Chapter 180

"Did the old man wake up?"

"No, Dimori-san. He has been in a state of unconsciousness since your departure. But his vitals are steady and under the aid of your energy, his wounds have healed much faster than estimated."

Atleast without a Phenex tear, Baraquiel's recovery speed was second to none.

"Alright. Then I'll help him wake up now."

|DxD|

Igor stood over Baraquiel, his hand stretched out over the man's chest. Closing his eyes, he sent harmless beams of demi-ki into the old fallen's body like a sonar. The beams harmlessly infiltrated his body, providing Igor information on his body from head to toe.

[He's fully healed. Good.]

Keeping his hand on his chest, Igor then began withdrawing the wisps of demi-ki that were inside Baraquiel's body, wisps that had entered him through the sphere's emissions. He carefully extracted the ki, taking care not to harm Baraquiel's body in the process.

Gradually and under the curious eyes of everyone, Igor removed his hand from Baraquiel, a few streaks of red following after his palm and vanishing inside it. Shortly after, the beeping of the heart-rate monitor slowly increased before finally, Baraquiel opened his eyes.

First, it was a few blinks. Even though the room had been dimmed, his eyes still had to adjust to the sudden infection of light. His eyes focused on the ceiling, his brain working quickly to analyse his location.

Slightly turning his head to the side, it wasn't until he saw Igor that his sensory amenities like hearing slowly returned.

"Dimori…?"

His body almost tensed when he suddenly remembered their last encounter. He still felt phantom pains in his abdomen. The feeling of half his stomach being blown apart was very…not pleasant.

It was only the evident regret in the boy's eyes made him keep his composure.

"So…I'm still alive."

"You always were hard to kill, old man. How are you feeling?"

Baraquiel barely managed a smirk before replying.

"Hmph. I've felt worse. It'll take a lot more than that to take me out, kid."

"Hehe…"

Chuckling at how lightly Baraquiel was taking the situation, Igor sighed before he gained a serious, yet remorseful countenance.

"Old man. For what it's worth, I'm sor-"

"Don't. Don't say it."

His gaze hardened.

"I deserved it. Compared to what my wife and child went through, my situation pales."

Shakily, he raised a hand and placed it on Igor's shoulder.

"So…don't apologise. I deserved that and more. Besides…"

His hardened gaze was replaced by a grin.

"...if a brat like you could hit me with a powerful attack like that, then it means I really need to up my training."

"..."

Under Baraquiel's infectious grin, Igor couldn't help but sport his own.

"Heh…stupid old man."

Baraquiel was lightening the situation, and he was grateful. It was humour like this that made him like him.

"Thanks..."

Just behind the two of them, Azazel was observing the situation. To be accurate, he was observing Shuri. The brunette seemed to be struggling with some indecision, her fingers continuously folding into each other.

She seemed to be eyeing Baraquiel, particularly his interaction with Igor. It was not hidden that given enough time, those two would be back to being as thick as thieves.

"..."

Whatever issue it was that causing her to fidget like that, he wouldn't get involved. As Igor and Baraquiel talked and shared a laugh or two with each other, his gaze finally managed to attract Shuri's attention.

"?"

In front of her questioning expression, he didn't overt his gaze. Instead, he inclined his head towards the duo before silently mouthing these words.

[Will you talk to him?]

Delaying only for the briefest of moments as she read his lips, her eyes lowered for a bit in thought before she shook her head.

[No…]

Silently, she walked towards the door and let herself out, her determination faltering at how close those two were. From the moment she heard that Baraquiel had never woken up from Shemhazai, she already hesitated in delivering the news that would surely break his heart. Now, she couldn't bring herself to say anything at all.

No one stopped her departure, even Aurelia. She could understand Shuri's reasons for giving up and admittedly, she agreed with them. If Baraquiel had been awake since yesterday, it would've been better…much better.

Shuri's sudden departure as she opened the door alerted both Igor and Baraquiel. With the latter sitting up while the former turned around, a trace of panic and apprehension formed on the old fallen's face before he tried to get out of bed.

"Shuri…"

Seeing the back of his wife, he desperately wanted to see her. But, he was stopped by Azazel suddenly blocking his way.

"Don't be in a rush, brother. You'll still be able to see her later. For now, you must rest while we run some tests."

"I..."

He wanted to argue, but stopped when he heard 'tests'. After reading underneath Azazel's words, he understood his brother had some things he wanted to say to him.

So, he begrudgingly conceded.

"Alright…"

His relationship with Shuri was volatile due to his mistakes. He could only be patient and not rush, lest he completely ruin everything…if hadn't already did.

"Good."

Satisfied that his brother was willing to comply, Azazel turned to face his other ever-silent brother.

"Shemhazai. Please go and fetch the doctor."

"Yes, brother."

