SS The hands of the clock will always move forward

Part 1

MC's POV

"I am afraid I can do nothing to help you." I briefly apologized.

After being pulled abruptly by Shuri-san, she took me to the Underworld. No amount of whimpering made her give me time to grab the cat girls. I was taken directly to the Gremory state and amidst the hopeful gazes of Venelana-san and Rias-chan, I was guided towards my patient, Zeoticus-san. Grayfia-san was nowhere to be seen and Shuri-san took Rias-chan while I had my talk with the man.

"Wait! Nora-kun!?" Venelana's restless voice called out from being.

"It is ok." Zeoticus gestured to his wife that everything was ok.

Since I did not get a shot of Destruction Power thrown at me, I can assume that she had not lost her reason. It sometimes happens when the familiars lose their heads. Since it happens even if you try to sugarcoat it, I tend to be blunt sometimes.

"Nora-kun, I am sorry." Zeoticus said.

Huh? Why are you apologizing?

"You look like you are about to cry so I have no doubt, you had a hard time saying that." Zeoticus-san smiled wryly.

Huh? There is no way I am-

"Nora-kun..." Venelana-san came to her husband's side and peeked at me.

"You have no delicacy." I complained.

"So you are sulking now." Zeoticus-san shrugged his shoulders. "It seems that you had a hard time as well."

His eyes felt like they could see through the bandage I was using to seal the wounds that opened up again.

"It is nothing compared to you." I replied.

"Is that so? I guess it must look like I had a harder time, but I have been simply sleeping, nothing that complicated." Zeoticus-san jested.

"Dear..." Venelana-san sadly stared at her husband.

I bit my lips at their exchange, I felt responsible despite not being the culprit. I am supposed to be a doctor capable of saving lives, of healing those who need it, but I am unable to help him.

"I am not lying to you, I..." I mumbled.

Not being able to get rid of the guilt, I stood up and walked near a flower pot. The duo looked at me like I did not have to justify myself, but I had to do it.

Silently, I placed my hand on the flower and tried to use my ki. Unsurprisingly, the plant began growing, but what used to be white roses, became something else, first of all, the color turned black and it began growing all twisted. The thing that developed more was the thorns that became as sharp as knives.

I am certainly capable of modifying the growth of the plants to a certain degree, but this time my ki made the modifications by itself. The transformation was a little nasty since a dangerous liquid dripped from the thorns, and when it fell into the pot, it made a foul smell spread. I am not sure how potent it is, but it should be causing people to get dizzy if they get in touch with it so I burned the whole plant. I felt slightly bad since the plant was innocent, but research has always required something to exchange for what you learn. It might seem like a cruel and dangerous mindset so I must be careful to not become the same kind of person as Naberius.

"...I see." Zeoticus-san nodded silently. "You must be in a worse state than we thought. My apologies for pushing you when you are clearly not in a very good state."

"...don't say that, I should've been able to do something but the truth is that I am stumped. If had the drug used, perhaps I could work something out, but..." I sighed.

"Once exposed to the air, it cannot be stored again. Grayfia and that man that came to our aid tried several times, but they were unable to secure a sample." Venelana-san spoke with some regret.

If Grayfia-san who is more skilled and powerful than me in every aspect except sweet making could not do a thing, I don't think I can do much. The attackers are long gone or locked somewhere, if they confiscated any sample, they would be trying to analyze it since there is more than one person affected. Well, I only eavesdropped on maids talking about it while I was dragged here.

"It is nothing to be happy about, but now that you have awakened, you are the perfect picture of health, I recommend you go out a spend time with your family." I muttered. "However, I would start making arrangements for a worse case situation."

The glare from Venelana-san made me slightly scared, but I have to be clear here.

"I also would recommend you to replenish your vitality in any way you can, depleting your life energy will most likely end up with falling prey to sleep sooner. Of course, I am not talking about regular sleep here." I advised. "I want you to follow these instructions since they will help you not fall prey to the sleeping disease too soon."

Watching me trying to express my point seemed to cause Zeoticus-san to be amused.

"...what is it?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Sorry, it is nothing much. I don't think we are that close, yet you are still showing such a concern for my health. I wonder, is it like this with all doctors or perhaps you are doing so since you have a close relationship with my daughter?" Zeoticus-san rubbed his chin.

Feeling like some nonsense was coming, I covered my fluffy cat ears.

"How about you marry my daughter? Ah, that's right, the engagement with the Phoenixes. No, wait, isn't it more romantic that way? Rias-tan was against marrying Riser-kun so she would favor a knight riding a white horse just to rescue her from her predicament. Hmm, hmmm, that sounds good, how about it!?" Zeoticus-san excitedly exclaimed.

I wonder why, this is the first time I have desired to smack the head of a patient.

"...dear." Venelana-san smiled brightly (?).

Her words send a shudder down my spine, however, Zeoticus-san looked too into his delusion.

"It sounds truly interesting!" Zeoticus-san nodded happily.

At this point, I wanted to stand up for Rias-chan and tell him to not decide her life for her, but Venelana-san's aura directed at her husband was making me shrink back in my seat.

What followed became the base for my mind to truly understand why this lady was called Ruin Princess when she was younger.

...

...

...

"Haha, sorry about that." Zeoticus-san apologized. "She must be rather stressed, so I feel bad that you had to see that."

No amount of apologies will help, those images will haunt me forever.

"Now then... Venelana left, you can be honest about my status." Zeoticus-san's tone was gentle. "The matter about vitality is not that simple, is it?"

Biting my lips, I resigned myself to speak.

"Even as we speak, your life force is escaping your body. It is not as bad as when you are sleeping, but I can tell. It might be a mistake on my part, but you are resisting it, aren't you? It must be why it has slowed down considerably." I muttered.

"I am not doing a good job if it is still leaking." Zeoticus-san smiled wryly.

Shaking my head, I felt depressed.

"I can arrange some youkais capable of sharing vitality with you. Even if cannot use my own, as long as I gather-" I tried to explain.

"Enough." Zeoticus-san's voice stopped me.

"No, let me do this, I can ask for a few favors, as long as we can delay the disease, we can surely find a way to-" I tried to persuade him.

"Nora-kun, it is ok." Zeoticus-san's tone was serene.

I closed my mouth and lowered my head guiltily.

"That should work if... this was the regular version of the disease, but it is not the same, is it?" Zeoticus-san asked.

"...no." I replied. "The speed in which you lost vitality in just a few hours of sleep was outstanding. You must not be able to measure it since devils can live absurdly long, yet... I would not be too optimistic if you are to fall asleep again."

"...Trying to resist it is useless, although it would delay the process a bit while awake, once I sleep, it leaves my body more exhausted." Zeoticus-san commented.

"It is as you said, that's why, let me get you some help, Yasaka-san is connected to the ley lines, with her help..." I stopped my words mid-way.

"You are a very good child, aren't you?" Zeoticus said. "However, I am ready to face whatever the future holds for me."

Taking a deep breath, the man left the bed. I tried to make him stay, but it seemed that even if he is weakened, he is stronger than me.

Since this was the couple's bedroom, it was obviously his so he began checking inside a small table placed a few steps from the bed. He rummaged with it until a secret compartment was opened from below the table a pulled a small notepad.

Zeoticus-san smiled wryly like he was reminiscing something but still handed me that notepad.

"You see, what I am going through, I was warned of it." Zeoticus-san explained. "There were no specifics, but I was told about the possibility of all that happening. That man... he was a really strange guy, I am not sure what kind of relationship he had with the Gremory, our first ancestor was a terrible man, although his daughter tried to set things straight so perhaps her good karma brought that blessing to our family. The man I am talking about is a hero for many people in the Underworld, his actions were a bit radical in the eyes of many, but his deeds saved many."

Looking at me, Zeoticus pointed at the notepad.

"He was pretty adamant about me staying alive, but I nonetheless decided to ignore his warnings." Zeoticus-san's smile was filled with affection. "If I had not acted, the target would've ultimately been Rias."

I remained motionless.

"He said that he would send someone to prevent that, but as a father, I cannot entrust the fate of my girl to someone else like that. Even if he was hailed as a hero, I simply can't do that. That said, I let my guard down at that time in the past, I really owe you a lot for saving my girl, I was too preoccupied with the warning he gave me that I let other situations occur." Zeoticus-san said. "That said, it is not like I did not prepare at all, I got my hands on some rare materials to make potions that would let me overcome this disease, however, before I could ask your mother, well, you know the rest."

