Chapter 18: Woman In The High Castle

(Third Person) 

Devil Capital, Lilith. 

The air was quiet over the venue that had been reserved for the memorial dedicated to honoring those who had fallen during the Mortis Campaign. 

Avalon stood at the front row, wearing an all-black suit like everyone else as he adorned a sedated expression. His usual easy-going demeanor nowhere to be found. 

Standing beside him was his peerage, which now included Esdeath, while Venelana and Zeoticus remained right behind him. 

They had decided against bringing Rias, since such a place wasn't exactly fit for a three year old, and they didn't want to expose their youngest to the war, even in an indirect manner. 

Having three out of their four children be war heroes was more than enough for them. 

The atmosphere underwent a drastic shift as the sound of footsteps climbing up the podium that had been set up in front started to echo, the figure responsible being none other than the General of the campaign, Sylas Bael. 

"It is a true privilege to be standing here before you all, and even greater to have fought at your side for the past three years." While he made an attempt to sound genuine, Avalon could sense the faint bitterness plaguing his tongue.

More likely than not a result of Wilbert replacing him as General for the next campaign. 

"He says that, but both of the major battles he led personally ended up in an appalling amount of casualties." Adaloth whispered next to Avalon, earning a firm nod in response. 

"Unfortunately, only the people fighting will care for the losses. Everyone else will only hear the victories," Avalon sighed. 

In the eyes of the common Devil, Sylas was without a doubt a Hero who had conquered one of the Fallen Angel's three major cities. 

Just as the Bael Clan had planned, the Great King Faction's influence was beginning to grow even stronger. 

Something the Four Great Satans hoped Wilbert's soon-to-be post would offset, which was their secondary motive for pushing his enlistment beyond their confidence in his leadership.

"Whilst the feat we as a collective achieved ought to be commemorated, it's just as important that we remember those who burned their flames of courage until nothing but pure white ash remained, for the sake of all of us." 

Again, Sylas had many flaws, but speeches were not one of them. 

'Pandorica, would you mind toning down my hearing a little more? I have a feeling I might do something reckless if I have to continue listening to him flap his gums.' 

[As you wish, Young Lord.] 

'I appreciate it.' 

Sylas's initial speech continued on for almost a half hour, which was then followed by Iris, Lith's second-in-command bringing a portrait of the Umbral Knight himself onto the stage, alongside a gilded coffin carried by members of Lith's army. 

"Unfortunately, the renowned Border Commander Lith happened to be amongst the fallen. A man who had bravely fought against a Cadre until his last breath, truly a shining example of what a leader should aspire to be for us all." 

Had Pandorica not dampened Avalon's hearing, there would have been another notable casualty. 

Upon sensing Lith's corpse, Avalon put his hand on Esdeath's shoulder who was standing to his left, offering her his silent comfort. 

The purple scabbard that was now hung at her waist also appeared to have a reaction of some kind, as if it were mourning the loss of its former wielder. 

A rather ironic concept in hindsight, seeing as an instrument that attempted to make its user succumb to corruption was now grieving their passing. 

The memorial continued on as planned, with a private session being hosted afterwards for Lith's soldiers only. 

"Avalon," and much to Avalon's surprise, Sylas had approached him right before he was about to make his departure, earning a round of circumspect glances from his peerage. 

"Yes?" 

Sylas reached into his suit, taking out a letter with the Bael Clan's seal on it and handing it to Avalon. 

Confused, Avalon grabbed the folded sheet of paper.

"What's this?" 

"It's a letter of invitation from an," Sylas hesitated. "Acquaintance of mine, to the Bael Clan's castle." 

He sensed a tinge of fear exuding from Sylas, though he couldn't even begin to guess why that was. 

"A letter? You do understand that I can't read this right?" 

"So? Just get one of your subordinates to read it to you, just make sure that it's read. Trust me, this is someone you don't want to be on the bad side of." Sylas hurriedly scurried off. 

[Young Lord, I find his behaviour rather suspicious.] 

