453Disclaimer: I own neither Fate/Stay Night nor High School DxD
"Oh, Shirou! Great tim-!" Fortunately for the young Magus his new guardian was indeed home. "I was going to ask if you had a good day, but this…" The eccentric man knelt down to take a closer look at the unconscious person Shirou was carrying. "This is… Mittelt? Knocked unconscious by blunt trauma…"
"Will she be alright?" The youth asked as he laid Mittelt upon the sofa.
"Yes, she'll recover. There shouldn't be any lasting damage." Azazel replied with a surprisingly serious face. "What happened?"
"She attacked me."
"…" There was a period of silence as Azazel seemed quite shocked. "She what? Shirou, I hope that isn't a joke, because this is very serious."
"I'm dead serious. She suddenly came after me on the way back from school, declaring her intent to kill me while saying my name." Shirou responded with all the sincerity and seriousness he could muster.
Judging by Azazel's reaction Mittelt probably was a member of his group, but Azazel hadn't been involved in the order. If Shirou failed to convince him that he was speaking the truth, he shuddered to imagine the consequences.
"That… shouldn't be… She shouldn't even know you exist… No, more than that, she shouldn't be attacking anyone. She's supposed to be observing…" Shirou couldn't even imagine how fast the possibilities were being considered, but what he saw now wasn't the eccentric pervert, but a battle-hardened analyst.
Suddenly Azazel moved, placing a hand on Mittelt's head. It started shining, and soon she stirred.
The light died down and Azazel removed his hand while Mittelt's eyes slowly cracked open.
"Uh…? What…? How-?" At first she seemed to groggily question what happened to her, but the she noticed Azazel and her eyes shot open. "G-Governor General!? Why are you here?!"
"Mittelt." The curt statement of her name caused her to freeze up. "Did you attempt to kill Emiya Shirou?" He then said, pointing towards the youth.
Her eyes trailed over towards Shirou, filling with confusion as they did so, causing her to stare blankly at him.
"Why is-" She started, but Azazel cut her off.
"Answer my question." Shirou shivered at the power and authority that entered Azazel's voice, while Mittelt's eyes filled with terror as they snapped back to him.
"I-I did."
"Why?"
"Those were my orders…" The already diminutive girl shrunk further into the sofa.
"Who gave those orders?"
"I- Raynare said-said they came from you…"
A flash of rage came onto Azazel's features. "Damn it." He muttered.
Suddenly Azazel's cell phone rang, cutting through the tense atmosphere that had formed.
The Governor General took one look at the caller and suddenly became very, very calm and serious.
"Well, this is a surprise! To what do I owe the pleasure of your-!" He started but it was clear he was cut off.
Shirou couldn't quite make out what was being said, only that the voice of the caller was male.
"What? They… This is quite serious indeed. I'll be right there." Azazel closed the device with a snap and turned towards Mittelt. "It seems Raynare went and got herself and the rest of your team killed by the Gremory heiress. I need to go and deal with the fallout."
"What…?" Mittelt said weakly.
"You and Shirou can sort things out. And let me inform you, Emiya Shirou is under my protection." As if to emphasize the point, twelve pitch-black wings sprouted from Azazel's back along with a burst of overwhelming power, almost causing Shirou to gag on the smell.
Then he disappeared in a flash of bright light, leaving Shirou and Mittelt shell-shocked in the living room, albeit for different reasons.
For Shirou, it was the revelation of Azazel's power.
Forget the servant comparison, the Governor General (not that Shirou knew quite what that meant yet) was far beyond that level. This wasn't something he had a comparison for.
For a while it was silent as Mittelt just lay in the sofa and Shirou just stood a little bit away. Finally though, Shirou recovered from his shock and took a look at the person who had previously assailed him.
She had a complicated look on her face.
"I'm sorry for your loss." He said, causing her to jump slightly and then look to him in confusion.
"What? Is this about Raynare and the others?" She said with a surprisingly ambivalent face. "It's a shame about Dohnaseek and Kalawarner, sure, but I couldn't care less about Raynare."
