaying these undead is very satisfying, and I can also grow stronger, while also pleasing you! I believe the human saying would be to kill 3 birds with 1 stone."
"That's the one. Anyway, I have something I'd like you to do. Over on the other side, there are 4- well, three now that I've killed one. There are 3 unique enemies which are much stronger than the normal ones, thereby giving you more for killing them. They even release magical artifacts after their deaths. Oh, and after killing all 4 of them, an even stronger one will appear, which will unlock a whole new area with more undead to kill." Seeing her beginning to get slightly confused, I apologetically say "Sorry, I went on a bit of a tangent there. What I'm trying to say is, I want you to kill one of those unique undead."
Unfurling her 4 black wings, she resolutely nods and declares, "Lead the way, and I'll vanquish this creature."
Feeling like showing off a bit, I swap my arms for their phoenix variants, before shooting off into the air. A few seconds later, Raynare rises to my height, and stares in awe at my frankly massive wings. I never really took the time to measure them, but I'd say they're at least 4 meters wide each.
"I've never seen flames like that before.. They're so beautiful." I'd say their more badass than beautiful, but I agree.
"Their called the Blue Flames of Resurrection, but I just call them Phoenix flames. Anyway, enough about that. Follow me." Soaring forward, I hone in on the form of one of the three remaining Mini-bosses, an undead rhinoceros, with a skeletal bird perched on it's head.
Pointing towards the duo, I explain "That right there is one of them. Make sure to be at least a bit careful. The one I killed was able to shoot out incredibly fast beams of energy, which makes me think the others will have some sort of special attack as well. With that said, feel free to go now."
Without another word, she dives downwards, making me think she's going to perform the move that's almost my signature attack at this point, but instead, she produces a spear of light in each hand, as well as 2 more hovering in front of her new pair of wings. Flinging the first one towards the Mini-boss, the pink spear sinks into the rotting flesh of the larger of the duo, who immediately turns to the source of the attack.
Not wasting any time, she throws the one in her other hand, followed shortly after by the two others. Like the first one, the three pierce through it's flesh rather easily, each dealing a few hundred damage each. Surprisingly, a few bones of the rhinoceros perk up through it's hide, and shoot upwards, but Raynare easily dodges them.
What followed was a rather pitiful fight. Raynare simply stayed in the air and launched light spear after light spear, each of them hitting their mark, while the rhino could only use it's own ranged attack, which just wasn't fast enough to hit her. And so, after barely a minute, Raynare ended the duo's non-existent life.
Descending down onto the ground at the same time she does, I give her my praise. "That was great, Raynare." I notice that she had leveled up from that, so I comment, "Do you feel any stronger?"
She stares down at her hands, and absentmindedly replies "Yes.. I do. My Mana reserves have increased by about 1%, and I do feel a bit stronger. All this, just for slaying that pathetic creature?"
Motioning towards the chest that rose from the ground just a few seconds before, I say "Not just that. Remember those magical artifacts I told you about?" Kicking open the chest, I peer in and find four items inside, curiously enough.
Pulling out each item one by one, while also using observe on the two I don't know the use of, I motion towards the gray leather cape, saying "This cape will reduce the harm you suffer from physical attacks by 20%, and magic ones by 10%." Motioning towards the ring, I continue "This ring increases the damage of light-based magical attacks by 20%. I'd say it's pretty perfect for you, don't you think?"
"A-are you sure? Do you really want to give me such a strong magical artifact?" It's not really that strong. Besides, I can't even use it properly.
Nodding, I push it in her hand and explain, "I'm sure. I don't even have any light-based spells, so it's useless to me."
Hesitantly removing the ring from my palm while thanking me, Raynare slides it on her middle finger and produces a test spear. The improvements are clear. It's sleeker, loosing even more of it's jagged appearance, and becomes brighter as well. I suppose 20% is quite a bit of an improvement.
Switching her gaze from spear in her hand, to the ring on her finger, and finally back to me, she gratefully says "Thank you for this gift. First the wings, and now this. I truly can't repay all you're doing for me.."
[+10 Affection with Raynare.]
[+5 Obedience with Raynare.]
"You're welcome, Raynare. Just think of it as me wanting to make my servant stronger." I should really get her a maid outfit. I'm sure I can find one rather easily, cosplay shops are a thing here after all. Or maybe I can make my own, with blacksmithing, or maybe enchant an already existing one. Food for thought for another time. "Anyway, nows not the time to proclaim your loyalty to me. Feel free to do so later though. We should get back to slaying, don't you think?"