'Suspicious is an understatement, making someone as arrogant as Sylas act that timid through mention alone isn't something I can overlook.' 

Lars stepped forwards, to which Avalon handed his Bishop the letter. 

"That castle belongs to Lord Bael, I don't understand why he was acting as if that wasn't the case." Lars observed. 

"Me neither, what does the letter say?" 

Lars cleared his throat. "Greetings Avalon, while I'm aware that proper introductions are in order, I'd much rather do so in person hence the invitation. I'm a close acquaintance of your brother, and as you've probably guessed, an even closer one of your mother. Do keep in mind that this is a personal invitation, and not an extended one to both you and your peerage. As much as I'd like to meet with them, now isn't a suitable time." 

"That's it?" 

"That's it," Lars affirmed. "Talk about a nothing burger." 

"He, or possibly she didn't even give me their name. Although, I find it rather interesting that they referred to the castle as 'their abode'." Avalon sighed. "What do you think?" 

"Me? I mean, if I received an ominous invitation like this my first instinct would be to flush it down the toilet." The rest of his peerage appeared to be of the same opinion. 

"You think they have something malicious planned for me?" 

"Maybe, the lack of information makes it pretty hard to form an opinion. As a matter of fact, I think the vagueness was intentional. This person probably wants to keep you curious enough to entertain the invitation, but at the same time keep you in limbo about what you'd be getting yourself into." 

[I concur with him, Young Lord. If they refuse to make themselves known, then you are under no obligation to treat them with any sort of regard in return.] 

'Lars makes a good point, but Sylas mentioned something about me not wanting to get on their bad side or whatever. Sylas's isn't smart enough to fear personal strength, but political strength is definitely something that'd have him on edge. Just like how Wilbert's enlistment is affecting him now.' 

[You have the Lord and your older brother on your side, you needn't fear such a thing. Especially when the alleged opposing party has no grounds.] 

'Indeed.' 

"I think I'm going to go have a look and see what this is about, just because it has a chance to be malicious, doesn't mean it will be." 

"Murphy's law would suggest otherwise," Lars grumbled. 

"Give it up, my brother has an unparalleled talent for attracting the flow of calamity to him. He'll go regardless of what we tell him." 

That statement applied to both of his lives.

"I'm glad you understand, don't worry, I'll make sure to call you if I end up in a life-threatening situation or anything." 

--- 

(Third Person) 

Human World, Japan, Undisclosed Grigori Station. 

"Darling? Is something wrong?" A gentle bell-like voice belonging to a woman asked. 

She had soft white skin and long, flowing black hair fashioned into a ponytail, and light-brown eyes, accompanied by a simple white dress with black lining.

Her name was Shuri Himejima, the wife of the man standing in front of her, who donned a somber expression as he stared at the garden. 

Of course, he was none other than Baraqiel, the Cadre in hiding himself. 

"It's nothing, I just spaced out for a second." He made an attempt to sound reassuring, but his tough facade never really held up against his wife. "How's Akeno?" 

"She's asleep, but just for the record changing the subject isn't going to work on me." 

Baraqiel grumbled, once again being met with the reality that hiding things from Shuri was a nigh-herculean task. 

"It's about the war," he breathed a deep exhale. "A rather, discomforting development has taken place." 

Shuri had noticed the atmosphere in the station undergoing a drastic shift, but she had yet to receive an explanation as to why. 

"What happened?" 

"Some close friends of mine," he hesitated for a moment. "Have passed on, and Mortis has fallen alongside them." 

"I see," Shuri was quick to pull him into a comforting hug, she knew exactly what he meant by friends. "Does that mean the Satans are now actively fighting?" 

Baraqiel shook his head while returning the embrace. "No, apparently it wasn't a Satan." 

Shuri's eyes widened, looking up at him in bewilderment. 

"How can that be?" 

"I'm not sure, Penemue, Sahariel," he started to choke on his own words. "And Armaros were the ones who fell." 

"Armaros was a close friend of yours wasn't he?" Baraqiel replied with a slow nod, to which she responded by gently rubbing his back. 

