Chapter 56: Conference (2)

"My name's Lucias Frey, the leader of the Forsaken Faction. It's a pleasure to meet you all"

Lucias introduced with a light smile on his face while gazing at their expression until his eyes stopped at Governor who was watching them in amusement.

"Lucias-sama, I'm glad you were able to come to our conference"

Governor said with a large grin on his face while casually signalling for him to sit on the seat between him and Sirzechs who was trying to digest the situation.

"Thanks for the invitation, Governor and sorry for suddenly intruding on your conference like this, it seems like Governor didn't explain beforehand about my participation in this conference"

Lucias said causing Sirzechs to snap out of his daze before trying to calm his emotion as he didn't expect that the person that he casually talked to in the past pertaining his little sister's feelings was none other than the person that he feared the most.

"Y-You... why did you say anything before, Lucias Frey-san?"

Sirzechs asked as he narrowed his eyes while looking at his direction.

"I have no obligation to reveal my identity to you, Sirzechs Lucifer. My identity as a faction leader is seperate to my identity as a student in this academy. I don't want my private life to intervene with my work, and... I didn't want to scare the little devils standing behind you"

Lucias said with a playful smile on his face ignoring the various expression on the devil's faces.

"S-So L-Lucias-sama is that powerful... Doesn't that mean that the person who trained us is the faction leader himself!?"

Issei muttered in excitement while staring at Lucias with sparkling eyes causing Lucias to wave his hand at Issei with a casual expression on his face.

"... Ugh..."

Rias growled while holding her head, remembering everything that he said to Lucias when they met in the past like how she confidently invited him to her peerage.

"... I can't believe I did that in the past..."

Rias muttered while pressing her heads against the wall from the shame and embarrassment that she felt from being overconfident in the past.

"What's wrong with you all?"

Issei asked confused about their reactions.

"... You don't know how much blunder I did in the past to Lucias... It's a miracle that I wasn't blacklisted yet..."

"Hmm? From what I know Lucias-sama isn't like that though? He is pretty laid back to me"

Issei muttered while glancing at Lucias who was casually sitting on the seat beside the round table.

"... I guess you're right..."

Rias muttered as she glanced at her peerage with a slightly distressed expression on her face as she was the only one who looked stressed about the sudden revelation of his true identity.

"You don't seem to surprised Koneko"

"Lucias is still Lucias... nothing really changed about him"

Koneko muttered as she tilted her head to the side while Akeno surprisingly was able to easily calm down from her initial shock.

"I-I-I-I"

Sona stuttered in her place as she was having a hard time digesting the situation in front of her.

"I'll explain everything later so calm down, Sona. Just stay focus for the conference alright?"

Lucias said causing Sona to dazedly nod her head in response.

"Now then, let's start this conference shall we?"

Lucias said before glancing at all of the leaders in the table with a light smile on his face as he signalled for Sirzechs to start the meeting.

"N-Now that everyone has arrived, I'll say the preconditions for the meeting. The people present here acknowledge the most important event and forbidden subject, i.e. The Non-existence of God"

Sirzechs said after a short cough as he tried to stabalize the awkward atmosphere that was spreading inside the room.

"Then, acknowledging that, let's continue the conversation"

Sirzechs said before stating the topic at hand with a serious expression on his face.

"We angels hope that we solve this in a peaceful way since... if we're just going to start another war then all 3 factions will suffer heavy loses like before"

Michael said with a kind smile on his face.

"Let's first hear the events that happened the few days ago before we make any judgement"

Lucias said as he glanced at Sirzechs causing him to nod his head as he signalled for his little sister to come closer.

" Now then, Rias. Could you speak about the incident a few days before?"

"Yes, Lucifer-sama"

Rias answered with a nervous expression on her face as she averted her eyes from Lucias before starting to report everything that happened a few days ago starting from the interference of Enkidu and Miyaoi until the sudden appearance of Brigyn.