Saying that Zeoticus-san snapped his fingers and his attire changed to his usual look instead of the nightwear he had.

I had many questions, but I was going to read about this notepad first, that should help me understand all this crazy talk. It concerned me how that person had supposedly known in advance what was going to happen, but from what I heard, help did arrive.

"...I know this is not the time, and the situation is going to get worse for you, however, I have a question I need to hear the answer to." I called out. "The old guy took me to 'that' city, I learned some things I would like to hear directly from you. How much are you related to the happenings of that city?"

My words caused the mood to stagnate and there was strong pressure on me for a second, but it quickly disappeared.

"Nora-kun, you..." Zeoticus-san turned to look at me.

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3rd Person POV

A man was dragging his body in the forest, he had lost an arm and his clothes were partly destroyed, with grains of salt sometimes falling from his body.

"...what a monster." David bitterly said.

Not only did he lose an arm, but even lost his disciple. The only reason he was alive was that the girl who confronted him was inexperienced and he managed to use several faints to get away. It shamed him greatly, but killing her was going to be hard, getting close was going to be deadly for her but it was worse for David since he could not readily resist her abilities. He used magic to the max and yet was only capable of warding off the rays she shot briefly.

"Quite a prickle you found yourself in~"

A nonchalant voice was heard and it was only that David noticed a gentle breeze filled with flower petals. It made him alarmed since he did not notice until the voice spoke.

"No need to feel so down, I would be sad if I was easily noticed by you."

Soon, the figure of a beautiful young woman appeared, her body enveloped in the white dress stirring emotions he had left behind after becoming an executioner. If her charm was high enough to make a man who trained mentally for years have worldly thoughts, David concluded that she was either using charm magic or she was not human.

Feeling strange oppression coming from her, David did not immediately attack. At this point, his only choice was to retreat to a church's base and heal his injuries.

"Oh my, what severe injuries you have."

Faking surprise, the young woman covered her mouth but David immediately swung his sword in front of him. Just like that, flower petals scattered. Once again, he had failed to notice the petals, and only because his instincts felt the danger that he reacted.

"Hmmm, I wanted to make this the most peaceful way but you seem to be fond of rougher methods."

Smiling troubled, the young woman pulled a weirdly shaped staff from empty air, a magic spell at work, and waved it lightly.

Not only the number of petals grew, but the leaves lying on the ground began to float and envelop him. David cursed, but his hand did not stop and he wildly swung his sword. Yet, he began noticing a strange phenomenon, he had been trying to trigger the abilities from the sword, but he was unable to bring up its powers. Even though he was capable of doing so a while ago.

"The Lady of the Lake, as the wielder of that sword you should know where it comes from, don't you? So I believe you have heard of her. The thing is that I don't care about you at all, but that sword is what I came looking for, and with the help of the Lady of the Lake, a special tool to seal the sword's power came to be. Cease hostilities, I just came for the sword."

"What is it that you want? Who are you?" David gritted his teeth.

"I just told you~ I came for that sword, I got requested for that a little while ago. *Sigh* He didn't have to scold me though. Oh, my name? Call me Lady Avalon! Since if I were to tell you my name, you will only start questioning me more." The young woman, Lady Avalon, replied cheerfully.

Part 2

3rd Person POV

Walking out of the Gremory Castle, Nora passed several maids, although his eyes never went to them, causing the maids to confused and take more looks at the boy who seemed to be pondering something with a lowered head. He was so unfocused on the surroundings that he ignored when two familiar-looking maids followed by a crimson-haired little girl and a mature woman with flaxen hair called out to him.

It was not only until he almost collided with two other familiar-looking maids that he reacted. The boy had no other choice since the collision made him bounce backward and almost fall after his head crashed straight into the ample bosom of the anxious-looking maid.

"My honorable master!!!" Sirius' voice sounded anxious.

Trembling anxiously beside her, Alkaid gazed at Nora with watery eyes as she held a beat-up palm-sized Nora doll. The boy bitterly smiled when he saw them and lowered his head feeling guilty, but he immediately shook his head and stood up as if nothing happened.

The little act gave time for Grayfia, Rias, and Venelana to catch up, along with Marion. The worry in the maids' eyes was difficult to hide, but Nora acted like he could not see it. Grayfia was not guilty of what happened, and he certainly cannot blame her, yet he was a little reluctant to face her since part of him can't readily accept that fact.

"M-Master, y-you are safe, a-as soon as we regained consciousness we learned that you were gone so we came to find you!" Alkaid uttered. "W-We are truly glad that you are safe..."

Sighing in relief, Alkaid patted her chest and squeezed the doll tightly. Her actions left Nora bewildered since he could hardly understand why they were so worried about him.

"Nora-kun..." Grayfia's voice made him flinch and that made him get his bearings again.

However, they were not able to have any touching reunion. Another voice filled with urgency and emotions was there to get the boy's attention.

"Nora-chan, you cured him, right? Nora-chan is amazing so of course, you did it, don't you? Otou-sama is going to be ok... tell me, Nora-chan..." Rias clung to the boy with a hopeful look.

Venelana on the side sighed and was about to pull her away, but Nora replied before she could.

"I did not." Nora said.

His voice lacked concern about how the girl would take the news, he spoke clearly and straight to her. The crimson-haired girl's expression crumbled and soon turned angry.

"Why...!?" Rias questioned.

"It is beyond my abilities..." Nora replied.

Crumbling even further, Rias grabbed his clothes tightly and shook him.

"Nora-chan is capable of anything, why can't you do it!? You are supposed to be able to cure him... You are supposed to be able to turn things back to normal... Nora-chan... Why...?" Rias' eyes reddened as she said this. "What should I do? I cannot help him..."

"I am not almighty, never make that mistake, as I am now, I am unable to help your father." Nora put his hand on top of Rias' head. "Don't waste your time with me, you should go towards your father, for now, that is what you should do."

With her head lowered, Rias left the place alone, Grayfia struggled but seeing that Venelana did not seem to go after her daughter and stare fixedly at Nora, she decided to follow after the Gremory heiress.

"Nora-kun, don't leave right away, I want to talk to you..." Grayfia muttered before leaving.

Scratching his head, Nora just turned around to leave or tried since at some point, Sirius and Alkaid had grabbed both of his sleeves and looked at him pitifully. They kept an unusual grip that kept him in place with no way to move.

"My honorable master, I have failed you this time, please punish this useless maid as you see fit." Sirius begged.

"Please don't abandon me Master, you are free to punish me if that pleases you..." Alkaid copied her sister.

"No, why do you assume that I want to do that? Eh? Marion-san, why are you writing that down on a notepad and nodding with a sagely look? It is not like that...!" Nora mumbled.

However, Marion turned deaf ears and continued to write down on the notepad titled, 'Master's tastes', the girl seemed to have a misunderstanding (?) regarding her master's tastes, but it would be clarified whether she was wrong or not in a nearby future.

"Nora-kun..." Venelana stared at the boy with a pair of judging eyes.

"...denying doesn't help so I might as well accept it." Nora sighed.

Pinching his maids' waists caused them to make some rather unusual noises but they gave him space, so he stood and walked away, only to be stopped by Venelana's voice.

"...was it necessary to say it to her like that?" Venelana asked.

"Man, you guys cannot bear to let me leave or something?" Nora complained. "...that girl, she yearns for equal treatment. Did you want me to be kinder? I cannot do that, Zeoticus-san has talked to me and from the way he talks, he is not very into the idea of fighting for his life. If I were to lie to that girl, I would be hurting her more. It is not like lying or phrasing differently was impossible, but I do not want her to have a strange image of me. I have limits, even more as I am now. She better gets used to it before she starts thinking that I am some sort of miracle worker..."

"Nora-kun, I have no right to scold you about it, but let me speak about my thoughts for a bit." Venelana said. "You cannot think of yourself less every time you face a failure or a setback. I am not saying that you have the responsibility to become what others think of you no matter how crazy it is. It is not your job to become someone you are not, but... sometimes, those close to you need you to be strong in their stead. It is an equal exchange, that is how people rely on each other, you give something to get something. It is easy to accept and understand when you are dealing with physical things, but when you are talking about feelings or the like, it is tricky. Being blunt and honest with her is a little mean but not really bad by itself. As you said, you did not lie to her. It does not make me proud to admit that I was eavesdropping halfway through your conversation and heard what my husband said so I can see why you did not want to give her false hopes. However, Nora-kun, sometimes... for the sake of those you care about, you have to act the way they need you because they will act that way towards you as well. Not how you please, but acting in a way fitting their needs. Listen, I know that you might not understand what I am talking about right now, but think carefully about those words from now on. I will excuse you with Grayfia so leave whenever you want."

