"An Evil Dragon?!"
Inside the Occult Research Club's clubroom.
After returning, Jeanne immediately recounted to everyone what she had encountered earlier.
Azazel, astonished, leaped straight up from the sofa, staring blankly at Jeanne with disbelief written clearly on his face.
Beside him, Hyoudou Issei raised his left arm, manifesting the Boosted Gear, and asked:
"Ddraig, what's an Evil Dragon exactly? Is it a specific kind of dragon?"
The jewel embedded in the [Boosted Gear] flickered faintly, and Ddraig's voice emerged from within:
"Evil Dragons, huh...? They're not exactly a distinct species, but rather a term used to describe particularly dangerous and uncontrollable dragons. Some among them are exceptionally fearsome beings appearing in various mythologies."
Following Ddraig's explanation, Azazel continued:
"Crom Cruach, the Crescent Circle Dragon; Grendel, the Tyrant Dragon of Sin; Ladon, the Dragon Guardian of the Golden Apples; Aži Dahāka, the Diabolism Thousand Dragon; Nidhogg, the Malice Striker Dragon; Apep, the Primordial Eclipse Dragon; and Yamata-no-Orochi, the Rampaging Serpent of Spirit Devouring... "
"All of them are infamous Evil Dragons recorded across mythologies, giving even the gods endless headaches. Among them, Crom Cruach, Aži Dahāka, and Apep are particularly infamous: one slew the king of the Tuatha Dé Danann from Celtic mythology; another is the evil god of Zoroastrianism; the last sought to drown the entire world of Egyptian mythology in eternal darkness."
"But...that's impossible, right? All the Evil Dragons in this world have been dead for centuries..." Azazel stroked his chin anxiously, his expression grim.
"And yet I encountered one," Jeanne stated calmly, far more composed than Azazel. "Though it was my first encounter with an Evil Dragon, I'm certain it was Grendel, the Tyrant Dragon of Sin."
Jeanne then briefly described Grendel's appearance, matching Azazel's memories exactly. He was forced to accept this absurd yet terrifying truth.
"No doubt—that was definitely Grendel. To think an Evil Dragon has truly resurrected…"
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Azazel dropped back onto the sofa, roughly scratching at his hair before lifting his eyes toward Jeanne.
"You managed to finish him off, right?"
Meeting Azazel's grave gaze, Jeanne nodded slightly.
"That dragon was an utter battle maniac. Even when I'd reduced him to nothing but a head, he still wished to keep fighting. Thus, I obliterated his head along with all remaining pieces of his flesh."
"However..." Jeanne narrowed her eyes slightly. "If he could revive once, we can't rule out a second or third revival."
Azazel's face turned even darker, opening his mouth, but unable to refute the likelihood of Jeanne's speculation.
Ophis sat on Jeanne's lap, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. The others didn't comment on this intimacy, since Ophis was actively suppressing Jeanne's Steel Divinity, currently hyperactive from the recent battle.
Without suppressing this divine aura, not to mention Toujou Koneko and Himejima Akeno, even Azazel would hesitate to approach casually. Though the leaking divine presence couldn't injure Azazel, it still caused a burning discomfort. He wasn't a masochist, after all.
After glaring bitterly at Ophis, Koneko turned curiously toward Azazel, puzzled:
"But if it's a dragon, it shouldn't even be able to fight Jeanne-senpai, right...?"
Several eyes simultaneously shifted toward Hyoudou Issei—the most obvious example of her point.
Actually, the most pitiful wasn't Issei, but Vali. Issei was considered an ally by Jeanne, and thus benefited daily from the effects of her Dragon Witch EX skill, continuously unlocking his potential simply by staying close. Vali, on the other hand, was marked as an enemy, heavily weakened and unable to display even forty percent of his true power in her presence.
"I think I understand what's going on," Jeanne suddenly spoke up, attracting curious glances from everyone. "I didn't sense even a trace of 'dragon' aura from Grendel."
"A dragon...with no dragon aura?"
Jeanne's contradictory statement left everyone confused.
But Azazel understood immediately.
"Resurrected from death, undying even reduced to a single head, yet a dragon without the 'aura of a dragon'..."
Only one thing in Azazel's memory matched these impossible conditions.
"The life-defying Longinus—[Sephiroth Graal]."
