Chapter 135

With super quick movements, he tapped the back of her neck and effectively knocked her out. Feeling her body slump in his arms, he tossed her over his shoulder while also grabbing her blade. Having subdued her, he turned to look at his brother…

"Cleria's mansion."

…with a very…very disappointed gaze.

"You have some explaining to do."

Not caring for the bystanders observing the situation, a teleportation circle formed underneath him before he vanished along with Shuri.

Vwong!

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|DxD|

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16/08/1999- August 5th, 1999, Kuoh Town, Japan (Twenty days since Igor and Aurelia vanished)

.

Compared to the bustling nightlife in Baracoa, it was peaceful here in Kuoh. It was nearing the times of late morning and the sun had fully peeked out. Since it was Thursday, schools were operational and people were already at work.

The streets were relatively empty with only a few vehicles and pedestrians roaming about. Reconstruction was already in its closing stages with only a few non-vital jobs left. Tasks such as clearing the streets of shattered glass were still ongoing with uniformed workers sweeping the streets and pavements for the remaining pieces.

But compared to the Zero-Day incident, today was much more calmer, a bit more casual. Yet, that could always easily change.

Vwong!

Back in Cleria's mansion, Azazel appeared in the office of the owner with Shuri tossed over his shoulder. The silverette that was initially working on documents had her raised smile morph into confusion, before being completely replaced by fear and concern.

Krrrr!

Abruptly standing up from her chair, there were no pleasantries issued nor elegance used in her actions.

"What happened?"

Azazel could only sigh in exasperation.

"Haaaa. Baraquiel happened. I had to knock her out."

Just thinking back to how he had to restrain her made him feel tired. Unnecessary strenuous activities was truly something he would prefer to avoid at all costs.

As for the silverette, upon hearing that Shuri was only unconscious with no injuries, her state of panic finally relaxed.

"Oh. That's good."

Faced with Azazel's answer, Cleria could only accept it as she sat down again. Although she normally wouldn't approve of his method, she trusted his judgement enough to know that if there were less intense methods, he would've used them.

"How horrible was it?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Cleria."

"Haaaa…"

Letting that tidbit of information sink in, Cleria decided to first prepare some accomodations for her unconscious friend. Pressing a buzzer on her desk, a dull sound played before without any delay…

Vwong!

…one of her servants teleported into the office. It was a rather old portly male with a short stature. With noble clothing similar to that worn by the French upper-class in the renaissance time period, his out-of-place attire made him seem like a target not worth taking seriously.

However, the gaze in his eyes was sharp as he radiated the power of a high-class devil.

"Madam Cleria. I am at your service."

Never failing to find his evident French accent delightful to the ears, she respectfully replied to him.

"Be at ease. I have a simple task for you. Please take good care of my friend here."

With Azazel gesturing for the servant to take Shuri, the servant once again bowed.

"I will endeavour to complete this task successfully, Madam Cleria."

With the fallen having gently eased Shuri into his arms, the servant promptly left the office via teleportation.

Vwong!

Feeling the presence of her servant appear again four rooms away, she found his usage of teleportation for such a short distance rather odd. No matter how many times she did it, she never understood why.

Regardless, now that Shuri was taken care of, it was time to tackle the reason why she had to be knocked out in the first place. Sitting properly on her desk, she clasped her fists together before placing them under her chin.

This issue concerned her best friend so this required her full attention.

"Alright. What did he do?"

Her aura had shifted into what Azazel liked to call her "analytical mode". In such a state, he knew that he would not need to be long-winded, especially when he himself was still troubled by Baraquiel's actions.

Taking the seat opposite her, he got straight to the point.

"My brother was kissed by a woman…and Shuri saw it."

"..."

In the supernatural world, such scenes were not something to make such a fuss about, especially if the man involved was strong. Baraquiel certainly did qualify as a strong man with a strong standing in the supernatural world. Him having an affair or two would not be something to write home about.

However…

"What?"

…this scenario was rather complicated, so complicated that even Cleria who could pride herself on her ability to keep her composure couldn't help but exclaim in shock.

"Azazel. Are you saying that…for the past three weeks…?"

It was a sentence that did not need to be completed. With a tired sigh, he confirmed her guess.

"Yes. For these past few weeks, Baraquiel had been in Cuba with this woman. And from how he was even helping her in the restaurant, this relationship possibly isn't new. In fact, it possibly may pre-date Shuri's death."

"..."

Cleria lowered her head in thought, the shock of the situation giving way to a realisation. The memory of him having a woman's scent and the guilt in his eyes still remained as clear as day in her head.

"You're right, Azazel. Baraquiel is not one known for his promiscuity so you are right to have doubts. But when he returned to Kuoh after Shuri's death, I once caught the scent of a woman on him. Therefore, I am willing to guess that same scent I caught belongs to the same woman you saw."

"..."

Azazel couldn't even reply to such a statement. He had never asked why Baraquiel came so late. He only knew that the reason he left was that his daughter directly told him she hated him. He could understand why he left. Being told such words by his daughter right after he lost his wife must've been hard for him. But he also found it rather idiotic that he took the words of a child so seriously.

"A woman…"

Yet, there were limits to stupidity. There were limits to irresponsibility.

"Yes, Azazel. Shuri died because of that wo-"

"No. Do not fault that woman for my brother's mistakes."

