Chapter 40

A few more seconds passed before Azazel sighed.

"I have received a clear answer from her. There is no need to pursue this matter any further."

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|DxD|

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Shemhazai had noticed it within the first week that something was off about his brother. Usually, Azazel would never stay for more than three days on his desk without causing some sort of fuss. And yet he didn't complain about wanting a break or some free time. He didn't even fiddle around with his sacred gears like he usually did, which was a major cause for concern in Shemhazai's eyes.

At first he didn't think much of it. But as the weeks drew on, he finally discovered the reason why. It was when Azazel sent a messenger to deliver documents to Cleria Belial that Shemhazai caught on. Ever since they met under the mutual issue of Igor, Azazel always personally engaged with her. At first, it was to build relations and rapport with her. But lately, it was because he purely enjoyed her company. And yet for Azazel to suddenly change all of that, it was easy for Shemhazai to deduce what happened.

Knowing that his brother had potentially fallen in love with Cleria, Shemhazai didn't want him to give up on this issue.

It is why that even though Azazel showed clear signs of not wanting to converse on this issue, he would relent.

"Brother. Will you truly let it end like this?"

Azazel looked up from his paperwork at Shemhazai. He truly appeared as if talking about this was uncomfortable for him.

But knowing his brother's quirks, Azazel could only sigh in defeat.

"What do you expect me to do, brother?"

Cleria's subject was becoming a sore spot for Azazel.

"Tell me, Shemhazai. What do you expect me to do?"

And yet instead of replying, Shemhazai had a question of his own.

"Do you love her?"

Azazel froze in thought. Both of his elbows were propped up on the desk, his hands supporting his cheeks. He seemed to gaze at something only he could see. Azazel slowly pictured the times he spent with Cleria. Everything from sharing news about the blonde, to figuring out how to hide his existence. Eventually, it grew to them just spending time together whenever he went to visit Baraquiel.

His mind then drifted over to the last week they spent together, where he slowly realised that he had begun to view her not as a friend, but something more.

Recalling all these things made Azazel chuckle.

"Heh~. Have you ever seen me wallow over a woman, brother? Me, the great Azazel?"

His meaning was clear. Since he sat here in the office 'wallowing' over a woman, then it was clear that he harboured great affection for her.

But Shemhazai wanted proper confirmation.

"Brother. With our age and experience, a day is more than enough for us to know if we want to spend the next millennium with someone."

Shemhazai practically glared at Azazel with how focused his gaze was on him.

"I ask again, brother. Do you love the Belial girl?"

Azazel closed his eyes in contemplation. But it didn't last long before he released his breath and turned to look at Shemhazai.

His gaze was filled with assurance and finality.

"I do."

A gentle smile spread on his face.

"Surprisingly, I do. But so what? She rejected my advancements."

Shemhazai merely nodded before a teleportation circle spread beneath him.

"That's all I needed to know."

He then vanished.

"..."

Azazel truly couldn't be bothered to investigate what his brother was up to. He simply picked up his pen and set to evaluating the reports Shemhazai brought in about Igor.

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|DxD|

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 "It's already been a month."

Cleria was silently sitting on one of the park benches in Kuoh. While there was the warm sunshine and the laughter of children, she couldn't enjoy such a feeling due to the knot in her heart.

Her days felt a little colder than before, something she wasn't used to.

"A week had never passed without me seeing him."

As much as she tried to endure it, she had grown too used to his presence to the point that her days felt dull without seeing his coy smile or hearing his laughter… his voice.

Cleria couldn't help but shake her head with a sigh.

[What am I going to do?]

All it took was one year and she had become attached to him. To her, Azazel was the only other person she could comfortably be around with other than her elder cousin, Diehauser. She could just be 'Cleria' around him. And as ironic as it sounds, Azazel never had any lecherous intentions against her. Aside from the teasing, everything was all in good fun and she honestly, from the bottom of her heart, enjoyed every single moment.

"*Sigh*"

But right now wasn't the time for her to think about her decisions. Approaching her was a man in casual clothing. He had long black hair and his athletic build was hidden by his loose jeans and jacket.

Walking towards her, he had a warm smile on his face.

[He must be the exorcist they sent to lie to me with a cover-story.]

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|DxD|

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A few minutes prior

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Masaomi Yaegaki was not having a good day. Walking with his hands in his pockets, he kicked a pebble along his path as he walked.

There was a clear frown on his face due to the current issue bothering him.

[Just because I'm young, they choose me to go talk to the devil overseer.]

*Kicks pebble*

[I could be training with my sword from Shidou-sensei but NO.]

*Kicks pebble*

["We have more important issues." they say. "We trust you with this." they say.]

*Kicks pebble*

[Why don't you old bastards go eat shit then! I'd rather kill a devil than do this diplomacy nonsense.]

Making his way into the park, Masaomi stopped at the entrance and looked around for the devil he was supposed to meet.

[They said she was some lady with white hair. Probably an old woman with rotten teeth and stuff. I'll have to shower with holy water after this.]

