Hot shower water cascaded down her crimson hair, matting it against her bare shoulders as she pressed her hand on the tiled wall, completely lost in thought. The shower's warmth could not loosen the anxiety in her chest. Her blue eyes stared blankly at the wall, thoughts churning from the upcoming Rating Game to Lucian's unexpected proposal of training them, as the water traced paths down her skin.
The exorcist had just stormed into her life in the most unexpected fashion and yet even he understood her far better than her family and her supposed fiancé. In a single glance he understood that she did not want to marry Riser at all. Why can't her family, her brother, her father and even Riser himself, get the hint?
'They are all looking at the bigger picture of preserving our clans and deepening relationships.' Rias's hands curled into fists. Her feelings held no place in that bigger picture. That was what meant to be born in a prestigious clan.
Lucian's unexpected offer had ignited a spark of hope within her. She knew better than to trust an exorcist's words that easily, yet the manner he said it in, his maroon eyes showing no signs of deceit or the usual hostility that the exorcists carried for her kind, made Rias Gremory, the heiress of Gremory Clan believe in the sincerity of the man who should be by all rights, her enemy.
Turning off the shower, Rias wrapped a towel around herself and stepped into the cool tiles. Standing in front of the mirror, she saw both doubt and determination laced on her reflection. 'Lucian is our best chance. I just hope Akeno doesn't go too far.'
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Few Hours Ago…..
The Occult Research club room was hushed, the air thick with unspoken tension. Akeno stood opposite to Rias, waiting for her best friend to say whatever she had called her here for. Judging from her expressions, she knew the Gremory heiress was mentally debating on whether to speak whatever was in her mind or not.
"Seeing our obvious disadvantage in the Rating Game, Lucian offered to train us." Rias finally broke the silence.
She felt that informing her queen and best friend, Akeno, would be for the better. Eventually she would have to tell the rest of her peerage too. She was sure none of her peerage members would take it nicely.
Exorcists were the enemies of devils. Not only that but within her peerage, most of them have a bad history with those from the church. Kiba openly shows his hostility and she was sure Asia and Issei also disliked the church as Asia was just abandoned by the church after she was kidnapped by the fallen angels and more so after she was turned into a devil.
Even though Lucian had personally apologized to both Rias and Asia on behalf of the church, that still wouldn't change anything given the fact that he was an actively affiliated member.
"An exorcist training devils? Rias, that's reckless!" Akeno narrowed her eyes, surprise evident on her face. "Don't tell me you agreed?"
"I did." The Gremory heiress responded after a brief pause. "We are out of options. I had to make this bet."
"And what makes you think he wouldn't stab us in the back during this training." Akeno rebuked, her expressions showing clear disapproval of her friend's decision making. "He's an exorcist. His kind hunts us down. What makes you think he wouldn't do it for a quick raise?"
"He sounded genuine. And honestly I can't see us winning against Riser and his peerage without a miracle." Rias leaned back on her chair, rubbing her temples.
Akeno was no fool. She knew their peerage was weaker compared to Riser's and Rias was desperate to cut off this marriage at all costs. The Rating Game may just be her last chance to cut off this marriage for good. That desperation of hers, made her agree to an exorcist's request of training them. Rias was willing to go to any length, be it joining hands with their natural enemy if it meant ensuring victory over Riser and his peerage.
The queen simply couldn't figure out what was going through Lucian's head for him to oversee and help with their training. Was it a way to gauge their power levels and report to his higher ups or was he simply taking pity on Rias and extended his hand to help her out from this miserable situation.
"Will he be training us for the entire duration of ten days? If he is willing to help that much, then why not just join us for this Game?" Akeno inquired. Earlier that day, when Lucian had barged into the clubroom during their discussion, Akeno sensed that both Lucian and Riser were almost on equal footing in terms of power.
If he really was genuine about helping them out, he could simply ally himself with them for the game and fight against Riser. Though it would make things complicated for him, if he actively took part in the Rating Game, that too for an internal matter between two devil families.
"No. He will only be helping us train for the first five days." Rias explained. "He has to leave for a mission of his own after that."
'So he is willing to make time for us rather than preparing for his own mission?' That thought made her more unsettled than it comforted her and she wished to know why he was willing to go through such lengths?
There was only one way to find out.
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Dusk painted the streets of Kuoh town in hues of orange as Akeno found herself right at the door of Lucian's apartment, dressed in a simple but tight fitting white top that hugged her curves and a pair of blue jeans. Having gone through the school registry, the access of which she had procured from Tsubaki's reluctant assistance, she was able to find his address.
She had given it quite a thought but a direct conversation with Lucian seemed to be the only way for her to get the answers she wanted. If she had to go forward with Rias's wishes of him training them, she had to know that she could trust this man. It was a lot of risk but someone had to take it.
Having collected her thoughts, she knocked. Her knocking was followed with the sounds of footsteps from inside before the door was opened.
"...."
