Chapter 102: Tea with a Satan

Londinium, Britain

November 18th, 1152

–

Erik was waiting for three minutes when he felt the disturbance in the magic around him. A few seconds later, a blue magic circle appeared and with a bright light, a figure appeared in the middle of it surrounded by motes of blue light. When the light faded, Serafall's figure could be seen. And she had come alone. Erik had not asked her for it, but she did it anyway.

As Serafall appeared in the place that they had previously agreed to, she looked around searching for Erik and saw him walking in her direction. Unknown to her, Serafall let out a small smile when she saw Erik.

"Hello, Serafall."

Erik said when he arrived in front of Serafall.

"Hi, Erik."

Serafall replied to Erik.

"Are you ready to go?"

Erik asked Serafall, who nodded her head in agreement.

"Cookies! I mean… Yes!"

Serafall replied, making Erik chuckled at her enthusiasm. With a gesture of his hand, Erik summoned a blue magic circle under them. Serafall looked curious at it but didn't recognize the shield written in the magic circle, just that it was human magic. Magecraft is a type of magic cast using mathematical formulas to imitate the freedom that Devil magic possesses.

A second later, the duo was covered in light and disappeared from the place in the middle of blue motes of light.

–

Ravenclaws' House, North of Scotland

November 18th, 1152

–

Erik and Serafall appeared in another place in the middle of motes of fading blue light. Serafall looked around and saw that they were inside a garden at the back of a house. The house was not very big having only two floors, but it was built using a style that she had never seen. It was different and pretty. The garden was very pretty too. She saw some flowers that she could identify because of their magical properties, but the others were alien to her. But they were pretty nonetheless.

"This way."

Erik said to Serafall, who was looking around in curiosity and gestured with a hand to a path to be followed. They walked very little and arrived into an area of the garden that had a small pond. In the middle of the pond, connect via a small bridge, a gazebo was built using natural white wood and red roof tiles. Inside the pond, big colorful fishes swim calmly, giving the place a very serene atmosphere. This gazebo and the big pond was Erik's first addition to his house after they returned from Nihon. He built it using all the techniques that he had learned in that country, including the pons itself that contained a group of around thirty Koi.

Erik crossed the small bridge together with Serafall and was met with Selena and Hestia waiting for them.

"Hestia, what a good surprise!"

Erik said and hugged the small goddess dearly. He was not expecting Hestia's visit today, but it was a nice surprise nonetheless.

"I have just arrived and found out that you would be receiving a visit. So Selena invited me to stay too."

Hestia said to Erik.

"We already said that, Hestia. You are always welcome in our home."

Erik said to the little goddess, who smiled widely at that. Erik turned to the stunned Serafall and chuckled internally.

"I think introductions are in order. Serafall, this is my wife, Selena."

Erik said and gestured to Selena.

"And this is my adopted big sister, Hestia."

Erik said again, this time gesturing to Hestia.

"Selena and Hestia, this is Serafall Sitri, soon to be Serafall Leviathan."

Erik said again, introducing Serafall officially to the other two. Greetings and pleasantries were traded between the women while Erik started to prepare the table for them to have tea. Selena had taken care of the guest and guided them to the table. When Serafall took a seat, her eyes went wide and started to shine with the number of different sweets that were prepared. She looked back at Erik, who could see her eyes shining.

"You made all of this?"

Serafall asked Erik. She had never seen so many different sweets together. Erik nodded at her question.

"Yes."

He replied and started to serve tea for the four of them.

"Shame that Amaterasu is always so busy. Those rolls are her favorites."

Hestia said offhandedly. She still used Erik's home in Nihon when she wanted to visit her friend there. It was now the meeting place of the two goddesses.

"Don't worry, Hestia. I had prepared a batch for her too."

Erik replied while finishing to serve the tea. Serafall's thoughts were running a thousand kilometers per hour. There she was, sitting at a table and about to have tea with two humans of unknown affiliation and a goddess of the Olympus, and the goddess says that she wished the chief goddess of the Shinto faction was there too.

'He was not kidding when he said that he had friends in other pantheons.'

Serafall thought. It was then that the information that Sjuka Astaroth had told them came to the surface in her mind. Erik and Selena. The Ravenclaws. Serafall looked at Erik, who had just finished serving the tea for them and was now floating the cups to the front of each person. She took her cup in her hands and sipped it. The tea was as good as the one that she had before.

"So you are the Ravenclaws, right?"

Serafall said while looking at Erik and reaching for a cookie with her hand. Erik smiled at that.

"Oh… I didn't know that our fame had reached the Underworld."

Erik replied to Serafall, who was nibbling on a cookie with a pleasured face.

"Not really. My friend Ajuka told me that the only strong human named Erik that he knew about was one Erik Ravenclaw, who had married Selena Ravenclaw, of the magical family Ravenclaw."