"You..." Nora mumbled.

"I don't think there was anyone else here other than Rias that you had the reluctance to talk to, but I am sure you have your reasons. I cannot ask you to selfishly stay here when you clearly do not want to after I had someone almost drag you here." Venelana added and left.

"I am really sorry..." Nora apologized.

"You don't have to, it is the fault of that selfish husband of mine." Venelana's words reached the boy's ears.

Carrying bitter feelings in his heart, Nora once again prepared to leave while calling out to someone.

"I am glad to see you looking healthy." Nora muttered.

"Your mansion was not in the areas that were mainly affected, although there were attackers. Those who tried to harm the residents were taken care of by Shizuku-sama." Marion explained.

There was some discomfort in her expression as she saw the doll in Alkaid's hand and the closeness that the two maids had with Nora. She briefly wondered if her position as a maid was in danger and how did it happen, but the questioning would come later.

"Is she ok?" Nora asked.

"Only minor injuries, she is exhausted though. Well..." Marion stopped talking and did not seem to feel like talking.

"What is it?" Nora asked in concern, wondering if there was an unspeakable problem.

"...Shizuku-sama asked for a raise or she said that she would give HR a call." Marion embarrassedly spoke.

Stopping with a blank look, Nora's eyes dug into Marion's figure incredulously.

"I see... it seems she is perfectly fine." Nora sighed.

Not daring to look at him, Marion vowed to never rely on Shizuku's messages again. Nora's eyes on her resembled the look that he gives Shizuku on daily basis. Such a look is called, the no-good look, and it is undeniable proof that Nora thinks she is like Shizuku... unreliable. Instantly, Marion felt a shudder running down her spine. She was the first maid, but would her position be in danger? Nora was young now, but he would grow up and at that time...

"*Gulp* Oh no..." Marion shook.

Her eyes were directed at the two other maids staring back at her with their heads tilted. Their assets were more impressive so the danger was extremely high.

"...I think you spent too much time with the kitsune one." Nora's voice pulled the maid out of her musings. "So, you have another reason for coming all the way here?"

Realizing that she was spacing out, Marion immediately pulled a letter addressed to Nora. The boy took it and began reading it with a twitching expression. After reading it, Nora looked rather tired.

"...is there a problem, Master?" Marion asked."This letter arrived today first thing in the morning, the sender was..."

"The old guy, he said that I will be entering devil society soon. The old title of Murmur was that of a Duke, but given my lack of contributions to devil society and the intervention of many devils, my rank will either be a Baron or a Viscount. Indeed, I will become a f*cking noble, yay!" Nora bitterly said.

"Master, you do not sound happy at all..." Marion questioned.

Sighing heavily, looked down.

"I don't want to deal with the whole noble crap. They will surely cause me headaches, and cats can die from stress." Nora replied.

"My honorable master! You cannot die! Allow me, Sirius, to lay waste to your enemies. Nobles or whatever, I, Sirius, will defeat your enemies!" Sirius interrupted.

"M-Master! I will not allow you to die! My sister and I will work hard to defeat those enemies so you can sit back and relax!" Alkaid patted her chest to reassure Nora.

Her actions caused Nora to stiffen since he could accurately see a unique situation. Alkaid had stuffed her doll in her chest and her actions caused it to fly away, leaving Nora wide-eyed.

"Miracles exist..." Nora's voice sounded impressed.

Alkaid finally noticed what happened and was pale as she chased after the doll.

"Master..." Marion stared at Nora with judging eyes.

"Ahem, you are really a good kid, Sirius-kun, here." Nora pulled a candy from his pouch and handed it to Sirius.

"Huh? '-kun'?" Sirius had a question mark floating above her head but she simply took the candy and ate it, causing her expression to slacken.

"Well, there are a few other things that need an actual meeting and several documents to be filled, but I guess I can give you a summary about the motives of the guy. It would roughly translate to 'You are going to be a Baron soon, get your ass here and start working hard, I will not accept such a low rank to go with the Murmur name, you will raise your rank as soon as you can and become a Duke, if you can't, a political marriage will solve everything." Nora sourly said. "Solve everything my ass, why do you think I would want to marry anyone else other than Yasaka-san? I mean, I can understand that you include Rias-chan and Sona-chan as marriage candidates. We are close so you must think it will be easier to get them to accept. A little far-fetched, but I can also accept the crazy idea of Grayfia-san and Serafall-san, you must think I can win them over using my glib tongue. However, however... When are you going to knock off the idea of pairing me up with Venelana-san? What's with the 'If none of the above work, it is your only choice!' I mean, are you actually being serious or do you want to kill me from stress? If the shit did not happen around the whole Underworld, I would suspect you were responsible for Zeoticus-san's state, you stinking old man. That said, I feel like something bad is going to happen after he issued that last warning on the letter."

While Sirius was busy classifying Zekram as Nora's mortal enemy and Alkaid was shedding tears of joy after finding the doll, Marion decided to ignore all the words that Nora said since a wrong reply could get her head rolling. Zekram was unusually kind to Nora, but she was aware that below his facade, hid a ruthless man who despite declaring retirement, still watched over the underworld from time to time. An impressive devil indeed, given that he made Nora react this much from a single letter. Years of experience made him capable of getting under anyone's skin.

"What warning?" Marion asked.

"...my idiotic descendant got a wind of you and has made plans. Not only him, several older devil clans will soon approach you. Deal with it, I will observe you." Nora sighed.

"My honorable master!" Sirius suddenly raised her hand.

"...yes?" Nora asked.

"I believe that is what you call a 'Flag'!" Sirius proudly stated.

Face-palming, Nora downheartedly laughed.

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3rd Person POV

"My child, this is a task that you can only complete. I gathered as much information about him as I could and noticed a pattern. He is a womanizer despite his young age, his interactions being basically limited to women. So you getting close to him will not raise any suspicion."

In a location almost impossible to access by humans and supernatural creatures alike, a familiar-looking Yaksha was speaking to a much smaller figure. She had blonde-grayish hair in a ponytail and red eyes like the larger figure, although she did not look menacing around as she stared with big round eyes at the Yaksha. Her outfit consisted of a black hakama over a white haori, on her back, a large sword, far greater than her frame wrapped in bandages rested. The small girl had a petite frame but she could easily carry that weapon with ease.

"I have given you the heirloom of our clan so defeat is not permitted. He set free that calamity and is allowed to roam free, who knows what kind of disaster he will cause next? Since I am not allowed to make a move, it will be up to you, Ayanami."

Nodding to those words, the girl turned around to leave.

"...I am planning to teleport you close to Urakyoto and you will lie in wait, until he leaves, you shall remain vigilant. I will provide food for you as well."

The man added and that caused the girl's steps to halt.

"When...?"

In a taciturn voice, the girl, Ayanami asked.

"...I don't know."

The nonchalant answer of the man made the girl wonder if everything will be ok.

Part 3

3rd Person POV

"You must earn his trust, and slowly manipulate him. Since our ancestor is showing so much interest and favoritism towards him, it is, without doubt, a fact that he will become influential in the future. Erasing him when our ancestor is on the watch will only earn us his wrath so I would like to save it as a last resort so I have to rely on this method. Our investigations say that he has close ties to my 'older sister' and his mother helped my wife before so he is bound to let down his guard when you approach him. Given the possibility of him being used by our ancestor, it should not bother him if we create close ties with the boy through marriage. You are aware of why you were chosen, aren't you?"

After a lengthy talk, the lord of the Bael clan reclined in his chair. He was sitting in his study and was currently talking with a young girl. The man was finally trying to follow his ancestor's advice and start acting by his own will to benefit the Clan. His first target was a new devil found by his ancestor and for that, he-

"...I was not born from the main branch of the family so by the Household rules, my standing is not high. My future will be decided by the Clan Head, whether I am married to an influential family or not will depend on my performance. I have trouble using my powers so my standing has been lowered. I was taught that for the Baels, that is considered a disgrace. However, I was also told that children like us have uses, in particular females have the advantage of birthing extraordinary beings such as the current Lucifer."

The reply of the girl was far more mature than a child less than 10 should give, her upbringing must've been very strict and several clan rules must've been crammed inside her head for her to give such an answer. That said, it was not something a child her age should be taught about.

