Chapter 52:
– Valerie–
Grayfia raised her slender hand, murmuring something softly under her breath. A cool tingling sensation washed over me as a gentle shimmer surrounded our bodies. "There," she announced calmly, glancing over her shoulder at me. "Now we're invisible and undetectable to anyone below."
"Nice trick," I remarked dryly. "Maybe I should learn a spell like that. It would make sneaking around a lot easier on missions..."
She chuckled softly, an amused smirk touching her lips. "Something tells me subtlety isn't exactly your strongest suit, Lady Valerie. And it's Devil Magic that only works on weak humans."
I pouted. "Yeah, well, fuck subtlety. It's boring anyway…"
A soft rustle filled the air as I released the large, blood-red wings. They unfurled dramatically from my back, stretching wide.
A feeling of freedom surged through my chest every time I spread them. I loved my wings. They felt powerful, strong, and decidedly badass. Turning into a swarm of bats was nice and all, but having my own wings just made me feel more special.
Grayfia's gaze widened just slightly as she took them in. "Those wings of yours—are they new?" she asked.
I couldn't help the cocky smirk spreading across my face. "Yep. Awakened them after feeding on an evil angel's blood." I flexed the wings proudly.
Grayfia laughed lightly, shaking her head. "An evil angel?" She tilted her head thoughtfully. "From my perspective, Valerie, all angels are rather evil."
I considered that, nodding slowly with a wry smile. "Fair enough, I guess. It's all about perspective, right?"
"Indeed," she agreed, smiling knowingly before turning back around.
Without another word, she extended her own elegant black wings, and together, we took to the skies. Cool night air whipped gently through my blonde hair as we soared silently above Kuoh's rooftops.
Below us, Rias, Gasper, and Akeno moved carefully along the streets, scanning their surroundings warily.
Truth be told, the two devil girls were pretty damn useless at tracking down this psycho exorcist. Akeno was busy making teasing remarks to Rias, who looked around nervously but wasn't really doing anything useful. Instead, Gasper led the way, sniffing carefully at the air and confidently navigating forward with his heightened vampiric senses.
I sighed, shaking my head. Honestly, Rias and Akeno had a long fucking way to go if they seriously thought they were good enough for MY little brother. My eyes narrowed slightly, irritation flaring in my chest.
Maybe I should personally take them aside and discipline them a bit—
No, Valerie! Bad!
Those were definitely just the horny thoughts talking again. Damn it…
Just as I struggled internally, Grayfia glanced back at me once more, another smug smirk crossing her lips.
I flushed slightly, glaring defensively at her. "Stop looking at me like that," I grumbled, flapping my wings a little harder to catch up. "How do you keep knowing exactly what I'm thinking anyway?"
She simply smiled mysteriously, her silver eyes twinkling mischievously under the starlight. "Call it intuition," she teased lightly. "Or perhaps it's just easy to read that cute face of yours."
I scowled fiercely, feeling my cheeks heat even more. Damn devils—why were they always so annoyingly good at teasing me?
"Whatever," I huffed, purposefully looking away. "Just…shut up and keep flying."
"As you wish, my lady~," she purred softly.
"You know," I said, turning to look at Grayfia, who was effortlessly hovering beside me. "Those three desperately need some proper investigation training." I was including Gasper in that as well, sadly.
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why do you say that?"
I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest as we drifted above the rooftops. "Come on. Doesn't this town have a church? If I were a psycho exorcist hiding in devil territory, that's literally the first place I'd pick to hole up. It's basic logic."
Grayfia actually looked somewhat sheepish for once, a rare crack in her typically perfect composure. She gave a small, embarrassed sigh. "You're right, Valerie. Unfortunately, Lady Rias has indeed been… slacking a bit in her training lately."
"Hmph," I snorted softly, eyes rolling at that understatement.
A gentle breeze swept through the air just then, lightly tugging at strands of my long blonde hair. But along with the refreshing evening air–that was far less dirty than London's typical smog–another strange, unexpected scent drifted past my nose.
