Chapter 67: Vice Minister
The game was over.
It had hardly lasted for more than five minutes, probably less if the chatter between Rias and Riser was cut out.
She was now free.
The marriage contract her father had arbitrarily signed for her no longer meant anything. The person she would spend the rest of her life with was no longer his decision to make, it was hers.
Truly hers.
She had been dreading the possibility that she'd be forced to wed him of all people ever since Zeoticus threw the arrangement in her face, but that dread no longer existed, a colossal weight had just been lifted off her shoulders.
Through battle, she had taken back a key aspect of her livelihood.
She was speechless, overwhelmed with joy to the point where she didn't know how to put it into words.
Specks of blue light started to surround her and her peerage, transporting them out of the now-inactive battlefield and back to the Occult Research Clubroom.
Presumably to give them some time to cool down with one another before they faced the spectating Satan Lucifer, and the man he had conscripted to make their victory come to fruition in the first place.
"Rias," Akeno was the first to speak. "We did it." The emotion in her tone was palpable.
The Lightning Priestess looked down at her fists, clenching them not out of frustration, but exhilaration.
As her teacher said, her power wasn't a catalyst for ruin and despair. It was a tool she could use to protect the woman she cherished like a sister and shield her juniors.
It wasn't Baraqiel's Holy Lightning. It was Akeno Himejima's, and she was the only person who was allowed to decide its purpose.
"That we did," Rias smiled warmly. Looking over each member of her peerage with immense pride.
All of them had come so far.
Obviously, there were still plenty of issues that needed to be resolved. A month was too short a time to fix everything.
But that didn't matter, what mattered was that everyone had grown. None of them could compare themselves to the person they were before their training began, and she believed that in the best way possible.
She was a little disappointed that she, as their King, wasn't the sole reason for their changes.
However, instead of brooding over it, she'd rather let it motivate her to become a leader who could help them grow the same way he did.
Rias stepped forward, wrapping each of her subordinates in a tight, affectionate hug.
"Thank you. For everything."
She was truly blessed to have them.
They offered no response.
There was no need. As a family, they were perfectly capable of conveying their emotions to one another with or without words.
"Oh?" A familiar voice broke the warm silence, stemming from the clubroom's window. "A group hug without me? How hurtful," the voice teased.
Rias let out an amused exhale. "One of these days I'll get you to use the front door."
"Sure you will," Alduin teased, vaulting through the window like usual. His eyes drifted over each of his students, his expression emanating just as much pride as their King. "So, how are my little champions feeling after the big win? I bet it felt nice to smash that pesky firebird's face in, didn't it?'
He would know, he was the Underworld's leading expert in kicking Riser's ass.
"Yes!" Akeno smiled excitedly. "It was quite pleasing to watch him writhe around in indescribable agony!" She pressed her palm against her cheek, reminiscing over the sight of Riser's limbless body.
'Ah, I almost forgot this one's a major S.'
Everyone shared the same thought.
"Heh, with any luck, maybe your Holy Lightning shocked his brain's faulty wiring straight," Alduin smirked
"One can only hope," Rias sighed.
Gradually, the Gremory's expression lost its humor, softening as she walked up towards Alduin. The latter shifted with confusion as she wordlessly wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Thank you, Alduin-sensei," she whispered in a warm tone.
He exhaled calmly, returning the embrace. "I'm glad I could be of service." One by one, the rest of her peerage joined in, silently expressing their deep gratitude towards the Buné, their feelings made clear to him through his Senjutsu.
Rias pulled back. "Will you remain in Kuoh? Even though your teaching duties have been fulfilled, you still agreed to be I and Sona's Guardian, right?" There was an undertone of reluctance in her voice.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Apparently, that's what I'm going to be discussing with Lord Lucifer and Lady Leviathan once I return to the villa."
He hadn't confirmed anything, but from the way the two Satans talked to him before he went to congratulate his students, he was fairly certain they had other ideas for how they wanted to put his skills to use.
Noticing the peerage's sentiment, Alduin continued. "However, regardless of where I am, you'll always be my treasured students. Even if I'm not there to say it, just know that I'm indescribably proud of each and every one of you. Honestly, I doubt you all need my help to continue from this point onwards."
'It took me fourteen years of getting my ass handed to me by them to reach my level, yet, you all have grown this much in a mere month.' He sighed inwardly. 'Good grief, I guess it won't be long before me and Sairaorg are looking up at you.'
