14 chapter 14

Castiel P.O.V.

ORC clubroom

"So, I'd like to know if those terms from yesterday are still valid." The head headed heiress said. Isn't it great when a plan happens as you planned? I still think it was brilliant.

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Two days ago, meeting with Riser.

"And what is your idea?" Riser asked a bit intrigued.

"Simple, I need to make an alliance with the Gremory's house and you need to get rid of a disadvantageous contract with them. I will offer them training in exchange for the alliance while you make it so that a rating game happens. If everything goes well, we will both have what we want."

"…That won't work. You know as well as me that this last minute training will not breach the distance that exists between our peerages, hers spend most of their time in school playing as humans while mine trains and help in hunting strays and other treats with the guys here. The difference is just too big in a serious setting." He said shaking his head dejectedly.

"No problem. You just need to order them to lose in a convincing way, I will make sure that her peerage is on a level that it is believable for them to face yours." I explained. "In the end, they have considerable magic reserves, the main problem is the lack of finesse in the control AND experience in actual fighting scenarios."

"That is all good and all but how are they going to beat me? I mean, I am a Phoenix, just hitting me will not be enough and I had some survival training here once. Nothing they do will break my will as well, I went once in a survival training *shudders* so I will not fall that easily."

"And they don't have to truly beat you." That got him curious "You just need to force her into a corner, and when she keeps saying that she refuses to marry you, you'll give up as you want to respect her and her house even if the respect in question is not equal." That took him a moment to understand and after he started smiling happily.

"Let me see if I got this. I will give up in respect of her house while she defiles mine so her house will need to make amends to mine as is good. I like this, I really do. Let's do it." He said it all with a large grin on his face. "But how we will do it exactly?"

"That is simple, all we need is…"

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Present

I am so glad it all ends up well. Now all I will need is see what is her decision exactly.

"Mostly, but as I was so rudely shoved away I'd like to make an addition to the previous agreement." I am so glad that I managed to pull the timing so well yesterday. If it wasn't for the ideal timing for Riser arrival she would have discussed with me more and the terms would be much better for her, now she is desperate and I can take some advantage of that.

A tick mark appears on her forehead. "And what addition would that be?"

"Simple really, I want DNA samples from all your peerage and you as well. Just an ampoule of blood would do just fine." I said as if natural. Blood of supernatural beings is extremely interesting as a subject of study back at the Tower and if I got some from a member the Gremory family, of the daughter of Baraquiel and from the rest of the peerage it may help in getting me on the good graces of Rin again and not having any more survival training. I still feel my bones are not quite right again after being used as a substitute of Berserker's ax-sword in his fight against a mountain (thank god for the fact that my combat clothes are so resilient to blunt attacks).

"Unacceptable. Who knows what you guys in the Tower could do with it? Maybe you could even replicate the power of destruction (writer note: I will call it POD as saying the full name is too troublesome) or some other thing like that." Rias said, she probably does not want this at all. I guess I can mess around with her a bit; it will probably work… maybe… probably not but the chance is just too good to pass up.

"Well, you can choose them: you prefer to lose some blood to a syringe or for Riser's 'mini-me'?"

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Somewhere in the underworld

"IT IS NOT MINI." A blond man dressed as a wannabe pimp suddenly shouted in the middle of the street.

"W-what happened Onii-sama?" a blond girl with an elegant dress asked her brother.

"I don't know, but I feel like I need to punch Castiel the next time I see him." the blond man said.

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Rias face is so funny right now. It is a mix of dread, hate, and embarrassment. It even changes colors between as red as her hair to as white as paper… I should have had a camera.

"…fine, I accept the deal." Good, good it was just as planned. "But I want to add a little something to the contract as well."

"And what it would be?" let's see if she got any talent for politics.

"I want you to sign a geass in which, in case I lose in my game against Riser, my brother peerage members will not have to be banished from the Tower anymore." She said. It must truly be a sore point for her family to see some members being banished from there. I suppose I can make this 'consent'.