It immediately grabbed my attention, making me pause mid-flight. "Hmm…" I murmured out loud, narrowing my eyes and sniffing the air again carefully. "Wait a second—what is that?"
Grayfia paused beside me, instantly alert, scanning our surroundings cautiously. "What's wrong? Do you sense something?"
"You seriously don't smell that?" I asked, incredulous. Of course, she didn't—I almost forgot a devil's nose was nowhere near as good as a vampire's. "Never mind, stupid question. Devil senses suck compared to ours."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, clearly not amused by my teasing. "Valerie, tell me—what exactly do you smell?"
I inhaled deeper, closing my eyes briefly to focus. "It's…like an angel's scent, but corrupted. Rotten, almost." I opened my eyes again, realization striking me sharply. "Actually, now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me of Akeno's scent, just purer? And by purer I mean more rotten…"
"A fallen angel," she said, her voice low and angry. "Damn it. First Freed and now one of them? There absolutely should not be any fallen angels anywhere near Kuoh. Their presence here violates the agreement with us!"
"Want me to lead us to them?" I asked.
"Yes. Quickly, Valerie!" .
But before we left, I hesitated, glancing back down at Gasper and the girls. A flicker of worry tugged at me—I didn't exactly love leaving my little brother unattended with a dangerous exorcist still lurking around town.
Grayfia noticed my concern and gently touched my shoulder to reassure me. "I'll send my familiar to watch over Lady Rias and her group closely. If they encounter any trouble, we can teleport straight to them instantly."
"Alright," I agreed reluctantly, forcing myself to relax a little. "And honestly, they'll probably be fine against one psycho exorcist anyway." I felt a proud smirk cross my lips. "Especially since my little brother can literally stop time. Which, let's be real here, is OP as fuck!"
Grayfia smiled faintly, clearly amused despite the seriousness of the situation. "Agreed. Now, lead the way..."
We ended up flying toward Kuoh Park, where I immediately noticed something off—a large, shimmering barrier completely covering the area. Even from a distance, it radiated a distinctly non-devil energy. Something angelic, but… corrupted.
Beside me, Grayfia's usually serene face twisted into a rare scowl. Her silver eyes narrowed coldly as she studied the magical boundary. "This is utterly unacceptable," she hissed, clearly irritated. Her voice, usually composed and dignified, now held an edge of restrained anger. "Such blatant disrespect—to cast a barrier this large, directly in the heart of my sister-in-law's territory…"
I glanced sideways at her, smirking slightly despite the seriousness. She certainly took her duties seriously. Still, I had to admit, the fact neither Rias nor Sona had even noticed this obvious intrusion like my own was getting kind of pathetic.
Grayfia and I slipped effortlessly through the barrier, the faint magic rippling silently around us without alerting whoever had set it up. Touching down gracefully behind a small cluster of trees, I peered around, scanning the park carefully to figure out just what exactly was going on.
When I finally saw the scene in the center of the park, I immediately cringed, my expression shifting into an honest deadpan. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I muttered flatly.
Grayfia stepped up beside me, following my line of sight. She exhaled softly, an uncharacteristically weary sound escaping her lips. Yeah, we were both getting the same vibe. "It appears we've stumbled upon some sort of... date?"
Sitting together on a park bench, was a fallen angel girl and a human boy. The fallen angel was breathtakingly beautiful, the sort of supernatural allure you'd expect from a being born of heaven. She had long, sleek black hair cascading down her slender back, and porcelain-perfect features that seemed to glow softly.
But the idiot beside her completely shattered whatever romantic illusion might've been intended. He was practically drooling, eyes hungrily tracing every curve of her body. His hands hovered awkwardly near her waist, slowly inching downward toward her ass, twitching like he was desperately fighting the urge to openly grope her right there in the open.
"Ugh," I groaned quietly, visibly cringing again. The fallen angel clearly looked uncomfortable, subtly shifting away each time he tried to inch closer. If she hated it so much, why the hell was she still sitting there putting up with him?
Beside me, Grayfia seemed to wonder the same thing. Without hesitation, she strode straight out into the middle of the park clearing, her elegant figure illuminated by the soft lamplight.
