Chapter 81 - The friend of a friend

"You know that when I said that I'm fine with you and Tsubaki showing me the capital, I didn't mean being escorted with a carriage, right?"

"I already apologized, didn't I? No matter what I said my mother was adamant about us using a carriage otherwise she would have forbade me and Tsubaki leaving the house."

"I mean I understand that she wants the best for you, but still did we really have to come here in such a, I don't know, fancy way?"

Before Sona could say anything, Tsubaki, who for most of the trip stood silent, decided to explain something to Thomas. "Thomas, I don't know how much you have heard or read about the devil society, but usually when people belonging to the pillar families don't just wander in the capital like one of the people that live there. However, there are some exceptions as you might have already realized one such example is Serafall-sama. That's why the rest of us have to use this rather not-so-discreet means of transportation."

"That makes sense," Thomas finally spoke up, breaking the silence that had settled in the carriage ride, "While I see no benefit for this other than just showing everyone who I am and how much prestige I have, I still want to apologize if my previous comments sounded ungrateful. It's just that I'm not accustomed to such luxuries for something normal in my world."

"No need to apologize, Thomas. I should have explained it earlier. The devil society has its own set of customs and expectations, and appearances hold a certain significance for many devils. But I assure you, today we'll explore the city on foot, since compared to a friend of mine, I too hate all the spotlight that one gets from using a carriage."

Tsubaki nodded in agreement, happy that the awkward tension between her King and the boy the two of them had befriended. "Don't worry Thomas, we'll show you the city from a more down-to-earth perspective. There are many fascinating places to visit."

As the carriage approached the city, Thomas couldn't help but be awestruck by its grandeur. Tall buildings, adorned with all kinds of extravagant-looking designs, towered above them. The streets were bustling with devils of different species, all going about their daily lives. It was a sight, unlike anything Thomas had ever seen before, even back at Hogwarts or in Diagon Alley.

When they reached their destination, Sona, Thomas, and Tsubaki stepped out of the carriage and Thomas couldn't be any happier to finally leave that thing. After leaving the carriage, the three of them walked side by side, blending into the crowd as they made their way through the busy streets. Sona took the lead, guiding Thomas to various places that she found to be quite interesting.

As they walked through the bustling streets of the devil capital, Thomas couldn't help but notice the diverse array of beings surrounding them. He was sure that these were devils, but a lot of them weren't humans and that sight fascinated Thomas, and he couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.

"Sona, I've been meaning to ask. I've noticed that not all of the beings here look like what I would typically imagine as devils. Are they all devils or are they tourists from some other factions?"

Sona glanced at the different people passing by before responding. "No, not all of them are devils in the strictest sense. Many of them are what we call 'reincarnate devils. You see, when beings die and by some luck, there is a devil nearby they might be able to use their pieces to reincarnate the beings dying or that are dead as devils. The same thing can happen even if the being is alive as you might already know."

After answering Thomas' question, Sona and Tsubaki took Thomas toward the place where all of the political stuff happens. The place was way too huge for its own good, but Thomas had to admit that it did look nice, maybe that's why the devils made this their main hub for political talks and stuff that belongs to diplomacy and internal affairs. Sadly, as they didn't have any official business there, none of them were allowed to enter, not without having to use their Serafall privilege that Sona begged Thomas not to use in exchange for a favor, which Thomas reluctantly agreed to gain.

Next, Sona and Tsubaki took Thomas into the Demon Gardens, where lush flora and exquisite sculptures adorned the place. Yes, the statues were nice and quite interesting looking, but that's not what Thomas salivate. Not even, close. The number of plants that were deemed extinct by the wizards almost gave him a heart attack. Tens if not hundreds of plants that Thomas would pay anything to get were there exposed to everyone to see, but sadly no matter how much he wanted to get them, Thomas knew that without a proper place to plant them, these beautiful and extremely rare plants will only die.

Tsubaki was the first one to notice that Thomas seem interested in those plants and for some reason she wondered why? Yes, he was a wizard, but what about it? Do wizards use plants to increase their strength? Therefore, before she could think too much about it, Tsubaki decided to ask Thomas for an answer about this.

"Thomas, if I may ask, why do you seem so fascinated by these plants?"

Upon hearing her question, both Sona and Thomas turned towards her. Unlike Thomas who smiled at her question, happy to answer her, Sona wondered why her queen asked such a question. But then she remember something she had read about a branch of magic that the wizards and witches of the United Kingdom learned.

"About that, you girls know that I'm a wizard right? So as one, we are kind of forced to learn about potions and plants. While many hate the subject or plain disastrous, there are some like me who genuinely love or are interested in these two subjects and want to improve. I'm one of those people, and while I'm not ashamed to admit that I start to learn about potions to cure my mother from a wound I had inflicted upon her, I slowly started to fall in love with the subject, doing everything in my power to get better and better at making potions."

Upon hearing Thomas's response, both Sona and Tsubaki look at each other in surprise. Tsubaki was surprised to hear that Thomas was a potion maker, while Sona was surprised to hear that Thomas is learning about this art to help his mother. It was a noble quest that very few people would take, but that only makes Thomas even more interesting in their eyes.

"Thomas, if your mother was injured, why didn't you seek help from us or our family? You definitely know that my family has one of the best medical facilities and expertise in the devil society."