"That is all. The report which I, Rias Gremory and the household devils over there experienced"

Rias said as she bowed her head in front of them before returning back to her seat while Sirzechs gave her a light smile on his face.

"Good Job"

"Thanks, Rias-chan ☆"

Serafall thanked as she winked at her direction with a childish smile on her face.

"Even though there's a lot of things that I want to ask about the unknown figures who interefered... Azazel. After hearing this report, I want to hear the opinion of the Governor of the fallen angels?"

Sirzechs asked causing all of them to look at his direction.

"Regarding the incident a few days back, Kokabiel, a leader of our Central Organisation, Grigori, acted independently without our instructions and was already been exiled by the faction before the attack happened. Right now he is in Lucias-sama's custody. The explanation for that, everything was written in the material that was forwarded to you, right? That is all"

He said with an intrepid smile on his face causing both Lucias and Michael to sigh from his behaviour.

"As the explanation, it is the worst category but— I know about the story of you personally not wanting to make anything big occur against us. Is that true?"

"Aah, I don't have any interest in wars. When Kokabiel also disparaged me, don't you have the report for that as well"

Governor said causing both Lucias to nod in understanding.

"Azazel, I want to ask one thing but, why have you been gathering owners of Sacred Gears for the past decades? At first I thought you were gathering humans, and attempting to augment your battle potential. I even anticipated you to wage war against heaven or us but…"

"Yes, no matter how much time passed, you didn't wage a war against us. When I heard you got hold of the Vanishing Dragon, I was enveloped by a strong wariness"

Michael added as he glanced at Vali who was standing behind Governor with his arms crossed on his chest.

"It's for the sake of Sacred Gear research. If that's the case, should I send a part of the research materials to you as well? Even if I did research, I wouldn't wage a war against you or anything. I don't have any interest in war at this late of an hour. I am perfectly satisfied with the world right now. I have strongly ordered my subordinates, 'Don't interfere with the human world's politics', you know? I have no intention of intervening in religion either, nor to influence the business of the devils. Damn, is my trust in the 4 factions the least?"

"That's true" (Michael)

"That's right" (Sirzechs)

"That's exactly it☆" (Serafall)

"I don't really trust your faction seeing how bad you are at managing it" (Lucias)

All of them said in unison causing Governor to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

"What are your opinions of this, Lucias-san?"

Sirzechs asked Lucias who was wryly smiling at Governor's direction.

"Hmm... Let's just say that... I stand with Governor on this one. The attack on Kuoh has nothing to do with him as proven by Kokabiel's exile and Vali's interference on his attack on Kuoh"

"But why must he apologize when he already exiled Kokabiel doesn't that seem to say that he still has some connection with Kokabiel?"

Sirzechs questioned without any ill intention as he just wanted to clarify the matter pertaining Governor's Apology.

"Well... I think you already know the reason but if not... He did it so that those old men of the council of yours wouldn't carelessly move against Grigori under the pretense of 'The exile of Kokabiel is only a front so that they could attack the other two faction without sacrificing the faction'. If he clearly stated Grigori's stand like this despite the person itself being exiled. It just shows his sincerity to avoid any conflict from forming between the other factions and his own"

Lucias asked causing Sirzechs to stop his words causing Lucias to smile as he continued his words.

"Also, Kokabiel has been also blackmailed by our faction and I destroyed half of Grigori in the past as a reminder of his actions. I can assure you that I'm making this decision without any unnecessary biases or any hidden intentions"

Lucias said with a serious expression on his face.

"Well... even most of the fallen angels and devils in your factions are like what I've described. They'll do everything they can to spark a conflict between the faction as they are unsatisfied with the results of the Great War that occured 1000 years ago"

Lucias said causing Governor to awkwardly look at him with twitching lips as he can't understand whether or not Lucias is on his side.

"Che. I though you were on my side Lucias-sama? and... I thought you were better than God or the last generation's Lucifer but, you guys are troublesome guys yourselves. Sneakily researching doesn't get along well with you, huh. Ah, I got it. —–then, let's make peace. Originally wasn't that the intention as well? Angels and Devils as well?"