Baraqiel had immense respect for both the Governor and Vice-Governor, but respect and position aside, Armaros was without a doubt his closest friend. 

"But I don't understand, how could someone that isn't a Satan possibly defeat him?" Shuri wasn't nearly as well-versed in how the Underworld operated as Baraqiel, but she did have a solid grasp over its power dynamic. 

"He was killed by someone their people call the 'Blindfold Devil', and our people are calling the 'Weeping Angel'." 

Weeping Angels always covered their faces. 

And of course, there was the single rule you needed to follow should you encounter one. 

Don't blink. 

"That explains why everyone's so downtrodden," Shuri noticed the deep conflict on her husband's face. "Are you planning to go back to the Underworld?" 

"Absolutely not! My place is here, protecting you and Akeno." 

She smiled. "I'm glad you have your priorities in order, but let's not pretend like you don't want to rush back down there this very second." 

"Shuri-" She shushed him before he could respond. 

"I'm not mad at you darling, I can't even begin to imagine how painful it must be to lose someone who's been by your side for millennia. I'm not so heartless as to hold such a thing against you."

"Shuri, you're not encouraging me to go are you?" 

"Don't get me wrong, every fiber of me would rather have you stay here than leave, but at the same time I know it'll only cause you to be plagued by regret for the rest of your days. I don't want you to be haunted by your past, and nor would Akeno." 

Baraqiel was left speechless. 

Shuri truly was a blessing, one he wasn't sure he even deserved to have. 

"But what if something happens while I'm gone? I might regret not going back to the Underworld, but that wouldn't compare to what I'd feel if anything happened to you or Akeno." 

"The Principle Clans are cunning, but I doubt they have the capacity to find one of Grigori's hidden stations. We'll be fine, and we'll be waiting for you to come back to us safe and sound." 

She pressed her lips against his, causing the bear-like figure's cheeks to flush. 

In spite of what the Governor ordered, the Lightning of God appeared to be making his return to the battlefield. 

Baraqiel understood that losses were inevitable in war, but even so he refused to allow the death of his friend to remain unanswered. 

--- 

(Third Person) 

"So this is what the Bael Clan's castle looks like up-close," Avalon hummed, standing at the barbed, heavily guarded gate of the estate he had been invited to. 

He had taken advantage of his speed to make a quick trip back home after the memorial, changing out of his mourning suit into a t-shirt with white and gray stripes. 

He was meeting someone 'he didn't want to get on the bad side of' after all, it only made sense for him to dress for the occasion. 

In front of him stood a group of the Bael Clan's elite soldiers that had been assigned to protect the entrance, each of them shooting nervous glances each other's way as they looked at Avalon. 

Not because they didn't know who he was, but because they did. 

Even though the award ceremony had yet to commence, there wasn't a single member of the Bael Clan who didn't know of the Blindfold Devil, a natural result of him having fought under their Lord. 

"Sorry for the abrupt arrival," Avalon offered the guards an apologetic smile as he pulled out the letter Sylas had given him from his pocket. "There wasn't a date or time attached to the invitation, so I wasn't sure when to-" 

"We wouldn't dare accuse you of any wrongdoing, Lord Avalon." They all bowed in unison, shocking Avalon enough to warrant an audible gasp from him. 

'Uh, unless I have amnesia. I'm pretty sure I've never actually been to the Bael Clan before, why on earth are they treating me with such reverence?' 

[You share their blood Young Lord, it's only natural they address a Bael with appropriate respect.] 

'Oh, so they're just not seeing me as Gremory then? That's understandable.' 

Confident that his reasoning was sound, he pushed his concerns to the back of his mind. 

"There's no need to bow, although I am hoping you'd help me clear up some confusion of mine." 

"We're at your service, Lord Avalon." The guard affirmed. 

He waved the letter. "The sender of this was anonymous, so I'm not really sure who I'm supposed to be looking for here." 

"I'll check with the estate at once-" As the guard was about to reach for something, a figure came flying out from behind the gate, landing directly in between him and Avalon. 

