2 A new path has been set

"This is the Vatican?"

Looking at the city flooded and bustling with humans, I couldn't help but notice how congested it is. And kind of seemed underwhelming for the reputation the city had as "The Holy See."

"You will get used to it as time goes," Griselda said while looking at me with a faint smile. Oh! By the way, this woman's name is Griselda Quarta, a high-ranking member of the Catholic Church, though I am pretty sure I don't remember seeing a character with her name or her face in Highschool DxD season 1 or 2, which happens to be the only seasons that I watched.

And strangely, my intuition tells me that this woman is some kind of important side character or something considering her last name is "Quarta" so she must be somehow related to that blue-haired holy bimbo, a distant cousin perhaps.

"If you say so," I said while giving the blond woman a simple nod.

"So you are some bigshot or something?" I asked the woman bluntly, though a sane part of me said that I should have asked more politely. I just decided against it, as this woman seemed more like someone who appreciates a casual attitude than being polite, and all of that polite thing won't suit a naive 10-year-old kid who got caught in some traumatic experience and survived to tell the tale.

"Fufufu~ what made you think as such? As far as I remember, I am just a devotee of the holy father, none less, none more."

Yeah! But one thing is for sure: this woman has some screws loose in her head.

"So what does it mean to be an exorcist?" I asked curiously.

"Well, an exorcist is someone who performs an exorcism, which is the act of expelling evil spirits or devils from a person, place, or object," Griselda explained. "Basically, exorcists are tasked with protecting people from the influence of evil spirits and devils. We use our knowledge and faith to identify and combat these entities and drive them out," she added.

I nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. "So, you fight devils? Like with swords and stuff?"

Griselda chuckled. "No, not necessarily. While some exorcists may use physical means to combat demons, like holy water or relics, most of our work is done through prayer, ritual, and magic. It is the power of faith that allows us to confront these dark forces and overcome them."

"I see; it must be a cool job, I guess," I said. So the "power of faith" must be the holy power given by the angels to humans, or rather the ability to wield the elements of "holy" and "light."

Griselda smiled at me kindly. "Yes, it is, and though it can be a dangerous and challenging path, it is a noble one. And if you ever feel lost or afraid, just remember that you are not alone. The Holy Father and all of us in the Church are here to support and guide you."

Yeah, yeah, whatever. I wish I could have said that out loud.

"Well anyways, here we have reached our destination," Griselda said while pointing at a massive cathedral. I also noticed one thing: we came into a rather remote location of the city, as this place didn't have any tourists around instead the people here were wearing some kind of priestly uniform, and all had rosaries around their necks.

So it means they are all exorcists or priests, and the area I am currently in must be off-limits to the general public. We walked into a big wooden building which was actually a training ground for young exorcists. It was a large hall with high ceilings, wooden beams, and mat-covered floors. There were several training stations set up around the hall, each with its own wooden dummies, targets, and practice weapons.

I could see kids of various ages practising their swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and magical abilities. Some were swinging wooden swords with perfect form, while others were chanting spells and summoning elements. There were also older exorcists supervising the training and providing guidance to the younger ones. They wore more elaborate priestly garments and had various runes and cross hanging from their belts and necks.

As Griselda led me through the hall, I couldn't help but feel intimidated by the young exorcists' skills and abilities. It was clear that they had been training for years and were already proficient in combat and magic. I am pretty sure if that swing hits me, it will do some serious damage to me. I couldn't help but shiver just thinking about it.

Damm! Supernatural world, if humans kids of my age seem this powerful, then what about other supernatural creatures, and what about beings like the four demon kings? I am pretty sure I would be squashed like a pulp with a mere gaze.

Griselda led me to a small room at the back of the building, where I saw a middle-aged man sitting at a desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper. He looked up as we entered, and his eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Ah, you must be the young lad that Griselda has been telling me about," he said, his voice soft and kind.

I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed by his presence. There was something about him that made me feel at ease, though. Maybe it was the way he smiled at me or the way his eyes sparkled with warmth and kindness.

"My name is Caesar Villiers," he said, holding out his hand. I shook it tentatively, feeling a little awkward.

"So, Griselda tells me that you have had quite an experience," he said, his eyes studying me intently.

I nodded, feeling a little nervous. I wasn't sure what exactly happened to the previous Freed, as I know he was used as a lab rat for some glorious experiment, but the issue is I don't have previous memories of the Freed, so I was a bit weirded out when I received pity like this, and the most optimum thing to do in this situation is to remain silent.

"It's okay," Caesar said, sensing my discomfort. "You don't have to tell us everything right now. But we want you to know that you are safe here. You are among friends."

I nodded again. Well, what else can I really do?

"Well, anyways, welcome to the Vatican Exorcist Academy, Freed Sellzen. For the next five years, I will be in charge and your trainer, and I will make a fine exorcist out of you. You can leave Griselda, and Freed can follow me; since you are quite late to join, we will have to test your level," the man said as he stood up from his desk.

"Go easy on the boy, old man! And Freed, be a good boy, and listen to the old fart well, okay?~" Griselda said with a playful smile as she vanished and blitzed out of the place in less than a second.

"You insolent brat!" Caesar screamed, but his scream only echoed through the air because Griselda had already vanished from the scene. The man could only sigh as he walked to the main hall, while I followed him quietly.