Then, Azazel suddenly recalled intel he'd received recently, angrily slamming his fist down on the table in front of him.
"Damn it! No wonder those Khaos Brigade bastards kept appearing at sites formerly inhabited by extinct dragons. They're planning this?! Resurrecting dead Evil Dragons? Are they insane? Do they foolishly believe they can control them? Do they think they're another Dragon Witch?!"
Jeanne raised an eyebrow slightly at Azazel's mention, calmly remarking:
"Even I couldn't command those Evil Dragons now. The Khaos Brigade likely used the [Sephiroth Graal] to alter their fundamental lifeforms. Not only does my ability fail to affect them, but they may even be immune to traditional dragon-slaying weapons."
"The [Sephiroth Graal]..." Himejima Akeno's brows furrowed deeply, "Earlier, Azazel mentioned he'd already discovered its location..."
Azazel's face darkened even further.
"I originally intended to secure the [Sephiroth Graal] before those world-threatening lunatics, but it seems they've beaten us to it... Damn!"
If the Khaos Brigade could resurrect Evil Dragons, it meant they'd fully mastered the [Sephiroth Graal].
Jeanne turned toward Azazel, asking:
"So, where exactly is the [Sephiroth Graal]?"
If it was already in the Khaos Brigade's hands, urgency was paramount.
"Vampire territory. Romania," Azazel answered gravely. "Centuries ago, the vampires split into two factions—Tepes and Carmilla. The holder of the [Sephiroth Graal] is a vampire from the Tepes faction—or rather, a half-human, half-vampire named Valerie Tepes."
As Jeanne and the others digested this information, noise suddenly erupted nearby.
They turned, seeing Gasper trembling, nearly in tears, crying out in disbelief.
"Valerie?! N-no, that's impossible! Valerie isn't like me! She wasn't born with any [Sacred Gear]!"
Valerie… Someone important to Gasper? Jeanne thought silently.
As a human-vampire hybrid, Gasper must've faced extreme prejudice among vampires who held humans in utter disdain, seeing them merely as lowly food. Eventually, it was Rias who rescued Gasper, reincarnating him as her servant with a Devil's Piece.
But if the Graal's holder was someone close to Gasper…things would be complicated.
"Some individuals awaken their [Sacred Gears] later due to certain triggers," Azazel stated coldly, shattering Gasper's desperate hope. "Unfortunately, Valerie fits that category."
"…"
Gasper looked devastated, trembling helplessly, his eyes dimmed by despair.
"Vampires have long clung arrogantly to isolation, cutting off all external interaction. It's likely they hid Valerie from us. They despise holy power yet chose neither to abandon nor hand over the [Sephiroth Graal]—what were they thinking?!"
Azazel fumed openly; vampire arrogance had long frustrated every faction. Now, their stubborn secrecy had allowed the [Sephiroth Graal] to fall into Khaos Brigade hands.
Jeanne glanced subtly at Gasper's anguished face, then casually withdrew her gaze, calmly announcing:
"It seems we must head to Romania."
The vampires were extremely xenophobic; interference would inevitably provoke hostility.
However...
"We're hunting terrorists wanted worldwide for causing chaos." Jeanne smiled fiercely, her aura crackling ominously. "Refusal means sheltering criminals—making them accomplices worthy of destruction."
"Exactly! Our actions are justified; they can't refuse," Azazel agreed with a sly grin. "By intervening, we'll shatter their isolationist pride, forcing their values open. They'll have no choice but to negotiate."
And once negotiations opened, under global pressure, vampires would inevitably lose their advantage.
In the end, Azazel decisively announced:
"We leave tomorrow for Romania. Any objections, Jeanne?"
Jeanne nodded eagerly, clearly anticipating it.
Romania, vampires, Tepes and Carmilla… Jeanne instantly recalled Chaldea's Vlad III and Carmilla (Elizabeth Báthory).
One was the historical Dracula, the other notorious for bathing in young women's blood. Both were origin points of vampire lore, with Vlad III revered as a Romanian hero.
Yet Vlad despised his "Dracula" reputation, desiring the Holy Grail to erase this stigma. Seeing his homeland controlled by vampires—especially a faction bearing his name—would drive him into murderous fury.
Back in France's Singularity, Vlad and Carmilla served under me… Perhaps as their leader, I should handle this mess myself… Jeanne mused thoughtfully.