Nodding, she replies "Mm, I would like to see what that unique-unique undead looks like. Would you like me to kill the remaining 2, Master?" How nice it is to have a servant.
-
As her spear of light stabs into the eye of the undead turtle, Raynare finally ends the final Mini-boss. Because of it's immense defensive capabilities, the fight took way longer than it should of, but like the others, it was just tedious, rather than difficult. Her method of killing was definitely more effective then mine, but I don't intend to change. I do prefer when there's an actual challenge after all.
As we regrouped next to the chest, I barely had the time to open it and peer inside before the ground began rumbling, signaling the arrival of something strong. Quickly stashing the items inside, I turn and find the area boss rising out of the ground, as the previous one did. This one, however was on a different level.
[Skeletal Devilsaur - Level 100]
HP: 10500/10500 - MP: 6000/6000
STR: 400
DEX: 300
CON: 350
INT: 200
WIS: 200
CHA: 0
LCK: 0
The literal t-rex bellow out a ground-shaking roar, making me cover my ears from the pain. Looking over at Raynare, I ground out "I don't think you can handle this one on your own. Let me help you."
Nodding without any hesitation, she takes to the sky while producing her signature pink spear of light. Promptly activating Mantra Enchant around my Legs, I cast one of the few 12 Zodiac Hymns I'm currently capable of producing, the Hymn of Combustion, which strengthens my fire-based attacks considerably. What I plan on doing with it is easy enough to figure out.
A swirling ball of blue and yellow flames appears in my hand, before rapidly growing in size. While the sphere continues to expand, I run circles around the undead dinosaur, easily dodging out of the way of it's rampant charges, while Raynare also rains down multiple light spears, slowly chipping away at it's health.
As the flame reaches almost a meter in height, the Skeletal Devilsaur rears back it's head and produces an ear-splitting roar, somehow even louder than it's previous one.
[Mental status affliction stopped due to Gamers mind.]
Unfortunately, Raynare didn't have my protection from mental attacks. Prematurely throwing the flames towards the area-boss, I rush below where Raynare is falling out of the sky and jump with Geppo, catching her and stopping her fall.
Casting the Hymn of Rage, which lessens/prevents any status ailments the target receives, I set down the unconscious fallen angel. I don't know if it works when they already have the affliction on them, but it doesn't hurt to try. Anyway, I suppose I should stop messing around.
Pulling out one of my Mana potions and swiftly downing it, I produce another orb of flames, but instead of allowing it to charge up, I simply lob it at the Devilsaur before generating another. Due to the Hymn of Combustion, each of my fireballs was doing at least a couple hundred damage.
Even with it's immense health, the area-boss couldn't handle the rapid fire and perished not long after. It did continue trying to charge me, or afflict me with whatever debuff it gave Raynare via it's roar, but with my speed that was over twice it's own, and Gamer's mind, there wasn't much it could do.
[Area boss, Skeletal Devilsaur slain! You've received 12600 XP, and Party member 'Raynare' has received 6300 XP. Area 3 unlocked.]
[Level up! Level up!]
After waiting a few more seconds for the debuff to end, Raynare shoots awake and searches for an already dead enemy. After noticing it's gone, she bows deeply and begins profusely apologizing.
Holding up my hand, I interrupt her mid apology. "It's fine Raynare, really. Neither of us knew it had such an attack, and if I didn't have a special form of resistance, I probably would have fallen unconscious as well. Besides, it's already dead and without much effort from me."
After getting a hesitant nod, we both walk over to the chest that appeared after the Devilsaur's death. As I open the much more over-the-top than normal chest, I also take the items from the previous one out of my inventory, as I didn't have the chance to observe them before.
First off, I pocket the stat gem and heart crystal, as the stat gem didn't actually work for Raynare, and the heart crystal was not something I even want her knowing about, even if she probably wouldn't care much. Next, I use observe on the pair of fingerless brown leather gloves, with multiple metal spikes attached.
[Devilsaur leather gloves (Rare) - Increases physical attacks by 20%.]
A simple but useful item, which I end up equipping. I almost have a full equipment set, I'm just missing some form of pants, if I can even get some in a dungeon.