"Hmph, she just got lucky. Don't you think that you will be the same, that man is an anomaly, a unique existence. Besides, your job will not be about procreating, but rather watching his movements and informing me about them. From there on, you must slowly align his actions to benefit us, did you get that?"

Using an intimidating tone, the man questioned the girl. His words and the release of his aura made the girl shake in fright, and she could only nod in acknowledgment.

"Good, do not forget. Your loyalty will always lie with us, the Baels, not like that treacherous 'sister' of mine. If you ever think about trying to run away from your duty, hehe."

Laughing slightly, the man formed a sphere of Destruction Power and threw it to a nearby armor display. The result caused the armor to be completely destroyed with nothing remaining.

The girl could only gulp fearfully at that display.

"Study the target the best you can before coming in contact with him, I heard that while your development in our Destruction Power leaves much to be desired... you are rather studious and are a quick learner."

Saying that the man took a rather thick file from his desk and threw it at the girl who frantically tried to catch it.

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MC's POV

How odd, since a while back, I have been feeling these shudders running down my spine. I can't help but think back at what Sirius-san said. That said, it must be nonsense. I am such a law-abiding cat full of charm and charisma, there is no way some plot against me is being made. Yes, there is no way. I will maintain that thought process for peace of mind.

Nodding to myself, I took a deep breath and stood in front of a certain large door.

The Maid Guild Master's office was a place I did not think I would be stepping into so soon. Not because I feel like Nashira-san is scary, or anything like that. I was simply satisfied with Sirius-san and Alkaid-san so there was no need to get more maids. However, I came here for another reason.

Feeling uncomfortable, I dodged the worried gazes from my maids and double dodged the stare that Altais-san, who led me here, was giving me. It was weirdly enthusiastic and hopeful, although there was also some worry left after she noticed my current state. It was only after repeatedly telling her I was fine that she stopped trying to call for a nurse to take a look at me. I mentally swore to never tell her that I got a hole in my heart and it was magically zipped by the strange and uncanny energy in my body. Even though I have been able to gradually get it under control, the effects of delaying my natural healing are very hard to stop. I should be capable of sealing or covering wounds with it as a trade-off from my healing abilities, although I am unable to do so now. Patching up my heart is something I never remotely considered trying with ki so I am still unsure if I can do that. However, I recall reading that vampires and certain people capable of using blood magic can use their blood to do something similar. Since waking up and trying to use my ki, I have been wondering what to do about this troublesome state of mine.

Along with Altais-san, an entourage of maids was following. I had personally talked to many of the older ones and patted the head of the youngers after being defeated by their cuteness. One of the maids was very similar to Altais-san so I wondered if she was her child, but the killing intent that fell upon me when I did so made me understand that it was the wrong answer. The rest of the maids ranging from the ones I met to others I simply shared sweets with made me wonder if my popular time had come but their murmuring about a sweets party made me want to cry bitterly.

Just as I virtually pulled my handkerchief to wipe my virtual tears, the door opened.

...

...

...

The conversation did not start at once, only Altais-san was allowed to enter after me and in the office was Nashira-san, Spica-san and for some reason, my teacher in the use of firearms, Felis-san. Different from Altais-san, Nashira-san and Felis-san had some bandages wrapped on them, although by the way they moved, I could tell the injuries were minor. The Maid Guild seemed to have an outstanding barrier to protect it given how I hardly saw anyone hurt, but since I did not visit the medical ward, I can't be certain how they actually fared during the attack.

Nashira-san seemed to ignore me completely as she signed papers continuously, but just when I thought of leaving since it was none of my business, Felis-san would glare at me with a piercing gaze to not move a muscle. It seemed that even she thought I would distract Nashira-san.

"Send Team 17 and Team 23 to areas 3 and 7, tell them to search carefully and not miss a single thing. Also tell them to not bother risking their lives in capturing anyone alive, at this point, they seemed to be using our intentions of getting a viable sample as an opportunity to set up traps. I would also like you to check on Teams from 34 to 50, I sent those to villages in faraway places, and the jamming around those areas is still not destroyed. Using summoned familiars is our way to communicate, but some of them have been late responding. If you must... feel free to use Teams 15 to 20, they are ready to sortie anytime." Nashira-san stated in a weary tone.

"Understood." Felis-san accepted and immediately left.

Nashira-san leaned back on her chair and turned her eyes to my persona.

"I will be waiting in the shooting range for you, my newest disciple. After this is over..." Felis-san whispered as such as she passed by my side.

My memory was improved by He(?), but I fail to recall getting her to be my teacher though. Not like I minded, I want to learn as many things as I can that will help me get stronger.

"Please wear something underneath when I do so... we do have young readers..." I whispered back.

*Bang*

I stumbled forward holding my head and did not dare to look at Felis-san who was probably angry at me. The fact that rubber bullets hit me, meant that I was not on her bad side.

"...can I buy you that gun? Seems useful." I mumbled.

I got the feeling that I could put it to good use.

This time, instead of an answer, something else hit my head. The pain made me realize what she used and after looking at it, a modified gun was lying on the ground.

The door closed quite strongly, probably because she was quite pissed off, but considering she gifted me her gun, I would say it was safe to visit her the next time.

"...are you some kind of monster?" Nashira-san asked me.

I felt somewhat bitter after getting called as such after all I did, but judging by the giggling Spica-san and wryly smiling Altais-san, I could tell she was not trying to insult me.

"I am a cat, nothing more, nothing less." I replied.

"...I see, so you are an idiot then." Nashira-san sighed heavily. "Just so you know, that child is not as friendly to outsiders."

The throbbing pain in my head says otherwise.

Seeing me rubbing my head made Nashira-san chuckle. The woman gestured to Altais-san and before I was aware of it, I was sitting in a comfy chair in front of Nashira-san's desk. Altais-san and Spica-san stood behind the woman in question.

"You are really clueless huh." Nashira-san's gaze lingered on me like she was studying me. "She is a wonderful maid and agent, but her interpersonal skills are only used when work is related, otherwise, she can be quite... rude."

Shivering slightly at the fact I was unable to notice her movements, I recalled that everyone in this room was absurdly strong. Altais-san just smiled at me when I stared briefly, recalling slightly that Grayfia-san commented about the uniqueness of certain maids working directly under Nashira-san.

"I think she is quite kind, maybe is because I am young but she and I were capable of reaching an understanding at the shooting range." I said.

"Mmmm, if that is what you want to believe..." Nashira-san shrugged her shoulders. "Now, I might look free to you but I am giving you quite the honor of meeting me given how busy I am, however, it is only because my precious little sister and the one behind me pushed me to do that. Otherwise, I would not even meet the Maou."

"Your wording..." Spica-san scolded.

"Sorry about that, keep it between us or the government officials will nag me about it for months." Nashira-san rubbed her shoulders. "Anyways, you came here for a reason. Did you come to request more maids? Sorry, but we are currently unable to grant those kinds of requests. The state of the underworld requires quite a bit of manpower so we need all the people we can get."

"I might be able to help you with that..." I lowered my gaze. "I would like to do two things, first I would like to send back Sirius-san and Alkaid-san, and I would also like to offer my apologies since my actions almost cost them their lives."

"Hmmm." Nashira-san simply hummed that, but it was accompanied by a terrible killing intent.

I naturally accepted it and waited for whatever she might say.

"Altais, I know that you are fond of him, but selling your friends isn't what I taught you." Nashira-san's voice sounded bitter. "Spica, please scold her."

"My dear Guild Master, I wonder why you think it is correct to be so rude to a child, not to mention, he is a customer for the maid guild." Altais-san's voice didn't sound friendly.

"Nashira, bad." Spica said. "I am telling Grayfia about this."

"W-Wait, let's not be hasty, she doesn't have to know

.." Nashira-san sounded distressed.

The killing intent disappeared so I raised my head to find a sulking Nashira-san glaring at me.

"Speak, why did you say that? They were both looking healthy." Nashira-san asked.

"They were in danger because of me, and while I am grateful for their efforts, I can't shake off the feeling that I caused them to almost die. I was able to heal them to top shape, but that does not mean it was..." I bit my lips.

Despite knowing that thanks to them things did not go too out of hand, I can't help feeling that I am using them. They are my servants, I know that, and I know that they will follow my orders, however, I don't think those two deserve to be under me. A kinder master is who they should be under. That said, it pisses me off to think about it.

"I see. I guess I got a rough idea what your idiotic train of thoughts is." Nashira-san massaged her shoulders briefly before leaning forward and resting her elbows on her desk and interlocking her hands to let her chin rest on them.