Lucian stared blankly at her from the half-open door. He stared at her for a few more seconds as if rethinking his life choices before literally closing the door on her face.
"Hey!" Grabbing the doorknob Akeno forcefully opened the door, barging in his abode before he could completely close and lock the door on her face.
"Excuse my rudeness but I was still processing the fact that you are the first visitor I have ever had since moving here." Lucian remarked, raising his hands up in defeat.
"Should I be honored then?" Akeno's voice dripped with sarcasm as she crossed her arms.
"I don't know, should I be?" The exorcist asked with a casual shrug before closing the door. "Anyways, make yourself comfortable."
Akeno wordlessly followed him down his apartment's hallways, keeping her guard up all the time. An exorcist's house was basically enemy territory and she couldn't afford to keep her guard down, not with such an important Rating Game right around the corner.
She noticed how his house only had the basic amenities and furniture, and most of the cardboard boxes lying around weren't even opened. He had hardly done any unpacking after moving here and only unpacked those things which are required on a daily basis.
'Ready to move on whenever called.' That was the only reason she could think of behind his household management.
Walking inside the kitchen, Lucian walked up to the table, pulling out a chair for his guest. Getting to the stove, he held the kettle of boiling water by the handle before pouring it into a pack of instant cup noodles. Keeping the kettle down, he grabbed a fork and started to twirl the contents of the cup noodles.
"Let's get straight to the point. I am sure you didn't come here to exchange greetings or wanting to see where and how I live." Lucian asked, leaning by the kitchen counter, finally facing Akeno who sat down on the chair.
"You are also smart enough to have guessed why I am here then." Akeno replied, crossing her arms under chest. "Given your ridiculous proposal of training us."
"What's so ridiculous about wanting to help?" The exorcist asked, following with a carefree shrug.
"If you really wanted to help, you could have just joined us to fight against Riser." Akeno remarked. Remembering how he stood up against Riser in the clubroom, she had every reason to believe that either both of them were on equal footing in terms of power, or one of them was slightly stronger than the other one.
If Lucian does join forces with them against Riser, they would have a huge helping hand to balance out the power differences between the two peerages.
"You know very well that I can't do that. And it has nothing to do with the mission I have." Lucian calmly replied. He had expected this question to come at his face after he had offered Rias to help train her team against Riser's for the upcoming Rating Game.
Rias did not ask much about his motives or intentions because of the tough spot she was in and was ready to accept a hand to pull her out of this mess, no matter what form it came to her. She was in no position to refuse someone who willingly wanted to help nor ask their motives or reasons behind their actions.
But that did not apply to her peerage members. They were free to question his motives, especially when there are more than one member who have issues with the Church itself. Getting help from one of their enemy factions would not just hurt their pride but also put them in a bad spot if this actually gets known among the masses.
"Guess I have no choice but to trust the fact that you have no alternate motives behind this." Akeno spoke after a brief pause. She couldn't counter his reasoning nor could summon the will to deny his help. After all, even the tiniest bit of help could help steer things their way in this unfavorable Rating Game.
"But you are going to have to convince Kiba and the others." The queen further added.
"Why would I bother doing that?" Lucian asked, taking in a spoonful of noodles. "If the King and Queen are in agreement about something, shouldn't the others just follow it unquestioned?"
"Well that is true but it would be unfair to just impose our decisions–!"
"If they don't agree, I will just beat them to agreement. It has been useful in many situations." The exorcist shrugged casually, focusing more on his meal. "Anyways, Rias already gave me the location of our training grounds so please be on time."
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Issei groaned in pain as he slowly hiked up the hill, feeling like dying on every step he took. The two sets of big bags he was carrying was the current reason for his agony.
Earlier this morning, he and Asia were ambushed by Rias who informed with a much cheerful expression that they were going to train for the next ten days. The place they were going to train was one of the many Gremory mansions that Rias's family owned. It was located in the mountains.
And currently, carrying a heavy backpack to the mansion on this hilly area was supposed to be a part of their training.
"President! I have gathered some herbs. Let's use them for the meal tonight."
As if carrying the bags wasn't enough for Kiba, he just had to unintentionally rub the fact on Issei's face that he even collected herbs while carrying bags heavier than Issei's up to the mansion.
"Move it."
His pride took another hit when Koneko just walked past him without breaking a sweat.
'I can't lose to her! I can't lose to anyone at all!' Repeating this mantra in his head, he finally made it to the top.
"What is he doing here?"
Issei raised his head up to see Kiba glaring towards Lucian who was leaning on a nearby tree, with Akeno and Rias standing right beside him. Rias had an overall cheerful expression on her face, unfazed by Kiba's glaring, while Akeno maintained a neutral expression.
"I have an announcement to make." Rias stepped forward, standing between the rest of her peerage that just trekked to the top and Lucian. "Lucian here has agreed to join our training camp for the next five days. He will be preparing us for the Rating Game against RIser."