"Grayfia—wait!" I hissed, annoyed she'd acted without giving me time to prepare. But the damage was already done.
The boy's head whipped around instantly, eyes going comically wide at the sudden appearance of another beautiful woman. His mouth literally fell open as he openly ogled Grayfia's figure. "Holy amazing oppai!" he shouted gleefully, barely restraining himself from jumping to his feet in excitement. His eyes traced greedily over her generous curves, a disturbingly lewd grin splitting his face. Then his gaze snapped over to me, still standing awkwardly near the trees. His creepy grin widened even more, tongue darting out hungrily to lick his lips. "American oppai too!? Hell yes—today is fucking amazing!"
My eyebrow twitched irritably, annoyance flaring through me as I crossed my arms protectively over my chest. Seriously, what was wrong with this guy? "...And I'm English, actually," I grumbled under my breath, mostly to myself since this pervert clearly wouldn't even notice the difference. Well, I wasn't born in England but I had the accent now, and everything, so close enough!
Grayfia sighed softly again, clearly regretting stepping directly into this situation already. Something told me this evening had just gotten infinitely more irritating.
"Grayfia… Lucifuge…" the fallen angel girl whispered in obvious terror, eyes widening in shock as she froze stiffly on the park bench. Her voice trembled noticeably as the realization seemed to dawn fully on her.
Her idiot date was utterly oblivious, however. "Hey, Yuuma-chan, what's wrong? You suddenly went all stiff!" He laughed in an obnoxiously cheerful tone, leaning closer to her while his gaze remained fixed directly on Grayfia—and, annoyingly, me. "Aw, don't be jealous! All my attention's totally on you, babe!" He said that without even glancing at her for more than half a second before his eyes shot straight back to our bodies, practically drooling.
Now, don't get me wrong—I knew perfectly well that I was hot. Hell, I usually didn't mind getting checked out by guys or girls alike. But this creep's hungry, predatory stare just felt wrong. I couldn't help the shudder of disgust running down my spine as he leered openly at both Grayfia and me.
Grayfia, for her part, didn't even acknowledge his presence. Her icy silver eyes were fixed solely upon the trembling fallen angel. "Explain yourself," she said coldly, her voice dangerously quiet. "What exactly is a fallen angel doing in my sister-in-law's territory, without permission?"
"Oh…um…w-well…" the fallen girl stammered nervously, clearly terrified. She scrambled to her feet quickly, her dark hair swaying gracefully behind her as she bowed deeply in panic. "I-I was just visiting! Honestly, this town seemed so nice and peaceful, you know? I—I didn't mean to cause any trouble or anything!"
Before Grayfia could respond, the oblivious human guy perked up excitedly, misunderstanding the whole situation.
"Wait—oh shit, are we roleplaying now? Hell yeah!" he practically squealed, bouncing eagerly in place. "Hold on a minute, Yuuma-chan… are these two gorgeous ladies your friends? Wait, wait—this isn't a surprise foursome, is it?! Holy shit, my body is totally ready—GAHK!" He never got to finish his thought as the fallen angel sharply smacked him upside the head, hard enough to echo audibly through the empty park. "Ow! Yuuma-chan, what the hell was that for?" he whined pitifully, rubbing his head and sulking.
He had one tough skull if nothing else…
Ignoring him completely, the fallen angel bowed even deeper toward Grayfia, visibly trembling. "I sincerely apologize for my date's disgusting disrespect," she said shakily. "I swear he wasn't this creepy when I asked him out earlier. Please don't kill me." After a beat, she straightened slightly, quickly adding, "But, um…you're totally free to kill him if you want!"
I blinked in surprise at the sheer bluntness of her statement, unable to hold back an incredulous mutter under my breath. "…Wow. This fallen is absolutely shameless."
Grayfia calmly nodded in silent agreement beside me, her cold gaze still locked on the anxious fallen angel girl.
The horny teenage idiot still hadn't realized what kind of dangerous situation he was actually in. He just stared at the fallen angel in confusion, completely clueless to her panic.