"Only if you add that they must behave as with the necessary respect." I said in a counter which she nods her head. An evil grin almost appeared on my face just now as, even if she loses (which will not happen as Riser will lose on purpose anyway), the definition of what 'necessary respect' means is quite broad, ample space for debate of what the necessary is. 'Clever wording is the base of any deal' or so Rin taught me many years ago.

"Deal." She said making a contract between both of us. It will need to be signed again by the current heads but just the agreement of both of us already is plenty for now as if either of the sides back down now it will ruin the image of the one backing down. "Now when does the training may start?" she asks with a bit of desperation in her voice.

"Let's start it today in the woods on the outskirts of town. I will help you today to see what we must work with and tomorrow we will go to a special location for a more specialized training."

"Fine by me. I will be there in about 1 hour as I must inform my peerage."

We shake hands and each goes to resolve what is necessary. I took my phone and start making some calls, I need help from some of the guys in Judgment for this as the regular trainer will not be capable of doing it in such short time. Shock therapy is what is needed here after all.

One-hour latter

On the woods

I got here five minutes ago after talking with some of the guys back on Judgment, I even got them to agree to help during this entire time. I can barely wait as I haven't seen some of them in quite some time.

"Hello, Castiel-kun." Rias said after getting here by teleportation circle. There is also Akeno, Kiba, Issei and… a box?

"Rias, why did you bring a box for training? Are you thinking about becoming some mailmen later in life?" I asked with a mix of doubt and sarcasm.

After I said that everyone else was sort of embarrassed about it.

"Nothing of the sort, this is Gasper my bishop. Took my 2 pieces so I only have him but unfortunately, he has fear of the outside world so he prefers to stay indoors or inside a box." She said tiredly.

"Hum, and you let him stay like this why exactly?"

"He prefers this way and nothing I do can help him give him the courage to face the world."

"*sigh* Fine I will deal with this situation myself." I said in an irritated tone. I mean how can someone call themselves king and don't know how to help their people? She should focus all her power in finding a way to help those who serve her instead of focusing on the school like she does, is there any meaning in being famous among the school when she let her followers suffer?

"And how do you intend on doing this?" Akeno asked after she finished checking if Emily was here or not. Obviously, I asked her to not get involved, as her specialties (fast flying and use of her pike/lance and light energy) do not match with the ones from Rias peerage… and she'd hit heads with Akeno more than actually help in this situation.

"Simple. Like this lion's heart." This is a simple blessing that I learned long ago. The effect is simple but important every once in a while, the effect is to give courage to the target. Useful when facing bad odds as courage itself can help surmount many difficulties.

"I can do it!" a small 'girl' jumped out of the box. This little one seems to be about 14 years old, have white pale skin and blond almost white hair (almost like mine but in my case it is more like my hair could not decide if it preferred white or blond so it compromised and in 'her's' case it is closer to white) and also have pointed teeth. Is it a vampire? If so it can turn up bad as the Tower have a high enmity with vampires as a whole since some time now.

"Didn't you said it was a boy? Why is it that all I see is a girl?" I asked.

"Well… it is my hobby. I like to dress up as a girl as this clothes are cuter." Gasper said.

"Okay them." I said as if it was not a big deal, and it really is not. Sexual orientation is important for only the individual and it is not my place to judge if he is homosexual, metrosexual, Okama (travesty) or whatever else. The person itself is the important, not their sexual preferences.

"Seriously, that is it?" Issei asked with a surprised face. "He dresses like a girl as a hobby and that is your whole reaction." The idiot did not seem to have noticed that little (I will say little because he looks like a twelve years child) Gasper is feeling down about what he says. It probably troubles him when others treat him different because of his choice.

"Yes, that is all my reaction to it. He can dress and do whatever he wants as long as it does not prejudice the ones around him." I said as if natural. "And you should watch what you say because it can come out as offensive to him." I said with a light glare and a bit of killing intent. On my shitlist of things that annoy me to no end' acting differently towards another based on sexual preference is right there on the top 10.