Next up was a pair of rough curved horns, which seemed to move together like they were on a head band, even if there was nothing connecting them.
[The Distorted Crown (Very Rare) - Increases HP regeneration by 75%, while also allowing the user to return to 75% health if they drop below 10% once every 48 hours.]
A very good item, but my regeneration and survivability are already amazing as it is, so I gave it to Raynare after telling her it's effects. It also looked pretty tacky on me, with Raynare sporting it quite nicely.
From the previous chest, an exotic looking dagger and a pair of scarlet red earrings.
[Malice (Rare) - Deals (STR+120)*1.5 physical damage, and gives the being hit the debuff 'Bleeding', dealing an additional 25 damage every second for 15 seconds.]
[Crimson studs (Rare) - Any attacks of the user have a chance to steal HP from the enemy.]
Once more, my regeneration is already high enough, so I gave the earrings to Raynare as well, much to her reluctance. She was already reluctant to take the Crown after hearing of it's effects, but with some convincing, she accepted it. As for the dagger, that'll just be sitting in my inventory for the foreseeable future. I don't know if I'll be using a weapon any time soon, but I don't think a dagger would suit me very well. Raynare was also much more of a supporter, so a weapon where you had to get a lot closer wasn't for her. Maybe a spear? Or a whip? I'll consult her on that later.
Oh right, I almost forgot. Turning to the now non-existent wall, I find yet another cube-shaped space, but rather than the gray bricks of the first area, or the green bricks of the second, this one was colored light-red. As for the enemies, I spotted various humanoids, as well as some undead beasts.
For now though, we won't be continuing on to the next area. Seeing Raynare looking towards the newly opened dungeon, I explain "This is the new area unlocked for killing that unique undead. It has much stronger enemies, which means you'll gain strength at a much faster rate. However, we aren't going there yet. I have some things back home I want to do."
Getting a nod in response, I place my hand on her shoulder and invoke the dungeon skill, appearing back in the lounge with my fallen-angel maid. Seeing the state of her outfit, I ask "Do you have any clothes back at where you were staying before you want to bring here? On that note, do you have anything you need to do or get?"
"I did, but I don't want to go back there." She frowns slightly, as if imagining something annoying. "If you don't mind, I can go out and purchase some new clothing. I have quite a bit of human currency."
Shrugging, I reply "Sure, get whatever you want. You don't need to ask my permission for everything." It would seem she won't be wearing a maid outfit just yet.
After exchanging a few more words, she went off to buy some new clothes. This gives me some time to myself. I have a few things I want to do. Taking a seat on one of the sofa's, I pull up my inventory and select the 5 Chance tokens. With all that's been happening, I've gotten quite a bit of these. It would make sense to continue saving them until I get another Felix whatever potion, but I can't be bothered to wait however long that will take.
[5x Chance tokens consumed. Received Item pouch (Uncommon), Angel's Feather (Rare), Jar of Bees (Uncommon), Roth's Reach (Very Rare), and Sunshot (Very Rare)]
Observe reveals that all of these items are very useful. Well, the jar of bees less so than the others, but it might have it's uses sometime down the line.
[Item pouch (Uncommon) - Holds items inside a pocket dimension with a space of 2 meters squared.]
[Angel's feather (Rare) - Teleports the user and their party to any location.]
[Jar of Bees (Uncommon) - A jar of bees. That's it.]
[Roth's Reach (Very Rare) - A bow that deals (DEX+60)*1.6 and increases the speed of arrows released by 60%.]
[Sunshot (Very Rare) - A hand cannon which deals 200 physical damage, and 100 fire damage. Requires Energy ammunition.]
Like I said, all very good items.. Maybe if I throw the jar of bees at someone? Anyway, I still have one last Chance token to use, which is also the only Rare one I've received so far. If the name is anything to go by, the loot will be far better.
[1x Rare Chance token consumed. Received Vassal Fan (Exotic).]
With widened eyes, I cast observe, further widening my eyes.
[Vassal Fan (Exotic) - One of the Eight Vassal Weapons. Effects are dependent on the form currently selected, and forms are unlocked via consuming materials. Current forms unlocked: Default.]