Shirou grimaced slightly about how lightly the youthful seeming girl before him dismissed the deaths of her comrades, but also because he misjudged what troubled her. If it wasn't her comrades, then it was probably the fact that she had unknowingly acted against Azazel's wishes.
"I see…" He said, uncertain how to proceed while Mittelt looked at him weirdly. Honestly it was reminiscent of how Tohsaka would look at him after he said something odd, and it caused a painful pang of longing.
"Well, you're weird. What kind of person feels sorry for the one who tried to kill them?" She suddenly said while rising to a sitting position.
"You'll find in not like other people." He replied, seating himself in a chair.
"Well, there aren't a lot of humans that can deflect Light Spears like you did."
"I've had some practise deflecting attacks like that."
Mittelt seemed somewhat displeased with his answer but chose not to pry further. "The Governor General said we should sort things out, but you don't seem particularly upset that I tried to kill you."
"You had your reasons." Shirou replied with a shrug.
"Are you sure you're not some reincarnation of a Hero? It would explain so much."
"I'm certain. I assume you and Azazel are Fallen Angels?"
Shirou tucked the reference to Heroes and reincarnation away for later. The way she said that implied it wasn't an uncommon occurrence in this world.
Of course, his question prompted a look from Mittelt that seemed to question his seriousness. "What else?" She said and manifested her wings again. "Don't tell me you were taken in by Azazel without knowing or realising that he was a Fallen Angel? Not just that, he's the Governor General, our leader and one of the most infamous of our number."
"Well, I can't say I had no idea, but I hadn't confirmed it until today."
So that's what she meant when she called Azazel Governor General.
The look Mittelt was sending him indicated that she was finding him weirder and weirder.
"Hmm… Wait, don't tell me… Does this mean you are attending Kuoh without knowing about the Devils?"
Devils? That sounded… ominous… But the only people he had seen in Kuoh Academy that wasn't human was…
"Are you talking about Rias Gremory and Shitori Souna?"
"You figured out who I was talking about, but call the Sitri Heiress by her false name…"
It was clear that she was starting to find him ever weirder, but he needed the information.
"False name?"
"Yes, while attending Kuoh Academy the Sitri Heiress Sona Sitri took up the name Shitori Souna to better blend in."
And now she was giving him a look similar to the one Tohsaka had used whenever she needed to explain something she thought was common knowledge.
"How reclusive were you before Azazel took you in?"
Shirou scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Very."
Mittelt seemed somewhat doubtful, but once again seemed to refrain from prying further.
-Break—
"This… You are really good at this, aren't you?" Mittelt said after having taken a bite out of her food.
"So I've been told. I'm glad you like it." Shirou responded with a beatific smile.
After their conversation had died down Shirou had realised he didn't know how long it would take for Azazel to return, but considering it seemed he was dealing with a political crisis, especially once Mittelt gave an offhand implication that the Fallen Angels and Devils were mortal enemies and that Kuoh was technically Devil territory…
So he decided to simply just prepare dinner and leave some extra for Azazel, leading into the current situation.
It seemed that Mittelt might have gotten a bit upset that Shirou assumed she liked it (even if it was obvious) as a faint dusting of red appeared on her cheeks and she started trembling slightly.
Whatever it was it disappeared quite quickly, leaving the two of them eating in silence as neither could think of anything to say.
This lasted until Azazel returned, upon which they had a quick discussion about Mittelt's fate whereupon it was decided that Mittelt should stay under Shirou's supervision, in spite of Shirou protesting it, until further notice.
After that was done, Azazel asked to have a private conversation with Shirou, and once Mittelt had left the room casually created some type of isolation field to prevent prying.
"So, it's finally come to this. I suppose it's long overdue." Azazel said with an easy smile. "How much have you managed to figure out already?"
"You're the leader of the Fallen Angels, you've sent me to a school with Devils, who are your enemies…"
"More exactly I am the leader of the Grigori, which comprises the vast majority of Fallen Angels, and while the Devils are our enemies, there is a ceasefire that we thankfully managed to maintain today. My turn, you're a mage from another universe."