He didn't mind the feeling in the slightest. Any teacher worth their salt wanted to see their students surpass them, it was proof that the knowledge they passed down didn't go to waste.
"It'd still be nice to have you around," she said, lowering her head.
"Oh, come on, there's no need to get all gloomy." Alduin gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's not like this is goodbye, even if I won't be participating in it, I'll definitely be there to cheer you all on at the gathering."
'It'll be interesting to see how much you all will have grown by that point.'
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes, it's a promise."
///
After wishing my students well, I returned to the villa. Roygun and Thora had temporarily been asked to clear the room so I, Serafall, and Lord Lucifer could discuss amongst ourselves.
"For the sake of efficiency, I'm just going to come out directly and say what's on our minds." Serafall began. "Alduin, we think having you indefinitely remain in Kuoh Town would be a waste of your abilities."
Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that.
"It's not that we don't value the safety of our younger siblings anymore," Sirzechs picked up. "It's just that after weighing our options, and witnessing your capabilities first-hand. We think it'd be better to have someone else pick up your post here."
I nodded my understanding, maintaining an even expression.
I need to reach the absolute peak of Satan-Class as soon as possible, even though I've come to like this town, remaining here isn't going to help me achieve that. I need to be out and about, proactively working towards my goal.
And eventually, once I've attained it, I'll step foot onto House Buné's soil once more.
"So, what do you have planned for me?"
"Before we get to that," Serafall spoke. "We want you to know that you'll be getting the next month off to enjoy some well-earned downtime. You've done great work here, and it's only right that we give you some time to recuperate your strength before handing you any further assignments."
I withheld a smile, already having a good idea of what I was going to use my time off to do.
I've been thinking about using the free trip to the Familiar Forest Lord Lucifer handed me to pay a visit to the Strongest Dragon King, and hopefully get some insight about how I can further develop my Partial Hypnosis. Besides consistent use, I'm unsure what the prerequisite is to manipulate more than two senses at a time.
The only thing that's been stopping me is my instinctual fear that her trial instilled within me. I'm still deliberating whether or not that trip will turn me into her next meal or not.
Also, it might be time for me to help Azazel do some Cadre hunting. Which I obviously can't do while I'm under the clock of two Satans, lest I want to be found out and exposed.
"I appreciate your generosity," I replied with a respectful bow.
Preceded by an approving nod, Serafall reached into her turquoise coat and handed me a pin bearing the same symbol as my Foreign Affairs badge.
"What's this?" I picked it up, examining its make.
"A promotion," she paused, her smile widening. "If you're interested."
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to elaborate.
Sirzechs cleared his throat, grabbing my attention. "Since Serafall took office, the position of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs has remained vacant."
I froze, unable to wear anything other than a stiff demeanour chock-full of confusion.
"Huh?" I blurted out, wondering if I had just misheard him.
"If you want it, I'd be happy to fit you into that role." Serafall went on, pretending as if she hadn't just made an outrageously ridiculous proposition. "While we're happy to provide you all the backing you need, don't you think it'd be nice if you had some personal authority as well? Technically speaking, without maintaining your post as Guardian, your position in the Underworld is that of a 'runaway Heir'. If you ask me, someone of your skills and talent deserves better."
I blinked, struggling to come to terms with the fact that Serafall was being genuine.
'Has she gone mad? Offering an eighteen-year-old the position of Vice Minister? You might as well make me a Satan while you're at it!'
With difficulty, I suppressed my initial bewilderment and kindling excitement.
I think it's best to approach this situation with suspicion. There are plenty of other ways they could grant me personal authority without handing me such a crucial role, like promoting me to Ultimate-Class, for instance, which I already meet the requirements for.
"There's something specific you want me to do with that position, isn't there?" I narrowed my eyes, carefully scrutinizing the Leviathan.
"As expected of my Vice Minister, your observation skills are sharp." She giggled, as if my words were somehow an acceptance of her offer. "Throughout the Underworld's history, the only outside alliance we've managed to form is with Magician organizations. An alliance that existed long before I became a Satan."
"You wish to change that?"
"Yes, don't you think it's a little embarrassing that my department hasn't managed to form any alliances since it was founded?" She sighed. "We've done a good job of keeping track of foreign threats and whatnot, but that's not the department's main purpose. It's supposed to be a medium to open communications with factions other than just Grigori and Heaven."