She was a tall woman of near impeccable beauty, with long lustrous black hair and a perfectly ordained face accompanied by soft white skin.

Her irises were a bright golden and her pupils were slit like a reptile, or like a very, very, very perverted fox. 

On the sides of her head were two thick horns protruding crookedly, and to finish off her look she wore a pure white dress with silky gloves covering her slender hands and a golden spiderweb necklace that covered her shoulders and chest. 

Emphasis on chest. 

"Lady Albedo!" The guard called out, causing the woman to glare at him in a fashion that practically made the poor enlistee shrink. 

"I don't recall giving someone of your stature the right to call me by name, it would appear your arrogance has clouded your better judgement to a concerning degree." 

"M-My deepest apologies!" He bowed so low that Avalon was worried he would give himself a concussion on accident. 

'Oooo, she's got quite the figure Avalon. Now would be a good time to activate your Adrian charm on her!' Tomoe suggested.

'If you mention 'Adrian charm' one more time, I'm prohibiting you from having any ice cream for at least a month.' 

'Booooorrrinnngggg!' 

Albedo scoffed, scorning the guard with her sight alone before turning to Avalon. 

"So you're the brat Her Majesty invited, you don't have as much of a presence as I would've expected. How disappointing," she sighed. 

"I'm just a plain old cripple, I'm not sure what you were expecting from me. If you wanted strength, you should've allowed my peerage to come with." He shrugged, unphased by her assessment.

[A fool who cannot properly ascertain the Young Lord's prowess, no wonder the Lord's opinion of the Bael Clan is so low.] 

"Don't misunderstand, Her Majesty is the one who requested your presence, not me. Only her judgement is of any relevance, I advise you to disregard anything else." 

"Her Majesty?" Avalon repeated, a part of him offended by the phrase. 

Only Levi-tan should be referred to in such a manner, giving that title to anyone else was nothing but treason.

"You'll learn everything you need to in due time, for now just follow me." Albedo instructed, the front gate opening as Avalon followed behind her, curiously looking up at the monumental castle in front of him. 

But it wasn't the structure itself that had piqued his intrigue, but rather the defensive measures that had been taken to ensure its security.

Specifically the array of barriers that had been set up around the property. 

'They really do have fifty of them, talk about paranoia.' 

The barriers themselves reminded him of Ajuka's handiwork to a certain degree, causing him to nod in approval as he continued to follow behind Albedo. 

But other than that, there wasn't really anything about the place that caught his interest, at least not with his blindfold still on. 

'I'm bored, Pandorica, can you play some music for me or something?' Since the CAD was technically connected to his ears, he thought it possible. 

[What kind of music would you like?] 

'I'm not sure, do you have music from the Human World by any chance?' 

[The Human World? Let's see here, there do appear to be a few tracks on the Lord's playlist if you'd like me to play those.] 

'I'd appreciate it.' 

[Now playing, Wonder Of You - Elvis Presley.] 

'A classic, nice.' 

It was good to know that Elvis existed in this world as well.

Much to Albedo's annoyance, he started to hum along to the tune as they stepped foot through the front door of the Bael Clan's castle. Their arrival earning a myriad of curious glances from both the soldiers and servants going about their business. 

"I don't believe your paychecks exist for you to stop and stare, unless you're all intent on proving me wrong?" She was quick to admonish them. 

Albedo started to lead him up a staircase, turning around and narrowing her eyes at him once they were half way up. 

"Are you really blind?" She asked him out of the blue. 

"Mhm, I'm blind as a bat." He replied with little hesitation, even offering her a flippant smile. 

"I would advise against lying to the person you're about to meet," she cautioned. 

"Me? Lie? I'd never dream of such a thing," he made an exaggerated face which she didn't find all that amusing. 

Once they reached the top of the staircase, Avalon found himself in front of a door, with what appeared to be the sound of a piano being played on the other side, and quite expertly to boot.

Albedo's demeanor stiffened as she knocked on the door, her nervousness on full display. 

"Come in, both of you," a composed voice instructed. 