"Hey, what's with all this talk about killing?" he asked brightly, a wide grin stretching across his face. "Oh shit—wait, is this some kind of kinky roleplay? Death by snu-snu? Hell yeah, sign me up!" He turned eagerly to Grayfia and then to me, his expression hungry and utterly oblivious. "Please be gentle, beautiful oppai ladies!"
"..."
The fallen angel stared blankly at him for a moment, her mouth hanging open in disbelief, before muttering angrily under her breath, "Fuck it. You're honestly way too stupid to be allowed to live."
Before any of us could react, she manifested a glowing purple lightspear in her hand. In one swift, brutal motion, she plunged it directly into the boy's chest. His eyes bulged wide in shock and pain, a startled gasp escaping his lips as reality finally hit him.
"Oh shit—wait…this isn't… a game…" he choked out weakly, blood starting to spill from his lips. He slumped against the bench, clutching uselessly at the glowing spear protruding from his chest.
Without another word, the fallen angel's sleek black wings burst from her back in a flurry of dark feathers, and she immediately tried to escape. Well… at least, she attempted to. Desperately flapping her wings, she shot upward into the night sky, clearly trying to put as much distance between herself and Grayfia as possible.
She didn't get far.
Beside me, Grayfia vanished in a blur of speed that even my vampire-enhanced eyes struggled to follow. Moments later, I heard the fallen angel's shrill scream echoing from somewhere high above us. I had no doubt Grayfia had already caught her.
With that handled, I sighed and reluctantly turned my attention back toward the human boy, who was now bleeding heavily across the park bench. The spear pierced deep into his chest—right through his heart, judging by the sheer amount of blood soaking his shirt and pooling beneath him.
"Ah, fuck…" I grumbled, frowning down at him. Guess I could heal the little pervert…
It was the right thing to do or whatever…
He coughed violently, thick blood spurting from his lips as he stared weakly up at me. Despite the obvious agony, he managed a weak, shaky grin. "D-damn," he rasped, his voice fading. "All…all I wanted was to see…some amazing oppai…" His gaze turned pleading, eyes fixed hungrily on my chest. "C-can I…see yours before I die…beautiful…?"
I immediately scowled in disgust.
Nope.
I quickly reconsidered my earlier decision—saving his life suddenly seemed a hell of a lot less appealing. Still, it wasn't my style to leave anyone "innocent" suffering unnecessarily, no matter how disgustingly perverted they were. "Sorry," I sighed irritably, leaning over him. "This is the best I can do…" Without another word, I lowered my mouth to his throat and sank my fangs deeply into his flesh, intent on draining him quickly to end his pain.
But the moment his blood hit my tongue, my eyes widened in shock. An intense, overwhelming pleasure surged through me, pulling a startled moan from deep in my chest. His blood—it was incredibly rich, impossibly heavy, and deliciously thick, unlike anything I'd ever tasted before. This definitely wasn't regular human blood!
Then suddenly, something hard and round lodged painfully in my throat, cutting off my ability to swallow.
'Ugh—shit!' I pulled away abruptly, clutching desperately at my neck and gagging violently. 'What the actual fuck—?'
Panic surged through me as I hacked and coughed over and over, my throat completely blocked by whatever the hell I'd swallowed. I couldn't exactly suffocate since I was a dhampir, but it still felt awful as fuck.
A gentle yet firm hand suddenly rested on my back, patting me reassuringly. I turned my watering eyes to see Grayfia standing beside me, concern flickering in her normally composed silver gaze.
"Hold still," she murmured apologetically, taking a step back and balling her hand into a tight fist.
My eyes widened in sudden panic. 'Wait, Grayfia—don't you dare—!'
Too late. With a precise, lightning-fast strike, she punched me squarely in the gut. The force drove all the air from my lungs, forcing whatever was lodged in my throat to violently fly free.
Gasping and coughing violently, I stumbled backward, clutching my sore stomach. "What…the hell…" I wheezed breathlessly, glaring weakly at the devil maid.
She ignored my accusing glare, instead pointing wordlessly at the ground near my feet. I glanced down, my irritation instantly forgotten. Sitting innocently in the grass, glowing faintly with a vivid green hue, was a small, perfectly round stone.
