"You think I should just bend them all to my will. That it'd be easier if I cut away their choices and forced them to follow the path I lay out. That way they couldn't harm me, couldn't betray me, couldn't… disappoint me."
[Is that not logical, Sir?] Friday pressed.
"Logical? Yes." Arthur said with a smile and asked her a question. "But is it also logical for you to predict what I am going to say instead of asking me? Why didn't you do that?" Hearing that Friday was silent for some moments.
[...]
[Because..]
"...It felt right." Arthur finished.
Friday didn't say anything. Maybe it wasn't the precise wording she intended, but the essence was there.
Arthur then continues, "Friday, logic isn't everything. If I strip them of their choices, they're no longer themselves. They'd be dolls wearing faces. Empty shells. They would never look at me with real emotion again. And a puppet can never surprise you, never teach you, never grow beyond your shadow."
[Surprise is inefficient, Sir.]
Arthur chuckled under his breath. "Maybe. But it's also the only reason life's worth living. Think about it—if you could predict every single word I would ever say, if you could calculate every single move I'd make down to the smallest gesture… would you still be curious about me?"
Silence. A silence that seemed almost troubled, though Friday would never admit to being troubled.
"The funny thing," Arthur continued, "is that you could do it if you wanted. You could read me like a book. But you never do. That's your choice."
[...]
There was no immediate reply.
Arthur leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You asked if I'd ever use mind control on Rias to make her mine. No, Friday. I wouldn't. Because then it wouldn't be her. And there won't be any surprise. It would just be my will wearing her skin. And I don't want that. I want the girl herself—her choices, her flaws, her fire—even if those choices take her away from me. Isn't that the thrill of life?"
[And with your children?]
"The same. They're mine because they're free, not because they're chained to me. As long as they don't disturb me in ways I can't tolerate… they're free. That's how it should be."
[...]
[It's creepy when you talk like that, Sir.]
Arthur burst out laughing, shaking his head. "Fuck you."
Just then, Narberal approached, bowing slightly. "My Lord, I saw Lady Rias running back to her room."
Arthur tilted his head lazily, as though unconcerned by the observation. Narberal's eyes, however, betrayed the faintest glimmer of irritation as they flicked toward his cheek. Without a word, she produced a folded kerchief from her uniform and, in a gesture both intimate and clinical, reached up to wipe away the faint trace of lipstick Rias had left earlier.
Arthur allowed her with a half-smile.
When she finished, he broke the silence. "Nothing you need to worry about, Narberal." Then he continues after a pause. "Anyway, did you pass the information to all other Pleiades?"
"Yes." Narberal nodded as she finished cleaning his face. "Lupus said she will train Asia. Yuri-nee would train Koneko. Sebas-sama will train Issei. Shizu will train Kiba. Rias will be trained by Solution, and finally, I will train Akeno."
"Excellent. Now let's get started."
🔹🔹🔹
"Why do I get this old geezer?!" Issei's voice rang out across the courtyard, his fists clenched as though he'd just been betrayed by fate itself. He stomped his foot like a child denied candy. "When all the others are getting hot, sexy maids as their training partners, I get him! This isn't training—it's torture!"
His eyes darted toward the Pleiades one by one: Narberal with her elegant coldness, Solution with her mature curves, Lupusregina already teasing Asia with that wicked grin, and Yuri Alpha, tall and composed, standing with Koneko. Each one looked like they'd been pulled straight out of Issei's fantasies.
And then there was Sebas—stoic, immaculate, and carrying the dignified aura of an old master. His very presence made Issei feel like a misbehaving schoolboy being dragged to a cram session.
"This is not fair, man. This is so unjust!" Issei wailed, grabbing his hair dramatically. "I want to file a complaint! I demand equal opportunity training! I—"
"Quiet."
The word was soft. But it commands respect.
The moment Sebas spoke it, the air around Issei grew heavy, like a mountain had suddenly pressed down onto the courtyard. Issei's rant died in his throat, his mouth hanging open as his body instinctively froze.
Even Rias and the others, watching from a distance, felt the pressure ripple across the training ground.
"What the...?" Rias murmured.
Sebas slowly stepped forward, his hands neatly folded behind his back. His expression was calm—yet his gaze carried the weight of a predator that could crush him at any moment. For some reason, Issei was instinctively feeling fear towards Sebas.
Issei didn't know how to tell, but he just knew the one in front of him was a predator or something along those lines, as even his sacred gear was trembling for some reason. He can feel it
"Do you believe, Hyoudou Issei," Sebas said evenly, "that strength comes from playing with your desires? From chasing after what you find appealing?"
"I-I…" Issei stammered, suddenly unable to meet his eyes.
So scary.
Sebas's shoes clicked lightly on the stones as he drew closer, towering over the boy. "Your companions will be tested, yes. Their instructors will exploit their personalities and their weaknesses. But you…" He paused, eyes narrowing just slightly. "…You are driven by lust. By indulgence. By short-sighted impulses."
Issei flinched as though struck.
"That is why Arthur-sama chose me for you." Sebas's voice was firm as if there were no doubt about his lord's decision. "I am neither beautiful nor tempting to your eyes. Which means you will have no distractions. No excuses. Only discipline."
Issei swallowed hard. "D-discipline?"
Sebas's lips curled. "You crave women? Very well. Then I will break you of that weakness until you can think and act in battle without your lust clouding your judgment. If you survive my training, Hyoudou Issei, you will not need to beg for strength… you will become it. Otherwise you will die."
The silence afterward was deafening.
Even Rias found herself stunned. She had known Sebas carried himself with dignity, but the commanding aura he exuded now was overwhelming—even for her. It felt like they all were ants, for the first time, looking at a dragon.
Issei, meanwhile, was trembling, caught between awe and terror. "Y-you're scarier than Buchou when she's mad…" he muttered under his breath.
Sebas adjusted his cufflinks with a casual motion. "Good. Then perhaps you finally understand." He turned his back and walked toward the center of the courtyard. "Now, follow me. Your training begins immediately."
"But—" Issei hesitated, glancing longingly at the others. Narberal's cold beauty. Solution's dangerous allure. Lupus's playful charm. Even Shizu, silent and unreadable, felt like a better deal. "T-this really isn't fair…" he whispered.
Sebas stopped mid-step, though he didn't look back. "Fairness," he said, his tone as sharp as a blade, "is a luxury the battlefield does not offer. Learn that now—or you will die clinging to the word 'unfair.'"
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