"You want to borrow Akeno?"
Rias stared at Jeanne Alter in surprise.
Not because she feared Jeanne Alter might do something inappropriate; in fact, Rias fully trusted her. But the timing was a bit off…
"We're about to handle terrorists who have invaded our territory."
"The Khaos Brigade attackers aren't particularly strong. With your current abilities, even without Akeno, you'll manage fine. And if anything goes wrong, the spell I placed on Koneko will protect you."
Rias stiffened slightly at Jeanne Alter's words.
The fact she spoke with such confidence indicated she'd already checked out the intruders beforehand. If she hadn't taken care of them already, it was likely due to Rias's own request—these terrorist incidents were troublesome, but also opportunities for growth.
Jeanne Alter had been so reliably protective that Rias and her group had almost forgotten what real danger felt like.
"You've been spoiling us too much, Jeanne-san."
"Hmph! I'm just worried that if anything happened to your friends, you'd all annoy me to death with your crying. Otherwise, why would I even bother?"
Jeanne Alter crossed her arms, averting her eyes with forced disdain.
"Azazel thinks the Khaos Brigade has started treating you and other factions as whetstones, repeatedly sending [Sacred Gear] users and artificial monsters to test and grow stronger. Their powers have become more tailored to your fighting styles—clearly, they're gathering intelligence. Seriously, I already killed their leader Cao Cao; why are they still causing so much trouble?"
The Khaos Brigade had its internal factions, as Azazel and Sirzechs had explained: the Old Maou faction led by the three devils Jeanne had killed; the Vali faction led by Vali Lucifer; and the Hero Faction, comprising human [Sacred Gear] users. Cao Cao had led the Hero Faction until Jeanne Alter slew him and took possession of the strongest Longinus, the [True Longinus].
"They're likely Cao Cao's old comrades, or someone else took over after him. We still don't fully understand the Brigade's composition," Rias sighed. "There are traitors within all three factions aligned with them. Even my brother and Azazel have trouble managing things."
But she quickly regained composure, smiling and gently pushing Akeno toward Jeanne Alter.
"In that case, I'll entrust my precious Queen to you for now. Just bring her back safely, or it'll give me a headache."
Rias trusted Jeanne Alter completely. With a final nod, she left with her peerage to confront the terrorists.
As soon as they were alone, Akeno pressed against Jeanne Alter from behind, her ample softness squishing provocatively against Jeanne's back.
"Ara, ara, Jeanne-san… sending everyone else away and keeping me to yourself… could it be…"
Akeno's flushed face filled with seduction as she whispered softly into Jeanne Alter's ear:
"Are you inviting your dear senpai on a date?"
Jeanne Alter shivered, her eyes widening sharply.
"Too close, woman!"
"Ara ara~!"
Seeing Jeanne Alter's cute new reaction, Akeno's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Jeanne-san, could it be you're embarrassed? How adorable!"
"Hah?! What nonsense are you saying? Just…stay away or I'll punch you! Let go already!"
The usually domineering Jeanne Alter, unmatched in combat, became adorably flustered, her face flushed bright red under teasing.
Ara…something inside me might be awakening…
Akeno licked her lips, eyes narrowing predatorily at Jeanne Alter.
Once Jeanne had recomposed herself (though her blush persisted stubbornly), she fixed Akeno with a serious look.
"Akeno, I'm taking you somewhere."
"Ara ara…so it really is a date?"
"No!" Jeanne Alter snapped firmly, eyebrow twitching.
"I was just teasing," Akeno said gently, covering her lips elegantly. "But I truly wouldn't mind a date with you. Such a shame to be rejected so harshly…"
She watched as Jeanne silently offered her hand.
Without another word, Akeno smiled slightly and took it.
"Are you sure it isn't a date?"
"No, and if you keep teasing, I'll knock you out and carry you there."
"What a pity…"
A magic circle glowed beneath their feet, swiftly enveloping them in light. The next instant, they vanished completely.
...
Their destination was a dense forest—one that instantly felt chillingly familiar to Akeno.
"Where…are we?" she asked uneasily.
Anxiety overtook her smile, her heart suddenly racing as she looked toward Jeanne Alter.
Meeting her gaze directly, Jeanne Alter said quietly:
"This is…the Himejima Clan's territory."
"!!!"
Akeno's heart skipped violently.
With those words came waves of dark, suffocating memories threatening to drown her sanity. Her face drained of color instantly. Had Jeanne Alter not held her tightly, her legs would've collapsed beneath her.
"…Why?"
Biting her lip almost to bleeding, betrayal filled Akeno's voice as her bloodshot eyes stared at Jeanne Alter in disbelief.
"Why would you bring me here?!"
