SS 1

Disclaimer: I own neither High School DxD nor Demon Slayer. This story is purely fan fiction. Please support the official release.

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●Grayfia's POV●

"So, how was he?"

A baritone voice echoes around the wide room as soon as the double doors close. Opening my eyes, I turn to its source.

My master.

A wide desk covers his lower half as his hands glide across the papers lying atop.

A pile of considerable size stands far to one side, from which he takes a sheet and reads its contents.

With crimson locks framing his face along with his sharp jawline, indeed, he is an exact copy of Lord Gremory.

Silently clearing my throat, I respond.

"Master, I believe I had described him plenty during our phone call several hours prior?" I step a bit closer until I arrive a few feet away from the desk. "Surely, you couldn't have forgotten what I told you in that amount of time."

His eyes turn away from the paper and then to me.

I am not ashamed to admit I was lost for a moment in their blue-green.

"I know, I know." His lips curl up into a wry smile. "But it is different to hear something in person than it is through the phone. I am curious is all."

The sound of wood scraping against marble reverberates as he pushes his chair back. Far away enough from the desk that another person could squeeze in.

"Come here and let's talk. All this reading and signing is making me tired." Patting his palm on his lap, he beckons me to come close. "I require skinship from my beautiful wife to recharge~."

Goodness, look at how weak I am to this man. I try in futility to maintain a calm expression, but I could feel heat gather in my cheeks.

"But master, I am merely a-"

"Ah ah ah! No, none of that for now! We only have so many opportunities to spend time in each other's company like this. Let's indulge ourselves a little, yeah?"

"But..."

"Or could it be... you don't enjoy being around me anymore...?"

Please, stop it with those puppy-dog eyes. You already won...

With a huff and sigh of defeat, I find my seat on his lap.

"Hooh... Just as I thought..." His arms snake around my waist as I find myself in a snug embrace. "My wife is the best~."

He hums in contentment while subtly pressing his nose to my nape. How troubling...

"Master, as you were asking of me earlier...?"

"Hm? Ah, right! Yes of course...!" He clears his throat and moves the talk forward. "So, how was he? You mentioned that he was somewhat unique?"

"Indeed." The boy's display of swordsmanship flickers in my head. "His skill with the blade is deserving of the highest praise. Perhaps even on par with Master's knight."

"Hoh? As good as Okita you say? What was his name again?"

"He called himself Muichiro, and that is not all there is to him."

The look in his eyes beckons me to continue.

"He didn't have mana."

"Yes. You mentioned on the phone that he didn't use magic."

"That isn't what I mean, Master." I shake my head. "I mean that there was no mana to be found upon performing a scan of his body during our discussion. I suspected that another type of energy enhanced his physical parameters, but I found no such thing. He relies solely on his physique for his combat prowess."

"Oh? Interesting indeed..." Cupping his chin, he ponders. "And what of his capabilities?"

"Yes. He kept pace with and even surpassed a low-class fallen angel's speed. Dozens of attacks dolled in a few seconds each met with a slash from his sword. His gestures and expression also betrayed no notable effort exerted in doing so."

"Fallen angel? What is such a person doing in Kuoh? I haven't received a report about a visit from the Grigori."

"From what I heard of their conversation after he subdued her, it appears she intended to kill the boy the young miss suspects to possess a sacred gear." A critical detail shows itself before me. "Speaking of which, master, there is something more I wish to report."

"About that boy? I heard from Rias-tan that she intended to bring him into her peerage. What about him, dear?"

"He is this generation's host of the Boosted Gear."

His expression hardens while he pauses a bit to contemplate the gravity of the situation.

A fallen angel entered the territory of Kuoh's two devil heiresses and attempted to kill an innocent human, even more so a boy one of them intended to recruit.

Such a transgression would be enough to cause major friction between both the Sitri and Gremory factions and the Grigori.

And that isn't considering that said human was in possession of a Longinus class sacred gear.

Many shady factions would stop at nothing to put him under their thumb.

"How credible is this information?"

"It came out of her own mouth after interrogation, Master."

"So this means that they also have a means to determine who possesses a sacred gear as well as what it is... I'll talk to Azazel about this later. One of his crows trying to cause trouble for Rias-tan..." Rough hands tighten their grip around me. "Unforgivable..."

I shake my head. It has become a routine by now for him to overthink about such things when it comes to the young miss.

"Wait a minute! All the previous hosts succumbed to that wretched thing's influence! A curse that consumed them through hatred, rage, as well as a thirst for power and destruction! I'll ready my things immediately! As I thought, I should go after all. She'll be safer with me around."

I place a hand over his to soothe him.

"Master, I am not a teddy bear to hug for comfort, and no, you can't go to the young miss."

I chastise him and place a palm on his cheek.

"Leaving aside complaints about a Satan being partial to members of his family, it would be detrimental for you to leave your seat of power vacant at the moment. The Old Satan Faction is growing more restless behind the scenes. Their restraint is loosening in regards to their background dealings with factions from various cosmologies."

In all technicality, Master's connection to the Gremory household is all but severed, however, everyone and their mother knows how he relishes doting on his younger sister.