He kept his senses peeled for any devil aura as he walked into the park. He tapped his foot in annoyance, the burning sun not helping things either.

He would've took off his jacket but he had weapons inside them.

[Stupid sun. Stupid devil. Stupid fogeys. One person would've been enough to deliver the holy sword to Shidou-sensei. So why is an entire squadron required? Oh right! "I'm too young to understand.". I'm 21 for crying out loud and have killed more stray devils in one week than you pot-bellied idiots have done in ten years!]

Yet as his anger reached his peak, he finally caught the aura of a devil a few dozen metres from him.

"Fina…ly."

And there she was, in all her beauty. A beautiful white dress with cute floral patterns. Unblemished white skin that seemed so perfect it was as if it was snow itself. Her figure was shapely like that of a developing teenager- everything was in proportion. Her long lustrous hair poured over to her back and spilled over the bench like an avalanche. She was idly shaking her legs in boredom, yet even that simple action drew his eyes to those perfect legs that ended in cute furry sandals with a flower drawing on top.

Masaomi couldn't move. He was so mesmerised that he even forgot to breathe for a moment.

*Gulp*

His mouth was dry, his heart beating so fast he was afraid it would burst out of his chest. His stomach felt empty, almost as if he was riding a rollercoaster.

And when she glanced at him, it was as if all the floodgates were opened. But it was also due to her glance that he quickly recovered his wits.

Striding towards her, he had to avert his eyes to their surroundings in order to control his thoughts.

this is a devil?! How the hell is this a monster?!?!?!?!]

Ever since he was a young exorcist in training, Masaomi had been told that devils are hideous creatures that seek to enslave humankind. Yet when he looked at her again, she seemed as pretty as an angel.

Knowing that he was staring again, Masaomi took deep breaths.

[Alright Masa. Take deep breaths. Play it cool.]

He strode over confidently towards her and did his best to calm his rampaging heart.

"Greetings, Lady Belial. My name is Masaomi Yaegaki of the Protestant Church. A pleasure to meet you."

Cleria offered a curt nod of her own as she patted the space next to her.

"It is indeed a pleasure to meet, Yaegaki-san."

*Badump*

[Her VOICE!!! It's so…HEAVENLY!!! No! Calm down, calm down.]

Masaomi chuckled as he sat down.

"Hehe. Not only is Lady Belial pretty. She also seems easy to talk to."

It was such a cheesy line that Cleria couldn't help but giggle at how he delivered it.

"Won't your friends back in church reprimand you for flirting with a devil?"

"Not if they are as beautiful as you~."

Masaomi smiled when he saw Cleria laugh again. Although it appeared as if he was simply teasing her, he had truly become smitten with her the first time he saw her when he entered the park. In his eyes, she looked no different from a normal human girl. All the belligerent and aggressive strategies he was told to use went down the drain.

Instead, he wanted to get to know her a bit more. It was to the point that he had even forgotten the purpose of their meeting.

But Cleria didn't.

"Thank you very much. I truly appreciate the compliments Yaegaki-san. But please tell me the reason why you all suddenly came to Kuoh?"

Masaomi leaned back into the bench to emphasize his chest. But when he realised he was wearing a jacket, he scowled internally.

[I knew I should've worn a vest.]

Yet not wanting to keep the beauty next to him waiting, he explained.

"Don't worry Lady Belial. We were sent here to replace some of our personnel who had been stationed here for a while. Nothing serious, I promise."

He didn't want to lie to her, but he was clear about where he belonged. Telling her that they're transporting a holy sword to an exorcist living in her territory wouldn't be received pretty well.

Yet in front of his words, Cleria only displayed a polite smile.

[You're barely twenty years old and yet you're trying to lie to me?]

Cleria was aware that she appeared to be a teenager due to her height. But having centuries under her belt and having grown up in a political family allowed her to easily spot lies.

"I see. I appreciate the clarification Yaegaki-san."

Getting up to leave, Cleria was about to walk away when Masaomi stopped her.

"W-wait!"

"Hmm?"

[Crap, I stuttered! Don't ruin this Masa! Don't stammer. Don't appear clingy. Just speak casually.]

Taking a short breath, he looked into her eyes.

"When will we meet again?"

"?"

Realising his blunder, Masaomi hurriedly clarified.

"I mean, don't I usually have to keep you up to date with these kinds of things? It's so that you won't suspect us of having bad intentions."

Cleria watched Masaomi's flustered appearance and she couldn't help but smile.

[How cute.]

And just as quickly, the memories of Azazel making her flustered rushed into her head like karma. Feeling her cheeks brighten, she stammered out a…

"A-alright."

…before retreating.

Watching Cleria leave, Masaomi also had equally bright cheeks. Having seen her face scrunched up like a hamster's at that last moment, his heart was beating wildly.

"..."

And it was also in that moment that he realised something.

[Crap! We didn't negotiate our next meetup!]

Masaomi gripped his hair in panic, internally berating himself in the process.

[You're useless Masaomi!!! Useless! Useless! Useless!]

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AN

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Important notes will come after two the next two chapters. Enjoy