"What the fuck…?" I whispered in disbelief, staring at it in confusion. "Did that thing just come out of that pervert's blood?"
Grayfia's normally composed expression was now frozen in shock as she stared at the glowing green orb lying innocently at my feet. Her voice came out in a quiet, almost stunned whisper. "Valerie… I think… that's the Boosted Gear."
My brain instantly froze, refusing to process what I'd just heard. I blinked at her blankly, sure I'd misunderstood.
"The what!?" I sputtered incredulously, eyes wide. "You're kidding me—that little thing is a Sacred Gear? Like, a Longinus-level Sacred Gear? Like the one I have…?"
She nodded slowly, eyes never leaving the softly glowing orb. "Yes. That's Ddraig's Boosted Gear—the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet."
My head spun wildly as I stared down at the tiny green stone. How in the actual fuck had something as legendary as that ended up lodged in my throat? Wait, hold on—had that perverted idiot seriously been its wielder this whole goddamn time? Why the fuck didn't he use it to protect himself?
Was he really that stupid?
And speaking of stupid questions—wasn't the Boosted Gear literally one of the most infamous Sacred Gears ever? Its previous wielder had tried to assassinate fucking Zeus himself, kicking off the whole damn Sacred Gear hunts and basically plunging the supernatural world into total chaos. How the hell did it just casually end up inside some random teenage pervert?
Slowly, cautiously, I knelt down and picked up the small glowing stone. It felt warm in my palm, radiating power that thrummed gently against my skin. I stared at it incredulously, muttering aloud, "Seems pretty tiny for such a hot potato…"
Suddenly, a deep voice echoed clearly from within the orb itself, its tone vaguely irritated and oddly smug. "Hmph… I used to be a lot bigger, you know!"
I jumped slightly, eyes wide as I gaped openly at the talking gemstone. "What…the actual fuck?" I whispered, completely dumbfounded.
Grayfia sighed softly, a weary sound tinged with familiarity. "Hello again, Ddraig," she said calmly, clearly recognizing the voice.
"Hello, Queen of the Queen Devils," the deep voice—Ddraig, apparently—replied dryly. "Been a long while. Not since that annoying redhead killed one of my more exciting wielders…"
"He had gone insane from juggernaut drive and was going to blow up half the continent of North America… We're glad Sylvana stopped him and all he created from the battle was the great lakes," she explained with a deadpan.
"Hehe… Good times." Ddriag chuckled.
Before I could even begin to fully process the insanity of what was happening, Grayfia turned toward me urgently. Her usual calm had returned, but now her voice carried a sharp edge of tension. "Valerie, we should leave immediately. The Boosted Gear is yours now by right, but it absolutely cannot remain here in the open. If its energy signature is detected, it'll spark a massive supernatural conflict right here in Japan."
It was mine now…? Ugh, I didn't really want it. Call me crazy, but I was planning on being immortal–or at least living a long ass time–and didn't want a talking dragon in my head for all of eternity. Maybe I could give it to someone else though…?
"Hehe," Ddraig chuckled darkly from within the orb, clearly amused by the prospect. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind starting another war. Fuck those pussy-ass gods anyway."
I groaned quietly, closing my eyes for a moment to regain some shred of composure. And of course, it was a sarcastic, battle-loving dragon as well. Yeah, I was not absorbing this thing. I'm glad I choked on it–literally–instead of eating it or something.
"Fine, okay, whatever. I'll go along with this craziness for now," I muttered, opening my eyes and slipping the glowing stone carefully into my jacket pocket. "But just to be clear, dragon-guy, no wars! …At least, not tonight."
"Boring," Ddraig complained petulantly from my pocket.
I ignored his grumbling, turning away, only for my eyes to land back on the dead boy still slumped across the park bench.
"Oh, fuck…" I whispered, realization slamming into me hard enough to leave me momentarily breathless. "Shit shit shit shit—!"
A cold sense of dread slowly sank into my chest as I stared at him.