"I don't accept this!" Kiba revolted, putting his bags down on the ground. If glares had the power to kill, right now the exorcist would have been six feet under just from the sheer intensity of Kiba's glare.
"Very well, let's do things in a way that leaves little room for doubt." Pushing himself off the tree, with hands leisurely tucked in his pockets, Lucian walked right in front of Kiba, looking him straight in the eye without even flinching. "Let's have a duel right here, knight. If you can land a single hit on me, I will go. But if you don't, you will be training under me until you manage to land a strike on me."
"I accept it." Kiba replied. His pride wasn't going to accept being trained by a member of the Church. Not after all the atrocities they have committed with children like him.
He had no idea whether Lucian knew about what the Vatican did or if he was a part of it or not. But beating someone from the Church might just give him a little bit of satisfaction and relieve from all the hatred he has harbored for them over the years.
"Use a real sword. Any from your Sword Birth collection will do." Lucian replied, stretching his left hand in the air. From a magic circle that appeared mid-air, he pulled out his broadsword.
"Sword Birth: Holy Eraser." Kiba muttered, summoning a black-bladed sword in his hands, taking a few steps back to make some distance between them.
The others gathered together with Issei and Asia both looking nervous, while Koneko, Rias and Akeno maintained a straight face. Both Akeno and Rias had expected this. They knew Kiba would be against the idea of Lucian training them for the Rating Game and that Lucian, rather than relying on words, would go for a demonstration, allowing the truth to speak through force rather than persuasion.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Issei asked, looking at his master for answers.
"No Issei. This is needed." Rias firmly replied, her gaze fixated on her knight. "He and we all need to see the real picture right now. With our current strength, we can't even hope to make a significant difference in the Rating Game at all."
After both the fighters had taken their stances, Kiba took the initiative for the first attack, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. Using his superior speed, he closed the distance between them and swung his sword with full force, only to clash against Lucian's sword. The exorcist had simply raised his sword at enough height to block his attack.
Undeterred, Kiba jumped back and attempted a strike from behind, trying to quickly disappear from Lucian's view. Yet he was again blocked and this time the latter not even looking at the path of his attack.
'Is he mocking me?!' If Lucian's intention was to try and get into Kiba's head, he was already succeeding in it without having to do anything.
Having blocked his attack, Lucian swung his weapon, pushing the knight back several steps. Then without giving him time to regain his composure, the exorcist dashed towards his opponent and swung in an upward arc. Kiba narrowly blocked the attack, only to have a punch land on his face that made him eat the dust on the ground.
"Lesson #1: Don't be naive enough to think that your opponent will only be using a sword in a swordfight. Anything goes." Lucian said, looking down at the knight who got up on his feet, wiping his cheek. "You are fighting for your master's honor here. You have to win no matter what."
Irritated at his words, Kiba closed in again, this time using more speed behind his attacks. He attempted a straight thrust, only to be parried at the last second. The blonde knight did not stop there at all. He tried his attacks from every angle imaginable to him, only to be blocked or parried at every swing.
"Lesson #2: Using your knight-status buffed speed with simple attacks becomes predictable. Try being more creative with techniques and moves. A swordsman has limitless options when it comes to techniques, you of all people should know that." Lucian said before swinging his sword in an upward slash, breaking Kiba's blade into two.
As his reflexes kicked in and he jumped back to gain distance to conjure another sword, Lucian jumped in, swinging his sword in a sideways arc, injuring Kiba's toros in the process. Blood flew out of his wound as the knight landed on his rear, clutching his chest in pain.
"Practical lessons are always better don't you think?" Lucian commented before looking up at Asia who stood right behind Issei. "Get working, healer. You are going to see a lot of blood on the battlefield. So I am going to make you get used to it and also use it to level up your healing abilities."
"What do you mean?" Asia asked nervously, fearing the worst. Judging by the tone of his voice, it did not seem like he was sugarcoating anything. He was making her and the rest of them aware of the harsh reality.
The reality that they were all weak.
"I am going to beat all of them, especially Issei with an inch of their lives. You are going to heal them back to shape." Lucian explained, stabbing his sword on the ground. "So I suggest you get busy healing."
"Hey! You can't just–!"
"As for you Issei, start running laps around the entire area of this estate. And each time you complete a lap, use a Boost." Lucian interrupted, not even letting Issei finish his sentence. "Run until your legs tire out and you reach the limit of your boosts. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir!" Issei saluted the exorcist, seeing how Asia finally walked up to Kiba to heal his injuries using her powers. Knowing there was no way out of this and now they were all under Lucian's mercy, he just agreed to it, not wanting to get on his bad side.
And if this training would help him get strong enough to punch that arrogant fire chicken's smug face, then he was going to endure every bit of it. With that he started with his jog.
"That leaves us with you three." The exorcist turned to face the unsure faces of Akeno, RIas and Koneko, all three of them wondering what was Lucian going to throw at them.
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