"Because seeing you like this pisses me off!"
Jeanne Alter gripped Akeno's head firmly, forcing their eyes to lock, preventing escape.
"Akeno, listen carefully—I've learned everything about you and your father."
Akeno trembled visibly at those words, prompting Jeanne Alter to continue harshly:
"Your mother's death was partly Barakiel's fault. It's understandable if you hate him for that…but if that were truly the case, why are you suffering so much? Do you actually hate him? No, you know clearly—he wasn't truly at fault. You understand his pain better than anyone. Isn't that right?"
Her voice contained subtle magic, ensuring every word pierced directly into Akeno's heart—necessary, or the emotionally distraught Akeno wouldn't hear a thing. Jeanne Alter lacked persuasive charisma or protagonist powers, so she relied on this subtle push instead.
She abandoned gentle persuasion, brutally ripping open Akeno's wounds to expose the truth she'd desperately avoided.
"The one you truly hate isn't your father—it's yourself. You despise the weak child who watched helplessly as her mother died protecting her, and you hate your cowardly self who needs to blame him just to survive."
Akeno gripped Jeanne Alter's wrist painfully hard, fingers whitening from strain, though failing to break Jeanne's skin.
"Stop…" she begged tearfully, covering her mouth as tears streamed uncontrollably.
Stripped of her façade, Akeno's most vulnerable side emerged.
As Jeanne Alter said, Akeno already knew the truth—she'd always known—which made her torment even worse. To save herself from breaking, she pushed all blame onto Barakiel, selfishly exploiting his love and guilt. Yet this brought no relief; she'd been running from herself for years, her heart never truly maturing despite her outward composure.
Seeing Akeno's pain, Jeanne Alter felt brief guilt, but quickly hardened her resolve and pressed on.
"You can't keep living like this, Akeno. Both you and Barakiel are victims grieving your mother. Must you keep tormenting him, hurting yourself further? You truly love him, don't you? You wish you could share meals with him, go shopping, act spoiled—just like any normal daughter."
"I…I…"
Jeanne Alter's magic-laden voice gently yet irresistibly coaxed Akeno to recall the deepest wishes she'd long buried.
Softening her tone, Jeanne Alter spoke more gently now:
"Remember, Akeno, you're not alone anymore. You have Rias, Koneko, Yuuto, Asia—all these people care about you. They'll support you. You don't need to suffer alone anymore. And most importantly…if your mother saw you now, how hurt would she be?"
Drawing Akeno into a tender embrace, Jeanne Alter gently stroked her hair.
"She would've wished for her two most precious people to love each other, even if she couldn't be there herself. That's how all parents are."
Through blurred vision and streaming tears, Akeno suddenly thought she heard her mother's voice again—familiar even after so many years.
"Akeno… No matter what happens, trust your father. He may have harmed others in the past, but his love for me and for you is real. So please, love him too, alright?"
Sobbing uncontrollably, Akeno's heart overflowed with long-held grief.
"Mother…I…I wanted to see Father more! Wanted him to pat my head! I wanted to play with him more… I wanted…wanted the three of us…you, me, and Father…to live happily together!"
These were her truest, deepest feelings.
Clutching Jeanne Alter tightly, Akeno cried until her voice broke, releasing years of buried sorrow.
Jeanne Alter sighed quietly in relief. Finally, Akeno calmed down. As Jeanne moved to step away, Akeno hugged tighter.
"Please…just a little longer," she whispered longingly.
"I won't leave," Jeanne Alter said awkwardly. "There's still something left to do."
"Something…left to do?"
Akeno loosened her grip slightly, eyes filled with confusion.
"Of course." Jeanne Alter smiled wickedly. "You've cleared the misunderstanding with your father, but your revenge remains unfinished. Why else would I bring you here?"
"Revenge?"
Akeno's tear-filled eyes widened, lips parting slowly.
"Indeed," Jeanne Alter declared proudly. "The loving father and daughter have suffered for years while the true culprits enjoyed their freedom. Isn't that unfair?"
Stepping back, Jeanne Alter extended her hand boldly, a wild, confident smirk on her lips.
"Come, take my hand. Let me show you what it means to be an Avenger. After traversing the flames of hatred, let's finally see the beautiful sight that awaits us on the other side of revenge."
---
T/N: AVENGER AKENO, to be an avenger is to love
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping some Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
If you're feeling especially generous, or maybe just impatient, you can support the translator at patreon.com/wisetl. Totally optional, but hey, early access is always a nice bonus.
Oh, and don't forget—join the Discord at discord.gg/wisetl. Come chat, share theories, or complain directly to the translator—trust me, they love it.
Anyway, see you in the next chapter~
say thank you to hayasaka guyss