GULP

"U-understood." Issei said with a nervous voice.

CLAP

I gave a light clap of my hand to call for attention from the rest of those here.

"Now let us begin." I said entering an instructor mode. "I am here to help you, people, to get in shape to be capable of fighting Riser's peerage. We will go to this address" I gave Rias an address of a remote location in a faraway mountain. There exists an extra center of training from the Tower, specialized in group trainings and with many different rooms with different characteristics that will work out just fine. " But first things first, I need to know what are your specialties and your nature and element affinity for future magic training."

Kiba raised his hand.

"Yes, Kiba?"

"I have no idea on what my nature and element is. What even is nature and element affinity anyway?" He said with a straight face.

I facepalmed. Seriously?

"Okay, who else here does not know what element affinity and nature is?"

I wanted to hit something (probably Rias for being negligent) when I saw that all of the except Rias and Akeno did not know what element affinity and nature are.

"Element affinity helps you realize which element or type of magic you will have the easier to learn. For instance, if you have water affinity you can learn a water-based spell in a tenth of the time that someone else would normally, but it also limits you in other areas like if you have fire affinity you will find next to impossible to be a master in water magic." Seeing that they are accompanying I continued. "Nature is a special characteristic that helps define you as a person. For instance, if you have for nature burst your explosive spells will be stronger but it also means that you are prone to have a short temper."

"Oh." They all seemed to understand what I am saying.

"So how do we discover our element affinity and nature?" Issei asked.

"There is a mystic code made. Unfortunaly I do not have one at hand as I believed that you guys would know at least this much." I turned to Rias. "And that begs the question, how can you as their king do not have explained them this sort of thing before? It would make training in magic much easier."

"Well… to be fair I never saw the need to. Kiba was totally uninterested in magic as a whole, Koneko also preferred to fight in CQC and Gasper never even want to fight period."

"And about Issei?" I asked trying to not explode to the idiocy I am hearing.

"He didn't have much magic, to begin with so I decided to train him in magic when he grows more powerful." She said with a confident voice but when she looked at the smile I was giving her she shut up.

"And how exactly are you training him to be more powerful?"

"A light 2km jog every morning and making contracts… even if he did not manage to make a perfect one even once."

I turned to Issei after hearing it. "Issei, now I understand why you are so pathetically weak for a devil that reincarnated for so long," he made an offended face hearing that. "it was because you were never beaten into the proper shape. I am sorry for calling you negligent and weak before and to correct my previous mistake I will make sure that you become the devil you SHOULD be right now with the help of this training." I am feeling sorta like a jerk right now. It was not his fault as, in the end, he just never got the proper training. I will fix that.

His paling face makes me think that maybe he did not like where this talk was going.

FLASH

… don't judge me, it is just one picture of him. If I sell this I may get some cash that I most definitely need it as Rin cut my paycheck since the fallen angel incident. I need to eat as well.

"Now coming back to what we were talking before. So I will let the details about what your nature and element affinity for tomorrow. For today we will make something different and see what you guys can do with your familiars. They are, after all, an important part of you fighting capacities and can help in battle when necessary." I then pointed to the side and two magic circles appeared. "These little ones are my familiars." I said as my familiars appeared.

The first one looks like a small brown dog. He has lustrous hair, big brown eyes pointed ears and on his chest, there is a big amount of fur that looks (and is) comfy. He also has a collar with many different stones on his neck.

The second one looks like a small 'child' with a star-shaped yellow hat that has small blue papers on the points, a happy symbol on his belly and two golden clothes coming out of his back. He is but naked but as he is genderless and is not human in the first place he never wanted or accepted to use any clothing.

The third and fourth one are twins. They both look like a piece of the starry sky surrounded by a golden circle keeping it in place.