Avalon entered the room, being met with the sight of a mature woman calmly playing the piano with a faint simper, her fingers rhythmically hitting the keys as her head gently waved from side to side. 

She had long silky black hair that reached down to her waist much like Albedo, with a purple flower ornament draped around her head to accompany its luster. 

Her eyes were a bright violet hue, only a little darker than Avalon's, and her presence offered him a concerning sense of familiarity in spite of him having never met the woman before. 

She wore a white ordained dress, which would've reminded Avalon of Venelana had his blindfold not been on, and her bust wasn't too far off, if not bigger. 

'Forget the horn woman! Quick! Switch with me! If you're not going to make a move I'll handle seducing this one for the both of us!' Tomoe's rambling went ignored. 

"I've brought him, Your Majesty." Albedo bowed, not daring to raise her head until given permission. 

"I can see that," she replied in a light tone of voice, continuing to play her instrument. "I've been wanting to meet with you for a while, Avalon, but as you can imagine the current circumstances have made that a rather difficult endeavor to pursue." 

"I'm afraid I can't say the same, seeing as I haven't the faintest idea who you are, no offense." He felt a tinge of pity for Albedo, noticing that she still hadn't been given permission to ease up. 

"None taken," she chuckled lightly. "Now then, before I introduce myself, would you mind letting go of my castle?" 

Avalon's expression morphed into one of genuine shock, and even admiration to a small degree. 

"How embarrassing, I seem to have overestimated my sleight of hand." 

Albedo felt a sharp chill crawl down her spine, hundreds if not thousands of threads appearing around the room out of nowhere, each of them only a centimeter away from her skin at most. The sharpness radiating off them being akin to that of a metal wire. 

This was a spell Avalon had been working on after the end of the Mortis Campaign, since he felt like he had put enough work into his swordplay for the time-being, he decided that it was time to explore his affinity for spellcraft. 

It was a spell that had been derived from the string technique Souji had taught him, but despite what its appearance might suggest, it was actually supposed to be a defensive one. 

It allowed Avalon to create a miniature domain around himself with threads that were capable of binding their target, a function made possible by his proficiency in sealing magic. 

The original name Avalon had come up with for the technique was 'Super-Silly-String-Sanctum-Deluxe', but Pandorica had encouraged him to go with 'Spider Dance' instead. 

For all his talent, Avalon truly didn't have any naming-sense whatsoever. 

He had deployed the technique the second he stepped through the Bael Clan's front gate, and his control made it easy for him to avoid binding anyone by accident. 

"Don't worry, your caution is understandable." Despite them being just as close to her as they were to Albedo, the piano-playing woman wasn't even remotely phased by the technique. "I have more than enough self-awareness to know that my invitation was rather cryptic, I hope you'll forgive me." 

"As long as there's no malintent all is forgiven, if anything I should be the one apologising for my rashness." He deactivated Spider Dance, offering her an apologetic gesture.

"I'm glad we've come to an understanding," she looked at Albedo. "You can leave now." 

Staggering to recompose herself, Albedo bowed again before taking her hurried departure. 

"Do you know who composed this piece?" She asked him while she played. 

"I'm afraid not." 

"It was your brother, he composed this specific piece before the Civil War. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe he was about 17 at the time." 

"I didn't know he was big into music," he mused. 

"Oh he's a huge aficionado, as a matter of fact all the music in Serafall's television show is done by him." 

Avalon's jaw dropped, an immense amount of respect building up for his brother in that very instant. 

"He never told me!" Once he met with his brother again, he'd wring every last secret he was probably keeping regarding Levi-tan out of him. 

"Your brother is quite old, you'd be surprised how little you really know about him." 

"You make it sound like you have him all figured out." 

"Well, he is still a child compared to me, and I am the one who made him and his comrades Satans to begin with." Not once during their conversation did her focus waver from playing the piece supposedly composed by his older brother. "But we'll talk about that some other time, do you know how to play?" 

"I'm blind, of course I don't know how to play." He scoffed. 

