13 013

Raymond took a seat in front of Shinka and looked him in the eyes, penetratingly.

"So, Kusaka Shinka..." The man seemed to ponder for a moment.

"What's up with this Sacred Gear of yours? I heard my daughters asked you that before, but I'm curious too."

"If you heard your daughters asking the question, then you know the answer, don't you?" Shinka raised an eyebrow at the man.

"That's right, I heard your answer, but my daughters only gave you a brief explanation about some types, so I suppose now you can be a bit more specific, right?" Raymond showed a fake friendly expression.

Shinka closed his eyes and sighed.

"My Sacred Gear is a sealed type. It allows me to enhance both abstract characteristics like intelligence and more literal ones like physical ones."

"I see. And is this enhancement of characteristics permanent or does it have a certain duration?" Raymond asked eloquently.

Shinka was somewhat surprised by the question.

The boy assumed that this question came from some old knowledge of Raymond's about a Sacred Gear.

"It seems you know about a Sacred Gear similar to mine." Shinka whispered, looking at him.

"Answer my question." That's all the man said.

'It doesn't seem like I'm going to get answers from him. Well, I had nothing to lose by trying.'

"They are permanently enhanced as far as I know."

Raymond nodded and continued.

"Tell me, Kusaka, when did you awaken this Sacred Gear?"

'Awakening is not the same as obtaining. It means that the possessors of a Sacred Gear have it since they are conceived.' That was the conclusion the boy arrived at.

"I've had it for two weeks."

Raymond nodded.

"Meaning one week before you went to visit Kuoh. Correct."

'He obtained his Sacred Gear two weeks ago and already has the level of a low-mid-level exorcist...' Under Shinka's calm gaze, Raymond's face remained seemingly unchanged.

But inside, he was highly impressed by the boy's abilities.

"Tell me, how was your relationship with your sister before she went to the city of Kuoh?"

Shinka seemed to remember some things and took a breath to speak.

"Our relationship was pretty good. We never fought or got along badly like most siblings."

"Tell me more."

"During those times, mom used to work from morning till night. I was a slacker, and I preferred to go hungry until my mother came back from work just because making an effort to do something seemed like a hassle to me."

Shinka smiled slightly, remembering those moments.

"When she saw me hungry, she would rush to the kitchen to make something for both of us. She's definitely a kind person. She was very passionate about her hobbies, but she didn't mind putting them aside if it meant helping someone else."

Raymond seemed to reflect for a few seconds.

"I understand that you want to paint your sister's image in a good light in front of me, but I need all the details. Even bad things she may have done."

Upon hearing those words, Shinka kept his composure as always, and taking a breath, he continued speaking.

"The surprising thing about her is that she never did anything wrong. For me, who saw her grow up alongside me, she was always someone with a pure character." After saying those words, Raymond's lip curved into a discreet smile.

Shinka understood him.

For him too, it was unbelievable that someone who fit those characteristics would have become a reincarnated devil.

"I understand. Tell me, how and why did you and your sister separate?"

"I can see you know the answers to these questions."

"That's right, but I want to hear it from you."

Shinka sighed.

"A little over a year ago, my mother was on a trip with my sister to visit my grandmother. Supposedly halfway through that trip, there was a serious crash, involving my mother's car, which resulted in her death."

Shinka pondered for a moment before continuing.

"My mother died but my sister survived. She had injuries that were not fatal but serious, so they transferred her to Kuoh Hospital. She spent a few days there until she was discharged, and my grandmother went to pick her up." Shinka finished his story.

"I see... Now tell me, how was your relationship with your mother?"

Raymond got straight to the point.

Shinka sighed at the question and continued.

"We were close. When she came home from work, I would tell her everything that happened in my day. She was understanding, even when I told her when I had done something wrong."

"You speak of her with a lot of affection. Did you manage to overcome her loss?"

"Before obtaining the Sacred Gear, I hadn't overcome it. I just endured it in my mind and tried to keep myself busy with constant stimuli to avoid thinking about her." Shinka took a breath.

"But when I gained the ability to improve my mind, I simply stopped thinking about it as something painful. It was useless for me to remember her as a martyr in my heart."

Raymond nodded at the boy's words. He felt sorry for him, but he put it in the back of his mind to continue with his work.

"Going back to your sister, why didn't she ever return to Takido?"

"I wondered about that too."

"So you have a theory?"

"I suppose that the accident involving my mother and my sister had something to do with something supernatural. Somehow, my grandmother understood the danger my sister was in, and I can assume she had some kind of contact with a member of the Sitri clan, and gave my sister to them to be under their protection."

