40 Chapter 40: Rebirth part 5

Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi

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-Knockbridge-

When morning arrived, I was already wide awake. That is to say, I hadn't slept at all… not even a little bit.

Raynare's naked body was draped over me as she held me into his arms like a stuffed pillow. She was sleeping soundly, snoring loud enough to embarrass a plane turbine. Since I felt this could be a slow day–or at least I hoped so–I tried forcing myself asleep. Urgent matters could wait, my eyes felt like they weighed a ton and it became easier to ignore the stench of alcohol.

I would have cherished and enjoyed these moments if the girl was a certain half-fallen devil.

For all I knew, this could have easily been a devious plot by Raynare to get revenge on me. Depriving me of sleeping was a form of torture in itself.

'When I say it like that… it kinda sounds like I had sex with her; which I didn't.'

For the past few hours, I had nothing but time to think about the others so far. Wondering how they were dealing with their 10 days training period. Knowing about Sona's inclusion along with her peerage, including Issei, created a perfect opportunity for me to uphold the promise I made to Tiamat.

She wouldn't kill him, but the boy needed to be pushed to his limits if he wanted to survive for long in the supernatural world.

I also sent Azazel as their coach, much to the dismay of Rias. He was the perfect man for the job, his expertise and years of experience will be crucial in developing the group… not to mention we needed to hurry with the sacred gear extraction with Saji.

Azazel did tell me that he had already prepared a replacement thanks to the generosity of an old friend.

For the longest time, I didn't move, listening only to the sound of her breathing. It was

the first time I spent this long doing nothing but thinking to myself.

Even if I hoped this day would be slow, I knew fate wouldn't be so kind to me… somehow Issei infected me with his protagonist's aura power. 

Yes, after careful consideration and thinking back to everything that happened so far, I came to realise that Issei was indeed the main protagonist of this world.

I took myself out of the picture and imagined what would have happened if I was never reincarnated here. The boy would have died to Raynare, then get reincarnated by either Sona or Rias… but how the bratty redhead was in the beginning–it would have been her in the end.

Having the broken power of the Welsh dragon with the main rival like Vali, Issei would have gone into an interesting adventure. Heck, for all I knew he could have also achieved his dream of becoming a harem king.

'Now I'm happy that I came here… though I still think that Akeno deserves better than me–I still can't or at least don't want to see her with someone else. I truly have come to cherish her as my own.'

"Mmnng… take that… you fucker… get speared to death." Raynare talked in her sleep, most likely having a wonderful dream of killing me, nuzzling her face into my hair... 

'Or torturing me depending on her taste.'

You know, I'm kind of glad I didn't fall asleep while this girl was on top of me. I've seen enough anime and read a lot of manga about what happens to such people. They either get slapped through a wall or get called a bloody pervert. 

Her wings were still closed in on us and the only way I knew it was morning was due to the sound of birds chirping. 

"I think you got enough sleep for the night, wake up," I said as I tried to put my hands somewhere without accidentally touching her somewhere I rather not. I noticed Raynare's breathing change and I tried pushing her away from me. 'Did she freaking drool on my head!?'

The woman refused to wake up no matter how much I shook her. So I was left with no other choice but to act as a savage.

I headbutted her! 

Bang!

"Ow!" That seemed to do the trick, as I felt her release me "Who the fuck hit me!? Oh fuck, my head is pounding"

I winced as she yelled in my ear, before I nearly gagged when I got a whiff of her morning after breath.

"What the fuck are you doing in my bed, you fucking perv?! WHY DO YOU HAVE MY UNDERWEAR IN YOUR MOUTH?!"

Right, forget about that…

Now that I was free from her grasp, I pushed her off the bed and removed the offending garment from my mouth.

"Good morning, you lazy drunk," I told her, throwing the ruined garment at Raynare's face, who gave me the finger in return, "Next time, keep your drunk ass away from the house. It's a pain in the ass to deal with."

"Hurgh…, my head… what the fuck is wrong with you!?" she said, looking up at me while massaging her aching head, sitting back on the bed, while she did her best to hide her face from the sun in her hands.

"Slept well? Cause I certainly didn't."

