Chapter 87

"Rest assured, Baraquiel. Nothing will happen to the boy. Perhaps you should best make use of this time by visiting your daughter. Akeno, was it? Her temporary residence should currently be in the homestead of the Belial's daughter."

"..."

Baraquiel knew to take a hint when he saw one. He was being dismissed in quite the kindest of ways. Even if he had the power, he would not fight when he received news of his daughter, especially when he just received confirmation that the blonde would be alright.

So nodding his head lightly, he spoke.

"Thank you."

Su!

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|DxD|

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After leaving Nandi, Baraquiel flew towards Kuoh without further hesitation. The only thing on his mind right now was seeing his daughter. It was his foremost desire, the need to see his own flesh and blood in front of him. As for Shuri's corpse, he didn't want to touch it, not yet.

The malevolent energy that was in the area strangely didn't harm her body like it did the other plant matter. Rather, it seemed to hover around her like a barrier. Baraquiel knew that if he tried to move her body, then he may risk decaying or damaging it further if he were to try and take it through field of malevolent energy. So as he flew back from meeting Nandi, he could only fly forward, his head only briefly diverting to take a look at the corpse of his wife.

Black lightning coiled around his body like a snake, his speed increasing tremendously until his form began blurring. He seemingly disappeared from sight, his speed allowing him to cover kilometres in less than an instant.

Having reached the outskirts of Kuoh, anyone who looked into the sky wouldn't be able to see him. He flew over the town, not caring in the slightest for the damage he saw. It was chaotic down below but order had begun to take place. Various trucks and vans now filled the streets as well as construction machinery that was brought in for the relatively high-standing buildings. Sweepers were roaming the streets with the equipment they used to get most of the glass shards off the roads and pave the way for vehicles. Although crime was relatively low in the town, police officers and troopers could be seen roaming the streets with their greatest focus being in the areas of commerce. With windows destroyed and electrical devices such as cameras down, it was up to them to stop any opportunistic civilian from trying to take advantage. At least for today, Kuoh could be considered to have come to a crippling stop with numerous businesses having been forced to close for the day.

Baraquiel only had one destination in his mind and he would have to travel a bit further to reach it. Having slowed down his speed, the cadre maintained a high altitude as well as applied some obscuring magic.

Upon reaching the richer neighbourhoods of Kuoh, he flew towards the prestigious houses that were built on the hills until finally, he spotted Cleria's house. It was a relatively small estate with two floors and pristine gardens surrounding it. With high-raised fences, neatly trimmed lawns and a fountain in the middle, the landscape oozed serenity.

Baraquiel could spot a few devils and familiars roaming around the house with construction hats on their heads, a clear sign that Cleria's house had also suffered damages and had just been repaired. It would've been concerning for him as a fallen angel to suddenly visit, but he recognised that all the devils and familiars here were part of Cleria's peerage, meaning there was no cause for alarm.

Anxious as he was to see Akeno, Baraquiel knew he should at least follow proper decorum towards someone who took in his child instead of rushing into the room where he sensed his daughter. So landing on the ground, he made his presence aware to the woman who seemed to be tending to one of the plants by the door.

She had short black hair that neatly flowed down her sides and she appeared to be around the age of fourteen. With a modest white checkered dress and green gardening gloves, she hummed happily, seemingly lost in her world as she gently tended to the flowers.

Knowing that she didn't hear him landing, Baraquiel decided to attract her attention.

"Greetings."

The little lady was startled as she dropped her hand gardening fork.

"Oh my."

She bent down to pick it up before turning towards the fallen.

"Oh? Good morning Baraquiel-san. You are here to see Akeno, yes?"

Baraquiel nodded to her question. Looking at her now, he vaguely recognised her as Lina, one of Cleria's bishops.

"Yes. Please let me see her immediately."

Lina replied with a smile.

"I see. Then please follow me."

She got up and dusted herself before opening the two relatively large doors to the house and led the way in. The inside was a relative mix of retro and modern with a heavier lean towards the former. From the chandeliers to the windows, it was a mix of the interior design from the 1940's to a few of some of the more recent designs released in the early '90s. Right in front of them was a carpeted stairwell and it was where Lina led the cadre.

Starting to climb them, she turned to the fallen with a closed-eye smile.