Shirou was slightly taken aback by how casually Azazel outright stated his origin. "How did you know?"
"Let's see… You pop up out of nowhere, ask about things that don't exist, and had clear traces of having been in the Dimensional Gap, that alone makes the list of possibilities very short."
"The Dimensional Gap?"
"A world in-between worlds, a vast void with only two inhabitants, anyone who enters without protection is destroyed. Who knows what it connects or could possibly connect to?" Azazel shrugged. "As for calling you a mage… I am the watcher, from the moment I saw you I knew you had some form of magic. As well as a very unique soul."
Shirou couldn't help but show some of his surprise on his face, causing Azazel to chuckle. "What did you see?" The young Magus asked.
"Swords. Swords, fire… I can't quite tell what your magic does, but if my assumption is correct it is heavily tied to swords." The Fallen watcher responded, rubbing his chin.
Shirou sighed softly. "Yeah. My magecraft, basically, allows for a few things. Structural Analysis which allows me to understand something, Reinforcement that allows me to strengthen something, and Tracing, or Projection, that allows me to create a copy of something." He projected a pot as a simple example.
Azazel curiously observed him all the way throughout, and there was a spark of strong interest in his eye.
"A replica made out of pure magical energy… I can hardly tell that it isn't the real deal… But Shirou… that's not a sword."
Shirou laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Well… I can recreate things that aren't swords…" He allowed the pot to disappear into motes of light, causing Azazel to observe closely again. "But when it comes to swords…" This time Shirou traced Kanshou, allowing the familiar weight of the blade to settle into his hand. "I can do far better."
The way Azazel stared at the blade was honestly a bit uncomfortable for Shirou, and he started wondering if he had made a grave mistake.
"Oh my… Even from here… Even if it's just a replica… I can tell that it is a sword of legend… As I thought, your magic, pardon, magecraft I believe you called it?" Shirou nodded. "Your magecraft is a match for a Sacred Gear…"
"Sacred Gear?"
"Ah… of course you wouldn't know. A Sacred Gear is a miracle bestowed upon humans by Father, a tool able to produce many wonderous and powerful effects. In particular note for comparison here would be that the Sacred Gears able to produce swords are only able to produce either holy or demonic swords…"
"Really?" Shirou was somewhat surprised to hear that, although he guessed it made some sense that these Sacred Gears would have such limitations.
"Yes. Can you produce Holy or Demonic swords?"
The young Magus dismissed Kanshou and searched his world for a suitable weapon.
It seemed to be easier to Trace, so maybe he could try pushing it a bit?
Deciding that it was as good a time as any to test it, Shirou decided to attempt to Trace two weapons, one Holy and one Demonic.
"Trace On…" He muttered, starting the processes.
For the Holy sword, he decided to go with Durandal, the Holy sword of Roland.
When it came to a Demonic weapon, he couldn't quite find a suitable sword, so he decided to go for Gáe Bolg, Lancer's spear. While it might not be Demonic per se, it was a cursed spear dripping with killing intent.
He grit his teeth slightly as the weapons materialised, but ultimately just tracing them seemed well within range, although he was hesitant trying to activate either one.
"That's… well, after the display with the pot I shouldn't be surprised as the far closer related spear… That is one nasty spear. Cursed? Definitely. And in stark contrast we have this sword… Most certainly Holy. Very Holy." Azazel looked up from the two weapons. "May I inquire about their names?"
"The spear is Gáe Bolg, and the sword would be Durandal." Shirou carelessly informed.
"The spear of Cú Chulainn and…" The Fallen Angel nodded sagely before his eyes widened, presumably as he realised which sword the young Magus claimed to have recreated. "Durandal!?" The shock was plainly evident. "No, it makes sense… it is the difference of our universes… Their version of Durandal could very well be different from our version… Why can you replicate these weapons? From what you said earlier you create copies, and in order to create copies you need to have come into contact with the real deal, no?" Then Azazel shook his head lightly. "No, it doesn't matter. You clearly came into contact with them at some point and obtained the blueprint through that Structural Analysis you mentioned earlier. Would that be correct?"