"You bet your ass I did, you at least make a good pillow. Too bad that's the only redeeming quality about you, ass-hat."

"It wouldn't hurt to be nice for a change."

"Says the guy who headbutted me!" she glared.

I pushed her to the side and got out of bed. Looking back I saw her naked body as she began doing stretches while moaning at the same time. 'Is she doing this on purpose?' 

"Aahhh~" She moaned once again as she arched her back until it let out a satisfying pop. "Mmm, good thing you didn't rape me last night, otherwise I would have snapped it in half before shoving it up your ass."

"..."

Akeno… I really REALLY need you right now.

{Break}

After the not-so-exciting morning with Raynare, I decided to make a small tour of the village. Walking through different avenues and taking a look at the different buildings; I noticed that a large part of the local population was still living here.

Knockbridge looked like a ghost town from afar but when I got close to it and actually took the time to check out the place, I noticed how vibrant it was from the inside. 

The small venues and shops opened for business with elderly people and young children prowling the streets. It wasn't crowded by any means. 

But I remembered Aife telling me that there was a steady stream of people leaving the village. They left abruptly without telling anyone why. These were normal people who didn't have a clue about the supernatural world, so it couldn't be because they heard of my arrival. "Just what is going on here… why are people leaving for no reason."

"Because these people have been given a better home outside."

What? I turned to my side and saw an elderly woman wearing torn clothing. A dirtied hood obscured the upper half of her face, showing off only her blackened teeth. 'Why hello there miss definitely-not-a witch, what spell are you going to use on me today?'

Her appearance, perfect timing and her unnoticed arrival was too suspicious for me. So she must be a supernatural species in disguise or a very sneaky old hag.

"What do you mean by; given a better home?"

"You heard me clearly young man, word has been spreading around that someone is buying lands and houses outside the village and giving them away for free if that person is willing to abandon their old home in Knockbridge."

Why the heck is someone doing something so… wasteful? Or… someone is trying to sneakily evacuate everyone out of town without raising any attention. 

"Are you planning on leaving as well, granny? Free real estate is not something you see every day, or ever for that matter."

"Pft! Fat chance my boy! My ancestors have lived in this land for many millennials! Ain't no way I'm leaving my house to live with those town folks." 

You look like you don't even own a clean pair of clothes let alone a house. 

"Oh, sorry I didn't ask for your name… my name is Hikigaya Hachiman by the way," I said. This woman was most likely a part of the supernatural world, so hiding my real name–which was widely infamous–didn't serve any real purpose aside from making me look even more suspicious.

"Hiki… what? You, youngsters, have such complicated names these recent years. How do you expect people to remember you with a face like that and a complicated name?"

Oi, are you messing with me, granny? I can be vicious with my words alone.

"I'm Japanese…" 

Nice comeback…

She just gave me a dismissive stare, not even impressed by my rebuttal "I don't care where ya from kiddo, to me you look the same as that Sétante brat who's been bugging me for a while. Both of you are nothing but trouble makers."

"..."

'Called it!' The moment she uttered that guy's name I immediately brought up my guard. Was she an assassin sent after me? Will I get backstabbed by a hidden switchblade? 

"Calm down sonny, yer shaking like a leaf." She laughed at me, her voice crackling like a mad witch. "I'm just an old cranky woman with nothing but time on her hands. I pose to you as much danger as a newborn stag."

Do you think I was born yesterday? 

"What about Sétante? Why are you calling us both troublemakers?"

What better opportunity than to learn more about my most likely soon-to-be enemy.

The granny who still hadn't revealed to me her name looked a bit sad, a trace of regret visible in her eyes. "Aye, that young boy has been a source of joy in the past for the village. Always helping out others for the smallest of issues… though that didn't stop him from causing small amounts of mischief here and there, hohohoho!"

"I guess something changed him," I said already seeing where this was going.

She sighed.

"No, he hasn't changed, Sétante is still the same innocent child at heart. It's just certain circumstances that have forced the boy to take on a mountain's worth of responsibilities on his shoulders at a very young age. He's doing everything he can to keep the village of his family and ancestors safe from danger… and other unsavoury people…"

I knew there was more to the story yet I refrained from asking. I was content with what I got so far.