I was reminded of a certain commander as her sharp gaze seemed to pierce through me.

"Maids are the representation of people's dreams. That was what the man I wish to serve used to say a lot. He was a maid lover, his very core was dedicated to loving maids. Such was the man that created this place." Nashira-san spoke. "However, he also told me this. 'I don't wish to make someone unwilling to become a servant of someone else, so only those who are not against the idea will become true maids'. He made me swear to never make a maid out of someone unwilling so I followed his command to the letter. We get many people applying for jobs here, to be trained and employed is their objective, but we do not needlessly handle a title to anyone. We offer training and judge whether they have what it takes."

Unsure what she meant by all this, I just waited for her to finish.

"The training is harsh, they are made to test many things on the person so we always discover whether they are suitable or not by the end of it. However, those who pass are truly those we call maids." Nashira-san muttered. "In that regard, tell me, what makes you think you can disregard their efforts to reach what they are now? Their loyalty towards you, do you think they would simply risk their lives if they thought it is their job as a maid to do it? You have a huge misunderstanding. It might be partly my fault for not making this clear although your idiotic nature is partly to blame as well. They, Sirius and Alkaid desired to do so. They went to work under you? It is true I could've made them do if I desired, however... that was not the case, I simply let nature take its course, and although I might've made look like I forced everything, I just made it easier for something to happen. Entrusting them to someone was a hard task since the younger sister is quite a challenge in a way while the older one is a complete mess in another sense. That said, I was only planning to let them go if their older sister joined the fray, but..."

Her words made me feel bad, but I just didn't want them to get hurt.

"...you know what, why don't we let them choose by themselves." Nashira-san seemed fed up with me. "Let those idiots inside, any more and the door will break."

Giggling, Altais-san moved to open the door, and it was when I paid attention to the almost ready-to-burst door. Before the maid could touch it, it was forcefully opened and two maids came rolling and beautifully used their momentum to stand up and took a stance beside each of my sides. Their pose brought back some memories and my lips could not help but twitch. I inwardly made a note of scolding Kuroka-chan for teaching them this nonsense.

The way that Nashira-san looked at me was full of question signs, but I was honestly unaware when they were taught such a thing.

"...refunding of maids can only be done if they are the same as when they left this building. What the heck were you doing to them?" Nashira-san asked.

Honestly, I do not know what to say.

"...you two, this idiot wants to return you to me. What do you have to-" Nashira-san did not get to finish her words.

"M-My Honorable Master!!! Is it because Sirius was sniffing your clothes!? It was a moment of weakness! I let my instincts take over! There was this hard-to-ignore smell and it was... it was... just like now..." Sirius-san was glued to me as she apologized frantically, but soon her expression slackened as her nose twitched. "Kuh! Is this a test for my loyalty, master!?"

No, not at all. Seriously stop with the physical contact, I am learning in real-time about your measures and how powerful you are.

"Is it because of the secret pact I made with Alice-sama to collect some of your clothes!? Master, Alkaid only wanted a doll of you to not feel lonely when you are not by my side! However, if that will make you abandon me, I will regretfully cancel that pact..." Alkaid-san tearfully said.

Say what again? First time I heard of that one. I mean, I did find strange the doll of me in her hands but never considered the origin to be that one. I feel like if I were to ask that girl for an answer she will just giggle and smile at me with a hard-to-decipher look. Sometimes I am not sure what goes through her head, but since she is a good kid, I do not pay it any mind. It is not like she is doing anything bad after all.

"Aren't you popular? You still plan to push them away?" Nashira-san asked.

Don't think I will lose to their puppy eyes!

Pushing the two maids away and feeling slightly apologetic where my hands ended up, I ignored the small moans coming from beside me.

"I have no guarantee that my life will be a peaceful one. Soon, it will get even more hectic, and you will get hurt like before..." I bitterly said.

Regardless of what Artoria-san said, I think these girls are innocent and should live easygoing life. I am not a good person and might began using them or working them to the bones. Pushing them to their limits and causing them to get hurt will happen often. Even now, I am thinking of taking care of everyone's training with a firm grip. I might have to use Kaa-san's one as a reference, or I could downgrade a bit Shishou's.

"My honorable master, please forgive me for saying this." Sirius-san wryly smiled. "Sleep talk is for when you are asleep. What kind of nonsense are you saying? I can't say I understand you as much as Kuroka-sama or Artoria-san whom I heard you had a shounen-manga moment, but I, Sirius, can say with all certainty that you are the person I want to serve. You are the person I want to offer my loyalty to. Although you might wonder why I have decided such a thing, the answer is not something that will satisfy you. It is not about falling for you, or thinking you are our soul mate, no, we have another reason."

It was certainly my imagination that Sirius-san's eyes wandered upon Altais-san briefly.

"Master! Please reconsider!" Alkaid-san pleaded strongly.

Please, don't press on me as well. The ridiculous bust of yours has a rather troubling opening on your underboobs and it makes me hard to move. What if my hand started to act on its own!? I have been living my life by carefully avoiding showing my desires since I can hardly act upon them, but it is not like I am not a pervert who wants to be snuggled in Yasaka-san's bosom and go further. Wait, if I use my grown-up version... Heh.

Inwardly slapping away my 'healthy' desires, I reconsidered my maids' plea. I just could not accept their zealous loyalty when I am hardly capable to protect them or allow them to have an easy-going life as maids instead of having them fight. It was not a matter of them being capable of fighting or to what degree their abilities were developed.

Ah, I see. Once again, the problem lies with me. I need to change. However, will they accept such a thing when they like the way I am at the moment?

"Listen, I can't still accept how readily you offer your loyalty for no reason, however, I can accept it if some conditions are applied to our situation." I said. "That said, I am not a nice person so do not expect me to be good to you. If I decide to accept you, I will certainly burden you fully."

Gently lifting the chin of the two maids, I got closer to them, close enough for our eyes to reflect each other.

"Are you ready to bear that responsibility? Sirius, Alkaid, I will not allow you to give up halfway, you will be forced to follow me to the end..." I asked. "I learned something new after the ordeal this time, and that is... I don't want to lose anything. That will apply to you as well, and while I might not look like it, I am insane. Who knows what kind of actions will I take, or how far I will go? Including you in my insanity might result in me becoming overly attached to you thus I will most certainly not let you go, do you understand that?"

Somehow, I felt like part of me became more honest. Not wanting to lose anything... I am sure it had many meanings or interpretations, but for me, I simply did not want to let what was important to me go. I... might've become a bit dangerous since now I don't want to be separated from Kuroka-chan or Shirone-chan. My love for Yasaka-san reminds strong, and the nature of my love for the cats reminds the same, however, will it stay the same in the future? I can't guarantee it. They will grow to be charming young ladies and their goodwill is always directed at me, in the future I-

"M-My Honorable Master!!!" Sirius-san did not allow me to see her expression before she jumped on me.

No, the correct word was 'tackle'. I was pushed down on the floor as Sirius-san fawned on me. Her ears and tail were no longer hidden and the softness of her ears tickled me as she rubbed her head all over my chest. Alkaid did not stay behind and made known that she will not lose a cuddling battle. I even had to make a huge effort to avoid being licked by the enthusiastic duo. I felt like things would turn 18+ if that happened so I resisted. That said, part of me remained curious.

Things did not escalate thanks to Altais-san who interfered by pulling them. The two were hanging by the collar of their maid's uniform and were casting watery eyes my way. It was like looking at a pair of dogs asking their owner for help. It made me wonder if they were dogs instead of wolf tengus.

"...my honorable master, help." Sirius-san asked pitifully.

"...I promise that I will not trouble you so please help me, master." Alkaid-san pleaded.

I wondered why they were suddenly begging for help but I noticed the stern gaze of Altais-san on them so I got what the problem was.

"...Nora-sama, I would like it if you refrained from triggering this kind of response from the maids." Altais-san scolded me.

No, why is it my fault? What did I do?

"...unaware of it or acting dumb. I am bound to get headaches either way..." Altais-san sighed.

"Pffft, ahahahah, to make Altais distressed in matters of seconds, I never expected it, ahahahaha." Nashira-san suddenly began laughing. "Oh dear, I never thought I would see the day. Boy, you seem clueless, but let me explain to you. Succubus are an interesting race, and for this lady here..."

Looking at Altais-san with a smirk, Nashira-san laughed again.

"Well, being chaste is an issue that is hard to bear for their kind, so an obvlious person is a headache for them, so- Argh!" Nashira-san's eyes turned white.