"How strange," she pursed her lips. "I thought Albedo would have warned you against lying to me, I guess she didn't do her job correctly, I'll have to punish her for that later." 

"You think I'm wearing this just for fun?" 

"For fun? No, but you're not wearing it because you're blind either. If that were the case you wouldn't need such an intricate application of sealing magic to be inscribed into the blindfold." 

Avalon was taken aback. 

His facade had been completely seen through. 

'Seriously, who the hell is this?' 

"Oh please, there's no need to be so astonished. Only someone as idiotic as Sylas would fall for such a ruse," she scooted over to the side, patting a spot on her seat next to him. "Sit, I want to hear you play in conjunction with me." 

The corner of his lip twitched. "I still have to keep the blindfold on, and just because someone can see doesn't mean that they can necessarily play the piano." 

"Your hearing will suffice as a substitute, and your mother has been giving you piano lessons since you were three." He felt a bit of sweat build up on the back of his neck as she stared a hole through him. "Now sit, my patience is growing thin." 

The air in the room grew tense, as if a crushing weight were about to descend on him should he test her any further.

"If you insist," he walked over to her and sat down. "However, I'm not sure how you expect me to read the music sheet." 

"Like I said, your hearing will suffice." She started to resume the symphony, clearly expecting him to pick up on what notes he needed to play with his ears alone. "Back then the Underworld was in horrible shape, the lack of proper oversight and tyrannical nature of the original Satan's descendants had our society on the brink of collapse. Prince Vidreid wasn't even fit to rule over a village, let alone an entire race." 

"Prince Vidreid?" He repeated. 

"Prince Vidreid Varsharn Beelzebub, he was the one who took command of the Underworld since Lucifer's son didn't want to do it. The original Satans were indeed worthy of respect, but for all their wisdom they did a pathetic job of ensuring their successors' worthiness. Therefore, I was forced to make a decision to steer us away from the path of assured ruin." 

In spite of the gravity of what the woman was talking about, her attention still didn't waver from playing each and every note with pinpoint precision. 

Avalon had started to follow along, resulting in a subtle improvement in her mood. 

"The descendants wanted a repeat of the Great War, even though our chances of coming out of it victorious were about as good as the Fallen Angels actually beating us as of now. So I was left without any choice but to split the Underworld in half, the Satan Faction, and the Anti-Satan Faction." 

Avalon's eyes widened beneath his blindfold, his mind finally starting to piece together where the conversation was going. 

"Honestly, I'm not sure why I didn't decide to make the split sooner. I should've steeled myself the second the descendants decided to host tournaments in Lucifaad simply to boast about their mediocre strength as a petty intimidation tactic." 

The pace of her piano-playing sped up, forcing Avalon to exert himself a little in order to keep up. 

"Your brother, Ajuka, Serafall, and Falbium were the four prodigies at the time. Each born with strength that eclipsed even the blood of the original Satans, once the Civil War began, it was their efforts that secured a future for the Underworld. Which is why once the Civil War concluded, I decided to offer each of them the opportunity to lead the Underworld once the defeated side had perished." 

The pace continued and continued to pick up, but now that she had finally started getting to the point Avalon refused to let up. 

"And now, we have the Underworld as you know it. No more petty descendants to bring our economy into shambles, aren't you glad?" The music finally came to an end, the woman turning to the side to face him while planting her hands on her knees in a graceful manner. 

"You're-" 

"Zekram Bael, I am your maternal side's Ancestor. It's a pleasure to meet you, Avalon." 

---

None of you were expecting this were you? Indeed, I have genderbent a main antagonist— and I'm not ashamed of it. 

On a serious note though, Zekram is going to be integral to the story from this point onwards so make sure you pay attention to more than just her chest. 

I'm sure you all have a plethora of questions you want to fire at me, so go ahead and do that since I'll be checking them a bit more frequently for this chapter. 

Go support me on Patreon as well if you want to read ahead, I've got 8 Advance Chapters released at the time of this chapter with more to come! 

(patreon.com/Accel14)

Discord Link: 

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