Raymond closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"So, you don't condemn your sister for becoming a devil?"

Shinka let out a small laugh.

"Of course not. Under those circumstances, it was the most logical thing. She was destined to be a common human, but she was dragged into the magical world without her being able to do anything."

"But what if your theory is not correct, do you condemn her?" The man asked boldly.

Shinka looked him in the eyes, giving him a penetrating look.

"My sister would never have accepted being a devil if it weren't for a situation like the one I propose. But if my premise were wrong, then yes. Becoming a devils just to be a minion and be bound to someone who controls your actions seems foolish to me."

"You say that because you don't know the benefits of becoming a devil." Raymond refuted.

"Explain."

"When you reincarnate as a devil, your strength doubles based on the body of a supernatural being, the same happens with your mana pool. It's a huge advantage over other supernatural beings."

Shinka simply looked calmly at the man in front of him.

"If you take all that into account, Kusaka Shinka, would you agree to become a devil, to increase your strength and protect your sister?"

Shinka looked at the ceiling of the cell and closed his eyes.

"..." Raymond waited expectantly for his answer.

The boy lowered his head again to look at Raymond.

"Me? Change my race?"

The status screen opened in front of Shinka, and he remembered the first time he opened the system.

'The system grants the ability for continuous evolution of his abilities, regardless of what each one may be. All to bring the user to perfection itself.'

Shinka remembered word for word the text that appeared in front of him.

"Why would I consider degrading myself like that?"

That was the only response Shinka gave.

Raymond's eyes narrowed for a moment, and a big smile formed.

"Aren't you afraid of the possible fate that awaits you? Aren't you worried that you might be surpassed by a supernatural being?"

Shinka responded instantly.

"No."

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Raymond laughed heartily after hearing the boy.

"That's splendid to hear," he composed himself.

"So, Kusaka, I have one last question for you. Are you on the human side, or on the contrary, are you willing to act against humanity alongside the devils if it's for the sake of your sister?" Raymond's gaze turned oppressive on Shinka.

Even the boy felt it was a bit difficult to breathe.

"The world is not black or white, everything has its nuances, and you know that."

"Besides, it's stupid of you to ask that if you already know the answer. I didn't fight you because I found it amusing."

Shinka lowered his head, looking at his magical handcuffs.

"If to save my sister I must kill a thousand humans, then I will stain my hands with blood a thousand times. But if to save my uncle and aunt I must kill a thousand devils, then the Vatican will thank me a thousand times."

"I choose to act according to my will, and that's another reason not to become a slave to some high-class devil."

Shinka lifted his head and met Raymond's calm gaze.

"I joined the church because I knew about the existence of devils and fallen angels. Beings that threatened the lives of my loved ones. I swore loyalty to the church with all my faith, and I promised to protect humanity."

"But in that oath, there was also the part about protecting the interests of the church, regardless of whether they opposed the exorcist." Raymond closed his eyes for a moment.

"At that moment, I imagined the worst, a scenario where the church would force me to end innocent lives, or even those of my family members, and I opened my eyes."

Raymond suddenly stood up from his chair.

"Kusaka Shinka, you are free from suspicion of acting in concert with the devils."

The boy's eyes briefly lit up as he looked at Raymond's confident gaze.

"Do you really believe me?" Shinka was incredulous.

He knew they would let him go at some point, but he didn't expect it to be like this.

Raymond smiled.

"I am the possessor of a Sacred Gear that allows me to discern between truth and lies. I know you are not lying."

Raymond calmly walked out of the cell.

WOOSH

The door slammed shut.

"Wait, you said I'm free! Aren't you going to let me out? You haven't even taken off my handcuffs!"

Raymond gave the boy a amused expression, clearly mocking him.

"I've been monitoring your body since you were talking to my daughters. I know you figured out how to free yourself."

Shinka was stunned by the man's words.

"You knew I'd notice but surely didn't think I wouldn't take them off. HA HA HA HA!"

"I don't consider myself the intellectual type, but I do like to keep those who are guessing about what I'll do."

Shinka looked at Raymond with irritation.

"Well, good luck freeing yourself. I'll come back tomorrow morning and let you go." With a smirk of superiority.

The man calmly walked through the corridors and up some stairs.

He walked a bit further and finally arrived at the main hall of the church.

It appeared seemingly empty, but Raymond knew there were two people there.

"You two. I told you to go home."

After those words, two female figures emerged from the shadows.

"But we were really curious," Kaede spoke, while her sister nodded repeatedly.