Serafall replied and nibbled the cookie in her hand before continuing.

"But that happened almost a hundred and fifty years ago."

Serafall said and looked at Erik and then at Selena.

"You both look good for humans who are that old."

Serafall said. Erik just smiled at that.

"We do look good, don't we?"

Erik said and sipped his tea and looked at Selena with a smile, which was returned to him.

"What more did the future Satan Beelzebub say about us?"

Erik asked back, giving her the information that he knew a lot of what was happening in the Underworld. Hestia was calmly sipping her tea and eating her sweets on the surface, but she was paying a lot of attention to the words said by the two. She didn't know that they would name other people with the name of the old Satans, just that their Civil War has ended with the new Devil's victory.

"Nothing much. Just that you were acclaimed as the strongest wizard since Melin, and that you guys hate Vampires."

Serafall said and finished eating the cookie in her hand. She then started to look at the other sweets on the table.

'So many options, what to choose?'

Serafall thought while assuming a thinking pose, with a hand on her chin and all. Erik and Selena chuckled at that, while Hestia started to laugh.

"Merlin wished he was as strong as Erik."

Hestia said and the attention of the people at the table turned to her.

"Hecate said that Erik already surpassed Merlin long ago in terms of magical prowess. But strength is not defined just by magic prowess in our world, right?"

Hestia continued. And Serafall nodded at that while taking in her hands a mini croissant. She gave it a bite and her eyes went wide when the flavor of the heavily buttered pastry hit her mouth together with its filling of strawberry jam. A moan escaped from her mouth at that.

"And we don't hate all Vampires. Just the one that doesn't have any regards to other people's lives."

Selena said, replying to Serafall's comment.

"Which is almost all the Vampire population right now."

Erik added with a small smile and ate a cinnamon roll. That comment got some laughs from the women at the table.

Their tea time continued with the group trading histories and non-important talk. When came the time for Serafall to go back home, Erik gave the future Satan Leviathan a vine basket full of sweet pastries that he had made. With a smile on her face, Serafall was allowed to teleport back home with promises to come again for more tea and fun times.

–

The next years passed quickly with Erik and Selena continuing their trips around the world, meeting new cultures and learning new things. Serafall Sitri had been named Leviathan by the Elder's Council of Devils together with her three friends who each received a name from the original Satans. For all the eyes looking at the Underworld, the four young Devils were the new leaders of the Devils, with Lucifer taking care of home affairs, Asmodeus taking care of the army, Beelzebub taking care of research and technology, and Leviathan taking care of foreign affairs. But in reality, the four new Satans could not do anything without the approval of the Elder's Council, giving the group of old coots the true power in the Underworld.

When Erik told that to Serafall, the new Satan denied, saying that the council approval was necessary so that the new Satans don't abuse their new power. Erik didn't say anything more to her but asked her to pay close attention to what the council was approving and refusing and take her own conclusions.

It didn't take long for Erik and Selena to have to comfort a distraught Serafall. She did what Erik suggested and saw the Elder's council refusing to implement ideas that would bring a lot of good for the low class of Devils. She saw them judging a Devil who defended his daughter from the abuse coming from a son of a noble be sentenced to death. In her words, while bailing her eyes out to Erik and Selena, it was the same old regime, just with four new faces. And the worst of all, There was nothing that she could do to effe with them. That night, Serafall slept in Erik and Selena's home after crying until exhaustion.

Unknown to her, the next year was the worst of all for all the members of the Elders' Council. Their members would suffer from occasional bouts of explosive diarrhea that no medic or healer could find the cause or cure for.

–

Ravenclaws' House, North of Scotland

July 20th, 1182

–

Erik and Selena were back from a trip to the south of Africa. They had learned a lot of new things from this last trip. The tribes of the region could be in a constant state of wars, but they had some 'sacred' grounds that no war could be waged on. These sacred grounds were a place where people went to search for magical knowledge and teachings, so it was full of magic coming from the various tribes around all over Africa. Erik and Selena were accepted by them after they contributed to their pool of knowledge with defensive wards that could reach great areas of effect. It was perfect to add to their sacred grounds already existing protections.

Soon after they arrived home, Hestia came to welcome them back, and Serafall followed suit some hours later. The Satan had become very good friends with the couple to the point of sometimes accompanying them on some of their trips. With time, she learned from Erik how to better deal with the council of old coots. Her answer to any stupid demand that they came to make to her was to throw in their faces something that they didn't want the public to know.

"Oh, you want me to talk with the greek to get some naiades for you? Sure, but before that, you will have to tell your wife about the three other women that you are seeing behind her back."

Yes. Blackmail. Serafall had learned from Erik how to use blackmail against the old coots. And if she had to say anything, it was very efficient. Some of the pieces of blackmail that Erik gave her sent chills through her spine. How he got his hands on then was still a mystery for her.

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