"Everyone gather," Caesar said as all the trainees immediately fell into a line while looking at him with stern expressions.

I could feel a few curious glances over me, but they were all subtle and not noticeable if you don't have a keen sense. It is quite humbling to see that they are even taught about information gathering and its basics in the exorcist's training. It is a pity that true exorcists were never given a chance to appear in the show, as what they showed in the name of exorcists were a crazy man with mental issues (which is me now), a bimbo muscle head, and a stupid baselessly fanatical devotee.

"From today another comrade will be joining your batch; this is Freed Sellzen; he is your junior by a few months, so treat him well and help him cope with you guys, is that understood?" Caesar asked loudly.

"Did he say Sellzen? Is the new kid related to Lord Pope?"

"Didn't you hear the rumours? He must be the adopted grandson of the Lord Pope!"

"Adopted? This kid sure is lucky!"

"Damm! I am jealous."

I managed to hear a few murmurs floating around here and there. I managed to include two things from this: first, pope Sellzen is a big shot in the Catholic Church, and I am going to get some unwanted attention due to my status. This is not a good start for a weakling like me! And this thought left me troubled, and I wasn't the only one troubled, as I could see Caesar's face twitching in anger.

"I asked, am I understood or not?" Caesar's voices resounded like thunder throughout the hall, instantly silencing the murmurs while scaring the shite out of the trainees as they were all trembling.

"Yes sir." Everyone said it with a military salute.

"Good! Now resume your training!"

Caesar nodded approvingly as he saw everyone falling back to their respective training and went near a rack where training weapons were kept. He grabbed a sword and threw it at me, which I managed to catch with a little effort as the sword happened to be much heavier than I anticipated.

[Enchanted Wooden Sword]

[Quality: G+]

[Durablity: 30/30]

[Attack Power: 8~15]

[Description: It's a mass-produced wooden sword that is enchanted with a durability and sharpness rune and a standard sword issued to the exorcist trainee. Although it is better than an ordinary wooden sword and made for a practical purpose, there is still nothing special about it.]

So is this one of my powers? Kind of neat.

"Under normal conditions, I would have trained you from the basics, but that won't be needed for you considering the blood within you. So we will move into direct sparring; you will spar with your direct senior, who has been training for about 3 months already and has just finished the basics, so it will be a fair battle." Caesar said with a smile while looking in another direction, "Irina Shidou, come here!"

As soon as he said that, a girl around my age with chestnut-coloured hair that was styled in twin tails came forward with glittering eyes. She was wearing the standard white garment worn by the female trainees, and I could feel the burning curiosity in her gaze as she looked at me.

"Hey! I'm Irina Shidou; nice to meet you, Freed Sellzen! Let's be friends, okay?" she said while fanatically shaking my hands. She is quite quick; she managed to sneak into my private space without me even noticing. And I always hated extroverts.

"That's enough, Irina; no need to scare him; let him breathe," Caesar said as he forcefully pulled the girl away.

"Aww, you are no fun, teacher!" she said while pouting at Caesar.

"So Freed and Irina, you two will be sparring; consider this a practice battle; whoever scores a point first shall be considered the winner, and no fatal attacks, understood?" Caesar said as he moved away from us. Irina, in the meantime, removed her sword from her back; it was a wooden katana, unlike my European sword. Katana indicates that she is a speed and skill type, which is exactly opposite to me, as even though I'm weak, I consider myself more of a power type, so the European sword would be more suitable for me rather than a Katana.

"Okay, let's make this more interesting—the loser will have to clean the toilets for next week, while the winner gets this," Caesar said as he pulled a small dagger with a red hilt from his coat. It looked nothing fancy except for the fact that it was releasing a faint trace of holy energy, but it was something that made my eyes wide, as I definitely wasn't expecting to see it here.

[Black Key]

[Quality: E-]

[Durablity: 200/200]

[Attack Power: 25~150] (Depends on the target)

[Description: It's a rare weapon made from blessed metals, imbued with a minor concept of purification, that is especially effective against beings with an evil alignment. Even though it is a conceptual weapon, it is just considered a rare weapon rather than an artefact, as the concept imbued in it is a minor one and can be mass-produced with the help of angelic grace. However, interestingly, it is not a weapon originating from this world?]

This is definitely more interesting, and though I was planning to lose to reduce getting in the limelight, it seems fate is playing with me. I cannot miss the opportunity to get my hands on a black key. This is a world where devils and beings with evil alignment can be found like cabbages so something like a black key is simply a god sent at the early stages.

"Freed, even though I consider you my friend, I still cannot clean those stinky toilets. I'm sorry, but I will have to defeat you. Oh! Holy, holy Father, forgive my sin for scheming against my new friend!" She said this while getting into a stance and pointing her weapon at me with a serious glint in her eyes.

So she does have a serious side to her, well anyways...

"There is no way, I'm losing!"

'The best way to win this spar fair and square, without getting into the limelight!'

[A new path has been set!]

[Next Path: Throw the sword at Caesar in the next 7 seconds.]

Huh?

~~~END~~~

A/N: I have set Freed's age to match Hyoudou Issei's timeframe so that he would be around 17 years old when the main plot begins. Freed is older than Irina and the main cast by 5 to 6 years in canon because, as far as I know, he is in his early 20s. However, for the sake of plot convenience, I have set his age to the same as Hyoudou Issei. As far as I'm aware, I hope it's not a major deal.