[Don't look so grim. We're not putting all our eggs in one basket when it comes to Trihexa's revival. We'll be setting up "insurance," too. The world leaders will be gathering again soon to hammer out the details.]
He must be talking about the "isolation barrier." So the planning started this early... Not that I'm surprised. Still, the best scenario would be stopping Trihexa's resurrection entirely.
If, say, Sirzechs and the others were to vanish, the political balance between the current Devil Lords and the old guard—finally tipping in favor of the current regime—could easily swing the other way again. That'd inevitably lead to all sorts of headaches down the line.
And it wouldn't stop with the Devils. If the powerful and level-headed gods and Maou willing to risk their lives for the world disappeared all at once, the other mythologies would definitely see their own problem children rise to power.
[Anyway, Rossweisse, try to recreate that paper you wrote back in school—as much as you can remember—and send it over. We'll do our own analysis on our side.]
Rossweisse activated a magic circle in front of her.
"I actually started rewriting it a while ago. When I heard Rizevim was planning to revive Trihexa, I thought maybe I could contribute something useful..."
She pulled out a thick stack of papers from a subspace storage spell and placed them on a smaller teleportation circle. Moments later, the documents were transferred to Azazel-sensei on the other end of the call.
[Got it. I'm impressed—you ended up studying the same subject as your grandmother without even realizing it. Guess blood really doesn't lie, huh?]
"I... couldn't inherit my family's magic."
Rossweisse murmured those words with a self-deprecating smile.
[That may be so, but you know I didn't mean it that way, right? I'm not saying you need to make peace with everything right now. But I do think you're an incredibly talented woman, Rossweisse.]
She gave a quiet "Thank you," but it was clear from her expression that she wasn't fully convinced.
Azazel let out a small chuckle.
[Well, since you've got yourself a boyfriend now, let him comfort you a bit.]
"Wha—no! I-I'm not actually dating Issei-kun...!"
[So what? Even if it's pretend, that's fine. You're too uptight. Learn how to enjoy a little harmless fun. Who knows? Maybe something fake will turn real.]
Wait, what is this? Some kind of knock-off romcom where fake dating turns into real love?!
Rossweisse glanced over at Issei, clearly affected by Azazel's teasing words. Azazel, noticing her reaction, grinned.
[Oh-ho~ The youth are in full bloom, I see. Well, I'll leave the rest to Issei. Later!]
With that parting shot, Azazel ended the transmission, leaving behind only awkward silence and confusion.
Of course, the moment the call ended, the girls surrounding Issei exploded with emotion. With the chaos reaching a boiling point, Yuuto, Gasper, Kuroka, and I all decided it was best to quietly excuse ourselves.
President Sona's new school, built in the rural parts of the Agares territory, was holding its open school weekend over Saturday and Sunday.
The school was named after the town it was built in—Auros Academy. Simple and to the point. "Simple is best," as they say.
Due to security reasons, we had to pass through several teleportation points before arriving in the quaint town of Auros.
As the light of the teleportation spell faded, we were greeted by one of the town officials and Saji.
"Welcome, Rias-sama. And to all of your companions as well."
After a few polite greetings, we followed Saji as he led us through the peaceful countryside—fields of crops, stone houses, and windmills that looked like something out of old Europe—toward Auros Academy on the southern edge of town.
"Ahh, the air's so fresh! Weird thing to say in the Underworld, I guess," I said, taking a deep breath.
"No kidding," I replied. "A regular human like me would probably die here without proper countermeasures."
Yeah, the air, plants, and animals in the Underworld can be dangerous to humans without magical protection.
"Can't really imagine you dropping dead that easily, Arima," Saji said, then added, "Anyway, nice place, huh? Peaceful—but not boring. Look over there. See that floating city? That's Agreas—the same one you guys fought in during the Rating Game against Lord Sairaorg. There's even a full-blown entertainment district nearby. You get the best of both worlds: countryside tranquility and city fun, just a short ride apart."
Low population density means the Devils never had to deal with overcrowding like Japan. That's probably why these idyllic rural landscapes still remain.
While Issei and the Church Trio were busy chatting about maybe settling down in a quiet place like this once they retire—though that's probably centuries away—we finally arrived at our destination.
A pleasant surprise awaited us: Auros Academy looked strikingly similar to our own Kuoh Academy. While there were minor differences in the details, it could easily be called a second Kuoh.
It really showed how much President Sona valued her current student life.
As we passed through the main gate and reached the main building, Sona herself was already there waiting for us.
"Kaichou, I've brought the Occult Research Club," Saji announced.
"Thank you, Saji. I'll take it from here. You may return to your assigned area."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll see you all later."
With a professional bow, Saji quietly left us, tossing a casual "Catch you later" to us guys as he headed off.
"Congratulations, Sona," Rias said warmly.
"Thank you, Rias. The official opening is still a ways off, but we've finally reached this point."
The two of them shook hands, smiles lighting up their faces.
"Now then, let me show you around."
Sona extended her hand toward the corridor, inviting us deeper into the building.
The children attending the open school looked to be around ten years old. In the classrooms and on the playgrounds, teachers—probably hand-picked by Sona from all over—and members of Sairaorg's peerage were leading lessons and activities. Sona's own peerage, including Saji, seemed to be acting more as assistants.
"My servants don't have much experience teaching or with life in general. I want them to observe and learn from the instructors while they help out."
So while they teach the kids, they're also studying at the same time, huh?
"How many kids are attending?" Akeno asked.
"Well, once the word got out, it seems the school became quite the topic of conversation. More than expected showed up—over 200 children. Including their parents and other visitors supporting the school, we're looking at over 500 people total."
"Even nobles and high-ranking Devils came?!"
Rias's voice rose in surprise.
"Yes, a few. Some of them insisted on seeing the classes in person. In fact, there are those who are already considering forming their future peerages entirely from this academy's graduates."
The group responded with a collective "Whoa..."
"To think high-class Devils would be this enthusiastic already..."
"I think you'll understand why in just a little bit," Sona said, smiling. "But for now, let's continue the tour."
A glint of curiosity sparked in Rias's eyes.
"Sona, you've prepared something special, haven't you?"
"I have. Based on some advice from Arima-kun, I followed up on an unexpected lead."
Everyone turned to look at me.
"Wait, you?" Rias asked.
"When he visited the student council room a while back, the topic of this school came up. That's when he gave me the idea."
"Ikki always sees things from a different angle. I'm looking forward to this."
Issei leaned in and whispered to me.
"Hey, what'd you tell her?"
"You'll find out soon enough. I just tossed out a random idea—I had no clue she'd actually follow through with it!"
And with that, Sona's tour continued.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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