"Excuse my interruption." Altais-san smiled sweetly. "It would seem like the guild master is tired so we should continue this conversation another time, or perhaps never."

Moving at a speed that was hard to register, Altais-san silenced her guild master.

Sirius-san and Alkaid-san were free and hastily made their way being me, shaking fearfully.

"Nora-sama, you came here to hire another maid, but I am afraid we need manpower so we are capable of currently letting anyone go, however, after this is done, I would like to recommend myself to-" "No, I did not come to hire anyone, I just wanted to terminate the contract with the wolf duo." "...Eh?"

The back and forth between Altais-san and me left her looking disappointed.

"Are you certain that you did not want to hire any new maid...?" Altais-san carefully asked.

I shook my head and Altais-san looked sad.

Wait-

"Fufu, you are a tease, even though she is so easy to read you act clueless." Spica-san, who had been quietly observing until now, giggled happily. "Altais, you must not cause trouble for him."

Sighing, Altais regained her dignified gait.

"My apologies for the unsightly spectacle." Altais-san bowed. "So, what will you do? Terminating the contract does not require the guild master to personally handle the matter so I could've handled the procedure if you informed me beforehand."

Her explanation made me feel sorry for Nashira-san, my presence killed- I mean, put her to sleep. Welp, she had it coming. I feel like her words were going to be very important but if Altais-san did not want me to hear them, it would be best to not ask anyone. That said, Kaa-san had a book related to succubus that she explicitly told me to not read since it was too much for me, but now I am more curious than ever. A little peek will not hurt, will it?

"So, what will you girls do? Will you follow me?" I asked.

"My honorable master, the answer is obvious, Sirius will follow you everywhere." Sirius-san replied.

"I wish to follow you, master!" Alkaid-san exclaimed.

Shrugging my shoulders, I looked direct at Altais-san.

"Sorry to have made you waste your time, but as you can see, I changed my mind. I am a troublesome master so I hope you reconsider what you had in mind." I mumbled.

Smiling slightly at that, Altais-san did not respond to my words. Instead, when I thought I would leave, someone spoke.

"Would you mind chatting with me for a few seconds? Alone, of course." Spica-san said.

Part

3rd Person POV

In the sixth heaven, Gabriel, Michael, and Metatron were having a conversation. It was mostly Michael trying to convince Gabriel though, while Megatron listened quietly from one side.

"It is necessary, the prophecy will soon come true and we must secure him before it is too late." Gabriel muttered in a determined tone.

One of the Four Great Seraphs, Gabriel had the appearance of an extremely beautiful woman with curly blonde hair and a voluptuous figure and is known as the most beautiful woman in Heaven. Her figure was clad in a light white dress that could hardly hide her curves despite being a few sizes bigger. Behind her, twelve white wings could be seen and above her head, a golden halo shined brightly.

Feeling a headache coming, Michael, another of the Seraphs, massaged his temples. While he was aware of the prophecy Gabriel was talking about, he did not expect her to suddenly say she would go down to the human world to find the one spoken in the prophecy. He has the appearance of a handsome-looking man with long blond hair and green eyes. Like Gabriel, he has twelve wings growing from his back, and unlike other Angels whose wings are white, his wings are colored gold. He was wearing a red robe with a golden cross in the middle of his chest.

"However, if we intervene too much, we could end up changing the prophecy, our efforts to help it happen might end up causing the situation to shift in unintended ways." Michael argued.

His words left Gabriel pondering for a few seconds, but the woman would not be so easily convinced when she made up her mind.

"I will only set a foot on the land where our believers gather, I will not try to change anything outside it and that should good enough." Gabriel said. "Besides, you should be aware of how the events from the other day left the Church. Several of our believers died and many end up without a place to call home. It is time for us to step out."

Closing his eyes to think, it was not like Michael could not understand what she meant, but it was a big change to go to the outside world after so many years of living in seclusion.

Long ago, after the war happened, they decided to put distance between humans and them to avoid mixing them up in their struggles against the battle with fallen angels and devils, and while the fighting had been mostly stopped, each side could react unexpectedly by bizarre actions on the other camps. In this case, the deployment of a Seraph in the human world, even if it was not announced, would cause many to wonder about their intentions. Announcing it would cause others to watch their actions closely, but hiding it would cause a bigger stir if discovered. It was a conundrum that caused Michael headaches. However, he could not be certain if Gabriel wanted to go to the human world after fully understanding what it entails, after all, it was not the first time she had caused a ruckus because of her airheadedness.

"Michael, I think it is not unreasonable to allow her to go down. There are many things in the human world that we are unaware of, and it would not do any harm to make ourselves familiar with the current situation from a closer point of view. It is not only about the war, but our latest news spoke about the tragedy that befell the Vatican, and learning through our observation magic was all we could, by the time we received the news, we were unable to even think of helping anyone because it had already ended." Megatron muttered.

It was the truth and it weighed heavily on the minds of the angels.

"I know that my strength cannot compare to yours, Michael, but I have selected skills that could allow me to protect Gabriel so that is one concern less." Metatron explained. "However, if your concerns are about how other factions will see it, I am afraid I don't have an answer or solution, but I am certain that Gabriel must've thought about it since she wishes to go down to the Human World."

After these words, Michael and Metatron turned to Gabriel but said woman just looked away.

"...hehe." Gabriel's awkward laugh was all they got as a reply.

Nodding at that, Michael turned to look and Metatron for explanations but Metatron did not know what to say.

"It seems we are back to square one." Michael mumbled.

The looks she received made Gabriel slightly mad so thought hard about the issue and she came to an answer.

"...how about I not only stay hidden but raise a symbol that will gather the attention instead of me? You should be aware that every now and then there were humans called Saints and Saintess, such a case has been a common situation. It was the same with the prophet, Kotomine Kirei, who became a source of hope among the humans." Gabriel explained.

Finding the idea rather plausible, Michael nodded.

"That is a good idea. You would not be showing yourself and it will not be seen as meddling with humanity's choices too much. You would find a faithful believer whose faith was like any other, and that person should have high charisma to attract the attention of others, not to mention, to become a symbol, it has to be a she, a Saintess that people look up to and wish to protect. However, to avoid the tragedy of the Maiden of Orleans, she will need an entourage of equally faithful and loyal knights that will not be moved by public opinion... yes, that could work. Gabriel, this is a great idea, there are many details to polish but it will surely work." Michael spoke excitedly.

Sweating slightly, Gabriel got the feeling that Michael will transform her idea, from a simple plan to a full-scale and complicated plan. She originally planned to lend support to her chosen believer and then sneak out to seek the one spoken in the prophecy, but now with all the additions to her idea, Gabriel understood how difficult it would be for her to travel far from the Vatican.

"Please, allow me to assist with any idea you implement, Michael." Metatron offered out of goodwill.

With a twitching eyebrow, Gabriel officially accepted that she will not be able to take it easy and find the one spoken in the prophecy.

"...when will I find you? Legendary Cat..." Gabriel sighed.

Unbeknownst to any of the present angels, the meeting will be chaotic and while the angels would remain for a long time in the Vatican's vicinity, the two would somehow, find themselves in Japan, separated.

Part

MC's POV

Since I was in the underworld, I went to check my residence. Even though Marion-san told me that everything was ok, I wanted to check on the girls living there.

It was pretty fast after leaving the maid guild, and while being dragged by Spica-san to talk in private caught me off guard, nothing bad happened. Secret dealings were made somehow, and I obtained a valuable object, one good enough to make a family heirloom. I kind of despise myself for agreeing to those demands in exchange for the VIP subscription of Maids Weekly, apparently, a high-on-demand magazine that hardly anyone in the underworld can get their hands on, but I believe I can take Trihexa head-on if it means getting my hands on the holy grail of maidness!

Joking aside (not really, I am keeping my holy artifact in my pouch), I noticed the destruction in the garden and hardened my heart. Sizable rocks of different shapes lay scattered forming what I presumed to be defensive formations. Inwardly, I praised Shizuku-san since she was the only one capable of such a feat. Her origin is something that she does not like to talk about, but it is an open secret that she is the daughter of a land god. Since her parents are not usually a conversation topic, I do not pry anymore than needed.

Entering through the door, Sirius-san and Alkaid-san hastily took my front and summoned their oversized swords to destroy a certain thing thrown at me.

The flower pot was shattered without offering any resistance and the maid duo was getting ready to jump and attack the offender so I stopped them by lightly brushing their tails.

"Hiyu!" Sirius-san gave a rather strange moan and fell forward.