"Alright then… I'll be going now, it's been nice talking to you, granny." As much as I liked to stick around and talk with her, I had a mission to complete. First, find the source which kept accumulating vast amounts of energy. 

What surprised me was how I couldn't feel the effect of such a spell while being in the village. My magic worked perfectly and there was no draining feeling of any sort.

'Maybe I'll find something in the woods nearby.' I called in Raynare to join me on the search. For the life of me, I just couldn't leave this waiting to happen in the village. Who knows what kind of trouble she'll get me into.

"Alright kiddo, be safe out, and please… give the other one a chance. He needs it more than anymore here."

"I'll do my best." Was all that I could promise her.

"That's all I ask…"

I'll start my search from the woods and start from there.

It's not that big of a place, how long can it take?

…

(Two days later)

"This is pointless!" Screamed a fed-up fallen angel, stomping beside me in frustration, while scaring several birds from the area. "We have been running circles around these woods yet still haven't found a single fucking clue!"

"If you'd put the same amount of effort in your search as you do complaining then we would have gotten somewhere." 

"Kiss my ass." 

"No thanks, I already got a mouthful when you sat on my face yesterday while you were drunk… again" Like seriously, was there ever a time this girl wasn't intentionally not causing me more trouble? It's been three days since we've come here and every day it was always something new with her. 

I was used as a pillow by her naked self. The same thing happened on the second day. I tried sleeping on the sofa for once and woke up the next day with her again being butt naked and sitting on my face while watching the TV! Wasn't she scared of me or something!? Didn't she remember how I literally used her head as a battering ram against the wall!? 

Oh right, maybe I hit her head so hard that she somehow became even more stupid! There is no other explanation.

'Just how did Kala ever fall in love with her in the past?' It was a miracle how my secretary/evil temptress turned out the way she was today while having been under the guide of this idiot.

Maybe Raynare's a hardcore twisted masochist that got off the pain I put her through… Honestly, I don't know at this point and I don't want to know.

I felt like I was in one of those shitty hentai plot anime where any situation could lead to a porn scene! 

Too bad for you universe, I ain't falling for that shit unless we're dealing with my girlfriend cause then it's pretty much a free-for-all.

"Hey, look! I finally found something!" 

To my surprise, it was Raynare who found the first clue. 

"What is it?" 

"Look here, I found some runes." She said while pointing at a large rock with two characters engraved on it. Or rather, just like she said, it was two runes. One looks like a fork ᛉ and the other is hard to describe but resembled two upside-down 1s, ᛇ.

"Well, at least we found something… too bad we don't know what they actually mean." I may be a magician who studied in many different fields of magic, but I never dabbled with runes or anything outside modern and Indian magical system. Learning Vajra kinda required me to get familiar with foreign magical systems.

If only I had someone who could read rune it would—

"—I can read it," Raynare said.

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What?

"What?"

My brain short-circuited as I couldn't grasp what this lazy, alcoholic, cowardly, and sometimes dumb woman just said.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you that shocked that I know how to read runes!?"

I wouldn't say shock… more along the lines of unexpected.

"Well yeah, how can you know how to read runes when you're… " 

"Are you calling me dumb!?" She screamed in rage, looking ready to punch me in the face.

"I'm not calling you smart either! Just how did you come to learn this?" My curiosity did pike a bit at this new information.

She snorted, crossing her arms under her ample chest, making them more pronounced "I was an angel created by God himself! We are ageless beings who have been around for a long time like many other millions of Fallens and Angels! I've been around way longer than some of the other pantheon gods! So of course at one point I'd learned to read runes and several other types of languages!" She explained, looking quite haughty from her explanation, but she gave me a glare that would've made old me piss his pants. "Also, if you ask me how old I am, I'll kill ya!"

Never ask a girl her age, got it.

 I'll ask Azazel later, when she's not around.

'Wow, I never thought of it like that… it's kinda hard to wrap my head around the fact that Raynare is probably one of the oldest beings I knew of.' But it still begged the question…

"If you're so old, then why are you so… weak?" What else can I say aside from why she sucked so bad. Being alive around the time of the great war between the three factions, those who were weak got killed on the battlefield with only the strong surviving.