I hummed inquisitively, taking a moment to mull over her words.
She makes a good point, with the Government's current pro-peace policy, it makes sense why she'd want to seek out more potential allies. Though I doubt lackluster communication skills are why she hasn't managed to do so.
From an outside perspective, the Underworld's just too damn frightening.
As long as Lord Beelzebub and Lord Lucifer exist, it's going to be pretty difficult to make others think of us as a friendly or even neutral entity.
Not that I blame them, I would be scared shitless too if I encountered a faction with people that could make entire Pantheons quake in their presence.
There's also the tension between the three Biblical Factions. If someone were to ally with the Underworld, they'd be signing up to get caught in the crossfire should our fragile ceasefire collapse.
Although that might change for the better if Azazel's plan proceeds accordingly.
"So you want me to help you form these alliances?" I tilted my head in perplexity. "Don't you think I'm a little underqualified to be representing the entirety of the Underworld? I don't think having a brat like me negotiate on your behalf will do much good image-wise."
She scoffed. "If age equated to competency, I would've filled the spot a long time ago. Besides, I doubt an ally that would judge a representative solely on their age would be very useful to have."
Fair point.
"I presume you have a specific ally in mind?"
"Yes, we're looking to build ties with the West Yōkai Faction in Kyoto. Its leader, Yasaka, is an Ultimate-Class Yōkai. My presence would be far too intimidating, and Sirzechs' would make her outright panic. Which is why we think an Ultimate-Class Devil like you that isn't too weak, nor too overbearing would make for a good delegate."
True, as long as my Partial Hypnosis ability isn't revealed, I doubt someone like that would be particularly afraid of me. And taking the rest of my collective strength into consideration, I don't think they'd look down on me either.
Besides, I'm one of the few devils who can effectively wield Senjutsu. There's no doubt that it'll be useful when I'm in the presence of a Yōkai faction.
However, I doubt Serafall wants to ally with them simply for their Senjutsu knowledge.
She probably wants the Underworld to have a strong foothold in the human world, far better than Kuoh Town.
Kyoto.
Every Senjutsu practitioner worth their salt is well aware of the insane weapon that lies beneath that city's soil.
The Leylines.
An inexplicably vast, perhaps bottomless well of spiritual power that could make one's stamina near-infinite.
All that power is bound to the Kyuubi in charge of the West Youkai Faction, Yasaka. If devils were to station themselves in Kyoto with her blessing, their defenses would be virtually impenetrable.
We've always come up short in comparison to Heaven when it comes to our human world connections. One-on-one devil contracts could never compare to a fraction of the influence global faith can produce.
In terms of quantity, Kyoto alone wouldn't really tip the scales, but it'd be a million times more secure than any station Heaven possesses through the Church.
Political interests aside, there are also some good personal benefits I could obtain by facilitating this alliance.
Serafall might not care, but I'd love to tap into some of their Senjutsu wisdom. It's possible I could learn things Martha isn't willing to teach me, or perhaps things she simply doesn't know—if such knowledge exists.
"Of course, you don't have to make a decision now." She reassured me. "You can give me your answer after your break."
"Then I'll do just that."
///
Once my talks with Serafall and Lord Lucifer had concluded, I moved on to my third conversation of the day.
Roygun.
According to Thora, she's waiting for me in my bedroom, and while I'm well aware of the 'nightly activities' I'll be partaking in. I do hope she's arranged some time for us to actually talk beforehand, seeing as there's an elephant in the room the two of us ought to address and all.
"You certainly took your time."
She was sat down on the mattress, glaring at me with a playfully annoyed look.
"Sorry, bossman and bosslady had something important they wanted to talk to me about." I leaped onto the bed, firmly planting my head against her lap. "But I think you'll be glad to hear that they've given me the next month off."
"Oh?" Her ears perked up. I could already see a multitude of plans forming in her head. "That's nice to hear, assuming I can make you reserve that entire month for some much-needed bonding time with your fiancée." She quipped knowingly.
I guess she's getting used to my frustratingly busy schedule.
"I can guarantee at least half of it," I replied reassuringly.
Unfortunately, I want to reserve the other half to help Azaziel hunt Kokabiel down, assuming he doesn't get it done on his own.
If I'm going to assume the post of Vice Minister, it'd be best if that issue's resolved beforehand, since I'd have to be a lot more restrictive in how I collaborate with him while working directly under Serafall's nose.
