But Takumi quickly put that aside and greeted her normally.
"Irina. What are you doing in Kuoh?"
Since she was an old childhood friend, Takumi spoke to her casually.
Irina didn't hide it either.
"I came to Kuoh for a reason. Though I did want to see you too."
When she said that, her expression turned complicated.
She'd never imagined the childhood friend she liked would one day become a demon—worse, a Demon King-class one.
Takumi's reputation in the Underworld had naturally reached the Church too.
Seeing Irina hesitate, Takumi said lightly, "What, are you here to cause trouble for me? I'm a law-abiding citizen."
"I don't know what kind of law-abiding citizen also happens to be a Demon King."
The blue-haired girl beside Irina, Xenovia Quarta, stared at him and spoke in a challenging tone.
Takumi didn't even bother answering that directly.
He just glanced at Xenovia and said quietly, "If you know who I am, then you'd better speak with a little more respect."
That calm sentence hit like a mountain, carrying invisible divine pressure that crashed down on Xenovia.
Thud.
She dropped to both knees on the spot, cold sweat pouring down as she knelt before him.
The stench of death pressed in so hard she could barely breathe.
"Takumi-kun, Xenovia's just very blunt. She didn't mean to insult you."
"I know. Otherwise it wouldn't have stopped at this."
Takumi withdrew the pressure as casually as he'd released it and looked away.
Drenched in sweat, Xenovia's face was now full of fear and respect.
She'd just realized, in the most brutal way possible, how massive the gap between them really was.
A single glance from him was enough to crush her.
Even with a Holy Sword, she still wouldn't be his match.
Not daring to speak again, Xenovia quietly moved behind Irina.
Takumi didn't press it further. It was normal for a Church warrior to be hostile toward demons.
If Irina hadn't known him personally, her reaction probably would've been even worse.
Now fully aware that the Takumi before her wasn't the same boy she used to know, Irina took a deep breath.
She forced herself into official mode and explained why they were here.
"Not long ago, the Excalibur fragments managed by the Vatican, the Protestant Church, and the Orthodox Church were stolen."
"Excalibur…"
Takumi narrowed his eyes. He knew the secret behind them.
Excalibur was one of the Church's holy swords, but it had shattered in the ancient war.
What the Church now called Excalibur were actually weapons forged by alchemy using the broken fragments that had been recovered.
And there were seven of them.
If he could get his hands on all seven and study them, he should be able to reforge a true Excalibur.
Suppressing that thought, Takumi invited Irina and Xenovia into his house to talk.
"Oh? Guests in the house? That's rare."
Maria looked at the two girls and gasped, then immediately turned cautious.
"Wait, Takumi-nii, they're Church people!"
"Yeah, I know. Calm down."
Takumi gestured for everyone to settle.
After a round of introductions, Irina and Xenovia learned who Maria was too.
"Mmm~ I think I hear girls' voices."
A lazy voice drifted down from upstairs.
The next second, Rias walked into view wearing one of Takumi's white shirts.
The shirt was big—but not big enough on Rias's lush, overflowing body.
Her explosive curves stretched the fabric, while the hem only barely covered her ass.
Her thick, sexy thighs were displayed in full, shameless view.
Irina saw that and puffed out her cheeks, visibly jealous.
"Ugh~ Takumi, why are there so many scantily dressed she-demons living in your house? This is way too indecent!"
"..."
Takumi wanted to argue, but the scene in front of him made that impossible.
Xenovia also gave him a look of blatant contempt before sitting down and drinking tea.
"Rias, put some clothes on. We're discussing something serious."
"Okay~ I know, Takumi."
Rias answered lazily and seductively, then went back to change before coming downstairs properly dressed.
Asia stepped out behind her too.
The moment Irina and Xenovia saw her, both of their gazes locked onto her at once.
"You're Asia, the Witch, aren't you? Never thought we'd run into you here."
Hearing them call her Witch, Asia visibly flinched.
Pain crossed her face. She truly hated that title.
Irina seemed to catch that, but kept staring at her anyway.
"You're the former Saint who was branded a Witch by the Church, right? The one said to possess the ability to heal demons and fallen angels?"
"And now you're mixed up with demons, living in Takumi's house too."
"U-um… I…"
Asia didn't know how to respond under that kind of pressure.
Seeing it about to turn ugly, Takumi tapped the table.
"That's enough. Asia is my nun now. So neither of you is going to call her a witch again. Understood?"
The pressure in his voice shut them up instantly.
Even though both Church girls still clearly disliked Asia, at least they stopped openly mocking her.
Asia looked at Takumi gratefully, then, like a startled rabbit, hid behind him and lightly gripped his shoulder.
Rias narrowed her eyes too and sat down beside Takumi, facing Irina and Xenovia directly.
"Go on. What exactly is the Church doing here?"
Irina and Xenovia repeated the explanation.
The second she heard it involved Holy Swords, Rias's expression turned serious.
Those things were fatal weapons to demons.
At that moment Takumi cut in.
"I don't really know much about Holy Swords. Can you show me?"
The instant he said that, Irina perked up excitedly.
"Of course, Takumi-kun! They're our secret weapons!"
With obvious pride, she pulled something that looked like a rope out from inside her clothes.
The next second, the rope started twisting and moving as if it had a will of its own.
Moments later, it changed shape right in front of them and turned into a Japanese sword.
"This is my Excalibur Mimic. It can freely change shape like this, which makes it really convenient to carry around. It's currently managed by the Protestant Church."
Xenovia, not wanting to lose out, opened the long cloth case beside her and took out a straight sword.
"The Excalibur I carry is Excalibur Destruction. It's managed by the Catholic Church."
The moment Takumi saw those two Holy Swords, the corners of his mouth started to rise.