Shirou smiled sheepishly and dismissed the two weapons, their combined Auras becoming a bit distracting. "Yes. That's about right."
Azazel looked at the motes of light. "I must say, that is a very beautiful way of dematerialising things."
"I suppose. I never had any input in it though, that is just how it's always worked."
"I see…" Azazel said, stroking his goatee, before suddenly smiling. "Thank you for your honesty Shirou, I was afraid this would have been a far more difficult conversation."
At first Shirou was surprised, then he realised that he had given out quite a lot of information about his magecraft. If Tohsaka was here she would probably have given him a lecture later.
-Break—
The following day Shirou found himself heading towards Kuoh Academy with a far better understanding of the reality he was currently in, courtesy of Azazel who was happy to explain about the Three Factions of Angels, Fallen Angels or Grigori and Devils, as well as the Great war they had waged, and that technically never ended, currently simmering in the form of a ceasefire.
Azazel was trying to push for the signing of a peace treaty between the Three Factions, but there were many elements within each faction that weren't particularly interested in peace, despite the fact that none of the factions could afford to continue the war.
Other than that Azazel had told him about the different worlds of this universe, Earth, Heaven and the Underworld, as well as the various beings that inhabited them.
Then during the morning Azazel had provided Shirou with information about the notables within Kuoh Academy, Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri as well as their Peerages, which Shirou was told was a group of subservient Devils that often contained Reincarnated Devils, which was members of various species reincarnated into Devils through the Evil Pieces system.
These Evil Pieces, on top of reincarnating someone into a Devil, also provided some kind of additional power based on the type of piece, which were based on chess pieces for some reason. Knights received speed, Rooks strength and durability, Bishops magic power and Queens all of the aforementioned at once. Pawns didn't inherently give any power but had the ability to temporarily promote to one of the other types.
Apparently, the Devils had competitions between these Peerages that was something of a national sport amongst them and winning many of these so-called Rating Games provided great prestige.
The main point being that Shirou would be quite sought after if the Devils realised his power.
Of course, considering where that power came from, Shirou was uncertain if he would even retain it if he were to become a Devil, and he wasn't about to give up his soul to someone else for power. Not with Archer's example burned into his mind.
For now, Shirou would have to try and figure out how these Devils functioned. While the name Devil was quite ominous, Shirou figured that if the Fallen Angels, who were also supposed to be evil and vile, contained individuals like Azazel, then there was a good chance the Devils contained different individuals.
He would just have to judge them based on their personalities.
-Break—
Shirou couldn't help but grimace as he listened to Hyoudou Issei's perverted ramblings.
Sure, the info he had been given said that the boy was perverted, but Shirou had completely failed to prepare for just how insane he was.
Perhaps he had just hoped that someone sharing his friend's name wouldn't sully it…
He hadn't particularly sought the boy out, as a matter of fact, it was by pure chance that he had come across the most recent addition to Rias Gremory's Peerage while wandering during break-time.
Of course, what intrigued Shirou the most about Issei Hyoudou was that he had a scent similar to that of Vali, if only faintly. Was there something those two had in common?
According to Azazel's information the boy had a Sacred Gear known as the Boosted Gear, an item of terrifying power capable of doubling the wielder's power every so often. More notably it had the soul of a Dragon sealed within and was said to be capable of slaying even gods, giving it the title of Longinus.
Could that be it? He shook his head lightly. He had no way of telling right now, and with no desire to interact with the boy he started to move away.
Only to find himself faced with the stoic visage of the Student Council President.
"I hope you weren't seriously listening to that drivel Emiya-San." She opened.
Shirou smiled lightly and shook his head. "I was just astonished by how loudly he proclaims his perversion Shitori-Kaichou. What brings you here?"
"Nothing in particular. I had considered telling them to quiet down, but it seems I don't need to."
In response to those words, and the fact that Hyoudou Issei had indeed stopped talking, Shirou turned around only to find that the boy was being dragged away by a tiny white-haired girl that he identified as Toujou Koneko, another member of Rias' Peerage, who was supposedly a Nekomata Youkai before reincarnation.