Thomas sighed softly. He was happy to hear Sona saying this, but his mother's wound is nothing easy to fix, not even for the devils. "I appreciate your concern, Sona. However, the truth is that my mother's injury is not something that can be healed by conventional means. When I was little, I awoke my magical powers, and that caused quite the scene. Unfortunately, that led to some glass being broken and my mother getting her neck cut and with it her vocal cords. Thankfully, she was saved in time, but she lost her ability to speak. I've asked Aunty Lilith about this and she told me that right now there's no way to fix that, not even here in the underworld. That's why I didn't bother you and Sera since I didn't want to get some false hope."

Sona's eyes widened in shock as Thomas revealed the true nature of his mother's injury. The weight of the situation settled upon her shoulders, and a wave of concern washed over her. She exchanged a worried glance with Tsubaki, both of them realizing the immense burden that Thomas had been carrying.

"Thomas, I... I had no idea. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother's injury."

Tsubaki nodded in agreement. "Blaming yourself for what happened is not fair. Accidents happen, and it was not your fault. You were just a child."

Thomas looked down, keeping his eyes on his hands. "I know logically that it wasn't my fault, but... sometimes, I can't help but feel responsible. My awakening caused that chain of events, and if it wasn't for that, my mother wouldn't have been injured. It's hard to shake off that guilt. But because of that, I work so hard to find a way to cure her."

None of the girls said anything after hearing Thomas, instead the two of them choose to stay silent as the three of them continue walking around the garden, with Thomas writing down some of the plants he had seen on a small notebook that he kept inside a pouch he had bought from the goblins. The little thing was big enough to put anything as big as an adult hand through it and thanks to the undetectable extension charm put on it, it got more than enough space to store many things.

Just as they were about to make their way out of the garden, someone called out Sona's name. They turned their heads to see a young devil with crimson hair waiving at them as she and two other girls made their way towards Sona, Thomas, and Tsubaki.

"I didn't expect to see you here Sona," Rias said before looking at Thomas. "Who is he? Your new servant?"

Sona shook her head. "No, Rias. This is Thomas Grayson, a wizard, and a friend. And Thomas this is Rias Gremory, heiress of the Gremory family. She's that friend I told you about."

Thomas greeted Rias and her two friends with a respectful bow. It was a gesture he had learned from Tsubaki, knowing it was the appropriate way to greet someone of importance in the devil society.

"Hello, Rias Gremory," Thomas said with a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you and your friends."

Rias returned the smile before she too greeted him. "Likewise, Thomas Grayson. "

After Thomas and Rias greeted each other, Rias took the opportunity to introduce her Queen and her new rook. "Thomas, Sona, Tsubaki, this is Akeno Himejima, my Queen. And this quiet girl here is Koneko Toujou, one of the newest members of our peerage."

Akeno smiled at Thomas while Koneko simply stared at him with not a lot of emotion on her cute face. Not wanting to outright ask what's wrong with the little girl, Thomas just smiled at them, before once again introducing himself, since that was the right thing to do.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two. As Sona had said before, I'm Thomas Grayson and a soon to be second-year student at Hogwarts. "

Hearing Thomas' words, Akeno raised her hand to her mouth covering it before she spoke, "Ara, ara is Sona-sama going to such lengths to get herself a young and promising wizard?"

Before Sona or Tsubaki could say anything, Thomas shook his head before responding to the teasing of the black haired girl. " While, I can't say that I know Sona and Tsubaki all that well like Rias, I can definetly say that Sona is not someone that would go to such lengths to plot such a thing. At least I hope so,after all it would be a pity to lose all three of them ."

This time though, all three girls(Rias' side) looked at Thomas strangely not understanding what he meant by saying "lose all three of them" since they can only see Sona and Tsubaki. So after a few seconds, Rias decides to ask him what he meant by that.

"Ano, Thomas-kun what did you mean by 'to lose all three of them'?"

"Oh, I was talking about Sona, Tsubaki and Sera. We kind of become friends?"

"Sera like in Serafall-sama?"

"I mean is there any magical girl named Levi-tan?"

This time thought even Sona and Tsubaki were surprised to hear the tone Thomas used when he referred to Serafall, making everyone realize that the bubbling Satan actually befriended this boy to such a degree that it made him happy.

Not wanting to open this Pandora box, Sona decided to change the subject. "Anyways, Rias, when did you get your new rook?"

"A few days ago. Oni-chan found her and brought her to me. She's quite but she's a nice girl. I'm sure you and Tsubaki will like her."

As Rias and Sona continued their conversation about Koneko, Thomas took out his notebook and began reviewing the notes he had made about the plants he had seen in the garden. Lost in his thoughts, he felt a warm presence and the sensation of someone hugging him from behind. Startled, he turned his head to find Akeno Himejima leaning over his shoulder, her head peering curiously at his notebook.

Surprised by the sudden closeness, Thomas blinked in astonishment. While he had been hugged by girls before, he hadn't expected Akeno to be so comfortable and affectionate with him. He quickly regained his composure and offered her a friendly smile. "Akeno, is there something you're interested in seeing?"

Akeno chuckled softly, "I notice you taking something and I was curious to see what you've been jotting down. Mind if I take a look?"

Deciding it wouldn't hurt, Thomas nodded and tilted the notebook towards Akeno, allowing her a closer view. As Akeno scanned the notes, her eyes widened with genuine interest. "These are detailed descriptions of the plants in the garden. It's impressive that you took the time to observe and record them. Are you interested in botany?"

"Yes, I find plants and their properties fascinating. It's not just about their physical appearance but also the magical properties they possess. In the wizarding world, certain plants are used for potions."

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