Emiya Residence.
Zelretch had long since left, but I still hadn't moved, continuing to digest the information I had received.
Of course, I could have been angry or indignant, but there was no point in that, because if you take the whole picture into account, then, in principle, it would be a sin for me to complain. I had gained so much thanks to them, and it would be logical to give something in return.
First, Trihexa. The issue with her could be considered resolved, because I was sure that she would not cause any problems, given the circumstances. However, I didn't see the point in dealing with her right now, because that would disrupt the sequence of events. And I didn't want to act without any guidance. So I decided to stick to the same course as before.
Second, the Spider. This thing wasn't just strong, it was incredibly strong, and dealing with it was almost impossible. From this, I made the logical conclusion that Zelretch, using his travels to other worlds, was somehow preparing me for a battle with him. And, to be honest, possessing two True Magics and essentially having the status of a Grand Servant, I wasn't sure I could handle him.
Of course, there was the question of who would help me, if such a possibility existed in principle, but it would still be better to play it safe. Heh.
In addition, there was still the question of how much time I had, because as far as I remembered, the Spider was currently asleep. And if the preparations had already begun, then either some idiot wanted to wake him up, or he would wake up on his own soon enough.
I took a deep breath, lay down on the sofa, and closed my eyes.
Anyway, whatever will be, will be. I don't think the Biblical Gods, Alaya, or Zelretch would send me to certain death. That's not their style. Lies or manipulation? Quite possibly. But not that.
With these thoughts, I settled down comfortably and was about to fall asleep when, at that very moment, the doorbell rang. Rea-chan went to open the door and returned with... them.
- "Good afternoon, Lady Leviathan, Sensei," I heard Rias' voice. She had, of course, arrived with her entire entourage and sat down on the sofas. "You could have warned us that you would be away for a few days. We were looking for you."
- "Oh? I apologize for not informing Your Royal Tomato Majesty of my affairs," I smiled, opening one eye, which made Rias's eyebrow twitch and Akeno giggle. "What do you want? Speak and leave. I'm busy."
- "With what? Idleness?" Rias asked defiantly. "The same thing you do at work?"
- "What work? I've never heard of such a thing," I shrugged, further irritating Rias. "Besides, I'm on good terms with Sona. I'm sure she'll be happy to turn a blind eye to this."
- "You're just awful," Rias crossed her arms over her chest.
- "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were newlyweds," Akeno commented cheerfully, which was unexpected.
- "Mhm," Koneko, Gasper, and Kiba agreed.
- "So that's how newlyweds behave," Xenovia muttered thoughtfully, glancing at Issei, who...
- "Well, my parents said that this happened quite often when they were newlyweds..." he said uncertainly.
- "I promise I'll never treat you like that, Issei-san!" Asia declared, clenching her fists. "And that's not right, Xenovia! Don't listen to Akeno-san!"
- "So now I'm the villain? How cruel, Asia-chan," Akeno cooed, putting her hand to her cheek, to which Asia immediately apologized.
- "My mother and father also sometimes quarrel in a similar way, so I don't think it's that bad," Rias added.
And the discussion continued, as if forgetting the purpose of their visit to my house. Of course, it was a little annoying because I wanted to sleep, but to be honest, I missed them. It was fun in its own way. Heh.
- "I'm not interested in your family squabbles," I finally said, interrupting the circus. "Why are you here?"
- "Oh, yes. Let's get back to business," Rias concluded the discussion with a clear throat and looked at me. "You know that demons make long-term pacts with human magicians, right? It's an ancient tradition from long ago, which His Majesty deemed acceptable and left as it is."
- "Hmm?" I smirked. "Want to make a pact with me, Tomato-kun?"
- "No!" Rias immediately shook her head. "I don't want any trouble on my head by being so closely connected to you. Besides, I don't think I could handle our pact. And His Majesty would hardly be thrilled."
- "That's obvious! You're still so weak!" I chuckled, causing her eyebrow to twitch again. "If that's not why you came here, then why?"
- "May I ask you... to look after Isa and the others while I'm away?" she asked, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "You see, I need to go to Romania for a while to resolve some issues concerning Gasper. And while I'm away, I'd like you to look after them and advise them on choosing a magician."