Standing up, from the chair, Azazel's face darkened.

"My brother can fight with gods and win. A human woman can never do anything to him, nevermind force him. If anything, it is my brother who is at fault for being so weak-willed."

Silence…

A long silence introduced itself after Azazel's statement. Cleria had a hand to her forehead while the fallen had his head lowered. Whether it was in shame or disappointment, no one could tell. But the bulging veins on his clenched fists indicated one thing.

He was angry.

"No need to speculate. HE will explain everything."

He was immensely disappointed when Baraquiel had abandoned his wife and child for another life in Cuba. But now, he was angry because while his wife and child were in mortal danger, he was with another woman. As a cadre of Grigori, his actions were both disgraceful, and inexcusable.

As the Governor of Grigori and as an elder brother, this was not something he could nor would casually ignore. He could ignore many of the antics his brothers got up to. But this…this had crossed the line, and there would be consequences for doing so.

"..."

Turning his gaze towards the door, he felt the presence of Baraquiel appear in the front yard. Just as Cleria also stood up, he stopped her with a motion of his hand, his head not even turning to look at her.

"I will handle this. You take care of Shuri in case she wakes up."

Without waiting for her reply…

Su!

He vanished.

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|DxD|

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Baraquiel was in a daze.

"..."

Everything had happened so quickly that he still couldn't believe his eyes.

[Shuri…]

His wife was alive and well. In fact, she was full of life.

But…

"Damnit…"

They met at the worst possible time.

"Damnit it all…"

Even as he stood quietly on the front lawn, he could feel her presence on the second floor. He so desperately wanted to barge in there, to see her, to touch her, hold…and kiss her. But, he couldn't bring himself to.

He was self-aware of his actions and of how deplorable they were. He knew that he didn't deserve to touch her, despite his heart desperately aching to.

*Clenches Fists*

His wife, the one he wronged. His daughter, the one he abandoned. Not a single day passed by without thinking of them. His wife that he thought was dead and his daughter that he left alone. His actions were inexcusable, but he couldn't bring himself to come back, not to the place of his failures.

He just wanted a few days to gather his thoughts, but such an excuse was pathetic in front of his actions…his crimes. The crime of failing as a husband. The crime of failing as a father. The crime of failing as a man. Just one was already a heavy enough weight on his shoulders. Yet, he committed all three.

[What a mess I've caus-]

Su!

"..."

Sigh…

He dreaded it, but it seemed the time has come. Turning away from the window to the room Shuri was in, he came face to face with Azazel.

"Brother…"

"..."

He was met with no response. All he received in return was the icy gaze of his elder brother.

"I-"

"On the day of Shuri's death, what were you doing?"

No greetings. No formalities. Azazel wanted an answer to this issue that grating him inside. Just looking at the pathetic appearance of his brother in a waiter's uniform made him want to skip questions and punish him on the spot.

But…

"Before anything, I want to hear it from your mouth, Baraquiel."

*Fists Clench!*

"On the night when your wife and daughter were attacked-no. Hunted… by the Himejima clan, where were you?"

Azazel wanted no other knowledge. The fact that his brother was gone for almost three weeks was something inexcusable, but understandable.

"Answer me."

But if Shuri died while he was out there with another woman…

"Baraquiel."

…then it wasn't just inexcusable.

"Where. Were. You."

It was unforgivable.

"..."

Baraquiel couldn't answer. To this day, it was his biggest regret. Due to his negligence, and due to his weak mind, his wife died and his daughter was left with trauma. It was his duty to protect them, but because of his weak will, he allowed himself to be swayed by a woman.

"I…I…"

He didn't know how to begin. With his head hung low in shame, he didn't know how to bring up such a horrible incident caused by a lapse in his judgement. But…he knew he had to answer. It was the very least he could do.

"I was in Cuba…with a woma-"

Gu! …CRASH!

Without any hints or warning, he was suddenly punched in the face and sent flying across the yard before eventually crashing into the perimeter walls.

Silence…

Covered in pieces of rubble, Baraquiel couldn't get up. The punch was so powerful that he was still in a state of disorientation. A large circular crack was left on the point where his back hit.

Sitting on the ground with his head lowered in a daze, it was only thanks to the enchantment on the wall that he wasn't sent flying through it.

Ta…Ta…Ta…Ta…

Walking over to where Baraquiel was currently lying on the ground, Azazel stepped onto the rubble and grabbed his brother by his neck. Without any scruples…

BANG!

…he punched him in the gut.

"Puaah!"

Coughing out saliva, Baraquiel's eyes widened in pain.

"..."

Despite causing his brother pain, Azazel's gaze remained firm.

"Your actions are unforgivable."

BANG!

Delivering another gut punch, Azazel was unfazed by the bits of spittle landing on his face and clothes.

"You brought disgrace upon Grigori."

BANG!

"You failed in your responsibility as a husband."

BANG!

"As a father."

BANG!

"And as a cadre."

BANG!

"What you did…"

Reeling his fist as far back as possible, memories of despairing fellow fallen flashed in his head. With those memories fueling his rage…

BANG!

…he let loose a powerful gut punch on Baraquiel.

"Argh!"

Blood flew out of his mouth, but Azazel remained unfazed. Bringing him closer, he looked at him directly in the eye with an angry, almost furious gaze.

"What you did, is just like what our father did."