I remember this. In The Rising of the Shield Hero, that one lady who showed up during the waves used this and absolutely trashed all the heroes aside from Naofumi. Though, it is a bit unfortunate that I received this weapon and not one of the others, because I have no intention of using it. It just doesn't suit me at all. I do know someone who it will suit almost perfectly. A fan seems like a pretty perfect support weapon afterall. Great ranged attacks, and good defensive capabilities. So unless I suddenly find another use for this, I'll probably hand it over to Raynare. The stronger she is, the stronger I am in a sense after all. On that note, I'll also give her the Item pouch. I have literally no use for it afterall, and I could put some potions in there as well.
Seeing the fan has also reminded me who one of the people I can summon is. Fitoria, the Filolial queen. I was hesitating to summon them, since I didn't know who they were, but now that I do, I really tempted to do it. She was one of the strongest characters in Shield Hero, but the power levels here in DxD are vastly superior. Even if I was high-balling her, the most I can see Fitoria being able to do is destroy a small city, and that's only because of her giant Filolial form. If she does end up proving a problem, which I doubt she will, I now just barely have enough Mana, with the help of the Antler, to cast a new Hymn, one that would help me beat her in her other form rather easily.
As for the other summon, Edelgard, I don't actually know who that is, so I don't think I'll be summoning them until I'm a bit stronger. With Fitoria though, I'm actually somewhat confident in being able to beat her if I need to. Should I summon her though? I honestly think I should. If she ends up being weaker than me, I can always power level her like Raynare, but I doubt she has a lower level than my own. Aside from maybe making the house a bit more cramped with three people in it, I don't see any downsides to summoning her.
Inhaling deeply, I re-enter the dungeon, just to be safe. If she ends up being too much, I'll just leave her in the dungeon. I don't actually know what happens in the dungeon after I leave it, but I'm sure nothing good. Just because she's a filolial queen doesn't mean she doesn't need sustenance. I think.
Going to the very edge of the first area so we don't get bothered, I pull out the glowing white crystal. Staring at it for a more seconds, I sigh and crush the crystal in my hand, producing a bright light. Backing away slightly, I watch as the light slowly takes the form of a small girl with angel-like wings.
A few seconds later, the light fades, leaving behind a girl with white hair and violet eyes, while she was outfitted with a long white and pink frilly dress. On her back were two white feather wings, and on top of her hair were three equally white Ahoges. Strangely enough, aside from looking a bit curious and confused, she otherwise completely calm.
Only a few moments later, she locked eyes with me, and immediately looked completely stunned. As a few tears began forming in her eyes, I barely made out her muttering, "Master.."
[+50 Affection with Fitoria, for looking like her previous Master.]
[+50 Obedience with Fitoria, for looking like her previous Master.]
With widened eyes, I slowly shake my head and hesitantly reply "I'm not your master. Well, unless you want me to be. What I'm trying to say is I'm probably not who you think I am." As much as It would benefit me, I can't let her think I'm her master. I plan on us having a long-term relationship afterall, and if she finds out I lied to her, I doubt she'd be very happy.
Strangely enough, I lose nothing from the revelation, though she rubs her eyes with her pale arm, clearing the tears away. Staring at me for a few more moments, she pulls her attention away and looks around the dungeon, before asking "If.. If you're not him, then who are you? And where is this?"
"My name is Sirius Black, and this is a pocket dimension I can create. As for why you're here, I summoned you to my world, to help me." As she silently stares at me, thinking about something, I take the time to use observe on her.
[Fitoria, The Filolial Queen]
Age: 562
Race: Filolial (Queen)
HP: 76800/76800 - SP: 76800/76800 - MP: 248200
Level: 230
Rank: 2
STR: 356
DEX: 432
CON: 384
INT: 1241
WIS: 990
CHA: 536
LCK: 409
Thoughts towards you: Curiosity, Adoration.
Even after I told her, she still adores me? Also, I definitely underestimated her. She's crazy strong. Still though, if worse comes to worst, I can still leave her here in the dungeon. I just hope I won't be needing to do that.
Staring at me with a strange look in her eyes I can't identify, she softly says "If you desire my assistance, I will help you. I've guarded that accursed world for so long, I don't even remember my time as a simple Filolial. Truthfully, I don't mind that you've brought me here. In fact, I'm glad you've done so. I only preserved the peace in that world because it's what my long dead master asked of me. Whatever world you've brought me to would be infinitely better than that disappointing one."