"Ahhhh~" Alkaid-san gave an unusually erotic moan but she managed to use the sword to stop her fall.

I felt slightly guilty and embarrassed by their unusual reaction but my mind still kept the memory of their weak point safely stored with a note saying 'Future reference'.

"*Cough* Look carefully who threw that, if you go and attack them, they won't stand a chance." I changed the topic.

The looks that the maid duo gave me had a strange gleam, but I ignored it. Instead, I focused on the figures of my aggressors.

None of them entrusted me with their names so it was hard to refer to them sometimes, but I could not forget them. They were the girls I bought at the slave market. The green-eyed silent one sighed in relief when she saw me and lowered her make-shift spear, while the brown-haired and reckless despite me telling her to not push herself since she was in not top form, however, the last one did not change expressions outwardly, but still lowered a flower vase she was holding.

"Where is Shizuku-san?" I asked.

For these girls to be here all alone, I was pretty sure that something must've happened. While that girl liked to play around, she took her job seriously.

"Master, I am sure that I left her here..." Marion-san replied first.

No, I am not blaming you so you don't need to give me an explanation.

"...she fainted just a moment ago, she just said 'it was about time you arrived, stupid employer', and just fell. We took it upon ourselves to protect this place since we would suffer if we ran away."

The brown-haired one gave me an honest answer despite the glare that the blonde-haired one, with whom I have yet to be able to chat without getting a snarky comment. The blaming look said it all, the blonde one probably did not want her to say they considered or tried to run, but I would not be angry even if they did so.

"You don't need to be cautious, I would not punish you if you had escaped. It was kind of like a perfect chance, but let me be slightly cruel. Even if you escaped, what were you planning to do next? If you ignore the city's state at that time, you would still stick out like a sore thumb." I explained bluntly. "I don't mind if you wish to run away. I honestly can't blame you since your situation calls for it, but I can't praise the timing. You lacked any sort of equipment or tools that would aid you in your endeavor, not to mention, food, clothes, or money. I can easily list out several possibilities of your escape going wrong right now without thinking deeply. Of course, if you feel like my words are excessive or incorrect, I invite you to rebuke me as you explain how well prepared you were and how high was your success rate."

It was mean of me to say this, and the blonde-haired one looked vexed, while the brown-haired one had a pondering look. My words most likely were difficult to rebuke or deny since they were right. Their rights were deprived, but they have lost many things, such as common sense.

Releasing them is certainly an easy path to grant them 'freedom' and honor their wishes, but it would not be right. If I let them out in the world, they would be easily swallowed by it. This world was unkind and they might as well have a target painted on their backs given how naive they are in some regards. As much as I am bothered by it, the idiotic old man is right. That is why I shall put these girls through a lot of studying and even self-defense training so they can stand up on their own.

The green-eyed one did not seem to care about anything that was said and slowly made her way toward me. She was slightly shorter than me so she raised her head as she gazed at me silently, the girl did not say or try to communicate anything, but rather patiently awaited for anything I might say. I was puzzled by her actions until I recalled that she was present when I asked Shizuku-san to take care of things here. It seems that she took that as an order from me.

Mulling for a moment what to do, I just did what I am used to. I raised my hand and while the slightly shaking her body gave off as my hand got closer, perhaps afraid that I would harm her, I simply put it on top of her head and lightly patted her head.

She continued to shake, perhaps afraid I would change my mind mid-way, but I continued my endeavor until she calmed down and her tense muscles relaxed.

"You were ready to protect them, right? Well done." I praised.

After that, I stopped the petting and while she looked somewhat unwilling for it to end, I turned to see the blonde one who just dropped the flower vase and broke it, perhaps her last bit of rebellious nature showing up.

"Shall we go to see the kitsune?" I smiled wryly.

This was going to be a long road.

...

...

...

The kitsune was severely exhausted so there was not much to be done. I gathered as much ki from the ambiance and used it to relieve her somewhat, but I did not want to forcefully wake her up so I left her to rest. I had my trust in her because she was recommended by Yasaka-san, but perhaps I asked too much from her.

It was rather hectic, but I managed to have an acquaintance, a fluffy one, get me a property rented in Kyoto, far from the city at a good price despite the high demand for it. Well, the fact that no one was using it at the moment had a lot to do with it. It was a large building with many floors. It was recently renovated and prepared to become an apartment building with some apartments being rather big so I am sure the price I got was a huge bargain. That Kesaran Pasaran liked rice crackers so I should make some as a show of gratitude.

I brought the girls from manor here and left them under Sirius-san and Alkaid-san, while I took Marion-san and the unconscious Shizuku-san with me. I did my best to ignore how Marion-san looked smugly at the wolves and they looked vexed. A rivalry is another form of friendship, and I could not be the only one who was thrown into a rivalry relationship all of sudden, right? Ah, I promised Vali-kun to fight with him after he comes back from an assignment Azazel-san gave him. I might get killed by him after knowing what happened to Lavinia-san. Yup, let us elope to a different country and change my name. I can change my name to Kuro and be done with becoming the strongest cat.

Sighing inwardly, I took those nonsensical thoughts out of my mind. Just before I teleported to Urakyoto, I got a message coming from Suzaku, the people being sent to me were ready and she was chosen to hand them over to me.

I found the speed of the delivery slightly odd, but I thought that it was probably because they wanted to have the matter dealt with as soon as possible.

Arriving in Urakyoto was as hectic as expected since Yasaka-san was worried sick about Shizuku-san. I wanted to carry the kitties with me but they were still sleeping so I could only cover them with blankets when I saw how bad their sleeping posture was.

...

...

...

Apparently, the meeting will be in Tokyo, in a place rather close to Kyoto since they did not want to leave their territory too much. I had Marion-san with me and several kitsunes along with tengus who were watching over me from afar.

The location was an empty building that made me wonder if this was a drug deal, there was nothing inside the place except a black limousine and a black van parked in the middle of the parking lot. I had to head there since I had gone to the main building first, but I got kind of surprised to find a scene from an action movie before me.

The face that Suzaku had when she left the limousine was uncomfortable and she avoided looking me in the eyes. However, I did not think too much about it. There were so many details that would make your regular people frown regarding what was happening that I could not blame her for feeling discomfort.

It seemed, however, that she had not taken a good look at me when I was far away since it was only when I got closer that Suzaku hastily made her way towards me.

"Nora!? What happened to you!?" Suzaku worriedly asked.

She looked ready to jump on me and check me 'thoroughly', no place left unchecked. That said, I felt kind of happy that she was worried about me.

"I fell from some stairs." I smiled.

"What kind of stairs were those!? You idiot, Nora!" Suzaku got angry.

Kind of expected that, but I sort of hoped to not tell her that I was close to dying.

Now then, how much should I tell her?

...

...

...

"For the Nth time, I am fine." I smiled wryly.

"But..." Suzaku faintly spoke.

Even though I did not include the gruesome parts, the girl had started crying midway and I had to console her. Marion-san was also shocked but she did not try to get close to me to confirm my state since Suzaku did just that. I am certain that shame was thrown out of her head since she meticulously checked my body, or maybe she accepted her perverted side and is no longer affected by these kinds of bold actions.

"I say, that spot should not be touched carelessly." I mumbled.

"I have to make sure you are ok!" Suzaka was adamant about it.

You don't have to check my lower side, most injuries are on the upper part.

My mind just thought that revenge should be served, but given how much fan service I usually receive from her, I let it slide. That said, squeezing should have its limits. Since her hands were getting dishonest, I used a karate chop and stopped her.

"Ouch." Suzaku tearfully caressed her head.

"Shall we get to the business?" I asked.

"But I still need to make sure..." Suzaka faintly complained.

I did not want to get to this but-

Putting my hands on her shoulders and bringing my head closer to hers since she was kneeling in front of me. I stared deeply into her eyes close enough that we could see each other's reflections on our eyes.

"Sweetie, think carefully exactly where you were touching." I whispered.

It was kind of amazing how fast she caught on to her actions and in seconds, she fainted.

"Young Master, is this another of your hobbies? To have a lady of marriable age fondle you all over and then cause her to faint..." Marion-san spoke.

I didn't expect you to have a poisonous tongue lady. However, I can't refute anything she said. Yet, I saw the opportunity to counterattack after a closer look at her reddened cheeks.

"I love that kind of stuff, but you know what I love more? Maids, so you are next." I jested.

Her reaction was to take a few steps back and cover her chest.

It was supposed to be a joke though.

...

...

...