"Akeno-san is currently under the care of Cleria-sama. You can rest assured that she is in good hands."

"Thank you."

His fists were clenched in nervousness, but his composure remained as he was led up the stairs. They made their way to the top before turning left into a long passage filled with clandestine lighting that illuminated ancient paintings which seemed to stem from the times of the Renaissance. There were a few rooms placed parallel to each other with individual artworks placed above the doorposts and right at the end of the hallway, it led to a balcony that led to the view of manicured lawns.

They continued walking down the passageway until Lina stopped. It was vague, but inside they could hear the muffled cries of a little girl and the comforting words of another woman. Baraquiel could barely hold himself back from rushing into the room, his apprehension and fatherly concern threatening to overtake him. But Lina managed to grab his hand and shot him a mean glare.

She then gestured towards Baraquiel with her finger to stay quiet.

"..."

Having received the fallen's nod of acquiescence, she then proceeded to gently knock on the door thrice before speaking.

"Cleria-sama. A…"

She then glanced towards him before continuing.

"...special guest has arrived."

"..."

There was silence for a while before the knob turned to reveal Cleria. There were noticeable bags under her eyes and a relatively large wet patch of tears on her formal dress. The moment the silverette spotted Baraquiel, she closed the door before turning to him with an angry snarl on her face.

She lashed out at him in an angry whisper.

"Where were you?!"

"I-"

Not giving Baraquiel time to answer, she grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

"Follow me!"

Cleria walked forward away from Akeno's room with Baraquiel in tow. As for Lina, she remained behind and she could be heard asking if Akeno wanted some refreshments in a soothing voice. Baraquiel faltered, wanting to at least hear more of his daughter's voice, but Cleria wouldn't allow him that privilege. Yanking him forward, she opened the door to her office before throwing him inside.

*Bam*

Slamming the door shut, she slapped her hand on it where a magic circle formed and vanished before turning towards Baraquiel.

"WHERE WERE YOU, BARAQUIEL?!?!?!"

Nothing could describe the pure anger that was emanating from those red eyes from her.

"Over twenty minutes have passed! So tell me. Where…the hell…WERE YOU!!!"

He couldn't provide an answer. Rather, it was too shameful for him to even speak. His head was lowered in guilt, clear remorse on his face. It did not matter that Cleria was many times weaker than him. The regret he felt in his heart was far…far too much and by all rights, he felt he deserved this, if not more.

And Cleria would certainly deliver more.

"Show me your forearms."

"..."

Apparently, silence was not the best choice.

"Show me your forearms!"

Baraquiel hesitated, but Cleria wasn't having it.

"SHOW ME!!!!"

Silently, Baraquiel rolled up the sleeves to reveal the very distinct blue marks engraved on his forearms.

"..."

Upon seeing them, Cleria couldn't speak. Her eyes widened in shock to what she was seeing. The moment she saw the fallen, she noticed his clothes were not damaged in the slightest, meaning he wasn't in a fight that could potentially delay him from coming. The next option was if the magic notification failed to reach him, but clearly it did.

She couldn't help but look at Baraquiel, her eyes growing misty with each passing second.

"Baraquiel. My friend is lying dead on the forest floor. I have been here, comforting Akeno who has repeatedly told me that she hates her fallen blood. Do you know what the Himejima called her? They called her…"

A choked sob came out of her throat, her tears now falling in full force.

"Baraquiel. Where were you?"

She asked softly, her voice pleading for him to answer. But again, the fallen couldn't reply, and that was enough to set her switch off.

"Damnit, Baraquiel!!!"

She flew forward and grabbed him by the scruff of the clothes.

"WHERE WERE YOU! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN YOUR WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE…*sniff* *sniff*"

Her eyes widened as disbelief filled them. Her gaze became hollow as she looked at Baraquiel like the biggest scum on earth. She took a few steps back as if being even a centimetre closer to him was unbearable.

She looked at him, her heart beating wildly as rage-infused blood pumped through her body.

"A-a woman? YOU WERE WITH A WOMAN?!?!"

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AN

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Sorry for the delay in updating. I was delayed on Friday which eventually made me unable to update until today. I do however have two chapters and I hope you enjoyed this one and will enjoy the next.