I.. don't know what to say. I really wasn't expecting her to react like this. Maybe anger, or sadness maybe, but definitely not this. I don't remember much on her character, but I know she was willing to kill the heroes if only for a new group to be summoned. I also recall that she's likes good food, but I don't think that's very relevant right now.
Hiding my surprise, I eventually reply "Well, I suppose welcome to whatever my little faction in this world is. I should let you know before you start thinking different, this world has it's fair share of despicable people. I won't disillusion myself to thinking I'm a good person either. I don't know much about your world, but it might end up being better than this one."
Without missing a beat, she shakes her head and answers "Even if that's the case, It matters not. I detest that world, not for the distasteful generation of mortals, but because of how many times I've been betrayed and disappointed in the past. As I already said, I was only defending it because of my previous masters wishes. If not for him, It could have burned to the ground for all I cared."
Once more doing away with my surprise, I continue where I left off. "Back in your world, you were probably one of the strongest beings alive, but here, you're probably around mid-range. I'm not too sure, as I haven't actually seen the power of the stronger beings for myself, but I know that the top 10 are at least capable of destroying entire countries, if not more."
For the first time, Fitoria actually looked surprised. Not that I can blame her. She may be a major Kuudere, but that doesn't mean learning something like that wouldn't be surprising. After a few more moments, she eventually nods, and so I give her an in-depth explanation on this world, and the vast differences it held with her previous one. From the the holy war and the devil civil war, to Sacred Gears and the 13 Longinus. To say she was even more surprised after I finished that almost hour long lecture was an understatement.
Shit. Raynare's probably back by now. "We should probably leave now. I summoned you here in case you ended up being upset I brought you here."
Getting a calm nod in response, I walk over and place a hand on her shoulder before exiting the dungeon, appearing in the lounge with my new.. I don't know what to call her. Her obedience score is high enough that she'd accept a good majority of my orders, but there's still a lot of things I can't ask her to do, unlike Raynare, who would do almost anything I do her to do. I suppose it's good luck that I look like her previous master then.
Not even a second after appearing, I hear the sound of a relieved sigh, followed by a familiar voice saying, "Master, you're back. I was getting a bit worried." She pauses for a moment, and adds "And who is this?" Turning towards her, I find Raynare strangely staring at Fitoria. I can understand why she would be though. The Filolial Queen has a somewhat unusual appearance after all. With almost angel-like wings, and pale white hair and skin, as well as her choice of apparel, she was a sight to see.
"This is Fitoria. She'll be joining us from now on. She's not around here," I chuckle, watching as Fitoria pokes around the furniture with almost animal-like curiosity, "As you can see. If she has any questions or needs, please help her out." For someone so old and somewhat bitter, she could be very immature and childish. Maybe I should get into cooking? Fitoria is a glutton afterall.
Nodding with her hands locked behind her back, the raven haired fallen resolutely replies "I'll do my best." Here she falls silent for a moment, as if expecting something, before sighing and saying "I also replaced my wardrobe. Do you like it, Master?"
Oh. I don't know how I didn't notice. Her pink sundress was discarded, I don't know where to, and in it's place was a black high-waist gothic Lolita dress, along with a leather and chain belt around her waist and an equally black choker around her neck. It definitely suited her a lot more than the sundress, and with the accessories I gifted her, she looked like someone cosplaying as a demon girl. It wasn't a maid outfit, but it really looked amazing on her. (AN: For those on webnovel, I'll comment the image I was basing the outfit off of.)
Giving her a thumbs up, I observe "You look great Raynare. Also, do you plan on ever taking off the horns, or..?"
Smiling at my praise before shaking her head, she replies "No, I don't plan to. They were gifted to me by you, and I quite like them as well. Unless you want me to take them off?"
"No, no, of course not. I don't mind, I was just wondering is all. Anyway, I'm going to show Fitoria to her room. Let me know if you need anything." With that said, I left the lounge and entered the kitchen where Fitoria was still curiously looking around, as if we weren't having a very serious conversation not even five minutes ago. Now that I think about it, what does Raynare do when she's alone? I don't really have much to do for entertainment around her, so I'll have to get something for her.
Tapping the resident filolial queen on the shoulder, Fitoria pulls her attention away from the sink, where she was continuedly turning the faucet on and off in wonder. "I hate to pull you away from this truly important discovery, but I should show you where you'll be sleeping.. Do you normally even sleep in a bed?"