"Huh." He couldn't help but make such a sound, especially when he noticed Issei's friends lying on the ground twitching.
Sona cleared her throat, prompting Shirou to turn back to her. "I hope you haven't had any trouble fitting in?"
"None at all. Although I haven't been able to make any acquaintances yet."
"That's fine. As long as you don't cause any trouble or start associating with troublesome people…" Shirou had little difficulty imagining who those people may be. "I'm certain you will be able to find a few."
"I'll try."
She chuckled softly. "Now then, I'm afraid I need to go. Duty calls."
Shirou watched her leave for a bit before moving on himself.
Sona Sitri, heiress of the Sitri clan and one of two High-class Devils in Kuoh Academy who effectively runs the entirety of Kuoh. Hailed as a genius…
And he thought she had similarities with Tohsaka back when he first met her.
-Break—
The rest of the day passed… not uneventfully, by any stretch, he got offers from various clubs and he could have sworn some of the girls were trying to lure him in some specific direction during the lunch-break, although he did manage to lose them in the end.
But now he had managed to start heading home without any following, which shouldn't have been a problem but…
Regardless, this meant he didn't have any problem calling out to the person lurking about.
"What are you doing Vali?"
His fellow ward emerged from his previous position after a few moments, presumably making sure he wouldn't be noticed by someone else. Of course, if Shirou had any reason to suspect someone might see or hear them he wouldn't have called out, but he could appreciate the fact that it seemed Vali wasn't entirely without caution
"Heh, to think you would notice me. You really aren't an ordinary human. Of course, the old man wouldn't take you in if you were." The way Vali was looking at him foreshadowed his next words. "So how strong are you? I heard you incapacitated Mittelt without getting injured yourself, so unless you had help you have to be at least somewhat capable."
He was probably trying to figure out if Shirou was worth his time, with most likely only the fact Mittelt was considered quite lowly amongst the Fallen Angels keeping Vali from just straight up challenging him.
Well, that, and that they were in the middle of Devil territory right next to two daughters of high nobility, who also happened to be the younger sisters of two of their leaders.
"I don't know. But I don't think I could satisfy you." While Shirou had some confidence in his abilities, he had yet to properly grasp how he matched up to those around him. Vali especially was not someone he had any idea how he measured up. "I'll reiterate, what are you doing?"
Vali looked somewhat unhappy but did give an answer. "Observing. Both you and the new Red Dragon Emperor." He said with a shrug. Red Dragon Emperor? That was… a title given to the wielder of the Boosted Gear, right? "You seem a bit confused. Didn't the old man tell you? I am the White Dragon Emperor, wielder of Divine Dividing. He and I are destined rivals. Too bad he's such utter trash." The teen almost seemed dejected.
While Shirou wanted to believe that Vali was disappointed in his rival's unrepentant and rampant perversion, it was far more likely that it had to do with something else.
Hyoudou Issei was the weakest wielder of the Boosted Gear to date.
The young Magus couldn't help but sigh. "I'm heading home. Will you be headed there as well, or are you going elsewhere?" He then asked.
He'd prefer to have some warning if he needed to cook for extra people.
A wide grin appeared on Vali's face. "Heh, obviously I'm going to stop by, your cooking is great! And I need to tell Azazel I'm in the area…"
-Break—
"See? I told you he would get tangled up in something if we just dropped him in Kuoh." An old man said.
"I never doubted you. But I still think we could have tried to make it even more interesting." A booming voice echoed in respond, originating from a massive red dragon.
"Now now, I usually find it best to just let things play out without too much influence."
The dragon seemed somewhat sceptical but didn't try to argue. "Well, I suppose he's already provided some entertainment, and he most certainly promises more."
Author's notes: Well, this wasn't quite the plan. I haven't got the foggiest clue where I'm going right now, but I'm sure we'll end up somewhere interesting. Hopefully I haven't done anything too outrageous, but in case you do think so, please also give a explanation about what I did wrong. It might help. Being constructive usually helps.
I hope you enjoyed, and that you have a nice day.