"Azazel-sama, we noticed a bunch of fallen suspiciously prowling around near to the Devil are expressly rented to two heiresses," a curvy black-haired woman wearing a mask and lengthy purple robes said.
"Yes, Penemue, I sent them to look into the rumors of a new sacred gear holder," said a tall guy who appeared to be in his twenties and was seated in a chair completing documents. He had black hair with golden bangs and a black goatee.
Penemue said, "But Azazel-sama, we uncovered some proof of some of them plotting with Cadre Kokabiel," trying to persuade him of something.
"I know," Azazel said, as he almost seemed to be staring through Penemue's mask. "The girl who worships me believed she would be rewarded for her efforts, and the two other people who were with her are misleading her. It ought to teach the girl a valuable lesson."
"Very well, Azazel-sama. I'll take my leave," Penemue said, leaving Azazel alone.
"You can come out," Azazel said, leaning back and staring into the corner.
A stunning woman emerged in the room's corner. The attractive woman showed off her curvy shape and long, gorgeous blonde hair as she made her way toward Azazel.
"So you're not going to mess with that girl Raynare? She appeared to admire the ground you walk... That poor virgin fell all because she believed she could be with you... Using a naive girl to obtain evidence is cruel of you, Azazel-sama," giggled the woman, letting her huge bosom bounce.
"She needs to grow up and go on," Azazel stated while rolling his eyes. "She risks falling into a vast pit of troubles if she continues to be as foolish and immature as she is."
"Oh, my~ are my eats working?" She swayed her stunning hips in shock, "The most lustful angel... who dragged down hundreds of angels with him, became a saint?"
"What's going on, Shingune? Give me the report and leave me alone." Azazel interrupted the women as he resumed signing the documents. "I have work to do."
Shingune dropped her former silly character, remained still, and gave him the documents.
"I see… I'll set up a meeting with Sirzechs right away. I won't allow this to spark another conflict…" Azazel muttered as his eyes darkened.
Shingune understood Azazel was a compassionate person who had abandoned his dark background and had long determined to move on. After hearing of maltreatment, he even went so far as to adopt a half-demon kid. Of course, Azazel's bringing a devil's offspring produced many disagreements and troubles.
"I'll take my leave, Azazel-sama," Shingune said as she teleported away.
Azazel closed his eyes as he leaned back, thinking about the gloomy times that were ahead.
Documents and a photograph of a white-haired kid on Azazel's shoulder holding a radiant smile were on the desk. The boy appeared to be free of the stresses of the outside world.
A second image, provided by Shingune and placed next to the first, showed the same child, now an adult, in a group photo. He did not, however, smile this time. The photo has letters scribbled on top of it.
『Operation Capture Rias Gremory』
◈ ━━━ ◆ ━━━ ◈
The red-haired man with the dead Abyssal Chicken on his back questioned, "Ward, how do you handle those goblins?"
"It's challenging since they're usually in groups... So you may either overpower them all at once or take them one at a time." Ward responded by stroking his chin.
Ward and Tenshi traveled to another location to hunt after fleeing the goblins, although they didn't go as far as they did when they encountered the goblins.
"How's your training coming along?" Ward asked.
Tenshi had an odd feeling. For a moment, he felt peculiar; a strange part of his body reacted, giving him a jittery feeling.
"I suppose they're doing well... not ready to hunt with it. However, the improvement was good," Tenshi said, putting an end to this twitchiness.
Ward, who was looking forward, was unaware of Tenshi's peculiar behavior.
When they got to the cave, Tenshi did trust Ward enough to bring him back. The twitchy feeling soon disappeared as he came inside the cave.
Tenshi's safe haven was the cave. It was where he felt more protected, and the cave's darkness helped Tenshi even more.
Ward, being a regular human, couldn't venture too deep into the cave, so he stayed at the entrance, where it was less dark.
Ward stated that he had formerly been a magician. He is now just a sinful soul who has lost all of his talents and is left with nothing except his immense knowledge.
"Tenshi…" Ward stated as he opened his mouth, "I believe it's time for me to go."
Hearing this news shocked Tenshi since he has a growing kinship between him and Ward.
"I see... Why?" Tenshi inquired, perplexed by the circumstance.
"Tenshi… I didn't leave because I was trying to discover a way out of Hell. I am aware that it will soon be my turn to be sent back for punishment. I want to explore Limbo and perhaps discover a path to purgatory in order to find out where it leads." Tenshi was saddened by what Ward said.
"What of the deal we made?" Tenshi remembered the agreement he had made to teach him magic and knowledge as he asked.
"Haha," said Ward, laughing. "Tenshi, I have no doubt you'll become a powerful man. I will thus message you in the future if I run into problems."
Tenshi bowed his head and grinned in response to Ward's positive assessment of him. Tenshi promised that he would assist Ward in the future, since he valued Ward's friendship and assistance.
Ward and Tenshi spend their time together the rest of the day.
"Be well Tenshi, and I'll see you later, Liya." As he spoke, Ward waved his hands in front of the cave's entrance.
Liya merely turned a blind eye and resumed her nap. Liya was never fond of Ward, since she avoided him and wouldn't allow him to pet her.
Tenshi merely assumed Liya was reserved and didn't enjoy the persistent rusty iron and sulfuric odor Ward emits.
Tenshi returned to the cave after seeing Ward exit his line of sight.
…
Three days had passed after Ward left, and Tenshi returned to his familiar hunting and training.
Tenshi's magic control has been advancing, and he has increased his mana supply.
Because Ward was around, Tenshi refrained from drinking blood and devouring the hearts of living things because he didn't feel comfortable enough to reveal his abilities.
"Haaa…." Tenshi breathed heavily as he experienced the same mana feeling coursing through his veins and reaching his heart. It has the same addictive nature as always.
Thank goodness Tenshi wasn't hooked enough to cause him withdrawal symptoms. Tenshi had never needed to consume blood or experience this mana-infused sensation throughout Ward's whole stay. After hearing Ward's experiences, the only thing he felt was the urge to exert more effort and get stronger faster.
…
Tenshi was exploring the cave since he was feeling more jittery than usual today. So he made the decision to stop and take a stroll around the cave to make sure everything was okay.
*crack* The sound of something stepping on a branch caused Tenshi to tilt his head to the side quickly.
Tenshi's reflexes were sharper because of the daily hunting, and he was always on guard.
Tenshi smacked the back of his head, relieving him of the itch. It wasn't an ache that could be ignored or scratched away. His neck felt like it was being electrified. Tenshi shivered as the hairs on his body sprang up as if he was extremely cold.
'A Warning!' Tenshi exclaimed, realizing what he had been experiencing for several weeks.
In the corner of his eye, he saw a projectile launching toward him.
Tenshi caught the projectile as it barely reached his eyes. Looking at what was in his hand, he saw it was a spear. It wasn't a bone spear he owned; no, it had a sharpened metal tip.
*whistle* *whistle* *whistle*
Tenshi recognized what was going on since he had witnessed the identical event with Ward while they were out hunting the chicken.
As he had predicted, several green goblins emerged from the bushes wielding hatchets and stone swords, and they began charging Tenshi.
Tenshi was being pelted with arrows, and spears as the goblins ran at him.
Tenshi created wind with a wave of his palm, scattering the arrow. He jumped back to escape injury to his legs since, sadly, he was too weak to move the heavy spears.
"Tch" '𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪,' Tenshi bemoaned his misfortune, knowing that a big sword would have made it simpler to deal with the nuisance.
"RAWW" The first goblin to approach him leaped at his throat, a knife in its fingers.