Chapter 29

-Griselda's POV-

Under orders from the Church, Xenovia and Irina were sent to retrieve the stolen Excalibur pieces in Kuoh Town where Valper was said to be heading for. Gabriel-sama had ordered me to watch over the girls, concerned that the forces backing Valper might be too much for them to handle.

Upon arriving in town, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary, but we quickly found ourselves lost. The map didn't show where the church was supposed to be. Fortunately, a young man provided directions and offered to walk with us.

"You're the ones sent to retrieve the stolen pieces, aren't you?" he asked.

"You're not a devil. Are you working for Valper Galilei and Kokabiel?" I questioned cautiously. I realized we should've contacted the overseers of Kuoh instead of sneaking around.

"No" he replied. "I'm your new babysitter, trespassers."

I frowned while the girls began yelling at him.

"Babysitter?! Who do you think you are?" Irina shouted, clearly losing her composure. She still needs more training. Xenovia, however, remained silent, gripping Durandal tightly.

"I'm here to make sure no one does anything stupid, on both sides" he explained.

A middleman? Interesting.

"I see, Ryou-san. Please look after us," I responded calmly.

He chuckled. "It's fine. Judging by your reactions, you expected something like this to happen."

I nodded in agreement. The girls would've attracted attention whether I was here or not.

"Well, in any case, you need to see the Princess. If she tells you to leave…" He summoned a katana it's blade was red, and it was chipped, resting it on his shoulders. With that, he unleashed his magical aura directly at us. It was corrupted but controlled. The girls froze in response.

"You'll leave," he finished, gesturing for us to follow him to what I assumed was the residence of one of the overseers.

'An interesting man indeed' I thought.

-Ryou POV-

The walk toward the Occult Research Club was silent, but the glares from Irina and Xenovia were comfortable. Fortunately, it was a short walk.

I decided to enter without knocking. Inside I was greeted by Rias, looking up from her desk with a bright smile.

"Ryou-kun! What are you doing here? I thought you were at your place?"

She stood up, and her gaze shifted to the others behind me. Noticing Griselda's height and the nun's outfit, her expression quickly changed. Rias began to release her magical aura. It was strong, though not overwhelming yet.

"What are members of the Church doing in devil territory unannounced?" she asked, her voice steady but growing tense.

I stepped aside, giving her a full view of them. Irina stepped forward, her voice sharp.

"We are on a mission on behalf of the Church to retrieve the Excalibur swords, devil."

Griselda frowned but remained silent. Rias tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.

"Is that so? Why wasn't I contacted about this? It is my territory."

Xenovia's voice cut in. "You're a devil. Holy swords are your weakness. You probably know where the fragments are."

Rias's aura flared, its intensity now much more potent. "You come into my territory and accuse me?!"

Before I could intervene, Griselda stepped forward, her hand swiftly landing on both Xenovia's and Irina's heads with a firm thwack.

"Enough. Show some respect. I apologize on their behalf, Lady Gremory," Griselda said, her tone calm but firm.

Rias's gaze turned to me. "You knew they were coming, didn't you?"

'Friendship isn't built on lies.' I responded with a partial truth. "Yeah, I figured the Church would send someone after Freed showed up, but I didn't expect them to be sent because of the Excalibur fragments."

Griselda chimed in. "We won't be staying long, maybe two weeks at most."

Rias sighed, sitting back down and letting her aura slowly recede. "Fine. I take it you're watching them, Ryou-kun?"

I nodded.

"Good. On our side, we'll keep an eye out for any unusual activities."

Griselda nodded in acknowledgment. "If it's not too much trouble."

Irina and Xenovia still scowled, but they remained silent.

"You may go now," Rias added, before turning to me. "Ryou-kun, stay for a moment."

The group of three left, and I turned back to Rias, noticing the shift in her demeanor. Her usual confident air had cracked, revealing nervousness and fear. She avoided my gaze for a few moments before speaking.

"I'm scared, Ryou-kun. I have this bad feeling... like something's going to go wrong. I just know it."

I walked around her desk, kneeling beside her. "Everything will be okay, Rias. If something happens, your brother will be here in an instant. And until he isn't, I'll be here."

She gave me a weak smile as I stood up to leave.

"Be careful, Ryou-kun." she called softly as I headed toward the door.

We headed back to the church; they had decided that's where they were going to stay. Apparently, they also intended to fix it. Lovely.

When we arrived, they barely spoke to me, aside from announcing their plans. I ended up sleeping on one of the pews. I didn't think they would try anything. Griselda didn't seem like the type to cause trouble without reason.

Just as I was about to fall asleep, I felt something being ripped away from me, no not me, but out of the Blood River. I immediately tried accessing it, and when I did, I realized the Blood River had lowered. I didn't know how I knew, but it was clear. 'Not good.'

I tried listening for the usual voices, nothing. I tried diving into the Blood River, still nothing. But just as I was about to leave, I finally heard them. Except, they weren't telling me what I wanted to hear.

"Gone."

Gone?! What do you mean, gone?!

"Nothing."

Nothing? What does that mean?

"Apocalyptic Beast."

Wait… where is it?!

"Not here."

I woke with a start, jolting upright and startling the others around me. Panic surged through me as I quickly called Azazel. 'Pick up, pick up!'

What felt like an eternity passed before he finally answered.

"W-what's going on, Ryou? Why are you cal—"

I cut him off, yelling, "Trihexa is gone!"

There was a pause. He responded after a few seconds, his voice serious. "That's not good… but don't worry. Whoever or whatever removed it shouldn't have been able to—"

Suddenly, I heard screams on his end. Magic clashed in the background.

"Azazel! What's going on over there?" I demanded, tension rising in my voice.

More screams, more sounds of battle. Finally, he spoke again. "It's here. Or at least, part of it is. We aren't doing anything to it… everything we throw at it has no effect. We're trying to evacuate people from Grigori."

I stopped listening because, when I looked up at the sky, a monstrous shape loomed above. Trihexa.

"It's here as well, Azazel."

'I wished you were wrong Rias.'