Honestly, I doubt I'll have time to work with him at all, seeing as I'll be making a trip to Kyoto the instant I put that pin on.
Good grief, it's just one thing after the other, isn't it?
"I suppose half will do," she smiled contentedly, gently brushing her fingers through my hair. "Now then, should I ask about it now? Or would you rather I save it for another time?"
"Now is fine."
"Good, because I was planning on asking anyway."
Thought so.
Her gaze intensified, a glint of bitterness shimmering through her pupils.
"How far have you and Thora gone?"
"As far as we have," I didn't see much use in sugarcoating the truth, so I decided to just cut right to the chase.
Roygun's expression froze, her hand creeping up my figure until her palm rested against my chest.
She proceeded to clench, gripping the fabric of my kimono tightly, a whirlwind of emotions reaching me through her aura.
"Damn," she muttered.
She let out a self-deprecating chuckle, tilting her head downwards as her bangs cast a shadow over her face.
"I knew I'd be hearing that eventually, and I was planning on acting all mature and accepting when I did but… I guess that's a lot easier said than done."
I exhaled softly, pressing my fingers against her chin and nudging her head upwards until our eyes were locked with one another.
"When I told you about my feelings for her, I didn't do it because I expected you to quickly accept things as they were without so much as a peep. I did because it needed to be done, lest I wanted our relationship to be built upon the foundation of a lie."
Gently, I caressed the side of Roygun's face. Using my free hand to overlap the one she was pushing against my chest.
"I knew you'd be angry, I knew you'd hate it, and honestly speaking, you have every right to." I breathed a self-deprecating chuckle of my own. "I'm supposed to be your dutiful fiancé, yet I couldn't suppress my feelings for another woman. That's not a good thing, no matter how I try to spin or giftwrap it."
Emotions.
I've always been weak in that regard, haven't I?
Polygamy's a normal, widely accepted concept in our society—but only a dickbrained idiot would think it's that simple.
A real relationship's never that simple, it can't be defined by societal norms or political titles.
'Fiancée,' 'Mistress.' The book says one should cherish the former over the latter, but the book doesn't understand a damn thing about your personal feelings.
When it comes down to it, they're both women I've fallen for. I can shuffle, juggle, mix and match the titles all I want, it'll change nothing.
I never planned for things to be this way, but that only makes my relationships with them all the more important, because it confirms that these feelings of mine truly stem from my heart.
"That's not true…" She rasped. "You love Thora, you and her would always be together… It's my selfishness that forced you to be with me. If I hadn't—"
"Shut up."
Her face stiffened once more.
"Forced? How the hell did you come to such a ridiculous conclusion?" I knitted my brows, conveying my immense displeasure. "I had two Satans behind me. If I didn't want to be engaged to you, at any point in time, I could've simply had them step in for me. You're an Extra Demon, and I'm a Pillar. It's not exactly a difficult marriage to annul."
My words seemed to render her starstruck, but I kept going nonetheless.
"Originally, I was only planning to meet you as a courtesy before I left the Underworld to begin my assignment here in Kuoh. I had already rehearsed countless ways to respectfully refute you, yet the words never left my mouth."
I pulled her astounded face in close, until her lips hovered mere millimeters apart from mine.
"I fell for you Roygun. I fell for you hard. You don't have the right to deny that."
She gulped, evidently at a loss for words.
"I don't understand… you hardly knew me for a day. How could you have… fallen in love with me?" She stammered, her every word more strained than the last.
"If that's your logic, then you're a shameless hypocrite." I scoffed. "You said it yourself, didn't you? You had no idea if you were going to like me or not before we met face-to-face. Yet, you ended up liking me the moment you saw me. Why's it so hard to believe that the same thing happened to me?"
"I…" She blinked repeatedly. "I don't know what to say…"
A slow smile crept up my face. I wasn't sure how to explain it, but I could feel a strange, less-reserved side of me start to bloom.
"It doesn't matter. Actions speak louder than words anyway."
She lifted her eyebrows.
"Are you sure? Your 'bossman' and 'bosslady' are still in the house."
"Either you keep yapping, or you make your move. You're only allowed to choose one of the two." I wore a smug grin. "Oh, and if you reply to that, I'll take that as you choosing option one."
My answer was handed to me in the form of a warm, dripping tongue forcing its way down my throat.
'Wise decision.'
///
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