Governor said in a displeased voice causing Serafall, Michael, and Sirzechs to momentarily pause in their seats.

"...Yes, I also planned to propose peace to the Devil side and Grigori. Even if we continue the relationship of the 3 factions like before, then it will become damaging to the world right now. I, the leader of the angels say it since—the original cause of the war, God and Maou-sama have been annihilated"

Michael said as soon as he snapped out of his daze causing Governor to loudly laugh at his seat.

"Ha! That stubborn Michael has started to speak. Even though he was about God, God, God before"

"….I have lost a lot of things. However, there's no helping seeking for things that aren't present. It is our duty to guide humans. We members of the Seraph have the same opinion that the most important thing is to watch over the children of God from now on as well, and to guide them"

"Hey hey, with your speech just now, you'll 'fall' you know? —–I thought that but you took over the system, right. It's become a good world. It's completely different from the time when we 'fell'"

Governor jokingly said causing Michael to wryly smile at his direction.

"We are the same. Even if the Maou isn't here, in order to continue the species, Devils too have moved forward as well. Even we wouldn't want war. —If we do another war, the devils will be destroyed"

Sirzechs added causing Governor to nod his head in response.

"Yes. If we do another war, the 3 factions will definitely be mutually destroyed... Especially now when the Forsaken Faction is overseeing the peace of the human world... The war will affect the human world, and we will all get killed by the Forsaken Faction if we do so. We can't do wars now"

Governor said causing the 3 of them to nod their heads in agreement while Lucias smiled wryly at their direction as he didn't expect to get treated like this in their conference.

"Do you think a world without God is wrong? Do you think a world without God would decay? I am sorry to say but that isn't the case. Me and you as well are both healthily living like this"

Azazel said before opening both of his arms wide like he was embracing the world.

"--The world moves even without a God"

He added causing Issei and the other to contemplate due to his words.

"—And, is this it?"

Sirzechs asked causing the other 3 faction leader to sigh as the first topic of their conversation was finished.

"Now then, since the discussion has considerably been solved in a good direction, how about we talk about the unknown bodies that were found at the scene..."

Sirzechs said causing Lucias to adapt a serious expression on his face as he leaned against the table in front of him.

"Lucias-san, do you know anything about those creatures?"

Michael asked causing Lucias to raise his eyebrows as he gazed at him with a light smile on his face.

"The angels have no information whatsoever on this creatures... Your faction is the main information broker among us so do you have any clues what they are?"

"Well... Yes, I do know them"

Lucias answered causing all 4 of them to look at him with curiosity.

"But... they're not creatures of this dimension"

Lucias added causing Michael to tilt his head in confusion.

"What do you mean, Lucias-san?"

"It is what I said, they don't belong to our dimension, they were brought here by another party to cause chaos in our dimension"

"What?"

Michael said before indicating for him to continue his words.

"It will take a while to explain everything to all of you so I'm just going to make it simple for all of you to understand"

Lucias said as he snapped his finger to cast a projection spell in the middle of the table to help him throughly explain their origins.

"A dimension in simple terms is seperate reality that is uniquely different from each other. Each dimension has a different rate of time, so one hour here might be an entire century to some of those other dimensions"

Lucias said explained causing all of them to look at him in curiosity while the devils standing at the back looked at him in shock as they never heard of a seperate reality that exists other than theirs.

"So you're telling us that... those creatures invaded our dimension?"

Michael said in a grave tone causing Lucias to smile due to his wisdom and intelligence to quickly catch what he was trying to convey.

"Correct, ... they're all quite dangerous in their own way, and are pretty annoying to deal with"

Lucias said as he showed the videos of the dimension that the Gastreas and Demons originated from. Showcasing the current situation of the dimensions they thrive at.

"... This conference will decide whether or not your faction survives in this invasion"