Ignoring my first comment, she smoothly replies "No. I always slept alone on the stone floor of the ruins I inhabited, or in a grass field with my flock. I don't mind sleeping in a bed however." She seemed a bit saddened when she mentioned her flock, but swiftly returned to her normal expressionless self.
Nodding, I lead her out of the kitchen and into the third and final bedroom. Like the other, it contained the bare minimum, only having a bed and a few other random pieces of furniture. When Fitoria went to sit on the bed, I realized that like Raynare, she only had one outfit which she was currently wearing. When I pointed this out to her, she responded with "My dress is enchanted to never break or dirty. Though, I do not mind wearing other attire."
Enchanting sure is handy. That makes me want to choose it as my next secondary class. That reminds me, I need to work on Alchemy again. "I see. Maybe Raynare can help you buy some new outfits tomorrow." I propose after a moment of thought.
"Your servant?" She hums. "I understand. I'm also curious to see what your world is truly like. From what you've told me, I'm very interested. Your home is already incredibly different from the ones back in my world." Laying back on the bed, she fell back on the pillow with her arms splayed out. Rolling around, she softly mutters "This is a very strange feeling." Her muttering gets quieter and quieter, until it ends, replaced by the sound of light snoring.
Silently chuckling, I turn off the light and close the door, leaving her to her sleep. Returning to the lounge, I find Raynare dusting off a cabinet in the kitchen while lightly humming. Where she got the duster, I have no clue. Why she's cleaning when she already cleaned not even a day ago, I also have no clue.
Raising an inquisitive eyebrow, I question "Why are you cleaning again, Raynare? That's not really necessary.."
Turning to face me, she stops her dusting and answers "I don't really have much to do here otherwise. Back at the church, I didn't really have much to do either, and I ended up developing a habit of cleaning. Mitelt always made fun of me for it, but I find it a nice way to pass the time."
Taking a seat at the kitchen counter, I pull out an already finished health potion. Carefully placing it on the cold surface under Raynare's curious stare, I explain "This right here is a potion. I'm sure you know of the phoenix tears of the Phenex clan?" Getting a nod, I continue "This is a Minor health potion, and as it's name implies, it restores health when consumed. Approximately 20% to be precise."
Staring at the small vial of red liquid with clear surprise, the raven haired fallen mutters "Minor? As in, there's better versions of this? I've never heard of any substance capable of healing like the phoenix tears.." Looking up at me in confusion, she questions "How did you make this, Master? Do you understand the potential something like this has?"
"I do know it's potential. As for how I made it, I'm an Alchemist." She looked at me in confusion, clearly not understanding the term. "I make potions. This isn't the only potion I can make. There's ones that restore Mana, others that provide resistances to various elements. That reminds me, I have another gift for you." It feels like I'm spoiling her, but I really just want to make her stronger. The stronger she is, the more use she has to me.
She begins to deny, but having already learned her lesson before, she resignedly sighs and smiles wryly. Don't give me that look.
From my inventory, I pull out the item pouch, alongside a handful of potions. "This right here is an item pouch. It's capable of holding 2 meters squared worth of stuff. The potions are actually fairly easy to make, and the pouch is something relatively useless to the current me, but both of them will aid you immensely."
She almost looks surprised, before shaking her head, muttering "I'm almost getting used to all the surprises.. Only some of the strongest fallen have pocket-dimensions, and yet you have a bag capable of producing the same thing. Still, thank you, Master. You continue to give me gift after gift, and I have yet to do anything for you.."
Chuckling dryly, I quietly reply "Well, I actually have one more thing to give you. However, I'll hand it over tomorrow. I want Fitoria to be there afterall. She probably knows more about it then I do."
Sighing for what feels like the hundredth time, Raynare quietly thanks me, not bothering to even try denying it this time. She almost looks a bit saddened that I'm giving her so many things. Does it really bother her so much that she's not doing anything back?
Intent on changing the subject, I clear my throat and remove an empty vial from my inventory, saying "Anyway. I want to do some more Alchemy tonight. I could use a helping hand?"
She immediately perks up, and quickly nods. I don't know how much she can help me, Alchemy is afterall something only possible with the help of the system, but I'm sure it won't hurt to have another set of hands assisting in the process. Maybe we'll even be able to speed up the process considerably. How nice is it having a servant.