Raynare gave me an odd look then sneered as if I was the biggest idiot she saw. "Don't you remember Dohnaseek? Well, he was a keeper of knowledge before the great war, and look–he's weaker than me. Not everyone went to the front lines, some of us had to remain behind and make sure that our faction didn't collapse from the inside."

Oh, that makes sense…, I was too rash in my judgement of Raynare. She does have her faults–a lot of them–but that still didn't change the fact that she was an ancient being who had knowledge of things unknown to me. Rune reading being a good example.

"Anyways, can you translate these runes for me?"

"Promise to buy me whatever I want in the future." She said with a wicked grin, annoying me in the process.

This girl! Give me back the respect I had for you a few seconds ago!

"Fine! Just tell me what it means." I said in defeat.

"Hehehe, finally! So, ᛇ, reads as Eiwas, it can mean many different things but here I'd say it says 'Magic'. While for ᛉ, this read as Algiz, which–in this context–means defence or protection. So we most likely have a magical wall-like defence, made here to ward off any trespasser and hide in the environment." For once she talked normally without insulting me. "At least that's what it's supposed to do but then again a piece of shit like you got here so… yeah." I talked too soon.

"So how can we get access to this hidden lair?"

"I don't know, you either have to be stronger than the one who placed these runes or be a runemaster. Though I've dealt with enough runes which were powered by underground magical energy veins or a powerful spirit. So find something else."

Good thing I got one of the most convenient tools for such a situation.

I had an idea on how to dispel the spell. "Stand aside," I told Raynare as I called out my sacred gear. Raynare flinched a bit when she saw it, she still held a slight amount of trauma from the day we met.

She'll get used to it.

[Delete Field]! 

A black dome of energy spread around the forest encompassing a large part of it into total darkness.

Bzt!

The runes on the rock flickered a bit before more runes appeared, showing me a phrase I couldn't read. Thankfully Raynare was here to help. "That's ᛈᚱᛟᛏᛖᚲᛏᛁᛟᚾ, meaning protection."

The runes flickered even more before breaking apart like shards of glasses.

The earth shook as the ground began changing form. A large crack appeared below where an entrance to an underground cave made itself visible to us.

"I think we've found the location of our problem. There is a thin line of energy flowing inside the cave." I said to myself noticing the change in the atmosphere. "Let's go."

I dreaded what was waiting for me down there.

…

We walked down a flight of stairs that descended hundreds of metres downwards. We kept our pace for the last hour, Raynare holding a bright ball of holy energy. 

"Can't believe I'm being used as a glorified flashlight. What's next? A fucking fleshlight!?" She muttered.

I ignored her, not wanting to get in another argument with the fallen.

The air got colder the lower we descended, with patches of ice formed along the walls of the cave. White smoke escaped our mouths every time we took a breather.

I could feel that we were soon going to reach the end and we did like the end of the stairs was in sight.

When we reached the end, there was a small path leading us to an old wooden door built so deeply in such a place.

We approached the gates and I immediately noticed the slight scent of iron in the air. "Blood…"

We braced ourselves, I called out my sacred gear while Raynare formed a single spear of light.

"Don't get us killed, you bastard." 

"I know."

Creak…

As I pushed the doors open, it made a slight creaking sound. The ball of holy light was sent forward to illuminate the inside. Making me see the source of the smell of blood.

"-!?"

A large blood puddle filled the room, steaming from the contact with the extremely cold air. In the middle of it was the corpse of a man in armour speared right in the chest by a nasty-looking spear. 

Blood was still dripping from the shaft into the impossibly large puddle which resembled more a pond than a puddle. How such a large amount originated from a single person was unknown to me.

At the corner of my eye, I also saw a large golden chariot attached to the skeleton of a horse.

My voice was stuck in my throat as I continued to stare at the corpse. I couldn't believe my eyes, was my suspicion wrong all this time?

I recognized this man. 

After all, we had a conversation not so long ago. 

Having a manly face which I saw two days ago along with the tricoloured hair, this was none other than…

"Sétante?"

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