So... does everyone from the Church have a screw loose or something?
Watching Irina crying with emotion while swinging her sword at him completely on her own, Yoru had a look of utter disappointment.
As the girl once again brought her Holy Sword down toward him, Yoru no longer dodged. Instead, he raised his own sword and countered. The two slender Excaliburs clashed with a clear and pleasant ring.
"Let's end the jokes here, Holy Sword wielder. If you attack me again, as a soldier of the Gremory family, I will kill you."
"You're a soldier of the Gremory family?!"
Irina blinked in surprise and stared at him wide-eyed.
"So you're that powerful soldier? The one whose very presence caused an angel to manifest... The Church ordered us to be cautious of you. The angel even said that if given the chance, you must be killed—no matter the cost—because you're a young devil with limitless potential."
As Genova spoke, her gaze toward Yoru turned increasingly predatory—like a beast about to strike.
"Oh… so I'm that famous now, huh?"
Yoru was momentarily stunned. An angel appeared personally, and even gave a kill order on me by name?
As for Genova's bloodlust, Yoru simply ignored it. The two girls were far too weak—probably not even as strong as Shigen Shirou, whom he'd dealt with not long ago.
The girls' confidence came solely from the overwhelming power of their Holy Swords. After all, Excaliburs had an oppressive effect against devils, allowing them to overpower foes much stronger than themselves.
But if they encountered a monster like Shirou—who wasn't afraid of the Holy Swords and could even use them—they'd probably be slaughtered in an instant.
And Yoru… had already killed that kind of monster. If he wanted to kill these two girls, it would be laughably easy.
Even now, he could freeze the blood in their veins with just a thought and make them die in a horrific fashion.
But Genova clearly hadn't realized this. She continued glaring at Yoru with dangerous eyes, looking like she could strike at any moment.
"Genova, calm down. Don't forget our mission."
Irina once again held back her partner. For them, recovering the stolen Excaliburs was their top priority.
"I know."
Genova gave a small nod, and the pressure radiating from her body quickly faded.
"Soldier of the Gremory family... As much as I hate to admit it, I suppose your luck is pretty good."
"Naturally. I don't want to kill anyone in front of Asia either—especially not two delicate girls. So I'd say you're the lucky ones."
Yoru replied bluntly, throwing Genova's arrogant tone right back at her—leaving her fuming with rage.
This arrogant bastard… How dare he look down on me like that! Does he think I wouldn't kill him if I had the chance? Headquarters made it clear: even the Devil King's own sister can be eliminated if necessary!
Genova's thoughts were ice cold. If Yoru had known what was going through her head, he probably would've laughed at her naivety. There were always so many clueless and deluded people in this world.
"In that case, we'll trouble you to arrange a meeting for us tomorrow. This is something we need to discuss directly with the Gremory heiress."
Genova's tone was sharp, but Yoru nodded in response. With that, the two girls retired to a room at the back of the chapel to rest.
Seeing how the two girls were treating the place like their own turf, Yoru chuckled and scratched his nose. Technically, it wasn't a problem. After all, if this chapel didn't belong to these two church officials, would it really belong to him and Asia—two devils?
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day after school, the entire Occult Research Club gathered in the clubroom.
Seated across from Genova and Irina was a very serious-looking Rias. She was taking this meeting extremely seriously, as it represented a diplomatic exchange between the two major factions—Church and Devils.
All of Rias's other servants stood respectfully behind her. Akeno and Koneko wore similarly solemn expressions, aware of how important this matter was. Asia, meanwhile, just looked confused.
"Kiba…"
A gentle voice rang out, and the flame of fury in Kiba Yuuto's eyes dimmed.
"Sorry, President." Kiba bowed his head.
"I understand how you feel. But for now, please endure it."
Rias spoke gently, fully understanding the reason behind Kiba's anger. On the other hand, Yoru watched on curiously.
He vaguely remembered Rias mentioning that Kiba's contract with her—and his becoming a devil—was related to the Church somehow. But the details remained a mystery to him.
"My name is Genova. This is my partner, Irina Shidou."
Breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere, Genova coldly introduced herself and her companion.
"So, what business does the Church have with us?" Rias asked calmly. Although Yoru had already given her a rough explanation, formalities still had to be observed. She was representing the devil faction now—she couldn't afford to look weak before representatives of the Church.
"Just a few days ago, all of the Excalibur fragments under the custody of the Catholic Church in the Vatican, as well as those held by the Protestant and Orthodox branches, were stolen."
Genova's words shocked everyone in the room.
"Hmph. Good riddance. Those things shouldn't have existed in the first place," came a cold voice from behind—Kiba Yuuto.
Genova glanced up slightly. From the moment they arrived, she had felt that this boy held deep hatred toward her and Irina.
"So even if they were stolen, what does that have to do with this Far Eastern island nation?" Rias asked with a hint of casual disinterest, successfully diverting Genova's attention from Kiba.
"There were two Excaliburs at Church headquarters—one of which was mine. The Protestants had two, and the Orthodox Church had two as well. One more went missing during the three-way war between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels. Ever since, the various factions have fought over the Excalibur fragments. The thief who stole the Excaliburs has fled to Japan—here."
Genova explained, her tone filled with frustration.
"So many troublesome things happening at once… Have you identified the thief yet?" Rias sighed, clearly annoyed by the whole situation.
"The Excaliburs were undoubtedly stolen by the Fallen Angels. And they're already being used in some sort of experiment."
Genova's expression grew increasingly grim as she spoke.
---
Access more chapters at patreon.com/dzeref887