Grayfia immediately noticed my sudden panic, stepping closer to me with concern etched into her silver gaze. "Valerie? What's wrong?"
I swallowed heavily, my voice tight with rising panic. "I—I stopped drinking his blood halfway through… But I also bit him!" My stomach dropped sickeningly. "No, no, no—fuck!"
Grayfia blinked, clearly confused. "I don't understand. Why is that a problem…?" She asked that question just as we both turned back to the boy's lifeless body, still sprawled awkwardly on the bench. I froze, eyes widening as the wounds on his chest and neck began sealing themselves shut right in front of us, his skin rapidly turning several shades paler.
"Oh, fuck me," I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. "He's turning into a damned vampire!"
Grayfia blinked in surprise, her usually calm expression giving way to confusion and concern. "He's…what? How?"
"He's a virgin," I grumbled. "Otherwise, he would have become a ghoul instead, and we could've just put him down. But no…"
Grayfia stared at me blankly for a moment, clearly still processing that information. I was surprised she didn't know this, then again we were different species.
I waved my hand dismissively, already annoyed by the whole situation. "You know what, whatever—it's fine. As long as I don't feed him any of my blood, he'll just be a regular, sunlight-fearing vampire."
He won't become a Nosferatu like me, Alucard, or Gasper. Just your average undead regular bloodsucker.
And…It's not like he's technically my 'childe' or whatever. I mean, if I don't acknowledge myself as his 'sire,' then there's no real connection, right? The dumbass was going to die anyway—I practically did him a favor. He should be grateful he's not rotting in a ditch right now!
That's how I was going to justify all this anyway!
A low, rumbling chuckle rose suddenly from my jacket pocket, and I rolled my eyes irritably.
"You know," Ddraig drawled thoughtfully, his voice dripping amusement, "I've never had a vampire as a host before. Maybe you should put me back in the brat's body. It could be…interesting."
"Absolutely not!" Grayfia interrupted bluntly, cutting off any further discussion on the topic. Her tone left zero room for debate, and I silently thanked her for shutting down the dragon's ridiculous suggestion. She turned to me again, recomposing herself quickly. "I will have Lady Rias handle this," she said firmly, her silver gaze holding mine. "Managing Kuoh's territory is supposed to be her responsibility anyway. You won't need to trouble yourself further about the accidental vampire you created."
I gave Grayfia an appreciative nod. "Fine, I'll let Rias deal with him. Not my problem anymore." It'll be a way for her to start making things up to Gasper–and ME–anyway. I was now shamelessly adding myself, cuz of emotional damage!
Without another word, Grayfia strode gracefully over to the unconscious teenager. He was still limp, pale as death, mid-way through his transformation, but thankfully still unmoving. She picked him up effortlessly by the collar of his blood-stained shirt, lifting him with all the grace and care one might give to a sack of undead potatoes.
She turned back to me, completely unfazed. "We should return to Kuoh Academy immediately," she suggested, already walking towards me. "It's properly warded there, so we can mask the Boosted Gear's signature safely. At least until you decide what you want to do with it permanently."
I sighed deeply, nodding slowly in resigned agreement.
"Again, boring," Ddraig muttered petulantly from inside my pocket.
"Shut up, dragon!"
"Cheh… I thought the daughter of that fun loving guy Dracula would be more fun…"
How did he even know that!?
XXX
So Rias lost a time-stopping Dhampir and the Boosted Gear… And she gained a regular perverted vampire. That's a fair trade right? And hey! I didn't kill Issei in this story! Well, I did… But he got better. Sort of…?
Thanks for reading!!! You can check out more of my stories on my profile.
Wanna read more of my stuff ahead of regular release? You can Support me on Pat-reon.-com / Starwaves
Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters on there:
The Fallen Gamer ch 337-341
Thunder and Black Wings 30
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 21
The Blood Queen 54
The Fox Hole 100!! O_O
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 20
Thunder and Black Wings 29
The Fox Hole 99
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 19
The Blood Queen 53
The Fox Hole 98
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 18
Thunder and Black Wings 28
The Fox Hole 97
Thunder and Black Wings 27
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 17