Unhesitantly following his older brother's request, a teleportation circle formed underneath him before he vanished.

Vwong!

This left only Baraquiel, Azazel, Igor, and Aurelia in the room. Turning to face them, Azazel calmly spoke.

"I will be honest with you, Igor. And you too, Aurelia. It will eventually come to light that I have hosted Aryans in Grigori. But, I don't want that to happen too soon. So may I ask you to leave? At least for a while. I don't want to have to erase the memories of the doctor that's about to arrive. He's one of my best and I don't need his intellect dropping due to avoidable circumstance."*

In a world where every organisation and faction would have a few 'leaking taps', he wanted to prevent Igor's existence from being spread. At the very least, he needed to prevent it long enough so that by the time the world knows, Grigori would be known as his fervent ally.

"Alright, Uncle A."

Without making a fuss, Igor was willing to leave. Besides, he wanted to group up with Shuri again. Before him and Aurelia could open the door, Azazel delivered another message.

"I've sealed off this entire wing as private space. You are free to roam anywhere within this wing. Please try not to bump into anyone. There's a mini lounge where you can stay if you turn right. Just follow Shuri's energy signature."

"Alright. Thanks, Uncle A. And I hope you get better, old man."

With that parting message, both him and Aurelia left the room, leaving Baraquiel and Azazel alone.

|DxD|

Igor and Aurelia walked the empty hallways in silence. Easily tracking Shuri's energy signature, they neared closer to the location she was in. Igor was in a visible happy mood. It was plainly obvious that with Baraquiel now and awake and well, his mood had also improved considerably.

Silently, Aurelia couldn't help but wonder if Igor's relationship was similar to the one she shared with Yasaka. Both of them were mentors of different species who taught them the basics of the supernatural world.

And funnily enough, they both managed to surpass their teachers in strength.

[I wonder what Yasaka-sama would react if I told her of-heh?!]

Suddenly, Igor grabbed her waist and pulled her to him.

"Wh-what? What are you doing, my lord?"

Unbidden by her 'cry', he began trailing kisses on her neck and slowly extended to her collarbone…where he immediately began sucking on it.

"Ah~"

Taken completely by surprise, Aurelia covered her mouth with her hand. She was embarrassed, especially at the fact that they were out in the open like this.

"M-my lord…nn~. What are…not…not here…"

Unfortunately, Igor wouldn't listen to her. Lifting his head, he quickly captured her lips with his. His hold around her waist tightened, the feeling of her lips making his whole body feel warm. Holding this magnificent woman in his arms, he wished to both hide her, and brag about her to the world.

Slowly pulling back, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her flustered expression. Those hazy cheeks tinted in red were a stark contrast from the cold expression she held prior.

Cutely enough, she tried avoiding eye contact when she saw his grin.

"Why did you…do that?"

"Do I need a reason? You're my woman. I kissed you because I wanted to."

"..."

Her cheeks flushed even more at such a blatant admission. Her heartbeat rose by a few notches, her head lowering at his brashness.

"B-but…b-but…why here? It's too…open…"

Her voice trailed off at the end. They were in the middle of a long hallway. If anyone walked by, they would see the two of them. She shuddered at the thought of someone opening the double doors down the hallway and entering his wing. Or even worse, Shuri suddenly coming out of the room she was in.

Flush~

It was embarrassing…really really embarrassing.

"..."

Igor was overcome by the urge to eat her up. She was just too cute to pass up.

"You know…"

Leaning in, he approached her ear.

"If you wanted me to stop…"

He nibbled on it, causing her to quietly moan as her body shuddered.

"...you could've easily escaped."

"?!"

He enjoyed the way her body tensed at the sudden realisation. His hold on her wasn't even strong enough to restrain her, nor was her magic sealed away. If she wanted, she could've escaped his hold a long time ago.

The underlying words beneath his sentence startled her. He implied that she was a pervert, a title she would never accept.

"But…if I escaped, y-you would…catch me."

Her voice was muted by his chest, but he heard her clea-

"Right…?"

"..."

Critical Strike!

The way she meekly looked up, her soft lips briefly brushing against his neck, and those words…it was too much.

"..."

"Kyaaa?!"

Swiftly lifting her up, he ignored her startled cry and pinned her against the wall. The stone cracked slightly, but the wall would remain standing.

"I-Igor! What are-mmph!"

Silencing her with his lips, he greedily explored her mouth with his tongue. There was no helping it. She stoked his fire too much. This woman was a godsend and he found himself loving her more and more.

Explanation: Whether that is true or whether Azazel is using this as an excuse to get Igor out the room, I don't know. Maybe the latter is more probable since he probably needs the privacy to also tell Baraquiel about Igor possibly being Trihexa's jinchuuriki and stuff.

On another note, I'm still thankful for your continued support and I sincerely appreciate it.

Until the next chapter.