"That's not a valid reason to disobey me. Remember-" Raymond was about to speak but was interrupted by his daughters.

"Honor your father and your mother, and your days will be prolonged."

"That's right. It's good that you remember." The man chuckled, but still continued speaking.

"So, what do you think of Shinka?" Raymond asked as he began to walk again.

His daughters followed him and seemed pensive.

"I think he's intelligent and rational, but he's too extreme with his ideas," said Kaede.

"If he thinks something, then he seems sure that it's that way. At least until you somehow make him understand otherwise. He even thought we had Sacred Gears," Shizumi added.

"You two are right. And what about his ability?"

"I think it's quite powerful. Do you know what his Sacred Gear is, Dad?" Shizumi was very curious.

"I have a theory that maybe it's the Boosted Gear." It was as if Raymond had dropped a bomb.

Both girls fell into thought.

"But that doesn't make much sense! If it were the Boosted Gear, then it would have been more difficult to defeat him, even for you," said Kaede.

"That's what I was thinking, but maybe the Boosted Gear isn't fully awakened."

Raymond seemed pensive about his complicated theories.

"The Boosted Gear allows the user to increase their physical characteristics and also abstract ones like magical energy. But if my thinking is correct, then in that semi-awakened state, Shinka managed to enhance his intelligence and from there, somehow made the enhancement ability permanent." A drop of sweat ran down Raymond's cheek.

"But how are you sure it could be the Boosted Gear?"

The man closed his eyes and continued.

"It's the only one that fits the vague description Shinka gave. And I highly doubt there's a Sacred Gear that hasn't manifested until now. It can only be the Boosted Gear."

Both girls agreed with their father's thinking.

"So what will you do with him? It sounds pretty dangerous to let him wander as he has been doing so far."

The man showed a cheeky smile to his two daughters.

"You two know the critical situation Takido is in. The church is about to abandon us completely being so close to Kuoh, which is dominated by devils."

"And things are stirring in the supernatural world. It's only a matter of time before something big happens and it doesn't bode well for Takido, so I've decided to train Shinka Kusaka to be the city's frontline defense."

"There are three days of vacation left. In this time frame, I will make Shinka's ability reach its maximum power."

Kaede was stunned by her father's confident words.

To her, it was unbelievable. Does her father really have that much faith in that boy?

She, who saw the enhancement ability of that person, understands better than anyone that it could be harmful to them.

"But will he agree to join the church?" Shizumi asked almost with stars in her eyes.

"In the interrogation, I understood a bit of his personality. It's impossible for him to join a faction, including the church."

"Then where does your confidence come from?!" Kaede couldn't help but confront her father.

He simply turned his head slightly and looked deeply into his daughter's eyes.

"My intuition doesn't fail." That's all he said.

Kaede remembered her father's primary Sacred Gear ability. Intuition.

It was a Sacred Gear considered low-level, but it was very versatile in many aspects.

Listening carefully to her father's words, Kaede remained silent.

"By the way, bring me the city directory. I need to call the Kusaka family. We need to create an alibi for the boy."

. . .

Meanwhile, in the cell deep within the church, Shinka was staring at the ceiling, with a lost look in his eyes.

As if there were no soul in his eyes.

"This place is quite empty," the boy spoke in his subconscious world.

Everything in there was pure darkness and chains that wrapped around his primal self.

"It deserves more life," he whispered, reaching out his hand to the horizon.

WOOSH

A vast green meadow stretched out before him.

The sky turned blue with some rain clouds around it, adorning it with a beautiful gray hue.

Shinka closed his eyes.

BRRRR

The ground began to rumble, and from the earth emerged a giant cathedral.

Something akin to the Sagrada Familia stood before Shinka's eyes.

The steps of the boy walking toward such a majestic temple resonated in the vastness of the place.

The temple doors rumbled as they sensed Shinka's presence approaching and swung open wide.

Shinka entered, and the first thing he saw was his primal self trapped by chains in the center.

The place was immense, the interior filled with shelves, each containing an immense number of books representing memories and knowledge of Shinka.

The boy approached his other self and gazed at its tranquility as it meditated.

"Based on my understanding of the magical handcuffs, I won't be able to remove them until I surpass the maximum amount of mana the magic caster has," Shinka opened his status and looked at his mana.

[MP: 3778/3778]

His other self had been increasing his mana pool by one point every second.

"That's a large amount..." Shinka whispered, sitting beside his other self and beginning to meditate as well.

[Mana Meditation ability enhanced ˣ2]