"They are truly pieces of trash." I spoke without hiding my anger.

Suzaku trembled beside me as I looked at what stood in front of me.

"Master, I understand your anger, but please be mindful of not scaring them." Marion-san reminded.

Taking a deep breath, I let my raging emotions calm down.

After reviving Suzaku, I joked about using a prince to wake up a sleeping princess so I caused her to faint again. After learning from my mistake and fearing the scolding look that Marion-san gave me, I apologized and explained. Suzaku looked slightly disappointed, but I did not want to deal with that kind of topic in a place like this so I asked her to introduce me to the people the Clans sent over. Biting her lips, Suzaku gestured with her hands and the drivers of the van and limousine opened the doors to them and-

"T-They are the people that the Five Clans s-sent over." Suzaku said. "U-Unfortunately, only three of the clans had people they could send over. The other two were only capable of mustering katanas in exchange. The quality is one of the highest they could find so... Urgh."

Biting her lips, Suzaku mechanically said something I am sure she could not quite accept herself. It must be something that those people instructed her to do.

Feeling slightly pity for her, I gently patted her back. The girl exchanged looks between those sent to me and my persona, but her vexed expression was rather hard to watch. Among the drivers was someone whose characteristics had nothing to do with Suzaku so perhaps he belonged to another Clan. He was the van driver, and he had unloaded two large but thin boxes that upon being opened, showed a pair of swords. They were not drawn, but I could feel unusual vibes from them. Not to mention, the small smirk on the guy's face made me doubt what these swords had in store.

Nevertheless, I directed my eyes toward the people that were brought to me. They were all girls that carried fearful expressions. It might be because my earlier outburst scared them or simply because the situation was causing them unease. Either way, I felt bad for them since I was causing this.

I recognized the first one, she was from the Shinra Clan, and she was called Tsubaki Shinra. She had long black hair that reached her knees and heterochromatic eyes with a violet left eye and a light brown right eye. I could not see her wearing glasses and she would furrow her eyebrows my way often, perhaps trying to see better since I recall that she used glasses in the canon. She was a voluptuous onee-san with a serious demeanor in the canon, but she was but a small girl now.

The other two were not people I recognized, but they left strong impressions, although I could not tell what clan they belonged to. One girl had long black hair held by two low twin tails. Her left eye was purple while her other eye was covered by a black bandage-like ribbon, and the ribbon continued around her naked and below, it even reached her hands since I saw it peeking from her sweater sleeves. The girl fearfully hide it when she saw me peeking at her. There was a strange to describe air about her, but I could not put my fingers on it.

As for the last girl, long silver gradient hair which then fades to black at the tips, held in a braided ponytail, and had blue eyes, a bang of her hair covered one of her eyes, but when she moved her head in my direction, her other could be seen so it was only her hair-style that was like that. However, she was giving a distinct aura. It was eery and slightly evil, with some sudden hostile outburst directed my way.

"Hmmm..." I nodded.

Other than Tsubaki, the other two looked rather dangerous, or so my instincts told me so I walked towards them after beating them up harshly. They soon noticed my movements and focused on me, and while they had mixed reactions, there was no doubt some fear and wariness mixed in all of them. The driver guy looked at them with a smirk when the silver-haired one's aura began to fluctuate. The other two took their distance and I could hear Marion-san and Suzaku trying to make their way toward me, but I stopped them.

"Stay back." I firmly said.

The girl in question only bit her lips and hugged her body defensively with an intent to contain the aura but it did not help too much.

"Stand back!!!"

The girl yelled, but my steps did not halt.

Since my situation made it hard for me to wield my regular ki, I thought about what to do. The whole time since I woke up I have tried to look for a way to make use of this ki or a way to get rid of it, but I abandoned the idea of simply getting rid of it. I did want to recover my healing skills, but I was thinking that I could find a way to wield this type of energy as well. If so, I had to get more familiar with it, so when I faced those with this type of power, I had a way to counter them. Unlike Artoria-san, I don't have the power to erase and nullify other kinds of energies while my kasha might have purifying abilities, I didn't want to rely on only one method. Thus I will not get rid of it, and it is what is holding my heart in one piece so I would like it to keep beating.

"Yo! How are you?" I spoke with a grin plastered on my face.

The girls backing away, the driver, and even Suzaku and Marion-san looked speechless at my actions, not to mention the girl I was trying to approach. Her aura even visibly paused as she stared at me like I was crazy but I just laughed.

"You are quite in a predicament, aren't you?" I mumbled.

"I said to stand back!!!"

The girl reacted again as her aura stirred again even more violently.

The van driver guy did not have a leisure look anymore and fearfully escaped, leaving the limousine driver who seemed to be under Suzaku to go towards the red-eyed girl.

"Wow, this is flashy." I uttered.

The closer I got, the more I felt the fur on my tail standing up. However, I did not allow it to slow me down. I wanted to try something, the thing I did when I faced the shitty bastard.

"...I am a complete stranger so it is hard to put your trust in me, but I might be able to help you out. How about it? I am nothing more than a cat, but I work as a part-time devil so I can make a deal with you right now and you can be certain that I will fulfill it." I extended my hand toward her.

Even as she bit her lips hesitating, the girl extended her hand towards me.

At that moment, I recalled the feeling from back then and tried to reproduce it. Briefly, my mind went back to the encounter earlier that day and I just copied what happened.

"<Drain>" I said.

The aura covering got sucked into me and a hard-to-bear feeling invaded me. The energy inside of me stirred and was about to go berserk but I held onto myself. There was no way I was going to fail here, I am just getting started.

I grind my teeth but I managed to absorb all the energy, leaving the girl exhausted but perfectly fine otherwise.

I released her hand and she slowly checked herself until she noticed that she was no longer giving strange vibes.

"Not too shabby if I say so myself huh." I smiled weakly.

"I-I... Thank you!"

The girl heartfully thanked me.

The distrust and wariness directed at me from the girl dispelled instantly, although I could not be sure that it would stay always that way. From all I knew, this could be that she momentarily feels moved and she might return to the way she acted later, but for a starter, it was good enough.

Well, since the situation is ripe...

"Listen up, the three of you." I raised my voice. "I am called Nora Shiki, it is because of me that you are here, so if you were fearful about what was going to happen to you... well, I can't say I am a good guy."

I honestly expressed myself and I moved past them until I had everyone behind me.

"You there! What did they tell you when they sent you here?" I called out to Tsubaki, huh, Tsubaki-chan.

The girl shook fearfully but perhaps my overflowing charisma pushed her to talk, or she was just scared.

"...I was called demon child so since another demon child wanted me, they said we made a good pairing..."

I curse those guys for three generations straight, I hope they hit the smallest finger on their feet daily.

Nonsensical as that sounds, if I tried to even think about what I wanted them to suffer, I would surely leak killing intent so I just left it at that.

"You two, was it the same for you!?" I asked.

"...I was called useless and my eye is ominous."

"I am a cursed child, they said my existence was poisonous."

Doing my best to smile despite hearing such a thing, I simply pointed at myself.

"Today is your lucky day. I got nothing to do with those pricks so their opinions and values mean shit to me. I am a cat, my major qualities, without doubt, are my fluffy ears and tails." I nodded. "However, I also have strong perseverance. I have decided to become the strongest cat, one that cannot be beaten. My goal? Strike Trihexa down with one punch! Hahaha, your faces tell me that you think I am insane. Well, I am."

The only girl who did not look at me strangely among the trio was the one I just helped.

"Ahem, I went off topic there. I just want to become strong, strong enough to beat the unreasonable world. Strong enough to protect the people I care about. I want to be able to have a place in this world where I can live peacefully, a place I can laugh if I want, a place where no f*cking bastards trying to mess with me will ever bother me." I said and my words earned me the attention of the rest of the trio. "I am not just talking about isolating myself in some dimension and living locked there until I die. I want to face the problems bothering me until they became something that no longer troubles me. How about you? Do you want to leave your life the same way as you do now? If you earnestly ask me, I can grant you a life free of worries, I got enough money to get you a new identity in a foreign land, and pay for your expenses until the day you die. However, if you want to face your troubles, if you want to face those who shunned you and scorned you, to prove them how wrong they were, to prove the potential you have not only for others but for your own good... take my hand, I promise to help you archive your goal. No matter what it is."

No, Suzaku, why are you eager to jump on me? I mean, this deal is for the trio, not you. Please don't blush, the flower garden in your head is pretty obvious so hold back your desires. I am trying to recruit some people here.

The trio looked at each other before they-