Oh? So the vampire arc has already begun, huh? As far as I remember, Rias went to Romania first, and then, when a civil war broke out there thanks to Rizevim's efforts, the rest of them went too. However...
- "Interesting," I smiled. "But what's the point of me getting involved in all this? And wouldn't it be easier to just find a wizard who wants to be part of the tomato king?"
- "Against the backdrop of recent events, many magicians with bad intentions have appeared, and I fear that Ise, Asia, and Xenovia, due to their inexperience, have fallen into their trap. Ravel also arrived recently, enrolled in the academy, and was looking for you when you were away, but, no offense to her, she is too young for this. And I would not have touched you if it had not been for the words of the Great Ancestor of my house," she said, ignoring my jab, and I, hearing the mention of the demon Gremory, was surprised, because her power lay in prophecy. "As for payment... How about a special kind of coffee grown for the upper echelons of vampire society?"
- "Deal!" I replied instantly, without a second's thought, which literally scared Rias and the others. "Bring a ton... No, two tons, and we're even!"
- "You really are addicted to coffee, aren't you?" Akeno giggled.
- "Um... Okay..." Rias mumbled and stood up, followed by the others. "Thank you for listening, Sensei, I feel better now. Goodbye."
- "Yeah, yeah," I nodded, and when she and the group left the house, I contacted Gremory. "Don't you want to explain anything to me? It's very mean to dump your work on others."
- "You're in no position to talk, Magician," replied the female voice of the Pillar demon. "His Majesty and we are very busy right now and cannot leave the Underworld. It's no trouble for you to keep an eye on a couple of kids who will soon be picked up by the magicians of Qlippoth."
- "Hm? Are they the ones who serve to Greyfia's brother?"
- "Yes, those very ones," Gremory replied. "Their main target is Ravel Fenix, but they will also take several members of Rias Gremory's retinue with them."
- "And that's why you'll intervene, because you like my clan," Phenex suddenly interjected.
- "You use that argument a lot, don't you think?" I said with a raised eyebrow.
- "And yet you'll do it anyway, won't you?" Phenex replied with a hint of indifference, as if shrugging his shoulders.
I thought about it for a moment.
Well, I really did like the whole Phenex family. It was one of the few places where I could find stability and enjoy myself, so, in principle, yes, I would get involved in one way or another. Besides, I would get paid by Rias.
And this event was also present in the canon, where, it seems, the case of the artificially created 'Phenex Tears', essentially a potion that heals wounds, was being investigated.
Usually, only the Phenex clan could produce such a thing, but this event revealed that a cell of the former Chaos Brigade, now Qlippoth, consisting of human magicians, was engaged in this very business. And, of course, they didn't use the most beautiful method.
- "Okay, I'll do it," I said, cutting off the connection and getting up from the couch. "Come with me, Rea-chan. You can keep me company at my 'work' and have some fun at the same time. It's not right that you just sit at home and watch over him."
- "As you wish," she bowed, and I teleported us straight to the student council office, where work was in full swing, as usual. "So-tan, the world's best male nurse is back on duty! Welcome the hero!"
- "No," So-tan said curtly, without taking her eyes off the papers on the table.
There was a momentary pause, during which we heard laughter from her entourage, which immediately subsided, apparently noticing Rea-chan behind me.
- "Huh?"
- "I've already found a replacement."
- "Huh?"
- "And she has already gained an impressive reputation among students and teachers, even if her character does not quite match the prestige of the academy. However, neither does yours."
- "Huh?"
- "Or did you really think you could slack off from work for so long, and I would just put up with it?"
This hurt me, and I put on an offended expression and began to probe the aura of the academy's newly arrived nurse. She was definitely a demon, but what kind? Heh.
One of the descendants of the local demon Sin, or more precisely, Sloth.
- "Rea-chan, keep an eye on the children. I think they need a lesson in manners," I said, at which Sona raised her head, a slight panic appearing in her eyes. "It seems we have a very interesting guest at the academy, don't you think, So-tan?"
-0-
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