Chapter 133
Shuri revealing the knowledge of Baraquiel's location yet doing nothing about such knowledge already indicated that she had no intention of pursuing him or possibly reconciling. And the worst part was, Azazel couldn't blame her.
"I apologise. As his elder brother, I am also ashamed of his actions and can offer no excuses on his behalf-"
"Of course there are no excuses. Putting myself aside…"
*Clenches Skirt*
"He abandoned his daughter…"
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|DxD|
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And there it was. The main reason he did not want to visit Shuri without Baraquiel in tow.
"It's one thing to abandon me. But to abandon…to abandon his daughter…?"
Shuri couldn't prevent her eyes from becoming red.
"I've barely known Akeno for a month, Azazel. But I already know it in my heart that no matter what, I would never abandon her. So I can't…I can't just-"
Her hands were clenched so tightly around her skirt that veins were already bulging.
"I just can't understand how he could do something like this!"
She couldn't imagine herself doing the same. Abandon Akeno? Just the thought alone caused her heart to ache.
"..."
Azazel couldn't even offer a response. Despite not being the target of her words, even he couldn't help but feel ashamed.
[Brother…oh brother…]
Even if he had nine tongues to help him, there was no reason he could think of to justify his brother abandoning Akeno for so long.
"She still thinks of her father. She misses him. I always hear her cry for him in her sleep. But…apparently he's too busy having a 'good' time in Cuba."
Just yesterday, she had reviewed the logs and without any change, his current condition was always 'Good' for days in succession.
"If I wasn't here, who would take care of Akeno, hm?"
"..."
"Please answer me, Azazel. If I wasn't here, who would have the time to take care of Akeno?"
The answer was obvious. There was barely anyone who could dedicate that much time to looking after a nine-year-old child. Azazel was the leader of a faction. Cleria was an overseer* and Igor had no need to be mentioned. He himself was a child with no assets to his name.
With some of the other options not even having met Akeno, not even the remaining result was suitable.
"She can't even enter an orphanage due to her heritage, Azazel. The church would…"
She left it unsaid, but the result was glaringly apparent. It was already known that numerous factions, especially the church, would prowl orphanages looking for sacred gear wielders. If they found Akeno, a hybrid of a fallen angel and a human, killing her on the spot would be the best mercy compared to the other atrocious actions that could be committed.
"I may have lost my memories, Azazel. But I have not remained ignorant. And I am sure that 'he' would know what fate would befall his daughter should she be left alone."
Her gaze turned dark as she looked at Azazel with eyes filled with endless disappointment.
"Yet not once did he return."
"..."
It was over. He suspected it when he first met her. But now, he was completely sure. Any notion of this family truly recovering had been crushed like porcelain. Even if somehow they could find a way to reconcile, their relationship would never progress to how it was before. The amount of disappointment he could see in her eyes far transcended that caused by infidelity.
Sigh…
Scratching the back of his head, Azazel stood up.
"Shuri. I cannot say I understand your pain nor will I attempt to do so. But right now, there is only one way to get to the truth of the matter."
Stretching out his hand, it was clear what his intentions were.
"Baracoa Cuba, right? All of this will be solved if we meet my brother in person."
"..."
Shuri quietly contemplated this. By accepting, she would finally meet her 'husband' in person. There was still some apprehension in meeting him, especially with her already existing preconceptions of him.
But…
'Daddy…I miss you.'
…she would do it for Akeno.
"Alright."
Grabbing his hand, she stood up.
"I want to see him too."
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1999/07/16 - August 5th, 1999, Baracoa, Cuba, 18:30 (August 4th)
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It was already night time in the small town of Baracoa. With the darkening skies signifying the end of the working day, there was lots of traffic on the road from people going to and coming from work. With the street lights brightening the darkening surroundings, only the alleyways were left in the dark.
Vwong!
Shuri and Baraquiel appeared. After sorting out some arrangements and making sure Akeno and Asia would not face any trouble for the next hour at most, Shuri was resolved to see this matter through as quickly as possible.
As such, without waiting for any prompt from Azazel, she took out the logbook and flipped towards the most recent entry. With fluid movements, she spread her palm on an empty page and channeled her mana.
Immediately, a purple magic circle formed and as it formed, Shuri muttered a name.
"Baraquiel."
Zuuuu….
At her command, the circle morphed into a compass that immediately pointed eastwards with even the number of metres showing. The meaning was simple. They were to head east for two kilometres. Closing the book, Shuri took the lead.
"Let's go, Azazel."
With a serious demeanour, she stepped out of the alley and marched forward with a determined gaze. Having changed out of her normal clothes for her old black mission attire, her gait was unrestricted.
"..."
Azazel stood quietly as he watched her seamlessly blend into the flow of traffic. With all-black clothing hidden underneath a black robe, it should've been impossible for her to blonde in. Even just adding the black scarf covering half her face, it should've made her stick out like a sore thumb.
[It hasn't even been ten seconds and I've already lost sight of her.]
Acknowledging her skill, he shoved his hands into his pockets and followed after. Seamlessly blending into the traffic, he was gradually able to catch up to her.
*Chatter* *Chatter* *Chatter* *Chatter*
Walking along with the people on the sidewalk, Shuri walked forward with a determined gaze. Her eyes were solely focused on her destination without any thoughts of encouraging deviation. Coming within a few hundred metres of an intersection, she saw the congested traffic…
"..."
…and realised that a necessary detour was required. Slipping into another alley, she applied a basic illusion on herself and calmly waited. Just a moment later, Azazel also stepped into the alley and stood next to her.
Shuri, without waiting for him to say a word, directly told him what she would do next.
"Rooftops."
Without wasting a second, she immediately ran up the walls of the three-floor apartment building. From a normal person's perspective, she would've appeared as a black shadow at best. Having reached the top, she vanished from view.
"..."
Azazel couldn't help but sigh.
[I don't know why she's so adamant on being secretive like this.]
Before they left Kuoh, she was adamant in approaching Baraquiel secretly. Whether it was because she wanted to observe him secretly or some other reason, he didn't know. But for now, he would follow her.
Su!
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Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Swoosh! …Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta!
Shuri ran swiftly across the rooftops without the slightest pause. Nimbly navigating around rooftop amenities like pipes and ventilation shafts, the only time when her stride would be broken would be when she was jumping from one rooftop to another.
As she ran towards where Baraquiel's location was, Shuri was not in fact nervous about meeting the man like Azazel thought. Call it a hunch, but over the course of these past two weeks, she had become suspicious of Baraquiel.
In the logs, apart from that one time where it was moderate, it had always been logged as 'good'.
From what she found out…
['Moderate' only means that normal functioning capacity has been slightly impaired, but not too much. Excessive training, general sickness, and fatigue are examples. A 'bad' state, disregarding normal sleep, means normal functioning capacity is severely impaired and can mean a debilitating injury, long-term paralysis, or even unconsciousness. But…]
Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Swoosh! …Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta!
[All this time, his state has been logged as 'good'.]
For a man who had lost his wife, it was odd. Even depression would be logged as 'moderate' since it would impair the body's normal functioning capacity. But for his state to be logged as 'good' for consecutive days on end? It was too abnormal.
Shuri did not wish harm or ill-will on Baraquiel. But what she did want to know, was what was it that could make a man who had seemingly lost everything recover so quickly.
[I want to see exactly what it is that made him forget us.]
Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Ta! Swoosh!
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AN
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Azazel was the leader of a faction. Cleria was an overseer* and Igor had no need to be mentioned. He himself was a child with no assets to his name.
Explanation: I'm assuming that either Serafall was joking about dismissing Cleria, or that she hasn't issued a formal notice.