It is also very much guaranteed that those cunning snakes will take the opportunity to wreak havoc as soon as Master heads out to the human world.

It is unfortunate that they are masterful when it comes to leaving no evidence.

"And the boy in question has exhibited no such signs of being influenced that way by the Boosted Gear. I believe it would be prudent to simply watch how the young miss handles him for now. It would also serve as an excellent learning experience for her."

Although he grumbles adorably, master concedes to my argument with a begrudging nod.

"Leaving all that aside, what of our illustrious swordsman's power level? You said that he beat a low-class fallen. Then is it correct to assume that he sits at the cusp of middle class?"

I shake my head at that.

"I believe it is much too early to determine his power level."

"Is that so?" His hold loosens enough for me to turn. "What makes you say that?"

"The way he fought, it seemed... incomplete. As if he knows how to bring much more power to bear but is limited by his body."

Master's Knight is well known in the supernatural world as one of the greatest and fastest swordsmen to ever live. Even to me, his God-like sword moves are almost impossible to see and react to.

Naturally, he was only able to reach this level after consuming 2 of Master's Knight pieces.

And yet, just the other night I found someone who proved himself at least half as prodigious as such a person.

Someone who hasn't even left his teenage years.

Of course, that is if he was just a normal human.

"Master, there is something else."

"Goodness, just how much more unique can one boy get?" He raises an eyebrow

"Tell me."

"The way he talked, no, the way he referred to certain things. He used terms no modern human would." I start enumerating them one by one. "He referred to Japan as Yamato. The terms and conditions he stated for his service also support a suspicion of mine."

"He asked for information right? The history of the world starting from the Heian era, as well as the Youkai, Takamagahara, and the Fallen Angels, if I remember correctly." A hum escapes his lips. "Also stressing something about whether or not we seek to exploit... how did he say it again?"

"Exploit the children born under Amaterasu Ōmikami's Sun once more."

"Right, that, it isn't an odd question. We're devils after all. It isn't the first time we've had someone ask us that. Anyone possessing morals would have hang-ups working for such people. We told him we had no intentions of doing such things if I recall." He nods to himself. "But still, it's the first time I've heard anyone refer to Japan's sun goddess that way. If I remember correctly, Dad himself said that's the way people called it when he went larking in Japan a thousand years ago-"

The room was pregnant with silence for a moment.

"Fia, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

I offer him a single solid nod in response.

"It all adds up, master. The person would refer to the country by that name with such familiarity only if he lived during the time it was still widespread. There was also a moment at the start of our meeting that his body stiffened upon me coming into closer proximity to him."

Leaning back, my head rests on his chest.

"It was recognition that flashed across his eyes that instant. As if he were meeting a memorable adversary. Not to mention his expertise with the sword. A human unfamiliar with the supernatural would be able to perform slashes like that only if he dedicated more than half of his life to the way of the blade, and this one, in particular, looked not a day older than 13."

"But still, the notion of him being a spirit inheritor is just a bit of a stretch, you know? "

A moment passes before I open my mouth again.

"The Boosted Gear."

"Yes?"

"He claimed to have fought its previous wielders. He was quite jovial when he spoke of it."

His mouth goes slack, disbelief etched onto his face.

"He is familiar with the Heavenly Dragons' true names. Proclaimed himself to be on friendly terms with them as well. I speculate that he spoke with them after fighting their wielders."

"Satan below... there is such thing as unbelievable, but this..."

"Various souls pass through heaven's system, Master. Although we can hypothesize that this boy's soul went through Japan's cycle of reincarnation. There is no viable method to determine who would inherit the spirit of a historical figure much less where such a thing would occur."

"Even so, does he match the description of any notable figure in Japanese history? A person bearing the same name?"

"That is something I have yet to determine."

He nods in acknowledgment.

Now would be an opportune time to consult the Gremory Household's archives.

"So let's say just for the sake of it that he is a spirit inheritor." He leans forward, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Why is he in Kuoh? Just why would he arrive at Kuoh right as a fallen angel infiltrates it?"

Is he a spy?

This question need not be asked, but I immediately snuff it out.

"There is little to suggest that he is a spy. His actions prove that he had no part in the fallen's ploy."

If he were, that other boy would have died by a spear in between his eyes.

Neither would have engaged the fallen in battle and nearly killed her after interrogating her.

"It would be unwise to conclude that he isn't a threat so fast, Fia. Who knows, he could be putting on a front."

Feeling the end of our discussion drawing near, I ease myself onto my feet.

"I have already accounted for that, Master. Surveillance spells have been woven into the house gifted to him. Any suspicious activity will be documented."

"I see. Then I'll leave you to it. I am entrusting you with monitoring him from here on out. Keep Rias and her friends safe, but as always," Getting on his feet, his hands grasp mine as I am forced to look him in the eyes. "stay safe yourself, okay" I feel his lips on my forehead for a few seconds before pulling away. "I love you so much. I wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to you..."

"...Yes."

I am not blushing. I swear on my father's name, I'm not!

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A/N: Hello, iz me. Just a quick little side story before going back to the our best boi.