They are my pride and joy, I have them since I was 7 when I got them in eggs given to me by that damned vampire, A.K.A. 'uncle' Zelretch, that came to visit at my birthday. He always comes as he is my godfather, and every once in a while give me some strange item from some other dimension.

The last one was a box that when I opened the more powerful stink bomb ever made by mankind exploded on my face… I was removed from the Tower and throw in the middle of the sea until I stopped smelling like the bastard child of a rotten fish and a public bathroom after a music festival... it took a whole month. Good part though is that I got friends with some of the Fishman from Attlantis and have a understanding of Fishman Karate even if I can't use it at all due to lacking the affinity for water.

"These are my familiars. This one that looks like a dog is called Eevee and can change attributes and characteristics at will thanks to his unstable genes and the use of this collar right here. This one that looks like a child is called Jirachi, he can grant absurdly high lucky for short intervals, can use power from the stars to make barriers and create illusions and control gravity in a limited extent." It is better not to overly explain what combat oriented abilities they have. It would take too long and it is always better to have an ace on the sleeve. "And finally we have the twins Cosmoem, they can only help in teleportation and help raise the natural magic defense.

And yours, what do they do?"

They look impressed and ashamed at the same time.

"This is my familiar." Rias said summoning forth a red bat. "It can change to look like a human."

"And…" I said wanting more intel, if I am to help them on how to use the familiars I need more than just this.

"And that is it." She said dejectedly. "She helps me in distributing the summoning circles. All our familiars do just that, we never really trained them for battle situations the most they can do is set some minor traps and alarms. Issei and Gasper don't even have familiars yet."

Breath Castiel, you need to take a deep breath to not try and punch something out of frustration.

"*sigh* you guys really need help. Start a special training now for your familiars would be useless as from tomorrow onwards you will be having personal training and we will not be capable of allocating time for it." I said dejectedly. It must have been nice, growing up in an environment that allowed Rias and her peerage to be so laid back in training. No dangerous training sessions or hunting strays for days on end without rest. They truly are blessed (not that I can say much as for some time now I have been lax too, but when you got your first actual vacation in 10 years you will want to enjoy it). "Let's just do some basic physical training them. Eevee, go to Flareon mode and use heat wave, Jirachi, use gravity in the area."

The red stone in Eevee collar shined bright and Eevee shined in a white light that rapidly turned red colored and when the color receded he was different. He had a red coloration and even if his general form was the same the fur now was made of flames that he can control the heat of and the 'fur' on his chest, tail, and top of his head is white colored and much hotter than the rest.

With the effect of heat wave, the temperature raised to a hundred degrees Celsius and with gravity the, well gravity, raised 3 folds.

The devils looked really disturbed and uncomfortable. It could have been much worst, but thanks to they unconsciously using magic to circulate a small protection for them, even if imperfect and it helps to push their bodies a bit. To me for this heat is nothing special since I was put into training in much higher temperatures to learn how to better deal with fire; the gravity means even less as I had to train a lot in high gravity environments before (I blame Dragon Ball and Lancer for being impressionable) and my body is durable to a point where only Sairaorg and those who already reached Ultimate-Class can beat me in it, lucky bastards .

"We will do 10 series, nothing much as it is just a good way to relax a bit." I explained.

"Ten series of what exactly?" Gasper said clearly being the more uncomfortable.

"Good that you asked." I gave him and the others a smile full of benevolence. "It will be simple, a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, and ten kilometers run in this clearing. If it worked for Saitama in one punch man it will work for you."

Omake

How Emily is spending her time

"This is the life. No responsibilities and all TV and snacks I can handle, this is true Heaven." Emily says while lazing around in her room that got so messy in one afternoon that most would question how long did she actually take to get her room this bad.

In heaven an angel with long golden was trying not to go down to the earth to admonish a girl for comparing that mess with heaven itself... or his desire to just clean the room himself. He was torn between admonishing the mistakes of others and just helping them in the first place. And that is how both Emily in her little heaven and Michael in heave passed this time.